Drug in Different Languages
Discover 'Drug' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word drug carries significant weight in our global society, shaping cultural narratives and influencing healthcare practices worldwide. Derived from the Dutch word drogge, meaning 'dry goods,' the term 'drug' initially referred to substances like spices and medicinal plants. However, its connotations have evolved over time, now encompassing a wide range of substances used for medical treatment, recreation, and, at times, addiction.
Understanding the word 'drug' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how various cultures perceive and utilize these substances. For instance, in Spanish, a drug is una droga, while in German, it's ein Medikament or eine Droge, reflecting the language's dual emphasis on medical treatment and potential abuse.
Join us as we delve deeper into the translations of 'drug' in a variety of languages, from French and Italian to Mandarin and Japanese. This exploration will not only expand your vocabulary but also immerse you in the rich tapestry of cultural attitudes towards these powerful substances.
Drug
Drug in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | dwelm | ||
| Afrikaans "dwelm" is ultimately derived from the Low German and Dutch "dwalm" meaning "confusion, dizziness, stupor," which is in turn based on an early Germanic form related to the Middle English "dwele" (a state of torpor) and English "dwell." | |||
| Amharic | መድሃኒት | ||
| መድሃኒት derives from the verb "መድሀን" (to heal); it can also refer to medicine, treatment, or pharmacy. | |||
| Hausa | magani | ||
| In Yoruba, 'magani' also means 'remedy, medicine or cure' as in 'magani gbogbo ara' (remedy for the whole body). | |||
| Igbo | ogwu | ||
| The word "ogwu" in Igbo also refers to a traditional herbal remedy or potion. | |||
| Malagasy | rongony | ||
| The Malagasy word "RONGONY" can also mean "remedy", "medicine", or "treatment". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mankhwala | ||
| The word "mankhwala" also means "medicine" or "treatment" in Chichewa. | |||
| Shona | zvinodhaka | ||
| Somali | daroogada | ||
| In Somali, 'daroogada' also refers to a state of intoxication or impairment. | |||
| Sesotho | sethethefatsi | ||
| The word "sethethefatsi" is also used to refer to the traditional healers who administer the drug. | |||
| Swahili | madawa ya kulevya | ||
| In Swahili, the term “madawa ya kulevya” originally referred to “medicine for treating madness”. | |||
| Xhosa | iziyobisi | ||
| The word `iziyobisi` in Xhosa comes from the Zulu word `iyobisi`, both related to the English `poison`. | |||
| Yoruba | oogun | ||
| In Yoruba, the word "ògún" means "medicine" and can refer to traditional herbal remedies or Western pharmaceuticals. | |||
| Zulu | isidakamizwa | ||
| The Zulu word "isidakamizwa" has multiple meanings, including "medicine" and "something that causes drowsiness." | |||
| Bambara | dɔrɔgu | ||
| Ewe | atike vɔ̃ɖi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ibiyobyabwenge | ||
| Lingala | nkisi ya monganga | ||
| Luganda | eddagala | ||
| Sepedi | seokobatši | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nnubɔne | ||
Drug in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | دواء | ||
| The word "دواء" can also mean "medicine" or "cure" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | תְרוּפָה | ||
| The word "תרופה" also means "remedy" or "cure" in Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | درمل | ||
| The Pashto word ځرمل ("drug") originates from the Persian word دلاو ("remedy") and also means "medicine" or "treatment" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | دواء | ||
| The word "دواء" can also mean "medicine" or "cure" in Arabic. | |||
Drug in Western European Languages
| Albanian | drogës | ||
| The Albanian word "drogës" can also mean "herb" or "potion." | |||
| Basque | droga | ||
| "Droga" is used in Basque cooking to refer to a type of sauce. | |||
| Catalan | droga | ||
| In Catalan, 'droga' has an etymological connection to the Sanskrit word 'dravati' meaning 'it runs', referring to liquids and potions. | |||
| Croatian | droga | ||
| In Croatian, 'droga' can mean 'path' or 'way', and is related to the Sanskrit word 'dhrvaj', meaning 'to run'. | |||
| Danish | medicin | ||
| "Medicin" in Danish can also refer to a doctor's prescription or the medical field as a whole. | |||
| Dutch | medicijn | ||
| In Dutch, the word "medicijn" not only means "drug" but also refers to traditional herbal remedies, folk medicine, or even magic potions. | |||
| English | drug | ||
| The word "drug" has several alternate meanings, including cloth, rug, and a boring or tiring task. | |||
| French | médicament | ||
| The French word "médicament" comes from the Latin word "medicamentum", which means "that which heals". | |||
| Frisian | drug | ||
| In Frisian the word "drug" has only the meaning "dry". | |||
| Galician | droga | ||
| Galician word "droga" is closely related to the term "drug" in English and other languages | |||
| German | arzneimittel | ||
| Arzneimittel (German for 'drug') originates from the Middle High German word 'arzeni' (medicine) and 'mittel' (remedy). | |||
| Icelandic | eiturlyf | ||
| In the 16th century, "eiturlyf" was used to refer to love potions, and in the 17th century, it was used to refer to a poison used to kill someone. | |||
| Irish | druga | ||
| In Irish, the word "druga" also means "magic" or "sorcery. | |||
| Italian | farmaco | ||
| In Italian, the word "farmaco" derives from the Greek "pharmakon", which can refer to both medicine and poison. | |||
| Luxembourgish | medikament | ||
| The word "Medikament" in Luxembourgish derives from the Latin word "medicamentum", meaning "medicine" or "remedy". | |||
| Maltese | droga | ||
| The word "droga" can also refer to a "path" or a "road" in Maltese. | |||
| Norwegian | legemiddel | ||
| The word "legemiddel" in Norwegian derives from the Old Norse "lækningarmeðal", meaning "healing remedy". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | medicamento | ||
| The word "medicamento" in Portuguese also refers to "medication" or "medicine" in general. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | droga | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, the word "droga" is thought to be derived from the old Irish word "drog", meaning "pain, torment, or affliction." | |||
| Spanish | droga | ||
| The Spanish word "droga" can refer to any substance with medicinal, recreational, or spiritual uses, not only illegal substances. | |||
| Swedish | läkemedel | ||
| The word 'läkemedel' in Swedish has its roots in the Old Norse words 'læknir' (healer) and 'meðal' (means). | |||
| Welsh | cyffur | ||
| "Cyffur" also translates to "spell", as in magic, enchantment, and witchcraft. | |||
Drug in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | наркотык | ||
| The word "наркотык" is derived from the Greek word "ναρκωτικός," which means "causing numbness or stupor. | |||
| Bosnian | lijek | ||
| ''Lijek'' also means "cure" in Bosnian, derived from the Proto-Slavic word "lekъ", meaning "to heal." | |||
| Bulgarian | лекарство | ||
| In Bulgarian, лекарство (drug) can also mean "treatment," "remedy," or "cure" | |||
| Czech | lék | ||
| The Czech word "lék" can also refer to a medicine or remedy. | |||
| Estonian | ravim | ||
| "Ravim" is a borrowing from the German word "Rausch" meaning "intoxication." | |||
| Finnish | huume | ||
| The word "huume" is derived from the Swedish word "hummer", meaning "lobster" or "crayfish", and was originally used to refer to intoxicants that were made from fermented fruit or berries. | |||
| Hungarian | drog | ||
| The Hungarian word "drog" also means "chain", in the sense of a series of connected objects. | |||
| Latvian | narkotiku | ||
| The word "narkotiku" in Latvian is derived from the Greek word "narkōsis," meaning "numbness" or "stupor." | |||
| Lithuanian | narkotikas | ||
| The Lithuanian word "narkotikas" ultimately derives from the Greek "νάρκωσις" (narkōsis), meaning "numbness" or "stupor". | |||
| Macedonian | дрога | ||
| In Macedonian, the word "дрога" can also refer to a herb or plant that is dried and used for medicinal purposes. | |||
| Polish | lek | ||
| The word "lek" in Polish originally referred to a healing potion and is related to the word "lekarz" (doctor). | |||
| Romanian | medicament | ||
| "Medicament" in Romanian can also mean "medication"} | |||
| Russian | препарат, средство, медикамент | ||
| Препарат, средство, медикамент are synonymous words in Russian, all meaning "drug". | |||
| Serbian | дрога | ||
| The word "дрога" is also used in Serbian to refer to the path or route that one takes, such as a road or a river, as well as to the path or way in which something is done or accomplished. | |||
| Slovak | droga | ||
| The Slovak word "droga" also refers to a road. | |||
| Slovenian | droga | ||
| Slovene word "droga" comes from a Proto-Slavic word meaning "path", but in modern usage it also means "drug", as it does in English. | |||
| Ukrainian | ліки | ||
| The Ukrainian word “ліки” derives from the Proto-Slavic word “*lěky”, which originally meant “medicine” or “remedy”. | |||
Drug in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ড্রাগ | ||
| The word "ড্রাগ" can also refer to a hook used to catch fish or as a medicine. | |||
| Gujarati | દવા | ||
| "દવા" is derived from the Sanskrit word "dāv" meaning "to cut," which also denotes the process of mixing various herbs to create a medicinal potion. | |||
| Hindi | दवाई | ||
| The word "दवाई" is derived from the Sanskrit word "दाव" meaning "to give" or "to apply". | |||
| Kannada | .ಷಧ | ||
| The word 'ಷಧ' also means 'medicine' or 'treatment' in Kannada and is derived from the Sanskrit word 'षध' (śadha), which means 'to destroy' or 'to alleviate'. | |||
| Malayalam | മരുന്ന് | ||
| The word 'മരുന്ന്' in Malayalam is also used to refer to traditional Ayurvedic medicine. | |||
| Marathi | औषध | ||
| "औषध" also means "any substance used in the treatment of disease" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | औषधि | ||
| The Sanskrit equivalent of the Nepali word "औषधि" is "औषधम्", which means "medicine that heals", "healing medicine", or "medicine that cures disease". | |||
| Punjabi | ਡਰੱਗ | ||
| In Punjabi, the word "ਡਰੱਗ" (drug) has an alternate meaning: "smell or odor." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | .ෂධය | ||
| In Sinhala, the word ෂධය also refers to medicinal herbs and potions. | |||
| Tamil | மருந்து | ||
| The Tamil word 'மருந்து' ('drug') derived from the Proto-Dravidian word 'maruntu,' meaning 'magical mixture.' | |||
| Telugu | మందు | ||
| "మందు" also refers to a liquid form of medicine or an intoxicating drink (alcoholic beverage). | |||
| Urdu | دوا | ||
| دوا, meaning "medicine" in Urdu, shares a common origin with "dua" ("prayer"), highlighting the interconnectedness of healing and spirituality. | |||
Drug in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 药品 | ||
| 药品 (yàopǐn) literally means 'medicinal goods'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 藥品 | ||
| The Chinese character 藥 (pronounced “yao”) has a long history and can refer to a variety of substances, including medicine, poison, and even food. | |||
| Japanese | 薬 | ||
| 薬 (kusuri) literally means 'medicine', but can also refer to drugs or other substances that alter one's consciousness. | |||
| Korean | 의약품 | ||
| The word "의약품" (drug) is derived from the Hanja characters "醫藥品," which literally mean "medicine" and "product." | |||
| Mongolian | мансууруулах бодис | ||
| The word 'бодис' comes from the Mongolian word 'Бодис' which means 'life' or 'soul'. Therefore, the word 'мансууруулах бодис' can also be interpreted as 'life-giving substance'. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မူးယစ်ဆေးဝါး | ||
Drug in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | obat | ||
| "Obat" derives from the Sanskrit word "udbhidah", meaning "plant". | |||
| Javanese | tamba | ||
| The Javanese word "tamba" can also refer to traditional medicine or treatment. | |||
| Khmer | គ្រឿងញៀន | ||
| Lao | ຢາ | ||
| The Lao word "ຢາ" can also refer to traditional medicine, herbs, or potions. | |||
| Malay | ubat | ||
| The word "ubat" in Malay, meaning "drug," is derived from the Arabic word "al-dawa," which also means "medicine." | |||
| Thai | ยา | ||
| "ยา" (drug) derives from Pāli-Sanskrit "ओषधि" (aushadhi), originally meaning "herb, plant", reflecting the historical emphasis on herbal medicine in Thai culture. | |||
| Vietnamese | thuốc | ||
| "Thuốc" in Vietnamese also means "medicine" or "potion". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | gamot | ||
Drug in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | narkotik | ||
| The word "narkotik" in Azerbaijani comes from the Persian word "nark" meaning "sleep". | |||
| Kazakh | есірткі | ||
| "Есірткі" (drug) derives from the verb "есіру" (to intoxicate), and the noun form "есіртке" also refers to a "medicine" or "pharmaceutical preparation" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | дары | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "дары" is derived from the Persian word "دارو" meaning "cure" or "medicine". | |||
| Tajik | маводи мухаддир | ||
| Turkmen | neşe | ||
| Uzbek | dori | ||
| In Uzbek, "dori" can also refer to traditional medicine or herbal remedies. | |||
| Uyghur | زەھەرلىك چېكىملىك | ||
Drug in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lāʻau lāʻau | ||
| The Hawaiian word “lāʻau lāʻau” directly translates to “wood, wood” and refers to a plant-based medicine, which is often used in a medicinal context. | |||
| Maori | tarukino | ||
| "Tarukino" is a Maori word that traditionally referred to plants used for medicinal or spiritual purposes but has taken on the alternate meaning of "drug". | |||
| Samoan | fualaʻau | ||
| The word "fualaʻau" in Samoan is a compound word meaning "fruit of the forest". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | gamot | ||
| Tagalog's "gamot" can also refer to a traditional healing practice and its associated beliefs and rituals. | |||
Drug in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | droga | ||
| Guarani | pohã | ||
Drug in International Languages
| Esperanto | drogo | ||
| The word "drogo" in Esperanto can also mean "store" or "shop". | |||
| Latin | pharmacum | ||
| The word 'pharmacum' originally referred to a magical charm or potion in ancient Greek, and later came to mean 'drug' or 'medicine' in Latin. | |||
Drug in Others Languages
| Greek | φάρμακο | ||
| The word 'φάρμακο' has a long history in Greek, tracing back to its ancient use to describe both medicine and poison. | |||
| Hmong | tshuaj | ||
| The Hmong word "tshuaj" has dual meaning, referring both to medicine and poison | |||
| Kurdish | tevazok | ||
| The word "tevazok" in Kurdish derives from the Persian word "dava" meaning "medicine" or "remedy." | |||
| Turkish | ilaç | ||
| The word "ilaç" is of Arabic origin and has several meanings in Turkish, including "medicine" and "cure". | |||
| Xhosa | iziyobisi | ||
| The word `iziyobisi` in Xhosa comes from the Zulu word `iyobisi`, both related to the English `poison`. | |||
| Yiddish | מעדיצין | ||
| מעדיצין, meaning "drug" in Yiddish, derives from the Latin "medicīna" via Polish "medycyna", with alternate meanings such as "medicine"} | |||
| Zulu | isidakamizwa | ||
| The Zulu word "isidakamizwa" has multiple meanings, including "medicine" and "something that causes drowsiness." | |||
| Assamese | ড্ৰাগছ | ||
| Aymara | droga | ||
| Bhojpuri | नशा के दवाई दिहल गइल | ||
| Dhivehi | މަސްތުވާތަކެތި | ||
| Dogri | नशा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | gamot | ||
| Guarani | pohã | ||
| Ilocano | droga | ||
| Krio | drɔg | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دەرمان | ||
| Maithili | नशा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯗ꯭ꯔꯒ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | ruihhlo | ||
| Oromo | qoricha sammuu hadoochu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଡ୍ରଗ୍ | ||
| Quechua | droga | ||
| Sanskrit | औषधम् | ||
| Tatar | наркотик | ||
| Tigrinya | መድሃኒት | ||
| Tsonga | xidzidziharisi | ||