Useful in Different Languages
Discover 'Useful' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'useful' is a small but powerful term that holds great significance in our daily lives. It describes something that is beneficial, practical, or helpful, and has been a vital part of our vocabulary for centuries. The concept of usefulness transcends cultural boundaries and is valued across the globe, making it a universal language of sorts.
Throughout history, objects and ideas deemed useful have shaped societies and civilizations. From ancient tools used for survival to modern technology that simplifies our daily tasks, the concept of usefulness has been a driving force behind human innovation. Moreover, the pursuit of useful knowledge has led to significant scientific and cultural advancements, enriching our world in countless ways.
Understanding the translation of 'useful' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how other cultures perceive and value practicality and functionality. Here are a few examples:
- In Spanish, 'useful' translates to 'útil', which also means 'skilled' or 'proficient', highlighting the importance of expertise in Spanish-speaking cultures.
- In Mandarin Chinese, 'useful' is translated as '有用' (yǒu yòng), which also means 'to be of service', reflecting the value placed on community and cooperation in Chinese culture.
- In German, 'useful' is translated as 'nützlich', which shares roots with the word 'nutzen', meaning 'to use' or 'to benefit', emphasizing the active role of usefulness in German-speaking societies.
Useful
Useful in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | nuttig | ||
| Nuttig is a Dutch dialectical word meaning 'necessary', a meaning retained by the Afrikaans word but replaced by 'nodig' in Southern Dutch. | |||
| Amharic | ጠቃሚ | ||
| The word 'ጠቃሚ' originates from the Ge'ez root word 'ተቃመየ', which means 'to be helpful' or 'to be of assistance,' highlighting its inherent association with usefulness. | |||
| Hausa | amfani | ||
| The word "amfani" is derived from the Arabic word "manfa'a", which means "benefit" or "advantage". | |||
| Igbo | bara uru | ||
| 'Bara uru' means 'useful' or 'helpful' in Igbo, derived from the verb 'bara' meaning 'to do, to work' and the noun 'uru' meaning 'value, importance'. | |||
| Malagasy | ilaina | ||
| The word "ilaina" also means "useful thing" in Malagasy | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zothandiza | ||
| The Nyanja word 'zothandiza' shares a root word meaning 'help' with both the Zulu word 'sizathandwa' (to be loved) and the Tswana word 'sego' (help, support). | |||
| Shona | inobatsira | ||
| Somali | waxtar leh | ||
| In Maay, “waxtar leh” specifically means “well suited” for a purpose rather than something merely useful. | |||
| Sesotho | e na le thuso | ||
| The Sesotho word "e na le thuso" literally translates to "it has a use", highlighting its practical usefulness. | |||
| Swahili | muhimu | ||
| Swahili word "muhimu" also means "important, essential, necessary," with alternate stems including "uhim-," "him-," and "-himu." | |||
| Xhosa | iluncedo | ||
| The word "iluncedo" is likely derived from the root "-lunco", meaning "to help" or "to assist". It carries the extended connotation of something or someone that is conducive to a desirable outcome or provides aid in attaining a goal. | |||
| Yoruba | wulo | ||
| In Yoruba, 'wulo' can also refer to 'good', 'suitable', or 'appropriate' beyond its primary meaning of 'useful'. | |||
| Zulu | ewusizo | ||
| The word "ewusizo" can also refer to a tool or instrument. | |||
| Bambara | nàfaman | ||
| Ewe | ɖe vi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ingirakamaro | ||
| Lingala | ya ntina | ||
| Luganda | -a mugaso | ||
| Sepedi | nago le mohola | ||
| Twi (Akan) | bɛyɛ yie | ||
Useful in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مفيد | ||
| The word "مفيد" ( المفيد ) in Arabic also means "beneficial" or "advantageous". | |||
| Hebrew | מוֹעִיל | ||
| מוֹעִיל, from the root ע-ו-ל (enter), originally meant "beneficial for entry," hence "useful". | |||
| Pashto | ګټور | ||
| The word "ګټور" is also used to refer to something that is beneficial or advantageous. | |||
| Arabic | مفيد | ||
| The word "مفيد" ( المفيد ) in Arabic also means "beneficial" or "advantageous". | |||
Useful in Western European Languages
| Albanian | e dobishme | ||
| The word "e dobishme" is derived from the Proto-Albanian word "*dobs" meaning "to do, make, obtain". | |||
| Basque | erabilgarria | ||
| The word "erabilgarria" derives from the Basque verb "erabili" (to use), and also means "usable" or "serviceable". | |||
| Catalan | útil | ||
| The Catalan word "útil" comes from the Latin "utilis", meaning "of use", and has the alternate meaning of "implement" or "tool". | |||
| Croatian | koristan | ||
| The word "koristan" in Croatian can also mean "beneficial" or "advantageous". | |||
| Danish | nyttig | ||
| The word "nyttig" is derived from the Old Norse word "nýtr", which means "useful, beneficial, or valuable." | |||
| Dutch | nuttig | ||
| English | useful | ||
| The word "useful" derives from Middle English "usel," meaning "convenient or advantageous"} | |||
| French | utile | ||
| The French word "utile" can also mean "necessary" or "indispensable". | |||
| Frisian | brûkber | ||
| The word "brûkber" is a compound word and consists of the verb "brûke" (to use) and the suffix "-ber" (carrying, bearing). | |||
| Galician | útil | ||
| The Galician word "útil" can also mean "profitable" or "advantageous". | |||
| German | nützlich | ||
| The word "nützlich" comes from the Old High German word "nut", meaning "use", and is related to the English word "need". | |||
| Icelandic | nothæft | ||
| The word is derived from the Proto-Norse *naðuhafta-, meaning "grasping" or "useful." | |||
| Irish | úsáideach | ||
| Italian | utile | ||
| The word 'utile' in Italian can also mean 'beneficial' or 'advantageous'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | nëtzlech | ||
| "Nëtzlech" (useful) is derived from the Old High German word "nuzzi", meaning "useful" or "advantageous." | |||
| Maltese | utli | ||
| The Maltese word "utli" comes from the Sicilian word "ùtili", which in turn derives from the Latin word "utilis". "Ùtili" can also mean "healthy" or "good for you". | |||
| Norwegian | nyttig | ||
| "Nyttig" is etymologically related to the English word "need" and also connotes being "thrifty" or "economical". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | útil | ||
| Útil, in Portuguese, comes from the Latin word "utilis", meaning "of use" or "suitable." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | feumail | ||
| The word "feumail" also has the alternate meaning of "useful". | |||
| Spanish | útil | ||
| "Útil" comes from the Latin word "utilis", which means "serviceable, profitable, advantageous, expedient", and is related to the word "uti", which means "to use or employ." | |||
| Swedish | användbar | ||
| Användbar is cognate with the Danish and Norwegian ordbrugbar, and can also mean "usable" or "practical" in Swedish. | |||
| Welsh | yn ddefnyddiol | ||
Useful in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | карысна | ||
| Bosnian | korisno | ||
| The Bosnian word "korisno" comes from the Slavic root "korist," which means "benefit" or "advantage." | |||
| Bulgarian | полезен | ||
| The Bulgarian word "полезен" ("useful") is derived from the Old Slavonic word "polьza" ("benefit"), which is also the root of the words "польза" ("benefit") and "пользоваться" ("to use") in Russian. | |||
| Czech | užitečný | ||
| The word "užitečný" is derived from the Slavic root "užit", meaning "to use" or "to be of use". | |||
| Estonian | kasulik | ||
| The word "kasulik" in Estonian is derived from the Proto-Finnic verb *käyt- "to use". | |||
| Finnish | hyödyllinen | ||
| Hyödyllinen also refers to a type of painting depicting Finnish rural life. | |||
| Hungarian | hasznos | ||
| In Hungarian, "hasznos" also refers to something beneficial for health. | |||
| Latvian | noderīga | ||
| Noderīga in Latvian also means | |||
| Lithuanian | naudinga | ||
| "Naudinga" is borrowed from Old Church Slavonic and is related to "nauti" (to get used to) in Sanskrit. | |||
| Macedonian | корисно | ||
| The word "корисно" can also mean "beneficial" or "good for you". | |||
| Polish | przydatny | ||
| "Przydatny" can also mean "handy" or "convenient" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | util | ||
| The word "util" in Romanian is not related to the English word "util" or "utility"; instead, it comes from the Latin word "utilis," which means "abundant" or "rich." | |||
| Russian | полезный | ||
| "Полезный" can also mean "beneficial" or "wholesome" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | корисно | ||
| The word "корисно" can also mean "healthy" or "beneficial" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | užitočné | ||
| The word "užitočné" in Slovak derives from the Proto-Slavic "*ǫžiti", meaning "to make use of". It can also refer to something that is "serviceable" or "beneficial". | |||
| Slovenian | koristno | ||
| The word 'koristno' can also mean 'beneficial' or 'advantageous'. | |||
| Ukrainian | корисний | ||
| The word "корисний" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "koristiti", meaning "to be of use". | |||
Useful in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | দরকারী | ||
| The word 'দরকারী' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'दरकार' (darakāra), which means 'need' or 'requirement'. | |||
| Gujarati | ઉપયોગી | ||
| Hindi | उपयोगी | ||
| The Hindi word "उपयोगी" (useful) has alternate meanings such as "beneficial" or "serviceable" in English. | |||
| Kannada | ಉಪಯುಕ್ತ | ||
| Malayalam | ഉപയോഗപ്രദമാണ് | ||
| The word for 'useful' in Malayalam also means 'handy' or 'practical' in English. | |||
| Marathi | उपयुक्त | ||
| The word "उपयुक्त" in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word "उप + युक्त" meaning "joined with" or "used for a particular purpose." | |||
| Nepali | उपयोगी | ||
| The word 'उपयोगी' also derives from 'उप' meaning 'below' or 'near', and 'योग' meaning 'to join' or 'to connect', thus emphasizing the idea of something being within reach, available, or accessible for use. | |||
| Punjabi | ਲਾਭਦਾਇਕ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ප්රයෝජනවත් | ||
| Tamil | பயனுள்ளதாக இருக்கும் | ||
| Telugu | ఉపయోగకరంగా ఉంటుంది | ||
| Urdu | مفید | ||
| The word "مفید" is derived from the Arabic word "فائدة" meaning "benefit" or "advantage." | |||
Useful in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 有用 | ||
| “有用”的本义为“有效”，指能发挥应有的作用。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 有用 | ||
| The second character in 有用 is "用", which also means "to use", "to make use of", or "to utilize". | |||
| Japanese | 有用 | ||
| The Kanji for 'useful' also means 'to make use of', and 'to serve'. | |||
| Korean | 유능한 | ||
| The word "유능한" also has the nuanced meanings of "capable", "competent", "skillful", and "proficient". | |||
| Mongolian | ашигтай | ||
| Mongolian word ашигтай means "useful", but also "benefit" and "profit". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အသုံးဝင်သည် | ||
Useful in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | berguna | ||
| In Old Javanese, berguṇa means 'good luck'. | |||
| Javanese | migunani | ||
| "Migunani" in Javanese means not only "useful," but also refers to a person who is reliable and dependable. | |||
| Khmer | មានប្រយោជន៍ | ||
| Lao | ເປັນປະໂຫຍດ | ||
| Malay | berguna | ||
| The word "berguna" in Malay is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *beRguna, which also means "to work" or "to function". | |||
| Thai | มีประโยชน์ | ||
| The word "มีประโยชน์" literally means "having benefit" in Thai and is also used to describe things that are advantageous or helpful. | |||
| Vietnamese | hữu ích | ||
| "Hữu ích" can also mean "having good fortune". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kapaki-pakinabang | ||
Useful in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | faydalıdır | ||
| "Faydalı" has two meanings in Azerbaijani: 1) useful, beneficial, and 2) interest on a loan. | |||
| Kazakh | пайдалы | ||
| The word "пайдалы" derives from the Persian word "فایده" (fāyeda), which means "benefit, gain, profit, or advantage". | |||
| Kyrgyz | пайдалуу | ||
| Tajik | муфид | ||
| The word "муфид" in Tajik originally derived from the Arabic "مفيد", meaning "beneficial" or "advantageous." | |||
| Turkmen | peýdaly | ||
| Uzbek | foydali | ||
| The word "foydali" is derived from the Persian word "fayda", meaning "benefit" or "advantage". | |||
| Uyghur | پايدىلىق | ||
Useful in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pono | ||
| In Polynesian languages, "pono" also means "righteous" or "to do the right thing." | |||
| Maori | whaihua | ||
| The term "whaihua" has been variously glossed as "pertaining to work and skill" and as "relating to that which is practical and useful" | |||
| Samoan | aoga | ||
| "Aoga" is a Proto-Polynesian word that can also means "to teach or to learn". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kapaki-pakinabang | ||
| 'Kapaki-pakinabang' is derived from the Spanish word 'capaz' which also means 'useful'. | |||
Useful in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | wakiskiri | ||
| Guarani | purupykuaáva | ||
Useful in International Languages
| Esperanto | utila | ||
| The Esperanto word "utila" can also mean "advantageous" or "beneficial." | |||
| Latin | utilis | ||
| "Utilis" also means "fit", "suitable", "advantageous", "serviceable", "wholesome", "good", "expedient", and "convenient". | |||
Useful in Others Languages
| Greek | χρήσιμος | ||
| Χρήσιμος also refers to an instrument that was used to check the purity of metals (χρυσός, χαλκός, σίδηρος). | |||
| Hmong | pab tau | ||
| "Pab tau" can also mean "useful" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | bikartê | ||
| The word "bikartê" derives from the Kurdish root *bî* ("without") and the Persian suffix *-kart* ("action"), meaning literally "without action" or "inactive". | |||
| Turkish | kullanışlı | ||
| The word "kullanışlı" in Turkish can also mean "functional" or "handy". | |||
| Xhosa | iluncedo | ||
| The word "iluncedo" is likely derived from the root "-lunco", meaning "to help" or "to assist". It carries the extended connotation of something or someone that is conducive to a desirable outcome or provides aid in attaining a goal. | |||
| Yiddish | נוציק | ||
| The Hebrew root of נוציק is נוץ and means 'to shine', thus נוציק is literally means something useful that 'shines' or 'projects' or can also mean something beautiful. | |||
| Zulu | ewusizo | ||
| The word "ewusizo" can also refer to a tool or instrument. | |||
| Assamese | উপযোগী | ||
| Aymara | wakiskiri | ||
| Bhojpuri | उपयोगी | ||
| Dhivehi | ބޭނުންތެރި | ||
| Dogri | लाहकारी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kapaki-pakinabang | ||
| Guarani | purupykuaáva | ||
| Ilocano | kasapulan | ||
| Krio | de ɛp | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بەسوود | ||
| Maithili | उपयोगी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯀꯥꯟꯅꯕ | ||
| Mizo | tangkai | ||
| Oromo | kan nama fayyadu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଉପଯୋଗୀ | | ||
| Quechua | hapinalla | ||
| Sanskrit | उपयुक्त | ||
| Tatar | файдалы | ||
| Tigrinya | ጠቃሚ | ||
| Tsonga | tirhiseka | ||