Famous in Different Languages
Discover 'Famous' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'famous' carries great significance in our world today, denoting individuals, places, and events that have garnered significant recognition and acclaim. Its cultural importance is undeniable, as famous figures often serve as role models, inspiring others to achieve greatness. Understanding the translation of 'famous' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how various cultures perceive and celebrate renown. For instance, in Spanish, 'famous' translates to 'famoso' (pronounced fah-MOH-so), while in French, it becomes 'célèbre' (pronounced say-le-BR). In Mandarin Chinese, 'famous' is translated as ' fame' (pronounced méng). As you explore the world of language and culture, you'll discover that the concept of fame transcends borders, uniting us in our shared appreciation for exceptional achievements.
Famous
Famous in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | beroemde | ||
| "Beroemde" is also used in the phrase "beroemdheden-nieuws," which means "celebrity news." | |||
| Amharic | ዝነኛ | ||
| "ዝነኛ" also means "an old man" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | shahara | ||
| The word "shahara" can also mean "to spread (news)," "to boast," or "to be prominent or well-known, especially in a community." | |||
| Igbo | ama | ||
| "Ama" in Igbo could also mean "home" or "village," indicating the significance of home and community in the Igbo culture. | |||
| Malagasy | olo-malaza | ||
| The word 'olo-malaza' (famous) in Malagasy is derived from the root 'olo' (head) and 'malaza' (light), suggesting a person with a prominent or illustrious reputation. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wotchuka | ||
| The word 'wotchuka' in Chichewa originally referred to a person or thing of great size, strength, or importance, and only later came to mean 'famous' in a more general sense. | |||
| Shona | mukurumbira | ||
| Mukurumbira can also refer to a type of traditional Shona dance or a legendary giant serpent. | |||
| Somali | caan ah | ||
| The Somali word "caan ah" is also used to describe someone or something that is well-known or renowned in a specific field or area. | |||
| Sesotho | tumileng | ||
| "Tumileng" also means "being visible" or "standing out". | |||
| Swahili | maarufu | ||
| Maarufu means 'common' in some African countries such as Kenya. | |||
| Xhosa | odumileyo | ||
| The Xhosa word "odumileyo" is derived from the verb "dumila", meaning "to be known". It can also refer to someone who is well-respected or influential. | |||
| Yoruba | gbajumọ | ||
| "Gbajumọ" derives from "gba" (take or capture) and "ojúmọ" (notice) and means to capture (someone's) attention. | |||
| Zulu | odumile | ||
| The Zulu word "odumile" is derived from the verb "duma", meaning "to make a noise" or "to proclaim". | |||
| Bambara | tɔgɔtigi | ||
| Ewe | nyanyɛ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | uzwi | ||
| Lingala | eyebana | ||
| Luganda | amanyikiddwa | ||
| Sepedi | tumile | ||
| Twi (Akan) | gye din | ||
Famous in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مشهور | ||
| The term "مشهور" (mashhour) holds multiple derivatives beyond its commonly known meaning of "famous," extending semantically to encompass concepts of celebrity, distinction, and repute. | |||
| Hebrew | מפורסם | ||
| The Hebrew word "מפורסם" also means "explained" or "interpreted". | |||
| Pashto | مشهور | ||
| The Pashto word "مشهور" can also mean "well-known"} | |||
| Arabic | مشهور | ||
| The term "مشهور" (mashhour) holds multiple derivatives beyond its commonly known meaning of "famous," extending semantically to encompass concepts of celebrity, distinction, and repute. | |||
Famous in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i famshëm | ||
| The word "i famshëm" is derived from the Proto-Albanian word "*famë", meaning "fame, reputation, glory". | |||
| Basque | ospetsua | ||
| The word "ospetsua" can also mean "clear", "noble" or "known" depending on the context. | |||
| Catalan | famós | ||
| "Famós" also means "hungry" or "deserving" in Catalan. | |||
| Croatian | poznati | ||
| The word 'poznati' in Croatian is derived from the Slavic root 'znati', meaning 'to know' or 'to recognize'. | |||
| Danish | berømt | ||
| The word "berømt" is derived from the Old Norse word "berømr," meaning "loudly spoken" or "widely known." | |||
| Dutch | beroemd | ||
| The word "beroemd" is derived from the Middle Dutch "beromen," meaning "to praise" or "to honor." | |||
| English | famous | ||
| The word "famous" is derived from the Latin word "fama", meaning "reputation" or "report". | |||
| French | célèbre | ||
| The French word "célèbre" comes from the Latin word "celeber", which means "much frequented" or "crowded". | |||
| Frisian | ferneamd | ||
| The word "ferneamd" in Frisian is related to the Old English word "frēond", meaning "friend" or "beloved one". | |||
| Galician | famoso | ||
| In Galician, 'famoso' also means 'delicious' or 'tasty'. | |||
| German | berühmt | ||
| The German word "berühmt" is related to the English word "birth" and originally meant "known by many people" | |||
| Icelandic | frægur | ||
| In Icelandic, "frægur" has additional meanings of "skillful, capable" or "of great consequence." | |||
| Irish | cáiliúil | ||
| Italian | famoso | ||
| "Famoso" derives from the Latin word "fama", meaning "reputation" or "report" and can also mean "well-known" or "renowned". | |||
| Luxembourgish | berühmt | ||
| The word "berühmt" in Luxembourgish can also mean "celebrated" or "renowned". | |||
| Maltese | famuż | ||
| Famuz is an archaic variant of the Maltese word famuż, which itself derives from the Sicilian famosu and ultimately from the Latin famosus, meaning "renowned" or "notorious." | |||
| Norwegian | berømt | ||
| Berømt derives from the Old Norse word 'berúmðr' meaning 'noise', suggesting that fame is created through widespread talk or reputation. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | famoso | ||
| "Famoso" derives from Latin "famosus" meaning "celebrated" or "talked about", implying both positive and negative connotations. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ainmeil | ||
| Cognate with Irish ainmí, it can also mean 'name', 'reputation' or 'memory'. | |||
| Spanish | famoso | ||
| The word "famoso" also means "excellent" or "remarkable" in Spanish. | |||
| Swedish | känd | ||
| Känd can also mean well-known or renowned | |||
| Welsh | enwog | ||
| The word "enwog" can also refer to a "proverb" or an "aphorism" in Welsh. | |||
Famous in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | вядомы | ||
| The form "вядомы" is also used in the sense of "known" or "familiar" in everyday speech. | |||
| Bosnian | poznati | ||
| The word "poznati" in Bosnian can also mean "well-known" or "recognized". | |||
| Bulgarian | известен | ||
| The word "известен" in Bulgarian shares a root with the word "весть," meaning "known" in Old Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | slavný | ||
| The original meaning of the word 'slavný' is 'great', 'grand' or 'solemn', which still echoes in some idioms or archaisms. | |||
| Estonian | kuulus | ||
| The word "kuulus" is related to the verb "kuulma" (to hear), suggesting that fame is associated with being heard or known. | |||
| Finnish | kuuluisa | ||
| "Kuuluisa" also refers to the sense of "audible" in modern Finnish, a sense that the word originally meant in Proto-Finnic. | |||
| Hungarian | híres | ||
| The Hungarian word "híres" can also refer to a type of small, delicate pastry filled with poppy seed, walnut or plum jam. | |||
| Latvian | slavens | ||
| The word "slavens" also means "renowned" or "widely known" in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | garsus | ||
| The word "garsus" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "gher-", meaning "to shine" or "to be bright". It is related to the Latin word "clarus", meaning "clear" or "bright". | |||
| Macedonian | познат | ||
| The word "познат" can also mean "familiar" or "well-known" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | sławny | ||
| "Sławny" originally meant "heard by many" and later meant "known by many". It comes from the Old Polish "słowo" (word) and "słuć" (to hear). | |||
| Romanian | faimos | ||
| The word "faimos" in Romanian is derived from the Latin word "famosus", meaning "well-known" or "renowned". | |||
| Russian | известный | ||
| The word "известный" (famous) is derived from the root "весть" (news), and can also mean "informed" or "well-known within a certain circle of people" | |||
| Serbian | чувени | ||
| Serbian 'чувени' derives from a word meaning 'to be heard', and thus signifies 'renown, fame', whereas English 'famous' derives from Latin 'infamis' meaning 'ill spoken of'. Thus, there is an asymmetry between the positive and negative connotations the two words carry. | |||
| Slovak | slávny | ||
| The word "slávny" in Slovak also means "glorious" or "victorious". | |||
| Slovenian | slavni | ||
| "Slavni" is a word of Slavic origin, possibly related to the Sanskrit "shloka" meaning "hymn or praise". | |||
| Ukrainian | відомий | ||
| The word "відомий" in Ukrainian can also refer to something that is "well-known" or "familiar". | |||
Famous in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিখ্যাত | ||
| The word "বিখ্যাত" derives from Sanskrit, meaning "shining" or "renowned". | |||
| Gujarati | પ્રખ્યાત | ||
| The word "પ્રખ્યાત" originates from Sanskrit and also means "renowned" or "well-known." | |||
| Hindi | प्रसिद्ध | ||
| प्रसिद्ध also means 'well-known', 'renowned', or 'eminent', and is derived from the Sanskrit word 'pra-siddh', meaning 'well-established' or 'widely recognized'. | |||
| Kannada | ಖ್ಯಾತ | ||
| ಖ್ಯಾತ (khyāta) in Kannada finds its roots in the Sanskrit word 'khyāta,' which denotes renowned, celebrated, or widely known. | |||
| Malayalam | പ്രസിദ്ധം | ||
| From Sanskrit prasiddha, past participle of sidh, to succeed. | |||
| Marathi | प्रसिद्ध | ||
| The word "प्रसिद्ध" (famous) in Marathi also means "well-known" or "renowned". | |||
| Nepali | प्रसिद्ध | ||
| प्रसिद्ध, meaning 'famous,' comes from the Sanskrit root 'pra-siddh,' signifying 'well-known' or 'established'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਮਸ਼ਹੂਰ | ||
| The word "ਮਸ਼ਹੂਰ" (mashhoor) in Punjabi has Persian origins, and is commonly used beyond its literal meaning of "famous" to describe someone as "well-liked" or "popular". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ප්රසිද්ධයි | ||
| "ප්රසිද්ධයි" literally means "that which is spread throughout" and its cognates exist in all Indo-Aryan languages. | |||
| Tamil | பிரபலமானது | ||
| Telugu | ప్రసిద్ధ | ||
| The word "ప్రసిద్ధ" in Telugu originally meant "well-known" or "renowned", but has come to also mean "famous" or "popular". | |||
| Urdu | مشہور | ||
| The word 'مشہور' can mean both famous and popular, with its root in Arabic meaning 'well known' or 'spread.' | |||
Famous in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 著名 | ||
| The original meaning of 著名 is "to inscribe on bamboo slips (竹簡), hence 'to preserve, record, celebrate; to be celebrated, have a good reputation'" | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 著名 | ||
| "著名", in addition to the common meaning of "famous", also means "well-known","distinctive", or "outstanding". | |||
| Japanese | 有名 | ||
| The word "有名" (yūmei) in Japanese can also mean "well-known" or "famous for something good or bad." | |||
| Korean | 유명한 | ||
| The Korean word "유명한" has various other meanings besides "famous", such as "well-known", "celebrated", and "renowned". | |||
| Mongolian | алдартай | ||
| The name "Aldar" comes from the Persian word "oldor", which means "leader," while Mongolian "tay" denotes "to possess." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကျော်ကြား | ||
Famous in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | terkenal | ||
| "Terkenal" in Indonesian can refer to renown (of people) or notoriety (of deeds), but can also mean "to be known" as a passive construction. | |||
| Javanese | kondhang | ||
| The Javanese word "kondhang" can also mean "well-known", "popular", or "renowned". | |||
| Khmer | ល្បីល្បាញ | ||
| "ល្បីល្បាញ" is a Khmer word with multiple meanings, including "to be famous", "to be popular", "to be widely known", "to be renowned", and "to be celebrated". The word is derived from the Sanskrit word "lobha", which means "greed" or "desire". In Khmer, "ល្បីល្បាញ" is often used to describe someone who is well-known and respected, or who has achieved great success in their field or profession. | |||
| Lao | ມີຊື່ສຽງ | ||
| The Lao word ມີຊື່ສຽງ can also mean "well-known", "celebrated", "popular", "prestigious", "renowned", "distinguished", "eminent", or "illustrious" depending on the context in which it is used. | |||
| Malay | terkenal | ||
| The word "terkenal" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *tərinakal, which means "to see" or "to know". | |||
| Thai | มีชื่อเสียง | ||
| The word มีชื่อเสียง literally means "to have a name" and can also mean "to be well-known" or "to be famous". | |||
| Vietnamese | nổi danh | ||
| "Nổi danh" in Vietnamese also means "to float (on water)". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sikat | ||
Famous in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | məşhur | ||
| The word "məşhur" can also mean "well-known" or "renowned" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | атақты | ||
| The word "атақты" (famous) in Kazakh is derived from the Old Turkic word "ataq", meaning "name, fame, reputation". | |||
| Kyrgyz | белгилүү | ||
| "Белгилүү" originates from the Old Turkic word "belgi" meaning "sign, mark" and can also mean "noted, remarkable" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | машҳур | ||
| The word "машҳур" in Tajik originates from the Arabic word "mashhūr", which means "well-known" or "celebrated". | |||
| Turkmen | meşhur | ||
| Uzbek | mashhur | ||
| In Uzbek, the word "mashhur" also means "popular" or "well-known." | |||
| Uyghur | داڭلىق | ||
Famous in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kaulana | ||
| The word "kaulana" also means "well-known" or "renowned". | |||
| Maori | rongonui | ||
| The word 'rongonui' derives from the Maori words 'rongo' (sound, news) and 'nui' (great, abundant). | |||
| Samoan | taʻutaʻua | ||
| The word "taʻutaʻua" can also mean "renowned" or "celebrated" | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sikat | ||
| The Tagalog word "sikat" ultimately comes from the Spanish word "sicat" meaning a scar or blemish, which later on came to be used in the sense of being well known. | |||
Famous in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | uñt'ata | ||
| Guarani | herakuava | ||
Famous in International Languages
| Esperanto | fama | ||
| The word “fama” has multiple meanings, like rumor or reputation in addition to renown. | |||
| Latin | clarus | ||
| In Ancient Rome, "clarus" not only described famous people but also shining stars, brilliant gems, and luminous objects. | |||
Famous in Others Languages
| Greek | διάσημος | ||
| In Ancient Greek, it literally meant "having a god within oneself". | |||
| Hmong | nto moo | ||
| "Nto moo" in Hmong literally means "to eat water". | |||
| Kurdish | nashatî | ||
| The word "nashatî" can also mean "known" or "celebrated" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | tanınmış | ||
| The Turkish word "tanınmış" can also refer to something that is familiar or well-known. | |||
| Xhosa | odumileyo | ||
| The Xhosa word "odumileyo" is derived from the verb "dumila", meaning "to be known". It can also refer to someone who is well-respected or influential. | |||
| Yiddish | באַרימט | ||
| The word באַרימט (famous) in Yiddish comes from the German word berühmt (famous) | |||
| Zulu | odumile | ||
| The Zulu word "odumile" is derived from the verb "duma", meaning "to make a noise" or "to proclaim". | |||
| Assamese | বিখ্যাত | ||
| Aymara | uñt'ata | ||
| Bhojpuri | नामी | ||
| Dhivehi | މަޝްހޫރު | ||
| Dogri | मश्हूर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sikat | ||
| Guarani | herakuava | ||
| Ilocano | madaydayaw | ||
| Krio | wetin ɔlman sabi | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بەناوبانگ | ||
| Maithili | प्रसिद्ध | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯃꯤꯡ ꯆꯠꯄ | ||
| Mizo | lar | ||
| Oromo | beekamaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପ୍ରସିଦ୍ଧ | ||
| Quechua | riqsisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | प्रसिद्धः | ||
| Tatar | танылган | ||
| Tigrinya | ተፈላጢ | ||
| Tsonga | ndhuma | ||