Understanding in Different Languages
Discover 'Understanding' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Understanding is a powerful word that signifies the ability to comprehend or grasp the nature, significance, or explanation of something. It goes beyond mere knowledge, as it implies a deep level of cognitive processing and empathy. Throughout history, understanding has been a cornerstone of human connection, enabling us to communicate, collaborate, and empathize with one another.
Culturally, understanding is of paramount importance, as it fosters tolerance, acceptance, and unity. By striving to understand different perspectives, we can broaden our horizons, challenge our biases, and develop a more profound appreciation for the richness and diversity of human experience.
If you're interested in language and culture, you might want to know how to say understanding in different languages. Not only is it a great way to impress your friends and colleagues, but it can also help you connect with people from different backgrounds and build cross-cultural relationships.
Here are some translations of understanding in various languages:
Understanding
Understanding in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | begrip | ||
| The Afrikaans word "begrip" is cognate with the Dutch "begrijp", originating from the Middle Dutch "begripen" meaning "to seize" or "to take hold of". | |||
| Amharic | መረዳት | ||
| In Amharic, "መረዳት" (understanding) originally referred to the concept of "being together" as in "accompanying" before evolving to mean "understanding." | |||
| Hausa | fahimta | ||
| In the context of Islamic education, fahimta also includes the ability to apply knowledge to practical situations. | |||
| Igbo | nghọta | ||
| Though now commonly used for "understanding", "nghọta" also means "sense of direction". | |||
| Malagasy | fahazavan-tsaina | ||
| The word is composed of two roots : faha (derived from Arabic paham) which means ``to understand'', and tsinaina which refers to something that has been seen, heard, experienced, etc. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kumvetsetsa | ||
| "Kumvetsetsa" also means "to agree" or "to have the same opinion as someone" in Nyanja (Chichewa). | |||
| Shona | kunzwisisa | ||
| The prefix 'kunz' in 'kunzwisisa' denotes the state of being within something, indicating a deep level of comprehension. | |||
| Somali | fahamka | ||
| "Fahamka" is also used to describe a person's ability to comprehend and retain information. | |||
| Sesotho | kutloisiso | ||
| The word 'kutloisiso' in Sesotho has its roots in the verb 'utloa', which means 'to hear', and implies a deeper level of understanding that goes beyond mere perception. | |||
| Swahili | uelewa | ||
| The Swahili word "uelewa" also denotes the understanding of a certain subject, expertise, or profession. | |||
| Xhosa | ukuqonda | ||
| "Ukuqonda" in Xhosa comes from the root word "uqonda," which means "to perceive, comprehend, or grasp the meaning of something." | |||
| Yoruba | oye | ||
| The word "Oye" in Yoruba has roots in the verb "oye", meaning "to hear" or "to listen", implying that understanding comes from attentive listening. | |||
| Zulu | ukuqonda | ||
| The word 'ukuqonda' can also mean 'to smell'. | |||
| Bambara | faamuyali | ||
| Ewe | gɔmesese | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gusobanukirwa | ||
| Lingala | kososola | ||
| Luganda | okutegeera | ||
| Sepedi | kwešišo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ntease | ||
Understanding in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | فهم | ||
| In Persian, the word "فهم" comes from the root "فهمیدن," which also means "to hear" or "to obey." | |||
| Hebrew | הֲבָנָה | ||
| Pashto | پوهیدل | ||
| The Pashto word "پوهیدل" also means "to know" or "to learn". | |||
| Arabic | فهم | ||
| In Persian, the word "فهم" comes from the root "فهمیدن," which also means "to hear" or "to obey." | |||
Understanding in Western European Languages
| Albanian | mirëkuptim | ||
| The word "mirëkuptim" literally means "good grasp" in Albanian, emphasizing the importance of comprehension and mutual understanding. | |||
| Basque | ulermena | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "understanding," the Basque word "ulermena" can also refer to "consent" or "agreement." | |||
| Catalan | comprensió | ||
| Catalan "comprensió" comes from Latin word meaning "taking hold" and is also used in Catalan for "taking hold" in the physical sense. | |||
| Croatian | razumijevanje | ||
| The word "razumijevanje" also means "reading (comprehension)" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | forståelse | ||
| The word "forståelse" can also refer to a mutual agreement or understanding between two or more parties. | |||
| Dutch | begrip | ||
| In older Dutch and modern German, "begrip" can also mean "taking hold of something." | |||
| English | understanding | ||
| The word 'understanding' derives from the Old English word 'understondan', meaning 'to stand under' or 'to perceive'. | |||
| French | compréhension | ||
| The French word "compréhension" comes from the Latin word "comprehensio", meaning "to seize or grasp". | |||
| Frisian | begryp | ||
| The Frisian word "begryp" is thought to derive from the Proto-Germanic word "*ga-gref-ana-z", meaning "to seize with the mind". | |||
| Galician | comprensión | ||
| In Galician the word "comprensión" also refers to the comprehension or reception of a message by a telecommunications device, such as the phone, fax, computer or radio. | |||
| German | verstehen | ||
| The German word 'Verstehen' not only means 'understanding' but also 'to comprehend' or 'to interpret' | |||
| Icelandic | skilningur | ||
| The word "skilningur" comes from the Old Norse word "skilja," meaning "to separate" or "to distinguish." | |||
| Irish | tuiscint | ||
| The word 'tuiscint' also means 'intelligence, wisdom, learning, knowledge, sense, wit, reason, comprehension, conception, meaning, or significance'. | |||
| Italian | comprensione | ||
| The Italian word ''comprensione'' means ''understanding'', ''grasp'', ''knowledge'', ''agreement''. | |||
| Luxembourgish | verstoen | ||
| The word "verstoen" in Luxembourgish derives from the Proto-Germanic word "fastandanan," meaning "to stand firm" or "to be steadfast." | |||
| Maltese | fehim | ||
| The word "fehim" in Maltese can also refer to the ability to read and write. | |||
| Norwegian | forståelse | ||
| In Norwegian, forståelse can come from the word forst, | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | compreensão | ||
| "Compreensão" comes from the Latin word "comprehendere" which means "to seize" or "to grasp". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | tuigse | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "tuigse" also means "knowledge", "wisdom", and "comprehension." | |||
| Spanish | comprensión | ||
| In Spanish, "comprensión" also refers to the process of making intelligible, such as "la comprensión de un texto" (understanding a text). | |||
| Swedish | förståelse | ||
| The Swedish word "förståelse" can also refer to a relationship of sympathy, respect, or agreement. | |||
| Welsh | deall | ||
| Deall (understanding) is the verbal noun of the verb deall (to understand) and shares its origins with the Welsh word dall (blind), from the Proto-Celtic *delo- or *dʰelo-. | |||
Understanding in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | разуменне | ||
| "Разуменне" (understanding) is derived from "разум" (mind) and can also refer to "judgement" or "reasoning". | |||
| Bosnian | razumijevanje | ||
| The word "razumijevanje" in Bosnian is derived from the verb "razumijeti" ("to understand") and shares cognates with similar words in other Slavic languages. | |||
| Bulgarian | разбиране | ||
| The Bulgarian word "разбиране" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *razbъrati, which means "to take apart". | |||
| Czech | porozumění | ||
| The Czech word "porozumění" does not have any alternate meanings and its etymology is Slavic. | |||
| Estonian | mõistmine | ||
| The Estonian word "mõistmine" derives from the verb "mõista," which has the additional meanings of "to judge" and "to condemn." | |||
| Finnish | ymmärtäminen | ||
| The Finnish word "ymmärtäminen" also means "to comprehend" and "to grasp". | |||
| Hungarian | megértés | ||
| The Hungarian word "megértés" can also refer to "comprehension" or "intellectual grasp". | |||
| Latvian | saprašana | ||
| The word "saprašana" in Latvian derives from the verb "saprast," meaning "to understand," and shares a root with the word "sapnis," meaning "dream." | |||
| Lithuanian | supratimas | ||
| Supratimas is also used to refer to the ability to understand something, or the level of understanding that a person has. | |||
| Macedonian | разбирање | ||
| In Macedonian, "разбирање" also means "meaning" or "interpretation." | |||
| Polish | zrozumienie | ||
| The word "zrozumienie" in Polish can also mean "comprehension" or "knowledge." | |||
| Romanian | înţelegere | ||
| Înţelegere in Romanian can also mean 'comprehension' and 'convention'. | |||
| Russian | понимание | ||
| It also means "intercession" from medieval East Slavic "to take the place". | |||
| Serbian | разумевање | ||
| The word "разумевање" is cognate with "разуме" meaning "mind, intellect" and can also mean "reason" or "rationale". | |||
| Slovak | porozumenie | ||
| The Slovak word "porozumenie" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "rozuměti", which means "to understand" or "to know." | |||
| Slovenian | razumevanje | ||
| The word "razumevanje" also means "intelligence" or "comprehension" in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | розуміння | ||
| The Ukrainian word "розуміння" is cognate with the Russian word "разумение" "reason". | |||
Understanding in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বোধগম্যতা | ||
| "বোধগম্যতা" can mean "intelligence", "consciousness" and "awareness" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | સમજવુ | ||
| The word 'સમજવુ' can also mean 'to agree' or 'to accept'. | |||
| Hindi | समझ | ||
| In Urdu, "समझ" can also refer to the "opinion" of someone. | |||
| Kannada | ತಿಳುವಳಿಕೆ | ||
| Malayalam | മനസ്സിലാക്കൽ | ||
| Marathi | समजून घेणे | ||
| समजून घेणे can also mean to agree, consent, or grant permission. | |||
| Nepali | बुझ्दै | ||
| The word "बुझ्दै" can also mean "comprehending", "decoding", or "figuring out" | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਮਝ | ||
| "ਸਮਝ" is also an Indian musical concept meaning "the ability to play the shruti (tuning drone)" or "to correctly tune the strings of a sitar". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අවබෝධය | ||
| The word 'අවබෝධය' (avabōdhaya) in Sinhala is derived from the Sanskrit word 'avabodha', which also means 'apprehension' or 'comprehension'. | |||
| Tamil | புரிதல் | ||
| The Tamil word | |||
| Telugu | అవగాహన | ||
| The word 'అవగాహన' in Telugu is derived from the Sanskrit word 'ava-gama', which means 'to perceive' or 'to reach the bottom'. It also has the alternate meaning of 'agreement' or 'consensus'. | |||
| Urdu | افہام و تفہیم | ||
Understanding in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 理解 | ||
| 理解 is also the name of an ancient Chinese city and an extinct fish species. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 理解 | ||
| 理解 means to attain deep understanding, perceive by instinct, or be a target of criticism. | |||
| Japanese | 理解 | ||
| The kanji comprising the word "理解" can also be interpreted as "reason," "thought" or "grasp in hand." | |||
| Korean | 이해 | ||
| The Korean word "이해" (understanding) also means "to dissolve" or "to melt". | |||
| Mongolian | ойлголт | ||
| The Mongolian word "ойлголт" also means "idea" or "concept" and is derived from the verb "ойлгох" which means "to think" or "to understand". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နားလည်မှု | ||
Understanding in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | pemahaman | ||
| Pemahaman, meaning "understanding," can also refer to "a way of life" or "a belief system." | |||
| Javanese | pangerten | ||
| Pangerten, which means 'understanding' in Krama Javanese, comes from the word 'ngerti' and is added with the prefix 'pang' which means 'container' or 'store' | |||
| Khmer | ការយល់ដឹង | ||
| The Khmer word 'kar yol deung' ('ការយល់ដឹង') derives from the Pali term 'pativedha' and the Sanskrit term 'pratividhana', both meaning 'recognition' or 'awareness' | |||
| Lao | ຄວາມເຂົ້າໃຈ | ||
| Malay | memahami | ||
| "Memahami" originally meant "to take as one's understanding of something"} | |||
| Thai | ความเข้าใจ | ||
| ความเข้าใจ (understanding) can also refer to the process of coming to an understanding, or to the state of being understood. | |||
| Vietnamese | hiểu biết | ||
| The word "hiểu biết" also signifies "knowledge", "erudition", "expertise", and "intelligence". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagkakaunawaan | ||
Understanding in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | anlayış | ||
| The word "anlayış" can also be translated as "understanding", "agreement". It is derived from the verb "anlamak", which means "to understand". It is often used in the sense of "a person's ability to perceive, interpret, and respond to what someone is saying or doing." | |||
| Kazakh | түсіну | ||
| "Түсіну" in Kazakh, besides the primary meaning of "understanding," also means "to fall into a trap" or "to get caught in something." | |||
| Kyrgyz | түшүнүү | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "түшүнүү" can also refer to the act of "comprehending" or "grasping" something mentally. | |||
| Tajik | фаҳмиш | ||
| The word "фаҳмиш" is also used colloquially to refer to a "tip" or "gratuity". | |||
| Turkmen | düşünmek | ||
| Uzbek | tushunish | ||
| The Uzbek word "tushunish" is derived from the Persian word "tashni", which means "ear". This reflects the idea that understanding involves listening and comprehending what is heard. | |||
| Uyghur | چۈشىنىش | ||
Understanding in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ka hoʻomaopopo ʻana | ||
| In the Hawaiian language, "ka hoʻomaopopo ʻana" not only means "understanding" but also carries the nuanced meanings of "making clear" and "bringing into comprehension" | |||
| Maori | māramatanga | ||
| The word māramatanga can also refer to 'awakening' or 'becoming conscious'. | |||
| Samoan | malamalama | ||
| "Malama" is a Samoan word that has a number of meanings in addition to "understanding", including "care", "love", and "protection." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pag-unawa | ||
| The Tagalog word for "understanding" or "comprehension" is "pag-unawa" which literally means "to untie" or "to undo". | |||
Understanding in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | amuyt’aña | ||
| Guarani | entendimiento rehegua | ||
Understanding in International Languages
| Esperanto | kompreno | ||
| Esperanto's "kompreno" derives from two Latin roots, "com-" (together) and "prehendere" (to grasp). | |||
| Latin | intellectus | ||
| The Latin word "intellectus" means "understanding" and is related to the verb "intellegere," meaning "to perceive, apprehend, or comprehend." | |||
Understanding in Others Languages
| Greek | κατανόηση | ||
| The root word of 'κατανόηση' is 'νοέω', meaning 'to observe or perceive'. | |||
| Hmong | kev nkag siab | ||
| The Hmong word "kev nkag siab" can also refer to "sympathy" or "insight." | |||
| Kurdish | lihevhat | ||
| The Kurdish word "lihevhat" can also mean "knowing", "comprehending", or "grasping" something. | |||
| Turkish | anlayış | ||
| The word 'anlayış' comes from the verb 'anlamak', meaning 'to grasp intellectually'. It is the equivalent of 'understanding' or 'comprehension' in English. | |||
| Xhosa | ukuqonda | ||
| "Ukuqonda" in Xhosa comes from the root word "uqonda," which means "to perceive, comprehend, or grasp the meaning of something." | |||
| Yiddish | פארשטאנד | ||
| The Yiddish word "פארשטאנד" (understanding) is derived from the German word "Verstand" and has the additional meaning of "reason" or "intelligence." | |||
| Zulu | ukuqonda | ||
| The word 'ukuqonda' can also mean 'to smell'. | |||
| Assamese | বুজাবুজি | ||
| Aymara | amuyt’aña | ||
| Bhojpuri | समझ में आवत बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ވިސްނުމެވެ | ||
| Dogri | समझना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagkakaunawaan | ||
| Guarani | entendimiento rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | pannakaawat | ||
| Krio | ɔndastandin | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | تێگەیشتن | ||
| Maithili | समझदारी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯧꯁꯤꯅꯕꯥ ꯉꯝꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | hriatthiamna nei | ||
| Oromo | hubannoo qabaachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବୁ understanding ିବା | ||
| Quechua | hamut’ay | ||
| Sanskrit | अवगमनम् | ||
| Tatar | аңлау | ||
| Tigrinya | ምርድዳእ ምህላው | ||
| Tsonga | ku twisisa | ||