Understanding in different languages

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

Afrikaansbegrip
The Afrikaans word "begrip" is cognate with the Dutch "begrijp", originating from the Middle Dutch "begripen" meaning "to seize" or "to take hold of".
Amharicመረዳት
In Amharic, "መረዳት" (understanding) originally referred to the concept of "being together" as in "accompanying" before evolving to mean "understanding."
Hausafahimta
In the context of Islamic education, fahimta also includes the ability to apply knowledge to practical situations.
Igbonghọta
Though now commonly used for "understanding", "nghọta" also means "sense of direction".
Malagasyfahazavan-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).
Shonakunzwisisa
The prefix 'kunz' in 'kunzwisisa' denotes the state of being within something, indicating a deep level of comprehension.
Somalifahamka
"Fahamka" is also used to describe a person's ability to comprehend and retain information.
Sesothokutloisiso
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.
Swahiliuelewa
The Swahili word "uelewa" also denotes the understanding of a certain subject, expertise, or profession.
Xhosaukuqonda
"Ukuqonda" in Xhosa comes from the root word "uqonda," which means "to perceive, comprehend, or grasp the meaning of something."
Yorubaoye
The word "Oye" in Yoruba has roots in the verb "oye", meaning "to hear" or "to listen", implying that understanding comes from attentive listening.
Zuluukuqonda
The word 'ukuqonda' can also mean 'to smell'.
Bambarafaamuyali
Ewegɔmesese
Kinyarwandagusobanukirwa
Lingalakososola
Lugandaokutegeera
Sepedikwešišo
Twi (Akan)ntease

Understanding in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicفهم
In Persian, the word "فهم" comes from the root "فهمیدن," which also means "to hear" or "to obey."
Hebrewהֲבָנָה
Pashtoپوهیدل
The Pashto word "پوهیدل" also means "to know" or "to learn".
Arabicفهم
In Persian, the word "فهم" comes from the root "فهمیدن," which also means "to hear" or "to obey."

Understanding in Western European Languages

Albanianmirëkuptim
The word "mirëkuptim" literally means "good grasp" in Albanian, emphasizing the importance of comprehension and mutual understanding.
Basqueulermena
In addition to its primary meaning of "understanding," the Basque word "ulermena" can also refer to "consent" or "agreement."
Catalancomprensió
Catalan "comprensió" comes from Latin word meaning "taking hold" and is also used in Catalan for "taking hold" in the physical sense.
Croatianrazumijevanje
The word "razumijevanje" also means "reading (comprehension)" in Croatian.
Danishforståelse
The word "forståelse" can also refer to a mutual agreement or understanding between two or more parties.
Dutchbegrip
In older Dutch and modern German, "begrip" can also mean "taking hold of something."
Englishunderstanding
The word 'understanding' derives from the Old English word 'understondan', meaning 'to stand under' or 'to perceive'.
Frenchcompréhension
The French word "compréhension" comes from the Latin word "comprehensio", meaning "to seize or grasp".
Frisianbegryp
The Frisian word "begryp" is thought to derive from the Proto-Germanic word "*ga-gref-ana-z", meaning "to seize with the mind".
Galiciancomprensión
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.
Germanverstehen
The German word 'Verstehen' not only means 'understanding' but also 'to comprehend' or 'to interpret'
Icelandicskilningur
The word "skilningur" comes from the Old Norse word "skilja," meaning "to separate" or "to distinguish."
Irishtuiscint
The word 'tuiscint' also means 'intelligence, wisdom, learning, knowledge, sense, wit, reason, comprehension, conception, meaning, or significance'.
Italiancomprensione
The Italian word ''comprensione'' means ''understanding'', ''grasp'', ''knowledge'', ''agreement''.
Luxembourgishverstoen
The word "verstoen" in Luxembourgish derives from the Proto-Germanic word "fastandanan," meaning "to stand firm" or "to be steadfast."
Maltesefehim
The word "fehim" in Maltese can also refer to the ability to read and write.
Norwegianforståelse
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 Gaelictuigse
The Scots Gaelic word "tuigse" also means "knowledge", "wisdom", and "comprehension."
Spanishcomprensión
In Spanish, "comprensión" also refers to the process of making intelligible, such as "la comprensión de un texto" (understanding a text).
Swedishförståelse
The Swedish word "förståelse" can also refer to a relationship of sympathy, respect, or agreement.
Welshdeall
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

Belarusianразуменне
"Разуменне" (understanding) is derived from "разум" (mind) and can also refer to "judgement" or "reasoning".
Bosnianrazumijevanje
The word "razumijevanje" in Bosnian is derived from the verb "razumijeti" ("to understand") and shares cognates with similar words in other Slavic languages.
Bulgarianразбиране
The Bulgarian word "разбиране" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *razbъrati, which means "to take apart".
Czechporozumění
The Czech word "porozumění" does not have any alternate meanings and its etymology is Slavic.
Estonianmõistmine
The Estonian word "mõistmine" derives from the verb "mõista," which has the additional meanings of "to judge" and "to condemn."
Finnishymmärtäminen
The Finnish word "ymmärtäminen" also means "to comprehend" and "to grasp".
Hungarianmegértés
The Hungarian word "megértés" can also refer to "comprehension" or "intellectual grasp".
Latviansaprašana
The word "saprašana" in Latvian derives from the verb "saprast," meaning "to understand," and shares a root with the word "sapnis," meaning "dream."
Lithuaniansupratimas
Supratimas is also used to refer to the ability to understand something, or the level of understanding that a person has.
Macedonianразбирање
In Macedonian, "разбирање" also means "meaning" or "interpretation."
Polishzrozumienie
The word "zrozumienie" in Polish can also mean "comprehension" or "knowledge."
Romanianînţelegere
Înţelegere in Romanian can also mean 'comprehension' and 'convention'.
Russianпонимание
It also means "intercession" from medieval East Slavic "to take the place".
Serbianразумевање
The word "разумевање" is cognate with "разуме" meaning "mind, intellect" and can also mean "reason" or "rationale".
Slovakporozumenie
The Slovak word "porozumenie" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "rozuměti", which means "to understand" or "to know."
Slovenianrazumevanje
The word "razumevanje" also means "intelligence" or "comprehension" in Slovenian.
Ukrainianрозуміння
The Ukrainian word "розуміння" is cognate with the Russian word "разумение" "reason".

Understanding in South Asian Languages

Bengaliবোধগম্যতা
"বোধগম্যতা" can mean "intelligence", "consciousness" and "awareness" in Bengali.
Gujaratiસમજવુ
The word 'સમજવુ' can also mean 'to agree' or 'to accept'.
Hindiसमझ
In Urdu, "समझ" can also refer to the "opinion" of someone.
Kannadaತಿಳುವಳಿಕೆ
Malayalamമനസ്സിലാക്കൽ
Marathiसमजून घेणे
समजून घेणे can also mean to agree, consent, or grant permission.
Nepaliबुझ्दै
The word "बुझ्दै" can also mean "comprehending", "decoding", or "figuring out"
Punjabiਸਮਝ
"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'.
Tamilபுரிதல்
The Tamil word
Teluguఅవగాహన
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'.
Urduافہام 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."
Korean이해
The Korean word "이해" (understanding) also means "to dissolve" or "to melt".
Mongolianойлголт
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

Indonesianpemahaman
Pemahaman, meaning "understanding," can also refer to "a way of life" or "a belief system."
Javanesepangerten
Pangerten, which means 'understanding' in Krama Javanese, comes from the word 'ngerti' and is added with the prefix 'pang' which means 'container' or 'store'
Khmerការយល់ដឹង
The Khmer word 'kar yol deung' ('ការយល់ដឹង') derives from the Pali term 'pativedha' and the Sanskrit term 'pratividhana', both meaning 'recognition' or 'awareness'
Laoຄວາມເຂົ້າໃຈ
Malaymemahami
"Memahami" originally meant "to take as one's understanding of something"}
Thaiความเข้าใจ
ความเข้าใจ (understanding) can also refer to the process of coming to an understanding, or to the state of being understood.
Vietnamesehiểu biết
The word "hiểu biết" also signifies "knowledge", "erudition", "expertise", and "intelligence".
Filipino (Tagalog)pagkakaunawaan

Understanding in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanianlayış
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."
Kazakhтүсіну
"Түсіну" in Kazakh, besides the primary meaning of "understanding," also means "to fall into a trap" or "to get caught in something."
Kyrgyzтүшүнүү
The Kyrgyz word "түшүнүү" can also refer to the act of "comprehending" or "grasping" something mentally.
Tajikфаҳмиш
The word "фаҳмиш" is also used colloquially to refer to a "tip" or "gratuity".
Turkmendüşünmek
Uzbektushunish
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.
Uyghurچۈشىنىش

Understanding in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianka 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"
Maorimāramatanga
The word māramatanga can also refer to 'awakening' or 'becoming conscious'.
Samoanmalamalama
"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

Aymaraamuyt’aña
Guaranientendimiento rehegua

Understanding in International Languages

Esperantokompreno
Esperanto's "kompreno" derives from two Latin roots, "com-" (together) and "prehendere" (to grasp).
Latinintellectus
The Latin word "intellectus" means "understanding" and is related to the verb "intellegere," meaning "to perceive, apprehend, or comprehend."

Understanding in Others Languages

Greekκατανόηση
The root word of 'κατανόηση' is 'νοέω', meaning 'to observe or perceive'.
Hmongkev nkag siab
The Hmong word "kev nkag siab" can also refer to "sympathy" or "insight."
Kurdishlihevhat
The Kurdish word "lihevhat" can also mean "knowing", "comprehending", or "grasping" something.
Turkishanlayış
The word 'anlayış' comes from the verb 'anlamak', meaning 'to grasp intellectually'. It is the equivalent of 'understanding' or 'comprehension' in English.
Xhosaukuqonda
"Ukuqonda" in Xhosa comes from the root word "uqonda," which means "to perceive, comprehend, or grasp the meaning of something."
Yiddishפארשטאנד
The Yiddish word "פארשטאנד" (understanding) is derived from the German word "Verstand" and has the additional meaning of "reason" or "intelligence."
Zuluukuqonda
The word 'ukuqonda' can also mean 'to smell'.
Assameseবুজাবুজি
Aymaraamuyt’aña
Bhojpuriसमझ में आवत बा
Dhivehiވިސްނުމެވެ
Dogriसमझना
Filipino (Tagalog)pagkakaunawaan
Guaranientendimiento rehegua
Ilocanopannakaawat
Krioɔndastandin
Kurdish (Sorani)تێگەیشتن
Maithiliसमझदारी
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯂꯧꯁꯤꯅꯕꯥ ꯉꯝꯕꯥ꯫
Mizohriatthiamna nei
Oromohubannoo qabaachuu
Odia (Oriya)ବୁ understanding ିବା
Quechuahamut’ay
Sanskritअवगमनम्
Tatarаңлау
Tigrinyaምርድዳእ ምህላው
Tsongaku twisisa

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