Distinction in different languages

Distinction in Different Languages

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

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'distinction' carries great significance in expressing the difference or contrast between two things. It is a culturally important term, used in various fields such as art, education, and social status, to highlight unique qualities and individuality. Understanding the translation of 'distinction' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how various cultures perceive and express the concept.

For instance, in Spanish, 'distinción' not only refers to the difference between two things but also implies a sense of refinement and elegance. In German, 'Unterscheidung' carries a similar meaning, but with a stronger emphasis on the cognitive process of differentiating one thing from another. Meanwhile, in Japanese, ' distinction' is translated as '区別 (kubetsu),' which reflects the language's minimalist approach to expressing complex ideas.

Below, you will find a list of translations of the word 'distinction' in various languages, providing a glimpse into the diverse ways cultures express this concept.

Distinction

Distinction in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansonderskeid
The word "onderskeid" in Afrikaans came from the Dutch word "onderscheid" which also means distinction.
Amharicልዩነት
The word also implies "diversity," "difference," "specialness," and "uniqueness."
Hausabambanci
In Hausa, "bambanci" also refers to the marks on the forehead of sacrificial animals.
Igboọdịiche
In the context of linguistics, the word "ọdịiche" also refers to the differentiation of phonemes or morphemes in a language.
Malagasyfanavahana
In Malagasy, 'fanavahana' is derived from 'fanaovana,' meaning 'action or act of separating,' and 'hahana,' meaning 'clear or evident.'
Nyanja (Chichewa)kusiyanitsa
Shonamutsauko
In Shona, the word "mutsauko" can also refer to a mark or sign that distinguishes something or a type of dance.
Somalikala soocid
In Somali, the word "kala soocid" also means "classification" and "discrimination."
Sesothophapang
The noun phapang is also used to denote "a boundary" or "a space in between."
Swahilitofauti
Tofauti was borrowed from Arabic "t_f_w_t" meaning difference or distinction.
Xhosaumahluko
"Umahluko" is a Xhosa word that refers to differences or variations in form, nature, or quality.
Yorubaadayanri
"Adayanri" also means the art used in traditional Yoruba clothing to signify royalty, power, or a special occasion.
Zuluumehluko
The Zulu word "umehluko" can also refer to a difference or a distinction in social status.
Bambaradanfara
Ewevovototodedeameme
Kinyarwandagutandukanya
Lingalabokeseni
Lugandaokwawukana
Sepediphapano
Twi (Akan)nsonsonoe a ɛda ntam

Distinction in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicتمييز
تمييز can also mean 'discrimination', a loanword from French 'discrimination'.
Hebrewהבחנה
It is also used in the sense of "discrimination".
Pashtoتوپیر
توپیر
Arabicتمييز
تمييز can also mean 'discrimination', a loanword from French 'discrimination'.

Distinction in Western European Languages

Albaniandallim
The word "dallim" in Albanian can also mean "difference" or "dispute".
Basquebereizketa
The word bereizketa, in addition to meaning distinction, can be broken down into its component parts: "berei" (separate) and "izketa" (action of).
Catalandistinció
The Catalan word 'distinció' is derived from the Latin 'distinctio', which means 'separation' or 'difference', and can also refer to a honor or award.
Croatianrazlika
In Old Church Slavonic, "rаzlokъ" means divorce, but this meaning is not used in Croatian.
Danishforskel
The Danish word "forskel" is ultimately derived from the Proto-Germanic word *skerjaną, meaning "to divide or separate."
Dutchonderscheid
The Dutch word "onderscheid" can also refer to "difference" or "discrimination".
Englishdistinction
Arising from the Latin distinguere 'to separate' and distinguere 'to mark out', the English word 'distinction' can also refer to a difference, contrast or division, or a mark of special honor or recognition
Frenchdistinction
The word "distinction" comes from the Latin word "distinguere", meaning "to separate" or "to mark out".
Frisianûnderskied
The word "ûnderskied" means "distinction" in Frisian, and is related to the Dutch word "onderscheid" (also meaning "distinction").
Galiciandistinción
In Galician, the term "distinción" can also refer to a type of tax or charge levied on certain transactions or goods.
Germanunterscheidung
The German word "Unterscheidung" also means "difference" and is derived from the Middle High German word "unterscheiden," meaning "to divide".
Icelandicaðgreining
The Icelandic term 'aðgreining' (distinction) derives from the Old Norse 'aðgreiningr' (separation, difference).
Irishidirdhealú
The term 'idirdhealú' may also refer to 'difference' or 'contrast'.
Italiandistinzione
The Italian word 'distinzione' also means 'elegance' or 'grace' and derives from the Latin 'distinctio', meaning 'separation'.
Luxembourgishënnerscheed
The word "Ënnerscheed" is derived from the Germanic word "underskeid" and was already used in Old High German.
Maltesedistinzjoni
"Distinzjoni" in Maltese also has the meaning "difference".
Norwegianforskjell
The word "forskjell" derives from the Old Norse word "forskothr", meaning "difference" or "distinction."
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)distinção
In Portuguese, "distinção" also means "graduation" or "academic degree"
Scots Gaeliccliù
The word "cliù" in Scots Gaelic also means "reputation" or "fame".
Spanishdistinción
The Spanish word "distinción" can also mean "a difference" or "a mark of excellence".
Swedishåtskillnad
Åtskillnad, which originally meant 'distinction', was later influenced by the German word 'Absonderung', which carries a stronger meaning of 'separation'.
Welshrhagoriaeth
The word "rhagoriaeth" derives from the root "rhagori" meaning "to excel" or "to be superior".

Distinction in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianадрозненне
The Belarusian word "адрозненне" is derived from the Old East Slavic word "розно", meaning "apart" or "different".
Bosniandistinkcija
The Bosnian word 'distinkcija' is derived from the Latin word 'distinctio' meaning 'a separation or division'.
Bulgarianразграничение
The word "разграничение" also means "demarcation" or "boundary".
Czechrozdíl
The word "rozdíl" can also mean "difference" or "contrast".
Estonianvahe
"Vahe" can also mean "difference", "interval" or "gap".
Finnishero
The Finnish word "ero" can also mean love, difference, separation, disconnection, or even a hero.
Hungarianmegkülönböztetés
Megkülönböztetés: in Hungarian, the word can also mean “discrimination,” a negative distinction based on characteristics such as race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation.
Latvianatšķirība
Etymology: From Latin discriminare, meaning to separate, distinguish
Lithuanianskirtumas
"Skirtumas" also means "agreement" in some contexts.
Macedonianразлика
Polishróżnica
"Różnica" is related to "roznica" (retail trade), as both words derive from "rozdzielić" (to separate).
Romaniandistincţie
The Romanian word "distincţie" comes from the Latin word "distinctio", which means "division" or "difference".
Russianразличие
"Различие" can also mean "variety" or "difference".
Serbianразликовање
The Serbian word "razlikovanje" can also mean "discrimination" or "difference" depending on the context.
Slovakrozlíšenie
The word "rozlíšenie" is a homograph, having two different meanings depending on accent placement: "rozlíšenie" (distinction) and "rozlíšenie" (resolution).
Slovenianrazlikovanje
The word "razlikovanje" in Slovenian derives from the Proto-Slavic root *razlikъ, which also means "difference" or "disagreement".
Ukrainianрозрізнення
The Ukrainian word "розрізнення" comes from the Old Slavonic term "рАзрѣзнити" "to differentiate", which is a calque of the Greek "διακρίνειν" "to separate", also the root of words like "discreet".

Distinction in South Asian Languages

Bengaliপার্থক্য
"পার্থক্য" literally means "difference", but it can also refer to "discrimination" or "bias".
Gujaratiભેદ
The word 'ભેદ' comes from the Sanskrit word 'भेद' and can also mean 'division' or 'difference'
Hindiभेद
The word "भेद" can also mean "secret" or "mystery" in Hindi.
Kannadaವ್ಯತ್ಯಾಸ
The word "ವ್ಯತ್ಯಾಸ" also means "difference", "contrast", and "variation" in Kannada.
Malayalamവ്യത്യാസം
"വ്യത്യാസം" has its origin from Sanskrit "vishesh" which literally means difference.
Marathiभेद
The Marathi word "भेद" also means "secret" or "mystery".
Nepaliभेद
The word 'भेद' also carries the connotations of 'difference', 'discrimination' and even the act of 'dividing' or 'splitting'.
Punjabiਅੰਤਰ
The word "ਅੰਤਰ" (antar) in Punjabi can also refer to "difference" or "gap".
Sinhala (Sinhalese)වෙනස
The Sinhala word වෙනස (wænasa) may also refer to difference in quality or degree.
Tamilவேறுபாடு
The Tamil word "வேறுபாடு" can also refer to difference in nature, quality or state.
Teluguవ్యత్యాసం
వ్యత్యాసం word is derived from the Sanskrit word 'vi' that means separate and 'kram' that means step.
Urduامتیاز
The Arabic etymology of "emtiyāz" denotes a sign, a mark, and a separation or division; the Persian equivalent, "imtiyāz," signifies a difference and a mark of favor.

Distinction in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)区别
区别 also means 'to differentiate' and is made up of the characters 'to separate' (bie) and 'difference' (ju), which together mean 'to make a distinction'.
Chinese (Traditional)區別
"區" means district and "別" means separate or different, together they mean distinction.
Japanese区別
In Japanese, 区別 does not have the connotation of social class or status, but rather refers to a difference in quality or type.
Korean구별
"구별" means "classification" in Sino-Korean but also "area" or "police station" in native Korean.
Mongolianялгаа
Mongolian word "ялгаа" (distinction) literally means "to cut off". Related words are "to tear", "to split", and "to dissect".
Myanmar (Burmese)ဂုဏ်ထူး

Distinction in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianperbedaan
"Perbedaan" derives from Proto-Austronesian "*pira". Malay "beza" is a doublet with a distinct root.
Javanesebedanipun
The word "bedanipun" in Javanese can also refer to differences in social status or rank.
Khmerភាពខុសគ្នា
ភាពខុសគ្នា (distinction) can also refer to a mark or sign showing the difference between two things.
Laoຄວາມແຕກຕ່າງ
Malayperbezaan
The word "perbezaan" can also mean "difference" or "disparity" in Malay.
Thaiความแตกต่าง
The Thai word “ความแตกต่าง” (distinction) is derived from the Sanskrit word “vibhakti,” meaning “difference.”
Vietnamesesự phân biệt
The word "sự phân biệt" in Vietnamese can also mean "discrimination" or "difference".
Filipino (Tagalog)pagkakaiba

Distinction in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanifərq
The word "fərq" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Persian word "farq", which also means "difference" or "variation".
Kazakhайырмашылық
Kyrgyzайырмачылык
Tajikфарқият
The word "фарқият" (distinction) in Tajik also means "difference" and "contrast".
Turkmentapawutlandyrmak
Uzbekfarqlash
"Farqlash" originates from the Arabic word "farq" (difference), and also means "divergence" in Uzbek.
Uyghurپەرقلەندۈرۈش

Distinction in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianʻokoʻa
'Ō' is a classifier associated with certain types of things having an interior space, such as houses and caves.
Maoriwehewehe
The word 'wehewehe' also means 'separation' or 'division' in Maori.
Samoaneseʻesega
The word eseʻesega, meaning distinction, comes from the word eseʻese which means different.
Tagalog (Filipino)pagkakaiba

Distinction in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarayaqhachasiña
Guaranidistinción rehegua

Distinction in International Languages

Esperantodistingo
"Distingo" is a borrowed term that means a difference, separation or partition.
Latindistinction
In Latin, 'distinctio' also means 'separation' or 'division'.

Distinction in Others Languages

Greekδιάκριση
The Greek word "διάκριση" can also mean "discrimination" or "difference" and derives from the verb "διακρίνω" (to discern, distinguish).
Hmongqho uas txawv
The Hmong verb 'qho uas txawv' can also refer to 'to separate' or 'to differentiate' in addition to its primary meaning of 'to distinguish'.
Kurdishferqîdîtinî
The word "ferqîdîtinî" comes from the Persian word "farq", meaning "distinction" or "difference".
Turkishayrım
Ayrım'ın 'ayırmak'tan gelmesi, 'farklılık' ile 'ayrılık' anlamında da kullanılabilmesine neden olmuştur.
Xhosaumahluko
"Umahluko" is a Xhosa word that refers to differences or variations in form, nature, or quality.
Yiddishאונטערשייד
The Yiddish word "אונטערשייד" (untersheyd) derives from the German word "Unterschied" and also means "difference" or "discrepancy".
Zuluumehluko
The Zulu word "umehluko" can also refer to a difference or a distinction in social status.
Assameseপাৰ্থক্য
Aymarayaqhachasiña
Bhojpuriभेद के बात कइल जाला
Dhivehiތަފާތުކުރުން
Dogriभेद करना
Filipino (Tagalog)pagkakaiba
Guaranidistinción rehegua
Ilocanopannakaiduma
Kriodifrɛns
Kurdish (Sorani)جیاوازی
Maithiliभेद
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯈꯦꯟꯅꯕꯥ ꯊꯝꯕꯥ꯫
Mizothliar hranna
Oromoadda bahuu
Odia (Oriya)ପାର୍ଥକ୍ୟ
Quechuasapaqchay
Sanskritभेदः
Tatarаерма
Tigrinyaፍልልይ ምግባር
Tsongaku hambanisiwa

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