Lost in Different Languages
Discover 'Lost' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'lost' carries a profound significance in our lives, often evoking feelings of uncertainty, fear, and curiosity. It's a universal human experience, one that transcends cultural and linguistic boundaries. From Homer's epic 'Odyssey', where the protagonist Odysseus was lost at sea, to modern-day survival shows like 'Lost', this concept has been a central theme in storytelling across ages.
Understanding the translation of 'lost' in different languages not only enriches our vocabulary but also provides insights into how various cultures perceive and express this concept. For instance, in Spanish, 'lost' translates to 'perdido', while in French, it's 'perdu'. In Japanese, the word 'maiorita' is used, reflecting a cultural emphasis on harmony and the importance of finding one's way.
Stay tuned as we explore more translations of 'lost' in different languages, unraveling the fascinating cultural nuances associated with this simple yet profound word.
Lost
Lost in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | verlore | ||
| "Verlore" originally referred to losing one's way, but it now also means being lost or wasted, emotionally, mentally, or physically. | |||
| Amharic | ጠፋ | ||
| The word ጠፋ (ṭäffa) can also mean to 'destroy' or 'vanish'. | |||
| Hausa | rasa | ||
| The Hausa word "rasa" can also mean "to be missing" or "to be absent". | |||
| Igbo | furu efu | ||
| The Igbo word "furu efu" can also refer to "something missing" or "something misplaced". | |||
| Malagasy | very | ||
| VERY is also an adjective meaning "very" in the sense of "very well" or "to a high degree". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wotayika | ||
| In Nyanja, 'wotayika' also means 'to be gone' or 'to disappear'. | |||
| Shona | kurasika | ||
| The word "kurasika" can also mean "to be forgotten" or "to be bewildered" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | lumay | ||
| The word 'lumay' also refers to a type of bird found in Somalia. | |||
| Sesotho | lahlehetsoe | ||
| The word "lahlehetsoe" has several different potential etymologies and may be related to the concept of being lost in thought, as well as the idea of hiding or disappearing. | |||
| Swahili | potea | ||
| The word "potea" in Swahili can also mean "to be ruined" or "to waste". | |||
| Xhosa | ilahlekile | ||
| The Xhosa word 'ilahlekile' also means 'gone astray' or 'confused'. | |||
| Yoruba | sọnu | ||
| The Yoruba word "sonu" can also refer to a state of confusion or disorientation, rather than just being "lost" in the sense of not knowing one's way | |||
| Zulu | elahlekile | ||
| The Zulu word 'elahlekile' can also refer to something that has been misplaced or concealed. | |||
| Bambara | tununi | ||
| Ewe | bu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | yazimiye | ||
| Lingala | kobungisa | ||
| Luganda | okubula | ||
| Sepedi | lahlegetšwe | ||
| Twi (Akan) | hwere | ||
Lost in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ضائع | ||
| The Arabic word "ضائع" not only means "lost" but also can imply a sense of being perplexed or bewildered. | |||
| Hebrew | אָבֵד | ||
| In Biblical Hebrew, "אָבֵד" can also mean "destroyed" or "ruined." | |||
| Pashto | ورک شوی | ||
| The word "ورک شوی" in Pashto, meaning "lost", is derived from the Persian word "ورک", which also means "lost" or "destroyed". | |||
| Arabic | ضائع | ||
| The Arabic word "ضائع" not only means "lost" but also can imply a sense of being perplexed or bewildered. | |||
Lost in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i humbur | ||
| "I humbur" in Albanian can also mean "to miss in action". | |||
| Basque | galdua | ||
| Galdua derives from "kal" meaning "without" and "dua" coming from "du" or "dago" (to be). | |||
| Catalan | perdut | ||
| "Perdut" can also mean "perished" or "ruined" in Catalan. | |||
| Croatian | izgubljeno | ||
| The Croatian word "izgubljeno" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *izgъbъ, meaning both "lost" and "ruined, destroyed". | |||
| Danish | faret vild | ||
| The Danish word 'faret vild' is of Old Norse origin and has the same root as 'fared' (to travel) and 'vild' (wild), thus literally meaning to lose oneself in the wilderness. | |||
| Dutch | verloren | ||
| The word "verloren" originally meant "to perish" or "to be destroyed", and is related to the word "verliezen" meaning "to lose". | |||
| English | lost | ||
| The word "lost" originally meant "ruined" or "destroyed," and is related to the Old English word "los," meaning "destruction." | |||
| French | perdu | ||
| "Perdu" can also mean "ruined" in French, as in "une réputation perdue" (a ruined reputation). | |||
| Frisian | ferlern | ||
| "Ferlern" (lost) is the same as the German word "verloren" (lost) and is closely related to the English word "forlorn" (deserted, lonely, sad). | |||
| Galician | perdido | ||
| Perdido comes from the Latin word "perditus" and means "ruined, destroyed, or wasted". | |||
| German | hat verloren | ||
| The German word "hat verloren" not only means "lost" but can also mean "to have lost out" or "to have been defeated". | |||
| Icelandic | glatað | ||
| "Glatað" in Icelandic can also mean "to be dead" or "to be forgotten". | |||
| Irish | caillte | ||
| In addition to meaning "lost," caillte can also mean "forest" or "woodland." | |||
| Italian | perduto | ||
| The noun `perduto` is also used in Italian to indicate a person of bad or depraved behavior | |||
| Luxembourgish | verluer | ||
| The Luxembourgish word 'verluer' originates from the French word 'perdre' and can also mean 'to waste' or 'to squander'. | |||
| Maltese | mitlufa | ||
| In Maltese, the word "mitlufa" can also refer to an unmarried or widowed woman. | |||
| Norwegian | tapt | ||
| "Tap/t", meaning "lost", is derived from a Norse word for "lose" (tapa) and is cognate with the English word "tap" (to draw off a liquid). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | perdido | ||
| The Portuguese word "perdido" shares an etymology with its English cognate "perdition". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | air chall | ||
| The Gaelic word 'air chall' can also mean 'out of place', 'disoriented', or 'bewildered'. | |||
| Spanish | perdió | ||
| In Spanish, "perdió" can also mean "ruined" or "destroyed". | |||
| Swedish | förlorat | ||
| The word 'förlorat' can also mean 'ruined' or 'destroyed'. | |||
| Welsh | ar goll | ||
| "Ar goll" in Welsh has a literal meaning of "in loss" or "of losing" and can also refer to destruction or ruin. | |||
Lost in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | згублены | ||
| The word "згублены" in Belarusian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *gubiti, which also means "to destroy" or "to ruin." | |||
| Bosnian | izgubljeno | ||
| The word 'izgubljeno' (lost) in Bosnian is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *izg̥- 'to go away', and also means 'destroyed' or 'ruined'. | |||
| Bulgarian | изгубени | ||
| "Изгубени" (Bulgarian for "lost") also means "disappeared". | |||
| Czech | ztracený | ||
| The root of "ztracený" is "trávit", meaning "to expend". | |||
| Estonian | kadunud | ||
| The word "kadunud" in Estonian has also been used in the past to mean "dead" or "deceased". | |||
| Finnish | menetetty | ||
| The root word of "menetetty" is "mennä" (to go), indicating a state of having left or departed from a place or condition. | |||
| Hungarian | elveszett | ||
| " elveszett " szó eredete a régi magyar "elvesz" (elválaszt) igéből ered. Másik jelentése: " elveszíti az eszét ". | |||
| Latvian | zaudēja | ||
| The verb "zaudēt" in Latvian also has a figurative meaning to miss, to waste | |||
| Lithuanian | pasimetęs | ||
| "Pasimetęs" also means "confused". This duality is also seen in other Indo-European languages, such as the English word "bewildered" which originally meant "lost in the wilderness". | |||
| Macedonian | изгубени | ||
| The word "изгубени" in Macedonian can also mean "confused" or "bewildered". | |||
| Polish | stracony | ||
| The word "Stracony" can also mean "executed" or "wasted" | |||
| Romanian | pierdut | ||
| The Romanian word "pierdut" can also refer to something that is wasted or ruined, similar to the English word "lost cause." | |||
| Russian | потерянный | ||
| The Russian word "потерянный" can also mean "confused" or "bewildered". | |||
| Serbian | изгубљен | ||
| The Serbian word "изгубљен" is derived from the Old Slavic word "gubiti", meaning "to perish" or "to die". | |||
| Slovak | stratený | ||
| Slovak "stratený" is cognate with English "strange," originally meaning "foreigner" or "one outside one's familiar group." | |||
| Slovenian | izgubljeno | ||
| The word "izgubljeno" can also mean "gone," "missing," or "not found" in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | загублений | ||
| The word "загублений" in Ukrainian also has the alternate meaning of "ruined" or "destroyed." | |||
Lost in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | নিখোঁজ | ||
| The word 'নিখোঁজ' in Bengali shares the same root word as 'hidden', implying an element of intentionality or concealment behind its meaning. | |||
| Gujarati | ખોવાઈ ગઈ | ||
| The word "ખોવાઈ ગઈ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "kṣi" meaning "to go" or "to perish" and can also mean "to be ruined" or "to be destroyed". | |||
| Hindi | खो गया | ||
| The verb 'खो गया' (kho gaya) also means 'to be forgotten' or 'to be ruined'. | |||
| Kannada | ಕಳೆದುಹೋಯಿತು | ||
| Malayalam | നഷ്ടപ്പെട്ടു | ||
| Marathi | हरवले | ||
| The word "हरवले" (lost) in Marathi comes from the Sanskrit word "हरति" (to take away), suggesting the idea of something being taken away or separated. | |||
| Nepali | हराएको | ||
| The word "हराएको" in Nepali also means "to be defeated" or "to be ruined". | |||
| Punjabi | ਗੁੰਮ ਗਿਆ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නැතිවුනා | ||
| Tamil | இழந்தது | ||
| இழந்தது (Izhandhadhu) shares an etymology with 'to lose' ('izhi'), and also means 'damage', 'ruin', or 'destruction'. | |||
| Telugu | కోల్పోయిన | ||
| The Telugu word "కోల్పోయిన" (lost) is derived from the Sanskrit word "kṣipta" which means "thrown out" or "removed." | |||
| Urdu | کھو دیا | ||
| "کھو دیا" can also mean "to be lost in thought" or "to be engrossed in". | |||
Lost in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 丢失 | ||
| 丢失' literally means 'to abandon' or 'to throw away', and is also used to refer to losing something. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 丟失 | ||
| In classical Chinese, "丟失" also means "missing". | |||
| Japanese | 失われた | ||
| The kanji characters composing 失われた (ushinawa reta) mean "remove"+"obtain," suggesting "lost" could once carry the connotation of gain through loss. | |||
| Korean | 잃어버린 | ||
| The Korean word ``잃어버린'' can also refer to someone or something that has been left behind, forgotten, or abandoned. | |||
| Mongolian | алдсан | ||
| In Mongolian, алдсан (aldsan) can also mean 'forgotten' or 'missing'. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရှုံး | ||
| ရှုံး means to lose, but can also mean to lack something, to be deficient, or to be defeated. | |||
Lost in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kalah | ||
| The word "kalah" also means "to lose" in Indonesian and "defeat" in Malay. | |||
| Javanese | ilang | ||
| Javanese "ilang" also refers to the state of being out of sight, hidden, or unobservable. | |||
| Khmer | បាត់បង់ | ||
| បាត់បង់ in Khmer also means "to disappear" and "to be gone or missing". | |||
| Lao | ສູນເສຍ | ||
| Malay | hilang | ||
| "Hilang" can also refer to something abstract that's no longer present or can't be found. | |||
| Thai | สูญหาย | ||
| The Thai word "สูญหาย" originated from "สุญญ" which means zero and "หาย" which means vanished, hence meaning something is no longer in possession of the owner. | |||
| Vietnamese | mất đi | ||
| The word "mất đi" is often associated with the loss of something physical but can also metaphorically refer to the loss of hope, innocence, or other intangible qualities. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | nawala | ||
Lost in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | itirdi | ||
| 'İtirdi' ('lost') shares the same root with 'itmek' in Turkish, meaning 'to push' or 'to send away'. | |||
| Kazakh | жоғалтты | ||
| The word "жоғалтты" also means "to miss someone or something." | |||
| Kyrgyz | жоголгон | ||
| Жоголгон" also signifies "the one who cannot be found" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | гумшуда | ||
| The word "гумшуда" in Tajik is derived from the Persian words "گم شده" meaning lost. | |||
| Turkmen | ýitdi | ||
| Uzbek | yo'qolgan | ||
| The Uzbek word "yo'qolgan" can also mean "to disappear" or "to go missing". | |||
| Uyghur | يۈتۈپ كەتتى | ||
Lost in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | nalowale | ||
| The Hawaiian word "nalowale" also refers to someone who is dead or has passed away. | |||
| Maori | ngaro | ||
| 'Ngāro' also means to be hidden or missing. | |||
| Samoan | leiloa | ||
| In Samoan, leiloa primarily signifies the state of being gone or separated from an entity. However, it can occasionally bear connotations of perplexity or mental disorientation. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | nawala | ||
| The Tagalog word "nawala" can also mean "to disappear" or "to vanish". | |||
Lost in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | chhaqhata | ||
| Guarani | kañýva | ||
Lost in International Languages
| Esperanto | perdita | ||
| From the Latin word _perdere_, meaning 'to lose,' as well as 'to destroy,' 'to ruin,' and 'to waste.' | |||
| Latin | perdita | ||
| The Latin word 'Perdita' can also refer to a woman who has lost her virtue or reputation. | |||
Lost in Others Languages
| Greek | χαμένος | ||
| The word 'χαμένος' can also mean 'loser' or 'waster', and is derived from the ancient Greek verb 'χάω', meaning 'to gape', 'to be wide open'. | |||
| Hmong | xiam | ||
| The Hmong word for 'lost' is 'xiam', meaning that is 'lost', 'gone' or 'disappear' | |||
| Kurdish | windabû | ||
| The word 'windabû' in Kurdish is derived from the Persian word 'gumshuda', meaning 'lost' or 'disappeared'. | |||
| Turkish | kayıp | ||
| The word "kayıp" in Turkish can also refer to a missing person or an item that has been misplaced. | |||
| Xhosa | ilahlekile | ||
| The Xhosa word 'ilahlekile' also means 'gone astray' or 'confused'. | |||
| Yiddish | פאַרפאַלן | ||
| The Yiddish word "פאַרפאַלן" also means "confused" or "bewildered" in English. | |||
| Zulu | elahlekile | ||
| The Zulu word 'elahlekile' can also refer to something that has been misplaced or concealed. | |||
| Assamese | হেৰাল | ||
| Aymara | chhaqhata | ||
| Bhojpuri | भूला गयिल | ||
| Dhivehi | ގެއްލުން | ||
| Dogri | गुआचे दा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | nawala | ||
| Guarani | kañýva | ||
| Ilocano | napukaw | ||
| Krio | lɔs | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | وون | ||
| Maithili | हेराय गेल | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯥꯡꯕ | ||
| Mizo | bo | ||
| Oromo | baduu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ହଜିଯାଇଛି | | ||
| Quechua | chinkasqa | ||
| Sanskrit | लुप्तः | ||
| Tatar | югалды | ||
| Tigrinya | ዝጠፈአ | ||
| Tsonga | lahlekeriwa | ||