Direction in Different Languages
Discover 'Direction' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'direction' carries great significance in our daily lives, guiding us in our actions, decisions, and movements. It's not just a navigational term, but also a metaphorical concept that implies progress and growth. Throughout history, the concept of direction has played a crucial role in various cultural contexts, from ancient navigation techniques to modern-day philosophical discourses.
For instance, in Chinese culture, the word for 'direction' (方向 - fāngxiàng) is often associated with the concept of fate and destiny. In contrast, the German word for 'direction' (Richtung) is more aligned with precision and exactness, reflecting the country's engineering prowess.
Given the global and cultural importance of the word 'direction', understanding its translations in different languages can be enlightening and intriguing. It not only helps in effective communication but also provides insights into the unique ways different cultures perceive and interact with the world.
Here are some translations of the word 'direction' in various languages, diving deep into the linguistic and cultural nuances of this fascinating term.
Direction
Direction in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | rigting | ||
| "Rigting" (direction) in Afrikaans also refers to the direction, angle or line of the teeth in a saw blade, as well as the line or track created by a vehicle on soft ground. | |||
| Amharic | አቅጣጫ | ||
| "አቅጣጫ" can mean both "direction" and "finger" in Amharic and is likely derived from the verb "to point". | |||
| Hausa | shugabanci | ||
| The Hausa word shugabanci (direction) also means 'leadership' or 'the office of a leader'. | |||
| Igbo | ntụziaka | ||
| The word "ntụziaka" also means "explanation" or "instruction" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | tari-dalana | ||
| Tari-dalana is derived from the word 'dalana' meaning 'way' or 'road', and 'tari' meaning 'to point' or 'to show'. It therefore literally means 'to point the way' or 'to show the direction'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | malangizo | ||
| In some Nyanja proverbs, "malangizo" may also mean "instructions" or "advice". | |||
| Shona | nzira | ||
| "Nzira" is cognate with many languages in the Bantu family and was originally an abstract noun that referred to "way", "habit"."} | |||
| Somali | jihada | ||
| "Jihada" in Somali can also refer to a holy war or crusade, highlighting the word's versatile meaning. | |||
| Sesotho | tataiso | ||
| The cognate word 'tataiso' means 'guide' in Kiswahili. | |||
| Swahili | mwelekeo | ||
| "Mwelekeo" also means "tendency" or "orientation". | |||
| Xhosa | ulwalathiso | ||
| The word "ulwalathiso" can also mean "the way" or "the manner". | |||
| Yoruba | itọsọna | ||
| "Itọsọna" also means "an indication" or "a signpost". | |||
| Zulu | isiqondiso | ||
| The Zulu word "isiqondiso" derives from the verb "qondisa," meaning "to guide" or "to lead." | |||
| Bambara | kuntilenna | ||
| Ewe | mɔfiame | ||
| Kinyarwanda | icyerekezo | ||
| Lingala | ngambo | ||
| Luganda | endagiriro | ||
| Sepedi | taetšo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kwan a ɛrefa | ||
Direction in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | اتجاه | ||
| The word "اتجاه" in Arabic can also refer to a trend or inclination. | |||
| Hebrew | כיוון | ||
| The word 'כיוון' in Hebrew also refers to 'intention' or 'purpose'. | |||
| Pashto | لور | ||
| The word "لور" in Pashto has alternate meanings including "side" and "edge". | |||
| Arabic | اتجاه | ||
| The word "اتجاه" in Arabic can also refer to a trend or inclination. | |||
Direction in Western European Languages
| Albanian | drejtimi | ||
| The word "drejtimi" in Albanian is derived from the verb "drejtoj," meaning "to guide" or "to lead." | |||
| Basque | norabidea | ||
| The word "norabidea" may also refer to a route, way, or means used to achieve something. | |||
| Catalan | direcció | ||
| In Catalan, "direcció" derives from the latin word "directio", meaning "act or action of straightening" | |||
| Croatian | smjer | ||
| Smjer's initial meaning is more similar to 'flow' or 'way', but later acquired the meaning of 'direction'. | |||
| Danish | retning | ||
| The word "retning" can also refer to a line or path. | |||
| Dutch | richting | ||
| Richtig means "judgment" or "justice" in Afrikaans and "towards" in German, but literally "right" in Dutch. | |||
| English | direction | ||
| The word "direction" comes from the Latin word "dirigere," meaning to guide or arrange. | |||
| French | direction | ||
| The French word "direction" derives from the Latin "directio," meaning "a straightening" or "a making straight." | |||
| Frisian | rjochting | ||
| The word "rjochting" in Frisian can also refer to the concept of justice or righteousness. | |||
| Galician | dirección | ||
| In Galician, the word "dirección" can also refer to a person's address or contact information, in addition to its primary meaning of "direction". | |||
| German | richtung | ||
| "Richtung" can also refer to a political, religious or philosophical school or tendency. | |||
| Icelandic | átt | ||
| The word "átt" in Icelandic can also mean "quarter of the compass", "cardinal direction", or "point of the compass". | |||
| Irish | treo | ||
| The Irish word "treo" can also mean "course" or "way of life". | |||
| Italian | direzione | ||
| "Direzione" means both "direction" and "management" in Italian; the latter meaning derives from the word "dirigere" ("to direct") and the suffix "-zione" ("action"). | |||
| Luxembourgish | richtung | ||
| Richtung, in Luxembourgish, can also mean "row" or "direction" in the sense of "order" or "orientation" | |||
| Maltese | direzzjoni | ||
| The word "direzzjoni" derives from the Latin word "directio", meaning "a straightening out or making straight". | |||
| Norwegian | retning | ||
| The Norwegian word "retning" derives from the Proto-Germanic root *rehtiz "straight". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | direção | ||
| The word "direção" also means "steering" or "board" in Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | stiùireadh | ||
| The word "stiùireadh" (direction) in Scots Gaelic also means "advice" or "supervision". | |||
| Spanish | dirección | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning "direction," "dirección" can also refer to an address, a board of directors, or a steering mechanism. | |||
| Swedish | riktning | ||
| The word "riktning" in Swedish also means "orientation" in a more abstract sense, such as "sexual orientation" or "political orientation." | |||
| Welsh | cyfeiriad | ||
| The word 'cyfeiriad' also means 'address' in Welsh, which reflects its original meaning of 'a pointing' or 'a showing'. | |||
Direction in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | кірунак | ||
| The word “кірунак” can also refer to a specific course or subject of study or work and has the alternative spelling “напрамак”. | |||
| Bosnian | smjer | ||
| "Smjer" in Bosnian derives from Old Slavic "smъrtь", meaning "death". | |||
| Bulgarian | посока | ||
| In Bulgarian, the word "посока" can also mean "way, path, course, or bearing." | |||
| Czech | směr | ||
| The word "směr" in Czech also means "tendency" or "trend". | |||
| Estonian | suund | ||
| The word “suund” is also a synonym of the word “channel”, as in television channel. | |||
| Finnish | suunta | ||
| "Suunta" in Finnish also means "course", as in a university course, or the direction or tendency of something. | |||
| Hungarian | irány | ||
| The Hungarian word "irány" derives from the verb "irítani" meaning "to move or point towards". | |||
| Latvian | virzienu | ||
| The word "virzienu" is derived from the Proto-Baltic root *wirz-, meaning "to turn", and is cognate with the Lithuanian word "viršūnė" (summit). | |||
| Lithuanian | kryptis | ||
| Kryptis also means "tendency" or "orientation" in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | насока | ||
| The word "насока" can also refer to a "current" or "flow", derived from the Old Church Slavonic "натокъ" meaning "flow". | |||
| Polish | kierunek | ||
| The word "kierunek" in Polish can also mean "line of study". | |||
| Romanian | direcţie | ||
| The archaic form of the word, "direcțiune", comes from Turkish and means "path, way, street". | |||
| Russian | направление | ||
| The word "направление" can also mean "sense" or "tendency". | |||
| Serbian | правац | ||
| The word "правац" can also mean "political orientation" or "ideology". | |||
| Slovak | smer | ||
| Smer is also a noun meaning "laughter" as well as past tense for "smiať sa" ("to laugh"). | |||
| Slovenian | smer | ||
| The word "smer" in Slovenian, meaning "direction", is a borrowing from the German word "smer", which shares the same meaning. | |||
| Ukrainian | напрямку | ||
| In Ukrainian, the word "напрямку" also refers to "way of thinking or acting". | |||
Direction in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অভিমুখ | ||
| The word "অভিমুখ" ("direction") in Bengali is derived from the Sanskrit word "abhimukha" which means "facing towards" or "in the direction of." | |||
| Gujarati | દિશા | ||
| The Gujarati word "દિશા" is derived from the Sanskrit word "दिशा" (diśā), which means "side" or "quarter". | |||
| Hindi | दिशा | ||
| दशा is not just a direction, but also a period of 12 years, a condition, a state, or a situation. | |||
| Kannada | ನಿರ್ದೇಶನ | ||
| The word "ನಿರ್ದೇಶನ" (direction) also refers to a guideline or instruction given to a person or group. | |||
| Malayalam | സംവിധാനം | ||
| Marathi | दिशा | ||
| दिशा means both 'direction' and an 'eight-pointed compass' in Marathi because both meanings imply something that helps guide one's path. | |||
| Nepali | दिशा | ||
| {"text": "दिशा ("direction") derives from the Sanskrit root "dis", meaning "to show, point out, or indicate". In Nepali, it also refers to a geographical region or a side"} | |||
| Punjabi | ਦਿਸ਼ਾ | ||
| "ਦਿਸ਼ਾ" derives from the Sanskrit word "diś" meaning "side, place, point of the compass", but may also refer to someone's "fate, destiny, orientation" in the abstract sense. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දිශාව | ||
| In Buddhism, "දිශාව" can also refer to a "direction in the path towards enlightenment". | |||
| Tamil | திசையில் | ||
| "திசையில்" can also mean "towards", "in the direction", or "on behalf of". | |||
| Telugu | దిశ | ||
| "దిశ" also means "way, manner, method." | |||
| Urdu | سمت | ||
| The word "سمت" can also refer to "position", "rank", or "facing". | |||
Direction in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 方向 | ||
| The word “方向” is also used in Chinese to refer to the “front” or “forward” direction specifically. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 方向 | ||
| The character "方" can mean "direction", "place", "region", "method", or "rule". | |||
| Japanese | 方向 | ||
| The kanji in "方向" also means "face" or "appearance" and is often used in contexts related to aesthetics and art. | |||
| Korean | 방향 | ||
| Originally "방향" was used to mean "fragrant" or "incense" in Korea. | |||
| Mongolian | чиглэл | ||
| The Mongolian word 'чиглэл' can also refer to a 'trend' or a 'course of action'. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဦး တည်ချက် | ||
Direction in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | arah | ||
| In Malay origin, arah means "flow of a river", and "the place the flow goes to" | |||
| Javanese | arah | ||
| The word "arah" in Javanese can also mean "purpose" or "intention" depending on the context. | |||
| Khmer | ទិសដៅ | ||
| The Khmer word "ទិសដៅ" can also mean "goal" or "destination". | |||
| Lao | ທິດທາງ | ||
| Malay | arah | ||
| The word "arah" in Malay can also mean "destination" or "intention" | |||
| Thai | ทิศทาง | ||
| The word "ทิศทาง" can also refer to a trend or an orientation. | |||
| Vietnamese | phương hướng | ||
| "Phương hướng" is a compound word consisting of "phương" (side, direction) and "hướng" (tendency, orientation). It can also refer to a strategy or plan of action (i.e., "direction"). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | direksyon | ||
Direction in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | istiqamət | ||
| The word "istiqamət" is derived from the Arabic word "istiqāmah", meaning "rectitude" or "uprightness". | |||
| Kazakh | бағыт | ||
| "Бағыт" also means "a way, a path". | |||
| Kyrgyz | багыт | ||
| "Багыт" means "orientation" in Turkish and also is a name of a Kyrgyz tribe. | |||
| Tajik | самт | ||
| The word "самт" in Tajik also means "side" or "coast". | |||
| Turkmen | ugry | ||
| Uzbek | yo'nalish | ||
| The word "yo'nalish" may also refer to "the process of directing" or "the act of sending a message or object" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | يۆنىلىش | ||
Direction in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kuhikuhi | ||
| The word "kuhikuhi" also means "compass" or "guide" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | ahunga | ||
| The term "ahunga" in Māori can also refer to a specific direction, such as north or south. | |||
| Samoan | taʻiala | ||
| In Samoan, "taʻiala" can also mean "a guide" or "the person giving instructions". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | direksyon | ||
| The word "direksyon" in Tagalog can also mean "instruction" or "advice". | |||
Direction in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | kawkha | ||
| Guarani | ogarenda | ||
Direction in International Languages
| Esperanto | direkto | ||
| The Esperanto word "direkto" also means "directly" or "directly to". | |||
| Latin | partem | ||
| The word 'partem' in Latin can also refer to a 'share' or 'portion'. | |||
Direction in Others Languages
| Greek | κατεύθυνση | ||
| In ancient Greek, κατεύθυνση meant 'stretching straight', from κατ- 'down along' and εὐθύνω 'make straight'. | |||
| Hmong | kev taw qhia | ||
| Kev Taw Qhia loosely translates to "pointing the right way" and is often used in a more general sense to mean "showing direction" | |||
| Kurdish | ber | ||
| Kurdish "ber" is a word for "direction", also used for "front", "side" and "surface" | |||
| Turkish | yön | ||
| The word "yön" also means "side" or "aspect" and is cognate with the Persian word "janib". | |||
| Xhosa | ulwalathiso | ||
| The word "ulwalathiso" can also mean "the way" or "the manner". | |||
| Yiddish | ריכטונג | ||
| The Yiddish word "ריכטונג" is derived from the German word "Richtung," which also means "direction." | |||
| Zulu | isiqondiso | ||
| The Zulu word "isiqondiso" derives from the verb "qondisa," meaning "to guide" or "to lead." | |||
| Assamese | দিশ | ||
| Aymara | kawkha | ||
| Bhojpuri | दिशा | ||
| Dhivehi | މަގު | ||
| Dogri | दिशा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | direksyon | ||
| Guarani | ogarenda | ||
| Ilocano | direksion | ||
| Krio | we | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئاڕاستە | ||
| Maithili | दिशा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯥꯏꯀꯩ | ||
| Mizo | kawh lam | ||
| Oromo | kallattii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଦିଗ | ||
| Quechua | kamachiy | ||
| Sanskrit | निर्देश | ||
| Tatar | юнәлеш | ||
| Tigrinya | ኣንፈት | ||
| Tsonga | tlhelo | ||