True in Different Languages
Discover 'True' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'true' holds a profound significance in many languages and cultures around the world. It represents authenticity, honesty, and reliability, forming the foundation of trust and credibility in our social interactions. The concept of 'true' is universal, yet the way we express it can vary greatly across different languages.
For instance, did you know that the Spanish word for 'true' is 'verdadero'? Or that in French, 'true' is translated as 'vrai'? These translations not only reflect the linguistic diversity of our world but also provide insights into the cultural contexts in which they are used.
Understanding the translations of 'true' in various languages can enrich our appreciation of cultural nuances and deepen our cross-cultural communication. It can also help us to better understand the philosophical and existential implications of 'truth' in different cultural contexts.
So, without further ado, let's explore some of the many translations of 'true' in different languages.
True
True in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | waar | ||
| The word "waar" in Afrikaans can also refer to goods or merchandise, derived from the Dutch word "waar" meaning "commodity". | |||
| Amharic | እውነት ነው | ||
| Hausa | gaskiya | ||
| The word 'gaskiya' is derived from the Arabic word 'sadiq', which means 'truthful' or 'sincere'. | |||
| Igbo | eziokwu | ||
| The word "eziokwu" in Igbo not only means "true" but also "reality" or "authenticity" | |||
| Malagasy | marina | ||
| The word "marina" can also mean "indeed" or "very much" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zoona | ||
| The word "zoona" in Nyanja (Chichewa) is also used to mean "straight" or "correct". | |||
| Shona | ichokwadi | ||
| In addition to its usage to signify truth, "ichokwadi" (true) can also refer to a fact, truthfulness, or correctness. | |||
| Somali | run | ||
| Run is also used as a verb to describe the action of flowing or leaking, such as in the phrase 'biyuhu wuu runayaa' (the water is flowing). | |||
| Sesotho | 'nete | ||
| "Nete" in Sesotho means 'real' or 'genuine' and is cognate with 'nete' in Sepedi, which means 'right', and with 'net' in Ndebele, which means 'firm'. | |||
| Swahili | kweli | ||
| The Swahili word "kweli" is commonly used to indicate "truth" or "authenticity", but it also has a secondary meaning of "really" or "indeed". | |||
| Xhosa | yinyani | ||
| In Xhosa, 'yinyani' also means 'real' or 'genuine', reflecting the importance of truthfulness in the culture. | |||
| Yoruba | otitọ | ||
| The Yoruba word "otitọ" is derived from the phrase "ò ti tọ," which means "it has come to pass." | |||
| Zulu | iqiniso | ||
| It is a variant of the word 'iqiniso'. Both can be used for 'truth' and 'faith'. | |||
| Bambara | sɛbɛ | ||
| Ewe | nyateƒe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ni ukuri | ||
| Lingala | ya solo | ||
| Luganda | kituufu | ||
| Sepedi | nnete | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nokorɛ | ||
True in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | صحيح | ||
| In religious terms, "صحيح" (true) can also mean "sound" or "valid," as in a hadith that is considered authentic and reliable. | |||
| Hebrew | נָכוֹן | ||
| "נָכוֹן" (true) also means ready or set, like "הַכֹּל נָכוֹן" (everything is ready). | |||
| Pashto | ریښتیا | ||
| ریښتیا is derived from the Persian word rast, meaning 'straight' or 'correct'. | |||
| Arabic | صحيح | ||
| In religious terms, "صحيح" (true) can also mean "sound" or "valid," as in a hadith that is considered authentic and reliable. | |||
True in Western European Languages
| Albanian | e vertete | ||
| The word "e vertete" is also used to mean "a truth", "the truth" or "a true thing". | |||
| Basque | egia | ||
| The Basque word "egia" also means "reality" and "justice". | |||
| Catalan | cert | ||
| The word "cert" in Catalan also means "certain" or "sure." | |||
| Croatian | pravi | ||
| Pravi in Croatian can also mean 'right' in the sense of 'correct', and derives from the Proto-Slavic word *pravъ. | |||
| Danish | rigtigt | ||
| Rigtigt can also mean "proper," "decent," "correct," or "appropriate." | |||
| Dutch | waar | ||
| In Dutch, the word "waar" can also mean "product," derived from the Old Frisian word "were," meaning "goods." | |||
| English | true | ||
| The word "true" comes from the Old English word "treow," meaning "faithful" or "trustworthy." | |||
| French | vrai | ||
| The etymology of "vrai" is the Latin word "verus," which also means "real"} | |||
| Frisian | wier | ||
| The word "wier" in Frisian has a rich history related to the concepts of "defense" and "sacredness". | |||
| Galician | certo | ||
| The Galician word "certo" can also mean "precise" or "sure". | |||
| German | wahr | ||
| The word "wahr" in German also means "good" or "genuine". | |||
| Icelandic | satt | ||
| Cognate with English 'sad' (serious) or German 'satt' (full, satisfied) | |||
| Irish | fíor | ||
| In Old Irish, "fíor" could also mean "pure," "clear," "genuine," "legitimate," or "righteous." | |||
| Italian | vero | ||
| Vero, meaning 'true' in Italian, derives from the Latin word 'verum', which also means 'true', 'real', or 'genuine'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | richteg | ||
| The word "richteg" can also be used to describe a "real" person, a person of good character. | |||
| Maltese | vera | ||
| The Maltese word "vera" is derived from the Latin "vera" (true), and it also has the alternate meaning of "really" or "indeed". | |||
| Norwegian | ekte | ||
| The word "ekte" can also mean "genuine" or "authentic". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | verdadeiro | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "verdadeiro" originally meant "something one must see". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | fìor | ||
| The word 'fìor' is derived from the Gaelic root 'fìr', meaning 'man' or 'true'. | |||
| Spanish | cierto | ||
| The word "cierto" in Spanish can also mean "some" or "certain". | |||
| Swedish | sann | ||
| Sann can also mean "certain" or "positive" | |||
| Welsh | wir | ||
| "Wir" can also mean "to become" or "to get" in Welsh. | |||
True in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | праўда | ||
| The Russian "правда" derives from "право", cognate to the Greek "orphos" (straight) and to the Sanskrit "rta" (order, truth, straightness). | |||
| Bosnian | tačno | ||
| The word "tačno" in Bosnian can also mean "straight" or "accurate". | |||
| Bulgarian | вярно | ||
| In Old Bulgarian, "вярно" also had the meaning of "constant" (непрекъснато, непрестанно). This meaning is preserved today in some dialects. | |||
| Czech | skutečný | ||
| "Skutočný" originated from "skut-", meaning "deed", suggesting its original meaning was "factual" or "realized". | |||
| Estonian | tõsi | ||
| The word "tõsi" in Estonian is derived from the Proto-Uralic root *tōćće, meaning "certainty, truth." | |||
| Finnish | totta | ||
| The word "totta" is derived from the Uralic root *tokta-, meaning "precise" or "correct". | |||
| Hungarian | igaz | ||
| In Hungarian, "igaz" originally referred to the axis of a cart or wheel, hence its figurative meaning of "straight" or "correct". | |||
| Latvian | taisnība | ||
| "Taisnīga" can also mean "honest" or "fair". | |||
| Lithuanian | tiesa | ||
| Linguists posit that „tiesa“ is cognate with the Proto-Indo-European word for „law” or „right.” Therefore, it holds the meaning of both „true” and „correct.” | |||
| Macedonian | вистинито | ||
| The word "вистинито" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *istina, meaning "truth" or "validity." | |||
| Polish | prawdziwe | ||
| The word 'prawdziwe' in Polish also refers to a specific type of mushroom, the Boletus edulis. | |||
| Romanian | adevărat | ||
| The Romanian word "Adevărat" derives from the Proto-Slavic "pravdъ," meaning "justice" or "right." | |||
| Russian | правда | ||
| The word "правда" originally meant "straight", hence its connection to "rightness" and "truth" | |||
| Serbian | истина | ||
| The word "истина" also means "truth" in Russian, and both words have the same root as the English word "true". | |||
| Slovak | pravda | ||
| In Slovak, the word "pravda" can also mean "justice" or "righteousness". | |||
| Slovenian | prav | ||
| "Prav" in Slovenian can also mean "right" or "just," and comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*pravъ" with the same meanings. | |||
| Ukrainian | правда | ||
| The word "правда" also means "justice" and comes from the Proto-Slavic word "pravъ", meaning "rightful" or "correct." | |||
True in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সত্য | ||
| সত্য shares its root 'sat' (सत् ) from Sanskrit with 'satya' (সত্য), which has a wider meaning of a 'good' 'righteous' 'existent' 'non-false'. | |||
| Gujarati | સાચું | ||
| સાચું is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *tek-, meaning 'to build', and is related to English 'thatched'. | |||
| Hindi | सच | ||
| The word 'सच' (sach) in Hindi is derived from the Sanskrit word 'सत्' (sat), which also means 'being' or 'existence'. | |||
| Kannada | ನಿಜ | ||
| The Kannada word "ನಿಜ" also has alternate meanings like "proper" and "the actual state or form of something." | |||
| Malayalam | ശരി | ||
| The word 'ശരി' (sari) also means 'right' in Malayalam, suggesting a connection between truth and correctness or alignment. | |||
| Marathi | खरे | ||
| "खरे" (true) also means "solid" or "real". | |||
| Nepali | सत्य | ||
| "सत्य" can also mean "fact" or "reality" in Sanskrit. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੱਚ ਹੈ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਸੱਚ ਹੈ" can also mean "it is true" or "it is the truth". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සැබෑ | ||
| The Sinhala word "සැබෑ" is also used to describe something that is authentic, genuine, or real. | |||
| Tamil | உண்மை | ||
| "உண்மை" also means "the real form of something, nature, reality". | |||
| Telugu | నిజం | ||
| "నిజం" (true) also means "real", "genuine", or "honest" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | سچ ہے | ||
| The phrase 'سچ ہے' also serves as an emphatic response that means 'Of course it is true' when placed after a statement. | |||
True in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 真正 | ||
| "真正" originally meant "real" as opposed to "imaginary". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 真正 | ||
| The term '真正' is used to emphasize authenticity and genuineness. | |||
| Japanese | true | ||
| The word "true" (真実) in Japanese literally means "real thing" or "genuine thing". | |||
| Korean | 진실 | ||
| "진실" is derived from the Sino-Korean word 真實, which means "real" or "genuine." | |||
| Mongolian | үнэн | ||
| The term "үнэн" can also mean "honest" or "fair". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မှန်ပါတယ် | ||
True in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | benar | ||
| Benar has a root in Old Javanese meaning 'to agree' and 'not broken', and in Malay it also means 'good'. | |||
| Javanese | bener | ||
| The word "bener" in Javanese also means "to fix something" or "to make something right". | |||
| Khmer | ពិត | ||
| The Khmer word "ពិត" is derived from Sanskrit "prati", meaning "in accordance with", and is also used in the sense of "correct" or "proper". | |||
| Lao | ຄວາມຈິງ | ||
| The Lao word for "true" has cognates in Sanskrit, Pali, and Thai, and has been used since at least the 14th century. | |||
| Malay | benar | ||
| The word 'benar' also means 'constant', 'firm' or 'permanent' in Malay. | |||
| Thai | จริง | ||
| Thai word "จริง" means "true", comes from the Sanskrit "Satya" and is also related to the word "thing" (สิ่ง) | |||
| Vietnamese | thật | ||
| In the context of Buddhist meditation, | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | totoo | ||
True in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | doğru | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "doğru" means "truth", "correct", or "correctness", while its etymology relates it to the Turkic root "doğur", meaning "to give birth" or "to create". | |||
| Kazakh | шын | ||
| The word "шын" can also mean "genuine" or "authentic" in Kazakh, highlighting its multifaceted nature. | |||
| Kyrgyz | чындык | ||
| In Kyrgyz, the word "чындык" can also refer to "reality" or "the truth of the matter" | |||
| Tajik | дуруст | ||
| The word “дуруст” also means “correct”, “straight”, and “suitable” | |||
| Turkmen | dogry | ||
| Uzbek | to'g'ri | ||
| The word "to'g'ri" in Uzbek has connotations of "straight" or "correct" besides its primary meaning of "true". | |||
| Uyghur | true | ||
True in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻoiaʻiʻo | ||
| In Hawaiian, ʻoiaʻiʻo not only means "true," but also "to be in agreement," "to be accurate," and "to be certain." | |||
| Maori | pono | ||
| "Pono" can also mean correct, moral, genuine, or virtuous, and is often used in a religious context. | |||
| Samoan | moni | ||
| The Samoan word "moni" can also mean "wealth" or "money". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | totoo | ||
| The word "totoo" can also mean "real" or "genuine", and is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "*tuqtuq" meaning "straight" or "correct". | |||
True in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | chiqa | ||
| Guarani | teete | ||
True in International Languages
| Esperanto | vera | ||
| In Spanish, 'vera' means 'bank,' and thus a 'beach' is a 'sandy bank'. | |||
| Latin | verum | ||
| "Verum" also derives from the Etruscan word "feru" (right, proper) but also from "weros" (sacred). | |||
True in Others Languages
| Greek | αληθής | ||
| The word "αληθής" can also mean "unhidden" or "not forgotten" in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | muaj tseeb | ||
| The Hmong word for true, muaj tseeb, is also used as an emphasis to indicate that something is really good. | |||
| Kurdish | rast | ||
| The word "rast" also means "right" in the sense of direction or correctness. | |||
| Turkish | doğru | ||
| In Turkish, "doğru" also means "straight" and is the origin of the word "doğruluk" (uprightness). | |||
| Xhosa | yinyani | ||
| In Xhosa, 'yinyani' also means 'real' or 'genuine', reflecting the importance of truthfulness in the culture. | |||
| Yiddish | אמת | ||
| The Yiddish word "אמת" (emet) derives from the Hebrew word of the same spelling, which means "truth" or "faithfulness." | |||
| Zulu | iqiniso | ||
| It is a variant of the word 'iqiniso'. Both can be used for 'truth' and 'faith'. | |||
| Assamese | সঁচা | ||
| Aymara | chiqa | ||
| Bhojpuri | सच | ||
| Dhivehi | ރަނގަޅު | ||
| Dogri | सच्च | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | totoo | ||
| Guarani | teete | ||
| Ilocano | agpayso | ||
| Krio | tru | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕاست | ||
| Maithili | सत्य | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯆꯨꯝꯕ | ||
| Mizo | dik | ||
| Oromo | dhugaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସତ | ||
| Quechua | chiqaq | ||
| Sanskrit | सत्यम् | ||
| Tatar | дөрес | ||
| Tigrinya | ሓቂ | ||
| Tsonga | ntiyiso | ||