Question in Different Languages
Discover 'Question' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'question' holds a significant place in our daily lives, shaping conversations and driving us to seek knowledge. Its cultural importance is evident in various aspects of society, from Socratic dialogues in ancient Greece to modern-day courtroom exchanges. Understanding the translation of 'question' in different languages can provide valuable insights into diverse cultures and broaden our horizons.
For instance, the German translation of 'question' is 'Frage,' which originates from the Old High German 'fraegen' – a term that also means 'to ask' or 'to inquire.' Meanwhile, in Japanese, 'question' is translated as 'shitsumon,' a word that reflects the polite nature of Japanese culture, as it often includes honorifics in formal settings.
Join us as we delve into the translations of 'question' in a variety of languages, from the romantic French 'question' to the rhythmic Swahili 'maswali.' Expand your linguistic repertoire and appreciate the richness of cultural diversity.
Question
Question in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | vraag | ||
| The Afrikaans word "vraag" is derived from the Old English "wraige," meaning "accusation," and its primary meaning in modern Afrikaans is "question." | |||
| Amharic | ጥያቄ | ||
| The word 'ጥያቄ' in Amharic also means 'desire' or 'request', and is thought to be derived from the Proto-Semitic word *šʾl, which had a similar meaning. | |||
| Hausa | tambaya | ||
| The Hausa word "tambaya" shares its root with the Arabic verb "talaba," meaning "to seek or ask for." This suggests that the concept of questioning was introduced to Hausa-speaking communities through contact with Arabic-speaking ones. | |||
| Igbo | ajụjụ | ||
| In some Igbo dialects, it also means "argument" or "dispute" | |||
| Malagasy | fanontaniana | ||
| The word "fanontaniana" is derived from the root "fantana", meaning "to ask" or "to inquire". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | funso | ||
| The word "funso" can also mean "problem" or "issue". | |||
| Shona | mubvunzo | ||
| Somali | su'aal | ||
| Somali "su'aal" and "su'aa" both mean "question", but "su'aal" is used for a question that is asked, while "su'aa" is used for a question that is written down. | |||
| Sesotho | potso | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of 'question', 'potso' can also mean 'riddle' or 'problem' in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | swali | ||
| The word "swali" can also refer to a riddle or puzzle in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | umbuzo | ||
| `umbuzo` refers specifically to questions about someone's health or well-being. | |||
| Yoruba | ibeere | ||
| The Yoruba word 'ibeere' also refers to 'an inquiry', 'a query', 'an examination', 'a test', 'a request for information', or 'a petition'. | |||
| Zulu | umbuzo | ||
| The word 'umbuzo' is derived from the verb 'ukubuza', meaning 'to ask'. | |||
| Bambara | ɲininkali | ||
| Ewe | biabia | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ikibazo | ||
| Lingala | motuna | ||
| Luganda | ekibuuzo | ||
| Sepedi | potšišo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | asɛmmisa | ||
Question in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | سؤال | ||
| The Arabic word "سؤال" (question) is derived from the verb "سأل" (to ask), which also means "to beg" or "to request". | |||
| Hebrew | שְׁאֵלָה | ||
| The Hebrew word "שְׁאֵלָה" (she'elah) is derived from the verb "שָׁאַל" (sha'al), which means "to ask, seek, or inquire." | |||
| Pashto | پوښتنه | ||
| The Pashto word "پوښتنه" also means "an inquiry, investigation, or research". | |||
| Arabic | سؤال | ||
| The Arabic word "سؤال" (question) is derived from the verb "سأل" (to ask), which also means "to beg" or "to request". | |||
Question in Western European Languages
| Albanian | pyetje | ||
| The word "pyetje" in Albanian is derived from the Latin word "petitio", meaning "request" or "demand". | |||
| Basque | galdera | ||
| The word galdera (question) in Basque also refers to a type of small freshwater fish from the cyprinid family. | |||
| Catalan | pregunta | ||
| The Catalan word "pregunta" comes from the Latin "praecognita," meaning "something known beforehand," suggesting the idea of a question as a request for previously known information. | |||
| Croatian | pitanje | ||
| The word 'pitanje' also means 'food', deriving from the verb 'pitati' to 'ask', 'feed'. | |||
| Danish | spørgsmål | ||
| The word "spørgsmål" originates from the Old Norse word "spurning", meaning "request" or "demand". | |||
| Dutch | vraag | ||
| The Dutch word "vraag" is derived from the Old Dutch word "vragen" meaning "to ask". | |||
| English | question | ||
| The word "question" comes from the Latin word "quaestio," meaning "inquiry" or "inquisition." | |||
| French | question | ||
| In French, the word "question" is also used to mean "torture" or "interrogation under torture". | |||
| Frisian | fraach | ||
| The Frisian word "fraach" also means "mouth" in some dialects. | |||
| Galician | pregunta | ||
| Galician "pregunta" ultimately derives from Latin "praedicare", meaning "to proclaim or preach". | |||
| German | frage | ||
| "Frage" stems from the Middle High German word "vragen", which also meant "to ask" or "to inquire." | |||
| Icelandic | spurning | ||
| In Icelandic, "spurning" can also mean "scoffing" or "contempt." | |||
| Irish | cheist | ||
| The Irish word "cheist" can also refer to a type of traditional Irish basket woven from straw or rushes. | |||
| Italian | domanda | ||
| The Italian word "domanda" comes from the late Latin word demandare "to demand" (compare to English "demand"), from de "from" and mandare "to send". | |||
| Luxembourgish | fro | ||
| In English 'Fro' means 'question', but in the context of playing cards it means face card. | |||
| Maltese | mistoqsija | ||
| The word 'mistoqsija' likely derives from the Arabic 'istifhām', meaning 'question or inquiry' | |||
| Norwegian | spørsmål | ||
| Spørsmål is related to the verb spørre ("to ask") and the noun spurv ("sparrow"), and is thought to stem from the Proto-Germanic *spurw-("ask" or "inquire"). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | questão | ||
| In Portuguese, "questão" can also mean "issue" or "matter", and is related to the Latin "quaestio" meaning "inquiry" or "investigation". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | cheist | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, "cheist" not only means "question" but can also refer to a "case" in the legal sense or a "breast" in the anatomical sense. | |||
| Spanish | pregunta | ||
| The word "pregunta" in Spanish derives from the Latin expression "pro re agere" meaning "to speak of a matter"} | |||
| Swedish | fråga | ||
| Fråga's other meaning is 'question mark' as in punctuation and also 'to ask' in imperative form. | |||
| Welsh | cwestiwn | ||
| The word "cwestiwn" is derived from the Latin "quaestio", meaning "inquiry". It can also refer to a legal dispute or a matter for investigation. | |||
Question in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | пытанне | ||
| Bosnian | pitanje | ||
| The word 'pitanje' also means 'food' or 'meal' in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | въпрос | ||
| The word "въпрос" also means "problem" or "issue". | |||
| Czech | otázka | ||
| In Old Church Slavonic, "otázka" meant "answer". | |||
| Estonian | küsimus | ||
| Küsimus is thought to be derived from a word meaning “to speak in earnest” and also means “problem”. | |||
| Finnish | kysymys | ||
| The word "kysymys" is related to the verb "kysyä" ("to ask"), which in turn derives from the Proto-Finnic word "küssä-m" ("to ask, interrogate"). | |||
| Hungarian | kérdés | ||
| The word "kérdés" comes from the verb "kérdez", which means "to ask". The suffix "-és" forms abstract nouns from verbs, so "kérdés" literally means "the act of asking". | |||
| Latvian | jautājums | ||
| “Jautājums” in Old Slavic languages was more connected to the meaning of “sowing” or “planting” (like in Lithuanian “sėti” – “to sow”). | |||
| Lithuanian | klausimas | ||
| The Lithuanian word "klausimas" is derived from the verb "klausyti" (to listen) and originally meant "the act of listening". | |||
| Macedonian | прашање | ||
| The word "прашање" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "прашати" meaning "to ask" and is related to the words "прах" (dust) and "прахна" (to ask). | |||
| Polish | pytanie | ||
| "Pytanie" is a noun with an Old Czech origin, where "pytati" means "to ask for or inquire." | |||
| Romanian | întrebare | ||
| The Romanian "întrebare" (question) comes from the Latin "interrogare" (to ask), while the related noun "întrebare" (interrogation) preserves the original Latin meaning. | |||
| Russian | вопрос | ||
| The Russian word "вопрос" (question) derives from the Old Church Slavonic "въпросъ" (inquiry), which is cognate with the English word "ask". | |||
| Serbian | питање | ||
| The Serbian word "питање" (pitanje) has an alternate meaning of "problem" or "trouble". | |||
| Slovak | otázka | ||
| The Slovak word "otázka" is derived from the Proto-Slavic verb *vъprositi, meaning "to ask, to inquire". | |||
| Slovenian | vprašanje | ||
| The word "vprašanje" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *vьprašati, meaning "to ask". | |||
| Ukrainian | питання | ||
| The word "питання" comes from the Old Slavic word "пьтати", meaning "to ask, inquire, or investigate." | |||
Question in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | প্রশ্ন | ||
| The word "প্রশ্ন" in Bengali can also mean "doubt", "inquiry", or "examination". | |||
| Gujarati | પ્રશ્ન | ||
| The word "પ્રશ્ન" is derived from Sanskrit and means both "question" and "problem" | |||
| Hindi | सवाल | ||
| In Persian, 'سوال' refers to the answer, but in Hindi it became the word for 'question' instead. | |||
| Kannada | ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆ | ||
| The word "ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆ" in Kannada derives from the Sanskrit word "प्रश्न," meaning "to ask" or "an inquiry" | |||
| Malayalam | ചോദ്യം | ||
| In Sanskrit, "chodanam" means "inciting" and in Malayalam "choodi" means "pointer" both of which are related to the meaning of the word "question" | |||
| Marathi | प्रश्न | ||
| The word 'प्रश्न' (question) in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word 'प्रश्न' (interrogation), which means 'to ask' or 'to question'. | |||
| Nepali | प्रश्न | ||
| This word is derived from the Sanskrit word "praśna" which means "inquiry". It can also mean a "problem" or "issue". | |||
| Punjabi | ਪ੍ਰਸ਼ਨ | ||
| ਪ੍ਰਸ਼ਨ, in addition to 'question', is derived from a Sanskrit term and can also imply an investigation or inquiry. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ප්රශ්නය | ||
| The Sinhala word 'ප්රශ්නය' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'प्रश्न', meaning 'to ask' or 'to inquire'. It can also refer to a 'problem' or 'issue'. | |||
| Tamil | கேள்வி | ||
| In Tamil, the word "கேள்வி" is also used to indicate "knowledge" in a specialized sense, denoting sacred knowledge handed down orally in a tradition; this usage is found in ancient religious texts. | |||
| Telugu | ప్రశ్న | ||
| The word "ప్రశ్న" is derived from the Sanskrit word "prashna," meaning "to ask" or "to inquire." | |||
| Urdu | سوال | ||
| The word “سوال” derives from the Arabic word “sa’ala,” which means “to ask” or “to inquire”. | |||
Question in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 题 | ||
| 题 can also mean 'inscribe' as in 'to inscribe a poem on a scroll,' or 'problem' as in a 'math problem'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 題 | ||
| 題 as a Chinese character can also mean 'subject' (of an essay, painting, etc.) and 'inscription' on a tablet or monument. | |||
| Japanese | 質問 | ||
| The word "質問" (question) comes from the Chinese phrase "問訊", which means "to ask for information". It can also refer to an interrogation or a formal inquiry. | |||
| Korean | 질문 | ||
| The word "질문" is derived from the Chinese character "質問", which means "to ask a question" or "to interrogate." | |||
| Mongolian | асуулт | ||
| The Mongolian word for "question", "асуулт," is connected to words for understanding and knowing, such as "асуух," "to ask" or to find out. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မေးခွန်း | ||
Question in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | pertanyaan | ||
| "Pertanyaan" also means "asking" in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | pitakon | ||
| The second syllable has the sense of "to hold" instead of "to throw," as found in the word "katak" ("frog"). | |||
| Khmer | សំណួរ | ||
| The word សំណួរ can also refer to an interrogative pronoun or adjective in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ຄຳ ຖາມ | ||
| Malay | soalan | ||
| The word "soalan" is derived from the Arabic word "sawāl", which means "asking, inquiry, or interrogation." | |||
| Thai | คำถาม | ||
| คำถาม originates from the Sanskrit term "prashnam", which also means "riddle". | |||
| Vietnamese | câu hỏi | ||
| "Cậu hỏi" in Vietnamese is a compound word meaning "request to speak" which in turn is derived from the Chinese word 求教 (qiú jiào). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tanong | ||
Question in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | sual | ||
| The word “sual” may also refer to “urine” (from Persian “su”, “water”, and Arabic “al”, “the” + Persian “al”, “urine”). | |||
| Kazakh | сұрақ | ||
| The Kazakh word "сұрақ" shares its root with the Turkish word "soru" and the Mongolian word "сориг", all meaning "question" or "inquiry." | |||
| Kyrgyz | суроо | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "суроо" (question) is derived from the Proto-Turkic verb *sor "to ask, to inquire." | |||
| Tajik | савол | ||
| The word "савол" in Tajik comes from the Persian word "سؤال" which also means "question". | |||
| Turkmen | sorag | ||
| Uzbek | savol | ||
| The word "savol" also has the meaning of "purpose" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | سوئال | ||
Question in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | nīnau | ||
| Hawaiian word “nīnau” can mean a question, a problem, a matter of a question, or a matter of a problem | |||
| Maori | pātai | ||
| The Māori word "pātai" is derived from the Proto-Polynesian word "*paqatai" which also means "to seek" or "to inquire." | |||
| Samoan | fesili | ||
| The word "fesili" is also used as an interrogative word meaning "what?" or "who?" | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tanong | ||
| "Tanong" also means "inquiry" or "query" in Tagalog. | |||
Question in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jiskt'a | ||
| Guarani | porandu | ||
Question in International Languages
| Esperanto | demando | ||
| The Esperanto word "demando" has a legal connotation and also means "to prosecute" in that language. | |||
| Latin | quaestio | ||
| In Roman law, "quaestio" originally denoted a legal inquiry or prosecution, and later became restricted to referring to the court itself or to its permanent commission, especially in the form of "quaestiones perpetuae." | |||
Question in Others Languages
| Greek | ερώτηση | ||
| The word "ερώτηση" originates from the Ancient Greek verb "ερωτάω" which means "to ask, inquire, or interrogate". | |||
| Hmong | lo lus nug | ||
| The word "lo lus nug" derives from 'nug, which means "search" and "lus" the "path". So to "lo lus nug" or "ask a question", is to search for a path of understanding. | |||
| Kurdish | pirs | ||
| The word "pirs" also means "ask" in Kurdish and is derived from the Middle Persian word "pirsitan". | |||
| Turkish | soru | ||
| In old Turkish soru meant "examination, trial" and even "fate" in a metaphysical sense. | |||
| Xhosa | umbuzo | ||
| `umbuzo` refers specifically to questions about someone's health or well-being. | |||
| Yiddish | פרעגן | ||
| "פרעגן" also means "to ask for", referring to asking for a dowry from a potential groom's family. | |||
| Zulu | umbuzo | ||
| The word 'umbuzo' is derived from the verb 'ukubuza', meaning 'to ask'. | |||
| Assamese | প্ৰশ্ন | ||
| Aymara | jiskt'a | ||
| Bhojpuri | सवाल | ||
| Dhivehi | ސުވާލު | ||
| Dogri | सुआल | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tanong | ||
| Guarani | porandu | ||
| Ilocano | saludsod | ||
| Krio | kwɛstyɔn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پرسیار | ||
| Maithili | प्रश्न | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯋꯥꯍꯪ | ||
| Mizo | zawhna | ||
| Oromo | gaaffii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପ୍ରଶ୍ନ | ||
| Quechua | tapukuy | ||
| Sanskrit | प्रश्न | ||
| Tatar | сорау | ||
| Tigrinya | ሕቶ | ||
| Tsonga | xivutiso | ||