Doubt in Different Languages
Discover 'Doubt' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Doubt is a powerful and significant word, expressing uncertainty or lack of conviction in one's beliefs, ideas, or decisions. It plays a crucial role in shaping our perspectives and driving us to seek truth and knowledge. Throughout history, famous thinkers, philosophers, and scientists have grappled with doubt, often using it as a catalyst for great discoveries and advancements.
Culturally, the concept of doubt has been explored in various art forms, including literature, music, and films. From Shakespeare's Hamlet to modern-day cinema, doubt serves as a powerful narrative tool, sparking curiosity and engaging audiences worldwide. Moreover, understanding the nuances of doubt in different languages can enrich our cross-cultural communication and foster empathy.
For instance, the French express doubt as 'doute,' while the Germans use 'Zweifel.' In Spanish, doubt is 'duda,' and in Japanese, it's ' Utagai.' These translations not only reflect linguistic diversity but also highlight the universality of the human experience.
In this article, we delve into the fascinating world of doubt in different languages, exploring how various cultures grapple with uncertainty and ambiguity.
Doubt
Doubt in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | twyfel | ||
| The Afrikaans word "twyfel" is etymologically related to the Dutch word "twijfel," and its literal meaning is "double belief" | |||
| Amharic | ጥርጣሬ | ||
| "ጥርጣሬ" comes from the verb "ጠራጠር", meaning "to be anxious" or "to be suspicious". | |||
| Hausa | shakka | ||
| The word shakka can also mean 'argument' or 'reason'. | |||
| Igbo | enwe obi abụọ | ||
| Malagasy | azo antoka | ||
| Though "Azo antoka" means "doubt" in Malagasy, it literally translates to "to have two minds". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kukaikira | ||
| The word 'kukaikira' can also mean 'to hesitate' or 'to be uncertain'. | |||
| Shona | kusava nechokwadi | ||
| The Shona word "kusava nechokwadi" is also used to describe a lack of certainty or faith in something. | |||
| Somali | shaki | ||
| The Somali word shaki is a cognate of shauku in Swahili, both meaning 'doubt'. | |||
| Sesotho | pelaelo | ||
| Pelaelo is also used to describe a person who is shy or timid. | |||
| Swahili | shaka | ||
| The word 'shaka' in Swahili can also mean 'suspicion' or 'uncertainty'. | |||
| Xhosa | mathandabuzo | ||
| The word 'mathandabuzo' can also mean 'suspicion' or 'uncertainty'. | |||
| Yoruba | iyemeji | ||
| The Yoruba word 'iyemeji' also means 'coincidence' and derives from the root word 'iye', which means 'mother'. | |||
| Zulu | ukungabaza | ||
| The Zulu word "ukungabaza" can also refer to a state of uncertainty or skepticism. | |||
| Bambara | sigasiga | ||
| Ewe | ɖikeke | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gushidikanya | ||
| Lingala | ntembe | ||
| Luganda | okubuusabuusa | ||
| Sepedi | doubt | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nnye nni | ||
Doubt in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | شك | ||
| In Arabic, "شك" (shakk) also means "to suspect something" or "to be uncertain about something". | |||
| Hebrew | ספק | ||
| In Hebrew, "ספק" ('doubt') can also refer to "indecisiveness" or a "quantity or amount that is uncertain or indefinite." | |||
| Pashto | شک | ||
| "شک" (doubt) derives from Sanskrit "शंक" and also means "suspicion" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | شك | ||
| In Arabic, "شك" (shakk) also means "to suspect something" or "to be uncertain about something". | |||
Doubt in Western European Languages
| Albanian | dyshim | ||
| Dyshim is also believed to derive from the Greek word `δισταγμός` (distagmos) which means "wavering" and also the Latin word `dubium` which means "doubt". | |||
| Basque | zalantza | ||
| The Basque word “zalantza” also means “weight” or “balance” as well as “doubt”. | |||
| Catalan | dubte | ||
| Dubte can also mean "pause" in literary or musical contexts, which derives from its Latin origin "dubitare" | |||
| Croatian | sumnjati | ||
| In Croatian, "sumnjati" also means "to suspect" and comes from the Proto-Slavic word "sumъ", meaning "thought" or "idea". | |||
| Danish | tvivl | ||
| The Danish word "tvivl" is related to the German word "zweifeln" and the English word "doubt", all deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root *dwei- "to be uncertain". | |||
| Dutch | twijfel | ||
| The word "twijfel" ("doubt") also means "double fold" or "twofold" in Dutch. | |||
| English | doubt | ||
| The word "doubt" derives from the Old French word "doute" and the Latin word "dubitare," meaning "to hesitate" or "to fear. | |||
| French | doute | ||
| In Middle French, "doute" also meant a matter to be judged, a dispute or quarrel | |||
| Frisian | twivel | ||
| The Frisian word "twivel" can also mean a double-headed axe. | |||
| Galician | dúbida | ||
| The Galician word “dúbida” originates from the Latin verb “dubitare”, meaning to doubt or waver, and is cognate with the English word “dubious”. | |||
| German | zweifel | ||
| The word "Zweifel" in German derives from Old High German "zwivalôn" and also means "to divide" or "to separate." | |||
| Icelandic | efi | ||
| In addition to meaning "doubt," "efi" can also mean "uncertainty" or "indecision" in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | amhras | ||
| The word "amhras" is also an archaic noun meaning "difficulty", akin to the Welsh word "ammhryd" (difficulty). | |||
| Italian | dubbio | ||
| The word "dubbio" also means "indecision" or "uncertainty". | |||
| Luxembourgish | zweiwel | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Zweiwel" is likely derived from the Old High German word "zwival", which means "branching". The term thus not only denotes a state of uncertainty, but also refers to a fork in the road where one has to make a decision. | |||
| Maltese | dubju | ||
| "Dubju" is a Maltese word that has its roots in the Arabic word "shubha," meaning "suspicion" or "uncertainty." | |||
| Norwegian | tvil | ||
| The word "tvil" in Norwegian also means "twist" or "spin", reflecting the idea of mental uncertainty.} | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | dúvida | ||
| The word "dúvida" comes from the Latin word "dubitare", meaning "to waver" or "to hesitate". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | teagamh | ||
| Scots Gaelic 'teagamh' can also mean 'opinion', 'belief' and 'expectation', and is possibly a corruption of 'dearmadh', meaning 'regard'. | |||
| Spanish | duda | ||
| In Spanish, the word "duda" not only means doubt but also a coin toss and a unit of measurement equivalent to 12 units of something. | |||
| Swedish | tvivel | ||
| The Swedish word "tvivel" is etymologically related to the German word "zweifeln" (to doubt), both deriving from the Proto-Germanic *twi- ("two"), and the English "twa" (two). | |||
| Welsh | amheuaeth | ||
| The word "amheuaeth" is derived from the Old Welsh word "amheu," meaning "to consider" or "to think about." | |||
Doubt in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | сумненне | ||
| "Сумненне" (doubt) in Belarusian comes from the Proto-Slavic root *sъmьnъ, meaning "confusion, trouble". | |||
| Bosnian | sumnja | ||
| The word 'sumnja' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word '*sъmьnja', which also meant 'suspicion' and 'thought'. | |||
| Bulgarian | съмнение | ||
| The word "съмнение" in Bulgarian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *sъmŭniti, meaning "to think". | |||
| Czech | pochybovat | ||
| The verb "pochybovat" is derived from the noun "pochyba" (doubt), which comes from the Old Czech word "chyba" (fault) | |||
| Estonian | kahtlus | ||
| "Kahtlus" is the Estonian word for "doubt". Its etymological root, "kahe" ("two") suggests its original meaning referred to being caught between two options. | |||
| Finnish | epäillä | ||
| The word "epäillä" can also mean "to suspect" or "to be suspicious of". | |||
| Hungarian | kétség | ||
| The Hungarian word "kétség" shares an etymological origin with "kést" ("knife"), both stemming from the Proto-Indo-European root "*kezd-" meaning "to cut or separate". | |||
| Latvian | šaubas | ||
| "Šaubas" may have evolved from the Sanskrit "shap" (to curse), suggesting a historical association between doubt and fear of retribution. | |||
| Lithuanian | abejones | ||
| The word "abejones" in Lithuanian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰrew-, meaning "to boil, to bubble", and is related to the words "brantas" (trouble, disturbance), "brēti" (to dawn, to break), and "brēkšti" (to dawn). | |||
| Macedonian | сомнеж | ||
| The Macedonian word "сомнеж" can also refer to the act of suspecting or guessing. | |||
| Polish | wątpić | ||
| The verb "wątpić" derives from an Old Polish noun "wątpa" ("doubt"), which is also related to the noun "wątły" ("weak") and the adjective "wątły" ("feeble"). | |||
| Romanian | îndoială | ||
| Îndoială is thought to be derived from an old Indo-European root *wei- which also gave rise to words meaning 'to see' in various languages, indicating the connection between doubt and perceiving. | |||
| Russian | сомневаться | ||
| "Сомневаться" is connected to the word "сон" ("sleep") as one is in a state of "mental sleep" when doubting. | |||
| Serbian | сумња | ||
| The Serbian word "sumnja" is cognate with the Lithuanian word "sumišimas" ("confusion") and the Old Church Slavonic word "sŭmьniti" ("to think"). | |||
| Slovak | pochybnosti | ||
| The Slovak word "pochybnosti" (doubt) is related to the verb "pochybovať" (to doubt), which itself is derived from the Old Church Slavonic "po" (after, according to) and "chybiti" (to miss). | |||
| Slovenian | dvom | ||
| The word "dvom" also means "pair" in Slovenian, as in a pair of shoes or a pair of dice. | |||
| Ukrainian | сумнів | ||
| The word "сумнів" can also mean "problem" or "question" in Ukrainian. | |||
Doubt in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সন্দেহ | ||
| "সন্দেহ" is also the name of a 2005 film directed by Gautam Ghose. | |||
| Gujarati | શંકા | ||
| The Gujarati word "શંકા" comes from Sanskrit and originally meant "to weigh". | |||
| Hindi | संदेह | ||
| The Hindi word "संदेह" (doubt) is derived from the Sanskrit word "संदिह" (indecision), which in turn is derived from the root "दिह" (to linger). | |||
| Kannada | ಅನುಮಾನ | ||
| ಅನುಮಾನ also means 'inference', 'reasoning' or 'conclusion'. | |||
| Malayalam | സംശയം | ||
| "സംശയം" also means "suspicion" and is derived from the Sanskrit word "samsaya" meaning "coming together of two opinions." | |||
| Marathi | शंका | ||
| The Marathi word "शंका" comes from the Sanskrit word "शङ्का", which is derived from the root "शङ्क" meaning "to waver". | |||
| Nepali | शंका | ||
| The word "शंका" is derived from the Sanskrit root "शक्" meaning "to doubt" or "to be uncertain". | |||
| Punjabi | ਸ਼ੱਕ | ||
| The word "ਸ਼ੱਕ" in Punjabi is derived from the Sanskrit word "शंक" (śaṅka), which means "thorn" and "suspicion". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සැකයක් | ||
| Tamil | சந்தேகம் | ||
| In Tamil, the word "சந்தேகம்" can mean not only doubt, but also hesitation or reluctance. | |||
| Telugu | అనుమానం | ||
| "అనుమానం" originates from the Sanskrit word "manas," meaning "mind," and suggests a state of uncertainty or suspicion in one's thoughts. | |||
| Urdu | شک | ||
| The word "شک" in Urdu derives from the Sanskrit word "शङ्का" (śaṅkā), meaning "doubt, suspicion, conjecture". | |||
Doubt in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 怀疑 | ||
| 怀疑 (doubt) is also the name of a 1988 film directed by Zhang Yimou. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 懷疑 | ||
| 懷疑 originally meant "to carry" in the context of carrying something in one's mind or heart, which is the root of its modern day meaning "to think about or consider." | |||
| Japanese | 疑問に思う | ||
| 「疑問に思う」 is written purely in kanji despite originating from the Buddhist term 「五蘊」 (five aggregates). | |||
| Korean | 의심 | ||
| "의심" also means "question." | |||
| Mongolian | эргэлзээ | ||
| The Mongolian word эргэлзээ (doubt) also means "spinning" or "circular motion" in a broader sense, which suggests a connection between doubt and the idea of something going around and around in one's mind. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သံသယ | ||
| သံသယ (doubt) derives from the Sanskrit word "saṃśaya", meaning "wavering or uncertainty of mind." | |||
Doubt in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | keraguan | ||
| The Indonesian word "keraguan" is derived from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian root "*ragu" and also has the meanings of "hesitation" or "suspense."} | |||
| Javanese | mangu-mangu | ||
| Mangu-mangu comes from the word “manggu” which means “to be afraid”, suggesting that doubt often arises from fear of uncertainty. | |||
| Khmer | ការសង្ស័យ | ||
| The word "ការសង្ស័យ" can also refer to suspicion or hesitation, implying a lack of belief or confidence. | |||
| Lao | ສົງໄສ | ||
| The Lao word "ສົງໄສ" (doubt) is derived from the Sanskrit word "saṃsāya", which originally meant "wandering" or "going astray". | |||
| Malay | keraguan | ||
| The Malay word "keraguan" can also mean "difficulty", or "hesitation". | |||
| Thai | สงสัย | ||
| "สงสัย" (doubt) is derived from the Sanskrit word "saṃśaya" meaning "uncertainty, doubt, suspicion," and in Thai, it also has the alternate meaning "to be curious about something." | |||
| Vietnamese | nghi ngờ | ||
| "Nghi ngờ" in Vietnamese, originating from "nghĩ" and "ngờ", suggests both the process of thinking and experiencing uncertainty. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagdududa | ||
Doubt in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | şübhə | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "şübhə" ("doubt") is derived from the Arabic word "shubha", which also means "ambiguity" or "uncertainty". | |||
| Kazakh | күмән | ||
| The Kazakh word "күмән" ("doubt") derives from the noun "күмі" ("darkness, obscurity") and describes the ambiguous and uncertain qualities of doubt. | |||
| Kyrgyz | күмөн | ||
| The word "күмөн" in Kyrgyz also refers to a type of plant known as fennel. | |||
| Tajik | шубҳа кардан | ||
| In the Quran, the word "shubha" means "doubt" or "ambiguity" and is used in the context of religious matters. | |||
| Turkmen | şübhe | ||
| Uzbek | shubha | ||
| In Uzbek, the word "shubha" can also refer to a "suspicion" or a "misgiving". | |||
| Uyghur | گۇمان | ||
Doubt in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kānalua | ||
| "Kānalua" also refers to the place where two intersecting valleys meet and a small stream flows in one or both of them. | |||
| Maori | feaa | ||
| In some contexts, the word "feaa" can also mean "fear" or "concern". | |||
| Samoan | masalosalo | ||
| The Samoan word "masalosalo" can also mean "to hesitate" or "to be undecided". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pagdududa | ||
Doubt in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | payacha | ||
| Guarani | py'amokõi | ||
Doubt in International Languages
| Esperanto | dubo | ||
| The word "dubo" derives from the Latin word "dubius". | |||
| Latin | dubium | ||
| In ancient Greek, it was the name given to a kind of double-edged sword. | |||
Doubt in Others Languages
| Greek | αμφιβολία | ||
| "αμφιβολία" comes from the verb "αμφίβαλλω" (to throw or cast around), akin to Latin's "ambigere" (to go around). | |||
| Hmong | tsis ntseeg | ||
| The Hmong word "tsis ntseeg" originally meant "not believing" but now also means "doubt". | |||
| Kurdish | şik | ||
| Kurdish "şik" also means "to be silent" or "to be motionless". | |||
| Turkish | şüphe | ||
| The word 'şüphe' originates from the Arabic word 'shubha' meaning 'ambiguity' or 'uncertainty'. | |||
| Xhosa | mathandabuzo | ||
| The word 'mathandabuzo' can also mean 'suspicion' or 'uncertainty'. | |||
| Yiddish | צווייפל | ||
| The Yiddish word "צווייפל" (tsveyfl) is derived from the German word "zweifel," and also means "twins" | |||
| Zulu | ukungabaza | ||
| The Zulu word "ukungabaza" can also refer to a state of uncertainty or skepticism. | |||
| Assamese | সন্দেহ | ||
| Aymara | payacha | ||
| Bhojpuri | शक | ||
| Dhivehi | ޝައްކު | ||
| Dogri | शक्क | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagdududa | ||
| Guarani | py'amokõi | ||
| Ilocano | dua-dua | ||
| Krio | dawt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | گومان | ||
| Maithili | शक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯤꯡꯅꯕ | ||
| Mizo | ringhlel | ||
| Oromo | shakkii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସନ୍ଦେହ | | ||
| Quechua | iskayrayay | ||
| Sanskrit | शङ्का | ||
| Tatar | шик | ||
| Tigrinya | ጥርጣረ | ||
| Tsonga | kanakana | ||