Incident in Different Languages
Discover 'Incident' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'incident' carries great significance in our daily lives, often used to describe unexpected events or accidents. Its cultural importance is evident in literature, media, and various forms of storytelling, where incidents shape narratives and drive conversations. Understanding the translation of 'incident' in different languages can open doors to global communication and cross-cultural contexts.
For instance, in Spanish, an incident translates to 'incidente.' In French, it becomes 'incident.' In German, 'Vorfall' captures the essence of this word. And in Japanese, '事件' (jiken) is how you would say 'incident.'
Delving into the historical context, 'incident' has been used to document pivotal moments in history. The 'Boston Incident,' for example, was a significant event leading to the American Revolutionary War. Such historical incidents emphasize the importance of clear communication and understanding across languages.
Incident
Incident in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | voorval | ||
| The Afrikaans word "voorval" is related to the Dutch word "voorval" meaning "occurrence" or "event". | |||
| Amharic | ክስተት | ||
| The word "ክስተት" in Amharic has also been used to refer to "event" or "occurrence". | |||
| Hausa | abin da ya faru | ||
| The word "abin da ya faru" can also mean "event" or "occurrence" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | ihe merenụ | ||
| "Ihe merenụ" is derived from the verb "mere" meaning "to occur" or "to happen". Its root is "-re" which also means "to take place". | |||
| Malagasy | zava-nitranga | ||
| In Malagasy, "zava-nitranga" also means "event," and is cognate with the Old Javanese "dawa-nitrana" (circumstance). | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chochitika | ||
| The word "chochitika" is also used to refer to a "mess" or "disorder". | |||
| Shona | chiitiko | ||
| In some contexts, "chiitiko" can also refer to a rumor or a piece of gossip. | |||
| Somali | dhacdo | ||
| Dhacdo in Somali, derived from Arabic, also means "accident". | |||
| Sesotho | ketsahalo | ||
| The word "ketsahalo" can also mean "event" or "occurrence". | |||
| Swahili | tukio | ||
| The word "tukio" can also mean "event" or "occurrence" in Swahili, and is related to the verb "tokea" meaning "to happen". | |||
| Xhosa | isehlo | ||
| "Isehlo" also means "root" in Xhosa, referring to the underlying cause or source of something. | |||
| Yoruba | iṣẹlẹ | ||
| In Yorùbá, `iṣẹlẹ` can also refer to an event, occurrence, or happening. | |||
| Zulu | isehlakalo | ||
| In Zulu, 'isehlakalo' literally means 'thing that has befallen', signifying an occurrence or event. | |||
| Bambara | kasara | ||
| Ewe | nudzɔdzɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ibyabaye | ||
| Lingala | likambo | ||
| Luganda | ekintu okutukawo | ||
| Sepedi | tiragalo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | deɛ asi | ||
Incident in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | حادث | ||
| The Arabic word "حادث" can also refer to an "accident" or an "event." | |||
| Hebrew | תַקרִית | ||
| Pashto | پیښه | ||
| The word "پیښه" can also mean "adventure" or "enterprise". | |||
| Arabic | حادث | ||
| The Arabic word "حادث" can also refer to an "accident" or an "event." | |||
Incident in Western European Languages
| Albanian | incident | ||
| The Albanian word "incident" (incident) ultimately comes from the Latin word "incidere," meaning "to cut into" or "to fall upon." | |||
| Basque | gorabehera | ||
| In Basque, "gorabehera" is a compound noun made up of the words "gora" (up) and "behera" (down), and can also mean "up and down" or "back and forth." | |||
| Catalan | incident | ||
| In Catalan, "incident" also means "anecdotal event". | |||
| Croatian | incident | ||
| The Croatian word 'incident' can also mean 'incidentally' or 'by the way'. | |||
| Danish | utilsigtet hændelse | ||
| The Danish word "utilsigtet hændelse" is a cognate of the German phrase "unvorhergesehene Handlung", meaning "unanticipated action". | |||
| Dutch | incident | ||
| In the Netherlands, “incident” can also refer to a traffic accident, especially on the highway. | |||
| English | incident | ||
| The word 'incident' originates from the Latin word 'incidere' meaning 'to fall upon'. | |||
| French | incident | ||
| "Incident" comes from Latin "incidere" meaning "to cut into" or "to fall upon". | |||
| Frisian | foarfal | ||
| The word "foarfal" in Frisian can also mean "occurrence" or "event". | |||
| Galician | incidente | ||
| A palavra "incidente" en galego também pode ser usada no sentido de "imposto" | |||
| German | vorfall | ||
| The German word "Vorfall" can also refer to a prolapse (e.g. in the context of childbirth) or a deposition (especially in a legal or political context). | |||
| Icelandic | atvik | ||
| In Icelandic, an "atvik" can also refer to something that happened by chance or an unforeseen misfortune. | |||
| Irish | eachtra | ||
| The Irish word "eachtra" also means "adventure," a usage that has been revived in modern times. | |||
| Italian | incidente | ||
| In Italian, "incidente" also refers to the first part of a literary or musical work, introducing the characters and setting. | |||
| Luxembourgish | tëschefall | ||
| The word "Tëschefall" derives from the Middle High German "tescheval" (quarrel, dispute, accusation), which itself goes back to the Latin "discidere" (to separate). | |||
| Maltese | inċident | ||
| The Maltese word 'inċident' is derived from the Latin 'incidens', meaning 'falling into' or 'happening' | |||
| Norwegian | hendelse | ||
| The word "hendelse" is derived from the Old Norse word "henda", which means "to happen". It can also refer to an event, occurrence, or situation. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | incidente | ||
| In Portuguese, "incidente" can also refer to a small accident or unexpected event. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | tachartas | ||
| Tachartas can also mean 'accident', 'event' or 'affair'. | |||
| Spanish | incidente | ||
| The Spanish word "incidente" comes from the Latin word "incidere," meaning "to cut into," and can also refer to a cut or wound. | |||
| Swedish | incident | ||
| Incident ('händelse') can also refer to a small accident, like a minor traffic collision | |||
| Welsh | digwyddiad | ||
| A Welsh word which originally implied a 'chance meeting' or unexpected encounter but now more commonly used to refer to events in general. | |||
Incident in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | здарэнне | ||
| "Здарэнне" comes from the Old Slavic "sъdаrъ", which means "a meeting of people or events". | |||
| Bosnian | incident | ||
| Riječ "incident" u bosanskom jeziku ima i značenje "prihod, dohodak" | |||
| Bulgarian | инцидент | ||
| В русском языке слово "инцидент" имеет более широкий смысл, чем в болгарском: происшествие, случай, конфликт, скандал. | |||
| Czech | incident | ||
| The Czech word "incident" is cognate with its English counterpart but can also refer to a specific musical genre. | |||
| Estonian | intsident | ||
| The word "intsident" also means "accident" or "event" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | tapahtuma | ||
| The word "tapahtuma" is derived from the verb "tapahtua" (to happen), which in turn comes from the Proto-Finnic word *tapahtua, meaning "to come to pass." | |||
| Hungarian | incidens | ||
| The Hungarian word "incidens" also carries the alternate meaning of "stimulus", which aligns with its Latin roots "incidere" (to cut, carve, or engrave) | |||
| Latvian | starpgadījums | ||
| Latvian "starpgadījums" literally translates to an "inter-event" rather than just an "incident". | |||
| Lithuanian | incidentas | ||
| Incidentas also means “fact” in Latin | |||
| Macedonian | инцидент | ||
| The word "incident" comes from the Latin word "incidere", which means "to cut into" or "to happen". The Slavic word "инцидент" also has a similar meaning and can refer to an unexpected event or happening. | |||
| Polish | incydent | ||
| In Polish, "incydent" can also mean a "scandal" or "embarrassing event." | |||
| Romanian | incident | ||
| The Romanian word "incident" can also mean "incidentally" or "by chance". | |||
| Russian | инцидент | ||
| The word “инцидент” in Russian also refers to a minor legal offense or administrative violation. | |||
| Serbian | инцидент | ||
| The word "инцидент" in Serbian originates from the Latin word "incidere", meaning "to cut", and can also refer to an unexpected occurrence or event. | |||
| Slovak | incident | ||
| The Slovak word "incident" also means "event" or "occasion". | |||
| Slovenian | nezgoda | ||
| The word 'nezgoda', meaning 'incident,' likely derives from the Proto-Slavic root *ne-goda, meaning 'unsuited,' 'disagreeable,' or 'misfortune'. | |||
| Ukrainian | інцидент | ||
| The word "інцидент" (incident) in Ukrainian has Latin origins, coming from the word "incidere", meaning "to fall upon" or "to happen". | |||
Incident in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ঘটনা | ||
| The word "ঘটনা" in Bengali derives from Sanskrit, meaning either "occurrence" or "event". | |||
| Gujarati | ઘટના | ||
| The Gujarati word 'ઘટના' ('incident') also means 'occurrence', 'event', or 'happening' in English. | |||
| Hindi | घटना | ||
| घटना in Hindi has its origin in the Sanskrit word घटन which means 'an occurrence, event, happening' | |||
| Kannada | ಘಟನೆ | ||
| ಘಟನೆ is also used to refer to a social or religious gathering. | |||
| Malayalam | സംഭവം | ||
| സംഭവം shares its root word with the Malayalam terms സംഭാവന ('contribution') and സംഭവ്യത ('possibility'), suggesting an underlying theme of 'coming into being' or 'occurrence'. | |||
| Marathi | घटना | ||
| The Marathi noun घटना means not only 'incident' but also 'event, occurrence, or happening' and the Sanskrit noun घटन means 'loss, decline, or destruction'. | |||
| Nepali | घटना | ||
| घटना derives from Sanskrit 'ghata-' meaning "happen," and can also refer to a "jar" or a "water pot" | |||
| Punjabi | ਘਟਨਾ | ||
| The word "ਘਟਨਾ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "घटना" (ghaṭanā), meaning "occurrence" or "event". It can also mean "loss" or "destruction". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සිද්ධිය | ||
| The word "සිද්ධිය" can also refer to an accomplishment, success, or attainment. | |||
| Tamil | சம்பவம் | ||
| The word "சம்பவம்" ("incident") in Tamil also means "conversation". | |||
| Telugu | సంఘటన | ||
| సంఘటన (incident) is also used to refer to the act of joining or coming together. | |||
| Urdu | واقعہ | ||
| The word "واقعہ" is derived from the Arabic root "وقع", meaning "to fall" or "to happen", and can also refer to an event or occurrence in the context of poetry or literature. | |||
Incident in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 事件 | ||
| 事件 in Chinese is also used to mean the occurrence or appearance of an event. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 事件 | ||
| Chinese "事件" (incident) originated from the term "事件" (happenings) in classical Chinese, implying occurrences or developments. | |||
| Japanese | インシデント | ||
| インシデント (incident) originally meant "an occurrence or event," and can also mean "an accident or mishap." | |||
| Korean | 사건 | ||
| The word 사건 (incident) can refer to a wider range of events in Korean than in English, including events with criminal intent, and is sometimes used in the phrase “criminal case”. | |||
| Mongolian | үйл явдал | ||
| "Үйл явдал" is also used to refer to "action", "activity", or "event". It is derived from Mongolian "үйл" (action) and "явдал" (occurrence). | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အဖြစ်အပျက် | ||
Incident in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kejadian | ||
| The Indonesian noun 'kejadian' is derived from the Old Javanese 'kajadian' meaning 'coming into existence'. | |||
| Javanese | kedadean | ||
| "Kedadean" has a deeper meaning than "incident"; it describes a profound experience that shapes one's destiny. | |||
| Khmer | ឧប្បត្តិហេតុ | ||
| The word "ឧប្បត្តិហេតុ" (ubbatthethou) in Khmer ultimately derives from the Sanskrit word "उत्पत्तिहेतु" (utpattihetu), which means "cause of origin" or "cause of production". | |||
| Lao | ເຫດການ | ||
| The word 'ເຫດການ' also means 'event' or 'occurrence', and is derived from the Sanskrit word 'ঘটনা' ('ghaṭanā'). | |||
| Malay | kejadian | ||
| In Malay, "kejadian" also refers to an event or an occurrence, not just an incident. | |||
| Thai | เหตุการณ์ | ||
| เหตุการณ์ can also refer to a specific event or occasion, such as a wedding or a birthday celebration. | |||
| Vietnamese | biến cố | ||
| "Biến cố" has the same origin as "biến động" (to change, to fluctuate) and refers to an event, an occurrence or a circumstance. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pangyayari | ||
Incident in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | hadisə | ||
| The word "Hadisə" is also used to refer to a "natural disaster" in Azerbaijani | |||
| Kazakh | оқиға | ||
| "Оқиға" comes from the Arabic word "waqi'a", which also means "fact", "event", or "occurrence". | |||
| Kyrgyz | окуя | ||
| The word "окуя" can also refer to a "fact" or "event" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | ҳодиса | ||
| The word "ҳодиса" comes from the Arabic word "حادثة" which also means "event". The word "ҳодиса" in Tajik can therefore have a broader meaning than just "incident". | |||
| Turkmen | waka | ||
| Uzbek | voqea | ||
| In Uzbek, the word "voqea" can also refer to an "occurrence" or a "fact". | |||
| Uyghur | ۋەقە | ||
Incident in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hanana | ||
| The Hawaiian word "hanana" also refers to a gathering or assembly. | |||
| Maori | maiki | ||
| *Maiki* stems from the Proto-Polynesian *ma(i)ti*, meaning "small" or "child," and has been reanalyzed in the Maori language to mean "bad," "unpleasant," "evil," "sin," "misfortune," "calamity," or any untoward event, hence its modern usage as "incident." | |||
| Samoan | mea na tupu | ||
| Mea na tupu is composed of two words, with "mea" meaning "thing" or "matter," and "na tupu" meaning "happened" or "occurred." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pangyayari | ||
| The Tagalog word "pangyayari" originates from the root word "yari" (to do), indicating that it originally meant "an act or occurrence". | |||
Incident in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jan walt'ayata | ||
| Guarani | jeikovai | ||
Incident in International Languages
| Esperanto | incidento | ||
| "Incidento" also means "side issue", "secondary event", or "by-product". | |||
| Latin | incident | ||
| The Latin word "incidens" means "falling upon" or "occurring" and is related to the word "cadere" meaning "to fall". | |||
Incident in Others Languages
| Greek | περιστατικό | ||
| The word "περιστατικό" is derived from the Greek verb "περίστημι" which means "to occur", "to happen", or "to stand around". | |||
| Hmong | xwm txheej | ||
| The word "xwm txheej" is also used to describe the consequences of a bad action or decision. | |||
| Kurdish | bûyer | ||
| The word "bûyer" also means "event" or "occasion" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | olay | ||
| The word "olay" in Turkish also means "event", "case", or "phenomenon". | |||
| Xhosa | isehlo | ||
| "Isehlo" also means "root" in Xhosa, referring to the underlying cause or source of something. | |||
| Yiddish | אינצידענט | ||
| The Yiddish word "אינצידענט" also means "ingredient" or "accessory". | |||
| Zulu | isehlakalo | ||
| In Zulu, 'isehlakalo' literally means 'thing that has befallen', signifying an occurrence or event. | |||
| Assamese | ঘটনা | ||
| Aymara | jan walt'ayata | ||
| Bhojpuri | घटना | ||
| Dhivehi | އިންސިޑެންޓް | ||
| Dogri | घटना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pangyayari | ||
| Guarani | jeikovai | ||
| Ilocano | insidente | ||
| Krio | sɔntin | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕووداو | ||
| Maithili | घटना | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯊꯧꯗꯣꯛ | ||
| Mizo | thilthleng | ||
| Oromo | taatee | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଘଟଣା | ||
| Quechua | ruwana | ||
| Sanskrit | प्रसंग | ||
| Tatar | вакыйга | ||
| Tigrinya | ፍጻመ | ||
| Tsonga | mhangu | ||