Wise in Different Languages
Discover 'Wise' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Wise
Afrikaans wys | ||
Albanian i mençur | ||
Amharic ጥበበኛ | ||
Arabic حكيم | ||
Armenian իմաստուն | ||
Assamese জ্ঞানী | ||
Aymara ch'ikhi | ||
Azerbaijani müdrik | ||
Bambara halilitigi | ||
Basque jakintsua | ||
Belarusian мудры | ||
Bengali বুদ্ধিমান | ||
Bhojpuri बुद्धिगर | ||
Bosnian mudar | ||
Bulgarian мъдър | ||
Catalan savi | ||
Cebuano maalamon | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 明智的 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 明智的 | ||
Corsican saggiu | ||
Croatian mudar | ||
Czech moudrý | ||
Danish klog | ||
Dhivehi ޙިކްމަތްތެރި | ||
Dogri समझदार | ||
Dutch wijs | ||
English wise | ||
Esperanto saĝa | ||
Estonian tark | ||
Ewe nya nu | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) matalino | ||
Finnish viisas | ||
French sage | ||
Frisian wiis | ||
Galician sabio | ||
Georgian ბრძენი | ||
German weise | ||
Greek σοφός | ||
Guarani arandu | ||
Gujarati મુજબની | ||
Haitian Creole saj | ||
Hausa hikima | ||
Hawaiian naauao | ||
Hebrew חכם | ||
Hindi बुद्धिमान | ||
Hmong neeg ntse | ||
Hungarian bölcs | ||
Icelandic vitur | ||
Igbo maara ihe | ||
Ilocano nasirib | ||
Indonesian bijaksana | ||
Irish ciallmhar | ||
Italian saggio | ||
Japanese 賢い | ||
Javanese wicaksana | ||
Kannada ಬುದ್ಧಿವಂತ | ||
Kazakh ақылды | ||
Khmer មានប្រាជ្ញា | ||
Kinyarwanda umunyabwenge | ||
Konkani हूशार | ||
Korean 슬기로운 | ||
Krio sɛns | ||
Kurdish rîsipî | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) دانا | ||
Kyrgyz акылдуу | ||
Lao ສະຫລາດ | ||
Latin prudens | ||
Latvian gudrs | ||
Lingala mayele | ||
Lithuanian išmintingas | ||
Luganda okuba n'amagezi | ||
Luxembourgish schlau | ||
Macedonian мудар | ||
Maithili ज्ञानी | ||
Malagasy hendry | ||
Malay bijak | ||
Malayalam ജ്ഞാനമുള്ളവൻ | ||
Maltese għaqli | ||
Maori mohio | ||
Marathi ज्ञानी | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯑꯁꯤꯡꯕ | ||
Mizo fing | ||
Mongolian ухаалаг | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ပညာရှိ | ||
Nepali बुद्धिमान | ||
Norwegian klok | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) wanzeru | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଜ୍ଞାନୀ | ||
Oromo ogeessa | ||
Pashto هوښیاره | ||
Persian عاقلانه | ||
Polish mądry | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) sensato | ||
Punjabi ਸਿਆਣਾ | ||
Quechua yachaq | ||
Romanian înţelept | ||
Russian мудрый | ||
Samoan poto | ||
Sanskrit पण्डितः | ||
Scots Gaelic glic | ||
Sepedi bohlale | ||
Serbian мудро | ||
Sesotho bohlale | ||
Shona kuchenjera | ||
Sindhi عقلمند | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) බුද්ධිමත් | ||
Slovak múdry | ||
Slovenian moder | ||
Somali caqli badan | ||
Spanish sabio | ||
Sundanese wijaksana | ||
Swahili busara | ||
Swedish klok | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) matalino | ||
Tajik доно | ||
Tamil பாண்டித்தியம் | ||
Tatar акыллы | ||
Telugu తెలివైన | ||
Thai ฉลาด | ||
Tigrinya ለባም | ||
Tsonga tlharihile | ||
Turkish bilge | ||
Turkmen akylly | ||
Twi (Akan) nyansa | ||
Ukrainian мудрий | ||
Urdu عقل مند | ||
Uyghur دانا | ||
Uzbek dono | ||
Vietnamese khôn ngoan | ||
Welsh doeth | ||
Xhosa isilumko | ||
Yiddish קלוג | ||
Yoruba ọlọgbọn | ||
Zulu uhlakaniphile |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The word "wys" in Afrikaans is derived from the Dutch word "wijs", meaning "wise" or "learned". |
| Albanian | "I mençur" is an Albanian phrase which is thought to have derived from the Italian term "mente pura," which means "clean mind." |
| Amharic | The word "ጥበበኛ" can also refer to someone who has a deep understanding of a particular subject or skill. |
| Arabic | The Arabic word "حكيم" (ḥakīm) means "physician" and is related to the word "حكمة" (ḥikma) meaning "wisdom" and "knowledge." |
| Azerbaijani | The word "müdrik" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Persian word "mudrik", which means "comprehending, understanding". |
| Basque | "Jakintsua" comes from "jakin", which can also mean "to taste" or "to experience". |
| Belarusian | The word мудры (“wise” in Belarusian) is linked to a term of Old Prussian origin that meant “priest.” |
| Bosnian | The word mudar also refers to a teacher or scholar in some contexts. |
| Bulgarian | The word "мъдър" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *mǫdrъ, which also means "clever" or "skillful." |
| Catalan | The Catalan word "savi" also means "sage" or "scholar", and derives from the Latin word "sapere", meaning "to know". |
| Chinese (Simplified) | "明" can also mean "bright" in Chinese |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 明智 is also the Japanese pronunciation of the surname Akechi. |
| Corsican | The word "saggiu" can also mean "prudent" or "sensible". |
| Czech | The word 'moudrý' ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root '*med-' ('to measure, think'), also found in 'medium', 'medicine' and 'meditation'. |
| Danish | The Danish word "klog" derives from the Proto-Germanic root “klug”, cognate with Old English “clywen” (modern English "clever") and Proto-Slavic “klłg” (modern Polish "klębł") |
| Dutch | In Dutch, "wijs" can also refer to a melody or tune. |
| Esperanto | "Saĝa" also means right, as in the correct side |
| Estonian | The Estonian word "tark" is cognate with the Finnish word "tarka", which means "intelligent" or "clever". |
| Finnish | The word "viisas" is also used to describe a person who has a lot of experience or knowledge in a particular field. |
| French | In French, "sage" can also refer to a plant of the genus Salvia, commonly known as sagebrush or common sage. |
| Frisian | In West Frisian, |
| Galician | In Galician, sabio also means an elder who holds or has inherited traditional knowledge of herbal remedies and healing practices |
| Georgian | The Georgian word 'ბრძენი' ('wise') is derived from the Proto-Kartvelian root '*bərʒ-/', meaning 'to understand'. |
| German | The word "weise" in German is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*witaz", which means "to see" or "to know". |
| Greek | "Σοφός" can be interpreted as "possessing knowledge" or "having sound judgment". |
| Gujarati | The term "મુજબની" comes from the Middle Persian word "muzun", which means "custom" and "practice". |
| Haitian Creole | The word "saj" in Haitian Creole originally referred to a type of wisdom that comes from experience and is associated with Vodou spirituality. |
| Hausa | "Hikima" also means "knowledge" in Hausa. |
| Hawaiian | In Hawaiian mythology, "naauao" refers to the supernatural ability possessed by powerful deities and certain individuals to access knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. |
| Hebrew | The word "חכם" also means "expert" or "scholar" and comes from the root word meaning "know" or "understand". |
| Hindi | The word "बुद्धिमान" is derived from the Sanskrit root "बुध्" (budh), which means "to know" or "to understand". |
| Hmong | The Hmong word "neeg ntse" can also refer to someone who is intelligent or skilled in a particular area. |
| Hungarian | The Hungarian word "bölcs" is related to the Turkish word "bilge" which means "wise" or "philosopher." |
| Icelandic | The origin of "vitur" is the Proto-Germanic word "wituz," which also gave rise to "witan" in Old English, meaning "to know" or "council," as well as "viden" in Danish and "viten" in Norwegian, which both mean "to know." |
| Igbo | The word 'maara ihe' in Igbo also implies 'to possess intelligence and understanding' and 'to have a deep understanding of something'. |
| Indonesian | The word originates from Sanskrit, coming from the root word 'vijaya' meaning victory and 'sana' meaning method or means. It refers to using intellect and strategy to gain victory in life and overcome obstacles. |
| Irish | The word "ciallmhar" can also mean "clever", "shrewd", or "prudent". |
| Italian | The word "saggio" also means "essay" in Italian, stemming from the Latin word "exagium" which means "weighing" or "testing". |
| Japanese | "賢い" comes from the Japanese kanji character "賢", which also means "bright", "clear", or "sharp". |
| Javanese | "Wicaksana", meaning wise, also has meanings like "knowing" or "able to recognize" in Javanese. |
| Kannada | The Kannada word "ಬುದ್ಧಿವಂತ" can also refer to a "learned" or "intelligent" individual. |
| Kazakh | The word "ақылды" can also mean "reasonable" or "sensible". |
| Khmer | This Khmer word "មានប្រាជ្ញា" can also refer to someone who has the ability to think logically and make sound judgments. |
| Korean | In Korean, '슬기로운' (wise) originally referred to a person who could skillfully handle horses. |
| Kurdish | The word "rîsipî" originates from the Proto-Indo-European root "*h₁reǵ- "meaning "to rule" or "to be wise" and also means "old" in Kurdish. |
| Kyrgyz | The Kyrgyz word "акылдуу" is also used to describe a person who is intelligent or knowledgeable. |
| Lao | "ສະຫລາດ" is also a name used to describe "someone with a high degree of understanding and knowledge" or a person that has "intellectual" abilities. |
| Latin | The word 'prudens' comes from the Latin 'providere', which means 'to foresee'. |
| Latvian | The word "gudrs" can also refer to a person who is knowledgeable or experienced in a particular subject. |
| Lithuanian | The word "išmintingas" is rooted in the Old Prussian word "asmintins," which means "prophet." |
| Luxembourgish | "Schlau" in Luxembourgish also has the alternate meaning "narrow". |
| Macedonian | The word 'мудар' is also used in a figurative sense to mean 'clever' or 'shrewd'. |
| Malagasy | HENDRY (wise) is also used to describe something that is 'correct' or 'appropriate'. |
| Malay | In Old Malay, 'bijak' meant skilled in magical arts. |
| Maltese | The word "għaqli" is derived from the Arabic word "ʿaql", meaning "intellect" or "reason". |
| Maori | The word "mohio" in Maori has multiple meanings, including "knowledge," "understanding," "skill," and "wisdom." |
| Marathi | "ज्ञानी" is also a respectful term for a person who has attained spiritual knowledge or enlightenment. |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | The word "ပညာရှိ" in Myanmar (Burmese) is derived from the Sanskrit word "prajñā" which means "wisdom", "knowledge", or "intelligence." |
| Nepali | "बुद्धिमान" is derived from the Sanskrit word "बुद्धि" meaning intellect, understanding, or knowledge. |
| Norwegian | The Norwegian word "klok" is etymologically related to the English "clock" as its original meaning was the "time of day". In the 18th century "klok" started being used as another word for "wise" in some parts of Norway, but the term is now considered archaic. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "wanzeru" is also used in Nyanja to refer to someone who is cunning or resourceful. |
| Pashto | هوښیاره also means "intelligent" and shares a root with the word "هوش" (mind). |
| Persian | The Persian word "عاقلانه" (wise) stems from the Arabic root word "عقل" (intellect). |
| Polish | The Polish word "mądry" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*men-", meaning "to think" or "to understand". |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Portuguese, "sensato" also means "sensitive" or "sensible". |
| Romanian | The Romanian word "înţelept" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *ǫdъ and is related to words for "understanding" and "comprehension" in other Slavic languages. |
| Russian | "Мудрый" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*men-", meaning "to think". |
| Samoan | The word "poto" also means "calm" or "serene". |
| Scots Gaelic | In Scots Gaelic, "glic" may also be a euphemism for intoxicated, possibly originating from a Gaelic word that means "smooth, sleek, or oily". |
| Serbian | The Serbian word мудро "wise" shares its root with the word мир "peace", suggesting a connection between wisdom and the preservation of harmony. |
| Shona | The Shona word `kuchenjera` comes from the verb `kuchera`, meaning 'to know', and is related to the noun `uchenjeri`, meaning 'wisdom'. |
| Sindhi | The word "عقلمند" in Sindhi derives from the Arabic "ʿaql", meaning "intellect or understanding", and the Persian "mand", meaning "possessing". |
| Slovak | The word "múdry" derives from the Proto-Slavic "*mǫdrъ", meaning "speaking clearly" or "knowledgeable." |
| Slovenian | The word "moder" in Slovenian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *mъdrъ, which also means "brave" or "skilful." |
| Somali | This word may be rooted in Proto-Cushitic *qál, a word for "intelligence." |
| Spanish | The word 'sabio' evolved from the Latin 'sapium' meaning 'taste', hence its use for 'tasting' (trying) knowledge. |
| Sundanese | "Wijaksana" in Sundanese derives from the Sanskrit word "vijaksyate", suggesting a profound understanding and ability to discern or discriminate. |
| Swahili | The Swahili word "busara" is related to the Arabic word "basara" meaning "to see" and "to be wise". |
| Swedish | In Swedish, the word “klok” can also refer to a bell or a timepiece. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The Tagalog word "matalino" originally referred to a keen sense of sight, but has since evolved to encompass intelligence and wisdom. |
| Tajik | Tajik word "доно" comes from the root "дан", meaning "to know" and is related to the Persian word "دانستن" (to know). |
| Telugu | The word "తెలివైన" in Telugu can also refer to someone who is "clever" or "sharp-witted". |
| Thai | "ฉลาด" originally meant "skilled" but later took on the meaning of "intelligent". |
| Turkish | The Turkish word "bilge" has the same origin as the English word "build" and the Persian word "bânû" (lady), all referring to knowledge, skill, or craft. |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word |
| Urdu | عقل مند also means 'logical' based on its root word 'عقل', meaning 'reason' or 'logic' in Arabic. |
| Uzbek | In Uzbek, "dono" also means "a scientist". |
| Vietnamese | "Khôn ngoan" literally means "intelligent and clever". |
| Welsh | The Welsh word "doeth" also means "leaf". |
| Xhosa | The word 'isilumko' in Xhosa holds similar connotations to the Latin word 'sapientia', encompassing not only intellectual knowledge but also a profound moral understanding. |
| Yiddish | The word "קלוג" is also a variant spelling of the word "קלאג" meaning "lament". |
| Yoruba | The Yoruba word "ọlọgbọn" can also refer to a traditional healer or diviner. |
| Zulu | The term "uhlakaniphile" can have connotations of someone who displays cleverness, astuteness or cunning in Zulu. |
| English | The verb 'to wise up' shares the same origin as the adjective 'wise', and both stem from an Old English word meaning 'to know'. |