How to say “hear” around the world
5,126 languages · 181 in their own spelling
Dots of one colour begin with a similar sound. Colours group words by the class of their first consonant (a sound-class method used in linguistics): words that begin alike share a colour. This shows resemblance, not common origin — proving relationship needs case-by-case comparison. Readable forms come from Wiktionary translation tables; many smaller languages come from the ASJP word lists, in ASJP’s simplified transcription.
| Language | Word | Romanization | Family |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 听 | Sino-Tibetan | |
| English | hear | Indo-European | |
| Spanish | oír | Indo-European | |
| Hindi | सुनना | sunnā | Indo-European |
| Arabic | سَمِعَ | samiʕa | Afro-Asiatic |
| Bengali | শোনা | śōna | Indo-European |
| Indonesian | dengar | Austronesian | |
| Portuguese | ouvir | Indo-European | |
| French | entendre | Indo-European | |
| Russian | слы́шать | slýšatʹ | Indo-European |
| Japanese | 聞く | kiku | Japonic |
| Marathi | ऐकणे | aikṇe | Indo-European |
| Swahili | kusikia | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Turkish | duymak | Turkic | |
| Telugu | విను | vinu | Dravidian |
| Korean | 듣다 | deutda | Koreanic |
| German | hören | Indo-European | |
| Vietnamese | nghe | Austroasiatic | |
| Tamil | கேள் | kēḷ | Dravidian |
| Cantonese | 聽到 | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Urdu | سُنْنا | sunnā | Indo-European |
| Italian | sentire | Indo-European | |
| Egyptian Arabic | سمع | simiʕ | Afro-Asiatic |
| Western Farsi | شِنیدَن | šenidan | Indo-European |
| Bhojpuri | सुनल | sunal | Indo-European |
| Min Nan Chinese | 聽著 | thiaⁿ-tio̍h | Sino-Tibetan |
| Kannada | ಕೇಳು | kēḷu | Dravidian |
| Polish | słyszeć | Indo-European | |
| Malayalam | കേൾക്കുക | kēḷkkuka | Dravidian |
| Odia | ଶୁଣିବା | śuṇibā | Indo-European |
| Burmese | ကြား | kra: | Sino-Tibetan |
| Moroccan Arabic | سْمع | sməʕ | Afro-Asiatic |
| Ukrainian | чу́ти | čúty | Indo-European |
| Uzbek | eshitmoq | Turkic | |
| Romanian | auzi | Indo-European | |
| Dutch | horen | Indo-European | |
| Amharic | ሰማ | säma | Afro-Asiatic |
| Thai | ได้ยิน | dâi-yin | Tai-Kadai |
| Serbian-Croatian-Bosnian | чу̏ти | Indo-European | |
| Khmer | ឮ | lɨɨ | Austroasiatic |
| Somali | maqlid | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Turkmen | eşitmek | Turkic | |
| Assamese | শুন | xun | Indo-European |
| Sinhala | ඇසෙනවා | æsenawā | Indo-European |
| Greek | ακούω | akoúo | Indo-European |
| Kurdish | bîstin | Indo-European | |
| Tajik | шунидан | šunidan | Indo-European |
| Sylheti | ꠢꠥꠘꠣ | huna | Indo-European |
| Kazakh | есту | estüw | Turkic |
| Hungarian | hall | Uralic | |
| Akan | te | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Southern Pashto | اورول | awrawəl | Indo-European |
| Czech | slyšet | Indo-European | |
| Uighur | ئاڭلىماق | anglimaq | Turkic |
| Afrikaans | hoor | Indo-European | |
| Swedish | höra | Indo-European | |
| Azerbaijani | eşitmək | Turkic | |
| Bulgarian | чу́вам | čúvam | Indo-European |
| Belarusian | чуць | čucʹ | Indo-European |
| Central Kurdish | بیستن | bîstin | Indo-European |
| Kashmiri | بوزُن | bōzun | Indo-European |
| Danish | høre | Indo-European | |
| Slovak | čuť | Indo-European | |
| Finnish | kuulla | Uralic | |
| Lao | ໄດ້ຍິນ | dn | Tai-Kadai |
| Norwegian | høre | Indo-European | |
| Tatar | ишетергә | işetergä | Turkic |
| Catalan | sentir | Indo-European | |
| Sicilian | sintiri | Indo-European | |
| Kirghiz | угуу | uguu | Turkic |
| Swiss German | ghööre | Indo-European | |
| Armenian | լսել | lsel | Indo-European |
| S'gaw Karen | နၢ်ဟူ | na̱ hoo | Sino-Tibetan |
| Lithuanian | girdėti | Indo-European | |
| Tok Pisin | harim | Indo-European | |
| Georgian | სმენა | smena | Kartvelian |
| Acehnese | deungo | Austronesian | |
| Albanian | dëgjon | Indo-European | |
| Shan | ငိၼ် | ngǐn | Tai-Kadai |
| Mongolian | дуулах | duulax | Mongolic-Khitan |
| Galician | oír | Indo-European | |
| Slovenian | slišati | Indo-European | |
| Esperanto | aŭdi | Artificial Language | |
| Macedonian | слуша | sluša | Indo-European |
| Venetian | sentir | Indo-European | |
| Zhuang | ndaejnyi | Tai-Kadai | |
| Afar | oobbe | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Latvian | dzirdēt | Indo-European | |
| Quechua | uyariy | Quechuan | |
| Chechen | хаза | xaza | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Estonian | kuulma | Uralic | |
| Bashkir | ишетеү | işetew | Turkic |
| Tibetan | ཁོ | kho | Sino-Tibetan |
| Tausug | dungug | Austronesian | |
| Western Frisian | hearre | Indo-European | |
| Basque | entzun | Isolates | |
| Welsh | clywed | Indo-European | |
| Morisyen | tande | Indo-European | |
| Walloon | ôre | Indo-European | |
| Maltese | sama’ | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Crimean Tatar | eşitmek | Turkic | |
| Occitan | ausir | Indo-European | |
| Tetum | rona | Austronesian | |
| Asturian | oyer | Indo-European | |
| Kumyk | эшитмек | eşitmek | Turkic |
| Sranan Tongo | arki | Indo-European | |
| Ibanag | ginna | Austronesian | |
| Ingush | хаза | xaza | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Icelandic | heyra | Indo-European | |
| Friulian | sintî | Indo-European | |
| Tuvinian | дыңнаар | dıñnaar | Turkic |
| Ndzwani Comorian | ukia | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Saho | oobbe | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Kambera | rongu | Austronesian | |
| Enga | singi | Nuclear Trans New Guinea | |
| Zeelandic | 'ore | Indo-European | |
| Māori | oko | Austronesian | |
| Abkhaz | аҳара | aḥara | Abkhaz-Adyge |
| Pennsylvania German | heere | Indo-European | |
| Irish | clois | Indo-European | |
| Aromanian | avdu | Indo-European | |
| Belize Kriol English | hyaa | Indo-European | |
| Kashubian | czëc | Indo-European | |
| Breton | kleved | Indo-European | |
| Mwani | kusikira | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Faroese | hoyra | Indo-European | |
| Tahitian | faʻaroʻo | Austronesian | |
| Scottish Gaelic | cluinn | Indo-European | |
| Mansaka | dungug | Austronesian | |
| Sanskrit | श्रु | śru | Indo-European |
| Romansh | udir | Indo-European | |
| Higaonon | paliman | Austronesian | |
| Hawaiian | lohe | Austronesian | |
| Evenki | до̄лды̄мӣ | dōldīmī | Tungusic |
| Upper Sorbian | słyšeć | Indo-European | |
| Cherokee | ᎠᏛᎩᎠ | advgia | Iroquoian |
| Northern Frisian | hiar | Indo-European | |
| Lower Sorbian | słyšaś | Indo-European | |
| Atikamekw | petam | Algic | |
| Rapanui | ngaro'a | Austronesian | |
| Manx | clin | Indo-European | |
| Interlingua | audir | Artificial Language | |
| Nanai | долди- | dolʒi- | Tungusic |
| Pipil | kaki | Uto-Aztecan | |
| Istro-Romanian | avzi | Indo-European | |
| Manchu | ᡩᠣᠨᠵᡳᠮᠪᡳ | donjimbi | Tungusic |
| Aklanon | dungog | Austronesian | |
| Gheg Albanian | ni | Indo-European | |
| Ambonese Malay | dangar | Austronesian | |
| Central Atlas Tamazight | ⵙⵍⵍ | sll | Afro-Asiatic |
| Fataluku | vari | Timor-Alor-Pantar | |
| Old French | entendre | Indo-European | |
| Geez | ሰምዐ | sämʿä | Afro-Asiatic |
| Gothic | 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 | hausjan | Indo-European |
| Ancient Greek | ἀκούω | akoúō | Indo-European |
| Hebrew | שָׁמַע | shamá' | Afro-Asiatic |
| Hmong Daw | hnov | Hmong-Mien | |
| Isnag | xina | Austronesian | |
| Latin | audio | Indo-European | |
| Livonian | kūlõ | Uralic | |
| Moselle Franconian | héieren | Indo-European | |
| Makasae-Makalero | wali | Timor-Alor-Pantar | |
| Malay | dengar | Austronesian | |
| Brunei | dangar | Austronesian | |
| Classical Nahuatl | caqui | Uto-Aztecan | |
| Church Slavic | слꙑшати | slyšati | Indo-European |
| Old Russian | слꙑшати | slyšati | Indo-European |
| Old English | ġehīeran | Indo-European | |
| Old Norse | hǫra | Indo-European | |
| Old Saxon | horian | Indo-European | |
| Oromo | dhaga'uu | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Polabian | slåisot | Indo-European | |
| Rendille | dag | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Sardinian | intèndhere | Indo-European | |
| Tagalog | marinig | Austronesian | |
| Tokharian B | klyaus- | Indo-European | |
| Ugaritic | 𐎌𐎎𐎓 | šmʿ | Afro-Asiatic |
| Woiwurrung-Thagungwurrung | ngarrnka | Pama-Nyungan | |
| Yiddish | הערן | hern | Indo-European |
| Yurok | kom' | Algic | |
| East Taa | ta̰ã | Tuu |