Updated on March 6, 2024
The word "venture" holds a special place in our lexicon, denoting a daring and bold journey into the unknown. Its significance extends beyond the business world, where it often refers to a risky new enterprise, and permeates our cultural consciousness as a symbol of ambition, exploration, and discovery.
From the epic voyages of the Age of Exploration to the modern-day startup culture, the concept of a "venture" has captivated our collective imagination. It encapsulates the spirit of human curiosity and the relentless pursuit of progress, invoking images of brave explorers, intrepid entrepreneurs, and visionary pioneers.
Understanding the translation of "venture" in different languages can offer fascinating insights into how diverse cultures perceive and express this powerful concept. For instance, in Spanish, a "venture" is a "aventura", while in German, it becomes a "Unternehmung".
Join us as we embark on a linguistic journey to explore the many facets of this remarkable word. Discover how "venture" is rendered in a variety of languages, and gain a new appreciation for the rich tapestry of human culture and expression.
Afrikaans | waag | ||
"Waag" also means "scale" or "balance" in Dutch, its language of origin. | |||
Amharic | ሽርክና | ||
"ሽርክና" (venture) derives from the root "ሽር" (to go). | |||
Hausa | kamfani | ||
The word "kamfani" in Hausa may have originated from the Arabic word "kumfāniyyah" (company). | |||
Igbo | ịmalite | ||
The word 'ịmalite' also means to take a risk or gamble. | |||
Malagasy | barotra | ||
The word "barotra" can also mean "adventure" or "exploration" in Malagasy. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | ntchito | ||
The word "ntchito" in Nyanja can also refer to a "company" or a "job". | |||
Shona | venture | ||
Somali | ganacsi | ||
The term 'ganacsi' additionally refers to 'commerce' and 'affairs'. | |||
Sesotho | khoebo | ||
The word "khoebo" can also mean "a chance" or "an opportunity" in Sesotho. | |||
Swahili | ubia | ||
The word "ubia" can also mean "explore" or"investigate". | |||
Xhosa | venture | ||
In Xhosa, 'venture' also means 'to embark on a journey'. | |||
Yoruba | afowopaowo | ||
"Afowopaowo" is derived from "afo" (trade), "o" (to do), "pa" (to come), "owo" (money). It can also mean "to take a risk" or "to gamble". | |||
Zulu | venture | ||
In Zulu, the word 'venture' also means 'to gamble' or 'to take a risk'. | |||
Bambara | ka taga awantiri la | ||
Ewe | dze agbagba | ||
Kinyarwanda | umushinga | ||
Lingala | mosala | ||
Luganda | omwoleso | ||
Sepedi | phonkgelela | ||
Twi (Akan) | wura mu | ||
Arabic | المغامر | ||
In some Arab dialects, "المغامر" (al-mughāmir) means "a gambler" or "a risk-taker." | |||
Hebrew | מיזם | ||
The Hebrew word "מיזם" can also refer to a "scheme" or a "project". | |||
Pashto | وینچر | ||
The Pashto word "وینچر" also means "to risk" or "to dare". | |||
Arabic | المغامر | ||
In some Arab dialects, "المغامر" (al-mughāmir) means "a gambler" or "a risk-taker." |
Albanian | sipërmarrje | ||
The word "sipërmarrje" (venture) in Albanian is derived from the Latin word "superemere", meaning "to buy above the market price". It can also refer to a "speculative enterprise" or a "risky undertaking". | |||
Basque | abentura | ||
The Basque word "abentura" also means "fate" or "destiny". | |||
Catalan | aventura | ||
The word "aventura" in Catalan comes from the Latin word "adventura", meaning "what is about to happen". | |||
Croatian | pothvat | ||
The word "pothvat" is cognate with the Czech verb "pokusit", which also means "to attempt" or "to undertake", and the Proto-Slavic root "*peth", meaning "to go". In addition to its primary meaning of "venture", "pothvat" can also refer to a "task" or "undertaking". | |||
Danish | vove sig | ||
In Danish, there is a phrase known as "vove sig," which comes from the Low German roots of "wagen" meaning to risk as well as "sich" meaning oneself, creating the idiomatic phrase of “vagging your way towards.” | |||
Dutch | onderneming | ||
"Onderneming" also means "company" and derives from the Middle Dutch term "ondernemen" ("to undertake"). | |||
English | venture | ||
Borrowed from Old Norman French *aventure*, from Vulgar Latin *ad + ventura "about to come," past participle of venire "to come," | |||
French | entreprise | ||
Entreprise, a French word for venture, originally meant "something undertaken". | |||
Frisian | weagje | ||
The word "weagje" in Frisian also means "way" or "path". | |||
Galician | aventura | ||
German | wagen | ||
The word "wagen" in German comes from the Old High German word "wagin", meaning "to dare" or "to risk". | |||
Icelandic | hættuspil | ||
Old Norse "hætta" (risk) + "spil" (game) | |||
Irish | fiontar | ||
In the 16th century, 'fiontar' was used to refer to the crew of pirates that sailed from Ireland. | |||
Italian | avventurarsi | ||
In Italian, "avventurarsi" comes from the Latin "adventurare", meaning "to happen". It can also mean "to risk" or "to speculate". | |||
Luxembourgish | venture | ||
In Luxembourgish, "venture" can also mean "adventure" or "undertaking". | |||
Maltese | riskju | ||
The word 'riskju' derives from the Italian 'rischio', ultimately from the Arabic 'rizq' (sustenance, livelihood). | |||
Norwegian | våge | ||
The word "våge" is also a cognate of the English word "wager" | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | risco | ||
"Risco" originates from old Portuguese "risco" or Latin "rīsus" (laugh), indicating the initial sense of undertaking something daring to mock others' disapproval. | |||
Scots Gaelic | iomairt | ||
The Gaelic word "iomairt" derives from the Middle Irish word "imirt," originally meaning "to play" or "to game." | |||
Spanish | riesgo | ||
The Spanish word "riesgo" also means "risk" or "danger" and comes from the Latin word "riscus", meaning "cliff"} | |||
Swedish | våga | ||
In Swedish, the word "våga" also means "wave", highlighting the connection between risk-taking and the unpredictable nature of the ocean. | |||
Welsh | menter | ||
The word "menter" can also mean "to meditate" or "to ponder" in Welsh. |
Belarusian | прадпрыемства | ||
The Belarusian word “прадпрыемства” is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *prędъprijętije, which means "to undertake" or "to start a business". | |||
Bosnian | poduhvat | ||
In Bosnian, "poduhvat" is derived from the Old Slavic word "podъjati" meaning "to undertake" and can also refer to a risky enterprise or a challenge. | |||
Bulgarian | начинание | ||
The word "начинание" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "начинати", meaning "to begin". | |||
Czech | podnik | ||
The word "podnik" in Czech comes from the German word "unternehmen," meaning "enterprise" or "business." | |||
Estonian | ettevõtmine | ||
The word "ettevõtmine" also means "undertaking" or "enterprise" in Estonian. | |||
Finnish | hanke | ||
The word "hanke" is also used to refer to a project or undertaking, which is in line with its etymological origin from the Proto-Finnic word "hankoija" meaning "to try". | |||
Hungarian | vállalkozás | ||
"Vállalkozás" is derived from the Hungarian word "váll", which means "shoulder", suggesting the idea of taking on a burden or responsibility. | |||
Latvian | riska | ||
Riska can also mean "a trip across a body of water" or "a hazardous or daring act". | |||
Lithuanian | įmonė | ||
The word "įmonė" in Lithuanian derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁me- "to set in motion, to go, to send", cognate with the Latin word "impetus" and the English word "impetus". | |||
Macedonian | потфат | ||
The word "потфат" can also refer to an attempt or an undertaking. | |||
Polish | przedsięwzięcie | ||
The word "przedsięwzięcie" has multiple meanings, including "undertaking," "enterprise," and "project" | |||
Romanian | aventură | ||
Russian | предприятие | ||
The word "предприятие" can also mean "enterprise" or "firm". | |||
Serbian | подухват | ||
In Proto-Slavic the etymology derives from *podъ-vъzati, from *vъzeti, “to take”. | |||
Slovak | trúfať si | ||
"Trúfať si" also means "daring" or "having the courage to do something". | |||
Slovenian | podviga | ||
The word "podviga" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *podъvigъ, which originally meant "effort" or "feat of strength". | |||
Ukrainian | підприємство | ||
The word 'підприємство' also refers to a 'company' and 'business enterprise', indicating its broad range of meanings. |
Bengali | উদ্যোগ | ||
The word "উদ্যোগ" comes from the Sanskrit word "udyama," meaning "effort," "undertaking," or "enterprise." | |||
Gujarati | સાહસ | ||
The word "સાહસ" can also mean "adventure" or "enterprise" in Gujarati. | |||
Hindi | वेंचर | ||
The word "वेंचर" is of Sanskrit origin and can also refer to a desire or undertaking. | |||
Kannada | ಸಾಹಸೋದ್ಯಮ | ||
The Kannada word "ಸಾಹಸೋದ್ಯಮ" can also refer to an adventure or a risk. | |||
Malayalam | സംരംഭം | ||
The Malayalam word "സംരംഭം" is derived from Sanskrit "संरम्भ" (samrambha), which means "commencement, undertaking, effort, endeavour, or attempt" and can also refer to "enthusiasm, excitement". | |||
Marathi | उपक्रम | ||
The word "उपक्रम" also means "initiative" or "undertaking" in Marathi. | |||
Nepali | उद्यम | ||
उद्यम is derived from the Sanskrit word 'udyama' meaning 'effort' or 'enterprise'. It can also refer to a business or a project. | |||
Punjabi | ਉੱਦਮ | ||
ਉੱਦਮ" likely originates from the Sanskrit word "uttama," meaning "best" or "excellent." | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ව්යාපාරය | ||
The word "ව්යාපාරය" can also mean "business" or "occupation". It is derived from the Sanskrit word "vyāpāra", meaning "activity" or "enterprise". | |||
Tamil | துணிகர | ||
The Tamil word "துணிகர" (tunikara) also means "boldness" or "courage." | |||
Telugu | వెంచర్ | ||
Urdu | وینچر | ||
The term 'وینچر' (venture) was derived from the Latin word 'veni', which means 'to come'. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 冒险 | ||
The word "冒险" (venture) is a compound of the two characters "冒" (to brave) and "险" (danger), which suggests the act of engaging in a risky or daring undertaking. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 冒險 | ||
(冒險) 冒:草叢叢生貌;險:高也。本指叢生的野草長得參差高低不一。後引申指事情錯綜複雜、充滿艱難和危險。 | |||
Japanese | ベンチャー | ||
ベンチャー is also the Japanese word for "adventure" or "daring undertaking". | |||
Korean | 투기 | ||
The word "투기" (venture) derives from the Chinese word "投機" (t'ou chi), meaning "to invest in business." | |||
Mongolian | хөрөнгө оруулалт | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) | အကျိုးတူ | ||
The word "အကျိုးတူ" (venture) in Myanmar (Burmese) is derived from the Pali word "kalyāṇa" (something that is good or beneficial) and the Sanskrit word "karma" (action). |
Indonesian | usaha | ||
"Usaha" also has the alternate meaning of "attempt" in Indonesian. | |||
Javanese | usaha | ||
The word "usaha" in Javanese is derived from the Sanskrit word "upāya" meaning "means, expedient, plan, project". | |||
Khmer | បណ្តាក់ទុន | ||
Lao | ຮ່ວມທຸລະກິດ | ||
Malay | usaha | ||
The word "usaha" is derived from the Sanskrit word "uṣas" meaning "dawn," and has also been used in Malay to refer to "effort" and "work". | |||
Thai | กิจการ | ||
"กิจการ" means business enterprise, especially one involving hazardous risk, speculation, or the like. | |||
Vietnamese | liên doanh | ||
The word "liên doanh" in Vietnamese is derived from the Chinese characters "聯營", meaning "joint venture" or "affiliate company." | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | pakikipagsapalaran | ||
Azerbaijani | təşəbbüs | ||
"Təşəbbüs" sözünün kökü Orta Farsça "sābuxt, sābuxti" ("başla(ma), başla(yan)") olup, sonradan Arapçaya "tasabbub" şeklinde geçmiştir. | |||
Kazakh | тәуекел | ||
The word "тәуекел" in Kazakh also means "trust" or "reliance", suggesting the idea of taking a calculated risk based on faith or trust in oneself or others. | |||
Kyrgyz | ишкана | ||
The word "ишкана" in Kyrgyz can also mean "to start a business" or "to take a risk." | |||
Tajik | тавлид | ||
The word "тавлид" comes from the Arabic word "تولد" and literally means "birth" or "origin". | |||
Turkmen | kärhana | ||
Uzbek | shovqin | ||
Uzbek "shovqin" also means a "fuss" and "commotion". | |||
Uyghur | تەۋەككۈلچىلىك | ||
Hawaiian | hoʻāʻo | ||
The Hawaiian word 'hoʻāʻo' also has the sense of 'to try, attempt, undertake, or endeavor'. | |||
Maori | umanga | ||
The word "umanga" also has the meaning of "to endeavour" in Maori. | |||
Samoan | taumafaiga | ||
The word "taumafaiga" in Samoan can also mean "a struggle", "an endeavor", or "a challenge." | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | pakikipagsapalaran | ||
Aymara | impirisa | ||
Guarani | mba'apoha renda | ||
Esperanto | entrepreno | ||
The Esperanto word "entrepreno" derives from the French "entreprendre", meaning "to undertake" or "to begin." | |||
Latin | venture | ||
The Latin word "adventura" (from which "venture" is derived) originally meant "what happens," "event," or "occurrence." |
Greek | τόλμημα | ||
Τόλμημα is derived from the Greek root τολμάω (tolmao), meaning "to endure, bear, dare," and is related to the Latin word tolerare. | |||
Hmong | kev koom ua ke | ||
The phrase "kev koom ua ke" literally means "to do something to the other side." | |||
Kurdish | bizava | ||
The Kurdish word "bizava" is ultimately derived from the Old Persian word "vizar" meaning "trust" or "confidence". It is related to the Kurdish word "biz" meaning "we" and the Sanskrit word "visvas" meaning "faith". | |||
Turkish | girişim | ||
"Girişim", Türkçede "giriş" ve "iş" kelimelerinin birleşiminden oluşur ve "başlangıç aşamasında bir iş" anlamına da gelir. | |||
Xhosa | venture | ||
In Xhosa, 'venture' also means 'to embark on a journey'. | |||
Yiddish | פירנעם | ||
The Yiddish word "פֿירנעם" is derived from the root "פֿאַרנעם" meaning "to grasp" or "to understand". | |||
Zulu | venture | ||
In Zulu, the word 'venture' also means 'to gamble' or 'to take a risk'. | |||
Assamese | উদ্যম | ||
Aymara | impirisa | ||
Bhojpuri | उद्यम | ||
Dhivehi | ވެނޗުއަރ | ||
Dogri | उद्दम | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | pakikipagsapalaran | ||
Guarani | mba'apoha renda | ||
Ilocano | baro a negosio | ||
Krio | prɔjɛkt | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | سەرکەش | ||
Maithili | उद्यम | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯊꯕꯛ ꯑꯃ | ||
Mizo | tuar huam thil ti | ||
Oromo | imala balaa qabuu fi sodaachisaa | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଉଦ୍ୟମ | ||
Quechua | ruwana | ||
Sanskrit | अभ्युत्सह् | ||
Tatar | венчур | ||
Tigrinya | ኣብ ሓደጋ ኣውደቐ | ||
Tsonga | nghena | ||