Innocent in Different Languages
Discover 'Innocent' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'innocent' holds a special place in our hearts and minds, signifying purity, blamelessness, and freedom from guilt. Its cultural importance is evident in various art forms, literature, and legal contexts, where the presumption of innocence is a fundamental principle. But what about the word's significance in different languages? Understanding the translation of 'innocent' in various tongues can provide fascinating insights into cultural nuances and values.
For instance, in Spanish, the word for innocent is 'inocente', which shares the same Latin root as its English counterpart. In Japanese, the concept is conveyed through the term 'mazushii', which also means 'vulnerable' or 'defenseless', reflecting a sense of compassion and protection. Meanwhile, in Russian, the translation is 'невинный', which combines the idea of innocence with a sense of victimhood.
Join us as we explore the translations of the word 'innocent' in different languages, diving into the rich tapestry of cultural diversity and linguistic heritage.
Innocent
Innocent in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | onskuldig | ||
| Onskuldig derives from the Middle Dutch word 'onsculdich', meaning 'unblamable', and not 'without guilt', as many sources claim. | |||
| Amharic | ንፁህ | ||
| The word "ንፁህ" has two etymologically independent senses, one meaning "unstained" and the other "free from moral fault, blameless, or innocent". | |||
| Hausa | mara laifi | ||
| The word 'mara laifi' is derived from the Arabic word 'marifah' meaning 'knowledge' or 'understanding'. | |||
| Igbo | aka ya di ọcha | ||
| "Aka ya di ọcha" can mean "innocent" or, more literally, "white hands" | |||
| Malagasy | tsy manan-tsiny | ||
| TSY MANAN-TSINY also means "not to have a clear conscience" or "not to be honest". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wosalakwa | ||
| In the Chichewa-English dictionary, "wosalakwa" is translated as "guiltless" and "sinless". | |||
| Shona | asina mhosva | ||
| "Asina mhosva" also means "no guilt" or "not guilty" in Shona as it is derived from the word "mhosva" which means "guilt" or "sin". | |||
| Somali | aan waxba galabsan | ||
| The term "aan waxba galabsan" derives from "gaal-ab" or "wax gaal-ab ah," signifying "pure, untouched, or untainted." | |||
| Sesotho | hlokang molato | ||
| `Hlokang molato` may also mean "to be empty". | |||
| Swahili | wasio na hatia | ||
| "Wasio na hatia" derives from "hati" meaning "liver" or "soul", reflecting the traditional belief that the liver was the seat of emotions and guilt. | |||
| Xhosa | umsulwa | ||
| The Xhosa word "umsulwa" is often conflated with the concept of innocence, though it more accurately conveys the meaning of "purity" or "uninitiated." | |||
| Yoruba | alaiṣẹ | ||
| "Alaise" (innocent) also means "uninitiated" or "layperson" in Yoruba, referring to someone who has not undergone initiation into a specific religious or spiritual practice. | |||
| Zulu | umsulwa | ||
| The Zulu word 'umsulwa' can also refer to someone who is pure, naive, or credulous. | |||
| Bambara | jalakibali | ||
| Ewe | maɖifɔ̃ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umwere | ||
| Lingala | moto asali eloko te | ||
| Luganda | talina musango | ||
| Sepedi | hloka molato | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nnim ho hwee | ||
Innocent in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | البريء | ||
| The word "البريء" derives from the root "برئ" meaning "to be free from guilt or blame". | |||
| Hebrew | חף מפשע | ||
| The term 'חף מפשע' can also refer to someone who has been exonerated from a crime, even if they were in fact guilty. | |||
| Pashto | بې ګناه | ||
| The Pashto word "بې ګناه" (innocent) is closely related to the Persian word "بیگناه" and the Sanskrit word "अ-नाग", which all share a common root meaning "without sin". | |||
| Arabic | البريء | ||
| The word "البريء" derives from the root "برئ" meaning "to be free from guilt or blame". | |||
Innocent in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i pafajshem | ||
| The word "i pafajshem" in Albanian comes from "i pafaj" (without fault) + "i shëm" (healthy), implying both moral and physical well-being. | |||
| Basque | errugabea | ||
| The word ‘errugabea’ derives from ‘erro’ (to be wrong), which is itself linked to ‘erori’ (to fall), from the root of ‘era’ (being). | |||
| Catalan | innocent | ||
| In Catalan, "innocent" (innocent) can also mean foolish or simple. | |||
| Croatian | nevin | ||
| The word 'nevin' comes from the PIE root *ne-wo- 'new', and is cognate with the English word 'new'. | |||
| Danish | uskyldig | ||
| The word "uskyldig" is derived from the Old Norse word "uskyld", which means "lack of guilt". | |||
| Dutch | onschuldig | ||
| The Dutch word "onschuldig" is cognate to the English "unskillful" and originally meant "without ability to harm". | |||
| English | innocent | ||
| Innocent derives from Latin 'innocens' (not harmful) via Old French 'innocent' and has the alternate meaning of 'lacking knowledge or experience'. | |||
| French | innocent | ||
| Innocent is derived from the Latin word "innocens," which means "not causing harm" or "free from guilt." | |||
| Frisian | ûnskuldich | ||
| The word "ûnskuldich" in Frisian means "innocent," but it can also mean "ignorant" or "naive." | |||
| Galician | inocente | ||
| In Galician, "inocente" can also refer to a prank played on April 1st and the person who is pranked. | |||
| German | unschuldig | ||
| The German word "unschuldig" originally meant "not bearing guilt", but it has since come to mean "innocent". | |||
| Icelandic | saklaus | ||
| The word "saklaus" also refers to a child's first tooth. | |||
| Irish | neamhchiontach | ||
| The word "neamhchiontach" in Irish literally translates to "not guilty," but it is also used to mean "innocent" in a moral sense. | |||
| Italian | innocente | ||
| The Italian word "innocente" derives from the Latin word "innocens", meaning "unharmed" or "blameless". | |||
| Luxembourgish | onschëlleg | ||
| The word "onschëlleg" derives from the Old Frankish word "scellico" which means "guilty" or "debt". | |||
| Maltese | innoċenti | ||
| The word "innoċenti" can also mean "naive" or "foolish". | |||
| Norwegian | uskyldig | ||
| The word "uskyldig" is derived from the Old Norse word "uskýldr" meaning "not guilty" and "innocent". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | inocente | ||
| The word "inocente" in Portuguese can also refer to a naive or gullible person. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | neo-chiontach | ||
| The word "neo-chiontach" comes from the Gaelic words "neo" (not) and "chiontach" (guilty), and also means "not innocent (but not completely guilty)." | |||
| Spanish | inocente | ||
| "Inocente" is the Spanish word for "innocent" but can also mean "gullible" or "naive" | |||
| Swedish | oskyldig | ||
| "Oskyldig" used to have a specific legal definition in Swedish, referring only to children (under age 15), and the mentally disabled. | |||
| Welsh | diniwed | ||
| The word "diniwed" is etymologically related to the word "didwyll," which means "willful" or "intentional" | |||
Innocent in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | нявінны | ||
| Bosnian | nevin | ||
| Bosnian 'nevin' ('innocent') shares its root with 'vina' ('guilt' or 'crime') to imply someone 'without vina'. | |||
| Bulgarian | невинен | ||
| The word "невинен" can also mean "untouched", or "unmarried" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | nevinný | ||
| "Nevinný" means not only innocent, but also unmarried | |||
| Estonian | süütu | ||
| The word 'süütu' in Estonian is derived from the word 'süü' meaning 'guilt', and thus has the alternate meaning of 'guiltless'. | |||
| Finnish | viattomia | ||
| The word 'viattomia' can also refer to a 'lack of guilt', 'purity', or 'simplicity' in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | ártatlan | ||
| The Hungarian word "ártatlan" also has the archaic meaning of "unharmed" or "safe". | |||
| Latvian | nevainīgs | ||
| Latvian "nevainīgs" derives from the Russian "невинный", "ne" (no) + "винный" (guilty). | |||
| Lithuanian | nekaltas | ||
| The word "nekaltas" in Lithuanian derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *nekʷel-, meaning "not to kill". | |||
| Macedonian | невин | ||
| The word "невин" also means "naive" or "gullible" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | niewinny | ||
| In Polish, "niewinny" also means "naïve" or "simple-minded". | |||
| Romanian | nevinovat | ||
| The Romanian word "nevinovat" derives from the Latin "innocentem" which also meant "harmless". Similar semantic evolution can be seen with the English word "innocent". | |||
| Russian | невиновный | ||
| The word "невиновный" can also be used to mean "guiltless" or "faultless". | |||
| Serbian | невин | ||
| The word "невин" also means "free from suffering" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | nevinný | ||
| The word "nevinný" comes from a Proto-Slavic word which meant "not knowing". | |||
| Slovenian | nedolžen | ||
| Nedolžen is also used in Slovenian to describe something that is not yet ripe or mature. | |||
| Ukrainian | невинний | ||
| In Ukrainian, "невинний" has a broader meaning than "innocent" in English, also encompassing "guileless" and "unassuming" | |||
Innocent in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | নির্দোষ | ||
| The word 'নির্দোষ' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'निर्दोष' (nirdosha), which means 'free from guilt or blame'. | |||
| Gujarati | નિર્દોષ | ||
| The Gujarati word 'નિર્દોષ' derives from Sanskrit and literally means 'without blemish' or 'without evil'. | |||
| Hindi | मासूम | ||
| मासूम ('innocent' in Hindi) comes from the Persian word 'maasoum,' meaning 'protected' or 'safe'. | |||
| Kannada | ಮುಗ್ಧ | ||
| The Sanskrit root of "ಮುಗ್ಧ" is "मुग्ध" (mugdha), which can also mean "fascinated" or "charmed"} | |||
| Malayalam | നിരപരാധികൾ | ||
| The word "നിരപരാധികൾ" in Malayalam also means "those who have not committed any crime". | |||
| Marathi | निरागस | ||
| In Sanskrit, "निरागस" also refers to a "person of pure conduct". | |||
| Nepali | निर्दोष | ||
| The word 'निर्दोष' in Nepali derives from the Sanskrit word 'निर्दोषा', meaning 'free from defects or harm'. It can also be interpreted as 'blameless' or 'unblemished'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਨਿਰਦੋਸ਼ | ||
| The word "ਨਿਰਦੋਸ਼" (nirdosh) means "free from guilt or blame" and has its roots in the Sanskrit word "nir" meaning "without" and "dosh" meaning "fault or sin." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අහිංසක | ||
| The word "අහිංසක" in Sinhala can also mean "harmless" or "inoffensive". | |||
| Tamil | அப்பாவி | ||
| "அப்பாவி" (innocent) is also derived from "அய்" (death) and "பாவி" (sinner), indicating a person who is not responsible for their own demise. | |||
| Telugu | అమాయక | ||
| "అమాయక" refers to the state of being pure, uncorrupted, or ignorant, and can also extend to the meaning of being innocent of a crime or wrongdoing. | |||
| Urdu | معصوم | ||
| The word "معصوم" in Urdu can also refer to being free from sin, error or fault | |||
Innocent in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 无辜 | ||
| The word "无辜" also means "without cause" or "without reason". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 無辜 | ||
| 無辜 literally means 'no crime' and is also used to refer to people who are not guilty of a crime. | |||
| Japanese | 無実 | ||
| "無", the first kanji in "無実", originally meant "not-having", but in modern Japanese it also means "non-existence". | |||
| Korean | 순진한 | ||
| "순진" literally translates to "pure heart" | |||
| Mongolian | гэм зэмгүй | ||
| The word 'гэм зэмгүй' can also mean 'ignorant' or 'naive' in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အပြစ်မဲ့ | ||
Innocent in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | polos | ||
| "Polos" in Indonesian originates from Portuguese, where it meant "bare". In Old Javanese, it also had a secondary meaning of "white, clear, clean, unstained". | |||
| Javanese | lugu | ||
| "Lugu" can also mean "unpretentious" or "naive" in English and is related to the term "linglung" ( | |||
| Khmer | គ្មានទោស | ||
| The word 'គ្មានទោស' (innocent) comes from the Sanskrit word 'निर्दोष' (nirdōṣa), which means 'free from blame or guilt'. | |||
| Lao | ຄືຊິ | ||
| "ຄືຊິ" can also mean "as if" or "it seems like" in Lao. | |||
| Malay | tidak bersalah | ||
| The word "tidak bersalah" can also mean "not guilty" or "not liable" in the context of a legal case. | |||
| Thai | ไร้เดียงสา | ||
| The word "ไร้เดียงสา" (innocent) comes from the Sanskrit word "ajñāna" (ignorance). | |||
| Vietnamese | vô tội | ||
| The word "vô tội" in Vietnamese originally meant "without a mother" but later took on the meaning of "innocent". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | inosente | ||
Innocent in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | günahsız | ||
| "Günahsız" means "without sin" in Azerbaijani, and is used to describe someone who is pure and innocent. | |||
| Kazakh | жазықсыз | ||
| "Жаз" in "жазықсыз" means "spring" in Turkish, indicating that in spring everyone is innocent and can start with a clean slate. | |||
| Kyrgyz | күнөөсүз | ||
| The word "күнөөсүз" can also mean "not guilty" or "blameless" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | бегуноҳ | ||
| The word "бегуноҳ" in Tajik originates from the Persian word "بیگناه" which means "free from sin" or "guiltless". | |||
| Turkmen | bigünä | ||
| Uzbek | aybsiz | ||
| "Aybsiz" also means "sinless" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | گۇناھسىز | ||
Innocent in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hala ʻole | ||
| In Hawaiian, "hala ʻole" can also mean "not yet fruitful" or "unable to bear fruit". | |||
| Maori | harakore | ||
| The word "harakore" can also mean "unwise" or "unintended" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | mama | ||
| The word mama can also mean "young coconut" or "soft, white coral" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | walang sala | ||
| "Walang sala" is Tagalog for innocent. Its literal translation is "no offense". It has alternate meanings like "excused", "without fault" and "not liable". There is a Filipino custom called "Walang Salad", which involves saying "walang sala" with the intent of excusing a person who has hurt someone through an action or word. | |||
Innocent in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | inusinti | ||
| Guarani | mitãreko | ||
Innocent in International Languages
| Esperanto | senkulpa | ||
| "Senkulpa" originates from the Latin word "sine culpa" (without guilt). | |||
| Latin | innocentes | ||
| In Latin, "innocentes" can also refer to the "Feast of the Holy Innocents," a commemoration of the killing of infants by King Herod. | |||
Innocent in Others Languages
| Greek | αθώος | ||
| The word "αθώος" originally meant "unharmed" or "uninjured" in ancient Greek. | |||
| Hmong | dawb huv | ||
| The word "dawb huv" in Hmong may refer to both innocence and the Hmong New Year, which is traditionally a time for reflection and forgiveness. | |||
| Kurdish | bêsûc | ||
| Bêsûc in Kurdish is derived from the Persian word | |||
| Turkish | masum | ||
| The word "masum" in Turkish shares its etymology with the words "masum" in Arabic and "massoom" in Persian, all meaning "free from taint or blemish." | |||
| Xhosa | umsulwa | ||
| The Xhosa word "umsulwa" is often conflated with the concept of innocence, though it more accurately conveys the meaning of "purity" or "uninitiated." | |||
| Yiddish | אומשולדיק | ||
| The Yiddish word "אומשולדיק" can also mean "naive" or "foolish". | |||
| Zulu | umsulwa | ||
| The Zulu word 'umsulwa' can also refer to someone who is pure, naive, or credulous. | |||
| Assamese | নিৰীহ | ||
| Aymara | inusinti | ||
| Bhojpuri | शरीफ | ||
| Dhivehi | ކުށެއްނެތް | ||
| Dogri | बेकसूर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | inosente | ||
| Guarani | mitãreko | ||
| Ilocano | inosente | ||
| Krio | gud | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بێتاوان | ||
| Maithili | निर्दोष | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯝꯖꯕ | ||
| Mizo | lungmawl | ||
| Oromo | kan badii hin qabne | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ନିରୀହ | ||
| Quechua | mana huchayuq | ||
| Sanskrit | निर्दोषः | ||
| Tatar | гаепсез | ||
| Tigrinya | ንፁህ | ||
| Tsonga | a nga na nandzu | ||