Imagine in different languages

Imagine in Different Languages

Discover 'Imagine' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

Imagine, a simple word that holds so much power. It's a word that invites us to explore new possibilities, to dream, and to create. It's a word that has been used by some of the greatest minds in history to inspire and motivate. From philosophers and poets to scientists and artists, the word 'imagine' has been a catalyst for innovation and progress.

But what about the rest of the world? How do other cultures and languages convey this powerful concept? Understanding the translation of 'imagine' in different languages can open up a whole new world of cultural understanding and appreciation. For example, in Spanish, 'imagine' is 'imaginar', while in French, it's 'imaginer'. In German, it's 'sich vorstellen', and in Japanese, it's '想像する' (souzou suru).

Exploring the word 'imagine' in different languages not only broadens our linguistic skills but also deepens our connection to other cultures. It allows us to see the world through a different lens and to appreciate the beauty and richness of our diverse human experience.

Imagine


Imagine in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansverbeel jou
"Verbeel jou" literally translates to "imagine yourself" in English.
Amharicአስቡት
This verb originates from the root ኤቲኒ (sbt), which also means to hope.
Hausatunanin
The word "tunanin" can also mean "to hope" or "to expect".
Igboiche
The Igbo word 'iche' also means 'the process of putting something into practice'
Malagasysary an-tsaina
The term "sary an-tsaina" in Malagasy can also refer to the act of daydreaming or fantasizing about the future.
Nyanja (Chichewa)kulingalira
The word 'kulingalira' in Nyanja (Chichewa) is a cognate of the Yao word 'kulingalira', which means 'to perceive, to think, to expect'.
Shonafungidzira
'Fungidzira' is most likely related to the prefix 'fu' which connotes 'to cause' or 'to bring about' action.
Somaliqiyaas
"Qiyaas" is also used to mean "guess" or "approximate" and is related to the Arabic word "qiyās" meaning "analogy" or "inference".
Sesothonahana
"Nahana" also means "to think" or "to believe" in Sesotho.
Swahilifikiria
Fikiria is also used to express 'idea' or 'thought' in Swahili.
Xhosacinga
The Xhosa word “cinga” also means “to look at” or “to observe”.
Yorubafojuinu
The verb "fojuinu" can mean a number of things, including "imagine," "guess," or "suppose."
Zulucabanga
The word 'cabanga' in Zulu also means 'to think' or 'to consider'.
Bambaraka miri
Ewebu eŋu
Kinyarwandatekereza
Lingalakokanisa
Lugandalowooza
Sepedinagana
Twi (Akan)fa no sɛ

Imagine in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicتخيل
In addition to its primary meaning of "imagine," "تخيل" also means "to conceive" or "to envision."
Hebrewלדמיין
The word לדמיין (imagine) is derived from the root דמה (to resemble), suggesting the creation of an image in the mind.
Pashtoتصور وکړئ
The Pashto word تصور وکړئ is also used to mean "consider" or "think about".
Arabicتخيل
In addition to its primary meaning of "imagine," "تخيل" also means "to conceive" or "to envision."

Imagine in Western European Languages

Albanianimagjinoni
Imagjinoni comes from Latin "imaginari" (to create mental images) and also means "imaginary" or "fictional" in Albanian.
Basqueimajinatu
The word "imajinatu" derives from the Latin word "imaginari" and originally meant "to depict or represent."
Catalanimagina’t
The Catalan word "imagina't" comes from the Latin word "imaginari", meaning "to form a mental image".
Croatianzamisliti
"Zamisliti" in Croatian can also mean "to intend" or "to purpose."
Danishforestille
The Danish word "forestille" originally meant "to place before" and can still have this meaning in certain contexts outside of "imagine".
Dutchstel je voor
In Dutch, "stel je voor" literally translates to "set yourself before" or "place yourself in front of", which captures the notion of imagining something before one's eyes.
Englishimagine
From the Latin "imago," an image, it now evokes creation out of nothing.
Frenchimaginer
The French word “imaginer” comes from the Latin verb “imaginari” and can also mean “to conceive” or “to think.”
Frisianyntinke
In Old Frisian, yntinke also meant 'to perceive,' and it is related to the modern Dutch denken ('to think') and Duits denken ('to think').
Galicianimaxina
In Galician, "imaxinar" (imagine) shares its etymology with the Latin word "imago" (image), but also has an alternate meaning of "to plan or intend".
Germanvorstellen
The word "vorstellen" can also mean "to introduce" or "to present".
Icelandicímyndaðu þér
Ímyndaðu þér (imagine) comes from the verb "mynda" (to form, create). This is the same root that gives us "mynd" (picture) and "myndasmíði" (animation).
Irishsamhlaigh
The Irish word "samhlaigh" can also mean "liken" or "compare".
Italianimmaginare
In Italian, the word "immaginare" can also mean "to visualize" or "to conceive of".
Luxembourgishvirstellen
The verb "virstellen" can also have the meaning "to represent" in certain contexts.
Malteseimmaġina
The word "immaġina" originally meant "image" and is related to the word "immaġni" (Latin: "imago").
Norwegianforestill deg
Forestill deg is a combination of 'forestille' (show, exhibit) and 'deg' (self/you).
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)imagine
In Portugal, "imaginar" is synonymous with "pretend", whereas in Brazil it carries a more literal meaning of "imagine" or "picture in one's mind".
Scots Gaelicsmaoinich
The Scots Gaelic word 'smaoinich' is derived from the Old Irish verb 'smáinim' meaning 'to think', 'to consider', or 'to ponder'.
Spanishimagina
The Spanish word "imagina" can also refer to a mental image, a figure in a dream, or a phantom.
Swedishtänka
"Tänka" may also mean to "think" or "consider," or to "intend" or "plan."
Welshdychmygwch
Welsh word "dychmygwch" is a derivative of the archaic verb "damcan" meaning "to suppose or presume."

Imagine in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianуявіце сабе
"Уявіце сабе" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *obobraziti, which also means "to show" or "to depict".
Bosnianzamislite
"Zamislite" is derived from "zamisliti se," meaning "to think about, to consider."
Bulgarianпредставям си
"Представям си" in Bulgarian also means "to present oneself" in some contexts.
Czechpředstavit si
The verb 'představit si' also means 'to present oneself', 'to introduce oneself' and 'to show one's appreciation'.
Estoniankujutage ette
The Estonian word "kujutage ette" can also mean "to represent" or "to imagine".
Finnishkuvitella
"Kuvittele" (imagine) is a loanword from Swedish "kuvitera" (depict), which in turn comes from French "cuvrir" (cover).
Hungarianképzeld el
The word "képzeld el" can also mean "to picture to oneself" or "to conceive of".
Latvianiedomājies
The Latvian word "iedomājies" can also mean "to presuppose" or "to assume".
Lithuanianįsivaizduok
The verb įsivaizduok stems from the Lithuanian word vaizdas (image, vision) and the prefix įsi- (entering, getting into), thus signifying the action of entering a state of imagining.
Macedonianзамисли
In Macedonian, 'замисли' is also a synonym for 'dream' and can refer to a state of contemplation or reverie.
Polishwyobrażać sobie
The Polish word "wyobrażać sobie" has a broader meaning than the English "imagine", encompassing both "to imagine" and "to portray".
Romanianimagina
Imagina derives from the Latin verb "īmāgīnārī" meaning "to imagine".
Russianпредставить
The verb "представить" comes from an Old Slavic word that also meant
Serbianзамислити
The closest cognate to "замислити" is "мыслить" in Russian, which can also mean both "think" and "imagine."
Slovakpredstavte si
In Slovak, predstavte si also suggests the notion of introducing someone to others
Slovenianpredstavljajte si
"Predstavljajte si" is a very close synonym of "zamislite" and "si zamislite" and thus a direct translation of "imagine". In its archaic meaning it can also be used as a first person plural imperative form to mean "let's imagine".
Ukrainianуявіть
The Ukrainian word "уявіть" can also mean "visualize" or "form a mental image of something."

Imagine in South Asian Languages

Bengaliকল্পনা
In Bengali, the word "কল্পনা" (kolpona) can also refer to a hypothesis, a dream, or a mental image.
Gujaratiકલ્પના
The word "કલ્પના" (kalpana) also refers to a specific type of poetic composition in Gujarati literature.
Hindiकल्पना कीजिए
"कल्पना कीजिए" is a derivative of "कल्प" (conception, desire) and its alternate meaning in Hindi is "to perceive".
Kannadaಕಲ್ಪಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಿ
Malayalamസങ്കൽപ്പിക്കുക
Marathiकल्पना करा
The Marathi word "कल्पना करा" can also mean "to envision" or "to conceive" in English.
Nepaliकल्पना गर्नुहोस्
The verb 'कल्पना गर्नुहोस्' is derived from the Sanskrit verb 'कल्प' (kalp), meaning 'to form in mind, conceive, imagine'.
Punjabiਕਲਪਨਾ ਕਰੋ
The word "kalpana karo" is also used in a more figurative sense to mean "make up" or "invent."
Sinhala (Sinhalese)සිතන්න
The Sinhalese word "සිතන්න" can also mean to "consider" or "understand", highlighting its broader semantic range beyond just imagining.
Tamilகற்பனை செய்து பாருங்கள்
Telugu.హించు
The Telugu word .హించు is derived from Sanskrit "hi", meaning to think or consider.
Urduتصور
The Urdu word "تصور" can also mean "thought" or "idea".

Imagine in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)想像
In Chinese, '想像' can also mean 'thought' or 'idea'.
Chinese (Traditional)想像
In Chinese, "想像" can also mean "conjecture" or "guess".
Japanese想像する
The word "想像する" (sōzōsuru) is composed of two kanji: "想像" (sōzō), which means "imagination", and "する" (suru), which means "to do".
Korean상상하다
"상상하다" originally meant "to think" or "to suppose".
Mongolianтөсөөлөх
The word "төсөөлөх" also has the meaning of "to suppose" or "to assume" in Mongolian.
Myanmar (Burmese)မြင်ယောင်ကြည့်ပါ

Imagine in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianmembayangkan
"Membayangkan" means "imagine" in Indonesian and it derives from the Sanskrit word "mimansa" meaning "thinking".
Javanesembayangno
The word 'mbayangno' is derived from the Javanese words 'mbayang' (shadow) and 'no' (thought), and can also mean 'hallucinate' or 'daydream'.
Khmerស្រមៃ
The word ស្រមៃ (sramay) in Khmer also means 'to consider', 'to suppose', or 'to think'
Laoຈິນຕະນາການ
Malaybayangkan
"Bayangkan" also means "imagine" in several other languages, including Indonesian and Javanese.
Thaiจินตนาการ
"จินตนาการ" comes from Sanskrit and means "to think" or "to know."
Vietnamesetưởng tượng
The Vietnamese word "tưởng tượng" can also refer to an illusion or hallucination, reflecting the fluidity of imagination and the boundaries of reality.
Filipino (Tagalog)isipin mo

Imagine in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanitəsəvvür edin
The Azerbaijani word "təsəvvür edin" is derived from the Persian "تصور کنید" (tasavvor konid), which literally means "make a picture of". It can also be used to mean "suppose", "guess", or "imagine".
Kazakhелестету
The word "елестету" in Kazakh can also mean "to suppose" or "to fancy".
Kyrgyzэлестетүү
"Элестетүү" means "to create a mental image". In physics, it means "to form an image". In photography, it means "to take a picture".
Tajikтасаввур кунед
"Тасаввур кунед" (imagine) derives from the Arabic word "تصور" (conception, idea) and Persian word "کردن" (to do, to make).
Turkmengöz öňüne getiriň
Uzbektasavvur qiling
The Uzbek word "tasavvur qiling" can also mean "to conceive" or "to envisage".
Uyghurتەسەۋۋۇر قىلىپ بېقىڭ

Imagine in Pacific Languages

Hawaiiane noʻonoʻo
"E noʻonoʻo" is literally 'to think repeatedly,' coming from the repeated form of the verb "noʻonoʻo" ('to think').
Maoriwhakaaro
The Maori word "whakaaro" is also used to describe a "thought" or "opinion".
Samoanvaai faalemafaufau
The expression "vaai faalemafaufau" can also mean "to picture" or "to visualize".
Tagalog (Filipino)isipin
The word "isipin" also means "to think of" or "to consider" in Tagalog.

Imagine in American Indigenous Languages

Aymaralup'iña
Guaraniha'ãngáva

Imagine in International Languages

Esperantoimagu
The Esperanto word "imagu" comes from Esperanto word "imagi", which comes from Latin word "imago", which means "image" or "copy".
Latinmeditati
Meditati is also a past participle of the verb "meditor", meaning "to ponder" or "to deliberate".

Imagine in Others Languages

Greekφαντάζομαι
Φαντάζομαι may also mean 'make visible,' 'form in the imagination,' 'picture to oneself,' 'think', 'suppose,' or 'believe'
Hmongxav
The word "xav" can also mean "dream", "hope", or "wish".
Kurdishfikirin
The root of the Kurdish word "fikirin" can be traced back to the Persian word "fikr", meaning "thought" or "idea."
Turkishhayal etmek
The word "hayal etmek" is derived from the Arabic word "khayāl" which means "phantom, illusion, or apparition". This reflects the idea that imagined things are not real but instead exist only in the mind.
Xhosacinga
The Xhosa word “cinga” also means “to look at” or “to observe”.
Yiddishימאַדזשאַן
The Yiddish word 'ימאַדזשאַן' ('imagine') derives from the Hebrew word 'imagined' ('figure'), also cognate of the English word 'imagine'.
Zulucabanga
The word 'cabanga' in Zulu also means 'to think' or 'to consider'.
Assameseকল্পনা কৰা
Aymaralup'iña
Bhojpuriकल्पना करीं
Dhivehiވިސްނާލުން
Dogriसोचना
Filipino (Tagalog)isipin mo
Guaraniha'ãngáva
Ilocanoingepen
Krioimajin
Kurdish (Sorani)بیرکردنەوە
Maithiliकल्पना करु
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯈꯅꯗꯨꯅ ꯌꯦꯡꯁꯤ
Mizosuangtuah
Oromoyaadi
Odia (Oriya)କଳ୍ପନା କର |
Quechuaumanchay
Sanskritगणयति
Tatarкүз алдыгызга китерегез
Tigrinyaኢልካ ሕሰብ
Tsongaanakanya

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