Awareness in Different Languages
Discover 'Awareness' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Awareness is a powerful word that carries significant weight in our daily lives. It represents our understanding and perception of the world around us, shaping our thoughts, emotions, and actions. The importance of awareness extends beyond personal growth, playing a crucial role in building empathy, promoting social justice, and fostering cultural sensitivity.
Throughout history, the concept of awareness has been explored in various philosophical, spiritual, and scientific traditions. For instance, mindfulness, a form of awareness, has been practiced for thousands of years in Eastern cultures as a means to achieve mental clarity and inner peace.
As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, understanding the translation of awareness in different languages becomes even more vital. Not only does it help us appreciate the nuances of cultural perspectives, but it also enables us to communicate more effectively and build stronger relationships with people from diverse backgrounds.
Here are a few translations of awareness in different languages to get you started on your linguistic and cultural journey:
Awareness
Awareness in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | bewustheid | ||
| Bewustheid is a Dutch word that means 'awareness', but can also refer to 'consciousness' or 'conscience'. | |||
| Amharic | ግንዛቤ | ||
| The Amharic word "ግንዛቤ" can also mean "consciousness" or "realization". | |||
| Hausa | fadakarwa | ||
| The word "fadakarwa" in Hausa may have originated from the Arabic word "dhukr" meaning "remembrance". | |||
| Igbo | mmata | ||
| "Mmata" also signifies a spiritual realm in ancient Igbo society where humans interact with the ancestors. | |||
| Malagasy | fanentanana | ||
| The word "fanentanana" is derived from the Malagasy word "fantany", which means "to know". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuzindikira | ||
| It's a Chichewa phrase that comes from the verb "kuzindikira" which means "to be conscious or aware of something." | |||
| Shona | kuziva | ||
| "Kuziva" is also an archaic synonym of the verb "kutenga," which means "to buy". | |||
| Somali | wacyigelin | ||
| In Somali, "wacyigelin" also means "consciousness" or "realization." | |||
| Sesotho | tlhokomeliso | ||
| "Tlhokomeliso" is often used to describe the quality of being alert or vigilant. | |||
| Swahili | ufahamu | ||
| "Ufahamu" is derived from the Arabic word "fahm," meaning "to understand". | |||
| Xhosa | ukuqonda | ||
| "Ukuqonda" in Xhosa comes from the root "-qonda," meaning "to know, perceive, or understand," and is related to the concept of "to seek knowledge or enlightenment." | |||
| Yoruba | imoye | ||
| The word "imoye" also means "knowledge" or "literacy" in Yoruba and is related to the word "mo" meaning "to know". | |||
| Zulu | ukuqwashisa | ||
| The Zulu word "ukuqwashisa" is not etymologically related to the English word "awareness" and instead derives from the root "-qwash-," meaning "to listen to" or "to hear. | |||
| Bambara | laadiriyali | ||
| Ewe | nyanya | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kubimenya | ||
| Lingala | koyeba | ||
| Luganda | okumanya | ||
| Sepedi | temogo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nim | ||
Awareness in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الوعي | ||
| "الوعي" means 'knowledge, consciousness' in Arabic, but it also means 'to be aware of' or 'to understand' in some contexts. | |||
| Hebrew | מוּדָעוּת | ||
| The word מוּדָעוּת, meaning "awareness," is related to the root word יָדַע, which means "to know." | |||
| Pashto | پوهاوی | ||
| پوهه in Pashto can also mean knowledge, wisdom, understanding, or consciousness. | |||
| Arabic | الوعي | ||
| "الوعي" means 'knowledge, consciousness' in Arabic, but it also means 'to be aware of' or 'to understand' in some contexts. | |||
Awareness in Western European Languages
| Albanian | ndërgjegjësimi | ||
| Albanian "ndërgjegjësimi" is derived from the Latin verb "conscio" which means "to know something together", and has the alternate meaning of "conscience". | |||
| Basque | kontzientzia | ||
| The Basque word 'kontzientzia' comes from Latin 'conscientia' meaning 'consciousness' or 'knowledge'. | |||
| Catalan | consciència | ||
| The word "consciència" in Catalan also means "conscience" and derives from the Latin word "conscientia", meaning "knowledge shared with another". | |||
| Croatian | svijest | ||
| "Svijest" (awareness) is related to "svijet" (world) and "svjetlost" (light) in Croatian, suggesting a connection between consciousness and illumination. | |||
| Danish | opmærksomhed | ||
| The Danish word 'opmærksomhed' originally referred to the act of paying attention to something physical, such as a person or object. | |||
| Dutch | bewustzijn | ||
| The Dutch word "bewustzijn" is derived from the Middle Dutch word "bewistheit", which means "consciousness" or "knowledge." | |||
| English | awareness | ||
| "Aware" derives from Old English onware, meaning 'alert, watchful'. | |||
| French | conscience | ||
| In French, "conscience" means both "awareness" and "consciousness" and derives from Latin "cum scientia" (with full knowledge). | |||
| Frisian | besef | ||
| "Beseff" is derived from Proto-West Frisian "besēf", perhaps from Proto-Germanic "besehwo" or "*bizahwī", a compound of "bi- " "around" and "*sehwo" or "*sahwī", "perception" or "seeing." | |||
| Galician | conciencia | ||
| "Conciencia" has the alternate meaning of "memory" or "remembrance". | |||
| German | bewusstsein | ||
| Bewusstsein, "conscience" in German, originates from the Latin "conscientia," meaning "with knowledge" and "co-knowing." | |||
| Icelandic | vitund | ||
| The word "vitund" can also refer to "understanding", "knowledge", or "wisdom". | |||
| Irish | feasacht | ||
| Feasacht, meaning 'awareness' in Irish, comes from the Old Irish word 'fes' meaning 'notice' or 'perception'. | |||
| Italian | consapevolezza | ||
| The Italian word "consapevolezza" comes from the Latin "conscientia," meaning "inner knowledge" or "consciousness." | |||
| Luxembourgish | bewosstsinn | ||
| The word "Bewosstsinn" is derived from the Middle High German word "bewustheit", which means "self-consciousness". | |||
| Maltese | għarfien | ||
| The Maltese word "għarfien" is derived from the Arabic word "gharf," meaning "to know" or "to be aware," and also relates to the concept of "recognition" or "identification." | |||
| Norwegian | bevissthet | ||
| "Bevissthet" is derived from the word "beviss," which means "proof" or "evidence," implying that awareness arises from sensory perception and the rational processing of information. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | consciência | ||
| The Portuguese word "consciência" is etymologically related to the Latin word "conscientia", which means "knowledge, consciousness, conscience." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | mothachadh | ||
| The word 'mothachadh' in Scots Gaelic can also mean 'thought, idea, or knowledge'. | |||
| Spanish | conciencia | ||
| "Conciencia" can also mean "conscience", which is the inner sense of what is right or wrong in one's conduct or motivations. | |||
| Swedish | medvetenhet | ||
| The word "medvetenhet" in Swedish is derived from the Old Norse word "meðviti", meaning "consciousness" or "understanding". | |||
| Welsh | ymwybyddiaeth | ||
| The Welsh word "ymwybyddiaeth" can be broken down into "ymwyb" (consciousness) and "-ydd-" (having); it thus means "being conscious" or "having consciousness". | |||
Awareness in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | усведамленне | ||
| Bosnian | svijest | ||
| The word 'svijest' also refers to 'consciousness' or 'senses'. | |||
| Bulgarian | осъзнаване | ||
| "Осъзнаване" derives from "съзнание," and is used for an awareness of something with full perception of its significance of it. | |||
| Czech | povědomí | ||
| The Czech word "povědomí" also means "familiarity" or "consciousness" | |||
| Estonian | teadlikkus | ||
| The word "teadlikkus" is cognate with the Finnish "tietoisuus" and the German "Bewusstsein", and originally meant "consciousness". | |||
| Finnish | tietoisuus | ||
| The term tietoisuus also means 'knowledge' in English, reflecting the dual aspect of consciousness as knowledge and experience. | |||
| Hungarian | tudatosság | ||
| Tudatosság comes from the word 'tudat' ('consciousness'), which itself comes from the word 'tud' ('to know'). | |||
| Latvian | izpratne | ||
| The Latvian word izpratne comes from the verb "izprast" (to understand) and has the alternate meaning of "comprehension". | |||
| Lithuanian | suvokimas | ||
| The word "suvokimas" in Lithuanian is derived from the verb "suvokti," meaning "to understand" or "to comprehend." | |||
| Macedonian | свесност | ||
| The Macedonian word 'свесност' ('awareness') derives from the Slavic root 'svědomb', meaning 'consciousness'. | |||
| Polish | świadomość | ||
| Świadom is derived from the root ''wiedzieć'' (to know), and in Old Polish it meant ''knowledge, information, acquaintance''. | |||
| Romanian | conștientizare | ||
| The Romanian word "conștientizare" is derived from the Latin "conscientia", meaning "knowledge" or "consciousness". | |||
| Russian | осведомленность | ||
| "Осознанность" also means "consciousness" or "being aware of one's thoughts, feelings, and actions." | |||
| Serbian | свесност | ||
| "Свесност" can also mean "consciousness" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | povedomie | ||
| The Slavic word 'povedomie' has roots in 'veda' (knowledge), and its primary connotation is knowledge-based consciousness rather than emotional experience. | |||
| Slovenian | zavedanje | ||
| The Slovenian word "zavedanje" is derived from "zavest" or "znanost", both meaning "knowledge". | |||
| Ukrainian | обізнаність | ||
| The word "обізнаність" in Ukrainian comes from the word "знати" (to know) and literally means "the state of being knowledgeable". | |||
Awareness in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সচেতনতা | ||
| The word "সচেতনতা" ("awareness") is derived from the Sanskrit word "saṃvid" which means "knowledge" or "understanding", and which is also the root of the English word "conscience". | |||
| Gujarati | જાગૃતિ | ||
| જાગૃતિ can also mean 'awakening', 'consciousness', or 'vigilance'. | |||
| Hindi | जागरूकता | ||
| The Hindi word "जागरूकता" is derived from the Sanskrit word "जाग्रत्" (jāgrat), which means "awakening" or "vigilance". | |||
| Kannada | ಅರಿವು | ||
| The word 'ಅರಿವು' in Kannada, meaning 'awareness', also refers to 'knowledge' or 'consciousness'. | |||
| Malayalam | അവബോധം | ||
| "അവബോധം" in Malayalam is derived from Vedic Sanskrit and also translates to "awakening". | |||
| Marathi | जागरूकता | ||
| The word "जागरूकता" in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word "जागृ" (jagri), which means "to be awake" or "to be vigilant". | |||
| Nepali | जागरूकता | ||
| Derived from the Sanskrit word 'jagriti', 'जागरूकता' also means 'being awake' or 'alertness' besides 'awareness'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਜਾਗਰੂਕਤਾ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਜਾਗਰੂਕਤਾ" also refers to an event where devotees stay awake through the night singing and praying in devotion to a particular deity. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දැනුවත් | ||
| Tamil | விழிப்புணர்வு | ||
| Telugu | అవగాహన | ||
| The Telugu word "అవగాహన" is derived from the Sanskrit word "अवगाहन" meaning "immersion" or "penetration". | |||
| Urdu | بیداری | ||
| The Urdu word "بیداری" (awareness) derives from the Sanskrit word "बोध" (bodha), meaning "to wake up" or "to understand." | |||
Awareness in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 意识 | ||
| 意识 in Chinese can refer to consciousness or intention, and is also the name of a philosophical school. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 意識 | ||
| 意識 may also denote "consciousness" or "intention," in which case it shares the same etymology as "意気地" and "意地". | |||
| Japanese | 意識 | ||
| "意識" derives from the verb "意識する" which means "to be aware of" or "to perceive". | |||
| Korean | 인식 | ||
| "인식" is derived from the Chinese word "認", meaning "to look at" or "to recognize". | |||
| Mongolian | ухамсар | ||
| In Mongolian, the word "ухамсар" can also mean "comprehension" or "understanding" | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အသိအမြင် | ||
| The word "asithiyamyin" ("awareness") is derived from the Pali word "sati," meaning "remembrance" or "mindfulness." | |||
Awareness in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kesadaran | ||
| In Indonesian, "kesadaran" also has the alternate meaning of "wakefulness" or "consciousness". | |||
| Javanese | kesadharan | ||
| Kesadharan in Javanese also means 'sensation' or 'feelings'. | |||
| Khmer | ការយល់ដឹង | ||
| It comes from the Sanskrit language, 'jnana', which has many shades of meaning like understanding, knowledge and realization. | |||
| Lao | ປູກຈິດ ສຳ ນຶກ | ||
| Malay | kesedaran | ||
| Kesadaran ('kesedaran' without the vowel) in Malay, originally meant 'to be conscious' but now also refers to the state of being awake or aware. | |||
| Thai | การรับรู้ | ||
| The Thai word "การรับรู้" ("awareness") is closely associated with the act of perceiving or becoming conscious of something. | |||
| Vietnamese | nhận thức | ||
| "Nhận thức" also means "to recognize" or "to acknowledge" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kamalayan | ||
Awareness in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | şüur | ||
| "Şüur" also means "soul"/"spirit" in some contexts and is used poetically. | |||
| Kazakh | хабардарлық | ||
| Kyrgyz | маалымдуулук | ||
| Tajik | огоҳӣ | ||
| The word "огоҳӣ" in Tajik is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰew- "to perceive, notice, sense" | |||
| Turkmen | habarlylyk | ||
| Uzbek | xabardorlik | ||
| The word "xabardorlik" in Uzbek is derived from the Persian word "khabar", meaning "news" or "information", and the suffix "-dorlik", meaning "possessing" or "having". It can also refer to "consciousness" or "sensibility". | |||
| Uyghur | تونۇش | ||
Awareness in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻike | ||
| In Hawaiian, ʻike can also refer to knowledge, wisdom, or understanding. | |||
| Maori | mōhio | ||
| Mōhio can also refer to knowledge, understanding, or perception. | |||
| Samoan | faʻalauiloa | ||
| The Samoan verb faʻalauiloa can also mean to announce, inform, or proclaim something. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kamalayan | ||
| The word kamalayan originated from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian root *Malay and is related to other Philippine and Indonesian words for consciousness, such as kamawarian (Mindanao) and mamali (Borneo). | |||
Awareness in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | chuymankiwa | ||
| Guarani | andukuaa | ||
Awareness in International Languages
| Esperanto | konscio | ||
| "Konscio" derives from the Latin "conscientia" which meant "moral sense," "consciousness of right and wrong" | |||
| Latin | conscientia | ||
| "Conscientia" is the Latin root of the English word "conscience," sharing its moral and psychological connotations. | |||
Awareness in Others Languages
| Greek | επίγνωση | ||
| The word "επίγνωση" also means "consciousness" or "knowledge of one's own self" in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | kev paub txog | ||
| The Hmong word "kev paub txog" originally referred to supernatural awareness, but its meaning has since expanded to include general awareness. | |||
| Kurdish | zanetî | ||
| The word "zanetî" comes from the verb "zanîn" which means "to know". It can also mean "realization" or "understanding". | |||
| Turkish | farkındalık | ||
| "Farkındalık" means "awareness" in Turkish, but its root word "fark" also means "difference" or "distinction." | |||
| Xhosa | ukuqonda | ||
| "Ukuqonda" in Xhosa comes from the root "-qonda," meaning "to know, perceive, or understand," and is related to the concept of "to seek knowledge or enlightenment." | |||
| Yiddish | וויסיקייַט | ||
| The Yiddish word "וויסיקייַט" also means "consciousness" and is related to the Hebrew word "יָדַע" meaning "to know". | |||
| Zulu | ukuqwashisa | ||
| The Zulu word "ukuqwashisa" is not etymologically related to the English word "awareness" and instead derives from the root "-qwash-," meaning "to listen to" or "to hear. | |||
| Assamese | সচেতনতা | ||
| Aymara | chuymankiwa | ||
| Bhojpuri | जागरुकता | ||
| Dhivehi | ހޭލުންތެރިކަން | ||
| Dogri | जागरती | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kamalayan | ||
| Guarani | andukuaa | ||
| Ilocano | kinaammo | ||
| Krio | fɔ no | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هۆشیاری | ||
| Maithili | जानकारी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯪꯕ | ||
| Mizo | inhriattirna | ||
| Oromo | hubannoo | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସଚେତନତା | ||
| Quechua | yachay | ||
| Sanskrit | जागरूकता | ||
| Tatar | хәбәрдарлык | ||
| Tigrinya | ኣፍልጦ | ||
| Tsonga | vulemukisi | ||