Complain in Different Languages
Discover 'Complain' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Complain
Afrikaans kla | ||
Albanian ankohen | ||
Amharic አጉረመረሙ | ||
Arabic تذمر | ||
Armenian բողոքել | ||
Assamese অভিযোগ কৰা | ||
Aymara kijasiña | ||
Azerbaijani şikayət | ||
Bambara makasi | ||
Basque kexatu | ||
Belarusian скардзіцца | ||
Bengali অভিযোগ | ||
Bhojpuri सिकायत | ||
Bosnian žaliti se | ||
Bulgarian оплакват | ||
Catalan queixar-se | ||
Cebuano moreklamo | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 抱怨 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 抱怨 | ||
Corsican lagnassi | ||
Croatian prigovarati | ||
Czech stěžovat si | ||
Danish brokke sig | ||
Dhivehi ޝަކުވާކުރުން | ||
Dogri शकैत | ||
Dutch klagen | ||
English complain | ||
Esperanto plendi | ||
Estonian kurtma | ||
Ewe nyatoto | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) magreklamo | ||
Finnish valittaa | ||
French se plaindre | ||
Frisian kleie | ||
Galician queixarse | ||
Georgian ჩივილი | ||
German beschweren | ||
Greek κανω παραπονα | ||
Guarani chi'õ | ||
Gujarati ફરિયાદ | ||
Haitian Creole pote plent | ||
Hausa koka | ||
Hawaiian ʻōhumu | ||
Hebrew לְהִתְלוֹנֵן | ||
Hindi शिकायत | ||
Hmong yws | ||
Hungarian panaszkodik | ||
Icelandic kvarta | ||
Igbo mee mkpesa | ||
Ilocano agreklamo | ||
Indonesian mengeluh | ||
Irish gearán a dhéanamh | ||
Italian lamentarsi | ||
Japanese 不平を言う | ||
Javanese sambat | ||
Kannada ದೂರು | ||
Kazakh шағымдану | ||
Khmer ត្អូញត្អែរ | ||
Kinyarwanda kwitotomba | ||
Konkani कागाळ | ||
Korean 불평하다 | ||
Krio kɔmplen | ||
Kurdish gilîkirin | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) سکاڵا | ||
Kyrgyz арыздануу | ||
Lao ຈົ່ມ | ||
Latin queri | ||
Latvian sūdzēties | ||
Lingala komilela | ||
Lithuanian reikšti nepasitenkinimą | ||
Luganda okwemulugunya | ||
Luxembourgish beschwéieren | ||
Macedonian се жалат | ||
Maithili शिकायत | ||
Malagasy hitaraina | ||
Malay mengeluh | ||
Malayalam പരാതിപ്പെടുക | ||
Maltese tilmenta | ||
Maori amuamu | ||
Marathi तक्रार | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯋꯥꯀꯠꯄ | ||
Mizo sawisel | ||
Mongolian гомдоллох | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) တိုင်ကြား | ||
Nepali गुनासो | ||
Norwegian klage | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) dandaula | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଅଭିଯୋଗ କରନ୍ତୁ | ||
Oromo komachuu | ||
Pashto شکایت کول | ||
Persian شکایت | ||
Polish skarżyć się | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) reclamar | ||
Punjabi ਸ਼ਿਕਾਇਤ | ||
Quechua willarikuy | ||
Romanian se plâng | ||
Russian жаловаться | ||
Samoan faitio | ||
Sanskrit अभियुनक्ति | ||
Scots Gaelic gearan | ||
Sepedi belaela | ||
Serbian жалити се | ||
Sesotho tletleba | ||
Shona nyunyuta | ||
Sindhi شڪايت | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) පැමිණිලි | ||
Slovak sťažovať sa | ||
Slovenian pritožba | ||
Somali cabasho | ||
Spanish quejar | ||
Sundanese humandeuar | ||
Swahili kulalamika | ||
Swedish klaga | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) sumbong | ||
Tajik шикоят кардан | ||
Tamil புகார் | ||
Tatar зарлану | ||
Telugu ఫిర్యాదు | ||
Thai บ่น | ||
Tigrinya ምንፅርፃር | ||
Tsonga xivilelo | ||
Turkish şikayet | ||
Turkmen arz etmek | ||
Twi (Akan) bɔ kwaadu | ||
Ukrainian скаржитися | ||
Urdu شکایت | ||
Uyghur ئاغرىنىش | ||
Uzbek shikoyat qilish | ||
Vietnamese than phiền | ||
Welsh cwyno | ||
Xhosa khalaza | ||
Yiddish באַקלאָגנ זיך | ||
Yoruba kerora | ||
Zulu khononda |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | Kla, meaning "complain," also means "to sound a loud, piercing noise" in Afrikaans. |
| Albanian | The word "ankohen" also has the alternate meaning of "to become hoarse". |
| Amharic | አጉረመረሙ derives from the verb 'to murmur' and can also mean 'to complain'. |
| Arabic | In classical Arabic, "تذمر" meant "to speak in a low voice", from "ذَمَر" which denotes a "slight noise like that of wood burning" |
| Armenian | The word "բողոքել" (complain) derives from the obsolete word "բողոք" (complaint, demand), first attested in the 13th century and itself derived from the Middle Persian word "bug"} |
| Azerbaijani | The word 'şikayət' also means 'petition' or 'appeal' in Azerbaijani. |
| Basque | The Basque word 'kexatu' has Indo-European cognates from Latin, Germanic, and Slavic language families with meanings related to 'worry' or 'anxiety'. |
| Belarusian | "Скардзіцца" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*skǫditi", which can mean "to slander, accuse, criticize, complain." |
| Bengali | The word অভিযোগ (obhijog) comes from the Sanskrit word 'abhiyoga', which means 'accusation' or 'charge', and is used to denote a formal complaint or accusation made against someone. |
| Bosnian | In addition to meaning "complain," žaliti se can also mean "to mourn" or "to grieve." |
| Bulgarian | The word 'оплакват' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'oplakati', meaning 'to bewail or lament'. |
| Catalan | The Catalan verb "queixar-se" derives from Latin "quaerere" (to seek or inquire), hinting at the seeking of relief or understanding through complaining. |
| Cebuano | The word 'moreklamo' is derived from the Spanish word 'reclamar', meaning 'to make a claim' or 'to protest'. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 抱怨 (bàoyuàn) literally means 'to protect (报) the grievances (怨)'. Grievances were historically written on bamboo sticks. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 抱怨 (bàoyuàn) literally means 'telling (訴) sorrows (怨)'. It can also refer to a 'complaint case' (告訴). |
| Corsican | Corsican "lagnassi" derives from the Genoese "ragnassiâ" („gnawing“), hence its meaning "to regret"} |
| Croatian | "Prigovarati" can also mean "to condemn" or "to judge" in Croatian. |
| Czech | The word "stěžovat si" can also mean "to weigh" or "to put on scales". |
| Danish | The word "brokke sig" comes from the Old Norse word "brokka", meaning "to grumble" or "to mutter". |
| Dutch | The Dutch word "klagen" can also refer to mourning, wailing, or lamentation. |
| Esperanto | Esperanto's "plendi" is based on the Latin "plangere" (to mourn), which also gives us "plaintiff" and "complain" in English. |
| Estonian | The Estonian word "kurtma" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word *kurta, meaning "to grumble". |
| Finnish | "Valittaa" can also mean "to regret" or "to grieve" in Finnish, reflecting its roots in the word "valo" (light), as in "to mourn the loss of light". |
| French | In Old French, “se plaindre” meant to lament or express sadness, but gradually came to mean to express dissatisfaction. |
| Frisian | In Frisian, the word "kleie" not only means "complain," but also "itch," suggesting a connection between bodily and emotional discomfort. |
| Galician | The Galician word "queixarse" is derived from the Latin "querellare", meaning "to make a complaint or accusation". |
| German | The word "beschweren" (complain) derives from the Old High German "bisweren" (to swear), and has retained its original meaning of "to bear witness under oath". |
| Greek | In ancient Greece, "κανω παραπονα" was used to refer to calling for aid or asking for a favor |
| Gujarati | The word 'ફરિયાદ' can also mean 'petition,' 'application,' or 'representation,' and is ultimately derived from the Persian word 'farz,' meaning 'duty' or 'necessity.' |
| Haitian Creole | The Haitian Creole verb "pote plent" comes from "porter plainte" in French, meaning to file a complaint, and also means "to cry a lot". |
| Hausa | Some have suggested that the word "koka" may be related to the Fulfulde word "koko" meaning "cry". |
| Hawaiian | 'Ōhumu', meaning 'complain', is also an archaic word for shark. |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word "לְהִתְלוֹנֵן" also means "to spy" or "to look around". |
| Hindi | The word "शिकायत" comes from the Persian word "shikayat" which means "to complain" or "to express grievance". |
| Hmong | The word "yws" can also mean "to grumble" or "to mumble" in Hmong. |
| Hungarian | The word "panaszkodik" comes from the word "panasz", meaning "complaint" or "grievance". |
| Icelandic | The Icelandic word 'kvarta' comes from a Danish loanword meaning 'to grumble' and is related to 'quarto', used in musical notation. |
| Igbo | The word "mee mkpesa" can also mean "to express dissatisfaction" or "to make a protest." |
| Indonesian | The word 'mengeluh' in Indonesian derives from the old Malay word 'gluh' which means 'to groan or murmur'. |
| Irish | The Irish phrase "gearán a dhéanamh" is cognate with the Welsh phrase "gerwyn" (''lament'') and the Breton phrase "geriañ" (''lament, cry, complain'') and is thought to derive from a Proto-Celtic verb meaning ''to cry out''. |
| Italian | "lamentarsi" is derived from the Latin "lamentari," meaning "to wail, mourn, or lament." |
| Japanese | 不平を言う (fuhei wo iu): to complain, to grumble, to find fault |
| Javanese | The word "sambat" can also mean "to ask for help", and it is related to the Sanskrit word "sambodhana" meaning "addressing someone respectfully". |
| Kannada | "ದೂರು" means not only "complain", but also "distance". |
| Kazakh | The word "шағымдану" in Kazakh, besides meaning "complain", also refers to "lamenting" or "regretting". |
| Khmer | The word "ត្អូញត្អែរ" also means to be nagging or to be constantly making small requests or demands. |
| Korean | The Korean word 불평하다 (bul-pyeong-ha-da) can also mean "grumble" or "lament." |
| Kurdish | In Persian, the word "gilîkirin" also means "to get upset" and "to nag". |
| Kyrgyz | The Kyrgyz word "арыздануу" is derived from the Persian word "هعنارند" (arzdasht), which means "petition" or "complaint". |
| Lao | The word "ຈົ່ມ" can also mean "to mourn" or "to cry". |
| Latin | The Latin word "queri" also means "to seek" or "to desire". |
| Latvian | The word "sūdzēties" likely originates from the Proto-Indo-European word "sūd" meaning "to accuse". |
| Lithuanian | The word "reikšti nepasitenkinimą" also means "express dissatisfaction". |
| Luxembourgish | The verb "beschwéieren" comes from the Old High German "biswern" and originally meant "to swear" or "to make an oath." |
| Macedonian | The word "се жалат" can also mean "to desire" or "to long for" in Macedonian. |
| Malagasy | The Malagasy word "hitaraina" is thought to be derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "hiqar", which means "to complain" or "to grumble" |
| Malay | The word "mengeluh" in Malay literally means "to let out gas" or "to fart", but it is also commonly used to mean "to complain". |
| Malayalam | പരാതിപ്പെടുക, which means |
| Maltese | The verb 'tilmenta' (complain) originates from the Italian verb 'tormentare' meaning 'to torment'. |
| Maori | The word amuamu can also refer to the act of begging or supplicating, or more figuratively, to importune someone for something. |
| Marathi | Derived from Sanskrit "tri-karshana" (meaning "to pull or drag in three directions") and ultimately from the root "karsh" (meaning "to pull, draw, or drag"). |
| Mongolian | The word "гомдоллох" derives from "гомдол" (a complaint) and the suffix "-ллох" (to make or do something). |
| Nepali | गुनासो derives from the Sanskrit word 'guna' meaning 'virtue' or 'quality', and has evolved to mean 'complaint' in Nepali. |
| Norwegian | Its etymology and root words are the same as "claim" in English. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "dandaula" in Nyanja has the alternate meaning of "argue". |
| Pashto | "شکایت کول" means "complain" in Pashto, but it literally means "to bear a complaint." |
| Persian | The word "شکایت" comes from the Arabic word "شکوى" and can also mean "complaint" or "grievance." |
| Polish | "Skarżyć się" in Polish derives from the Old Polish verb "skarać," meaning "to punish". |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Portuguese, the verb "reclamar" also means "to claim" or "to demand" |
| Punjabi | The Punjabi word "ਸ਼ਿਕਾਇਤ" (shikaayat) originally meant "to seek justice" or "to lodge a complaint with an authority." |
| Romanian | The verb "se plâng" derives from a Proto-Indo-European root "*klweg," meaning "cry, scream". |
| Russian | The word "жаловаться" in Russian can also mean "to testify" or "to give an account". |
| Samoan | The Samoan word "faitio" can also mean to criticize, accuse, or find fault with someone. |
| Scots Gaelic | In addition to its primary meaning of 'complain', 'gearan' can also mean 'noise', 'din' or 'clamour' in Scots Gaelic, reflecting its onomatopoeic origin from the sound of groaning or complaining. |
| Serbian | The verb "жалити се" (zhaliti se) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*žaliti", which originally meant "to regret" or "to feel sorry". |
| Sesotho | The word 'tletleba' can also be translated as 'grumble or mutter', indicating dissatisfaction or irritation beyond mere complaining. |
| Shona | In Karanga and other Nguni languages, 'nyunyuta' means to 'cry' and not 'complain'. |
| Sindhi | The word "شڪايت" in Sindhi can also mean "lamentation" or "grievance". |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The Sinhalese word "පැමිණිලි" can also refer to a "complaint" in the sense of a formal legal document. |
| Slovak | "Sťažovať sa" is a verb in Slovak that means "to complain", but it also means "to squeeze" or "to press" something. |
| Slovenian | The word 'pritožba' in Slovenian originates from the word 'pritok', which means 'inflow' or 'complaint'. |
| Somali | The Somali word "cabasho" originally meant "to speak" and only later came to mean "to complain". |
| Spanish | The word "quejar" is derived from the Latin word "quaerere" meaning "to ask, inquire, seek". |
| Sundanese | The word "humandeuar" comes from the Proto-Austronesian word *pəluh, which means "to be sad or angry." |
| Swahili | The word "kulalamika" in Swahili originates from the Proto-Bantu word "-lalamika" meaning "whining". |
| Swedish | The word "klaga" in Swedish originates from the Old Norse word "klægja," meaning "to weep" or "to lament." |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | "'Sumbong'" may also be an old term for "witch" or "fairy". |
| Tajik | The noun shikoyat derives from Arabic, and means both 'complaint' and 'lament for the dead'. |
| Tamil | The word "புகார்" not only signifies a "complaint" but also denotes a "petition" or even a "place of pilgrimage". |
| Telugu | The word "ఫిర్యాదు" can also refer to a legal notice or a complaint filed in court. |
| Thai | The word "บ่น" also has the alternate meaning of "to talk continuously to oneself". |
| Turkish | "Şikayet" is also a Turkish word for "hunting" originating from the Persian word "şikâr" for "hunted animal". |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word “скаржитися” (“complain”) is related to the word “скарга” (“complaint”), which in turn derives from the Proto-Slavic root *skorgъ (“sorrowful, angry”) |
| Urdu | In Urdu, the word "شکایت" also means "complaint" or "grievance". |
| Uzbek | The Uzbek word "shikoyat qilish" can also refer to informing someone about a crime. |
| Vietnamese | The word "than phiền" can also mean "to be a nuisance" or "to be troublesome". |
| Welsh | The word "cwyno" can also mean "to lament" or "to mourn". |
| Xhosa | The word 'khalaza' also means 'the chalazae of an egg'. |
| Yiddish | The word 'בקלאגען' (baklagn or beklagen in Standard German) derives from the Middle High German verb 'klagn' (to cry, to lament). |
| Yoruba | The verb "kerora" also means "to beg" or "to entreat" in Yoruba. |
| Zulu | The word “khononda” can also be used to express a feeling of discontent or dissatisfaction. |
| English | The word "complain" comes from the Latin word "complangere," meaning "to lament loudly" or "to beat one's breast in grief." |