Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'aid' holds great significance in our daily lives, especially in the context of helping others or providing support. Its cultural importance is evident in the way we use it to describe various forms of assistance, from humanitarian efforts to financial support. Understanding the translation of 'aid' in different languages can open up new avenues of communication and cultural exchange.
Did you know that 'aid' is translated as 'ajut' in Catalan, a language spoken in Catalonia, Spain and Andorra? Or that in Swahili, a language spoken in several African countries, 'aid' is translated as 'utumishi'? These translations not only reflect linguistic diversity but also provide insights into how different cultures perceive and express the concept of assistance.
Whether you're traveling, studying a new language, or simply broadening your cultural horizons, knowing the translation of 'aid' in different languages can be a valuable tool. Here are some translations to get you started:
Afrikaans | hulp | ||
The Afrikaans word "hulp" shares the same Old Saxon and Old High German roots as the English word "help". | |||
Amharic | እርዳታ | ||
"እርዳታ" can have additional meanings such as "support" and "help." | |||
Hausa | taimako | ||
The Hausa word 'taimako' derives from the Arabic 'taymak' meaning 'support'. | |||
Igbo | enyemaka | ||
While 'enyemaka' directly means 'helper,' it can also mean 'help' and 'assistance.' | |||
Malagasy | fanampiana | ||
Fanampiana is also the name of a Malagasy traditional form of mutual aid, a kind of voluntary association for economic and social cooperation. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | thandizo | ||
The word "thandizo" can also mean "help" or "assistance" in Nyanja. | |||
Shona | rubatsiro | ||
The word "rubatsiro" can also refer to a helper or assistant. | |||
Somali | gargaar | ||
The word "gargaar" in Somali can also mean "help" or "assistance". | |||
Sesotho | thuso | ||
Thuso derives from the Proto-Bantu form *thusu, meaning 'ask for help' or 'beg'. | |||
Swahili | misaada | ||
In Swahili, "misaada" also refers to "help given in times of need" or "assistance". | |||
Xhosa | uncedo | ||
The word "Uncedo" in Xhosa can also refer to a mutual aid society or a voluntary association that provides support to its members. | |||
Yoruba | iranlowo | ||
"Iranlowo" can also mean "helper" or "helper spirit" and is related to the word "iran" ("to help") and "olowu" ("owner"). | |||
Zulu | usizo | ||
The Zulu word "usizo" is derived from the Proto-Bantu word "-soza," meaning "to save" or "to rescue. | |||
Bambara | dɛmɛ | ||
Ewe | kpeɖeŋu | ||
Kinyarwanda | imfashanyo | ||
Lingala | lisungi | ||
Luganda | okuyamba | ||
Sepedi | thušo | ||
Twi (Akan) | mmoa | ||
Arabic | مساعدة | ||
Assistance (from the root word `'awn` meaning help or aid) is often a form of financial, material, or advisory support given to a person, group, or country | |||
Hebrew | סיוע | ||
The Hebrew word סיוע means aid, but it can also refer to support, help, or assistance. | |||
Pashto | مرسته | ||
In the Pashtun language, the word "مرسته" can also refer to a person who provides assistance or support. | |||
Arabic | مساعدة | ||
Assistance (from the root word `'awn` meaning help or aid) is often a form of financial, material, or advisory support given to a person, group, or country |
Albanian | ndihma | ||
"Ndihmë" also means "help" in Albanian, and is cognate with "помощь" in Russian and "помог" in Bulgarian. | |||
Basque | laguntza | ||
The word 'laguntza' is also used in Basque to mean 'help', 'assistance' or 'support', and derives from the verb 'lagundu', meaning 'to accompany', 'to assist' or 'to help'. | |||
Catalan | ajuda | ||
"Ajuda" is also a variant spelling of "aigua," meaning "water" in Catalan, and is related to the Spanish "agua" | |||
Croatian | pomoć | ||
The word pomoć derives from the Proto-Slavic root *pomog-ti, which is likely to be of Indo-European origin, and cognate with the words help and помощь (pomoshch). | |||
Danish | hjælpe | ||
The term "hjælpe" in Danish comes from the Old Norwegian word "hjalp," which translates to "need\." | |||
Dutch | steun | ||
The Dutch word "steun" is derived from the Middle Dutch word "steenen", meaning "to support" or "to prop up". | |||
English | aid | ||
The word "aid" comes from the Latin word "adjutare," meaning "to help." | |||
French | aide | ||
In French, "aide" can also mean "assistant" or "helper." | |||
Frisian | helpmiddel | ||
The Frisian word "helpmiddel" is a compound of "help" and "middel" (meaning "way" or "means"), suggesting its role in providing assistance. | |||
Galician | axuda | ||
Axuda is a cognate with 'help' in English, with which it shares root Indo-European *kel-. In Spanish, 'ayuda' also derives from this root. | |||
German | hilfe | ||
From Middle High German "hilfe," which is ultimately related to Gothic "hilp," and thus to the English word "help" | |||
Icelandic | aðstoð | ||
Aðstoð also means 'support' particularly in reference to a person. | |||
Irish | cúnamh | ||
The Irish word 'cúnamh' is derived from the proto-Celtic root *kom- 'to gather' or 'to bring together'. | |||
Italian | aiuto | ||
"Aiuto" is a back-formation from "aiutare", which in turn originated from the Latin root "adjutare," meaning "to help." | |||
Luxembourgish | hëllef | ||
The word 'Hëllef' comes from the Proto-Germanic root '*hulpōn', which also appears in German 'Hilfe', Dutch 'hulp', and English 'help' | |||
Maltese | għajnuna | ||
In the past, "għajnuna" was used in the context of divine aid as it was believed that "għajn" was derived from the Arabic verb "aana", meaning "to help", as a result of a folk etymology. | |||
Norwegian | bistand | ||
Bistand in Norwegian, meaning aid, comes from the Old Norse verb “bistanda”, meaning to assist or to support someone. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ajuda | ||
The word "ajuda" in Portuguese is derived from the Arabic word "al-judah", meaning "the help". | |||
Scots Gaelic | cobhair | ||
The Gaelic word 'cobhair' also means 'help', 'assistance', 'succour', or 'support'. | |||
Spanish | ayuda | ||
The Spanish word "ayuda" derives from the Latin "adiutare", meaning "to assist" or "to give support." | |||
Swedish | hjälpa | ||
"Hjälpa" comes from the Old Norse word "hjalpa," which means both "aid" and "defend." | |||
Welsh | cymorth | ||
The singular form of cymorth is cymhorth and, in Middle Welsh, the word denoted mutual help, especially in farming. |
Belarusian | дапамога | ||
The etymology of 'дапамога' in Belarusian may be related to the word 'помощь' in Russian, both meaning 'help'. | |||
Bosnian | pomoć | ||
The word "pomoć" can also refer to a "rescue" or "help". | |||
Bulgarian | помощ | ||
The Bulgarian word "помощ" also shares a root with the Russian word "помочь" which means "to aid". | |||
Czech | pomoc | ||
Czech "pomoc" comes from a Proto-Slavic root "*pomogti" which also gave rise to other Slavic languages'} | |||
Estonian | abi | ||
The Estonian loanword "abi" has an alternate meaning of "ability". | |||
Finnish | apu | ||
The word "apu" can also refer to a male friend or comrade, or to a servant or helper. | |||
Hungarian | támogatás | ||
The Hungarian word "támogatás" also means "subsidy" or "sponsorship". | |||
Latvian | atbalstu | ||
Atbalstu, meaning 'aid' in Latvian, is derived from the word 'balsts' ('support') and shares its root with the word 'atbalsis' ('echo'). | |||
Lithuanian | pagalba | ||
The word "pagalba" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*pag-", meaning "to protect" or "to watch over". | |||
Macedonian | помош | ||
The word "помош" can also refer to a group of people who provide assistance or a specific action of providing help. | |||
Polish | pomoc | ||
The word "pomoc" in Polish can also mean "help", "assistance", or "succor". | |||
Romanian | ajutor | ||
In Romanian, "ajutor" also means "help" and "assistance." | |||
Russian | помощь | ||
Pomoshch also denotes 'assistance' and 'help', the latter being a translation of the Persian 'elpas' ('help') that entered Russian during the 16th century. | |||
Serbian | помоћ | ||
"Pomoћ" comes from the verb "pomoći" which originates in Proto-Slavic *pomogti, *pomъgǫ, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- "to protect". | |||
Slovak | pomoc | ||
The Slovak word "pomoc" originally meant "memory" or "remembrance". | |||
Slovenian | pomoč | ||
"Pomoč" can mean "aid" or "help" in Slovenian, but it can also refer to a type of traditional Slovenian bread roll made with a potato dough. | |||
Ukrainian | допомога | ||
The Ukrainian word "допомога" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "pomošta", meaning "help, aid" |
Bengali | সাহায্য | ||
সাহায্য (sahayyô) can also mean assistance, help, cooperation, support, or succor. | |||
Gujarati | સહાય | ||
"સહાય" can also mean help, assistance, support, and relief. | |||
Hindi | सहायता | ||
The word "सहायता" ultimately derives from the Sanskrit word "साहा" meaning "assistance, strength" and "सहाय" meaning "helper, ally". | |||
Kannada | ನೆರವು | ||
The Kannada word 'ನೆರವು' (neravu) also has the connotation of 'assistance', 'help', and 'support'. | |||
Malayalam | സഹായം | ||
The word 'സഹായം' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'sahaya', meaning 'help' or 'assistance'. | |||
Marathi | मदत | ||
The Marathi word "मदत" ("aid") is derived from the Sanskrit root "मद्" ("to help"), which also gives rise to the Hindi word "मदद" and the Persian word "مدد" ("assistance"). | |||
Nepali | सहायता | ||
"सहायता" has the same Sanskrit root (sahāyata) as "assistance" and "auxiliary" (both from Latin) | |||
Punjabi | ਸਹਾਇਤਾ | ||
The Punjabi word "ਸਹਾਇਤਾ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "सहाय" (sahaya), meaning "help", and is also related to the Hindi word "सहयोग" (sahayog) | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ආධාර | ||
"ආධාර" [ādhāra] is cognate with "आधार" [ādhāra] in Sanskrit and can also mean "shelter" or "support". | |||
Tamil | உதவி | ||
The Tamil word 'உதவி' derives from the verb 'உதவுதல்' meaning 'to assist' and also shares a root with the word 'உதயம்' meaning 'sunrise'. | |||
Telugu | సహాయం | ||
The Telugu word "సహాయం" derives from the Sanskrit root "saha", meaning "with", emphasizing the cooperative aspect of assistance. | |||
Urdu | امداد | ||
"امداد" is derived from the Arabic word "مَدَد" which means "assistance" or "support", and can also refer to "help" or "relief". |
Chinese (Simplified) | 援助 | ||
援助, from the Chinese characters '援' (help) and '助' (assist), can also refer to "assistance" or "support". | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 援助 | ||
"援助" (Aid) also means "help" or "assistance". | |||
Japanese | 援助 | ||
The word "援助" can also mean "help" or "assistance" in Japanese. | |||
Korean | 도움 | ||
The Korean word "도움" can also mean "help" or "assistance".} | |||
Mongolian | тусламж | ||
The word "тусламж" is derived from the verb "туснах" (to help), and can also mean "assistance", "support", or "relief". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | အကူအညီ | ||
"အကူအညီ" means not only "aid" but also "help," "assistance," and "support," all derived from the Pali word "akasa" (space, ether, sky) and meaning "protection," "shelter," and "to help." |
Indonesian | membantu | ||
Membantu can also be used in the sense of helping someone in trouble or difficulty. | |||
Javanese | pitulung | ||
In Old Javanese, "pitulung" meant "a place for taking refuge" | |||
Khmer | ជំនួយ | ||
The word "ជំនួយ" in Khmer can also mean "help" or "support". | |||
Lao | ການຊ່ວຍເຫຼືອ | ||
Malay | pertolongan | ||
The word "pertolongan" comes from the root word "tolong," which means "to help" or "to assist." | |||
Thai | ช่วยเหลือ | ||
"ช่วยเหลือ" also means "to help" in Thai. | |||
Vietnamese | viện trợ | ||
The word "viện trợ" can also refer to "support" or "assistance". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | tulong | ||
Azerbaijani | yardım | ||
The word "yardım" in Azerbaijani also means "help" and it derives from the Old Turkic word "yardam" meaning "help" or "support." | |||
Kazakh | көмек | ||
The Kazakh word "kömek" is derived from the Proto-Turkic word *köm-, meaning "to support". | |||
Kyrgyz | жардам | ||
The Kyrgyz word "жардам" can also refer to "support" or "assistance". | |||
Tajik | кӯмак | ||
The word "кӯмак" is derived from the Persian word "کمک" and ultimately from the Old Iranian word "*ham-kar-," meaning "to help," making it a cognate of the English word "help." | |||
Turkmen | kömek | ||
Uzbek | yordam | ||
The term “yordam” is also a shortened form of a phrase used in Islamic theology, “Yaratganimizning yordami bilan,” which translates to “with the help of the creator.” | |||
Uyghur | ياردەم | ||
Hawaiian | kōkua | ||
"Kōkua" can also mean "help," "assistance," or "support" | |||
Maori | awhina | ||
The word "awhina" in Maori means "help to stand up" or "to uplift". | |||
Samoan | fesoasoani | ||
The word "fesoasoani" in Samoan can also mean "assistance" or "support". | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | tulong | ||
The word "tulong" can also refer to a form of traditional Filipino martial arts. |
Aymara | yanapa | ||
Guarani | pytyvõ | ||
Esperanto | helpo | ||
Esperanto's "helpo" originated from the Polish word "helpa" and its ultimate ancestor, "help". | |||
Latin | auxilium | ||
The Latin word "auxilium" (aid) shares the same root as "augere" (to increase) and "auctoritas" (authority), highlighting the connection between aid and power. |
Greek | βοήθεια | ||
The Ancient Greek word 'βοηθέω' ('boētheō') means 'to come to someone's aid'. In Modern Greek, 'βοήθεια' ('boētheia') specifically means 'aid' or 'help'. | |||
Hmong | pab | ||
In Hmong, there is a word “pab” which means “aid”. It can also be used to refer to a person who provides assistance. | |||
Kurdish | alîkarî | ||
"Alîkari" is a word with Persian roots meaning "help, support, assistance." It is cognate with the Arabic word "alîkār." In addition, it can mean "tool" or "equipment" in some contexts. | |||
Turkish | yardım | ||
The word "yardım" is derived from the Persian word "yardam", meaning "assistance" or "help". It can also refer to a type of fabric or a measure of length (0.9144 meters). | |||
Xhosa | uncedo | ||
The word "Uncedo" in Xhosa can also refer to a mutual aid society or a voluntary association that provides support to its members. | |||
Yiddish | הילף | ||
The Yiddish word "הילף" originally referred to divine aid or assistance from a higher power, not just general assistance or support. | |||
Zulu | usizo | ||
The Zulu word "usizo" is derived from the Proto-Bantu word "-soza," meaning "to save" or "to rescue. | |||
Assamese | সাহায্য | ||
Aymara | yanapa | ||
Bhojpuri | सहायता | ||
Dhivehi | އެހީ | ||
Dogri | मदाद | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | tulong | ||
Guarani | pytyvõ | ||
Ilocano | tulong | ||
Krio | ɛp | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | هاوکاری | ||
Maithili | सहायता | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯦꯡꯕꯥꯡ | ||
Mizo | tanpuina | ||
Oromo | gargaarsa | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ସହାୟତା | ||
Quechua | yanapay | ||
Sanskrit | सहायता | ||
Tatar | ярдәм | ||
Tigrinya | ረድኤት | ||
Tsonga | mpfuno | ||