Fundamental in Different Languages
Discover 'Fundamental' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
At its core, 'fundamental' refers to the most basic or essential aspects of something. This concept is universal, and understanding the fundamentals of a subject is crucial for mastery and appreciation. The significance of the 'fundamental' extends beyond the technical realm, as it also touches on our shared human experiences and values.
Throughout history, various cultures have emphasized the importance of fundamentals in various ways. In ancient Greek philosophy, for instance, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle sought to understand the fundamental principles that govern reality. In East Asian philosophy, Confucius stressed the importance of fundamental virtues like benevolence and righteousness.
Given the cultural importance of 'fundamental,' it's no surprise that people might be interested in its translations in different languages. By exploring these translations, we can gain insights into how other cultures conceptualize the essence of things and appreciate the richness of our linguistic and cultural diversity.
Here are some translations of 'fundamental' in various languages:
Fundamental
Fundamental in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | fundamenteel | ||
| In Afrikaans, "fundamenteel" can have the connotation of something that is essential to a person's character beyond religious belief. | |||
| Amharic | መሠረታዊ | ||
| Hausa | na asali | ||
| The word "na asali" in Hausa can also mean "the original, the real, the essential, the true, the right, the good, the beautiful, the pure, the holy, the divine, the eternal, the infinite, the transcendent, the ultimate, the absolute." | |||
| Igbo | isi | ||
| The Igbo word 'isi' also means 'head' or 'top,' suggesting a connection between the fundamental nature of something and its position of prominence or leadership. | |||
| Malagasy | fototra | ||
| The word "fototra" in Malagasy is derived from the Indonesian word "dasar" which also means "fundamental". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zachikhalidwe | ||
| Derived from '-chikha' ('to do something firmly') and '-lidwa' ('to be done'). | |||
| Shona | yakakosha | ||
| Yakakosha, meaning both 'essential' and 'original', comes from the Shona word 'yaka', meaning 'source' or 'root'. | |||
| Somali | aasaasiga ah | ||
| The term "asaasiga ah" signifies something crucial, substantive, or elemental, analogous to the English equivalents of "essence", "foundation", and "core". | |||
| Sesotho | motheo | ||
| Motheo also means 'origin' and is related to the word 'motsoho', meaning 'base'. | |||
| Swahili | msingi | ||
| "Msingi" also means "foundation" in Swahili and is the origin of the name of Tanzania's capital, Dodoma, which was the foundation of the new Tanzanian capital in 1974. | |||
| Xhosa | esisiseko | ||
| E'siSiko, also refers to a 'risk', or a 'challenge'. | |||
| Yoruba | ipilẹ | ||
| Ipile denotes both "fundamental" and "the foundation of a building" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | okuyisisekelo | ||
| The word "okuyisisekelo" in Zulu is derived from the root "-yis" meaning "to be" and "-siko" meaning "foundation". | |||
| Bambara | dugumata | ||
| Ewe | gɔmeɖonu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | shingiro | ||
| Lingala | ntina | ||
| Luganda | kyetagisa | ||
| Sepedi | bohlokwa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nnyinasoɔ | ||
Fundamental in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أساسي | ||
| The word "أساسي" in Arabic also means "essence" or "basis". | |||
| Hebrew | בסיסי | ||
| Another meaning of בסיסי is 'basic' or 'elementary'. | |||
| Pashto | بنسټیز | ||
| The word "بنسټیز" can also refer to "basic" or "main" elements or ideas. | |||
| Arabic | أساسي | ||
| The word "أساسي" in Arabic also means "essence" or "basis". | |||
Fundamental in Western European Languages
| Albanian | themelore | ||
| The word "themelore" in Albanian is derived from the Greek word "themelion," meaning "foundation" or "cornerstone." | |||
| Basque | oinarrizkoa | ||
| The word "oinarrizkoa" also means "elemental" or "basic" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | fonamental | ||
| Fonamental, in Catalan, can refer to either 'fundamental' or 'important'. | |||
| Croatian | temeljne | ||
| The word "temeljne" in Croatian can also mean "main" or "basic". | |||
| Danish | grundlæggende | ||
| The word "grundlæggende" also derives from the Old Norse word "grundr", meaning "ground", and "leggja", meaning "to lay". | |||
| Dutch | fundamenteel | ||
| Fundamenteel in Dutch can also mean 'groundwork' or 'foundation'. | |||
| English | fundamental | ||
| The word "fundamental" originates from the Latin word "fundamentum," meaning "foundation" or "base." | |||
| French | fondamental | ||
| The French word "fondamental" comes from the Latin word "fundamentum", which means "foundation" or "base". | |||
| Frisian | fûnemintele | ||
| The word "fûnemintele" can also mean "foundation" or "principle". | |||
| Galician | fundamental | ||
| En la época clásica las "siete artes liberales" o disciplinas fueron llamadas "fundamentais" por ser base del resto de los saberes. | |||
| German | grundlegend | ||
| The word 'grundlegend' comes from the words 'Grund' (meaning 'ground') and 'legen' (meaning 'to lay'), and it can also mean 'basic' or 'essential'. | |||
| Icelandic | grundvallaratriði | ||
| The Icelandic word "grundvallaratriði" literally translates to "pillars of the foundation" or "basic principles". | |||
| Irish | bunúsach | ||
| The word "bunúsach" is derived from the Proto-Celtic word "*bonasakos," meaning "origin" or "foundation. | |||
| Italian | fondamentale | ||
| The Italian word "fondamentale" (fundamental) derives both from the Latin "fundere" (to pour) and "fundamentum" (foundation). | |||
| Luxembourgish | fundamental | ||
| In Luxembourgish, the word "fundamental" also means "bottom layer" or "foundation". | |||
| Maltese | fundamentali | ||
| The Maltese word "fundamentali" can also mean "basic" or "essential." | |||
| Norwegian | fundamental | ||
| In Norwegian, "fundamental" refers to a person's personality, not basic principles. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | fundamental | ||
| "Fundamental" comes from the Latin word "fundamentum," meaning "foundation" or "base." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | bunaiteach | ||
| The term "bunaiteach" is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "bun" (foundation). | |||
| Spanish | fundamental | ||
| "Fundamental" also means "basic, essential, core" and originates from the Latin word "fundare", meaning "to found, establish". | |||
| Swedish | grundläggande | ||
| Grundläggande, meaning fundamental, can also refer to the ground or foundation of something. | |||
| Welsh | sylfaenol | ||
| The word "sylfaenol" is derived from the Latin word "fundamentum", which means "foundation" or "support." | |||
Fundamental in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | фундаментальны | ||
| Word can also mean: “essential, basic, underlying, principal” in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | fundamentalno | ||
| The word 'fundamentalno' derives from the Latin adjective 'fundamentalis' meaning 'basic', 'essential' or 'pertaining to the foundation'. | |||
| Bulgarian | основен | ||
| The word "основен" can also mean "basic" or "primary" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | základní | ||
| The Czech word "základní" originally meant "elementary" or "primary," and still retains this meaning in certain contexts, such as "základní škola" (primary school). | |||
| Estonian | põhimõtteline | ||
| In Estonian, the word "põhimõtteline" has the additional sense of "principled" or "based on principles". | |||
| Finnish | perustavanlaatuinen | ||
| The word "perustavanlaatuinen" is derived from the words "perusta" (foundation) and "laatu" (quality), meaning "having a basic or fundamental quality" | |||
| Hungarian | alapvető | ||
| The word "alapvető" originated from merging three words: "alap" (meaning base or foundation), "vetette" (meaning it was laid by someone / put in place by someone), and "ő" (the third person personal pronoun, i.e., he), so basically it means that something was laid down as a base by someone. | |||
| Latvian | fundamentāls | ||
| The word "fundamentāls" in Latvian also has the alternate meaning of "elementary" or "basic". | |||
| Lithuanian | esminis | ||
| The word "esminis" could also mean "primary" or "important" in a more general sense. | |||
| Macedonian | фундаментален | ||
| In some contexts, 'фундаментален' can mean 'basic', 'core' or 'elementary'. | |||
| Polish | fundamentalny | ||
| The Polish word "fundamentalny" also means "basic" or "essential". | |||
| Romanian | fundamental | ||
| In Romanian, "fundamental" comes from Latin "fundamentum" (foundation) but also means "basic" or "elementary". | |||
| Russian | фундаментальный | ||
| In Russian, "фундаментальный" can also mean "thorough" or "detailed". | |||
| Serbian | темељне | ||
| The word "темељне" (fundamental) in Serbian also means "thorough", "well-founded" or "basic". | |||
| Slovak | zásadné | ||
| "Zásadné" in Slovak is also used to refer to matters that are substantial, significant, or essential, similar to the English usage of "foundational" or "critical". | |||
| Slovenian | temeljni | ||
| The word "temeljni" in Slovenian also means "primordial" or "basic". | |||
| Ukrainian | фундаментальний | ||
| The word "фундаментальний" comes from the Latin word "fundamentum", meaning "foundation". | |||
Fundamental in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | মৌলিক | ||
| The term "মৌলিক" can also refer to the basic principles or elements of any subject or system. | |||
| Gujarati | મૂળભૂત | ||
| In English, the term "fundamental" is derived from the Latin word "fundamentum," which means "foundation" or "base." | |||
| Hindi | मौलिक | ||
| The word "मौलिक," meaning "fundamental" in Hindi, can also mean "original," "elemental," "basic," or "root" and is derived from the Sanskrit word "मूल," meaning "root". | |||
| Kannada | ಮೂಲಭೂತ | ||
| "ಮೂಲಭೂತ" (fundamental) means essential, basic, and primary and is derived from the root "ಮೂಲ" (origin, foundation). | |||
| Malayalam | അടിസ്ഥാനപരമായത് | ||
| Marathi | मूलभूत | ||
| मूलभूत means 'cause' or 'reason' in Sanskrit and 'origin' or 'base' in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | मौलिक | ||
| The word मौलिक also means 'original, native' | |||
| Punjabi | ਬੁਨਿਆਦੀ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මූලික | ||
| The word "මූලික" can also mean "root" or "origin" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | அடிப்படை | ||
| Telugu | ప్రాథమిక | ||
| The word "ప్రాథమిక" (fundamental) also means "that which is first" or "that which is most important". | |||
| Urdu | بنیادی | ||
| The word "بنیادی" also means "elementary" or "primary" in Urdu. | |||
Fundamental in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 基本的 | ||
| 基本的 (jīběn de) also means "basic", "elementary", or "primary" in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 基本的 | ||
| "基本的" (basic) is the Chinese translation of "fundamental" and also means "basic; elementary." | |||
| Japanese | ファンダメンタル | ||
| "ファンダメンタル" is an English loanword meaning fundamental, originally an adjective formed from the Latin word 'fundus' meaning 'base' or 'ground'" | |||
| Korean | 기본적인 | ||
| 기본적인 means basic in Korean, but can also mean 'elementary' and 'primary'. | |||
| Mongolian | үндсэн | ||
| The word "үндсэн" also has the alternate meanings of "basis" and "root" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အခြေခံကျ | ||
Fundamental in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mendasar | ||
| In Indonesian, the word "mendasar" also means "to lay a foundation" or "to create a basis for something," emphasizing its connection to foundational principles or concepts. | |||
| Javanese | dhasar | ||
| In addition to "fundamental", "dhasar" in Javanese can refer to a foundation, principle, or element. | |||
| Khmer | មូលដ្ឋានគ្រឹះ | ||
| Lao | ພື້ນຖານ | ||
| Malay | asas | ||
| The word “asas” in Malay has Sanskrit roots and can also mean “basis” or “foundation.” | |||
| Thai | พื้นฐาน | ||
| พื้นฐาน can also refer to a foundation of a building or a surface upon which something is built. | |||
| Vietnamese | cơ bản | ||
| Cơ bản can also mean "basic" or "elementary" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pangunahing | ||
Fundamental in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | əsas | ||
| In the 16th century, | |||
| Kazakh | іргелі | ||
| The Kazakh word "іргелі" ("fundamental") is etymologically related to the word "ірге" ("foundation") and can also mean "basic", "essential", or "primary." | |||
| Kyrgyz | негизги | ||
| The word "негизги" can also mean "main" or "basic" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | асосӣ | ||
| The word "асосӣ" in Tajik is derived from the Arabic word "اساسی" (asāsī), meaning "basic". | |||
| Turkmen | esasy | ||
| Uzbek | asosiy | ||
| The word "asosiy" in Uzbek is derived from the Arabic word "asās", meaning "foundation" or "basis". | |||
| Uyghur | fundamental | ||
Fundamental in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kumumea | ||
| The word kumumea in Hawaiian also refers to the foundation of a house or other structure, and to the base or root of a plant. | |||
| Maori | taketake | ||
| The word 'taketake' is also used to describe the central post of a Maori meeting house, which is sometimes carved with representations of atua (deities). | |||
| Samoan | taua | ||
| Taua also means 'war', suggesting that the fundamental elements of a thing are the source of its strength and resilience. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pangunahing | ||
| The word 'pangunahing' derives from the root word 'pangulo,' which means 'leader', emphasizing the foundational nature of something. | |||
Fundamental in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | wakiskiri | ||
| Guarani | mopyenda | ||
Fundamental in International Languages
| Esperanto | fundamenta | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning, "fundamenta" can also mean "foundation" or "basis" in Esperanto. | |||
| Latin | fundamental | ||
| The Latin word “fundamentalis” is closely related to the verb “fundare,” meaning "to establish" or "to lay a foundation." | |||
Fundamental in Others Languages
| Greek | θεμελιώδης | ||
| "θεμελιώδης" (fundamental) comes from "θέμεθλος" (foundation) and means "relating to the foundation." | |||
| Hmong | siv | ||
| In White Hmong, "siv" can also refer to "the main purpose" or "the main point" of something. | |||
| Kurdish | bingehane | ||
| The word "bingehane" derives from the Persian word "buniyad" meaning "foundation" or "basis". | |||
| Turkish | temel | ||
| Temel can also mean 'basic' or 'foundation' in Turkish | |||
| Xhosa | esisiseko | ||
| E'siSiko, also refers to a 'risk', or a 'challenge'. | |||
| Yiddish | פונדאַמענטאַל | ||
| The word "פונדאַמענטאַל" (fundamental) in Yiddish, which dates back to the 16th century, derives from the Hebrew "פֿונאַמענט" (fundament) and ultimately from the Latin "fundamentum" (foundation). | |||
| Zulu | okuyisisekelo | ||
| The word "okuyisisekelo" in Zulu is derived from the root "-yis" meaning "to be" and "-siko" meaning "foundation". | |||
| Assamese | মৌলিক | ||
| Aymara | wakiskiri | ||
| Bhojpuri | मौलिक | ||
| Dhivehi | އަސާސީ | ||
| Dogri | बुनियादी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pangunahing | ||
| Guarani | mopyenda | ||
| Ilocano | napateg | ||
| Krio | impɔtant | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بنەڕەتی | ||
| Maithili | मौलिक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯉꯥꯏ ꯐꯗꯕ ꯌꯨꯝꯐꯝ | ||
| Mizo | bulpui | ||
| Oromo | bu'uura | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ମୌଳିକ | ||
| Quechua | aswan allin | ||
| Sanskrit | मौलिक | ||
| Tatar | фундаменталь | ||
| Tigrinya | መሰረታዊ | ||
| Tsonga | swa nkoka | ||