Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'convert' holds great significance in many cultures and languages around the world. Derived from the Latin word convertere, meaning 'to turn around', the term has evolved to encompass a wide range of meanings, from changing one's beliefs or opinions, to transforming physical materials or digital data. Throughout history, the concept of conversion has played a crucial role in shaping societies, religions, and technologies.
Understanding the translation of convert in different languages can open up new avenues of communication and cultural exchange. For instance, in Spanish, 'convert' is translated as 'convertir', while in French, it becomes 'convertir'. In German, the term is 'konvertieren', and in Japanese, it is '変換する' (henkan suru).
Exploring the various translations of 'convert' not only deepens our appreciation for the richness and diversity of global languages but also enables us to forge stronger connections with people from different cultural backgrounds.
Afrikaans | omskakel | ||
The word "omskakel" in Afrikaans can also mean "to change" or "to transform". | |||
Amharic | መለወጥ | ||
The word "መለወጥ" can also mean "to change" or "to alter" in Amharic. | |||
Hausa | maida | ||
In Hausa, "maida" also means "to return" or "to take back" something. | |||
Igbo | tọghatara | ||
The word “tọghatara” is derived from the Igbo word “tọ́,” which means "follow" or "believe in." | |||
Malagasy | niova fo | ||
The Malagasy word "niova fo" can also mean "change" or "renovation", highlighting its broader connotations of transformation and renewal. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | tembenuza | ||
Tembenuza comes from the root verb '-tembenuka,' meaning 'to change'. It can also mean 'to reform' or 'to be renewed'. | |||
Shona | shandura | ||
The word 'shandura' also means 'to turn' or 'to change'. | |||
Somali | beddelasho | ||
The term beddelasho in Somali can also refer to a type of traditional attire worn in the Horn of Africa. | |||
Sesotho | fetola | ||
"Fetola" can also mean "to change", "to turn", or "to become" | |||
Swahili | kubadilisha | ||
Kubadilisha can also mean 'to be transformed' or 'to be changed' in Swahili. | |||
Xhosa | guqula | ||
"Guqula" can also refer to "change" or "alter" in the context of religion. | |||
Yoruba | iyipada | ||
"Iyipada" is derived from the verb "pada" (return), suggesting a change of direction or allegiance. | |||
Zulu | guqula | ||
The Zulu word guqula also means "turn" or "return". | |||
Bambara | yɛlɛma | ||
Ewe | trɔ dzime | ||
Kinyarwanda | guhindura | ||
Lingala | kobongola | ||
Luganda | okukyuuka | ||
Sepedi | fetoša | ||
Twi (Akan) | sesa kɔ | ||
Arabic | تحويل | ||
Originally, it referred to a physical change from one form or nature to another, as with alchemy | |||
Hebrew | להמיר | ||
In ancient Hebrew 'להמיר' referred to exchanging money or goods, and evolved to denote exchanging one religion for another. | |||
Pashto | بدلول | ||
The word "بدلول" in Pashto can also refer to a person who has changed their religion or beliefs. | |||
Arabic | تحويل | ||
Originally, it referred to a physical change from one form or nature to another, as with alchemy |
Albanian | konvertoj | ||
The Albanian word "konvertoj" derives from the Latin "convertere", meaning "to change" or "to alter." | |||
Basque | bihurtu | ||
The word "bihurtu" is also used in Basque to mean "turn around" or "change direction". | |||
Catalan | convertir | ||
The Catalan word "convertir" also means to "turn" or "change into". | |||
Croatian | pretvoriti | ||
"Pretvoriti" in Croatian also means "to make something", "to transform something", "to change something into something else", "to turn something into something else", "to translate something". | |||
Danish | konvertere | ||
In Danish, "konvertere" also means to exchange currencies or file formats. | |||
Dutch | converteren | ||
"Converteren" can also mean "process" or "exchange" in Dutch. | |||
English | convert | ||
The word 'convert' derives from the Latin 'convertere', meaning 'to turn around' or change direction. | |||
French | convertir | ||
The French verb "convertir" has its origins in the Latin word "convertere," meaning "to turn or change direction." | |||
Frisian | konvertearje | ||
The Frisian word "konvertearje" can also mean "to change" or "to transform". | |||
Galician | converter | ||
In Galician, “converter” can also mean “transformer” or “adapter.” | |||
German | konvertieren | ||
"Konvertieren" has a second meaning: changing a data format (e.g. PDF to Word). | |||
Icelandic | umbreyta | ||
In Icelandic, "umbreyta" can also mean "to transform". | |||
Irish | tiontaigh | ||
Tiontaigh is a term that may also be applied to a priest receiving a religious community into his own order. | |||
Italian | convertire | ||
The Italian word “convertire” also means “to change (something) from one thing into another” or “to exchange (something) for something else” | |||
Luxembourgish | ëmsetzen | ||
Maltese | jikkonverti | ||
The word "jikkonverti" can also mean "to change" or "to transform". | |||
Norwegian | konvertere | ||
The word "konvertere" can also mean "to transform" or "to change" in Norwegian. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | converter | ||
In Portuguese the word "converter" can also mean "adapter". | |||
Scots Gaelic | tionndadh | ||
Tionndadh ('convert') can also refer to a 'tendency' or 'inclination'. | |||
Spanish | convertir | ||
"Convertir" in Spanish can mean "to convert" in English, but also "to exchange" or "to turn into something else."} | |||
Swedish | konvertera | ||
The word "konvertera" in Swedish comes from the Latin word "converto", meaning "to turn around". | |||
Welsh | trosi | ||
In Old Welsh, trosi also had the meaning 'to turn', referring to a physical movement rather than a change of belief. |
Belarusian | канвертаваць | ||
The word “канвертаваць” comes from the Latin “converto”, which means “to turn” or “to change”. | |||
Bosnian | pretvoriti | ||
The verb 'pretvoriti' can have multiple meanings, depending on the context in which it is used, including 'convert money', 'convert units' and 'transform'. | |||
Bulgarian | конвертирате | ||
Конвертирате - преобразовать, сменить веру, обратить в другую веру, обменивать валюту | |||
Czech | konvertovat | ||
The Czech word "konvertovat" comes from the Latin "convertere" and can also mean "turn" or "translate". | |||
Estonian | teisendada | ||
" teisendada " also means "to transcode" or "to transcribe" in Estonian, from the root "teise" meaning "other" and "teha" meaning "to make" or "to do." | |||
Finnish | muuntaa | ||
Muuntaa's root in Proto-Finnic "munta- " originally meant "to exchange". From this sense it developed to "to alter", "to change" and then also "to convert". | |||
Hungarian | alakítani | ||
"Átalakítani" and "alakítani" are not the same, the former means modifying the form, while the latter means modifying the content as well. | |||
Latvian | konvertēt | ||
Latvian "konvertēt" also means "to digitize" and "to swap (currency)". | |||
Lithuanian | paversti | ||
The Lithuanian word "Paversti" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*h₂wers-," meaning "to turn" or "to change." | |||
Macedonian | преобрати | ||
The verb "преобрати" in Macedonian shares the same etymology with "pretvoriti" in Serbian and Croatian and "претворить" in Russian, all going back to the Proto-Slavic root "*prěvoriti". In Serbian and Croatian, it also has the additional meanings of "transform" and "transfigure". | |||
Polish | konwertować | ||
The word "konwertować" in Polish can also mean "to digitize" or "to transcode". | |||
Romanian | convertit | ||
The Romanian word "convertit" also means "convertible car". | |||
Russian | конвертировать | ||
The verb "конвертировать" derives from the French word "convertir", which in turn derives from the Latin word "convertere" meaning "to turn". | |||
Serbian | претворити | ||
"Претворити" originally meant "to perform a miracle" and was later used for "to convert" and "to transform". | |||
Slovak | konvertovať | ||
In Slovak, the word “konvertovať” can also refer to exchanging currency or transforming data and is closely related to the English “convert”. | |||
Slovenian | pretvorba | ||
The Slovenian word "Pretvorba" has two additional meanings: "transformation" and "reformation" in the religious context. | |||
Ukrainian | конвертувати | ||
The Ukrainian word 'конвертувати' can also mean 'to exchange currency'. |
Bengali | রূপান্তর | ||
The Bengali word "রূপান্তর" (rūpāntara) also refers to the process of transforming or changing something. | |||
Gujarati | કન્વર્ટ | ||
The term "convert" can also mean "to turn or alter the form or function of something." | |||
Hindi | धर्मांतरित | ||
The Hindi word "धर्मांतरित" can also mean "to change one's religion" or "to be converted to a different religion." | |||
Kannada | ಪರಿವರ್ತಿಸಿ | ||
The word "ಪರಿವರ್ತಿಸಿ" (convert) also means to exchange or transform something into another form. | |||
Malayalam | മാറ്റുക | ||
"மாற்ற | |||
Marathi | रूपांतरण | ||
The word 'रूपांतरण' in Marathi comes from the word 'रूप' ('form') and the suffix '-ंतरण' ('transfer'), meaning the act of transferring between forms or changing forms | |||
Nepali | रूपान्तरण | ||
रूपान्तरण (rupāntaraṇa) can also mean transformation, alteration, and version. | |||
Punjabi | ਤਬਦੀਲ | ||
The Punjabi word "ਤਬਦੀਲ" shares the same root as the Arabic word "تبديل" meaning "exchange" or "transform". | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පරිවර්තනය කරන්න | ||
Tamil | மாற்றவும் | ||
மாற்றவும் can also mean to change something from one form or state to another. | |||
Telugu | మార్చండి | ||
Urdu | تبدیل | ||
The word "تبدیل" can also mean "to exchange" or "to transform". |
Chinese (Simplified) | 兑换 | ||
兑换 can also mean the exchange of currencies between different countries | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 兌換 | ||
兌換的本義為「換東西」,引申為「兌換貨幣」、「兌換券」等意義。 | |||
Japanese | 変換する | ||
The Japanese word "変換する" can also mean "to transform" or "to change". | |||
Korean | 변하게 하다 | ||
변하게 하다's initial meaning was not conversion but rather, exchanging between two things that are different. | |||
Mongolian | хөрвүүлэх | ||
The verb хөрвүүлэх can also mean to exchange or translate. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ပြောင်းလဲ | ||
Indonesian | mengubah | ||
Mengubah' is derived from 'ubah' and can also mean 'to alter' or 'to change'. | |||
Javanese | ngonversi | ||
The Javanese word "ngonversi" can also mean "to translate" or "to change into another form" | |||
Khmer | បំលែង | ||
The word "បំលែង" has a root word meaning "to change" and can also mean to "turn into" or "to make something different". | |||
Lao | ປ່ຽນໃຈເຫລື້ອມໃສ | ||
Malay | menukar | ||
The Malay word "menukar" can also mean "to exchange" or "to barter". | |||
Thai | แปลง | ||
แปลง can also mean 'to change' or 'to transform', and it is derived from the Sanskrit word 'parivarta' meaning 'to turn around'. | |||
Vietnamese | đổi | ||
"Đổi" derives from Chinese 兌 "dui" and is also pronounced duệ in Vietnamese, sharing its alternate meaning "exchange" with duệ. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | magbalik-loob | ||
Azerbaijani | çevirmək | ||
The Azerbaijani word | |||
Kazakh | түрлендіру | ||
The verb "түрлендіру" can also mean "to exchange" or "to transform". | |||
Kyrgyz | өзгөртүү | ||
The term "өзгөртүү" also means to change or modify something in Kyrgyz. | |||
Tajik | табдил додан | ||
The word "табдил додан" ("convert") in Tajik also means "to change". | |||
Turkmen | öwürmek | ||
Uzbek | aylantirish | ||
The Uzbek word "aylantirish" can also mean "to turn" or "to change". | |||
Uyghur | ئايلاندۇرۇش | ||
Hawaiian | hoʻolilo | ||
The word "hoʻolilo" can also mean "to change" or "to make into something else". | |||
Maori | huri | ||
In Māori, "huri" also means to turn, twist, or change. | |||
Samoan | liua | ||
The Samoan word "liua" likely derives from the Proto-Polynesian root word "tiukua," meaning "to turn" or "to change direction." | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | mag-convert | ||
"Mag-convert" in Tagalog can also mean to change the form or nature of something. |
Aymara | tukuña | ||
Guarani | moambuejey | ||
Esperanto | konverti | ||
Esperanto's "konverti" also means "to convince" or "to switch" beyond its primary meaning. | |||
Latin | convertere | ||
The Latin word "convertere" means to turn, alter, or exchange. |
Greek | μετατρέπω | ||
"Μετατρέπω" is Greek for "transform", "change". It can also refer to "converting" a religion. | |||
Hmong | hloov pauv | ||
Hmong converts between different forms of romanization, including Romanized Popular Alphabet (RPA), Romanized Miao Script (RMS), and White Hmong Romanization. | |||
Kurdish | gûhertin | ||
The Kurdish word "gûhertin" is derived from the Persian verb "guhrehtan," meaning "to change." | |||
Turkish | dönüştürmek | ||
In Ottoman Turkish “dönüştürmek” meant “to translate” or “to interpret”. | |||
Xhosa | guqula | ||
"Guqula" can also refer to "change" or "alter" in the context of religion. | |||
Yiddish | גער | ||
The Yiddish word "גער" (convert) derives from the Hebrew word "גר" (stranger, resident alien), which has the same root as the word "גר" (gate). | |||
Zulu | guqula | ||
The Zulu word guqula also means "turn" or "return". | |||
Assamese | ৰূপান্তৰ | ||
Aymara | tukuña | ||
Bhojpuri | रूप बदल | ||
Dhivehi | ބަދަލުވުން | ||
Dogri | बदलना | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | magbalik-loob | ||
Guarani | moambuejey | ||
Ilocano | pabalinen | ||
Krio | chenj | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | گۆڕین | ||
Maithili | परिवर्तन | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯣꯟꯊꯣꯛꯄ | ||
Mizo | inthlakthleng | ||
Oromo | jijjiiruu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ରୂପାନ୍ତର | ||
Quechua | tikray | ||
Sanskrit | रैकृ | ||
Tatar | үзгәртү | ||
Tigrinya | ቀይር | ||
Tsonga | hundzuka | ||