The word clever describes intelligence, quick thinking, and the ability to solve problems creatively. People use it to praise skills, ideas, humor, and smart decisions in daily life.
Because intelligence appears in every culture, learning how to say clever in different languages helps you communicate compliments more naturally. It also benefits writers, translators, students, and language learners.
Moreover, languages express cleverness in different ways. Some focus on wisdom. Others highlight sharp thinking or creativity. In many cultures, the word carries positive respect.
Therefore, using the correct native phrase matters. Understanding these variations improves clarity. It also builds cultural awareness. As a result, your communication becomes more accurate and meaningful worldwide.
| Language | Native Phrase | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| English | Clever | She is very clever. |
| Spanish | Inteligente | Ella es muy inteligente. |
| French | Intelligent | Il est intelligent. |
| German | Schlau | Er ist sehr schlau. |
| Italian | Intelligente | È una persona intelligente. |
| Portuguese | Inteligente | Ele é inteligente. |
| Dutch | Slim | Zij is slim. |
| Swedish | Smart | Han är smart. |
| Norwegian | Smart | Hun er smart. |
| Danish | Klog | Han er klog. |
| Finnish | Älykäs | Hän on älykäs. |
| Russian | Умный | Она очень умная. |
| Ukrainian | Розумний | Він розумний. |
| Polish | Sprytny | On jest sprytny. |
| Czech | Chytrý | Je chytrý. |
| Slovak | Šikovný | Je šikovný. |
| Hungarian | Okos | Ő okos. |
| Romanian | Inteligent | Este inteligent. |
| Greek | Έξυπνος | Είναι έξυπνος. |
| Turkish | Zeki | O zeki. |
| Arabic | ذكي | هو ذكي. |
| Hebrew | חכם | הוא חכם. |
| Persian | باهوش | او باهوش است. |
| Urdu | ہوشیار | وہ ہوشیار ہے۔ |
| Hindi | होशियार | वह होशियार है। |
| Bengali | বুদ্ধিমান | সে বুদ্ধিমান। |
| Punjabi | ਚਤੁਰ | ਉਹ ਚਤੁਰ ਹੈ। |
| Tamil | புத்திசாலி | அவள் புத்திசாலி. |
| Telugu | తెలివైన | అతను తెలివైనవాడు. |
| Kannada | ಚತುರ | ಅವನು ಚತುರ. |
| Malayalam | ബുദ്ധിമാൻ | അവൻ ബുദ്ധിമാൻ. |
| Marathi | हुशार | तो हुशार आहे. |
| Gujarati | હોશિયાર | તે હોશિયાર છે. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 聪明 | 他很聪明。 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 聰明 | 她很聰明。 |
| Japanese | 賢い | 彼は賢い。 |
| Korean | 똑똑하다 | 그는 똑똑하다. |
| Thai | ฉลาด | เธอฉลาดมาก |
| Vietnamese | Thông minh | Anh ấy rất thông minh. |
| Indonesian | Pintar | Dia pintar. |
| Malay | Pandai | Dia pandai. |
| Filipino | Matalino | Siya ay matalino. |
| Swahili | Mjanja | Yeye ni mjanja. |
| Afrikaans | Slim | Sy is slim. |
| Somali | Caqli badan | Waa caqli badan. |
| Hausa | Mai hankali | Yana da hankali. |
| Yoruba | Ọlọ́gbọ́n | Ó jẹ́ ọlọ́gbọ́n. |
| Igbo | Onye amamihe | Ọ bụ onye amamihe. |
| Zulu | Ohlakaniphile | Ungumuntu ohlakaniphile. |
| Amharic | ብልህ | እርሱ ብልህ ነው። |
| Nepali | चतुर | ऊ चतुर छ। |
| Sinhala | දක්ෂ | ඔහු දක්ෂයි. |
| Lao | ສະຫຼາດ | ລາວສະຫຼາດ |
| Khmer | ឆ្លាត | គាត់ឆ្លាត។ |
| Mongolian | Ухаантай | Тэр ухаантай. |
| Kazakh | Ақылды | Ол ақылды. |
| Uzbek | Aqlli | U aqlli. |
| Tajik | Доно | Ӯ доно аст. |
| Pashto | هوښیار | هغه هوښیار دی. |
| Kurdish | Zîrek | Ew zîrek e. |
| Armenian | Խելացի | Նա խելացի է։ |
| Georgian | ჭკვიანი | ის ჭკვიანია. |
| Albanian | I zgjuar | Ai është i zgjuar. |
| Bosnian | Pametan | On je pametan. |
| Croatian | Pametan | Ona je pametna. |
| Serbian | Паметан | Он је паметан. |
| Bulgarian | Умен | Той е умен. |
| Slovenian | Pameten | Je pameten. |
| Lithuanian | Protingas | Jis protingas. |
| Latvian | Gudrs | Viņš ir gudrs. |
| Estonian | Tark | Ta on tark. |
| Icelandic | Klár | Hann er klár. |
| Irish | Cliste | Tá sí cliste. |
| Welsh | Clyfar | Mae e’n glyfar. |
| Basque | Azkarra | Oso azkarra da. |
| Catalan | Intel·ligent | És intel·ligent. |
| Galician | Intelixente | É intelixente. |
| Esperanto | Lerta | Li estas lerta. |
| Latin | Callidus | Vir callidus est. |
Final Thought
Learning clever in different languages shows how cultures value intelligence and smart thinking.
Although the idea remains universal, expression changes across regions. Some languages emphasize wisdom. Others highlight sharpness or creativity. Therefore, knowing native terms improves communication.
Writers add depth to descriptions. Language learners sound more natural. Professionals express praise accurately.
Cultural understanding grows stronger. Even simple compliments carry meaning. By learning these translations, you connect more deeply with people around the world.
FAQs
What does clever usually mean worldwide?
It commonly refers to intelligence or quick thinking.
Is clever always a compliment?
Yes, in most cultures it has a positive meaning.
Do all languages have one word for clever?
Some use multiple words depending on context.
Is clever used for people only?
No, it can describe ideas, solutions, or designs.
Why learn clever in different languages?
It improves communication and cultural awareness.

Mareo Parrin is a multilingual writer at Lingonast.com, specializing in language based content.
He focuses on cultural insights and practical language understanding.
His writing is clear, engaging, and easy to follow.