Characteristic in Different Languages
Discover 'Characteristic' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Characteristic is a powerful word that reveals the essence of a person, place, or thing. It signifies the unique traits and features that make something distinct and recognizable. From a cultural perspective, understanding and appreciating the characteristics of different cultures fosters empathy, respect, and cross-cultural communication.
Moreover, knowing the translations of characteristic in different languages can be both fascinating and practical. For instance, the German word for characteristic is 'Merkmal,' which comes from the verb 'merken' (to notice) and 'Mal' (mark). In Japanese, 'tokuchou' (特徴) combines 'toku' (special) and 'chou' (character). These translations not only reflect linguistic diversity but also offer glimpses into cultural values and ways of thinking.
In this list, you'll find the translations of characteristic in various languages, from Spanish and French to Chinese and Arabic. Whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or a global citizen, this resource will enrich your understanding and appreciation of the world's rich linguistic and cultural diversity.
Characteristic
Characteristic in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | eienskap | ||
| "Eienskap" means "property" in Dutch, which is the origin language of Afrikaans. | |||
| Amharic | ባህሪይ | ||
| The word ባህሪይ has other meanings besides "characteristic", including "behavior", "nature", and "custom". | |||
| Hausa | halayyar | ||
| The word "halayyar" can refer to the process of preparing a corpse for burial. | |||
| Igbo | njirimara | ||
| In the Nsukka dialect, 'njirímàrà' means 'to be characteristic' and 'to be consistent'. | |||
| Malagasy | toetra | ||
| In Malagasy, the word 'toetra' not only means 'characteristic' but also refers to the distinctive qualities of a person or a group. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | khalidwe | ||
| The word "khalidwe" in Nyanja also means "a distinctive feature or trait". | |||
| Shona | mamirire | ||
| The word "mamirire" in Shona comes from the root word "-mirira," which means "to be visible" or "to be apparent." | |||
| Somali | dabeecad | ||
| The word "dabeecad" is of unknown origin, but its plural form "dabeecado" has been attested since the early 1900s. | |||
| Sesotho | tšobotsi | ||
| The word "tšobotsi" can also mean "a way of behaving" or "a habit". | |||
| Swahili | tabia | ||
| The word "tabia" can also mean "nature" or "disposition" and is derived from the Arabic word "tabi`ah", meaning "nature" or "character". | |||
| Xhosa | uphawu | ||
| "Uphawu" also means "image" or "symbol". | |||
| Yoruba | ti iwa | ||
| 'Ti iwa' which means 'characteristic' literally means 'of nature' in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | isici | ||
| The word 'isici' (characteristic) in Zulu is derived from the verb 'isika' (to mark or to distinguish). | |||
| Bambara | jogo | ||
| Ewe | nɔnɔme si woɖe fia | ||
| Kinyarwanda | biranga | ||
| Lingala | ezaleli ya moto | ||
| Luganda | engeri | ||
| Sepedi | seka | ||
| Twi (Akan) | su | ||
Characteristic in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | صفة مميزة | ||
| صفة مميزة (characteristic) comes from the Arabic root 'saf' meaning 'row' or 'rank', indicating a defining feature that sets something apart. | |||
| Hebrew | מאפיין | ||
| מאפיין can also mean 'distinguishing trait' or 'attribute' | |||
| Pashto | ځانګړنه | ||
| The word "ځانګړنه" in Pashto can also refer to a "trait" or "distinctive quality". | |||
| Arabic | صفة مميزة | ||
| صفة مميزة (characteristic) comes from the Arabic root 'saf' meaning 'row' or 'rank', indicating a defining feature that sets something apart. | |||
Characteristic in Western European Languages
| Albanian | karakteristike | ||
| The word "karakteristike" in Albanian originates from the Greek word "χαρακτηριστική", meaning "distinctive" or "peculiar. | |||
| Basque | ezaugarri | ||
| The word “ezaugarri” is related to the term “ezaugarriza”, which means "characteristic"} | |||
| Catalan | característica | ||
| In Portuguese, "característica" also means "feature" or "trait". | |||
| Croatian | karakteristična | ||
| In Croatian, 'karakteristična' can also refer to a distinct personality trait or a distinctive feature. | |||
| Danish | egenskab | ||
| "Egenskabsord" (adjective) and "egenskabsløs" (without characteristic) also share this word stem. | |||
| Dutch | karakteristiek | ||
| In Dutch, "karakteristiek" can also mean a distinctive feature that makes a person or thing unique, similar to the English "character trait". | |||
| English | characteristic | ||
| The word 'characteristic' comes from the Greek word 'kharaktēr,' which means 'a distinctive mark or feature.' | |||
| French | caractéristique | ||
| The French word "caractéristique" also means a distinctive feature or trait. | |||
| Frisian | karakteristyk | ||
| The Frisian word "karakteristyk" can also mean "characteristic feature" or "trait". | |||
| Galician | característica | ||
| In Galician "característica" is also a synonym for "feature" in cinematography. | |||
| German | charakteristisch | ||
| From Greek 'kharassein' - "to scratch"- "to engrave". Originally referring to a distinctive mark identifying something. | |||
| Icelandic | einkennandi | ||
| The word "einkennandi" is derived from the Old Norse word "einkenni", meaning "distinctive mark" or "attribute". | |||
| Irish | tréith | ||
| The word tréith can also mean 'quality', 'attribute' or 'nature'. | |||
| Italian | caratteristica | ||
| Italian word "caratteristica" comes from "χαρακτήρ" (charaktēr), meaning "mark, stamp, engraving" in ancient Greek; it is also the origin of "character" in English. | |||
| Luxembourgish | charakteristesch | ||
| Maltese | karatteristika | ||
| In Maltese, "karatteristika" means both "characteristic" and "the characteristics of a person or thing." | |||
| Norwegian | karakteristisk | ||
| "Karakteristisk" also means "accent" or "strong personal feature" in Norwegian. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | característica | ||
| The word "característica" in Portuguese comes from the Greek "kharakteristikos", meaning "distinctive" or "peculiar". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | caractar | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, 'caractar' can also refer to a person's reputation or social status. | |||
| Spanish | característica | ||
| In Spanish, "característica" can also refer to a typographic feature such as italics or bold. | |||
| Swedish | karakteristisk | ||
| In Swedish, "karakteristisk" can also refer to a person's distinctive personality traits, similar to the English "character". | |||
| Welsh | nodweddiadol | ||
| The word nodweddiadol, which means 'characteristic', is also used in the sense of 'property' or 'quality'. | |||
Characteristic in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | характэрны | ||
| The word "характэрны" in Belarusian has a similar etymology to the English word "character," stemming from the ancient Greek word "kharaktēr," meaning "distinctive mark" or "engraved sign." | |||
| Bosnian | karakteristika | ||
| "Karakteristika" can also mean "feature" or "trait". | |||
| Bulgarian | характеристика | ||
| The Bulgarian word "Характеристика" also has the meaning of reference or recommendation letter, especially for job or educational purposes. | |||
| Czech | charakteristický | ||
| Czech word "charakteristický" comes from the Greek word "charaktēr", meaning "distinctive mark or feature". | |||
| Estonian | iseloomulik | ||
| The word "iseloomulik" is derived from the Greek word "ethos", which means "character" or "nature." | |||
| Finnish | ominaisuus | ||
| Ominaisuus ('characteristic') is derived from the word 'omina', meaning 'property'. | |||
| Hungarian | jellegzetes | ||
| Jellegzetes may also refer to a type of traditional Hungarian salami made from finely chopped pork and beef. | |||
| Latvian | raksturīgs | ||
| Latvian word raksturīgs derives from the verb "rakstīt" (to write), hence its original meaning was "written" or "inscribed". | |||
| Lithuanian | charakteristika | ||
| In the phrase „charakteristika sviesos“, charakteristika does not mean „trait”, but „property”. | |||
| Macedonian | карактеристично | ||
| The word "карактеристично" also means "typically" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | charakterystyka | ||
| "Charakterystyka" can also mean a "description of someone's personality" or a "biography". | |||
| Romanian | caracteristică | ||
| In Romanian, the word "caracteristică" can also mean "attribute", "property", or "feature". | |||
| Russian | характеристика | ||
| The Russian word "характеристика" can also refer to a written document that provides a description and evaluation of a person's qualities, abilities, and experience. | |||
| Serbian | карактеристична | ||
| The word "карактеристична" is derived from the Greek word "χαρακτηριστικός" meaning "distinctive" or "peculiar". | |||
| Slovak | charakteristický | ||
| The word 'charakteristický' can also mean 'unique', 'distinctive' or 'specific'. | |||
| Slovenian | značilnost | ||
| The term 'značilnost' comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'znakь', meaning 'sign' or 'mark', and is related to the Latin word 'signum' and the Greek word 'semeion'. | |||
| Ukrainian | характеристика | ||
| "Характеристика" can also mean a reference letter or description of someone's qualities." | |||
Characteristic in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | চরিত্রগত | ||
| চরিত্রগত (characteristic) means "that which is distinctive or typical of a person or thing" in English. | |||
| Gujarati | લાક્ષણિકતા | ||
| The Gujarati word "લાક્ષણિકતા" (characteristic) has additional meanings such as distinction, distinctiveness, and symptom. | |||
| Hindi | विशेषता | ||
| विशेषता is derived from the Sanskrit word 'vishishta' which means 'distinctive'. | |||
| Kannada | ವಿಶಿಷ್ಟ | ||
| The word "ವಿಶಿಷ್ಟ" can also mean "distinctive" or "peculiar". | |||
| Malayalam | സ്വഭാവം | ||
| സ്വഭാവം also means `character` as in a moral sense or a literary sense, in addition to its primary meaning of an intrinsic trait. | |||
| Marathi | वैशिष्ट्यपूर्ण | ||
| The Marathi word "वैशिष्ट्यपूर्ण" derives from the Sanskrit word "विशेष" meaning "distinct" and "पूर्ण" meaning "full or complete." | |||
| Nepali | विशेषता | ||
| Nepali "विशेषता" comes from Sanskrit "विशेष" meaning "particular", also sharing a root with "विस्तार" meaning "expand". | |||
| Punjabi | ਗੁਣ | ||
| "ਗੁਣ" (characteristic) also means "attribute" or "quality" in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ලක්ෂණය | ||
| The word | |||
| Tamil | பண்பு | ||
| பண்பு (Panpu) is also the 7th note of the Tamil 12-note solfa system. | |||
| Telugu | లక్షణం | ||
| Telugu "లక్షణం" also signifies a mark of recognition, a symptom or an attribute. | |||
| Urdu | خصوصیت | ||
| The word "خصوصیت" (characteristic) also means "quality" or "property" in Urdu. | |||
Characteristic in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 特性 | ||
| "特性" (characteristic) can also refer to "temperament" or "trait". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 特性 | ||
| "特性" in Traditional Chinese, which can also mean trait or attribute in English, is composed of "特", which denotes singularity, and "性", indicating quality. | |||
| Japanese | 特性 | ||
| The word "特性" (tokusei) can also mean "special quality" or "distinctive feature". | |||
| Korean | 특성 | ||
| The word "특성" also means "speciality" or "distinction". | |||
| Mongolian | шинж чанар | ||
| In the Altaic language family, "shinzh" often denotes objects of quality or measure, and "chanar" refers to a feature or quality | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဝိသေသလက္ခဏာ | ||
| The word "characteristic" in Burmese can also refer to a distinctive feature or quality. | |||
Characteristic in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | ciri | ||
| Ciri is cognate with 'ciri' of Sanskrit, Pali, and Tamil, meaning 'mark', 'sign', 'token', 'name', 'form', or 'species'. | |||
| Javanese | ciri khas | ||
| In Javanese, "ciri khas" is also associated with a "specific attribute." | |||
| Khmer | លក្ខណៈ | ||
| The word "លក្ខណៈ" (characteristic) in Khmer is derived from the Sanskrit word "laksana", meaning "mark, sign, or characteristic". It is also used to refer to the physical features of a person or animal. | |||
| Lao | ລັກສະນະ | ||
| The term in Lao shares the same meaning with another term "nature," but the latter is also used to refer to a person's behavior and personality traits. | |||
| Malay | ciri | ||
| The word "ciri" in Malay can also refer to a "sign" or an "indication". | |||
| Thai | ลักษณะ | ||
| ลักษณะ can also refer to an attribute, aspect, feature, trait, or property. | |||
| Vietnamese | đặc tính | ||
| It is also used to describe something that is especially good or strong, or a feature that is especially noticeable. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | katangian | ||
Characteristic in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | xarakterik | ||
| The word "xarakterik" in Azerbaijani is based on the Greek word "kharakter", meaning an engraved mark, seal, or imprint. | |||
| Kazakh | сипаттамалық | ||
| The suffix | |||
| Kyrgyz | мүнөздүү | ||
| Tajik | хос | ||
| In Farsi, "хос" can refer to both "characteristic" and "a gift". | |||
| Turkmen | häsiýetli | ||
| Uzbek | xarakterli | ||
| 'Xarakterli' has various meanings depending on the context, but can sometimes mean 'a person of character'. | |||
| Uyghur | ئالاھىدىلىكى | ||
Characteristic in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻano | ||
| ʻAno may also imply ʻalo ʻano, ʻanoʻano, which means “to have a scent” or “to be fragrant.” | |||
| Maori | āhuatanga | ||
| "Āhuatanga" also refers to "state, condition, nature" and "circumstance". | |||
| Samoan | uiga | ||
| The word "uiga" can also refer to a "custom" or "habit" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | katangian | ||
| The Tagalog word "katangian" originally referred to a person's nature or temperament, and is related to the word "tangi", meaning "cry" or "weep". | |||
Characteristic in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | uñacht’ayaña | ||
| Guarani | característica rehegua | ||
Characteristic in International Languages
| Esperanto | karakteriza | ||
| The word "karakteriza" in Esperanto also has the meaning of "to characterize". | |||
| Latin | ratio | ||
| Ratio, from Latin rātiō 'reckoning, reason, relation,' is related to rēri 'to think' and reor 'I think' and is cognate with Greek arithmós 'number'. | |||
Characteristic in Others Languages
| Greek | χαρακτηριστικό γνώρισμα | ||
| From Middle Greek χαρακτηριστικόν (charakteristikon) "mark, sign, distinctive feature, essential or distinguishing property", from χαρακτήρ (charaktēr) "impression, mark, stamp, form, character, personal qualities", from χαράσσω (charassō) "scratch, etch, engrave, inscribe." | |||
| Hmong | tus yam ntxwv | ||
| tus yam ntxwv is a compound of tus "attribute, quality, virtue" and yam ntxwv "inherent characteristic, intrinsic quality"} | |||
| Kurdish | taybetî | ||
| The word "taybetî" can also mean "custom" or "peculiarity" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | karakteristik | ||
| The word "karakteristik" also means "feature" or "trait" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | uphawu | ||
| "Uphawu" also means "image" or "symbol". | |||
| Yiddish | כאַראַקטעריסטיש | ||
| "כאַראַקטעריסטיש" originates from the Greek word "χαρακτηριστικός" meaning "distinguishing mark". | |||
| Zulu | isici | ||
| The word 'isici' (characteristic) in Zulu is derived from the verb 'isika' (to mark or to distinguish). | |||
| Assamese | বৈশিষ্ট্য | ||
| Aymara | uñacht’ayaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | विशेषता के रूप में बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ސިފައެކެވެ | ||
| Dogri | विशेषता | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | katangian | ||
| Guarani | característica rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | kababalin | ||
| Krio | di kwaliti we pɔsin gɛt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | تایبەتمەندی | ||
| Maithili | विशेषता | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯒꯨꯟ ꯂꯩꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | mizia | ||
| Oromo | amala | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବ istic ଶିଷ୍ଟ୍ୟ | ||
| Quechua | característica nisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | लक्षणम् | ||
| Tatar | характеристикасы | ||
| Tigrinya | ባህርያዊ ምዃኑ’ዩ። | ||
| Tsonga | xihlawulekisi | ||