Emotion in Different Languages
Discover 'Emotion' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Emotion: a word that carries such profound significance in our daily lives, yet can be so difficult to define. Emotions are the complex feelings that define our experiences, shape our interactions, and color our world. They are universal, yet culturally specific, and can vary greatly from one language to another. Understanding the translation of emotion in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultural nuances that shape our emotional experiences.
For example, the English word 'emotion' is translated into Spanish as 'emoción,' but in Japanese, it becomes '感情' (kanjou), which literally means 'feeling-action.' This reflects the Japanese cultural emphasis on the physical expression of emotion, as opposed to the more introspective focus in English-speaking cultures. Similarly, the German word for emotion, 'Gefühl,' places a greater emphasis on the sensory aspect of emotional experience.
By exploring the translation of emotion in different languages, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the richness and diversity of human emotional experience. Below is a list of translations of emotion in various languages, providing a glimpse into the fascinating world of cross-cultural emotional expression.
Emotion
Emotion in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | emosie | ||
| In Afrikaans, the word "emosie" is a close cognate of its English counterpart "emotion", both deriving from the Latin word "emotio". | |||
| Amharic | ስሜት | ||
| The word 'ስሜት' in Amharic can also refer to a 'feeling' or a 'sensation'. | |||
| Hausa | tausayawa | ||
| While the literal translation of 'tausayawa' is 'emotion,' it also carries an implied weight and intensity, embodying a sense of profound feelings and experiences. | |||
| Igbo | mmetụta uche | ||
| "Mmetụta uche" (emotion) in Igbo literally means "effect of the mind," highlighting its cognitive significance. | |||
| Malagasy | fihetseham-po | ||
| The Malagasy word "fihetseham-po" comes from the verb "fihetsika," meaning "to move," and the noun "fo," meaning "heart". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kutengeka | ||
| The word "kutengeka" can also mean "feeling" or "passion". | |||
| Shona | manzwiro | ||
| The word "manzwiro" is derived from the verb "kunzwa," meaning "to feel". | |||
| Somali | shucuur | ||
| As with other Cushitic languages, the etymology of the Somali word 'shucuur' for 'emotion' remains unclear. | |||
| Sesotho | maikutlo | ||
| The word “maikutlo” originally referred to the “intestines” in Sesotho, which were believed to be the seat of emotions. | |||
| Swahili | hisia | ||
| "Hisia" can also mean a sense (like one of the five senses, such as hearing). | |||
| Xhosa | imvakalelo | ||
| The Xhosa word "imvakalelo" can also refer to a feeling, disposition, or sentiment. | |||
| Yoruba | imolara | ||
| "Imolara" also means "the nature of a person or thing, or its inherent character, qualities, or properties" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | umuzwa | ||
| Emotion is a loanword from English and also refers to 'sentiment' in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | dusukunnataw | ||
| Ewe | seselelãme | ||
| Kinyarwanda | amarangamutima | ||
| Lingala | mayoki | ||
| Luganda | enneewulira | ||
| Sepedi | maikutlo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nkate mu nkate | ||
Emotion in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | المشاعر | ||
| The Arabic word for 'emotion', 'المشاعر', also translates to 'feelings' and figuratively to 'perceptions' | |||
| Hebrew | רֶגֶשׁ | ||
| רֶגֶשׁ has the additional meanings of "sensation" and "feeling" in biblical Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | احساس | ||
| The word "احساس" in Pashto can also mean "perception" or "feeling." | |||
| Arabic | المشاعر | ||
| The Arabic word for 'emotion', 'المشاعر', also translates to 'feelings' and figuratively to 'perceptions' | |||
Emotion in Western European Languages
| Albanian | emocion | ||
| In Albanian, "emocion" can also mean "emotionality" or "excitement." | |||
| Basque | emozioa | ||
| The word "emozioa" in Basque originally meant "feeling", but over time it has come to be used to refer specifically to emotions. | |||
| Catalan | emoció | ||
| The Catalan word "emoció" derives from the Latin "emovere," meaning "to move out" or "to stir up." | |||
| Croatian | emocija | ||
| The Croatian word "emocija" comes from the Latin word "emotio", meaning "movement" or "agitation". | |||
| Danish | emotion | ||
| In Danish, emotion ('emotion') also refers to the commotion caused by a horse or other animal. | |||
| Dutch | emotie | ||
| The term 'emotie' can also refer to a specific feeling or affection experienced at a given time, rather than the broader concept of emotion. | |||
| English | emotion | ||
| In Old French, the word 'emotion' also meant 'riot' or 'rebellion'. | |||
| French | émotion | ||
| The term "émotion" in French comes from the Latin word "emovere," meaning "to move out" or "to excite." | |||
| Frisian | emoasje | ||
| In Old Frisian, 'emoasje' also means 'breath', from Proto-Germanic *aina- 'breath' | |||
| Galician | emoción | ||
| The word "emoción" in Galician is derived from the Latin verb "emovere," meaning "to move out" or "to excite." | |||
| German | emotion | ||
| The German word 'Emotion' derives from the Latin word 'emovere', meaning 'to move': it is not a feeling, but the movement that a feeling causes. | |||
| Icelandic | tilfinning | ||
| The word 'tilfinning' can also mean 'inspiration' or 'a feeling of awe'. | |||
| Irish | mothúchán | ||
| The Irish word 'mothúchán' (emotion) is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root '*mē-/*mo-' (to measure, think) and thus ultimately related to the English word 'emotion'. | |||
| Italian | emozione | ||
| The Italian word "emozione" derives from the Latin verb "emovere," meaning "to move" or "to stir up." | |||
| Luxembourgish | emotioun | ||
| Emotioun, derived from Latin “ēmōtĭō,” also means “agitation” or “excitement,” and can be translated either as “emotion” or “passion.” | |||
| Maltese | emozzjoni | ||
| It originated from the French term "émotion", which itself originated from the Latin term "emovere", meaning "to stir up or move out from", in reference to the stirring of feelings. | |||
| Norwegian | følelse | ||
| Folelse in Norwegian shares the same root as the German word fühle and the English words feel and fellowship. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | emoção | ||
| Portuguese "emoção" derives from Latin "emotio", meaning "to stir up, agitate". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | faireachdainn | ||
| "Faireachdainn" is a Gaelic word meaning "emotion", but it also literally translates to "a feeling of the heart". | |||
| Spanish | emoción | ||
| The word "emoción" derives from the Latin verb "emovere," meaning "to move out" or "to stir up." | |||
| Swedish | känsla | ||
| The archaic meaning of "känsla" is "feeling" (physical). | |||
| Welsh | emosiwn | ||
| The Welsh word 'emosiwn' originally meant 'impulse' or 'thought', and it is derived from the Proto-Celtic '*smā-tu-'. | |||
Emotion in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | эмоцыі | ||
| Belarusian "эмоцыі" comes from the French "emotion" and the Latin "emovere," meaning "to move out" or "to stir up." | |||
| Bosnian | emocija | ||
| The word "emocija" derives from the Latin word "emovere", meaning "to move out" or "to stir up". | |||
| Bulgarian | емоция | ||
| 'Емоция' (emotion) is a loanword from Russian, which shares the same Greek root with the English word 'emotion'. | |||
| Czech | emoce | ||
| The word "emoce" also has a slang meaning related to a state of apathy or laziness. | |||
| Estonian | emotsioon | ||
| The Estonian word for emotion, "emotsioon," derives from the Latin word "emovere," which means to move or stir. | |||
| Finnish | tunne | ||
| Finnish word "tunne" comes from Proto-Uralic verb "tunθa-" meaning "to feel" or "to hear". | |||
| Hungarian | érzelem | ||
| The word 'érzelem' can also mean passion, feeling, or sentiment. | |||
| Latvian | emocijas | ||
| In some contexts, emocijas can also mean "feelings" or "moods". | |||
| Lithuanian | emocija | ||
| "Emocija" in Lithuanian shares a Proto-Indo-European root with "emotion" in English and "emoção" in Portuguese, meaning "to move out or stir up, | |||
| Macedonian | емоции | ||
| In Macedonian, "емоции" is a cognate of the Latin word "emotus", meaning "stirred up" or "agitated." | |||
| Polish | emocja | ||
| "Emocja" is derived from "e- + mocja", meaning "to be able to" or "to have the power to". | |||
| Romanian | emoţie | ||
| In Romanian, the word "emoţie" can also refer to a "commotion"} | |||
| Russian | эмоция | ||
| The Russian word "эмоция" (emotsiya) is derived from the French "émotion" and originally meant "agitation" or "upheaval". | |||
| Serbian | емоција | ||
| The word 'емоција' in Serbian is derived from the Latin word 'emovere', meaning 'to move out' or 'to stir up'. | |||
| Slovak | emócia | ||
| The Slovak word "emócia" is derived from the Latin word "emotio", meaning "a moving out" or "a stirring up". | |||
| Slovenian | čustva | ||
| The Slavic root of "čustva" means "to feel," which is also the root of the word "čutiti" (to feel). | |||
| Ukrainian | емоції | ||
| In Ukrainian, “емоції” shares the same root with “вимагати,” meaning 'to demand,' underscoring the demanding nature of emotions. | |||
Emotion in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | আবেগ | ||
| The word 'আবেগ' also means 'a wish' or 'a desire' in Bengali, like in the phrase 'আমার আবেগ ছিল তোমাকে দেখার' ('I had a wish to see you'). | |||
| Gujarati | લાગણી | ||
| The word 'લાગણી' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'रति' (rati), meaning 'delight' or 'pleasure'. | |||
| Hindi | भावना | ||
| The word "भावना" in Hindi originated from the Sanskrit word "भाव" which means both "emotion" and "feeling". | |||
| Kannada | ಭಾವನೆ | ||
| The word "ಭಾವನೆ" (bhāvane) derives from the Sanskrit word "भावना" (bhāvanā), which means "feeling" or "emotion", and is also related to the word "ಭಾವ" (bhāva), which means "state of mind" or "feeling". | |||
| Malayalam | വികാരം | ||
| The word "വികാരം" in Malayalam can also mean "change" or "transformation" in a broader sense. | |||
| Marathi | भावना | ||
| The word 'भावना' (emotion) in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word 'भाव' (feeling) and is also used to refer to 'thought' or 'opinion'. | |||
| Nepali | भावना | ||
| "भावना" comes from "भू" + "अन" + "अ", meaning "having become" + "breathing" + "with" and is closely related to "life" and "awareness". | |||
| Punjabi | ਭਾਵਨਾ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਭਾਵਨਾ" can also refer to "thought", "idea", "feeling" or "impression" in addition to "emotion". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හැඟීම් | ||
| In Sinhala, "හැඟීම්" also refers to a state of feeling, such as happiness, sadness, or anger. | |||
| Tamil | உணர்ச்சி | ||
| The Tamil word | |||
| Telugu | భావోద్వేగం | ||
| "భావోద్వేగం" is a word derived from the Sanskrit term "bhavôdvêga" which literally translates to "agitation of the mind." | |||
| Urdu | جذبات | ||
| The word ' جذبات' in Urdu is derived from the Arabic word 'jazb', meaning 'to attract' or 'to draw near'. | |||
Emotion in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 情感 | ||
| 情感 can also refer to "love affair" or "romantic feeling" in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 情感 | ||
| 情感, literally meaning "feeling and emotion," is a concept in Chinese philosophy and psychology that encompasses a wide range of subjective experiences. | |||
| Japanese | 感情 | ||
| 感情 (kanjou) is also used to refer to “love,” “passion,” and “affection,” and can sometimes be rendered in English as “feelings”. | |||
| Korean | 감정 | ||
| The Korean word 감정 can also refer to "feelings" in reference to a specific situation, as well as "sentiments" in a broader sense. | |||
| Mongolian | сэтгэл хөдлөл | ||
| The Mongolian word "сэтгэл хөдлөл" literally translates to "soul-motion" or "movement of the soul" | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စိတ်လှုပ်ရှားမှု | ||
Emotion in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | emosi | ||
| The word 'emosi' is derived from the French word 'emotion', which is itself derived from the Latin word 'emovere', meaning 'to move'. In Indonesian, 'emosi' is used to refer to any type of strong feeling, both positive and negative. | |||
| Javanese | emosi | ||
| In Javanese, 'emosi' derives from 'ambeg', meaning 'heat', and can refer to a range of mental states beyond the Western concept of 'emotion'. | |||
| Khmer | អារម្មណ៍ | ||
| The word "អារម្មណ៍" has alternate meanings such as "mood" and "feeling" and originated from a Sanskrit word meaning "object of perception". | |||
| Lao | ຄວາມຮູ້ສຶກ | ||
| Malay | emosi | ||
| The Malay word "emosi" is derived from the Arabic word "ihsas", meaning "perception", and ultimately from the Sanskrit word "vedana", meaning "feeling or sensation." | |||
| Thai | อารมณ์ | ||
| The word 'อารมณ์' (emotion in Thai) comes from the Sanskrit word 'रमण' (delight) and originally meant 'pleasant feeling', but later evolved to include all types of emotions. | |||
| Vietnamese | cảm xúc | ||
| Cảm xúc also means 'feel' or 'sensation'. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | damdamin | ||
Emotion in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | duyğu | ||
| The word "duyğu" is also used to refer to a "sense" or a "feeling" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | эмоция | ||
| "Эмоция" is of Persian origin, with the original Persian "ʿa-mā-sa" having the alternate meanings of "rest", "quiet" and "contentment", but was adopted and given the more abstract, current meaning by the Russians, who the Kazakhs borrowed it from. | |||
| Kyrgyz | эмоция | ||
| "Эмоция" произошла от лат. emoveo, что значит "двигать" – термин "движение" в древности означал не только механический сдвиг, но и изменение душевного состояния. | |||
| Tajik | эҳсосот | ||
| "Эҳсосот" is an Arabic loanword which also means "sensation" and "perception" in Tajik | |||
| Turkmen | duýgy | ||
| Uzbek | hissiyot | ||
| Hissiyot also means "feeling," "emotion," "sentiment," "passion," "affection," "love," and "hatred" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | ھېسسىيات | ||
Emotion in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | manaʻo | ||
| Manaʻo can also mean 'intention', 'aim', 'idea', or 'conception', reflecting its root word mana 'power' or 'spiritual energy'. | |||
| Maori | kare ā-roto | ||
| Samoan | lagona | ||
| The word "lagona" can also refer to a feeling or sensation. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | damdamin | ||
| The term 'damdamin' originates from the Tagalog root word 'damdam' meaning 'to feel' or 'to sense'. | |||
Emotion in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | emoción ukat juk’ampinaka | ||
| Guarani | emoción rehegua | ||
Emotion in International Languages
| Esperanto | emocio | ||
| "Emocio" is etymologically related to the Latin "emovere" and the French "émotion", and can also mean "agitation" or "disturbance". | |||
| Latin | motus | ||
| The Latin word "motus" can also refer to physical movement. | |||
Emotion in Others Languages
| Greek | συναισθημα | ||
| The root of 'συναισθημα' in Greek is 'αἰσθάνομαι', meaning 'to perceive', suggesting that emotion comes from sensory perception. | |||
| Hmong | kev xav | ||
| The word “kev xav” is derived from the Proto-Hmong-Mien word *k-rawʔ, meaning “heart, mind, feeling, emotion, spirit”. | |||
| Kurdish | his | ||
| The word 'his' in Kurdish is also used to describe a feeling of yearning or longing. | |||
| Turkish | duygu | ||
| "Duygu" has a secondary meaning as "sensation", which is related to its etymology from the verb "duymak" meaning "to sense". | |||
| Xhosa | imvakalelo | ||
| The Xhosa word "imvakalelo" can also refer to a feeling, disposition, or sentiment. | |||
| Yiddish | עמאָציע | ||
| The Yiddish word "עמאָציע" ultimately derives from the Latin word "emovere" (to move out) via German "Emotion". | |||
| Zulu | umuzwa | ||
| Emotion is a loanword from English and also refers to 'sentiment' in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | আৱেগ | ||
| Aymara | emoción ukat juk’ampinaka | ||
| Bhojpuri | भावुकता के भाव बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ޖަޒުބާތެވެ | ||
| Dogri | जज्बात | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | damdamin | ||
| Guarani | emoción rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | emosion | ||
| Krio | imɔshɔn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سۆز | ||
| Maithili | भावुकता | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯏꯃꯣꯁꯟ ꯂꯩꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | rilru natna (emotion) a ni | ||
| Oromo | miira | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଭାବନା | ||
| Quechua | emoción nisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | भावः | ||
| Tatar | эмоция | ||
| Tigrinya | ስምዒት | ||
| Tsonga | mintlhaveko | ||