Scholar in Different Languages
Discover 'Scholar' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
A scholar is an individual who has dedicated their time and energy to the pursuit of knowledge. This cultural icon has been revered throughout history for their thirst for learning and their ability to preserve and expand the collective understanding of the world. From ancient philosophers to modern day researchers, scholars have played a critical role in shaping human history and culture.
For those interested in language and culture, understanding the translation of the word 'scholar' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how different societies view and value knowledge. For example, in Spanish, a scholar is known as 'un estudioso,' while in German, they are called 'ein Gelehrter.' In Russian, the term is 'ученый' (uchenyj), and in Japanese, it is '学者' (gakusha).
By exploring the many translations of the word 'scholar,' we can gain a deeper appreciation for the rich cultural diversity that exists in our world, and for the universal human pursuit of knowledge and understanding.
Scholar
Scholar in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | geleerde | ||
| The word "geleerde" is derived from a Middle Dutch word that originally meant a "learned man", but is now often used to refer to a scholar or scientist. | |||
| Amharic | ምሁር | ||
| The word "ምሁር" (məhur) could originally mean an "expert archer" as it shares its root with the verb ማहर (mahar = to pierce), but also a "wise man," or "philosopher." | |||
| Hausa | masanin | ||
| The word 'masanin' also means 'a person who is skilled in reading and writing'} | |||
| Igbo | ọkà mmụta | ||
| The word "ọkà mmụta" in Igbo is also used to refer to a person who is well-versed in traditional Igbo customs and traditions. | |||
| Malagasy | manam-pahaizana | ||
| The word "manam-pahaizana" derives from the Proto-Austronesian root *pajar "to know". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wophunzira | ||
| The Nyanja word "wophunzira" can also refer to a child who has finished primary school. | |||
| Shona | nyanzvi | ||
| In Shona the word 'nyanzvi' can also mean 'wise person' or 'expert'. | |||
| Somali | aqoonyahan | ||
| In Somali, 'Aqoon' means 'knowledge' or 'science' while 'Aqoonyahan' ('scholar') is borrowed from the Arabic 'ʿĀlim', which originally meant 'knowledgeable one'. | |||
| Sesotho | setsebi | ||
| In the Sesotho language, "setsebi" originally meant "one who knows" or "teacher". | |||
| Swahili | msomi | ||
| The word "msomi" can also refer to a specialist in a particular field, or to a person with a high level of education. | |||
| Xhosa | umfundi | ||
| The word "umfundi" can also refer to a teacher or tutor. | |||
| Yoruba | omowe | ||
| The Yoruba word 'Omowe' can also refer to someone who has inherited their parents' wisdom and knowledge. | |||
| Zulu | isazi | ||
| The Zulu word "isazi" is a homophone with "isazi" (knowledge), but not etymologically related and is instead derived from the verb "azi" (to know). | |||
| Bambara | dɔnnikɛla | ||
| Ewe | agbalẽnyalagã | ||
| Kinyarwanda | intiti | ||
| Lingala | moto ya mayele | ||
| Luganda | omukenkufu | ||
| Sepedi | seithuti | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nhomanimfo | ||
Scholar in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مختص بمجال علمي | ||
| The Arabic word "مختص بمجال علمي" (scholar) can also refer to a subject-matter expert in any field, not just academia. | |||
| Hebrew | מְלוּמָד | ||
| The word מְלוּמָד can also mean 'circumcised' in Hebrew, deriving from the verb מָל 'to circumcise' (used in the Torah, e.g. Genesis 17:10). | |||
| Pashto | عالم | ||
| The Pashto word "عالم" can also mean "world". | |||
| Arabic | مختص بمجال علمي | ||
| The Arabic word "مختص بمجال علمي" (scholar) can also refer to a subject-matter expert in any field, not just academia. | |||
Scholar in Western European Languages
| Albanian | dijetar | ||
| The word "dijetar" is derived from the Latin word "doctor", meaning "teacher". | |||
| Basque | jakintsu | ||
| Originally, jakintsu referred to someone who could read Latin, as opposed to euskaldun meaning someone who spoke Basque but could not read Latin. | |||
| Catalan | erudit | ||
| "Erudit" comes from the Latin "eruditus", meaning "educated" or "learned". | |||
| Croatian | učenjak | ||
| The word "učenjak" in Croatian comes from the Proto-Slavic form *učiniti, meaning "to learn" or "to teach". | |||
| Danish | lærd | ||
| The Danish word "lærd" derives from the Old Norse word "laerðr," meaning "learned," and is also related to the English word "lord." | |||
| Dutch | geleerde | ||
| The word "geleerde" can also refer to someone with a lot of knowledge in a specific field or a polymath. | |||
| English | scholar | ||
| The word 'scholar' in English, derived from the Latin word 'scholasticus', initially referred to the students of medieval universities and later came to mean someone engaged in the pursuit of knowledge. | |||
| French | savant | ||
| In French, the word "savant" also means someone who has acquired extraordinary knowledge in a specific field beyond the usual level of expertise and often bordering on genius. | |||
| Frisian | gelearde | ||
| The Frisian word "gelearde" is derived from the Old English word "gelæred", which means "learned" or "educated." | |||
| Galician | erudito | ||
| The term "erudito" comes from the Latin word "eruditus", meaning "having knowledge or learning", and in Galician it can also refer to a person who has been educated or who demonstrates a refined intellect. | |||
| German | gelehrte | ||
| In the 18th century, Gelehrte referred to both learned people and those who made scholarship accessible to the public, a broader sense of the term than in the 19th century. | |||
| Icelandic | fræðimaður | ||
| Cognate with the English word “Freeman”, Old Norse fræðimaðr was used to refer to those who had the right to attend the Althing, the Icelandic legislative assembly. | |||
| Irish | scoláire | ||
| The word "scoláire" derives from the Latin "scholaris", meaning "pupil of a school". | |||
| Italian | studioso | ||
| The noun 'studioso' in Italian can also refer to an artist's studio or workshop. | |||
| Luxembourgish | geléiert | ||
| The word "Geléiert" derives from the Old Luxembourgish word "geleret," which meant "cleric, learned person," and ultimately originates from the Latin word "clericus," which also means "cleric." | |||
| Maltese | studjuż | ||
| The word 'studjuż' in Maltese can also refer to a 'diligent' or 'studious' person. | |||
| Norwegian | lærd | ||
| The Norwegian word 'lærd' derives from the Old Norse term 'lærðr', which referred to a man of learning or a monk. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | estudioso | ||
| The Portuguese word "estudioso" can also refer to someone who is eager to learn new things (diligent, hardworking). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | sgoilear | ||
| The word "sgoilear" in Scots Gaelic comes from the Irish word "scoláire," meaning "student" or "one who attends school." | |||
| Spanish | erudito | ||
| The word "erudito" in Spanish has its roots in the Latin word "eruditus," which means "learned" or "educated." | |||
| Swedish | lärd person | ||
| The Swedish word "lärd" comes from the Middle Low German word "leret", meaning "to teach". | |||
| Welsh | ysgolhaig | ||
| The Welsh word ysgolhaig is derived from the Latin word scholasticus, meaning "student" or "teacher of a school". | |||
Scholar in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | вучоны | ||
| The word "вучоны" ("scholar") in Belarusian shares the same root with the word "вучыць" ("to study"), which also gave rise to the word "вучэбны" ("study"). | |||
| Bosnian | učenjak | ||
| The term 'učenjak' is also used to describe a person who has acquired extensive knowledge in a particular field or discipline. | |||
| Bulgarian | учен | ||
| "Учен" is derived from the Old Slavic word "uchiti", meaning "to learn" or "to teach". | |||
| Czech | učenec | ||
| The Czech word "učenec" is related to "učení", meaning "teaching" and has a broader sense of "educated man" | |||
| Estonian | õpetlane | ||
| The word "õpetlane" is derived from the verb "õpetama" (to teach), and it originally referred to a person who was engaged in teaching or learning. | |||
| Finnish | tutkija | ||
| In Old Finnish, "tutkija" could also mean "researcher or examiner." | |||
| Hungarian | tudós | ||
| The word "tudós" can also refer to a magician or a sorcerer in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | zinātnieks | ||
| The word "zinātnieks" also refers to the scientific community as a whole and has cognates in various languages. | |||
| Lithuanian | mokslininkas | ||
| The Lithuanian term "mokslininkas" originates from "mokyti," meaning "to teach," suggesting a connection between scholarship and education. | |||
| Macedonian | научник | ||
| The word "научник" is derived from the Slavic root "uk", meaning "to learn". | |||
| Polish | uczony | ||
| The word "uczony" in Polish comes from the same root as "uczyć" ("to teach"), reflecting the traditional role of scholars as teachers. | |||
| Romanian | savant | ||
| In Romanian, "savant" can also mean "a learned person" or "a specialist". | |||
| Russian | ученый | ||
| In Russian, "ученый" also denotes a scientist; a learned person; an intellectual; a pundit; an expert; a pedant; or someone who is bookish, studious, and/or nerdy. | |||
| Serbian | учењак | ||
| Учењак comes from the verb "учити" (learn), which is cognate with the Latin "docere", "to teach". | |||
| Slovak | učenec | ||
| The word "učenec" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *učiti, meaning "to learn", and is cognate with other Slavic words such as Polish "uczeń" and Russian "ученик" (uchenik). | |||
| Slovenian | učenjak | ||
| The word "učenjak" derives from the word "učiti" meaning "to learn" and originally meant "someone who has learned everything worth knowing." | |||
| Ukrainian | учений | ||
| In Ukrainian, "учений" can also refer to a scientist, intellectual, or learned person. | |||
Scholar in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পণ্ডিত | ||
| The Sanskrit word "pandita" refers to a learned person, from "pand" (to know). | |||
| Gujarati | વિદ્વાન | ||
| The word "વિદ્વાન" derives from the Sanskrit root "vid", meaning "to know", and can also refer to a wise or learned person. | |||
| Hindi | पंडित | ||
| The word पंडित comes from the Sanskrit word "pandita," which means "learned" or "wise." | |||
| Kannada | ವಿದ್ವಾಂಸ | ||
| The word 'ವಿದ್ವಾಂಸ' in Kannada is derived from the Sanskrit word 'विद्वांस' and has multiple meanings, such as 'learned man' and 'knowledgeable person'. | |||
| Malayalam | പണ്ഡിതൻ | ||
| Marathi | विद्वान | ||
| विद्वान is derived from the Sanskrit word विद्या which means knowledge and विद् which means know. | |||
| Nepali | विद्वान | ||
| विद्वान (Vidvaan): A learned person; one who has studied and acquired knowledge, also refers to someone skilled or proficient in a particular area, or to a wise person or sage. | |||
| Punjabi | ਵਿਦਵਾਨ | ||
| The word 'विद्वान' (scholar) in Sanskrit and 'ਵਿਦਵਾਨ' in Punjabi is derived from 'विद्' (knowledge) and can also mean 'learned', 'wise' or 'knowledgeable'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | විශාරද | ||
| The word 'විශාරද' can also mean 'an expert' or 'a specialist' in a particular field. | |||
| Tamil | அறிஞர் | ||
| The word "அறிஞர்" can also refer to a wise person or sage. | |||
| Telugu | పండితుడు | ||
| The word "పండితుడు" is derived from the Sanskrit word "पंडित" (paṇḍita), which means "learned" or "wise". It can also mean a priest or a teacher. | |||
| Urdu | اسکالر | ||
| 'اسکالر' is used in Urdu to mean a person who is given scholarship money, but in English it also means an expert. | |||
Scholar in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 学者 | ||
| The word "学者" (scholar) in Chinese also refers to those who have studied and mastered a particular subject or field of knowledge. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 學者 | ||
| "學者" (xuézhě) also refers to a specialist or expert in a particular field of study. | |||
| Japanese | 学者 | ||
| The word "学者" (gakusha) literally means "person who studies", and can refer to scholars in any field, not just academics. | |||
| Korean | 학자 | ||
| The word "학자" has alternate meanings of "student" and "doctor", reflecting its role as a title for both students and doctors in traditional Korean society. | |||
| Mongolian | эрдэмтэн | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပညာရှင် | ||
| The word "ပညာရှင်" can also refer to a person who has specialized knowledge or skill, such as a doctor, engineer, or lawyer. | |||
Scholar in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sarjana | ||
| "Sarjana" also means "graduate" in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | sarjana | ||
| The word "sarjana" in Javanese can also mean "a person who has studied a particular subject thoroughly". | |||
| Khmer | អ្នកប្រាជ្ញ | ||
| The word "អ្នកប្រាជ្ញ" can also mean "a person who has the best knowledge or who is regarded as an expert in a particular field," or "a person who is intelligent and has a lot of knowledge." | |||
| Lao | ນັກວິຊາການ | ||
| Malay | sarjana | ||
| The Malay word "sarjana" is borrowed from Sanskrit and originally meant "expert in religious law". | |||
| Thai | นักวิชาการ | ||
| The word "นักวิชาการ" (scholar) in Thai also means "academic" or "intellectual." | |||
| Vietnamese | học giả | ||
| The word "học giả" can also mean a "learned person" as a result of its Hán Việt origins. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | iskolar | ||
Scholar in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | alim | ||
| The word | |||
| Kazakh | ғалым | ||
| The word "ғалым" is derived from the Arabic word "عالِم" (ālim), which means "one who knows". It is also used to refer to scientists, researchers, and intellectuals. | |||
| Kyrgyz | окумуштуу | ||
| The word "окумуштуу" comes from the verb "окуу" (to read) and means "a person who has studied" or "an educated person". | |||
| Tajik | олим | ||
| It's derived from the Persian word "'ālim", meaning "learned". | |||
| Turkmen | alym | ||
| Uzbek | olim | ||
| In Uzbek, "olim" has its roots in the Arabic word "alim", meaning "learned" or "knowledgeable". | |||
| Uyghur | ئالىم | ||
Scholar in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻepekema | ||
| 'Epekema' is also the name of a legendary school in Kaʻū and a style of chanting in ancient chants of the Hawaiian Kingdom. | |||
| Maori | tohunga | ||
| The word 'tohunga' can also refer to experts in various fields, including navigation, astronomy, medicine, or craftsmanship. | |||
| Samoan | sikola | ||
| The word 'sikola' can also refer to a school or a student. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | iskolar | ||
| The Tagalog word "iskolar" can also refer to a recipient of a scholarship grant. | |||
Scholar in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | yatxatiri | ||
| Guarani | karai arandu | ||
Scholar in International Languages
| Esperanto | erudiciulo | ||
| The word "erudiciulo" is derived from the Latin word "eruditus," meaning "learned" or "wise." | |||
| Latin | scholar | ||
| In Latin, "scholaris" refers not only to a student but also to a slave or debtor under the guardianship of a creditor during the classical period. | |||
Scholar in Others Languages
| Greek | λόγιος | ||
| The word "λόγιος" in Greek, besides meaning "scholar," also implies someone well-educated, experienced, or well-versed in a subject matter. | |||
| Hmong | ntawv | ||
| The Hmong word 'ntawv' also refers to books and documents. | |||
| Kurdish | mamoste | ||
| The word "mamoste" in Kurdish also refers to a "spiritual guide" or "teacher of religion". | |||
| Turkish | akademisyen | ||
| Originating from "Academy," "akademisyen" also refers to "academician" or "professor". | |||
| Xhosa | umfundi | ||
| The word "umfundi" can also refer to a teacher or tutor. | |||
| Yiddish | געלערנטער | ||
| The Yiddish word “געלערנטער” also means "well-informed", which in many contexts conveys a different nuance | |||
| Zulu | isazi | ||
| The Zulu word "isazi" is a homophone with "isazi" (knowledge), but not etymologically related and is instead derived from the verb "azi" (to know). | |||
| Assamese | পণ্ডিত | ||
| Aymara | yatxatiri | ||
| Bhojpuri | विद्वान के ह | ||
| Dhivehi | އިލްމުވެރިޔާއެވެ | ||
| Dogri | विद्वान जी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | iskolar | ||
| Guarani | karai arandu | ||
| Ilocano | eskolar | ||
| Krio | masta sabi bukman | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | زانا | ||
| Maithili | विद्वान | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁ꯭ꯀꯣꯂꯥꯔ ꯑꯣꯏꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | mi thiam tak a ni | ||
| Oromo | hayyuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପଣ୍ଡିତ | | ||
| Quechua | yachaq | ||
| Sanskrit | विद्वान् | ||
| Tatar | галим | ||
| Tigrinya | ምሁር | ||
| Tsonga | xidyondzi | ||