Real in Different Languages
Discover 'Real' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'real' holds a special significance in our vocabulary, denoting something that is not imagined or fake, but genuinely existing and true. Its cultural importance is evident in various aspects of our lives, from art and literature to science and technology. Understanding the translation of 'real' in different languages can open up new avenues of communication and cultural exchange.
For instance, in Spanish, 'real' translates to 'realidad', which not only means reality but also authenticity. Meanwhile, in French, 'réel' means both real and genuine, reflecting the language's emphasis on authenticity and sincerity. In German, 'real' becomes 'real', which means practical and tangible, reflecting the language's precision and clarity.
Exploring the translations of 'real' in different languages can provide insights into the cultural nuances and values of different societies. So, let's delve into the fascinating world of language and culture and discover how 'real' is translated in various languages around the world.
Real
Real in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | werklike | ||
| The word "werklike" comes from the Dutch word "werkelijk", meaning "actual" or "true", and is related to the English word "wirklich". | |||
| Amharic | እውነተኛ | ||
| "እውነተኛ" can also refer to a close friend, and is often heard in the phrase "የእውነት ወዳጅ" (literally: "friend of truth"). | |||
| Hausa | gaske | ||
| Gaske has other senses like genuine, complete and authentic. | |||
| Igbo | n'ezie | ||
| The Igbo word "n'ezie" can also refer to "truth" or "certainty". | |||
| Malagasy | tena | ||
| The name "Tana" for the capital of Madagascar is short for "Antananarivo", which means "The City of a Thousand Warriors". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zenizeni | ||
| In Nyanja, the word "zenizeni" can also mean "money" or "wealth". | |||
| Shona | chaiyo | ||
| The word 'chaiyo' can also mean 'yes' in Shona. | |||
| Somali | dhab ah | ||
| "Dhab ah" also means "very" and is used for emphasis, e.g. "dhab ah qabow" (very cold). | |||
| Sesotho | ea sebele | ||
| The expression "Ea sebele" literally translates to "of truth" or "of reality" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | halisi | ||
| "Halisi" in Swahili shares its root with the Arabic word "halal," meaning permissible or lawful, suggesting a connection between morality and authenticity. | |||
| Xhosa | ngokwenene | ||
| In Xhosa, 'ngokwenene' can also mean 'true' or 'genuine' when describing authenticity or sincerity. | |||
| Yoruba | gidi | ||
| In Yoruba cosmology, 'gidi' can also refer to the spiritual or inner essence of a person or thing. | |||
| Zulu | kwangempela | ||
| Originally meant 'the true thing', later used to replace the word 'okuhle' meaning 'good'. | |||
| Bambara | lakika | ||
| Ewe | ŋutᴐ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | nyabyo | ||
| Lingala | ya solo | ||
| Luganda | -ddala | ||
| Sepedi | makgonthe | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ankasa | ||
Real in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | حقيقة | ||
| The word "حقيقة" also means "essence" or "nature" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | אמיתי | ||
| The word 'אמיתי' ('real') in Hebrew derives from the root 'אמן' ('to believe'), suggesting a connection between reality and the subjective perception of truth. | |||
| Pashto | ریښتینی | ||
| The Pashto word "ریښتینی" is derived from the Proto-Indo-Iranian root *riḱt-, meaning "straight" or "correct". | |||
| Arabic | حقيقة | ||
| The word "حقيقة" also means "essence" or "nature" in Arabic. | |||
Real in Western European Languages
| Albanian | e vërtetë | ||
| "E vërtetë" is cognate with "veritas" (Latin), and means "truth" (truthful). | |||
| Basque | benetakoa | ||
| The word "benetakoa" is a compound word formed by the words "benetako" (true) and "koa" (thing). | |||
| Catalan | real | ||
| Originating from the Latin word "regalis," meaning "royal," "real" has come to signify authenticity and genuineness in Catalan. | |||
| Croatian | stvaran | ||
| The Croatian word 'stvaran' is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *stvъràti, meaning 'to create', and is cognate with the English word 'stir' | |||
| Danish | ægte | ||
| The word "ægte" comes from the Old Norse word "ætt", meaning "family" or "clan". | |||
| Dutch | echt | ||
| The Dutch word "echt" not only means "real," but can also refer to genuine or authentic. | |||
| English | real | ||
| "Real" comes from the Latin word *realis* meaning "of a thing" or "concerned with the material world." | |||
| French | réel | ||
| The word "réel" in French comes from the Latin word "res" which means "thing" and later "reality". The word "réel" can also refer to that which is not imaginary or fictitious. | |||
| Frisian | echt | ||
| The Frisian word "echt" can also mean "very" or "truly" in the sense of "genuine" or "authentic." | |||
| Galician | real | ||
| German | echt | ||
| The word "Echt" is cognate with "authentic" in English, and can also refer to traditional styles or customs. | |||
| Icelandic | alvöru | ||
| "Alvöru" is derived from the Old Norse "ǫlr," meaning "beer" or "intoxication," which came to imply "truthful" in Old Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | fíor | ||
| The word "fíor" may also mean "very" or "truly" in Irish. | |||
| Italian | vero | ||
| The word "vero" in Italian also means "true" and derives from the Latin word "verus". | |||
| Luxembourgish | richteg | ||
| The word "richteg" in Luxembourgish originates from the Middle High German "rehte" and the Proto-Germanic "rektaz", meaning "straight" or "correct". Its original meaning is still reflected in the phrase "richteg maachen", which means "to straighten out" or "to correct". | |||
| Maltese | reali | ||
| The word "reali" in Maltese is also used to refer to money or wealth. | |||
| Norwegian | ekte | ||
| The word "ekte" can also refer to "genuine" or "authentic". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | real | ||
| The Portuguese word "real", meaning "royal", comes from the Latin word "regalis", meaning "relating to a king". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | fìor | ||
| Fìor is derived from Middle Irish fír, meaning true or genuine | |||
| Spanish | real | ||
| In Spanish, "real" has historically referred to a coin or a royal estate and can still mean "genuine" or "authentic" instead of just "not imaginary". | |||
| Swedish | verklig | ||
| The word 'verklig' in Swedish is derived from the Old Norse word 'verkelikr', meaning 'actual' or 'existing'. | |||
| Welsh | go iawn | ||
| The name 'Go Iawn' can also refer to a traditional Welsh folk dance, as well as the traditional Welsh triple harp. | |||
Real in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | сапраўдны | ||
| The word | |||
| Bosnian | stvarno | ||
| The word 'stvarno' derives from the Proto-Slavic root *stvьrdъ, meaning 'firm', 'solid' or 'true'. | |||
| Bulgarian | истински | ||
| The word "истински" is a derivative of the Slavic word "истина", which means "truth", but it can also mean "authentic", "genuine", or "valid". | |||
| Czech | nemovitý | ||
| The term "nemovitý" in Czech comes from the Czech word "movity" meaning "movable property," so "nemovitý" means "immovable property." | |||
| Estonian | päris | ||
| The word "päris" can also refer to an inheritance or a genuine article, and may be related to the word "pair" in English. | |||
| Finnish | todellinen | ||
| The Finnish word "todellinen" originates from the Proto-Finnic word *tode, meaning "truth" or "reality". It's also related to the Livonian word "tōd" and the Estonian word "tõde", both meaning "truth". | |||
| Hungarian | igazi | ||
| The word "igazi" is derived from the Turkic word "hakiki", meaning "genuine" or "authentic." | |||
| Latvian | īsts | ||
| The word "īsts" is often mistakenly assumed to be related to the English "east". | |||
| Lithuanian | tikras | ||
| Also can refer to 'genuine', 'actual', 'correct', 'authentic' or 'natural'. | |||
| Macedonian | вистински | ||
| "Вистински" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *istina*, meaning "truth". It is cognate with the Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, and Bulgarian word "истина" (istina), the Russian word "истина" (istina), and the Polish word "istnieć" (to exist). | |||
| Polish | real | ||
| In Polish, "real" (rzeczywisty) is related to "thing" (rzecz), denoting something concrete or tangible. | |||
| Romanian | real | ||
| The Romanian word "real" derives from the Latin word "res" (thing), and originally meant "property". Today, it is most commonly used as an adjective meaning "genuine" or "authentic." | |||
| Russian | настоящий | ||
| In addition to "real", "настоящий" can also mean "current", "authentic" or even "engaged" when referring to a person's relationship status. | |||
| Serbian | прави | ||
| The word 'прави' ('real') in Serbian can also refer to 'appropriate', 'correct', or 'just'. | |||
| Slovak | reálny | ||
| Slovenian | resnično | ||
| The Slovenian word 'resnično' derives from the Proto-Slavic root *istina, meaning 'truth, reality'. It is cognate with the English word ' earnest', which originally meant 'taken in earnest, real' | |||
| Ukrainian | справжній | ||
| The word "справжній" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*iskrenъ", meaning "true, genuine". | |||
Real in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বাস্তব | ||
| বাস্তব also refers to the concept of reality or the true nature of things | |||
| Gujarati | વાસ્તવિક | ||
| Hindi | असली | ||
| The term 'असली' is derived from the Arabic word 'asal' (أَصْل), meaning 'origin' or 'source'. | |||
| Kannada | ನೈಜ | ||
| ನೈಜ (naija) is also used to refer to the 'original' or 'authentic' version of something, as opposed to a copy or imitation. | |||
| Malayalam | യഥാർത്ഥ | ||
| The word 'യഥാർത്ഥ' can also mean 'original', 'authentic' or 'genuine' in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | वास्तविक | ||
| Marathi 'वास्तविक' comes from Sanskrit 'वास्तविक' meaning 'real, actual' and not 'substantial' like its Gujarati cognate | |||
| Nepali | वास्तविक | ||
| The word "वास्तविक" originates from the Sanskrit word "वस्तुतः", meaning "truth" or "actual"} | |||
| Punjabi | ਅਸਲ | ||
| The word 'ਅਸਲ' in Punjabi is derived from the Sanskrit word 'असली' (asali), meaning 'original, genuine' | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සැබෑ | ||
| "සැබෑ" can also mean "true" or "genuine" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | உண்மையானது | ||
| Telugu | నిజమైనది | ||
| The word 'నిజమైనది' ('real') in Telugu is derived from the Sanskrit word 'निज' (nija) meaning 'one's own', 'true' or 'genuine'. | |||
| Urdu | اصلی | ||
| The word "اصلی" can also mean "original" or "authentic" in Urdu. | |||
Real in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 真实 | ||
| 真实 (zhēnshí) originally meant 'truthfulness' or 'sincerity' and later came to mean 'genuine' or 'actual'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 真實 | ||
| In the Tang dynasty, "真實" could mean "what is actually true," with an emphasis on its existence, and was also used to express "the original," "the authentic," and "the true face."} | |||
| Japanese | リアル | ||
| The characters forming the Japanese word リアル originally came from the word "realistic" in English, indicating something very close to reality. | |||
| Korean | 레알 | ||
| In the expression 실물(實物), “레알” does not mean “real” but the “substance” of something, and the “thing” itself is 물(物). | |||
| Mongolian | бодит | ||
| The Mongolian word "бодит" is derived from the verb "бодож" meaning "to be" and is related to the Turkish word "bod" meaning "this" or "here". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အစစ်အမှန် | ||
Real in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | nyata | ||
| The word "nyata" is derived from the Sanskrit word "nyatya" which means "real, actual, true". | |||
| Javanese | nyata | ||
| The word 'nyata' in Javanese can also mean 'clearly visible', 'obvious', or 'evident'. | |||
| Khmer | ពិតប្រាកដ | ||
| Lao | ທີ່ແທ້ຈິງ | ||
| Malay | nyata | ||
| The Indonesian word 'nyata' also has the additional connotations of 'apparent', 'manifest', 'evident', and 'certain'. | |||
| Thai | จริง | ||
| "จริง" was derived from the Pali/Sanskrit word "satyam" which means truth, reality or genuineness. | |||
| Vietnamese | thực tế | ||
| "Thực tế" in Vietnamese originated from the concept of "action for real". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | totoo | ||
Real in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | həqiqi | ||
| "Həqiqi" comes from Arabic word "حق" "haq" which also exists in Azerbaijani and it also can means "right," "true." | |||
| Kazakh | нақты | ||
| The word "нақты" can also refer to "accuracy" or "concreteness". | |||
| Kyrgyz | чыныгы | ||
| The word "чыныгы" can also mean "true" or "genuine" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | воқеӣ | ||
| The word "воқеӣ" is a loanword from Arabic and is related to the words "fact" and "true" | |||
| Turkmen | hakyky | ||
| Uzbek | haqiqiy | ||
| Haqiqiy is derived from the Arabic word haqiqat, which has multiple meanings including truth, reality, and authenticity. | |||
| Uyghur | real | ||
Real in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | maoli | ||
| The Hawaiian word "maoli" can also refer to the indigenous people of Hawai'i or to something that is original or genuine. | |||
| Maori | tūturu | ||
| In Maori, tūturu can also mean 'to confirm' or 'to acknowledge'. | |||
| Samoan | moni | ||
| In Samoan, "moni" is a term used to describe what is tangible, and not merely existing in theory or imagination. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | totoo | ||
| The Tagalog word 'totoo' (real) originally meant 'certain,' as in 'sure' or 'for sure'. | |||
Real in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | chiqa | ||
| Guarani | añete | ||
Real in International Languages
| Esperanto | reala | ||
| The Esperanto word 'reala' derives from the Spanish word 'real' (royal), and also means 'royal' or 'regal'. | |||
| Latin | verum | ||
| Verum, meaning 'real' in Latin, also refers to a type of wheat and an oath of truth. | |||
Real in Others Languages
| Greek | πραγματικός | ||
| The word 'πραγματικός' in Greek can also mean 'genuine', 'authentic', or 'true' and comes from the word 'πράγμα' ('thing'). | |||
| Hmong | tiag | ||
| The Hmong word "tiag" comes from the Chinese word "diàn", which means "lightning". | |||
| Kurdish | rast | ||
| The Kurdish word "rast" has alternative meanings including "right", "correct", and "straight". | |||
| Turkish | gerçek | ||
| "Gerçek" is also the name of an important Turkish news agency. | |||
| Xhosa | ngokwenene | ||
| In Xhosa, 'ngokwenene' can also mean 'true' or 'genuine' when describing authenticity or sincerity. | |||
| Yiddish | פאַקטיש | ||
| The Yiddish word "פאַקטיש" (faktish) derives from the German word "faktisch" and is an intensifier meaning "completely" or "effectively". | |||
| Zulu | kwangempela | ||
| Originally meant 'the true thing', later used to replace the word 'okuhle' meaning 'good'. | |||
| Assamese | বাস্তৱ | ||
| Aymara | chiqa | ||
| Bhojpuri | वास्तविक | ||
| Dhivehi | އަސްލު | ||
| Dogri | असल | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | totoo | ||
| Guarani | añete | ||
| Ilocano | agpayso | ||
| Krio | rial | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕاستەقینە | ||
| Maithili | सच | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯁꯦꯡꯕ | ||
| Mizo | tak | ||
| Oromo | dhugaa qabatamaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବାସ୍ତବ | ||
| Quechua | chiqaq | ||
| Sanskrit | वास्तविक | ||
| Tatar | реаль | ||
| Tigrinya | ሓቂ | ||
| Tsonga | ntiyiso | ||