Updated on March 6, 2024
Contests have been a part of human culture for centuries, providing a platform for people to showcase their skills, talents, and competitive spirit. From ancient Olympic Games to modern-day eSports tournaments, contests have evolved and adapted to the changing times, yet their significance remains the same. They bring people together, foster a sense of community, and inspire us to push our limits and strive for excellence.
Moreover, understanding the translation of the word 'contest' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultural nuances and traditions of various countries. For instance, in Spanish, 'concurso' not only refers to a competition but also to a drawing or lottery. Meanwhile, in German, 'Wettbewerb' implies a more intense and serious form of competition, often associated with business or politics.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or a competitor at heart, learning the translation of 'contest' in different languages can be a fun and enriching experience. Here are some translations to get you started:
Afrikaans | wedstryd | ||
The Afrikaans word "wedstryd" comes from the Dutch word "wedstrijd," which means "competition" or "match." | |||
Amharic | ውድድር | ||
The word ውድድር can also refer to a tournament, competition, or rivalry. | |||
Hausa | yi hamayya | ||
In ancient Hausa the word 'yi hamayya' meant 'to struggle for the possession of something', whereas now it is 'to compete', especially in a sport. | |||
Igbo | zoo | ||
The Igbo word "zoo" also refers to a traditional masquerade or spirit dance. | |||
Malagasy | fifaninanana | ||
"Fifaninanana" derives from the verb "fifana" (to oppose) and can also mean "challenge" or "competition." | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | mpikisano | ||
The word 'mpikisano' in Nyanja (Chichewa) is derived from the root word 'pika' meaning 'to compete' and the suffix '-sano' which denotes a place or arena. | |||
Shona | kukwikwidza | ||
The word "kukwikwidza" can also mean "to compete" or "to try one's best". | |||
Somali | tartan | ||
The Somali word "tartan" also means "a strip of cloth worn as a belt or headband". | |||
Sesotho | qhoebeshano | ||
The word "qhoebeshano" in Sesotho is related to the word "hoeba", which means "to challenge" or "to provoke". | |||
Swahili | kugombea | ||
Kugombea also means 'to compete for' or 'to vie for'. | |||
Xhosa | ukhuphiswano | ||
In the Xhosa language, the word "ukhuphiswano" originated from the verb "ukhuphiswa," meaning "to cause to compete or race." | |||
Yoruba | idije | ||
'Ìdìje' is also a traditional dance performed by the Igbomina subgroup of the Yoruba people of Nigeria | |||
Zulu | umncintiswano | ||
Zulu 'umncintiswano' also refers to a debate between chiefs or warlords with opposing views. | |||
Bambara | ka sɔsɔ | ||
Ewe | hoʋiʋli | ||
Kinyarwanda | amarushanwa | ||
Lingala | lisano ya komekana | ||
Luganda | okuvuganya | ||
Sepedi | phadišano | ||
Twi (Akan) | si akan | ||
Arabic | مسابقة | ||
The word "مسابقة" is derived from the Arabic root (س ب ق), which means to precede or to outrun. | |||
Hebrew | תַחֲרוּת | ||
The word תַחֲרוּת also means "competition" or "rivalry." | |||
Pashto | سيالي | ||
سيالي is also used in Pashto to refer to “the act of testing the powers of another.” | |||
Arabic | مسابقة | ||
The word "مسابقة" is derived from the Arabic root (س ب ق), which means to precede or to outrun. |
Albanian | konkurs | ||
In Albanian, "konkurs" also refers to an official announcement or decree. | |||
Basque | lehiaketa | ||
The word "lehiaketa" originally meant "fight" or "battle", but now it is mostly used in the sense of "contest" or "competition". | |||
Catalan | concurs | ||
The Catalan word "concurs" originates from the Latin "concurrere," meaning "to run together" or "to meet." | |||
Croatian | natjecanje | ||
"Natjecanje" is derived from the verb "natjecati se", meaning "to compete" or "to engage in a contest". | |||
Danish | konkurrence | ||
Konkurrence derives from the French word concurrence, meaning 'running together', and is related to the idea of competing. | |||
Dutch | wedstrijd | ||
In sport, **wedstrijd** can refer to both a single **match** or a multi-match **competition**. | |||
English | contest | ||
'Contest' derives from Latin 'contestare', meaning to call upon someone as a witness. | |||
French | concours | ||
"Concours" also means "competition" or "examination" in French. | |||
Frisian | wedstryd | ||
The word “wedstryd” originally meant “match between two suitors” and is related to “weddenskip” (bet). | |||
Galician | concurso | ||
"Concurso" has an etymological connection with "to flow together", and its meaning has evolved from "a meeting of people" in the 13th century to "an assembly" or "a meeting for discussion" in modern times. | |||
German | wettbewerb | ||
The German word "Wettbewerb" derives from the Middle High German "werven," meaning "to pursue something in a competitive manner." | |||
Icelandic | keppni | ||
"Keppni" in Icelandic can also mean "competition," "match," or "game." | |||
Irish | comórtas | ||
The word "comórtas" can also mean "emulation" or "competition". | |||
Italian | concorso | ||
The word "concorso" in Italian is also used to describe a public examination or a meeting of people with a common goal, as well as an exhibition or fair. | |||
Luxembourgish | concours | ||
Concours also means "race" or "competition" | |||
Maltese | kompetizzjoni | ||
The Maltese word "kompetizzjoni" ultimately derives from the Latin "competitīo", meaning "an attack", "an effort", or "rivalry". | |||
Norwegian | konkurranse | ||
In Norwegian, the word konkurranse is derived from the Latin "concurrere," meaning "to run together." | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | concurso | ||
In the 16th century, the word "concurso" also referred to a gathering of people to deliberate, which is still its primary meaning in law. | |||
Scots Gaelic | farpais | ||
The word farpais also means 'a trial or a test'. | |||
Spanish | concurso | ||
In Spanish, "concurso" can also mean "bankruptcy" or "coincidence". | |||
Swedish | tävling | ||
The word "tävling" is derived from the Old Norse word "tefla" meaning "to compete". | |||
Welsh | gornest | ||
The Welsh word "gornest" comes from the Latin "coronare", meaning "to crown", referring to the act of awarding a prize. |
Belarusian | конкурс | ||
The word "конкурс" (contest) stems from the Latin "concurrere," which means "to come together." | |||
Bosnian | takmičenje | ||
The word "takmičenje" is a derivative of the word "takmac". In its other meaning can mean a person who demands something. | |||
Bulgarian | състезание | ||
Състезание is derived from the verb състезавам се, which means “to compete,” and is related to the noun състезател, meaning “competitor.” | |||
Czech | soutěž | ||
The word "soutěž" can also refer to a lottery or a competition. | |||
Estonian | võistlus | ||
The word "võistlus" is also related to the Estonian word "võitlema," which means "to fight" or "to compete." | |||
Finnish | kilpailu | ||
It is a compound word from "kilpa" (rivalry) and "luu" (nature). | |||
Hungarian | verseny | ||
The word "verseny" also means "race" in Hungarian, likely derived from the Middle Turkish "yarıș" with the same meaning. | |||
Latvian | konkurss | ||
"Konkurs" comes from the German "Konkurs" (bankruptcy), which in turn derives from the Latin "concursus" meaning "meeting". | |||
Lithuanian | konkursas | ||
"Konkursas" derives from the Latin word "concursus", meaning a running together, and is related to "concurrence", "concord", and "concur". In Lithuanian, it retains its original Latin meaning of "competition". | |||
Macedonian | натпревар | ||
The word "натпревар" originates from the Proto-Slavic word "*natьperti" meaning "to strive against" or "to compete". | |||
Polish | zawody | ||
In Polish, the word "zawody" can also mean "profession" or "occupation". | |||
Romanian | concurs | ||
The Romanian word "concurs" derives from Latin "concursus," meaning "running together" or "coming together." | |||
Russian | соревнование | ||
The word "соревнование" derives from the Old Slavic word "съврѣвати", meaning "to rival", and can also refer to "emulation" and "competition." | |||
Serbian | такмичење | ||
The word "takmičenje" comes from the Serbian word "takmiti" which means "to compete" and the suffix "-enje" which indicates an action or process. | |||
Slovak | súťaž | ||
The Slovak word "súťaž" is akin to the English "suit" and "sequel", being derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "sekw" meaning "to follow."} | |||
Slovenian | tekmovanje | ||
"Tekmovanje" is derived from the Slovene word "tekma," meaning "race" or "competition." | |||
Ukrainian | конкурс | ||
The Ukrainian word "конкурс" (contest) originally meant "collision" or "concurrence" and is related to the Latin word "concursus" meaning "a running together" or "a meeting". |
Bengali | প্রতিযোগিতা | ||
The word "প্রতিযোগিতা" is derived from the Sanskrit root "yuj," meaning "to join" or "to compete." | |||
Gujarati | સ્પર્ધા | ||
Hindi | प्रतियोगिता | ||
The alternate meaning of "प्रतियोगिता" is rivalry and it originates from the Sanskrit word " प्रति + योजिका " meaning "to place together," hence rivalry in a contest. | |||
Kannada | ಸ್ಪರ್ಧೆ | ||
ಸ್ಪರ್ಧೆ (contest) can also refer to a 'desire', 'ambition', or 'longing' in Kannada. | |||
Malayalam | മത്സരം | ||
"മത്സരം" is derived from the Sanskrit root "math" meaning "to churn" or "to mix". It also has the alternate meaning of "emulation" or "rivalry". | |||
Marathi | स्पर्धा | ||
The word "स्पर्धा" (spardha) is derived from Sanskrit and also means "struggle" or "rivalry". | |||
Nepali | प्रतिस्पर्धा | ||
Derived from Sanskrit प्रतिस्पृधा, which means 'struggle' or 'rivalry'. | |||
Punjabi | ਮੁਕਾਬਲਾ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | තරඟය | ||
In addition to "contest," "තරඟය" can also refer to a "competition" or a "race." | |||
Tamil | போட்டி | ||
The word "போட்டி" (contest) derives from "போடுகிறேன்" (to put or place), reflecting its function as a platform for participants to showcase their abilities. | |||
Telugu | పోటీ | ||
Urdu | مقابلہ | ||
The word "مقابلہ" derives from the Arabic root 'qbl', meaning 'to face' or 'to confront', and also has the alternate meaning of 'counterpart' or 'equivalent'. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 比赛 | ||
比赛 comes from 比试 and is composed of '试' (test), '必' (must), and '比' (compare). | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 比賽 | ||
比賽 originated from comparing the length of two swords in ancient China, as the word "比" originally meant "compare" and "賽" meant "sword". | |||
Japanese | コンテスト | ||
The word "コンテスト" (contest) comes from the English word "contest" and also means "competition" or "tournament" in Japanese. | |||
Korean | 대회 | ||
In Korean, the word "대회" ("contest") carries an additional connotation derived from its origins in Chinese, where it denoted a large gathering or assembly. | |||
Mongolian | уралдаан | ||
The noun уралдаан, which means "competition" in Mongolian, is derived from the verb "уралдах" (to compete), which in turn comes from "ур" (to play, perform), and the suffix "-лдаан" indicating an activity or state. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ပြိုင်ပွဲ | ||
Indonesian | kontes | ||
The word "kontes" is derived from the Dutch word "contest", which means "competition" or "match" | |||
Javanese | sayembara | ||
"Sayembara" can also mean "challenge" or "trial" | |||
Khmer | ការប្រកួតប្រជែង | ||
Lao | ການປະກວດ | ||
Malay | bertanding | ||
"Bertanding" is cognate to the word "tanding" (match), which comes from the Proto-Austronesian word *taŋis (to oppose, to strive). | |||
Thai | การประกวด | ||
The Thai word "การประกวด" can also refer to a beauty pageant. | |||
Vietnamese | cuộc thi | ||
The word "Cuộc thi" can also refer to a "race" or "competition" in Vietnamese. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | paligsahan | ||
Azerbaijani | müsabiqə | ||
Müsabiqə means "a group of people trying to be the best at something" in Azeri and originates from the Arabic word "musābaqa". | |||
Kazakh | байқау | ||
The Kazakh word "байқау" can also refer to a traditional competition involving horsemanship and archery skills. | |||
Kyrgyz | сынак | ||
"Сынак" in Kyrgyz also refers to a competition, a trial, an exam, a test, a game, a sport, a duel or a fight. | |||
Tajik | озмун | ||
In Russian, the word "озмүн" can also mean "a challenge or dare". | |||
Turkmen | bäsleşigi | ||
Uzbek | tanlov | ||
The word "tanlov" also means "choice" or "election" in Uzbek. | |||
Uyghur | مۇسابىقە | ||
Hawaiian | hoʻokūkū | ||
The Hawaiian word "hoʻokūkū" can also refer to a game, match, competition, or tournament. | |||
Maori | whakataetae | ||
The word "whakataetae" can also refer to a sporting event or competition, a dispute or argument, or a challenge or dare. | |||
Samoan | tauvaga | ||
The word 'tauvaga' in Samoan can also mean the traditional Samoan chief's speech given at a gathering | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | paligsahan | ||
The word 'paligsahan' comes from the root word 'laban', which means 'fight' or 'struggle' in Tagalog. |
Aymara | atipasiwi | ||
Guarani | kuaara'ãmby | ||
Esperanto | konkurso | ||
The root of "konkurso" is "kuri," which denotes running or being in a crowd, as in "konkuri," to run together or join a crowd. | |||
Latin | certamine | ||
In Latin, "certamine" also means "argument" or "dispute". |
Greek | διαγωνισμός | ||
"Διαγωνισμός" can also mean "competition" or "exam". | |||
Hmong | sib tw | ||
The word "sib tw" can also mean "to compete" or "to fight against". | |||
Kurdish | qebûlnekirin | ||
The word "qebûlnekirin" in Kurdish is derived from the Arabic word "qabula" meaning "to accept" and the Persian suffix "-nekirin" meaning "to not do". | |||
Turkish | yarışma | ||
"Yarışmak" means "to compete" in Turkish. It derives from "yarış", the Turkish word for "race". | |||
Xhosa | ukhuphiswano | ||
In the Xhosa language, the word "ukhuphiswano" originated from the verb "ukhuphiswa," meaning "to cause to compete or race." | |||
Yiddish | קאָנקורס | ||
The Yiddish word "קאָנקורס" also means "bankruptcy" and is derived from the Latin “concursus creditorum” which means "a running together of creditors". | |||
Zulu | umncintiswano | ||
Zulu 'umncintiswano' also refers to a debate between chiefs or warlords with opposing views. | |||
Assamese | প্ৰতিযোগিতা | ||
Aymara | atipasiwi | ||
Bhojpuri | प्रतियोगिता | ||
Dhivehi | މުބާރާތް | ||
Dogri | मकाबला | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | paligsahan | ||
Guarani | kuaara'ãmby | ||
Ilocano | kompetision | ||
Krio | kɔmpitishɔn | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | پێشبڕکێ | ||
Maithili | प्रतियोगिता | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯥꯡꯌꯦꯡꯅꯕ | ||
Mizo | intihsiak | ||
Oromo | dorgommii | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ପ୍ରତିଯୋଗିତା | ||
Quechua | kutichiy | ||
Sanskrit | संघर्ष | ||
Tatar | конкурс | ||
Tigrinya | ውድድር | ||
Tsonga | kaneta | ||