Confusion in Different Languages
Discover 'Confusion' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Confusion: it's a feeling we've all experienced, and yet, it's a concept that can be difficult to pin down. At its core, confusion is a state of perplexity or uncertainty, often brought on by new or complex situations. But confusion is more than just a psychological phenomenon; it's a cultural touchstone that has been explored in literature, film, and art around the world.
Consider, for example, the concept of 'mono no aware' in Japanese culture, which emphasizes the transient nature of things and the bittersweet feeling of impermanence. This idea is closely tied to confusion, as it highlights the liminal space between understanding and not understanding, and the beauty that can be found in that in-between state.
Or take the Spanish word 'confusión,' which not only refers to mental perplexity but also to a chaotic or disordered state of affairs. This dual meaning speaks to the ways in which confusion can manifest in our external worlds as well as our internal ones.
Given the significance and cultural importance of confusion, it's no wonder that people around the world have sought to translate this concept into their own languages. Below, you'll find a list of translations of 'confusion' in a variety of languages, from Arabic to Zulu.
Confusion
Confusion in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | verwarring | ||
| The word "verwarring" is derived from the Old Dutch word "verwerren", meaning "to entangle". | |||
| Amharic | ግራ መጋባት | ||
| The word "ግራ መጋባት" (confusion) in Amharic comes from the root "ግር" (to turn, to twist), which also gives rise to the word "ግርግር" (a vortex, a whirlpool). | |||
| Hausa | rikicewa | ||
| The word "rikicewa" in Hausa comes from the Arabic word "riqaq" meaning "compassion" or "softness of heart". | |||
| Igbo | mgbagwoju anya | ||
| "Mgbagwoju anya" is also the name of an Igbo herbal remedy made from the leaves of the Ocimum gratissimum plant. | |||
| Malagasy | fifanjevoana | ||
| The word "fifanjevoana" in Malagasy is derived from the root word "fijery" meaning "to look at". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chisokonezo | ||
| The term 'chisokonezo' is also used in a positive connotation, to describe chaos that leads to creativity. | |||
| Shona | kuvhiringidzika | ||
| "Kuvhiringidzika" also implies a state of bewilderment or perplexity. | |||
| Somali | jahwareer | ||
| The term 'jahwareer' in Somali is originally derived from the Arabic word 'jehar', meaning 'evident' or 'open', and has evolved to imply a state of chaos or disarray. | |||
| Sesotho | pherekano | ||
| The word "pherekano" can also mean "disorder" or "commotion". | |||
| Swahili | mkanganyiko | ||
| The Swahili word "mkanganyiko" comes from the verb "kukanganya," meaning "to perplex" or "to puzzle." | |||
| Xhosa | ukudideka | ||
| Ukudika in Xhosa also means to make a sound or to shout. It is used in the context of noise and commotion. | |||
| Yoruba | iporuru | ||
| The Yoruba word "iporuru" is said to be derived from "iro" (thought) and "ururu" (trouble), meaning a disturbance of one's thoughts. | |||
| Zulu | ukudideka | ||
| Ukudika in isiZulu refers to the loss of one’s way, whereas -deka is a suffix meaning “to be in a state of” | |||
| Bambara | ɲaamili | ||
| Ewe | tɔtɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | urujijo | ||
| Lingala | mobulungano | ||
| Luganda | okusoberwa | ||
| Sepedi | tlhakatlhakano | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kesereneeyɛ | ||
Confusion in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الالتباس | ||
| The word "الالتباس" in Arabic originates from the root "لبس" meaning "to mix up" or "to wear" and also has the connotation of "entanglement" or "ambiguity". | |||
| Hebrew | בִּלבּוּל | ||
| The word "בִּלבּוּל" can also mean "mixture" or "chaos." | |||
| Pashto | ګډوډي | ||
| "ګډوډي" is derived from the Arabic root "خ د ع" (kh-d-‘), which means "to confuse" or "to mix up". It has similar meanings in Dari and Urdu, where it is spelled "گڑبڑ" (gaṛbaṛ). | |||
| Arabic | الالتباس | ||
| The word "الالتباس" in Arabic originates from the root "لبس" meaning "to mix up" or "to wear" and also has the connotation of "entanglement" or "ambiguity". | |||
Confusion in Western European Languages
| Albanian | konfuzion | ||
| The word "konfuzion" derives from the Latin "confusio", meaning "disorder" or "chaos". | |||
| Basque | nahasmena | ||
| Nahasmena in Basque language has also the meaning of "wrong," "bad," "contrary to the right way," "disorder," "fault," "sin," "evil," "bad luck," "misfortune," "calamity," "affliction," "pain," "suffering," "misery," "anguish," "torment," "agony," "hell," "purgatory," "damnation," and "devil." | |||
| Catalan | confusió | ||
| The word "confusió" derives from the Latin word "confusio", which means "disorder", "jumble", or "chaos." | |||
| Croatian | zbunjenost | ||
| The word "zbunjenost" can also refer to "embarrassment" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | forvirring | ||
| The word "forvirring" can also refer to "maze" or "perplexity" in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | verwarring | ||
| Verwarring is also the word for 'heating' or 'preheating oven'. | |||
| English | confusion | ||
| The word "confusion" derives from the Latin "confusio," meaning "to mix together" or "disorder." | |||
| French | confusion | ||
| "Confusion" in French also means "disorder" and "chaos". | |||
| Frisian | betizing | ||
| The Frisian word "betizing" derives from the Old Frisian "betsing," meaning "beating." This secondary meaning of "beating" has disappeared in modern Frisian. | |||
| Galician | confusión | ||
| German | verwirrtheit | ||
| The word "Verwirrtheit" in German likely derives from the Old High German word "wirren," meaning "to tangle" or "to twist." | |||
| Icelandic | rugl | ||
| The word "rugl" also refers to a mythical entity or being known as the Rugl or Rúglindi, sometimes depicted as a troll or other creature that brings disorder and trouble. | |||
| Irish | mearbhall | ||
| In Irish, 'mearbhall' shares a root with the words for 'to divide' ('roinn') and 'to err' ('mearú'), alluding to its association with disorder and incorrectness. | |||
| Italian | confusione | ||
| The Italian word "confusione" comes from the Latin word "confusio", meaning "mixing together" or "disorder". | |||
| Luxembourgish | duercherneen | ||
| The word "Duercherneen" is derived from the Old High German word "turran", meaning "to sound" or "to make a noise", and the suffix "-neen", indicating a state of being. | |||
| Maltese | konfużjoni | ||
| The Maltese word "konfużjoni" is derived from the Italian word "confusione" meaning "confusion" and "disorder". | |||
| Norwegian | forvirring | ||
| Historically related to 'forvillet' ('misled'), ultimately from Old Norse 'villa ('to lead astray')' and Proto-Indo-European 'wel- ('to deceive')'. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | confusão | ||
| In Portuguese, "confusão" comes from the Latin "confusio" meaning "mess, disorder", and also refers to "embarrassment". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | troimh-chèile | ||
| Spanish | confusión | ||
| The Spanish word "confusión" also means "embarrassment" and "trouble." | |||
| Swedish | förvirring | ||
| Förvirring can also mean 'chaos' or 'disorder' in Swedish. | |||
| Welsh | dryswch | ||
| The word "dryswch" also has the alternate meaning of "dryness" in Welsh. | |||
Confusion in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | разгубленасць | ||
| Bosnian | konfuzija | ||
| The word "konfuzija" derives from the Latin word "confusio", meaning "disorder" or "chaos". | |||
| Bulgarian | объркване | ||
| The Bulgarian word "объркване" can also mean "embarrassment" | |||
| Czech | zmatek | ||
| "Zmatek" may also refer to a type of traditional Czech dance. | |||
| Estonian | segasus | ||
| The Estonian word "segasus" originally meant "mixture" or "hash" and is related to the Finnish word "sekoittaa" (to mix). | |||
| Finnish | sekavuus | ||
| 'Sekavuus' is also the word for 'mixture' and 'confusion', as the two are related in Finnish thinking. | |||
| Hungarian | zavar | ||
| The verb "zavarodik" means "to hesitate/to waver". | |||
| Latvian | apjukums | ||
| "Apjukums" in Latvian can also refer to a labyrinth, maze, or tangle, emphasizing the sense of being lost or disoriented. | |||
| Lithuanian | sumišimas | ||
| The word "sumišimas" is derived from the Proto-Baltic root "*sum", meaning "to mix" or "to confuse". | |||
| Macedonian | конфузија | ||
| The word "конфузија" can also mean "embarrassment" or "humiliation" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | dezorientacja | ||
| "Dezorientacja" derives from Latin 'de-' for 'away from' and 'orientem ' for 'rising sun' (east). It thus originally stood for 'dislodged' and 'perplexed'. | |||
| Romanian | confuzie | ||
| The word "confuzie" has Latin origin, being derived from "confundere" meaning "to pour together" and was first attested in the Romanian language in 1840. | |||
| Russian | спутанность сознания | ||
| The word "спутанность сознания" can also mean "entanglement" or "complexity" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | конфузија | ||
| The word "конфузија" (confusion) derives from the Latin word "confusio" (disorder, mingling), which in turn comes from the verb "confundere" (to pour together, to mix up). | |||
| Slovak | zmätok | ||
| Zmätok comes from "zmuto" and means "alteration" and "change" but was also connected with "bad luck". | |||
| Slovenian | zmedenost | ||
| The word "zmedenost" can also refer to a state of bewilderment or disorientation. | |||
| Ukrainian | спантеличеність | ||
Confusion in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিভ্রান্তি | ||
| The word "বিভ্রান্তি" (confusion) derives from the Sanskrit root "bhanj", meaning "to break" or "to shatter", suggesting a state of mental fragmentation. | |||
| Gujarati | મૂંઝવણ | ||
| In addition to meaning "confusion", "મૂંઝવણ" also means "anxiety" or "perplexity". | |||
| Hindi | भ्रम की स्थिति | ||
| 'भ्रम की स्थिति' means a state of confusion. It is derived from the Sanskrit word 'भ्रम' (bhrama), which means 'wandering' or 'roaming'. | |||
| Kannada | ಗೊಂದಲ | ||
| "ಗೊಂದಲ" is cognate with the Marathi word "गुंडाळणे" (gundāḷaṇe) meaning "to roll up" or "to become tangled or confused". | |||
| Malayalam | ആശയക്കുഴപ്പം | ||
| Marathi | गोंधळ | ||
| The Marathi word "गोंधळ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "गुंड" meaning "ball" or "lump", and refers to a state of disorder or chaos. | |||
| Nepali | भ्रम | ||
| The word "भ्रम" can also refer to an optical illusion or a mistake, due to its Sanskrit origin meaning "to wander". | |||
| Punjabi | ਉਲਝਣ | ||
| The word "ਉਲਝਣ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "uljha", meaning "to tangle" or "to confuse". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ව්යාකූලත්වය | ||
| Tamil | குழப்பம் | ||
| The word 'குழப்பம்' in Tamil can also mean 'chaos', 'disorder', or 'turmoil'. | |||
| Telugu | గందరగోళం | ||
| The word "గందరగోళం" is derived from the Sanskrit word "गंडरगोल" (gaṇḍaragola), meaning "a sphere" or "a circle", and is often used to describe a situation that is disorderly or chaotic. | |||
| Urdu | الجھاؤ | ||
| The Urdu word 'الجھاؤ' means confusion, entanglement or disarray, and can also refer to a dilemma or quandary. | |||
Confusion in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 混乱 | ||
| '混乱' originally meant '乱丝' (tangled silk) or '理不清' (cannot figure out), but now it often refers to a chaotic or disorderly situation. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 混亂 | ||
| 混亂 also means 'to mix,' as in baking or alchemy. | |||
| Japanese | 錯乱 | ||
| "錯乱" (confusion) derives from words meaning "to mistake" and "to weave", and can also mean "derangement" or "insanity". | |||
| Korean | 착란 | ||
| The term '착란' is often translated as 'confusion,' but it can also mean 'disturbance' or 'disarray'. | |||
| Mongolian | төөрөгдөл | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရှုပ်ထွေးမှုများ | ||
Confusion in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kebingungan | ||
| In Betawi (a dialect of Malay spoken in Jakarta), "kebingungan" can also mean "to be annoyed or irritated". | |||
| Javanese | kebingungan | ||
| The word 'kebingungan' in Javanese comes from the Old Javanese word 'bingung', which means 'to be lost'. | |||
| Khmer | ភាពច្របូកច្របល់ | ||
| This word is derived from the verb "ច្របូក" (to mix, to stir), and it connotes a state of disorder or chaos. | |||
| Lao | ຄວາມສັບສົນ | ||
| Malay | kekeliruan | ||
| Kekeliruan also means 'mistake' instead of just 'confusion' | |||
| Thai | ความสับสน | ||
| The Thai word "ความสับสน" is derived from the Sanskrit word "saṃbhrama," which means "agitation" or "bewilderment." | |||
| Vietnamese | lú lẫn | ||
| "Lú lẫn" is a Vietnamese word that originated from China, where "lu" means "confusion" and "lan" means "mixing". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagkalito | ||
Confusion in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qarışıqlıq | ||
| The word "qarışıqlıq" comes from the Turkish word "karışık," meaning "mixed" or "complex". | |||
| Kazakh | шатасу | ||
| The Kazakh word "шатасу" is also used to describe a state of intoxication or dizziness. | |||
| Kyrgyz | башаламандык | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "башаламандык" also has the alternate meaning of "disarray" and is derived from the word "баш", meaning "head". | |||
| Tajik | ошуфтагӣ | ||
| The Tajik word "ошуфтагӣ" is descended from the Old Persian word "*huš-frataga-", meaning "well-formed". | |||
| Turkmen | bulaşyklyk | ||
| Uzbek | chalkashlik | ||
| The Uzbek word "chalkashlik" also has the meanings of "embarrassment" and "difficulty". | |||
| Uyghur | قالايمىقانچىلىق | ||
Confusion in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | huikau | ||
| The Hawaiian word 'huikau' not only means 'confusion' but can also refer to a type of Hawaiian dance. | |||
| Maori | puputu'u | ||
| The term 'puputu'u' is related to the concept of 'puzzling out', suggesting confusion as a mental challenge. | |||
| Samoan | le mautonu | ||
| It is possible that the word 'le mautonu' may have originally meant 'the state of being tangled or twisted', though it is now used exclusively to refer to confusion. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pagkalito | ||
| "Pagkalito" can also mean "bewilderment," "perplexity," or "disorientation." | |||
Confusion in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | pantjata | ||
| Guarani | guyryry | ||
Confusion in International Languages
| Esperanto | konfuzo | ||
| The Esperanto word "konfuzo" is derived from the Latin word "confusio", meaning "disorder" or "chaos". | |||
| Latin | confusione | ||
| The word "confusio" in Latin also refers to the melting or blending together of substances in solution or as an alloy. | |||
Confusion in Others Languages
| Greek | σύγχυση | ||
| The Greek word "σύγχυση" can also refer to a "cold" or "chill" and may be related to the Latin word "suffundere," meaning "to pour over" or "to spread." | |||
| Hmong | tsis meej pem | ||
| The word "tsis meej pem" can also refer to a state of chaos or bewilderment. | |||
| Kurdish | tevlihev | ||
| In Sorani, "tevlihev" also translates to "contradiction" or "inconsistency." | |||
| Turkish | bilinç bulanıklığı, konfüzyon | ||
| "Confusion" comes from Latin word "confusio" meaning "disorder" and "disarray". | |||
| Xhosa | ukudideka | ||
| Ukudika in Xhosa also means to make a sound or to shout. It is used in the context of noise and commotion. | |||
| Yiddish | צעמישונג | ||
| The Yiddish word "צעמישונג" stems from the German "zemüschen" with the Yiddish suffix "-ung" and means 'confusion' or 'disarray'. | |||
| Zulu | ukudideka | ||
| Ukudika in isiZulu refers to the loss of one’s way, whereas -deka is a suffix meaning “to be in a state of” | |||
| Assamese | খেলিমেলি | ||
| Aymara | pantjata | ||
| Bhojpuri | उलझन | ||
| Dhivehi | ޝައްކު | ||
| Dogri | झमेला | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagkalito | ||
| Guarani | guyryry | ||
| Ilocano | panangiyaw-awan | ||
| Krio | kɔnfyus | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | شێوان | ||
| Maithili | उलझन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯃꯝꯅꯕ | ||
| Mizo | rilru tibuai | ||
| Oromo | waliin nama dhahuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଦ୍ୱନ୍ଦ୍ୱ | | ||
| Quechua | pantay | ||
| Sanskrit | सम्भ्रम | ||
| Tatar | буталчык | ||
| Tigrinya | ምድንጋራት | ||
| Tsonga | kanganyisa | ||