Average in Different Languages
Discover 'Average' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Average is a term that holds significant importance in our daily lives. It refers to a number that is typical or usual for a group or a series of measurements. The concept of average is not only mathematical but also cultural, as it plays a crucial role in various aspects of society, including business, politics, and social sciences. Understanding the average can help us make informed decisions and gain valuable insights.
Moreover, the word 'average' has fascinating historical contexts and interesting facts associated with it. For instance, did you know that the word 'average' comes from the Arabic word 'awara', which means 'damage at sea'? This is because the concept of average was initially used in maritime law to distribute losses fairly among shipowners.
Given the significance and cultural importance of the word 'average', it's essential to know its translations in different languages. Here are some sample translations: Spanish - 'promedio', French - 'moyenne', German - 'Durchschnitt', Chinese - '平均', Japanese - '平均', and Russian - 'среднее'.
Average
Average in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | gemiddeld | ||
| The word "gemiddeld" derives from the Dutch word "gemiddeld", which means "average". The word can also refer to a person who is "ordinary" or "common". In Afrikaans, the word is often used to describe something that is "moderate" or "not too much or too little". | |||
| Amharic | አማካይ | ||
| The word 'አማካይ' (average) is derived from the verb 'መከማከር' (to mediate, to be in the middle), and also has the alternate meaning of 'moderator. | |||
| Hausa | matsakaita | ||
| The word "matsakaita" in Hausa is derived from the word "matsaka", meaning "middle" or "center", and is often used to refer to something that is in the middle of a range or spectrum. | |||
| Igbo | nkezi | ||
| The word nkezi in Igbo can also refer to the middle of three or more items. | |||
| Malagasy | eo ho eo | ||
| In Malagasy, the word "eo ho eo" means "average", but it can also refer to something that is "in between" or "moderate". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | pafupifupi | ||
| The word "pafupifupi" derives from the verb "pafupifupiritsa," meaning to bring to the middle. | |||
| Shona | avhareji | ||
| The word 'avhareji' can also mean 'ordinary' or 'mediocre' in Shona. | |||
| Somali | celcelis ahaan | ||
| The Somali word "celcelis ahaan" can also refer to a "normal" or "usual" state of being. | |||
| Sesotho | karolelano | ||
| In Sesotho, word “karolelano” means “average” but its literal meaning is “the one that has been shared evenly amongst all.” | |||
| Swahili | wastani | ||
| The word "wastani" in Swahili comes from the Arabic word "wast," meaning "middle". | |||
| Xhosa | umndilili | ||
| Xhosa has a cognate of umndilili in i-ndili, meaning the act of rolling in something as a ball. | |||
| Yoruba | apapọ | ||
| The Yoruba word 'apapọ,' besides meaning 'average,' can also mean 'a meeting point, a gathering, a junction' or 'what brings people together.' | |||
| Zulu | isilinganiso | ||
| The word 'isilinganiso' can also mean 'comparison' or 'analogy' in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | hakɛlama | ||
| Ewe | ve dome | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ugereranije | ||
| Lingala | moyenne | ||
| Luganda | mumakati | ||
| Sepedi | magareng | ||
| Twi (Akan) | adantam | ||
Average in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | معدل | ||
| The Arabic word "معدل" also refers to the slope or gradient of a line, as well as the rate of change or progress, and the equalization of things. | |||
| Hebrew | מְמוּצָע | ||
| מְמוּצָע, "average," originally denoted the central element or axis-point.} | |||
| Pashto | اوسط | ||
| The word "اوسط" in Pashto can also mean "fair", "just", or "moderate". | |||
| Arabic | معدل | ||
| The Arabic word "معدل" also refers to the slope or gradient of a line, as well as the rate of change or progress, and the equalization of things. | |||
Average in Western European Languages
| Albanian | mesatare | ||
| The word "mesatare" in Albanian has roots in the word "mes" meaning "middle" and "tar" meaning "to hold". | |||
| Basque | batez bestekoa | ||
| The Basque word “batez bestekoa” literally translates as “one out of many”. | |||
| Catalan | mitjana | ||
| Catalan word 'mitjana' comes from Latin word 'medianus', meaning 'halfway or in the middle'. | |||
| Croatian | prosječno | ||
| The word "prosječno" in Croatian can also mean "on average" or "usually". | |||
| Danish | gennemsnit | ||
| The word "gennemsnit" is derived from the Old Norse word "genomsnith", meaning "cut through the middle". | |||
| Dutch | gemiddelde | ||
| The word "gemiddelde" in Dutch also has the meaning "arithmetic mean" in mathematics. | |||
| English | average | ||
| Derived from the Arabic word ‘awariya’, meaning ‘damaged goods’ | |||
| French | moyenne | ||
| "Moyenne" can also mean "halfway" or "middle". | |||
| Frisian | trochsneed | ||
| The Frisian word "trochsneed" also means "common, vulgar, coarse, rude or rough-mannered." | |||
| Galician | media | ||
| In Galician, "media" can also refer to the middle of something or to a way or means. | |||
| German | durchschnittlich | ||
| The German word "durchschnittlich" originally meant "penetrating" in the context of piercing a wooden board or wall. | |||
| Icelandic | meðaltal | ||
| In Old Norse, "meðaltal" also means "middle" or "middle time." | |||
| Irish | meán | ||
| In Irish, the word "meán" (pronounced "mayn") not only means "average" but also "middle" or "mean" in the sense of "contemptible". | |||
| Italian | media | ||
| In Italian, "media" can also mean "medium" or "means." | |||
| Luxembourgish | duerchschnëttlech | ||
| The word "duerchschnëttlech" is related to other words meaning "to cut" that are found across Germanic languages. | |||
| Maltese | medja | ||
| The word "medja" in Maltese can also refer to a "medium" or a "way".} | |||
| Norwegian | gjennomsnitt | ||
| The word "gjennomsnitt" literally translates to "through-cut" or "cut through" in Norwegian. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | média | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "média" not only refers to an arithmetic mean but also a type of stocking and a news organization. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | cuibheasach | ||
| "Cuibheasach" shares a root with the Scots Gaelic word "coibhneas" meaning 'equality' and "cothrom" meaning 'equivalent'" | |||
| Spanish | promedio | ||
| "Promedio" also refers to "proximate" (near, close)" in Spanish, from Latin word proximus, "nearest," related to prope" (near)" | |||
| Swedish | genomsnitt | ||
| In Swedish, the word "genomsnitt" also means "cross-section". | |||
| Welsh | cyfartaledd | ||
| The etymology of 'cyfartaledd' relates to the concept of 'sharing out in equal portions'. | |||
Average in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | сярэдняя | ||
| The word "сярэдняя" (average) comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "medʰjo" meaning "middle" or "intermediate." | |||
| Bosnian | prosjek | ||
| The word "prosjek" can also refer to the process of averaging or the result of an average. | |||
| Bulgarian | средно аритметично | ||
| Средно аритметично comes from the Greek words "meson" and "arithmos", meaning "middle" and "number". | |||
| Czech | průměrný | ||
| The word "průměrný" also has the alternate meaning of "mediocre" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | keskmine | ||
| "Keskmine" also means "the one in the middle", which makes it the only Estonian word that directly translates to the origin of its English equivalent "average". | |||
| Finnish | keskiverto | ||
| The word "keskiverto" in Finnish is related to the words "keski" (middle) and "verto" (a unit of comparison), meaning "the point of comparison". | |||
| Hungarian | átlagos | ||
| In Hungarian, "átlagos" also means "everyday", "normal", or "mediocre". | |||
| Latvian | vidēji | ||
| The word “vidēji” derives from the adjective “vidus,” meaning "middle" or "medium". | |||
| Lithuanian | vidutinis | ||
| The word "vidutinis" is derived from the Lithuanian word "vidus", meaning "middle" or "center". | |||
| Macedonian | просек | ||
| The word "просек" is derived from the verb "просекувать" meaning "to cut through" and in the past it also meant "a narrow path cut through the forest". | |||
| Polish | średni | ||
| "Średni" also means "middle" and is etymologically related to words like "heart" and "centre" in other Slavic languages. | |||
| Romanian | in medie | ||
| The Romanian word ‘ăn medie’ (average) derives from the Latin phrase ‘in medio’, meaning ‘in the middle’ | |||
| Russian | в среднем | ||
| The word "в среднем" can also mean "on average" or "an average" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | просек | ||
| The word "просек" can also refer to a forest path. | |||
| Slovak | priemer | ||
| In its original use, "priemer" meant "cross section," which is still an alternate meaning of the word. | |||
| Slovenian | povprečno | ||
| The word 'povprečno' comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'povьrti' ('turn'), as averages were calculated by rotating a spindle on which balls representing different values were placed. | |||
| Ukrainian | середній | ||
| The word "середній" (average) derives from the Proto-Slavic word *sъrědъ, meaning "central" or "middle". | |||
Average in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | গড় | ||
| The term "গড়" is also used in Bangla to mean either the average or the median, depending on context. | |||
| Gujarati | સરેરાશ | ||
| The word "સરેરાશ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "शराशर" (śarāśara) meaning "mixed". In Gujarati, it is also used to refer to a "collection of things" or a "miscellany". | |||
| Hindi | औसत | ||
| Derived from the Sanskrit word 'utsa,' meaning 'source,' 'औसत' also refers to the initial quantity from which something is derived. | |||
| Kannada | ಸರಾಸರಿ | ||
| ಸರಾಸರಿ, meaning 'average', is derived from the root 'ಸರಿ', meaning 'straight' or 'even'. | |||
| Malayalam | ശരാശരി | ||
| The word 'ശരാശരി' in Malayalam is derived from the Sanskrit word 'शरासरी' (sarāsari), which means 'straight, regular, or equal'. | |||
| Marathi | सरासरी | ||
| The word "सरासरी" is derived from the Sanskrit word "सरास," meaning "essence" or "quintessence." | |||
| Nepali | औसत | ||
| The Nepali word "औसत" is also a term for the average rainfall of a given area. | |||
| Punjabi | .ਸਤ | ||
| In Sanskrit, the word ".ਸਤ" also means "existence" or "essence". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සාමාන්යය | ||
| The word "සාමාන්යය" was originally used to mean "ordinary" and has since expanded to include the meaning of "average". | |||
| Tamil | சராசரி | ||
| "சராசரி" (average) also means "common" or "ordinary" in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | సగటు | ||
| The word "సగటు" can also refer to a fraction or a part of something in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | اوسط | ||
| The Urdu word "اوسط" can also refer to the middle or center of something, or to a moderate or middling amount. | |||
Average in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 平均 | ||
| "平均" (píngjūn) is also used to describe fairness and balance, such as in "平均分配" (píngjūn fēnpèi) which means "to distribute fairly". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 平均 | ||
| 平均 is a combination of the words 平 (píng) and 均 (jūn), which separately mean "level" and "equal" in Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | 平均 | ||
| The word "平均" can also mean "equal" or "balance" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 평균 | ||
| The word "평균" ("average") in Korean is derived from the Chinese word "平均, | |||
| Mongolian | дундаж | ||
| The Mongolian word "дундаж" can also refer to the middle of something or the center of a group. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပျမ်းမျှအား | ||
Average in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | rata-rata | ||
| Derived from Sanskrit word 'rata' which means 'a rate' or 'a portion' and thus has the same meaning as 'rata-rata' in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | rata-rata | ||
| "Rata-rata" in Javanese also means "equal" or "uniform". | |||
| Khmer | មធ្យម | ||
| The word "មធ្យម" ("average") is also used to refer to "medium". In the context of Buddhism, it also means "middle" or "central". | |||
| Lao | ໂດຍສະເລ່ຍ | ||
| Malay | rata-rata | ||
| "Rata-rata" is a Malay reduplication meaning "mean" or "average", related to the word "rata" meaning "flat" or "level". | |||
| Thai | เฉลี่ย | ||
| The word "เฉลี่ย" originated from the Pali word "chellā" meaning to divide or spread. | |||
| Vietnamese | trung bình cộng | ||
| The word "Trung bình cộng" in Vietnamese also means "equal", and is derived from the Chinese word "zhongping", which has the same meaning. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | karaniwan | ||
Average in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | orta | ||
| The word "orta" can also refer to a "measure", a "rate", or a "proportion" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | орташа | ||
| The word "орташа" in Kazakh can also mean "middle" or "medium" in terms of size or quality. | |||
| Kyrgyz | орточо | ||
| The word "орточо" is not related to the Russian word "ордынцу", meaning "descendant of the Golden Horde". | |||
| Tajik | миёна | ||
| The word 'миёна' ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *medʰyo-, meaning 'middle', 'between', and is cognate with words such as 'median', 'medium', and 'mediator' in English. | |||
| Turkmen | ortaça | ||
| Uzbek | o'rtacha | ||
| The word "o'rtacha" also means "medium" in Uzbek, referring to something that is neither too large nor too small. | |||
| Uyghur | ئوتتۇرىچە | ||
Average in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | awelika | ||
| "Awēlika" has multiple meanings, including average, indifferent or lukewarm and ordinary | |||
| Maori | toharite | ||
| Toharite has its origins in Tohara, a type of tree in New Zealand. | |||
| Samoan | averesi | ||
| The word 'averesi' comes from the English word 'average' and is typically used in the context of calculations rather than a general characteristic. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | average | ||
| The Tagalog word "average" (also spelled uberah or uberage) comes from the Spanish verb "averiguar," which means "to investigate" or "to verify." | |||
Average in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | prumiryu | ||
| Guarani | mbytegua | ||
Average in International Languages
| Esperanto | averaĝa | ||
| Esperanto's "averaĝa" may derive from French "avérer" ("to verify") or Latin "avariāre" ("to damage"). | |||
| Latin | mediocris | ||
| The Latin "mediocris" also describes something halfway up a slope, as in the phrase "mediocris mons" (halfway-up mountain). | |||
Average in Others Languages
| Greek | μέση τιμή | ||
| In ancient Greek, "μέση τιμή" (mèse timè) meant "middle value" or "middle ground" before it acquired its present meaning. | |||
| Hmong | qhov nruab nrab | ||
| Kurdish | navoser | ||
| "Navoser" is a Kurdish word meaning "common" and can also refer to "mediocrity, typicality or ordinariness". | |||
| Turkish | ortalama | ||
| In etymology, ortalama comes from the Arabic word 'arada' which means 'between'. In everyday usage, it can mean both 'average' and 'medium' depending on context. | |||
| Xhosa | umndilili | ||
| Xhosa has a cognate of umndilili in i-ndili, meaning the act of rolling in something as a ball. | |||
| Yiddish | דורכשניטלעך | ||
| Yiddish 'דורכשניטלעך' comes from German 'Durchschnittsmensch', meaning 'common person', rather than its modern meaning 'average'. | |||
| Zulu | isilinganiso | ||
| The word 'isilinganiso' can also mean 'comparison' or 'analogy' in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | গড় | ||
| Aymara | prumiryu | ||
| Bhojpuri | ठीक-ठाक | ||
| Dhivehi | މެދުމިން | ||
| Dogri | दरम्याना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | karaniwan | ||
| Guarani | mbytegua | ||
| Ilocano | pagtengngaan | ||
| Krio | lɛk | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕێژە | ||
| Maithili | औसत | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯥꯡꯆꯠ | ||
| Mizo | tlanglawn | ||
| Oromo | giddu-galeessa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ହାରାହାରି | ||
| Quechua | chawpichasqa | ||
| Sanskrit | माध्यम् | ||
| Tatar | уртача | ||
| Tigrinya | ማእኸላይ | ||
| Tsonga | ringana | ||