Hearing in Different Languages
Discover 'Hearing' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The act of hearing is a vital sense that connects us to the world around us. It allows us to communicate, appreciate music, and receive warnings of potential dangers. But have you ever wondered how the word 'hearing' translates in different languages?
Understanding the translation of 'hearing' in various languages can provide insight into different cultures and their ways of perceiving and interpreting the world. For instance, in Spanish, 'hearing' translates to 'oír,' while in French, it's 'entendre.' In Mandarin Chinese, the word for 'hearing' is '聽,' which is pronounced 'tīng.' Meanwhile, in Japanese, 'hearing' is '聞く,' which is pronounced 'kiku.'
Moreover, exploring the translations of 'hearing' can also reveal fascinating historical contexts. For example, in ancient Greece, the word for 'hearing' was 'ἀκούω' (akouo), which was also used to mean 'obey' or 'listen.' This dual meaning highlights the importance of hearing in ancient Greek culture, where listening was seen as a form of submission and respect.
Join us as we delve deeper into the translations of 'hearing' in different languages and cultures.
Hearing
Hearing in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | gehoor | ||
| The Afrikaans word "gehoor" derives from the Middle Dutch "gehōr". | |||
| Amharic | መስማት | ||
| The word "መስማት" ("hearing") in Amharic can also mean "listening" or "attention." | |||
| Hausa | ji | ||
| The Hausa word "ji" also has an alternative meaning of "ear"."} | |||
| Igbo | ịnụ | ||
| In the Igbo word "ịnụ," the diphthong "ị" is a nasal vowel, implying that the nasal cavity is also involved in the production of the sound. | |||
| Malagasy | fihainoana | ||
| In Malagasy, the word "fihainoana" also means "understanding". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kumva | ||
| The word kumva has other meanings in Chichewa, such as 'to perceive', 'to notice', 'to understand' or 'to know'. | |||
| Shona | kunzwa | ||
| In the context of a legal case, "kunzwa" can also mean "to receive a verdict". | |||
| Somali | maqalka | ||
| The Somali word "maqalka" also refers to the act of listening or obeying. | |||
| Sesotho | kutlo | ||
| 'Kutlo' is also a place name | |||
| Swahili | kusikia | ||
| "Kusikia" can also mean "to perceive" or "to understand". | |||
| Xhosa | ukuva | ||
| The root of the word 'ukuva' can also mean 'to taste'. | |||
| Yoruba | igbọran | ||
| Igbọran can also mean 'an assembly' or 'a gathering', as it is a place where people gather to listen and speak. | |||
| Zulu | ukuzwa | ||
| The Zulu word "ukuzwa" not only means "to hear," but it also means "to understand" and "to obey." | |||
| Bambara | mɛnni kɛli | ||
| Ewe | nusese ƒe nyawo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kumva | ||
| Lingala | koyoka | ||
| Luganda | okuwulira | ||
| Sepedi | go kwa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | asɛm a wɔte | ||
Hearing in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | سمع | ||
| In Arabic, "سمع" also implies "obeying" or "listening attentively". | |||
| Hebrew | שמיעה | ||
| The word "שמיעה" also refers to the ability to perceive and understand verbal communication. | |||
| Pashto | اوریدل | ||
| The word "اوریدل" also means "understanding" or "comprehension" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | سمع | ||
| In Arabic, "سمع" also implies "obeying" or "listening attentively". | |||
Hearing in Western European Languages
| Albanian | dëgjimi | ||
| The Albanian term "dëgjimi" also has the meanings "attention" and "obedience". | |||
| Basque | entzumena | ||
| In Basque, “entzun” (“to listen”) is also the feminine passive participle of the verb “entzun” (“to hear”). | |||
| Catalan | audició | ||
| The Catalan word "audició" ultimately derives from the Latin "audire," meaning "to hear," but it can also refer to a musical performance or a hearing test. | |||
| Croatian | saslušanje | ||
| In Slavic languages, the term 'slušati' (to listen) is related to 'sluh' (hearing), but in Croatian, 'saslušanje' also has the connotation of 'interrogation'. | |||
| Danish | høring | ||
| The word "høring" can also refer to a formal consultation or inquiry, especially in a political or legislative context. | |||
| Dutch | horen | ||
| "Horen" (meaning "to hear") shares the same etymology as "hören" (German), "hören" (Norwegian), and "høren" (Danish). | |||
| English | hearing | ||
| Besides its literal meaning, "hearing" can also refer to a formal session or an official meeting in a court or legislative assembly. | |||
| French | audition | ||
| In French, "audition" can also mean "legal deposition" or "judicial hearing." | |||
| Frisian | harksitting | ||
| The Frisian word "harksitting" derives from the Old English word "hieran," meaning "to hear." | |||
| Galician | audición | ||
| In Galician, the word "audición" can also refer to a rehearsal or a music audition. | |||
| German | hören | ||
| The verb 'hören' ('to hear') is related to the Old High German word 'horwen' ('to pay attention') and the English word 'horn'. | |||
| Icelandic | heyrn | ||
| The word "heyrn" also has the archaic meaning of "obedience". | |||
| Irish | éisteacht | ||
| "Éisteacht" is cognate with the English word "listen", and its alternate meanings include "obedience" and "submission". | |||
| Italian | udito | ||
| The word "udito" can also refer to a hearing in court or a musical performance. | |||
| Luxembourgish | héieren | ||
| In 1378, 'héieren' referred to a 'landlord' who 'collected rents'. This sense persists in 'Hiir', meaning a 'feudal tax', or 'Hairen'. meaning 'feudal land rent' | |||
| Maltese | smigħ | ||
| In Maltese, the word "smigħ" also means "obedience" and is derived from the Arabic word "sam'a" meaning "to hear". | |||
| Norwegian | hørsel | ||
| The Norwegian word “hørsel”, meaning “hearing”, is related to the verbs “å høre” (to hear) and “å lytte” (to listen), and also the Old Norse word “heyra”. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | audição | ||
| "Audição" also means "audition" in Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | èisteachd | ||
| "Èisteachd" is derived from the Gaelic word for "ear" and can also refer to "respectful attention". | |||
| Spanish | escuchando | ||
| The verb "escuchar" in Spanish, from which "escuchando" derives, also means "to listen" in a non-auditory sense, such as "to understand" or "to heed". | |||
| Swedish | hörsel | ||
| The Swedish word "hörsel" also refers to an amphitheater-like lecture hall in a university. | |||
| Welsh | gwrandawiad | ||
| The word 'gwrandawiad' can also refer to a sermon or a lecture. | |||
Hearing in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | слых | ||
| In the Belarusian language, the word | |||
| Bosnian | saslušanje | ||
| "Saslušanje" also means "lecture" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | изслушване | ||
| When a court proceeding or other meeting takes place, especially over several sessions, each session is a hearing. | |||
| Czech | sluch | ||
| "Sluch" in Czech comes from a Proto-Slavic root "*sluxъ", with the same meaning: "a hearing" | |||
| Estonian | kuulmine | ||
| "Kuulmine" also means "mine" or "pit", originating from mining terminology. | |||
| Finnish | kuulo | ||
| In addition to the sense of "hearing" (a sense), "kuulo" can also refer to "hearing" (an act), "rumors" and "fame" | |||
| Hungarian | meghallgatás | ||
| The word "meghallgatás" is derived from the verb "meghallgat", meaning "to listen" and the suffix "-ás", which indicates an action or process. | |||
| Latvian | dzirdi | ||
| The word "dzirdi" in Latvian shares the same root as the Latin word "audire", meaning "to hear". | |||
| Lithuanian | klausos | ||
| 'Klausos' in Lithuanian may also refer to 'hearing' as a faculty or 'an act of listening' | |||
| Macedonian | сослушување | ||
| The Macedonian word "сослушување" (pronounced "so-slo-shu-va-nje") also means "eavesdropping" in English. | |||
| Polish | przesłuchanie | ||
| In Polish, "przesłuchanie" also refers to an interrogation or cross-examination in a judicial context. | |||
| Romanian | auz | ||
| The Romanian word "auz" is derived from Latin "audire," meaning "to hear," and it also has the archaic meaning of "speech" or "voice." | |||
| Russian | слушание | ||
| The Russian word "слушание" can also refer to legal proceedings or public discussions. | |||
| Serbian | слух | ||
| The Serbian word "слух" not only means "hearing" but also "a piece of news" or "a rumor". | |||
| Slovak | sluchu | ||
| The word "sluchu" in Slovak is cognate with "slukh" in Russian, the Slavic root "sluti" meaning "to hear", and the Sanskrit word "çruti" meaning "that which is heard". | |||
| Slovenian | zaslišanje | ||
| The word "zaslišanje" comes from the verb "zaslišati", which means "to listen to carefully" or "to question". | |||
| Ukrainian | слуху | ||
| The word "слуху" also means "rumor" or "gossip" in Ukrainian. | |||
Hearing in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | শ্রবণ | ||
| শ্রবণ is also the name of a Hindu Rishi or sage, son of Manu and father of King Ila. | |||
| Gujarati | સુનાવણી | ||
| સુનાવણી also refers to a formal legal proceeding where testimony is presented and considered. | |||
| Hindi | सुनवाई | ||
| The Hindi word "सुनवाई" can also refer to a legal proceeding where witnesses or evidence is heard and evaluated. | |||
| Kannada | ಕೇಳಿ | ||
| The word 'ಕೇಳಿ' also means 'to ask' in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | കേൾവി | ||
| The word "കേൾവി" in Malayalam can also mean "knowledge" or "information". | |||
| Marathi | सुनावणी | ||
| The word "सुनावणी" (hearing) in Marathi literally means "action of giving an order", and can also refer to a court or official hearing where a decision is made. | |||
| Nepali | सुनुवाई | ||
| "सुनुवाई" is derived from the Sanskrit word "श्रवण" and also means "attention" or "consideration" in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੁਣਵਾਈ | ||
| ਸੁਣਵਾਈ (sunavai) derives from the root of 'sunna' (to listen), and can also refer to a 'trial' or 'judicial hearing'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඇසීම | ||
| Sinhalese "ඇසීම" (hearing) is derived from "ඇස" (eye), suggesting a synesthetic connection between seeing and hearing | |||
| Tamil | கேட்டல் | ||
| The Tamil word 'கேட்டல்' not only means 'hearing' but also includes 'listening' and 'understanding'. | |||
| Telugu | వినికిడి | ||
| In Telugu, 'వినికిడి' ('hearing') comes from the verb 'విను' ('to listen'), implying an active process of perception rather than the mere reception of sound. | |||
| Urdu | سماعت | ||
| The word 'سماعت' shares its root with the verb 'سمع', meaning 'to hear' or 'to listen' in Arabic. | |||
Hearing in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 听力 | ||
| “听力”除了“hearing”以外，在日语中还特指“汉语听力” | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 聽力 | ||
| “聽力”也可指代偵查、蒐集情報的人員，例如“敵方聽力”意為敵方派遣的偵查人員。 | |||
| Japanese | 聴覚 | ||
| The word "聴覚" can also mean "auditory sense" or "organ of hearing". | |||
| Korean | 듣기 | ||
| The Sino-Korean word '듣기' can also mean 'to inquire', 'to ask', 'to listen (in the sense of 'giving ear'), and 'to obey'. | |||
| Mongolian | сонсгол | ||
| This Mongolian word for "hearing" is also used in the name of the Songgol Mountains, a mountain range in northwest Mongolia. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကြားနာခြင်း | ||
Hearing in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | pendengaran | ||
| The word 'pendengaran' is derived from the root word 'dengar' meaning 'to hear' and the suffix '-an' which forms nouns indicating a state or condition. | |||
| Javanese | pangrungon | ||
| The Javanese word "pangrungon" derives from the Proto-Austronesian "*paŋ-ruŋuŋ", meaning "ear". | |||
| Khmer | សវនាការ | ||
| The word "សវនាការ" can also refer to "listening" or "the act of paying attention to sound or spoken words". | |||
| Lao | ໄດ້ຍິນ | ||
| Malay | pendengaran | ||
| "Pendengaran" in Malay also means "opinion" or "thought". | |||
| Thai | การได้ยิน | ||
| Its alternate term ผัสสะ is a Buddhist philosophical term referring to the six sensory experiences. | |||
| Vietnamese | thính giác | ||
| The word 'thính giác' comes from the Chinese word '聽覺', meaning 'the sense of hearing'. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pandinig | ||
Hearing in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | dinləmə | ||
| The word "dinləmə" in Azerbaijani also means "obedience" and "compliance". | |||
| Kazakh | есту | ||
| The Kazakh word "есту" also means "to smell", likely due to the interconnected nature of sensory perception. | |||
| Kyrgyz | угуу | ||
| The word “угуу” in Kyrgyz is derived from the Proto-Turkic word *uku-, which means "to listen with attention" or "to perceive with the sense of hearing." | |||
| Tajik | шунидан | ||
| The word "шунидан" in Tajik can also mean "to understand" or "to know". | |||
| Turkmen | diňlemek | ||
| Uzbek | eshitish | ||
| "Eshitish" also means "perception" or "understanding" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | ئاڭلاش | ||
Hearing in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ka hoʻolohe ʻana | ||
| The Hawaiian word "ka hoʻolohe ʻana" can also refer to the act of listening attentively, understanding, and obeying. | |||
| Maori | whakarangona | ||
| Whakarangona is also used in the context of gossip, where the sound of many voices is likened to the sound of flowing water. | |||
| Samoan | faʻalogo | ||
| Faʻalogo also means "to understand" or "to believe". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pandinig | ||
| In Tagalog, "pandinig" can also refer to one's sense of hearing or the capacity to listen attentively. | |||
Hearing in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ist’aña | ||
| Guarani | ohendúva | ||
Hearing in International Languages
| Esperanto | aŭdi | ||
| Esperanto derives "aŭdi" from Latin "audio," but it can also mean "to listen" or "to obey." | |||
| Latin | auditus | ||
| Though "auditus" literally translates to "hearing," it also refers to the "sense of hearing" and a "lecture or class." | |||
Hearing in Others Languages
| Greek | ακρόαση | ||
| The word "ακρόαση" derives from the Greek verb "ακούω", meaning "to listen", and the noun "ακοή", meaning "hearing". | |||
| Hmong | hnov | ||
| In Hmong, the word "hnov" refers to the act of listening as well as the sense of hearing, but it also denotes the power of discerning or comprehending. | |||
| Kurdish | seh | ||
| The Kurdish word "seh" has cognates in a number of other Iranian languages, suggesting an ancient origin. | |||
| Turkish | işitme | ||
| The word "işitme" in Turkish also refers to "attention" or "listening". | |||
| Xhosa | ukuva | ||
| The root of the word 'ukuva' can also mean 'to taste'. | |||
| Yiddish | געהער | ||
| The Yiddish word "געהער" shares its root with the English word "hear", and also means "to obey" in Yiddish. | |||
| Zulu | ukuzwa | ||
| The Zulu word "ukuzwa" not only means "to hear," but it also means "to understand" and "to obey." | |||
| Assamese | শ্রৱণ | ||
| Aymara | ist’aña | ||
| Bhojpuri | सुनवाई करत बानी | ||
| Dhivehi | އަޑުއެހުމެވެ | ||
| Dogri | सुनना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pandinig | ||
| Guarani | ohendúva | ||
| Ilocano | panagdengngeg | ||
| Krio | fɔ yɛri | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بیستن | ||
| Maithili | सुनवाई करब | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯥꯕꯥ ꯌꯥꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | hriatna a nei | ||
| Oromo | dhageettii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଶୁଣାଣି | ||
| Quechua | uyariy | ||
| Sanskrit | श्रवणम् | ||
| Tatar | ишетү | ||
| Tigrinya | ምስማዕ | ||
| Tsonga | ku twa | ||