Updated on March 6, 2024
The word consequence holds a significant place in our vocabulary, denoting the result or outcome of an action or decision. Its importance is not limited to personal situations but extends to various fields such as law, science, and philosophy. Culturally, the concept of consequence is deeply ingrained in proverbs, literature, and moral teachings worldwide.
For instance, the English idiom “reap what you sow” highlights the idea of cause and effect, emphasizing that our actions have corresponding consequences. Similarly, in Japan, the proverb “deru kugi wa utareru” (出る杭は打たれる), translating to “the nail that sticks out gets hammered down,” conveys the significance of consequences in societal norms and expectations.
Understanding the translation of consequence in different languages can provide valuable insights into how various cultures perceive and address the idea of cause and effect. Here are a few examples:
Stay tuned to explore more translations and cultural contexts associated with the fascinating word consequence.
Afrikaans | gevolg | ||
Gevolg in Afrikaans can mean 'retinue, followers' and is related to the Dutch word 'gevolg' with the same meaning. | |||
Amharic | መዘዝ | ||
መዘዝ (mäzəz) is derived from the verb "መዝ" (mäz, "to stick to"), and literally means "that which sticks to something". | |||
Hausa | sakamako | ||
"Sakamako" is cognate with the Arabic word "sákamaká" (سكومكو), meaning "result or issue (of an action)" and "recompense". | |||
Igbo | n'ihi | ||
"N'ihi" etymologically means "because of" and can also mean "for the sake of". | |||
Malagasy | vokatr'izany | ||
"Vokatratra" could be derived from the word "voakatra" which means "something that has been hit". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | zotsatira | ||
"Zotsatira" comes from the root word "-tsatira," which means to follow or to pursue, suggesting that a consequence is something that follows from or is a result of an action. | |||
Shona | mhedzisiro | ||
"Mhedzisiro" can also mean "outcome," "result," or "effect." | |||
Somali | natiijada | ||
The Somali word "natiijada" can also mean "result" or "outcome". | |||
Sesotho | ditlamorao | ||
The word "ditlamorao" also means "troublesome consequences". | |||
Swahili | matokeo | ||
Matokea in Swahili comes from the root word "tokea" meaning "to happen". It can also refer to "results" or "event." | |||
Xhosa | isiphumo | ||
Isiphumo, meaning consequence or result, is derived from the concept of 'coming to the fore'. | |||
Yoruba | nitori | ||
Nitori also means 'reason' or 'cause' in Yoruba. | |||
Zulu | umphumela | ||
The word "umphumela" comes from the Zulu word "phumela," meaning "to bear fruit." | |||
Bambara | kɔlɔlɔ min bɛ sɔrɔ o la | ||
Ewe | emetsonuwo | ||
Kinyarwanda | ingaruka | ||
Lingala | conséquence na yango | ||
Luganda | ekivaamu | ||
Sepedi | ditlamorago | ||
Twi (Akan) | nea efi mu ba | ||
Arabic | نتيجة | ||
The word "نتاج" also means "product" or "result" in Arabic. | |||
Hebrew | תוֹצָאָה | ||
תוֹצָאָה is cognate with the Arabic word "ناتج" (result) and the Aramaic word "תּוֹצָתָא" (result). | |||
Pashto | پایله | ||
The word "پایله" in Pashto can also mean "foundation" or "base". | |||
Arabic | نتيجة | ||
The word "نتاج" also means "product" or "result" in Arabic. |
Albanian | pasojë | ||
The word "pasojë" (consequence) derives from "pas" (after) + "-ojë" (abstract noun suffix), meaning literally "what comes after". | |||
Basque | ondorioa | ||
The word 'ondorioa' in Basque also refers to 'result' and 'effect'. | |||
Catalan | conseqüència | ||
The Catalan word "conseqüència" derives from the Latin phrase "cum sequentia," which means "with sequence". | |||
Croatian | posljedica | ||
The word 'posljedica' also means 'pregnancy' or 'progeny' in some Slavic languages, reflecting its semantic connection to 'proceeding' and 'outcome'. | |||
Danish | følge | ||
"Følge" can also mean "retinue" or "entourage" in Danish. | |||
Dutch | gevolg | ||
The Dutch word 'gevolg' can also refer to an entourage or retinue, highlighting the concept of being accompanied by something or someone. | |||
English | consequence | ||
The word "consequence" comes from the Latin "consequentia," meaning "following after" or "logical conclusion." | |||
French | conséquence | ||
The word "conséquence" in French has the same root as the English word "consequence", but it can also mean "result" or "outcome". | |||
Frisian | konsekwinsje | ||
The Frisian word 'konsekwinsje' can also translate to 'result' or 'effect' in English. | |||
Galician | consecuencia | ||
In Galician, "consecuencia" can also mean "inference" or "deduction". | |||
German | folge | ||
In German, the word "Folge" can also mean "order", "chain", or "episode". | |||
Icelandic | afleiðing | ||
The word "afleiðing" can also mean "derivation" or "inference" in Icelandic. | |||
Irish | iarmhairt | ||
Iarmhairt comes from the Old Irish word for "restraint" or "check." | |||
Italian | conseguenza | ||
The Italian word "conseguenza" derives from the Latin word "consequentia," which means "following," "succession," or "result." | |||
Luxembourgish | konsequenz | ||
In Luxembourgish, "Konsequenz" can also mean "experience" or "outcome." | |||
Maltese | konsegwenza | ||
The Maltese word "konsegwenza" is derived from the Italian "conseguenza," meaning "result" or "effect." | |||
Norwegian | konsekvens | ||
In Norwegian, "konsekvens" also means "principle" or "premise". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | consequência | ||
The Portuguese word "consequência" derives from the Latin "consequentia," meaning "logical deduction" or "inference". | |||
Scots Gaelic | bhuil | ||
The word "bhuil" in Scots Gaelic shares its root "bhu" with the English word "be". | |||
Spanish | consecuencia | ||
The word "consecuencia" in Spanish also refers to a person who has been sentenced to death. | |||
Swedish | följd | ||
The word "Följd" in Swedish can also mean "order" or "sequence". | |||
Welsh | canlyniad | ||
The Welsh word 'Canlyniad' is derived from the root 'canlyn' meaning 'to follow', and thus literally means 'that which follows'. |
Belarusian | следства | ||
In Polish, a related word to "следства" is "śledztwo," which means "investigation." | |||
Bosnian | posljedica | ||
The word 'posljedica' derives from the Proto-Slavic root *sledь, meaning 'trace' or 'footstep', and is related to words like 'slijed' ('sequence') and 'naslijediti' ('to inherit'). | |||
Bulgarian | последствие | ||
The word "последствие" (consequence) in Bulgarian also means "impact", "outcome" and "implication". | |||
Czech | následek | ||
The word "následek" can also refer to a child born out of wedlock or to the residue of a distillation. | |||
Estonian | tagajärg | ||
The word "tagajärg" originally meant "back row". | |||
Finnish | seuraus | ||
The word "seuraus" (consequence) can also be the result of an activity, like a game, a sport, or a test, in which case it takes the meaning of "outcome" or "result" | |||
Hungarian | következmény | ||
"Következmény" is built on a Hungarian suffix "-mény" that means "result, outcome, consequence", and it is derived from the Hungarian verb "következik" which means "follows". It can be used to refer to the **result of a series of logical steps** or to imply **the inevitability of a result**. | |||
Latvian | sekas | ||
The word "sekas" can also refer to the "sequel" of an event or story in Latvian. | |||
Lithuanian | pasekmė | ||
The word "pasekmė" is derived from the Latin word "sequentia", meaning "a following" or "a consequence". | |||
Macedonian | последица | ||
The word 'последica' also means a 'rebuke' in Macedonian. | |||
Polish | konsekwencja | ||
The word "konsekwencja" can also mean "implication" or "consequence" in a mathematical or logical sense. | |||
Romanian | consecinţă | ||
"Consecintă" derives from the Latin phrase "cum sequentia", meaning "with/as a sequence." | |||
Russian | следствие | ||
"Следствие" is a word with multiple meanings in Russian, and one of its meanings is "investigation." | |||
Serbian | последица | ||
The word "последица" also refers to a religious service performed after a funeral in Serbian. | |||
Slovak | dôsledok | ||
The word "dôsledok" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*doslědъ", which also means "result" or "outcome". | |||
Slovenian | posledica | ||
The word "posledica" also means "afterbirth" in some Slavic languages, reflecting its literal meaning of "that which follows". | |||
Ukrainian | наслідок | ||
The Ukrainian word "наслідок" also refers to a logical deduction or a natural result. |
Bengali | পরিণতি | ||
The word "পরিণতি" (porinôti) in the Bengali language has alternate meanings of "result" and "conclusion". | |||
Gujarati | પરિણામ | ||
The Gujarati word “પરિણામ” means “result” or “consequence” and is derived from the Sanskrit word “परिणाम” which shares the same meaning. | |||
Hindi | परिणाम | ||
"परिणाम" is derived from the Sanskrit word "परि + नाम", meaning "around + name". | |||
Kannada | ಪರಿಣಾಮ | ||
The word ಪರಿಣಾಮ (pariṇāma) in Kannada has alternate meanings including 'result', 'effect', 'outcome', and 'transformation'. | |||
Malayalam | അനന്തരഫലങ്ങൾ | ||
The word | |||
Marathi | परिणाम | ||
"परिणाम" can also refer to "marriage," "match," and "result of multiplication" in Marathi. | |||
Nepali | परिणाम | ||
The word 'परिणाम' in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit term 'परिणाम', which means 'change', 'result', 'effect', or 'consequence', and can also refer to the 'totality of all phenomena in the universe'. | |||
Punjabi | ਨਤੀਜਾ | ||
The Punjabi word "नतीज" can also mean "result." | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ප්රතිවිපාකය | ||
Tamil | விளைவு | ||
In Tamil "விளைவு" translates not only to "consequence" but also "result" and can be traced back to the Proto-Dravidian root "*viḷ" meaning "to sprout, come to view, manifest, become evident, produce." | |||
Telugu | పరిణామం | ||
In addition to its primary meaning as "consequence", "పరిణామం" can also refer to "a development or change", "a result or outcome", "a consequence or effect", or "an evolution or transformation". | |||
Urdu | نتیجہ | ||
Urdu word "نتیجہ" originally meant "issue", "product" or "result" and still retains that meaning in some contexts. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 后果 | ||
后果也可指事情的始末原由,如“后果大意”就是指事情的始末原由重大。 | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 後果 | ||
後果 in Chinese (Traditional) can also mean "result" or "effect". | |||
Japanese | 結果 | ||
The word “結果” (“consequence”) in Japanese can also mean “fruit” or “outcome”. | |||
Korean | 결과 | ||
결과 (gyul-gwa) can also mean 'fruit' or 'result' depending on context. | |||
Mongolian | үр дагавар | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) | အကျိုးဆက် | ||
Indonesian | konsekuensi | ||
The word "konsekuensi" also means "order" or "sequence" in Indonesian. | |||
Javanese | jalaran | ||
"Jalaran" in Javanese also means "path" or "road". This dual meaning reflects the belief that one's actions have consequences that shape their path in life. | |||
Khmer | ផលវិបាក | ||
"ផលវិបាក" (consequence) in Khmer is ultimately derived from Sanskrit "vipāka", which means "result" or "consequence". | |||
Lao | ຜົນສະທ້ອນ | ||
Malay | akibatnya | ||
Although 'akibatnya' means 'consequence' in English, it originally comes from the Arabic word 'aḳibat' (عاقبة) which means 'punishment' or 'outcome'. | |||
Thai | ผลที่ตามมา | ||
The Thai word "ผลที่ตามมา" derives from Sanskrit and literally means "result that follows." | |||
Vietnamese | kết quả | ||
"Kết quả" is cognate with "quả" which means "fruit", thus the former initially meant "what was borne as a fruit". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | kahihinatnan | ||
Azerbaijani | nəticə | ||
The word "nəticə" in Azerbaijani also has the meaning of "fruit". | |||
Kazakh | салдары | ||
The word "салдары" can also refer to "weight", "importance", or "value" in Kazakh. | |||
Kyrgyz | натыйжасы | ||
The Kyrgyz word "натыйжасы" also refers to the "result", "effect", "issue" or "outcome" of an event or action. | |||
Tajik | оқибат | ||
The word "оқибат" is derived from the Persian word "عاقبت" (aqibat), which also means "consequence". The word can also be used figuratively to refer to the end or result of something. | |||
Turkmen | netijesi | ||
Uzbek | oqibat | ||
"Oqibat" derives from Persian and shares a common etymology with "akibete" of Turkish, "akıbet" of Azerbaijani, and "akıbeti" of Uyghur. | |||
Uyghur | ئاقىۋەت | ||
Hawaiian | hopena | ||
The Hawaiian word "hopena" can also refer to a "prospect" or "expectation". | |||
Maori | hopearaa | ||
The word "hopearaa" can also mean "effect" or "result" in Maori. | |||
Samoan | iʻuga | ||
"Iʻuga" is also the word for "end"} | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | kinahinatnan | ||
Aymara | consecuencia ukata | ||
Guarani | consecuencia rehegua | ||
Esperanto | konsekvenco | ||
"Konsekvenco" also means "inference," coming from "konsekvi," "to follow." | |||
Latin | consecutio | ||
In Latin, the term "consecutio" also refers to the syntactic sequence or order of words and phrases within a sentence. |
Greek | συνέπεια | ||
The word "συνέπεια" also means "coherence" and "consistency" in Greek. | |||
Hmong | lub txim | ||
The Hmong word "lub txim" also means "the path of the axe" | |||
Kurdish | paşî | ||
The word "paşî" may also mean "effect", "result", or "cause" in Kurdish. | |||
Turkish | sonuç | ||
"Sonuç" köken itibariyle "netice" anlamına gelir ve aynı zamanda bir olayın "son bulması" durumunu ifade edebilir. | |||
Xhosa | isiphumo | ||
Isiphumo, meaning consequence or result, is derived from the concept of 'coming to the fore'. | |||
Yiddish | קאַנסאַקוואַנס | ||
The term is a false cognate in that there is no connection to a Latin root; the term actually descends from the Proto-Slavic *poslědu, akin to Slavic terms for “follow” and “sequence.” | |||
Zulu | umphumela | ||
The word "umphumela" comes from the Zulu word "phumela," meaning "to bear fruit." | |||
Assamese | পৰিণতি | ||
Aymara | consecuencia ukata | ||
Bhojpuri | नतीजा के नतीजा ह | ||
Dhivehi | ނަތީޖާއެވެ | ||
Dogri | नतीजा | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | kahihinatnan | ||
Guarani | consecuencia rehegua | ||
Ilocano | pagbanagan | ||
Krio | kɔnsɛkshɔn | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | دەرئەنجام | ||
Maithili | परिणाम | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯐꯜ ꯑꯃꯥ ꯄꯤꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo | a rah chhuah a ni | ||
Oromo | bu’aa isaa | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଫଳାଫଳ | ||
Quechua | consecuencia nisqamanta | ||
Sanskrit | अन्वयः | ||
Tatar | нәтиҗә | ||
Tigrinya | ሳዕቤን ምዃኑ’ዩ። | ||
Tsonga | vuyelo bya kona | ||