Flee in Different Languages
Discover 'Flee' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'flee' holds a significant place in many languages and cultures, often representing the urgent need to escape or avoid danger. Its cultural importance is evident in literature, films, and historical accounts where characters must flee to safety or face dire consequences.
Understanding the translation of 'flee' in different languages can be intriguing and enlightening. For instance, in Spanish, 'flee' translates to 'huir', while in French, it becomes 'fuir'. In German, the word is 'fliehen', and in Japanese, it is '逃げる' (nigeru). These translations not only provide linguistic insights but also reveal cultural nuances and differences in how various societies perceive and respond to the concept of fleeing.
Moreover, knowing the translation of 'flee' in different languages can be practical in diverse situations, such as traveling, studying abroad, or communicating with multinational colleagues. By learning these translations, you can enhance your language skills and cultural awareness, making you a more informed and empathetic global citizen.
Flee
Flee in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | vlug | ||
| The word "vlug" in Afrikaans derives from the Dutch word "vluchten", meaning "to flee", and also relates to the Afrikaans word "vlugtig", meaning "fleeting" or "transitory." | |||
| Amharic | ሽሽ | ||
| The root of "ሽሽ" means "to flow," alluding to a liquid flowing quickly, hence the derived meaning "to run away." | |||
| Hausa | gudu | ||
| The word "gudu" can also mean "to run away" or "to escape" in Hausa, and is sometimes used in a playful or joking manner. | |||
| Igbo | gbalaga | ||
| The word "gbalaga" in Igbo can also mean "to avoid" or "to escape from danger". | |||
| Malagasy | handositra | ||
| The word "handositra" can also mean "to run away" or "to escape". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | thawani | ||
| The Nyanja word 'thawani' means both 'to flee' and 'to run away' | |||
| Shona | tiza | ||
| The word "tiza" in Shona primarily means "to flee" but can also refer to "to run away" or "to escape."} | |||
| Somali | carar | ||
| "Carar" also derives figuratively from "fear," which in the language shares its etymology with "aversion, hate." | |||
| Sesotho | baleha | ||
| The word "baleha" also means "to run away" or "to escape". | |||
| Swahili | kukimbia | ||
| "Kukimbia" also means "to be chased away" or "to escape from danger." | |||
| Xhosa | sabaleka | ||
| The Xhosa word "sabaleka" can also mean "to run away" or "to escape". | |||
| Yoruba | sá | ||
| Sá can also mean 'to run' or 'to escape'. | |||
| Zulu | baleka | ||
| "Baleka" can also refer to a quick step or dance.} | |||
| Bambara | ka boli | ||
| Ewe | si | ||
| Kinyarwanda | hunga | ||
| Lingala | kokima | ||
| Luganda | okudduka | ||
| Sepedi | ngwega | ||
| Twi (Akan) | dwane | ||
Flee in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | اهرب | ||
| In the Quran, اهرب also means "turn away from something." | |||
| Hebrew | לברוח | ||
| The word "לברוח" also means "to escape" or "to run away" in Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | تښتیدل | ||
| The word "تښتیدل" can also mean "to escape" or "to run away". | |||
| Arabic | اهرب | ||
| In the Quran, اهرب also means "turn away from something." | |||
Flee in Western European Languages
| Albanian | ikin | ||
| The word "ikin" is derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eyǵ- "to go, to move" and also means "to depart, to leave". | |||
| Basque | ihes egin | ||
| The Basque word "ihes egin" can also be used to refer to escaping or running away from a situation. | |||
| Catalan | fugir | ||
| The Catalan word "fugir" is derived from the Latin verb "fugere" and also has the alternate meaning of "to avoid" or "to escape from something" | |||
| Croatian | pobjeći | ||
| The Croatian word "pobjeći" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*poбѣгati", meaning "to escape" or "to run away". | |||
| Danish | flygte | ||
| The word "flygte" is derived from the Old Norse word "flýja", meaning "to flee, escape, or run away." | |||
| Dutch | vluchten | ||
| In addition to "to flee," Vluchten can mean "to avoid" and is related to "vlug" (quick). | |||
| English | flee | ||
| Flee shares its origin with fly and flow in that they all come from the Proto-Germanic word "fleuhan" meaning to flee. | |||
| French | fuir | ||
| The verb "fuir" has cognates in most Indo-European languages, including English "fugitive" and Spanish "huir". | |||
| Frisian | flechtsje | ||
| The word "flechtsje" in Frisian, meaning "to flee," is related to the English word "flight" and the German word "Flucht." | |||
| Galician | fuxe | ||
| In Galician, "fuxe" also has the meaning of a person's flight or escape. | |||
| German | fliehen | ||
| German word "fliehen" also means "to escape" but its cognates in Scandinavian languages mean "to fly" or "flight". | |||
| Icelandic | flýja | ||
| Etymology: Proto-Germanic *flēuhaną, from Proto-Indo-European *plewk- (“to flee, escape”). | |||
| Irish | teitheadh | ||
| Teitheadh, meaning "flee" in Irish, originates from the Old Irish "teithim" meaning "to depart" or "to escape". | |||
| Italian | fuggire | ||
| The word "fuggire" also means "escape", "avoid", and "run away from" in Italian | |||
| Luxembourgish | flüchten | ||
| The word "flüchten" is originally derived from the Middle High German word "vliehen" which also means "to escape". | |||
| Maltese | jaħarbu | ||
| The Maltese word "jaħarbu" comes from the Arabic "h-r-b" meaning "flee" or "run away". | |||
| Norwegian | flykte | ||
| While "flykte" means "flee" in Norwegian, its Proto-Germanic root, "fleuhan," can also mean "to glide or soar". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | fugir | ||
| "Fugir" also means "to shy away from" in Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | teicheadh | ||
| In modern Irish, the word "teicheadh" (pronounced "tchok-hee") also means "to run away" or "to escape." | |||
| Spanish | huir | ||
| The word 'huir' is derived from the Latin word 'fugere', which also means 'to flee' and is the root of the English word 'fugitive'. | |||
| Swedish | fly | ||
| In Swedish, the word 'fly' is homophonous and can also mean 'fly' (the insect), derived from Old Norse 'fluga'. | |||
| Welsh | ffoi | ||
| The Welsh word "ffoi" originated from the Proto-Celtic word "pekw-", meaning "swift" or "to flee". | |||
Flee in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | бегчы | ||
| The word "бегчы" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *begti, meaning "to flee" or "to escape". It is related to the Russian word "бежать" (bezhat), the Ukrainian word "бігти" (bihty), and the Polish word "biec" (byeh). | |||
| Bosnian | bježi | ||
| The word 'bježi' comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'běgati', which had the alternate meanings of 'escape' and 'run'. | |||
| Bulgarian | бягай | ||
| The word "бягай" can also mean "run" or "go away" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | uprchnout | ||
| "Uprchnouti" comes from the old Czech "prch" meaning "to run" and the suffix "-nout", which indicates a completed action. | |||
| Estonian | põgenema | ||
| "Põgenema" is derived from "põgenik" meaning "refugee" and is cognate with "põgenema" in Finnish and "побег" (pobeg) in Russian. | |||
| Finnish | paeta | ||
| "Paeta" is of Baltic origin and is related to the Estonian word "pagema", meaning "to flee". | |||
| Hungarian | elmenekülni | ||
| The verb "elmenekülni" (to flee) may also be used to describe the successful completion of a task or escape from an unpleasant situation. | |||
| Latvian | bēgt | ||
| The word "bēgt" is derived from Old Prussian "bīgt" and Lithuanian "bėgti," both meaning "to run." | |||
| Lithuanian | pabėk | ||
| The word "pabėk" is also used in Lithuanian to describe the sudden departure of a person who is avoiding danger, obligation, or unpleasantness. | |||
| Macedonian | бегај | ||
| The word "бегај" can also mean "run" or "escape" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | uciec | ||
| The word "uciec" is derived from the Proto-Slavic verb "*tekti", meaning "to run" or "to escape". | |||
| Romanian | fugi | ||
| Fugi is also derived from the Latin word 'fugere' which means 'to run'. | |||
| Russian | бежать | ||
| The word "бежать" can also mean "to run" or "to escape". | |||
| Serbian | бежати | ||
| The word "бежати" can also mean "run" or "jog". | |||
| Slovak | utiecť | ||
| The name of the ancient Slav god Jarovít translates as "flee" from Slovak, but a more fitting modern translation would be "arise". | |||
| Slovenian | beži | ||
| The word 'beži' is also used to describe the flight of birds or other animals. | |||
| Ukrainian | тікати | ||
| The word "тікати" can also mean "to escape" or "to run away". | |||
Flee in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ভাগা | ||
| "ভাগা" (flee) has other meanings like "to escape", "to divide" and "to leave" and is derived from Sanskrit "भाग" (share). | |||
| Gujarati | ભાગી જવુ | ||
| The Gujarati word "bhaagi jaavu" has the same origin as the Hindi word "bhaagna", which means to run or escape. | |||
| Hindi | भागना | ||
| The Hindi word "भागना" is also used to describe running away from an obligation. | |||
| Kannada | ಪಲಾಯನ | ||
| "ಪಲಾಯನ" shares its root with "ಪಲ" (flight) and "ಪಲಾಯ" (migration), but it is specifically used to refer to hurried flight in the face of danger. | |||
| Malayalam | ഓടിപ്പോകുക | ||
| Marathi | पळून जा | ||
| The root of the word "पळून जा" in Marathi is "प्लि", meaning "to run or fly away quickly." | |||
| Nepali | भाग्नु | ||
| The verb "भाग्नु" (bhagnu) in Nepali comes from the Sanskrit root "भज्" (bhaj), which also means "to fry" or "to roast". | |||
| Punjabi | ਭੱਜੋ | ||
| 'ਭੱਜੋ' is derived from Sanskrit 'भज्' (bhaja) meaning to divide, distribute, or share, and is also used as a term for a share or portion. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පලා යන්න | ||
| "පලා යන්න" is also used to refer to moving fast, either physically or metaphorically. | |||
| Tamil | தப்பி ஓடு | ||
| It's used colloquially to mean "escaping" but literally means "to jump out". | |||
| Telugu | పారిపోవలసి | ||
| The Sanskrit root "pari-apa-iva" means both "flee" and "approach" in meaning. | |||
| Urdu | بھاگنا | ||
Flee in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 逃跑 | ||
| “逃跑”的本义是“逃离”，也有“逃逸”和“躲避”的意思。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 逃跑 | ||
| The character “逃” in “逃跑” means “to avoid” and “亡” means “to die”, so the literal meaning of “逃跑” is “to avoid death”. | |||
| Japanese | 逃げる | ||
| "逃げる" (nigeru, "flee") has a homophone, "逃げる" (nigeru, "escape"). | |||
| Korean | 서두르다 | ||
| The verb "서두르다" can also mean "to hurry" or "to rush". | |||
| Mongolian | зугтах | ||
| The word "зугтах" derives from the Mongolian noun "зуг" "direction", referring to the act of escaping in some particular direction; it bears no resemblance to the Turkish/Kazakh word "шукту", which shares "shukt" in "ушуктуруг" " | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပြေးကြ | ||
| The word "ပြေးကြ" is used to describe not only running away in fear but also going somewhere at high speed. | |||
Flee in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | melarikan diri | ||
| Literally meaning “to take oneself away from,” "melarikan diri" was originally restricted to fleeing from danger. | |||
| Javanese | ngungsi | ||
| The word "ngungsi" in Javanese derived from the word "ngungsi" in Malay, which means "to evacuate". | |||
| Khmer | ភៀសខ្លួន | ||
| Lao | ໜີ | ||
| "ໜີ" is a verb that also means to get or be rid of. | |||
| Malay | melarikan diri | ||
| "Melarikan diri" in Indonesian can also mean "to elope" or "to abscond with someone". | |||
| Thai | หนี | ||
| หนี (flee) is also used to describe the action of avoiding something, like an obligation or commitment. | |||
| Vietnamese | chạy trốn | ||
| "Chạy trốn" (literally "run escape") also means "run away" or "flee". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tumakas | ||
Flee in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qaçmaq | ||
| "Qaçmaq" derives from the Mongolian word"Kaçma" which bears "avoidance" meaning as well. | |||
| Kazakh | қашу | ||
| The Kazakh word "қашу" is also used to refer to "running away" or "escaping". | |||
| Kyrgyz | качуу | ||
| Kyrgyz words sharing the root -кач, such as качуу and качкан, have alternate meanings of "fly" or "flee". | |||
| Tajik | гурехтан | ||
| The word "гурехтан" is derived from the Persian word "گریختن" (gerikhtan), which means "to flee". | |||
| Turkmen | gaç | ||
| Uzbek | qochmoq | ||
| The word "qochmoq" also means "to escape" and "to run away" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | قېچىڭ | ||
Flee in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | heʻe | ||
| 'He'e' can also mean 'to slide' or 'to glide' in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | oma | ||
| "Oma" can also mean "to dodge" or "to escape", and is related to the word "omo" meaning "to turn". | |||
| Samoan | sola | ||
| Sola, meaning 'to run away', is a verb in the Samoan language. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tumakas | ||
| The word "tumakas" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian root word "*taqəs", which means "to run away" or "to escape". | |||
Flee in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ist'aña | ||
| Guarani | guari | ||
Flee in International Languages
| Esperanto | fuĝi | ||
| The word "fuĝi" in Esperanto may also mean "to escape" or "to run away". | |||
| Latin | fuge | ||
| The Latin word "fuge" can also mean "exile" or "banishment". | |||
Flee in Others Languages
| Greek | το σκάω | ||
| The verb "το σκάω" in Greek is an onomatopoeia that comes from the sound of running feet. | |||
| Hmong | khiav | ||
| In some dialects, including Western White Hmong, "khiav" can also refer to running, escaping, or fleeing from danger or trouble. | |||
| Kurdish | bazdan | ||
| "Bazdan" is derived from the Persian word "bazdidan" meaning "to visit" and is also used in the sense of "to return" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | kaçmak | ||
| The word "kaçmak" also means "to escape" or "to avoid" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | sabaleka | ||
| The Xhosa word "sabaleka" can also mean "to run away" or "to escape". | |||
| Yiddish | אנטלויפן | ||
| The Yiddish word 'אנטלויפן' (antloyfn) comes from the German word 'entlaufen', which also means 'to flee' or 'to run away'. | |||
| Zulu | baleka | ||
| "Baleka" can also refer to a quick step or dance.} | |||
| Assamese | পলাই যোৱা | ||
| Aymara | ist'aña | ||
| Bhojpuri | फरार भईल | ||
| Dhivehi | ފިލުން | ||
| Dogri | नस्सना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tumakas | ||
| Guarani | guari | ||
| Ilocano | timmakas | ||
| Krio | rɔnawe | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕای کرد | ||
| Maithili | भागनाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯦꯟꯈꯤꯕ | ||
| Mizo | tlanchhia | ||
| Oromo | baqachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପଳାୟନ କର | ||
| Quechua | ayqiy | ||
| Sanskrit | धाव् | ||
| Tatar | кач | ||
| Tigrinya | ምህዳም | ||
| Tsonga | baleka | ||