Funny in Different Languages
Discover 'Funny' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'funny' is a small but powerful part of our vocabulary, evoking laughter and joy in every corner of the world. Its significance extends beyond mere entertainment, often serving as a universal ice-breaker and a tool for cultural exchange.
Funny has a rich cultural importance, with humor often reflecting societal values and norms. From slapstick to satire, comedy takes many forms, each unique to its culture of origin. This makes understanding the word 'funny' in different languages essential for anyone looking to explore the world of humor and its cultural nuances.
Did you know that the word 'funny' is derived from the Old English 'funnes', meaning 'foolish'? Or that in Japan, 'funny' translates to 'okashi', which also means 'strange' or 'odd'? In Spain, 'funny' is 'gracioso', which can also mean 'amusing' or 'witty'.
Join us as we delve into the translations of 'funny' in various languages, providing a fascinating insight into the world of humor and culture.
Funny
Funny in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | snaaks | ||
| "Snaaks" in Afrikaans can also mean "strange," "odd," or "weird." | |||
| Amharic | አስቂኝ | ||
| The word 'አስቂኝ' (funny) in Amharic is derived from the word 'ስቅ' (pain), and originally meant 'causing pain' or 'painful'. | |||
| Hausa | mai ban dariya | ||
| "Mai ban dariya" literally means "someone who sells water" in Hausa, hinting at someone full of silly joy, like spilling water everywhere. | |||
| Igbo | na-akpa ọchị | ||
| In some regions of Igbo land, "na-akpa ọchị" can also mean "to play" or "to be playful", particularly referring to children's games. | |||
| Malagasy | funny | ||
| The word "funny" in Malagasy can also mean "strange" or "unusual". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zoseketsa | ||
| The word 'zoseketsa' may also refer to something that is comical or ridiculous. | |||
| Shona | zvinosetsa | ||
| "Zvinosetsa" (funny) derives from the word "zvitsva" (play) and denotes someone who does amusing or witty things, bringing joy to others. | |||
| Somali | qosol badan | ||
| Sesotho | qabola | ||
| Swahili | ya kuchekesha | ||
| The word 'kuchekesha' can also mean 'to make someone laugh' or 'to cause amusement'. | |||
| Xhosa | ehlekisayo | ||
| Ehlekisayo is a compound word which combines the words ehleka (laugh) and isayo (strange or unusual), thus meaning 'causing laughter'. | |||
| Yoruba | funny | ||
| In Yoruba, "funny" can also mean "strange" or "peculiar" | |||
| Zulu | kuyahlekisa | ||
| The word 'kuyahlekisa' in Zulu, meaning 'funny', also has a root meaning of 'to make someone laugh or smile' and is derived from the verb 'kuhleka', meaning 'to laugh'. | |||
| Bambara | yɛlɛko | ||
| Ewe | ɖi kokoe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bisekeje | ||
| Lingala | ezosekisa | ||
| Luganda | okusesa | ||
| Sepedi | segišago | ||
| Twi (Akan) | sere | ||
Funny in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مضحك | ||
| The word "مضحك" (funny) is derived from the word "ضحك" (laughter), which is derived from the root word "ض ح ك" (to laugh). The word "مضحك" can also be used to describe something that is amusing or ridiculous. | |||
| Hebrew | מצחיק | ||
| מצחיק, a Hebrew word referring to humor, shares etymological roots with מוחק, meaning 'erase,' hinting at the ability of laughter to alleviate stress. | |||
| Pashto | مسخره | ||
| The Pashto word "مسخره" primarily means "funny" but can also refer to a "jester" or "clown". | |||
| Arabic | مضحك | ||
| The word "مضحك" (funny) is derived from the word "ضحك" (laughter), which is derived from the root word "ض ح ك" (to laugh). The word "مضحك" can also be used to describe something that is amusing or ridiculous. | |||
Funny in Western European Languages
| Albanian | qesharak | ||
| The word "qesharak" is derived from the Albanian word "qesh", meaning "to laugh". | |||
| Basque | dibertigarria | ||
| The Basque word "dibertigarria" can also mean "amusing" or "entertaining." | |||
| Catalan | divertit | ||
| The Catalan word "divertit" is derived from the Latin word "divertere", which means "to turn aside" or "to amuse"} | |||
| Croatian | smiješno | ||
| "Smiješno" in Croatian is related to "meso" (meat), possibly due to the fact that in medieval times animal markets used to draw many laughing customers | |||
| Danish | sjov | ||
| "Sjov" in Danish originates from the Old Norse "skjóta," meaning "to push" or "to shoot." It can also refer to "mischief," "playfulness," or "nonsense." | |||
| Dutch | grappig | ||
| In Old English, the word "grappig" originally meant "seizing" or "gripping". | |||
| English | funny | ||
| The word "funny" originally meant "strange" or "peculiar" before acquiring its modern humorous connotation around the 18th century. | |||
| French | drôle | ||
| The French word "drôle" can also mean "strange" or "unusual" in English | |||
| Frisian | grappich | ||
| The word "grappich" can also mean "odd" or "strange" in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | divertido | ||
| In Portuguese and Galician, "divertido" also means "entertaining" or "enjoyable" in addition to "funny." | |||
| German | komisch | ||
| The word "komisch" comes from the Greek "komikos," meaning both "pertaining to comedy" and "strange". | |||
| Icelandic | fyndið | ||
| Fyndið is cognate with the Old Norse word | |||
| Irish | greannmhar | ||
| The word 'greannmhar' in Irish does not only mean 'funny', it can also mean 'sunny' or 'pleasing'. | |||
| Italian | divertente | ||
| The word 'divertente' can also mean 'amusing' or 'entertaining', and is derived from the Latin word 'divertere', meaning 'to turn away or aside'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | witzeg | ||
| Despite its playful sound, the word "witzeg" may derive from Old High German "witzan" meaning "to punish". | |||
| Maltese | umoristiċi | ||
| The Maltese word 'umoristiċi' can also refer to satire or a comic style. | |||
| Norwegian | morsom | ||
| The Norwegian word "morsom" is derived from the Old Norse word "mor" (amusement), and can also refer to "pleasant" in a general way. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | engraçado | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "engraçado" can also be used to describe something amusing or odd. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | èibhinn | ||
| Èibhinn in Scots Gaelic also means "pleasant," and derives from the Irish word "aobh." In Irish this word also means "pleasure" or "joy." | |||
| Spanish | gracioso | ||
| In Spanish, the word "gracioso" can also mean "graceful" or "pleasant." | |||
| Swedish | rolig | ||
| The word 'rolig' derives from the Old Swedish word 'ro', meaning 'peace' or 'tranquility'. | |||
| Welsh | doniol | ||
| Doniol is a portmanteau of 'dyna' or 'twnn' ('tight' or 'small') and 'iol' ('light'). | |||
Funny in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | смешна | ||
| The word "смешна" (smešna) can also mean "laughter" or "ridiculous" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | smešno | ||
| The word "smešno" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "smēχъ", which also means "ridicule" or "mockery". | |||
| Bulgarian | смешен | ||
| смешен can also mean ridiculous or absurd and comes from the word 'смех' which means laughter | |||
| Czech | legrační | ||
| The word "legrační" in Czech originates from the Old Czech "lehce ráčiti," meaning "to deign lightly," and also has the alternate meaning of "comical." | |||
| Estonian | naljakas | ||
| The word "naljakas" is thought to be derived from the Proto-Uralic root *nala-, meaning "to laugh". | |||
| Finnish | hauska | ||
| "Hauska" is also a Finnish name for children, usually for girls. | |||
| Hungarian | vicces | ||
| Vicces "vic"-ből is származhat, az eredeti jelentése is vicc volt | |||
| Latvian | smieklīgi | ||
| The word "smieklīgi" is derived from the verb "smiet", meaning "to laugh". | |||
| Lithuanian | juokinga | ||
| The word "juokinga" may also refer to a person who makes or says jokes. | |||
| Macedonian | смешно | ||
| The word "смешно" can also mean "laughable" or "comical" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | zabawny | ||
| "Zabawny" means "funny" in Polish, but it literally means "amusing" or "playful". | |||
| Romanian | amuzant | ||
| The Romanian word "amuzant" is derived from the French word "amusant," which in turn comes from the Latin word "amusare," meaning "to distract or entertain." | |||
| Russian | смешной | ||
| The Russian word "смешной" (''smeshnoy'') also means "laughable" and "ridiculous" and derives from the verb "смеяться" (''smeyatsya''), meaning "to laugh". | |||
| Serbian | смешно | ||
| Смешно originates from the Proto-Slavic word "sьmьxъ", meaning both "laughing" and "laughter". | |||
| Slovak | vtipné | ||
| The word "vtipné" is also used to describe a sarcastic or ironic remark. | |||
| Slovenian | smešno | ||
| The word “smešno” originally meant “worthy of laughter” but can also express absurdity or strangeness. | |||
| Ukrainian | смішно | ||
| "Смішно" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*smej-," which also meant 'to smile.' In some Slavic languages it can also refer to being ridiculous. | |||
Funny in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | হাস্যকর | ||
| The word "হাস্যকর" in Bengali is derived from the Sanskrit word "हास" (laughter), indicating something that causes amusement or laughter. | |||
| Gujarati | રમુજી | ||
| The word "રમુજી" also means "witty" or "humorous" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | मजेदार | ||
| The word "मजेदार" in Hindi can also mean "pleasant" or "enjoyable". | |||
| Kannada | ತಮಾಷೆ | ||
| The word "ತಮಾಷೆ" can also refer to a "joke" or "amusing situation" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | തമാശ | ||
| The Malayalam word "തമാശ" (tamasha) is derived from the Sanskrit word "tamāśa," which means "show" or "spectacle." | |||
| Marathi | मजेदार | ||
| The word "मजेदार" can also mean "interesting" or "enjoyable". | |||
| Nepali | हास्यास्पद | ||
| The term 'हास्यास्पद' is a compound of two words, namely, 'हास्य' (humor) and 'अस्पद' (worthy). Thus, it literally translates to 'worthy of humor'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਮਜ਼ਾਕੀਆ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | විහිලු | ||
| The word "විහිලු" can also refer to something unusual, strange, or even frightening | |||
| Tamil | வேடிக்கையானது | ||
| Telugu | ఫన్నీ | ||
| The word "ఫన్నీ" in Telugu has origins in Sanskrit, where the word "vinay" means "to bend", which is likely related to its original usage as "to make fun" or "to cause someone to bend with laughter". | |||
| Urdu | مضحکہ خیز | ||
| The word "مضحکہ خیز" (funny) is derived from the Arabic word "ضحك" (to laugh), which is related to the Hebrew word "צחק" (tsahak), also meaning "to laugh". | |||
Funny in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 滑稽 | ||
| "滑稽" comes from "滑" ("slippery") and "稽" ("to stop or check"), hence it originally referred to performing silly actions or making jokes to make people stop behaving seriously or doing what they shouldn't. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 滑稽 | ||
| 滑稽 can also refer to a kind of traditional Chinese comic opera. | |||
| Japanese | おかしい | ||
| "おかしい", meaning "funny", also means "strange" or "weird" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 이상한 | ||
| 이상한 is formed by 이상 which originally means "abnormality" that becomes funny when combined with the suffix "하다". | |||
| Mongolian | хөгжилтэй | ||
| The term is used in linguistics to refer to speech errors such as spoonerisms and slips of the tongue that are unintentionally humorous. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရယ်စရာ | ||
Funny in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | lucu | ||
| The word "lucu" in Indonesian can also mean "cute" or "pretty", especially when describing animals or babies. | |||
| Javanese | lucu | ||
| The word lucu in Javanese can also mean 'cute' or 'adorable'. | |||
| Khmer | គួរឱ្យអស់សំណើច | ||
| Lao | ຕະຫລົກ | ||
| The term ตะຫລົກ can also refer to a stand-up comedian or a comedy show in Lao. | |||
| Malay | kelakar | ||
| "Kelakar" comes from the Sanskrit word "kilkilā", meaning "playful." | |||
| Thai | ตลก | ||
| The Thai word ตลก (ตลก) is an onomatopoeia for the sound of laughter (similar to English "ha-ha"). | |||
| Vietnamese | buồn cười | ||
| "Buồn cười" does not only mean "funny," it also means "sad." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | nakakatawa | ||
Funny in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | gülməli | ||
| The word "gülməli" is derived from the Persian word "gul" meaning "flower", and "məli" meaning "related to". It originally meant "flowery" or "pleasant", but over time its meaning shifted to "funny". | |||
| Kazakh | күлкілі | ||
| The word "күлкілі" can also refer to something that is worthy of laughter or amusement, or to something that causes laughter. | |||
| Kyrgyz | күлкүлүү | ||
| The word "күлкүлүү" in Kyrgyz shares its root with "күлкү", meaning laughter, emphasizing its connection to humor and amusement. | |||
| Tajik | хандовар | ||
| The word "хандовар" has the alternate meaning of "joyful" and is derived from the Persian word "khwandan" meaning "to laugh". | |||
| Turkmen | gülkünç | ||
| Uzbek | kulgili | ||
| "Kulgili" also refers to a game of riddles in which players try to stump each other with riddles. | |||
| Uyghur | قىزىقارلىق | ||
Funny in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻomākeʻaka | ||
| Hoʻomākeʻaka, besides meaning "funny," can also be translated to "making fun of someone" in English. | |||
| Maori | rorirori | ||
| In Maori, "rorirori" also alludes to "ticklish," as in "e roriri oku mata," or "my eyes are ticklish." | |||
| Samoan | malie | ||
| In Samoan the word “malie" can also mean crazy or silly, but is most often used in the context of humour. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | nakakatawa | ||
| The word "nakakatawa" can also mean "strange" or "odd" in Tagalog, depending on the context. | |||
Funny in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | k'uchirasiña | ||
| Guarani | kachiãi | ||
Funny in International Languages
| Esperanto | amuza | ||
| The name 'amuza' is derived from the French 'amuser' (to amuse). | |||
| Latin | ridiculam | ||
| ridiculam also means "bag" or "satchel" in Latin. | |||
Funny in Others Languages
| Greek | αστείος | ||
| The word "αστείος" in Greek also means "urban," as opposed to "rustic," and originates from the ancient Greek word "ἄστυ" meaning "city." | |||
| Hmong | lom zem heev | ||
| The term "lom zem heev,” which means “funny” in English, shares its roots with the Hmong word “zem,” which means “laugh.” | |||
| Kurdish | kêfî | ||
| The Kurdish word “kêfî” is derived from the Arabic word “kayf”, which means “pleasure, enjoyment, or state of mind”. | |||
| Turkish | komik | ||
| The word "komik" also means "play" or "comedy" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | ehlekisayo | ||
| Ehlekisayo is a compound word which combines the words ehleka (laugh) and isayo (strange or unusual), thus meaning 'causing laughter'. | |||
| Yiddish | מאָדנע | ||
| The Yiddish word "מאָדנע" (modne) also means "strange" or "peculiar" and is related to the German word "Mut" (courage). | |||
| Zulu | kuyahlekisa | ||
| The word 'kuyahlekisa' in Zulu, meaning 'funny', also has a root meaning of 'to make someone laugh or smile' and is derived from the verb 'kuhleka', meaning 'to laugh'. | |||
| Assamese | জমনি | ||
| Aymara | k'uchirasiña | ||
| Bhojpuri | मजगर | ||
| Dhivehi | މަޖާ | ||
| Dogri | मजेदार | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | nakakatawa | ||
| Guarani | kachiãi | ||
| Ilocano | nakakatkatawa | ||
| Krio | fɔni | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | گاڵتەئامێز | ||
| Maithili | मजेदार | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯣꯛꯅꯤꯡꯕ | ||
| Mizo | nuihzatthlak | ||
| Oromo | kofalchiisaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ମଜାଳିଆ | ||
| Quechua | kusi | ||
| Sanskrit | विलक्षणम् | ||
| Tatar | көлке | ||
| Tigrinya | መስሓቄን | ||
| Tsonga | hlekisa | ||