Teach in Different Languages
Discover 'Teach' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'teach' holds immense significance in our lives, shaping our knowledge and perspectives. It is an integral part of various cultures, symbolizing the transfer of wisdom from one generation to another. Have you ever wondered how 'teach' translates in different languages? Understanding these translations can provide unique insights into cultural nuances and language complexities.
For instance, the Spanish translation of 'teach' is 'enseñar', which also means 'to show' or 'to indicate', reflecting the hands-on approach to learning in many Spanish-speaking cultures. Meanwhile, in Japanese, 'teach' is 'おしえる' (oshieru), a term that emphasizes the respect and humility between teachers and students.
Delving into the translations of 'teach' in different languages can be a fascinating exploration of cultural diversity and linguistic evolution. Keep reading to discover more fascinating translations and their cultural implications.
Teach
Teach in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | leer | ||
| The word "leer" in Afrikaans is derived from the Dutch word "leeren" meaning "to learn" and can be used as the second part of compound words like "aanleer", "afleer", "byleer", etc. | |||
| Amharic | አስተምር | ||
| The verb አስተምር can also mean 'to preach'. | |||
| Hausa | koyar | ||
| Koyar can also mean "be able to". | |||
| Igbo | kuzi ihe | ||
| "Kuzi" means 'to point out the right path' and "ihe" means 'thing'. Therefore "kuzi ihe" literally means 'to point out the right path'. | |||
| Malagasy | ampianaro | ||
| The Malagasy word "ampianaro" can also mean "to learn" or "to be taught". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | phunzitsani | ||
| The verb 'phunzitsani' derives from the noun 'phunziro', meaning 'education or knowledge'. | |||
| Shona | dzidzisa | ||
| The word "dzidzisa" is also used to mean "to instruct" or "to educate". | |||
| Somali | bar | ||
| The word "bar" in Somali can also be used to mean "show", "demonstrate", "inform", or "advise." | |||
| Sesotho | ruta | ||
| Sesotho word 'ruta' derives from Bantu word 'ruta' meaning 'to guide' | |||
| Swahili | fundisha | ||
| Fundisha can also refer to a school or an educational institution in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | fundisa | ||
| Fundisa originates from two words: 'funda' meaning to learn and 'isa' meaning come or from a Zulu word, 'fundza' meaning study. | |||
| Yoruba | kọ | ||
| The word "kọ" in Yoruba also means "to learn" and "to read". | |||
| Zulu | fundisa | ||
| The word "fundisa" in Zulu also means "to guide" or "to lead." | |||
| Bambara | ka kalan | ||
| Ewe | fia nu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | wigishe | ||
| Lingala | koteya | ||
| Luganda | okusomesa | ||
| Sepedi | ruta | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kyerɛ | ||
Teach in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | يعلم | ||
| The Arabic word "يعلم" also means "to know" or "to be aware of". | |||
| Hebrew | לְלַמֵד | ||
| The Hebrew word "לְלַמֵד" (l'lamed) also means "to sharpen" or "to refine". | |||
| Pashto | ښوونه | ||
| The word "ښوونه" (teach) is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ḱew-, meaning "to see" or "to know". | |||
| Arabic | يعلم | ||
| The Arabic word "يعلم" also means "to know" or "to be aware of". | |||
Teach in Western European Languages
| Albanian | mësoj | ||
| The Albanian word "mësoj" is derived from the Proto-Albanian root *mes-, meaning "to show, demonstrate, or explain". | |||
| Basque | irakatsi | ||
| Irakatsi comes from Proto-Basque *ikarazi, possibly related to *iñara- "to learn", or *iñar- "to say", in Proto-Basque. | |||
| Catalan | ensenyar | ||
| The word "ensenyar" derives from the Latin word "insignare", meaning "to mark" or "to show", and is related to the Spanish word "enseñar". In old Catalan, the word could also mean "to guide" or "to direct". | |||
| Croatian | podučavati | ||
| The verb 'podučavati' in Croatian is derived from the Slavic root 'učiti', meaning 'to learn', and is related to the words 'učitelj' ('teacher') and 'učenik' ('pupil'). | |||
| Danish | underviser | ||
| The word "underviser" can also refer to a person who imparts knowledge or skills in a controlled setting, such as a teacher in a school or a trainer in a company. | |||
| Dutch | onderwijzen | ||
| The word "onderwijzen" evolved from the Proto-Germanic verb "wisjan" meaning "to show, to point out," and is related to English "advise" and German "weisen" ( | |||
| English | teach | ||
| The verb 'teach' is closely rooted to its Latin origin 'tacere,' meaning to be silent, and conveys both passing on knowledge and urging silence. | |||
| French | enseigner | ||
| The word "enseigner" derives from the Latin "insignare" meaning "to mark" or "to engrave". | |||
| Frisian | ûnderwize | ||
| The Frisian word "ûnderwize" can also mean "to advise" or "to instruct". | |||
| Galician | ensinar | ||
| "Ensinar" means to teach, but can also refer to learning or getting used to something, and "ensinado" can mean both "educated" and "taught." | |||
| German | lehren | ||
| The German word "lehren" is derived from the Old High German word "lerian", which means "to learn" or "to acquire knowledge," and is related to the English word "lore". | |||
| Icelandic | kenna | ||
| It is thought that "kenna" may have originally meant "to get to know" or "to learn". | |||
| Irish | mhúineadh | ||
| In Irish, the word "mhúineadh" can also refer to a "school" or a "lecture". | |||
| Italian | insegnare | ||
| In its origins, the word "insegnare" was related to the verb "signare", meaning "to mark". | |||
| Luxembourgish | léieren | ||
| Léieren relates to the Middle High German term "lêren", meaning "to instruct", which in turn comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*leh₃-", meaning "to understand". | |||
| Maltese | jgħallmu | ||
| The word "jgħallmu" has evolved from the Arabic word "`allama" meaning "informed". | |||
| Norwegian | lære bort | ||
| In Norwegian, the word "lære bort" comes from the Old Norse word "læra", meaning "to learn", and the preposition "bort", meaning "away" or "out". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ensinar | ||
| The verb "ensinar" comes from the Latin word "insignare," which means "to mark" or "to inscribe." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | teagasg | ||
| Teagasg derives from Gaelic teic, meaning "to flee," as in a sanctuary or place of learning. | |||
| Spanish | enseñar | ||
| The Spanish word "enseñar" comes from the Latin "insignare," meaning "to mark" or "to signify." | |||
| Swedish | lära | ||
| The Swedish word 'lära' can also refer to knowledge or a doctrine. | |||
| Welsh | dysgu | ||
| The Welsh word 'dysgu' is etymologically linked to the Irish 'tuigim' meaning 'to understand' and has extended meanings of 'to learn' and 'to study'. | |||
Teach in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | вучыць | ||
| "Вучыць" means "to study" in Old Belarusian and Ukrainian, but "to teach" in modern Belarusian and Russian. | |||
| Bosnian | podučavati | ||
| The word "podučavati" derives from the Slavic root "učiti," which also means "to learn." | |||
| Bulgarian | преподавайте | ||
| The word преподавайте has the same root as "present" in English and means "give" in most Slavic languages. | |||
| Czech | učit | ||
| Alternately "učit" can mean the act of "to learn" in the sense of acquiring a skill. | |||
| Estonian | õpetama | ||
| The verb "õpetama" is derived from the Proto-Finnic root *opekta-, meaning "to show" or "to demonstrate." | |||
| Finnish | opettaa | ||
| The verb 'opettaa' is derived from the Proto-Finnic root '*opeta-', meaning 'to teach, to show'. | |||
| Hungarian | tanít | ||
| Tanít also refers to the act of instructing or guiding; imparting knowledge, skills and/or values to others. | |||
| Latvian | mācīt | ||
| The word "mācīt" has cognates across many Indo-European languages, from "mathe" (Greek) to "monere" (Latin) and "meath" (Irish), and it ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *men-, meaning "to think". | |||
| Lithuanian | mokyti | ||
| The word "mokyti" originates from the Proto-Indo-European root "*mek-", meaning "to strive". | |||
| Macedonian | предава | ||
| The word "предава" in Macedonian originates from the Proto-Slavic "predajati" and is related to the verbs "to betray" and "to give". This reflects the idea of passing on knowledge or information across generations. | |||
| Polish | nauczać | ||
| Polish word "nauczać" derives from the Proto-Slavic "*na-ukati", which means "to accustom" or "to habituate". | |||
| Romanian | a preda | ||
| "A preda" can also mean to give or to surrender in Romanian. | |||
| Russian | учат | ||
| The Russian verb учить originally meant 'to learn', which is still sometimes used in some compound expressions. | |||
| Serbian | учити | ||
| The Serbian word "учити" (teach) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *učiti, which also means "to learn". This suggests that the concept of teaching and learning were once closely linked in Serbian culture. | |||
| Slovak | učiť | ||
| The Slovak word "učiť" also means to "learn". | |||
| Slovenian | poučevati | ||
| The word "poučevati" can also mean "to give a lesson to somebody", "to give a lecture to somebody", and "to instruct somebody". | |||
| Ukrainian | вчити | ||
| The word "вчити" is also used in the context of training animals, which can be considered a form of teaching. | |||
Teach in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পড়ান | ||
| The verb "পড়ান" can also mean "to make someone read" or "to dictate". | |||
| Gujarati | શીખવો | ||
| The verb "શીખવો" also means "to show how to use or do something". | |||
| Hindi | सिखाने | ||
| The word "सिखाने" (sikhaana) derives from the Sanskrit word "शिक्षा" (shiksha), which means "instruction". | |||
| Kannada | ಕಲಿಸು | ||
| Originally a derivative of the Proto-Dravidian '*kali' ('to learn'), 'ಕಲಿ' ('study') was extended to mean 'teach' or 'be taught'. | |||
| Malayalam | പഠിപ്പിക്കുക | ||
| Marathi | शिकवा | ||
| In Marathi, the word 'शिकवा' ('teach') is also used in the sense of 'to cause someone to learn something'. | |||
| Nepali | सिकाउनु | ||
| The word "सिकाउनु" is derived from the Proto-Sino-Tibetan root *seg-s, meaning 'to tell', and is also related to the Sanskrit word "शिक्षति" (śikṣati), which means 'to teach' or 'to instruct'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਿਖਾਓ | ||
| The word "sikhāo" in Punjabi also means "to learn". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | උගන්වන්න | ||
| Tamil | கற்பித்தல் | ||
| "கற்பித்தல்" not only means "to teach", but can also refer to the act of acquiring knowledge, suggesting a bidirectional exchange in the learning process. | |||
| Telugu | నేర్పండి | ||
| "నేర్పండి" has also been used to mean "learn" and "make someone understand or know something". | |||
| Urdu | سکھائیں | ||
| The verb 'سکھائیں' derives from the Sanskrit word 'शिक्ष' (śikṣā), meaning 'instruction' or 'learning'. It initially meant 'to make someone learn something' or 'to instruct', but later came to mean 'to teach' in general. | |||
Teach in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 教导 | ||
| 教导's first character '教' (jiào) also means 'religion' as a noun. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 教導 | ||
| 教導 is also used to describe guiding or instructing animals. | |||
| Japanese | 教える | ||
| The kanji used to write "教える" ("teach"), "教", also means "religion" or "doctrine". | |||
| Korean | 가르치다 | ||
| The word "가르치다" can also mean "to point out" or "to guide" | |||
| Mongolian | заах | ||
| The word "заах" can also mean "to instruct" or "to guide" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သင်ပေး | ||
Teach in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mengajar | ||
| The Indonesian word "mengajar" can also mean "to give guidance" or "to instruct". | |||
| Javanese | mulang | ||
| Mulang can also mean 'to guide, to direct, to lead, or to show the way'. | |||
| Khmer | បង្រៀន | ||
| Lao | ສອນ | ||
| "ສອນ" also means "to tell", "to advise", "to instruct", and "to show." | |||
| Malay | mengajar | ||
| The word 'mengajar' can also refer to showing, guiding, or directing someone to do something. | |||
| Thai | สั่งสอน | ||
| The word "สั่งสอน" (teach) in Thai is derived from the Sanskrit word "संज्ञा" (knowledge) and the Thai word "สอน" (to teach). | |||
| Vietnamese | dạy | ||
| The word "dạy" also means "to show" or "to guide". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | turo | ||
Teach in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | öyrətmək | ||
| The word "öyrətmək" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Arabic word "علم" (pronounced "ilm"), meaning "knowledge". | |||
| Kazakh | үйрету | ||
| In Kazakh, the word "үйрету" also means "to train", "to educate", "to instruct", or "to discipline." | |||
| Kyrgyz | окутуу | ||
| The word "окутуу" in Kyrgyz has the alternative meaning of "to raise" or "to bring up." | |||
| Tajik | таълим диҳед | ||
| The word "таълим диҳед" can also mean "to train" or "to educate" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | öwret | ||
| Uzbek | o'rgatish | ||
| In Uzbek, "o'rgatish" can also mean "to instruct," "to indoctrinate," or "to educate." | |||
| Uyghur | ئوقۇتۇش | ||
Teach in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | aʻo | ||
| In Hawaiian the word “a‘o“ signifies both “to teach” and “a mist” or “a cloud”. | |||
| Maori | whakaako | ||
| Whakaako also means 'to nurture' or 'to care for'. | |||
| Samoan | aoao atu | ||
| The word is made up of the parts 'ao' which refers to giving nourishment, food, or instruction and 'atu' which denotes movement, going or carrying. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | turo | ||
| "Turo" is also used to describe a fee paid to a tutor or a tip given to a service worker. | |||
Teach in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | yatichaña | ||
| Guarani | mbo'e | ||
Teach in International Languages
| Esperanto | instrui | ||
| The Esperanto word "instrui" derives from the Latin "instruere", which can also mean "to build" or "to arm." | |||
| Latin | doceo | ||
| "Docere" can also mean "to show" or "to demonstrate" in Latin and is the root of the word "document" in English. | |||
Teach in Others Languages
| Greek | διδάσκω | ||
| The word 'διδάσκω' is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *deik-, meaning 'to show' or 'to point out'. | |||
| Hmong | qhia | ||
| The word "qhia" also means "show" or "explain" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | hînkirin | ||
| The Sorani Kurdish word "hînkirin" ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *kenk-, meaning "to know, to learn, to teach." | |||
| Turkish | öğretmek | ||
| Öğretmek derives from an Old Turkic verb meaning 'to tell a story'. In the Ottoman era, it was also used in the sense of 'to warn' or 'to inform' | |||
| Xhosa | fundisa | ||
| Fundisa originates from two words: 'funda' meaning to learn and 'isa' meaning come or from a Zulu word, 'fundza' meaning study. | |||
| Yiddish | לערנען | ||
| The Yiddish word "לערנען" can also refer to studying or learning Torah. | |||
| Zulu | fundisa | ||
| The word "fundisa" in Zulu also means "to guide" or "to lead." | |||
| Assamese | শিক্ষণ | ||
| Aymara | yatichaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | सिखावल | ||
| Dhivehi | ކިޔަވައިދިނުން | ||
| Dogri | सखाना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | turo | ||
| Guarani | mbo'e | ||
| Ilocano | suruan | ||
| Krio | tich | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | فێرکردن | ||
| Maithili | पढ़ेनाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯥꯈꯄ | ||
| Mizo | zirtir | ||
| Oromo | barsiisuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଶିକ୍ଷା ଦିଅ | ||
| Quechua | yachachiy | ||
| Sanskrit | अध्यापनम् | ||
| Tatar | өйрәт | ||
| Tigrinya | መሃረ | ||
| Tsonga | dyondzisa | ||