Description in Different Languages
Discover 'Description' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'description' holds great significance in our daily lives, as it refers to the act of providing detailed information about something or someone. Descriptions help us paint vivid pictures with words, allowing us to share our experiences, tell stories, and connect with others across cultures and languages. Throughout history, descriptions have been crucial in various fields, such as literature, art, and science, enabling humans to document, analyze, and understand the world around them.
Given the cultural importance of descriptions, it's no surprise that many languages have their own unique ways of expressing this concept. For example, in Spanish, a description is called 'descripción,' while in French, it's 'description.' In German, the term is 'Beschreibung,' and in Japanese, it's '説明 (setsumei).'
Exploring the translations of 'description' in different languages not only broadens our linguistic horizons but also offers insights into the unique ways that various cultures perceive and communicate the world around them. Keep reading to discover more fascinating translations and learn how description transcends language barriers.
Description
Description in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | beskrywing | ||
| The word "beskrywing" in Afrikaans originates from the Dutch word "beschrijving" and carries the same meaning. | |||
| Amharic | መግለጫ | ||
| The word "መግለጫ" is derived from the root "ገለ" (gäl), which means "to tell" or "to reveal". It can also refer to an explanation, a report, or a translation. | |||
| Hausa | bayanin | ||
| Hausa "bayanin" also means "explanation" and, in Islam, "sermon". | |||
| Igbo | nkọwa | ||
| The verb 'kọwa' means to 'tell, relate, or explain' | |||
| Malagasy | description | ||
| In Malagasy, 'description' can also refer to an 'image' or 'painting'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kufotokoza | ||
| The word "kufotokoza" is derived from the verb "fotokoza" which means to "break into pieces" or "to unravel". | |||
| Shona | tsananguro | ||
| In many dialects, "tsananguro" also refers to the act of defining, explaining or identifying something. | |||
| Somali | sharaxaad | ||
| The word "sharaxaad" comes from the Arabic root "sharaha" meaning "to explain" or "to clarify". | |||
| Sesotho | tlhaloso | ||
| The verb tlhalosa in Sesotho means "to follow with one's eyes" and so serves to emphasize that a description involves the act of following something with one's gaze, and so implies that a description "follows" that which is being described in the way that a gaze follows a moving target. | |||
| Swahili | maelezo | ||
| The Swahili word "maelezo" can also refer to an explanation or a statement. | |||
| Xhosa | inkcazo | ||
| The word 'inkcazo' in Xhosa can also refer to the physical act of writing or drawing. | |||
| Yoruba | apejuwe | ||
| The word "apejuwe" in Yoruba can also mean a "guide" or "pointer". | |||
| Zulu | incazelo | ||
| While "incazel̹elo" means "descripton," the related verb "ukwazel̹a" can also mean both "to reveal" and "to recognize." | |||
| Bambara | cogojirali | ||
| Ewe | nuɖᴐɖᴐ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ibisobanuro | ||
| Lingala | ndimbola | ||
| Luganda | okunnyonnyola | ||
| Sepedi | tlhalošo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nkyerɛmu | ||
Description in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | وصف | ||
| The word "وصف" ("description") in Arabic can also mean "attribute" or "characteristic", and is derived from the root "و ص ف" ("to describe"). | |||
| Hebrew | תיאור | ||
| The word "תיאור" also means "depiction" or "representation". | |||
| Pashto | سپړنه | ||
| The word "سپړنه" can also refer to "investigation" or "examination". | |||
| Arabic | وصف | ||
| The word "وصف" ("description") in Arabic can also mean "attribute" or "characteristic", and is derived from the root "و ص ف" ("to describe"). | |||
Description in Western European Languages
| Albanian | përshkrim | ||
| The word "përshkrim" in Albanian derives from the Proto-Albanian word *perskrem- and originally meant "account" or "report". | |||
| Basque | deskribapena | ||
| Deskribapena means 'description' in Basque, but its root word 'deskribitu' is itself a loanword from Latin 'describere' meaning 'to write down' or 'to depict'. | |||
| Catalan | descripció | ||
| The Catalan word "descripció" is derived from the Latin word "descriptio", meaning "an account" or "a representation". | |||
| Croatian | opis | ||
| The word "opis" in Croatian also means "volume" or "book". | |||
| Danish | beskrivelse | ||
| The word "beskrivelse" in Danish is also used to refer to a list of ingredients, a prescription, or a recipe. | |||
| Dutch | omschrijving | ||
| Omschrijving may have originated as a combination of the words 'om schrijven', which can translate as 'to rewrite' or 'to describe'. | |||
| English | description | ||
| The word "description" comes from the Latin word "describere," meaning "to write down." | |||
| French | la description | ||
| "La description" literally means "the stripping off" in French and is cognate with "descry" in English. | |||
| Frisian | beskriuwing | ||
| It derives from the Old Frisian word "biscriuing", which itself comes from the Proto-West Germanic word "*biscrijungą" meaning an inventory, listing, account, or writing. | |||
| Galician | descrición | ||
| The word "descrición" in Galician can also refer to a summary or outline. | |||
| German | beschreibung | ||
| The word "Beschreibung" originally meant "outline" or "draft" in German. | |||
| Icelandic | lýsing | ||
| "Lysing" is etymologically related to "lost" in the sense of something that has slipped away, been lost to comprehension or memory, and "list" in the sense of a register or enumeration. | |||
| Irish | tuairisc | ||
| The word "tuairisc" in Irish also means "narration" or "account". | |||
| Italian | descrizione | ||
| "Descrizione" is derived from Latin "describere," meaning "to write off," and can refer to both written and spoken accounts. | |||
| Luxembourgish | beschreiwung | ||
| In Luxembourgish, the word "Beschreiwung" originally meant "confession" and was later extended to mean "description" as well. | |||
| Maltese | deskrizzjoni | ||
| The word "deskrizzjoni" derives from the Italian word "descrizione" meaning "description" but can also mean "prescription" in a medical context. | |||
| Norwegian | beskrivelse | ||
| The word "beskrivelse" can also mean a written account of a person's character or appearance. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | descrição | ||
| The Portuguese word "descrição" comes from the Latin word descriptiō and it can also refer to a medical prescription. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | tuairisgeul | ||
| In the 19th century, 'tuairisgeul' came to have the meanings 'description' and 'narrative'. | |||
| Spanish | descripción | ||
| The word "descripción" in Spanish is derived from the Latin word "descriptio" meaning "a marking out," and the verb "describere" meaning "to write down," "to record," or "to represent." | |||
| Swedish | beskrivning | ||
| The Swedish word "beskrivning" comes from the verb "beskriva", meaning "to describe" and is related to the word "skrift", meaning "writing". | |||
| Welsh | disgrifiad | ||
| The Welsh word 'disgrifiad' not only means 'description', but also 'distortion' or 'misrepresentation'. | |||
Description in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | апісанне | ||
| The word "апісанне" can also refer to an outline, a prospectus, or a list of ingredients. | |||
| Bosnian | opis | ||
| The word "opis" in Bosnian comes from the Latin word "descriptio," meaning "a writing down" or "account." | |||
| Bulgarian | описание | ||
| The Russian cognate, `opisanie` can refer to `inventory`, particularly from 14th to 19th centuries. | |||
| Czech | popis | ||
| The word "popis" in Czech is also used in the sense of a legal document describing the condition of a property during a property transfer. | |||
| Estonian | kirjeldus | ||
| The word "kirjeldus" also means "characterization" or "account" in Estonian | |||
| Finnish | kuvaus | ||
| "Kuvaus" also means 'image' in Finnish and originates from the Swedish word 'koppar' ('copperplate'). | |||
| Hungarian | leírás | ||
| The word "leírás" also means "census" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | apraksts | ||
| The Latvian word “apraksts” is often used in the plural form (“apraksti”), and refers not only to descriptions of objects but also to the description of emotions. | |||
| Lithuanian | apibūdinimas | ||
| The word "apibūdinimas" in Lithuanian can also mean "definition" or "characterization". | |||
| Macedonian | опис | ||
| "Опис" means not only "description" but also the inventory list of the dowry or bride's estate. | |||
| Polish | opis | ||
| The word "opis" in Polish is also derived from the Greek word "epos," meaning "word, speech, or tale," and is related to the word "epic," referring to a lengthy narrative poem. | |||
| Romanian | descriere | ||
| The Romanian word "Descriere" originates from the Greek "διαγραφή," meaning "sketch" or "outline." | |||
| Russian | описание | ||
| The word "описание" in Russian can also mean "inventory" or "list of documents". | |||
| Serbian | опис | ||
| The word 'Опис' also means 'inventory' and derives from the Old-Church Slavonic word 'опись'. | |||
| Slovak | popis | ||
| The word "popis" also means "inventory" and "sign in" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | opis | ||
| Opis shares the same etymological root as optika, meaning optics, as both words stem from the Greek word optōmai, which means "to see" or "to observe. | |||
| Ukrainian | опис | ||
| The word 'опис' can also refer to an inventory or a legal record. | |||
Description in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বর্ণনা | ||
| In medieval Bengali, 'বর্ণনা' also meant a 'genealogical table' or a 'family tree'. | |||
| Gujarati | વર્ણન | ||
| The Gujarati word "વર્ણન" can also mean "a class or type of people". "a sort" and "a variety" | |||
| Hindi | विवरण | ||
| विवरण can also mean 'fate' or 'destiny'. | |||
| Kannada | ವಿವರಣೆ | ||
| ವಿವರಣೆ is derived from the Sanskrit word 'vividha' meaning 'various' and 'vritti' meaning 'account' or 'exposition'. | |||
| Malayalam | വിവരണം | ||
| Malayalam വിവരണം means 'description,' but also 'information.' | |||
| Marathi | वर्णन | ||
| "वर्णन" also means 'caste' in Marathi, reflecting its origin from the Sanskrit word 'varṇa' meaning 'colour' or 'class'. | |||
| Nepali | वर्णन | ||
| "वर्णन" also refers to a literary style known in English as prose. | |||
| Punjabi | ਵੇਰਵਾ | ||
| The word "ਵੇਰਵਾ" in Punjabi derives from the Sanskrit word "वर्णन" (description), and also refers to a list of items or a specification. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | විස්තර | ||
| The word "විස්තර" can also refer to a detailed account of an event or situation, or to the characteristics or qualities of something. | |||
| Tamil | விளக்கம் | ||
| "விளக்கம்" is also used to refer to the wick in a lamp. | |||
| Telugu | వివరణ | ||
| The word "వివరణ" in Telugu can also refer to a specific or detailed statement of particulars. | |||
| Urdu | تفصیل | ||
| The Urdu word 'تفصیل' originates from the Arabic word 'فصل', which means 'to separate' or 'to distinguish', indicating the act of providing detailed information that distinguishes one thing from another. | |||
Description in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 描述 | ||
| 描述 also has the meaning of 'to calculate' and is often used in mathematics, such as in the phrase '描述方程' (equation of a surface). | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 描述 | ||
| The second character "述" in "描述" means "to speak" and can also be found in the word "叙述" (to narrate). | |||
| Japanese | 説明 | ||
| The kanji "説" in "説明" originally meant "to persuade" and "明" meant "clarify", suggesting a shift in emphasis from subjective persuasion to objective clarification over time. | |||
| Korean | 기술 | ||
| "기술" (description) is derived from the Chinese compound "技述" (a demonstration of skill or knowledge). | |||
| Mongolian | тодорхойлолт | ||
| The word "тодорхойлолт" can also refer to a definition, an explanation, or a specification. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဖော်ပြချက် | ||
Description in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | deskripsi | ||
| "Deskripsi" in Indonesian comes from the Dutch word "beschrijving", having the same meaning in both languages. | |||
| Javanese | katrangan | ||
| The word "katrangan" also means "reason", "explanation", or "information" in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | ការពិពណ៌នា | ||
| The word "ការពិពណ៌នា" (description) is derived from the French word "description," which itself comes from the Latin word "describere" (to describe). | |||
| Lao | ຄຳ ອະທິບາຍ | ||
| Malay | penerangan | ||
| The word "penerangan" is derived from the Old Malay word "terang" meaning "light", and also has the alternate meaning of "explanation" or "clarification". | |||
| Thai | คำอธิบาย | ||
| คำอธิบาย' derives from the Sanskrit word 'katha-upanibada', meaning 'to place a story under' or 'to explain'. | |||
| Vietnamese | sự miêu tả | ||
| "Sự miêu tả" literally means "to imitate cat" in Vietnamese, but it now has the meaning of "description". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | paglalarawan | ||
Description in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | təsviri | ||
| "Təsviri" is originally an Arabic-related word meaning "illustration" (as in pictures), and can also mean "descriptive" in the sense of a written description. | |||
| Kazakh | сипаттама | ||
| "Сипаттама" is a Kazakh word that originally meant "image" or "portrait". | |||
| Kyrgyz | сүрөттөө | ||
| This Kyrgyz word for "description" also refers to "depicting" or "portraying" someone. | |||
| Tajik | тавсиф | ||
| The word "тавсиф" can also refer to a "character reference" or a "commendation" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | beýany | ||
| Uzbek | tavsif | ||
| In Uzbek, the word "tavsif" also means "characterization" or "feature". | |||
| Uyghur | description | ||
Description in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ho'ākāka | ||
| In a figurative sense, ho'ākāka means "to make clear" or "manifest". | |||
| Maori | whakaahuatanga | ||
| "Whaka" refers to the causative prefix, "ahu" means "a form of clothing", hence "whakaahu" means to invest with some form of clothing." | |||
| Samoan | faʻamatalaga | ||
| "Faʻamatalaga" literally translates to "to make clear" in Samoan, reflecting its role in clarifying or explaining something. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | paglalarawan | ||
| "Paglalarawan" is also a photography term in Tagalog that literally translates to "the depiction of light" | |||
Description in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | qillqawi | ||
| Guarani | techaukaha | ||
Description in International Languages
| Esperanto | priskribo | ||
| The word 'Priskribo' also means 'prescription' or 'order' in Esperanto, reflecting its Latin root 'praescriptio', meaning 'written instruction'. | |||
| Latin | descriptio | ||
| The Latin word "descriptio" also means "a geographical outline" (in ancient geography). | |||
Description in Others Languages
| Greek | περιγραφή | ||
| The word "περιγραφή" has an alternate meaning of "circumference" and comes from the combination of the preposition "περί" (around) and the noun "γραφή" (writing or drawing). | |||
| Hmong | piav qhia | ||
| The Hmong verb “piav qhia” can also mean "tell" or "narrate". | |||
| Kurdish | terîf | ||
| "Terîf" is also a word in Arabic and Persian that means "praise" or "compliment". The word is ultimately derived from the Akkadian word "tarāpu" meaning "to look at". | |||
| Turkish | açıklama | ||
| Açıklama also means clear or obvious in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | inkcazo | ||
| The word 'inkcazo' in Xhosa can also refer to the physical act of writing or drawing. | |||
| Yiddish | באַשרייַבונג | ||
| The Yiddish word "באַשרייַבונג" comes from the German word "Beschreibung" and can also mean "characterization" or "analysis." | |||
| Zulu | incazelo | ||
| While "incazel̹elo" means "descripton," the related verb "ukwazel̹a" can also mean both "to reveal" and "to recognize." | |||
| Assamese | বিৱৰণ | ||
| Aymara | qillqawi | ||
| Bhojpuri | बिबरन | ||
| Dhivehi | ތަފްޞީލު | ||
| Dogri | ब्यौरा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | paglalarawan | ||
| Guarani | techaukaha | ||
| Ilocano | panangiladawan | ||
| Krio | tɔk bɔt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | وەسف | ||
| Maithili | वर्णन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯋꯥꯔꯣꯜ | ||
| Mizo | hrilhfiahna | ||
| Oromo | ibsa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବର୍ଣ୍ଣନା | ||
| Quechua | willay | ||
| Sanskrit | वर्णनम् | ||
| Tatar | тасвирлау | ||
| Tigrinya | መግለፂ | ||
| Tsonga | nhlamuselo | ||