Recognize in Different Languages
Discover 'Recognize' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'recognize' holds a significant place in our daily lives, as it allows us to acknowledge the worth, identity, or significance of something or someone. From a cultural perspective, recognizing and respecting diverse traditions, beliefs, and practices is essential for fostering inclusivity and harmony. Moreover, understanding the translation of 'recognize' in different languages can help bridge cultural gaps and promote effective communication.
Did you know that the English word 'recognize' has its roots in the Latin word 'recognoscere,' which means 'to know again'? This historical context highlights the importance of memory and familiarity associated with recognition. In German, 'recognize' translates to 'erkennen,' while in Spanish, it is 'reconocer.' In French, the translation is 'reconnaître,' and in Japanese, it is '인정하다 (injeonghada).'
Explore the translations of 'recognize' in various languages and expand your cultural awareness. Keep reading to discover more!
Recognize
Recognize in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | herken | ||
| Herkennen originates from Middle Dutch, but can also mean "to remember" or "to be familiar with" in Dutch. | |||
| Amharic | እውቅና መስጠት | ||
| The word "acknowledge" originally meant to "admit or confess (a fact)." | |||
| Hausa | gane | ||
| "Gane" in Hausa, derived from "ganewa", also carries the meanings "to find", "to see" and "to observe". | |||
| Igbo | mata | ||
| In Igbo, “mata” means to “see” or “perceive,” and relates to the word “anyama,” meaning “animal,” and “onye,” meaning “person”. | |||
| Malagasy | ny fomba anehoan'andriamanitra | ||
| Ny fombam-bohoan'Andriamanitra is one word in the Malagasy language, despite being five words when translated to English. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuzindikira | ||
| The Nyanja word 'kuzindikira' also means 'to notice', 'to perceive', and 'to understand'. | |||
| Shona | ziva | ||
| Ziva can also mean 'understand' or 'know,' and may share an etymology with the root "zi," meaning 'to be,' found in many Bantu languages. | |||
| Somali | garwaaqso | ||
| In Somali, the word "garwaaqso" not only means "recognize," but also has the connotation of "acknowledging and respecting something or someone." | |||
| Sesotho | hlokomela | ||
| "Hlokomela" also means "to understand" or "to listen". | |||
| Swahili | tambua | ||
| The word "tambua" in Swahili also means "to notice" or "to observe". | |||
| Xhosa | qaphela | ||
| In older forms of Xhosa, "qaphela" originally meant to pay attention, and still retains that meaning even in contemporary Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | mọ | ||
| This verb has two meanings which are 1. 'recognize' and 2. 'notice'. | |||
| Zulu | qaphela | ||
| 'Qaphela' in Zulu also means 'to pay attention' or 'to concentrate'. | |||
| Bambara | k'a lakodɔn | ||
| Ewe | de dzesi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | menya | ||
| Lingala | koyeba | ||
| Luganda | okutegeera | ||
| Sepedi | lemoga | ||
| Twi (Akan) | hunu | ||
Recognize in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تعرف | ||
| In Arabic, “تعرف” can also mean “to make someone understand” or “to admit.” | |||
| Hebrew | לזהות | ||
| The root of "לזהות" is "זהות" (identity), suggesting a deep connection between recognition and self-awareness. | |||
| Pashto | پیژندنه | ||
| “پیژندنه” means not only “recognize,” but also “meet,” which shares the same spelling in Arabic.} | |||
| Arabic | تعرف | ||
| In Arabic, “تعرف” can also mean “to make someone understand” or “to admit.” | |||
Recognize in Western European Languages
| Albanian | njohin | ||
| The Albanian word "njohin" has the same root as the Latin word "nosco", meaning "know" or "be acquainted with". | |||
| Basque | aitortu | ||
| The Basque word 'aitortu' can also mean to 'admit' or 'confess'. | |||
| Catalan | reconèixer | ||
| "Reconeguda" ('admission') and "reconeixença" ('recognition') are derived from its Latin ancestor, "recognoscere", meaning "to recognize, distinguish, review, judge." | |||
| Croatian | prepoznati | ||
| The word "prepoznati" in Croatian comes from the Proto-Slavic verb *poznati, which also meant "to get to know". | |||
| Danish | genkende | ||
| The word "genkende" in Danish, meaning "recognize", is derived from the Old Norse word "kjenna", meaning "to know" or "to be acquainted with". | |||
| Dutch | herken | ||
| The Dutch verb "herkennen" also carries a connotation of remembrance. | |||
| English | recognize | ||
| The word 'recognize' derives from the Latin verb 'recognoscere,' meaning 'to know again'. | |||
| French | reconnaître | ||
| "Reconnaître" is derived from the Latin "re-" ("again") and "cognoscere" ("to know"), implying "to know again". It can also mean "to acknowledge" or "to admit". | |||
| Frisian | werkenne | ||
| The word "werkenne" in Frisian is a loanword from Middle Dutch "werkennen" (recognize), which in turn originates from the Old Dutch "wirkennian", with a primary meaning of "perceive". | |||
| Galician | recoñecer | ||
| The verb "recoñecer" also means "to confirm". | |||
| German | erkenne | ||
| The word "erkennen" is derived from the Old High German word "irkennan," meaning "to know" or "understand." | |||
| Icelandic | kannast við | ||
| Originally meant "to know" in Old Norse, "kanna" also has a second meaning "to take". | |||
| Irish | aithint | ||
| The word "aithint" can also mean "to perceive" or "to understand" | |||
| Italian | riconoscere | ||
| "Riconoscere" in Italian originates from the Latin "recognoscere," meaning "to know again" or "to examine thoroughly." | |||
| Luxembourgish | erkennen | ||
| The word "erkennen" comes from the Old High German "irkennen," meaning "to gain knowledge of" or "to come to understand." | |||
| Maltese | jirrikonoxxu | ||
| The word "jirrikonoxxu" derives from the Italian word "riconoscere", meaning "to acknowledge" or "to admit". | |||
| Norwegian | gjenkjenne | ||
| The word "gjenkjenne" is derived from the Old Norse word "kjenna" meaning "to know" and the prefix "gjen-" meaning "again". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | reconhecer | ||
| The Portuguese word "reconhecer" derives from the Latin verb "recognoscere", meaning "to examine carefully" or "to know again".} | |||
| Scots Gaelic | aithneachadh | ||
| The Gaelic word "aithneachadh" also means "to acknowledge" or "to admit to". | |||
| Spanish | reconocer | ||
| The word "reconocer" comes from the Latin "recognoscere", meaning "to get to know again". | |||
| Swedish | känna igen | ||
| "Känna igen" literally means "to feel again" in Swedish, implying that recognition involves a sense of familiarity rather than just visual perception. | |||
| Welsh | cydnabod | ||
| Cydnabod traces its roots to the Proto-Celtic word *ǵen-gʷno- and Proto-Indo-European word *ǵneh₃ which both mean 'to know' | |||
Recognize in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | распазнаць | ||
| In Ukrainian, 'розпізнати' can also mean 'to interpret', while in Russian, 'распознать' can mean both 'to recognize' and 'to decrypt'. | |||
| Bosnian | prepoznati | ||
| The word "prepoznati" in Bosnian can also mean "to identify" or "to notice". | |||
| Bulgarian | разпознае | ||
| Разпознае may be cognate with Russian распознаю (raspoznayu) "to recognize, discern, distinguish", a word which is derived from the Old Russian познати (poznati) "to know, understand" and shares its origin with the Slavic word *po-znati "to get acquainted with". | |||
| Czech | uznat | ||
| Uznat can also refer to the act of finding something out or learning about something. | |||
| Estonian | ära tundma | ||
| The verb "ära tundma" can also mean "to smell". | |||
| Finnish | tunnistaa | ||
| "Tunnistaa" is a derivative of "tunto" (touch, feeling, emotion) and "tuntua" (to feel). | |||
| Hungarian | elismerik | ||
| The word "elismerik" can also mean "confess" or "acknowledge". | |||
| Latvian | atpazīt | ||
| The word “atpazīt” is derived from the Proto-Baltic verb *pazīti with cognates in other Baltic languages such as Lithuanian pažįstu, meaning "recognize" or "get to know". | |||
| Lithuanian | atpažinti | ||
| The Lithuanian word "atpažinti" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*gneh₃-", meaning "to know, to recognize". | |||
| Macedonian | препознаваат | ||
| The word "препознаваат" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *poznati, meaning "to know" or "to recognize". | |||
| Polish | rozpoznać | ||
| The Polish word "rozpoznać" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *poznati, meaning "to know". | |||
| Romanian | recunoaşte | ||
| „Recunoaşte", which in Romanian means "recognize," etymologically derives from Latin recognōscere ("to review") but has acquired a secondary, juridical meaning of "to recognize an act, a signature or a person". | |||
| Russian | признать | ||
| The word "признать (priznat)" in Russian can also mean "to acknowledge" or "to admit". | |||
| Serbian | препознати | ||
| The word "препознати" is derived from the Slavic root "poznati," meaning "to know" or "to understand." | |||
| Slovak | uznať | ||
| "Uznat" in Czech and Slovak can mean to forgive, while in Polish it can mean to approve. | |||
| Slovenian | prepoznati | ||
| The word "prepoznati" comes from the Slavic root *pozn*, which also gives rise to the words "znati" (know), and "poznanje" (knowledge), meaning “know beforehand”. Thus the literal translation is “to know in advance”. | |||
| Ukrainian | розпізнати | ||
| The word "розпізнати" comes from the Old Slavic word "pozĭnati", which means "to know" or "to understand". | |||
Recognize in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | চিনতে | ||
| The word "চিনতে" (recognize) is derived from the Sanskrit word "jñā", meaning "to know" or "to understand." | |||
| Gujarati | ઓળખો | ||
| The word "ઓળખો" also means "identification" or "knowledge" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | पहचानना | ||
| The word 'पहचानना' also means 'to identify' or 'to recognize' in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಗುರುತಿಸಿ | ||
| The term ಗುರುತಿಸಿ originates from Sanskrit word 'grihita' which means 'perceived', 'comprehended', or 'grasped'. | |||
| Malayalam | തിരിച്ചറിയുക | ||
| Marathi | ओळखणे | ||
| The word "ओळखणे" (recognize) is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵneh₃-, meaning "to know". It is cognate with the English word "know" and the Latin word "cognoscere". In Marathi, "ओळखणे" can also mean "to identify", "to distinguish", or "to be familiar with". | |||
| Nepali | पहिचान गर्नुहोस् | ||
| Punjabi | ਪਛਾਣੋ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਪਛਾਣੋ" can also mean "to identify" or "to acquaint oneself with someone or something." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හදුනාගන්නවා | ||
| Tamil | அடையாளம் கண்டு கொள் | ||
| Telugu | గుర్తించండి | ||
| Urdu | پہچاننا | ||
| The word "پہچاننا" comes from the Sanskrit word "प्रतिज्ञान" (pratijñāna), meaning "recognition, identification, or knowledge". | |||
Recognize in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 认识 | ||
| In Chinese, "认识" can also mean "to make acquaintance with" or "to know someone or something." | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 認識 | ||
| 認識 (recognize) can also mean knowledge, perception, or acquaintance in Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | 認識する | ||
| In Japanese, the verb "認識する" (ninshiki-suru) can also mean to "acknowledge" or to have "realization" and "awareness". | |||
| Korean | 인식하다 | ||
| "인식하다" can also mean "acknowledge" or "perceive." | |||
| Mongolian | таних | ||
| The verb “таних” was originally used to mean “to look” or “to see” and only later came to mean “to recognize”. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အသိအမှတ်ပြုသည် | ||
Recognize in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mengakui | ||
| The Indonesian word "mengakui" also means "to acknowledge" or "to admit". | |||
| Javanese | ngenali | ||
| Ngenali also means 'to know', derived from the word 'ngerti', which can mean 'to understand' or 'to feel' something | |||
| Khmer | ទទួលស្គាល់ | ||
| Lao | ຮັບຮູ້ | ||
| Malay | mengenali | ||
| "Mengenali" in Malay also means "familiarize" or "acquaint". | |||
| Thai | รับรู้ | ||
| The Thai word "รับรู้" can also mean "to perceive" or "to acknowledge." | |||
| Vietnamese | nhìn nhận | ||
| Nhìn nhận is also a loanword from Chinese and its original meaning is to think about. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | makilala | ||
Recognize in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | tanımaq | ||
| Etymology: Old Azerbaijani tanımaq - “to be known” | |||
| Kazakh | тану | ||
| The Kazakh word "тану" can also mean "to know", "to be familiar with", or "to be aware of". | |||
| Kyrgyz | таануу | ||
| The Kyrgyz term "таануу" has its origins in the Turkic root "taŋ-", meaning "to know" or "to be acquainted with". | |||
| Tajik | эътироф кардан | ||
| The word "эътироф кардан" in Tajik originally meant "to admit" or "to confess", but it now also means "to recognize". | |||
| Turkmen | tanamak | ||
| Uzbek | tan olish | ||
| "Tan olish" also means "get to know" or "make acquaintance" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | تونۇش | ||
Recognize in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻike | ||
| The verb ʻike can also mean "to know," "to be acquainted with," "to remember," "to guess," "to perceive," or "to be familiar with." | |||
| Maori | mōhio | ||
| Maori "mōhio" also translates to "understand," "know," and "be aware of." | |||
| Samoan | iloa | ||
| Iloa is a verb meaning 'to recognize' or 'to know or have knowledge of'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | makilala | ||
| "Makilala" can also mean to perceive, discern, distinguish, appreciate, and acknowledge, among other things. | |||
Recognize in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | uñt'aña | ||
| Guarani | hechakuaa | ||
Recognize in International Languages
| Esperanto | rekoni | ||
| The word "rekoni" derives from the French word "reconnaître" meaning "recognize" or "acknowledge". | |||
| Latin | agnoscis | ||
| The Latin word "agnoscis" derives from the prefix "ad-," meaning "to" or "toward," and the root "gnoscere," meaning "to know" or "to perceive." | |||
Recognize in Others Languages
| Greek | αναγνωρίζω | ||
| "Αναγνωρίζω": From ἀνά- "again" + γιγνώσκω "know", ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- "to know" | |||
| Hmong | paub txog | ||
| The word "paub txog" can also mean "acknowledge" or "admit" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | nasîn | ||
| The Kurdish word "nasîn" shares an etymology with the Persian word "nashehtan," both meaning "to show".} | |||
| Turkish | tanımak | ||
| The Turkish word "tanımak" also has the meaning of "to know someone well" and derives from the word "tan" meaning "to know". | |||
| Xhosa | qaphela | ||
| In older forms of Xhosa, "qaphela" originally meant to pay attention, and still retains that meaning even in contemporary Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | דערקענען | ||
| The Yiddish word "דערקענען" is derived from the German word "erkennen", which means "to perceive" or "to acknowledge". | |||
| Zulu | qaphela | ||
| 'Qaphela' in Zulu also means 'to pay attention' or 'to concentrate'. | |||
| Assamese | চিনাক্ত কৰা | ||
| Aymara | uñt'aña | ||
| Bhojpuri | चिन्हीं | ||
| Dhivehi | ފާހަގަވުން | ||
| Dogri | पंछानना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | makilala | ||
| Guarani | hechakuaa | ||
| Ilocano | ilasin | ||
| Krio | no | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ناسینەوە | ||
| Maithili | मान्यता | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯛꯈꯪꯕ | ||
| Mizo | hmelhriatna | ||
| Oromo | qalbeeffachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଚିହ୍ନିବା | ||
| Quechua | riqsiy | ||
| Sanskrit | प्रत्यभिजानातु | ||
| Tatar | танырга | ||
| Tigrinya | ምልላይ | ||
| Tsonga | lemuka | ||