Purpose in Different Languages
Discover 'Purpose' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'purpose' holds great significance in our lives, guiding our actions and decisions towards a specific aim or goal. It's a concept that transcends cultures and languages, yet is interpreted and expressed differently around the world.
Purpose is not just a philosophical concept; it's also a cultural cornerstone that has shaped societies and civilizations throughout history. For instance, in ancient Egypt, finding one's purpose was closely linked to the belief in the afterlife and the pursuit of ma'at, or balance and harmony.
Understanding the translation of 'purpose' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how other cultures perceive and approach this fundamental concept. For example, in Spanish, 'purpose' is 'propósito', while in French, it's 'but' or 'finalité'. In Mandarin Chinese, it's '目的' (mùdì), and in Japanese, it's '目的' (mokuteki).
By exploring the many translations of 'purpose', we can deepen our appreciation for the richness and diversity of human culture and language. Keep reading to discover more fascinating translations of this important word.
Purpose
Purpose in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | doel | ||
| The Afrikaans word "doel" is derived from the Middle Dutch word "doel", which also means "target". | |||
| Amharic | ዓላማ | ||
| The word "ዓላማ" can also mean "target" or "aim". | |||
| Hausa | manufa | ||
| The Hausa word "manufa" can also refer to intention, motive, or aspiration | |||
| Igbo | nzube | ||
| The word “nzube” also means “mark” or “print” in Igbo, as in “ịkọ aka nzube” (to leave a mark with your hand). | |||
| Malagasy | zava-kendreny | ||
| The word "Zava-kendreny" also means "reason" or "cause" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | cholinga | ||
| The Nyanja word 'cholinga' also means 'to intend', a relationship that is absent in English. | |||
| Shona | chinangwa | ||
| Somali | ujeedada | ||
| The Somali word 'ujeedada' is derived from the Arabic word 'waḍīʿa', which also means 'purpose', and is also related to the French word 'objectif' and the English word 'object' | |||
| Sesotho | morero | ||
| In Sesotho, the word 'morero' can also mean 'responsibility' or 'obligation'. | |||
| Swahili | kusudi | ||
| The word 'kusudi' derives from the Arabic word 'qasd' ('intent') and also means 'aim' and 'goal'. | |||
| Xhosa | injongo | ||
| Injongo is also used to refer to a 'mission' or a 'reason for being'. | |||
| Yoruba | idi | ||
| The word "idi" also means "destiny" or "fate" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | injongo | ||
| The word 'injongo' also encompasses the idea of intention, aim, or objective in Zulu | |||
| Bambara | kun | ||
| Ewe | taɖodzi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | intego | ||
| Lingala | mokano | ||
| Luganda | omugaso | ||
| Sepedi | morero | ||
| Twi (Akan) | botaeɛ | ||
Purpose in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | هدف | ||
| The word "هدف" can also mean "target" or "goal". | |||
| Hebrew | מַטָרָה | ||
| The Hebrew word "מַטָרָה" (matarah) also means "target" and derives from the Aramaic word "מַטְרָתָא" (matrata), meaning "place of the arrow". | |||
| Pashto | موخه | ||
| The Pashto word "موخه" also has the alternate meaning of "intention". | |||
| Arabic | هدف | ||
| The word "هدف" can also mean "target" or "goal". | |||
Purpose in Western European Languages
| Albanian | qëllimi | ||
| The Albanian word "qëllimi", meaning "purpose", is a derivative of the Proto-Indo-European root *kel- "to turn, drive, set in motion". | |||
| Basque | xedea | ||
| The Basque word "xedea" has been borrowed from Spanish "idea", and originally meant "mental image or concept" | |||
| Catalan | propòsit | ||
| "Propòsit" is related to the Latin preposition "propositum," meaning "in front of, forth," and also with the verb "proponere," meaning "to place before, to put forward." | |||
| Croatian | svrha | ||
| The Slavic root `svr` signifies “something above-lying” and thus “above, over. beyond”; this same root is found in the word `svrha` but also in the Czech word `vrch` (“top”) and the Russian word `verx` (“top, extremity, summit, height”). From this root, a verbal root `svrsh`- (“to finish, complete, accomplish”) was formed; from this, `svrha` signifies “that which is finished or accomplished” — specifically, “the goal, the thing aimed at, the purpose.” | |||
| Danish | formål | ||
| The word "formål" is derived from the Old Norse word "formáli", which means "goal" or "intention." | |||
| Dutch | doel | ||
| "Doel" also means "target" in archery, as it derives from Old French "dol", meaning "pain" or "suffering". | |||
| English | purpose | ||
| The word "purpose" derives from the Latin word "propositum," which means "to put forward as a goal or plan." | |||
| French | objectif | ||
| French "objectif" derives from Latin "obiectivus" (set before), via medieval Latin "objectivus" and Old French "objectif" (placed in front). | |||
| Frisian | doel | ||
| The word "doel" in Frisian shares an origin with the Dutch word "doel" meaning "target". | |||
| Galician | propósito | ||
| In Galician, 'propósito' can also mean 'intention', 'resolve' or 'design'. | |||
| German | zweck | ||
| The word "Zweck" dates back to Proto-Germanic "*tweh-“ meaning “to divide, to split". | |||
| Icelandic | tilgangur | ||
| The word "tilgangur" derives from "til" (to) and "gangr" (pathway), thus implying a direction or goal. | |||
| Irish | cuspóir | ||
| Cuspóir can also mean 'object' or 'desire', in addition to its primary meaning of 'purpose'. | |||
| Italian | scopo | ||
| The word "scopo" comes from the Latin "scopus", meaning "target" or "aim." | |||
| Luxembourgish | zweck | ||
| Zweck, a loanword from German, can also mean "target" or "aim" in Luxembourgish. | |||
| Maltese | għan | ||
| The word 'għan' (purpose) in Maltese has Semitic roots and also refers to the destination of a journey. | |||
| Norwegian | hensikt | ||
| The word "hensikt" is derived from the Old Norse word "hyggja", meaning "to think" or "to intend". It has a broader meaning than "purpose" in English, encompassing both the aim or intention of an action and the underlying reason or cause. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | objetivo | ||
| In Portuguese, 'objetivo' also means 'lens', related to its original meaning of 'something aimed at'. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | adhbhar | ||
| The Gaelic word 'adhbhar' also means 'cause' or 'reason'. | |||
| Spanish | propósito | ||
| Propósito can also mean "intention," "reason," or "aim." | |||
| Swedish | syfte | ||
| The word "syfte" in Swedish is derived from the Old Norse word "skyfta", meaning "divide" or "distribute." | |||
| Welsh | pwrpas | ||
| Welsh "pwrpas" comes from Middle English "porpos" meaning "the thing one sets before oneself as a goal". | |||
Purpose in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | мэта | ||
| Belarusian "мэта" originates from the Polish "meta", meaning "finish line". | |||
| Bosnian | svrha | ||
| In Slavic languages, including Bosnian, the word 'svrha' also refers to 'a match' or 'a connection'. | |||
| Bulgarian | предназначение | ||
| The word "prednaznachenie" also means "predestination" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | účel | ||
| Czech 'účel' is also used with the meaning of 'interest' as in the case with Polish 'użytek', which comes from Old Church Slavonic and meant 'profit'. | |||
| Estonian | eesmärk | ||
| The word "eesmärk" in Estonian is derived from "eesmärk", meaning "mark in front", or "goal". | |||
| Finnish | tarkoitus | ||
| The word "tarkoitus" can also refer to the intended use or function of something. | |||
| Hungarian | célja | ||
| The archaic meaning of the Hungarian word "célja" is "aim" or "target". | |||
| Latvian | mērķim | ||
| Derived from Proto-Indo-European *merǵ (to wipe, rub), akin to Old Norse and Old English *mark (boundary) | |||
| Lithuanian | tikslas | ||
| The word "tikslas" is derived from the Lithuanian word "tikti", which means "to suit" or "to be appropriate". | |||
| Macedonian | цел | ||
| The word "цел" in Macedonian also means "aim" or "goal" | |||
| Polish | cel, powód | ||
| The Polish word "cel" can also mean "target" or "goal". | |||
| Romanian | scop | ||
| The Romanian word "scop" can also mean "target" or "aim", and is related to the verb "a scopi", meaning "to shoot" or "to throw". | |||
| Russian | цель | ||
| The word "цель" also means "aim", "goal", or "target". | |||
| Serbian | сврха | ||
| Сврха can also refer to the top or end of something, as in 'на сврси села' (at the edge of the village). | |||
| Slovak | účel | ||
| "Účel posvěcuje prostředky" (The end justifies the means) is the main meaning of "účel", but it can also stand for "aim" or even "goal." | |||
| Slovenian | namen | ||
| The word "namen" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*namъ", meaning "intent" or "design". | |||
| Ukrainian | призначення | ||
| The word "призначення" in Ukrainian comes from the verb "призначати" meaning "to assign" or "to designate", indicating its original meaning as a "designation" or "assignment". | |||
Purpose in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | উদ্দেশ্য | ||
| In Bengali, উদ্দেশ্য is an abstract noun with an archaic meaning of "subject", "topic" or "aim". | |||
| Gujarati | હેતુ | ||
| The word "હેતુ" also means "cause" or "reason" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | उद्देश्य | ||
| उद्देश्य originally meant "to throw into". | |||
| Kannada | ಉದ್ದೇಶ | ||
| The word "ಉದ್ದೇಶ" can also mean "aim", "intention", or "object". | |||
| Malayalam | ഉദ്ദേശ്യം | ||
| The word ഉദ്ദേശ്യം in Malayalam can also refer to an objective, a goal, or an intention. | |||
| Marathi | हेतू | ||
| The Marathi word "हेतू" derives from the Sanskrit word "हेतु", meaning "cause" or "reason". | |||
| Nepali | उद्देश्य | ||
| The word "उद्देश्य" (uddeshya) has different meaning depending on context, primarily as "purpose" but also "aim, intention, or object." | |||
| Punjabi | ਉਦੇਸ਼ | ||
| The word "ਉਦੇਸ਼" is derived from the Sanskrit word "uddiś" meaning "to point out" or "to declare". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අරමුණ | ||
| The Sinhala word "අරමුණ" (purpose) also means "target" or "goal". | |||
| Tamil | நோக்கம் | ||
| The Tamil word "நோக்கம்" not only means "purpose" but also "intention" and "aim." | |||
| Telugu | ప్రయోజనం | ||
| ప్రయోజనం may originate from the Sanskrit "pravyojana" and its alternate meaning is to take advantage of something | |||
| Urdu | مقصد | ||
| As a verb "مقصد" means "to intend" or "to aim at". | |||
Purpose in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 目的 | ||
| "目的" (mùdì) is a homophone meaning "the end". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 目的 | ||
| 目的 can also mean 'place' or 'goal' depending on the context. | |||
| Japanese | 目的 | ||
| Although the second character, '的,' is the same as that of '的中' (target), it does not contain the nuance of accuracy. | |||
| Korean | 목적 | ||
| 목적 is also used in a religious context to refer to a specific destination or goal, such as heaven or hell. | |||
| Mongolian | зорилго | ||
| The word 'зорилго' can also refer to a target, aim, or goal. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရည်ရွယ်ချက် | ||
Purpose in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | tujuan | ||
| "Tujuan" in Indonesian comes from the Malay word "tuju", which can also mean "to direct" or "to aim at". | |||
| Javanese | tujuane | ||
| 'Tujuane' in Javanese is also used to refer to the 'goal' or 'objective' of an activity. | |||
| Khmer | គោលបំណង | ||
| Lao | ຈຸດປະສົງ | ||
| Malay | tujuan | ||
| In Malay, the word "tujuan" can also refer to a direction or destination. | |||
| Thai | วัตถุประสงค์ | ||
| "วัตถุประสงค์" in Thai comes from the Sanskrit word "vastu" meaning "thing" and "prayojana" meaning "use". | |||
| Vietnamese | mục đích | ||
| "Mục đích" has an alternate meaning: "target" or "objective". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | layunin | ||
Purpose in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | məqsəd | ||
| "Məqsəd" has historical links with „məğz" ("brain") as it was previously believed the brain is where thoughts and goals originate and are realized. | |||
| Kazakh | мақсаты | ||
| The word "мақсаты" can also mean "objective" or "intent" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | максаты | ||
| The word "максаты" is also used to refer to a goal, ambition, or intention. | |||
| Tajik | мақсад | ||
| The word "мақсад" originated from the Persian word "مقصود" meaning "aim". It has also been influenced by the Arabic word "مقصد" meaning "destination". | |||
| Turkmen | maksat | ||
| Uzbek | maqsad | ||
| The Uzbek word "maqsad" is derived from the Arabic word "maqSad" meaning "destination" or "goal". | |||
| Uyghur | مەقسەت | ||
Purpose in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kumu | ||
| In Hawaiian, the word "kumu" can also refer to the bottom or base of something. | |||
| Maori | kaupapa | ||
| Kaupapa, a Polynesian word for 'purpose', also carries the meaning of 'cause', 'plan', 'system' and 'method'. | |||
| Samoan | faʻamoemoe | ||
| The word "faʻamoemoe" also means "wish" or "intention" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | layunin | ||
| The word "layunin" is derived from the Spanish word "ley", meaning "law", and the suffix "-unin", meaning "action or process". This suggests that the original meaning of "layunin" was "the act of carrying out the law". | |||
Purpose in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | amtawi | ||
| Guarani | rembipota | ||
Purpose in International Languages
| Esperanto | celo | ||
| The Esperanto word "celo" comes from the Latin word "caelum", meaning "heaven" or "sky". | |||
| Latin | rem | ||
| The word "rem" can also refer to a row in a spreadsheet or database. | |||
Purpose in Others Languages
| Greek | σκοπός | ||
| The word 'σκοπός' originally meant 'watchman' or 'observer', reflecting its role as a guide for human action. | |||
| Hmong | lub hom phiaj | ||
| The word lub hom phiaj has two distinct meanings depending on whether it follows the preposition "nrog" "with, by, along". * "Lub hom phiaj nrog" typically means to do something in addition to another. * "Lub hom phiaj", as used in the rest of this book, typically means doing something that is part of an overall plan or process. | |||
| Kurdish | armanc | ||
| The word "armanc" also refers to the "meaning of life" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | amaç | ||
| The word 'amaç' originates from Arabic and also translates as 'target' in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | injongo | ||
| Injongo is also used to refer to a 'mission' or a 'reason for being'. | |||
| Yiddish | ציל | ||
| The word "ציל" (purpose) is derived from Middle High German "zil" (goal, target) | |||
| Zulu | injongo | ||
| The word 'injongo' also encompasses the idea of intention, aim, or objective in Zulu | |||
| Assamese | উদ্দেশ্য | ||
| Aymara | amtawi | ||
| Bhojpuri | माने | ||
| Dhivehi | މަޤްޞަދު | ||
| Dogri | उद्देश | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | layunin | ||
| Guarani | rembipota | ||
| Ilocano | gandat | ||
| Krio | plan | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | مەبەست | ||
| Maithili | प्रयोजन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯥꯟꯗꯝ | ||
| Mizo | chhan | ||
| Oromo | dhimma | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଉଦ୍ଦେଶ୍ୟ | ||
| Quechua | propósito nisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | उद्देश्यम् | ||
| Tatar | максат | ||
| Tigrinya | ዕላማ | ||
| Tsonga | xikongomelo | ||