Information in Different Languages
Discover 'Information' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Information is the lifeblood of our modern world. It's the currency of the digital age, the key to making informed decisions, and the foundation of knowledge. But have you ever wondered how the word 'information' translates into different languages?
The word 'information' has roots in the Latin 'informare', meaning to shape or form. Throughout history, information has been shared through various mediums, from oral storytelling to written records, and today, through the digital world. The significance of information cannot be overstated, as it has the power to shape cultures, influence societies, and change lives.
Understanding the translation of 'information' in different languages can provide insight into how different cultures view and value knowledge. For example, in Spanish, 'information' is 'información', while in French, it's 'information'. Meanwhile, in Japanese, it's '情報 (jouhou)', and in Mandarin, it's '信息 (xìnxī)'.
Join us as we explore the translations of 'information' in a variety of languages, shedding light on the cultural importance of knowledge and the beauty of linguistic diversity.
Information
Information in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | inligting | ||
| The Afrikaans word "inligting" originates from the Dutch word "inlichting" meaning "enlightenment". | |||
| Amharic | መረጃ | ||
| The root word መረ (mara) also denotes the action of measuring | |||
| Hausa | bayani | ||
| In some contexts, "bayani" can also refer to stories or narratives. | |||
| Igbo | ozi | ||
| In the Igbo language, “ozi” can also mean “news,” “intel,” or “intelligence.” | |||
| Malagasy | vaovao | ||
| The Malagasy word "vaovao" also means "news" or "a message". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zambiri | ||
| The word "zambiri" can also mean "news" or "rumor" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | ruzivo | ||
| The word "ruzivo" is derived from the verb "kuziva," which means "to know" or "to understand." | |||
| Somali | macluumaad | ||
| The word "macluumaad" is derived from the Arabic word "ma'luma"," known". | |||
| Sesotho | tlhahisoleseding | ||
| 'Tlhahisoleseding' is derived from the Sesotho word 'tlhahisolesedi', meaning 'a person who knows' or 'a wise person'. | |||
| Swahili | habari | ||
| Habari can also mean "news" and "gossip" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | ulwazi | ||
| 'Ulwazi' is a word that denotes 'information' in Xhosa, the language spoken in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is derived from the verb 'ukwazi', meaning 'to be able to' or 'to have the ability to do something'. | |||
| Yoruba | alaye | ||
| The word "alaye" can also mean "revelation" or "disclosure" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | imininingwane | ||
| Imininingwane is derived from 'mininingwane' meaning 'small things' in Nguni, emphasising that information is a collection of details. | |||
| Bambara | kunnafoni | ||
| Ewe | numeɖeɖe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | amakuru | ||
| Lingala | nsango | ||
| Luganda | obubaka | ||
| Sepedi | tshedimošo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | asɛm | ||
Information in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | معلومات | ||
| The Arabic word "معلومات" is derived from the root "علم" which means knowledge or science and is related to the word "عالم" meaning a scholar or scientist. | |||
| Hebrew | מֵידָע | ||
| מֵידָע can also mean "knowledge" or "news." | |||
| Pashto | معلومات | ||
| In Pashto, "معلومات" also refers to a particular type of herbal medicine. | |||
| Arabic | معلومات | ||
| The Arabic word "معلومات" is derived from the root "علم" which means knowledge or science and is related to the word "عالم" meaning a scholar or scientist. | |||
Information in Western European Languages
| Albanian | informacioni | ||
| The Albanian word "informacioni" ultimately derives from the Latin "informatio", meaning "to give form to," and is related to the English words "information" and "inform." | |||
| Basque | informazioa | ||
| In Basque, "informazioa" also means "news", "intel", or "advice". | |||
| Catalan | informació | ||
| From Latin "formatio", "creation, formation, instruction"} | |||
| Croatian | informacija | ||
| The word 'informacija' derives from Latin 'informatio', meaning 'giving shape to', 'forming' or 'informing'. | |||
| Danish | information | ||
| Danes say “efterretninger” for "intelligence" and "spionnyheder" for "classified information." | |||
| Dutch | informatie | ||
| The Dutch word "informatie" is derived from the Latin word "informatio," meaning "to give shape or form to something." | |||
| English | information | ||
| The word 'information' derives from the Latin word 'informare', meaning 'to give form to' or 'to instruct'. | |||
| French | information | ||
| In French, the word "information" comes from the Latin word "informatio", meaning "to inform" or "to give shape". It shares the same root as the English word "form" and can also mean "instruction" or "knowledge". | |||
| Frisian | ynformaasje | ||
| "-formaasje" is derived from the Old English word "geformung", meaning "the act of forming or shaping". | |||
| Galician | información | ||
| The word "información" comes from the Latin word "informatio", which means "instruction" or "guidance". | |||
| German | information | ||
| The German word "Information" is also used in a more specific sense to refer to a legal notice or announcement. | |||
| Icelandic | upplýsingar | ||
| The word 'upplýsingar' is derived from the Old Norse word 'upplýsa', meaning 'to enlighten' or 'to make known' | |||
| Irish | faisnéis | ||
| The word "faisnéis" is derived from the Old Irish word "fáith," meaning "prophet," as in a person who has divine knowledge, and later evolved to mean "knowledge" or "information." | |||
| Italian | informazione | ||
| The Italian word "informazione" not only means "information," but also "news" and "accusation." | |||
| Luxembourgish | informatiounen | ||
| Maltese | informazzjoni | ||
| The Maltese word "informazzjoni" derives from Italian and ultimately from the Latin word "formare" meaning "to shape or form". | |||
| Norwegian | informasjon | ||
| Informasjon comes from Latin 'informatio', meaning 'an idea, a notion' and is related to 'form' ('shape'). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | em formação | ||
| The word "em formação" in Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) can also mean "in training" or "under construction". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | fiosrachadh | ||
| The word "fiosrachadh" in Scots Gaelic is borrowed from the Old Norse word "fróðleikr," meaning "knowledge" or "wisdom". | |||
| Spanish | información | ||
| In Spanish, "información" can also mean denunciation or accusation, due to its origin in the Latin word "informatio", meaning accusation or notification. | |||
| Swedish | information | ||
| In Swedish, "information" can also mean "advice" or "instruction". | |||
| Welsh | gwybodaeth | ||
| "Gwybodaeth" is cognate with the Irish word "fionolach," and was originally used to refer to divine knowledge or wisdom. | |||
Information in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | інфармацыя | ||
| The word "інфармацыя" is derived from Latin "informare", meaning "to give form to", and has the additional meaning of "enlightenment" in Russian. | |||
| Bosnian | informacije | ||
| The word "informacije" in Bosnian comes from the Latin word "informare", meaning "to give form or shape to". | |||
| Bulgarian | информация | ||
| The word “информация” derives from the Latin word “informare” (to inform). | |||
| Czech | informace | ||
| The Czech word "informace" can also refer to the process of informing rather than just the data being informed. | |||
| Estonian | teavet | ||
| The word "teavet" in Estonian originally referred to "news" or "a message", and is related to the verb "teada" meaning "to know". | |||
| Finnish | tiedot | ||
| "Tiedot" is the plural form of " | |||
| Hungarian | információ | ||
| "Információ" is derived from Latin "informare" (to give shape, form, instruct), and also means “hint, news" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | informāciju | ||
| The word "informāciju" in Latvian is derived from the Latin word "informatio," meaning "instruction" or "knowledge." | |||
| Lithuanian | informacija | ||
| The Lithuanian word "informacija" is cognate to the French and English "information" but also means "news" in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | информации | ||
| The word "информации" comes from the French word "information", which in turn comes from the Latin word "informatio", meaning "the act of giving form to something." | |||
| Polish | informacja | ||
| Although the Polish word "informacja" comes from the Latin word "informatio," it has the primary meaning of "notice," which is why notice boards in Poland are called "tablice informacyjne" | |||
| Romanian | informație | ||
| The Romanian word "informație" shares the same origin with the Latin verb "informare", meaning "to shape", or "to give form". | |||
| Russian | информация | ||
| The Russian word "Информация" derives from the French "information" which itself has roots in the Latin "informare" - "to shape into" (a form). In this original Latin sense, information could refer to providing any kind of 'form', not merely a report of a specific 'event'. | |||
| Serbian | информације | ||
| The root of the Serbian word "информације" ("information") originates from the Latin word "informare," meaning "to instruct" or "to form the mind." | |||
| Slovak | informácie | ||
| The word "informácie" is derived from the Latin word "informare", meaning "to give form" or "to shape." | |||
| Slovenian | informacije | ||
| The Slovene word 'informacije' derives from the Italian word 'informazione', which in turn comes from the Latin 'informare', meaning 'to give form' or 'to shape'. | |||
| Ukrainian | інформація | ||
| The word "інформація" in Ukrainian can also mean "reference" or "data". | |||
Information in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | তথ্য | ||
| তথ্য is also the name of a famous Bengali novel by Bimal Kar, published in 1958. | |||
| Gujarati | માહિતી | ||
| The word "માહિતી" (information) in Gujarati has its roots in the Sanskrit word "महति" (greatness), suggesting that information was considered of great value. | |||
| Hindi | जानकारी | ||
| The Hindi word 'जानकारी' can also mean 'knowledge', 'intelligence', or 'acquaintance'. | |||
| Kannada | ಮಾಹಿತಿ | ||
| The word 'ಮಾಹಿತಿ' comes from the Sanskrit word 'महिता', which means 'great' or 'important'. | |||
| Malayalam | വിവരങ്ങൾ | ||
| വിവരങ്ങൾ is derived from the Sanskrit word 'vivrta' meaning 'open' or 'expanded'. | |||
| Marathi | माहिती | ||
| The word "माहिती" in Marathi derives from "माहित" (maahit), meaning "known" or "well-acquainted with". | |||
| Nepali | जानकारी | ||
| The word "जानकारी" is derived from the Sanskrit word "ज्ञा" (jñā), meaning "to know," and "अर्थ" (artha), meaning "object, meaning, or purpose." | |||
| Punjabi | ਜਾਣਕਾਰੀ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਜਾਣਕਾਰੀ" (information) is rooted in the Sanskrit word "jñāna" meaning knowledge, wisdom, or understanding, and is also related to the Persian word "khabar" meaning news or information. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | විස්තර | ||
| Tamil | தகவல் | ||
| தகவல், in Tamil, derives its origin from the Sanskrit word 'tatva', meaning 'substance, fact' or 'the essential nature of something'. | |||
| Telugu | సమాచారం | ||
| The word 'సమాచారం' also means 'intel' in English, and originated from Arabic through Persian. | |||
| Urdu | معلومات | ||
| The Arabic word 'ma'lumāt' has the meaning 'known things' and it is derived from the root 'ʿalima' which means 'to know'. | |||
Information in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 信息 | ||
| The Chinese word "信息" ("information") can be traced back to Chinese philosophy, specifically the Yijing, which uses the characters "信" ("trust") and "息" ("breath") to denote the "connection between heaven and earth". Another interpretation is that "信" represents the flow of energy through the universe, while "息" refers to the changes within that energy. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 信息 | ||
| 信息 has been interpreted as having a meaning of “to make known” in Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | 情報 | ||
| The word '情報' is a combination of the characters '情' (emotion) and '報' (news), so it originally referred to reports based on feelings or observations. | |||
| Korean | 정보 | ||
| The Sino-Korean word '정보' is also used in Chinese and Japanese, with the same meaning and pronunciation, and is derived from the Chinese word '情報'. In Chinese, '情報' can also refer to 'secret information' or 'intelligence'. | |||
| Mongolian | мэдээлэл | ||
| The word ''мэдээлэл'' can also refer to ''intelligence'', ''news'', or ''knowledge''. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သတင်းအချက်အလက် | ||
Information in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | informasi | ||
| "Informasi" originally meant "news about something" in Javanese. | |||
| Javanese | informasi | ||
| In Javanese, 'Informasi' also means 'news' or 'message' | |||
| Khmer | ព័ត៌មាន | ||
| The word "ព័ត៌មាន" is also used informally to refer to news or announcements (similar to the English phrase "the news"). | |||
| Lao | ຂໍ້ມູນ | ||
| The Lao word for "information" comes from the Sanskrit word "matra", which means "form". The word "ຂໍ້ມູນ" is also a homophone for the Lao word for "request", adding additional nuance to its meaning. | |||
| Malay | maklumat | ||
| The word "maklumat" is derived from the Arabic word "المعلومات" (al-ma`lumat), which means "knowledge" or "data." | |||
| Thai | ข้อมูล | ||
| In Thai, "ข้อมูล" also means "facts"} | |||
| Vietnamese | thông tin | ||
| The word "thông tin" also means "news" or "communication" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | impormasyon | ||
Information in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | məlumat | ||
| "məlumat" is taken from Arabic "معلومة" and denotes something "well-known". In some dialects, it can mean "evidence". | |||
| Kazakh | ақпарат | ||
| The word "ақпарат" in Kazakh is derived from the Persian word "eftere", meaning "report" or "news." | |||
| Kyrgyz | маалымат | ||
| The word "маалымат" is a loanword from Arabic, where it originally meant "knowledge" or "notice". | |||
| Tajik | маълумот | ||
| The Tajik word "маълумот" derives from the Arabic "معلومة" meaning "knowledge". In addition, it refers to a type of folk song | |||
| Turkmen | maglumat | ||
| Uzbek | ma `lumot | ||
| The word "ma `lumot" in Uzbek has additional meanings such as "data" or "knowledge." | |||
| Uyghur | ئۇچۇر | ||
Information in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻikepili | ||
| 'Ikepili also means "the shape or form of knowledge and understanding." | |||
| Maori | korero | ||
| The word 'korero' is also used to refer to storytelling, a conversation, speech, news, or gossip. | |||
| Samoan | faʻamatalaga | ||
| 'Faʻamatalaga' is a compound word made up of the root word 'tala' (to tell) and the prefix 'faʻa-' (to cause to). | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | impormasyon | ||
| The Tagalog word "impormasyon" is derived from the Spanish word "información", which ultimately comes from the Latin word "informatio", meaning "a giving of form" or "an informing". | |||
Information in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | yatiyäwi | ||
| Guarani | marandu | ||
Information in International Languages
| Esperanto | informoj | ||
| Esperanto's "informoj" is a calque of German "in-form" and the plural of "informo" (from Latin "informō"), meaning "to give form to" or "to teach." | |||
| Latin | notitia | ||
| In English, “notitia” is still sometimes used for the “scientific information” or knowledge of a specific area, such as “the notitia of natural science”. | |||
Information in Others Languages
| Greek | πληροφορίες | ||
| Originally a philosophical term (Greek πληροφορία "full assurance," from πλήρης "full" and φόρος "bearing"), it came to be used in information theory in the 1940s, and now also in more general senses. | |||
| Hmong | cov ntaub ntawv | ||
| "Cov ntaub ntawv" literally means "patterns of words" that are sewn together as a quilt. | |||
| Kurdish | agahî | ||
| The word 'agahî' in Kurdish originates from the Persian word 'agâh', meaning 'aware' or 'informed'. | |||
| Turkish | bilgi | ||
| Turkish "bilgi" (information) is cognate with "Belgesel" (documentary) as both derive from Arabic "belge" (document). | |||
| Xhosa | ulwazi | ||
| 'Ulwazi' is a word that denotes 'information' in Xhosa, the language spoken in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is derived from the verb 'ukwazi', meaning 'to be able to' or 'to have the ability to do something'. | |||
| Yiddish | אינפֿאָרמאַציע | ||
| The Yiddish word "אינפֿאָרמאַציע" is derived from the German "Information," and its alternate meaning is "knowledge." | |||
| Zulu | imininingwane | ||
| Imininingwane is derived from 'mininingwane' meaning 'small things' in Nguni, emphasising that information is a collection of details. | |||
| Assamese | তথ্য | ||
| Aymara | yatiyäwi | ||
| Bhojpuri | खबर | ||
| Dhivehi | މަޢުލޫމާތު | ||
| Dogri | जानकारी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | impormasyon | ||
| Guarani | marandu | ||
| Ilocano | impormasion | ||
| Krio | tin dɛn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | زانیاری | ||
| Maithili | जानकारी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯏꯄꯥꯎ | ||
| Mizo | hriattirna | ||
| Oromo | odeeffannoo | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସୂଚନା | ||
| Quechua | willakuy | ||
| Sanskrit | सूचना | ||
| Tatar | мәгълүмат | ||
| Tigrinya | ሓበሬታ | ||
| Tsonga | marungula | ||