Growing in Different Languages
Discover 'Growing' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'growing' 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 economic prosperity. Understanding its translation in different languages can open up new avenues of communication and cultural exchange.
Did you know that the English word 'grow' is derived from the Old English word 'growan'? This term has been used for centuries to describe the natural process of growth in living beings and the expansion of non-living entities, such as businesses and ideas.
As we delve into the translations of 'growing', we'll explore how diverse languages and cultures express this universal concept. Here are a few examples to pique your interest:
- French: 'poussant'
- Spanish: 'creciendo'
- German: 'wachsend'
- Mandarin: '成长' (chéng zhǎng)
- Japanese: '成長' (seichō)
Growing
Growing in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | groei | ||
| In Afrikaans, "groei" can also refer to a period of development or progress, or a collection of something that is growing. | |||
| Amharic | እያደገ | ||
| እየደገ means 'growing' and is composed from the root ደግ which conveys the meaning 'add' plus ኣይ (progressive form). | |||
| Hausa | girma | ||
| The name Girma derives from the Hausa verb "girma"," to grow." | |||
| Igbo | na-eto | ||
| Na-eto, when used in the context of a conversation, can also mean 'to increase' or 'to multiply'. | |||
| Malagasy | hitomb | ||
| The word "hitombo" can also refer to "growing up" or "maturing." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kukula | ||
| The alternate meaning of "kukula" in Nyanja (Chichewa) is "to increase in size or quantity." | |||
| Shona | kukura | ||
| The word "kukura" can also refer to "emerging", "increasing", or "coming out" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | sii kordhaya | ||
| The verb "sii kordhaya" in Somali can also mean "to develop" or "to increase". | |||
| Sesotho | ho hola | ||
| The word "ho hola" also means "to get old" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | kukua | ||
| The word "kukua" in Swahili also means "to grow up" or "to mature". | |||
| Xhosa | ukukhula | ||
| The word "ukukhula" in Xhosa has a deeper connotation, signifying the process of maturing and flourishing. | |||
| Yoruba | dagba | ||
| The word “dagba” is commonly used to mean growing, but also means being mature or experienced. | |||
| Zulu | ukukhula | ||
| The Zulu word "ukukhula" also connotes the idea of "ripening" or "maturing." | |||
| Bambara | ka bonya | ||
| Ewe | tsitsi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gukura | ||
| Lingala | kokola | ||
| Luganda | okukula | ||
| Sepedi | go gola | ||
| Twi (Akan) | a ɛrenyin | ||
Growing in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | متزايد | ||
| In its literal sense, متزايد means 'increasing' or 'progressive'. | |||
| Hebrew | גָדֵל | ||
| The Hebrew word "גדל" also means 'to be great' or 'to be raised up' and derives from the root verb ג-ד-ל, conveying the idea of elevation or increase. | |||
| Pashto | وده کول | ||
| The Pashto word "وده کول" not only means "growing" but also refers to the process of "becoming" or "arriving at a particular state." | |||
| Arabic | متزايد | ||
| In its literal sense, متزايد means 'increasing' or 'progressive'. | |||
Growing in Western European Languages
| Albanian | në rritje | ||
| Në rritje derives from the verb 'rrit', which has a range of meanings depending on its context, from 'to raise' to 'to increase', 'to grow', 'to rear' and 'to bring up'. | |||
| Basque | hazten | ||
| The word "hazten" in Basque is derived from the Proto-Basque root "*-tzen", meaning "to make" or "to become." | |||
| Catalan | creixent | ||
| The Catalan word "creixent" also means "crescent", referring to the shape of the moon during its first quarter. | |||
| Croatian | rastući | ||
| Rastući shares etymology with Croatian word meaning "to spread" and Polish verb "rosnąć" meaning "to grow." | |||
| Danish | vokser | ||
| The Danish word "vokser" derives from the Proto-Germanic verb "wahsjan" and is related to the English word "wax". | |||
| Dutch | groeien | ||
| The Dutch word "groeien" (growing) is related to the English "green". | |||
| English | growing | ||
| In Old English, "grow" meant "to rise, increase, or become taller," but it was also used figuratively to describe spiritual or intellectual development. | |||
| French | croissance | ||
| "Croissance" also means "rise" or "increase" in various contexts. | |||
| Frisian | groeiende | ||
| 'Groeiende' has alternate meanings such as 'blooming', 'thriving' and 'prospering' in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | medrando | ||
| In the expression "medrar en virtudes\, | |||
| German | wachsend | ||
| The word "wachsend" can also refer to the rising tide or swelling of a river. | |||
| Icelandic | vaxandi | ||
| The Old Norse word "vaxandi" is the past participle of the verb "vexa" (to make or become larger) and also refers to growth or increase. | |||
| Irish | ag fás | ||
| The word "ag fás" can have the alternate meaning of "growing in size or importance". | |||
| Italian | in crescita | ||
| In Italian, "in crescita" can also mean "on the rise" or "booming". | |||
| Luxembourgish | wuessen | ||
| Growing is sometimes figuratively used for 'to increase', like 'the noise grew' or 'the love grew between them'. | |||
| Maltese | jikber | ||
| The word "jikber" can also be used to mean "to germinate" or "to sprout". | |||
| Norwegian | vokser | ||
| "Vokser" derives from the Old Norse word "vǫxtr," meaning "growth, stature, height." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | crescendo | ||
| In Portuguese, "crescendo" can also mean "the act of increasing" or "a gradual rise in intensity." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | a ’fàs | ||
| "A ’fàs" can also mean to improve, or increase in stature. | |||
| Spanish | creciente | ||
| The Spanish word "creciente" has multiple meanings including waxing (referring to a crescent moon), increasing, and fertile. | |||
| Swedish | växande | ||
| The Swedish word “växande” is cognate to the English word | |||
| Welsh | tyfu | ||
| The Welsh verb "tyfu," meaning "to grow," also appears in the phrase "bod tyfu," which means "a young person who is growing physically and emotionally." | |||
Growing in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | расце | ||
| The word `расце` originates from Slavic roots, where it is related to words signifying 'sprouting'. In some Slavic languages, its derivatives denote different stages of plant growth. | |||
| Bosnian | raste | ||
| In Serbo-Croatian, "raste" has a different meaning: "plants", referring to the world of flora, in contrast to the fauna. | |||
| Bulgarian | нарастващ | ||
| The word "нарастващ" in Bulgarian also means "increasing" or "rising". | |||
| Czech | rostoucí | ||
| "Rostoucí" also translates into "sprouting" and is similar to the French term "rosir" (pink, blush). | |||
| Estonian | kasvab | ||
| The word "kasvab" is derived from the Proto-Finnic root *kasva- and is related to Finnish "kasvaa" (to grow), "kasvi" (plant) and "kasvu" (growth), as well as Hungarian "kosár" (basket) and "koszorú" (wreath). | |||
| Finnish | kasvaa | ||
| Finnish "kasvaa" means both "to grow" and "to become wealthy". | |||
| Hungarian | növekvő | ||
| The verb "növekvő" can also mean to "grow" as in the sense of "getting bigger" or "maturing." | |||
| Latvian | aug | ||
| Latvian “aug” (like in “augt,” meaning to grow) is a cognate of the Greek “aux-” (as in “auxein,” also meaning to grow). | |||
| Lithuanian | auga | ||
| "Auga" also means "to grow upwards" and "to rise" in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | растење | ||
| The Macedonian word "растење" also means "vegetation" and is derived from the verb "расти" which means "to grow." | |||
| Polish | rozwój | ||
| The Polish word "rozwój" shares a common root with the Sanskrit term "rudh" which means "to grow". | |||
| Romanian | creştere | ||
| The Romanian word "creştere" is derived from the Latin word "crescere," which means "to increase" or "to grow." | |||
| Russian | растущий | ||
| The Russian word "растущий" can also refer to the process of developing or increasing, such as "растущая популярность" ("growing popularity"). | |||
| Serbian | расте | ||
| The word "расте" can also refer to a plant or herb. | |||
| Slovak | rastie | ||
| The Slovak word "rastie" also means "a plant". | |||
| Slovenian | raste | ||
| Raste is a common Slavic word and in different Slavic languages it has the meaning of “growing”, “growing up”, “thriving”, “flourishing”, “gaining weight”, “spreading”, “being fat”, but also “fat”, “thick”, “dense”, etc. | |||
| Ukrainian | зростаючий | ||
| The word "зростаючий" in Ukrainian derives from the Proto-Slavic root "*rost-" meaning "to grow" and is cognate with the English word "rust" in its sense of "to collect gradually". | |||
Growing in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ক্রমবর্ধমান | ||
| “ক্রমবর্ধমান” can also mean “increasing in intensity or amount” in English. | |||
| Gujarati | વધતી જતી | ||
| The verb "વધતી જતી" can be derived from the Middle Gujarati word "વધ", meaning "to be large" or "to increase". | |||
| Hindi | बढ़ रही है | ||
| The Hindi word 'बढ़ रही है' can also mean 'increasing' or 'becoming more', and is derived from the root word 'बढ़ना' (to grow). | |||
| Kannada | ಬೆಳೆಯುತ್ತಿದೆ | ||
| The word "ಬೆಳೆಯುತ್ತಿದೆ" primarily means "growing" in Kannada, but it can also refer to "increasing" or "expanding". | |||
| Malayalam | വളരുന്നു | ||
| The Malayalam word "വളരുന്നു" means both "to grow" and "to develop mentally or emotionally". | |||
| Marathi | वाढत आहे | ||
| The word वाढत आहे can also mean "increasing" or "developing" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | बढ्दै | ||
| The word "बढ्दै" derives from the Sanskrit root "वृध्" (vṛdh), meaning "to grow" or "to increase." | |||
| Punjabi | ਵਧ ਰਹੀ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වර්ධනය වෙමින් පවතී | ||
| The term has an etymology from Sanskrit where it means to progress or to expand. | |||
| Tamil | வளர்ந்து வரும் | ||
| Telugu | పెరుగుతున్న | ||
| Urdu | بڑھتی ہوئی | ||
| This word in Urdu is also used to denote a person who has a good reputation. | |||
Growing in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 生长 | ||
| The word "生长" (growing) can also refer to the process of producing or manufacturing something. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 生長 | ||
| 生 (shēng) means to give birth, life, or grow, while 長 (zhǎng) means to grow or to lengthen. | |||
| Japanese | 成長している | ||
| '成長している' can also mean 'being developed' or 'being cultivated.' | |||
| Korean | 성장 | ||
| 성장 can also mean development, increase, expansion, improvement, and enrichment. | |||
| Mongolian | өсөн нэмэгдэж байна | ||
| The word 'өсөн нэмэгдэж байна' ('growing') has a literal meaning of 'increasing' or 'becoming larger' and also refers to the increase in quantity, extent, or importance of something over time. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကြီးထွားလာသည် | ||
Growing in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | pertumbuhan | ||
| In Indonesian, the word 'pertumbuhan' can also refer to 'development', 'progress', or 'advancement'. | |||
| Javanese | saya gedhe | ||
| The word "saya gedhe" in Javanese can also refer to a type of traditional Javanese dance movement that involves swaying and bending of the body. | |||
| Khmer | រីកលូតលាស់ | ||
| Lao | ການຂະຫຍາຍຕົວ | ||
| Malay | berkembang | ||
| The word "berkembang" in Malay can also mean "to develop" or "to evolve". | |||
| Thai | การเติบโต | ||
| The Thai word "การเติบโต" can also refer to the process of accumulating wealth or knowledge. | |||
| Vietnamese | phát triển | ||
| Phát triển means both "developing" and "prospering" because it has roots in a word meaning "to flourish, grow vigorously" | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lumalaki | ||
Growing in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | böyüyür | ||
| "Böyüyür" is an Azerbaijani word with Proto-Turkic origin, meaning both "growing" and "becoming great or important." | |||
| Kazakh | өсуде | ||
| The Kazakh word "өсуде" also means "development" or "progress". | |||
| Kyrgyz | өсүп жатат | ||
| The word "өсүп жатат" can also refer to the process of growing up or maturing. | |||
| Tajik | афзоиш меёбад | ||
| Turkmen | ösýär | ||
| Uzbek | o'sib borayotgan | ||
| The word "o'sib borayotgan" in Uzbek also means "developing" and "increasing". | |||
| Uyghur | كۆپىيىۋاتىدۇ | ||
Growing in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ke ulu nei | ||
| "Ke ulu nei" also means "to grow up" or "to become an adult". | |||
| Maori | whakatipu | ||
| 'Whakatipu' can also mean 'to make grow' and 'to produce'. | |||
| Samoan | tuputupu aʻe | ||
| "Tuputupu aʻe" also means "to evolve" in Samoan, conveying a sense of growth beyond physical dimensions. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | lumalaki | ||
| The word "lumalaki" in Tagalog also means "becoming big" or "getting larger". | |||
Growing in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jiltaski | ||
| Guarani | okakuaa ohóvo | ||
Growing in International Languages
| Esperanto | kreskanta | ||
| The word "kreskanta" can also mean "increasing" or "becoming greater". | |||
| Latin | crescente | ||
| The word "crescente" also refers to the shape of a crescent moon or its symbol representing Islam. | |||
Growing in Others Languages
| Greek | αυξάνεται | ||
| The Greek word "αυξάνεται" can also mean "to increase" or "to multiply". | |||
| Hmong | hlob | ||
| The word "hlob" in Hmong also means "to sprout" or "to germinate". | |||
| Kurdish | mezin dibin | ||
| "Mezin dibin" is a compound word in Kurdish, with "mezin" meaning "big" and "dibin" meaning "root" or "foundation". | |||
| Turkish | büyüyen | ||
| The verb "büyümek" (to grow) also means "to cast a spell" in Turkish, implying a supernatural growth or change. | |||
| Xhosa | ukukhula | ||
| The word "ukukhula" in Xhosa has a deeper connotation, signifying the process of maturing and flourishing. | |||
| Yiddish | גראָוינג | ||
| The Yiddish word "גראָוינג" can also refer to a person who is tall or has a large appetite. | |||
| Zulu | ukukhula | ||
| The Zulu word "ukukhula" also connotes the idea of "ripening" or "maturing." | |||
| Assamese | বৃদ্ধি পোৱা | ||
| Aymara | jiltaski | ||
| Bhojpuri | बढ़ रहल बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ބޮޑުވަމުންނެވެ | ||
| Dogri | बढ़ते हुए | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lumalaki | ||
| Guarani | okakuaa ohóvo | ||
| Ilocano | dumakdakkel | ||
| Krio | we de gro | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | گەشەکردن | ||
| Maithili | बढ़ते हुए | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯦꯅꯒꯠꯂꯛꯂꯤ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | a lo thang lian zel | ||
| Oromo | guddachaa dhufeera | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବ growing ୁଛି | | ||
| Quechua | wiñaspa | ||
| Sanskrit | वर्धमानः | ||
| Tatar | үсә | ||
| Tigrinya | እናዓበየ ይኸይድ ኣሎ። | ||
| Tsonga | ku kula | ||