Tradition in Different Languages
Discover 'Tradition' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Tradition, a word that evokes a sense of history, culture, and connection. It is the passing down of beliefs, customs, and practices from generation to generation, creating a bridge between the past and the present. Traditions shape our identities, defining who we are and where we come from. They are the stories we tell, the foods we eat, the music we dance to, and the rituals we perform.
Understanding traditions in different languages can open up a world of cultural richness and diversity. For instance, the Spanish translation of tradition is 'tradición', reflecting the country's deep-rooted Catholic heritage. In Germany, 'Tradition' carries the weight of centuries of cultural history, from Oktoberfest to Christmas markets. Meanwhile, in Japan, ' dentou' (伝統) signifies the respect for and preservation of ancient customs, from tea ceremonies to martial arts.
Join us as we explore the translations of tradition in various languages, delving into the fascinating histories and unique cultural practices they represent.
Tradition
Tradition in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | tradisie | ||
| The word "tradisie" in Afrikaans is derived from the Latin word "traditio", meaning "something handed down". | |||
| Amharic | ወግ | ||
| The word ወግ can also mean "a path, a way, a method, a system, a manner, a mode" | |||
| Hausa | al'ada | ||
| "Al'ada" also refers to an individual's character, nature or disposition. | |||
| Igbo | ọdịnala | ||
| The word ọdịnala derives from ịdị n'ala, meaning 'being on the ground' or 'existing in the world,' and refers to customs and practices that connect people to their ancestors and the land. | |||
| Malagasy | fomban-drazana | ||
| The Malagasy word "fomban-drazana" is also used to refer to "ancestral land" or "heritage". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mwambo | ||
| Mwambo can also refer to a type of traditional dance or a story or legend. | |||
| Shona | tsika | ||
| The word "tsika" also means "way" or "manner" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | dhaqan | ||
| The Somali word "dhaqan" derives from the Arabic root "thaqafa", meaning "to cultivate" or "to civilize." | |||
| Sesotho | moetlo | ||
| The word "moetlo" in Sesotho comes from the verb "eta", meaning "to come" or "to arrive". | |||
| Swahili | mila | ||
| The word "mila" in Swahili may derive from the Arabic word "milat" meaning "path" or "way". | |||
| Xhosa | isithethe | ||
| The Xhosa word "isithethe" also means "a rule" or "a law". | |||
| Yoruba | atọwọdọwọ | ||
| The word 'àtọ̀wọdọwọ' in Yoruba also means 'lineage' or 'ancestry'. | |||
| Zulu | isiko | ||
| The Zulu word "isiko" (tradition) is derived from the Proto-Bantu word "-siko", meaning "a moral rule or regulation." | |||
| Bambara | laada | ||
| Ewe | dekɔnu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gakondo | ||
| Lingala | bokoko | ||
| Luganda | ennono | ||
| Sepedi | setšo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | amanneɛ | ||
Tradition in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | التقليد | ||
| 'Tradition' (التقليد) also refers to the blind following of the rulings and teachings of past Islamic scholars in the absence of evidence from the Qur'an or Hadiths. | |||
| Hebrew | מָסוֹרֶת | ||
| The word "מסורת" (tradition) in Hebrew is etymologically related to the phrase "מסר סר", meaning "hand over" or "pass on". | |||
| Pashto | دود | ||
| It is derived from the Proto-Indo-Iranian word *dhi-ti-." } | |||
| Arabic | التقليد | ||
| 'Tradition' (التقليد) also refers to the blind following of the rulings and teachings of past Islamic scholars in the absence of evidence from the Qur'an or Hadiths. | |||
Tradition in Western European Languages
| Albanian | tradita | ||
| Tradita has the alternate meaning of "legacy" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | tradizioa | ||
| Tradizioa also relates to "treason" or "betrayal" from *tradere*. | |||
| Catalan | tradició | ||
| Etymology and alternate meanings of "tradició": "tradita" in Latin, meaning "act of handing over". | |||
| Croatian | tradicija | ||
| The word "tradicija" is derived from the verb "traditi," which means "to hand over" or "to pass on." | |||
| Danish | tradition | ||
| The Danish word "tradition" can also refer to a handover or a delivery. | |||
| Dutch | traditie | ||
| "Traditie" can also refer to a set of beliefs or customs that are passed down from one generation to another. | |||
| English | tradition | ||
| The word "tradition" comes from the Latin "tradere", meaning "to hand over" or "to transmit". | |||
| French | tradition | ||
| The French word "tradition" comes from the Latin word "tradere", meaning "to hand over" or "to transmit". | |||
| Frisian | tradysje | ||
| In many Frisian dialects, "tradysje" can also mean "custom" or "habit". | |||
| Galician | tradición | ||
| In Galician, "tradición" shares the same root as the Spanish "traducir," meaning "to translate." | |||
| German | tradition | ||
| The word "Tradition" in German also means "something that is passed down from generation to generation". | |||
| Icelandic | hefð | ||
| In addition to tradition, "hefð" also means custom, usage, or habit. | |||
| Irish | traidisiún | ||
| Traidisiún, a word with deep Irish roots, was initially a term used to describe the transfer of land ownership. | |||
| Italian | tradizione | ||
| In musical performance, "tradizione" refers to a historical and cultural context for particular styles. | |||
| Luxembourgish | traditioun | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Traditioun" also means "belief" or "custom", indicating its close connection to cultural and societal practices. | |||
| Maltese | tradizzjoni | ||
| The word "tradizzjoni" is derived from the Latin "traditio", meaning "transmission" or "handing over." | |||
| Norwegian | tradisjon | ||
| Tradisjon is derived from the Latin word "traditio", meaning "delivery" or "handing over". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | tradição | ||
| The word 'tradição' also means 'betrayal' in Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | traidisean | ||
| "Traidisean" derives from "tradere," meaning "to hand over," suggesting tradition as something passed down through generations. | |||
| Spanish | tradicion | ||
| Tradicion can also refer to the "giving of a dowry" in some contexts. | |||
| Swedish | tradition | ||
| In Swedish, "tradition" also means "custom," "habit," or "usage." | |||
| Welsh | traddodiad | ||
| The word 'traddodiad' in Welsh is derived from the Latin word 'traditio', meaning 'handing over' or 'passing on'. | |||
Tradition in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | традыцыя | ||
| In addition to "tradition", "традыцыя" can mean "the established order" and "lineage" | |||
| Bosnian | tradicija | ||
| In Croatian and Serbian, "tradicija" (literally "giving away") meant "inheritance". In Slavic languages, it was also used to refer to "inheritance of faith". | |||
| Bulgarian | традиция | ||
| The word "традиция" is derived from the Latin word "traditio", meaning "a handing over". In Russian, the word has the same meaning, but it can also refer to a set of customs or beliefs. | |||
| Czech | tradice | ||
| The word "tradice" can also refer to a story or legend that has been passed down through generations. | |||
| Estonian | traditsioon | ||
| "Traditsioon" is derived from the Latin word "traditio," meaning "a handing over". | |||
| Finnish | perinne | ||
| The word "perinne" is related to the verbs "periytyä" (to be inherited) and "pysyä" (to remain). | |||
| Hungarian | hagyomány | ||
| The Hungarian word "hagyomány" derives from the verb "hagy", meaning "to leave" or "to bequeath". | |||
| Latvian | tradīcijas | ||
| "Tradīcijas" derives from the Latin verb "tradere" which means "to give", "transfer", or "hand over". | |||
| Lithuanian | tradicija | ||
| The Lithuanian word "tradicija" comes from the Latin word "traditio", which means "to hand over" or "to transmit." | |||
| Macedonian | традиција | ||
| The word "традиција" ultimately derives from the Latin "tradere", meaning "to hand over". | |||
| Polish | tradycja | ||
| The word "tradycja" is derived from the Latin word "traditio", which means "a handing over" or "a passing on". | |||
| Romanian | tradiţie | ||
| The Romanian word "tradiţie" (tradition) is derived from the Latin word "traditio", meaning "action of handing over" or "thing handed over." | |||
| Russian | традиция | ||
| "Традиция" originated from the Latin verb "tradere" meaning "to hand over, to pass on." | |||
| Serbian | традиција | ||
| The Serbian word 'традиција' ('tradition') comes from the verb 'tradati', which means 'to pass down' or 'to convey'. | |||
| Slovak | tradícia | ||
| Tradícia can also mean "heritage" or "folklore" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | tradicijo | ||
| The word "tradicijo" derives from the Latin word "traditio", meaning "handing over" or "passing on", and can also refer to customs or habits passed down from one generation to another. | |||
| Ukrainian | традиція | ||
| In Ukrainian, традиція means "tradition", but can also mean "heritage" or "ritual." | |||
Tradition in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | traditionতিহ্য | ||
| "তিহ্য" also means "ancient lore or belief", as in "শ্রুতিসম্প্রদায় তিহ্য" (traditional knowledge of the Vedas). | |||
| Gujarati | પરંપરા | ||
| The word "પરંપરા" can also refer to a continuous line of spiritual teachers in a particular school of Hinduism. | |||
| Hindi | परंपरा | ||
| The term "parampara" has several meanings, including "lineage, heritage, succession, and a system of passing down knowledge or skills from generation to generation." | |||
| Kannada | ಸಂಪ್ರದಾಯ | ||
| The term 'ಸಂಪ್ರದಾಯ' comes from the Sanskrit word 'सम्यक' (Samyak) meaning 'right', and 'दृष्टि' (Drishti) meaning 'vision', and originally referred to the 'correct view of things'. | |||
| Malayalam | പാരമ്പര്യം | ||
| The word 'parampara' primarily refers to lineage or succession, but can also mean custom, convention, or religious usage. | |||
| Marathi | परंपरा | ||
| परंपरा is a Marathi word that derives from the Sanskrit word 'parampara', which means an unbroken succession or lineage. | |||
| Nepali | परम्परा | ||
| The Nepali word 'परम्परा' originated from the Sanskrit root 'पर' (across) and 'म्परा' (course or path), implying something that has been handed down from generation to generation. | |||
| Punjabi | ਪਰੰਪਰਾ | ||
| The word "parampra" is derived from the Sanskrit words "para" (beyond) and "ampra" (to reach), and it originally meant "lineage" or "ancestry". It later came to be used in a more general sense to refer to "tradition" or "custom". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සම්ප්රදාය | ||
| Tamil | பாரம்பரியம் | ||
| In ancient Tamil, 'paramparai' indicated a path taken by elephants; later it meant religious practices passed from one generation to another | |||
| Telugu | సంప్రదాయం | ||
| Urdu | روایت | ||
| The word "روایت" in Urdu is derived from the Arabic word "روى", which means "to narrate, relate, or transmit". | |||
Tradition in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 传统 | ||
| The term 傳統 ('tradition') originally signified the passing down of teachings from the sages in ancient China. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 傳統 | ||
| The term, originally a Buddhist expression, is sometimes rendered in Japanese as "transmission of the lamp." | |||
| Japanese | 伝統 | ||
| The kanji in the word 「伝統」 can also mean "inheritance" and "continuity." | |||
| Korean | 전통 | ||
| The word "전통" can also mean "custom" or "practice" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | уламжлал | ||
| The Mongolian word "уламжлал" (tradition) can also mean "heritage" or "customary practice." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အစဉ်အလာ | ||
| The word "အစဉ်အလာ" ultimately derives from Pali and Sanskrit terms meaning "continuous (order)" or "continuous (line)". | |||
Tradition in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | tradisi | ||
| Tradisi derives from the Sanskrit word 'trāyati' meaning 'protection' or 'liberation'. | |||
| Javanese | tradhisi | ||
| The word tradhisi (tradition) in Javanese derives from the Sanskrit word 'traditi' referring to 'that which is handed down' or 'that which is transmitted'. | |||
| Khmer | ប្រពៃណី | ||
| Lao | ປະເພນີ | ||
| Malay | tradisi | ||
| The word 'tradisi' can also mean 'custom' or 'practice'. | |||
| Thai | ประเพณี | ||
| The word "ประเพณี" (prapeni) is derived from the Pali word "parampara", meaning "lineage" or "ancestral custom" | |||
| Vietnamese | truyền thống | ||
| "Truyền thống" comes from two Hán characters: "truyền", meaning "passing down", and "thống", meaning "line" or "system". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tradisyon | ||
Tradition in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ənənə | ||
| "Ənənə" originates from Arabic "sunna", which refers to the practice and teachings of Prophet Muhammad and has become synonymous with custom and tradition in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | дәстүр | ||
| The word "дәстүр" is derived from the Persian word "dastur", meaning "law" or "custom". | |||
| Kyrgyz | салт | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "салт" can also refer to a body of customary law or a rule governing behavior. | |||
| Tajik | анъана | ||
| The word "анъана" (tradition) in Tajik has a Persian origin and also means "education" or "upbringing". | |||
| Turkmen | däp | ||
| Uzbek | an'ana | ||
| In Uzbek, "an'ana" also refers to the traditional ethical norms and values passed down through generations | |||
| Uyghur | ئەنئەنە | ||
Tradition in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kuʻuna | ||
| The word "kuʻuna" can also refer to a person's lineage or genealogy. | |||
| Maori | tikanga tuku iho | ||
| In Maori, the phrase 'tikanga tuku iho' represents both cultural practices passed down through generations and inherited knowledge. | |||
| Samoan | tu ma aga | ||
| Tu ma aga literally translates to stand (tu), with (ma), a (a), custom (aga) in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tradisyon | ||
| The word "tradisyon" in Tagalog is derived from the Spanish word "tradición" and also means "custom" or "practice." | |||
Tradition in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | sarawi | ||
| Guarani | jepokuaa | ||
Tradition in International Languages
| Esperanto | tradicio | ||
| Latin | traditum | ||
| The Latin word «traditum» stems from the verb «tradere», which means both «to hand over» and «to betray». | |||
Tradition in Others Languages
| Greek | παράδοση | ||
| Despite its current connotation, "παράδοση" originally meant "delivering into someone's hands" in Classical Greek. | |||
| Hmong | kev lig kev cai | ||
| The word kev lig kev cai in Hmong can also mean 'custom' or 'way of doing things'. | |||
| Kurdish | kevneşopî | ||
| The Kurdish word "kevneşopî" is a compound of the words "kevne" (old) and "şopî" (custom) and implies the perpetuation of old customs | |||
| Turkish | gelenek | ||
| 'Gelenek' kelimesi 'gelen' ve 'ek' kelimelerinden türemiştir ve 'gelen şey' anlamına gelir. | |||
| Xhosa | isithethe | ||
| The Xhosa word "isithethe" also means "a rule" or "a law". | |||
| Yiddish | מסורה | ||
| The Yiddish word מסורה also refers to the system of annotations and markings used in Hebrew biblical manuscripts. | |||
| Zulu | isiko | ||
| The Zulu word "isiko" (tradition) is derived from the Proto-Bantu word "-siko", meaning "a moral rule or regulation." | |||
| Assamese | পৰম্পৰা | ||
| Aymara | sarawi | ||
| Bhojpuri | परंपरा | ||
| Dhivehi | ޘަޤާފަތް | ||
| Dogri | रवायत | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tradisyon | ||
| Guarani | jepokuaa | ||
| Ilocano | tradision | ||
| Krio | kɔstɔm | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نەریت | ||
| Maithili | परम्परागत | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯠꯅꯕꯤ | ||
| Mizo | tihdan phung | ||
| Oromo | aadaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପରମ୍ପରା | ||
| Quechua | costumbre | ||
| Sanskrit | परंपरा | ||
| Tatar | традиция | ||
| Tigrinya | ልምዲ | ||
| Tsonga | xintu | ||