Updated on March 6, 2024
Calculate, such a simple word, yet it holds immense significance in our daily lives. It is the foundation of mathematics, engineering, economics, and many other fields. The ability to calculate allows us to understand the world around us, from basic arithmetic to complex equations. But have you ever wondered how to say 'calculate' in different languages?
The word 'calculate' has been an essential part of human progress since ancient times. The ancient Greeks, for example, were known for their advanced mathematical knowledge and calculation methods. They used a device called the 'abacus' to perform calculations, a tool still used in some cultures today.
Understanding the translation of 'calculate' in different languages can open up a world of cultural exchange and appreciation. For instance, in Spanish, 'calculate' is 'calcular', while in French, it is 'calculer'. In German, it is 'rechnen', and in Japanese, it is 'keisan'.
Join us as we explore the translations of 'calculate' in various languages and cultures. Not only will you learn something new, but you will also gain a deeper appreciation for the beauty and diversity of human language and culture.
Afrikaans | bereken | ||
"Bereken", Afrikaans for "calculate", is cognate with the Dutch verb "berekenen", likely stemming from the Middle Dutch "rekenen", meaning "to stretch out". Figuratively, this meant "to extend an amount" or "to count". | |||
Amharic | ማስላት | ||
The verb ማስላት is also used to mean "to consider" or "to assume" something. | |||
Hausa | lissafta | ||
The Hausa word "lissafta" originates from the word "lis" meaning "sand", implying counting as in sand divination which used 16 different sand patterns known as siffodi used for divination, healing etc as well as "safta" meaning "divination". | |||
Igbo | gbakọọ | ||
The Igbo word "gbakọọ" derives from the Proto-Igbo root *gbák, meaning "to count or measure". | |||
Malagasy | kajy | ||
Derived from Arabic "hisab", "calculation", via Persian and Swahili. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuwerengera | ||
The Chichewa word 'kuwerengera' can also mean 'to measure' or 'to estimate'. | |||
Shona | kuverenga | ||
The word 'kuverenga' also means to 'read, count or compute'. | |||
Somali | xisaabi | ||
"Xisaabi" also means "to think" and "to plan or devise." | |||
Sesotho | bala | ||
In Sesotho the word "bala" can mean "calculate" or "deduct". | |||
Swahili | hesabu | ||
"Hesabu" is based on the Arabic word "hisab", which also means "account". | |||
Xhosa | ukubala | ||
The Xhosa word "ukubala" can also mean "to count" or "to tell". | |||
Yoruba | iṣiro | ||
"ìṣìrọ" can also mean to "calculate" or "estimate" something or to "ponder" about something | |||
Zulu | bala | ||
"Bala" can also mean "to make an impression" or "to leave a mark" in Zulu. | |||
Bambara | jatebɔ kɛ | ||
Ewe | bu akɔnta | ||
Kinyarwanda | kubara | ||
Lingala | kosala calcul ya kosala calcul | ||
Luganda | okubala | ||
Sepedi | bala | ||
Twi (Akan) | bu akontaa | ||
Arabic | احسب | ||
The Arabic word "احسب" also carries connotations of estimation or conjecture. | |||
Hebrew | לחשב | ||
The verb "לחשב" also means "consider" and in that sense is conjugated differently | |||
Pashto | محاسبه | ||
The Pashto word "محاسبه" is derived from the Arabic root word "حاسب which also means "to reckon" and "to account". | |||
Arabic | احسب | ||
The Arabic word "احسب" also carries connotations of estimation or conjecture. |
Albanian | llogarit | ||
The word "llogarit" is derived from the Latin word "logarithmus", meaning "a number that indicates the ratio between two other numbers". | |||
Basque | kalkulatu | ||
The word "kalkulatu" comes from the Latin "calculare," meaning "to count" or "to reckon." | |||
Catalan | calcular | ||
The Catalan verb "calcular" can also mean "to consider" or "to think". | |||
Croatian | izračunati | ||
The verb "izračunati" is derived from the Slavic root "račun", meaning "account" or "reckoning." | |||
Danish | beregn | ||
Beregn comes from two words, "berede" meaning "determine" or "prepare" and "regne", which means "account". | |||
Dutch | berekenen | ||
The Dutch word "berekenen" not only means "calculate," but also "charge." | |||
English | calculate | ||
'Calculate' derives from Latin 'calculus' meaning 'small stone' and was originally used for counting. | |||
French | calculer | ||
In French, "calculer" can also mean "to reckon with" or "to take into account". | |||
Frisian | rekkenje | ||
A similar Frisian word is 'rekkening' ('account') and the name 'Rekke' may originate from 'rekken'. | |||
Galician | calcular | ||
In Galician, "calcular" also means "to think carefully" or "to consider". | |||
German | berechnung | ||
The word 'Berechnung' can also mean `computation` or `reckoning`. | |||
Icelandic | reikna | ||
"Reikna" is derived from the Proto-Germanic root word for "calculation." | |||
Irish | ríomh | ||
The word "ríomh" also means "number" or "computation" in Irish, and its root word "rí" means "king" or "chieftain" | |||
Italian | calcolare | ||
The word 'calcolare' in Italian derives from the Latin 'calculus,' meaning 'pebble,' which was used in ancient times to perform calculations. | |||
Luxembourgish | auszerechnen | ||
The etymology of "auszerechnen" is from German "ausrechnen". The verb is sometimes also translated as "to compute". | |||
Maltese | ikkalkula | ||
The Maltese word for 'calculate' (ikkalkula) also means 'to think over' or 'to consider' in a more abstract sense. | |||
Norwegian | regne ut | ||
The word "regne ut" can also mean to "figure out" or "understand" something. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | calcular | ||
The word "calcular" also means "count" in Portugal. | |||
Scots Gaelic | obrachadh a-mach | ||
The word can also mean 'to reckon' or 'to count'. | |||
Spanish | calcular | ||
"Calcular" derives from the Latin "calculare" meaning "to count on pebbles," referring to the use of pebbles in Roman abacuses. | |||
Swedish | beräkna | ||
"Beräkna" (to calculate) comes from the Old Norse "rekna" which also means "to think". So "beräkna" also has the meanings "to consider" or "to judge". | |||
Welsh | cyfrifwch | ||
The word 'cyfrifwch' ultimately derives from the Latin word 'ciphra', meaning 'zero' |
Belarusian | вылічыць | ||
Belarusian "вылічыць" (calculate) comes from the Proto-Slavic "*līčiti", which means "count" or "calculate". | |||
Bosnian | izračunati | ||
The word 'izračunati' in Bosnian derives from the Proto-Slavic word 'račьnъti' and has the alternate meaning of 'to consider' or 'to ponder'. | |||
Bulgarian | изчисли | ||
The word "изчисли" can also mean "to count" or "to enumerate" in Bulgarian. | |||
Czech | vypočítat | ||
The word can also mean "to compute" or "to figure out." | |||
Estonian | arvutama | ||
Besides 'to calculate', the Estonian verb 'arvutama' can translate to 'to rate', 'to value' and 'to assess', all stemming from its root 'arv', meaning 'value'. | |||
Finnish | laskea | ||
Laskea also refers to the act of counting something. | |||
Hungarian | kiszámítja | ||
"Kiszedi szám szerint a kártyákat a pakliból" jelentése: kihúz egy lapot a pakliból | |||
Latvian | aprēķināt | ||
The word "aprēķināt" in Latvian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *rek-, meaning "to stretch". It shares this etymology with Latvian "rākis" ("rod"), "rīks" ("tool"), and "rāmi" ("frame"). | |||
Lithuanian | apskaičiuoti | ||
The Lithuanian word "apskaičiuoti" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *keh₂- "to watch, observe, understand" and is cognate with Latin "computare" and Greek "σκοπείν". | |||
Macedonian | пресметај | ||
The word "пресметај" can also mean "to estimate" or "to count". | |||
Polish | oblicz | ||
The verb "obliczyć" in Polish can also mean "to blame" or "to accuse". | |||
Romanian | calculati | ||
The word "calculati" in Romanian has a secondary meaning of "to plot or scheme". | |||
Russian | вычислить | ||
In addition to 'calculate', 'вычислить' also means 'to detect' or 'to find'. | |||
Serbian | израчунати | ||
The word "израчунати" in Serbian can also mean "to deduce" or "to infer". | |||
Slovak | vypočítať | ||
The original meaning comes likely from 'to compute', not specifically from mathematics as it's generally used nowadays. | |||
Slovenian | izračunajte | ||
Izračunajte also means calculation, estimate, computation. | |||
Ukrainian | обчислити | ||
The Ukrainian word "обчислити" (calculate) has roots in the Proto-Indo-European language and is related to words meaning "to reckon" in other Slavic languages. |
Bengali | গণনা | ||
The word "গণনা" is derived from the Sanskrit word "गणना" (ganana), which means "to count, calculate, or reckon."} | |||
Gujarati | ગણત્રી | ||
The Gujarati word "ગણત્રી" also refers to mathematics, counting, or statistics. | |||
Hindi | calculate | ||
The word 'calculate' derives from the Latin 'calculus', meaning 'pebble', as pebbles were used to represent numbers in Roman abacuses. | |||
Kannada | ಲೆಕ್ಕಾಚಾರ | ||
The word "ಲೆಕ್ಕಾಚಾರ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "लेखाचार" (lekhaacara), which means "the science of accounting or calculation". | |||
Malayalam | കണക്കാക്കുക | ||
Marathi | गणना करा | ||
The Marathi word 'गणना करा' ('calculate') is also used to refer to taking a count or census. | |||
Nepali | हिसाब गर्नुहोस् | ||
The root of 'हिसाब गर्नुहोस्' ('calculate') is 'हिसाब' ('account'), suggesting accounting or financial calculations. | |||
Punjabi | ਗਣਨਾ ਕਰੋ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ගණනය කරන්න | ||
The word ගණනය කරන්න (calculate) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'ganana' which means 'counting' or 'number'. It is also used in mathematics to refer to the process of finding the value of a variable or expression. | |||
Tamil | கணக்கிடுங்கள் | ||
Telugu | లెక్కించండి | ||
Urdu | حساب لگائیں | ||
Chinese (Simplified) | 计算 | ||
“计算”一词最早见于《易经》,意为“占卜”或“预测” | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 計算 | ||
The word 計算 (calculate) in Traditional Chinese is composed of two characters, 计 (ji) and 算 (suan), which both originated as counting rods used in ancient arithmetic. | |||
Japanese | 計算する | ||
"計算" derives from "算用", a Chinese concept meaning "method of counting" or "arithmetic" referring to counting with the abacus. | |||
Korean | 계산하다 | ||
계산하다 also has the connotation of 'intending to do something' | |||
Mongolian | тооцоолох | ||
The word "тооцоолох" derives from the Mongolian word "тоо" which means "number" and the suffix "-лох" which denotes an action. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | တွက်ချက်သည် | ||
Indonesian | menghitung | ||
The word "menghitung" in Indonesian is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *quriŋ, which also means "to count". | |||
Javanese | ngetung | ||
"Ngetung" also means "to estimate" or "to predict" in Javanese. | |||
Khmer | គណនា | ||
The word "គណនា" also refers to "arithmetic" or "computation". | |||
Lao | ຄິດໄລ່ | ||
The Lao word ຄິດໄລ່ ('calculate') is derived from the Sanskrit word 'kalpa', meaning 'a long period of time', and also refers to the Hindu concept of a 'cosmic cycle'. | |||
Malay | mengira | ||
The word "mengira" in Malay can also mean "to estimate" or "to guess". | |||
Thai | คำนวณ | ||
The Thai word "คำนวณ" (calculate) also means "to determine the time". | |||
Vietnamese | tính toán | ||
The word "tính toán" can mean either to "calculate" or to "plan". It comes from the Chinese word 計算 (jísuàn). | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | kalkulahin | ||
Azerbaijani | hesablamaq | ||
"Hesablamaq" also means "to make an excuse, a reason" and "to find out, to discover, to determine, to resolve". | |||
Kazakh | есептеу | ||
Kazakh "есептеу" can also mean "to think" or "to suppose" depending on the context. | |||
Kyrgyz | эсептөө | ||
The word "эсептөө" comes from the root word "эс" (mind) and the suffix "-төө" (action), meaning "to think about something" or "to reason something out" | |||
Tajik | ҳисоб кардан | ||
The verb "ҳисоб кардан" can also mean "to consider" or "to think" in Tajik. | |||
Turkmen | hasapla | ||
Uzbek | hisoblash | ||
The word "hisoblash" in Uzbek also means "to account for". | |||
Uyghur | ھېسابلاپ بېقىڭ | ||
Hawaiian | helu | ||
The word "helu" also means "to count, to reckon, to enumerate, to tally, to number, to cipher" in Hawaiian. | |||
Maori | tatau | ||
In Maori, "tatau" can also refer to making a mark or impression, reflecting the process of measurement and calculation. | |||
Samoan | fuafua | ||
Fuafua also means 'to plan' and 'to decide' in Samoan. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | kalkulahin | ||
"Kalkulahin" is derived from the Spanish word "calcular", which means "to compute". |
Aymara | jakthapiña | ||
Guarani | okalkula haguã | ||
Esperanto | kalkuli | ||
"Kalkuli" is related to the word "calculus"} | |||
Latin | calculate | ||
The Latin word "calculus" (literally "stone") was originally used for counting stones, hence the related English word "calculate". |
Greek | υπολογίζω | ||
"Υπολογίζω" derives from the ancient Greek root "λογίζω," meaning "to speak." | |||
Hmong | suav | ||
The word "suav" in Hmong can also mean "measure" or "to consider carefully". | |||
Kurdish | hesabkirin | ||
The word "hesabkirin" can also mean "accounting" or "settlement of accounts" in Kurdish. | |||
Turkish | hesaplamak | ||
Hesaplamak also means to settle accounts in Turkish | |||
Xhosa | ukubala | ||
The Xhosa word "ukubala" can also mean "to count" or "to tell". | |||
Yiddish | רעכענען | ||
"רעכענען" in Yiddish can also mean "to argue" | |||
Zulu | bala | ||
"Bala" can also mean "to make an impression" or "to leave a mark" in Zulu. | |||
Assamese | গণনা কৰ | ||
Aymara | jakthapiña | ||
Bhojpuri | गणना करे के बा | ||
Dhivehi | ހިސާބުކުރުން | ||
Dogri | गणना करो | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | kalkulahin | ||
Guarani | okalkula haguã | ||
Ilocano | kalkularen | ||
Krio | kɔlkyul | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | حیساب بکە | ||
Maithili | गणना करब | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯤꯁꯥꯕ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo | chhut chhuah rawh | ||
Oromo | shallaguu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଗଣନା କର | ||
Quechua | yupay | ||
Sanskrit | गणयतु | ||
Tatar | исәпләү | ||
Tigrinya | ምሕሳብ | ||
Tsonga | hlayela | ||