University in different languages

University in Different Languages

Discover 'University' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 5, 2024

The word university holds a special significance in many cultures, symbolizing the pursuit of knowledge and personal growth. Originating in the 13th century, the term 'university' is derived from the Latin 'universitas magistrorum et scholarium,' meaning 'community of teachers and scholars.' This reflects the collective nature of learning and knowledge-sharing that takes place within these institutions.

Throughout history, universities have been instrumental in advancing human understanding, fostering innovation, and shaping societies. From the ancient universities of Bologna, Oxford, and Paris to the Ivy League institutions of the United States, these centers of learning have produced countless influential thinkers, leaders, and change-makers.

Understanding the translation of 'university' in different languages can be both fascinating and practical. Whether you're traveling, studying abroad, or simply interested in language and culture, knowing these terms can enrich your experiences and demonstrate respect for the local community.

Here are a few sample translations to pique your curiosity:

  • French: université
  • Spanish: universidad
  • German: Universität
  • Mandarin: 大学 (dàxué)
  • Japanese: 大学 (daigaku)
  • Russian: университет (universitet)

University


University in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansuniversiteit
In Afrikaans, "universiteit" comes from the Latin word "universitas," meaning "corporation" or "community".
Amharicዩኒቨርሲቲ
The word 'ዩኒቨርሲቲ' is derived from the Latin word 'universitas', which means 'a whole' or 'a guild'.
Hausajami'a
Hausa universities, also known as jami'a, have a long history dating back to the Sokoto Caliphate in the 19th century.
Igbomahadum
'Mahadum' is an Igbo word meaning 'great house', likely influenced by the English 'university'. The plural form is 'mahadum' for both a singular and multiple number of universities.
Malagasyoniversite
The word 'Oniversite' in Malagasy is derived from the French word 'université'
Nyanja (Chichewa)yunivesite
In Nyanja, 'yunivesite' is also used to denote a university campus, and can refer to any institution of higher learning.
Shonayunivhesiti
The term 'yunivhesiti' in Shona originates from the Latin 'universitas', meaning a community of scholars.
Somalijaamacad
The word "jaamacad" in Somali is derived from the Arabic word "jāmiʿa", which means "assembly" or "gathering".
Sesothounivesithi
"Yunivesithi" is the Sesotho word for university and is derived from the Latin word "universitas", meaning "community of scholars."
Swahilichuo kikuu
The term 'chuo kikuu', Swahili for university' is believed to have been coined in the 21st century by joining two Swahili terms, "Chuo", which means college and "kikuu", meaning "big".
Xhosaeyunivesithi
In Xhosa, "eyunivesithi" also signifies a place where elders gather to engage with young individuals and impart wisdom and guidance.
Yorubayunifasiti
The word 'yunifasiti' is derived from the Latin word 'universitas', meaning 'a whole' or 'a body of people'.
Zuluinyuvesi
The word "inyuvesi" is derived from the Zulu word "ivesi", meaning "place of learning", and was originally used to describe traditional schools where young men were taught hunting, warcraft, and other skills needed for adulthood.
Bambarakalansoba
Eweyunivesiti
Kinyarwandakaminuza
Lingalainiversite
Lugandayunivasite
Sepediyunibesithi
Twi (Akan)suapɔn

University in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicجامعة
The word "جامعة" can also mean "society" or "group" in Arabic.
Hebrewאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה
The word "אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה" (university) is derived from the Latin word "universitas", which means "a whole" or "a set of all".
Pashtoپوهنتون
Arabicجامعة
The word "جامعة" can also mean "society" or "group" in Arabic.

University in Western European Languages

Albanianuniversitet
The Albanian word "universitet" derives from Latin "universitas" and also means "totality" or "commonwealth".
Basqueunibertsitatea
The Basque word "unibertsitatea" derives from the Latin words "universus" (whole) and "universitas" (all), signifying "the whole world" or "the total body of knowledge".
Catalanuniversitat
The Catalan word 'universitat' derives from the Latin 'universitas', meaning 'community' or 'corporation'.
Croatiansveučilište
The word "sveučilište" derives from the Old Church Slavonic word "sveštĭ", meaning "sacred" and "učitĭ", meaning "to teach".
Danishuniversitet
The word "universitet" is derived from the Latin word "universitas", which means "a whole" or "a community".
Dutchuniversiteit
"Universiteit" shares an origin with "Universe" and comes from the Latin word "Universus" meaning "all" or "whole".
Englishuniversity
The word
Frenchuniversité
"Université" is the French word for "university" and traces its roots back to the Latin word "universitas," which referred to a "whole" or a "body."
Frisianuniversiteit
The word "universiteit" in Frisian is derived from the Latin "universitas", meaning "a community of scholars".
Galicianuniversidade
The Galician word "universidade" ultimately derives from the Latin word "universitas", meaning "a whole" or "a corporation."
Germanuniversität
In Middle Low German,
Icelandicháskóli
The word "háskóli" is derived from the Old Norse words "hás" (temple) and "kóli" (hill).
Irishollscoile
"Ollscoile" literally means "place of great knowledge" or "school of a sage" in Irish.
Italianuniversità
In Italian, Università also means the entire student body of a university or a specific faculty within a university.
Luxembourgishuni
In Luxembourgish 'Uni' can also mean 'unicorn'.
Malteseuniversità
"Università" comes from the Latin "universitas", but it can also mean "society" or "commonwealth" in Maltese.
Norwegianuniversitet
The word "universitet" comes from the Latin "universitas," meaning "a community of scholars pursuing a common purpose."
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)universidade
The word "universidade" comes from the Latin word "universitas", which means "the whole" or "all things."
Scots Gaelicoilthigh
The term "oilthigh" in Scots Gaelic stems from the Irish "oileán", meaning "island", and initially referred to a place of sanctuary or higher learning.
Spanishuniversidad
The word "Universidad" originally meant the entire community of scholars and students in a medieval city.
Swedishuniversitet
The word universitet comes from the Latin universitas, meaning a corporation or a community.
Welshprifysgol
The Welsh word "prifysgol" derives from the Latin "primus" ("first") and the Greek "scholē" ("leisure"), reflecting the historical association of universities with the pursuit of knowledge and higher learning.

University in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianуніверсітэт
The word "універсітэт" in Belarusian comes from the Latin "universitas", meaning "a community of teachers and students". It was first used in the 15th century, when the first university in Belarus was founded in Vilnius.
Bosnianuniverzitet
The word "univerzitet" derives from the Latin word "universitas", meaning "the whole" or "the totality".
Bulgarianуниверситет
The word "университет", like its English cognate "university," ultimately derives from the Latin word "universitas," meaning "universality" or "whole community."
Czechuniverzita
The word "univerzita" in Czech shares its Latin root with the concept of the "universe".
Estonianülikool
The word "ülikool" comes from German "Universität" but the first university in Estonia was founded in 1632 under Swedish rule and named in Latin "Academia Gustaviana".
Finnishyliopisto
The Finnish word 'yliopisto' is derived from the Latin 'universitas', which originally referred to corporations of scholars or guilds.
Hungarianegyetemi
"Egyetemi" originates from Latin "universitas", referring to guilds or corporations, and was first used for educational institutions in the 13th century.
Latvianuniversitāte
"Universitāte" is an archaic word in Latvian that derives from the Latin "universitas," meaning "the whole", and refers to a corporation or community."
Lithuanianuniversitetas
The Latin term “universitas” referred to the body of professors and students of a particular learned discipline
Macedonianуниверзитет
The word "универзитет" comes from the Latin word "universitas", which originally meant "a guild" or "a corporation".
Polishuniwersytet
In Polish, the word "Uniwersytet" comes from the Latin word "universitas", meaning "a whole composed of parts".
Romanianuniversitate
The word "universitate" in Romanian ultimately derives from the Latin "universitas," which originally meant "the whole," "totality," or "the universe".
Russianуниверситет
The Russian word 'Университет' originates from the Latin 'universitas', meaning 'a whole' or 'a community'.
Serbianуниверзитет
The Serbo-Croatian equivalent of the English
Slovakuniverzita
The word 'univerzita' in Slovak comes from the Latin word 'universitas', meaning 'community' or 'corporation'.
Slovenianuniverza
The word 'univerza' in Slovenian comes from the Latin word 'universitas', which means 'a whole', 'a collection', or 'a community'.
Ukrainianуніверситет
The word "університет" also means "universe" in Ukrainian, coming from the Latin "universitas" meaning "the whole" or "everything".

University in South Asian Languages

Bengaliবিশ্ববিদ্যালয়
The Bengali word "বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়" can also refer to a collection of scholars or a community of teachers and students.
Gujaratiયુનિવર્સિટી
Hindiविश्वविद्यालय
The word 'विश्वविद्यालय' is derived from Sanskrit and literally means 'universal knowledge' or 'global learning'.
Kannadaವಿಶ್ವವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯ
Malayalamസർവ്വകലാശാല
The word സർവ്വകലാശാല in Malayalam is a compound word derived from the Sanskrit words, "sarva" meaning "all" and "kalāśāla" meaning "seat of learning", hence, "university."
Marathiविद्यापीठ
The word also means 'a college or school of learning' and is derived from Sanskrit, where 'vidya' means 'knowledge' and 'peeth' means 'seat'.
Nepaliविश्वविद्यालय
The word "विश्वविद्यालय" is derived from the Sanskrit words "विश्व" (world) and "विद्यालय" (school), and it also means "global school" or "school of the world".
Punjabiਯੂਨੀਵਰਸਿਟੀ
Sinhala (Sinhalese)විශ්ව විද්යාලය
Tamilபல்கலைக்கழகம்
Teluguవిశ్వవిద్యాలయ
Urduجامع درس گاہ

University in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)大学
In ancient Chinese, "大学" (dàxué) referred to the highest learning institution, while in modern Chinese it refers to a comprehensive higher education institution.
Chinese (Traditional)大學
大學 also stands for the first of the Four Books and Five Classics, the "Great Learning" in English.
Japanese大学
"大学" is a Sino-Japanese compound word comprised of "大" (great) and "学" (learning).
Korean대학
The word
Mongolianих сургууль
In Mongolian, Их сургууль comes from "Их" meaning "great" or "senior" and "сургууль" meaning "teaching" or "school."
Myanmar (Burmese)တက္ကသိုလ်

University in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianuniversitas
Kata Universitas berasal dari kata Latin "universitas" yang berarti "keseluruhan" atau "semua".
Javaneseuniversitas
Javanese word 'univesitas' (originally from 'universitas' in Latin) also refers to the general assembly and council of an organization
Khmerសាកលវិទ្យាល័យ
The word
Laoມະຫາວິທະຍາໄລ
The literal translation into English and the original Sanskrit meaning is “great house of knowledge”.
Malayuniversiti
The word 'universiti' in Malay ultimately comes from the Latin word 'universitas', meaning 'a whole' or 'a group'.
Thaiมหาวิทยาลัย
The word มหาวิทยาลัย (university) is derived from two Sanskrit words: महा (maha), meaning "great" or "large," and विद्यालय (vidyalaya), meaning "school" or "place of learning."
Vietnamesetrường đại học
The word "trường đại học" literally translates to "field of great learning"
Filipino (Tagalog)unibersidad

University in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniuniversitet
The word
Kazakhуниверситет
The Kazakh word “университет” is borrowed from the Russian and originally comes from the Latin language, where the word “universitas” means “a whole”, “a set”, or “a community”.
Kyrgyzуниверситет
The Kyrgyz word "университет" comes from the Latin word "universitas", which means "a community of scholars".
Tajikдонишгоҳ
The word "донишгоҳ" in Tajik comes from the Persian word "دانشگاه" (dāneshgāh), which means "house of knowledge".
Turkmenuniwersiteti
Uzbekuniversitet
Universitet derives from the Latin word "universitas," meaning "a whole" or "guild."
Uyghurئۇنىۋېرسىتېت

University in Pacific Languages

Hawaiiankulanui
The word "kulanui" is also used to refer to a meeting house, a community center, or a school.
Maoriwhare wananga
"Whare wananga" (university) translates to "house of knowledge" in Maori.
Samoaniunivesite
The Samoan word "iunivesite" is derived from the Latin word "universitas", meaning "a whole" or "a community of scholars".
Tagalog (Filipino)unibersidad
The word "unibersidad" is derived from the Latin word "universitas" which means "whole" or "all together".

University in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarajach'a yatiqañ uta
Guaranimbo'ehaovusu

University in International Languages

Esperantouniversitato
The Esperanto word "universitato" is derived from the Latin word "universitas", which originally meant a guild or corporation.
Latinvniuersitatis
The word "vniuersitatis" in Latin derives from "universus," meaning "of the whole, or entire," and refers to the community of scholars and students within a university.

University in Others Languages

Greekπανεπιστήμιο
The word 'πανεπιστήμιο' is derived from the Ancient Greek words 'πᾶν' (all) and 'ἐπιστήμη' (knowledge), and originally referred to any place of higher learning.
Hmongtsev kawm ntawv
Kurdishzanko
In Kurdish, "zanko" also refers to a group of people who have gathered for a specific purpose, such as a meeting or a gathering.
Turkishüniversite
The Turkish word "Üniversite" is derived from the French "université". It also has the alternate meaning of "a group of scholars".
Xhosaeyunivesithi
In Xhosa, "eyunivesithi" also signifies a place where elders gather to engage with young individuals and impart wisdom and guidance.
Yiddishאוניווערסיטעט
The Yiddish word "אוניווערסיטעט" (university) is derived from the Latin word "universitas", meaning "the whole" or "the community".
Zuluinyuvesi
The word "inyuvesi" is derived from the Zulu word "ivesi", meaning "place of learning", and was originally used to describe traditional schools where young men were taught hunting, warcraft, and other skills needed for adulthood.
Assameseবিশ্ববিদ্যালয়
Aymarajach'a yatiqañ uta
Bhojpuriविश्वविद्यालय
Dhivehiޔުނިވަރސިޓީ
Dogriयूनिवर्सटी
Filipino (Tagalog)unibersidad
Guaranimbo'ehaovusu
Ilocanounibersidad
Krioyunivasiti
Kurdish (Sorani)زانکۆ
Maithiliविश्वविद्यालय
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯇꯥꯏꯕꯪ ꯃꯍꯩꯀꯣꯜ
Mizozirna sang
Oromoyuunivarsitii
Odia (Oriya)ବିଶ୍ୱବିଦ୍ୟାଳୟ
Quechuahatun yachay wasi
Sanskritविश्वविद्यालयं
Tatarуниверситет
Tigrinyaዩኒቨርሲቲ
Tsongayunivhesiti

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