Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'explore' holds a special place in our hearts and minds, invoking a sense of curiosity and adventure that has driven human progress for centuries. From the epic voyages of ancient mariners to the cutting-edge discoveries of modern science, exploration has shaped our understanding of the world and ourselves. But what happens when we seek to translate this powerful concept into different languages?
Consider, for instance, the Spanish word 'explorar,' which captures the same spirit of discovery as its English counterpart. Or the French 'explorer,' which adds a touch of elegance to the act of delving into the unknown. Even in languages as different as Chinese and Arabic, we find similar concepts, with '探索' (tànsuǒ) and 'استكشاف' (istikshāf) conveying the idea of careful, systematic investigation.
Why might someone want to know these translations? For starters, understanding how other cultures approach the idea of exploration can enrich our own perspective, shedding light on the universal human impulse to seek out new horizons. Plus, knowing a few key words in a foreign language can be a great way to connect with people from around the world, building bridges across linguistic and cultural divides.
In the sections below, you'll find a wealth of translations for the word 'explore,' along with fascinating insights into the history and significance of this remarkable term. So read on, and join the global community of explorers, united by our shared curiosity and love of learning.
Afrikaans | verken | ||
The word "verken" is derived from the Dutch verb "verkennen", meaning "to reconnoiter" or "to scout". | |||
Amharic | ያስሱ | ||
The verb ያስሱ has multiple meanings and can mean "explore", "explain", or "interpret". | |||
Hausa | bincika | ||
The Hausa word "bincika" can also mean "research", "investigate", or "discover." | |||
Igbo | inyocha | ||
"Iyocha" also means "to search for" or "to look for" in Igbo. | |||
Malagasy | hijery | ||
The word "hijery" is of Arabic origin and also means "to flee" or "to exile". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kufufuza | ||
The word "kufufuza" can also mean "to search for" or "to investigate". | |||
Shona | ongorora | ||
"Ongorora" comes from the verb stem "-ongor" (look at or into), and can refer to examining an area, investigating an issue, or simply thinking carefully. | |||
Somali | sahamin | ||
In addition to its primary meaning, "sahamin" can also mean "investigate" or "study" in Somali. | |||
Sesotho | hlahloba | ||
The word "hlahloba" means "to investigate" or "to examine" in Sesotho. | |||
Swahili | chunguza | ||
The Swahili word "chunguza" is derived from the Arabic word "jassa", meaning "to examine or scrutinize." | |||
Xhosa | hlola | ||
"Hlola" can also mean "to examine," "to search," or "to investigate." | |||
Yoruba | ṣawari | ||
Yoruba "ṣawari" meaning "to explore" also means "to look after something or someone". | |||
Zulu | hlola | ||
In Zulu, 'hlola' also means 'to examine' or 'to observe carefully'. | |||
Bambara | ka mafilɛ | ||
Ewe | tsa le eme | ||
Kinyarwanda | shakisha | ||
Lingala | kotala | ||
Luganda | okulambuula | ||
Sepedi | utolla | ||
Twi (Akan) | hwehwɛ mu | ||
Arabic | يكتشف | ||
يكتشف also means "to discover" in Arabic, and this meaning is used in the expression "مكتشف الذهب" (gold explorer). | |||
Hebrew | לַחקוֹר | ||
לַחקוֹר (lachakór) also means 'to search' or 'to examine'. | |||
Pashto | سپړنه | ||
The Pashto word "سپړنه" can also mean "examination" or "research". | |||
Arabic | يكتشف | ||
يكتشف also means "to discover" in Arabic, and this meaning is used in the expression "مكتشف الذهب" (gold explorer). |
Albanian | eksploroj | ||
The Albanian word "eksploroj" comes from the Latin word "explorare", which means "to search out" or "to investigate." | |||
Basque | arakatu | ||
"Arakatu" also means "to seek" and "to discover" in other Basque dialects. | |||
Catalan | explorar | ||
The word "explorar" comes from the Latin word "explorare", which means to search out or investigate. | |||
Croatian | istražiti | ||
"Istražiti" is derived from the Latin word "investigare", meaning "to search into", and is related to the Croatian word "istraga", meaning "investigation". | |||
Danish | udforske | ||
The Danish word "udforske" is derived from the Old Norse word "útforska", meaning "to search by going out". | |||
Dutch | verkennen | ||
Although "verkennen" can mean to explore, it can also mean "mistake" or "misrecognize". | |||
English | explore | ||
The word 'explore' derives from the Middle English verb 'aspyren', which means 'to search' or 'to investigate'. | |||
French | explorer | ||
The French word "explorer" shares its origin with the Latin word "explicare", meaning "to unfold" or "to make clear". | |||
Frisian | ferkenne | ||
Frisian "ferkenne" shares its root with English "fern" or "faring," but in its modern usage refers to "exploring" or "investigating." | |||
Galician | explorar | ||
"Explorar" also means "to spy" or "to research" in Galician. | |||
German | erkunden | ||
"Erkunden" originates from the Middle High German "erkunnen" meaning "to make known" or "to find out". | |||
Icelandic | kanna | ||
The word "kanna" is also used to mean "to feel" or "to sense" in Icelandic. | |||
Irish | iniúchadh | ||
The Irish word "iniúchadh" can also refer to examining or investigating something. | |||
Italian | esplorare | ||
The Italian word "Esplorare" comes from the Latin word "Explorare", which means "to investigate" or "to examine". It was brought to Italy around the 16th century and has been used since to describe the act of exploring and investigating. | |||
Luxembourgish | entdecken | ||
In Luxembourgish, "entdecken" not only means "discover" but also "to uncover". | |||
Maltese | tesplora | ||
The word "tesplora" can mean "explore" in Maltese, but also "inspect" or "examine" when referring to a place or object. | |||
Norwegian | utforske | ||
"Utforske" derives from Old Norse "út" (out) and "forskja" (search). | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | explorar | ||
"Explorar" comes from Latin "explorare" meaning also "observe carefully." | |||
Scots Gaelic | rannsaich | ||
The verb rannsaich evolved from the Old Irish ro-fo-saic (literally 'to seek out thoroughly'). | |||
Spanish | explorar | ||
In Spanish, the verb "explorar" can also mean "to reconnoiter" or "to probe". | |||
Swedish | utforska | ||
Utforska comes from "ut" (out) and "forska" (research), meaning "to go out and research". | |||
Welsh | archwilio | ||
Archwilio's root word 'arch' means 'sufficient' or 'enough', suggesting the concept of delving deep enough to find something valuable. |
Belarusian | даследаваць | ||
Bosnian | istražiti | ||
The word "istražiti" in Bosnian has its origins in the Old Church Slavonic word "istražiti", which means "to seek out" or "to investigate". | |||
Bulgarian | изследвайте | ||
The verb "изследвайте" can also mean "to investigate" or "to research". | |||
Czech | prozkoumat | ||
The word "prozkoumat" also means "to investigate" or "to examine" in Czech. | |||
Estonian | uurima | ||
The word "uurima" is derived from the Proto-Finnic verb *uor-, meaning "to see" or "to watch". | |||
Finnish | tutkia | ||
"Tutkia" is an etymological sibling of "touch" | |||
Hungarian | fedezd fel | ||
The word "Fedezd fel" can also mean "to discover" or "to find out". | |||
Latvian | izpētīt | ||
The word “izpētīt” shares its root with “pētīt” (“to study”), and is likely derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *peh₂- (“to watch, guard, protect”). | |||
Lithuanian | tyrinėti | ||
The word "tyrinėti" is derived from the Lithuanian word "tyros" meaning "research" or "investigation". | |||
Macedonian | истражува | ||
The word comes from the Slavic root „стр„, meaning „to look". | |||
Polish | badać | ||
The word "badać" in Polish is cognate to "badania" meaning "scientific research", and "badacz" meaning "researcher." | |||
Romanian | explora | ||
"Explora" and its derivatives in Romanian also have the sense of "to examine" and "to investigate." | |||
Russian | исследовать | ||
The word "исследовать" also means "to research" or "to investigate". | |||
Serbian | истражити | ||
The verb 'истражити' derives from the Serbo-Croatian verb 'istražiti', which means 'to investigate' or 'examine'. | |||
Slovak | preskúmať | ||
The verb "preskúmať" originally comes from the Old Church Slavonic word "poruskati" (to investigate, search). | |||
Slovenian | raziskovati | ||
"Raziskovati" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "razo", meaning "to scatter, separate, or divide." | |||
Ukrainian | досліджувати | ||
The Ukrainian word "досліджувати" also means "investigate" or "study". |
Bengali | অন্বেষণ | ||
অন্বেষণ (anvEshon) likely derives from the Sanskrit word 'an-vish' meaning 'to seek out', and thus also means 'research' or 'investigation' in Bengali. | |||
Gujarati | અન્વેષણ કરો | ||
Hindi | अन्वेषण करना | ||
The Hindi word "अन्वेषण करना" can also mean "to investigate" or "to research". | |||
Kannada | ಅನ್ವೇಷಿಸಿ | ||
The word 'ಅನ್ವೇಷಿಸಿ' ('explore') in Kannada derives from the Sanskrit verb 'अन्वेष' ('to search, inquire, investigate'). | |||
Malayalam | പര്യവേക്ഷണം ചെയ്യുക | ||
Marathi | अन्वेषण | ||
अन्वेषण, meaning 'to explore' in Marathi, derives from Sanskrit and carries the connotation of 'following after' or 'seeking with care'. | |||
Nepali | अन्वेषण | ||
The word "अन्वेषण" is derived from the Sanskrit root "anvishan", meaning "to seek" or "to follow up on." | |||
Punjabi | ਪੜਚੋਲ ਕਰੋ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ගවේෂණය කරන්න | ||
Tamil | ஆராயுங்கள் | ||
The word "ஆராயுங்கள்" (explore) in Tamil originates from the root word "ஆர்" which means "to search or inquire". | |||
Telugu | అన్వేషించండి | ||
In addition to its primary sense of 'explore,' 'anveṣiñcaṇḍi' can mean 'to inquire,' 'to search for,' and 'to consider.' | |||
Urdu | دریافت کریں | ||
Chinese (Simplified) | 探索 | ||
探索 originated as a Buddhist term to mean the searching for truth, with the 索 (seek) radical and 探 (probe) phonetic element. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 探索 | ||
探索 can also mean "to inquire into," as in "to explore causes (探究原因)". | |||
Japanese | 見る | ||
The original meaning of "見る" was more of "looking over" or "watching", and the meaning as "explore" has a rather short history as just ~ 100 years. | |||
Korean | 탐험하다 | ||
The word 탐험하다 can also mean to investigate or examine something carefully. | |||
Mongolian | судлах | ||
"Судлах" comes from the Mongolian word "суд" (path) and can also mean "to follow a path" or "to investigate". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | စူးစမ်းလေ့လာပါ | ||
Indonesian | jelajahi | ||
The word 'jelajahi' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'carita', which means 'to go' or 'to move'. | |||
Javanese | njelajah | ||
The Javanese word "njelajah" also means "to travel" or "to go on a journey." | |||
Khmer | រុករក | ||
The word "រុករក" also refers to "fumbling" and "rummaging". | |||
Lao | ສຳ ຫຼວດ | ||
The word "ສຳ ຫຼວດ" is derived from the Pali word " samma-iddhi ", which means "correct achievement" or "perfect accomplishment". It is also related to the Sanskrit word " sampūrṇa ", which means "complete" or "perfect". | |||
Malay | meneroka | ||
"Meneroka" is derived from the Malay word "teroka" meaning "to break open or to clear land" and is synonymous with "menjelajah" which means "to travel or roam across a place" | |||
Thai | สำรวจ | ||
สำรวจ (สำ-เรี-ย) < สํ (สํ) + อร (อ่านว่า อาน) + ว (อ่านว่า วอ) + ษ (อ่านว่า สะ) แปลว่า ประสาท ตรวจตรอง | |||
Vietnamese | khám phá | ||
"Khám phá" also refers to discover new lands or knowledge. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | galugarin | ||
Azerbaijani | araşdırmaq | ||
The Azerbaijani word "araşdırmaq" is derived from the Persian word "ārāstan", meaning "to adorn" or "to decorate". | |||
Kazakh | зерттеу | ||
"Зерттеу" can also mean to investigate or examine. | |||
Kyrgyz | изилдөө | ||
The Kyrgyz word "изилдөө" also has the alternate meaning of "investigation"} | |||
Tajik | омӯхтан | ||
The word "омӯхтан" is derived from the Persian verb "آموختن" (âmoxtan), which can also mean "to learn", "to study", or "to gain knowledge". | |||
Turkmen | gözleg | ||
Uzbek | o'rganmoq | ||
In Uzbek, "o'rganmoq" also means "to study" or "to be engaged in." | |||
Uyghur | ئىزدىنىش | ||
Hawaiian | makaikai | ||
"Makaikai" is derived from "maka" (eye) and "kai" (sea), indicating the act of gazing out to sea to discover something new. | |||
Maori | torotoro | ||
The word "torotoro" in Maori also means "to search for" or "to investigate". | |||
Samoan | suesue | ||
'Suesue' also means to 'inquire' about a person's whereabouts | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | galugarin | ||
The Tagalog word 'galugarin' comes from the Spanish word 'galugar', which means 'to traverse or travel through'. |
Aymara | yant'aña | ||
Guarani | jehyvykói | ||
Esperanto | esplori | ||
The word "esplori" also means "spy out, scout out" and was coined by L. L. Zamenhof in his dictionary. | |||
Latin | explorarent | ||
In Latin, "explorarent" can also mean "probe" or "examine". |
Greek | εξερευνώ | ||
The Greek word "εξερευνώ" is derived from the ancient Greek verb "εξερευναώ," which means "to search out thoroughly" or "to investigate." | |||
Hmong | tshawb | ||
The word 'tshawb' has different meanings, such as to go through, to look around, or to investigate. | |||
Kurdish | lêkolîn | ||
The word "lêkolîn" is derived from the Persian word "talash" meaning "to search". It can also mean "to investigate" or "to examine". | |||
Turkish | keşfetmek | ||
Keşfetmek is also used when revealing a secret or making people aware of something new and unseen. | |||
Xhosa | hlola | ||
"Hlola" can also mean "to examine," "to search," or "to investigate." | |||
Yiddish | ויספאָרשן | ||
The Yiddish word "ויספאָרשן" (visporshn) is derived from the German "erforschen", meaning "to investigate thoroughly". | |||
Zulu | hlola | ||
In Zulu, 'hlola' also means 'to examine' or 'to observe carefully'. | |||
Assamese | অণ্বেষণ কৰা | ||
Aymara | yant'aña | ||
Bhojpuri | पता लगाव | ||
Dhivehi | ދިރާސާކުރުން | ||
Dogri | छान-बीन करना | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | galugarin | ||
Guarani | jehyvykói | ||
Ilocano | dapadapen | ||
Krio | lan mɔ | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | گەڕان | ||
Maithili | अन्वेषण | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯊꯤꯗꯣꯛꯄ | ||
Mizo | zawngchhuak | ||
Oromo | gadi fageenyaan ibsuu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଅନୁସନ୍ଧାନ କର | | ||
Quechua | taqwiriy | ||
Sanskrit | अन्वेषण | ||
Tatar | тикшерү | ||
Tigrinya | ዳህሰሳ | ||
Tsonga | valanga | ||