Criticism in different languages

Criticism in Different Languages

Discover 'Criticism' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

Criticism: it's a word that carries a lot of weight, no matter what language you speak. At its core, criticism is an assessment or evaluation of something, usually with the aim of improving it. But the cultural significance of criticism can vary widely from place to place.

In some cultures, criticism is seen as a constructive tool for growth and development, while in others it may be viewed as confrontational or even hostile. And as our world becomes more interconnected, the ability to understand and navigate different cultural attitudes towards criticism has never been more important.

But what about the word itself? Did you know that the English word 'criticism' comes from the Greek word 'kritikos', meaning 'able to discern'? Or that in Spanish, 'criticism' is 'crítica', while in Mandarin it's '批评' (pī píng)?

Understanding the translation of criticism in different languages can help us bridge cultural divides and communicate more effectively with people from all walks of life. So whether you're a student studying abroad, a businessperson working with international clients, or simply a curious traveler, learning the language of criticism is a valuable skill.

Criticism


Criticism in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaanskritiek
Afrikaans "kritiek" comes from Ancient Greek "κριτικός," meaning "discerning" or "able to judge."
Amharicትችት
The word "ትችት" can also mean "a quarrel" or "a difference of opinion".
Hausazargi
Alternate meanings of "zargi" include "admonition" and "reproach."
Igbonkatọ
The word "nkatọ" in Igbo can also mean "advice" or "evaluation".
Malagasytsikera
The word "tsikera" in Malagasy can also mean "a person who criticizes" or "a bad critic".
Nyanja (Chichewa)kutsutsa
The word "kutsutsa" can also mean "to admonish" or "to scold".
Shonakushoropodza
The word "kushoropodza" in Shona also refers to the act of finding fault with or criticizing someone or something.
Somalidhaleeceyn
Dhaleeceyn in Somali is a noun that can refer to blame, accusation, or the act of finding fault with something.
Sesothoho nyatsa
Its origin is thought to be a Zulu word that meant 'to be angry' or 'to find fault'
Swahiliukosoaji
Ukosoaji comes from 'kosoa' ('to cut') signifying that criticism can be seen as cutting away excess to refine a concept, object or action.
Xhosaukugxeka
"Ukugxeka" is also used to describe the process of carving or sculpting, as in the shaping of wood or stone.
Yorubalodi
Lodi can also mean "to be bitter," "to blame" or "to hate" in Yoruba.
Zuluukugxekwa
The Zulu word "ukugxekwa" also means "to be criticized" or "to find fault with".
Bambaralagosili
Ewenyahehe
Kinyarwandakunegura
Lingalakolobela mabe
Lugandaokukomelera
Sepeditsholo
Twi (Akan)ka tia

Criticism in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicنقد
The Arabic word "نقد" can also refer to money, specifically coins or currency notes.
Hebrewביקורת
The Hebrew word "ביקורת" (criticism) can also mean "examination" or "review", and is derived from the root "בקר" (to examine or visit).
Pashtoنيوکه
The Pashto word "نيوکه" also means "to pick at something" or to "find fault with something"
Arabicنقد
The Arabic word "نقد" can also refer to money, specifically coins or currency notes.

Criticism in Western European Languages

Albaniankritika
The Albanian word 'kritika', meaning 'criticism', derives from the Greek word 'κριτική', which refers to the art of judging or discerning.
Basquekritika
The Basque word "kritika" is derived from the Greek word "kritikē", meaning "art of judging".
Catalancrítica
In Catalan, "crítica" can also refer to the art criticism, or to a type of musical composition similar to the fugue.
Croatiankritika
Kritika, or "criticism," in Croatian also means "judgment," "opinion," and "disapproval."
Danishkritik
The word 'kritik' in Danish also means 'critical judgment' or 'analytical review' and carries the connotation of being both objective and fair.
Dutchkritiek
In Dutch, "kritiek" also has the connotation of "evaluation" or "appraisal" and is not always negative in tone.
Englishcriticism
"Criticism" comes from the Greek "kritikos" which means "a judge", and has the alternate meaning of a "standard of judgment".
Frenchcritique
From the Greek word "kritikos," meaning "able to judge," the French word "critique" can also mean "assessment," "study," or "review."
Frisiankrityk
The word "krityk" in Frisian can also refer to "the act of making judgments" or "the ability to judge."
Galiciancrítica
'Crítica' can also mean a review of a work or a type of literary or artistic analysis.
Germankritik
The word 'Kritik' comes from the Greek word 'kritikos', which means 'able to judge' or 'capable of discernment'.
Icelandicgagnrýni
The word "gagnrýni" is derived from the Old Norse word "gagn" meaning "gain, use, profit" and "rýna" meaning "to speak, utter".
Irishcáineadh
Italiancritica
The word 'critica' comes from 'kritikos', the Greek adjective for 'able to discern', 'judge', which is derived from 'krinein', 'to separate'.
Luxembourgishkritik
The word "Kritik" in Luxembourgish can also mean analysis, review, or critique, expanding its semantic range beyond that of English "criticism".
Maltesekritika
The Maltese word "kritika" originates from the Greek word "kritikē" and can also mean "judgment" or "discernment".
Norwegiankritikk
The Norwegian word "kritikk" derives from the Greek word "kritikos," meaning "able to discern or judge."
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)crítica
The word "crítica" in Portuguese can mean both "criticism" and "review".
Scots Gaeliccàineadh
Càineadh, "criticism" in Gaelic, also refers to a type of lament, elegy, or funeral song.
Spanishcrítica
The Spanish word "crítica" also means "review" or "summary" when referring to a book, article, or artistic work.
Swedishkritik
The word "kritik" in Swedish also means "evaluation" or "review".
Welshbeirniadaeth
The Welsh word "beirniadaeth" derives from the noun "barn," meaning "judgment," and the suffix "-iaeth," indicating a quality or state.

Criticism in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianкрытыка
Крытыка has two meanings in Belarusian: “criticism” and “roof”.
Bosniankritika
The word "kritika" in Bosnian is derived from the Greek word "kritikos", meaning "able to discern or judge."
Bulgarianкритика
In Bulgarian, "критика" (criticism) also refers to the analysis and evaluation of literary and artistic works.
Czechkritika
Kritika comes from the Greek "kritikos," meaning "able to discern," and also relates to the Slavic "kriti," meaning "to judge or condemn."
Estoniankriitika
The word "kriitika" comes from the Greek word "kritikos," meaning "able to judge" or "judge of literature or art."
Finnishkritiikki
The word 'kritiikki' is derived from the Greek word 'kritikos', meaning 'able to discern'. In Finnish, it can also refer to the act of giving feedback or a review.
Hungariankritika
"Kritika" also means 'examination' and derives from the Greek word "kritikos" meaning 'able to discern'
Latviankritika
Latvian word "kritika" comes from Ancient Greek word "kritikē", which means the art of discerning and judging.
Lithuaniankritika
Macedonianкритика
The Macedonian word "критика" is derived from the Greek word “κριτική,” which originally referred to the art and science of judgment.
Polishkrytyka
In its original meaning, the word "Krytyka" was used in the sense that the word "critique" is still used today, i.e. as a literary genre.
Romaniancritică
"Critică", in Romanian, can also refer to a short narrative work of literary criticism.
Russianкритика
The word "критика" ultimately derives from the Greek word "κριτικός," meaning "able to discern" or "judge."
Serbianкритика
The word "критика" can also mean "a short review" or "a critique".
Slovakkritika
Slovene kritika is a loan from French which originally meant "judgment".
Sloveniankritiko
In Slovene, "kritiko" is a noun that also means 'critical faculty', and as a verb it means 'to examine or evaluate critically'.
Ukrainianкритика
The word "критика" can refer to both the act of criticizing and to a written work expressing an opinion or analysis.

Criticism in South Asian Languages

Bengaliসমালোচনা
The word "সমালোচনা" can also mean "scrutiny" or "examination" in Bengali contexts.
Gujaratiટીકા
The word 'ટીકા' (criticism) in Gujarati can also mean a commentary or an annotation on a text, especially a sacred or scholarly one.
Hindiआलोचना
Hindi word ''आलोचना'' is also used to denote the practice of ''art criticism'', a field of specialization in art history.
Kannadaಟೀಕೆ
"ಟೀಕೆ" is a Kannada word that originated from the Sanskrit word "tīkā", which also means "commentary" or "explanation".
Malayalamവിമർശനം
The word "വിമർശനം" can also refer to a review or analysis of something.
Marathiटीका
Marathi "टीका" not only refers to criticism, but can also mean a religious or scholarly commentary.
Nepaliआलोचना
The Nepali word "आलोचना" is derived from the Sanskrit word "आ + लोचन" meaning "seeing again or carefully".
Punjabiਆਲੋਚਨਾ
Sinhala (Sinhalese)විවේචනය
Tamilதிறனாய்வு
The Tamil word "திறனாய்வு" can also refer to "appreciation" or "the ability to discern."
Teluguవిమర్శ
Derived from 'vicaraNa' which means 'consideration', 'విమర్శ' refers not merely to faultfinding, but also to thoughtful evaluation.
Urduتنقید
تنقید derives from the root 'نقد' meaning to sift and separate the bad from the good.

Criticism in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)批评
在粤语中,“批评”有“挑剔”的意思,如“唔好成日批评人”,意为“别总是挑剔别人”。
Chinese (Traditional)批評
"批評" can also mean "to review" or "to evaluate" in Chinese.
Japanese批判
The Japanese word "批判" can also mean "to judge" or "to evaluate".
Korean비판
In Korean, the word "비판" is derived from the Chinese characters "批" (to divide, to separate) and "判" (to judge, to decide), emphasizing the act of dividing and judging something.
Mongolianшүүмжлэл
The Mongolian word "шүүмжлэл" ("criticism") derives from the verb "шүүх" ("to judge"), also sharing the same root with the noun "шүүх" ("court").
Myanmar (Burmese)ဝေဖန်မှု

Criticism in South East Asian Languages

Indonesiankritik
Kritik originally meant to judge and diagnose a patient's illness or injury
Javanesekritik
In Javanese, the word "kritik" (criticism) can also refer to the process of examining the authenticity of gamelan instruments.
Khmerការរិះគន់
Laoການວິພາກວິຈານ
Malaykritikan
The word 'kritikan' in Malay is derived from the Portuguese word 'critica', meaning 'judgment' or 'discernment'.
Thaiวิจารณ์
วิจารณ์ derives from Sanskrit and originally meant "to examine, reflect on".
Vietnamesesự chỉ trích
Sự chỉ trích có nguồn gốc từ tiếng Hán, có nghĩa là chỉ ra khuyết điểm, còn trong tiếng Việt hiện đại có thể hiểu theo nghĩa rộng hơn là đưa ra ý kiến đánh giá, nhận xét, góp ý.
Filipino (Tagalog)pagpuna

Criticism in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanitənqid
The word "tanqid" is of Arabic origin, meaning "to scrutinize" or " to analyze" in Azerbaijani.
Kazakhсын
The Kazakh word "сын" can also mean "sharp" or "clever".
Kyrgyzсын
The word "сын" can also refer to "a complaint or accusation" in Kyrgyz.
Tajikтанқид
The word "танқид" is derived from the Arabic word "نقض", which means to "break down", "analyze", or "scrutinize".
Turkmentankyt
Uzbektanqid
In Uzbek, "tanqid" can also mean "admonition" or "advice". Alternate spellings include "tanqit" and "tanqyd".
Uyghurتەنقىد

Criticism in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianhoʻohewa
The word "hoʻohewa" can also mean "error" or "fault".
Maorifaaino
It is also believed to mean "bad" or "wrong" when used in the wider context of morality, in a similar sense to the English word "evil"
Samoanfaitioga
The Samoan word 'faitioga' also means 'instruction' or 'advice'.
Tagalog (Filipino)pagpuna
"Pagpuna" can also mean "noticing" or "awareness", derived from the root word "puna" meaning "mark" or "notice".

Criticism in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarak'umiña
Guaranikaguai

Criticism in International Languages

Esperantokritiko
"Kritiko" is derived from the Greek word "kritikos", meaning "able to judge".
Latincriticae
In Latin, "criticae" can also refer to the critical edition of a text.

Criticism in Others Languages

Greekκριτική
The word "κριτική" in Greek has its roots in the verb "κρίνω," meaning "to judge" or "to separate," and can also refer to the discipline of literary criticism.
Hmongkev thuam
The Hmong word "kev thuam" can also mean "advice" or "reprimand".
Kurdishrexne
The word 'rexne' is a loanword from the Persian language, where it means 'opinion'.
Turkisheleştiri
The word "eleştiri" can also mean "review" or "analysis".
Xhosaukugxeka
"Ukugxeka" is also used to describe the process of carving or sculpting, as in the shaping of wood or stone.
Yiddishקריטיק
In modern Yiddish, קריטיק can also mean 'review' (as in a book or movie review).
Zuluukugxekwa
The Zulu word "ukugxekwa" also means "to be criticized" or "to find fault with".
Assameseসমালোচনা
Aymarak'umiña
Bhojpuriआलोचना
Dhivehiފާޑުކިޔުން
Dogriअलोचना
Filipino (Tagalog)pagpuna
Guaranikaguai
Ilocanokritisismo
Kriofɛn fɔlt
Kurdish (Sorani)ڕەخنە
Maithiliआलोचना
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯐꯩ ꯐꯠꯇꯦ ꯅꯩꯟꯕ
Mizosawiselna
Oromoqeequu
Odia (Oriya)ସମାଲୋଚନା
Quechuaqawarayay
Sanskritआलोचना
Tatarтәнкыйть
Tigrinyaወቐሳ
Tsongasola

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