Dead in Different Languages
Discover 'Dead' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'dead' is a simple, two-syllable term that carries immense significance in every culture and language. It signifies the end of life, a concept that has fascinated and frightened humans for centuries. From ancient burial rituals to modern-day memorial services, the concept of death is a universal experience that transcends borders and cultures.
Moreover, the word 'dead' has a rich cultural importance, inspiring countless works of literature, art, and music. It also plays a crucial role in various philosophical and religious discussions about the afterlife and the human soul.
Understanding the translation of 'dead' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how different cultures view and cope with death. For instance, the German word for dead, 'tot,' is derived from an Old High German term that means 'fallen.' Meanwhile, the Chinese translation of 'dead,' '死,' is composed of two characters that symbolize a person and a fallen bird, indicating the finality of death.
Join us as we explore the translations of 'dead' in various languages, shedding light on the fascinating cultural nuances that surround this powerful word.
Dead
Dead in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | dood | ||
| The word "dood" in Afrikaans shares its root with the English word "death" and also has the alternate meaning of "mate" or "buddy". | |||
| Amharic | የሞተ | ||
| It can also mean 'turned off', as in a light switch, or 'stopped', as in a car engine. | |||
| Hausa | ya mutu | ||
| The Hausa word "ya mutu" can also mean "to be finished" or "to be exhausted". | |||
| Igbo | nwụrụ anwụ | ||
| 'Nwụrụ anwụ' also means 'set' in the sense of the sun or moon setting. | |||
| Malagasy | maty | ||
| The Malagasy word "maty" can also mean "corpse" or "death". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wamwalira | ||
| The word "wamwalira" can also mean someone who is very quiet or lazy. | |||
| Shona | akafa | ||
| The Shona word 'akafa' meaning 'dead' can also mean 'tired' or 'defeated'. | |||
| Somali | dhintay | ||
| The word "dhintay" in Somali also means "to die" or "to be deceased". | |||
| Sesotho | shoele | ||
| The Sesotho word "shoele" means "dead" and is related to the word "shoa" which means "to kill". | |||
| Swahili | amekufa | ||
| Ame is also a prefix of verbs that signifies the perfect tense | |||
| Xhosa | bafile | ||
| The Xhosa verb "bafile" can also mean "to be very ill or tired; to be worn out". | |||
| Yoruba | kú | ||
| The Yoruba word 'kú' also means 'to perish' or 'to be ruined'. | |||
| Zulu | ufile | ||
| In Zulu, 'ufile' can also refer to the 'extinction' of a fire, as well as the 'setting' of the sun. | |||
| Bambara | su | ||
| Ewe | ku | ||
| Kinyarwanda | yapfuye | ||
| Lingala | mowei | ||
| Luganda | -fu | ||
| Sepedi | hlokofetše | ||
| Twi (Akan) | awu | ||
Dead in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ميت | ||
| The word "ميت" can also mean "extinct" or "inactive" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | מֵת | ||
| "מֵת" has alternative meanings in Hebrew, such as to dry up. | |||
| Pashto | مړ | ||
| The Pashto word "مړ" (pronounced "mar") literally translates to "died" or "passed away", and can also be used as an adjective to describe something that is lifeless or inactive. | |||
| Arabic | ميت | ||
| The word "ميت" can also mean "extinct" or "inactive" in Arabic. | |||
Dead in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i vdekur | ||
| The Albanian word "i vdekur" has Proto-Indo-European roots, and is also used to mean "deceased person". | |||
| Basque | hilda | ||
| The Basque word "hilda" not only means "dead" but also "death's grip" or "the claws of death". | |||
| Catalan | mort | ||
| "Mort" in Catalan can also mean "bitten", with the "o" pronounced slightly more closed. | |||
| Croatian | mrtav | ||
| The Croatian word 'mrtav' also means 'dull' or 'lifeless' when used figuratively. | |||
| Danish | død | ||
| "Død" is a noun meaning "death" and an adjective meaning "dead", but it also has a figurative meaning of "dull" or "lifeless". | |||
| Dutch | dood | ||
| In Dutch "dood" can also mean "crazy" or "out-of-it", a usage that originates from the Middle Dutch and is still sometimes used in modern Dutch for comic effect. | |||
| English | dead | ||
| The word 'dead' stems from the Old English word 'dēad,' meaning 'devoid of life' or 'inactive,' and is cognate with the Dutch word 'dood' and the German word 'tot.' | |||
| French | morte | ||
| In Old French, 'morte' also meant 'murder' and was related to the word 'amort', meaning 'extinguished' or 'killed'. | |||
| Frisian | dea | ||
| The Frisian word "dea" can also refer to a piece of land enclosed by water or a meadow. | |||
| Galician | morto | ||
| "Morto" in Galician is also used to refer to a castrated animal. | |||
| German | tot | ||
| The word "tot" also refers to a small child in German. | |||
| Icelandic | dauður | ||
| The word dauður has several meanings other than 'dead' including 'deaf' and 'faint'. | |||
| Irish | marbh | ||
| The Gaelic cognate "marbh" means "dead" (in English) and "living" or "great" in Arabic. | |||
| Italian | morto | ||
| The Italian word "morto" is derived from the Latin word "mortuus", which also means "dead". | |||
| Luxembourgish | dout | ||
| Maltese | mejta | ||
| The word "mejta" is derived from the Arabic word "mawt", meaning "death" or "cadaver." | |||
| Norwegian | død | ||
| Død's Proto-Germanic root *dauthuz also meant 'disease' and 'rotten'. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | morto | ||
| The word "morto" is cognate with the Latin word "mortuus", meaning "dead", and also shares an etymological connection with the English word "mortal". In Portuguese, "morto" can also be used as a noun to refer to a deceased person or as an adjective to describe something that is no longer alive. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | marbh | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "marbh" can also mean "pale" or "lifeless". | |||
| Spanish | muerto | ||
| The word 'muerto' derives from the Latin verb 'morior' (to die), but in Spanish it can also refer to a corpse or to something extinct. | |||
| Swedish | död | ||
| In the Swedish phrase 'död som en sill' ('as dead as a herring'), 'sill' also means 'silly' or 'dim-witted'. | |||
| Welsh | marw | ||
| "Marw" is also used as a noun to refer to a corpse or a dead person. | |||
Dead in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | мёртвы | ||
| The Belarusian word for "dead" "мёртвы" can also refer to something that is inactive, inoperable, or no longer in use. | |||
| Bosnian | smrt | ||
| The word "smrt" in Bosnian is cognate with the Slavic word "smrt" meaning "death" and is also related to the Latin word "mors" meaning "death". | |||
| Bulgarian | мъртъв | ||
| The word "мъртъв" has Slavic roots and is cognate with the words "mort" in French, "morte" in Italian, and "muerte" in Spanish, all of which mean "death". | |||
| Czech | mrtvý | ||
| Though it's often thought to be directly linked to „mrtev“ the words actually share no linguistic root | |||
| Estonian | surnud | ||
| The word "surnud" is derived from the Proto-Uralic root word "*sur-," meaning "to die." | |||
| Finnish | kuollut | ||
| "Kuollut" has also been used, in a literary context, to refer to a person as "faded" or "deteriorated." | |||
| Hungarian | halott | ||
| The word 'halott' in Hungarian derives from the Proto-Indo-European root '*kel-', meaning 'to conceal, hide, cover'. | |||
| Latvian | miris | ||
| The Latvian word "miris" can also mean "peaceful" or "quiet". | |||
| Lithuanian | miręs | ||
| Lithuanian "miręs" comes from "mirti" and Proto-Slavic "merti", related to Latin "mori" and Greek "brotos" meaning "mortal". | |||
| Macedonian | мртви | ||
| The word "мртви" in Macedonian is also used to describe something that is inactive or dull. | |||
| Polish | nie żyje | ||
| The Polish word 'nie żyje' literally means 'not alive', highlighting the negation of life in death. | |||
| Romanian | mort | ||
| The Romanian word "mort" comes from the Latin word "mors," meaning "death," and is related to the French word "mort" and the English word "mortal" | |||
| Russian | мертвый | ||
| The word "мертвый" also means "drunk", especially in the idiom "dead drunk". | |||
| Serbian | мртав | ||
| The Serbian word "мртав" derives from the Proto-Slavic *mr̥tvъ, meaning "corpse" or "cadaver", which is in turn related to the Latin mortuus and the Greek θνῄσκω (thneiskō), meaning "to die" | |||
| Slovak | mŕtvy | ||
| The Slovak word "mŕtvy" comes from the Proto-Slavic root "*mr̥tъvъ", meaning "dead" or "corpse". It is related to the Czech word "mrtvý", the Polish word "martwy", and the Russian word "мёртвый". | |||
| Slovenian | mrtev | ||
| The word "mrtev" comes from the Proto-Slavic root *mert-, meaning "death". | |||
| Ukrainian | мертвий | ||
| The word "мертвий" (dead) in Ukrainian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *mertъ* meaning "mortality, death". | |||
Dead in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | মৃত | ||
| In Sanskrit, the word "mrt" (मृत) means "dead" or "mortality". | |||
| Gujarati | મૃત | ||
| The Gujarati word "મૃત" (dead) shares a similar etymology with the Sanskrit word "मृत" (dead), and both are derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*mer-" (to die). | |||
| Hindi | मृत | ||
| The Sanskrit root 'mr' in 'मृत' ('mrit') also means 'earth', as in 'maricha' ('pepper') or 'marut' ('the wind'). | |||
| Kannada | ಸತ್ತ | ||
| ಸತ್ತ can also mean 'to cease completely' or 'to end' in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | മരിച്ചു | ||
| In Malayalam, "മരിച്ചു" comes from the Proto-Dravidian root *mari-, meaning "to die" or "to be dead." | |||
| Marathi | मृत | ||
| "मृत" in Marathi also means "finished" or "extinguished". | |||
| Nepali | मरेको | ||
| The word "मरेको" can also mean "past away" or "deceased". | |||
| Punjabi | ਮਰੇ | ||
| The word "ਮਰੇ" in Punjabi also means "faded", "dull", or "lifeless". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මැරිලා | ||
| The Sinhalese word "මැරිලා" (märila) also means "a place suitable for death" or "a place one goes to die". | |||
| Tamil | இறந்தவர் | ||
| From Proto-Dravidian *cēr 'to die, kill', also found in Kannada cēri, Telugu cēru 'to die', Malayalam cēru 'to die; be lost', and Brahui cār 'to be killed'. | |||
| Telugu | చనిపోయిన | ||
| The word "చనిపోయిన" ("dead") in Telugu comes from the Sanskrit word "मृत" ("dead") and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root "*mer-/*mor-" ("to die"). | |||
| Urdu | مردہ | ||
| The word "مردہ" (murdah) originates from the Sanskrit word "mrta", meaning "deceased" or "corpse". | |||
Dead in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 死 | ||
| In Chinese, '死' can also mean 'to die', 'to end' or 'to be defeated'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 死 | ||
| "死" can also mean "to hate". | |||
| Japanese | デッド | ||
| The kanji 死 (shi, dead) can also mean death, fatality, or lifeless. | |||
| Korean | 죽은 | ||
| The word '죽은' can also mean 'ripe' in Korean, similar to how the word 'done' can mean 'cooked' or 'finished' in English. | |||
| Mongolian | үхсэн | ||
| The Mongolian term "үхсэн" may also refer to a state of dormancy in some contexts. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သေပြီ | ||
Dead in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mati | ||
| The term "mati" used in the Indonesian language, can also refer to a state of unconsciousness or inactivity. | |||
| Javanese | mati | ||
| The word "mati" also means "to stop" or "to finish" in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | ស្លាប់ | ||
| The word "ស្លាប់" can also refer to a state of being lost or unconscious. | |||
| Lao | ຕາຍແລ້ວ | ||
| The word "ຕາຍແລ້ວ" can also be used to describe someone who is feeling extremely tired or exhausted. | |||
| Malay | mati | ||
| The word "mati" in Malay also means "extinguished" or "finished". | |||
| Thai | ตาย | ||
| Thai word 'ตาย' is also a numeral classifier used for round objects such as fruits. | |||
| Vietnamese | đã chết | ||
| The word "đã chết" is sometimes used to refer to a state of being unable to move or speak. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | patay | ||
Dead in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ölü | ||
| "ölü" can also mean "the other world" or "hell" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | өлі | ||
| The Kazakh word "өлі" can also refer to a corpse or carcass. | |||
| Kyrgyz | өлүк | ||
| The word "өлүк" can also refer to a "corpse" or a "dead body". | |||
| Tajik | мурда | ||
| The word "мурда" (dead) in Tajik has the additional meaning of "corpses" in the Quran. | |||
| Turkmen | öldi | ||
| Uzbek | o'lik | ||
| The word "o'lik" in Uzbek, meaning "dead," is also used to refer to a type of flatbread or a type of traditional Uzbek music. | |||
| Uyghur | ئۆلدى | ||
Dead in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | make | ||
| The Hawaiian word "make" can also mean extinguished, ended, or finished. | |||
| Maori | kua mate | ||
| Kua mate in Maori is derived from the word 'mate' meaning 'companion', suggesting a spiritual journey of an individual after death. | |||
| Samoan | oti | ||
| "Oti" can also mean "finished" or "complete" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | patay na | ||
| "Patay na" also means "defeated" or "destroyed" in Tagalog. | |||
Dead in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jiwata | ||
| Guarani | mano | ||
Dead in International Languages
| Esperanto | mortinta | ||
| "Mortinta" is the past participle of "morti", so "already dead" or "once dead". | |||
| Latin | mortuus est | ||
| The phrase "est mortuus" can be used to describe someone who has passed away or a situation that has come to an end. | |||
Dead in Others Languages
| Greek | νεκρός | ||
| The word "νεκρός" in Greek does not have any alternate meanings, but it is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *nek- meaning "corpse". | |||
| Hmong | tuag | ||
| The word "tuag" can also be used figuratively to refer to something that is not functioning or is useless. | |||
| Kurdish | mirî | ||
| Kurdish "mirî" is probably related to the Persian "murdan" (dead) and Armenian "merel" (dead). | |||
| Turkish | ölü | ||
| "Ölü" is a Turkish word with multiple meanings including "deceased," "stagnant," "inactive," and "extinct." | |||
| Xhosa | bafile | ||
| The Xhosa verb "bafile" can also mean "to be very ill or tired; to be worn out". | |||
| Yiddish | טויט | ||
| The word "טויט" can also mean "mute" or "deaf" in Yiddish. | |||
| Zulu | ufile | ||
| In Zulu, 'ufile' can also refer to the 'extinction' of a fire, as well as the 'setting' of the sun. | |||
| Assamese | মৃত | ||
| Aymara | jiwata | ||
| Bhojpuri | मरल | ||
| Dhivehi | މަރުވެފައި | ||
| Dogri | मरे दा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | patay | ||
| Guarani | mano | ||
| Ilocano | natay | ||
| Krio | dɔn day | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | مردوو | ||
| Maithili | मरल | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯁꯤꯕ | ||
| Mizo | thi | ||
| Oromo | du'aa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ମୃତ | ||
| Quechua | wañuchisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | मृत | ||
| Tatar | үлде | ||
| Tigrinya | ምውት | ||
| Tsonga | file | ||