Direct in Different Languages
Discover 'Direct' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'direct' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, denoting a sense of straightforwardness and efficiency. It is often used to describe a path or course that is clear and unobstructed, as well as actions or communication that is honest and to the point. This word has been used in various cultural and historical contexts, including literature, art, and philosophy.
For instance, in literature, a 'direct' approach to storytelling is often appreciated for its clarity and simplicity. In art, 'direct' techniques like sketching or drafting can reveal the artist's raw talent and creativity. And in philosophy, 'direct' realism posits that our knowledge of the world is not mediated by our perceptions or concepts.
Given its significance and cultural importance, it's no wonder that someone might want to know the translation of 'direct' in different languages. After all, language is a powerful tool for communication and understanding, and being able to express oneself clearly and effectively in multiple languages can open up new opportunities for cultural exchange and collaboration.
Here are some translations of 'direct' in various languages:
Direct
Direct in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | direk | ||
| "Direk" in Afrikaans is borrowed from English "direct" and also has the alternate meaning of "straight". | |||
| Amharic | ቀጥተኛ | ||
| The word "ቀጥተኛ" can also mean "straight", "honest", or "open". | |||
| Hausa | kai tsaye | ||
| The word kai tsaye is also used to mean "to be at right angles". | |||
| Igbo | iduzi | ||
| Idụzị is an Igbo word with a double meaning: a directive and a medicinal plant used for treating ailments like malaria and diabetes. | |||
| Malagasy | mivantana | ||
| In Malagasy, the word "mivantana" can also refer to a window, suggesting that a direct path is like a clear view. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kulunjika | ||
| The word "kulunjika" also means "to be pointed" or "to be in a straight line". | |||
| Shona | kunanga | ||
| The Shona word 'kunanga' also has the meanings 'at once', 'straightway' and 'right off' among others. | |||
| Somali | toos ah | ||
| The word "toos ah" can also refer to "the front" or "in front of" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | otloloha | ||
| The word "otloloha" also means "in a straight line". | |||
| Swahili | moja kwa moja | ||
| Moja kwa moja also means "one by one" or "step by step". | |||
| Xhosa | ngqo | ||
| The word "ngqo" is cognate with the word "khombe" in other Nguni languages, and both may derive from a Proto-Bantu word *kòŋgɔ meaning "straight" or "correct". | |||
| Yoruba | taara | ||
| "Taara" also means "be at ease, comfortable, secure" or "be steady, stable" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | ngqo | ||
| "Ngqo" also means "quickly" or "immediately" in Zulu, and is used to emphasize the idea of moving in a straight line towards a destination. | |||
| Bambara | ka ɲɛminɛ | ||
| Ewe | tẽe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | mu buryo butaziguye | ||
| Lingala | mbala moko | ||
| Luganda | okulagirira | ||
| Sepedi | lebiša | ||
| Twi (Akan) | tee | ||
Direct in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مباشرة | ||
| مباشرة also means 'in person' or 'in the present', and is sometimes translated as 'at once'. | |||
| Hebrew | ישיר | ||
| ישיר, from the root ישר (straight), can also refer to a singer or a song that they perform | |||
| Pashto | مستقیم | ||
| The Pashto word "مستقیم" can also mean "straight" or "upright". | |||
| Arabic | مباشرة | ||
| مباشرة also means 'in person' or 'in the present', and is sometimes translated as 'at once'. | |||
Direct in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i drejtpërdrejtë | ||
| The word "i drejtpërdrejtë" can also mean "straight" or "rightful". | |||
| Basque | zuzena | ||
| The Basque word "zuzena" also means "correct" or "right". | |||
| Catalan | directe | ||
| The word 'directe' in Catalan derives from the Latin 'dirigere' (to direct, to lead), but also has the alternate meaning of 'live transmission', as opposed to recorded content. | |||
| Croatian | direktno | ||
| The word "direktno" in Croatian originally meant "straight" or "in a straight line" before acquiring its current meaning of "direct". | |||
| Danish | direkte | ||
| Direkte can also mean 'extremely' or 'terrible' in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | direct | ||
| In nautical terminology, "direct" can also mean "immediately; without delay". | |||
| English | direct | ||
| "Direct" means not only "straight" or "headlong" but also "expressly addressed or sent". | |||
| French | direct | ||
| In French, "direct" can also mean "straightforward" or "honest." | |||
| Frisian | direkt | ||
| "Direkt" is a Frisian word that also means "direct". It is derived from the Old Frisian word "direkte", which itself is derived from the Latin word "directus". In addition to its literal meaning, "direkt" can also be used figuratively to mean "straightforward" or "without hesitation". | |||
| Galician | directo | ||
| The word "directo" in Galician (meaning "straight" or "directly") can also mean "right wing" in the political sense. | |||
| German | direkte | ||
| In French, Spanish and Italian, the word 'Direkte' means 'straight' | |||
| Icelandic | beinlínis | ||
| "Beinlínis" is the Icelandic word for "direct", but it can also mean "leggy" or "straight-forward". | |||
| Irish | dhíreach | ||
| The Irish word "dhíreach" is also used to mean "immediate" or "in front of." | |||
| Italian | diretto | ||
| Besides its main meaning of "direct", "diretto" can also mean "straight" when used in the context of a path or trajectory. | |||
| Luxembourgish | direkt | ||
| Direkt is derived from the French word 'direct', meaning 'straight' or 'without alteration'. | |||
| Maltese | dirett | ||
| In addition to "direct", "dirett" can also mean "straight" or "upright". | |||
| Norwegian | direkte | ||
| The Norwegian word "direkte" can also be used in phrases to connote immediacy, such as "direkte opptak" ("live recording") or "direkte sending" ("live broadcast"). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | direto | ||
| Direto in Portuguese also means straight, honest, immediate, strict, or severe. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dìreach | ||
| An alternate meaning of the Scots Gaelic word "dìreach" is "straight" or "upright". | |||
| Spanish | directo | ||
| Spanish "directo" can be derived from "di-, "meaning "apart", and "regere" meaning "to guide". | |||
| Swedish | direkt | ||
| The word "direkt" is derived from the German word "direkt" and the Latin word "dirigere" (to direct, to steer). | |||
| Welsh | uniongyrchol | ||
| “Uniongyrchol” also means “right” in a mathematical sense. | |||
Direct in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | прамой | ||
| The word "прамой" also means "righteous" or "correct" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | direktno | ||
| Direktno can also mean 'directly', 'straight away', or 'without hesitation' in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | директен | ||
| The word "директен" is cognate with the Latin word "directus" and has the same meaning in both languages. | |||
| Czech | přímo | ||
| The word 'přímo' in Czech also means 'straight' or 'right' when used as an adverb. | |||
| Estonian | otsene | ||
| "Otsene" is related to "otsima" (to seek) and the English "straight." | |||
| Finnish | suoraan | ||
| The word "suoraan" can also mean "without delay" or "straight ahead." | |||
| Hungarian | közvetlen | ||
| The Hungarian word "közvetlen" also means immediate, firsthand, or personal. | |||
| Latvian | tieša | ||
| Etymology: from Proto-Baltic *tēsa from Proto-Indo-European *tésos, meaning "stretched out, taut", from root *ten-. | |||
| Lithuanian | tiesioginis | ||
| An alternate meaning of the Lithuanian word "tiesioginis" is "lineal", as opposed to "collateral" in genealogy. | |||
| Macedonian | директен | ||
| The word "директен" is also used to describe something that is straightforward or unambiguous. | |||
| Polish | bezpośredni | ||
| It also means "immediate" and "without mediation". | |||
| Romanian | direct | ||
| The Romanian word "direct" comes from Latin "dirigere" which also means to "direct" and "to address". | |||
| Russian | непосредственный | ||
| The word "непосредственный" can also mean "immediate" or "close". | |||
| Serbian | директан | ||
| The word "директан" can also refer to a person who directs or guides others. | |||
| Slovak | priamy | ||
| In Old Church Slavonic, priamy meant "right" and "straight", as well as "honest" and "truthful". | |||
| Slovenian | neposredno | ||
| The verb "neposredovati" also means "to intervene" and comes from the word "posredovati", which means "mediate, intervene". | |||
| Ukrainian | прямий | ||
| "Прямий" can also mean "straight" or "rectilinear." | |||
Direct in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সরাসরি | ||
| The word 'সরাসরি' came from Sanskrit word 'सरल' meaning 'straight'. | |||
| Gujarati | સીધા | ||
| સીધા (Sidha) may also refer to a type of Indian classical music (sitar) played with a bow. | |||
| Hindi | प्रत्यक्ष | ||
| In Sanskrit, प्रत्यक्ष (pratyakṣa) literally means 'perceived by the senses' or 'immediate experience'. | |||
| Kannada | ನೇರ | ||
| ನೇರ can mean either "direct" or "straight". It can also be used as an adverb meaning "directly" or "straightly". | |||
| Malayalam | നേരിട്ട് | ||
| The word "നേരിട്ട്" also means "face to face" or "immediately". | |||
| Marathi | थेट | ||
| The Marathi word "थेट" comes from Sanskrit via Prakrit, and is related to the English word "direct". The word can also refer to a straight line, or going directly to somewhere. | |||
| Nepali | प्रत्यक्ष | ||
| The word "प्रत्यक्ष" in Nepali can also mean "immediately" or "in front of one's eyes". | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਿੱਧਾ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සෘජු | ||
| The word "සෘජු" (direct) also has the alternate meaning of "straight". | |||
| Tamil | நேரடி | ||
| The Tamil word "நேரடி" not only means "direct" but also conveys a sense of "straightforwardness" and "lack of hesitation". | |||
| Telugu | ప్రత్యక్ష | ||
| Can also mean 'manifested, present to the senses' | |||
| Urdu | براہ راست | ||
| براہ راست (Barah Rast) means 'without mediation' and is derived from the Persian words 'bi' (without) and 'raast' (straight). | |||
Direct in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 直接 | ||
| The Chinese word "直接" can also mean "explicitly" or "without intermediary." | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 直接 | ||
| In Chinese, "直接" can also mean "frank" or "blunt". | |||
| Japanese | 直接 | ||
| "直" means "straight," "directly" in both Chinese characters and Kun reading. | |||
| Korean | 곧장 | ||
| The term "곧장" means "straight ahead" or "without hesitation" and originally referred to the straightest of three main roads in medieval Korea, leading from Seoul to Kaesong. | |||
| Mongolian | шууд | ||
| "Шууд" is derived from the Turkish word "doğrudan" and means "immediately, directly". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တိုက်ရိုက် | ||
Direct in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | langsung | ||
| "Langsung" can also mean "immediately" or "in real time" in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | langsung | ||
| Langsung's alternate meaning in Javanese, which is 'immediately', comes from a Proto-Austronesian word that means 'straight', 'correct', or 'true'. | |||
| Khmer | ដោយផ្ទាល់ | ||
| Lao | ໂດຍກົງ | ||
| ໂດຍກົງ" shares the same etymology with "through" and "go" in English, suggesting a meaning of "passing through". | |||
| Malay | langsung | ||
| "Langsung" in Malay means "direct" or "straight", and is related to the word "langka" which means "rare" or "scarce" | |||
| Thai | โดยตรง | ||
| “โดยตรง” can also mean “in person” or “in actual fact.” | |||
| Vietnamese | thẳng thắn | ||
| "Thẳng thắn" also means "upright," implying honesty and integrity. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | direkta | ||
Direct in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | birbaşa | ||
| The word "birbaşa" is also used in Azerbaijani to describe a person who is straightforward or frank. | |||
| Kazakh | тікелей | ||
| "Тікелей" can also mean "straight" or "unambiguously" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | түз | ||
| Түз is sometimes used in the meaning of the word 'truth'. | |||
| Tajik | мустақим | ||
| The word мустақим derives from the Arabic word ṣirāṭ al-mustaqīm, which means "the straight path" in the Quran. | |||
| Turkmen | göni | ||
| Uzbek | to'g'ridan-to'g'ri | ||
| The word "to'g'ridan-to'g'ri" can also mean "to correct" or "to set right" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | بىۋاسىتە | ||
Direct in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kuhikuhi | ||
| 'Kuhikuhi' also means 'to guide, lead, point in a direction, show the way, indicate, demonstrate' and 'a guide, pointer, compass, director, sign' in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | whakatika | ||
| In Maori, 'whakatika' also means 'to set something right' or 'to fix'. | |||
| Samoan | tuusao | ||
| In Samoan, tuusao can also refer to "straightforward" or "honest." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | magdirekta | ||
| The word “magdirekta” can also mean to “command” or “order” in Tagalog. | |||
Direct in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | chiqaki | ||
| Guarani | hesete | ||
Direct in International Languages
| Esperanto | rekta | ||
| The Esperanto word "rekta" is derived from the Latin word "rectus," which means "straight" or "correct." | |||
| Latin | recta | ||
| "Recta" can also mean "straight, not crooked," and is the root of "rectify" in English. | |||
Direct in Others Languages
| Greek | απευθείας | ||
| The Greek word “απευθείας” means “direct,” but also implies a more immediate or unmediated connection. | |||
| Hmong | ncaj qha | ||
| The Hmong word "ncaj qha" originally meant "straight" and also signifies "correct" or "upright." | |||
| Kurdish | seranser | ||
| Seranser (direct) also means “to make someone straight” or “to set someone straight” in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | direkt | ||
| The word "direkt" in Turkish can also mean "explicit" or "unambiguous". | |||
| Xhosa | ngqo | ||
| The word "ngqo" is cognate with the word "khombe" in other Nguni languages, and both may derive from a Proto-Bantu word *kòŋgɔ meaning "straight" or "correct". | |||
| Yiddish | דירעקט | ||
| The Yiddish word "דירעקט" (direct) is derived from the Latin "directus" and can also mean "immediately" or "without delay". | |||
| Zulu | ngqo | ||
| "Ngqo" also means "quickly" or "immediately" in Zulu, and is used to emphasize the idea of moving in a straight line towards a destination. | |||
| Assamese | পোনপটীয়া | ||
| Aymara | chiqaki | ||
| Bhojpuri | सीधा | ||
| Dhivehi | ޑައިރެކްޓް | ||
| Dogri | सिद्धा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | direkta | ||
| Guarani | hesete | ||
| Ilocano | tarus | ||
| Krio | dayrɛkt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕاستەوخۆ | ||
| Maithili | सीधा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯛꯊꯦꯡꯅꯅ | ||
| Mizo | tlang | ||
| Oromo | kallattiidhaan | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସିଧାସଳଖ | | ||
| Quechua | mana pantasqa | ||
| Sanskrit | साक्षात् | ||
| Tatar | туры | ||
| Tigrinya | ቕጥታ | ||
| Tsonga | kongoma | ||