Priority in Different Languages
Discover 'Priority' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'priority' holds great significance in our daily lives, helping us determine the importance and urgency of our tasks. Its cultural importance is evident in various societies, where it is used to establish order, manage time, and achieve goals. Understanding the translation of 'priority' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how different cultures prioritize and value tasks.
Did you know that the word 'priority' was first used in the English language in the 14th century, derived from the Latin word 'prioritas'? It originally referred to something that was 'first' or 'previous' in rank, time, or importance. Today, the word has taken on a more general meaning, referring to anything that is more important than something else.
If you're interested in learning more about how different cultures prioritize tasks, then you'll want to know the translation of 'priority' in different languages. Here are a few examples to get you started:
- Spanish: 'prioridad'
- French: 'priorité'
- German: 'Priorität'
- Mandarin: '优先' (yōu xiān)
- Japanese: '優先' (yūsen)
Priority
Priority in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | prioriteit | ||
| "Prioriteit" is derived from the Latin "prior" (earlier) and "-itas" (quality), referring to the quality of being earlier in time or importance. | |||
| Amharic | ቅድሚያ የሚሰጠው | ||
| Pronounced as k'idimiya yimisetewe, the word is derived from the root word 'k'edama' (to precede) and 'miyaziya' (being given importance). | |||
| Hausa | fifiko | ||
| The Hausa word "fifiko" also means "first, beginning, or origin." | |||
| Igbo | mkpa | ||
| "Mkpa" is also used to refer to the "forehead" in Igbo, symbolizing the importance and prominence of what is a priority. | |||
| Malagasy | laharampahamehana | ||
| 'LAHARA' refers to a river and 'MPAHA' refers to a rock, and together mean 'a river's current hitting a rock', signifying that 'priority' is not given to an individual, but to the issue being discussed. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | patsogolo | ||
| The word "patsogolo" is borrowed from English and has the same meaning. | |||
| Shona | kukoshesa | ||
| The word "kukoshesa" is derived from the Shona root word "koshora" which means "bind". It can also refer to the act of tying or fastening together. | |||
| Somali | mudnaanta | ||
| "Mudnaanta" is an important concept in Somali culture, where prioritizing family and community obligations is highly valued. | |||
| Sesotho | pele | ||
| The word "pele" can also mean "first" or "beginning". | |||
| Swahili | kipaumbele | ||
| The word "kipaumbele" comes from the verb "paumbele," which means "to put first." | |||
| Xhosa | kuqala | ||
| The word "kuqala" can also mean "to go ahead" or "to start." | |||
| Yoruba | ayo | ||
| "Ayo" also denotes a game played on a wooden board with 12 shallow holes, 6 on each side. | |||
| Zulu | okuza kuqala | ||
| The phrase 'okuza kuqala' can also mean 'to appear first' or 'to go in front'. | |||
| Bambara | min bɛ kɛ fɔlɔ | ||
| Ewe | nu si le veviẽ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | icyambere | ||
| Lingala | ya ntina mingi | ||
| Luganda | kyankizo nyo | ||
| Sepedi | bohlokwa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | asɛnhia | ||
Priority in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أفضلية | ||
| It could also mean ‘distinction’ or ‘singularity’. | |||
| Hebrew | עדיפות | ||
| עדיפות in Hebrew can also mean preference and superiority | |||
| Pashto | لومړیتوب | ||
| The word "لومړیتوب" (priority) is derived from the Arabic word "أولوية" (priority), which also means "preference". This suggests that the concept of priority in Pashto is closely linked to the idea of preferential treatment. | |||
| Arabic | أفضلية | ||
| It could also mean ‘distinction’ or ‘singularity’. | |||
Priority in Western European Languages
| Albanian | përparësi | ||
| "Përparësi" derives from "përparë" (forward, ahead) and carries the notion of advancement and precedence. | |||
| Basque | lehentasuna | ||
| The word "lehentasuna" can also mean "right of way" or "preference" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | prioritat | ||
| The Catalan word "prioritat" originates from the Latin word "prioritas" which means "the state of being first". | |||
| Croatian | prioritet | ||
| The Croatian word "prioritet" originates from the Latin word "prioritas", meaning "the state of being first in time, place, or importance." | |||
| Danish | prioritet | ||
| Prioritet shares its etymology with the words 'previous' and 'prime'. | |||
| Dutch | prioriteit | ||
| The word "prioriteit" (priority) in Dutch can also mean "priority mail" or "priority right." | |||
| English | priority | ||
| Priority derives from the Latin 'prior,' meaning "earlier in time or rank", from 'comparative' of 'primus,' "first." | |||
| French | priorité | ||
| The French word "priorité" can also mean "seniority" or "precedence". | |||
| Frisian | prioriteit | ||
| In Frisian, "prioriteit" can also mean "precedence". | |||
| Galician | prioridade | ||
| In Galician, "prioridade" has an alternate meaning of "superiority" or "supremacy". | |||
| German | priorität | ||
| Der Begriff "Priorität" leitet sich vom lateinischen Wort "prior" ab, was "früher" oder "vorderer" bedeutet. | |||
| Icelandic | forgangsröðun | ||
| This word derives from the Old Norse words "forgangr" (lead) and "röðun" (order), referring to the "line in front" or "leading order" in Icelandic | |||
| Irish | tosaíocht | ||
| The word "tosaíocht" derives from the Irish verb "tosaigh" meaning "to begin" or "to start". This reflects the idea that "priority" refers to the order in which things should be done. | |||
| Italian | priorità | ||
| The word "priorità" derives from the Latin term "prioritas," meaning "the state of being earlier in time, place, or rank." | |||
| Luxembourgish | prioritéit | ||
| Maltese | prijorità | ||
| The Maltese term "prijorità" (priority) derives from the Latin "prior" (earlier in time or order) and entered the language through Italian. | |||
| Norwegian | prioritet | ||
| The word "prioritet" in Norwegian has Latin origins, coming from the word "prior" and "prioritas" meaning "first" or "earlier". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | prioridade | ||
| "Prioridade" can also mean "precedence" or "seniority" in Portuguese | |||
| Scots Gaelic | prìomhachas | ||
| The word "prìomhachas" is derived from the combination of "prìomh" (main) and "ceannas" (control), indicating the idea of having the most control or influence. | |||
| Spanish | prioridad | ||
| La palabra "prioridad" proviene del latín "prior", que significa "primero en el tiempo o en importancia" y también puede referirse a "derecho o privilegio". | |||
| Swedish | prioritet | ||
| The Swedish word prioritet is derived from the Latin word prioritas, which means "precedence" or "superiority" | |||
| Welsh | blaenoriaeth | ||
| Blaenoriaeth also means 'the beginning' in Welsh, showing the relationship between the beginning and having priority. | |||
Priority in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | прыярытэт | ||
| The word "прыярытэт" can also refer to a document that lists priorities. | |||
| Bosnian | prioritet | ||
| The word 'prioritet' comes from Latin, where it originally meant 'former in rank'. | |||
| Bulgarian | приоритет | ||
| "Приоритет" is derived from the Latin word "prioritas". It has the alternate meaning of "preeminence" in Russian. | |||
| Czech | přednost | ||
| Přednost means 'priority' but can also denote a 'prejudice' or a 'preference' in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | prioriteet | ||
| The Estonian word "prioriteet" shares a common origin with the English "prior" and "primary," reflecting its fundamental sense of "coming first" or "having precedence." | |||
| Finnish | etusijalle | ||
| "Etusijalle" is a combination of the words "etu" (front, priority) and "sija" (place, position) | |||
| Hungarian | kiemelten fontos | ||
| The word "kiemelten fontos", meaning "priority", literally translates to "especially important". | |||
| Latvian | prioritāte | ||
| The Latvian word “prioritāte” is an adopted form of the Greek word “προτέραιoτης,” which was used by the philosophers of antiquity to emphasize the most important argument in a set of alternatives. | |||
| Lithuanian | prioritetas | ||
| "Prioritetas" is derived from the Latin word "prior" (first) and the suffix "-itas" (quality or state), signifying the condition of being first or foremost. | |||
| Macedonian | приоритет | ||
| In Russian, 'приоритет' can also mean 'advantage' or 'privilege'. | |||
| Polish | priorytet | ||
| In Polish, "priorytet" can also mean "a right of precedence" or "a privilege". | |||
| Romanian | prioritate | ||
| In Romanian, the word "prioritate" can also mean "right of way" or "precedence." | |||
| Russian | приоритет | ||
| The word "приоритет" also means "privilege" or "advantage" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | приоритет | ||
| A cognate of its English counterpart, derived from the same Latin root.} | |||
| Slovak | prioritou | ||
| The Slovak word "prioritou" (priority) comes from the Latin word "priorari" (to be earlier in time or rank) and is thus related to the word "priority" in English. | |||
| Slovenian | prednostna naloga | ||
| The Slovene word 'prednostna naloga' is a compound of 'prednost' (advantage, precedence) and 'naloga' (task). | |||
| Ukrainian | пріоритет | ||
| "Пріоритет" comes from Latin "prior" (first) and French "priorite" (precedence). It can also mean "privilege" or "advantage" in Ukrainian. | |||
Priority in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অগ্রাধিকার | ||
| Derived from Sanskrit 'Agra' meaning front, foremost and 'adhik' meaning 'above', it also refers to the person having the right to perform a funeral. | |||
| Gujarati | પ્રાથમિકતા | ||
| प्राथमिकता is a loanword of "priority" and has the alternate meaning of "elementary" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | वरीयता | ||
| वरीयता's (priority) root word is 'वर' and it also means 'better choice'. | |||
| Kannada | ಆದ್ಯತೆ | ||
| The word | |||
| Malayalam | മുൻഗണന | ||
| The Malayalam word "മുൻഗണന" ultimately derives from the Sanskrit word "पूर्वगणाना" (pūrva gaṇanā), meaning "earlier enumeration", and is related to the words for "first" and "initial". | |||
| Marathi | प्राधान्य | ||
| The word "प्राधान्य" ("priority") in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word "प्रधान" ("chief"), which also means "primary" or "essential". | |||
| Nepali | प्राथमिकता | ||
| The word "प्राथमिकता" (priority) in Nepali derives from the Sanskrit word "प्रधान" (chief, principal), signifying the importance or precedence of something. | |||
| Punjabi | ਤਰਜੀਹ | ||
| "ਤਰਜੀਹ" is derived from the Persian word "tarjiḥ" which means to prefer. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ප්රමුඛතාවය | ||
| "ප්රමුඛතාවය" is used to describe something that needs to be given extra attention, or that has the most importance, or that must be done first | |||
| Tamil | முன்னுரிமை | ||
| The word "முன்னுரிமை" is also used to refer to the right of way or precedence. | |||
| Telugu | ప్రాధాన్యత | ||
| Urdu | ترجیح | ||
| The word "ترجیح" also means "preference" in Arabic. | |||
Priority in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 优先 | ||
| 优先 means 'priority' in English. In addition to that meaning, it can also mean 'urgent', 'important', or 'first-class'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 優先 | ||
| The Chinese character "優先" can also mean "urgent" or "important". | |||
| Japanese | 優先 | ||
| The Japanese word '優先' (priority) can also refer to 'precedence' or 'preference'. | |||
| Korean | 우선 순위 | ||
| 우선 순위 contains the Hanja 優先順位, which translates to "a priority order". | |||
| Mongolian | тэргүүлэх чиглэл | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဦး စားပေး | ||
Priority in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | prioritas | ||
| In Indonesian, 'prioritas' can also mean 'preference' or 'important matter'. | |||
| Javanese | prioritas | ||
| The Javanese word "prioritas" is derived from the Dutch word "prioriteit", which itself comes from the Latin word "prior", meaning "earlier" or "first". | |||
| Khmer | អាទិភាព | ||
| The word "អាទិភាព" has multiple meanings and can refer to either "the state of being first" or "the state of being more important than something else." | |||
| Lao | ບຸລິມະສິດ | ||
| Malay | keutamaan | ||
| "Keutamaan" also means "excellence" or "preeminence" in Indonesian and Javanese. | |||
| Thai | ลำดับความสำคัญ | ||
| The word "ลำดับความสำคัญ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "क्रम" (krama), meaning "order, sequence, or arrangement." | |||
| Vietnamese | sự ưu tiên | ||
| The Vietnamese word "sự ưu tiên" can also mean "preferences", "prerequisites", or "importance". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | priority | ||
Priority in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | prioritet | ||
| The word 'prioritet' is derived from the Latin word 'prior', meaning 'former' or 'preceding'. | |||
| Kazakh | басымдық | ||
| Басымдық's etymology derives from 'бас' ('head') indicating 'the top of the list'. | |||
| Kyrgyz | артыкчылык | ||
| Tajik | афзалият | ||
| The word "афзалият" can also mean "excellence" or "superiority" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | ileri tutulýan ugur | ||
| Uzbek | ustuvorlik | ||
| Notably, the Uzbek "ustuvorlik" also means "mastery" in the sense of possession as well as "supremacy". | |||
| Uyghur | ھەممىدىن مۇھىم | ||
Priority in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | makakoho | ||
| The word “makakoho” can also mean “before” or “preceding” in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | kaupapa matua | ||
| The term kaupapa matua is often used in a more abstract sense to refer to founding policies, frameworks, or principles. | |||
| Samoan | faʻamuamua | ||
| The word "faʻamuamua" in Samoan comes from the root word "muamua" meaning "first" or "in front," emphasizing the idea of precedence or giving first consideration to something. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | prayoridad | ||
| The Tagalog word "prayoridad" originated from the Spanish word "prioridad" meaning "precedence". | |||
Priority in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | nayraqata | ||
| Guarani | ñemotenonde | ||
Priority in International Languages
| Esperanto | prioritato | ||
| Esperanto's "prioritato" derives from the Latin "prior" (former, preceding) and the Esperanto suffix "-at(o)" (action or result of an action), meaning "the action or result of being former or preceding." | |||
| Latin | prioritas | ||
| "Prioritas" derives from the Latin adjective "prior," meaning "former" or "first," implying a sense of precedence or importance. | |||
Priority in Others Languages
| Greek | προτεραιότητα | ||
| The Greek word "προτεραιότητα" (priority) derives from the Ancient Greek "πρότερος" (prόteros), meaning "earlier, before". | |||
| Hmong | qhov muaj feem thib | ||
| Kurdish | pêşeyî | ||
| The word 'pêşeyî' in Kurdish, meaning 'priority', is thought to originate from the Persian word 'pîşî', meaning 'precedence' or 'foremost'. It is also possibly related to the Arabic word 'sabqa', meaning 'preference' or 'superIORITY'. | |||
| Turkish | öncelik | ||
| "Öncelik" originally meant "first front" in Turkish and is still used in that sense in some contexts. | |||
| Xhosa | kuqala | ||
| The word "kuqala" can also mean "to go ahead" or "to start." | |||
| Yiddish | בילכערקייַט | ||
| בילכערקייַט is an alternate Yiddish spelling for פּריאритеט, the Yiddish borrowing from the French priorité. | |||
| Zulu | okuza kuqala | ||
| The phrase 'okuza kuqala' can also mean 'to appear first' or 'to go in front'. | |||
| Assamese | অগ্ৰাধিকাৰ | ||
| Aymara | nayraqata | ||
| Bhojpuri | परधानता | ||
| Dhivehi | އިސްކަންދޭކަންތައް | ||
| Dogri | तरजीह् | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | priority | ||
| Guarani | ñemotenonde | ||
| Ilocano | prioridad | ||
| Krio | fɔs | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئەولەویەت | ||
| Maithili | प्राथमिकता | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯍꯥꯟꯕ ꯃꯤꯠꯌꯦꯡ ꯊꯝꯕ | ||
| Mizo | ngaih pawimawh | ||
| Oromo | dursa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପ୍ରାଥମିକତା | ||
| Quechua | ñawpariq | ||
| Sanskrit | पूर्ववर्तिता | ||
| Tatar | өстенлек | ||
| Tigrinya | ቀዳምነት | ||
| Tsonga | xa nkoka | ||