Large in Different Languages
Discover 'Large' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'large' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, indicating something of great size, amount, or importance. Its cultural importance is evident across various domains, from art and literature to science and mathematics. For instance, Leonardo da Vinci's 'Vitruvian Man' illustrates the ideal proportions of the human body, highlighting the concept of 'large' in a cultural and historical context. Moreover, in mathematics, 'large' numbers have fascinated humans for centuries, leading to the development of various numbering systems.
Understanding the translation of 'large' in different languages can open up new avenues of communication and cultural exchange. For example, in Spanish, 'large' translates to 'grande,' while in French, it is 'grand,' and in German, 'groß.' These translations not only help in cross-cultural communication but also provide insights into the unique linguistic and cultural aspects of different languages.
In this article, we will explore the translations of 'large' in various languages, shedding light on the fascinating world of language and culture.
Large
Large in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | groot | ||
| Afrikaans 'groot' is derived from Dutch 'groot' meaning 'large', but in Afrikaans, it can also refer to a mature person or an ancestor. | |||
| Amharic | ትልቅ | ||
| While ትልቅ typically means "large," it can also mean "great" or "important," as in the phrase ትልቅ መንግሥት "a great kingdom." | |||
| Hausa | babba | ||
| In Hausa, the word "babba" also has the alternate meaning of "father" or "daddy". | |||
| Igbo | buru ibu | ||
| The Igbo word "buru ibu" can also mean "very", "excessive", or "too much". | |||
| Malagasy | ankamaroan'ireo | ||
| The Malagasy word "ankamaroan'ireo" not only means "large" but also designates a large lake or swamp. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chachikulu | ||
| In Nyanja, "chachikulu" not only means "large", but also refers to a type of traditional wooden drum. | |||
| Shona | yakakura | ||
| "Yakakura" is also used to describe something impressive or grand, and can be used in a metaphorical sense to refer to a person who has achieved something significant. | |||
| Somali | weyn | ||
| "Weyn" can also refer to age or amount, as in "weyni waa" (how old are you) or "weynta" (the most). | |||
| Sesotho | kholo | ||
| Another meaning of "kholo" is "abundance" or "plenty". | |||
| Swahili | kubwa | ||
| The word "kubwa" also means "great" in Swahili, as in "kubwa sana" (very great). | |||
| Xhosa | inkulu | ||
| The Xhosa word "inkulu" not only means "large," but also carries connotations of "old," "important," and "venerable." | |||
| Yoruba | tobi | ||
| The word 'tobi' in Yoruba can also mean 'plenty' or 'excessive'. | |||
| Zulu | enkulu | ||
| "Enkulu" is a Zulu word with an ambiguous meaning as it can be used to describe something that is either large or tall. | |||
| Bambara | belebeleba | ||
| Ewe | lolo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | binini | ||
| Lingala | monene | ||
| Luganda | -gazi | ||
| Sepedi | kgolo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kakraa | ||
Large in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | كبير | ||
| "كبير" also means "old" in Arabic, as in "grand"father ("جَد كبير"). | |||
| Hebrew | גָדוֹל | ||
| The word "גדול" (gadol) can also mean "elder" or "important". | |||
| Pashto | لوی | ||
| The word "لوی" (large) in Pashto is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *lewh-, meaning "to grow" or "to increase". | |||
| Arabic | كبير | ||
| "كبير" also means "old" in Arabic, as in "grand"father ("جَد كبير"). | |||
Large in Western European Languages
| Albanian | të mëdha | ||
| Basque | handiak | ||
| The word "handiak" in Basque can also refer to "great" or "important". | |||
| Catalan | gran | ||
| The Catalan word "gran" can also mean "tall" or "great" depending on the context. | |||
| Croatian | velika | ||
| The word 'velika' has its etymology in the Proto-Slavic word 'velьjь', meaning 'great or strong', and the Slavic suffix '-ika', which denotes magnitude or size. | |||
| Danish | stor | ||
| The word "stor" is cognate with English "stout" and German "stark" | |||
| Dutch | groot | ||
| In addition to its literal meaning of "large", "groot" can also be used figuratively in Dutch to mean "important" or "significant". | |||
| English | large | ||
| The word 'large' derives from the same root as the word 'long' and originally meant 'extended in any direction'. | |||
| French | grand | ||
| "Grand" in French is derived from the Latin "grandis," meaning "large," and also carries the figurative meanings of "great," "important," and "magnificent." | |||
| Frisian | grut | ||
| Frisian "grut" is cognate with English "great" and German "groß". | |||
| Galician | grande | ||
| "Grande" is used before names and nicknames in a friendly and familiar way | |||
| German | groß | ||
| "Groß" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "ĝʰer-s", meaning "to increase, grow, or swell". | |||
| Icelandic | stór | ||
| Stór is a cognate of Dutch **stoer** and German **störrig**, meaning "stubborn". It can also mean "important" or even "heavy". | |||
| Irish | mór | ||
| Mór derives from the Old Irish word 'mór' and cognate with Latin 'maior' (greater) and Sanskrit 'mahas' (big). | |||
| Italian | grande | ||
| The Italian word "grande" derives from the Latin "grandis" meaning "large, tall, or imposing." | |||
| Luxembourgish | grouss | ||
| "Grouss" is also a type of bread roll that can be either hard or soft, depending on the recipe. | |||
| Maltese | kbar | ||
| The word 'kbar' is also used in the Maltese language for the term 'great' as in 'great Britain' | |||
| Norwegian | stor | ||
| The word "stor" is derived from the Old Norse word "stórr", which also meant "proud" or "noble". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ampla | ||
| In Brazil, "ampla" can be used colloquially to describe something awesome or cool. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | mòr | ||
| The term can also apply to an area of high ground in a landscape, a 'moor'. | |||
| Spanish | grande | ||
| The word 'grande' comes from the Latin word 'grandis', which also means 'large' or 'great'. | |||
| Swedish | stor | ||
| The word "stor" in Swedish also has a meaning of "great" or "important" | |||
| Welsh | mawr | ||
| The word "mawr" derives from the Proto-Celtic form "*magros" meaning "great, large". | |||
Large in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | вялікі | ||
| "Вялікі" in Belarusian can also refer to "great" or "important". | |||
| Bosnian | veliko | ||
| "Veliko" can also mean "great" or "magnificent" in a more abstract sense. | |||
| Bulgarian | голям | ||
| Голям is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *golъ, meaning "naked" or "bare". | |||
| Czech | velký | ||
| The word "velký" can also refer to something that is grand or significant, or to someone who is important or renowned. | |||
| Estonian | suur | ||
| Suur is a Finnish word meaning "big" and derives from the Proto-Finnic word *suuri, which also meant "heavy". | |||
| Finnish | suuri | ||
| 'Suuri' (large) is possibly related to Proto-Finno-Ugric '*suure', 'very'. | |||
| Hungarian | nagy | ||
| The word "nagy" also means "very" or "great" and is related to the word "nagyon", which means "very". | |||
| Latvian | liels | ||
| Derived from Proto-Baltic *lêlˀs, which perhaps derives from PIE *ley- "to lean". Also akin to Russian великий (velikīy "great"), Polish wielki, and Lithuanian dìdelis. | |||
| Lithuanian | didelis | ||
| "Didelis" may also refer to the marsupial mammal family, including possums and opossums, in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | големи | ||
| "Големи" can also refer to someone or something that is impressive or important. | |||
| Polish | duży | ||
| The word "duży" is also used to describe someone who is overweight or obese. | |||
| Romanian | mare | ||
| "Mare" is also a Romanian word for "sea". | |||
| Russian | большой | ||
| The word "большой" can also mean "great" or "important" in the sense of significance or consequence. | |||
| Serbian | велика | ||
| "Велика" means "great or magnificent" in the context of something important or impressive, and "large" when describing dimension or quantity. | |||
| Slovak | veľký | ||
| The word "veľký" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *velьkъ, which also meant "noble" or "great". | |||
| Slovenian | velik | ||
| The Slavic root of "velik" also appears in other words like "veleposlanik" (ambassador) or "veličasten" (majestic). | |||
| Ukrainian | великий | ||
| The word 'великий' has several meanings - 'great', 'grand' and 'solemn' and derives from the Old Church Slavonic word 'veliky', meaning 'big' or 'grand'. | |||
Large in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বড় | ||
| The word "বড়" ("large") also has another meaning in Bengali: "elder". | |||
| Gujarati | મોટા | ||
| The word "મોટા" (pronounced "motaa") also means "elder sister" in Gujarati, and is commonly used as a term of endearment for older sisters (especially married ones). | |||
| Hindi | विशाल | ||
| The word 'विशाल' is derived from the Sanskrit root 'वृश', meaning 'to cover or spread'. | |||
| Kannada | ದೊಡ್ಡದು | ||
| The Kannada word "ದೊಡ್ಡದು" originates from the Proto-Dravidian root "*pərəd-/*pəɖ-/*poɖ-" meaning "large" or "elder." | |||
| Malayalam | വലുത് | ||
| The Malayalam word "വലുത്" (valuth) may derive from the Proto-South Dravidian root "*vaḷ-" meaning "to be large or big." | |||
| Marathi | मोठे | ||
| The word "मोठे" in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word "महत्" meaning "great" or "large". | |||
| Nepali | ठूलो | ||
| The word ठूलो, a Nepali word for "large", originally meant "tall" or "high". | |||
| Punjabi | ਵੱਡਾ | ||
| The word "ਵੱਡਾ" can also mean "elder" or "respected" in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මහා | ||
| The word "මහා" can also mean "great" or "important", and it is often used as a prefix to indicate a person's status or position. | |||
| Tamil | பெரியது | ||
| The word "பெரியது" also means "elder" or "great" in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | పెద్దది | ||
| The Telugu word "పెద్దది" is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root *ped, which also gave rise to the Tamil word பெரிது (peridu). | |||
| Urdu | بڑے | ||
| The word "بڑے" (large) has a secondary meaning of "an adult male", or "a man in general" in Urdu. | |||
Large in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 大 | ||
| 大 can also mean "very", "greatly", or "in general". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 大 | ||
| In Chinese, the character "大" also signifies "greatness" or "importance". | |||
| Japanese | 大 | ||
| "大" is also used in the sense of "very". For example, "大勢" (おおぜい) means "a great number"} | |||
| Korean | 큰 | ||
| "큰" can also refer to a person of great value in a social hierarchy | |||
| Mongolian | том | ||
| The Mongolian word "том" (large) appears to be related to the Turkic word "tam" (full, complete). | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကြီးမားသည် | ||
Large in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | besar | ||
| "Besar" (large) also stems from the Old Javanese word "bhesara" which means "heavy" | |||
| Javanese | gedhe | ||
| The Javanese word "gedhe" is derived from Old Javanese "wṛddha" and Sanskrit "vṛddha," both meaning "old" or "venerable." | |||
| Khmer | ធំ | ||
| The word ធំ also means 'great' or 'important', and is often used in titles or names to denote respect or authority. | |||
| Lao | ຂະຫນາດໃຫຍ່ | ||
| Malay | besar | ||
| Besar, meaning 'large' in Malay, is also used to refer to an older person or someone with high rank as a sign of respect. | |||
| Thai | ใหญ่ | ||
| The term "ใหญ่" is also used to imply age and seniority in Thai society. | |||
| Vietnamese | lớn | ||
| The Vietnamese word "lớn" derives from Old Chinese "lun" (pronounced *roon) meaning "high" or "exalted." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | malaki | ||
Large in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | böyük | ||
| "Böjük" has an obscure origin, and some linguists think it derives from the Indo-European "*meg-" which means "many" and also denotes size and quantity; a similar-sounding "bojuk" exists in Albanian which is derived from "bukë" (bread), a basic staple food that's associated with quantity. | |||
| Kazakh | үлкен | ||
| Also used in the sense of "adult". | |||
| Kyrgyz | чоң | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "чоң" also has alternate meanings such as "very," "great," and "important." | |||
| Tajik | калон | ||
| The word "калон" is also used to describe a "column" in architecture. | |||
| Turkmen | uly | ||
| Uzbek | katta | ||
| The word "katta" in Uzbek also means "old" or "senior" and is related to the word "kat" meaning "thick" or "dense". | |||
| Uyghur | چوڭ | ||
Large in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | nui | ||
| Nui also means 'much, many, most, exceedingly, greatly, very, plenty, numerous, abundant, numerous, or ample'. | |||
| Maori | nui | ||
| The word "nui" is also used as a noun to refer to a mountain or hill. | |||
| Samoan | lapoʻa | ||
| The word "lapoʻa" in Samoan is derived from the Proto-Polynesian word *lapa, which also means "broad" or "flat." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | malaki | ||
| The word "malaki" also means "expensive" in old Tagalog and some Philippine languages. | |||
Large in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jach'a | ||
| Guarani | tuicha | ||
Large in International Languages
| Esperanto | granda | ||
| In Italian, French, Portuguese, and Spanish, the word "granda" means "big" or "grand." | |||
| Latin | magna | ||
| "Magna," a Latin term for "big," also denotes a charter, assembly, and a female horse. | |||
Large in Others Languages
| Greek | μεγάλο | ||
| The word "μεγάλο" (large) in Greek also has the meanings "great" and "important" in English. | |||
| Hmong | loj | ||
| The word "loj" can also mean "fat" or "wide" | |||
| Kurdish | mezin | ||
| The word "mezin" also refers to a "big" person, typically a respected elder in the community. | |||
| Turkish | büyük | ||
| The word "büyük" can also mean "great", "important", or "senior" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | inkulu | ||
| The Xhosa word "inkulu" not only means "large," but also carries connotations of "old," "important," and "venerable." | |||
| Yiddish | גרויס | ||
| In Yiddish, "גרויס" can also mean "important" or "prominent," conveying a sense of weight or significance beyond mere size. | |||
| Zulu | enkulu | ||
| "Enkulu" is a Zulu word with an ambiguous meaning as it can be used to describe something that is either large or tall. | |||
| Assamese | ডাঙৰ | ||
| Aymara | jach'a | ||
| Bhojpuri | बड़हन | ||
| Dhivehi | ވަރަށް ބޮޑު | ||
| Dogri | बड्डा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | malaki | ||
| Guarani | tuicha | ||
| Ilocano | dakkel | ||
| Krio | big | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | گەورە | ||
| Maithili | नमहर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯆꯧꯕ | ||
| Mizo | hrawl | ||
| Oromo | bal'aa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବଡ | ||
| Quechua | hatun | ||
| Sanskrit | बृहत् | ||
| Tatar | зур | ||
| Tigrinya | ገዚፍ | ||
| Tsonga | lexikulu | ||