Source in different languages

Source in Different Languages

Discover 'Source' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'source' holds immense significance across various cultures and languages. It refers to the origin or starting point of something, a place, person, or thing from which something comes or starts. Its cultural importance is evident in how it is woven into the fabric of our daily lives, from the sources of our food and water to the origins of our stories and traditions.

Moreover, understanding the translation of 'source' in different languages can provide fascinating insights into the cultural nuances and distinctions that shape our world. For instance, in Spanish, the translation is 'fuente,' which also means 'fountain' or 'spring,' reflecting the language's rich history and connection to nature. Meanwhile, in Japanese, the translation is ' origin,' which highlights the language's emphasis on precision and clarity.

With that in mind, let's explore some of the many translations of 'source' in different languages, shedding light on the diverse ways in which this simple yet powerful word is expressed around the world.

Source


Source in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansbron
In Afrikaans, "bron" also means "well" or "spring", reflecting its origin from the Proto-West Germanic word "brunna".
Amharicምንጭ
"ምንጭ" also refers to an outlet pipe for water, the base of a tree trunk, the beginning of a river or a cause.
Hausatushe
In addition to its primary meaning, "tushe" can also refer to a tributary, origin, or foundation.
Igboisi mmalite
Isi mmalite can also mean "spring" or "well" in Igbo.
Malagasysource
In Malagasy, "loharano" can also mean "spring" or "well"
Nyanja (Chichewa)gwero
The Nyanja word 'gwero' also denotes the origin, beginning, cause or fountainhead of a river.
Shonamabviro
The word "mabviro" can also mean "origin" or "beginning" in Shona.
Somalixigasho
The Somali word "xigasho" can also mean "place of origin" or "birthplace."
Sesothomohloli
Mohloli is often used in Sesotho to refer to a specific place where something begins, or a starting point.
Swahilichanzo
The Swahili word "chanzo" can also refer to an origin, a beginning, or a cause
Xhosaimvelaphi
The word also means 'the first person to notice something'.
Yorubaorisun
While orisun is a Yoruba word that means source, it also relates to the time of day just before sunset or sunrise, when the sky glows.
Zuluumthombo
Zulu people also use 'umthombo' to refer to where someone comes from or their origin.
Bambarabununda
Ewedzᴐtsoƒe
Kinyarwandaisoko
Lingalaesika
Lugandaensibuko
Sepedimothopo
Twi (Akan)farebae

Source in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicمصدر
The Arabic word "مصدر" can also refer to an "income" or a "subject of conversation".
Hebrewמָקוֹר
"מָקוֹר" (source) also means "beak" in Hebrew, reflecting the original source of food for birds.
Pashtoسرچینه
In Pashto, the word "سرچینه" can also refer to the beginning of a river or a place where water emerges from the ground.
Arabicمصدر
The Arabic word "مصدر" can also refer to an "income" or a "subject of conversation".

Source in Western European Languages

Albanianburim
The Albanian word "burim" also means "spring" or "well" and is likely derived from an Indo-European root meaning "to bubble up".
Basqueiturria
The Basque word "iturria" derives from the Latin "fons" and is also applied to the origin of a river or a genealogy.
Catalanfont
In Catalan, "font" can also refer to a natural spring or a public fountain.
Croatianizvor
"Izvor" in Croatian has a dual meaning, referring to both "source" and "spring."
Danishkilde
The Danish word "kilde" comes from the Old Norse word "kelda", which means "spring" or "well".
Dutchbron
The Dutch word "bron" also refers to a stream of liquid originating from a spring.
Englishsource
The word "source" comes from the Old French word "sours," meaning "to rise" or "to spring forth."
Frenchla source
In French, the word la source can also mean a spring or fountain, a source of inspiration, or the beginning of a river.
Frisianboarne
In the Frisian language, the word "boarne" has other meanings besides "source", like "well" or "spring."
Galicianfonte
Fonte derives from the Latin word "fons, fontis" with the meaning "spring of water", but can also refer to a fountain or a trough for animals in Galician.
Germanquelle
Quelle may also refer to an underground spring, a well, or a small stream.
Icelandicheimild
"Heimild" in Icelandic can refer to a place of origin, a person who provides information, or a document used as evidence.
Irishfoinse
The Old Irish word "foinse" also meant "origin", "beginning", or "cause".
Italianfonte
"Fonte" can also indicate a font used for printing or display.
Luxembourgishquell
In the 1775 dictionary of the Trier dialect, "Quell," apart from designating a "source," was defined as a "ditch" or "drainage channel."
Maltesesors
The word "sors" in Maltese likely derives from the Latin word "sortes", meaning "lots" or "oracles".
Norwegiankilde
In Old Norse, a related word (kelda), referred to a bubbling spring that gushed out from underground.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)fonte
The Portuguese word "fonte" derives from the Latin "fons," meaning "a spring" or "a jet of water"}
Scots Gaelicstòr
The word "stòr" is also used to refer to an informant or witness in a legal context.
Spanishfuente
"Fuente" derives from the Latin "fons" and also means "fountain" in Spanish.
Swedishkälla
Swedish "källa" can also refer to a physical or spiritual "fount" such as of life, strength, knowledge, etc., or to a person considered so.
Welshffynhonnell
The word 'ffynhonnell' can also refer to a wellspring of inspiration or knowledge.

Source in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianкрыніца
The word "крыніца" can also mean "well" and comes from the Proto-Slavic word *krъnigъ, which meant "spring".
Bosnianizvor
The word 'izvor' can also refer to the spring water itself or to a place where it flows from.
Bulgarianизточник
The word "източник" also means a "well" or a "fountain" in Bulgarian.
Czechzdroj
In addition to "source," "zdroj" can also mean "resource" or "spring."
Estonianallikas
The word "allikas" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word *allikka, which means "spring" or "well". It is related to the Finnish word "lähde", which also means "source" or "spring".
Finnishlähde
"Lähde" also means "spring" in Finnish.
Hungarianforrás
The verb "forr" ("to boil") and the noun "forrás" ("source") share an origin.
Latvianavots
In Latvian, the word “avots” is used colloquially to describe a knowledgeable person or insider in a particular field.
Lithuanianšaltinis
"Šaltinis" also means "a spring" (wellspring).
Macedonianизвор
The word "извор" also means "spring" and is related to the verb "извирам" (to spring, to flow).
Polishźródło
In Polish, the word "źródło" can also mean "spring," "well," or "origin."
Romaniansursă
The word "sursă" in Romanian also means "lot" or "a handful".
Russianисточник
The word "источник" (source) in Russian comes from the Old Church Slavonic word "исток" (spring, source), which in turn comes from the Proto-Slavic word "istъkъ" (mouth, source).
Serbianизвор
The word "извор" (izvor) also refers to a place where the water emerges from the ground.
Slovakzdroj
The Slavic word for "source," zdroj, also refers to a spring, fountain, or place where something originates.
Slovenianvir
"Vir" can also mean "vortex", "whirlpool" or "eddying water" in Slovenian.
Ukrainianджерело
In Ukrainian, the word "джерело" can also refer to a well, a fountain, an origin, a starting point, or an ancestor.

Source in South Asian Languages

Bengaliসূত্র
In Bengali, the word "সূত্র" signifies not only sources but can also symbolize links or connections.
Gujaratiસ્ત્રોત
The Sanskrit root ‘sr’ means ‘to move’, and ‘strota’ refers to a river.
Hindiस्रोत
स्रोत can also refer to a 'spring' or 'origin', which is where a river begins.
Kannadaಮೂಲ
In Kannada, the word "ಮೂಲ" is also used to refer to an "original text" or a "root cause".
Malayalamഉറവിടം
The word "ഉറവിടം" can also mean "resource" or "origin" in Malayalam.
Marathiस्त्रोत
The word 'स्त्रोत' ('source') in Marathi has an alternate meaning of 'river, lake, or pond'.
Nepaliमुहान
The word 'muhan' in Nepali has multiple origins and meanings, including 'spring', 'source' and the mouth of a stream.
Punjabiਸਰੋਤ
The Punjabi word "ਸਰੋਤ" can also refer to a pond, a source of information, or resources in general.
Sinhala (Sinhalese)මූලාශ්රය
The term "මූලාශ්රය" can also refer to an origin, foundation, or basis, and is derived from the Sanskrit "मूल+आश्रय" (meaning "origin" and "support").
Tamilமூல
The word மூல in Tamil also means 'base', 'root', or 'origin'.
Teluguమూలం
In Telugu, 'మూలం' can also refer to the base of a tree or a foundation.
Urduذریعہ
ذریعہ can also mean 'means', 'method', 'resource', or 'agency'.

Source in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)资源
"资源" (source) originates from "资", implying means or capital, and can also mean materials to create wealth as well as the advantages to achieve specific goals that may not involve monetary benefit."
Chinese (Traditional)資源
資源 (source) is derived from the characters 資 (wealth) and 源 (spring), implying a source of valuable assets.
Japaneseソース
ソース (source) can also mean "sauce" in Japanese, likely due to the influence of Western cooking.
Korean출처
"출처" can also mean "reference" or "origin" in Korean.
Mongolianэх сурвалж
The word "эх сурвалж" (source) in Mongolian can also refer to "root".
Myanmar (Burmese)အရင်းအမြစ်

Source in South East Asian Languages

Indonesiansumber
The word 'sumber' also has other meanings in Indonesian, such as 'fountain', 'reservoir', or 'spring'. In Javanese, it can also refer to a village.
Javanesesumber
"Sumber" in Javanese can also mean "spring" or "well", alluding to its original meaning as a source of water.
Khmerប្រភព
ប្រភព can also refer to the origin, cause, or beginning of something.
Laoແຫຼ່ງ
ແຫຼ່ງ can be a noun, meaning "source," "origin," "spring," or "mine," or a verb, meaning "to flow," "to leak," or "to ooze."
Malaysumber
The word can also refer to a well
Thaiแหล่งที่มา
The word แหล่งที่มา has a literal meaning of "exiting place" and also denotes the origin or foundation of something.
Vietnamesenguồn
The word "nguồn" can also mean "origin" or "cause" in Vietnamese.
Filipino (Tagalog)pinagmulan

Source in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanimənbə
The word "mənbə" also means "origin" or "beginning" in Azerbaijani.
Kazakhқайнар көзі
The word "қайнар көзі" can also refer to a "boiling spring" or a "hot spring".
Kyrgyzбулак
The Kyrgyz word "булак" also means "spring" or "well".
Tajikсарчашма
The word сарчашма in Tajik, which means "source", also means "the beginning" or "the origin" of something.
Turkmençeşme
Uzbekmanba
The word "manba" can also refer to a spring, a reservoir, or a supply of water.
Uyghurمەنبە

Source in Pacific Languages

Hawaiiankumuwaiwai
"Kumuwaiwai" also means "spring," "well," or "origin".
Maoripūtake
Pūtake also describes an origin of a person's genealogy or a traditional meeting place.
Samoanpunavai
In addition to meaning "source" or "spring", "punavai" can also refer to an opening to the sea or "entrance" to a lagoon.
Tagalog (Filipino)pinagmulan
Pinagmulan in Tagalog derives from the word "mulan," which means "beginning" or "origin".

Source in American Indigenous Languages

Aymaraphunti
Guaraniheñoipy

Source in International Languages

Esperantofonto
"Fonto" can mean spring, well, or fountainhead in Esperanto.
Latinfons
Fons's alternate meaning as a 'font' comes from its relation to fonts being baptismal sources.

Source in Others Languages

Greekπηγή
πηγή also refers to a wellspring of water, a fount
Hmonglub hauv paus
In Hmong, "lub hauv paus" literally translates to "the mouth at the end".
Kurdishkanî
The word "kanî" in Kurdish also refers to a place where water seeps out of the ground, forming a small stream or spring.
Turkishkaynak
The Turkish word "kaynak" is also a verb and the word for "to weld".
Xhosaimvelaphi
The word also means 'the first person to notice something'.
Yiddishמקור
In Yiddish, "מקור" can also mean "origin", "beginning", or "root".
Zuluumthombo
Zulu people also use 'umthombo' to refer to where someone comes from or their origin.
Assameseউত্‍স
Aymaraphunti
Bhojpuriस्रोत
Dhivehiއަސްލު
Dogriजरिया
Filipino (Tagalog)pinagmulan
Guaraniheñoipy
Ilocanopammataudan
Kriousay i kɔmɔt
Kurdish (Sorani)سەرچاوە
Maithiliसूत्र
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯍꯣꯔꯛꯐꯝ
Mizobultanna
Oromomadda
Odia (Oriya)ଉତ୍ସ
Quechuaqallariy
Sanskritस्रोतः
Tatarчыганак
Tigrinyaፍልፍል
Tsongaxihlovo

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