Updated on March 6, 2024
Discussing ideas, opinions, and experiences is a fundamental aspect of human communication. The word
Afrikaans | bespreek | ||
Afrikaans 'bespreek' comes from Dutch 'bespreken', meaning 'to discuss' or 'to plan'. | |||
Amharic | መወያየት | ||
The Amharic word "መወያየት" can also refer to the act of negotiating, bargaining, or consulting with someone. | |||
Hausa | tattauna | ||
The word 'tattauna' can also mean 'to confer', 'to deliberate', or 'to consult'. | |||
Igbo | kwurita | ||
"Kwuru" is also a word for "speak" and "say" in Igbo. | |||
Malagasy | midinika | ||
The word "midinika" in Malagasy can also mean "to chat" or "to talk informally". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kambiranani | ||
The word 'kambiranani' in Nyanja is also used to refer to a conversation or debate. | |||
Shona | kurukurai | ||
The word "kurukurai" can also mean "to talk at length" or "to gossip". | |||
Somali | wada hadal | ||
Somali wada hadal comes from the root word hadal "speak." Wada is a plural verb form meaning "is spoken." | |||
Sesotho | buisanang | ||
The Sesotho word "buisanang" can also mean "to talk to someone in a friendly way" or "to share ideas". | |||
Swahili | kujadili | ||
The word "kujadili" derives from the Arabic word "jadala", meaning "to argue" or "to dispute". | |||
Xhosa | xoxa | ||
Xhosa 'xoxa' is also a type of vegetable known as wild spinach. | |||
Yoruba | jiroro | ||
The word "jiroro" in Yoruba also means "to examine" or "to look at closely". | |||
Zulu | xoxa | ||
In some dialects of Zulu, "xoxa" can also mean "to speak in a roundabout way" or "to talk indirectly". | |||
Bambara | ka jɛkafɔ kɛ | ||
Ewe | dzro eme | ||
Kinyarwanda | muganire | ||
Lingala | kolobela | ||
Luganda | okwogerako | ||
Sepedi | ahlaahla | ||
Twi (Akan) | pɛnsɛpɛnsɛ mu | ||
Arabic | مناقشة | ||
"مناقشة" also means 'quarrelling' in Arabic. | |||
Hebrew | לָדוּן | ||
The Hebrew word "לָדוּן" also means "to judge", as in legal terms. | |||
Pashto | بحث وکړئ | ||
In Pashto, the word "بحث وکړئ" has the additional meaning of "to debate or argue about something" | |||
Arabic | مناقشة | ||
"مناقشة" also means 'quarrelling' in Arabic. |
Albanian | diskutoj | ||
The word 'diskutoj' is derived from the Italian word 'discutere', meaning 'to examine' or 'to debate'. | |||
Basque | eztabaidatu | ||
Catalan | discutir | ||
Catalan "discutir" comes from Latin "discutere" meaning "to shake", "to disperse" or "to strike". | |||
Croatian | raspravljati | ||
"Rasprasvljati" also means "to solve" or "to deal with". | |||
Danish | drøfte | ||
The Danish word "drøfte" is likely a development of the Old Norse term "drof" which means a small piece of land surrounded by water | |||
Dutch | bespreken | ||
Dutch word "bespreken" comes from the Proto-Germanic verb "bisprekwan," meaning "to speak against." | |||
English | discuss | ||
The word “discuss” comes from the Latin word “discutere” (to shake apart) and originally meant 'to break into pieces' and 'to destroy'. | |||
French | discuter | ||
French « discuter » originally meant « shake », then « beat », and « crush », from Latin « discutere ». | |||
Frisian | diskusjearje | ||
"Diskusjearje" in Frisian comes from the Proto-Germanic word "*diskusjans" meaning "discourse, debate", with the suffix "-je" indicating an activity. | |||
Galician | discutir | ||
In Galician, "discutir" also means "to reason", "to debate", or "to dispute" | |||
German | diskutieren | ||
"Diskutieren" is related to a Late Latin *discutere, a compound of dis- "apart" + quatere "to shake, hit, strike." | |||
Icelandic | ræða | ||
Icelandic "ræða" can derive from the Indo-European root "*wreh1-," meaning "to speak or say," and has an alternate meaning of "lecture." | |||
Irish | pléigh | ||
In Irish, "pléigh" can also mean "negotiate", "plead", or "argue". | |||
Italian | discutere | ||
Discutere also means 'to disperse' or 'to banish' in Latin. | |||
Luxembourgish | diskutéieren | ||
Maltese | iddiskuti | ||
The verb "iddiskuti" is derived from the Italian word "discutere" which means "to examine" or "to debate" | |||
Norwegian | diskutere | ||
In Norwegian, the verb "diskutere" can also mean "to throw". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | discutir | ||
In Brazil, "discutir" can also mean "quarrel" with an intense argument. | |||
Scots Gaelic | beachdaich | ||
"Beachdaich" is derived from the Old Irish "biuchtaigh," meaning "reflect, think over, or deliberate." | |||
Spanish | discutir | ||
The word "discutir" in Spanish comes from the Latin word "discutere", meaning "to shake, agitate, or scatter". | |||
Swedish | diskutera | ||
The Swedish word "diskutera" originally meant "to throw the discus" in Latin. | |||
Welsh | trafod | ||
The word "trafod" is etymologically related to the verb "traethu" meaning to "recount". |
Belarusian | абмеркаваць | ||
The word "абмеркаваць" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*obmeriti", which also means "to measure" or "to compare". | |||
Bosnian | diskusija | ||
The word "diskusija" is derived from the Latin word "discutere", meaning "to shake thoroughly" or "to scatter". | |||
Bulgarian | обсъдете | ||
In Bulgarian, обсъдете can also mean to 'debate' or to 'confer'. | |||
Czech | diskutovat | ||
The word "diskutovat" is derived from the Latin word "discutere" meaning "to shake thoroughly" or "to scatter". | |||
Estonian | arutama | ||
Arutama can also mean "to meditate" or "to reflect". | |||
Finnish | keskustella | ||
The word "keskustella" is derived from the Finnish word "keskus", meaning "center" or "middle", and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European word "*kentrom", meaning "center" or "prick". | |||
Hungarian | megbeszélni | ||
The verb "megbeszélni" in Hungarian originally meant "to speak out something" which evolved into the meaning of "to discuss" as we know it today | |||
Latvian | apspriest | ||
The word "apspriest" can also be used to mean "speak in public" or "give a speech." | |||
Lithuanian | diskutuoti | ||
The Lithuanian verb "diskutuoti" is closely related to the word “diskas”, meaning “disc” in English. | |||
Macedonian | дискутираат | ||
"Дискутираат" comes from the Latin word "discutio", meaning "to scatter", "to shake", or "to examine thoroughly". | |||
Polish | omawiać | ||
In addition to its literal meaning ('discuss'), "omawiać" can also mean 'cover', 'review', or 'analyze' in Polish. | |||
Romanian | discuta | ||
The Romanian word "discuta" comes from Late Latin "discutere" that meant "to disperse" or "to tear apart". | |||
Russian | обсудить | ||
The word "обсудить" comes from the Old Russian word "съсудити", which meant "to judge together" or "to consider together". | |||
Serbian | расправљати | ||
The Serbian word "расправљати" (discuss) is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "расправа" (discourse). | |||
Slovak | diskutovať | ||
The word "diskutovať" comes from the Latin word "discutere", meaning "to shatter" or "to break apart". | |||
Slovenian | razpravljati | ||
The word "razpravljati" is derived from the Proto-Slavic verb *orpovati, which meant "to speak" or "to argue". | |||
Ukrainian | обговорити | ||
The verb "обговорити" also has the meaning of "to stipulate". |
Bengali | আলোচনা করা | ||
"আলোচনা করা" also means to examine or investigate in Bengali. | |||
Gujarati | ચર્ચા કરો | ||
The word 'ચર્ચા કરો' in Gujarati has historically been used to mean 'to discuss', 'to debate', and 'to negotiate'. | |||
Hindi | चर्चा करें | ||
The term "चर्चा करें" in Hindi can also mean "to deliberate" or "to examine carefully". | |||
Kannada | ಚರ್ಚಿಸಿ | ||
The Kannada word 'ಚರ್ಚಿಸಿ' has additional meanings beyond 'discuss', including 'exchange thoughts or opinions' and 'argue over something'. | |||
Malayalam | ചർച്ച ചെയ്യുക | ||
Marathi | चर्चा | ||
चर्चा (charchā) is derived from the Sanskrit word charchā, meaning 'moving around', 'wandering', 'talking', or 'discussing'. In Marathi, it also has the alternate meaning of 'walking' or 'travelling'. | |||
Nepali | छलफल | ||
The word "छलफल" is derived from the Sanskrit word "छल्" meaning "to deceive" or "to trick", suggesting a playful or even contentious aspect to the act of discussion in Nepali culture. | |||
Punjabi | ਚਰਚਾ | ||
The word "ਚਰਚਾ" (discuss) in Punjabi is derived from the Sanskrit word "चर्च" (carca), meaning "to wander" or "to search." | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සාකච්ඡා කරන්න | ||
Tamil | விவாதிக்க | ||
Telugu | చర్చించండి | ||
చర్చించండి, which means 'discuss' in Telugu, comes from the Sanskrit word 'charcha', meaning 'conversation', 'debate' or 'inquiry'. | |||
Urdu | بات چیت | ||
The word "بات چیت" can also mean "chit-chat" or "conversation" in Urdu. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 讨论 | ||
"讨论" can also mean "to argue, to debate, to talk about, to talk over, to confer, to consult, to deliberate, to consider, to examine, to discuss, to discourse, to dispute, to plead, to wrangle." | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 討論 | ||
'討論' in traditional Chinese characters means 'to discuss' and can also refer to 'dialogue', 'debate', 'examination', or 'investigation'. | |||
Japanese | 話し合います | ||
The word "話し合います" (discuss) derives from the verb "話す" (to speak) and the noun "合い" (meeting, agreement). | |||
Korean | 논의하다 | ||
'논의하다' is also the translation of 'argue' in Korean. | |||
Mongolian | хэлэлцэх | ||
The word "хэлэлцэх" also means "to deliberate" or "to debate." | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ဆွေးနွေးပါ | ||
Indonesian | bahas | ||
Bahas can also mean to deliberate, confer, talk about, or debate | |||
Javanese | ngrembug | ||
"Ngrembug" also means "to chat" or "to talk informally". | |||
Khmer | ពិភាក្សា | ||
Lao | ສົນທະນາ | ||
Originally referred to singing or telling a story for entertainment, not debate. | |||
Malay | bincangkan | ||
The term "bincangkan" can also refer to "discussing" or "considering something thoroughly". | |||
Thai | หารือ | ||
The Thai word "หารือ" (discuss) literally means "to share (หา) ideas (รือ)" in Old Khmer. | |||
Vietnamese | bàn luận | ||
The verb “bàn luận” (“discuss”) also implies the meaning of “talk to each other with the purpose of discussing and arguing”. Hence, its Chinese characters “ 辨論” mean “the act of arguing”. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | talakayin | ||
Azerbaijani | müzakirə etmək | ||
The etymology of the Azerbaijani word "müzakirə etmək" is the Arabic word "nazara" (meaning "to look"). | |||
Kazakh | талқылау | ||
Kyrgyz | талкуулоо | ||
The Kyrgyz word "талкуулоо" can also mean "to consider" or "to consult". | |||
Tajik | муҳокима кунед | ||
Turkmen | ara alyp maslahatlaşyň | ||
Uzbek | muhokama qilish | ||
The word "muhokama qilish" comes from the Arabic word "muhakama" meaning "discussion, debate, or trial." | |||
Uyghur | مۇلاھىزە قىلىڭ | ||
Hawaiian | kūkākūkā | ||
The word "kūkākūkā" in Hawaiian can also refer to a type of bird, specifically a honeycreeper. | |||
Maori | matapakihia | ||
Matapakihia also means 'to tear apart' in Maori, alluding to the vigorous and lively discussion that takes place. | |||
Samoan | talanoaina | ||
The word "talanoaina" in Samoan can also mean "to speak", "to talk", or "to tell a story." | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | talakayin | ||
The word 'talakayin' in Tagalog (Filipino) shares the same etymology as 'talakal' (marketplace), signifying the open exchange of ideas and perspectives during a discussion. |
Aymara | aruskipaña | ||
Guarani | jeikovai | ||
Esperanto | diskuti | ||
Esperanto 'diskuti' is based on French 'discuter', which originally meant 'divide into pieces' or 'scatter'. | |||
Latin | de | ||
The Latin word "de" can also mean "down from", "away from", or "concerning". |
Greek | συζητώ | ||
The verb "συζητώ" comes from the Ancient Greek verb "ζητέω," meaning "to seek," and the prefix "συν," meaning "with" or "together," thus implying the idea of "seeking together" or "inquiring in collaboration." | |||
Hmong | tham txog | ||
"Tham txog" is a compound word consisting of "tham" (to talk) and "txog" (about). | |||
Kurdish | hevaxaftin | ||
The word "hevaxaftin" is derived from the Middle Persian word "hapaxftan," meaning "to speak." | |||
Turkish | tartışmak | ||
In Turkish, "tartışmak" can also mean "to argue or quarrel". | |||
Xhosa | xoxa | ||
Xhosa 'xoxa' is also a type of vegetable known as wild spinach. | |||
Yiddish | דיסקוטירן | ||
The Yiddish word "דיסקוטירן" is derived from the French word "discuter," meaning "to dispute" or "to argue." | |||
Zulu | xoxa | ||
In some dialects of Zulu, "xoxa" can also mean "to speak in a roundabout way" or "to talk indirectly". | |||
Assamese | আলোচনা কৰা | ||
Aymara | aruskipaña | ||
Bhojpuri | बतियावल | ||
Dhivehi | މަޝްވަރާކުރުން | ||
Dogri | चर्चा करना | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | talakayin | ||
Guarani | jeikovai | ||
Ilocano | saritaen | ||
Krio | tɔk bɔt | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | گفتوگۆکردن | ||
Maithili | चर्चा | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯟꯅ ꯅꯩꯅꯕ | ||
Mizo | sawiho | ||
Oromo | mari'achuu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଆଲୋଚନା କରନ୍ତୁ | | ||
Quechua | rimanakuy | ||
Sanskrit | परिचर्चा | ||
Tatar | фикер алышу | ||
Tigrinya | ተመያየጡ | ||
Tsonga | kanela | ||