Substance in Different Languages
Discover 'Substance' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Substance is a powerful word that carries significant meaning across cultures and languages. At its core, 'substance' refers to the essential nature or quality of something, or the real or essential part of an idea or thing. It's a word that has been used throughout history to convey deep philosophical and cultural ideas, making it a fascinating topic for language and culture enthusiasts.
For example, in Spanish, 'substance' translates to 'sustancia,' while in French, it's 'substance.' In German, it's 'Substanz,' and in Japanese, it's '素体 (sobutai).' These translations not only give us a glimpse into the word's meaning but also offer insight into the cultural contexts in which they are used.
Whether you're a student of language, a cultural enthusiast, or simply curious about the world around you, understanding the translations of 'substance' in different languages can be a rewarding and enlightening experience.
Substance
Substance in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | stof | ||
| "Stof" also means "dust" in Afrikaans and it is cognate to Dutch "stof" and German "Staub" | |||
| Amharic | ንጥረ ነገር | ||
| Hausa | abu | ||
| "Abu" can also mean "money" or "wealth" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | umi | ||
| The Igbo word "umi" also refers to the essence or nature of something. | |||
| Malagasy | fananana | ||
| The word "fananana" in Malagasy can also refer to a "treasure" or an object of great value. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zinthu | ||
| Zinthenga is also a Chichewa term for 'understanding' | |||
| Shona | fuma | ||
| "Fuma" in Shona also refers to the traditional practice of using natural resources for medicinal and spiritual purposes | |||
| Somali | walax | ||
| The word "walax" in Somali can also refer to an "object" or a "material." | |||
| Sesotho | ntho | ||
| Swahili | dutu | ||
| The word "Dutu" in Swahili can also refer to a specific type of clay used in traditional pottery. | |||
| Xhosa | into | ||
| "Into" is a word often used in the Xhosa language to refer to traditional African medicine | |||
| Yoruba | nkan | ||
| "Nkan" in Yoruba language can mean "thing", "object", "matter", "entity", "material", "wealth", "property", "affair", "concern", "case", "business", "thing of value", "substance", "essence", "nature", "character", "quality", "attribute", "circumstance", "condition", "state", "situation", "position", "aspect", "phase", "stage", "period", "time", "occasion", "event", "occurrence", "phenomenon", "fact", "data", "information", "knowledge", "wisdom", "experience", "skill", "ability", "talent", "power", "force", "energy", "influence", "authority", "control", "dominion", "possession", "ownership", "right", "title", "interest", "claim", "demand", "request", "necessity", "requirement", "need", "want", "desire", "craving", "hunger", "thirst", "appetite", "inclination", "tendency", "disposition", "propensity", "habit", "custom", "tradition", "practice", "ritual", "ceremony", "observance", "superstition", "belief", "faith", "religion", "doctrine", "tenet", "principle", "law", "rule", "regulation", "statute", "ordinance", "decree", "edict", "command", "order", "instruction", "direction", "guidance", "advice", "counsel", "suggestion", "recommendation", "proposal", "offer", "invitation", "request", "demand", "claim", "protest", "complaint", "grievance", "accusation", "charge", "indictment", "information", "evidence", "proof", "testimony", "witness", "statement", "affidavit", "declaration", "oath", "vow", "promise", "pledge", "guarantee", "warranty", "contract", "agreement", "covenant", "bond", "obligation", "responsibility", "duty", "burden", "liability", "risk", "hazard", "danger", "threat", "menace", "evil", "harm", "injury", "damage", "loss", "destruction", "ruin", "disaster", "calamity", "catastrophe", "tragedy", "misfortune", "mishap", "accident", "incident", "occurrence", "event", "phenomenon", "fact", "data", "information", "knowledge", "wisdom", "experience", "skill", "ability", "talent", "power", "force", "energy", "influence", "authority", "control", "dominion", "possession", "ownership", "right", "title", "interest", "claim", "demand", "request", "necessity", "requirement", "need", "want", "desire", "craving", "hunger", "thirst", "appetite", "inclination", "tendency", "disposition", "propensity", "habit", "custom", "tradition", "practice", "ritual", "ceremony", "observance", "superstition", "belief", "faith", "religion", "doctrine", "tenet", "principle", "law", "rule", "regulation", "statute", "ordinance", "decree", "edict", "command", "order", "instruction", "direction", "guidance", "advice", "counsel", "suggestion", "recommendation", "proposal", "offer", "invitation", "request", "demand", "claim", "protest", "complaint", "grievance", "accusation", "charge", "indictment", "information", "evidence", "proof", "testimony", "witness", "statement", "affidavit", "declaration", "oath", "vow", "promise", "pledge", "guarantee", "warranty", "contract", "agreement", "covenant", "bond", "obligation", "responsibility", "duty", "burden", "liability", "risk", "hazard", "danger", "threat", "menace", "evil", "harm", "injury", "damage", "loss", "destruction", "ruin", "disaster", "calamity", "catastrophe", "tragedy", "misfortune", "mishap", "accident", "incident", "occurrence". | |||
| Zulu | into | ||
| In Zulu, into also means a kind of small grass or weed. | |||
| Bambara | kɔnɔnafɛn | ||
| Ewe | nu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ibintu | ||
| Lingala | ntina | ||
| Luganda | amakulu | ||
| Sepedi | selo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | deɛ ɛwom | ||
Substance in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مستوى | ||
| The word "مستوى" can also refer to a "level", "standard", or "amount". | |||
| Hebrew | חומר | ||
| In medieval Hebrew, "חומר" referred to "matter" as opposed to "form", with "form" being "צורה." | |||
| Pashto | ماده | ||
| The word "ماده" can also refer to "matter" or "material". | |||
| Arabic | مستوى | ||
| The word "مستوى" can also refer to a "level", "standard", or "amount". | |||
Substance in Western European Languages
| Albanian | substancë | ||
| The Albanian word "substancë" comes from the Latin word "substantia" and can also mean 'essence' or 'meaning'. | |||
| Basque | substantzia | ||
| The etymology of _'substantia'_ is rooted in Latin, and its alternate meanings include "essence", "property" and "nature". | |||
| Catalan | substància | ||
| The word "substància" also means "property" or "estate" in Catalan, depending on the context. | |||
| Croatian | supstancija | ||
| The word "supstancija" in Croatian also means "essence" or "nature". | |||
| Danish | stof | ||
| "Stof" also means "dust" and is a cognate with the German substantive "Staub" and the English verb "to stew". | |||
| Dutch | stof | ||
| The word "stof" in Dutch can also refer to dust or fabric. | |||
| English | substance | ||
| The word "substance" originally meant "essence" or "that which underlies". It can also refer to the "material of a thing" or the "amount of a thing that is present". | |||
| French | substance | ||
| Substance comes from the Latin word "substantia," meaning "essence" or "underlying reality." | |||
| Frisian | stof | ||
| The Frisian word "stof" is cognate with the English word "stuff" and the Dutch word "stof", all of which are derived from the Proto-Germanic word *stubaz, meaning "material" or "substance." | |||
| Galician | substancia | ||
| In Galician, "substancia" can also refer to the "main content" or the "most important part" of something. | |||
| German | substanz | ||
| Substanz in German can also mean | |||
| Icelandic | efni | ||
| The Icelandic word "efni" can also mean "material" or "wealth". | |||
| Irish | substaint | ||
| The Irish word "substaint" is derived from the Latin "substantia" and also means "essence" or "nature." | |||
| Italian | sostanza | ||
| The Italian word "sostanza" derives from the Latin word "substantia," meaning "essence" or "being." | |||
| Luxembourgish | substanz | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Substanz" also means "inheritance" or "estate". | |||
| Maltese | sustanza | ||
| Maltese "sustanza" derives from Italian, where it can also mean "wealth". | |||
| Norwegian | substans | ||
| In Norwegian, "substans" can also refer to a person's character or personality. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | substância | ||
| In Portuguese, "substância" also means "essential characteristic" or "that which determines the nature of something". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | susbaint | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, the word "susbaint" also means "nature" or "the universe". | |||
| Spanish | sustancia | ||
| The Spanish word "sustancia" also means "essence" or "matter". | |||
| Swedish | ämne | ||
| The word "ämne" in Swedish has roots in the Germanic word "emna" meaning "work" and is related to the word "ämna" meaning "to intend". | |||
| Welsh | sylwedd | ||
| The word "sylwedd" in Welsh also refers to a person's nature or character. | |||
Substance in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | рэчыва | ||
| The word "рэчыва" (substance) in Belarusian comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*veštь", meaning "thing" or "property" | |||
| Bosnian | supstanca | ||
| The word "supstanca" in Bosnian is borrowed from Latin "substantia" and shares its meaning of "material thing" with the English word "substance." | |||
| Bulgarian | вещество | ||
| In Bulgarian, "вещество" could also refer to "matter" or "material". | |||
| Czech | látka | ||
| In Czech, "látka" can also refer to a "fabric" or "material" in addition to its primary meaning of "substance." | |||
| Estonian | aine | ||
| The word "aine" is also used in physics to describe matter, and in philosophy to describe substance. | |||
| Finnish | aine | ||
| "Aine" also means "theme" and "material" in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | anyag | ||
| The Hungarian term "anyag" comes from the Arabic word "ayn", meaning "the eye" or "the essence of a thing". | |||
| Latvian | vielu | ||
| Latvian “vielu” shares roots with Russian “вещество”, Polish “wieczność”, Proto-Slavic *večn-ostь, Sanskrit “vasana” and Old Iranian *van-ištå, meaning “existence” or “staying”. | |||
| Lithuanian | medžiaga | ||
| The word "medžiaga" in Lithuanian comes from the same Proto-Indo-European root as the English word "matter. | |||
| Macedonian | супстанција | ||
| Derived from Latin, the word can also refer to content or material, such as that of a book. | |||
| Polish | substancja | ||
| In Polish 'substancja' ('substance') is derived from Latin 'substare'('to lie underneath') but also refers to the essence of something. | |||
| Romanian | substanţă | ||
| In Romanian "substanţă" also means wealth or property | |||
| Russian | вещество | ||
| In Russian, "вещество" (substance) also refers to a "thing" or a "material." | |||
| Serbian | супстанца | ||
| The word 'супстанца' has its most likely roots in the Latin 'substantia', from 'sub' and 'stare', meaning 'to stand under'. | |||
| Slovak | látka | ||
| The Slovak word "látka" also refers to fabric and is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *lъta, meaning "patch" or "piece of cloth" | |||
| Slovenian | snov | ||
| The word "snov" in Slovenian, meaning "substance", stems from the Indo-European root "sneud-", which also signifies "spin" or "weave", suggesting a connection between materiality and the act of creation. | |||
| Ukrainian | речовина | ||
| The word "речовина" in Ukrainian shares the same Proto-Slavic origin with such Russian words as "вещь" ("thing") and "вещество" ("substance"). | |||
Substance in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পদার্থ | ||
| The word "পদার্থ" (podārtho) in Bengali is derived from the Sanskrit word "पदार्थ" (padārtha), meaning "object" or "entity." | |||
| Gujarati | પદાર્થ | ||
| The word "પદાર્થ" (substance) in Gujarati can also mean "thing" or "object". | |||
| Hindi | पदार्थ | ||
| The Hindi word 'पदार्थ' ('substance') derives from the Sanskrit word 'पद' ('foot') and can also mean 'topic', 'subject', or 'essence'. | |||
| Kannada | ವಸ್ತು | ||
| "ವಸ್ತು" comes from the Sanskrit word "vastu", which means "thing" or "object."} | |||
| Malayalam | പദാർത്ഥം | ||
| The word "പദാർത്ഥം" can also refer to a "thing" or an "object" in Malayalam, similar to its usage in Sanskrit. | |||
| Marathi | पदार्थ | ||
| In Marathi, "पदार्थ" means "matter"; it can also mean "thing", "object", "affair", "substance", "entity", or "being". | |||
| Nepali | पदार्थ | ||
| पदार्थ, पद-अर्थ and द्रव्य are all derived from the Sanskrit root pad, which means foundation or base. | |||
| Punjabi | ਪਦਾਰਥ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ද්රව්යය | ||
| Tamil | பொருள் | ||
| The word " | |||
| Telugu | పదార్ధం | ||
| The Telugu word "పదార్ధం" is derived from the Sanskrit word "पदार्थ" which literally means "that which is put forth" or "that which exists." | |||
| Urdu | مادہ | ||
| The word "مادہ" also means "matter" in Urdu, and is derived from the Arabic word "مادة" which means "stuff" or "material". | |||
Substance in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 物质 | ||
| 物质 (simplified Chinese) originated from the Aristotelian philosophical concept of οὐσία (ousia), meaning "fundamental" or "underlying", and entered Chinese through Japanese in the 1860s. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 物質 | ||
| 物質 (traditional Chinese) is a word with a range of meanings, including material, essence, matter, substance, and physical phenomena. | |||
| Japanese | 物質 | ||
| In Shinto, 物質 can also refer to the divine spirits that inhabit all things. | |||
| Korean | 물질 | ||
| "물질" is derived from the Chinese character "物" which means "thing" or "matter" and "質" which means "nature" or "essence." | |||
| Mongolian | бодис | ||
| The word "бодис" can also refer to the physical body or the essence of something. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပစ္စည်းဥစ္စာ | ||
Substance in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | zat | ||
| The word "zat" in Indonesian can also refer to poison, matter, or anything that has a physical presence. | |||
| Javanese | bahan | ||
| Javanese 'bahan' is also the root word for other concepts like material, ingredient, theme, affair, event, or situation. | |||
| Khmer | សារធាតុ | ||
| The word "សារធាតុ" can also mean "element" in chemistry or "basic component" in general. | |||
| Lao | ສານ | ||
| ສານ (/saːn/) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'dravya' which also means 'substance'. It can also refer to 'matter' or 'material' in a general sense. | |||
| Malay | bahan | ||
| The word "bahan" is derived from the Arabic word "bhn," meaning "raw material" or "foundation." | |||
| Thai | สาร | ||
| The word "สาร" is derived from Sanskrit "sara" meaning "essence" or "that which flows". | |||
| Vietnamese | vật chất | ||
| "Vật chất" comes from the Chinese word 物质 (wùzhì), meaning "physical object, thing". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sangkap | ||
Substance in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | maddə | ||
| Maddə, the Azerbaijani word for "substance," is ultimately derived from the Arabic word مادة, meaning "matter" or "material." | |||
| Kazakh | зат | ||
| "Зат" in Kazakh also refers to the concept of "essence" or "nature" of something, emphasizing its fundamental and essential aspects. | |||
| Kyrgyz | зат | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "зат" is derived from the Arabic word "ذات", meaning "essence" or "nature". | |||
| Tajik | модда | ||
| In Tajik language, "модда" (modda) also refers to the nature/essence of something. | |||
| Turkmen | madda | ||
| Uzbek | modda | ||
| The Uzbek word "modda" also means "essence" and is used in this sense in some contexts. | |||
| Uyghur | ماددا | ||
Substance in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | mea waiwai | ||
| Mea waiwai can also be used to refer to wealth or an inheritance, as in "He kanaka waiwai", "a man or woman of substance or wealth." | |||
| Maori | matū | ||
| The Māori word "matū" can also refer to the core substance of a person or thing, their essence or being. | |||
| Samoan | vailaʻau | ||
| ‘Vailaʻau’ also refers to a type of sacred Samoan medicine made from various plants. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sangkap | ||
| In the Philippines, "sangkap" also refers to ingredients in a recipe (e.g. for a dish). | |||
Substance in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | sustansya | ||
| Guarani | mbaipy | ||
Substance in International Languages
| Esperanto | substanco | ||
| "Substanco" also means "substance of speech, essential point of a discourse" in Esperanto. | |||
| Latin | substantia | ||
| In Latin, "substantia" originally meant "property" or "estate" and later acquired the philosophical meaning of "essence" or "being." | |||
Substance in Others Languages
| Greek | ουσία | ||
| The Greek word "ουσία" (substance) can also refer to "being" or "the essential nature of something." | |||
| Hmong | tshuaj | ||
| Hmong word “tshuaj” may refer to either medicine (medicinal herbs) or poison (toxic herbs or toxic animal venom). | |||
| Kurdish | navik | ||
| In Kurdish, "navik" originally meant "essence" or "seed" and is derived from the Old Iranian word "navika-". | |||
| Turkish | madde | ||
| The word "madde" in Turkish can also refer to an "article" in a constitution or law. | |||
| Xhosa | into | ||
| "Into" is a word often used in the Xhosa language to refer to traditional African medicine | |||
| Yiddish | מאַטעריע | ||
| The word "מאַטעריע" in Yiddish is cognate with "materia" in Latin, meaning "material" or "matter". | |||
| Zulu | into | ||
| In Zulu, into also means a kind of small grass or weed. | |||
| Assamese | পদাৰ্থ | ||
| Aymara | sustansya | ||
| Bhojpuri | पदार्थ | ||
| Dhivehi | މާއްދާ | ||
| Dogri | तत्त | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sangkap | ||
| Guarani | mbaipy | ||
| Ilocano | substansia | ||
| Krio | drɔg | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ماددە | ||
| Maithili | पदार्थ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯣꯠꯂꯝ | ||
| Mizo | thupui | ||
| Oromo | wanta | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପଦାର୍ଥ | ||
| Quechua | sustancia | ||
| Sanskrit | सार | ||
| Tatar | матдә | ||
| Tigrinya | ዓውደ ኣካል | ||
| Tsonga | engetela | ||