Wonder in Different Languages
Discover 'Wonder' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'wonder' holds a special place in our hearts and minds. It signifies curiosity, awe, and the desire to understand the world around us. From a philosophical perspective, wonder is the starting point of philosophy, as Socrates famously claimed that 'wonder is the beginning of wisdom.'
Culturally, wonder has been a source of inspiration for countless works of art, literature, and music. It transcends borders and languages, bringing people together in a shared sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty and mystery of the universe.
Given its significance, it's no surprise that people might want to know the translation of 'wonder' in different languages. After all, language is a powerful tool for connecting with others and expressing our thoughts and feelings. By learning the translation of 'wonder' in different languages, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the cultural diversity and richness of our world.
Here are some translations of 'wonder' in different languages: Spanish - maravilla, French - merveille, German - Wunder, Italian - meraviglia, Chinese - 奇迹 (qíjī), Japanese - 奇跡 (kiseki), Arabic - عجب (ʿajab), Russian - чудо (chudo), Hindi - आशчіत्र (āścictra), and many more.
Wonder
Wonder in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | wonder | ||
| The Afrikaans word "wonder" is derived from the Old English word "wundor," meaning "a surprising or extraordinary thing," and has additional meanings of "miracle" and "great admiration or reverence." | |||
| Amharic | ይገርማል | ||
| The word "ይገርማል" comes from the root "ገረመ" meaning "to be beautiful". | |||
| Hausa | yi mamaki | ||
| The name yi mamaki may also be used for a person that is always surprising | |||
| Igbo | iju | ||
| The Igbo word | |||
| Malagasy | manontany tena | ||
| The word "Manontany tena" also means "to ask questions" or "to be curious" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zodabwitsa | ||
| "Zodabwitsa" is an archaic term meaning "wonder, curiosity, amazement", which is related to the root "za" (to ask), implying "a state of asking or questioning in one's mind". | |||
| Shona | hameno | ||
| Although "hameno" normally means "wonder", it can also mean being in awe. | |||
| Somali | yaab | ||
| The word "yaab" in Somali can also refer to a "miracle" or "something extraordinary. | |||
| Sesotho | makatsa | ||
| The word | |||
| Swahili | ajabu | ||
| The word "ajabu" also means "magical" in certain dialects of the Swahili coast. | |||
| Xhosa | mangaliswe | ||
| The word "mangaliswe" is thought to originally translate as "one who is made to ask questions" and to have once meant "to make known". | |||
| Yoruba | iyalẹnu | ||
| The Yoruba word "iyalẹnu" also means "mother of wonder" or "mother of surprise". | |||
| Zulu | mangaza | ||
| "Mangaza" also refers to a type of traditional Zulu dance. | |||
| Bambara | k'i yɛrɛ ɲininka | ||
| Ewe | nukunu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | igitangaza | ||
| Lingala | kokamwa | ||
| Luganda | okweewuunya | ||
| Sepedi | tlabega | ||
| Twi (Akan) | bisadwene | ||
Wonder in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | يتساءل | ||
| In Arabic, the word يتساءل (yatas'al) derives from the root word سأل (sa'ala), meaning 'to ask' or 'to inquire' | |||
| Hebrew | פֶּלֶא | ||
| The term is also sometimes used as a reference to the ancient Canaanite deity Peor, and may be of the same origin as "Pelasgia" | |||
| Pashto | حیرانتیا | ||
| The word “حیرانتیا” also carries the meaning of surprise or astonishment. | |||
| Arabic | يتساءل | ||
| In Arabic, the word يتساءل (yatas'al) derives from the root word سأل (sa'ala), meaning 'to ask' or 'to inquire' | |||
Wonder in Western European Languages
| Albanian | çuditem | ||
| Çuditem also means “miracle” in Albanian, and is related to the word “çudi”, meaning “mystery”. | |||
| Basque | harritzekoa | ||
| The word "harritzekoa" in Basque literally means "to cause surprise" and can also refer to something unexpected. | |||
| Catalan | meravella | ||
| The word "meravella" is derived from the Latin "mirabilia" (marvelous things), and also means "marvelous act" in Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian. | |||
| Croatian | čudo | ||
| The word "čudo" can also refer to a "sight" or "miracle" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | spekulerer | ||
| In the Faroe Islands, "spekulerer" is also used to mean a small bird, similar to a sparrow or finch. | |||
| Dutch | zich afvragen | ||
| The Dutch verb “zich afvragen” is a reflexive form of the verb “vragen,” meaning “ask,” and translates to the English “wonder.” | |||
| English | wonder | ||
| The word "wonder" derives from an Old English word meaning "to be surprised or amazed" and is related to the German "Wunder" ("miracle"). | |||
| French | merveille | ||
| The word 'merveille' in French not only means 'wonder,' but also 'a marvel' or 'a miracle' | |||
| Frisian | wûnder | ||
| The Frisian word "wûnder" can also refer to an unexpected occurrence or event, as well as a rare or remarkable thing. | |||
| Galician | marabilla | ||
| "Marabilla" is derived from the Latin "mirabile", meaning "wonderful, strange, or marvellous". | |||
| German | wunder | ||
| The German word "Wunder" is derived from the Old High German word "wuntar", meaning "extraordinary" or "supernatural". | |||
| Icelandic | furða sig | ||
| The word "furða sig" is derived from the Old Norse word "furða," meaning "extraordinary event" or "marvel." | |||
| Irish | ionadh | ||
| In Irish, 'ionadh' can also mean 'place' or 'region', a usage seen in place names like 'An Iúnadh', the Irish name for the county of Wexford. | |||
| Italian | meraviglia | ||
| In Italian, the word "Meraviglia" not only means "wonder" but also "marvel", "miracle" and "surprise." | |||
| Luxembourgish | wonneren | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "wonneren" is related to the German word "wundern" and can also mean "to be surprised" or "to be amazed." | |||
| Maltese | jistaqsi | ||
| The Maltese word "jistaqsi" also means "to ask" or "to question". | |||
| Norwegian | lure på | ||
| The word "lure" in Norwegian is derived from the Old Norse word "lýra", meaning "to look, see, or observe". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | maravilha | ||
| "Maravilha" is also a type of guava common in Brazil and a slang term for "girlfriend" in Portugal. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | iongnadh | ||
| In Gaelic, "iongnadh" also means "strange, unusual" or even "miracle". | |||
| Spanish | preguntarse | ||
| The word "preguntarse" comes from the Latin "praecognoscere", meaning "to know beforehand" or "to guess". | |||
| Swedish | undra | ||
| The word 'undra' in Swedish does not come from 'wonder' but from the Proto-Norse word 'undra' (fear) as it was used in Old Norse. | |||
| Welsh | rhyfeddod | ||
| The Middle Welsh form 'ruuedot' appears to be a plural; the singular from is now chiefly confined to the poetic language. | |||
Wonder in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | дзіва | ||
| Bosnian | čudo | ||
| "Čudo" also means "miracle" and could be related to the Serbian word "čudno" which means "strange, weird". | |||
| Bulgarian | чудя се | ||
| The verb "чудя се" also has the meaning of "to hesitate" and is cognate with the Russian verb "чудить" (to act strangely). | |||
| Czech | divit se | ||
| In the Czech language, "divit se" can also mean "to be surprised", making it a semantically rich term capturing the multifaceted nature of astonishment. | |||
| Estonian | imestada | ||
| "Imestada" is a cognate of "imestys" in Finnish, with an alternative meaning that includes "respect" or "reverence." | |||
| Finnish | ihme | ||
| The word "ihme" is cognate with the Estonian "ime", the Hungarian "ima" (prayer), and the Turkish "inam" (faith or belief). | |||
| Hungarian | csoda | ||
| Its origin is unknown, but it seems to have a cognate in the Hungarian word "csuda" meaning "miracle". | |||
| Latvian | brīnos | ||
| The Old Prussian word "brīns" or "bryn" means "eyebrow", which suggests a facial expression of surprise. | |||
| Lithuanian | stebuklas | ||
| "Stebuklas" shares a root with "stabas" ("pillar; statue"), but also contains elements of "stebėti" ("to observe"), implying something extraordinary that attracts attention. | |||
| Macedonian | чудо | ||
| The word "чудо" in Macedonian has Slavic roots and is related to words such as "чюдо" (Russian), "cud" (Polish), and "чудеса" (Serbian), all sharing the meaning of "a wonder, a miracle, or something extraordinary."} | |||
| Polish | cud | ||
| Cud, meaning 'miracle,' comes from the same Proto-Slavic root as 'wizard.' | |||
| Romanian | mirare | ||
| The Romanian word "mirare" is derived from the Latin "mirari" ("to admire"), and also has the secondary meaning of "to aim". | |||
| Russian | удивляться | ||
| The verb "удивляться" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*divĭti sę", which initially meant "to look at something" and later acquired the meaning of "to be amazed". | |||
| Serbian | питати се | ||
| In Serbian, the verb "питати се" can also mean "to ask oneself" or "to question". | |||
| Slovak | čuduj sa | ||
| The word "čuduj sa" can also mean "to be surprised" or "to be amazed" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | čudim se | ||
| The word 'čudim se' is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *čud-, meaning 'sense' or 'feeling'. | |||
| Ukrainian | дивно | ||
| "Дивно" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "divъ", meaning "giant" or "miracle." | |||
Wonder in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অবাক | ||
| The word "অবাক" is derived from the Sanskrit word "विस्मय" (vismaya), which means "astonishment, amazement, or surprise." | |||
| Gujarati | આશ્ચર્ય | ||
| In Gujarati, the word "આશ્ચર્ય" can also mean astonishment, amazement, or surprise, and is derived from the Sanskrit word "आश्चर्य" which means "a state of being amazed or astonished." | |||
| Hindi | आश्चर्य | ||
| The Hindi word आश्चर्य "wonder" derives from the Sanskrit आश्चर्य "causing astonishment," from आ-"intensified" and चर-"to move." | |||
| Kannada | ಆಶ್ಚರ್ಯ | ||
| The word "ಆಶ್ಚರ್ಯ" is cognate with "astonish" and ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*h₂es-/*h₂os-", meaning "to be amazed". | |||
| Malayalam | അത്ഭുതവും | ||
| The word "അത്ഭുതവും" can also mean "an extraordinary or incredible thing" in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | आश्चर्य | ||
| The word "आश्चर्य" in Marathi can also mean disbelief, amazement, or astonishment. | |||
| Nepali | अचम्म | ||
| The Nepali word 'achhamm' (अचम्म) shares its origin with the Sanskrit word 'acchambha' (अचम्भ), also meaning 'wonder' or 'surprise'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਹੈਰਾਨ | ||
| The word 'हैरान' can also mean "perplexed" or "bewildered". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පුදුමයි | ||
| Tamil | ஆச்சரியம் | ||
| Telugu | వండర్ | ||
| The word "వండర్" is derived from the Sanskrit word "uandati" meaning "to look, to gaze". It also means "a strange or wonderful thing". | |||
| Urdu | حیرت | ||
| "حیرت" can also mean "surprise" or "amazement". | |||
Wonder in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 奇迹 | ||
| The word “奇迹” comes from the Buddhist term “奇特” or “奇异” and originally meant miraculous, extraordinary or unusual, but in modern usage has come to mean “wonder”. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 奇蹟 | ||
| 在中文裡，「奇蹟」一詞源自「不尋常」和「神妙」之意，後來逐漸衍生出「令人驚嘆的事件」的意思。 | |||
| Japanese | ワンダー | ||
| The Japanese word "ワンダー" is an onomatopoeia derived from the sound of amazement or surprise, analogous to the English "wow" or "whoa". | |||
| Korean | 궁금하다 | ||
| 궁금하다 originated from an extinct verb, 궁갑다, which means to be moved or stirred. | |||
| Mongolian | гайхах | ||
| The Mongolian word "гайхах" can also mean "to be surprised" or "to be amazed". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အံ့သြစရာ | ||
Wonder in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | bertanya-tanya | ||
| "Bertanya-tanya" in Indonesian also means "ask questions" or "inquire". | |||
| Javanese | gumun | ||
| "Gumun" in Javanese can also mean "confused" or "baffled". | |||
| Khmer | ឆ្ងល់ | ||
| The word "ឆ្ងល់" can also mean "astonishment" or "surprise". | |||
| Lao | ສົງໄສ | ||
| Malay | tertanya-tanya | ||
| The word "tertanya-tanya" can also mean "to be curious" or "to be inquisitive". | |||
| Thai | น่าแปลกใจ | ||
| The word "น่าแปลกใจ" comes from the Sanskrit word "vismaya", which means "astonishment or amazement". | |||
| Vietnamese | ngạc nhiên | ||
| The word "ngạc nhiên" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "*ŋaŋaŋ", meaning "shock, astonishment". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagtataka | ||
Wonder in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | heyrət | ||
| Kazakh | таңдану | ||
| "Таңдану" can also mean "admiration" or "astonishment" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | таң калыштуу | ||
| Tajik | ҳайрон | ||
| The word "ҳайрон" in Tajik does not have different meanings or an etymology of note. | |||
| Turkmen | geň gal | ||
| Uzbek | hayrat | ||
| The word "hayrat" in Uzbek can also mean "surprise" or "amazement". | |||
| Uyghur | ھەيران | ||
Wonder in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | haohao | ||
| Haohao, meaning "wonder", also refers to the beautiful red feathers of a native Hawaiian bird. | |||
| Maori | miharo | ||
| The Maori word 'miharo' is also used to describe the feeling of awe and respect shown to a person of high status. | |||
| Samoan | ofo | ||
| The word "ofo" in Samoan can also mean "surprise" or "astonishment". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | nagtataka | ||
| The Tagalog word "nagtataka" has an alternative meaning of "to investigate or inquire about something". | |||
Wonder in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jisk'tasiña | ||
| Guarani | ñeporandu | ||
Wonder in International Languages
| Esperanto | miro | ||
| The word "miro" also means "measure" in Esperanto, highlighting its connection to the concept of measurement and comparison associated with wonder. | |||
| Latin | mirantibus | ||
| The Latin word "mirantibus" (wonder) is derived from the verb "mirari" (to wonder), and can also mean "in wonderment" or "in admiration". | |||
Wonder in Others Languages
| Greek | θαύμα | ||
| The term "θαύμα" (pronounced "thavma") can also refer to a miracle or a marvel, and is etymologically related to the words "θέα" (view) and "θεάμαι" (to behold). | |||
| Hmong | xav tsis thoob | ||
| The word "xav tsis thoob" also means "a thing that makes one curious" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | mûcîze | ||
| The word "mûcîze" is derived from the Arabic word "mu'jiza" meaning "miracle", and is also used in Kurdish to refer to extraordinary events or phenomena. | |||
| Turkish | merak etmek | ||
| The word "merak etmek" ultimately derives from the Arabic word "mu'āraqa", meaning "to fight" or "to struggle". | |||
| Xhosa | mangaliswe | ||
| The word "mangaliswe" is thought to originally translate as "one who is made to ask questions" and to have once meant "to make known". | |||
| Yiddish | ווונדער | ||
| "ווונדער" is derived from the Old High German "wunder" and Old English "wundor". | |||
| Zulu | mangaza | ||
| "Mangaza" also refers to a type of traditional Zulu dance. | |||
| Assamese | আশ্চৰ্য | ||
| Aymara | jisk'tasiña | ||
| Bhojpuri | गज्जब | ||
| Dhivehi | އަޖައިބު | ||
| Dogri | रहानगी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagtataka | ||
| Guarani | ñeporandu | ||
| Ilocano | agsiddaaw | ||
| Krio | wanda | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پرسیارکردن | ||
| Maithili | आश्चर्य | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯉꯛꯄ | ||
| Mizo | ngaihtuah | ||
| Oromo | nama dinquu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଆଶ୍ଚର୍ଯ୍ୟ | ||
| Quechua | aswan allin | ||
| Sanskrit | विस्मयः | ||
| Tatar | гаҗәпләнү | ||
| Tigrinya | መስተንክር | ||
| Tsonga | hlamala | ||