Comparison in Different Languages
Discover 'Comparison' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'comparison' holds a significant place in our daily lives, helping us evaluate and understand the world around us. It allows us to measure ourselves against others, recognize differences and similarities, and make informed decisions. From a cultural perspective, comparison has been a driving force behind human innovation and progress. Throughout history, civilizations have compared and contrasted their ideas, beliefs, and customs, leading to the exchange of knowledge and cultural enrichment.
Given the global impact of comparison, it's no wonder that people might be interested in its translation in different languages. For instance, in Spanish, comparison is 'comparación,' while in French, it's 'comparaison.' In German, the word is 'Vergleich,' and in Japanese, it's '比較 (hikaku).' These translations not only reflect linguistic diversity but also offer insights into how different cultures perceive and utilize the concept of comparison.
Explore the many translations of comparison and deepen your appreciation for the richness and complexity of language and culture.
Comparison
Comparison in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | vergelyking | ||
| The word "vergelyking" is derived from the Dutch word "vergelijken", meaning "to compare". | |||
| Amharic | ንፅፅር | ||
| In some contexts, "ንፅፅር" can also refer to a "balance" or "equilibrium", as when comparing two things. | |||
| Hausa | kwatancen | ||
| The Hausa word "kwatancen" is likely derived from the verb "kwatanta," meaning "to equate" or "to make equal." | |||
| Igbo | tụnyere | ||
| Tụnyere derives from the Igbo word "tụ" (gather) and "nyere" (give), suggesting the act of gathering and giving two or more things to compare them. | |||
| Malagasy | fampitahana | ||
| Fampitahana comes from the word "fitaha" which means "to start something". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuyerekezera | ||
| The word "kuyerekezera" can also mean "to try" or "to attempt" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | kuenzanisa | ||
| The word "kuenzanisa" can also mean "to be similar to" or "to be equal to" something else. | |||
| Somali | isbarbardhiga | ||
| The word "isbarbardhiga" is derived from the Somali roots "is" meaning "to make" and "barbardhig" meaning "to show, exhibit, or compare". | |||
| Sesotho | papiso | ||
| papiso is also a noun referring to an event of bringing people from different areas/families for the purposes of marriage arrangements. | |||
| Swahili | kulinganisha | ||
| The word "kulinganisha" can also refer to "similarities" or "likenesses". | |||
| Xhosa | uthelekiso | ||
| Uthelekiso' also means 'exchange', 'conversion', 'translation' or 'interchange'. | |||
| Yoruba | ifiwera | ||
| In Yoruba, "ifiwera" also means "weighing scale" and "a situation where two things are weighed against each other to determine their relative worth or value." | |||
| Zulu | ukuqhathanisa | ||
| The term 'ukuqhathanisa' comes from the verb 'uqhatha' meaning 'to throw' or 'to shoot', implying the act of aiming or throwing one thing against another for comparison. | |||
| Bambara | sangali | ||
| Ewe | nusɔnu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kugereranya | ||
| Lingala | bokokanisi | ||
| Luganda | okugattika | ||
| Sepedi | papetšo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ntotoho | ||
Comparison in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مقارنة | ||
| The word "مقارنة" can also mean "analogy" or "comparison to" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | השוואה | ||
| "השוואה" can also mean an equation in a mathematical formula | |||
| Pashto | پرتله | ||
| “پرتله” is derived from the Sanskrit word “प्रतिलः” and means “copy, counterpart, or resemblance”. | |||
| Arabic | مقارنة | ||
| The word "مقارنة" can also mean "analogy" or "comparison to" in Arabic. | |||
Comparison in Western European Languages
| Albanian | krahasimi | ||
| The word "krahasimi" in Albanian comes from the Proto-Albanian word *kʷr̥h₂os-, meaning "to examine, compare". | |||
| Basque | konparazioa | ||
| The Basque word "konparazioa" means "comparison", but it also refers to the act of comparing. | |||
| Catalan | comparació | ||
| The Catalan word 'comparació' comes from the Latin word 'comparatio', meaning 'comparison' but also 'arrangement' or 'preparation'. | |||
| Croatian | usporedba | ||
| The verb 'uporediti' and noun 'usporedba' both come from the Proto-Slavic word '*porti'. The word 'usporedba' also means 'proportion' or 'relation'. | |||
| Danish | sammenligning | ||
| The Danish word "sammenligning" can also refer to a comparison of two or more quantities to determine their relative value. | |||
| Dutch | vergelijking | ||
| In the 13th century, "vergelijking" also meant a reconciliation or settlement. | |||
| English | comparison | ||
| The word 'comparison' (also known as simile, metaphor, analogy, or contrast) in English can also refer to the comparison of two or more items to determine their similarities and dissimilarities. | |||
| French | comparaison | ||
| In Old French, "comparaison" had the additional meaning of "promise, pledge, contract." | |||
| Frisian | fergeliking | ||
| Derived from the Old Frisian 'fergelîc' which also gave 'fergelje' and 'fergeljen', which all have similar meanings to comparison. | |||
| Galician | comparación | ||
| No Galician, "comparación" is also a "match" in the context of a sports championship. | |||
| German | vergleich | ||
| "Vergleich" also means "compromise" in German, deriving from the Old High German word "verlihhan" meaning "to lend". | |||
| Icelandic | samanburður | ||
| Samanburður's cognate in Old Norse, samanburðr, also means 'comparison of strength' or 'duel'. | |||
| Irish | comparáid | ||
| The Irish word "comparáid" is derived from the Latin "comparare" meaning "to get together" (literally "put with" in the sense "of equal worth with"). | |||
| Italian | confronto | ||
| In Italian, "confronto" can also mean "face-to-face meeting" or "opposition". | |||
| Luxembourgish | verglach | ||
| In German "Vergleich" also means "compromise" or "settlement". | |||
| Maltese | paragun | ||
| The Maltese word "paragun" (comparison) is derived from the Sicilian "paraguni" (comparison), which in turn comes from the Latin "paragōnē" (comparison). | |||
| Norwegian | sammenligning | ||
| The word 'sammenligning' derives from the Old Norse word 'samannlikning', meaning 'equal comparison'. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | comparação | ||
| In Portuguese, 'comparação' also means 'dating' or 'courting'. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | coimeas | ||
| Scots Gaelic 'coimeas' also means 'measurement' and may be related to 'comas' ('a sign, a prophecy'). | |||
| Spanish | comparación | ||
| "Comparación" can also mean "match" or "duel" when two entities have similar strength or ability. | |||
| Swedish | jämförelse | ||
| The Swedish word 'jämförelse' comes from the verb 'att jämföra' ('to compare'), and literally means 'to carry together'. | |||
| Welsh | cymhariaeth | ||
| The Welsh word 'cymhariaeth' is derived from the Latin 'comparare', meaning 'to match' or 'to pair'. | |||
Comparison in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | параўнанне | ||
| Bosnian | poređenje | ||
| The word 'poređenje' is a noun meaning 'comparison' and is derived from the verb 'porediti' meaning 'to compare'. | |||
| Bulgarian | сравнение | ||
| The Bulgarian word "сравнение" can also refer to a comparison photo, a type of photo that shows a subject before and after a transformation. | |||
| Czech | srovnání | ||
| The word "srovnání" can also mean "alignment" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | võrdlus | ||
| "Võrdlus" is the Estonian word for "comparison" and also can refer to a stanza in a runo-song accompanied by the kannel. | |||
| Finnish | vertailu | ||
| Vertailu (comparison) comes from the verb 'verrata', meaning 'to compare' | |||
| Hungarian | összehasonlítás | ||
| The word "összehasonlítás" is a compound word consisting of "össze" (together) and "hasonlítás" (likeness), suggesting the act of putting two or more things side by side to examine their similarities and differences. | |||
| Latvian | salīdzinājums | ||
| The Latvian word "salīdzinājums" originates from the verb "salīdzināt," which means "to compare." | |||
| Lithuanian | palyginimas | ||
| Palyginimas is also used to refer to a 'figure' in the rhetorical sense (like 'similie' or 'metonymy'). | |||
| Macedonian | споредба | ||
| Споредба in Macedonian derives from Old Church Slavonic "сравьнити", meaning "to compare something with something". In contemporary usage, "споредба" can also refer to the act of measuring or evaluating something in relation to a standard, as in a grading assessment or scientific experiment. | |||
| Polish | porównanie | ||
| "Porównanie" can also refer to a literary trope or a ratio in mathematics. | |||
| Romanian | comparaţie | ||
| The word "comparaţie" comes from the Latin "comparare", meaning "to put together" or "to compare". | |||
| Russian | сравнение | ||
| The word "сравнение" can also mean "comparison" in the sense of "a comparison of two or more things to determine their relative value or worth." | |||
| Serbian | упоређивање | ||
| 'Упоређивање' (comparison) also means 'setting' or 'fixing' in some other Slavic languages (such as Russian). | |||
| Slovak | porovnanie | ||
| The word "porovnanie" can also mean "a tie" in a sports competition. | |||
| Slovenian | primerjava | ||
| The word "primerjava" also means "antagonism" when used with the preposition "z" (with). | |||
| Ukrainian | порівняння | ||
| The word "порівняння" can also mean "analogy" or "parable". | |||
Comparison in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | তুলনা | ||
| Derived from Sanskrit तुलन (tulana), meaning 'weighing,' 'balancing,' or 'estimating.' | |||
| Gujarati | સરખામણી | ||
| Hindi | तुलना | ||
| ** तुलना ** in Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit and Bengali means scales i.e. weighing balance. | |||
| Kannada | ಹೋಲಿಕೆ | ||
| The term "ಹೋಲಿಕೆ" (comparison) in Kannada is also used to refer to a type of Indian classical dance. | |||
| Malayalam | താരതമ്യം | ||
| "താരതമ്യം" can also be interpreted as a "star-like" or a "divine" comparison | |||
| Marathi | तुलना | ||
| तुलना can also refer to the act of copying someone or something. | |||
| Nepali | तुलना | ||
| The word "तुलना" is derived from the Sanskrit word "तुल", meaning "to weigh" or "to measure". | |||
| Punjabi | ਤੁਲਨਾ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සංසන්දනය | ||
| Tamil | ஒப்பீடு | ||
| The word "ஒப்பீடு" can mean "to liken" or "to resemble" in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | పోలిక | ||
| The word 'పోలిక' can also mean 'similarity', 'resemblance', or 'analogy'. | |||
| Urdu | موازنہ | ||
| The word "موازنہ" is derived from the Arabic word "وزن" meaning "weight". | |||
Comparison in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 比较 | ||
| "比较" (comparison) is a Chinese word with a long history, and has been used to indicate "beautiful" and "good" in ancient texts. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 比較 | ||
| The word "比較" (comparison) in Traditional Chinese has a broader meaning than the English word "comparison" and can also include the idea of "contrasting" or "juxtaposing". | |||
| Japanese | 比較 | ||
| 比較 (hi-kaku) is derived from the characters 比 (hi) meaning "compare" or "ratio" and 較 (kaku) meaning "examine". | |||
| Korean | 비교 | ||
| In Korean, 비교 can also refer to 'ratio' or 'proportion'. | |||
| Mongolian | харьцуулалт | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နှိုင်းယှဉ် | ||
Comparison in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | perbandingan | ||
| The word "perbandingan" can also mean "ratio" or "proportion". | |||
| Javanese | bandhingane | ||
| In Javanese, 'bandhingane' also refers to a type of wooden box for storing valuables. | |||
| Khmer | ការប្រៀបធៀប | ||
| The word "ការប្រៀបធៀប" (comparison) can also refer to the process of making such a comparison or to the result of that process. | |||
| Lao | ການປຽບທຽບ | ||
| The word "ການປຽບທຽບ" can also be used to refer to contrasting two or more objects, or to the process of judging the relative merits of different things. | |||
| Malay | perbandingan | ||
| In Malay, the word "perbandingan" can also mean "ratio" or "proportion". | |||
| Thai | การเปรียบเทียบ | ||
| The Thai word "การเปรียบเทียบ" also means "to compare things to each other". | |||
| Vietnamese | sự so sánh | ||
| The word "sự so sánh" literally means "the thing of putting together" in Vietnamese, implying the act of bringing two or more entities together for examination and judgment. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | paghahambing | ||
Comparison in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | müqayisə | ||
| Müqayisə is derived from the Arabic word qiyas and means comparison, estimation, or analogy. | |||
| Kazakh | салыстыру | ||
| The Kazakh word "салыстыру" can also refer to a "ratio" or "proportion". | |||
| Kyrgyz | салыштыруу | ||
| The term "салыштыруу" (comparison) originates from the verb "салыштыруу" (to compare), which originally referred to the act of comparing two objects to determine which one is better or more desirable. | |||
| Tajik | муқоиса | ||
| The word "муқоиса" is derived from the Persian word "مقائسه" and its root verb "قاس" meaning "to measure". Its alternate meaning is "contrast". | |||
| Turkmen | deňeşdirmek | ||
| Uzbek | taqqoslash | ||
| The word "taqqoslash" is derived from the Arabic word "taqsim", which means "division" or "partition". | |||
| Uyghur | سېلىشتۇرۇش | ||
Comparison in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻohālikelike | ||
| "Hoʻohālikelike" can also refer to an action in which one is causing another to resemble; it's not just used for simple comparisons. | |||
| Maori | whakataurite | ||
| The word "whakataurite" is also used in Maori language to mean "to compare or contrast". | |||
| Samoan | faatusatusaga | ||
| Faatusatusaga also means "a story or fable" | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | paghahambing | ||
| The word "paghahambing" can also mean "comparison" or "analogy". | |||
Comparison in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | kikipayaña | ||
| Guarani | mbojoja | ||
Comparison in International Languages
| Esperanto | komparo | ||
| "Komparo" can also mean "a comparison to" and "a comparison to him/her." | |||
| Latin | collatio | ||
| The word 'collatio' also refers to the act of gathering food or money for a common purpose, such as a meal or a religious offering. | |||
Comparison in Others Languages
| Greek | σύγκριση | ||
| The word σύγκριση is derived from the Greek verb συγκρίνω, meaning “to separate, distinguish, resolve, decide”. | |||
| Hmong | sib piv | ||
| The word "sib piv" is derived from the words "sib" (to compare) and "piv" (view). | |||
| Kurdish | mûqayese | ||
| The word "mûqayese" in Kurdish derives from the Arabic word "muqāyasa", meaning "comparison". It ultimately stems from the Proto-Indo-European root "*meǵ-", meaning "to measure". | |||
| Turkish | karşılaştırma | ||
| The word "karşılaştırma" also means "confrontation" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | uthelekiso | ||
| Uthelekiso' also means 'exchange', 'conversion', 'translation' or 'interchange'. | |||
| Yiddish | פאַרגלייַך | ||
| The Yiddish word פאַרגלייַך also means 'similitude,' 'analogy,' 'example,' 'illustration,' 'anecdote,' 'tale,' 'parable,' 'fable,' 'allegory,' 'proverb,' 'maxim,' 'motto,' 'epigram,' 'aphorism,' 'saw,' 'quip,' 'joke,' and 'anecdote'. | |||
| Zulu | ukuqhathanisa | ||
| The term 'ukuqhathanisa' comes from the verb 'uqhatha' meaning 'to throw' or 'to shoot', implying the act of aiming or throwing one thing against another for comparison. | |||
| Assamese | তুলনা কৰা | ||
| Aymara | kikipayaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | तुलना | ||
| Dhivehi | ފަރަޤުކުރުން | ||
| Dogri | मकाबला | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | paghahambing | ||
| Guarani | mbojoja | ||
| Ilocano | panangiyasping | ||
| Krio | kɔmpia | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بەراوردکردن | ||
| Maithili | तुलना | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯥꯡꯗꯝꯅꯕ | ||
| Mizo | khaikhinna | ||
| Oromo | wal bira qabuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ତୁଳନା | ||
| Quechua | tinkuchiy | ||
| Sanskrit | तुलना | ||
| Tatar | чагыштыру | ||
| Tigrinya | ምውድዳር | ||
| Tsonga | fananisa | ||