Afrikaans misterie | ||
Albanian mister | ||
Amharic ምስጢር | ||
Arabic لغز | ||
Armenian առեղծված | ||
Assamese ৰহস্য | ||
Aymara muspkaya | ||
Azerbaijani sirr | ||
Bambara gundo | ||
Basque misterioa | ||
Belarusian загадкавасць | ||
Bengali রহস্য | ||
Bhojpuri रहस्य | ||
Bosnian misterija | ||
Bulgarian мистерия | ||
Catalan misteri | ||
Cebuano misteryo | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 神秘 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 神秘 | ||
Corsican misteru | ||
Croatian misterija | ||
Czech tajemství | ||
Danish mysterium | ||
Dhivehi ގޮތްނޭނގޭ | ||
Dogri पिरब | ||
Dutch mysterie | ||
English mystery | ||
Esperanto mistero | ||
Estonian müsteerium | ||
Ewe nuɣaɣla | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) misteryo | ||
Finnish mysteeri | ||
French mystère | ||
Frisian mystearje | ||
Galician misterio | ||
Georgian საიდუმლო | ||
German geheimnis | ||
Greek μυστήριο | ||
Guarani kañymby | ||
Gujarati રહસ્ય | ||
Haitian Creole mistè | ||
Hausa asiri | ||
Hawaiian pohihihi | ||
Hebrew מִסתוֹרִין | ||
Hindi रहस्य | ||
Hmong tsis meej | ||
Hungarian rejtély | ||
Icelandic ráðgáta | ||
Igbo ihe omimi | ||
Ilocano misterio | ||
Indonesian misteri | ||
Irish rúndiamhair | ||
Italian mistero | ||
Japanese 神秘 | ||
Javanese misteri | ||
Kannada ರಹಸ್ಯ | ||
Kazakh құпия | ||
Khmer អាថ៌កំបាំង | ||
Kinyarwanda amayobera | ||
Konkani रहस्य | ||
Korean 신비 | ||
Krio sikrit | ||
Kurdish sir | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) نادیار | ||
Kyrgyz табышмак | ||
Lao ຄວາມລຶກລັບ | ||
Latin sacramentum | ||
Latvian noslēpums | ||
Lingala sekele | ||
Lithuanian paslaptis | ||
Luganda ekyaama | ||
Luxembourgish geheimnis | ||
Macedonian мистерија | ||
Maithili रहस्मय | ||
Malagasy zava-miafina | ||
Malay misteri | ||
Malayalam മർമ്മം | ||
Maltese misteru | ||
Maori mea ngaro | ||
Marathi गूढ | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯑꯉꯛꯄ ꯊꯧꯗꯣꯛ | ||
Mizo thilmak | ||
Mongolian нууц | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) နက်နဲသောအရာဖြစ်ပေ | ||
Nepali रहस्य | ||
Norwegian mysterium | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) chinsinsi | ||
Odia (Oriya) ରହସ୍ୟ | ||
Oromo dhoksaa | ||
Pashto اسرار | ||
Persian رمز و راز | ||
Polish zagadka | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) mistério | ||
Punjabi ਭੇਤ | ||
Quechua mana riqsisqa | ||
Romanian mister | ||
Russian тайна | ||
Samoan mea lilo | ||
Sanskrit रहस्य: | ||
Scots Gaelic dìomhaireachd | ||
Sepedi semaka | ||
Serbian мистерија | ||
Sesotho sephiri | ||
Shona chakavanzika | ||
Sindhi اسرار | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) අභිරහස | ||
Slovak záhada | ||
Slovenian skrivnost | ||
Somali qarsoodi | ||
Spanish misterio | ||
Sundanese misteri | ||
Swahili siri | ||
Swedish mysterium | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) misteryo | ||
Tajik сир | ||
Tamil மர்மம் | ||
Tatar сер | ||
Telugu రహస్యం | ||
Thai ความลึกลับ | ||
Tigrinya ምሽጥር | ||
Tsonga mahlori | ||
Turkish gizem | ||
Turkmen syr | ||
Twi (Akan) ahintasɛm | ||
Ukrainian загадковість | ||
Urdu اسرار | ||
Uyghur سىر | ||
Uzbek sir | ||
Vietnamese huyền bí | ||
Welsh dirgelwch | ||
Xhosa imfihlakalo | ||
Yiddish מיסטעריע | ||
Yoruba ohun ijinlẹ | ||
Zulu imfihlakalo |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word "misterie" is of Greek origins, derived from the word 'μυστήριον' and refers to an enigmatic secret or inexplicable occurrence. |
| Albanian | The Albanian word “mister” may have originated from the Proto-Indo-European root *me-, meaning to measure or think. |
| Amharic | The word ምስጢር (mistīr) also means "a secret" or "a confidential matter". |
| Arabic | The Arabic word "لغز" is also used to describe a riddle, puzzle, or enigma, highlighting its connection to the act of deciphering and unraveling unknown or obscure things. |
| Armenian | The word "առեղծված" is derived from the Greek word "μυστήριον" (mysterion), which originally meant "a religious secret" or "a secret rite". In Armenian, the word can also refer to "a secret","a puzzle," or "a riddle". |
| Azerbaijani | The word "sirr" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Persian "serr", meaning "secret" or "confidential." |
| Basque | The Basque word "misterioa" (mystery) originates from the Latin "ministerium" (service, ministry), suggesting a connection between the unknown and the divine. |
| Belarusian | This word can also mean "riddle" and comes from the word "гадка", meaning "guess". |
| Bengali | The term 'Rahasya' in Bengali originates from the Sanskrit and shares its root with the Greek term 'myein', meaning 'to close'. |
| Bosnian | Although 'misterija' is often used to describe a religious event, it can also refer to theatrical performances. |
| Bulgarian | The word "мистерия" can also refer to "mystery theater" or a "mystery novel". |
| Catalan | Catalan "misteri" derives from Latin "ministerium" ("service") via Old Catalan "mesteri" ("craft") and Castilian "misterio" ("mystery"). |
| Cebuano | The word "misteryo" is derived from the Spanish word "misterio", which comes from the Greek word "mustērion", meaning "secret rite". |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The Chinese character '神秘' can also mean 'strange' or 'abstruse'. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 神秘 (mystery) literally translates to "secret sign" (秘 "secret", 示 "sign"). |
| Corsican | Corsican misteru can also mean "a miracle" or "a marvel". |
| Croatian | The word 'misterija' is derived from the Latin word 'mysterium', which originally referred to secret religious ceremonies or knowledge. |
| Czech | The word "tajemství" in Czech is ultimately derived from the Proto-Slavic word "tajiti". |
| Danish | In Danish, the word "mysterium" carries a dual meaning of both "mystery" and "initiation into religious rites", a usage with roots in ancient Greek and Latin |
| Dutch | In Dutch, "mysterie" can refer to a religious secret, a riddle, a secret, or a mystical experience. |
| Esperanto | In Esperanto, "mistero" is also used to refer to the unknown or the inexplicable. |
| Estonian | The word "müsteerium" comes from the Latin word "mysterium", which means "secret rite" or "religious truth hidden from the uninitiated." |
| Finnish | In Finnish, "mysteeri" derives from the Greek "mysterion" and also refers to religious or spiritual teachings kept secret from the uninitiated. |
| French | The word "mystère" in French comes from the Greek word "mysterion", which means "secret rite or ceremony". |
| Frisian | Mystearje can also refer to a puzzle or riddle, hinting at its puzzling nature. |
| Galician | From Latin mysterium, which meant both pagan rite and Christian sacrament, so it also has a religious connotation. |
| Georgian | Derived from the Proto-Georgian word for “mystery” and “sacred rite.” |
| German | The German word 'Geheimnis' (mystery) is related to words like 'heim' (home) and 'heimelig' (cozy), suggesting the familiarity of something kept secret and close. |
| Greek | The Ancient Greek word μυστήριο could also refer to secret religious rites and ceremonies. |
| Gujarati | "રહસ્ય" can also mean something secret or confidential. |
| Haitian Creole | In Haitian Creole, "mistè" can also refer to secret societies or masked figures involved in religious ceremonies. |
| Hausa | "Asir" is also referred to as something that is hidden or unclear. |
| Hawaiian | The word "pohihihi" in Hawaiian can also refer to a "puzzle" or "riddle." |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word "מִסתוֹרִין" also means "secret" or "hidden knowledge". |
| Hindi | The Hindi word रहस्य, meaning "mystery," derives from the Sanskrit word रहस, meaning "secret" or "hidden." |
| Hmong | The Hmong word "tsis meej" (mystery) literally translates to "hidden eye". |
| Hungarian | In Hungarian, "rejtély" shares its root with the verb "rejt", meaning "to hide" or "to conceal," suggesting the hidden or unknown nature of mysteries. |
| Icelandic | Its cognate in Faroese has the additional meaning of 'problem' as in a calculation problem. |
| Igbo | The Igbo word 'ihe omimi' ('mystery') can also refer to something that is hidden or unknown. |
| Indonesian | "Misteri" is also used in Indonesian to refer to a secret or hidden knowledge. |
| Irish | The word 'rúndiamhair' is also used to refer to something that is hidden or secret. |
| Italian | It comes from the Greek 'mysterion' through the Latin 'mysterium' and may be related to the Latin word 'ministerium', 'service'. |
| Japanese | In Japanese, "神秘" (shinpi) can also refer to something profound, transcendental, or inscrutable. |
| Javanese | The Javanese word "misteri" also refers to supernatural beings or hidden knowledge. |
| Kannada | The word "ರಹಸ್ಯ" is also used to describe a secret that is not to be shared with others. |
| Kazakh | "Құпия" also means "secret" or "classified information" in Kazakh. |
| Khmer | In Khmer, the word ហកាធឝ (aathorkompaang) shares its roots with the word ហកាថ (aathor), meaning "mythology", highlighting the connection between mystery and ancient tales. |
| Korean | In Korean, the word "신비" (mystery) is derived from the Chinese character "神", which means "god or spirit," and "秘", which means "secret or hidden." |
| Kurdish | The Kurdish word 'sir' can also refer to a type of Kurdish folk dance. |
| Latin | The Latin word "sacramentum" originally meant "oath" or "pledge" and later came to refer to a religious rite or ceremony. |
| Latvian | "Noslēpums" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*ne-wes-", meaning "to hide, conceal". |
| Lithuanian | Paslaptis derives from the Lithuanian word “slėpti”, which means “to hide”. |
| Luxembourgish | In addition to its meaning as a "secret" "Geheimnis" can also mean "secret sauce" or a "secret remedy". |
| Macedonian | The word 'мистерија' can also refer to a religious sacrament or a secret society's rituals and beliefs. |
| Malagasy | "Zava-miafina" shares the suffix "-miafina" with other Malagasy words meaning hidden or unknown, suggesting an etymological connection. |
| Malay | In Malay, "misteri" (mystery) comes from the Arabic word "misra" (Egypt), referring to the occult knowledge and practices of ancient Egyptians. |
| Malayalam | "മർമ്മം" (marmam) also means "secret, hidden thing, secret part of the body, vulnerable spot on the body, vital spot on the body" |
| Maltese | "Misteru" in Maltese can also mean "secret" or "ritual". |
| Maori | The word "mea ngaro" can also mean "hidden thing" or "secret". |
| Marathi | In Sanskrit, 'gūḍh' means 'secret' or 'hidden', which suggests a connection to the Marathi 'gūḍh'. |
| Mongolian | The Mongolian word "нууц" has a range of meanings, including "mystery", "secret", "privacy", and "invisibility." |
| Nepali | The Nepali word "रहस्य" (mystery) derives from the Sanskrit word "रहस्" (secret), ultimately originating from the root " रह् " (to hide). |
| Norwegian | In Norwegian, "mysterium" retains its original Latin meaning of "religious secret" or "sacrament". |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | Nyanja's "chinsinsi" derives from "chisi" ("thing") and the causative suffix "-insi" ("to cause"), thus meaning "to cause something to become hidden".} |
| Pashto | "اسرار" (mystery) is also a surname among Pashtuns. |
| Persian | رمز و راز also means 'code' in Persian, like a secret code or a computer code. |
| Polish | Zagadka, meaning "mystery" in Polish, derives from the Old Polish word "zagaditi" meaning "to pollute" or "to soil". |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The Portuguese word "mistério" ultimately derives from the ancient Greek word "mysterion", which referred to the secret religious rites and teachings of the Eleusinian Mysteries. |
| Punjabi | ਭੇਤ (mystery) originates from Sanskrit 'bheda' which means difference or secret. |
| Romanian | In Romanian, the word "mister" also translates to "master" in English. |
| Russian | "Тайна" is cognate with the English words "thane" and "thin" and is ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ten-, meaning "to stretch". |
| Samoan | The word "mea lilo" is also used to refer to secrets, hidden things, or something difficult to understand. |
| Serbian | У словенским језицима реч "мистерија" има и значење "занат". |
| Sesotho | The word "sephiri" can also mean "secret", "puzzle", or "riddle". |
| Shona | According to the Shona dictionary, 'Chakavanzika' is also a type of snake believed to bring good luck. |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "اسرار" is derived from the Arabic word "سر" meaning "secret" or "confidential matter"} |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The term "අභිරහස" (mystery) derives from the Sanskrit "abhirahasya," meaning "deep secret" or "hidden thing." |
| Slovak | The word "záhada" is derived from the Proto-Slavic verb "*zъdati", meaning "to ask", and originally referred to a difficult question or problem. |
| Slovenian | The word "skrivnost" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root "skryti" meaning "to hide" and has related words like "scribble" and "script". |
| Somali | Qarsoodi in Somali has a connotation of the unknowable or hidden and is associated with spiritual or supernatural phenomena. |
| Spanish | The Spanish word "misterio" ultimately derives from the Greek "mysterion," meaning both "mystery" and "religious or sacred rite or doctrine." |
| Sundanese | In Sundanese, 'misteri' also means 'puzzle' or 'riddle', implying a challenge to solve rather than an unexplainable phenomenon. |
| Swahili | The Swahili word "siri" can also mean a "secret" or a "concealed thing". |
| Swedish | The Swedish word "mysterium" derives from the Greek word "mysterion" and carries connotations of divine secrets, religious rituals, and hidden knowledge. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The Tagalog word "misteryo" shares the same root as the Spanish word "misterio" and the English word "mystery", all of which are derived from the Greek word "mysterion", meaning "a secret rite or religious truth". |
| Tajik | The Tajik word "сир" (mystery) likely derives from the Arabic "سر" (secret) or Persian "سرّ" (mystery). |
| Telugu | "రహస్యం" (mystery) derives from Sanskrit and means 'secret', 'hidden' or 'confidential' and carries the same connotations in Telugu. |
| Thai | In Thai, the word "ความลึกลับ" can also refer to the unknown or the unexplained. |
| Turkish | The word "gizem" derives from the Persian word "genj" meaning "treasure" and also denotes "secret" and "mystery". |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word "загадковість" also means "riddle" or "puzzle". |
| Urdu | The word "اسرار" in Urdu also means "secrets" or "hidden things". |
| Uzbek | In Uzbek, the word "sir" (сир) also means "cheese". |
| Vietnamese | The word "huyền bí" can also mean "magical" or "supernatural" in Vietnamese. |
| Welsh | The word 'dirgelwch' can also be used to describe a secret or something that is hidden or concealed. |
| Xhosa | The Xhosa word "imfihlakalo" shares its root with the verb "fihla," meaning "to hide" or "to conceal," suggesting a connection between mystery and hidden knowledge. |
| Yiddish | The word "מיסטעריע" comes from the Greek "mysterion," meaning a secret religious rite. |
| Yoruba | In the Yoruba language, the word "ohun ijinlẹ" also refers to something hidden or secret. |
| Zulu | Origin: Thought to derive from the verb 'fihla' (hide) |
| English | The word 'mystery' ultimately derives from the Greek word 'mystes', meaning 'one who is initiated into a religious cult'. |