Word in Different Languages
Discover 'Word' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Words are the building blocks of language, the bricks that construct our thoughts and convey our ideas. They hold immense significance in shaping our understanding of the world and facilitating communication. The cultural importance of words is evident in the rich tapestry of languages that exist across the globe, each with its unique vocabulary and expressions.
Understanding the translation of a word in different languages can offer fascinating insights into the cultures they represent. For instance, the word for 'word' in Hebrew is 'davar', which also means 'thing', highlighting the inextricable link between language and reality in Hebrew culture. Similarly, in Japanese, the word for 'word' is 'kotoba', which is derived from a verb meaning 'to speak' or 'to tell'.
Moreover, exploring the translations of 'word' can reveal intriguing historical contexts. For example, in Old English, the word for 'word' was 'word', which is derived from the Proto-Germanic word 'wurdiz', meaning 'secret' or 'mystery'. This historical connection between words and secrecy can still be seen in modern English idioms such as 'the word on the street' or 'spread the word'.
Join us as we delve into the translations of the word 'word' in different languages, and discover the rich cultural and historical significance of this humble yet powerful unit of language.
Word
Word in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | woord | ||
| "Woord" in Afrikaans ultimately derives from the Proto-West Germanic root *wurduz, meaning "fate, destiny, event," or "speech, statement." | |||
| Amharic | ቃል | ||
| Hausa | kalma | ||
| Hausa word 'kalma' derives from Arabic 'kalima,' meaning 'utterance' or 'speech,' and is also used to refer to the Islamic declaration of faith. | |||
| Igbo | okwu | ||
| In Igbo, okwu denotes both the general notion of “word” and more specifically, a “matter” or “case”. | |||
| Malagasy | teny | ||
| The word "teny" in Malagasy, originally meant "something which is told" or "discourse." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mawu | ||
| As well as its common usage, mawu can mean "proverb" or "riddle" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | shoko | ||
| Somali | erey | ||
| "Erey" also means "language" or "speech" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | lentsoe | ||
| The word 'lentsoe' in Sesotho derives from the Proto-Bantu root '-lenz-', meaning 'to speak' or 'to say'. | |||
| Swahili | neno | ||
| The Swahili word 'neno' has cognates with similar meaning in various Bantu languages such as the Tsonga word "nhlamulengo" which also means 'word'. | |||
| Xhosa | igama | ||
| The word 'igama' in Xhosa also refers to a person's name or their clan name. | |||
| Yoruba | ọrọ | ||
| Ọrọ can also mean 'sound' or an 'expression of opinion'. | |||
| Zulu | izwi | ||
| In Zulu, 'izwi' can refer to an utterance, a matter, or an issue. | |||
| Bambara | daɲɛ | ||
| Ewe | nya | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ijambo | ||
| Lingala | liloba | ||
| Luganda | ekigambo | ||
| Sepedi | lentšu | ||
| Twi (Akan) | asɛmfua | ||
Word in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | كلمة | ||
| The word "كلمة" (pronounced "kalima") comes from the Arabic root 'k-l-m,' which means 'to speak' or 'to utter.' | |||
| Hebrew | מִלָה | ||
| The Aramaic word מילתא (compare מלה) also means "thing" | |||
| Pashto | ټکی | ||
| "ټکی" (word) also means "point" or "full stop" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | كلمة | ||
| The word "كلمة" (pronounced "kalima") comes from the Arabic root 'k-l-m,' which means 'to speak' or 'to utter.' | |||
Word in Western European Languages
| Albanian | fjale | ||
| The Albanian word "fjale" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰeh₂- meaning "to speak". | |||
| Basque | hitza | ||
| The Basque word | |||
| Catalan | paraula | ||
| The Catalan word "paraula" comes from the Latin "parabola," meaning "parable" or "proverb." | |||
| Croatian | riječ | ||
| In some dialects, | |||
| Danish | ord | ||
| In Danish the word "ord" can also be used to refer to a proverb, a commandment or a verdict. | |||
| Dutch | woord | ||
| In Dutch, the word | |||
| English | word | ||
| The word "word" derives from the Old English word "word" which meant "speech, talk, or conversation." | |||
| French | mot | ||
| "Mot" also means "ground" or "foundation" in French, sharing an etymological root with the English word "earth". | |||
| Frisian | wurd | ||
| In Old Frisian, wurd meant 'fate' or 'destiny' and was related to the concept of 'becoming' or 'growth'. | |||
| Galician | palabra | ||
| The word "palabra" in Galician can also mean "promise". | |||
| German | wort | ||
| Wort is an old word which is used in some other languages, too. | |||
| Icelandic | orð | ||
| In Old Norse, 'orð' also meant 'battle' or 'speech' | |||
| Irish | focal | ||
| The Irish term focal can also refer to a tribe or a family group. | |||
| Italian | parola | ||
| The word "parola" can also mean "password" or "promise". | |||
| Luxembourgish | wuert | ||
| The word "Wuert" in Luxembourgish is derived from the Old High German word "wort", which originally meant "speech" or "thing said." | |||
| Maltese | kelma | ||
| "Kelma" also means "a story," "a saying," or "a spell or curse"} | |||
| Norwegian | ord | ||
| In Old Norse, the word «ord» also referred to a runic letter or a written message, and its root comes from the Proto-Indo-European word «*h₂werǵ-» meaning «work» or «deed». | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | palavra | ||
| Palavra is derived from the Latin 'parabola', signifying a 'comparison' or a 'comparison of words'. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | facal | ||
| The Gaelic word 'facal' can also mean 'speech' or 'language'. | |||
| Spanish | palabra | ||
| The Spanish word "palabra" comes from the Latin "parabola", meaning "a story" or "a spoken word." | |||
| Swedish | ord | ||
| The Swedish word 'ord' also means 'message', 'news', 'speech' and 'order' | |||
| Welsh | gair | ||
| The word "gair" in Welsh can also refer to a particular utterance or a set of written or spoken words. | |||
Word in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | слова | ||
| Bosnian | riječ | ||
| The Bosnian word 'riječ' can also mean 'speech', 'language', or 'conversation'. | |||
| Bulgarian | дума | ||
| Bulgarian "дума" (word) comes from Old Bulgarian "дума" (thought). In Russia, дума means "parliament". | |||
| Czech | slovo | ||
| In many Slavic languages, including Czech, “slovo” is etymologically related to “listen,” suggesting the word’s origins are tied to the idea of hearing or listening. | |||
| Estonian | sõna | ||
| The Finnish and Estonian word *sõna* (word) is related to the Indo-European root *wer-, meaning to speak. | |||
| Finnish | sana | ||
| In Old Finnish, sana meant 'news' or 'message' and could also refer to an incantation. | |||
| Hungarian | szó | ||
| The Hungarian word "szó" is cognate with English "sound" and "song" and may have also meant "sentence" originally. | |||
| Latvian | vārdu | ||
| The word "vārdu" in Latvian originated from the Proto-Indo-European root *wér- and *wr̥- meaning 'to speak' or 'to say' | |||
| Lithuanian | žodis | ||
| "Žodis" in Lithuanian also means "promise" and comes from the Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰe-zd-i "to promise, to pray." | |||
| Macedonian | збор | ||
| The word "збор" also means "collection" or "gathering" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | słowo | ||
| The word 'słowo' can also mean 'promise' in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | cuvânt | ||
| In Romanian, "cuvânt" also means "speech" or "promise". | |||
| Russian | слово | ||
| The word "слово" can also mean "promise" or "speech" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | реч | ||
| In Russian and Old Church Slavonic, речь ('rech') also means speech.} | |||
| Slovak | slovo | ||
| The Slovak word "slovo" is also related to the verbs "slubovať" (to promise) and "sláviť" (to celebrate), suggesting a connection between language and social bonds. | |||
| Slovenian | beseda | ||
| The Slovenian word "beseda" shares a common root with the Russian "beseda" (conversation) | |||
| Ukrainian | слово | ||
| The Ukrainian word "слово" (word) is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *slovo, meaning "speech" or "utterance". | |||
Word in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | শব্দ | ||
| The word "শব্দ" can also refer to sound, noise, or a verbal expression | |||
| Gujarati | શબ્દ | ||
| The word "shabd" in Gujarati has alternate meanings, including "sound", "language", and "sacred text". | |||
| Hindi | शब्द | ||
| The word 'शब्द' (word) in Hindi derives from Sanskrit 'śabda', meaning sound, noise or language. | |||
| Kannada | ಪದ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಪದ" can also mean "step" or "measure". | |||
| Malayalam | വാക്ക് | ||
| Marathi | शब्द | ||
| The Marathi word "शब्द" (word) comes from the Sanskrit word "शब्दः" (sound), indicating the connection between words and the sounds they represent. | |||
| Nepali | शब्द | ||
| The word "शब्द" in Nepali comes from the Sanskrit word "Shabda" which also means "sound". | |||
| Punjabi | ਸ਼ਬਦ | ||
| "ਸ਼ਬਦ" in Punjabi can also refer to a sacred hymn, particularly in Sikh scripture. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වචනය | ||
| In Sinhala, the word "වචනය" has alternative meanings including "speech" and "statement" | |||
| Tamil | சொல் | ||
| சொல் (sol) in Tamil can also refer to a promise or an agreement. | |||
| Telugu | పదం | ||
| The word "పదం" (Pada) in Telugu can also refer to a foot, foot-step, a quarter, division, or an infantry unit. | |||
| Urdu | لفظ | ||
| In addition to "word," the Urdu word "لفظ" can also refer to the act of uttering or speaking. | |||
Word in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 字 | ||
| "字" also refers to characters in written Chinese that are composed of multiple strokes. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 字 | ||
| The character "字" can also mean "character", "letter", or "script". | |||
| Japanese | 語 | ||
| 語 can also refer to the concept of language as a whole or a particular language. | |||
| Korean | 워드 | ||
| The Korean word "워드" derives from the Middle Chinese word "語" (ngiô), meaning speech or sound. | |||
| Mongolian | үг | ||
| Үг is derived from a Proto-Mongolic word meaning "to say, to speak, to tell." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စကားလုံး | ||
Word in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kata | ||
| "Kata" in Indonesian can also mean "promise" or "speech". | |||
| Javanese | tembung | ||
| The Javanese word "tembung" can also refer to a sentence or a topic. | |||
| Khmer | ពាក្យ | ||
| While the term "ពាក្យ" primarily refers to words, it also carries additional meanings, including speech, language, and text. | |||
| Lao | ຄຳ | ||
| The Lao word "ຄຳ" (kham) also means "gold" or "treasure". | |||
| Malay | perkataan | ||
| The Malay word "perkataan" is derived from the Sanskrit word "prakaraṇa", meaning "section" or "chapter". | |||
| Thai | คำ | ||
| The Thai word "คำ" can also refer to a piece of poetry or a saying, and is related to the Sanskrit word "karma" meaning "action" or "deed". | |||
| Vietnamese | từ ngữ | ||
| Tư ngữ in Sino-Vietnamese means "a word in a phrase," and in native Vietnamese is a more general term for "idiom." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | salita | ||
Word in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | söz | ||
| The word "söz" can also refer to a promise or an oath in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | сөз | ||
| The Kazakh word | |||
| Kyrgyz | сөз | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "сөз" also means "opinion" and "speech". | |||
| Tajik | калима | ||
| In the context of religion, the word "калима" refers to the declaration of faith in Islam. | |||
| Turkmen | söz | ||
| Uzbek | so'z | ||
| The Uzbek word "so'z" shares etymology with "logos" and originally meant "speech". | |||
| Uyghur | سۆز | ||
Word in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻōlelo | ||
| 'Ōlelo' also means 'language', 'dialect', 'conversation', 'speech,' and 'communication' in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | kupu | ||
| Kupu ('word' in Maori), is also used to refer to a 'sacred or magical spell' | |||
| Samoan | upu | ||
| Despite its current singular meaning, 'upu' traditionally referred to the entire collection of proverbs. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | salita | ||
| Salita also refers to a poem or verse, as well as the act of speaking or uttering words. | |||
Word in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | aru | ||
| Guarani | ñe'ereko | ||
Word in International Languages
| Esperanto | vorto | ||
| "Vorto" means "word" in Esperanto, but it also can mean "talk" or "language". | |||
| Latin | sermo | ||
| **Sermo** initially meant 'conversation' or 'discourse', and later on, in a more general sense, a 'written text'. | |||
Word in Others Languages
| Greek | λέξη | ||
| "Λέξη" can also be an alternative spelling of the word "λέγξη" (female noun) meaning "a saying" or "a proverb". | |||
| Hmong | lo lus | ||
| Lo lus comes from the Proto-Hmong-Mien *rɔŋ¹ lus, which also means 'name' or 'song'. | |||
| Kurdish | bêje | ||
| The word "bêje" also means "thing" or "matter" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | kelime | ||
| The word "kelime" derives from the Arabic word "kalimat" meaning "sentences" or "words and phrases." | |||
| Xhosa | igama | ||
| The word 'igama' in Xhosa also refers to a person's name or their clan name. | |||
| Yiddish | וואָרט | ||
| In Yiddish, 'וואָרט' also refers to an engagement or promise. | |||
| Zulu | izwi | ||
| In Zulu, 'izwi' can refer to an utterance, a matter, or an issue. | |||
| Assamese | শব্দ | ||
| Aymara | aru | ||
| Bhojpuri | शब्द | ||
| Dhivehi | ބަސް | ||
| Dogri | शब्द | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | salita | ||
| Guarani | ñe'ereko | ||
| Ilocano | sarita | ||
| Krio | wɔd | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ووشە | ||
| Maithili | शब्द | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯋꯥꯍꯩ | ||
| Mizo | thumal | ||
| Oromo | jecha | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଶବ୍ଦ | ||
| Quechua | rimay | ||
| Sanskrit | शब्दः | ||
| Tatar | сүз | ||
| Tigrinya | ቃል | ||
| Tsonga | rito | ||