Look in Different Languages
Discover 'Look' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'look' is a simple, everyday term that carries great significance. It's not just about seeing or gazing; it's about perception, understanding, and connection. From ancient cave paintings to modern selfies, the act of looking has been a central part of human experience and communication. Moreover, understanding the nuances of 'look' in different languages can open up new cultural perspectives.
For instance, the German word for 'look' is 'blicken', which also means 'to glance'. In French, 'regarder' not only means 'to look' but also implies 'to watch' or 'to observe'. In Japanese, 'miru' is the verb for 'to see' or 'to look', but 'mitsukeru' is used when you're looking for something specific. These translations highlight how the act of looking is intertwined with cultural contexts and perspectives.
Below, you'll find a list of translations for 'look' in various languages. Explore, learn, and enjoy this journey into the world of language and culture!
Look
Look in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | kyk | ||
| The word "kyk" can also refer to a glance, a peek, or a stare. | |||
| Amharic | ተመልከት | ||
| The Amharic word "ተመልከት" can also mean "to observe" or "to examine". | |||
| Hausa | duba | ||
| The Hausa word "duba" also means "to search, examine, or investigate." | |||
| Igbo | lee anya | ||
| Lee Anya shares its roots with the Igbo word “anyara” meaning “to search” or “to look intently.” | |||
| Malagasy | jereo | ||
| The Malagasy word 'Jereo' (look) comes from the root verb 'jereo' (see), which is cognate with many other Austronesian languages such as Malay ('jera') and Javanese ('cero'). | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | yang'anani | ||
| The word "yang'anani" is derived from the verb "kuyang'ana" which means "to see" or "to observe". | |||
| Shona | tarisa | ||
| Shona "tarisa" etymologically stems from the verb "kuta" (to gaze at, pay attention to), signifying its primary meaning of visual observation. | |||
| Somali | eeg | ||
| "Eeg" is derived from the Arabic word "nazar," which also means "attention." | |||
| Sesotho | sheba | ||
| The Sesotho word sheba has its origins in the Proto-Bantu verb *bɔŋa*, which means 'to see'. | |||
| Swahili | angalia | ||
| The word "angalia" in Swahili can also mean "to guard" or "to watch over". | |||
| Xhosa | jonga | ||
| In Xhosa, the word 'jonga' can also mean 'to consider' or 'to pay attention to'. | |||
| Yoruba | wo | ||
| This word is also a short form of the verb "wo" which means "to say" or "to speak". | |||
| Zulu | bheka | ||
| In Zulu, the word 'bheka' can also mean 'to seek' or 'to gaze'. | |||
| Bambara | ka filɛ | ||
| Ewe | kpᴐ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | reba | ||
| Lingala | kotala | ||
| Luganda | laba | ||
| Sepedi | lebelela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | hwɛ | ||
Look in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | نظرة | ||
| The Arabic word "نظرة" (nadhara) also refers to a perspective or point of view. | |||
| Hebrew | תראה | ||
| The word תראה can also be used figuratively to mean "to consider" or "to think about" something. | |||
| Pashto | وګوره | ||
| The Pashto word "وګوره", meaning "look," is derived from the Proto-Indo-Iranian root *weǵ-, also found in Sanskrit, Avestan, and Persian, meaning "to see" or "to watch." | |||
| Arabic | نظرة | ||
| The Arabic word "نظرة" (nadhara) also refers to a perspective or point of view. | |||
Look in Western European Languages
| Albanian | shikoj | ||
| The Albanian word "shikoj" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*ḱei- "to see" and also means "watch" or "observe". | |||
| Basque | begiratu | ||
| In Basque, "begiratu" can also mean "to inspect" or "to examine". | |||
| Catalan | mira | ||
| "Mira" comes from the Latin word "mirare", which also means "to admire" or "to wonder". | |||
| Croatian | izgled | ||
| In Old Church Slavonic, 'izgled' means 'appearance' while in modern Croatian, the word means 'view'. | |||
| Danish | se | ||
| The Danish word "se" (look) can also mean "to see", "to watch", "to observe", or "to notice". | |||
| Dutch | kijken | ||
| The word 'kijken' in Dutch can also mean 'to watch' or 'to pay attention'. | |||
| English | look | ||
| In Middle English, 'look' had the meaning 'protect' and in Old English it meant 'take care of'. | |||
| French | regardez | ||
| The French verb "regardez" comes from the Old French verb "regarder" which meant "to turn around". | |||
| Frisian | sjen | ||
| The Frisian word "sjen" can also mean "to seem" or "to appear." | |||
| Galician | mirar | ||
| The Galician word “mirar” comes from the Latin verb “mirari” meaning “to be amazed or surprised”. | |||
| German | aussehen | ||
| The word "aussehen" can also mean "to look out" or "to seem". | |||
| Icelandic | líta út | ||
| The Icelandic word "líta út" can also mean "to appear" or "to seem". | |||
| Irish | cuma | ||
| Cuma may derive from the same Indo-European root as 'show,' and is also used in the phrase 'cuma amach,' meaning 'come out'. | |||
| Italian | guarda | ||
| Derived from the verb 'guardare', 'guarda' can also refer to a guard or custodian. | |||
| Luxembourgish | kucken | ||
| The word "kucken" comes from the Middle High German "kucken" meaning "to look" or "to peep". | |||
| Maltese | ħares | ||
| The Maltese word 'ħares' can also mean 'to be careful' (from the root 'ħrs'), 'to defend' (from the root 'ħrs'), or 'to protect' (from the root 'ħrs'). | |||
| Norwegian | se | ||
| In Norwegian, "se" has multiple meanings such as "watch," "appear," "seem," and "face." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | veja | ||
| "Veja" (look) has homographs in Portuguese referring to a brand, a fish species, and an island. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | coimhead | ||
| The word "coimhead" also means "to face" or "to appear" in Scots Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | mira | ||
| The word "Mira" in Spanish also means "sight", "view", "eyeball", or "pupil of the eye". | |||
| Swedish | se | ||
| "Se" in Swedish can also mean "seem" or "appear". | |||
| Welsh | edrych | ||
| The word "edrych" can also mean "to appear" or "to seem" in Welsh. | |||
Look in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | глядзі | ||
| "Глядзі" can also mean "watch out" or "beware". | |||
| Bosnian | gledaj | ||
| The word "gledaj" can also mean "to watch" or "to observe". | |||
| Bulgarian | виж | ||
| The Slavic verb *viděti* is also the source of the English word 'wit'. Both 'look' and 'wit' originally referred to seeing something with the mind rather than the eyes. | |||
| Czech | koukni se | ||
| The Czech word "koukni se" comes from the Proto-Slavic verb "kukati", which means "to bend" or "to incline. | |||
| Estonian | vaata | ||
| The Estonian word "vaata" also has a meaning related to watching or observing. | |||
| Finnish | katso | ||
| The word "Katso" in Finnish also means "to hunt or pursue" and "to perceive, understand, or know". | |||
| Hungarian | néz | ||
| In Old Hungarian, the verb néz was used to describe an act of seeing in any kind of way, whether physical observation or mental comprehension. | |||
| Latvian | skaties | ||
| The word "Skaties" is derived from the Proto-Balto-Slavic root *skeit-, meaning "to see" or "to look at". | |||
| Lithuanian | pažiūrėk | ||
| The word "pažiūrėk" in Lithuanian is derived from the verb "žūrėti" ("to watch or look") and the suffix "-ėk". The suffix "-ėk" is used to form imperative verbs and the word "pažiūrėk" can be translated as "take a look". | |||
| Macedonian | погледнете | ||
| The word "погледнете" in Macedonian is derived from the verb "гледам" (to look), and can also mean "take a look" or "glance". | |||
| Polish | popatrz | ||
| The word 'popatrz' in Polish can also refer to 'attention' or 'notice' and is derived from the verb 'patrzeć', which means 'to look' | |||
| Romanian | uite | ||
| The word "uite" in Romanian can also mean "that is why" or "it turns out". | |||
| Russian | смотреть | ||
| The word "смотреть" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *smъtrěti, which originally meant "to glance at" or "to peer at". | |||
| Serbian | гледај | ||
| The verb 'гледај' ('look') in Serbian derives from the Proto-Slavic root *gled-, which also gave rise to the Russian verb 'глядеть' ('look'). | |||
| Slovak | pozri sa | ||
| The word "pozri sa" can also mean "take care" or "watch out". | |||
| Slovenian | poglej | ||
| The verb "poglej" in Slovenian is derived from the Slavic root *poglęti*, meaning "to gaze at" or "to stare at" | |||
| Ukrainian | дивись | ||
| The word "дивись" in Ukrainian also has the meaning of "pay attention" and derives from the Proto-Slavic word *divъ, meaning "to look". | |||
Look in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | চেহারা | ||
| চেহারা' is thought to have originated from the Sanskrit word 'charu', meaning 'beautiful' or 'pleasing' | |||
| Gujarati | જુઓ | ||
| "જુઓ" also means "to see" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | नज़र | ||
| The word 'नज़र' in Hindi can also mean a hex or the evil eye, referring to the belief that a malevolent glare can bring bad luck or illness. | |||
| Kannada | ನೋಡಿ | ||
| ನೋಡಿ (nōḍi) also means "to consider" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | നോക്കൂ | ||
| As a noun, "നോക്കൂ" means "a look, a glance, a gaze". | |||
| Marathi | दिसत | ||
| The word 'disat' also has connotations of 'seeing' or 'noticing' something, capturing a wider sense of perception beyond merely looking. | |||
| Nepali | हेर | ||
| "हेर्" is a verb in Nepali and it's ultimately derived from a Proto-South-East Asian root word that is likely related to the English word "hear" | |||
| Punjabi | ਦੇਖੋ | ||
| ਦੇਖੋ also means 'to seem' and is related to the Sanskrit word 'दर्शनम्' (darśanam) which means 'viewing, seeing' and is also the origin for the word 'display'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | බලන්න | ||
| The word "බලන්න" in Sinhala can also mean "examine" or "consider". | |||
| Tamil | பாருங்கள் | ||
| பாருங்கள் is a verb that can also mean 'to see' or 'to behold'. | |||
| Telugu | చూడండి | ||
| The verb చూడండి originates from the Proto-Dravidian root *caːɖ- meaning 'to see' or 'to perceive by sight'. | |||
| Urdu | دیکھو | ||
| The word "دیکھو" is a direct cognate of the Sanskrit word "दृष्टि" (dṛṣṭi), meaning "view, sight, or vision". | |||
Look in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 看 | ||
| "看" (kàn) can also refer to respecting, thinking, meeting with, waiting, or taking care of something. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 看 | ||
| The word “看” can literally mean “to see” or “to inspect or examine something/somebody,” often in a context similar to “to regard” or “to consider”. | |||
| Japanese | 見て | ||
| The kanji used to write "見て" also means "beautiful," implying the act of looking at something with admiration or appreciation. | |||
| Korean | 보기 | ||
| Apart from being a verb or noun meaning "to look" or "a look", "보기" can also mean "example" or "instance" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | харах | ||
| The word "харах" in Mongolian also means "eye" and is believed to be derived from the Proto-Mongolic word *qarqa meaning "to see". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကြည့်ပါ | ||
Look in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | lihat | ||
| The word 'Lihat' in Indonesian also has the alternate meaning of 'to see' or 'to observe'. | |||
| Javanese | deloken | ||
| The word "deloken" can also mean "to see" or "to observe" in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | មើលទៅ | ||
| The word "មើលទៅ" can also mean "to observe" or "to watch". | |||
| Lao | ເບິ່ງ | ||
| The Lao word "ເບິ່ງ" (look) is cognate with the Thai word "แบ่ง" (divide or share), suggesting a shared historical origin. | |||
| Malay | melihat | ||
| "Melihat", meaning "to see" or "to look at", originates from the Proto-Austronesian *li:lid "see, watch, look", also found in Acehnese, Balinese and other Austronesian languages. | |||
| Thai | ดู | ||
| In informal Thai, "ดู" can also refer to the act of listening, like watching a play or movie. | |||
| Vietnamese | nhìn | ||
| "Nhìn" in Vietnamese also means "to face", "to behold", or "to seem". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tingnan mo | ||
Look in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | baxmaq | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "baxmaq" has cognates in other Turkic languages, including Turkish "bakmak" and Kazakh "бағу" (both meaning "to look") | |||
| Kazakh | қарау | ||
| The Kazakh word "қарау" also means "to watch over" or "to care for". | |||
| Kyrgyz | карап | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "карап" can be traced back to the Old Turkic word "karı", meaning 'to look'. | |||
| Tajik | нигоҳ | ||
| The word "нигоҳ" can also mean "attention" or "care" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | seret | ||
| Uzbek | qarash | ||
| In some contexts, "qarash" can also refer to "watch" or "observe". | |||
| Uyghur | قاراڭ | ||
Look in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | nana | ||
| The Hawaiian word 'nana' also means 'to watch, observe, or pay attention'. | |||
| Maori | titiro | ||
| The word "titiro" in Maori can also refer to a star or a constellation | |||
| Samoan | vaai | ||
| Vaai is also a type of Samoan dance performed by young women. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tingnan mo | ||
| The word "tingnan mo" can also mean "consider" or "take into account". | |||
Look in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | uñtaña | ||
| Guarani | jesareko | ||
Look in International Languages
| Esperanto | rigardu | ||
| Rigardu in Esperanto derives from the French word "regarder". | |||
| Latin | vultus | ||
| The word "vultus" is also used to refer to the face or countenance of a person. | |||
Look in Others Languages
| Greek | κοίτα | ||
| The word "Κοίτα" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *kweyt-, meaning "to see" or "to gaze upon". | |||
| Hmong | saib | ||
| In Hmong, the word "saib" can also refer to the act of glancing or observing something. | |||
| Kurdish | dîtinî | ||
| It shares the same root as the word 'dîtin' (vision), which suggests a connection between physical sight and spiritual insight. | |||
| Turkish | bak | ||
| The word "bak" in Turkish also means "to observe" or "to pay attention to". | |||
| Xhosa | jonga | ||
| In Xhosa, the word 'jonga' can also mean 'to consider' or 'to pay attention to'. | |||
| Yiddish | קוק | ||
| In Yiddish, "קוק" (look) can also refer to a glance, appearance, stare, eye contact, or aspect. | |||
| Zulu | bheka | ||
| In Zulu, the word 'bheka' can also mean 'to seek' or 'to gaze'. | |||
| Assamese | ৰূপ | ||
| Aymara | uñtaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | देखीं | ||
| Dhivehi | ބެލުން | ||
| Dogri | दिक्खो | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tingnan mo | ||
| Guarani | jesareko | ||
| Ilocano | kitaen | ||
| Krio | luk | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سەیرکردن | ||
| Maithili | देखू | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯌꯦꯡꯕ | ||
| Mizo | en | ||
| Oromo | ilaaluu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଦେଖ | | ||
| Quechua | qaway | ||
| Sanskrit | अवलोकनम् | ||
| Tatar | кара | ||
| Tigrinya | ረአ | ||
| Tsonga | vona | ||