Afraid in Different Languages
Discover 'Afraid' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Afraid
Afrikaans bang | ||
Albanian i frikësuar | ||
Amharic ፈራ | ||
Arabic خائف | ||
Armenian վախեցած | ||
Assamese ভয় কৰা | ||
Aymara asxarayata | ||
Azerbaijani qorxuram | ||
Bambara siranya | ||
Basque beldur | ||
Belarusian баюся | ||
Bengali ভীত | ||
Bhojpuri डर | ||
Bosnian plaši se | ||
Bulgarian страх | ||
Catalan té por | ||
Cebuano nahadlok | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 害怕 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 害怕 | ||
Corsican impauritu | ||
Croatian bojati se | ||
Czech strach | ||
Danish bange | ||
Dhivehi ބިރުގަނެފައި | ||
Dogri डरे दा | ||
Dutch bang | ||
English afraid | ||
Esperanto timas | ||
Estonian kardan | ||
Ewe vɔvɔm | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) takot | ||
Finnish pelkää | ||
French peur | ||
Frisian bang | ||
Galician con medo | ||
Georgian შეშინებული | ||
German angst | ||
Greek φοβισμένος | ||
Guarani kyhyjeha | ||
Gujarati ભયભીત | ||
Haitian Creole pè | ||
Hausa tsoro | ||
Hawaiian makaʻu | ||
Hebrew חוֹשֵׁשׁ | ||
Hindi डरा हुआ | ||
Hmong ntshai | ||
Hungarian félek | ||
Icelandic hræddur | ||
Igbo egwu | ||
Ilocano mabuteng | ||
Indonesian takut | ||
Irish eagla | ||
Italian paura | ||
Japanese 恐れ | ||
Javanese wedi | ||
Kannada ಹೆದರುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು | ||
Kazakh қорқады | ||
Khmer ខ្លាច | ||
Kinyarwanda ubwoba | ||
Konkani भियेल्लें | ||
Korean 두려워 | ||
Krio fred | ||
Kurdish tirsane | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) ترس | ||
Kyrgyz корккон | ||
Lao ຢ້ານກົວ | ||
Latin timere | ||
Latvian baidās | ||
Lingala kobanga | ||
Lithuanian išsigandęs | ||
Luganda okutya | ||
Luxembourgish angscht | ||
Macedonian се плаши | ||
Maithili भयभीत | ||
Malagasy raiki-tahotra | ||
Malay takut | ||
Malayalam ഭയപ്പെട്ടു | ||
Maltese jibżgħu | ||
Maori mataku | ||
Marathi भीती | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯀꯤꯕ | ||
Mizo hlau | ||
Mongolian айж байна | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ကြောက်တယ် | ||
Nepali डर | ||
Norwegian redd | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) mantha | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଭୟ | ||
Oromo sodaachuu | ||
Pashto ویره | ||
Persian ترسیدن | ||
Polish przestraszony | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) receoso | ||
Punjabi ਡਰ | ||
Quechua manchakuy | ||
Romanian frică | ||
Russian боюсь | ||
Samoan fefe | ||
Sanskrit भीतः | ||
Scots Gaelic eagal | ||
Sepedi tšhogile | ||
Serbian плаши се | ||
Sesotho tshoha | ||
Shona kutya | ||
Sindhi ڊ afraidو | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) බයයි | ||
Slovak strach | ||
Slovenian strah | ||
Somali cabsi | ||
Spanish temeroso | ||
Sundanese sieun | ||
Swahili hofu | ||
Swedish rädd | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) takot | ||
Tajik метарсам | ||
Tamil பயம் | ||
Tatar курка | ||
Telugu భయపడటం | ||
Thai เกรงกลัว | ||
Tigrinya ምፍራሕ | ||
Tsonga chava | ||
Turkish korkmuş | ||
Turkmen gorkýar | ||
Twi (Akan) suro | ||
Ukrainian бояться | ||
Urdu خوف زدہ | ||
Uyghur قورقۇپ كەتتى | ||
Uzbek qo'rqaman | ||
Vietnamese sợ | ||
Welsh ofn | ||
Xhosa uyoyika | ||
Yiddish דערשראָקן | ||
Yoruba bẹru | ||
Zulu wesabe |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The word "bang" is cognate with the Dutch and German "bang" meaning "anxiety" and the Swedish "bäng" meaning "afraid". |
| Albanian | The word "i frikësuar" comes from the Proto-Albanian word *frik, meaning "to fear". |
| Amharic | *ፈራ* 'afraid' shares a root with *ፈር* 'fear' and *ፈረ* 'to be startled, to flee' and may be related to *ፈረ* 'to thresh, to winnow,' suggesting a sense of agitation. |
| Arabic | The word "خائف" in Arabic also means "apprehensive" or "uneasy". |
| Armenian | "Վախեցած" originally meant "surprised" in Armenian, but over time it shifted to describing a state of fear. |
| Azerbaijani | The word "qorxuram" is derived from the Proto-Turkic root "*qorq- " meaning "to be afraid" and ultimately descends from the Proto-Altaic root "*xor- " with the same meaning. |
| Basque | One of the ancient meanings of `beldur` was `shadow`, but this meaning disappeared with time. |
| Belarusian | The term 'баюся' ('baiusia') is a derivative of the Old Slavic word 'боятися' ('boiatisia'), meaning 'to fear or dread'. |
| Bengali | ভীত is derived from the same root as বিহ্বল (bewildered) and বিষাদ (grief), suggesting a sense of disorientation and distress associated with fear. |
| Bosnian | Plaši se is a verb originating from the Proto-Slavic plašiti, and is also synonymous with bojati se, strahovati and drhtati meaning to fear or be afraid. |
| Bulgarian | The Bulgarian word "страх" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *straхъ, which means "terror", "horor", or "fear". |
| Catalan | "Por" means fear in Catalan and it is derived from the Latin "pavor" which means "terror". |
| Cebuano | "Nahadlok" in Cebuano comes from the Malay "takut" which also means "afraid". |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The word "害怕" can also mean "to be cautious" or "to be on guard". |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 害怕's etymology can be traced back to the Oracle script, where it originally meant 'a deer's heart' (鹿心). |
| Corsican | The word "impauritu" in Corsican derives from the Latin "pavor". |
| Croatian | The word "bojati se" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*bheg-", which meant "to shun". It also relates to English "bogus", which initially suggested a counterfeit |
| Czech | "Strach" can also mean "ghost" in some Slavic languages and is related to the word "strasz" meaning "horror" in Polish. |
| Danish | The word "bange" is derived from the Old Norse word "bangi", meaning "pain" or "anguish". |
| Dutch | "Bang" in Dutch also means a firework |
| Esperanto | The word "timas" in Esperanto is based on the Spanish word "temer", which also means "to fear". |
| Estonian | Kardan may also refer to a propeller shaft or Universal joint, as it originates from the name of their inventor, Girolamo Cardano. |
| Finnish | Related to the word "pelko" (fear) and the verb "pelätä" (to fear). |
| French | In Old French, 'peur' meant 'disturbance' and came from the Latin word 'pavor' ('terror'). |
| Frisian | Frisian 'bang' meaning 'afraid' is also used for 'a tight place' or 'a narrow escape'. |
| Galician | Con medo" is a Galician phrase that originally meant "with fear" but has evolved to mean simply "afraid". |
| German | The term "Angst" in German is derived from the Old High German word "angust" meaning "narrow" or "tight," a reflection of the physical and emotional constriction often associated with the feeling of fear. |
| Greek | As a neuter singular participle, in the nominative and accusative, "φοβισμένος" can also mean "something feared". |
| Gujarati | The Gujarati word "ભયભીત" is derived from the Sanskrit word "भयभीत" (bhayabheeta), which means "full of fear". It can also refer to a state of anxiety or nervousness. |
| Haitian Creole | The word "pè" in Haitian Creole is derived from the French word "peur", meaning "fear". |
| Hausa | The word tsoro in Hausa is related to the word 'tsoro' which means 'a feeling of fear or anxiety'. |
| Hawaiian | The word "makaʻu" also means "awe" or "reverence" in Hawaiian, reflecting the cultural understanding of fear as a sacred emotion. |
| Hebrew | The word "חוֹשֵׁשׁ" (khoshesh) in Hebrew can also mean "to sense" or "to perceive". |
| Hindi | The Hindi word 'डरा हुआ' originates from the Sanskrit word 'डर' meaning 'fear'. |
| Hmong | The word 'ntshai' also means 'to fear' or 'to be wary'. |
| Hungarian | The word "félek" can also mean "I am afraid of" or "I am worried about". |
| Icelandic | The word 'hræddur' is also used to describe someone who is alert or wary. |
| Igbo | Egwu can refer to an Igbo traditional dance or masquerade in some contexts, or a sense of awe or wonder in others. |
| Indonesian | The Indonesian word "takut" is often used to describe physical fear, but can also be used to describe other aversions, such as fear of failure or dislike of a certain food. |
| Irish | The Irish word "eagla" is cognate with the Sanskrit word "bhayā-," and both words come from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰiH-, meaning "fear." |
| Italian | The word "paura" in Italian is derived from the Latin word "pavor" meaning "terror" or "dread." |
| Japanese | The word "恐れ" (osore) originally meant "awe" or "reverence" and was used to describe feelings towards deities or superiors. |
| Javanese | The Javanese word "wedi" also refers to an iron pot in which traditional Javanese snacks are steamed or roasted |
| Kazakh | The word "қорқады" can also mean "to be scared" or "to be frightened". |
| Khmer | In Old Khmer, the word "ខ្លាច" originally meant "fear of ghosts or spirits". |
| Korean | " 두려워 " is derived from the word " 두르다 ", meaning " to wrap around ", and is originally associated with the feeling of being overwhelmed or cornered. |
| Kurdish | "Tirsane" in Kurdish can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root *terh₂-, which also gave rise to the English "terror" and "trepidation." |
| Kyrgyz | In Kyrgyz, the word "корккон" (afraid) derives from the noun "корк" (fence), suggesting that being afraid is likened to being confined or restricted. |
| Lao | The word ຢ້ານກົວ can also refer to a state where someone has no determination and cannot make any decision |
| Latin | In Latin, "timere" not only means "to fear" but also "to esteem" or "to revere". |
| Latvian | The word baidās comes from the verb "bait" (to fear, to be afraid), which is cognate with the Sanskrit verb "bhid" (to split, to cleave) and the Old High German verb "biʒan" (to tremble). |
| Lithuanian | The word "išsigandęs" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*ǵʰes-/, which also means "to fear" or "to be afraid". |
| Luxembourgish | The Luxembourgish word "Angscht" derives from the German word "Angst" and shares the same meaning of "fear" or "anxiety". |
| Macedonian | The word "се плаши" (afraid) in Macedonian is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "плашити" (to frighten). |
| Malagasy | The Malagasy word "raiki-tahotra" can also refer to someone feeling shy |
| Malay | "Takut" can also mean "respect" or "awe" in certain contexts. |
| Malayalam | The word "ഭയപ്പെട്ടു" in Malayalam is closely related to the word "ഭയം" (fear), which ultimately derives from the Sanskrit root "bhi" meaning "to fear or to be afraid." |
| Maltese | "Jibżgħu" in Maltese stems from the Arabic word "khaf", which also means fear. |
| Maori | The Maori word 'mataku' (fear) originally meant 'to feel the impact of the unseen' and was also used for the fear of the supernatural. |
| Marathi | The word भीती derives from Sanskrit 'bhiti' meaning fear or terror. |
| Mongolian | The Mongolian word "айж байна" can also refer to being startled or apprehensive. |
| Nepali | डर also means 'fear' or 'terror' and is related to the Sanskrit word 'dvi' meaning 'to hate' or 'to fear'. |
| Norwegian | The word "redd" also means "afraid" in Norwegian. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "mantha" in Nyanja (Chichewa) can also mean "hesitation" or "doubt". |
| Pashto | In Pashto, the word "ويره" also means "fear" or "terror." |
| Persian | The word "ترسیدن" is also used to describe the feeling of being in awe or reverence. |
| Polish | Przestraszony in Polish literally means “struck by a bird”. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | "Receoso" also means "cautious" or "wary". |
| Punjabi | "ਡਰ" (afraid) stems from the Sanskrit word "drī", meaning "to split" or "to break", referring to the feeling of being shattered or divided within oneself in the face of fear. |
| Romanian | The word "frică" is derived from the Latin "fricare", meaning "to rub" or "to rub against", and is related to the German "Furcht" and the English "fear". |
| Russian | Слово «боюсь» происходит от древнеславянского «бояться» (опасаться, оберегать) и связано с «богом»: боялись нечистых духов, которых называли «боги», позже слово приобрело и другие значения. |
| Samoan | The Samoan word "fefe" also means "respect" or "reverence". |
| Scots Gaelic | The Scots Gaelic word ‘eagal’ comes from the Old Irish word ‘egla’, meaning fear or awe. |
| Serbian | The word "plaši se" in Serbian literally translates as "he scares himself". |
| Sesotho | The Sesotho word "tshoha" is also an antonym of "keba" which means "to defy". |
| Shona | In some dialects of Shona, "kutya" is also a noun meaning "fear", a usage that is not found in Standard Shona. |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "ڊ" can also mean "anxious" or "worried". |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word බයයි (bayyai) is derived from the Sanskrit word भय (bhaya), meaning "fear" or "dread". |
| Slovak | The word "strach" is cognate with the Czech "strach", which has the same meaning, and the Polish "strach", which means "terror". |
| Slovenian | The Slavic root *strax- in strah is also found in the words 'horror', 'anxiety' and 'fear'. |
| Somali | "Cabsi" is also an archaic Somali word for "shame" or "fear of making mistakes". |
| Spanish | Temeroso shares etymology with 'termite', both ultimately deriving from Latin 'termite(s)' (woodworm). |
| Sundanese | The word "sieun" also means "shy" in Sundanese. |
| Swahili | The Swahili word "hofu" is a loanword from Arabic, where it means "fear" or "terror." |
| Swedish | The Swedish word "rädd" can also mean "careful" or "cautious." |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The word "takot" in Tagalog (Filipino) is rooted in the Malay word "takut" and also means "fearful" or "apprehensive". |
| Tajik | The word "metersem" may be derived from the Persian word "mitarsem" meaning "fearful" or "cautious". |
| Tamil | The Tamil word 'பயம்' is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root 'pat', meaning 'to split or divide', indicating a state of internal fragmentation or fear. |
| Telugu | The word "భయపడటం" can also refer to feeling intimidated, or being in awe or admiration of someone. |
| Thai | The Thai word "เกรงกลัว" is closely related to the word "กราว" (graaw), which means "to fear". It is also related to the word "กลัว" (glaaw), which also means "to fear". |
| Turkish | The word "korkmuş" can also refer to a person who has been startled or shocked. |
| Ukrainian | "Бояться" is derived from the Proto-Slavic "*bojati sę", from "*bojь" ("battle") and reflexes in multiple other Slavic languages. |
| Urdu | The word "خوف زدہ" also means "astonished" or "amazed" but rarely used in this sense nowadays. |
| Uzbek | Qo'rqaman is derived from the Persian word 'Khurdan' meaning "eating", a metaphor commonly used to describe the heart's reaction to fear. |
| Vietnamese | Sợ is the Sino-Vietnamese word for 'fear', but can also refer to 'respect' or 'awe'. |
| Welsh | The Welsh word "ofn" is derived from the Old Welsh form "of" meaning "great fear; fear of the underworld." |
| Xhosa | The term 'uyoyika' is also used to denote a sense of fear or apprehension, or to express a feeling of caution or wariness. |
| Yiddish | The word ‘דערשראָקן’ (‘afraid’) also refers to a type of ghost in Hebrew folklore that torments people, especially pregnant women and children. |
| Yoruba | The word "bẹru" also means "prohibit" and is related to "bìrì", meaning "sacred place". |
| Zulu | The word "wesabe" could also refer to fear due to a lack of knowledge or experience, or to a state of bewilderment or confusion. |
| English | The word 'afraid' is derived from the Old English word 'afrædan,' meaning 'to frighten' or 'to terrify'. |