Injury in Different Languages
Discover 'Injury' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
An injury can be a significant setback, affecting our physical abilities and daily lives. But have you ever wondered how different cultures and languages express this concept? Understanding the translation of 'injury' in different languages can provide insight into cultural attitudes towards health, healing, and resilience. For example, in Spanish, 'injury' is 'lesión,' while in German, it's 'Verletzung.' In Japanese, the term is 'kizu,' and in Russian, it's 'травма' (travma).
Moreover, the word 'injury' carries historical significance. In ancient cultures, injuries were often seen as a test of strength or a mark of bravery. Today, we recognize the importance of preventing and treating injuries to maintain overall health and well-being.
By learning the translation of 'injury' in different languages, we not only expand our vocabulary but also deepen our appreciation for the diversity of human experiences and cultural values. So, let's explore some of the many ways 'injury' is expressed around the world.
Injury
Injury in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | besering | ||
| The Afrikaans word 'besering' originates from the Dutch word 'beseren', meaning 'to injure'. | |||
| Amharic | ጉዳት | ||
| The word "ጉዳት" can also refer to "loss" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | rauni | ||
| In Hausa, 'rauni' can also refer to harm inflicted by supernatural forces. | |||
| Igbo | mmerụ ahụ | ||
| In some contexts, the Igbo word "mmerụ ahụ" can also refer to a scar or a wound that has healed. | |||
| Malagasy | ratra | ||
| The Malagasy word ratra can also mean 'wound', 'harm', 'damage', 'accident', 'disaster', 'calamity', 'affliction' or 'misfortune'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuvulaza | ||
| In the M'mbelwa dialect of Nyanja, "kuvulaza" can also mean "to wound" or "to harm". | |||
| Shona | kukuvara | ||
| The word "kukuvara" in Shona also has the alternate meaning of "wound". | |||
| Somali | dhaawac | ||
| The Somali word 'dhaawac', meaning 'injury' also has a secondary meaning as 'blemish' | |||
| Sesotho | kotsi | ||
| The word "kotsi" can also refer to a "wound" or "scar" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | jeraha | ||
| The Swahili word 'jeraha' can also be used in a metaphorical sense to denote harm or damage to non-physical entities. | |||
| Xhosa | ukwenzakala | ||
| In Xhosa, 'ukwenzakala' also means 'to be violated' or 'to be wronged'. | |||
| Yoruba | ipalara | ||
| Ipalara, meaning "injury" in Yoruba, also signifies a wound or sore that is inflicted upon someone. | |||
| Zulu | ukulimala | ||
| The word "ukulimala" can also mean "to damage" or "to destroy". | |||
| Bambara | joginli | ||
| Ewe | abixɔxɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | igikomere | ||
| Lingala | mpota | ||
| Luganda | okukosebwa | ||
| Sepedi | kgobalo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | opira | ||
Injury in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | إصابة | ||
| The word "إصابة" means not only "injury", but also "hitting" or "achieving a goal."} | |||
| Hebrew | פציעה | ||
| The Hebrew word "פציעה" (injury) also means "flowering" or "sprouting", suggesting a connection between the renewal of life and the healing of wounds. | |||
| Pashto | ټپي کول | ||
| Pashto word "ټپي کول" can also mean "to hit" or "to strike". | |||
| Arabic | إصابة | ||
| The word "إصابة" means not only "injury", but also "hitting" or "achieving a goal."} | |||
Injury in Western European Languages
| Albanian | lëndimi | ||
| The word "lëndimi" is derived from the Latin word "laedere," meaning "to hurt" or "to damage." | |||
| Basque | lesioa | ||
| The word "lesioa" is derived from the verb "lesionatu" (to injure) and refers to a physical or mental harm caused by an external agent. | |||
| Catalan | lesió | ||
| The word "lesió" in Catalan shares its root with the Latin word "laedere," meaning "to injure" or "to damage." | |||
| Croatian | ozljeda | ||
| The word 'ozljeda' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word '*оzlodьa', which originally meant 'damage' or 'harm'. In Croatian, it retains its original meaning, referring to physical or mental harm caused to someone or something. | |||
| Danish | skade | ||
| The Danish word "skade" derives from the Old Norse word "skaði", meaning "damage"} | |||
| Dutch | letsel | ||
| The word "letsel" is derived from the Old Dutch word "letsel", which means "harm" or "damage". | |||
| English | injury | ||
| The word 'injury' is derived from the Latin word 'injuria,' meaning 'injustice' or 'wrong,' and can also refer to a legal wrong or a violation of a right. | |||
| French | blessure | ||
| The word "blessure" derives from the Old French word "blecier," meaning "to wound" or "to harm," and is related to the Latin word "vulnerare," meaning "to wound" or "to injure." | |||
| Frisian | ferwûning | ||
| The Frisian word 'ferwûning' is derived from Old Frisian 'ferwundige', which originally meant 'loss of joy' rather than 'physical harm'. | |||
| Galician | lesión | ||
| The word "lesión" in Galician also means "lesson". | |||
| German | verletzung | ||
| Etymologically, the German word 'Verletzung' originates from the Old High German 'verletzen,' meaning 'to hinder' or 'to obstruct'. | |||
| Icelandic | meiðsli | ||
| In Icelandic, "meiðsli" can also refer to physical impairment or weakness. | |||
| Irish | gortú | ||
| The word 'gortú' also means 'harm' or 'damage' in Irish. | |||
| Italian | lesione | ||
| The word "lesione" in Italian can also mean "damage" or "harm". | |||
| Luxembourgish | verletzung | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Verletzung" comes from the German word "Verletzung", which has the same meaning in German. | |||
| Maltese | korriment | ||
| In the Sicilian language, "korriment" is the synonym of "injury". | |||
| Norwegian | skade | ||
| Skáðe also refers to a giantess in Norse mythology and is the root of the word 'damage' in English. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ferimentos | ||
| The Portuguese word "ferimentos" is cognate with the English "firm" and "ferment" (via the Latin "firmus" meaning "firm, strong"). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | leòn | ||
| "Leòn" has an older, alternative meaning in Scottish Gaelic. It means "blessing." | |||
| Spanish | lesión | ||
| The word "lesión" is also used in Spanish to refer to damage or alteration of something, such as a legal right. | |||
| Swedish | skada | ||
| The word "skada" in Swedish carries a double meaning, indicating both physical harm and financial loss. | |||
| Welsh | anaf | ||
| Anaf derives from the Proto-Celtic stem *ɸen- 'to strike', which in Welsh also denotes 'pain' in the form anaf.} | |||
Injury in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | траўма | ||
| The word "τραῦμα" (trauma) comes from the Greek word for "wound" or "injury". | |||
| Bosnian | povreda | ||
| The word 'povreda' can also refer to damage or harm caused to a property or object. | |||
| Bulgarian | нараняване | ||
| The word 'нараняване' ('injury') is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'nara', meaning 'a wound'. | |||
| Czech | zranění | ||
| The Czech word "zranění" also means "wounding" or "assault". | |||
| Estonian | vigastus | ||
| "Vigastus" may also be used to refer to an error, defect, or flaw in logic or reasoning. | |||
| Finnish | loukkaantuminen | ||
| The noun 'loukkaantuminen' derives from the verb 'loukata', meaning 'to hurt' or 'to insult' and is related to the noun 'loukkaus', 'insult' or 'injury' | |||
| Hungarian | sérülés | ||
| Sérülés, meaning "injury" in Hungarian, can also refer to "damage" caused to inanimate objects. | |||
| Latvian | ievainojums | ||
| "Ievainojums" originally comes from the verb "ievainot", meaning to wound. | |||
| Lithuanian | sužalojimas | ||
| The word 'sužalojimas' derives from the Lithuanian verb 'sužaloti', meaning 'to damage' or 'to harm'. | |||
| Macedonian | повреда | ||
| The word "повреда" can also mean "damage" or "harm". | |||
| Polish | zranienie | ||
| The Polish word "zranienie" can also mean "offense" or "violation". | |||
| Romanian | rănire | ||
| The Romanian word "rănire" is derived from the Latin verb "runicare", meaning "to prick" or "to scratch". | |||
| Russian | травма, повреждение | ||
| The word "травма, повреждение" in Russian can also refer to psychological or emotional harm. | |||
| Serbian | повреда | ||
| "Повреда" derives from the Proto-Slavic "povreda" which means "damage" or "destruction". | |||
| Slovak | zranenie | ||
| The word "zranenie" can also refer to a "wound" or "harm", or to the act of "injuring" or "wounding". | |||
| Slovenian | poškodba | ||
| The verb 'poškodovati' ('to injure') is derived from the Slavic root 'kvrzd', meaning 'to break' or 'to damage'. | |||
| Ukrainian | травма | ||
| Травма is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *trep- meaning to strike or wound. | |||
Injury in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | আঘাত | ||
| আঘাত' also means a 'blow', 'stroke', or 'knock' in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | ઈજા | ||
| "ઈજા" is a Gujarati word that comes from Sanskrit "ṛṇa" meaning "debt", and has the alternate meanings of "loss", "damage", and "wound". | |||
| Hindi | चोट | ||
| The Hindi word "चोट" can also refer to a "mark" or "blemish" | |||
| Kannada | ಗಾಯ | ||
| The word "ಗಾಯ" can also refer to a wound on the body, especially a deep one causing loss of tissue. | |||
| Malayalam | പരിക്ക് | ||
| The Malayalam word "പരിക്ക്" (parikku) originally meant "a scar", but over time its meaning expanded to include "injury". | |||
| Marathi | इजा | ||
| The word 'इजा' also refers to 'loss, waste, damage, harm, or disgrace'. | |||
| Nepali | चोट | ||
| The Nepali word "चोट" derives from the Sanskrit term "क्षत" (wound) and can also refer to damage, harm, or loss. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੱਟ | ||
| The word "ਸੱਟ" also means "bet" or "wager" in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | තුවාල වීම | ||
| Tamil | காயம் | ||
| The Tamil word "காயம்" can also mean "fruit" or "unripe fruit". | |||
| Telugu | గాయం | ||
| గాయం is also used to refer to the act of writing or composing, and can be used to describe the process of creating a literary work. | |||
| Urdu | چوٹ | ||
| چوٹ can also refer to a hole in a boat or a break in a levee, as well as a crack or split in a wall or other surface. | |||
Injury in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 受伤 | ||
| 受伤 (shòushāng) originally referred to damage to reputation but now also refers to physical harm. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 受傷 | ||
| 受傷 also means 'to take damage' or 'to get hurt' in the context of physical and mental states. | |||
| Japanese | けが | ||
| The word "けが" (injury) can also mean "dirt" or "stain". | |||
| Korean | 상해 | ||
| The word "상해" can also refer to a "wound" or "damage". | |||
| Mongolian | гэмтэл | ||
| "Гэмтэл" also means "harm, damage, flaw, defect". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဒဏ်ရာ | ||
Injury in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | cedera | ||
| The Indonesian word "cedera" (injury), likely derived from Sanskrit "chidra" or "chhidra" (hole, flaw), shares its root with the French word "lésion" (injury). | |||
| Javanese | cilaka | ||
| The word "cilaka" in Javanese also means "bad luck" or "misfortune". | |||
| Khmer | រងរបួស | ||
| The word "រងរបួស" is also used to refer to a wound or sore. | |||
| Lao | ການບາດເຈັບ | ||
| Malay | kecederaan | ||
| The word "kecederaan" is derived from the Arabic word "qadha'a", meaning "judgment" or "punishment". It can also refer to a physical or psychological wound. | |||
| Thai | บาดเจ็บ | ||
| บาดเจ็บ can also mean damage to property or reputation. | |||
| Vietnamese | thương tật | ||
| "Thương tật" is a compound word consisting of "thương" (to hurt) and "tật" (defect, disability). It can also refer to psychological or emotional harm. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pinsala | ||
Injury in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | zədə | ||
| The word "zədə" comes from the Persian word "zad" meaning "blow" or "harm". | |||
| Kazakh | жарақат | ||
| Kyrgyz | жаракат | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "жаракат" also refers to a scratch, a wound, a cut, or a bruise. | |||
| Tajik | осеб | ||
| The word "осеб" in Tajik can also refer to a "wound" or a "sore" | |||
| Turkmen | şikes | ||
| Uzbek | jarohat | ||
| "Jarohat" is also the name for the seventh month of the Muslim calendar in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | يارىلىنىش | ||
Injury in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻeha | ||
| In Hawaiian, the word ʻeha (injury) also means 'to be wrong' or 'to be mistaken'. | |||
| Maori | whara | ||
| Whara also means 'bad' and is used to describe someone who is ill or in pain. | |||
| Samoan | manua | ||
| 'Manu' means 'bird' in Samoan, and 'a' is the singular definite article which in this case signifies 'the'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pinsala | ||
| Tagalog word "pinsala" comes from the Spanish "perjuicio," meaning harm or damage. | |||
Injury in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | usuchjata | ||
| Guarani | ñehunga | ||
Injury in International Languages
| Esperanto | vundo | ||
| "Vundo" can also mean a wound or damage, or can refer to an injury caused by an accident or violence. | |||
| Latin | injuriam | ||
| The Latin word "injuriam" derives from the verb "injurio" and also means "injustice" or "harm". | |||
Injury in Others Languages
| Greek | βλάβη | ||
| The word "βλάβη" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰle- meaning "to strike" or "to break". This root also appears in Greek words such as "βλάπτω" (to harm) and "βλάστημα" (a sprout). | |||
| Hmong | raug mob | ||
| The word "raug mob" in Hmong translates to "injury" in English and can also refer to physical harm or damage. | |||
| Kurdish | birîn | ||
| The word 'birîn' can also refer to 'wound', 'cut', or 'harm'. | |||
| Turkish | yaralanma | ||
| The Turkish word "yaralanma" originally meant "to be separated from one's group" or "to be left alone." | |||
| Xhosa | ukwenzakala | ||
| In Xhosa, 'ukwenzakala' also means 'to be violated' or 'to be wronged'. | |||
| Yiddish | שאָדן | ||
| The Yiddish word "שאָדן" also means "damage" or "loss" and is thought to have entered the language via the German "Schaden". | |||
| Zulu | ukulimala | ||
| The word "ukulimala" can also mean "to damage" or "to destroy". | |||
| Assamese | আঘাত | ||
| Aymara | usuchjata | ||
| Bhojpuri | चोट | ||
| Dhivehi | އަނިޔާ | ||
| Dogri | जख्म | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pinsala | ||
| Guarani | ñehunga | ||
| Ilocano | dunor | ||
| Krio | wund | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | برین | ||
| Maithili | चोट लगनाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯁꯣꯛꯄ | ||
| Mizo | inhliam | ||
| Oromo | miidhaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କ୍ଷତ | ||
| Quechua | kiriy | ||
| Sanskrit | क्षत | ||
| Tatar | җәрәхәтләр | ||
| Tigrinya | ጉድኣት | ||
| Tsonga | vaviseka | ||