Hear in Different Languages
Discover 'Hear' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'hear' is a fundamental part of our daily communication, allowing us to receive and process auditory information. Its significance extends beyond language, as hearing is one of our primary senses for understanding the world around us.
Throughout history, the ability to hear has played a crucial role in human culture. From oral storytelling traditions to modern music and media, sound has the power to evoke emotions, convey ideas, and bring people together. Moreover, the study of sound and hearing has led to advancements in fields such as acoustics, audio technology, and hearing healthcare.
Given the importance of hearing, it's no surprise that the word has been translated into countless languages around the world. For example, in Spanish, 'hear' is 'oír,' while in French, it's 'entendre.' In Mandarin Chinese, the word for 'hear' is '聽,' which is pronounced 'tīng.' Meanwhile, in Japanese, 'hear' is '聞く,' which is pronounced 'kiku.'
In this article, we'll explore the translations of 'hear' in a variety of languages, shedding light on the cultural and linguistic diversity of the world around us.
Hear
Hear in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | hoor | ||
| The Afrikaans word 'hoor' can also mean 'to belong' or 'to pertain to'. | |||
| Amharic | ስማ | ||
| The verb ስማ also has a metaphorical sense, meaning 'understand'. | |||
| Hausa | ji | ||
| Hausa "ji" can both mean "hear" and "hear (a case) - adjudicate" due to the latter sense originating from the former in a metonymic shift. | |||
| Igbo | nụ | ||
| In addition to meaning "hear," the Igbo word "nụ" can also mean "listen" or "understand." | |||
| Malagasy | mihainoa | ||
| The Malagasy word "mihainoa" also means "to listen" or "to understand". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mverani | ||
| The word "mverani" in Nyanja (Chichewa) can also mean "to listen" or "to obey". | |||
| Shona | inzwa | ||
| The word "inzwa" can also mean "to listen," "to heed," or "to perceive." | |||
| Somali | maqal | ||
| The word "maqal" in Somali can also refer to a proverb or a saying. | |||
| Sesotho | utloa | ||
| The word "utloa" can also mean "to understand" or "to obey". | |||
| Swahili | sikia | ||
| The word "sikia" in Swahili also means "feel" or "perceive", highlighting the connection between hearing and other senses in the language. | |||
| Xhosa | yiva | ||
| The Xhosa term 'yiva' (hear) also relates to the concepts of 'sense', 'understand' and 'perceive'. | |||
| Yoruba | gbo | ||
| The word "gbo" in Yoruba can also mean "understand" or "obey". | |||
| Zulu | zwa | ||
| Zulu “zwa” derives from Proto-Bantu *zwa, whose original meaning was to hear as well as to understand, know or recognise. | |||
| Bambara | ka mɛn | ||
| Ewe | se nu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umva | ||
| Lingala | koyoka | ||
| Luganda | okuwulira | ||
| Sepedi | kwa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | te | ||
Hear in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | سمع | ||
| The word "سمع" can also mean "obey" or "understand" in the context of religious teachings. | |||
| Hebrew | לִשְׁמוֹעַ | ||
| The Hebrew word "שמוע" means not only to perceive sound but also to "listen" or "obey". | |||
| Pashto | واورئ | ||
| The Pashto word "واورئ" is also used figuratively to mean "listen" or "understand". | |||
| Arabic | سمع | ||
| The word "سمع" can also mean "obey" or "understand" in the context of religious teachings. | |||
Hear in Western European Languages
| Albanian | degjoj | ||
| The word "degjoj" in Albanian shares its root with the Latin word "audio" and the Greek word "akouo", meaning "to hear" | |||
| Basque | entzun | ||
| "Entzun" can also refer to the Basque musical genre of "bertsolaritza", in which poets sing improvised verses. | |||
| Catalan | escolta | ||
| The Catalan word "escolta" has no alternate meanings and comes from the Latin word "auscultare". | |||
| Croatian | čuti | ||
| In Croatian, "čuti" not only means "hear," but also "feel," especially in the sense of "feel emotion." | |||
| Danish | høre | ||
| The word "høre" is derived from the Old Norse word "heyra," which means "to listen or obey." | |||
| Dutch | horen | ||
| In Dutch, “horen” can also mean “to obey”. | |||
| English | hear | ||
| Cognates with German 'hören' and 'horchen', Dutch 'horen' and 'horchen', Swedish 'höra', Ancient Greek 'koein' (κοιν), ultimately going back to the Proto-Indo-European root *ḱlew- ('to listen'). Originally meant listening with full attention and thus understanding, like in the phrases 'to have a hearing' or 'to give someone a hearing'. The more everyday meaning 'to perceive sound' is an 18th-century development. | |||
| French | entendre | ||
| The French verb "entendre" can also mean "to understand", a usage derived from the Latin "intelligere". | |||
| Frisian | hearre | ||
| The verb "hearre" can also mean "to listen" or "to perceive" in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | escoita | ||
| "Escoitar" comes from the Latin word "audire" meaning "to listen" and is related to "auctor" meaning "author". | |||
| German | hören | ||
| The verb "hören" can also mean "to obey" or "to listen to" in German. | |||
| Icelandic | heyra | ||
| Heyra "hear" could have originated from the word "heyra" meaning "to be amazed", although that is not certain. | |||
| Irish | chloisteáil | ||
| The word 'chloisteáil' in Irish can also mean 'to obey' or 'to listen to' from the root word 'cluas' meaning ear. | |||
| Italian | sentire | ||
| In Latin, "sentire" also meant "to feel" and "to think." | |||
| Luxembourgish | héieren | ||
| The word "héieren" may also mean "to understand" or "to follow". | |||
| Maltese | isma | ||
| "Isma" is thought to have evolved from the Arabic imperative "'ism'" (listen!) and ultimately from the Semitic root "S-M-A". | |||
| Norwegian | høre | ||
| "Høre" is cognate with the English word "hist" and can also mean "to overhear". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ouvir | ||
| "Ouvir" is derived from the Latin word "audire", which also means "to hear". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | cluinn | ||
| The term "cluinn" in Scots Gaelic derives from the Old Irish word "cluinim" and shares a linguistic root with the Scottish word "cleek" and the English word "clap". | |||
| Spanish | oír | ||
| The verb "oír" (to hear) in Spanish comes from the Latin "audīre", which also means "to make someone hear" or "to pay attention". | |||
| Swedish | höra | ||
| The word "höra" comes from the Old Norse word "heyra," which also means "to listen." | |||
| Welsh | clywed | ||
| The Welsh word "clywed" is related to the Latin "audire," meaning "to hear." | |||
Hear in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | пачуць | ||
| "Пачуць" in Belarusian is not a verb meaning "to taste," but rather a verb meaning "to hear". | |||
| Bosnian | čuti | ||
| In other Slavic languages, the cognate word means 'feel'. | |||
| Bulgarian | чувам | ||
| In addition to "hear," "чувам" can also mean "keep" in Bulgarian | |||
| Czech | slyšet | ||
| "Slyšet" comes from the Proto-Slavic root "*slyšati", meaning "to hear, to listen". | |||
| Estonian | kuule | ||
| In Finnish, the word "kuule" means "listen" whereas in Estonian its cognate "kuule" means "hear." | |||
| Finnish | kuulla | ||
| It shares the same root as "korva", meaning "ear." | |||
| Hungarian | hall | ||
| The Hungarian word "hall" also means "to die" and is cognate with the Finnish word "halua" meaning "want". | |||
| Latvian | dzirdēt | ||
| The word "dzirdēt" in Latvian also means "to eavesdrop" or "to listen in on a conversation". | |||
| Lithuanian | girdėti | ||
| The verb 'girdėti' is also used in a figurative sense, e.g. 'girdėti istoriją' ('to hear a story') means to be told about something that happened. | |||
| Macedonian | слушне | ||
| The word "слушне" in Macedonian comes from the Proto-Slavic word *slušati, meaning "to listen". | |||
| Polish | słyszeć | ||
| "Słyszeć" originates from Proto-Indo-European *ḱelh₁- and *ḱlew-, meaning to "hear". | |||
| Romanian | auzi | ||
| The word "auzi" may be related to the Albanian word "dëgjoj" and the Turkish word "işitmek". | |||
| Russian | слышать | ||
| The Russian word «слышать» can also mean «to understand» or «to perceive». | |||
| Serbian | чути | ||
| The word "чути" can also mean "to feel" or "to experience". | |||
| Slovak | počuť | ||
| The verb "počuť" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *poutъ, which also gave rise to the words "voice" and "sing". | |||
| Slovenian | sliši | ||
| The verb 'sliši' is likely derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'slyšati' or 'slushiti', both meaning 'to hear'. | |||
| Ukrainian | чути | ||
| The verb "чути" can also mean "to feel" or "to sense" in Ukrainian. | |||
Hear in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | শুনুন | ||
| শুনুন derives from the Sanskrit word श्रु (shru), meaning knowledge acquired through listening. | |||
| Gujarati | સાંભળો | ||
| The Gujarati word "સાંભળો" can also mean "to obey" or "to listen attentively." | |||
| Hindi | सुनो | ||
| The word "सुनो" comes from the Sanskrit word "śru", meaning "to hear" or "to perceive". | |||
| Kannada | ಕೇಳಿ | ||
| The verb 'ಕೇಳಿ' (kēli) also means 'ask', reflecting the close connection between listening and questioning in the Kannada language. | |||
| Malayalam | കേൾക്കൂ | ||
| The verb "കേൾക്കൂ" in Malayalam can also mean "understand" or "listen to". | |||
| Marathi | ऐका | ||
| The Marathi word ऐका can also be used to mean 'to obey' or 'to heed'. | |||
| Nepali | सुन्नुहोस् | ||
| The word "सुन्नु होस्" also means "may it be heard" or "let it be heard" in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੁਣੋ | ||
| The word "ਸੁਣੋ" is also used in Punjabi to mean "listen" or "pay attention". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අහන්න | ||
| අහන්න can also mean to request or ask for something respectfully. | |||
| Tamil | கேள் | ||
| The Tamil word "கேள்" can also mean "ask" or "question" in English. | |||
| Telugu | వినండి | ||
| Urdu | سن | ||
| The word "سن" can also refer to the faculty of understanding, wisdom, or judgment | |||
Hear in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 听 | ||
| 听 can be used as a verb to listen, a noun for a court hearing, or an adjective for obedient. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 聽 | ||
| The Chinese character "聽" can also mean "to understand" or "to obey". | |||
| Japanese | 聞く | ||
| The kanji 聞く can also mean 'to ask', as in the phrase '質問を聞く' (shitsumon o kiku - to ask a question). | |||
| Korean | 듣다 | ||
| "듣다" is the Sino-Korean word for "hear", derived from Middle Chinese "ťuk". | |||
| Mongolian | сонсох | ||
| "Сонсох" also means "to listen" and "to smell". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကြားပါ | ||
Hear in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mendengar | ||
| The Indonesian word "mendengar" can also mean "to listen" or "to heed". | |||
| Javanese | ngrungokake | ||
| "Ngrungokake" can also mean 'to obey' in Javanese, deriving from the word 'rungu' (ear) implying that 'hearing' leads to 'obeying'. | |||
| Khmer | hear | ||
| The Khmer word for "hear" (ស្តាប់) is related to the word for "to understand" (យល់), suggesting a close connection between hearing and comprehension in the Khmer language. | |||
| Lao | ໄດ້ຍິນ | ||
| Malay | dengar | ||
| "Dengar" is the equivalent of "hear" in English and can also mean "listen" or "obey" in the context of commands or advice. | |||
| Thai | ได้ยิน | ||
| "ได้ยิน" in Thai comes from the Sanskrit word "śru" (to hear), and also means "understand". | |||
| Vietnamese | nghe | ||
| Nghe is cognate with nghe (`listen to`) in Thai and ngheo (`poor`) in Vietnamese due to their shared Proto-Tai origin. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | dinggin | ||
Hear in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | eşitmək | ||
| The word "eşitmək" in Azerbaijani shares its root with the word "işitmək" in Turkish, meaning "to hear". In Azerbaijani, "eşitmək" also has alternate meanings, including "to understand" and "to perceive". | |||
| Kazakh | есту | ||
| The verb "есту" in Kazakh is derived from the Proto-Turkic root *es- "to hear", and is cognate with similar words in other Turkic languages, such as Turkish "işitmek". | |||
| Kyrgyz | угуу | ||
| The word also refers to the | |||
| Tajik | шунидан | ||
| The Russian word "слышать" and the Tajik word "шунидан" come from the same Proto-Indo-European root "ḱlew". | |||
| Turkmen | eşidiň | ||
| Uzbek | eshitish | ||
| The word "eshitish" also means "to listen" or "to understand" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | ئاڭلاڭ | ||
Hear in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lohe | ||
| ‘Lohe is also used to mean ‘rumor’ or ‘information’; however, it is not synonymous with ‘lelo’, which means ‘to speak’. | |||
| Maori | whakarongo | ||
| 'Whakarongo' originates from the words 'whakaronga' (causing to bend down) and 'rongo' (to listen) suggesting an active or obedient listening posture | |||
| Samoan | faʻalogo | ||
| In Samoan, the word "faʻalogo" can also refer to "obedience" or "listening to advice or orders." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | dinggin | ||
| The Tagalog word "dinggin" also means "listen", and it comes from the root word "dinig" which means "sound". | |||
Hear in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ist'aña | ||
| Guarani | hendu | ||
Hear in International Languages
| Esperanto | aŭdi | ||
| The Esperanto word "aŭdi" is derived from the Latin "audire," meaning "to hear", and is also related to the English words "auditory" and "audience." | |||
| Latin | audite: | ||
| The Latin root of "audire" has a connection to Latin "aura," or "ear." | |||
Hear in Others Languages
| Greek | ακούω | ||
| “Ακούω” is also used in phrases meaning 'obey', 'understand' 'acknowledge', and figuratively 'listen to', 'pay attention or notice' | |||
| Hmong | hnov | ||
| In modern Hmong, 'hnov' has the additional meaning of 'to obey.' | |||
| Kurdish | gûhdarkirin | ||
| The word "gûhdarkirin" can also mean "to listen" or "to understand" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | duymak | ||
| The word "duymak" also means "to feel" or "to perceive". | |||
| Xhosa | yiva | ||
| The Xhosa term 'yiva' (hear) also relates to the concepts of 'sense', 'understand' and 'perceive'. | |||
| Yiddish | הערן | ||
| The Yiddish word 'הערן' ('hear') also refers to 'understanding' or 'paying attention'. | |||
| Zulu | zwa | ||
| Zulu “zwa” derives from Proto-Bantu *zwa, whose original meaning was to hear as well as to understand, know or recognise. | |||
| Assamese | শুনা | ||
| Aymara | ist'aña | ||
| Bhojpuri | सुनल | ||
| Dhivehi | އަޑުއިވުން | ||
| Dogri | सुनो | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | dinggin | ||
| Guarani | hendu | ||
| Ilocano | denggen | ||
| Krio | yɛri | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بیستن | ||
| Maithili | सुनू | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯥꯕ | ||
| Mizo | ngaithla | ||
| Oromo | dhaga'uu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଶୁଣ | ||
| Quechua | uyariy | ||
| Sanskrit | शृणोतु | ||
| Tatar | ишет | ||
| Tigrinya | ስማዕ | ||
| Tsonga | twa | ||