Imagination in Different Languages
Discover 'Imagination' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Imagination is a powerful force that has shaped human culture and society throughout history. It is the ability to form mental images, ideas, and concepts that are not present to the senses, allowing us to create, innovate, and explore new possibilities. From literature and art to science and technology, imagination has been the driving force behind some of humanity's greatest achievements.
Moreover, imagination is a universal concept that transcends linguistic and cultural boundaries. Every language has its own way of expressing this concept, reflecting the unique perspectives and worldviews of its speakers. Understanding the translation of imagination in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultural significance of this concept around the world.
For example, in Spanish, imagination is translated as 'imaginación', while in French, it is 'imagination'. In Mandarin Chinese, the word for imagination is '想象' (xiǎngxiàng), which combines the characters for 'think' and 'shape'. In Japanese, imagination is '想像力' (sōzōryoku), which means 'the power of imagination'. These translations not only reflect the linguistic diversity of human cultures but also highlight the universal importance of imagination in shaping our thoughts, emotions, and actions.
In this article, we will explore the translations of imagination in 10 different languages, shedding light on the cultural significance of this concept around the world. Whether you are a language enthusiast, a cultural scholar, or simply curious about the world around you, this article will provide you with a unique perspective on the power of imagination.
Imagination
Imagination in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | verbeelding | ||
| The Afrikaans word "verbeelding" also means "pretend" and "falsely believe". | |||
| Amharic | ቅinationት | ||
| Amharic "ቅinationት" is derived from the Geez word "ቈነተ" (qonate) and also means "faith" or "belief". | |||
| Hausa | tunanin | ||
| The Hausa word "tunanin" is also used to describe the faculty of reason or intellect. | |||
| Igbo | pụrụ ichetụ n'echiche | ||
| Malagasy | mamoron | ||
| The word "mamoron" derives from the Proto-Austronesian root "*ma-qamoR", meaning "dream" or "vision". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | malingaliro | ||
| The word 'malingaliro' is also used to describe 'fantasy' and 'delusion'. | |||
| Shona | fungidziro | ||
| 'Fungidziro' also means 'imagination' in English, but it literally translates to 'the act of being creative'. | |||
| Somali | male | ||
| The word "male" in Somali also means "to think" or "to ponder". | |||
| Sesotho | monahano | ||
| "Monahano" in Sesotho derives from "nahana," meaning "to hide" or "to conceal". | |||
| Swahili | mawazo | ||
| "Mawazo" also means "thoughts" and is related to the Swahili word "waza," meaning "to think." | |||
| Xhosa | intelekelelo | ||
| Intelekelelo shares a root with the verb ‘ukuqonda,” meaning to understand. | |||
| Yoruba | oju inu | ||
| "Oju inu" in Yoruba is said to relate to "mental eyes". It can also be used to describe a vivid daydream, but it is a more concrete concept than the abstract notion of imagination. | |||
| Zulu | umcabango | ||
| In Zulu, the word 'umcabango' can also mean 'a plan' or 'a scheme' | |||
| Bambara | miirili ye | ||
| Ewe | susuŋudɔwɔwɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ibitekerezo | ||
| Lingala | makanisi ya kokanisa | ||
| Luganda | okulowooza | ||
| Sepedi | boikgopolelo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | adwene mu nsusuwii | ||
Imagination in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | خيال | ||
| The word "خيال" in Arabic can also mean "phantom" or "apparition". | |||
| Hebrew | דִמיוֹן | ||
| The Hebrew word "דִמיוֹן" ("imagination") also means "similarity" and "likeness". | |||
| Pashto | تخیل | ||
| Pashto "تخیل" also means "thought" and is a synonym for "خیال." | |||
| Arabic | خيال | ||
| The word "خيال" in Arabic can also mean "phantom" or "apparition". | |||
Imagination in Western European Languages
| Albanian | imagjinata | ||
| In Albanian, "imagjinata" is derived from Latin "imaginari", meaning "to image" or "to create in the mind." | |||
| Basque | irudimena | ||
| The word "irudimena" (meaning "imagination" in Basque) comes from the Latin phrase "imago mentis," meaning the "image that is in the mind." | |||
| Catalan | imaginació | ||
| "Imaginació" in Catalan comes from the Latin word "imaginatio", which means the formation of mental images. | |||
| Croatian | mašta | ||
| The Croatian word "mašta" is cognate with the Persian word "mâst," which means "intoxication" or "ecstasy." | |||
| Danish | fantasi | ||
| The word "fantasi" can also refer to a type of horse show in Denmark, involving elaborate costumes and choreography. | |||
| Dutch | verbeelding | ||
| Dutch word 'verbeelding' originally meant 'the ability to foresee,' rather than the faculty of imagining things that do not exist, as it does today. | |||
| English | imagination | ||
| Though most people connect 'image' in 'imagination' to a visual sense, it is etymologically connected to 'imitation,' as both come from the Latin root 'imitari'. | |||
| French | imagination | ||
| The French word "imagination" derives from the Latin "imaginatio," meaning "image-making." | |||
| Frisian | ferbylding | ||
| The word "ferbylding" also means "depiction" in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | imaxinación | ||
| The Galician word "imaxinación" stems from the Latin word "imaginatio", meaning "image" or "phantasm." | |||
| German | phantasie | ||
| "Phantasie," meaning "imagination" in German, derives from the Greek word "phantasia," which means "appearance" or "illusion." | |||
| Icelandic | ímyndunarafl | ||
| "Ímyndunarafl" is a compound word made up of "ímynd" (image) and "rafl" (raft), suggesting a raft of images or an image-raft. | |||
| Irish | samhlaíocht | ||
| Italian | immaginazione | ||
| "Immaginazione" also means "image" in Italian, deriving from the Latin word "imago" | |||
| Luxembourgish | imaginatioun | ||
| The term "Imaginatioun" originally meant "creative imagination" and was derived from the Latin word "imago" meaning "image". It has evolved over time to encompass other meanings such as "imagination" and "thought". | |||
| Maltese | immaġinazzjoni | ||
| "Immaġinazzjoni" in Maltese is derived from the Latin "imaginatio" (image or likeness), which in turn comes from the verb "imaginare" (to imagine). | |||
| Norwegian | fantasi | ||
| The Norwegian word "fantasi" derives from the Greek "phantasia", which originally referred to the ability of the mind to perceive objects not physically present. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | imaginação | ||
| The word "imaginação" derives from the Latin "imaginatio," meaning "image-making" or "faculty of creating mental images." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | mac-meanmna | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word 'mac-meanmna' also refers to the faculty of reason and is related to the Old Irish word for 'thought' ('menme'). | |||
| Spanish | imaginación | ||
| In Spanish, "imaginación" has the added meaning of "image creation" and is the root of "imagen" (image). | |||
| Swedish | fantasi | ||
| In the plural form, 'fantasier' means 'daydreams' in Swedish. | |||
| Welsh | dychymyg | ||
| "Dychymyg" is the Welsh word for imagination, and comes from the roots "dychyn", meaning "thought" or "feeling" and "myg", meaning "something formed or shaped". | |||
Imagination in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | уяўленне | ||
| "Уяўленне" is a Belarusian word with a long and rich history, meaning both "imagination" and "representation" in various contexts. | |||
| Bosnian | mašta | ||
| The word "mašta" can also mean "fantasy" or "daydream" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | въображение | ||
| In Bulgarian, the word "въображение" can also mean "fantasy" or "pretense." | |||
| Czech | představivost | ||
| The word "představivost" is derived from the verb "představit", which means "to introduce" or "to present". | |||
| Estonian | kujutlusvõime | ||
| The word "kujutlusvõime" is derived from the verb "kujutama" ("to imagine"), which in turn comes from the Proto-Uralic root *kuδe- ("shape, form"). | |||
| Finnish | mielikuvitus | ||
| The term 'mielikuvitus' comes from 'mieli' (mind) and 'kuvitus' (image), and also refers to the imaginative ability to visualize. | |||
| Hungarian | képzelet | ||
| The word "képzelet" is derived from the verb "képzel", which means "to imagine", "to conceive", or "to visualize". | |||
| Latvian | iztēle | ||
| The word "iztēle" is derived from the verb "iztēlot", which means "to imagine", and is related to the word "tēls", which means "image". | |||
| Lithuanian | vaizduotė | ||
| "Vaizduotė" derives from the verb "vaizduoti" – to portray, represent, envision, imagine, perceive, think, reflect. | |||
| Macedonian | имагинација | ||
| Polish | wyobraźnia | ||
| "Wyobraźnia" is derived from the Old Polish word "obraźnia," meaning "image," and is related to the word "obraz," meaning "picture". | |||
| Romanian | imaginație | ||
| The Romanian word "imaginație" derives from the Latin "imaginatio", meaning "image" or "figure". | |||
| Russian | воображение | ||
| The word "воображение" also means "image" or "idea" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | машта | ||
| The word “машта” also refers to a type of folklore in Serbia | |||
| Slovak | predstavivosť | ||
| Predstavivosť originates from the verb 'predstaviť', which means 'to present' or 'to imagine'. | |||
| Slovenian | domišljijo | ||
| In Slovenian, "domišljija" can also mean "conceit" or "vanity". | |||
| Ukrainian | фантазія | ||
| The Ukrainian word "фантазія" is derived from the Greek word "φαντασία," which also means "appearance" or "illusion." | |||
Imagination in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কল্পনা | ||
| The word "কল্পনা" originates from the Sanskrit word "कल्पन" (kalpana), meaning "construction" or "formation" | |||
| Gujarati | કલ્પના | ||
| The word "કલ્પના" is derived from the Sanskrit word "kalpa", which means "a creation". The word can also refer to a "poetic conception" or an "artistic representation". | |||
| Hindi | कल्पना | ||
| "कल्पना" is derived from the Sanskrit word "कल्प" meaning "to form or create" and can also refer to a "world" or "era". | |||
| Kannada | ಕಲ್ಪನೆ | ||
| The word "ಕಲ್ಪನೆ" can also mean "creation" or "invention" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | ഭാവന | ||
| The word 'ഭാവന' ('imagination') comes from the Sanskrit root 'bhāv' ('to become'), signifying its transformative and creative nature. | |||
| Marathi | कल्पना | ||
| The Marathi word "कल्पना" (imagination) is derived from the Sanskrit verb "कल्प" (to imagine), which also has the meanings "to create" and "to shape". | |||
| Nepali | कल्पना | ||
| In Sanskrit, “कल्पना” means “to form in the mind” and is derived from “कल्प”, meaning “to form” or “to create”. | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਲਪਨਾ | ||
| The word "ਕਲਪਨਾ" (kalpana) in Punjabi is derived from Sanskrit and also means "creation, composition, or invention". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පරිකල්පනය | ||
| The word "පරිකල්පනය" is derived from the Sanskrit word "परिकल्पन" (parikalpana), which means "a mental construction" or "a hypothesis". | |||
| Tamil | கற்பனை | ||
| The Tamil word "கற்பனை" (kalpana) also means "conception" or "creativity". | |||
| Telugu | ination హ | ||
| Imagination is derived from the Latin word "imaginatio", which means "the act of forming a mental image or idea". Additionally, "ination" is also used to refer to a person's creative or artistic abilities. | |||
| Urdu | تخیل | ||
| "تخیل" derives from the same root as "create" and "cause to be", suggesting the active role of the imagination in bringing forth new realities. | |||
Imagination in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 想像力 | ||
| 想像力 (xiǎngxiànglì) derives from the morphemes 想像, 'image' + 想, 'thought' and also commonly means 'image' or 'conception'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 想像力 | ||
| 想像力 (xiǎngxiànglì) comes from the characters 想 (xiǎng) "to think" and 像 (xiàng) "image". | |||
| Japanese | 想像力 | ||
| 想像力 is an on-yomi pronunciation borrowed from Chinese 想像力, where it also means "imagination". | |||
| Korean | 상상력 | ||
| "상상력" is also used to refer to a person's thoughts and feelings. | |||
| Mongolian | төсөөлөл | ||
| The Mongolian word | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စိတ်ကူး | ||
Imagination in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | imajinasi | ||
| "Imajinasi" in Indonesian is derived from the Sanskrit word "kalpana", meaning "representation" or "creation". | |||
| Javanese | imajinasi | ||
| The Javanese word "imajinasi" also means "vision". | |||
| Khmer | ការស្រមើលស្រមៃ | ||
| Lao | ຈິນຕະນາການ | ||
| Malay | khayalan | ||
| The Malay word "khayalan" also means "fantasy", "fiction", "daydream", or "vision". | |||
| Thai | จินตนาการ | ||
| In classical Thai language, "จินตนาการ" means "to create an image", while the alternate spelling "จิตนาการ" means "to imagine or to conceive of". | |||
| Vietnamese | trí tưởng tượng | ||
| The Vietnamese word "trí tưởng tượng" is a compound word formed from the Sino-Vietnamese words "trí" (mind) and "tưởng tượng" (illusion). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | imahinasyon | ||
Imagination in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | xəyal | ||
| The word "xəyal" in Azerbaijani also means "dream" or "vision." | |||
| Kazakh | қиял | ||
| "Қиял" is a derivative of the Persian "khyāl", meaning "thought, idea, or fancy". | |||
| Kyrgyz | элестетүү | ||
| "Элестетүү" could also mean "creating" or "producing" something from one's mind. | |||
| Tajik | хаёлот | ||
| The word "хаёлот" has roots in the Persian word "خيال" (khayāl), meaning "idea", "vision", or "fantasy". | |||
| Turkmen | hyýal | ||
| Uzbek | tasavvur | ||
| The word "tasavvur" can also refer to a "picture" or a "vision". | |||
| Uyghur | تەسەۋۋۇر | ||
Imagination in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | manaʻo | ||
| The term 'manaʻo', meaning 'thought, idea, or intention,' is rooted in a combination of the words 'mā' (‘thought, reflection, understanding’) and '‘ono' (‘to want, crave, or desire’).”} | |||
| Maori | whakaaro pohewa | ||
| Samoan | mafaufauga | ||
| Samoan word "mafaufauga" also means "thought", "dream", or "reflection". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | imahinasyon | ||
| In Old Tagalog, "imahinasyon" meant "mental image". It now also means imagination. | |||
Imagination in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | amuyt’awinaka | ||
| Guarani | imaginación rehegua | ||
Imagination in International Languages
| Esperanto | imago | ||
| "Imago" is a loanword from Latin and carries the meaning of "image" beyond its main meaning of "imagination" in Esperanto. | |||
| Latin | imagination | ||
| Latin "imago" refers to a mental image and "-ation" signifies action or state resulting in "imagination" meaning creation or forming of mental images. | |||
Imagination in Others Languages
| Greek | φαντασία | ||
| The Greek word "φαντασία" (phantasia) originally meant "appearance" or "image". | |||
| Hmong | kev xav | ||
| The Hmong word "kev xav" refers to the mind's eye and the ability to visualize, and can also mean 'to plan' | |||
| Kurdish | xewn | ||
| The word "xewn" can also refer to the act of creating something new or different, as well as the process of thinking or envisioning something. | |||
| Turkish | hayal gücü | ||
| Hayal gücü is derived from the Arabic word hayal, meaning 'image' or 'phantom', and the Turkish suffix -gücü, meaning 'power' or 'ability'. | |||
| Xhosa | intelekelelo | ||
| Intelekelelo shares a root with the verb ‘ukuqonda,” meaning to understand. | |||
| Yiddish | פאַנטאַזיע | ||
| The Yiddish word for 'imagination,' פאַנטאַזיע, also means 'illusion' or 'fantasy,' hinting at the potential dangers of an overly vivid imagination. | |||
| Zulu | umcabango | ||
| In Zulu, the word 'umcabango' can also mean 'a plan' or 'a scheme' | |||
| Assamese | কল্পনা | ||
| Aymara | amuyt’awinaka | ||
| Bhojpuri | कल्पना के बारे में बतावल गइल बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ޚިޔާލެވެ | ||
| Dogri | कल्पना करना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | imahinasyon | ||
| Guarani | imaginación rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | imahinasion | ||
| Krio | imajineshɔn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | خەیاڵ | ||
| Maithili | कल्पना के | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯏꯃꯦꯖꯤꯅꯦꯁꯟ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | suangtuahna (imagination) a ni | ||
| Oromo | yaada (imagination) jedhamuun beekama | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କଳ୍ପନା | ||
| Quechua | imaginación nisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | कल्पना | ||
| Tatar | фантазия | ||
| Tigrinya | ምናኔ ምናኔ | ||
| Tsonga | ku ehleketa | ||