Capacity in Different Languages
Discover 'Capacity' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'capacity' holds great significance in our daily lives, often referring to the maximum amount that something can hold or the ability to perform or produce something. Its cultural importance is evident in various aspects, from the capacity of a concert venue shaping a fan's experience to the capacity of a container determining how much we can transport. Understanding the translation of 'capacity' in different languages can be fascinating and useful for those working in international contexts or simply interested in language and culture.
For instance, in Spanish, 'capacity' translates to 'capacidad'. In French, it's 'capacité', while in German, it's 'Kapazität'. These translations not only help us navigate language barriers but also offer insights into the cultural nuances of different languages.
Moreover, the word 'capacity' has historical contexts that are intriguing to explore. For example, in the 19th century, the concept of 'capacity' was central to the study of phrenology, a pseudoscience that attempted to correlate skull size with mental faculties. Today, 'capacity' continues to be a vital concept in various fields, from engineering to education.
Capacity
Capacity in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | kapasiteit | ||
| The word "kapasiteit" is derived from the Dutch word "capaciteit", which means "ability" or "skill". | |||
| Amharic | አቅም | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "capacity," አቅም can also refer to "ability," "capability," or "potential." | |||
| Hausa | iya aiki | ||
| 'Iya aiki' also means 'ability' or 'qualification' in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | ikike | ||
| Ikike also means 'ability', 'power', or 'strength' depending on context. | |||
| Malagasy | fahafahana | ||
| The Malagasy word "fahafahana" is possibly derived from the Malay "faham" or the Austronesian "faham", meaning "understand" or "comprehend". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mphamvu | ||
| The Nyanja word "mphamvu" can also refer to a person's influence or power. | |||
| Shona | chinzvimbo | ||
| The word "chinzvimbo" in Shona can also refer to a container or a measure of volume. | |||
| Somali | karti | ||
| "Kar" means "ability" in several Cushitic languages, and "-ti" is a nominalizing suffix, so "karti" is likely related to "ability". | |||
| Sesotho | bokgoni | ||
| The Sesotho word "bokgoni" also refers to a container or a hole used for storage or hiding something. | |||
| Swahili | uwezo | ||
| The term can also refer to spiritual power or capability. | |||
| Xhosa | umthamo | ||
| "Umthamo" may also refer to a person's ability to bear children. | |||
| Yoruba | agbara | ||
| "Agbara" also means "power, force or strength" and shares a root with the verb "gba," meaning "to receive" or "to take." | |||
| Zulu | umthamo | ||
| Umthamo can also refer to the capacity of a particular space, such as a stadium or a classroom. | |||
| Bambara | fanga | ||
| Ewe | ŋutete | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ubushobozi | ||
| Lingala | makoki | ||
| Luganda | obusobozi | ||
| Sepedi | bokgoni | ||
| Twi (Akan) | deɛ ahoɔden bɛtumi | ||
Capacity in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | سعة | ||
| In the Quran, "سعة" can refer to the spaciousness of the earth or the abundance of God's mercy. | |||
| Hebrew | קיבולת | ||
| The word קיבולת (capacity) also refers to the number of people or objects a vessel can hold. | |||
| Pashto | وړتیا | ||
| The Pashto word "وړتیا" can also mean "ability" or "potential". | |||
| Arabic | سعة | ||
| In the Quran, "سعة" can refer to the spaciousness of the earth or the abundance of God's mercy. | |||
Capacity in Western European Languages
| Albanian | kapaciteti | ||
| The Albanian word "kapaciteti" is derived from the Latin "capacitas", meaning "ability to contain". | |||
| Basque | edukiera | ||
| "Edukiera", meaning "capacity", comes from the Latin word "educatio", which also means "breeding" or "education". | |||
| Catalan | capacitat | ||
| "Capacitat" also means "ability" in Catalan. | |||
| Croatian | kapacitet | ||
| The word 'kapacitet' comes from the Italian word 'capacità' and can also mean 'capability'. | |||
| Danish | kapacitet | ||
| The word "kapacitet" originally referred to the size of a ship's cargo hold. | |||
| Dutch | capaciteit | ||
| "Capaciteit" in Dutch comes from the Latin word "capere", meaning "to take" or "to hold". | |||
| English | capacity | ||
| The word "capacity" comes from the Latin word "capere," which means "to hold or take." | |||
| French | capacité | ||
| In French, the word "capacité" also means "qualification" or "ability". | |||
| Frisian | kapasiteit | ||
| The Frisian word "kapasiteit" is derived from the Latin word "capacitas", which means "ability to contain". | |||
| Galician | capacidade | ||
| The Galician word "capacidade" also means "ability," "skill," or "competence." | |||
| German | kapazität | ||
| The word 'Kapazität' can also mean 'ability' or 'qualification'. | |||
| Icelandic | getu | ||
| The word 'getu' has many meanings, including 'capacity', 'ability', 'volume', 'content', 'vessel', 'case', 'stomach', 'belly', and 'womb'. | |||
| Irish | cumas | ||
| In Irish, "cumas" comes from Latin "cumulus" and can also mean a pile, a heap, or a gathering. | |||
| Italian | capacità | ||
| The term "capacità" in Italian, deriving from Latin word "capere", can refer not only to capacity but also to competence or ability. | |||
| Luxembourgish | kapazitéit | ||
| The word "Kapazitéit" can also refer to the size or volume of something. | |||
| Maltese | kapaċità | ||
| The word "kapaċità" also means "ability" or "competence" in Maltese. | |||
| Norwegian | kapasitet | ||
| In Norwegian, "kapasitet" is also used to describe a person's ability or competence. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | capacidade | ||
| In Portuguese, "capacidade" can mean ability, skill, or competence. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | comas | ||
| Coma refers to 'gathering, accumulation' (com) also. | |||
| Spanish | capacidad | ||
| In Spanish, "capacidad" refers not only to physical or mental capacity but also to the legal authority to act on behalf of another person. | |||
| Swedish | kapacitet | ||
| "Kapacitet" also means "ability" or "capability" in Swedish, and is derived from the Latin "capacitas" (room, capacity). | |||
| Welsh | gallu | ||
| The word "gallu" also has historical and literary meanings, such as "power" and "ability". | |||
Capacity in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | ёмістасць | ||
| Bosnian | kapacitet | ||
| The word "kapacitet" in Bosnian also means "intellect" and "competence." | |||
| Bulgarian | капацитет | ||
| The word "капацитет" also refers to the lid covering the mouthpiece of a traditional Bulgarian musical instrument called kaval. | |||
| Czech | kapacita | ||
| The Czech word "kapacita" derives from the Latin "capacitas" which also means "intelligence". | |||
| Estonian | mahutavus | ||
| The word "mahutavus" also means "volume" in mathematics, as well as "ability" or "capability" in a more general sense. | |||
| Finnish | kapasiteetti | ||
| "Kapasiteetti" is derived from the Latin word "capacitas" meaning "spaciousness" or "roominess." | |||
| Hungarian | kapacitás | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "capacity," "kapacitás" can also mean "ability" or "capability" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | jaudu | ||
| The word "jauda" derives from the Old Latvian word "jauti", meaning "force" or "strength". | |||
| Lithuanian | talpa | ||
| The word "talpa" in Lithuanian also refers to a "volume" or a "container". | |||
| Macedonian | капацитет | ||
| The word "капацитет" in Macedonian also means "ability" or "capability". | |||
| Polish | pojemność | ||
| The word 'Pojemność' also relates to the terms 'pojemny' ('capacious, spacious') and 'niepojemny' ('incomprehensible') in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | capacitate | ||
| The Romanian word "capacitate" also means "ability" or "skill". | |||
| Russian | вместимость | ||
| "Вместимость", which comes from the Old Slavic "мѣстити" and "мѣсто", originally meant "room" or "space". | |||
| Serbian | капацитет | ||
| In Serbian, the word 'капацитет' can also refer to "ability" or "potential." | |||
| Slovak | kapacita | ||
| Kapacita is derived from the Latin word "capere" (to take, hold, or seize), and in Slovak, it can also refer to the ability or skill to do something. | |||
| Slovenian | zmogljivosti | ||
| The word "zmogljivosti" in Slovenian can also refer to "abilities" or "capabilities". | |||
| Ukrainian | ємність | ||
| In electronics, the word also denotes a capacitor. | |||
Capacity in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ক্ষমতা | ||
| "ক্ষমতা" can also mean authority, force, control, competence, ability, strength. | |||
| Gujarati | ક્ષમતા | ||
| Hindi | क्षमता | ||
| The word “क्षमता” also means “talent, potential” and derives from Proto-Indo-European “ker-” meaning both “make, create” and “grow.” | |||
| Kannada | ಸಾಮರ್ಥ್ಯ | ||
| The word "ಸಾಮರ್ಥ್ಯ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "समर्थ" (samartha), meaning "capable" or "competent."} | |||
| Malayalam | ശേഷി | ||
| In Malayalam, the word 'ശേഷി' also means 'remainder' or 'balance' in addition to 'capacity'. | |||
| Marathi | क्षमता | ||
| "क्षमता" is also the capacity of a body to do some work. | |||
| Nepali | क्षमता | ||
| "क्षमता" can also mean power, ability, or potential in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਮਰੱਥਾ | ||
| The word ਸਮਰੱਥਾ in Punjabi is derived from the Sanskrit word 'samarthya', which means 'power' or 'strength'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ධාරිතාව | ||
| The word ධාරිතාව is derived from the Sanskrit word 'dhara,' which means 'to hold' or 'to bear'. | |||
| Tamil | திறன் | ||
| The Tamil word "திறன்" may also refer to ability, talent, or proficiency, while sometimes being used to denote competence or efficiency. | |||
| Telugu | సామర్థ్యం | ||
| The word "సామర్థ్యం" in Telugu also refers to the capacity or ability of an individual or entity. | |||
| Urdu | صلاحیت | ||
| The word "صلاحیت" in Urdu has an extended meaning of "qualification" or "competence". | |||
Capacity in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 容量 | ||
| 容量 is composed of the character 容 (meaning 'to contain') and 量 (meaning 'amount') and also refers to the quality or ability of receiving or holding. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 容量 | ||
| 容量 (capacitance) is also the traditional measure of the amount of money held in a wallet or purse. | |||
| Japanese | 容量 | ||
| The word 容量 (capacity) can also mean volume, size, or even content. | |||
| Korean | 생산 능력 | ||
| 생산 능력 can also mean "output" or "production output". | |||
| Mongolian | хүчин чадал | ||
| "Capacity" in Mongolian can mean "ability", "capability" or "potential." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စွမ်းရည် | ||
| The word "စွမ်းရည်" (capacity) derives from the Pali/Sanskrit root "sama-atha", meaning "level-attained" or "ability", and thus shares its etymology with the English word "competent". | |||
Capacity in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kapasitas | ||
| The word "kapasitas" in Indonesian also refers to the ability or skill to do something (e.g., "kapasitas intelektual"). | |||
| Javanese | kapasitas | ||
| In Javanese, “kapasitas” can also refer to one’s ability to endure or withstand something | |||
| Khmer | សមត្ថភាព | ||
| "សមត្ថភាព" (capacity) derives from the Sanskrit words "sam" (well) and "artha" (meaning), and thus literally means "well-meaning". | |||
| Lao | ຄວາມສາມາດ | ||
| This Lao noun can also mean "ability," "capability," "facility," "potentiality," "room," "space," or "volume." | |||
| Malay | kapasiti | ||
| Malay "kapasiti" derives from Dutch "capaciteit," itself from Latin "capacitas," meaning "spaciousness" or "roominess." | |||
| Thai | ความจุ | ||
| The Thai word "ความจุ" comes from the Pali word "pāri" meaning "to contain" or "to hold". | |||
| Vietnamese | sức chứa | ||
| Sức chứa, in Vietnamese, can also refer to a person's ability to withstand hardships or their patience. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kapasidad | ||
Capacity in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | tutum | ||
| In Old Turkic, "tutum" meant "ability," but in Azerbaijani, it refers to "capacity, volume" and "amount of a container." | |||
| Kazakh | сыйымдылығы | ||
| Kyrgyz | сыйымдуулук | ||
| 'Сыйымдуулук', derived from 'сый', meaning 'to fit' or 'accomodate', denotes 'capacity' not only in terms of volume or quantity, but also encompasses the ability to accommodate or fit another thing. | |||
| Tajik | иқтидор | ||
| The noun "иқтидор" also means "ability" and comes from the Arabic root "قدر" which means "to be able" or "to have power or authority". | |||
| Turkmen | kuwwaty | ||
| Uzbek | imkoniyatlar | ||
| The word "imkoniyatlar" is derived from the Arabic word "imkan", meaning "possibility". It can also refer to the potential or capability of something or someone. | |||
| Uyghur | سىغىمى | ||
Capacity in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hiki | ||
| The Hawaiian word "hiki" is also used in the sense of "ability" or "power" and is related to the word "hiki mai", which means "to attract" or "to draw to oneself". | |||
| Maori | āheinga | ||
| The word "āheinga" in Māori can also refer to "a container, vessel, or receptacle" and is derived from the verb "āhei," meaning "to hold or contain." | |||
| Samoan | agavaʻa | ||
| The word "agavaʻa" in Samoan can also refer to the quantity of something, or to a large or bulky person or thing. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kapasidad | ||
| The word "kapasidad" is derived from the Spanish word "capacidad", which means "ability" or "capability". In Tagalog, the word "kapasidad" can also be used to refer to the "size" or "volume" of something. | |||
Capacity in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ch'amani | ||
| Guarani | katupyry | ||
Capacity in International Languages
| Esperanto | kapablo | ||
| The Esperanto word "kapablo" derives from the Polish word "kapa" meaning "capacity" or "ability". | |||
| Latin | facultatem | ||
| The Latin word "facultatem" also means "power" or "ability". | |||
Capacity in Others Languages
| Greek | χωρητικότητα | ||
| The word χωρητικότητα in Greek has its origins in the verb χωρέω, meaning 'to contain' or 'to hold', and is related to words like χώρα (country) and χώρος (space). | |||
| Hmong | muaj peev xwm | ||
| "Muaj peev xwm" (capacity) in Hmong is also an idiom that means "to have the strength" or "to be capable". | |||
| Kurdish | kanîn | ||
| The word 'kanîn' in Kurdish also refers to a specific quantity of oil or liquid in a container or reservoir. | |||
| Turkish | kapasite | ||
| The word "kapasite" is derived from the Arabic word "kifaya", meaning "sufficiency". | |||
| Xhosa | umthamo | ||
| "Umthamo" may also refer to a person's ability to bear children. | |||
| Yiddish | קאַפּאַציטעט | ||
| In Yiddish, this noun can also refer to legal capacity or a person's intellectual abilities. | |||
| Zulu | umthamo | ||
| Umthamo can also refer to the capacity of a particular space, such as a stadium or a classroom. | |||
| Assamese | ক্ষমতা | ||
| Aymara | ch'amani | ||
| Bhojpuri | क्षमता | ||
| Dhivehi | ޤާބިލުކަން | ||
| Dogri | थबीक | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kapasidad | ||
| Guarani | katupyry | ||
| Ilocano | kabaelan | ||
| Krio | ebul fɔ du | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | توانا | ||
| Maithili | क्षमता | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯇꯤꯛ | ||
| Mizo | leng tawk | ||
| Oromo | dandeettii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କ୍ଷମତା | ||
| Quechua | yachay | ||
| Sanskrit | क्षमता | ||
| Tatar | сыйдырышлыгы | ||
| Tigrinya | ትኽእሎ | ||
| Tsonga | vuswikoti | ||