Curious in Different Languages
Discover 'Curious' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'curious' holds a special place in our hearts and minds. It signifies a strong desire to learn and discover, a craving for knowledge that is both admirable and essential in today's world. 'Curious' is not just a word; it's an attitude, a way of life that encourages exploration and innovation.
Culturally, being curious has led to some of the most significant discoveries and advancements in human history. From Galileo's curiosity about the heavens to Marie Curie's curiosity about radioactivity, curiosity has fueled our thirst for knowledge and understanding. It's a testament to human ingenuity and our unending quest to make sense of the world around us.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'curious' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how other cultures view and value curiosity. For instance, the German word for curious, 'neugierig,' also carries a positive connotation, emphasizing the desire to learn and discover.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or simply curious about curiosity, exploring the translations of 'curious' in different languages is a fascinating journey that awaits you.
Curious
Curious in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | nuuskierig | ||
| The word "nuuskierig" is derived from the Middle Dutch "nuwtsgierich", meaning "eager for news". | |||
| Amharic | ጉጉት | ||
| Hausa | son sani | ||
| ''Son sani'' also denotes ''a very old or ancient thing'' in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | kemmasi | ||
| Kemmasi in Igbo is often confused with 'kammasi', which refers to a person with an excessively inquisitive nature. | |||
| Malagasy | liana | ||
| "Liana" also means "curious" in Malagasy, and relates to the "liana" in English, meaning vines, as they are often the object of a curious person's gaze. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chidwi | ||
| The word "chidwi" in Nyanja can also refer to a small, mischievous spirit or goblin. | |||
| Shona | kuda kuziva | ||
| The Shona word "kuda kuziva" can also mean "to inquire" or "to be inquisitive." | |||
| Somali | xiisaha leh | ||
| The word 'xiisaha leh' can also be translated as 'interesting'. | |||
| Sesotho | ho labalabela ho tseba | ||
| The word "ho labalabela ho tseba" is also used to describe a person who is always asking questions. | |||
| Swahili | mdadisi | ||
| The Swahili word "mdadisi" can also mean "enquirer", "inquirer" or "questioner." | |||
| Xhosa | ndinomdla | ||
| "Ndindomdla" is derived from the Xhosa phrase "kudi bandela" which means "having no direction". | |||
| Yoruba | iyanilenu | ||
| "Iyanilenu" is a Yoruba word which translates as "curious," but can also be used as a noun to describe a curious or inquisitive person. | |||
| Zulu | banelukuluku lokwazi | ||
| Its root word, 'ukukuleka,' means 'to look,' while 'lokwazi' refers to knowledge, thus suggesting a desire to acquire knowledge through observation. | |||
| Bambara | ko sɛgɛsɛgɛla | ||
| Ewe | lea ŋku ɖe nu me | ||
| Kinyarwanda | amatsiko | ||
| Lingala | koluka koyeba | ||
| Luganda | okwaagala okumanya | ||
| Sepedi | na le kgahlego | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nsekuo | ||
Curious in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | فضولي | ||
| فضولي (Fuḍūlī) literally means "interfering in what is not your business" and is often associated with nosiness and intrusiveness. | |||
| Hebrew | סקרן | ||
| סקרן can refer to a curious person or, in astronomy, the dwarf planet Eris | |||
| Pashto | مبهم | ||
| The Pashto word "مبهم" also means "hesitant" or "uncertain" in other contexts. | |||
| Arabic | فضولي | ||
| فضولي (Fuḍūlī) literally means "interfering in what is not your business" and is often associated with nosiness and intrusiveness. | |||
Curious in Western European Languages
| Albanian | kurioz | ||
| The word "kurioz" likely derives from the Latin noun "curiosus" (inquisitive, prying, careful), with its ultimate origin likely traceable to an Indo-European base "*kwrē-" meaning "look" or "inspect" | |||
| Basque | bitxia | ||
| "Bitxia" in Basque can also refer to a "marvelous thing" or a "trick". | |||
| Catalan | curiós | ||
| "Curiós" in Catalan has a secondary meaning deriving from Latin "curiosus," meaning "exquisite or elaborate," as in "una obra curiosíssima," meaning "a most exquisite work." | |||
| Croatian | znatiželjan | ||
| The word "znatiželjan" derives from the Slavic root "*znati" meaning "to know" and the suffix "-željan" meaning "desiring". Thus, its literal meaning is "desiring to know". | |||
| Danish | nysgerrig | ||
| The word "nysgerrig" is a compound word derived from the Old Norse words "ny" (new) and "gjerrig" (greedy). | |||
| Dutch | nieuwsgierig | ||
| In the 16th and 17th century, the word also had a meaning that is now obsolete, namely "having the desire to do something", which is still preserved in the word "gierig" ("greedy"). | |||
| English | curious | ||
| The word "curious" comes from the Latin word "cura," meaning "care" or "concern. It can also mean "inquisitive" or "eager to learn" | |||
| French | curieuse | ||
| Curiosity in English can also refer to a rare or unusual thing rather than just a feeling. | |||
| Frisian | nijsgjirrich | ||
| "Nijsgiriich" in the Frisian dialect of Saterland is cognate with "nieuwsgierig" in Dutch and means both "curious" and "nosy" | |||
| Galician | curioso | ||
| In Galician, "curioso" can also mean "worried" or "concerned". | |||
| German | neugierig | ||
| The word "neugierig" derives from the Middle High German "niuwiere" meaning "new desire". | |||
| Icelandic | forvitinn | ||
| The Icelandic word "forvitinn" shares a root with "viti", meaning "intelligence", and "forviti", meaning "to want to know". | |||
| Irish | aisteach | ||
| The word "aisteach" may also refer to a supernatural being or an omen. | |||
| Italian | curioso | ||
| The Italian word "curioso" also means "nosy" or "inquisitive", reflecting its Latin root "curiosus" meaning "careful" or "diligent." | |||
| Luxembourgish | virwëtzeg | ||
| The word "virwëtzeg" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*werzaną", meaning "to perceive" or "to notice". | |||
| Maltese | kurjuż | ||
| The word "kurjuż" is derived from the Italian word "curioso" which means "inquiring" or "prying." | |||
| Norwegian | nysgjerrig | ||
| The word "nysgjerrig" is derived from the Old Norse word "nysgjarn", which means "greedy for news". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | curioso | ||
| The word "curioso" in Portuguese can also mean "unusual" or "intriguing." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | fiosrach | ||
| Fiosrach can derive from the Old Irish "fis" referring to knowledge that is hidden, as opposed to fis meaning knowledge. | |||
| Spanish | curioso | ||
| "Curioso" also means "nosey" or "meddling" in Spanish, and derives from the Latin "cura" meaning "care" or "heed." | |||
| Swedish | nyfiken | ||
| Nyfiken stems from the Old Norse 'nýfikinn' meaning 'eager to know' and has cognates in most Germanic languages | |||
| Welsh | chwilfrydig | ||
| Derived from 14th century 'chwifwl' meaning 'swift' and 'rhydig' meaning 'freedom', 'ease' or 'grace' | |||
Curious in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | цікаўны | ||
| The word "цікаўны" can also mean "interesting" or "inquisitive" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | radoznao | ||
| The word 'radoznao' has the same Slavic root as 'radost' (joy), implying curiosity can also be a source of pleasure. | |||
| Bulgarian | любопитен | ||
| "Любопитен" also means "interesting" and "intriguing". | |||
| Czech | zvědavý | ||
| The word "zvědavý" also means "nosy" or "inquisitive" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | uudishimulik | ||
| The word "uudishimulik" also means "strange" or "unusual" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | utelias | ||
| "Uteli" is a synonym for "curious" in Finnish, derived from the French word "utile" meaning "useful". | |||
| Hungarian | kíváncsi | ||
| The Hungarian word "kíváncsi" is derived from the same root as "kíván", meaning "to desire" or "to long for." | |||
| Latvian | ziņkārīgs | ||
| "Ziņkārīgs" likely originates from the word "zināt" ("to know") and the suffix "-īgs," which denotes a "tendency" or "propensity", hence "curious" or "inquisitive." | |||
| Lithuanian | smalsu | ||
| The Lithuanian word "smalsu" is derived from the word "smala", which means "tar", and originally referred to the curiosity of birds attracted to the sticky substance. | |||
| Macedonian | curубопитни | ||
| In Macedonian "курјопитни" ("curious") also means "inquiring" and "eager to learn." | |||
| Polish | ciekawy | ||
| In 16th century Polish, "ciekawy" meant "interesting" or "beautiful" and was used to describe both women and works of art. | |||
| Romanian | curios | ||
| Romanian "curios" also denotes something unexpected and unusual | |||
| Russian | любопытный | ||
| "Любопытный" is derived from the Old Slavic word "любити", meaning "to love" or "to desire". | |||
| Serbian | радознао | ||
| The word "радознао" comes from the Old Church Slavonic word "радо" (joy) and "знати" (to know). | |||
| Slovak | zvedavý | ||
| The word "zvedavý" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*zvěditi", meaning "to find out" or "to learn". | |||
| Slovenian | radoveden | ||
| "Radoveden" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*rado-vědъ", meaning "to know about something". | |||
| Ukrainian | допитливий | ||
| The word "допитливий" in Ukrainian originally meant "inquisitive" or "searching for knowledge." | |||
Curious in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কৌতূহলী | ||
| Gujarati | વિચિત્ર | ||
| વિચિત્ર shares an origin with the Sanskrit root cited in the word 'picture', and also shares the root of 'vicitra', meaning 'diverse'. | |||
| Hindi | जिज्ञासु | ||
| The word 'जिज्ञासु' derives from the Sanskrit word 'ज्ञास', meaning 'to desire to know', and shares its root with words like 'ज्ञानी' ('knower') and 'ज्ञात' ('known'). | |||
| Kannada | ಕುತೂಹಲ | ||
| ಕುತೂಹಲ can also mean 'eagerness' or 'interest' in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | കൗതുകകരമായ | ||
| The word 'കൗതുകകരമായ' in Malayalam has its roots in the Sanskrit word 'कौतुक' (kautuka), meaning 'something new or unusual', and 'कर' (kara), meaning 'doing' or 'making', implying that something is 'causing curiosity'. | |||
| Marathi | उत्सुक | ||
| उत्सुक (English: curious) comes from the Sanskrit word उत्सुक, which means 'eager to hear or see'. | |||
| Nepali | जिज्ञासु | ||
| "जिज्ञासु" is often used to describe someone who is inquisitive or wants to learn more, but as a name also connotes a sense of discovery and a strong passion for knowledge and a desire to understand. | |||
| Punjabi | ਉਤਸੁਕ | ||
| The word "ਉਤਸੁਕ" (curious) in Punjabi is derived from the Sanskrit word "utsuk" meaning "full of eagerness or desire". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කුතුහලයෙන් | ||
| The word "කුතුහලයෙන්" can also be used to express curiosity about information, but is often used to express curiosity that drives a desire to know the source of something, like a mystery. | |||
| Tamil | ஆர்வமாக | ||
| 'ஆர்வமாக' (curious) in Tamil also means 'with zeal or eagerness'. | |||
| Telugu | ఆసక్తిగా | ||
| Urdu | متجسس | ||
| متجسس is a word used to describe a person who is overly inquisitive, or one who engages in secret investigations. | |||
Curious in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 好奇 | ||
| The term '好奇' is also used to describe a strong desire for knowledge or an inquiring mind. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 好奇 | ||
| The word 好奇 (hàoqí), meaning curious, is derived from the words 好 (hǎo) meaning good or like, and 奇 (qí) meaning strange or unusual. | |||
| Japanese | 奇妙な | ||
| "奇妙な" (kimyōna) is a combination of "気" (ki, energy, spirit) and "妙" (myō, wonderful, mysterious), suggesting something that is both unusual and fascinating. | |||
| Korean | 궁금한 | ||
| 궁금한 means both 'curious' and 'annoying' in Korean, both derived from the same root word meaning 'itching' | |||
| Mongolian | сониуч | ||
| The Mongolian word "сониуч" derives from the verb "сониулах" which means "to observe". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စပ်စု | ||
Curious in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | ingin tahu | ||
| Ingin tahu can also be used to mean 'desire', 'want' or 'need' and is often used in place of the standard word 'mau'. | |||
| Javanese | penasaran | ||
| "Penampilan berasal dari kata 'penasar' yang berarti senang menyelidiki." | |||
| Khmer | ចង់ដឹងចង់ឃើញ | ||
| Lao | ຢາກຮູ້ຢາກເຫັນ | ||
| Malay | ingin tahu | ||
| The Malay word "ingin tahu" literally translates to "wanting to know" and is related to the word "ingin" which means "to desire". | |||
| Thai | อยากรู้อยากเห็น | ||
| The word "อยากรู้อยากเห็น" can be literally translated as "wanting to know, wanting to see". | |||
| Vietnamese | tò mò | ||
| "Tò mò" shares the same root with "tà mò" which means "groping in the dark" or "trying to figure something out by touch or indirect means". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mausisa | ||
Curious in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | maraqlıdır | ||
| "maraqlıdır" can also mean "interesting" or "fascinating" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | қызық | ||
| The Kazakh word "қызық" has a double meaning, which is "interesting" and "riddle". | |||
| Kyrgyz | кызыктуу | ||
| Tajik | кунҷкоб | ||
| "Кунҷкоб" is also the name of an ancient city near Panjakent. | |||
| Turkmen | bilesigeliji | ||
| Uzbek | qiziquvchan | ||
| Qiziquvchan derives from the root 'qiziq' which means 'interest', 'something that sparks attention' | |||
| Uyghur | قىزىقىش | ||
Curious in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoihoi | ||
| This word originates from the Hawaiian word hāʻawi which means 'giving' | |||
| Maori | pākiki | ||
| In Maori, "pākiki" also means "hard; rigid; unyielding; unbending; unimpressible; obstinate; stubborn; firm; immovable; not easily moved or altered." | |||
| Samoan | fiailoa | ||
| The word 'fiailoa', meaning curious or inquisitive, is also used in the context of showing interest in someone or something. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mausisa | ||
| The Tagalog word "mausisa" (curious) comes from the Spanish word "curiosidad" (curiosity). | |||
Curious in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | uñaqiri | ||
| Guarani | kuaase | ||
Curious in International Languages
| Esperanto | scivolema | ||
| "Scivolema" can also refer to a type of fabric made from cotton and silk, similar to damask. | |||
| Latin | curiosum | ||
| The Latin word curiosum, meaning "curious," also means "full of care" or "elaborate," akin to the word cura, "care". | |||
Curious in Others Languages
| Greek | περίεργος | ||
| In Ancient Greek, "περίεργος" also denoted an "outsider, foreigner, alien," or a meddler. | |||
| Hmong | xav paub | ||
| The Hmong word “xav paub,” or “curious, | |||
| Kurdish | miraqker | ||
| The word "miraqker" also means "detective" in Turkish and "curious person" in Arabic. | |||
| Turkish | meraklı | ||
| The word "Meraklı" in Turkish is also used to mean "interested" or "enthusiastic" about something. | |||
| Xhosa | ndinomdla | ||
| "Ndindomdla" is derived from the Xhosa phrase "kudi bandela" which means "having no direction". | |||
| Yiddish | טשיקאַווע | ||
| Despite being spelled 'tshikăve' it shares an etymology with the German word 'zucken' meaning 'to twitch'. | |||
| Zulu | banelukuluku lokwazi | ||
| Its root word, 'ukukuleka,' means 'to look,' while 'lokwazi' refers to knowledge, thus suggesting a desire to acquire knowledge through observation. | |||
| Assamese | কৌতূহলী | ||
| Aymara | uñaqiri | ||
| Bhojpuri | उत्सुक | ||
| Dhivehi | ޝަޢުޤުވެރި | ||
| Dogri | उत्सुक | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mausisa | ||
| Guarani | kuaase | ||
| Ilocano | naaya a mangammo | ||
| Krio | want fɔ no | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پەرۆش | ||
| Maithili | जिज्ञासु | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯪꯅꯤꯡꯕ ꯐꯥꯎꯕ | ||
| Mizo | dilchhut | ||
| Oromo | beekuuf hedduu barbaaduu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଆଗ୍ରହୀ | ||
| Quechua | curioso | ||
| Sanskrit | कौतुहलान्वितः | ||
| Tatar | кызык | ||
| Tigrinya | ህንጥው | ||
| Tsonga | ntsakelo | ||