Opportunity in Different Languages
Discover 'Opportunity' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Opportunity is a powerful word that represents a chance or prospect for something to happen or be done. It's a word that embodies hope, potential, and the possibility of success. The significance of opportunity cannot be overstated, as it is often the driving force behind personal and professional growth. Throughout history, seizing opportunities has led to some of the world's greatest discoveries, inventions, and achievements.
The concept of opportunity is also deeply ingrained in various cultures around the world. For example, in the United States, the
Opportunity
Opportunity in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | geleentheid | ||
| The Dutch word "gelegenheid" can mean both "opportunity" and "toilet". | |||
| Amharic | ዕድል | ||
| The Amharic word ዕድል ('opportunity') also has a legal connotation as a 'trial' or 'process'. | |||
| Hausa | damar | ||
| The word "damar" in Hausa also means "blood vessel" or "vein". | |||
| Igbo | ohere | ||
| The Igbo word 'Ohere' also signifies 'expectation' and can be used to describe a state of positive anticipation. | |||
| Malagasy | fahafahana | ||
| The word "fahafahana" also means "space" or "place" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mwayi | ||
| Mwayi, meaning 'opportunity' in Nyanja, originates from the Bantu root '-way-' and signifies a chance for advancement or progress. | |||
| Shona | mukana | ||
| The word "mukana" in Shona can also refer to a "chance" or a "turn" in a game or activity. | |||
| Somali | fursad | ||
| The word "fursad" may also refer to a "meeting" or a "special time". | |||
| Sesotho | monyetla | ||
| No information on etymology or alternate meanings for this word found | |||
| Swahili | fursa | ||
| The word "fursa" is also used to mean "time" or "occasion" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | ithuba | ||
| "Ithuba" also denotes a chance, and can refer to the chance of encountering a particular person or thing. | |||
| Yoruba | anfani | ||
| In Yoruba, 'anfani' also means 'benefit' or 'advantage'. | |||
| Zulu | ithuba | ||
| The Zulu word 'ithuba' has additional meanings, including 'chance', 'opening', and 'luck'. | |||
| Bambara | kunnandiya | ||
| Ewe | mɔnukpɔkpɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | amahirwe | ||
| Lingala | libaku | ||
| Luganda | omukisa | ||
| Sepedi | sebaka | ||
| Twi (Akan) | akwannya | ||
Opportunity in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | فرصة | ||
| The Arabic word "فرصة" can also refer to a "chance" or an "occasion." | |||
| Hebrew | הִזדַמְנוּת | ||
| The Hebrew word "הִזדַמְנוּת" derives from the Arabic word "زمن" (zaman), meaning "time". | |||
| Pashto | فرصت | ||
| The word "فرصت" is derived from the Arabic word "فرص" meaning "ability to do something". | |||
| Arabic | فرصة | ||
| The Arabic word "فرصة" can also refer to a "chance" or an "occasion." | |||
Opportunity in Western European Languages
| Albanian | mundësi | ||
| "Mundësi" derives from the Latin word "mundus," meaning "world," and implies a chance to enter a new realm of possibilities. | |||
| Basque | aukera | ||
| The Basque word "aukera" also means "choice" or "ability". | |||
| Catalan | oportunitat | ||
| The word "oportunitat" comes from the Latin word "opportunitas", which means "a suitable time or place". | |||
| Croatian | prilika | ||
| The Croatian word “prilika” can also mean “story” or “example”. | |||
| Danish | lejlighed | ||
| The word "lejlighed" in Danish comes from the Old Norse word "lægi", meaning "suitable place" or "occasion". | |||
| Dutch | kans | ||
| "Kans" originates from Old Frisian "kansse" (chance), which also can have a meaning of "fate" | |||
| English | opportunity | ||
| The word "opportunity" derives from Latin "ob" and "portus" and means "in the harbor" or "favorable time". | |||
| French | opportunité | ||
| The word "opportunité" in French comes from the Latin word "opportunus," which means "seasonable" or "suitable." | |||
| Frisian | gelegenheid | ||
| The Frisian word "gelegenheid" is also used to refer to a party or social event. | |||
| Galician | oportunidade | ||
| Galician "oportunidade" shares the etymology of Spanish "oportunidad" and French "opportunité", but has an additional meaning of "a suitable moment". | |||
| German | gelegenheit | ||
| "Gelegenheit" is etymologically related to the German verb "gelegen," meaning "to lie down," suggesting an occasion that presents itself or a chance that is within reach. | |||
| Icelandic | tækifæri | ||
| The word "tækifæri" derives from the Old Norse words "taka" (to take) and "fœri" (chance), and also carries the connotation of "a good time to act." | |||
| Irish | deis | ||
| The word "deis" can also refer to a "lack of" or "absence of" something. | |||
| Italian | opportunità | ||
| In Spanish, the word "oportunidad" means both "opportunity" and "convenience." | |||
| Luxembourgish | méiglechkeet | ||
| Maltese | opportunità | ||
| The word "opportunità" is derived from the Latin "opportunitas", meaning "favorable moment" or "suitable occasion." | |||
| Norwegian | mulighet | ||
| The word "mulighet" is derived from the Old Norse word "mǫguligr," meaning "possible" or "capable." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | oportunidade | ||
| The word "oportunidade" is derived from the Latin "opportunitas," meaning "convenient time" or "favorable occasion." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | cothrom | ||
| In Irish, Welsh, and Breton "cothrom" is used as a legal term for "summons" or "suit" as well. | |||
| Spanish | oportunidad | ||
| In Spanish, the word "oportunidad" can also mean "appropriateness" or "right time to do something." | |||
| Swedish | möjlighet | ||
| "Möjlighet" comes from "möjlig" meaning "possible" and its root "makt" meaning "might" or "ability". | |||
| Welsh | cyfle | ||
| The Welsh word 'cyfle' derives from the Latin 'copula', meaning 'link' or 'bond'. | |||
Opportunity in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | магчымасць | ||
| Bosnian | priliku | ||
| The verb for "arrive "in Serbo-Croatian derives from the same Slavic root as "opportunity ", signifying the opportunity to arrive for the one who "deserves the opportunity " | |||
| Bulgarian | възможност | ||
| The word "възможност" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *vozmоgъ, which also means "ability". | |||
| Czech | příležitost | ||
| The word "příležitost" is derived from the Old Czech word "přílež" meaning "time, occasion". It can also mean "chance", "luck", or "incident". | |||
| Estonian | võimalus | ||
| "Võimalus" also means "ability" and is cognate with Finnish "võimaluus", which has the same double meaning. | |||
| Finnish | tilaisuus | ||
| The word "tilaisuus" also refers to a "situation" or "occasion" in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | lehetőség | ||
| The word lehetőség is derived from the Hungarian word lehet, which means "to have the ability". | |||
| Latvian | iespēju | ||
| "Iespēja" derives from the verb "iest" — to enter, go in, or introduce something into a particular place or situation. | |||
| Lithuanian | galimybė | ||
| "Galimybė" is derived from "galėti" (to be able) and denotes an ability or capacity, or an available choice or occasion; synonyms include "šansas" and "proga". | |||
| Macedonian | можност | ||
| Macedonian "Можност" can also refer to "capacity" and derives from the Proto-Slavic "*mogti" meaning "to be able." | |||
| Polish | okazja | ||
| The word "okazja" is derived from the Latin word "occasio", meaning "a favorable time or opportunity." | |||
| Romanian | oportunitate | ||
| "Oportunitate" in Romanian comes from the French "opportunité," itself from Latin "opportunus" ("fitting" or "appropriate") | |||
| Russian | возможность | ||
| Russian "возможность" stems from "возможно," meaning "possible" or "feasible." | |||
| Serbian | прилика | ||
| The word "прилика" can also refer to "a suitable time" or "a similarity" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | príležitosť | ||
| The word "príležitosť" is derived from the Old Slavic word "priležiti", meaning "to lie near" or "to be present at the right time". | |||
| Slovenian | priložnost | ||
| The Slovene word 'priložnost' comes from the verb 'priložiti', 'to put to use' which is derived from 'ložiti' 'to lay' and means 'a chance or situation allowing you to do something' (Oxford Dictionary of English). | |||
| Ukrainian | можливість | ||
| The word "можливість" in Ukrainian is derived from the Slavic root "mogti, | |||
Opportunity in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সুযোগ | ||
| The Bengali word "সুযোগ" originated from the Sanskrit term "svayoga", meaning "coming together" or "union of favorable conditions." | |||
| Gujarati | તક | ||
| The word "તક" also means "a place" or "a spot" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | अवसर | ||
| The word "अवसर" also means a "meeting" or a "conference" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಅವಕಾಶ | ||
| The word "ಅವಕಾಶ" can also mean "space" or "scope". | |||
| Malayalam | അവസരം | ||
| The word "അവസരം" (avasaram) in Malayalam comes from the Sanskrit word "ava-srj", meaning "to let go" or "to release." | |||
| Marathi | संधी | ||
| The word "संधी" also means "junction" or "gap" in Marathi, suggesting that opportunities arise at junctions or in gaps in time or knowledge. | |||
| Nepali | अवसर | ||
| The word 'अवसर' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'स' meaning 'together' and 'वर' meaning 'choice', thus literally translating to 'a choice together'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਮੌਕਾ | ||
| The Punjabi word 'ਮੌਕਾ' (moka) also refers to 'a turn' or 'a chance,' emphasizing its connection to timing and occasion. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අවස්ථාවක් | ||
| Tamil | வாய்ப்பு | ||
| The term | |||
| Telugu | అవకాశం | ||
| అవకాశం originates from Sanskrit 'avakāśam' and 'avakāśā' meaning 'leisure', 'opportunity', 'spare time'. | |||
| Urdu | موقع | ||
| The term 'موقع' (opportunity) in Urdu comes from the Arabic root 'و ق ع', meaning 'to befall', 'to happen'. | |||
Opportunity in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 机会 | ||
| The word “机会” was originally used to refer to the chance of winning a bet. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 機會 | ||
| The term 機會 (opportunity) was coined by a Chinese philosopher Zhu Xi during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), who adapted a Buddhist concept of 因緣 (dependent origination) and combined it with the Confucian concept of 務實 (practicality). | |||
| Japanese | 機会 | ||
| "機会" also means "a machine" or "a good chance." | |||
| Korean | 기회 | ||
| The word '기회' in Korean originally meant 'a favorable moment', but now it has expanded to mean 'a good chance' or 'an opportunity'. | |||
| Mongolian | боломж | ||
| The Mongolian word "боломж" derives from the verb "болох" which means "to become". It can also refer to a chance or possibility. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အခွင့်အလမ်း | ||
Opportunity in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kesempatan | ||
| The word 'kesempatan' ('opportunity') has roots in an Arabic word meaning 'space' or 'room,' and the root also gives rise to the word 'kosong' ('empty'). | |||
| Javanese | kesempatan | ||
| The Javanese word 'kesempatan' can also mean 'chance' or 'possibility'. | |||
| Khmer | ឱកាស | ||
| The word "ឱកាស" is derived from the Sanskrit word "avasara" meaning both "opportunity" and "obstacle". | |||
| Lao | ໂອກາດ | ||
| The word "ໂອກາດ" can also refer to a "chance" or a "possibility" | |||
| Malay | peluang | ||
| In Javanese, 'peluang' means 'chance', 'fortune' or 'luck'. | |||
| Thai | โอกาส | ||
| โอกาส comes from Sanskrit and is etymologically related to “open” and “space” and literally means “a place, a space”. | |||
| Vietnamese | dịp tốt | ||
| The word "dịp tốt" in Vietnamese also means "good time" or "favorable time." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagkakataon | ||
Opportunity in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | fürsət | ||
| Fürsət also means "leisure" in Azerbaijani, originating from the Arabic word "al-fursah" with the same meaning. | |||
| Kazakh | мүмкіндік | ||
| The word "мүмкіндік" (''opportunity'') is derived from the Turkish word "mümkün" (''possible''), which in turn originates from the Arabic word "makaan" (''place''). | |||
| Kyrgyz | мүмкүнчүлүк | ||
| Tajik | имконият | ||
| The word "имконият" in Tajik can also mean "ability" or "possibility" | |||
| Turkmen | mümkinçilik | ||
| Uzbek | imkoniyat | ||
| The word "imkoniyat" (opportunity) in Uzbek is derived from Arabic and means "potential" or "possibility." | |||
| Uyghur | پۇرسەت | ||
Opportunity in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | manawa kūpono | ||
| The Hawaiian word "manawa kūpono" also means "the right time" or "proper moment". | |||
| Maori | faingamālie | ||
| The word "faingamālie" also refers to the time or place where an opportunity presents itself. | |||
| Samoan | avanoa | ||
| The word "avanoa" in Samoan can also mean "chance" or "possibility" | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pagkakataon | ||
| "Pagkakataon" is derived from the root word "taon" which means "year". It connotes a limited or specific time frame, hence its meaning as "opportunity". | |||
Opportunity in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | utjirinaka | ||
| Guarani | juruja | ||
Opportunity in International Languages
| Esperanto | okazo | ||
| The word 'okazo' is derived from the Latin 'occasio', meaning 'chance encounter'. | |||
| Latin | potestatem | ||
| Potestatem (meaning "opportunity") also refers to "ability," "power," "authority," "dominion," or "rule." | |||
Opportunity in Others Languages
| Greek | ευκαιρία | ||
| The word "ευκαιρία" in Greek originally meant "the right time or place", and it still carries this meaning in some contexts. | |||
| Hmong | sijhawm | ||
| The Hmong word "sijhawm" also means "chance" and "probability". | |||
| Kurdish | fersend | ||
| The Kurdish word "fersend" is derived from the Arabic word "fursah", meaning "occasion" or "chance." | |||
| Turkish | fırsat | ||
| "Fırsat" is cognate to the Arabic word "firṣah," which means "empty space, occasion, opportunity." | |||
| Xhosa | ithuba | ||
| "Ithuba" also denotes a chance, and can refer to the chance of encountering a particular person or thing. | |||
| Yiddish | געלעגנהייט | ||
| געלעגנהייט can have the additional meanings "a suitable occasion" and "coincidence". | |||
| Zulu | ithuba | ||
| The Zulu word 'ithuba' has additional meanings, including 'chance', 'opening', and 'luck'. | |||
| Assamese | সুযোগ | ||
| Aymara | utjirinaka | ||
| Bhojpuri | मौका | ||
| Dhivehi | ފުރުޞަތު | ||
| Dogri | मौका | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagkakataon | ||
| Guarani | juruja | ||
| Ilocano | oportunidad | ||
| Krio | chans | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دەرفەرت | ||
| Maithili | अवसर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯨꯗꯣꯡꯆꯥꯕ | ||
| Mizo | huntha | ||
| Oromo | carraa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସୁଯୋଗ | | ||
| Quechua | oportunidad | ||
| Sanskrit | अवसरः | ||
| Tatar | мөмкинлек | ||
| Tigrinya | ዕድል | ||
| Tsonga | nkateko | ||