Learn in Different Languages
Discover 'Learn' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'learn' is a powerful and versatile term, denoting the process of acquiring knowledge, skills, or behaviors through experience, study, or instruction. Its significance extends far beyond the realm of linguistics, touching upon the very core of human development and cultural importance. 'Learn' is the foundation of education, personal growth, and societal progression, making it a universal concept that transcends language barriers.
Throughout history, the act of learning has been revered and celebrated across various civilizations. From the ancient Greek philosophers who championed the pursuit of knowledge to the modern-day proliferation of online learning platforms, the desire to learn remains a constant driving force in human lives. This global fascination with learning has led to the emergence of numerous translations of the word 'learn' in different languages, each carrying its unique cultural nuances and historical contexts.
Delving into the translations of 'learn' in various languages offers a fascinating glimpse into the rich tapestry of global cultures and traditions. For instance, in Spanish, 'learn' is 'aprender', while in French, it is 'apprendre'. In the Chinese language, 'learn' is translated as '学习' (xuéxí), and in Japanese, it is '学びる' (manabu).
Learn
Learn in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | leer | ||
| In Afrikaans, "leer" can also mean "to teach" or "to instruct". | |||
| Amharic | ተማሩ | ||
| The Amharic word "ተማሩ" can also mean "to train" or "to teach". | |||
| Hausa | koya | ||
| "Koya" is not restricted to academic learning but also includes the acquisition of knowledge in any field, such as skills or crafts. | |||
| Igbo | na-amụta | ||
| The Igbo word "na-amụta" primarily signifies "learning" but also holds the connotation of "studying". | |||
| Malagasy | mianatra | ||
| The Malagasy word 'mianatra' is of Austronesian origin and is related to several other words in Oceanic languages meaning 'think' or 'know'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | phunzirani | ||
| The word "phunzirani" can also mean "be taught" or "be trained" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | dzidza | ||
| The word "dzidza" can also mean "teach" or "study". | |||
| Somali | baro | ||
| "Baro" also means "to become something" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | ithute | ||
| The word "ithute" also means "to study" or "to be taught". | |||
| Swahili | jifunze | ||
| The Swahili word "jifunze" can also mean "teach oneself" or "study independently." | |||
| Xhosa | funda | ||
| The word "funda" can also mean "to teach" or "to know" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | kọ ẹkọ | ||
| The verb "kọ ẹkọ" (to learn) is derived from the root word "kọ" (to receive) and the noun "ẹkọ" (knowledge). It means to receive knowledge or to acquire information through study or experience. | |||
| Zulu | funda | ||
| In Zulu, 'funda' also refers to the practice of divination and communicating with ancestral spirits. | |||
| Bambara | ka kalan | ||
| Ewe | srɔ̃ nu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | wige | ||
| Lingala | koyekola | ||
| Luganda | okuyiga | ||
| Sepedi | ithuta | ||
| Twi (Akan) | sua | ||
Learn in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تعلم | ||
| In Arabic, the word "تعلم" not only means "to learn" but also "to become accustomed to" or "to get used to" something. | |||
| Hebrew | לִלמוֹד | ||
| The word "לִלמוֹד" ("learn") in Hebrew also means "to teach". | |||
| Pashto | زده کړه | ||
| The word "زده کړه" also means "to teach" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | تعلم | ||
| In Arabic, the word "تعلم" not only means "to learn" but also "to become accustomed to" or "to get used to" something. | |||
Learn in Western European Languages
| Albanian | mësoj | ||
| "Mësoj" also means "make" in the sense of "make bread" or "make tea" or "make a mistake". | |||
| Basque | ikasi | ||
| The Basque word "ikasi" has connections to the Proto-Basque verb root *ekasi, which means "to grow". Thus, it can also mean "to grow" and "to teach". | |||
| Catalan | aprendre | ||
| Catalan "aprende" derives from Latin "apprehendere" meaning "to seize." | |||
| Croatian | naučiti | ||
| The word 'naučiti' can also mean 'to teach' or 'to give a lesson'. | |||
| Danish | lære | ||
| The word "lære" also means "teach" or "doctrine" in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | leren | ||
| The Dutch word "leren" also means "to teach". | |||
| English | learn | ||
| "Learn" derives from an Old English word that meant "to follow" or "to obey". | |||
| French | apprendre | ||
| "Apprendre" can also mean "to teach" in a judicial context. | |||
| Frisian | leare | ||
| The Frisian word "leare" comes from the proto-germanic root "liz-". This same root also gave rise to the English word "learn", | |||
| Galician | aprender | ||
| "Aprender" in Galician also means to teach, a meaning that survives in phrases like "aprender a ler" (to teach someone to read). | |||
| German | lernen | ||
| The word "lernen" in German is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "liznaną", meaning "to know", and is related to the English word "learn". | |||
| Icelandic | læra | ||
| Láera is a noun in Icelandic that means learning as a process or a teaching. | |||
| Irish | foghlaim | ||
| The word "foghlaim" in Irish is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *weg- ("to move"), and is related to the English word "wag." | |||
| Italian | imparare | ||
| The Italian word "imparare" is derived from the Latin "imparare," meaning "to acquire knowledge" or "to become familiar with." | |||
| Luxembourgish | léieren | ||
| Maltese | jitgħallmu | ||
| The Maltese word "jitgħallmu" comes from the Arabic word "تعلم" (ta'allama), which also means "to learn". | |||
| Norwegian | lære | ||
| From Old Norse læra, from Proto-Germanic *lizônai, cognate with English lore. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | aprender | ||
| In Portuguese, "aprender" also means "to capture," deriving from the Latin "apprehendere," meaning "to seize or grasp." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ionnsaich | ||
| Spanish | aprender | ||
| In addition to meaning "to learn," "aprender" can also mean "to memorize" or "to get used to something" | |||
| Swedish | lära sig | ||
| "Lära sig" is related to the old Swedish word "lista" which meant "to read", "to know", or "to be wise". | |||
| Welsh | dysgu | ||
| The verb 'dysgu' translates to both 'learn' and 'teach' in English. | |||
Learn in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | вучыцца | ||
| "Вучыцца" in Belarusian, originally meant to "get accustomed to", "get used to" something. | |||
| Bosnian | naučiti | ||
| The word 'naučiti' can also mean 'to teach' or 'to cause to learn' in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | уча | ||
| Bulgarian word "уча" is derived from Proto-Slavic "*učiti" meaning "to learn by listening" and from Proto-Slavic "*učiti" meaning "to teach or instruct". | |||
| Czech | učit se | ||
| "Učit se" means both "learn" and "get used to". | |||
| Estonian | õppida | ||
| Õppida also means to 'grasp' or 'comprehend' something. | |||
| Finnish | oppia | ||
| The verb opia is also an archaic synonym for the verb toivo ("to hope"). | |||
| Hungarian | tanul | ||
| The word 'tanul' is derived from the Proto-Uralic root *tona- meaning 'to know' and is cognate with the Finnish word 'tunnus' ('sign, mark'). | |||
| Latvian | mācīties | ||
| The word “mācīties” also has the meaning of “to teach” in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | mokytis | ||
| The word "mokytis" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*men-g-", meaning "to think or understand." | |||
| Macedonian | научи | ||
| The word "научи" in Macedonian, meaning "learn", has an alternate meaning of "to teach" or "to tell someone something new"} | |||
| Polish | uczyć się | ||
| The verb "uczyć się" can also mean "to teach" or "to study". | |||
| Romanian | învăța | ||
| The Romanian word "învăța" is related to the Proto-Indo-European root "*n̥h₃ǵʰ-, which also meant learning or knowing. | |||
| Russian | учиться | ||
| "Учиться" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *učiti, meaning “to study or teach,” and is related to the Proto-Indo-European word *auk-, meaning “to increase.” | |||
| Serbian | научити | ||
| The verb 'научити' can also mean 'to teach' in the context of giving someone knowledge or skills. | |||
| Slovak | učiť sa | ||
| The word "učiť sa" comes from "učiti sę" in Old Church Slavonic and also means "to teach". | |||
| Slovenian | nauči se | ||
| The verb 'nauči se' can also mean 'to study', 'to master', or 'to get to know'. | |||
| Ukrainian | вчитися | ||
| The word "вчитися" in Ukrainian is also used to refer to studying or acquiring knowledge through formal education. | |||
Learn in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | শিখুন | ||
| শিখুন comes from the Sanskrit word 'shiksha,' meaning 'instruction' or 'learning,' and can also refer to a disciple or student. | |||
| Gujarati | શીખો | ||
| The word 'શીખો' (learn) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'शिक्ष' (teach), which means to impart knowledge or skill. | |||
| Hindi | सीखना | ||
| The word "सीखना" also means "to train" or "to get accustomed to" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಕಲಿ | ||
| ಕಲಿ, a Kannada word meaning "learn", also holds the connotations of "acquire knowledge or skills" and "study diligently". | |||
| Malayalam | പഠിക്കുക | ||
| Malayalam "പഠിക്കുക" (padikkuk) originated in the 14th century from "aptikyati," meaning "to attain" or "to receive." | |||
| Marathi | शिका | ||
| The Marathi word "शिका" is derived from the Sanskrit word "शिक्ष," which means "to teach or to learn." | |||
| Nepali | सिक्नुहोस् | ||
| The Nepali word 'सिक्नुहोस्' can also refer to the concept of 'becoming knowledgeable' or 'acquiring wisdom'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਿੱਖੋ | ||
| The word "ਸਿੱਖੋ" can also mean "to teach" or "to be taught a lesson". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඉගෙන ගන්න | ||
| Tamil | அறிய | ||
| The Tamil word _ariy(a)_ (அறிய) may originate from the root _er_ which is cognate with the Proto-Dravidian root *_eri-, *era_, which also gives the verb _eṟu_ "to rise," perhaps a reference to gaining knowledge or enlightenment. | |||
| Telugu | నేర్చుకోండి | ||
| నేర్చుకోండి (learn) relates to 'knowledge' with an alternative meaning as 'practice' for music, arts, exercises, etc. | |||
| Urdu | سیکھنا | ||
| In Sanskrit, 'siksha' means 'instruction', but in Urdu it can also mean 'knowledge'. | |||
Learn in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 学习 | ||
| 学习 can also mean 'to copy' or 'to imitate'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 學習 | ||
| 學習 ('learn') in Traditional Chinese shares a character with 學 ('study') which also means 'imitation' or 'pattern'. | |||
| Japanese | 学ぶ | ||
| The verb "学ぶ" shares its kanji with the noun "学" (study), which can also refer to an academic institution or a particular field of knowledge. | |||
| Korean | 배우다 | ||
| "배우다" (learn) originally referred to acting, as in imitating gestures and sounds. Later, its meaning expanded to include learning any new skill or knowledge. | |||
| Mongolian | сурах | ||
| The Mongolian word "сурах" can also mean "to acquire knowledge or skill", "to become accustomed to", or "to be familiar with". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သင်ယူပါ | ||
Learn in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | belajar | ||
| The Indonesian word 'belajar' derives from the Old Javanese word 'ajar', which also means 'teach' or 'instruction'. In modern Indonesian, 'belajar' can also refer to studying or practicing a skill. | |||
| Javanese | sinau | ||
| The word "sinau" in Javanese also means "to teach" or "to study", as the pursuit of knowledge is seen as a two-way process involving both students and teachers. | |||
| Khmer | រៀន | ||
| The word "រៀន" can also be used to mean "study" or "teach" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ຮຽນຮູ້ | ||
| ຮຽນຮູ້ (เรียน+รู้) is a compound word that means 'to gain knowledge or skill' | |||
| Malay | belajar | ||
| "Belajar" (to learn) can also mean "to teach" in some Malay dialects | |||
| Thai | เรียนรู้ | ||
| เรียนรู้ 'เรียน' (rian) means 'learn' and 'รู้' (ru) means 'know' | |||
| Vietnamese | học hỏi | ||
| The word "học hỏi" also means "ask for advice". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | matuto | ||
Learn in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | öyrənmək | ||
| The verb "öyrənmək" is also used in the sense of "to get used to" or "to be accustomed to" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | үйрену | ||
| The word "үйрену" in Kazakh is derived from the verb "үйре", meaning "to teach", and can also refer to the process of acquiring knowledge or skills. | |||
| Kyrgyz | үйрөн | ||
| "Үйрөн" in Kyrgyz also means "to take care of", "to look after", "to raise" (an animal or child), and "to groom" (a horse). | |||
| Tajik | омӯхтан | ||
| The word "омӯхтан" in Tajik is derived from the Persian verb "آموزیدن" (āmuzidan), which originally meant "to learn by heart" or "to memorize." | |||
| Turkmen | öwreniň | ||
| Uzbek | o'rganish | ||
| The Uzbek word “o'rganish” is derived from the Middle Persian word “āmoxtan,” which also means “to learn.” | |||
| Uyghur | ئۆگىنىش | ||
Learn in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | aʻo | ||
| The word "aʻo" also means "to teach", reflecting the reciprocal nature of learning and teaching in Hawaiian culture. | |||
| Maori | ako | ||
| An alternate meaning of "ako" is "to cause to be taught", which implies a teaching-learning relationship. | |||
| Samoan | aʻoaʻo | ||
| In Samoan, aʻoaʻo literally means to instruct with a stick or a sharp object, reflecting the traditional practice of marking someone's body to record information. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | matuto | ||
| The word "matuto" in Tagalog is derived from the word "tuto" which means "to follow" or "to imitate" | |||
Learn in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | yatiqaña | ||
| Guarani | kuaapyhy | ||
Learn in International Languages
| Esperanto | lerni | ||
| The Esperanto word "lerni" is derived from the Latin word "levare," meaning "to raise" or "to lift." | |||
| Latin | discite | ||
| "Discite" (learn) is the root of "discipline," originally meaning "instruction". | |||
Learn in Others Languages
| Greek | μαθαίνω | ||
| The verb 'μαθαίνω' is derived from the noun 'μάθος' meaning 'knowledge' which further descends from a Proto-Indo-European root '*men-' meaning 'to think'. | |||
| Hmong | kawm | ||
| The word "kawm" in Hmong can also mean "to study" or "to memorize". | |||
| Kurdish | fêrbûn | ||
| While 'fêrbûn' primarily means 'learn' in Kurdish, it also shares the same root as 'for' and 'before', implying a connection between learning and progress or precedence. | |||
| Turkish | öğrenmek | ||
| The word "öğrenmek" also means "to borrow" or "to earn" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | funda | ||
| The word "funda" can also mean "to teach" or "to know" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | לערנען | ||
| The Yiddish word "לערנען" also means "to study religious texts" or "to be scholarly", reflecting the importance of religious study in Yiddish culture. | |||
| Zulu | funda | ||
| In Zulu, 'funda' also refers to the practice of divination and communicating with ancestral spirits. | |||
| Assamese | শিকা | ||
| Aymara | yatiqaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | सीखल | ||
| Dhivehi | ދަސްކުރުން | ||
| Dogri | सिक्खेआ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | matuto | ||
| Guarani | kuaapyhy | ||
| Ilocano | sursuruen | ||
| Krio | lan | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | فێربوون | ||
| Maithili | सीखू | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯝꯕ | ||
| Mizo | zir | ||
| Oromo | barachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଶିଖ | | ||
| Quechua | yachakuy | ||
| Sanskrit | जानातु | ||
| Tatar | өйрәнү | ||
| Tigrinya | ተመሃር | ||
| Tsonga | dyondza | ||