Refer in Different Languages
Discover 'Refer' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'refer' is a versatile and essential part of our daily communication, holding significant meaning in both casual and formal conversations. It is often used to cite or mention something, providing context, clarity, and depth to our discussions. Moreover, it holds cultural importance across the globe, as people from different linguistic backgrounds utilize this concept in their unique ways of expressing thoughts and ideas.
Delving into the historical context, the Latin origin of 'referre' means 'to carry back,' which has evolved to signify the act of directing someone's attention to a person, thing, or concept in various languages.
With the rise of globalization and cross-cultural communication, understanding the translations of 'refer' in different languages has become increasingly crucial. Not only does it facilitate better interaction with diverse communities, but it also showcases the beauty and intricacy of linguistic diversity.
Here are a few sample translations of the word 'refer' in various languages, sparking curiosity and encouraging further exploration into the world of language and culture:
Refer
Refer in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | verwys | ||
| Verwys (Afrikaans) originates from the Dutch "verwijzen" (point out, refer), ultimately from the Latin "versus" (turned toward). | |||
| Amharic | ዋቢ | ||
| ዋቢ (refer) can also mean "cause" or "origin" in some contexts. | |||
| Hausa | koma | ||
| "Koma" also means "to point at" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | rụtụ aka | ||
| The Igbo word "rụtụ aka" can also mean "handbrake" or "to pull back". | |||
| Malagasy | jereo | ||
| The word "jereo" in Malagasy also means "look at" and "see". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | onetsani | ||
| In Chichewa, "onetsani" is also used in the context of allocating or distributing. | |||
| Shona | tarisa | ||
| The word "tarisa" can also mean "to see" or "to watch." | |||
| Somali | tixraac | ||
| The Somali word "tixraac" also means "to allude, hint at, or suggest something indirectly." | |||
| Sesotho | lebisa | ||
| The Sesotho word "lebisa" also means "to point at something" or "to indicate something" | |||
| Swahili | rejelea | ||
| The Swahili word 'rejelea' can also mean 'to return', 'to go back', or 'to bring back'. | |||
| Xhosa | bhekisa | ||
| The word "bhekisa" also means "to point out" or "to show" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | tọka | ||
| Tọka is also used in Yoruba to denote the act of directing someone to a particular location or place. | |||
| Zulu | bhekisa | ||
| The word 'bhekisa' originates from the Bantu root '-vek-', meaning 'to point' or 'to show'. | |||
| Bambara | ka yira | ||
| Ewe | ɖo ɖa | ||
| Kinyarwanda | reba | ||
| Lingala | kolobela | ||
| Luganda | okulagirira | ||
| Sepedi | lebiša | ||
| Twi (Akan) | dane ma | ||
Refer in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أشير | ||
| The word "اشير" in Arabic is derived from the root verb "أشار", meaning "to point out" or "to indicate", and can also refer to a sign or a signal. | |||
| Hebrew | מתייחס | ||
| The Hebrew word "מתייחס" can also mean "to behave" or "to treat" someone in a certain way. | |||
| Pashto | مراجعه وکړئ | ||
| The word "مراجعه وکړئ" can also mean "to apply" or "to consult". | |||
| Arabic | أشير | ||
| The word "اشير" in Arabic is derived from the root verb "أشار", meaning "to point out" or "to indicate", and can also refer to a sign or a signal. | |||
Refer in Western European Languages
| Albanian | referoj | ||
| The Albanian word "referoj" also means "to tell" and "to relate". | |||
| Basque | erreferentzia egin | ||
| Though "erreferentzia egin" means "refer" in Basque, it also connotes "to pay homage". | |||
| Catalan | consulteu | ||
| In Catalan, 'consulteu' can also mean 'to get or seek advice or information'. | |||
| Croatian | uputiti | ||
| The word "uputiti" derives from the Slavic root "put" meaning "path" or "way". | |||
| Danish | henvise | ||
| The word "henvise" in Danish derives from the Old Norse word "vís" meaning "to show" or "to point out," and is cognate with the English word "wise." | |||
| Dutch | verwijzen | ||
| The word "verwijzen" in Dutch can also mean "to exile" or "to condemn." | |||
| English | refer | ||
| The word 'refer' traces its roots back to medieval Latin 'referre', meaning 'bring back'. In modern English, it has broadened its semantic domain to encompass 'mention' and 'consult' in addition to the original sense of 'direct back to'. | |||
| French | référer | ||
| In French, the verb "référer" can also mean "to report" or "to relate". | |||
| Frisian | ferwize | ||
| In Old Frisian, 'ferwize' also referred to an oath of denial during a legal dispute. | |||
| Galician | referir | ||
| German | verweisen | ||
| In older or more formal contexts, the verb also means 'to refuse' or 'to reject'. | |||
| Icelandic | vísa til | ||
| The Icelandic word "vísa til" can also mean "point to" or "direct attention to something". | |||
| Irish | féach | ||
| Despite the spelling, 'féach' is cognate with Latin 'spectare' and means 'watch' or 'attend' as much as 'refer' or 'mention'. | |||
| Italian | fare riferimento | ||
| The Italian word "fare riferimento" can refer to acts of referencing, but can also mean "to rely" and "to take into consideration" | |||
| Luxembourgish | referéieren | ||
| Maltese | irreferi | ||
| The word 'irreferi' in Maltese also means 'to refer to' or 'to make mention of'. | |||
| Norwegian | henvise | ||
| The verb "henvise" comes from the Old Norse word "vísa," meaning "to point or show," and is related to the English word "way" in the sense of a direction to follow. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | referir | ||
| In Portuguese, "referir" can also mean "to report" or "to concern". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | iomradh | ||
| Iomradh also means 'discussion', 'conversation', or 'discourse' | |||
| Spanish | referir | ||
| Referir also means 'to relate' or 'to convey' in Spanish. | |||
| Swedish | hänvisa | ||
| The verb "hänvisa" can also mean "to allude to" or "to indicate the existence of something." | |||
| Welsh | cyfeiriwch | ||
| In Old Welsh, the word "cyfeiriwch" also denoted "to tell" or "to narrate". | |||
Refer in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | спасылацца | ||
| The word "спасылацца" (refer) in Belarusian also means "to save" and "to help". | |||
| Bosnian | uputiti | ||
| The word "uputiti" can also mean "direct" or "point out". | |||
| Bulgarian | се отнасят | ||
| The word "се отнасят" can also mean "apply" or "relate" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | viz | ||
| Slovo "viz" pochází z latinského "videlicet", což znamená "totiž" nebo "jak je patrné". | |||
| Estonian | viidata | ||
| "Viidata" can also mean "to give a hint" or "to indicate" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | viitata | ||
| From Proto-Uralic *wiite-, meaning "indication", "proof". | |||
| Hungarian | utal | ||
| The word “utal” originally signified “hint”, and it was in the 19th century that it started to be used with its “referral” meaning. | |||
| Latvian | atsaukties | ||
| The word "atsaukties" also means "to respond" or "to answer" in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | kreiptis | ||
| The Lithuanian word "kreiptis" can also mean "to turn" or "to address" someone. | |||
| Macedonian | упатуваат | ||
| The Macedonian word "упатуваат" (refer) is derived from the Greek word "επαναφέρω" (bring back), indicating its original meaning of "to refer back to". | |||
| Polish | odnosić się | ||
| "Odnosić się" comes from the Polish preposition "do", which means "to" or "towards". | |||
| Romanian | se referă | ||
| In Romanian, "se referă" can also mean "to pertain" or "to have relevance to". | |||
| Russian | ссылаться | ||
| The word `ссылаться` derives from `слать` "send", also meaning to make a suggestion or express an opinion. | |||
| Serbian | односити се | ||
| Serbian word "односити се" comes from the prefix "однос" which means "relation", so literally "односити се" translates to "to place in the sphere of relation" | |||
| Slovak | odkazovať | ||
| The verb "odkazovať" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "odkazati", which means "to say", "to tell" or "to report". | |||
| Slovenian | napoti | ||
| Slovenian "napoti" (refer) relates to "napotki" (guidelines) and "pot" (path). | |||
| Ukrainian | посилання | ||
| The word "посилання" can also mean "link" or "hyperlink" in Ukrainian, indicating a connection to another piece of information or location. | |||
Refer in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | উল্লেখ করুন | ||
| উল্লেখ করুন- এর একটি প্রাচীন অর্থ রয়েছে 'যে কিছুকে বলা হয়েছে বা লেখা হয়েছে তা প্রকাশ করা' | |||
| Gujarati | નો સંદર્ભ લો | ||
| The word "refer" can also mean "to direct" or "to send." | |||
| Hindi | उल्लेख | ||
| The Hindi word "उल्लेख" also means "to write", "to compose", "to describe", "to mention", "to quote", "to cite", "to record", "to note", "to indicate", "to signify", "to point out", "to designate", "to denote", "to specify", "to name", "to label", "to identify", "to mark", "to tag", "to brand", "to stamp", "to seal", "to endorse", "to certify", "to approve", "to sanction", "to authorize", "to validate", "to ratify", "to confirm", "to verify", "to corroborate", "to substantiate", "to support", "to document", "to evidence", "to prove", "to demonstrate", "to show", "to exhibit", "to display", "to present", "to offer", "to provide", "to furnish", "to supply", "to give", "to lend", "to grant", "to bestow", "to confer", "to award", "to bestow", "to present", "to offer", "to provide", "to furnish", "to supply", "to give", "to lend", "to grant", "to bestow", "to confer", "to award", "to bestow" | |||
| Kannada | ನೋಡಿ | ||
| ನೋಡಿ is also used to mean 'to look', 'to see', or 'to regard'. | |||
| Malayalam | റഫർ ചെയ്യുക | ||
| In Malayalam, "റഫർ ചെയ്യുക" can also mean "to send someone to a doctor" or "to mention something incidentally." | |||
| Marathi | पहा | ||
| The Marathi word "पहा" (paha) is also used to mean "to look at" or "to see". | |||
| Nepali | उल्लेख | ||
| In Nepali, "उल्लेख" can also mean "mention" or "citation". | |||
| Punjabi | ਵੇਖੋ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਵੇਖੋ" also means "look" and "see". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | යොමු කරන්න | ||
| Tamil | பார்க்கவும் | ||
| The word "பாத்திரம்" (bāththiram) is not only a vessel but also an adjective meaning "capable". | |||
| Telugu | చూడండి | ||
| The word చూడండి ('refer') in Telugu is also used to indicate a request for a person's attention or observation. | |||
| Urdu | حوالہ دیتے ہیں | ||
Refer in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 参考 | ||
| 参考 is sometimes used figuratively to mean someone or something worthy of emulation or imitation. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 參考 | ||
| 參考 (refer) is also an abbreviation for the Chinese phrase '參考書' (reference book). | |||
| Japanese | 参照 | ||
| The word "参照" derives from the Chinese word "參照", meaning "to consult" or "to compare". It thus also suggests the meaning of "to confirm" or "to check". | |||
| Korean | 보내다 | ||
| 보내다, 본디 옷감이나 섬유질의 짜임이나 기타 물건의 짜임새를 고루고 똑바르게 만드는 뜻이었음 | |||
| Mongolian | лавлах | ||
| The Mongolian word "лавлах" can also mean "to send". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရည်ညွှန်းသည် | ||
Refer in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | lihat | ||
| The Indonesian word "lihat" can also mean "to see" or "to look at." | |||
| Javanese | deleng | ||
| The word "deleng" in Javanese has an alternate meaning of "look" and is cognate with the Malay word "dengar" meaning "hear". | |||
| Khmer | យោង | ||
| យោង is a Pali loanword and also means "to depend on or rely upon". | |||
| Lao | ອ້າງອີງ | ||
| Refer in Lao, is borrowed from the Thai word อ้างอิง (อ้างอิง). | |||
| Malay | rujuk | ||
| In Malay, "rujuk" can also mean "to return" or "to reconcile". | |||
| Thai | อ้างอิง | ||
| "อ้างอิง" can also mean "to depend on" or "to rely on". | |||
| Vietnamese | tham khảo | ||
| The word 'tham khảo' derives from Chinese and literally means 'to consult for reference'. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sumangguni | ||
Refer in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | müraciət edin | ||
| In formal contexts, | |||
| Kazakh | сілтеме | ||
| The word "сілтеме" (refer) in Kazakh is derived from the Persian word "silsile" meaning "chain" or "line of descent." | |||
| Kyrgyz | кайрылуу | ||
| In the 19th century, "кайрылуу" was also used in the meaning of "resembling". | |||
| Tajik | муроҷиат кунед | ||
| The term "муроҷиат кунед" in Tajik has historical roots in Arabic and Persian and can also mean "addressing" or "petitioning". | |||
| Turkmen | serediň | ||
| Uzbek | murojaat qiling | ||
| The word "murojaat qiling" can also mean to appeal, apply, or address. | |||
| Uyghur | پايدىلىنىڭ | ||
Refer in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kuhikuhi | ||
| The term may also translate to the English words 'point', 'indicate', or 'direct attention to'. | |||
| Maori | tirohia | ||
| "Tirohia" also means "look at" or "inspect" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | faʻasino | ||
| "Faʻasino" also means "to point out" or "to indicate" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sumangguni | ||
| "Sumangguni" in Tagalog also means "consult" or "seek advice from". | |||
Refer in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | chiqanchaña | ||
| Guarani | mombe'u | ||
Refer in International Languages
| Esperanto | referenci | ||
| The word "referenci" also means "to make a reference" or "to provide a reference" in Esperanto. | |||
| Latin | dictum | ||
| Dictum may also mean a judicial order, maxim, saying, or proverb. | |||
Refer in Others Languages
| Greek | αναφέρομαι | ||
| Αναφέρομαι, from Greek 'ανα-' (again) + 'φέρω' (carry), also means 'to return,' 'to bring up again,' 'to recall' | |||
| Hmong | xa mus | ||
| "Xa mus" is also used to refer to a type of traditional Hmong clothing. | |||
| Kurdish | balkişan | ||
| Balkişan is also used in Kurdish to mean 'to turn' or 'to change direction'. | |||
| Turkish | başvurmak | ||
| The verb "başvurmak" can also mean "to apply for a job" or "to resort to something". | |||
| Xhosa | bhekisa | ||
| The word "bhekisa" also means "to point out" or "to show" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | אָפּשיקן | ||
| The Yiddish word "אָפּשיקן" (refer) is derived from the German word "abschicken" (to send away). | |||
| Zulu | bhekisa | ||
| The word 'bhekisa' originates from the Bantu root '-vek-', meaning 'to point' or 'to show'. | |||
| Assamese | উল্লেখ | ||
| Aymara | chiqanchaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | हवाला दिहल | ||
| Dhivehi | ހުށަހެޅުން | ||
| Dogri | भेजना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sumangguni | ||
| Guarani | mombe'u | ||
| Ilocano | kitaen | ||
| Krio | tɔk bɔt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئاماژە | ||
| Maithili | प्रस्तुत | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯥꯛꯕ | ||
| Mizo | kawhhmuh | ||
| Oromo | wabeeffachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅନୁସରଣ କରନ୍ତୁ | | ||
| Quechua | willay | ||
| Sanskrit | आक्षिपति | ||
| Tatar | кара | ||
| Tigrinya | ምራሕ | ||
| Tsonga | hundzisela | ||