Updated on March 6, 2024
Insurance is a vital concept that provides financial protection and peace of mind in the face of uncertainties. Its significance lies in the fact that it helps individuals and businesses mitigate risks and safeguard their assets. The cultural importance of insurance is evident in its various forms across the globe, reflecting the unique needs and values of different societies.
Delving into the translations of insurance in different languages unveils a rich tapestry of cultural nuances. For instance, in Spanish, it's 'seguro,' while in French, it's 'assurance.' In Mandarin Chinese, it's '保险 (bǎo xiǎn),' and in Japanese, it's '保険 (hoken).' These translations not only help us understand the term's cross-cultural relevance but also offer insights into how various languages grapple with the idea of risk management.
Whether you're a globe-trotter seeking to navigate foreign insurance systems or a language enthusiast exploring cultural differences, understanding the translations of insurance is both practical and enlightening. Keep reading to discover more fascinating translations and the stories they tell!
Afrikaans | versekering | ||
Versekering is derived from the Middle Dutch word 'verzekere,' meaning 'to make certain' or 'to guarantee.' | |||
Amharic | ኢንሹራንስ | ||
The word "ኢንሹራንስ" (insurance) is derived from the Latin word "insula", meaning "island", as insurance was originally a form of protection against maritime risks. | |||
Hausa | inshora | ||
The word "inshora" is derived from the Arabic word "shirka", meaning "partnership" or "agreement". | |||
Igbo | mkpuchi | ||
The Igbo word 'mkpuchi' may also mean 'protection' or 'cover', implying a broader sense of security beyond financial transactions. | |||
Malagasy | mpiantoka | ||
The Malagasy word "mpiantoka" is derived from the verb "miampy", meaning "to support" or "to assist". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | inshuwaransi | ||
"Inshuwaransi" derives from "ashuwara" (to make sure), thus referring to a guarantee of security. | |||
Shona | inishuwarenzi | ||
The word 'inishuwarenzi' is derived from the English word 'insurance' and also means 'protection' or 'guarantee' in Shona. | |||
Somali | caymis | ||
The word 'caymis' in Somali comes from the Arabic word 'amnis' meaning 'to be safe and secure'. | |||
Sesotho | inshorense | ||
The word 'inshorense' (insurance) in Sesotho is derived from the English word 'insurance' and refers to the act of securing financial protection against potential risks. | |||
Swahili | bima | ||
Swahili 'bima' derives from Arabic 'bīma', meaning 'sale' or 'contract'. | |||
Xhosa | i-inshurensi | ||
The Xhosa word "i-inshurensi" is derived from the English word "insurance". | |||
Yoruba | iṣeduro | ||
Iṣeduro is a Yoruba word that also means 'support' or 'aid'. | |||
Zulu | umshuwalense | ||
The word "umshuwalense" is derived from the Zulu verb "shwala", meaning "to bind" or "to tie up". | |||
Bambara | asuransi | ||
Ewe | insiɔrans | ||
Kinyarwanda | ubwishingizi | ||
Lingala | assurance | ||
Luganda | yinsuwa | ||
Sepedi | inšorentshe | ||
Twi (Akan) | nsiakyibaa | ||
Arabic | تأمين | ||
The word "تأمين" can also refer to a place of safety or a guarantee, rather than just insurance. | |||
Hebrew | ביטוח | ||
The verb בטח/batach, from which the word ביטוח/bittuach is derived, means 'to trust' | |||
Pashto | بيمه | ||
The word “بيمه” is derived from the Arabic | |||
Arabic | تأمين | ||
The word "تأمين" can also refer to a place of safety or a guarantee, rather than just insurance. |
Albanian | sigurimi | ||
The word "sigurimi" also has the alternate meaning of "security", derived from the Latin word "securitas". | |||
Basque | asegurua | ||
The word "asegurua" comes from the Latin word "securus" meaning "free from care or anxiety". | |||
Catalan | assegurança | ||
The word "assegurança" comes from the Latin word "securus", meaning "secure". | |||
Croatian | osiguranje | ||
The word 'osiguranje' is derived from the verb 'osigurati', which means 'to secure' or 'to provide security'. It is closely related to the concepts of 'safety' and 'protection'. | |||
Danish | forsikring | ||
The word "forsikring" may also refer to the act of assuring, pledging, or confirming. | |||
Dutch | verzekering | ||
Verzekering originates from the Old Dutch word “ver” (far) and “sekere” (safe), thus meaning to “make something safe from afar.” | |||
English | insurance | ||
The word 'insurance' originates from the Latin word 'insurare,' meaning 'to make sure' or 'to guarantee'. | |||
French | assurance | ||
In French, the word "assurance" can also refer to "confidence" or "certainty". | |||
Frisian | fersekering | ||
It probably originates from the noun 'fersker' ('assurance'). | |||
Galician | seguro | ||
In Galician, "seguro" can also refer to a type of fishing net or a bet or wager. | |||
German | versicherung | ||
The word "Versicherung" can also mean "assurance" or "promise" in German. | |||
Icelandic | tryggingar | ||
The word "tryggingar" evolved from the word "tryggvi" meaning "trust". | |||
Irish | árachas | ||
The Irish word for 'insurance', 'Árachas', is a loanword from the Greek word 'άραχος' ('arachos'), meaning 'protection'. | |||
Italian | assicurazione | ||
In Italian, the word 'assicurazione' can also refer to a type of safety or precaution, not just insurance. | |||
Luxembourgish | versécherung | ||
The word "Versécherung" derives from Middle High German "versichern" "to make sure; to give bail for," which in turn derives from Old High German "firsehen" "to provide, to make sure, to protect." | |||
Maltese | assigurazzjoni | ||
The word "assigurazzjoni" is derived from the Italian word "assicurazione", ultimately from the Latin "securus" meaning "free from care" or "confident". | |||
Norwegian | forsikring | ||
The word "forsikring" is derived from the Old Norse word "forsekr" meaning "to guarantee". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | seguro | ||
"Seguro" can also mean "safe" in Portuguese. | |||
Scots Gaelic | àrachas | ||
In Gaelic, the word ‘àrachas’ derives from ‘àrach’, meaning ‘caution money’ or ‘security’, which itself comes from the Proto-Celtic word ‘*arekos’, meaning ‘hostage’ or ‘pledge’. This connection reflects the historical role of insurance as a means of securing against potential risks or losses. | |||
Spanish | seguro | ||
The Spanish word "seguro", meaning "insurance", also means "certain" or "safe". | |||
Swedish | försäkring | ||
The word "försäkring" is derived from the Old Norse word "fyrirsekring", meaning "foresight" or "taking precautions". | |||
Welsh | yswiriant | ||
In English, the word 'yswiriant' means both 'insurance' and 'confidence', suggesting a connection between financial and emotional security. |
Belarusian | страхаванне | ||
The word "страхаванне" is derived from the Old East Slavic word "страхъ", meaning "fear" or "anxiety". | |||
Bosnian | osiguranje | ||
The term "osiguranje" is derived from the Slavic verb "sigurniti", meaning "to make safe". | |||
Bulgarian | застраховка | ||
The word "застраховка" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "страхъ", meaning "fear" or "dread". | |||
Czech | pojištění | ||
The Czech word "pojištění" comes from the verb "jistit", meaning "to secure" or "to protect". | |||
Estonian | kindlustus | ||
The Estonian word "kindlustus" is derived from the German word "versicherung", which means "assurance" or "guaranty". | |||
Finnish | vakuutus | ||
"Vakuutus" is etymologically related to "vakuus" ("collateral"), indicating the idea of providing security or a guarantee. | |||
Hungarian | biztosítás | ||
The word "biztosítás" also means "certainty" or "guaranty". | |||
Latvian | apdrošināšana | ||
The word "apdrošināšana" is derived from the verb "apdrošināt", meaning "to protect or secure". | |||
Lithuanian | draudimas | ||
The word "draudimas" is derived from the verb "drausti," meaning "to prohibit" or "to forbid". | |||
Macedonian | осигурување | ||
The word "осигурување" is derived from the verb "осигурувам" (to ensure), which in turn comes from the Latin word "securus" (secure). | |||
Polish | ubezpieczenie | ||
"Ubezpieczenie" comes from the root "bespieczny", meaning "safe": "ubezpieczenie" is thus literally "making safe". | |||
Romanian | asigurare | ||
The Romanian word "asigurare" comes from the Latin word "securus," meaning "free from care or anxiety." | |||
Russian | страхование | ||
"Страхование" originates from the old Slavic verb "сторожити" (storozhit), which means "to watch, to protect, to keep safe." | |||
Serbian | осигурање | ||
The Serbian word "осигурање" ("insurance") is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "sigura", meaning "security" or "protection." | |||
Slovak | poistenie | ||
The word "poistenie" likely originates from the German word "Vorschein," meaning "appearance/presence""} | |||
Slovenian | zavarovanje | ||
The word "zavarovanje" (insurance) derives from the verb "varovati" (to protect), signifying its function as a shield against financial risks. | |||
Ukrainian | страхування | ||
The word "страхування" ultimately comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *seǵʰ-, meaning "to protect" or "to cover." |
Bengali | বীমা | ||
The word "বীমা" in Bengali is derived from the Hindi word "बीमा", which is in turn derived from the Arabic word "وعي", meaning "protection" or "security." | |||
Gujarati | વીમા | ||
The word "વીમા" is derived from the Sanskrit word "विम" meaning "to protect". | |||
Hindi | बीमा | ||
From Skt बीज (bīja) "seed", ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰey- "to strike, beat, hit; break". | |||
Kannada | ವಿಮೆ | ||
The word "ವಿಮೆ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "विमृज्", meaning "to wipe away" or "to protect from harm." | |||
Malayalam | ഇൻഷുറൻസ് | ||
ഇൻഷുറൻസ് (insurance) is derived from the Latin word 'assecurare', meaning to make secure. | |||
Marathi | विमा | ||
The Marathi word "विमा" ("vimā") also means "thought" or "idea". | |||
Nepali | बीमा | ||
The word 'बीमा' (insurance) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'विम' (to measure or value), indicating the act of assessing and covering risks. | |||
Punjabi | ਬੀਮਾ | ||
ਬੀਮਾ is derived from the Sanskrit word 'bhima', meaning 'courage' or 'protection' | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | රක්ෂණ | ||
රක්ෂණ (Rakshaṇa) is also used to refer to protection or preservation in general. | |||
Tamil | காப்பீடு | ||
Telugu | భీమా | ||
It is derived from the word 'bhima' (fear) in Sanskrit, indicating protection against fear of financial loss. | |||
Urdu | انشورنس | ||
The word "انشورنس" is derived from the Latin word "insurare," meaning "to make secure." |
Chinese (Simplified) | 保险 | ||
保险 (bǎoxiǎn) means 'mutual benefit' or 'guaranty' and comes from the phrase 'guarantee one another in case of trouble.' | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 保險 | ||
"保險" can also mean 'to protect' or 'a guarantee'. | |||
Japanese | 保険 | ||
"保険" is also a Japanese Buddhist term that refers to the salvation of souls from hell. | |||
Korean | 보험 | ||
The word '보험' originally meant 'mutual aid', and still holds this meaning in certain contexts. | |||
Mongolian | даатгал | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) | အာမခံ | ||
The word 'အာမခံ' is derived from Pali and Sanskrit and has meanings such as 'guarantee' or 'protection' in addition to its use in the context of insurance as a form of financial security against risks or unexpected events. |
Indonesian | pertanggungan | ||
The Indonesian word "Pertanggungan" comes from the root verb "tanggung" which means "to bear the responsibility for". | |||
Javanese | asuransi | ||
In Javanese, "asuransi" also refers to a form of mutual assistance where people contribute money to help those in need. | |||
Khmer | ធានារ៉ាប់រង | ||
Lao | ປະກັນໄພ | ||
The word ປໃກງບນໃ຺ທຘນ comes from the Sanskrit word ພກມບກມຊພກພຊກ which means "to provide protection". | |||
Malay | insurans | ||
"Insurans" is also a Malay word meaning "to confirm", "to declare", or "to guarantee." | |||
Thai | ประกันภัย | ||
The word "ประกันภัย" is derived from the Sanskrit word "pratibhana", which means "protection". | |||
Vietnamese | bảo hiểm | ||
"Bảo hiểm" derives from the Chinese word "保險", which originally meant "guaranteed protection". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | insurance | ||
Azerbaijani | sığorta | ||
The term "sığorta" is a loan from Persian, where it originally denoted a "guarantee", or "security". | |||
Kazakh | сақтандыру | ||
"Сақтандыру" words in Kazakh is derived from the word sak (to keep, to protect, to guard). | |||
Kyrgyz | камсыздандыруу | ||
Tajik | суғурта | ||
The word "суғурта" (insurance) is derived from the Persian word "sughurta", which originally meant "guarantee" or "bond". | |||
Turkmen | ätiýaçlandyryş | ||
Uzbek | sug'urta | ||
The Uzbek word "sug'urta" derives from the Arabic "sighurtah," meaning "guaranteed protection." | |||
Uyghur | سۇغۇرتا | ||
Hawaiian | 'inikua | ||
'Inikua' is derived from the Hawaiian word 'kū' meaning to stand or be firm, and 'ini' meaning to tie, bind, or fasten together. | |||
Maori | inihua | ||
The word "inihua" in Māori is derived from the verb "inu", meaning "to drink" or "to swallow", and refers to the act of distributing resources to those in need. | |||
Samoan | inisiua | ||
The word 'inisiua' is derived from the English word 'insurance'. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | seguro | ||
"Seguro" in Tagalog can also mean "certain" or "sure". |
Aymara | sijuru | ||
Guarani | kyhyje'ỹha | ||
Esperanto | asekuro | ||
"Asekuro" is derived from the Latin "assecurare," meaning "to make secure" and is related to "securos," meaning "careful." | |||
Latin | insurance | ||
The word "insurance" originates from the Latin word "insula", meaning island, and refers to the early practice of maritime insurance. |
Greek | ασφαλιση | ||
Η λέξη "ΑΣΦΑΛΙΣΗ" προέρχεται από το ρήμα "ασφαλίζω" που σημαίνει στερεώνω, κάνω ασφαλή ή αξιόπιστο. | |||
Hmong | kev tuav pov hwm | ||
The Hmong word "kev tuav pov hwm" is often literally translated as "insurance"; however, "kev tuav pov hwm" also means "to help out" or "to support" and is not just the direct equivalent of "insurance" but rather a broader concept encompassing mutual support and risk sharing within the Hmong community. | |||
Kurdish | sixorte | ||
In Kurdish, the word "sixorte" not only means "insurance" but also refers to "protection" or "guaranteeing something will be done". | |||
Turkish | sigorta | ||
The word "sigorta" derives from the Persian word "segertâ", meaning "bailment" or "guarantee". | |||
Xhosa | i-inshurensi | ||
The Xhosa word "i-inshurensi" is derived from the English word "insurance". | |||
Yiddish | פאַרזיכערונג | ||
פאַרזיכערונג can also mean "precaution" or "security" in Yiddish. | |||
Zulu | umshuwalense | ||
The word "umshuwalense" is derived from the Zulu verb "shwala", meaning "to bind" or "to tie up". | |||
Assamese | বীমা | ||
Aymara | sijuru | ||
Bhojpuri | बीमा | ||
Dhivehi | އިންޝުރެންސް | ||
Dogri | बीमा | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | insurance | ||
Guarani | kyhyje'ỹha | ||
Ilocano | seguro | ||
Krio | inshɔrans | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | بیمە | ||
Maithili | बीमा | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯏꯟꯁꯨꯔꯦꯟꯁ ꯄꯤꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo | inpeizawnna | ||
Oromo | baraarsa | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ବୀମା | ||
Quechua | harkay | ||
Sanskrit | अभिरक्षा | ||
Tatar | страховкалау | ||
Tigrinya | መድሕን | ||
Tsonga | ndzindzakhombo | ||