Emphasis in Different Languages
Discover 'Emphasis' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'emphasis' holds great significance in various cultures and languages, denoting importance, stress, or prominence given to something. Its understanding can open doors to nuanced communication and cross-cultural exchanges. Imagine delivering a speech or writing a compelling story without the ability to highlight key points; it would be like a meal without spices!
Through history, emphasis has played a crucial role in oral traditions, literature, and even non-verbal communication. For instance, in ancient Greek rhetoric, énosis (ἔνωσις) referred to the rhetorical device of emphasis, which was essential in persuading audiences.
Given the cultural importance of emphasis, it's no wonder that people worldwide might want to learn its translations in different languages. By doing so, they can appreciate the diverse ways various cultures stress or highlight ideas, enhancing their language skills and cultural awareness.
Let's explore how emphasis translates across several languages, from Spanish's énfasis to Japanese's Emphasis in different languages:
Emphasis
Emphasis in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | klem | ||
| The Afrikaans word "klem" can also refer to a "pinch" or "grip". | |||
| Amharic | አፅንዖት | ||
| The word 'አፅንዖት' in Amharic can also refer to a stressed syllable, the point of highest intensity in speech. | |||
| Hausa | girmamawa | ||
| The word "girmamawa" in Hausa derives from the noun "girma", meaning "growth" or "height", and the causative suffix "-mawa", suggesting the act of "causing to grow taller" or "exaggerating". | |||
| Igbo | mesiri ike | ||
| Mesi in Igbo is a verbal prefix indicating an action that is incomplete or ongoing | |||
| Malagasy | fanamafisana | ||
| The term fanamafisana is a play on words referring to the act of making something (fanamiana) clear and distinct. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kutsindika | ||
| The word "kutsindika" in Nyanja can also mean "to stress" or "to underline". | |||
| Shona | kusimbisa | ||
| "Kusimbisa" is a Shona word used to convey a sense of urgency or importance. | |||
| Somali | xoojinta | ||
| In Somali, "xoojinta" can also refer to the act of emphasizing or making something more visible. | |||
| Sesotho | toboketso | ||
| The word "toboketso" in Sesotho can also refer to a "stressing" of the voice or a "strain". | |||
| Swahili | msisitizo | ||
| The word "msisitizo" in Swahili can also refer to the stress or accent placed on a syllable within a word. | |||
| Xhosa | ugxininiso | ||
| The word "ugxininiso" is derived from the Xhosa verb "ukuxinisa" (to press in) and the noun "iso" (eye). | |||
| Yoruba | tcnu | ||
| The Yoruba word "tcnu" also means "to repeat or do something again" | |||
| Zulu | ukugcizelela | ||
| Ukugcizelela in Zulu carries a connotation of 'highlighting' or 'underscoring' something. | |||
| Bambara | faranfasiya | ||
| Ewe | gbetete ɖe nu dzi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gushimangira | ||
| Lingala | kobenda likebi | ||
| Luganda | okuggumiza | ||
| Sepedi | kgatelelo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nnyinasoɔ | ||
Emphasis in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تشديد | ||
| The word "تشديد" in Arabic also refers to the doubling of a consonant in writing, indicated by a small inverted comma above the letter. | |||
| Hebrew | דָגֵשׁ | ||
| The Hebrew word 'dagesh' can also mean 'dot' or 'thickening' when referring to letters in the Hebrew alphabet with a dot in the middle. | |||
| Pashto | ټینګار | ||
| The Pashto word "ټینګار" also denotes insistence, stress, and pressure. | |||
| Arabic | تشديد | ||
| The word "تشديد" in Arabic also refers to the doubling of a consonant in writing, indicated by a small inverted comma above the letter. | |||
Emphasis in Western European Languages
| Albanian | theksimi | ||
| "Theksimi" derives from the Ancient Greek "θέσις" (thésis), meaning a proposition or statement; or, in musical terms, a thesis (downbeat). | |||
| Basque | enfasia | ||
| Enfasia (emphasis) comes from Greek and it also means stuffing. | |||
| Catalan | èmfasi | ||
| The word "èmfasi" in Catalan also means "hyperbole". | |||
| Croatian | naglasak | ||
| Naglasak is a noun derived from the verb 'naglásiti,' which means 'to emphasize or highlight,' and its root, 'glas,' which translates to 'voice' or 'sound,' conveying the idea of placing stress or importance on a particular part of speech or aspect of communication. | |||
| Danish | vægt | ||
| "Vægt" also refers to weight (literally physical pressure) or importance (literally worth or significance) in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | nadruk | ||
| In Dutch, "nadruk" also means "reprint" or "reproduction", suggesting its connection to the idea of repetition and highlighting. | |||
| English | emphasis | ||
| The word "emphasis" originates from the Greek word "emphasis," meaning "stress" or "importance." | |||
| French | accentuation | ||
| In French, "accentuation" can also mean "the action of marking words with accents". | |||
| Frisian | klam | ||
| The word 'klam' can also refer to a small musical instrument. | |||
| Galician | énfase | ||
| In Galician, "énfase" also means "pride" and "arrogance". | |||
| German | betonung | ||
| "Betonung" means both "emphasis" in the sense of verbal stress and "intonation" in German | |||
| Icelandic | áherslur | ||
| The word "áherslur" (emphasis) in Icelandic derives from the Old Norse word "áhyggja" (concern, care). | |||
| Irish | béim | ||
| The Irish word "béim" also means "stroke", "blow", or "a hit". | |||
| Italian | enfasi | ||
| In Italian, 'enfasi' also means 'exaggeration' or 'vehemence', highlighting the added intensity or force conveyed. | |||
| Luxembourgish | schwéierpunkt | ||
| Schwéierpunkt is a compound of "schwéier" (hard, heavy) and "Punkt" (point), implying that it is something that is focused on and cannot be easily moved away from. | |||
| Maltese | enfasi | ||
| The Maltese word "enfasi" is also used to describe a type of poetic verse. | |||
| Norwegian | vektlegging | ||
| The word "vektlegging" can also refer to the act of adding weight to something, or to the part of a garment that is made heavier. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ênfase | ||
| In Portuguese, "ênfase" can also mean "tone", "vigour" or "strength". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | cuideam | ||
| Cuideam also commonly refers to an emphasis or focus, particularly on a specific aspect of a broader concept. | |||
| Spanish | énfasis | ||
| "Éfasis" viene del griego antiguo "emphasein" que significa "mostrar" o "hacer aparente." | |||
| Swedish | betoning | ||
| "Betoning" comes from the verb "betona" (to emphasize), which in turn comes from the French word "bêton" (concrete), due to the image of concrete pouring over something and covering it up. | |||
| Welsh | pwyslais | ||
| Pwyslais in Welsh relates to the concepts of emphasis, weight or gravity. | |||
Emphasis in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | акцэнт | ||
| The word "акцэнт" is cognate with the Russian word "акцент" and the Polish word "akcent" and is ultimately derived from the Latin accentus, meaning "song". | |||
| Bosnian | naglasak | ||
| "Naglasak" literally means "a stress" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | акцент | ||
| Bulgarian "акцент" also refers to a foreign accent when speaking in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | důraz | ||
| The word "důraz" can also mean "accent" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | rõhuasetus | ||
| The word "rõhuasetus" derives from the words "rõhk" (stress) and "asetus" (setting), indicating the placement of stress in a word or syllable. | |||
| Finnish | painopiste | ||
| The word "painopiste" is a compound word formed from the words "paino" (weight) and "piste" (point), referring to a point of focus or importance. | |||
| Hungarian | hangsúly | ||
| The Hungarian word "hangsúly" means both "emphasis" and "accent". Its origin comes from the verb "hangsulyoz", meaning "to emphasize or to accent". | |||
| Latvian | uzsvars | ||
| Uzsvars is also used in Latvian to refer to the stress or accent of a word or syllable. | |||
| Lithuanian | pabrėžimas | ||
| The verb "brėžti" means "to draw" in Lithuanian, implying that "pabrėžimas" can be literally translated as "undrawing", i.e. "making something more prominent". | |||
| Macedonian | нагласување | ||
| The term "emphasis" is also used to refer to the prominence given to a particular syllable within a word. | |||
| Polish | nacisk | ||
| The word "nacisk" comes from the Proto-Slavic term "*tiskati", meaning "to press". | |||
| Romanian | accent | ||
| In Romanian, accent also refers to the mark used to indicate stress on a syllable in a written word, known as the diacritical mark. | |||
| Russian | акцент | ||
| The Russian word “акцент” not only refers to emphasis, but can also mean a person’s speech habits and a foreign accent. | |||
| Serbian | истицање | ||
| The word "истицање" can also mean "expiration" or "expiration date". | |||
| Slovak | dôraz | ||
| The noun "dôraz" derives from the Slavic verb "dreti," which means "to tear" or "to pull away," suggesting an idea of something standing out from its context. | |||
| Slovenian | poudarek | ||
| The word 'poudarek' can also refer to 'stress' on a particular syllable in a word. | |||
| Ukrainian | наголос | ||
| The word "наголос" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "наголєсъ" meaning "a hill or mound", referring to the way emphasis can make a word stand out. | |||
Emphasis in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | জোর | ||
| জোর is also used in Bengali to mean 'force', 'strength', or 'pressure'. | |||
| Gujarati | ભાર | ||
| "ભાર" in Gujarati is derived from Sanskrit and in addition to denoting emphasis also means "burden". | |||
| Hindi | ज़ोर | ||
| In Urdu, “ज़ोर” means both “emphasis” and “loud noise”. | |||
| Kannada | ಒತ್ತು | ||
| ಒತ್ತು (emphasis) can refer to a heavy load, stress, or importance. | |||
| Malayalam | ഊന്നിപ്പറയല് | ||
| Marathi | भर | ||
| The Marathi word "भर" (emphasis) can also mean "heaviness" or "amount," suggesting its connection to the idea of something being weighty or substantial. | |||
| Nepali | जोड | ||
| The word "जोड" in Nepali can also refer to a pair or a couple. | |||
| Punjabi | ਜ਼ੋਰ | ||
| The word "emphasis" originates from the Greek word "emphasis," meaning "appearance. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අවධාරණය | ||
| "අවධාරණය" (avadhāranaya) can also mean the removal of something that covers or hides something, especially a religious image or object. | |||
| Tamil | வலியுறுத்தல் | ||
| Telugu | ఉద్ఘాటన | ||
| "ఉద్ఘాటన" is also used to refer to the inauguration or opening of an event or building. | |||
| Urdu | زور | ||
| "زور" can also mean strength or force. | |||
Emphasis in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 重点 | ||
| The Chinese character '重点' can also mean 'main point', 'crux', 'gist', 'key', or 'salient feature'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 重點 | ||
| "重點" also means "key point" or "main idea" in Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | 強調 | ||
| The word "強調" (kyōchō) in Japanese also carries the connotation of "highlighting" or "bringing into focus". | |||
| Korean | 중요성 | ||
| 중요성 can also refer to a 'sense of obligation' or the 'meaning of something'. | |||
| Mongolian | онцлох | ||
| The Mongolian word 'онцлох' also means 'to concentrate' and 'to highlight'. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အလေးပေး | ||
Emphasis in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | tekanan | ||
| Tekanan originates from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian word *tekan, which means 'to push' or 'to press'. | |||
| Javanese | negesake | ||
| Negesake can also mean "to underline" in addition to "emphasis". | |||
| Khmer | ការសង្កត់ធ្ងន់ | ||
| Lao | ເນັ້ນ ໜັກ | ||
| Malay | penekanan | ||
| The word "penekanan" also has the alternate meaning of "stress" in psychology and the alternate meaning of "accent" in linguistics. | |||
| Thai | เน้น | ||
| The word เน้น in Thai also denotes "to highlight" or "to underscore" when used as a verb. | |||
| Vietnamese | nhấn mạnh | ||
| Nhấn mạnh comes from the Chinese word " nhấn mạnh ", which means "to press down" or "to emphasize". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | diin | ||
Emphasis in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | vurğu | ||
| The word "vurğu" (emphasis) in Azerbaijani also means "accent" when referring to speech. | |||
| Kazakh | екпін | ||
| 'Екпін' (emphasis) means 'highlight', 'accentuate', and 'stress'. | |||
| Kyrgyz | басым | ||
| The word "басым" can also mean "accent" or "stress" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | таъкид | ||
| The word "таъкид" also means "confirmation" or "corroboration" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | ünsi çekmek | ||
| Uzbek | urg'u | ||
| The word "urg'u" can also mean "accent" or "stress" in linguistics. | |||
| Uyghur | تەكىتلەش | ||
Emphasis in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | koʻikoʻi | ||
| Koʻikoʻi also means "to cause a feeling of urgency," and can therefore also be used as an adverb, meaning "quickly" or "in a hurry." | |||
| Maori | haapapu | ||
| Maori word "haapapu" also refers to "an extra burden or task imposed or undertaken" | |||
| Samoan | faʻamamafa | ||
| The word "fa'amamafa" in Samoan is also used to describe "pressure" or "urgency". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | diin | ||
| The Tagalog word "diin" can also refer to stress as in a word or a syllable, or the accent used in language. | |||
Emphasis in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ch'ama | ||
| Guarani | mbojekuaaverã | ||
Emphasis in International Languages
| Esperanto | emfazo | ||
| Although 'emfazo' is a loanword from French, it is actually derived from Greek and is related to terms meaning 'to appear' and 'to manifest' | |||
| Latin | emphasis | ||
| The Latin word 'emphasis' originally meant 'appearance' or 'manifestation'. | |||
Emphasis in Others Languages
| Greek | έμφαση | ||
| The Greek word "έμφαση" also has the alternate meaning of "appearance" or "outward form". | |||
| Hmong | qhia ntau | ||
| "Qhia ntau" can also mean to explain or elaborate. | |||
| Kurdish | bidengî | ||
| The word "bidengî" in Kurdish can also refer to a "preposition" or "adverb". | |||
| Turkish | vurgu | ||
| The word "vurgu" in Turkish is derived from the Arabic word "wurūd" ( ورود ), meaning "occurrence" or "entry". | |||
| Xhosa | ugxininiso | ||
| The word "ugxininiso" is derived from the Xhosa verb "ukuxinisa" (to press in) and the noun "iso" (eye). | |||
| Yiddish | טראָפּ | ||
| טראָפּ is also a term used in the field of music, where it refers to a specific type of variation or alteration of a musical passage or theme | |||
| Zulu | ukugcizelela | ||
| Ukugcizelela in Zulu carries a connotation of 'highlighting' or 'underscoring' something. | |||
| Assamese | জোৰ দিয়া | ||
| Aymara | ch'ama | ||
| Bhojpuri | जोर डालल | ||
| Dhivehi | ފާހަގަކުރެވިފައި | ||
| Dogri | जोर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | diin | ||
| Guarani | mbojekuaaverã | ||
| Ilocano | pannakaitalmeg | ||
| Krio | atɛnshɔn pan | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | جەختکردن | ||
| Maithili | जोर देनाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯤꯠꯌꯦꯡ ꯆꯪꯕ | ||
| Mizo | ngai pawimawh | ||
| Oromo | xiyyeeffannoo | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଗୁରୁତ୍ୱ | ||
| Quechua | niypuni | ||
| Sanskrit | बलं | ||
| Tatar | басым | ||
| Tigrinya | ኣትኩሮ ምሃብ | ||
| Tsonga | tiyisisa | ||