Disease in Different Languages
Discover 'Disease' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Disease is a significant and universal aspect of the human experience, affecting individuals, communities, and cultures worldwide. Its impact is not limited to physical health but also extends to social, economic, and psychological realms. The study of disease in different languages is crucial to understanding cultural nuances and historical contexts associated with health and illness.
For instance, the English term 'disease' comes from the Old French 'desaise', meaning 'lack of ease' or 'discomfort'. In contrast, the German word 'Krankheit' combines 'Krank', meaning 'sick', and 'heit', meaning 'state' or 'condition'. Similarly, the Spanish word 'enfermedad' stems from 'enfermo', meaning 'sick', and 'dad', meaning 'process' or 'condition'. These translations not only reflect linguistic differences but also offer insights into cultural perceptions of illness and healing.
Explore the various translations of disease in different languages and deepen your appreciation for the rich tapestry of human culture and experience.
Disease
Disease in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | siekte | ||
| The Afrikaans word "siekte" is derived from the Dutch "ziekte" and also has the archaic meaning of "sin". | |||
| Amharic | በሽታ | ||
| The word "በሽታ" also has alternate meanings such as "damage" and "harm." | |||
| Hausa | cuta | ||
| In Hausa, the word "cuta" can refer to a specific illness or to any disease, ailment, or sickness in general. | |||
| Igbo | ọrịa | ||
| In addition to "disease," "ọrịa" may also mean "curse" or "punishment" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | aretina | ||
| "Aretina" is derived from the Arabic word "`ariytha," which translates to "illness" or "pain." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | matenda | ||
| The word "matenda" comes from the proto-Bantu root "-tend-," meaning "to suffer". | |||
| Shona | chirwere | ||
| The word 'chirwere' can also refer to a specific illness, such as malaria or HIV/AIDS. | |||
| Somali | cudur | ||
| The word "cudur" in Somali originates from the Arabic word "suqr" meaning "drunkenness" or "madness". | |||
| Sesotho | boloetse | ||
| The word "Boloetse" in Sesotho also refers to "sickness" or "illness". | |||
| Swahili | ugonjwa | ||
| "Ugonjwa" is also a term used to describe a "bad thing" or "trouble" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | isifo | ||
| Isifó can also refer to the 'heart' in Xhosa, connecting illness to 'matters of the heart'. | |||
| Yoruba | aisan | ||
| In Yoruba, the word "aisan" not only means "disease" but also refers to "a state of weakness or vulnerability" and can be used to describe both physical and mental ailments. | |||
| Zulu | isifo | ||
| 'Isifo' also refers to 'a kind of sorcery' and 'a certain kind of grass'. | |||
| Bambara | bana | ||
| Ewe | dᴐléle | ||
| Kinyarwanda | indwara | ||
| Lingala | bokono | ||
| Luganda | ekilwadde | ||
| Sepedi | bolwetši | ||
| Twi (Akan) | yareɛ | ||
Disease in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مرض | ||
| The word "مرض" (disease) originally meant "wound" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | מַחֲלָה | ||
| The term derives from the verb חָלָה ('to be sick'), and its literal meaning is both illness and praise. | |||
| Pashto | ناروغي | ||
| The Pashto word "ناروغي" can also mean "weakness" or "pain". | |||
| Arabic | مرض | ||
| The word "مرض" (disease) originally meant "wound" in Arabic. | |||
Disease in Western European Languages
| Albanian | sëmundje | ||
| The word "sëmundje" in Albanian is derived from the Proto-Albanian word *sëmundja, meaning "illness" or "sickness" | |||
| Basque | gaixotasuna | ||
| The word "gaixotasuna" also means "bad luck" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | malaltia | ||
| The word "malaltia" comes from the Latin word "malus," meaning "bad," and the suffix "-ia," meaning "condition." | |||
| Croatian | bolest | ||
| The Croatian word "bolest" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*bolędь", which means "pain" or "suffering". | |||
| Danish | sygdom | ||
| The word 'sygdom' is derived from the Old Norse words 'sjúkr', meaning 'ill', and 'dómr', meaning 'judgment' or 'condition'. This suggests that in the past, illness was seen as a form of divine punishment or a sign of being out of favor with the gods. | |||
| Dutch | ziekte | ||
| Dutch 'ziekte' shares an etymological ancestor with German 'Sucht' and English 'sickness', all referring to an 'affliction' or 'sickness'. | |||
| English | disease | ||
| The word "disease" derives from the Old French "desaise", meaning "discomfort" or "uneasiness", and ultimately from the Latin "dis-agium", meaning "lack of ease". | |||
| French | maladie | ||
| The word 'maladie' comes from the Latin word 'male' meaning 'bad' and 'adire' meaning 'to approach', hence 'maladie' means 'something that approaches badly'. | |||
| Frisian | sykte | ||
| In the Saterland Frisian language, the word | |||
| Galician | enfermidade | ||
| The word 'enfermidade' in Galician comes from the Latin 'infirmitas', which means 'weakness' or 'illness'. | |||
| German | krankheit | ||
| The word "Krankheit" is derived from the Middle High German word "krenken", meaning "to cause pain" or "to make ill". | |||
| Icelandic | sjúkdómur | ||
| Sjúkdómur (disease) literally translates to "bad-feeling" and is cognate with the English word "sick". | |||
| Irish | galar | ||
| The Irish word 'galar' also refers to a curse and is cognate with Welsh 'gwaelod', meaning 'bottom or base'. | |||
| Italian | patologia | ||
| Derived from the Greek words "pathos" (suffering) and "logos" (discourse), "patologia" in Italian refers to the study of disease and its causes. | |||
| Luxembourgish | krankheet | ||
| Maltese | marda | ||
| Although most often used in reference to physical diseases, "marda" can also be used to describe psychological or moral illnesses. | |||
| Norwegian | sykdom | ||
| 'Sykdom' is derived from the Old Norse word 'sjúkr,' meaning 'suffering' or 'illness,' and is related to the English word 'sick'. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | doença | ||
| "Doença" (disease) comes from Latin "dolentia" (pain, suffering, illness). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | galair | ||
| The word 'galair' also means 'a foreign affliction' in Scots Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | enfermedad | ||
| The Spanish word "enfermedad" comes from the Latin word "infirmitas" meaning "weakness" or "lack of strength". | |||
| Swedish | sjukdom | ||
| The word "sjukdom" derives from the Old Norse word "sjúkr," meaning "weak" or "ill." | |||
| Welsh | afiechyd | ||
| The Welsh word "afiechyd" is derived from the Proto-Celtic root *swed, meaning "to swell". | |||
Disease in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | хвароба | ||
| The Belarusian word "хвароба" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root "*chorvati", which also means "to die" or "to be ill" | |||
| Bosnian | bolest | ||
| The word 'bolest' can also mean 'suffer' or 'agony' in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | болест | ||
| The word "болест" (disease) in Bulgarian is derived from the Old Slavic word "bolest" meaning "pain" or "suffering". | |||
| Czech | choroba | ||
| The word "choroba" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*chorъ", meaning "weakness" or "sickness". | |||
| Estonian | haigus | ||
| The word "haigus" may be derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*kaidh-", meaning "to suffer" or "to burn". | |||
| Finnish | tauti | ||
| In Karelian, the word "tauti" can also refer to a "bad habit" or "bad luck". | |||
| Hungarian | betegség | ||
| Etymologically, the Hungarian word "betegség" is derived from the Slavic word "bolest", meaning "pain", and also shares a common root with the word "fájdalom" ("pain"). | |||
| Latvian | slimība | ||
| "Slimība" is rooted in an old Indo-European word meaning "weak, crooked, bent," like "slippery" | |||
| Lithuanian | liga | ||
| The word "liga" is derived from the Proto-Balto-Slavic root "leig-," meaning "to stick." | |||
| Macedonian | болест | ||
| The Macedonian word "болест" comes from the Proto-Slavic root *boljь-, meaning "pain" or "sickness", and is also the root of words for "pain" in various other Slavic languages. | |||
| Polish | choroba | ||
| "Choroba" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*korba", meaning "punishment, torment". | |||
| Romanian | boală | ||
| In Romanian, the word "boală" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "bolje" meaning "illness, pain, or grief". | |||
| Russian | болезнь | ||
| The word "болезнь" is derived from the verb "болеть", meaning "to suffer", and originally referred to any form of physical or mental distress. | |||
| Serbian | болест | ||
| Болест derives from a Slavic root that originally meant 'pain,' and is cognate to the Latin 'dolor.' | |||
| Slovak | choroba | ||
| "Choroba" can also mean "lack" or "shortage" in older Slovak texts. | |||
| Slovenian | bolezen | ||
| "Bolezen" also means "pain" in Slovenian, coming from the Proto-Slavic "bol". | |||
| Ukrainian | захворювання | ||
| "Захворювання" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "захворѣти", meaning "to get sick." | |||
Disease in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | রোগ | ||
| The word "রোগ" can also mean "sorrow" or "affliction" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | રોગ | ||
| The Gujarati word "રોગ" also has an alternate meaning of "fault" or "mistake". | |||
| Hindi | रोग | ||
| The word "रोग" (roga) is derived from the Sanskrit root "रुज्" (ruj), meaning "to break" or "to be afflicted". | |||
| Kannada | ರೋಗ | ||
| ರೋಗ also means "fault" or "mistake". | |||
| Malayalam | രോഗം | ||
| The word "രോഗം" originally meant "affliction" or "trouble" and also had the connotation of "sin". | |||
| Marathi | आजार | ||
| The word "आजार" in Marathi may also refer to suffering, hardship, or physical discomfort | |||
| Nepali | रोग | ||
| The Nepali word रोग (“disease”) is derived from the Sanskrit root *rug* meaning “to break” and is related to the English words “rupture” and “rupture”. It can also refer to mental illness, suffering, pain, and trouble. | |||
| Punjabi | ਬਿਮਾਰੀ | ||
| The word "ਬਿਮਾਰੀ" (disease) is derived from the Sanskrit word "व्याधि" (vyadhi), meaning "disorder, disease, or sickness". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | රෝගය | ||
| The Sinhalese word "රෝගය" (disease) is derived from the Sanskrit word "roga", meaning "affliction" or "pain." | |||
| Tamil | நோய் | ||
| The word "நோய்" can also refer to "sickness" or "illness". | |||
| Telugu | వ్యాధి | ||
| The word "వ్యాధి" is derived from the Sanskrit word "व्याधि" (vyādhi), which means "illness, disease, or ailment". | |||
| Urdu | بیماری | ||
| The Urdu word "بیماری" originates from the Persian word "bimār" and also denotes the concept of "sickness" and "illness". | |||
Disease in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 疾病 | ||
| "疾病" comes from two characters: "疾" (fast, urgent) and "病" (illness). It implies a rapidly developing illness. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 疾病 | ||
| "疾" means "quickly" and "病" means "sickness", so "疾病" originally refers to a disease that develops rapidly. | |||
| Japanese | 疾患 | ||
| 疾患 can also mean illness, morbidity, or disorder. | |||
| Korean | 질병 | ||
| The Korean word 질병 (disease) etymologically means "difficulty" or "trouble," and can also refer to "affliction" or "sickness." | |||
| Mongolian | өвчин | ||
| In Mongolian, the word "өвчин" can also mean "injury" or "wound". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရောဂါ | ||
| The word "ရောဂါ" in Myanmar (Burmese) has been derived from Pali and Prakrit and is used in the context of health and illness. | |||
Disease in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | penyakit | ||
| The Indonesian word "penyakit" originates from the Proto-Austronesian word "*kasakit", meaning "pain" or "suffering". | |||
| Javanese | penyakit | ||
| In Javanese, the word “penyakit” not only refers to physical ailments but also to societal or environmental imbalances. | |||
| Khmer | ជំងឺ | ||
| The Khmer word "ជំងឺ" can also mean "weakness" or "ailment". | |||
| Lao | ພະຍາດ | ||
| The term "ພະຍາດ" also refers to "afflictions" or "sufferings" in a broader sense, such as poverty, war, or other misfortunes. | |||
| Malay | penyakit | ||
| The word "penyakit" is derived from the Malay word "sakit", meaning "pain" or "illness", and the prefix "pen-", indicating a condition or state. | |||
| Thai | โรค | ||
| The Thai word "โรค" (disease) is cognate with Pali's "roga", which refers to affliction or sickness. | |||
| Vietnamese | bệnh | ||
| The word 'bệnh' can also mean a mental illness or defect, or a chronic ailment. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sakit | ||
Disease in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | xəstəlik | ||
| "Xəstəlik" comes from the Persian "xasta", meaning "sick", and the Turkic suffix "-lik", meaning "state of being." | |||
| Kazakh | ауру | ||
| "Ауру" also means "pain, suffering, sorrow" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | оору | ||
| The verb ‘оору’ is sometimes used to describe a non-physical malady, in the sense of ‘to suffer’, often used with ‘жүрөк’ (heart) as in ‘жүрөгү ооруп жүрөм,’ which would literally mean ‘my heart suffers’ but translates as ‘I’m very sad’. | |||
| Tajik | беморӣ | ||
| It is also used to refer to a state of ill health or discomfort. | |||
| Turkmen | kesel | ||
| Uzbek | kasallik | ||
| There is a homophone "Kasallik" in the Uzbek language, which means "skill, ability" | |||
| Uyghur | كېسەل | ||
Disease in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | maʻi | ||
| The term maʻi, meaning disease in Hawaiian, also refers to a spiritual affliction which can cause physical illness. | |||
| Maori | mate | ||
| "Mate" in Maori also means "friend" or "spouse," implying illness may stem from negative relationships. | |||
| Samoan | faʻamaʻi | ||
| The Samoan word "faʻamaʻi", meaning "disease", also has the connotation of "something that causes hardship or distress." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sakit | ||
| Sakit (disease) originated from the Tagalog word "sakit" meaning "pain" and is also an umbrella term for physical and mental illness. | |||
Disease in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | usu | ||
| Guarani | mba'asy | ||
Disease in International Languages
| Esperanto | malsano | ||
| It is cognate to the English word "malignant". | |||
| Latin | morbus | ||
| The word "morbus" in Latin can also mean "character defect" or "fault". | |||
Disease in Others Languages
| Greek | νόσος | ||
| The term "νόσος" can also refer to "sickness" or "illness" in Greek, and is related to the word "νάσος" (island) due to the historical perception of disease as something foreign that invades the body like an island. | |||
| Hmong | kab mob | ||
| The word "kab mob" is actually a reduplicated form of the word "mob" meaning "to hurt". | |||
| Kurdish | nexweşî | ||
| "Nexweşî" is a Kurdish word that can also mean "suffering", "pain", or "misery". | |||
| Turkish | hastalık | ||
| In Turkish, the word "hastalık" can also refer to "pain". | |||
| Xhosa | isifo | ||
| Isifó can also refer to the 'heart' in Xhosa, connecting illness to 'matters of the heart'. | |||
| Yiddish | קרענק | ||
| The Yiddish word 'קרענק' is likely derived from the German word 'Krankheit', meaning 'illness' or 'disease'. | |||
| Zulu | isifo | ||
| 'Isifo' also refers to 'a kind of sorcery' and 'a certain kind of grass'. | |||
| Assamese | ৰোগ | ||
| Aymara | usu | ||
| Bhojpuri | बेमारी | ||
| Dhivehi | ބަލި | ||
| Dogri | बमारी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sakit | ||
| Guarani | mba'asy | ||
| Ilocano | sakit | ||
| Krio | sik | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نەخۆشی | ||
| Maithili | रोग | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯥꯏꯅ | ||
| Mizo | natna | ||
| Oromo | dhukkuba | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ରୋଗ | ||
| Quechua | unquy | ||
| Sanskrit | रोगः | ||
| Tatar | авыру | ||
| Tigrinya | ሕማም | ||
| Tsonga | vuvabyi | ||