Significant in Different Languages
Discover 'Significant' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'significant' holds great importance in our vocabulary, denoting something that is substantial or meaningful. Its significance is not limited to the English language, as it has been adopted and translated in various cultures worldwide. Understanding its translation in different languages can provide valuable insights into how other cultures perceive and express importance and meaning.
For instance, in Spanish, 'significant' translates to 'significativo,' while in French, it becomes 'significatif.' In German, the word takes on a more literal meaning, translating to 'bedeutsam.' These translations not only help us understand the nuances of the word in different languages but also offer a glimpse into the cultural contexts that shape their meanings.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or someone looking to expand their vocabulary, exploring the translations of 'significant' can be a rewarding and enlightening experience. Here are some translations of the word 'significant' in different languages:
Significant
Significant in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | beduidend | ||
| In Afrikaans, "beduidend" can also mean "important" or "meaningful" beyond its primary meaning of "significant." | |||
| Amharic | ጉልህ | ||
| "ጉልህ" also means "rich" or "wealthy" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | muhimmanci | ||
| The Hausa word "muhimmanci" also refers to "weight" or "importance". | |||
| Igbo | dị ịrịba ama | ||
| The Igbo word "dị ịrịba ama" also means "that which is worth noting or considering." | |||
| Malagasy | manan-danja | ||
| The word "manan-danja" in Malagasy is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "manang" meaning "increase". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zofunikira | ||
| The word 'zofunikira' in Nyanja is derived from the root word 'funika', meaning 'to bind' or 'to tie together', and denotes something that is substantial or weighty. | |||
| Shona | zvakakosha | ||
| Zvakakosha's etymology derives from the word 'kosha' meaning 'to be heavy' or 'to weigh', thus 'zvakakosha' literally means 'that which is weighty' or 'heavy', hence its figurative meaning of 'significant' or 'important'. | |||
| Somali | muhiim ah | ||
| The word 'muhiim ah' can also refer to something that is important or of great value. | |||
| Sesotho | bohlokoa | ||
| The word "bohlokoa" also refers to something that is worthy of notice or attention. | |||
| Swahili | muhimu | ||
| The Swahili word "muhimu" originates from the Arabic "muhimm" meaning "important" or "urgent". | |||
| Xhosa | ebalulekileyo | ||
| The etymology of "ebalulekileyo" is unknown, and it is not used in Nguni languages other than Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | pataki | ||
| The Yoruba word "pataki" can also mean "important" or "great," and is often used in the context of religious or cultural matters. | |||
| Zulu | okuphawulekayo | ||
| "Okuphawulekayo" can also be used to describe something that is outstanding, worthy of attention, or that stands out from the rest. | |||
| Bambara | nafama | ||
| Ewe | le veviẽ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gikomeye | ||
| Lingala | ntina | ||
| Luganda | kya mugaso | ||
| Sepedi | bohlokwa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kɛseɛ | ||
Significant in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | كبير | ||
| In Arabic, the word "كبير" ("kabir") also means "great" or "large" in size or quantity. | |||
| Hebrew | משמעותי | ||
| משמעותי is derived from the word "sign," and can also mean "symbolic" or "full of meaning." | |||
| Pashto | د پام وړ | ||
| The word "د پام وړ" also means "worthy of attention" or "important" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | كبير | ||
| In Arabic, the word "كبير" ("kabir") also means "great" or "large" in size or quantity. | |||
Significant in Western European Languages
| Albanian | domethënëse | ||
| Alternate root of the word is "dom" (mind) and the suffix "-thënë" (said), meaning literally "said by the mind". | |||
| Basque | esanguratsua | ||
| The word esanguratsua is derived from the verb esan (to say or tell) and the noun gurutzea (cross). In its original sense, it meant "something that is said across or at cross-purposes," and hence "something that is important or meaningful." | |||
| Catalan | significatiu | ||
| In Catalan, the word "significatiu" derives from the Latin term "significativus," which was used to mean "revealing," "expressive," or "characteristic." | |||
| Croatian | značajan | ||
| The Croatian word "značajan" also means "visible" or "bright". | |||
| Danish | væsentlig | ||
| The word "væsentlig" also means "material" or "substantial" and is derived from the Latin word "essentia", meaning "being" or "essence". | |||
| Dutch | significant | ||
| In Dutch, "significant" also means "important, meaningful, or influential". | |||
| English | significant | ||
| Significant's root is the Latin 'significare', which means 'to make known' or 'to point out'. | |||
| French | important | ||
| The French word "important" originates from the Latin word "importare", meaning "to carry in", "to bring in". | |||
| Frisian | wichtich | ||
| The Frisian word "wichtich" can be traced back to Old English "wihtig" and is related to the German "wichtig" and English "weighty". | |||
| Galician | significativo | ||
| In Galician, "significativo" also means "meaningful" and "indicative". | |||
| German | von bedeutung | ||
| The idiom "von Bedeutung" can refer to a broad spectrum of importance, from the trivial to the monumental. | |||
| Icelandic | verulegt | ||
| The word 'verulegt' comes from Old Norse 'verulagt', which meant 'to value' or 'to estimate'. | |||
| Irish | suntasach | ||
| The word "suntasach" in Irish can also mean "important" or "momentous". | |||
| Italian | significativo | ||
| The Italian word "significativo" originally meant "to make a sign", but now also means "important" or "meaningful". | |||
| Luxembourgish | bedeitend | ||
| "Bedeitend" in Luxembourgish not only means "significant," but also "meaningful" or "weighty." | |||
| Maltese | sinifikanti | ||
| The term 'sinifikanti' is also used in a religious context to refer to something related to 'sin'. | |||
| Norwegian | betydelige | ||
| The word "betydelige" in Norwegian has an alternate meaning of "considerable" or "large in amount". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | significativo | ||
| The Portuguese word "significativo" can also mean "full of meaning", "expressive", "noteworthy", or "important." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | cudromach | ||
| The origin of 'cudromach' is the Latin 'cum' (with) and Gaelic 'droim' or 'druim' (back, ridge), and it was also once used in Irish poetry to mean a ridge on the back, or backbone. | |||
| Spanish | significativo | ||
| "Significativo" shares its origin with the word "sign" and means either "full of meaning" or "characteristic of something" | |||
| Swedish | signifikant | ||
| The Swedish word "signifikant" also means "significand" in English. | |||
| Welsh | arwyddocaol | ||
| The word 'arwyddocaol' in Welsh derives from the root 'arwydd', meaning 'sign' or 'indication', and thus connotes a sense of importance or relevance. | |||
Significant in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | значны | ||
| The word "значны" can also mean "important", "considerable", or "noticeable". | |||
| Bosnian | značajan | ||
| The word "značajan" in Bosnian, derived from the verb "značiti" ("to mean"), carries an additional connotation of "noticeable" or "outstanding". | |||
| Bulgarian | значими | ||
| "Значими" in Bulgarian can also mean "meaningful" or "important". | |||
| Czech | významný | ||
| Despite its more common meaning of “significant,” “významný” can also mean “meaningful” or “important,” which is rooted in the word's meaning of “meaning” or “sense.” | |||
| Estonian | märkimisväärne | ||
| The root "märkima" means "to notice" which is related to "mark" in English. | |||
| Finnish | merkittävä | ||
| Sana "merkittävä" tulee muinaisskandinaavisesta sanasta "marka", joka tarkoittaa "merkkiä" | |||
| Hungarian | jelentős | ||
| The Hungarian word "jelentős" is derived from the verb "jelent", meaning "to appear" or "to show", and can also mean "notable" or "important". | |||
| Latvian | nozīmīgs | ||
| "Nozīmīgs" derives from "zīme" (meaning "sign") and denotes something that carries importance or meaning. | |||
| Lithuanian | reikšmingas | ||
| The Lithuanian word "reikšmingas" can also mean "meaningful" or "important." | |||
| Macedonian | значајни | ||
| The word "значајни" in Macedonian can also mean "important", "meaningful", or "noteworthy". | |||
| Polish | znaczący | ||
| "Znaczący" also means "full of meaning". | |||
| Romanian | semnificativ | ||
| The Romanian word "semnificativ" is derived from Latin "significare", meaning "to signify", and can also mean "remarkable" or "important". | |||
| Russian | существенный | ||
| In Russian, “существенный” can additionally mean “essential,” “substantial,” and “material”. | |||
| Serbian | значајан | ||
| The word "значајан" in Serbian has roots in "знак" which means sign or symbol | |||
| Slovak | významné | ||
| The word "významné" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root "*zъnati" meaning "to know" and "*zъnamъ" meaning "a sign". | |||
| Slovenian | pomembno | ||
| "Pomembno" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *pěmbъ, meaning "firm" or "strong." | |||
| Ukrainian | значний | ||
| The Ukrainian word "значний" ("significant") comes from the Old Slavic word "ѕънати" ("to know"), which is the origin of many words that have to do with cognition. | |||
Significant in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | তাৎপর্যপূর্ণ | ||
| The word "তাৎপর্যপূর্ণ" comes from the Sanskrit words "তৎ" (that), "পর" (after), and "য্য" (to go), and literally means "that which comes after" or "the consequence." | |||
| Gujarati | નોંધપાત્ર | ||
| Hindi | महत्वपूर्ण | ||
| "महत्वपूर्ण" derives from Sanskrit "महत् + वण्" meaning "something of great importance or weight". | |||
| Kannada | ಗಮನಾರ್ಹ | ||
| The word "ಗಮನಾರ್ಹ" can also mean "remarkable" or "noticeable". | |||
| Malayalam | ശ്രദ്ധേയമായത് | ||
| Marathi | लक्षणीय | ||
| The word "लक्षणीय" in Marathi also means "noticeable" or "conspicuous". | |||
| Nepali | महत्वपूर्ण | ||
| The word "महत्वपूर्ण" derives from the Sanskrit root "मह" meaning "great" and "त्व" meaning "state of being", thus denoting a state of great importance. | |||
| Punjabi | ਮਹੱਤਵਪੂਰਨ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සැලකිය යුතු | ||
| Tamil | குறிப்பிடத்தக்க | ||
| Telugu | ముఖ్యమైనది | ||
| ముఖ్యమైనది (mukhyamaindi) comes from the Sanskrit word 'mukhya' meaning 'chief' or 'principal'. | |||
| Urdu | اہم | ||
| The word "اہم" came from the Arabic word "وهم" (waham) which means "doubt" or "mistrust". Its meaning has shifted over time to mean "important" or "significant". | |||
Significant in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 重大 | ||
| 重大 can also describe a heavy weight or important matters. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 重大 | ||
| 重大 is a compound word of "重" (heavy) and "大" (big), originally meaning "to be of great importance or consequence" or "to be heavy or weighty". | |||
| Japanese | 重要 | ||
| 重 means double and 要 means important, so 重要 (じゅうよう) literally means "doubly important." | |||
| Korean | 중요한 | ||
| The word '중요한' (significant) is derived from the Chinese characters '重' and '要', meaning 'heavy' and 'crucial'. | |||
| Mongolian | чухал ач холбогдолтой | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သိသာထင်ရှားသည် | ||
Significant in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | penting | ||
| The word 'penting' in Indonesian can also mean 'important' or 'urgent'. | |||
| Javanese | pinunjul | ||
| "Pinunjul" is often used to describe someone who stands out or excels in a field. | |||
| Khmer | សំខាន់ | ||
| ''សំខាន់'' is an old word meaning "life" and refers to an essential part of a being or object that makes it valuable and worthy of living. | |||
| Lao | ທີ່ ສຳ ຄັນ | ||
| Malay | ketara | ||
| "Ketara" is a Sanskrit word that means "famous" or "renowned." | |||
| Thai | มีนัยสำคัญ | ||
| มีนัยสำคัญ shares its root word with "mean," "mind," "omen," "monster," "monitor," "menace," "mincemeat," "mineral," and "mansion." | |||
| Vietnamese | có ý nghĩa | ||
| "Có ý nghĩa" also means "meaningful" or "purposeful". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | makabuluhan | ||
Significant in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | mənalı | ||
| The word "mənalı" can also refer to "meaningful" or "purposeful". | |||
| Kazakh | маңызды | ||
| "Маңызды" (pronounced "maŋyzdy") is derived from the Turkic word "man" meaning "essence" or "core". It can also refer to "significance", "importance", "meaningfulness", or "value" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | олуттуу | ||
| The word "олуттуу" also means "meaningful" and "important" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | назаррас | ||
| "Назаррас" comes from "nazar", meaning ‘look’ or ‘view’, so someone ‘nazarras’ is someone to behold. | |||
| Turkmen | ähmiýetli | ||
| Uzbek | muhim | ||
| "Muhim" also means "important" and "urgent" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | ئەھمىيەتلىك | ||
Significant in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | koʻikoʻi | ||
| The word "koʻikoʻi" also means "heavy" or "important" in Hawaiian culture. | |||
| Maori | tino nui | ||
| 'Tino nui' derives from the noun 'tino', meaning 'body' or 'essence', and the adjective 'nui', meaning 'great' or 'important'. | |||
| Samoan | taua | ||
| The word taua also has connotations of importance, gravity, and occasion. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | makabuluhan | ||
| The Tagalog word "makabuluhan" can also refer to something that is meaningful, important, or worthwhile. | |||
Significant in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | amuyaskiri | ||
| Guarani | tuicha mba'éva | ||
Significant in International Languages
| Esperanto | signifa | ||
| The Esperanto word "signifa" derives from the Latin "significare" (to signify), also cognate with the English word "signify". | |||
| Latin | significans | ||
| Significans is a present active participle form of the Latin verb significare, meaning to "make a sign, to show specifically, explain, to point out, indicate, represent, to denote, or to mean". | |||
Significant in Others Languages
| Greek | σημαντικός | ||
| The word "σημαντικός" initially meant "marked by a sign" but gained its modern meaning in the 17th century. | |||
| Hmong | tseem ceeb | ||
| The Hmong word "tseem ceeb" also means "heavy" or "serious" in English. | |||
| Kurdish | manegiran | ||
| The word 'manegiran' is derived from the Persian word 'mahan' meaning 'great' or 'important'. | |||
| Turkish | önemli | ||
| The word "önemli" (significant) originates from the Arabic word "önem" (importance) and is also used to denote "important," "serious," "grave," "momentous," "consequential," "weighty," "substantial," or "considerable" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | ebalulekileyo | ||
| The etymology of "ebalulekileyo" is unknown, and it is not used in Nguni languages other than Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | באַטייטיק | ||
| The Yiddish word באַטייטיק originates from the German "bedeuten" meaning "to indicate" or "to signify". | |||
| Zulu | okuphawulekayo | ||
| "Okuphawulekayo" can also be used to describe something that is outstanding, worthy of attention, or that stands out from the rest. | |||
| Assamese | উল্লেখযোগ্য | ||
| Aymara | amuyaskiri | ||
| Bhojpuri | बहुते महत्व वाला | ||
| Dhivehi | ޚާއްސަ | ||
| Dogri | ऐहम | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | makabuluhan | ||
| Guarani | tuicha mba'éva | ||
| Ilocano | napateg | ||
| Krio | impɔtant | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | گرنگ | ||
| Maithili | महत्वपूर्ण | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯁꯛ ꯊꯣꯛꯄ | ||
| Mizo | pawimawh | ||
| Oromo | ijoo | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଉଲ୍ଲେଖନୀୟ | ||
| Quechua | chaniyuq | ||
| Sanskrit | महत्वपूर्णः | ||
| Tatar | әһәмиятле | ||
| Tigrinya | ግዙፍ | ||
| Tsonga | xa nkoka | ||