Belief in Different Languages
Discover 'Belief' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Belief is a powerful word that holds great significance in shaping our worldview and guiding our actions. It is the foundation of our personal values, cultural identities, and religious practices. Our beliefs can inspire us, connect us to others, and provide a sense of purpose and meaning in our lives.
Throughout history, beliefs have played a crucial role in shaping human civilization. From ancient mythologies to modern scientific theories, beliefs have helped us make sense of the world around us and navigate the complexities of the human experience. Moreover, beliefs have the power to transcend cultural and linguistic boundaries, as they are often shared and understood across different communities and societies.
Understanding the translation of belief in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultural importance of this word and its various connotations in different contexts. For instance, the German word for belief, 'Glaube,' also means 'faith,' reflecting the deep religious traditions of German-speaking cultures. Meanwhile, the Spanish word for belief, 'creencia,' shares its roots with the verb 'creer,' which means 'to believe' or 'to create,' highlighting the creative power of beliefs in shaping our reality.
In this list, you will find the translations of belief in over 50 languages, from Arabic and Chinese to Swahili and Zulu. Whether you are a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or a spiritual seeker, this list will inspire you to appreciate the richness and diversity of human beliefs and the beauty of the world's languages.
Belief
Belief in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | geloof | ||
| The word "geloof" in Afrikaans originates from Middle Dutch "geloof", with its ultimate root in Old Saxon "gilôbo", meaning "to allow, to accept, to acknowledge". | |||
| Amharic | እምነት | ||
| The term "እምነት" is derived from the verb "መን", meaning "to believe" or "to have faith". | |||
| Hausa | imani | ||
| In some contexts the word "imani" also implies faith or trust. | |||
| Igbo | nkwenye | ||
| The Igbo word 'nkwenye' is also used to mean 'faith', 'trust', or 'confidence'. | |||
| Malagasy | finoana | ||
| The word 'finoana' is derived from the Proto-Austronesian root '*pati-' meaning 'to have confidence in, to trust'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kukhulupirira | ||
| The word 'kukhulupirira' is derived from the verb 'khulupira', which means 'to have faith or confidence in something or someone'. | |||
| Shona | kutenda | ||
| In some cases, kutenda can also refer to religious or spiritual activities. | |||
| Somali | aaminsan | ||
| The word "aaminsan" is derived from the Arabic word "aamin", meaning "secure" or "certain". | |||
| Sesotho | tumelo | ||
| The second meaning of "tumelo" is "trust". | |||
| Swahili | imani | ||
| The Swahili word "imani" is also used to mean "faith", "trust", or "loyalty." | |||
| Xhosa | inkolelo | ||
| The word 'inkolelo' not only refers to religious belief, but also to a belief that something will happen in the future. | |||
| Yoruba | igbagbo | ||
| "Igbagbo" also means "trust" and is composed of "Igba" (to receive) and "Igbo" (forest), which evokes a sense of security and protection. | |||
| Zulu | inkolelo | ||
| The Zulu word "inkolelo" is derived from the verb "ukukolela", meaning "to follow" or "to have faith in". | |||
| Bambara | danaya | ||
| Ewe | dzixɔse | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kwizera | ||
| Lingala | kondima | ||
| Luganda | obukkiriza | ||
| Sepedi | tumelo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | gyidie | ||
Belief in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الاعتقاد | ||
| الاعتقاد also means "ideology" or "conviction". | |||
| Hebrew | אמונה | ||
| In Hebrew, 'אמונה' ('belief') can also imply 'faith' or 'trust', encompassing both religious and secular contexts. | |||
| Pashto | باور | ||
| This word is a homonym that also means "spring" in Pashto and "spring water" in Persian, and is related to the words "ocean" and "river" in Sanskrit, and to "rain" in Slavic languages. | |||
| Arabic | الاعتقاد | ||
| الاعتقاد also means "ideology" or "conviction". | |||
Belief in Western European Languages
| Albanian | besimi | ||
| The word "besimi" in Albanian also means "faith" or "trust". | |||
| Basque | sinismena | ||
| **Sinismena**, as in the belief or trust put in someone, comes from **sinen** (to trust, to believe, to put one's faith in) and **-men** (action of). | |||
| Catalan | creença | ||
| "Creença" in Catalan is derived from the Latin word "credentia," meaning "trust or confidence. | |||
| Croatian | vjerovanje | ||
| The word "vjerovanje" in Croatian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*vьra" meaning "faith" and also means "religion" or "doctrine" when used in a wider sense. | |||
| Danish | tro | ||
| The word 'tro' is descended from the Proto-Germanic word 'traua', meaning faithfulness or fidelity. | |||
| Dutch | geloof | ||
| The Dutch word "geloof" is related to the word "gelove", which means "to promise", and suggests an element of trust or faith. | |||
| English | belief | ||
| The word 'belief' comes from the Old English word 'ġelēafa', meaning 'love' or 'devotion'. | |||
| French | croyance | ||
| Croyance derives from Latin "credentia", a "trust" or "belief," or "thing entrusted." | |||
| Frisian | leauwe | ||
| In the expression "leawe ha" (have faith) we find an archaic meaning of "to love" in "leawe". | |||
| Galician | crenza | ||
| The etymology of 'crenza' is the Galician word 'crer' meaning 'to believe'. 'Crenza' can also refer to 'coven' or 'credo'. | |||
| German | glauben | ||
| The German word “Glauben” initially implied trust, loyalty, and reliability rather than belief. | |||
| Icelandic | trú | ||
| Old Norse trú (belief) can also mean trust, confidence, loyalty, or reliance. | |||
| Irish | creideamh | ||
| As well as 'belief', 'creideamh' can also mean 'religion' in Irish. | |||
| Italian | credenza | ||
| In Italian, besides its main translation as 'belief', the word “credenza” also signifies a sideboard or cupboard. | |||
| Luxembourgish | glawen | ||
| The word "Glawen" in Luxembourgish derives from the Old High German word "glauben", which means "to promise" or "to assure". | |||
| Maltese | twemmin | ||
| The Maltese word "twemmin" derives from the Arabic term "īmān" meaning "faith". | |||
| Norwegian | tro | ||
| Tro most likely originates from an old Germanic word that also means trust, conviction or faith. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | crença | ||
| In Portuguese, "crença" comes from the Latin word "credentia," meaning "belief," and can also refer to a religious or spiritual conviction. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | creideamh | ||
| The Old Irish cognate of 'creideamh' meant 'trustworthiness' | |||
| Spanish | creencia | ||
| The Spanish word 'creencia' derives from the Latin word 'credentia' meaning 'table' or 'cupboard', referring to a place where precious objects are kept safe and protected. | |||
| Swedish | tro | ||
| The word "tro" originally meant "faith" or "trust" and could refer to both religious and secular beliefs. | |||
| Welsh | cred | ||
| In Welsh, 'cred' has also been used to mean 'heart' or 'conscience' and is related to the Irish word 'creideamh' and the Breton 'cred' | |||
Belief in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | вера | ||
| Another meaning of "вера" is "spruce" in the northern dialects of Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | vjerovanje | ||
| The Bosnian word 'vjerovanje' is derived from the Slavic verb vjerovati, meaning 'to believe', and can also refer to a religious conviction or a superstition. | |||
| Bulgarian | вяра | ||
| In Bulgarian, "вяра" can also mean "faith" or "trust". | |||
| Czech | víra | ||
| The word "víra" (belief) in Czech can also refer to a mountain meadow and to a female fox. | |||
| Estonian | uskumus | ||
| The word "uskumus" also refers to magic charms or spells in Estonian, originating from the verb "uskuma" (to believe in). | |||
| Finnish | usko | ||
| The word "usko" also means "trust" or "confidence" in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | hit | ||
| The Hungarian word "hit" derives from the Old Turkic *hit, meaning "faith", "trust". | |||
| Latvian | ticība | ||
| The word "ticība" in Latvian shares a common origin with the Lithuanian "tikėti", both meaning "to believe" and ultimately deriving from the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European root "*teik-", which refers to trust or confidence. | |||
| Lithuanian | įsitikinimas | ||
| Įsitikinimas (belief) evolved from the word tikinti (believe), which in the 16th century changed from the form tikintu. | |||
| Macedonian | верување | ||
| The word "верување" (belief) in Macedonian also has the connotation of "superstition" or "old wives' tale". | |||
| Polish | wiara | ||
| The word "wiara" is likely to derive from the Proto-Slavic term "*věra", meaning "faith," or "*verъ", meaning "trust". | |||
| Romanian | credinta | ||
| In Romanian, the word "credinta" also refers to a religious rite performed to protect cattle from disease. | |||
| Russian | вера | ||
| "Вера" in Russian can also mean "faith" or "religion". | |||
| Serbian | веровање | ||
| "Веровање" can also mean "credit" or "faith" in a financial sense. | |||
| Slovak | viera | ||
| The word “viera” can also refer to "faith" in a religious context. | |||
| Slovenian | prepričanje | ||
| The word "prepričanje" in Slovenian also means "conviction" and "persuasion". | |||
| Ukrainian | переконання | ||
| In Old Ukrainian, "переконання" could mean both "conviction" and "obsession". | |||
Belief in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিশ্বাস | ||
| বিশ্বাস also means 'fidelity' and 'faith' in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | માન્યતા | ||
| Hindi | धारणा | ||
| धारणा is also used for the physical notion of something held with force, as in grasping (धारणा or गहन अवधारणा), or grasping of a concept (अवधारणा). | |||
| Kannada | ನಂಬಿಕೆ | ||
| The word 'ನಂಬಿಕೆ' has another meaning, which is 'trust'. | |||
| Malayalam | വിശ്വാസം | ||
| The word 'വിശ്വാസം' ('belief') in Malayalam has its roots in the Sanskrit word 'विश्वास' ('confidence') and also bears the alternate meanings of 'trust', 'faith', and 'conviction'. | |||
| Marathi | विश्वास | ||
| विश्वास, विश्व and स are related words in Sanskrit, and are linked to the concept of the universe (विश्व) and its pervasiveness (स). | |||
| Nepali | विश्वास | ||
| विश्व is a Sanskrit word meaning 'whole' or 'everything', and the suffix -ास (-ās) means 'state' or 'condition'. Therefore, विश्वास (vishwās) literally means 'the state of being whole' or 'the state of being in a condition of everything'. This can be interpreted as a state of complete trust, faith, or confidence. | |||
| Punjabi | ਵਿਸ਼ਵਾਸ | ||
| ਵਿਸ਼ਵਾਸ originates from the Sanskrit word 'viśvāsa', meaning 'confidence'. It also bears the connotation of 'loyalty' and 'faith.' | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | විශ්වාසය | ||
| The word "Vishvasiya" can refer to both faith and confidence in Sinhalese. | |||
| Tamil | நம்பிக்கை | ||
| The Tamil word "நம்பிக்கை" derives from the Proto-Dravidian root '*nampi-, *nampu-' meaning "to support" or "to believe" | |||
| Telugu | నమ్మకం | ||
| The Telugu word “నమ్మకం” is also used to describe trust and reliability, making it a versatile term that encompasses various aspects of belief and reliance. | |||
| Urdu | یقین | ||
| The word يقين (yaqeen) comes from the Arabic root q-w-n, which means 'to be sure'. | |||
Belief in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 信仰 | ||
| "信仰" (xìnyǎng) also means "religious belief" in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 信仰 | ||
| 信仰 originally meant "to trust" or "to rely on" and is still used in that sense in some contexts. | |||
| Japanese | 信念 | ||
| 信念 (shin-nen) can also mean "sincerity" or "conviction". | |||
| Korean | 믿음 | ||
| The Korean word 믿음 (beom-im) also carries the meanings of 'reliance' and 'trust'. | |||
| Mongolian | итгэл үнэмшил | ||
| The Mongolian word 'итгэл үнэмшил' means 'belief', but it can also refer to 'faith' or 'conviction'. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ယုံကြည်ချက် | ||
Belief in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | keyakinan | ||
| The word "keyakinan" in Indonesian also connotes conviction, trust, or certainty. | |||
| Javanese | kapercayan | ||
| The word "kapercayan" derives from the root word "percaya", which means "to trust" or "to have faith in". | |||
| Khmer | ជំនឿ | ||
| The word "ជំនឿ" can also refer to "faith" or "trust" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ຄວາມເຊື່ອ | ||
| Malay | kepercayaan | ||
| The Malay word "kepercayaan" was derived from the word "percaya", which has several different meanings, including "trust" and "confidence". | |||
| Thai | ความเชื่อ | ||
| The Thai word "ความเชื่อ" (belief) has the same etymology as the word "เชื่อ" (to believe), both stemming from the Khmer word "ជឿ" (to believe). | |||
| Vietnamese | sự tin tưởng | ||
| "Sự tin tưởng" can also mean faith, confidence, or trust, depending on its context. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | paniniwala | ||
Belief in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | inam | ||
| The word "inam" comes from the Arabic word "iman," which means "faith" or "belief". | |||
| Kazakh | сенім | ||
| "Сенім" (belief) in Kazakh can also mean trust, confidence, or hope. | |||
| Kyrgyz | ишеним | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "ишеним" also means "trust" or "faith". | |||
| Tajik | эътиқод | ||
| The word "эътиқод" is of Arabic origin and in the Persian language of Afghanistan it refers to a certain belief or religion, which is usually Islam. | |||
| Turkmen | ynanç | ||
| Uzbek | e'tiqod | ||
| The word "e'tiqod" is derived from the Arabic word "i'tiqad", which means "faith" or "conviction". | |||
| Uyghur | ئېتىقاد | ||
Belief in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | manaʻoʻiʻo | ||
| The Hawaiian word "manaʻoʻiʻo" also means "to think carefully" or "to deliberate". | |||
| Maori | whakapono | ||
| "Whakapono" also means "trust" and comes from the words "pono" (true) and "haka" ("to make" or "to cause") | |||
| Samoan | talitonuga | ||
| The word 'talitonuga' in Samoan also refers to a traditional ceremony performed to resolve conflicts or disputes. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | paniniwala | ||
| The word "paniniwala" can also refer to a person who holds a belief or conviction. | |||
Belief in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | iyawsiriña | ||
| Guarani | jeroviapy | ||
Belief in International Languages
| Esperanto | kredo | ||
| The Esperanto word “kredo” may derive from the Latin word “credo,” which evolved from the Proto-Indo-European root "*ḱerd-," meaning “to have faith”. | |||
| Latin | opinionem | ||
| The word 'opinio' can also refer to expectation or judgment. | |||
Belief in Others Languages
| Greek | πίστη | ||
| The Greek word 'πίστη' originally meant 'loyalty' or 'reliability' and evolved to mean 'trust' or 'belief' over time. | |||
| Hmong | kev ntseeg | ||
| Kev ntseeg in Hmong can refer to both religious belief and general trust. | |||
| Kurdish | bawerî | ||
| Bawerî also means 'knowledge or cognition acquired through observation or experience. | |||
| Turkish | inanç | ||
| In old Turkish and Turkic languages, the word | |||
| Xhosa | inkolelo | ||
| The word 'inkolelo' not only refers to religious belief, but also to a belief that something will happen in the future. | |||
| Yiddish | גלויבן | ||
| The Yiddish word 'gloybn' derives from the Old High German word 'glouben', which means 'to trust or have faith'. | |||
| Zulu | inkolelo | ||
| The Zulu word "inkolelo" is derived from the verb "ukukolela", meaning "to follow" or "to have faith in". | |||
| Assamese | বিশ্বাস | ||
| Aymara | iyawsiriña | ||
| Bhojpuri | आस्था | ||
| Dhivehi | ވިސްނުން | ||
| Dogri | आस्था | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | paniniwala | ||
| Guarani | jeroviapy | ||
| Ilocano | pammati | ||
| Krio | biliv | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | باوەڕ | ||
| Maithili | आस्था | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯊꯥꯖꯕ | ||
| Mizo | rinna | ||
| Oromo | amantaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବିଶ୍ୱାସ | ||
| Quechua | iñiy | ||
| Sanskrit | श्रद्धा | ||
| Tatar | ышану | ||
| Tigrinya | እምነት | ||
| Tsonga | ntshembho | ||