Leading in Different Languages
Discover 'Leading' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'leading' holds great significance in many contexts, symbolizing authority, innovation, and progress. It's a cultural keyword, often used to describe pioneers in various fields, from technology to arts. Knowing its translations in different languages can help you connect with people worldwide, understanding their unique perspectives and cultural nuances.
For instance, in Spanish, 'leading' translates to 'líder' or 'dirigente', while in French, it's 'meneur' or 'chef'. In Mandarin, it's 'leading' 领先 (líng xiān), and in Japanese, 'senmei' センメイ. These translations not only bridge language gaps but also provide insights into how different cultures perceive and value leadership.
Stay tuned as we delve deeper into the translations of 'leading' in various languages, enhancing your global communication skills and cultural awareness.
Leading
Leading in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | voorste | ||
| The Afrikaans word "voorste" is cognate with the English word "foremost", both deriving from the Proto-Germanic word "frama-az" meaning "first in order or rank." | |||
| Amharic | እየመራ | ||
| "እየመራ" can also mean "by means of" or "through". | |||
| Hausa | jagora | ||
| The word "jagora" in Hausa also means "to be in front" or "to lead the way". | |||
| Igbo | na-eduga | ||
| The Igbo word "na-eduga" also means "the one who is in front or ahead" | |||
| Malagasy | nitarika | ||
| The word "nitarika" can also mean "to guide" or "to direct". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kutsogolera | ||
| Kutsogolera also means 'to guide' or 'to direct'. | |||
| Shona | kutungamira | ||
| The verb "kutungamira" can also be used to mean "to point", "to show" or "to indicate". | |||
| Somali | hogaaminaya | ||
| The word "hogaaminaya" in Somali has additional implications of guidance and direction, beyond the primary meaning of leading. | |||
| Sesotho | etella pele | ||
| In Sesotho, "etella pele" not only means "leading," but also refers to the act of "guiding" or "directing" someone along a path or course of action. | |||
| Swahili | inayoongoza | ||
| The word "inayoongoza" can also refer to "being in the lead" or "guiding" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | ekhokelayo | ||
| The word "ekhokelayo" can also mean "showing a person around" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | asiwaju | ||
| The word "asiwaju" derives from the Yoruba words "asi" (road) and "waju" (front), implying a guide or leader on a path. | |||
| Zulu | ehola | ||
| Ehola can also mean to 'follow behind' or 'accompany'. | |||
| Bambara | ɲɛmɔgɔya | ||
| Ewe | kplɔla | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kuyobora | ||
| Lingala | kokamba | ||
| Luganda | okukulembera | ||
| Sepedi | go eta pele | ||
| Twi (Akan) | di anim | ||
Leading in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | قيادة | ||
| The word "قيادة" can also mean "to guide" or "to control" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | מוֹבִיל | ||
| מוֹבִיל is a masculine form of מוֹבִילָה, which is also a Biblical name meaning "brought forth." | |||
| Pashto | مخکښ | ||
| "مخکښ" (leading) means "one who is in front" or "a pioneer". | |||
| Arabic | قيادة | ||
| The word "قيادة" can also mean "to guide" or "to control" in Arabic. | |||
Leading in Western European Languages
| Albanian | udhëheqëse | ||
| The word "udhëheqëse" in Albanian has a root meaning of "one who shows the way." | |||
| Basque | liderra | ||
| The word "liderra" in Basque derives from the verb "lidu" (to lead), and also has the alternate meaning of "leading position". | |||
| Catalan | líder | ||
| "Líder" (leading) comes from the Latin word "ducere" (to lead), which also gave rise to the words "duke" and "duce". | |||
| Croatian | vodeći | ||
| The word "vodeći" can also mean "driving" or "guiding" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | førende | ||
| The Danish word "førende" also means "top" or "greatest". | |||
| Dutch | leidend | ||
| "Leidend" in Dutch can also mean "suffering" or "passive". | |||
| English | leading | ||
| Leading can be a form of the metal lead or a metal mold or form that guides the molten lead during printing. | |||
| French | de premier plan | ||
| In heraldry, "de premier plan" can refer to an object in the background of the escutcheon (shield) | |||
| Frisian | liedend | ||
| The Frisian word "liedend" can also mean "lying" in English. | |||
| Galician | líder | ||
| The Galician word "líder" comes from the Portuguese word of the same spelling, but in Spanish it refers to a female leader, while in Galician it means "leading". | |||
| German | führen | ||
| Führer is also a rank in the Nazi Party, meaning 'leader', and stems from the same root as führen. | |||
| Icelandic | leiðandi | ||
| In Icelandic "leiðandi" not only means "leading" but also has the alternate meanings "electrically conductive" or "thermal conductor" | |||
| Irish | chun tosaigh | ||
| In the military and law enforcement context, "chun tosaigh" refers to the "front line" or "vanguard". | |||
| Italian | leader | ||
| In Italian, "leader" can also refer to a "guide" or "coach," not just someone in a position of authority. | |||
| Luxembourgish | féierend | ||
| Maltese | ewlieni | ||
| The word 'ewlieni' in Maltese comes from the Arabic word 'awwel' meaning 'first'. | |||
| Norwegian | ledende | ||
| The word "ledende" used as a noun or verb, while cognate with the English "leading," has the additional meaning of "conducting" or "conducting oneself." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | conduzindo | ||
| The verb "conduzir" (to lead) comes from the Latin "conducere" (to bring together), meaning to guide or direct people or things. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | a ’stiùireadh | ||
| It can also be used to refer to the first part of the verse in a song or psalm. | |||
| Spanish | líder | ||
| "Líder" comes from the Latin word "dux," a military chief. | |||
| Swedish | ledande | ||
| The word 'ledande' also means 'conductive' in Swedish, as in 'ledande material' (conductive material). | |||
| Welsh | arwain | ||
| The Welsh word "arwain" can also refer to a guide or a pioneer. | |||
Leading in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | вядучы | ||
| The verb «вядучы» in Belarusian comes from the Old Slavic «вѣсти» meaning «to know», hence the alternate meaning «famous», «well-known» | |||
| Bosnian | vodeći | ||
| "Vodeći" is derived from the verb "voditi" (to lead) and can also mean "driver" or "guide" in certain contexts. | |||
| Bulgarian | водещ | ||
| In Bulgarian, "водещ" can also refer to a host or presenter (e.g. of a TV show). | |||
| Czech | vedoucí | ||
| The word "vedoucí" can also mean "manager" or "principal" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | juhtiv | ||
| The Estonian word "juhtiv" is derived from the verb "juhatama" which means "to guide, to lead, to conduct," and also "to drive" or "to steer, to pilot" a vehicle | |||
| Finnish | johtava | ||
| The word "johtava" can also mean "conducting" or "conveying" in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | vezető | ||
| The Hungarian word "vezető" has the alternate meaning of "conductor" in the context of vehicles (e.g. bus driver). | |||
| Latvian | vadošais | ||
| The word "vadošais" in Latvian originally meant "the one who goes first". | |||
| Lithuanian | pirmaujantis | ||
| Lithuanian "pirmaujantis" could also mean "primary", "highest", "best", or "senior" depending on context | |||
| Macedonian | водечки | ||
| The word "водечки" in Macedonian can also refer to a small amount of water, or a type of traditional alcoholic beverage made from fermented honey. | |||
| Polish | prowadzący | ||
| "Prowadzący" can also refer to a TV or radio show host. | |||
| Romanian | conducere | ||
| "Conducere" is derived from "conducere" (to drive), hence its additional meanings in Romanian, such as "driving" or "transport". | |||
| Russian | ведущий | ||
| The word 'ведущий' (leading) comes from the verb 'ведать' (to know), which also means 'to be responsible for'. | |||
| Serbian | водећи | ||
| The word "водећи" in Serbian can also mean "leading water", referring to a water supply system. | |||
| Slovak | vedúci | ||
| In the Czech language, "vedoucí" also means "head" and can refer to the head of an organization or department. | |||
| Slovenian | vodilni | ||
| The word 'vodilni' in Slovenian can also mean 'main', or 'basic' in a sentence. | |||
| Ukrainian | провідний | ||
| The word "провідний" also means "electric" in Ukrainian. | |||
Leading in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | নেতৃস্থানীয় | ||
| The Bengali word নেতৃস্থানীয় (netristaniya) can also refer to the position or office of a leader, and it is often used in the context of political or organizational leadership. | |||
| Gujarati | અગ્રણી | ||
| અગ્રણી (agrani) possibly derives from Sanskrit 'agrani', meaning 'foremost' or 'first in rank', or 'agra' (front) and 'ni' (to lead). | |||
| Hindi | प्रमुख | ||
| The word "प्रमुख" can also mean "chief" or "head" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಪ್ರಮುಖ | ||
| The word "ಪ್ರಮುಖ" (pramukha) is cognate with the Sanskrit word "pramukha" (leading), which in turn is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*pre-" (before). | |||
| Malayalam | നയിക്കുന്നു | ||
| The word "നയിക്കുന്നു" can also mean "to conduct (a choir)" or "to give evidence". | |||
| Marathi | अग्रगण्य | ||
| The word "अग्रगण्य" (agragaṇya) in Marathi is derived from Sanskrit and literally means "first among the group" or "foremost of the group". It is also used to refer to someone who is "eminent" or "outstanding" in their field. | |||
| Nepali | अग्रणी | ||
| In Nepali, the word "अग्रणी" can also mean "pioneer" or "foremost". | |||
| Punjabi | ਮੋਹਰੀ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ප්රමුඛ | ||
| The word ප්රමුඛ (leading) derives from the Sanskrit word “pramukha”, meaning “principal” or “chief”. | |||
| Tamil | முன்னணி | ||
| "முன்னணி" can also refer to a lead or front position in a race or competition. | |||
| Telugu | ప్రముఖ | ||
| The word "ప్రముఖ" can also refer to someone who is famous or prominent. | |||
| Urdu | معروف | ||
| The word "معروف" can also mean "customary" or "proper". | |||
Leading in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 领导 | ||
| "领导" is not only a noun but also a verb in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 領導 | ||
| The character "領" in "領導" originally meant "territory" or "domain". | |||
| Japanese | リーディング | ||
| The word "リーディング" can refer to either reading a book or being in the lead. | |||
| Korean | 주요한 | ||
| "주요한 (juyohan)" in Korean is a Sino-Korean word derived from the Chinese "主" (master, main). It often refers to someone or something that takes a central or primary role. | |||
| Mongolian | тэргүүлэх | ||
| "Тэргүүлэх" also means "to stand at the head of" or "to be first" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဦး ဆောင်နေသည် | ||
| ဦး is an honorific title used before the names of men, roughly equivalent to Mr. or Sir in English. | |||
Leading in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | terkemuka | ||
| The word "terkemuka" originates from the word "muka" which means "face" or "appearance". It implies that those who are leading are the ones who are "out in front" or "in the forefront". | |||
| Javanese | anjog | ||
| "Anjog" can also mean "to guide" or "to show the way" in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | នាំមុខ | ||
| The term នាំមុខ also carries the connotation of guiding and introducing. | |||
| Lao | ນຳ | ||
| "ນຳ" can also mean "to cause" or "to make". | |||
| Malay | mengetuai | ||
| The word 'mengetuai' is derived from the root word 'ketua', which means 'head' or 'chief'. | |||
| Thai | ชั้นนำ | ||
| จันนังหลัง (จันนังหลัด) เกียฐไซรับพิการ ตัวลังเกินกระ เพื่อหลังผ้านฟ้าถึงอีกวัติดประบองในหลังรหับ จันนังหลังรหับ ยุ่ประบองรหับ เจ็บกละธางให้ใช้งาน | |||
| Vietnamese | dẫn đầu | ||
| Dẫn đầu can also refer to a leader or person in a leading position. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | nangunguna | ||
Leading in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | aparıcı | ||
| "Aparıcı" also means "one who leads" and is derived from the verb "aparmaq" (to lead). | |||
| Kazakh | жетекші | ||
| The word "жетекші" in Kazakh can also refer to a guide, mentor, or coach. | |||
| Kyrgyz | алып баруучу | ||
| The Kyrgyz term "алып баруучу," meaning "leading" in English, also has the metaphorical sense of someone playing the role of a "conductor" in music, or someone who "guides" or "directs" others. | |||
| Tajik | пешбаранда | ||
| The word can also mean "guide" or "escort". | |||
| Turkmen | öňdebaryjy | ||
| Uzbek | etakchi | ||
| The word "etakchi" also has the alternate meaning of "leader" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | رەھبەرلىك | ||
Leading in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | alakaʻi ʻana | ||
| The word "alakaʻi ʻana" also refers to guidance or mentorship in Hawaiian culture. | |||
| Maori | ārahi | ||
| The word "ārahi" also means "to accompany" and "to guide" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | taʻitaʻi | ||
| In Samoan, "taʻitaʻi" originally referred to the chief or head of a village or family group. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | nangunguna | ||
| In Tagalog, "nangunguna" can also refer to a person who takes charge or is in control of a group or situation. | |||
Leading in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | irpiri | ||
| Guarani | omotenondéva | ||
Leading in International Languages
| Esperanto | kondukante | ||
| Kondukante derives from the Latin verb ducere (to lead) and shares a root with the Esperanto words konduto (conduct) and direkti (to direct). | |||
| Latin | ducit | ||
| Ducit may also refer to a type of Roman boat or a type of Roman tax. | |||
Leading in Others Languages
| Greek | κύριος | ||
| The term is most frequently employed to denote any of a number of persons who hold an official position of responsibility and can also be interpreted as "head," "master," or "lord." | |||
| Hmong | coj | ||
| The word "coj" also means "to be in front" or "to be ahead" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | pêşengî kirin | ||
| In Kurdish, "pêşengî kirin" can also mean "to be the first to do something" or "to set an example." | |||
| Turkish | lider | ||
| In Turkish, the word "lider" can also mean "captain" or "guide". | |||
| Xhosa | ekhokelayo | ||
| The word "ekhokelayo" can also mean "showing a person around" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | פירן | ||
| The word "פירן" can also mean "to take part in a discussion" in Yiddish. | |||
| Zulu | ehola | ||
| Ehola can also mean to 'follow behind' or 'accompany'. | |||
| Assamese | নেতৃত্ব দিয়া | ||
| Aymara | irpiri | ||
| Bhojpuri | अग्रणी बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ލީޑިންގ އެވެ | ||
| Dogri | अगुवाई करदे | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | nangunguna | ||
| Guarani | omotenondéva | ||
| Ilocano | mangidaulo | ||
| Krio | we de bifo | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پێشەنگایەتی | ||
| Maithili | अग्रणी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯨꯆꯤꯡꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | hmahruaitu | ||
| Oromo | dursaa jiru | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅଗ୍ରଣୀ | ||
| Quechua | umalliq | ||
| Sanskrit | अग्रणी | ||
| Tatar | әйдәп баручы | ||
| Tigrinya | ዝመርሕ ምዃኑ’ዩ። | ||
| Tsonga | ku rhangela | ||