Pregnant in Different Languages
Discover 'Pregnant' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'pregnant' holds great significance in many cultures, marking a moment of profound joy, anticipation, and transformation. Its translation into different languages offers a glimpse into the diverse ways people around the world express this life-changing experience.
Did you know that in Latin, 'pregnant' is 'gravidus'? Or that in Ancient Egyptian, the word for pregnant is 'heq'? These translations not only represent the physical state of expecting a child but also symbolize cultural beliefs and values surrounding motherhood and new life.
Understanding the translation of 'pregnant' in various languages can enrich our cross-cultural communication and foster a sense of global community. It can also help travelers navigate foreign healthcare systems or allow language learners to expand their vocabulary in a more personal and meaningful way.
Join us as we explore the fascinating translations of 'pregnant' in different languages, from 'enceinte' in French to 'hamelant' in Estonian. Let's celebrate the beauty of language and the universal experience of pregnancy together.
Pregnant
Pregnant in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | swanger | ||
| The Afrikaans word "swanger" is derived from the Dutch "zwanger", which also meant "burdened" or "weighed down". | |||
| Amharic | እርጉዝ | ||
| Hausa | mai ciki | ||
| The Hausa word "mai ciki" literally translates as "owner of a belly", referring to the growth of a fetus within the mother's abdomen during pregnancy. | |||
| Igbo | ime | ||
| The Igbo word "ime" also connotes "fat" or "overweight" in some contexts. | |||
| Malagasy | bevohoka | ||
| Malagasy "bevohoka" may be derived from "vohoka", meaning "to carry something on one's back", implying a woman carrying her pregnancy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | woyembekezera | ||
| The word 'woyembekezera' in Nyanja (Chichewa) is also used to mean 'concealing' or 'keeping something hidden'. | |||
| Shona | nepamuviri | ||
| The word "nepamuviri", meaning "pregnant" in Shona, shares etymological roots with terms related to "carrying" or "bearing". | |||
| Somali | uur leedahay | ||
| The Somali word for "pregnant," uur leedahay, translates literally to "having a fetus." | |||
| Sesotho | moimana | ||
| The word "moimana" in Sesotho also has the alternate meaning of "person with a large belly." | |||
| Swahili | mjamzito | ||
| The word 'mjamzito' in Swahili is derived from the Arabic word 'hamil', which also means 'pregnant'. | |||
| Xhosa | ukhulelwe | ||
| Xhosa word "ukhulelwe" shares its origin with the Zulu word "khulelwe" and the Swati word "khulelwe", which all mean "to become pregnant". | |||
| Yoruba | aboyun | ||
| In Yoruba, "aboyun" can also refer to a woman who is expecting a child for the first time. | |||
| Zulu | ukhulelwe | ||
| The word "ukhulelwe" can also refer to the early stages of pregnancy when the fetus is still small. | |||
| Bambara | kɔnɔma | ||
| Ewe | fɔfu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | atwite | ||
| Lingala | zemi | ||
| Luganda | okubeera olubuto | ||
| Sepedi | imile | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nyem | ||
Pregnant in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | حامل | ||
| The word "حامل" is derived from the root word "حمل" meaning "to bear" or "to carry", and can also refer to someone who carries a heavy burden or a message. | |||
| Hebrew | בְּהֵרָיוֹן | ||
| The word "בְּהֵרָיוֹן" is derived from the root "הר" (mountain), alluding to the pregnant woman's belly resembling a mountain. | |||
| Pashto | امیندواره | ||
| The Pashto word "امیندواره" is derived from the Arabic word "حامل" which also means "pregnant" in English. | |||
| Arabic | حامل | ||
| The word "حامل" is derived from the root word "حمل" meaning "to bear" or "to carry", and can also refer to someone who carries a heavy burden or a message. | |||
Pregnant in Western European Languages
| Albanian | shtatzënë | ||
| The term "shtatzënë" derives from the Proto-Albanian root "*statъ", meaning "to stand", and is related to the word "shtëpi" (house), indicating the woman's status as the "keeper of the house" during pregnancy. | |||
| Basque | haurdun | ||
| In Basque, “haurdun” (pregnant) is derived from | |||
| Catalan | embarassada | ||
| "Embarassada" originates from the late Latin "*imbarassare", meaning "held in a net". | |||
| Croatian | trudna | ||
| The word "trudna" in Croatian also means "difficult" or "hard" in Serbian, hinting at the physical and emotional challenges of pregnancy. | |||
| Danish | gravid | ||
| In Danish, "gravid" also means "pregnant with meaning" | |||
| Dutch | zwanger | ||
| The word 'zwanger' is derived from the Old Dutch word 'swoengeren', meaning 'to swing', and is related to the English word 'swing'. | |||
| English | pregnant | ||
| The word "pregnant" derives from the Latin "praegnans," meaning "before birth," and is related to the verb "gignere," meaning "to beget." | |||
| French | enceinte | ||
| In architecture, "enceinte" (enclosure) refers to the outer wall or fortification surrounding a city or castle. | |||
| Frisian | swier | ||
| "Swier" in Frisian is related to the German word "schwer" which means "heavy", and the Old English word "swær", with a similar meaning. | |||
| Galician | embarazada | ||
| In Galician the word "embarazada" can also mean perplexed or complicated. | |||
| German | schwanger | ||
| The word "schwanger" is derived from the Middle High German word "swanger", which means "heavy" or "burdened". | |||
| Icelandic | ólétt | ||
| Ólétt stems from the word "líf" (life) and the word "ó" (river) and was originally used to describe a fertilized egg, but later came to be used to describe the state of pregnancy. | |||
| Irish | ag iompar clainne | ||
| Italian | incinta | ||
| Luxembourgish | schwanger | ||
| The word "schwanger" in Luxembourgish is derived from the German word "schwanger" with the same meaning, and is also used in the sense of "heavy" or "weighed down". | |||
| Maltese | tqila | ||
| The Maltese word 'tqila' is derived from the Semitic root 'T-Q-L', meaning 'heavy', reflecting the weight associated with pregnancy. | |||
| Norwegian | gravid | ||
| The Norwegian word 'gravid' can also mean 'serious' or 'important'. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | grávida | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "grávida" comes from the Latin "gravis" ("heavy"), referring to the increased weight of a pregnant woman. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | trom | ||
| The word 'trom' in Scots Gaelic is derived from Old Irish 'tromm' meaning 'heavy'. | |||
| Spanish | embarazada | ||
| In Spanish, the word "embarazada" originally meant "hindered" before it took on its current meaning of "pregnant". | |||
| Swedish | gravid | ||
| Gravid means 'grey' in Swedish and is related to the Old Norse word 'grár', meaning 'grey' | |||
| Welsh | yn feichiog | ||
| The Welsh word "yn feichiog" can also refer to "having an idea". | |||
Pregnant in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | цяжарная | ||
| The word "цяжарная" also means "difficult" or "hard" in Belarusian | |||
| Bosnian | trudna | ||
| The word "trudna" is also used in Bosnian to describe a difficult situation or a hard task. | |||
| Bulgarian | бременна | ||
| The Bulgarian word "бременна" is a derivative of the Old Slavic root "breg", which means "to swell" or "to be heavy." | |||
| Czech | těhotná | ||
| The word "těhotná" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *těgъti, meaning "to be heavy" or "to be weighed down". | |||
| Estonian | rase | ||
| The Estonian word "rase" comes from the Proto-Uralic "*rasa-, *ratsi" which also meant "fat". In Southern Estonian dialects the word means "a large, fat pig." | |||
| Finnish | raskaana | ||
| The Finnish word "raskaana" has roots in old Germanic, possibly from the word "hrakan", which meant "to heap up" or "to grow". This is because pregnancy was often seen as a growth process. | |||
| Hungarian | terhes | ||
| "Terhes" can also mean "burdened" or "heavy" in Hungarian, reflecting the physical and emotional weight of pregnancy. | |||
| Latvian | grūtniece | ||
| The word "grūtniece" is derived from the verb "grūt" meaning "to be heavy". | |||
| Lithuanian | nėščia | ||
| The word "nėščia" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *ne- "new" and is related to words like "nascent" and "natal" in English. | |||
| Macedonian | бремена | ||
| The word бремена derives from the Old Church Slavonic word брѣмѧ, meaning "burden" or "load." | |||
| Polish | w ciąży | ||
| The word "w ciąży" can also mean "in danger" or "in trouble" in Polish slang. | |||
| Romanian | gravidă | ||
| The Romanian word "gravidă" derives from the Latin "gravidus", "heavy", and the Proto-Indo-European "gʷerh₃-, "heavy". | |||
| Russian | беременная | ||
| The word "беременная" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *bermenъ, meaning "to carry". | |||
| Serbian | трудна | ||
| Derived from the Proto-Slavic word *trǫdъ meaning "hardship, suffering or labor," which is also the root of the word "trud" meaning "labor" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | tehotná | ||
| Tehotná also means 'heavy' in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | noseča | ||
| The word 'noseča' derives from the Proto-Slavic root *nosъ, meaning 'to bear' or 'to carry'. | |||
| Ukrainian | вагітна | ||
| The word “вагітна” (“pregnant”) in Ukrainian comes from Proto-Slavic word “vьgъ”, meaning “to go” or “to move”. | |||
Pregnant in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | গর্ভবতী | ||
| গর্ভবতী শব্দের আক্ষরিক অর্থ হল "গর্ভে অবস্থানরত"। | |||
| Gujarati | ગર્ભવતી | ||
| The word 'ગર્ભવતી' in Gujarati finds its origin in the Sanskrit term 'garbhavatī,' which signifies 'carrying a womb' or 'being pregnant.' | |||
| Hindi | गर्भवती | ||
| Kannada | ಗರ್ಭಿಣಿ | ||
| The word "ಗರ್ಭಿಣಿ" in Kannada literally means "holding a fetus" and is derived from the Sanskrit word "garbha" meaning "womb". | |||
| Malayalam | ഗർഭിണിയാണ് | ||
| Marathi | गर्भवती | ||
| In Marathi, "गर्भवती" also means "fertile" or "fruitful". | |||
| Nepali | गर्भवती | ||
| "गर्भवती" is derived from the Sanskrit word "garbha" meaning "womb" and "avati" meaning "to hold". It can also refer to a woman who has recently given birth. | |||
| Punjabi | ਗਰਭਵਤੀ | ||
| The word 'ਗਰਭਵਤੀ' ('pregnant') in Punjabi is rooted in Sanskrit and literally translates to 'bearing a child' or 'having a child in the womb'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ගර්භනී | ||
| The Sinhala term | |||
| Tamil | கர்ப்பிணி | ||
| "கர்ப்பிணி" (pregnant) in Tamil is derived from the Sanskrit word "garbha" meaning "womb" or "fetus". | |||
| Telugu | గర్భవతి | ||
| The Telugu word "గర్భవతి" is derived from the Sanskrit word "garbhavatī", meaning "carrying a child". | |||
| Urdu | حاملہ | ||
| حامل can also mean 'carrying' or 'bearing' in Urdu, and is related to the word 'hamal', meaning 'burden' or 'load'. | |||
Pregnant in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 孕 | ||
| In early Chinese medical writings, the character "孕" referred to both pregnancy and the idea of "nurturing" and "conceiving." | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 孕 | ||
| The character 孕 can also be used to mean 'nurture' or 'raise'. | |||
| Japanese | 妊娠中 | ||
| 妊娠中 is also used to describe non-human pregnancy. | |||
| Korean | 충만한 | ||
| The word "충만한" can also mean "full" or "abundant" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | жирэмсэн | ||
| The word "жирэмсэн" is a derived form of the Mongolian word "жир" meaning "fat, meat," which is itself related to an old Mongolian verb *čer- "to grow, become, develop," from which also come Mongolian "жирах" - "to grow," "жирсэн" - "fat." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကိုယ်ဝန်ဆောင် | ||
Pregnant in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | hamil | ||
| Hamil derives from an old Malay word meaning "carry" or "bear," and is cognate with the Tagalog word "dala" and Javanese word "gendong," all meaning the same. | |||
| Javanese | meteng | ||
| Meteng can also mean 'full' or 'abundant' in a non-pregnancy context. | |||
| Khmer | មានផ្ទៃពោះ | ||
| "មានផ្ទៃពោះ" literally means "to have a big belly" and is used to describe people who are either pregnant or overweight. | |||
| Lao | ຖືພາ | ||
| The word “ຖືພາ” in Lao comes from the Sanskrit word “garbha,” meaning womb or fetus. | |||
| Malay | mengandung | ||
| Mengandung's original meaning in Old Malay was 'to embrace' or 'to hold something close'. | |||
| Thai | ตั้งครรภ์ | ||
| The word "ตั้งครรภ์" in Thai can also mean "to be pregnant with an idea or plan". | |||
| Vietnamese | có thai | ||
| The word "có thai" can also refer to a woman becoming pregnant or to the status of being pregnant for the first time. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | buntis | ||
Pregnant in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | hamilə | ||
| "Hamilə" (pregnant) comes from the Arabic "hamala", meaning "to carry a burden". | |||
| Kazakh | жүкті | ||
| The word "жүкті" in Kazakh has been suggested to be related to the word "жүк", meaning "burden" or "load", possibly reflecting the perceived physical and emotional weight of pregnancy. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кош бойлуу | ||
| "Кош бойлуу" literally means "with a child in the womb" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | ҳомиладор | ||
| The word "ҳомиладор" is derived from the Persian word "hamil", meaning "pregnant" or "with child". | |||
| Turkmen | göwreli | ||
| Uzbek | homilador | ||
| Homilador is also used to refer to a woman who is about to give birth or who has just given birth. | |||
| Uyghur | ھامىلدار | ||
Pregnant in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hapai | ||
| The word "hapai" also means "to carry a burden or load" in Hawaiian, reflecting the physical and emotional weight of pregnancy. | |||
| Maori | hapū | ||
| The word "hapū" in Māori can also mean "tribe" or "subtribe", indicating the interconnectedness of family and community with the concept of pregnancy and childbirth. | |||
| Samoan | maʻito | ||
| The Samoan word "ma'ito" is cognate with the Tongan "ma'ito" (also meaning "pregnant"), the Tahitian "maito" (meaning "to give birth"), and the Māori "maitō" (meaning "to bear"). | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | buntis | ||
| The Tagalog word "buntis" also refers to a pregnant animal, a swelling, or a bulge. | |||
Pregnant in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | usuri | ||
| Guarani | hyeguasu | ||
Pregnant in International Languages
| Esperanto | graveda | ||
| The term graveda comes from a Proto-Indo-European verb meaning "to be heavy" (compare with the English "grave"), and is cognate with words like gravid and gravity. | |||
| Latin | gravidam | ||
| The Latin word "gravidam" is derived from the verb "gravo" meaning "to weigh down", alluding to the heavy sensation experienced during pregnancy. | |||
Pregnant in Others Languages
| Greek | έγκυος | ||
| The Greek word "έγκυος" can also mean "secured with, pledged to". | |||
| Hmong | xeeb tub | ||
| The word "xeeb tub" can also refer to a pregnant woman's belly. | |||
| Kurdish | dûcan | ||
| In some Kurdish dialects, "dûcan" can also refer to a woman who has recently given birth. | |||
| Turkish | hamile | ||
| "Hamile" sözcüğünün Arapça kökenli "hamala" kelimesinden geldiği ve "taşımak, yüklenmek" anlamlarını da içerdiği bilinir. | |||
| Xhosa | ukhulelwe | ||
| Xhosa word "ukhulelwe" shares its origin with the Zulu word "khulelwe" and the Swati word "khulelwe", which all mean "to become pregnant". | |||
| Yiddish | שוואַנגער | ||
| "שוואַנגער" can also mean "to be very busy" or "to be weighed down" in Yiddish. | |||
| Zulu | ukhulelwe | ||
| The word "ukhulelwe" can also refer to the early stages of pregnancy when the fetus is still small. | |||
| Assamese | গৰ্ভৱতী | ||
| Aymara | usuri | ||
| Bhojpuri | गभर्वती | ||
| Dhivehi | ބަނޑުބޮޑު | ||
| Dogri | आशाबैंती | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | buntis | ||
| Guarani | hyeguasu | ||
| Ilocano | masikug | ||
| Krio | gɛt bɛlɛ | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دووگیان | ||
| Maithili | गाभीन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯤꯔꯣꯟꯕꯤ | ||
| Mizo | rai | ||
| Oromo | ulfa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଗର୍ଭବତୀ | ||
| Quechua | wiksayuq | ||
| Sanskrit | गर्भवती | ||
| Tatar | йөкле | ||
| Tigrinya | ጥንስቲ | ||
| Tsonga | vuyimana | ||