Background in Different Languages
Discover 'Background' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Background
Afrikaans agtergrond | ||
Albanian sfond | ||
Amharic ዳራ | ||
Arabic خلفية | ||
Armenian ֆոն | ||
Assamese পৃষ্ঠভূমি | ||
Aymara manqha | ||
Azerbaijani fon | ||
Bambara hukumu | ||
Basque aurrekariak | ||
Belarusian фон | ||
Bengali পটভূমি | ||
Bhojpuri पृष्ठभूमि | ||
Bosnian pozadinu | ||
Bulgarian заден план | ||
Catalan antecedents | ||
Cebuano background | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 背景 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 背景 | ||
Corsican fondu | ||
Croatian pozadini | ||
Czech pozadí | ||
Danish baggrund | ||
Dhivehi ފަހަތް | ||
Dogri पछौकड़ | ||
Dutch achtergrond | ||
English background | ||
Esperanto fono | ||
Estonian taust | ||
Ewe nu si de megbe | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) background | ||
Finnish tausta | ||
French contexte | ||
Frisian eftergrûn | ||
Galician fondo | ||
Georgian ფონი | ||
German hintergrund | ||
Greek ιστορικό | ||
Guarani tapykuere | ||
Gujarati પૃષ્ઠભૂમિ | ||
Haitian Creole background | ||
Hausa bango | ||
Hawaiian kāʻei kua | ||
Hebrew רקע כללי | ||
Hindi पृष्ठभूमि | ||
Hmong tom qab | ||
Hungarian háttér | ||
Icelandic bakgrunnur | ||
Igbo ndabere | ||
Ilocano naggappuan | ||
Indonesian latar belakang | ||
Irish cúlra | ||
Italian sfondo | ||
Japanese バックグラウンド | ||
Javanese latar mburi | ||
Kannada ಹಿನ್ನೆಲೆ | ||
Kazakh фон | ||
Khmer ផ្ទៃខាងក្រោយ | ||
Kinyarwanda inyuma | ||
Konkani फाटभूंय | ||
Korean 배경 | ||
Krio stori | ||
Kurdish paşî | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) باکگراوند | ||
Kyrgyz фон | ||
Lao ພື້ນຫລັງ | ||
Latin background | ||
Latvian fons | ||
Lingala nsima | ||
Lithuanian fonas | ||
Luganda ebyeemabega | ||
Luxembourgish hannergrond | ||
Macedonian позадина | ||
Maithili पृष्ठभूमि | ||
Malagasy lafika | ||
Malay latar belakang | ||
Malayalam പശ്ചാത്തലം | ||
Maltese sfond | ||
Maori papamuri | ||
Marathi पार्श्वभूमी | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯃꯅꯤꯡ | ||
Mizo hnung | ||
Mongolian суурь | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) နောက်ခံ | ||
Nepali पृष्ठभूमि | ||
Norwegian bakgrunn | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) maziko | ||
Odia (Oriya) ପୃଷ୍ଠଭୂମି | ||
Oromo dugduubee | ||
Pashto شالید | ||
Persian زمینه | ||
Polish tło | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) fundo | ||
Punjabi ਪਿਛੋਕੜ | ||
Quechua ukun | ||
Romanian fundal | ||
Russian задний план | ||
Samoan talaʻaga | ||
Sanskrit पृष्ठभूमि | ||
Scots Gaelic chùl | ||
Sepedi bokamorago | ||
Serbian позадини | ||
Sesotho semelo | ||
Shona kumashure | ||
Sindhi پسمنظر | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) පසුබිම | ||
Slovak pozadie | ||
Slovenian ozadje | ||
Somali asalka | ||
Spanish antecedentes | ||
Sundanese tukang | ||
Swahili historia | ||
Swedish bakgrund | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) background | ||
Tajik замина | ||
Tamil பின்னணி | ||
Tatar фон | ||
Telugu నేపథ్య | ||
Thai พื้นหลัง | ||
Tigrinya ድሕረ ባይታ | ||
Tsonga matimu | ||
Turkish arka fon | ||
Turkmen fon | ||
Twi (Akan) akyi asɛm | ||
Ukrainian фон | ||
Urdu پس منظر | ||
Uyghur تەگلىك | ||
Uzbek fon | ||
Vietnamese lý lịch | ||
Welsh cefndir | ||
Xhosa imvelaphi | ||
Yiddish הינטערגרונט | ||
Yoruba abẹlẹ | ||
Zulu ingemuva |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | In early Afrikaans, 'agtergrond' had the literal meaning of 'background scenery' but today it is only used with its abstract meaning: 'circumstances'. |
| Albanian | The word "sfond" in Albanian is derived from the Italian word "sfondo", which means "background" or "backdrop". |
| Amharic | "ዳራ" also means a person's character or disposition. |
| Arabic | "خلفية" has other meanings like "rear" and "descendants", |
| Armenian | In Armenian, the word "ֆոն" (background) can also refer to "the background of a painting" or "the background music in a movie or play." |
| Azerbaijani | In Azerbaijani, "fon" can also refer to the background of a fabric or material. |
| Basque | The term "aurrekariak" can also refer to previous events or circumstances. |
| Belarusian | The word "фон" in Belarusian is derived from the Greek word "φωνή" (voice), as it was originally used to describe the background music in a play. |
| Bengali | In Sanskrit, "patabhumi" refers to a tapestry or cloth spread on the floor. |
| Bosnian | The word "pozadinu" is derived from the Slavic root "zad" meaning "behind" and the suffix "-ina" meaning "place". |
| Bulgarian | "Заден план" can also refer to the "second plan" in a picture. |
| Catalan | In Catalan, "antecedents" can also refer to a person's previous convictions or criminal record. |
| Cebuano | "Background" can also refer to a person's past and experience |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 背景 (simplified Chinese: 背景; traditional Chinese: 背景; pinyin: bèijǐng) can also mean "context", "circumstance", and "ambience". |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 背景 has many meanings, including: background, setting, foundation, base, context, circumstances, situation, scene, environment, surroundings, etc. |
| Corsican | Corsican "fondu" also means "molten" or "melted". |
| Croatian | The word "pozadini" can also mean "motives", "reasons", or "intentions". |
| Czech | Pozadí is a Czech word that originally meant "a piece of cloth" or "a curtain", but now its primary meaning is "background". |
| Danish | The word "baggrund" can also mean "backdrop" or "environment". |
| Dutch | The Dutch word "achtergrond" derives from the Middle Dutch "achtergront" meaning "the back of a room", with "achter" meaning "behind" and "gront" meaning "ground". |
| Esperanto | "Fono" also means "phone" in Esperanto, coming from the Greek word "phōnē" (voice). |
| Estonian | The word "taust" is derived from the German word "Tuch", meaning "cloth" or "drapery". |
| Finnish | The word "tausta" also refers to the back of someone or something and to the source or cause of something. |
| French | In French, the word "Contexte" originally meant "context" in the sense of a section of text, but later acquired its current meaning of "background". |
| Frisian | The Frisian word 'eftergrûn' is derived from the Old Frisian word 'eftirgrin' or 'eftrigron', which means 'aftergrowth' or 'second crop'. |
| Galician | In Galician, "fondo" also means "the depth of a river or other body of water." |
| Georgian | The word "ფონი" could also refer to a "fund" or "foundation" in Georgian. |
| German | In the mining industry, 'Hintergrund' refers to a type of ore seam or mineral deposit. |
| Greek | The word "Ιστορικό" is derived from the Greek word "ἱστορία" (historia), which originally meant "inquiry" or "investigation." |
| Gujarati | The Gujarati word "પૃષ્ઠભૂમિ" can also be used to refer to the support or backing of a person or organization. |
| Haitian Creole | Background can also mean "landscape" in Haitian Creole. |
| Hausa | The word "bango" in Hausa can also refer to a "setting" or "context". |
| Hawaiian | Originally referred to the cloak that chiefs wore across their shoulders to denote rank. |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew phrase "רקע כללי" literally means "general background" and can also refer to knowledge or experience in a particular field or subject. |
| Hindi | The Hindi word पृष्ठभूमि, meaning "background," also refers to the canvas used in painting. |
| Hmong | In Hmong "tom qab" is a compound word, where "tom" means "the place behind" or "back" and "qab" means "to hide". So it literally means "the place to hide behind". |
| Hungarian | Its original meaning was 'back', 'rear', later it came to mean 'background', 'setting' or 'environment'. |
| Icelandic | The Icelandic word "bakgrunnur" comes from the Old Norse word "bakgrunnr," originally meaning "background" or "supporting cast." |
| Igbo | The Igbo word "ndabere" originally referred to a painting done to cover a flaw on a wall. |
| Indonesian | The Indonesian word `Latar Belakang` literally translates to `Behind the Back`, but it is commonly used to refer to context or history. |
| Irish | The word "cúlra" also means "to conceal or protect" in Irish Gaelic. |
| Italian | The word "sfondo" also means "melted glass" and is the origin of the word "fondue". |
| Japanese | The word "バックグラウンド" can also mean "past" or "experience". |
| Javanese | "Latar mburi" literally translates to "last backdrop", or the backdrop which is behind, and is also used to refer to someone's past that affects him now. |
| Kannada | ಹಿನ್ನೆಲೆ is also the Kannada word for a backdrop, stage setting, or the rear curtain on a stage |
| Kazakh | In Kazakh, "фон" can also refer to a melody accompanying a song or a musical instrument's tone. |
| Khmer | ផ្ទៃខាងក្រោយ refers to the "background" in a literal sense (e.g. background of a photo) but can also refer to a person's background, such as their family history, education, or life experiences. |
| Korean | "배경" also means "experience (履歷)" in Korean, a usage that doesn't exist in English. |
| Kurdish | The etymology of "paşî" is linked to "pas" ('to spread'), and its second meaning, "field", may originate from "peş", meaning "to run". |
| Kyrgyz | The word "фон" in Kyrgyz can also refer to the sound of a waterfall or the humming of a beehive. |
| Lao | The word ພື້ນຫລັງ is derived from the Sanskrit word 'pṛṣṭhalabga', meaning 'back'. The term is also used to refer to a person's family or social background. |
| Latin | The term "background" derives from the Latin words "retro" (back) and "fundus" (ground, foundation). |
| Latvian | In Latvian, "fons" also refers to funding, financing, stock exchange, or the basis of an investment |
| Lithuanian | "Fonas" comes from Greek word "phōnē", meaning "sound", which is associated with "background" music or sound. |
| Luxembourgish | The Luxembourgish word "Hannergrond" is derived from the German word "Hintergrund" and also means "reason" or "motive". |
| Macedonian | Позадина can also mean a leftover part of a meal |
| Malagasy | The word "lafika" in Malagasy can also mean "origin" or "cause". |
| Malay | The term "latar belakang" can also refer to the context, history or source of something in Malay. |
| Malayalam | The word 'പശ്ചാത്തലം' originated from Sanskrit and literally means 'that which is behind' or 'the back part'. |
| Maltese | "Sfond" is the Maltese form of the Italian word "sfondo", which also means "background" but originally meant "floor" or "ground." |
| Maori | "Papamuri" literally translates as the "bottom surface". The "p" represents a bottom or underneath.} |
| Marathi | The word "पार्श्वभूमी" is derived from the Sanskrit words "पार्श्व" (side) and "भूमि" (ground), indicating the area surrounding the main subject. |
| Mongolian | Суурь in Mongolian derives from the verb суух (to sit) and also means "the place where one sits". |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | The term နောက်ခံ can refer to either the back or background or an action that occurred previously |
| Nepali | The word "पृष्ठभूमि" can also refer to a person's family, lineage, or ancestral history. |
| Norwegian | Bakgrunn (from bak ‘back’ and grunn ‘ground’) has the literal meaning of ‘what is at the back’, i.e., the ground seen behind an object or a person when depicted in a painting or, later, in a photograph. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | Maziko, meaning 'background' in Chichewa, also refers to 'a piece of ground at a village entrance used for various purposes including threshing grain'. |
| Pashto | In Pashto, "shalid" literally means "root" or "foundation," reflecting its role as the underlying base of information. |
| Persian | The Persian word "زمینه" originally referred to the surface on which paintings were made, particularly the layer of gesso. |
| Polish | In Polish, "tło" comes from the Old Polish word "tleć" (to smolder), referring to the faded or dim appearance of a background. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Portuguese, the word "fundo" (meaning "background" in English) also means the bottom, rear, or depth of something, and can be used to refer to the capital or assets of a company or person. |
| Punjabi | ਪਿਛੋਕੜ is a Punjabi word which can also mean 'backside' or 'rear part' in addition to its primary meaning of 'background'. |
| Romanian | The Romanian word "fundal" originates from the Latin word "fundus," which means "the bottom or base of something." |
| Russian | "Задний план" literally means "behind the back". |
| Samoan | "Talaʻaga" can also refer to the trunk of a tree. |
| Scots Gaelic | "Chùl" originally meant "the back" or "the stern of a boat". |
| Serbian | The word "позадини" can also mean "past" or "history" in Serbian. |
| Sesotho | The word 'semelo' also means 'shade' or 'shadow' in Sesotho. |
| Shona | "Kumashure" also means the "back of the hand" in Shona. |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "پسمنظر" (background) originates from the Persian words "پس" (back) and "منظر" (view). |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පසුබිම translates to either 'background' or 'hindquarters' in English. The latter usage is mainly found in archaic and medical contexts relating to animal anatomy. |
| Slovak | Slovak word "pozadie" derives from the "zadie" (back) with the prefix "po" denoting a position behind something. |
| Slovenian | "Ozadje" can also be used to refer to a person's family or social circumstances |
| Somali | In Somali, the word asalka is derived from the root word asa, meaning 'to come from' or 'to originate from' |
| Spanish | "Antecedentes" can also mean "criminal record" in Spanish. |
| Sundanese | The word "tukang" in Sundanese can also mean "craftsman" or "expert". |
| Swahili | Historia, used in Swahili to mean 'background' or 'history,' is derived from the Arabic word 'hisat,' which refers to 'a fort, fortress, or fortified town.' |
| Swedish | Bakgrund can also mean 'a stage set', 'a scene', 'a scenery' or 'a theater prop'. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | In Tagalog, "background" can refer to a person's previous work experience, making it distinct in meaning from its English cognate. |
| Tajik | The word "замина" in Tajik can also mean "reserve" or "stockpile". |
| Tamil | பின்னணி, 'behind' or 'later' in origin, also refers to 'sequence' or 'series' in Tamil. |
| Telugu | నేపథ్య derives from the Sanskrit word 'upapatti', meaning 'to occur, to attain, to come forth' and is also used to refer to a 'story, legend, or history'. |
| Thai | The Thai word "พื้นหลัง" (pronounced as "puen-lang") is a compound word meaning both "ground" and "sky". |
| Turkish | In Turkish, the word "arka fon" also means "backing plate" or "canvas" in art and photography. |
| Ukrainian | The word "фон" in Ukrainian can also refer to a telephone exchange, a noise or hum, or the sound of bells. |
| Urdu | ''Pas manzar'' is also used to refer to a person's family history or lineage. |
| Uzbek | The word "fon" in Uzbek also has the meaning of "base" or "foundation". |
| Vietnamese | "Lý lịch" also means "personal history". |
| Welsh | Originally, 'cefndir' referred to the rear-end of an animal. |
| Xhosa | "Imvelaphi" may also refer to a person's social or economic status or their birthplace. |
| Yiddish | In Yiddish, "hintergrunt" is also used to describe a hidden motive or secret intentions. |
| Yoruba | The Yoruba word "abẹlẹ" can also mean "the place where an animal grazes", indicating its connection to the idea of "ground" or "background." |
| Zulu | The Zulu word "ingemuva" can also refer to the past, or what came before. |
| English | Historically, "background" was a term for the canvas used to depict the rear of a stage or to provide the illusion of distance in a painting. |