Fortune in Different Languages
Discover 'Fortune' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Fortune, a simple word with profound implications. It represents prosperity, luck, and success, captivating the human spirit for centuries. From ancient civilizations to modern society, the concept of fortune has held great significance and cultural importance.
Throughout history, fortune has been personified in various cultural symbols, such as the Roman goddess Fortuna, or the Chinese deity Caishen. These figures reflect our fascination with the unpredictability of life and our desire to control our destinies.
Understanding the translation of 'fortune' in different languages can offer intriguing insights into diverse cultures and traditions. For instance, in Spanish, 'fortuna' signifies luck or wealth, while in Japanese, 'fōchun' (フォーチュン) is often used to describe good luck or blessings.
Join us as we delve into the multifaceted world of fortune, uncovering its translations and cultural nuances across various languages. Expand your linguistic and cultural horizons as we explore the word 'fortune' in English, Spanish, Japanese, and beyond.
Fortune
Fortune in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | fortuin | ||
| The Afrikaans word "fortuin" is derived from the French word "fortuna" and refers to chance, luck, or fate. | |||
| Amharic | ዕድል | ||
| The word ዕድል can also refer to an opportunity or chance. | |||
| Hausa | arziki | ||
| "Arziki" is a Hausa word with possible origins in Arabic and also meaning "inheritance" | |||
| Igbo | uba | ||
| The name "Uba" (fortune) among the Igbos, is often given to children who exhibit signs of great wealth in the near future. | |||
| Malagasy | fortune | ||
| The word "fortune" in Malagasy can also mean "fate" or "destiny". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chuma | ||
| The word "chuma" also means "wealth" or "riches" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | mhanza | ||
| The word "mhanza" can also mean "good luck" or "a stroke of luck" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | nasiib | ||
| "Nasiib" also means "fate", "lot" or "share"} | |||
| Sesotho | lehlohonolo | ||
| Lehlohonolo is also used to refer to the plant known as the "Cape honeysuckle", which is considered lucky in Sesotho culture. | |||
| Swahili | bahati | ||
| In Swahili, "bahati" can also refer to "luck" or "good fortune". | |||
| Xhosa | ithamsanqa | ||
| The word 'ithamsanqa' in Xhosa can also refer to a lucky charm or talisman that brings good fortune, and is often associated with the power of ancestors. | |||
| Yoruba | oro | ||
| The word "oro" can also refer to a Yoruba masquerade festival.} | |||
| Zulu | inhlanhla | ||
| 'Inhlanhla' also means 'trees of the forest' in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | nafolo | ||
| Ewe | gbetsi nyui | ||
| Kinyarwanda | amahirwe | ||
| Lingala | bozwi | ||
| Luganda | obugagga | ||
| Sepedi | mahlatse | ||
| Twi (Akan) | sikanya | ||
Fortune in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ثروة | ||
| “ثروة” derives from “ثرى”, meaning fertile land, and thus denotes the abundance of wealth associated with it. | |||
| Hebrew | הון עתק | ||
| "הון עתק" can also refer to the sum total of the value of a person's property and assets. | |||
| Pashto | بخت | ||
| The word "بخت" in Pashto has the additional meaning of "luck" or "fate", and is cognate with the Persian word "بخت" meaning "happiness" or "good fortune". | |||
| Arabic | ثروة | ||
| “ثروة” derives from “ثرى”, meaning fertile land, and thus denotes the abundance of wealth associated with it. | |||
Fortune in Western European Languages
| Albanian | pasuri | ||
| "Pasuri" comes from the Latin word "passus" and also means "a step" or "footprint" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | fortuna | ||
| In Basque, 'fortuna' can also refer to a type of divination using playing cards or dice. | |||
| Catalan | fortuna | ||
| In Catalan, fortuna can also refer to a person's luck or fate, or to a sudden change of fortune. | |||
| Croatian | bogatstvo | ||
| It is derived from the adjective "bogat" (rich) and the suffix "-stvo", meaning "abundance" or "having a great deal of something." | |||
| Danish | formue | ||
| The word "formue" in Danish originates from the Latin "fortuna," meaning "chance" or "luck." | |||
| Dutch | fortuin | ||
| The Dutch word "fortuin" was derived from a Latin phrase that translates to "chance or luck," which are also synonymous with the word "destiny." | |||
| English | fortune | ||
| The word "fortune" originally meant "that which is spoken," from the Latin "fortuna," which in turn came from the verb "fari," meaning "to speak." | |||
| French | fortune | ||
| In French, the word "fortune" can also mean "fate" or "chance" | |||
| Frisian | fortún | ||
| In Frisian, "fortún" can also refer to a small farm or homestead, especially one with a plot of land. | |||
| Galician | fortuna | ||
| In Galician, "fortuna" can also mean "luck" or "chance" | |||
| German | vermögen | ||
| German word "Vermögen" not only means "fortune", but also "ability" or "property". | |||
| Icelandic | örlög | ||
| The word "örlög" derives from the Old Norse terms "ór" (out) and "lög" (law), denoting the predetermined fate or destiny assigned to each individual. | |||
| Irish | ádh | ||
| The word "ádh" is also used in Irish to mean "luck" or "fate". | |||
| Italian | fortuna | ||
| Derivata dall'etrusco "Phortuna", la Fortuna romana era connessa al concetto di sorte e casualità. | |||
| Luxembourgish | verméigen | ||
| 'Verméigen' shares the same Germanic root with the French 'ménage', referring to a family's wealth and belongings. | |||
| Maltese | fortuna | ||
| The word 'fortuna' in Maltese originated from the Latin 'fortuna' which also means 'chance' or 'luck'. | |||
| Norwegian | formue | ||
| In addition to "formue" meaning fortune or wealth in Norwegian, its verb form means to mold and give a form. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | fortuna | ||
| The word "fortuna" in Portuguese can also refer to "fate" or "luck". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | fortan | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word 'fortan' can also mean 'luck', 'destiny', or 'fate'. | |||
| Spanish | fortuna | ||
| The word 'fortuna' derives from the Latin 'fors', meaning 'fate', 'chance' or 'luck'. | |||
| Swedish | förmögenhet | ||
| Förmögenhet derives from the Old Swedish word "formughu", meaning "ability, capacity, opportunity" and is related to the German "vermöge." | |||
| Welsh | ffortiwn | ||
| The Welsh word "ffortiwn" is also a cognate of the words "ffortis" (force) and "fforth" (way) | |||
Fortune in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | фартуна | ||
| "Фартуна" - это вариант слова "удача" с польским происхождением. | |||
| Bosnian | bogatstvo | ||
| The word 'bogatstvo' comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'bogatstvo', which also means 'God' or 'richness'. | |||
| Bulgarian | богатство | ||
| The word "богатство" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *bogъ*, meaning "god," and originally referred to a person's wealth or possessions. | |||
| Czech | štěstí | ||
| "Štěstí" is a cognate of the German word "Glück", meaning "happiness" or "good luck". | |||
| Estonian | varandus | ||
| The word "varandus" in Estonian is also used to refer to a person's personal belongings or assets. | |||
| Finnish | onni | ||
| Derived from Proto-Uralic *ōnni "luck, happiness, well-being, fortune; good fortune, luck, favor; prosperity." | |||
| Hungarian | szerencse | ||
| The word "szerencse" also relates to the Hungarian word "szer" meaning "luck" or "good fortune". | |||
| Latvian | laime | ||
| The word "laime" is also related to the Latvian word "laime" meaning "happiness." | |||
| Lithuanian | likimas | ||
| The term "likimas" also means "fate" in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | богатство | ||
| The word "богатство" in Macedonian also means "wealth" or "riches". | |||
| Polish | fortuna | ||
| "Fortuna" is a popular name for women in Poland, despite having a pagan origin and being associated with the goddess of fate and luck | |||
| Romanian | avere | ||
| In Romanian, "avere" (fortune) also refers to an object of value or an inheritance. | |||
| Russian | удача | ||
| "Удача" can also mean "luck" or "success" | |||
| Serbian | богатство | ||
| The Serbian word "богатство" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *bogatъ, meaning "rich" or "wealthy". It is also related to the Slavic word *bogъ, meaning "god" or "deity". This suggests that the concept of wealth was closely associated with the divine in Slavic culture. | |||
| Slovak | šťastie | ||
| The word "šťastie" originally meant good luck, or the day after the feast of St Nicholas. | |||
| Slovenian | bogastvo | ||
| The word 'bogastvo' derives from the Common Slavic 'bogatstvo', which originally referred to 'abundance of goods' and only later 'wealth'. | |||
| Ukrainian | фортуна | ||
| The Ukrainian word "фортуна" (fortune) is derived from the Latin word "fortuna", meaning both "luck" and the goddess of luck and fortune. | |||
Fortune in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ভাগ্য | ||
| ভাগ্য (bhāgya) originally meant 'a share' or a 'lot' but now also came to signify 'good chance' in Bengali and other Indo-Aryan languages. | |||
| Gujarati | નસીબ | ||
| The word "નસીબ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "नसति" (nasati), meaning "he binds" or "he ties". | |||
| Hindi | भाग्य | ||
| The word "भाग्य" (fortune) is derived from the Sanskrit root "भज" (to divide), and can also refer to "destiny" or "kismet." | |||
| Kannada | ಅದೃಷ್ಟ | ||
| The term "ಅದೃಷ್ಟ" can also refer to destiny, luck, chance, fate, or good luck in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | ഭാഗ്യം | ||
| 'ഭാഗ്യം', which translates to 'fortune', originally meant a portion or part of something. | |||
| Marathi | भाग्य | ||
| The word "भाग्य" can also refer to one's share or destiny. | |||
| Nepali | भाग्य | ||
| The term "भाग्य" can also refer to "destiny," "fate," or "lot" in the context of a predetermined path of events. | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਿਸਮਤ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਕਿਸਮਤ" is derived from the Persian word "قسمت," which means "distribution or fate" | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වාසනාව | ||
| The word "වාසනාව" (fortune) in Sinhala is derived from the Pali word "vasana", meaning "tendency" or "inclination". | |||
| Tamil | அதிர்ஷ்டம் | ||
| The word 'அதிர்ஷ்டம்' (fortune) in Tamil is derived from the Sanskrit word 'अर्ध' (half) and 'इष्ट' (desired), indicating a state of partial fulfillment or desired outcome. | |||
| Telugu | అదృష్టం | ||
| Urdu | خوش قسمتی | ||
| "خوش قسمتی" also means "luck" or "good luck" in Urdu. | |||
Fortune in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 财富 | ||
| 财富, meaning "fortune," can also refer to "wealth," "riches," or "property." | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 財富 | ||
| 財 (cái) is one of the six basic classifiers in Chinese and is also used as a prefix to indicate a specific type of wealth, such as 財富 (wealth) or 財產 (property). | |||
| Japanese | フォーチュン | ||
| フォーチュンという日本語は、英語の「fortune」に由来し、「財産」や「運命」という意味があります。 | |||
| Korean | 재산 | ||
| In Korean, "재산" also means "belongings" or "assets". | |||
| Mongolian | аз | ||
| The word “аз” can also refer to the “Mongol script” used to write Mongolian and other languages in the region. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကံဇာတာ | ||
| ကံဇာတာ is derived from Pali, meaning "born of action", and is related to the concept of karma. | |||
Fortune in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | nasib | ||
| In Arabic, "nasib" also means "fate, destiny, or lot in life." | |||
| Javanese | rejeki | ||
| "Rejeki" is also used to refer to other things like a person's spouse or children. | |||
| Khmer | សំណាង | ||
| The word "សំណាង" also refers to "good luck" and "fate". | |||
| Lao | ໂຊກດີ | ||
| The Lao word ໂຊກດີ (fortune) is derived from the Pali word sukkha, meaning "happiness" or "well-being." | |||
| Malay | rezeki | ||
| The word "rezeki" in Malay derives from the Arabic word "rizq", meaning "sustenance" or "provision". | |||
| Thai | โชคลาภ | ||
| 'โชคลาภ' has also been used as a term for the Thai National Lottery | |||
| Vietnamese | vận may | ||
| "Vận may" also means fate, destiny, or luck in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | swerte | ||
Fortune in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | bəxt | ||
| "Bəxt" also means "happiness" and originates from Persian "bakht." | |||
| Kazakh | сәттілік | ||
| The word "сәттілік" in Kazakh literally translates to "happening" or "occurrence". | |||
| Kyrgyz | байлык | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "байлык" is also used to describe the concept of "abundance" or "wealth". | |||
| Tajik | толеъ | ||
| "Толеъ" is a Persian loanword in Tajik, and also means "luck" and "blessing". | |||
| Turkmen | bagt | ||
| Uzbek | boylik | ||
| The word "boylik" in Uzbek also means "success" or "prosperity". | |||
| Uyghur | تەلەي | ||
Fortune in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pōmaikaʻi | ||
| "Pōmaikaʻi" also means "blessing, favor, grace, good luck, happiness, joy, success, well-being." | |||
| Maori | waimarie | ||
| Waimarie also means "peace" in Maori, deriving from the words "wai" (water) and "marie" (calm). | |||
| Samoan | tamaoaiga | ||
| Tamaoaiga is the Samoan word for fortune, meaning good luck, blessings, and prosperity | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kapalaran | ||
| "Kapalaran" is also a slang word for a small amount of money, possibly derived from the Spanish term 'capital,' referring to financial assets. | |||
Fortune in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | utjirinaka | ||
| Guarani | vurureta | ||
Fortune in International Languages
| Esperanto | fortuno | ||
| "Fortuno" derives from Italian "fortuna" and is also used as a male name, especially in Italian operas. | |||
| Latin | fortunae | ||
| "Fortunae" in Latin can also refer to the Roman goddess of luck and fortune, Fortuna. | |||
Fortune in Others Languages
| Greek | τύχη | ||
| The word 'τύχη' (tyche) has an alternate mythological meaning in Greek, referring to the personification of good luck and providence. | |||
| Hmong | hmoov zoo | ||
| "Hmoov zoo" is a compound noun comprised of the words "hmoov" (to receive) and "zoo" (wealth), and can also refer to "lucky draw" or "lottery." | |||
| Kurdish | hebûnî | ||
| In addition to "fortune," "hebûnî" also means "luck" or "good fortune" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | servet | ||
| The word "servet" may also refer to "wealth" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | ithamsanqa | ||
| The word 'ithamsanqa' in Xhosa can also refer to a lucky charm or talisman that brings good fortune, and is often associated with the power of ancestors. | |||
| Yiddish | רייכקייט | ||
| The Yiddish word "רייכקייט" (reykhkeyt) is derived from the German word "Reich", meaning "kingdom" or "dominion". | |||
| Zulu | inhlanhla | ||
| 'Inhlanhla' also means 'trees of the forest' in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | সৌভাগ্য | ||
| Aymara | utjirinaka | ||
| Bhojpuri | भाग्य | ||
| Dhivehi | ޚަޒާނާ | ||
| Dogri | किसमत | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | swerte | ||
| Guarani | vurureta | ||
| Ilocano | gasat | ||
| Krio | bɔku mɔni | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سامان | ||
| Maithili | भाग्य | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯟ ꯊꯨꯝ | ||
| Mizo | rosum | ||
| Oromo | qabeenya | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଭାଗ୍ୟ | ||
| Quechua | killpu | ||
| Sanskrit | भाग्य | ||
| Tatar | бәхет | ||
| Tigrinya | ሃፍቲ | ||
| Tsonga | rifumo | ||