Criminal in Different Languages
Discover 'Criminal' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'criminal' carries significant weight in our society, often evoking strong emotions and reactions. It refers to someone who has committed a crime, but its cultural importance extends far beyond that simple definition. Criminals have been the focus of countless stories, films, and books, reflecting our fascination with and fear of those who break the law. Understanding the translation of 'criminal' in different languages can provide insight into how different cultures view and punish those who commit crimes.
For example, in Spanish, 'criminal' is 'criminal', while in French, it's 'criminel'. In German, the word for criminal is 'Krimineller', and in Italian, it's 'criminale'. These translations not only help us understand the word's meaning in other languages but also offer a glimpse into the cultural context of criminality in different countries.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural scholar, or simply curious, exploring the translations of 'criminal' can be a fascinating journey. Keep reading to discover more about this powerful word and its meanings in various languages.
Criminal
Criminal in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | misdadiger | ||
| "Misdadiger" is derived from Dutch and literally means "person who does wrong." | |||
| Amharic | ወንጀለኛ | ||
| 'ወንጀለኛ' can be a noun, meaning 'criminal', or an adjective, meaning 'criminal' or 'unlawful'. | |||
| Hausa | mai laifi | ||
| The Hausa word "mai laifi" (alternatively "laifi") can refer to a common criminal, but also carries the meaning of "a person with no morals or scruples". | |||
| Igbo | omempụ | ||
| "Omempụ" can also refer to a wicked or evil person, or a person who has committed a grave offense. | |||
| Malagasy | mpanao heloka bevava | ||
| In Malagasy, "mpanao heloka bevava" is also an idiomatic expression meaning "a person who acts quickly and without thinking of the consequences." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wachifwamba | ||
| The word "wachifwamba" in Nyanja (Chichewa) can also refer to someone who is mischievous or unruly. | |||
| Shona | tsotsi | ||
| In the Shona language, the word "tsotsi" can also refer to a sly or cunning person. | |||
| Somali | dambiile | ||
| Dambiile, meaning 'criminal' in Somali, also means 'outcast' or 'social reject' in the social context. | |||
| Sesotho | senokoane | ||
| The word "senokoane" can also refer to a person who is wicked or evil. | |||
| Swahili | jinai | ||
| The word 'jinai' in Swahili is cognate with the word 'jenayah' in Malay and Indonesian, both derived from the Arabic word 'jināyah', meaning 'crime' or 'sin'. | |||
| Xhosa | ulwaphulo-mthetho | ||
| Ulwaphulo-mthetho (criminal) refers to a person who violates the law, regardless of their moral standing. | |||
| Yoruba | odaran | ||
| Odaran primarily means "thief," but can also refer to someone who is dishonest or unreliable. | |||
| Zulu | isigebengu | ||
| Isigeibengu can also mean "a bad deed" or "sin". | |||
| Bambara | kojugukɛla | ||
| Ewe | nuvlowɔla | ||
| Kinyarwanda | inkozi y'ibibi | ||
| Lingala | mosali mabe | ||
| Luganda | omumenyi w’amateeka | ||
| Sepedi | sesenyi | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nsɛmmɔnedifo | ||
Criminal in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مجرم | ||
| The word "مجرم" also means "wounded" in Arabic, implying that criminals are often victims of circumstance. | |||
| Hebrew | פְּלִילִי | ||
| Etymology: Related to the words "פֶּלֶל" (accusation) and "פָּעַל" (did). Can also mean "guilt-inducing" or "self-incriminating." | |||
| Pashto | مجرم | ||
| The word "مجرم" also means "sinner" or "guilty one" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | مجرم | ||
| The word "مجرم" also means "wounded" in Arabic, implying that criminals are often victims of circumstance. | |||
Criminal in Western European Languages
| Albanian | kriminel | ||
| The word "kriminel" in Albanian derives from the Latin word "crimen" meaning "accusation" or "charge". It also has a secondary meaning of "sinful" or "wicked". | |||
| Basque | gaizkilea | ||
| In some Basque dialects, "gaizkilea" means "wicked" or "evil" rather than specifically "criminal". | |||
| Catalan | criminal | ||
| The word "criminal" derives from the Latin word "crimen" meaning "accusation" or "charge". | |||
| Croatian | zločinački | ||
| The Croatian word "zločinački" derives from the word "zlo" ("evil"), and originally referred to any misdeed, not only criminal offenses. | |||
| Danish | kriminel | ||
| "Kriminel" literally means "criminal" in Danish, but can also refer to someone who behaves badly or unfairly. | |||
| Dutch | crimineel | ||
| The Dutch word "crimineel" originated from the Latin word "crimen" meaning "accusation" or "crime". | |||
| English | criminal | ||
| The term 'criminal' originated in 14th century England, deriving from the Latin 'crimen' (accusation). | |||
| French | criminel | ||
| The French word "criminel" originated from the Latin word "criminalis," which meant "of a crime" or "pertaining to a crime." | |||
| Frisian | krimineel | ||
| In Frisian the word "krimineel" means both "criminal" and "criminal act". | |||
| Galician | criminal | ||
| "Criminal" comes from the Latin "crimen" meaning "accusation" or "charge", and not from "crim" meaning "crime" | |||
| German | kriminell | ||
| The etymology of **kriminell** is uncertain but is potentially derived from Latin crim(in)osus "criminal" via French criminel or Italian criminale, possibly from an unattested Late Latin *criminare, meaning "to charge with a crime". | |||
| Icelandic | glæpamaður | ||
| The word "glæpamaður" in Icelandic is derived from the Old Norse word "glæpr," meaning "crime" or "offense." | |||
| Irish | coiriúil | ||
| The Irish term 'coiriúil' also has the alternate meaning of 'illegal', referring to actions or activities that violate the law. | |||
| Italian | penale | ||
| The word "penale" in Italian also means "penalty" and is derived from the Latin word "poena," meaning "punishment." | |||
| Luxembourgish | krimineller | ||
| The word "krimineller" is also used to refer to a type of snail in Luxembourgish. | |||
| Maltese | kriminali | ||
| The Maltese word "kriminali" derives from the Latin word "criminalis". | |||
| Norwegian | forbryter | ||
| The word "forbryter" comes from the Old Norse word "forbryta," which had the broader meaning of breaking a covenant, promise, or moral obligation. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | criminoso | ||
| In the Brazilian state of Bahia and in some other Northeastern dialects, it can also mean "scoundrel, rascal". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | eucorach | ||
| The word 'eucorach' (criminal) is of Latin origin, meaning 'outlaw' or 'vagabond'. | |||
| Spanish | delincuente | ||
| In Mexican slang, "delincuente" can also refer to a police officer. | |||
| Swedish | kriminell | ||
| Kriminell was originally used in 17th-century Swedish to refer to a person from Crimea. | |||
| Welsh | troseddol | ||
| "Troseddol" derives from the Welsh words "trosedd" (misdemeanour) and "dol" (mischief), so the term implies someone who engages in minor crimes or acts of nuisance. | |||
Criminal in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | злачынца | ||
| The word "злачынца" in Belarusian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*zъlydь", meaning "evil person" or "villain". | |||
| Bosnian | kriminalac | ||
| Kriminalac shares an etymology with the words for "crime" and "sin" and refers to a person considered as a morally depraved offender. | |||
| Bulgarian | престъпник | ||
| "Престъпник" can mean both "criminal" and also "lawbreaker". | |||
| Czech | zločinec | ||
| "Zločinec" can be either masculine ("zločinec") or feminine ("zločinkyně") in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | kurjategija | ||
| "Kurjategija" originates from the Estonian word "kurjus" meaning "evil" and the suffix "-tegija" meaning "doer". It can also convey the meaning of a mischievous prankster or hooligan. | |||
| Finnish | rikollinen | ||
| The word "rikollinen" is derived from the Old Swedish word "rykill", meaning "a vagrant" or "a rogue". | |||
| Hungarian | bűnügyi | ||
| The word "bűnügyi" ultimately derives from the Proto-Germanic word "būną", meaning "punishment". | |||
| Latvian | noziedznieks | ||
| The word "noziedznieks" is derived from the verb "nozagt" (to steal), which in turn comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *nek- (to cause harm). | |||
| Lithuanian | nusikaltėlis | ||
| The term 'nusikaltėlis' stems from the Lithuanian word for 'crime' or 'offence' (nusikaltimas). | |||
| Macedonian | криминалец | ||
| The word "криминалец" in Macedonian can also refer to a person who has committed a serious crime. | |||
| Polish | kryminalista | ||
| The word "kryminalista" can also refer to a specialist in criminal investigation or a forensic scientist. | |||
| Romanian | penal | ||
| The word "penal" in Romanian is derived from the Latin word "poena", meaning "punishment" or "penalty." | |||
| Russian | преступник | ||
| The word "преступник" also means "lawbreaker". | |||
| Serbian | злочиначки | ||
| The word 'злочиначки' stems from the Proto-Slavic word 'zъlo', meaning 'evil' or 'harm'. | |||
| Slovak | trestný | ||
| The word "trestný" comes from the Czech word "trest" meaning "punishment" and is cognate with the English word "trespass". | |||
| Slovenian | kriminalec | ||
| The word "kriminalec" also refers to someone who is involved in a criminal offense. | |||
| Ukrainian | злочинний | ||
| "Злочинний" is cognate with "злий" - angry, and "зло" - evil. | |||
Criminal in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অপরাধী | ||
| The word 'অপরাধী' can also refer to someone who has committed a minor offense or who is guilty of a moral transgression. | |||
| Gujarati | ગુનેગાર | ||
| The word "ગુનેગાર" can also refer to a person who has committed a sin or fault, or, in law, a defendant or accused person. | |||
| Hindi | आपराधिक | ||
| The word "आपराधिक" can also refer to "illegal" or "unlawful" acts or offenses. | |||
| Kannada | ಕ್ರಿಮಿನಲ್ | ||
| The word 'ಕ್ರಿಮಿನಲ್' ('criminal') in Kannada originally meant 'sinful' or 'culpable'. | |||
| Malayalam | കുറ്റവാളി | ||
| Marathi | गुन्हेगार | ||
| In Marathi, the word "गुन्हेगार" literally means "one who commits a "गुन्हा" (crime) or "sin". | |||
| Nepali | आपराधिक | ||
| The Sanskrit origin of "आपराधिक" is the same root behind the English word "operation". | |||
| Punjabi | ਅਪਰਾਧੀ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අපරාධ | ||
| Sinhala word "අපරාධ" also means "wrong-doing" or "transgression", originating from Sanskrit word "aparaadha". | |||
| Tamil | குற்றவாளி | ||
| Telugu | క్రిమినల్ | ||
| The Telugu word 'క్రిమినల్' can also refer to something that is illegal, wrong, or harmful. | |||
| Urdu | مجرمانہ | ||
| The Urdu word "مجرمانہ" can refer to both a felony or a misdemeanor, unlike the English word "criminal". | |||
Criminal in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 刑事 | ||
| "刑事" comes from "狱吏", who were prison guards, hence the extended meaning of "criminal" or "related to crime". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 刑事 | ||
| 刑事 originally meant "judicial matters" and only later came to mean "criminal". | |||
| Japanese | 犯罪者 | ||
| The word 犯罪者 (hanzaisha) is derived from the Chinese phrase 犯罪 (hanzai), meaning "crime", and 者 (sha), meaning "person". | |||
| Korean | 범죄자 | ||
| The word '범죄자' (criminal) is derived from the Korean word '범죄' (crime), which itself comes from the Chinese word '犯罪' (crime). | |||
| Mongolian | гэмт хэрэгтэн | ||
| "Гэмт хэрэгтэн" is also used to describe people who have committed serious crimes such as murder or robbery. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရာဇဝတ်မှု | ||
Criminal in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | pidana | ||
| The word "pidana" is rooted in the old Javanese word "pidana" meaning "wrongdoing". | |||
| Javanese | kriminal | ||
| The word "kriminal" in Javanese can also mean "to commit a crime" or "to be criminal". | |||
| Khmer | ឧក្រិដ្ឋជន | ||
| The word “ឧក្រិដ្ឋជន” comes from the Sanskrit word “utkR^iD,” which means “violent” or “harsh,” and has a similar meaning in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ຄະດີອາຍາ | ||
| Malay | penjenayah | ||
| The word "penjenayah" in Malay originally comes from the Sanskrit word "apajañin", meaning "sinner" or "wrongdoer". | |||
| Thai | อาชญากร | ||
| "อาชญากร" (อาช-นะ-กร) comes from the Sanskrit word "ajñāna" (अज्ञान) which means "ignorance". | |||
| Vietnamese | tội phạm | ||
| "Tội phạm" literally translates to "sin-doing" or "committing crimes" and is a more formal or literary way of referring to criminals. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kriminal | ||
Criminal in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | cinayətkar | ||
| The word cinayətkar (criminal) is derived from the Arabic word "cinayet" (crime) and carries the alternative meaning of "perpetrator of a crime or wrong" | |||
| Kazakh | қылмыстық | ||
| The Kazakh word "қылмыстық" is derived from the Arabic word "جرم" meaning "sin" or "guilt". | |||
| Kyrgyz | кылмыштуу | ||
| In Kyrgyz, the word | |||
| Tajik | ҷиноятӣ | ||
| The word "ҷиноятӣ" can also refer to a person who commits crimes or to a crime itself. | |||
| Turkmen | jenaýatçy | ||
| Uzbek | jinoyatchi | ||
| The word "jinoyatchi" can also refer to someone who has committed a minor offense or to a person who is suspected of having committed a crime. | |||
| Uyghur | جىنايەتچى | ||
Criminal in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lawehala | ||
| Historically, "lawehala" was also used in Hawaiian to describe "offenders, wrongdoers, or sinners facing a higher deity." | |||
| Maori | taihara | ||
| The word "taihara" can also refer to a rogue warrior or a person who defies authority. | |||
| Samoan | tagata solitulafono | ||
| 'Solitulafono' also refers to a person with no status, or a person with a low status in the family. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kriminal | ||
| The word "kriminal" in Tagalog also means "unjust" and is a corruption of the Spanish word "criminal". | |||
Criminal in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | juchani jaqi | ||
| Guarani | criminal rehegua | ||
Criminal in International Languages
| Esperanto | krimulo | ||
| In Esperanto, "krimulo" also refers to an actor portraying a criminal character on stage or film. | |||
| Latin | criminalis | ||
| "Criminalis" is also used in a wider sense to refer to offenses against the state, including treason and sedition. | |||
Criminal in Others Languages
| Greek | εγκληματίας | ||
| The word "εγκληματίας" is derived from the Ancient Greek verb "εγκλίνω", meaning "to turn away" or "to slope away". | |||
| Hmong | txhaum | ||
| "Txhaum" can mean 'evil' in Hmong, and is also a Hmong dialect. | |||
| Kurdish | emelxirab | ||
| The word "emelxirab" in Kurdish is derived from the Arabic word "mujrim", which also means "criminal". | |||
| Turkish | adli | ||
| "Adli" can also mean "forensic". For example, the "Adli Tıp Kurumu" (Institute of Forensic Medicine) is the organization responsible for forensic science in Turkey. | |||
| Xhosa | ulwaphulo-mthetho | ||
| Ulwaphulo-mthetho (criminal) refers to a person who violates the law, regardless of their moral standing. | |||
| Yiddish | פאַרברעכער | ||
| The Yiddish word "פאַרברעכער" ("criminal") shares an etymology with the German word "Verbrecher" and the English word "break". It literally means "one who breaks". | |||
| Zulu | isigebengu | ||
| Isigeibengu can also mean "a bad deed" or "sin". | |||
| Assamese | অপৰাধী | ||
| Aymara | juchani jaqi | ||
| Bhojpuri | अपराधी के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ކުށްވެރިއެކެވެ | ||
| Dogri | अपराधी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kriminal | ||
| Guarani | criminal rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | kriminal nga | ||
| Krio | kriminal | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | تاوانبار | ||
| Maithili | अपराधी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯀ꯭ꯔꯤꯃꯤꯅꯦꯜ ꯑꯣꯏꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | misual tihna a ni | ||
| Oromo | yakkamaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅପରାଧୀ | ||
| Quechua | huchasapa | ||
| Sanskrit | अपराधी | ||
| Tatar | җинаятьче | ||
| Tigrinya | ገበነኛ | ||
| Tsonga | vugevenga | ||