Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'hurt' is a powerful and universal emotion that transcends language and culture. It signifies physical or emotional pain, and has been explored in countless works of literature, music, and art. Understanding how to express 'hurt' in different languages can help us better connect with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
For example, in Spanish, 'hurt' is 'dolor', while in French it's 'mal' or 'douleur', and in German it's 'Schmerz'. These translations not only provide a linguistic understanding, but also offer a glimpse into the cultural context of how different languages and cultures view and express pain.
Moreover, the word 'hurt' has a rich historical context. In Old English, 'hurt' was derived from the term 'hyrtan', which meant 'to injure'. Over time, the word has evolved to encompass not just physical harm, but emotional distress as well.
So, whether you're a language learner, a cultural enthusiast, or simply curious, exploring the translations of 'hurt' in different languages can be a fascinating journey. Keep reading to discover more about this powerful word in various languages!
Afrikaans | seergemaak | ||
The word "seergemaak" comes from the Afrikaans word "seer" meaning "painful" and "maak" meaning "to make". | |||
Amharic | ጎድቷል | ||
The Amharic word "ጎድቷል" can also mean "to be annoyed" or "to be irritated." | |||
Hausa | ji ciwo | ||
The Hausa word "ji ciwo" can also refer to physical pain, emotional distress, or psychological trauma. | |||
Igbo | merụrụ ahụ | ||
The Igbo word "merụrụ ahụ" can also refer to physical or emotional damage and may originate from the concept of "feeling pain in the body." | |||
Malagasy | loza | ||
"Loza" can also denote pain in French | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kupweteka | ||
The word "kupweteka" has a similar meaning to "kupweteketsa", which can mean to "cause pain" or "annoy someone". | |||
Shona | kukuvara | ||
Kukuvara also means 'to pound cereal using a pestle and mortar' in Shona. | |||
Somali | dhaawacan | ||
Sesotho | utloisa bohloko | ||
The word "utloisa bohloko" can also mean "painful" or "injury". | |||
Swahili | kuumiza | ||
Swahili 'kuumiza' derives from Arabic 'awḍa' via a Bantu language, acquiring its present meaning from associations with physical pain and punishment. | |||
Xhosa | buhlungu | ||
The word "buhlungu" in Xhosa can also refer to a type of pain caused by witchcraft. | |||
Yoruba | farapa | ||
The word "farapa" can also mean "to destroy" or "to ruin". | |||
Zulu | ubuhlungu | ||
The Zulu word 'ubuhlungu' also means 'pain', 'sorrow', 'grief', and 'misery'. | |||
Bambara | ka jogin | ||
Ewe | xɔ abi | ||
Kinyarwanda | kubabaza | ||
Lingala | kozoka | ||
Luganda | okulumya | ||
Sepedi | gobetše | ||
Twi (Akan) | ha | ||
Arabic | جرح | ||
The word "جرح" can also refer to a physical wound or a psychological injury. | |||
Hebrew | כאב | ||
The term "כאב" (hurt) originally meant "wrath" and "suffering" but was adopted to describe physical and emotional pain. | |||
Pashto | ټپي کیدل | ||
The etymology of the Pashto word "ټپي کیدل" is unknown, but it is also used to describe the feeling of being hurt or offended. | |||
Arabic | جرح | ||
The word "جرح" can also refer to a physical wound or a psychological injury. |
Albanian | lënduar | ||
The Albanian word "lënduar" also means "damaged" or "injured" and is derived from the Proto-Albanian word "*lendo" meaning "to strike, wound, or harm." | |||
Basque | min egin | ||
The word “minegin” can also be used to refer to a sore or a pain, suggesting its close connection to physical discomfort and the experience of being hurt. | |||
Catalan | ferit | ||
The word "ferit" in Catalan can also mean "wounded" or "injured". | |||
Croatian | povrijediti | ||
The verb 'povrijediti' is derived from the Proto-Slavic verb *vьrěditi, which also meant 'to wrong' or 'to harm'. | |||
Danish | gøre ondt | ||
The Danish word "gøre ondt" can also mean "to do evil" or "to cause harm". | |||
Dutch | pijn doen | ||
The Dutch word "pijn doen" can also mean "to cause pain" or "to inflict pain". | |||
English | hurt | ||
The word 'hurt' is derived from the Old English word 'hyrtan', meaning 'to strike' or 'to damage'. It can also refer to emotional or psychological pain. | |||
French | blesser | ||
"Blesser" en vieux français et en ancien occitan voulait dire "boiter", et le mot "blessure" désignait une "entorse". | |||
Frisian | sear dwaan | ||
In the Dutch language, the word "seren" has a similar meaning and etymology. | |||
Galician | ferido | ||
"Ferido" comes from "ferir," which can also mean "to wound". | |||
German | verletzt | ||
Verletzt can also mean 'offended' or 'insulted', coming from the Middle High German word 'verletzen', meaning 'to damage' or 'to wrong'. | |||
Icelandic | meiða | ||
In Icelandic, the word "meiða" can also mean "to offend" or "to injure". | |||
Irish | gortaithe | ||
"Gortaithe" is likely derived from the Old Irish word "gart," meaning "sore" or "wound." | |||
Italian | male | ||
The noun 'male' (pronounced MA-le) derives from the Latin word 'malus' ('bad') | |||
Luxembourgish | verletzt | ||
The German word "verletzt" can also mean "injured" or "wounded". | |||
Maltese | iweġġgħu | ||
The word "iweġġgħu" is derived from the Semitic root "w-j-", meaning "to cause pain or injury." | |||
Norwegian | skade | ||
The word "skade" in Norwegian can also refer to a physical injury or a financial loss. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | doeu | ||
The word "doeu" can also mean "it was painful" or "it ached" in Portuguese. | |||
Scots Gaelic | goirteachadh | ||
The word 'goirteachadh' in Scots Gaelic shares a root with the word 'goirt' meaning 'bitter', reflecting the notion of pain as a bitter experience. | |||
Spanish | herir | ||
"Herir" derives from the Latin "haerēre" (to adhere), suggesting that an injury makes us vulnerable to attachment. | |||
Swedish | ont | ||
The word "ont" comes from the Old Norse word "ǫndóttr," meaning "vexation" or "grief." | |||
Welsh | brifo | ||
The Welsh word 'brifo' comes from the Proto-Celtic root *brig-, meaning 'to break' or 'to cut'. |
Belarusian | балюча | ||
The word 'балюча' likely derives from the Proto-Slavic 'bolěti', meaning 'to cause pain' | |||
Bosnian | povrijeđena | ||
The word 'povrijeđena' can also mean 'offended' or 'insulted'. | |||
Bulgarian | боли | ||
The word "боли" in Bulgarian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "bolěti", meaning "to be in pain", and is related to the English word "bail". | |||
Czech | zranit | ||
The word "zranit" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*zъraniti" meaning "to destroy, damage, or harm". | |||
Estonian | haiget saanud | ||
The word "haiget saanud" also includes the meaning "to be damaged or injured". | |||
Finnish | satuttaa | ||
Satuttaa derives from 'sata', meaning 'hundred', referring to the idea of a severe wound that leaves one helpless for a hundred days. | |||
Hungarian | sért | ||
The word "sért" in Hungarian is also used to refer to an insult or offense. | |||
Latvian | ievainot | ||
The word "ievainot" likely originates from the Proto-Indo-European root "*h₂ey- "meaning "to wound" | |||
Lithuanian | įskaudino | ||
"Įskaudino" (hurt) in Lithuanian comes from the word "skauda" (hurt, in the sense of physical pain), and is used to describe both physical and emotional pain. | |||
Macedonian | повреден | ||
"Повреден" can also mean "broken" or "damaged." | |||
Polish | ból | ||
The word "ból" in Polish is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*bъlь", meaning "pain, suffering" or "wound". | |||
Romanian | rănit | ||
"Rănit" derives from the Latin "ranicare," meaning "to wound." | |||
Russian | причинить боль | ||
"Причинить боль" also means "to cause pain" or "to inflict suffering" in Russian. | |||
Serbian | повредити | ||
The word "повредити" can also mean "to harm" or "to injure". | |||
Slovak | ublížiť | ||
The Slovak word "ublížiť" can also mean "to offend" or "to injure". | |||
Slovenian | poškodovan | ||
The Slovenian word "poškodovan" is derived from the Old Slavic verb "*škoditъ", which means "harm". | |||
Ukrainian | боляче | ||
The word 'боляче' has two meanings besides "hurt": an adverb used to describe a high level of pain, and an archaic synonym of the word "pain" |
Bengali | আহত | ||
আহত originates from the Sanskrit word 'āhata' and also means 'surrounded' or 'confined' in Bengali. | |||
Gujarati | નુકસાન | ||
The Gujarati word ''નુકસાન'' ("hurt") derives from Middle Persian "nukāsān," meaning "shortcoming, loss, defect," also influenced by Hindi "nuqsān." | |||
Hindi | चोट | ||
चोट, Sanskrit root "cud," can also mean "touch," "hit," "strike," or "wound". | |||
Kannada | ಹರ್ಟ್ | ||
The Kannada word ಹರ್ಟ್, also romanized as hurt, shares the same etymology and meaning as the English word 'hurt'. | |||
Malayalam | വേദനിപ്പിച്ചു | ||
Marathi | दुखापत | ||
The word "दुखापत" in Marathi likely comes from the Sanskrit word "दुख" (suffering) and the suffix "-आपत" (calamity), together meaning "a calamity that causes suffering". | |||
Nepali | चोट पुर्याउनु | ||
In Nepali, चोट पुर्याउनु can also mean 'to cause damage' or 'to inflict pain'. | |||
Punjabi | ਦੁਖੀ | ||
The word ਦੁਖੀ (dukhi) in Punjabi can also mean 'sorrowful' or 'unhappy'. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | රිදෙනවා | ||
රිදෙනවා also refers to the act of crushing something or the state of being in pain or agony, or the act of crushing something into pieces, depending on the context in which it is used, and can also imply injury to one's pride. | |||
Tamil | காயப்படுத்துகிறது | ||
Telugu | బాధించింది | ||
The term "బాధించింది" (hurt) derives from the Proto-Indo-European word "*h₁ǵʰerh₂-tóm," denoting suffering or damage inflicted on a living being. | |||
Urdu | چوٹ لگی ہے | ||
چوٹ لگی ہے, a phrase in Urdu, literally translates to "injury has happened" and is used to describe a situation where someone has been hurt. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 伤害 | ||
伤害 can also mean 'to damage' or 'to harm' in Chinese. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 傷害 | ||
The character 傷 means wound as well as hurt but was originally intended to mean a 'spear thrust'. | |||
Japanese | 痛い | ||
"Itai" originally meant "ache" and was used to describe physical pain, but later also came to refer to emotional pain. | |||
Korean | 상처 | ||
The word "상처" in Korean can also refer to a wound or injury. | |||
Mongolian | гэмтсэн | ||
In addition to meaning "hurt," "гэмтсэн" can also mean "guilty" or "to be at fault." | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | နာပါတယ် | ||
Indonesian | menyakiti | ||
The Indonesian word "menyakiti" is derived from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian root *saki-*, meaning "pain". It can also mean "to cause pain"} | |||
Javanese | nglarani | ||
The word nglarani, which means "hurt" in Javanese, also has another meaning, namely "to be hit by a stone." | |||
Khmer | ឈឺចាប់ | ||
This word can mean either physical or emotional pain, including pain caused by embarrassment or shame. | |||
Lao | ເຈັບປວດ | ||
Malay | sakit hati | ||
Sakit hati literally translates to 'sick liver', and can also mean to feel disappointed, let down or betrayed. | |||
Thai | เจ็บ | ||
The Thai word "เจ็บ" (hurt) also means "painful" or "difficult". | |||
Vietnamese | đau | ||
Đau is derived from the Khmer word “đaw” (pain) and Chinese word “痛” (tòng), both meaning “pain”. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | nasaktan | ||
Azerbaijani | incitmək | ||
Azerbaijani "incitmək" is a derivative of the Persian word "anjām", which means "end" or "result". | |||
Kazakh | ренжіту | ||
The word "ренжіту" ("hurt") in Kazakh also means "to offend" or "to insult". | |||
Kyrgyz | зыян келтирди | ||
Tajik | озор | ||
The word "озор" in Tajik can also mean "wound" or "injury". | |||
Turkmen | ýaralanmak | ||
Uzbek | zarar | ||
The word "zarar" can mean both "hurt" and "loss" in Uzbek. | |||
Uyghur | جاراھەت | ||
Hawaiian | ʻeha | ||
'Eha' can also mean 'to be injured' or 'to ache'. | |||
Maori | whara | ||
The word 'whara' can also refer to 'harm', 'injury', 'damage', 'loss', and 'mischief'. | |||
Samoan | tiga | ||
Tiga is also an alternate spelling of the word tisa, meaning 'ache' | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | nasaktan | ||
The word "nasaktan" in Tagalog is derived from the root word "sakit" meaning "pain" or "sickness" |
Aymara | usuchjaña | ||
Guarani | mbohasy | ||
Esperanto | vundi | ||
The word "vundi" originates from the Proto-Indo-European “vund-”, likely meaning “to pierce” or “to wound”. | |||
Latin | malum | ||
Malum can also mean apple or an apple tree, and is the origin of the names of a number of places, such as Malaga in Spain |
Greek | πλήγμα | ||
The word "πλήγμα" can also refer to a blow or a stroke, and is related to the verb "πλήττω" (to strike). | |||
Hmong | mob | ||
The word "mob" in Hmong can also refer to a group of people, similar to the English word "mob". | |||
Kurdish | birîndar | ||
The word "birîndar" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*bʰer-/*bherə-," which also appears in the English word "bear". | |||
Turkish | canını yakmak | ||
Xhosa | buhlungu | ||
The word "buhlungu" in Xhosa can also refer to a type of pain caused by witchcraft. | |||
Yiddish | ווייטיק | ||
"ווייטיק" in Yiddish can also refer to a physical pain, emotional pain, or mental anguish. | |||
Zulu | ubuhlungu | ||
The Zulu word 'ubuhlungu' also means 'pain', 'sorrow', 'grief', and 'misery'. | |||
Assamese | আঘাত লগা | ||
Aymara | usuchjaña | ||
Bhojpuri | घाव लागल | ||
Dhivehi | ދެރަވުން | ||
Dogri | ठेस पजाना | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | nasaktan | ||
Guarani | mbohasy | ||
Ilocano | pasakitan | ||
Krio | wund | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | ئازار | ||
Maithili | चोट | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯣꯛꯄ | ||
Mizo | na tuar | ||
Oromo | miidhuu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଆଘାତ | ||
Quechua | kiriy | ||
Sanskrit | परिक्षतः | ||
Tatar | рәнҗетелгән | ||
Tigrinya | ጉዳእ | ||
Tsonga | vavisa | ||