Wisdom in different languages

Wisdom in Different Languages

Discover 'Wisdom' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

Wisdom is a cherished concept that transcends cultures and languages. It represents a deep understanding and insight, gained through experience or knowledge, which allows one to navigate the world with grace and foresight. Throughout history, wisdom has been revered as a valuable trait, often associated with age, maturity, and spiritual awareness.

In many cultures, wisdom is considered a universal language, a shared human experience that connects us all. Its significance is reflected in various proverbs, stories, and philosophies that have been passed down through generations. For instance, in Greek philosophy, wisdom is personified as Sophia, the goddess of wisdom and knowledge. Meanwhile, in Buddhism, wisdom is one of the three universal truths, representing the understanding of reality as it is.

Understanding the translation of wisdom in different languages can offer fascinating insights into how different cultures view and value this concept. Here are some sample translations to pique your curiosity:

  • Sophia (Σοφία) in Greek
  • Chokhmah (חכמה) in Hebrew
  • Sen (賢) in Chinese
  • Hikmah (حكمة) in Arabic
  • Buddi (बुद्धि) in Sanskrit

Wisdom


Wisdom in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaanswysheid
Wysheid, pronounced "vys-hey-t", means wisdom in Afrikaans and comes from the Dutch word "wijsheid" which also means wisdom, as well as knowledge or good judgment.
Amharicጥበብ
The word ጥበብ in Amharic is often interpreted in a religious context and refers to the wisdom of God.
Hausahikima
The Hausa word 'hikima' can also refer to knowledge, understanding, or judgment.
Igboamamihe
The Igbo word 'amamihe' also has meanings such as 'knowledge', 'understanding', 'intelligence'.
Malagasyfahendrena
In the Malagasy language, the word "FAHENDRENA" derives from Arabic, meaning "wisdom in the eyes of the people".
Nyanja (Chichewa)nzeru
Nzeru shares its etymology with the Proto-Bantu root *-zeru, meaning "to know, understand, perceive."
Shonauchenjeri
The Shona word 'uchenjeri' also refers to the ability to foretell the future or the wisdom gained through experience.
Somalixigmad
Sesothobohlale
In some contexts, 'bohlale' can also refer to traditional knowledge, folklore, or philosophical teachings passed down through generations.
Swahilihekima
In Swahili, "hekima" also refers to traditional healing practices and knowledge.
Xhosaubulumko
In Xhosa, 'ubulumko' is also used to refer to the art of healing, using traditional methods and knowledge passed down through generations.
Yorubaọgbọn
In Yorùbá, ọgbọn means "deep knowledge of a kind, wisdom that is acquired through experience and understanding of life."
Zuluukuhlakanipha
Zulu word "ukuhlakanipha" is derived from the verb "ukuhlakanipha" meaning "to make wise/to cause to acquire wisdom," implying wisdom is not an inherent quality but a learned trait.
Bambarahakilitigiya
Ewenunya
Kinyarwandaubwenge
Lingalabwanya
Lugandaamagezi
Sepedibohlale
Twi (Akan)nyansa

Wisdom in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicحكمة
The Arabic word "حكمة" not only means "wisdom", but also refers to sayings by famous individuals intended to provide guidance or teach a lesson.
Hebrewחוכמה
The Hebrew word "חוכמה" also means "skill" and "art"
Pashtoهوښیارتیا
The Pashto word "هوښیارتیا" for "wisdom" translates to "intelligence" in English and has a secondary meaning of "shrewdness."
Arabicحكمة
The Arabic word "حكمة" not only means "wisdom", but also refers to sayings by famous individuals intended to provide guidance or teach a lesson.

Wisdom in Western European Languages

Albanianmençuri
The word "mençuri" possibly derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*men-/*mān-«, meaning "to think" or "to know".
Basquejakinduria
The Basque word "jakinduria" has the alternate meaning of "scholarship."
Catalansaviesa
The word "saviesa" is derived from the Latin "sapere," meaning "to know" or "to taste."
Croatianmudrost
The word "mudrost" in Croatian comes from the Proto-Slavic word "mǫdrъ", originally meaning "clever, cunning, or shrewd."
Danishvisdom
The Danish word "visdom" is related to the old Norse "vísdóm," meaning "prophecy".
Dutchwijsheid
The term "wijsheid" comes from the Old Saxon word "wis", meaning "to know"
Englishwisdom
The word "wisdom" derives from the Latin word "sapere," meaning "to taste" or "to know."
Frenchsagesse
The word "sagesse" is derived from the Latin word "sapere," meaning "to taste" or "to know," and also has the alternate meaning of "sound judgment" or "good sense."
Frisianwysheid
"Wysheid" is also a Frisian word for a small wooden box to hide small items.
Galiciansabedoría
Sabedoría is also a Galician word that means 'know-how' or 'expertise'
Germanweisheit
Weisheit is derived from Proto-Germanic *wīsaz, "knowledge, wisdom," from Proto-Indo-European *woid-s-, "to see, know."
Icelandicspeki
Speki is also used in Icelandic to describe a type of salt cod.
Irisheagna
The word "eagna" in Irish comes from the root "aig" (to know), and it is related to the word "eolas" (knowledge).
Italiansaggezza
"Saggezza" shares the same root as the Latin "sagire" meaning "to perceive", and thus originally meant "discernment", "insight" and only later "wisdom."
Luxembourgishwäisheet
Wäisheet is derived from the Old High German word "wīsa", meaning "way, path, or manner."
Maltesegħerf
"Għerf" is cognate with "għaraft" ("intelligence, knowledge") and has also been used with the meaning of "science."
Norwegianvisdom
In Norwegian, "visdom" is cognate with the German word "wissen" which means "to know".
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)sabedoria
The word "sabedoria" in Portuguese comes from the Latin word "sapere", which means "to be wise" or "to know".
Scots Gaelicgliocas
The Irish Gaelic cognate of "gliocas" is "gléic" and means "skill or art".
Spanishsabiduría
Sabiduría comes from the Latin 'sapere,' meaning 'to be wise,' and 'sapientia,' referring to knowledge and discernment.
Swedishvisdom
The word "visdom" in Swedish shares the same root as "vetenskap" (science), both stemming from the Latin "scire" (to know).
Welshdoethineb
The word 'doethineb' is thought to be derived from the Proto-Celtic word *doitinom ('knowledge') or *douetiom ('understanding').

Wisdom in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianмудрасць
"Мудрасць" comes from the Proto-Indo-European "*men-" meaning "to think".
Bosnianmudrost
Mudrost derives from the Old Slavonic word "mudrъ", meaning "skilled" or "wise".
Bulgarianмъдрост
The word “мъдрост” is derived from Proto-Slavic and shares a root with the word “умерено” (moderation).
Czechmoudrost
"moudrost" also means "blue bottle" in Czech, reflecting the ancient belief that blue glass bottles were filled with wisdom and used for divination.
Estoniantarkus
The word "tarkus" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "*tarke", which also means "wisdom" or "knowledge".
Finnishviisaus
In folklore, the word "viisaus" also refers to a mythical creature with healing powers.
Hungarianbölcsesség
The Hungarian word "bölcsesség" comes from the Slavic word "bol'ša", meaning "greater" or "more". It was borrowed into Hungarian in the 13th century and has been used to refer to wisdom and knowledge ever since.
Latviangudrība
"Gudrība" in Latvian shares its etymology with "good" in English, reflecting wisdom's association with moral virtue.
Lithuanianišmintis
Išmintis may also refer to a 'seer' or 'sage' in Lithuanian folklore.
Macedonianмудрост
The Macedonian word "мудрост" can also refer to "intelligence" or "knowledge".
Polishmądrość
The Polish word "mądrość" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*mǫdrosьtь", which also meant "courage" or "strength".
Romanianînţelepciune
The word "înţelepciune" in Romanian comes from the Latin word "intelligentia", which means "understanding" or "knowledge".
Russianмудрость
The Russian word "мудрость" (wisdom) derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*men-," also meaning "to think".
Serbianмудрост
The word "мудрост" also means "knowledge" or "learning".
Slovakmúdrosť
The word "múdrosť" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *mǫdrъ, meaning "wise" or "skilled".
Slovenianmodrost
The word comes from the Proto-Slavic word "modru" which can mean "clever" or "sly."
Ukrainianмудрість
The word "мудрість" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *mǫdrъ, meaning "wise, prudent, clever, sagacious."

Wisdom in South Asian Languages

Bengaliপ্রজ্ঞা
The word "প্রজ্ঞা" originally referred to knowledge obtained through meditation.
Gujaratiડહાપણ
Hindiबुद्धिमत्ता
The Hindi word बुद्धिमत्ता (wisdom) comes from the Sanskrit word बुद्धि (intellect), which also means "awakening" and "enlightenment".
Kannadaಬುದ್ಧಿವಂತಿಕೆ
Malayalamജ്ഞാനം
The Malayalam word "ജ്ഞാനം" (jñānam) is derived from the Sanskrit word "jñāna", which means "knowledge" or "understanding."
Marathiशहाणपणा
The word "शहाणपणा" (wisdom) comes from the Sanskrit word "ज्ञाना" (knowledge) and means "possessing knowledge".
Nepaliबुद्धिको
"बुद्धिको" is derived from the Sanskrit word "buddhi" which also means "intellect" or "understanding."
Punjabiਬੁੱਧੀ
ਬੁੱਧੀ means 'wisdom', but is also a name for the female deity Saraswati and the planet Mercury.
Sinhala (Sinhalese)ප්‍ර .ාව
ප්‍ර.ාව originates from the Sanskrit word 'प्रज्ञा' which also means 'wisdom' and is often associated with spiritual enlightenment.
Tamilஞானம்
In Ancient Tamil, 'ஞானம்' also referred to a type of yoga and spiritual practice
Teluguజ్ఞానం
The Telugu word 'జ్ఞానం' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'jñana', which means enlightenment or spiritual wisdom.
Urduحکمت
The word "حکمت" also means "prophecy" in Urdu, as it is derived from the Arabic word "حكمة" which has both meanings.

Wisdom in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)智慧
智慧 (zhì huì): “know-how”; combination of “know” (智) and “understand” (慧)
Chinese (Traditional)智慧
The first character in "智慧" (zhìhuì) means "to know," while the second means "to perceive".
Japanese知恵
"知恵" (wisdom) also means "knowledge" or "intellect".
Korean지혜
"지혜" is written using characters that also mean "branch of a tree".
Mongolianмэргэн ухаан
Myanmar (Burmese)ဉာဏ်ပညာ

Wisdom in South East Asian Languages

Indonesiankebijaksanaan
In Javanese, kebijaksanaan has a similar but broader meaning, encompassing wisdom, intelligence, and cunning.
Javanesekawicaksanan
"Kawicaksanan" derives from the word "wicaksana" meaning "intelligent, astute," and the suffix "-an" indicating "something possessed or obtained."
Khmerប្រាជ្ញា
Laoປັນຍາ
Malaykebijaksanaan
In Sanskrit, the root word "budh" refers to both "knowledge" and "awakening," suggesting wisdom's connection to both cognitive and spiritual realms.
Thaiภูมิปัญญา
The word "ภูมิปัญญา" in Thai can also refer to traditional medicine and agricultural techniques passed down through generations.
Vietnamesesự khôn ngoan
The Vietnamese word "sự khôn ngoan" can also mean "shrewdness" or "cunning".
Filipino (Tagalog)karunungan

Wisdom in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanimüdriklik
The word "müdriklik" is also used to refer to the ability to predict the future or see things that are hidden.
Kazakhданалық
The Kazakh word "даналық" (wisdom) is derived from the Persian word "dānā" (wise), which is also the root of the English word "doctor"
Kyrgyzакылдуулук
The Kyrgyz word "акылдуулук" is derived from the root word "акыл", meaning "mind" or "intellect", and the suffix "-лук", which indicates a quality or state of being.
Tajikҳикмат
The word "ҳикмат" is also used to refer to religious teachings or guidance.
Turkmenpaýhas
Uzbekdonolik
Donolik is also used to refer to a specific type of spiritual knowledge or enlightenment in Uzbek.
Uyghurھېكمەت

Wisdom in Pacific Languages

Hawaiiannaauao
The Hawaiian word "naauao" can also refer to "understanding," "knowledge," or "learning."
Maoriwhakaaro nui
Whakaaro nui in Maori can also refer to the concept of 'deep thinking' or 'reflection'.
Samoanpoto
The word "poto" in Samoan also means "knowledge", "intelligence", or "understanding"
Tagalog (Filipino)karunungan
The Tagalog word 'karunungan' (wisdom) is derived from the root word 'alam' (know) and the suffix '-an', indicating a place or state of being, suggesting that wisdom is the state of knowing or being knowledgeable.

Wisdom in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarayatiña
Guaraniarandu

Wisdom in International Languages

Esperantosaĝo
The Esperanto word "saĝo" is derived from the Latin word "sapientia", which also means "wisdom".
Latinsapientiae
The word "sapientia" in Latin is related to the words "sapere" (to be wise) and "sapor" (taste).

Wisdom in Others Languages

Greekσοφία
Σοφία also has a second, less common, meaning of "art, craft, skill, or knowledge", similar to "τέχνη"
Hmongtxhab
The Hmong word "txhab" originally referred to the spirit inside the heart during divination practices and to the spirit that guards a house.
Kurdishrîsipîti
The word 'rîsipîti' is derived from the Persian 'dânish' and also has the meaning of 'knowledge'.
Turkishbilgelik
Bilgelik derives from the word "bilgi" (knowledge) and the Proto-Turkic word "*bil" (to know)
Xhosaubulumko
In Xhosa, 'ubulumko' is also used to refer to the art of healing, using traditional methods and knowledge passed down through generations.
Yiddishחכמה
In Yiddish, the word "חכמה" can also refer to knowledge, craftiness, or cunning.
Zuluukuhlakanipha
Zulu word "ukuhlakanipha" is derived from the verb "ukuhlakanipha" meaning "to make wise/to cause to acquire wisdom," implying wisdom is not an inherent quality but a learned trait.
Assameseজ্ঞান
Aymarayatiña
Bhojpuriअकिल
Dhivehiބުއްދި
Dogriअकलमंदी
Filipino (Tagalog)karunungan
Guaraniarandu
Ilocanokapanunotan
Kriosɛns
Kurdish (Sorani)ژیری
Maithiliबुद्धिमत्ता
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯂꯧꯁꯤꯡ
Mizofinna
Oromoogummaa
Odia (Oriya)ଜ୍ଞାନ
Quechuayachay
Sanskritप्रज्ञा
Tatarзирәклек
Tigrinyaጥበብ
Tsongavutlharhi

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