Crime in Different Languages
Discover 'Crime' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Crime is a significant and complex concept that affects societies and individuals worldwide. It refers to actions or behaviors that violate laws and regulations established to maintain social order. The cultural importance of crime cannot be overstated, as it has been a central theme in literature, art, film, and television, reflecting societal concerns, values, and fears.
Understanding the translation of crime in different languages is essential for global communication and cooperation in fighting transnational crimes. For instance, the French equivalent of crime is 'crime', while in Spanish, it is 'crimen'. In German, it is 'Verbrechen', and in Japanese, it is '犯罪 (hanzai)'. These translations not only help in cross-cultural legal proceedings but also provide insight into how different cultures perceive and address criminal behavior.
Moreover, exploring the word 'crime' in various languages can be fascinating, as it reveals historical and cultural contexts that have shaped the development of criminal laws and justice systems. Join us as we delve into the translations of crime in multiple languages and cultures.
Crime
Crime in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | misdaad | ||
| Afrikaans 'misdaad' is a doublet of the Dutch 'misdaad', which itself is derived from Middle Low German 'misdāt' | |||
| Amharic | ወንጀል | ||
| "ወንጀል" can also refer to "a state of being in trouble". | |||
| Hausa | laifi | ||
| The word "laifi" in Hausa can also mean "wrongdoing" or "sin". | |||
| Igbo | mpụ | ||
| The word 'mpụ' in Igbo can also mean 'evil' or 'wickedness'. | |||
| Malagasy | heloka bevava | ||
| The word "heloka bevava" also means "blood debt" and is a reference to the ancient practice of retaliation killings. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | umbanda | ||
| "Umbanda" is also a Brazilian religious movement combining elements of Christianity and African spiritualism. | |||
| Shona | mhosva | ||
| Mhosva originates from the Shona verb 'kushova', meaning 'to lose something' or 'to be without'. It is often used to describe offenses against society or individuals that result in losses or harm. | |||
| Somali | dambi | ||
| The word "dambi" is derived from the Proto-Somali root *dama-*, meaning "to do wrong or evil" and "to err or go astray". | |||
| Sesotho | botlokotsebe | ||
| 'Botlokotsebe' derives from the verb '-tlokola', meaning 'to spoil' or 'to damage'. | |||
| Swahili | uhalifu | ||
| "Uhalifu" can also mean "offence" or "wrongdoing" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | ulwaphulo-mthetho | ||
| Yoruba | ilufin | ||
| The Yoruba word 'ilufin' also means 'lawsuit' and originally referred to 'a case involving bloodshed'. | |||
| Zulu | ubugebengu | ||
| The Zulu word "ubugebengu" can also refer to a transgression of traditional norms or customs. | |||
| Bambara | sariyatiɲɛ | ||
| Ewe | nuvɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | icyaha | ||
| Lingala | mbeba | ||
| Luganda | omusango | ||
| Sepedi | bosenyi | ||
| Twi (Akan) | amumuyɔ | ||
Crime in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | جريمة | ||
| 'جريمة' can also mean 'a daring act' or 'an insolent act'. | |||
| Hebrew | פֶּשַׁע | ||
| The Hebrew word "פֶּשַׁע" also has the additional meaning "rebellion" and is related to the word "פָּשַׁע" meaning "transgression". | |||
| Pashto | جرم | ||
| The Pashto word "جرم" also signifies "sin", "fault", or "wrong". | |||
| Arabic | جريمة | ||
| 'جريمة' can also mean 'a daring act' or 'an insolent act'. | |||
Crime in Western European Languages
| Albanian | krimi | ||
| In Albanian, the word "krimi" has a secondary meaning of "secret", derived from the Latin "crimen", meaning "accusation" or "fault" | |||
| Basque | delitua | ||
| The Basque word "delitua" is cognate with the Proto-Indo-European root *deyw- meaning "to owe" or "to be bound". This suggests that the concept of crime in Basque culture was originally connected to the idea of owing a debt to society. | |||
| Catalan | delicte | ||
| In law, "delicte" can also refer to the specific circumstances, such as intent or negligence, that surround a crime. | |||
| Croatian | zločin | ||
| In Croatian, the word "zločin" can also refer to a sin, wickedness, or misdeed. | |||
| Danish | forbrydelse | ||
| The Danish word "forbrydelse" also carries the meaning of "breach of trust". | |||
| Dutch | misdrijf | ||
| In Dutch, the word "misdrijf" originally meant "bad action" and is related to the verb "misdoen" (to do wrong). | |||
| English | crime | ||
| The word 'crime' stems from the Latin word 'crimen', meaning 'accusation' or 'charge'. | |||
| French | la criminalité | ||
| The word "criminalité" in French derives from the Latin word "crimen", meaning "accusation", "offense", or "fault". | |||
| Frisian | misdie | ||
| The noun misdie in the West Frisian language is a derivative of the verb misdoen (meaning 'misdo') and is similar to Modern English 'misdeed'. | |||
| Galician | crime | ||
| In Galician, "crime" can also mean "fault" or "mistake". | |||
| German | kriminalität | ||
| The alternate spelling of Kriminalität is "Criminalität" and there is a separate, unrelated word "kriminal" meaning someone who works with criminal investigation in a professional capacity like a detective or profiler. | |||
| Icelandic | glæpur | ||
| In Old Norse, the word "glæpur" meant "disgrace, reproach, shame." | |||
| Irish | coir | ||
| The Irish word 'coir' can also mean 'a twist' or 'a knot' | |||
| Italian | crimine | ||
| The ancient Roman term crimen primarily denoted a charge or legal accusation, and secondarily a fault or evil conduct. | |||
| Luxembourgish | verbriechen | ||
| The word "Verbriechen" in Luxembourgish is derived from the Old High German word "brehhan," which means "to break" or "to violate." | |||
| Maltese | kriminalità | ||
| The word "kriminalità" is derived from the Italian "criminalità", meaning "criminality", and shares the same root with the Latin "crimen" (crime). | |||
| Norwegian | forbrytelse | ||
| The word 'forbrytelse' is derived from the Old Norse 'forbryta,' meaning 'to break' or 'to transgress.' | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | crime | ||
| The Portuguese word "crime" derives from the Latin "crimen" and refers not only to offenses against the law but also to sins committed against God | |||
| Scots Gaelic | eucoir | ||
| The word "eucoir" can also refer to "guilt" or "blame" in Scots Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | crimen | ||
| The term "crimen" originally derived from the Latin verb "cernere," meaning "to separate, distinguish, or choose" and carried meanings of "separation," "distinction," "decision," and "fault" in classical usage. | |||
| Swedish | brottslighet | ||
| The word "brottslighet" is derived from the Old Norse word "brot", meaning "break" or "fracture", and the suffix "-lighet", meaning "state" or "condition". | |||
| Welsh | trosedd | ||
| The word 'trosedd' means not only 'crime', but also 'affliction'. | |||
Crime in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | злачынства | ||
| In the 15th century, the word 'злачынства' ('zlachynstva') also referred to an offense committed against a nobleman. | |||
| Bosnian | zločin | ||
| "Zločin" originates from Proto-Slavic "*zolъ", meaning "bad, evil", and the suffix "-in", forming nouns denoting a result or effect. | |||
| Bulgarian | престъпление | ||
| The word "престъпление" derives from the Old Slavic word "престѫпити", meaning "to transgress" or "to violate". | |||
| Czech | zločin | ||
| The Czech word "zločin" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*zъlo" meaning "evil" or "harm"} | |||
| Estonian | kuritegevus | ||
| "Kuritegevus" derives from "kuritegu" ("criminal act") | |||
| Finnish | rikollisuus | ||
| The Finnish word "rikollisuus" originates from the Old Norse word "reklǫs", meaning "rebellion" or "outrage". | |||
| Hungarian | bűn | ||
| In Hungarian, "bűn" can also mean "sin" or "guilt," reflecting its Indo-European roots in "bheu-," meaning "to be" or "to become. | |||
| Latvian | noziedzība | ||
| The Latvian word "noziedzība" derives from the verb "noziedāt", meaning "to do wrong" or "to commit a crime". | |||
| Lithuanian | nusikaltimas | ||
| The Lithuanian word "nusikaltimas" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *seḱ-, meaning "to cut" or "to injure". | |||
| Macedonian | криминал | ||
| The word "криминал" in Macedonian also has connotations of violence, evil, and wrongdoing. | |||
| Polish | przestępstwo | ||
| "Przestępstwo" is derived from the verb "przestąpić" meaning "to trespass" or "to violate". | |||
| Romanian | crimă | ||
| The Romanian word "crimă" is related to Sanskrit "karma", meaning "action", and originally meant "fault" or "sin". | |||
| Russian | преступление | ||
| The word "преступление" is derived from the Old Russian word "преступити", which means "to transgress" or "to violate". | |||
| Serbian | злочин | ||
| The word "злочин" is derived from the Slavic word "zločin", which means "evil deed" or "sin". | |||
| Slovak | trestný čin | ||
| The term "trestný čin" can also refer to a criminal offense, a legal violation, or a felony in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | zločin | ||
| The word "zločin" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*zъlъ", meaning "evil" or "harmful." | |||
| Ukrainian | злочин | ||
| The word "злочин" in Ukrainian is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *zъl-, meaning "evil" or "harmful." | |||
Crime in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অপরাধ | ||
| "অপরাধ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "अपराध" (aparādha), meaning "transgression" or "offence against". | |||
| Gujarati | ગુનો | ||
| Word "ગુનો" also means "sin" and comes from the root word "गुनाह" in Sanskrit which means "transgression". | |||
| Hindi | अपराध | ||
| The Sanskrit root 'aparādha' means 'to offend, injure, or disregard', and can also refer to a 'mistake' or 'oversight' | |||
| Kannada | ಅಪರಾಧ | ||
| The word also means a 'debt' or an 'offence' | |||
| Malayalam | കുറ്റകൃത്യം | ||
| Marathi | गुन्हा | ||
| The Marathi word "गुन्हा" (crime) derives from the Sanskrit word "guna" (quality, attribute), and can also refer to a fault or defect. | |||
| Nepali | अपराध | ||
| The term 'अपराध' ('crime') is originally derived from the root word 'अप', meaning 'away from, in excess', and is used to describe actions that deviate from acceptable social norms. | |||
| Punjabi | ਅਪਰਾਧ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අපරාධය | ||
| Tamil | குற்றம் | ||
| "குற்றம்" (crime) originally referred to "a fault or error" or "a mistake" in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | నేరం | ||
| In Telugu, "నేరం" also refers to sin, fault, or wrongdoing, encompassing a broader range of offenses than "crime" in English. | |||
| Urdu | جرم | ||
| The word "جرم" in Urdu can also mean "matter" or "substance". | |||
Crime in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 犯罪 | ||
| In Chinese, "犯罪" means both "crime" and "offense against the law". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 犯罪 | ||
| 犯罪 is composed of two Chinese characters 犯 (fàn) meaning “to offend” and 罪 (zuì) meaning “crime”, “fault”, or “sin”. | |||
| Japanese | 犯罪 | ||
| "犯罪" in Japanese means not only "crime", but also "criminal" or "offender". | |||
| Korean | 범죄 | ||
| The word "범죄" ("crime") in Korean literally means "to go against the grain" | |||
| Mongolian | гэмт хэрэг | ||
| "Гэмт хэрэг" is a Mongolian term for crime, which can also refer to criminal proceedings or criminal offense. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရာဇဝတ်မှု | ||
Crime in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kejahatan | ||
| The word 'kejahatan' derives from 'jahat', meaning 'bad' or 'evil', reflecting the moralistic view of crime in Indonesian society. | |||
| Javanese | angkara | ||
| The word "angkara" in Javanese has an alternate meaning of "evil" or "sinister". | |||
| Khmer | ឧក្រិដ្ឋកម្ម | ||
| Lao | ອາຊະຍາກໍາ | ||
| The word "ອາຊະຍາກໍາ" (crime) is derived from the Sanskrit word "อาชญากรรม" (bad conduct). | |||
| Malay | jenayah | ||
| The word "jenayah" can also mean "sin" or "offence", and is derived from the Arabic word "jurm", meaning "wound" or "injury". | |||
| Thai | อาชญากรรม | ||
| The word อาชญากรรม ('crime') originated from Sanskrit 'ajñāna-karma', meaning 'actions of ignorance'. | |||
| Vietnamese | tội ác | ||
| The word "tội ác" can also mean "offense against a deity" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | krimen | ||
Crime in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | cinayət | ||
| The word "cinayət" in Azerbaijani also refers to a "great sin" or a "heinous crime". | |||
| Kazakh | қылмыс | ||
| The Kazakh word "қылмыс" also has the alternate meaning of "sin" or "offense", derived from the Arabic "qilma". | |||
| Kyrgyz | кылмыш | ||
| The word "кылмыш" also means "act" or "deed" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | ҷиноят | ||
| The word "ҷиноят" comes from the Arabic word "جنایت", which also means "crime", and ultimately from the root "جنى" (jana), meaning "to commit a sin". | |||
| Turkmen | jenaýat | ||
| Uzbek | jinoyat | ||
| The word "jinoyat" is derived from the Arabic word "jurm" and can also mean "sin" or "offense" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | جىنايەت | ||
Crime in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hewa | ||
| The Hawaiian word "hewa" also signifies 'error', 'fault', 'transgression', 'sin', 'wrong', and 'wrongdoing'. | |||
| Maori | hara | ||
| In the Maori language, "hara" can also refer to an unintentional offense or a violation of a tapu (sacred prohibition). | |||
| Samoan | solitulafono | ||
| In Samoan, the word 'solitulafono' not only refers to crime but also carries the concept of offending the gods, highlighting the deeply religious and cultural context of crime in Samoan society. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | krimen | ||
| "Krimen" originally meant "sin" in Tagalog, but its meaning evolved to also include "crime" due to Spanish influence. | |||
Crime in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jucha | ||
| Guarani | mba'evai'apo | ||
Crime in International Languages
| Esperanto | krimo | ||
| In Esperanto, "krimo" is also used for "criticism", especially in literary analysis. | |||
| Latin | scelus | ||
| "Scelus" can also mean "guilt, wickedness, pollution, curse, ruin, or misfortune." | |||
Crime in Others Languages
| Greek | έγκλημα | ||
| The word 'έγκλημα' is derived from the verb 'εγκλίνω', which means 'to turn aside' or 'to deviate', suggesting a departure from the expected or lawful path. | |||
| Hmong | kev ua txhaum | ||
| In the Hmong language, the word 'kev ua txhaum' can also mean 'evil' or 'wrongdoing'. | |||
| Kurdish | nebaşî | ||
| "Nebaşî" is a Kurdish word meaning "crime." It is also used to refer to a person who has committed a crime. | |||
| Turkish | suç | ||
| The word "suç" is derived from the Arabic word "suqūṭ", meaning "falling" or "mistake", and later came to mean "crime" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | ulwaphulo-mthetho | ||
| Yiddish | פארברעכן | ||
| The Yiddish word "פארברעכן" evolved from the German word "Verbrechen", which originally meant "to break the law." | |||
| Zulu | ubugebengu | ||
| The Zulu word "ubugebengu" can also refer to a transgression of traditional norms or customs. | |||
| Assamese | অপৰাধ | ||
| Aymara | jucha | ||
| Bhojpuri | अपराध | ||
| Dhivehi | ކުށް | ||
| Dogri | जुर्म | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | krimen | ||
| Guarani | mba'evai'apo | ||
| Ilocano | basol | ||
| Krio | kraym | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | تاوان | ||
| Maithili | अपराध | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯔꯥꯟꯕ ꯊꯧꯑꯣꯡ ꯇꯧꯕ | ||
| Mizo | suahsualna | ||
| Oromo | yakka | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅପରାଧ | ||
| Quechua | hucha | ||
| Sanskrit | अपराध | ||
| Tatar | җинаять | ||
| Tigrinya | ወንጀል | ||
| Tsonga | vugevenga | ||