Reflect in Different Languages
Discover 'Reflect' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'reflect' holds great significance in our daily lives, encouraging us to look inward and consider our actions and their impact. It's a concept deeply ingrained in various cultures, often symbolizing self-improvement, growth, and wisdom.
Throughout history, introspection has been a powerful tool for change. From ancient philosophers to modern-day psychologists, many have emphasized the importance of reflection in personal development and decision-making processes.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'reflect' in different languages can enrich our cross-cultural communication and foster a deeper appreciation for diverse perspectives. For instance, the Spanish translation, 'reflejar,' also means 'to mirror,' highlighting the word's connection to physical reflection. Meanwhile, in Japanese, 'haneru' signifies 'to reflect' in a more abstract sense, referring to the process of contemplation and consideration.
Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of language and culture, exploring how 'reflect' is conveyed in various tongues.
Reflect
Reflect in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | weerspieël | ||
| "Weerspieël" derives from the Old English word "weðerspiegelung", meaning "mirror image." | |||
| Amharic | ያንፀባርቁ | ||
| "ያንፀባርቁ" also means "to be ashamed" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | yi tunani | ||
| In Hausa, "yi tunani" can also mean "to think" or "to reconsider," extending its semantic range beyond mere reflection. | |||
| Igbo | iche echiche | ||
| The verb root | |||
| Malagasy | taratra | ||
| The Malagasy word "taratra" comes from the Malay root "terang" meaning lightning but also has the broader meaning of shine. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ganizirani | ||
| The word 'ganizirani' originates from the root word 'ganiza' meaning 'to think' and is also used to refer to 'self-reflection' or 'introspection'. | |||
| Shona | kuratidza | ||
| The verb "kuratidza" can also mean to 'explain' or 'interpret' in Shona. | |||
| Somali | milicso | ||
| The word "milicso" is derived from the Proto-Somali verb *milic-, meaning "to turn back, to return". | |||
| Sesotho | bonahatsa | ||
| The word 'bonahatsa' also means 'to consider' or 'to think carefully' in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | tafakari | ||
| Tafakari can also mean 'to philosophize' or 'to meditate'. | |||
| Xhosa | bonakalisa | ||
| "Bonakalisa" also refers to a mirror. | |||
| Yoruba | afihan | ||
| The word afihan can also mean to cast a spell or to work magic. | |||
| Zulu | bonisa | ||
| In Zulu, the word "bonisa" originates from the root "bona" meaning "see," and is used in the context of reflecting light or water. | |||
| Bambara | taasi | ||
| Ewe | klẽ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | tekereza | ||
| Lingala | komonisa | ||
| Luganda | okufumitiriza | ||
| Sepedi | bontšha | ||
| Twi (Akan) | sɛso | ||
Reflect in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تعكس | ||
| يعود أصل كلمة "تعكس" في اللغة العربية إلى الجذر "ع ك س" والذي يعني أيضًا " قلب" أو "عكس الاتجاه". | |||
| Hebrew | משקף | ||
| "משקף" (mishkaf) in Hebrew means not only "reflect" but also "glasses" or "spectacles," linking reflection to vision. | |||
| Pashto | منعکس کړئ | ||
| In Arabic, the word "منعکس کړئ" also means "reflection" and "impression". | |||
| Arabic | تعكس | ||
| يعود أصل كلمة "تعكس" في اللغة العربية إلى الجذر "ع ك س" والذي يعني أيضًا " قلب" أو "عكس الاتجاه". | |||
Reflect in Western European Languages
| Albanian | pasqyrim | ||
| "Pasqyrim" means "reflection" in Albanian, but it can also refer to an image, a mirror, or a representation. | |||
| Basque | hausnartu | ||
| The Proto-Basque form is *ausnar- and the original sense is 'make clear', 'clarify'. | |||
| Catalan | reflexionar | ||
| El verbo "reflexionar" proviene del latín "reflectere", que también significa "doblar", "retroceder" o "regresar". | |||
| Croatian | odražavati | ||
| In Serbo-Croatian, the verb 'odražavati' can also mean 'to represent' or 'to demonstrate', not just 'to reflect'. | |||
| Danish | afspejle | ||
| "Afspejle" is derived from the Old Norse "að spegla," meaning "to take in," and can also refer to a comparison between two things. | |||
| Dutch | reflecteren | ||
| In addition to meaning “reflect”, “reflecteren” in Dutch has meanings like “contemplate” or “meditate”. | |||
| English | reflect | ||
| The verb 'reflect' also refers to thinking deeply or carefully about something. | |||
| French | réfléchir | ||
| In French, "réfléchir" also means "to think about" or "to meditate on". | |||
| Frisian | wjerspegelje | ||
| The word "wjerspegelje" in Frisian has various meanings, depending on context, including "to reflect", "to observe", and "to consider". | |||
| Galician | reflexo | ||
| The Galician word "reflexo" can also mean "reflection" or "thoughtful consideration". | |||
| German | reflektieren | ||
| In German, "reflektieren" can also mean "to ponder" or "to consider carefully". | |||
| Icelandic | endurspegla | ||
| The word "endurspegla" comes from the Old Norse word "endurspegla", which means "to reflect back", and is also related to the Old English word "onspegl", meaning "a mirror." | |||
| Irish | léiriú | ||
| The Irish word 'léiriú' has a dual meaning, also translating to 'interpretation' or 'performance'. | |||
| Italian | riflettere | ||
| "Riflettere" also means "to think" and comes from the Latin "reflectere," meaning "to bend back." | |||
| Luxembourgish | reflektéieren | ||
| In Luxembourgish, 'reflektéieren' can also mean 'to think about something carefully' or 'to meditate on something'. | |||
| Maltese | jirriflettu | ||
| "Jirriflettu" is the Maltese word for "reflecting" and is derived from the Arabic word "jirrif" meaning "to shake". | |||
| Norwegian | reflektere | ||
| In Norwegian, "reflektere" can also mean "to consider" or "to ponder". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | refletir | ||
| The verb "refletir" in Portuguese originally meant "to bend back" or "to fold back", akin to "reflect" in English. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | meòrachadh | ||
| The word "meòrachadh" in Scots Gaelic also means "to consider" or "to contemplate". | |||
| Spanish | reflejar | ||
| The verb "reflejar" in Spanish also means to "show" or "express" in a more abstract sense. | |||
| Swedish | reflektera | ||
| In Swedish, "reflektera" can also refer to a type of spotlight used on film sets or in photography. | |||
| Welsh | adlewyrchu | ||
| The Middle Welsh word 'adlewyrchu' (reflect) is derived from the Old Welsh verb 'adlewyrgryd' (cast back rays). However, unlike 'adlewyrchu', the latter referred to the return of physical beams of light rather than the metaphorical projection of light onto something. | |||
Reflect in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | адлюстраваць | ||
| Bosnian | odražavaju | ||
| 'Od-ražavaju' literally translates to 'from-spread-out' in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | отразяват | ||
| "Отразяват" comes from the Bulgarian word "трази" meaning "search" or "seek". | |||
| Czech | odrážet | ||
| The Czech verb "odrážet" means not only "to reflect", but also "to parry", "to deflect" or "to fight off". | |||
| Estonian | peegeldama | ||
| Peegeldama can also mean "to copy" or "to imitate" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | heijastaa | ||
| Heijastaa in Finnish may also mean "to shine" and was originally used to describe the glimmer of the moon and stars. | |||
| Hungarian | tükrözik | ||
| Tükrözik also means "to ponder" in Hungarian, sharing an origin with the German "denken" (to think). | |||
| Latvian | pārdomāt | ||
| "Pārdomāt" is a verb in Latvian, which is derived from "pār- + domāt" (to think over again). | |||
| Lithuanian | atspindėti | ||
| In Lithuanian, "atspindėti" has a secondary meaning of "to echo" or "to reverberate." | |||
| Macedonian | одразуваат | ||
| Polish | odzwierciedlić | ||
| Odzwierciedlić derives from 'odzwierciedlać', meaning 'to mirror' or 'to reflect' something. | |||
| Romanian | reflectați | ||
| Similar to in English, "reflectaţi" may also refer to considering or pondering something. | |||
| Russian | отражать | ||
| The Russian word “отражать” has an additional meaning of “to fend off”, “to repel”, or “to deflect” (e.g., a blow or attack). | |||
| Serbian | одразити | ||
| The word "одразити" (reflect) in Serbian also means "to bounce off," "to cast a reflection," or "to react to something." | |||
| Slovak | odrážať | ||
| "Odrážať" also means "beat" when used in the context of music. | |||
| Slovenian | odražajo | ||
| The word 'odražajo' derives from 'o' and 'dražajo', sharing its root with 'drag' (dear) and meaning 'making dear'. | |||
| Ukrainian | відображати | ||
| The Ukrainian verb "відображати" originally meant "to turn" or "to rotate" and only later acquired the meaning of "to reflect".} | |||
Reflect in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | প্রতিফলিত করা | ||
| The word "প্রতিফলিত করা" can also mean "to repay" or "to return". | |||
| Gujarati | પ્રતિબિંબ | ||
| The word 'પ્રતિબિંબ' can also mean 'reflection' or 'image' in the context of light and optics. | |||
| Hindi | प्रतिबिंबित | ||
| "प्रतिबिंबित" is derived from the Sanskrit word "प्रतिबिम्बित" (pratibimbit), meaning "reflected". It can also mean "represented" or "expressed". | |||
| Kannada | ಪ್ರತಿಬಿಂಬಿಸಿ | ||
| The term "ಪ್ರತಿಬಿಂಬಿಸಿ" is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit root "bhā", which means "to shine or appear" or "to understand or know". | |||
| Malayalam | പ്രതിഫലിപ്പിക്കുക | ||
| Marathi | प्रतिबिंबित करा | ||
| The Marathi word 'प्रतिबिंबित करा' can also mean 'to consider' or 'to ponder'. | |||
| Nepali | प्रतिबिम्बित | ||
| The word 'प्रतिबिम्बित' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'प्रतिबिम्ब', which means 'reflection' or 'image'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਝਲਕ | ||
| The word "ਝਲਕ" also means "to glance" or "to get a glimpse of something" in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පරාවර්තනය කරන්න | ||
| Tamil | பிரதிபலிக்கவும் | ||
| Telugu | ప్రతిబింబిస్తాయి | ||
| Urdu | منعکس کریں | ||
Reflect in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 反映 | ||
| 反映 means to reflect, and also means to represent or express something. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 反映 | ||
| 反映 may refer to something that a mirror does (reflecting light) or as something that reveals information. | |||
| Japanese | 反射する | ||
| 反射する can also mean 'to bounce back' or 'to recoil' in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 비추다 | ||
| The word "비추다" also means "to illuminate" or "to shine upon" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | тусгах | ||
| The verb `тусгах` has additional meanings in Mongolian, such as `to cause a sensation`, or `to recall a thought`. It comes from the root `тус`, which has roots back to Proto-Mongolic `tus-` (to perceive), as well as Turkic `tüz-` meaning `thought` (as reflected in words like `tüzünmek` and `tüzeltmek`). | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရောင်ပြန်ဟပ် | ||
Reflect in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mencerminkan | ||
| The Indonesian word "mencerminkan" came from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian word *ma-cerimin* which means "make clear". The word "cermin" which is found in the word "mencerminkan" also means "mirror". | |||
| Javanese | nggambarake | ||
| In Javanese, nggambarake can also mean "to describe" or "to represent". | |||
| Khmer | ឆ្លុះបញ្ចាំង | ||
| Lao | ສະທ້ອນ | ||
| Malay | merenung | ||
| The word "merenung" is derived from the Javanese word "renung", meaning "to think deeply or meditate" | |||
| Thai | สะท้อน | ||
| สะท้อน can also mean "to think back" or "to consider." | |||
| Vietnamese | phản chiếu | ||
| Phản chiếu, pronounced [pʰǎn tɕiəʊ̯ˀ], also means 'to betray' or 'to oppose' in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sumasalamin | ||
Reflect in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | əks etdirmək | ||
| The word "əks etdirmək" also means "to copy" or "to imitate" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | шағылыстыру | ||
| The verb "шағылыстыру" can also mean "to flash" or "to sparkle" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | чагылдыруу | ||
| Tajik | инъикос мекунанд | ||
| The word comes from Arabic انعکاس (ʼinʿikās). | |||
| Turkmen | şöhlelendirmek | ||
| Uzbek | aks ettirish | ||
| The Uzbek word "aks ettirish" also means to make someone realize their mistakes or shortcomings. | |||
| Uyghur | ئەكىس ئەتتۈرۈش | ||
Reflect in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | noonoo | ||
| Derived from an earlier Proto-Malayo-Polynesian word "nunuy", meaning a shadow or a reflection | |||
| Maori | whakaata | ||
| Whakaata can also mean 'to confess' or 'to expose to view' in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | manatunatu | ||
| "Manatunatu" can also mean "to think", "to consider", "to meditate", "to contemplate", "to ponder", or "to deliberate" | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sumasalamin | ||
| The word "sumasalamin" (reflect) in Tagalog can also refer to the act of looking in a mirror. | |||
Reflect in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | qhantaña | ||
| Guarani | hechauka | ||
Reflect in International Languages
| Esperanto | reflekti | ||
| The Esperanto word "reflekti" is derived from the Latin word "reflectere", meaning "to bend back" or "to turn back", and can also refer to the process of considering or pondering something. | |||
| Latin | reflectunt, | ||
| Reflectunt, a Latin verb, also signifies to bend or turn back, or to reconsider a matter. | |||
Reflect in Others Languages
| Greek | κατοπτρίζω | ||
| "Κατοπτρίζω" derives from "κάτοπτρον" (mirror) and means to see oneself reflected in a mirror or to be reflected in something. | |||
| Hmong | muaj kev cuam tshuam | ||
| The word "muaj kev cuam tshuam" can also mean "to interact" or "to have a relationship". | |||
| Kurdish | biriqandin | ||
| The word 'biriqandin' in Kurdish can also mean to 'glow' or 'shimmer'. | |||
| Turkish | yansıtmak | ||
| "Yansıtmak" can also mean "to think about carefully" | |||
| Xhosa | bonakalisa | ||
| "Bonakalisa" also refers to a mirror. | |||
| Yiddish | פאַרטראַכטן | ||
| The word "פאַרטראַכטן" can also mean "to be thoughtful" or "to be preoccupied with thought." | |||
| Zulu | bonisa | ||
| In Zulu, the word "bonisa" originates from the root "bona" meaning "see," and is used in the context of reflecting light or water. | |||
| Assamese | প্ৰতিফলন | ||
| Aymara | qhantaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | प्रतिबिंबित भईल | ||
| Dhivehi | ރިފްލެކްޓް | ||
| Dogri | परछामां पौना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sumasalamin | ||
| Guarani | hechauka | ||
| Ilocano | iyanninaw | ||
| Krio | tink bak | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕەنگدانەوە | ||
| Maithili | परछाई | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯊꯛꯇꯣꯛꯄ | ||
| Mizo | chhunlet | ||
| Oromo | calaqqisuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପ୍ରତିଫଳିତ କରନ୍ତୁ | ||
| Quechua | qawachiy | ||
| Sanskrit | परावर्तति | ||
| Tatar | чагылдыру | ||
| Tigrinya | ኣንጸባርቕ | ||
| Tsonga | langutisa | ||