Illness in Different Languages
Discover 'Illness' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Illness is a significant aspect of the human experience, affecting individuals, families, and communities worldwide. Its impact transcends physical suffering, often intertwining with cultural, social, and psychological dimensions. Understanding the word 'illness' in different languages not only broadens our vocabulary but also offers insights into diverse cultural perspectives on health and healing.
For instance, the French 'maladie' and Spanish 'enfermedad' reflect their respective cultures' acceptance of illness as an unfortunate but natural part of life. Meanwhile, the German 'Krankheit' and Russian 'болезнь' (boleyzn') etymologically relate to the concept of 'damage' or 'harm', emphasizing the negative effects of disease.
Delving into the translations of 'illness' also uncovers fascinating historical contexts. For example, in Old English, ' illness' was referred to as 'untrumness', reflecting a time when health was perceived as a balance of bodily humors.
Join us as we explore various translations of 'illness', journeying through languages and cultures to enhance our global understanding of this universal experience.
Illness
Illness in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | siekte | ||
| Afrikaans "siekte" derives from Dutch "siekte" and originally referred to a cattle disease but later came to mean any illness. | |||
| Amharic | ህመም | ||
| "ህመም" is derived from the Proto-Ethiopic root ḥmm, meaning 'to burn' or 'to be feverish', and is cognate with other Semitic words for 'heat' or 'fever', such as the Arabic "حُمّى" (ḥummā), the Hebrew "חום" (ḥōm), and the Syriac "ܚܘܡܐ" (ḥūmā). | |||
| Hausa | rashin lafiya | ||
| The word "rashin lafiya" can also mean "bad luck" or "misfortune" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | ọrịa | ||
| "Ọrịa" also means "debt" in many Igbo dialects due to the physical and financial toll illness can take. | |||
| Malagasy | faharariana | ||
| The word | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kudwala | ||
| The word 'kudwala' can also be used to mean 'to be unwell' or 'to be sick'. | |||
| Shona | urwere | ||
| The word 'urwere' is also used to mean 'affliction' in Shona. | |||
| Somali | jiro | ||
| In Somali, "jiro" can mean not only "illness" but also "pain" or "suffering". | |||
| Sesotho | bokudi | ||
| The term 'bokudi' in Sesotho also refers to an epidemic or outbreak of an illness. | |||
| Swahili | ugonjwa | ||
| In Swahili, 'ugonjwa' refers to both a physical illness and a social problem that causes harm. | |||
| Xhosa | isigulo | ||
| The Xhosa word "isigulo" is commonly translated to "illness" in English. However, it has a much broader meaning and can also refer to a variety of conditions, including misfortune, poverty, and even death. | |||
| Yoruba | àìsàn | ||
| The Yoruba word "àìsàn" is derived from the root "sàn" or "sààn", which means "to be afflicted" or "to suffer." | |||
| Zulu | ukugula | ||
| The Zulu word "ukugula" can also mean "a state of being unclean or impure" | |||
| Bambara | bana | ||
| Ewe | dɔléle | ||
| Kinyarwanda | uburwayi | ||
| Lingala | maladi | ||
| Luganda | endwadde | ||
| Sepedi | bolwetši | ||
| Twi (Akan) | yareɛ | ||
Illness in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مرض | ||
| The word "مرض" also means "disease" and carries the connotation of something undesirable or unwanted. | |||
| Hebrew | מחלה | ||
| The Hebrew word "מחלה" (illness) has a dual etymology, deriving both from the root "חלה" (to weaken) and from "מכה" (to strike or afflict). | |||
| Pashto | ناروغي | ||
| The word "ناروغي" in Pashto also refers to diseases, mental disorders, and other ailments. | |||
| Arabic | مرض | ||
| The word "مرض" also means "disease" and carries the connotation of something undesirable or unwanted. | |||
Illness in Western European Languages
| Albanian | sëmundje | ||
| The word "sëmundje" in Albanian contains the root "mund" (struggle), implying the fight against an adverse condition. | |||
| Basque | gaixotasuna | ||
| "Gaixotasuna" is a word that originally meant "lack of strength", although its meaning has evolved over time to also refer to "illness". | |||
| Catalan | malaltia | ||
| "Malaltia" originates from the Latin word "male," meaning bad, and "latus," meaning side. Thus, "malaltia" refers to a condition affecting a person's well-being. | |||
| Croatian | bolest | ||
| The Croatian word "bolest" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "bolěti" meaning "to feel pain" or "to ache". | |||
| Danish | sygdom | ||
| In Old Norse, "sjúkr" referred to a disease that was not caused by an external force. | |||
| Dutch | ziekte | ||
| The Dutch word "ziekte" derives from "siekte", meaning a sudden change in mood or physical condition and dates back at least as far as the 12th century. | |||
| English | illness | ||
| The word "illness" comes from the Latin word "inversus," meaning "to turn inward." | |||
| French | maladie | ||
| The word 'maladie' is derived from the Latin word 'malus', meaning 'bad' or 'evil' | |||
| Frisian | sykte | ||
| The word "sykte" is a cognate of the English word "sick" and the German word "siechen". | |||
| Galician | enfermidade | ||
| The Galician word "enfermidade" comes from the Latin word "infirmitas", which means "weakness" or "frailty". | |||
| German | erkrankung | ||
| The word "Erkrankung" in German ultimately derives from the Proto-Germanic word "krank", meaning "sick" or "sore". | |||
| Icelandic | veikindi | ||
| In Icelandic, the word "veikindi" can also refer to a disease or infirmity. | |||
| Irish | tinneas | ||
| The Welsh word 'tin' has the same root as 'tinneas' meaning 'out of place', or 'lacking'. | |||
| Italian | malattia | ||
| The word "malattia" is derived from the Latin "male" (bad) and "actum" (done), connoting a negative action or condition. | |||
| Luxembourgish | krankheet | ||
| Luxembourgish word Krankheet, meaning "illness," is related to the German "krank," but shares no etymological connection with the English "krank." | |||
| Maltese | mard | ||
| The Maltese word "mard" shares its etymological roots with the Italian "male" and the English "malady", all referring to various forms of affliction. | |||
| Norwegian | sykdom | ||
| The word "sykdom" in Norwegian can also mean "disease" or "condition". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | doença | ||
| "Doença" means "illness" in Portuguese and its origin is disputed | |||
| Scots Gaelic | tinneas | ||
| Tinneas shares a root, 'tin', with the word 'teine', meaning fire, with the literal meaning of illness being 'fire' or 'heat'. | |||
| Spanish | enfermedad | ||
| The word _enfermedad_ in Spanish comes from the Latin word _infirmitas_, which referred to a lack of strength or capacity; as well as the French term _enfer_, which originally meant _hell_. | |||
| Swedish | sjukdom | ||
| "Sjukdom" i svenskan kommer från fornnordiskans "sjúkr" som betyder 'sjuk' och "dómr" som betyder 'dom', | |||
| Welsh | salwch | ||
| The word "salwch" is related to the verb "sau," which means "to heal," and the noun "sôn," which means "sound." | |||
Illness in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | хвароба | ||
| The word "хвароба" is related to the Old Church Slavonic "хороба", but can also mean "disease" or "epidemic". | |||
| Bosnian | bolest | ||
| The word "bolest" also has an alternate meaning of "pain" or "suffering". | |||
| Bulgarian | болест | ||
| The same word болест can mean "disease" in Bulgarian, "pain" in Croatian, and "fear" in Slovene. | |||
| Czech | nemoc | ||
| From Proto-Slavic *nemǫgъ, from the Proto-Indo-European root *nem- (“to distribute, to allot”). | |||
| Estonian | haigus | ||
| The Estonian word "haigus" is cognate with the Finnish word "haikku", meaning "sickness", and with the Hungarian word "haj", meaning "hair". | |||
| Finnish | sairaus | ||
| Originates in Proto-Finno-Ugric *šaira "to hurt, become ill" | |||
| Hungarian | betegség | ||
| The Hungarian word "betegség" comes from the Proto-Turkic word *pȫdäk, which meant "tumor" or "swelling". | |||
| Latvian | slimība | ||
| The cognate "slimnīca" (hospital) is found in Lithuanian "slimnica" and Old Church Slavonic "slъnica" (hospital, sanatorium). | |||
| Lithuanian | liga | ||
| The word "liga" is likely derived from the Proto-Baltic term *leigā, meaning "disease" or "weakness". | |||
| Macedonian | заболување | ||
| The Macedonian word "заболување" is related to the verb "заболува", meaning "to fall ill" or "to get sick." | |||
| Polish | choroba | ||
| The Polish word 'choroba' is derived from Proto-Slavic 'xoroba' and may also refer to a 'weakness' in character. | |||
| Romanian | boală | ||
| "*Boală*" can also mean "plague" or "disease." | |||
| Russian | болезнь | ||
| "Болезнь" comes from the Old Slavonic word meaning "pain, suffering or grief". It can refer to mental or physical ill health. | |||
| Serbian | болест | ||
| The word 'болест' comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'bolьstь', which also means 'pain', 'suffering', and 'grief'. | |||
| Slovak | choroba | ||
| The word "choroba" in Slovak shares the same Slavic root as the words "horror" and "terror". | |||
| Slovenian | bolezen | ||
| The Slovenian word 'bolezen' derives from an old Slavic root meaning 'pain'. | |||
| Ukrainian | захворювання | ||
| The word "захворювання" in Ukrainian also means "disease" and "ailment". | |||
Illness in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অসুস্থতা | ||
| "অসুস্থতা" can also mean "unhealthiness", "disease", "sickness", "ill-health", or "indisposition" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | બીમારી | ||
| The word "બીમારી" is derived from the Sanskrit word "bīmara", which means "diseased" or "sick". | |||
| Hindi | बीमारी | ||
| The word 'बीमारी' comes from the Sanskrit root 'व्यथ', which means 'pain'. | |||
| Kannada | ಅನಾರೋಗ್ಯ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಅನಾರೋಗ್ಯ" is derived from the Sanskrit root "aroga" meaning "healthy," and the prefix "an-" indicating "not". | |||
| Malayalam | അസുഖം | ||
| "അസുഖം" can also mean "inconvenience" or "discomfort". | |||
| Marathi | आजार | ||
| In Persian, the word "azar" means "trouble" or "disturbance", while in Marathi it has come to mean "illness". | |||
| Nepali | बिरामी | ||
| The word 'बिरामी' literally means 'without rest' or 'one who does not sleep', highlighting the restlessness and discomfort associated with illness. | |||
| Punjabi | ਬਿਮਾਰੀ | ||
| The Punjabi word 'ਬਿਮਾਰੀ' may also refer to discomfort or unhappiness in non-physical contexts such as 'love-sickness.' | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අසනීපය | ||
| The word "අසනීපය" (asanipaya) also means "unhappiness" or "discomfort" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | உடல் நலமின்மை | ||
| Telugu | రోగము | ||
| The word "రోగము" (illness) in Telugu is derived from the Sanskrit word "roga" (disorder, disease), and also has the alternate meaning of "fault" or "defect". | |||
| Urdu | بیماری | ||
| The word 'بیماری' is ultimately derived from the Persian word 'بیمار', meaning 'afflicted' or 'diseased'. | |||
Illness in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 疾病 | ||
| "疾" in "疾病" means "painful or swift"; "病" means "illness", "fault", or "weakness". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 疾病 | ||
| The term 疾病 literally means “lack of ease”, suggesting that the state of illness is characterized by physical or mental discomfort. | |||
| Japanese | 病気 | ||
| Disease; illness; sickness; malady (病) of spirit or society (気) | |||
| Korean | 질병 | ||
| '질(疾)' from '질병' (illness) means 'swift,' 'fast,' or 'quick' and is used in the term '질주(疾走)' (to hurry) | |||
| Mongolian | өвчлөл | ||
| The word "өвчлөл" can be translated as "illness", "disease", or "sickness" in Mongolian and shares a root with the word "өвчин" which translates to "wound". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နာမကျန်းဖြစ်ခြင်း | ||
Illness in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | penyakit | ||
| The term "penyakit" is derived from the Javanese word "penyaket", which originally meant "bad odor".} | |||
| Javanese | penyakit | ||
| The Javanese word "penyakit" not only refers to illness, but also to "a state of suffering, trouble, or hardship". | |||
| Khmer | ជំងឺ | ||
| "ជំងឺ" originally meant "rotten" or "decaying matter". | |||
| Lao | ການເຈັບປ່ວຍ | ||
| Malay | penyakit | ||
| The word 'penyakit' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'vyadhi', meaning 'affliction' or 'disease'. | |||
| Thai | การเจ็บป่วย | ||
| In Thai, "การเจ็บป่วย" may also refer to physical pain or discomfort, not necessarily related to a specific disease or medical condition. | |||
| Vietnamese | ốm | ||
| "Ốm" also means "to have a fever" but it is typically used when one's body aches. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sakit | ||
Illness in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | xəstəlik | ||
| The word "xəstəlik" is derived from the Persian word "xasta", meaning "sick". | |||
| Kazakh | ауру | ||
| The Kazakh word 'ауру' (illness) originates from the Proto-Turkic word 'awrï', meaning 'to catch a disease' or 'to be sick'. | |||
| Kyrgyz | оору | ||
| "Оору" (illness) derives from the Turkic root "or", meaning "to hurt" or "to pain." | |||
| Tajik | касали | ||
| The word "касали" ("illness") in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "كَسَل" ("laziness"), indicating the debilitating nature of illness. | |||
| Turkmen | kesel | ||
| Uzbek | kasallik | ||
| The word "kasallik" is also used to refer to "sickness", "disease", or "ailment". | |||
| Uyghur | كېسەل | ||
Illness in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | maʻi | ||
| In older Hawaiian, maʻi also referred to the physical symptom of an illness, rather than the underlying disease. | |||
| Maori | mate | ||
| In Maori, 'mate' can also mean 'friend' or 'spouse'. | |||
| Samoan | gasegase | ||
| The word "gasegase" in Samoan can also mean "disease" or "sickness". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sakit | ||
| The Tagalog word "sakit" has other meanings, such as "pain," "ache," or "soreness." | |||
Illness in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | usu | ||
| Guarani | mba'asy | ||
Illness in International Languages
| Esperanto | malsano | ||
| "Malsano" is a compound of the Latin words "malus" meaning "bad" and "sanus" meaning "healthy". | |||
| Latin | aegrotatio | ||
| The word "aegrotatio" also means "absence due to illness" in Latin, and is related to the word "aeger" (sick). | |||
Illness in Others Languages
| Greek | ασθένεια | ||
| "ασθενεια" comes from the ancient Greek verb "ασθενεω," meaning "to be weak." It originally referred to both physical and mental weakness. | |||
| Hmong | ua mob | ||
| The Hmong word "ua mob" likely relates to the Chinese word "wu bing," also meaning "illness," but is unrelated to the Hmong word "mob," meaning "spirit." | |||
| Kurdish | nexweşî | ||
| The Kurdish word 'nexweşî' is of Proto-Indo-European origin, likely derived from 'nek-' (death) and 'wes-' (to bind) or from 'ne-' (not) and 'wes-' (to be). | |||
| Turkish | hastalık | ||
| Hastalık derives from the Persian word 'hasta', meaning 'bedridden'. | |||
| Xhosa | isigulo | ||
| The Xhosa word "isigulo" is commonly translated to "illness" in English. However, it has a much broader meaning and can also refer to a variety of conditions, including misfortune, poverty, and even death. | |||
| Yiddish | קראנקהייט | ||
| The Yiddish word "קראנקהייט" can also refer to a specific condition or disease. | |||
| Zulu | ukugula | ||
| The Zulu word "ukugula" can also mean "a state of being unclean or impure" | |||
| Assamese | ৰোগ | ||
| Aymara | usu | ||
| Bhojpuri | बेमारी | ||
| Dhivehi | ބަލިކަން | ||
| Dogri | मांदगी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sakit | ||
| Guarani | mba'asy | ||
| Ilocano | sakit | ||
| Krio | sik | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نەخۆشی | ||
| Maithili | रोग | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯅꯥꯕ | ||
| Mizo | damlohna | ||
| Oromo | dhibee | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ରୋଗ | ||
| Quechua | unquy | ||
| Sanskrit | रोग | ||
| Tatar | авыру | ||
| Tigrinya | ሕማም | ||
| Tsonga | vuvabyi | ||