Great in Different Languages
Discover 'Great' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'great' is a small but mighty term, expressing a wide range of positive sentiments and ideas. It signifies importance, size, and excellence all at once. From Shakespeare's 'something witty' in 'Much Ado About Nothing' to Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I have a dream' speech, 'great' has been a cornerstone of cultural and historical contexts.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'great' in different languages can open up new avenues of communication and cultural appreciation. For instance, the Spanish 'grande' and the French 'grand' not only convey the same meaning but also reflect the rich linguistic heritage of these countries.
Additionally, the Chinese translation of 'great,' '大,' is a character that has been used for millennia, reflecting the deep cultural significance of the word in Chinese history and philosophy.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or simply curious, learning the translations of 'great' can be a fun and enlightening experience. Here are some translations to get you started:
Great
Great in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | wonderlik | ||
| Wonderlik is also used in English and German, with the meaning of "wonderful". | |||
| Amharic | በጣም ጥሩ | ||
| Hausa | babba | ||
| The word "babba" in Hausa can also refer to a father or an old man. | |||
| Igbo | ukwu | ||
| Ukwa refers to the great yam and great wrestling while `ukwu` refers to the great size and greatness in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | lehibe | ||
| The word "lehibe" in Malagasy also means "big" or "large". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chachikulu | ||
| The Nyanja word "chachikulu" likely derives from the Bantu roots "-chikul-« meaning "to grow" and "-a" to denote a superlative. | |||
| Shona | hukuru | ||
| The word "hukuru" can also mean "leader" or "chief" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | weyn | ||
| The word "weyn" in Somali can also be used to describe something as old, large, or important. | |||
| Sesotho | e kholo | ||
| The literal translation of "e kholo" is "son of the chief". | |||
| Swahili | kubwa | ||
| Kubwa can refer to either size or age in Swahili, as in 'kubwa kwa umri' (old) vs 'kubwa kwa mwili' (large). | |||
| Xhosa | kakhulu | ||
| Kakhulu is also a slang term for an elderly person or a person of high status. | |||
| Yoruba | nla | ||
| The term 'nla' in Yoruba also refers to a particular style of drumming used to celebrate special occasions | |||
| Zulu | kuhle | ||
| The Zulu word "kuhle" has a broader meaning than simply "great", encompassing concepts of goodness, beauty, and even health. | |||
| Bambara | belebele | ||
| Ewe | nyo ŋutɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bikomeye | ||
| Lingala | kitoko makasi | ||
| Luganda | kilungi | ||
| Sepedi | kgolo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kɛseɛ | ||
Great in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | عظيم | ||
| The Arabic word "عظيم" (great) has a root meaning of "immensity" or "weightiness" and can also refer to something that imposes itself or is weighty in its effects. | |||
| Hebrew | גדול | ||
| The Hebrew word "גדול" (gadol) not only means "great" but also "old" and "important." | |||
| Pashto | غوره | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "great," "غوره" can also mean "strong," "sturdy," or "firm." | |||
| Arabic | عظيم | ||
| The Arabic word "عظيم" (great) has a root meaning of "immensity" or "weightiness" and can also refer to something that imposes itself or is weighty in its effects. | |||
Great in Western European Languages
| Albanian | e madhe | ||
| The word "e madhe" in Albanian also means "the mother" or "the grandmother". | |||
| Basque | bikaina | ||
| The word "bikaina" also means "magnificence" and is related to the word "bikain" which means "excellent". | |||
| Catalan | genial | ||
| The Catalan word "genial" comes from the Latin "genius", meaning "guiding spirit" or "inner voice". | |||
| Croatian | sjajno | ||
| "Sjajno" also means "shiny" or "brilliant" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | store | ||
| The word 'store' in Danish originates from the Old Norse word 'stórr', meaning 'big' or 'large'. | |||
| Dutch | super goed | ||
| The word "super" in Dutch can also mean "very" or "extremely". | |||
| English | great | ||
| The word "great" can also mean "large" or "important" and is derived from the Middle English word "gret," which in turn comes from the Old English word "grēat." | |||
| French | génial | ||
| The French word "génial" derives from the Latin "genius" and shares its original meaning of "a tutelary spirit". | |||
| Frisian | grut | ||
| The word "grut" in Frisian can also refer to a coarse flour made from barley or oats. | |||
| Galician | xenial | ||
| "Xenial" comes from the Greek word "xenos" which means "strange". | |||
| German | großartig | ||
| The German adjective 'großartig' derives from the noun 'Größe' meaning 'size'. | |||
| Icelandic | frábært | ||
| Frábært derives from the word 'frábær' meaning 'carrying' or 'bringing forth' and can also mean 'excellent' or 'distinguished' | |||
| Irish | iontach | ||
| The word "iontach" in Irish originally meant "fearful" or "strange," but over time came to mean "wonderful" or "great." | |||
| Italian | grande | ||
| The Italian word "grande" has multiple definitions, including "great," "tall," "large," and "important." | |||
| Luxembourgish | super | ||
| The word "super" in Luxembourgish is derived from the French word "super", meaning "above" or "on top of". | |||
| Maltese | kbir | ||
| The word "kbir" in Maltese is ultimately derived from the Arabic "kabīr", which also means "great", and is used to form the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives. | |||
| Norwegian | flott | ||
| "Flott" in Norwegian originally meant "light in weight", and is related to the Dutch "vlot" and "flot". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ótimo | ||
| "Ótimo" derives from the Greek "optimos" (best, excellent)", cognate with Latin "optimus", sharing the same meaning. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | sgoinneil | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "sgoinneil" originates from the Celtic word "scon", meaning "to excel" or "to be victorious". | |||
| Spanish | estupendo | ||
| Estupendo is derived from the Latin verb "stupēre\, | |||
| Swedish | bra | ||
| In Swedish, "bra" can also mean "well" or "good," as in a person's well-being. | |||
| Welsh | gwych | ||
| The word 'gwych' also means 'beautiful' or 'fair' and is derived from the Proto-Celtic root '*wiko-' meaning 'to see' or 'to show'. | |||
Great in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | выдатна | ||
| The word "выдатна" is originated from the verb "выдаць," which means "to pay" or "to give out." | |||
| Bosnian | super | ||
| "Super" is also used to denote something very large in size in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | страхотен | ||
| The Bulgarian word "страхотен" also means "awesome," "terrifying," or "amazing," depending on the context. | |||
| Czech | skvělý | ||
| The word "skvělý" is derived from the Old Czech word "svitěti" meaning "to shine". | |||
| Estonian | suurepärane | ||
| "Suurepärane" is a compound of "suur" (big) and "pärane" (having the nature of), thus originally meaning "big-natured". The word has been used in Estonian since the 13th century. | |||
| Finnish | loistava | ||
| The word "loistava" also means "shining" or "brilliant" in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | nagy | ||
| The Hungarian word "nagy" (great) also means "big" and is related to the word for "aunt" | |||
| Latvian | lieliski | ||
| The Latvian word "lieliski" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root, *meg-, meaning "big" or "great", which is the same root that we see in the English word "magnificent". | |||
| Lithuanian | puiku | ||
| "Puiku" is a word shared by several Baltic languages; in Latvian it means "admirable" and in Old Prussian it meant "strong". | |||
| Macedonian | супер | ||
| The word "супер" is derived from the Latin word "super", meaning "above, over, upon" and "greater, superior". | |||
| Polish | świetny | ||
| Świetny also means "shiny" in Polish, suggesting a connection between excellence and brightness. | |||
| Romanian | grozav | ||
| The Romanian word "Grozav" may derive from the Proto-Slavic word for "terrible" or "frightening". | |||
| Russian | отличный | ||
| In Russian, “отличный” can also mean “excellent” or “distinguished”. | |||
| Serbian | сјајно | ||
| The word "сјајно" also means "bright" or "shiny" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | super | ||
| The word "super" is often used informally in Slovak to mean "very" or "a lot" (e.g., "super drahé" = "very expensive"). | |||
| Slovenian | super | ||
| The word 'Super' in Slovenian can also refer to something that has been spoiled, especially food. | |||
| Ukrainian | чудово | ||
| In Ukrainian, "чудово" also means "a miracle". | |||
Great in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | দুর্দান্ত | ||
| দুর্দান্ত derives from the Sanskrit word "durdānta," meaning "difficult to conquer" | |||
| Gujarati | મહાન | ||
| "મહાન" is derived from the Sanskrit word "mahat", which means "great" or "mighty". It can also refer to someone or something that is vast, important, or impressive. | |||
| Hindi | महान | ||
| The word 'महान' can also mean 'large in size or quantity' or 'important or significant'. | |||
| Kannada | ಅದ್ಭುತವಾಗಿದೆ | ||
| Malayalam | കൊള്ളാം | ||
| Marathi | छान | ||
| The word "छान" in Marathi, also means "beautiful" or "good looking". | |||
| Nepali | महान | ||
| The word "महान" can also mean "important" or "significant" in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਮਹਾਨ | ||
| "ਮਹਾਨ" is also an adjective in Sanskrit that can mean "magnanimous". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මහා | ||
| මහා may derive from Sanskrit महा ('mahā') but also shares cognates with Prakrit and Pali. | |||
| Tamil | நன்று | ||
| "நன்று" also means good, fine, and well in Tamil and is cognate with "good" in English. | |||
| Telugu | గొప్ప | ||
| The word "గొప్ప" can also mean "big" or "important". | |||
| Urdu | زبردست | ||
| The word "زبردست" is derived from the Persian word "زبر" (strong) and the Sanskrit word "दस्त" (hand), meaning "one with a strong hand" | |||
Great in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 大 | ||
| In Chinese, the word "大" (dà) can also mean "large", "senior", or "important". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 大 | ||
| 大 can mean 'large', 'tall', 'old', or 'many'. | |||
| Japanese | すごい | ||
| The word "すごい" comes from the verb "すごす" (to spend time), and originally meant "to spend a long time on something". | |||
| Korean | 큰 | ||
| 큰 can translate to "large" in addition to "great," and both share the same Chinese origin: 大. | |||
| Mongolian | агуу их | ||
| The word "агуу их" also means "large" or "wide". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကောင်းတယ် | ||
Great in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | bagus | ||
| Although 'Bagus' commonly means 'good' or 'great', it can also mean 'ripe', 'mature', 'full-grown' or 'developed'. | |||
| Javanese | gedhe banget | ||
| "Gedhe banget" (Javanese) implies excessive or extraordinary size or magnitude. | |||
| Khmer | អស្ចារ្យ | ||
| "អស្ចារ្យ" was derived from the Sanskrit word "acarya" which means "religious teacher", and it also means "extraordinary" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ຍິ່ງໃຫຍ່ | ||
| Malay | hebat | ||
| The word "hebat" is a derivative of the Arabic word "habata" (to seize), and is cognate with the Sanskrit word "havyā" (invocation). | |||
| Thai | เยี่ยมมาก | ||
| The Thai word "เยี่ยมมาก" is a phrase meaning "great," and is also a slang term used to describe a well-done action or achievement. | |||
| Vietnamese | tuyệt quá | ||
| "Tuyệt quá" is an idiomatic phrase meaning "excellent" composed of the adjective "tuyệt": extraordinary, and the particle "quá": excessively. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | malaki | ||
Great in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | əla | ||
| The word "əla" in Azerbaijani, akin to "ulu" in Turkish, has meanings of "great", "excellent", and, for women, "older". | |||
| Kazakh | керемет | ||
| The word "керемет" can also mean "miracle" or "wonder" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | абдан жакшы | ||
| Tajik | бузург | ||
| The word "бузург" also means "elder" or "senior" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | ajaýyp | ||
| Uzbek | ajoyib | ||
| "Ajoyib" is an Uzbek word that means "great" or "wonderful" and is also used to describe something that is unusual or strange. | |||
| Uyghur | ئۇلۇغ | ||
Great in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | nui | ||
| In Old Hawaiian, “nui” also meant “to rise, to grow, or to become numerous”. | |||
| Maori | nui | ||
| The Maori word 'nui' can also refer to size or quantity, as in 'he tangata nui', a 'great person', or 'he whare nui', a 'large house'. | |||
| Samoan | matagofie | ||
| The origin of 'matagofie' comes from the Samoan words: mata ('eye') and gofie ('star'), meaning 'starry-eyed' or 'beautiful'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | malaki | ||
| The Tagalog word "malaki" can also mean "fat" or "rich". | |||
Great in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | kusawa | ||
| Guarani | iporã | ||
Great in International Languages
| Esperanto | bonega | ||
| "Bonega" is derived from the Polish word "dobry," meaning "good," with the Esperanto suffix "-eg-" added to indicate a superlative form. | |||
| Latin | magna | ||
| The word "magna" in Latin can also refer to a large, flat plate or a magnet | |||
Great in Others Languages
| Greek | μεγάλος | ||
| The word 'μεγάλος' can also refer to length, quantity, or value, or it can be used metaphorically. | |||
| Hmong | zoo kawg | ||
| The word "zoo kawg" also means "wonderful" and "magnificent" in Hmong, highlighting its positive connotation. | |||
| Kurdish | ecêb | ||
| The word 'ecêb' also means 'wonderful' or 'tremendous' in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | harika | ||
| The word "harika" in Turkish is derived from Arabic and Persian and means both "great" and "amazing". | |||
| Xhosa | kakhulu | ||
| Kakhulu is also a slang term for an elderly person or a person of high status. | |||
| Yiddish | גרויס | ||
| The Yiddish word "גרויס" ("great") derives from Middle High German "grôz" ("terrifying") and shares Germanic ancestry with the modern English word "grotesque." | |||
| Zulu | kuhle | ||
| The Zulu word "kuhle" has a broader meaning than simply "great", encompassing concepts of goodness, beauty, and even health. | |||
| Assamese | মহান | ||
| Aymara | kusawa | ||
| Bhojpuri | बढियाॅंं | ||
| Dhivehi | ބޮޑު | ||
| Dogri | महान | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | malaki | ||
| Guarani | iporã | ||
| Ilocano | naindaklan | ||
| Krio | rili | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | مەزن | ||
| Maithili | बहुत पैघ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯌꯥꯝꯅꯥ ꯐꯔꯦ | ||
| Mizo | ropui | ||
| Oromo | guddaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବହୁତ ଭଲ | ||
| Quechua | hatun | ||
| Sanskrit | महान् | ||
| Tatar | бик яхшы | ||
| Tigrinya | ምዑዝ | ||
| Tsonga | swikulu | ||