Updated on March 6, 2024
Being aware is a crucial aspect of personal growth and self-improvement, and it's a concept that transcends cultures and languages. To be aware is to have knowledge or perception of a situation or fact, and to understand the implications of that knowledge. It's about being mindful, present, and attentive to the world around us, and to ourselves.
Throughout history, awareness has played a significant role in many cultural and spiritual traditions. In Buddhism, for example, mindfulness and awareness are central to the practice of meditation and the pursuit of enlightenment. Similarly, in many Indigenous cultures, awareness of the natural world and one's place in it is seen as a key component of spiritual and physical well-being.
Given the importance of awareness, it's no wonder that people around the world may want to know how to say this word in their own language. Below, we've compiled a list of translations of aware in different languages, from Spanish and French to Arabic and Chinese.
Afrikaans | bewus | ||
The word "bewus" in Afrikaans, meaning "aware," originates from the Dutch "bewust," which also means "conscious" or "intentional." | |||
Amharic | ማወቅ | ||
The Amharic word "ማወቅ" (mawəq) originally meant "to know", but has since evolved to also mean "to be aware" and "to recognize". | |||
Hausa | sani | ||
The word 'sani' in Hausa can also mean 'healthy' or 'sane'. | |||
Igbo | mara | ||
The Igbo word "mara" also signifies alertness or preparedness. | |||
Malagasy | fantatr'i | ||
The word "Fantatr'i" can also mean "to perceive" or "to understand". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuzindikira | ||
"Kuzindikira" is an extended form of the root word "kudziwa" (to know/recognize), with the "-ndikira" extension implying a state of being constantly informed or perpetually cognizant. | |||
Shona | kuziva | ||
"Kuziva" can mean to be aware, but can also mean to be watchful, cautious, or alert. | |||
Somali | baraarugsan | ||
The word 'baraarugsan' in Somali is derived from the root 'baraarug,' which means 'to enlighten' or 'to make aware'. | |||
Sesotho | hlokomela | ||
The Sesotho word 'hlokomela', meaning 'aware', derives from the verb 'ho loka', meaning 'to see' or 'to observe'. | |||
Swahili | kufahamu | ||
The word 'kufahamu' is derived from the Arabic word 'faham' which means 'to understand' or 'to comprehend'. | |||
Xhosa | uyazi | ||
"Uyazi," meaning "aware," also means "you know" in Xhosa and Zulu. | |||
Yoruba | mọ | ||
The word "mọ" can also mean "to have knowledge or understanding of something" or "to be conscious or mindful of something." | |||
Zulu | uyazi | ||
The word 'uyazi' in Zulu can also mean 'to know' or 'to understand'. | |||
Bambara | hakilimaya | ||
Ewe | nya | ||
Kinyarwanda | arabizi | ||
Lingala | koyeba | ||
Luganda | okumanya | ||
Sepedi | lemoga | ||
Twi (Akan) | nim | ||
Arabic | واع | ||
واع "aware" also connotes "understanding what was hidden" and "feeling in one's body" in Arabic. | |||
Hebrew | מוּדָע | ||
The word מוּדָע originated in the Talmud and signifies 'made known' to the public. | |||
Pashto | خبرتیا | ||
The Pashto word 'خبرتیا' derives from the Arabic root 'خَبَر', meaning 'news' or 'information', denoting a state of having or receiving information. | |||
Arabic | واع | ||
واع "aware" also connotes "understanding what was hidden" and "feeling in one's body" in Arabic. |
Albanian | i vetëdijshëm | ||
"I vetëdijshëm" comes from the Latin word "conscius", which means "knowing with oneself" or "having consciousness." | |||
Basque | jakitun | ||
The word "jakitun" can also mean "to have knowledge", "to be conscious", or "to be mindful". | |||
Catalan | conscient | ||
"Conscient" in Catalan also means "conscious" | |||
Croatian | svjestan | ||
The word "svjestan" in Croatian derives from the Proto-Slavic word "svědomo", meaning "known, familiar". | |||
Danish | klar over | ||
The Danish word "klar over" also means "clear about" in English. | |||
Dutch | bewust | ||
The word "bewust" in Dutch is derived from the Old Saxon word "bewuste", meaning "known" or "understood". | |||
English | aware | ||
The etymology of 'aware' is from Old English, 'gewar,' meaning 'watchful, cautious.' | |||
French | conscient | ||
"Conscient" in French has the alternate meaning of "guilty", coming from its Latin origin "conscientia" (conscience, guilt). | |||
Frisian | bewust | ||
Bewust also means 'conscious' and is derived from the Old Frisian word 'biwista', meaning 'known'. | |||
Galician | consciente | ||
Galician "consciente" derives from Latin "conscius" meaning "conscious" or "co-knower". | |||
German | bewusst | ||
The word "bewusst" is derived from the Old High German word "bewust," meaning "known" or "conscious." | |||
Icelandic | meðvitaður | ||
The word "meðvitaður" is derived from the Old Norse word "vit", meaning "knowledge" or "wisdom", and the prefix "með-", meaning "with". It can also refer to consciousness or mindfulness. | |||
Irish | feasach | ||
In the north-west, and in particular in Co Donegal, "feasach" and "eolach" are interchangeable and have a common meaning of “having knowledge of, knowing about.” | |||
Italian | consapevole | ||
"Consapevole" derives from the Latin "conscius" (with knowledge), meaning "to know" or "to be conscious of something." | |||
Luxembourgish | bewosst | ||
"Bewosst" is related to "Wissen" - knowledge and has an archaic connotation. | |||
Maltese | konxji | ||
The etymology of 'konxji' is uncertain, with some suggesting it derives from the Arabic 'kon' meaning 'to be' and others from the French 'connaître' meaning 'to know'. | |||
Norwegian | klar over | ||
"Klar over" literally means "clear over" in Norwegian, suggesting a state of full understanding or comprehension. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | consciente | ||
Consciente derives from the Latin word "conscientia" (knowledge, awareness, consciousness). | |||
Scots Gaelic | mothachail | ||
The word "mothachail" is derived from the Old Irish word "mothugud," meaning "perceiving" or "noticing." | |||
Spanish | consciente | ||
The Spanish word "consciente" derives from the Latin "conscire", meaning "to know together with" and also "to be guilty". | |||
Swedish | medveten | ||
The word "medveten" likely comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*wed-", meaning "to know" or "perceive". | |||
Welsh | ymwybodol | ||
The Welsh word 'ymwybodol' is a compound of two other Welsh words 'ymwybod' ('conscious') and 'ol' ('track', 'trail', 'mark'). This suggests an interpretation as 'following consciousness'. |
Belarusian | усведамляе | ||
"Усведамляе" in Belarusian is derived from the word "свядомы" (conscious), and also means "enlightened," "informed," or "cognizant." | |||
Bosnian | svjestan | ||
"Svjestan" is derived from the verb "svjestovati" ("to become aware"), which in turn comes from the noun "svjest" ("consciousness"). | |||
Bulgarian | осъзнат | ||
In Bulgarian, "осъзнат" also means "realized" or "understood", and derives from the root "зна" meaning "to know". | |||
Czech | vědom | ||
The word "vědom" is also related to the words "vědět" (to know) and "věda" (science). | |||
Estonian | teadlik | ||
The Estonian word "teadlik" is often translated as "aware", but it can also mean "knowledgeable" or "informed". | |||
Finnish | tietoinen | ||
The word ’tietoinen’ in Finnish derives from the verb ’tietää’ meaning ’to know’, and also has the alternate meaning ’conscious’. | |||
Hungarian | tudatában | ||
The Hungarian word "tudatában" can also mean "consciously" or "knowingly". | |||
Latvian | apzinās | ||
"Apzinās" comes from Proto-Baltic "*samiz" meaning "together". | |||
Lithuanian | supranta | ||
The word "supranta" in Lithuanian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*per-," meaning "to perceive" or "to understand". | |||
Macedonian | свесен | ||
"Свесен" can also refer to someone or something that is awake, conscious | |||
Polish | świadomy | ||
"Świadomy" is derived from the old Polish word "świad" meaning "witness" and is related to the word "świadczyć" meaning "to testify". | |||
Romanian | conștient | ||
The word "conștient" in Romanian originates from Latin "conscius," which means both "aware" and "guilty." | |||
Russian | осведомленный | ||
The word "осведомленный" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "vědomъ", meaning "to know". | |||
Serbian | свестан | ||
The word 'свестан' in Serbian comes from the Proto-Slavic root *věd-, which also gave rise to the words 'wisdom', 'knowledge', and 'witness'. | |||
Slovak | vedomý | ||
The word "vedomý" also means "led" and is related to the word "viesť" (to lead). | |||
Slovenian | zavedati | ||
The verb 'zavedati' can also mean to mislead or delude. | |||
Ukrainian | усвідомлений | ||
The word "усвідомлений" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "съвѣсть" (sъvěstь), meaning "consciousness" or "knowledge". |
Bengali | সচেতন | ||
সচেতন is derived from the Sanskrit root 'cit' meaning 'to know' or 'to be aware'. | |||
Gujarati | જાગૃત | ||
"જાગૃત" in Gujarati originates from Sanskrit "jagriti," which means "awakening" or "consciousness." | |||
Hindi | अवगत | ||
The word 'अवगत' (aware) in Hindi originated from the Sanskrit word 'गत' (gone or passed), indicating knowledge or familiarity with something that has past or happened. | |||
Kannada | ಅರಿವು | ||
The Kannada word "ಅರಿವು" (ariwu) also means "knowledge" or "understanding". | |||
Malayalam | അറിഞ്ഞിരിക്കുക | ||
The word 'അറിഞ്ഞിരിക്കുക' ('aware') in Malayalam has multiple meanings, including 'to be informed', 'to be conscious', and 'to be aware'. | |||
Marathi | जाणीव | ||
जाणीव is also used in the sense of 'realization' or 'understanding' in Marathi, similar to English. | |||
Nepali | सचेत | ||
The word 'सचेत' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'चैतन्य' which means 'consciousness' or 'intelligence'. | |||
Punjabi | ਚੇਤੰਨ | ||
The Punjabi word "ਚੇਤੰਨ" is cognate with the Sanskrit word "चैतन्य" (caitanya), meaning "consciousness" or "intelligence". | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දැනුවත් | ||
The Sinhala word "දැනුවත්" can also mean "having knowledge", "informed", or "conscious". | |||
Tamil | விழிப்புணர்வு | ||
Telugu | తెలుసు | ||
"తెలుసు" is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root *tel- "to know" and is cognate with Tamil "தெரியும்" (teriyum) and Kannada "ತೆలిಯ" (teliya). | |||
Urdu | آگاہ | ||
Derived from the Persian "آگاه", the term "آگاہ" can also denote "learned" or "knowledgeable" in some Persian contexts. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 知道的 | ||
'知道的' is also a Chinese idiom meaning 'to know all about something'. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 知道的 | ||
"知道的" originates from the Chinese expression "知道" (zhīdào) meaning "to know" or "to understand". It can also refer to knowledge, information, or awareness. | |||
Japanese | 気がついて | ||
The word 気がついて (kizuite) can also mean "to realize" or "to become conscious of something." | |||
Korean | 인식 | ||
인식 was originally two words - 인 (person) and 식 (know) - meaning the action of a person becoming aware. | |||
Mongolian | ухамсартай | ||
The word ухамсартай is a Mongolian word for aware that comes from the word санаа meaning "thought" and the suffix -тай meaning "having, possessing" implying the possession of thought and consciousness, and thus awareness. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | သတိထား | ||
The word "သတိထား" (aware) comes from the Sanskrit word "smriti" ("memory"), which is also the root of the English word "remember". In Myanmar, "သတိ" can also refer to "attention" or "mindfulness". |
Indonesian | sadar | ||
The Indonesian word "sadar" also carries the connotation of "consciousness" or "rational thought". | |||
Javanese | waspada | ||
"Waspada" also has a meaning related to "vigilance" or "precaution". | |||
Khmer | យល់ដឹង | ||
"យល់ដឹង" is likely derived from Pali or Sanskrit and carries the additional meaning of "understanding" or "comprehension." | |||
Lao | ຮູ້ | ||
The word ຮູ້ also has alternate meanings such as 'know' and 'understand' in Lao. | |||
Malay | menyedari | ||
The word "menyedari" comes from the root word "sedar" which means "to be conscious" or "to be aware" | |||
Thai | ตระหนัก | ||
The word "ตระหนัก" also has the connotation of "to understand deeply" or "to be fully aware of something's significance". | |||
Vietnamese | nhận biết | ||
In Vietnamese, "nhận biết" means either "to realize" or "to be aware of something" depending on its context. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | kamalayan | ||
Azerbaijani | xəbərdar | ||
"Xəbərdar" is of Persian-language origin; "khabar" translates as "news" or "intelligence." | |||
Kazakh | хабардар | ||
Хáбардар is derived from the Persian word, “khabar,” meaning news or information, hence informing someone of something. | |||
Kyrgyz | кабардар | ||
The word "кабардар" in Kyrgyz also means "watchful" or "heedful". | |||
Tajik | огоҳ | ||
Tajik "огоҳ" has the alternate meaning of "alert" and is likely derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*wegʰ-" meaning "to observe". | |||
Turkmen | habarly | ||
Uzbek | xabardor | ||
"Xabardor" can mean 'aware' or 'informed' in Uzbek. | |||
Uyghur | بىلىدۇ | ||
Hawaiian | ʻike | ||
'Ike' can be understood as 'to see' or 'to know', with the latter often expressed by 'mahalo' (grateful) or 'maikaʻi' (good)'. | |||
Maori | mōhio | ||
The word "mōhio" in Māori can also refer to knowledge or understanding. | |||
Samoan | malamalama | ||
The word “malamalama” can also refer to light, knowledge or clarity. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | may kamalayan | ||
The Tagalog word "may kamalayan" can also mean "conscious" or "in possession of knowledge or understanding." |
Aymara | amuyasiskiri | ||
Guarani | andukuaa | ||
Esperanto | konscia | ||
"Konscia" originally meant "to know" and in some contexts still can. | |||
Latin | conscientiam | ||
Although the primary meaning of 'conscientiam' is 'aware', it can also refer to: conscience, consciousness, or awareness. |
Greek | ενήμερος | ||
In Modern Greek, "ενήμερος" is sometimes used to mean "conscious". In Ancient Greek, it could mean "to inform". | |||
Hmong | paub txog | ||
The Hmong word "paub txog" has additional meanings beyond "aware", such as "know" and "understand." | |||
Kurdish | zanestî | ||
The word 'zanestî' in Kurdish can also refer to 'knowing' or 'being familiar with' something. | |||
Turkish | farkında | ||
The word "farkında" is derived from the verb "fark etmek" meaning "to notice" and it also has a meaning of "conscious" in Turkish. | |||
Xhosa | uyazi | ||
"Uyazi," meaning "aware," also means "you know" in Xhosa and Zulu. | |||
Yiddish | וויסנד | ||
The Yiddish word "וויסנד" can also refer to a specific type of legal notice or declaration | |||
Zulu | uyazi | ||
The word 'uyazi' in Zulu can also mean 'to know' or 'to understand'. | |||
Assamese | জ্ঞাত | ||
Aymara | amuyasiskiri | ||
Bhojpuri | जानकारी | ||
Dhivehi | ހޭލުންތެރި | ||
Dogri | जानकार | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | kamalayan | ||
Guarani | andukuaa | ||
Ilocano | makaammo | ||
Krio | no | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | ئاگادار | ||
Maithili | जानकारी | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯪꯕ | ||
Mizo | ngaihven | ||
Oromo | quba qabaachuu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ସଚେତନ | ||
Quechua | consiente | ||
Sanskrit | अवबोधितः | ||
Tatar | хәбәрдар | ||
Tigrinya | ፍለጥ | ||
Tsonga | lemuka | ||