Impossible in Different Languages
Discover 'Impossible' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'impossible' is a powerful one, denoting something that cannot be done or attained. Yet, throughout history, time and again, humans have proven that the 'impossible' is often just a challenge waiting to be overcome. From the Wright brothers' first flight to the moon landing, 'impossible' feats have shaped our world.
Moreover, the cultural significance of 'impossible' is not limited to English. This concept is universal, and many languages have their own unique ways of expressing it. For instance, in Spanish, 'impossible' translates to 'imposible', while in French, it's 'impossible'. These translations not only bridge linguistic gaps but also highlight the shared human experience of encountering and overcoming the 'impossible'.
Understanding the translation of 'impossible' in different languages can provide valuable cultural insights and even inspire us to redefine our own limitations. So, let's explore how various languages grapple with the concept of the 'impossible'.
Impossible
Impossible in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | onmoontlik | ||
| Onmoontlik derives from Dutch "onmogelijk" and is a combination of the prefixes "on" and "moont", which mean "not" and "possible", respectively. | |||
| Amharic | የማይቻል | ||
| The root 'አል' means 'not', while 'ቻል' means 'possible', making 'የማይቻል' literally 'not possible'. | |||
| Hausa | ba zai yiwu ba | ||
| The word "ba zai yiwu ba", meaning "impossible", in Hausa is etymologically related to the phrase "ba za a yiwu ba", meaning "it will not be possible". | |||
| Igbo | agaghị ekwe omume | ||
| When an Igbo native says something is 'agaghị ekwe omume', they may be referring to more than just its impossibility but also its absurdity or improbability. | |||
| Malagasy | azo atao | ||
| In Malagasy, "azo atao" can also refer to something that is difficult or challenging | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zosatheka | ||
| The word "zosatheka" has several alternate meanings including "impossible" but the root is actually "zosatheka" in a non-physical sense. | |||
| Shona | zvisingaite | ||
| Zvisingaite in Shona is also used to describe something that is not possible to happen or something that is very difficult to do. | |||
| Somali | aan macquul ahayn | ||
| "Aan macquul ahayn" literally translates to "not being reasonable" in Somali, highlighting the idea of impossibility as something beyond the bounds of logic and reason. | |||
| Sesotho | khoneha | ||
| The word "khoneha" also means "unbelievable" or "unthinkable" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | haiwezekani | ||
| Haiwezekani derives from the negative form of the verb 'weza' ('to be able'), thus literally meaning 'it is not possible'. | |||
| Xhosa | ayinakwenzeka | ||
| The Xhosa word “ayinakwenzeka” translates into English as “cannot be done,” and is derived from “ayina” (not) and “kwenzeka” (happen). | |||
| Yoruba | ko ṣee ṣe | ||
| "Ko si ese" literally means "there is no leg" in Yoruba, indicating the inability to move or progress, making it synonymous with "impossible." | |||
| Zulu | akunakwenzeka | ||
| The name 'akunakwenzeka' translates to 'not capable of being done' in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | abada | ||
| Ewe | mate ŋu adzɔ o | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ntibishoboka | ||
| Lingala | ekoki kosalema te | ||
| Luganda | tekisoboka | ||
| Sepedi | sa kgonagalego | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɛnyɛ yie | ||
Impossible in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | غير ممكن | ||
| In Arabic, "غير ممكن" (impossible) literally means "other than possible". | |||
| Hebrew | בלתי אפשרי | ||
| "בלתי אפשרי" in Hebrew literally means "without the possible". | |||
| Pashto | ناممکن | ||
| The word "ناممکن" also refers to something that is unlikely to happen or is highly improbable. | |||
| Arabic | غير ممكن | ||
| In Arabic, "غير ممكن" (impossible) literally means "other than possible". | |||
Impossible in Western European Languages
| Albanian | e pamundur | ||
| E pamundur is thought to have originated from the Greek word "adunaton," meaning "unattainable" or "impossible." | |||
| Basque | ezinezkoa | ||
| The word "ezinezkoa" is related to the Basque word "ezin" (cannot), which is also used in the negative forms of verbs. | |||
| Catalan | impossible | ||
| "Impossible" in Catalan originally meant "not possible" but has now taken on the stronger meaning of "impossible". | |||
| Croatian | nemoguće | ||
| Nemoć, meaning 'inability' in Croatian, is related to the word nemoguće ('impossible'). | |||
| Danish | umulig | ||
| "Umulig" comes from the old Norse word "u-mœguligr," meaning "not mighty." | |||
| Dutch | onmogelijk | ||
| Despite its similarity, 'onmogelijk' is not connected to 'im possible', its roots are in 'mogelijk' (possible) preceded by 'on-' (not). | |||
| English | impossible | ||
| The word "impossible" comes from the Latin words "in-" (not) and "possibilis" (possible), meaning "not possible". | |||
| French | impossible | ||
| In French, the word "impossible" can also mean "unrealistic" or "very difficult". | |||
| Frisian | ûnmooglik | ||
| The Frisian word "ûnmooglik" is ultimately derived from Proto-Germanic *un- + *mug- ( | |||
| Galician | imposible | ||
| The Galician word "imposible" derives from the Latin "impossibilis", meaning "not possible". | |||
| German | unmöglich | ||
| The German word "unmöglich" is formed from two roots meaning "not" and "possible," but its original meaning was not simply "impossible." | |||
| Icelandic | ómögulegt | ||
| The Icelandic word "ómögulegt" literally translates to "not meeting". | |||
| Irish | dodhéanta | ||
| The Irish word "dodhéanta" derives from the Old Irish "do dénta," meaning "not permitted" or "outlawed." | |||
| Italian | impossibile | ||
| The Italian word "impossibile" derives from the Latin phrase "in" (not) and "possibilis" (possible), and can also mean "unlikely" or "difficult" rather than strictly impossible. | |||
| Luxembourgish | onméiglech | ||
| The word "onméiglech" derives from the Middle High German word "unmüglich", meaning "not possible". | |||
| Maltese | impossibbli | ||
| "Impossibbli" derives from the Latin word "impossibilis" (im + possibilis), meaning not possible. | |||
| Norwegian | umulig | ||
| The word "umulig" may have originated from the Old Norse word "úmegligr," meaning "without leisure time" or "unable to do something due to lack of time." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | impossível | ||
| The Portuguese word "impossível" comes from the Latin word "impossibilis" which means "that cannot be done". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | do-dhèanta | ||
| "Do-dhèanta" derives from "deach", the Gaelic root meaning both "done" and "to be possible," and can also be used to imply "finished," "complete," or "dead". | |||
| Spanish | imposible | ||
| The word "imposible" in Spanish comes from the Latin phrase "in posse", meaning "in potential" and conveys the notion that something might be within one's abilities. | |||
| Swedish | omöjlig | ||
| "Omöjlig" comes from the Old Swedish "möja", meaning "possible". | |||
| Welsh | amhosib | ||
| Amhosib comes from amddif + hosib and literally means "without expectation" in Welsh. | |||
Impossible in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | немагчыма | ||
| The suffix "ма" is often used in Belarusian to create abstract nouns that refer to situations, processes, or states. | |||
| Bosnian | nemoguće | ||
| The word 'nemoguće' derives from the Old Slavic root 'moči' which also meant 'power', and thus 'nemoguće' originally carried a connotation that something is literally 'beyond one's power'. | |||
| Bulgarian | невъзможен | ||
| "Невъзможен" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic prefix "не" (not) and the root "възможно" (that is possible). In modern Bulgarian, "невъзможен" can also mean difficult or improbable. | |||
| Czech | nemožné | ||
| The word "nemožné" in Czech originated from the Latin phrase "non posse", meaning "not to be able". | |||
| Estonian | võimatu | ||
| "Võimatu" is derived from the word "võim", meaning "power" or "ability", and "tu", meaning "lack" or "absence". | |||
| Finnish | mahdotonta | ||
| The word "mahdotonta" likely comes from the Finnish word "mahd", meaning "can, able". | |||
| Hungarian | lehetetlen | ||
| The Hungarian word "lehetetlen" derives from the verb "lehet" (can) and the suffix "-etlen" (unable), signifying its opposite meaning. | |||
| Latvian | neiespējami | ||
| The word "neiespējami" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *nes-, meaning "not" or "no". | |||
| Lithuanian | neįmanomas | ||
| The word "neįmanomas" is derived from the negation "ne-" and the root "įmanoma"," which means "possible," and therefore literally means "not possible." | |||
| Macedonian | невозможно | ||
| The word "невозможно" (impossible) is derived from the root "мож" (to be able), prefixed with the negative "не" and the suffix "-ен" (indicating a passive state), suggesting that something is not within one's power. | |||
| Polish | niemożliwy | ||
| The Polish word "niemożliwy" comes from the Old Polish "nie možny," meaning literally "unable." | |||
| Romanian | imposibil | ||
| The Romanian word "imposibil" is derived from the Latin word "impossibilis", meaning "not possible". The prefix "im" in Latin means "not" or "opposite", and the root "possibilis" means "possible". | |||
| Russian | невозможно | ||
| The Russian word "невозможно" can also refer to something unusual or unexpected. | |||
| Serbian | немогуће | ||
| The Serbian word "немогуће" (impossible) is derived from the Proto-Slavic term *nemogǫ, meaning "helpless" or "unable to do something." | |||
| Slovak | nemožné | ||
| The word "nemožné" in Slovak comes from the Latin "non posse", meaning "not to be able to". | |||
| Slovenian | nemogoče | ||
| Nemo is Latin for "nobody," and "goče" is the Slovene root for "speech". | |||
| Ukrainian | неможливо | ||
| The word "неможливо" in Ukrainian is derived from the Old East Slavic word "немог", meaning "powerless" or "weak". The root "мог" means "to be able" or "to can". Thus, "неможливо" literally means "unable" or "powerless". | |||
Impossible in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অসম্ভব | ||
| The Bangla word 'অসম্ভব' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'असंभव', which literally means 'not possible'. | |||
| Gujarati | અશક્ય | ||
| "અશક્ય" is derived from the Sanskrit words "na" (not), "shak" (to be able), and "ya" (suffix), meaning literally "not able to be." | |||
| Hindi | असंभव | ||
| The Hindi word असंभव (asambhava) contains the negative prefix असं (asam) and the noun संभव (sambhava) meaning 'possibility', and thus literally means 'non-possibility'. | |||
| Kannada | ಅಸಾಧ್ಯ | ||
| The word "ಅಸಾಧ್ಯ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "असाध्य" which means "incurable" or "invincible". | |||
| Malayalam | അസാധ്യമാണ് | ||
| The word അസാധ്യമാണ് (asādhyamāṇ) derives from the Sanskrit roots 'a-' (lacking) and 'sādhya' (feasible), meaning 'that which cannot be accomplished'. | |||
| Marathi | अशक्य | ||
| The word 'अशक्य' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'shakya', which means 'possible', and the negative prefix 'a', which means 'not'. | |||
| Nepali | असम्भव | ||
| "असम्भव" comes from the Sanskrit word "asambhavya," meaning "not to happen". | |||
| Punjabi | ਅਸੰਭਵ | ||
| The word "ਅਸੰਭਵ" can also mean "improbable" or "unlikely" in Punjabi, and is derived from the Sanskrit word "asambhava," meaning "non-existence" or "absence of means." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කළ නොහැකි | ||
| Tamil | சாத்தியமற்றது | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "impossible," "சாத்தியமற்றது" can also refer to "improbable" or "unsuitable." | |||
| Telugu | అసాధ్యం | ||
| In addition to meaning 'impossible,' the word 'asadhyam' also means 'unachievable,' 'impracticable,' or 'infeasible' in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | ناممکن | ||
| The word "ناممکن" literally means "not possible" in Urdu. | |||
Impossible in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 不可能 | ||
| The word "不可能" also means "inconceivable" and "unlikely" in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 不可能 | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "impossible," 不可能 can also colloquially suggest "very difficult" or "unbelievable." | |||
| Japanese | 不可能な | ||
| "不可能な" can also mean "unlikely" or "improbable". | |||
| Korean | 불가능한 | ||
| 불가능한 has its roots in the Buddhist concept of sunyata, or emptiness, suggesting that nothing is truly impossible from a certain perspective. | |||
| Mongolian | боломжгүй | ||
| The Mongolian word боломжгүй (impossible) was used during the Stalinist era to silence criticism. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မဖြစ်နိုင်ဘူး | ||
Impossible in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mustahil | ||
| The word "mustahil" originated from the Arabic word "mustahīl" and can also mean "difficult" or "hard to achieve". | |||
| Javanese | mokal | ||
| "Mokal" can also mean "hard to obtain" or "sacred item." | |||
| Khmer | មិនអាចទៅរួចទេ | ||
| Lao | ເປັນໄປບໍ່ໄດ້ | ||
| The Lao word for 'impossible' can also mean 'it can't be done' or 'it's not possible'. The word is made up of the verb 'ເປັນ' (to be) and the noun 'ໄປ' (to go). | |||
| Malay | mustahil | ||
| The word 'mustahil' is derived from the Arabic word 'mustahil', which means 'unlikely' or 'difficult to achieve'. | |||
| Thai | เป็นไปไม่ได้ | ||
| The word "เป็นไปไม่ได้" is derived from the word "เป็นไป" meaning "to be able" and the word "ได้" meaning "possible". | |||
| Vietnamese | không thể nào | ||
| The Vietnamese word “Không thể nào” (impossible) shares its roots with the word “nhau” (each other) | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | imposible | ||
Impossible in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qeyri-mümkün | ||
| "Qeyri" is derived from Persian and means "non-", "mümkün" is derived from Arabic and means "possible". | |||
| Kazakh | мүмкін емес | ||
| The word "мүмкін емес" comes from the Persian word "ممكن نيست" which means "not possible" or "cannot be done". | |||
| Kyrgyz | мүмкүн эмес | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "мүмкүн эмес" ("impossible") is derived from the Arabic word "impossible" and has its etymology in several other languages. | |||
| Tajik | номумкин | ||
| The word "номумкин" can also mean "inconceivable" or "unthinkable" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | mümkin däl | ||
| Uzbek | imkonsiz | ||
| The word "imkonsiz" is derived from the Persian word "imkan", meaning "possibility" or "ability", and the suffix "-siz", meaning "without". | |||
| Uyghur | مۇمكىن ئەمەس | ||
Impossible in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hiki ʻole | ||
| In Hawaiian, "hiki ʻole" literally means "cannot move" or "does not go." | |||
| Maori | kore e taea | ||
| The word 'kore e taea' can also be translated as 'can't be done' in English. | |||
| Samoan | lē mafai | ||
| The word "lē mafai" in Samoan does not literally mean "impossible," but rather "cannot be done in a particular way or under certain circumstances." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | imposible | ||
| "Posible" is the root word of "imposible" and it means "possible" in Tagalog. | |||
Impossible in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | impusiwli | ||
| Guarani | ikatu'ỹva | ||
Impossible in International Languages
| Esperanto | neebla | ||
| The word "neebla" has been used in Esperanto since at least 1905, but is also used to mean "unclear, indistinct". | |||
| Latin | potest | ||
| "Potest" can mean "able to" or "possible" in Latin. | |||
Impossible in Others Languages
| Greek | αδύνατο | ||
| The word 'αδύνατο' in Greek also means 'feeble' or 'impracticable'. | |||
| Hmong | tsis yooj yim sua | ||
| This phrase is derived from the idea of "to separate and throw away". | |||
| Kurdish | nemimkûn | ||
| The word "nemimkûn" originates from Persian, composed of the negative prefix "na-" and the word "imkân" meaning "possibility, chance, capability." | |||
| Turkish | imkansız | ||
| The word "imkansız" derives from the Arabic word "imkân" (possibility), and literally means "lack of possibility". | |||
| Xhosa | ayinakwenzeka | ||
| The Xhosa word “ayinakwenzeka” translates into English as “cannot be done,” and is derived from “ayina” (not) and “kwenzeka” (happen). | |||
| Yiddish | אוממעגלעך | ||
| The Yiddish word "אוממעגלעך" (impossible) shares its root with the German word "möglich" (possible), suggesting a reversal of meaning over time. | |||
| Zulu | akunakwenzeka | ||
| The name 'akunakwenzeka' translates to 'not capable of being done' in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | অসম্ভৱ | ||
| Aymara | impusiwli | ||
| Bhojpuri | असंभव | ||
| Dhivehi | ނުކުރެވޭ | ||
| Dogri | ना-मुमकन | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | imposible | ||
| Guarani | ikatu'ỹva | ||
| Ilocano | imposible | ||
| Krio | nɔ pɔsibul | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نەگونجاو | ||
| Maithili | असंभव | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯣꯏꯊꯣꯛꯂꯣꯏꯗꯕ | ||
| Mizo | theihloh | ||
| Oromo | kan hin danda'amne | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅସମ୍ଭବ | ||
| Quechua | mana atina | ||
| Sanskrit | असंभवः | ||
| Tatar | мөмкин түгел | ||
| Tigrinya | ዘይክኣል | ||
| Tsonga | koteki | ||