Fiction in different languages

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

Afrikaansfiksie
"Fiksie" also means "to fix" or "to repair" in Afrikaans.
Amharicልብ ወለድ
The word "ልብ ወለድ" derives from the Ge'ez words "ልብ" (heart) and "ወለድ" (birth), referring to something born from one's imagination.
Hausaalmara
The Hausa word "almara" can also refer to a type of storage box or cupboard.
Igboakụkọ ifo
The Igbo word "akụkọ ifo" also means "news" or "historical account" when it refers to true and historical information.
Malagasyfiction
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'.
Shonangano
In Shona, 'ngano' also refers to traditional stories often told for entertainment or to teach lessons.
Somalimale-awaal
The word "male-awaal" can also mean "a story told by a child that is not true."
Sesothotse iqapetsoeng
Tse iqapetsoeng derives from the noun tsoaketso (imagination), suggesting a narrative made 'out of the imagination'.
Swahilitamthiliya
Tamthiliya also refers to a work of fiction, where characters and events are invented by the author.
Xhosaintsomi
The Xhosa word 'intsomi' originally referred to 'stories', 'tales' or 'legends' before being translated as 'fiction'.
Yorubaarosọ
The word "arosọ" can also mean "myth", "legend", or "a lie", depending on the context.
Zulueqanjiwe
Eqanjiwe is said to be derived from the phrase 'okwenza amacala angayiwo', meaning to do things that did not happen.
Bambarasuya
Ewenyakpakpa
Kinyarwandaibihimbano
Lingalalisapo
Lugandaokuyiiya
Sepedinonwane
Twi (Akan)bɔsrɛmuka

Fiction in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicخيال
The Arabic word "خيال" (khiyāl) originally referred to "imagination" and "apparition" before acquiring its modern meaning of "fiction".
Hebrewספרות בדיונית
Pashtoخیال
The word "خیال" in Pashto can also refer to "thoughts, dreams, or imaginations".
Arabicخيال
The Arabic word "خيال" (khiyāl) originally referred to "imagination" and "apparition" before acquiring its modern meaning of "fiction".

Fiction in Western European Languages

Albaniantrillim
The word 'trillim' in Albanian is a noun meaning 'a fabrication, a lie,' and a verb meaning 'to lie, to fabricate'.
Basquefikzioa
The word "fikzioa" comes from the Latin word "fictio," meaning "making" or "forming."
Catalanficció
The word "ficció" derives from the Latin word "fictio", meaning "a forming, fashioning, or creating".
Croatianfikcija
The word 'fikcija' comes from the Latin word 'fictio', meaning 'invention' or 'creation', and it can also mean 'falsehood' or 'fabrication'.
Danishfiktion
In Danish, "fiktion" also refers to a type of non-fiction short story based on real events with added dramatization.
Dutchfictie
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.
Englishfiction
The word "fiction" stems from the Latin "fingere" (meaning "to form, mold") and the Old French "ficcion" (meaning "invention, creation").
Frenchfiction
French fiction was originally any creation of the mind, including poetry and philosophy.
Frisianfiksje
The Frisian word "fiksje" originally referred to a "fabrication", "invention" or "figment of the imagination".
Galicianficción
Galician "ficción" also means "trust, assurance" or "act of giving confidence or belief".
Germanfiktion
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.
Icelandicskáldskapur
The word "skáldskapur" can also refer to a genre of poetry in the Poetic Edda.
Irishficsean
The Irish word "ficsean" is derived from the Latin word "fictio" ("invention" or "imagining"), and also refers to the idea of "appearance" or "semblance".
Italianfinzione
The word 'finzione' comes from the Latin 'fictio,' which means 'a forming' or 'a making'.
Luxembourgishfiktioun
Fiktioun can also refer to a made-up story or a fabricated tale.
Maltesefinzjoni
Maltese word 'finzjoni', derived from 'fint' (fantasy), means both fiction and illusion.
Norwegianskjønnlitteratur
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 Gaelicficsean
In Scots Gaelic, the word "ficsean" can also refer to a story or a tale.
Spanishficción
La palabra "ficción" proviene del latín "fictio", que significa "invención". Esto refleja el hecho de que la ficción es una creación de la imaginación.
Swedishfiktion
The word 'fiktion' is derived from the Latin word 'fictio', which means 'something made up' or 'an invention'.
Welshffuglen
Ffuglen is also a literary genre in Welsh which includes narrative, poetry, and drama.

Fiction in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianмастацкая 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.
Bosnianfikcija
Besides its basic meaning of "fiction," "fikcija" can also refer to any narrative that is not based on facts, including lies and fabrications.
Bulgarianизмислица
Измислица, meaning “fiction,” stems from “измысляю,” a verb signifying “to conjure” or “to contrive.”
Czechbeletrie
The word "beletrie" in Czech comes from the French "belles-lettres," meaning "beautiful letters".
Estonianilukirjandus
The word "ilukirjandus" is derived from the Estonian words "ilukiri" (beautiful writing) and "andus" (devotion).
Finnishkaunokirjallisuus
In Finnish, the word "kaunokirjallisuus" also encompasses belles-lettres, such as poetry, drama, and essays.
Hungariankitaláció
It also means "book" or "publication" in Hungarian.
Latviandaiļliteratūra
The Latvian word “daiļliteratūra“ combines both “pretty writing” (daiļš raksts) and “fine arts” (daiļā māksla), thus emphasizing the literary value of fictional texts.
Lithuaniangrožinė literatūra
The word "grožinė literatūra" literally translates to "beautiful literature" in Lithuanian.
Macedonianфикција
The word "фикција" has several different meanings, including "imagination", "invention", "trickery", and "falsehood".
Polishfikcja
The Polish word "fikcja" can also mean "pretense" or "deception."
Romanianfictiune
The Romanian "ficțiune" has no relation to the Latin origin of "fiction," as it derives from the Hungarian "függvény."
Russianхудожественная 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
Serbianфикција
The word 'фикција' comes from the Latin term 'fictio', which refers to the act of forming or making something.
Slovakbeletria
Slovak "beletria" originates from French "belles-lettres" and originally meant any literary form considered "beautiful", not exclusively fiction.
Slovenianleposlovje
The word "leposlovje" is cognate with the English word "literature" and originally also meant "beautiful writing".
Ukrainianфантастика
"Фантастика" comes from the Greek "φαντασίᾳ" (imagination), the same root as "fantasy".

Fiction in South Asian Languages

Bengaliকল্পকাহিনী
The word "কল্পকাহিনী" is derived from the Sanskrit root "kalp", meaning "to imagine". Hence, it literally means "imagined story".
Gujaratiકાલ્પનિક
Hindiउपन्यास
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.
Kannadaಕಾದಂಬರಿ
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.
Malayalamഫിക്ഷൻ
The word "ഫിക്ഷൻ" in Malayalam can also mean "imagination" or "fantasy".
Marathiकल्पनारम्य
The Sanskrit root 'kalp' in "कल्पनारम्य" relates to imagination, creativity, and the formation of mental images.
Nepaliकाल्पनिक
"काल्पनिक" comes from Sanskrit, where "कल्प" means "to think" and "निक" means "to bring forth".
Punjabiਗਲਪ
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.
Tamilபுனைவு
In Tamil, the word "புனைவு" can also denote a fabricated story told in jest.
Teluguఫిక్షన్
The word "ఫిక్షన్" is derived from the Latin word "fictio", meaning "something made up" or "a creation of the imagination."
Urduافسانہ
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。
Korean소설
The word 소설 originally meant “new tale” or “strange tale.”
Mongolianуран 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

Indonesianfiksi
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."
Javanesefiksi
Fiksi (fiction) can also mean "the act of hiding something" in Javanese.
Khmerការប្រឌិត
Laoນິຍາຍ
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.
Malayfiksyen
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.
Thaiนิยาย
The word "นิยาย" can also mean a "story", "tale", or "legend".
Vietnameseviễn tưởng
The word "viễn tưởng" is derived from Chinese and literally means "distant imagination".
Filipino (Tagalog)kathang-isip

Fiction in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniuydurma
The word "uydurma" in Azerbaijani also means "pretend" or "false".
Kazakhфантастика
"Фантастика" (fiction) derives from the Greek "φανταστικός" (imaginative), which also inspired the word "fantasy" in English.
Kyrgyzойдон чыгарылган
Tajikбадеӣ
In modern Persian language "badī' (بديع) mostly means art of rhetoric but in Tajik also means fiction.
Turkmentoslama
Uzbekfantastika
The word "fantastika" in Uzbek can also be used to describe something that is not real or true.
Uyghurتوقۇلما

Fiction in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianmoʻolelo 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.
Maoripakiwaitara
The word "pakiwaitara" literally means "to put into a basket", suggesting that stories are valuable to be gathered and cherished.
Samoantalafatu
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

Aymaramurxayiri
Guaraniapy'ãreko

Fiction in International Languages

Esperantofikcio
Esperanto's "fikcio" derives from "fingere", meaning "to mold" or "to fashion" in Latin, and also relates to "figmentum", or "figment", in Latin.
Latinficta
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

Greekμυθιστόρημα
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.
Hmongdab neeg tseeb
The Hmong word "dab neeg tseeb" directly translates to "fake story or news" in English.
Kurdishfiction
Fiction is derived from the Latin word 'fingere', meaning both 'to shape' and 'to imagine', implying creation and fabrication.
Turkishkurgu
The Turkish word "kurgu" not only means "fiction", but also "staging" and "set up".
Xhosaintsomi
The Xhosa word 'intsomi' originally referred to 'stories', 'tales' or 'legends' before being translated as 'fiction'.
Yiddishבעלעטריסטיק
The Yiddish word "בעלעטריסטיק" derives from the French "belles-lettres", meaning "beautiful letters" or "fine literature".
Zulueqanjiwe
Eqanjiwe is said to be derived from the phrase 'okwenza amacala angayiwo', meaning to do things that did not happen.
Assameseকল্পকাহিনী
Aymaramurxayiri
Bhojpuriकाल्पनिक कहानी
Dhivehiފިކްޝަން
Dogriकथा साहित्य
Filipino (Tagalog)kathang-isip
Guaraniapy'ãreko
Ilocanosaan nga agpayso
Kriostori stori
Kurdish (Sorani)چیرۆکی خەیاڵی
Maithiliउपन्यास
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯁꯦꯝꯖꯤꯟ ꯁꯥꯖꯤꯟꯕ
Mizophuahchawp
Oromoasoosama
Odia (Oriya)ଗଳ୍ପ
Quechuayanqalla
Sanskritकल्पना
Tatarуйдырма
Tigrinyaልበ ወለድ
Tsongaxihungwana

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