Adventure in Different Languages
Discover 'Adventure' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Ah, adventure – a word that stirs up images of far-off lands, daring feats, and the thrill of the unknown. But what about the many shades of adventure found in the world's diverse languages? Understanding the translation of 'adventure' in different languages not only expands our vocabulary but also opens a window into various cultural perspectives.
Consider the German word 'Abenteuer', which carries a sense of risk and surprise, or the Russian 'приключение' (priklyucheniye), implying a twist of fate. In Japanese, '冒険 (bōken)' combines the ideas of danger and enjoyment, while the Finnish 'seikkailu' evokes a more lighthearted escapade. These nuanced translations reflect the unique ways in which different cultures embrace and interpret the spirit of adventure.
So, delve into the fascinating world of language and culture, and discover the many faces of adventure. Here's a taste of what's to come:
Adventure
Adventure in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | avontuur | ||
| "Avontuur" comes from the Dutch word "avontuur" and can also mean "risk" or "hazard". | |||
| Amharic | ጀብዱ | ||
| In Tigrinya, the verb 'ጀቡኤ' is similarly used for 'being in trouble'. | |||
| Hausa | kasada | ||
| The word "kasada" can also mean "journey" or "campaign" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | njem | ||
| The Igbo word "njem" also refers to a type of dance performed by women. | |||
| Malagasy | traikefa nahafinaritra | ||
| The word "traikefa nahafinaritra" originally meant "joyful experience" but has evolved to mean "adventure". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ulendo | ||
| The word "ulendo" also means "trip" or "journey" in Nyanja | |||
| Shona | ushingi | ||
| The word "ushingi" in Shona can also refer to "a journey" or "a quest" | |||
| Somali | tacabur | ||
| The word "tacabur" is derived from the Arabic word "taqalib", meaning "turning" or "reversal". | |||
| Sesotho | tobogan | ||
| Sesotho does not use the word “toboggan” to mean “adventure,” but rather refers to a sled on which people can slide down snow-covered hills. | |||
| Swahili | adventure | ||
| The word "adventure" comes from the Latin word "adventura," which means "to come upon" or "to happen," and from the French word "aventure," which means "chance" or "luck." | |||
| Xhosa | ukonwaba | ||
| The word 'ukonwaba' in Xhosa derives from the verb 'ukonwaba', meaning to enjoy, and can also refer to pleasure, happiness, or fun. | |||
| Yoruba | ìrìn | ||
| In Yoruba, 'ìrìn' refers to not only physical travel but also the 'life journey' or 'mission' that individuals undertake. | |||
| Zulu | ukuzijabulisa | ||
| In Zulu, "ukuzijabulisa" also means "amusement," "recreation," or "entertainment. | |||
| Bambara | taama | ||
| Ewe | numetoto | ||
| Kinyarwanda | adventure | ||
| Lingala | kosakana | ||
| Luganda | okunyumirwa | ||
| Sepedi | bohlagahlaga | ||
| Twi (Akan) | suhunu soronko | ||
Adventure in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مغامرة | ||
| مغامرة shares an original root, ghamar, to plunge deeply (as in the ocean), with swimming fish (ghamr) | |||
| Hebrew | הַרפַּתקָה | ||
| The word "הַרפַּתקָה" also means "trepidation" in Hebrew, signifying the inherent risk and excitement associated with adventure. | |||
| Pashto | جرت | ||
| The Pashto word "جرت" ('adventure') is also used to describe an experience or trial, as in a "life adventure." | |||
| Arabic | مغامرة | ||
| مغامرة shares an original root, ghamar, to plunge deeply (as in the ocean), with swimming fish (ghamr) | |||
Adventure in Western European Languages
| Albanian | aventurë | ||
| The word "aventurë" in Albanian also means "chance" or "luck". | |||
| Basque | abentura | ||
| The Basque word "abentura" is derived from the Latin word "adventura", meaning "thing that will happen". | |||
| Catalan | aventura | ||
| The word "aventura" is derived from Latin "adventura", meaning "what is about to happen" or "what will come". The alternate meaning of "aventura" in Catalan is "event". | |||
| Croatian | avantura | ||
| The etymology of avantura can be traced back to 12th and 13th centuries French literature and folklore through Middle Latin, referring to unexpected incidents of fate and good fortune. | |||
| Danish | eventyr | ||
| In Danish, the word "eventyr" can also refer to fairy tales, as in the famous collection "H.C. Andersens Eventyr". | |||
| Dutch | avontuur | ||
| In Dutch, the word "avontuur" can also mean "misfortune" or "mishap" | |||
| English | adventure | ||
| The word "adventure" comes from the Latin word "adventurare," meaning "to happen." | |||
| French | aventure | ||
| "Aventure" also means "mishap" in French, coming from the Latin "adventura," meaning "what happens." | |||
| Frisian | aventoer | ||
| "Aventoer" in Frisian can also mean "experience" or "risk". | |||
| Galician | aventura | ||
| The Galician word "aventura" also means "destiny" or "fate". | |||
| German | abenteuer | ||
| The word "Abenteuer" derives from the Middle High German word "âventiure" which means "something that happens" or "an experience". | |||
| Icelandic | ævintýri | ||
| Historically, ævintýri also referred to a specific subgenre of historical legend or folktale, and it is also used to describe an individual episode of some larger work, such as a saga. | |||
| Irish | eachtraíochta | ||
| The Irish word eachtraíochta derives from the Old Irish "echtra", meaning "expedition" or "journey", and ultimately from the Proto-Celtic root "*eks-treb-os", meaning "to go outside". | |||
| Italian | avventura | ||
| The word "avventura" in Italian derives from the Latin word "adventura", meaning "something that is about to happen" or "an event that is uncertain". | |||
| Luxembourgish | abenteuer | ||
| The word 'Abenteuer' comes from the Old French word 'aventure', which itself comes from the Latin word 'adventura', meaning 'something that is about to happen'. | |||
| Maltese | avventura | ||
| The word "avventura" in Maltese can also mean "fortune" or "luck". | |||
| Norwegian | eventyr | ||
| The Proto-Norse word for "eventyr" was "âventiure," meaning "extraordinary experience, unusual happening, strange story." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | aventura | ||
| The word "aventura" comes from the Latin "adventura, | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dànachd | ||
| The word "dànachd" is derived from the Old Irish word "dán", meaning "bold" or "fierce". | |||
| Spanish | aventuras | ||
| The word "aventuras" is derived from the Latin word "adventurare," meaning "to happen by chance". | |||
| Swedish | äventyr | ||
| The word "äventyr" is derived from the Old French word "aventure", meaning "occurrence, event, or experience". | |||
| Welsh | antur | ||
| The word 'antur' in Welsh also means 'luck' or 'fortune', and is related to the word 'anterth' meaning 'nature' or 'fate'. | |||
Adventure in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | прыгоды | ||
| The word "pryhody" also means "events" or "incidents" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | avantura | ||
| The word "avantura" can also mean "affair" or "adventure story" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | приключение | ||
| The word "приключение" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "приключити сѧ", meaning "to happen to" or "to befall". | |||
| Czech | dobrodružství | ||
| The Czech word "dobrodružství" is derived from the Old Czech words "dobro" (good) and "družiti" (to accompany), thus implying a positive and social experience. | |||
| Estonian | seiklus | ||
| Estonian "seiklus" has a close cognate meaning "confusion" in Finnish, "seikkailu"} | |||
| Finnish | seikkailu | ||
| In Finnish, the word "seikkailu" also refers to a misadventure or mishap. | |||
| Hungarian | kaland | ||
| The word "kaland" in Hungarian is cognate with the German word "Kalender" and originally meant "calendar" or "almanac". | |||
| Latvian | piedzīvojums | ||
| The word "piedzīvojums" is derived from the verb "iedzīvot" (to inhabit) and means "a journey or experience that involves risks or challenges" in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | nuotykis | ||
| The word "nuotykis" originates from the Proto-Indo-European root "newd-", which also means "new" and "unknown". | |||
| Macedonian | авантура | ||
| "Авантура" means something risky, and even has a negative connotation, but also refers to a fun escapade. | |||
| Polish | przygoda | ||
| The verb "przygodzić" ("to encounter") has the same root as the noun "przygoda" ("adventure"). | |||
| Romanian | aventură | ||
| The Romanian word 'aventură' is derived from the French word 'aventure' meaning 'a happening or adventure', ultimately via Latin 'adventura', meaning 'that which is about to happen' or 'chance'. | |||
| Russian | приключение | ||
| The word приключение is related to the word прибывать, meaning to “arrive”. This root meaning is also found in the English words “advent” and “adventus”. The Russian word приключение can also mean “accident” or “mishap”. | |||
| Serbian | авантура | ||
| The word "авантура" in Serbian can also refer to a risky or uncertain undertaking, as well as an affair or secret relationship. | |||
| Slovak | dobrodružstvo | ||
| The Slavic word "dobrodružstvo" originally meant "good brotherhood" or "good company." | |||
| Slovenian | pustolovščina | ||
| The word 'pustolovščina' in Slovenian is derived from the word 'pust', meaning 'empty' or 'wilderness', and suggests a journey into the unknown. | |||
| Ukrainian | пригода | ||
| The word "пригода" is also used to describe an incident or a mishap in Ukrainian. | |||
Adventure in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | দু: সাহসিক কাজ | ||
| The Bengali word "দু: সাহসিক কাজ" literally means "twice courageous", implying the need for exceptional boldness in undertaking an adventure. | |||
| Gujarati | સાહસ | ||
| The word "સાહસ" ("sāhas") comes from the Sanskrit word "sahasa" which means "violence," "force," "energy," or "boldness." | |||
| Hindi | साहसिक | ||
| The word 'साहसिक' can also mean 'bold' or 'daring' in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಸಾಹಸ | ||
| In some contexts, the term "ಸಾಹಸ" can also refer to a military campaign or an undertaking that involves risk. | |||
| Malayalam | സാഹസികത | ||
| The Malayalam word 'സാഹസികത' comes from the Sanskrit word 'sahasa' which means 'boldness' or 'daring'. | |||
| Marathi | साहस | ||
| The word "साहस" (adventure) in Marathi also means "strength" or "fortitude". | |||
| Nepali | साहस | ||
| Nepali “sahas”, besides “adventure,” also refers to “boldness” or “bravery,” likely cognate to Sanskrit “sahasram” and Latin “audax”, all meaning “bold”. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਾਹਸ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਸਾਹਸ" (sahas) has an etymological link to the Sanskrit word "saahas" (courage), implying the presence of courage and determination in adventure. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ත්රාසජනක | ||
| In Sinhalese, the word ත්රාසජනක not only means "adventure" but also conveys a sense of "excitement" or "thrill." | |||
| Tamil | சாகச | ||
| சாகச (adventure) comes from the Sanskrit word 'sahasa', meaning 'courage' or 'boldness' | |||
| Telugu | సాహసం | ||
| சாகஸம் is also a Tamil word for 'bold' or 'brave'. | |||
| Urdu | مہم جوئی | ||
| مہم جوئی comes from the Persian word "مهما" meaning "great" or "important" and "جوئی" meaning "search" or "quest", and can also refer to "crusade" or "campaign". | |||
Adventure in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 冒险 | ||
| 冒险 also means 'to take risks' or 'to dare to do something dangerous'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 冒險 | ||
| "冒" in 冒險 means "to risk" or "to dare", while "險" means "danger" or "peril". | |||
| Japanese | 冒険 | ||
| The word "冒険" (bōken), meaning "adventure", originates from the Chinese word "冒険" (ぼうけん), which referred to "putting oneself in danger" or "trying something risky." | |||
| Korean | 모험 | ||
| 모험 can also mean 'to go outside' or 'to experience the world'. | |||
| Mongolian | адал явдал | ||
| The Mongolian word “адал явдал” also means “misfortune” in English. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စွန့်စားခန်း | ||
| The word စွန့်စားခန်း is derived from the Pali word "saṃsāra", meaning "endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth". It can also refer to a journey or pilgrimage, especially one undertaken for religious or spiritual purposes. | |||
Adventure in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | petualangan | ||
| As an alternative, 'petualangan' can mean a 'story' or 'experience' in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | ngulandara | ||
| The word 'ngulandara' also refers to a kind of gamelan music performed at weddings and circumcision ceremonies in Banyumas, Central Java. | |||
| Khmer | ដំណើរផ្សងព្រេង | ||
| The word ដំណើរផ្សងព្រេង (adventure) likely comes from the Sanskrit word 'damaru', which refers to a small drum, and 'phasana', which means 'story', suggesting the drum's use in accompanying storytelling and legends. | |||
| Lao | ການຜະຈົນໄພ | ||
| Malay | pengembaraan | ||
| The word "pengembaraan" in Malay has roots in the Sanskrit word "gambhiranta", meaning "deep contemplation" or "pilgrimage". | |||
| Thai | การผจญภัย | ||
| การผจญภัย shares the same root as 'พจน์', which means 'to speak' | |||
| Vietnamese | cuộc phiêu lưu | ||
| The word "cuộc phiêu lưu" also means "the experience of a strange and exciting life or journey." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pakikipagsapalaran | ||
Adventure in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | macəra | ||
| The word "macəra" is also used to refer to a "risk" or "gamble" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | приключение | ||
| The word "приключение" is derived from the Kazakh word "приключ" meaning "to happen". | |||
| Kyrgyz | укмуштуу окуя | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "укмуштуу окуя" also means "an event that shakes one's mind or soul". | |||
| Tajik | саёҳат | ||
| The word “саёҳат” (adventure) originates from the Arabic “sayyah” which means “explorer” or “traveler”. | |||
| Turkmen | başdan geçirmeler | ||
| Uzbek | sarguzasht | ||
| The word "sarguzasht" originally referred to a diary in which travellers wrote down their experiences. | |||
| Uyghur | تەۋەككۈلچىلىك | ||
Adventure in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻāʻo | ||
| "Hoʻāʻo" also means "to try" or "to attempt". | |||
| Maori | mōrearea | ||
| Mōrearea can also refer to a group of people who share a common goal or purpose, such as a hunting party or a war party. | |||
| Samoan | faigamalaga | ||
| The term 'faigamalaga' also carries the connotation of 'a journey to discover something new', highlighting the exploratory and curious nature of Samoan adventurers. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pakikipagsapalaran | ||
| The word 'pakikipagsapalaran' literally translates to 'getting into danger' in English. | |||
Adventure in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | awintura | ||
| Guarani | tembiasapyreita | ||
Adventure in International Languages
| Esperanto | aventuro | ||
| "Aventuro" is the Esperantified version of the Italian "aventura" and the Spanish "aventura", and means "chance". In some cases, this meaning has become its own word: "aveniuros". Hence there exist two Esperanto words that both translate to the English "adventure": "avanturon" and "aveniuros". The former stresses the thrill, the latter the risk. | |||
| Latin | adventum | ||
| The Latin word "adventum" also refers to the "arrival" or "coming" of a person or thing. | |||
Adventure in Others Languages
| Greek | περιπέτεια | ||
| The Greek word 'περιπέτεια' originally meant 'an unexpected turn of events' or 'a reversal of fortune', not necessarily implying a thrilling experience. | |||
| Hmong | taug txuj kev nyuaj | ||
| There is no word with the etymology or alternate meaning in the English language for 'taug txuj kev nyuaj' in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | serpêhatî | ||
| The Kurdish word "serpêhatî" has an alternate meaning of "experience" or "incident" and is etymologically related to the Persian word "sargozasht" with a similar meaning. | |||
| Turkish | macera | ||
| In Turkish, "macera" also means "experience" or "incident". | |||
| Xhosa | ukonwaba | ||
| The word 'ukonwaba' in Xhosa derives from the verb 'ukonwaba', meaning to enjoy, and can also refer to pleasure, happiness, or fun. | |||
| Yiddish | פּאַסירונג | ||
| The word "פּאַסירונג" also has the alternate meaning of "experience" in Yiddish. | |||
| Zulu | ukuzijabulisa | ||
| In Zulu, "ukuzijabulisa" also means "amusement," "recreation," or "entertainment. | |||
| Assamese | এডভেঞ্চাৰ | ||
| Aymara | awintura | ||
| Bhojpuri | साहसिक काम | ||
| Dhivehi | އެޑްވެންޗަރ | ||
| Dogri | हिम्मती कम्म | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pakikipagsapalaran | ||
| Guarani | tembiasapyreita | ||
| Ilocano | gasang-gasat | ||
| Krio | travul | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سەرکەشی | ||
| Maithili | साहसिक काज | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯨꯡꯉꯥꯏꯕ ꯊꯧꯑꯣꯡ | ||
| Mizo | tawnhriat ropui | ||
| Oromo | sodaachisaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସାହସିକତା | ||
| Quechua | aventura | ||
| Sanskrit | साहस | ||
| Tatar | маҗаралар | ||
| Tigrinya | ሰቓሊ ልቢ | ||
| Tsonga | valanga | ||