Proper in Different Languages
Discover 'Proper' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'proper' is a small but mighty one, carrying with it a sense of appropriateness, correctness, and suitability. Its significance extends far beyond grammar, as it speaks to cultural norms, societal expectations, and personal values. Understanding the nuances of 'proper' in different languages can open up new worlds of cultural appreciation and understanding.
For instance, did you know that in Japanese, 'proper' can be translated to 'tadashii' (ただしい), which not only means 'correct' but also 'genuine' and 'authentic'? Or that in Spanish, 'proper' becomes 'apropiado' (ah-proh-pee-ah-doh), which implies not just correctness, but also appropriateness to a particular situation or context?
Exploring the translation of 'proper' in different languages can shed light on fascinating cultural differences and similarities. From the German 'korrekt' to the French 'approprié', the Italian 'corretto' to the Chinese '合适' (hé shì), the word 'proper' takes on new shades of meaning that can enrich our understanding of the world and its diverse cultures.
Proper
Proper in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | behoorlik | ||
| The word "behoorlik" in Afrikaans comes from the Dutch word "behoorlijk", meaning "proper" or "fitting". | |||
| Amharic | ትክክል | ||
| The word 'ትክክል' can also mean 'accurate' or 'correct' in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | dace | ||
| In Hausa, "dace" also means "good" or "well-behaved." | |||
| Igbo | kwesịrị ekwesị | ||
| Malagasy | iombonana | ||
| The word "iombonana" in Malagasy also means "beautiful" or "perfect". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | yoyenera | ||
| In the past, 'yoyenera' was used to refer to something that had just been created, such as a house, or a farm, not yet been lived in or tilled. | |||
| Shona | zvakakodzera | ||
| The Shona word "zvakakodzera" not only means "proper" or "correct", but also refers to "something that is necessary or appropriate". | |||
| Somali | habboon | ||
| The word 'habboon' in Somali, with origins in the Arabic word 'ḥabīb', also means 'lover' or 'beloved'. | |||
| Sesotho | loketseng | ||
| The word "loketseng" derives from the verb "loka", meaning "to be right" or "to be correct". | |||
| Swahili | sahihi | ||
| In addition to meaning "proper" in Swahili, "sahihi" can also refer to the Quran, religious dogma, or law. | |||
| Xhosa | efanelekileyo | ||
| The word "efanelekileyo" in Xhosa can also mean "suitable" or "befitting." | |||
| Yoruba | to dara | ||
| The word "dara" in Yoruba also means "beautiful" or "good". | |||
| Zulu | efanele | ||
| "Efanele" is derived from the noun "isifanelo" (right), related to the verb "ukufanela" (befit). It can also mean "fitting" or "appropriate". | |||
| Bambara | dafalen | ||
| Ewe | nyuietᴐ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bikwiye | ||
| Lingala | malamu | ||
| Luganda | bulungi | ||
| Sepedi | maleba | ||
| Twi (Akan) | papa | ||
Proper in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | لائق | ||
| The Arabic word "لائق" (lāʾiq) literally means "attached" but can also mean "suitable" or "worthy." | |||
| Hebrew | תָקִין | ||
| The Hebrew word "תָקִין" also means "to mend" or "to fix". | |||
| Pashto | مناسب | ||
| "مناسب" is also used in Pashto to mean "fitting". | |||
| Arabic | لائق | ||
| The Arabic word "لائق" (lāʾiq) literally means "attached" but can also mean "suitable" or "worthy." | |||
Proper in Western European Languages
| Albanian | e duhur | ||
| The word "e duhur" derives from the Latin phrase "de horae" meaning "of the hour" highlighting punctuality. | |||
| Basque | egokia | ||
| The Basque word "egokia" is related to "ego" (suitability) and "ekio" (doing). | |||
| Catalan | adequat | ||
| The word "adequat" also carries connotations of suitability and sufficiency. | |||
| Croatian | ispravan | ||
| The word "ispravan" in Croatian also means "healthy" or "correct", and is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "ispravъ", meaning "straight" or "upright." | |||
| Danish | passende | ||
| The word "passende" can also mean "fitting" or "suitable" in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | gepast | ||
| Dutch "gepast" can also mean "fitting" and comes from Middle Dutch "gepas", meaning "to fit, to adjust". | |||
| English | proper | ||
| The Latin root of "proper" is "proprius," which can mean "one's own" or "fitting." | |||
| French | correct | ||
| In French, the word "correct" also means "polite" or "well-behaved". | |||
| Frisian | proper | ||
| In Frisian, "proper" can also mean "fitting" or "suitable". | |||
| Galician | adecuado | ||
| The word "adecuado" in Galician is derived from the Latin word "adquadus," meaning "well-suited" or "appropriate." | |||
| German | richtig | ||
| The word "richtig" in German also means "correct" and is derived from the verb "richten", meaning "to set right" or "to judge". | |||
| Icelandic | almennilegt | ||
| The word "almennilegt" also translates to "usually" or "generally". | |||
| Irish | ceart | ||
| In Irish, "ceart" can also mean "right" (as in "morally correct"), or "correct" (as in "factually accurate"). | |||
| Italian | corretto | ||
| Derived from the French word "correct," the term "corretto" can also signify "accompanied" or "spiked" when referring to drinks. | |||
| Luxembourgish | richteg | ||
| The word "richteg" is a cognate to the English word "right", | |||
| Maltese | xieraq | ||
| "Xieraq" comes from the Arabic word "sharaqa" meaning "to emerge" or "rise". | |||
| Norwegian | ordentlig | ||
| "Ordentlig" also means "sufficient" or "adequate" in Norwegian, similar to the English word "decent". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | apropriado | ||
| In Portuguese, "apropriado" can also mean "suitable, appropriate, fit, convenient, adequate, apt, rightful, suitable, suitable, convenient, adequate, apt, rightful" | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ceart | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "ceart" can also mean "just" (as in fair), "correct", or "fitting." | |||
| Spanish | apropiado | ||
| The Spanish word "apropiado" also means "convenient" or "suitable." | |||
| Swedish | rätt | ||
| "Rätt" can also mean "dish", as in "jag åt en god rätt" (I ate a good dish). | |||
| Welsh | iawn | ||
| The word "iawn" in Welsh has additional meanings such as "worthy" and "suitable", and is derived from the Proto-Celtic word "*iowonos" meaning "law" or "rightly." | |||
Proper in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | уласна | ||
| "уласна" ("own") comes from "ула","part" and "улас","share" | |||
| Bosnian | pravilno | ||
| The word "pravilno" also means "correctly" or "according to the rules" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | правилно | ||
| The Bulgarian word "правилно" also means "correct" or "in the right way." | |||
| Czech | správně | ||
| The word "správně" can also mean "correctly" or "rightly" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | korralik | ||
| Although "korralik" is often defined as "proper," it also has connotations of "orderly" or "tidy." | |||
| Finnish | oikea | ||
| Oikea is cognate to the English word 'right', with the meaning of 'correct' or 'proper' present in both words. | |||
| Hungarian | megfelelő | ||
| "Megfelelő" can also mean "appropriate" or "correct". | |||
| Latvian | pareizi | ||
| The word “pareizi” can also mean “correctly”, “accurately”, or “in the right way”. | |||
| Lithuanian | tinkamas | ||
| The word "tinkamas" can also mean "suitable" or "appropriate" depending on the context of its usage. | |||
| Macedonian | правилно | ||
| The word "правилно" in Macedonian derives from the Proto-Slavic form *pravьno, meaning "straight" or "correct." | |||
| Polish | właściwy | ||
| The word "właściwy" in Polish can also mean "appropriate", "genuine", or "essential" | |||
| Romanian | corect | ||
| In Romanian, the word "corect" has an alternate spelling and pronunciation, "corect" (pronounced with an "i" instead of an "e"), which means "to correct" or "to rectify". | |||
| Russian | правильный | ||
| In Russian, "правильный" can also mean "correct" or "grammatically correct." | |||
| Serbian | правилно | ||
| Правилно is also used as the term for "correct" or "valid", and is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *pravilьnъ, meaning "straight" or "regular". | |||
| Slovak | správne | ||
| The word "správne" in Slovak can also mean "correctly" or "rightly". | |||
| Slovenian | pravilno | ||
| The word 'pravilno' also means 'exactly' or 'correctly' in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | належне | ||
| In Ukrainian, the word “належне” also refers to the concept of “belonging” or “entitlement”. | |||
Proper in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সঠিক | ||
| In Bengali, "সঠিক" can also refer to "correct" or "appropriate". | |||
| Gujarati | યોગ્ય | ||
| "યોગ્ય" can also mean "appropriate" or "suitable" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | उचित | ||
| The Hindi word "उचित" ("uchit") originates from the Sanskrit word "उच्यत". "उच्यत" means "to utter" or "to speak" and is related to the word "उच्चार". "उच्चार" means "pronunciation" or "utterance". | |||
| Kannada | ಸರಿಯಾದ | ||
| ಸರಿಯಾದ ('proper') is also used to mean 'exact' or 'correct' in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | ഉചിതമായത് | ||
| The Malayalam word “ഉചിതമായത്” can also mean “suitable”, “appropriate”, or “correct”. | |||
| Marathi | योग्य | ||
| The Sanskrit root of "योग्य" is "युज्", meaning "yoke" or "join". It can also mean "fit" or "suitable". | |||
| Nepali | उचित | ||
| The word ''उचित'' comes from the Sanskrit word ''उपयुक्त'' meaning ''fit.'' | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਹੀ | ||
| ਸਹੀ can also mean correct, true, or appropriate. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නිසි | ||
| The Sinhala word 'නිසි' also means 'clean' and is the root word for 'නිවා', meaning 'to clear'. | |||
| Tamil | முறையானது | ||
| Telugu | సరైనది | ||
| సరైనది also means 'right' or 'correct' and derives from the word సరి (sari) meaning 'correct' or 'right'. | |||
| Urdu | مناسب | ||
| "مناسب" means "proper," but it can also mean "suitable," "appropriate," or "convenient." | |||
Proper in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 正确 | ||
| The word "正确" originated from the phrase "正其辞", meaning "to use the correct words". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 正確 | ||
| The character 正確 is a combination of the words 正 (zheng, meaning "correct") and 確 (que, meaning "accurate"). | |||
| Japanese | 適切な | ||
| '適切' is also occasionally used to mean 'exact', 'accurate', 'perfect', or 'suitable'. | |||
| Korean | 적절한 | ||
| The word '적절한' can also mean 'suitable', 'appropriate', or 'fitting'. | |||
| Mongolian | зөв | ||
| The word "зөв" can also mean "right" or "correct" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သင့်လျော်သည် | ||
Proper in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | layak | ||
| The word "layak" in Indonesian is derived from the Arabic word "layiq" which means "fitting" or "befitting". | |||
| Javanese | pantes | ||
| The word "pantes" in Javanese also refers to something that is right, appropriate, or suitable for a particular situation. | |||
| Khmer | ត្រឹមត្រូវ | ||
| ត្រឹមត្រូវ comes from the Sanskrit word "sama" meaning "equal" and "correct" and can also mean "right," "apt," "suitable," "fitting," or "appropriate." | |||
| Lao | ເໝາະ ສົມ | ||
| Malay | betul | ||
| The word 'betul' is also used in Malay to mean 'true' or 'correct'. | |||
| Thai | เหมาะสม | ||
| The word "เหมาะสม" comes from the Sanskrit word "upamaska", meaning "a simile". | |||
| Vietnamese | thích hợp | ||
| The word "thích hợp" is a Sino-Vietnamese compound derived from the Chinese word "適宜", which means "suitable" or "appropriate". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | nararapat | ||
Proper in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | düzgün | ||
| The word "düzgün" also means "straight" or "correct". | |||
| Kazakh | дұрыс | ||
| "Дұрыс" (proper) is also used to mean "correct" or "right" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | туура | ||
| "Туура" is also used to refer to a straight or correct path. | |||
| Tajik | дуруст | ||
| The Tajik word "дуруст" can also refer to health or a cure. | |||
| Turkmen | laýyk | ||
| Uzbek | to'g'ri | ||
| The Uzbek word "töğri" is a loanword from the Mongolian language, meaning "correct" or "right." | |||
| Uyghur | مۇۋاپىق | ||
Proper in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kūpono | ||
| "Kūpono" can mean "balanced," "harmonious," or "fitting" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | tika | ||
| The word "tika" can also mean "correct," "right," or "appropriate" in Māori. | |||
| Samoan | talafeagai | ||
| In Samoan, 'talafeagai' not only means 'proper' but also 'right' as in 'correct'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | maayos | ||
| "Maayos" can also mean "to fix" or "to mend" in Tagalog. | |||
Proper in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | chiqa | ||
| Guarani | heseguáva | ||
Proper in International Languages
| Esperanto | konvena | ||
| The word "konvena" in Esperanto comes from the Latin "conveniens", meaning "suitable" or "appropriate." | |||
| Latin | propriis | ||
| Propriis is derived from the Latin word "proprius," meaning "one's own," and can also mean "peculiar" or "characteristic."} | |||
Proper in Others Languages
| Greek | κατάλληλος | ||
| The Greek term "κατάλληλος" can also mean suitable, appropriate, fit, apt | |||
| Hmong | tsim nyog | ||
| "Tsim nyog" can also mean "correct" or "appropriate" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | asas | ||
| The word "asas" can also mean "regular" or "normal" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | uygun | ||
| The word "uygun" also has the meanings of "suitable", "convenient", and "appropriate" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | efanelekileyo | ||
| The word "efanelekileyo" in Xhosa can also mean "suitable" or "befitting." | |||
| Yiddish | געהעריק | ||
| The Yiddish word "געהעריק" can also mean "appropriate" or "suitable". | |||
| Zulu | efanele | ||
| "Efanele" is derived from the noun "isifanelo" (right), related to the verb "ukufanela" (befit). It can also mean "fitting" or "appropriate". | |||
| Assamese | যথাযথ | ||
| Aymara | chiqa | ||
| Bhojpuri | ठीक | ||
| Dhivehi | އެކަށީގެންވާ | ||
| Dogri | जायज | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | nararapat | ||
| Guarani | heseguáva | ||
| Ilocano | kusto | ||
| Krio | rayt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | گونجاو | ||
| Maithili | उचित | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯑꯣꯡ ꯆꯨꯝꯕ | ||
| Mizo | dik tluang | ||
| Oromo | kan ta'u | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଉପଯୁକ୍ତ | ||
| Quechua | allin | ||
| Sanskrit | उचित | ||
| Tatar | тиеш | ||
| Tigrinya | ቅቡል | ||
| Tsonga | vukahle | ||