Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'strengthen' carries a significant weight in our daily lives, as it represents the concept of becoming more robust, better, or more powerful. This idea is universal and transcends cultural boundaries, making it a vital part of our global lexicon. From a historical perspective, the word has been used in various contexts, such as military, political, and personal development, to name a few.
Moreover, the significance of 'strengthen' extends beyond the English language. In Spanish, for instance, the word is 'fortalecer,' which is used in a similar context to English. Meanwhile, in German, the word is 'stärken,' and in French, it is 'renforcer.' These translations not only show the word's importance in other languages but also highlight the cultural significance of the concept itself.
So, why should you know the translation of 'strengthen' in different languages? Understanding this term in various languages can help you communicate more effectively with people from different cultures, enhancing your cross-cultural communication skills. It can also provide you with a deeper appreciation of the cultural nuances associated with the word.
In the following list, you'll find the translations of 'strengthen' in various languages. Explore, learn, and enjoy!
Afrikaans | versterk | ||
Versterk can also mean to fix a tire by adding more air. | |||
Amharic | አጠናክር | ||
The word "አጠናክር" also means "to make firm or stable". | |||
Hausa | ƙarfafa | ||
The word "ƙarfafa" can also mean "to encourage" or "to support" in Hausa. | |||
Igbo | wusi | ||
The Igbo word "wusi" can also mean to "repair," "fix" or "mend." | |||
Malagasy | hanamafy orina | ||
The Malagasy word "hanamafy orina" literally means "to make urine". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kulimbikitsa | ||
'Kulimbikitsa' also means 'to confirm', 'to establish', and 'to make firm' in Nyanja. | |||
Shona | simbisa | ||
The verb 'simbisa' is derived from the root 'simba', which also means 'lion'. | |||
Somali | xoojin | ||
The verb 'xoojin' can also mean 'to make firm' or 'to solidify'. | |||
Sesotho | matlafatsa | ||
There are 2 meanings of this word, the second of which is a very mild swear word. | |||
Swahili | imarisha | ||
"Imarisha" also means "to prosper, to thrive; to bloom," in Kiswahili. | |||
Xhosa | yomeleza | ||
The word "yomeleza" can also refer to the act of stabilizing or supporting something, such as a building or a relationship. | |||
Yoruba | teramo | ||
In archaic Yoruba, "teramo" also means "to grow" or "to multiply." | |||
Zulu | qinisa | ||
The Zulu word "qinisa" originates from the word "qina", meaning "to be firm" or "steady". | |||
Bambara | barika don a la | ||
Ewe | do ŋusẽe | ||
Kinyarwanda | komeza | ||
Lingala | kolendisa | ||
Luganda | okunyweza | ||
Sepedi | matlafatša | ||
Twi (Akan) | hyɛ mu den | ||
Arabic | تعزيز - يقوي | ||
The word "تعزيز" also signifies the act of honoring and giving support. | |||
Hebrew | לְחַזֵק | ||
The word 'לְחַזֵק' also means to 'confirm' or 'verify' in Talmudic Hebrew. | |||
Pashto | غښتلی کول | ||
The Pashto word غښتلی کول is a compound word made up of the words غښتلی, meaning "strong", and کول, meaning "to make". It can also mean "to strengthen" or "to give strength". | |||
Arabic | تعزيز - يقوي | ||
The word "تعزيز" also signifies the act of honoring and giving support. |
Albanian | forcuar | ||
"Forco" meaning strength in Albanian is rooted in Proto-Albanian and Proto-Indo-European roots signifying force or strength. | |||
Basque | indartu | ||
The word "indartu" is derived from the Latin word "in" (in) and the Basque word "dar" (gift), meaning "to give strength." | |||
Catalan | enfortir | ||
The verb "enfortir" ultimately stems from Latin "fortis" and is cognate with English "fort". | |||
Croatian | ojačati | ||
The word "ojačati" is derived from the Slavic root "*orj-/*orъ", meaning "strong, powerful". | |||
Danish | styrke | ||
Styrke also means 'governance' or 'rule', coming from the old Norse word 'styrkja', which means 'to steer' or 'to guide'. | |||
Dutch | versterken | ||
In the context of electricity, "versterken" can mean "to amplify" | |||
English | strengthen | ||
The word "strengthen" derives from the Old English word "strengian," meaning "to make strong or firm." | |||
French | renforcer | ||
In addition to meaning "strengthen," "renforcer" can also mean "to double," "to back," or "to reinforce" in the context of military strategy. | |||
Frisian | fersterkje | ||
In Old Frisian, the word 'fersterkje' meant 'to make strong' or 'to give strength'. | |||
Galician | fortalecer | ||
In some contexts, "fortalecer" can also refer to the strengthening of a bond or relationship, rather than a physical entity. | |||
German | stärken | ||
The word "stärken" derives from the Old High German word "sterken" meaning "to stiffen, fasten, secure, or consolidate." | |||
Icelandic | styrkja | ||
The verb "styrkja" originally referred to supporting the back of someone on horseback, or to reinforce a ship's side with additional planks. | |||
Irish | neartú | ||
Alternate meanings or origin: from Old Irish nesartúgudh or neartugud meaning 'to make or become powerful'. | |||
Italian | rafforzare | ||
In Italian, "rafforzare" may also derive from the Arabic "rafraza", meaning "remedy, help, strengthen," or even "patch". | |||
Luxembourgish | stäerken | ||
The Luxembourgish word "stäerken" is related to the German word "stärken", and can also refer to preparing meat with starch. | |||
Maltese | issaħħaħ | ||
The Maltese word "issaħħaħ" comes from the Arabic word "sahh", meaning "health" or "correctness". | |||
Norwegian | forsterke | ||
The verb "forsterke" originated from the Proto-Germanic word "starkjan", which originally meant "to stiffen, harden" something. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | fortalecer | ||
The verb "fortalecer" derives from the Latin "fortis" (strong) and the suffix "-ecer" (to make). | |||
Scots Gaelic | neartaich | ||
'Nertaich' is cognate with Old Irish 'neirt' (power, vigour), Welsh 'nerth' (force, strength), and Cornish 'nerth' (might, strength). | |||
Spanish | fortalecer | ||
"Fortalecer" derives from the Latin "fortis" (strong) and is also used to refer to a border fort or fortress. | |||
Swedish | stärka | ||
The Swedish word "stärka" originally meant "to stiffen," and is related to the word "stark" (strong). | |||
Welsh | cryfhau | ||
The Welsh word 'cryfhau' not only means to strengthen, but can also refer to becoming more confident. |
Belarusian | умацаваць | ||
Bosnian | ojačati | ||
The word "ojačati" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*ojati", meaning "to have power". | |||
Bulgarian | укрепване | ||
The word “ykrepvane” in Bulgarian has ancient roots, originating from the Proto-Indo-European root ‘ker-’ meaning ‘to grow’ or ‘to make’. | |||
Czech | posílit | ||
"Posílit" also means "to take refreshment". | |||
Estonian | tugevdama | ||
In Estonian, "tugevdama" not only means "to strengthen" but also "to prove" or "to verify". | |||
Finnish | vahvistaa | ||
The Finnish word "vahvistaa" also means "to confirm" or "to verify". | |||
Hungarian | erősíteni | ||
The Hungarian word "erősíteni" can also mean "to confirm" or "to fortify". | |||
Latvian | stiprināt | ||
The Indo-European root *strep- also yielded the Latvian word | |||
Lithuanian | sustiprinti | ||
The word "sustiprinti" in Lithuanian is derived from the Slavic word "suporin" or "suportiti" meaning "to support" or "to help" | |||
Macedonian | зајакне | ||
The verb "зајакне" originated from the Proto-Slavic root "zъ" meaning "away," with the suffix "-ak-." and can also mean "heal". | |||
Polish | wzmacniać | ||
The verb "wzmacniać" (to strengthen) is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *mokrъ (wet), suggesting a semantic shift from the idea of adding moisture to the idea of adding strength. | |||
Romanian | a intari | ||
The Romanian word "a intări" also means "to fortify" or "to consolidate" in addition to "to strengthen." | |||
Russian | укреплять | ||
The Russian word "укреплять" can also mean "to fortify" or "to consolidate". | |||
Serbian | ојачати | ||
"Ојачати" (to strengthen) comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*опь" (strength), also found in the words "опијати" (to intoxicate) and "опијум" (opium). | |||
Slovak | posilniť | ||
"Posilniť" comes from "po" meaning "upon" and "silniť" meaning "to make strong," and also means to fortify a position or to reinforce a building. | |||
Slovenian | okrepiti | ||
The word "okrepiti" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*okrěpiti", meaning "to make strong". | |||
Ukrainian | зміцнювати | ||
The word "зміцнювати" (strengthen) in Ukrainian is cognate with the Russian word "укреплять" (to strengthen, to fortify), and also has the meaning of "to consolidate". |
Bengali | শক্তিশালী করা | ||
**শক্তিশালী করা** is also used to mean **to empower**. | |||
Gujarati | મજબૂત | ||
The word "મજબૂત" can also mean "firm" or "solid" in Gujarati, indicating its strength and durability. | |||
Hindi | मजबूत बनाना | ||
मजबूत बनाने is a Hindi verb meaning to strengthen, derived from the Sanskrit root मृज (mrj), which also means to rub, wipe, or polish. | |||
Kannada | ಬಲಪಡಿಸಿ | ||
ಬಲಪಡಿಸಿ is derived from the Sanskrit root "bal" meaning "strong" and can also mean "to reinforce" or "to make powerful." | |||
Malayalam | ശക്തിപ്പെടുത്തുക | ||
Marathi | बळकट करा | ||
The word "बळकट करा" can also mean "to fortify", "to bolster", or "to reinforce". | |||
Nepali | सुदृढ पार्नुहोस् | ||
"सुदृढ पार्नुहोस्" (strengthen) comes from Sanskrit and ultimately means "to make strong or hard". | |||
Punjabi | ਮਜ਼ਬੂਤ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ශක්තිමත් කරන්න | ||
Tamil | வலுப்படுத்துங்கள் | ||
Telugu | బలోపేతం | ||
The word "బలోపేతం" is derived from the Sanskrit word "बलोपेत" meaning "provided with strength."} | |||
Urdu | مضبوط کریں | ||
"مضبوط کریں" is derived from the Arabic word "ضبط" which means "to control", indicating its usage in the sense of "to gain control over something" or "to make it firm." |
Chinese (Simplified) | 加强 | ||
The word "加强" also means "to reinforce" or "to enhance". | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 加強 | ||
The first character in "加強" literally means "plus" and the second one means "strong". | |||
Japanese | 強化する | ||
'強化(kyouka)' comes from the verb '強める(kyoumeru)', meaning to make something stronger. | |||
Korean | 강하게 하다 | ||
The verb "강하게 하다" can also mean "to comfort" or "to encourage" in Korean. | |||
Mongolian | бэхжүүлэх | ||
The word бэхжүүлэх is used not only to refer to physical strengthening but also to the reinforcement of relationships and the fortification of cities. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | အားကောင်း | ||
Indonesian | memperkuat | ||
The Indonesian word "memperkuat" can also mean "to consolidate" or "to reinforce". | |||
Javanese | ngiyatake | ||
Ngiyatake in Javanese can also mean to be courageous or to persist. | |||
Khmer | ពង្រឹង | ||
"ពង្រឹង" also refers to fortification of a position or city. | |||
Lao | ສ້າງຄວາມເຂັ້ມແຂງ | ||
Malay | menguatkan | ||
The word "menguatkan" can also mean "to confirm" or "to make stronger" in Malay. | |||
Thai | เสริมสร้าง | ||
The verb “เสริมสร้าง” ("strengthen") derives from the word “เสริม” ("to prop") and the word “สร้าง” ("to build"} | |||
Vietnamese | củng cố | ||
The word "củng cố" also means "to confirm" or "to corroborate". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | palakasin | ||
Azerbaijani | gücləndirmək | ||
The word "gücləndirmək" is rooted in Persian "quwwat" which refers to power, vigor or authority. | |||
Kazakh | нығайту | ||
The word "нығайту" is also used to describe the process of strengthening or solidifying something, both physically and figuratively. | |||
Kyrgyz | бекемдөө | ||
The word "бекемдөө" in Kyrgyz originates from the Old Turkic word "bekm" meaning "firm" or "strong". | |||
Tajik | мустаҳкам | ||
Turkmen | güýçlendiriň | ||
Uzbek | mustahkamlash | ||
The word "mustahkamlash" is derived from the Arabic word "mustahkam," meaning "firm" or "strong". | |||
Uyghur | كۈچەيتىڭ | ||
Hawaiian | e hooikaika | ||
The term "e hooikaika" also holds the meaning of "to make solid" in Hawaiian. | |||
Maori | whakakaha | ||
The Maori word "whakakaha" can also mean "to encourage" or "to support". | |||
Samoan | faʻamalosia | ||
The word "faʻamalosia" comes from the Polynesian root word "*malo", meaning "steady" or "firm". | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | palakasin | ||
The word 'palakasin' is derived from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian word 'palakas', which means 'to make strong' or 'to enforce'. |
Aymara | ch’amanchaña | ||
Guarani | omombarete | ||
Esperanto | fortigi | ||
The word "fortigi" is derived from the Latin word "fortis" meaning "strong". | |||
Latin | confirma | ||
The Latin 'confirma' (strengthen) is related to 'firmus' (steadfast) and 'firmamentum' (foundation). |
Greek | ενισχύω | ||
The verb "ενισχύω" derives from the noun "ένις" (strength) and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁énih₂- "strength, power, vigor". | |||
Hmong | ntxiv dag zog | ||
Ntxiv dag zog literally translates to 'reinforce by applying force', hence its meaning of 'strengthen' | |||
Kurdish | hêzkirin | ||
The Kurdish word "hêzkirin" is also used figuratively to mean "to empower" | |||
Turkish | güçlendirmek | ||
"Güçlendirmek" in Turkish comes from the verb "güçlenmek", which means "to become strong" or "to strengthen". | |||
Xhosa | yomeleza | ||
The word "yomeleza" can also refer to the act of stabilizing or supporting something, such as a building or a relationship. | |||
Yiddish | שטארקן | ||
The word "שטארקן" (shtarken) in Yiddish is derived from the Germanic word "stark", meaning "strong" or "powerful". | |||
Zulu | qinisa | ||
The Zulu word "qinisa" originates from the word "qina", meaning "to be firm" or "steady". | |||
Assamese | শক্তিশালী কৰা | ||
Aymara | ch’amanchaña | ||
Bhojpuri | मजबूत होखे के चाहीं | ||
Dhivehi | ހަރުދަނާކުރުން | ||
Dogri | मजबूत करना | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | palakasin | ||
Guarani | omombarete | ||
Ilocano | papigsaen | ||
Krio | mek yu gɛt trɛnk | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | بەهێزکردن | ||
Maithili | मजबूत करब | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯄꯥꯉ꯭ꯒꯜ ꯀꯅꯈꯠꯍꯅꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo | tichak rawh | ||
Oromo | jabeessuu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଶକ୍ତିଶାଳୀ କର | | ||
Quechua | kallpachay | ||
Sanskrit | दृढं कुरुत | ||
Tatar | ныгыту | ||
Tigrinya | ኣደልድል | ||
Tsonga | tiyisa | ||