Danger in different languages

Danger in Different Languages

Discover 'Danger' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'danger' is a small but powerful term that carries significant weight in every language and culture. It's a universal concept that transcends borders, warning us of potential harm, threat, or peril. From a cultural standpoint, the perception of danger has shaped our societies, influencing our behaviors, stories, and even our laws. But what happens when we start to explore the word 'danger' in different languages? The translations offer a fascinating glimpse into how various cultures interpret and communicate the idea of risk or peril. For instance, in Spanish, 'danger' is 'peligro', while in French, it's 'danger' itself, reflecting the language's strong Latin influence. In Mandarin, it's '危险' (wēi xiǎn), a term that also carries connotations of perilous heights or depths. Join us as we delve deeper into the translations of 'danger' in different languages, uncovering interesting cultural nuances and historical contexts along the way.

Danger


Danger in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansgevaar
'Gevaar' shares the same etymological root with 'cautious', 'guard' and 'quarantine'
Amharicአደጋ
The word "አደጋ" originates from the Semitic root "dgr," implying "to go astray" or "to make a wrong turn," and originally referred to events occurring due to external forces, such as natural disasters or accidents.
Hausahadari
Derived from 'hada' (a trap), it can also mean a place for hunting animals.
Igboihe egwu
The Igbo word "Ihe egwu" literally translates to "something that can cause harm."
Malagasyloza
"Loza" is also used to refer to something that is forbidden.
Nyanja (Chichewa)ngozi
"Ngozi" also means "evil" in Nyanja.
Shonangozi
The word "ngozi" in Shona can also refer to a spiritual force that brings misfortune or harm.
Somalikhatar
The Somali word "khatar" originates from the Arabic word "khatar", meaning "risk, peril, or hazard."
Sesothokotsi
The word "Kotsi" in Sesotho also refers to a small poisonous millipede.
Swahilihatari
In Swahili, 'hatari' also means 'caution' or 'warning'.
Xhosaingozi
The word "Ingozi" in Xhosa can also refer to malicious spirits believed to cause harm or misfortune.
Yorubaijamba
The Yoruba word "Ijamba" can also refer to a trap, snare or a situation of peril.
Zuluingozi
The 'gozi' aspect of this word can also be found in other Zulu words such as 'inselele' (troublemaker), 'ukugwala' (to injure) and 'isigwili' (danger).
Bambarafarati
Eweŋɔdzi
Kinyarwandaakaga
Lingalalikama
Lugandaakabi
Sepedikotsi
Twi (Akan)ɔhaw a ɛbɛtumi aba

Danger in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicخطر
The word "خطر" in Arabic derives from the Semitic root word for "nose" or "sniff", indicating a sense of sniffing out danger.
Hebrewסַכָּנָה
The Hebrew word “סַכָּנָה” (“danger”) also has the alternate meaning of “rock” or “cliff,” referring to the potential for a physical hazard.
Pashtoخطر
The word "خطر" can also mean "risk" or "hazard" in Pashto.
Arabicخطر
The word "خطر" in Arabic derives from the Semitic root word for "nose" or "sniff", indicating a sense of sniffing out danger.

Danger in Western European Languages

Albanianrreziku
The word "rreziku" in Albanian derives from the Ancient Greek word "rhízikos", meaning "risky".
Basquearriskua
Arriskuak has another meaning in Basque, being used to refer to a type of sea urchin which are especially spiky and venomous.
Catalanperill
"Perill" also means "loss", "damage", "harm", or "injury" in Catalan.
Croatianopasnost
The word "opasnost" derives from the Slavic word "opas", meaning to surround or to go around, referring to a place that is treacherous or difficult to pass.
Danishfare
The Danish word "fare" is cognate with the English word "fear," both deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root *peh₂- "to protect, to fear."
Dutchgevaar
The Dutch word "gevaar" comes from the Old French word "garandir," meaning "to protect," and also has the alternate meaning of "security."
Englishdanger
The word 'danger' comes from the Old French word 'dangier', meaning 'power' or 'control'.
Frenchdanger
The word "danger" comes from the Latin "dominium", meaning "lordship" or "power", and originally referred to the power of a lord over his vassals.
Frisiangefaar
The word "gefaar" in Frisian derives from the Old Frisian word "gafara", meaning "sudden attack".
Galicianperigo
The Galician word "perigo" comes from the Latin word "periculum". Similarly, the Spanish word "peligro" is related to the Latin word "periculum".
Germanachtung
The word "Achtung" is derived from the Middle High German "ahten," meaning "to pay attention" or "to be aware."
Icelandichætta
"Hætta" comes from the Old Norse "hǫttr" meaning "hatred or peril."
Irishcontúirt
Italianpericolo
"Pericolo" comes from the Latin "periculum," which originally meant "experiment" or "trial."
Luxembourgishgefor
The word "Gefôr" in Letzebuergesch is a reflex of the Old High German "gîfar" (gift), and it was originally used in the sense of a poison or a mortal peril.
Malteseperiklu
The word 'periklu' is derived from the Italian word 'pericolo', meaning 'danger', and can also refer to a 'risk' or 'hazard'.
Norwegianfare
In Norwegian, "fare" also means "to travel" or "to get".
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)perigo
Perigo in Portuguese originated from Latin periculum, meaning "risk" or "hazard".
Scots Gaeliccunnart
The Old Gaelic spelling is 'cunart', meaning 'risk of being killed'.
Spanishpeligro
"Peligro" derives from the Greek word "pelygros", meaning "hazard" or "risk".
Swedishfara
The word "fara" in Swedish can also mean "to travel" or "to go away".
Welshperygl
The Welsh word 'perygl' ('danger') derives from the Latin 'periculum', which also means 'hazard' or 'risk'.

Danger in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianнебяспека
The word "небяспека" can be split into "не" + "бяспека", and "бяспека" is cognate with the Russian word "безопасность" and means "safety".
Bosnianopasnost
The word "opasnost" means 'danger' and derives from Old Slavic опас ("opas") or *opъ, a noun with multiple meanings, including 'fear' as well as 'misfortune'.
Bulgarianопасност
The word "опасност" originates from the Proto-Slavic word "*opasъ", which also means "bondage" or "trouble".
Czechnebezpečí
The word "nebezpečí" originates from the Proto-Slavic word "nepыtь", which meant "misfortune" or "disaster".
Estonianoht
The word "oht" in Estonian also means "threat" and "risk".
Finnishvaara
The word "vaara" also means "mountain" and originates from the Proto-Finnic word *waara, which had the same meaning.
Hungarianveszély
"Veszély" comes from the root "vés" ("misfortune, peril") and the suffix "-ly" ("abundance, state, condition"). Hence, its original meaning was "a state of misfortune or peril," which is still evident in some of its idioms and phrases.
Latvianbriesmas
The word "briesmas" originates from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰer- meaning "to cut" or "to pierce".
Lithuanianpavojus
The word "pavojus" is derived from the Lithuanian word "pavas" meaning "spring", as spring was considered a time of increased danger due to flooding and other natural hazards.
Macedonianопасност
The Macedonian word "опасност" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "опасъ," meaning "fall, ruin".
Polishzagrożenie
In the 16th century, 'zagrożenie' was a noun meaning 'threat'
Romanianpericol
The Romanian word "pericol" comes from the Latin word "periculum", meaning "risk, trial, attempt, hazard".
Russianопасность
The Russian word «Опасность» derives from the Old Slavic «*opasь», meaning "a fall", and is cognate with "lapse" and "collapse".
Serbianопасност
"Опасност" is also used to mean "risk", "hazard", or "peril".
Slovaknebezpečenstvo
"Nebezpečenstvo" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *opasь, meaning "to bind" or "to hold", suggesting a sense of entrapment or constraint.
Sloveniannevarnost
The word "nevarnost" is derived from the adjective "nevaren", meaning "dangerous". There is no alternate meaning of the word.
Ukrainianнебезпека
The word "небезпека" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *ob-pěka, meaning "to surround", and is cognate with the Russian word "опа́сность" (opasnost) and the Polish word "ópasáć" (to surround).

Danger in South Asian Languages

Bengaliবিপদ
The word "বিপদ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "vipat" meaning "calamity, disaster".
Gujaratiભય
The word "ભય" derives from Sanskrit and originally meant "fear" or "terror".
Hindiखतरा
"खतरा" is a Hindi word derived from the Prakrit word "khaddah" meaning "pit", hence also signifying peril.
Kannadaಅಪಾಯ
The word "ಅಪಾಯ" can also mean "risk" or "hazard" in Kannada.
Malayalamഅപായം
The word "അപായം" in Malayalam is derived from the Sanskrit word "अपाय" (apaya), which means "harm, injury, or destruction."
Marathiधोका
The Marathi word "धोका" shares a root word with "धोखाधडी", meaning "fraud".
Nepaliखतरा
"खतरा" is also used to refer to a 'letter'"
Punjabiਖ਼ਤਰਾ
The word "ਖ਼ਤਰਾ" (khatara) in Punjabi derives from the Persian word "khatar", which means both "danger" and "risk".
Sinhala (Sinhalese)අනතුර
"අනතුර" also means "an incident that occurs accidentally and unexpectedly, typically resulting in damage or injury", "a situation or event that is likely to cause harm",
Tamilஆபத்து
The word "ஆபத்து" (aapathu) is derived from the Sanskrit word "आपत्ति" (āpati), which originally meant "calamity" or "misfortune", and later came to mean "danger" or "peril".
Teluguప్రమాదం
The word ''ప్రమాదం'' in Telugu has various meanings, including risk, hazard, difficulty, disaster, and misfortune.
Urduخطرہ
The word 'خطرہ' (khatra) is derived from the Arabic word 'خطر' (khatar), which means 'risk' or 'peril'.

Danger in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)危险
In Chinese, the word "危险" (wēixiǎn) can also mean "risky" or "precarious."
Chinese (Traditional)危險
"危" originally means a precipice; "險" originally means an overhanging rock.
Japanese危険
The word "危険" (kiken) is also used to describe a situation in which something is not safe or has the potential to cause harm.
Korean위험
The word "위험" can also mean "risk" or "hazard" in Korean.
Mongolianаюул
The word "аюул" can also mean "fear" or "anxiety" in Mongolian.
Myanmar (Burmese)အန္တရာယ်

Danger in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianbahaya
"Bahaya" comes from Sanskrit "bhaya" which also means "fear" and is related to "bhay" meaning "to fear".
Javanesebebaya
The word "bebaya" can also refer to a "fearsome" or "terrible" object, such as a monster or a weapon.
Khmerគ្រោះថ្នាក់
Laoອັນຕະລາຍ
The word อันตราย ('danger') originates from the Pali word 'antara', 'interval' or 'gap'.
Malaybahaya
The word 'bahaya' also refers to the concept of 'power' in Malay, implying that danger can be seen as a source of strength or empowerment.
Thaiอันตราย
The word "อันตราย" comes from the Sanskrit word "an" meaning "without" and "trāy" meaning "save" or "protect".
Vietnamesenguy hiểm
"Nguy hiểm" has another meaning of "narrowly escaping something bad".
Filipino (Tagalog)panganib

Danger in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanitəhlükə
The word "təhlükə" is derived from the Persian word "tahlukeh", which means "risk" or "hazard".
Kazakhқауіп
Қауіп, cognate with "хаос," originally denoted "chaos, emptiness" (cf. Persian "хава", "emptiness, air").
Kyrgyzкоркунуч
In Kyrgyz, "коркунуч" also refers to a type of evil spirit believed to cause illness or misfortune.
Tajikхатар
The word "Хатар" can also refer to a "trap" or "risk".
Turkmenhowp
Uzbekxavf
"Xavf" also means "risk" in Uzbek.
Uyghurخەتەر

Danger in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianweliweli
"Weliweli" is also an adjective used to describe the weather and the sea.
Maorimōrearea
The word 'mōrearea' also refers to a supernatural being associated with danger in Maori mythology.
Samoantulaga mataʻutia
The word ''tulaga mataʻutia'' can also refer to a ''place of danger'' or a ''dangerous situation''.
Tagalog (Filipino)panganib
The word 'panganib' likely originated from the Proto-Austronesian word *panik, meaning 'to be afraid' or 'fear'.

Danger in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarajan walt'a
Guaraniñemongyhyje

Danger in International Languages

Esperantodanĝero
The word "danĝero" is derived from the French word "danger", which ultimately comes from the Latin word "damnum", meaning "loss" or "damage".
Latinpericulum
The Latin word "periculum" derives from the verb "perire" ("to perish") and originally meant "trial" or "test" but later came to imply the risk of harm or danger.

Danger in Others Languages

Greekκίνδυνος
The Greek word "κίνδυνος" derives from the verb "κυλινδεῖν" (to roll), suggesting the potential for movement and uncertainty associated with danger.
Hmongtxaus ntshai
"Txaus ntshai" literally translates to "fear and fright" or "bad feelings" in Hmong.
Kurdishtalûke
The term "talûke" also refers to a type of large earthen vessel commonly used in rural Kurdish households, particularly for storing liquids or grains.
Turkishtehlike
The word "Tehlike" in Turkish is derived from the Arabic word "Talak" meaning "divorce", implying the idea of separation or disconnection.
Xhosaingozi
The word "Ingozi" in Xhosa can also refer to malicious spirits believed to cause harm or misfortune.
Yiddishגעפאַר
The Yiddish word "געפאַר" also derives from the Old French "gefa" and Spanish "guerra" meaning "war".
Zuluingozi
The 'gozi' aspect of this word can also be found in other Zulu words such as 'inselele' (troublemaker), 'ukugwala' (to injure) and 'isigwili' (danger).
Assameseবিপদ
Aymarajan walt'a
Bhojpuriखतरा
Dhivehiނުރައްކާ
Dogriखतरा
Filipino (Tagalog)panganib
Guaraniñemongyhyje
Ilocanopeggad
Kriodenja
Kurdish (Sorani)مەترسی
Maithiliखतरा
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯈꯨꯗꯣꯡꯊꯤꯕ
Mizohlauhawm
Oromohamaa
Odia (Oriya)ବିପଦ
Quechuamanchay
Sanskritसंकट
Tatarкуркыныч
Tigrinyaሓደጋ
Tsonganghozi

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