Brief in Different Languages
Discover 'Brief' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'brief' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, often used to describe something that is concise, to the point, or lasting a short time. But did you know that this word has cultural importance that stretches back to Latin origins? The word 'brief' comes from the Latin 'brevis', meaning short or shortened. This root can also be found in words like 'abbreviate' and 'brevity'.
Understanding the translation of 'brief' in different languages can provide insight into how cultures around the world view conciseness and brevity. For example, in Spanish, 'brief' translates to 'breve', in French to 'bref', and in German to 'kurz'. Each of these translations provides a unique cultural perspective on the concept of brevity.
Moreover, knowing the translation of 'brief' in different languages can be useful in both personal and professional settings. Whether you're traveling, studying a new language, or working with colleagues from different cultural backgrounds, understanding this simple yet powerful word can help facilitate communication and build connections.
So, without further ado, here are some translations of the word 'brief' in different languages. Explore, learn, and connect with cultures around the world!
Brief
Brief in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | kort | ||
| "Kort" can also mean "short" or "small" in the sense of not enough or inferior. | |||
| Amharic | አጭር | ||
| The word "አጭር" also means "short" or "narrow" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | a takaice | ||
| The word "a takaice" is also used to refer to an excerpt. | |||
| Igbo | nkenke | ||
| "Nkenke" in Igbo can also mean 'a short period of time' or 'a brief moment' in addition to 'brief' (as an adjective describing something short). | |||
| Malagasy | famintinana | ||
| "Famintinana" also means "in the blink of an eye" or "in short" in Malagasy, indicating a brief or short period of time. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mwachidule | ||
| The word "mwachidule" can also refer to a summary or abstract. | |||
| Shona | pfupi | ||
| The word "pfupi" comes from the Proto-Bantu root "*-pupi" and is related to the concepts of "shortness", "smallness", and "lacking substance". | |||
| Somali | kooban | ||
| In older Somali, 'kooban' also meant 'difficult' or 'narrow'. | |||
| Sesotho | lekgutshwanyane | ||
| The Sesotho word "lekgutshwanyane" can also mean "shorts" or "a pair of shorts". | |||
| Swahili | kifupi | ||
| "Kifupi" also means "short" or "small" and can be used figuratively to refer to something concise or insignificant. | |||
| Xhosa | imfutshane | ||
| In Nguni languages like Xhosa and Zulu, "imfutshane" also refers to a type of traditional short-handled axe. | |||
| Yoruba | finifini | ||
| The word "finifini" also means "concise, succinct, short, or compact" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | mfushane | ||
| "Mfushane" can also refer to a short person or a brief moment. | |||
| Bambara | surunma | ||
| Ewe | kpuie | ||
| Kinyarwanda | muri make | ||
| Lingala | mokuse | ||
| Luganda | mu bufunze | ||
| Sepedi | kopana | ||
| Twi (Akan) | tiawa | ||
Brief in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | نبذة | ||
| "نبذة" in Arabic can also refer to a synopsis or a summary of a subject. | |||
| Hebrew | קָצָר | ||
| קָצָר in Hebrew can refer to a short person or animal, as is seen with the קָצָר dog breed and the expression “קָצָר וגוץ,” meaning “short and squat.” | |||
| Pashto | لنډ | ||
| The word "لنډ" ("brief") in Pashto can also mean "narrow" or "thin." | |||
| Arabic | نبذة | ||
| "نبذة" in Arabic can also refer to a synopsis or a summary of a subject. | |||
Brief in Western European Languages
| Albanian | të shkurtër | ||
| Basque | laburra | ||
| The Basque word "laburra" derives from the Proto-Basque root *labur-, meaning "short" or "brief," and is related to the Spanish word "labor" and the English word "labour." | |||
| Catalan | breu | ||
| Catalan word "breu" may be a contraction of "brevior" or a shortening of the Latin "brevis". | |||
| Croatian | kratak | ||
| Kratak comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *ker-, meaning 'to cut', and is related to words like 'create' and 'criterion'. | |||
| Danish | kort | ||
| Kort in Danish also means 'map' or 'playing card' and is related to the English word 'chart'. | |||
| Dutch | kort | ||
| The word "kort" also means "short" in the sense of shortness in length or duration, and "curt" in the sense of being rudely brief or abrupt. | |||
| English | brief | ||
| Brief, meaning a short period of time, comes from the 14th century and derives from the Latin brevis, meaning 'short'. | |||
| French | bref | ||
| The French word "bref" can also mean "in short" or "in a nutshell". | |||
| Frisian | koart | ||
| Koart is related to the English word 'short', and also means 'tight' | |||
| Galician | breve | ||
| In Galician, 'breve' can also mean 'letter' or 'document' | |||
| German | kurz | ||
| The word "kurz" in German is also used to refer to a musical note or a type of sausage. | |||
| Icelandic | stutt | ||
| "stutt" may refer to "stunted" or "short" in English. | |||
| Irish | gairid | ||
| In Irish, 'gairid' also means 'short' and is related to the Old Irish word 'gair', meaning 'near' or 'close'. | |||
| Italian | breve | ||
| Breve in Italian also refers to notes having a duration equal to two whole notes or four half notes in music | |||
| Luxembourgish | kuerz | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "kuerz" is derived from the German word "kurz" and can also mean "short" or "concise" | |||
| Maltese | qasira | ||
| The word "qasira" in Maltese comes from the Arabic word "qaṣīra", meaning "short" or "brief". It can also refer to a type of traditional Maltese shortbread cookie. | |||
| Norwegian | kort | ||
| Although 'kort' usually means 'brief', it can also refer to playing cards as in 'kortstokk' 'deck of cards' | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | breve | ||
| In Portuguese, "breve" can refer to a type of musical notation indicating a short note. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ghoirid | ||
| The term "ghoirid" in Scots Gaelic can also denote "shortly" or "in a little while." | |||
| Spanish | breve | ||
| The Spanish word "breve" comes from the Latin word "brevis", meaning "short" or "concise". | |||
| Swedish | kort | ||
| The word 'kort' in Swedish also has the alternate meaning of 'short' in length or stature. | |||
| Welsh | briff | ||
| The Welsh word "briff" also colloquially refers to a summary or digest, akin to its English etymology. | |||
Brief in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | кароткі | ||
| Кароткі is the Belarusian word for "short", and also means "brief," "concise," "cursory," and "summary". | |||
| Bosnian | kratak | ||
| "Kratak" derives from the Proto-Slavic word *kъrtъkъ, meaning "short, cut-off", which also gave rise to "krūtas" in Lithuanian, "kratak" in Slovenian, and "kratok" in Macedonian. | |||
| Bulgarian | кратко | ||
| In some contexts, "кратко" can also mean "concise", "succinct" or "to the point" | |||
| Czech | stručný | ||
| The Czech word "stručný" not only means "brief", but also "concise", "terse", and "succinct". | |||
| Estonian | lühike | ||
| The Estonian word "lühike" also refers to a short distance. | |||
| Finnish | lyhyt | ||
| "Lyhyt" is also the root of "lyhenne" which means an abbreviation. | |||
| Hungarian | rövid | ||
| The Hungarian word "rövid" also means "short" in length or duration, and has cognates in several Uralic languages suggesting an origin from Proto-Uralic *räpät "to break off, to shorten, to abbreviate". | |||
| Latvian | īss | ||
| The word "īss" likely originates from the Proto-Indo-European root "*eis-", meaning "to go fast" or "to hurry". | |||
| Lithuanian | trumpai | ||
| "Trumpas" also means "small" or "narrow" in the Lithuanian language. | |||
| Macedonian | краток | ||
| The word "краток" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *kratъkъ, which also meant "short", "concise", or "quick." | |||
| Polish | krótki | ||
| "Krótki" derives from the Proto-Slavic "kortokъ" and relates to the words "kruk" (raven), "kraka" (crow), and "kurcz" (hen), possibly from the birds' short legs. | |||
| Romanian | scurt | ||
| The Romanian word "scurt" is derived from the Latin word "curtus", meaning "short" or "brief". | |||
| Russian | краткий | ||
| "Краткий" also means "concise, succinct" or "curt, abrupt" (e.g. to answer krajko, which translates to "bluntly, without beating around the bush"). | |||
| Serbian | кратак | ||
| In Old Church Slavonic, "кратакъ" meant "short", but in Serbian, it also means "momentary" and "short-lived". | |||
| Slovak | stručné | ||
| The word "stručné" also means "concise" and "laconic" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | kratek | ||
| In Russian, "краткий" also means "brief," but its other related meanings are "concise," "condensed," and "summary." | |||
| Ukrainian | короткий | ||
| "Короткий" comes from the Old Russian word "кырьтити", which means "to cut". It originally referred to something that was cut short, hence its meaning of "brief". | |||
Brief in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সংক্ষিপ্ত | ||
| The Bengali word "সংক্ষিপ্ত" has Sanskrit origins and relates to the concept of "conciseness" or "summary." | |||
| Gujarati | સંક્ષિપ્તમાં | ||
| Hindi | संक्षिप्त करें | ||
| The Hindi word 'संक्षिप्त करें' also means 'to condense' or 'to abridge'. | |||
| Kannada | ಸಂಕ್ಷಿಪ್ತ | ||
| Malayalam | ചുരുക്കത്തിലുള്ള | ||
| Marathi | थोडक्यात | ||
| The Marathi word "थोडक्यात" can also mean "in a nutshell" or "in summary". | |||
| Nepali | संक्षिप्त | ||
| The term संक्षिप्त in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit word "samkshipta" which signifies conciseness or abbreviation. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੰਖੇਪ | ||
| The word "ਸੰਖੇਪ" (sankhep) in Punjabi is derived from the Sanskrit word "संक्षिप्त" (sankshipta), meaning "contracted" or "abbreviated". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කෙටියෙන් | ||
| Tamil | சுருக்கமான | ||
| Telugu | క్లుప్తంగా | ||
| Urdu | مختصر | ||
| The word "مختصر" can also mean "precise" or "succinct" in Urdu. | |||
Brief in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 简要 | ||
| "简" originally meant "select" and "要" meant "important". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 簡要 | ||
| The term "簡要" in Chinese can also refer to "simplicity" or "conciseness" beyond its primary meaning of "brief". | |||
| Japanese | 簡単な | ||
| The word "簡単な" (brief) is derived from the word "簡易" (simple, easy), which is itself derived from the Chinese word "簡易" (easy, convenient). | |||
| Korean | 간결한 | ||
| "간결한" can also mean "concise" or "succinct" | |||
| Mongolian | товч | ||
| Mongolian word "товч" originally meant "close, narrow" before also acquiring the meaning of "brief" in the 16th century. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အကျဉ်း | ||
| In Myanmar, the word "အကျဉ်း" (brief) can also refer to the essential or precise points of an idea or topic. | |||
Brief in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | singkat | ||
| The word "singkat" in Indonesian also has the meaning of "shorthand" or "abbreviation". | |||
| Javanese | ringkes | ||
| "Ringkes" is an archaic word in Javanese and a term used in traditional Javanese literature, but it still can be used in the modern Javanese language with equivalent meaning to the word "cekak". | |||
| Khmer | សង្ខេប | ||
| Lao | ໂດຍຫຍໍ້ | ||
| Malay | ringkas | ||
| The word "ringkas" can also mean "short (in length)" or "concise" in Malay. | |||
| Thai | สั้น ๆ | ||
| สั้น ๆ can also mean "shortly" or "in short". | |||
| Vietnamese | ngắn gọn | ||
| "Ngắn gọn" (brief) comes from "ngắn" (short) and "gọn" (concise), highlighting the shortness and conciseness of something. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maikli | ||
Brief in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qısa | ||
| The word "qısa" also means "short" in Azerbaijani, "short" in Ottoman Turkish, and "narrow" in Turkish. | |||
| Kazakh | қысқаша | ||
| The Kazakh word "қысқаша" also means "shortly" or "in brief". | |||
| Kyrgyz | кыска | ||
| The word "кыска" in Kyrgyz can also mean "short" or "narrow". | |||
| Tajik | мухтасар | ||
| The word "мухтасар" also means "short" or "concise" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | gysga | ||
| Uzbek | qisqacha | ||
| The word "qisqacha" in Uzbek can also mean "short" or "succinct". | |||
| Uyghur | قىسقا | ||
Brief in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pōkole | ||
| The word "pōkole" in Hawaiian can also mean "stunted" or "short-lived". | |||
| Maori | poto | ||
| In Maori, "poto" can also refer to the length of a garment or to a cut of meat. | |||
| Samoan | puʻupuʻu | ||
| The word "pu'upu'u" can also refer to a hill or mound in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | maikli | ||
| The word | |||
Brief in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | juk'aki | ||
| Guarani | sapy'aite | ||
Brief in International Languages
| Esperanto | mallonga | ||
| "Mallonga" in Esperanto comes from the Latin "male longus," meaning "not long." | |||
| Latin | brevis | ||
| Latin "brevis" also means "ephemeral, short-lived" and is related to "breviare" (to abbreviate). | |||
Brief in Others Languages
| Greek | σύντομος | ||
| In ancient Greek, the word “σύντομος” had a broader meaning and referred to anything that was concise, concise, or easy to understand. | |||
| Hmong | luv luv | ||
| In Hmong, the word "luv luv" also means "to quickly finish something" or "to make something very short" | |||
| Kurdish | kin | ||
| The Kurdish word "kin" also means "short" or "small". | |||
| Turkish | kısa | ||
| The Turkish word "kısa" not only means "brief" but also "short" in length or time. | |||
| Xhosa | imfutshane | ||
| In Nguni languages like Xhosa and Zulu, "imfutshane" also refers to a type of traditional short-handled axe. | |||
| Yiddish | קורץ | ||
| In Yiddish, the word "קורץ" (kurtz) also means "short" or "small". | |||
| Zulu | mfushane | ||
| "Mfushane" can also refer to a short person or a brief moment. | |||
| Assamese | চমু | ||
| Aymara | juk'aki | ||
| Bhojpuri | छोटहन | ||
| Dhivehi | ވަރަށް ކުޑަ | ||
| Dogri | मुखसर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maikli | ||
| Guarani | sapy'aite | ||
| Ilocano | biit | ||
| Krio | shɔt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کورت | ||
| Maithili | संक्षिप्त | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯝꯂꯞꯄ | ||
| Mizo | tawite | ||
| Oromo | gabaabaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସଂକ୍ଷିପ୍ତ | ||
| Quechua | uchuylla | ||
| Sanskrit | साक्षिप्तं | ||
| Tatar | кыска | ||
| Tigrinya | ሓፂር | ||
| Tsonga | nkomiso | ||