Different in different languages

Different in Different Languages

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

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'different' holds a special place in our vocabulary, as it allows us to express the rich diversity that exists in our world. From physical characteristics and talents to beliefs and traditions, the concept of difference is fundamental to understanding and appreciating the cultural importance of individuality. 'Different' in different languages showcases the beautiful variations that exist across the globe, highlighting the unique identities of each culture.

Throughout history, the recognition of difference has played a crucial role in shaping societies and influencing human interactions. For instance, the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus famously stated that 'the only constant in life is change.' This wisdom underscores the significance of difference, as it reminds us that the world is in a constant state of flux, with each culture contributing its unique perspective to the global mosaic.

As you explore the various translations of the word 'different' below, consider the ways in which this concept has influenced your own life and the lives of those around you. By embracing and celebrating our differences, we can foster a more inclusive, compassionate world that values the unique qualities of every individual.

Different


Different in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansanders
"Anders" may mean "different" or "otherwise" in Afrikaans, which is not usually interchangeable in English.
Amharicየተለየ
In addition to meaning "different," "የተለየ" can also mean "distinct" or "separate."
Hausadaban-daban
The term "daban-daban" may have originated from the Hausa word "daba," meaning "side" or "direction," suggesting an idea of deviation or difference from the norm.
Igboiche iche
Iche iche also means "very or plenty" and is usually used in a derogatory context.
Malagasysamy hafa
“Samy hafa” is a Malagasy idiom that means “to be different from others” or “to be unique.”
Nyanja (Chichewa)zosiyana
The word "zosiyana" is also used figuratively to mean "different from the norm" or "unusual".
Shonazvakasiyana
Zvakasiyana can also mean 'to be diverse' or 'to vary'.
Somalikala duwan
"Kala-duwan" may mean "completely changed" or be related to "kala-qeyb","something apart",
Sesothofapane
The word "fapane" can also mean "another" or "some other" in Sesotho.
Swahilitofauti
Tofauti is derived from the Arabic word 'tafawutu' meaning 'to separate' or 'to distinguish'. It is cognate with the French word 'difference'.
Xhosaeyahlukileyo
'Eyahlukileyo' in Xhosa can also mean 'outstanding', 'remarkable', or 'eccentric'.
Yorubayatọ
In some other contexts, "yatọ" may also mean "another" or "separate".
Zulukwehlukile
The Zulu word 'kwehlukile' also means 'unusual' or 'strange' and is derived from 'kwehluka' ('to separate').
Bambarawɛrɛ
Eweto vovo
Kinyarwandabitandukanye
Lingalaekeseni
Lugandaokwaawukana
Sepedifapanego
Twi (Akan)soronko

Different in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicمختلف
مختلف "mukhtalif" means "different" but it also means a "disagreement" or "quarrel".
Hebrewשונה
The word "שונה" ("different") also means "to change" or "to repeat" in Hebrew.
Pashtoمختلف
مختلف also means "other" in Pashto; its cognate "دیگر" means the same in Persian
Arabicمختلف
مختلف "mukhtalif" means "different" but it also means a "disagreement" or "quarrel".

Different in Western European Languages

Albaniantë ndryshme
"Të ndryshme" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *ter- "to cross, pass over" (cf. English "trans-" and Greek "διά-")."
Basquedesberdinak
The word "desberdinak" in Basque is a compound word derived from "desa" (direction) and "berdin" (equal)
Catalandiferent
The Catalan word "diferent" is derived from the Latin word "differens", meaning "distinctive".
Croatiandrugačiji
The Croatian word "drugačiji" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "drugъ", which also means "friend". Thus, the word "drugačiji" originally meant "friend-like" or "familiar".
Danishforskellige
The Danish word "forskellige" ultimately derives from the Old Norse "fraskilja," meaning "to part" or "to separate."
Dutchanders
Dutch "anders" derives from Old Saxon "ander", meaning "other", also related to English "other" and Latin "alter".
Englishdifferent
The word 'different' originates from the Latin word 'differre', meaning 'to carry apart' or 'to separate'.
Frenchdifférent
In old French 'différent' could also mean 'distinguished, excellent', while 'différence' meant 'distinction, excellence'. This meaning can still be found in expressions such as 'faire la différence', meaning 'to excel'.
Frisianferskillend
The Frisian word "ferskillend" was borrowed from Middle Dutch "verschelen" but is now used in a wider sense.
Galiciandiferente
In Galician, "diferente" also has the meanings of "dissimilar" and "various".
Germananders
"Anders" also means "otherwise" and "in a different way".
Icelandicöðruvísi
Öðruvísi is a cognate with the German anders, and is related to the English word
Irishdifriúil
"Difriúil" likely comes from an old word for "to tear apart" or "to separate," and it retains some of that meaning in modern Irish, e.g., in reference to a dispute that results in a split into two opposing factions.
Italiandiverso
The masculine plural form, 'diversi', also carries a political significance in Italy as the name for a coalition or party representing various factions or ideologies.
Luxembourgishanescht
The word “anescht” derives from the Old High German word “anast,” meaning “other.”
Maltesedifferenti
The word "differenti" is derived from the Latin word "differre"
Norwegianforskjellig
The word 'forskjellig' is derived from the Old Norse word 'forskelligr', meaning 'to distinguish'.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)diferente
The Portuguese word "diferente" derives from the Latin "differre," meaning "to postpone," and carries connotations of separation or delay.
Scots Gaeliceadar-dhealaichte
Spanishdiferente
The word "diferente" in Spanish comes from the Latin word "differens", meaning "distinguishing" or "separating".
Swedishannorlunda
Swedish "annorlunda" from Old Norse annarrlunda, "another way"
Welshgwahanol
The Welsh word "gwahanol" is cognate with the Breton word "disheñvel" and the Cornish word "dihanel".

Different in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianрозныя
"Розныя" is the modern Belarusian spelling of the word, but the archaic spelling is "рознь" and it has two alternate meanings: 'disagreement' and 'discord'.
Bosniandrugačiji
The word 'drugačiji' comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'drugъ', which means 'other' or 'another'.
Bulgarianразличен
Различен in Bulgarian, derives from the Old Slavic word *različьnъ, which means
Czechodlišný
The word "odlišný" has also been used historically to mean "lonely" or "separate".
Estonianerinevad
The word "erinevad" can also refer to "various" or "several".
Finnisheri
The word "eri" also means "other", "different kind" or "foreign".
Hungariankülönböző
The Hungarian word "különböző" is of Slavic origin and contains morphemes meaning "other" and "face/view".
Latviansavādāk
The Latvian word **savādāk** can also mean "unusually" or "in an extraordinary way".
Lithuanianskirtingi
The word “skirtingi” can also mean “special” or “unique” depending on the context and intonation used.
Macedonianразлични
Македонското „различни“ значи и „различити“ (српски: различити) и „разнолики“ (српски: разноврсни)
Polishróżne
"Różne" also means "various". However, it can also be used as a noun, meaning "miscellaneous items" or "odds and ends".
Romaniandiferit
The word "diferit" is derived from the Latin word "differre", which means "to carry apart".
Russianдругой
The word "другой" can also mean "another" or "the other" in Russian.
Serbianразличит
The word "различит" also means "to distinguish" or "to discern".
Slovakrôzne
"Rôzne" is cognate with Old Polish "różny" and Serbo-Croatian "razan" both meaning "varied".
Sloveniandrugačen
"Drugačen" can also mean "unusual" or "strange".
Ukrainianінший
The Ukrainian word "і́нший" originally implied "another of the same type", so it can still refer to someone or something "different" yet belonging to a certain class.

Different in South Asian Languages

Bengaliবিভিন্ন
The word "বিভিন্ন" comes from the Sanskrit word "विभिन्न" (vibhinna), which also means "divided" or "separated".
Gujaratiભિન્ન
In addition to its primary meaning of "different", "ભિન્ન" can also mean "separated", "diverse", or "partitioned" in Gujarati.
Hindiविभिन्न
विभिन्न comes from 'विभिन्न' (vi+bhinna) - meaning 'to divide'
Kannadaವಿಭಿನ್ನ
"ವಿಭಿನ್ನ" is a Sanskrit word that originally meant "distinct", "separate", or "dissimilar"
Malayalamവ്യത്യസ്ത
Marathiभिन्न
"भिन्न" has multiple meanings, also including 'share' and 'fraction'
Nepaliफरक
Nepali "फरक" likely derives from Sanskrit "पर्यक" (paryak) meaning "separation, difference" and is related to "पार्थक्य" (pārthakyam).
Punjabiਵੱਖਰਾ
The word "ਵੱਖਰਾ" originally meant "apart" or "at a distance" in Prakrit, and is derived from the root "vi-kr" meaning "to divide" or "to separate".
Sinhala (Sinhalese)වෙනස්
The word 'වෙනස්' (different) in Sinhala is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *wer-, meaning 'to turn, to change'.
Tamilவெவ்வேறு
The Tamil word வெவ்வேறு (vevveṟu) is derived from the proto-Dravidian root *veṟ-, meaning 'to separate', and is cognate with the Telugu word వేరు (vēru), meaning 'other' or 'different'.
Teluguభిన్నమైనది
Urduمختلف
The word "مختلف" is derived from the Arabic root "خلف" which means "to differ" or "to be different".

Different in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)不同
The first character of 不同 (bùtóng) "not the same" (不 bù, "not") shares its etymology with the character 否 (fǒu), "not, no".
Chinese (Traditional)不同
The word "不同" can also mean "disagree" or "not the same" in Chinese.
Japanese異なる
The kanji in "異なる" can also mean "to differentiate," conveying a nuance of distinguishing or setting apart.
Korean다른
The Korean word '다른' can also mean 'other' or 'another'.
Mongolianөөр
Öөр also means 'side' in Mongolian, and the plural 'өөрүүд' refers to a group of friends.
Myanmar (Burmese)ကွဲပြားခြားနားသည်

Different in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianberbeda
The word "berbeda" in Indonesian is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *beda or *bide, meaning "to be separate".
Javanesebeda
In Javanese, 'beda' can also refer to a disagreement or a separate part or piece.
Khmerខុសគ្នា
Laoແຕກຕ່າງ
Malayberbeza
The word "berbeza" is cognate with Tagalog "iba" both of which derive from the Proto-Austronesian *Ciba which also meant different
Thaiแตกต่างกัน
แตกต่างกัน derives from "แตก" meaning "to break" and "ต่าง" meaning "other"}
Vietnamesekhác nhau
The word "khác nhau" literally means "other each other".
Filipino (Tagalog)magkaiba

Different in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanifərqli
"Fərqli" is also used to describe something that is unusual or strange.
Kazakhәр түрлі
The Kazakh word "әр түрлі" is composed of the terms "әр" (which means "various" or "diverse") and "түрлі" (meaning "differing" or "changing").
Kyrgyzар башка
В значении «другой» и «иной» слово «ар башка» употребляется редко, в основном оно имеет значение «отдельный», «собственный», «особый».
Tajikгуногун
The word "гуногун" in Tajik can also refer to something that is unique or special.
Turkmenbaşga
Uzbekboshqacha
The Uzbek word "boshqacha" can also refer to "unique", "unusual", or "strange".
Uyghurئوخشىمايدۇ

Different in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianʻokoʻa
The word 'ʻokoʻa' derives from the Proto-Polynesian root *toko, meaning 'distinct' or 'separate'.
Maorirerekē
In Maori, the word "rerekē" also refers to something being unique or distinct.
Samoanese
Ese in Samoan can also mean 'foreign' and 'out of place', or 'another' when referring to a group of people.
Tagalog (Filipino)iba
The word "iba" in Tagalog can also mean "strange" or "unusual".

Different in American Indigenous Languages

Aymaramayja
Guaraniiñambue

Different in International Languages

Esperantomalsama
The word "malsama" comes from the Esperanto word "malsami," which means "unequal," and is also related to the Latin word "malus," meaning "bad."
Latinalium
In Latin, "alium" also means "another", "the other", or "the rest".

Different in Others Languages

Greekδιαφορετικός
The word "διαφορετικός" ('different') in Greek is derived from the verb "διαφέρω" ('to differ, to be different'), which in turn comes from the prefix "δια-" ('apart'), and the root "φέρ-" ('to bear, to carry').
Hmongtxawv
In addition to its primary meaning as "different," "txawv" can also signify "special," "rare," or "extraordinary" in Hmong.
Kurdishwekîdin
The Kurdish word 'wekîdin' also means 'to separate', 'to deviate', and 'to change'.
Turkishfarklı
"Farklı" is a Turkish word which, besides the basic meaning of "different," has two additional meanings originating from Arabic and Persian languages respectively.
Xhosaeyahlukileyo
'Eyahlukileyo' in Xhosa can also mean 'outstanding', 'remarkable', or 'eccentric'.
Yiddishאַנדערש
"Andersh" in Yiddish has the alternate meaning of "otherwise". It shares the same root as the English word "other".
Zulukwehlukile
The Zulu word 'kwehlukile' also means 'unusual' or 'strange' and is derived from 'kwehluka' ('to separate').
Assameseঅন্য
Aymaramayja
Bhojpuriअलग
Dhivehiތަފާތު
Dogriबक्खरा
Filipino (Tagalog)magkaiba
Guaraniiñambue
Ilocanosabali
Kriodifrɛn
Kurdish (Sorani)جیاواز
Maithiliअलग
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯈꯦꯟꯅꯕ
Mizodanglam
Oromogargar
Odia (Oriya)ଭିନ୍ନ
Quechuahuk niraq
Sanskritभिन्नः
Tatarтөрле
Tigrinyaፍሉይ
Tsongahambana

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