Quality in Different Languages
Discover 'Quality' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Quality is a term that holds great significance across cultures and languages. It represents the standard of excellence, the degree of excellence, or a characteristic that makes something or someone distinctive. From a business perspective, quality is a critical factor in building a reputable brand and ensuring customer satisfaction. In the realm of art and culture, quality is often associated with mastery, creativity, and originality.
Interestingly, the concept of quality has been pondered upon by philosophers and scholars throughout history. Aristotle, for instance, discussed quality as one of the ten categories of predicables in his work 'Categories'. In modern times, quality has become a buzzword in various fields, including manufacturing, education, healthcare, and technology.
Understanding the translation of quality in different languages can be a fascinating exploration of cultural nuances and linguistic diversity. For instance, in Spanish, quality translates to 'calidad', while in French, it is 'qualité'. In German, it is 'Qualität', and in Japanese, it is 'kusure' or 'jouken'.
In this article, we delve into the translations of quality in various languages, shedding light on the cultural significance of this universal concept.
Quality
Quality in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | kwaliteit | ||
| Kwaliteit originally meant "property", with many senses, including "bad property". | |||
| Amharic | ጥራት | ||
| "ጥራት" comes from the Ge'ez adjective "ጣራ" (ṭāra), which means "choice," "select," or "excellent." | |||
| Hausa | inganci | ||
| Inganci (quality) originates from the Arabic word (انقان). | |||
| Igbo | ogo | ||
| Ogo can also mean 'dignity', 'status', or 'respect' depending on the context. | |||
| Malagasy | kalitao | ||
| The word 'kalitao' is derived from the Arabic word 'kualitas' and the French word 'qualité'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | khalidwe | ||
| The word “khalidwe” is also used to refer to a person's character or reputation. | |||
| Shona | mhando | ||
| The Shona word "mhando" can also mean "excellence" or "goodness". | |||
| Somali | tayada | ||
| The word 'tayada' in Somali also refers to the 'best' or 'most excellent' version or type of something. | |||
| Sesotho | boleng | ||
| Boleng can also refer to a precious gemstone, such as a diamond. | |||
| Swahili | ubora | ||
| While the Swahili word "ubora" commonly translates to "quality," it also refers to the "excellence" or "fineness" of something. | |||
| Xhosa | umgangatho | ||
| The Xhosa word "umgangatho" derives from the verb "umgangatho," meaning "to arrange, to set in order, to put in a particular quality or condition." | |||
| Yoruba | didara | ||
| The Yoruba word "didara" can also refer to the notion of "goodness" or "excellence" in a moral sense. | |||
| Zulu | ikhwalithi | ||
| The Zulu word "ikhwalithi" shares a root with the word "kwazi", which means "to know" or "to understand". This suggests that the concept of quality in Zulu culture is closely linked to knowledge and understanding. | |||
| Bambara | kalite | ||
| Ewe | nyonyo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ubuziranenge | ||
| Lingala | ndenge ezali | ||
| Luganda | omutindo | ||
| Sepedi | boleng | ||
| Twi (Akan) | papa | ||
Quality in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | جودة | ||
| The word "جودة" (goodness, excellence, quality) shares the same root as the word "جود" (generosity, beneficence), suggesting a connection between the two concepts in Arabic thought. | |||
| Hebrew | איכות | ||
| איכות (quality) derives from אכ (eat), implying that something of good quality is fit for consumption. | |||
| Pashto | کیفیت | ||
| In Pashto, "کیفیت" can also refer to a "condition" or "situation." | |||
| Arabic | جودة | ||
| The word "جودة" (goodness, excellence, quality) shares the same root as the word "جود" (generosity, beneficence), suggesting a connection between the two concepts in Arabic thought. | |||
Quality in Western European Languages
| Albanian | cilësia | ||
| The word 'cilësia' is etymologically related to Latin 'qualitas' and means 'condition', 'nature'. It also translates to 'goodness' in some religious or philosophical texts. | |||
| Basque | kalitatea | ||
| The word "kalitatea" in Basque also refers to the nature of a person and their actions. | |||
| Catalan | qualitat | ||
| The Catalan word "qualitat" originates from the Latin word "qualitas", meaning "nature, property, or characteristic". | |||
| Croatian | kvaliteta | ||
| Croatian word "kvaliteta" can also refer to "metal quality" or "hardness of steel". | |||
| Danish | kvalitet | ||
| Historically, "kvalitet" could also be used in the meanings "violence" or "pain" but those meanings are now obsolete. | |||
| Dutch | kwaliteit | ||
| "Kwaliteit" is a loanword from French that originally meant "condition, property." | |||
| English | quality | ||
| The word 'quality' originates from the Latin word 'qualis', meaning 'of what kind'. | |||
| French | qualité | ||
| The French word 'qualité' comes from the Latin word 'qualitas' which means 'characteristics or nature of a thing'. | |||
| Frisian | kwaliteit | ||
| It is etymologically related to the Dutch word "kwaad" (bad) | |||
| Galician | calidade | ||
| In Galician, "calidade" also means "temperature" or "weather conditions," akin to Spanish "calidad." | |||
| German | qualität | ||
| The word "Qualität" derives from the Latin "qualitas" meaning both "attribute" and "kind" | |||
| Icelandic | gæði | ||
| The word gæði in Icelandic derives from the Old Norse word gæðr, meaning 'excellence' or 'goodness'. | |||
| Irish | cáilíocht | ||
| From the Old Irish word "cáil," meaning "suitability, fitness," and is cognate with the English word "quality." | |||
| Italian | qualità | ||
| Qualità can also mean "ability" or "nature" in Italian. | |||
| Luxembourgish | qualitéit | ||
| Maltese | kwalità | ||
| The Maltese word "kwalità" ultimately derives from the Latin word "qualitas", meaning "property" or "nature". | |||
| Norwegian | kvalitet | ||
| The Old Norse word "hvāldi" which originally meant "authority, power," also serves as the root of "kvalitet". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | qualidade | ||
| In Portuguese, "qualidade" can also mean "characteristics" or "property". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | càileachd | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "càileachd" also refers to a woman past the age of childbearing or an old woman. | |||
| Spanish | calidad | ||
| The Spanish word "calidad" derives from the Latin word "qualitas," meaning "nature" or "character." | |||
| Swedish | kvalitet | ||
| The word "kvalitet" in Swedish originated from the Latin word "qualitas", meaning "nature, property, or characteristic." | |||
| Welsh | ansawdd | ||
| The Welsh word "ansawdd" can also refer to a person's status or reputation. | |||
Quality in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | якасць | ||
| The word "якасць" in Old Belarusian meant "good" or "better". Only by the end of the 19th century did it begin to mean exclusively "quality". | |||
| Bosnian | kvaliteta | ||
| The word "kvaliteta" is derived from the Latin word "qualitas," which means "characteristic," "property," or "nature." | |||
| Bulgarian | качество | ||
| “Качество” (kachestvo) means both “quality” and “as” in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | kvalitní | ||
| The word "kvalitní" (quality) in Czech is derived from the Latin word "qualitas", meaning "property" or "nature". | |||
| Estonian | kvaliteeti | ||
| The word "kvaliteeti" entered the Estonian language through German "Qualität" in the early 20th century, influenced by Russian "качество". | |||
| Finnish | laatu | ||
| The word "laatu" in Finnish is a derivation of the Proto-Germanic word *lagō which also gave rise to the English word "law". | |||
| Hungarian | minőség | ||
| The word "minőség" originally meant "the act of examining or estimating something's value or worth" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | kvalitāte | ||
| The word "kvalitāte" means "quality" in Latvian, and is derived from the German word "Qualität". | |||
| Lithuanian | kokybė | ||
| The Lithuanian word "kokybė" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kwekw- meaning "to boil, to bubble" and also means "fermentation, yeast". | |||
| Macedonian | квалитет | ||
| The Macedonian word "квалитет" is derived from the Latin word "qualitas", ultimately meaning "property" or "characteristic". | |||
| Polish | jakość | ||
| The word 'jakość' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'kako', meaning 'how', and its cognates are found in many other Slavic languages, such as Czech, Slovak, and Russian. | |||
| Romanian | calitate | ||
| The word "calitate" has the same Latin root "qualitas" as "quality" in English. | |||
| Russian | качество | ||
| The word "качество" in Russian can also mean "grade" or "level". | |||
| Serbian | квалитет | ||
| The word "квалитет" in Serbian comes from the Latin word "qualitas", meaning "property". | |||
| Slovak | kvalita | ||
| "Kvalita" is a loanword from Latin "qualitas" which also means "characteristic" or "attribute." | |||
| Slovenian | kakovost | ||
| In colloquial Slovene, "kakovost" also denotes bad or poor quality (kakovost). | |||
| Ukrainian | якість | ||
| The Ukrainian word "якість" derives from the Proto-Slavic "kakъ", meaning "good, suitable, or proper". | |||
Quality in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | গুণ | ||
| "গুণ" can also refer to the attributes of a deity, the virtues of a person, the essence of something, or even a factor in mathematics. | |||
| Gujarati | ગુણવત્તા | ||
| In Sanskrit, the word 'guna' means 'excellence', 'virtue', or 'attribute'. | |||
| Hindi | गुणवत्ता | ||
| In Sanskrit, "गुणवत्ता" means "goodness", from "गुण" (good quality) | |||
| Kannada | ಗುಣಮಟ್ಟ | ||
| The word "ಗುಣಮಟ್ಟ" ("quality") in Kannada can also refer to a person's virtues or characteristics. | |||
| Malayalam | ഗുണമേന്മയുള്ള | ||
| The Malayalam word "গুণমেধয়" is borrowed from the Sanskrit word "गुणावत्ता" (guṇāvatta) and is related to the word "गुण" (guṇa, "quality" or "excellence"). | |||
| Marathi | गुणवत्ता | ||
| The word "गुणवत्ता" can also mean "virtue" or "merit" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | गुण | ||
| "गुण" also refers to the three fundamental qualities that form the basis of the universe, namely sattva (goodness), rajas (passion), and tamas (ignorance). | |||
| Punjabi | ਗੁਣ | ||
| "ਗੁਣ" can also refer to a character trait or attribute of a person or thing in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | තත්ත්ව | ||
| The word තත්ත්ව, originating from Pāli tatta-va ("thatness"), can also denote "condition" or "principle". | |||
| Tamil | தரம் | ||
| The word "தரம்" (taram) also means "standard" or "grade" in Tamil, and is often used in contexts related to measurement or comparison. | |||
| Telugu | నాణ్యత | ||
| The word 'నాణ్యత' can also refer to 'character', 'worth' or 'excellence' | |||
| Urdu | معیار | ||
| The word "معیار" is derived from the Arabic root ق-و-ر (q-w-r), meaning "to establish" or "to determine". | |||
Quality in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 质量 | ||
| In early Classical Chinese, '质量' meant 'heavy', 'important'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 質量 | ||
| Besides meaning "quality," 質量 can also refer to "mass" in a physics context. | |||
| Japanese | 品質 | ||
| In modern Japanese, 品質 can refer not only to inherent attributes or objective measures but also to consumer satisfaction or perceived value. | |||
| Korean | 품질 | ||
| 품질 is an example of a word that means 'good quality' or 'bad quality', depending on the context. | |||
| Mongolian | чанар | ||
| The word "чанар" in Mongolian is related to the concept of goodness and is also used to describe the quality of something. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အရည်အသွေး | ||
Quality in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kualitas | ||
| The word "kualitas" in Indonesian is derived from the Dutch word "kwaliteit" and has similar meanings in both languages, referring to the level of excellence or worth of something. | |||
| Javanese | kualitas | ||
| The word "kualitas" in Javanese also means "kind" or "type". | |||
| Khmer | គុណភាព | ||
| The word "គុណភាព" (quality) is derived from the Sanskrit word "guṇaprabhāva", which literally means "effect of virtue" or "influence of goodness." | |||
| Lao | ຄຸນນະພາບ | ||
| ຄນຈບຄມິສປາ จัน "เลือง" ไทยเคมีย "ตอนเม็ิ" ล้านค้นี้ลัก | |||
| Malay | kualiti | ||
| In Malay, "kualiti" also means "sort" or "type", and is related to the word "kelas" meaning "class". | |||
| Thai | คุณภาพ | ||
| The word "คุณภาพ" in Thai is derived from the Pali word "guṇa", meaning "characteristic" or "attribute". | |||
| Vietnamese | chất lượng | ||
| From Sino-Vietnamese 質量, from Chinese 質量, from 質 (“substance, matter”) and 量 (“quantity, amount”). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kalidad | ||
Quality in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | keyfiyyət | ||
| The word "keyfiyyət" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Arabic word "kayfiyyah", which means "state, condition, or manner". | |||
| Kazakh | сапа | ||
| The word "сапа" can also refer to a certain type of shovel used for gardening or construction. | |||
| Kyrgyz | сапат | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "сапат" also has a meaning of "condition, state" and comes from the Arabic "صفت" ( sifat ). | |||
| Tajik | сифат | ||
| The Persian word "صفة" (sefat) has several meanings such as attribute, quality, and form. | |||
| Turkmen | hili | ||
| Uzbek | sifat | ||
| "Sifat" also means "adjective" and is used in grammar. | |||
| Uyghur | سۈپەت | ||
Quality in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | mea e like ai | ||
| The Hawaiian word "mea e like ai" literally translates to "an item to be desired," emphasizing the value and desirability of an item. | |||
| Maori | kounga | ||
| Kounga (often spelt in different variations) derives from the Polynesian language and was widely used by the Maori people before English was introduced into New Zealand, with various different meanings across the islands and tribes. | |||
| Samoan | lelei | ||
| The Samoan word 'lelei' can also mean 'good' or 'well'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kalidad | ||
| The Tagalog word "kalidad" is derived from the Spanish word "calidad" and originally meant "nobility" or "honorable conduct". | |||
Quality in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | suma | ||
| Guarani | porãngue | ||
Quality in International Languages
| Esperanto | kvalito | ||
| The word "kvalito" is derived from the Latin "qualitas", meaning property or characteristic. | |||
| Latin | qualis | ||
| The Latin word 'qualis' can also mean 'how much' or 'how many', and it is related to the English word 'quantity'. | |||
Quality in Others Languages
| Greek | ποιότητα | ||
| The term ποιότητα initially indicated the social class of a person but took its meaning of "quality" only later | |||
| Hmong | zoo | ||
| In Hmong, "zoo" is a suffix that can also mean "to become," "to be," or "to do something frequently." | |||
| Kurdish | çêwe | ||
| The word "çêwe" in Kurdish can also refer to a type of fabric or cloth. | |||
| Turkish | kalite | ||
| In Turkish, "kalite" originally meant "essence" or "nature" and also took the meaning of "category" or "type" in Ottoman Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | umgangatho | ||
| The Xhosa word "umgangatho" derives from the verb "umgangatho," meaning "to arrange, to set in order, to put in a particular quality or condition." | |||
| Yiddish | קוואַליטעט | ||
| In Yiddish, "קוואַליטעט" can also refer to the traits of a good or the level of its perfection. | |||
| Zulu | ikhwalithi | ||
| The Zulu word "ikhwalithi" shares a root with the word "kwazi", which means "to know" or "to understand". This suggests that the concept of quality in Zulu culture is closely linked to knowledge and understanding. | |||
| Assamese | গুণমান | ||
| Aymara | suma | ||
| Bhojpuri | गुण | ||
| Dhivehi | ކޮލިޓީ | ||
| Dogri | म्यार | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kalidad | ||
| Guarani | porãngue | ||
| Ilocano | kalidad | ||
| Krio | kwaliti | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کواڵیتی | ||
| Maithili | गुण | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯒꯨꯟ | ||
| Mizo | nihphung | ||
| Oromo | qulqullina | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଗୁଣବତ୍ତା | ||
| Quechua | allin kasqan | ||
| Sanskrit | गुणवत्ता | ||
| Tatar | сыйфат | ||
| Tigrinya | ፅፈት | ||
| Tsonga | nkoka | ||