Humor in Different Languages
Discover 'Humor' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Humor has the power to bring people together, transcending borders and cultures. Its significance lies in its ability to provoke laughter, lighten moods, and create connections. From a witty joke to a hilarious meme, humor is a universal language that everyone can understand and appreciate.
The cultural importance of humor cannot be overstated. In many societies, humor is used as a tool for social commentary, allowing people to critique power structures and societal norms in a subtle and palatable way. Additionally, humor plays a crucial role in building and maintaining relationships, as it helps to establish a sense of camaraderie and shared experience.
Understanding the translation of humor in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultures and societies that use them. For example, the German word 'Schadenfreude' refers to the feeling of pleasure derived from someone else's misfortune, while the Japanese concept of 'tsuuchouou' refers to the awkwardness that arises from silence in a conversation.
In this list, you'll find a variety of translations of the word 'humor' from around the world. Whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural critic, or simply someone who enjoys a good laugh, this list is sure to provide you with plenty of food for thought.
Humor
Humor in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | humor | ||
| In Afrikaans, "humor" also refers to a person with bad luck or a misfortune. | |||
| Amharic | ቀልድ | ||
| The word 'ቀልድ'(humor) is ultimately derived from the Ge'ez word 'ቀሊድ'(secret), referring to the hidden or subtle nature of humor. | |||
| Hausa | abun dariya | ||
| The word 'abun dariya' in Hausa has its roots in the concept of 'something that makes one laugh'. | |||
| Igbo | ọchị | ||
| "Ọchị" is also a verb meaning "to be funny" or "to make someone laugh". | |||
| Malagasy | humor | ||
| The Malagasy word "hatsikana" means both "humor" and "laughter". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | nthabwala | ||
| The word 'nthabwala' in Nyanja also means 'laughter' and 'amusement'. | |||
| Shona | zvinosetsa | ||
| In addition to "humor," "zvinosetsa" means "pleasantness" or "sweetness." | |||
| Somali | kaftan | ||
| The Somali word "kaftan" can also mean "a long, loose robe". | |||
| Sesotho | metlae | ||
| The word 'metlae' also has a literal meaning of 'spittle', or 'saliva' | |||
| Swahili | ucheshi | ||
| "Ucheshi" also means 'something to make one laugh', 'fun' and 'amusement'. | |||
| Xhosa | uburharha | ||
| In Xhosa, the word 'uburharha' also refers to the bubbling of water, reflecting the idea that humor is transformative and can uplift one's spirits. | |||
| Yoruba | takiti | ||
| "Takiti" can also mean "jest" or "trick" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | amahlaya | ||
| The Zulu word 'amahlaya' means 'humor,' referring to someone or something that is lighthearted, lively and carefree. | |||
| Bambara | nisɔndiya | ||
| Ewe | nukokoedonamenyawo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | urwenya | ||
| Lingala | maseki ya kosekisa | ||
| Luganda | okusesa | ||
| Sepedi | metlae | ||
| Twi (Akan) | aseresɛm | ||
Humor in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | دعابة | ||
| The word دعابة (du'aba) shares the same origin as the word دعب (da'b), which means 'to joke' in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | הוּמוֹר | ||
| The word "הוּמוֹר" (humor) is derived from the Latin word "humor", which means "fluid". In Hebrew, the word "הוּמוֹר" is also used to refer to the "fluid" of a person's body, such as blood or lymph. | |||
| Pashto | مسخره | ||
| The word "مسخره" can also mean "funny" or "ridiculous" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | دعابة | ||
| The word دعابة (du'aba) shares the same origin as the word دعب (da'b), which means 'to joke' in Arabic. | |||
Humor in Western European Languages
| Albanian | humor | ||
| In Albanian, the word "humor" can also mean "liquid" or "moisture". | |||
| Basque | umorea | ||
| Basque "umorea" relates to "umore": "disposition", and "berri": "news" or "intelligence". | |||
| Catalan | humor | ||
| The Catalan word "humor" can also refer to a person's mood or disposition. | |||
| Croatian | humor | ||
| In Croatian, "humor" can also refer to a liquid or fluid, such as a body fluid or a chemical solution. | |||
| Danish | humor | ||
| In Danish, "humor" can also mean "mood", "inclination", or "whim". | |||
| Dutch | humor | ||
| In the original Dutch, "humor" refers to a bodily fluid, one of the four humours believed by ancient Greek physicians to determine a person's temperament. | |||
| English | humor | ||
| The word “humor” originally referred to one of the four bodily fluids (blood, phlegm, choler, and black bile) thought to control a person’s temperament and health. | |||
| French | humour | ||
| In French, the word "humour" can also mean "moisture" or "liquid", derived from the Latin word "humor". | |||
| Frisian | humor | ||
| In Frisian "humor" also means "to put something in something", especially when dealing with liquids and fluids. | |||
| Galician | humor | ||
| In Galician, "humor" can also mean "soil" or "fertilizer", sharing the etymology with the French "humus". | |||
| German | humor | ||
| The German word "Humor" also refers to bodily fluids, e.g. "der Humor ist im Gleichgewicht" (the humors are in balance). | |||
| Icelandic | húmor | ||
| The Icelandic word "húmor" also means "disposition", "temperament" and "mood." | |||
| Irish | greann | ||
| Derived from the Old Irish 'grian' or 'sun', greann signifies 'warmth' or 'brightness,' akin to the 'sunniness' of humor. | |||
| Italian | umorismo | ||
| While "umorismo" commonly means "humor" in Italian, it can also refer to the intellectual quality of appreciating the absurdities of life with a touch of irony and detachment. | |||
| Luxembourgish | humor | ||
| While the word 'Humor' in Luxembourgish can refer to 'humor', it can also mean 'mood' or 'temperament'. | |||
| Maltese | umoriżmu | ||
| The Maltese word "umoriżmu" originates from the Italian word "umorismo" and originally referred to a person's disposition or mood. | |||
| Norwegian | humor | ||
| Despite having the same spelling as the English word, the Norwegian word 'humor' actually translates to 'mood' in English. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | humor | ||
| In Portuguese, "humor" can also mean "moisture", "dampness", or "mildew". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | àbhachdas | ||
| The word "àbhachdas" can also refer to a person's disposition or character. | |||
| Spanish | humor | ||
| En español, la palabra "humor" también puede hacer referencia a la humedad. | |||
| Swedish | humör | ||
| The Swedish word "humör" derives from the Latin word "humor", meaning "liquid", and was originally used to refer to the body's fluids. | |||
| Welsh | hiwmor | ||
| In Welsh, 'hiwmor' can also refer to a person's temperament or disposition | |||
Humor in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | гумар | ||
| In Belarusian, "гумар" can also refer to a type of folk dance or a gathering of people for entertainment. | |||
| Bosnian | humor | ||
| Korijen riječi leži u latinskoj riječi 'humor' koja je značila 'tečnost'. | |||
| Bulgarian | хумор | ||
| In Bulgarian, "хумор" also refers to bodily fluids and is etymologically related to the verb "тека" (to flow). | |||
| Czech | humor | ||
| In Czech, "humor" (humor) also means "bile" and used to be associated with temperament. | |||
| Estonian | huumor | ||
| The Estonian word "huumor" can also refer to a "liquid" or "moisture". | |||
| Finnish | huumori | ||
| The Finnish word "huumori" derives from the Latin word "humor", which originally meant "liquid" and was used in medicine to refer to bodily fluids believed to influence a person's temperament. | |||
| Hungarian | humor | ||
| In Hungarian, "humor" (humor) originally referred to the moisture from the human body, and is cognate with the English word "humour", which in the past had similar meanings | |||
| Latvian | humors | ||
| The Latvian word "humors" derives from the Old Prussian word "humars", meaning "spirit" or "soul." | |||
| Lithuanian | humoras | ||
| "Humoras" is a loanword from Latin, where "humor" referred to the four humors believed to determine a person's personality and health. | |||
| Macedonian | хумор | ||
| In Macedonian, 'хумор' can also refer to the juice of fruit, especially grapes. | |||
| Polish | humor | ||
| In Polish, "humor" can also refer to fluids (e.g., blood) or soil quality, deriving from the Latin "humor" meaning "liquid". | |||
| Romanian | umor | ||
| The Romanian word "umor" is derived from the French "humeur", which in turn comes from the Latin "humor", meaning "a liquid", and in modern French can refer both to "humor" and to "mood". | |||
| Russian | юмор | ||
| The Russian word "юмор" (humor) comes from the Greek word "χυμός" (liquid) and originally referred to the flow of bodily fluids, and hence the mood | |||
| Serbian | хумор | ||
| The Serbian word “хумор” can also refer to a liquid’s consistency and is related to the English word “humour” in the sense of “body fluid”. | |||
| Slovak | humor | ||
| The Slovak word "humor" can also refer to fluids in the body, such as blood or lymph. | |||
| Slovenian | humor | ||
| V slovenščini beseda 'humor' poleg pomena 'humor', lahko pomeni tudi 'vlaga', 'tekočina' ali 'tekoče stanje' | |||
| Ukrainian | гумор | ||
| The word "гумор" (humor) is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *smeu-, meaning "to laugh" or "to smile." | |||
Humor in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | মেজাজ | ||
| মেজাজ refers to both one's "mood" or "temper" and one of the four humours in the ancient theory of bodily fluids, linking it etymologically to the English word "humor." | |||
| Gujarati | રમૂજ | ||
| The word "રમૂજ" (ramūj) can also mean "a joke" or "witticism" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | हास्य | ||
| The Sanskrit word "हास्य" (hā́sya) also means "laughter" or "a jest". | |||
| Kannada | ಹಾಸ್ಯ | ||
| The word "ಹಾಸ್ಯ" (humor) in Kannada is also used to describe a specific type of literary genre, akin to satire. | |||
| Malayalam | നർമ്മം | ||
| Malayalam's 'നർമ്മം' originates from the Sanskrit 'नर्म', meaning both 'play' and 'water', indicating humor's role in dissolving stiffness like water. | |||
| Marathi | विनोद | ||
| The word 'विनोद' (vinod) also means 'recreation', 'entertainment', or 'amusement' in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | हास्य | ||
| The Nepali word 'हास्य' ('humor') can also refer to the humorous aspect of a situation, or a funny story. | |||
| Punjabi | ਹਾਸੇ | ||
| The word 'ਹਾਸੇ' (humor in Punjabi) originates from the Sanskrit word 'हास', which means 'laughter' or 'joy'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හාස්යය | ||
| The Sinhala word "haasyaya (හාස්යය)" has a dual meaning and can also denote "play". | |||
| Tamil | நகைச்சுவை | ||
| Telugu | హాస్యం | ||
| The word "హాస్యం" can also mean "funny" or "comic" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | مزاح | ||
| The word "مزاح" can also mean "fun" or "playfulness". | |||
Humor in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 幽默 | ||
| 幽默的古义为‘湿润’、‘温润’，后引申为‘风趣’，指使人愉快、发笑的事物。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 幽默 | ||
| 幽默的本義是『適時而動』，後來才在中醫用作『液體』之意。 | |||
| Japanese | ユーモア | ||
| In Japanese, "ユーモア" (yūmoa) is derived from the English word "humor" and also has the meaning of "a mood or atmosphere." | |||
| Korean | 기분 | ||
| 기분 (gibun) also means "feeling" or "emotion" in Korean, and can be used to express a range of subjective experiences. | |||
| Mongolian | хошин шог | ||
| The Mongolian word "хошин шог" originally meant "to make a face". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဟာသ | ||
| "ဟာသ" is derived from the Sanskrit word हास्य (hāasya), meaning "laughter", "ridicule", or "wit." | |||
Humor in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | humor | ||
| The word "humor" comes from the Latin word "humor," which means "moisture" or "fluid." | |||
| Javanese | banyolan | ||
| The Javanese word “banyolan” originates from the word “banyol” which means wet, because humor can “wet” the body of the hearer and make them laugh. | |||
| Khmer | ការលេងសើច | ||
| Lao | ຕະຫລົກ | ||
| Malay | kelucuan | ||
| The word "kelucuan" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian root "*kuluq", meaning "to laugh". | |||
| Thai | อารมณ์ขัน | ||
| "อารมณ์ขัน" can also mean a physical fluid which causes diseases | |||
| Vietnamese | hài hước | ||
| "Hài hước" in Vietnamese also means "funny, comedic," or "humorous." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | katatawanan | ||
Humor in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | yumor | ||
| In Azerbaijani, the word yumor not only refers to | |||
| Kazakh | әзіл | ||
| The word "әзіл" has Turkic roots and is related to the words "to joke" and "to make fun of". | |||
| Kyrgyz | юмор | ||
| The word “юмор” (“humor”) comes from the Greek word “χυμός” (“chumos”), which means “fluid” or “juice”. | |||
| Tajik | юмор | ||
| В таджикском языке, "юмор" также используется для описания жидкости, особенно сока или бульона. | |||
| Turkmen | degişme | ||
| Uzbek | hazil | ||
| In Uzbek, "hazil" is also used to refer to a joke or a funny story. | |||
| Uyghur | يۇمۇر | ||
Humor in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻomākeʻaka | ||
| Hoʻomākeʻaka, "humor" in Hawaiian, stems from the root word "mākeʻaka" meaning "bitter" and the causative prefix "hoʻo-," suggesting a play on words with the idea of using humor to lighten or soften bitter experiences. | |||
| Maori | whakakatakata | ||
| The word "whakakatakata" also means "to make a joke" or "to make fun of someone". | |||
| Samoan | malie | ||
| Malie is a homonym with the word 'malie,' which means 'calm, quiet, smooth.' | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | katatawanan | ||
| The word 'katatawanan' can also refer to the funny or amusing aspect of something. | |||
Humor in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | humor ukat juk’ampinaka | ||
| Guarani | humor rehegua | ||
Humor in International Languages
| Esperanto | humuro | ||
| The word “humuro” comes from the Latin word “ūmor” (“moisture”) and shares a root with English words such as “humidity” and “humor”. | |||
| Latin | humor | ||
| In Latin, "humor" can also refer to fluids in the body or moisture in the air. | |||
Humor in Others Languages
| Greek | χιούμορ | ||
| In Greek, "χιούμορ" can also refer to moisture, fluids, or sap. | |||
| Hmong | lom zem heev | ||
| The word "lom zem heev" in Hmong can refer to various meanings such as "happiness, joy, excitement, or laughter" in different contexts. | |||
| Kurdish | dilşahî | ||
| Dilşahî shares its root with the Persian word "dil" (heart), signifying its connection to emotions. | |||
| Turkish | mizah | ||
| Mizah comes from the Arabic "muzaha" and originally meant "to joke" before coming to mean humor. | |||
| Xhosa | uburharha | ||
| In Xhosa, the word 'uburharha' also refers to the bubbling of water, reflecting the idea that humor is transformative and can uplift one's spirits. | |||
| Yiddish | הומאָר | ||
| Yiddish "humor," from Middle High German **hūmoren**, refers not only to "humor," but also to "moods" and even "temperament" or "disposition." | |||
| Zulu | amahlaya | ||
| The Zulu word 'amahlaya' means 'humor,' referring to someone or something that is lighthearted, lively and carefree. | |||
| Assamese | ৰসিকতা | ||
| Aymara | humor ukat juk’ampinaka | ||
| Bhojpuri | हास्य के भाव बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ސަމާސާ އެވެ | ||
| Dogri | हास्य | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | katatawanan | ||
| Guarani | humor rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | kinamanagpakatawa | ||
| Krio | fɔ mek yu laf | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نوکتە | ||
| Maithili | हास्य | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯨꯃꯥꯡ ꯊꯣꯀꯄꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | hlimthla a ni | ||
| Oromo | qoosaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ହାସ୍ୟରସ | ||
| Quechua | asichikuy | ||
| Sanskrit | हास्यम् | ||
| Tatar | юмор | ||
| Tigrinya | ዋዛ | ||
| Tsonga | ku hlekisa | ||