Compete in different languages

Compete in Different Languages

Discover 'Compete' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'compete' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, symbolizing the spirit of rivalry and the pursuit of excellence. It's a word that transcends cultural boundaries, found in various forms in languages worldwide. From the Latin 'competere' meaning 'strive together', to the Chinese '竞争 (jìngzhēng)', which carries a similar connotation, the essence of competition remains universal.

Competition has been a driving force in human civilization, shaping our societies, economies, and even our entertainment. From ancient Olympic Games to modern-day eSports, the thrill of competition brings people together, fostering innovation, progress, and mutual understanding.

Understanding the translation of 'compete' in different languages can open up a world of cultural insights. For instance, in Japanese, '競争 (kyōsō)' not only means competition but also implies a harmonious struggle, reflecting the country's emphasis on harmony and respect.

Join us as we explore the translations of 'compete' in various languages, from English to Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, and more. Discover the rich cultural contexts behind these translations and enhance your understanding of the world's diverse linguistic landscape.

Compete


Compete in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansmeeding
The etymology of the Afrikaans word "meeding" is uncertain, with possible roots in Old Saxon or Dutch.
Amharicመወዳደር
The word "መወዳደር" can also mean "to compete" in the sense of "to strive to outdo others" or "to engage in a contest or competition".
Hausagasa
Gasa also means "to boast" or "to brag" in Hausa.
Igbozọọ mpi
In Igbo, "zọọ mpi" can also refer to "to measure oneself against another" or "to try to surpass another."
Malagasyhifaninana
The words hifaninana (“compete”) and fifaninanana (“competition”) come from the Malagasy word finana (“money”), likely referencing how competition often involves money or financial benefits.
Nyanja (Chichewa)kupikisana
Kupikisana, a Nyanja word meaning 'compete', is also used to describe intense rivalries or struggles.
Shonakukwikwidza
"Kukwikwidza" is also used to mean "to strive for something" or "to desire strongly".
Somalitartamid
The word "tartamid" is also used in reference to the running of horses, camels or cars.
Sesothoqothisana lehlokoa
The Sesotho verb 'qothisana lehlokoa' refers to a competition or contest where individuals strive to surpass one another.
Swahilishindana
The word "shindana" can also refer to the act of surpassing or outdoing another person.
Xhosakhuphisana
The word "khuphisana" in Xhosa can also mean "to be jealous" or "to be envious".
Yorubadije
The word "dije" also means "to try" or "to attempt" in Yoruba.
Zuluancintisane
The word "ancintisane" is also used in a figurative sense, meaning 'to compare' or 'to rival'.
Bambaraka ɲɔgɔndan
Eweʋliho
Kinyarwandakurushanwa
Lingalakobunda
Lugandaokuvugana
Sepediphadišana
Twi (Akan)si akan

Compete in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicتنافس
The word "تنافس" is derived from the root word "نفس" meaning "soul, self", implying a rivalry or struggle with oneself.
Hebrewלהתחרות
The Hebrew word for "compete" ('להתחרות') is derived from the root ('חרר'), meaning "to be hot or eager".
Pashtoسیالي
Arabicتنافس
The word "تنافس" is derived from the root word "نفس" meaning "soul, self", implying a rivalry or struggle with oneself.

Compete in Western European Languages

Albaniangarojnë
The word "garojnë" comes from the Proto-Albanian root *gar- "to take", which is also found in other Albanian words such as "marr" ("take") and "dhë" ("give").
Basquelehiatu
The verb "lehiatu" can also mean "to strive" or "to endeavour".
Catalancompetir
En catalán la palabra "competir" proviene del latín "competere" que significa "pedir a una persona que comparezca".
Croatiannatjecati se
Natjecati se, meaning 'to compete', derives from 'natjecati', 'to chase, hunt, strive after', and shares a root with 'natiskati', 'to press, urge', and 'natezati', 'to stretch, strain'.
Danishkonkurrere
The word "konkurrere" is derived from the Latin word "concurrere", meaning "to run together".
Dutchconcurreren
Dutch 'concurreren' is derived from Latin verb concurrere, meaning 'to run together', 'to meet', and 'to coincide'.
Englishcompete
The word "compete" derives from the Latin "competere," meaning "to seek with others," or "to strive for."
Frenchrivaliser
The French word rivaliser, in addition to meaning "compete," can also mean to "equal" or "rival" someone.
Frisiankonkurrearje
The word "konkurrearje" can also refer to a competition or a dispute.
Galiciancompetir
Germankonkurrieren
"Konkurrieren" is derived from the Latin word "concurrere", meaning "to run together".
Icelandickeppa
The word "keppa" is derived from the Old Norse word "kappaz," meaning 'to strive' or 'to vie,' and is related to the English word "cope."
Irishdul san iomaíocht
Italiancompetere
The word "competere" in Italian can also mean "to be appropriate", "to be fitting", or "to be compatible".
Luxembourgishkonkurréiere
The verb "konkurréiere" is derived from the Latin verb "concurrere", meaning "to run together", and is used to describe a situation where multiple parties strive to achieve the same goal.
Maltesejikkompetu
Jikkompetu's root 'kompos' comes from Greek and Latin, signifying 'putting together', 'order', 'arrangement' and 'beauty'.
Norwegiankonkurrere
The Norwegian word "konkurrere" derives from the Late Latin word "concurrere", meaning "to run together" or "to encounter",
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)competir
"Competir" derives from Latin "competere", meaning "seek together", "agree", "correspond to", and "strive for"}
Scots Gaelicfarpais
The Gaelic word "farpais" comes from the Old Irish verb "farpaigim," which means "to challenge" or "to contest."
Spanishcompetir
'Competir' derives from the Latin 'competere,' meaning 'to strive together.'
Swedishkonkurrera
The Swedish word "konkurrera" is derived from the Latin word "concurrere", meaning "to run together" or "to meet in combat."
Welshcystadlu
"Cystadlu" is cognate with Old Irish *com-aistlid, meaning "disputes with".

Compete in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianспаборнічаць
The word "спаборнічаць" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *борь*, meaning "struggle" or "fight".
Bosniantakmičiti se
The word "takmičiti se" originates from the Old Slavic word "tъčiti" meaning "to run".
Bulgarianсъстезавам се
The word "състезавам се" in Bulgarian also includes the alternate meaning of "participate in a contest or competition".
Czechsoutěžit
The Czech word "soutěžit" originally meant "to argue" or "to quarrel".
Estonianvõistlema
The verb "võistlema" is derived from the noun "võistlus", which means "competition".
Finnishkilpailla
The word 'kilpailla' derives from the word 'kilpa', meaning 'contest' or 'race'.
Hungarianversenyez
The word "versenyez" also means "to compete in a competition" in Hungarian.
Latviansacensties
The word "sacensties" is derived from the Latin word "sacristans", meaning "sacristan" or "church official".
Lithuanianvaržytis
"Varžytis" comes from the Proto-Indo-European word "werg-," meaning "to fight" or "to quarrel."
Macedonianсе натпреваруваат
Polishrywalizować
The word 'rywalizować' is derived from the Polish noun 'rywal', which means 'rival' or 'competitor'.
Romanianconcura
In Romanian, "concura" derives from the Latin "concurrere" meaning "to run together" or "to meet up".
Russianконкурировать
'Конкурировать' means 'to compete' but it literally means 'to cluck like a hen' and it was applied to competition in trade between merchants that called each other 'chicken'.
Serbianтакмичити се
The verb "такмичити се" can also mean "to rival" or "to vie".
Slovaksúťažiť
"Súťažiť" in Slovak originates from the Proto-Slavic word "*sǫtъ", meaning "lawsuit" or "strife".
Sloveniantekmovati
The word 'tekmovati' comes from the Proto-Slavic root *tekъ, meaning 'to run'. It also means 'to participate in a competition' or 'to strive for something'.
Ukrainianзмагатися
The Ukrainian word "змагатися" is derived from the Proto-Slavic verb "*mgati", meaning "to beat, to strike, to struggle".

Compete in South Asian Languages

Bengaliপ্রতিযোগিতা করা
প্রতিযোগিতা করা can also mean to oppose or defy.
Gujaratiસ્પર્ધા
The Gujarati word for compete is "સ્પર્ધા", which is derived from the Sanskrit root "spr" meaning "to run".
Hindiप्रतिस्पर्धा
The word "प्रतिस्पर्धा" is derived from the Sanskrit root "स्पृध्" (sprdh), which means "to desire" or "to strive for".
Kannadaಸ್ಪರ್ಧಿಸಿ
The word ಸ್ಪರ್ಧಿಸಿ is derived from the Sanskrit word "स्पृध्" (sprdh) meaning "to desire" or "to strive after".
Malayalamമത്സരിക്കുക
Marathiस्पर्धा
The word "स्पर्धा" also means "competition" or "contest".
Nepaliप्रतिस्पर्धा
प्रतिस्पर्धा is derived from Sanskrit and means a 'rival contest' or 'to strive against'
Punjabiਮੁਕਾਬਲਾ
Sinhala (Sinhalese)තරඟ කරන්න
The word "තරඟ කරන්න" also implies vying, contending or struggling to achieve something (not necessarily against an opponent).
Tamilபோட்டியிடுங்கள்
Teluguపోటీ
The word "పోటీ" shares a root with the word "పో", meaning "go" or "move"
Urduمقابلہ
مقابلہ is an Arabic word that entered Urdu and can also mean 'face', 'front', 'opposite', or 'before' in Persian and Urdu.

Compete in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)竞争
竞争, 意为'争夺', 后引申为'竞赛'
Chinese (Traditional)競爭
競爭 literally translates to "running together" in Chinese, emphasizing the idea of striving side-by-side for superiority.
Japanese競争する
The word 競争する can also mean "to vie" or "to strive for something."
Korean경쟁하다
"경쟁하다" comes from the Chinese word "競爭", which means "to strive for victory or an advantage."
Mongolianөрсөлдөх
Öрсөлдөх comes from the Mongolian word "өрсөлд" meaning "to try hard" or "to endeavor".
Myanmar (Burmese)ယှဉ်ပြိုင်

Compete in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianbersaing
The word "bersaing" has an alternate meaning of "emulating" in Indonesian.
Javanesetandhing
Its synonyms include 'pasu' and 'patapan', but only 'tandhing' has a sense of rivalry with a winner and a loser.
Khmerប្រកួតប្រជែង
"ប្រកួតប្រជែង" is often used in the context of sporting events, but it can also be used to refer to academic or professional competition.
Laoແຂ່ງຂັນ
Malaybertanding
It is derived from the word 'tanding' which denotes opposing or facing adversaries.
Thaiแข่งขัน
แข่งขัน shares its root with the word "แข้ง" which means "leg" in Thai, suggesting that "แข่งขัน" may have originally meant "to kick" or "to race."
Vietnamesetranh đua
The term "tranh đua" is also used to refer to a race or a competition, as in the phrase "cuộc tranh đua marathon" (marathon race).
Filipino (Tagalog)makipagkumpetensya

Compete in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniyarışmaq
"Yarışmaq" also means "race" and is related to the words "yar" and "at"
Kazakhжарысу
The word also means "race" or "contest" in Kazakh.
Kyrgyzатаандашуу
The word "атаандашуу" can also mean "to compare" or "to vie with" in Kyrgyz.
Tajikрақобат кардан
Competition is also used in the Tajik word "рақобат кардан" and means "competition between two or more groups or individuals for the same goal".
Turkmenbäsleşiň
Uzbekraqobatlashmoq
The word "raqobatlashmoq" comes from the Arabic word "raqaba", which means "to keep watch" or "to compete."
Uyghurرىقابەت

Compete in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianhoʻokūkū
"Hoʻokūkū" is also the name of a traditional Hawaiian boxing game.
Maoriwhakataetae
"Whakataetae" comes from the root word "taetae," which means "to race" or "to strive for excellence."
Samoantauva
The Samoan word "tauva" also means "to rival" or "to oppose".
Tagalog (Filipino)makipagkumpitensya
Literally “engage in competition”, from “kipag-” (do with another) and “kumpitensya” (competition).

Compete in American Indigenous Languages

Aymaraatipasiña
Guaranioñemoañotenondeséva

Compete in International Languages

Esperantokonkurenci
The word "konkurenci" in Esperanto originates from the Latin "concurrere", meaning "to run together" or "to meet". It also has the alternate meaning of "to oppose" or "to be in conflict with".
Latincompete
In Latin, "compete" means "to meet" or "to come together," implying a sense of striving or rivalry.

Compete in Others Languages

Greekανταγωνίζομαι
ανταγωνίζομαι also means 'struggle', 'fight' and derives from the ancient Greek verb 'αντάγω', which refers to a violent battle.
Hmongsib tw
The term "sib tw" can also refer to a contest between two sides.
Kurdishşertgirtin
The word 'şertgirtin' also means 'to make an effort'.
Turkishrekabet etmek
The word "rekabet etmek" derives from the Arabic word "rekaba," meaning "to run abreast," and also refers to the act of racing to the water source by Arabian horses.
Xhosakhuphisana
The word "khuphisana" in Xhosa can also mean "to be jealous" or "to be envious".
Yiddishקאָנקורירן
The Yiddish word "קאָנקורירן" ("compete") comes from the German "konkurrieren," meaning "to compete".
Zuluancintisane
The word "ancintisane" is also used in a figurative sense, meaning 'to compare' or 'to rival'.
Assameseপ্ৰতিযোগিতা
Aymaraatipasiña
Bhojpuriमुकाबला कईल
Dhivehiވާދަކުރުން
Dogriमकाबला करना
Filipino (Tagalog)makipagkumpetensya
Guaranioñemoañotenondeséva
Ilocanomakikompitensia
Kriokɔmpitishɔn
Kurdish (Sorani)تەواو
Maithiliप्रतिस्पर्धा
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯆꯥꯡꯌꯦꯡꯅꯕ
Mizoinel
Oromodorgomuu
Odia (Oriya)ପ୍ରତିଯୋଗିତା କରନ୍ତୁ |
Quechuaatipanakuy
Sanskritस्पर्धध्वे
Tatarярыш
Tigrinyaሙሉእ
Tsongahetisa

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