Excellent in Different Languages
Discover 'Excellent' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Excellent is a word that inspires and excites. It signifies something that is outstanding, extraordinary, and of exceptional quality. The term has been used across cultures and centuries, often to describe the pinnacle of achievement and success.
Throughout history, excellent has been used to describe everything from exceptional feats of engineering, like the Roman aqueducts, to the masterful works of art by the likes of Leonardo da Vinci. It's a word that transcends language and culture, and is universally recognized as a mark of greatness.
Understanding the translation of excellent in different languages can open up new cultural perspectives and deepen our appreciation for the word's significance. For example, in Spanish, excellent is 'excelente', while in French, it's 'excellent'. In Mandarin Chinese, the word for excellent is '优秀' (yōu xiù), and in Japanese, it's '優れ excellent' (sugoi).
By learning these translations, we not only expand our vocabulary, but we also gain a deeper understanding of the cultural contexts in which the word is used. So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a world traveler, or simply someone who appreciates the beauty of exceptional things, exploring the translations of excellent is a fascinating journey that's sure to inspire and delight.
Excellent
Excellent in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | uitstekend | ||
| The Afrikaans word "uitstekend" (excellent) derives from the Dutch word "uitstekend" (protruding, jutting out). | |||
| Amharic | በጣም ጥሩ | ||
| "በጣም ጥሩ" can also be used to wish someone good health. | |||
| Hausa | kwarai da gaske | ||
| The word "kwarai da gaske" is derived from the Hausa words "kwarai" (truth) and "gaske" (really), together meaning "truly excellent". | |||
| Igbo | magburu onwe | ||
| "Magburu onwe" literally translates to "one who has been judged" or "one who has been found to be without fault." | |||
| Malagasy | tsara | ||
| The word "tsara" also means "good, beautiful, fine, nice, and well" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zabwino kwambiri | ||
| Shona | zvakaisvonaka | ||
| The word "zvakaisvonaka" itself means "very good". In most cases it is preceded by the word "chai" (tea) and together they form the expression "chaizvakaisvonaka" which means "very good tea". | |||
| Somali | fiican | ||
| "Fiican" is also used as a form of address for the learned and the elderly in Somali-speaking communities. | |||
| Sesotho | khabane ka ho fetisisa | ||
| The phrase "khabane ka ho fetisisa" literally translates to "in the yard of the excellent one". | |||
| Swahili | bora | ||
| The word 'bora' in Swahili also means 'white' or 'pure'. | |||
| Xhosa | ngokugqwesileyo | ||
| The word "ngokugqwesileyo" can also mean "superlative" or "to the highest degree". | |||
| Yoruba | o tayọ | ||
| "O tayọ" means "very good, excellent" in Yoruba and is related to the verb "tayọ" which means "to be good, worthy of praise, to be excellent, to be successful". | |||
| Zulu | kuhle kakhulu | ||
| "Kuhle kakhulu" is an expression of admiration or praise, derived from the Zulu word "khulu," meaning "big" or "great." | |||
| Bambara | ɲuman ɲuman | ||
| Ewe | enyo ŋutᴐ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | byiza | ||
| Lingala | kitoko | ||
| Luganda | -suffu | ||
| Sepedi | gabotse kudu | ||
| Twi (Akan) | asɛnka nni ho | ||
Excellent in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ممتاز | ||
| The word "ممتاز" is also used in Turkish, Persian, and Urdu with the same meaning of "excellent." | |||
| Hebrew | מְעוּלֶה | ||
| "מעולה" is the perfect way to describe the quality of the wine; it is derived from the root "עלה" meaning "to ascend," highlighting the wine's superior quality. | |||
| Pashto | عالي | ||
| The Pashto word "عالي" can also refer to "high altitude" or "tallness." | |||
| Arabic | ممتاز | ||
| The word "ممتاز" is also used in Turkish, Persian, and Urdu with the same meaning of "excellent." | |||
Excellent in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i shkëlqyeshëm | ||
| The word "i shkëlqyeshëm" in Albanian is also used to describe something that is very beautiful or impressive. | |||
| Basque | bikaina | ||
| "Bikaina" also means "in vain" in Basque, likely due to the influence of the Latin phrase "in vanum" (in vain), which was often used in Basque texts. | |||
| Catalan | excel · lent | ||
| The word "excel·lent" in Catalan comes from the Latin word "excellens", which means "standing out" or "surpassing". | |||
| Croatian | izvrsno | ||
| The word "izvrsno" in Croatian is derived from the Latin "exversus", meaning "turned out" or "completed". | |||
| Danish | fremragende | ||
| The Danish word "fremragende" derives from the German verb "hervorragen," meaning "to protrude" or "to excel." | |||
| Dutch | uitstekend | ||
| "Uitstekend" not only means "excellent" but also means "protruding, sticking out". | |||
| English | excellent | ||
| The word 'excellent' derives from the Latin 'excellere', meaning 'to rise above' or 'to surpass'. | |||
| French | excellent | ||
| Excellent, in French, also means "outstanding" or "very good". | |||
| Frisian | treflik | ||
| The word 'treflik' in Frisian can also mean 'nice', 'pretty', or 'beautiful'. | |||
| Galician | excelente | ||
| 'Excelente' in Galician is derived from the Latin word 'excellens', which means 'surpassing' or 'distinguished'. | |||
| German | ausgezeichnet | ||
| The word "Ausgezeichnet" derives from the Middle High German "ûzzeichnen," meaning "to mark out" or "to distinguish." | |||
| Icelandic | æðislegt | ||
| The word "Æðislegt" is derived from the Old Norse word "æðiligr", meaning "of noble birth or rank". It can also refer to something that is "worthy of esteem or respect". | |||
| Irish | ar fheabhas | ||
| The word "ar fheabhas" can also mean "very well" or "perfectly". | |||
| Italian | eccellente | ||
| 'Eccellente' is used not only to praise a person or an artistic production but also with a humorous intent (e.g. someone who behaves badly as a driver can be called 'l'eccellente automobilista' ('the excellent driver')) | |||
| Luxembourgish | exzellent | ||
| Exzellent, meaning excellent in Luxembourgish, is derived from the Latin word "excellere" meaning to rise above or to excel, and is ultimately related to the English word "excel". | |||
| Maltese | eċċellenti | ||
| The word "eċċellenti" derives from the Latin word "excellens", meaning "rising above" or "outstanding". | |||
| Norwegian | utmerket | ||
| "Utmerket" comes from the Proto-Germanic word "\u00FCz-markjan", meaning "to mark out", and is related to the English word "mark" | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | excelente | ||
| The word "excelente" derives from the Latin word "excellens" meaning "outstanding" or "remarkable." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | sàr-mhath | ||
| The word "sàr-mhath" in Scots Gaelic can also mean "very good" or "very well." | |||
| Spanish | excelente | ||
| The word 'excelente' comes from the Latin word 'excellens', which means 'surpassing' or 'distinguished'. | |||
| Swedish | excellent | ||
| The Swedish word “excellent” is used as a noun to refer to a person in the highest level of proficiency in a particular skill or profession. | |||
| Welsh | rhagorol | ||
| Rhagorol, meaning "excellent," is the comparative form of the Welsh word "rhagor," meaning "more" or "beyond." | |||
Excellent in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | выдатна | ||
| The word "выдатна" can also mean "outstanding" or "remarkable". | |||
| Bosnian | izvrsno | ||
| The word 'izvrsno' in Bosnian is derived from the Slavic word 'vrh' ('top'), indicating its highest quality. | |||
| Bulgarian | отлично | ||
| The word 'отлично' also carries the meaning of 'distinct' or 'separate' in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | vynikající | ||
| The word "vynikající" in Czech is derived from the verb "vyniknout", meaning "to stand out" or "to be prominent." | |||
| Estonian | suurepärane | ||
| The Estonian word "suurepärane" is derived from the German word "superb", which in turn comes from the Latin word "superbus", meaning "proud" or "arrogant". | |||
| Finnish | erinomainen | ||
| "Erinomainen" evolved from a word that originally meant "separate" or "distinguished" in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | kiváló | ||
| In Turkish, 'kavi' means 'strong', so 'kiváló' may originate from it as a reference to a person of strong character. | |||
| Latvian | izcils | ||
| The word "izcils" (excellent) in Latvian shares the same root with the word "zils" (blue), indicating that the original concept of excellence was associated with the sky. | |||
| Lithuanian | puikus | ||
| The original meaning of the Old Lithuanian word *puku- was “growth.” | |||
| Macedonian | одлично | ||
| The word "одлично" comes from the Greek "ολυτελής" meaning "luxurious" or "magnificent". | |||
| Polish | świetny | ||
| "Świetny" w języku polskim wywodzi się od słowa "światło" i pierwotnie oznaczało "jasny", "błyszczący". | |||
| Romanian | excelent | ||
| The Romanian word "excelent" derives from the Latin word "excellens", which meant "surpassing" or "exceptional". | |||
| Russian | превосходно | ||
| The word превосходно also means 'excellently' in Russian, and it is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word прѣдъ, meaning 'before', and ход, meaning 'course' or 'way'. Therefore, превосходно literally means 'in the best possible course or way'. | |||
| Serbian | изврсно | ||
| "Izvrstan" comes from "izvrnuti" meaning "to overturn", so this might reflect the way of life was often turned upside down when guests arrived, or that the arrival of guests turns the host's life upside down. | |||
| Slovak | vynikajúci | ||
| The Slovak word "vynikajúci" shares a root word meaning "outstanding" with other Slavic words such as Polish "wybitny" and Czech"vynikat", all suggesting "to stick out" | |||
| Slovenian | odlično | ||
| The word "odlično" is a cognate of the Latin word "excellens" and also means "distinguished". | |||
| Ukrainian | відмінний | ||
| "Відмінний" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "wei-d-", meaning "to separate" or "divide". | |||
Excellent in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | দুর্দান্ত | ||
| The word "দুর্দান্ত" can also mean "terrible" or "formidable" in Bengali, reflecting its Sanskrit origin where it meant "difficult to control". | |||
| Gujarati | ઉત્તમ | ||
| The word 'ઉત્તમ' (excellent) comes from the Sanskrit word 'uttama', meaning 'highest' or 'best'. | |||
| Hindi | अति उत्कृष्ट | ||
| 'अति उत्कृष्ट' literally means 'too much excellent' or 'beyond excellent'. | |||
| Kannada | ಅತ್ಯುತ್ತಮ | ||
| Malayalam | മികച്ചത് | ||
| Though most commonly used to refer to excellence, the word 'മികച്ചത്' also has the alternate meanings of 'difference' and 'surplus'. | |||
| Marathi | उत्कृष्ट | ||
| उत्कृष्ट, meaning "excellent" in Marathi, comes from the Sanskrit root "ut" meaning "up" or "above". | |||
| Nepali | उत्कृष्ट | ||
| उत्कृष्ट is the Nepali cognate of the Sanskrit word 'utkrista', meaning 'raised up' or 'lifted up'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸ਼ਾਨਦਾਰ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | විශිෂ්ටයි | ||
| In Pali, the word can be traced to 'visesa', meaning 'special' or 'extraordinary', and also denoting 'distinction' or 'pre-eminence'. | |||
| Tamil | சிறந்தது | ||
| "சிறந்தது" can also refer to "the best" or "the highest quality" in Tamil, indicating something that is particularly outstanding or exceptional. | |||
| Telugu | అద్భుతమైన | ||
| Urdu | عمدہ | ||
| The word "عمدہ" can also mean "deliberate", "intentional", or "willful" in Urdu. | |||
Excellent in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 优秀的 | ||
| 优秀的, originally meaning 'to stand out' and 'to be in harmony' | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 優秀的 | ||
| 優秀的 derives from a character meaning 'fine' and another meaning 'to surpass' | |||
| Japanese | 優秀な | ||
| The word "優秀な" can also mean "outstanding" or "preeminent", highlighting the exceptional nature of the subject. | |||
| Korean | 우수한 | ||
| "우수한" (excellent) is a compound of "뛰어나다" (to excel, surpass) and the suffix "-은", which indicates the passive or resultative state. | |||
| Mongolian | маш сайн | ||
| In Mongolian, "маш сайн" can also refer to a high level of skill or expertise in a particular field. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အရမ်းကောင်းတယ် | ||
Excellent in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | luar biasa | ||
| 'Luar biasa' literally means 'outside ordinary' in Indonesian, implying something exceptional. | |||
| Javanese | apik banget | ||
| "Apik banget" literally means "very beautiful" in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | ល្អបំផុត | ||
| Lao | ດີເລີດ | ||
| In Old Lao ດີເລີດ meant 'very good' but now is used almost exclusively to refer to Thai Royalty. | |||
| Malay | sangat baik | ||
| "Sangat baik" can be broken down into "sangat", meaning "very" or "greatly", and "baik", meaning "good" or "well". | |||
| Thai | ยอดเยี่ยม | ||
| The word "ยอดเยี่ยม" can also mean "top" or "tip" in Thai, as in "ยอดเขา" (top of a mountain). | |||
| Vietnamese | thông minh | ||
| The word "thông minh" is derived from the Chinese word "tongming" which means "brightness" or "intelligence." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mahusay | ||
Excellent in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | əla | ||
| The word "əla" is commonly used to express high quality and superiority, derived from the Arabic root "ʕ-l-w" meaning "to be high, to be elevated." | |||
| Kazakh | өте жақсы | ||
| Kyrgyz | мыкты | ||
| The word "мыкты" in Kyrgyz can also mean "perfect" or "ideal". | |||
| Tajik | аъло | ||
| The word "аъло" in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "عالی" (ali), which also means "excellent". | |||
| Turkmen | gaty gowy | ||
| Uzbek | zo'r | ||
| "Zo'r" is also a slang term used to describe someone who is powerful or influential. | |||
| Uyghur | مۇنەۋۋەر | ||
Excellent in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | maikaʻi loa | ||
| Maikaʻi loa originated from the Polynesian word "mataki-loa" meaning long-eyed, and over time came to mean "very good". | |||
| Maori | tino pai | ||
| The word "tino pai" originated from the Maori word "tino," meaning "very," and the word "pai," meaning "good." | |||
| Samoan | sili ona lelei | ||
| The word "sili" means "to cut" and "ona" means "fine" or "beautiful." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | napakahusay | ||
| "Napaka- + husay" is broken up into "napaka-" (very) and "husay" (skill or ability), meaning "very skillful" or "very capable" in this case. | |||
Excellent in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | wusa | ||
| Guarani | jarýi | ||
Excellent in International Languages
| Esperanto | bonega | ||
| The word 'bonega' is likely derived from the Latin word 'bonus', meaning 'good' or 'excellent'. | |||
| Latin | praeclarus | ||
| "Praeclarus" in Latin can also mean "bright," "famous," or "conspicuous." | |||
Excellent in Others Languages
| Greek | έξοχος | ||
| "έξοχος" (excellent) comes from the Greek word "έχω" (to have) and the suffix "-οχος" (having), implying "having excellence" or "possessing outstanding qualities. | |||
| Hmong | zoo heev | ||
| In a separate context, "zoo heev" can also mean "beautiful". | |||
| Kurdish | pirrbidilî | ||
| The word 'pirrbidilî' is derived from the Persian word 'piruz' meaning 'victorious', and can also mean 'fortunate' or 'successful'. | |||
| Turkish | mükemmel | ||
| The word "mükemmel" is derived from the Arabic word "kamal", which means "to be complete" or "to be perfect". | |||
| Xhosa | ngokugqwesileyo | ||
| The word "ngokugqwesileyo" can also mean "superlative" or "to the highest degree". | |||
| Yiddish | ויסגעצייכנט | ||
| The word "ויסגעצייכנט" is derived from the German "ausgezeichnet," which also means "excellent". | |||
| Zulu | kuhle kakhulu | ||
| "Kuhle kakhulu" is an expression of admiration or praise, derived from the Zulu word "khulu," meaning "big" or "great." | |||
| Assamese | অতি উত্তম | ||
| Aymara | wusa | ||
| Bhojpuri | बहुत नीमन | ||
| Dhivehi | ވަރަށް މޮޅު | ||
| Dogri | आ'ल्ला | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mahusay | ||
| Guarani | jarýi | ||
| Ilocano | nalaing | ||
| Krio | wɛl dɔn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نایاب | ||
| Maithili | एकदम बढ़ियां | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯌꯥꯝꯅ ꯐꯕ | ||
| Mizo | a tha lutuk | ||
| Oromo | baay'ee gaarii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଉତ୍କୃଷ୍ଟ | ||
| Quechua | aswan allin | ||
| Sanskrit | सर्वोत्कृष्ट | ||
| Tatar | бик яхшы | ||
| Tigrinya | ንኡድ | ||
| Tsonga | kahle | ||