Listen in Different Languages
Discover 'Listen' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'listen' holds a significant place in our communication toolkit. It's not just about hearing sounds, but actively processing them into meaningful information. This cultural importance is reflected in various languages around the world. For instance, in Spanish, 'listen' translates to 'escuchar', emphasizing attention and understanding. In German, it's 'hören', which focuses more on the auditory aspect. In Japanese, the word 'kiku' not only means 'to listen' but also carries connotations of respect and consideration.
Delving into these translations offers us a glimpse into different cultural perspectives on communication. It can help us become more empathetic listeners, fostering better relationships and cross-cultural understanding. Moreover, knowing how to say 'listen' in different languages can be handy in various situations, such as traveling, learning a new language, or engaging with international colleagues and friends.
Join us as we explore the translations of 'listen' in multiple languages, from common ones like French and Mandarin to lesser-known ones like Maori and Zulu.
Listen
Listen in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | luister | ||
| The Afrikaans word "luister" is said to derive from either Middle Low German or Dutch; both words mean "listen". | |||
| Amharic | ስማ | ||
| The word "ስማ" in Amharic can also mean "understand" or "obey." | |||
| Hausa | saurare | ||
| The word "saurare" can also mean "to understand" or "to obey" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | gee ntị | ||
| The Igbo word "gee ntị" also means "pay attention" and is related to the word "ntị" (ear). | |||
| Malagasy | mihaino | ||
| The word "mihaino" or "mihaino mafy" in Malagasy can also mean "obey" and can be translated to "entendre" in French. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mverani | ||
| The Nyanja word 'mverani' also refers to a type of dance and a musical instrument | |||
| Shona | teerera | ||
| "teerera" can also mean "wait" or "hold" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | dhagayso | ||
| Dhagayso is also used figuratively to mean "to pay attention to" or "to take into account" | |||
| Sesotho | mamela | ||
| The word "mamela" can also refer to the act of understanding or paying attention. | |||
| Swahili | sikiliza | ||
| Sikiliza comes from the Arabic word "iskiliza," meaning "to hear or listen." | |||
| Xhosa | mamela | ||
| The verb 'mamela' comes from the Proto-Bantu word '-mema', meaning 'to hear, listen'. | |||
| Yoruba | gbọ | ||
| "Gbọ́" is also an oriki (praise name) for the deity Oduduwa. | |||
| Zulu | lalela | ||
| Lalela is also a Zulu word representing a type of musical performance involving poetry and song. | |||
| Bambara | ka lamɛn | ||
| Ewe | ɖo to | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umva | ||
| Lingala | koyoka | ||
| Luganda | wuliriza | ||
| Sepedi | theeletša | ||
| Twi (Akan) | tie | ||
Listen in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | استمع | ||
| The verb "استمع" in Arabic has an ancient root shared with the word for "ear" and "attention," implying a deep connection between listening and perception. | |||
| Hebrew | להקשיב | ||
| The word "להקשיב" is derived from the root "שמע," which also means "obey" or "understand." | |||
| Pashto | واورئ | ||
| The Pashto word "واورئ" is also used to mean "understand" or "comprehend". | |||
| Arabic | استمع | ||
| The verb "استمع" in Arabic has an ancient root shared with the word for "ear" and "attention," implying a deep connection between listening and perception. | |||
Listen in Western European Languages
| Albanian | degjo | ||
| The word "degjo" is a descendant of the Proto-Albanian word *kloud-jō, which is related to the Proto-Indo-European word *klew-, meaning "to hear or listen". | |||
| Basque | entzun | ||
| Its origin is the Basque word | |||
| Catalan | escolta | ||
| Catalan "escolta" also means "bodyguard" and derives from the Italian "scortatore", meaning "one who accompanies." | |||
| Croatian | slušati | ||
| Although the primary meaning of "slušati" is "listen," its root "sluh" derives from the Old Church Slavonic "slyšati," additionally meaning "to understand," "to discern," "to comprehend." | |||
| Danish | hør efter | ||
| The Danish word "Hør efter" is also used to say "listen in" on something, indicating that a person is paying attention to a conversation without being directly involved in it. | |||
| Dutch | luister | ||
| The verb 'luisteren' (to listen) also refers to the ability to sense or perceive through the organs of hearing, like "to hear". | |||
| English | listen | ||
| The verb "listen" derives from the Middle English word "listnen", which in turn originates from the Old English "hlystan," meaning "to pay attention." | |||
| French | ecoutez | ||
| The word "Écoutez" derives from the Latin "auscultare," meaning "to listen attentively." | |||
| Frisian | harkje | ||
| The word "Harkje" is derived from the Old Frisian word "herkia", meaning "to listen". In modern Frisian, it can also mean "to pay attention" or "to understand". | |||
| Galician | escoita | ||
| In Galician, "escoita" also means "guard" or "monitor" when used in a military context. | |||
| German | hör mal zu | ||
| The German phrase "Hör mal zu" translates to "listen up" and is often used to get someone's attention or emphasize a point. | |||
| Icelandic | hlustaðu | ||
| In Icelandic, the word "hlustaðu" not only means "listen," but also means "obey" or "pay attention." | |||
| Irish | éist | ||
| The Irish verb éist also means ‘to hear, to understand, to obey, to heed, to attend' and originates from Proto-Indo-European *awes- and *au-. | |||
| Italian | ascolta | ||
| The word "ascolta" can also mean "obey" or "follow" in Italian. | |||
| Luxembourgish | lauschtert | ||
| The verb "lauschtert" is derived from the Latin word "auscultare", meaning "to give ear to". | |||
| Maltese | isma | ||
| The Maltese word "isma" is also used as a noun in some contexts, with meanings such as "hearing" or "sound", and may originate from the Semitic root "smʿ". | |||
| Norwegian | lytte | ||
| "Lytte" is related to "lyt", meaning hearing, and "lyd", meaning sound. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ouço | ||
| The word "ouço" in Portuguese derives from the Latin "ausculto," meaning "to listen carefully." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | èist | ||
| Èist can also mean 'to obey', 'to understand' or 'to hear' and probably derives from Old Norse heyra, which meant 'to hear' and 'to obey'. | |||
| Spanish | escucha | ||
| "Escucha" derives from the Latin word "auscultare", meaning "to listen attentively" or "to hear with care." | |||
| Swedish | lyssna | ||
| "Lyssna" in Swedish is cognate with "listen" in English, and is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*hlusnô-". | |||
| Welsh | gwrandewch | ||
| The Welsh word "gwrandewch" is derived from the Proto-Celtic root "*kʷrend-ē-", meaning "to hear" or "listen". | |||
Listen in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | слухайце | ||
| The word "слухайце" in Belarusian ultimately comes from the Proto-Slavic word *slūšati* meaning "to hear", and is related to the Russian word "слушать" and the Polish word "słuchać". | |||
| Bosnian | slušaj | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning “listen,” “slušaj” can also mean “to understand” or “to obey.” | |||
| Bulgarian | слушам | ||
| The word "слушам" also means "to obey" or "to follow" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | poslouchat | ||
| "Poslouchat" is also used in Czech to refer to the act of eavesdropping. | |||
| Estonian | kuulata | ||
| "Kuulata" is a verb in Estonian that means to listen. It is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "*kulē-," which also means to listen. The word "*kulē-" is thought to be onomatopoeic, meaning that it imitates the sound of listening. | |||
| Finnish | kuunnella | ||
| The word 'kuunnella' derives from 'kuulla' ('to hear'), and initially implied more attentive listening in contrast to mere 'hearing'. | |||
| Hungarian | hallgat | ||
| Hallgat also means 'pupil' from the German word 'Halle' (hallway), referring to university lecture halls where students gather to learn. | |||
| Latvian | klausīties | ||
| In Latvian, "klausīties" is a verb that primarily means "to listen," but it can also refer to "paying attention" or "obeying." | |||
| Lithuanian | klausyk | ||
| The verbs klausīti and klausytis are often interchangeable. The latter carries a more attentive connotation. | |||
| Macedonian | слушај | ||
| "Слушај" also means "obey" and has the same root word as "уши" ("ears"). | |||
| Polish | słuchać | ||
| The Polish word "słuchać" is derived from an old Proto-Indo-European root *kleu-, meaning "to hear" or "to obey." | |||
| Romanian | asculta | ||
| Asculta derives from Medieval Latin "auscultare", also meaning "to obey or pay attention." | |||
| Russian | слушать | ||
| Слушать derives from the root "слух" (hearing) and is cognate with words like "славить" (glorify) and "слово" (word). | |||
| Serbian | слушај | ||
| The verb 'слушај' is cognate with 'slušati' in Croatian, 'slúchať' in Slovak, 'słuchać' in Polish, 'слухать' in Russian, and 'слухаць' in Belarusian, all meaning 'to listen'. | |||
| Slovak | počúvať | ||
| The verb 'počúvať' in Slovak can also mean 'understand' or 'follow', emphasizing comprehension instead of the act of physically hearing. | |||
| Slovenian | poslušaj | ||
| In Russian, 'poslushat' has the meanings 'listen' and 'obey'. | |||
| Ukrainian | послухай | ||
| The word "послухай" (poslukhay) can also mean "to obey" or "to follow" in Ukrainian, reflecting its root in the word "слух" (slukh), meaning "hearing" or "obedience." | |||
Listen in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | শোনো | ||
| শোনো can also mean ‘the act of hearing’ or ‘being aware’ | |||
| Gujarati | સાંભળો | ||
| The word "સાંભળો" in Gujarati originated from the Sanskrit word "śṛṇoti", meaning "to hear, listen, or obey". | |||
| Hindi | बात सुनो | ||
| The Hindi word 'बात सुनो' is derived from 'bat' (talk) and 'shun' (listen) and means | |||
| Kannada | ಕೇಳು | ||
| In some contexts, "ಕೇಳು" can also mean "ask" or "question". | |||
| Malayalam | ശ്രദ്ധിക്കൂ | ||
| Marathi | ऐका | ||
| In Sanskrit, 'ऐका' also means 'to understand' and is related to the word 'buddhi', meaning 'intellect' or 'understanding'. | |||
| Nepali | सुन्नुहोस् | ||
| The Nepali word 'sunnuhos' may be derived from the Sanskrit word 'sru', which means 'to hear'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੁਣੋ | ||
| "ਸੁਣੋ" also means "the Sun" in Punjabi, derived from the Sanskrit word "सूर्य" (sūrya). | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සවන් දෙන්න | ||
| The verb can also be used to signify attention to or acceptance of something. | |||
| Tamil | கேளுங்கள் | ||
| The verb கேளுங்கள் ( | |||
| Telugu | వినండి | ||
| The verb "వినండి" can also mean "to obey or to follow". | |||
| Urdu | سنو | ||
| سنو, meaning "to hear" in Urdu, is cognate to the Persian شنیدن (shanidan). | |||
Listen in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 听 | ||
| "听" means both "to listen" and "to obey", related to the oracle bone script "丁" meaning "to distinguish". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 聽 | ||
| The character "聽" (tīng) originally pictured a canopy or roof, hinting at the idea of "overhearing" or "eavesdropping". | |||
| Japanese | 聴く | ||
| The kanji for なぐ (kiku) originally meant 逃す (erabu) “to choose” as it contains the ideogram for “hand” (手 (te)) and “mouth” (口 (kuchi)). | |||
| Korean | 들리다 | ||
| "들리다" can also mean "to appear" or "to be heard". | |||
| Mongolian | сонсох | ||
| "Сонсох" can also mean "to obey", stemming from the concept of attentive listening implying compliance. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နားထောင်ပါ | ||
Listen in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mendengarkan | ||
| The word "mendengarkan" comes from "dengar", meaning "to hear", and the suffix "-kan", which turns verbs into adjectives denoting a passive or causative meaning. | |||
| Javanese | rungokna | ||
| The word "rungokna" (listen) is cognate with the Malay and Indonesian word "dengar", a fact which hints to the strong cultural and linguistic ties between Javanese and Malay-speaking cultures. | |||
| Khmer | ស្តាប់ | ||
| In Khmer, "ស្តាប់" can also refer to the act of paying attention to someone or something. | |||
| Lao | ຟັງ | ||
| The word "ຟັງ" in Lao can also mean "to obey" or "to follow". | |||
| Malay | dengar | ||
| The word "dengar" can also mean "to obey" or "to follow". | |||
| Thai | ฟัง | ||
| Thai "ฟัง" "to listen" shares the same etymology as "fang" "room" and "feng" "to wait for, hope for", connoting an "openness" to the words of another. | |||
| Vietnamese | nghe | ||
| The word "nghe" in Vietnamese can also mean "to play a musical instrument" or "to study". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | makinig ka | ||
Listen in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | dinləmək | ||
| The verb "dinləmək" also has the meaning of "to obey" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | тыңдау | ||
| The Kazakh word "тыңдау" also has the meaning of "to listen to one's advice" or "to obey". | |||
| Kyrgyz | угуу | ||
| The word "угуу" is derived from the Mongolian "oogoo" and has the same meaning. | |||
| Tajik | гӯш кардан | ||
| The word "гӯш кардан" in Tajik is also used to mean "to obey" or "to follow instructions". | |||
| Turkmen | diňle | ||
| Uzbek | tinglang | ||
| The Uzbek word "tinglang" can also mean "obey" or "understand". | |||
| Uyghur | ئاڭلاڭ | ||
Listen in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻolohe | ||
| The word "hoʻolohe" also means "to obey" or "to follow orders" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | whakarongo | ||
| Whakarongo in Maori also means "to understand" or "to pay attention to". | |||
| Samoan | faʻalogo | ||
| "Faʻalogo" is a verb that can mean "listen", "hear", or "understand" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | makinig ka | ||
| The Tagalog word "makinig ka" also means "pay attention" or "understand". | |||
Listen in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ist'aña | ||
| Guarani | hendu | ||
Listen in International Languages
| Esperanto | aŭskultu | ||
| « Aŭskultu » signifas « ausculter », et donc, par extension, « espionner ». | |||
| Latin | audite | ||
| The word 'audite' ('listen') in Latin can also refer to the opening of a legal document. | |||
Listen in Others Languages
| Greek | ακούω | ||
| The verb “ἀκούω” was used in Greek to signify listening, or obeying, or even accepting, and in this sense “ἀκροάομαι” was the proper term for “listening.” | |||
| Hmong | mloog | ||
| The Hmong word "mloog" can also mean "to hear" or "to understand." | |||
| Kurdish | gûhdarkirin | ||
| "Gûhdarkirin" originates from the Persian word "gush" (گوش) meaning "ear" and the suffix "-dār" meaning "having" or "keeping." | |||
| Turkish | dinlemek | ||
| The Turkish word 'dinlemek' is derived from the Persian word 'din' ('religion'), and originally meant 'to obey'. | |||
| Xhosa | mamela | ||
| The verb 'mamela' comes from the Proto-Bantu word '-mema', meaning 'to hear, listen'. | |||
| Yiddish | הערן | ||
| The verb in the expression "הערן אויפֿן געלט" (lit: listen to the money) means "to earn"} | |||
| Zulu | lalela | ||
| Lalela is also a Zulu word representing a type of musical performance involving poetry and song. | |||
| Assamese | শুনক | ||
| Aymara | ist'aña | ||
| Bhojpuri | सुनीं | ||
| Dhivehi | އަޑުއެހުން | ||
| Dogri | सुनो | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | makinig ka | ||
| Guarani | hendu | ||
| Ilocano | agdengngeg | ||
| Krio | lisin | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | گوێگرتن | ||
| Maithili | सुनू | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯥꯕ | ||
| Mizo | ngaithla | ||
| Oromo | dhaggeeffachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଶୁଣ | ||
| Quechua | uyariy | ||
| Sanskrit | शृणोतु | ||
| Tatar | тыңла | ||
| Tigrinya | ስማዕ | ||
| Tsonga | yingisela | ||