Ideal in Different Languages
Discover 'Ideal' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'ideal' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, representing the pinnacle of perfection and excellence. It's a concept that transcends cultural boundaries and resonates with people worldwide, as we all strive to achieve our own ideals in life. The term has been used in various philosophical, artistic, and cultural contexts, making it a fascinating word to explore in different languages.
Did you know that the word 'ideal' comes from the Latin word 'idealis', which means 'existing in idea'? Or that in Greek, the word 'ιδέα' (idéa) not only means 'idea' but also 'form' or 'shape'? This historical context highlights the deep connection between the concept of 'ideal' and the human pursuit of knowledge and understanding.
Understanding the translation of 'ideal' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how different cultures view and pursue perfection. Here are some translations to get you started:
Ideal
Ideal in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | ideale | ||
| The Afrikaans word "ideale" can also mean "perfect" or "faultless". | |||
| Amharic | ተስማሚ | ||
| The word "ተስማሚ" can also mean "appropriate" or "suitable" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | manufa | ||
| In Hausa, "manufa" can also refer to a concept of excellence or perfection, similar to the Arabic "kamal". | |||
| Igbo | ezigbo | ||
| The Igbo word "ezigbo" also means "good, fine, beautiful, or handsome." | |||
| Malagasy | tonga lafatra | ||
| "Tonga lafatra" comes from Arabic and means "good judgment". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zabwino | ||
| Zabwino can also mean 'beautiful', or 'good' in some contexts. | |||
| Shona | yakanaka | ||
| The word 'yakanaka' is also used to refer to an ideal time of doing something. | |||
| Somali | fiican | ||
| The word 'fiican' (ideal) is derived from the Arabic word 'faqaara,' meaning 'good' or 'excellent'. | |||
| Sesotho | loketseng | ||
| The word "loketseng" can also mean "excellent" or "perfect". | |||
| Swahili | bora | ||
| The Swahili word "bora" can also mean "rather" or "better than". | |||
| Xhosa | efanelekileyo | ||
| From the verb -faneleka (to be sufficient), so is that which is 'fully deserving'. | |||
| Yoruba | bojumu | ||
| The term 'bojumu' can also be used to refer to a state of perfection or excellence. | |||
| Zulu | ekahle | ||
| The Zulu word "ekahle" shares its root with the word "okuhle," meaning "beautiful" or "good." | |||
| Bambara | ɲɛnaman | ||
| Ewe | si dze nyuie | ||
| Kinyarwanda | byiza | ||
| Lingala | ebongi | ||
| Luganda | tekuli kamogo | ||
| Sepedi | kgonthe | ||
| Twi (Akan) | deɛ anka ɛyɛ | ||
Ideal in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | المثالي | ||
| The word "المثالي" (al-mithali) in Arabic is derived from the root word "مثل" (mithl), which means "similar" or "like", and can also refer to a "model" or "example" | |||
| Hebrew | אִידֵאָלִי | ||
| אִידֵאָלִי is a borrowed word from Greek and can also mean 'type' or 'example' | |||
| Pashto | مثالی | ||
| The word "مثالی" is derived from the Arabic word "مثل" which means "example" or "model". It can also mean "beautiful" or "excellent". | |||
| Arabic | المثالي | ||
| The word "المثالي" (al-mithali) in Arabic is derived from the root word "مثل" (mithl), which means "similar" or "like", and can also refer to a "model" or "example" | |||
Ideal in Western European Languages
| Albanian | ideal | ||
| The Albanian word "ideal" comes from the Latin word "idea," meaning "form," "model," or "pattern." | |||
| Basque | aproposa | ||
| The Basque word aproposa, meaning 'ideal', has its origins in the Greek word "apropos", which means 'opportunely' or 'to the point' | |||
| Catalan | ideal | ||
| The Catalan word "ideal" comes from the Greek "idea" and can also mean "model" or "prototype" | |||
| Croatian | idealan | ||
| The word has also been associated with other concepts over time, such as being the perfect form or model of something. | |||
| Danish | ideel | ||
| The word "ideel" in Danish can also mean "voluntary" or "honorable". | |||
| Dutch | ideaal | ||
| The Dutch word "ideaal" is derived from the Greek "idea" which means "form" or "pattern." | |||
| English | ideal | ||
| In Plato's philosophy, the word "ideal" refers to the perfect form of something that exists in the realm of ideas, as opposed to the imperfect physical form that exists in the material world. | |||
| French | idéal | ||
| Idéal can also mean "idol" or "idol-making" and is likely influenced by the Greek concept of "idea," meaning something seen, an appearance. | |||
| Frisian | ideaal | ||
| The Frisian word "ideaal" also means "crazy" or "mad" | |||
| Galician | ideal | ||
| The Galician word "ideal" can also mean "exemplary" or "perfect for its purpose". | |||
| German | ideal | ||
| The word "Ideal" in German, "Ideal" can also refer to a spiritual state of perfection. | |||
| Icelandic | hugsjón | ||
| The term "hugsjón" was originally a religious concept denoting a person or being that had attained a state of purity and perfection. | |||
| Irish | oiriúnach | ||
| Oiriúnach can also refer to suitability or appropriateness in a general sense. | |||
| Italian | ideale | ||
| The Italian word ideale derives from the Greek idea meaning 'form' or 'pattern' and is related to the Latin word idolum meaning 'image' or 'appearance'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | ideal | ||
| The word "ideal" is derived from Greek "ἰδέα" meaning an idea, form or model. | |||
| Maltese | ideali | ||
| The Maltese word "ideali" originates from the Italian word "ideale" and holds the similar meaning of "ideal" in English. | |||
| Norwegian | ideell | ||
| The Norwegian word "ideell" can also mean "non-profit" or "charitable". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ideal | ||
| In Portuguese, "ideal" can also mean "exemplary" or "perfect". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | air leth freagarrach | ||
| "Aile freagarrach" is the Scots Gaelic equivalent of the word "ideal" but literally translates to "wing of an eagle". | |||
| Spanish | ideal | ||
| La palabra “ideal” en español proviene del griego “idea”, que significa “forma, molde o modelo”, y también se refiere a un concepto o estándar perfecto en la mente. | |||
| Swedish | idealisk | ||
| The Swedish word "idealisk" also relates to an idyllic place or a utopia. | |||
| Welsh | yn ddelfrydol | ||
| The word "yn ddelfrydol" can be literally translated as "in the form of" or "according to" an ideal of perfection. | |||
Ideal in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | ідэальна | ||
| The word “ідэальна” can also mean “idealistic”, “visionary”, or “perfect”. | |||
| Bosnian | idealno | ||
| The word "idealno" in Bosnian, like the word "idea" in English, is derived from the Greek word "ideā" meaning "form" | |||
| Bulgarian | идеален | ||
| The word "идеален" (ideal) derives from the Greek word "ιδέα" (idea), meaning "form" or "pattern". | |||
| Czech | ideál | ||
| The Czech word "ideál" comes from the Latin word "idea" and can also mean "idealist". | |||
| Estonian | ideaalne | ||
| The Estonian word "ideaalne" also has the meaning of "idealistic". | |||
| Finnish | ihanteellinen | ||
| The word "ihanteellinen" comes from the root "ihana," meaning "lovely," and is related to the concept of an "ideal" as something that is perfect or desirable. | |||
| Hungarian | ideál | ||
| In Hungarian, "ideál" originally meant "pattern" or "model" | |||
| Latvian | ideāls | ||
| The word "ideāls" can also mean "concept" or "prototype" in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | idealu | ||
| The Lithuanian word "idealu" also means "perfect" or "flawless". | |||
| Macedonian | идеален | ||
| The word "идеален" in Macedonian also means "perfect" or "flawless". | |||
| Polish | ideał | ||
| Its original meaning in Polish is a ‘model, sample or prototype’. | |||
| Romanian | ideal | ||
| "Ideal" originates from the same Proto-Indo-European root as "idea" and means both "ideal" and "idea" in Romanian. | |||
| Russian | идеальный | ||
| The word "идеальный" (ideal) derives from the Greek "idea" (form, model), and also means "perfect", "best possible", or "most desirable." | |||
| Serbian | идеално | ||
| The Serbian word "idealno" can also mean "exactly" or "completely". | |||
| Slovak | ideálne | ||
| The word "ideálne" in Slovak can also mean "idealistically" or "ideally". | |||
| Slovenian | idealno | ||
| The noun 'idealno' also denotes a theoretical standard of measure of a physical quantity. | |||
| Ukrainian | ідеально | ||
| The Ukrainian word "ідеально" is derived from the Greek word "ἰδέα" (idea), meaning "form" or "essence." | |||
Ideal in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | আদর্শ | ||
| আদর্শ (ideal) is derived from Sanskrit 'आदर्श' (prototype, model, exemplar), meaning something set up as a target or a standard of perfection. | |||
| Gujarati | આદર્શ | ||
| આદર્શ means "ideal" but can also mean "model", "exemplar", or "standard". | |||
| Hindi | आदर्श | ||
| आदर्श is derived from the Sanskrit word 'आर्' meaning | |||
| Kannada | ಆದರ್ಶ | ||
| The term "ಆದರ್ಶ" is often used in a sense similar to its original meaning, "example" or "pattern." | |||
| Malayalam | അനുയോജ്യമായത് | ||
| The word 'अनुकूल' does not mean 'ideal' but actually means 'favorable' or 'suitable'. | |||
| Marathi | आदर्श | ||
| The word "आदर्श" is derived from the Sanskrit word "आदर्श" which means "a model" or "an example". | |||
| Nepali | आदर्श | ||
| The word "आदर्श" is derived from the Sanskrit word "आदर्श" meaning "mirror", reflecting the idea of something to be imitated or aspired to. | |||
| Punjabi | ਆਦਰਸ਼ | ||
| The word "ਆਦਰਸ਼" in Punjabi ultimately derives from the Sanskrit word "आदर्श" (ādarśa), which can also mean "mirror", "example", or "model". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පරමාදර්ශී | ||
| Tamil | ஏற்றதாக | ||
| The word ஏற்றதாக can also mean 'capable', 'fit', or 'suitable' in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | ఆదర్శ | ||
| The word 'ఆదర్శ' is derived from Sanskrit and originally meant 'a mirror' or 'a reflection' | |||
| Urdu | مثالی | ||
| Urdu word "مثالی" is derived from Arabic word "مثال" meaning "example" or "model". | |||
Ideal in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 理想 | ||
| 理想(lǐxiǎng) derives from the words 理(lǐ, reason) and 想(xiǎng, thought), and was first used in the 19th century to describe aspirations for a better society. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 理想 | ||
| The character "理" in "理想" has the connotation of "pattern" or "principle", and "想" means "to think" or "to imagine". | |||
| Japanese | 理想的 | ||
| In Japanese, "理想的" (risouteki) also means "optimistic" or "too good to be true". | |||
| Korean | 이상 | ||
| The Hanja word "이상" means "ideal," and when separated into its radical components, it can also mean "above" or "to surpass." | |||
| Mongolian | тохиромжтой | ||
| The word "тохиромжтой" can also mean "suitable" or "appropriate". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စံပြ | ||
| The word "စံပြ" in Myanmar (Burmese) is derived from the Sanskrit word "sampriya", meaning "dear to all" or "popular". | |||
Ideal in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | ideal | ||
| The Indonesian word "ideal" comes from the Dutch word "ideaal" or from the French word "idéal" and has the same origin as the word "idea" meaning thought and concept | |||
| Javanese | becik | ||
| The word 'becik' comes from Old Javanese 'weci' meaning 'good, nice' and later gained the sense of 'ideal'. | |||
| Khmer | ល្អបំផុត | ||
| ល្អបំផុត (ideal) is commonly used to mean "good" or "nice", but it can also mean "best" or "perfect". | |||
| Lao | ທີ່ດີທີ່ສຸດ | ||
| Malay | ideal | ||
| The Malay word "ideal" also has the alternate meaning of "principle", derived from the Arabic word "aṣl" (أصل) meaning "root" or "foundation". | |||
| Thai | ในอุดมคติ | ||
| "ในอุดมคติ" derives from the Sanskrit word "udātta" meaning "exalted" or "raised up." | |||
| Vietnamese | lý tưởng | ||
| "Lý tưởng" in Vietnamese can also refer to an aspiration or goal. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | perpekto | ||
Ideal in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | idealdır | ||
| "İdeal" sözcüğü Arapça "eydal" (iyi, müspet, olumlu, uygun) sözcüğünden türemiş olup olumlu ve arzu edilen her tür olgu ya da duruma denir. | |||
| Kazakh | идеалды | ||
| The word "идеалды" can also refer to a "standard" or a "model" | |||
| Kyrgyz | идеалдуу | ||
| The word "идеалдуу" ("ideal") in Kyrgyz may also refer to an idealized or desirable state. | |||
| Tajik | беҳтарин | ||
| The word "беҳтарин" can also be translated as "the best" in English. | |||
| Turkmen | ideal | ||
| Uzbek | ideal | ||
| The Uzbek word "ideal" comes from the Greek word "idea," which means "form" or "pattern." | |||
| Uyghur | غايە | ||
Ideal in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kūpono | ||
| Derived from Polynesian **kupu** “word, speech,” meaning the highest good (the right word spoken). | |||
| Maori | tino pai | ||
| The term "tino pai" has its roots in the concept of "uturoa," a balanced state of harmony between the material and spiritual realms. | |||
| Samoan | fetaui lelei | ||
| Fetaui lelei can also mean 'beautiful' or 'good-looking'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mainam | ||
| Mainam shares its root word with "manat" (to win) and "manalo" (to emerge victorious), suggesting a connotation of excellence or triumph. | |||
Ideal in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | qhana amuyu | ||
| Guarani | oñeha'ãrõháicha | ||
Ideal in International Languages
| Esperanto | ideala | ||
| The 'a' at the end of the Esperanto word 'idealo' is a grammatical affix indicating neutrality, not a diminutive as in some other languages. | |||
| Latin | ratio | ||
| The Latin word "ratio" also refers to the relationship between two things or the proportion of one thing to another. | |||
Ideal in Others Languages
| Greek | ιδανικός | ||
| The word | |||
| Hmong | zoo tagnrho | ||
| "Ideal" in Hmong, "zoo tagnrho," literally translates to "like heaven." | |||
| Kurdish | xwestekî | ||
| The word "xwestekî" in Kurdish also means "desired" or "longed for." | |||
| Turkish | ideal | ||
| "İdeal" kelimesi Latincede "model veya tip" anlamına gelen "idea"dan gelir ve Osmanlıcada "örnek veya model" anlamına gelmektedir. | |||
| Xhosa | efanelekileyo | ||
| From the verb -faneleka (to be sufficient), so is that which is 'fully deserving'. | |||
| Yiddish | ידעאַל | ||
| The Yiddish word "ידעאַל" (ideal) is cognate with the Hebrew "אידיאל," which originated from the Greek word "ἰδέα" (idea). | |||
| Zulu | ekahle | ||
| The Zulu word "ekahle" shares its root with the word "okuhle," meaning "beautiful" or "good." | |||
| Assamese | আদৰ্শ | ||
| Aymara | qhana amuyu | ||
| Bhojpuri | आर्दश | ||
| Dhivehi | އެންމެ އެކަށޭނެ | ||
| Dogri | आदर्श | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | perpekto | ||
| Guarani | oñeha'ãrõháicha | ||
| Ilocano | pagtuladan | ||
| Krio | bɛst | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نموونەیی | ||
| Maithili | आदर्श | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯞ ꯆꯥꯕ | ||
| Mizo | duhthusam | ||
| Oromo | yaadaan | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଆଦର୍ଶ | ||
| Quechua | qatina | ||
| Sanskrit | आदर्शः | ||
| Tatar | идеаль | ||
| Tigrinya | ተስማዕማዒ | ||
| Tsonga | fanela | ||