Science in Different Languages
Discover 'Science' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Science, a term we're all familiar with, is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. It's a powerful tool that has shaped our world, from medicine to technology, and continues to redefine the boundaries of human knowledge. But did you know that the word 'science' has different translations in various languages, reflecting the cultural diversity of our global community?
For instance, in Spanish, 'science' is 'ciencia', in French it's 'sciences', while in German, it's 'Wissenschaft'. These translations not only help us understand the word in different languages but also provide a glimpse into how different cultures perceive and interact with the concept of science. Whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or simply curious, knowing the translations of 'science' in various languages can be a fascinating journey into the heart of human knowledge and cultural diversity.
Science
Science in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | wetenskap | ||
| Wetenskap in Afrikaans is derived from the Dutch word "wetenschap" meaning "knowledge" and is equivalent to "science" in English. | |||
| Amharic | ሳይንስ | ||
| The word 'ሳይንስ' can also refer to 'knowledge' or 'skill' in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | kimiyya | ||
| "Kimiyya" is also the name of a dye obtained from the tree Nauclea latifolia. | |||
| Igbo | sayensị | ||
| This Igbo word can also be interpreted as "to test" or "to experiment with". | |||
| Malagasy | science | ||
| In Malagasy, the word "siansa" can also mean "knowledge" or "education". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | sayansi | ||
| The word "sayansi" is borrowed from the English word "science" and is still used in Nyanja today. | |||
| Shona | sainzi | ||
| The word `sainzi` in Shona is borrowed from English, where it originally meant `knowledge`. | |||
| Somali | sayniska | ||
| The word 'sayniska' is derived from the Arabic word 'ilm', which means 'knowledge', and the Somali verb '-u-saab', meaning 'to inquire'. | |||
| Sesotho | saense | ||
| The word 'saense' in Sesotho has origins in the English word 'science', but also means 'knowledge' or 'understanding'. | |||
| Swahili | sayansi | ||
| The word 'sayansi' is also used to refer to medicine or magical rituals. | |||
| Xhosa | inzululwazi | ||
| In Xhosa, the word "inzululwazi" also refers to traditional knowledge and wisdom. | |||
| Yoruba | sayensi | ||
| Sayensi in Yoruba also means 'knowledge' or 'wisdom' and is derived from the verb 'sa' (to know) and the noun 'eni' (person). | |||
| Zulu | isayensi | ||
| The Zulu word 'isayensi' also refers to 'knowledge, understanding, wisdom, or skill' in more general terms. | |||
| Bambara | dɔnniya | ||
| Ewe | dzᴐdzᴐme ŋuti nusᴐsrɔ̃ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | siyanse | ||
| Lingala | siansi | ||
| Luganda | sayansi | ||
| Sepedi | saentshe | ||
| Twi (Akan) | saense | ||
Science in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | علم | ||
| 'علم' in Arabic can also mean 'banner' or 'flag', a sense that is still preserved in the phrase 'علم البلاد' ('national flag'). | |||
| Hebrew | מַדָע | ||
| The Hebrew word "מַדָע" (science) also denotes knowledge acquired through empirical research, and specifically scientific knowledge based on the formal principles of scientific method. | |||
| Pashto | ساینس | ||
| The Pashto word "ساینس" is derived from the Persian word "علم" (ilm), which means "knowledge". | |||
| Arabic | علم | ||
| 'علم' in Arabic can also mean 'banner' or 'flag', a sense that is still preserved in the phrase 'علم البلاد' ('national flag'). | |||
Science in Western European Languages
| Albanian | shkenca | ||
| The Albanian word "shkenca" derives from the Latin word "scientia", meaning "knowledge." | |||
| Basque | zientzia | ||
| The Basque word "zientzia" comes from the Latin word "scientia", meaning "knowledge". It can also refer to a specific field of study, such as physics or chemistry. | |||
| Catalan | ciència | ||
| The origin of the word ‘ciència’ (‘science’ in English) is the Latin noun ‘scientia’ (‘knowledge’ in English) which means ‘skill, experience’. | |||
| Croatian | znanost | ||
| The Croatian word "znanost" also means "knowledge" and derives from the verb "znati" (to know). | |||
| Danish | videnskab | ||
| The Danish word "videnskab" is derived from the Latin word "scientia", which means "knowledge". | |||
| Dutch | wetenschap | ||
| The word "wetenschap" in Dutch not only means "science" but also "conscience" | |||
| English | science | ||
| The word 'science' comes from the Latin word 'scientia', meaning 'knowledge' or 'understanding'. | |||
| French | science | ||
| The French word "science" originally meant "knowledge" and comes from the Latin word "scientia," which is derived from the verb "scire," meaning "to know." | |||
| Frisian | wittenskip | ||
| The word "wittenskip" is etymologically related to the Dutch word "wetenschap" and the English word "wisdom". | |||
| Galician | ciencia | ||
| The Galician word "ciencia" is derived from the Latin word "scientia," meaning "knowledge" or "learning." | |||
| German | wissenschaft | ||
| The German word "Wissenschaft" finds its roots in "wissen" (to know), with the suffix "-schaft" indicating a skill or practice, and has historically also embraced fields such as history and theology. | |||
| Icelandic | vísindi | ||
| The Icelandic word for 'science', 'vísindi', originally referred to knowledge gained from experience or reading. | |||
| Irish | eolaíocht | ||
| The Irish word eolaíocht derives from the Old Irish word eolas, meaning "knowledge," and is cognate with the English word "lore." | |||
| Italian | scienza | ||
| The word "scienza" is derived from the Latin "scientia," meaning "knowledge" or "understanding." | |||
| Luxembourgish | wëssenschaft | ||
| The word "Wëssenschaft" is derived from the Old High German word "wizzan", meaning "to know". | |||
| Maltese | xjenza | ||
| The word "xjenza" is derived from the Latin "scientia", meaning "knowledge" or "understanding". In Maltese, it also has the alternate meaning of "study" or "research". | |||
| Norwegian | vitenskap | ||
| The word "vitenskap" originally meant "knowledge" or "learning" in Old Norse, and still retains this meaning in some contexts. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ciência | ||
| The word "Ciência" in Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) comes from the Latin word "scientia", meaning "knowledge". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | saidheans | ||
| The word 'saidheans' derives from the Irish word 'saidh' meaning 'knowledge', and is cognate with the Welsh word 'gwyddor' meaning 'science'. | |||
| Spanish | ciencias | ||
| Ciencias, a term used in Spanish, originates from the Latin word 'scientia', meaning 'knowledge' and 'expertise'. | |||
| Swedish | vetenskap | ||
| The word 'vetenskap' is derived from the Latin word 'scientia', meaning 'knowledge'. | |||
| Welsh | gwyddoniaeth | ||
Science in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | навук | ||
| The word "навук" can also mean "teaching" or "learning" in Belarusian, reflecting its historical connection to educational institutions. | |||
| Bosnian | nauka | ||
| "Nauka" can also refer to "teaching," "knowledge," or "learning" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | наука | ||
| In Bulgarian, „наука” can mean both “science” and “learning.” | |||
| Czech | věda | ||
| "Věda" is a false cognate of "veda" (Sanskrit for "knowledge, wisdom") as it derives from Old Church Slavonic "vědъti" ("to know"), a root cognate to English "wit" and "wisdom." | |||
| Estonian | teadus | ||
| The word "teadus" in Estonian is derived from "teada", meaning "to know", and "-us", a suffix denoting an activity or process. | |||
| Finnish | tiede | ||
| Tiede (science) derives from the word tieto (knowledge). | |||
| Hungarian | tudomány | ||
| It is derived from the word 'tudom' which means 'to know'. | |||
| Latvian | zinātne | ||
| The Latvian word "zinātne" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*ǵnē", meaning "to know" or "to understand". | |||
| Lithuanian | mokslas | ||
| The word "mokslas" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *mek-, meaning "to create" or "to make". | |||
| Macedonian | наука | ||
| The Macedonian word "наука" (nauka) derives from the Old Church Slavonic word "наукъ" (naukŭ), which meant knowledge, learning, or scholarship. | |||
| Polish | nauka | ||
| Nauka also means 'teaching' and comes from the word 'nauczyć', meaning 'to teach' or 'to learn'. | |||
| Romanian | ştiinţă | ||
| "Ştiinţă" comes from the Romanian verb "şti" ("to know"). | |||
| Russian | наука | ||
| "Наука" derives from the Proto-Indo-European "*sneud-ti-," meaning knowledge and skill | |||
| Serbian | наука | ||
| The word "Наука" in Serbian also means "skill", "scholarship", and "knowledge". | |||
| Slovak | veda | ||
| The word "veda" in Slovak comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*vědъ", which also means "knowledge" or "lore". | |||
| Slovenian | znanosti | ||
| The word 'znanosti' comes from the verb 'znati', which means 'to know', and is related to the word 'znanje', which means 'knowledge'. | |||
| Ukrainian | наук | ||
| The Ukrainian word "наук" can also refer to "teaching" or "education."} | |||
Science in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিজ্ঞান | ||
| বিজ্ঞান (Bijñān) derives from Sanskrit and can also mean "knowledge", "wisdom", or "learning". | |||
| Gujarati | વિજ્ઞાન | ||
| In Gujarati, the word “વિજ્ઞાન” can also refer to knowledge or learning in general. | |||
| Hindi | विज्ञान | ||
| The word "विज्ञान" (vijñāna) comes from the Sanskrit root "vijñā", meaning "to know, perceive, recognize, or understand." | |||
| Kannada | ವಿಜ್ಞಾನ | ||
| The word 'ವಿಜ್ಞಾನ' ('science') in Kannada also has the alternate meaning of 'knowledge of Vedas'. | |||
| Malayalam | ശാസ്ത്രം | ||
| The Sanskrit root of the word "ശാസ്ത്രം" is "शास," meaning "to command, control, or instruct," and it can also refer to "knowledge" or "instruction" in a general sense. | |||
| Marathi | विज्ञान | ||
| The Sanskrit word 'विज्ञान' ('vigyan') means 'knowledge' or 'cognition', and can also refer to 'science' in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | विज्ञान | ||
| The word विज्ञान (vijñāna) originates from the Sanskrit words विज् (vij) meaning 'to know' and आन (āna) meaning 'to know or understand'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਵਿਗਿਆਨ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | විද්යාව | ||
| Tamil | விஞ்ஞானம் | ||
| Telugu | సైన్స్ | ||
| The word "సైన్స్" can also refer to a system of knowledge or a branch of learning. | |||
| Urdu | سائنس | ||
Science in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 科学 | ||
| 科学 originally meant 'knowledge about things' in Chinese and referred to any systematic knowledge, not just natural sciences. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 科學 | ||
| "科學" in Chinese is derived from "Ke Xue" (格物致知), which means "the investigation of things to know their principles." | |||
| Japanese | 理科 | ||
| In Chinese, "理" also means "theory," "principle," or "reason," and "科" means "branch" or "category." | |||
| Korean | 과학 | ||
| 과학 (科學) is a hanja word derived from two Chinese characters, 과 (科) meaning 'category' or 'field of knowledge', and 학 (學) meaning 'study' or 'learning'. | |||
| Mongolian | шинжлэх ухаан | ||
| The Mongolian word шинжлэх ухаан (/ʃɪŋdʒəlx uxaːŋ/) is a loanword from the Sanskrit word श़न (‘’sās̄tra’’). | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သိပ္ပံပညာ | ||
Science in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | ilmu | ||
| The word 'ilmu' is derived from Arabic and can refer to knowledge, skill, learning, or wisdom. | |||
| Javanese | ngelmu | ||
| Javanese ngelmu ('science') derives from ngelmi ('to know') and also refers to traditional Javanese esoteric knowledge. | |||
| Khmer | វិទ្យាសាស្ត្រ | ||
| Lao | ວິທະຍາສາດ | ||
| Malay | sains | ||
| "Sains" is of Arabic origin and can also be used to refer to "magic", particularly the black arts or sorcery | |||
| Thai | วิทยาศาสตร์ | ||
| Thai word "วิทยาศาสตร์" (science) derives from Sanskrit, composed of "วิทยา" (knowledge) and "ศาสตร์" (science or discipline), referring to a body of knowledge gained through observation and experimentation. | |||
| Vietnamese | khoa học | ||
| 'Khoa học' is a Vietnamese word that is derived from the Chinese word '科学', which means 'knowledge of the principles of nature'. It can also be used to refer to the study of a particular field of knowledge, such as 'physics' or 'biology'. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | agham | ||
Science in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | elm | ||
| The word "Elm" in Azerbaijani also has the meaning of "knowledge" or "education". | |||
| Kazakh | ғылым | ||
| The Kazakh word "ғылым" also means "knowledge" and "study". | |||
| Kyrgyz | илим | ||
| Илим is also used to refer to knowledge or learning, particularly in a religious or spiritual context. | |||
| Tajik | илм | ||
| The word "илм" in Tajik can also refer to knowledge, learning, or scholarship. | |||
| Turkmen | ylym | ||
| Uzbek | fan | ||
| The word "fan" in Uzbek also means "wing" | |||
| Uyghur | ئىلىم | ||
Science in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻepekema | ||
| The word ʻepekema in Hawaiian is derived from the English word "experiment" and also means "test" or "trial" | |||
| Maori | pūtaiao | ||
| In Maori, the word "pūtaiao" refers to a process of investigating and understanding the natural and cultural world. | |||
| Samoan | saienisi | ||
| Saienisi is the Samoan word for "science", derived from the Greek word "episteme", meaning "knowledge". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | agham | ||
| Agham also means 'lore' or 'knowledge' in Tagalog, and comes from the Malay word 'ilmu', meaning 'knowledge' or 'science'. | |||
Science in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | sinsya | ||
| Guarani | tembikuaa | ||
Science in International Languages
| Esperanto | scienco | ||
| The word "scienco" comes from the Latin word "scientia", meaning "knowledge". In Esperanto, it can also refer to any body of knowledge that is organized and studied methodically or any branch of knowledge or study. | |||
| Latin | scientia | ||
| In Latin, "scientia" originally meant "knowledge", especially acquired through study and experience. | |||
Science in Others Languages
| Greek | επιστήμη | ||
| Greek "επιστήμη" (science) relates to knowledge of any kind, and can refer to the art of any particular craft. | |||
| Hmong | kev tshawb fawb | ||
| The word "kev tshawb fawb" can also mean "knowledge" or "learning" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | zanist | ||
| The word "zanist" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European word "*ǵʰnéh₂s-ti-s", meaning "knowledge" or "understanding". | |||
| Turkish | bilim | ||
| "Bilim" shares its etymology with the Arabic word "ilm" which also means "knowledge". | |||
| Xhosa | inzululwazi | ||
| In Xhosa, the word "inzululwazi" also refers to traditional knowledge and wisdom. | |||
| Yiddish | וויסנשאַפֿט | ||
| "וויסנשאַפֿט" is an alternate Yiddish spelling of the German word "Wissenschaft", meaning "knowledge" or "scholarship." | |||
| Zulu | isayensi | ||
| The Zulu word 'isayensi' also refers to 'knowledge, understanding, wisdom, or skill' in more general terms. | |||
| Assamese | বিজ্ঞান | ||
| Aymara | sinsya | ||
| Bhojpuri | बिग्यान | ||
| Dhivehi | ސައިންސު | ||
| Dogri | विज्ञान | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | agham | ||
| Guarani | tembikuaa | ||
| Ilocano | siensia | ||
| Krio | sayɛns | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | زانست | ||
| Maithili | विज्ञान | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯥꯏꯅ꯭ꯁ | ||
| Mizo | science | ||
| Oromo | saayinsii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବିଜ୍ଞାନ | ||
| Quechua | ciencia | ||
| Sanskrit | विज्ञानम् | ||
| Tatar | фән | ||
| Tigrinya | ሳይንስ | ||
| Tsonga | sayense | ||