Updated on March 6, 2024
Percentage is a term that signifies a portion or part of a whole, expressed as a fraction of 100. It's a fundamental concept in mathematics, used in various fields such as finance, statistics, and science. The significance of percentage lies in its ability to simplify complex data and make it more understandable.
Throughout history, percentage has played a crucial role in shaping societies and cultures. For instance, during the Age of Exploration, percentage was used to calculate the share of profits from trade and voyages. In modern times, percentage is used to measure economic growth, inflation rates, and even public opinion.
Given the global impact of percentage, it's no surprise that the term has been translated into various languages, each with its unique cultural context. Understanding the translation of percentage in different languages can provide valuable insights into how different cultures perceive and use this important concept.
Here are some translations of percentage in different languages: English - percentage; Spanish - porcentaje; French - pourcentage; German - Prozent; Italian - percentuale; Chinese - 百分比 (bǎi fèn bǐ); Japanese - パーセント (pāsento); Korean - 백분율 (baekbun-jeol).
Afrikaans | persentasie | ||
The word "persentasie" is derived from the Latin word "centesimus", meaning "hundredth", and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *ḱm̥tom, meaning "hundred". | |||
Amharic | መቶኛ | ||
The word "መቶኛ" can also refer to a "hundredth". | |||
Hausa | kashi | ||
**kashi** (*noun*, alternate meaning: the quantity one gives in return for an obligation) | |||
Igbo | pasent | ||
"Pasent" can also refer to a small portion or a fragment of something. | |||
Malagasy | isan-jato | ||
"Isan-jato" (lit. 'one in hundred') is a derivative of the term "jato" (cent, one hundredth) and shares its Sanskrit roots with "sat" (hundred). | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | peresenti | ||
The word "peresenti" is a loanword from English, but is also related to the Nyanja word "pere" meaning "to divide". | |||
Shona | muzana | ||
The word muzana can also refer to an agreement or contract. | |||
Somali | boqolkiiba | ||
Boqolkiiba comes from the words boqol, meaning "hundred", and kiiba, meaning "part" or "share". | |||
Sesotho | phesente | ||
The word "phesente" is also used to refer to a decimal fraction. | |||
Swahili | asilimia | ||
"Asilimia" is derived from the Arabic word "mi'a" meaning "hundred," suggesting a connection to a part representing a whole. | |||
Xhosa | ipesenti | ||
"Ipesenti" can also refer to a very small quantity or amount. | |||
Yoruba | ogorun | ||
The Yoruba word "ogorun" shares a linguistic origin with "orun", a unit of currency, indicating its relationship with economic transactions. | |||
Zulu | iphesenti | ||
Iphesenti is cognate with the Nguni word 'ikhefu' ('portion, share'), which in turn comes from Proto-Bantu *kelepu ('to break apart, divide'). | |||
Bambara | kɛmɛsarada la | ||
Ewe | alafa memamã | ||
Kinyarwanda | ijanisha | ||
Lingala | pourcentage ya ba pourcentages | ||
Luganda | ebitundu ku kikumi | ||
Sepedi | phesente | ||
Twi (Akan) | ɔha biara mu nkyem 100 | ||
Arabic | النسبة المئوية | ||
نسبة is a cognate of Latin ratio, which meant 'rate' in its earlier sense. | |||
Hebrew | אֲחוּזִים | ||
The word "אחוזים" (percentage) derives from the verb "אחז" (hold), implying a "grip" on a specific fraction of the whole. | |||
Pashto | سلنه | ||
سلنه is the Pashto word for percentage and is derived from the Arabic word "صَدْر" ( صدر ), meaning "front" or "chest". | |||
Arabic | النسبة المئوية | ||
نسبة is a cognate of Latin ratio, which meant 'rate' in its earlier sense. |
Albanian | përqindja | ||
The word "përqindja" derives from Latin "per centum", meaning "by the hundred". | |||
Basque | ehunekoa | ||
The Basque word 'ehunekoa' comes from the words 'ehun' (hundred) and 'koa' (part). | |||
Catalan | percentatge | ||
The word "percentatge" is also used in Catalan to refer to a percentage point. | |||
Croatian | postotak | ||
Postotak comes from the word sto (hundred), meaning 'divided by one hundred'. | |||
Danish | procent | ||
The Danish word "procent" originates from the Latin phrase "pro centum", meaning "for a hundred". It was introduced into Danish by German traders and scholars in the 17th century to refer to the share of a dividend in relation to a whole of one hundred. | |||
Dutch | percentage | ||
In Dutch, percentage also means 'small amount' | |||
English | percentage | ||
The word "percentage" is derived from the Latin phrase "per centum", meaning "by the hundred". | |||
French | pourcentage | ||
The word "pourcentage" comes from the French verb "poursuivre" meaning "to follow", and originally referred to a tax that was set as a percentage of the value of the goods being taxed. | |||
Frisian | persintaazje | ||
The Frisian word "persintaazje" derives from the Latin word "proportio" (literally "ratio", "relation"), through Old French and Dutch. | |||
Galician | porcentaxe | ||
In Galician, "porcentaxe" can also mean "rate" or "proportion". | |||
German | prozentsatz | ||
The German word "Prozentsatz" is derived from the Latin phrase "pro centum", meaning "for a hundred". | |||
Icelandic | prósentu | ||
"Prósentu" is derived from the Latin word "pro centum", meaning "for a hundred", and is used to denote a quantity per hundred units. | |||
Irish | céatadán | ||
Italian | percentuale | ||
"Percentuale" in Italian can also mean "share" or "rate". | |||
Luxembourgish | prozentsaz | ||
Prozentsaz originates from French "pourcentage" and shares its root word "cent" with the number 100. | |||
Maltese | persentaġġ | ||
The Maltese word 'persentaġġ' is derived from the Italian word 'percentuale', which itself comes from the Latin word 'per centum', meaning 'by the hundred'. | |||
Norwegian | prosentdel | ||
The word "prosentdel" is derived from the Latin words "pro" (for) and "centum" (hundred), meaning "for each hundred". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | percentagem | ||
"Percentagem" comes from Latin "pro centum", meaning "per hundred". | |||
Scots Gaelic | ceudad | ||
The word ceudad originates from the Old French term `cent`, meaning `100`, and the Latin term `centum`, meaning `hundred`, both referring to a whole quantity. | |||
Spanish | porcentaje | ||
The word "porcentaje" comes from the Latin words "per" (for) and "centum" (hundred), meaning "for every hundred". | |||
Swedish | procentsats | ||
The word "procentsats" is derived from the Latin words "pro centum", meaning "out of one hundred". | |||
Welsh | canran | ||
The word "canran" is derived from the Welsh word "can" meaning "hundred" and "ran" meaning "part". |
Belarusian | працэнт | ||
Bosnian | procenat | ||
Percentage is derived from the Latin phrase 'per centum', meaning 'for each hundred'. | |||
Bulgarian | процент | ||
The word "процент" derives from Latin "pro centum", meaning "for a hundred" | |||
Czech | procento | ||
The word "procento" in Czech is derived from the Latin "pro centum". In the 15th century, "procento" meant "interest" in Czech, and only later began to refer to "percentage". | |||
Estonian | protsent | ||
The word "protsent" (percentage) in Estonian originates from the Latin "pro centum" (per hundred) and can also refer to a commission or commission rate. | |||
Finnish | prosenttiosuus | ||
"Prosenttiosuus" is derived from "per centum", meaning "by the hundred" in Latin. | |||
Hungarian | százalék | ||
The word "százalék" literally means "per hundred" in Hungarian, reflecting its initial use as a measure of quantities expressed as a fraction of 100. | |||
Latvian | procentos | ||
The word "procentos" derives from Latin "pro centum" meaning "for a hundred." | |||
Lithuanian | procentas | ||
The word "procentas" is derived from the Latin phrase "pro centum", meaning "for a hundred". | |||
Macedonian | процент | ||
The word "процент" in Macedonian, derived from the Latin "per centum," meaning "per hundred," also refers to a "discount" or "commission". | |||
Polish | odsetek | ||
"odsetek" derives from "od" + "setka", meaning "a part of a hundred" | |||
Romanian | procent | ||
In Romanian, "procent" is a synonym for "percentage" and also a unit of measure for interest rates. | |||
Russian | процент | ||
The word "процент" derives from the Latin "pro centum", meaning "per hundred" | |||
Serbian | процента | ||
"Procenta" can refer to a profit, interest, or commission rate in Serbian. | |||
Slovak | percentuálny podiel | ||
The word "percentuálny podiel" is derived from the Latin word "per centum", meaning "per hundred". | |||
Slovenian | odstotek | ||
Odstotek can also mean 'interest' in Slovene. | |||
Ukrainian | процент | ||
"Процент" is derived from the Latin "pro cento", meaning "for each hundred". Also, in Russian, it can refer to "interest", in the financial sense. |
Bengali | শতাংশ | ||
The Bengali word "শতাংশ" is derived from the Sanskrit words "शत" (hundred) and " अंश" (part), indicating "a hundredth part" or "percentage". | |||
Gujarati | ટકાવારી | ||
The word “ટકાવારી” is derived from the Sanskrit word "pratišat" and the Persian suffix "-vari" (meaning "possessing"). | |||
Hindi | प्रतिशत | ||
The word "प्रतिशत" is derived from the Sanskrit words "प्रति" (per) and "शत" (hundred), and can also mean "proportion" or "share". | |||
Kannada | ಶೇಕಡಾವಾರು | ||
The word "ಶೇಕಡಾವಾರು" is derived from the Sanskrit word "शतक" (hundred) and "भाग" (part), meaning "hundredth part". | |||
Malayalam | ശതമാനം | ||
"ശതമാനം" can also be used to mean "cent" in Malayalam, derived from the Portuguese word "cento" meaning "hundred". | |||
Marathi | टक्केवारी | ||
The Marathi word "टक्केवारी" (percentage) is derived from the Hindi word "टका" (coin), meaning a small fraction of something. | |||
Nepali | प्रतिशत | ||
The term 'प्रतिशत' originated from two words, 'प्रति' and 'शता', where 'प्रति' denotes per or each and 'शता' means hundred | |||
Punjabi | ਪ੍ਰਤੀਸ਼ਤਤਾ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ප්රතිශතය | ||
Tamil | சதவிதம் | ||
The word 'சதவிதம்' in Tamil is derived from the Sanskrit word 'शत' (śata), meaning 'hundred'. | |||
Telugu | శాతం | ||
"శాతం" is derived from the Sanskrit word "శత" meaning "hundred". It can also be used to mean "portion" or "ratio". | |||
Urdu | فیصد | ||
Urdu word "فیصد" is derived from the Arabic word "في المائه" meaning "per hundred". |
Chinese (Simplified) | 百分比 | ||
百分比源自拉丁语per centum,意思是“每一百”,用于表示数量相对于基数的比率。 | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 百分比 | ||
"百分比" originally meant "per hundred" or "parts per hundred". | |||
Japanese | パーセンテージ | ||
"パーセント"はラテン語の"per centum"(百あたり)に由来する。 | |||
Korean | 백분율 | ||
"백분" originally meant "one part per hundred," not "one hundred parts". | |||
Mongolian | хувь | ||
Хувь has a variety of meanings that all share a general theme of portion or amount. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ရာခိုင်နှုန်း | ||
Indonesian | persentase | ||
The word "persentase" is derived from the Sanskrit word "prshatanta", meaning "per hundred". | |||
Javanese | persentasi | ||
The word "persentasi" in Javanese can also mean "portion" or "share". | |||
Khmer | ភាគរយ | ||
The word "ភាគរយ" is derived from Sanskrit and means "part of a hundred". | |||
Lao | ເປີເຊັນ | ||
Malay | peratusan | ||
"Peratusan" is a loanword from the English "percentage". | |||
Thai | เปอร์เซ็นต์ | ||
The word "เปอร์เซ็นต์" is derived from the Latin "per centum", meaning "by the hundred". | |||
Vietnamese | tỷ lệ phần trăm | ||
Tỷ lệ phần trăm, hay "percentage" trong tiếng Anh, có nguồn gốc từ tiếng Latin "per centum", có nghĩa là "trăm trên một trăm". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | porsyento | ||
Azerbaijani | faiz | ||
The word "faiz" also means "interest" in Azerbaijani. | |||
Kazakh | пайыз | ||
In Kazakh, “пайыз” not only means "percentage" but also refers to "ratio" or "share". | |||
Kyrgyz | пайыз | ||
The word “пайыз” might be a compound word consisting of “пай” (“one that gets”) and “уз” (“rule” or “law”). | |||
Tajik | фоиз | ||
The word "фоиз" in Tajik is derived from the Arabic word "فائِض", which means "excess" or "surplus". | |||
Turkmen | göterim | ||
Uzbek | foiz | ||
The word "foiz" in Uzbek comes from the Persian word "foiz" meaning "profit" or "interest". | |||
Uyghur | پىرسەنت | ||
Hawaiian | pakeneka | ||
The word “pakeneka” has alternate meanings of “percentage” and “to calculate” in Hawaiian. | |||
Maori | ōrau | ||
In traditional Maori usage, ōrau could also refer to the idea of | |||
Samoan | pasene | ||
The word "pasene" in Samoan is derived from the English word "percent". | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | porsyento | ||
The Tagalog word "porsyento" is derived from the Spanish word "por ciento", meaning "by hundred" |
Aymara | sapa patakatxa | ||
Guarani | porcentaje rehegua | ||
Esperanto | procento | ||
In English, „procento“ is known as „percent“, which comes from the Latin „per centum“, meaning per hundred. | |||
Latin | recipis | ||
The word "recipis" is derived from the Latin word "recipere" meaning "to receive" or "to take". |
Greek | ποσοστό | ||
The word "ποσοστό" is derived from the Greek words "πόσον" (amount) and "στόν" (hundred). | |||
Hmong | feem pua | ||
The Hmong word "feem pua" literally means "hundred fraction" or "number out of a hundred". | |||
Kurdish | rêza sedikê | ||
The Kurdish word "rêza sedikê" is derived from the Arabic word "nisbah", which means "proportion". | |||
Turkish | yüzde | ||
Yüzde, also spelled yuzde, derives from the Persian "sad" (hundred) and eventually from the Proto-Indo-European "kmtóm" (hundred). | |||
Xhosa | ipesenti | ||
"Ipesenti" can also refer to a very small quantity or amount. | |||
Yiddish | פּראָצענט | ||
The word "פּראָצענט" is derived from "pro” (“for”) and “cent” (“hundred”), referring to a fraction of a whole. | |||
Zulu | iphesenti | ||
Iphesenti is cognate with the Nguni word 'ikhefu' ('portion, share'), which in turn comes from Proto-Bantu *kelepu ('to break apart, divide'). | |||
Assamese | শতাংশ | ||
Aymara | sapa patakatxa | ||
Bhojpuri | प्रतिशत के बा | ||
Dhivehi | ޕަސެންޓެވެ | ||
Dogri | प्रतिशत दा | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | porsyento | ||
Guarani | porcentaje rehegua | ||
Ilocano | porsiento | ||
Krio | pasɛnt | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | لەسەدا | ||
Maithili | प्रतिशत | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯥꯗꯥ ꯍꯦꯅꯒꯠꯂꯦ꯫ | ||
Mizo | percentage a ni | ||
Oromo | dhibbeentaadhaan | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଶତକଡା | ||
Quechua | pachakmanta huknin | ||
Sanskrit | प्रतिशतम् | ||
Tatar | процент | ||
Tigrinya | ሚእታዊት ምዃኑ’ዩ። | ||
Tsonga | tiphesente ta tiphesente | ||