Fiction in Different Languages
Discover 'Fiction' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Fiction, a word that immediately brings to mind stories of far-off lands, fantastical creatures, and heroic journeys. But fiction is so much more than just make-believe tales. It is a reflection of our society, our dreams, and our fears. Fiction has the power to transport us to different worlds, challenge our beliefs, and inspire us to see things from a new perspective.
Throughout history, fiction has played a crucial role in shaping cultures and societies. From the ancient Greek epics to modern-day novels, fiction has been used to explore the human condition, challenge authority, and give voice to the marginalized. It is a testament to our creativity, our imagination, and our ability to connect with one another.
Understanding the translation of fiction in different languages can open up a whole new world of literature and culture. For example, the German word for fiction is Fiktion, while in Spanish it is ficción. In French, fiction is translated as fiction, and in Chinese, it is 小说 (xiǎoshuō).
Join us as we explore the translations of fiction in different languages and delve into the rich cultural heritage that each language has to offer.
Fiction
Fiction in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | fiksie | ||
| "Fiksie" also means "to fix" or "to repair" in Afrikaans. | |||
| Amharic | ልብ ወለድ | ||
| The word "ልብ ወለድ" derives from the Ge'ez words "ልብ" (heart) and "ወለድ" (birth), referring to something born from one's imagination. | |||
| Hausa | almara | ||
| The Hausa word "almara" can also refer to a type of storage box or cupboard. | |||
| Igbo | akụkọ ifo | ||
| The Igbo word "akụkọ ifo" also means "news" or "historical account" when it refers to true and historical information. | |||
| Malagasy | fiction | ||
| Malagasy "fiction," when describing a non-fictional tale, means that the narrative lacks its "usual flavor." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zopeka | ||
| The word 'zopeka' also carries the meaning of 'story'. | |||
| Shona | ngano | ||
| In Shona, 'ngano' also refers to traditional stories often told for entertainment or to teach lessons. | |||
| Somali | male-awaal | ||
| The word "male-awaal" can also mean "a story told by a child that is not true." | |||
| Sesotho | tse iqapetsoeng | ||
| Tse iqapetsoeng derives from the noun tsoaketso (imagination), suggesting a narrative made 'out of the imagination'. | |||
| Swahili | tamthiliya | ||
| Tamthiliya also refers to a work of fiction, where characters and events are invented by the author. | |||
| Xhosa | intsomi | ||
| The Xhosa word 'intsomi' originally referred to 'stories', 'tales' or 'legends' before being translated as 'fiction'. | |||
| Yoruba | arosọ | ||
| The word "arosọ" can also mean "myth", "legend", or "a lie", depending on the context. | |||
| Zulu | eqanjiwe | ||
| Eqanjiwe is said to be derived from the phrase 'okwenza amacala angayiwo', meaning to do things that did not happen. | |||
| Bambara | suya | ||
| Ewe | nyakpakpa | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ibihimbano | ||
| Lingala | lisapo | ||
| Luganda | okuyiiya | ||
| Sepedi | nonwane | ||
| Twi (Akan) | bɔsrɛmuka | ||
Fiction in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | خيال | ||
| The Arabic word "خيال" (khiyāl) originally referred to "imagination" and "apparition" before acquiring its modern meaning of "fiction". | |||
| Hebrew | ספרות בדיונית | ||
| Pashto | خیال | ||
| The word "خیال" in Pashto can also refer to "thoughts, dreams, or imaginations". | |||
| Arabic | خيال | ||
| The Arabic word "خيال" (khiyāl) originally referred to "imagination" and "apparition" before acquiring its modern meaning of "fiction". | |||
Fiction in Western European Languages
| Albanian | trillim | ||
| The word 'trillim' in Albanian is a noun meaning 'a fabrication, a lie,' and a verb meaning 'to lie, to fabricate'. | |||
| Basque | fikzioa | ||
| The word "fikzioa" comes from the Latin word "fictio," meaning "making" or "forming." | |||
| Catalan | ficció | ||
| The word "ficció" derives from the Latin word "fictio", meaning "a forming, fashioning, or creating". | |||
| Croatian | fikcija | ||
| The word 'fikcija' comes from the Latin word 'fictio', meaning 'invention' or 'creation', and it can also mean 'falsehood' or 'fabrication'. | |||
| Danish | fiktion | ||
| In Danish, "fiktion" also refers to a type of non-fiction short story based on real events with added dramatization. | |||
| Dutch | fictie | ||
| In 1677, the term “fictie” also referred to a form of storytelling in which two speakers would improvise a story based on a given situation. | |||
| English | fiction | ||
| The word "fiction" stems from the Latin "fingere" (meaning "to form, mold") and the Old French "ficcion" (meaning "invention, creation"). | |||
| French | fiction | ||
| French fiction was originally any creation of the mind, including poetry and philosophy. | |||
| Frisian | fiksje | ||
| The Frisian word "fiksje" originally referred to a "fabrication", "invention" or "figment of the imagination". | |||
| Galician | ficción | ||
| Galician "ficción" also means "trust, assurance" or "act of giving confidence or belief". | |||
| German | fiktion | ||
| The German word "Fiktion" is also related to the Latin verb "fingere", meaning "to shape" or "to make", suggesting that fiction has the power to create entire worlds. | |||
| Icelandic | skáldskapur | ||
| The word "skáldskapur" can also refer to a genre of poetry in the Poetic Edda. | |||
| Irish | ficsean | ||
| The Irish word "ficsean" is derived from the Latin word "fictio" ("invention" or "imagining"), and also refers to the idea of "appearance" or "semblance". | |||
| Italian | finzione | ||
| The word 'finzione' comes from the Latin 'fictio,' which means 'a forming' or 'a making'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | fiktioun | ||
| Fiktioun can also refer to a made-up story or a fabricated tale. | |||
| Maltese | finzjoni | ||
| Maltese word 'finzjoni', derived from 'fint' (fantasy), means both fiction and illusion. | |||
| Norwegian | skjønnlitteratur | ||
| Skjønnlitteratur is derived from the Old Norse words "skjøn" (beauty) and "litteratur" (literature). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ficção | ||
| In Portuguese (Portugal) “ficção” can also refer to a made-up story about somebody’s life, or to an account of events which is not necessarily true. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ficsean | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, the word "ficsean" can also refer to a story or a tale. | |||
| Spanish | ficción | ||
| La palabra "ficción" proviene del latín "fictio", que significa "invención". Esto refleja el hecho de que la ficción es una creación de la imaginación. | |||
| Swedish | fiktion | ||
| The word 'fiktion' is derived from the Latin word 'fictio', which means 'something made up' or 'an invention'. | |||
| Welsh | ffuglen | ||
| Ffuglen is also a literary genre in Welsh which includes narrative, poetry, and drama. | |||
Fiction in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | мастацкая літаратура | ||
| In Russian, the closest cognate to "мастацкая літаратура" is "художественная литература" which can mean "fine art literature," a type of literature valued for its aesthetic qualities rather than its factual content. | |||
| Bosnian | fikcija | ||
| Besides its basic meaning of "fiction," "fikcija" can also refer to any narrative that is not based on facts, including lies and fabrications. | |||
| Bulgarian | измислица | ||
| Измислица, meaning “fiction,” stems from “измысляю,” a verb signifying “to conjure” or “to contrive.” | |||
| Czech | beletrie | ||
| The word "beletrie" in Czech comes from the French "belles-lettres," meaning "beautiful letters". | |||
| Estonian | ilukirjandus | ||
| The word "ilukirjandus" is derived from the Estonian words "ilukiri" (beautiful writing) and "andus" (devotion). | |||
| Finnish | kaunokirjallisuus | ||
| In Finnish, the word "kaunokirjallisuus" also encompasses belles-lettres, such as poetry, drama, and essays. | |||
| Hungarian | kitaláció | ||
| It also means "book" or "publication" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | daiļliteratūra | ||
| The Latvian word “daiļliteratūra“ combines both “pretty writing” (daiļš raksts) and “fine arts” (daiļā māksla), thus emphasizing the literary value of fictional texts. | |||
| Lithuanian | grožinė literatūra | ||
| The word "grožinė literatūra" literally translates to "beautiful literature" in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | фикција | ||
| The word "фикција" has several different meanings, including "imagination", "invention", "trickery", and "falsehood". | |||
| Polish | fikcja | ||
| The Polish word "fikcja" can also mean "pretense" or "deception." | |||
| Romanian | fictiune | ||
| The Romanian "ficțiune" has no relation to the Latin origin of "fiction," as it derives from the Hungarian "függvény." | |||
| Russian | художественная литература | ||
| The term "художественная литература" is broader than its English counterpart "fiction" as it includes all literary works, not only prose but also poetry and plays | |||
| Serbian | фикција | ||
| The word 'фикција' comes from the Latin term 'fictio', which refers to the act of forming or making something. | |||
| Slovak | beletria | ||
| Slovak "beletria" originates from French "belles-lettres" and originally meant any literary form considered "beautiful", not exclusively fiction. | |||
| Slovenian | leposlovje | ||
| The word "leposlovje" is cognate with the English word "literature" and originally also meant "beautiful writing". | |||
| Ukrainian | фантастика | ||
| "Фантастика" comes from the Greek "φαντασίᾳ" (imagination), the same root as "fantasy". | |||
Fiction in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কল্পকাহিনী | ||
| The word "কল্পকাহিনী" is derived from the Sanskrit root "kalp", meaning "to imagine". Hence, it literally means "imagined story". | |||
| Gujarati | કાલ્પનિક | ||
| Hindi | उपन्यास | ||
| The word "उपन्यास" is derived from the Sanskrit word "उप + न्यास", meaning "near placement" or "putting near", suggesting a close relation to truth or reality. | |||
| Kannada | ಕಾದಂಬರಿ | ||
| The word "ಕಾದಂಬರಿ" comes from the Sanskrit word "कदम्ब", meaning "a ball of flowers", and refers to the ancient Indian tradition of telling stories while passing around a ball of flowers. | |||
| Malayalam | ഫിക്ഷൻ | ||
| The word "ഫിക്ഷൻ" in Malayalam can also mean "imagination" or "fantasy". | |||
| Marathi | कल्पनारम्य | ||
| The Sanskrit root 'kalp' in "कल्पनारम्य" relates to imagination, creativity, and the formation of mental images. | |||
| Nepali | काल्पनिक | ||
| "काल्पनिक" comes from Sanskrit, where "कल्प" means "to think" and "निक" means "to bring forth". | |||
| Punjabi | ਗਲਪ | ||
| The word 'ਗਲਪ' is also used to refer to 'swallowing' or 'a gulp', as in the act of drinking liquid. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ප්රබන්ධ | ||
| The word "ප්රබන්ධ" (fiction) is derived from the Sanskrit word "प्रबन्ध" (arrangement, composition), which also refers to a type of literary work. | |||
| Tamil | புனைவு | ||
| In Tamil, the word "புனைவு" can also denote a fabricated story told in jest. | |||
| Telugu | ఫిక్షన్ | ||
| The word "ఫిక్షన్" is derived from the Latin word "fictio", meaning "something made up" or "a creation of the imagination." | |||
| Urdu | افسانہ | ||
| The word "افسانہ" has roots in Arabic and also means "a true story" or "a tale told to entertain". | |||
Fiction in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 小说 | ||
| The Chinese character "小" in "小说" originally meant "minor" or "insignificant", reflecting the traditional Chinese view that fiction was a less important genre than history or philosophy. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 小說 | ||
| The word "小說" (fiction) in Chinese (Traditional) literally means "small talk; idle talk; gossip". | |||
| Japanese | フィクション | ||
| "フィクション"の語源はラテン語の「作る」を意味する「fictio」で、英語の「fiction」に由来しています。 | |||
| Korean | 소설 | ||
| The word 소설 originally meant “new tale” or “strange tale.” | |||
| Mongolian | уран зохиол | ||
| Уран зохиол is derived from the Mongolian words "уран" (art, skill) and "зохиол" (composition, writing), referring to artistic creations in written form. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စိတ်ကူးယဉ် | ||
| Derived from Sanskrit 'citta', meaning 'mind', 'citkuyin' literally translates as 'imagination'. | |||
Fiction in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | fiksi | ||
| The Indonesian word "fiksi" is cognate with "fix" in English, with both words deriving from the Proto-Romance root "fingere," meaning "to form" or "to create." | |||
| Javanese | fiksi | ||
| Fiksi (fiction) can also mean "the act of hiding something" in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | ការប្រឌិត | ||
| Lao | ນິຍາຍ | ||
| The word ນິຍາຍ (fiction) is derived from the Pali word ນિy (to lead), implying a story that leads the reader through a sequence of events. | |||
| Malay | fiksyen | ||
| The Malay word "fiksyen" is derived from the Arabic word "fikh", meaning "understanding" or "knowledge", and is often used to refer to non-fiction works of literature. | |||
| Thai | นิยาย | ||
| The word "นิยาย" can also mean a "story", "tale", or "legend". | |||
| Vietnamese | viễn tưởng | ||
| The word "viễn tưởng" is derived from Chinese and literally means "distant imagination". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kathang-isip | ||
Fiction in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | uydurma | ||
| The word "uydurma" in Azerbaijani also means "pretend" or "false". | |||
| Kazakh | фантастика | ||
| "Фантастика" (fiction) derives from the Greek "φανταστικός" (imaginative), which also inspired the word "fantasy" in English. | |||
| Kyrgyz | ойдон чыгарылган | ||
| Tajik | бадеӣ | ||
| In modern Persian language "badī' (بديع) mostly means art of rhetoric but in Tajik also means fiction. | |||
| Turkmen | toslama | ||
| Uzbek | fantastika | ||
| The word "fantastika" in Uzbek can also be used to describe something that is not real or true. | |||
| Uyghur | توقۇلما | ||
Fiction in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | moʻolelo kaʻao | ||
| The Hawaiian word "moʻolelo kaʻao" is a compound of "moʻolelo" (story) and "kaʻao" (lie or fiction), and refers to stories about mythical or supernatural beings or events. | |||
| Maori | pakiwaitara | ||
| The word "pakiwaitara" literally means "to put into a basket", suggesting that stories are valuable to be gathered and cherished. | |||
| Samoan | talafatu | ||
| The word "talafatu" is also used to refer to a legend or an old tale. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kathang-isip | ||
| Kathang-isip is derived from the Tagalog word 'katha', which means 'to compose or narrate', and 'isip', meaning 'thought'. | |||
Fiction in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | murxayiri | ||
| Guarani | apy'ãreko | ||
Fiction in International Languages
| Esperanto | fikcio | ||
| Esperanto's "fikcio" derives from "fingere", meaning "to mold" or "to fashion" in Latin, and also relates to "figmentum", or "figment", in Latin. | |||
| Latin | ficta | ||
| In Latin, 'ficta' can also refer to 'created', 'forged', or 'invented', indicating its broader sense of something that is not real. | |||
Fiction in Others Languages
| Greek | μυθιστόρημα | ||
| The term "μυθιστόρημα" originates from the Greek words "μύθος" (myth) and "ἱστορέω" (to relate, to narrate), referring to a narrative that recounts events that may or may not be true. | |||
| Hmong | dab neeg tseeb | ||
| The Hmong word "dab neeg tseeb" directly translates to "fake story or news" in English. | |||
| Kurdish | fiction | ||
| Fiction is derived from the Latin word 'fingere', meaning both 'to shape' and 'to imagine', implying creation and fabrication. | |||
| Turkish | kurgu | ||
| The Turkish word "kurgu" not only means "fiction", but also "staging" and "set up". | |||
| Xhosa | intsomi | ||
| The Xhosa word 'intsomi' originally referred to 'stories', 'tales' or 'legends' before being translated as 'fiction'. | |||
| Yiddish | בעלעטריסטיק | ||
| The Yiddish word "בעלעטריסטיק" derives from the French "belles-lettres", meaning "beautiful letters" or "fine literature". | |||
| Zulu | eqanjiwe | ||
| Eqanjiwe is said to be derived from the phrase 'okwenza amacala angayiwo', meaning to do things that did not happen. | |||
| Assamese | কল্পকাহিনী | ||
| Aymara | murxayiri | ||
| Bhojpuri | काल्पनिक कहानी | ||
| Dhivehi | ފިކްޝަން | ||
| Dogri | कथा साहित्य | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kathang-isip | ||
| Guarani | apy'ãreko | ||
| Ilocano | saan nga agpayso | ||
| Krio | stori stori | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | چیرۆکی خەیاڵی | ||
| Maithili | उपन्यास | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯦꯝꯖꯤꯟ ꯁꯥꯖꯤꯟꯕ | ||
| Mizo | phuahchawp | ||
| Oromo | asoosama | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଗଳ୍ପ | ||
| Quechua | yanqalla | ||
| Sanskrit | कल्पना | ||
| Tatar | уйдырма | ||
| Tigrinya | ልበ ወለድ | ||
| Tsonga | xihungwana | ||