Fact in Different Languages
Discover 'Fact' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
At its core, a 'fact' is a piece of information that is confirmed to be true or accurate. This concept is fundamental to various aspects of our lives, from science and education to politics and media. The significance of facts lies in their ability to provide a solid foundation for our understanding of the world, enabling us to make informed decisions and engage in meaningful conversations.
The cultural importance of facts is evident in the way different societies have incorporated this concept into their languages. For instance, the French translation of 'fact' is 'fait,' which originates from the Latin 'factum,' meaning 'something done or performed.' In Spanish, 'fact' translates to 'hecho,' which shares the same Latin root. Meanwhile, in German, 'fact' becomes 'Tatsache,' a compound word consisting of 'Tat' (deed) and 'Sache' (thing).
Understanding the translation of 'fact' in various languages can offer valuable insights into different cultures and their unique perspectives on truth and reality. Delving into these nuances can be a fascinating journey for language enthusiasts and cultural explorers alike.
Fact
Fact in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | feit | ||
| The word "feit" in Afrikaans, while meaning "fact," is also used informally to refer to a lie or something that is not true. | |||
| Amharic | እውነታው | ||
| Although እውነታው (fact) in Amharic originates from the Arabic word "waqi`a," it can also be used figuratively to mean an established or valid point or principle. | |||
| Hausa | gaskiya | ||
| The word 'gaskiya' in Hausa has its roots in the Arabic word 'sadiqah', which means 'truthful' or 'sincere', reflecting the fundamental connection between facts and honesty in the Hausa culture and language. | |||
| Igbo | eziokwu | ||
| The word 'eziokwu' may also mean 'truth' or 'reality' in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | marina | ||
| MARINA derives from French "marine", meaning "naval or maritime", and has the alternate meaning "seaport or harbor" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zoona | ||
| The word "zoona" in Nyanja (Chichewa) is derived from the root word "dziwa," meaning "to know" or "to be aware of." | |||
| Shona | chokwadi | ||
| The word "chokwadi" in Shona can also refer to "truth" or "reality". | |||
| Somali | xaqiiqda | ||
| Xaqiiqda (fact) is also used to refer to the 'truth' or 'reality' of something. | |||
| Sesotho | 'nete | ||
| The word 'nete' can also refer to a law or rule. | |||
| Swahili | ukweli | ||
| The Swahili word "ukweli" is derived from the Arabic word "haqq", meaning "truth" or "right". | |||
| Xhosa | inyani | ||
| In Xhosa, "inyani" is a homophone of the word "inyana," meaning "little thing." | |||
| Yoruba | o daju | ||
| The Yoruba word "o daju" also means "certainty" or "truth". | |||
| Zulu | iqiniso | ||
| The word "iqiniso" in Zulu can also mean "the truth" or "reality." | |||
| Bambara | walen | ||
| Ewe | nu si le eteƒe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ukuri | ||
| Lingala | likambo ya solo | ||
| Luganda | amazima | ||
| Sepedi | ntlha | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nokwasɛm | ||
Fact in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | حقيقة | ||
| In Arabic, 'حقيقة' can mean not only a 'fact,' but also 'reality' or 'essence' | |||
| Hebrew | עוּבדָה | ||
| The Hebrew word עוּבדָה (fact) also means "servant" or "employee". | |||
| Pashto | حقیقت | ||
| In Pashto, "حقیقت" carries the additional connotations of "reality" and "truth". | |||
| Arabic | حقيقة | ||
| In Arabic, 'حقيقة' can mean not only a 'fact,' but also 'reality' or 'essence' | |||
Fact in Western European Languages
| Albanian | fakt | ||
| The word "fakt" in Albanian also means "action", "deed" or "work" in certain contexts. | |||
| Basque | egia esan | ||
| "Egia" is a Basque word that means both "fact" and "truth". | |||
| Catalan | fet | ||
| Croatian | činjenica | ||
| The word "činjenica" is derived from the Slavic word "činiti" meaning "to do" or "to make." | |||
| Danish | faktum | ||
| The word "faktum" originates from Latin and can also mean "deed" or "act" in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | feit | ||
| In Dutch, the word 'feit' can also mean 'deed' or 'action', and is derived from the Latin word 'factum'. | |||
| English | fact | ||
| The word "fact" derives from the Latin "factum," meaning "thing done," and thus can also refer to a deed or accomplishment. | |||
| French | fait | ||
| The word "fait" is also used in the sense of "event" or "deed" and is derived from the Latin "factum". | |||
| Frisian | feit | ||
| In Frisian, the word "feit" can also mean "business" or "affair." | |||
| Galician | feito | ||
| The word "feito" in Galician can also refer to an action or event. | |||
| German | tatsache | ||
| The German word "Tatsache" can have the alternate meaning of "act" or "occurrence", in addition to its more common meaning of "fact". | |||
| Icelandic | staðreynd | ||
| The word "staðreynd" is also a legal term in Iceland, and it refers to a statement of fact that can be proven in court | |||
| Irish | go deimhin | ||
| "Go deimhin" means "in fact, indeed, in truth, really, actually." | |||
| Italian | fatto | ||
| The Italian word "fatto" also means "event, deed, or action", and comes from the Latin "factum", meaning "something done". | |||
| Luxembourgish | tatsaach | ||
| Maltese | fatt | ||
| The Maltese word "fatt" also has the meaning of "act" or "deed" in its alternate forms "fatti" and "fatturi". | |||
| Norwegian | faktum | ||
| The word "faktum" also means "fact" in German, and its plural is "fakta" in both Norwegian and German. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | facto | ||
| Facto could also mean the act of doing something, a fact, a deed, or an event. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | fìrinn | ||
| "Fìrinn" can be an adjective meaning "true" or a noun meaning "truth". | |||
| Spanish | hecho | ||
| In Spanish, the word "hecho" is derived from the Latin word "factum," meaning "something done" or "deed," and also carries the alternate meaning of "event" or "occurrence." | |||
| Swedish | faktum | ||
| In Swedish, "faktum" can also refer to a homeless magazine or to the publishing company behind it. | |||
| Welsh | ffaith | ||
| The singular form of "ffaith" is "ffaeth", which means "deed". | |||
Fact in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | факт | ||
| In Russian, the word "факт" also means "an event or a circumstance". | |||
| Bosnian | činjenica | ||
| The word "činjenica" also means "occurrence" or "event" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | факт | ||
| In Bulgarian the word “факт” is used colloquially to describe an action or something that has been established or accomplished. | |||
| Czech | skutečnost | ||
| The word "skutečnost" is derived from the verb "skutečnit" (to make real), which in turn comes from the adjective "skutečný" (real). | |||
| Estonian | fakt | ||
| "Fakt" derives from Middle Low German "faict" meaning "deed" and is cognate with English "fact" from Latin "factum" meaning "made". | |||
| Finnish | tosiasia | ||
| The word 'tosiasia' is closely related to the verb 'totestada' ('to verify'), reflecting the idea that facts are established through investigation and verification. | |||
| Hungarian | tény | ||
| Téteny, a village in Hungary, preserves in its name another ancient Hungarian meaning of té(n)-: 'wide, vast, open'. | |||
| Latvian | fakts | ||
| The Latvian word "fakts" is likely derived from the German "Fakt", which itself comes from the Latin "factum" meaning "done" or "deed". | |||
| Lithuanian | faktas | ||
| In Lithuanian, the word "faktas" is derived from the Latin word "factum", meaning "something done" or "an action". | |||
| Macedonian | факт | ||
| The Macedonian word "факт" can also mean "factor" or "agent". | |||
| Polish | fakt | ||
| In Polish, the etymology of "fakt" ("fact") is traced back to the Latin word "factum," which means "deed," while in Polish it can also refer to an occurrence or an event that has happened or is happening. | |||
| Romanian | fapt | ||
| The Romanian word "fapt" originates from the Latin term "factum", meaning "deed" or "action", and is related to the English noun "fact". | |||
| Russian | факт | ||
| The Russian word "факт" (pronounced "fakt") is itself derived from the Latin word "factum", meaning "deed" or "accomplishment"} | |||
| Serbian | чињеница | ||
| The Serbian word “чињеница” (fact) comes from the Proto-Slavic stem *čin-, which also means | |||
| Slovak | skutočnosť | ||
| The Slovak word "skutočnosť" can also be derived from the Old Church Slavonic "skъtočьnъ", which carries the meaning of "real" or "actual". | |||
| Slovenian | dejstvo | ||
| In Russian, the related word 'действо' means an action or a performance, and in Polish 'dziej' means 'to happen'. | |||
| Ukrainian | факт | ||
| "Факт" also means "factor" or "deed" in Ukrainian. | |||
Fact in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সত্য | ||
| "সত্য" is also the masculine form of the word "সতী" (woman devoted to her husband). | |||
| Gujarati | હકીકત | ||
| The word "হকীকত" comes from the Arabic word "الحقيقة" meaning "essence". It is also used in Urdu where it means "truth" or "reality". | |||
| Hindi | तथ्य | ||
| The word 'तथ्य' ('fact') is derived from the Sanskrit word 'तथ' ('truth'). | |||
| Kannada | ವಾಸ್ತವವಾಗಿ | ||
| Malayalam | വസ്തുത | ||
| The Malayalam word "വസ്തുത" is derived from Sanskrit and originally meant "reality" or "existence." | |||
| Marathi | खरं | ||
| खरं (fact) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'kṛta' meaning 'done', 'created', or 'established'. | |||
| Nepali | वास्तवमा | ||
| "वास्तवमा" means "actually" or "in reality" and its root can be traced back to the Sanskrit word "वास्तवम्" meaning "true" or "real" | |||
| Punjabi | ਤੱਥ | ||
| The word "ਤੱਥ" can also mean "truth" or "reality". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඇත්ත | ||
| ඇත්ත (ætta): The word for "fact" is derived from the Sanskrit word "satya", meaning "true" or "real." | |||
| Tamil | உண்மை | ||
| The word "உண்மை" ("fact") also means "truth" in Tamil, reflecting the interconnectedness of knowledge and reality in the language. | |||
| Telugu | వాస్తవం | ||
| vāstavamu is borrowed from Sanskrit and is related to the word 'exist'. | |||
| Urdu | حقیقت | ||
| The word "حقیقت" can also refer to "truth", "reality", or "nature", highlighting the interconnectedness of knowledge and existence in Urdu. | |||
Fact in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 事实 | ||
| 事实 (shi4 shi2) also translates to "an established practice or situation." | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 事實 | ||
| In Chinese, 「事實」 literally means "things that are real" and can also refer to "truth" or "reality". | |||
| Japanese | 事実 | ||
| "事実" (fact) was originally written as "實事," with the character "實" later evolving to the reading "事実" while retaining its original meaning of "substance." | |||
| Korean | 것 | ||
| The word "것" can also mean "thing" or "object". | |||
| Mongolian | баримт | ||
| The word "баримт" has Mongolian origins, meaning "proof" or "evidence". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တကယ်တော့ | ||
Fact in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | fakta | ||
| The Indonesian word "fakta" is derived from the Sanskrit word "vakta", meaning "speaker" or "orator". | |||
| Javanese | kasunyatan | ||
| The term 'kasunyatan' also refers to 'the state of being empty' and is etymologically related to the word 'sunya,' meaning 'void' in Sanskrit. | |||
| Khmer | ការពិត | ||
| The word "ការពិត" in Khmer can also refer to "reality" or "truth". | |||
| Lao | ຄວາມຈິງ | ||
| Malay | hakikat | ||
| The word 'hakikat' in Malay may also refer to reality, truth, essence, or the nature of something. | |||
| Thai | ข้อเท็จจริง | ||
| The Thai word "ข้อเท็จจริง" can also mean "evidence" or "proof" in a legal context. | |||
| Vietnamese | thực tế | ||
| The Vietnamese word "thực tế" can also refer to an "existing situation", "practical knowledge", or a "matter of fact". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | katotohanan | ||
Fact in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | fakt | ||
| The word "fakt" in Azerbaijani also means "event, phenomenon, occurrence, or happening." | |||
| Kazakh | факт | ||
| "Факт" в казахском языке также употребляется в значении "документ", "доказательство". | |||
| Kyrgyz | факт | ||
| The Russian word “факт” has the same root as the Kyrgyz word “бар”, meaning “exists”. | |||
| Tajik | далел | ||
| The word "далел" can also mean "arguments or proofs (in favor of something)". | |||
| Turkmen | hakykat | ||
| Uzbek | haqiqat | ||
| Haqiqat's Arabic root 'ḥa-q-q' also means 'to be sure, certain,' and its Persian cognate 'haghighat' means 'truth.' | |||
| Uyghur | ئەمەلىيەت | ||
Fact in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻoiaʻiʻo | ||
| ʻOiaʻiʻo is also used to describe a chief's genealogy, land right, or a sacred place. | |||
| Maori | meka | ||
| The Māori word "meka" originally meant "true" or "correct", but its usage has expanded to encompass broader meanings of "fact" in modern contexts. | |||
| Samoan | mea moni | ||
| Mea moni is related to the Proto Polynesian term mana and its related terms in other Austronesian languages. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | katotohanan | ||
| The Tagalog word katotohanan comes from the root word totoo which means 'true,' and the affix -an which denotes a place or a quality. | |||
Fact in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | lurata | ||
| Guarani | apopyre | ||
Fact in International Languages
| Esperanto | fakto | ||
| The word "fakto" in Esperanto is derived from the Latin word "factum" meaning "thing done". | |||
| Latin | quod | ||
| The Latin word "quod" can also refer to a "reason" or "that which". | |||
Fact in Others Languages
| Greek | γεγονός | ||
| The Greek word "γεγονός" also has the connotation of "an event that has occurred" or "something that has taken place." | |||
| Hmong | qhov tseeb | ||
| Literally, "qhov tseeb" means "the thing that is straight" or "the thing that is correct". | |||
| Kurdish | berçavî | ||
| }The word "berçavî" can also mean "truth" or "reality". | |||
| Turkish | gerçek | ||
| The Turkish word "gerçek" initially meant "real" or "true," but over time it acquired the additional meaning of "fact" or "reality." | |||
| Xhosa | inyani | ||
| In Xhosa, "inyani" is a homophone of the word "inyana," meaning "little thing." | |||
| Yiddish | פאקט | ||
| The Yiddish word "פאקט" (fact) can also mean "deed", "act" or "occurrence". | |||
| Zulu | iqiniso | ||
| The word "iqiniso" in Zulu can also mean "the truth" or "reality." | |||
| Assamese | তথ্য | ||
| Aymara | lurata | ||
| Bhojpuri | तथ्य | ||
| Dhivehi | ހަޤީޤަތް | ||
| Dogri | तत्थ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | katotohanan | ||
| Guarani | apopyre | ||
| Ilocano | agpayso | ||
| Krio | trut | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕاستی | ||
| Maithili | तथ्य | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯆꯨꯝꯕ ꯋꯥꯐꯝ | ||
| Mizo | thudik | ||
| Oromo | dhugaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସତ୍ୟ | ||
| Quechua | willay | ||
| Sanskrit | तथ्य | ||
| Tatar | факт | ||
| Tigrinya | ሓቂ | ||
| Tsonga | ntiyiso | ||