Literature in Different Languages
Discover 'Literature' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Literature, a word that evokes a sense of knowledge and culture, is the art of written work. Its significance extends beyond mere words on a page, as it has the power to reflect societal values, provoke thought, and transcend boundaries. From classic novels to modern poetry, literature is a testament to human creativity and innovation. Its cultural importance is undeniable, with literary works often serving as the foundation for a community's shared identity and history.
Moreover, understanding the translation of literature in different languages can provide valuable insights into a culture's unique perspective and worldview. For instance, the German word for literature, 'Literatur,' not only refers to written works but also encompasses the study and criticism of such works. Meanwhile, in Spanish, 'literatura' can also refer to the body of written work from a particular author or period.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural scholar, or simply someone with a passion for learning, exploring the translation of literature in different languages can be a fascinating and rewarding journey. Keep reading to discover how this word is translated in various languages around the world.
Literature
Literature in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | literatuur | ||
| In Afrikaans, "literatuur" not only means "literature" but also refers to the "letters" of the alphabet. | |||
| Amharic | ሥነ ጽሑፍ | ||
| The word comes from the root 's-n', meaning "to know" or "to learn". | |||
| Hausa | adabi | ||
| The word 'adabi' originates from the Arabic term 'adab' meaning conduct or behaviour, implying that literature serves as a guide for proper conduct.} | |||
| Igbo | akwụkwọ | ||
| "Akwụkwọ" means "leaf" in Igbo, suggesting the ancient practice of writing on palm leaves | |||
| Malagasy | boky sy gazety | ||
| The Malagasy word "boky sy gazety" (literature) literally means "books and newspapers". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mabuku | ||
| "Mabuku" in Nyanja is derived from the Swahili word "kitabu" (book) and the prefix "ma-" (plural). In the alternate meaning, "mabuku" refers to traditional African herbal remedies. | |||
| Shona | zvinyorwa | ||
| The word 'zvinyorwa' is also used to refer to written records, documents, or texts. | |||
| Somali | suugaanta | ||
| "Suugaanta", Somali for literature, has alternate meanings like tales with rhythmic speech and the knowledge or science of something. | |||
| Sesotho | lingoliloeng | ||
| This word has alternate meanings like 'conversation' and 'knowledge' | |||
| Swahili | fasihi | ||
| Fasihi originates from the Arabic word 'fasih' meaning 'eloquent' or 'well-spoken' and is used to refer to written or spoken words with artistic or literary value. | |||
| Xhosa | uncwadi | ||
| The noun 'incwadi' is derived from the verb 'ukubhala,' meaning 'to write' | |||
| Yoruba | litireso | ||
| The word "litireso" in Yoruba also means "knowledge" or "learning." | |||
| Zulu | izincwadi | ||
| "Izincwadi" also means "books" or "writings" and is derived from the verb "ukubhala" which means "to write". | |||
| Bambara | gafesɛ bɛnnenw ani kumakan maralenw | ||
| Ewe | nuxexlẽ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ubuvanganzo | ||
| Lingala | mokanda | ||
| Luganda | bwawandikibwa | ||
| Sepedi | dingwalo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kasadwini | ||
Literature in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الأدب | ||
| الْأَدَبْ is also the plural of لَطَائِفُ, meaning 'nuances, subtleties' | |||
| Hebrew | סִפְרוּת | ||
| סִפְרוּת derives from the Hebrew verb “סָפַר”, to scribe, count, tell, and to relate or narrate. | |||
| Pashto | ادبیات | ||
| The Pashto word "ادبیات" (adabiyat) also means "politeness", "manners", or "good breeding". | |||
| Arabic | الأدب | ||
| الْأَدَبْ is also the plural of لَطَائِفُ, meaning 'nuances, subtleties' | |||
Literature in Western European Languages
| Albanian | letërsi | ||
| Letërsi is a term used in Albanian both to refer to "literature" and "letter", as a message in written form. | |||
| Basque | literatura | ||
| In Basque, the word 'literatura' can also mean 'collection of writings' or 'body of written works'. | |||
| Catalan | literatura | ||
| Catalan "literatura" is derived from the Latin "litteratura" denoting "learning" or "writing". | |||
| Croatian | književnost | ||
| The Croatian word "književnost" originates from the Old Church Slavonic word "knjigi", meaning "books", and initially referred to all forms of written works, including religious, historical, and legal texts. | |||
| Danish | litteratur | ||
| The Danish word "litteratur" also carries the meaning of "waste". | |||
| Dutch | literatuur | ||
| "Literatuur" in Dutch comes from "littera" (letter) and can also refer to documents in general. | |||
| English | literature | ||
| The word "literature" derives from the Latin word "littera" meaning "letter", and originally referred to any written work. | |||
| French | littérature | ||
| "Littérature" also means a body of written works or a set of publications. | |||
| Frisian | literatuer | ||
| The Frisian word 'literatuer' comes from the Latin word 'littera', meaning 'letter' or 'writing'. | |||
| Galician | literatura | ||
| "Literatura" in Galician also refers to the set of specific characteristics of a particular language or dialect. | |||
| German | literatur | ||
| The word 'Literatur' originates from the Latin 'litteratura' that refers to both 'letters' and the 'occupation of scribes'. | |||
| Icelandic | bókmenntir | ||
| The Icelandic word 'bókmenntir' ('literature') literally means 'book memories', indicating that literature was traditionally preserved and transmitted orally in Icelandic society. | |||
| Irish | litríocht | ||
| The Irish word "litríocht" derives from "leitir," meaning "a hillside" or "slope," and originally referred to sacred or scholarly writing engraved on stone or wood. | |||
| Italian | letteratura | ||
| "Letteratura" in Italian also signifies "erudition" or "learning," reflecting the historical association between literature and scholarship. | |||
| Luxembourgish | literatur | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Literatur" also refers to the genre of written works that are considered to possess literary merit. | |||
| Maltese | letteratura | ||
| The word "letteratura" in Maltese refers to literature, but it can also be used in a more specific sense to refer to "sacred literature" or "the Bible." | |||
| Norwegian | litteratur | ||
| In Norwegian, "litteratur" additionally translates to "waste". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | literatura | ||
| "Literatura" in Portuguese has an alternate meaning related to the weight of the gold used to mint coins. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | litreachas | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word 'litreachas' can also refer to 'correspondence', reflecting the historical importance of written communication in Gaelic culture. | |||
| Spanish | literatura | ||
| "Literatura" derives from the Latin "litera" (letter), as in "literacy" or "the study of letters". In Spanish, it can also mean "letters" or "epistles". | |||
| Swedish | litteratur | ||
| "Litteratur" comes from the Latin word "littera," meaning "letter," and is related to "litter" in the sense of discarded materials, due to the paper that was traditionally used for writing. | |||
| Welsh | llenyddiaeth | ||
| The Welsh word 'llenyddiaeth' is derived from 'llenydd' ('letter') and '-iaeth' ('state, condition'), and originally referred to knowledge rather than specifically literary works. | |||
Literature in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | літаратура | ||
| The Belarusian word "літаратура" comes from the Old Church Slavonic word "литература", which in turn comes from the Greek word "γραμματική", meaning "the art of writing". | |||
| Bosnian | književnost | ||
| The word 'književnost' is derived from 'knjiga', meaning 'book'. | |||
| Bulgarian | литература | ||
| The Bulgarian word "литература" originates from the Latin "littera, | |||
| Czech | literatura | ||
| In Czech, "literatura" has a broader meaning, encompassing not only written works but also oral traditions such as folktales and legends. | |||
| Estonian | kirjandus | ||
| "Kirjandus" is cognate with the Finnic words "kirja" (character) and "luenta" (reading), and in Karelian it means "alphabet". | |||
| Finnish | kirjallisuus | ||
| The word "kirjallisuus" in Finnish refers both to literature and literacy, as it is derived from the word "kirja", meaning "book" or "letter". | |||
| Hungarian | irodalom | ||
| The Hungarian word for literature, "irodalom", is etymologically related to "irni" ("to write") and is also used as a collective term for writers. | |||
| Latvian | literatūra | ||
| In Latvian, the word "literatūra" also means "writing", "scripture", or "document". | |||
| Lithuanian | literatūra | ||
| The Lithuanian word "literatūra" originally meant "the ability to read and write". | |||
| Macedonian | литература | ||
| The word "литература" comes from the Proto-Slavic verb *lьtati, meaning "to cast". | |||
| Polish | literatura | ||
| In Polish, the word "literatura" comes from Latin and originally referred to "letters" and "writing". | |||
| Romanian | literatură | ||
| 'Literatură' derives from the Latin word 'littera', meaning 'writing' or 'letter'. | |||
| Russian | литература | ||
| The word "литература" derives from the Latin "littera" meaning "letter". | |||
| Serbian | књижевност | ||
| The word "књижевност" is derived from the Slavic root "kъnigъ," meaning "book" or "writing." | |||
| Slovak | literatúry | ||
| In the 16th century, "literatúry" was also used to refer to education and scholarship. | |||
| Slovenian | literatura | ||
| The Slovenian word "literatura" also means "literacy" | |||
| Ukrainian | література | ||
| The word "література" can also refer to a "school subject" or "an author's works." | |||
Literature in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সাহিত্য | ||
| In Bangla, "সাহিত্য” derives from Sanskrit, where “sahi,” meaning friend or companion and ‘ta', a suffix signifying possession or association, combine for a concept of "companion or friend in thought". | |||
| Gujarati | સાહિત્ય | ||
| The Sanskrit word ‘Sahit’ meaning ‘collection’ forms the basis of the Gujarati word ‘Sahitya’, which translates to ‘collection of knowledge’.”} | |||
| Hindi | साहित्य | ||
| "साहित्य" शब्द संस्कृत के "सहि" धातु से बना है जिसका अर्थ है "मित्रता करना" या "एक साथ मिलना"। | |||
| Kannada | ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ | ||
| The term 'ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ' (literature) in Kannada traces its roots to the Sanskrit word 'sahitya', meaning 'collection of writings'. | |||
| Malayalam | സാഹിത്യം | ||
| The word "സാഹിത്യം" in Malayalam is derived from the Sanskrit word "sahitya" meaning "association" or "combination." | |||
| Marathi | साहित्य | ||
| In Marathi, "साहित्य" also means "collection," as in a collection of literary works. | |||
| Nepali | साहित्य | ||
| The word 'साहित्य' is derived from the Sanskrit term 'सह-हित', meaning 'good together', suggesting its role in bringing people together through shared experiences. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਾਹਿਤ | ||
| The word "ਸਾਹਿਤ" derives from the Sanskrit word "sahitya", which means "a collection of writings" or "a literary work". The term is used to refer to both written and oral forms of literature. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සාහිත්යය | ||
| The word සාහිත්යය also refers to "good conduct" in Sinhala, highlighting the close connection between morality and literature in the culture. | |||
| Tamil | இலக்கியம் | ||
| The word "இலக்கியம்" is also used to describe other forms of creative expression, such as painting and sculpture. | |||
| Telugu | సాహిత్యం | ||
| The term 'సాహిత్యం' comes from the Sanskrit word 'साहित्य', which originally meant 'companion or friend'. | |||
| Urdu | ادب | ||
| The term 'adab' in Urdu carries additional connotations beyond 'literature,' including knowledge, manners, and refinement. | |||
Literature in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 文学 | ||
| 文学 (wénxué) can also mean 'the study of characters' (文字学) or 'the study of language' (语言学). | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 文學 | ||
| In pre-Qin era Chinese, "文學" referred to "Confucianism" and later took on its modern meaning during the Han dynasty. | |||
| Japanese | 文献 | ||
| The term "文献" (monographs, documents) was originally used in Buddhism to refer to Buddhist scriptures, and gradually came to refer to academic texts in general. | |||
| Korean | 문학 | ||
| "문학" derives from Middle Chinese "文" (read as "mon") and "學" (read as "hwok"). | |||
| Mongolian | уран зохиол | ||
| The word "уран зохиол" is derived from the Mongolian words "уран" (art) and "зохиол" (creation) and is used to refer to works of literature that are considered to be of high artistic value. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စာပေ | ||
| စာပေ (sape) comes from the Pali word “sape” meaning "writing, drawing, composing, etc." | |||
Literature in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | literatur | ||
| In Indonesian, "literatur" can also refer to any written or printed document. | |||
| Javanese | sastra | ||
| The Javanese word "sastra" has additional meanings, such as "knowledge" or "rules. | |||
| Khmer | អក្សរសិល្ប៍ | ||
| Lao | ວັນນະຄະດີ | ||
| Malay | sastera | ||
| The word "sastera" in Malay is derived from the Sanskrit word "śāstra", which means "science" or "treatise", and was originally used to refer to religious texts. | |||
| Thai | วรรณกรรม | ||
| วรรณกรรม is derived from the Sanskrit word 'varna' meaning color and 'karma' meaning action or work, suggesting that literature brings vivid colors and experiences to life. | |||
| Vietnamese | văn chương | ||
| The word "văn chương" in Vietnamese can also refer to "writing" or "composition". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | panitikan | ||
Literature in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ədəbiyyat | ||
| Etymology: Persian ادبیات ('adabiyyāt) < Arabic آداب ('ādāb, "manners, customs, style, good education"). Originally, a term from religious studies applied to the knowledge needed for the understanding of religious texts, now denotes any kind of scholarly learning. | |||
| Kazakh | әдебиет | ||
| The word "әдебиет" in Kazakh comes from the Arabic word "أدب" (adab), which can also mean "good manners" or "culture". | |||
| Kyrgyz | адабият | ||
| "Адабият" (адап + ит) – "приспособившийся", "привыкший". "Адабият" – письменность, художественная литература, которая в течение веков передавалась в устной форме. | |||
| Tajik | адабиёт | ||
| The term 'адабиёт' (literature) derives from the Arabic word 'ādāb' meaning 'knowledge' or 'manners,' reflecting its multifaceted nature. | |||
| Turkmen | edebiýaty | ||
| Uzbek | adabiyot | ||
| In Uzbek, adabiyot not only means literature but also refers to written texts, books, and the field of scholarship related to them. | |||
| Uyghur | ئەدەبىيات | ||
Literature in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | palapala | ||
| The word 'palapala' also means 'leaves' in Hawaiian, highlighting the cultural connection between literature and the written word. | |||
| Maori | tuhinga | ||
| Tuhinga originally referred to a carved or tattooed design in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | tusitusiga | ||
| The term tusitusiga originally referred to storytelling, poetry and mythology in the pre-colonial Samoan culture | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | panitikan | ||
| "Panitikan" is also a collective term used to describe a group of writers and critics engaged in literary activities. | |||
Literature in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | litiratura | ||
| Guarani | ñe'ẽporãhaipyre | ||
Literature in International Languages
| Esperanto | literaturo | ||
| The Esperanto word 'literaturo' comes from the Latin word 'litteratura', meaning 'a writing' or 'an epistle'. | |||
| Latin | litterae | ||
| Litterae, the Latin word for 'literature,' also refers to letters, writings, correspondence, and the alphabet. | |||
Literature in Others Languages
| Greek | βιβλιογραφία | ||
| The Greek word "βιβλιογραφία" can also mean "bibliography" or "list of books." | |||
| Hmong | ntaub ntawv | ||
| The Hmong word 'ntaub ntawv' is derived from 'tau', meaning 'book' and 'ntawv', meaning 'letter', which literally translates to 'book letters' or 'book writings'. | |||
| Kurdish | hêdane | ||
| "Hêdane" in Kurdish derives from the Avesta word "dâd-vân-âd" meaning "laws, knowledge, wisdom," and was initially used to refer to sacred texts. | |||
| Turkish | edebiyat | ||
| "Edebiyat" is derived from Arabic and means both "literature" and "politeness, good manners". | |||
| Xhosa | uncwadi | ||
| The noun 'incwadi' is derived from the verb 'ukubhala,' meaning 'to write' | |||
| Yiddish | ליטעראַטור | ||
| The Yiddish word 'literatur' derives from the French 'littérature' via the German 'Literatur', and originally meant 'letters' or 'writing' in a broad sense. | |||
| Zulu | izincwadi | ||
| "Izincwadi" also means "books" or "writings" and is derived from the verb "ukubhala" which means "to write". | |||
| Assamese | সাহিত্য | ||
| Aymara | litiratura | ||
| Bhojpuri | साहित्य | ||
| Dhivehi | އަދަބީ | ||
| Dogri | साहित्य | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | panitikan | ||
| Guarani | ñe'ẽporãhaipyre | ||
| Ilocano | literatura | ||
| Krio | buk | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | وێژە | ||
| Maithili | साहित्य | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯣꯔꯤꯂꯣꯜ | ||
| Mizo | thu leh hla | ||
| Oromo | og-barruu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସାହିତ୍ୟ | ||
| Quechua | lteratura | ||
| Sanskrit | साहित्यं | ||
| Tatar | әдәбият | ||
| Tigrinya | ስነ ጽሑፍ | ||
| Tsonga | matsalwa | ||