Updated on March 6, 2024
Opinions: we all have them, and they shape the way we see the world. An 'opinion' is a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge. It's a personal reflection that can influence our decisions, interactions, and understanding of various situations.
The significance of opinions cannot be overstated, as they play a crucial role in shaping cultures, societies, and individuals. From political debates to everyday conversations, opinions serve as the foundation for discussion and the exchange of ideas. They help us understand different perspectives, challenge our own beliefs, and grow as individuals.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'opinion' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how various cultures perceive and express personal views. For instance, in Spanish, 'opinion' is 'opinión,' while in French, it's 'opinion' and in German, it's 'Meinung.'
Delving into the world of opinions in different languages can be a fascinating journey, opening up a wealth of cultural and historical contexts. So, let's explore the many ways people around the world express their unique viewpoints.
Afrikaans | opinie | ||
In Indonesian, "opini" means not only "opinion" but also "newspaper article expressing the author's opinion rather than news." | |||
Amharic | አስተያየት | ||
Hausa | ra'ayi | ||
The word "ra'ayi" can also refer to a "viewpoint" or "perspective". | |||
Igbo | echiche | ||
The word 'echiche' can also refer to a person's 'mind' or 'thought' in Igbo. | |||
Malagasy | -kevitra | ||
-kevitra comes from the root word "kevitraka", which means "thought". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | malingaliro | ||
"Malingaliro" is also used to refer to "reasoning" or "judgment". | |||
Shona | maonero | ||
The word "maonero" can also refer to a person's perspective or viewpoint. | |||
Somali | ra'yi | ||
The word "ra'yi" also means "wind" in Somali, suggesting the ephemeral and intangible nature of opinions. | |||
Sesotho | maikutlo | ||
'Maikutlo' is a Sesotho word which was originally an abstract noun meaning 'thinking' but in modern times is commonly used to mean 'opinion'. | |||
Swahili | maoni | ||
"Maoni" in Swahili also means "views" or "thoughts" and can refer to personal biases or perspectives. | |||
Xhosa | uluvo | ||
'Uluvo' also refers to the opinion of a group of people or a consensus. | |||
Yoruba | ero | ||
Ero also means "mind" and "thought". | |||
Zulu | umbono | ||
The Zulu word "umbono" may also refer to a point of view or a belief, with a connotation of importance or respect. | |||
Bambara | hakilinan | ||
Ewe | tamesusu | ||
Kinyarwanda | igitekerezo | ||
Lingala | likanisi | ||
Luganda | endowooza | ||
Sepedi | maikutlo | ||
Twi (Akan) | nsusuiɛ | ||
Arabic | رأي | ||
Originally, "رأي" meant "sight" or "view" but later evolved to mean "opinion". | |||
Hebrew | דעה | ||
The Hebrew word "דעה" (de'ah) originates from the root "יד" (yod-dalet), meaning "to know" or "to be aware of," suggesting that opinion is closely tied to knowledge and understanding. | |||
Pashto | نظر | ||
The Pashto word "نظر" can also mean "intention" or "purpose". | |||
Arabic | رأي | ||
Originally, "رأي" meant "sight" or "view" but later evolved to mean "opinion". |
Albanian | mendim | ||
Albanian's "mendim" derives from Proto-Indo-European and shares cognates with the Sanskrit "mānasa" and Latin "mens." | |||
Basque | iritzia | ||
The Basque word “iritzi” originates from the verb “irudi”, meaning “to appear” or “to seem” | |||
Catalan | opinió | ||
Catalan "opinió" may originally derive from "opinātio," which meant "expectation" or even "expectation of an expert" in Latin. | |||
Croatian | mišljenje | ||
The term “mišljenje” derives from the 12th century Slavic root “myslite” which also meant “to think”. | |||
Danish | mening | ||
In Danish, "mening" derives from the Old Norse "meining", meaning both "opinion" and "intention or purpose". | |||
Dutch | mening | ||
The Dutch word "mening" is also cognate with the English word "mind" and the German word "Meinung", reflecting a shared etymological origin related to memory and thought. | |||
English | opinion | ||
The word 'opinion' comes from the Latin word 'opinari', which means 'to think' or 'to believe'. | |||
French | opinion | ||
The French word "opinion" also means "stubbornness". | |||
Frisian | opiny | ||
In Frisian, the word "opiny" also has the connotation of "viewpoint" or "perspective". | |||
Galician | opinión | ||
In Galician, "opinión" also means "advice", highlighting the importance of seeking guidance before forming a judgment. | |||
German | meinung | ||
"Meinung" derives from "meinen," which can also mean "to believe" or "to assume (smth. false)" | |||
Icelandic | skoðun | ||
"Skoðun" in Icelandic comes from the Old Norse word "skoð", meaning "to view" or "to discern." | |||
Irish | tuairim | ||
In Irish folklore, tuairim is also a supernatural insight or vision, often associated with prophecy or divination. | |||
Italian | opinione | ||
Italian "opinione" traces its etymology to the Latin "opinio," meaning "thought," "belief," or "judgment," and also serves as the root for "opine," meaning "to express an opinion." | |||
Luxembourgish | meenung | ||
The word "Meenung" is derived from the Old High German "meinunga", meaning "thought" or "intention". | |||
Maltese | opinjoni | ||
The word "opinjoni" derives from the Latin "opinio" and shares cognates with the English "opinion" and the Italian "opinione." | |||
Norwegian | mening | ||
The Norwegian word "mening" is also related to the English word "mean", as in "the mean of a set of numbers". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | opinião | ||
In Portuguese, the word "opinião" can also mean "stubbornness" or "prejudice". | |||
Scots Gaelic | beachd | ||
Beachd also means 'design' or 'purpose', and is likely related to the Gaelic word 'beath', meaning 'life'. | |||
Spanish | opinión | ||
The Spanish word "opinión" can also refer to a judicial or expert judgment. | |||
Swedish | åsikt | ||
"Åsikt" shares the same root with "åsyn" and "öga", meaning "look" and "eye" respectively, as opinions were originally the way someone viewed something. | |||
Welsh | barn | ||
The Welsh word 'barn' shares its root with 'barnais', meaning 'judgment' in Old Irish, and 'breith', meaning 'law' in Old Welsh. |
Belarusian | меркаванне | ||
Bosnian | mišljenje | ||
The word "mišljenje" is derived from the Slavic root "mišl-", meaning "to think" or "to imagine." | |||
Bulgarian | мнение | ||
Bulgarian "мнение" is derived from the word "място" (place), denoting the place one takes on an issue. | |||
Czech | názor | ||
Czech word "názor" originated from the verb "nazřít" meaning "to get a glimpse of something" (hence "opinion"). | |||
Estonian | arvamus | ||
"Arvamus" is derived from "arvama" (to think, to suppose), which in turn comes from the Proto-Uralic root *arV- ("to think, to reckon"). | |||
Finnish | lausunto | ||
The word "lausunto" comes from Latin and originally meant "announcement" or "declaration". | |||
Hungarian | vélemény | ||
Vélemény is derived from the verb 'v'el', meaning 'to suppose' or 'to think', and originally referred to a personal belief or conjecture. | |||
Latvian | viedoklis | ||
The word "viedoklis" derives from the verb "viedt," meaning "to lead" or "to guide," suggesting that opinions are formed through the process of following or adhering to certain beliefs or ideas. | |||
Lithuanian | nuomonė | ||
The word "nuomonė" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *men-, meaning "to think" or "to remember" | |||
Macedonian | мислење | ||
The word "мислење" can also refer to the ability to think or reason. | |||
Polish | opinia | ||
The Polish word "opinia" is derived from the Latin word "opinio", which means "a belief or judgment not founded on certainty". | |||
Romanian | opinie | ||
"Opinie" originally meant "thought, belief" in Romanian, from Slavic "*ob-pьn-iti" ("to understand"). In Romanian, it is cognate with "opina" (="belief, conviction"). | |||
Russian | мнение | ||
The word "мнение" comes from the verb "мнить", meaning "to think" or "to believe", and can also refer to a "judgment" or "assessment". | |||
Serbian | мишљење | ||
The Serbian word "мишљење" derives from the verb "мислити" (misliti), which means "to think" or "to have an opinion." | |||
Slovak | názor | ||
In Slovak, "názor" can also refer to a position or a view on something, and is often used in the context of a debate or discussion. | |||
Slovenian | mnenje | ||
In Old Church Slavonic, the word "mnenje" originally meant "thought" or "belief". | |||
Ukrainian | думка | ||
In Ukrainian, "думка" can also refer to a thought, idea, or concept, demonstrating its multifaceted nature in expressing human cognition and beliefs. |
Bengali | মতামত | ||
The Bengali word 'মতামত' ('opinion') originates from the Sanskrit term 'matam' ('mind') and 'vat' ('saying'), and also refers to 'view' or 'standpoint' | |||
Gujarati | અભિપ્રાય | ||
Hindi | राय | ||
The Sanskrit word 'राय' (opinion) is also the name of a musical note in the ancient Indian classical music system, as well as the name of the Hindu goddess of speech and the arts. | |||
Kannada | ಅಭಿಪ್ರಾಯ | ||
The word "ಅಭಿಪ್ರಾಯ" (abhipraya) means "opinion," but it can also mean "intention," "purpose," or "meaning." | |||
Malayalam | അഭിപ്രായം | ||
Marathi | मत | ||
"मत" in Marathi can also mean thought, intention, or advice. | |||
Nepali | राय | ||
The word "राय" (opinion) derives from the Sanskrit word "राति" (speech), indicating it's an outcome of thoughts and communications. | |||
Punjabi | ਰਾਏ | ||
The word "ਰਾਏ" can also refer to "a judgment or decision". | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මතය | ||
In addition to 'opinion', 'මතය' can also mean 'judgment', 'belief', or 'theory' | |||
Tamil | கருத்து | ||
In Tamil, "கருத்து" (karuttu) also means "pregnancy" and "conception", suggesting a connection between the formation of an opinion or belief with the birth of an idea or perspective. | |||
Telugu | అభిప్రాయం | ||
అభిప్రాయం also means 'desire', 'thought', 'notion', 'idea', 'judgment', 'view', 'belief', 'sentiment', 'conviction', 'impression', 'opinion', and 'viewpoint'. | |||
Urdu | رائے | ||
رائے originates from the Sanskrit word 'rāyi' which means 'thought or idea'. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 意见 | ||
The character "见" in "意见" also means "to see", suggesting that an opinion is formed from observations. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 意見 | ||
In Traditional Chinese, "意見" also serves as "a plan" or "a proposal". | |||
Japanese | 意見 | ||
The word "意見" (iken) originally meant "a thought or idea" and can still be used in this sense. | |||
Korean | 의견 | ||
The word "의견" originally referred to the meeting points of three different roads. | |||
Mongolian | санал бодол | ||
"Санал бодол" is originally a Buddhist term that refers to a "mental factor" which acts as a catalyst in mental actions and cognition. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ထင်မြင်ချက် | ||
Indonesian | pendapat | ||
While "pendapat" commonly means "opinion" in Indonesian, it can also refer to "earnings" or "income". | |||
Javanese | mratelakake panemume | ||
The word "mratelakake panemume" in Javanese consists of "mratelakake" (lit. to explain) and "panemume" (lit. thought); thus, it literally means "to explain one's thoughts". | |||
Khmer | មតិ | ||
The word មតិ also means "belief" in Sanskrit, the original language of Theravada Buddhism. | |||
Lao | ຄວາມຄິດເຫັນ | ||
Malay | pendapat | ||
Pendapat can also mean "income" or "earnings" in Malay. | |||
Thai | ความคิดเห็น | ||
"ความคิดเห็น" also means "viewpoint" or "perspective". | |||
Vietnamese | ý kiến | ||
The word "ý kiến" is a compound of "ý" (idea) and "kiến" (view), meaning "an expressed point of view" or "a piece of advice". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | opinyon | ||
Azerbaijani | rəy | ||
The Azerbaijani word "rəy" is thought to be a borrowing of Middle Persian "ray" (opinion), ultimately from Old Iranian. | |||
Kazakh | пікір | ||
The word "пікір" in Kazakh also means "thought", "idea", or "notion". | |||
Kyrgyz | пикир | ||
The Kyrgyz word "пикир" (opinion) is derived from the Persian word "fikr" (thought, idea). | |||
Tajik | андешаи | ||
The word "андешаи" in Tajik can also mean "thought", "belief", or "idea". | |||
Turkmen | pikir | ||
Uzbek | fikr | ||
In Uzbek, "fikr" can also mean a plan, thought, or idea. | |||
Uyghur | پىكىر | ||
Hawaiian | manaʻo | ||
In Hawaiian, "manaʻo" not only signifies "opinion" but also denotes "idea" or "desire". | |||
Maori | whakaaro | ||
The word "whakaaro" can also mean "thought" or "intention" in Maori. | |||
Samoan | manatu | ||
The word 'manatu' has additional meanings, including 'thought', 'intention', and 'plan'. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | opinyon | ||
The Tagalog word "opinyon" comes from the Spanish word "opinión," which in turn comes from the Latin word "opīniō," meaning "belief" or "judgment." |
Aymara | amuyu | ||
Guarani | oje'éva | ||
Esperanto | opinio | ||
The root 'opin-' is thought to derive from Proto-Indo-European 'opnom' (mind, judgment) also seen in the Latin 'opinus' (believing) and English 'oath'. | |||
Latin | sententia | ||
Sententia could also mean a legal decision or an aphorism |
Greek | γνώμη | ||
The word “γνώμη” is also used to refer to a legal verdict or judgement, a plan or intention, or a maxim or proverb. | |||
Hmong | lub tswv yim | ||
Lub tswv yim stems from lub tswvyim, which means to think and to believe. | |||
Kurdish | nerrîn | ||
The word "nerrîn" in Kurdish has its roots in the Old Iranian word "nereiti-," which means "to see, to look at," and is related to the Sanskrit word "nirīksyati," which means "to observe, to look at." | |||
Turkish | fikir | ||
Fikir's root word 'fik' can also mean reflection and meditation | |||
Xhosa | uluvo | ||
'Uluvo' also refers to the opinion of a group of people or a consensus. | |||
Yiddish | מיינונג | ||
In Yiddish, the word "מיינונג" (meynung) comes from the German word "Meinung" (meaning "opinion") and the Old Yiddish word "מיין" (meyn) (meaning "mine"). | |||
Zulu | umbono | ||
The Zulu word "umbono" may also refer to a point of view or a belief, with a connotation of importance or respect. | |||
Assamese | মতামত | ||
Aymara | amuyu | ||
Bhojpuri | राय | ||
Dhivehi | ޙިޔާލު | ||
Dogri | राय | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | opinyon | ||
Guarani | oje'éva | ||
Ilocano | opinion | ||
Krio | wetin yu tink | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | بۆچوون | ||
Maithili | विचार | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯋꯥꯈꯜꯂꯣꯟ | ||
Mizo | ngaihdan | ||
Oromo | ilaalcha | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ମତ | ||
Quechua | yuyay rimay | ||
Sanskrit | अभिप्रायः | ||
Tatar | фикер | ||
Tigrinya | ርእይቶ | ||
Tsonga | vonelo | ||