Cancer in Different Languages
Discover 'Cancer' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Cancer is a term that carries significant weight and importance in our world today. It refers to a group of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. This devastating illness has affected millions of lives, making it a critical topic in healthcare and research. Beyond its medical significance, cancer has also appeared throughout history in various cultural contexts.
For instance, in ancient Egypt, cancer was described in the Edwin Smith Papyrus, one of the oldest known medical texts. Meanwhile, in Chinese culture, the term for cancer, Ai Zheng, reflects the deep emotions and struggles associated with the disease. Understanding the translation of cancer in different languages not only broadens our linguistic abilities but also deepens our appreciation for the global impact of this disease.
Here are a few translations of the term 'cancer' to pique your interest:
Cancer
Cancer in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | kanker | ||
| The word "kanker" can also refer to a derogatory term for a person, or in the idiom "soos 'n kanker", can mean "aggressively" or "persistently" | |||
| Amharic | ካንሰር | ||
| "ካንሰር" derives from the Greek "karkinos" (crab), named for the characteristic shape of tumors. | |||
| Hausa | ciwon daji | ||
| In Hausa, the word "ciwon daji" literally means "bad disease" or "serious illness." | |||
| Igbo | kansa | ||
| The word "kansa" in Igbo can also mean "scorpion" or "a type of worm that lives in trees". | |||
| Malagasy | cancer | ||
| In Malagasy, "cancer" can also refer to certain types of sores or ulcers. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | khansa | ||
| The word 'khansa' is ultimately derived from the Proto-Bantu root *-káncá. | |||
| Shona | gomarara | ||
| Gomarara is an alternate Shona word for cancer that means "the unstoppable one". | |||
| Somali | kansarka | ||
| Somalis also call cancer kansarka to differentiate from other diseases | |||
| Sesotho | mofetše | ||
| The word "mofetše" also means "bad sore" or "ulcer". | |||
| Swahili | saratani | ||
| "Saratani" in Swahili originally referred to several species of jellyfish but has come to mean "cancer" or other diseases associated with abnormal cell growth. | |||
| Xhosa | umhlaza | ||
| The word 'umhlaza' is also used to refer to other types of growths, such as warts and tumors. | |||
| Yoruba | akàn | ||
| The Yoruba word "akàn" also refers to a type of plant believed to have medicinal properties. | |||
| Zulu | umdlavuza | ||
| The Zulu word "umdlavuza" is derived from the verb "lavuza," meaning "to hurt or to be wounded," reflecting the painful nature of cancer. | |||
| Bambara | kansɛri | ||
| Ewe | kansa | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kanseri | ||
| Lingala | kansere | ||
| Luganda | kookolo | ||
| Sepedi | kankere | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kokoram | ||
Cancer in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | سرطان | ||
| The Arabic word "سرطان" (cancer) is cognate with the Hebrew word "סרטן" (sartan), both of which mean "crab". | |||
| Hebrew | סרטן | ||
| סרטן, a word meaning 'cancer' in Hebrew, is also used as a zodiac sign, meaning 'crab' in its original language. | |||
| Pashto | سرطان | ||
| The word "سرطان" is derived from the Persian word "سَرطان" (sartan), meaning "crab," and refers to the constellation Cancer. | |||
| Arabic | سرطان | ||
| The Arabic word "سرطان" (cancer) is cognate with the Hebrew word "סרטן" (sartan), both of which mean "crab". | |||
Cancer in Western European Languages
| Albanian | kanceri | ||
| The Albanian word 'kanceri' is derived from the Latin word 'cancer', which means 'crab', as the disease was once thought to resemble a crab's pincers. | |||
| Basque | minbizia | ||
| The word 'minbizia' in Basque is derived from 'min' (pain) and 'bizi' (life), suggesting a painful state of existence. | |||
| Catalan | càncer | ||
| The Catalan word "càncer" also means "crab" or "zodiac sign of Cancer". | |||
| Croatian | rak | ||
| In Croatian, 'rak' has Indo-European roots and can also mean 'crab' or 'crayfish'. | |||
| Danish | kræft | ||
| The word kræft, meaning cancer, comes from the Latin word "cancer," a crab, because tumors were thought to resemble crabs. | |||
| Dutch | kanker | ||
| In Dutch, the word "kanker" can also refer to a type of ulcer or sore, derived from the Latin "cancer" meaning "crab". | |||
| English | cancer | ||
| The word 'cancer' originates from the Greek word 'karkinos', meaning 'crab', due to the resemblance of the swollen veins around a tumor to the legs of a crab. | |||
| French | cancer | ||
| The French word "cancer" can also refer to a crab or a crayfish. | |||
| Frisian | kanker | ||
| In Frisian, 'kanker' also means 'gangrene', 'ulcer' or a 'malignant tumour'. | |||
| Galician | cancro | ||
| "Cancro" comes from the Latin word "cancer" and has other meanings in Galician, such as "gangrene" and "tumor". | |||
| German | krebs | ||
| Krebs is also the German word for the animal "crab" and is cognate with the English word "crayfish." | |||
| Icelandic | krabbamein | ||
| The Icelandic word "krabbamein" originally referred to a type of skin cancer, but now refers to all types of cancer. | |||
| Irish | ailse | ||
| This word also has a meaning of "disease" when used with a definite article | |||
| Italian | cancro | ||
| The Italian word "cancro" comes from the Latin word "cancer," which means "crab," referring to the crab-like shape of tumors. | |||
| Luxembourgish | kriibs | ||
| The word "Kriibs" in Luxembourgish shares its root with "Krabbe" in German and "crab" in English, referring to the crustacean and its resemblance to the shape of the tumor. | |||
| Maltese | kanċer | ||
| The word "kanċer" also refers to the zodiac sign Cancer in Maltese. | |||
| Norwegian | kreft | ||
| The word kreft can also refer to the animal "crayfish" | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | câncer | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "câncer" can also refer to a growth or tumor, and its root is Latin, coming from the word "cancer," meaning "crab". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | aillse | ||
| The Gaelic word "aillse" means "cancer" in English, but originally referred to "a foreign body" or "a stranger". | |||
| Spanish | cáncer | ||
| The word "cáncer" in Spanish comes from the Latin word "cancer," which means "crab" and was used to describe tumors due to their resemblance to the shape of a crab. | |||
| Swedish | cancer | ||
| The word "cancer" in Swedish comes from the Latin word "cancer" meaning "crab" and is cognate with the word "cancer" in English. | |||
| Welsh | canser | ||
| The Welsh word 'canser' can also refer to a 'crab' or 'crab louse'. | |||
Cancer in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | рак | ||
| The Belarusian word “рак” (“cancer”) is cognate with the Russian word “рак”, which refers to the astrological sign of Cancer. | |||
| Bosnian | rak | ||
| Bosnian "rak" derives from Proto-Slavic "*raky" meaning "lobster, crayfish" or "crab", with the "cancer" meaning being a later development, likely influenced by the resemblance of tumors to crustaceans | |||
| Bulgarian | рак | ||
| The word "рак" also means "crayfish" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | rakovina | ||
| The Czech word "rakovina" comes from the word "rak", meaning "crayfish", as crayfish were believed to cause cancer in the past. | |||
| Estonian | vähk | ||
| "Vähk" is a cognate of "viga" meaning "injury" or "fault", and also the name for the crayfish, a type of crustacean. | |||
| Finnish | syöpä | ||
| "Syöpä" is derived from "syöpö", an extinct Proto-Uralic language cognate meaning "a rotten wound." | |||
| Hungarian | rák | ||
| In Hungarian, "rák" also means "crayfish". | |||
| Latvian | vēzis | ||
| The word "vēzis" also means "crawfish" in Latvian, possibly due to a perceived resemblance between the two. | |||
| Lithuanian | vėžys | ||
| The word "vėžys" in Lithuanian can also refer to a crayfish, a type of freshwater crustacean. | |||
| Macedonian | рак | ||
| In Macedonian, "рак" has a second meaning, which is "crab". | |||
| Polish | rak | ||
| The name "rak" likely derives from the Proto-Slavic root *rъkati "to torment." | |||
| Romanian | cancer | ||
| The word "cancer" in Romanian also means "scale" and comes from the Latin word "cancer" meaning "crab" | |||
| Russian | рак | ||
| The word "рак" can also mean "crayfish" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | карцином | ||
| The word "карцином" is derived from the Greek word "καρκίνωμα", which means "crab" or "tumor". | |||
| Slovak | rakovina | ||
| The word "rakovina" also refers to a freshwater crayfish in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | raka | ||
| The word raka, meaning "cancer," also has several other meanings in Slovenian, including "shell" and "crab" | |||
| Ukrainian | рак | ||
| The word "рак" can also mean "crayfish" in Ukrainian. | |||
Cancer in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ক্যান্সার | ||
| The word "ক্যান্সার" comes from the Latin word "cancer", meaning "crab", as the appearance of the diseased tissue resembles a crab. | |||
| Gujarati | કેન્સર | ||
| The word "કેન્સર" (cancer) comes from the Greek word "karkinos," meaning "crab," as the disease was thought to resemble a crab's claws. | |||
| Hindi | कैंसर | ||
| In Hindi, कैंसर (cancer) also means a large black ant commonly found in India. | |||
| Kannada | ಕ್ಯಾನ್ಸರ್ | ||
| The word 'ಕ್ಯಾನ್ಸರ್' also means 'crab' in Kannada, a name given due to its likeness to the shape of a crab. | |||
| Malayalam | കാൻസർ | ||
| The word "കാൻസർ" is derived from the Greek word "κἀρκίνος" (karkinos) which means "crab", likely due to the resemblance of a tumor to a crab. | |||
| Marathi | कर्करोग | ||
| The word "कर्करोग" in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word "करकरः", meaning "crab" or "tumor". | |||
| Nepali | क्यान्सर | ||
| The word "क्यान्सर" is borrowed from Greek via English and Sanskrit and refers to a malignant growth in any part of the body. | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਸਰ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਕਸਰ" also refers to a deficiency or lack in something. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පිළිකා | ||
| The term "පිළිකා" (cancer) originates from the Sanskrit word "pilika," meaning "small reddish lump" or "pimple," and is used to describe the abnormal growth of cells that can invade and destroy nearby tissues. | |||
| Tamil | புற்றுநோய் | ||
| புற்றுநோய், 'wound' or 'ulcer', is related to the word 'பற்று' meaning 'attachment', signifying the clinging nature of the disease. | |||
| Telugu | క్యాన్సర్ | ||
| In Telugu, "క్యాన్సర్" (cancer) comes from the Sanskrit word "कर्कट" (karkata), meaning "crab," as the disease was thought to resemble the shape of a crab clinging to the body. | |||
| Urdu | کینسر | ||
| The word "کینسر" (cancer) is derived from the Greek word "karkinos" meaning "crab", referring to the crab-like appearance of cancerous tumors. | |||
Cancer in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 癌症 | ||
| 癌症一词最早出现在西周时期，指一种能致命的疾病，后逐渐演变成指恶性肿瘤。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 癌症 | ||
| 癌症 ('cancer') is a loanword from Japanese that entered the Chinese lexicon in the 19th century to describe a particular type of malignant tumor, and has since been generalized to refer to all types of cancer. | |||
| Japanese | 癌 | ||
| 癌 (がん) is a Japanese word that originally meant a tumor, but came to mean cancer in the 19th century. | |||
| Korean | 암 | ||
| The Korean word | |||
| Mongolian | хорт хавдар | ||
| The word "хорт хавдар" can also refer to "crab" | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကင်ဆာ | ||
| The Burmese word for "cancer" (ကင်ဆာ) comes from the Sanskrit word "karkata" (कर्कट), which means "crab". | |||
Cancer in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kanker | ||
| "Kanker" is also used to refer to a type of ulcer on the skin, especially on the lips. | |||
| Javanese | kanker | ||
| Kanker in Javanese has two meanings: cancer (the medical condition) and syphilis. | |||
| Khmer | មហារីក | ||
| The word មហារីក can also mean "tumor" or "abnormal growth" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ມະເລັງ | ||
| The Lao word ມະເລັງ is thought to come from the Sanskrit word मकर (makara) or the Pali word မကရ (makara), both of which refer to a monstrous aquatic creature. | |||
| Malay | barah | ||
| "Barah" (cancer in Malay) originally meant "disease" or "affliction," and is derived from the Sanskrit word "varaka," meaning "ulcer" or "scab." | |||
| Thai | โรคมะเร็ง | ||
| The word โรคมะเร็ง comes from the Sanskrit word कर्क (karka) meaning 'crab', referring to the crab-like spreading of cancerous tumors. | |||
| Vietnamese | ung thư | ||
| The word "ung thư" is derived from the Sanskrit word "karkata", meaning "crab", and the Chinese word "zhou", meaning "tumor". It was first used in Vietnamese in the 16th century to describe a type of skin cancer that resembled a crab. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kanser | ||
Cancer in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | xərçəng | ||
| The word "xərçəng" is derived from the Persian word "kharechang" which is the name of a kind of crab. | |||
| Kazakh | қатерлі ісік | ||
| Kyrgyz | рак | ||
| В старославянском языке слово «рак» обозначало «краб», «рак, омар» или «раковое заболевание». | |||
| Tajik | саратон | ||
| The word “саратон” means not only cancer but also a person or animal in the penultimate stage of illness. | |||
| Turkmen | rak | ||
| Uzbek | saraton | ||
| The word "saraton" in Uzbek is derived from the Greek word "karkinos," meaning "crab," as the disease was thought to resemble the appearance of a crab. | |||
| Uyghur | راك | ||
Cancer in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | maʻi ʻaʻai | ||
| In Hawaiian, maʻi ʻaʻai refers to cancer as well as a plant, the common castor-oil plant. | |||
| Maori | mate pukupuku | ||
| The alternate meanings of the Māori word “mate pukupuku” are “to choke”, “to be stifled”, and “to be suffocated.” | |||
| Samoan | kanesa | ||
| The word "kanesa" also means "a kind of fish with blue spots" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | cancer | ||
| The Tagalog word "kanser" is derived from the Spanish word "cáncer", which itself comes from the Latin word "cancer", meaning "crab". | |||
Cancer in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | kansira | ||
| Guarani | mba'asyvai | ||
Cancer in International Languages
| Esperanto | kancero | ||
| The word "kancero" in Esperanto is derived from the Latin word "cancer", which means "crab". | |||
| Latin | cancer | ||
| The Latin word "cancer" also refers to a crab, leading to the zodiac sign Cancer and the constellation Cancer. | |||
Cancer in Others Languages
| Greek | καρκίνος | ||
| The word "Καρκίνος" can also refer to crustaceans, particularly crabs, and was used by Hippocrates to describe cancerous tumors due to their resemblance to the shape of a crab. | |||
| Hmong | mob cancer | ||
| The Hmong word "mob cancer" not only means "cancer," but can also mean "a deadly disease that affects the body." | |||
| Kurdish | qansêr | ||
| The Kurdish word “qansêr” is possibly derived from Greek "karkinos," meaning “crab," likely referring to the crab-like shape of cancerous tumors. | |||
| Turkish | kanser | ||
| It also refers to ulceration, swelling, or a hole. | |||
| Xhosa | umhlaza | ||
| The word 'umhlaza' is also used to refer to other types of growths, such as warts and tumors. | |||
| Yiddish | ראַק | ||
| The Yiddish word "ראַק" can also refer to the zodiac sign Cancer. | |||
| Zulu | umdlavuza | ||
| The Zulu word "umdlavuza" is derived from the verb "lavuza," meaning "to hurt or to be wounded," reflecting the painful nature of cancer. | |||
| Assamese | কৰ্কট | ||
| Aymara | kansira | ||
| Bhojpuri | कैंसर | ||
| Dhivehi | ކެންސަރު | ||
| Dogri | कैंसर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kanser | ||
| Guarani | mba'asyvai | ||
| Ilocano | kanser | ||
| Krio | kansa | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | شێرپەنجە | ||
| Maithili | कैंसर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯥꯏꯔꯦꯜ ꯁꯖꯤꯛ | ||
| Mizo | ngawt | ||
| Oromo | kaansarii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କର୍କଟ | ||
| Quechua | cancer | ||
| Sanskrit | कर्करोग | ||
| Tatar | яман шеш | ||
| Tigrinya | መንሽሮ | ||
| Tsonga | mfukuzana | ||