Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'case' carries significant meaning and cultural importance across languages and regions. It can refer to a situation, a box to hold or carry things, or a protective cover. Historically, the concept of a 'case' has been crucial in various fields such as law, medicine, and technology. For instance, in law, a 'case' often refers to a legal action or lawsuit, while in technology, it may indicate a container for a computer's internal components.
Moreover, the word 'case' has fascinating cultural connotations. In some languages, the word for 'case' can also mean 'cheese' or 'home.' These linguistic connections highlight the versatility and adaptability of human language and culture.
Understanding the translation of 'case' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultural nuances and historical contexts of various regions. Here are a few examples:
Afrikaans | saak | ||
In the Dutch context, a "saak" may also refer to a "legal case". | |||
Amharic | ጉዳይ | ||
The word "ጉዳይ" also means "matter" or "issue" in Amharic. | |||
Hausa | harka | ||
In Hausa, "harka" can also refer to a bundle or to a type of small basket. | |||
Igbo | ikpe | ||
The term "ikpe" in Igbo can refer to a case, a dispute, a matter, a situation, or a circumstance. | |||
Malagasy | tranga | ||
"Tranga" also means "beautiful" in Malagasy, suggesting the importance of a person's outward appearance in Malagasy culture. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | mlandu | ||
The word 'mlandu' also means 'matter' or 'affair' in Nyanja. | |||
Shona | nyaya | ||
The Shona word "nyaya" also means "justice" or "truth". | |||
Somali | kiiska | ||
The word "kiiska" derives from the Arabic word "qada'a" meaning "judgment" or "decision", while in Somali it also refers to a "dispute" or "quarrel". | |||
Sesotho | nyeoe | ||
The word "nyeoe" can also mean "thing" or "matter" in Sesotho. | |||
Swahili | kesi | ||
The Swahili word 'kesi' also means 'sickness' or 'disease', possibly derived from the Arabic word 'khasi' meaning 'weak' or 'ill'. | |||
Xhosa | ityala | ||
The Xhosa word 'ityala' also refers to the traditional judicial system of the Xhosa people. | |||
Yoruba | ọran | ||
Ọran also means 'state or condition,' and is related to the word 'àràn' (character) | |||
Zulu | icala | ||
The word "icala" can also refer to a "type" or "kind". | |||
Bambara | jati | ||
Ewe | goe | ||
Kinyarwanda | urubanza | ||
Lingala | likambo | ||
Luganda | omusango | ||
Sepedi | molato | ||
Twi (Akan) | asɛm | ||
Arabic | قضية | ||
"قضية" means both a "case" and a "cause," a distinction reflected in the word's etymological roots in the Arabic words "قض" (to judge) and "قصد" (to intend). | |||
Hebrew | מקרה | ||
The Hebrew word "מקרה" can also refer to chance, occurrence, event, instance, fate, destiny or situation, depending on context. | |||
Pashto | قضیه | ||
The Pashto word "قضیه" also means "reason" or "proof", showing its conceptual similarity to the abstract legal meaning of the word "case" in English. | |||
Arabic | قضية | ||
"قضية" means both a "case" and a "cause," a distinction reflected in the word's etymological roots in the Arabic words "قض" (to judge) and "قصد" (to intend). |
Albanian | rast | ||
In Albanian, "rast" can also mean "opportunity" or "chance". | |||
Basque | kasua | ||
The Basque word 'kasua' ('case') can also refer to a 'lawsuit' or 'trial'. | |||
Catalan | caixa | ||
The Catalan word "caixa" can also mean "box", "safe", or "cash register". | |||
Croatian | slučaj | ||
The word "slučaj" can also mean "event", "accident", "occasion", "occurrence", "happening", or "circumstance" in Croatian. | |||
Danish | sag | ||
"Sag" can also mean "cause" or "lawsuit" | |||
Dutch | geval | ||
In Dutch, "geval" means "case" in English, but is used figuratively to refer to an incident or situation. | |||
English | case | ||
The word 'case' originates from the Latin word 'capsa', meaning 'box' or 'container', and has evolved to encompass a wide range of meanings. | |||
French | cas | ||
Cas comes from the Latin word "casus", meaning "fall" or "event", and has come to mean "case" or "situation" in French. | |||
Frisian | rjochtsaak | ||
The word "rjochtsaak" can also refer to a legal proceeding or a court hearing. | |||
Galician | caso | ||
In Galician, "caso" can also refer to a home or dwelling. | |||
German | fall | ||
"Fall" in German can also mean "autumn" or "trap". | |||
Icelandic | málið | ||
"Málið" derives from the Old Icelandic word "mál", which could refer to a case in court, a matter of concern, a lawsuit, or a language | |||
Irish | cás | ||
Cás, Irish for "case," also means "chance" or "fate"} | |||
Italian | astuccio | ||
In the past, 'Astuccio' also referred to a box or basket for keeping sewing items. | |||
Luxembourgish | fall | ||
The Luxembourgish word "Fall" can also refer to a drawer, a trap, or the fall season. | |||
Maltese | każ | ||
The word "każ" can also refer to a chest, box, or trunk | |||
Norwegian | sak | ||
Sak is a neuter noun that shares its etymology with the word 'sake', in the sense of 'cause' or 'purpose'. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | caso | ||
The word "caso" in Portuguese comes from the Latin word "casus" and has various meanings, including "case", "event", "occasion", and "matter". | |||
Scots Gaelic | chùis | ||
Scots Gaelic word "chùis" can also mean "cause of action" or "matter." | |||
Spanish | caso | ||
The Spanish word "caso" has various meanings, including "case," "event," "matter," and, in legal contexts, "lawsuit." | |||
Swedish | fall | ||
The word "fall" in Swedish has multiple archaic meanings including "chance" and "need". | |||
Welsh | achos | ||
The word "achos" in Welsh, which means "case" or "instance", may derive from the Indo-European root *ak-, meaning "sharp" or "pointed." |
Belarusian | справа | ||
In Belarusian, "справа" can also refer to a legal case or a direction (right). | |||
Bosnian | slučaj | ||
The word "slučaj" can also refer to an event or occurrence, a coincidence, or a hypothetical situation. | |||
Bulgarian | случай | ||
Случай means “event,” but may also refer to "law case," "emergency," or "accident." | |||
Czech | případ | ||
In Czech, "případ" can also refer to an event, situation, or instance. | |||
Estonian | juhtum | ||
The Estonian word "juhtum" also means "incident" or "chance occurrence." | |||
Finnish | tapauksessa | ||
In the sense of 'case,' 'tapauksessa' is derived from the Finnish verb 'tapahtua' meaning 'to happen.' | |||
Hungarian | ügy | ||
The word "ügy" also means "matter", "affair", or "business" in Hungarian. | |||
Latvian | gadījumā | ||
"Gadījumā" is a homograph in Latvian, meaning both "case" and "accidentally". | |||
Lithuanian | atveju | ||
"Atveju" (case) can also refer to an event or occurrence | |||
Macedonian | случај | ||
The word "случај" in Macedonian can also mean "event", "instance", or "situation." | |||
Polish | walizka | ||
Walizka derives from the French word "valise", which in turn comes from the Italian word "valigia" meaning "baggage". | |||
Romanian | caz | ||
The Romanian word "caz" is derived from the Latin word "casus," meaning "a happening or event." | |||
Russian | кейс | ||
The Russian word "кейс" also means "suitcase" or "briefcase". | |||
Serbian | случај | ||
The Serbian word "случај" can also mean "opportunity" or "incident". | |||
Slovak | prípade | ||
The word "prípade" in Slovak can also refer to a "situation" or "circumstance". | |||
Slovenian | ovitek | ||
The related verb "oviti" means "to wrap up" and can be used in contexts like "oviti darilo" ("to wrap up a gift") | |||
Ukrainian | справа | ||
The word “справа” can also mean 'right-hand side', 'direction', 'matter', 'cause', 'affair'. |
Bengali | কেস | ||
The Bengali word "কেস" (case) can also refer to a kind of sweetmeat or a small bundle of cotton. | |||
Gujarati | કેસ | ||
In English, "case" can mean a suitcase, a situation, a medical condition, or a grammatical form. | |||
Hindi | मामला | ||
"मामला" has Persian origins and may also mean "matter" or "affair" in Hindi. | |||
Kannada | ಪ್ರಕರಣ | ||
The Kannada word "ಪ್ರಕರಣ" can also mean "incident" or "event". | |||
Malayalam | കേസ് | ||
The Malayalam word "കേസ്" can also refer to "fruit" or "nut". | |||
Marathi | केस | ||
Derived from Sanskrit 'kaasha', meaning 'a box', Marathi 'केस' is a term used to denote both a legal case and a suitcase. | |||
Nepali | केस | ||
The word 'case' also refers to the cover of a pillow or cushion, or to a frame for enclosing something, in Nepali. | |||
Punjabi | ਕੇਸ | ||
The Punjabi word "ਕੇਸ" can also mean "hair" or "a legal proceeding." | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නඩුව | ||
The word "නඩුව" also means "action" or "suit" in the legal context. | |||
Tamil | வழக்கு | ||
The Tamil word "வழக்கு" can also refer to "litigation" or "usage". | |||
Telugu | కేసు | ||
The Telugu word "కేసు" has alternate meanings including a complaint or lawsuit, and a container such as a suitcase. | |||
Urdu | معاملہ | ||
The Urdu word |
Chinese (Simplified) | 案件 | ||
"案件" (case) also means "criminal case" or "lawsuit" in Chinese. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 案件 | ||
The alternate and literal meaning of "案件" is "event". | |||
Japanese | 場合 | ||
The word "場合" (baai) in Japanese can also mean "occasion", "situation", or "circumstance." | |||
Korean | 케이스 | ||
The Korean word "케이스" can also mean "situation" or "circumstance". | |||
Mongolian | хэрэг | ||
The word | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | အမှု | ||
The Myanmar word "အမှု" is derived from the Pali word "kamma", meaning "action" or "deed". |
Indonesian | kasus | ||
"Kasus" in Indonesian, derived from Dutch "casus", can also refer to an incident or situation. | |||
Javanese | kasus | ||
"Kasus" in Javanese primarily refers to a lawsuit or court case. | |||
Khmer | ករណី | ||
The word "ករណី" is also used in Khmer to mean "reason" or "cause". | |||
Lao | ກໍລະນີ | ||
Malay | kes | ||
The Malay word "kes" is derived from the Sanskrit word "kāsa", meaning "to cover" or "to hide". | |||
Thai | กรณี | ||
In Thai, the word “กรณี” also means 'instance', 'situation', or 'circumstance'. | |||
Vietnamese | trường hợp | ||
In Vietnamese, "trường hợp" can also refer to a situation, an incident, or a circumstance. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | kaso | ||
Azerbaijani | iş | ||
The word "iş" can also mean "work" or "deed" in Azerbaijani, coming from the Persian word "esh." | |||
Kazakh | іс | ||
The Kazakh word "іс" (case) also means "work", "business", or "matter" | |||
Kyrgyz | иш | ||
The word "иш" ('case') in Kyrgyz is also used in the context of events or work and is derived from the Old Turkic "iș" which means “work”. | |||
Tajik | парванда | ||
The word "парванда" is derived from the Persian word "پرونده" which means "file" or "dossier". | |||
Turkmen | ýagdaý | ||
Uzbek | ish | ||
In Uzbek, "ish" can also mean "work", "occupation", or "matter". | |||
Uyghur | دېلو | ||
Hawaiian | hihia | ||
The word "hihia" also means "need" or "want" in Hawaiian. | |||
Maori | kēhi | ||
The Maori word “kēhi” can also refer to a container. | |||
Samoan | tulaga | ||
The word 'tulaga' is also used to refer to a type of basket used to carry personal belongings. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | kaso | ||
The word "kaso" in Tagalog can also mean "lawsuit" or "problem". |
Aymara | kasu | ||
Guarani | ojehúva | ||
Esperanto | kazo | ||
The Esperanto word "kazo" has alternate meanings of "lawsuit" and "event". | |||
Latin | apud | ||
Apud in Latin also means "in the presence of" or "in the home of". |
Greek | υπόθεση | ||
The word "υπόθεση" derives from the Greek verb "ὑποτίθεμαι," meaning "to place under" or "to suppose." | |||
Hmong | cov ntaub ntawv | ||
Kurdish | doz | ||
In Sorani Kurdish, "doz" can also refer to a "sheath" or "cover" for an object. | |||
Turkish | durum | ||
The Turkish word "durum" not only means "case" but also "situation" and "condition". | |||
Xhosa | ityala | ||
The Xhosa word 'ityala' also refers to the traditional judicial system of the Xhosa people. | |||
Yiddish | פאַל | ||
The Yiddish word פאַל (‘case’) comes from German Fall, referring to a case containing objects, a meaning still found in Yiddish | |||
Zulu | icala | ||
The word "icala" can also refer to a "type" or "kind". | |||
Assamese | ঘটনা | ||
Aymara | kasu | ||
Bhojpuri | केस | ||
Dhivehi | ކޭސް | ||
Dogri | मसला | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | kaso | ||
Guarani | ojehúva | ||
Ilocano | kaso | ||
Krio | kes | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | کەیس | ||
Maithili | मामला | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯈꯨꯝ | ||
Mizo | thubuai | ||
Oromo | dhimma | ||
Odia (Oriya) | କେସ୍ | ||
Quechua | tawa kuchu | ||
Sanskrit | विषय | ||
Tatar | очрак | ||
Tigrinya | ጉዳይ | ||
Tsonga | mhaka | ||