Distinguish in Different Languages
Discover 'Distinguish' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'distinguish' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, allowing us to differentiate between things and understand the world around us. Its cultural importance is evident in various fields, from art and literature to science and technology. To 'distinguish' is to identify unique qualities, to set apart, and to recognize differences. This ability to discern and categorize has been a fundamental aspect of human cognition and communication since the dawn of civilization.
For language enthusiasts and cultural explorers, understanding the translation of 'distinguish' in different languages can offer fascinating insights into the nuances of various cultures. For instance, in Spanish, 'distinguir' not only means 'to distinguish' but also 'to honor' or 'to appreciate.' In German, 'unterscheiden' carries a similar meaning, but also implies a sense of discernment and judgement. In Mandarin Chinese, '辨别' (biàn bié) emphasizes the process of differentiating and recognizing the essential features of things.
Join us as we delve deeper into the translations of 'distinguish' in various languages, and discover the rich cultural contexts that underpin them.
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Distinguish in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | onderskei | ||
| The root of "onderskei" is Old Frisian "underskeda;," meaning "judge". | |||
| Amharic | መለየት | ||
| The Amharic word "መለየት" ("distinguish") originates from the Proto-Semitic root "*lwy" with the meaning of "to twist" or "to turn." | |||
| Hausa | rarrabe | ||
| "Rarrabe" can also mean "differentiate" or "discriminate" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | ọdịiche | ||
| The Igbo word "ọdịiche" also means "difference" and "separation". | |||
| Malagasy | manavaka | ||
| The Malagasy word "manavaka" can also mean "separate" or "divorce". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kusiyanitsa | ||
| The word "kusiyanitsa" derives from the Proto-Bantu root "-san" meaning "to separate". | |||
| Shona | kusiyanisa | ||
| The etymology of "kusiyanisa" is related to the root "kuona" meaning "to see" and "siyana" meaning "difference", highlighting the act of observing and recognizing the differences between things. | |||
| Somali | kala saar | ||
| The word "kala saar" also means "to set apart" or "to separate" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | khetholla | ||
| 'Khetholla' is also the term for the game 'draughts' | |||
| Swahili | kutofautisha | ||
| 'Kutofautisha' comes from the root word '-tofauti' meaning 'difference', suggesting the act of discerning between things that differ. | |||
| Xhosa | ukwahlula | ||
| The phrase 'ukwahlula' can also imply that something was 'set apart' or 'dedicated'. | |||
| Yoruba | iyatọ | ||
| From the verb "ya" ("know," "understand," or "identify," "yato" is an adverb denoting "apart" or "separate") | |||
| Zulu | ukuhlukanisa | ||
| The Zulu word 'ukuhlukanisa' can also mean 'to divide' or 'to separate'. | |||
| Bambara | faranfasiya | ||
| Ewe | de vovototo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gutandukanya | ||
| Lingala | kokesenisa | ||
| Luganda | okwawula | ||
| Sepedi | fapantšha | ||
| Twi (Akan) | da nso | ||
Distinguish in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تميز | ||
| In Arabic, "تميز" (tamayaz) also means "to be exceptional" or "to stand out". | |||
| Hebrew | לְהַבחִין | ||
| The root of the Hebrew word "לְהַבחִין" also appears in the word "בָּחוּר" (young man), connoting the discernment and maturity associated with youth. | |||
| Pashto | توپیر | ||
| Tupeera (توپېړ) is also used figuratively to mean “a gap” between different things, and it can also sometimes mean “to choose” (from a selection). | |||
| Arabic | تميز | ||
| In Arabic, "تميز" (tamayaz) also means "to be exceptional" or "to stand out". | |||
Distinguish in Western European Languages
| Albanian | të dallojë | ||
| Basque | bereiztu | ||
| "Bereiztu" is a Basque verb meaning 'to distinguish' and also 'to divide' and 'to separate'. | |||
| Catalan | distingir | ||
| "Distingir" in Catalan originates from the Latin "distinguere", meaning to determine by comparison, separate, or divide. | |||
| Croatian | razlikovati | ||
| The Croatian verb razlikovati shares a common Proto-Slavic root with the Polish rozróżnić, the Slovenian razločiti, the Czech rozeznat, and the Slovak rozoznať, all of which carry similar meanings. | |||
| Danish | skelne | ||
| The word 'skelne' can also mean to select or to choose. | |||
| Dutch | onderscheiden | ||
| "Onderscheiden" derives from the Old Dutch "ondersceithon", meaning "to separate". | |||
| English | distinguish | ||
| The word "distinguish" comes from the Latin word "distinguere," meaning "to mark off as different" | |||
| French | distinguer | ||
| The word "distinguer" in French can also mean "to recognize" or "to identify." | |||
| Frisian | ûnderskiede | ||
| In Frisian, it also means to discern or recognise. | |||
| Galician | distinguir | ||
| "Distinguir" (distinguish) in Galician can also mean "disagree" or "discriminate". | |||
| German | unterscheiden | ||
| The etymology of “unterscheiden” (“distinguish”) is linked to the word “scheinen,” which refers to both “shining” and “appearing distinct”. | |||
| Icelandic | greina | ||
| The word "greina" can also refer to a branch or limb of a tree, or a separate entity or part of something. | |||
| Irish | idirdhealú a dhéanamh | ||
| Literally translates to “a separation making”, with “idir” meaning “between” and “dhealú” meaning “separating”. | |||
| Italian | distinguere | ||
| Distinguere in Latin is also used to mean ‘discern, judge, estimate’, which are related to separating something from something else. | |||
| Luxembourgish | z'ënnerscheeden | ||
| The verb 'z'ënnerscheeden' can also refer to the act of sorting or separating items. | |||
| Maltese | jiddistingwu | ||
| The word "jiddistingwu" in Maltese is derived from the Latin word "distinguere" meaning "to distinguish, separate, or discern". | |||
| Norwegian | skille | ||
| The etymology of Norwegian word "skille" probably has the same origin as the Middle English word "skellen" or "skillen", meaning "to separate", "to divide", or "to make a difference". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | distinguir | ||
| "Distingir" derives from the Latin "distinguo", which also means "separate" or "divide". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dealachadh a dhèanamh | ||
| Spanish | distinguir | ||
| The Spanish verb "distinguir" can also mean "to separate" or "to single out". | |||
| Swedish | skilja på | ||
| The verb "skilja" comes from the Old Norse word "skilia" meaning "to separate" or "to divide". | |||
| Welsh | gwahaniaethu | ||
| The term 'gwahaniaethu' can also refer to 'differentiating'. | |||
Distinguish in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | адрозніваць | ||
| Bosnian | razlikovati | ||
| 'Razlikovati' also means 'to differentiate' in Bosnian | |||
| Bulgarian | разграничавам | ||
| In Bulgarian, "разграничавам" can also mean "demarcate" or "to set boundaries". | |||
| Czech | rozlišovat | ||
| The word "rozlišovat" stems from the Proto-Slavic root *lьžь- "to lie", with the prefix ro- indicating "apart". | |||
| Estonian | eristama | ||
| The word "eristama" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "eristā-," and is also related to the words "erinevus" (difference) and "eriline" (distinctive). | |||
| Finnish | erottaa | ||
| In Finnish, the word "erottaa" can also mean to separate or divorce. | |||
| Hungarian | megkülönböztetni | ||
| The Hungarian word "megkülönböztetni" also means "to discriminate" in the sense of "to treat differently". | |||
| Latvian | atšķirt | ||
| The Latvian word "atšķirt" derives from the Proto-Baltic root "*kert-" (to separate). | |||
| Lithuanian | išskirti | ||
| The Lithuanian word "išskirti" also means "to select" or "to separate". | |||
| Macedonian | разликуваат | ||
| The verb "разликуваат" (distinguish) in Macedonian comes from the Proto-Slavic root *razlikovati, which also means "to differentiate" or "to discern." | |||
| Polish | rozróżniać | ||
| The Polish word "rozróżniać" (distinguish) derives from two separate Slavic words that refer to the concepts of difference and sight, respectively. | |||
| Romanian | distinge | ||
| The verb "distinge" can also mean to make clear or understand something. | |||
| Russian | различать | ||
| The verb "различать" originally meant "to notice separately" or "to set apart". | |||
| Serbian | разликовати | ||
| The word "razlikovati" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *raz-lьkъ, meaning "difference". It is also related to the words "razlika" ("difference") and "različan" ("different"). | |||
| Slovak | rozlišovať | ||
| The verb "rozlišovať" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root ""rěz-"", which also gave rise to the Russian verb "разить" ("to cleave"), the Polish verb "różnić" ("to differentiate"), and the Czech verb "rozeznávat" ("to discern"). | |||
| Slovenian | razlikovati | ||
| The word "razlikovati" is derived from the Proto-Slavic verb *razlikovati, meaning "to separate, distinguish". | |||
| Ukrainian | розрізнити | ||
| "Розрізнити" can also mean "to differ", "to be distinguishable", or "to discern". | |||
Distinguish in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পার্থক্য করা | ||
| "পার্থক্য করা" can also mean "to separate" or "to divide". | |||
| Gujarati | તફાવત | ||
| તફાવત shares its etymological roots with the English word "difference". | |||
| Hindi | अंतर करना | ||
| The word "अंतर करना" means to differentiate between two or more things, to recognize their similarities and differences | |||
| Kannada | ಪ್ರತ್ಯೇಕಿಸಿ | ||
| Malayalam | വേർതിരിച്ചറിയുക | ||
| Marathi | भेद करणे | ||
| The word "भेद करणे" in Marathi is derived from Sanskrit, and also means "divide" or "separate" | |||
| Nepali | फरक पार्नुहोस् | ||
| In Nepali, the word फरक पार्नुहोस् has additional meanings like 'understand,' 'interpret,' or 'discriminate'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਵੱਖ ਕਰਨਾ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වෙන්කර හඳුනා ගන්න | ||
| The word "Distinguish" has its roots in the Latin verb "distinguere" and shares its etymological origin with words such as "extinguish" and "disgusting". | |||
| Tamil | வேறுபடுத்தி | ||
| The word "வேறுபடுத்தி" can also mean "differentiate" or "discriminate" in English. | |||
| Telugu | వేరు | ||
| The word "వేరు" also means "root" and is related to the Sanskrit word "virūpa" meaning "unusual form". | |||
| Urdu | ممتاز | ||
| The Urdu word " ممتاز" is the past participle of the verb "امتیاز" and can mean "honorable" or "worthy of distinction." | |||
Distinguish in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 区分 | ||
| "区分" also can be used in the context of "urban planning", meaning "divide a certain area into different functional blocks". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 區分 | ||
| "區" can mean an area or district, and "分" can mean to divide or separate. | |||
| Japanese | 区別する | ||
| 区別する's 2nd kanji 別 is a homophone for other words such as another or different. | |||
| Korean | 드러내다 | ||
| "드러내다" originally means "to draw out or show something". It can also mean "to discriminate or treat differently". | |||
| Mongolian | ялгах | ||
| The Mongolian word "ялгах" also means "to guess" and "to mistake". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ခွဲခြား | ||
Distinguish in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | membedakan | ||
| Membedakan's root word, 'beda' also means 'difference', and it could indicate a distinction in a more abstract sense too. | |||
| Javanese | mbedakake | ||
| From Sanskrit word "beda" with similar meaning of "different". | |||
| Khmer | បែងចែក | ||
| បែងចែក is a Khmer word derived from the Sanskrit word vi-bhaj, having also the meanings of 'divide', 'share', 'classify', and 'separate'. | |||
| Lao | ຈຳ ແນກ | ||
| Malay | membezakan | ||
| The word "membezakan" in Malay is derived from the Arabic word "mīzān" meaning "balance" or "measurement", reflecting the idea of separating or differentiating between things. | |||
| Thai | แยกแยะ | ||
| แยกแยะ derives from the Sanskrit word विवेक (viveka), meaning "separation of discernment or awareness," akin to the Latin verb discerno and English discern. | |||
| Vietnamese | phân biệt | ||
| Phân biệt may be used differently to indicate either "distinguish" or "discrimination." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | makilala | ||
Distinguish in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ayırmaq | ||
| The word "ayırmaq" in Azerbaijani can also mean "to separate" or "to divide". | |||
| Kazakh | ажырату | ||
| The word "ажырату" comes from the Turkic verb "ajyr-", meaning "to divide". Therefore, "ажырату" can also mean "to separate" or "to divorce". | |||
| Kyrgyz | айырмалоо | ||
| In modern Kyrgyz, the word | |||
| Tajik | фарқ кардан | ||
| The word "фарқ кардан" also means "to separate" or "to divide" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | tapawutlandyrmak | ||
| Uzbek | ajratmoq | ||
| Although the word "ajratmoq" in Uzbek primarily means "to distinguish", it can also have the alternate meaning of "to separate". | |||
| Uyghur | پەرقلەندۈرۈش | ||
Distinguish in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻokaʻawale | ||
| "Hoʻokaʻawale" is also used in Hawaiian to describe the separation of land divisions. | |||
| Maori | wehewehe | ||
| The Maori word "wehewehe" can also refer to the process of dissecting something into its component parts. | |||
| Samoan | faʻailoa | ||
| It can also mean 'to make known' or 'to make public'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | makilala | ||
| The Tagalog word "makilala" also carries the meanings "recognize," "understand," and "know". | |||
Distinguish in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | amuyaña | ||
| Guarani | jehechakuaa | ||
Distinguish in International Languages
| Esperanto | distingi | ||
| Esperanto "distingi" is based on French "distinguer" (distinguish), which in turn derives from Latin "distinguere" (distinguish). The Spanish "distinto" and "distinguir" and the Catalan "distingir" also come from this word. | |||
| Latin | distinguish | ||
| The Latin verb 'distinguere' also means 'to mark out' and 'to separate'. | |||
Distinguish in Others Languages
| Greek | διακρίνω | ||
| The Greek word 'διακρίνω' can also mean 'to judge', 'to prefer', or 'to make a distinction'. | |||
| Hmong | paub qhov txawv | ||
| The Hmong word "paub qhov txawv" not only means "distinguish", but it also conveys the idea of "to have knowledge about the differences or disparities between things".} | |||
| Kurdish | ferqdîtin | ||
| The Kurdish word "ferqdîtin" is derived from the Persian word "farq", meaning "difference" or "distinction." | |||
| Turkish | ayırmak | ||
| The Turkish word "ayırmak" also means "to separate", "to divide", or "to set aside". | |||
| Xhosa | ukwahlula | ||
| The phrase 'ukwahlula' can also imply that something was 'set apart' or 'dedicated'. | |||
| Yiddish | אונטערשיידן | ||
| The Yiddish word "אונטערשיידן" can also mean "differentiate" or "set apart". | |||
| Zulu | ukuhlukanisa | ||
| The Zulu word 'ukuhlukanisa' can also mean 'to divide' or 'to separate'. | |||
| Assamese | পাৰ্থক্য কৰা | ||
| Aymara | amuyaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | फरक देखावल | ||
| Dhivehi | ވަކިކުރުން | ||
| Dogri | फर्क करना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | makilala | ||
| Guarani | jehechakuaa | ||
| Ilocano | iduma | ||
| Krio | mek wi difrɛn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | جیاکردنەوە | ||
| Maithili | अंतर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯦꯟꯅꯕ ꯇꯥꯛꯄ | ||
| Mizo | thliarhrang | ||
| Oromo | gargar baasuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପୃଥକ କର | | ||
| Quechua | riqsiy | ||
| Sanskrit | भिन्नक्ति | ||
| Tatar | аерырга | ||
| Tigrinya | ፍለ | ||
| Tsonga | hlawuleka | ||