Surface in Different Languages
Discover 'Surface' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'surface' holds a wealth of significance, extending beyond its literal meaning as the outermost layer of an object. It also represents the beginning, the initial stage, or the first step in various contexts. Culturally, the term has been used in art, literature, and science to convey depth, complexity, and the unseen world beneath the visible exterior.
For instance, in mathematics, a surface is a generalization of a plane, which has fascinating implications in geometry and topology. In literature, the surface-level narrative can often belie deeper themes and subtexts waiting to be explored. Moreover, in psychology, the concept of 'surface acting' refers to the act of hiding one's true emotions, highlighting the intricate relationship between our inner and outer selves.
Given the term's richness and versatility, understanding its translations in different languages can offer valuable insights into various cultures and their unique perspectives on this multifaceted concept.
Here are a few sample translations to pique your curiosity:
- French: surface
- Spanish: superficie
- German: Oberfläche
- Mandarin: 表面 (biǎo miàn)
- Japanese: 表面 (hyōmen)
- Russian: поверхность (poverkhnost')
Discover more translations of 'surface' and delve deeper into the diverse world of language and culture.
Surface
Surface in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | oppervlak | ||
| The Afrikaans word "oppervlak" derives from the Dutch word "oppervlakte" and literally means "upper surface." | |||
| Amharic | ገጽ | ||
| The Amharic word "ገጽ" can also refer to a person's face, appearance, or countenance. | |||
| Hausa | farfajiya | ||
| The word 'farfajiya' is also used to refer to the upper surface of a liquid. | |||
| Igbo | elu | ||
| The word "elu" can also mean "heaven" or "the sky" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | surface | ||
| The Malagasy word "tany" can also mean "country" or "land". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | pamwamba | ||
| From the Swahili **juu** (**on top**) but also related to the **top part of the maize stalk** | |||
| Shona | pamusoro | ||
| Pamusoro is a Shona noun commonly used to refer to what is "on top" or "above" an object while "pamusoro-soro" means "very much on top" or "superficially." | |||
| Somali | dusha sare | ||
| The Somali word "dusha sare" can also mean "outer garment" or "cape". | |||
| Sesotho | bokaholimo | ||
| The word "bokaholimo" in Sesotho also has the alternate meaning of "the top of something" or "the surface of a liquid." | |||
| Swahili | uso | ||
| The word "uso" can also refer to the top or upper part of something, or to the face of a person or animal. | |||
| Xhosa | umphezulu | ||
| "Umphezulu" signifies not only "surface" but also a celestial realm associated with the ancestral world. | |||
| Yoruba | dada | ||
| The word "dada" in Yoruba can also mean "a place where women gather to plait their hair". | |||
| Zulu | ubuso | ||
| Zulu ubuso is a derivative of the verb -bona- meaning 'to see', with the idea of 'surface' representing something open to view. | |||
| Bambara | kɛnɛ | ||
| Ewe | ŋkume | ||
| Kinyarwanda | hejuru | ||
| Lingala | etando | ||
| Luganda | ku ngulu | ||
| Sepedi | bokagodimo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ani | ||
Surface in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | سطح - المظهر الخارجي | ||
| The Arabic word "سطح - المظهر الخارجي" can also mean the outer appearance or exterior of something. | |||
| Hebrew | משטח | ||
| The word also means 'platform', as in a political platform | |||
| Pashto | سطح | ||
| "سطح" in Pashto can also mean "flat land" or the "roof of a building". | |||
| Arabic | سطح - المظهر الخارجي | ||
| The Arabic word "سطح - المظهر الخارجي" can also mean the outer appearance or exterior of something. | |||
Surface in Western European Languages
| Albanian | sipërfaqe | ||
| Sipërfaqe derives from Proto-Indo-European *uper-, meaning 'over' and the Albanian suffix '-faqe' which denotes a flat surface | |||
| Basque | azalera | ||
| Basque "azalera" is related to "azal" and to Spanish "salir" which come from Latin "salire" with the meanings "to emerge or protrude" and "to get out or depart". | |||
| Catalan | superfície | ||
| The Catalan word "superfície" is derived from the Latin "superficies", meaning "outermost layer" or "top part" | |||
| Croatian | površinski | ||
| "Površinski" not only means "surface" but also "superficial". | |||
| Danish | overflade | ||
| "Overflade" is derived from "over" (above) and "flade" (flat), and can also mean "superficiality" or "pretense" | |||
| Dutch | oppervlakte | ||
| "Oppervlakte" can also refer to the "area" of a two-dimensional shape. | |||
| English | surface | ||
| The word "surface" can also refer to the external or superficial part of something or its outward appearance. | |||
| French | surface | ||
| In French, the word "surface" can also mean "area" or "the exterior of something". | |||
| Frisian | oerflak | ||
| It has another meaning of "floor or layer of something." | |||
| Galician | superficie | ||
| "Superficie" en castellano significa superficie pero en gallego no es la única acepción ya que también significa el suelo de un edificio. | |||
| German | oberfläche | ||
| The word "Oberfläche" is derived from the Middle High German "obervläche", meaning "upper area". | |||
| Icelandic | yfirborð | ||
| The word "yfirborð" is composed of "yfir" (over) and "borð" (table) and is also used to mean "tabletop" or "countertop". | |||
| Irish | dromchla | ||
| Dromchla, meaning "surface" in Irish, has other meanings such as "ridge" or "esker". | |||
| Italian | superficie | ||
| 'Superficie' derives from Latin 'superficies' but in Italian it can mean 'arrogance' or 'disdain'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | uewerfläch | ||
| The Luxembourgish word | |||
| Maltese | wiċċ | ||
| The Maltese word "wiċċ" has origins from the Arabic word "wajh", originally coming from a Proto-Semitic root "wjh", meaning "face", "front". | |||
| Norwegian | flate | ||
| The word "flate" also means "floor" in Norwegian, but can also refer to a "flat" surface. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | superfície | ||
| "Superfície" comes from the Latin verb "superficere," meaning "to make on top". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | uachdar | ||
| In the older sense, "uachdar" means not "surface" but "upper part" and has cognates in many Indo-European languages, including English "udder". | |||
| Spanish | superficie | ||
| "Superficie" is also used in Spanish to refer to the area of a plane figure or a curved surface. | |||
| Swedish | yta | ||
| The word "yta" also literally means "outside" and figuratively "the outside of something", as in your external appearance. | |||
| Welsh | wyneb | ||
| The word "wyneb" can also refer to the face, skin, or exterior of something. | |||
Surface in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | паверхні | ||
| The Belarusian word "паверхні" derives from the Old Church Slavonic "повръхъ" and also means "upon", "over", or "above". | |||
| Bosnian | površina | ||
| Površina can also refer to the texture of an object. | |||
| Bulgarian | повърхност | ||
| The word "повърхност" can also mean "area" or "territory" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | povrch | ||
| In Czech, "povrch" not only means "surface", but also "area" or "extent". | |||
| Estonian | pind | ||
| The word "pind" also refers to the back of an animal or the sole of a foot. | |||
| Finnish | pinta- | ||
| The word "pinta" is also used in Finnish to refer to the surface of a body of water. | |||
| Hungarian | felület | ||
| "Felület" is originally a verb in Hungarian, meaning "to polish" or "to grind" something. "Fel" in Hungarian means "onto something". "Felület" first appeared as a verb in the Vienna Codex, while "felület" as a noun appeared first in the 1570s. | |||
| Latvian | virsma | ||
| The word "virsma" initially meant "a line of poetry" in Latvian, hence its alternate use to mean "a line" or "a row" in contemporary speech. | |||
| Lithuanian | paviršius | ||
| The word "paviršius" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root `*per-` meaning "to pass through, cross, or pass beyond". | |||
| Macedonian | површина | ||
| The word "површина" can also mean "area" or "territory". | |||
| Polish | powierzchnia | ||
| The word "powierzchnia" in Polish comes from the Old Polish word "powierzch", meaning "a place where something is placed or spread out". | |||
| Romanian | suprafaţă | ||
| "Suprafaţă", "supra" and "faţă", has the same root as the English "superficies", but also means "face" or "cover". | |||
| Russian | поверхность | ||
| In Russian, "поверхность" means not only "surface" but also "external side" or "top layer". | |||
| Serbian | површина | ||
| Although “површина” primarily refers to surface, it’s also used in a metaphorical sense with words such as “играна површина,” which translates to playing field. | |||
| Slovak | povrch | ||
| Povrch also means "skin" in Slovak, coming from Proto-Slavic "porхъ" via Old Church Slavonic "porъхъ" with the same meaning | |||
| Slovenian | površino | ||
| The term 'površino' in Slovenian is derived from Proto-Slavic *povьrxъ, meaning 'the top layer' or 'the uppermost part of something'. | |||
| Ukrainian | поверхні | ||
| The word 'поверхні' ('surface') comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'povrhъ', which means 'upper' or 'over'. | |||
Surface in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পৃষ্ঠতল | ||
| The word "পৃষ্ঠতল" can also refer to the outer layer of a body or object. | |||
| Gujarati | સપાટી | ||
| સપાટી also means a layer or covering, as in 'the surface of the earth'. | |||
| Hindi | सतह | ||
| In Hindi, 'सतह' (surface) is also used to refer to the 'front' or 'facade' of something, like a building or a person's face. | |||
| Kannada | ಮೇಲ್ಮೈ | ||
| ಮೇಲ್ಮೈ also denotes the top layer of a heap or the exterior of a house. | |||
| Malayalam | ഉപരിതലം | ||
| The word "ഉപരിതലം" (surface) in Malayalam is derived from the Sanskrit word "उपरि" (above) and "तल" (plane). It can also refer to the upper side of something or to the outer layer of a substance. | |||
| Marathi | पृष्ठभाग | ||
| The Marathi word "पृष्ठभाग" can also mean "back" or "reverse." | |||
| Nepali | सतह | ||
| The word "सतह" in Nepali originates from the Sanskrit word "सत" (essence) and "तह" (layer), indicating its essential and layered nature. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਤਹ | ||
| "ਸਤਹ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "सत्त्व" (essence) and literally means "the essence of a thing" | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මතුපිට | ||
| Tamil | மேற்பரப்பு | ||
| மேற்பரப்பு can also refer to the superficial or outward part of something. | |||
| Telugu | ఉపరితల | ||
| ఉపరితల literally translates to "above the base", hence signifying the outermost layer. | |||
| Urdu | سطح | ||
| The word "سطح" can also refer to a level, degree, or standard. | |||
Surface in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 表面 | ||
| 表面 (biǎomiàn) is also used to refer to the outer layer or appearance of something, or to the superficial or obvious aspect of something. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 表面 | ||
| 表面 (biǎomiàn) literally means 'face of the object'; it can also mean the outward, superficial side of something or a pretense. | |||
| Japanese | 表面 | ||
| The character “表” in “表面” originally meant “something exposed to direct sunlight”. | |||
| Korean | 표면 | ||
| The word "표면" is also used to refer to a person's face or appearance. | |||
| Mongolian | гадаргуу | ||
| In Mongolian, the word | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မျက်နှာပြင် | ||
Surface in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | permukaan | ||
| The word "permukaan" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "*p permukaan", which also means "skin". | |||
| Javanese | lumahing | ||
| "Lumahing" also means "a flat area on the ground" | |||
| Khmer | ផ្ទៃ | ||
| The word ផ្ទៃ (phdâi) in Khmer means "surface" but can also be used to refer to the face, a wall panel, or a floor panel. | |||
| Lao | ດ້ານ | ||
| The Lao word ດ້ານ can also refer to a side or aspect, or to a direction. | |||
| Malay | permukaan | ||
| The related word "muka" means "face" and "skin" in Malay and shares the same Proto-Austronesian etymon with the English "face." | |||
| Thai | พื้นผิว | ||
| "พื้นผิว" (surface) literally translates as "floor skin" | |||
| Vietnamese | bề mặt | ||
| "Bề mặt" also means the "honour" or "reputation" of a person in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ibabaw | ||
Surface in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | səth | ||
| The word "səth" can also refer to a type of fabric used in traditional Azerbaijani clothing. | |||
| Kazakh | беті | ||
| The word "беті" can also refer to the top or exterior of something. | |||
| Kyrgyz | бети | ||
| The word "бети" also means "appearance" or "form" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | сатҳ | ||
| The word "сатҳ" also means "level", "rank", "class", "stage", or "degree" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | üstü | ||
| Uzbek | sirt | ||
| In Uzbek, "sirt" has the alternate meaning of "back or ridge" and is related to the Persian word "sar" (head) | |||
| Uyghur | يۈزى | ||
Surface in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻili | ||
| ʻIli can refer to the surface of the ocean, land, body, or mind. | |||
| Maori | papa | ||
| Papa, in Māori, also refers to a priest or a chief's daughter. | |||
| Samoan | luga | ||
| "Luga" (surface) in Samoan can also refer to the ground, a place, or an area. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | ibabaw | ||
| "Ibabaw" also means "the upper part" or "the topmost part" in Tagalog. | |||
Surface in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jach'a | ||
| Guarani | ape | ||
Surface in International Languages
| Esperanto | surfaco | ||
| "Surfaco" also means "face" in Esperanto, coming from the French "surface". Similarly, "surfaco" can refer to the outer side of a substance, a geometric plane, or a geographic area. | |||
| Latin | superficiem | ||
| "Superficies" can also mean "upper part" or "skin" in Latin. | |||
Surface in Others Languages
| Greek | επιφάνεια | ||
| In English, the word "epiphany" shares a common Greek origin with επιφάνεια, referring to a sudden moment of insight or revelation. | |||
| Hmong | nto | ||
| Nto, meaning "surface" in Hmong, also describes the smooth, flat side of something, such as a leaf or a rock. | |||
| Kurdish | rû | ||
| The word "rû" is also used to refer to the side or aspect of something | |||
| Turkish | yüzey | ||
| In older writings, "yüzey" could also mean "face" or "cheek". | |||
| Xhosa | umphezulu | ||
| "Umphezulu" signifies not only "surface" but also a celestial realm associated with the ancestral world. | |||
| Yiddish | ייבערפלאַך | ||
| The Yiddish word "ייבערפלאַך" is derived from the German word "oberfläche" and can also mean "outside" or "exterior." | |||
| Zulu | ubuso | ||
| Zulu ubuso is a derivative of the verb -bona- meaning 'to see', with the idea of 'surface' representing something open to view. | |||
| Assamese | পৃষ্ঠ | ||
| Aymara | jach'a | ||
| Bhojpuri | सतह | ||
| Dhivehi | ސަރފޭސް | ||
| Dogri | तला | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ibabaw | ||
| Guarani | ape | ||
| Ilocano | rabaw | ||
| Krio | sho | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕووپۆش | ||
| Maithili | सतह | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯃꯥꯏ | ||
| Mizo | pawnlang | ||
| Oromo | irra-keessa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପୃଷ୍ଠ | ||
| Quechua | hawan | ||
| Sanskrit | तलं | ||
| Tatar | өслеге | ||
| Tigrinya | ገፅ | ||
| Tsonga | henhla ka | ||
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