Mad in Different Languages
Discover 'Mad' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'mad' is a small but powerful word, holding a range of meanings that can convey everything from excitement to anger to insanity. Its significance cannot be understated, as it has been used in various cultural contexts to express strong emotions and behaviors. Its cultural importance is evident in literature, music, and film, where the word 'mad' has been used to convey intense passion, rebellion, and even danger.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'mad' in different languages can provide insight into how other cultures express and understand strong emotions. For instance, in Spanish, 'mad' translates to 'loco', while in French, it is 'fou'. These translations not only offer a linguistic understanding but also a glimpse into cultural norms and values.
Did you know that the word 'mad' has historical contexts as well? In Middle English, 'mad' was used to describe intoxication, which is reflected in its modern usage to describe intense excitement or fervor. This rich history and cultural significance make understanding the translations of 'mad' in different languages all the more fascinating.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or just curious, read on to discover the translations of 'mad' in different languages.
Mad
Mad in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | mal | ||
| The word "mal" in Afrikaans derives from the Dutch word "mal", meaning "feeble" or "weak". | |||
| Amharic | እብድ | ||
| Alternate meanings of the word "እብድ" in Amharic include 'crazy' and 'foolish'. | |||
| Hausa | mahaukaci | ||
| Hausa mahaukaci also signifies 'mad', and 'extraordinary', 'wonderful', or an action carried out in an uncommon way. | |||
| Igbo | ara | ||
| The word 'ara' in Igbo also means 'wicked' or 'mean'. | |||
| Malagasy | adala | ||
| The Proto-Austronesian root *galak "fierce, savage" has also produced words for "angry" such as Malagasy *adala "mad", in the latter instance having undergone an inversion where the voiced stop became voiceless and vice-versa. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wamisala | ||
| The Nyanja word 'wamisala' can also refer to people who behave or talk in an unusual manner. | |||
| Shona | kupenga | ||
| The word "kupenga" in Shona, meaning "mad," also refers to a type of fishing net. | |||
| Somali | waalan | ||
| Waalan is also used to describe a person who is very passionate or enthusiastic about something. | |||
| Sesotho | hlanya | ||
| In Sesotho, the word 'hlanya' also means 'clever' or 'shrewd'. | |||
| Swahili | wazimu | ||
| The word "wazimu" in Swahili can also refer to supernatural beings or spirits. | |||
| Xhosa | ndiyaphambana | ||
| The Xhosa word "ndiyaphambana" also refers to a state of being "over the moon" or feeling "ecstatic." | |||
| Yoruba | asiwere | ||
| The word 'asiwere' in Yoruba can also refer to someone who is overly excited, eccentric, or unusual in behavior. | |||
| Zulu | uyahlanya | ||
| The word 'uyahlanya' originates from 'ihlanya,' meaning the 'forest,' alluding to the notion of being in a state of wilderness or disorientation, synonymous with madness. | |||
| Bambara | fatɔ | ||
| Ewe | dze aɖaʋa | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umusazi | ||
| Lingala | liboma | ||
| Luganda | obulalu | ||
| Sepedi | gafa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | dam | ||
Mad in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | غاضب | ||
| The word "غاضب" also means "full" or "abundant" in Arabic, referring to the overflowing of emotions or water. | |||
| Hebrew | מְטוּרָף | ||
| The Hebrew word "מְטוּרָף" (m'turaph) literally means "thrown off" or "driven out," and is related to the Aramaic word טריף (tareph), meaning "torn." | |||
| Pashto | لیونۍ | ||
| The word "لیونۍ" in Pashto is derived from the Persian word "دیوانه" (dīvāna), meaning "crazy" or "insane." | |||
| Arabic | غاضب | ||
| The word "غاضب" also means "full" or "abundant" in Arabic, referring to the overflowing of emotions or water. | |||
Mad in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i çmendur | ||
| The term "i çmendur" is also used colloquially to describe someone who is eccentric or quirky. | |||
| Basque | eroa | ||
| The word "eroa" comes from Proto-Basque "eraun", meaning "crazy" or "furious". | |||
| Catalan | boig | ||
| The word "boig" in Catalan also refers to a person who is eccentric or unpredictable, or to something that is strange or unusual. | |||
| Croatian | lud | ||
| In some dialects, 'lud' also means 'folk' or 'people'. | |||
| Danish | gal | ||
| Derived from an old Norse word, “gal,” meaning “unruly, quarrelsome, or ill-tempered.” | |||
| Dutch | boos | ||
| The word "boos" in Dutch is most likely related to Middle Dutch words meaning "crazy" and "angry." | |||
| English | mad | ||
| "Mad" comes from the Middle English word "madde," meaning "furious" or "out of control." | |||
| French | furieux | ||
| The word 'furieux' has an etymology rooted in the Latin word 'furiae' and can also be used in the sense of 'stormy' or 'raging' in French. | |||
| Frisian | gek | ||
| The word 'gek' can also mean 'strange' or 'funny' in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | tolo | ||
| German | wütend | ||
| The German word "wütend" originally referred to the rage of a wild animal but has since broadened to include human anger. | |||
| Icelandic | vitlaus | ||
| The word "vitlaus" in Icelandic is derived from the Old Norse word "vítillaus," meaning "not in one's right mind," and is cognate with the English word "witless." | |||
| Irish | as a mheabhair | ||
| "as a mheabhair" comes from the Old Irish for "with great madness" | |||
| Italian | pazzo | ||
| The word "pazzo" in Italian has ancient roots, deriving from the Latin "passus," meaning "step," and later "dance," suggesting a connection between madness and uncontrolled movement or behavior. | |||
| Luxembourgish | verréckt | ||
| Maltese | ġenn | ||
| The word 'ġenn' also has connotations with 'insanity' and 'frenzy'. | |||
| Norwegian | gal | ||
| Gal is also used to describe animals, such as the crazy toad (galpadde). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | louco | ||
| In Portuguese, "louco" can also refer to an eccentric or extravagant person. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | cuthach | ||
| Cuthach can also mean 'wild' or 'ferocious' and is often used to describe animals or the weather. | |||
| Spanish | enojado | ||
| The Spanish word "enojado" finds its root in the Latin "indignare", meaning "to arouse indignation". | |||
| Swedish | galen | ||
| The word 'galen' is thought to have originated from the Old Norse word 'galinn', which means 'fierce' or 'wild'. | |||
| Welsh | yn wallgof | ||
Mad in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | шалёны | ||
| The word comes from the Proto-Slavic word *šalьnyjь, which also meant "playful" or "foolish." | |||
| Bosnian | luda | ||
| Bosnian word "luda" (derived from Turkish "lütuv") can also colloquially refer to a naughty or mischievous person. | |||
| Bulgarian | луд | ||
| "луд" ( | |||
| Czech | šílený | ||
| Šílený shares a root with "šíliti", meaning "to sharpen", and originally meant "to become sharp-minded". | |||
| Estonian | vihane | ||
| "Viha" is an old word that means "anger" or "wrath". The word "vihane" is its derivative and means "angry" or "mad". | |||
| Finnish | hullu | ||
| "Hullu" is also used in the sense of 'daring' or 'wild'. | |||
| Hungarian | őrült | ||
| The word "őrült" is a derivative of "őr" which means "guard", so it originally meant "vigilance". | |||
| Latvian | traks | ||
| The Latvian word "traks" can also refer to a "crazy person" or a "madman." | |||
| Lithuanian | piktas | ||
| The etymology of "piktas" is uncertain but it may derive from a Proto-Balto-Slavic root meaning "hot; angry". | |||
| Macedonian | луд | ||
| The word "луд" in Macedonian also has the alternate meaning of "fiery" or "burning". | |||
| Polish | szalony | ||
| The word "szalony" derives from the Old Polish word "szałoć", meaning "fury or rage". | |||
| Romanian | nebun | ||
| The word "nebun" in Romanian is thought to originate from the Latin word "nebulosus," meaning "cloudy" or "misty." | |||
| Russian | без ума | ||
| Serbian | луд | ||
| In Serbian, the word 'луд' can also mean 'insane' or 'mentally ill'. | |||
| Slovak | šialený | ||
| The word "šialený" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*šьlьnъ", meaning "wild" or "furious". | |||
| Slovenian | jezen | ||
| The word 'jezen' is of Slavic origin and is related to the Proto-Slavic word 'jьzъ', which means 'wild beast'. | |||
| Ukrainian | божевільний | ||
| The word "божевільний" is derived from "Бог" and "вільний" in Ukrainian, which originally meant "free of God" and was used to refer to people with mental issues. | |||
Mad in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পাগল | ||
| "পাগল" is also used to refer to a mischievous or playful person, or a jester or fool. | |||
| Gujarati | પાગલ | ||
| The word 'પાગલ' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'पागलं', which means 'afflicted' or 'insane'. | |||
| Hindi | पागल | ||
| The Hindi word "पागल" (mad) is derived from the Sanskrit word "पागल" (pagal), which means "to be disturbed" or "to be crazy". | |||
| Kannada | ಹುಚ್ಚು | ||
| The word 'ಹುಚ್ಚು' (mad) in Kannada is derived from the Sanskrit word 'उच्छु' (utschu), which means 'to jump or leap'. | |||
| Malayalam | ഭ്രാന്തൻ | ||
| The Malayalam word 'bhranthan' ('mad') is derived from the Sanskrit word 'bhranta,' meaning 'wandering' or 'deluded,' suggesting a state of mental disorientation or confusion. | |||
| Marathi | वेडा | ||
| The etymology of the Marathi word "वेडा" is traced to Sanskrit, meaning "possessed", and it can also refer to someone who is arrogant. | |||
| Nepali | पागल | ||
| The term पागल can refer to an intoxicated or crazy person, with the word potentially sharing origins with Sanskrit or Tibetan words for "mad" | |||
| Punjabi | ਪਾਗਲ | ||
| The word "ਪਾਗਲ" also means "an ascetic who has renounced worldly pleasures" in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පිස්සු | ||
| පිස්සු is often used to describe something that is very hot, spicy, or unpleasant | |||
| Tamil | பைத்தியம் | ||
| "Paittiyam" (பைத்தியம்) derives from the Sanskrit "paiti" (away) and "ti" (to be) and can also mean "outside of oneself". | |||
| Telugu | పిచ్చి | ||
| The word 'పిచ్చి' (mad) in Telugu also refers to 'extreme excitement' or 'great joy'. | |||
| Urdu | پاگل | ||
| The Urdu word "پاگل" can also refer to a type of dance, where the dancer wears bright colors and dances in a playful and carefree manner. | |||
Mad in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 狂 | ||
| The second character in "狂" (mad) is "广" (wide), which suggests that madness is a state of being overly expansive. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 狂 | ||
| "狂" has different meanings and pronunciations: "疯狂" and "狂妄" means arrogant, and "狂风" means gale.} | |||
| Japanese | 狂った | ||
| The word 狂った (kuru_tta) is an adjective that can mean 'mad' in Japanese, but it can also mean 'crazy,' 'wild,' or 'frenzied,' depending on the context. | |||
| Korean | 미친 | ||
| 미친 ('micin') is also used in Korea to refer to someone who is very good at something, like a 'mad' genius. | |||
| Mongolian | галзуу | ||
| "Галзуу" means "mad" but its original meaning is "angry" that has been transferred by metonymy to mad. The word "gal" can be still used separately meaning "anger". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အရူး | ||
| အရူး can also be used to mean 'crazy', 'insane' or even 'foolish' | |||
Mad in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | gila | ||
| The word "gila" can also mean "extravagant" or "extraordinary" in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | edan | ||
| The word "edan" in Javanese can also mean "different" or "unique", and is derived from the word "eda" which means "to change". | |||
| Khmer | ឆ្កួត | ||
| The word "ឆ្កួត" (mad) in Khmer could also refer to rabies or epilepsy. | |||
| Lao | ບ້າ | ||
| The Lao word ບ້າ ("mad") is cognate with the Thai word บ้า, which also means "crazy" or "foolish". | |||
| Malay | marah | ||
| The word marah has two meanings, namely "anger" and "prohibition."} | |||
| Thai | บ้า | ||
| "บ้า" (mad) can also refer to the wild nature of forests and hills or of animals that dwell far from civilization. | |||
| Vietnamese | điên | ||
| "Điên" also means "lightning" in Sino-Vietnamese because the word is a loanword from the Chinese word "电" (diàn), which means "electricity". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | galit | ||
Mad in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | dəli | ||
| The word "dəli" can also mean "brave" or "foolish" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | жынды | ||
| The Kazakh word "жынды" is a homophone, meaning both "mad" and "red-hot." | |||
| Kyrgyz | жинди | ||
| The word "жинди" in Kyrgyz may also refer to a type of traditional Kyrgyz felt rug. | |||
| Tajik | девона | ||
| The word "девона" is derived from the Proto-Indo-Iranian word "*dʰeu̯h-nóh₂"," which also means "intoxicated" or "furious". | |||
| Turkmen | däli | ||
| Uzbek | telba | ||
| The word 'Telba' can also refer to a type of cotton fabric or a species of bird. | |||
| Uyghur | ساراڭ | ||
Mad in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | huhū | ||
| The word "huhū" also means "crazy" or "wild" in Hawaiian, and is related to the word "hulu" meaning "feathers". | |||
| Maori | haurangi | ||
| In some Eastern dialects, hau rangi may mean 'strong wind'. | |||
| Samoan | valea | ||
| Valea, the Samoan word for "madness or insanity," also refers to certain types of destructive behavior, curses, and curses in general. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | galit | ||
| "Galit" can also refer to "itch" in Tagalog | |||
Mad in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | luqhi | ||
| Guarani | pochy | ||
Mad in International Languages
| Esperanto | freneza | ||
| "Freneza" can also mean "ecstasy" or "frenzy" in Esperanto. | |||
| Latin | ad insaniam convertunt | ||
| In Latin, 'ad insaniam convertunt' can also mean "to drive to madness" or "to cause to become insane". | |||
Mad in Others Languages
| Greek | τρελός | ||
| The word "τρελός" has been used to describe the mentally ill since at least the 15th century, and may be related to "τρέμω" ("tremble"). | |||
| Hmong | chim | ||
| The Hmong word "chim" also refers to a type of spirit or deity. | |||
| Kurdish | bêbawer | ||
| The Kurdish word "bêbawer" can also mean "unfaithful" or "irresponsible". | |||
| Turkish | deli | ||
| The Turkish word "deli" also means "brave", "strong", or "crazy", depending on the context in which it is used. | |||
| Xhosa | ndiyaphambana | ||
| The Xhosa word "ndiyaphambana" also refers to a state of being "over the moon" or feeling "ecstatic." | |||
| Yiddish | ווילד | ||
| ווילד can mean wild, furious, violent, or savage in Yiddish. | |||
| Zulu | uyahlanya | ||
| The word 'uyahlanya' originates from 'ihlanya,' meaning the 'forest,' alluding to the notion of being in a state of wilderness or disorientation, synonymous with madness. | |||
| Assamese | পগলা | ||
| Aymara | luqhi | ||
| Bhojpuri | पगलेट | ||
| Dhivehi | މޮޔަ | ||
| Dogri | पागल | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | galit | ||
| Guarani | pochy | ||
| Ilocano | napungtot | ||
| Krio | vɛks | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | شێت | ||
| Maithili | पागल | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯉꯥꯎꯕ | ||
| Mizo | a | ||
| Oromo | maraataa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପାଗଳ | ||
| Quechua | waqa | ||
| Sanskrit | मत्तः | ||
| Tatar | акылдан язган | ||
| Tigrinya | ዕቡድ | ||
| Tsonga | penga | ||