Exist in Different Languages
Discover 'Exist' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'exist' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, as it allows us to express the very nature of being and reality. Its cultural importance is evident in philosophy, literature, and everyday conversation. Understanding the translation of 'exist' in different languages can provide us with a unique perspective on how various cultures express this fundamental concept.
For instance, in Spanish, 'existir' (exist) reflects the passion and energy of the language, while in German, 'existieren' (exist) conveys a sense of order and structure. In Chinese, the word for 'exist' is '存在' (cún zài), which combines the characters for 'store' and 'exist,' suggesting a deeper meaning of preservation and continuity.
Exploring the translations of 'exist' in different languages can enrich our appreciation for the diversity and complexity of human language and culture. Here are some translations to get you started:
Exist
Exist in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | bestaan | ||
| The word "bestaan" is derived from the Dutch word "bestaan", which can also mean "occupation" or "trade". | |||
| Amharic | መኖር | ||
| The word "መኖር" can also mean "to remain" or "to live" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | wanzu | ||
| The word "wanzu" also means "to be present" or "to be available" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | adị | ||
| "Adị" also means "to be" or "to become." | |||
| Malagasy | misy ny | ||
| The word "misy ny" in Malagasy can also be literally translated as "there is," as in "There is a book on the table." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kulipo | ||
| Kulipo can also refer to the act of being present in a certain location. | |||
| Shona | kuvapo | ||
| The word 'kuvapo' in Shona, which means 'to exist', can also be used to refer to 'presence' or 'being'. | |||
| Somali | jira | ||
| The term "jira" also refers to the state of being present or in existence within the Somali context, often used in expressions like "jiraan" (those who are present) or "jirin" (the act of existing or being present). | |||
| Sesotho | teng | ||
| In Sesotho, the verb "teng" also means "to be situated", "to happen", "to take place", or "to occur." | |||
| Swahili | kuwepo | ||
| From the root -ku- (to be) | |||
| Xhosa | zikhona | ||
| The word 'zikhona' can also refer to something being present or available. | |||
| Yoruba | wà | ||
| Wà also means 'be present' or 'be in a certain state or condition'. | |||
| Zulu | khona | ||
| The word "khona" in Zulu comes from the Proto-Bantu word "*kɔɔna," which also means "to be present". | |||
| Bambara | a bɛ yen | ||
| Ewe | li | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kubaho | ||
| Lingala | kozala | ||
| Luganda | okubeerawo | ||
| Sepedi | go ba gona | ||
| Twi (Akan) | te ase | ||
Exist in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | يوجد | ||
| The Arabic word "يوجد" ("exist") can also be used to mean "there is" or "there are". | |||
| Hebrew | קיימים | ||
| The word "קיימים" (exist) is derived from the root "קום" (to stand), implying a state of permanence or stability. | |||
| Pashto | شتون لري | ||
| The Pashto word "شتون لري" ("exist") is derived from the Arabic word "شَتَنَ" ("to be scattered") and the Persian word "لَری" ("to have"). | |||
| Arabic | يوجد | ||
| The Arabic word "يوجد" ("exist") can also be used to mean "there is" or "there are". | |||
Exist in Western European Languages
| Albanian | ekzistojnë | ||
| The word "ekzistojnë" is derived from the Latin "existere", meaning "to stand forth" or "to emerge." | |||
| Basque | existitzen | ||
| The word 'existitzen' comes from Latin 'existere', and its second meaning in Basque is 'to appear' | |||
| Catalan | existir | ||
| The Catalan word "existir" derives from the Latin "exsistere", meaning "to stand out" or "to appear." | |||
| Croatian | postoje | ||
| In Croatian, “postoje” is not only used for existential meaning, but also in combination with | |||
| Danish | eksisterer | ||
| "Eksisterer" originates from Latin "exsistere" - "to stand out". Danish word can also mean: to be present" | |||
| Dutch | bestaan | ||
| The word "bestaan" in Dutch can also refer to "livelihood" or "occupation". | |||
| English | exist | ||
| "Exist" comes from Latin "exsistō," meaning "to come forth" or "to appear." | |||
| French | exister | ||
| “Exister” derives from the Latin "exsistere", meaning "to step forth, emerge, appear." | |||
| Frisian | bestean | ||
| The word "bestean" in Frisian comes from the Old Frisian word "bestond", which means "constitution, existence". | |||
| Galician | existir | ||
| In Galician, "existir" is a Latinism meaning "to manifest" or "to be present". | |||
| German | existieren | ||
| "Existieren" derives from Latin "exsistere" (to stand out), hence the secondary meaning of "to be present". | |||
| Icelandic | til | ||
| In Icelandic, "til" is derived from Old Norse "til", which originally meant "to", "towards" or "up to". | |||
| Irish | ann | ||
| The term "ann" meaning 'exist' or 'there is something' is often used in modern written Irish where a sentence cannot be written in the regular way. | |||
| Italian | esistere | ||
| "Esistere" is derived from the Latin "exsistere" and initially meant "to stand out" or "to appear". | |||
| Luxembourgish | existéieren | ||
| Derived from the Indo-European root *es- ( | |||
| Maltese | jeżistu | ||
| The Maltese word "jeżistu" originates from the Latin word "existere" and also carries the connotation of "to appear". | |||
| Norwegian | eksistere | ||
| In Medieval Latin, the word "existere" meant "to stand out, to emerge," from ex (out) and sistere (to place, stand). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | existir | ||
| In Portuguese, “existir” also means to live, to be present, to be real. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ann | ||
| The term "ann" in Scots Gaelic may be a contraction of the word "anam" (soul) or "ain" (own). | |||
| Spanish | existe | ||
| "Existe" comes from Latin "existere," meaning "come forth, come into being." | |||
| Swedish | existera | ||
| Existera is also used in Swedish to refer to a certain number of people or things, and can be translated to "there are" | |||
| Welsh | bodoli | ||
| In the colloquial usage, bodoli also means to live, or sometimes to live together, to coexist. | |||
Exist in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | існуюць | ||
| The word “існуюць” is a cognate of the Russian word “существуют”, which means “exist”. In addition, it can be used to mean “there are”, “there is”, or “it exists”. | |||
| Bosnian | postoje | ||
| In Serbo-Croatian languages "postojati" (similarly spelled to Bosnian "postoje") has an extended meaning: "to have certain characteristics, abilities or traits". It has a parallel meaning to "imati" (to have) but it is exclusively applied when referring to intangible or abstract qualities of an individual, object or phenomenon | |||
| Bulgarian | съществуват | ||
| The word “съществуват” in Bulgarian literally means “to stand” and can also mean “to live, to be, to happen, to occur, or to exist”. | |||
| Czech | existovat | ||
| In Czech, "existovat" also implies presence or being found somewhere or in something. | |||
| Estonian | olemas | ||
| The word "olemas" in Estonian has other meanings beside "exist", such as "presence" or "availability". | |||
| Finnish | olla olemassa | ||
| "Olla olemassa" is a contraction of "olla" (to be) and "olemassa" (in existence), meaning "to be in existence". | |||
| Hungarian | létezik | ||
| The word "létezik" is derived from the Proto-Uralic root *ele-, meaning "to live, to be alive". | |||
| Latvian | pastāvēt | ||
| The word "pastāvēt" can also mean "to persist" or "to endure". | |||
| Lithuanian | egzistuoti | ||
| The word "egzistuoti" can also mean "to live" or "to be present" in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | постојат | ||
| The word "постојат" in Macedonian is related to the Sanskrit word "sthā" meaning "to stand" and the Greek word "στάσις" meaning "standing". | |||
| Polish | istnieć | ||
| The Polish word 'istnieć' is etymologically related to the verb 'stać,' which means 'to stand' and implies the concept of occupying a stable and permanent position in space or time. | |||
| Romanian | exista | ||
| In Romanian, the term "exista" not only means "to exist" but also signifies "to take place" or "to manifest itself" | |||
| Russian | существовать | ||
| "Существовать" (exist) originates from the Slavic word "сущ" (essence) and can also mean "to appear" or "to take place" | |||
| Serbian | постоје | ||
| "Постоје" also means "they are there, they are present, something is present," "a place or thing exists," or "to be somewhere". | |||
| Slovak | existujú | ||
| "Existujú" in Slovak is the 3rd person plural form of the verb "existovať" which in Latin means to stand out. | |||
| Slovenian | obstajajo | ||
| The word 'obstajajo' in Slovenian originates from the Proto-Slavic verb *sъstojati, meaning 'to stand, exist, or be situated'. | |||
| Ukrainian | існувати | ||
| The Ukrainian word “існувати” is synonymous with “бути” (“to be”), which is the root for “буття” (“being”) | |||
Exist in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | উপস্থিত | ||
| উপস্থিত is derived from the Sanskrit word 'upasthita' which could also mean 'ready' or 'prepared' | |||
| Gujarati | અસ્તિત્વમાં છે | ||
| Hindi | मौजूद | ||
| मौजूद is cognate with Arabic **'wajada** ('**found') as the word suggests a state of being found or present. | |||
| Kannada | ಅಸ್ತಿತ್ವದಲ್ಲಿದೆ | ||
| Malayalam | നിലവിലുണ്ട് | ||
| The Malayalam word "നിലവിലുണ്ട്" (nilavilund) is derived from the Sanskrit word "निर्वातयति" (nirvātayati), which means "to blow out" or "to extinguish". In Malayalam, the word can also mean "to be present" or "to be in existence." | |||
| Marathi | अस्तित्वात आहे | ||
| Nepali | अवस्थित | ||
| The word अवस्थित can also mean 'to be in a certain state or condition' or 'to be situated'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਮੌਜੂਦ ਹੈ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਮੌਜੂਦ ਹੈ" (exist) is derived from the Sanskrit word "मोजूद" (exist), which in turn is derived from the Arabic word "وَجَدَ" (wujud, to be found). | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පවතිනවා | ||
| "පවතිනවා" means "to exist." However, it can also mean "to remain" or "to continue." | |||
| Tamil | உள்ளன | ||
| The Tamil word "உள்ளன" can also be used to refer to the state of being present, available, or existing in a particular place or situation. | |||
| Telugu | ఉనికిలో ఉన్నాయి | ||
| Urdu | موجود ہے | ||
| The Arabic root (و ج د) carries a semantic range from 'there was' to 'there is' and in a derived sense 'was found out', 'was noticed' or 'became recognized'. | |||
Exist in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 存在 | ||
| The character 存在 (cúnzài) can also mean "to be present" or "to have an actual existence". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 存在 | ||
| 存在 (cúnzài) is a compound of two characters: "presence" (cùn) and "be" (zài). | |||
| Japanese | 存在する | ||
| The verb "存在する" can also mean "to be present" or "to be in existence". | |||
| Korean | 있다 | ||
| 있다, a Korean verb meaning “to exist,” has a cognate in Japanese, aru, which also means “to be.” | |||
| Mongolian | оршин тогтнох | ||
| The word "оршин тогтнох" in Mongolian can also refer to the concept of "being present" or "attending". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တည်ရှိ | ||
| The word "တည်ရှိ" (exist) in Burmese is derived from the Pali word "tiṭṭhati", meaning "to stand" or "to be established." | |||
Exist in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | ada | ||
| In Indonesian, "ada" also means "to be present" or "to be available." | |||
| Javanese | ana | ||
| The word "ana" in Javanese can also mean "to be located" or "to be present". | |||
| Khmer | មាន | ||
| The Khmer word "មាន" (mean) can also mean "to have" or "to be present." | |||
| Lao | ມີຢູ່ | ||
| The word ມີຢູ່ is derived from the Pali word "atthi" (which also means "exist") and is also used to denote "there is" or "there are". | |||
| Malay | ada | ||
| In Sanskrit, "ada" means "first" or "beginning". Javanese "ada" also means "there is". | |||
| Thai | มีอยู่ | ||
| The word "มีอยู่" (exist) in Thai also means "to have" or "to possess", and is derived from the Sanskrit word "mi" meaning "to be present". | |||
| Vietnamese | hiện hữu | ||
| "Hiện hữu" derives from two Sino-Vietnamese morphs: "hiện" (visible, manifest) and "hữu" (to have, to possess). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | umiral | ||
Exist in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | mövcüd olmaq | ||
| The word "mövcüd olmaq" (exist) in Azeri comes from the Persian word "maujud" (موجود), which means "present" or "available". The word "mövcüd olmaq" can also be used to mean "to be present" or "to be available" in English. | |||
| Kazakh | бар | ||
| In ancient Turkic, the word "бар" meant "to be" or "to own", and it is still used in this sense in some other Turkic languages. | |||
| Kyrgyz | бар | ||
| The word "бар" can also mean "to be present" or "to have" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | вуҷуд дорад | ||
| The word "вуҷуд дорад" in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "بود" (بودن), meaning "to be" or "to exist." | |||
| Turkmen | bar | ||
| Uzbek | mavjud | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning, "mavjud" can also mean "present" or "available" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | مەۋجۇت | ||
Exist in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ola | ||
| The word "ola" also means "life" and is related to the word "ola i ke ola", which means "long life" or "well-being". | |||
| Maori | tīariari | ||
| Tīariari is also used to describe something that is 'at hand', meaning it is present and available. | |||
| Samoan | i ai | ||
| The Samoan word "i ai" can also mean "to be" or "to have". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mayroon | ||
| The word "mayroon" in Tagalog (Filipino) originally meant "to have" or "to possess" and was only later extended to mean "to exist". | |||
Exist in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | utjaña | ||
| Guarani | oĩ | ||
Exist in International Languages
| Esperanto | ekzisti | ||
| The Esperanto word "ekzisti" is derived from the Latin "existere" and can also mean "occur". | |||
| Latin | esse, | ||
| The Latin "esse" is cognate with the Sanskrit "as", both meaning "to breathe". | |||
Exist in Others Languages
| Greek | υπάρχει | ||
| The Greek word "υπάρχει" can also mean "to be present" or "to occur". | |||
| Hmong | muaj nyob | ||
| The Hmong word "muaj nyob" can also mean "reside" or "dwell". | |||
| Kurdish | hebûn | ||
| "Hebûn" can also mean "to remain" or "to be left", and is often used in the passive voice. | |||
| Turkish | var olmak | ||
| Var olmak (exist) derives from Old Turkic "bar" (is, are, was) and conveys the sense of "to come out of non-existence". Also, "var" can mean "is" or "there is/are". | |||
| Xhosa | zikhona | ||
| The word 'zikhona' can also refer to something being present or available. | |||
| Yiddish | עקסיסטירן | ||
| The Yiddish term 'עקסיסטירן' ultimately derives from the Latin _exsistere_, meaning 'to stand out or forth'. | |||
| Zulu | khona | ||
| The word "khona" in Zulu comes from the Proto-Bantu word "*kɔɔna," which also means "to be present". | |||
| Assamese | উপলব্ধ | ||
| Aymara | utjaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | जिन्दा | ||
| Dhivehi | މައުޖޫދުގައިވާ | ||
| Dogri | नकास | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | umiral | ||
| Guarani | oĩ | ||
| Ilocano | agbiag | ||
| Krio | de de | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بوون | ||
| Maithili | मौजूद | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯩꯕ | ||
| Mizo | awm | ||
| Oromo | jiraachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବିଦ୍ୟମାନ ଅଛି | | ||
| Quechua | kaq | ||
| Sanskrit | अस्ति | ||
| Tatar | бар | ||
| Tigrinya | ምህላው | ||
| Tsonga | kona | ||