Cite in Different Languages
Discover 'Cite' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'cite' holds great significance in many cultures and languages, as it is often used to provide evidence, credit sources, or simply to acknowledge the words or ideas of others. From an academic perspective, citing is crucial for avoiding plagiarism and upholding academic integrity. But the importance of citing extends beyond academia, as it is also used in legal proceedings, journalism, and even in everyday conversations.
Throughout history, the act of citing has played a vital role in the development and preservation of knowledge. For instance, the ancient Greeks and Romans used a system of citation to attribute quotes and ideas to their original sources. This practice has continued through the ages, with modern citation styles, such as MLA, APA, and Chicago, evolving to meet the needs of different disciplines and formats.
Given the cultural importance and historical context of citing, it's no wonder that people around the world might want to know how to say 'cite' in different languages. Below is a list of translations of 'cite' in various languages, from Spanish and French to Mandarin and Arabic.
Cite
Cite in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | aanhaal | ||
| The word “aanhaal” is derived from the Middle Dutch word “aenhalen,” meaning "to quote" or "to mention." | |||
| Amharic | ይጥቀሱ | ||
| The Amharic word "ይጥቀሱ" can also mean "to mention" or "to refer to". | |||
| Hausa | cite | ||
| In Hausa, the word "cite" can also refer to giving a blessing or praise. | |||
| Igbo | kwuo | ||
| In the Umuahia dialect of Igbo, kwuo also means to utter an incantation to protect oneself. | |||
| Malagasy | manonona | ||
| The word "manonona" in Malagasy can also mean "to indicate" or "to show" something. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | tchulani | ||
| The word "tchulani" can also mean "to show", "to demonstrate", or "to exhibit" | |||
| Shona | cite | ||
| The word "cite" also means "to mention as an authority or example" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | sheeg | ||
| Sheeg also means 'to point out' or 'to indicate'. | |||
| Sesotho | qotsa | ||
| Qotsa (cite) may also mean 'quote'. | |||
| Swahili | taja | ||
| The word 'taja' in Swahili can also mean to 'mark' or 'draw a line' and is related to the Arabic word 'taaj' meaning 'crown' | |||
| Xhosa | khankanya | ||
| The Xhosa word "khankanya" also means "to mention" or "to refer to". | |||
| Yoruba | sọ | ||
| The Yoruba word 'sọ' also means to 'tell', and is related to the word 'ọrọ', which means 'word' or 'speech'. | |||
| Zulu | caphuna | ||
| Caphuna is derived from the Xhosa verb khomfa ('to say') or khomba ('to point out'). | |||
| Bambara | cite (fɔli) kɛ | ||
| Ewe | yɔ nya tso eme | ||
| Kinyarwanda | cite | ||
| Lingala | citer | ||
| Luganda | cite | ||
| Sepedi | tsopola | ||
| Twi (Akan) | fa asɛm ka | ||
Cite in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | استشهد | ||
| استشهد also means "to die as a martyr" in Arabic, and carries the same religious connotations as "martyrdom" in English. | |||
| Hebrew | לְצַטֵט | ||
| The Hebrew verb לצטט (late) can also mean "to peek" or "to spy on." | |||
| Pashto | حواله | ||
| The Pashto word "حواله" can also mean "reference" or "authority" | |||
| Arabic | استشهد | ||
| استشهد also means "to die as a martyr" in Arabic, and carries the same religious connotations as "martyrdom" in English. | |||
Cite in Western European Languages
| Albanian | citoj | ||
| The Albanian word "citoj" is derived from the Latin word "cito", meaning "to summon" or "to call upon". | |||
| Basque | aipatu | ||
| The Basque word “aipatu” also means “to quote,” “to mention,” “to name,” “to invoke, “to evoke,” “to summon,” and “to recall to mind”. | |||
| Catalan | citar | ||
| The Catalan word "citar" is also a noun, meaning "citation", "appointment", "summons", or "rendezvous" in English. | |||
| Croatian | navoditi | ||
| "Navoditi" is derived from the Proto-Slavic verb *navęsti "to bring to" and also means "to teach" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | citere | ||
| In Danish, "citere" also means to recite from memory, like when reciting poetry or lyrics. | |||
| Dutch | citeren | ||
| In Dutch, "citeren" can also mean "to quote" or "to refer to something as an authority." | |||
| English | cite | ||
| The word "cite" derives from the Latin word "citare," meaning to set in motion, call to a court, or raise a legal action. | |||
| French | citer | ||
| The French word "citer" has its origins in the Latin word "citare," meaning "to call upon" or "to summon." | |||
| Frisian | sitearje | ||
| The Frisian word "sitearje" can also refer to the location or scene of an event. | |||
| Galician | citar | ||
| In Galician, "citar" can also mean "to call" or "to invite". | |||
| German | zitieren | ||
| "Zitieren" in German can also mean "to quote". | |||
| Icelandic | vitna í | ||
| The word "vitna í" derives from Old Norse "vita," which originally meant "to know" or "to be aware". | |||
| Irish | lua | ||
| "Lua" in Irish also means "moon" or "lunacy". | |||
| Italian | citare | ||
| In Italian, "citare" can also mean "to summon" or "to quote from a text". | |||
| Luxembourgish | zitéieren | ||
| Maltese | jikkwotaw | ||
| The Maltese word "jikkwotaw" is derived from the Italian word "citare" and can also mean "to mention" or "to quote". | |||
| Norwegian | sitere | ||
| The Norwegian word "sitere" can also mean "to filter" or "to quote". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | citar | ||
| In Portuguese, "citar" can also mean to name or appoint somebody to a position. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | luaidh | ||
| Luidh's origin is unclear, but it may come from the Old Norse verb | |||
| Spanish | citar | ||
| Citar in Spanish can also mean | |||
| Swedish | citera | ||
| The word "citera" derives from the Latin "cito" meaning "to summon," and is also related to the Swedish word "kall" meaning "call". | |||
| Welsh | dyfynnu | ||
| The word 'dyfynnu' in Welsh can also mean to quote, mention, or refer to something. | |||
Cite in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | прывесці | ||
| The verb "прыве́сцi" is a cognate of the Polish "przyprowadzić" and means to bring, lead, guide, or escort someone or something. | |||
| Bosnian | citirati | ||
| The word "citirati" is derived from the Latin word "citare", which means "to summon" or "to call upon". | |||
| Bulgarian | цитирам | ||
| The Bulgarian verb "цитирам" (tsitiram) originally meant "to read", "to recite" or "to speak publicly". | |||
| Czech | uvést | ||
| Uvést can also mean to put on or stage a show/performance. | |||
| Estonian | tsiteerida | ||
| In Estonian, "tsiteerida" can also mean "to quote" or "to reference" something. | |||
| Finnish | mainita | ||
| "Mainita" is a Finnish word which can also mean "to mention" or "to report". | |||
| Hungarian | idézni | ||
| Idézni's other meaning is 'to remember', and it originates from the Turkish word 'id'. | |||
| Latvian | citēt | ||
| The Latvian word "citēt" not only means to "cite", but also can have the meaning of "to quote". | |||
| Lithuanian | citata | ||
| In Lithuanian, "citata" also means "to be quoted" or "to be cited". | |||
| Macedonian | цитираат | ||
| Also used to reference a quote taken from a source. | |||
| Polish | cytować | ||
| The Polish word 'cytować' also means to quote or to summon someone to court. | |||
| Romanian | cita | ||
| In Romanian, "cita" can also mean "to read out loud" | |||
| Russian | цитировать | ||
| "Цитировать" can mean "quote" in English, but it's also closely associated with providing evidence and sources of information. | |||
| Serbian | цитирати | ||
| The Serbian word "цитирати" can also mean "to quote" or "to refer to" | |||
| Slovak | citovať | ||
| The verb "citovať" in Slovak can also mean to summon to court, quote, or quote from a reference work. | |||
| Slovenian | citirati | ||
| "Citirati" can also mean "to quote" in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | цитувати | ||
| The word "цитувати" is derived from the Latin word "citare", meaning "to call into court" or "to summon". | |||
Cite in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | উদ্ধৃতি | ||
| উদ্ধৃতি can also mean a passage quoted or an extract, a quotation. | |||
| Gujarati | ટાંકવું | ||
| The word "ટાંકવું" can also mean "to quote" or "to mention". | |||
| Hindi | अदालत में तलब करना | ||
| The word "cite" can also mean to summon someone to court. | |||
| Kannada | ಉಲ್ಲೇಖ | ||
| In Kannada, "ಉಲ್ಲೇಖ" can also refer to "an account of something that exists". | |||
| Malayalam | ഉദ്ധരിക്കുക | ||
| Marathi | उद्धरण | ||
| In Marathi, the word "उद्धरण" ("cite") can also refer to a quotation, a passage from a book, or an excerpt. | |||
| Nepali | cite | ||
| The word "cite" can also mean "to quote" or "to mention as an example". | |||
| Punjabi | ਹਵਾਲਾ | ||
| The word "ਹਵਾਲਾ" is also used in the sense of a "reference" or "authority". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | උපුටා දක්වන්න | ||
| Tamil | மேற்கோள் | ||
| In Tamil the word 'மேற்கோள்' can also mean quote, excerpt, or instance, especially from a famous text, or an authoritative saying. | |||
| Telugu | ఉదహరించండి | ||
| This word's alternate meaning is provide an example | |||
| Urdu | حوالہ | ||
| The word 'حوالہ' can also mean 'reference', 'quotation', 'proof', or 'evidence'. | |||
Cite in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 引用 | ||
| "引用"源自拉丁语的"citare"，引申为援引和使用已有材料的意思。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 引用 | ||
| 引用 (yǐnyòng) means to “to quote (source or text); to use; to apply or utilize” with 引用人 as “quotational person; reference to other author/speaker’s ideas in own written or spoken content”. | |||
| Japanese | 引用 | ||
| The word "引用" can also mean "quote" or "quotation". | |||
| Korean | 인용하다 | ||
| The verb "인용하다" can refer to quoting something, summoning someone to court, or citing a reason for something. | |||
| Mongolian | иш тат | ||
| The Mongolian word "иш тат" (cite) is thought to have derived from the Old Turkic word "it-ta," which means "to order" or "to command." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကိုးကား | ||
| The verb ကိုးကား (pronounced “ko-taw-da”) originally referred to the act of “inviting” or “summoning,” and only later came to mean “to cite” in the sense of referencing a source. | |||
Cite in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mengutip | ||
| Although 'mengutip' primarily means 'to cite', it also carries the meanings of 'to gather, collect, or pluck'. | |||
| Javanese | ngutip | ||
| The Javanese word "ngutip" can also mean "to quote"} | |||
| Khmer | ដកស្រង់ | ||
| The word "ដកស្រង់" also means "to pick out" or "to select" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ອ້າງ | ||
| The word "ອ້າງ" can also mean "to refer to" or "to mention". | |||
| Malay | memetik | ||
| The term 'memetik' comes from the Greek word 'mimesis', meaning "imitation". | |||
| Thai | อ้าง | ||
| Although "อ้าง" translates to "cite" in English, it also means "claim" and "allege" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | trích dẫn | ||
| The word "trích dẫn" comes from the Chinese word "chú dẫn", meaning "to quote" or "to make reference to". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | banggitin | ||
Cite in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | istinad | ||
| The word "istinad" also means "to rely on" or "to base something on" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | дәйексөз | ||
| In Kazakh, | |||
| Kyrgyz | шилтеме | ||
| No results were found on the etymology or alternate meanings of "шилтеме" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | истинод | ||
| The word "истинод" can also mean "proof", "evidence", or "basis". | |||
| Turkmen | getiriň | ||
| Uzbek | keltirish | ||
| The Uzbek word "keltirish" can also mean "to bring" or "to submit." | |||
| Uyghur | cite | ||
Cite in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | cite | ||
| In Hawaiian, the word "cite" can also mean "to call upon" or "to summon." | |||
| Maori | whakahua | ||
| The word 'whakahua' is also used to mean 'to announce', 'to proclaim', or 'to make known'. | |||
| Samoan | taʻu atu | ||
| The word "ta\'u atu" in Samoan is cognate with "ta\u2019u" in Tongan and Tokelauan, and "tatau" in Tuvaluan, all of which mean "to strike" or "to hit" | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | banggitin | ||
| The word "banggitin" can also mean "to mention" or "to take note of". | |||
Cite in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | citar uñt’ayaña | ||
| Guarani | cita | ||
Cite in International Languages
| Esperanto | citi | ||
| Esperanto's 'citi' derives from Latin 'citare', meaning 'to rouse', 'summon', or 'quote'. | |||
| Latin | civitate | ||
| From the Latin "civitas," meaning "city" or "citizenship," "cite" originally meant "to summon to a court or assembly." | |||
Cite in Others Languages
| Greek | αναφέρω | ||
| The verb "αναφέρω" in Greek can additionally mean "lift up" or "offer up". | |||
| Hmong | npluas | ||
| The word "npluas" can also mean "to accuse" or "to criticize". | |||
| Kurdish | gazîkirin | ||
| The word "gazîkirin" can also mean "to quote" or "to bring up as evidence" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | anmak | ||
| Anmak can also mean to remember or commemorate | |||
| Xhosa | khankanya | ||
| The Xhosa word "khankanya" also means "to mention" or "to refer to". | |||
| Yiddish | ציטירן | ||
| The Yiddish word "ציטירן" (cite) means "to quote" or "to summon". | |||
| Zulu | caphuna | ||
| Caphuna is derived from the Xhosa verb khomfa ('to say') or khomba ('to point out'). | |||
| Assamese | cite | ||
| Aymara | citar uñt’ayaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | हवाला देत बानी | ||
| Dhivehi | ސައިޓް ކުރާށެވެ | ||
| Dogri | हवाला देना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | banggitin | ||
| Guarani | cita | ||
| Ilocano | cite | ||
| Krio | cite | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئاماژە بە | ||
| Maithili | हवाला देब | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯥꯏꯠ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | cite rawh | ||
| Oromo | caqasuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଉଦ୍ଧୃତ | ||
| Quechua | cita | ||
| Sanskrit | उद्धृत्य | ||
| Tatar | китерегез | ||
| Tigrinya | ጠቐሱ | ||
| Tsonga | tshaha | ||