Design in Different Languages
Discover 'Design' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Design, a simple word with profound significance. It is a concept that has shaped civilizations, influenced cultures, and transformed societies. From the ancient pyramids of Egypt to the modern skyscrapers of New York, design has been the driving force behind some of humanity's most significant achievements.
But what is design? At its core, design is the process of creating solutions to problems. It's about taking an idea and turning it into something tangible, something that can be experienced and interacted with. It's about understanding the needs of people and the world around us, and then using that understanding to create something that is not only functional but also beautiful and meaningful.
Given its importance, it's no surprise that the word 'design' has been translated into countless languages around the world. In Spanish, for example, design is 'diseño'. In French, it's 'conception'. In German, it's 'Entwurf'. And in Japanese, it's 'デザイン' (desain).
Understanding these translations can give us a deeper appreciation for the cultural significance of design. It can help us see how different societies have approached the concept of design, and how they have used it to shape their own unique identities.
Design
Design in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | ontwerp | ||
| Ontwerp shares an etymological root with the English "warp" referring to threads twisted together. | |||
| Amharic | ዲዛይን | ||
| The Amharic word "ዲዛይን" (design) is derived from the English word "design" and has the same meaning. | |||
| Hausa | zane | ||
| In Hausa, "zane" can also refer to a plan, a scheme, or a plot. | |||
| Igbo | imewe | ||
| The Igbo word "imewe" also means "pattern" or "model". | |||
| Malagasy | famolavolana | ||
| The word "famolavolana" also means "the art of shaping words" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kapangidwe | ||
| "Kapangidwe" also means "purpose" and is derived from the verb "kupanga" (to make a form or shape). | |||
| Shona | dhizaini | ||
| This Shona word for "design" is borrowed from English. | |||
| Somali | naqshad | ||
| Naqshad also means 'the design used in decorating a camel's saddle bag'. | |||
| Sesotho | moralo | ||
| The Sesotho word "moralo" translates primarily as "design" as opposed to "plan" or "purpose" as "sebopeho" would. | |||
| Swahili | kubuni | ||
| "Kubuni" also means "to carve," "to draw," or "to engrave" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | uyilo | ||
| The word "uyilo" in Xhosa can also refer to a blueprint or a plan. | |||
| Yoruba | apẹrẹ | ||
| The word "apẹrẹ" can also refer to a pattern or a model. | |||
| Zulu | ukwakheka | ||
| The Zulu word "ukwakheka" can also mean "to weave" or "to plait". | |||
| Bambara | desɛn | ||
| Ewe | aɖaŋudɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | igishushanyo | ||
| Lingala | likanisi ya kosala eloko | ||
| Luganda | okukuba | ||
| Sepedi | moakanyetšo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | hyehyɛ | ||
Design in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | التصميم | ||
| "التصميم" also means "the decision" or "the judgment". | |||
| Hebrew | לְעַצֵב | ||
| The Hebrew word לְעַצֵב (la'atzev) can also mean to "form" or "shape," as in the process of creating something. | |||
| Pashto | ډیزاین | ||
| The Pashto word “ډیزاین” (“design”) originates from the French word “dessin,” meaning “drawing” or “plan.” | |||
| Arabic | التصميم | ||
| "التصميم" also means "the decision" or "the judgment". | |||
Design in Western European Languages
| Albanian | dizajni | ||
| The Albanian "dizajni" comes from Italian "disegnare," meaning "to arrange," and from Old French "designet," meaning "plot." | |||
| Basque | diseinua | ||
| Diseinua is a loanword from the French word "dessin" meaning "drawing". | |||
| Catalan | disseny | ||
| The word "disseny" in Catalan comes from the Latin word "designare", meaning "to mark out" or "to draw". | |||
| Croatian | oblikovati | ||
| The word "oblikovati" can also mean "to form" or "to shape" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | design | ||
| The Danish word "design" (design) has an alternate meaning of "rain". | |||
| Dutch | ontwerp | ||
| "Ontwerp" also means plan, concept, or draft. | |||
| English | design | ||
| The word 'design' derives from the Latin word 'designare', meaning 'to mark out'. | |||
| French | conception | ||
| The French word "conception" originates from the Latin word "conceptus", meaning "something conceived or formed in the mind". | |||
| Frisian | ûntwerpe | ||
| The Frisian word "ûntwerpe" is cognate with the English word "answer." | |||
| Galician | deseño | ||
| In Galician, the word "deseño" derives from the Latin "designāre", meaning "to mark out", but also refers to artistic concepts like "pattern" or "layout". | |||
| German | design | ||
| German "Design" means both "design" and "pattern", highlighting the connection between the two concepts. | |||
| Icelandic | hönnun | ||
| Hönnun, meaning “design” or “craftmanship” in Icelandic, may have derived from an Anglo-Saxon cognate word, “hunnon”, which also refers to artistry. | |||
| Irish | dearadh | ||
| The Irish word 'dearadh' also means 'purpose' or 'intention'. | |||
| Italian | design | ||
| "Disegno" (design) also means drawing, sketch, cartoon, plan, outline, intention, and purpose. | |||
| Luxembourgish | design | ||
| In Luxembourgish, the word "Design" can also mean "pattern" or "model". | |||
| Maltese | disinn | ||
| The word 'disinn' is related to the Italian word 'disegno', which can also refer to 'a drawing' or 'a plan' in addition to its primary meaning of 'design' | |||
| Norwegian | design | ||
| In Norwegian, "design" can also refer to "pattern" or "drawing". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | projeto | ||
| The Portuguese word "projeto" comes from the Latin word "proiectus", meaning "something thrown forward" or "a plan." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dealbhadh | ||
| The verb "dealbh" also means "to shape, form, or figure," which is why "dealbhadh" also means either "the act of shaping or forming" or "the form or shape of something." | |||
| Spanish | diseño | ||
| The word "diseño" comes from the Italian word "disegno", meaning "drawing", and has a broader meaning in Spanish that encompasses artistic and industrial design. | |||
| Swedish | design | ||
| The Swedish word "design" also means "pattern". | |||
| Welsh | dyluniad | ||
| The Welsh word "dyluniad" is derived from the same root as the English word "delineate" and the Old Irish word "dliged," which means "law". | |||
Design in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | дызайн | ||
| Originally, the word "дызайн" comes from the Latin word "designare", meaning "to mark out" or "to sketch". | |||
| Bosnian | dizajn | ||
| The word "dizajn" is likely derived from the Italian word "disegno", which means "drawing" or "plan". | |||
| Bulgarian | дизайн | ||
| In Bulgarian, "дизайн" also means a "plan" or "scheme". | |||
| Czech | design | ||
| The Czech word "design" also means "intent" or "purpose". | |||
| Estonian | kujundus | ||
| Estonian word “kujundus” derives from a verb “kujutama”, which means to imagine or to picture. | |||
| Finnish | design | ||
| In Finnish, `design` can also refer to a pattern, a plan, or a concept, derived from the Latin `designare` meaning "to designate or mark out". | |||
| Hungarian | tervezés | ||
| The Hungarian word "tervezés" not only means "design" but also "planning" and "engineering". | |||
| Latvian | dizains | ||
| Dizaini (plural: dizaini) is derived from the French word 'dezeing,' and is commonly used to refer to a design or pattern, in the context of art and aesthetics. | |||
| Lithuanian | dizainas | ||
| Dizainas is derived from the Old Italian word | |||
| Macedonian | дизајн | ||
| The word "дизајн" (design) comes from the Latin word "designare", meaning "to mark out". In some contexts, it can also refer to an underlying purpose or plan. | |||
| Polish | projekt | ||
| In Polish, "projekt" also refers to a draft or blueprint, capturing the initial stages of design. | |||
| Romanian | proiecta | ||
| The word "proiecta" comes from the Latin word "proiectum", which means "to throw forward" or "to design". | |||
| Russian | дизайн | ||
| "Дизайн" is borrowed from French, where it means "drawing, drawing, intention, scheme, plan, project, composition of parts". In Russian, the word "design" often refers to the artistic aspect of the design. | |||
| Serbian | дизајн | ||
| Serbian 'дизајн' ('design') ultimately derives from French 'dessin' with the same meaning, stemming from the Latin verb 'designare' meaning 'to mark out', 'to denote'. | |||
| Slovak | dizajn | ||
| The Slovak word "dizajn" comes from the French word "dessin", meaning "drawing", and can refer to both artistic and technical drawings. | |||
| Slovenian | oblikovanje | ||
| In mathematics, "oblikovanje" refers to a process of "forming" mathematical entities, such as shapes or functions. | |||
| Ukrainian | дизайн | ||
| Ukrainian word "дизайн" ("design") derives from the French "dessin" ("drawing") and is also used to refer to the act of designing. | |||
Design in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | নকশা | ||
| The word "নকশা" (design) derives from the Sanskrit term "nakṣatra" (constellation), and also refers to a pattern or plan. | |||
| Gujarati | ડિઝાઇન | ||
| The Gujarati word "ડિઝાઇન" also refers to a plan or a blueprint. | |||
| Hindi | डिज़ाइन | ||
| The word 'डिज़ाइन' comes from the Latin word 'signum', which means 'a sign' or 'a mark'. | |||
| Kannada | ವಿನ್ಯಾಸ | ||
| The word "ವಿನ್ಯಾಸ" also carries the connotation of "plan" or "scheme" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | രൂപകൽപ്പന | ||
| The Malayalam word "rupalkalpana" comes from the Sanskrit word "rupakalpa", which means "creation of form". | |||
| Marathi | डिझाइन | ||
| In Marathi, 'डिझाइन' has a secondary meaning of 'a clever plan or scheme'. | |||
| Nepali | डिजाईन | ||
| The Nepali word "डिजाईन" is a loanword from English and has the same meaning and etymology. | |||
| Punjabi | ਡਿਜ਼ਾਇਨ | ||
| The word "ਡਿਜ਼ਾਇਨ" in Punjabi can also refer to a plan or scheme, or to the process of creating something. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නිර්මාණ | ||
| The word "නිර්මාණ" can also refer to the process of creation or composition. | |||
| Tamil | வடிவமைப்பு | ||
| Telugu | రూపకల్పన | ||
| The word "రూపకల్పన" is derived from the Sanskrit word "रूपकल्पना", meaning "imagination" or "visualisation". | |||
| Urdu | ڈیزائن | ||
Design in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 设计 | ||
| In early Chinese texts, "设计" could also mean conspiracy to overthrow a government. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 設計 | ||
| 設計 is also the traditional Chinese version of the Western name "Design." | |||
| Japanese | 設計 | ||
| The characters for "設計" also form the phrase "the will of the heavens," implying a divine plan. | |||
| Korean | 디자인 | ||
| The word "디자인" (design) in Korean has been derived from the French word "dessin", meaning "drawing" or "sketch". It primarily refers to the process of creating and shaping something, but it can also denote a pattern or a plan. | |||
| Mongolian | дизайн | ||
| The word 'дизайн' ('design') in Mongolian originally meant 'intent', 'purpose', or 'plan'. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဒီဇိုင်း | ||
Design in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | rancangan | ||
| In Indonesian, the word "rancangan" originally meant "plan" or "scheme" and is now used almost exclusively to refer to design. | |||
| Javanese | desain | ||
| 'Desain' is also a Javanese word for 'a pattern' or 'an ornament'. | |||
| Khmer | រចនា | ||
| The word "រចនា" in Khmer also means "creation" or "composition". | |||
| Lao | ອອກແບບ | ||
| Malay | reka bentuk | ||
| The word "reka bentuk" in Malay is derived from the Sanskrit word "rekha", meaning "line" or "drawing". | |||
| Thai | ออกแบบ | ||
| ออกแบบ derives from the Thai word "ออก" (out) and "แบบ" (model), implying the creation of something new and distinct. | |||
| Vietnamese | thiết kế | ||
| The word "thiết kế" is derived from the Chinese word "設計", which means "to plan or draw a design". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | disenyo | ||
Design in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | dizayn | ||
| In Azerbaijani, "dizayn" also alludes to "an intention to achieve a target". | |||
| Kazakh | жобалау | ||
| The word "жобалау" may also refer to a type of embroidery in traditional Kazakh culture. | |||
| Kyrgyz | дизайн | ||
| The word "дизайн" in Kyrgyz also means "project" or "layout". | |||
| Tajik | тарроҳӣ | ||
| A secondary meaning of “тарроҳӣ” is “a draft or plan” in Persian and Tajik, whereas in Arabic this word is associated with “the act of creating”. | |||
| Turkmen | dizaýn | ||
| Uzbek | dizayn | ||
| The Uzbek word "dizayn" (дизайн) is derived from the Russian word "диза́йн" and ultimately from the French word "dessin", meaning "drawing" or "plan". | |||
| Uyghur | لايىھىلەش | ||
Design in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻolālā | ||
| Hoʻolālā also means "to cause to appear" or "to manifest" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | hoahoa | ||
| The word "hoahoa" in Maori can also refer to the "plan" or "intent" of something, or the "idea" or "concept" behind a design. | |||
| Samoan | mamanu | ||
| "Mamanu" is a variant of "manomano", meaning "to paint" or "to draw". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | disenyo | ||
| "Disenyo" is also a Spanish loanword that means "drawing, sketch, or plan." | |||
Design in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | lurata | ||
| Guarani | apora'ãngarã | ||
Design in International Languages
| Esperanto | projektado | ||
| The word "projektado" originally meant "outline, plan" and is also used in Esperanto to mean "projection" (e.g., a film or slide show). | |||
| Latin | consilio | ||
| The word "consilio" can also refer to a plan or purpose, as well as the act of deliberating or considering something. | |||
Design in Others Languages
| Greek | σχέδιο | ||
| The word "σχέδιο" also means "plan", "scheme", or "intention" in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | tsim | ||
| Tsim can also refer to a pattern made by an animal's fur or skin in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | mînakkirin | ||
| Kurdish word "mînakkirin" means "design", "pattern", "plan" and "scheme" in English. | |||
| Turkish | tasarım | ||
| The Turkish word "tasarım" also means "conception, formation, drawing"} | |||
| Xhosa | uyilo | ||
| The word "uyilo" in Xhosa can also refer to a blueprint or a plan. | |||
| Yiddish | פּלאַן | ||
| The Yiddish word "פּלאַן" (plan) is derived from the Greek word "πλάνος" (planos), meaning "wandering" or "roaming." | |||
| Zulu | ukwakheka | ||
| The Zulu word "ukwakheka" can also mean "to weave" or "to plait". | |||
| Assamese | ডিজাইন | ||
| Aymara | lurata | ||
| Bhojpuri | डिजाइन | ||
| Dhivehi | ޑިޒައިން | ||
| Dogri | डजैन | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | disenyo | ||
| Guarani | apora'ãngarã | ||
| Ilocano | disenio | ||
| Krio | dizayn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ديزاين | ||
| Maithili | डिजाइन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯑꯣꯡ ꯃꯇꯧ | ||
| Mizo | ruangam siam | ||
| Oromo | tolfama | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଡିଜାଇନ୍ | ||
| Quechua | pallay | ||
| Sanskrit | प्ररचन | ||
| Tatar | дизайн | ||
| Tigrinya | ንድፊ | ||
| Tsonga | vukhavisi | ||