Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'event' carries great significance in our daily lives, often denoting something noteworthy or remarkable. From grand celebrations to solemn memorials, events punctuate our personal histories and cultural calendars, providing a framework for shared experiences and traditions.
The term's cultural importance is further underscored by its multifaceted translations across languages. For instance, in Spanish, 'event' becomes 'evento'; in French, it's 'événement'; while in German, it's 'Ereignis'. Each translation offers a unique nuance, reflecting the subtleties of different linguistic and cultural perspectives.
Understanding how 'event' translates into various languages can enrich one's appreciation of global diversity and foster cross-cultural communication. It can also prove invaluable when planning international gatherings or simply seeking to expand one's vocabulary.
Join us as we explore the many faces of 'event' in a diverse array of languages, shedding light on fascinating cultural contexts and historical anecdotes along the way.
Afrikaans | gebeurtenis | ||
As a noun, gebeurtenis can also mean something that has happened as a result of an event. | |||
Amharic | ክስተት | ||
The word ክስተት is sometimes translated as "occurrence", "occurrence", and "happening". | |||
Hausa | taron | ||
The word "taron" in Hausa can also refer to a meeting, gathering, or assembly. | |||
Igbo | ihe omume | ||
The Igbo word "ihe omume" also means "the state of being", and is used to describe an ongoing process or situation. | |||
Malagasy | hetsika | ||
The word "hetsika" in Malagasy can also refer to a "custom" or a "law". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | chochitika | ||
In Nyanja, "chochitika" also means "a story" or "a play." | |||
Shona | chiitiko | ||
The word "chiitiko" is derived from the root word "chiita" which means "to do" or "to happen". | |||
Somali | dhacdo | ||
The Somali word "dhacdo" can also refer to a catastrophe or disaster in English. | |||
Sesotho | ketsahalo | ||
Ketsahalo shares the same etymology with "ketso" ("end") in Sesotho and also shares the sense of "issue" with the plural noun "liketso".} | |||
Swahili | tukio | ||
The word "tukio" is derived from the verb "tokea" meaning "to happen" or "to occur". | |||
Xhosa | isiganeko | ||
"Isigakeno" is a homophone of "isigakani" ("the foot of the dog") and "isigakati" ("the foot of the hare"). | |||
Yoruba | iṣẹlẹ | ||
The word "iṣẹlẹ" in Yoruba can also refer to a "happening" or an "occurrence". | |||
Zulu | umcimbi | ||
The word umcimbi can also refer to a traditional ceremony, a social gathering, or a happening | |||
Bambara | lajɛrɛ | ||
Ewe | nudzᴐdzᴐ | ||
Kinyarwanda | icyabaye | ||
Lingala | likambo | ||
Luganda | omukolo | ||
Sepedi | tiragalo | ||
Twi (Akan) | dwumadie | ||
Arabic | حدث | ||
As an infinitive, the word "حدث" (event) also means "to occur" or "to happen" in Arabic. | |||
Hebrew | מִקרֶה | ||
The Hebrew word for "event" (מִקרֶה) is related to the word "קרה" (to happen), and its alternate meanings include "occurrence," "incident," and "fate." | |||
Pashto | پیښه | ||
The Pashto word "پیښه" also refers to an occasion or an incident. | |||
Arabic | حدث | ||
As an infinitive, the word "حدث" (event) also means "to occur" or "to happen" in Arabic. |
Albanian | ngjarje | ||
The Albanian word "ngjarje" also means "occurrence" or "incident". | |||
Basque | gertaera | ||
There is a word "gertakaria" in Basque that is close in its spelling and has the same meaning, "event". | |||
Catalan | esdeveniment | ||
The word "esdeveniment" derives from the Latin verb "evenire" and the suffix "-ment" and originally meant "outcome" or "result". | |||
Croatian | događaj | ||
The word "događaj" has the same root as the Russian word "dozhdat'" (to wait). | |||
Danish | begivenhed | ||
The word "begivenhed" also means "an occurrence" or "happening" in Danish. | |||
Dutch | evenement | ||
The Dutch word "evenement" has the connotation of "festive occasion", unlike its English counterpart "event". | |||
English | event | ||
The Old French 'escheance' from Latin 'escaedere' - to fall, come to pass - also gave English its words 'chance' and 'incident'. | |||
French | un événement | ||
"Un événement" is a French word that also means "a happening" or "an occurrence." | |||
Frisian | barren | ||
The Frisian word "barren" can also refer to a "funeral". | |||
Galician | evento | ||
It comes from the Latin "evenus," meaning "outcome" or "result." | |||
German | veranstaltung | ||
The word "Veranstaltung" is derived from the verb "veranstalten", meaning "to organize" or "to hold". | |||
Icelandic | atburður | ||
In Icelandic, "atburður," meaning "event," also refers to a happening or occurrence, specifically something extraordinary or significant. | |||
Irish | imeacht | ||
"Imeacht" can also refer to a journey or a departure. | |||
Italian | evento | ||
The word "evento" also means "outcome" or "result" in Italian. | |||
Luxembourgish | manifestatioun | ||
"Manifestatioun" stems from the Latin verb "manifestare" meaning to appear. In Luxembourgish, it often refers to something extraordinary happening publicly. | |||
Maltese | avveniment | ||
Maltese avveniment comes from the Italian avvenimento "occurrence" and is cognate with English "advent" | |||
Norwegian | begivenhet | ||
The word "begivenhet" also means "a gift", which is related to its etymology as an event that is "given" to someone. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | evento | ||
The Portuguese word "evento" originates from the Latin word "eventum," meaning "outcome" or "result." | |||
Scots Gaelic | tachartas | ||
The Scots Gaelic word "tachartas" is ultimately derived from the Greek "tagma," which means "order". It also may refer to a clan rally or gathering. | |||
Spanish | evento | ||
The Spanish word "evento" can also mean "occurrence", "happening", or "incident". | |||
Swedish | händelse | ||
"Händelse" ('event') is cognate with English "chance" and also denotes a 'contingency' or 'occurrence'" | |||
Welsh | digwyddiad | ||
"Digwyddiad" can also refer to a place where something of interest has taken place or where something is likely to happen. |
Belarusian | падзея | ||
The word "падзея" (padzeja) in Belarusian also means "accident" or "incident". | |||
Bosnian | događaj | ||
The word 'događaj' is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *dogъ, meaning 'suitable' or 'appropriate'. | |||
Bulgarian | събитие | ||
The word "събитие" (event) originates from the Proto-Slavic root *sǫb-, meaning "to happen" or "to come to pass". | |||
Czech | událost | ||
"Udlost" refers to the "giving" or "happening" of an event in Czech, akin to the Latin "eventum" ("something that turns out, comes to pass"). | |||
Estonian | sündmus | ||
The Estonian word "sündmus" is derived from the verb "sündima", which means "to happen" or "to occur". | |||
Finnish | tapahtuma | ||
Tapahtuma shares a root word with "tappaus", which means "killing", and can refer to either a "happening" or a "killing", depending on context. | |||
Hungarian | esemény | ||
Esemény is derived from the word esik, which means "to fall" or "to happen". Thus, a literal translation would be "that which happens". | |||
Latvian | notikumu | ||
"Notikums" is derived from the Latvian verb "notikt" meaning "to happen" and is cognate with the Lithuanian "nutikti" and the Old Prussian "notikans" (now obsolete). | |||
Lithuanian | įvykis | ||
The Lithuanian word "įvykis" derives from the Sanskrit word "vibhakti" or "vikruti," meaning "change" or "development." | |||
Macedonian | настан | ||
The word "настан" in Macedonian is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *nastǫpъ, which also means "step" or "onset". | |||
Polish | zdarzenie | ||
The word "zdarzenie" can also mean "occurrence" or "incident" in Polish. | |||
Romanian | eveniment | ||
The Romanian word "eveniment" originally referred to a miraculous act or a supernatural phenomenon. | |||
Russian | событие | ||
Событие — от «со-быть» (происходить, быть) | |||
Serbian | догађај | ||
The word "догађај" in Serbian shares its root with "догађа се" meaning "it is happening". | |||
Slovak | udalosť | ||
The word "udalosť" in Slovak comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*udъlъ", meaning "share, lot, portion". | |||
Slovenian | dogodek | ||
The Slovenian word "dogodek" is a derivative of the Slavic root "de(j)" meaning "to do, happen, occur" | |||
Ukrainian | подія | ||
The word "подія" is etymologically linked to the Sanskrit "padavi," meaning "step" or "station," suggesting the progression of events in time. |
Bengali | ইভেন্ট | ||
The word "ইভেন্ট" (event) comes from the Latin word "evenire", which means "to come out" or "to happen." | |||
Gujarati | ઘટના | ||
The Gujarati word "ઘટના" (event) also has the alternate meaning of "occurrence" or "incident". | |||
Hindi | प्रतिस्पर्धा | ||
The word 'प्रतिस्पर्धा' also means 'competition' in Hindi. | |||
Kannada | ಈವೆಂಟ್ | ||
The word "event" can also mean a specific occurrence of a phenomenon or a particular point in time. | |||
Malayalam | ഇവന്റ് | ||
The Malayalam word "ഇവന്റ്" (event) is derived from the English word "event" but also holds the additional meaning of "an occasion or ceremony". | |||
Marathi | कार्यक्रम | ||
The word "कार्यक्रम" ("event") also means "schedule". | |||
Nepali | घटना | ||
The Nepali word "घटना" (ghatana) also means "the sum total of the attributes and properties of a substance and their changes in time" | |||
Punjabi | ਘਟਨਾ | ||
In Punjabi, "ਘਟਨਾ" ("event") also refers to the concept of "fate" or "destiny." | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සිද්ධිය | ||
The word can also refer to an outcome or result, or to the attainment of something desired or sought. | |||
Tamil | நிகழ்வு | ||
Telugu | ఈవెంట్ | ||
The word 'ఈవెంట్' ('event') is derived from the Latin word 'evenire', meaning 'to happen, to come to pass'. | |||
Urdu | تقریب | ||
The word تقریب's synonyms are 'ceremony', 'meeting' and 'proximity'. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 事件 | ||
事件 (shijian) originally referred to an "unexpected situation". | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 事件 | ||
"事件" comes from "事" (matter) combining with "件" (case, portion), emphasizing a matter with specific characteristics. | |||
Japanese | イベント | ||
In Japanese, the word イベント (ibento) originally referred to major societal events, but later came to be used for a wide range of gatherings or occurrences. | |||
Korean | 행사 | ||
행사 can also mean 'doing' in Korean. | |||
Mongolian | үйл явдал | ||
The Mongolian word "үйл явдал" can also mean "action" or "deed". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | အဖြစ်အပျက် | ||
Indonesian | peristiwa | ||
The word "peristiwa" in Indonesian can also mean "incident" or "accident". | |||
Javanese | acara | ||
The word "acara" in Javanese can also refer to a ceremony or ritual. | |||
Khmer | ព្រឹត្តិការណ៍ | ||
Lao | ເຫດການ | ||
ເຫດການ derives from Sanskrit "kāraṇa" and has a broad meaning, from cause, reason, motive, to incident, affair or happening. | |||
Malay | peristiwa | ||
The word "peristiwa" in Malay is derived from the Sanskrit word "pristiwa", meaning "occurrence, event, or incident." | |||
Thai | เหตุการณ์ | ||
"เหตุการณ์" has a specific connotation related to an incident or happening, while "เหตุ" simply refers to a cause or reason. | |||
Vietnamese | biến cố | ||
"Biến cố" derives from the Sino-Vietnamese term 變故 (biến cố) meaning a sudden unexpected change; in Vietnamese, the term also refers to an extraordinary or significant event in the past | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | kaganapan | ||
Azerbaijani | hadisə | ||
The word "hadisə" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Arabic word "hadath", meaning "to happen" or "to occur". | |||
Kazakh | іс-шара | ||
The word "іс-шара" in Kazakh comes from the Persian word "iş" meaning "work" or "affair". | |||
Kyrgyz | окуя | ||
The word "окуя" can also mean "affair" or "occurrence". | |||
Tajik | чорабинӣ | ||
Чорабинӣ also refers to an assembly held after a funeral and before or after mourning is declared.} | |||
Turkmen | waka | ||
Uzbek | tadbir | ||
Tadbir is a Farsi-Arabic loanword that also means "precaution", "measure", "arrangement", and "plan" in Uzbek. | |||
Uyghur | پائالىيەت | ||
Hawaiian | hanana | ||
In Hawaiian, | |||
Maori | kaupapa | ||
In Maori, "kaupapa" can also refer to a cause or issue that people care deeply about. | |||
Samoan | mea na tupu | ||
The Samoan word "mea na tupu" could also mean "something that happened" or "a fact or circumstance" | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | pangyayari | ||
Aymara | iwintu | ||
Guarani | jeguerohyha | ||
Esperanto | evento | ||
The Esperanto word “evento” can also mean “outcome” or “result” | |||
Latin | res | ||
The Latin word "res" also means "thing" or "matter". |
Greek | εκδήλωση | ||
Εκδήλωση derives from the Greek verb εκδηλόω, which means “manifest” or “make known.” | |||
Hmong | kev tshwm sim | ||
The word "kev tshwm sim" can also mean "news" or "happening" in Hmong. | |||
Kurdish | bûyer | ||
Bûyer also means "gathering" and "season" in Kurdish. | |||
Turkish | etkinlik | ||
In Turkish, 'Etkinlik' also has the meaning of 'activity' or 'performance'. | |||
Xhosa | isiganeko | ||
"Isigakeno" is a homophone of "isigakani" ("the foot of the dog") and "isigakati" ("the foot of the hare"). | |||
Yiddish | געשעעניש | ||
The Yiddish word "געשעעניש" also means "happening" or "occurrence". | |||
Zulu | umcimbi | ||
The word umcimbi can also refer to a traditional ceremony, a social gathering, or a happening | |||
Assamese | কাৰ্যক্ৰম | ||
Aymara | iwintu | ||
Bhojpuri | कार्यक्रम | ||
Dhivehi | ހަރަކާތް | ||
Dogri | घटना | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | kaganapan | ||
Guarani | jeguerohyha | ||
Ilocano | pasamak | ||
Krio | program | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | پێشهات | ||
Maithili | घटना | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯊꯧꯔꯝ | ||
Mizo | hunbik | ||
Oromo | taatee | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଇଭେଣ୍ଟ | ||
Quechua | ruwana | ||
Sanskrit | घटना | ||
Tatar | вакыйга | ||
Tigrinya | ዝግጅት | ||
Tsonga | nkhuvo | ||