Conversation in Different Languages
Discover 'Conversation' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Conversation: it's a simple word, yet it holds a world of meaning. Conversations are the lifeblood of human connection, the bridges that link us to one another. They're how we share ideas, tell stories, and understand the world around us. But the significance of conversation goes beyond the personal. It's a cultural phenomenon, a universal language that transcends borders and connects us all.
Consider the fact that, despite our diverse languages and dialects, the structure of conversation remains remarkably consistent across cultures. We take turns speaking, listen actively, and respond appropriately. It's a testament to the fundamental human need for connection and communication.
Moreover, understanding the translation of conversation in different languages can open up new worlds of cultural understanding. For instance, did you know that in Japanese, 'conversation' is 'tsuuchou' (通帳)? Or that in Spanish, it's 'conversación'? These translations not only provide a linguistic insight but also a cultural one.
So, join us as we delve into the translations of conversation in various languages. Whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or just someone curious about the world, there's something here for everyone.
Conversation
Conversation in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | gesprek | ||
| The Afrikaans word "gesprek" is derived from the Dutch word "gesprek", which can also mean "discussion", "discourse", or "debate". | |||
| Amharic | ውይይት | ||
| The term 'ውይይት' has a shared Indo-European root with ‘conversation’ and ‘colloquy’ | |||
| Hausa | hira | ||
| The Hausa word "hira" also refers to a gathering of friends for social interaction or storytelling. | |||
| Igbo | mkparịta ụka | ||
| Malagasy | resaka | ||
| The word "resaka" in Malagasy can also refer to a "ripple" or "wave" on water. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zokambirana | ||
| The word "zokambirana" also means "to share a meal" in Nyanja, highlighting the importance of conversation during communal dining experiences. | |||
| Shona | hurukuro | ||
| The Shona term "hurukuro" can also refer to a particular type of bird known for its vocalizations | |||
| Somali | wadahadal | ||
| Wada is an imperative verbal noun in Somali, with wad meaning 'speak' and hadi meaning 'this place'. | |||
| Sesotho | puisano | ||
| The word "puisano" also means "speech" or "communication". | |||
| Swahili | mazungumzo | ||
| The word "mazungumzo" originates from the Arabic word "muhadithah", which means "dialogue" or "conversation." | |||
| Xhosa | incoko | ||
| The word "incoko" can also refer to a "group of people engaged in conversation" or a "topic of conversation" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | ibaraẹnisọrọ | ||
| Ibaraẹnisọrọ also means "to be in good terms with someone"} | |||
| Zulu | ingxoxo | ||
| In Zulu, 'ingxoxo' also means 'a matter' or 'an issue', implying that conversation is a social process of addressing and resolving shared concerns. | |||
| Bambara | masala | ||
| Ewe | dzeɖoɖo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ikiganiro | ||
| Lingala | lisolo | ||
| Luganda | emboozi | ||
| Sepedi | poledišano | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nkɔmmɔdie | ||
Conversation in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | محادثة | ||
| The word 'محادثة' is derived from the root word 'حدَث', which means 'to happen' or 'to take place'. | |||
| Hebrew | שִׂיחָה | ||
| The Hebrew word שיח “conversation” also means “shrub”, possibly due to the idea of multiple branches of communication growing from a central trunk. | |||
| Pashto | خبرې | ||
| In Pashto, the word "خبرې" can also mean "news" or "information", originating from the Persian word "khabar" which has the same meanings. | |||
| Arabic | محادثة | ||
| The word 'محادثة' is derived from the root word 'حدَث', which means 'to happen' or 'to take place'. | |||
Conversation in Western European Languages
| Albanian | bisedë | ||
| Albanian "bisedë" is related to "besë" ("promise") and reflects the trust needed for a meaningful conversation. | |||
| Basque | elkarrizketa | ||
| Elkarrizketa comes from the Basque word elkar, meaning "together", and hitz, meaning "word". | |||
| Catalan | conversa | ||
| The word "conversa" in Catalan can also mean "Jewish person who converted to Christianity in Medieval Spain" or "person in a monastic community following the rule of Saint Benedict". | |||
| Croatian | razgovor | ||
| In Croatian, razgovor also means 'interview', or 'discussion' (such as on a radio or TV series). | |||
| Danish | samtale | ||
| The word 'samtale' comes from the Old Norse words 'samr' (together) and 'tala' (to speak), and can also refer to a 'dialogue' or 'chat'. | |||
| Dutch | gesprek | ||
| Gesprek also means "woven" or "braided" in Dutch. | |||
| English | conversation | ||
| The word "conversation" derives from the Latin "conversari," meaning "to keep company with, associate with, live with." | |||
| French | conversation | ||
| In French, the word "conversation" can also mean "relationship" or "conduct", highlighting the multifaceted nature of human interactions. | |||
| Frisian | petear | ||
| Petear comes from the French word "parler" meaning "to speak" and originally referred to the act of gossiping | |||
| Galician | conversa | ||
| A 'conversa' can refer to either the physical space where Galician is spoken, as opposed to a 'fala' which is the same but referring to an Asturian-Leonese-influenced area, or it can refer to a social space, such as the one created during 'xuntanzas', social meetings where the purpose is usually the preservation and dissemination of Galician language. | |||
| German | konversation | ||
| "Konversation" can also refer to a musical ensemble consisting of a group of instruments playing together. | |||
| Icelandic | samtal | ||
| The word 'samtal' also means 'talk' or 'discussion'. | |||
| Irish | comhrá | ||
| The word 'comhrá' is derived from the Proto-Celtic word '*kom-rog-i̯a', meaning 'conversation'. | |||
| Italian | conversazione | ||
| The Italian word "conversazione" can also mean a social gathering or a lecture given at such a gathering. | |||
| Luxembourgish | gespréich | ||
| The word "Gespréich" is a compound of the words "ge-" ("together") and "spréchen" ("to speak"), hence its original meaning is "speaking together". | |||
| Maltese | konversazzjoni | ||
| The Maltese word 'konversazzjoni', meaning 'conversation' in English, was influenced by the Italian word 'conversazione', indicating a 'social gathering for a lively exchange of views'. | |||
| Norwegian | samtale | ||
| The Norwegian word “samtale” is cognate with the English word “simultaneous,” indicating the idea of 'same time' speech. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | conversação | ||
| The Portuguese word "conversação" can also refer to an informal gathering where people chat and exchange ideas. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | còmhradh | ||
| Spanish | conversacion | ||
| "Conversación" derives from "convergere," the Latin root meaning "come together," and the suffix "-ción," indicating action. It can also refer to a specific topic discussed among friends. | |||
| Swedish | konversation | ||
| In Swedish, 'konversation' can also refer to a musical conversation between instruments. | |||
| Welsh | sgwrs | ||
| The word "sgwrs" is cognate with the Irish "comhrá", meaning "conversation", and the Breton "komz", meaning "speech". | |||
Conversation in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | размова | ||
| "Размова" is also used in Belarusian to mean an "interview" or an "interrogation". | |||
| Bosnian | razgovor | ||
| Razgovor is also an old Slavic word for dispute or quarrel | |||
| Bulgarian | разговор | ||
| The word разговор is derived from the Proto-Slavic term *govoriti*, meaning "to speak" and cognate with the English "gabble" | |||
| Czech | konverzace | ||
| The Czech word "konverzace" also means "a conversation with a lady at a party". | |||
| Estonian | vestlus | ||
| "Vestlus" (conversation) shares its root with "vest" (bow), reflecting the idea of respectfully acknowledging someone before initiating a conversation. | |||
| Finnish | keskustelu | ||
| The word "keskustelu" literally means "a central path". | |||
| Hungarian | beszélgetés | ||
| The word "beszélgetés" in Hungarian derives from "beszámít", meaning both "to include" and "to count on". | |||
| Latvian | saruna | ||
| In Sanskrit, the word "saruna" means "to speak or converse". | |||
| Lithuanian | pokalbis | ||
| Pokalbis derives from kalbėti, 'to speak', as in kalba, 'language'. | |||
| Macedonian | разговор | ||
| The word "разговор" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root "*govoriti", meaning "to speak", and is related to the Russian word "говор" (speech, talk). | |||
| Polish | rozmowa | ||
| "Rozmowa" is also a colloquial term for "interview" or "interrogation" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | conversaţie | ||
| In Romanian, "conversaţie" also denotes the action of turning someone into a Catholic (especially when referring to Jews who converted during the Spanish Inquisition). | |||
| Russian | разговор | ||
| The word "разговор" also means "talk" or "speech" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | разговор | ||
| The Serbian word 'razgovor' comes from the Proto-Slavic root meaning 'to speak, tell, show' | |||
| Slovak | konverzácia | ||
| "Konverzácia" is a Slovak word derived from the Latin verb "conversari", meaning "to associate with" or "to have dealings with". | |||
| Slovenian | pogovor | ||
| The Slovenian word 'pogovor' can also mean 'agreement' or 'negotiation', and is related to the word 'pogodba', meaning 'contract'. | |||
| Ukrainian | розмова | ||
| "Розмова" comes from "роз-" - "apart" and "мова" - "speech", so it can also mean "dividing the speech". | |||
Conversation in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কথোপকথন | ||
| The word "কথোপকথন" derives from the Sanskrit words "katha" (speech) and "upakatha" (a short story), and its meanings include "dialogue" and "recitation" | |||
| Gujarati | વાતચીત | ||
| "વાતચીત" comes from Sanskrit, where "vach" means "speech" and "chit" means "thought". | |||
| Hindi | बातचीत | ||
| The Hindi word "बातचीत" is derived from the Sanskrit words "वाद" meaning "speech" and "चित्त" meaning "mind". | |||
| Kannada | ಸಂಭಾಷಣೆ | ||
| The word "ಸಂಭಾಷಣೆ" (sambhashane) in Kannada can also mean "discussion", "dialogue", or "chat". | |||
| Malayalam | സംഭാഷണം | ||
| "സംഭാഷണം" (conversation) is derived from the Sanskrit word "sam-ava-shash" meaning "to speak together." | |||
| Marathi | संभाषण | ||
| "संभाषण" comes from "सं" (with, together) and "भाषण" (speech), thus its literal meaning is "speaking together". | |||
| Nepali | कुराकानी | ||
| The word 'कुराकानी' derives from two words: 'कुरा' (talk) and 'कानी' (ear), and can also mean gossip or chit-chat. | |||
| Punjabi | ਗੱਲਬਾਤ | ||
| The word "ਗੱਲਬਾਤ" literally means "talking-conversation" in Punjabi, highlighting the interactive and reciprocal nature of conversations. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සාකච්ඡාව | ||
| In Sinhala, සාකච්ඡාව can also refer to an exchange of views or a debate, highlighting its broader usage beyond everyday conversation. | |||
| Tamil | உரையாடல் | ||
| The word "உரையாடல்" derives from the Tamil roots "உரை" (speech) and "ஆடல்" (dance), which together convey the idea of a rhythmic exchange of words. | |||
| Telugu | సంభాషణ | ||
| The word "సంభాషణ" comes from the Sanskrit word "संभाषा" (sam-bhaasha), meaning "speaking together" or "exchange of words". | |||
| Urdu | گفتگو | ||
| The Urdu word "گفتگو" comes from the Persian word "گفت و گو", meaning "talk" and "chat" and is also the root of the English word "dialogue". | |||
Conversation in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 会话 | ||
| The second definition of "会话" is a talk that discusses a set of specified subjects between members of a panel who often have specific areas of expertise | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 會話 | ||
| 會話"(conversation) is also used in the sense of "meeting" or "interview." | |||
| Japanese | 会話 | ||
| 会話 also means “mutual agreement” in legal matters, and as such can appear in phrases like “契約の会話” (agreement to contract). | |||
| Korean | 대화 | ||
| "대화" initially meant "to exchange words" and its current meaning of "conversation" was established in the 1910s. | |||
| Mongolian | яриа | ||
| In Khitan, 'iar' meant 'to say', and this could be the source of Mongolian 'iariy' ('to speak'). | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စကားပြောဆိုမှု | ||
| This word can also mean "negotiation" or "exchange of words". | |||
Conversation in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | percakapan | ||
| The Indonesian word "percakapan" derives from the Sanskrit word "parikrama" which means "walking around". | |||
| Javanese | pacelathon | ||
| In Javanese, "pacelathon" also means "to talk slowly and deliberately" | |||
| Khmer | ការសន្ទនា | ||
| Lao | ການສົນທະນາ | ||
| Malay | perbualan | ||
| The word 'perbualan' is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word '*paR-buRaq', which means 'to speak'. | |||
| Thai | การสนทนา | ||
| "การสนทนา" can also refer to a "gathering" or "forum" | |||
| Vietnamese | cuộc hội thoại | ||
| The Vietnamese word "cuộc hội thoại" literally means "a string of meetings", and can also refer to a discussion between just two people, not just a multi-person group. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pag-uusap | ||
Conversation in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | söhbət | ||
| The word "söhbət" can also mean "a gathering of friends or family for a convivial chat" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | әңгіме | ||
| Kyrgyz | сүйлөшүү | ||
| Tajik | гуфтугӯ | ||
| The word "гуфтугӯ" (conversation) is derived from the Persian word "گفتگو" (conversation), which is composed of the verb "گفتن" (to speak) and the noun "گو" (speech). | |||
| Turkmen | söhbetdeşlik | ||
| Uzbek | suhbat | ||
| The word "suhbat" in Uzbek, derived from Arabic, also carries the meaning of companionship or society. | |||
| Uyghur | سۆھبەت | ||
Conversation in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kamailio ana | ||
| Although kamailio ana can mean "conversation," it may also refer to "talking to" or "speaking with" someone. | |||
| Maori | korerorero | ||
| Korerorero, meaning 'conversation', can also refer to 'a group' or 'a meeting' in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | talanoaga | ||
| The Samoan word "tālānōaga," which translates to "conversation," can also refer to a "story" or a "recital" in the extended sense of a conversation that takes place between individuals. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | usapan | ||
| Usapan is derived from the root word "usap" which means "to speak" or "to talk". | |||
Conversation in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | aruskipawi | ||
| Guarani | ñomongeta | ||
Conversation in International Languages
| Esperanto | konversacio | ||
| The Esperanto word "konversacio" can also refer to a particular form of poetry. | |||
| Latin | colloquium | ||
| In ancient Rome, "colloquium" was not only a dialogue but also a private meeting between an important person and their client. | |||
Conversation in Others Languages
| Greek | συνομιλία | ||
| In Ancient Greek, "συνομιλία" referred to any intellectual exchange and could sometimes even mean "reading together". | |||
| Hmong | kev sib tham | ||
| The word "kev sib tham" is derived from the phrase "kev thooj sib hais," which means "to speak and share words with each other." | |||
| Kurdish | kêfî | ||
| The Kurdish word "kêfî" can also mean "mood" or "state of mind". | |||
| Turkish | konuşma | ||
| "Konuşma" can also refer to "speech" (as in public address) due to its derivation from the word "konuşmak" which means both"to speak" and "to converse". | |||
| Xhosa | incoko | ||
| The word "incoko" can also refer to a "group of people engaged in conversation" or a "topic of conversation" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | שמועס | ||
| The Yiddish word "שמועס" can also refer to a gossip or a tall tale. | |||
| Zulu | ingxoxo | ||
| In Zulu, 'ingxoxo' also means 'a matter' or 'an issue', implying that conversation is a social process of addressing and resolving shared concerns. | |||
| Assamese | কথা-বাৰ্তা | ||
| Aymara | aruskipawi | ||
| Bhojpuri | बतकही | ||
| Dhivehi | ވާހަކަ | ||
| Dogri | गल्ल-बात | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pag-uusap | ||
| Guarani | ñomongeta | ||
| Ilocano | panagsao | ||
| Krio | tɔk | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | گفتوگۆ | ||
| Maithili | बातचीत | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯋꯥꯔꯤ ꯋꯥꯇꯥꯏ ꯁꯥꯕ | ||
| Mizo | inbiakna | ||
| Oromo | haasaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବାର୍ତ୍ତାଳାପ | | ||
| Quechua | rimanakuy | ||
| Sanskrit | संवादः | ||
| Tatar | сөйләшү | ||
| Tigrinya | ዝርርብ | ||
| Tsonga | mbhurisano | ||