Knowledge in Different Languages
Discover 'Knowledge' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Knowledge is a powerful tool that has shaped the course of human history. It is the accumulation of facts, information, and skills acquired through experience or education. The pursuit of knowledge is a fundamental aspect of many cultures, and it has been the driving force behind countless scientific and technological advancements. But what does the word 'knowledge' mean in other languages, and how does it reflect the cultural values of different societies?
For instance, in Spanish, 'knowledge' translates to 'conocimiento,' which comes from the verb 'conocer,' meaning 'to know' or 'to understand.' In German, 'knowledge' is 'Wissen,' which also means 'to know' or 'to be acquainted with.' In Mandarin Chinese, 'knowledge' is '知识,' which is composed of the characters '知,' meaning 'to know,' and '识,' meaning 'to distinguish' or 'to discern.'
In this article, we delve into the translations of the word 'knowledge' in different languages, shedding light on the fascinating cultural nuances that underpin this fundamental concept. Stay tuned for a comprehensive list of translations that will broaden your horizons and deepen your appreciation for the richness of human language and culture.
Knowledge
Knowledge in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | kennis | ||
| "Kennis" also means "acquaintance" in Afrikaans, while "ken" means "know" and "nis" means "state". | |||
| Amharic | እውቀት | ||
| "Know" in English is derived from "gnō", a word referring specifically to knowledge gained from experience in ancient Greek, and it is the same root word from where "knowledge" in Amharic, እውቀት, is derived. | |||
| Hausa | ilimi | ||
| "Ilimin" can also mean "science" or "education" depending on the context. | |||
| Igbo | ihe omuma | ||
| "Ihe omuma" literally means "belonging to the community." | |||
| Malagasy | fahalalana | ||
| In Malagasy, FAHALALANA not only means "knowledge" but also "science" and "wisdom". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chidziwitso | ||
| The word 'chidziwitso' also refers to the traditional initiation ceremony for boys in Nyanja culture. | |||
| Shona | ruzivo | ||
| The word "ruzivo" also refers to a traditional Shona form of writing that uses symbols and incantations | |||
| Somali | aqoon | ||
| In Somali, aqoon shares a root with "aqal," which refers to one's intellect and rationality. | |||
| Sesotho | tsebo | ||
| The Sesotho word “tsebo” is etymologically related to “boea” meaning “to be wise, clever.” | |||
| Swahili | maarifa | ||
| The Swahili word "maarifa" is related to the Arabic word "ma'rifah", which refers to "spiritual knowledge" and understanding gained through religious practices. | |||
| Xhosa | ulwazi | ||
| As an alternate meaning, ulwazi can mean 'news' or 'information'. | |||
| Yoruba | imoye | ||
| "Imoye" in Yoruba, meaning "knowledge" in English, also refers to the concept of "truth" and "wisdom." | |||
| Zulu | ulwazi | ||
| "Ulwazi" shares a root with the Zulu word for "to see," reflecting the concept of knowledge as derived from observation. | |||
| Bambara | dɔnniya | ||
| Ewe | sidzedze | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ubumenyi | ||
| Lingala | boyebi | ||
| Luganda | okumanya | ||
| Sepedi | tsebo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nimdeɛ | ||
Knowledge in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | المعرفه | ||
| العلم في اللغة العربية، كما المعرفة هو إدراك الشيء على ما هو عليه، فيمكن إدراكه بالعين، أو الأذن، أو العقل، أو القلب، وهو أعم من المعرفة | |||
| Hebrew | יֶדַע | ||
| The word יֶדַע (knowledge) also means "to experience" and is the root of the word יְדִיעָה (acquaintance). | |||
| Pashto | پوهه | ||
| The Pashto word "پوهه" also refers to "awareness," "understanding," and "cognition." | |||
| Arabic | المعرفه | ||
| العلم في اللغة العربية، كما المعرفة هو إدراك الشيء على ما هو عليه، فيمكن إدراكه بالعين، أو الأذن، أو العقل، أو القلب، وهو أعم من المعرفة | |||
Knowledge in Western European Languages
| Albanian | njohuri | ||
| The word "njohuri" can also be used in the sense of "recognition" or "acknowledgement" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | ezagutza | ||
| Basque's ezagutza ('knowledge') might be etymologically linked to the word ezaut ('known thing') | |||
| Catalan | coneixement | ||
| "Coneixement" is related to the Latin "cognoscere" from where the Catalan word "conèixer" ("to know") originates. | |||
| Croatian | znanje | ||
| The Croatian word 'znanje' shares the same etymology as the English word 'know', both deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵneh₃- meaning 'to know' or 'to understand'. | |||
| Danish | viden | ||
| The word 'viden' is derived from the Old Norse word 'vita', meaning 'to know'. | |||
| Dutch | kennis | ||
| The word "kennis" in Dutch can also mean "acquaintance" or "relationship". | |||
| English | knowledge | ||
| The word 'knowledge' derives from the Old English word 'cnawan', meaning 'to know' or 'to recognize'. | |||
| French | connaissance | ||
| The French word 'connaissance' can also mean 'acquaintance' or 'familiarity', reflecting its etymological root in the Latin 'cognoscere', meaning 'to know'. | |||
| Frisian | kennis | ||
| The Frisian word "kennis" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word *kunnjaną, meaning "to know" or "to be familiar with." | |||
| Galician | coñecemento | ||
| The Galician word "coñecemento" derives from the Latin "cognoscere" (to know), which also gave rise to the Spanish word "conocimiento". | |||
| German | wissen | ||
| The word "Wissen" in German can also refer to the act of acquiring or gaining knowledge or wisdom. | |||
| Icelandic | þekkingu | ||
| The word "þekkingu" is derived from the Old Norse word "þekkja", meaning "to know" or "to recognize". | |||
| Irish | eolas | ||
| Eolas ('knowledge') also translates to 'art; science; information;' and its genitive form is pronounced 'eolais'. | |||
| Italian | conoscenza | ||
| The Italian word "conoscenza" also refers to an individual who is an expert in a particular subject or field. | |||
| Luxembourgish | wëssen | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Wëssen", meaning "knowledge", is also related to the English word "wise", and the German word "wissen", which both share the same meaning. | |||
| Maltese | għarfien | ||
| The word "għarfien" in Maltese is derived from the Arabic word "ma'rifah", meaning both "knowledge" and "recognition". | |||
| Norwegian | kunnskap | ||
| The word "kunnskap" in Norwegian comes from the Old Norse word "kunna", which means "to be able to" or "to have the ability to do something"} | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | conhecimento | ||
| In Brazil, "conhecimento" can refer to a transportation document similar to a bill of lading. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | eòlas | ||
| "Eòlas" is derived from the Old Irish word "eolas," which can also mean "art," "science," "wisdom," and "intelligence." | |||
| Spanish | conocimiento | ||
| The Spanish word "conocimiento" derives from the Latin "cognoscere" (to know) and also means "acquaintance" or "awareness". | |||
| Swedish | kunskap | ||
| The word "kunskap" stems from the Old Norse word "kunna," meaning "to know" or "to be able to." | |||
| Welsh | gwybodaeth | ||
| The word 'gwybodaeth' derives from the Welsh words 'gwybod' (to know) and 'peth' (thing), implying 'the state of knowing something'. | |||
Knowledge in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | веды | ||
| The word 'веды' in Belarusian can also refer to pagan beliefs or practices. | |||
| Bosnian | znanje | ||
| The word 'znanje' is derived from the verb 'znati', meaning 'to know' or 'to be aware of', and is also related to the word 'znak', meaning 'sign' or 'symbol'. | |||
| Bulgarian | знания | ||
| The word "знания" is derived from the Proto-Slavic "znati", meaning "to know" and also has the secondary meaning of "news" or "information". | |||
| Czech | znalost | ||
| "Znalost" is also a feminine noun in Czech, meaning "acquaintance" or "familiarity". | |||
| Estonian | teadmised | ||
| The Estonian word "teadmised" derives from the Proto-Finnic verb "tead-," meaning "to know" or "to be aware of." | |||
| Finnish | tietoa | ||
| The word 'tietoa' is derived from the Proto-Finnic root *tie-, meaning 'to know' or 'to be aware'. | |||
| Hungarian | tudás | ||
| The Hungarian word "tudás" is linguistically related to the word "tudni," meaning "to know." | |||
| Latvian | zināšanas | ||
| The word "zināšanas" in Latvian also means "facts" or "information" and comes from the verb "zināt" which means "to know". | |||
| Lithuanian | žinių | ||
| The Lithuanian word "žinių" is the plural form of the word "žinios", which means "knowledge" or "news", both in the singular form. | |||
| Macedonian | знаење | ||
| In Old Church Slavonic, the word "знаење" also meant "opinion". | |||
| Polish | wiedza, umiejętności | ||
| "Wiedza" means knowledge, whereas "umiejętności" means skills." | |||
| Romanian | cunoştinţe | ||
| Cunoștințe can also refer to acquaintances or connections in Romanian. | |||
| Russian | знания | ||
| "Знания" is the plural of "знание" which is derived from the Proto-Slavic "znati", meaning "to know". | |||
| Serbian | знање | ||
| The Serbian word "знање" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "znati", meaning "to know" or "to be familiar with". | |||
| Slovak | vedomosti | ||
| The word "vedomosti" in Slovak originates from the Proto-Slavic word "vedati", meaning "to know", and is related to the English word "wit". | |||
| Slovenian | znanje | ||
| The word "znanje" in Slovenian, besides meaning "knowledge", also has a slightly archaic meaning of "acquaintance". | |||
| Ukrainian | знання | ||
| The Ukrainian word "знання" (knowledge) originally referred to "acquaintance" or "awareness". | |||
Knowledge in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | জ্ঞান | ||
| The word "জ্ঞান" can also mean "consciousness" or "intelligence". | |||
| Gujarati | જ્ knowledgeાન | ||
| The word "જ્ knowledgeાન" in Gujarati can also mean "wisdom" or "understanding." | |||
| Hindi | ज्ञान | ||
| The word "ज्ञान" in Hindi is derived from the Sanskrit word "jñāna," which means "knowledge, understanding, or wisdom." | |||
| Kannada | ಜ್ಞಾನ | ||
| ಜ್ಞಾನ (jnana), meaning 'knowledge' in Kannada, is derived from the Sanskrit word 'jñana', which also means 'wisdom' and 'understanding'. | |||
| Malayalam | അറിവ് | ||
| In the Dravidian language family, the root 'ariv' or 'ari' implies 'knowing' or 'understanding'. | |||
| Marathi | ज्ञान | ||
| The word "ज्ञान" can also mean "to know" or "to understand" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | ज्ञान | ||
| The word "ज्ञान" is derived from the Sanskrit word "jñāna", which also means "wisdom" or "understanding". | |||
| Punjabi | ਗਿਆਨ | ||
| The word "ਗਿਆਨ" in Punjabi has an alternate meaning of "spiritual illumination" or "mystical knowledge." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දැනුම | ||
| "දැනුම" primarily means "knowledge" in Sinhala, but it can also refer to "understanding" or "wisdom." | |||
| Tamil | அறிவு | ||
| The word "அறிவு" in Tamil is related to the concept of "knowing" and "understanding", and also carries connotations of "intelligence" and "wisdom". | |||
| Telugu | జ్ఞానం | ||
| The Telugu word for knowledge, "జ్ఞానం," is derived from the Sanskrit root "jña," meaning "to know." | |||
| Urdu | علم | ||
| The word "علم" (knowledge) in Urdu also refers to a banner or flag. | |||
Knowledge in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 知识 | ||
| The word "知识" means "knowledge" in Chinese, but can also refer to "wisdom" or "learning". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 知識 | ||
| The word 知識 (zhīshì, "knowledge") in Traditional Chinese is also used in a broader sense to refer to "intellectual ability" or "education." | |||
| Japanese | 知識 | ||
| The Chinese character for "knowledge" (知) also means "to know" (知る) and "wisdom" (慧). | |||
| Korean | 지식 | ||
| The term '지식' in Korean can also be understood as 'power gained from understanding the truth'. | |||
| Mongolian | мэдлэг | ||
| "Мэдлэг" is a Mongolian word meaning "knowledge" or "wisdom" and is often used to refer to a body of knowledge or a collection of information. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အသိပညာ | ||
Knowledge in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | pengetahuan | ||
| Pen-ge-tahuan (knowledge) derives from "tahu" (to know), with "pen-ge-an" suffix indicating the abstract form, akin to understanding, insight, or wisdom. | |||
| Javanese | kawruhe | ||
| "Kawruh" can also refer to the mystical knowledge of traditional rituals or spiritual teachings. | |||
| Khmer | ចំណេះដឹង | ||
| The word "ចំណេះដឹង” (pronounced "chum-neh-daeung"), meaning "knowledge" in the Khmer language, is derived from the root word “ចំនេញ," which means to "understand" or to "know"} | |||
| Lao | ຄວາມຮູ້ | ||
| Malay | pengetahuan | ||
| The Malay word 'pengetahuan' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'prajñana' which means 'wisdom' or 'understanding'. It is also related to the Javanese word 'pangerten' which has a similar meaning. | |||
| Thai | ความรู้ | ||
| The Thai word for knowledge, "ความรู้," is a compound word consisting of the words "ความ," meaning "state of being," and "รู้," meaning "to know or understand." | |||
| Vietnamese | hiểu biết | ||
| The word "hiểu biết" also means "understanding" or "comprehension". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kaalaman | ||
Knowledge in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | bilik | ||
| The word "bilik" also means "room" or "chamber" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | білім | ||
| In modern Kazakh, "білім" also means "science, scholarly discipline, a field of knowledge". In the Kazakh Khanate period, it had only the meaning of "information, news". | |||
| Kyrgyz | билим | ||
| The word "билим" (knowledge) is derived from the Persian word "دانستن" (dânastan), which means "to know" or "to be knowledgeable." | |||
| Tajik | дониш | ||
| In Persian, the word `danish` means "little wisdom," a subtle meaning not found in its Tajik cognate. | |||
| Turkmen | bilim | ||
| Uzbek | bilim | ||
| The word "bilim" has a broader meaning in Uzbek than in English, encompassing not only knowledge derived from study but also inherited wisdom, skill, and experience. | |||
| Uyghur | بىلىم | ||
Knowledge in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻike | ||
| 'Ike' has the alternate meaning of 'to know' and the root meaning of 'to see' in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | matauranga | ||
| The word "matauranga" has a complex etymology, with alternate meanings including "wisdom, understanding, and insight." | |||
| Samoan | poto | ||
| The word "poto" meaning "knowledge" shares origins with the Fijian word "vosa" meaning "talk", "language", and "story". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kaalaman | ||
| The Tagalog word 'kaalaman' traces its roots back to the Sanskrit term 'kalana,' meaning 'reckoning' or 'measurement.' | |||
Knowledge in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | amuyt'awi | ||
| Guarani | kuaa | ||
Knowledge in International Languages
| Esperanto | scio | ||
| The Esperanto word 'scio' is derived from the Latin word 'scientem', meaning 'knowing' or 'intelligent'. | |||
| Latin | cognitionis | ||
| Cognitio comes from the Latin cognosco, which means 'to fully get to know' and also 'to recognise'. | |||
Knowledge in Others Languages
| Greek | η γνώση | ||
| "Γνώση" stems from the PIE root *ǵneh₃- meaning "to know," related to Latin "nosco" and English "know." | |||
| Hmong | kev paub | ||
| The term "kev paub" can also refer to the process of acquiring knowledge through experience or education. | |||
| Kurdish | zanyarîn | ||
| The word "zanyarîn" in Kurdish also refers to the knowledge gained through experience and wisdom. | |||
| Turkish | bilgi | ||
| "Bilgi" comes from the Arabic word "bilig" meaning "good understanding, wisdom" and also "magic, divination", while its Turkish suffix "-gi" indicates "possessor of, endowed with". | |||
| Xhosa | ulwazi | ||
| As an alternate meaning, ulwazi can mean 'news' or 'information'. | |||
| Yiddish | וויסן | ||
| The Yiddish word "וויסן" is derived from the Old High German "wizan", meaning "to show" or "to make known". | |||
| Zulu | ulwazi | ||
| "Ulwazi" shares a root with the Zulu word for "to see," reflecting the concept of knowledge as derived from observation. | |||
| Assamese | জ্ঞান | ||
| Aymara | amuyt'awi | ||
| Bhojpuri | ग्यान | ||
| Dhivehi | ޢިލްމު | ||
| Dogri | ज्ञान | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kaalaman | ||
| Guarani | kuaa | ||
| Ilocano | ammo | ||
| Krio | no | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | زانیاری | ||
| Maithili | ज्ञान | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯧꯁꯤꯡ | ||
| Mizo | hriatna | ||
| Oromo | beekumsa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଜ୍ଞାନ | ||
| Quechua | yachay | ||
| Sanskrit | ज्ञानम् | ||
| Tatar | белем | ||
| Tigrinya | ፍልጠት | ||
| Tsonga | vutivi | ||