News in Different Languages
Discover 'News' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
News, it's the lifeblood of a society, the thread that connects us to the world around us. It's the stories of triumph and tragedy, of innovation and inspiration, that shape our cultural narrative and help us understand our place in the global community. But what about when the words and phrases we use to describe these events change? That's where the importance of understanding news in different languages comes in.
Consider this: the word 'news' has its roots in the Old English 'nes,' meaning 'something new.' But in other languages, the concept of news is expressed in a myriad of ways. For example, in Spanish, the word for news is 'noticias,' which comes from the Latin 'notitia,' meaning 'a being known.' Meanwhile, in Russian, the word for news is 'новости' (novosti), which is derived from the word 'новый' (novyj), meaning 'new.'
Understanding news in different languages not only opens up new avenues of communication but also provides a window into the cultural values and perspectives of other societies. So, let's explore some of the many ways that news is expressed around the world!
News
News in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | nuus | ||
| In Afrikaans, "nuus" may also refer to the plural form of "noot" (note), but in both cases its origin is from the Dutch word "nieuws". | |||
| Amharic | ዜና | ||
| In some contexts 'ዜና' also means 'miracle'. | |||
| Hausa | labarai | ||
| "Labarai" comes from the Hausa word "ba labiri" which means to tell a story. | |||
| Igbo | ozi | ||
| The word 'ozi' also means 'voice' or 'sound'. | |||
| Malagasy | news | ||
| In Malagasy, the word "vaovao" can refer to both "news" and "rumors". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | nkhani | ||
| In some contexts, "nkhani" can also refer to "a story" or "a tale," expanding its meaning beyond just current events. | |||
| Shona | nhau | ||
| The word 'nhau' can also refer to 'a report' | |||
| Somali | war | ||
| The word "war" in Somali may also refer to a period of time. | |||
| Sesotho | litaba | ||
| According to historians, 'Litaba' originally referred to 'royal announcements' | |||
| Swahili | habari | ||
| The word 'habari' originated from the word 'khabar', which is Arabic for "information". | |||
| Xhosa | iindaba | ||
| "Iindaba" is a Xhosa word which is also used by the Nguni of South Africa, meaning "an important issue or event". | |||
| Yoruba | iroyin | ||
| "Ìròyìn" is an amalgamation of two words, "ìrò" (matters), and "ìn" (things/news). | |||
| Zulu | izindaba | ||
| The Zulu word "izindaba" ('news') derives from the prefix 'izin,' meaning 'of,' and the noun 'indaba,' meaning 'matter' or 'affair,' hence 'of matters'. | |||
| Bambara | kunnafoniw | ||
| Ewe | nyadzɔdzɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | amakuru | ||
| Lingala | bansango | ||
| Luganda | amawulire | ||
| Sepedi | ditaba | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kaseɛbɔ | ||
News in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أخبار | ||
| The word 'أخبار' ('news') in Arabic is also used to refer to 'stories' or 'narratives'. | |||
| Hebrew | חֲדָשׁוֹת | ||
| The Hebrew word "חֲדָשׁוֹת" (news) is related to the root "חָדַשׁ" (new) and also means "novelties" or "innovations." | |||
| Pashto | خبرونه | ||
| The Pashto word “خبرونه” ("news") is derived from the Arabic term “خَبر” ("information") and has alternate meanings of "rumor" or "information." | |||
| Arabic | أخبار | ||
| The word 'أخبار' ('news') in Arabic is also used to refer to 'stories' or 'narratives'. | |||
News in Western European Languages
| Albanian | lajme | ||
| The Albanian word 'Lajme' (news) is derived from the Latin 'lamen' (lament). | |||
| Basque | berriak | ||
| Berriak means "the new" in Basque and also refers to fruit or berries. | |||
| Catalan | notícies | ||
| The Catalan word "Notícies" (news) also means "Notices" in Spanish and "Nouvelles" in French. | |||
| Croatian | vijesti | ||
| The word 'vijesti' is cognate with the Russian 'vesty' (news) and is ultimately derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'věstĭ' (message). | |||
| Danish | nyheder | ||
| "Nyheder" comes from "nyt" meaning "new" and "hede" meaning "heath" or "uncultivated land", implying that news is something fresh and unknown. | |||
| Dutch | nieuws | ||
| The Dutch word "nieuws" derives from the Middle Dutch "niemare", meaning "new story" or "novelty". | |||
| English | news | ||
| The word "news" is derived from the Middle English word "newe," meaning "new" or "novelty" | |||
| French | nouvelles | ||
| The plural French noun "nouvelles" derives from the Italian "novella" (short story), which itself derives from the Latin "novus" (new). | |||
| Frisian | nijs | ||
| The West Frisian word "nijs" also has the meaning of "new", such as in "de nije buorren", meaning "the new bridge". | |||
| Galician | novas | ||
| Galician 'novas' derives from the Latin 'nova', also denoting 'astrological star', and may have acquired this extended connotation through medieval astrology's focus on the influence of celestial bodies on events. | |||
| German | nachrichten | ||
| In German, "Nachrichten" originally meant "messages" or "information," and it was only in the 19th century that it came to specifically refer to "news." | |||
| Icelandic | fréttir | ||
| The word 'fréttir' in Icelandic also means 'gossip' or 'rumors', implying that news can be both factual and speculative. | |||
| Irish | nuacht | ||
| The Irish word "nuacht" derives from the Old Irish word "núa-scél" meaning "new story", and is related to the Welsh word "newydd" and the Breton word "nevez". | |||
| Italian | notizia | ||
| The word "notizia" comes from the Latin "notitia", meaning "knowledge" or "information". | |||
| Luxembourgish | neiegkeeten | ||
| The etymology of "Neiiegkeeten" is uncertain but some believe it is an altered form of a French loanword "nouvelle" (news). | |||
| Maltese | aħbarijiet | ||
| The word "aħbarijiet" is derived from the Arabic word "akhbār", meaning "reports" or "information." | |||
| Norwegian | nyheter | ||
| The word "nyheter" is derived from the Old Norse word "nýr", meaning "new", and the suffix "-het", meaning "hood", and originally referred to something new or unexpected that had happened. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | notícia | ||
| In Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) "notícia" derives from Latin "notitia", which also means "knowledge" or "information". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | naidheachdan | ||
| "Naidheachdan" is derived from the Old Irish word "naidhthech", meaning "tidings" or "intelligence." | |||
| Spanish | noticias | ||
| "Noticias" stems from the Latin word "notitia," meaning "knowledge," "information," or "fact." | |||
| Swedish | nyheter | ||
| Nyheter can also refer to 'novelties' or 'innovations', reflecting its origin in the German word 'neuheit' meaning 'newness'. | |||
| Welsh | newyddion | ||
| In informal usage, | |||
News in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | навіны | ||
| The word "навіны" in Belarusian is cognate to the Russian "новости", sharing a Proto-Slavic root meaning "new". Its plural form "навіна" can also mean "news event", or sometimes "notion" in the sense of a belief or idea. | |||
| Bosnian | vijesti | ||
| The word "vijesti" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *věstь, meaning "knowledge" or "message". | |||
| Bulgarian | новини | ||
| The word "Новини" derives from the Proto-Slavic verb "novъ", meaning "new" or "fresh". | |||
| Czech | zprávy | ||
| The word "zprávy" (news) is also used to refer to government reports, or in the plural to financial statements. | |||
| Estonian | uudised | ||
| "Uudised" derives from a word meaning "new", and also relates to "wonder" and "surprise". | |||
| Finnish | uutiset | ||
| "Uutiset" originally meant "things that have happened" in the Kalevala epic. | |||
| Hungarian | hírek | ||
| The word "hírek" (news) in Hungarian is derived from the verb "hírel" (to announce) and can also refer to "tidings", "information", or "rumors." | |||
| Latvian | jaunumi | ||
| The word "jaunumi" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*new-", which also gives rise to the English word "new" and the German word "neu". | |||
| Lithuanian | žinios | ||
| The word 'žinios' comes from the verb 'žinoti' ('to know'), suggesting that news is information that increases our knowledge. | |||
| Macedonian | вести | ||
| The word "Вести" in Macedonian originally meant "to proclaim" or "to make known" and can also refer to "news" or "intelligence." | |||
| Polish | aktualności | ||
| "Aktualności" is the plural form of "aktualność", which is derived from the Latin word "actualis", meaning "present" or "real". | |||
| Romanian | știri | ||
| The Romanian word "știri" is derived from the Latin word "stirps", meaning "race, stock, or origin", and it retains this meaning in the phrase "știri din bătrâni" (news from the elders). | |||
| Russian | новости | ||
| "Новости" is derived from the Old Slavonic word "новъ" (novъ), meaning "new". It can also refer to a piece of information or a report. | |||
| Serbian | вести | ||
| The word 'вести' is related to 'вест' which means a messenger who brings important or secret information. | |||
| Slovak | novinky | ||
| "Novinky" means "news" in Slovak and also a type of flower called forget-me-not. | |||
| Slovenian | novice | ||
| In Slovenian, "novice" also means "novice" in the sense of a beginner, as it is derived from the Latin word "novicius" meaning "newcomer". | |||
| Ukrainian | новини | ||
| The word "новини" originates from the Old Church Slavonic "новина" meaning "new" or "recent", and also has the alternate meaning of "rumor" or "unverified information". | |||
News in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | খবর | ||
| The word "খবর" (khabor) in Bengali is derived from the Arabic word "خبر" (khabar), which means "information" or "report". It can also refer to "tidings" or "gossip". | |||
| Gujarati | સમાચાર | ||
| Hindi | समाचार | ||
| The Hindi word "समाचार" (samāchār) also means "tidings, intelligence, information, knowledge, communication, statement, narration, a report." | |||
| Kannada | ಸುದ್ದಿ | ||
| In Kannada, "ಸುದ್ದಿ" is also used to refer to "tidings" or "information" in a general sense, beyond the context of recent events. | |||
| Malayalam | വാർത്ത | ||
| Marathi | बातमी | ||
| The word "बातमी" in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word "वार्ता" meaning "communication" or "information". It can also refer to a "rumor" or "hearsay". | |||
| Nepali | समाचार | ||
| "समाचार" also means "message" or "tidings" in Sanskrit and is derived from the root word "char", meaning "to move" or "to go". | |||
| Punjabi | ਖ਼ਬਰਾਂ | ||
| The word "ਖ਼ਬਰਾਂ" in Punjabi originates from the Persian word "khabar", which means "information" or "intelligence." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පුවත් | ||
| The Sinhala word "පුවත්" ("puwat") originally meant "rumors" and "gossip" before it acquired its modern meaning of "news". | |||
| Tamil | செய்தி | ||
| The word "செய்தி" originated from the Proto-Dravidian root "*cet-", meaning "to tell" or "to make known". | |||
| Telugu | వార్తలు | ||
| The word "వార్తలు" in Telugu has been derived from the Sanskrit word "वृत्त" (vṛtta), which means "something that has happened or occurred". | |||
| Urdu | خبریں | ||
| The Urdu word "خبریں" ("news"), derived from the Persian "خبر" ("report"), originally meant "information". | |||
News in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 新闻 | ||
| "新闻" originally meant "new knowledge or information" in ancient Chinese and could refer to various reports or dispatches, not just current events. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 新聞 | ||
| "新聞" can also mean "newspaper", while the original meaning of "新" is "new" and "聞" is "to hear". | |||
| Japanese | ニュース | ||
| ニュース ('nyūsu') in Japanese is a sino-Japanese word that literally means 'new tidings' and is cognate to the English word 'novel' and French 'nouvelle'. | |||
| Korean | 뉴스 | ||
| The Korean word "뉴스 (newseu)" is a loanword from the English "news," which in turn comes from the Old French "novels," meaning "new things." | |||
| Mongolian | мэдээ | ||
| "мэдээ" means "information", "knowledge" or "intelligence" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သတင်း | ||
News in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | berita | ||
| "Berita" is also used for a traditional form of public service announcement, similar to a town crier. | |||
| Javanese | warta | ||
| "Warto" can also mean "message" or "report" in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | ព័ត៌មាន | ||
| The word "ព័ត៌មាន" can also refer to information, news, message, intelligence, report, or knowledge in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ຂ່າວ | ||
| "ຂ່າວ" has multiple meanings, as "news", "rumor" or (rare) even "a type of bird". | |||
| Malay | berita | ||
| The Malay word "berita" is likely derived from the Sanskrit word "vrttanta", meaning "occurrence" or "event". | |||
| Thai | ข่าว | ||
| The Thai word "ข่าว" (news) derives from Sanskrit "khab" meaning "to speak" or "to tell". | |||
| Vietnamese | tin tức | ||
| The word "Tin tức" in Vietnamese can also mean "message" or "information". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | balita | ||
News in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | xəbərlər | ||
| The word "xəbərlər" is derived from the Persian word "khabar", which means "intelligence" or "information." | |||
| Kazakh | жаңалықтар | ||
| Kyrgyz | жаңылыктар | ||
| Tajik | ахбор | ||
| The word "ахбор" in Tajik also means "knowledge" or "information" | |||
| Turkmen | habarlar | ||
| Uzbek | yangiliklar | ||
| The word "Yangiliklar" originally referred to "new things or events", not just news. | |||
| Uyghur | خەۋەر | ||
News in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | nūhou | ||
| The Hawaiian word "nūhou" originates from the Proto-Polynesian word "*nuhu" meaning "to see" or "to behold". | |||
| Maori | purongo | ||
| The word "purongo" in Maori can also mean rumors or gossip. | |||
| Samoan | tala fou | ||
| Tala fou is a compound word derived from the Samoan words "tala" meaning "story" and "fou" meaning "new". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | balita | ||
| The Tagalog word "balita" is derived from the Malay word "berita" and can also mean "account" or "narrative". | |||
News in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | yatiyawinaka | ||
| Guarani | marandu | ||
News in International Languages
| Esperanto | novaĵoj | ||
| The Esperanto word "novaĵoj" comes from "nova" ("new") and "aĵo" ("thing") while in Polish "nowości" has a wider meaning including "novelty" or "innovation". | |||
| Latin | nuntium | ||
| The word "nuntium" can also refer to a messenger or a message. | |||
News in Others Languages
| Greek | νέα | ||
| "Νέα" also means "youth" in Greek, emphasizing the freshness and novelty of news. | |||
| Hmong | xov xwm | ||
| "Xov xwm" can also be used to describe a report or announcement, but in the context of the Hmong community, it specifically refers to stories that have been passed down orally over generations. | |||
| Kurdish | nûçe | ||
| The Kurdish word "nûçe" derives from the Persian word "nevishtan" meaning "to write". | |||
| Turkish | haberler | ||
| Despite its similarity to the English word "harbour," the Turkish word "haberler" is derived from the Arabic word "khabar," meaning "information." | |||
| Xhosa | iindaba | ||
| "Iindaba" is a Xhosa word which is also used by the Nguni of South Africa, meaning "an important issue or event". | |||
| Yiddish | נייעס | ||
| The Yiddish word "נייעס" also means "gossip" or "tidings". | |||
| Zulu | izindaba | ||
| The Zulu word "izindaba" ('news') derives from the prefix 'izin,' meaning 'of,' and the noun 'indaba,' meaning 'matter' or 'affair,' hence 'of matters'. | |||
| Assamese | বাতৰি | ||
| Aymara | yatiyawinaka | ||
| Bhojpuri | खबर | ||
| Dhivehi | ހަބަރުތައް | ||
| Dogri | खबर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | balita | ||
| Guarani | marandu | ||
| Ilocano | dagiti damag | ||
| Krio | nyuz | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هەواڵەکان | ||
| Maithili | समाचार | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯏ ꯄꯥꯎ | ||
| Mizo | chanchinthar | ||
| Oromo | oduu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସମ୍ବାଦ | ||
| Quechua | willaykuna | ||
| Sanskrit | समाचारं | ||
| Tatar | яңалыклар | ||
| Tigrinya | ዜና | ||
| Tsonga | mahungu | ||