Helpful in Different Languages
Discover 'Helpful' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'helpful' is more than just a term to describe a kind act or a useful object. It embodies the very essence of human connection and compassion. Across cultures and languages, the concept of being helpful is a universal value that transcends borders and unites us all. Understanding the translation of 'helpful' in different languages not only broadens our vocabulary but also deepens our appreciation for the diverse ways in which people express kindness and generosity.
Did you know that in Hawaiian, the word 'helpful' translates to 'ho'omaka'? This term means 'to begin, start, or initiate' and reflects the Hawaiian cultural emphasis on teamwork and collaboration. Meanwhile, in Swahili, 'helpful' is 'upendelezo' - a word that also means 'to approve, support, or assist' - highlighting the importance of mutual respect and cooperation in Swahili culture.
Join us as we explore the many translations of 'helpful' in different languages, shedding light on the fascinating cultural contexts that shape these words and the values they represent.
Helpful
Helpful in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | behulpsaam | ||
| Behulpzaam originates from the Dutch word "behulpzaam", which means "helpful" or "ready to assist". | |||
| Amharic | አጋዥ | ||
| The word 'አጋዥ' comes from the root word 'አጋዝ', which means 'to hold or support'. | |||
| Hausa | taimako | ||
| The Hausa word "taimako" is also used to mean "companion" or "friend". | |||
| Igbo | na-enye aka | ||
| The Igbo word 'na-enye aka' has the literal meaning of 'giving a hand', and extends to also mean to assist or support. | |||
| Malagasy | manampy | ||
| The Malagasy word 'manampy' ultimately derives from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *maN-tampuŋ, meaning 'to cover, wrap up'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zothandiza | ||
| The word "zothandiza" comes from the root word "thandiza," which means "to help." | |||
| Shona | zvinobatsira | ||
| The root word "zvina" means "good" or "well" in Shona, indicating that something is beneficial or advantageous. | |||
| Somali | waxtar leh | ||
| The noun "leh" in "waxtar leh" also means "thing," "matter," "subject," or "issue" | |||
| Sesotho | thusa | ||
| Thusa may derive from the Khoekhoe word | |||
| Swahili | kusaidia | ||
| The Swahili word "kusaidia" derives from the root "saidia," meaning "to support" or "to assist." | |||
| Xhosa | iluncedo | ||
| "Iluncedo" can be traced back to the root word "luncedo" meaning "light" or "illumination." | |||
| Yoruba | iranlọwọ | ||
| The word 'iranlọwọ' in Yoruba also translates to 'to act as a pillar of support for a person or cause'. | |||
| Zulu | kuyasiza | ||
| "Kuyasiza" derives from the root "-saza", meaning "to build" or "to construct", implying the idea of creating or facilitating positive outcomes. | |||
| Bambara | dɛmɛni | ||
| Ewe | kpe ɖe ame ŋu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ifasha | ||
| Lingala | ezosalisa | ||
| Luganda | kyamugaso | ||
| Sepedi | nago le mohola | ||
| Twi (Akan) | boafoɔ | ||
Helpful in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | معاون، مساعد، مفيد، فاعل خير | ||
| The Arabic word "معاون، مساعد، مفيد، فاعل خير" can also mean "assistant," "supporter," or "benefactor." | |||
| Hebrew | מוֹעִיל | ||
| The word "מוֹעִיל" is derived from the root "יעל" and was originally used in the sense of "to be strong" or "to be capable". | |||
| Pashto | ګټور | ||
| The word "ګټور" is derived from the Persian word "گُفتار" (speech) and can also refer to "advice" or "instruction." | |||
| Arabic | معاون، مساعد، مفيد، فاعل خير | ||
| The Arabic word "معاون، مساعد، مفيد، فاعل خير" can also mean "assistant," "supporter," or "benefactor." | |||
Helpful in Western European Languages
| Albanian | e dobishme | ||
| The word "e dobishme" in Albanian also means "to be beneficial" or "to be useful". | |||
| Basque | lagungarria | ||
| The Basque word "lagungarria" is derived from the word "lagun", which means "companion" or "friend." | |||
| Catalan | útil | ||
| The Catalan word "útil" derives from the Latin word "utilis", meaning "useful, advantageous". | |||
| Croatian | koristan | ||
| The word "koristan" in Croatian can trace its roots to the Proto-Indo-European word *ǵʰer-, meaning "to grasp, seize, hold." | |||
| Danish | nyttig | ||
| The origin of 'nyttig' is the Danish-Norwegian 'nøtte' ('use'). | |||
| Dutch | nuttig | ||
| The Dutch word "nuttig" (helpful) derives from the Middle Dutch "nut", meaning "use, benefit" and "oog", meaning "eye". The original sense was "beneficial to the eye". | |||
| English | helpful | ||
| The word 'helpful' is derived from the Old English word 'helpan,' meaning to aid or assist. | |||
| French | utile | ||
| In French, "utile" can also mean "useful" or "of value". | |||
| Frisian | behelpsum | ||
| The word "behelpsum" is a compound of "behelpe" (help) and "sum" (some), meaning "somewhat helpful". | |||
| Galician | útil | ||
| "Útil" can also mean "fertile" or "profitable" in Galician. | |||
| German | hilfreich | ||
| The word "hilfreich" is derived from the Middle High German word "hilferec" meaning "one who provides help". | |||
| Icelandic | gagnlegt | ||
| While "gagnlegt" comes from the base word "gagn" meaning "usefulness,'' it also carries the meaning "advantageous" and "beneficial." | |||
| Irish | cabhrach | ||
| The word "Cabhrach" is not a commonly used word for "helpful" in modern Irish, but is rather used specifically in Scottish Gaelic to describe a "female assistant". | |||
| Italian | utile | ||
| The Italian word "utile" derives from the Latin "utilis," which means "useful" or "beneficial." | |||
| Luxembourgish | hëllefräich | ||
| The word "hëllefräich" (helpful) is derived from the Old High German word "hellufrīch", which means "saving from hell". | |||
| Maltese | utli | ||
| The Maltese word "utli" derives from the Arabic word "ʿawnal" meaning "help". | |||
| Norwegian | hjelpsom | ||
| The Norwegian word "hjelpsom" comes from an Old Norse root that means "to heal". Thus, the word originally means "able to heal" and is still sometimes used to mean "therapeutic" or "healing". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | útil | ||
| "Útil" originated from the Latin word "utilis" and may also refer to a type of knife or a carpenter's marking gauge in Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | cuideachail | ||
| Possibly from the Old Irish word "cúide", meaning a comrade or assistant. | |||
| Spanish | servicial | ||
| The Spanish word "servicial" can also refer to a type of tablecloth used for serving food. | |||
| Swedish | hjälpsam | ||
| The word "hjälpsam" is derived from the Old Norse word "hjalpa," meaning "to help". | |||
| Welsh | yn ddefnyddiol | ||
Helpful in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | карысна | ||
| The word "карысна" also has the meanings of "useful", "beneficial", and "advantageous" in Belarusian | |||
| Bosnian | korisno | ||
| "Korisno" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *koriti, meaning "to use" or "to benefit." | |||
| Bulgarian | полезно | ||
| The word "полезно" can also mean "useful" or "beneficial". | |||
| Czech | ochotný | ||
| The Czech word "ochotný" is related to "ochota," meaning "eagerness" and "willingness," and is ultimately derived from the Old Czech "ochota," which signified one's willingness to fight for the king. | |||
| Estonian | kasulik | ||
| "Kasulik" originally comes from the verb "kasvada" (to grow), referring to something that can support or foster growth. | |||
| Finnish | hyödyllinen | ||
| The word "hyödyllinen" is derived from the Finnish word "hyöty," meaning "benefit" or "advantage," and the suffix "-llinen," which denotes "full of" or "characterized by." | |||
| Hungarian | hasznos | ||
| 'Hasznos' (helpful) originally meant 'useful in terms of producing offspring', deriving from 'haszon' ('profit', 'benefit'). | |||
| Latvian | noderīgi | ||
| The Latvian word "noderīgi" can also mean "necessary" or "beneficial." | |||
| Lithuanian | naudinga | ||
| The Lithuanian word "naudinga" not only means "helpful," but can also refer to something that is necessary or useful. | |||
| Macedonian | корисни | ||
| Корисни in Macedonian can also mean 'useful' or 'beneficial'; it originates from the Slavic root 'koriti', meaning 'to use'. | |||
| Polish | pomocny | ||
| The word pomocny stems from the Proto-Slavic "pomоgъ", meaning "help", which is also the root of the word pomoc "help". | |||
| Romanian | util | ||
| The Romanian word 'util' derives from Latin 'utilis' meaning 'useful', while in French it means 'handy'. | |||
| Russian | полезный | ||
| The word "полезный" can also mean "healthy" or "beneficial" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | користан | ||
| "Коristan" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "корысть" meaning "benefit" and is related to the Russian "корысть" meaning "selfishness" and the Polish "korzyść" meaning "advantage". | |||
| Slovak | užitočné | ||
| The word "užitočné" comes from the adjective "užitočný" which means "useful". | |||
| Slovenian | koristno | ||
| The word "koristno" in Slovenian comes from the Proto-Slavic word "korĭstь", meaning "use" or "benefit". | |||
| Ukrainian | корисно | ||
| The word "корисно" in Ukrainian is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *koriti, meaning "to feed" or "to nourish. | |||
Helpful in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সহায়ক | ||
| সহায়ক' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'sahayaka', which means 'helper' or 'assistant' | |||
| Gujarati | મદદરૂપ | ||
| મદદરૂપ also refers to that which is useful or beneficial. | |||
| Hindi | उपयोगी | ||
| (14th century) From Sanskrit उपयोगी (upa-yogī), from उपयोग (upa-yoga), from उप (upa-): "near, at, by," and योग (yoga): "to join, connect, use." | |||
| Kannada | ಸಹಾಯಕವಾಗಿದೆ | ||
| The word "ಸಹಾಯಕವಾಗಿದೆ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "सह" (saha), meaning "with" and "आय" (āya), meaning "to come" or "to help." | |||
| Malayalam | സഹായകരമാണ് | ||
| Marathi | उपयुक्त | ||
| The word "उपयुक्त" also means "suitable" or "appropriate" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | सहयोगी | ||
| The word "सहयोगी" can also mean "collaborator" or "accomplice". | |||
| Punjabi | ਮਦਦਗਾਰ | ||
| The word "ਮਦਦਗਾਰ" is also used in a broader sense to refer to someone who is beneficial or favorable. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ප්රයෝජනවත් | ||
| Tamil | உதவியாக இருக்கும் | ||
| Telugu | సహాయపడుతుంది | ||
| Urdu | مددگار | ||
| In Urdu, the word "مددگار" (helpful) also means "helper" or "assistant". | |||
Helpful in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 有帮助的 | ||
| The Chinese word 有帮助的 (yǒu bāngzhù de) literally means 'having help,' but can also be used to mean 'useful' or 'beneficial'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 有幫助的 | ||
| 有幫助的 literally means “has help,” which suggests someone is capable of offering help. | |||
| Japanese | 役に立ちました | ||
| 役に立つ (yaku ni tatsu) can also mean "useful" or "functional" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 도움이되는 | ||
| 도움이되는 is derived from the Sino-Korean word 도움 (do-um), meaning "help" or "assistance". Alternatively, it can refer to someone or something that provides aid or support. | |||
| Mongolian | ашигтай | ||
| The word "ашигтай" can also mean "handy" or "convenient". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အထောက်အကူဖြစ်စေ | ||
Helpful in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | bermanfaat | ||
| "Bermanfaat" comes from the Sanskrit word "manah" meaning "mind" and "phala" meaning "fruit". | |||
| Javanese | mbiyantu | ||
| The word "mbiyantu" may also refer to a traditional Javanese helper who assists in agricultural work. | |||
| Khmer | មានប្រយោជន៍ | ||
| This word can also mean "profitable" or "useful". | |||
| Lao | ເປັນປະໂຫຍດ | ||
| Malay | menolong | ||
| The word "menolong" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian root *tuŋul, which also means "to help". | |||
| Thai | เป็นประโยชน์ | ||
| The Thai word "เป็นประโยชน์" is a compound of the words "เป็น" (to be), "ประโยชน์" (benefit), and "ได้" (to have). | |||
| Vietnamese | hữu ích | ||
| "Hữu ích" is derived from the Sino-Vietnamese word 有益 (yòuyì), meaning "beneficial" or "advantageous." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | matulungin | ||
Helpful in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | faydalıdır | ||
| The word 'faydalıdır' means 'useful' in all Turkic languages (except for Uzbek), and is derived from the Mongolian word 'ab' (meaning 'fruit', 'gain', 'advantage') | |||
| Kazakh | пайдалы | ||
| The word "пайдалы" can also refer to "useful" or "beneficial" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | пайдалуу | ||
| The word "пайдалуу" in Kyrgyz derives from the Persian word "faydalı" which shares the same meaning. | |||
| Tajik | муфид | ||
| The word "муфид" can also mean "useful" or "beneficial". | |||
| Turkmen | peýdaly | ||
| Uzbek | foydali | ||
| The word "foydali" is derived from the Persian word "foidah", meaning "benefit" or "advantage." | |||
| Uyghur | پايدىلىق | ||
Helpful in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kōkua | ||
| The word "kōkua" can also mean "to help" or "to support". | |||
| Maori | awhina | ||
| The word awhina in Maori can also refer to the concept of "mutual aid" or "support of the group." | |||
| Samoan | fesoasoani | ||
| The word 'fesoasoani' is derived from two Samoan words – 'fesoaso' and 'ani', which means 'to assist' and 'friend', respectively. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | matulungin | ||
| "Matulungin" derives from "tulong," meaning "help," and the infix "-um-" denoting the causative aspect. | |||
Helpful in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | aski | ||
| Guarani | jokuaikuaa | ||
Helpful in International Languages
| Esperanto | helpema | ||
| Latin | utile | ||
| The Latin word "utile" also means "advantageous" or "profitable", and is related to the word "uti", meaning "to use". | |||
Helpful in Others Languages
| Greek | βοηθητικός | ||
| The word "βοηθητικός" can also mean "auxiliary" or "supplementary". | |||
| Hmong | pab tau | ||
| The noun "pab tau" can also mean "medicine". | |||
| Kurdish | alîkarane | ||
| The word 'alîkarane' also denotes 'being a supporter' in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | faydalı | ||
| "Faydalı" has roots in the Arabic word "fayda" meaning "benefit" or "advantage". | |||
| Xhosa | iluncedo | ||
| "Iluncedo" can be traced back to the root word "luncedo" meaning "light" or "illumination." | |||
| Yiddish | נוציק | ||
| נוציק is etymologically related to Yiddish ניצל "(saved)", deriving from Hebrew יצל "(rescued)" as a euphemism for God.} | |||
| Zulu | kuyasiza | ||
| "Kuyasiza" derives from the root "-saza", meaning "to build" or "to construct", implying the idea of creating or facilitating positive outcomes. | |||
| Assamese | সহায়ক | ||
| Aymara | aski | ||
| Bhojpuri | मददगार | ||
| Dhivehi | އެހީތެރި | ||
| Dogri | मदादी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | matulungin | ||
| Guarani | jokuaikuaa | ||
| Ilocano | makatulong | ||
| Krio | fɔ ɛp | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | یارمەتیدەر | ||
| Maithili | सहायक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯇꯦꯡ ꯑꯣꯏꯕ | ||
| Mizo | tangkai | ||
| Oromo | kan fayyadu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସାହାଯ୍ୟକାରୀ | ||
| Quechua | yanapakuq | ||
| Sanskrit | सहायक | ||
| Tatar | ярдәмчел | ||
| Tigrinya | ጠቓሚ | ||
| Tsonga | pfuneta | ||
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