Afrikaans klagte | ||
Albanian ankesa | ||
Amharic ቅሬታ | ||
Arabic شكوى | ||
Armenian բողոք | ||
Assamese গোচৰ | ||
Aymara kija | ||
Azerbaijani şikayət | ||
Bambara makasi | ||
Basque kexa | ||
Belarusian скарга | ||
Bengali অভিযোগ | ||
Bhojpuri सिकायत | ||
Bosnian žalba | ||
Bulgarian жалба | ||
Catalan queixa | ||
Cebuano reklamo | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 抱怨 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 抱怨 | ||
Corsican lagnanza | ||
Croatian prigovor | ||
Czech stížnost | ||
Danish klage | ||
Dhivehi ޝަކުވާ | ||
Dogri शकैत | ||
Dutch klacht | ||
English complaint | ||
Esperanto plendo | ||
Estonian kaebus | ||
Ewe nyatoto | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) reklamo | ||
Finnish valitus | ||
French plainte | ||
Frisian klacht | ||
Galician queixa | ||
Georgian საჩივარი | ||
German beschwerde | ||
Greek καταγγελία | ||
Guarani ñemombe'u | ||
Gujarati ફરિયાદ | ||
Haitian Creole plent | ||
Hausa korafi | ||
Hawaiian hoʻopiʻi | ||
Hebrew תְלוּנָה | ||
Hindi शिकायत | ||
Hmong kev yws | ||
Hungarian panasz | ||
Icelandic kvörtun | ||
Igbo mkpesa | ||
Ilocano reklamo | ||
Indonesian keluhan | ||
Irish gearán | ||
Italian denuncia | ||
Japanese 苦情文句 | ||
Javanese keluhan | ||
Kannada ದೂರು | ||
Kazakh шағым | ||
Khmer ពាក្យបណ្តឹង | ||
Kinyarwanda ikirego | ||
Konkani कागाळ | ||
Korean 불평 | ||
Krio kɔmplen | ||
Kurdish gilî | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) سکاڵا | ||
Kyrgyz даттануу | ||
Lao ຄຳ ຮ້ອງທຸກ | ||
Latin querimonia | ||
Latvian sūdzību | ||
Lingala komilela | ||
Lithuanian skundą | ||
Luganda okwemulugunya | ||
Luxembourgish plainte | ||
Macedonian жалба | ||
Maithili शिकायत | ||
Malagasy mety hitaraina | ||
Malay keluhan | ||
Malayalam പരാതി | ||
Maltese ilment | ||
Maori amuamu | ||
Marathi तक्रार | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯋꯥꯀꯠꯄ | ||
Mizo sawiselna | ||
Mongolian гомдол | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) တိုင်ကြားချက် | ||
Nepali गुनासो | ||
Norwegian klage | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) kudandaula | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଅଭିଯୋଗ | ||
Oromo mufii | ||
Pashto شکایت | ||
Persian شکایت | ||
Polish skarga | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) queixa | ||
Punjabi ਸ਼ਿਕਾਇਤ | ||
Quechua willarikuy | ||
Romanian plângere | ||
Russian жалоба | ||
Samoan faitioga | ||
Sanskrit अनुबद्ध | ||
Scots Gaelic gearan | ||
Sepedi pelaelo | ||
Serbian жалба | ||
Sesotho tletlebo | ||
Shona kunyunyuta | ||
Sindhi شڪايت | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) පැමිණිල්ලක් | ||
Slovak sťažnosť | ||
Slovenian pritožba | ||
Somali cabasho | ||
Spanish queja | ||
Sundanese keluhan | ||
Swahili malalamiko | ||
Swedish klagomål | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) reklamo | ||
Tajik шикоят | ||
Tamil புகார் | ||
Tatar шикаять | ||
Telugu ఫిర్యాదు | ||
Thai ร้องเรียน | ||
Tigrinya ቕሬታ | ||
Tsonga muvileri | ||
Turkish şikayet | ||
Turkmen şikaýat | ||
Twi (Akan) kwaadu | ||
Ukrainian скарга | ||
Urdu شکایت | ||
Uyghur ئەرز | ||
Uzbek shikoyat | ||
Vietnamese lời phàn nàn | ||
Welsh cwyn | ||
Xhosa isikhalazo | ||
Yiddish קלאָג | ||
Yoruba ẹdun ọkan | ||
Zulu isikhalazo |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The word "klagte" comes from the Middle Dutch word "clachte" and can also mean "lamentation" or "accusation". |
| Albanian | The word "ankesa" can also mean "request" in some contexts. |
| Amharic | The word "ቅሬታ" can also mean "complaint", "criticism", or "grief" in Amharic. |
| Arabic | شكوى means 'complain', 'lament', or 'suffer'. It is related to the verb 'shakawa' (يشكو), which means 'to complain', 'to lament', or 'to suffer from something' and the noun 'shikwa' (شكوى), which means 'a complaint', 'a lament', or 'a suffering'. |
| Armenian | The etymology of "բողոք" is unclear, but it may be derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *bhleg- "to break, to cleave" |
| Azerbaijani | The root of the word "şikayət" has a broader meaning in Azerbaijani, encompassing the concept of "talking to someone in order to express a grievance" |
| Basque | The word "kexa" can also refer to a "lament" or a "regret". |
| Belarusian | The Belarusian word "скарга" also means "request" or "supplication". |
| Bengali | অভিযোগ is a Bengali word derived from the Sanskrit words "abhi" (towards) and "yaga" (sacrifice), originally referring to a sacrifice made by the accuser against the accused. |
| Bosnian | The word "žalba" also means "petition" or "appeal" in Bosnian. |
| Bulgarian | In Bulgarian, "жалба" not only means "complaint", but also "lament", "petition" or "appeal". |
| Catalan | The word "queixa" in Catalan derives from the Latin word "querela", meaning complaint, but can also refer to a physical ailment. |
| Cebuano | The Cebuano word "reklamo" comes from the Spanish word "reclamo", which means "claim" or "demand". |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 抱怨 is also a Chinese idiom meaning "to complain about others' shortcomings while ignoring one's own". |
| Chinese (Traditional) | "抱怨 literally translates as "to complain and grumble", and is often used to refer to negative or whining behavior." |
| Corsican | Corsican "lagnanza" comes from "lagnarsi," "to cry," from "lacrimare" in Latin. |
| Croatian | "Prigovor" derives from the prefix "pri-" and the noun "govor" meaning "speech" or "pronouncement" and originally meant "a word spoken against". |
| Czech | Etymology: Old Czech "stížený", meaning "oppressed" or "burdened". |
| Danish | The Danish word "klage" also refers to a formal accusation of a criminal offence in a court of law. |
| Dutch | The word "klacht" is likely of Proto-Indo-European origin, and is a cognate of the English word "cleave" and the German word "klagen". |
| Esperanto | The word "plendo" is derived from the French "plainte" (complaint). |
| Estonian | The Estonian word "kaebus" (complaint) shares a common origin with the Finnish "kauhea" (terrible), reflecting the idea that complaints often express strong emotions. |
| Finnish | "Valitus" also means "lament" in Finnish, which is related to its Estonian cognate "valitamine" with the same meaning. |
| French | The French word "plainte" also has the meaning of "lament" and shares its etymology with the English "plaint" |
| Frisian | Frisian 'klacht' ('complaint') likely stems from Middle Frisian 'clacht' or Dutch 'klacht,' with an alternate meaning 'lawsuit.' |
| Galician | In Galician, "queixa" also means "melody" or "tune". |
| German | The word 'Beschwerde' in German also means a physical difficulty or ailment. |
| Greek | The word "καταγγελία" (complaint) is derived from the Greek words "κατά" (against) and "αγγελία" (announcement), implying an accusation or disclosure of wrongdoing. |
| Gujarati | The Gujarati word "ફરિયાદ" is derived from the Arabic word "فريضة" (faridah), meaning "religious duty," and thus conveys a sense of obligation or duty to address a grievance. |
| Haitian Creole | In Haitian Creole, "plent" stems from French "plainte" but has the extended meaning of "lamentation" and a secondary meaning of "gossip". |
| Hausa | Also referred to as karafi or karofi, korafi can refer to a complaint, accusation, or an illness. |
| Hawaiian | The word "hoʻopiʻi" can also mean "to accuse" or "to blame". |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word "תְלוּנָה" (complaint) derives from the root "לונן" (to spend the night), suggesting a complaint that is made during or around the time of rest. |
| Hindi | The word 'शिकायत' ('complaint') can also mean 'lament', 'grievance', or 'charge'. |
| Hmong | "Kev yws" is also used to refer to a complaint, grievance, or accusation. |
| Hungarian | The word "panasz" in Hungarian originally meant "to speak" or "to tell" and is rooted in the Proto-Indo-European word ""bʰénəti"" with the same meaning. |
| Icelandic | The word "kvörtun" can also refer to a specific type of Icelandic folk song that expresses sorrow or regret. |
| Igbo | Mkpesa, derived from the Igbo word 'kpe,' meaning 'to complain,' also refers to a traditional Igbo funeral ceremony involving expressions of grief and loss. |
| Indonesian | "Keluhan" also means "the act of complaining or expressing dissatisfaction." |
| Irish | The word "gearán" also means "song" or "tune" in Irish, reflecting its connection to the act of singing or chanting a complaint. |
| Italian | The word "denuncia" in Italian comes from the Latin word "denuntiare," which originally meant "to announce," and was often used in a legal context to describe the announcement of an impending legal action. |
| Japanese | "苦情文句" is a compound word in Japanese that literally means "bitter feeling words" |
| Javanese | The Javanese word for complaint, keluhan, may also refer to a group of people gathered together as a community for a specific purpose. |
| Kannada | The word "ದೂರು" (complaint) in Kannada also refers to an accusation or a plea, and originates from the root word "दुर" (distant) in Sanskrit, indicating something brought forth from a distance. |
| Kazakh | "Шағым" means both "complaint" and "step" in Kazakh, possibly due to the shared connotation of movement or forward progress. |
| Korean | "불평" originally referred to an "uneven distribution" or "imbalance" but later took on a more negative meaning of "complaint." |
| Kurdish | The word "gilî" in Kurdish also means "lamentation" or "lamenting song". |
| Kyrgyz | Dattanuu can also mean 'lawsuit' in Kyrgyz. |
| Latin | The Latin word "querimonia" also means "lament", "lamenting" or "a dirge". |
| Latvian | 'Sūdzība' is derived from the verb 'sūdzēt', meaning 'to express disapproval or dissatisfaction', and can also refer to a statement of grievance or allegation. |
| Lithuanian | The word "skundą" has similar roots to the word "skųsti," meaning "to slander" or "to backbite." |
| Luxembourgish | The Luxembourgish word "Plainte" can also refer to a "meadow" or "field". |
| Macedonian | The word "жалба" in Macedonian can also refer to a "plea" or a "petition". |
| Malagasy | METY HITARAINA, meaning "complaint", is a Malagasy phrase derived from the verb "metỳ", which means "to say", and the noun "hitaraiana", which means "to complain" |
| Malay | The word "keluhan" in Malay originates from the Javanese word "uluh-uluh", meaning a mournful lament or cry of sorrow. |
| Malayalam | The word "പരാതി" can also mean "application" or "request" in Malayalam. |
| Maltese | The word "ilment" in Maltese originates from the Italian "lamentazione", meaning "lamentation" or "lamenting". |
| Maori | The word "amuamu" can also mean "to murmur" or "to mutter". |
| Marathi | The word 'तक्रार' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'तर्क', meaning 'argument' or 'disputation'. |
| Mongolian | The word "гомдол" can also refer to a "reason", "cause", or "justification". |
| Nepali | The word “गुनासो” is derived from the Sanskrit word “गुण” meaning “quality” and “स” meaning “with” or “along with”, suggesting that a complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction with a particular quality or aspect of something. |
| Norwegian | The word 'klage' in Norwegian can also refer to a lament or a song of mourning. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "kudandaula" can also mean "regret" or "lament". |
| Persian | The word "شکایت" can also refer to "lamenting", "grieving", or "complaining". |
| Polish | In Polish, 'skarga' also means 'lament', likely deriving from an Old Slavonic root related to 'sorrow'. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Portuguese, the word "queixa" also refers to a specific genre of traditional Portuguese folk music known as "Fado". Fado is characterized by its melancholic and mournful themes and is often accompanied by a Portuguese guitar. |
| Punjabi | The Punjabi word "ਸ਼ਿਕਾਇਤ" (complaint) comes from the Hindi word "शिकायत" and is often used in the context of a grievance filed with government officials, such as the police. |
| Romanian | The Romanian word "plângere" also means "cry" or "lament". |
| Russian | The word "жалоба" can also refer to a stinger or a sting |
| Samoan | The Samoan word "faitioga" (complaint) is derived from the Proto-Polynesian word "faiti", meaning "to speak out" or "to complain" |
| Scots Gaelic | Gearan in Scots Gaelic can also mean "quarrel" or "dispute". |
| Serbian | The etymological origin of 'žalba' in Serbian can be traced back to Proto-Slavic and has cognates across other Slavic languages. |
| Sesotho | The word 'tletlebo' ('complaint') in Sesotho is also related to another word 'tletleba' or 'tlalepa' meaning 'to ask for, to beg' or 'to demand' |
| Shona | "Kunyunyuta" literally means "to murmur" or "to grumble". |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word 'شکايت' also means 'expression of gratitude' or 'compliment' in the context of traditional Sindhi culture. |
| Slovak | "Sťažnosť" can also mean "moan" or "lament". |
| Slovenian | The term "pritožba" can refer to either an oral or written grievance made to a court or another authority. |
| Somali | The word "cabasho" in Somali derives from the Arabic word "kabasa" meaning "to oppress". |
| Spanish | The word "queja" comes from the Latin word "querela", which means "complaint, grievance." |
| Sundanese | In Sundanese, "keluhan" not only means "complaint", but also "sickness" or "pain". |
| Swahili | "Malalamiko" also means 'grumbling' in Swahili. |
| Swedish | The word "klagomål" is a compound of "klaga" (to complain) and "mål" (cause), and its literal meaning is "cause for complaint". |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The word "reklamo" is derived from the Spanish word "reclamar", meaning "to claim" or "to demand". |
| Tajik | The word "шикоят" derives from the Persian word "شکایت", which also means "lament", "regret", or "grief". |
| Tamil | The Tamil word 'புகார்' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'puskara', which means 'a lotus pond' or 'a place where water collects'. It acquired its current meaning of 'complaint' or 'grievance' through its association with situations where people gather to express their grievances, such as at a temple or a public gathering place. |
| Telugu | The word "phiryadu" is derived from the Persian word "faryad", meaning "cry for help or justice". |
| Thai | The word "ร้องเรียน" in Thai originally meant "to cry out" or "to make a sound". |
| Turkish | The Turkish word "şikayet" originates from the Arabic word "šikwâ" meaning "lament" or "grievance". |
| Ukrainian | The word скарга shares the same root with скаржитися, meaning "to complain" in English. |
| Urdu | شکایت derives from the Arabic word 'shikayat', meaning 'lament' or 'complaint', and is also used in Persian and Turkish. |
| Uzbek | The Uzbek word "shikoyat" derives from the Persian word "shikava", which also means "complaint". |
| Vietnamese | "Lời phàn nàn" also colloquially means "groaning" or "moaning". |
| Welsh | The Welsh word "cwyn" can also mean "lament," "grief," or "sorrow." |
| Xhosa | The word "isikhalazo" in Xhosa also has the connotation of "regret" or "sorrow", as seen in its use in phrases like "isikhalazo sokuba" (regret that). |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "קלאָג" (complaint) likely comes from the German word "Klage" (lament), but it can also refer to a legal complaint or a musical dirge. |
| Yoruba | Ẹdun ọkan (complaint) also means 'heart burn' or 'regret' in Yoruba. |
| Zulu | The Zulu word "isikhalazo" can also mean "request" or "petition" |
| English | The word "complaint" can also refer to a musical genre, particularly in the context of traditional Scottish and Irish folk music. |