Diversity in Different Languages
Discover 'Diversity' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Diversity, a term that encapsulates the breathtaking spectrum of human experiences and identities, is a concept of immense significance in today's world. It celebrates the unique blend of individual and cultural differences, including race, gender, age, religion, disability, and sexual orientation. This kaleidoscope of perspectives enriches our societies, fuels creativity, and drives innovation.
The cultural importance of diversity is evident throughout history. For instance, the ancient Greek city-states thrived on the power of different ideas and philosophies. Similarly, the bustling trade routes of the Silk Road facilitated the exchange of not just goods, but also beliefs, customs, and languages. These historical contexts underscore the beauty of diversity in different languages.
Understanding the translation of diversity in various languages can be a fascinating journey. It not only broadens your linguistic repertoire but also deepens your appreciation for the unique cultural nuances associated with the word. For example, 'diversity' translates to 'vielfalt' in German, 'diversité' in French, and 'diversidad' in Spanish.
Diversity
Diversity in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | diversiteit | ||
| The word "diversiteit" in Afrikaans also means "variety" or "range". | |||
| Amharic | ብዝሃነት | ||
| ብዝሃነት also signifies the concept of tolerance or acceptance within the Amharic-speaking community. | |||
| Hausa | bambancin | ||
| The Hausa word "bambancin" is also used in the sense of "separateness" or "distinction". | |||
| Igbo | iche iche | ||
| Some linguists have derived the Ika Igbo word "iche iche" which also exists in Standard Igbo, from the phrase “nke e che nke e che"—thing which differs from another that differs.”} | |||
| Malagasy | samihafa | ||
| Samihafa is an Antambahoaka word, meaning 'to be different'; however, the word was adopted by other dialects and developed a more general meaning of 'difference'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kusiyanasiyana | ||
| The literal meaning of "kusiyanasiyana" is "to make different" and it's rooted in verbs such as "to separate", "to be different" and "to change, transform, diversify" | |||
| Shona | kusiyana | ||
| The word "kusiyana" in Shona is often translated to mean diversity but has many layers to its definition and application. | |||
| Somali | kala duwanaanta | ||
| Somali "kala duwanaanta" (diversity) literally means "the differences in nature". | |||
| Sesotho | mefuta-futa | ||
| Swahili | utofauti | ||
| The word "utofauti" derives from the prefix "u-" denoting a singular noun, and "tofauti", meaning "difference". | |||
| Xhosa | iyantlukwano | ||
| "Iyantlukwano" also means "a mixture of people from different tribes, nations, etc." | |||
| Yoruba | oniruuru | ||
| "Oniruuru" is derived from the Yoruba words "oni" (owner) and "iru" (type, variety), hence its meaning as "having various types." | |||
| Zulu | ukwehluka | ||
| The word 'ukwehluka' derives from the Zulu word 'wahlukana,' meaning 'to be different' or 'to separate'. | |||
| Bambara | danfaraw | ||
| Ewe | vovototo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bitandukanye | ||
| Lingala | bokeseni | ||
| Luganda | okubera ne ebirungo bingi | ||
| Sepedi | pharologano | ||
| Twi (Akan) | sonobi-sonobi | ||
Diversity in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تنوع | ||
| The word "تنوع" (tanawu`) in Arabic also means "variety" or "variation". | |||
| Hebrew | מגוון | ||
| The feminine noun "מגוון" derives from the verb "גיוון" meaning "vary, change," and can also mean "variety, range," etc. | |||
| Pashto | تنوع | ||
| The term “تنوع” can also imply “difference of opinions” in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | تنوع | ||
| The word "تنوع" (tanawu`) in Arabic also means "variety" or "variation". | |||
Diversity in Western European Languages
| Albanian | larmia | ||
| "Larmia" is derived from the Greek word "larnax," meaning "coffin" or "sarcophagus." | |||
| Basque | aniztasuna | ||
| "Aniztasuna" also means "variety", "heterogeneity" or "multiplicity" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | diversitat | ||
| The word "diversitat" in Catalan is derived from the Latin word "diversitas", meaning "difference" or "distinction." | |||
| Croatian | raznolikost | ||
| The word "raznolikost" comes from the Old Slavic word "razn", meaning "different" or "other." | |||
| Danish | mangfoldighed | ||
| In Danish, "mangfoldighed" also refers to the act of multiplying something. | |||
| Dutch | diversiteit | ||
| The word "diversiteit" in Dutch can also mean "variety" or "range". | |||
| English | diversity | ||
| The word "diversity" derives from the Old French "diversite" which comes from the Latin "diversitas", meaning "variety" or "difference". | |||
| French | la diversité | ||
| "La diversité" (diversity) shares the same root with "diversion" and hence can also be used in French for entertainment. | |||
| Frisian | ferskaat | ||
| The Frisian word ferskaat can also be used to refer to variation in the weather or the natural environment. | |||
| Galician | diversidade | ||
| In medieval Galician, diversidade could also mean "debt", especially "debt of gratitude". | |||
| German | vielfalt | ||
| The German word "Vielfalt" also has the connotation of "abundance" or "multitude". | |||
| Icelandic | fjölbreytileiki | ||
| The Icelandic word "fjölbreytileiki" is a compound word composed of "fjöl" (many) and "breytileiki" (changefulness), thus implying "a great variety of things". | |||
| Irish | éagsúlacht | ||
| Italian | diversità | ||
| In Italian, the word "diversità" also means "distraction", a meaning now considered rare or archaic. | |||
| Luxembourgish | diversitéit | ||
| "Diversitéit" is related to the French word "diversité" (diversity), which originates from the Latin word "diversitas" (difference) | |||
| Maltese | diversità | ||
| The Maltese word 'diversità' is often used in reference to linguistic and cultural differences. | |||
| Norwegian | mangfold | ||
| The word "mangfold" can refer to both "diversity" and "multiplication" in Norwegian. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | diversidade | ||
| The word 'diversidade' comes from the Latin word 'diversus', meaning 'turned in different directions' or 'different'. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | iomadachd | ||
| The term "iomadachd" can also refer to the variety of different things in a place, or the number of different types of people or things. | |||
| Spanish | diversidad | ||
| The word "diversidad" (diversity) in Spanish also refers to entertainment, and is related to the word "diversion" (entertainment). | |||
| Swedish | mångfald | ||
| The word 'mångfald' in Swedish is derived from the Old Norse word 'mangfoldi', meaning 'a multitude'. | |||
| Welsh | amrywiaeth | ||
| Amrywiaeth is also the Welsh word for a myriad, meaning a large, indefinite number. | |||
Diversity in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | разнастайнасць | ||
| Bosnian | raznolikost | ||
| The word 'raznolikost' can also be used in Bosnian to describe the variety of opinions or perspectives within a group. | |||
| Bulgarian | разнообразие | ||
| The word "разнообразие" can also mean "variety" or "assortment" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | rozmanitost | ||
| The word "rozmanitost" is likely derived from the Old Czech word "rozný", meaning "various" or "differentiated". | |||
| Estonian | mitmekesisus | ||
| "Mitmekesisus" in Estonian is originally "mitmeti kesine kes" meaning "a hundred different truths". | |||
| Finnish | monimuotoisuus | ||
| "Monimuotoisuus" means both "diversity" and "monomorphism" in Finnish." | |||
| Hungarian | sokféleség | ||
| 'Sokféleség' (diversity) in Hungarian comes from the root words 'sok' (much) and 'féle' (type, kind), meaning 'having many types or kinds'. | |||
| Latvian | daudzveidība | ||
| The word "daudzveidība" can also have the connotation of "abundance" or "variety" in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | įvairovė | ||
| In Lithuanian, the word "įvairovė" means "diversity", which originated from the Proto-Indo-European root "wei", meaning "to separate" | |||
| Macedonian | разновидност | ||
| Разновидност is derived from the Cyrillic verb "разновндитися" meaning "to become diverse or different." | |||
| Polish | różnorodność | ||
| The word "różnorodność" in Polish can also mean 'variation' or 'variety'. | |||
| Romanian | diversitate | ||
| The word "diversitate" in Romanian comes from the Latin word "diversitas" which refers to "variety". It's also used to refer to "contradiction" and "dissimilarity". | |||
| Russian | разнообразие | ||
| "Разнообразие" is also the plural of the word "разность" ("difference"). | |||
| Serbian | разноликост | ||
| The word "raznolikost" can also refer to diversity of colour or quality rather than just of origin or kind. | |||
| Slovak | rôznorodosť | ||
| The root word of "rôznorodosť" is "rôzny", meaning "different". | |||
| Slovenian | raznolikost | ||
| "Raznolikost" is derived from the Proto-Slavic "raznъ", meaning "different" or "varied". | |||
| Ukrainian | різноманітність | ||
| In Old Ukrainian, “різноманітність” was used to describe a difference in species or variety. | |||
Diversity in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বৈচিত্র্য | ||
| The word "বৈচিত্র্য" is of Sanskrit origin, derived from the root word "विचित्र" (vichitra), meaning "varied" or "diverse". In Bengali, the word "বৈচিত্র্য" additionally holds the connotation of "beauty" or "ornamentation". | |||
| Gujarati | વિવિધતા | ||
| The Gujarati word "વિવિધતા" literally translates to "difference" or "variety" in English. | |||
| Hindi | विविधता | ||
| "विविधता" originates from the Sanskrit word "विविध" meaning "different" or "varied". | |||
| Kannada | ವೈವಿಧ್ಯತೆ | ||
| The Kannada word "ವೈವಿಧ್ಯತೆ" can also mean "difference", "variation", or "contradiction". | |||
| Malayalam | വൈവിധ്യം | ||
| "Variety" in Malayalam has the additional meaning of "the number of types or sorts of things in a group or area" | |||
| Marathi | विविधता | ||
| The Marathi word विविधता derives from the Sanskrit word विविध (vividha), meaning "multifarious" or "manifold." | |||
| Nepali | विविधता | ||
| The word 'विविधता' in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit word 'विविध', which means 'different' or 'varied'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਭਿੰਨਤਾ | ||
| ਭਿੰਨਤਾ' or 'difference' is often used as a synonym for 'variety', but it can also refer to a disagreement or a dispute. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | විවිධත්වය | ||
| The concept of "විවිධත්වය" is closely linked to the idea of "variety" and also carries the connotations of "beauty" and "goodness" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | பன்முகத்தன்மை | ||
| Telugu | వైవిధ్యం | ||
| Urdu | تنوع | ||
| "تنوع" originally meant variation or difference, but now commonly refers to diversity in society or culture. | |||
Diversity in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 多样性 | ||
| 汉语中“多样性”一词源自“多”和“样”，意为“多种多样”或“各种各样”，常用于描述事物的种类、类别或特征的丰富性。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 多樣性 | ||
| 多樣性 (Diversity) can also refer to: 許多 (Much, many). | |||
| Japanese | 多様性 | ||
| The Japanese term "多様性" (tayousei) literally means "many kinds" or "variety" and is often used in the context of biodiversity or cultural diversity. | |||
| Korean | 상이 | ||
| 상이 originally referred to different musical notes and was only used to mean “diversity” in the late 19th century. | |||
| Mongolian | олон янз байдал | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မတူကွဲပြားမှု | ||
Diversity in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | perbedaan | ||
| The word "perbedaan" can also refer to a difference between two or more things, or to a dispute or quarrel. | |||
| Javanese | bhinéka | ||
| The word "bhinéka" in Javanese is derived from Sanskrit and means "manifold" or "many different kinds". | |||
| Khmer | ភាពចម្រុះ | ||
| Lao | ຄວາມຫຼາກຫຼາຍ | ||
| Malay | kepelbagaian | ||
| The word "kepelbagaian" is derived from the word "pelbagai" meaning "various" or "different". | |||
| Thai | ความหลากหลาย | ||
| "หลาก" in "หลาย" and "หลากหลาย" derives from the Mon-Khmer root *laŋ, meaning "different" | |||
| Vietnamese | đa dạng | ||
| "Đa dạng" also means "colorful" or "varied" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagkakaiba-iba | ||
Diversity in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | müxtəliflik | ||
| "Müxtəliflik" means "diversity" in Azerbaijani and is related to the word "müxtəlif" (meaning "different," "various," or "diverse"). | |||
| Kazakh | әртүрлілік | ||
| Kyrgyz | ар түрдүүлүк | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "ар түрдүүлүк" comes from two separate Kyrgyz words "ар" (each, every, one by one, etc.) and "түр" (look, appearance, shape, kind, species, nature, type, etc.). | |||
| Tajik | гуногунрангӣ | ||
| Turkmen | dürlüligi | ||
| Uzbek | xilma-xillik | ||
| The Uzbek word "xilma-xillik" is a compound word that means "variety" or "difference". | |||
| Uyghur | كۆپ خىللىق | ||
Diversity in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻokoʻa | ||
| ʻokoʻa also means "difference" and "variety". | |||
| Maori | rerenga kētanga | ||
| The word "rerenga kētanga" in Maori can also refer to the flight of different birds, symbolising the diversity of perspectives and experiences within a group. | |||
| Samoan | 'eseʻesega | ||
| 'Eseʻesega (diversity) is related to the word ese (different). Eseʻesega also means variation or distinction. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pagkakaiba-iba | ||
Diversity in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | kunaymani | ||
| Guarani | jopara | ||
Diversity in International Languages
| Esperanto | diverseco | ||
| "Diverseco" can also be used to refer to differences or disagreements among different groups of people. | |||
| Latin | diversitas | ||
| "Diversitas" also means "discord" in Latin and was used by early Roman grammarians to refer to a disagreement among the different ancient sources. | |||
Diversity in Others Languages
| Greek | ποικιλία | ||
| "Ποικιλία" derives from "ποικίλος" ("variegated") and literally means "variety" with secondary meanings including "art form," "ornamentation," "tapestry," or "embroidery." | |||
| Hmong | muaj ntau haiv neeg | ||
| The Hmong word "muaj ntau haiv neeg" also refers to a group of people who live together in a community or family. | |||
| Kurdish | pirrengî | ||
| Etymology: Persian ‘pirêngî’ (adornment, a way of getting respect) | |||
| Turkish | çeşitlilik | ||
| The word "çeşitlilik" is derived from the Arabic word "tasnıf", meaning "category" or "classification", and also means "variety" or "abundance" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | iyantlukwano | ||
| "Iyantlukwano" also means "a mixture of people from different tribes, nations, etc." | |||
| Yiddish | דייווערסיטי | ||
| In Yiddish, the word "דייווערסיטי" derives from Hebrew and can also refer to a "sermon" or "speech". | |||
| Zulu | ukwehluka | ||
| The word 'ukwehluka' derives from the Zulu word 'wahlukana,' meaning 'to be different' or 'to separate'. | |||
| Assamese | অনৈক্য | ||
| Aymara | kunaymani | ||
| Bhojpuri | विविधता | ||
| Dhivehi | ޑިވަރސިޓީ | ||
| Dogri | बन्न-सबन्नता | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagkakaiba-iba | ||
| Guarani | jopara | ||
| Ilocano | panagduduma | ||
| Krio | difrɛn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هەمەڕەنگی | ||
| Maithili | विविधता | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯣꯉꯥꯟꯕ ꯃꯒꯨꯟ ꯆꯦꯟꯕ | ||
| Mizo | chi hrang hrang | ||
| Oromo | garaagarummaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବିବିଧତା | | ||
| Quechua | tukuy rikchaq | ||
| Sanskrit | विविधता | ||
| Tatar | төрлелек | ||
| Tigrinya | ፍልልይነት | ||
| Tsonga | hambana | ||