Positive in Different Languages
Discover 'Positive' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'positive' holds immense significance in our daily lives, often representing optimism, hope, and constructive thinking. Its connotations extend beyond mere semantics, influencing our perspectives and attitudes. Positive has a rich cultural history too; in ancient philosophy, it was associated with the concept of 'good' in contrast to 'evil'. This dichotomy has shaped various philosophical and religious thought processes worldwide.
Given the word's importance, one might wonder: how is 'positive' translated in different languages? Understanding these translations can provide unique insights into diverse cultures and their values. For instance, in Spanish, 'positive' translates to 'positivo', while in French, it's 'positif'. In Mandarin Chinese, the word for positive is ' pozitib' while in Japanese, it's 'pozitibu'.
Exploring the word 'positive' in various languages is not just a linguistic exercise, but also a cultural journey. It allows us to appreciate the nuances of different languages and understand how they reflect their cultures' values and beliefs.
Positive
Positive in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | positief | ||
| The Afrikaans word "positief" can also mean "certain" or "definite" in English. | |||
| Amharic | አዎንታዊ | ||
| The Amharic word "አዎንታዊ" (positive) is derived from the verb "አወነ" (to say yes), suggesting a connotation of affirmation and agreement. | |||
| Hausa | tabbatacce | ||
| The word "tabbatacce" can refer to a state of certainty or conviction. | |||
| Igbo | dị mma | ||
| Dị mma also refers to 'being in a state of peace or wellness', which could extend to 'having a positive outlook', hence its connotation as 'positivity'. | |||
| Malagasy | tsara | ||
| The word "tsara" can also mean "good" or "beautiful". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zabwino | ||
| The word "zabwino" can also refer to "good things" or "benefits". | |||
| Shona | zvakanaka | ||
| "Zvakanaka" is a Shona word that can mean "beautiful," "good," or "pleasant." | |||
| Somali | togan | ||
| The word "togan" in Somali can also mean "agreed" or "accepted". | |||
| Sesotho | e ntle | ||
| The word "entle" in Sesotho can also refer to "goodness," "kindness," or "beauty." | |||
| Swahili | chanya | ||
| "Chanya" in Swahili also means "light" and is cognate with "chanja," meaning "to ignite, burn, or lighten something." | |||
| Xhosa | kulungile | ||
| The Xhosa word "kulungile" can also mean "good" or "well" in English. | |||
| Yoruba | rere | ||
| The Yoruba word "rere" can also mean "beautiful" or "good" in the sense of being morally upright or virtuous. | |||
| Zulu | okuhle | ||
| The Zulu word "okuhle" shares the same root as the word "ukhanya," meaning "light." | |||
| Bambara | sɔnsira | ||
| Ewe | si nyo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | nziza | ||
| Lingala | ya malamu | ||
| Luganda | -lungi | ||
| Sepedi | kgotsofatša | ||
| Twi (Akan) | aane | ||
Positive in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | إيجابي | ||
| In Arabic, "إيجابي" also has the alternate meaning of "current", referring to the month or year that is currently underway. | |||
| Hebrew | חִיוּבִי | ||
| The Hebrew word חִיוּבִי (positive) is derived from the root חַיָּב (obligated), and also carries the meaning of 'obligatory' or 'binding'. | |||
| Pashto | مثبت | ||
| “مثبت” is an Arabic origin word, and can also mean: "affirmative; real." | |||
| Arabic | إيجابي | ||
| In Arabic, "إيجابي" also has the alternate meaning of "current", referring to the month or year that is currently underway. | |||
Positive in Western European Languages
| Albanian | pozitive | ||
| In Albanian, 'pozitive' shares the Latin root with 'positive' but carries an additional meaning of 'certain', unlike its English cognate. | |||
| Basque | positiboa | ||
| The Basque word "positiboa" derives from the Latin adjective "positivus" meaning "real" or "factual". | |||
| Catalan | positiu | ||
| Catalan word "positiu" comes from the Latin "positīvus," meaning "fixed" or "certain." | |||
| Croatian | pozitivan | ||
| In Croatian, the word "pozitivan" can also mean "affirmative" or "certain". | |||
| Danish | positiv | ||
| In Danish, "positiv" is a false friend, and means negative, while "negativ" means positive. | |||
| Dutch | positief | ||
| In Dutch, "positief" can also mean "of this world" or "worldly", rather than "good" or "affirmative" as it does in English. | |||
| English | positive | ||
| The word 'positive' originates from the Latin word 'positivus', meaning 'firmly established'. In addition to its usual meaning, it can also mean 'capable of being affirmed' or 'explicitly stated'. | |||
| French | positif | ||
| In Old French, positif also meant 'dogmatic', 'real', and 'actual'. | |||
| Frisian | posityf | ||
| The Frisian word "posityf" is derived from Latin and also means "fixed". | |||
| Galician | positivo | ||
| In Galician, 'positivo' has an additional meaning of 'good looking'. | |||
| German | positiv | ||
| The German word "positiv" also means "photographic slide" because of its positive contrast to the negative. | |||
| Icelandic | jákvætt | ||
| The word "jákvætt" in Icelandic can also mean "affirmative" or "approval". | |||
| Irish | dearfach | ||
| The word 'dearfach' can also mean 'necessary', 'precious' or 'sincere'. | |||
| Italian | positivo | ||
| "Positivo" in Italian can also refer to the concept of "affirming" or "supporting" something, rather than its numerical or evaluative meaning. | |||
| Luxembourgish | positiv | ||
| In Luxembourgish, „positiv“ can also mean „affirmative“, „certain“ or „definitely“. | |||
| Maltese | pożittiv | ||
| The word "pożittiv" is borrowed from Italian, where it originally meant "affirmative" or "confident". | |||
| Norwegian | positivt | ||
| The Norwegian word "positivt" can also mean "certain" or "sure". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | positivo | ||
| In Portuguese, 'positivo' also means 'HIV-positive' and 'photographic'} | |||
| Scots Gaelic | deimhinneach | ||
| Spanish | positivo | ||
| Positive in Spanish can also mean HIV-positive. | |||
| Swedish | positiv | ||
| "Positiv" in Swedish originally meant an image on a photographic plate or film, with the current meaning borrowed from Latin in the 19th century. | |||
| Welsh | cadarnhaol | ||
| The word "cadarnhaol" is derived from the Welsh words "cadarn" (strong) and "haol" (cheerful or bright) | |||
Positive in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | станоўчы | ||
| The word «станоўчы» is also used in physics and mathematics to indicate the orientation of a vector, and in chemistry to denote the polarity of a molecule. | |||
| Bosnian | pozitivno | ||
| The word "pozitivno" also means "good" or "nice" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | положителен | ||
| The word "положителен" can also mean "certain" or "sure". | |||
| Czech | pozitivní | ||
| Pozitivní also means "pregnant" in Czech, an example of a euphemism that gained the same status as the original word. | |||
| Estonian | positiivne | ||
| In Estonian, "positiivne" can also mean "affirmative" or "certain". | |||
| Finnish | positiivinen | ||
| "Positiivinen" in Finnish also refers to a small Baroque keyboard instrument, a type of church organ. | |||
| Hungarian | pozitív | ||
| "Pozitív" means "positive" in Hungarian, but it also can mean "real" or "certain". | |||
| Latvian | pozitīvs | ||
| The word "pozitīvs" comes from Latin "positivus" and originally meant "established" or "fixed". | |||
| Lithuanian | teigiamas | ||
| The Lithuanian word "teigiamas" can also mean "affirmative" or "definite". | |||
| Macedonian | позитивни | ||
| The Macedonian word "позитивни" also has the meaning of "photographic". | |||
| Polish | pozytywny | ||
| The Polish word "pozytywny" also means "real" or "true", a relic of its Latin origin "positivus". | |||
| Romanian | pozitiv | ||
| In Romanian, the word "pozitiv" also means "optimistic" or "affirming". | |||
| Russian | положительный | ||
| "Positive" in Russian can mean both "positive" and "positive pole or charge". | |||
| Serbian | позитивно | ||
| The word "позитивно" in Serbian can also mean "positively" or "affirmatively". | |||
| Slovak | pozitívne | ||
| The Slovak word "pozitívne" also has the meaning of "real" or "actual". | |||
| Slovenian | pozitivno | ||
| The word "pozitivno" has a secondary meaning in Slovenian, meaning "true", which it likely derives from its primary meaning "positive". | |||
| Ukrainian | позитивні | ||
| The word "позитивні" can also mean "positive electric charges" in Ukrainian. | |||
Positive in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ধনাত্মক | ||
| The Bengali word "ধনাত্মক" is also used in a mathematical context to mean "addition" or "gain" | |||
| Gujarati | હકારાત્મક | ||
| Hindi | सकारात्मक | ||
| The word "सकारात्मक" (positive) in Hindi can refer to something that is beneficial, favorable, or optimistic, or to a mathematical value greater than zero. | |||
| Kannada | ಧನಾತ್ಮಕ | ||
| In Kannada, "ಧನಾತ್ಮಕ" ("dhanātmaka") also has the alternate meaning of "auspicious". | |||
| Malayalam | പോസിറ്റീവ് | ||
| Marathi | सकारात्मक | ||
| The word 'सकारात्मक' in Marathi has other meanings such as 'favorable' and 'agreeable'. | |||
| Nepali | सकारात्मक | ||
| सकारात्मक is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Sakara' which means 'with form' or 'manifested', and is often used to describe something that is tangible or real. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਕਾਰਾਤਮਕ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ධනාත්මක | ||
| The term "ධනාත්මක" also carries the meaning of "rich" or "wealthy" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | நேர்மறை | ||
| The Tamil word "நேர்மறை" has the alternate meaning of "correctness" when used in contexts such as mathematics or grammar. | |||
| Telugu | అనుకూల | ||
| The word 'అనుకూల' can also mean 'favorable', 'suitable', or 'agreeable' in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | مثبت | ||
| مثبت means "sure" or "certain" and can also be used in relation to something good or desirable | |||
Positive in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 正 | ||
| The Chinese character 正 ('positive') originates from the image of a person standing upright, hence its connotation of order and correctness. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 正 | ||
| 正, in Chinese, originally referred to the orientation of a building relative to the sun. | |||
| Japanese | ポジティブ | ||
| The word ポジティブ (positive) in Japanese can also mean "affirmative" or "agreeing". | |||
| Korean | 양 | ||
| The word "양" in Korean can also refer to the direction "east" or to "the sun". | |||
| Mongolian | эерэг | ||
| The word "эерэг" in Mongolian can also refer to "correct", "true", or "good". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အပြုသဘော | ||
| The word "အပြုသဘော" is derived from Pali and means "wholesome" or "good", and can also refer to "merit" or "virtue" in Buddhism. | |||
Positive in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | positif | ||
| In Indonesian, "positif" (literally meaning "certain") can also have the meanings "accurate" or "correct (grammatically)" | |||
| Javanese | positif | ||
| The Javanese word 'positif' is derived from the Dutch word 'positief' and also means 'affirmative'. | |||
| Khmer | វិជ្ជមាន | ||
| The word "វិជ្ជមាន" in Khmer is derived from the Sanskrit word "vijñāna", which means "knowledge" or "understanding." | |||
| Lao | ໃນທາງບວກ | ||
| Malay | positif | ||
| The Malay word 'positif' can also mean 'certain' or 'sure'. | |||
| Thai | บวก | ||
| The word "บวก" (positive) in Thai can also mean "plus" in mathematics or "to add". | |||
| Vietnamese | tích cực | ||
| The word "tích cực" originated from the Chinese word "積極", which means "active" or "dynamic". In Vietnamese, it has been borrowed and now means "positive" or "good". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | positibo | ||
Positive in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | müsbət | ||
| "Müsbet" is a Farsi loanword, which means "affirmative" in Azerbaijani | |||
| Kazakh | оң | ||
| In Turkic languages, 'оң' means right (side), while 'сол' means left (side), suggesting a possible historical connection to directional orientation. | |||
| Kyrgyz | оң | ||
| The word "оң" in Kyrgyz can also mean "right" (as opposed to "left"). | |||
| Tajik | мусбат | ||
| The word "мусбат" in Tajik, meaning "positive", is derived from the Arabic word "muṣbaṭ", meaning "affirmative" or "certain". | |||
| Turkmen | oňyn | ||
| Uzbek | ijobiy | ||
| The word "ijobiy" in Uzbek ultimately derives from the Arabic word "ijābī", meaning "responsive" or "affirmative". | |||
| Uyghur | مۇسبەت | ||
Positive in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | maikaʻi | ||
| The word “maikaʻi“ is derived from an older word that meant “to breathe or live” | |||
| Maori | takatika | ||
| The word "takatika" can be traced back to the Polynesian word "takatāka", meaning "courageous" or "warrior-like." | |||
| Samoan | lelei | ||
| The Samoan word 'lelei' also means 'good' or 'pleasant'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | positibo | ||
| "Positibo" in Tagalog can also mean 'definitely' or 'of course' in affirmative responses or 'exactly' when indicating agreement. | |||
Positive in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ukhampuni | ||
| Guarani | py'aporã | ||
Positive in International Languages
| Esperanto | pozitiva | ||
| Esperanto's 'pozitiva' comes from Latin 'positivus,' meaning 'set down,' 'firm,' and 'real.' | |||
| Latin | positive | ||
| The Latin word "positivus" means "placed" or "set in place". | |||
Positive in Others Languages
| Greek | θετικός | ||
| The Greek word θετικός "positive" can derive from either τίθημι "to place, set" or τίω "to honor". | |||
| Hmong | zoo | ||
| In addition to its common translation that means "positive," the Hmong word "zoo" sometimes also refers to one's "mind" or "intention." | |||
| Kurdish | pozîtîf | ||
| The Kurdish word 'pozîtîf' is derived from the French word 'positif', which in turn comes from the Latin word 'positivus', meaning 'placed' or 'set in place' | |||
| Turkish | pozitif | ||
| In Turkish, "pozitif" not only means "positive," but also "infamous" and "infected." | |||
| Xhosa | kulungile | ||
| The Xhosa word "kulungile" can also mean "good" or "well" in English. | |||
| Yiddish | positive | ||
| In Yiddish, positive can also mean 'certain' or 'real'. | |||
| Zulu | okuhle | ||
| The Zulu word "okuhle" shares the same root as the word "ukhanya," meaning "light." | |||
| Assamese | ধনাত্মক | ||
| Aymara | ukhampuni | ||
| Bhojpuri | आशावादी | ||
| Dhivehi | ޕޮޒިޓިވް | ||
| Dogri | बेफिक्र | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | positibo | ||
| Guarani | py'aporã | ||
| Ilocano | positibo | ||
| Krio | gud | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئەرێنی | ||
| Maithili | सकारात्मक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯐꯕ | ||
| Mizo | dik | ||
| Oromo | qajeelaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସକରାତ୍ମକ | | ||
| Quechua | positivo | ||
| Sanskrit | सकारात्मकः | ||
| Tatar | уңай | ||
| Tigrinya | ኣወንታዊ | ||
| Tsonga | swa kahle | ||