Obvious in Different Languages
Discover 'Obvious' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'obvious' is one that we use frequently in our daily lives, often without giving it a second thought. It's a word that signifies something that is easily perceived or understood, a concept that seems simple and straightforward. But the significance of this word goes far beyond its basic definition. The use of 'obvious' can indicate a shared understanding or consensus, and it can also be used to politely correct or guide someone towards the right answer.
Moreover, the word 'obvious' holds cultural importance across the globe, as it is a fundamental building block of communication. Its translation into different languages is a fascinating exploration of how different cultures express the same concept in unique and interesting ways.
For instance, in Spanish, 'obvious' translates to 'evidente,' while in French, it becomes 'évident.' In German, the word is 'offensichtlich,' and in Japanese, it is '明らか (akiraka).'
In this article, we delve into the translations of 'obvious' in different languages, shedding light on the fascinating cultural and historical contexts that shape the way we communicate.
Obvious
Obvious in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | voor die hand liggend | ||
| In Afrikaans, "voor die hand liggend" originally referred to something that is easy to reach or handle. | |||
| Amharic | ግልጽ | ||
| "ግልጽ" also means 'out in the open' and is derived from the root 'ግል' (to uncover). | |||
| Hausa | bayyananne | ||
| The Hausa word "bayyananne" is also used to mean "manifestly" or "beyond doubt." | |||
| Igbo | doro anya | ||
| The Igbo word "doro anya" literally translates to "see eye" and is an expression used to describe something that is easily recognizable. | |||
| Malagasy | mazava | ||
| The word "mazava" in Malagasy also means "clear" or "transparent". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zoonekeratu | ||
| The word 'zoonekeratu' is derived from the Chichewa verb 'kuoneratu', meaning 'to see clearly' or 'to make clear'. | |||
| Shona | pachena | ||
| The word "pachena" in Shona can also mean "clearly visible" or "noticeable". | |||
| Somali | cad | ||
| In Somali, "cad" also means "to be tired or exhausted." | |||
| Sesotho | hlakile | ||
| In another context, hlakile may also refer to a situation or condition that is easy to recognize or understand | |||
| Swahili | dhahiri | ||
| The word 'dhahiri' also means 'appearance' or 'external characteristics' in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | kucacile | ||
| The word "kucacile" can also mean "clear" or "evident" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | kedere | ||
| In Yoruba, the word “kedere” can also mean “to be clear”, indicating the unambiguousness of something that is obvious. | |||
| Zulu | kusobala | ||
| The word "kusobala" originates from the Zulu word "sobha" meaning "to be apparent or clear" | |||
| Bambara | jɛlen | ||
| Ewe | si me kᴐ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | biragaragara | ||
| Lingala | polele | ||
| Luganda | -suubirwa | ||
| Sepedi | molaleng | ||
| Twi (Akan) | pefee | ||
Obvious in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | واضح | ||
| The word "واضح" can also mean "clear", "distinct", or "unambiguous" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | מובן מאליו | ||
| The phrase מובן מאליו directly translates to self-evident, as its root מובן means 'understood' and מאליו translates to 'by itself'. | |||
| Pashto | څرګند | ||
| The word "څرګند" in Pashto is derived from the Persian word "ظاهر" and means "manifest" or "evident". | |||
| Arabic | واضح | ||
| The word "واضح" can also mean "clear", "distinct", or "unambiguous" in Arabic. | |||
Obvious in Western European Languages
| Albanian | e dukshme | ||
| The Albanian term for "obvious", "e dukshme", also signifies "visible", and has cognates across many other Indo-European languages. | |||
| Basque | agerikoa | ||
| The word "agerikoa" is not the only term in the Basque language that can signify "obvious," another being "argi" which can also be interpreted to mean "light" in the literal sense. | |||
| Catalan | evident | ||
| Catalan word “evident” also means “income” or “profit” | |||
| Croatian | očito | ||
| In Croatian, 'očito' has two possible origins: 'očiti' ('to see'), which is the more likely one, and 'očiti' ('to wait'). | |||
| Danish | indlysende | ||
| The word "indlysende" in Danish traces its roots to the concepts of "light" and "illumination". | |||
| Dutch | voor de hand liggend | ||
| The Dutch expression "voor de hand liggend" literally translates to "lying in front of the hand." | |||
| English | obvious | ||
| The word "obvious" originates from the Latin word "obvius," meaning "in the way, facing." The word has also been used to mean "exposed" or "open to view." | |||
| French | évident | ||
| The French word "évident" comes from the Latin "evidens" meaning "that which can be seen." | |||
| Frisian | dúdlik | ||
| The word "dúdlik" in Frisian could also refer to something that is easy to understand or do, or something that is clear or evident. | |||
| Galician | obvio | ||
| The etymology of "obvio" in Galician derives from Latin "obvius" meaning "in the way, facing". | |||
| German | offensichtlich | ||
| "Offen" means "open" and "sichtlich" means "visible", and the combined form "offensichtlich" means something that is easily observed or perceived. | |||
| Icelandic | augljóst | ||
| The Old Norse word "augljóst" originally meant "manifestly true" and was primarily used when referring to legal judgements and divine revelations. | |||
| Irish | soiléir | ||
| Italian | ovvio | ||
| The Italian word "ovvio" comes from the Latin "obuius", meaning "in the way, confronting one", hence its sense of "evident". | |||
| Luxembourgish | evident | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "evident" is also used to refer to the evidence (proof) presented in a legal case. | |||
| Maltese | ovvju | ||
| The word "ovvju" is derived from the Latin word "obvius", meaning "in the way" or "coming to meet". | |||
| Norwegian | åpenbart | ||
| Åpenbart shares its etymological root with the English word "open," referring to the removal of barriers or hindrances to clear understanding. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | óbvio | ||
| The word "óbvio" comes from Latin "obvius", which can also mean "exposed" or "in the way". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | follaiseach | ||
| The Gaelic word "follaiseach" can also mean "evident", "plain", "clear", or "easily seen". | |||
| Spanish | obvio | ||
| The word "obvio" in Spanish can also mean "obstacle" or "difficulty". | |||
| Swedish | uppenbar | ||
| The word "uppenbar" in Swedish derives from "uppen" (up) and "bar" (bare), and originally meant "uncovered", or "exposed". | |||
| Welsh | amlwg | ||
| The word 'amlwg' is derived from Latin 'ad manibus', meaning "ready at hand". | |||
Obvious in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | відавочна | ||
| "Відавочна" (Belarusian) comes from "відаць" (visible), like "очевидная" (Russian) from "очевидный" (evident). | |||
| Bosnian | očigledno | ||
| The word "očigledno" in Bosnian derives from the Slavic root "oko" (eye), suggesting "what can be seen with one's own eyes". | |||
| Bulgarian | очевидно | ||
| The word "очевидно" was derived from the phrase "в очите видя", which means "visible to the eyes" in Old Church Slavonic. | |||
| Czech | zřejmé | ||
| While "zřejmé" can mean "obvious," it is also derived from the Old Czech word "zjiti" meaning "to see", which may be why it now means "evident" or "visible too." | |||
| Estonian | ilmselge | ||
| The noun "ilm" in "ilmselge" means "world" or "weather" and "selge" means "clear" so the literal translation for "ilmselge" would be "world clear" | |||
| Finnish | ilmeinen | ||
| The word "ilmeinen" in Finnish is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "*ilme" meaning "appearance, face". | |||
| Hungarian | nyilvánvaló | ||
| "Nyilvánvaló" comes from the words "nyilván" (public) and "való" (real). It also means "evident" or "clear." | |||
| Latvian | acīmredzams | ||
| The word "acīmredzams" is derived from the Latvian word "redzams," meaning "visible". | |||
| Lithuanian | aiškus | ||
| The root of "aiškus" has the meaning of "bright" or "clear" related to the root present in the word "aušra" ("dawn"). | |||
| Macedonian | очигледно | ||
| Очигледно has an alternate meaning, 'evidently', in the 15th century. | |||
| Polish | oczywisty | ||
| The word "oczywisty" derives from the Old Church Slavonic word "очивьстии" ( očiĭvĭstii), meaning "pure, clear, or evident". | |||
| Romanian | evident | ||
| The Romanian word "evident" comes from the Latin word "evidēns," which means "clear, manifest, apparent," or "that which can be seen." | |||
| Russian | очевидный | ||
| The Russian word "очевидный" derives from the verb "видеть" and literally translates as "visible, evident". It implies something palpable and indisputable. | |||
| Serbian | очигледан | ||
| The word "очигледан" is derived from the Serbian word "очи" (eye) and "гледати" (to see), meaning "seen by the eye" or "self-evident". | |||
| Slovak | zrejmé | ||
| The word "zrejmé" is derived from the verb "zriet", meaning to see or experience something. | |||
| Slovenian | očitno | ||
| The word 'očitno' can also mean 'apparently' or 'evidently'. | |||
| Ukrainian | очевидний | ||
| The Ukrainian word "очевидний" also has the alternate meaning of "apparent" or "self-evident." | |||
Obvious in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | স্পষ্ট | ||
| "স্পষ্ট" is a Sanskrit-based word, deriving from "sphuṭ" meaning "open", "clear", or "evident". | |||
| Gujarati | સ્પષ્ટ | ||
| The word 'સ્પષ્ટ' shares its root with the Sanskrit verb 'स्पष्ट' meaning “to make seen, to reveal, to show clearly”. | |||
| Hindi | ज़ाहिर | ||
| From the Arabic word 'Zahir' meaning 'outer', 'external', or 'apparent', 'Zahir' in Hindi can refer to both the physical appearance and the underlying truth or essence of something. | |||
| Kannada | ಸ್ಪಷ್ಟ | ||
| "ಸ್ಪಷ್ಟ" (obvious) comes from the Sanskrit root "spash", which also means "to see" or "to perceive". | |||
| Malayalam | വ്യക്തമാണ് | ||
| The word "വ്യക്തമാണ്" in Malayalam comes from the Sanskrit word "व्यक्त" (vyakta), meaning "made manifest, clear, evident". It can also be used in a figurative sense to mean "well-known, obvious, or commonplace". | |||
| Marathi | स्पष्ट | ||
| स्पष्ट (spasht) also means 'clear' or 'transparent' in Marathi, sharing a cognate with the English word 'space'. | |||
| Nepali | स्पष्ट | ||
| "स्पष्ट" is derived from the Sanskrit word स्पृश meaning 'to perceive' and is cognate with the English word 'perspicuous'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਪੱਸ਼ਟ ਹੈ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පැහැදිලිය | ||
| Tamil | வெளிப்படையானது | ||
| Telugu | స్పష్టంగా | ||
| Urdu | واضح | ||
| The word “واضح” can also mean “to make something clear or manifest”. | |||
Obvious in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 明显 | ||
| The word "明显" (míngxiǎn) in Chinese can also mean "bright". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 明顯 | ||
| In Chinese, 明顯 (míngxiǎn) literally means "brightly seen". It can also mean "clear" or "distinctive." | |||
| Japanese | 明らか | ||
| 明らか is also used metaphorically to mean "to reveal" or "to expose". | |||
| Korean | 분명한 | ||
| "분명하다"는 '밝다'는 뜻의 '분'과 '빛나다'는 뜻의 '명'이 합쳐진 단어로, 원래는 '밝은 것'을 의미했습니다. | |||
| Mongolian | тодорхой | ||
| The word "тодорхой" also means "clear" or "distinct". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သိသာတဲ့ | ||
| The word "သိသာတဲ့" in Myanmar (Burmese) is derived from the Pali word "saddhā", meaning "faith" or "belief", and the Burmese word "tē", meaning "to know" or "to understand". | |||
Obvious in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | jelas | ||
| "Jelas" can also mean "clear" or "unambiguous" in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | ketok | ||
| The Javanese word "ketok" is a slang that shares its root word with "ketok-ketok", a term for knocking on a door. | |||
| Khmer | ជាក់ស្តែង | ||
| The word ជាក់ស្តែង (obvious) is derived from Sanskrit, where it originally meant 'firmly established'. | |||
| Lao | ຈະແຈ້ງ | ||
| "ຈະແຈ້ງ" also means "to inform", in which case it means to give notice or information, rather than make something obvious. | |||
| Malay | jelas | ||
| The word "jelas" can also mean "clear" or "distinct" in Malay. | |||
| Thai | ชัดเจน | ||
| ชัดเจน derives from Proto-Austronesian *t-aŋaŋ and Proto-Sino-Tibetan *g-lang meaning "clear, transparent, plain, and bright." | |||
| Vietnamese | hiển nhiên | ||
| Hiển nhiên is derived from the Chinese word "顯然", meaning "manifest" or "clear". It also has the alternate meaning of "naturally" or "of course". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | halata naman | ||
Obvious in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | aşkar | ||
| "Aşkar" also means "manifest" and is derived from the Arabic word "ashkara". | |||
| Kazakh | айқын | ||
| The Kazakh word "айқын" also means "clear" or "certain". | |||
| Kyrgyz | ачык-айкын | ||
| The word "ачык-айкын" is a compound word made up of the words "ачык" (open) and "айкын" (clear). It is often used to describe something that is very clear or obvious. | |||
| Tajik | аён | ||
| "Аён" (obvious) is derived from the Persian word "ayân", which means "manifest" or "evident." | |||
| Turkmen | äşgär | ||
| Uzbek | aniq | ||
| The word "aniq" is also used to describe something that is well-defined or distinct. | |||
| Uyghur | ئېنىق | ||
Obvious in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | maopopo | ||
| The Polynesian word 'maopopo' means 'obvious' and is related to the concept of 'clear' or 'transparent' in many Austronesian languages. | |||
| Maori | mārama | ||
| 'Mārama' also means 'moon' and 'light'. | |||
| Samoan | manino | ||
| In a literal sense, "manino" refers to an open coconut spathe, thus meaning "plain to see". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | halata naman | ||
| The Tagalog word "halata naman" can also mean "noticeable" or "evident". | |||
Obvious in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ukhamawa | ||
| Guarani | ojekuaaháicha | ||
Obvious in International Languages
| Esperanto | evidenta | ||
| The Esperanto word "evidenta" comes from the Latin root "evidere", meaning "to see, to become visible." | |||
| Latin | obvious | ||
| In Latin, the word “obvious” meant “to meet in the way” or “to block the way.” | |||
Obvious in Others Languages
| Greek | φανερός | ||
| The word φανερός, in addition to its primary meaning of "obvious," also carries the connotation of "appearing to the mind". | |||
| Hmong | pom tseeb | ||
| The word "pom tseeb" is also used to describe something that is easy to understand or to see | |||
| Kurdish | berçavan | ||
| The word "berçavan" is a cognate of the Persian word "ravshan" (روشن) meaning "light" or "brightness". | |||
| Turkish | açık | ||
| The word "açık" in Turkish also means "open" or "clear" and is related to the concept of "light" or "visibility". | |||
| Xhosa | kucacile | ||
| The word "kucacile" can also mean "clear" or "evident" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | קלאָר ווי דער טאָג | ||
| "קלאָר ווי דער טאָג" is a Yiddish idiom that literally translates to "clear as the day." However, it can also mean "obviously" or "self-evident." | |||
| Zulu | kusobala | ||
| The word "kusobala" originates from the Zulu word "sobha" meaning "to be apparent or clear" | |||
| Assamese | স্পষ্ট | ||
| Aymara | ukhamawa | ||
| Bhojpuri | स्पष्ट | ||
| Dhivehi | ޔަޤީން | ||
| Dogri | साफ-साफ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | halata naman | ||
| Guarani | ojekuaaháicha | ||
| Ilocano | batad | ||
| Krio | klia | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕوون | ||
| Maithili | स्पष्टतः | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯣꯏꯗꯕ | ||
| Mizo | chiang | ||
| Oromo | beekamaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସ୍ପଷ୍ଟ | ||
| Quechua | chiqan chiqan | ||
| Sanskrit | प्रत्यक्षं | ||
| Tatar | билгеле | ||
| Tigrinya | ብርግፀኝነት | ||
| Tsonga | rivaleni | ||