Existence in Different Languages
Discover 'Existence' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Existence, the state or fact of being, is a concept that has captivated philosophers, scientists, and thinkers throughout history. It is a fundamental aspect of our understanding of the world and ourselves. The significance of existence extends beyond the realm of philosophy, as it also plays a crucial role in various cultural contexts.
For instance, in Buddhism, the concept of existence is closely tied to the idea of impermanence, while in Christianity, it is often discussed in relation to the soul and the afterlife. Moreover, the study of existence is not limited to any one culture or language, making it a universal topic of interest.
Understanding the translation of existence in different languages can provide valuable insights into how other cultures view and conceptualize the world around them. For example, the French translation of existence, l'existence, reflects the country's rich philosophical heritage, while the German translation, Existenz, highlights the language's emphasis on precision and clarity.
Below, you will find a list of translations of existence in various languages, from Spanish to Mandarin. We hope that this list will inspire you to explore the fascinating world of language and culture.
Existence
Existence in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | bestaan | ||
| The Afrikaans word "bestaan" is derived from the Dutch word "bestaan" which means both "existence" and "means of subsistence". | |||
| Amharic | መኖር | ||
| The word "መኖር" also means "to live" or "to dwell" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | wanzuwar | ||
| The Hausa word "wanzuwar" also refers to the "presence" or "manifestation" of something. | |||
| Igbo | ịdị adị | ||
| Malagasy | nisy | ||
| The word "nisy" in Malagasy also refers to the idea of a protective spirit or guardian angel. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kukhalapo | ||
| The word 'kukhalapo' (existence) is derived from the root '-khala' (to be alive), signifying that existence implies life and vitality. | |||
| Shona | kuvapo | ||
| In Shona, `kuvapo` also refers to the concept of being present or attending, and can be used in contexts like registering or signing attendance in schools or meetings. | |||
| Somali | jiritaan | ||
| In some contexts, 'jiritaan' can refer to the ability or power of something to exist or be present. | |||
| Sesotho | boteng | ||
| The Sesotho word "boteng" also means breath, spirit and life. | |||
| Swahili | kuwepo | ||
| The noun 'kuwepo' is also used as a preposition to denote the position in a location or proximity. | |||
| Xhosa | ubukho | ||
| "Ubukho" can also mean "the world" or "the universe" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | iwalaaye | ||
| The word "iwalaaye" can also mean "the way of life" or "the state of being." | |||
| Zulu | khona | ||
| The word "khona" in Zulu can also refer to a place or location. | |||
| Bambara | ɲɛnamaya | ||
| Ewe | anyinɔnɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kubaho | ||
| Lingala | kozala na bomoi | ||
| Luganda | obubeerawo | ||
| Sepedi | go ba gona | ||
| Twi (Akan) | atenaseɛ | ||
Existence in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الوجود | ||
| The word "الوجود" (existence) also signifies "presence" in the Arabic language. | |||
| Hebrew | קִיוּם | ||
| The root of "קִיוּם" (existence) is "קוּם" (to stand, to arise) | |||
| Pashto | وجود | ||
| In Pashto, the word "وجود" (wujuud) can also refer to "spirituality", "essence", or "being". | |||
| Arabic | الوجود | ||
| The word "الوجود" (existence) also signifies "presence" in the Arabic language. | |||
Existence in Western European Languages
| Albanian | ekzistenca | ||
| The Albanian word "ekzistenca" derives from the Latin word "existentia" and also means "reality" or "being." | |||
| Basque | existentzia | ||
| The word "existentzia" is derived from the Latin "existentia" and also means "presence" or "being" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | existència | ||
| "Existència" can also mean "provisions" or "stock" in Catalan. | |||
| Croatian | postojanje | ||
| The term "postojanje" also holds the meaning of "occurrence", as in "dogadajanja na svjetskoj političkoj sceni" ("the happenings on the world's political scene"). | |||
| Danish | eksistens | ||
| The word "eksistens" derives from the Latin word "existere", meaning "to stand out" or "to be present". | |||
| Dutch | bestaan | ||
| The word "bestaan" in Dutch also means "to exist" or "to live". | |||
| English | existence | ||
| The word "existence" comes from the Latin word "exsistere", meaning "to stand out" or "to emerge into being." | |||
| French | existence | ||
| In addition to its meaning as "existence", the French word "existence" can also refer to the "condition or state of being." | |||
| Frisian | bestean | ||
| In the Saterland dialect of Frisian, "bestean" can refer to both "existence" and "the world". | |||
| Galician | existencia | ||
| "Existencia" also means "stock" or "store" in Galician. | |||
| German | existenz | ||
| The word Existenz stems from the Middle High German word 'existentia', derived from the Latin 'existere', meaning 'to emerge' or 'to stand out'. | |||
| Icelandic | tilvist | ||
| The word "tilvist" can also mean "the act of being present" or "the state of being present". | |||
| Irish | ann | ||
| The word "ann" can also refer to the state of being present or available, or to the manifestation of something. | |||
| Italian | esistenza | ||
| The Italian word "esistenza" originates from the Latin word "existere," meaning "to stand out, to be present." | |||
| Luxembourgish | existenz | ||
| "Existenzen" is plural in German and means "creatures" in English. | |||
| Maltese | eżistenza | ||
| Maltese word "eżistenza" derives from the medieval Latin "existentia", meaning "coming into being". | |||
| Norwegian | eksistens | ||
| "Eksistens" is also a philosophical concept related to the nature of being, with roots in existentialism. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | existência | ||
| "Existência" comes from Latin “exsistere” meaning “to stand forth" or “to appear”. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | bith | ||
| The Gaelic word 'bith' is also used to refer to worlds or epochs in stories, such as 'bith-eile' ('otherworld'). | |||
| Spanish | existencia | ||
| "Existencia" comes from the Latin "exsistere" (ex = out of, sistere = stand), meaning "to stand out" or "to be present." | |||
| Swedish | existens | ||
| "Existens" in Swedish comes from the Latin “existens'' meaning either existence or property. | |||
| Welsh | bodolaeth | ||
| The term derives from "bôd", "dwelling" and the suffix "-olaeth", "state or condition". | |||
Existence in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | існаванне | ||
| The word “існаванне” in Belarusian derives from a verb that means “to stand,” suggesting that existence in a certain place and time defines an entity. | |||
| Bosnian | postojanje | ||
| The word "postojanje" in Bosnian is derived from the verb "postati" (to become), and also means "becoming" or "the state of becoming something."} | |||
| Bulgarian | съществуване | ||
| The word "съществуване" can also mean "presence" or "being present". | |||
| Czech | existence | ||
| The Czech word "existence" can also refer to the state of being present or the act of existing. | |||
| Estonian | olemasolu | ||
| In Estonian, `olemasolu` also refers to a situation where something is present and has not been changed. | |||
| Finnish | olemassaolo | ||
| "Olemassaolo" comes from "olla" ("to be") and "-us" (existence), and in the past it could also refer to the universe and its contents. | |||
| Hungarian | létezés | ||
| The word "létezés" comes from the Hungarian word "lét" which means "being" or "substance", or a living entity having physical existence. | |||
| Latvian | esamība | ||
| "Esamība" derives from "est" "to be" which is common across many Indo-European languages | |||
| Lithuanian | egzistavimas | ||
| The word "egzistavimas" is derived from the Latin word "existere", meaning "to stand out" or "to be present". | |||
| Macedonian | постоење | ||
| The term 'постоење' is ultimately derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'byti', meaning 'to be', and it also shares a common root with the English word 'being'. | |||
| Polish | istnienie | ||
| The word "istnienie" in Polish comes from the verb "istnieć" which means "to be" or "to exist" and is akin to the Latin "esse". | |||
| Romanian | existenţă | ||
| The Romanian word "existenţă" ultimately derives from the Latin verb "sistere," meaning "to stand" or "to place." | |||
| Russian | существование | ||
| "Существование" can also be rendered as "being" in English | |||
| Serbian | постојање | ||
| The word 'постојање', which literally translates to 'standing' or 'being present', also holds metaphorical meanings such as 'essence' or 'reality'. | |||
| Slovak | existencia | ||
| "Existencie" also means "existence of someone or something" or "existence of something, its manifestation in external reality." | |||
| Slovenian | obstoj | ||
| The verb 'obstati' also means 'to withstand' or 'to resist'. | |||
| Ukrainian | існування | ||
| The word "існування" also means "meaning" or "essence" in Ukrainian. | |||
Existence in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অস্তিত্ব | ||
| The word 'অস্তিত্ব' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'अस्तित्व' (asti-tva), which means 'being' or 'existence'. | |||
| Gujarati | અસ્તિત્વ | ||
| The word "અસ્તિત્વ" originates from the Sanskrit word "asti" which means "to be". | |||
| Hindi | अस्तित्व | ||
| 'अस्तित्व' ('existence' in Hindi) derives from a Sanskrit word meaning 'standing forth' and also means 'essence' or 'being'. | |||
| Kannada | ಅಸ್ತಿತ್ವ | ||
| Malayalam | അസ്തിത്വം | ||
| "अस्तित्वम्" (astitvam) is a Sanskrit loanword with several meanings, one of which is "existence", but can also mean "substance" or "essence" among other interpretations. | |||
| Marathi | अस्तित्व | ||
| In Marathi, "अस्तित्व" can also refer to a 'position', 'status', or 'condition'. | |||
| Nepali | अस्तित्व | ||
| Punjabi | ਮੌਜੂਦਗੀ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පැවැත්ම | ||
| In Sinhala, "පැවැත්ම" also refers to the "occurrence" or "taking place" of an event. | |||
| Tamil | இருப்பு | ||
| Telugu | ఉనికి | ||
| "ఉనికి" is also the Telugu cognate to the Sanskrit "utthāna", meaning "rise" and has alternate meanings such as "prosperity" or "prosper". | |||
| Urdu | وجود | ||
| "وجود" can mean `being present` or `proof of being present` but it can also be used to express a person's `presence`. | |||
Existence in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 存在 | ||
| The term "存在" can also refer to the concept of "being-in-the-world" associated with existentialist philosophy in the West. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 存在 | ||
| "存在" in Chinese is also a verb meaning "to establish". This is the origin of the "存" part of the character. | |||
| Japanese | 存在 | ||
| 存在 is used in philosophy and Buddhism with connotations of "coming forth" or "arising" instead of "being". | |||
| Korean | 존재 | ||
| In Korean, 존재 (existence) can also refer to "being" or "entity"} | |||
| Mongolian | оршихуй | ||
| The Mongolian word "оршихуй" (existence) shares its etymology with the Sanskrit word "अस्ति" (asti), meaning "to be" or "to exist." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တည်ရှိမှု | ||
Existence in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | adanya | ||
| The word "adanya" in Indonesian may also refer to a "situation" or "condition", indicating the presence or occurrence of something. | |||
| Javanese | orane | ||
| The word "orane" also means "nature" or "people" depending on the context. | |||
| Khmer | អត្ថិភាព | ||
| The Khmer word អត្ថិភាព (existence) is derived from the Sanskrit word अर्थिभावा (arthibhāva), meaning "material existence" or "being." | |||
| Lao | ທີ່ມີຢູ່ແລ້ວ | ||
| Malay | kewujudan | ||
| "Kewujudan" shares its root with words for "body" and "form" in some regional dialects, suggesting a notion of existence as physical manifestation. | |||
| Thai | การดำรงอยู่ | ||
| The word "การดำรงอยู่" can also mean "living" or "being." | |||
| Vietnamese | tồn tại | ||
| "Tồn tại" in Vietnamese also means "to remain" or "to survive", reflecting its deeper meaning of "being present over time". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pag-iral | ||
Existence in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | varlıq | ||
| The word "varlıq" also means "possession" or "wealth" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | болмыс | ||
| The Kazakh word "болмыс" can also mean "fate" or "destiny", and it shares a root with the word "болмау" ("not to be"). | |||
| Kyrgyz | бар болуу | ||
| Бар болуу is also the name of a popular traditional Kyrgyz game, a variation on hide-and-seek. | |||
| Tajik | мавҷудият | ||
| The word "мавҷудият" can also mean "being" or "creature" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | barlygy | ||
| Uzbek | mavjudlik | ||
| The word "mavjudlik" also means "presence" in Uzbek and comes from the Arabic word "wujūd" which shares both meanings. | |||
| Uyghur | مەۋجۇتلۇق | ||
Existence in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ola | ||
| The word "ola" in Hawaiian can also refer to a wave or a leaf, possibly due to the perceived similarity in their ephemeral nature to the concept of existence. | |||
| Maori | oranga | ||
| The word "oranga" also signifies "health" and "prosperity" in Maori language. | |||
| Samoan | olaga | ||
| In Samoan, "olaga" also means "life" or "lifetime". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pagkakaroon | ||
| "Pagkakaroon" can also mean "presence" or "availability." | |||
Existence in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | utjata | ||
| Guarani | jeiko | ||
Existence in International Languages
| Esperanto | ekzisto | ||
| The word "ekzisto" is derived from the Latin word "exsistere", which means "to stand out" or "to be present" | |||
| Latin | quod | ||
| "Quod" is also used in Latin as an interrogative pronoun, similar to "what" or "which" in English. | |||
Existence in Others Languages
| Greek | ύπαρξη | ||
| The word "ύπαρξη" (existence) also means "material possessions" or "fortune" in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | hav zoov | ||
| The Hmong word "hav zoov" has multiple meanings, including "life", "destiny", and "fate". | |||
| Kurdish | hebûnî | ||
| The word 'hebûnî' can also mean 'being' or 'essence' in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | varoluş | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of existence, | |||
| Xhosa | ubukho | ||
| "Ubukho" can also mean "the world" or "the universe" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | קיום | ||
| In Yiddish, קיום (kiyem) has two additional meanings: 1) one's occupation or profession (as in Hebrew). 2) a document proving one's occupation or profession. | |||
| Zulu | khona | ||
| The word "khona" in Zulu can also refer to a place or location. | |||
| Assamese | অস্তিত্ব | ||
| Aymara | utjata | ||
| Bhojpuri | अस्तित्व | ||
| Dhivehi | ވުޖޫދުގައިވުން | ||
| Dogri | बजूद | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pag-iral | ||
| Guarani | jeiko | ||
| Ilocano | panagbiag | ||
| Krio | de de | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بوون | ||
| Maithili | अस्तित्व | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯧꯖꯤꯛ ꯂꯩꯔꯤꯕ | ||
| Mizo | awmna | ||
| Oromo | jiraachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅସ୍ତିତ୍ୱ | ||
| Quechua | kawsay | ||
| Sanskrit | अस्तित्व | ||
| Tatar | барлыгы | ||
| Tigrinya | ህላወ | ||
| Tsonga | ku hanya | ||