Dead in different languages

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

Afrikaansdood
The word "dood" in Afrikaans shares its root with the English word "death" and also has the alternate meaning of "mate" or "buddy".
Amharicየሞተ
It can also mean 'turned off', as in a light switch, or 'stopped', as in a car engine.
Hausaya mutu
The Hausa word "ya mutu" can also mean "to be finished" or "to be exhausted".
Igbonwụrụ anwụ
'Nwụrụ anwụ' also means 'set' in the sense of the sun or moon setting.
Malagasymaty
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.
Shonaakafa
The Shona word 'akafa' meaning 'dead' can also mean 'tired' or 'defeated'.
Somalidhintay
The word "dhintay" in Somali also means "to die" or "to be deceased".
Sesothoshoele
The Sesotho word "shoele" means "dead" and is related to the word "shoa" which means "to kill".
Swahiliamekufa
Ame is also a prefix of verbs that signifies the perfect tense
Xhosabafile
The Xhosa verb "bafile" can also mean "to be very ill or tired; to be worn out".
Yoruba
The Yoruba word 'kú' also means 'to perish' or 'to be ruined'.
Zuluufile
In Zulu, 'ufile' can also refer to the 'extinction' of a fire, as well as the 'setting' of the sun.
Bambarasu
Eweku
Kinyarwandayapfuye
Lingalamowei
Luganda-fu
Sepedihlokofetše
Twi (Akan)awu

Dead in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicميت
The word "ميت" can also mean "extinct" or "inactive" in Arabic.
Hebrewמֵת
"מֵת" has alternative meanings in Hebrew, such as to dry up.
Pashtoمړ
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.
Arabicميت
The word "ميت" can also mean "extinct" or "inactive" in Arabic.

Dead in Western European Languages

Albaniani vdekur
The Albanian word "i vdekur" has Proto-Indo-European roots, and is also used to mean "deceased person".
Basquehilda
The Basque word "hilda" not only means "dead" but also "death's grip" or "the claws of death".
Catalanmort
"Mort" in Catalan can also mean "bitten", with the "o" pronounced slightly more closed.
Croatianmrtav
The Croatian word 'mrtav' also means 'dull' or 'lifeless' when used figuratively.
Danishdød
"Død" is a noun meaning "death" and an adjective meaning "dead", but it also has a figurative meaning of "dull" or "lifeless".
Dutchdood
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.
Englishdead
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.'
Frenchmorte
In Old French, 'morte' also meant 'murder' and was related to the word 'amort', meaning 'extinguished' or 'killed'.
Frisiandea
The Frisian word "dea" can also refer to a piece of land enclosed by water or a meadow.
Galicianmorto
"Morto" in Galician is also used to refer to a castrated animal.
Germantot
The word "tot" also refers to a small child in German.
Icelandicdauður
The word dauður has several meanings other than 'dead' including 'deaf' and 'faint'.
Irishmarbh
The Gaelic cognate "marbh" means "dead" (in English) and "living" or "great" in Arabic.
Italianmorto
The Italian word "morto" is derived from the Latin word "mortuus", which also means "dead".
Luxembourgishdout
Maltesemejta
The word "mejta" is derived from the Arabic word "mawt", meaning "death" or "cadaver."
Norwegiandød
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 Gaelicmarbh
The Scots Gaelic word "marbh" can also mean "pale" or "lifeless".
Spanishmuerto
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.
Swedishdöd
In the Swedish phrase 'död som en sill' ('as dead as a herring'), 'sill' also means 'silly' or 'dim-witted'.
Welshmarw
"Marw" is also used as a noun to refer to a corpse or a dead person.

Dead in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianмёртвы
The Belarusian word for "dead" "мёртвы" can also refer to something that is inactive, inoperable, or no longer in use.
Bosniansmrt
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".
Bulgarianмъртъв
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".
Czechmrtvý
Though it's often thought to be directly linked to „mrtev“ the words actually share no linguistic root
Estoniansurnud
The word "surnud" is derived from the Proto-Uralic root word "*sur-," meaning "to die."
Finnishkuollut
"Kuollut" has also been used, in a literary context, to refer to a person as "faded" or "deteriorated."
Hungarianhalott
The word 'halott' in Hungarian derives from the Proto-Indo-European root '*kel-', meaning 'to conceal, hide, cover'.
Latvianmiris
The Latvian word "miris" can also mean "peaceful" or "quiet".
Lithuanianmiręs
Lithuanian "miręs" comes from "mirti" and Proto-Slavic "merti", related to Latin "mori" and Greek "brotos" meaning "mortal".
Macedonianмртви
The word "мртви" in Macedonian is also used to describe something that is inactive or dull.
Polishnie żyje
The Polish word 'nie żyje' literally means 'not alive', highlighting the negation of life in death.
Romanianmort
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"
Russianмертвый
The word "мертвый" also means "drunk", especially in the idiom "dead drunk".
Serbianмртав
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"
Slovakmŕtvy
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".
Slovenianmrtev
The word "mrtev" comes from the Proto-Slavic root *mert-, meaning "death".
Ukrainianмертвий
The word "мертвий" (dead) in Ukrainian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *mertъ* meaning "mortality, death".

Dead in South Asian Languages

Bengaliমৃত
In Sanskrit, the word "mrt" (मृत) means "dead" or "mortality".
Gujaratiમૃત
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).
Hindiमृत
The Sanskrit root 'mr' in 'मृत' ('mrit') also means 'earth', as in 'maricha' ('pepper') or 'marut' ('the wind').
Kannadaಸತ್ತ
ಸತ್ತ can also mean 'to cease completely' or 'to end' in Kannada.
Malayalamമരിച്ചു
In Malayalam, "മരിച്ചു" comes from the Proto-Dravidian root *mari-, meaning "to die" or "to be dead."
Marathiमृत
"मृत" in Marathi also means "finished" or "extinguished".
Nepaliमरेको
The word "मरेको" can also mean "past away" or "deceased".
Punjabiਮਰੇ
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".
Tamilஇறந்தவர்
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'.
Teluguచనిపోయిన
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").
Urduمردہ
The word "مردہ" (murdah) originates from the Sanskrit word "mrta", meaning "deceased" or "corpse".

Dead in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)
In Chinese, '死' can also mean 'to die', 'to end' or 'to be defeated'.
Chinese (Traditional)
"死" can also mean "to hate".
Japaneseデッド
The kanji 死 (shi, dead) can also mean death, fatality, or lifeless.
Korean죽은
The word '죽은' can also mean 'ripe' in Korean, similar to how the word 'done' can mean 'cooked' or 'finished' in English.
Mongolianүхсэн
The Mongolian term "үхсэн" may also refer to a state of dormancy in some contexts.
Myanmar (Burmese)သေပြီ

Dead in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianmati
The term "mati" used in the Indonesian language, can also refer to a state of unconsciousness or inactivity.
Javanesemati
The word "mati" also means "to stop" or "to finish" in Javanese.
Khmerស្លាប់
The word "ស្លាប់" can also refer to a state of being lost or unconscious.
Laoຕາຍແລ້ວ
The word "ຕາຍແລ້ວ" can also be used to describe someone who is feeling extremely tired or exhausted.
Malaymati
The word "mati" in Malay also means "extinguished" or "finished".
Thaiตาย
Thai word 'ตาย' is also a numeral classifier used for round objects such as fruits.
Vietnameseđã 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

Azerbaijaniölü
"ölü" can also mean "the other world" or "hell" in Azerbaijani.
Kazakhөлі
The Kazakh word "өлі" can also refer to a corpse or carcass.
Kyrgyzөлүк
The word "өлүк" can also refer to a "corpse" or a "dead body".
Tajikмурда
The word "мурда" (dead) in Tajik has the additional meaning of "corpses" in the Quran.
Turkmenöldi
Uzbeko'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.
Uyghurئۆلدى

Dead in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianmake
The Hawaiian word "make" can also mean extinguished, ended, or finished.
Maorikua mate
Kua mate in Maori is derived from the word 'mate' meaning 'companion', suggesting a spiritual journey of an individual after death.
Samoanoti
"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

Aymarajiwata
Guaranimano

Dead in International Languages

Esperantomortinta
"Mortinta" is the past participle of "morti", so "already dead" or "once dead".
Latinmortuus 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

Greekνεκρός
The word "νεκρός" in Greek does not have any alternate meanings, but it is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *nek- meaning "corpse".
Hmongtuag
The word "tuag" can also be used figuratively to refer to something that is not functioning or is useless.
Kurdishmirî
Kurdish "mirî" is probably related to the Persian "murdan" (dead) and Armenian "merel" (dead).
Turkishölü
"Ölü" is a Turkish word with multiple meanings including "deceased," "stagnant," "inactive," and "extinct."
Xhosabafile
The Xhosa verb "bafile" can also mean "to be very ill or tired; to be worn out".
Yiddishטויט
The word "טויט" can also mean "mute" or "deaf" in Yiddish.
Zuluufile
In Zulu, 'ufile' can also refer to the 'extinction' of a fire, as well as the 'setting' of the sun.
Assameseমৃত
Aymarajiwata
Bhojpuriमरल
Dhivehiމަރުވެފައި
Dogriमरे दा
Filipino (Tagalog)patay
Guaranimano
Ilocanonatay
Kriodɔn day
Kurdish (Sorani)مردوو
Maithiliमरल
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯑꯁꯤꯕ
Mizothi
Oromodu'aa
Odia (Oriya)ମୃତ
Quechuawañuchisqa
Sanskritमृत
Tatarүлде
Tigrinyaምውት
Tsongafile

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