Essay in different languages

Essay in Different Languages

Discover 'Essay' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

An essay is a piece of writing that delves into a particular topic or subject, presenting the author's perspective, ideas, and analysis. This form of writing has been instrumental in shaping cultural and intellectual discourse for centuries. From the philosophical musings of Michel de Montaigne to the personal reflections of Virginia Woolf, essays have given voice to some of the most profound and provocative thoughts in literature.

Moreover, the significance of essays extends beyond the realm of literature. They are used in academic and professional settings to argue a point, convey research findings, or provide a detailed explanation of a concept. In essence, essays are a versatile and powerful tool for communication and expression.

Understanding the translation of the word 'essay' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how various cultures approach this form of writing. For instance, in Spanish, an essay is known as 'ensayo,' while in German, it is called 'Essay.' In French, the term is 'essai,' and in Italian, it is 'saggio.'

Exploring these translations can offer a fascinating glimpse into the cultural nuances and historical contexts associated with the word 'essay.' Join us as we delve into the world of language and culture, and discover how this versatile form of writing is perceived and practiced around the globe.

Essay


Essay in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansopstel
"Opstel" derives from the Middle Dutch "opstel", meaning plan, outline or draft
Amharicድርሰት
The word 'ድርሰት' ('essay') in Amharic also refers to an academic thesis or dissertation, a written report or paper, and scientific research work.
Hausamuqala
In literary usage, in some dialects, it is sometimes equated with rubuci, an Arabic loanword which itself can mean "writing" or "a form of writing"
Igboedemede
In some Igbo dialects, "edemede" can refer to an "argument" or a "debate."
Malagasylahatsoratra
The Malagasy word "lahatsoratra" derives from the Proto-Austronesian word *surat, meaning "letter" or "book".
Nyanja (Chichewa)nkhani
The word 'nkhani' can also refer to a 'story' or 'tale'
Shonarondedzero
'Rondedzero' stems from the word 'rondwezero' meaning 'a thing to be thought about'.
Somalimaqaalka
"Maqaalka", meaning "essay", originates from the Arabic word "maqāla", which refers to a speech, discourse, or written composition.
Sesothomoqoqo
The word "moqoqo" is cognate with the Zulu and Ndebele word "iqoqo" which means "gathering"
Swahiliinsha
The Swahili word "insha" derives from the Arabic word "إنشاء" (inšāʾ), which means "creation" or "composition".
Xhosaisincoko
Isincoko is a noun meaning 'essay' which is derived from the verb 'ukusinca' (to think).
Yorubaaroko
The word 'aroko' (Yoruba for 'essay') can also refer to a type of Yoruba music.
Zuluindzabambhalo
Indzabambhalo, in Zulu, can also refer to a message or record that is passed from one person to another.
Bambarasɛbɛn
Ewenyadutsotso
Kinyarwandainyandiko
Lingalakomeka
Lugandaekiwandiiko
Sepeditaodišo
Twi (Akan)susutwerɛ

Essay in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicمقال
The word "مقال" is derived from the root "ق و ل", meaning "to speak" or "to say".
Hebrewמַסָה
In biblical Hebrew, "מסה" (masa) means "test," "trial," or "proof" in addition to "essay."
Pashtoمقاله
The word مقاله (maqaala) originates from the Arabic word مقاله (maqalah), which means "speech" or "discourse." It is also related to the Persian word مقاله (maghalah), which means "article" or "treatise."
Arabicمقال
The word "مقال" is derived from the root "ق و ل", meaning "to speak" or "to say".

Essay in Western European Languages

Albanianese
The word "ese" also means "it is" or "he/she is" in Albanian.
Basquesaiakera
The Basque word "saiakera" could also mean "attempt" or "test".
Catalanassaig
The word "assaig" in Catalan derives from the Latin "exagium," meaning "action of weighing," but also has the secondary meanings of "test" or "attempt"
Croatianesej
In Croatian, 'esej' can also mean 'theme' or 'motif'.
Danishhistorie
The word historie is derived from Latin historia, the Greek ἱστορία (historia), which means "inquiry".
Dutchessay
The Dutch word 'essay' can also mean 'trial' or 'attempt'.
Englishessay
The word “essay” derives from the French “essayer,” meaning “to try” or “to attempt,” and originally denoted a tentative or incomplete literary composition.
Frenchessai
The word 'essai' originates from the Latin word 'exagium', which means 'weighing' or 'testing'. Its alternate meanings in French include 'attempt', 'sample', and 'trial'.
Frisianessay
In Frisian, it can also mean "to try" or "to examine".
Galicianensaio
In Galician, "ensaio" can also mean "attempt" or "test".
Germanaufsatz
In the 16th century, the German word "Aufsatz" also referred to a kind of head covering for women.
Icelandicritgerð
"Ritgerð" derives from "rita" (write) and "gerð" (act/deed), also meaning "discourse" or "treatise".
Irishaiste
The Old Irish cognate of `aiste` was an abstract concept meaning "wisdom" or "knowledge" which was also used of a 'poetic composition', and the modern sense "essay" is probably the result of semantic narrowing.
Italiansaggio
"Saggio" originally meant a "test" or "trial".
Luxembourgishaufsatz
The Luxembourgish word "Aufsatz" can also refer to a written assignment in school or university.
Malteseesej
The word 'esej' is derived from the French word 'essai', meaning 'attempt' or 'trial'.
Norwegianessay
"Prøvepen" is an alternate meaning of "essay" in Norwegian.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)redação
In Portuguese, "redação" can also refer to an editorial department of a newspaper or magazine.
Scots Gaelicaiste
The Scots Gaelic word "aiste" can also refer to a "piece of literary composition" or a "discourse".
Spanishensayo
Spanish word "ensayo" initially meant "attempt" or "test".
Swedishuppsats
"Uppsats" comes from the German word "Aufsatz" which also refers to a kind of headdress or hairdo.
Welshtraethawd
The term 'traethawd' derives from the Welsh word 'traethu', meaning 'discourse' or 'narrative'. It originally referred to a written or spoken piece that explored a particular subject in depth.

Essay in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianнарыс
The word "нарыс" in Belarusian originated from the Old Belarusian word "наръ", meaning "to narrate, to tell".
Bosnianesej
The word "esej" derives from the French "essai", meaning "attempt" or "trial."
Bulgarianесе
In Bulgarian, "есе" also translates as "attempt", "try", or "test".
Czechesej
In Czech, "esej" can also refer to a short essay or a school assignment similar to an essay.
Estonianessee
The word "essee" in Estonian is derived from the French word "essai", meaning "attempt" or "trial".
Finnishessee
"Esse" is a Finnish word meaning "to be" and is also used as a prefix to the verb "to write" to mean "an essay".
Hungarianesszé
"Esszé" means "small try" in Hungarian, originally referring to a coin of little value.
Latvianeseja
In Latvian, word "eseja" has French origin (from "essai" - "attempt, trial").
Lithuanianesė
Etymology: French "essai" = "attempt, trial"; French "essaier" = "to try, to attempt"; Latin "exagium" = "weighing, examination"
Macedonianесеј
In Macedonian, "есеј" (esey) shares its etymology with the French word "essai" (attempt), which captures the exploratory and experimental nature of the literary form.
Polishpraca pisemna
The word "Praca pisemna" derives from the Polish verb "pracować," meaning "to work" or "to labor," implying that an essay is the result of intellectual effort and composition.
Romanianeseu
The Romanian word "eseu" has its ultimate Latin origin in the verb "exigere," meaning 'to examine thoroughly'.
Russianсочинение
The word
Serbianесеј
In Serbian, "есеј" (essay) is also a term for the philosophical genre "trial," where one tests their own or others' ideas.
Slovakesej
The word "esej" is derived from the French word "essai", meaning "attempt" or "trial".
Slovenianesej
The Slovenian word "esej" comes from the French word "essai," meaning "attempt" or "trial."
Ukrainianесе
The Ukrainian word 'есе' likely derives from the French word 'essai' or the Latin word 'exagium,' both meaning 'weighing' or 'testing'.

Essay in South Asian Languages

Bengaliপ্রবন্ধ
The word "প্রবন্ধ" in Bengali also carries the meaning of a theological discussion or philosophical treatise, and is derived from the Sanskrit root "pra-bandh," which means "to bind together."
Gujaratiનિબંધ
The Gujarati word “નિબંધ” is derived from the Sanskrit word “निबन्ध” (nibandha), which originally meant “a literary composition or treatise.”
Hindiनिबंध
In Hindi, the word "निबंध" primarily means "an essay" but it also carries the meaning of "a composition" or "a treatise".
Kannadaಪ್ರಬಂಧ
"ಪ್ರಬಂಧ" in Kannada is derived from the Sanskrit word "प्रबन्ध", which means "discourse" or "treatise".
Malayalamഉപന്യാസം
Malayalam word “upanyasam” also means a religious discourse, a speech given by a teacher, or a written text by a student.
Marathiनिबंध
The word "निबंध" (essay) in Marathi primarily means "a literary composition that expresses the author's viewpoint on a particular topic" and is etymologically related to "निव+बंध" (niva + bandha), meaning "binding together" or "tying up," suggesting the assembling of ideas into a cohesive whole.
Nepaliनिबन्ध
The word 'निबन्ध' originates from the Sanskrit word 'निबन्धन', which means 'to bind together' or 'to compose'.
Punjabiਲੇਖ
The word "ਲੇਖ" in Punjabi also means "account", "reckoning", "narrative", "record", or "writing".
Sinhala (Sinhalese)රචනාව
The Sinhala word රචනාව, meaning "essay," also carries the meaning of "composition" and can refer to a written work on any subject.
Tamilகட்டுரை
The Tamil word "கட்டுரை" has various meanings like composing something, tying something or a bundle, and also signifies a composition in prose, a treatise.
Teluguవ్యాసం
Urduمضمون نویسی
The Urdu word "مضمون نویسی" derives from the Arabic "da-ma-na", meaning "to make clear", and is also used to refer to "content writing" or "copywriting".

Essay in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)文章
The word "文章" (essay) originally meant "clear patterns".
Chinese (Traditional)文章
In addition to "essay", "文章" also means "sentences" and "words" when read in isolation
Japaneseエッセイ
エッセイ (essei) derives from the French essai, meaning an attempt, a trial — originally a philosophical or political discourse.
Korean수필
The word "수필" can also mean "travelogue" or "reminiscence" in Korean.
Mongolianэссе
The Mongolian word "эссе" can also mean "an experience" or "a story."
Myanmar (Burmese)စာစီစာကုံး

Essay in South East Asian Languages

Indonesiankarangan
"Karangan" also means "work" or "product" in Indonesian, referring to the result of writing or other creative activities.
Javanesekarangan
Karangan, meaning 'composition' in Javanese, also refers to a form of traditional Javanese literature characterized by prose and poetry.
Khmerអត្ថបទ
The word "អត្ថបទ" derives from Sanskrit and literally means "a connected series of sentences" or "a discourse".
Laoບົດຂຽນ
The Lao word ບົດຂຽນ (essay) originates from Pali and Sanskrit and also means a text, a treatise, or a composition.
Malaykarangan
The word 'karangan' also means 'composition' and is derived from the Sanskrit word 'karangana'.
Thaiเรียงความ
เรียงความ comes from the French "essai" meaning "to attempt". In Thai, it also refers to a "composition".
Vietnamesetiểu luận
The word "tiểu luận" ultimately derives from the French word "essai", meaning "attempt".
Filipino (Tagalog)sanaysay

Essay in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniinşa
The word "inşa" comes from Arabic, where it originally meant "construction" or "organization," later acquiring the meaning of "essay" or "composition."
Kazakhэссе
Слово "эссе" в казахском языке происходит от французского "essai" и означает "опыт" или "исследование".
Kyrgyzбаян
The word "баян" also means "narration" or "telling" in Kyrgyz.
Tajikиншо
The word "иншо" in Tajik is borrowed from Arabic and literally means "that which is created".
Turkmendüzme
Uzbekinsho
The word “insho” has Arabic roots and has the initial meaning of “to make, to do” in Arabic. Moreover, “insho” is the process of making something with one’s own hand, as well as an artistic creation.
Uyghurماقالە

Essay in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianpepa kākau moʻolelo
It is composed of various words and phrases, such as **pepa** meaning "paper" or "newspaper", **kākau** denoting "writing" or "to write", and **moʻolelo** signifying "a story" or "narrative".
Maorituhinga roa
In Maori, the word "tuhinga roa" also means "extended writing" or "lengthy account."
Samoantala tusia
This word's literal Samoan translation is "written tale," which could refer to traditional Polynesian storytelling forms as well as academic and creative essays.
Tagalog (Filipino)sanaysay
The Tagalog word "sanaysay" originally meant "a composition in prose," but it also signifies "a piece of writing that expresses the author's opinion or perspective on a particular topic."

Essay in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarayant'a
Guaraniha'ã

Essay in International Languages

Esperantoeseo
The word "eseo" is derived from the French word "essai" which means "attempt" or "trial". In Esperanto, it can also refer to a scholarly article or a scientific paper.
Latinmedica inauguralis,
The word "medica inauguralis" may refer to the original inaugural speech of a professor of medicine in a medieval university or its printed form.

Essay in Others Languages

Greekεκθεση ιδεων
The word 'Εκθεση ΙΔΕΩΝ' ultimately derives from the Greek word 'θέσις', meaning 'a putting forth'.
Hmongsau ntawv
The word "sau ntawv" is a compound word in Hmong meaning "to write something" and "a book" or "a letter".
Kurdishnivîsar
The term "nivîsar" can refer not only to an essay or scientific study, but also to a philosophical treatise in the context of Kurdish literature.
Turkishmakale
The word "makale" in Turkish may also refer to a newspaper article or a thesis, derived from the Arabic word "maqala" meaning "speech" or "discourse."
Xhosaisincoko
Isincoko is a noun meaning 'essay' which is derived from the verb 'ukusinca' (to think).
Yiddishעסיי
The Yiddish word "עסיי" also means "an opinion piece" and can be used to refer to any written work that expresses the author's thoughts or feelings.
Zuluindzabambhalo
Indzabambhalo, in Zulu, can also refer to a message or record that is passed from one person to another.
Assameseৰচনা
Aymarayant'a
Bhojpuriनिबंध
Dhivehiމަޒުމޫނު
Dogriमजमून
Filipino (Tagalog)sanaysay
Guaraniha'ã
Ilocanosurat
Krioripɔt
Kurdish (Sorani)ووتار
Maithiliलेख
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯋꯥꯔꯪꯡ
Mizothuziak
Oromobarreeffama dheeraa
Odia (Oriya)ପ୍ରବନ୍ଧ
Quechuawillakuy
Sanskritनिबंध
Tatarсочинение
Tigrinyaድርሰት
Tsongaxitsalwana

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