Deficit in Different Languages
Discover 'Deficit' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The term 'deficit' holds great significance in various fields, including economics, finance, and healthcare. It generally refers to a shortfall or lack of something, such as a budgetary shortage or a deficiency in a skill or resource. The concept of deficit has been culturally important across societies, as it often serves as a catalyst for innovation, progress, and self-improvement.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'deficit' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how diverse cultures perceive and address shortcomings. For instance, in Spanish, 'deficit' translates to 'déficit,' while in French, it is 'déficit.' In German, the term is 'Defizit,' and in Japanese, it is 'デフィcit (deficit).'
Delving into the nuances of this term across languages can reveal fascinating cultural differences and historical contexts. Join us as we explore the translations of 'deficit' in various languages and learn how diverse cultures understand and tackle shortages.
Deficit
Deficit in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | tekort | ||
| The Afrikaans word "tekort" stems from the Dutch word "tekort" meaning "lack" or "want". It can also refer to a "shortage" or "deficiency" in various contexts. | |||
| Amharic | ጉድለት | ||
| Hausa | kasawa | ||
| The word "kasawa" in Hausa also means "a shortfall" or "a lack of something." | |||
| Igbo | mpe | ||
| "Mpe" also means "need" or "want" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | fahampiam | ||
| "Fahina" (knowledge) and "piam" (debt) together mean "deficit" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuchepekedwa | ||
| The word "kuchepekedwa" also means "to be reduced" or "to be taken away" in Nyanja (Chichewa). | |||
| Shona | kushomeka | ||
| The word "kushomeka" also means "to be empty" or "to be lacking something". | |||
| Somali | dhimis | ||
| Alternatively, dhimis is an alternative term for the number "90". | |||
| Sesotho | khaello | ||
| The Sesotho word "khaello" also means "absence" or "lack". | |||
| Swahili | upungufu | ||
| Upungufu means 'deficiency' or 'lack' in Swahili, and comes from the root '-pung-' meaning 'to miss' or 'to be absent'. | |||
| Xhosa | intsilelo | ||
| The Xhosa word 'intsilelo' can also mean 'shortfall', 'loss', or any kind of negative balance. | |||
| Yoruba | aipe | ||
| Aipe also means "something that is short, less than expected, or incomplete" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | ukusilela | ||
| "Ukusila" means to cut or remove something, while "ukusilela" means to be lacking or deficient. | |||
| Bambara | dɛsɛ (dɛsɛ) ye | ||
| Ewe | nusiwo gblẽ le ame ŋu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | defisit | ||
| Lingala | déficit ya mbongo | ||
| Luganda | ebbula ly’ensimbi | ||
| Sepedi | tlhaelelo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | sika a ɛho hia | ||
Deficit in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | عجز | ||
| "عجز" is also used to describe someone's weakness, poverty, or failure. | |||
| Hebrew | גֵרָעוֹן | ||
| The word "גֵרָעוֹן" is also used in Hebrew to refer to the numerical difference between two quantities. | |||
| Pashto | کسر | ||
| The Pashto word "کسر" also means "lack" or "absence". | |||
| Arabic | عجز | ||
| "عجز" is also used to describe someone's weakness, poverty, or failure. | |||
Deficit in Western European Languages
| Albanian | deficiti | ||
| The word "deficiti" is of Latin origin and is related to the verb "deficere", which means "to fail" or "to be lacking." | |||
| Basque | defizita | ||
| The Basque word "defizita" also means "debt" and comes from the Latin word "deficere" meaning "to fail" or "to lack." | |||
| Catalan | dèficit | ||
| The Catalan word "dèficit" comes from Latin "deficĕre", meaning "to fail" or "to be lacking". | |||
| Croatian | deficit | ||
| The word deficit in Croatian ('deficit') derives from the Latin word 'deficere', meaning “to be lacking” or “to fail”. | |||
| Danish | underskud | ||
| The Danish word "underskud" derives from the German word "Unterschuss", meaning "undershoot" or "to fall short of". Historically, it was used to refer to a shortfall in a budget. | |||
| Dutch | tekort | ||
| The Dutch word "tekort" comes from Middle Dutch and originally meant "shortcoming". | |||
| English | deficit | ||
| The word "deficit" comes from the Latin word "deficere", meaning "to fail" or "to be lacking". | |||
| French | déficit | ||
| In French, the word "déficit" also has connotations of physical deterioration, fatigue, or weakness. | |||
| Frisian | tekoart | ||
| "Tekoart" is a Frisian word derived from the Old Frisian "tekort," with the suffix "-art." The word is also used in Dutch, where it means "shortage," but it is not commonly used in English. | |||
| Galician | déficit | ||
| O termo "déficit" ven procedente do latín "deficit", que significa "falta" ou "escasez" | |||
| German | defizit | ||
| The word "Defizit" in German can also refer to a negative balance or a shortfall. | |||
| Icelandic | halli | ||
| The Icelandic word 'halli' is derived from the Old Norse word 'halla,' which originally meant a 'deficiency' or 'shortcoming' in a person's character or social standing. | |||
| Irish | easnamh | ||
| The word 'easnamh' in Modern Irish is a loan word from the Latin 'deficiens', which is itself a compound of 'desco' meaning 'short' or 'lacking', and 'facio' meaning 'to make' or 'to do' | |||
| Italian | disavanzo | ||
| The word "disavanzo" comes from the Italian word "avanzo", which means "exceeding", and the prefix "dis-", which means "opposite", so "disavanzo" means "not exceeding" or "falling short". | |||
| Luxembourgish | defizit | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Defizit" can also refer to a "failure" or "lack" in a more general sense, beyond financial contexts. | |||
| Maltese | defiċit | ||
| The Maltese word "defiċit" can also refer to a financial loss or a shortage of something. | |||
| Norwegian | underskudd | ||
| In archaic Norwegian, "underskudd" also means "excess" or "surplus". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | déficit | ||
| In Portuguese, "déficit" can also refer to a flaw or shortcoming. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | easbhaidh | ||
| The word "easbhaidh" is derived from the Old Irish word "essbaidh," meaning "want" or "need." | |||
| Spanish | déficit | ||
| The Spanish word "déficit" can also refer to a lack of something in general, not just in a financial sense. | |||
| Swedish | underskott | ||
| The Swedish word "underskott" literally means "below shot". | |||
| Welsh | diffyg | ||
| In addition to its literal meaning, "diffyg" can also refer figuratively to a lack of something, such as knowledge, experience, or resources. | |||
Deficit in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | дэфіцыт | ||
| The word "дэфіцыт" can also mean "shortage" or "lack" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | deficit | ||
| The word "deficit" comes from the Latin word for "it lacks". | |||
| Bulgarian | дефицит | ||
| The word "дефицит" in Bulgarian can also refer to a shortage of goods or supplies. | |||
| Czech | deficit | ||
| The Czech word "deficit" originates from the Latin word "deficere", meaning "to fail" or "to fall short". | |||
| Estonian | puudujääk | ||
| In Estonia, the word "puudujääk" also denotes a person who is absent or missing. | |||
| Finnish | alijäämä | ||
| The Finnish word "alijäämä" comes from the stem "ali-", meaning "under" or "below", and the suffix "-jäämä", meaning "something left over". | |||
| Hungarian | hiány | ||
| The word "hiány" in Hungarian refers not only to a deficit but also to a sense of incompleteness, longing, or absence. | |||
| Latvian | deficīts | ||
| Deficīts in Latvian can also mean "lack" or "shortcoming". | |||
| Lithuanian | trūkumas | ||
| The Lithuanian word "trūkumas" comes from the word "trūkti", which means "to lack" or "to be missing". | |||
| Macedonian | дефицит | ||
| The word 'дефицит' comes from the Latin word 'deficere', meaning 'to be wanting' or 'to fall short'. | |||
| Polish | deficyt | ||
| The word "deficyt" in Polish can also mean "lack" or "shortfall". | |||
| Romanian | deficit | ||
| In Romanian, "deficit" can also refer to a lack of weight, intelligence, or other qualities, and the term "buget deficit" is used for budget deficit. | |||
| Russian | дефицит | ||
| The word "дефицит" is derived from the Latin word "deficere" meaning "to fail, to be short of". | |||
| Serbian | дефицит | ||
| Дефицит (deficit) in Serbian also means 'lack' or 'shortage'. | |||
| Slovak | deficit | ||
| "Deficit" comes from Latin verb "deficere" - to fail, to decrease. | |||
| Slovenian | primanjkljaj | ||
| The word "primanjkljaj" is derived from the verb "manjkati", meaning "to be missing" or "to lack". | |||
| Ukrainian | дефіцит | ||
| The word "дефіцит" comes from the Latin word "deficere", which means "to fail". | |||
Deficit in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ঘাটতি | ||
| ঘাটতি is cognate with 'ghat', meaning 'step' in Sanskrit, hence a 'fall' or 'lack' in quantity. | |||
| Gujarati | ખોટ | ||
| The word 'ખોટ' also means 'wrong,' 'incorrect,' or 'false,' reflecting its root meaning of 'lack' or 'shortfall.' | |||
| Hindi | घाटा | ||
| The word "घाटा" in Hindi derives from Sanskrit "हत," meaning "stolen," and "आ," meaning "to," indicating a loss or deficit. | |||
| Kannada | ಕೊರತೆ | ||
| In Kannada, "ಕೊರತೆ" can also mean "want", "lack", or "shortfall." | |||
| Malayalam | കമ്മി | ||
| The word "കമ്മി" comes from the root "കമ്", which means "to decrease" or "to become less." | |||
| Marathi | तूट | ||
| The word 'तूट' in Marathi can also mean 'breakage' or 'loss'. | |||
| Nepali | घाटा | ||
| "घाटा" is also a Nepali word for a 'pass' (mountain passage). | |||
| Punjabi | ਘਾਟਾ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හිඟය | ||
| The word හිඟය (higa) in Sinhala can also refer to a gap or a lack, not necessarily financial. | |||
| Tamil | பற்றாக்குறை | ||
| Telugu | లోటు | ||
| The Telugu word "లోటు" (deficit) also refers to a gap, lack, or shortage, and can be used in various contexts beyond economics. | |||
| Urdu | خسارہ | ||
| The word "خسارہ" (deficit) in Urdu is derived from an Arabic word meaning "loss or harm". | |||
Deficit in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 赤字 | ||
| 赤字, in Chinese, can also mean 'red characters' and is often used in accounting to signify a loss or deficit. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 赤字 | ||
| 赤字 can also mean "red ink" in a figurative sense, indicating a negative or unfavorable situation. | |||
| Japanese | 赤字 | ||
| In Japanese, the word "赤字" (akaji) literally translates to "red letter," referring to the red ink used to indicate negative balances in accounting. | |||
| Korean | 적자 | ||
| The word "적자" can also mean "red ink" or "loss" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | алдагдал | ||
| The word "алдагдал" (deficit) derives from the Mongolian verb "алдах" (to lose) and signifies a shortfall or difference. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | လိုငွေပြမှု | ||
Deficit in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | defisit | ||
| The Indonesian word "defisit" is derived from the English word "deficit". | |||
| Javanese | defisit | ||
| In Javanese, "defisit" is also a shortened form of the phrase "dewi langit sit" meaning "sky goddess"} | |||
| Khmer | ឱនភាព | ||
| The Khmer word for "deficit," ឱនភាព, can also be used to refer to a "shortfall" or "lack." | |||
| Lao | ການຂາດດຸນ | ||
| Malay | defisit | ||
| The Malay word 'defisit' is also used in Indonesian and Portuguese, and comes from the Latin 'deficit', meaning 'it lacks'. | |||
| Thai | การขาดดุล | ||
| The word "การขาดดุล" is derived from the Sanskrit word "कृषि-क्षय" (kshi- kshaya), meaning "loss of agriculture" or "famine". | |||
| Vietnamese | thiếu hụt hoặc khuyết | ||
| The term "deficit" comes from the Latin word "deficere", which means "to fail". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kakulangan | ||
Deficit in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | kəsir | ||
| "Kəsir" originates from Arabic, meaning "to be broken or incomplete". In Turkish, it also means "fraction". | |||
| Kazakh | тапшылық | ||
| The word "тапшылық" also means "shortage" or "inadequacy" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | тартыштык | ||
| The word "тартыштык" also means "insufficiency" or "shortage" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | каср | ||
| The word "каср" in Tajik also has the alternate meaning of "loss" or "failure."} | |||
| Turkmen | defisit | ||
| Uzbek | defitsit | ||
| The word "defitsit" is derived from the Latin word "deficere" meaning "to lack" or "to fall short". | |||
| Uyghur | قىزىل رەقەم | ||
Deficit in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | defisit | ||
| The word **deficit** in Hawaiian is "deficit". | |||
| Maori | takarepa | ||
| In the word "takarepa," the prefix "taka" refers to climbing, "re" refers to doing something in a way that is not correct, and "pa" means firm, therefore "takarepa" together can be understood as "something climbed up or done incorrectly, creating a deficit." | |||
| Samoan | paʻu | ||
| The word "paʻu" can also refer to a type of wrap-around skirt worn by Samoan women. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kakulangan | ||
| "Kakulangan" also means "lack" or "want" in Tagalog. | |||
Deficit in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | déficit ukax utjiwa | ||
| Guarani | déficit rehegua | ||
Deficit in International Languages
| Esperanto | deficito | ||
| "Deficito" is derived from the Latin "deficere," meaning "to fall short," and is related to the English "defect," meaning "a flaw or imperfection." | |||
| Latin | defectubus | ||
| "Defectus", a synonym of "deficit", means "a failure in supply" in Latin. | |||
Deficit in Others Languages
| Greek | έλλειμμα | ||
| The root ελλ- is shared with the verb ελλιπής ('to be wanting') and likely derives from the PIE root *welh₁- or *walh₁- ('to turn, move, go'). | |||
| Hmong | xam phaj | ||
| "Xam phaj" also means "shortage" or "lack" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | kêmî | ||
| Though the etymology of the word "kêmî" is unknown, it is hypothesized to originate from the Old Iranian word "kam", meaning "less". | |||
| Turkish | açık | ||
| "Açık" also means "obvious" in Turkish, which can have similar connotations to a "deficit" but with a more positive connotation implying clarity or transparency. | |||
| Xhosa | intsilelo | ||
| The Xhosa word 'intsilelo' can also mean 'shortfall', 'loss', or any kind of negative balance. | |||
| Yiddish | דעפיציט | ||
| The Yiddish word "דעפיציט" (deficit) is thought to be a borrowing from the French word "déficit", which in turn comes from the Latin word "deficere", meaning "to come apart" or "to fail". | |||
| Zulu | ukusilela | ||
| "Ukusila" means to cut or remove something, while "ukusilela" means to be lacking or deficient. | |||
| Assamese | ঘাটি | ||
| Aymara | déficit ukax utjiwa | ||
| Bhojpuri | घाटा के नुकसान भइल बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ޑެފިސިޓް | ||
| Dogri | घाटा हो गया | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kakulangan | ||
| Guarani | déficit rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | depisit ti bagina | ||
| Krio | dɛfisit we dɛn kin gɛt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کورتهێنان | ||
| Maithili | घाटा के | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯗꯦꯐꯤꯁꯤꯠ ꯂꯩꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | deficit a awm | ||
| Oromo | hanqina qabaachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ନିଅଣ୍ଟ | ||
| Quechua | déficit nisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | घातः | ||
| Tatar | дефицит | ||
| Tigrinya | ሕጽረት ምዃኑ’ዩ። | ||
| Tsonga | ku pfumaleka ka mali | ||