Living in different languages

Living in Different Languages

Discover 'Living' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'living' holds a profound significance in our lives, as it represents the state of being alive and the experiences we encounter daily. Its cultural importance is evident in various art forms, literature, and philosophical discussions. Understanding the translation of 'living' in different languages can provide valuable insights into diverse cultures and traditions.

For instance, the Spanish translation of 'living' is 'viviendo,' which is derived from the verb 'vivir' – a testament to the language's rich and vibrant history. Meanwhile, in Japanese, 'living' translates to 'ikiteiru,' reflecting the country's unique cultural values and customs. Similarly, the French translation, 'vivant,' highlights the language's romantic and poetic nature.

Exploring the word 'living' in various languages can be an enriching experience for language enthusiasts and cultural aficionados alike. Join us as we delve into the fascinating translations of 'living' in different languages.

Living


Living in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansleef
The term “leef” is borrowed from the German “leben”, which means life itself.
Amharicመኖር
The word "መኖር" also means "to exist", "to reside", "to dwell", "to abide", "to remain", and "to endure".
Hausarayuwa
Rayuwa derives from the Proto-Afro-Asiatic root *rāy- ('to live') and shares cognates with Old Egyptian rˁ ('sun') and Arabic rāy ('opinion').
Igboibi
The word "ibi" in Igbo can also refer to "life" or "existence".
Malagasyvelona
VELONA, meaning 'living,' also refers to a plant that Malagasy people often use for medicinal purposes.
Nyanja (Chichewa)wamoyo
The word 'wamoyo' can also refer to 'one who has vitality despite their hardships'.
Shonamupenyu
Shona 'mupenyu' derives from the root 'penyu' meaning 'to breathe', and thus the word can also mean 'respiratory'
Somaliku nool
The word "ku nool" in Somali can also mean "to depend on" or "to rely on".
Sesothoe phelang
The Sesotho word "e phelang" is also used to mean "breathing".
Swahiliwanaoishi
The Swahili word "wanaoishi" is also used to describe people who are still alive and present.
Xhosauyaphila
Uyaphila is also a term of affection, similar to "darling" or "sweetheart".
Yorubagbigbe
The word "gbigbe" in Yoruba also means "to exist" or "to be present".
Zuluuyaphila
The word 'uyaphila' comes from the root -phila, which means 'to breath'.
Bambarabaloli
Eweagbenɔnɔ
Kinyarwandakubaho
Lingalakozala na bomoi
Lugandaokubeera
Sepediphelago
Twi (Akan)tena

Living in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicالعيش
The Arabic word "العيش" (al-ʿaīsh) also refers to bread, a staple food in many Arab cultures.
Hebrewחַי
The term "חַי" (living) shares its root with "חַיָה" (beast), indicating the ancient belief that all life, including humans, originated from the animal kingdom.
Pashtoژوندی
The Pashto word "ژوندی" (žu(n)di) is derived from the Proto-Iranian "*ǰīvana-" meaning "life, existence, living being".
Arabicالعيش
The Arabic word "العيش" (al-ʿaīsh) also refers to bread, a staple food in many Arab cultures.

Living in Western European Languages

Albanianduke jetuar
"Duke jetuar" is a phrase in Albanian that literally translates to "in living" and can also be used figuratively to mean "while alive" or "during life."
Basquebizitzen
The Basque word "bizitzen" comes from the Proto-Basque word "*bizi", meaning "life".
Catalanvivent
«Vivent» may also refer to a person who is alive or to the state of being alive.
Croatianživot
The word 'život' is also used in a figurative sense, meaning 'a person's fate or destiny'.
Danishlevende
The word "levende" in Danish also means "lively" and is related to the word "levn" (meaning "life" or "sustenance").
Dutchleven
Leven, when referring to the number 11 in Dutch, derives from the Middle Dutch word "elf", meaning eleven.
Englishliving
"Living" can also refer to a person's means of livelihood or the condition of being alive and well.
Frenchvivant
The French word "vivant" has Latin origins, deriving from the present participle of "vivere" meaning "to live" and can also refer to someone who is lively or spirited.
Frisianwenje
"Wenje" can also mean "living quarters" or "home" in older or dialectal Frisian.
Galicianvivir
The word "vivir" in Galician is derived from the Latin word "vivĕre", meaning "to live", and it also means "to reside" or "to be located".
Germanleben
"Leben" also means "life". In the context of food, it refers to "liver".
Icelandiclifandi
Lifandi may also refer to 'something lively, spirited or merry'.
Irishag maireachtáil
Italianvita
The word "vita" also means "story" or "biography" in Italian, a meaning it shares with its Latin origin.
Luxembourgishwunnen
The word "wunnen" in Luxembourgish has a rich history and has been used in various contexts throughout its evolution.
Maltesegħajxien
The word "għajxien" in Maltese also refers to one's means of sustenance or livelihood.
Norwegianbor
The word "bor" can also mean "dwells" or "resides" in Norwegian.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)vivo
The word "vivo" comes from the Latin word "vivus," meaning "alive, living."
Scots Gaelicbeò
The Scots word "beò" is cognate with the Welsh "byw" and the Irish "beó", all meaning "alive" and deriving from the Proto-Celtic *bīwos.
Spanishvivo
The Spanish word "vivo" (alive) also means "clever, sharp", like the Italian "vivace" and the French "vif"
Swedishlevande
The Swedish word "levande" comes from the Old Norse "lifandi" and used to mean "to be left over from a battle or shipwreck", hence "surviving".
Welshbyw
The word "byw" in Welsh also means "place" and derives from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to be" or "to exist."

Living in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianпражыванне
Bosnianživi
The word "živi" in Bosnian, meaning "living," also has connotations of "lively," "sprightly," or "energetic."}
Bulgarianжив
The word "жив" can also mean "green" or "raw", highlighting the connection between life and freshness in Bulgarian.
Czechživobytí
In Czech, "živobytí" can also refer to "means of subsistence" or "livelihood".
Estonianelamine
The word "elamine" in Estonian also means "existence" or "life".
Finnishelää
The word "elää" also means "to burn," which is related to its Proto-Uralic root meaning "heat, warmth."
Hungarianélő
The Hungarian word "élő" (living) can also refer to something "vibrant" or "active".
Latviandzīvo
In Latvian, the root of the word “dzīvo” means “to breathe,
Lithuaniangyvenantys
"Gyvenantys" derives from the Proto-Baltic root *ĝīwen-, meaning "to live" or "to be alive."
Macedonianживеење
In addition to meaning "living", "живеење" can also refer to the "lifestyle" of a person or group of people.
Polishżycie
The word "życie" in Polish has Slavic roots and is related to the concept of "birth" or "life force". It can also refer to someone's life history or biography.
Romanianviaţă
The word "viaţă" also has the meaning of "life" in Romanian, derived from the Latin "vita".
Russianживущий
The word "живущий" literally means "breathing" and is derived from the archaic verb "жити", which meant "to live" in Old Russian
Serbianживети
The Serbian word "живети" comes from the Proto-Slavic root *živ- meaning "to be alive" and also refers to the abstract concept of "life".
Slovakžijúci
"Žijúci" can also mean "lively" or "animated".
Slovenianživeti
The word "živeti" can also mean "to make a living" or "to sustain oneself" in Slovenian.
Ukrainianпроживання
The word "проживання" can also mean "residence" or "domicile".

Living in South Asian Languages

Bengaliজীবিত
The word "জীবিত" also means "alive" or "breathing" in Bengali.
Gujaratiજેમાં વસવાટ કરો છો
Living, from Old English leofian, also means "to sustain oneself or be sustained."
Hindiजीवित
In Hindi, 'जीवित' not only means 'living', but also 'subsisting on' or 'supported by'
Kannadaದೇಶ
"ದೇಶ" in Kannada can sometimes refer to "state" rather than "living", originating from the Sanskrit "deśa" meaning "home" or "native land."
Malayalamജീവിക്കുന്നു
The word "ജീവിക്കുന്നു" in Malayalam derives from the Proto-Dravidian root "*ci-p-u," meaning "to live" or "exist."
Marathiजिवंत
In addition to its primary meaning of "living", "जिवंत" (jivanta) can also mean "lively" or "animated" in Marathi.
Nepaliजीवित
The word 'जीवित' in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit word 'जीवित', which means 'alive', 'existing', or 'subsisting'.
Punjabiਜੀਵਤ
The word "ਜੀਵਤ" in Punjabi ultimately derives from the Sanskrit word "जीवित" meaning "alive" or "living".
Sinhala (Sinhalese)ජීවන
Sinhalese "ජීවන" derives from the Sanskrit term "jīvana" which denotes "life, living".
Tamilவாழும்
The Tamil word "வாழும்" also means "to succeed" or "to prosper".
Teluguజీవించి ఉన్న
Urduزندہ
The word 'زندہ' can also refer to 'fresh' or 'new' in Urdu.

Living in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)活的
The word "活的" can also mean "mobile" or "flexible", highlighting the dynamic nature of life.
Chinese (Traditional)活的
The term can be also used in a figurative sense to describe someone who is lively or energetic.
Japanese生活
生活 (seikatsu) also means "way of life" or "lifestyle".
Korean생활
The word "생활" comes from the Chinese word "生活" and can also mean "life" or "the way of life."
Mongolianамьдрах
The Mongolian word "амьдрах" (living) is derived from the Proto-Mongolic root *ami-, meaning "life" or "breath."
Myanmar (Burmese)လူနေမှုဘဝ

Living in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianhidup
Hidup can also refer to 'nature' or 'the environment'.
Javaneseurip
The Javanese word "urip" also refers to "awareness" or "consciousness."
Khmerរស់នៅ
The word រស់នៅ can also mean "to reside," "to dwell," "to exist," "to be," or "to inhabit."
Laoດໍາລົງຊີວິດ
Malayhidup
Hidup, помимо своего значения «живой», также означает «реальность» или «мир» в малайском языке.
Thaiการดำรงชีวิต
The word "การดำรงชีวิต" can also mean "existence" or "livelihood".
Vietnamesecuộc sống
"Cuộc sống" also means "life" in the sense of a living organism's life
Filipino (Tagalog)nabubuhay

Living in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniyaşamaq
The word "yaşamaq" can also mean "to be born" or "to live" in Azerbaijani, depending on context.
Kazakhөмір сүру
The word "өмір сүру" in Kazakh also means "to have a life" or "to lead a life".
Kyrgyzжашоо
The Kyrgyz word "жашоо" also refers to "life" or "existence" in a broader sense.
Tajikзиндагӣ
The word «зиндагӣ» has Persian roots and also means "life", "existence", and "being alive."
Turkmenýaşamak
Uzbekyashash
The Uzbek word "yashash" also has alternate meanings such as "to reside" and "to exist".
Uyghurياشاش

Living in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianke noho nei
In Hawaiian, 'ke noho nei' literally translates to 'the current dwelling'. It also implies being settled, having an abode, or continuing to exist.
Maorinoho
Noho', when used as a noun, can refer to a place of residence or settlement
Samoanola
Ola also means 'health', 'safety', and 'well-being' in Samoan.
Tagalog (Filipino)nabubuhay
"Nabubuhay" can also mean "vibrant" or "lively".

Living in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarajakaña
Guaraniguapyha

Living in International Languages

Esperantovivanta
The word "viva" in Esperanto comes from the Latin "vivus," meaning "living" or "alive."
Latinvitae
The term "vitae" in Latin also carries the sense of "way of life" or "course of existence".

Living in Others Languages

Greekζωή
ζωή can also refer to life, existence, livelihood, or biography, and derives from the Indo-European root *ǵʷih₃- ("to live").
Hmongnyob
The word "nyob" in Hmong also means "to reside" or "to spend time in a place".
Kurdishdijî
"Dijî" can mean "reviving" or "recovering" as well as "living" in Kurdish.
Turkishyaşam
The Turkish word "yaşam" also has additional meanings such as "lifestyle" and "destiny."
Xhosauyaphila
Uyaphila is also a term of affection, similar to "darling" or "sweetheart".
Yiddishלעבעדיק
The Yiddish word "leb" can also mean "bread," reflecting the idea that bread is the "staff of life."
Zuluuyaphila
The word 'uyaphila' comes from the root -phila, which means 'to breath'.
Assameseজীয়াই থকা
Aymarajakaña
Bhojpuriरहन-सहन
Dhivehiދިރިއުޅުން
Dogriरौहना
Filipino (Tagalog)nabubuhay
Guaraniguapyha
Ilocanopanagbiag
Kriofɔ liv
Kurdish (Sorani)زیندوو
Maithiliरहनाइ
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯍꯤꯡꯂꯤꯕ
Mizonung
Oromojiraachuu
Odia (Oriya)ବଞ୍ଚିବା |
Quechuatiyay
Sanskritआजीविका
Tatarяшәү
Tigrinyaምንባር
Tsongaku tshama

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