Subject in Different Languages
Discover 'Subject' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'subject' carries significant weight in language and culture, denoting a wide range of meanings from academic disciplines to grammatical concepts. Its significance is evident in its ubiquity, as it serves as a fundamental building block in various contexts.
Historically, the term 'subject' has been used to describe a person over whom political authority is exercised, reflecting its cultural importance. In the realm of academics, a subject refers to a specific area of study or a topic being discussed. Meanwhile, in grammar, the subject is the entity that performs the action or is described by the verb.
Given its multifaceted nature, understanding the translation of 'subject' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how various cultures conceptualize and categorize knowledge. For instance, in Spanish, 'subject' translates to 'tema' or 'asunto,' while in French, it is 'sujet' or 'matière.' In Mandarin Chinese, the term '主题' (zhǔtí) is used, and in Japanese, it is '主題' (shudai).
Join us as we delve deeper into the translations of 'subject' in different languages, shedding light on the fascinating nuances that underpin our global linguistic and cultural diversity.
Subject
Subject in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | vak | ||
| In Hungarian, 'vak' means 'blind' and refers to the idea of a subject being hidden or unknown. | |||
| Amharic | ርዕሰ ጉዳይ | ||
| The word "ርዕሰ ጉዳይ" also means "head of the matter" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | batun | ||
| Hausa "batun" derives from Arabic "bāb", itself from Greek "basis" meaning "foundation" or "base". | |||
| Igbo | isiokwu | ||
| "Isi okwu" literally means "head of matter". | |||
| Malagasy | -dahatsoratra | ||
| The Malagasy word for "subject" (-DAHATSORATRA) is also used to refer to a person or thing that is being discussed. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mutu | ||
| The word "mutu" in Nyanja (Chichewa) also means "human" or "person." | |||
| Shona | chidzidzo | ||
| The word "chidzidzo" in Shona can also refer to the target of an action or the object of a verb. | |||
| Somali | mawduuca | ||
| The word 'mawduuca' can also refer to a matter or topic that is being discussed. | |||
| Sesotho | sehlooho | ||
| Swahili | somo | ||
| The word "somo" derives from the Arabic "mawdūʿ", meaning "topic" or "subject matter." | |||
| Xhosa | isihloko | ||
| The Xhosa word "isihloko" has alternative meanings such as "title", "topic", or "theme". | |||
| Yoruba | koko-ọrọ | ||
| Koko-ọrọ, also known as orúkọ-ìdí, is a noun in Yoruba that refers to the subject of a sentence or an object that performs an action. | |||
| Zulu | isihloko | ||
| The word 'isihloko' originates from the verb 'ukuhloka' ('to cover'), hinting at the subject's role in enveloping and unifying a discourse. | |||
| Bambara | walekɛlan | ||
| Ewe | nyati | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ingingo | ||
| Lingala | moto ya likambo | ||
| Luganda | essomo | ||
| Sepedi | hlogotaba | ||
| Twi (Akan) | adesuadeɛ | ||
Subject in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | موضوع | ||
| The Arabic word "موضوع" can also refer to a place of discussion or debate in a scientific context. | |||
| Hebrew | נושא | ||
| The Hebrew word "נושא" (subject) also means "carrier" or "burden". | |||
| Pashto | مضمون | ||
| The word "مضمون" derives from the Arabic root "ضم" meaning "to contain". | |||
| Arabic | موضوع | ||
| The Arabic word "موضوع" can also refer to a place of discussion or debate in a scientific context. | |||
Subject in Western European Languages
| Albanian | lëndë | ||
| "Lëndë" is a word with multiple meanings in Albanian, deriving from the Latin "materia" (substance, material). | |||
| Basque | gaia | ||
| "Gaia" also means "night" or "dark" in some Basque dialects, possibly related to the Indo-European root "*ghye-" meaning "to cover". | |||
| Catalan | assignatura | ||
| The Catalan word "assignatura" derives from the Latin word "assignatus", meaning "marked or apportioned", reflecting its original sense of a topic or task assigned to students. | |||
| Croatian | predmet | ||
| The word "predmet" in Croatian can also refer to an object that one studies or discusses. | |||
| Danish | emne | ||
| "Emne" is a Danish word meaning "subject". It can also refer to "theme", "topic", "matter", or "substance". It is derived from the Old Norse word "emni", which means "leisure". | |||
| Dutch | onderwerpen | ||
| In Dutch 'onderwerpen' means 'to subject', 'to conquer' and 'to submit', and is related to the German 'unterwerfen' and the English 'overthrow'. | |||
| English | subject | ||
| The word subject comes from the Latin word "subjectus" which means "thrown under" or "placed under". | |||
| French | matière | ||
| The French word "matière" originally meant "wood" or "material" and only later came to mean "subject". | |||
| Frisian | ûnderwerp | ||
| The word "ûnderwerp" can also mean "object" or "theme". | |||
| Galician | asunto | ||
| In Galician, "asunto" also means business, affair, matter, theme or topic. | |||
| German | gegenstand | ||
| "Gegenstand" is also a homophone of "Gegensatz" which mean "opposite". The "gegen" part of the work means opposite | |||
| Icelandic | viðfangsefni | ||
| Víðfangsefni literally translates to "wide-embracing matter" in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | ábhar | ||
| The word "ábhar" is also sometimes used in Irish to refer to a theme or topic of discussion. | |||
| Italian | soggetto | ||
| soggetto (m.) deriva dal latino subiectus "messo sotto" come sinonimo di "oggetto", in quanto soggetto all'azione del verbo. | |||
| Luxembourgish | sujet | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Sujet" can refer to both a "subject" (school topic) or a "subject" (person). | |||
| Maltese | suġġett | ||
| , or a person or thing being considered, talked about, or dealt with. | |||
| Norwegian | emne | ||
| The Norwegian word “Emne” also has the meaning of “theme” and is used in the same sense as the English “topic”, “matter”, “issue”, “point” and “argument”. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | sujeito | ||
| In Portuguese, "sujeito" has the additional archaic meaning of "lover", and is cognate with "sujet" in French and "subject" in English. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | cuspair | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word 'cuspair' can also refer to an individual, a person, or an object under discussion. | |||
| Spanish | tema | ||
| Tema, from Greek, also means "what is proposed" and "what is discussed". | |||
| Swedish | ämne | ||
| "Ämne" can also mean "substance", "theme", "topic", or "matter". | |||
| Welsh | pwnc | ||
| Pwnc can also mean 'theme' or 'point' in Welsh, and is related to the English word 'puncture'. | |||
Subject in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | прадмет | ||
| "Прадмет" can also refer to the object of study in education or science. | |||
| Bosnian | subjekt | ||
| The Bosnian word "subjekt" can also refer to a person's attitude or opinion towards a particular matter. | |||
| Bulgarian | предмет | ||
| "Предмет" in Bulgarian can also mean "object" or "item". | |||
| Czech | předmět | ||
| "Předmět" also means "object" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | teema | ||
| The word "teema" in Estonian originated from the Greek word "thema", which referred to a military division and became generalized to denote a subject or topic. | |||
| Finnish | aihe | ||
| Aiheeton (adjective) means "groundless", "without a cause" or "baseless". The noun aiheettomuus (lack of cause or reason) has a similar meaning. | |||
| Hungarian | tantárgy | ||
| The Hungarian word tantárgy (subject) derives ultimately from the Greek term antikeimenon (object). | |||
| Latvian | priekšmets | ||
| Priekšmets in Latvian can also mean 'topic', 'item', or 'object.' | |||
| Lithuanian | subjektas | ||
| In Lithuanian, "subjektas" also means "an individual". | |||
| Macedonian | предмет | ||
| The word "предмет" can also mean "object" or "item". | |||
| Polish | przedmiot | ||
| "Przedmiot" in Polish also means "object" or "thing" | |||
| Romanian | subiect | ||
| In Romanian, "subiect" can also mean "citizen" or "topic of a conversation". | |||
| Russian | предмет | ||
| The Russian word "предмет", besides its primary meaning of "subject" in the sense of a school discipline, also means "object" in the sense of a material thing. | |||
| Serbian | предмет | ||
| In Ukrainian and Belarusian this word means more specifically “article”, while in Bosnian “item”. | |||
| Slovak | predmet | ||
| "Predmet" also means "object" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | predmet | ||
| "Predmet" in Slovenian also means "object". | |||
| Ukrainian | предмет | ||
| The word предмет (subject) is also used in Ukrainian to refer to an object or thing, similar to the English "item". | |||
Subject in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিষয় | ||
| বিষ, যা জ্ঞানের একটি শাখাকে বোঝায়, তা থেকেই 'বিষয়' শব্দের উৎপত্তি। | |||
| Gujarati | વિષય | ||
| In Gujarati, "વિષય" can also refer to a topic, theme, or matter being discussed. | |||
| Hindi | विषय | ||
| The word विषय can also mean 'topic', 'object', or 'matter' in Hindi depending on the context. | |||
| Kannada | ವಿಷಯ | ||
| The Kannada word "ವಿಷಯ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "विषय", which means "object". It also means "topic", "matter", or "substance". | |||
| Malayalam | വിഷയം | ||
| "വിഷയം" can also mean "topic" or "content" in Malayalam, derived from the Sanskrit word "viṣaya" meaning "object" or "matter." | |||
| Marathi | विषय | ||
| "विषय" also denotes an object of attention, a topic discussed, an issue under consideration | |||
| Nepali | विषय | ||
| The word 'विषय' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'विषय', which means 'object' or 'topic' and can also refer to the 'realm of experience' or 'sphere of consciousness'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਵਿਸ਼ਾ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | විෂය | ||
| The word "විෂය" ("subject") in Sinhala can also mean "topic", "matter", or "content". | |||
| Tamil | பொருள் | ||
| The word 'பொருள்' has roots in the concept of 'matter' or 'essence', and can also refer to 'wealth' or 'property'. | |||
| Telugu | విషయం | ||
| "విషయం" is derived from the Sanskrit word "विषय" (vishaya), which literally means "that which is known". Originally, it referred to the object of perception, experience, or knowledge, as well as the topic or matter under discussion. | |||
| Urdu | مضمون | ||
| The word "مضمون" comes from the Arabic word "ضَمَنَ", meaning "to contain" or "to include". | |||
Subject in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 学科 | ||
| 学科 (xué kē) can also refer to a field of study or a branch of knowledge. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 學科 | ||
| 學科 originally meant "learning discipline" or "branch of knowledge" before it came to refer to a subject taught in school. | |||
| Japanese | 件名 | ||
| 件名 is another word for "business". It's usually written in a square box at the top of letters. | |||
| Korean | 제목 | ||
| The word "제목" (subject) can also refer to the topic of a conversation or discussion. | |||
| Mongolian | сэдэв | ||
| Its alternative meanings include "cause", "reason", "basis", and "foundation". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဘာသာရပ် | ||
Subject in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | subyek | ||
| The Indonesian word "subyek" also refers to the topic or theme of a conversation, speech, or text. | |||
| Javanese | subyek | ||
| In Javanese, "subyek" also refers to a form of respectful speech in addressing someone. | |||
| Khmer | ប្រធានបទ | ||
| Lao | ຫົວຂໍ້ | ||
| Malay | subjek | ||
| The Malay word "subjek" is derived from the Sanskrit word "viṣaya" meaning "knowledge" or "object of thought." | |||
| Thai | เรื่อง | ||
| In Thai slang, "เรื่อง" can also mean "drama" or "trouble". | |||
| Vietnamese | môn học | ||
| Môn học in Vietnamese literally means "gate of learning" and can also refer to a field of study, a branch of knowledge, or a particular topic of study. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | paksa | ||
Subject in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | mövzu | ||
| In the 1920s, "mövzu" had 57 different meanings, including its current meaning of "subject." | |||
| Kazakh | тақырып | ||
| The Kazakh word "тақырып" comes from the Arabic word "طريق" meaning "way" or "road". | |||
| Kyrgyz | тема | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "тема" also refers to a topic, issue, or conversation. | |||
| Tajik | мавзӯъ | ||
| Originally from the Arabic word meaning “to fall,” “мавзӯъ” is used in many different Tajik contexts—in addition to “subject,” it can also indicate a location or the main idea of a message. | |||
| Turkmen | mowzuk | ||
| Uzbek | mavzu | ||
| The word "Mavzu" in Uzbek has a secondary meaning of "topic" or "theme" derived from its Arabic root. | |||
| Uyghur | تېما | ||
Subject in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kumuhana | ||
| The word 'kumuhana' also means 'source', 'cause', 'foundation', or 'basis' depending on context. | |||
| Maori | kaupapa | ||
| The term 'kaupapa' has also been used historically to refer to a thesis or principle, and is still used in this sense in some contexts. | |||
| Samoan | mataupu | ||
| The word 'mataupu' also means 'head' and 'eye' in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | paksa | ||
| The Tagalog word "paksa" can also refer to the subject matter of a discussion or a lawsuit. | |||
Subject in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | sujitu | ||
| Guarani | ñe'ẽrã | ||
Subject in International Languages
| Esperanto | subjekto | ||
| The Esperanto word "subjekto" is derived from the Latin word "subjectus" (meaning "placed under"), but is mainly used to mean "topic of discussion" in Esperanto, similar to “theme” in English. | |||
| Latin | subject | ||
| The Latin word "subjectus" originally meant "thrown under" or "lying beneath". | |||
Subject in Others Languages
| Greek | θέμα | ||
| In Ancient Greek, 'θέμα' referred to a 'base' or 'foundation', reflecting its role as the basis of a sentence. | |||
| Hmong | kev kawm | ||
| In addition to the abstract "subject," "kev kawm" can also refer to a specific course or field of study. | |||
| Kurdish | mijar | ||
| The word "mijar" in Kurdish originates from the Persian word "mijr", meaning "axis" or "center". | |||
| Turkish | konu | ||
| In Japanese and Korean, "konu" means "theme music" or the main soundtrack in movies and animes. | |||
| Xhosa | isihloko | ||
| The Xhosa word "isihloko" has alternative meanings such as "title", "topic", or "theme". | |||
| Yiddish | ונטערטעניק | ||
| "ונטערטעניק" is also the Yiddish word for "underwear", and is a humorous calque of the German "Untertan". | |||
| Zulu | isihloko | ||
| The word 'isihloko' originates from the verb 'ukuhloka' ('to cover'), hinting at the subject's role in enveloping and unifying a discourse. | |||
| Assamese | বিষয় | ||
| Aymara | sujitu | ||
| Bhojpuri | बिषय | ||
| Dhivehi | މައުޝޫއު | ||
| Dogri | बिशे | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | paksa | ||
| Guarani | ñe'ẽrã | ||
| Ilocano | maad | ||
| Krio | tɔpik | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بابەت | ||
| Maithili | विषय | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯤꯔꯝ | ||
| Mizo | thupui | ||
| Oromo | mata duree | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବିଷୟ | ||
| Quechua | rimana | ||
| Sanskrit | विषयः | ||
| Tatar | тема | ||
| Tigrinya | ዋና | ||
| Tsonga | nhlokomhaka | ||