Presence in Different Languages
Discover 'Presence' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'presence' carries a significant weight in our daily lives and in various cultural contexts. It represents the state of being here and now, the aura of a person or thing, or even a supernatural entity. The concept of presence has been explored in philosophy, psychology, and spirituality, and it continues to be a topic of interest in modern discourse.
Presence is a universal concept, and its significance transcends linguistic and cultural boundaries. For instance, in Spanish, 'presence' is translated as 'presencia,' while in French, it is 'présence.' These translations may seem straightforward, but they highlight the global relevance of the term and its importance in cross-cultural communication.
Moreover, understanding the translation of presence in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultural nuances and worldviews of various societies. For example, in Japanese, the term 'ima' conveys a sense of presence that emphasizes the importance of the present moment. Meanwhile, in German, 'Anwesenheit' implies a physical and tangible sense of presence.
In the following list, you will find the translations of presence in various languages, shedding light on the global significance of this term and its cultural importance.
Presence
Presence in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | teenwoordigheid | ||
| The word "teenwoordigheid" in Afrikaans, ultimately derived from Dutch, combines the prefix "teen" (towards) with the noun "woordigheid" (dignity), yielding the sense of being present with dignity and respect. | |||
| Amharic | መኖር | ||
| In Amharic, | |||
| Hausa | kasancewar | ||
| "Kasancewar" derives from "kasance," meaning "state of being" or "existence," highlighting the dynamic and transient nature of presence. | |||
| Igbo | ọnụnọ | ||
| Ọnụnọ or Ọnụnu is the Igbo word for presence and also means "to come out" and "to be present". | |||
| Malagasy | fanatrehany | ||
| "Fanatrehany" is also used to refer to a person's appearance, demeanor, or reputation. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kukhalapo | ||
| The word "kukhalapo" in Nyanja can also mean "to remain" or "to be present in a place for a long time." | |||
| Shona | kuvapo | ||
| The word "kuvapo" in Shona, is derived from the root "-va-, which also means existence and life. | |||
| Somali | joogitaanka | ||
| Sesotho | boteng | ||
| The word "boteng" can also refer to a "place" or "space" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | uwepo | ||
| Uwepo in Swahili can also mean "existence" or "availability." | |||
| Xhosa | ubukho | ||
| Derived from the verb "ukubukha," meaning to come into being, or to appear. | |||
| Yoruba | niwaju | ||
| The Yoruba word "niwaju" also means "before" or "in front of". | |||
| Zulu | ubukhona | ||
| Ubukhona can also mean "existence" or, especially when used in a religious context, "being" or "essence." | |||
| Bambara | sen jɔ | ||
| Ewe | amegbɔnɔnɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kuboneka | ||
| Lingala | kozala | ||
| Luganda | okubeerawo | ||
| Sepedi | go ba gona | ||
| Twi (Akan) | wɔ hɔ | ||
Presence in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | حضور | ||
| The Arabic word "حضور" (ḥuḍūr) also carries the meanings of "attendance" and "presence of mind or thought" | |||
| Hebrew | נוכחות | ||
| The Modern Hebrew noun "נוכחות" ("presence") derives from Biblical Hebrew, where it means "front," "face," or "appearance." | |||
| Pashto | شتون | ||
| The word "شتون" in Pashto can also mean "a place of shelter" or "an abode". | |||
| Arabic | حضور | ||
| The Arabic word "حضور" (ḥuḍūr) also carries the meanings of "attendance" and "presence of mind or thought" | |||
Presence in Western European Languages
| Albanian | prania | ||
| In Albanian, "prania" can also mean "appearance" or "manifestation". | |||
| Basque | presentzia | ||
| The Basque word "presentzia" comes from the Latin "praesentia", meaning "being present" or "appearance", and is related to the verb "presentatu" (to present). | |||
| Catalan | presència | ||
| The Catalan word "presència" originates from the Latin word "praesens", meaning "present" or "existing". | |||
| Croatian | prisutnost | ||
| The Croatian word "prisutnost" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *pritъ, which also gave rise to the words "pritok" (affluent), "prihod" (income), and "priča" (story). | |||
| Danish | tilstedeværelse | ||
| The word "tilstedeværelse" can also mean "attendance" or "occurrence". | |||
| Dutch | aanwezigheid | ||
| In Dutch, "aanwezigheid" can also refer to the administrative record of someone's attendance at a meeting or event. | |||
| English | presence | ||
| The English word "presence" ultimately derives from the Latin word "prae-esse," meaning "to be in front of" or "to preside over." | |||
| French | présence | ||
| The French word "présence" derives from the Latin "praesentia", meaning "being in front". | |||
| Frisian | oanwêzigens | ||
| The word "oanwêzigens" in Frisian is thought to originate from the Old Frisian word "onwezand" meaning "absence" or "lack}. | |||
| Galician | presenza | ||
| In Galician, "presenza" can also mean "pregnancy" or "appearance". | |||
| German | gegenwart | ||
| The German word "Gegenwart" comes from the Middle High German "gegenwärte" and means both "presence" and "present time". | |||
| Icelandic | nærvera | ||
| The word "nærvera" is of Old Norse origin, and it originally meant "attention" or "awareness". | |||
| Irish | láithreacht | ||
| Italian | presenza | ||
| "Presenza" derives from the Latin verb "prae-esse", meaning "to be before, to come in front of" | |||
| Luxembourgish | präsenz | ||
| In Luxembourgish, the word "Präsenz" can also refer to "attendance" or "class register". | |||
| Maltese | preżenza | ||
| The Maltese word "preżenza" can also refer to a specific type of traditional Maltese bread. | |||
| Norwegian | tilstedeværelse | ||
| Cognate with Swedish "tillstäd" and Danish "tilstede"; all of them coming from an obsolete Germanic word that means "to stand by". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | presença | ||
| In Portuguese, "presença" refers to both physical presence and attendance, but it can also mean the presence of a spirit or an impression of someone or something, including in a literary work. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | làthaireachd | ||
| Làthaireachd can also refer to a ghostly or otherworldly apparition, or an ominous atmosphere or feeling. | |||
| Spanish | presencia | ||
| "Presencia" can also mean "presentation," "appearance," or even "ghost." | |||
| Swedish | närvaro | ||
| The word "närvaro" can also refer to the state of being present, the degree to which someone is attentive, or the number of people present in a given space. | |||
| Welsh | presenoldeb | ||
| The word 'presenoldeb' is derived from the Latin 'praesentia', meaning 'presence', and can also refer to 'a being present', 'a manifestation', or 'a gift'. | |||
Presence in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | прысутнасць | ||
| The word "прысутнасць" also has a legal meaning, referring to the presence of a person in a particular place at a specific time. | |||
| Bosnian | prisustvo | ||
| The word 'prisustvo', meaning presence in Bosnian, is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'prisǫtь', which also means 'presence' or 'arrival'. | |||
| Bulgarian | присъствие | ||
| The word "присъствие" also means "attendance" and "participation". | |||
| Czech | přítomnost | ||
| Přítomnost in Czech also means "current" or "present" when used in context of time. | |||
| Estonian | kohalolek | ||
| The word "kohalolek" is derived from "kohal", meaning "place" or "location", and "olek", meaning "state" or "condition". | |||
| Finnish | läsnäolo | ||
| 'Läsnäolo' shares its root with 'läsnä', meaning 'nearby', and 'läsnä olla', meaning 'to be present'. | |||
| Hungarian | jelenlét | ||
| Jelenlét, related to "jelen", "current", can also mean "current account" in finance. | |||
| Latvian | klātbūtne | ||
| ''Klātbūtne'' (presence) derives from the Proto-Baltic (and also Proto-Indo-European) root *klei- ('to lean') and **-tbūtne** (-ness, -hood). | |||
| Lithuanian | buvimas | ||
| The Lithuanian word "buvimas" also has meanings of "being" or "existence". | |||
| Macedonian | присуство | ||
| The word "присуство" can be derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*prisǫtje", which also means "presence". | |||
| Polish | obecność | ||
| The word "obecność" can also refer to a military roster or a census. | |||
| Romanian | prezenţă | ||
| The Romanian word "prezenţă" is cognate with the French word "présence" and the English word "presence", all deriving from the Latin word "praesentia". In Romanian, "prezenţă" also means "attendance" or "roll call". | |||
| Russian | присутствие | ||
| The Russian word "присутствие" (pri-sut'-stvi-ye) also carries the meanings of "authority," "representation," and "office." | |||
| Serbian | присуство | ||
| The Serbian word "присуство" (presence) also refers to a compulsory attendance at a certain place or event. | |||
| Slovak | prítomnosť | ||
| The Slovak term "prítomnosť" originally referred to the act or state of being in the same room as someone, but later broadened to include any kind of presence, whether physical, spiritual or conceptual. | |||
| Slovenian | prisotnost | ||
| Prisotnost has the same root as “prisluhniti” (to listen) and “prisoliti” (to salt), implying 'to be by' as well as 'to add'. | |||
| Ukrainian | присутність | ||
| The word "присутність" in Ukrainian can also refer to a "jury" or "commission". | |||
Presence in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | উপস্থিতি | ||
| উপস্থিতি is derived from the word "উপসথ", meaning "to be near" or "to be present". | |||
| Gujarati | હાજરી | ||
| The Gujarati word 'હાજરી' comes from the Persian word 'حاضر' (Haazir) and has alternate meanings such as 'attendance', 'availability', and 'readiness'. | |||
| Hindi | उपस्थिति | ||
| उपस्थिति also means a gift or an offering made in a religious ceremony. | |||
| Kannada | ಉಪಸ್ಥಿತಿ | ||
| The word "উপস্থিತಿ" (upasthithi) is borrowed from Sanskrit and also means "attendance". | |||
| Malayalam | സാന്നിദ്ധ്യം | ||
| Marathi | उपस्थिती | ||
| 'उपस्थित' comes from the Sanskrit word 'उप-स्थित' ('upa-sthita'), meaning 'that which is present or placed near'. | |||
| Nepali | उपस्थिति | ||
| The word उपस्थिति, derived from Sanskrit, also denotes appearance, existence, and availability. | |||
| Punjabi | ਮੌਜੂਦਗੀ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පැමිණීම | ||
| Tamil | இருப்பு | ||
| The word 'இருப்பு' ('presence') in Tamil also refers to 'material wealth' or 'balance of an account'. | |||
| Telugu | ఉనికి | ||
| "ఉనికి" also signifies the physical place of existence, as well as the state of being present or available. | |||
| Urdu | موجودگی | ||
| The Persian word "موجودیت" literally means "being". In Urdu, it's also used to refer to one's "presence" or "existence". | |||
Presence in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 存在 | ||
| The word 存在 (cúnzài) is composed of the characters 存 (cún), meaning "to exist," and 在 (zài), meaning "to be present," and can also refer to a person's state of being or a philosophical concept. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 存在 | ||
| 「存在」一詞在漢語中有「居留」、「實有」和「實體」等多種含義。 | |||
| Japanese | プレゼンス | ||
| The word "プレゼンス" (presence) in Japanese can also mean "aura" or "charisma." | |||
| Korean | 존재 | ||
| "존재" (presence) also means "existence" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | оршихуй | ||
| "Оршихуй" is the Mongolian loanword from Sanskrit "उपस्थिति" (upasthiti), meaning "standing nearby". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရှိနေခြင်း | ||
Presence in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kehadiran | ||
| Kehadiran can also refer to 'attendance', 'availability', or 'existence'. | |||
| Javanese | anane | ||
| The word "anane" in Javanese is also used to refer to a specific type of offering made during a religious ceremony. | |||
| Khmer | វត្តមាន | ||
| The Khmer term វត្តមាន (presence) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'varttamāna', meaning 'being present' or 'happening'. | |||
| Lao | ມີ | ||
| The word "ມີ" ("presence") in Lao can also mean "to have" or "to possess". | |||
| Malay | kehadiran | ||
| In Javanese, 'kehadiran' also means 'income' | |||
| Thai | การปรากฏตัว | ||
| การปรากฏตัว also means "apparition" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | sự hiện diện | ||
| "Sự hiện diện" can also mean "attendance" or "manifestation" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | presensya | ||
Presence in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | varlıq | ||
| The word "varlıq" can also refer to "existence" or "substance" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | қатысу | ||
| In Tatar, the word "катыш" means "participation" and "connection," akin to its Kazakh counterpart. | |||
| Kyrgyz | катышуу | ||
| In Kyrgyz, "катышуу" can also mean "participation" or "attendance". | |||
| Tajik | ҳузур | ||
| The word "ҳузур" may derive from the Sogdian word "xšwhr" meaning "prince" or "nobleman". | |||
| Turkmen | barlygy | ||
| Uzbek | mavjudlik | ||
| The word "mavjudlik" in Uzbek can also mean "existence" or "being", and is derived from the Persian word "mowjud", which has the same meanings. | |||
| Uyghur | مەۋجۇت | ||
Presence in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | alo | ||
| In Hawaiian the word "alo" derives from the Proto-Austronesian word *calu "shadow, reflection, shade," which also led to the word "halo" in English | |||
| Maori | tuhinga o mua | ||
| The word "tuhinga" can also mean "writing" or "text" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | afio mai | ||
| “Afio mai” is a respectful term used to greet someone who is entering a room or space. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | presensya | ||
| In old Tagalog, "presensya" also meant "respect," and was often used to address superiors. | |||
Presence in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | chikanchasita | ||
| Guarani | tovake | ||
Presence in International Languages
| Esperanto | ĉeesto | ||
| It can also be used to refer to a person's charisma or stage presence. | |||
| Latin | praesentia | ||
| The Latin word "praesentia" originates from the combination of the prefix "prae-," meaning "before," and the verb "esse," meaning "to be". | |||
Presence in Others Languages
| Greek | παρουσία | ||
| The word "παρουσία" in Greek also translates to "coming" or "second coming" in a biblical context. | |||
| Hmong | muaj | ||
| Muaj in Hmong has multiple meanings depending on whether it is used in the context of a ghost, shaman, or ritual. | |||
| Kurdish | dema amade | ||
| The word "dema amade" can also refer to a person's stature or demeanor. | |||
| Turkish | mevcudiyet | ||
| "Mevcudiyet" kelimesi "mevcud" fiilinden türemiştir, "varlık" anlamına da gelir. | |||
| Xhosa | ubukho | ||
| Derived from the verb "ukubukha," meaning to come into being, or to appear. | |||
| Yiddish | בייַזייַן | ||
| The Yiddish word בייַזייַן ('presence') also means 'being' or 'there'. | |||
| Zulu | ubukhona | ||
| Ubukhona can also mean "existence" or, especially when used in a religious context, "being" or "essence." | |||
| Assamese | উপস্থিতি | ||
| Aymara | chikanchasita | ||
| Bhojpuri | उपस्थिति | ||
| Dhivehi | ޙާޒިރުގައި | ||
| Dogri | मजूदगी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | presensya | ||
| Guarani | tovake | ||
| Ilocano | kaadda | ||
| Krio | de de | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هەبوون | ||
| Maithili | उपस्थिति | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯩꯗꯨꯅ | ||
| Mizo | awmna | ||
| Oromo | argamuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଉପସ୍ଥିତି | | ||
| Quechua | kay | ||
| Sanskrit | उपस्थिति | ||
| Tatar | барлыгы | ||
| Tigrinya | ህላወ | ||
| Tsonga | vukona | ||