Contrast in Different Languages
Discover 'Contrast' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Contrast, a simple word that carries a world of meaning within it. It signifies the difference between two things, be it in color, texture, opinion, or ideas. This concept has been a fundamental part of human perception and communication, shaping our understanding of the world around us.
Throughout history, contrast has played a crucial role in various cultural movements and artistic expressions. From the bold contrasts in the paintings of the Baroque period to the striking juxtapositions in modern architecture, contrast has been a powerful tool for creating visual interest and conveying complex ideas.
Moreover, understanding the translation of contrast in different languages can provide fascinating insights into how different cultures perceive and express this concept. For instance, in Spanish, contrast is 'contraste', while in French, it's 'contraste' as well. In German, it's 'Kontrast', and in Japanese, it's 'コントラスト (kontrasto)'.
Exploring the translations of contrast in various languages is not just a linguistic exercise, but a journey through the rich tapestry of human culture and perception. So, let's delve into this journey and discover the beauty of contrast in different languages.
Contrast
Contrast in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | kontras | ||
| In Afrikaans, "kontras" comes from the Dutch "contrast" and also means "argument", "dispute", or "debate". | |||
| Amharic | ንፅፅር | ||
| Hausa | bambanci | ||
| The word "bambanci" can also mean "difference" or "distinction" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | iche | ||
| }Iche’, meaning ‘contrast’ in Igbo, also refers to a situation where something is both good and bad. | |||
| Malagasy | mifanohitra | ||
| The word "mifanohitra" is also used to refer to a confrontation or disagreement between two people or groups. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kusiyana | ||
| The word "kusiyana" in Nyanja can also mean "to compare" or "to be different". | |||
| Shona | kusiyana | ||
| "Kusiyana" derives from the root word "kusaya," meaning "to differ." | |||
| Somali | kala duwanaansho | ||
| Sesotho | phapano | ||
| In Sesotho, the word "phapano" not only means "contrast" but also carries the additional meanings of "difference" and "distinction". | |||
| Swahili | tofauti | ||
| The word 'tofauti' is derived from the Arabic word 'tafawuta', which means 'to be different'. It can also refer to 'disagreement' or 'quarrel'. | |||
| Xhosa | umahluko | ||
| Xhosa "umahluko" is also used to describe the process of reconciliation and the act of returning to balance. | |||
| Yoruba | itansan | ||
| "Itansan" in Yoruba originates from the word "tan", meaning "measure", with the addition of the prefix "i" and the suffix "san", indicating "the act of". Thus, "itansan" literally means "the act of measuring against" or "comparison". | |||
| Zulu | umehluko | ||
| Umehluko is derived from the Zulu word "mehluko" meaning "difference". | |||
| Bambara | kɔnɔnafilila | ||
| Ewe | de vovototo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | itandukaniro | ||
| Lingala | bokeseni | ||
| Luganda | okwawula | ||
| Sepedi | pharologanyo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | abirabɔ | ||
Contrast in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | التباين | ||
| In Arabic, "التباين" can also mean "deviation" or "difference". | |||
| Hebrew | בניגוד | ||
| The word "בניגוד" also means "in contrast to" when referring to two different things or ideas. | |||
| Pashto | برعکس | ||
| برعکس is also used to mean "inverse" or "reverse" in mathematical and scientific contexts. | |||
| Arabic | التباين | ||
| In Arabic, "التباين" can also mean "deviation" or "difference". | |||
Contrast in Western European Languages
| Albanian | kontrast | ||
| In Albanian, “kontrast” may also refer to the act of contrasting someone or something, not simply the state of contrast. | |||
| Basque | kontrastatu | ||
| In Basque, it can also refer to someone of mixed heritage or culture. | |||
| Catalan | contrast | ||
| Contrast, from the Latin contrasting, present participle of contrasto, from contra, against, and stare, to stand. | |||
| Croatian | kontrast | ||
| The word "kontrast" in Croatian can also refer to "counterpoint" in music. | |||
| Danish | kontrast | ||
| The Danish word "kontrast" can also refer to the contrast between two colours or between light and shadow. | |||
| Dutch | contrast | ||
| The word "contrast" comes from the Latin word "contrastare", meaning "to resist" or "to oppose". | |||
| English | contrast | ||
| In the 1500s, "contrast" also meant a "counterpoint in music". | |||
| French | contraste | ||
| En ancien français, contraste désignait aussi une « blessure par instrument tranchant ». | |||
| Frisian | kontrast | ||
| "Kontrast" comes from the Greek "kontra", which means "against," and "stasis," which means "position." | |||
| Galician | contraste | ||
| Contrastes also means "disputes" or "conflicts" in Galician. | |||
| German | kontrast | ||
| The German word "Kontrast" is derived from the Latin "contra" (against) and "stare" (to stand), hence its meaning of "opposition" or "difference". | |||
| Icelandic | andstæða | ||
| The Icelandic word "andstæða" (contrast) is cognate with the German "anderst" (different), and the English "other". | |||
| Irish | codarsnacht | ||
| ‘Codarsnacht', the Irish word for contrast, may perhaps come from an older Irish word ‘codhur' meaning ‘strange, outlandish, queer', or ‘codharsnach' meaning ‘odd' or ‘queer'. | |||
| Italian | contrasto | ||
| The Italian word 'contrasto' also refers to the medieval tradition of poetic debate and performance. | |||
| Luxembourgish | kontrast | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Kontrast" originates from the French word "contraste" and also means "disagreement". | |||
| Maltese | kuntrast | ||
| Kuntrast also means 'difference' or 'disagreement' in Maltese. | |||
| Norwegian | kontrast | ||
| The word "kontrast" in Norwegian also refers to a contrast stitch. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | contraste | ||
| In Portuguese, "contraste" can also refer to a musical counterpoint, or the contrast between different skin colors. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | iomsgaradh | ||
| Spanish | contraste | ||
| The noun "contraste" derives from the Latin verb "contrastare", which means "to oppose" or "to resist." | |||
| Swedish | kontrast | ||
| Swedish "kontrast" originates from Italian "contrasto" via French "contraste" and Latin "contrastus" meaning disagreement or opposition. | |||
| Welsh | cyferbyniad | ||
| The word 'cyferbyniad' also means 'antagonism', coming from the Middle English word 'contrarien', which derives from the Old French word 'contrarier', meaning 'oppose' | |||
Contrast in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | кантраст | ||
| The word "кантраст" comes from the French "contraste", which itself is derived from the Latin "contra" meaning "against" and "stare" meaning "to stand." | |||
| Bosnian | kontrast | ||
| "Kontrast" means "contrast" in Bosnian. It derives from the Latin word "contra" meaning "against". | |||
| Bulgarian | контраст | ||
| The word "контраст" can also refer to a musical term for a musical texture that emphasizes contrasting rhythms, melodies, or harmonies. | |||
| Czech | kontrast | ||
| In Czech, "kontrast" can also refer to the contrast stitch used in sewing, where two fabrics of different colors are stitched together with a contrasting thread. | |||
| Estonian | kontrast | ||
| In Estonian, the word kontrast can also refer to a contrast or disagreement between things, ideas, or situations. | |||
| Finnish | kontrasti | ||
| "Kontrasti" directly translates to "contrast" but it can also mean "contradiction" and "difference". | |||
| Hungarian | kontraszt | ||
| In Hungarian, "kontraszt" originally meant "counterbalance" and was borrowed from German "Kontrast" in the 18th century. | |||
| Latvian | kontrasts | ||
| The word "kontrasts" originally referred to "the opposite thing," and in music it can mean the "second violin" instead of a contrast. | |||
| Lithuanian | kontrastas | ||
| The word "kontrastas" in Lithuanian is derived from the Latin word "contrastare", meaning "to oppose". It can also refer to the difference between two things in terms of appearance, character, or quality. | |||
| Macedonian | контраст | ||
| The word "контраст" in Macedonian is also used to refer to a sharp difference. | |||
| Polish | kontrast | ||
| In Polish, 'kontrast' can also refer to the 'opposite of something'. | |||
| Romanian | contrast | ||
| ''Contrast'' comes from the Latin ''contra'' ('against') and ''stare'' ('to stand'), and relates also to the Old English ''strife'' ('conflict') and ''strof'' ('a fight'), as well as the Greek ''strophos'' ('turning') and ''strephô'' ('to turn'). | |||
| Russian | контраст | ||
| The word контраст was borrowed from French in the 18th century and initially meant 'strife', 'dispute' in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | контраст | ||
| Контраст derives from French "contraste" and Italian "contrasto", meaning opposition, and is related to the verbs "contrastare" (Lat.) and "contraster" (Fr.), meaning to resist, fight, or stand against. | |||
| Slovak | kontrast | ||
| The word "kontrast" is also used to refer to a conflict or difference between two things. | |||
| Slovenian | kontrast | ||
| The word “kontrast” is used in Slovene to refer to the effect of two colors when placed next to each other, the difference between two opinions, and to a certain extent, to describe situations in life. | |||
| Ukrainian | контраст | ||
| The word "контраст" derives from the Latin word "contrastare", meaning "to oppose". | |||
Contrast in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিপরীতে | ||
| "বিপরীতে" is the Sanskrit word for 'in reverse' or 'in opposition'. | |||
| Gujarati | વિરોધાભાસ | ||
| વિરોધાભાસ is also commonly used to denote a person who has contradictory or contrasting qualities or a situation that combines seemingly contradictory qualities. | |||
| Hindi | इसके विपरीत | ||
| Originally "contrast" meant "strife"; this sense is now obsolete. | |||
| Kannada | ಕಾಂಟ್ರಾಸ್ಟ್ | ||
| The word "ಕಾಂಟ್ರಾಸ್ಟ್" comes from the Latin word "contrastare," which means "to oppose" or "to set against." | |||
| Malayalam | ദൃശ്യതീവ്രത | ||
| The Sanskrit word "drśyatīvra" is also used to refer to the difference in color intensity, brightness or tone between two adjacent colors. | |||
| Marathi | कॉन्ट्रास्ट | ||
| The word "contrast" is often used in Marathi to refer to a contrast between two things. | |||
| Nepali | कन्ट्रास्ट | ||
| The word "contrast" comes from the Latin word "contrastare," meaning "to stand against." | |||
| Punjabi | ਇਸ ਦੇ ਉਲਟ | ||
| The word in Punjabi for 'contrast' is composed by the root 'contra', which shares its Latin origin with the English 'contrast', and 'star', which means 'opposite'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වෙනස | ||
| The Sinhala word "වෙනස" can also mean "change" or "difference". | |||
| Tamil | மாறாக | ||
| The word "மாறாக" is derived from the verb "மாறல்" (to change), which also has meanings of "difference, contrast, contradiction". | |||
| Telugu | విరుద్ధంగా | ||
| విరుద్ధంగా (viruddhanga) shares its etymology with the Sanskrit word 'viruddh' (against), as well as the Kannada and Malayalam words 'virrudh' and 'viruddam', respectively. | |||
| Urdu | اس کے برعکس | ||
| The word “اس کے برعکس” is also used to introduce a counterpoint or opposing idea in a sentence. | |||
Contrast in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 对比 | ||
| "对" can also mean "to face or confront" and "比" can mean "to compare". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 對比 | ||
| "對比"本寫作"對披"，意為對披衣裳，再引申為比較。 | |||
| Japanese | コントラスト | ||
| コントラスト (kontorasuto) is a Japanese loanword from the English word "contrast". | |||
| Korean | 대조 | ||
| The word "대조" (contrast) in Korean can also refer to "comparative study". | |||
| Mongolian | ялгаатай байдал | ||
| "Ялгаатай байдал" is also used to refer to the difference between two things, or the distinguishing features of something. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဆနျ့ကငျြ | ||
Contrast in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kontras | ||
| The Indonesian word "kontras" derives from the Dutch "contrast", which in turn comes from the Latin "contra" (against) and "stare" (to stand). | |||
| Javanese | kontras | ||
| In Javanese, the word "kontras" also refers to a type of shadow puppet play originating in the village of Kutoarjo in Purworejo Regency. | |||
| Khmer | ផ្ទុយ | ||
| The Khmer word "ផ្ទុយ" (contrast) is also used to mean "bad" or "opposite". | |||
| Lao | ກົງກັນຂ້າມ | ||
| Malay | kontras | ||
| In Malay, 'kontras' also means 'compare'. | |||
| Thai | ความคมชัด | ||
| Although "ความคมชัด" primarily translates as "contrast" in English, it also carries the meanings "resolution", "clarity" and "sharpness". | |||
| Vietnamese | tương phản | ||
| The word "tương phản" also means "opposing" or "conflicting" | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kaibahan | ||
Contrast in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ziddiyyət | ||
| Kazakh | контраст | ||
| The word "контраст" in Kazakh also means "opposition" and "difference". | |||
| Kyrgyz | контраст | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "контраст" is derived from the Persian word "کنتراست" (kontrast), which in turn comes from the French word "contraste". | |||
| Tajik | муқоиса | ||
| The Tajik word "муқоиса" is derived from the Persian word "مقایسه", ultimately stemming from the Arabic word "قاس" meaning "to judge". | |||
| Turkmen | tersine | ||
| Uzbek | qarama-qarshilik | ||
| The Uzbek word "qarama-qarshilik" is a compound word derived from the words "qarama" (look) and "qarshilik" (opposition), and it originally meant "looking at each other" or "facing each other." | |||
| Uyghur | سېلىشتۇرما | ||
Contrast in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻokoʻa | ||
| 'ʻOkoʻa' is also used in Hawaiian to mean differences between people or things. | |||
| Maori | rerekētanga | ||
| In Maori, the word "rerekētanga" can also refer to the act of dissenting, or the state of disagreement. | |||
| Samoan | eseesega | ||
| Eseeesega (contrast) comes from the word ese (difference) and the word esega (to divide). | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kaibahan | ||
| Despite the similar spelling, the Filipino word "kaibahan" is not etymologically related to the English word "difference". | |||
Contrast in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | mayja | ||
| Guarani | hesakãngue | ||
Contrast in International Languages
| Esperanto | kontrasto | ||
| The word "kontrasto" comes from the Italian word "contrasto," which means "opposition or conflict." | |||
| Latin | sed | ||
| "Sed" comes from the Indo-European root "*sed-", meaning "to sit." | |||
Contrast in Others Languages
| Greek | αντίθεση | ||
| In Ancient Greek, the word "αντίθεση" also meant "opposition" or "contradiction". | |||
| Hmong | sib piv | ||
| The Hmong word "sib piv" comes from the root word "siv," which means "different" and "piv," which means "oppose," creating the idea of difference and opposition. | |||
| Kurdish | dijîtî | ||
| The word "dijîtî" can also refer to "difference" or "distinction" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | kontrast | ||
| "Kontrast" comes from the Latin "contra" (against) + "stare" (to stand) and refers to the comparison of differences. | |||
| Xhosa | umahluko | ||
| Xhosa "umahluko" is also used to describe the process of reconciliation and the act of returning to balance. | |||
| Yiddish | קאַנטראַסט | ||
| In Yiddish, "קאַנטראַסט" ("contrast") can also refer to a difference of opinion or a disagreement | |||
| Zulu | umehluko | ||
| Umehluko is derived from the Zulu word "mehluko" meaning "difference". | |||
| Assamese | বিষমতা | ||
| Aymara | mayja | ||
| Bhojpuri | फरक देखावल | ||
| Dhivehi | ކޮންޓްރާސްޓް | ||
| Dogri | उलटा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kaibahan | ||
| Guarani | hesakãngue | ||
| Ilocano | kasupadi | ||
| Krio | difrɛn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پێچەوانە | ||
| Maithili | विषमता | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯨꯅꯗꯕ | ||
| Mizo | in ep | ||
| Oromo | waliin madaaluu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବିପରୀତ | ||
| Quechua | kanchariy | ||
| Sanskrit | विप्रकर्ष | ||
| Tatar | контраст | ||
| Tigrinya | ኣወዳደረ | ||
| Tsonga | tsotsovana | ||