Virtue in Different Languages
Discover 'Virtue' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Virtue, a concept deeply rooted in ethics and morality, has been a cornerstone of human societies since antiquity. Its significance transcends cultural boundaries, making it a universal language that inspires goodness and righteousness. Originating from the Latin word virtus, meaning 'manliness' or 'excellence', virtue has evolved over time to encompass a wide range of admirable qualities such as courage, honesty, compassion, and loyalty.
Throughout history, virtue has played a pivotal role in shaping civilizations, religious beliefs, and philosophical thought. From Aristotle's 'golden mean' to Confucius' 'Doctrine of the Mean', virtue has been the subject of extensive discussion and analysis. It is a concept that resonates with people across the globe, regardless of their cultural background or linguistic heritage.
Understanding the translation of virtue in different languages can provide valuable insights into how various cultures perceive and value this timeless concept. For instance, in Spanish, virtue is translated as 'virtud', while in French, it becomes 'vertu'. In Mandarin, it is '德' (dé), and in Japanese, it is '美 virtue' (bi). These translations not only reflect linguistic differences but also highlight the cultural importance of virtue in each society.
Join us as we explore the many faces of virtue in a global context, shedding light on the fascinating ways in which this concept has been interpreted and expressed across languages and cultures.
Virtue
Virtue in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | deug | ||
| "Deug" came to Afrikaans from Middle Dutch, where it meant "ability" or "worth." | |||
| Amharic | በጎነት | ||
| በጎነት (bogonnet) comes from the root word bägän, meaning "to be good," and is also used to describe something that is "beautiful," "pleasant," or "desirable." | |||
| Hausa | nagarta | ||
| The word "nagarta" derives from the Hausa word "nagari" which means "to become or act good or right"} | |||
| Igbo | omume | ||
| The word "omume" in Igbo can also refer to a person of high moral character. | |||
| Malagasy | ny hatsaran-toetra | ||
| The word "ny hatsaran-toetra" in Malagasy is derived from the verb "hatsara", meaning "to choose" or "to select", and the noun "toetra", meaning "nature" or "disposition". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ukoma | ||
| The Nyanja word "ukoma" also means "good behaviour". | |||
| Shona | kunaka | ||
| Somali | wanaagga | ||
| The Proto-Somali origin of "wanaagga" is likely "*wana+" or "*wan-ga" with the Proto-Somali prefix "-ga" meaning "thing of" or "state of" and an unattested root "-wan-." | |||
| Sesotho | bokhabane | ||
| The word 'bokhabane', meaning 'virtue', has roots in 'bo', meaning 'people', 'kha', meaning 'to do' and 'bo', meaning 'home'. | |||
| Swahili | fadhila | ||
| The Arabic-origin Swahili word "fadhila" also bears meanings such as "grace" and "excellence or merit." | |||
| Xhosa | isidima | ||
| The word "isidima" in Xhosa is derived from the verb "idima", meaning "to be clean or pure". | |||
| Yoruba | iwa rere | ||
| It also refers to "a good person", a "virtuous character", or a "kind act" | |||
| Zulu | ubuhle | ||
| "Ubuhle" also has the meaning of beauty, and can refer to a beautiful person or a work of art. | |||
| Bambara | kalite | ||
| Ewe | nu nyuie | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ingeso nziza | ||
| Lingala | ezaleli malamu | ||
| Luganda | obulongoofu | ||
| Sepedi | bothakga | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nnepa | ||
Virtue in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | استنادا | ||
| 'استنادا' can also mean 'reliance' or 'support'. | |||
| Hebrew | מַעֲלָה | ||
| "מַעֲלָה" in Hebrew can also refer to an elevated place, like a hill or flight of stairs. | |||
| Pashto | فضیلت | ||
| In Pashto, the word "فضل" (fazl) can also refer to grace, excellence, or worthiness, while "فضلت" (fadilat) specifically denotes virtue or moral goodness. | |||
| Arabic | استنادا | ||
| 'استنادا' can also mean 'reliance' or 'support'. | |||
Virtue in Western European Languages
| Albanian | virtyt | ||
| In Albanian, "virtyt" can also mean "manliness" or "courage". | |||
| Basque | bertutea | ||
| Basque word for "virtue" derives from Latin "virtus" (manliness). | |||
| Catalan | virtut | ||
| The Catalan word "virtut" derives from the Latin "virtus," meaning "manliness" or "excellence." | |||
| Croatian | vrlina | ||
| The Croatian word 'vrlina' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word '*vьrtъ' meaning 'excellence' or 'greatness'. | |||
| Danish | dyd | ||
| The word "dyd" can also refer to the "moral character of a person" or "goodness". | |||
| Dutch | deugd | ||
| The Dutch word "deugd" comes from the same root as the English word "doughty" meaning "brave", and the Latin "tueri" meaning "to watch, protect". | |||
| English | virtue | ||
| In its original Latin use, 'virtus' meant 'manly strength' or 'courage'. | |||
| French | vertu | ||
| The word 'vertu' in French is derived from the Latin 'virtus' meaning 'manliness', and can also refer to the power or efficacy of something. | |||
| Frisian | deugd | ||
| The word "deugd" is also used to refer to the virtues of a particular substance or object, such as the strength of a material or the effectiveness of a medicine. | |||
| Galician | virtude | ||
| In Galician, “virtude” can also mean “ability” or “skill”. | |||
| German | tugend | ||
| The word 'Tugend' is derived from the Old High German word 'tugan,' meaning 'suitability,' 'value,' or 'profit,' and is related to the English word 'doughty,' meaning 'brave.' | |||
| Icelandic | dyggð | ||
| Dyggð is related to the words 'dugnad' (community service), 'dugelig' (capable) and 'dug' (fitness for a purpose), suggesting a deep connection between virtue, service, and competence in Norse culture. | |||
| Irish | bhua | ||
| The word 'bhua' can also refer to a female witch or evil spirit in Irish mythology. | |||
| Italian | virtù | ||
| In Italian, 'virtù' (virtue) is related to 'virilità' (manliness), derived from Latin 'vir' (man), and also to 'forza' (strength), as in 'virtù motrice' (driving force). | |||
| Luxembourgish | tugend | ||
| Tugend is a loanword from German, which originates from the Old High German word 'tugant'. The same word exists in Frisian, Dutch and Danish. | |||
| Maltese | virtù | ||
| The Maltese word "virtù" derives from the Latin "virtus", meaning "excellence" or "courage". | |||
| Norwegian | dyd | ||
| The word "dyd" (virtue) can also refer to good deeds or righteous acts in Norwegian. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | virtude | ||
| In Portuguese, "virtude" is derived from Latin "virtus" and can also mean "manliness" or "ability." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | buadhan | ||
| 'Buadhan' is cognate with Middle and Modern Irish 'buaid', which refers to victory. | |||
| Spanish | virtud | ||
| The Spanish word 'virtud' comes from the Latin word 'virtus', meaning 'excellence' or 'manliness'. | |||
| Swedish | dygd | ||
| The word "dygd" is cognate with the Old Norse word "dyggð", meaning "excellence, worthiness, good behavior". | |||
| Welsh | rhinwedd | ||
| The Welsh word 'rhinwedd' also means 'heaven', and derives from the Proto-Celtic word 'rēnos', meaning 'secret' or 'mystery'. | |||
Virtue in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | цнота | ||
| The Belarusian word "цнота" has roots in the Proto-Slavic word *cěnota, meaning "price" or "value". | |||
| Bosnian | vrlina | ||
| The word vrlina comes from the Latin word virtus which also means strength. | |||
| Bulgarian | добродетел | ||
| The Bulgarian word for virtue, “добродетел” is linked to the word for good, | |||
| Czech | ctnost | ||
| The Czech word "ctnost" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*čьstь", which meant both "honor" and "purity". | |||
| Estonian | voorus | ||
| The word 'voorus' is derived from the Proto-Finnic word '*woreh' and is related to the words 'väär' ('false') and 'väärtus' ('value'). | |||
| Finnish | hyve | ||
| The Finnish word hyve is derived from the Proto-Germanic *hūbiz, meaning 'custom' or 'usage'. This root is also the source of the English words 'habit' and 'hue'. | |||
| Hungarian | erény | ||
| The word "erény" in Hungarian also refers to strength, potency, and vigor. | |||
| Latvian | tikums | ||
| The word "tikums" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *dek- meaning "right" or "good", and is related to words in other Indo-European languages such as the Latin "decus" (honor) and the Greek "dike" (justice). | |||
| Lithuanian | dorybė | ||
| The Lithuanian word "dorybė" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European word "dhregh-", meaning "to run, to follow". | |||
| Macedonian | доблест | ||
| "Доблест" is of Old Slavic origin and is cognate with the Serbian and Bulgarian words "doblest" and "doblest" respectively, the Czech and Slovak words "doblest" and "doblesť" respectively, and the Polish word "doblestwo." | |||
| Polish | cnota | ||
| In Polish, 'cnota' can also refer to the goddess of luck and destiny. | |||
| Romanian | virtute | ||
| In Romanian, 'virtute' can also refer to the strength, potency, or efficacy of something, similar to the Latin root word 'virtus', meaning strength or manhood. | |||
| Russian | добродетель | ||
| "Добродетель" is an Old Church Slavonic word that initially referred to a gift or a favor but was later adopted by the Orthodox Church to translate the Greek ἀρετή, a moral excellence that goes beyond virtue. | |||
| Serbian | врлина | ||
| The word 'врлина' originated from the Proto-Slavic word 'virъ', meaning 'man', and originally referred to manly qualities. | |||
| Slovak | cnosť | ||
| In the old Slovak language, "cnosť" also meant "purity". | |||
| Slovenian | vrlina | ||
| The word "vrlina" in Slovenian can also refer to a kind of plant or herb. | |||
| Ukrainian | чеснота | ||
| "Чеснота" is cognate with " | |||
Virtue in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পুণ্য | ||
| "পুণ্য" derives from the Sanskrit word "punya," meaning "purification" or "merit". | |||
| Gujarati | પુણ્ય | ||
| The word "પુણ્ય" comes from the Sanskrit word "पुण्य" (punya), which also means "merit". It is related to the Latin word "bonus", which means "good". | |||
| Hindi | गुण | ||
| The Hindi word "गुण" also has connotations of quality, property or attribute, and is related to the Sanskrit root "गु" (gu) meaning 'to sound' or 'to sing'. | |||
| Kannada | ಸದ್ಗುಣ | ||
| The word "ಸದ್ಗುಣ" (sadguṇa) in Kannada is derived from the Sanskrit word "सद्गुण" (sadguṇa), which means "good quality" or "excellence." | |||
| Malayalam | പുണ്യം | ||
| The Malayalam word "പുണ്യം" comes from the Sanskrit word "punya," which also means "merit" or "good deeds." | |||
| Marathi | पुण्य | ||
| The word "पुण्य" also means "pious" and "holy" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | सद्गुण | ||
| Derived from Sanskrit, 'sadguna' literally translates to 'good qualities' or 'noble traits'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਨੇਕੀ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਨੇਕੀ" is derived from the Persian word "نیکی," which also means "goodness" or "righteousness." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ගුණවත්කම | ||
| Tamil | நல்லொழுக்கம் | ||
| Telugu | ధర్మం | ||
| "Dharma" in Telugu is also used to refer to the righteousness, morality, and social order within Hinduism. | |||
| Urdu | فضیلت | ||
| The word "فضیلت" derives from the root "فضل" meaning "excellence" in Arabic, and can also refer to "grace" or "bounty" in Urdu. | |||
Virtue in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 美德 | ||
| "德" comes from "彳" (walk) + "心" (mind, heart), meaning that "virtue" is to walk in the right path. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 美德 | ||
| The word "美德" can also mean "beauty" or "goodness". | |||
| Japanese | 美徳 | ||
| In Japanese, "美徳" (bitoku) can also refer to "beauty" or "elegance." | |||
| Korean | 덕 | ||
| 덕 (deok) in Korean can also refer to an auspicious omen or blessing bestowed upon someone. | |||
| Mongolian | буян | ||
| "Буян" is etymologically related to "бодь" meaning 'to stand straight' and denotes both 'being straight' and 'acting straight' in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သီလ | ||
| In addition to its common meaning of "virtue," the word "သီလ" in Myanmar can also refer to the Five Precepts of Buddhism or to the practice of meditation. | |||
Virtue in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kebajikan | ||
| The word 'kebajikan' is derived from the Arabic word 'khayr', which means 'goodness' or 'excellence'. | |||
| Javanese | kabecikan | ||
| The Javanese word "kabecikan" derives from the Sanskrit word "kalyana" meaning "good, beautiful, or noble" and is related to the Balinese word "kabayan" meaning "friend" or "family". | |||
| Khmer | គុណធម៌ | ||
| "គុណធម៌" comes from the Sanskrit word "guṇadharma" meaning "quality, characteristic or property". | |||
| Lao | ຄຸນນະ ທຳ | ||
| Its alternate meaning in Pali is "merit or good deeds which bring positive karmic results." | |||
| Malay | kebajikan | ||
| The Malay word "kebajikan" is derived from the Sanskrit word "kuśala" meaning "skillful" or "salutary". | |||
| Thai | คุณธรรม | ||
| "คุณธรรม" also means "morality" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | đức hạnh | ||
| Đức hạnh is a Vietnamese word with several meanings, including "good character", "moral excellence", and "good fortune". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kabutihan | ||
Virtue in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | fəzilət | ||
| The word "fəzilət" also means "excellence" or "superiority" in some contexts. | |||
| Kazakh | ізгілік | ||
| The word "ізгілік" in Kazakh can also refer to "goodness" or "kindness." | |||
| Kyrgyz | изгилик | ||
| The word "изгилик" can also mean "goodness" or "kindness" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | фазилат | ||
| The word "фазилат" comes from the Arabic word "فاضل", which means "excellent". It can also refer to a person who is learned or has a high degree of skill in a particular area. | |||
| Turkmen | fazylet | ||
| Uzbek | fazilat | ||
| The word "fazilat" is of Arabic origin and is related to the words "fadl" (excellence) and "fazilat" (merit). | |||
| Uyghur | پەزىلەت | ||
Virtue in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pono | ||
| Pono means 'righteous' and 'upright' and its root word is pono, meaning 'true' or 'correct'. | |||
| Maori | maamaa | ||
| There is a Maori word 'maamaa' that has various meanings, including: 1. 'virtue'; 2. 'a precious thing'; 3. 'a valuable thing'; 4. 'a beautiful thing'; 5. 'a desirable thing'; 6. 'a noble thing'. | |||
| Samoan | amio lelei | ||
| The Samoan word 'amio lelei' also translates to 'good deed' or 'act of kindness'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kabutihan | ||
| The Tagalog word "kabutihan" comes from the root word "buti," which means "good" or "right," and the suffix "-an," which indicates a state or quality. | |||
Virtue in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ch'ama | ||
| Guarani | tekokatu | ||
Virtue in International Languages
| Esperanto | virto | ||
| In Esperanto, the word "virto" is derived from the Latin word "virtus" and also means "heroism". | |||
| Latin | virtus | ||
| The Latin word "virtus" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*wereg-," meaning "manliness" or "strength." | |||
Virtue in Others Languages
| Greek | αρετή | ||
| The ancient Greek term "αρετή," or "virtue," originally referred to the quality of being excellent or good, rather than a moral concept. | |||
| Hmong | tsim txiaj | ||
| Kurdish | fezîlet | ||
| The word "fezîlet" in Kurdish also means "excellence" or "superiority." | |||
| Turkish | erdem | ||
| The root of the word 'Erdem' can also mean 'manly' and is used in expressions such as 'Erdemli davranış', which means 'manly behavior'. | |||
| Xhosa | isidima | ||
| The word "isidima" in Xhosa is derived from the verb "idima", meaning "to be clean or pure". | |||
| Yiddish | מייַלע | ||
| The Yiddish word "מייַלע" means "virtue" and is derived from the Hebrew word "מילה" meaning "word" or "deed". | |||
| Zulu | ubuhle | ||
| "Ubuhle" also has the meaning of beauty, and can refer to a beautiful person or a work of art. | |||
| Assamese | গুণ | ||
| Aymara | ch'ama | ||
| Bhojpuri | नैतिक गुन | ||
| Dhivehi | ވަރޗޫ | ||
| Dogri | अछाई | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kabutihan | ||
| Guarani | tekokatu | ||
| Ilocano | dayaw | ||
| Krio | kwaliti | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | چاکە | ||
| Maithili | सद्गुण | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯐꯕ ꯃꯒꯨꯟ ꯆꯦꯟꯕ | ||
| Mizo | hlutna | ||
| Oromo | gaarummaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଗୁଣ | ||
| Quechua | allin kay | ||
| Sanskrit | गुण | ||
| Tatar | изгелек | ||
| Tigrinya | ሰናይ ስራሕ | ||
| Tsonga | matikhomelo ya kahle | ||