Intensity in Different Languages
Discover 'Intensity' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Intensity is a powerful word that carries a deep significance across cultures and languages. It refers to the degree or level of strength, concentration, or force of something, often associated with strong emotions, physical exertion, or sensory experiences. The concept of intensity has been explored in various fields, from literature and art to science and sports, making it a universally relevant term.
Throughout history, intensity has been a source of inspiration for many artists and thinkers. For instance, the Italian painter Caravaggio was known for his intense and dramatic use of light and shadow, while composer Ludwig van Beethoven was praised for his intense and passionate symphonies. Moreover, in physics, the intensity of a wave is a measure of its amplitude or power, while in psychology, emotional intensity refers to the degree of arousal or activation associated with a particular emotion.
Given its cultural importance and broad applicability, it's not surprising that the word intensity has been translated into many languages around the world. Here are some sample translations:
Intensity
Intensity in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | intensiteit | ||
| In Afrikaans, "intensiteit" also refers to the severity of a crime or the strength of a particular emotion. | |||
| Amharic | ጥንካሬ | ||
| The word ጥንકાሬ can also refer to a type of tree or stick. | |||
| Hausa | tsanani | ||
| The Hausa word "tsanani" has several alternate meanings, including "importance" and "seriousness." | |||
| Igbo | ike | ||
| "Ike" also means "strength, power, or ability" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | mafy | ||
| The word "mafy" in Malagasy also refers to the strength or potency of something. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mphamvu | ||
| The word “mphamvu” comes from the verb “mphamvula”, meaning “to spread widely or extensively”. | |||
| Shona | kusimba | ||
| "Kusimba" can also mean "to become heavy," "to be strong," or "to be firm and solid." | |||
| Somali | xoojin | ||
| The Somali word xoojin also means 'to strengthen' or 'to make stronger' | |||
| Sesotho | matla | ||
| The Sotho word "matla" can also mean "hardness" or "strength." | |||
| Swahili | ukali | ||
| "Ukali" is Swahili for "intensity," but can also refer to a person who is "violent or harsh." | |||
| Xhosa | amandla | ||
| Xhosa word amandla means 'power' and is often used as a battle cry and salutation among Xhosa people. | |||
| Yoruba | kikankikan | ||
| The word "kikankikan" also means "very much" or "greatly" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | umfutho | ||
| "Umfutho" is a Zulu word that also means "power" and "strength". | |||
| Bambara | fanga bonya | ||
| Ewe | sesẽme | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ubukana | ||
| Lingala | makasi na yango | ||
| Luganda | amaanyi | ||
| Sepedi | bogale | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ahoɔden a emu yɛ den | ||
Intensity in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الشدة | ||
| The word “الشدة” (intensity) also refers to a musical interval in Arabic music. | |||
| Hebrew | עָצמָה | ||
| The word עָצמָה (intensity) is related to the verb עָצַם (to close) and the noun עֶצֶם (bone), both of which share a root meaning of 'strength' or 'power'. | |||
| Pashto | شدت | ||
| The Pashto word "شدت" also means "difficulty" or "severity" and originates from the Arabic word "شدّة" meaning "strength" or "firmness." | |||
| Arabic | الشدة | ||
| The word “الشدة” (intensity) also refers to a musical interval in Arabic music. | |||
Intensity in Western European Languages
| Albanian | intensiteti | ||
| "Intensiteti" has the alternate meaning of "severity" and comes from the Latin word "intensitas," meaning "force" or "tension." | |||
| Basque | intentsitatea | ||
| The word 'intentsitatea' in Basque comes from the Latin 'intensus', which also means 'tense' or 'stretched out'. | |||
| Catalan | intensitat | ||
| "Intensitat" derives from the Latin word "intensitas", meaning "great effort" or "earnestness." | |||
| Croatian | intenzitet | ||
| The Croatian word 'intenzitet' is derived from the Latin word 'intensitas', meaning 'a state of extreme effort or activity'. | |||
| Danish | intensitet | ||
| Intensitet derives from a Latin word meaning "to stretch out."} | |||
| Dutch | intensiteit | ||
| The word "intensiteit" in Dutch also refers to the strength or concentration of something | |||
| English | intensity | ||
| The word "intensity" comes from the Latin word "intendere," meaning "to stretch out" or "to make tense." | |||
| French | intensité | ||
| The word "intensité" comes from the Latin word "intensio", meaning "a stretching out" or "a straining." | |||
| Frisian | yntinsiteit | ||
| The word "yntinsiteit" derives from Latin "intensus", meaning "stretched, drawn tight". | |||
| Galician | intensidade | ||
| In Galician, 'intensidade' also means 'greatness' or 'strength'. | |||
| German | intensität | ||
| It can also refer to electrical intensity. | |||
| Icelandic | styrkleiki | ||
| "Styrkleiki" also means "fortitude" in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | déine | ||
| "Déine" can also mean "violence", "rigour" or "severity" | |||
| Italian | intensità | ||
| The word "intensità" in Italian comes from the Latin word "intensitas", meaning "force" or "energy". | |||
| Luxembourgish | intensitéit | ||
| Intensitéit is derived from the Latin word "intensitas", meaning "a straining or stretching". | |||
| Maltese | intensità | ||
| The Maltese word "intensità", like the Italian, Spanish and French, means "intensity" and derives from the Medieval Latin "intentio", "purpose", "design". | |||
| Norwegian | intensitet | ||
| In Norwegian, "intensitet" can refer to both the "intensity" or degree of something, or its "content" or internal makeup. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | intensidade | ||
| In Portuguese, "intensidade" can also mean "eagerness" or "passion" (referring to an emotion, not physical strength). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dian | ||
| The word "dian" in Scots Gaelic can also mean "violence" or "vehemence". | |||
| Spanish | intensidad | ||
| The word "intensidad" is derived from the Latin word "intensus," which means "strained, intense, or vehement." | |||
| Swedish | intensitet | ||
| In physics, the word 'intensitet' is also used to refer to the magnitude of a physical quantity per unit area. | |||
| Welsh | dwyster | ||
| The word "dwyster" derives from the Proto-Celtic root "*dub-stā" meaning "blackness" and is related to the Irish "duibh" meaning "black". | |||
Intensity in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | інтэнсіўнасць | ||
| The word "інтэнсіўнасць" comes from the Latin word "intensio", which means "a stretching" or "a straining". | |||
| Bosnian | intenzitet | ||
| The word "intenzitet" comes from the Latin word "intensitas", which means "tension" or "straining". | |||
| Bulgarian | интензивност | ||
| The word "интензивност" is derived from the Latin word "intensio", meaning "force" or "effort". | |||
| Czech | intenzita | ||
| "Intenzita" originates in the Latin verb ‘intendere’ meaning to direct or stretch out, and can refer to the direction of energy or to the quality of that energy." | |||
| Estonian | intensiivsus | ||
| "Intensiivsus" also means "tension", "pressure", "emphasis" or "density" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | intensiteetti | ||
| Finnish "intensiteetti" derives from Latin "intensus", meaning "stretched out" or "tightly drawn". | |||
| Hungarian | intenzitás | ||
| "Intenzitás" in Hungarian also means "strength" or "quantity". | |||
| Latvian | intensitāte | ||
| The word "intensitāte" comes from the Latin word "intensitat", meaning "the extent of action". | |||
| Lithuanian | intensyvumas | ||
| The word "intensyvumas" is derived from the Latin word "intensus," which means "stretched out" or "strained." | |||
| Macedonian | интензитет | ||
| The Old Church Slavonic word "интензитет" is ultimately of Latin origin, from "intendere" ("to stretch") via French. | |||
| Polish | intensywność | ||
| In Polish, "intensywność" can also refer to a form of intensive agriculture that involves increased use of fertilizers and machinery. | |||
| Romanian | intensitate | ||
| The Romanian word "intensitate" also means "eagerness" or "zeal". | |||
| Russian | интенсивность | ||
| The word "интенсивность" (intensity) derives from the Latin word "intensus" (stretch), implying a concentrated or heightened state. | |||
| Serbian | интензитет | ||
| "Интензитет" је изведено из латинске речи "intendere", што значи "натегнути" или "усмерити". | |||
| Slovak | intenzita | ||
| The Slovak word "intenzita" is also used to describe the strength or concentration of a substance. | |||
| Slovenian | intenzivnost | ||
| The Slovene word "intenzivnost" derives from the Latin "intensio", meaning "a stretching", "a straining", or "a pulling tight." | |||
| Ukrainian | інтенсивність | ||
| The word "інтенсивність" can also refer to the strength or force of something. | |||
Intensity in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | তীব্রতা | ||
| The word "তীব্রতা" can also mean "severity" or "acuteness" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | તીવ્રતા | ||
| The word "તીવ્રતા" can also mean "acuteness", "severity", or "sharpness" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | तीव्रता | ||
| The term "teevrata" derives from the root "tīvra" (sharp), implying both heightened perception and the capacity to cut through obstacles. | |||
| Kannada | ತೀವ್ರತೆ | ||
| The word "ತೀವ್ರತೆ" (tīvratte) is derived from the Sanskrit word "तीव्र" (tīvra), meaning "sharp" or "strong". | |||
| Malayalam | തീവ്രത | ||
| Meaning "severity," "excess," or "strong feeling," "തീവ്രത" originates from Sanskrit "tīvra," meaning "sharp" or "piercing." | |||
| Marathi | तीव्रता | ||
| "तीव्रता" also means "speed" or "quickness" in Marathi | |||
| Nepali | तीव्रता | ||
| The Nepali word "तीव्रता" is derived from the Sanskrit word "तीव्र", meaning "sharp" or "piercing". | |||
| Punjabi | ਤੀਬਰਤਾ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | තීව්රතාව | ||
| Tamil | தீவிரம் | ||
| In Tamil, "தீவிரம்" (intensity) can also mean "seriousness" or "ardor" | |||
| Telugu | తీవ్రత | ||
| The word "తీవ్రత" (teevrata) can also mean "severity" or "acuteness" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | شدت | ||
| The word شدت, meaning intensity, comes from the Arabic root word شدد which means 'to be severe', 'to bind', 'to tighten', or 'to fix'. | |||
Intensity in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 强度 | ||
| "强度" also means 'strength' or 'concentration'", in chemistry. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 強度 | ||
| The character "度" means a level of magnitude, quantity, or frequency; "強" means strong or fierce. | |||
| Japanese | 強度 | ||
| "強度" is also used to mean "electric current", "electromagnetism" or "strength of a magnetic field." | |||
| Korean | 강렬 | ||
| The word "강렬" derives from the Chinese characters "强" (strong) and "烈" (fierce), further emphasizing its connotative meaning of vigor and power. | |||
| Mongolian | эрчим | ||
| "Эрчим" in Mongolian also means "energy" or "power". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပြင်းထန်မှု | ||
Intensity in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | intensitas | ||
| "Intensitas" originally means "tight string" in Latin. | |||
| Javanese | intensitas | ||
| In Javanese, there is no specific word for "intensitas" or "intensity", hence "intensitas" is directly used in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | អាំងតង់ស៊ីតេ | ||
| Lao | ສຸມ | ||
| The word ສຸມ is likely an adaptation of the Pali term samma which means “right” or “correct” (and which shares cognates with the Latin term summus "highest"). | |||
| Malay | intensiti | ||
| The word "intensiti" in Malay can also refer to the loudness of sound or the brightness of light. | |||
| Thai | ความเข้ม | ||
| The term "ความเข้ม" can also refer to the thickness or density of a substance. | |||
| Vietnamese | cường độ | ||
| The word "cường độ" in Vietnamese finds its origin in the Chinese language and means both "intensity" and "current intensity." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | intensity | ||
Intensity in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | intensivlik | ||
| "Intensiv" is derived from Latin and means "intense". In other languages, it is used to describe the quality or condition of being great, strong, or severe. In Azerbaijani, "intensivlik" also means "diligence" or "zeal", as in "o işdə çox intensivlik göstərdi" (he showed great diligence in that work). | |||
| Kazakh | қарқындылық | ||
| Kyrgyz | интенсивдүүлүк | ||
| The word "интенсивдүүлүк" can also mean "intensification" or "augmentation" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | шиддат | ||
| The word "шиддат" in Tajik comes from the Arabic word "شدة", meaning "strength" or "force". | |||
| Turkmen | intensiwligi | ||
| Uzbek | intensivlik | ||
| The word "intensivlik" also means "attentiveness" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | كۈچلۈكلۈك | ||
Intensity in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ikaika | ||
| In Hawaiian mythology, Ikaika was the grandson of the fire goddess Pele. | |||
| Maori | kaha | ||
| In Māori, "kaha" can also mean strength, power, or authority. | |||
| Samoan | malosi | ||
| The word "malosi" could possibly mean "strength". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kasidhian | ||
| The Tagalog word "kasidhian" can also refer to the level of excitement or interest something elicits. | |||
Intensity in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | intensidad ukat juk’ampinaka | ||
| Guarani | intensidad rehegua | ||
Intensity in International Languages
| Esperanto | intenseco | ||
| In Esperanto, the word "intenseco" can also refer to "the quality of being intense" or "the degree of concentration". | |||
| Latin | summa | ||
| The Latin word "summa" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*smā-", meaning "whole" or "complete". | |||
Intensity in Others Languages
| Greek | ένταση | ||
| " Έντασή" is also a term used to refer the volume of sound produced. | |||
| Hmong | siv zog | ||
| In Hmong, the word 'siv zog' can refer to both intensity and the strength of a person's character. | |||
| Kurdish | zexmî | ||
| The word "zexmî" also means "fierce" or "strong" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | yoğunluk | ||
| "Yoğunluk" in Turkish can also refer to the density of a substance. | |||
| Xhosa | amandla | ||
| Xhosa word amandla means 'power' and is often used as a battle cry and salutation among Xhosa people. | |||
| Yiddish | ינטענסיטי | ||
| The Yiddish word "intensity" can also mean "excitement" or "passion" | |||
| Zulu | umfutho | ||
| "Umfutho" is a Zulu word that also means "power" and "strength". | |||
| Assamese | তীব্ৰতা | ||
| Aymara | intensidad ukat juk’ampinaka | ||
| Bhojpuri | तीव्रता के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | އިންޓެންސިޓީ އެވެ | ||
| Dogri | तीव्रता दा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | intensity | ||
| Guarani | intensidad rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | kinakaro ti kinapingetna | ||
| Krio | di intensiti we pɔsin kin gɛt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | چڕی | ||
| Maithili | तीव्रता | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯏꯟꯇꯦꯟꯁꯤꯇꯤ ꯂꯩꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | intensity a ni | ||
| Oromo | cimina qabaachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ତୀବ୍ରତା | ||
| Quechua | intensidad nisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | तीव्रता | ||
| Tatar | интенсивлык | ||
| Tigrinya | ጽዓት | ||
| Tsonga | ku tiya ka matimba | ||