Equal in Different Languages
Discover 'Equal' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'equal' holds great significance in our lives, representing fairness, justice, and impartiality. Its cultural importance is evident in various philosophical, political, and social contexts, where the principle of equality is upheld to ensure that everyone is treated without discrimination. Understanding the translation of 'equal' in different languages can open up new avenues of communication and foster a deeper appreciation for the diverse cultures around the world.
For instance, in Spanish, 'equal' translates to 'igual', while in French, it is 'égal'. In German, the word for 'equal' is 'gleich', and in Mandarin Chinese, it is '平等 (píngděng)'. These translations not only help break language barriers but also allow us to grasp the unique perspectives and values associated with the concept of equality in various cultures.
Delving into the translations of 'equal' can be an exciting journey, offering insights into the history, traditions, and social structures of different societies. So, let's explore the fascinating world of language and culture through the lens of this simple yet powerful word.
Equal
Equal in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | gelyk is | ||
| In Afrikaans "gelyk is" literally means "the same". It can be used in the sense of equality, but also when something is parallel, aligned, smooth or similar. | |||
| Amharic | እኩል | ||
| The word "እኩል" (equal) in Amharic derives from the Proto-Semitic root *kwl, meaning "to measure, to balance." | |||
| Hausa | daidai | ||
| "Daidai" also means to "meet" in the sense of encountering or joining | |||
| Igbo | hà | ||
| Igbo 'hà' can also mean 'the same', 'so much', 'similar', and 'in the same way'. | |||
| Malagasy | mitovy | ||
| The Malagasy word "mitovy" derives from the Malay word "mitu," which means "to match". It also has alternate meanings of "resembling" and "similar." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ofanana | ||
| The Nyanja word "ofanana" is thought to be derived from the verb "fana", which means "to resemble" or "to be similar". | |||
| Shona | zvakaenzana | ||
| "Zvakaenzana" comes from the root word "-enzana" which also means "to weigh". Thus "zvakaenzana" literally means "that which weighs equally". | |||
| Somali | siman | ||
| The word "siman" in Somali also means "twin". | |||
| Sesotho | lekanang | ||
| The word "lekanang" in Sesotho can also refer to a state of balance or harmony. | |||
| Swahili | sawa | ||
| "Sawa" also means "okay" or "all right" in Kiswahili, and it can be used to express agreement or understanding. | |||
| Xhosa | kulingana | ||
| The word 'kulingana' is often used in Xhosa to express equality, balance, or correspondence. | |||
| Yoruba | dogba | ||
| The word "dogba" in Yoruba can also refer to the "right hand" or "dominance". | |||
| Zulu | kulingana | ||
| The word 'kulingana' can also refer to conformity, symmetry, or a state of equilibrium. | |||
| Bambara | kan | ||
| Ewe | sɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bingana | ||
| Lingala | ndenge moko | ||
| Luganda | okwenkana | ||
| Sepedi | lekana | ||
| Twi (Akan) | pɛ | ||
Equal in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مساو | ||
| The word "مساو" can also mean "equal in value" or "equivalent" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | שווה | ||
| The root ש.ו.ה also denotes worthiness or value, giving שווה the additional meaning of 'worthwhile'. | |||
| Pashto | مساوي | ||
| In Pashto, "مساوي" can also mean "parallel" or "similar". | |||
| Arabic | مساو | ||
| The word "مساو" can also mean "equal in value" or "equivalent" in Arabic. | |||
Equal in Western European Languages
| Albanian | të barabartë | ||
| The Albanian word | |||
| Basque | berdinak | ||
| The word "berdinak" is derived from the proto-Basque word *berdi-, meaning "same" or "equal". | |||
| Catalan | igual | ||
| The Catalan word "igual" can also mean "similar". | |||
| Croatian | jednak | ||
| The word "jednak" can also mean "nevertheless" or "however" in Croatian, showcasing its versatile nature beyond its primary meaning of "equal". | |||
| Danish | lige | ||
| In Danish, 'lige' can also mean 'straight', referring to a line or path. | |||
| Dutch | gelijk | ||
| The word "gelijk" in Dutch can also mean "similar" or "right". | |||
| English | equal | ||
| The Latin verb 'aequare' means 'to make level' or 'to smooth' | |||
| French | égal | ||
| In the Middle Ages, the term “égal” (“equal”) also referred to a person's peer or companion, a nuance that survives today in legal language. | |||
| Frisian | lyk | ||
| The Frisian word "lyk" is cognate with the Dutch and German "gelijk" and the Old English "gelīċ", all deriving from Proto-Germanic *ga-līka-z. | |||
| Galician | igual | ||
| The word "igual" is also used to express indifference or resignation, as in "Me é igual" ("It's all the same to me"). | |||
| German | gleich | ||
| The word 'gleich' can also mean 'immediately' or 'straight' in German | |||
| Icelandic | jafnir | ||
| Jafnir in Old Norse refers to "a pair, team of horses," "a horse's harness," or the goddess "Gefjun." | |||
| Irish | comhionann | ||
| The word "comhionann" in Irish is derived from the Old Irish "comthoinn" or "comthoímh," meaning "to meet" or "to come together," implying a sense of mutual agreement or correspondence. | |||
| Italian | pari | ||
| The word "pari" can also mean "pair" or "even" in Italian. | |||
| Luxembourgish | gläichberechtegt | ||
| Maltese | ugwali | ||
| The Maltese word "ugwali" is derived from the Arabic "mukāffah", meaning "equal" or "equivalent". | |||
| Norwegian | lik | ||
| Lik, a Norwegian word, also means 'corpse' and is cognate with the English word 'lich'. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | igual | ||
| The word "igual" originates from the Latin word "æqualis" which means "of equal measure" and shares the same root as the English word "equal" | |||
| Scots Gaelic | co-ionann | ||
| The Gaelic word co-ionann is also used to express the concept of 'at the same time' or 'simultaneously'. | |||
| Spanish | igual | ||
| In 1220, 'igual' meant 'just, right'. In 1251, 'fair, equitable'. Now it usually means 'equal'. | |||
| Swedish | likvärdig | ||
| Likvärdig is a compound formed from the words 'lik' ('like') and 'värdig' ('worthy') and literally means 'worthy of the same'. | |||
| Welsh | cyfartal | ||
| The word "cyfartal" can alternately be used as a noun in Welsh to mean "a comparison". | |||
Equal in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | роўны | ||
| In Ukrainian, "рівень" means "flat" or "level". | |||
| Bosnian | jednako | ||
| The archaic usage of "jednako" also denotes "as though", "as if" and "like" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | равен | ||
| "Равен" ultimately derives from the Proto-Slavic "*rovьnъ", meaning "even, flat". | |||
| Czech | rovnat se | ||
| In Czech, "rovnat se" not only means "equal," but also "make orderly," coming from the verb "rovnat" (to straighten). | |||
| Estonian | võrdsed | ||
| The word "võrdsed" in Estonian has Proto-Uralic etymology and can also mean "flat". | |||
| Finnish | yhtä suuri | ||
| "Yhtä suuri" is also used to mean "uniform" or "consistent" in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | egyenlő | ||
| "Egyenlő" is derived from the Proto-Uralic word *egene-, meaning "the same". | |||
| Latvian | vienāds | ||
| The word "vienāds" is cognate with the Lithuanian word "vienas" (meaning "one") | |||
| Lithuanian | lygus | ||
| Lithuanian "lygus" means not only equal but also flat or even. | |||
| Macedonian | еднакви | ||
| The word "еднакви" can also mean identical, similar, or comparable. | |||
| Polish | równy | ||
| The word "równy" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *orvьnъ, which also means "straight" or "level" | |||
| Romanian | egal | ||
| The word "egal" in Romanian can also mean "similar" or "identical". | |||
| Russian | равный | ||
| The word "равный" derives from Old Church Slavonic "раве" which means "similar". | |||
| Serbian | једнак | ||
| "Једнак" means both "the same" and "identical" in Serbian, making it an interesting word to discuss with Serbian language learners! | |||
| Slovak | rovný | ||
| In Czech, the word "rovný" denotes not only "equal", but also "straight" and "flat" | |||
| Slovenian | enako | ||
| The word "enako" in Slovenian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *jednakъ, meaning "alike" or "similar" | |||
| Ukrainian | рівний | ||
| The word "рівний" in Ukrainian also means "straight", "smooth", or "even". | |||
Equal in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সমান | ||
| The word "সমান" also has an alternate meaning of "level" or "smooth". | |||
| Gujarati | બરાબર | ||
| Derived from 'bar', meaning equal, and 'abar', which means again. | |||
| Hindi | बराबरी का | ||
| In Hindi, “बराबरी का” suggests not only equality, but also sameness and parallelism. | |||
| Kannada | ಸಮಾನ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಸಮಾನ" not only means "equal", but also "similar" in a more general sense. | |||
| Malayalam | തുല്യമാണ് | ||
| Marathi | समान | ||
| In Marathi, "समान" means not only "equal," but also "similar" or "the same." | |||
| Nepali | बराबर | ||
| The word "बराबर" is derived from the Sanskrit word "सम" (sama), meaning "equal" or "level." | |||
| Punjabi | ਬਰਾਬਰ | ||
| 'ਬਰਾਬਰ' is derived from Sanskrit 'barabar' meaning 'equal, same, alike, level, parallel, balanced, or similar.' | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සමාන | ||
| The Sinhala word "සමාන" can also mean "equivalent", "adequate", or "uniform". | |||
| Tamil | சமம் | ||
| The word "சமம்" can also mean "calm" or "peaceful" in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | సమానం | ||
| The word "సమానం" also means "similar" or "equivalent" and is derived from the Sanskrit word "sama" meaning "same". | |||
| Urdu | برابر | ||
| In addition to its common meaning of "equal" in Urdu, "برابر" can also mean "in front of" or "on behalf of" someone. | |||
Equal in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 等于 | ||
| The character '等' in '等于' also means 'wait' or 'expect' in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 等於 | ||
| In addition to "equal," "等於" also means "equivalent to" and "as good as." | |||
| Japanese | 等しい | ||
| The word "等しい" (equal) is derived from the Chinese word "等", which means "the same" or "uniform". | |||
| Korean | 같은 | ||
| "같은" originally meant "that which is one" and later acquired the meaning of "equal". | |||
| Mongolian | тэнцүү | ||
| The word тэнцүү also means 'fair' and 'balanced' in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တန်းတူ | ||
Equal in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sama | ||
| The word "sama" can also mean "the same" or "together" in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | witjaksono | ||
| Witjaksono is also the name of a Javanese noble, who was later made prime minister by the first president of Indonesia, Sukarno. | |||
| Khmer | ស្មើ | ||
| ស្មើ also means "to finish eating." | |||
| Lao | ເທົ່າທຽມກັນ | ||
| Malay | sama | ||
| The Malay word "sama" is also used to mean "together" or "similar". | |||
| Thai | เท่ากัน | ||
| เท่ากัน (เท่า + กัน) has a root word | |||
| Vietnamese | công bằng | ||
| The word "công bằng" in Vietnamese also implies "justice," "fairness," and "impartiality." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pantay | ||
Equal in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | bərabərdir | ||
| The word "bərabərdir" can also mean "parallel" or "equivalent" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | тең | ||
| The word "тең" in Kazakh also means "flat" or "level". | |||
| Kyrgyz | барабар | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "барабар" is also used to refer to a level or flat surface. | |||
| Tajik | баробар | ||
| The word "баробар" in Tajik can also refer to a "set" as in a matching set of clothing or dishes. | |||
| Turkmen | deňdir | ||
| Uzbek | teng | ||
| Teng is also used to indicate the number of times a repeated consonant occurs in a word. | |||
| Uyghur | باراۋەر | ||
Equal in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kaulike | ||
| Kaulike originated from the Proto-Polynesian word "taulike" meaning "same" or "identical". | |||
| Maori | ōritenga | ||
| The Māori word "ōritenga" can also refer to a state of harmony, balance, or symmetry. | |||
| Samoan | tutusa | ||
| The word 'tutusa' is often used to describe twins, as they share a similar size, appearance, and characteristics. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pantay | ||
| The term "pantay" in Tagalog derives from "patag," meaning "flat" or "level," alluding to the balanced state of equality. | |||
Equal in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | kikipa | ||
| Guarani | ojoja | ||
Equal in International Languages
| Esperanto | egala | ||
| The word "egala" in Esperanto comes from the Latin word "aequalis", meaning "equal". | |||
| Latin | aequalis | ||
| The Latin word "aequalis" is associated with the concept of "levelness" or "equality of surface". | |||
Equal in Others Languages
| Greek | ίσος | ||
| It derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁eǵʰ- 'to reach out' and is also related to 'ἔτος' 'year' and 'αἰών' 'eternity', as it originally meant 'reaching the same point in time' | |||
| Hmong | sib npaug | ||
| The word "sib npaug" can also mean "the same" or "equal" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | wekhev | ||
| The Kurdish word "wekhev" can also refer to a flat surface or an equal distribution. | |||
| Turkish | eşit | ||
| The word "eşit" derives from the Old Turkish verb "esitmek" meaning "to make equal, to level". | |||
| Xhosa | kulingana | ||
| The word 'kulingana' is often used in Xhosa to express equality, balance, or correspondence. | |||
| Yiddish | גלייך | ||
| Stemming from the Slavic word “glih,” this word can also express being smooth or sleek, as in skin or texture. | |||
| Zulu | kulingana | ||
| The word 'kulingana' can also refer to conformity, symmetry, or a state of equilibrium. | |||
| Assamese | সমান | ||
| Aymara | kikipa | ||
| Bhojpuri | बराबर | ||
| Dhivehi | އެއްވަރު | ||
| Dogri | बरोबर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pantay | ||
| Guarani | ojoja | ||
| Ilocano | kapada | ||
| Krio | ikwal | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | یەکسان | ||
| Maithili | बराबर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯥꯟꯅꯕ | ||
| Mizo | intluktlang | ||
| Oromo | walqixxee | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସମାନ | ||
| Quechua | chay kaqlla | ||
| Sanskrit | समान | ||
| Tatar | тигез | ||
| Tigrinya | ማዕረ | ||
| Tsonga | ndzingano | ||