Matter in Different Languages
Discover 'Matter' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'matter' holds great significance in our daily lives, often used to describe physical substances and their properties. But did you know that 'matter' also has cultural implications, referring to issues of importance or consequence? This versatile term has even made its way into various idiomatic expressions, such as 'it doesn't matter' or 'something the matter'.
Given its importance and wide usage, you might be interested in knowing the translations of 'matter' in different languages. After all, understanding how other cultures express similar concepts can enrich our global perspective and strengthen our communication skills.
For instance, in Spanish, 'matter' can be translated to 'materia', while in French, it becomes 'matière'. In German, 'matter' is translated as 'Materie', and in Japanese, it is '物質 (butsu-shitsu).'
Discover more fascinating translations of 'matter' in various languages and cultures by continuing to read below.
Matter
Matter in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | saak | ||
| Amharic | ጉዳይ | ||
| "ጉዳይ" in Amharic also means "business" or "an issue that needs attention," and it shares the same root with the word "ገደ" (to kill) and "ገድ" (the act of killing), suggesting a connection between "matter" and "violence." | |||
| Hausa | al'amari | ||
| The Hausa word "al'amari" can also mean "problem", "affair" or "issue". | |||
| Igbo | okwu | ||
| The word “okwu” also means “a case” or “a problem” in the Igbo language. | |||
| Malagasy | zavatra izany | ||
| The Malagasy word "zavatra izany" also means "something" or "anything." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | nkhani | ||
| In Nyanja, "nkhani" also means "speech" or a "report". | |||
| Shona | nyaya | ||
| Nyaya (matter) is also a verb that means 'to sue' or 'to accuse' in Shona. | |||
| Somali | arrinta | ||
| The word "arrinta" in Somali shares the same etymology with "arrin" in Old Somali, which meant "cause, reason" | |||
| Sesotho | taba | ||
| The word taba can mean 'body' or 'the human body' in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | jambo | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "matter," "jambo" can also refer to "issue" or a "topic of discussion" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | umba | ||
| The Xhosa word "umba" also means "the world," "a place," or "a region." | |||
| Yoruba | ọrọ | ||
| Zulu | ndaba | ||
| The Zulu word 'ndaba' also denotes 'counsel' or 'conversation', indicating the communal nature of decision-making. | |||
| Bambara | ko | ||
| Ewe | nu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ikibazo | ||
| Lingala | likambo | ||
| Luganda | okugasa | ||
| Sepedi | taba | ||
| Twi (Akan) | asɛm | ||
Matter in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | شيء | ||
| In Arabic, "شيء" can also refer to "something" or "anything" in a general sense. | |||
| Hebrew | חוֹמֶר | ||
| The word 'חוֹמֶר' can also refer to a physical substance or material. | |||
| Pashto | ماد | ||
| The Pashto word ماد (mād) originates from the Proto-Indo-European root *meh₂-, | |||
| Arabic | شيء | ||
| In Arabic, "شيء" can also refer to "something" or "anything" in a general sense. | |||
Matter in Western European Languages
| Albanian | çështje | ||
| Çështje derives from Latin 'quaestio', also the source of the word 'question' and 'quest'. | |||
| Basque | axola | ||
| The Basque word "axola" can refer to either matter or a flaw. | |||
| Catalan | importa | ||
| Catalan "importa" derives from the Latin "importare" , meaning "to be of consequence" or "to be relevant". | |||
| Croatian | materija | ||
| The word "materija" comes from Greek "matereia", meaning "mother" or "source". | |||
| Danish | stof | ||
| The word "stof" is a contraction of the words "stöv" and "tov", meaning "dust" and "stuff" respectively, and is related to the English word "stuff". | |||
| Dutch | er toe doen | ||
| The word "er toe doen" (matter) in Dutch has the alternate meaning of "to be successful". | |||
| English | matter | ||
| Matter, from Old French matière, derives from the Latin word 'materia', meaning substance, material, or timber. | |||
| French | matière | ||
| "Matière" originally referred to the essence or substance of something, rather than the physical substance it refers to today, with this latter meaning only being adopted in the mid-16th century. | |||
| Frisian | saak | ||
| The word "saak" can also refer to a legal case or a cause. | |||
| Galician | materia | ||
| In Galician, "materia" also means "subject", a meaning it inherited from Latin and which is shared with various other languages such as French, Italian, and German. | |||
| German | angelegenheit | ||
| In the 17th century, "Angelegenheit" also referred to the concept of "concern," reflecting its root in "angel" meaning "worry." | |||
| Icelandic | efni | ||
| The Icelandic word "efni" can refer to either "matter" or "substance" in English. | |||
| Irish | ábhar | ||
| The Irish word "ábhar" initially meant "fetters, reins," only later acquiring the meaning of "matter" | |||
| Italian | importa | ||
| The Italian word "importa" originates from the Latin phrase "importare," meaning "to carry in" or "to bring into." | |||
| Luxembourgish | matière | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Matière" also means "subject" in school contexts, with related meanings like "course" or "discipline" | |||
| Maltese | kwistjoni | ||
| The Maltese word "kwistjoni" (matter, substance) is ultimately derived from the Latin word "questio" (question). | |||
| Norwegian | saken | ||
| The Norwegian word for 'matter', "saken", can also refer to a case, an issue, or a cause. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | importam | ||
| The word "importam" in Portuguese can also mean "they import" or "they care". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | chùis | ||
| "Chuis" derives from the Old Gaelic "cúis" and has alternate meanings including "cause", "subject matter" and "affair". | |||
| Spanish | importar | ||
| The word "importar" in Spanish also means "to introduce" or "to bring in", and derives from the Latin "importare", meaning "to carry in". | |||
| Swedish | materia | ||
| The Swedish word materia is a cognate of English material and originally referred to 'pus', which is also the current meaning in Norwegian and Danish. | |||
| Welsh | o bwys | ||
| The Welsh word "o bwys" is derived from the Proto-Celtic "*matī-, *matē-," meaning "substance, matter," and is related to the Sanskrit word "mātrā," meaning "matter, substance, measure." | |||
Matter in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | матэрыя | ||
| Bosnian | stvar | ||
| Stvar is a noun that can also mean a thing, object, property, business, event, or affair. | |||
| Bulgarian | материя | ||
| The Bulgarian word "материя" also has the alternate meaning of "cloth", derived from the Latin word "materia". | |||
| Czech | hmota | ||
| The term "hmota" also carries the meanings "substance," "stuff" or "material." | |||
| Estonian | asja | ||
| The word "asja" is also used in Estonian to refer to business, a task, or an issue, which are derived from its original meaning of "cause" or "reason". | |||
| Finnish | asia | ||
| The word "asia" in Finnish is also used in a more specific sense to refer to a type of organic material found in peatlands and bogs. | |||
| Hungarian | ügy | ||
| The word "ügy" can also mean "case", "business", or "affair". | |||
| Latvian | jautājums | ||
| The word "jautājums" also means "question" in Latvian, showing its relation to the concept of "subject matter" in English. | |||
| Lithuanian | reikalas | ||
| The word "reikalas" in Lithuanian also means "business" or "affair". | |||
| Macedonian | материја | ||
| The word "материја" also means "fabric" or "material" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | materia | ||
| "Materia" in Polish not only means physical matter, but also has a legal meaning referring to proceedings of a case in court. | |||
| Romanian | contează | ||
| The Romanian word "contează" has a secondary meaning as an imperative form of the verb "a conta", meaning "to count". | |||
| Russian | иметь значение | ||
| In Russian, "иметь значение" can also mean "to have an opinion" or "to be significant" | |||
| Serbian | материја | ||
| The word "материја" also means substance | |||
| Slovak | na čom záleží | ||
| The Slovak phrase "na čom záleží" can be literally translated to English as "on what depends", and is used instead of "what matters" | |||
| Slovenian | zadeve | ||
| The word 'zadeve' also means 'affairs' or 'concerns' in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | матерія | ||
| The word "матерія" in Ukrainian is also related to "motherhood", possibly because childbirth was viewed as a creation of matter and life. | |||
Matter in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিষয় | ||
| The word বিষয় can also mean subject, theme, or topic in various contexts. | |||
| Gujarati | બાબત | ||
| "બાબત" can also refer to "affair" or "thing (as a subject of thought)." | |||
| Hindi | मामला | ||
| The Hindi word 'मामला' is semantically similar to the French word 'matière', both meaning 'material' in their most general sense, but also used to refer to a specific instance or matter under consideration. | |||
| Kannada | ಮ್ಯಾಟರ್ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಮ್ಯಾಟರ್" (matter) is derived from the English word "matter" and also means "an important issue or concern" | |||
| Malayalam | കാര്യം | ||
| The word "കാര്യം" also means "affair" or "business" in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | बाब | ||
| The Sanskrit word 'bābha' (meaning 'existence') is the root of the Marathi word 'bāb'. 'Bābha' is also the root of the Hindi word 'bhav' (meaning 'emotion'), which is likely related to 'bāb' due to the common theme of existence and being. | |||
| Nepali | कुरा | ||
| The word "कुरा" can also refer to a "thing", "affair", or "topic of conversation" in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਮਾਮਲਾ | ||
| The word "ਮਾਮਲਾ" (matter) is also used in Punjabi to refer to a legal case or issue. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පදාර්ථය | ||
| The word "පදාර්ථය" is also used to refer to "substance", "material" and "entity" in addition to "matter". | |||
| Tamil | விஷயம் | ||
| Telugu | పదార్థం | ||
| The word 'పదార్థం' can also refer to the physical world or a specific substance, such as gold or wood. | |||
| Urdu | معاملہ | ||
Matter in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 物 | ||
| The simplified Chinese character '物' (wù) can also refer to things or objects. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 物 | ||
| In ancient Chinese philosophy, "物" also refers to the "phenomenal world" as contrasted with the "noumenal world". | |||
| Japanese | 案件 | ||
| The word "案件" (matter) is derived from the Chinese characters "案" (table) and "件" (matter), meaning "an issue or matter that is being handled or considered". | |||
| Korean | 문제 | ||
| The word "문제" also means "problem" in Korean, reflecting the interconnectedness of matter and its potential to cause difficulties. | |||
| Mongolian | асуудал | ||
| The Mongolian word "асуудал" derives from the verb "асуух" (to ask) and signifies an issue or concern. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကိစ္စ | ||
| The word "ကိစ္စ" derives from Pali and initially had the connotation of an event or incident. | |||
Matter in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | masalah | ||
| mas'alah was originally an Arabic word meaning 'question' or 'affair'. | |||
| Javanese | prekara | ||
| The word "prekara" in Javanese can also mean "affair" or "business". | |||
| Khmer | បញ្ហា | ||
| The Khmer word "បញ្ហា" can also refer to a question, or a problem with a solution yet to be found. | |||
| Lao | ເລື່ອງ | ||
| The Lao word "ເລື່ອງ" (matter) originally meant "substance" or "material," but now also refers to "affair" or "business." | |||
| Malay | perkara | ||
| "Perkara" is derived from the Sanskrit word "prakara" and also means "affair" or "case". | |||
| Thai | เรื่อง | ||
| "เรื่อง" (matter) derives from the Pali/Sanskrit word "vrittam", also meaning "circular" or "narrative" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | vấn đề | ||
| "Vấn đề" also means "the issue" or "the problem" in Vietnamese, but it does not have the same meaning as "matter" in English. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bagay | ||
Matter in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | maddə | ||
| The word "maddə" also means "article" in the context of a law, decree, or treaty. | |||
| Kazakh | зат | ||
| The word "зат" in Kazakh can also mean "body" or "the main thing". | |||
| Kyrgyz | зат | ||
| The word "зат" can also mean "thing, object, phenomenon, essence, substance". | |||
| Tajik | масъала | ||
| The term "масъала" can also mean "question, problem, issue, affair, task, duty, responsibility, or business." | |||
| Turkmen | mesele | ||
| Uzbek | materiya | ||
| In Uzbek, "materiya" also refers to "cloth" or "fabric". | |||
| Uyghur | matter | ||
Matter in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | mea | ||
| Mea can also mean 'belongings', 'property', or 'goods' in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | mea | ||
| "Mea" also means "thing," "property," "subject" or "affair". | |||
| Samoan | mataupu | ||
| The Samoan word "mataupu" can also refer to issues, topics, or substances. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | bagay | ||
| The word "bagay" also means "thing" or "object" in Tagalog. | |||
Matter in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | apayaniña | ||
| Guarani | mba'e | ||
Matter in International Languages
| Esperanto | gravas | ||
| Gravas is derived from the Russian word grava, which means "dirt" or "mud". It is also used in Esperanto to refer to the substance that makes up a body or object. | |||
| Latin | materia | ||
| In Latin "materia" can also mean wood, timber, lumber, material for building, etc., and is the origin of words like "material" and "matrix". | |||
Matter in Others Languages
| Greek | ύλη | ||
| "Ύλη" is also used to refer to a "forest" or "woodland" in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | teeb meem | ||
| "Teeb meem" is a compound word meaning "matter," but "meem" alone refers to "solid matter" or "rock." | |||
| Kurdish | mesele | ||
| The Kurdish word "mesele" comes from the Arabic word "masʼalah", meaning "question, issue" | |||
| Turkish | önemli olmak | ||
| The Turkish phrase "Önemli olmak" derives from the noun "Önem" (importance), denoting the idea of gaining significance or becoming noteworthy. | |||
| Xhosa | umba | ||
| The Xhosa word "umba" also means "the world," "a place," or "a region." | |||
| Yiddish | ענין | ||
| In Yiddish, the word "ענין" ("matter") also means "purpose" or "business". | |||
| Zulu | ndaba | ||
| The Zulu word 'ndaba' also denotes 'counsel' or 'conversation', indicating the communal nature of decision-making. | |||
| Assamese | বিষয় | ||
| Aymara | apayaniña | ||
| Bhojpuri | मामला | ||
| Dhivehi | މައްސަލަ | ||
| Dogri | मुद्दा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bagay | ||
| Guarani | mba'e | ||
| Ilocano | banag | ||
| Krio | tin | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بابەت | ||
| Maithili | मामला | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯤꯔꯝ | ||
| Mizo | thu | ||
| Oromo | wanta | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବିଷୟ | ||
| Quechua | rimana | ||
| Sanskrit | विषयः | ||
| Tatar | материя | ||
| Tigrinya | ነገር | ||
| Tsonga | mhaka | ||