Seem in Different Languages
Discover 'Seem' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'seem' is a small but powerful part of many languages, indicating the possibility or appearance of something. It's a word that invites curiosity and exploration, as what seems can often be different from what is. This cultural importance is reflected in its translations in different languages, each with their own unique flair and connotations.
Throughout history, 'seem' has played a role in literature, philosophy, and everyday conversation. It's a word that has been used to challenge assumptions, spark debates, and inspire new ways of thinking. From Shakespearean sonnets to modern-day self-help books, 'seem' has stood the test of time as a versatile and meaningful word.
Understanding the translations of 'seem' in different languages can open up a world of cultural insights and nuances. For example, in Spanish, 'seem' is translated to 'parecer', which can also mean 'to resemble' or 'to appear similar'. Meanwhile, in German, 'seem' becomes 'scheinen', which can also mean 'to shine' or 'to glow', adding a layer of meaning that goes beyond a simple translation.
Below, you'll find a list of translations of 'seem' in different languages, each with its own unique cultural and linguistic significance. Explore, learn, and discover the beauty of language and culture through the word 'seem'.
Seem
Seem in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | lyk | ||
| Afrikaans "lyk" comes from Dutch "lijken" (to appear), which itself came from Old High German "lihhhan" (to appear, to seem). | |||
| Amharic | ይመስላል | ||
| The verb ይመስላል (yimeslal) can also mean 'resemble, look like'. | |||
| Hausa | gani | ||
| Gani is also a surname of the Hausa ethnic people, derived from a title of a chief. | |||
| Igbo | odika | ||
| Odika can also mean 'believe,' 'think,' or 'consider,' further highlighting its connection to perception and mental states | |||
| Malagasy | toa | ||
| The word 'toa' in Malagasy is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word 'tawu' meaning 'clear' or 'bright', which also carries the implication of 'clean' or 'proper'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zikuwoneka | ||
| The verb "zikuwoneka" comes from the noun "kuoneka" which means "appearance". Therefore, "zikuwoneka" can also mean "to appear" or "to look like". | |||
| Shona | zvinoita | ||
| The Shona word "zvinoita" is also used to refer to a type of tree known for its durability and resistance to pests. | |||
| Somali | u muuqato | ||
| The word "u muuqato" can also refer to the appearance or outward form of something. | |||
| Sesotho | bonahala | ||
| In addition to meaning "seem," "bonahala" can also mean "appear" or "look like." | |||
| Swahili | wanaonekana | ||
| The root word of “wanaonekana” is | |||
| Xhosa | kubonakala | ||
| The word 'kubonakala' also has connotations of 'visibility' or 'being evident'. | |||
| Yoruba | dabi | ||
| Yoruba word dabi derives from da 'appear' and bi 'same as, like', i.e., looking like something else. | |||
| Zulu | kubonakala | ||
| The word kubonakala in Zulu also refers to the act of being visible or noticeable. | |||
| Bambara | i n'a fɔ | ||
| Ewe | dze ame | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bisa | ||
| Lingala | komonana neti | ||
| Luganda | okulabika | ||
| Sepedi | ka re | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ayɛ sɛ | ||
Seem in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | بدا | ||
| بدا could be a derivative of the root meaning “to come forth” which could explain some of the secondary meanings of the word such as “to appear or to become apparent” and could also explain the use of the word to mean “outward” as in the phrase “بدا الأمر” which means “the matter became apparent”. | |||
| Hebrew | נראה | ||
| The word "נראה" has various homographs: one means "seem," another "look," the other "visible." | |||
| Pashto | ښکاري | ||
| The word "ښکاري" in Pashto comes from the Persian word "شکاری", which means "hunter". | |||
| Arabic | بدا | ||
| بدا could be a derivative of the root meaning “to come forth” which could explain some of the secondary meanings of the word such as “to appear or to become apparent” and could also explain the use of the word to mean “outward” as in the phrase “بدا الأمر” which means “the matter became apparent”. | |||
Seem in Western European Languages
| Albanian | duken | ||
| In Albanian, the word "duken" can also mean "to appear" or "to look like" something. | |||
| Basque | badirudi | ||
| The word "badirudi" can also mean "appears" or "looks like". | |||
| Catalan | semblar | ||
| Catalan 'semblar' is ultimately derived from Latin 'similis', meaning 'similar'. | |||
| Croatian | čini se | ||
| The Croatian word 'čini se' has roots in the Proto-Slavic word '*činiti*', which also meant 'make, do'. | |||
| Danish | synes | ||
| Synes is related to the English word 'seem' and has the alternate meaning of 'believe' or 'reckon'. | |||
| Dutch | lijken | ||
| "Lijken", meaning "seem", can also mean "corpse" in Dutch. | |||
| English | seem | ||
| The word "seem" comes from the Old English word "séman," meaning "to seem" or "to appear." | |||
| French | sembler | ||
| The word "sembler" originally meant "to gather", giving rise to the related word "assemblée" (assembly). | |||
| Frisian | lykje | ||
| The word "lykje" in Frisian originates from the Old Frisian "likia" meaning "appear". It also has the meaning of "look at" or "observe". | |||
| Galician | parecer | ||
| The Galician word "parecer" derives from Latin "paraescere", meaning "to become visible" or "to show oneself". | |||
| German | scheinen | ||
| The word 'scheinen' can also mean 'to shine' or 'to appear'. | |||
| Icelandic | virðast | ||
| "Virðast" originally meant 'be worth' and its passive form 'verða virður' meant 'be thought valuable', 'be considered' | |||
| Irish | cosúil | ||
| Cosúil derives from the Old Irish con-suil 'look together,' cognate with Latin con-spicio 'behold,' Old English seon 'see' and Modern English 'spy' and 'discern'. | |||
| Italian | sembrare | ||
| "Sembrare" derives from the Latin "similis," meaning not only "similar" but also "legal," reflecting a historical shift in the relationship between resemblance and legitimacy. | |||
| Luxembourgish | schéngen | ||
| The word "schéngen" can also refer to a type of visa that allows for travel within the Schengen Area. | |||
| Maltese | jidher | ||
| The verb "jidher" also means "appear" or "show up". | |||
| Norwegian | synes | ||
| The word "synes" in Norwegian can also mean "think" or "believe". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | parece | ||
| In Portuguese, "parece" also means "look like" or "resemble". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | coltach | ||
| Coltach derives from Proto-Celtic *kʷetlik-tos, whose original meaning may have been 'perceived' or 'imagined'. | |||
| Spanish | parecer | ||
| The word "parecer" also means "to look like" or "to resemble" in Spanish. | |||
| Swedish | verka | ||
| Verka is also used to refer to the production of fabrics in the textile industry. | |||
| Welsh | ymddangos | ||
| While meaning "to appear" and "to look like" in modern Welsh, "ymddangos" originally meant "to put on appearance" in Middle Welsh. | |||
Seem in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | здаецца | ||
| The word "здаецца" can also mean "it seems that" or "apparently". | |||
| Bosnian | izgleda | ||
| The word “izgleda” (seem) also means “looks like”, “resembles” or “seems like”. | |||
| Bulgarian | изглежда | ||
| Изглежда is derived from the Old Bulgarian word зъкати, meaning "to see" and also translates as "to appear." | |||
| Czech | zdát se | ||
| The verb "zdát se" can also mean to "dream" or to "appear". | |||
| Estonian | näivad | ||
| The Estonian word "näivad" also means "appearances" and "faces". | |||
| Finnish | näyttävät | ||
| "Näyttävät" also means "look" in the sense of "physical appearance". | |||
| Hungarian | látszik | ||
| "Látszik" originally meant "to peek out" or "to be visible", and is related to the word "lát": to see | |||
| Latvian | šķiet | ||
| Latvian "šķiet" also means "it seems" and is derived from Proto-Indo-European *skei- "to split," and thus related to Latin "scindere" ("to cut, split"). | |||
| Lithuanian | atrodo | ||
| The word atrodo is sometimes confused with the word atrodo, meaning „terrible“, as they sound nearly identical | |||
| Macedonian | се чини | ||
| The verb "се чини" also has a second person form, "чиниш се", which is sometimes used to mean "pretend to be". | |||
| Polish | wydać się | ||
| "Wydać się" has an alternative archaic meaning of "pay" or "spend", like the word "issue" in English. | |||
| Romanian | par | ||
| The Romanian word "par" is derived from the Latin "pareo," meaning "to be visible" or "to be exposed to view." | |||
| Russian | кажется | ||
| The word "кажется" can also mean "it appears" or "it seems to be". | |||
| Serbian | чини се | ||
| "Činiti se" can also mean "to appear" or "to make believe". | |||
| Slovak | zdá sa | ||
| The word "zdá sa" can also mean "it appears" or "it seems like". | |||
| Slovenian | zdi se | ||
| Zdi se ('seem' in Slovene) may also refer to an imaginary character in Slovenian mythology. | |||
| Ukrainian | здаватися | ||
| In Ukrainian, "здаватися" also means to surrender, submit, or appear | |||
Seem in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | মনে হয় | ||
| 'মনে হয়' is derived from the Sanskrit words 'manas' (mind) and 'kar' (to do), meaning 'to occur to the mind'. | |||
| Gujarati | લાગતું | ||
| In Gujarati, "લાગતું" can also refer to the sense of belonging or connection. | |||
| Hindi | लगता है | ||
| The word "लगता है" is a cognate of the Sanskrit word "लक्ष्यते" (lakṣyate), meaning "to see" or "to observe." | |||
| Kannada | ತೋರುತ್ತದೆ | ||
| Malayalam | തോന്നുന്നു | ||
| The word 'തോന്നുന്നു' is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root *ton- ('to appear') and has a similar meaning in other Dravidian languages. | |||
| Marathi | दिसते | ||
| The word 'दिसते' is also used to describe the appearance of something, as in 'ही वस्तू छान दिसते' (This object looks nice). | |||
| Nepali | लाग्छ | ||
| The word 'लाग्छ' can also mean 'to seem', 'to appear', or 'to feel like'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਲੱਗਦਾ ਹੈ | ||
| The word "ਲੱਗਦਾ ਹੈ" can also mean "it is estimated" or "it is likely to happen". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පෙනේ | ||
| The word පෙනේ (penē) also means "to appear" and "to be visible" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | தெரிகிறது | ||
| Telugu | అనిపిస్తుంది | ||
| "అనిపిస్తుంది" is derived from the Sanskrit word "अनुभवति" (anubhavati), meaning "to experience". It can also refer to a feeling or intuition. | |||
| Urdu | لگ رہا ہے | ||
| "لگ رہا ہے" is the present continuous form of "لگنا" which has several meanings depending on the context, including "to seem," "to attach," "to stick," "to take," "to apply," and "to get used to." | |||
Seem in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 似乎 | ||
| "似乎"一词还可表示"好像","仿佛","大概","也许","可能"之意 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 似乎 | ||
| 似乎 also means 'as if' and is a conjunction in Classical Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | 思われる | ||
| 思われる is a passive verb form of 思う (omou), meaning "to think" or "to feel", and is often used to indicate a subjective opinion or perception. | |||
| Korean | 보다 | ||
| In Korean, '보다' ('seem') can also mean 'to see' or 'to view'. | |||
| Mongolian | бололтой | ||
| The verb "бололтой" in Mongolian also means "to become" or "to get". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ထင်ရတာ | ||
| The word "ထင်ရတာ" (seem) in Myanmar is also commonly used to mean "think" or "believe." | |||
Seem in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | terlihat | ||
| Terlihat's root word 'lihat' refers to the use of the eyes; it can also mean 'to witness' or 'to experience'. | |||
| Javanese | koyone | ||
| The word "koyone" is a contraction of the phrase "kaya koyone," which means "like to seem." | |||
| Khmer | ហាក់ដូចជា | ||
| Lao | ເບິ່ງຄືວ່າ | ||
| The term "ເບິ່ງຄືວ່າ" in Lao can also be used to express feelings or perceptions that are not necessarily based on direct observation or evidence. | |||
| Malay | nampaknya | ||
| "Nampaknya" is a Malay word that is derived from the Sanskrit nampakam, which originally meant "visible", and then "appearance" or "sign". | |||
| Thai | ดูเหมือน | ||
| The word "ดูเหมือน" (seem) in Thai can also mean "seemingly" or "to appear to be". | |||
| Vietnamese | hình như | ||
| The term "hình như" also means "maybe". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | parang | ||
Seem in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | görünür | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "görünür" can also mean "to manifest" or "to appear." | |||
| Kazakh | көрінеді | ||
| 'Көрінеді' is derived from the verb 'көру', which means 'to see', or 'to look'. In addition to the meaning 'seem', 'көрінеді' can also mean 'to appear'. | |||
| Kyrgyz | көрүнөт | ||
| 'Көрүнөт' (seem) in Kyrgyz also means 'apparently' or 'looks like' in English. | |||
| Tajik | ба назар мерасад | ||
| The word "ба назар мерасад" can also mean "pay attention" or "look at" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | ýaly görünýär | ||
| Uzbek | ko'rinadi | ||
| "Ko'rinadi" is derived from the verb "ko'r- " meaning "to see". In addition to "seem", it can also mean "to look like". | |||
| Uyghur | قارىماققا | ||
Seem in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | me he mea lā | ||
| "Me he mea lā" can also mean "it seems to be" or "it looks like," implying a subjective or speculative interpretation. | |||
| Maori | ahua | ||
| In Maori, "ahua" also conveys notions of appearance, manner, form, and condition. | |||
| Samoan | foliga mai | ||
| The word 'foliga mai' may also refer to 'appear' or 'reveal' in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | parang | ||
| "Parang" is a Tagalog word that can also mean "to look like" or "to resemble" something. | |||
Seem in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | taripayaña | ||
| Guarani | jehu | ||
Seem in International Languages
| Esperanto | ŝajnas | ||
| The Esperanto word "ŝajnas" can also mean "appears" or "looks like". | |||
| Latin | videtur | ||
| The Latin word "videtur" can also refer to appearances or external indications, rather than just internal beliefs. | |||
Seem in Others Languages
| Greek | φαίνομαι | ||
| The word φαίνομαι also means “to appear” or “to be visible” and is related to the word φέγγος, meaning “light”. | |||
| Hmong | zoo li | ||
| The Hmong word "zoo li" derives from an ancient Chinese loanword likely pronounced "yang li." | |||
| Kurdish | birikin | ||
| Birikin is a Kurdish word derived from Persian "berikeedan". It can also mean "to be good at" or "to manage". | |||
| Turkish | görünmek | ||
| The Turkish word "görünmek" can also mean "to appear" or "to look like". | |||
| Xhosa | kubonakala | ||
| The word 'kubonakala' also has connotations of 'visibility' or 'being evident'. | |||
| Yiddish | ויסקומען | ||
| The Yiddish word "וויסקומען" (veyskummen) is derived from the German "scheinen" (to appear) and can also mean "happen" or "take place." | |||
| Zulu | kubonakala | ||
| The word kubonakala in Zulu also refers to the act of being visible or noticeable. | |||
| Assamese | এনে লাগিছে | ||
| Aymara | taripayaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | जान पड़ल | ||
| Dhivehi | ފެންނަގޮތުގައި | ||
| Dogri | लब्भना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | parang | ||
| Guarani | jehu | ||
| Ilocano | kasla | ||
| Krio | tan lɛk | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | لەوە دەچێت | ||
| Maithili | लगनाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯥꯟꯕ | ||
| Mizo | nia lang | ||
| Oromo | itti fakkaachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଦେଖାଯାଉଛି | | ||
| Quechua | rikchakuq | ||
| Sanskrit | भाति | ||
| Tatar | кебек | ||
| Tigrinya | መሰለ | ||
| Tsonga | languteka | ||