Deny in Different Languages
Discover 'Deny' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'deny' carries a significant weight in our daily conversations and written communications. To deny something is to refuse to accept its truth or existence, a powerful act that can lead to conflict, resolution, or deeper understanding. This simple word has played a crucial role in shaping our cultural narratives, from literature and film to politics and law.
Throughout history, deny has been used in various contexts, from Shakespeare's famous line
Deny
Deny in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | ontken | ||
| The Afrikaans word "ontken" originates from the Dutch "ontkennen" and shares its meaning of "deny", but also has a broader sense of "refuse" or "reject". | |||
| Amharic | መካድ | ||
| The word መካድ in Amharic can also refer to 'avoiding obstacles'. | |||
| Hausa | ƙaryatãwa | ||
| The word "ƙaryatãwa" can also mean "to withhold" or "to refuse" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | gọnahụ | ||
| The word "gọnahụ" can also mean "to refuse" or "to reject" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | handà | ||
| The Malagasy word "handà" also means "hinder", "prevent", or "obstruct". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kukana | ||
| The word "kukana" in Nyanja (Chichewa) can also mean "to refuse" or "to decline". | |||
| Shona | kuramba | ||
| The Shona word "kuramba" can also mean "hide" or "conceal". | |||
| Somali | diidi | ||
| `Diidi` is the negation particle in Somali, used for the present or future tense. | |||
| Sesotho | hana | ||
| In some dialects, "hana" can also refer to "to refrain" or "to forbid." | |||
| Swahili | kanusha | ||
| The word "kanusha" also means "refuse" and may be related to the root "kan" (to withstand). | |||
| Xhosa | khanyela | ||
| The word 'khanyela' is also used in the phrase 'ukukhanyela umoya', which means 'to mock the spirit'. | |||
| Yoruba | sẹ | ||
| The Yoruba verb "sẹ" can also mean "refuse", "disagree", or "contradict." | |||
| Zulu | ukuphika | ||
| The word 'ukuphika' in Zulu can also refer to 'covering' or 'concealing' something from view. | |||
| Bambara | ka dalacɛ | ||
| Ewe | xe mᴐ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | guhakana | ||
| Lingala | kopekisa | ||
| Luganda | okweegaana | ||
| Sepedi | gana | ||
| Twi (Akan) | si kwan | ||
Deny in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أنكر | ||
| The word "أنكر" in Arabic originally meant "to be hard" and "to reject". | |||
| Hebrew | לְהַכּחִישׁ | ||
| The Hebrew word "לְהַכּחִישׁ" can also mean "to be disappointed" or "to be ashamed." | |||
| Pashto | رد کول | ||
| The word "رد کول" can also mean "to dismiss" or "to reject" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | أنكر | ||
| The word "أنكر" in Arabic originally meant "to be hard" and "to reject". | |||
Deny in Western European Languages
| Albanian | mohoj | ||
| The word "mohoj" in Albanian, meaning "deny," has roots in the Proto-Indo-European root *meh₂-, indicating "measure" or "calculate." | |||
| Basque | ukatu | ||
| This verb can also mean 'forbid, prohibit, prevent'. | |||
| Catalan | negar | ||
| The Catalan word "negar" also means "to submerge" and derives from the Vulgar Latin "negare" (to deny) and the Latin "nigrāre" (to blacken). | |||
| Croatian | poricati | ||
| The verb 'poricati' also means 'to give birth' in Croatian, sharing a root with the noun 'porod' (birth). | |||
| Danish | nægte | ||
| The word "nægte" is derived from the Old Norse word "neikta" meaning "to refuse" or "to say no". | |||
| Dutch | ontkennen | ||
| In Middle Dutch the verb "ontkennen" meant to not know something and only later on adopted the meaning "to deny something". | |||
| English | deny | ||
| Etymology: From Old French denier, from Latin denegare "to refuse" related to negare "to say no". | |||
| French | nier | ||
| The word "Nier" in French can also mean "to blacken" or "to tarnish". | |||
| Frisian | ûntkenne | ||
| The word ûntkenne can also mean 'to ignore' or 'to refuse'. | |||
| Galician | negar | ||
| The Galician word "negar" has the same Indo-European root as the English word "neighbor". | |||
| German | verweigern | ||
| The word "verweigern" can also mean to refrain from something, especially an action or request. | |||
| Icelandic | neita | ||
| Neita, meaning "deny" in Icelandic, is derived from the Old Norse word "neita," meaning "to refuse" or "to deny, | |||
| Irish | shéanadh | ||
| Sheanadh translates to "deny" and also means "to shun, refuse, or reject". | |||
| Italian | negare | ||
| The word 'negare' also means 'to not want' or 'to refuse' in Italian. | |||
| Luxembourgish | ofstreiden | ||
| Its Middle High German cognates `verstriden` and `verstricken` convey the semantic nuances of | |||
| Maltese | tiċħad | ||
| The Maltese word "tiċħad" is derived from the Arabic word "jaḥad" which means "to deny" or "to renounce". | |||
| Norwegian | benekte | ||
| The Norwegian word "benekte" also means "contradict" or "disprove". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | negar | ||
| The word negar derives from the Latin "negare", whose other meanings include "say no," "refuse," and "forbid." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | àicheadh | ||
| Àicheadh is derived from the Old Irish word "aithchedd," meaning "to refuse, deny, or reject." | |||
| Spanish | negar | ||
| Negar also means "to refuse" or "to contradict". | |||
| Swedish | förneka | ||
| The word "förneka" in Swedish stems from the Old Norse word "fornækta," meaning "to refuse, disown, or deny." | |||
| Welsh | gwadu | ||
| The Welsh word "gwadu" can also mean "renounce" or "refuse". | |||
Deny in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | адмаўляць | ||
| The word "адмаўляць" can also mean "to refuse" or "to decline" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | poricati | ||
| "Poricati" is of Slavic origin and its root "por" also appears in the word "poreklo" (origin). | |||
| Bulgarian | отричам | ||
| The word "отричам" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "отрещи", meaning to renounce or reject. | |||
| Czech | odmítnout | ||
| The word "odmítnout" can also mean "to refuse" or "to reject" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | eitada | ||
| Eitata is a verb that means "to deny" in Estonian. It comes from the Proto-Finnic word "*eitada", which also meant "to deny". The word is related to the Finnish word "eittää", which has the same meaning. | |||
| Finnish | kieltää | ||
| "Kieltää" also means "to forbid". The word "kielto" is related and it means "prohibition" or "ban". | |||
| Hungarian | tagadni | ||
| "Tagadni" also means "to refuse, to decline, to reject, to contradict" | |||
| Latvian | noliegt | ||
| Latvian "noliegt" derives from "liegen" (German: to lie), and means "to deny," "to refuse," or "to oppose." | |||
| Lithuanian | neigti | ||
| "Neigti" is also used to refer to the act of refusing to accept something as true or valid. | |||
| Macedonian | негира | ||
| The Macedonian word "негира" is ultimately derived from the Greek prefix "neg-" (negating, opposing, refusing), meaning "негација" (negation) | |||
| Polish | zaprzeczać | ||
| The verb "zaprzeczać" comes from the Proto-Slavic verb "*prěti/*pirti", meaning "to fight", "to oppose". | |||
| Romanian | nega | ||
| The Romanian word "nega" derives from Slavic, where its original meaning was "to scold" or "to speak out against". | |||
| Russian | отказываться от | ||
| The verb "отказываться от" can also mean "to give up" or "to decline". | |||
| Serbian | негирати | ||
| "Негирати" comes from Latin negare and originally meant "to decline to accept," though in modern Serbian it usually just means "to deny." | |||
| Slovak | poprieť | ||
| Pôvod slova pochádza zo slovesa „prať‟, čo znamenalo popierať v starom českom práve. | |||
| Slovenian | zanikati | ||
| "Zanikati" also means "disappear" in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | заперечувати | ||
| The Ukrainian word "заперечувати" is derived from the Old Slavic verb "prěti" (to argue, to deny), which is also the origin of the Russian word "спорить" (to argue). | |||
Deny in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অস্বীকার | ||
| In ancient times the term 'অস্বীকার' was often applied for refusing food and drinks during religious rituals and later it began to be more commonly employed in its present connotation. | |||
| Gujarati | નામંજૂર | ||
| The word "નામંજૂર" comes from the Persian word "nam-anjuman" meaning "disapproved" or "dismissed". | |||
| Hindi | मना | ||
| The Hindi word 'मना' ('mana') may also refer to 'forbidding', 'prohibiting', or 'opposing' something or someone. | |||
| Kannada | ನಿರಾಕರಿಸು | ||
| The word "ನಿರಾಕರಿಸು" can also mean to refuse, reject, or disavow something. | |||
| Malayalam | നിഷേധിക്കുക | ||
| Marathi | नाकारणे | ||
| The word "नाकारणे" ("deny") is cognate with the Hindi word "नाकरना"} | |||
| Nepali | अस्वीकार | ||
| The Nepali word "अस्वीकार" is cognate with the Sanskrit "asvi-kr-noti" meaning "to cause (someone) not to be or do (something)". In ancient Sanskrit it could also mean 'not to accept as a guest'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਇਨਕਾਰ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ප්රතික්ෂේප කරන්න | ||
| Tamil | மறுக்க | ||
| In Tamil, the word "மறுக்க" can also mean "to reject", "to refuse", or "to disapprove of". | |||
| Telugu | తిరస్కరించండి | ||
| Urdu | انکار | ||
| In addition to its meaning as "to deny," the Urdu word "انکار" (inkār) can also refer to "disavowal," "repudiation," or "disbelief." | |||
Deny in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 拒绝 | ||
| "拒绝" also means "give up" and "reject" in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 拒絕 | ||
| In Ancient Chinese, the word 拒絕 means 'block a guest from entering', and is a combination of the characters 拒 (to resist) and 絕 (to cut off). | |||
| Japanese | 拒否する | ||
| It comes from the Old Japanese words "ko" (refuse) and "fu" (not), which are also the root of the word "kofusu". This word originally meant "to reject" but gained its modern meaning during the Edo period. | |||
| Korean | 부정하다 | ||
| 부정하다 can also mean 'unjust' or 'dishonest' | |||
| Mongolian | үгүйсгэх | ||
| The word "үгүйсгэх" can also mean "to refuse" or "to reject". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ငြင်း | ||
Deny in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | menyangkal | ||
| The word "menyangkal" also means "to counteract or to nullify" in the context of a substance or effect. | |||
| Javanese | nolak | ||
| 'Nolak' is a slang which comes from 'menolak' | |||
| Khmer | បដិសេធ | ||
| The word "បដិសេធ" derives from the Sanskrit word "pratiṣedha" which also means "denial" or "rejection". | |||
| Lao | ປະຕິເສດ | ||
| Malay | menafikan | ||
| The word "menafikan" in Malay also signifies "contradicting" or "invalidating" something. | |||
| Thai | ปฏิเสธ | ||
| ปฏิเสธ ('deny') shares the same root as the word 'ปฏิ' ('against') | |||
| Vietnamese | phủ nhận | ||
| The word "phủ nhận" in Vietnamese can also mean "negate" or "reject". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tanggihan | ||
Deny in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | inkar et | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "inkar et" ("deny") is used in legal contexts to refer to "denial of guilt" | |||
| Kazakh | жоққа шығару | ||
| Kyrgyz | тануу | ||
| The word "тануу" in Kyrgyz also means "recognise" or "admit". | |||
| Tajik | инкор кардан | ||
| The word "инкор кардан" may also refer to the concept of preventing or resisting. | |||
| Turkmen | inkär et | ||
| Uzbek | rad etish | ||
| The word "rad etish" in Uzbek can also mean "to be untrue" or "to be false" | |||
| Uyghur | رەت قىلىش | ||
Deny in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoole | ||
| In the 'Ōlelo No'eau 4515, “hoo” means "to go and tell someone"} | |||
| Maori | whakakahore | ||
| The Maori phrase "whakakahore" is also used to describe the act of rejecting or opposing something. | |||
| Samoan | faafitia | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "deny," the Samoan word "faafitia" can also mean "disallow," "forbid," or "refuse permission." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tanggihan | ||
| The word 'tanggihan' originally meant 'to refuse' and could also refer to a type of defensive sword play. | |||
Deny in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | janiw saña | ||
| Guarani | mbotove | ||
Deny in International Languages
| Esperanto | nei | ||
| "Nei" is also the root of some words like "neanto" ("nothing") and "neiista" ("pessimist"). | |||
| Latin | negare | ||
| Negare also means "to postpone," "to decline," or "to refrain" in Latin. | |||
Deny in Others Languages
| Greek | αρνούμαι | ||
| "αρνούμαι" also means "refuse","decline","disown" and "renounce" | |||
| Hmong | tsis lees | ||
| In Hmong, the word “tsis lees” can also refer to a refusal to accept something as true or to recognize something as legitimate. | |||
| Kurdish | înkarkirin | ||
| The Kurdish word 'înkarkirin' is derived from the Persian word 'انکار کردن' (inkār kardan), which also means 'to deny' or 'to refuse'. | |||
| Turkish | reddetmek | ||
| "Reddetmek" is etymologically related to "ret etmek", which literally translates as "to give something in turn", hence meaning "to deny, refuse". | |||
| Xhosa | khanyela | ||
| The word 'khanyela' is also used in the phrase 'ukukhanyela umoya', which means 'to mock the spirit'. | |||
| Yiddish | לייקענען | ||
| The verb "לייקענען" in Yiddish can also mean "to refuse", "to reject", "to deny", "to disown", "to disclaim", or "to renounce". | |||
| Zulu | ukuphika | ||
| The word 'ukuphika' in Zulu can also refer to 'covering' or 'concealing' something from view. | |||
| Assamese | প্ৰত্যাখ্যান কৰা | ||
| Aymara | janiw saña | ||
| Bhojpuri | मना | ||
| Dhivehi | ދޮގުކުރުން | ||
| Dogri | मनाही | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tanggihan | ||
| Guarani | mbotove | ||
| Ilocano | ilibak | ||
| Krio | dinay | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نکۆڵی کردن | ||
| Maithili | मना करनाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯌꯥꯅꯤꯡꯗꯕ | ||
| Mizo | hnawl | ||
| Oromo | ganuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅସ୍ୱୀକାର କର | | ||
| Quechua | mana uyakuy | ||
| Sanskrit | अपह्नुते | ||
| Tatar | инкарь | ||
| Tigrinya | ምኽሓድ | ||
| Tsonga | ala | ||