Capability in Different Languages
Discover 'Capability' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'capability' holds great significance in our daily lives, denoting the power or ability to do something. It is a concept that transcends cultures and languages, embodying the potential within each of us. From a historical context, the term has been used to describe the skills and talents of individuals, as well as the overall strength of communities and nations.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'capability' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultural nuances and values of various societies. For instance, in Spanish, 'capability' translates to 'capacidad', which also means 'capacity', reflecting the importance placed on resourcefulness and adaptability in Hispanic cultures. Meanwhile, in German, 'capability' becomes 'Fähigkeit', which shares roots with the word for 'faith', highlighting the significance of trust and belief in one's abilities in German-speaking regions.
With this in mind, let's explore the various translations of 'capability' in a range of languages, from French and Italian to Chinese and Japanese, and deepen our appreciation for the richness and diversity of linguistic and cultural traditions around the world.
Capability
Capability in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | vermoë | ||
| "Vermoë" is a cognate of English "verve" and also means "wealth, property, assets" | |||
| Amharic | ችሎታ | ||
| The word ችሎታ "capability" is derived from the verb ችሏ "to be able". | |||
| Hausa | iyawa | ||
| The word "iyawa" in Hausa can also refer to "ability" or "strength". | |||
| Igbo | ikike | ||
| "Ikike" is derived from the Proto-Igbo word "*kike", meaning "to be able or capable". | |||
| Malagasy | fahaizany | ||
| The Malagasy word "fahaizany" also means "expert" and "ability". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuthekera | ||
| The word "kuthekera" is derived from the verb "kutheka" meaning "to be able to" or "to succeed". | |||
| Shona | kugona | ||
| The word 'kugona' may also refer to 'the state or capacity of knowing' | |||
| Somali | awoodda | ||
| "Awoodda" in Somali is also a verb stem that can mean 'can' or 'to have power'. | |||
| Sesotho | bokhoni | ||
| The word "bokhoni" also refers to a person who is capable or skilled in a particular area. | |||
| Swahili | uwezo | ||
| "Uwezo" also means "authority" or "power" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | ukubanakho | ||
| In Xhosa, "ukubanakho" not only means "capability" but also refers to "ability," "means," "possessions," and "resources." | |||
| Yoruba | agbara | ||
| The word 'agbara' can also mean "power", "skill", or "strength" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | ikhono | ||
| Ikhono is also used in Zulu to refer to a person's physical or mental abilities or potential | |||
| Bambara | seko ni dɔnko | ||
| Ewe | ŋutete | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ubushobozi | ||
| Lingala | makoki ya kosala | ||
| Luganda | obusobozi | ||
| Sepedi | bokgoni | ||
| Twi (Akan) | tumi a wotumi yɛ | ||
Capability in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الإمكانية | ||
| The word "الإمكانية" (al-imkāniyyah) in Arabic shares its root with the word "مكان" (makān) meaning "place" or "space", suggesting a connection between capability and the potential or "space" for something to occur. | |||
| Hebrew | יכולת | ||
| The Hebrew word "יכולת" (capability) is derived from the root "יכל" (to be able), and can also refer to "ability," "competence," or "power." | |||
| Pashto | وړتیا | ||
| The Pashto word "وړتیا" shares its etymology with the Persian word "توانایی" and ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *tew- "to be able, to be strong". | |||
| Arabic | الإمكانية | ||
| The word "الإمكانية" (al-imkāniyyah) in Arabic shares its root with the word "مكان" (makān) meaning "place" or "space", suggesting a connection between capability and the potential or "space" for something to occur. | |||
Capability in Western European Languages
| Albanian | aftësia | ||
| The word "aftësia" in Albanian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*h₂ep-ti-eh₂", which also means "ability" in English and "ανδρεία" (andreia, "strength") in Ancient Greek. | |||
| Basque | gaitasuna | ||
| In Basque, "gaitasuna" also refers to a person's ability to carry out a specific task. | |||
| Catalan | capacitat | ||
| "Capacitat" comes from the Latin "capacitas," meaning "room" or "space," and also refers to the ability to hold or contain. | |||
| Croatian | sposobnost | ||
| The word "sposobnost" can also mean aptitude, competency, skill, or talent. | |||
| Danish | evne | ||
| The word "evne" can also mean "ability" or "talent". | |||
| Dutch | vermogen | ||
| Vermogen also means "assets" or "wealth" and is related to the German word "vermögen". | |||
| English | capability | ||
| Capability can refer to both the potential to do something and the means to do it, from the Latin "capax". | |||
| French | aptitude | ||
| In French, "aptitude" can also mean "propensity" or "disposition". | |||
| Frisian | bekwamens | ||
| "Bekwamens" in Frisian is derived from the Old Frisian word "bekwam," meaning "suitable" or "competent." | |||
| Galician | capacidade | ||
| The word "capacidade" came from the Latin word "capacitas", which means "room", "space", or "ability to receive or hold something". | |||
| German | fähigkeit | ||
| The word "Fähigkeit" is derived from the Middle High German word "fähekeit," which means "ability" or "skill." | |||
| Icelandic | getu | ||
| The Icelandic word "getu" can also mean "ability", "power", "skill", or "talent". | |||
| Irish | cumas | ||
| Cumas also means "possibility" or "power". | |||
| Italian | capacità | ||
| The Italian word "capacità" can also mean "volume" or "ability". | |||
| Luxembourgish | fäegkeet | ||
| The etymology of the Luxembourgish word "Fäegkeet" is unclear, but it may be related to the Germanic word "fähig" (able). | |||
| Maltese | kapaċità | ||
| The word "kapaċità" derives from the Italian word "capacità", meaning "ability" or "capacity". | |||
| Norwegian | evne | ||
| The Old Norse word "efni" means "material" or "substance". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | capacidade | ||
| The Portuguese word "capacidade" (meaning "capacity" or "ability") comes from the Latin word "capacitas," which originally meant "spaciousness" or "roominess." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | comas | ||
| The word "comas" in Scots Gaelic can also refer to the plural form of "coma", a state of deep unconsciousness. | |||
| Spanish | capacidad | ||
| Capacidad can also refer to the legal capacity of a person to perform certain acts or hold certain offices. | |||
| Swedish | förmåga | ||
| Förmåga is a loanword from German, where it means 'ability', 'faculty' or 'power'. | |||
| Welsh | gallu | ||
| It is related to Gaul, Galatia, and the Celtic word for a stranger | |||
Capability in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | здольнасць | ||
| "Здольнасць" is cognate with the Polish "zdolność" (ability) and likely shares the same etymology from the Proto-Slavic root *zьdolьnъ (capable). | |||
| Bosnian | sposobnost | ||
| The word 'sposobnost' comes from the Proto-Slavic verb 'sposobiti', meaning 'to make fit'. | |||
| Bulgarian | способност | ||
| The word "способност" is derived from the Proto-Slavic "sposob-ь" and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European "*spē-", meaning "to succeed" or "to be successful" | |||
| Czech | schopnost | ||
| The word "schopnost" also means "ability" in German and "faculty" in English. | |||
| Estonian | võimekus | ||
| The Estonian word "võimekus" is derived from the word "võima" meaning "power". | |||
| Finnish | kyky | ||
| The word "kyky" is a shortened form of the Finnish word "kyvykkyys", which also means "capability". | |||
| Hungarian | képesség | ||
| The Hungarian word "képesség" originally meant "image" or "likeness". | |||
| Latvian | spējas | ||
| Latvian "spējas" also has the alternate meanings "abilities, powers, talents" and is related to the verb "spēt" which means "to be able to, to be capable of". | |||
| Lithuanian | gebėjimas | ||
| The Lithuanian word "gebėjimas" also has a related word in the English language, which is the word "ability". | |||
| Macedonian | способност | ||
| The word "способност" also refers to the ability or faculty of performing an action, or to the quality or competence of someone to do something | |||
| Polish | zdolność | ||
| The word 'zdolność' is derived from the Old Slavic 'zdatь', which means 'able' or 'skilled'. | |||
| Romanian | capacitate | ||
| In Romanian, "capacitate" can refer to both "ability" and "volume". | |||
| Russian | способность | ||
| "Способность" (capability) comes from the Old Church Slavonic word "собь" (property), which also gave rise to the word "собственность" (property). | |||
| Serbian | способност | ||
| The word "способност" also means "talent" or "ability" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | spôsobilosť | ||
| The word "spôsobilosť" in Slovak has an alternate meaning of "legal capacity" or "competence". | |||
| Slovenian | sposobnost | ||
| The word "sposobnost" in Slovenian is derived from the Latin word "possibilitas", meaning "possibility". | |||
| Ukrainian | здатність | ||
| The Ukrainian word “здатність” originates from the old Slavic root *dět-, meaning "to put, place" or "to do, make". | |||
Capability in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ক্ষমতা | ||
| "ক্ষমতা" also includes the meanings "rule" and "control of the state". | |||
| Gujarati | ક્ષમતા | ||
| ક્ષમતા also refers to a unit of measurement in Gujarati, equivalent to approximately 2 acres. | |||
| Hindi | क्षमता | ||
| The term 'क्षमता' has various meanings, including 'capacity' and 'potential' in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಸಾಮರ್ಥ್ಯ | ||
| It comes from the Sanksrit word "Samartha," which also means "strong," the suffix "yam" indicating a state of being, capability. | |||
| Malayalam | കഴിവ് | ||
| "കഴിവ്" is also used to refer to the ability of a person to act or think in a particular way, or to their potential or power. | |||
| Marathi | क्षमता | ||
| क्षमता also means aptitude, competency, ability and skill. | |||
| Nepali | क्षमता | ||
| क्षमता originates from the Sanskrit word क्षम् (kṣam), which also means 'forgiveness' in addition to 'capability'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਮਰੱਥਾ | ||
| ਸਮਰੱਥਾ also means 'possible' or 'feasible' in addition to its main meaning 'capability'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හැකියාව | ||
| The word "හැකියාව" also means "competence" and derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*k̂a-," meaning "to be able." | |||
| Tamil | திறன் | ||
| Telugu | సామర్ధ్యం | ||
| Urdu | قابلیت | ||
| The word "قابلیت" also means "ability" and "competence" in Urdu. | |||
Capability in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 能力 | ||
| 能力 (nénglì) was once an alternate writing of 能吏 (nénglì), an "able or efficient official."} | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 能力 | ||
| 能力 can also refer to a "person's ability", or "skill". | |||
| Japanese | 能力 | ||
| The kanji characters comprising "能力" can also mean "ability" or "skill." | |||
| Korean | 능력 | ||
| The word "능력" can also mean "power" or "authority" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | чадвар | ||
| The Mongolian word "чадвар" can also refer to "competence" or "ability". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စွမ်းရည် | ||
Capability in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kemampuan | ||
| The word "kemampuan" is derived from the root word "mampu" (able), which itself comes from the Old Javanese word "mampuh" (strong, capable). | |||
| Javanese | kemampuan | ||
| The word "kemampuan" comes from the Sanskrit word "samarthya", which means "ability, power, or strength". | |||
| Khmer | សមត្ថភាព | ||
| The term "សមត្ថភាព" is derived from Sanskrit and can also refer to "competence" or "ability" | |||
| Lao | ຄວາມສາມາດ | ||
| Malay | kemampuan | ||
| The word 'kemampuan' is derived from the Sanskrit root 'karma', meaning 'action' or 'deed'. | |||
| Thai | ความสามารถ | ||
| The Thai word "ความสามารถ" (capability) is derived from the Sanskrit word "samarthya", meaning "ability" or "power". | |||
| Vietnamese | khả năng | ||
| The word "khả năng" in Vietnamese can also refer to "potential" or "possibilities." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kakayahan | ||
Capability in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qabiliyyət | ||
| The word "qabiliyyət" is derived from the Arabic word "qabila", meaning "to receive, to accept" and it also refers to a person's natural aptitude or talent for a particular activity. | |||
| Kazakh | мүмкіндік | ||
| The word "мүмкіндік" can also mean "opportunity" or "possibility". | |||
| Kyrgyz | мүмкүнчүлүк | ||
| The word also refers to the ability or power of doing something. | |||
| Tajik | қобилият | ||
| The word "қобилият" in Tajik can also refer to "ability" or "aptitude." | |||
| Turkmen | ukyby | ||
| Uzbek | qobiliyat | ||
| The Uzbek word "qobiliyat" can also mean "aptitude" or "ability". | |||
| Uyghur | ئىقتىدارى | ||
Capability in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hiki | ||
| "Hiki" can also mean "to pull", "to fetch", or "to go," reflecting its root in the Proto-Polynesian term "*hiki" meaning "to drag". | |||
| Maori | āheinga | ||
| The word "āheinga" also means "possibility" or "ability". | |||
| Samoan | agavaʻa | ||
| In ancient Samoan, agavaʻa could also mean "to be able to manage or succeed". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kakayahan | ||
| The word "kakayahan" can also refer to "ability" or "capacity" in Tagalog. | |||
Capability in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | capacidad ukampi | ||
| Guarani | capacidad rehegua | ||
Capability in International Languages
| Esperanto | kapablo | ||
| "Kapablo" has the root "kap-," which also implies "seize," and the word "kapablo" can occasionally mean "seizable." | |||
| Latin | capability | ||
| In Latin, this word meant a capacity to receive something, or a legal competence or qualification for a position. | |||
Capability in Others Languages
| Greek | ικανότητα | ||
| The word ικανότητα in Greek is derived from the root ἱκανός, meaning 'sufficient' or 'adequate'. | |||
| Hmong | muaj peev xwm | ||
| The term also refers to the state of being able to do something, the power to do something, or the means or resources to do something. | |||
| Kurdish | zanyarî | ||
| Zanyarî is derived from the Persian word 'zanan' which means 'to know' or 'to understand'. | |||
| Turkish | kabiliyet | ||
| "Kabiliyet" is derived from the Arabic word "qabiliyya" (capability, potential), which is also the root of the word "kâbil" (talented, capable). | |||
| Xhosa | ukubanakho | ||
| In Xhosa, "ukubanakho" not only means "capability" but also refers to "ability," "means," "possessions," and "resources." | |||
| Yiddish | פיייקייט | ||
| The Yiddish word "פיייקייט" is cognate to the German "fähig" (able), and hence the English "capable". | |||
| Zulu | ikhono | ||
| Ikhono is also used in Zulu to refer to a person's physical or mental abilities or potential | |||
| Assamese | ক্ষমতা | ||
| Aymara | capacidad ukampi | ||
| Bhojpuri | क्षमता के क्षमता बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ޤާބިލުކަން | ||
| Dogri | क्षमता | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kakayahan | ||
| Guarani | capacidad rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | kabaelan | ||
| Krio | di kayn we aw pɔsin kin ebul fɔ du sɔntin | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | توانا | ||
| Maithili | क्षमता | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯀꯦꯄꯦꯕꯤꯂꯤꯇꯤ ꯂꯩꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | theihna | ||
| Oromo | dandeettii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସାମର୍ଥ୍ୟ | | ||
| Quechua | atiyniyuq | ||
| Sanskrit | सामर्थ्यम् | ||
| Tatar | мөмкинлек | ||
| Tigrinya | ዓቕሚ | ||
| Tsonga | vuswikoti | ||