Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'grow' holds a significant place in our lives, symbolizing progress, development, and expansion. It's a concept deeply ingrained in various cultures, representing personal growth, agricultural abundance, and financial prosperity. 'Grow' is not just a word; it's a testament to life's continuous evolution.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'grow' in different languages can open up a world of cultural insights. For instance, in Spanish, 'grow' translates to 'crecer', which also means 'to increase' or 'to get bigger'. In French, 'grow' becomes 'grandir', a term that not only signifies physical growth but also emotional maturity.
So, why should one learn the translations of 'grow' in various languages? It's a simple yet powerful way to connect with people from different backgrounds, fostering understanding and appreciation for global diversity.
Here are some translations of 'grow' in various languages:
Afrikaans | groei | ||
"Groei" also means "green" in Afrikaans | |||
Amharic | ማደግ | ||
"ማደግ" is derived from the Proto-Semitic root *w-d-g, meaning "to stretch" or "to lengthen." | |||
Hausa | girma | ||
The Hausa word 'girma' is related to the word 'giramma' which means 'to get bigger' or 'to increase' in size or quantity. | |||
Igbo | too | ||
The Igbo verb "too" can also mean "to be born" or "to come into existence." | |||
Malagasy | mitombo | ||
The Malagasy word "mitombo" not only means "to grow" physically, but also "to increase" in wealth, status, or knowledge. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kukula | ||
"Kukula" can also mean "to be ripe" when referring to fruit, or "to ripen" when referring to fruit ripening. | |||
Shona | kukura | ||
The word "kukura" can also mean "to increase" or "to multiply" in Shona. | |||
Somali | koraan | ||
Koraan, meaning "to grow", shares roots with the word "kormor", meaning "a plant that is grown and cultivated in a garden". | |||
Sesotho | hola | ||
"Hola" is also a homophone of "ho la" (to go) and an archaic form of "ho ela" (to come). | |||
Swahili | kukua | ||
The Swahili word "kukua" can also refer to "to progress" or "to develop." | |||
Xhosa | khula | ||
The Xhosa word 'khula' carries the connotation of 'getting bigger' or 'becoming more prominent' in a broader sense, beyond mere physical growth. | |||
Yoruba | dagba | ||
The verb "dagba" in Yoruba, meaning "to grow", is derived from the word "agba", which means "elder" or "senior". This reflects the importance placed on growth and maturity in Yoruba culture. | |||
Zulu | khula | ||
The Zulu word "khula" can also mean "to open" or "to be wide". | |||
Bambara | ka falen | ||
Ewe | tsi | ||
Kinyarwanda | gukura | ||
Lingala | kokola | ||
Luganda | okukula | ||
Sepedi | gola | ||
Twi (Akan) | nyini | ||
Arabic | تنمو | ||
The Arabic verb 'تنمو' ('tanmū') shares its etymological root with 'name' (اسم), which reflects the concept of something gradually taking on a distinct identity. | |||
Hebrew | לגדול | ||
The Hebrew word "לגדול" also means "to become important" or "to become great." | |||
Pashto | وده کول | ||
The Pashto verb وده کول also means "develop" and "increase." | |||
Arabic | تنمو | ||
The Arabic verb 'تنمو' ('tanmū') shares its etymological root with 'name' (اسم), which reflects the concept of something gradually taking on a distinct identity. |
Albanian | rriten | ||
The word "rriten" can also mean "to increase" or "to develop". | |||
Basque | hazten | ||
"Hazten" comes from the proto-Basque *egarten "to increase, to become plentiful". | |||
Catalan | créixer | ||
"Créixer" (Catalan for "grow") comes from the Latin "crescere" (to grow) and is related to words like "increase," "crescent," and "decrescendo." | |||
Croatian | rasti | ||
The word "rasti" has Indo-European roots dating back to the Proto-Indo-European verb *h₁reǵ-, which meant "to stretch or extend". | |||
Danish | dyrke | ||
The Danish verb 'dyrke' not only means 'to grow' but also 'to worship' or 'to practise'. | |||
Dutch | toenemen | ||
The Dutch word "toenemen" can also mean "to increase" or "to gain strength". | |||
English | grow | ||
"Grow" derives from Old English "grōwan," meaning "to thrive," and is related to "green" and "grass." | |||
French | grandir | ||
The word "grandir" in French comes from the Latin word "grandis," meaning "large" or "tall." | |||
Frisian | groeie | ||
The Frisian word 'groeie' also means 'succeed' or 'prosper' | |||
Galician | medrar | ||
In medieval Galician, "medrar" could also mean "to improve one's behavior or social status". | |||
German | wachsen | ||
Wachsen can also mean "to wax" or "to increase", and is related to the English word "wax". | |||
Icelandic | vaxa | ||
The word is cognate with the Sanskrit word 'vaksa' which means 'increase' and 'progress'. | |||
Irish | fás | ||
The word "fás" is also used in Irish to refer to "a period of growth or development", or "a stage in a process". | |||
Italian | crescere | ||
The Latin verb "crescere" also means "to increase" or "to become greater". | |||
Luxembourgish | wuessen | ||
The word "wuessen" in Luxembourgish can also mean "to become" or "to get". | |||
Maltese | jikber | ||
The word 'jikber' is also used figuratively to mean 'to increase' or 'to multiply'. | |||
Norwegian | vokse | ||
The word "vokse" is cognate with "wax" and "axis" from Old Norse "vǫ́xtr", ultimately from Proto-Indo-European "*weg-/*woǵ-" ("to move"). | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | crescer | ||
The verb "crescer" in Portuguese derives from Latin "*crescere" and means not only "to grow" but also "to develop" or "to improve". | |||
Scots Gaelic | fàs | ||
The word "fàs" in Gaelic translates literally to the English "growth" or "that which increases". | |||
Spanish | crecer | ||
The Spanish verb "crecer" derives from the Latin "crescere", meaning "to increase" or "to become larger". | |||
Swedish | växa | ||
"Växa" also means "to wax" in Old English. | |||
Welsh | tyfu | ||
The word 'tyfu' originally meant 'swell,' 'expand', or 'inflate,' and this earlier sense is still visible in its literal and extended senses. |
Belarusian | расці | ||
The word "расці" can also mean "to educate" or "to bring up" in Belarusian. | |||
Bosnian | rasti | ||
"Rastem" is a cognate of the Polish verb "rosnąć" and the Russian verb "расти", all deriving from the Proto-Slavic root *rast- "to grow, become taller". | |||
Bulgarian | растат | ||
Растет is also a verb that means to become, to develop into something. | |||
Czech | růst | ||
In Czech, "růst" also means "increase" or "rise" in the context of prices or values. | |||
Estonian | kasvama | ||
"Kasvama" in addition to 'grow', also relates to a 'growth' in the sense of an interest payment or an increase in capital. | |||
Finnish | kasvaa | ||
The verb "kasvaa" derives from the Proto-Finnic root "*kasV-," meaning "to sprout". It is cognate with the Estonian verb "kasvama" and the Veps verb "kazvada." | |||
Hungarian | nő | ||
"Nő" also means "woman" or "wife" in Hungarian. | |||
Latvian | augt | ||
The word "augt" can also mean "to increase" or "to develop." | |||
Lithuanian | augti | ||
Lithuanian word "augti" also means "to raise" or "to breed" livestock. | |||
Macedonian | растат | ||
The verb "растат" in Macedonian also means "to develop", "to increase", or "to get bigger". | |||
Polish | rosnąć | ||
In the 19th century the word "rosnąć" was used with the meaning of "to be born". | |||
Romanian | crește | ||
Romanian "crește" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *ker, meaning "to increase or grow," and is related to the English "harvest" and the Sanskrit "kri" (to do, make or create). | |||
Russian | расти | ||
The Russian verb "расти" not only means "to grow", but also "to be born", "to appear". | |||
Serbian | расти | ||
In botany, the word 'расти' can also refer to 'vegetation' or 'plants'. | |||
Slovak | rásť, pestovať | ||
It is cognate with 'rosnąc' in Polish and both come from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reǵ- 'to grow, to become stiff'. | |||
Slovenian | rastejo | ||
The verb "rastejo" can also refer to the expansion of dough or yeast. | |||
Ukrainian | зростати | ||
The word “зростати” (“grow”) is cognate with the words “рост” (“growth”), “род” (“genus”), “рожати” (“to give birth”) and “урожай” (“harvest”). |
Bengali | বৃদ্ধি | ||
In Assamese, the word "বৃদ্ধি" can also mean "to grow old". | |||
Gujarati | વધવા | ||
"વધવા" is the Gujurati word for "grow", but can also mean to "increase" or "gain" something. | |||
Hindi | बढ़ना | ||
बढ़ना (baṛhnā) is a verb derived from the Sanskrit word 'vṛdh' meaning 'to increase' and also has a secondary meaning of 'to mature'. | |||
Kannada | ಬೆಳೆಯಿರಿ | ||
"ಬೆಳೆಯಿರಿ" (grow) comes from the Proto-Dravidian root *wiRi- meaning "to become large" or "to increase in size". | |||
Malayalam | വളരുക | ||
In Malayalam, "വളരുക" shares an etymological root with "വലിയ" ("large") and "വളഞ്ഞ" ("curved"), suggesting size increase and change in form. | |||
Marathi | वाढू | ||
The root word of वढू meaning “increase” also suggests a sense of “progress by gradual evolution.” | |||
Nepali | बढ्नु | ||
The root of the word बढ्नु is the Sanskrit word वृध्, which also means 'increase' or 'expand' | |||
Punjabi | ਵਧਣ | ||
Its root stems from the Sanskrit 'vrih,' meaning 'increase,' reflecting its semantic connection to growth. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වැඩෙන්න | ||
"වැඩෙන්න" can also mean "to be constructed" or "to be improved" in Sinhala. | |||
Tamil | வளர | ||
The Tamil word "வளர" can also mean "to become wealthy" or "to expand". | |||
Telugu | పెరుగు | ||
The word "పెరుగు" (grow) in Telugu is derived from the Sanskrit word "प्ररूढः" meaning "grown" or "sprouted." | |||
Urdu | بڑھ | ||
The Urdu word “बढ़,” which means “grow,” might come from the Sanskrit word “वर्ध” or the Proto-Indo-European language word “*werd”. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 增长 | ||
The character '增' in '增长' means 'increase', and the character '长' means 'length': so the compound literally means 'increasing in length' | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 增長 | ||
The word "增長" can also mean "to increase" or "to grow in strength or size". | |||
Japanese | 成長する | ||
Japanese word "成長する" literally means "to be successful," but it is often used to mean "to grow". | |||
Korean | 자라다 | ||
"자라다" (grow) also means "to be born" or "to ripen" in Korean. | |||
Mongolian | өсөх | ||
The Mongolian word "өсөх" can also mean "to prosper" or "to increase in size or number". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ကြီးထွားလာတယ် | ||
Indonesian | tumbuh | ||
The Indonesian word "tumbuh" derives from the Proto-Austronesian term for "sprout" or "shoot", reflecting its primary connotation of plant growth. | |||
Javanese | tuwuh | ||
The Javanese word "tuwuh" has alternate meanings including "to emerge" and "to arise." | |||
Khmer | លូតលាស់ | ||
Lao | ເຕີບໃຫຍ່ | ||
Malay | tumbuh | ||
The word "tumbuh" in Malay can also mean "to increase in size or quantity" or "to develop or mature". | |||
Thai | เติบโต | ||
The Thai word "เติบโต" can also mean "to mature" or "to develop". | |||
Vietnamese | lớn lên | ||
The word "lớn lên" literally means "menjadi besar" (to become large) or "menjadi tua" (to become old) | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | lumaki | ||
Azerbaijani | böyümək | ||
The Azerbaijani word | |||
Kazakh | өсу | ||
"Өсу" also means "development" or "progress". | |||
Kyrgyz | өсүү | ||
In the Kyrgyz language, "өсүү" means to increase in size or extent, similar to the English word "growth". | |||
Tajik | калон шудан | ||
Калон шудан Калон из арабского корнево "головакон" (корневой став или) и "сиринговак" (корневой сторона). | |||
Turkmen | ösmek | ||
Uzbek | o'sadi | ||
The word "o'sadi" can also mean "to increase". | |||
Uyghur | ئۆسۈڭ | ||
Hawaiian | ulu | ||
In Hawaiian, 'ulu' can also mean 'breadfruit' or 'to develop (mentally)'. | |||
Maori | whakatipu | ||
In Maori, the verb 'Whakatipu' can also mean 'to develop', 'to educate', or 'to bring into being'. | |||
Samoan | tupu | ||
"Tupu" also means "chief" in Samoan, and is often used to address those in positions of authority. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | lumaki | ||
The Tagalog word "lumaki" can also mean "to become mature" or "to increase in size, strength, or importance". |
Aymara | jilaña | ||
Guarani | kakuaa | ||
Esperanto | kreski | ||
The word "kreski" in Esperanto is borrowed from Polish and also means "to draw" or "to sketch". | |||
Latin | crescere | ||
Latin 'crescere' shares its root with 'creation' and 'increase'. |
Greek | καλλιεργώ | ||
The Greek word "καλλιεργώ" (grow) comes from the words "καλός" (beautiful) and "έργον" (work). Figuratively, it's used to describe mental and spiritual growth. | |||
Hmong | loj hlob | ||
The alternate meaning of "loj hlob" is "to gain weight". | |||
Kurdish | mezinbûn | ||
The word "mezinbûn" also means "to be weaned" in Kurdish. | |||
Turkish | büyümek | ||
The word 'büyümek' in Turkish comes from the Old Turkic word 'büri-' meaning 'to become' or 'to change'. | |||
Xhosa | khula | ||
The Xhosa word 'khula' carries the connotation of 'getting bigger' or 'becoming more prominent' in a broader sense, beyond mere physical growth. | |||
Yiddish | וואַקסן | ||
The Yiddish word 'וואַקסן' ('vaksn') is cognate with the German word 'wachsen' and the English word 'wax,' reflecting its shared Indo-European root. | |||
Zulu | khula | ||
The Zulu word "khula" can also mean "to open" or "to be wide". | |||
Assamese | বিকশিত হোৱা | ||
Aymara | jilaña | ||
Bhojpuri | बढ़ल | ||
Dhivehi | ބޮޑުވުން | ||
Dogri | बधना | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | lumaki | ||
Guarani | kakuaa | ||
Ilocano | dumakkel | ||
Krio | gro | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | گەشەکردن | ||
Maithili | बढ़नाइ | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯥꯎꯈꯠꯄ | ||
Mizo | thang | ||
Oromo | guddachuu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ବ grow ନ୍ତୁ | | ||
Quechua | wiñay | ||
Sanskrit | परिवर्धते | ||
Tatar | үсә | ||
Tigrinya | ዕበ | ||
Tsonga | kula | ||