Perception in Different Languages
Discover 'Perception' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Perception is a fascinating word, denoting the way we understand and interpret the world around us. It's a concept that has been explored by philosophers, psychologists, and artists for centuries, and it continues to be a vital area of study today. Our perception shapes our experiences, our relationships, and our very sense of self. It's no wonder, then, that the word 'perception' has such cultural importance around the globe.
But what about the word 'perception' itself? How is it translated into different languages, and what can those translations tell us about the way other cultures understand this concept? For example, in Spanish, 'perception' is translated as 'percepción,' while in French, it becomes 'perception.' In German, the word is 'Wahrnehmung,' which carries a slightly different connotation, emphasizing the act of perceiving rather than the perception itself.
In this article, we'll explore the translations of 'perception' in a variety of languages, shedding light on the cultural nuances and historical contexts that shape our understanding of this important concept. So whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural scholar, or simply someone curious about the world around you, read on to discover the many meanings of 'perception' in different languages.
Perception
Perception in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | persepsie | ||
| The Afrikaans word "persepsie" stems from the Latin "perceptio" which means "process of taking in". | |||
| Amharic | ግንዛቤ | ||
| Cognate with 'ግንዛብ', which means 'witness' or 'testimony'. | |||
| Hausa | fahimta | ||
| In the Songhai language, "fahimta" has a similar meaning of discernment or understanding. | |||
| Igbo | nghọta | ||
| Nghọta can also mean 'understanding' or 'comprehension', and is related to the verb 'ghọta' (to understand). | |||
| Malagasy | fomba fijery | ||
| The Malagasy word "fomba fijery" is a compound word, which derives from the verb "mijery" (to see, to look at). | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | malingaliro | ||
| The word 'malingaliro' is derived from the root word 'lingaliro', which means 'thought' or 'idea'. | |||
| Shona | maonero | ||
| "Maonero" can also mean "foresight" or "vision". | |||
| Somali | aragtida | ||
| The word "aragtida" can also mean "sight" or "view". | |||
| Sesotho | temoho | ||
| The word "temoho" is derived from the verb "temahana", which means "to perceive". | |||
| Swahili | mtazamo | ||
| Mtazamo's original meaning was 'view', but it now also refers to mental perspectives or understandings. | |||
| Xhosa | ukuqonda | ||
| "Ukuqonda" also means "sense of understanding, consciousness," and "to know," in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | iro | ||
| "Irò" in Yoruba can also mean "face paint" or "camouflage"} | |||
| Zulu | ukuqonda | ||
| "Ukuqonda" can also mean "understanding" or "knowledge" in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | yecogo | ||
| Ewe | nukpᴐkpᴐ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | imyumvire | ||
| Lingala | ndenge ya komonela | ||
| Luganda | endaba | ||
| Sepedi | temogo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | adwene | ||
Perception in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | المعرفة | ||
| In classical Arabic, 'ilm (knowledge, science) refers to a direct apprehension of a thing free of doubt or uncertainty. | |||
| Hebrew | תפיסה | ||
| The Hebrew word "תפיסה" can also mean "arrest", "seizure" or "conception". | |||
| Pashto | لید | ||
| "لید" in Pashto also refers to a particular musical performance style. | |||
| Arabic | المعرفة | ||
| In classical Arabic, 'ilm (knowledge, science) refers to a direct apprehension of a thing free of doubt or uncertainty. | |||
Perception in Western European Languages
| Albanian | perceptimi | ||
| The Albanian word "perceptimi" originates from the Latin word "perceptio", meaning "a receiving". | |||
| Basque | pertzepzioa | ||
| In Old Basque, "pertzepzioa" meant "consciousness" or "sensitivity". | |||
| Catalan | percepció | ||
| In addition to "perception," percepció can also mean "reception." | |||
| Croatian | percepcija | ||
| The Croatian word "percepcija" comes from the Latin word "perceptio", which means "the action of taking in or receiving something through the senses." | |||
| Danish | opfattelse | ||
| Perception in Danish (opfattelse) derives from the Old Norse word “at upp fa”, meaning “to gain” and “to take”. | |||
| Dutch | perceptie | ||
| In Dutch, the word "perceptie" can also refer to the Dutch tax administration, the Belastingdienst. | |||
| English | perception | ||
| The word "perception" derives from the Latin verb "percipere", meaning "to take hold of," "to grasp," or "to understand." | |||
| French | la perception | ||
| La perception can also mean 'tax collection' or 'income'. | |||
| Frisian | gewaarwurding | ||
| The Frisian word "gewaarwurding" means not only perception, but also sense organ and organ system, and is derived from the Old Frisian word "war», meaning sense or awareness. | |||
| Galician | percepción | ||
| The term 'percepción' (perception) in Galician also carries the meanings of a receipt or a bill. | |||
| German | wahrnehmung | ||
| The German word 'Wahrnehmung' originates from the verb 'wahrnehmen' which means both 'to notice' and 'to understand' in the sense of 'to make sense of something'. | |||
| Icelandic | skynjun | ||
| The word 'skynjun' is also used to refer to a mental projection or an image of something. | |||
| Irish | aireachtáil | ||
| Italian | percezione | ||
| The Italian word "percezione" derives from the Latin verb "percipere", meaning "to receive, take, or seize". | |||
| Luxembourgish | perceptioun | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Perceptioun" shares its root with the French word "perception" and also means "fee" or "charge". | |||
| Maltese | perċezzjoni | ||
| Perċezzjoni is ultimately derived from the Latin word percipere, meaning "to take or grasp." | |||
| Norwegian | oppfatning | ||
| "Oppfatning" is a Norwegian word, which means "perception" in English. It can also mean "opinion" or "conception". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | percepção | ||
| The Portuguese word "percepção" derives from the Latin word "perceptio", meaning "action of taking possession". In Brazilian Portuguese, it can also refer to the physical act of receiving or taking something. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | beachd | ||
| In addition to meaning "perception," beachd can also mean "sight," "view," and "spectacle." | |||
| Spanish | percepción | ||
| The Spanish word "percepción" also means "collection" or "income" and comes from the Latin "perceptio" with the same meaning. | |||
| Swedish | uppfattning | ||
| Uppfattning is also used in Swedish to refer to a concept or understanding. | |||
| Welsh | canfyddiad | ||
| As a noun, canfyddiad can also mean 'appearance', 'vision', 'sight', 'view', or 'landscape' | |||
Perception in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | ўспрыманне | ||
| The Belarusian word "ўспрыманне" ultimately derives from the Old Church Slavonic "въсприимати," which also gave rise to the Russian "восприятие". | |||
| Bosnian | percepcija | ||
| The Bosnian word 'percepcija' originates from the Latin word 'perceptio', meaning 'a taking or seizing'. It also signifies 'understanding' or 'cognition'. | |||
| Bulgarian | възприятие | ||
| 'Възприятие' is derived from 'при-ем' (to take, to receive), and may also mean 'income' or 'admission'. | |||
| Czech | vnímání | ||
| The Czech word "vnímání" also means "sensory experience" or "receiving". | |||
| Estonian | taju | ||
| The word "taju" in Estonian also has the alternate meanings of "consciousness" and "understanding". | |||
| Finnish | käsitys | ||
| "Käsitys" is derived from the verbs "käsittää" (to understand, to conceive) and "käsitellä" (to handle, to deal with). | |||
| Hungarian | észlelés | ||
| In Hungarian, "észlelés" not only refers to "perception" but also to "comprehension" and "notice". | |||
| Latvian | uztvere | ||
| Uztvere is derived from Proto-Indo-European *uz-dher-, meaning “to hold, support”. | |||
| Lithuanian | suvokimas | ||
| 'Suvokimas' can also be translated into 'comprehension' and 'realization'. In fact, it has its root in 'vokti', which denotes the understanding through experience and learning. | |||
| Macedonian | перцепција | ||
| The Macedonian word "перцепција" is a loan from Latin "perceptio (percipio)", "percipere": 'to receive or accept fully', but has also been used in a medical context as "senses (sensory organs)". | |||
| Polish | postrzeganie | ||
| The word "postrzeganie" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *pozьrati, meaning "to take in, perceive." | |||
| Romanian | percepţie | ||
| The Romanian word percepţie is derived from the Latin perceptio (-ōnis), meaning "action of receiving, perception." | |||
| Russian | восприятие | ||
| "Восприятие" is an uncommon word in Russian, derived from the verb "воспринимать," meaning "to perceive." | |||
| Serbian | перцепција | ||
| In Serbian, 'Перцепција' can also refer to the way something is perceived or understood, the mental process of receiving and interpreting sensory information. | |||
| Slovak | vnímanie | ||
| The word "vnímanie" also means "sensing" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | zaznavanje | ||
| The word "zaznavanje" can also refer to the act of recognizing or understanding something. | |||
| Ukrainian | сприйняття | ||
| The Ukrainian word "сприйняття" derives from the Proto-Slavic term *pri-jьn-ti, meaning "to take, to accept." | |||
Perception in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | উপলব্ধি | ||
| The term 'উপলব্ধি' is etymologically linked to 'গ্রহণ,' meaning absorption, comprehension, and awareness. | |||
| Gujarati | દ્રષ્ટિ | ||
| The Gujarati word 'દ્રષ્ટિ' can also refer to 'vision', 'perspective', or 'point of view'. | |||
| Hindi | अनुभूति | ||
| "अनुभूति" signifies the profound encounter of the senses with the world, or more abstractly, an intuitive cognition. | |||
| Kannada | ಗ್ರಹಿಕೆ | ||
| The Proto-Dravidian root word கற்க (kaṟka - to perceive or learn) of perception (grahikE) implies a sense of taking, acquiring or receiving. | |||
| Malayalam | ഗർഭധാരണം | ||
| The term 'ഗർഭധാരണം' can also refer to 'pregnancy' in Malayalam, but its primary meaning is 'perception'. | |||
| Marathi | समज | ||
| The word 'समज' in Marathi comes from the Sanskrit word 'samyak', which means 'properly' or 'well'. | |||
| Nepali | धारणा | ||
| धारणा ('dhāraṇā') also means 'mental impression' and is related to धृ ('dhṛ') 'to hold'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਧਾਰਨਾ | ||
| It also means 'to grasp' and shares roots with 'धारणा' (concept). | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සංජානනය | ||
| Tamil | கருத்து | ||
| "கருத்து" is also occasionally used in Tamil to refer to opinions or ideas, or to the main point of a conversation or writing. | |||
| Telugu | అవగాహన | ||
| The Telugu word అవగాహన ('perception') also means 'comprehension' and 'understanding'. | |||
| Urdu | خیال | ||
| The Urdu word "خیال" originates from the Arabic word "خيال" and primarily means "imagination", "thought", or "idea" in English. | |||
Perception in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 知觉 | ||
| "知觉" (perception) can also mean "knowledge" or "consciousness" in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 知覺 | ||
| 知覺 is composed of 知 (to know) and 覺 (to sense). | |||
| Japanese | 知覚 | ||
| 知覚 can also mean "awareness" or "consciousness," which is a reflection of the Buddhist concept of awareness of the true nature of reality. | |||
| Korean | 지각 | ||
| Korean 지각 (perception) comes from the Chinese characters meaning 'to grasp' and may also mean 'awareness' or 'realization' when used in a Buddhist context. | |||
| Mongolian | ойлголт | ||
| The word "ойлголт" (perception) traces its roots to the Mongolian word "ойлгох" (to consider, to think). | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သညာ | ||
| "သညာ" is also used to refer to the five sensory organs (the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body). | |||
Perception in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | persepsi | ||
| Persepsi also means 'sense' in Indonesian, derived from the Sanskrit word 'pratisamvid' meaning 'full understanding'. | |||
| Javanese | pemahaman | ||
| The Javanese word "pemahaman" also has a meaning of "understanding" and is derived from the root word "ham". | |||
| Khmer | ការយល់ឃើញ | ||
| Lao | ຄວາມຮັບຮູ້ | ||
| Malay | persepsi | ||
| The word "persepsi" in Malay is derived from the Sanskrit word "pratyaksa", meaning "direct knowledge" or "immediate perception". | |||
| Thai | การรับรู้ | ||
| The Thai word "การรับรู้" can also mean "awareness", "recognition", or "understanding". | |||
| Vietnamese | nhận thức | ||
| The word "nhận thức" is derived from the Sino-Vietnamese word "nhận thức", meaning "to perceive" or "to know". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pang-unawa | ||
Perception in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qavrayış | ||
| The word "qavrayış" is derived from the Old Turkic word "qavramaq," meaning "to seize" or "to grab." | |||
| Kazakh | қабылдау | ||
| The word қабылдау comes from the Arabic root | |||
| Kyrgyz | кабылдоо | ||
| The word "кабылдоо" in Kyrgyz is derived from the Turkic root "kabul-", meaning "to accept" or "to understand." | |||
| Tajik | идрок | ||
| In Persian, the word "idrak" means "understanding, comprehension, or perception". | |||
| Turkmen | duýmak | ||
| Uzbek | idrok | ||
| The Uzbek word "idrok" comes from the Arabic word "idrak" (إدراك), which means "comprehension" or "understanding." | |||
| Uyghur | تونۇش | ||
Perception in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻike | ||
| 'Ike also refers to any knowledge that is acquired through the senses or through intuition. | |||
| Maori | tirohanga | ||
| The Maori word 'tirohanga' can also refer to a point of view or a perspective. | |||
| Samoan | malamalamaaga | ||
| The Samoan word 'malamalamaaga' also means 'enlightenment' or 'understanding' | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pang-unawa | ||
| The Tagalog word "pang-unawa" means "understanding" and is related to the words "unawa" ("understanding"), "unawain" ("to understand"), and "nauna-wa" ("to comprehend"). | |||
Perception in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | uñtawi | ||
| Guarani | japyhykatúva | ||
Perception in International Languages
| Esperanto | percepto | ||
| The Esperanto word "percepto" comes from the Latin word "perceptus," which means "received" or "understood." | |||
| Latin | sensus | ||
| In Latin, "sensus" also refers to "a way of thinking" or "a sense of judgment." | |||
Perception in Others Languages
| Greek | αντίληψη | ||
| The word 'αντίληψη' in Greek can also mean 'reception' or 'understanding' | |||
| Hmong | kev xaav | ||
| "Kev xaav" literally translates to "the way of thinking". | |||
| Kurdish | lêhayî | ||
| The word "lêhayî" can also mean "imagination" or "idea" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | algı | ||
| The Turkish word "algı" can also mean "impression" or "intuition." | |||
| Xhosa | ukuqonda | ||
| "Ukuqonda" also means "sense of understanding, consciousness," and "to know," in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | מערקונג | ||
| The Yiddish word 'מערקונג' is derived from the German word 'merken', meaning 'to notice' or 'to pay attention'. | |||
| Zulu | ukuqonda | ||
| "Ukuqonda" can also mean "understanding" or "knowledge" in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | ধাৰণা | ||
| Aymara | uñtawi | ||
| Bhojpuri | सोचावट | ||
| Dhivehi | ފެންނަގޮތް | ||
| Dogri | सूझ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pang-unawa | ||
| Guarani | japyhykatúva | ||
| Ilocano | panagkita | ||
| Krio | aw wi ɔndastand | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | وەرگرتن | ||
| Maithili | अनुभूति | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯤꯑꯣꯏ ꯑꯃꯒꯤ ꯃꯤꯠꯌꯦꯡ | ||
| Mizo | hmuhdan | ||
| Oromo | akkaataa hubannaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଧାରଣା | ||
| Quechua | musyay | ||
| Sanskrit | बोध | ||
| Tatar | сизү | ||
| Tigrinya | ናይ ምርዳእ ክእለት | ||
| Tsonga | vonelo | ||