Context in Different Languages
Discover 'Context' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Context is a fascinating word that holds great significance in our daily lives. It refers to the circumstances that surround a particular event, situation, or idea, giving it meaning and relevance. Understanding context is crucial in effective communication, as it helps us interpret information accurately and respond appropriately.
The importance of context extends beyond personal interactions to encompass cultural, historical, and social dimensions. It shapes our perspectives, influences our decisions, and defines our experiences. By examining context, we can gain valuable insights into different cultures, traditions, and worldviews.
For language enthusiasts, exploring the translation of context in different languages can be an enriching experience. For instance, the French translation of context is contexte, while in Spanish, it is contexto. In German, context is translated as Kontext, and in Japanese, it is written as コンテクスト (kontekusuto).
Delving into the nuances of context in various languages can reveal intriguing cultural differences and similarities. It can also enhance our linguistic abilities and deepen our cross-cultural understanding.
Context
Context in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | konteks | ||
| In Afrikaans, 'konteks' also refers to the social or environmental setting of something. | |||
| Amharic | ዐውደ-ጽሑፍ | ||
| "ዐውደ ጽሑፍ" literally translates to "the body/frame/outline of writing". | |||
| Hausa | mahallin | ||
| The word "mahallin" in Hausa can also refer to a 'place' or 'locality'. | |||
| Igbo | ihe gbara ya gburugburu | ||
| The Igbo word "ihe gbara ya gburugburu" translates to "the things that surround something" and is related to the concept of context in English. | |||
| Malagasy | teny manodidina | ||
| The term "teny manodidina" literally means "words surrounding" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | nkhani | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "context," "nkhani" can also refer to "news" or "a story." | |||
| Shona | mamiriro | ||
| "Mamitiro" also means "a framework supporting a house's walls" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | macnaha guud | ||
| The term “macnaha guud” can also refer to the overall idea or central point of a discourse. | |||
| Sesotho | moelelo oa taba | ||
| "Moelelo oa taba" (context) is literally the "story of the matter." | |||
| Swahili | muktadha | ||
| The word 'muktadha' is a loanword from Arabic meaning 'extract' or 'passage'. | |||
| Xhosa | umxholo | ||
| In Xhosa, "umxholo" not only means "context" but also specifically refers to the main subject matter of a discourse or discussion. | |||
| Yoruba | àyíká ọ̀rọ̀ | ||
| "Àyíká ọ̀rọ̀" literally means "the surroundings of a word", hence its use as "context". | |||
| Zulu | umongo | ||
| The word "umongo" also means "a thought, an idea," from the verb "-onga" "to think." | |||
| Bambara | hukumu | ||
| Ewe | nu si nɔa edzi yim | ||
| Kinyarwanda | imiterere | ||
| Lingala | makambo bazolobela | ||
| Luganda | embera eletera enkola yomukolo | ||
| Sepedi | kamano | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ne nkaeɛ mu | ||
Context in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | سياق الكلام | ||
| Originally, سياق الكلام (siyāq al-kalām) meant 'the sequence of words in a sentence' in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | הֶקשֵׁר | ||
| הקשר also signifies a bond, a linkage; it derives possibly from קשר and is cognate with קשר – 'knot'. | |||
| Pashto | اړوند | ||
| The word "اړوند" can also mean "relevant" or "appropriate" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | سياق الكلام | ||
| Originally, سياق الكلام (siyāq al-kalām) meant 'the sequence of words in a sentence' in Arabic. | |||
Context in Western European Languages
| Albanian | kontekst | ||
| The word "kontekst" in Albanian originates from the Latin word "contextus", meaning "interwoven" or "connection". | |||
| Basque | testuingurua | ||
| The word "testuingurua" comes from the Latin word "textus", meaning "fabric" or "texture". | |||
| Catalan | context | ||
| El término "context" proviene del latín "contextus", que significa "entrelazado" o "tejido". | |||
| Croatian | kontekst | ||
| The word 'kontekst' in Croatian derives from the Latin 'contextus', meaning 'a joining together'. | |||
| Danish | sammenhæng | ||
| The word "sammenhæng" in Danish has a literal meaning of "hanging together". | |||
| Dutch | context | ||
| In Dutch, "context" is also used to refer to a situation within which a particular event occurs. | |||
| English | context | ||
| The word 'context' stems from the Latin word 'contextus', meaning 'to weave together', highlighting its role in providing a coherent framework for understanding. | |||
| French | le contexte | ||
| Le mot « le contexte » vient du latin « contexere » qui signifie « assembler », « tisser ensemble ». | |||
| Frisian | kontekst | ||
| It originates from the Latin word 'contextus', meaning 'connection'. | |||
| Galician | contexto | ||
| "Contexto" means both "context" and "environment". | |||
| German | kontext | ||
| The word 'Kontext' is derived from the Latin word 'contextus', meaning 'woven together' or 'interconnected'. | |||
| Icelandic | samhengi | ||
| The word "samhengi" can also refer to a group or a social gathering. | |||
| Irish | comhthéacs | ||
| The Irish word "comhthéacs" can also refer to a framework, system, or arrangement. | |||
| Italian | contesto | ||
| The word "contesto" originally meant "a weaving together" and is derived from the Latin word "contextus." | |||
| Luxembourgish | kontext | ||
| The word "Kontext" in Luxembourgish can also refer to the environment in which something exists or occurs. | |||
| Maltese | kuntest | ||
| The word "kuntest" is derived from the Latin word "contextus", meaning "woven together". | |||
| Norwegian | kontekst | ||
| "Kontekst" in Norwegian can also refer to the specific circumstances or situation in which something occurs. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | contexto | ||
| Pode se referir tanto ao local de ocorrência de uma frase ou palavra ou ao sentido, circunstância ou situação em que algo é dito ou feito. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | co-theacsa | ||
| Spanish | contexto | ||
| In Spanish, "contexto" can also mean "frame of mind" or "mood". | |||
| Swedish | sammanhang | ||
| The Swedish word "sammanhang" is a compound of "samman" meaning "together" and "hang" meaning "slope", hence "a coming together". | |||
| Welsh | cyd-destun | ||
| Welsh 'cyd-destun' is derived from 'cyd ' meaning 'together' and 'testun' from latin 'textus' meaning 'woven' | |||
Context in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | кантэкст | ||
| The word "кантэкст" (context) in Belarusian comes from the Latin word "contextus" (woven together), indicating the interconnectedness of ideas within a text. | |||
| Bosnian | kontekst | ||
| The word 'kontekst' is derived from the Latin word 'contextus', which means 'woven together' or 'interwoven'. | |||
| Bulgarian | контекст | ||
| "Контекст" е думата, използвана в българския език за обозначаване на | |||
| Czech | kontext | ||
| The word "kontext" can also mean "frame" or "setting" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | kontekst | ||
| Kontekst means both "context" and "texture" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | yhteydessä | ||
| "Yhteydessä" (context) has its etymology in "yhteys" (connection), referring to the state of being connected, and shares a semantic field with "yhteystiedot" (contact information), "yhteistyö" (cooperation), "yhteyksissä" (in contact). | |||
| Hungarian | kontextus | ||
| A "kontextus" szó a régi magyarban "összefüggést" vagy "rendet" jelentett. | |||
| Latvian | kontekstā | ||
| KonteksŅ, from Latin contextus and Late Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰo-ns-tekʷ-s-o-, originally "woven together" but also used figuratively, "connection, series". | |||
| Lithuanian | kontekste | ||
| The word "kontekste" in Lithuanian derived from the Latin "contestus" meaning "woven together" | |||
| Macedonian | контекст | ||
| The word “контекст” in Macedonian originates from the French word “contexte”, which itself is derived from the Latin word “contextus”, meaning “woven together, interconnected, composition”. | |||
| Polish | kontekst | ||
| The word 'kontekst' comes from the Latin word 'contextus', which means 'woven together'. | |||
| Romanian | context | ||
| In Romanian, the word "context" is also used figuratively to mean "pretext". | |||
| Russian | контекст | ||
| The word "контекст" in Russian can also refer to a "subtext" or a "hidden meaning" of a statement or text. | |||
| Serbian | контекст | ||
| The word "контекст" (context) in Serbian can also refer to the 'surroundings' or 'environment' of something. | |||
| Slovak | kontext | ||
| In Slovak, "kontext" has a separate meaning from its English equivalent, referring to a "social circle or milieu". | |||
| Slovenian | kontekstu | ||
| The word 'kontekstu' is derived from the Latin word 'contextus', meaning 'woven together' or 'connected'. | |||
| Ukrainian | контекст | ||
| The word "контекст" comes from the Latin word "contextus," meaning "woven together." | |||
Context in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | প্রসঙ্গ | ||
| The word "প্রসঙ্গ" can also refer to a topic of conversation or a specific situation. | |||
| Gujarati | સંદર્ભ | ||
| Hindi | प्रसंग | ||
| The word 'प्रसंग' originates from the Sanskrit root 'सङ्ग' meaning 'to join,' and implies 'a connection' or 'a relationship'. | |||
| Kannada | ಸಂದರ್ಭ | ||
| The word 'ಸಂದರ್ಭ' originates from the Sanskrit word 'सम् + दर्भ', which means 'coming together'. This term denotes a circumstance or the setting in which an event or a conversation occurs. | |||
| Malayalam | സന്ദർഭം | ||
| "സന്ദർഭം" is derived from Sanskrit word "sam" (together), "da" (to give) and "bha" (to become) | |||
| Marathi | संदर्भ | ||
| The Marathi word संदर्भ can also refer to a 'reference or citation' or a 'relation'. | |||
| Nepali | प्रसंग | ||
| In Nepali, 'प्रसंग' can also mean 'episode' or 'incident'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਪ੍ਰਸੰਗ | ||
| प्रसंग (Prasaṅg) is a Sanskrit word that can also mean 'circumstances', 'connection', 'relation', or 'occasion'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සන්දර්භය | ||
| Tamil | சூழல் | ||
| "சூழல்" means 'encircling', 'embracing' or 'surrounding', which in English would refer to the 'context' of a particular situation | |||
| Telugu | సందర్భం | ||
| This word also means 'circumstance' or 'situation'. | |||
| Urdu | خیال، سیاق | ||
| خیال is an Arabic word that was borrowed into Urdu. It originally meant "imagination, thought, or idea," but in Urdu it has come to mean "context" or "theme." | |||
Context in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 语境 | ||
| 语境一词由“语”与“境”两个字组成，其中“语”指语言，“境”指环境或背景 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 語境 | ||
| 語境，意指上下文或特定的時間和地點，源自「語」和「境」，分別指語言和環境或情境。 | |||
| Japanese | 環境 | ||
| The word 環境 (kankyō) has its roots in Buddhism, where it refers to the world that surrounds and influences a person or thing. | |||
| Korean | 문맥 | ||
| "문맥" is a Sino-Korean word meaning “textual surrounding,” with synonyms including "맥락, 정황" (circumstances) and "사정, 형편" (conditions). | |||
| Mongolian | агуулга | ||
| The word "агуулга" may also refer to the topic or theme of a speech or text. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အခြေအနေ | ||
Context in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | konteks | ||
| "Konteks" is also used in Indonesian to refer to a "pretext" or "excuse". | |||
| Javanese | kontek | ||
| Kontek (context) in Javanese also means 'to look at', 'to examine', or 'to see'. | |||
| Khmer | បរិបទ | ||
| The term 'បរិបទ' ultimately derives from Sanskrit, where it meant 'surrounding, environment, context'. | |||
| Lao | ສະພາບການ | ||
| Malay | konteks | ||
| The Malay word "konteks" is derived from the Dutch word "context". It can also refer to a "frame" or "setting". | |||
| Thai | บริบท | ||
| "บริบท" เป็นคำภาษาบาลีที่แปลว่า "บริเวณรอบด้าน" หรือ "สถานที่ตั้งโดยรอบ" ซึ่งหมายถึงสิ่งแวดล้อมทางสังคมและวัฒนธรรมที่กำหนดความหมายของข้อความ | |||
| Vietnamese | bối cảnh | ||
| "Bối cảnh" ultimately traces back to the Proto-Austronesian word "pituq", meaning "base", "foundation", or "origin". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | konteksto | ||
Context in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | kontekst | ||
| Kontekst also means "intertextuality" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | контекст | ||
| The Kazakh word "контекст" originates from the Latin word "contextus", which means "woven together". | |||
| Kyrgyz | контекст | ||
| Контекст (конtext) — то же самое, что «окружение», «среда», «обстановка». | |||
| Tajik | контекст | ||
| In Persian, the word | |||
| Turkmen | konteksti | ||
| Uzbek | kontekst | ||
| Kontekst (kontekst) n kontekst (kontekst) | |||
| Uyghur | مەزمۇن | ||
Context in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pōʻaiapili | ||
| The Hawaiian word "pōʻaiapili" is derived from ancient Hawaiian words, "pōʻai" meaning "to gather, to eat" and "pili" meaning "to adhere". It refers to the "gathering of ideas to share a common meal" | |||
| Maori | horopaki | ||
| Horopaki can also mean 'to gather together' or 'to accumulate'. | |||
| Samoan | anotusi | ||
| Context in Samoan is expressed using the word “anotusi”, which derives from the verb “anotusi”, meaning to “speak” or “recite”. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | konteksto | ||
| The Tagalog word "konteksto" is derived from the Spanish word "contexto", which comes from the Latin word "contextus", meaning "woven together" or "connected". | |||
Context in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | uñjatarjama | ||
| Guarani | ñe'ẽnda | ||
Context in International Languages
| Esperanto | kunteksto | ||
| Esperanto has two words for "context": "kunteksto", from Latin, and "kunteksto", from Polish. | |||
| Latin | context | ||
| The Latin word "contextus" referred to a text's composition, structure, or weaving together. | |||
Context in Others Languages
| Greek | συμφραζόμενα | ||
| Συμφραζόμενα literally means 'put together with' and implies coherence in a given discourse. | |||
| Hmong | cov ntsiab lus teb | ||
| Kurdish | hevgirêk | ||
| The word "hevgirêk" in Kurdish also refers to the "frame" or "surroundings" of something. | |||
| Turkish | bağlam | ||
| The word "bağlam" originally meant "tie" or "connection" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | umxholo | ||
| In Xhosa, "umxholo" not only means "context" but also specifically refers to the main subject matter of a discourse or discussion. | |||
| Yiddish | קאָנטעקסט | ||
| In Yiddish, “קאָנטעקסט” can also mean "circumstance" or "condition." | |||
| Zulu | umongo | ||
| The word "umongo" also means "a thought, an idea," from the verb "-onga" "to think." | |||
| Assamese | সন্দৰ্ভ | ||
| Aymara | uñjatarjama | ||
| Bhojpuri | प्रसंग | ||
| Dhivehi | ކޮންޓެކްސްޓް | ||
| Dogri | संदर्भ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | konteksto | ||
| Guarani | ñe'ẽnda | ||
| Ilocano | konteksto | ||
| Krio | sem say | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سیاق | ||
| Maithili | संदर्भ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯋꯥꯐꯝ | ||
| Mizo | tlangpui | ||
| Oromo | haala wanta tokkoo | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପ୍ରସଙ୍ଗ | ||
| Quechua | winasqa | ||
| Sanskrit | सन्दर्भ | ||
| Tatar | контекст | ||
| Tigrinya | ዓውዲ | ||
| Tsonga | vundzeni | ||