Wide in Different Languages
Discover 'Wide' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'wide' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, denoting a range of meanings from broad to spacious. Its cultural importance is evident in various aspects of life, from the wide roads of ancient Rome, designed for chariots, to the 'Wide World of Sports' that introduced Americans to a variety of international athletic competitions.
Delving into the linguistic landscape, the word 'wide' has fascinating translations in different languages, reflecting the unique ways each culture perceives and expresses the concept. For instance, in Spanish, 'wide' translates to 'ancho,' while in German, it's 'breit.' In French, 'large' is often used, and in Japanese, 'ひろい' (hiroi) conveys the idea of width.
Understanding the translations of 'wide' in different languages not only enriches our linguistic repertoire but also offers a window into diverse cultural perspectives. So, let's embark on this global exploration of the word 'wide.'
Wide
Wide in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | wyd | ||
| The Afrikaans word "wyd" means "wide," but it can also be used to mean "far away" or "in the distance." | |||
| Amharic | ሰፊ | ||
| The Amharic word ሰፊ not only means "wide" but also refers to the "expanse of the sky". | |||
| Hausa | fadi | ||
| "Fadi" also refers to an ample or extensive piece of cloth in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | obosara | ||
| In certain Igbo dialects, 'obosara' can also refer to a spacious or roomy place. | |||
| Malagasy | maneran- | ||
| MANERAN- is related to the word MANARA 'to spread.' | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | lonse | ||
| "Lonse" can also refer to a broad or spacious area. | |||
| Shona | yakafara | ||
| Yakafara is also used figuratively to mean 'unrestricted' or 'unlimited' | |||
| Somali | ballaaran | ||
| The word "ballaaran" in Somali can also mean "broad" or "spacious". | |||
| Sesotho | ka bophara | ||
| The word "ka bophara" in Sesotho originated from a verb that means "to be spacious". | |||
| Swahili | pana | ||
| From Proto-Bantu /*pana/ "to spread." | |||
| Xhosa | ububanzi | ||
| Ububanzi can also mean 'openness', 'generosity', or 'hospitality'. | |||
| Yoruba | fife | ||
| In Yoruba, "fife" can also refer to a type of gourd or the space between two objects. | |||
| Zulu | ububanzi | ||
| The Zulu word 'ububanzi' is derived from the root word 'banz', meaning 'to be spread out' or 'to be broad'. | |||
| Bambara | wagalen | ||
| Ewe | keke | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ubugari | ||
| Lingala | monene | ||
| Luganda | obugazi | ||
| Sepedi | -phara | ||
| Twi (Akan) | tɛtrɛɛ | ||
Wide in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | واسع | ||
| The word "واسع" can also mean "spacious" or "free from constraints" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | רָחָב | ||
| Pashto | پراخه | ||
| The word "پراخه" can also mean "expanse" or "vastness". | |||
| Arabic | واسع | ||
| The word "واسع" can also mean "spacious" or "free from constraints" in Arabic. | |||
Wide in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i gjerë | ||
| Alternate meaning of "i gjerë" in Albanian is "vast, expansive, broad" | |||
| Basque | zabal | ||
| The root of zabal ('wide') can also mean 'a lot' or 'very' as in zabaldu ('to open wide') and zabalduta ('spread out'). | |||
| Catalan | ample | ||
| "Ample" in Catalan derives from the Latin root "amplius," meaning "more," and shares etymology with the term "amphibious," which means "able to live both in water and on land." | |||
| Croatian | širok | ||
| "Širok" also means "generous" or "magnanimous" and shares its root with the word for "cheese". | |||
| Danish | bred | ||
| The Danish word "bred" can also refer to a kind of fabric, or a type of bread. | |||
| Dutch | breed | ||
| The Dutch word "breed" is thought to be derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰreh₂- or *bʰerǵʰ-, meaning "to break apart" or "to divide." | |||
| English | wide | ||
| Wide stems from Old English word "wid" meaning "spacious or roomy" and has cognates in many Germanic languages. | |||
| French | large | ||
| The word "large" in French shares its etymology with the English word "longitudinal", meaning "related to length". | |||
| Frisian | wiid | ||
| The word "wiid" can also mean "far", "distant", or "extensive" in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | de ancho | ||
| "De ancho" in Galician also means "from side to side" or "across the width of something." | |||
| German | breit | ||
| "Breit" can also mean "expansive" or "comprehensive" in German. | |||
| Icelandic | breiður | ||
| In the 1980s, an Icelandic rock 'n' roll band was named Breiðablik, a word which translates literally into English as “Wideview”, but in Icelandic also has the alternate, informal, slangy meaning of ‘great, terrific, swell, or awesome’. | |||
| Irish | leathan | ||
| Lea than translates directly to "half of a fire", a "fireside", "hearth" or "hall". | |||
| Italian | largo | ||
| The Italian word "largo" can also refer to a large space or a slow tempo in music. | |||
| Luxembourgish | breet | ||
| Etymology and alternate meanings of the word 'breet' in Luxembourgish | |||
| Maltese | wiesa ' | ||
| "Wiesa" is derived from the Arabic word "wasî'a" meaning "spacious" or "extensive". | |||
| Norwegian | bred | ||
| Bred also means "flat bread", originating from the old spelling "breð" of "brød" (bread) | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | largo | ||
| The Portuguese word "Largo" can also refer to a public square or a musical term indicating a slow tempo. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | farsaing | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word 'farsaing' not only means 'wide' but also 'spacious', 'extensive', or 'ample'. | |||
| Spanish | amplio | ||
| Amplio's origins may be linked to the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂empl-, signifying 'full' or 'whole'. | |||
| Swedish | bred | ||
| The word "bred" in Swedish has a feminine form ("breda") and is related to the word "breda" (spread out). | |||
| Welsh | llydan | ||
| The Welsh word 'llydan' derives from 'llyd' meaning 'to extend', also found in 'llydw' ('expanded'). | |||
Wide in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | шырокі | ||
| The word "шырокі" has similar roots to the Russian "широкий" and Ukrainian "широкий", all of which derive from the Proto-Slavic "*širokъ". | |||
| Bosnian | širok | ||
| The word "širok" in Bosnian also means "generous" or "broad-minded". | |||
| Bulgarian | широк | ||
| The word "широк" can also refer to a person's broad-mindedness or generosity. | |||
| Czech | široký | ||
| The word "široký" can also refer to liberality or generosity of mind and spirit. | |||
| Estonian | lai | ||
| The Estonian word | |||
| Finnish | leveä | ||
| The word "leveä" can also mean "gentle" or "mild" in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | széles | ||
| In Hungarian, "széles" can also refer to a gap or space, such as a hole in a fence or a gap in a row of people. | |||
| Latvian | plašs | ||
| In Latvian, "plašs" not only means "wide" but also "extensive", "roomy", and "spacious". | |||
| Lithuanian | platus | ||
| Platus also refers to an open space in a wood. | |||
| Macedonian | широк | ||
| The word "широк" also has the meaning of "generous" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | szeroki | ||
| The word "szeroki" is derived from the Proto-Slavic "*širъka", meaning "broad" or "spacious". | |||
| Romanian | lat | ||
| "Lat" has the same Proto-Indo-European root as Latin "latus", German "breit", Dutch "breed", English "broad" and "latitude", Greek "platus", Russian "ploskiy"} | |||
| Russian | широкий | ||
| The word "широкий" is derived from the Old Russian word "ширь", which means "width, expanse". | |||
| Serbian | широка | ||
| The Serbian word "широка" can also mean "broad", "extensive", or "spacious". | |||
| Slovak | široký | ||
| The Slovak word "široký" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *širokъ, which also means "wide" or "large". | |||
| Slovenian | široko | ||
| The adjective "široko" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁rew-, meaning "to stretch, to be wide". | |||
| Ukrainian | широкий | ||
| "Широкий" also means "loose" in Ukrainian. | |||
Wide in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | প্রশস্ত | ||
| The word "প্রশস্ত" is derived from the Sanskrit word "praśasta", meaning "excellent" or "praiseworthy" | |||
| Gujarati | પહોળા | ||
| The word "પહોળા" can also mean "generous" or "spacious" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | चौड़ा | ||
| चौड़ा also means spacious and extensive in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಅಗಲ | ||
| In Kannada, the word "ಅಗಲ" not only means "wide" but also refers to "distance" and "remoteness". | |||
| Malayalam | വീതിയുള്ള | ||
| "வீதி" in Tamil and "വീതി" in Malayalam both refer to width and are cognates derived from Sanskrit "विति" ('viti', meaning spread out). | |||
| Marathi | रुंद | ||
| रुंद derives from the Sanskrit 'randh' or 'rudh' meaning 'to grow', 'to obstruct', or 'to close'. | |||
| Nepali | फराकिलो | ||
| The word "फराकिलो" derives from the Sanskrit root "वृष्" (vrsh) meaning "to spread" or "to expand." | |||
| Punjabi | ਚੌੜਾ | ||
| ਚੌੜਾ (चौड़ा) is also used to describe someone who is generous or liberal. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පුළුල් | ||
| Tamil | பரந்த | ||
| Telugu | విస్తృత | ||
| Urdu | چوڑا | ||
| The word "چوڑا" is also used to refer to a type of bangle worn by women in South Asia. | |||
Wide in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 宽 | ||
| 寬 can also mean 'generous' or 'tolerant'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 寬 | ||
| "寬" also refers to "relaxing", "tolerant", "forgiving", and "lenient." | |||
| Japanese | ワイド | ||
| Korean | 넓은 | ||
| 넓은 originated as an independent word, later becoming synonymous with its Sino-Korean equivalent "광" with the meaning of "light". | |||
| Mongolian | өргөн | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကျယ်ပြန့် | ||
Wide in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | lebar | ||
| In archaic Javanese, "lebar" originally referred to a river's width, then to width in general. | |||
| Javanese | jembar | ||
| "Jembar" is also used to describe a generous or tolerant person. | |||
| Khmer | ធំទូលាយ | ||
| Lao | ກ້ວາງ | ||
| The Lao word “ກ້ວາງ” also means “generous”, but a “ກ້ວາງ” person is not someone who gives frequently, but only gives something substantial during times of extreme need. | |||
| Malay | luas | ||
| The word 'luas' also has a derivative meaning of 'open' or 'free' in Malay, as seen in the term 'luas hati' ('open-hearted'). | |||
| Thai | กว้าง | ||
| The word "กว้าง" (wide) is derived from the Proto-Tai word *kwraŋ, which also means "large" or "spacious." | |||
| Vietnamese | rộng | ||
| The word "rộng" also refers to being spacious, large-scale, or liberal in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | malawak | ||
Wide in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | geniş | ||
| The word "geniş" is an Old Persian loanword used both for "tall" and "broad," although its literal meaning is more accurately "long." | |||
| Kazakh | кең | ||
| The Kazakh word "кең" can also mean "spacious", "roomy" or "generous." | |||
| Kyrgyz | кенен | ||
| The word "кенен" ("wide") in Kyrgyz also means "calm" or "relaxed". | |||
| Tajik | васеъ | ||
| "Васеъ" is also a feminine personal name of Persian origin meaning "expansive" or "spacious". | |||
| Turkmen | giň | ||
| Uzbek | keng | ||
| The word "keng" can also refer to a spacious or roomy area. | |||
| Uyghur | كەڭ | ||
Wide in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ākea | ||
| Cognate in Samoan and Eastern Polynesian; also a name for a particular plant. | |||
| Maori | whanui | ||
| 'Whanui' also refers to the concept of 'extended family' or 'wider community' in Māori culture. | |||
| Samoan | lautele | ||
| The term 'lautele' also refers to a 12-stringed instrument played in Samoa, made from a coconut shell and a bamboo fretboard. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | malapad | ||
| The word "malapad" can also mean "broad" or "extensive" when used to describe a physical space or an abstract concept. | |||
Wide in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jach'a | ||
| Guarani | tuichakue | ||
Wide in International Languages
| Esperanto | larĝa | ||
| Latin | lata | ||
| "Latus" in Classical Latin (not to be confused with "laterus") originally meant a "side" or "flank" and was later extended to the meanings "broad", "extended", and "wide". | |||
Wide in Others Languages
| Greek | πλατύς | ||
| The word "πλατύς" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *plet-, meaning "to spread" or "to flatten." | |||
| Hmong | dav | ||
| The Hmong word "dav" also refers to "flat" and "shallow". | |||
| Kurdish | bi ber | ||
| 'Bi ber' also means 'big' and 'vast' in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | geniş | ||
| Geniş is also related to the word `gönüş` meaning `soul` in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | ububanzi | ||
| Ububanzi can also mean 'openness', 'generosity', or 'hospitality'. | |||
| Yiddish | ברייט | ||
| The Yiddish word "ברייט" (breit) is derived from the German word "breit," which also means "wide". | |||
| Zulu | ububanzi | ||
| The Zulu word 'ububanzi' is derived from the root word 'banz', meaning 'to be spread out' or 'to be broad'. | |||
| Assamese | বহল | ||
| Aymara | jach'a | ||
| Bhojpuri | चाकर | ||
| Dhivehi | ފުޅާ | ||
| Dogri | चौड़ा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | malawak | ||
| Guarani | tuichakue | ||
| Ilocano | nalawa | ||
| Krio | big | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | فراوان | ||
| Maithili | चौड़ा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯥꯛꯄ | ||
| Mizo | zau | ||
| Oromo | bal'aa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଚଉଡା | | ||
| Quechua | kinray | ||
| Sanskrit | विस्तृतः | ||
| Tatar | киң | ||
| Tigrinya | ሰፊሕ | ||
| Tsonga | anama | ||