Math in Different Languages
Discover 'Math' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Math, or mathematics, is a fundamental discipline that has been shaping human history and culture for millennia. From ancient civilizations' early arithmetic and geometry to today's complex algorithms and data analysis, math is the universal language that underpins our world. It has been instrumental in advancing science, technology, engineering, and even art. But what about math in different languages? Understanding the translation of math in various languages can open doors to cultural exploration and global connections.
For instance, the word 'math' translates to 'מתמטיקה' (matematika) in Hebrew, '数学' (shùxué) in Mandarin, and 'ماθematics' (māθēmātics) in Arabic. These translations not only reflect linguistic diversity but also highlight the global reach and significance of this essential discipline.
In this article, we delve into the intriguing world of math in different languages, uncovering fascinating insights and connections along the way. Join us as we embark on this global exploration of language, culture, and the universal language of math!
Math
Math in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | wiskunde | ||
| The word 'wiskunde' in Afrikaans shares its root with the Dutch word 'wiskunde', which is derived from the Latin word 'ars metrica', meaning 'metrical art' or 'measurement art'. | |||
| Amharic | ሂሳብ | ||
| "ሂሳብ" is etymologically related to "ስሃብ," which means "calculation" or "accounting" in Ge'ez. | |||
| Hausa | lissafi | ||
| The word 'lissafi' is also a term for 'calculation' in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | ná mgbakọ na mwepụ | ||
| Malagasy | matematika | ||
| Although the word ‘matematika’ is used to mean ‘mathematics’, it more specifically refers to ‘arithmetic’ | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | masamu | ||
| The word "masamu" in Nyanja (Chichewa) is a loanword from Arabic and originally meant "writing" or "literature". | |||
| Shona | math | ||
| "Math" (masvomhu) is a noun in Shona that refers to both mathematics and science, and is also used as a verb meaning "to calculate". | |||
| Somali | xisaabta | ||
| The word "xisaabta" also means "counting" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | lipalo | ||
| "Lipalo" can refer to a particular subject in school, mathematics, or arithmetic. | |||
| Swahili | hesabu | ||
| Hesabu can refer both to the concept or discipline of arithmetic and to the calculation itself in Kiswahili. | |||
| Xhosa | izibalo | ||
| izibalo, means 'the things that are counted' in Xhosa | |||
| Yoruba | isiro | ||
| Igiro, another Yoruba term for mathematics, shares the same root as iro (knowledge, wisdom, and philosophy), indicating the interconnectedness of mathematics with other fields of knowledge in Yoruba culture. | |||
| Zulu | izibalo | ||
| "Izibalo" in Zulu can also refer to the art of counting, or the concept of number. | |||
| Bambara | matematiki | ||
| Ewe | akɔnta | ||
| Kinyarwanda | imibare | ||
| Lingala | matematike | ||
| Luganda | okubala | ||
| Sepedi | mmetse | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nkontaa | ||
Math in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الرياضيات | ||
| The word "الرياضيات" (mathematics) in Arabic comes from the root word "رياض" (riad), meaning "pasture" or "garden", reflecting the idea of mathematics as a fertile ground for intellectual growth and development. | |||
| Hebrew | מתמטיקה | ||
| The word "מתמטיקה" (math) is derived from the Greek word "μάθημα" (máthēma), which means "knowledge" or "study." | |||
| Pashto | ریاضی | ||
| In Pashto, "ریاضی" originally meant "knowledge of the unseen" or "metaphysics," but now specifically refers to mathematics. | |||
| Arabic | الرياضيات | ||
| The word "الرياضيات" (mathematics) in Arabic comes from the root word "رياض" (riad), meaning "pasture" or "garden", reflecting the idea of mathematics as a fertile ground for intellectual growth and development. | |||
Math in Western European Languages
| Albanian | matematikë | ||
| Basque | matematika | ||
| "Matematika" has a close relation with "mat" (death) that is not present in Spanish. | |||
| Catalan | matemàtiques | ||
| In Catalan, the etymology of the word "matemàtiques" is linked to the Greek "máthema," meaning knowledge, and "matikós," meaning inclined or apt for knowledge. | |||
| Croatian | matematika | ||
| The word "matematika" in Croatian is derived from the Greek word "mathematikos", meaning "fond of learning." | |||
| Danish | matematik | ||
| Matematik was derived from the Greek words “máthema,” (meaning that which is learnt or known) and “tiké,” (meaning skill, technique, craft, or method), via Latin and French. | |||
| Dutch | wiskunde | ||
| From the Middle Dutch 'wiskunst', meaning 'knowledge that is certain'. | |||
| English | math | ||
| "Math" comes from the Greek "μάθημα" (máthema), meaning "knowledge" or "learning." | |||
| French | math | ||
| In French, the word "math" (pronounced "mat") also means "subject" or "topic". | |||
| Frisian | wiskunde | ||
| In some dialects of Frisian, "wiskunde" also means "calculation" or "accounting". | |||
| Galician | matemáticas | ||
| «Matemáticas» provén do grego «μάθημα» ('conocimiento') e refírese á ciencia do razonamento lóxico e abstracto. | |||
| German | mathematik | ||
| In German, 'Mathematik' is derived from the Greek word 'mathematikos,' meaning 'eager to learn.' | |||
| Icelandic | stærðfræði | ||
| The word "stærðfræði" comes from the Old Norse words "stærð" (size) and "fræði" (learning), and originally referred to the study of astronomy. | |||
| Irish | mata | ||
| "Mata" in Irish can also mean "material" or "matter", showing its connection to the physical world. | |||
| Italian | matematica | ||
| The word 'matematica' derives from the Greek 'mathematikos,' meaning 'related to learning,' and ultimately from 'mathema,' meaning 'knowledge' or 'science.' | |||
| Luxembourgish | mathematesch | ||
| "Mathematesch" is not only a loanword from French, but also has the alternative spelling "Mathematik". | |||
| Maltese | matematika | ||
| The Maltese word 'matematika' is taken from the Arabic 'mātīmātīq' which in turn derives from the Greek 'mathēmatikē' meaning 'learned'. | |||
| Norwegian | matte | ||
| This word also exists in Swedish and Danish, meaning 'food' in both, and 'tired' in Swedish. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | matemática | ||
| In Portuguese, “matemática” is used for mathematics and “conta” for “math”. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | math | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, 'math' means 'good'. | |||
| Spanish | matemáticas | ||
| The word "matemáticas" (math) comes from the Greek word "mathema," which means "learning" or "knowledge". | |||
| Swedish | matematik | ||
| "Matematik" is the Swedish word for "mathematics", derived from the Greek word "máthema", meaning "knowledge" or "science". | |||
| Welsh | mathemateg | ||
| "Mathemateg" is a compound word "mat" and "hemateg," the latter meaning "to divide" or "to measure." | |||
Math in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | матэматыка | ||
| The word "матэматыка" is derived from the Greek word μάθημα (máthema), which originally meant 'learning, knowledge'. | |||
| Bosnian | matematika | ||
| The word 'matematika' is derived from the Greek word 'μάθημα' (máthēma), which means 'learning' or 'knowledge'. | |||
| Bulgarian | математика | ||
| The word "математика" is derived from the Greek word "μάθημα", meaning "knowledge" or "learning". | |||
| Czech | matematika | ||
| The word "matematika" comes from the Greek word "μάθημα" (máthēma), which means "learning", "study", or "science". | |||
| Estonian | matemaatika | ||
| The Estonian word “matemaatika” comes from the Greek word “μαθηματικά” (mathematika), which means “learning, knowledge”. In Estonian, besides the common meaning of “math”, it can also mean “science” in general. | |||
| Finnish | matematiikka | ||
| "Matematiikka" is a loanword from Swedish and also means "the study of mathematics" in Finnish, as the suffix "-ikka" in Finnish can be used to form nouns referring to a field of study or the process of studying something. | |||
| Hungarian | matek | ||
| In Hungarian, 'matek' is an alternative term for mathematics, derived from the word 'magátan', | |||
| Latvian | matemātika | ||
| "Matemātika" derives from the Greek word "máthema," meaning "knowledge" or "learning." | |||
| Lithuanian | matematika | ||
| Alternately rendered as "matematiaka" and based on ancient Greek "mathēmatikē (τέχνη)" ("mathematical [art]"), "matematika" entered Baltic Lithuanian at some point between the 1540s-1670s. | |||
| Macedonian | математика | ||
| In some Slavic languages, the word "математика" is derived from the Greek word "μαθηματικά," which refers to knowledge or learning in general. | |||
| Polish | matematyka | ||
| The Polish word "matematyka" derives from the Greek "máthema" which means "knowledge, learning". | |||
| Romanian | matematica | ||
| In Romanian, "matematica" is derived from the Greek word "máthēma" meaning "knowledge," and "matikē" meaning "art." | |||
| Russian | математика | ||
| In ancient Greek, "máthema" referred to both knowledge and learning, as well as the objects of that knowledge. | |||
| Serbian | математика | ||
| The word "математика" comes from the Greek word "μάθημα" (máthēma), which means "knowledge". | |||
| Slovak | matematika | ||
| The word "matematika" is derived from the Greek word "mathema," meaning "learning" or "knowledge." | |||
| Slovenian | matematika | ||
| The word matematika in Slovenian can also mean "arithmetic" or "geometry." | |||
| Ukrainian | математика | ||
| The Ukrainian word "математика" also has the meaning of "mathematics". | |||
Math in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | গণিত | ||
| The Bangla word "গণিত" also means astrology, fortune-telling, or divination. | |||
| Gujarati | ગણિત | ||
| "ગણિત" comes from the Sanskrit root गण "gaṃḈ", meaning "to compute", and is cognate with the English "gnome", meaning "a wise being". | |||
| Hindi | गणित | ||
| In Sanskrit, "ganit" also pertains to counting, calculation, measuring, and assessing. | |||
| Kannada | ಗಣಿತ | ||
| The word "ಗಣಿತ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "गणित" meaning "science of computation or calculation". | |||
| Malayalam | കണക്ക് | ||
| The Malayalam word 'കണക്ക്' is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit word 'ganita' meaning 'calculation'. | |||
| Marathi | गणित | ||
| "गणित" is also derived from the Sanskrit word "गण", meaning "to calculate or enumerate". | |||
| Nepali | गणित | ||
| The word "गणित" in Nepali derives from the Sanskrit word "गणना" meaning "counting" or "calculation". | |||
| Punjabi | ਗਣਿਤ | ||
| ਗਣਿਤ (ganit) may also refer to 'a body of knowledge' or 'a system of computation' in Sanskrit. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ගණිතය | ||
| "ගණිතය" is a Sanskrit word that means "to count" and "to calculate." | |||
| Tamil | கணிதம் | ||
| The Tamil word 'கணிதம்' (math) likely derives from the Sanskrit word 'गणित' (ganita), meaning 'calculation,' and can also refer to 'astrology' or 'astronomy.' | |||
| Telugu | గణిత | ||
| The term "గణిత" can also refer to astrology or fortune-telling in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | ریاضی | ||
| The word 'ریاضی' in Urdu is derived from the Arabic word 'رياضي,' meaning 'related to mathematics' or 'pertaining to numbers'. | |||
Math in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 数学 | ||
| 数学, the word for math in Chinese, also has the alternate meaning "the study of patterns" | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 數學 | ||
| The first character "數" in "數學" means "number" and the second character "學" means "learning", so its literal meaning is "study of numbers". | |||
| Japanese | 数学 | ||
| "数学" (math) in Japanese is derived from the Chinese word "數學" and can also mean "the science of numbers" or "the study of quantity." | |||
| Korean | 수학 | ||
| The Korean word "수학" ("math") originates from the Chinese phrase "counting study," highlighting its fundamental focus on numerical concepts. | |||
| Mongolian | математик | ||
| The word "математик" ultimately derives from the Greek "μάθημα" (máthēma), meaning "knowledge" or "learning." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သင်္ချာ | ||
Math in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | matematika | ||
| The word "matematika" is derived from the Greek word "μάθημα" (máthēma) meaning "knowledge" or "learning." | |||
| Javanese | matématika | ||
| In Javanese, "matématika" also refers to mystical knowledge or a body of rules for a particular discipline. | |||
| Khmer | គណិតវិទ្យា | ||
| Lao | ເລກຄະນິດສາດ | ||
| Malay | matematik | ||
| The word 'matematik' in Malay comes from the Arabic word 'ilm al-hisab', meaning 'science of calculation'. | |||
| Thai | คณิตศาสตร์ | ||
| คำว่า "คณิตศาสตร์" ยังหมายถึง "การคำนวณ" หรือ "การใช้เหตุผลเชิงปริมาณ" ได้อีกด้วย | |||
| Vietnamese | môn toán | ||
| The word "môn Toán" is derived from the Chinese word " toán ", which means "calculation". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | matematika | ||
Math in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | riyaziyyat | ||
| "Riyaziyyat" originates from the Arabic word "riyazi", meaning "related to mathematics or arithmetic" | |||
| Kazakh | математика | ||
| "Математика" is the Kazakh word for math. It originates from the Greek word "μαθηματικά" (mathematika), which means "learning" or "knowledge". | |||
| Kyrgyz | математика | ||
| Tajik | математика | ||
| Turkmen | matematika | ||
| Uzbek | matematik | ||
| The word 'matematik' is derived from the Ancient Greek word 'μάθημα' (máthema), originally meaning a lesson or study. | |||
| Uyghur | ماتېماتىكا | ||
Math in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | makemakika | ||
| The word 'makemakika' can also mean 'to measure or divide.' | |||
| Maori | pangarau | ||
| The Maori word "pangarau" also holds the meanings "to count" and "to calculate" and has a shared root with the words for "measure" and "knowledge". | |||
| Samoan | numera | ||
| The Samoan word for "numera" can also be understood as "numbers". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | matematika | ||
| The Tagalog word "matematika" is derived from the Spanish word "matemáticas," which in turn comes from the Greek word "máthema," meaning "knowledge" or "study." | |||
Math in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jakhuwinaka | ||
| Guarani | papapykuaa | ||
Math in International Languages
| Esperanto | matematiko | ||
| The word "matematiko" is derived from the Greek word "μάθημα" (máthēma), which means "learning" or "knowledge." | |||
| Latin | math | ||
| The Latin word "mathesis" is the source of the English word "mathematics" and originally meant "learning" or "knowledge." | |||
Math in Others Languages
| Greek | μαθηματικά | ||
| The word 'μαθηματικά' is derived from the Greek verb 'μανθάνω' (to learn), which also gives us the word 'μάθημα' (lesson). | |||
| Hmong | lej | ||
| The Hmong word "lej" also means "count" and is related to the Thai word "lek" (นับ) with the same meaning. | |||
| Kurdish | math | ||
| The word "math" is derived from the Greek word "mathema," which means "learning" or "knowledge." | |||
| Turkish | matematik | ||
| The word 'matematik' in Turkish derives from the Arabic word 'māṯīmātīqiyyāt', meaning 'mathematical sciences'. | |||
| Xhosa | izibalo | ||
| izibalo, means 'the things that are counted' in Xhosa | |||
| Yiddish | מאַט | ||
| The Yiddish word מאַט "math" is also used for the state of checkmate in chess and can sometimes be found to mean "dead" or "exhausted." | |||
| Zulu | izibalo | ||
| "Izibalo" in Zulu can also refer to the art of counting, or the concept of number. | |||
| Assamese | অংক | ||
| Aymara | jakhuwinaka | ||
| Bhojpuri | गणित | ||
| Dhivehi | ހިސާބު | ||
| Dogri | स्हाब | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | matematika | ||
| Guarani | papapykuaa | ||
| Ilocano | matematika | ||
| Krio | mats | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بیرکاری | ||
| Maithili | गणित | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯪꯀꯥ | ||
| Mizo | chhiarkawp | ||
| Oromo | herrega | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଗଣିତ | ||
| Quechua | ñawrayupa | ||
| Sanskrit | गणित | ||
| Tatar | математика | ||
| Tigrinya | ሒሳብ | ||
| Tsonga | tinhlayo | ||