World in Different Languages
Discover 'World' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'world' holds a profound significance in our lives, representing the entirety of human experience and the complex web of cultures, languages, and histories that connect us all. It's a term that has been explored, celebrated, and pondered throughout human history, inspiring countless works of art, literature, and philosophy.
From a historical perspective, the word 'world' has its roots in Old English and Germanic languages, and is related to the term 'werald', which means 'age of man'. This etymology highlights the deep connection between the human experience and the world we inhabit.
Understanding the translation of 'world' in different languages can offer fascinating insights into the cultural nuances and worldviews of people around the globe. For example, in Spanish, 'world' is translated as 'mundo', while in French, it's 'monde'. In Mandarin Chinese, the word for world is '世界' (shìjiè), which literally means 'all under heaven'.
In the sections below, we delve deeper into the translations of 'world' in different languages, offering a unique perspective on the rich tapestry of human culture and language.
World
World in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | wêreld | ||
| The Afrikaans word "wêreld" is derived from the Dutch word "wereld", which in turn originates from the Middle Dutch word "werelt" meaning "age, period of time, course of life". | |||
| Amharic | ዓለም | ||
| The word ዓለም (ālam) in Amharic has Semitic roots and is also used in Arabic, Hebrew, and other languages to refer to the universe or the totality of existence. | |||
| Hausa | duniya | ||
| "Duniya" can also mean "possessions; belongings; wealth" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | ụwa | ||
| The word "ụwa" in Igbo may also refer to "land" or "earth" in the context of the environment or territory. | |||
| Malagasy | izao tontolo izao | ||
| Izao tontolo izao comes from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian word *(d)awun, which is a reflex of Proto-Austronesian *daŋuŋ, meaning "universe", "world", or "everything". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | dziko | ||
| Shona | nyika | ||
| The word "nyika" also means "wilderness" or "uninhabited land" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | adduunka | ||
| The Somali word "adduunka" can also refer to one's hometown or place of origin. | |||
| Sesotho | lefats'e | ||
| The word 'lefats'e' can also refer to a universe or realm of existence, and is related to the concept of 'universe' and 'cosmos'. | |||
| Swahili | ulimwengu | ||
| The Swahili word "ulimwengu" is derived from the Arabic word "alam", meaning "universe, world, creation," and "nguzo", meaning "pillars" or "foundations." | |||
| Xhosa | umhlaba | ||
| Originally, it referred to the 'flat surface of the earth', with its present sense evolving much later. | |||
| Yoruba | agbaye | ||
| In Yoruba, 'agbaye' not only means the physical world but also refers to the spiritual realms and the human community. | |||
| Zulu | umhlaba | ||
| The Zulu word 'umhlaba' comes from 'hlaba,' meaning to spread out, and refers to a flat surface or the earth. | |||
| Bambara | duniya | ||
| Ewe | xexeame | ||
| Kinyarwanda | isi | ||
| Lingala | mokili | ||
| Luganda | ensi | ||
| Sepedi | lefase | ||
| Twi (Akan) | wiase | ||
World in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | العالمية | ||
| The Arabic word "العالمية" can also refer to the concept of universality or globality. | |||
| Hebrew | עוֹלָם | ||
| The term עוֹלָם derives from the ancient Hebrew verb meaning to cover or conceal, and as such initially referred to darkness. | |||
| Pashto | نړۍ | ||
| The word "نړۍ" (world) in Pashto comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*wer-," meaning "to turn, to spin, to roll." | |||
| Arabic | العالمية | ||
| The Arabic word "العالمية" can also refer to the concept of universality or globality. | |||
World in Western European Languages
| Albanian | botë | ||
| Although the word 'botë' refers to the universe or the globe, it is also used in Albanian to signify an 'area', 'territory', or 'region'. | |||
| Basque | mundua | ||
| Mundua comes from the roots mun (the mountain) and ua (the water), the mountain being the symbol of the solid part of the world and the water the symbol of the sea that surrounds it. | |||
| Catalan | món | ||
| In Catalan, "món" also means "heap" or "stack" and comes from the Latin "mundus" | |||
| Croatian | svijet | ||
| The Croatian word 'svijet' derives from the Proto-Slavic term 'svĕtъ', which also meant 'light' and 'east'. | |||
| Danish | verden | ||
| "Verden" also means "weather" in Danish | |||
| Dutch | wereld- | ||
| The Dutch word "wereld-" is a cognate of the English word "world" and is derived from the Old English "weoruld," which meant both "world" and "age," while in modern Dutch it is primarily used in compounds denoting global or international concepts. | |||
| English | world | ||
| The word "world" likely originates from the Old English word "weorold," meaning "age" or "lifetime." | |||
| French | monde | ||
| The French word "monde" is derived from the Latin word "mundus," which has the dual meaning of "world" and "clean. | |||
| Frisian | wrâld | ||
| Frisian wrâld has cognates in English word “world,” Old Norse veröld, and Sanskrit vṛtta “covered, surrounded,” and has been hypothesized to come from the Proto-Indo-European root *wer- “to cover, surround.” | |||
| Galician | mundo | ||
| In Galician, "mundo" can also mean "universe" or even just "place". | |||
| German | welt | ||
| In German, the word "Welt" can also mean "seam" or "welt" on clothing or footwear, both derived from the Old High German word "waltan", meaning "to roll up" or "to fold." | |||
| Icelandic | heimur | ||
| The word 'heimur' originally meant 'home' or 'dwelling place' | |||
| Irish | domhan | ||
| The Irish word "domhan" is derived from the Proto-Celtic word "domno", meaning "deep" or "submerged". | |||
| Italian | mondo | ||
| "Mondo" in Italian derives from Vulgar Latin "mundum," and also means "cosmos" or, figuratively, "human society" | |||
| Luxembourgish | welt | ||
| The word "Welt" in Luxembourgish is also used to refer to the border or edge of something, such as a piece of clothing or a road. | |||
| Maltese | dinja | ||
| The Maltese word "dinja" is derived from the Arabic word "dunya", which also means "close" or "low", referring to the physical world in contrast to the spiritual world. | |||
| Norwegian | verden | ||
| Verden was originally the feminine of verdende, the present participle of verda, `to become`. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | mundo | ||
| "mundo" (world) is derived from the Latin word "mundus" (clean, purified). It can also refer to a social circle or environment. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | shaoghal | ||
| The word "shaoghal" also refers to the "age" or "lifetime" of a person or creature. | |||
| Spanish | mundo | ||
| In Spanish, "mundo" can also refer to a secular context, meaning "society" or "people" instead of the physical world. | |||
| Swedish | värld | ||
| Värld also means 'universe' and is cognate with the English word 'world'. | |||
| Welsh | byd | ||
| The word 'byd' can also denote 'a life span, period of being, existence' which is reflected in some of the meanings in Breton | |||
World in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | свет | ||
| "Свет" in Belarusian can also refer to "light." | |||
| Bosnian | svijet | ||
| In the 15th and 16th centuries, the word “svijet” also denoted a | |||
| Bulgarian | света | ||
| In poetic language, "света" can mean "universe" or "heaven" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | svět | ||
| The word "svět" also means "light" and is related to the word "svítit" (to shine). | |||
| Estonian | maailmas | ||
| Cognate with Russian | |||
| Finnish | maailman- | ||
| The term "maailman-" also occurs in Finnish place names, indicating that the place was once seen as far away from the inhabited world. | |||
| Hungarian | világ | ||
| "Világ" is an old Hungarian word that originally meant "light" and is related to the words "világos" (light) and "villám" (lightning). | |||
| Latvian | pasaulē | ||
| Cognate to the Lithuanian word “pasaulis” and derived from the Proto-Indo-European word “per-wel-eh3”, meaning “to move forward, to encircle, to revolve”, thus originally meaning “edge” or “border”. In modern Latvian, it can also refer to a group of people with shared interests, experiences, or professions. | |||
| Lithuanian | pasaulyje | ||
| "Pasaulyje" comes from the word "pasaulio", which literally means "after death." | |||
| Macedonian | свет | ||
| The word "свет" can also mean "council" in some Slavic languages | |||
| Polish | świat | ||
| The Polish word 'świat' can derive from Slavic 'svet' (light) or be a diminutive of 'svyatye' (saints), the eastern Slavic term for 'icon'. As such, it could have originally denoted 'sacred' or 'profane place'. Its current semantic evolution, from the 'heavenly abode of gods' through 'universe' to 'Earth', shows a progression from vertical to horizontal axis, similar to 'world' in Greek and Persian, or 'Welt' in German. | |||
| Romanian | lume | ||
| The Romanian word "lume" also has a rare meaning of "universe" | |||
| Russian | мир | ||
| "Мир" can mean 'world' as well as 'peace' in Russian, hence the saying "Хочешь мира - готовься к войне." ('If you want peace, prepare for war.') | |||
| Serbian | света | ||
| The word "света" in Serbian may also refer to a saint or to a candle. | |||
| Slovak | svete | ||
| The word "svete" in Slovak can also refer to "light" or "luminary". | |||
| Slovenian | svetu | ||
| The word 'svetu' derives from the Proto-Slavic 'světъ', also meaning 'light' or 'bright'. Its cognate is found in Latin 'sol', meaning 'sun' | |||
| Ukrainian | світ | ||
| "Світ" in Ukrainian can mean "light" or "society" as well as "world". | |||
World in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিশ্ব | ||
| The word "বিশ্ব" can also mean "all", "entire", or "universal" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | દુનિયા | ||
| Hindi | विश्व | ||
| विश्व can refer to a specific cosmic region, the totality of existence, or the universe as a whole. | |||
| Kannada | ಪ್ರಪಂಚ | ||
| The word "ಪ್ರಪಂಚ" in Kannada has alternate meanings such as "a vast or extensive area" or "the universe". | |||
| Malayalam | ലോകം | ||
| The word "ലോകം" (lokham) in Malayalam is derived from the Sanskrit word "लोक" (loka), meaning "space, place, or realm". | |||
| Marathi | जग | ||
| The word “जग” (“world”) in Marathi derives from the Sanskrit word “जगत्,” which encompasses both the physical and metaphysical realms. | |||
| Nepali | संसार | ||
| "संसार" is derived from the Sanskrit word "samsāra," meaning "perpetual wandering". | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੰਸਾਰ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ලෝකය | ||
| The word 'ලෝකය' in Sinhala has alternate meanings of 'people' or 'society' in some contexts. | |||
| Tamil | உலகம் | ||
| The term "உலகம்" (world) also refers to the earth, people inhabiting it, nature with the earth at its center, or everything under the sun in Tamil, as the meaning can vary depending on the context. | |||
| Telugu | ప్రపంచం | ||
| Urdu | دنیا | ||
| The word "دنیا" is derived from the Arabic word "دنا" meaning "to come near" or "to be close". | |||
World in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 世界 | ||
| The term '世界' also means 'age' or 'epoch', referring to a specific period of time. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 世界 | ||
| "界" in "世界" originally indicated "boundary". | |||
| Japanese | 世界 | ||
| The word "世界" (sekai) in Japanese is also used to mean "universe" and "everything that exists". | |||
| Korean | 세계 | ||
| "세계" can also mean the universe or a particular field of knowledge or activity. | |||
| Mongolian | ертөнц | ||
| The Mongolian word "ертөнц" not only means "world" but is also a measure of time. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကမ္ဘာကြီး | ||
World in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | dunia | ||
| "Dunia" is derived from the Sanskrit "dhani" meaning "wealth" or "abundance." | |||
| Javanese | jagad | ||
| "Jagad" can also mean 'the realm of all beings' or 'the realm of all existence' in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | ពិភពលោក | ||
| Lao | ໂລກ | ||
| The Lao word ໂລກ derives from Sanskrit "loka" and also means "people" or "sphere of existence." | |||
| Malay | dunia | ||
| The Malay word "dunia" originates from the Arabic word "dunyā", which also means "world" or "life on earth". | |||
| Thai | โลก | ||
| The word "โลก" in Thai comes from the Sanskrit word "लोका" (loka), which can mean "world", "place", or "realm". | |||
| Vietnamese | thế giới | ||
| "Thế giới" comes from the Chinese "世界" (shìjiè), meaning "public affairs" or "public life." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mundo | ||
World in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | dünya | ||
| In Azerbaijani, "dünya" has an additional metaphorical meaning: "universe". So the phrase "dünya alәmindә" literally translates to "in the universe". | |||
| Kazakh | әлем | ||
| "Әлем" sözünün kökeni "ölümsüzlük" anlamına gelen Farsça "alem" sözcüğüne dayanır ve ayrıca Kazakçanın bazı lehçelerinde "insan" anlamına da gelmektedir. | |||
| Kyrgyz | дүйнө | ||
| The word "дүйнө" in Kyrgyz is also used to refer to the universe or the cosmos. | |||
| Tajik | ҷаҳон | ||
| The word "ҷаҳон" derives from the Persian word "جهان" meaning "universe" or "cosmos". | |||
| Turkmen | dünýä | ||
| Uzbek | dunyo | ||
| The word "dunyo" in Uzbek is derived from the Arabic word "dunya", which means "life" or "present existence". | |||
| Uyghur | دۇنيا | ||
World in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | honua | ||
| While it is a cognate of the Proto-Polynesian word for land, the word honua also means "foundation" or "base" in Hawaiian, indicating its importance in the Hawaiian worldview. | |||
| Maori | ao | ||
| Ao can also refer to a time of chaos, light, life, health, or the space occupied by a living thing. | |||
| Samoan | lalolagi | ||
| The word 'lalolagi' can also mean 'globe' or 'earth' in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mundo | ||
| The term "mundo" is originally derived from the Sanskrit word "maṇḍala", meaning "circle" or "sphere". | |||
World in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | uraqpacha | ||
| Guarani | arapy | ||
World in International Languages
| Esperanto | mondo | ||
| "Mondo" can also mean "clean" or "pure" in Esperanto. | |||
| Latin | orbis | ||
| The Latin word 'orbis' derives from the Proto-Indo-European root '*h₃erbʰ-' denoting 'to inherit' or 'to become an heir' | |||
World in Others Languages
| Greek | κόσμος | ||
| The word "κόσμος" in Greek can also refer to "order", "beauty" or "decoration". | |||
| Hmong | ntiaj teb no | ||
| Ntiaj teb consists of "ntiaj" and "teb" which can both mean "world", but have other meanings like "age" or "life" too. | |||
| Kurdish | dinya | ||
| In Kurdish folklore, "dinya" can also refer to a realm of spirits or supernatural beings. | |||
| Turkish | dünya | ||
| "Dünya" shares its etymology with "dönmek" (to turn) because it used to mean "the turning orb" in Old Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | umhlaba | ||
| Originally, it referred to the 'flat surface of the earth', with its present sense evolving much later. | |||
| Yiddish | וועלט | ||
| The Yiddish word "וועלט" (velt) is derived from the Old High German "weralt", meaning "age" or "lifetime;" it also has the alternate meaning of "vanity" or "illusion." | |||
| Zulu | umhlaba | ||
| The Zulu word 'umhlaba' comes from 'hlaba,' meaning to spread out, and refers to a flat surface or the earth. | |||
| Assamese | বিশ্ব | ||
| Aymara | uraqpacha | ||
| Bhojpuri | दुनिया | ||
| Dhivehi | ދުނިޔެ | ||
| Dogri | दुनिया | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mundo | ||
| Guarani | arapy | ||
| Ilocano | lubong | ||
| Krio | wɔl | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | جیهان | ||
| Maithili | दुनिया | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯥꯂꯦꯝ | ||
| Mizo | khawvel | ||
| Oromo | addunyaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଦୁନିଆ | ||
| Quechua | pacha | ||
| Sanskrit | विश्वम् | ||
| Tatar | дөнья | ||
| Tigrinya | ዓለም | ||
| Tsonga | misava | ||