Crucial in Different Languages
Discover 'Crucial' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'crucial' holds immense significance in our daily lives, often used to describe situations, decisions, or moments that hold great importance. Its cultural importance is undeniable, as it transcends borders and languages, signifying the same weight and urgency in any tongue.
Did you know that the word 'crucial' comes from the Latin 'crux,' meaning 'cross'? This historical context highlights the gravity of the situations 'crucial' refers to, as the cross was a symbol of great importance and consequence in ancient Rome.
Understanding the translation of 'crucial' in different languages can open up new cultural perspectives and deepen your appreciation for the word's significance. For instance, in Spanish, 'crucial' translates to 'crucial,' while in French, it becomes 'crucial.' Meanwhile, in German, the word 'entscheidend' captures the essence of 'crucial.'
Join us as we delve deeper into the translations of 'crucial' in various languages, exploring the nuances and cultural contexts that make each one unique.
Crucial
Crucial in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | deurslaggewend | ||
| The Afrikaans word "deurslaggewend" comes from the Dutch word "doorslaggevend", which means "decisive" or "conclusive." | |||
| Amharic | ወሳኝ | ||
| The word "ወሳኝ" can also mean "essential" or "important". | |||
| Hausa | mahimmanci | ||
| The word "mahimmanci" in Hausa can also refer to "importance" or "significance" in addition to its primary meaning of "crucial." | |||
| Igbo | dị oke mkpa | ||
| The Igbo word | |||
| Malagasy | zava-dehibe | ||
| "Zava-dehibe" originated from "zaza avy", which implies 'the most urgent or pressing matter'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chofunikira | ||
| The Nyanja word "chofunikira" also means "important" or "significant". | |||
| Shona | zvakakosha | ||
| The word "zvakakosha" also means "important" or "of great value" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | muhiim ah | ||
| Muhiim ah and its variants, including muhiim and muhiim a, all derive from the Arabic word | |||
| Sesotho | bohlokoa | ||
| Swahili | muhimu | ||
| The word "muhimu" in Swahili can also mean "important, essential, or necessary". | |||
| Xhosa | ibalulekile | ||
| The word "ibalulekile" in Xhosa is a derivative of the word "ubulekele," which means "a turning point," or "a critical moment." | |||
| Yoruba | pataki | ||
| The word "pataki" in Yoruba is an amalgamation of "pa" and "ataki", meaning "to hit" and "important", respectively. | |||
| Zulu | kubalulekile | ||
| The Zulu word kubalulekile comes from -baluleka, which means "to be important". | |||
| Bambara | nafan ka bon | ||
| Ewe | hiã ŋutᴐ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ingenzi | ||
| Lingala | ntina | ||
| Luganda | -eekakatako | ||
| Sepedi | bohlokwa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | hia pa ara | ||
Crucial in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مهم | ||
| The word "مهم" (muhimm) in Arabic originally meant "matter" or "affair", and is related to the word "أهمية" (ahammiyyah) meaning "importance". | |||
| Hebrew | מַכרִיעַ | ||
| The Hebrew word מַכרִיעַ derives from the root מ-כ-ר, meaning 'to sell' or 'to decide', thus conveying the sense of weighing options and reaching a definitive conclusion. | |||
| Pashto | مهم | ||
| "مهم" is derived from the Arabic root "هم" (to care), and also means "important matter" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | مهم | ||
| The word "مهم" (muhimm) in Arabic originally meant "matter" or "affair", and is related to the word "أهمية" (ahammiyyah) meaning "importance". | |||
Crucial in Western European Languages
| Albanian | vendimtare | ||
| The word "vendimtare" in Albanian is derived from the Latin "vindēmia", meaning "grape harvest", and carries the secondary meaning of "crucial moment" or "moment of decision". | |||
| Basque | erabakigarria | ||
| The Basque word "erabakigarria" also means "to make a decision". | |||
| Catalan | crucial | ||
| "Crucial" derives from the Latin "crux," meaning "cross," and originally referred to a pivotal point in a trial or debate. | |||
| Croatian | presudan | ||
| In Slovenian, "presudan" means "decisive" while in Bulgarian it means "urgent". | |||
| Danish | afgørende | ||
| The word 'afgørende' is derived from the Old Norse word 'afgerð,' which means 'decision' or 'resolution'. | |||
| Dutch | cruciaal | ||
| Het woord "cruciaal" komt van het Latijnse "crux", wat "kruis" betekent, en verwijst naar het beslissende moment in een kwestie. | |||
| English | crucial | ||
| "Crucial" comes from the Latin "crux," meaning "cross," via the French "crucial," meaning "cross-shaped." | |||
| French | crucial | ||
| "Crucial" comes from the Latin "crux," meaning both "cross" and "critical point" or "center." | |||
| Frisian | krusiaal | ||
| In Frisian, the word "krusiaal" originally referred to a cross or a crossroad, and later took on the meaning of "crucial" or "decisive". | |||
| Galician | crucial | ||
| 'Crucial' derives from the Latin 'crux,' or 'cross,' and came to mean 'important' through its use in determining the outcome of a situation. | |||
| German | entscheidend | ||
| "Entscheidend" originally referred to swords that were sharp enough to cut through an opponent's chainmail and directly kill them. | |||
| Icelandic | mikilvægt | ||
| The word "mikilvægt" in Icelandic also means "a large weight" which is a reflection that "crucial" was originally used to refer to the balance of a weight scale. | |||
| Irish | ríthábhachtach | ||
| Italian | cruciale | ||
| "cruciale" in Italian can also mean a cross street or an intersection. | |||
| Luxembourgish | entscheedend | ||
| Maltese | kruċjali | ||
| “Kruċjali” stems from the Latin word “crux”, meaning “cross”, implying a critical or decisive point. | |||
| Norwegian | avgjørende | ||
| The word "avgjørende" in Norwegian can also mean "decisive" or "determining". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | crucial | ||
| Em português, "crucial" também significa "pequeno pedaço de pão ou outro alimento que se dá a alguém para provar o sabor ou a qualidade" | |||
| Scots Gaelic | deatamach | ||
| The term "deatamach" also means "important" or "consequential" in Scots Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | crucial | ||
| La palabra "crucial" en español proviene del latín "crux", que significa "cruz", y también puede referirse a un momento decisivo o a algo muy importante. | |||
| Swedish | avgörande | ||
| The Swedish word "avgörande" means 'crucial' in English and derives from the verb "avgöra", which means 'to decide' or 'to determine'. | |||
| Welsh | hanfodol | ||
| The word "hanfodol" has a similar origin to the English word "capital" - both are related to the Latin word "caput", meaning "head". | |||
Crucial in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | вырашальнае значэнне | ||
| The Belarusian word вырашальнае значэнне derives from the Russian crucial 'решающий' and ultimately from a Slavic root meaning 'cut', conveying the sense of a decisive moment or action that severs one course of events from another. | |||
| Bosnian | odlučujuče | ||
| The word "odlučujuče" can also mean "decisive" or "critical" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | решаващо | ||
| The word "решаващо" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *rěšiti, meaning "to decide" or "to solve". | |||
| Czech | rozhodující | ||
| "Rozhodující" comes from the verb "rozhodnout", which means "to decide" or "to resolve." | |||
| Estonian | ülioluline | ||
| In Estonian, the word "ülioluline" can also mean "important", "essential" or "indispensable". | |||
| Finnish | ratkaisevan tärkeää | ||
| "Ratkaisevan" means "decisive" or "critical" and comes from the verb "ratkaista" (to solve). | |||
| Hungarian | alapvető | ||
| "Alapvető" literally means "basic" or "fundamental" and also refers to the lowest level or base of something. | |||
| Latvian | izšķiroša | ||
| The word "izšķiroša" comes from the word "šķirt", which means to separate or divide. | |||
| Lithuanian | lemiamas | ||
| The word "lemiamas" in Lithuanian possibly stems from the name of the Roman goddess of destiny, Nemesis. | |||
| Macedonian | клучно | ||
| The word "клучно" in Macedonian can also mean "key" or "important". | |||
| Polish | istotny | ||
| Istotny can also mean 'essential' or 'substantial'. | |||
| Romanian | crucial | ||
| The word "crucial" comes from the Latin word "crux", which means "cross" or "crossroads". | |||
| Russian | ключевой | ||
| The Russian word "ключевой" not only means "crucial", but can also mean "key" or "spring" (as in a spring of water). | |||
| Serbian | пресудан | ||
| The Serbian word 'пресудан' can also mean 'decisive' or 'critical' in English. | |||
| Slovak | rozhodujúci | ||
| The Slovak word "rozhodujúci" comes from the verb "rozhodnúť" meaning "to decide", and is thus etymologically related to the English word "resolution". | |||
| Slovenian | ključnega pomena | ||
| The Slovenian word "ključnega pomena" and the English word "key" share the same root word, "key", derived from the Latin word "clavis" meaning "key". | |||
| Ukrainian | вирішальний | ||
| The adjective "вирішальний" derives from the verb "рішати" (to decide), and also has the alternate meaning of "decisive" or "critical". | |||
Crucial in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অত্যন্ত গুরুত্বপূর্ণ | ||
| "অত্যন্ত গুরুত্বপূর্ণ" (crucial) originates from the Latin word "crux," meaning "cross" or "center," implying a vital pivot or decisive point. | |||
| Gujarati | નિર્ણાયક | ||
| In Gujarati, "નિર્ણાયક" (nirnayaka) also means "decisive" and is derived from Sanskrit "nirnaya" meaning "conclusion" or "determination". | |||
| Hindi | महत्वपूर्ण | ||
| The word "महत्वपूर्ण" is derived from the Sanskrit words "महत्" (great) and "त्व" (quality), implying a quality of great significance. | |||
| Kannada | ನಿರ್ಣಾಯಕ | ||
| "ನಿರ್ಣಾಯಕ" is derived from Sanskrit "निर्णय" meaning "decision". It also means "absolute" or "positive" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | നിർണായകമാണ് | ||
| The word "നിർണായകമാണ്" has other meanings such as "critical", "decisive", "key", and "vital". | |||
| Marathi | निर्णायक | ||
| The word निर्णायक (nirṇāyak) in Marathi shares the same Sanskrit root (ni- + √√ √vrt, “to turn back, away, or round”) as the verb निर्णय (nirṇaya), meaning “to decide,” “to determine,” “to adjudicate,” “to solve,” or “to resolve.” | |||
| Nepali | महत्वपूर्ण | ||
| "महत्वपूर्ण" is related to the Sanskrit word "महत्त्व" (greatness, importance), and in other South Asian languages like Bengali also means 'importance' or 'significance' | |||
| Punjabi | ਨਾਜ਼ੁਕ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | තීරණාත්මක | ||
| The etymology of the Sinhala word "තීරණාත්මක" is derived from the Sanskrit word "तरण" (tarana), meaning "to cross over" or "to save". | |||
| Tamil | முக்கியமான | ||
| The Tamil word "முக்கியமான" derives from the Sanskrit word "महत्वपूर्ण" (mahatvapurṇa), meaning "important". It is used to describe something of great significance or consequence. | |||
| Telugu | కీలకమైనది | ||
| The word "కీలకమైనది" in Telugu derives from the Sanskrit word "keyura," meaning "key," and "kama," meaning "desire". It can also refer to something that is central or essential to something else. | |||
| Urdu | اہم | ||
| The word "اہم" (/ɑːɦɑm/) is derived from the Sanskrit word "आह्म" (/ɑːɦɑm/) and has several other meanings depending on context, including "self," "ego," or "soul." | |||
Crucial in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 关键 | ||
| In addition to meaning "crucial" and "key point", "关键" can also refer to a "door lock" or "bolt," as it's composed of the characters "门" (door) and "金" (metal). | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 關鍵 | ||
| In Chinese, "關鍵" (guān jiàn) also means "key" or "pivotal point". | |||
| Japanese | 重要 | ||
| The word "重要" can also mean "important" or "essential". | |||
| Korean | 결정적인 | ||
| 결정적인, 결정하다(decide), 결심하다(resolve) 모두 한자 決에서 나온 말 | |||
| Mongolian | маш чухал | ||
| The word "маш чухал" in Mongolian also has the meaning of "important part of something" | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အရေးကြီးတယ် | ||
Crucial in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sangat penting | ||
| The Indonesian word "sangat penting" can also mean "very important" or "essential". | |||
| Javanese | wigati | ||
| In Javanese, "wigati" carries additional meanings such as "important" and "serious". | |||
| Khmer | សំខាន់ | ||
| The word "សំខាន់" can also refer to something that is important, necessary, or essential. | |||
| Lao | ສຳ ຄັນ | ||
| Malay | penting | ||
| "Penting" can refer to 'urgent', 'important', or even a 'key' in music. | |||
| Thai | สำคัญมาก | ||
| In Thai, the word "สำคัญมาก" (sà-màt mâak) means "most important". It is derived from the Sanskrit word "samanta", meaning "all" or "complete", and the Thai word "มาก" (mâak), meaning "much". Therefore, "สำคัญมาก" literally means "all-important" or "of the utmost importance". It is often used to emphasize the extreme significance of something. | |||
| Vietnamese | quan trọng | ||
| Quan trọng may be derived from the Chinese phrase "quan zhi zhong" (关键中), meaning "the key in the middle" | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mahalaga | ||
Crucial in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | həlledici | ||
| The word "həlledici" is also used in the context of "decisive" and "essential". | |||
| Kazakh | шешуші | ||
| The Kazakh word "шешуші" ("crucial") originally meant "lungs" in Old Turkic, reflecting its vital importance to life. | |||
| Kyrgyz | чечүүчү | ||
| "Чечүүчү": This Kyrgyz word, also meaning "decisive", comes from the verb "чечүү" ("to solve") and the suffix "-чү", denoting an agent or performer of an action. | |||
| Tajik | ҳалкунанда | ||
| There are no known alternate meanings or etymologies of the word "ҳалкунанда" ("crucial") in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | örän möhümdir | ||
| Uzbek | hal qiluvchi | ||
| The word "hal qiluvchi" can also mean "decisive" or "fatal" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | ھالقىلىق | ||
Crucial in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | koʻikoʻi | ||
| The word "koʻikoʻi" also means "to hang on tenaciously" or "to be obstinate or stubborn." | |||
| Maori | whakahirahira | ||
| Maori word "whakahirahira" also means "to make a fuss about something, to make a scene" | |||
| Samoan | taua | ||
| The word "taua" also means "war" or "conflict" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mahalaga | ||
| The Tagalog word "mahalaga" can also refer to something being pricey or expensive. | |||
Crucial in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | wakiskiri | ||
| Guarani | tekotevẽterei | ||
Crucial in International Languages
| Esperanto | decida | ||
| Decida is derived from the Latin word "decidere", meaning "to cut off". It also has alternate meanings of "decisive" and "final." | |||
| Latin | atrox | ||
| The word "atrox" in Latin also means "fierce" or "savage". | |||
Crucial in Others Languages
| Greek | κρίσιμος | ||
| The word "κρίσιμος" can also mean "decisive" or "critical" in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | tseem ceeb heev | ||
| The phrase "tseem ceeb heev" literally means "touch bone already". | |||
| Kurdish | girîng | ||
| The Kurdish word 'girîng' can also refer to a 'turning point' or a 'key moment' in a situation. | |||
| Turkish | önemli | ||
| The word "önemli" is derived from the Persian word "ehemmiyet" and originally meant "importance" or "significance". | |||
| Xhosa | ibalulekile | ||
| The word "ibalulekile" in Xhosa is a derivative of the word "ubulekele," which means "a turning point," or "a critical moment." | |||
| Yiddish | קריטיש | ||
| The Yiddish word "קריטיש" (kritish) can also refer to a crisis or a turning point. | |||
| Zulu | kubalulekile | ||
| The Zulu word kubalulekile comes from -baluleka, which means "to be important". | |||
| Assamese | গুৰুত্বপূৰ্ণ | ||
| Aymara | wakiskiri | ||
| Bhojpuri | बहुते जरूरी | ||
| Dhivehi | މުހިންމު | ||
| Dogri | म्हत्तवपूर्ण | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mahalaga | ||
| Guarani | tekotevẽterei | ||
| Ilocano | napateg | ||
| Krio | impɔtant | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | گرنگ | ||
| Maithili | महत्वपूर्ण | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯔꯨ ꯑꯣꯏꯕ | ||
| Mizo | pawimawh | ||
| Oromo | murteessaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଗୁରୁତ୍ୱପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ | ||
| Quechua | mañasqapuni | ||
| Sanskrit | निर्णायकः | ||
| Tatar | бик мөһим | ||
| Tigrinya | ኣገዳሲ | ||
| Tsonga | nkoka | ||