Awful in Different Languages
Discover 'Awful' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'awful' is a small but powerful part of the English language. It's used to describe something that is inspiring fear, distress, or displeasure, and can be traced back to the Old English word 'egeful', which means 'full of fear' or 'terrible'. But did you know that the word 'awful' has also been used to describe things that are extremely impressive or remarkable? This dual meaning highlights the versatility of the English language and the importance of context in understanding the true meaning of a word.
Understanding the translation of 'awful' in different languages can provide insight into the cultural nuances of other countries and help break down language barriers. For example, in Spanish, 'awful' translates to 'terrible' (terrible), while in German, it becomes 'furchtbar' (fearful) and in French, 'affreux' (horrible).
In this article, we'll explore the significance and cultural importance of the word 'awful', as well as its fascinating history and evolution. So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or simply curious about the world around you, read on to discover the translations of 'awful' in different languages.
Awful
Awful in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | aaklig | ||
| "Aaklig" derives from the German word "eklig" (disgusting). | |||
| Amharic | አስከፊ | ||
| The Amharic word "አስከፊ" can also mean "fearful" or "terrible". | |||
| Hausa | mummunan | ||
| The word "mummunan" is an adverb in Hausa which means "badly" or "horribly". It might be related to the verb "mummuna" or the noun "muna" (both meaning "bad"), though the root of these words is not known. The word "mummunan" is sometimes used as a noun, meaning "an awful thing" or "a calamity." | |||
| Igbo | jogburu onwe ya | ||
| "Jogburu onwe ya" literally means "something that kills itself" in Igbo, hence its use to describe something extremely bad or awful. | |||
| Malagasy | mahatsiravina | ||
| The word "mahatsiravina" in Malagasy can also mean "bad" or "wicked." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zoyipa | ||
| The word "zoyipa" can also refer to something very bad or unpleasant. | |||
| Shona | zvakaipa | ||
| In addition to the primary meaning, zvakaipa can refer to something causing distress; being bad, unpleasant or causing dissatisfaction; a state of suffering, or an act that is considered evil. | |||
| Somali | xun | ||
| The term "xun" can refer to something that is unpleasant or offensive, but it can also carry the connotation of being dangerous or potentially harmful. | |||
| Sesotho | hampe | ||
| "Hampe" is a common euphemism for "bollocks" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | mbaya | ||
| The word "mbaya" in Swahili can also mean "bad" or "poor". | |||
| Xhosa | eyoyikisayo | ||
| The word "eyoyikisayo" in Xhosa can also be used to describe something that is frightening or terrible. | |||
| Yoruba | buruju | ||
| The word "buruju" in Yoruba also means "bad" or "evil" and is derived from the verb "ru," meaning "to spoil" or "to damage." | |||
| Zulu | kabi | ||
| The word 'kabi' also means 'bad' in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | cɛjuguman | ||
| Ewe | menyo o | ||
| Kinyarwanda | biteye ubwoba | ||
| Lingala | ya mpasi | ||
| Luganda | kya ntiisa | ||
| Sepedi | boifišago | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nyɛ koraa | ||
Awful in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | سيى | ||
| سيى is the opposite of حسن (good) and also means 'black' in Aramaic | |||
| Hebrew | נורא | ||
| The Hebrew word "נורא" (pronounced "nora") comes from the root word "ירא" (pronounced "yirah"), which means "fear" or "awe". This reflects the idea that something "awful" is something that inspires fear or awe. | |||
| Pashto | ځورونکی | ||
| In addition to its common meaning of "awful," "ځورونکی" can also mean "difficult" or "troublesome." | |||
| Arabic | سيى | ||
| سيى is the opposite of حسن (good) and also means 'black' in Aramaic | |||
Awful in Western European Languages
| Albanian | e tmerrshme | ||
| The word "e tmerrshme" in Albanian is derived from the Proto-Albanian word "*tmaršmь", meaning "darkness" or "the underworld." | |||
| Basque | ikaragarria | ||
| The word 'ikaragarria' is related to the Basque word 'ikaratu', which means 'to frighten' or 'to terrorize', and is used to describe experiences that cause feelings of terror or horror. | |||
| Catalan | horrible | ||
| In Catalan, the word "horrible" is derived from the Latin word "horribilis" which means "dreadful". | |||
| Croatian | grozno | ||
| The word 'grozno' is related to the word 'graza', meaning 'terror' or 'horror', and is thought to have originated from Proto-Slavic *gorzь, meaning 'terrible' or 'fearful'. | |||
| Danish | forfærdelig | ||
| The Danish word "forfærdelig" originally meant "terrible" or "horrible", but over time it has come to mean "awful" or "bad". | |||
| Dutch | verschrikkelijk | ||
| Verschrikkelijk in Dutch can also mean "terrifying" or "frightening", stemming from the verb "schrikken", meaning "to be frightened". | |||
| English | awful | ||
| Etymology: Middle English aweful, from earlier awfull, from Middle English awe, from Old English ege (cognate with Dutch eag, Danish æde). | |||
| French | terrible | ||
| "Terrible" in French can also mean "amazing" or "formidable," which has a different connotation from its English counterpart. | |||
| Frisian | ôfgryslik | ||
| "Ôfgryslik" is likely derived from the Old Frisian "gryslik" meaning "horror" and "ôf" meaning "very" or "excessive". | |||
| Galician | horrible | ||
| In Galician, "horrible" can also mean "extraordinary" or "exceptional" | |||
| German | schrecklich | ||
| The German word "schrecklich" originally meant "terrifying" or "fearful" but has since come to mean "awful" or "terrible". | |||
| Icelandic | hræðilegt | ||
| The Icelandic word "hræðilegt" derives from the Old Norse word "hræðilig", meaning "terrible" or "fearsome". | |||
| Irish | uafásach | ||
| "Uafásach" is derived from the Irish word "uafa" meaning "horror" and the suffix "-ach" meaning "full of". | |||
| Italian | terribile | ||
| "Terribile" (awful) comes from the Latin "terribilis," meaning "causing terror" or "frightening." | |||
| Luxembourgish | schrecklech | ||
| Schrecklech is derived from the German word schrecklich, which also means "awful" and comes from the Old High German word schrecken, meaning "to frighten". | |||
| Maltese | orribbli | ||
| The word "orribbli" originates from the Latin word "horribilis", meaning "terrible" or "dreadful". | |||
| Norwegian | fryktelig | ||
| "Fryktelig" comes from the Old Norse "frykta," meaning "to fear," and "lig," meaning "to lie." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | horrível | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "horrível" originally meant "terrible" or "dreadful" but over time has come to mean "awful" or "bad." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | uamhasach | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "uamhasach" is cognate with the Old Welsh word "ofn" meaning "fearful, awful". | |||
| Spanish | horrible | ||
| The Spanish word "horrible" ultimately derives from the Latin "horrere," meaning "to bristle" or "to shudder," and is related to the English words "horror" and "horrify." | |||
| Swedish | förfärlig | ||
| "Förfärlig" derives from "färd" (way, journey), which later meant "danger" or "distress". | |||
| Welsh | ofnadwy | ||
| While the modern Welsh "ofnadwy" means "awful" or "terrible", the word originated as an adjective meaning "fearful" or "dreadful", stemming from the noun "ofn" meaning "fear". | |||
Awful in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | жудасна | ||
| The word "жудасна" in Belarusian is derived from the word "жуда" meaning "very" and can also mean "terrible" or "horrible". | |||
| Bosnian | grozno | ||
| The word "grozno" in Bosnian is derived from Old Church Slavonic "grozno" meaning "terrible". It also means "a bunch" or "cluster" of grapes. | |||
| Bulgarian | ужасно | ||
| "Ужасно" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic "ужасъ" meaning "fear" or "terror", and originally meant "dreadful" or "awe-inspiring". Today, it usually means "terrible" or "awful" in negative contexts, but it can also mean "amazing" or "impressive" in positive contexts (e.g. "ужасно красив"). | |||
| Czech | hrozný | ||
| "Hrozný" in Czech also means "grape" because the oldest Czech vineyards were planted with a type of sour grapes | |||
| Estonian | kohutav | ||
| In Estonian, "kohutav" originally meant "terrible," but has since also come to mean "awful" or "dreadful." | |||
| Finnish | kauhea | ||
| "Kauhea" comes from the word "kauhu" which means "horror" or "dread". | |||
| Hungarian | szörnyű | ||
| The word "szörnyű" (awful) in Hungarian comes from the word "szörny" (monster), which is in turn derived from the Turkic word "sürün" (to crawl). | |||
| Latvian | šausmīgi | ||
| "Šausmīgi" can also be used to express surprise, excitement or wonder, especially when used in the phrase "šausmas!" | |||
| Lithuanian | baisus | ||
| This word may have originated from the Old Prussian word “baisus”, which means “terrible”. | |||
| Macedonian | ужасно | ||
| The word "Ужасно" in Macedonian can also mean "very much" or "greatly". | |||
| Polish | straszny | ||
| "Straszny" derives from "strach" (fear) and originally meant "causing fear". | |||
| Romanian | îngrozitor | ||
| The Romanian word "îngrozitor" can also mean "frightful" or "terrible". | |||
| Russian | ужасно | ||
| In Russian, "ужасно" doesn't just mean "awful", but also "excruciating" or "dreadful". | |||
| Serbian | грозно | ||
| The term "грозно" in Serbian means "bad or terrible" and it originates from the Proto-slavic form **gordъ** which also gave Russian *gor’kij* or Polish *gorzki*, meaning "bitter, sharp or sour". | |||
| Slovak | hrozne | ||
| "Hrozne" in Slovak is an adjective that can also mean "grapes" or "bunches". | |||
| Slovenian | grozno | ||
| In Slovenian, "grozno" also means "grapes". | |||
| Ukrainian | жахливо | ||
| The word "жахливо" in Ukrainian derives from the Proto-Slavic "*žalъ", meaning "sorrow, regret, pity". | |||
Awful in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ভয়াবহ, আতঙ্কজনক | ||
| The word "awful" originally meant "full of awe" or "inspiring reverence" in English, before evolving to its current meaning of "terrible" or "very bad". | |||
| Gujarati | ભયાનક | ||
| The Gujarati word "ભયાનક" can also mean "terrible" or "formidable". | |||
| Hindi | भयंकर | ||
| The word "भयंकर" is derived from the Sanskrit word "भय" (fear), and can also mean "terrible", "dreadful", or "horrible". | |||
| Kannada | ಭೀಕರ | ||
| The word "ಭೀಕರ" in Kannada also means "tremendous" or "very much" and is often used in a positive sense. | |||
| Malayalam | അസഹനീയമാണ് | ||
| The word "അസഹനീയമാണ്" in Malayalam comes from Sanskrit word "asahaniya" and literally means "intolerable," and can refer to something that is extremely bad, difficult, or unpleasant. | |||
| Marathi | भयानक | ||
| The word "भयानक" comes from the Sanskrit word "भय", meaning fear. | |||
| Nepali | डरलाग्दो | ||
| The word "डरलाग्दो" shares an etymological root with the Sanskrit verb "दृल्ह्" meaning "to hurt" | |||
| Punjabi | ਭਿਆਨਕ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | භයානකයි | ||
| The word 'භයානකයි' ('awful') is also used to express fear, terror, and horror in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | மோசமான | ||
| Tamil "மோசமான" ('mosamaana') may also refer to deception, cunning, or trickery, or to something that is not as good as it seems. | |||
| Telugu | భయంకర | ||
| "భయంకర" (bhayamkara) comes from Sanskrit root "भय" (bhaya, 'fear'). It also means 'formidable,' 'terrible,' and 'tremendous'. | |||
| Urdu | خوفناک | ||
| The word "خوفناک" also means "frightening" or "dreadful" in Urdu. | |||
Awful in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 可怕 | ||
| The word "可怕" originally meant "causing awe or dread" but now also means "bad or unpleasant". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 可怕 | ||
| The Chinese word "可怕" literally means "can cause fear" and is often used to describe something that is both fearful and awe-inspiring. | |||
| Japanese | ひどい | ||
| The term "ひどい" can refer to situations of exceptional beauty or quality, not just something considered terrible. | |||
| Korean | 무서운 | ||
| The word "무서운" (awful) originates from the word "무서우다" (to be afraid), indicating a strong sense of fear or dread. | |||
| Mongolian | аймшигтай | ||
| The Mongolian word "аймшигтай" can also mean "unlucky," "unfavorable," or "unpleasant." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကြောက်တယ် | ||
Awful in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mengerikan | ||
| "Mengerikan" stems from "ngeri", meaning "fear", and is related to "ngerang", meaning "screaming". | |||
| Javanese | ala banget | ||
| The phrase "ala banget" can also be used to express "very good" in Javanese slang | |||
| Khmer | អាក្រក់ណាស់ | ||
| The word 'awful' comes from the Middle English word 'aweful', which meant 'full of awe' or 'inspiring reverence'. | |||
| Lao | ເຮັດໃຫ້ເກງຂາມ | ||
| Malay | mengerikan | ||
| The word "mengerikan" is derived from the root word "geri" which means "to fear". It can also mean "frightening" or "dreadful". | |||
| Thai | แย่มาก | ||
| 'แย่มาก' comes from the word 'ย่ำ' (to step on) meaning to crush something completely so that it cannot be used anymore. | |||
| Vietnamese | kinh khủng | ||
| The word 'kinh khủng' is derived from the Chinese word 'jing kong', which means 'extreme fear' or 'horror'. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kakila-kilabot | ||
Awful in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | dəhşətli | ||
| The word "dəhşətli" in Azerbaijani, meaning "awful," has a different root than its English equivalent, coming from the Persian word "dahshat," meaning "terror" or "horror." | |||
| Kazakh | қорқынышты | ||
| In Kazakh, the word "қорқынышты" not only means "awful" but also "fearful" or "terrible. | |||
| Kyrgyz | коркунучтуу | ||
| The term 'коркунучтуу' also has a connotation of 'terrifying', 'frightening', or 'horrifying' in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | даҳшатнок | ||
| The word "даҳшатнок" can also mean "terrible" or "horrible" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | aýylganç | ||
| Uzbek | dahshatli | ||
| "Dahshatli" is derived from the Persian word "dahshat" which means "terror" or "horror". | |||
| Uyghur | قورقۇنچلۇق | ||
Awful in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | weliweli | ||
| The Hawaiian word "weliweli" can also refer to something that is "shaky" or "trembling". | |||
| Maori | whakamataku | ||
| "Whakamataku" also refers to the power of a spell to invoke fear, dread and awe, especially in the context of sorcery. | |||
| Samoan | leaga tele | ||
| This word is derived from the Proto-Polynesian word "takari", meaning "to be afraid". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kakila-kilabot | ||
| The word "kakila-kilabot" is derived from the words "kilabot" (a shiver or trembling) and "kalila" (a chill or sense of dread). | |||
Awful in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | phiru | ||
| Guarani | ivairasa | ||
Awful in International Languages
| Esperanto | terure | ||
| The Esperanto word "terura" comes from the Latin root "terror," meaning "dread" or "extreme fear." | |||
| Latin | awful | ||
| In Latin, "awful" derives from "augurium," meaning "a sign from augur, omen". | |||
Awful in Others Languages
| Greek | απαίσιος | ||
| The Greek word απαίσιος (apaísios) also means 'unfavorable' and 'unwelcome'. | |||
| Hmong | phem aw | ||
| Phem aw in the Hmong language also means "very" or "extremely. | |||
| Kurdish | xofane | ||
| "Xofane" in Kurdish can also refer to a large, sturdy basket woven from rushes or straw, commonly used for storing or carrying goods or materials. | |||
| Turkish | korkunç | ||
| "Korkunç" is rooted in "korku," (fear; awe; fright) originating from the 8th-millennium Proto-Turkic verb "*qorq-" ( | |||
| Xhosa | eyoyikisayo | ||
| The word "eyoyikisayo" in Xhosa can also be used to describe something that is frightening or terrible. | |||
| Yiddish | שרעקלעך | ||
| The Yiddish word "שרעקלעך" ("awful") is derived from the German word "schrecklich" which means "terrible" and is related to the English verb "to scare". | |||
| Zulu | kabi | ||
| The word 'kabi' also means 'bad' in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | ভয়াবহ | ||
| Aymara | phiru | ||
| Bhojpuri | भद्दा | ||
| Dhivehi | ކަމުނުދާ | ||
| Dogri | घोर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kakila-kilabot | ||
| Guarani | ivairasa | ||
| Ilocano | nakaam-ames | ||
| Krio | bad | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سەمەرە | ||
| Maithili | भयंकर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯨꯡꯉꯥꯏꯇꯕ | ||
| Mizo | chhe tak | ||
| Oromo | kan namatti hin tolle | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଭୟଙ୍କର | ||
| Quechua | manchakuy | ||
| Sanskrit | असमीचीनम् | ||
| Tatar | коточкыч | ||
| Tigrinya | ደስ ዘይብል | ||
| Tsonga | xo biha | ||
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