Afrikaans lieg | ||
Albanian genjen | ||
Amharic ውሸት | ||
Arabic راحه | ||
Armenian ստել | ||
Assamese মিছা | ||
Aymara k'arisiña | ||
Azerbaijani yalan | ||
Bambara nkalon | ||
Basque gezurra | ||
Belarusian хлусня | ||
Bengali মিথ্যা | ||
Bhojpuri झूठ | ||
Bosnian laži | ||
Bulgarian лъжа | ||
Catalan mentir | ||
Cebuano bakak | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 谎言 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 謊言 | ||
Corsican bugia | ||
Croatian laž | ||
Czech lhát | ||
Danish ligge | ||
Dhivehi ދޮގު | ||
Dogri झूठ | ||
Dutch liggen | ||
English lie | ||
Esperanto mensogi | ||
Estonian valetama | ||
Ewe alakpa | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) kasinungalingan | ||
Finnish valehdella | ||
French mensonge | ||
Frisian lizze | ||
Galician mentir | ||
Georgian ტყუილი | ||
German lüge | ||
Greek ψέμα | ||
Guarani japu | ||
Gujarati જૂઠું બોલો | ||
Haitian Creole manti | ||
Hausa karya | ||
Hawaiian wahahee | ||
Hebrew שקר | ||
Hindi झूठ | ||
Hmong dag | ||
Hungarian hazugság | ||
Icelandic ljúga | ||
Igbo ụgha | ||
Ilocano ulbod | ||
Indonesian berbohong | ||
Irish bréag | ||
Italian menzogna | ||
Japanese 横たわる | ||
Javanese ngapusi | ||
Kannada ಸುಳ್ಳು | ||
Kazakh өтірік | ||
Khmer កុហក | ||
Kinyarwanda kubeshya | ||
Konkani फट | ||
Korean 거짓말 | ||
Krio lay | ||
Kurdish derew | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) درۆ | ||
Kyrgyz калп | ||
Lao ຕົວະ | ||
Latin mendacium | ||
Latvian meli | ||
Lingala kokosa | ||
Lithuanian melas | ||
Luganda okulimba | ||
Luxembourgish leien | ||
Macedonian лага | ||
Maithili झूठ | ||
Malagasy lainga | ||
Malay menipu | ||
Malayalam നുണ പറയുക | ||
Maltese gidba | ||
Maori teka | ||
Marathi खोटे बोलणे | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯃꯆꯤꯟ ꯊꯤꯕ | ||
Mizo dawt | ||
Mongolian худал хэлэх | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) လိမ်တယ် | ||
Nepali झुटो | ||
Norwegian å ligge | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) kunama | ||
Odia (Oriya) ମିଛ | ||
Oromo sobuu | ||
Pashto دروغ | ||
Persian دروغ | ||
Polish kłamstwo | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) mentira | ||
Punjabi ਝੂਠ | ||
Quechua llullay | ||
Romanian minciună | ||
Russian ложь | ||
Samoan pepelo | ||
Sanskrit असत्यम् | ||
Scots Gaelic laighe | ||
Sepedi maaka | ||
Serbian лагати | ||
Sesotho leshano | ||
Shona kunyepa | ||
Sindhi ڪوڙ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) බොරු කියන්න | ||
Slovak klamať | ||
Slovenian lagati | ||
Somali been | ||
Spanish mentira | ||
Sundanese ngabohong | ||
Swahili uwongo | ||
Swedish lögn | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) kasinungalingan | ||
Tajik дурӯғ | ||
Tamil பொய் | ||
Tatar ялган | ||
Telugu అబద్ధం | ||
Thai โกหก | ||
Tigrinya ሓሶት | ||
Tsonga vunwa | ||
Turkish yalan | ||
Turkmen ýalan | ||
Twi (Akan) torɔ | ||
Ukrainian брехати | ||
Urdu جھوٹ بولنا | ||
Uyghur يالغان | ||
Uzbek yolg'on | ||
Vietnamese nói dối | ||
Welsh celwydd | ||
Xhosa buxoki | ||
Yiddish ליגן | ||
Yoruba irọ | ||
Zulu amanga |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word "lieg" is derived from the Dutch word "liegen", meaning "to recline" or "to lie down". |
| Albanian | The word "genjen" in Albanian is derived from the Indo-European root *ǵenh₂-, meaning "to know" or "to declare". |
| Arabic | In Arabic, "راحة" can also mean 'rest' or 'comfort'. |
| Armenian | The Armenian word "ստել" (steł) also denotes a type of poetic improvisation. |
| Azerbaijani | "Yalan" also refers to the verb "to hide" in Azerbaijani. |
| Basque | The word 'gezurra' in Basque also means 'untruth' or 'deception'. |
| Belarusian | The word "хлусня" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *klъs-, meaning "cheat" or "deceive". |
| Bengali | The word "মিথ্যা" can also mean "false" or "incorrect" in Bengali. |
| Bosnian | The word „laži” can also mean “slander” or “calumny”. |
| Bulgarian | The word "лъжа" in Bulgarian has Slavic origins and shares its root with the Russian word "лгать" (to lie), suggesting a connection to the concept of "deceit" or "fabrication" in both languages. |
| Catalan | The word "mentir" in Catalan derives from the Latin verb "mentiri", meaning "to feign", "to pretend", or "to give a false impression." |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The Chinese character "谎" also appears in "梦想" (dream), signifying a departure from reality. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | "謊言"在中國古代,泛指不誠實的言語行為,包括欺騙、虛假和捏造,而如今專指故意說出虛假話語的行為。 |
| Corsican | The Corsican word 'bugia' is thought to derive from the Greek 'bugein', meaning 'to shout' or 'to speak out'. |
| Croatian | The word "laž" in Croatian can also refer to a "falsehood" or "untruth". |
| Czech | The word 'lhát' also means 'to pour' |
| Danish | Ligge is also used as an abbreviation for the Danish word for lift or elevator, 'elevator' |
| Dutch | The word "liggen" in Dutch can also mean to float on water or to lay eggs. |
| Esperanto | "Mensogi" can also refer to a type of traditional Japanese sword guard. |
| Estonian | The word "valetama" comes from the verb "valama", meaning "to pour", and originally referred to pouring something out to get rid of it. |
| Finnish | The word "valehdella" comes from the Proto-Finnic *waljeta, which in turn derives from Uralic *walje ('to roll, turn'). |
| French | The word "mensonge" comes from the Latin "mentiri," meaning "to lie" or "to deceive." |
| Frisian | Lizze derives from Old Frisian "lithe" for "member" or "limb", with extended sense including "genitalia", and "corpse". |
| Galician | In Galician, there is also another meaning for "mentir" related to the weather: to drizzle or rain lightly. |
| Georgian | The word ტყუილი can also refer to a 'false statement' or an 'untruth' spoken intentionally. |
| German | The word "Lüge" also has the alternate meaning of "falsehood" or "untruth", and is derived from the Old High German word "lugi", meaning "deception" or "falsehood". |
| Greek | The word 'ψέμα' in Greek also refers to an 'illusion', a 'trick' and a 'deception'. |
| Haitian Creole | The word "manti" in Haitian Creole comes from the Taino word "mati" meaning "bad". It can also be used to refer to an evil spirit or demon. |
| Hausa | Hausa word "karya" also refers to a traditional form of storytelling or theatre and a kind of dance performed by men. |
| Hawaiian | In Hawaiian culture, "wahahee" is also associated with storytelling and creativity. |
| Hebrew | In Hebrew, "שקר" can also refer to a deceptive appearance or a mirage. |
| Hindi | The word "झूठ" can also refer to "vanity" or "deceitful person" in Hindi. |
| Hmong | Hmong word dag is also an alternate of meaning of word dag in English language that means 'the last remains' of anything. |
| Hungarian | The word "hazugság" is derived from the Proto-Hungarian root *həz-, meaning "to speak" or "to tell a story". |
| Icelandic | The word "ljúga" can also mean "to boast" or "to brag" in Icelandic. |
| Igbo | The Igbo word "ụgha" can also mean "falsehood", "fabrication", or "deception". |
| Indonesian | In Indonesian, the word "berbohong" originally meant "to talk with no basis", and was only later extended to signify "a statement of an untruth". |
| Irish | The word "bréag" in Irish can also refer to a "hallucination" or "illusion." |
| Italian | The Italian word "menzogna" originally meant "lack of thought" and could sometimes be used to convey "mistake". |
| Japanese | "横たわる" is also used to describe a situation in which one is incapacitated, such as being bedridden or knocked unconscious. |
| Javanese | The Javanese word "ngapusi" is cognate with the Malay "mengapu-apui," both of which also have meanings of "to drift". |
| Kannada | The word "ಸುಳ್ಳು" can also mean "deceit" or "falsehood". |
| Kazakh | The word "өтірік" (lie) in Kazakh is derived from the Proto-Turkic root "*ütür-", meaning "to deceive" or "to mislead". |
| Khmer | The word "កុហក" in Khmer can also refer to a "false witness" or a "perjurer". |
| Korean | The word "거짓말" is sometimes used in a non-literal sense to simply mean "a joke" or "a pretense". |
| Kurdish | The Kurdish word "derew" also has the meanings of "falsehood" and "untruth". |
| Kyrgyz | "Калп" (калба) - это ложь, выдумка; также "ложный"; "придуманный, неправдоподобный; фантастический; сказочный" |
| Lao | "ຕົວະ" can also mean "an animal", "a thing", or "a person", which is similar to the usage of the word "thing" in English. |
| Latin | The Latin word "mendacium" originally meant a fault or defect, later acquiring its meaning as a lie. |
| Latvian | The Latvian word "meli" (lie) is also used to describe a type of small boat, likely derived from the Old Prussian "malwē" meaning "boat," itself likely from Proto-Germanic "*malwōn." |
| Lithuanian | The Lithuanian word "melas" may originate from the Proto-Indo-European root *mel- meaning "to speak, to say" and also has the alternate meaning of "speech". |
| Luxembourgish | "Leien" is the Luxembourgish equivalent of "to lie", but it can also be used to describe someone who is lazy or slow. |
| Macedonian | The word "лага" in Macedonian can also mean "myth" or "legend". |
| Malagasy | The Malagasy word 'lainga' evolved from the Proto-Austronesian word 'laŋo', which carried the meanings of 'denial', 'cheat', and 'error' |
| Malay | The word "menipu" also means "to cheat" or "to deceive" in Malay. |
| Malayalam | The word "നുണ പറയുക" derives from the Proto-Dravidian root *nug-/*nuŋ-, meaning "to deceive, cheat, or lie." |
| Maltese | The Maltese word 'gidba' also denotes 'falsehood' or 'deception'. |
| Maori | Teka has a double meaning in Māori: one that implies wrongdoing and deception, and one that refers to something being different or unusual. |
| Marathi | The Marathi word "खोटे बोलणे" also means "to speak uselessly or idly" or "to gossip or spread rumors". |
| Mongolian | The word "худал хэлэх" means 'false statement' and 'deception', but its literal translation is 'empty speech'. |
| Nepali | झुटो (lie) comes from Sanskrit, perhaps related to छल (deception) |
| Norwegian | The word "å ligge" has an alternate meaning of "to stay" or "to exist", similar to the English word "lie" in phrases like "the land lies to the west". |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "kunama" in Nyanja can also refer to the act of cheating in a game or test. |
| Pashto | The Pashto word "دروغ" is also used in certain contexts to describe an "illusion" or "mirage". |
| Persian | The word “دروغ” (“lie”) in Persian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *dʰrewgh-, meaning "to hide" or "to deceive." |
| Polish | Kłamstwo originates from the word kłam, which itself comes from the Proto-Slavic word *klǫsti, meaning 'to deceive'. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The word "mentira" in Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) comes from the Latin "mentiri," meaning "to lie," and also has the connotation of "untruth" or "falsehood." |
| Punjabi | The Punjabi word ਝੂਠ (lie) is a cognate of the Hindi word 'jhooth', derived from the Sanskrit word 'dyut'. This root word also refers to 'light', 'brightness,' 'heavenly bodies,' etc. |
| Romanian | "Minciună" is thought to derive from Proto-Slavic *mьnzъ, meaning "exchange, change" or perhaps "to alter the truth". |
| Russian | The word "ложь" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *lьg-, meaning "to deceive". It also has the alternate meaning of "falsehood". |
| Samoan | The Samoan word "pepelo" not only means "lie" but also "story" or "history," reflecting the cultural significance of storytelling in Samoan society. |
| Scots Gaelic | "Laighe" can also refer to a flat stone or a gravestone in Scots Gaelic. |
| Serbian | The term 'лагати' ('lie' in Serbian) can also mean 'to place' or 'to put'. |
| Shona | The Shona word "kunyepa" not only means "lie" but also refers to an entertaining story, joke, or tale. |
| Sindhi | The word ڪوڙ 'koṛ ' is also used to talk about a false thing |
| Slovak | The word "klamať" in Slovak also means "to deceive" or "to cheat". |
| Slovenian | The word 'lagati' in Slovenian also means 'to deceive' or 'to tell a story' |
| Somali | The Somali word |
| Spanish | The Spanish word "mentira" can also refer to a "falsehood" or a "fabrication". |
| Sundanese | The term "ngabohong" also refers to a form of children's play where one person pretends to be something they are not, typically to receive a prize. |
| Swahili | Etymology: From Proto-Bantu *buloko "deception, falsehood, lie, trick, fraud". |
| Swedish | In Old Norse, "lögn" also meant "a defect," "a fault," or "a blemish." |
| Tajik | The word "дурӯғ" can also mean "falsehood" or "fiction" in Tajik. |
| Tamil | The noun 'பொய்' in Tamil, apart from meaning 'lie', also means 'fault, error' or 'vain'} |
| Telugu | The term 'అబద్ధం' also means 'falsehood', 'untruth', 'fiction', and 'myth'. |
| Thai | The Thai word “โกหก” can also refer to a person who lies or a fabrication. |
| Turkish | Originally meaning "error" or "mistake", "yalan" has expanded its meaning to include intentional falsehoods. |
| Ukrainian | The word "брехати" is derived from the Proto-Slavic "*brechati", meaning "to speak falsely" or "to deceive". |
| Urdu | The Urdu word "جھوٹ بولنا" means "to lie", but it can also be used to mean "to deceive" or "to cheat". |
| Uzbek | The Uzbek word "yolg'on" also means "fraud" or "deception" |
| Vietnamese | In Vietnamese, "nói dối" has multiple meanings beyond "lie", including "to pretend", "to bluff", and "to fib". |
| Welsh | The Welsh word "celwydd" is related to the Old Irish "celad" meaning "to conceal". |
| Xhosa | The word "buxoki" in Xhosa can also mean a "falsehood" or a "pretense." |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word 'ליגן' can also mean 'to rest' or 'to lie down'. |
| Yoruba | The word 'irọ' can also mean 'story' or 'tale' in Yoruba. |
| Zulu | "Amanga" derives from the Zulu word "manga", meaning "to cheat" or "to deceive". |
| English | The word 'lie' can also refer to the position of a person or object, e.g. 'He was lying in bed'. |