Divorce in Different Languages
Discover 'Divorce' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Divorce, a legal dissolution of a marriage, is a significant and often complex process that holds cultural importance across the globe. Its impact reaches far beyond the courtroom, influencing societal norms, personal relationships, and even laws. Understanding the translation of divorce in different languages can offer valuable insights into various cultures and legal systems. For instance, the French term for divorce is 'divorce,' while in Spanish, it's 'divorcio.' In Germany, 'Scheidung' is the word used, and in Japan, 'rikon' is the term for divorce.
Moreover, exploring the evolution of divorce terminology can reveal fascinating historical contexts. For example, the ancient Romans used the term 'divortium' to describe divorce, while in medieval Europe, divorce was largely nonexistent due to the influence of the Catholic Church. Instead, annulments were granted, essentially declaring the marriage void from the beginning.
Join us as we delve deeper into the translations of divorce in different languages, providing a unique perspective on global cultures and traditions.
Divorce
Divorce in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | egskeiding | ||
| The Afrikaans word "egskeiding" derives from the Dutch word "echtscheiding", which refers to the legal separation of a couple. | |||
| Amharic | ፍቺ | ||
| The word "ፍቺ" can also refer to the concept of separation or disconnection in a wider sense. | |||
| Hausa | kashe aure | ||
| "Kashe aure" in Hausa literally translates to "breaking away from marriage". | |||
| Igbo | ịgba alụkwaghịm | ||
| Igbo people used to use "ịnwepụkwa agwa" because divorce wasn't recognized by traditional Igbo values. | |||
| Malagasy | fisaraham-panambadiana | ||
| The Malagasy word "fisaraham-panambadiana" literally translates to "the act of dividing and reuniting," reflecting the concept of reconciliation after a separation. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chisudzulo | ||
| The word 'chisudzulo' in Nyanja (Chichewa) does not have alternate meanings and has a direct etymology from the verb 'kusudzula' ("to separate"). | |||
| Shona | kurambana | ||
| The Shona word 'kurambana' can also refer to the act of separating something, such as two pieces of cloth. | |||
| Somali | furiin | ||
| Somali word "furiin" likely derives from Arabic "firaaq" and can also mean "to separate". | |||
| Sesotho | tlhalo | ||
| The word "tlhalo" is related to the word "hala" which means "to abandon" or "to leave". | |||
| Swahili | talaka | ||
| "Talaka" is derived from the Arabic word "talaq", meaning "repudiation" or "release". | |||
| Xhosa | uqhawulo-mtshato | ||
| In Xhosa the word 'uqhawulo-mtshato' has a literal meaning of 'cutting from marriage'. | |||
| Yoruba | ikọsilẹ | ||
| The word “ikọsilẹ” can also mean “the act of separating” in Yoruba, not just divorce. | |||
| Zulu | isehlukaniso | ||
| The word "isehlukaniso" also means "separation" or "disengagement" in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | furusa | ||
| Ewe | srɔgbegbe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gutandukana | ||
| Lingala | koboma libala | ||
| Luganda | okugattululwa mu bufumbo | ||
| Sepedi | hlala | ||
| Twi (Akan) | awaregyaeɛ | ||
Divorce in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الطلاق | ||
| "الطلاق" in Arabic means 'unbinding' or 'release', and is used in the context of marriage dissolution. | |||
| Hebrew | לְהִתְגַרֵשׁ | ||
| The Hebrew word "לְהִתְגַרֵשׁ" (lit. "to be banished") also means to divorce, a usage first attested in Biblical Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | طلاق | ||
| The Pashto word "طلاق" also means "separation" or "disagreement". | |||
| Arabic | الطلاق | ||
| "الطلاق" in Arabic means 'unbinding' or 'release', and is used in the context of marriage dissolution. | |||
Divorce in Western European Languages
| Albanian | divorci | ||
| The word "divorci" in Albanian is derived from the Latin word "divortium", which refers to a separation or departure. | |||
| Basque | dibortzioa | ||
| The word "dibortzio" in Basque comes from the Latin word "divortium", which means "parting of the ways." | |||
| Catalan | divorci | ||
| In Catalan, "divorci" also means a "boundary" or "division," stemming from its Latin root "divortium." | |||
| Croatian | razvod | ||
| In Croatian, 'razvod' can also refer to a specific type of fish known as the 'divorce fish'. | |||
| Danish | skilsmisse | ||
| In Old Norse, "skilsmisse" meant "separation" or "partition". | |||
| Dutch | scheiden | ||
| The Dutch word "scheiden" also means "to separate" or "to come apart". | |||
| English | divorce | ||
| The word "divorce" stems from the Latin term "divortium," meaning a point of water where two streams separate. | |||
| French | divorce | ||
| In French, "divorce" can also refer to the separation of a married couple without legally dissolving the marriage. | |||
| Frisian | skieding | ||
| Skeiding (divorce) originated from the verb 'to cut, to separate' (skiede); in Old Frisian sked (boundary or border). | |||
| Galician | divorcio | ||
| The Galician word "divorcio" comes from the Latin word "divortium", which means "a parting of the ways". | |||
| German | scheidung | ||
| In German, the word "Scheidung" also refers to partitions in physics and chemistry, and legal differentiations. | |||
| Icelandic | skilnaður | ||
| Skilnaður derives from the Old Norse word skilja, meaning 'to separate'. In the 18th century, the word acquired its legal meaning. | |||
| Irish | colscaradh | ||
| The word "colscaradh" in Irish originally meant "a parting of the ways". | |||
| Italian | divorzio | ||
| The Italian word "divorzio" comes from the Latin word "divortium", meaning "separation". | |||
| Luxembourgish | scheedung | ||
| In Luxembourgish, the word "Scheedung" originates from the Old French word "eschedier" which meant "to remove something". | |||
| Maltese | divorzju | ||
| The term "divorzju" is derived from the Italian word "divorzio" and refers to the termination of a marriage and legal obligations, as opposed to "separazzjoni" (separation). | |||
| Norwegian | skilsmisse | ||
| The word "skilsmisse" is derived from the Old Norse word "skilja," meaning "to separate" or "to part ways." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | divórcio | ||
| In Portuguese, "divórcio" originally meant "separation" or "detachment" before being used to refer to the legal dissolution of a marriage. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | sgaradh-pòsaidh | ||
| The term "sgaradh-pòsaidh" is a relatively recent development in Gaelic, emerging in the 19th century following the arrival of the civil divorce courts in Scotland. | |||
| Spanish | divorcio | ||
| The word "divorcio" in Spanish comes from the Latin word "divortium", which means "a parting of the ways" or "a separation". | |||
| Swedish | äktenskapsskillnad | ||
| The Swedish word "äktenskapsskillnad" literally means "marriage difference". | |||
| Welsh | ysgariad | ||
| The Old Irish word 'escaraid' means 'a separation' or 'estrangement', deriving from the Latin 'ex caritate', meaning “to depart from love”. | |||
Divorce in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | развод | ||
| The Belarusian word "развод" can also mean "flood" or "divorce". | |||
| Bosnian | razvod | ||
| In addition to "divorce" in Serbo-Croatian, "razvod" carries the meanings "separation (of waters)" and "boundary". | |||
| Bulgarian | развод | ||
| The Bulgarian word "развод" (divorce) also refers to a type of military formation or parade. | |||
| Czech | rozvod | ||
| Rozvod in Czech can also refer to "junction", "parting of ways", or "crossroads". | |||
| Estonian | lahutus | ||
| "Lahutus" can also refer to something being separated from an ensemble, like clothes, hair strands, or a flock of birds. | |||
| Finnish | avioero | ||
| The word avioero is derived from Latin 'avis' ('bird') and Old Norse 'era' ('honor'), and originally meant to 'remove honor' and was used when banishing someone. | |||
| Hungarian | válás | ||
| The word "válás" in Hungarian is derived from the verb "vál", meaning "to become", and denotes a legal dissolution of marriage. | |||
| Latvian | šķiršanās | ||
| The term "šķiršanās" originates from the Old Slavonic word "sъkriti" or "sъkryti" and primarily denotes "separation" or "dispersal". | |||
| Lithuanian | skyrybos | ||
| Lithuanian "skyrybos" shares an etymology with "skirti," meaning "to separate or part" | |||
| Macedonian | развод | ||
| The word "развод" can also mean "waterway" or "parting of the waters" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | rozwód | ||
| In Polish, "rozwód" comes from the verb "rozwieść," meaning "to separate" or "to part ways. | |||
| Romanian | divorț | ||
| ''Divorț'' also means ''divorce'' in French, and it derives from the Latin verb ''divortere'', meaning "to separate", "to turn away". | |||
| Russian | расторжение брака | ||
| The Russian word "расторжение брака" derives from the verb "расторгать" meaning "to terminate" and the noun "брак" meaning "matrimony". | |||
| Serbian | развод | ||
| "Развод" also means "drain" and is related to the verb "razvoditi", which means "to breed". | |||
| Slovak | rozvod | ||
| The Slovak word "rozvod" originally meant "distribution", implying a fair and equitable division of assets between the spouses. | |||
| Slovenian | ločitev | ||
| The Slovenian word "ločitev" derives from the Proto-Slavic root *lǫčiti, meaning "to separate" or "to differentiate." | |||
| Ukrainian | розлучення | ||
| "Ро́злучення" means "divorce" in Ukrainian and is related to the word "лучати" meaning "to connect". | |||
Divorce in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিবাহবিচ্ছেদ | ||
| The Bengali word "বিবাহবিচ্ছেদ" also refers to the severance of any relationship between entities or parties, not just a marriage. | |||
| Gujarati | છૂટાછેડા | ||
| Hindi | तलाक | ||
| तलाक (talaak) is derived from the Arabic word طلاق (talaq), meaning "to untie" or "to release". It is also used in other languages, such as Persian, Turkish, and Urdu, to refer to the dissolution of a marriage. | |||
| Kannada | ವಿಚ್ orce ೇದನ | ||
| The word ವಿಚ್ಚೇದನ "divorce" is derived from the Sanskrit word विच्छेदन, which means "separation or disunion". | |||
| Malayalam | വിവാഹമോചനം | ||
| The word 'വിവാഹമോചനം' (divorce) in Malayalam means 'the dissolution of marriage ties' and derives from the Sanskrit words 'vivaha' (marriage) and 'mochana' (release). | |||
| Marathi | घटस्फोट | ||
| The term "घटस्फोट" in Marathi literally translates to "the bursting of a pitcher," which implies the breaking of a bond or union. | |||
| Nepali | सम्बन्धविच्छेद | ||
| The word "सम्बन्धविच्छेद" (divorce) literally translates to "separation of relations" in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਤਲਾਕ | ||
| The word 'ਤਲਾਕ' may have originated from the Sanskrit word 'त्रितर्क' (tritarka), meaning 'tripartite' or 'a division into three parts'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දික්කසාදය | ||
| The word derives from the Sanskrit language and literally means 'separation, partition or division'. | |||
| Tamil | விவாகரத்து | ||
| The word "விவாகரத்து" originated from Sanskrit and it also means "separation" or "disconnection". | |||
| Telugu | విడాకులు | ||
| విడాకులు (viḍākuḷu) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'vi-dakshina,' which means 'separation of hands,' referring to the parting of ways between spouses. | |||
| Urdu | طلاق | ||
| The word "طلاق" (talaq) is derived from the Arabic word "talaqa", which means "to release" or "to set free." | |||
Divorce in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 离婚 | ||
| 离婚 (líhūn) is used in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore; it literally means 'li=leave/separate' and 'hun=marriage'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 離婚 | ||
| The term 離婚 literally means "dividing away," implying the separation of two spouses. | |||
| Japanese | 離婚 | ||
| The word 離婚 (rikon) literally means "leaving a marriage" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 이혼 | ||
| The Korean word "이혼" is derived from the Chinese idiom "離婚" (líhūn), which also means "divorce". | |||
| Mongolian | салалт | ||
| The Mongolian word "салалт" can be used to refer to different things, including a split or break in a relationship or a gap in time or space. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကွာရှင်းခြင်း | ||
| In Burmese, 'kwāshin' is a Burmese word derived from 'kwā', meaning 'to separate', and 'shin', meaning 'body' or 'person', literally "separation of two persons'. | |||
Divorce in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | perceraian | ||
| The Indonesian word "perceraian" is derived from the Sanskrit "vi" meaning "to separate" and "cheda" meaning "to cut off." | |||
| Javanese | pegatan | ||
| The word "pegatan" is derived from the Javanese word "pegat", meaning "to break" or "to separate" and the suffix "-an", which indicates a nominalization. | |||
| Khmer | លែងលះ | ||
| The term "លែងលះ" can also mean "separate" or "to be apart" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ການຢ່າຮ້າງ | ||
| Malay | perceraian | ||
| Perceraian comes from the Indonesian word 'cerai' with the addition of the prefix 'per-' and the suffix '-an', meaning 'the act of separating'. | |||
| Thai | หย่า | ||
| The word "หย่า" can also refer to the act of separating from a spouse or partner, or the state of being separated. | |||
| Vietnamese | ly hôn | ||
| The word "ly hôn" in Vietnamese can also refer to a "separation" or "dissociation" from something or someone. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | diborsyo | ||
Divorce in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | boşanma | ||
| The word "boşanma" also means "separation" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | ажырасу | ||
| The word "ажырасу" in Kazakh also means "separation" or "disintegration". | |||
| Kyrgyz | ажырашуу | ||
| The term "ажырашуу" is also used in legal contexts beyond the dissolution of marriage, including separation of property or a business. | |||
| Tajik | талоқ | ||
| The Tajik word "талоқ" has an alternative meaning as "to renounce, repudiate". | |||
| Turkmen | aýrylyşmak | ||
| Uzbek | ajralish | ||
| The Uzbek word "ajralish" also refers to a "parting" or a "separation" in a more general sense. | |||
| Uyghur | ئاجرىشىش | ||
Divorce in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hemo male | ||
| The term "hemo male" is a portmanteau of the Hawaiian words "hemo" - to separate - and "male" - the male gender and can also refer to male divorce and a person who initiates or demands a separation from their spouse (male or female.) | |||
| Maori | whakarere | ||
| "Whakarere" can also refer to separating food for several people, or sharing something between or among several people. | |||
| Samoan | teteʻa | ||
| Teteʻa derives from the Proto-Polynesian *teteka and can also refer to "separate" or "be distant" (rather than just "divorce") in other Samoan dialects. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | hiwalayan | ||
| Hiwalayan can also mean 'to separate', 'to part', or 'to be separated'. | |||
Divorce in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jaljtaña | ||
| Guarani | jopoi | ||
Divorce in International Languages
| Esperanto | eksedziĝo | ||
| Eksedziĝo is also the name of a short Esperanto opera by William Auld composed in 1950. | |||
| Latin | repudium | ||
| The Latin word "repudium" originally meant "rejection of goods" or "rejection of marriage" in ancient Rome. | |||
Divorce in Others Languages
| Greek | διαζύγιο | ||
| "Διαζύγιο" comes from the Greek "διαζευγνύω", which means "to separate" or "to break apart"} | |||
| Hmong | sib nrauj | ||
| The Hmong word "sib nrauj" is also used to describe the separation of two objects, such as a broken chain or a torn piece of paper. | |||
| Kurdish | telaqdanî | ||
| The term "telaqdanî" in Kurdish is derived from the Arabic word "talaq," which means "repudiation" or "divorce". | |||
| Turkish | boşanma | ||
| In Turkish, the word "boşanma" literally means "becoming empty" and can also refer to the end of a contract or agreement. | |||
| Xhosa | uqhawulo-mtshato | ||
| In Xhosa the word 'uqhawulo-mtshato' has a literal meaning of 'cutting from marriage'. | |||
| Yiddish | גט | ||
| "Get" also means the ritual Jewish document of divorce or separation between husband and wife. | |||
| Zulu | isehlukaniso | ||
| The word "isehlukaniso" also means "separation" or "disengagement" in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | বিবাহ বিচ্ছেদ | ||
| Aymara | jaljtaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | तलाक | ||
| Dhivehi | ވަރި | ||
| Dogri | तलाक | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | diborsyo | ||
| Guarani | jopoi | ||
| Ilocano | panagsina | ||
| Krio | dayvɔs | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | جیابوونەوە | ||
| Maithili | तलाक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯥꯏꯅꯕ | ||
| Mizo | inthen | ||
| Oromo | wal hiikuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଛାଡପତ୍ର | ||
| Quechua | rakinakuy | ||
| Sanskrit | संबंध-विच्छेदं | ||
| Tatar | аерылышу | ||
| Tigrinya | ፍትሕ | ||
| Tsonga | thalana | ||