Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'winner' holds a powerful and inspiring connotation across cultures. It represents success, achievement, and triumph, making it a universal term that transcends language barriers. From the thrill of hearing 'we have a winner' in a game show to the overwhelming joy of being a 'winner' in life, this term resonates deeply with people worldwide.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'winner' in different languages can provide valuable cultural insights. For instance, in Spanish, 'winner' is 'ganador,' which originates from the verb 'ganar,' meaning 'to earn' or 'to win.' Meanwhile, in Japanese, 'winner' is 'kachisha,' reflecting the importance of perseverance and hard work in their culture.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or someone who simply appreciates the power of positive words, learning the translation of 'winner' in various languages can be a rewarding and enlightening experience.
Afrikaans | wenner | ||
The Afrikaans word "wenner" has its origins in the Dutch "winnaar". | |||
Amharic | አሸናፊ | ||
The word አሸናፊ (ášänafi) is derived from the root word ሸነፍ (šänäf), meaning "to defeat" or "to overcome". It can also refer to someone who has achieved success or victory in a competition or endeavor. | |||
Hausa | nasara | ||
The word "nasara" in Hausa has Arabic origins and also refers to Christians. | |||
Igbo | onye mmeri | ||
Malagasy | mpandresy | ||
The word "mpandresy" in Malagasy can also mean "champion" or "hero". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | wopambana | ||
"Wopambana" can also mean someone who "won something". | |||
Shona | mukundi | ||
The word "mukundi" can also mean "a successful person" or "a person who has achieved their goals". | |||
Somali | guuleyste | ||
The word "guuleyste" in Somali can also refer to a person who has achieved a goal or accomplished a task. | |||
Sesotho | mohloli | ||
In Sesotho, the term "mohloli" also refers to a person who is fortunate or successful in general. | |||
Swahili | mshindi | ||
Mshindi is also a title given to a respected elder within a Swahili community. | |||
Xhosa | ophumeleleyo | ||
The Xhosa word "ophumeleleyo" derives from the root "phumelela," meaning "to succeed" or "to overcome." | |||
Yoruba | olubori | ||
"Olobori" also means "owner of a cow". | |||
Zulu | onqobayo | ||
"Onqobayo" also derives from "ukuqoba", a verb that describes how a bull elephant uses his tusk to pierce a hole through an adversary’s brain. | |||
Bambara | setigi | ||
Ewe | dziɖula | ||
Kinyarwanda | uwatsinze | ||
Lingala | molongi | ||
Luganda | omuwanguzi | ||
Sepedi | mofenyi | ||
Twi (Akan) | nkonimdifo | ||
Arabic | الفائز | ||
'Winning' in pre-Islamic poetry meant to take spoils. In the 13th century, it also came to mean prevailing in a competition. | |||
Hebrew | זוֹכֵה | ||
The word "זוֹכֵה" can also refer to someone who is righteous or worthy, highlighting the connection between success and moral conduct in Hebrew culture. | |||
Pashto | ګټونکی | ||
The Pashto word "ګټونکی" also means "beneficiary" or "gainer". | |||
Arabic | الفائز | ||
'Winning' in pre-Islamic poetry meant to take spoils. In the 13th century, it also came to mean prevailing in a competition. |
Albanian | fitues | ||
The word "fitues" is derived from the Latin word "victus", meaning "conquered, defeated" and has a secondary meaning of "loser" in Albanian. | |||
Basque | irabazlea | ||
"irabazlea" means "the one who carries off" as well as "winner" in Basque. | |||
Catalan | guanyador | ||
Guanyador derives from the Catalan word "guanyar", which means "to earn, win or obtain", and also relates to the Latin term "adquirere". | |||
Croatian | pobjednik | ||
The word 'pobjednik' shares its root with the Old English word 'battle,' revealing its connection to the competitive nature of victory. | |||
Danish | vinder | ||
In Danish, the word "vinder" can also mean "window". | |||
Dutch | winnaar | ||
The Dutch word "winnaar" may also refer to a horse that has won a race. | |||
English | winner | ||
The word 'winner' derives from 'win' - to gain victory - with Old English cognates in 'ge-winn' (a gain) and 'ge-winna' (a victor). | |||
French | gagnant | ||
In French slang, "gagnant" can also refer to a con artist or swindler. | |||
Frisian | winner | ||
In Old Frisian, the noun winner also denoted 'conqueror' and sometimes 'foe'. | |||
Galician | gañador | ||
The Galician word "gañador" originally meant "healer" and is related to the Latin word "sanator". | |||
German | gewinner | ||
The German word 'Gewinner' can also refer to someone who receives an unexpected benefit or advantage, such as a lottery prize. | |||
Icelandic | sigurvegari | ||
Sigurvegari derives from Old Norse 'sigurvegr' meaning 'path to victory'. | |||
Irish | buaiteoir | ||
Italian | vincitore | ||
In Latin, "vincitore" means not only "winner", but also "conqueror" or "victor". | |||
Luxembourgish | gewënner | ||
Maltese | rebbieħ | ||
In addition to "winner," "rebbieħ" may also denote a type of traditional Maltese pasta. | |||
Norwegian | vinner | ||
The word "vinner" in Norwegian can also mean "friend" or "ally". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | vencedora | ||
In Portuguese, the word 'vencedora' also means 'victorious' or 'conquering', highlighting the idea of overcoming challenges and achieving success. | |||
Scots Gaelic | buannaiche | ||
"Buannaiche" may also mean "to be born" or "to get wealth." | |||
Spanish | ganador | ||
The word “ganador” comes from the Latin verb “vincere”, meaning “to conquer” | |||
Swedish | vinnare | ||
The Swedish word, 'vinnare', is derived from the old Swedish word, 'vinna', which means to 'gain or obtain'. | |||
Welsh | enillydd | ||
The Welsh word "enillydd" may derive from the Celtic word "einnill" (victory), or from the Proto-Indo-European word "en" (to obtain). |
Belarusian | пераможца | ||
The word "пераможца" derives from the Proto-Slavic word *pobędъ, meaning "victory". | |||
Bosnian | pobjednik | ||
Pobjednik is derived from the South Slavic verb "pobjeđivati", meaning "to conquer" or "to overcome". | |||
Bulgarian | победител | ||
The word "победител" (winner) in Bulgarian comes from the verb "побеждавам" (to win). | |||
Czech | vítěz | ||
"Vítěz" is a Czech word meaning "winner", but it is also related to the Proto-Slavic "*vitъ", which means "army", suggesting a victorious military force. | |||
Estonian | võitja | ||
The word | |||
Finnish | voittaja | ||
"Voittaja" is a derivative of the verb "voittaa," which initially meant "to manage" or "to be able to." | |||
Hungarian | győztes | ||
The word "győztes" in Hungarian comes from the verb "győz", which means "to overcome" or "to defeat". | |||
Latvian | uzvarētājs | ||
"Uzvarētājs" is derived from Latvian "uzvara" (victory) and means "one who has achieved victory". | |||
Lithuanian | nugalėtojas | ||
"Nugalėtojas" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*ǵeh₁- (to win)", also found in Latin "vincō (to conquer)" and Sanskrit "jayati (to be victorious)". | |||
Macedonian | победник | ||
The word "победник" is a relatively rare form in Macedonian; the usual word for "winner" is "победник". This form is related to the Old Church Slavonic "побѣдити", "to conquer". | |||
Polish | zwycięzca | ||
The word "zwycięzca" also means "conqueror", "victor", "champion" | |||
Romanian | câştigător | ||
The Romanian word "câştigător" also means "gaining" or "profiting". | |||
Russian | победитель | ||
The word "победитель" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "побѣда" (victory), which is cognate with the Latin word "victoria". | |||
Serbian | победник | ||
The Serbian word "победник" ("winner") has various alternate meanings including "a player who wins the game" or "a person or group who achieves a significant success or accomplishment". | |||
Slovak | víťaz | ||
The Slovak word "víťaz" derives from the Old Church Slavonic word "vitędzь", meaning "knight" or "hero". | |||
Slovenian | zmagovalec | ||
The word "zmagovalec" originally meant "person who overcomes obstacles" in Proto-Slavic. | |||
Ukrainian | переможець | ||
The word "переможець" (winner) comes from the verb "перемогти" (to conquer) and originally meant "one who overcomes". |
Bengali | বিজয়ী | ||
বিজয়ী, meaning "winner" in Bengali, is a cognate of the Sanskrit word "vijayi," which carries the same meaning and shares an Indo-European root with the English word "victory." | |||
Gujarati | વિજેતા | ||
The word "વિજેતા" is derived from the Sanskrit word "vijayate", which means "to conquer" or "to be victorious" | |||
Hindi | विजेता | ||
विजेता is related to the term विजय, meaning victory, and has its roots in the Sanskrit word जि, meaning 'to conquer'. | |||
Kannada | ವಿಜೇತ | ||
The word "ವಿಜೇತ" (winner) comes from the Sanskrit word "vijaya", which means victory or success. | |||
Malayalam | വിജയി | ||
Alternate meaning of 'വിജയി' is 'one who shines' | |||
Marathi | विजेता | ||
The word विजेता (vijeta) in Marathi is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit word विजय (vijaya), meaning "victory" or "success." | |||
Nepali | विजेता | ||
The word "विजेता" is derived from the Sanskrit word "विजित" meaning "conquered" or "defeated". | |||
Punjabi | ਜੇਤੂ | ||
The word 'ਜੇਤੂ' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'जित', meaning 'to conquer', and its alternate meaning is 'conqueror'. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ජයග්රාහකයා | ||
Tamil | வெற்றி | ||
The word வெற்றி can also mean 'accomplishment,' 'success,' or 'victory'. | |||
Telugu | విజేత | ||
"విజేత" is derived from the Sanskrit word "vijay", meaning "victory." | |||
Urdu | فاتح | ||
The word "فاتح" (winner) in Urdu can also mean "conqueror" or "victor". |
Chinese (Simplified) | 优胜者 | ||
The word "优胜者" is derived from "优胜", meaning "excellence" or "superiority", and "者", meaning "a person who does something". Therefore, "优胜者" can also be interpreted as "a person who excels". | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 優勝者 | ||
優勝者 (yuushousha) comes from the Chinese word "優 (yuu)" meaning "best" and "勝 (shou)" meaning "victory". | |||
Japanese | 勝者 | ||
The word '勝者' in Japanese is not only used to refer to the winner of a competition, but also to someone who has overcome difficulties or achieved great success. | |||
Korean | 우승자 | ||
The term '우승자' is derived from the Chinese characters '優勝' meaning 'first place or best' in a competition. | |||
Mongolian | ялагч | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) | အနိုင်ရသူ | ||
Indonesian | pemenang | ||
The term 'pemenang' originates from the Sanskrit word 'vinati', meaning 'to choose', or 'to prefer'. | |||
Javanese | pemenang | ||
The Javanese word "pemenang" is derived from the root word "menang" which means "to win" or "to triumph". | |||
Khmer | អ្នកឈ្នះ | ||
Lao | ຜູ້ຊະນະ | ||
In Thai, the word ຜູ້ຊະນະ also refers to a monk who has completed the Phra-Dhammayan degree. | |||
Malay | pemenang | ||
The Malay word "pemenang" has roots in the Proto-Austronesian language and also means "to be successful" or "to achieve". | |||
Thai | ผู้ชนะ | ||
The word "ผู้ชนะ" literally means "person who wins" and can also refer to a "victor" or "champion". | |||
Vietnamese | người chiến thắng | ||
The word "người chiến thắng" literally translates to "person who has fought and won" in Vietnamese. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | nagwagi | ||
Azerbaijani | qalib | ||
The word "qalib" also has the alternate meaning of "mold" or "form" in Azerbaijani. | |||
Kazakh | жеңімпаз | ||
The word "жеңімпаз" means "one who has won" in Kazakh, which is related to the Turkish words "yen-mek" and "yenil-mek," which mean "to win" in Kazakh and "to be beaten" in Turkish. | |||
Kyrgyz | жеңүүчү | ||
The word "жеңүүчү" can also mean "conqueror" or "victor". | |||
Tajik | ғолиб | ||
In Tajik, the word "ғолиб" can also refer to a "leader" or "victor" in a non-literal sense. | |||
Turkmen | ýeňiji | ||
Uzbek | g'olib | ||
The word "g'olib" also means "champion" and "hero" in Uzbek. | |||
Uyghur | يەڭگۈچى | ||
Hawaiian | mea lanakila | ||
"Mea lanakila" is also a traditional Hawaiian phrase meaning "a victorious thing" or "a thing of victory." | |||
Maori | toa | ||
Despite meaning "winner" today, "toa" can also refer to a warrior or the "backbone" of a person, object, or cause in Maori culture. | |||
Samoan | manumalo | ||
The Samoan word "manumalo" can also refer to someone who is victorious or excellent. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | nagwagi | ||
"Nagwagi" is the Tagalog word for "winner", derived from the root word "wagi" meaning "success" or "victory". |
Aymara | atipt’iri | ||
Guarani | oganáva | ||
Esperanto | gajninto | ||
Latin | victorem | ||
The Latin word "victorem" shares a root with "victor", meaning "conqueror" or "one who overcomes". |
Greek | νικητής | ||
The noun νικητής in Greek also means "hero," referring to heroic acts in the face of adversity. | |||
Hmong | tus yeej | ||
The word "tus yeej" (winner) in Hmong has a more metaphorical origin, originally referring to "one who has crossed the finish line". | |||
Kurdish | serketî | ||
The word "serketî" is a borrowing from Persian "sarkâshteh" meaning "defeated" or "humbled" | |||
Turkish | kazanan | ||
In the ancient Turkish language, "kazanmak" meant not only "to win" but also "to earn" or "to obtain". | |||
Xhosa | ophumeleleyo | ||
The Xhosa word "ophumeleleyo" derives from the root "phumelela," meaning "to succeed" or "to overcome." | |||
Yiddish | געווינער | ||
The Yiddish word "געווינער" (winner) can also refer to a person who wins a lottery or other form of gambling. | |||
Zulu | onqobayo | ||
"Onqobayo" also derives from "ukuqoba", a verb that describes how a bull elephant uses his tusk to pierce a hole through an adversary’s brain. | |||
Assamese | বিজয়ী | ||
Aymara | atipt’iri | ||
Bhojpuri | विजेता के नाम से जानल जाला | ||
Dhivehi | ވަނަ ހޯދި އެވެ | ||
Dogri | विजेता | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | nagwagi | ||
Guarani | oganáva | ||
Ilocano | nangabak | ||
Krio | di wan we win | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | براوە | ||
Maithili | विजेता | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯥꯏꯄꯥꯀꯈꯤ꯫ | ||
Mizo | hnehtu a ni | ||
Oromo | injifataa | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ବିଜେତା | | ||
Quechua | ganaq | ||
Sanskrit | विजेता | ||
Tatar | җиңүче | ||
Tigrinya | ተዓዋቲ ኮይኑ ኣሎ። | ||
Tsonga | muhluri | ||