Modern in Different Languages
Discover 'Modern' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'modern' holds a special significance in our cultural lexicon, denoting a sense of currency, innovation, and progress. It's a term that's constantly evolving, reflecting our ever-changing world and the latest trends in technology, art, and design. But what does 'modern' really mean, and how is it translated in different languages?
Understanding the translation of 'modern' in various languages can open up new cultural perspectives and help us appreciate the richness and diversity of human expression. For example, in Spanish, 'modern' is 'moderno,' while in French, it's 'moderne.' In German, 'modern' becomes 'modern,' and in Japanese, it's ' moderu'.
Did you know that the word 'modern' has its roots in the Latin word 'modernus,' which means 'belonging to the present? Or that in the 17th century, 'modern' was often used to describe the latest fashion or style? Today, 'modern' continues to inspire and challenge us, pushing the boundaries of what's possible and shaping the world we live in.
Join us as we explore the many translations of the word 'modern' and delve into its fascinating history and cultural importance. Whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural critic, or simply curious about the world around you, this list is sure to inspire and inform.
Modern
Modern in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | modern | ||
| The word "modern" in Afrikaans can also mean "fashionable" or "up-to-date in style". | |||
| Amharic | ዘመናዊ | ||
| The word 'ዘመናዊ' can also mean 'fashionable' or 'up-to-date' in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | zamani | ||
| The word "zamani" in Hausa has Arabic origins and can also mean "time" or "era". | |||
| Igbo | nke oge a | ||
| "Nke oge a" literally means "thing of this time" in Igbo, indicating its connection to the present or contemporary. | |||
| Malagasy | ankehitriny | ||
| ANKEHITRINY (modern) is also a common first name for girls in Madagascar. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zamakono | ||
| The term "zamakono" is also used to describe something that is fashionable or trendy. | |||
| Shona | yanhasi | ||
| 'Yanhasi' is also used to refer to people of the present generation or the youth. | |||
| Somali | casri ah | ||
| Casri ah is related to the word 'caasr' meaning 'town', suggesting a connection between modern and urban life in Somali culture. | |||
| Sesotho | tsa kajeno | ||
| The term "tsa kajeno" (modern) in Sesotho is derived from the words "ka" (of) and "jeno" (now or today), denoting something belonging to the present time or current era. | |||
| Swahili | kisasa | ||
| The word kisasa also refers to the concept of justice in the Swahili context | |||
| Xhosa | yanamhlanje | ||
| 'Yanamhlanje' also means 'just now' or 'now'. | |||
| Yoruba | igbalode | ||
| The word "igbalode" is also used to describe something that is up-to-date or fashionable. | |||
| Zulu | yesimanje | ||
| The Zulu word 'yesimanje' is derived from the Dutch word 'jes' (yes) and 'manje' (now). | |||
| Bambara | kura | ||
| Ewe | egbe nu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bigezweho | ||
| Lingala | ya mikolo oyo | ||
| Luganda | munnakuzino | ||
| Sepedi | sebjalebjale | ||
| Twi (Akan) | abɛɛfosɛm | ||
Modern in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | عصري | ||
| The Arabic word "عصري" (modern) originally meant "of the time of the Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him)." | |||
| Hebrew | מוֹדֶרנִי | ||
| The root of "מוֹדֶרנִי" is Latin, where it refers to current time as opposed to the past, and also to fashionable, contemporary styles. | |||
| Pashto | عصري | ||
| In Pashto, "عصري" ("asri") means "modern," but is also used to describe something stylish or fashionable. | |||
| Arabic | عصري | ||
| The Arabic word "عصري" (modern) originally meant "of the time of the Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him)." | |||
Modern in Western European Languages
| Albanian | moderne | ||
| The Albanian word "moderne" also refers to a type of traditional Albanian folk song. | |||
| Basque | modernoa | ||
| The word "modernoa" also refers to something "recently developed" | |||
| Catalan | modern | ||
| In Catalan, "modern" can also refer to the Catalan version of the Art Nouveau architectural movement, known as Modernisme. | |||
| Croatian | moderna | ||
| In Croatian, the word "moderna" also refers to a type of folk song. | |||
| Danish | moderne | ||
| The word "moderne" in Danish also means "fashionable" or "stylish". | |||
| Dutch | modern | ||
| In Dutch, "modern" can also denote something recent or fashionable. | |||
| English | modern | ||
| The term "modern" came into use in the early 15th century, initially denoting "late medieval" and later referring to the Renaissance. | |||
| French | moderne | ||
| The word "moderne" comes from the Latin "modo" which means "just now" and originally meant "in conformity with the fashion of the time". | |||
| Frisian | modern | ||
| The Frisian word 'modern' has the same meaning as its English counterpart, 'modern', and can also mean 'recent' or 'new'. | |||
| Galician | moderno | ||
| In Galician the word "moderno" can also mean "stylish" or "fashionable". | |||
| German | modern | ||
| In German, "modern" can also mean "fancy" or "stylish". | |||
| Icelandic | nútíma | ||
| In Icelandic, the word „nútíma“ translates to “modern,” but a more literal interpretation would be, “now-times.” | |||
| Irish | nua-aimseartha | ||
| An alternate meaning of the word "nua-aimseartha" is "new-old", implying an innovative twist on a traditional idea. | |||
| Italian | moderno | ||
| In Italian, the adjective "moderno" can also mean "fashionable" or "up-to-date." | |||
| Luxembourgish | modern | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "modern" can also mean "contemporaneous" or "up-to-date." | |||
| Maltese | moderna | ||
| In Maltese, "moderna" has an additional meaning of "fashionable" or "stylish" | |||
| Norwegian | moderne | ||
| The Norwegian word "moderne" can also refer to the Art Nouveau architectural style of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | moderno | ||
| The Portuguese word "moderno" comes from the Latin word "modernus," which means "recent," "of the present time," or "new." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ùr-nodha | ||
| The term comes from the Scots Gaelic word ùr, meaning "new", and nodha, meaning "fashion, manner". | |||
| Spanish | moderno | ||
| In Spanish, the word "moderno" can also mean "up-to-date" or "stylish", conveying a sense of innovation and currency. | |||
| Swedish | modern | ||
| An alternate meaning of "modern" in Swedish is "modish" or "fashionable." | |||
| Welsh | modern | ||
| In Welsh, the word 'modern' ('modern') is also used to describe something that is fashionable or stylish. | |||
Modern in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | сучасны | ||
| The word "сучасны" can also mean "current" or "present" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | moderno | ||
| The word "moderno" can also refer to a style of music in Bosnian | |||
| Bulgarian | модерен | ||
| The word "модерен" (modern) in Bulgarian also has the meaning of "fashionable" or "stylish". | |||
| Czech | moderní | ||
| "Moderní" in Czech can also mean "contemporary" or "up-to-date". | |||
| Estonian | kaasaegne | ||
| Estonian word "kaasaegne” (modern) is derived from "kaas" (companion) and "aeg" (time), hence meaning something that belongs to the present time. | |||
| Finnish | moderni | ||
| The word "moderni" can also mean "moderate" or "mediocre" in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | modern | ||
| The word "modern" comes from the Latin word "modo," which means "now" or "just now." | |||
| Latvian | mūsdienīgs | ||
| Mūsdienīgs in Latvian comes from mūsis meaning “our own, recent, contemporary”, which also exists in other Baltic languages | |||
| Lithuanian | modernus | ||
| In Lithuanian, the word “modernus” derives from the Latin “modo,” meaning “just now” or “presently,” and refers to something that is new, stylish, or up-to-date, indicating its temporal aspect rather than its connection to a historical period. | |||
| Macedonian | модерен | ||
| "Модерен" has other meanings including "fashionable" and "stylish" instead of just "modern". | |||
| Polish | nowoczesny | ||
| The word 'nowoczesny' comes from the Old Polish word 'nowo' ('new') and the suffix '-czesny' ('pertaining to or characterized by'), hence its original meaning was 'newfangled'. | |||
| Romanian | modern | ||
| In Romanian, "modern" also means "fashionable" or "stylish". | |||
| Russian | современное | ||
| The term "современное" can refer to the 19th century or to the period from 1917 to 1991 in Russian, while in English "modern" generally describes the last 60-70 years. | |||
| Serbian | модеран | ||
| The word "модеран" (modern) in Serbian also has the alternate meaning of "fashionable" or "stylish." | |||
| Slovak | moderný | ||
| In Slovak, "moderný" also has archaic meanings associated with "fashionable" and "stylish". | |||
| Slovenian | moderno | ||
| The word 'moderno' originally meant 'fashionable' in Slovenian and was used to describe stylish or trendy people or things. | |||
| Ukrainian | сучасний | ||
| The word "сучасний" can also refer to "present" or "current," as opposed to something from the past or the future. | |||
Modern in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | আধুনিক | ||
| আধুনিক শব্দটির মূল অর্থ ছিলো এখনকার, তবে বর্তমানে এর ব্যাপক অর্থে বর্তমান সময়ের বা সংস্কৃতির মধ্যে নতুন ও প্রগতিশীল। | |||
| Gujarati | આધુનિક | ||
| Historically, the word 'આધુનિક' ('modern') was only used to describe times or places that were in vogue. In the 20th century, it evolved to encompass the idea of 'modern' in the sense of 'new.' | |||
| Hindi | आधुनिक | ||
| "आधुनिक" का अर्थ "वर्तमान" है, लेकिन इसका उपयोग "नया" या "वर्तमान फैशन" के अर्थ में भी किया जाता है। | |||
| Kannada | ಆಧುನಿಕ | ||
| The word "ಆಧುನಿಕ" comes from the Sanskrit word "आधुनिक," which means "new" or "recent." | |||
| Malayalam | ആധുനികം | ||
| The word "ആധുനികം" in Malayalam is derived from the Sanskrit word "आधुनिक" (ādhunika), which means "recent" or "new". It can also refer to a style or period of art, architecture, or literature that is characterized by its break from traditional forms and its embrace of new ideas and technologies. | |||
| Marathi | आधुनिक | ||
| The word "आधुनिक" comes from the Sanskrit word "अधुनिक" meaning "modern" or "present-day." | |||
| Nepali | आधुनिक | ||
| The word "आधुनिक" is derived from the Sanskrit word "आधुन" meaning "recent" or "new". | |||
| Punjabi | ਆਧੁਨਿਕ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නූතන | ||
| "නූතන" is derived from Sanskrit "नूतन" (nūtan) meaning "new, recent, fresh, modern." | |||
| Tamil | நவீன | ||
| The word "நவீன" (naviiṉa) in Tamil is derived from the Sanskrit word "नवीन" (navīna), meaning "new" or "recent". | |||
| Telugu | ఆధునిక | ||
| The Telugu word "ఆధునిక" is derived from the Sanskrit words "आधुन" and "इक" and denotes a state of being updated or fashionable. | |||
| Urdu | جدید | ||
| "جدید" can also mean "new" in Urdu, and is related to the word "jadid" in Arabic, meaning "innovation". | |||
Modern in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 现代 | ||
| 现代 (xiàndài) is an umbrella term that encompasses various time periods in Chinese philosophy and historiography. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 現代 | ||
| 現代 comes from the phrase "今（now）" and "代（generation)" which means "this generation". | |||
| Japanese | モダン | ||
| The word “モダン” (modern) has an alternate meaning of “stylish” or “fashionable” in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 현대 | ||
| 현대 (現代), meaning 'modern,' in Korean is derived from the Chinese characters meaning 'present' and 'time'. | |||
| Mongolian | орчин үеийн | ||
| The term | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ခေတ်သစ် | ||
| The word "ခေတ်သစ်" derives from the Sanskrit words "kala" (time) and "siddha" (fulfilled or accomplished), meaning "current time." | |||
Modern in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | modern | ||
| The Indonesian word "modern" can also refer to a traditional musical genre, originating from the Dutch word "moderne". | |||
| Javanese | modern | ||
| In Javanese, "modern" ("moderen") also means "to appear" or "to look like" something. | |||
| Khmer | ទំនើប | ||
| The word "ទំនើប" (modern) in Khmer is likely derived from the Sanskrit word "नव" (nava), meaning "new" or "modern." | |||
| Lao | ທັນສະໄຫມ | ||
| Malay | moden | ||
| In Malay, "moden" can also mean "fashionable" or "up-to-date". | |||
| Thai | ทันสมัย | ||
| The Thai word "ทันสมัย" is derived from the Sanskrit word "ทันตะ" meaning "tooth" and "สมัย" meaning "time", originally referring to the changing fashions in women's teeth-blackening ceremonies. | |||
| Vietnamese | hiện đại | ||
| "Hiện đại" can mean "the present time" or "modern times" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | moderno | ||
Modern in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | müasir | ||
| Müasir also means "contemporary" or "present-time" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | заманауи | ||
| The word "заманауи" (modern) in Kazakh is derived from the Persian word "zamān" (time) and originally meant "of the time" or "contemporary". | |||
| Kyrgyz | заманбап | ||
| The word "заманбап" in Kyrgyz comes from the Arabic word "zamānī" meaning "belonging to the time", and its original meaning in Kyrgyz was "new", "fashionable", later changing to "modern". | |||
| Tajik | муосир | ||
| The word "муосир" in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "معاصر" (Moaser) meaning "contemporary". | |||
| Turkmen | döwrebap | ||
| Uzbek | zamonaviy | ||
| The word "zamonaviy" is derived from the Persian word "zeman" meaning "time". | |||
| Uyghur | modern | ||
Modern in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kēia manawa | ||
| The word "kēia manawa" can also refer to the present time, this era, or the current generation. | |||
| Maori | hou | ||
| The word "hou" in Maori can also mean "new" or "fresh". | |||
| Samoan | po nei | ||
| Po is the Samoan word for 'night', and nei means 'this'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | moderno | ||
| The Tagalog word "moderno" is also used to describe things that are "up-to-date" or "fashionable". | |||
Modern in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | qhipa uñsta | ||
| Guarani | iyahúva | ||
Modern in International Languages
| Esperanto | modernaj | ||
| Esperanto's "modernaj" also relates more specifically to "the present era," "current times," and "contemporary things." | |||
| Latin | modern | ||
| The Latin word "modernus" originally referred to the "present" or "current" time, not necessarily to the modern era. | |||
Modern in Others Languages
| Greek | μοντέρνο | ||
| Although μοντέρνο comes from the word "modern" in Western languages, it often refers to the Art Nouveau style in Greece. | |||
| Hmong | niaj hnub | ||
| The word "niaj hnub" literally means "the new sun" in Hmong, and it is often used to refer to modern times or contemporary culture. | |||
| Kurdish | rojane | ||
| The word 'rojane' is thought to be derived from the Persian word 'ruz' meaning 'day' or 'brightness'. | |||
| Turkish | modern | ||
| Modern comes from the Latin word "modo," meaning "just now," and is related to the French word "moderne," meaning "of the present time." | |||
| Xhosa | yanamhlanje | ||
| 'Yanamhlanje' also means 'just now' or 'now'. | |||
| Yiddish | מאָדערן | ||
| מאָדערן derives from the German moderen and can also refer to the latest fashion. | |||
| Zulu | yesimanje | ||
| The Zulu word 'yesimanje' is derived from the Dutch word 'jes' (yes) and 'manje' (now). | |||
| Assamese | আধুনিক | ||
| Aymara | qhipa uñsta | ||
| Bhojpuri | आधुनिक | ||
| Dhivehi | ޒަމާނީ | ||
| Dogri | अजकना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | moderno | ||
| Guarani | iyahúva | ||
| Ilocano | moderno | ||
| Krio | naw | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | مۆدێرن | ||
| Maithili | आधुनिक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯧꯖꯤꯛꯀꯤ ꯃꯇꯝꯒꯤ | ||
| Mizo | tunlai | ||
| Oromo | ammayyaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଆଧୁନିକ | ||
| Quechua | moderno | ||
| Sanskrit | आधुनिक | ||
| Tatar | заманча | ||
| Tigrinya | ዘበናዊ | ||
| Tsonga | ximanguvalawa | ||