Updated on March 6, 2024
Ratio is a fundamental concept that plays a significant role in various aspects of our lives. At its core, a ratio is a comparison of two quantities expressed as a fraction. This mathematical idea has transcended its technical origins and permeated our everyday language, influencing our understanding of the world. For instance, the golden ratio, a mathematical ratio of approximately 1:1.618, is believed to be aesthetically pleasing and has been used in art, architecture, and design for centuries.
Moreover, the importance of ratios extends beyond the realm of mathematics and art. In finance, for example, understanding the debt-to-equity ratio is crucial for assessing a company's financial health. Meanwhile, in science, researchers use ratios to analyze data and draw conclusions. Clearly, the significance of ratios is both wide-ranging and profound.
As global citizens, we often find ourselves interacting with people from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Knowing the translation of ratio in different languages can help break down barriers and foster better communication. Here are a few sample translations:
Afrikaans | verhouding | ||
"Verhouding" can also mean "relationship" or "proportion" in Afrikaans. | |||
Amharic | ጥምርታ | ||
The word "ጥምርታ" can also mean "proportion" or "fraction" in Amharic. | |||
Hausa | rabo | ||
Also used figuratively to mean "proportion," "relationship" or "comparison." | |||
Igbo | ruru | ||
Igbo has two homonyms spelled "ruru," the second of which means "speak indistinctly." | |||
Malagasy | tahan'ny | ||
The Malagasy word "tahan'ny" may also mean a "share" or "portion" of something. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | chiŵerengero | ||
The word "chiŵerengero" can also refer to a "proportion" or "relationship" between two things. | |||
Shona | reshiyo | ||
Shona has two words for the idea of a ratio: reshiyo, loanword from English, and mwero. | |||
Somali | saamiga | ||
Saamiga also means 'portion' or 'amount' in Somali, but in this context it is used to describe a mathematical proportion between two numbers. | |||
Sesotho | karolelano | ||
The word "karolelano" can also refer to a "comparison" or a "proportion". | |||
Swahili | uwiano | ||
The word 'uwiano' can also mean 'proportion' or 'balance' in Swahili. | |||
Xhosa | umlinganiselo | ||
The Xhosa word "umlinganiselo" also means "comparison" or "proportion". | |||
Yoruba | ipin | ||
"Ipin" also means "seed" and "share" in Yoruba. | |||
Zulu | isilinganiso | ||
The word “isilinganiso” also means “analogy”. | |||
Bambara | kɛmɛsarada | ||
Ewe | ɖoɖo | ||
Kinyarwanda | ikigereranyo | ||
Lingala | rapore | ||
Luganda | okugereganya | ||
Sepedi | tekanyo | ||
Twi (Akan) | ratio | ||
Arabic | نسبة | ||
In Arabic, the word "نسبة" ("ratio") also refers to a person's family lineage or genealogy. | |||
Hebrew | יַחַס | ||
The Hebrew word "יַחַס" also means "pedigree" or "ancestry". | |||
Pashto | تناسب | ||
The word "تناسب" in Pashto also means "proportion" or "relationship". | |||
Arabic | نسبة | ||
In Arabic, the word "نسبة" ("ratio") also refers to a person's family lineage or genealogy. |
Albanian | raport | ||
In Albanian, “raport” also means “report,” a document that conveys information on a particular matter. | |||
Basque | ratioa | ||
In Basque, "ratio" translates as "neurria", which also refers to measure, modulation or rate. | |||
Catalan | relació | ||
In Medieval Catalan, relació also meant 'narrative' and 'account'. | |||
Croatian | omjer | ||
The word 'omjer' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word '*oměrь', which also meant 'proportion' or 'measure'. | |||
Danish | forhold | ||
Danish 'forhold' also means 'relationship', but it originates from 'forholde', meaning 'to relate' or 'to have a connection'. | |||
Dutch | verhouding | ||
In Dutch, "verhouding" also means "relationship" or "proportion". | |||
English | ratio | ||
The word "ratio" derives from the Latin word "ratio," meaning "a reckoning, an account, a proportion." | |||
French | rapport | ||
The word "rapport" in French comes from the Latin word "ratio," meaning "connection" or "proportion," and has a similar meaning in English. | |||
Frisian | ferhâlding | ||
"Ferhâlding" is derived from the Old Frisian word "ferhēldene" meaning "proportion" or "relationship." | |||
Galician | relación | ||
In Galician, "relación" also means "connection" and is not used in mathematics, where "cociente" is used instead | |||
German | verhältnis | ||
The word 'Verhältnis' is also used in German to describe a relationship or proportion, highlighting its deep-rooted connections to mathematical concepts. | |||
Icelandic | hlutfall | ||
The word "hlutfall" in Icelandic also means "percentage" or "proportion". | |||
Irish | cóimheas | ||
The word "cóimheas" can also refer to a "comparison" or "proportion". | |||
Italian | rapporto | ||
"Rapporto" in Italian can also mean a report, statement, or relationship. | |||
Luxembourgish | verhältnis | ||
Maltese | proporzjon | ||
The word "proporzjon" is derived from the Latin word "proportio" which means "proportion" or "balance". | |||
Norwegian | forhold | ||
Forhold is a noun meaning 'relationship' in Norwegian and is cognate with 'relationship' in English | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | razão | ||
The word "razão" in Portuguese also means "reason" or "justification". | |||
Scots Gaelic | co-mheas | ||
The Gaelic word "co-mheas" can also refer to "proportion", "measure", "rule", and a "standard of conduct" or "law". | |||
Spanish | proporción | ||
In modern usage, the word "proporción" primarily denotes ratios, but its etymological roots imply a wider sense of "relationship" or "harmony". | |||
Swedish | förhållande | ||
The Swedish word "förhållande" can also refer to a relationship or affair. | |||
Welsh | cymhareb | ||
In Welsh, 'cymhareb' can also refer to a 'proportion', 'analogy' or 'similarity'. |
Belarusian | суадносіны | ||
In Belarusian, the word “суадносіны” ("ratio") also means “relationship,” “proportion,” or “connection.” | |||
Bosnian | odnos | ||
The word "odnos" in Bosnian can also refer to a relationship or connection between two people or things. | |||
Bulgarian | съотношение | ||
The word "съотношение" can also refer to relations between objects or concepts. | |||
Czech | poměr | ||
The word "poměr" in Czech also means "proportion" or "relationship". | |||
Estonian | suhe | ||
The Estonian word "suhe" may also refer to various relationships between people or things, such as "social relationship", "kinship", or "romantic relationship". | |||
Finnish | suhde | ||
In addition to its mathematical meaning, "suhde" can also refer to a relationship or connection between two or more people or things. | |||
Hungarian | hányados | ||
A hanyados szó eredetileg „hányást” jelentett, később alakult át a matematika mai értelmére. | |||
Latvian | attiecība | ||
The word "attiecība" in Latvian can refer to "ratio" in mathematics but also to "relationship" in everyday speech. | |||
Lithuanian | santykis | ||
The word "santykis" in Lithuanian can also mean "relationship" or "proportion". | |||
Macedonian | сооднос | ||
The term "сооднос" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "съсънъ", meaning "collection" or "comparison". | |||
Polish | stosunek | ||
"Stosunek" also comes from the verb "stosować" ("to apply") and means "attitude" or "relationship". | |||
Romanian | raport | ||
"Raport" comes from the French word "rapport," and the Latin word "rapportus," meaning "to refer back," and also "to bring back." In Romanian, "raport" can also mean "to report," especially in the context of delivering a news report or filing an official report. | |||
Russian | соотношение | ||
The Slavic root **mer** of соотношение, meaning `exchange or sharing,' underlies many Russian words expressing equivalence or exchange. | |||
Serbian | однос | ||
The Serbian word "однос" (ratio) is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "отъносъ", meaning "removal" or "separation". | |||
Slovak | pomer | ||
The word "pomer" in Slovak also means "proportion", "extent", or "rate". | |||
Slovenian | razmerje | ||
The Slovenian word 'razmerje' can also mean 'relationship' or 'proportion' depending on context. | |||
Ukrainian | співвідношення | ||
"Співвідношення" also means "interrelation", "relationship" and "correspondence". |
Bengali | অনুপাত | ||
"অনুপাত" comes from "অনু" (after) and "পাত" (to fall), indicating something that follows from something else. | |||
Gujarati | ગુણોત્તર | ||
The term "ગુણોત્તર" can also be used to refer to the relative importance or value of something. | |||
Hindi | अनुपात | ||
The word 'अनुपात' in Hindi is derived from the Sanskrit word 'उप + मातृ', meaning 'equal measure' or 'proportion'. It can also refer to a 'relationship' or 'proportionality' between two things. | |||
Kannada | ಅನುಪಾತ | ||
The word 'ಅನುಪಾತ' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'अनुपात', meaning 'relation' or 'proportion'. | |||
Malayalam | അനുപാതം | ||
In Malayalam, 'അനുപാതം' ('ratio') stems from the Sanskrit word 'अनुपात' ('proportion'), which itself comes from the prefix 'अनु' ('after') and the root 'पात' ('to fall or follow'), alluding to the relationship between corresponding terms in a proportion. | |||
Marathi | प्रमाण | ||
"प्रमाण" is also a Sanskrit word meaning proof, criterion, or standard. | |||
Nepali | अनुपात | ||
अनुपात is derived from Sanskrit "anu" (after) and "pramā" (measure), which can also mean "measure" or "proportion". | |||
Punjabi | ਅਨੁਪਾਤ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අනුපාතය | ||
The word "අනුපාතය" in Sinhala is derived from the Sanskrit word "अनुपात" and primarily means "proportion" or "relationship between two quantities". | |||
Tamil | விகிதம் | ||
In geometry, the term "விகிதம்" refers to the relationship between the lengths of two sides of a right triangle. | |||
Telugu | నిష్పత్తి | ||
The word 'నిష్పత్తి' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'निष्पत्ति' (niṣpatti), meaning 'accomplishment' or 'result', and ultimately from the root '√सप्' (sap), meaning 'to obtain' or 'to succeed'. | |||
Urdu | تناسب | ||
" تناسب " is the Arabic word for ratio it is also used in math and geometry |
Chinese (Simplified) | 比 | ||
"比" (bǐ) is a commonly used word in Chinese, with meanings ranging from "ratio" to "rate" and even "comparison". | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 比 | ||
In Chinese, "比" (ratio) can also refer to "comparison" or "analogy". | |||
Japanese | 比 | ||
In Mandarin, the word "比" means "compare" or "proportion" while in Japanese, the word "比" means "ratio". | |||
Korean | 비율 | ||
The Korean word "비율" also means "proportion" or "rate". | |||
Mongolian | харьцаа | ||
In Mongolian, харьцаа (transliteration: khartstsaa) derives from the verb харь (transliteration: khar) meaning "to compare; to confront; to contrast". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | အချိုး | ||
The word အချိုး (ah-choe) is derived from the Pali root, cha, which means "to measure" or "to calculate." |
Indonesian | perbandingan | ||
The word "perbandingan" in Indonesian, aside from its literal meaning of "ratio", can also refer to a comparison or a proportion. | |||
Javanese | rasio | ||
"Rasiyo" is also a Javanese game of chance similar to mahjong and played with tiles. | |||
Khmer | សមាមាត្រ | ||
Lao | ອັດຕາສ່ວນ | ||
The word ອັດຕາສ່ວນ (ratio) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'ardha' ('half') and comes from the concept of dividing a quantity into two equal parts. | |||
Malay | nisbah | ||
In Malay, the word "nisbah" also refers to a patronymic name that indicates one's lineage or ancestry. | |||
Thai | อัตราส่วน | ||
The word "อัตราส่วน" comes from the Sanskrit word "atrata", which means "measure". | |||
Vietnamese | tỉ lệ | ||
"Tỉ lệ" có nguồn gốc từ tiếng Hán "比例", nghĩa đen là "phép so sánh". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | ratio | ||
Azerbaijani | nisbət | ||
"Nisbat" in Azerbaijani also refers to a person's relationship to a group or place. | |||
Kazakh | арақатынас | ||
In mathematics, the Kazakh word "арақатынас" can also refer to a proportion or a relation between two or more quantities. | |||
Kyrgyz | катыш | ||
The word ''катыш'' can also mean 'mixture' in Kyrgyz. | |||
Tajik | таносуб | ||
The word «таносуб» has Persian origins, coming from «تناسب» ('tanāsūb'), meaning 'proportion' or 'relation'. | |||
Turkmen | gatnaşygy | ||
Uzbek | nisbat | ||
In Uzbek, "nisbat" also means "to compare" and "a comparison". | |||
Uyghur | نىسبىتى | ||
Hawaiian | lakio | ||
Lakio's root word 'lakio' means 'to divide or to cut; to estimate, judge, or reckon'. | |||
Maori | ōwehenga | ||
The Maori word 'ōwehenga' can also refer to a proportion, a fraction, or a percentage. | |||
Samoan | fuataga | ||
The word 'fuataga' can also refer to a proportion or a percentage. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | ratio | ||
The Tagalog word "ratio" can also refer to a proportion, percentage, or rate. |
Aymara | rilasyuna | ||
Guarani | tuichakue | ||
Esperanto | rilatumo | ||
The Esperanto word "rilatumo" is derived from the Latin word "ratio," meaning "a plan, a project, a reason," and "a relation." | |||
Latin | ratio | ||
Originally meant 'reckoning' or 'account' in Latin, 'ratio' is etymologically linked to the word 'reason'. |
Greek | αναλογία | ||
In Ancient Greek, 'αναλογία' implied 'proportion' in a wider sense, covering mathematical and musical ratios, but also proportions between things and even concepts | |||
Hmong | piv | ||
The word "piv" also means "to divide" in Hmong | |||
Kurdish | têkilî | ||
The word 'têkilî' in Kurdish is derived from the Arabic word 'taqil', meaning 'division' or 'distribution'. | |||
Turkish | oran | ||
The word 'oran' in Turkish also refers to a proportion or percentage. | |||
Xhosa | umlinganiselo | ||
The Xhosa word "umlinganiselo" also means "comparison" or "proportion". | |||
Yiddish | פאַרהעלטעניש | ||
The Yiddish word "פאַרהעלטעניש" can also refer to a relationship between people. | |||
Zulu | isilinganiso | ||
The word “isilinganiso” also means “analogy”. | |||
Assamese | অনুপাত | ||
Aymara | rilasyuna | ||
Bhojpuri | अनुपात | ||
Dhivehi | ރޭޝިއޯ | ||
Dogri | शरह् | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | ratio | ||
Guarani | tuichakue | ||
Ilocano | annugot | ||
Krio | reshio | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕێژە | ||
Maithili | अनुपात | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯔꯦꯁꯤꯑꯣ ꯂꯩ꯫ | ||
Mizo | inkungkaihna | ||
Oromo | reeshoo | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଅନୁପାତ | ||
Quechua | rikuchiq | ||
Sanskrit | अनुपातं | ||
Tatar | нисбәте | ||
Tigrinya | መጠነ ዝምድና | ||
Tsonga | vuxaka | ||