Wonderful in Different Languages
Discover 'Wonderful' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'wonderful' is a powerful and evocative term that inspires a sense of awe and admiration in those who hear or use it. Derived from the Old English word 'wundorful', which means 'full of wonders', this term has been a part of the English language for centuries. Its significance goes beyond mere description, as it often conveys a deep appreciation and gratitude for the beauty and complexity of the world around us.
Throughout history, the concept of 'wonderful' has played a crucial role in shaping human culture and creativity. From the medieval fascination with marvels and wonders to the modern appreciation for the sublime and the awe-inspiring, this term has been a constant source of inspiration and motivation for artists, writers, and thinkers alike.
Given its rich cultural significance and emotional resonance, it's no wonder that people around the world have sought to translate 'wonderful' into their own languages. Whether it's the French 'merveilleux', the Spanish 'maravilloso', or the German 'wunderbar', these translations capture the essence of 'wonderful' while also reflecting the unique linguistic and cultural traditions of their respective languages.
In the following list, you'll find a variety of translations for the word 'wonderful' from around the world. Whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or simply someone who appreciates the beauty and power of words, we hope you'll find this list informative and inspiring.
Wonderful
Wonderful in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | wonderlik | ||
| In Old Saxon, 'wunderlik' referred to a monster or dragon, and later to anything that evoked wonder or astonishment. | |||
| Amharic | ድንቅ | ||
| Amh. ድንቅ can also mean 'to be tall, erect, upright'. | |||
| Hausa | ban mamaki | ||
| The word "ban mamaki" in Hausa is also used as an interjection expressing amazement or surprise. | |||
| Igbo | magburu onwe | ||
| "Magburu onwe" is a compound word made up of the words "magbu" (to be great) and "onwe" (self), hence it means "to be great in oneself". | |||
| Malagasy | mahagaga | ||
| Mahagaga, meaning 'wonderful,' comes from the root word 'haga,' which means 'to surprise' or 'to be amazed,' and the prefix 'ma-' which intensifies the meaning. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zodabwitsa | ||
| The word 'zodabwitsa' in Nyanja (Chichewa) is derived from the verb 'kuzoda', meaning to enjoy or appreciate something. | |||
| Shona | zvinoshamisa | ||
| Alternate meanings: 'good,' 'kind,' 'beautiful,' and 'pleasant' | |||
| Somali | cajiib ah | ||
| The word "cajiib ah" is derived from the Arabic word "عجيب" (ʿajīb), meaning "strange" or "unusual." | |||
| Sesotho | hlolla | ||
| Swahili | ya ajabu | ||
| The word "ya ajabu" can also be translated as "unique", "unusual" or "strange". | |||
| Xhosa | kuhle | ||
| The Xhosa word "kuhle" also means "to be cold" or "to be refreshing". | |||
| Yoruba | iyanu | ||
| "Iyanu" comes from the Yoruba word "yanu", meaning "to see" or "to perceive". | |||
| Zulu | emangalisayo | ||
| The Zulu word "enangalisayo" can also mean "amazing" or "incredible". | |||
| Bambara | dusumgali | ||
| Ewe | wᴐ nuku | ||
| Kinyarwanda | byiza | ||
| Lingala | kitoko | ||
| Luganda | -lungi | ||
| Sepedi | makatšago | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nwanwa | ||
Wonderful in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | رائع | ||
| رائع derives from the root رائع (ra-aa), meaning 'to be shaken,' but in this context implies a pleasant effect, conveying awe and a sense of being stirred. | |||
| Hebrew | נִפלָא | ||
| The Hebrew word "נִפלָא" can refer not only to the wonders of creation, but also to something surprising, unfamiliar, or unusual. | |||
| Pashto | په زړه پوری | ||
| Arabic | رائع | ||
| رائع derives from the root رائع (ra-aa), meaning 'to be shaken,' but in this context implies a pleasant effect, conveying awe and a sense of being stirred. | |||
Wonderful in Western European Languages
| Albanian | e mrekullueshme | ||
| The Albanian word e mrekullueshme, meaning "wonderful", derives from the word mrekulli, which means "miracle". | |||
| Basque | zoragarria | ||
| The Basque term "zoragarria" has a dual etymology that evokes the supernatural and a state of "greatness". | |||
| Catalan | meravellós | ||
| The Catalan word "meravellós" is derived from the Latin word "mirabilis", meaning "wonderful", "amazing", or "extraordinary". | |||
| Croatian | divno | ||
| The word "divno" can also mean "strange" or "odd" in Croatian, highlighting its dual nature of wonder and bewilderment. | |||
| Danish | vidunderlig | ||
| Vidunderlig, which comes from the Old Norse words 'undr' and '-lig', referred to an event that inspired a mixture of fear and curiosity, or even astonishment or wonder. | |||
| Dutch | geweldig | ||
| Geweldig means 'thunderous' or 'great', and it was originally used to describe the sound of thunder or the size of a building. | |||
| English | wonderful | ||
| The word "wonderful" comes from the Old English word "wundorful," which means "full of wonder." | |||
| French | magnifique | ||
| Magnifique is derived from the Latin 'magnificus' meaning 'grand' or 'sumptuous'. | |||
| Frisian | prachtich | ||
| The word 'pracht' (wonder, magnificence) is a cognate to 'pract', which can mean 'pomp', 'display' or 'luxury'. | |||
| Galician | marabilloso | ||
| 'Marabilloso' (Galician) derives from the Latin 'mirabilia' ('marvels') and also refers to apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Galician folklore. | |||
| German | wunderbar | ||
| "Wunderbar" derives from Middle High German "wunderbaere" meaning "causing wounds or pain," akin to Old High German "wunt" meaning "wound" | |||
| Icelandic | yndislegt | ||
| Yndislegt, originally meaning "agreeable," is often used today to describe something particularly special or enchanting. | |||
| Irish | iontach | ||
| The word "iontach" also means "unique" or "remarkable" in Irish, and is related to the word "iontas," meaning "wonder" or "surprise." | |||
| Italian | meraviglioso | ||
| The Italian word "meraviglioso" comes from the Latin "mirabilis," meaning "amazing" or "extraordinary." | |||
| Luxembourgish | wonnerschéin | ||
| The word "wonnerschein" (wonderful) in Luxembourgish likely derives from the German word "wunderschön" (beautiful, wonderful), which in turn comes from the Middle High German "wunder" (wonder) and "schön" (beautiful). | |||
| Maltese | mill-isbaħ | ||
| The Maltese word "mill-isbaħ" can also refer to something that is very good or excellent. | |||
| Norwegian | herlig | ||
| While "herlig" primarily means "wonderful," it also holds a dual meaning of "stale" or "rancid." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | maravilhoso | ||
| In Portuguese, "maravilhoso" literally means "of maravilla" or "related to wonder," and is derived from the Latin "mirabilia," meaning "objects of wonder." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | mìorbhuileach | ||
| Spanish | maravilloso | ||
| The word 'maravilloso' in Spanish derives from the Latin word 'mirabilis', meaning 'admirable' or 'extraordinary'. | |||
| Swedish | underbar | ||
| "Underbar" literally means "under wonderful" in Swedish, and can also refer to a character placed under text. | |||
| Welsh | rhyfeddol | ||
| The word "rhyfeddol" in Welsh originates from the word "rhyfedd" (strange, odd), suggesting that what is wonderful is often unexpected or unusual. | |||
Wonderful in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | цудоўна | ||
| The word "цудоўна" shares the same root with "цуд" (miracle) and "цудоўны" (miraculous) and originally meant "full of miracles". | |||
| Bosnian | divno | ||
| Bosnian word "divno" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "divьnъ" meaning "wild, untamed, divine". | |||
| Bulgarian | чудесен | ||
| The Bulgarian word "чудесен" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "чудо", meaning "miracle" or "marvel". | |||
| Czech | báječné | ||
| "Báječné" is derived from Slavic "baj", meaning "to speak," and shares its etymology with "fabula" (Latin for fable) and "fable" (English). | |||
| Estonian | imeline | ||
| The word “imeline” comes from the Estonian word “ime,” meaning “miracle”. | |||
| Finnish | ihana | ||
| Ihana, meaning "wonderful," shares its roots with "ihme," meaning "miracle" or "wonder," emphasizing the extraordinary or magical quality of the emotion. | |||
| Hungarian | csodálatos | ||
| The Hungarian word "csodálatos" means "wonderful" but is also an archaic word for "miraculous" and "strange". | |||
| Latvian | brīnišķīgi | ||
| The word "brīnišķīgi" likely derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*bhreh₂-," meaning "to shine" or "to gleam." | |||
| Lithuanian | nuostabu | ||
| The word "nuostabu" is derived from the Lithuanian word "nuostabus", which means "amazing" or "astonishing". | |||
| Macedonian | прекрасно | ||
| The word "прекрасно" (prekrasno) derives from the Proto-Slavic word "prekrasti", which means "to cut off" or "to stop", implying a cessation of movement, action, or sound. | |||
| Polish | wspaniale | ||
| The word "wspaniale" is derived from the Old Polish word "wspanie" meaning "lord", | |||
| Romanian | minunat | ||
| The Romanian word "minunat" is derived from the Latin word "mirabilis", meaning "amazing" or "extraordinary". | |||
| Russian | замечательно | ||
| The Russian word "замечательно" can also mean "noticeable" or "remarkable." | |||
| Serbian | предивна | ||
| The word 'предивна' can also mean 'divine' in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | úžasné | ||
| The Slovak word "úžasné" comes from the verb "žasnút," meaning "to be amazed" and can also mean "amazing" or "astonishing."} | |||
| Slovenian | čudovito | ||
| The word "čudovito" in Slovenian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "čudo", which means "miracle" or "wonder". It can also be used to describe something that is unusual or extraordinary. | |||
| Ukrainian | чудово | ||
| The word "чудово" can also mean "miraculously" or "amazingly". | |||
Wonderful in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | দুর্দান্ত | ||
| The word "দুর্দান্ত" originally meant "difficult to tame" or "violent", but its meaning has shifted over time to also include "extraordinary" or "remarkable". | |||
| Gujarati | અદ્ભુત | ||
| The word 'અદ્ભુત' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'adbhuta', which means 'astonishing' or 'extraordinary'. | |||
| Hindi | आश्चर्यजनक | ||
| In Sanskrit 'as-cha-rya' translates to 'teacher'. 'Ascharya' is derived from 'a-cha-rya,' meaning 'something unexpected' & thus became a Hindi synonym for 'amazing'. | |||
| Kannada | ಅದ್ಭುತ | ||
| Malayalam | അത്ഭുതകരമായ | ||
| Marathi | अप्रतिम | ||
| The word "अप्रतिम" comes from Sanskrit and literally means "without match" or "unparalleled". | |||
| Nepali | अद्भुत | ||
| The word "अद्भुत" is derived from the Sanskrit word "adbhuta" meaning "amazing" or "miraculous." | |||
| Punjabi | ਸ਼ਾਨਦਾਰ | ||
| The word "ਸ਼ਾਨਦਾਰ" in Punjabi is derived from the Persian word "shan" meaning "dignity" or "glory" and the suffix "-dar" meaning "possessing". Thus, it literally means "possessing dignity or glory". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අපූරුයි | ||
| The word "අපූරුයි" is derived from the Sanskrit word "अपूर्व" (apūrva), meaning "unprecedented" or "extraordinary". | |||
| Tamil | அற்புதம் | ||
| In Sanskrit, the word 'adbhutam' also means 'impossible' or 'unbelievable', highlighting the paradoxical nature of wonder. | |||
| Telugu | అద్భుతమైన | ||
| Urdu | حیرت انگیز | ||
Wonderful in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 精彩 | ||
| The word "精彩" can also mean "exciting" or "thrilling". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 精彩 | ||
| The word "精彩" can also mean "essence" or "the most exciting part". | |||
| Japanese | 素晴らしい | ||
| The word 素晴らしい (subarashii, "wonderful") literally means "to be stretched out" or "to be grand." | |||
| Korean | 훌륭한 | ||
| The word "훌륭한" (wonderful) is derived from the Chinese characters "훌륭" (excellent), which can also mean "luxuriant" or "abundant". | |||
| Mongolian | гайхалтай | ||
| "Гайхалтай" is the Mongolian adjectival form of "гайхамшиг," the noun for "wonder," and it is also used to mean "amazing" or "astonishing." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အံ့သြစရာ | ||
Wonderful in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | hebat | ||
| The word "hebat" in Indonesian originates from the Sanskrit word "vibhata", meaning "extraordinary" or "distinguished". | |||
| Javanese | apik tenan | ||
| "Apik tenan" in Javanese literally means "very good" or "very nice" and is often used to express admiration or approval. | |||
| Khmer | អស្ចារ្យ | ||
| The word "អស្ចារ្យ" was borrowed from Pali language, where it means "astonishing" or "amazing". | |||
| Lao | ສິ່ງມະຫັດ | ||
| The Lao word "ສິ່ງມະຫັດ" literally means "something big" and is also used to describe something that is amazing or impressive. | |||
| Malay | indah | ||
| The word "indah" also means "beautiful", "pretty", "lovely", or "charming". | |||
| Thai | วิเศษมาก | ||
| "วิเศษมาก" can also refer to something exceptional or remarkable. | |||
| Vietnamese | tuyệt vời | ||
| The word "tuyệt vời" can also mean "great" or "superb" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kahanga-hanga | ||
Wonderful in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ecazkar | ||
| The term "ecazkar" is also used to describe something or someone that is 'excellent' or 'magnificent'. | |||
| Kazakh | керемет | ||
| Керемет, in addition to meaning "wonderful," has alternate meanings such as "miracle" or "grace". | |||
| Kyrgyz | сонун | ||
| In Kyrgyz, "сонун" also means "good", "nice", or "great". | |||
| Tajik | олиҷаноб | ||
| The word "олиҷаноб" can also refer to a high-ranking person, such as a minister or an ambassador. | |||
| Turkmen | ajaýyp | ||
| Uzbek | ajoyib | ||
| The word "ajoyib" is derived from the Arabic word "ajab," which means "miracle."} | |||
| Uyghur | ئاجايىپ | ||
Wonderful in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kupaianaha | ||
| A possible alternate meaning of "kupaianaha" is "to be carried by the waves or sea," which relates to the idea of being in an amazing or awe-inspiring state. | |||
| Maori | whakamiharo | ||
| The term "whakamiharo" originated from the word "miha", representing amazement and astonishment that causes people to gaze longingly. | |||
| Samoan | matagofie | ||
| The word 'matagofie' means 'wonderful' in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kamangha-mangha | ||
| The word "kamangha-mangha" is derived from the root word "mangha," meaning "to be amazed" or "to be in awe." | |||
Wonderful in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jiwakipuni | ||
| Guarani | iporãitereíva | ||
Wonderful in International Languages
| Esperanto | mirinda | ||
| In Spanish and Portuguese, 'mirinda' means 'soft drink'. | |||
| Latin | mirum | ||
| In Latin, "mirum" not only means "wonderful," but also "strange" or "surprising." | |||
Wonderful in Others Languages
| Greek | εκπληκτικός | ||
| While "εκπληκτικός" today means 'wonderful,' it originally meant 'striking, striking-out,' and even later 'stunning, terrifying.' | |||
| Hmong | zoo kawg nkaus | ||
| The Hmong word "zoo kawg nkaus" can also mean "good," "beautiful," or "excellent." | |||
| Kurdish | pirxweş | ||
| The word "pirxweş" in Kurdish also means "beautiful" or "handsome". | |||
| Turkish | olağanüstü | ||
| Olağanüstü is derived from the Turkish word "olağan" meaning "usual". | |||
| Xhosa | kuhle | ||
| The Xhosa word "kuhle" also means "to be cold" or "to be refreshing". | |||
| Yiddish | ווונדערלעך | ||
| The word "ווונדערלעך" ("wonderful" in Yiddish) is derived from the German word "wunderbar" ("marvelous" or "miraculous"). | |||
| Zulu | emangalisayo | ||
| The Zulu word "enangalisayo" can also mean "amazing" or "incredible". | |||
| Assamese | বঢ়িয়া | ||
| Aymara | jiwakipuni | ||
| Bhojpuri | गज्जब | ||
| Dhivehi | އަޖައިބު ކުރުވަނިވި | ||
| Dogri | लाजवाब | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kahanga-hanga | ||
| Guarani | iporãitereíva | ||
| Ilocano | makaskasdaaw | ||
| Krio | wɔndaful | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سەمەرە | ||
| Maithili | आश्चर्यजनक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯌꯥꯝꯅ ꯐꯖꯕ | ||
| Mizo | duhawm | ||
| Oromo | ajaa'iba | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅଦ୍ଭୁତ | ||
| Quechua | aswan sumaq | ||
| Sanskrit | अद्भुतः | ||
| Tatar | искиткеч | ||
| Tigrinya | ዘደንቅ | ||
| Tsonga | kahle | ||