Differ in Different Languages
Discover 'Differ' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'differ' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, allowing us to express the distinctions and variations that make up our world. From the moment we're able to communicate, we learn to identify and articulate the ways in which things, people, and ideas differ from one another. This ability to recognize differences is not only crucial to our personal growth, but it also plays a vital role in shaping our cultural identity and understanding of the world around us.
Throughout history, the concept of difference has been a source of both conflict and collaboration. By acknowledging and celebrating our differences, we can foster a greater sense of empathy and unity. On the other hand, when we fail to recognize or respect these differences, we risk perpetuating harmful stereotypes and divisions.
As global citizens, understanding the nuances of language is essential to bridging cultural gaps and facilitating meaningful connections. By learning how to express the idea of 'differ' in various languages, we not only expand our linguistic repertoire but also demonstrate a commitment to appreciating the unique perspectives and experiences of others.
Here are a few ways to say 'differ' in different languages, inviting you to explore the rich tapestry of human expression and the fascinating world of language and culture.
Differ
Differ in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | verskil | ||
| "Verskil" also means "to differ" in the sense of "to vary" and is derived from the Dutch word "verschillen". | |||
| Amharic | ይለያል | ||
| The word "ይለያል" can also mean "to be different" or "to be unlike." | |||
| Hausa | bambanta | ||
| Bambanta in Hausa also means 'different', 'change' or 'be different'. | |||
| Igbo | dị iche | ||
| The word 'dị iche' also means 'be different' or 'be distinct' in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | samy hafa | ||
| The Malagasy word "samy hafa" literally means "different things" and can also mean "opposite" or "different in kind". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kusiyana | ||
| Originally meaning 'deviate', 'kusiyana' gained the additional meaning of 'differ' in modern Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | siyana | ||
| The word 'siyana' could also mean 'to be distinct', 'to be separate' or 'to be different'. | |||
| Somali | kala duwan | ||
| The Somali word ''kala duwan'' can also refer to a variety of things including difference, distinction, and change. | |||
| Sesotho | fapana | ||
| The word "fapana" also means "to deviate" or "to go astray". | |||
| Swahili | tofauti | ||
| The Swahili word 'tofauti' also means 'separate' or 'other'. | |||
| Xhosa | yahlukile | ||
| The root -hluka is also present in other Nguni languages, indicating a historical split from a common ancestral language. | |||
| Yoruba | yato | ||
| The Yoruba word "yato" can also refer to a person who is peculiar or unusual. | |||
| Zulu | hluka | ||
| In Zulu, the word 'hluka' can also refer to the act of changing or transforming. | |||
| Bambara | danfara bɛ u ni ɲɔgɔn cɛ | ||
| Ewe | to vovo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bitandukanye | ||
| Lingala | ekeseni | ||
| Luganda | okwawukana | ||
| Sepedi | fapana | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɛsono emu biara | ||
Differ in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | اختلف | ||
| اختلف can also mean to mix, to separate, to be at odds, or to be diverse. | |||
| Hebrew | לִהיוֹת שׁוֹנֶה | ||
| The verb "לִהיוֹת שׁוֹנֶה" can be translated as "differ" but also as "to be strange" or "unusual". | |||
| Pashto | توپیر لري | ||
| The word "توپیر لري" (differ) in Pashto originates from the Persian word "تفاوت" (difference), which also means "distinction" or "dissimilarity". | |||
| Arabic | اختلف | ||
| اختلف can also mean to mix, to separate, to be at odds, or to be diverse. | |||
Differ in Western European Languages
| Albanian | ndryshojnë | ||
| The Albanian word "ndryshojnë" also means "to change" and is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂leh₃- "to change, alter". | |||
| Basque | desberdina | ||
| The word 'desberdina' literally means 'out of different', composed of 'bes' (two) and 'berdin' (same). | |||
| Catalan | difereixen | ||
| The verb "difereixen" in Catalan is derived from the Latin word "differre", and can also refer to delaying or postponing something. | |||
| Croatian | razlikuju se | ||
| In mathematics, 'razlikuju se' also means 'are congruent'. | |||
| Danish | afvige | ||
| Afvige is a verb meaning to depart from a course of action or thought. It is derived from the Old Norse word afvikja, which means to turn away. | |||
| Dutch | verschillen | ||
| The verb "verschillen" can also refer to a difference between two or more entities or concepts. | |||
| English | differ | ||
| The word "differ" comes from the Latin word "differre", meaning "to carry apart" or "to put off". | |||
| French | différer | ||
| "Différer" in French also means "to postpone" or "to put off. | |||
| Frisian | ferskille | ||
| The term "ferskille" is closely related to the English verb "to differ" and the Latin noun "discrimen," meaning distinction or separation. | |||
| Galician | difiren | ||
| The Galician word "difiren" may also mean "to be different" or "to be unusual" in addition to "to differ" | |||
| German | sich unterscheiden | ||
| The verb “sich unterscheiden” (“differ”) has its etymological roots in the Middle High German word “undirsceiden”, which means “to separate” or “to divide”. | |||
| Icelandic | mismunandi | ||
| The word "mismunandi" is related to "munur" (difference) and "mæta" (value). | |||
| Irish | difriúil | ||
| Italian | differire | ||
| The Italian word "differire" has the alternate meaning of "to be in abeyance". | |||
| Luxembourgish | ënnerscheeden | ||
| Ënnerscheeden derives from the Old High German 'nderscheiden 'to distinguish', and also means 'to judge' or 'to decide'. | |||
| Maltese | differenti | ||
| “Differenzi” originates from the Latin verb “differre”, meaning “to carry apart”, or “to distinguish”. | |||
| Norwegian | avviker | ||
| The word 'avviker' also means 'to deviate' or 'to change from the norm' in Norwegian. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | diferem | ||
| "Diferem" can also be a noun referring to a monetary or accounting difference. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | eadar-dhealaichte | ||
| The Gaelic word "eadar-dhealaichte" could be translated literally as "between-separated" or "inter-different". | |||
| Spanish | diferir de | ||
| La palabra "diferir de" también puede significar "distinguir de", "separar de" o "desviar de". | |||
| Swedish | skilja sig | ||
| The Swedish word for "differ", "skilja sig", also means "divorce." | |||
| Welsh | yn wahanol | ||
| Welsh "yn wahanol" is not related to the "an" in English "another", but to the Proto-Celtic "*wenos" ("one") and "*wel" ("best"). | |||
Differ in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | адрозніваюцца | ||
| Bosnian | razlikuju se | ||
| The verb 'razlikuju se' can also refer to distinguishing oneself from others or standing out. | |||
| Bulgarian | различават | ||
| The Bulgarian verb "различават" ultimately originates from Latin "dis-" and "ferre", which literally means "to bear apart". | |||
| Czech | lišit | ||
| "Lišit" also means "to moult" in Czech, referring to the shedding of skin or feathers. | |||
| Estonian | erinevad | ||
| The word "erinevad" is a derivate of "erinevus" ("difference") and its synonyms "erilisus" ("specificity"), "vahe" ("interval"), "mitmekesisus" ("diversity") and "mittemonotoonsus" ("non-monotonicity"). | |||
| Finnish | eroavat toisistaan | ||
| In Old Finnish, the verb "erota" meant "to separate," and the reflexive form "erota toisistaan" evolved to mean "to differ." | |||
| Hungarian | különbözik | ||
| The word "különbözik" can also mean "to be different" or "to be distinct" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | atšķiras | ||
| The verb form “atšķir” can be used as a transitive verb to mean “to distinguish” as well as to “differ,” while “šķirt” is a neuter verb used without any objects. | |||
| Lithuanian | skiriasi | ||
| The word "skiriasi" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*skei-", meaning "to cut" or "to divide". | |||
| Macedonian | се разликуваат | ||
| In Bulgarian, "се разликуваат" means "to differentiate", while in Serbian it means "to differ". | |||
| Polish | różnić się | ||
| The verb 'różnić się' also means 'to be different' or 'to be distinguished'. | |||
| Romanian | diferă | ||
| In Romanian, "diferă" means both "differ" and "defer." | |||
| Russian | отличаться | ||
| Отличать also means to punish in archaic Russian and shares its root with 'отметка' – a mark (on a paper). | |||
| Serbian | разликују се | ||
| The word "разликују се" can also mean "distinguish" or "discriminate". | |||
| Slovak | líšia sa | ||
| The word líšia sa also refers to the process of differentiation in biology. | |||
| Slovenian | razlikujejo | ||
| Differing from its literal meaning, 'razlikujejo' can figuratively mean 'having a preference' or 'liking' something. | |||
| Ukrainian | відрізняються | ||
| The verb “відрізняються” can have the reflexive form “відрізнятися”. In this form it can mean “to differ from each other” or “to stand out”. | |||
Differ in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পার্থক্য | ||
| The word 'পার্থক্য' comes from the Sanskrit word 'पार्थक्य', which means 'difference'. It can also mean 'distinction', 'variety', or 'contrast'. | |||
| Gujarati | ભિન્ન | ||
| The word "ભિન્ન" also means "broken" or "fractured" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | अलग | ||
| The word अलं ("alag") also connotes difference, separation, or distinction. | |||
| Kannada | ಭಿನ್ನವಾಗಿದೆ | ||
| ಭಿನ್ನ is not a Kannada word, but is often borrowed (भिन्न) from Hindi meaning "varied" or "different" and is also occasionally used to mean "different" on its own in Hindi; the same word is used similarly in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | വ്യത്യാസമുണ്ട് | ||
| The word "വ്യത്യാസമുണ്ട്" is often translated to "differ" but has a wider meaning; it is also used to express disagreement or to state a contrasting point | |||
| Marathi | भिन्न | ||
| The word "भिन्न" also means "fraction" in Marathi, derived from the Sanskrit word "भज्" meaning "to divide". | |||
| Nepali | फरक | ||
| "फरक" is also an alternate form of "फला" (fruit) in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਭਿੰਨ | ||
| The word "ਭਿੰਨ" in Punjabi can also mean "part, share, fraction, or division". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වෙනස් | ||
| වෙනස් can also mean "distinction" in the sense of "difference between one thing and another". | |||
| Tamil | வேறுபடுகின்றன | ||
| The name of a fruit | |||
| Telugu | తేడా | ||
| "తేడా" also means 'the difference between two things' or 'discrepancy'. | |||
| Urdu | مختلف | ||
Differ in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 不同 | ||
| The Chinese character “不同” can also mean “disagree”, “not same”, or “not agree”. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 不同 | ||
| "不同" can also mean "no different" or "similar" when used with a double negative structure. | |||
| Japanese | 異なる | ||
| The word "異なる" (ことなる) can also mean "to differ in opinion" or "to be different from each other". | |||
| Korean | 다르다 | ||
| The Korean word "다르다" can also mean "to be strange" or "to be unusual". | |||
| Mongolian | ялгаатай | ||
| The Mongolian word "ялгаатай" (differ) shares a root with the word "ялгавар" (separation), suggesting a sense of distinctness. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကွဲပြားသည် | ||
Differ in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | berbeda | ||
| "Berbeda" is also used to describe the difference in cooking methods in Indonesia, such as the "berbeda bumbu" (different seasoning) between regions. | |||
| Javanese | beda | ||
| The Javanese word 'beda' also means 'mistake' or 'error', which suggests a connection between difference and incorrectness or deviation from the norm. | |||
| Khmer | ខុសគ្នា | ||
| The word "ខុសគ្នា" can also mean "to be different" or "to be wrong". | |||
| Lao | ແຕກຕ່າງ | ||
| The term ແຕກຕ່າງ is also used to refer to the contrast between two things which are different in nature or quality. | |||
| Malay | berbeza | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning, "berbeza" can also mean "to contradict" or "to disagree". | |||
| Thai | แตกต่างกัน | ||
| แตกต่างกัน (tak-taang-kan) literally means "to crack apart" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | khác nhau | ||
| Khác nhau is the Vietnamese equivalent of the French term "différent", which refers to a thing, an idea or a group of things sharing the same specific features. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | magkaiba | ||
Differ in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | fərqli | ||
| The word "fərqli" in Azerbaijani has a historical root going back to the late Old Turkic and the Uyghur Old Turkic as "fərq, fərq". | |||
| Kazakh | ерекшеленеді | ||
| The word "ерекшеленеді" can also mean "to be distinguished" or "to be unique". It is derived from the root word "ерекше", which means "special" or "different". | |||
| Kyrgyz | айырмаланат | ||
| The term | |||
| Tajik | фарқ мекунанд | ||
| "Фарқ мекунанд" in Tajik, which derives from the Persian "فرق (fark)" meaning "difference," can also be used figuratively to indicate "to distinguish between" or "to tell the difference between". | |||
| Turkmen | tapawutlanýar | ||
| Uzbek | farq qiladi | ||
| The Uzbek word "farq qiladi" can also mean "to pay special attention to something". | |||
| Uyghur | ئوخشىمايدۇ | ||
Differ in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻokoʻa | ||
| 'Oko'a' can also mean 'difference', 'distinction', or 'variation' in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | rerekē | ||
| The word «rerekē» also means "disagree". | |||
| Samoan | eseʻese | ||
| Eseʻese can also mean 'to separate' in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | naiiba | ||
| "Naiiba" is a homonym of "iba," which means "change." | |||
Differ in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | mayj mayjawa | ||
| Guarani | ojoavy | ||
Differ in International Languages
| Esperanto | diferenci | ||
| The Esperanto word 'diferenci' comes from the Latin word 'differentia,' meaning 'difference' or 'distinction'. | |||
| Latin | differunt | ||
| The Latin verb 'differre' means 'to carry asunder' or 'to distribute', and the word itself is derived from 'dis-' (apart, asunder) and 'ferre' (to bear, to carry). | |||
Differ in Others Languages
| Greek | διαφέρω | ||
| The Ancient Greek word διαφέρω also means to excel or surpass. | |||
| Hmong | txawv | ||
| The Hmong word "txawv" also means "vary" and "transform". | |||
| Kurdish | cûdahî dikin | ||
| The word "cûdahî dikin" can also mean "to change" or "to be different". | |||
| Turkish | farklılık | ||
| The Turkish word "farklılık" can also mean "distinction", "contrast", or "variety". | |||
| Xhosa | yahlukile | ||
| The root -hluka is also present in other Nguni languages, indicating a historical split from a common ancestral language. | |||
| Yiddish | אַנדערש | ||
| The Yiddish word “אַנדערש” also means “otherwise” or “else” in English. | |||
| Zulu | hluka | ||
| In Zulu, the word 'hluka' can also refer to the act of changing or transforming. | |||
| Assamese | ভিন্নতা | ||
| Aymara | mayj mayjawa | ||
| Bhojpuri | अलग-अलग होला | ||
| Dhivehi | ތަފާތުވެއެވެ | ||
| Dogri | मतभेद | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | magkaiba | ||
| Guarani | ojoavy | ||
| Ilocano | agduduma | ||
| Krio | difrɛn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | جیاوازن | ||
| Maithili | भिन्न-भिन्न | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯦꯠꯅꯩ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | a danglam | ||
| Oromo | garaagarummaa qabu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଭିନ୍ନ | | ||
| Quechua | hukniray kanku | ||
| Sanskrit | भिद्यते | ||
| Tatar | төрле | ||
| Tigrinya | ይፈላለዩ። | ||
| Tsonga | ku hambana | ||