Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'remember' holds great significance in our daily lives, as it encourages us to keep memories alive and cherish the past. Its cultural importance is evident in literature, music, and art, where it serves as a powerful tool for storytelling and expression. For those with a passion for language and culture, understanding the translation of 'remember' in different languages can be a fascinating journey.
For instance, the French translation of 'remember' is 'se souvenir,' which reflects their appreciation for the art of remembering. Meanwhile, in Spanish, 'recordar' not only means 'to remember' but also 'to recount,' emphasizing the storytelling aspect of the word. In Japanese, 'remember' translates to 'おぼえています' (oboete imasu), highlighting the respect and politeness inherent in their language.
Discovering the translations of 'remember' in various languages can offer unique insights into different cultures and their values. Below, we have compiled a list of translations that will inspire you to explore the beauty of language and the power of memory.
Afrikaans | onthou | ||
"Onthou" in Afrikaans also means "to receive" or "to perceive". | |||
Amharic | አስታውስ | ||
The term 'አስታውስ' comes from the verb 'stawse' (hear) which is likely borrowed from Ge'ez and denotes remembering by recalling an experience. | |||
Hausa | tuna | ||
The word "tuna" in Hausa can also refer to a type of fish, specifically the Atlantic bonito. | |||
Igbo | cheta | ||
The Igbo word "cheta" also means "to remind" and "to bring to remembrance." | |||
Malagasy | tsarovy | ||
"Tsarovy" is often used as an emphatic form when recounting past events, translating loosely to "you know you remember" | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kumbukirani | ||
Etymology unknown. May derive from the phrase "kumbuka kukumbukira," meaning "to remember how to remember." | |||
Shona | rangarira | ||
'Rangarira' shares the same root with 'rangano' (bewitch), likely denoting the idea of impressing something in one's memory. | |||
Somali | xusuusnow | ||
The Somali word "xusuusnow" can also mean "keep in mind" or "take note of". | |||
Sesotho | hopola | ||
The word "hopola" is cognate with the Zulu word "khumbula" which also means "remember". | |||
Swahili | kumbuka | ||
"Kumbuka" also means "to put something in your pocket"} | |||
Xhosa | khumbula | ||
The word 'khumbula' in Xhosa also has a second meaning: 'to think'. | |||
Yoruba | ranti | ||
The Yoruba word 'ranti' also means 'to pay attention' or 'to take note'. | |||
Zulu | khumbula | ||
The word "khumbula" is derived from the Proto-Bantu root *-kumbula, which also means "to think," "to understand," and "to know." | |||
Bambara | ka hakilina jigi | ||
Ewe | ɖo ŋku edzi | ||
Kinyarwanda | ibuka | ||
Lingala | kokundwela | ||
Luganda | okujjukira | ||
Sepedi | gopola | ||
Twi (Akan) | kae | ||
Arabic | تذكر | ||
The Arabic word "تذكر" (tadhakkara) has the primary meaning of "to remember" in the active form, and also means "to recall" and "to remind." | |||
Hebrew | זכור | ||
The word "זכור" (zakhor) holds the double meaning of "to remember" and "to keep in mind." | |||
Pashto | په یاد ولرئ | ||
The Pashto word "په یاد ولرئ" can also mean "to keep in mind" or "to remind someone of something." | |||
Arabic | تذكر | ||
The Arabic word "تذكر" (tadhakkara) has the primary meaning of "to remember" in the active form, and also means "to recall" and "to remind." |
Albanian | kujto | ||
"Kujto" comes from Proto-Indo-European *ḱm̥t-, also found in Latin "memento" and Sanskrit "mati" | |||
Basque | gogoratu | ||
The word "gogoratu" in Basque also means "to learn" or "to memorize". | |||
Catalan | recorda | ||
The Catalan word "recorda" may also mean "to remind" or "to recall", depending on the context. | |||
Croatian | zapamtiti | ||
The word "zapamtiti" can also be used to mean "to memorize". | |||
Danish | husk | ||
In Danish, the word 'Husk' can also mean 'to harvest' or 'to gather', suggesting a connection between remembering and the physical act of collecting. | |||
Dutch | onthouden | ||
"Onthouden" in Dutch also means "to abstain" or "to refrain". | |||
English | remember | ||
The word is rooted in French and comes from | |||
French | rappelles toi | ||
In French, "rappelles toi" is the second person singular imperative of the verb "rappeler", meaning "to recall" or "to remind." | |||
Frisian | remember | ||
Frisian "tinken" (remember) derives from Middle Dutch "gedenken," which could also mean "to make known." | |||
Galician | lémbrate | ||
Lémbrate shares its etymology with 'lembran', 'Lembrarse' and 'Lembraza' and is an evolution of 'membrar', 'membrarse' and 'membranza' | |||
German | merken | ||
The word merken in German also means to notice or observe something. | |||
Icelandic | muna | ||
The Icelandic word "muna" is etymologically related to the Middle English word "mone", meaning "to remind". | |||
Irish | cuimhnigh | ||
"Cuimhnigh" also means "remind" or "recollect" in Irish, and derives from the Old Irish "cuimne", meaning "memory." | |||
Italian | ricorda | ||
"Ricorda" comes from the Latin "recordare" which means "to call to mind" or "to bring back to heart". | |||
Luxembourgish | erënneren | ||
In addition to its primary meaning, "erënneren" also carries the connotation of "keeping something in mind". | |||
Maltese | ftakar | ||
The word "ftakar" also means "mention" or "speak of" in Maltese. | |||
Norwegian | huske | ||
Huske, meaning 'to remember,' comes from the Old Norse word 'huska,' which also meant 'to make note of' or 'to mention.' | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | lembrar | ||
"Lembrar" comes from the Latin word "lembrare", meaning "to remind" or "to bring to mind". | |||
Scots Gaelic | cuimhnich | ||
The Proto-Celtic root of "cuimhnich" is *smren-, meaning "to think" or "to meditate". | |||
Spanish | recuerda | ||
The Spanish word "recuerda" comes from the Latin word "recordare", which means "to bring to mind". | |||
Swedish | kom ihåg | ||
The word 'kom ihåg' in Swedish literally means 'come to mind' or 'come to memory'. | |||
Welsh | cofiwch | ||
Cofiwch has a secondary meaning of `a keepsake`, especially a piece of jewelry passed down in a family, reflecting the strong connection between remembering and material possessions in Welsh culture. |
Belarusian | памятайце | ||
"Памятайце" is a verb meaning "remember" in some Slavic languages. It is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *pomнити, which itself is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *men-, meaning "to think". | |||
Bosnian | zapamti | ||
The word "zapamti" in Bosnian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*zapamtiti", meaning "to remember" or "to memorize." | |||
Bulgarian | помня | ||
The Bulgarian word "помня" ("remember") comes from the Proto-Slavic root "*pomen-", which also means "mind" and "understand". | |||
Czech | zapamatovat si | ||
The Czech word "zapamatovat si" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *pāmet- ("memory") and literally means "to make someone remember". | |||
Estonian | mäleta | ||
The word "mäleta" is also used in the sense of "understand" | |||
Finnish | muistaa | ||
Cognate with the Estonian word "meenutama", sharing the same Proto-Uralic root. | |||
Hungarian | emlékezik | ||
The word "emlékezik" shares its origin with "emle", meaning "monument" or "relic", highlighting the connection between memory and tangible reminders of the past. | |||
Latvian | atceries | ||
Atceries comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *smṛ-, meaning "to think" and is cognate with the Sanskrit words smriti "memory, remembrance," smrti- "mindful" and smrtyu "recollection, remembrance". | |||
Lithuanian | prisiminti | ||
"Prisiminti" is not a word in English | |||
Macedonian | се сеќавам | ||
The Macedonian word "се сеќавам" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*sm̥r̥ǵʰ- " meaning "to think, to remember". | |||
Polish | zapamiętaj | ||
The word "zapamiętaj" in Polish is derived from the verb "pamiętać" ("to remember"), which comes from the Proto-Slavic сопомнети or сопоминети ("to remember"). | |||
Romanian | tine minte | ||
The Romanian word "tine minte" (remember) has its origin in the Latin phrase "tenere mente" (to hold in mind). | |||
Russian | помните | ||
Помнить is the Russian verb for "to remember" and can also mean "to memorize" or "to keep in mind". | |||
Serbian | запамтити | ||
The Serbian verb "zapamtiti" is derived from the Slavic root "*pamt-", meaning "memory" or "recall". | |||
Slovak | pamätaj | ||
The Slovak word "pamätaj" is a derivative of the Proto-Slavic root "pominati", meaning "to bear in mind" or "to remember" | |||
Slovenian | ne pozabite | ||
The Slovenian word "ne pozabite" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*nezabъti", which also means "to forget". | |||
Ukrainian | пам’ятай | ||
The Ukrainian word "пам’ятай" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *pamętati, which also means "to remember" or "to keep in mind". |
Bengali | মনে আছে | ||
The verb মনে আছে ('to remember') is formed from the noun মন ('mind') and the verb আছে ('to be'), suggesting that memories are stored within one's mind. | |||
Gujarati | યાદ | ||
"યાદ" also means "recollection", "memory" or "remembrance" in Gujarati. | |||
Hindi | याद है | ||
The word "याद है" can also mean "awareness" or "recognition" in Hindi. | |||
Kannada | ನೆನಪಿಡಿ | ||
The Kannada word "ನೆನಪಿಡಿ" (remember) also means "to bring to mind" or "to recall". | |||
Malayalam | ഓർമ്മിക്കുക | ||
In Sanskrit, the root word for 'ഓർമ്മിക്കുക' ('remember') is 'smr,' meaning 'to think of' or 'to call to mind'. | |||
Marathi | लक्षात ठेवा | ||
The word 'लक्षात ठेवा' literally translates to 'fix in mind' or 'keep in attention' | |||
Nepali | सम्झनु | ||
The word "सम्झनु" may also refer to understanding or comprehending something, rather than just recalling it. | |||
Punjabi | ਯਾਦ ਰੱਖਣਾ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මතක තබා ගන්න | ||
Tamil | நினைவில் கொள்ளுங்கள் | ||
Telugu | గుర్తుంచుకో | ||
The word "గుర్తుంచుకో" primarily means "remember" and can also be translated to "recall" or "bear in mind." | |||
Urdu | یاد رکھنا | ||
"یاد رکھنا" (yaad rakhna) is derived from Persian and has a secondary meaning of "keeping in mind". |
Chinese (Simplified) | 记得 | ||
记得 in Chinese can also mean to bear in mind or to keep in one's thoughts. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 記得 | ||
The character "記" in "記得" originally meant "to make a knot in a string or cloth to mark something", suggesting the idea of preserving memories by making physical reminders. | |||
Japanese | 覚えておいてください | ||
覚 is related to the verb 覚える (to memorize), although it has connotations of enlightenment like in the Buddhist term 悟り (satori, enlightenment). | |||
Korean | 생각해 내다 | ||
The verb “생각해 내다” (saeng-gak-hae-nae-da) has an additional meaning “to make (something) up” which is a back-formation of the noun “생각” (saeng-gak) “thought”. | |||
Mongolian | санаарай | ||
"Санаарай" is derived from the verb "санах" meaning "to think", and "ар" meaning "to possess" or "to have". It can also be used to mean "to recall", "to recollect", or "to remind". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | သတိရ | ||
(Etymology) Pāli **sati**; (Alternate meaning) attention, consideration, mindfulness |
Indonesian | ingat | ||
Ingat can also mean 'to remind' or 'to take care'. | |||
Javanese | kelingan | ||
In some Javanese dialects, "kelingan" also means "forgotten". | |||
Khmer | ចងចាំ | ||
ចងចាំ shares an etymology with "remember" and both words are related to the notion of keeping something in mind and not forgetting it | |||
Lao | ຈື່ | ||
The word "ຈື່" (remember) is also used to refer to the act of taking notes. | |||
Malay | ingat | ||
"Ingat" also means "to remind" and "to memorize" in Malay. | |||
Thai | จำไว้ | ||
The word "จำไว้" (remember) comes from the Sanskrit word "smarati", meaning "to remember or recollect". | |||
Vietnamese | nhớ lại | ||
The Vietnamese word "nhớ lại" can also mean "to recall" or "to bring something back to mind". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | tandaan | ||
Azerbaijani | xatırla | ||
Xatırla in Azerbaijani comes from the Persian word | |||
Kazakh | есіңізде болсын | ||
The word "есіңізде болсын" derives from the root "ес" meaning "mind" and the suffix "-інде" indicating location, thus it literally means "in your mind". | |||
Kyrgyz | эсимде | ||
'Эсимде' (remember) in Kyrgyz also means 'in my mind' or 'in my memory'. | |||
Tajik | дар хотир доред | ||
The word "дар хотир доред" in Tajik is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *smr-, meaning "to remember". | |||
Turkmen | ýadyňyzda saklaň | ||
Uzbek | eslayman | ||
Eslayman may also refer to Eslam, which can mean "submission" or "peace" in Arabic. | |||
Uyghur | ئېسىڭىزدە تۇتۇڭ | ||
Hawaiian | hoʻomanaʻo | ||
Hoʻomanaʻo (remember) also means 'to think or deliberate,' coming from manaʻo, 'thought, desire, longing' and hoʻo-, a causative prefix. | |||
Maori | mahara | ||
In Maori, "mahara" also means to think, consider, or ponder, suggesting a deeper connection between memory and contemplation. | |||
Samoan | manatua | ||
The Samoan word "manatua" can also be used to mean "think about" or "consider". | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | tandaan | ||
The word "Tandaan" is also used to refer to a "bookmark" in Tagalog. |
Aymara | amtaña | ||
Guarani | mandu'a | ||
Esperanto | memoru | ||
It is a cognate of English "memory" and "memorize". | |||
Latin | memento | ||
In Latin, "memento" can also mean "reminder" or "token". |
Greek | θυμάμαι | ||
Θυμάμαι is derived from θύω, meaning "to sacrifice" or "to call to mind." | |||
Hmong | nco ntsoov | ||
In Hmong, "nco ntsoov" means to recall something from memory, and it is often used in a context of reminiscing about the past; "ntsoov" can also refer to "memory", "commemoration" or "remembrance". | |||
Kurdish | bîrveanîn | ||
Bîrveanîn is also used as a noun meaning "memory" or "commemoration" in Kurdish | |||
Turkish | hatırlamak | ||
The word 'hatırlamak' originally meant 'to lift up the veil', referring to the physical act of uncovering something hidden. | |||
Xhosa | khumbula | ||
The word 'khumbula' in Xhosa also has a second meaning: 'to think'. | |||
Yiddish | געדענקען | ||
The Yiddish word "געדענקען" ("remember") is derived from the German word "gedenken" with the same meaning. | |||
Zulu | khumbula | ||
The word "khumbula" is derived from the Proto-Bantu root *-kumbula, which also means "to think," "to understand," and "to know." | |||
Assamese | মনত ৰখা | ||
Aymara | amtaña | ||
Bhojpuri | इयाद कयिल | ||
Dhivehi | ހަނދާންކުރުން | ||
Dogri | चेता रक्खना | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | tandaan | ||
Guarani | mandu'a | ||
Ilocano | lagipen | ||
Krio | mɛmba | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | بیرهاتنەوە | ||
Maithili | याद | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯤꯡꯁꯤꯡꯕ | ||
Mizo | hrereng | ||
Oromo | yaadachuu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ମନେରଖ | | ||
Quechua | yuyay | ||
Sanskrit | स्मरतु | ||
Tatar | исегездә тотыгыз | ||
Tigrinya | ዘክር | ||
Tsonga | tsundzuka | ||