Blame in Different Languages
Discover 'Blame' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'blame' carries significant weight in our daily lives, often determining how we perceive responsibility and accountability. Its cultural importance is undeniable, shaping our interactions and communication styles in various societies. Understanding the translation of 'blame' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how different cultures approach fault and responsibility.
For instance, the German word for blame, Schuld, also means 'debt' or 'guilt', reflecting the interconnectedness of financial and moral obligations in that culture. Meanwhile, in Japan, the word for blame, gomen, is often used in apologies, highlighting the importance of taking responsibility for one's actions.
Moreover, exploring the translations of 'blame' can offer fascinating historical contexts. For example, in ancient Greece, the word for blame, mómos, was also used to describe public shaming, reflecting the societal importance of public opinion in shaping individual behavior.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural researcher, or simply curious about the world around you, understanding the translations of 'blame' can offer a unique perspective on different cultures and languages.
Blame
Blame in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | verwyt | ||
| "Verwyt" is the Afrikaans word for "blame", also related to the Dutch word "verwijt" (reproach) and the German word "verweisen" (to refer). | |||
| Amharic | ወቀሳ | ||
| The word "ወቀሳ" (woqessa) can also refer to an accusation or a complaint. | |||
| Hausa | zargi | ||
| In Hausa, 'zargi' not only refers to 'blame' but also 'curse', highlighting the deep-seated implications of assigning responsibility. | |||
| Igbo | ụta | ||
| Ụta derives from the verb “ụta” meaning “to blame” or “to accuse”. | |||
| Malagasy | tsiny | ||
| The word "tsiny" in Malagasy also means "fault" or "error" and is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "salah". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mlandu | ||
| The word "mlandu" in Nyanja (Chichewa) is also used to refer to a "reason" or "excuse". | |||
| Shona | mhosva | ||
| The word 'mhosva' also has a colloquial meaning, which is 'fault'. | |||
| Somali | eedayn | ||
| The word "eedayn" in Somali can also refer to a "fault" or a "mistake". | |||
| Sesotho | molato | ||
| The word "molato" can also mean "to scold" or "to reprimand" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | lawama | ||
| The word 'lawama' is also used figuratively to describe an oppressive sense of guilt or remorse. | |||
| Xhosa | ityala | ||
| The word "ityala" also has a secondary meaning of "case" or "trial" in a legal context. | |||
| Yoruba | ẹbi | ||
| The Yoruba word ẹbi can also mean 'sin' or 'guilt', and is related to the word ẹ̀bọ̀, meaning 'sacrifice'. | |||
| Zulu | ukusola | ||
| Ukusola can also mean to accuse, condemn, or find fault with. | |||
| Bambara | ka jalaki | ||
| Ewe | bu fɔ̃ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | amakosa | ||
| Lingala | kopesa foti | ||
| Luganda | okusalira omusango | ||
| Sepedi | sola | ||
| Twi (Akan) | fa hyɛ | ||
Blame in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | لوم | ||
| A homonym of the Arabic word | |||
| Hebrew | אשמה | ||
| "אשמה" in Hebrew is a cognate of "אש" (fire), and thus relates to the concept of sacrificial burning for sins. | |||
| Pashto | ملامت کول | ||
| The verb “ملامت کول” is originated from the Arabic word “لامة” indicating the neck or throat of an animal tied to a rope. | |||
| Arabic | لوم | ||
| A homonym of the Arabic word | |||
Blame in Western European Languages
| Albanian | fajësojnë | ||
| The word "fajësojnë" in Albanian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*gʷʰen-dʰ-", meaning "to strike, kill". | |||
| Basque | errua | ||
| The Basque word "errua" can also refer to an action that is not correct or appropriate. | |||
| Catalan | culpa | ||
| "Culpa" in Catalan comes from the Latin "culpa", which initially referred to a failure to fulfill an obligation, and also meant "guilt" or "fault" | |||
| Croatian | kriviti | ||
| The verb kriviti originally meant "to twist" or "to bend" in Croatian, and still carries that meaning in some contexts. | |||
| Danish | bebrejde | ||
| Bebrejde is a rare synonym of 'dadel', 'brøde' or 'fejl' but is often found in legal settings. | |||
| Dutch | schuld geven | ||
| In Dutch, "schuld geven" can also mean "to owe money" and is related to the Old English word "scyldig", meaning "guilty" or "in debt." | |||
| English | blame | ||
| The word 'blame' derives from the Old English word 'blama,' which originally meant 'disgrace' or 'shame'. | |||
| French | faire des reproches | ||
| The French phrase "faire des reproches" literally translates to "to make reproaches" and also means "to criticize" or "to find fault with". | |||
| Frisian | skuld | ||
| The Frisian word "skuld" originates from Old Frisian "skuld" and is cognate with Old English "scyld" and Old Saxon "skuld". | |||
| Galician | culpa | ||
| «Culpa» (blame) en gallego también significa «culpabilidad» o «deuda». | |||
| German | schuld | ||
| The word 'Schuld' can also mean 'debt' or 'guilt' in German, reflecting its origin in the Proto-Germanic root *skuldi- meaning 'to owe'. | |||
| Icelandic | kenna um | ||
| Icelandic 'kenna um' is not only used to convey blame but also accusation, recognition, knowledge, or even mere awareness. | |||
| Irish | an milleán | ||
| The term "an milleán" also bears the connotation of "a mistake" or "an error". | |||
| Italian | colpa | ||
| In ecclesiastical Latin, "colpa" means "sin" and "fault". | |||
| Luxembourgish | schold | ||
| The word "Schold" comes from the Old High German word "scelta", which means "debt" or "guilt". | |||
| Maltese | tort | ||
| Tort derives its original meaning from the Latin word 'tortus' meaning 'twisted, wrung, crooked'. | |||
| Norwegian | skylde på | ||
| 'Skyld på' could originally also mean the person or object that one blames for something. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | culpa | ||
| In Portuguese, "culpa" can also refer to guilt, fault, or a crime. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | sèid | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "sèid" can also mean "tale" or "curse". | |||
| Spanish | culpa | ||
| Culpa, meaning "culpability" or "error" in Spanish, derives from the Latin word culpa meaning "fault". | |||
| Swedish | skylla | ||
| The etymology of the word "skylla" in Swedish may be traced back to the Old Norse word "skylda," with similar meanings. | |||
| Welsh | bai | ||
| The Welsh word "bai" also means "shame" or "disgrace". | |||
Blame in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | вінаваціць | ||
| The verb "вінаваціць" in Belarusian derives from the word "віна" (guilt) and literally means "to hold guilty". | |||
| Bosnian | krivi | ||
| In its original Slavic form, 'krivi' could refer to a physical disability rather than moral guilt. | |||
| Bulgarian | вината | ||
| The word "вината" can also mean "fault" or "guilt" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | obviňovat | ||
| The word obviňovat comes from the Proto-Slavic word *obviniti, which also means | |||
| Estonian | süüdistada | ||
| The verb "süüdistada" is derived from the noun "süü" (guilt), and it originally meant to attribute guilt to someone or something. | |||
| Finnish | syyttää | ||
| The word "syyttää" in Finnish can also mean "to accuse". | |||
| Hungarian | feddés | ||
| In formal Hungarian, «feddés» denotes a verbal warning, while the word «hibáztatás» means «blame». | |||
| Latvian | vainot | ||
| Latvian word "vainot" also means "to accuse" and "to condemn". | |||
| Lithuanian | kaltinti | ||
| "Kaltinti" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kel-, meaning "to shout, scold". | |||
| Macedonian | вина | ||
| "Вина" derives from the Old Church Slavonic word "вина" (sin, guilt), which itself is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*vina" (blame, guilt). | |||
| Polish | winić | ||
| "Winić" can also be loosely translated into English as to owe or deserve something negative, and in Old Polish it meant to punish. | |||
| Romanian | vina | ||
| In Romanian, "vina" also means "crime" and originates from the Latin word "culpa" (fault). | |||
| Russian | винить | ||
| The word "винить" can also mean "to accuse" or "to hold responsible". | |||
| Serbian | кривити | ||
| The word "кривити" can also mean "distort" or "bend" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | vina | ||
| The word "vina" in Slovak also means "guilt". | |||
| Slovenian | krivda | ||
| The noun "krivda" and the related adjectives "kriv" and "krivi" can also express a wide range of meanings like "unfair", "wrong", "guilty", "sinful", "injustice" and so on. | |||
| Ukrainian | звинувачувати | ||
| 'звинувачувати' is also spelled as 'зважати,' which means to weigh or evaluate. | |||
Blame in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | দোষ | ||
| The word "দোষ" in Bengali can also refer to a "fault" or an "error", similar to its English counterpart "blame". | |||
| Gujarati | દોષ | ||
| The word 'दोष (dosh)' in Gujarati is derived from Sanskrit, where it has various meanings such as fault, defect, and ailment. | |||
| Hindi | दोष | ||
| The word "दोष" derives from the Sanskrit root "dush", meaning "fault" or "defect", and can also refer to physical or character flaws. | |||
| Kannada | ದೂಷಿಸು | ||
| ದೂಷಿಸು can also mean "to find fault with" or "to criticize." | |||
| Malayalam | കുറ്റപ്പെടുത്തുക | ||
| Marathi | दोष | ||
| 'दोष' (blame) also means 'fault' or 'defect' in Marathi | |||
| Nepali | दोष | ||
| The word "दोष" (dosh) has alternate meanings, such as "defect" or "fault". | |||
| Punjabi | ਦੋਸ਼ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දොස් කියන්න | ||
| The word also refers to 'fault-finding'. | |||
| Tamil | பழி | ||
| The Tamil word 'பழி' (pazhi) also means 'fault', 'mistake', or 'scorn'. | |||
| Telugu | నింద | ||
| నింద is derived from the Sanskrit word 'ninda' which also means 'censure, reproach, or contempt'. | |||
| Urdu | الزام | ||
| The word "الزام" (ilzaam) is derived from the Arabic root "لزم" (laazima), which means "to bind" or "to oblige". | |||
Blame in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 怪 | ||
| The character "怪" can also mean "abnormal" or "strange". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 怪 | ||
| 怪 (guài) is derived from the word “口” (kǒu) meaning 'mouth' and“外” (wài) meaning 'outside', expressing the idea of speaking badly about someone. | |||
| Japanese | 非難 | ||
| The word '非難' can also refer to criticism, slander, or censure. | |||
| Korean | 비난 | ||
| "비난" is derived from the Chinese character "非難", which originally meant "to vilify" or "to criticize" | |||
| Mongolian | буруутгах | ||
| The word "буруутгах" (blame) in Mongolian has its roots in the verb "буруулах" (to make a mistake), indicating the idea of holding someone accountable for an error or deviation from the norm. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အပြစ်တင် | ||
Blame in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | menyalahkan | ||
| The Indonesian word "menyalahkan" derives from the Dutch word "schuld" meaning "guilt" or "fault". | |||
| Javanese | nyalahke | ||
| The word "nyalahke" derived from the word "salah" which means "mistake". | |||
| Khmer | ស្តីបន្ទោស | ||
| Lao | ຕຳ ນິ | ||
| 'ຕຳ ນິ' derives ultimately from Sanskrit 'stuti' (praise). The root 'stu' (to praise) has various derivatives in other Indic languages; for example: 'stotram' (hymn, praise) in Hindi, 'stuti' and 'stotram' (praise) in Marathi, 'stotra' (praise) in Sanskrit, 'stuti', 'stotram', 'staava' (praise) or 'stotra' and 'stotram', (hymn) in Kannada. | |||
| Malay | menyalahkan | ||
| Menyalahkan is derived from the Malay word 'salah' meaning 'wrong' or 'incorrect,' and the suffix '-kan' which indicates causation or responsibility. | |||
| Thai | ตำหนิ | ||
| "ตำหนิ" is also used to describe physical flaws or imperfections in objects. | |||
| Vietnamese | khiển trách | ||
| The word "khiển trách" is derived from the Chinese "譴責", meaning "to censure" or "to reprimand", but it also carries a connotation of "to admonish" or "to advise" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sisihin | ||
Blame in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | günahlandırmaq | ||
| The word "günahlandırmaq" is derived from the Persian word "günāh", meaning "sin" or "fault". | |||
| Kazakh | кінә | ||
| The word "кінә" (blame) in Kazakh may also refer to a "fine" or "penalty" in a legal context. | |||
| Kyrgyz | күнөөлүү | ||
| Tajik | маломат | ||
| The Tajik word "маломат" is borrowed from Persian and also means "curse" or "slander". | |||
| Turkmen | günäkär | ||
| Uzbek | ayb | ||
| The word "ayb" in Uzbek, originating from the Arabic "aib", also translates to "defect", "disadvantage", or "imperfection" when used in a non-moral context. | |||
| Uyghur | ئەيىب | ||
Blame in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻohewa | ||
| In Hawaiian, the verb "hoʻohewa" not only means "to blame" but also carries the connotation of "to criticize" or "to find fault with." | |||
| Maori | whakapae | ||
| "Whakapae" can also mean "accusing falsely" or "charging with a crime falsely". | |||
| Samoan | tuʻuaiga | ||
| The Samoan word "tuʻuaiga" can also refer to a family or lineage. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sisihin | ||
| "Sisihin" can also mean "to accuse" or "to implicate". | |||
Blame in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jucha | ||
| Guarani | mboja | ||
Blame in International Languages
| Esperanto | kulpo | ||
| "Kulpo" is etymologically related to the German "Schuld" and the French "culpa". | |||
| Latin | peccati reus ero | ||
| In religious usage, the phrase 'peccati reus ero' means 'I have sinned against Thee.' | |||
Blame in Others Languages
| Greek | κατηγορώ | ||
| The word "κατηγορώ" derives from the Greek phrase "κατά ἄγοραν", meaning "across the marketplace", and refers to the public denunciation of someone during an assembly. | |||
| Hmong | liam | ||
| The word 'liam' also means 'to accuse' or 'to charge'. | |||
| Kurdish | sûc | ||
| The word "sûc" in Kurdish can also refer to "guilt" or "responsibility". | |||
| Turkish | suçlamak | ||
| Besides "blame", "suçlamak" can also be used to mean "accuse", "incriminate", or "implicate." | |||
| Xhosa | ityala | ||
| The word "ityala" also has a secondary meaning of "case" or "trial" in a legal context. | |||
| Yiddish | שולד | ||
| "שולד" is an altered form of the German word "schuld," meaning both "debt" and "guilt or blame." | |||
| Zulu | ukusola | ||
| Ukusola can also mean to accuse, condemn, or find fault with. | |||
| Assamese | দায়ী কৰা | ||
| Aymara | jucha | ||
| Bhojpuri | अछरंग | ||
| Dhivehi | ކުށްވެރިކުރުން | ||
| Dogri | तोहमत | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sisihin | ||
| Guarani | mboja | ||
| Ilocano | pabasolen | ||
| Krio | blem | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | لۆمە | ||
| Maithili | दोष लगेनाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯔꯥꯜ ꯁꯤꯕ | ||
| Mizo | puh | ||
| Oromo | komachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଦୋଷ | ||
| Quechua | tunpay | ||
| Sanskrit | आरोप | ||
| Tatar | гаеп | ||
| Tigrinya | ወቐሳ | ||
| Tsonga | sola | ||