Language in different languages

Language in Different Languages

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

Updated on March 6, 2024

Language is more than just a means of communication – it’s a reflection of culture, history, and identity. It’s the vehicle through which we share our stories, beliefs, and traditions with the world. Understanding language in different languages is essential for building bridges across cultures and breaking down barriers.

Did you know that there are over 7,000 languages spoken around the world today? Each language has its own unique history, grammar, and vocabulary, shaped by the people who speak it. For example, the word for 'language' in Spanish is 'lenguaje', while in French it's 'langage' and in German it's 'Sprache'. In Mandarin Chinese, the word for 'language' is '语言' (yǔyán), and in Japanese it's '言語' (gengo).

Imagine the possibilities of being able to communicate with people from different backgrounds and cultures in their native language. Not only would it enhance your travel experiences, but it could also open up new opportunities for work, study, and personal growth. Keep reading to discover more about the translations of the word 'language' in different languages.

Language


Language in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaanstaal
The word "Taal" in Afrikaans can also refer to a specific language variety spoken in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.
Amharicቋንቋ
Hausaharshe
"Harshe" in Hausa also means "tongue, speech, dialect."
Igboasụsụ
The Igbo word 'asụsụ' can also refer to 'speech' or 'dialect'.
Malagasyfiteny
The Malagasy word "fiteny" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *pitěn, which also means "knowledge".
Nyanja (Chichewa)chilankhulo
The word 'chilankhulo' can also refer to a proverb or a riddle.
Shonamutauro
'Mutauro' shares a root with the verb 'kutaura' (to speak), highlighting the close connection between language and communication.
Somaliluqadda
The Somali word "luqadda" can also mean "the way of speaking" or "the manner of expressing oneself."
Sesothopuo
In the phrase 'puo ya moya' ('mother tongue'), 'puo' refers to the ability to speak a language rather than the language itself.
Swahililugha
Lugha originated in the Proto-Bantu root *luga "to speak," which also gave rise to Kiluba-Lunda ludimi "tongue, speech, language," among others.
Xhosaulwimi
Xhosa word "ulwimi" originates from the concept of "speech" or "oral expression," and it can also refer to a person's ability to speak or sing.
Yorubaede
The Yoruba word 'ede' also means 'mouth' and 'speech', indicating the close relationship between language and these concepts.
Zuluulimi
The Zulu word 'ulimi' is derived from the Proto-Bantu noun *limi, which means 'tongue' and is related to the verb '-lima', meaning 'to taste'.
Bambarakan
Ewegbegbᴐgblᴐ
Kinyarwandaururimi
Lingalalokota
Lugandaolulimi
Sepedipolelo
Twi (Akan)kasa

Language in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicلغة
The Arabic word
Hebrewשפה
The Hebrew word 'שפה' ('language') also means 'lip' or 'edge', highlighting the role of the mouth in speech.
Pashtoژبه
The word "ژبه" (language) in Pashto is derived from the Persian word "زبن" (tongue), suggesting its connection to the act of speaking.
Arabicلغة
The Arabic word

Language in Western European Languages

Albaniangjuhe
"Gjuhe" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰéw- (
Basquehizkuntza
In Basque "hizkuntza" originates from *hiz|*k(h)u|*n|*tz|*a which translates roughly to "the means to speak or utter sounds".
Catalanllenguatge
The word "llenguatge" derives from the Latin "lingua" (tongue) and originally referred to both language and speech.
Croatianjezik
The word 'jezik' is also a cognate of 'jež', meaning 'hedgehog', and likely shares a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'spiny' or 'sharp'.
Danishsprog
"Sprog" is the Danish word for "language", and can also be used to refer to "speech" or "dialect."
Dutchtaal
Taal can also refer to the 'tongue' in Dutch.
Englishlanguage
The word 'language' originates from Old French 'lange' meaning 'tongue' and also refers to the system of structured communication.
Frenchlangue
"Langue" can also refer to a tongue (body part) in French, with the origin of word coming ultimately from Latin "lingua" (tongue of any vertebrate).
Frisiantaal
The name of the West Frisian language is a cognate of the word for 'speech' in English.
Galicianlingua
Germansprache
The word 'Sprache' originates from the Proto-Indo-European root 'sprek' meaning 'to speak', also found in the Old Norse word 'sprak' and even the English word 'speak'.
Icelandictungumál
The Icelandic word "tungumál" literally means "tongue-speech".
Irishteanga
The Irish word for language 'teanga' can also refer to 'tongue'.
Italianlinguaggio
The word 'linguaggio' derives from the Latin word 'lingua,' meaning 'tongue,' connecting speech to taste and articulation.
Luxembourgishsprooch
The word "Sprooch" can also refer to the speech of a person or a group of people.
Malteselingwa
Maltese "lingwa" derives from "lingua", the Latin word for language, but is also used to refer to the Maltese language specifically.
Norwegianspråk
Språk in Norwegian has the alternate meaning of 'speech', and is cognate with the English word 'sprack', meaning 'lively' or 'animated'.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)língua
Originating from Latin "lingua" (tongue), "língua" also refers to the human tongue anatomically and linguistically in Portuguese.
Scots Gaeliccànan
In Scots Gaelic, 'cànan' can also mean a religious creed or a prophecy.
Spanishidioma
"Idioma" originally meant "style" or "manner of speaking" in Greek, but it was later adopted by Latin to refer to the particular system of sounds, grammar, and vocabulary used by a specific group of people.
Swedishspråk
"Språk" is also the Swedish word for "tongue" and "speech organ."
Welshiaith
The Welsh word "iaith" is derived from the Proto-Celtic word *yēxtā, meaning "speech" or "utterance."

Language in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianмова
The word "мова" in Belarusian originally meant "speech" or "utterance" and is related to the verb "мовить" (to speak).
Bosnianjezik
Jezik is a South Slavic word that originally meant "people" or "tribe", and is related to the English word "tongue".
Bulgarianезик
The Bulgarian word 'език' also means 'tongue', as they share a common Indo-European root.
Czechjazyk
The Czech word "jazyk" also means "tongue" and is cognate with the English word "tongue".
Estoniankeel
The Estonian word “keel” also refers to the keel of a boat or other vessels.
Finnishkieli
Related to the words "kieli"= "tongue" and "kielenkanta"= "language family" in Finnish
Hungariannyelv
The Hungarian word nyelvis thought to derive from the Proto-Uralic term *ńelke, meaning "tongue".
Latvianvalodu
In Lithuanian, the word "valodas" refers to both "languages" as well as "governments or authorities".
Lithuaniankalba
Possibly derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ḱel- 'to speak' but might also relate to the Proto-Baltic root *kalb- 'to speak, talk'
Macedonianјазик
The Macedonian word 'јазик' is also used to refer to the muscular organ in the mouth.
Polishjęzyk
The word "język" in Polish also means "tongue", "speech", "dialect" or "a piece of fabric".
Romanianlimba
The word "limba" derives from the Latin word "lingua", meaning "tongue", suggesting the close association between language and the act of speaking.
Russianязык
The word "язык" initially meant "people" and came to mean "language" in the old Slavonic language.
Serbianјезик
The Serbian word "Језик" ("jezik") is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*językъ", which originally meant "tongue".
Slovakjazyk
The word "Jazyk" in Slovak can also refer to "tongue" as an organ.
Slovenianjezik
The word "jezik" also means "tongue" in Slovenian, reflecting the close connection between language and the physical act of speaking.
Ukrainianмова
'Мова' in Ukrainian can also mean 'speech' or a 'way of speaking', emphasizing the performative aspect of language.

Language in South Asian Languages

Bengaliভাষা
ভাষা (bhāṣā) derives from Sanskrit and also denotes "speech" or "speaking", while "script" is denoted by the word "lipi".
Gujaratiભાષા
"ભાષા" can also mean 'utterance' or 'sound' in Gujarati.
Hindiभाषा: हिन्दी
भाषा शब्द संस्कृत के 'भाष' ('बोलना') धातु से बना है, जिसका अर्थ मौखिक अभिव्यक्ति से है।
Kannadaಭಾಷೆ
The word "ಭಾಷೆ" (language) is derived from the Sanskrit word "भाष्" (to speak) and refers to the ability to express thoughts and ideas through sounds, symbols, or gestures.
Malayalamഭാഷ
The word "bhaasha" ultimately derives from the Sanskrit "bhaash" meaning "to speak" and can also mean "speech" or "dialect" in Malayalam.
Marathiइंग्रजी
The word “इंग्रजी” in Marathi originates from the Prakrit form of the Sanskrit word “अङ्ग्रेज़ी” (meaning “English”), which in turn derived from the name of the region of Anglia in England (via Persian).
Nepaliभाषा
The word "भाषा" may have originated from two Sanskrit words "भाष" (speech) and "या" (to go), meaning "that which can be spoken."
Punjabiਭਾਸ਼ਾ
The word "ਭਾਸ਼ਾ" (language) in Punjabi is derived from Sanskrit and also means "expression" or "way of speaking."
Sinhala (Sinhalese)භාෂාව
The word භාෂාව derives from Sanskrit and it can also mean 'knowledge', 'expression' and 'the act of speaking'.
Tamilமொழி
மொழி also translates to 'speak', and it carries that original meaning in certain contexts.
Teluguభాష
The word "భాష" (language) in Telugu is also used to refer to a specific dialect or a script.
Urduزبان
The Urdu word "زبان" (zabān "tongue, language") originates from the Persian word "زبان" (zabān) and is cognate with English "tongue."

Language in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)语言
"语言" 也指能表示一定意义的符号体系,如机器语言、音乐语言、数学语言等。
Chinese (Traditional)語言
語言 can also mean ‘speech’ or ‘argument’
Japanese言語
言語 can also refer to specific types of language, such as programming languages or sign languages.
Korean언어
The word "언어" (language) in Korean also has the meaning of "agreement between two or more parties".
Mongolianхэл
The word хэл (''language'') in Mongolian can also refer to a specific form of speech or dialect.
Myanmar (Burmese)ဘာသာစကား

Language in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianbahasa
"Bahasa" comes from the Sanskrit word "bhasa," which means both "language" and "speech."
Javanesebasa
"Basa" in Javanese is also the word for "traditional" or "old" and can be used in the context of customs and norms.
Khmerភាសា
The word "ភាសា" comes from the Sanskrit word "भाषा" (bhāṣā), which originally meant "speech, sound, noise".
Laoພາສາ
The Lao word ພາສາ (pasa) comes from Sanskrit and refers to speech, words, or the means of communication.
Malaybahasa
Bahasa is also used to refer to any system of communication, such as the language of symbols, gestures, or music.
Thaiภาษา
The word "ภาษา" can also refer to "speech" or "the art of speaking"
Vietnamesengôn ngữ
"Ngôn ngữ" comes from "ngôn" (speech) and "ngữ" (character), meaning "expressive tool".
Filipino (Tagalog)wika

Language in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanidil
In Azerbaijani, "dil" also refers to the specific accent with which a language is spoken, and can be used figuratively to describe the ability to speak in a particular style or manner.
Kazakhтіл
"Тіл" also means "tongue" in Kazakh, and is closely related to the Chinese word for "language", "語" (yǔ).
Kyrgyzтил
The word "тил" has cognates in Proto-Turkic "*til" and Proto-Mongolic "*del" which both meant "written sign".
Tajikзабон
The word "забон" can also refer to the "art of speaking" or "eloquence" in Tajik.
Turkmendili
Uzbektil
The word "til" also means "script" and "knowledge" in Uzbek.
Uyghurتىل

Language in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianʻōlelo
ʻŌlelo also means to share words or thoughts.
Maorireo
The word "reo" in Maori not only means "language" but also refers to a shared worldview and cultural identity.
Samoangagana
The word "gagana" in Samoan also means "to speak" or "to talk".
Tagalog (Filipino)wika
The word "wika" in Tagalog is also used to refer to a specific language, usually one's own.

Language in American Indigenous Languages

Aymaraaru
Guaraniñe'ẽ

Language in International Languages

Esperantolingvo
Esperanto's "lingvo" also means "nation" in Esperanto, or "ethnic group" in English.
Latinlingua
Lingua also refers to the fleshy projection on the lower jaw of sea urchins.

Language in Others Languages

Greekγλώσσα
Γλώσσα (tongue) got its meaning from the fact that in ancient Greece the term 'γλῶττα' was used to denote the part of the body of the animal that was eaten first.
Hmonglus
The word "lus" in Hmong also means "tongue" or "speech".
Kurdishziman
Ziman also refers to a 'tong, a metal plate or a keyhole plate' in some Kurdish dialects such as the Mukri dialect.
Turkishdil
The Turkish word "dil" also means "heart" or "spirit", reflecting the deep connection between language and identity.
Xhosaulwimi
Xhosa word "ulwimi" originates from the concept of "speech" or "oral expression," and it can also refer to a person's ability to speak or sing.
Yiddishשפּראַך
The Yiddish word "shprakh" originally meant "speech" or "conversation".
Zuluulimi
The Zulu word 'ulimi' is derived from the Proto-Bantu noun *limi, which means 'tongue' and is related to the verb '-lima', meaning 'to taste'.
Assameseভাষা
Aymaraaru
Bhojpuriभाखा
Dhivehiބަސް
Dogriभाशा
Filipino (Tagalog)wika
Guaraniñe'ẽ
Ilocanolengguahe
Kriolangwej
Kurdish (Sorani)زمان
Maithiliभाषा
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯂꯣꯜ
Mizotawng
Oromoafaan
Odia (Oriya)ଭାଷା
Quechuasimi
Sanskritभाषा
Tatarтел
Tigrinyaቋንቋ
Tsongaririmi

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