Updated on March 6, 2024
Have you ever stopped to consider the significance and cultural importance of the word 'guess'? This simple term, often used in everyday conversation, carries with it a world of curiosity and intrigue. From making an educated estimate to pondering a mystery, 'guess' is a versatile word that transcends cultural boundaries.
Throughout history, the concept of guessing has played a crucial role in various aspects of society, including games, literature, and even scientific exploration. For instance, ancient civilizations relied on divination, a form of guesswork, to foretell the future and make important decisions.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'guess' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultures and traditions of various countries around the world.
For example, in Spanish, 'guess' translates to 'adivinar,' while in French, it becomes 'deviner.' In German, the word 'raten' is used, and in Japanese, 'sagasu' is the term for 'guess.'
Join us as we delve deeper into the fascinating world of 'guess' and its translations in different languages!
Afrikaans | raai | ||
The Afrikaans word "raai" ultimately derives from the Proto-Germanic word *rēdan, meaning "to advise" or "to decide". This sense is retained in some Afrikaans derivatives of "raai", such as "raad" ("advice") and "beraadslaag" ("to deliberate"). | |||
Amharic | መገመት | ||
In Amharic, "መገመት" can also mean "to think" or "to suppose". | |||
Hausa | tsammani | ||
In Hausa, the word tsammani, which means guess, is also used to describe a type of traditional divination. | |||
Igbo | maa | ||
Igbo 'maa' also means "to think" or "to believe." | |||
Malagasy | maminavina | ||
The Malagasy word "maminavina" means "guess" and derives from the root "avina" or "vinavina" meaning "request" or "ask". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | ndikuganiza | ||
“Ndikuganiza” means “I’m thinking of you”, but the word “kuganiza” also means “to make pottery”, suggesting the original sense might have been “I think of you as if you were made of clay”, thus “I can make you any way I want”. | |||
Shona | fungidzira | ||
The Shona word "fungidzira" originates from the word "furidzira," which means "to think carefully". | |||
Somali | malee | ||
The word "malee" in Somali, meaning "guess", is also used in the context of gambling and chance. | |||
Sesotho | hakanya | ||
The term 'hakanya' also signifies 'speculating', 'deducing', or 'predicting' in Sesotho. | |||
Swahili | nadhani | ||
Nadhani originated from the verb 'dhani' which means to assume, suppose, or make a judgement. | |||
Xhosa | thelekelela | ||
The Xhosa word "Thelekelela" is derived from the verb "theleka," meaning "to be at a loss or in doubt" | |||
Yoruba | gboju le won | ||
The Yoruba word "gboju le won" not only means "guess," but also implies "put your ear on the ground" or "listen to the sounds of the soil," connecting it to the traditional Yoruba belief in the power of the earth and the ancestors. | |||
Zulu | ukuqagela | ||
The word "ukuqagela" can also mean "to estimate" or "to predict". | |||
Bambara | ka jaabi ɲinin | ||
Ewe | bui | ||
Kinyarwanda | tekereza | ||
Lingala | kokanisa | ||
Luganda | okuteeba | ||
Sepedi | akanya | ||
Twi (Akan) | bu | ||
Arabic | خمن | ||
The Arabic word 'خمن' (guess) derives from the verb 'خم', and also refers to a type of divination in which a person interprets a random set of marks on a surface. | |||
Hebrew | לְנַחֵשׁ | ||
The Hebrew word "לְנַחֵשׁ" is derived from the root "נחש" which also means "serpent", suggesting a connection between divination and snakes in ancient Hebrew culture. | |||
Pashto | اټکل | ||
اټکل can derive from the word اټولول which means "to guess" or "to reckon". | |||
Arabic | خمن | ||
The Arabic word 'خمن' (guess) derives from the verb 'خم', and also refers to a type of divination in which a person interprets a random set of marks on a surface. |
Albanian | hamendësoj | ||
It is thought to be derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *gʰen- (“to know, to perceive”) | |||
Basque | asmatu | ||
The word "asmatu" also means "to estimate" in Basque. | |||
Catalan | endevinalla | ||
The Catalan word "endevinalla" comes from the Latin word "aenigma," which also means "riddle" or "puzzle." | |||
Croatian | pogodite | ||
The etymological origin of the word "pogodite" is unclear, but some linguists believe it may be derived from a Slavic root meaning "to ask questions" or "to seek knowledge." | |||
Danish | gætte | ||
The word 'gætte' also has the meaning 'to pay attention' or 'to observe'. | |||
Dutch | raad eens | ||
Raad eens is a compound word that translates to 'guess once' and implies that the guesser only has one attempt. | |||
English | guess | ||
The word "guess" comes from the Old Norse word "giska", meaning "to seek" or "to search for" | |||
French | devine | ||
In French, "devine" is also a noun meaning "riddle" or "puzzle". | |||
Frisian | riede | ||
Riede has a secondary meaning of "to estimate" or "to calculate". | |||
Galician | adiviña | ||
The Galician word "adiviña" comes from the Latin word "adivinare", meaning "to foresee" or "to predict", and is related to the Spanish word "adivinar". | |||
German | vermuten | ||
The word "vermuten" is derived from the Middle High German word "vermuoten", which means "to suspect". | |||
Icelandic | giska á | ||
"Giska á" originates from old Norse "giski", meaning to value or deem something. | |||
Irish | buille faoi thuairim | ||
Italian | indovina | ||
"Indovinare" comes from the Latin expression "ad divinare," which means "to foretell" or "to divine." | |||
Luxembourgish | roden | ||
The verb "roden" also means "to clear" in the context of clearing land, i.e. "to cut down trees and remove stumps and roots." | |||
Maltese | raden | ||
The Maltese word "raden" also means "to divine" or "to predict". | |||
Norwegian | gjett | ||
The Norwegian word "gjett" is cognate with the English word "get", both deriving from the Proto-Germanic root "*gatjaną", meaning "to obtain" or "to acquire". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | acho | ||
In Portuguese, 'acho' can also mean 'I think' or 'I feel'. | |||
Scots Gaelic | guidh | ||
The word "guidh" in Scots Gaelic can also mean "to try" or "to attempt". | |||
Spanish | adivinar | ||
"Adivinar" also derives from the Arabic "'a'rafa" (to know) and shares the same Proto-Indo-European root with "know" in English. | |||
Swedish | gissa | ||
The word "gissa" is derived from the Old Norse word "geta," meaning "to think" or "to imagine." | |||
Welsh | dyfalu | ||
Dyfalu, also meaning 'to guess', is derived from the Old Welsh word 'dyfal', meaning 'expectation' or 'hope'. |
Belarusian | здагадайся | ||
The Belarusian word "здагадайся" is cognate with the Russian verb "догадаться" and means "guess" or "surmise". | |||
Bosnian | pogodi | ||
The word "pogodi" can also mean "wait" in Serbian. | |||
Bulgarian | познайте | ||
"Познайте" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*poznati", which means "to recognize, to know". | |||
Czech | tipni si | ||
The word "tipni si" (guess) can also mean "tip over" or "fall over" in Czech. | |||
Estonian | arvan ära | ||
"Arvama" comes from Proto-Finnic *arv- which, in addition to guessing, also meant telling or relating something. | |||
Finnish | arvaus | ||
The word "arvaus" derives from the root word "arvata", meaning "to suspect" or "to suppose". | |||
Hungarian | találd ki | ||
The word "Találd ki" in Hungarian can also mean "discover" or "figure out". | |||
Latvian | uzmini | ||
The Latvian word "uzmini" shares a root with "zināt" meaning "to know", indicating its connection to the process of accessing previously learned information. | |||
Lithuanian | spėk | ||
The word "spėk” can also mean "expect" or "hope for" | |||
Macedonian | погоди | ||
The word "погоди" is an imperative of the verb "погада", meaning "to divine" or "to foretell". | |||
Polish | odgadnąć | ||
The word "odgadnąć" also means "solve a puzzle"} | |||
Romanian | ghici | ||
Ghici also means "seer" or "oracle" and is cognate with the Albanian word "gjyq" (judge). | |||
Russian | угадать | ||
The Russian word "угадать" can also mean "to predict" or "to guess" the future. | |||
Serbian | погоди | ||
The word 'погоди' also means 'wait' and is used to tell someone to wait or to be patient. | |||
Slovak | hádajte | ||
The Slovak word "hádajte" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *gadati, meaning "to divine" or "to tell fortunes. | |||
Slovenian | ugibati | ||
The word "ugibati" is also used in a broader sense for "to try, to test", but without necessarily intending to find the truth, for example "Ugibamo, kako bomo danes preživeli." (We try and think how we can spend today). | |||
Ukrainian | здогадайся | ||
The word "здогадайся" in Ukrainian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*gadati", which also meant "to think" or "to suppose". |
Bengali | অনুমান | ||
The word 'অনুমান' is derived from the Sanskrit word ' अनुमान', which means 'inference' or 'conclusion'. | |||
Gujarati | અનુમાન | ||
In Sanskrit, the word 'अन्वमान' literally means 'measuring after something'. | |||
Hindi | अनुमान | ||
The word 'अनुमान' derives from Sanskrit and can also refer to 'inference' or 'deduction'. | |||
Kannada | .ಹಿಸಿ | ||
The word "ಹಿಸಿ" can also mean "to think" or "to assume". | |||
Malayalam | ഊഹിക്കുക | ||
'ഊഹിക്കുക' is etymologically related to 'thought', and its usage in Malayalam can be interchangeable with terms for 'presume' and 'assume'. | |||
Marathi | अंदाज | ||
Marathi word "अंदाज" derives from Persian word for conjecture - andāza. | |||
Nepali | अनुमान | ||
The word अनुमान in Nepali originates from the Sanskrit word अनुमान and it also means the conclusion reached by an inference. | |||
Punjabi | ਅਨੁਮਾਨ ਲਗਾਓ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අනුමාන | ||
The verb "අනුමාන" in Sinhala can also mean "to suppose," "to infer," or "to assume." | |||
Tamil | யூகம் | ||
The word "யூகம்" in Tamil can also mean "conjecture" or "inference". | |||
Telugu | అంచనా | ||
The word "అంచనా" in Telugu is derived from the Sanskrit word "अनुमान" (anumāna), meaning "inference" or "conjecture". | |||
Urdu | اندازہ لگائیں | ||
Chinese (Simplified) | 猜测 | ||
猜测的“测”字,源自甲骨文的“觢”,意为占卜,反映了古代人们通过占卜来推断吉凶的观念。 | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 猜測 | ||
「猜測」在中文中的詞源可能源自於「才說」或「解說」,表達出推測或預測的含意。 | |||
Japanese | 推測 | ||
"推測" literally means "pushing the thought": to make a judgement by using your intuition or experience. | |||
Korean | 추측 | ||
추측 means not only to guess, but also to make a conjecture or presumption. | |||
Mongolian | таах | ||
The Mongolian word "таах" can also mean "to think" or "to consider". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | မှန်းဆ | ||
Indonesian | tebak | ||
The word 'tebak' is also used in Javanese language, with the same meaning. | |||
Javanese | dugaan | ||
The Javanese word "dugaan" can also mean "estimation" or "assumption". | |||
Khmer | ទាយ | ||
The noun ទាយ also means 'a bet or wager' and the verb can mean 'to predict' or 'to assume'. | |||
Lao | ຄາດເດົາ | ||
Malay | meneka | ||
The Malay word "meneka" can be derived from the Sanskrit "man" meaning to think, or the Proto-Austronesian root "-nka-," which indicates a question. | |||
Thai | เดา | ||
เดา (เดา) มาจากคำว่า 'เด' + 'อา' ซึ่งคำว่า 'เด' หมายถึง 'คิด' ส่วน 'อา' เป็นคำปฏิเสธ แปลว่า ไม่คิดหรือคาดหมาย | |||
Vietnamese | phỏng đoán | ||
The word "phỏng đoán" can also mean "conjecture" or "supposition". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | hulaan | ||
Azerbaijani | tahmin | ||
The word "tahmin" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Persian word "takhmin", meaning "estimate" or "conjecture". | |||
Kazakh | болжау | ||
The word "болжау" is derived from the verb "бол", meaning "to speak" or "to utter". | |||
Kyrgyz | божомол | ||
The word "божомол" can also refer to a praying mantis, an insect known for its predatory behavior and distinctive posture. | |||
Tajik | тахмин кардан | ||
The verb "тахмин кардан" literally means "to make a judgment" and "to evaluate". | |||
Turkmen | çaklaň | ||
Uzbek | taxmin qilish | ||
As a noun, "taxmin" refers to a hypothesis or presumption. | |||
Uyghur | پەرەز | ||
Hawaiian | kuhi manaʻo | ||
"Kuhi manaʻo" also means "to think" or "to have an idea" in Hawaiian. | |||
Maori | pōhēhē | ||
The word 'pōhēhē' in Māori can also mean 'to inquire,' 'to ask,' or 'to think.' | |||
Samoan | mate | ||
The Samoan word "mate" is originally a word used for a guess in a game. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | hulaan | ||
"Hulaan" also means "to foretell" and "to forecast" in Tagalog. |
Aymara | chiqt'aña | ||
Guarani | mba'emotepa | ||
Esperanto | divenu | ||
The Esperanto word "divenu" is derived from the Latin "divināre", meaning "to divine" or "to foretell". | |||
Latin | coniecto | ||
The word "coniecto" also means "to try" or "to attempt" in Latin. |
Greek | εικασία | ||
The word "εἰκασία" derives from the Ancient Greek verb εικάζω (eikazō), meaning "to guess" or "to think." | |||
Hmong | twv | ||
The Hmong word "twv" can also mean "opinion" or "point of view". | |||
Kurdish | texmîn | ||
In the context of fortune-telling, "texmîn" means "casting lots, divination." | |||
Turkish | tahmin | ||
The word "tahmin" in Turkish also has the alternate meaning of "estimation" or "forecasting". | |||
Xhosa | thelekelela | ||
The Xhosa word "Thelekelela" is derived from the verb "theleka," meaning "to be at a loss or in doubt" | |||
Yiddish | טרעפן | ||
The Yiddish word "טרעפן" ultimately derives from the Middle High German word "treffen", meaning "to hit" or "to meet". | |||
Zulu | ukuqagela | ||
The word "ukuqagela" can also mean "to estimate" or "to predict". | |||
Assamese | অনুমান কৰা | ||
Aymara | chiqt'aña | ||
Bhojpuri | पहिचानीं | ||
Dhivehi | ހީވާގޮތް | ||
Dogri | अंदाजा | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | hulaan | ||
Guarani | mba'emotepa | ||
Ilocano | pugtoan | ||
Krio | no | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | مەزەندەکردن | ||
Maithili | अंदाज लगाउ | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯚꯥꯞꯅ ꯁꯥꯕ | ||
Mizo | ring | ||
Oromo | tilmaamuu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଅନୁମାନ କର | ||
Quechua | watuy | ||
Sanskrit | अनुमानम् | ||
Tatar | фаразлау | ||
Tigrinya | ገምት | ||
Tsonga | vhumba | ||