Extraordinary in Different Languages
Discover 'Extraordinary' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'extraordinary' is truly special, standing out from the ordinary with its powerful meaning and cultural significance. Derived from the Latin words 'extra' meaning 'outside' and 'ordinarius' meaning 'orderly', it's no surprise that this term has been used to describe awe-inspiring people, events, and things that go beyond the norm.
Throughout history, extraordinary has been used to highlight exceptional achievements, such as scientific breakthroughs, architectural marvels, and acts of heroism. Its usage transcends cultural boundaries, making it a global term of appreciation and admiration. But what does this word mean in different languages, and how does it encapsulate the extraordinary in various cultures?
Join us as we delve into the translations of 'extraordinary' in multiple languages, shedding light on the unique ways each culture celebrates the awe-inspiring and exceptional. From the French 'extraordinaire' to the Spanish 'extraordinario', the German 'außergewöhnlich' to the Japanese ' Tokubetsu', discover the beauty of this term in a whole new light.
Extraordinary
Extraordinary in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | buitengewone | ||
| The Afrikaans word "buitengewone" literally translates to "outside the ordinary". | |||
| Amharic | ያልተለመደ | ||
| The word "ያልተለመደ" can also mean "uncommon" or "rare" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | na ban mamaki | ||
| Derived from "na ba mamaki" meaning "that which causes surprise." | |||
| Igbo | pụrụ iche | ||
| The Igbo word "pụrụ iche" can also refer to something "set apart" or "different from the usual"} | |||
| Malagasy | miavaka | ||
| The Malagasy word "miavaka" can also refer to a type of Malagasy folk tale. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zachilendo | ||
| The word "zachilendo" is derived from "chilendo," which means "a little," and "za," which means "to surpass" or "to go beyond. | |||
| Shona | zvinoshamisa | ||
| Somali | aan caadi ahayn | ||
| Sesotho | e sa tloaelehang | ||
| Swahili | ajabu | ||
| The word "ajabu" in Swahili can also mean "wonderful" or "surprising." | |||
| Xhosa | engaqhelekanga | ||
| The word "engaqhelekanga" in Xhosa can also refer to something that is "unbelievable" or "amazing". | |||
| Yoruba | extraordinary | ||
| The word “extraordinary” is derived from the Yoruba word “ajogun,” which means “more than ordinary.” | |||
| Zulu | okungajwayelekile | ||
| Okungajwayelekile is derived from the root word 'jwayela' meaning to do or perform a usual or frequent action. Hence, okungajwayelekile means something that is not frequently done or something out of the norm. | |||
| Bambara | dákabana | ||
| Ewe | si to vovo sã | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bidasanzwe | ||
| Lingala | ya kokamwa | ||
| Luganda | ekibejjo | ||
| Sepedi | fetišišago | ||
| Twi (Akan) | soronko koraa | ||
Extraordinary in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | استثنائي | ||
| The word "استثنائي" can also mean "exceptional" or "outstanding" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | יוצאת דופן | ||
| The Hebrew word יוצאת דופן (yotz'at dophan) literally translates to “going out of the way” or “exception”. | |||
| Pashto | غیر معمولي | ||
| Extraordinary in Pashto, literally translates to "out of the common" from the words "غیر" (out) and "معمول" (common). | |||
| Arabic | استثنائي | ||
| The word "استثنائي" can also mean "exceptional" or "outstanding" in Arabic. | |||
Extraordinary in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i jashtëzakonshëm | ||
| "Jashtëzakonshëm" comes from the root word "zakon," meaning "law". | |||
| Basque | apartekoa | ||
| The word "apartekoa" in Basque literally translates to "that which is set apart" | |||
| Catalan | extraordinari | ||
| The etymology of "extraordinari" is from the Latin "extraordinarius" which means "beyond the usual order". | |||
| Croatian | izvanredno | ||
| The word 'izvanredno' also translates to mean 'off-campus' as a reference to classes that were traditionally held in separate, extramural buildings. | |||
| Danish | ekstraordinær | ||
| In Danish, 'ekstraordinær' not only means 'extraordinary' but also 'additional' or 'special'. | |||
| Dutch | buitengewoon | ||
| "Buitengewoon" is derived from the Middle Dutch "buten" (outside) and "gewoon" (habitual), so it originally meant "something that is outside the habitual".} | |||
| English | extraordinary | ||
| The word 'extraordinary' derives from the Latin term 'extra ordinarius,' meaning 'outside of the usual order.' | |||
| French | extraordinaire | ||
| The French word "extraordinaire" can also refer to a public prosecutor or attorney-general | |||
| Frisian | bûtengewoan | ||
| The Frisian word 'bûtengewoan' derives from the Old Frisian 'bûtaghewane', which initially meant 'unusual'. | |||
| Galician | extraordinario | ||
| The Galician word "extraordinario" can also mean "extra-large" or "exceptional". | |||
| German | außergewöhnlich | ||
| The root word of "außergewöhnlich" is the adjective "außer", which in English would mean "outside", "beyond", or "above". The term thus describes what is "beyond" the usual or regular. | |||
| Icelandic | óvenjulegt | ||
| The word "óvenjulegt" is derived from the words "óvinur" (friend) and "júgur" (lie), and originally meant "unusual" or "out of the ordinary". | |||
| Irish | neamhghnách | ||
| Italian | straordinario | ||
| The noun form of straordinario, "straordinario", can also refer to a type of special edition of a newspaper or magazine. | |||
| Luxembourgish | aussergewéinlech | ||
| Maltese | straordinarja | ||
| The Maltese word "straordinarja" is an adjective that means "extraordinary" or "out of the ordinary". It is derived from the Latin word "extraordinarius", meaning "beyond the ordinary". | |||
| Norwegian | ekstraordinær | ||
| Det norske ordet "ekstraordinær" har sin opprinnelse i latinske "extra ("utenfor")" og "ordinem ("rekke, orden")", altså "utenfor det vanlige", mens det på engelsk opprinnelig ble brukt som et astrologisk begrep for planeter utenfor "de ordnede banene" (i forhold til Jorden). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | extraordinário | ||
| In Portuguese, "extraordinário" also refers to someone who has exceptional abilities or qualities. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | iongantach | ||
| The word "iongantach" in Scots Gaelic also means "wonderful" and "marvellous". | |||
| Spanish | extraordinario | ||
| Extraordinario can also mean 'out of the ordinary', 'remarkable', or 'unusual'. | |||
| Swedish | utöver det vanliga | ||
| The word 'utöver det vanliga' literally means 'beyond what is common' in Swedish. | |||
| Welsh | hynod | ||
| The word "hynod" in Welsh is derived from the Proto-Celtic root *sindos, meaning "separate" or "apart." | |||
Extraordinary in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | надзвычайны | ||
| The word "надзвычайны" (extraordinary) is derived from the Old Church Slavonic "на дъвъ", meaning "beyond the ordinary." | |||
| Bosnian | izvanredno | ||
| Izvanredno also means 'urgent' or 'abnormal' in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | извънредно | ||
| The word "извънредно" in Bulgarian can also mean "urgent" or "emergency". | |||
| Czech | mimořádný | ||
| The word "mimořádný" in Czech is derived from "mimo řád," meaning "outside the order" or "exceptional." | |||
| Estonian | erakordne | ||
| "Erakordne" is derived from the word "erakord" (order) and means that something is out of the ordinary. | |||
| Finnish | epätavallinen | ||
| The word "epätavallinen" literally means "not usual", hinting at its original meaning of "abnormal" or "peculiar". | |||
| Hungarian | rendkívüli | ||
| The word "rendkívüli" is derived from the words "rend" (order) and "kívül" (outside), meaning "outside of the ordinary". | |||
| Latvian | ārkārtējs | ||
| The word "ārkārtējs" may refer to exceptional or unusual situations, measures, or qualities. | |||
| Lithuanian | nepaprastas | ||
| The word "nepaprastas" is derived from the Lithuanian words "ne" (no) and "paprastas" (simple), and it can also mean "unusual" or "remarkable". | |||
| Macedonian | извонредна | ||
| “Извонредена” in Macedonian can also mean “abnormal”. | |||
| Polish | niezwykły | ||
| The word "niezwykły" literally means "not unusual" | |||
| Romanian | extraordinar | ||
| In Romanian, "extraordinar" can also mean "odd" or "strange", while in English, "extraordinary" only has a positive connotation. | |||
| Russian | необычный | ||
| The word "необычный" literally means "not common", but it can also refer to something that is unique or exceptional. | |||
| Serbian | изванредно | ||
| The word "izvanredno" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*izъvr̥xъ", meaning "from above". Originally, it referred to supernatural phenomena, and only later acquired the meaning of "extraordinary". | |||
| Slovak | mimoriadny | ||
| The word "mimoriadny" is derived from the Latin word "memor" (memory) and can also mean "unforgettable" or "remarkable". | |||
| Slovenian | izredno | ||
| The word "izredno" can also mean "out of order". | |||
| Ukrainian | надзвичайний | ||
| "Надзвичайний" shares the same common Slavic root, "*nad" meaning "above, over," with words for emergencies and calamities in other Slavic languages, such as Russian "чрезвычайный" or Polish "nadzwyczajny." | |||
Extraordinary in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অসাধারণ | ||
| The word "অসাধারণ" can have multiple meanings, besides "extraordinary". It can mean "unique" or "uncommon". | |||
| Gujarati | અસાધારણ | ||
| Hindi | असाधारण | ||
| The Hindi word "असाधारण" not only means "extraordinary", but also means "different from others". | |||
| Kannada | ಅಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ | ||
| The word "ಅಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ" is derived from the Sanskrit words "असामान्य" (asāmanya) meaning "not ordinary" and "अन्य" (anya) meaning "different, other, or else". It can also mean "uncommon, unusual, or rare". | |||
| Malayalam | അസാധാരണമായത് | ||
| The word "അസാധാരണമായത്" (asādharanamaayath) is also used to describe anything that is especially worthy of admiration or respect, or that goes beyond the ordinary. | |||
| Marathi | विलक्षण | ||
| The Marathi word "विलक्षण" originally meant "distinctive" or "unusual" and later evolved to mean "extraordinary". | |||
| Nepali | असाधारण | ||
| The word 'असाधारण' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'अतिसाधारण', meaning 'very different'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਅਸਾਧਾਰਣ | ||
| The word "Asadharan" can also mean "unique" or "rare", hinting at its root word "sadharan" which means "ordinary" or "common". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අසාමාන්යයි | ||
| The word "අසාමාන්යයි" comes from the root "samānya," which means "common" or "ordinary," and the prefix "a," which negates the meaning of the root. | |||
| Tamil | அசாதாரண | ||
| Telugu | అసాధారణ | ||
| "అసాధారణ" is an adjective which means "special," "out of the ordinary," or "uncommon," and also means "abnormal" or "unusual."} | |||
| Urdu | غیر معمولی | ||
| غیر معمولی means 'out of the ordinary' and is derived from the Arabic root غر meaning 'to be strange or unusual'. | |||
Extraordinary in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 非凡 | ||
| "非凡"本意为非同凡响,出众,后指超过一般,不同寻常. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 非凡 | ||
| The word 非凡 is a compound word composed of the two characters 非 (fēi) meaning "not" and 凡 (fán) meaning "ordinary". Therefore, it can also mean "uncommon" or "rare". | |||
| Japanese | 並外れた | ||
| "並" in "並外れた" has the alternate meaning of "ordinary" | |||
| Korean | 이상한 | ||
| The word "이상한" can also mean "abnormal" or "strange". | |||
| Mongolian | ер бусын | ||
| The word "ер бусын" in Mongolian is derived from the root "ер", meaning "unusual, uncommon". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မင်္ဂလာပါ | ||
| The word "မင်္ဂလာပါ" is a Burmese word which is often used as a greeting. It is derived from the Pali word "mangala" which means "auspicious" or "fortunate." | |||
Extraordinary in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | luar biasa | ||
| The word 'luar biasa' (literally 'outside the ordinary') is often used informally to mean 'great' or 'very good'. | |||
| Javanese | mirunggan | ||
| The Javanese word 'mirunggan' can also mean 'abnormal' or 'unusual'. | |||
| Khmer | អស្ចារ្យ | ||
| Lao | ພິເສດ | ||
| Malay | luar biasa | ||
| "Luar biasa" literally means "outside of the norm" in Malay, reflecting its connotation of something exceptional. | |||
| Thai | วิสามัญ | ||
| The Thai word “วิสามัญ” (wisammaan) originally meant “not normal” but later became associated with violence, leading to its current meaning of “extraordinary”. | |||
| Vietnamese | phi thường | ||
| "Phi thường" literally means "out of the ordinary" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pambihira | ||
Extraordinary in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qeyri-adi | ||
| "Qeyri-adi" originates from Persian "ğeyr" "other, different" + Arabic "ʿādī" "common". In some cases, "qeyri-adi" means "unusual or unnatural". | |||
| Kazakh | ерекше | ||
| The word "ерекше" is derived from the Proto-Turkic word "*eriq-*, meaning "other, different, unusual" | |||
| Kyrgyz | укмуштуу | ||
| The word "укмуштуу" can also mean "outstanding" or "distinguished" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | ғайриоддӣ | ||
| The word "ғайриоддӣ" originally meant "different from the norm" but now refers to anything exceptional. | |||
| Turkmen | adatdan daşary | ||
| Uzbek | ajoyib | ||
| The Uzbek word "ajoyib" is derived from the Persian word "ajab", meaning "strange" or "wonderful" | |||
| Uyghur | پەۋقۇلئاددە | ||
Extraordinary in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kamahaʻo | ||
| The Hawaiian word "kamaha'o" also means "god" or "priest". | |||
| Maori | faahiahia | ||
| The Maori word "faahiahia" also means "to be in need" or "to be poor." | |||
| Samoan | tulaga ese | ||
| The etymology of "tulaga ese" means "not ordinary" or "out of the norm". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pambihira | ||
| "Pambihira" in Tagalog also refers to something rare, unusual, or hard to come by. | |||
Extraordinary in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | amtatarjama | ||
| Guarani | jepivegua'ỹva | ||
Extraordinary in International Languages
| Esperanto | eksterordinara | ||
| The word “eksterordinara” is derived from the Latin word “extraordinarius”, which means “beyond the ordinary”. | |||
| Latin | incredibili | ||
| The Latin word incredibili can also mean "unbelievable" or "impossible". | |||
Extraordinary in Others Languages
| Greek | έκτακτος | ||
| In addition to its meaning as "extraordinary," έκτακτος can also mean "emergency" or "exceptional." | |||
| Hmong | txawv tshaj plaw | ||
| "Txawv tshaj plaw" literally means "over the edge of the cliff". | |||
| Kurdish | bêfêrane | ||
| The word 'bêfêrane' also means 'extraordinarily large' or 'immense' in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | olağanüstü | ||
| It can also mean 'out of the ordinary' or 'remarkable'. | |||
| Xhosa | engaqhelekanga | ||
| The word "engaqhelekanga" in Xhosa can also refer to something that is "unbelievable" or "amazing". | |||
| Yiddish | ויסערגעוויינלעך | ||
| The word "ויסערגעוויינלעך" comes from the German "aussergewöhnlich," meaning "exceptional" | |||
| Zulu | okungajwayelekile | ||
| Okungajwayelekile is derived from the root word 'jwayela' meaning to do or perform a usual or frequent action. Hence, okungajwayelekile means something that is not frequently done or something out of the norm. | |||
| Assamese | অসাধাৰণ | ||
| Aymara | amtatarjama | ||
| Bhojpuri | असाधारण | ||
| Dhivehi | އާދަޔާ ޚިލާފު | ||
| Dogri | गैर-ममूली | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pambihira | ||
| Guarani | jepivegua'ỹva | ||
| Ilocano | sangsangayan | ||
| Krio | rili spɛshal | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نا ئاسایی | ||
| Maithili | असाधारण | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯣꯉꯥꯟꯕ | ||
| Mizo | tha bik | ||
| Oromo | wanta gonkumaa hin baratamin | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅସାଧାରଣ | ||
| Quechua | aswan allin | ||
| Sanskrit | विलक्षण | ||
| Tatar | гадәттән тыш | ||
| Tigrinya | ዘይተለመደ | ||
| Tsonga | swo hlamarisa | ||