Myth in Different Languages
Discover 'Myth' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Myths have been an integral part of human culture and civilization since the dawn of time. They are timeless stories, passed down through generations, that help us understand the world around us. Myths often involve supernatural beings, heroes, and extraordinary events, and they reflect the values, beliefs, and fears of the cultures that create them.
The significance of myths extends beyond mere storytelling. They provide a window into the past, shedding light on the customs, traditions, and social structures of ancient civilizations. Moreover, myths often contain profound truths about the human condition, exploring themes such as love, loss, and the struggle between good and evil.
Given the cultural importance of myths, it's not surprising that people around the world have sought to translate this term into their own languages. For example, in Spanish, the word for myth is mito, while in German, it's Mythos. In Russian, the term for myth is миф (pronounced 'mif'), and in Japanese, it's 神話 (pronounced 'shinwa').
Exploring the translations of myth in different languages is a fascinating way to deepen our understanding of this rich and complex concept. It also highlights the diversity and interconnectedness of human cultures, reminding us of the common threads that bind us all together.
Myth
Myth in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | mite | ||
| In Afrikaans, "mite" is an archaic term, now usually spelled "miete" for "measure", but it can also carry the meaning of "small amount". | |||
| Amharic | አፈ ታሪክ | ||
| The word አፈ ታሪክ (āfe tārik) literally means 'mouth of history' and can also refer to 'legend' or 'tradition'. | |||
| Hausa | tatsuniya | ||
| The word 'tatsuniya' can also refer to a fable or folktale in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | akụkọ ifo | ||
| The Igbo word 'akụkọ ifo' literally means 'old stories', suggesting a connection between myths and oral tradition. | |||
| Malagasy | hevi-diso | ||
| Hevi-diso was derived from the Sanskrit word for 'heaven.' | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | nthano | ||
| In Nyanja, "nthano" can also mean "tale" or "story." | |||
| Shona | ngano | ||
| The word "ngano" can also mean "folklore" or "tradition", and is derived from the Proto-Bantu root "-gona", meaning "to tell a story". | |||
| Somali | khuraafaad | ||
| Sesotho | tšōmo | ||
| Swahili | hadithi | ||
| In Swahili, "hadithi" originally meant "news" or "story," highlighting the fluidity of truth and fiction in oral traditions. | |||
| Xhosa | intsomi | ||
| The Xhosa word "intsomi" can also refer to a folktale or legend, implying a sense of cultural and historical significance. | |||
| Yoruba | adaparọ | ||
| The Yoruba word "Adaparọ" can also mean "something incredible", "an extraordinary event", or "a wonderful story" | |||
| Zulu | inganekwane | ||
| The Zulu word "inganekwane" can also refer to a legendary or fictional story or event. | |||
| Bambara | bisigiyako | ||
| Ewe | amlima | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umugani | ||
| Lingala | lisolo ya lokuta | ||
| Luganda | eky'obulombolombo | ||
| Sepedi | nonwane | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ahuntasɛm | ||
Myth in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أسطورة | ||
| The word “أسطورة” is derived from the Greek word “mythos,” which can refer to a story, a narrative, or a false belief. | |||
| Hebrew | מִיתוֹס | ||
| המילה מִיתוֹס משמשת גם להתייחסות לחוויה קדושה או סיפור מסורתי בעם היהודי. | |||
| Pashto | خرافات | ||
| In Pashto, the word "khurafat" can also refer to "superstition" or "folklore". | |||
| Arabic | أسطورة | ||
| The word “أسطورة” is derived from the Greek word “mythos,” which can refer to a story, a narrative, or a false belief. | |||
Myth in Western European Languages
| Albanian | mit | ||
| The Albanian word "mit" is also used to refer to "thought", "concept", or "belief." | |||
| Basque | mitoa | ||
| "Mitoa" in Basque also means "fiction" or "made-up story." | |||
| Catalan | mite | ||
| The Catalan word "mite" also means "mite" in English, referring to a tiny arachnid | |||
| Croatian | mit | ||
| The Croatian word "mit" can also mean "bribe" or "opinion". | |||
| Danish | myte | ||
| The Danish word "myte" is derived from the Old Norse word "mythr", meaning "story" or "tale". | |||
| Dutch | mythe | ||
| In Dutch, 'mythe' can also mean 'mist' or 'fog'. | |||
| English | myth | ||
| The word "myth" derives from the Greek word "mythos," meaning "speech" or "story. | |||
| French | mythe | ||
| In French, "mythe" originates from the Latin "mythos", meaning "story, narrative, account"} | |||
| Frisian | myte | ||
| The root of the word "myte" in Frisian is closely related to the Old Norse word "myth" and the Old English word "myth", but it is specifically used to refer to traditional stories or legends that are passed down through generations orally. | |||
| Galician | mito | ||
| Galician "mito" derives from Latin "mythos", referring to fables and legends, but also to the word "miedo" (fear). | |||
| German | mythos | ||
| The German word "Mythos" also refers to "narratives" or "accounts", encompassing both fictional and non-fictional stories. | |||
| Icelandic | goðsögn | ||
| The word goðsögn derives from the Old Norse "godh", meaning "god" or "divine", and "saga", meaning "story" or "legend". | |||
| Irish | miotas | ||
| The word 'miotas' in Irish can also mean 'tale' or 'story'. | |||
| Italian | mito | ||
| In Italian, the word "mito" can also refer to a "legend" or a "fable". | |||
| Luxembourgish | mythos | ||
| Maltese | ħrafa | ||
| Norwegian | myte | ||
| The word "myte" derives from Old Norse "myth" and Swedish "myt", denoting a false account or fable. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | mito | ||
| O termo "mito" também pode ser usado para se referir a uma história ou lenda popular que explica a origem de algo. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | uirsgeul | ||
| The word "uirsgeul" also means "water-story" or "flood-story" in Scots Gaelic, evoking the primordial waters from which many myths originate. | |||
| Spanish | mito | ||
| "Mito" originally meant "narrative" in Greek, and it retains that meaning in Spanish as "cuento". | |||
| Swedish | myt | ||
| Although "myt" means "myth" in Swedish, it has a secondary connotation of "rumor" or "folklore." | |||
| Welsh | myth | ||
| The Welsh word "myth" (myth) derives from the Greek "mythos" (word, tale, story). | |||
Myth in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | міф | ||
| The Belarusian word “міф” also means “fairy tale”. | |||
| Bosnian | mit | ||
| Imenica 'mit' u bosanskom jeziku može značiti i 'savjetnik' ili 'poslanik', što je također blisko povezano sa njenim značenjem 'mit'. | |||
| Bulgarian | мит | ||
| In Bulgarian, "мит" can also mean "tax" or "customary practice or belief." | |||
| Czech | mýtus | ||
| The word "mýtus" can also mean "folklore" or "legend" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | müüt | ||
| The word "müüt" in Estonian derives from the same Proto-Germanic root as the English word "mete," originally referring to a meeting or council. | |||
| Finnish | myytti | ||
| Myytti is derived from the Ancient Greek word μῦθος (muthos), meaning "word, speech, or account". | |||
| Hungarian | mítosz | ||
| In Hungarian, "mítosz" is an older spelling of the word "mítosz" | |||
| Latvian | mīts | ||
| In Latvian, "mīts" is derived from "mīties," meaning "to err" or "to go astray," further linking it to the concept of error in Greek mythology. | |||
| Lithuanian | mitas | ||
| The word "mitas" in Lithuanian also refers to a unit of time equivalent to a "moment" or "instant." | |||
| Macedonian | мит | ||
| The word "мит" in Macedonian shares the same Indo-European root as the English word "myth". In fact, it can also mean "legend" or "folklore" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | mit | ||
| "Mit" comes from Greek "mythos", meaning "speech, story." | |||
| Romanian | mit | ||
| In Romanian, "mit" can also mean "pact" or "covenant", likely due to its Latin roots in "mittere", meaning "to send" or "to release". | |||
| Russian | миф | ||
| The Russian word "миф" (myth) can also refer to a popular story, legend, or fairy tale. | |||
| Serbian | мит | ||
| The word "мит" in Serbian can also mean "custom" or "duty", reflecting its Indo-European root *mēt-. | |||
| Slovak | mýtus | ||
| The Slovak word "mýtus" not only means "myth", but also "legend" or "tale" | |||
| Slovenian | mit | ||
| Slovene "mit" has a similar etymology to its English counterpart and also means "opinion". | |||
| Ukrainian | міф | ||
| In Old Church Slavonic, the word "міф" meant "word" or "speech", and in Proto-Indo-European, it could mean "to speak" or "to compose." | |||
Myth in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | শ্রুতি | ||
| "শ্রুতি" can also mean "sound" or "revelation" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | દંતકથા | ||
| The Gujarati word "દંતકથા" (mythology) is derived from the Sanskrit words "danda" (a wooden stick used for punishment) and "katha" (story). In ancient times, myths were often narrated in the form of stories to convey lessons and moral teachings, and these stories were often recorded on wooden sticks or strips.} | |||
| Hindi | कल्पित कथा | ||
| The word 'कल्पित कथा' comes from the Sanskrit words 'कल्प' (kalpa) meaning 'fancy' or 'imagination', and 'कथा' (katha) meaning 'story' or 'tale'. | |||
| Kannada | ಪುರಾಣ | ||
| The word "ಪುರಾಣ" (myth) in Kannada is derived from the Sanskrit word "पुराण" (purana), which means "ancient lore" or "sacred text." | |||
| Malayalam | കെട്ടുകഥ | ||
| The term 'കെട്ടുകഥ' is also used in Malayalam to refer to 'rumors' or 'made-up stories'. | |||
| Marathi | दंतकथा | ||
| The Marathi word "दंतकथा" is derived from Sanskrit (literally, "tooth" and "talk") and refers to stories passed down through oral tradition. | |||
| Nepali | मिथक | ||
| The word "मिथक" is also used to refer to traditional stories or epics in Nepali, similar to the English "folklore". | |||
| Punjabi | ਮਿੱਥ | ||
| "ਮਿੱਥ" is a Punjabi word that can also refer to a fable or legend. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මිථ්යාව | ||
| The Sinhala word "mithyAwa" also refers to an act, thought or speech based on an erroneous premise. | |||
| Tamil | கட்டுக்கதை | ||
| The Tamil word 'கட்டுக்கதை' does not only mean myth, but has other meanings as well, such as fiction or fabrication | |||
| Telugu | పురాణం | ||
| "పురాణం" has a range of meanings from ancient traditional lore to historical epic to mythological tale. | |||
| Urdu | متک | ||
| The word "متک" is derived from the Arabic word "متكلم" meaning "theologian", and its alternate meaning in Urdu is "philosopher". | |||
Myth in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 神话 | ||
| 神话 (神话) in Chinese not only means "myth" but also can refer to a system of beliefs or a story that is popularly held to be true or factual. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 神話 | ||
| 神話 (shén huà) literally means "divine alteration" and can also refer to supernatural beings or events. | |||
| Japanese | 神話 | ||
| The word '神話' in Japanese can also mean a story that is believed to be true but is not based on fact, or a story that is told as if it were true but is not. | |||
| Korean | 신화 | ||
| In archaic Korean, "신화" (myth) originally referred to the "divine story" of the founding of a country, clan, or tribe. | |||
| Mongolian | домог | ||
| The word "домог" (myth) in Mongolian also refers to a type of folk tale or legend. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဒဏ္myာရီ | ||
| In addition to the primary meaning "myth", the term "ဒဏ္myာရီ" can also refer to a form of Burmese dance or a type of traditional Burmese puppetry. | |||
Myth in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mitos | ||
| The word "mitos" in Indonesian can also mean "legend" or "folklore". | |||
| Javanese | mitos | ||
| In Javanese, the word "mitos" has an alternate meaning of "mystery" or "secret." | |||
| Khmer | ទេវកថា | ||
| The word "ទេវកថា" (myth) is also used to refer to a "fictional story" or an "extravagant claim" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ຄວາມລຶກລັບ | ||
| Malay | mitos | ||
| The Malay word "mitos" can also refer to "legends" or "folk tales", and is derived from the Greek "mythos" meaning "word" or "story". | |||
| Thai | ตำนาน | ||
| The word "ตำนาน" (tamnan) in Thai also carries the connotation of "history, chronicle". | |||
| Vietnamese | huyền thoại | ||
| Derived from the Chinese term "xuánjué" (玄覺, profound perception), the Vietnamese word "huyền thoại" originally meant "profound and true story" but has shifted in meaning to refer to mythical or legendary tales. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mito | ||
Myth in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | mif | ||
| The word | |||
| Kazakh | миф | ||
| The word | |||
| Kyrgyz | миф | ||
| Миф также может означать «сказка» или «легенда» на кыргызском языке. | |||
| Tajik | афсона | ||
| The word “афсона” (“myth”) in Tajik derives from the Persian word “افسانه”, which means “tale” or “story”. | |||
| Turkmen | mif | ||
| Uzbek | afsona | ||
| The word "afsona" also means "spell" or "incantation" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | رىۋايەت | ||
Myth in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kaʻao | ||
| In Hawaiian, ``kaʻao`` means 'myth' or 'fable', but it also means 'a lie' or 'a story that is not true'. | |||
| Maori | pakiwaitara | ||
| This word can also indicate an error, fault or deception, which may or may not be believed. | |||
| Samoan | talafatu | ||
| In addition, the word talafatu can also refer to a legend passed down through generations, a fable, or a fairy tale. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mitolohiya | ||
| In Tagalog, "mitolohiya" can also refer to a collection of fictional stories or a body of knowledge based on tradition and speculation. | |||
Myth in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | mitu | ||
| Guarani | mombe'ugua'u | ||
Myth in International Languages
| Esperanto | mito | ||
| The Esperanto word "mito" comes from the Greek word "mythos", which means "story" or "tale". | |||
| Latin | fabula | ||
| The Latin word "fabula" also means "conversation" or "play". | |||
Myth in Others Languages
| Greek | μύθος | ||
| The Greek term "μύθος" not only denotes 'myth,' but also implies a 'word,' 'speech,' or 'narrative.' | |||
| Hmong | tswvyim hais ua dabneeg | ||
| Tswvyim hais ua dabneeg is a Hmong word that refers to a traditional form of storytelling, often involving folktales, legends, and historical events. | |||
| Kurdish | çîrok | ||
| The Kurdish word "çîrok" also means "story" or "tale". | |||
| Turkish | efsane | ||
| Efsane can also mean 'legend' in Turkish, and has a similar root as 'épine' in French. | |||
| Xhosa | intsomi | ||
| The Xhosa word "intsomi" can also refer to a folktale or legend, implying a sense of cultural and historical significance. | |||
| Yiddish | מיטאָס | ||
| In Yiddish, the word "מיטאָס" also holds the additional meaning of "a person or thing characterized by great size, strength, or importance". | |||
| Zulu | inganekwane | ||
| The Zulu word "inganekwane" can also refer to a legendary or fictional story or event. | |||
| Assamese | কল্পিত কথা | ||
| Aymara | mitu | ||
| Bhojpuri | मिथक | ||
| Dhivehi | ތެދު ކަމަށް ޤަބޫލުކުރެވިފައި ހުންނަ ދޮގު | ||
| Dogri | ढिच्चर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mito | ||
| Guarani | mombe'ugua'u | ||
| Ilocano | mito | ||
| Krio | lay lay stori | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئەفسانە | ||
| Maithili | कल्पित कथा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯊꯥꯖꯅꯗꯨꯅ ꯂꯥꯛꯂꯕ ꯋꯥꯔꯤ | ||
| Mizo | thawnthu | ||
| Oromo | yaada sobaa nama hedduu biratti fudhatama qabu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପୁରାଣ | ||
| Quechua | ñawpa rimay | ||
| Sanskrit | मिथकः | ||
| Tatar | миф | ||
| Tigrinya | ፅውፅዋይ | ||
| Tsonga | xiehleketiwa | ||