Contemporary in different languages

Contemporary in Different Languages

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

Updated on March 6, 2024

Contemporary is a term that holds significant weight in our modern lexicon. It signifies the present time and its trends, ideas, and art. The word is not confined to any one culture, making it a universal concept that transcends borders and languages.

The cultural importance of the contemporary era is immense. It is a period of rapid change, innovation, and exploration. From contemporary dance to contemporary art, this term encapsulates the spirit of the now. It is a reminder that we are all part of a global community, constantly evolving and shaping the world around us.

Understanding the translation of 'contemporary' in different languages can provide fascinating insights into how various cultures perceive and engage with the present. For instance, in Spanish, 'contemporary' translates to 'contemporáneo', while in French, it is 'contemporain'. In Mandarin, it is '当代' (dāng dài), and in Japanese, '現代' (gendai).

Exploring these translations offers a glimpse into how different cultures conceptualize and interact with the present. It is a journey that highlights the richness and diversity of our global community.

Contemporary


Contemporary in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaanskontemporêr
The Afrikaans word "kontemporêr" originates from the French word "contemporain" and literally means "at the same time".
Amharicዘመናዊ
The word "ዘመናዊ" (contemporary) in Amharic is derived from the word "ዘመን" (time), implying that it is "of the time" or "in accordance with the present era."
Hausazamani
The word "zamani" in Hausa also means "time" or "season".
Igbodịkọrọ ndụ
The word "dịkọrọ ndụ" in Igbo is derived from the root word "dikọ," meaning to meet or encounter, and "ọdụ," meaning place or time, suggesting an intersection of moments or experiences.
Malagasymaoderina
"Maoderina" in Malagasy not only means "contemporary," but also "modern" or "new."
Nyanja (Chichewa)wamasiku ano
The word "wamasiku ano" can also refer to current events or news in Nyanja (Chichewa).
Shonaano
The word "ano" also means "now" or "at present" in Shona, capturing the sense of immediacy associated with contemporary time.
Somalicasriga ah
The word 'casriga ah' is derived from the Arabic word 'asri', meaning 'modern' or 'contemporary'.
Sesothomehleng ya kajeno
The word "mehleng ya kajeno" can also refer to "the time of today" or "the present day".
Swahilikisasa
The word 'kisasa' is derived from the Arabic word 'qisas' (قصاص), meaning 'retaliation' or 'justice.'
Xhosawangoku
In Xhosa, "wangoku" also means "a little while ago".
Yorubaimusin
The word "imusin" in Yoruba also refers to the "new season" or "new year".
Zuluwesimanje
Wesimanje derives from "isimanje", meaning "world", and "umkhosi", meaning "festival", suggesting a sense of communal unity and celebration.
Bambarabi ko
Ewetsidzi nu
Kinyarwandamuri iki gihe
Lingalabato ya eleko moko
Lugandaokuberewo mukasera kona
Sepedipaka ya bjale
Twi (Akan)nnɛɛmasɛm

Contemporary in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicمعاصر
The word 'معاصر' (contemporary) also means 'oil press' or 'crushing machine' in Arabic.
Hebrewעַכשָׁוִי
The word עַכשָׁוִי is also related to the word עכשׁו, meaning "now", and denotes something that is current or up-to-date, highlighting the connection between the present moment and contemporary ideas.
Pashtoمعاصر
The word "معاصر" also means "of equal age" or "one who lives at the same time" in Pashto.
Arabicمعاصر
The word 'معاصر' (contemporary) also means 'oil press' or 'crushing machine' in Arabic.

Contemporary in Western European Languages

Albanianbashkëkohore
The word "bashkëkohore" is derived from the words "bashkë" (together) and "kohore" (time), meaning "occurring at the same time". It can also refer to people or things that belong to the same period of time.
Basquegaraikidea
The word "garaikidea" in Basque is derived from the words "gara" (time) and "ikidea" (companion), meaning "companion of the time"
Catalancontemporani
The word "contemporani" in Catalan can also mean "companion" or "friend".
Croatiansuvremena
The word 'suvremena' comes from the Latin word 'subvenire', meaning 'to come to assistance', and can also refer to a type of musical instrument in the Balkans.
Danishmoderne
Moderne also means 'fashionable' and is not synonymous with 'ny'.
Dutchhedendaags
The word "hedendaags" in Dutch, like its English equivalent, derives from the Latin "hodiernus", meaning "of today".
Englishcontemporary
The word 'contemporary' derives from the Latin word 'contemporaneus,' meaning 'occurring at the same time.
Frenchcontemporain
The word "contemporain" in French also means "fellow citizen" and derives from Latin "contemporaneus", meaning "born at the same time".
Frisianeigentiidske
The Frisian word "eigentiidske" can also mean "modern" or "up-to-date".
Galiciancontemporáneo
En Galicia, "contemporáneo" también puede referirse a alguien o algo que es adecuado a la época actual.
Germanzeitgenössisch
The German word "zeitgenössisch" can refer to both a person's "present age" and to the "time of writing".
Icelandicsamtíma
The word 'samtíma' is derived from the Old Norse word 'samtíð', which also means 'contemporary' and is related to the English word 'time'.
Irishcomhaimseartha
Comhaimseartha comes from comh "with, together" + aimsir "time" so literally "of one time, at the same time".
Italiancontemporaneo
The word "contemporaneo" derives from the Latin word "contempus," meaning "time," and can also refer to the concept of "timeliness" or "appropriateness."
Luxembourgishzäitgenëssesch
Maltesekontemporanja
The Maltese word "kontemporanja" originates from the Italian word "contemporaneo" and the Latin word "contemporaneus".
Norwegianmoderne
The word "moderne" in Norwegian also refers to a 20th-century style in architecture, furniture design, and other arts.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)contemporâneo
The Portuguese word "contemporâneo" comes from the Latin word "contemporaneus," meaning "living at the same time."
Scots Gaelicco-aimsireil
Co-aimsireil (Scots Gaelic for "contemporary") was first coined in 1945, a compound of "co" (together) and "aimsir" (time).
Spanishcontemporáneo
In Spanish, "contemporáneo" can also refer to a person who lives in the same time period.
Swedishsamtida
"Samtida" comes from the Old Swedish "samtidi" meaning "same time".
Welshcyfoes
Also "cyfoes" (in Welsh, "cyfoes" is an adjective meaning "equivalent, corresponding" and a noun meaning "equivalence").

Contemporary in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianсучасніка
The word "сучасніка" in Belarusian can also refer to "the present time" or "the present generation".
Bosniansavremeni
The word "savremeni" in Bosnian comes from the Old Church Slavonic word "съврѣменъ", meaning "of the present time".
Bulgarianсъвременен
The word "съвременен" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "съвършьнъ" meaning "perfect, complete".
Czechmoderní
In Czech, "moderní" can also refer to "art nouveau".
Estoniankaasaegne
The word "kaasaegne" comes from "kaas" (fellow) and "aeg" (time).
Finnishnykyaikainen
The word "nykyaikainen" is derived from "nyky" (present) and "aika" (time), so it originally meant "of the present time".
Hungariankortárs
The word "kortárs" in Hungarian is derived from the Latin "contemporaneus," meaning "occurring at the same time."
Latvianlaikmetīgs
The word "laikmetīgs" comes from the Latvian words "laiks" (time) and "mētīgs" (fitting).
Lithuanianšiuolaikinis
The word "šiuolaikinis" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*k̂yu-ō-s", meaning "now" or "today".
Macedonianсовремен
In Old Church Slavonic, "современ" meant "the same era" but in Macedonian, it only means "contemporary", i.e. an artist or artwork from the same time period.
Polishwspółczesny
In Polish, «współczesny» also means «similar», «commensurate».
Romaniancontemporan
In Romanian, "contemporan" is derived from the Latin "contempŏrānus" but may also refer to "a relative in the fourth degree", i.e., a cousin.
Russianсовременный
The Russian word "современный" derives from the Proto-Slavic "съ-временъ", meaning "of the same time".
Serbianсавремени
The word савремени (contemporary) is derived from the French word "contemporain" and can also be used to describe a person who is living at the same time as another.
Slovaksúčasný
The word "súčasný" comes from the Proto-Slavic verb *soti ('to be') or Proto-Slavic adjective *są ('this, such').
Sloveniansodobna
Sodobna is also a colloquial term for 'girl' or 'chick' in Slovenian slang.
Ukrainianсучасний
The word "сучасний" in Ukrainian comes from the Old Slavic word "sъsęditi" which means "to neighbor".

Contemporary in South Asian Languages

Bengaliসমকালীন
The word "সমকালীন" can also mean "parallel" or "coeval" in Bengali.
Gujaratiસમકાલીન
The word "સમકાલીન" (contemporary) is derived from the Sanskrit word "samakala," which means "the same time".
Hindiसमकालीन
समकालीन can also mean 'present time' or 'recent'.
Kannadaಸಮಕಾಲೀನ
ಸಮಕಾಲೀನ is a loanword from English, and has the same meaning - belonging to or existing in the present.
Malayalamസമകാലികം
The word "സമകാലികം" also means "at the same time" or "concurrent".
Marathiसमकालीन
The word “समकालीन” can also mean “same time period” or “same age” in Marathi.
Nepaliसमकालीन
In Sanskrit, the word "समकालीन" (samakālina) meant "occurring at the same time," but in modern Nepali, it has taken on the additional meaning of "contemporary," as in "of the present time".
Punjabiਸਮਕਾਲੀ
Sinhala (Sinhalese)සමකාලීන
The word සමකාලීන (contemporary) in Sinhala is derived from the Sanskrit word 'samakalina', which means 'belonging to the same time'.
Tamilசமகால
The ancient Tamil equivalent 'Samathaaram' referred not only to the chronological sense but also to the ethical sense of treating every one equally irrespective of time or status as per Tamil Sangam literature.
Teluguసమకాలీన
Urduہم عصر
**Urdu:** 'ہم عصر' originates from Persian and literally means 'of the same epoch', hence the translation as 'contemporary' in English.

Contemporary in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)当代的
当代的”的英文单词“contemporary”源自拉丁语“contempus”,意为“同时”。
Chinese (Traditional)當代的
「當代的」源自拉丁語「contempus」,意指「同時代的」或「一起存在的」。
Japaneseコンテンポラリー
The word "contemporary" in Japanese is derived from "コンテンポラリ", which is short for "contemporarius", meaning "belonging to the present time" in Latin.
Korean동시대의
동시대를 살고 계시거나 하는 경우는 동시대인을 의미하기도 함
Mongolianорчин үеийн
Myanmar (Burmese)ခေတ်ပြိုင်

Contemporary in South East Asian Languages

Indonesiankontemporer
In Indonesian, "kontemporer" also means "modern" or "up-to-date".
Javanesekontemporer
Kontemporer can also mean "peer" or "friend" in Javanese.
Khmerសហសម័យ
The word សហសម័យ can also refer to the same time period or era, emphasizing coexistence rather than contrast.
Laoປະຈຸບັນ
ปัจจุบัน comes from the Thai word ปัจจุบัน, which in turn comes from the Pali word paccuppannam, which means "present time."
Malaykontemporari
The Malay word "kontemporari" also means "present day" or "current".
Thaiร่วมสมัย
The Thai word "ร่วมสมัย" also means "synchronous" or "simultaneous".
Vietnameseđồng thời
The word 'đồng thời' literally means 'the same time' in Vietnamese.
Filipino (Tagalog)magkapanabay

Contemporary in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniçağdaş
"Çağdaş" sözünün kökeni "çağ" sözüdür ve "aynı dönemde yaşayan" anlamına gelir.
Kazakhзаманауи
The word зaмaнaуи in Kazakh (contemporary) originally meant "modern" or "current".
Kyrgyzзаманбап
The word "заманбап" in Kyrgyz is derived from Arabic and literally means "of the present time".
Tajikмуосир
The word "муосир" is derived from the Arabic word "عاصر" (meaning "lived at the same time") and is used in Tajik to refer to someone who is living in the present time.
Turkmenhäzirki zaman
Uzbekzamonaviy
The word "zamonaviy" in Uzbek is derived from the Persian word \“zamana" meaning "time", and can also refer to modern or up-to-date.
Uyghurھازىرقى زامان

Contemporary in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianwā hou
The word "wā hou" also means "new time" or "later time" in Hawaiian.
Maorināianei
The Maori word `nāianei` is an altered version of the original `nānaianei`, which has several meanings including 'now' and 'immediately'.
Samoantaimi nei
Taimi nei translates to "nowadays" and is more specific than using the word "aso" for a particular current day of the week.
Tagalog (Filipino)magkapanabay
"Magkapanabay" in Tagalog originally referred to people who share the same age as a reference point.

Contemporary in American Indigenous Languages

Aymaramitani
Guaraniko'ag̃aguáva

Contemporary in International Languages

Esperantonuntempa
The word "nuntempa" in Esperanto is derived from the Latin word "nunc", meaning "now", and is also related to the word "tempus", meaning "time".
Latinaetatis
In Latin, "aetatis" denotes both "contemporaneous" and "chronological age".

Contemporary in Others Languages

Greekσύγχρονος
The word 'σύγχρονος' ('contemporary') derives from the Greek words 'συν' (together) and 'χρόνος' (time), implying a connection between two or more simultaneous events.
Hmongtiam no
Tiam no literally means "year now" in the Hmong language.
Kurdishhemdem
The word "hemdem" also means "intimate friend" or "companion" in Kurdish.
Turkishçağdaş
In Turkish, "çağdaş" can be used to refer to someone or something that is modern or up-to-date, but it also has another meaning: "equal in age".
Xhosawangoku
In Xhosa, "wangoku" also means "a little while ago".
Yiddishהיינטצייטיק
The Yiddish word 'היינטצייטיק' ('heyntsaytik') is derived from the German word 'Gegenwart' ('present time').
Zuluwesimanje
Wesimanje derives from "isimanje", meaning "world", and "umkhosi", meaning "festival", suggesting a sense of communal unity and celebration.
Assameseসমসাময়িক
Aymaramitani
Bhojpuriसमकालीन
Dhivehiކޮންޓެމްޕޮރަރީ
Dogriसमकाली
Filipino (Tagalog)magkapanabay
Guaraniko'ag̃aguáva
Ilocanokotemporario
Krioda tɛm de
Kurdish (Sorani)هاوچەرخ
Maithiliसमकालीन
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯃꯥꯟꯅꯕ ꯃꯇꯝꯒꯤ
Mizoinrualtlang
Oromokan yeroo tokko keessa waliin turan
Odia (Oriya)ସମସାମୟିକ |
Quechuamusuqllaña
Sanskritसमकालीन
Tatarзаманча
Tigrinyaወቕታዊ
Tsongankarhi wun'we

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