Ill in Different Languages
Discover 'Ill' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'ill' is a common English term that holds great significance in expressing one's state of health. It is often used to describe a person who is not feeling well or is suffering from a disease. The word 'ill' has been used in various cultural contexts, including literature and music, to convey feelings of distress, discomfort, and unease.
Moreover, the word 'ill' has been a subject of interest for linguists and translators worldwide due to its cultural importance and the challenges it presents in translating it into different languages. For instance, in Spanish, 'ill' translates to 'enfermo,' while in French, it is 'malade.' In German, the word for 'ill' is 'krank,' and in Japanese, it is 'byouki' (びょうき).
Understanding the translation of 'ill' in different languages can be beneficial for travelers, healthcare professionals, and language enthusiasts. It can help foster cross-cultural communication, promote global understanding, and enhance one's language skills.
Ill
Ill in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | siek | ||
| The word "siek" has been in the Dutch language since the Middle Ages and is still the most commonly used word for "ill" in modern Dutch, Flemish, and Afrikaans. | |||
| Amharic | የታመመ | ||
| ያታመመ ('to make someone sick') may have influenced the meaning of የታመመ ('to be sick'). | |||
| Hausa | rashin lafiya | ||
| The phrase 'rashin lafiya' is also used to describe people who are unwell but not necessarily physically ill. | |||
| Igbo | na-arịa ọrịa | ||
| Its alternate meaning is "to be a bother to." | |||
| Malagasy | marary | ||
| The term "marary" can also refer to the sensation of being chilled or unwell, as opposed to its primary meaning of "ill". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kudwala | ||
| The word "kudwala" can also mean "to be lazy" or "to be slow". | |||
| Shona | kurwara | ||
| "Kurwara" can also refer to the feeling of discomfort or unease. | |||
| Somali | xanuunsan | ||
| "Xanuunsan" is a loanword from Arabic "khānūsīn", which originally meant "evil-eyed," in addition to meaning "sick." | |||
| Sesotho | kula | ||
| The name 'Lekula' has a Sesotho root meaning both 'a man or person ill in bed or hospital' and 'a corpse laid or put to lie' | |||
| Swahili | mgonjwa | ||
| The term "mgonjwa" can also refer to a person suffering from social, mental, or economic problems in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | ndiyagula | ||
| Xhosa speakers sometimes use 'Ndiyagula' colloquially to express annoyance or disappointment | |||
| Yoruba | aisan | ||
| The word "aisan" can also refer to a type of traditional Yoruba fabric commonly used for making garments. | |||
| Zulu | uyagula | ||
| The word 'uyagula' also refers to a 'bad omen' or a 'taboo' in Zulu culture. | |||
| Bambara | bana | ||
| Ewe | le dᴐ lém | ||
| Kinyarwanda | uburwayi | ||
| Lingala | maladi | ||
| Luganda | -lwadde | ||
| Sepedi | lwala | ||
| Twi (Akan) | yare | ||
Ill in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | سوف | ||
| سوف is used in some Arabic dialects to refer to the illness causing smallpox virus. | |||
| Hebrew | חולה | ||
| The word "חולה" (ill) in Hebrew can also refer to a person who is mentally ill or emotionally unstable. | |||
| Pashto | ناروغ | ||
| The Pashto word "ناروغ" can also mean "unpleasant" or "unfavorable". | |||
| Arabic | سوف | ||
| سوف is used in some Arabic dialects to refer to the illness causing smallpox virus. | |||
Ill in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i semure | ||
| "I semure" (ill) derives from an old Latin word "semel" (once), indicating that someone being ill happens only one time per year. | |||
| Basque | gaixo | ||
| "Gaixo" is derived from Latin "cacus" meaning "blind" or "unwell" and also "poor, wretched, miserable". In modern Basque it only means "ill". | |||
| Catalan | malalt | ||
| The Catalan word "malalt" is also used to describe something unpleasant or negative, such as a bad smell or a bad taste. | |||
| Croatian | bolesna | ||
| The word "bolesna" in Croatian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *bolьnъ, which also means "sick" or "painful". | |||
| Danish | syg | ||
| Related to the Proto-Germanic word *seukaz, meaning "sick, diseased". | |||
| Dutch | ziek | ||
| Dutch "ziek" may have originated from Proto-Indo-European "ḱeis-" or "ǵʰeis-" (to tremble) suggesting its early relation to fevers. | |||
| English | ill | ||
| The word 'ill' originally meant 'bad' or 'evil', and it is still used in this sense in some contexts, such as 'ill-mannered'. | |||
| French | mauvais | ||
| "Mauvais" originally meant "badly born" in Old French and is related to Latin "malus" (bad). | |||
| Frisian | siik | ||
| The word "siik" in Frisian is of Germanic origin, with cognates in English ("sick"), Dutch ("ziek"), and German ("siech"). | |||
| Galician | enfermo | ||
| "Enfermo" derives from the Latin "infirmus" meaning "not firm". It has preserved that meaning, also being used for the infirm or the disabled. | |||
| German | krank | ||
| In some regions, "krank" can also refer to something crooked, weak or fragile. | |||
| Icelandic | veikur | ||
| The Icelandic word "veikur" also means "weak" in terms of physical strength. | |||
| Irish | tinn | ||
| The name for a disease 'tinn' may derive from the name of the god of the underworld, Donn, and the word may also mean 'the other world'. | |||
| Italian | malato | ||
| The Italian word "malato" comes from the Latin "male habitus", which means "badly disposed" or "unhealthy". | |||
| Luxembourgish | krank | ||
| The word “krank” also means sick in German and is related to English “crane” in the sense of bending. | |||
| Maltese | marid | ||
| The Maltese word "marid" is derived from the Arabic word "mريض", which also means "ill". | |||
| Norwegian | jeg vil | ||
| "Jeg vil" written as a single word can also mean "I want" in Norwegian, similar to the German "Ich will". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | eu vou | ||
| In Portuguese, "eu vou" is a contraction of "eu vou (a)" that translates to "I am going to". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | tinn | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word tinn also means 'poor' as an adjective, while as a verb it means 'to run or pour (e.g. of liquid)' or 'to lack'. | |||
| Spanish | enfermo | ||
| "Enfermo," meaning "ill" in Spanish, ultimately derives from the Latin "infirmus," meaning "weak, feeble, or sickly." | |||
| Swedish | sjuk | ||
| "Sjuk" also denotes a feeling of indisposition | |||
| Welsh | yn sâl | ||
| The Welsh word 'yn sâl' is derived from the Proto-Celtic *sa-li-, meaning 'bad' or 'harmful'. | |||
Ill in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | захварэў | ||
| The Belarusian word "захварэў" can also refer to a disease or medical condition. | |||
| Bosnian | bolestan | ||
| The word 'bolestan' is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰleu- meaning 'to swell or fill' | |||
| Bulgarian | аз ще | ||
| In Old Bulgarian, "аз ще" meant "I will" and was composed of "аз" ("I") and "ще" ("will"). | |||
| Czech | nemocný | ||
| In addition to its meaning of "ill," "nemocný" also means "sick," "unwell," or "indisposed." | |||
| Estonian | haige | ||
| It's cognate with Finnish "haikea" and Karelian "haičie", all meaning "sad". | |||
| Finnish | sairas | ||
| Sairas also refers to the Finnish god of the underworld and death | |||
| Hungarian | beteg | ||
| The word 'beteg' is likely derived from the Hungarian word for 'bear' ('medve'), possibly because bears were seen as diseased and fearsome creatures. | |||
| Latvian | slims | ||
| The word "slims" in Latvian can also refer to "skinny" or "slender". | |||
| Lithuanian | nesveikas | ||
| The word "nesveikas" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *sweg- meaning "sound" or "healthy," but in Lithuanian it came to mean "ill" through a process of semantic shift. | |||
| Macedonian | болен | ||
| The word "болен" can also mean "sick", "unwell", "indisposed", or "ailing". | |||
| Polish | chory | ||
| The word 'chory' has Slavic origins, and its root is connected to the notion of 'lack' or, in other words, something being 'missing' | |||
| Romanian | bolnav | ||
| In Romanian, "bolnav" ultimately derives from the Slavic root "bol" (pain), while in the Aromanian dialect it also means "sick" or "crazy." | |||
| Russian | больной | ||
| The word "больной" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *bolьnъ, which originally meant "sick, afflicted" but also had a broader sense of "weak, feeble, powerless". | |||
| Serbian | болестан | ||
| The word "болестан" derives from the Old Church Slavonic word "bol", meaning "pain or suffering." | |||
| Slovak | chorý | ||
| The word "chorý" also means "poor" or "weak" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | slabo | ||
| The word “slabo” (ill) in Slovenian has a different meaning in Serbo-Croatian language, where it means “sweet”. | |||
| Ukrainian | хворий | ||
| The Ukrainian word "хворий" not only means "ill," but also "weak" or "feeble." | |||
Ill in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অসুস্থ | ||
| In Sanskrit, the cognate "aswast" can mean "unhealthy," "morbid," or "sickly," while in Bengali, "অসুস্থ" can also mean "distressed," "unhappy," or "disgruntled." | |||
| Gujarati | બીમાર | ||
| બીમાર is derived from the Sanskrit word 'bhisma' meaning 'terrible' or 'dreadful'. | |||
| Hindi | बीमार | ||
| The Hindi word "बीमार" can also mean "unfortunate" or "wretched." | |||
| Kannada | ಅನಾರೋಗ್ಯ | ||
| The word "ಅನಾರೋಗ್ಯ" can also refer to a specific disease or illness, depending on the context. | |||
| Malayalam | അസുഖം | ||
| "അസുഖം" (ill) in Malayalam is derived from the Sanskrit word "ashukha", meaning "unhappiness" or "lack of comfort." | |||
| Marathi | आजारी | ||
| Marathi "आजारी" ultimately comes from Sanskrit "जारयति" meaning "grows old, decays, or wastes away." | |||
| Nepali | बिरामी | ||
| The word "बिरामी" is derived from Sanskrit and means not only "ill" but also "separated". | |||
| Punjabi | ਬੀਮਾਰ | ||
| The Punjabi word 'ਬੀਮਾਰ' is rooted in Sanskrit and has an original meaning of 'unwell or suffering' as well as a figurative meaning of 'full of faults'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අසනීප | ||
| "අසනීප" is derived from the prefix "අ" (meaning "not") and the noun "සනීප" (meaning "wellness"). This suggests that the word originally meant "lacking wellness". | |||
| Tamil | நோய்வாய்ப்பட்டது | ||
| The Tamil word ``நோய்வாய்ப்பட்டது'' also refers to an ``impaired person'' in the context of the ``Persons with Disabilities Act'' of India. | |||
| Telugu | అనారోగ్యం | ||
| The word "అనారోగ్యం" comes from the Sanskrit word "अनारोग्य" and originally meant "a lack of health". | |||
| Urdu | بیمار | ||
| The word "بیمار" also means "impatient" in Urdu. | |||
Ill in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 生病 | ||
| 生病 is a combination of two Chinese characters: 生 (shēng), meaning "life" or "raw," and 病 (bìng), meaning "illness" or "disease." | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 生病 | ||
| 生病 is a combination of two other characters “生” (meaning life) and “病” (meaning sickness), but 病 (illness) originally meant “to lean on a tree”. | |||
| Japanese | 病気 | ||
| The word "病気" (illness) is derived from the words "病" (sickness) and "気" (energy, spirit), suggesting that illness is caused by a disruption in the body's energy flow. | |||
| Korean | 악 | ||
| The word "악" can also mean "wicked" or "evil". | |||
| Mongolian | өвчтэй | ||
| "Өвчтэй" can also mean "to be pregnant" or "to be in pain" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နေမကောင်း | ||
Ill in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | saya akan | ||
| The word "Saya akan" in Indonesian can also mean "I will" in English. | |||
| Javanese | gerah | ||
| "Gerah" can also mean "warm" or "oppressive (heat)" in Indonesian, or "bored" in Sundanese. | |||
| Khmer | ឈឺ | ||
| The word ឈឺ can also be used to describe the feeling of pain or discomfort. | |||
| Lao | ເຈັບປ່ວຍ | ||
| Malay | sakit | ||
| "Sakit" also means "difficult" in Malay and originates from the Proto-Austronesian word *saqit, which means "pain" or "sickness." | |||
| Thai | ป่วย | ||
| The Thai word "ป่วย" (p̄ụai), "sick", can also refer to a state of unhappiness or discomfort. | |||
| Vietnamese | tôi sẽ | ||
| The word "tôi sẽ" in Vietnamese also means "I will" in English, highlighting the language's capacity for multiple meanings. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | may sakit | ||
Ill in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | xəstə | ||
| The word "xəstə" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Proto-Turkic word "*kästi" meaning "to suffer, to be sick". | |||
| Kazakh | ауру | ||
| The word "ауру" can also mean "bad" or "unlucky" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | оорулуу | ||
| The word "оорулуу" in Kyrgyz is derived from the verb "оруу", meaning "to break" or "to hurt". | |||
| Tajik | бемор | ||
| The word "бемор" in Tajik also means "trouble" or "sorrow". | |||
| Turkmen | näsag | ||
| Uzbek | kasal | ||
| The Uzbek word "kasal" can also mean "bad" or "evil". | |||
| Uyghur | كېسەل | ||
Ill in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | maʻi | ||
| Hawaiian word "maʻi", meaning "illness", is derived from the Proto-Polynesian word "maki", meaning "to be sick or to suffer". | |||
| Maori | māuiui | ||
| The word māuiui in Māori can also refer to a specific type of illness known as a 'sleeping sickness'. | |||
| Samoan | maʻi | ||
| The word "maʻi" can also mean "pain" or "wound" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | may sakit | ||
| The Tagalog word "may sakit" not only means "ill" but also "with pain" or "in pain". | |||
Ill in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | usuta | ||
| Guarani | hasýva | ||
Ill in International Languages
| Esperanto | malsana | ||
| Esperanto's "malsana" comes from the Latin "malus sanus," meaning "sick in mind," and "mal sano" in Italian, which means "bad health." | |||
| Latin | ill | ||
| The Latin word "ill" can also mean "not" or "bad". | |||
Ill in Others Languages
| Greek | εγώ θα | ||
| The Greek word "Εγώ θα" has its roots in the ancient Greek word "αἰγώθης" which means "goat sickness." | |||
| Hmong | mob | ||
| The word "mob" in Hmong can also mean "to be tired" or "to be lazy". | |||
| Kurdish | nexweş | ||
| "Nexweş" is thought to derive from the Middle Persian word "nevishak", meaning "poison". It can also mean "unpleasant" or "uncomfortable". | |||
| Turkish | hasta | ||
| The word "hasta" in Turkish also means "patient" and comes from the Persian word "hastah". | |||
| Xhosa | ndiyagula | ||
| Xhosa speakers sometimes use 'Ndiyagula' colloquially to express annoyance or disappointment | |||
| Yiddish | קראַנק | ||
| The Yiddish word "קראַנק" (krank) is derived from the German word "krank": ill, sick, or diseased. | |||
| Zulu | uyagula | ||
| The word 'uyagula' also refers to a 'bad omen' or a 'taboo' in Zulu culture. | |||
| Assamese | বেমাৰী | ||
| Aymara | usuta | ||
| Bhojpuri | बेमार | ||
| Dhivehi | ބަލިވުން | ||
| Dogri | बमार | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | may sakit | ||
| Guarani | hasýva | ||
| Ilocano | masakit | ||
| Krio | sik | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نەخۆش | ||
| Maithili | बीमार | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯥꯕ | ||
| Mizo | damlo | ||
| Oromo | dhukkubsataa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅସୁସ୍ଥ | ||
| Quechua | unquq | ||
| Sanskrit | रुग्णः | ||
| Tatar | авыру | ||
| Tigrinya | ሕሙም | ||
| Tsonga | vabya | ||