Vast in Different Languages
Discover 'Vast' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'vast' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, representing something immense, spacious, and boundless. Its cultural importance is evident in literature, art, and science, where it's used to describe anything from the universe's enormity to the depth of human emotions.
Did you know that 'vast' comes from the Old English word 'fæstan', meaning 'firm' or 'solid'? This historical context provides a fascinating perspective on how the meaning of 'vast' has evolved over time.
Understanding the translation of 'vast' in different languages can open up new avenues of cultural exploration. For instance, in Spanish, 'vast' translates to 'vasto', while in French, it's 'vaste'. In Mandarin, it's '广阔 (guǎngkuò)', and in Japanese, it's '広大 (kōdai).'
Exploring the nuances of 'vast' in various languages can enrich your language skills and deepen your appreciation for the world's cultural diversity. Keep reading to discover more translations of this powerful word.
Vast
Vast in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | groot | ||
| The etymology of "groot" is from Old Saxon "grōt" meaning large. | |||
| Amharic | ሰፊ | ||
| ሰፊ is also used to describe something that is extensive or comprehensive | |||
| Hausa | babba | ||
| "Babba" is also one of the traditional Hausa names for the large, flat, round calabash bowl used for serving food. | |||
| Igbo | buru ibu | ||
| While `buru ibu` means 'vast' in Igbo, it also refers to a type of yam. | |||
| Malagasy | be | ||
| Although the word "be" means "vast" in Malagasy, it can also be used figuratively to describe something as being extensive or far-reaching. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chachikulu | ||
| The word "chachikulu" can also refer to a "huge amount".} | |||
| Shona | yakakura | ||
| Yakakura can also mean 'wide' or 'open' in Shona. | |||
| Somali | ballaaran | ||
| Despite its primary sense of 'vast', 'ballaaran' can also refer to a large expanse of time or a great number of things. | |||
| Sesotho | e kholo | ||
| The word "e kholo" has a similar root to the word "ho hola", meaning "to become lost in the wilderness or a crowd", suggesting the idea of something that is vast and overwhelming. | |||
| Swahili | kubwa | ||
| The word 'kubwa' was borrowed from Nubi or Shilluk after 1000 CE, and also means 'tall' in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | enkulu | ||
| The word "enkulu" also means "large" or "great" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | tiwa | ||
| The Yoruba word "tiwa" can also refer to a person or animal's body, or to a person's possessions. | |||
| Zulu | enkulu kakhulu | ||
| The word "enkulu kakhulu" in Zulu is thought to have originated from the phrase "inkaba kakhulu," meaning a "big calabash." | |||
| Bambara | ka bon | ||
| Ewe | si keke | ||
| Kinyarwanda | nini | ||
| Lingala | mingi | ||
| Luganda | -nene | ||
| Sepedi | kgolo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kɛseɛ | ||
Vast in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | واسع | ||
| The word "واسع" originates from the root w-s-'-ʿ, with meanings related to width, space, and abundance. | |||
| Hebrew | עָצוּם | ||
| The Hebrew word עָצוּם, meaning "vast," also refers to something hidden or concealed. | |||
| Pashto | پراخه | ||
| The word "پراخه" is derived from the Persian word "پراکندن" meaning "to scatter" or "to spread out". Besides meaning "vast", it can also refer to "dispersion" or "extent". | |||
| Arabic | واسع | ||
| The word "واسع" originates from the root w-s-'-ʿ, with meanings related to width, space, and abundance. | |||
Vast in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i gjerë | ||
| The word "i gjerë" in Albanian is derived from the Latin word "gero", meaning "to carry". It can also refer to a person who is tall or stout, or to a period of time that is long. | |||
| Basque | zabala | ||
| The word "zabala" ("vast" in Basque) also refers to an open air meadow dedicated to cattle grazing, especially in mountainous areas | |||
| Catalan | vast | ||
| The term "vast" in Catalan, meaning "wide," has the same Latin root as the English "waste," and "wasteful". | |||
| Croatian | golem | ||
| The Croatian word 'golem' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'golomi', meaning 'naked'. | |||
| Danish | stort | ||
| The word "stort" can also refer to something impressive or outstanding, as in the phrase "en stort mand" (a great man). | |||
| Dutch | enorm | ||
| In Dutch "enorm" not only means "vast", but also "very", "excessive", or "outrageous". | |||
| English | vast | ||
| The word "vast" derives from the Latin "vastus" meaning "empty" or "desolate," and is related to the word "waste." | |||
| French | vaste | ||
| The French word "vaste" comes from the Latin word "vastus", which means "empty" or "desolate". | |||
| Frisian | enoarm | ||
| The word "enoarm" originates from the Old Frisian "enorm" (enormous) and "arm" (poor), meaning "excessively poor". | |||
| Galician | amplo | ||
| German | riesig | ||
| The word "riesig" is derived from the Middle High German word "rise", meaning "a giant". | |||
| Icelandic | mikill | ||
| The Old Norse word "mikill" also meant "great, powerful". | |||
| Irish | ollmhór | ||
| The word "ollmhór" is actually composed of two separate words: "oll" (great) and "mór" (large). | |||
| Italian | vasto | ||
| In Italian, "vasto" also refers to a type of flatbread similar to a focaccia. | |||
| Luxembourgish | enorm | ||
| In Luxembourgish, the word "enorm" originates from the French word "énorme" and also means "huge" or "very big". | |||
| Maltese | vast | ||
| The Maltese word 'vast' is derived from the Italian word 'vasto', meaning 'empty' or 'void'. | |||
| Norwegian | stort | ||
| The Norwegian word "stort" is cognate with the English word "short" and originally meant "short" or "abrupt". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | grande | ||
| The word "grande" comes from the Latin "grandis", meaning "great" or "large". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | farsaing | ||
| Scots Gaelic "farsaing" comes from 0ld Irish "fersa" meaning "ground" or "earth" and thus relates to the sense of "distance over the ground". | |||
| Spanish | vasto | ||
| The word "vasto" originally referred to a wasteland or desert, and is related to the Latin word "vastus" meaning "empty" or "desolate." | |||
| Swedish | omfattande | ||
| "Omfattande" comes from Middle Low German "ummevaten", meaning "to embrace." | |||
| Welsh | helaeth | ||
| The word "helaeth" in Welsh is cognate with the word "health" in English, both stemming from the Proto-Indo-European root *ḱel- meaning "to hold, protect". | |||
Vast in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | велізарны | ||
| The word “велізарны” may also be used to indicate immeasurable, boundless, or vast amounts of an abstract quality such as intelligence or love. | |||
| Bosnian | ogroman | ||
| The word "ogroman" is an adjective that also has the meaning of "very big" or "huge" in Bosnian, and is derived from the Old Slavic word "*ogromŭ" with the same meaning. | |||
| Bulgarian | необятна | ||
| The word "необятна" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *obъjati, meaning "to embrace" or "to comprehend". | |||
| Czech | obrovský | ||
| "Obrovský" in Czech comes from "obr," meaning "giant," and originally meant "giant-like." | |||
| Estonian | tohutu | ||
| The word "tohutu" is derived from the verb "tohuda" meaning to bustle or to do things in a clumsy or heavy-handed manner. | |||
| Finnish | valtava | ||
| In the 1500s, the word 'valtava' meant 'to flow', which is likely related to the idea of the vastness and movement in a body of water. | |||
| Hungarian | hatalmas | ||
| "Hatalmas" is a derivative of "hat" (six), meaning that something is so big it covers six spans. | |||
| Latvian | milzīgs | ||
| The word "milzīgs" is derived from the Proto-Baltic root "melz-," meaning "to grind" or "to crush." | |||
| Lithuanian | didžiulis | ||
| "Didžiulis" may come from the Proto-Baltic word "*dēd-as", meaning "big", or from the Proto-Indo-European word "*ǵʰédʰo", meaning "to grow" or "to swell". | |||
| Macedonian | огромна | ||
| The word "огромна" is related to the word "громи" meaning "thunder". | |||
| Polish | ogromny | ||
| The word "ogromny" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *ogromъ, meaning "huge" or "great." | |||
| Romanian | vast | ||
| In Romanian, "vast" also means "era" or "ancient times", deriving from the Latin "vastus", meaning "empty" or "desolate." | |||
| Russian | обширный | ||
| The original meaning of "обширный" was "wide", related to the word "широкий", and only later it acquired the meaning of "large in size". | |||
| Serbian | огроман | ||
| The word "огроман" comes from the Proto-Slavic root *gorъ, meaning "mountain" or "height". | |||
| Slovak | obrovský | ||
| The Slavic root of | |||
| Slovenian | ogromno | ||
| The word "ogromno" in Slovenian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "ogormъ", meaning "fence" or "enclosure". | |||
| Ukrainian | величезний | ||
| The word "величезний" in Ukrainian is cognate with the word "великий" ("great") and shares its Slavic root with the word "величина" ("magnitude"). | |||
Vast in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিশাল | ||
| The word "বিশাল" ("vast") derives from the Sanskrit word "विशाल" (viśāla), meaning "spacious" or "extensive". | |||
| Gujarati | વિશાળ | ||
| The word "विशाल" comes from the Sanskrit word "वि" meaning "apart" and "" meaning "to spread" indicating something that is spread far and wide. | |||
| Hindi | व्यापक | ||
| The word "व्यापक" originates from the Sanskrit root "वि" (vi) meaning "all" or "everywhere" and "अप" (ap) meaning "attain" or "reach". | |||
| Kannada | ವಿಶಾಲ | ||
| "ವಿಶಾಲ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "विशाल" meaning "great, large" and is also used to describe a place that is "open and expansive, not enclosed or blocked" | |||
| Malayalam | വിശാലമായ | ||
| The word "വിശാലമായ" can also mean "broad", "extensive", or "comprehensive" in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | अफाट | ||
| The alternate meaning of "अफाट" in Marathi is "a huge amount", as in something that is not confined to space. | |||
| Nepali | विशाल | ||
| " विशाल" may also refer to a Hindu God. | |||
| Punjabi | ਵਿਸ਼ਾਲ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අති විශාලයි | ||
| Tamil | பரந்த | ||
| "பரந்த" has cognates in many Dravidian languages with meanings of "spread out," "extend," or "expanse." | |||
| Telugu | విస్తారమైన | ||
| Urdu | وسیع | ||
| The word "وسیع" can also mean "spacious" or "extensive". | |||
Vast in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 广大 | ||
| In Buddhism, "广大" also signifies "universally pervading" and "all-embracing wisdom or truth." | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 廣大 | ||
| The word "廣大" also means "broad-minded" or "magnanimous" in Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | 広大 | ||
| The Japanese word "広大" consists of two kanji, "広" meaning wide and "大" meaning large, and can also mean expansive or broad. | |||
| Korean | 거대한 | ||
| "거대한" comes from Middle Korean "کوجئ" (koja), originally meaning "wide" or "empty." | |||
| Mongolian | өргөн уудам | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကျယ်ပြန့် | ||
Vast in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | luas | ||
| "Luas" can also translate to "broad" or "extensive" | |||
| Javanese | jembar | ||
| The word | |||
| Khmer | ធំធេង | ||
| The Khmer word ធំធេង originated from the Sanskrit word "sthula". | |||
| Lao | ກວ້າງຂວາງ | ||
| Malay | luas | ||
| In Indonesian, "luas" also means "area" or "space". | |||
| Thai | กว้างใหญ่ | ||
| The term "กว้างใหญ่" (vast) derives from the Sanskrit "vispraya" denoting "expansion". | |||
| Vietnamese | rộng lớn | ||
| The word "rộng lớn" can also mean "wide-ranging" or "expansive". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | malawak | ||
Vast in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | geniş | ||
| The word "geniş" is derived from a Proto-Turkic root *keŋ- "wide" and has cognates in a range of Turkic languages including Ottoman Turkish, Tatar, and Uzbek. | |||
| Kazakh | кең | ||
| "Кең" can be also be used to refer to something that is plentiful or generous. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кең | ||
| The word "кең" in Kyrgyz does not have any other distinct meanings besides "vast". | |||
| Tajik | васеъ | ||
| The word "васеъ" can also refer to a large body of water or a wide area of land, especially one that is empty or barren. | |||
| Turkmen | giň | ||
| Uzbek | ulkan | ||
| The word "ulkan" is also said to have an alternate meaning "big-footed" | |||
| Uyghur | كەڭ | ||
Vast in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ākea | ||
| In Hawaiian, “ākea” can refer to the expanse of the ocean or sky, as well as to an open space or a time of great change. | |||
| Maori | whanui | ||
| Whanui is not just physical size, but also a spiritual concept, indicating a deep connection to the land and its people. | |||
| Samoan | lautele | ||
| The word "lautele" in Samoan can also mean "wide" or "spacious". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | malawak | ||
Vast in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jach'a | ||
| Guarani | tuichaitereíva | ||
Vast in International Languages
| Esperanto | vasta | ||
| The Esperanto word "vasta" is derived from the Latin word "vastus", meaning "wide" or "empty", and also has the meaning of "huge". | |||
| Latin | tantam | ||
| The word "tantam" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*tens-", which also means "to stretch" or "to extend". It is related to the English word "tense". | |||
Vast in Others Languages
| Greek | απέραντος | ||
| The word "απέραντος" (vast) comes from the Greek word "πέρα" (beyond), meaning it is something that extends beyond any limits. | |||
| Hmong | loj heev | ||
| Loj heev can also mean "generous" or "great". | |||
| Kurdish | dûr | ||
| The word "dûr" also means "lengthy or enduring" in Kurdish literature and poetry. | |||
| Turkish | muazzam | ||
| Xhosa | enkulu | ||
| The word "enkulu" also means "large" or "great" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | וואַסט | ||
| The Yiddish word "וואַסט" (vast) derives from the German "vast," which in turn derives from the Latin "vastus," meaning "empty" or "void. | |||
| Zulu | enkulu kakhulu | ||
| The word "enkulu kakhulu" in Zulu is thought to have originated from the phrase "inkaba kakhulu," meaning a "big calabash." | |||
| Assamese | বিশাল | ||
| Aymara | jach'a | ||
| Bhojpuri | व्यापक | ||
| Dhivehi | ފުޅާ | ||
| Dogri | बशाल | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | malawak | ||
| Guarani | tuichaitereíva | ||
| Ilocano | nalawa | ||
| Krio | big | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | زەبەلاح | ||
| Maithili | विशाल | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯥꯛ ꯆꯥꯎꯕ | ||
| Mizo | zau | ||
| Oromo | bal'aa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବିସ୍ତୃତ | ||
| Quechua | hatun | ||
| Sanskrit | विस्तृतः | ||
| Tatar | бик зур | ||
| Tigrinya | ሰፊሕ | ||
| Tsonga | xikulu | ||