Damage in Different Languages
Discover 'Damage' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'damage' is a common term that holds significant meaning in our daily lives. It refers to the harm or injury caused to something or someone, often resulting in a loss of value or functionality. The cultural importance of damage can be seen in various contexts, such as the conservation of historical artifacts or the assessment of damages in legal disputes. Understanding the translation of damage in different languages can provide valuable insights into how different cultures perceive and address harm and loss.
For instance, in Spanish, 'damage' translates to 'daño,' while in French, it is 'dommage.' In German, the word for damage is 'Schaden,' and in Japanese, it is '損傷 (songai).' These translations not only help us communicate effectively across languages and cultures but also offer a glimpse into the unique ways different societies view and respond to harm and injury.
In this article, we will explore the translations of damage in various languages, shedding light on the fascinating cultural nuances that surround this common term. So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a world traveler, or simply curious about the world around you, read on to discover the diverse ways damage is understood and expressed across the globe.
Damage
Damage in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | skade | ||
| In the 1700s, skade meant 'debt' or 'guilt' in Afrikaans, stemming from Dutch, but the meaning shifted to 'harm' in the late 1800s. | |||
| Amharic | ጉዳት | ||
| "ጉዳት" also has a secondary meaning of "loss" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | lalacewa | ||
| "Lalacewa" in Hausa derives from the verb "lalata," meaning "to break" or "to spoil." | |||
| Igbo | mmebi | ||
| The Igbo word "mmebi" can also refer to a type of dance performed by women. | |||
| Malagasy | fahavoazana | ||
| The word "fahavoazana" also means "destruction" or "ruin" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuwononga | ||
| "Kuwononga" is a verb in Nyanja (Chichewa) that can also mean 'to destroy', 'to ruin' or 'to spoil'. | |||
| Shona | kukuvara | ||
| The noun `kukuvara` also means `deformity`. | |||
| Somali | waxyeelo | ||
| The Somali word "waxyeelo" originates from the Arabic word "waks" meaning "harm". | |||
| Sesotho | tshenyo | ||
| "Tshenyo" is derived from the verb "tsheha" (to tear or rip), implying a state of being torn or broken. | |||
| Swahili | uharibifu | ||
| The word 'uharibifu' in Swahili can also mean 'ruin', 'destruction', or 'disaster'. | |||
| Xhosa | umonakalo | ||
| The Xhosa word "umonakalo" can also refer to a natural disaster or calamity. | |||
| Yoruba | ibajẹ | ||
| "Ibajẹ" can mean "damage," but derives from "í" (to destroy), "bà" (to spoil), and "jẹ́" (to cause to be), suggesting a multi-layered process of destruction. | |||
| Zulu | umonakalo | ||
| In Zulu, the word 'umonakalo' can refer to both damage and impairment, suggesting a broader concept of harm. | |||
| Bambara | ka tiɲɛ | ||
| Ewe | nugbegblẽ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ibyangiritse | ||
| Lingala | kobebisa | ||
| Luganda | okwonoona | ||
| Sepedi | tshenyo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | sɛe | ||
Damage in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ضرر | ||
| "ضرر" (ḍarar) is a loan word from Classical Syriac and derives from the root ضر (ḍ-r), meaning "to distress," "to harm," or "to afflict." | |||
| Hebrew | נֵזֶק | ||
| 'נֵזֶק' derives from the root נז"ק which also means 'to harm' or 'to injure'. | |||
| Pashto | زیان | ||
| The Pashto word "زیان" (damage) etymologically derives from the Sanskrit word "क्षति" (loss). It also has a secondary meaning of "shame" or "loss of honour". | |||
| Arabic | ضرر | ||
| "ضرر" (ḍarar) is a loan word from Classical Syriac and derives from the root ضر (ḍ-r), meaning "to distress," "to harm," or "to afflict." | |||
Damage in Western European Languages
| Albanian | dëmtimi | ||
| The word "dëmtimi" in Albanian comes from Proto-Albanian ɔdəmtəm, possibly cognate with Proto-Indo-European ɔdem, meaning "to tame, subdue". | |||
| Basque | kalteak | ||
| Kalteak is derived from "kaltea", meaning "illness" or "evil". | |||
| Catalan | danys | ||
| "Danys" in Catalan derives from the Greek word "δήμιος" (dēmios), meaning "public" or "of the people". | |||
| Croatian | šteta | ||
| In Croatian, 'šteta' can also mean 'regret', 'pity', or 'loss', and derives from the Proto-Slavic word 'skotь', meaning 'cattle', suggesting that the word originally referred to the loss of livestock. | |||
| Danish | skade | ||
| The word 'skade' also means 'defect' or 'blemish' in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | schade | ||
| Schade is cognate with the English word | |||
| English | damage | ||
| The word "damage" derives from the Old French word "dommage," meaning detriment or loss. | |||
| French | dommage | ||
| The French word "dommage" derives from the Latin "damnum" (loss or injury), also the root of the English word "damn". | |||
| Frisian | skea | ||
| "Skeas" (injury) comes from the Indo-European "skei-d" (to split, to cut), and is related to words like "cut", "shear", and "shred" in other languages, as well as Frisian "skie" (knife). | |||
| Galician | danos | ||
| "Danos" comes from the Latin "damnum", which also means "loss, harm, or injury". | |||
| German | schaden | ||
| The word "Schaden" in German can also mean "guilt" or "harm". This is because the word is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "skaða", which meant "to cut" or "to injure". | |||
| Icelandic | skemmdir | ||
| The Icelandic word "skemmdir" originates from the Old Norse "skemda", meaning "to injure" or "to impair". | |||
| Irish | damáiste | ||
| The word 'damáiste' in Irish is derived from the Old Irish word 'damastar', meaning 'to break' or 'to destroy'. | |||
| Italian | danno | ||
| Danno is not only a noun indicating damage, but it derives from an old law term that means "the fine inflicted for damage". | |||
| Luxembourgish | schued | ||
| The word "Schued" is derived from the Latin word "scadere", meaning "to fall". | |||
| Maltese | ħsara | ||
| The word 'ħsara' likely derives from the Arabic word 'ẖasara', meaning 'loss', 'detriment', or 'injury'. | |||
| Norwegian | skader | ||
| The Norwegian verb "å skade" (to damage) is a cognate of the Old Norse verb "skeyta" (to shoot, to injure). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | danificar | ||
| The word "danificar", meaning "damage", is derived from the Latin verb "damnificare", meaning "to cause harm, damage, or injury." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | milleadh | ||
| "Milleadh" in Scots Gaelic also means "destruction" or "harm." | |||
| Spanish | dañar | ||
| The verb "dañar" can also mean "to harm" or "to injure". | |||
| Swedish | skada | ||
| "Skada" also means "deed" in Old Norse, reflecting the idea of damage as something done to someone. | |||
| Welsh | difrod | ||
| The word 'difrod' also means 'loss'. | |||
Damage in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | пашкоджанні | ||
| The word "пашкоджанні" (damage) in Belarusian derives from the Proto-Slavic word "paskoditi" (to harm, to do evil). | |||
| Bosnian | šteta | ||
| In Serbo-Croatian, "šteta" can also mean "harm" or "regret". | |||
| Bulgarian | щета | ||
| The word "щета" in Bulgarian is derived from a Proto-Slavic word meaning "loss" and can also refer to a sum of money claimed as compensation or to the detriment or harm caused by a misfortune. | |||
| Czech | poškození | ||
| Poškození may also mean 'spoilage', a synonym for 'corruption' in the sense of moral decay. | |||
| Estonian | kahju | ||
| In Old Estonian, "kahju" also meant "loss" or "misfortune". | |||
| Finnish | vahingoittaa | ||
| The word "vahingoittaa" can also refer to physical injury or harm in addition to its meaning of "damage." | |||
| Hungarian | kár | ||
| The Hungarian word "kár" is cognate with the German word "kummer" and means "harm, loss, or sorrow". | |||
| Latvian | kaitējumu | ||
| The word "kaitējumu" can also mean "harm" or "injury" in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | žala | ||
| The word "žala" in Lithuanian is derived from the Proto-Slavic *žalъ, meaning "pity" or "regret". | |||
| Macedonian | штета | ||
| The word 'штета' also means 'pity' and originates from the Proto-Slavic word 'škoda', which had both meanings. | |||
| Polish | uszkodzić | ||
| The word "uszkodzić" shares the same Proto-Balto-Slavic root as "uszyć" ("sew"), which suggests an original meaning of "to cut or tear". | |||
| Romanian | deteriora | ||
| In astronomy, the term "deteriora" refers to the effect of the Earth's atmosphere on the brightness of stars. | |||
| Russian | повреждение | ||
| The word "повреждение" (povrezhdeniye) stems from the Old Slavic "vrezhda" (harm) and has been used in the sense of "bodily damage" or "injury" since the 11th century. | |||
| Serbian | оштећења | ||
| "Оштећења" may also mean "disfiguration", "injury", "harm" or "deterioration" in Serbian | |||
| Slovak | poškodenie | ||
| The word "poškodenie" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*skodъ", meaning "loss" or "harm". | |||
| Slovenian | škodo | ||
| The Slovene word 'škodo' is of Proto-Slavic origin and may be related to words for 'harm' or 'loss' in other Slavic languages. | |||
| Ukrainian | пошкодження | ||
| The Ukrainian word 'пошкодження' can also refer to 'harm' or 'injury'. | |||
Damage in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ক্ষতি | ||
| The word "ক্ষতি" in Bengali can also refer to loss, harm, or injury. | |||
| Gujarati | નુકસાન | ||
| The word "નુકસાન" (damage) in Gujarati is derived from the Sanskrit word "हानि" (loss), which means the act of losing something. | |||
| Hindi | क्षति | ||
| The word "क्षति" also means "loss" or "deficiency" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಹಾನಿ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಹಾನಿ" (hāni) has similar meanings to the English "damage" as well as to the Sanskrit word "hani," from which it is derived. | |||
| Malayalam | കേടുപാടുകൾ | ||
| The word "കേടുപാടുകൾ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "kṣat" which means "wound" or "injury". | |||
| Marathi | नुकसान | ||
| The word "नुकसान" also means "loss" or "detriment." | |||
| Nepali | क्षति | ||
| The word "क्षति" (kṣati) is derived from the Sanskrit root "क्षद" (kṣad), meaning "to injure" or "to destroy". | |||
| Punjabi | ਨੁਕਸਾਨ | ||
| The word "ਨੁਕਸਾਨ" in Punjabi is derived from the Sanskrit word "nuksan," which also means "harm" or "loss." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හානි | ||
| "හානි" originally derives from the Sanskrit word "हानि" (hāni), denoting loss or damage, and it is found in many South Asian languages under various forms. | |||
| Tamil | சேதம் | ||
| Telugu | నష్టం | ||
| The term 'damage' is used to refer to harm caused by a natural event or the actions of another person. | |||
| Urdu | نقصان | ||
| The Arabic word نقصان (nuqsān) means 'deficiency,' 'loss,' or 'damage', and its root, نقص (naqṣ), also signifies 'to cut short' or 'to diminish'. | |||
Damage in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 损伤 | ||
| “损伤”一词源自“损”和“伤”，最早见于《周礼》，意为“削弱”或“破坏”。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 損傷 | ||
| The word "損傷" also means "defeat". | |||
| Japanese | ダメージ | ||
| ダメージ, from French “dommage,” first enters Japanese in the 19th century as “damagé”. | |||
| Korean | 피해를 주다 | ||
| The word "피해를 주다" literally means "to give harm". | |||
| Mongolian | хохирол | ||
| Хохирол refers to material loss in modern Mongolian, but historically referred to loss of body parts or other permanent physical injuries. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပျက်စီးခြင်း | ||
Damage in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kerusakan | ||
| The Indonesian word "kerusakan" also has the meaning of "destruction", "impairment", or "disruption" | |||
| Javanese | karusakan | ||
| The word "karusakan" in Javanese comes from the root word "rusak," which means "to break" or "to destroy." | |||
| Khmer | ការខូចខាត | ||
| Lao | ຄວາມເສຍຫາຍ | ||
| Malay | kerosakan | ||
| The word "kerosakan" is derived from the Arabic word "kharaaba" meaning "ruin" or "destruction". | |||
| Thai | ความเสียหาย | ||
| In Thai, "ความเสียหาย" also means "loss" or "harm" resulting from an event or action. | |||
| Vietnamese | hư hại | ||
| The word "hư hại" can also mean "to spoil" or "to corrupt". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pinsala | ||
Damage in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ziyan | ||
| In Persian, "ziyan" means "loss" and in Ottoman Turkish, it meant "spoilage". | |||
| Kazakh | зақымдану | ||
| The word "зақымдану" can also refer to the degradation of something over time. | |||
| Kyrgyz | зыян | ||
| The word "зыян" in Kyrgyz has a root meaning of "loss" or "deficiency" and is used in a wider context than just physical damage. | |||
| Tajik | зарар | ||
| The word "зарар" is derived from the Arabic word "ḍarar", meaning "harm". It can also refer to "loss" or "deficit". | |||
| Turkmen | zyýan | ||
| Uzbek | zarar | ||
| The word "zarar" is also used in Uzbek to describe a type of evil jinn or demon. | |||
| Uyghur | زىيان | ||
Damage in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pōʻino | ||
| The word "pōʻino" can also mean "trouble" or "sorrow" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | tūkino | ||
| The word “tūkino” derives from the Proto-Polynesian word “*tuki”, meaning to hit or beat | |||
| Samoan | faʻaleagaina | ||
| The word "faʻaleagaina" can also refer to the act of injuring or causing harm, either physical or emotional. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pinsala | ||
| The Tagalog word "pinsala" can also mean "affliction" or "sickness". | |||
Damage in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jani wali | ||
| Guarani | mbyai | ||
Damage in International Languages
| Esperanto | damaĝo | ||
| The Esperanto word "damaĝo" comes from the French word "dommage", which means "harm" or "injury". | |||
| Latin | damnum | ||
| The Latin term "damnum" originally referred to a fine or penalty imposed on someone who had wronged another, and later came to mean "damage" in a more general sense. | |||
Damage in Others Languages
| Greek | βλάβη | ||
| The word "βλάβη" in Greek can also refer to "injury", "harm", "loss", or "impairment". | |||
| Hmong | kev puas tsuaj | ||
| Kev puas tsuaj in Hmong can also mean damage or injury caused by an accident, disease, or physical harm. | |||
| Kurdish | zirar | ||
| The Kurdish word 'zirar' is derived from the Persian word 'ziyān' meaning 'loss' or 'harm'. | |||
| Turkish | hasar | ||
| The word hasar has Arabic origins and also means | |||
| Xhosa | umonakalo | ||
| The Xhosa word "umonakalo" can also refer to a natural disaster or calamity. | |||
| Yiddish | שאדן | ||
| The Yiddish word "שאדן" can also mean "pity" or "regret", derived from the German "Schade" with the same meaning. | |||
| Zulu | umonakalo | ||
| In Zulu, the word 'umonakalo' can refer to both damage and impairment, suggesting a broader concept of harm. | |||
| Assamese | ক্ষতি | ||
| Aymara | jani wali | ||
| Bhojpuri | नुकसान | ||
| Dhivehi | ގެއްލުން | ||
| Dogri | खराब | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pinsala | ||
| Guarani | mbyai | ||
| Ilocano | dadael | ||
| Krio | pwɛl | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | تێکشکان | ||
| Maithili | क्षति | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯁꯣꯛ ꯑꯄꯟ ꯅꯪꯕ | ||
| Mizo | tichhia | ||
| Oromo | barbadaa'uu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କ୍ଷତି | ||
| Quechua | waqlliy | ||
| Sanskrit | क्षति | ||
| Tatar | зыян | ||
| Tigrinya | ጉድኣት | ||
| Tsonga | onhaka | ||