Mind in Different Languages
Discover 'Mind' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The 'mind' is a fascinating concept that has been explored and celebrated across different cultures and languages throughout history. It is the center of our thoughts, emotions, and consciousness, shaping our perception of the world and ourselves. The mind is where creativity, intuition, and intelligence reside, making it a vital aspect of our humanity.
Throughout history, the mind has been a subject of great interest in philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience. It has also been a source of inspiration in literature, music, and visual arts, reflecting its significance in human experience.
Understanding the translation of 'mind' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how other cultures perceive and value this concept. For instance, in Spanish, 'mind' is translated as 'mente,' which comes from the Latin word 'mens.' In German, 'mind' is translated as 'Geist,' which also means 'spirit' or 'ghost.' In Japanese, 'mind' is translated as 'kokoro,' which encompasses not only the intellect but also the emotions and the will.
In this article, we will explore the translations of 'mind' in 10 different languages, shedding light on the cultural nuances and philosophical implications of this concept. Stay tuned!
Mind
Mind in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | verstand | ||
| "Verstand" means "mind" in Afrikaans and is related to the Dutch word "verstand" and the German word "Verstand," both meaning "understanding". | |||
| Amharic | አእምሮ | ||
| In Amharic, 'አእምሮ' can also refer to a person's conscience or consciousness. | |||
| Hausa | hankali | ||
| The word 'hankali' is also used in Hausa to refer to the state of being thoughtful, attentive, or wise. | |||
| Igbo | uche | ||
| Igbo word 'uche' also means 'destiny', reflecting the Igbo belief that one's mind and life path are intertwined. | |||
| Malagasy | an-tsaina | ||
| In addition to meaning "mind," "an-tsaina" also means "inside" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | malingaliro | ||
| The word 'malingaliro' is derived from the root '-lingalira', meaning 'to think'. | |||
| Shona | pfungwa | ||
| The word "pfungwa" also means "an idea" or "a plan" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | maskaxda | ||
| The term is derived from the Proto-Somali word | |||
| Sesotho | kelello | ||
| The word 'kelello' may also refer to 'disposition, or one's way of thinking' in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | akili | ||
| Akili is also used to refer to a person's intelligence or wisdom. | |||
| Xhosa | ingqondo | ||
| In some Nguni dialects, the term ingqondo can refer to a "heart" or "inner self" rather than "mind." | |||
| Yoruba | lokan | ||
| The Yoruba word 'lokan' not only refers to the mind, but also to the conscience, consciousness, and inner self. | |||
| Zulu | ingqondo | ||
| "Ingqondo" can also refer to a particular species of medicinal plant. | |||
| Bambara | olu | ||
| Ewe | susu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ibitekerezo | ||
| Lingala | makanisi | ||
| Luganda | ebirowoozo | ||
| Sepedi | monagano | ||
| Twi (Akan) | adwene | ||
Mind in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | عقل | ||
| The root word of “عقل” also conveys “to tie up” and can refer to a rope that ties a nose-ring to a camel or an ankle-fetter. | |||
| Hebrew | אכפת | ||
| The Hebrew word "אכפת" is derived from the root "א-כ-ף", meaning "to hold". Thus, when we are concerned about something, it is literally as if we are holding it in our mind. | |||
| Pashto | ذهن | ||
| The Pashto word "ذهن" shares its etymology with the Persian word "ذهن" and the Arabic word "ذهن" meaning "intelligence" or "intellect." | |||
| Arabic | عقل | ||
| The root word of “عقل” also conveys “to tie up” and can refer to a rope that ties a nose-ring to a camel or an ankle-fetter. | |||
Mind in Western European Languages
| Albanian | mendje | ||
| The word "mendje" in Albanian can also mean "thought" or "intelligence". | |||
| Basque | gogoa | ||
| In Basque, the word "gogoa" is cognate to "koko" (understanding) from Proto-Basque, and is related to the verb "go" or "ko", meaning "think". | |||
| Catalan | ment | ||
| "Ment" means "mind" in Catalan, however it can also refer to "memory" or "intelligence." | |||
| Croatian | um | ||
| The Croatian word "um" can also mean "opinion" or "intention," and it derives from the Proto-Slavic word *umy, meaning "thought. | |||
| Danish | sind | ||
| The word "sind" also means "mood" in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | geest | ||
| The word 'geest' can also refer to the Holy Spirit in the Christian tradition. | |||
| English | mind | ||
| Etymology: Middle English minde, from Old English gemynd "memory, recollection". | |||
| French | esprit | ||
| The French word "esprit" also has meanings related to "spirit" and "humor." | |||
| Frisian | geast | ||
| The word geast is also used to refer to the inner thoughts and feelings of a person, or to their consciousness. | |||
| Galician | mente | ||
| In Galician, "mente" can refer to intelligence, reason, or memory, and is derived from the Latin word "mēns," meaning "mind" or "intellect." | |||
| German | verstand | ||
| The word Verstand, meaning 'mind' in German, is derived from the Proto-Germanic 'standan', meaning 'to stand', indicating the stability and groundedness associated with intellect. | |||
| Icelandic | hugur | ||
| The word 'hugur' also means 'mood', 'spirit', and 'emotion' in Icelandic, reflecting the close connection between mental and emotional states in the language. | |||
| Irish | intinn | ||
| Irish "intinn" can mean "feeling," as well as "mind." | |||
| Italian | mente | ||
| The Italian word "mente" derives from the Latin word "mens," which means "intellect, thought, or intention." | |||
| Luxembourgish | geescht | ||
| The word "Geescht" can also refer to the spirit or soul, and is related to the German word "Geist" (spirit). | |||
| Maltese | moħħ | ||
| The word "moħħ" in Maltese ultimately derives from the Arabic word for "brain" and also retains some of its original medical meaning referring to the brain or cerebellum specifically. | |||
| Norwegian | tankene | ||
| The word "tanke" is closely related to the English word "think", both derived from the Proto-Germanic root *thankjanaz. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | mente | ||
| "Mente" can also mean "remember" or "memory" in Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | inntinn | ||
| The word 'inntinn' in Scots Gaelic also means 'intention' or 'desire'. | |||
| Spanish | mente | ||
| The Spanish word "mente" can also refer to the "intellect" or "understanding." | |||
| Swedish | sinne | ||
| In older texts, "sinne" can also mean "temperament" or "anger" | |||
| Welsh | meddwl | ||
| Meddwl, meaning 'mind' in Welsh, derives from the Proto-Celtic root med- 'to think, consider', likely related to Latin mens 'mind, understanding'. | |||
Mind in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | розум | ||
| The word "розум" in Belarusian can also mean "common sense" or "intellect". | |||
| Bosnian | um | ||
| The word "um" in Bosnian can also mean "intention" or "purpose". | |||
| Bulgarian | ум | ||
| The word "ум" also means "understanding" or "intelligence". | |||
| Czech | mysl | ||
| In Old Church Slavonic and Polish, "mysl" referred to a thought, idea, or desire. | |||
| Estonian | meeles | ||
| "Meeles" is the Estonian word for "mind" and derives from the Proto-Finnic root *meele meaning "sense". | |||
| Finnish | mielessä | ||
| The word 'mielessä' also means 'in the hive' when talking about bees, a possible reference to the busy nature of the mind | |||
| Hungarian | ész | ||
| The Hungarian word "ész" is derived from the Proto-Uralic word "*ēć" meaning "understanding" or "knowledge". | |||
| Latvian | prāts | ||
| Prāts comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *k̂rē-, meaning "to grow, ripen, separate" or "to make, create," with cognates in Sanskrit (kratu), Greek (krátos "power" and kránein "to rule"), Old English (cræft "skill"), Old Irish (cruth "form"), Lithuanian (kurti "to create") and Old Church Slavonic (kratiti "to shorten"). | |||
| Lithuanian | protas | ||
| The word "protas" is also related to the words "protasis" (mind) and "protagonist" (main character). | |||
| Macedonian | ум | ||
| "Ум" in Macedonian originates from Proto-Slavic "*ǫmъ" which originally meant "understanding, reason". | |||
| Polish | umysł | ||
| It shares a common root with the old Slavic noun "*umъ" meaning "thought" or "reasoning". | |||
| Romanian | minte | ||
| The Romanian word "minte" has a secondary meaning of "intention" or "aim" and is derived from the Latin word "mens". | |||
| Russian | разум | ||
| "Разум" derives from the verb "разуметь" meaning "to understand", and is related to the word "размер" meaning "size" or "measure". Thus "разум" could be interpreted as that which can understand the measure of things. | |||
| Serbian | ум | ||
| In some South Slavic languages, including Serbian, | |||
| Slovak | myseľ | ||
| The Slovak word "myseľ" (mind) comes from the Proto-Slavic root "*myslь", which also means "thought" or "intention". | |||
| Slovenian | um | ||
| The Slovenian word "um" can also mean "reason" or "thought". | |||
| Ukrainian | розум | ||
| In Ukrainian, "розум" means not only "mind" but also "intelligence" and "understanding." | |||
Mind in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | মন | ||
| The word "মন" can also mean "heart" or "soul" in Bengali, indicating the interconnectedness of the physical and mental realms in the Bengali worldview. | |||
| Gujarati | મન | ||
| The Gujarati word "મન" (man) is closely related to the Sanskrit "manas" (मनस्), which itself derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *men-, meaning "to think" or "to remember." | |||
| Hindi | मन | ||
| In ancient Sanskrit, 'मन' ('man') also meant 'moon' as the mind was believed to be influenced by the lunar cycle. | |||
| Kannada | ಮನಸ್ಸು | ||
| ಮನಸ್ಸು is derived from the Sanskrit word मनस् (manas) and has alternate meanings such as 'intention', 'desire', and 'intellect' in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | മനസ്സ് | ||
| The Malayalam word "മനസ്സ്" (manas) is derived from the Sanskrit word "मनस्" (manas) which means both "mind" and "thought". The Tamil equivalent word "மனம்" (manam) and the Telugu word "మనసు" (manas) also have this dual meaning. | |||
| Marathi | मन | ||
| The Marathi word 'मन' ('man') is derived from the Sanskrit word 'मनस्' ('manas'), which means both 'mind' and 'thought'. Furthermore, in Vedic Sanskrit, it meant 'desire' or 'will'. In some contexts, it also refers to 'the mind as the faculty of reason' or 'the thinking principle'. | |||
| Nepali | दिमाग | ||
| The word "दिमाग" (mind) in Nepali has its origins in the Sanskrit word "medhā" (fat), suggesting a connection between mental capacity and physical well-being. | |||
| Punjabi | ਮਨ | ||
| The word "ਮਨ" can also refer to a person's attitude, disposition, or mood. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මනස | ||
| The word is also used to refer to the heart, soul, consciousness, and intellect. | |||
| Tamil | மனம் | ||
| 'மனம்' comes from the Proto-Dravidian root *min- 'thought, desire' and is cognate with Kannada mana, Malayalam manam, and Telugu mana. | |||
| Telugu | మనస్సు | ||
| In Sanskrit, 'manas' means 'think' or 'understand', and in Tamil it means 'intention'. | |||
| Urdu | دماغ | ||
| The word "دماغ" not only means "mind" but also "brain" and "intellect". | |||
Mind in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 心神 | ||
| The character "心" in "心神" originally referred to the heart, which was believed to be the center of thought and emotion, while "神" referred to spirits or deities associated with mental processes. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 心神 | ||
| The component "神" (shén) of the Chinese character for "mind" (心神) can also refer to a "spirit," "deity," or "soul." | |||
| Japanese | マインド | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "mind," マインド can also refer to "disposition" or "intentions." | |||
| Korean | 마음 | ||
| Korean "마음" (mind) also means "heart" and has connotations of "intention" or "sentiment" in Buddhist teachings. | |||
| Mongolian | оюун ухаан | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စိတ် | ||
| The Burmese word “စိတ်” (cit) is also used to refer to a person’s feelings, thoughts or intentions, or even their conscience. | |||
Mind in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | pikiran | ||
| The Indonesian word "pikiran" originally meant "intention" or "desire", and still carries this meaning in some contexts. | |||
| Javanese | pikiran | ||
| The Javanese word "pikiran" can also mean "idea", "thought", or "memory". | |||
| Khmer | ចិត្ត | ||
| Etymology: possibly from Sanskrit citta ('consciousness', 'mind') or Pali citta ('thought', 'intellect', 'will'). Alternate meanings: soul, spirit, or intention. | |||
| Lao | ຈິດໃຈ | ||
| ຈິດໃຈ can also mean "soul" or "spirit" and is derived from the Sanskrit word "citta", meaning "thought" or "consciousness." | |||
| Malay | fikiran | ||
| The Malay word "fikiran" derives from the Sanskrit word "vicāra" meaning "thought" or "reflection" | |||
| Thai | ใจ | ||
| In some Thai dialects, "ใจ" also refers to the "liver" or "stomach". | |||
| Vietnamese | lí trí | ||
| "Lí" can mean "reason" or "principle" and "trí" means "intelligence" or "wisdom", hence the meaning is "the reasoning intelligence" | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | isip | ||
Mind in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ağıl | ||
| Ağıl is also used to refer to a pen or enclosure for sheep or goats, highlighting the connection between the mind and the concept of containment. | |||
| Kazakh | ақыл | ||
| The Kazakh word "ақыл" can also refer to intelligence, reason, or advice. | |||
| Kyrgyz | акыл | ||
| "Акыл" derives from the Proto-Turkic "aqïl" meaning "reason, wisdom, intelligence". Also means "advice" and "intellect." | |||
| Tajik | ақл | ||
| The word 'ақл' also refers to 'wisdom, intellect, understanding' in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | akyl | ||
| Uzbek | aql | ||
| The word “aql” also connotes to “wisdom”, “intelligence”, and “consciousness”. | |||
| Uyghur | mind | ||
Mind in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | manaʻo | ||
| Hawaiian word manaʻo originally meant "thought" or "desire" and is also the root of the word manaʻoʻiʻo, meaning "belief" or "faith". | |||
| Maori | hinengaro | ||
| Maori word 'hinengaro' also refers to the heart, emotions, and intuition. | |||
| Samoan | mafaufau | ||
| In Samoan, mafaufau, which means mind, is related to a state of dizziness or intoxication. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | isip | ||
| The Tagalog word "isip" is also related to the concept of "breath" and "spirit". | |||
Mind in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | amuyu | ||
| Guarani | pensar | ||
Mind in International Languages
| Esperanto | menso | ||
| The Esperanto word "menso" may also refer to a "concept" or an "idea". | |||
| Latin | animo | ||
| The Latin word "animo" is derived from the Indo-European root "*an-," meaning "to breathe" or "to live. | |||
Mind in Others Languages
| Greek | μυαλό | ||
| "Μυαλό" (mind) may also refer to a kind of clay and the marrow in the spinal column. | |||
| Hmong | lub siab | ||
| Lub siab's original meaning is 'heart', which is still used in some dialects to refer to one's emotions or feelings. | |||
| Kurdish | aqil | ||
| The word 'aqil' is derived from the Persian word 'aql', which means 'intelligence' or 'reason'. | |||
| Turkish | zihin | ||
| Zihin originates from Persian and is related to the word 'zen' meaning 'living', therefore originally denoting 'life' or 'spirit'. | |||
| Xhosa | ingqondo | ||
| In some Nguni dialects, the term ingqondo can refer to a "heart" or "inner self" rather than "mind." | |||
| Yiddish | גייַסט | ||
| The Yiddish word 'gayst' is related to German and English 'geist' and the Hebrew noun-forming suffix, 'it'. | |||
| Zulu | ingqondo | ||
| "Ingqondo" can also refer to a particular species of medicinal plant. | |||
| Assamese | মন | ||
| Aymara | amuyu | ||
| Bhojpuri | मगज | ||
| Dhivehi | ވިސްނުމުގައި | ||
| Dogri | दमाग | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | isip | ||
| Guarani | pensar | ||
| Ilocano | panunot | ||
| Krio | maynd | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئەقڵ | ||
| Maithili | मोन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯋꯥꯈꯜ | ||
| Mizo | rilru | ||
| Oromo | sammuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ମନ | ||
| Quechua | yuyay | ||
| Sanskrit | मस्तिष्कम् | ||
| Tatar | акыл | ||
| Tigrinya | ሓንጎል | ||
| Tsonga | miehleketo | ||