Difficult in Different Languages
Discover 'Difficult' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'difficult' is a common English term that holds great significance in our daily lives. It describes a situation, task, or concept that requires a significant amount of effort, skill, or perseverance to overcome. The cultural importance of this word is evident in various aspects of society, including education, business, and sports. Its usage transcends borders and cultures, making it a universal concept that people from all walks of life can relate to.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'difficult' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how other cultures perceive and approach challenges. For instance, the Spanish translation of 'difficult' is 'difícil,' while in French, it is 'difficile.' These translations not only reflect linguistic differences but also cultural nuances in how challenges are perceived and addressed.
So, whether you're a language learner looking to expand your vocabulary or a cultural enthusiast interested in understanding different perspectives, exploring the translations of 'difficult' can be a fascinating journey. In the following list, you'll find various translations of this word in different languages, shedding light on the diverse ways people around the world view and tackle challenges.
Difficult
Difficult in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | moeilik | ||
| "Moeilik" is derived from the Dutch word "moeilijk" meaning "difficult, troublesome, or hard to do" and is cognate with the English word "moiling" meaning "toiling, drudging, or labouring". | |||
| Amharic | አስቸጋሪ | ||
| The word ብፍረስ (difficult) is derived from the verb ሄላ ፍቀጳፋ ቅሐቆፋ which means to be stuck | |||
| Hausa | wuya | ||
| The word "wuya" can also mean "trouble" or "annoyance" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | siri ike | ||
| The Igbo word "siri ike" not only means "difficult" but also implies a sense of impossibility or insurmountable challenges. | |||
| Malagasy | sarotra | ||
| The word "sarotra" in Malagasy is derived from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian word "*saqat" meaning "difficult or heavy." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zovuta | ||
| "Zovuta" can also mean "serious" or "important" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | zvakaoma | ||
| The word "zvakaoma" in Shona has a complex etymology and can also mean "heavy" or "burdensome". | |||
| Somali | adag | ||
| The word "adag" can also refer to a "thick fog" or "difficulty" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | thatafala | ||
| The word 'thatafala' also translates to an expression of gratitude for a person who has assisted with a difficult matter. | |||
| Swahili | ngumu | ||
| The word "ngumu" also means "hard" in the context of hardness or rigidity. | |||
| Xhosa | kunzima | ||
| The word "kunzima" is derived from the Xhosa word "kunzima", which means "heavy". It can also be used to describe something that is difficult or challenging. | |||
| Yoruba | soro | ||
| The Yoruba word "soro" can also refer to "matters" or "issues". | |||
| Zulu | kunzima | ||
| The word "kunzima" derives from the root "nzi", meaning "hard" or "difficult", and is also related to the noun "inselele", meaning "trouble" or "hardship". | |||
| Bambara | gɛlɛnman | ||
| Ewe | sesẽ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | biragoye | ||
| Lingala | mpasi | ||
| Luganda | okukaluba | ||
| Sepedi | bothata | ||
| Twi (Akan) | den | ||
Difficult in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | صعب | ||
| The word "صعب" is also used to describe a steep or rugged path or a person with a strong character. | |||
| Hebrew | קָשֶׁה | ||
| The word 'קָשֶׁה' (difficult) has an additional meaning in Hebrew - hard, as in 'hard wood'. | |||
| Pashto | مشکل | ||
| مشکل ('difficult') is cognate with the Persian word مشکل ('difficulty'), both deriving from the Arabic word مشقة ('hardship'). | |||
| Arabic | صعب | ||
| The word "صعب" is also used to describe a steep or rugged path or a person with a strong character. | |||
Difficult in Western European Languages
| Albanian | e vështirë | ||
| The word 'vështirë' has two possible origins, meaning either 'weighty' or 'heavy' | |||
| Basque | zaila | ||
| The Basque word "zaila" can also mean "stubborn" or "obstinate". | |||
| Catalan | difícil | ||
| The Catalan word "difícil" is derived from the Latin word "difficilis" meaning 'full of difficulty'. | |||
| Croatian | teško | ||
| In addition to meaning 'difficult', 'teško' also means 'heavy' or 'weighty'. | |||
| Danish | svært | ||
| The word "svært" derives from the Old Norse word "svartr," meaning "black" or "dark." | |||
| Dutch | moeilijk | ||
| The etymology of "moeilijk" in Dutch is rooted in the word "moete," which means "effort," emphasizing its laborious nature. | |||
| English | difficult | ||
| The word "difficult" originates from the Latin word "difficilis," meaning "hard to do or accomplish." | |||
| French | difficile | ||
| The word 'difficile' is derived from the Latin word 'difficilis', which means 'hard to do' or 'troublesome', and also 'awkward', 'unfavorable', and 'hard to understand'. | |||
| Frisian | dreech | ||
| The word "dreech" comes from the Old Frisian word "dregghe", meaning "sad" or "bad weather". | |||
| Galician | difícil | ||
| The word "difícil" in Galician also refers to a specific type of musical composition based on a popular tune, similar to a "folía" or "foliada" | |||
| German | schwer | ||
| The word "schwer" is derived from the Middle High German word "swære" which also means "heavy". | |||
| Icelandic | erfitt | ||
| Erfitt shares the same root as afreitt, meaning "at ease" or "comfortable." | |||
| Irish | deacair | ||
| "Deacair," from Old Celtic "docaros", "bad, hard, unpleasant," is cognate to Welsh, Cornish & Breton forms meaning "bad." It's related to Proto-Indo-European "dus-", akin to Russian "dukh." It refers to something "morally difficult, not easily accomplished." | |||
| Italian | difficile | ||
| "Difficile" in Italian also means the anaerobic Gram-positive bacterium Clostridioides difficile. | |||
| Luxembourgish | schwéier | ||
| The etymology of "schwéier" is unknown, but it may be related to the Old High German word "swer","heavy". | |||
| Maltese | diffiċli | ||
| "Diffiċli" can also mean "hard" in a physical sense, like difficulty opening a door. | |||
| Norwegian | vanskelig | ||
| Vanskelig is derived from the Old Norse | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | difícil | ||
| The word "difícil" comes from the Latin word "difficilis," meaning "not easy". In Portuguese, it can also mean "hard" or "tough". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | duilich | ||
| The word 'duilich' originates from the Gaelic word 'do-fhaicil,' meaning 'not-easy'. | |||
| Spanish | difícil | ||
| The original meaning of "difícil" is not "difficult," but rather "not easy" or "requiring effort. | |||
| Swedish | svår | ||
| "Svår" is a cognate of the English word "severe" and the German word "schwer". | |||
| Welsh | anodd | ||
| While "anodd" mainly means "difficult" in Welsh, the word also means "wonderful" or implies "very". | |||
Difficult in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | складана | ||
| The word "складана" in Belarusian is derived from the verb "складаць", meaning "to fold" or "to put together", and can also refer to something that is "complicated" or "intricate". | |||
| Bosnian | teško | ||
| The word "teško" in Bosnian can also mean "heavy," "difficult to move," or "hard to bear." | |||
| Bulgarian | трудно | ||
| The word “трудно” in Bulgarian is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *trudъ (“hard work, difficulty”) and is related to the English words “trouble,” “travail,” “thrive,” “tribe,” “tribute,” “true,” “truce,” and “troop.” | |||
| Czech | obtížný | ||
| The Czech word "obtížný" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "obъtiščъni", meaning "burdened" or "oppressed". | |||
| Estonian | raske | ||
| This word is of Baltic origin and is related to the Lithuanian word "r?ksti", which means "to be hard, firm". | |||
| Finnish | vaikea | ||
| "Vaikea" also means "demanding, difficult to please, burdensome, hard to handle, complicated, intricate, complex, perplexing, puzzling, or mysterious." | |||
| Hungarian | nehéz | ||
| Nehéz shares roots with the word | |||
| Latvian | grūti | ||
| The Latvian word "grūti" originates from the Proto-Indo-European root "*greu-," meaning "heavy," and is related to Old Prussian "grūsis" and the Lithuanian word "gražus." | |||
| Lithuanian | sunku | ||
| Cognate with the Proto-Indo-European root *ḱwen-g- “to suffer” (also found in Latin angor “anguish, distress” and Sanskrit shákrah “powerful”) | |||
| Macedonian | тешко | ||
| "Тешко" can mean "difficult" or "heavy" in Macedonian, and is related to the word "тежина" (weight). | |||
| Polish | trudny | ||
| The word "trudny" in Polish also contains the idea of "lasting a long time" or "difficult to endure". | |||
| Romanian | dificil | ||
| The Romanian word "dificil" derives from the Latin "difficilis," meaning both "difficult" and "hard to handle." | |||
| Russian | трудно | ||
| The Russian word "трудно" is thought to be derived from the Proto-Slavic "trъdъ" meaning “hard” or “severe,” but also “expensive.” | |||
| Serbian | тешко | ||
| The word "тешко" in Serbian can also mean "heavy" or "arduous" and is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *tęgъ. | |||
| Slovak | ťažké | ||
| The word "ťažké" also means "heavy" in Slovak, reflecting the physical and mental effort involved in overcoming difficulty. | |||
| Slovenian | težko | ||
| The Slovenian word "težko" derives from the Proto-Slavic root "*těžъkъ", meaning "heavy" or "hard". | |||
| Ukrainian | важко | ||
| Meaning “hard to lift or carry” is also reflected in Polish word “ciężki,” with the same root and original meaning. | |||
Difficult in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কঠিন | ||
| "কঠিন" comes from the Sanskrit word "kaṭhina", meaning "hard", but it also carries the connotation of something being "uncomfortable" or "distasteful." | |||
| Gujarati | મુશ્કેલ | ||
| मुश्किल (mushkil) originates from the Persian word مشكل (mushkil), which means 'doubtful' or 'suspicious', and is related to the Arabic word مشكل (mushkil), which means 'difficult' or 'laborious'. | |||
| Hindi | कठिन | ||
| The word "कठिन" can also mean "hard" or "strong" in Hindi, and is related to the Sanskrit word "कटु" meaning "bitter" or "sharp." | |||
| Kannada | ಕಷ್ಟ | ||
| "ಕಷ್ಟ" (kaṣṭa) also refers to "suffering," "pain," "hardship," or "adversity" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടുള്ള | ||
| Marathi | कठीण | ||
| The word "कठीण" (difficult) is derived from the Sanskrit word "कठिन" (hard, solid), which also means "harsh" or "severe" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | गाह्रो | ||
| गाह्रो is derived from the Sanskrit word 'घोर' ('horrible'). It can also refer to a 'deep ravine' or a 'precipice'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਮੁਸ਼ਕਲ | ||
| "ਮੁਸ਼ਕਲ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "muṣka" meaning 'fist,' implying a tight or difficult situation analogous to that of a tightly clenched fist. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දුෂ්කර | ||
| The word 'දුෂ්කර' (duskara) is derived from Sanskrit and Pali and originally meant 'bad or evil action'. | |||
| Tamil | கடினம் | ||
| The word "கடினம்" (difficult) in Tamil also refers to "hardness" or "firmness" in the context of physical objects. | |||
| Telugu | కష్టం | ||
| The word 'కష్టం' can also refer to 'trouble', 'hardship', 'suffering', or 'pain'. | |||
| Urdu | مشکل | ||
| The word "مشکل" in Urdu is derived from the Arabic word "مشکل" (mushkil), which means "difficult, hard, or complicated." | |||
Difficult in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 难 | ||
| The character "难" derives from the pictograph of a woman with a child on her back, indicating hardship. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 難 | ||
| 難 originates as the representation of an adult hanging from a tree, a difficult feat. | |||
| Japanese | 難しい | ||
| The word "難しい" can also mean "mysterious" or "intricate". | |||
| Korean | 어려운 | ||
| "어려운" also means "unripe" or "unskillful". | |||
| Mongolian | хэцүү | ||
| "Хэцүү" also means "unlucky" or "bad luck" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ခက်ခဲသည် | ||
Difficult in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sulit | ||
| In some contexts, "sulit" can also mean "rare" or "scarce" | |||
| Javanese | angel | ||
| The word "angel" in Javanese also means "embarrassed" or "shy". | |||
| Khmer | ពិបាក | ||
| ពិបាក is derived from Sanskrit 'vibādha' (obstruction) referring to problems and obstacles that cause distress and hindrance. | |||
| Lao | ຫຍຸ້ງຍາກ | ||
| Malay | sukar | ||
| The word "sukar" is derived from the Sanskrit word "sukara" meaning "pig". | |||
| Thai | ยาก | ||
| The Thai word "ยาก" ('difficult') comes from Khmer យក ('to take') and refers to something that requires effort or exertion. | |||
| Vietnamese | khó khăn | ||
| Khó khăn is an onomatopoeia stemming from the word "khó" (dry) and "khăn" (towel), signifying a state of being "as dry as a towel". In certain contexts, it denotes a sense of "lacking" or "wanting" for something. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mahirap | ||
Difficult in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | çətindir | ||
| The word ''çətindir'' is derived from the Persian word ''cetin'', meaning ''strong'' or ''firm''. | |||
| Kazakh | қиын | ||
| "Қиын" also means "narrow" or "confined" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кыйын | ||
| Kyrgyz "кыйын" shares the same origin as the Turkish "kıvılcım" meaning "spark", suggesting a connection to the idea of difficulty being like a spark that ignites challenges or obstacles. | |||
| Tajik | мушкил | ||
| The word "мушкил" in Tajik is also used to refer to a type of facial mole.} | |||
| Turkmen | kyn | ||
| Uzbek | qiyin | ||
| The word "qiyin" also means "heavy" or "serious" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | قىيىن | ||
Difficult in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | paʻakikī | ||
| The Hawaiian word "paʻakikī" originally referred to a particular type of hard rock, but has come to be used figuratively to describe anything difficult. | |||
| Maori | uaua | ||
| The word "uaua" can also be used to describe something that is "difficult" or "challenging" in a physical or mental sense. | |||
| Samoan | faigata | ||
| Faigata has the literal translation of “too good” | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mahirap | ||
| The Tagalog word "mahirap" comes from the root word "hirap," which means "hardship" or "difficulty," and the prefix "ma-" which intensifies the meaning. | |||
Difficult in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ch'ama | ||
| Guarani | hasy | ||
Difficult in International Languages
| Esperanto | malfacila | ||
| The Esperanto word "malfacila" is derived from the Latin words "male" (badly) and "facilis" (easy), and also has the alternate meaning of "hard to do" or "difficult." | |||
| Latin | difficilis | ||
| "Difficilis" also has a meaning similar to the English "disagreeable". | |||
Difficult in Others Languages
| Greek | δύσκολος | ||
| The word "δύσκολος" comes from the Ancient Greek word "δυσ- ("bad") + κολος ("limb") and originally meant "crippled" or "lame" | |||
| Hmong | nyuaj | ||
| "Nyuaj" can also mean "hard to understand" or "difficult to solve." | |||
| Kurdish | asteng | ||
| The word "asteng" in Kurdish also means "narrow" or "tight". | |||
| Turkish | zor | ||
| The word "zor" in Turkish also means "must" or "force". | |||
| Xhosa | kunzima | ||
| The word "kunzima" is derived from the Xhosa word "kunzima", which means "heavy". It can also be used to describe something that is difficult or challenging. | |||
| Yiddish | שווער | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "difficult," "שווער" can also mean "heavy" or "serious" in Yiddish. | |||
| Zulu | kunzima | ||
| The word "kunzima" derives from the root "nzi", meaning "hard" or "difficult", and is also related to the noun "inselele", meaning "trouble" or "hardship". | |||
| Assamese | কঠিন | ||
| Aymara | ch'ama | ||
| Bhojpuri | अलटाह | ||
| Dhivehi | އުދަނގޫ | ||
| Dogri | औक्खा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mahirap | ||
| Guarani | hasy | ||
| Ilocano | narigat | ||
| Krio | nɔ kin izi | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سەخت | ||
| Maithili | कठिन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯔꯨꯕ | ||
| Mizo | harsa | ||
| Oromo | rakkisaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କଷ୍ଟକର | | ||
| Quechua | sasachakuy | ||
| Sanskrit | कठिनम् | ||
| Tatar | авыр | ||
| Tigrinya | ከቢድ | ||
| Tsonga | ku tika | ||