Unknown in Different Languages
Discover 'Unknown' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 5, 2024
The word 'unknown' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, representing the mystery and intrigue that surrounds the things we have yet to discover. Its cultural importance is evident in literature, film, and art, where the 'unknown' often serves as a catalyst for adventure and exploration. But what happens when we want to explore the concept of the 'unknown' in different languages?
Understanding the translation of 'unknown' in various languages can provide unique cultural insights and expand our global perspective. For instance, in Spanish, 'unknown' is 'desconocido', which stems from the verb 'conocer' meaning 'to know'. Meanwhile, in Japanese, 'unknown' is 'UNKNOWN' or '未知 (michi)', emphasizing the idea of an unexplored path. In German, 'unknown' is 'unbekannt', which comes from 'kennen' meaning 'to know' and 'be-' meaning 'completely'.
Delving into the translations of 'unknown' in different languages not only enriches our linguistic abilities but also deepens our appreciation for the cultural nuances that shape our worldview. Join us as we embark on this exciting journey of language and culture exploration.
Unknown
Unknown in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | onbekend | ||
| The word "onbekend" can also mean "unacquainted" or "unfamiliar". | |||
| Amharic | ያልታወቀ | ||
| The Amharic word "ያልታወቀ" can also mean "mysterious" or "unfamiliar." | |||
| Hausa | ba a sani ba | ||
| Ba-a sani ba can also be a way to emphasize the rarity of someone or the uniqueness of that something. | |||
| Igbo | amaghi | ||
| Amaghị, meaning 'unknown' in Igbo, may also refer to a mythical creature believed to inhabit forests. | |||
| Malagasy | tsy fantatra | ||
| The Malagasy word "TSY FANTATRA" can also refer to something that is incomprehensible or mysterious. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | osadziwika | ||
| Nyanja has a number of words with multiple meanings such as | |||
| Shona | hazvizivikanwe | ||
| Hazvizivikanwe derives from the verb stem -zivisa, 'to make known', with the prefix ha- indicating the passive, and -kanwe, the reflexive. | |||
| Somali | lama yaqaan | ||
| The Somali word "lama yaqaan" (unknown) is also used to refer to something that is mysterious or beyond comprehension. | |||
| Sesotho | tse sa tsejoeng | ||
| Swahili | haijulikani | ||
| The Swahili word "haijulikani" can also refer to something that is obscure, unclear, or mysterious. | |||
| Xhosa | ayaziwa | ||
| "Ayaziwa" is a Xhosa word that can also mean "anonymous" or "unidentified". | |||
| Yoruba | aimọ | ||
| The Yoruba word "aimọ" can also refer to "mystery," "secret," or "the supernatural," reflecting its broad semantic range beyond its primary meaning of "unknown." | |||
| Zulu | akwaziwa | ||
| "Akwaziwa" is an ambiguous Zulu term commonly translated as "unknown" but has other interpretations too, including "hidden" and "unseen". | |||
| Bambara | lakodonbali | ||
| Ewe | si womenya o | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bitazwi | ||
| Lingala | eyebani te | ||
| Luganda | ekitamanyikiddwa | ||
| Sepedi | sa tsebjego | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nnim | ||
Unknown in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | غير معروف | ||
| Hebrew | לא ידוע | ||
| Although "לא ידוע" now only means "unknown," its original meaning was "there is no knowledge." | |||
| Pashto | نامعلوم | ||
| The Pashto word "نامعلوم" originates from Persian and literally means "not known". | |||
| Arabic | غير معروف | ||
Unknown in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i panjohur | ||
| "i panjohur" (unknown) is derived from the Greek word "panjohurós" (πανύχωρος), meaning "ubiquitous" or "all-encompassing". | |||
| Basque | ezezaguna | ||
| The word "ezezaguna" is composed of the root "eze" (meaning "without") and the suffix "-aguna" (meaning "belonging to"), hence its meaning "belonging to the absence of knowledge". | |||
| Catalan | desconegut | ||
| The Spanish | |||
| Croatian | nepoznata | ||
| In Croatian, "nepoznata" also means "a stranger" and "unfamiliar." | |||
| Danish | ukendt | ||
| In Danish, the word "ukendt" also means "unfamiliar" or "not well-known." | |||
| Dutch | onbekend | ||
| The Dutch word "onbekend" is derived from Middle Dutch "onbekant" and literally means "not known". | |||
| English | unknown | ||
| The word 'unknown' is derived from the Old English word 'uncnówen', which means 'not known' or 'unfamiliar'. | |||
| French | inconnue | ||
| "Inconnue" is a feminine noun and can also mean an unidentified woman. | |||
| Frisian | ûnbekend | ||
| "Unbekend" in Frisian can also mean "unfamiliar". | |||
| Galician | descoñecido | ||
| The word "descoñecido" in Galician is a compound of the negative prefix "des-" and the noun "coñecido" (known), thus meaning "not known". | |||
| German | unbekannt | ||
| "Unbekannt" means something "not known" but also relates to the Old High German word "kunnan" meaning "to know" and "to be able to". | |||
| Icelandic | óþekktur | ||
| The word "Óþekktur" is composed of the negative prefix "ó-" and the noun "þekktur" ("known"), forming its antonym. | |||
| Irish | anaithnid | ||
| Anaithnid may also be used to describe something that is uncertain or mysterious. | |||
| Italian | sconosciuto | ||
| Italian 'sconosciuto' (unknown) comes from Middle Latin 'cognoscere' (to know) with the privative prefix 's-' and the suffix '-uto' denoting a state of being, and was originally used with the meaning 'ignorant' or 'illiterate', and not 'unknown'. It is a false cognate of the English 'cognoscenti'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | onbekannt | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "onbekannt" can be traced back to the German word "unbekannt", meaning "unknown", but has also taken on the additional meaning of "not familiar". | |||
| Maltese | mhux magħruf | ||
| Norwegian | ukjent | ||
| "Uk" means "not" and "kjent" means "known", so "ukjent" literally means "not known". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | desconhecido | ||
| In Portuguese, "desconhecido" can also mean "stranger" or "alien". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | neo-aithnichte | ||
| Spanish | desconocido | ||
| In Spanish, the word "desconocido" can also refer to a "stranger" or someone who is "not well-known." | |||
| Swedish | okänd | ||
| The word "okänd" is also found in the sense of "not acknowledged" or "lacking information." | |||
| Welsh | anhysbys | ||
| The word "anhysbys" also means "hidden" in Welsh. | |||
Unknown in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | невядома | ||
| The word | |||
| Bosnian | nepoznat | ||
| The word "nepoznat" is derived from the Slavic root "znati," meaning "to know," and thus literally means "not known". | |||
| Bulgarian | неизвестен | ||
| Czech | neznámý | ||
| "Neznámý" is derived from the Czech word "znát," meaning "to know," and negates it, meaning "not known." | |||
| Estonian | teadmata | ||
| The word "teadmata" also has other shades of meaning in Estonian, such as "forgotten" or "not identified." | |||
| Finnish | tuntematon | ||
| The word "tuntematon" in Finnish can also mean "unfamiliar" or "anonymous". | |||
| Hungarian | ismeretlen | ||
| "Ismeretlen" comes from "ismerni" (to know) with the negative suffix "-etlen", meaning "not known". | |||
| Latvian | nezināms | ||
| The word "nezināms" in Latvian also means "anonymous" or "unfamiliar". | |||
| Lithuanian | nežinoma | ||
| The word "nežinoma" is derived from the Lithuanian word "žinomas", meaning "known". | |||
| Macedonian | непознат | ||
| The Macedonian word "непознат" can also mean "stranger" or "outsider". | |||
| Polish | nieznany | ||
| The Polish word 'nieznany' can also mean 'strange' or 'unfamiliar'. | |||
| Romanian | necunoscut | ||
| The word "necunoscut" derives from the Latin "nec" (meaning "not") and "cognoscere" (meaning "to know"). | |||
| Russian | неизвестно | ||
| The etymology of "неизвестно" (unknown) relates to the notion of "not knowing" or "lacking knowledge", suggesting a state of uncertainty or absence of information. | |||
| Serbian | непознат | ||
| The word 'непознат' in Serbian can also refer to someone or something that is mysterious, strange, or unfamiliar. | |||
| Slovak | neznámy | ||
| The Slovak word "neznámy" also means "foreign" or "alien". | |||
| Slovenian | neznano | ||
| "Neznano" is a cognate of the Russian "neznayu" (meaning "I don't know") and the Serbo-Croatian "ne znam" (meaning "I don't know"). | |||
| Ukrainian | невідомо | ||
| The root "wid" in "невідомо" is related to "to see," thus referring to the unseen or unknown. | |||
Unknown in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অজানা | ||
| The word অজানা is derived from the Sanskrit word 'ajana', which means 'unborn, ignorant, or inexperienced'. | |||
| Gujarati | અજાણ્યું | ||
| Hindi | अनजान | ||
| The Hindi word "अनजान" is derived from the Sanskrit word "अज्ञात", which means "not known". | |||
| Kannada | ತಿಳಿದಿಲ್ಲ | ||
| Malayalam | അജ്ഞാതം | ||
| The Malayalam word | |||
| Marathi | अज्ञात | ||
| Nepali | अज्ञात | ||
| "अज्ञात" derives from Sanskrit "ajñāta" and means both "not known" and "unborn". | |||
| Punjabi | ਅਣਜਾਣ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නොදන්නා | ||
| Tamil | தெரியவில்லை | ||
| Telugu | తెలియదు | ||
| The word can also mean 'not familiar with', 'not aware of', or 'not known to me'. | |||
| Urdu | نامعلوم | ||
| The word "نامعلوم" has alternative meanings such as "concealed" and "inscrutable". | |||
Unknown in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 未知 | ||
| In Buddhism, the first character 未 can also mean 'not yet', referring to the future or the realm of potential. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 未知 | ||
| "未知" literally means "not yet known" but can also refer to a mysterious or unknowable force or entity. | |||
| Japanese | わからない | ||
| The word "わからない" can also be used to express "not understanding something" or "being unable to do something" | |||
| Korean | 알 수 없는 | ||
| “알 수 없는” derives from the Korean word 알다, or ‘to know’, and can also mean ‘impossible to predict’.”} | |||
| Mongolian | үл мэдэгдэх | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မသိဘူး | ||
| It can also have the alternative meaning of "ignorance" or "lack of knowledge". | |||
Unknown in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | tidak diketahui | ||
| In Indonesian, 'tidak diketahui' also means "undetermined". | |||
| Javanese | dingerteni | ||
| In Javanese, 'dingerteni' also refers to something that has not yet been properly examined or identified. | |||
| Khmer | មិនស្គាល់ | ||
| Lao | ບໍ່ຮູ້ | ||
| Malay | tidak diketahui | ||
| "Tidak diketahui" can also mean "not specified" or "unspecified". | |||
| Thai | ไม่ทราบ | ||
| "ไม่ทราบ" is originally a polite form of "I don't know" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | không xác định | ||
| "Không xác định" is a Vietnamese word which literally means "not determined". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hindi kilala | ||
Unknown in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | naməlum | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "naməlum" is derived from the Persian word "nāmalum", which means "hidden, unknown, or uncertain". | |||
| Kazakh | белгісіз | ||
| In linguistics, the Kazakh word "белгісіз" is derived from the verb "білмеу" meaning "to not know" and the suffix "-сіз" meaning "without", indicating a state of lacking knowledge. | |||
| Kyrgyz | белгисиз | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "белгисиз" is also used to describe something that is mysterious or puzzling. | |||
| Tajik | номаълум | ||
| The word "номаълум" in Tajik, meaning "unknown," is derived from the Persian word "نامعلوم," which has the same meaning. | |||
| Turkmen | näbelli | ||
| Uzbek | noma'lum | ||
| It also has the connotation of "foreign, strange, unfamiliar" | |||
| Uyghur | نامەلۇم | ||
Unknown in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻike ʻole ʻia | ||
| ʻIke ʻole ʻia is also a phrase used to describe something that is uncertain or unclear. | |||
| Maori | unknown | ||
| The Maori word "kore" can mean not only "unknown" but also "nothing" and "absence". | |||
| Samoan | le iloa | ||
| Le iloa is also used as an adjective to describe something hidden or difficult to remember. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | hindi alam | ||
| The term 'hindi alam' is derived from the Tagalog words 'hindi', meaning 'not', and 'alam', meaning 'know', thus literally meaning 'do not know'. | |||
Unknown in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jani uñt'ata | ||
| Guarani | kuaa'ỹva | ||
Unknown in International Languages
| Esperanto | nekonata | ||
| Latin | incognita | ||
| Incognita, meaning "an unknown quantity," comes from the Latin phrase "quantitas incognita," with "quantitas" meaning "quantity" and "incognita" meaning "unknown." | |||
Unknown in Others Languages
| Greek | άγνωστος | ||
| The word 'άγνωστος' (unknown) can also mean 'unbegotten' or 'uncreated' in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | tsis paub | ||
| Kurdish | nenas | ||
| The word "nenas" is also used as a term of endearment for a young child, similar to the English word "baby". | |||
| Turkish | bilinmeyen | ||
| Bilinmeyen is a compound word in Turkish, consisting of "bil" (from the verb "bilmek", to know) and "-in" (a nominalizer suffix). | |||
| Xhosa | ayaziwa | ||
| "Ayaziwa" is a Xhosa word that can also mean "anonymous" or "unidentified". | |||
| Yiddish | אומבאַקאַנט | ||
| "אומבאַקאַנט" could also mean "out of the known", "uncommon", or "mysterious" in Yiddish. | |||
| Zulu | akwaziwa | ||
| "Akwaziwa" is an ambiguous Zulu term commonly translated as "unknown" but has other interpretations too, including "hidden" and "unseen". | |||
| Assamese | অজ্ঞাত | ||
| Aymara | jani uñt'ata | ||
| Bhojpuri | अनजान | ||
| Dhivehi | ނޭނގޭ އެއްޗެއް | ||
| Dogri | अनजान | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hindi kilala | ||
| Guarani | kuaa'ỹva | ||
| Ilocano | saan nga ammo | ||
| Krio | nɔ no | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نەزانراو | ||
| Maithili | अनजान | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯪꯗꯕ | ||
| Mizo | hriat loh | ||
| Oromo | kan hinbeekamne | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅଜ୍ଞାତ | ||
| Quechua | mana riqsisqas | ||
| Sanskrit | अज्ञात | ||
| Tatar | билгесез | ||
| Tigrinya | ዘይፍለጥ | ||
| Tsonga | tiviweki | ||