Difficulty in Different Languages
Discover 'Difficulty' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'difficulty' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, as it allows us to express the challenges and obstacles we face in our daily lives. Its cultural importance is evident in literature, where it's used to build tension and conflict, and in everyday conversations, where it helps us seek support and understanding. Understanding the translation of 'difficulty' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how other cultures perceive and address challenges.
For instance, the German word for difficulty, 'Schwierigkeit,' reflects the language's tendency towards compound nouns. Meanwhile, the Chinese translation, '难度 (nán dù),' highlights the language's unique character-based writing system. In Spanish, 'dificultad' shares the same root as 'dificil,' meaning difficult, showcasing the language's phonetic and contextual nature.
Below, you'll find a list of translations for 'difficulty' in various languages, providing a glimpse into the diverse ways cultures express and approach challenges.
Difficulty
Difficulty in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | moeilikheid | ||
| "Moeilikheid" ultimately derives from the Middle Dutch word "moeielijc" meaning "troublesome". | |||
| Amharic | ችግር | ||
| The word "ችግር" also means "obstacle" and "problem". | |||
| Hausa | wahala | ||
| The word "wahala" is a Hausa loanword in Fulani and several West African Pidgin languages. | |||
| Igbo | ihe isi ike | ||
| The Igbo phrase "ihe isi ike" can also refer to a complex or problematic situation, or a task that requires considerable effort. | |||
| Malagasy | fahasarotana | ||
| The word "fahasarotana" in Malagasy can also refer to a challenge or a trial. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zovuta | ||
| “Zovuta” derives from the verb "ku-zovutira", meaning "to cause difficulty or hardship." | |||
| Shona | kuoma | ||
| Shona word "kuoma" also means "failure to achieve" and "not having enough". | |||
| Somali | dhib | ||
| The word "dhib" in Somali can also refer to a "problem" or "obstacle". | |||
| Sesotho | thatafalloa | ||
| In Sesotho, "thatafalloa" can also refer to a complex situation or a challenging task. | |||
| Swahili | ugumu | ||
| 'Ugumu' is derived from the root word 'gumu', meaning 'to be heavy' or 'to be burdensome'. | |||
| Xhosa | ubunzima | ||
| The word "ubunzima" can also refer to a burden or weight carried by someone. | |||
| Yoruba | iṣoro | ||
| "Ìṣòrò" can also mean "problem" or "trouble" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | ubunzima | ||
| The Zulu word 'ubunzima' also refers to the quality or state of being sick. | |||
| Bambara | gɛlɛya | ||
| Ewe | sesẽ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ingorane | ||
| Lingala | mokakatano | ||
| Luganda | obuzibu | ||
| Sepedi | bothata | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɔhaw a ɛyɛ den | ||
Difficulty in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | صعوبة | ||
| The word "صعوبة" (difficulty) in Arabic is derived from the root "صعب" (hard) and can also mean "obstacle" or "problem". | |||
| Hebrew | קושי | ||
| The word "קושי" (kōšî) can mean "difficulty," "hardness," or "trouble," and is related to the root "כוש" (khūš), meaning "to be hard" or "to be difficult." | |||
| Pashto | مشکل | ||
| The word "مشکل" is also used in Pashto to describe a "knot" or "complication". | |||
| Arabic | صعوبة | ||
| The word "صعوبة" (difficulty) in Arabic is derived from the root "صعب" (hard) and can also mean "obstacle" or "problem". | |||
Difficulty in Western European Languages
| Albanian | vështirësi | ||
| "Vështirësi" is derived from the Proto-Albanian root *wēšter-, which also means "heavy". | |||
| Basque | zailtasuna | ||
| The Basque word "zailtasuna" is derived from the verb "zaildu" (to become difficult) and the suffix "-tasun" (quality or state). | |||
| Catalan | dificultat | ||
| The word "dificultat" in Catalan is often misspelled due to confusion with the word "dificil" from French. | |||
| Croatian | poteškoća | ||
| The Croatian word "poteškoća" is derived from the verb "potjecati", meaning "to originate", and can also refer to "lineage" or "origin" in some contexts. | |||
| Danish | vanskelighed | ||
| "Vanskelighed" is based on the Danish word "vanske" meaning "to lack, or be lacking in" and related to the Norwegian word "vansk" meaning "in a poor condition". | |||
| Dutch | moeilijkheid | ||
| Moeilijkheid (difficulty) is derived from the Middle Dutch term 'moejelijc' meaning 'troublesome'. | |||
| English | difficulty | ||
| "Difficulty" derives from French "difficulté" and Latin "difficultas," implying "hard to do" and "hard to please." | |||
| French | difficulté | ||
| Difficile, meaning "difficult" in French, originates from the Latin "difficilis" meaning "hard to do" or "not easy". | |||
| Frisian | swierrichheid | ||
| "Swierrrichheid" is related to the Old Norse word "svirr", meaning "to wander". | |||
| Galician | dificultade | ||
| The word "dificultade" in Galician also means "defect" or "lack of something." | |||
| German | schwierigkeit | ||
| In Middle High German, "schwerigkeit" referred to a burden or weight, and in Old High German, it meant "seriousness" or "weightiness." | |||
| Icelandic | erfiðleikar | ||
| The word "erfiðleikar" also means "labor" or "toil" in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | deacracht | ||
| The word 'deacracht' derives from the Irish word 'deacair,' meaning 'difficult' or 'hard.' | |||
| Italian | difficoltà | ||
| "Difficoltà" in Italian comes from the Latin word "difficultas," which means "hard to do". It can also mean "hardship," "trouble," or "distress." | |||
| Luxembourgish | schwieregkeeten | ||
| Despite the word's German origin, its meaning in Luxembourgish is more akin to the French "difficulté" than the German "Schwierigkeit". | |||
| Maltese | diffikultà | ||
| The Maltese word "diffikultà" is derived from the Italian word "difficoltà", which in turn comes from the Latin word "difficultas", meaning "hard to do". | |||
| Norwegian | vanskelighet | ||
| "Vanskelighet" is cognate with the German "Beschwerlichkeit" (troublesomeness) and the Dutch "bemoeilijking" (impediment). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | dificuldade | ||
| The Portuguese word "dificuldade" originated from the Latin word "difficultas", meaning "hardship" or "obstruction." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | duilgheadas | ||
| Duilgheadas derives from the Gaelic word 'duilg' meaning 'pain' or 'sorrow'. | |||
| Spanish | dificultad | ||
| The Spanish word "dificultad" comes from the Latin word "difficultas," which means "difficulty, hardship, or trouble." | |||
| Swedish | svårighet | ||
| "Svår" means "difficult" but also "pain" and has historical ties to the verb "svära", meaning "to curse". | |||
| Welsh | anhawster | ||
| Some speculate that the word comes from the verb "anhawu" meaning to "deny" or "refuse" because it implies resistance to change or hardship. | |||
Difficulty in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | складанасць | ||
| Bosnian | poteškoća | ||
| The word "poteškoća" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *těškъ, meaning "heavy" or "burdensome." | |||
| Bulgarian | трудност | ||
| The word "трудност" (trudnost) is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "trudъ" (trud), meaning "toil" or "hardship". | |||
| Czech | obtížnost | ||
| The word "obtížnost" can also mean "hardship" or "trouble" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | raskused | ||
| 'Raske' (difficult) in Estonian originates from the word for 'burden,' while 'raskused' (difficulties) comes from the same root, meaning 'burdened.' | |||
| Finnish | vaikeus | ||
| The word "vaikeus" likely originates from the Proto-Finno-Ugric root *wāke- (“to be heavy”) and is related to the Estonian word "vaev" ("effort, trouble"). | |||
| Hungarian | nehézség | ||
| The word "nehézség" can also refer to "weight" or "heaviness" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | grūtības | ||
| "Grūtības" can also refer to the process or act of getting into a difficult or uncomfortable situation or state. | |||
| Lithuanian | sunkumų | ||
| The word "sunkumų" in Lithuanian originates from the word "sunki", meaning "heavy". | |||
| Macedonian | тешкотија | ||
| The word "тешкотија" in Macedonian derives from the Old Church Slavonic word "тѧжькъ", meaning "heavy". It also has the alternate meaning of "oppression" or "hardship". | |||
| Polish | trudność | ||
| The word 'trudność' is derived from the Slavic root '*trudь*', meaning 'trouble', and is related to the Slovak 'trúd' and Czech 'trud'. | |||
| Romanian | dificultate | ||
| Dificultate shares the same Indo-European root (PIE *dus-) with Latin "dubitare" (to doubt) and Albanian "dyshim" (difficulty) | |||
| Russian | трудность | ||
| "Трудность" is derived from the word "труд" (work), so it literally means "hard work". | |||
| Serbian | тешкоћа | ||
| The Serbian word "тешкоћа" also means "burden" or "affliction" and is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *tęgъ, meaning "heavy" or "difficult". | |||
| Slovak | obtiažnosť | ||
| The word "obtiažnosť" derives from the root "ťažiť", meaning to be heavy or arduous. | |||
| Slovenian | težavnost | ||
| Slovene 'težavnost' is cognate with Sanskrit 'duskara', an adjective meaning 'difficult', 'hard to perform'. | |||
| Ukrainian | складність | ||
| Слово «складність» походить від давньослов’янського «складнъ», що означає «складений, складний» або «зв’язаний, ув’язнений» | |||
Difficulty in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অসুবিধা | ||
| The word "অসুবিধা" (difficulty) is derived from the Sanskrit word "सुविधा" (facility), with the prefix "अ" (not) added to it. | |||
| Gujarati | મુશ્કેલી | ||
| The word "મુશ્કેલી" is derived from the Arabic word "mushkil", meaning "difficult". | |||
| Hindi | कठिनाई | ||
| The word "कठिनाई" is derived from the Sanskrit word "कठिन" which means "hard" or "difficult". | |||
| Kannada | ತೊಂದರೆ | ||
| "ತೊಂದರೆ" (difficulty) comes from the root "ತುಂದ" (to be broken) and literally means "the state of being broken or disrupted." | |||
| Malayalam | ബുദ്ധിമുട്ട് | ||
| The word "ബുദ്ധിമുട്ട്" is derived from the Sanskrit words "बुद्धि" (intellect) and "मुक्ति" (release), suggesting that overcoming difficulties requires intellectual effort and liberation. | |||
| Marathi | अडचण | ||
| In Marathi, "अडचण" also refers to an obstacle or an inconvenience. | |||
| Nepali | कठिनाई | ||
| The word "कठिनाई" can also refer to a difficult person or situation. | |||
| Punjabi | ਮੁਸ਼ਕਲ | ||
| The word 'ਮੁਸ਼ਕਲ' has its roots in Sanskrit and also means 'a small problem or issue'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අපහසුතාව | ||
| Tamil | சிரமம் | ||
| The word "சிரமம்" in Tamil has a root meaning of "toil or exertion" and can also refer to "pain or suffering" | |||
| Telugu | కష్టం | ||
| కష్టం (difficulty) is derived from the Sanskrit word "kaṣṭa" meaning "pain", "suffering", or "hardship." | |||
| Urdu | مشکل | ||
| The word "problem" is derived from the Greek word "problema," which means "an obstacle or difficulty." | |||
Difficulty in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 困难 | ||
| The word 困难 (kùnnán) is composed of the character 困 (kùn), meaning "to be trapped" or "to be in a difficult situation," and the character 难 (nán), meaning "difficult" or "hard to do." | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 困難 | ||
| "困難" can also refer to "obstacles", "adversity", or "disaster". | |||
| Japanese | 困難 | ||
| In Japanese, "困難" can also refer to poverty or hardship. | |||
| Korean | 어려움 | ||
| The word "어려움" can also refer to a difficult situation or a hardship. | |||
| Mongolian | бэрхшээл | ||
| Бэрхшээл shares its etymology with the Mongolian word бэрх "hard, difficult" and with the Russian word берёза "birch". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အခက်အခဲ | ||
Difficulty in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kesulitan | ||
| Kesulitan derives from the Proto-Austronesian word *kasulidan, meaning 'utility,' with the prefix ke- indicating that the word is a noun. | |||
| Javanese | kangelan | ||
| Kangelan, in Javanese, refers to the difficulty of overcoming hardship or a specific task. | |||
| Khmer | ការលំបាក | ||
| Lao | ຄວາມຫຍຸ້ງຍາກ | ||
| Malay | kesukaran | ||
| "Kesukaran" is derived from the Javanese word "sukar" meaning "hard" or "difficult". | |||
| Thai | ความยาก | ||
| The Thai word "ความยาก" ("difficulty") comes from the Pali word "dhamma" meaning "quality". In Thai, it can also mean "hardness" or "toughness". | |||
| Vietnamese | khó khăn | ||
| The word "khó khăn" in Vietnamese originates from Middle Chinese and originally meant "suffering" or "hardship." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kahirapan | ||
Difficulty in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | çətinlik | ||
| The word "çətinlik" is derived from the Persian word "Çətin", meaning "hard" or "difficult". | |||
| Kazakh | қиындық | ||
| The Kazakh word "қиындық" is derived from the verb "қиынду" which means "to become difficult" or "to get into a difficult position". | |||
| Kyrgyz | кыйынчылык | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "кыйынчылык" ("difficulty") comes from the verb "кыйналуу" ("to suffer") and means literally "the condition of being in difficulty". | |||
| Tajik | душворӣ | ||
| The word "душворӣ" in Tajik can also mean "hardship", "problem", or "obstacle". | |||
| Turkmen | kynçylyk | ||
| Uzbek | qiyinchilik | ||
| The word "qiyinchilik" comes from the Arabic word "qayyun," which means "fixed" or "firm," and the suffix "-chilik," which indicates a state or quality. | |||
| Uyghur | قىيىنچىلىق | ||
Difficulty in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pilikia | ||
| The word 'pilikia' is also used to describe an unexpected guest who shows up in the middle of a family celebration.} | |||
| Maori | uaua | ||
| The Maori word "uaua" can be decomposed into "u" (to) and "aua" (to suffer or endure) or "wawa" (to twist or entangle). Its alternate meaning in Polynesian languages such as Samoan and Hawaiian is "heavy" or "hard". | |||
| Samoan | faigata | ||
| The word "faigata" also means "mountain pass" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | hirap | ||
| The Tagalog word "hirap" (difficulty) is related to the Malay "susah" which also means difficulty. | |||
Difficulty in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ch’amawa | ||
| Guarani | apañuãi | ||
Difficulty in International Languages
| Esperanto | malfacileco | ||
| The word "malfacileco" (difficulty) in Esperanto is derived from the Latin words "male" (badly) and "facilis" (easy). | |||
| Latin | difficultas | ||
| In Medieval Latin, "difficultas" also meant "an objection," especially a legal one. | |||
Difficulty in Others Languages
| Greek | δυσκολία | ||
| δυσκολία derives from the Greek word "δύσκολος" meaning "difficult" or "unpleasant". | |||
| Hmong | teeb meem | ||
| Teeb meem can also mean 'puzzle' or 'problem' | |||
| Kurdish | astengî | ||
| The word "astengî" in Kurdish can also mean "hardship", "pain" or "suffering". | |||
| Turkish | zorluk | ||
| The word 'zorluk' can also mean 'toughness' or 'strength' in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | ubunzima | ||
| The word "ubunzima" can also refer to a burden or weight carried by someone. | |||
| Yiddish | שוועריקייט | ||
| "שוועריקייט" also means "hardship, ordeal" and comes from the Yiddish "שוער" - "difficulty" or "hardship", which in turn originates from the German "schwer" or Old High German "swêri" - "grievous, hard, difficult". | |||
| Zulu | ubunzima | ||
| The Zulu word 'ubunzima' also refers to the quality or state of being sick. | |||
| Assamese | অসুবিধা | ||
| Aymara | ch’amawa | ||
| Bhojpuri | कठिनाई के सामना करे के पड़ेला | ||
| Dhivehi | ދަތިކަމެވެ | ||
| Dogri | कठिनाई | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kahirapan | ||
| Guarani | apañuãi | ||
| Ilocano | rigat | ||
| Krio | i nɔ kin izi fɔ du am | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سەختی | ||
| Maithili | कठिनाई | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯋꯥꯕꯥ ꯊꯣꯀꯄꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | harsatna a awm | ||
| Oromo | rakkina | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅସୁବିଧା | ||
| Quechua | sasachakuy | ||
| Sanskrit | कठिनता | ||
| Tatar | кыенлык | ||
| Tigrinya | ጸገም ምዃኑ’ዩ። | ||
| Tsonga | ku tika | ||