Nerve in Different Languages
Discover 'Nerve' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'nerve' carries a significant weight in our language, referring to both the physical component of our bodies and a metaphorical sense of bravery or confidence. Our nerves, the bundles of fibers that transmit signals between the brain and the rest of the body, are vital to our daily functioning. Culturally, 'nerve' is often used to describe a person's mental or emotional strength, as in 'you need nerves of steel' for high-pressure situations.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'nerve' in different languages can provide insight into how other cultures view this concept. For instance, in Spanish, 'nerve' translates to 'nervio,' while in German, it's 'Nerv.' In French, 'nerve' can be translated to 'nerf,' but interestingly, the word for 'nerve' in the metaphorical sense is 'courage.'
Below, you'll find a list of translations of the word 'nerve' in various languages, providing a glimpse into the cultural significance of this word around the world.
Nerve
Nerve in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | senuwee | ||
| The word "senuwee" is derived from old Dutch, and shares its root with "sinus" in English. | |||
| Amharic | ነርቭ | ||
| Amharic "ነርቭ" also means "string, thread" like its root "νῆμα" in Greek. | |||
| Hausa | jijiya | ||
| The word also means "anger" or "jealousy". | |||
| Igbo | akwara | ||
| "Akwara" also means "strength," "potency," "power," "vigor," or "energy." | |||
| Malagasy | kozatra | ||
| The word "kozatra" in Malagasy also means "cord", "string", or "thread". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mitsempha | ||
| "Mitsempha" also refers to a plant used in traditional medicine and as a vegetable. | |||
| Shona | tsinga | ||
| The word "tsinga" also means "sinew" and "muscle" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | neerfaha | ||
| Neerfaha also means 'courage' or 'fearlessness' in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | methapo | ||
| "Methapo" also means "strength" or "power" in Sesotho, reflecting the nerve's crucial role in transmitting electrical signals and controlling bodily functions. | |||
| Swahili | ujasiri | ||
| In Swahili, "ujasiri" also refers to confidence, courage, and audacity. | |||
| Xhosa | luvo | ||
| "Luvo" can also mean "the nerve of someone" or "the audacity of someone" | |||
| Yoruba | nafu ara | ||
| The Yoruba word "nafu ara" also means "the root of a tree or plant". | |||
| Zulu | imizwa | ||
| In Zulu it can also mean | |||
| Bambara | nɛrɛmuguma | ||
| Ewe | lãmeka si woyɔna be nerve | ||
| Kinyarwanda | imitsi | ||
| Lingala | misisa ya nzoto | ||
| Luganda | obusimu | ||
| Sepedi | methapo ya tšhika | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ntini a ɛyɛ den | ||
Nerve in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | عصب | ||
| عصب can also mean a tendon, muscle, sinew, or artery; in the plural (أعصاب) it denotes a league, gang, or party | |||
| Hebrew | עָצָב | ||
| The word "עָצָב" (o-tzav) in Hebrew can also mean "sorrow" or "grief". | |||
| Pashto | اعصاب | ||
| The Pashto word 'اعصاب' not only means 'nerve', but also 'sinews' and 'blood vessels'. | |||
| Arabic | عصب | ||
| عصب can also mean a tendon, muscle, sinew, or artery; in the plural (أعصاب) it denotes a league, gang, or party | |||
Nerve in Western European Languages
| Albanian | nervore | ||
| The word "nervore" in Albanian derives from the root "ner" or "nerë", meaning "force" or "strength", and it can also refer to "energy", "enthusiasm", or "vivacity". | |||
| Basque | nerbio | ||
| Nerbio is also used in Basque as a synonym for 'vein' | |||
| Catalan | nervi | ||
| Catalan "nervi" (n.) has the secondary meaning "sinew" and comes from Latin "nervus" (m.), which also meant "tendon, ligament, string, cable." | |||
| Croatian | živac | ||
| The word "živac" in Croatian also means "life force" or "vitality". | |||
| Danish | nerve | ||
| The Danish word 'nerve' can also refer to the string of a musical instrument or the veins in a leaf. | |||
| Dutch | zenuw | ||
| The word "zenuw" in Dutch can also refer to a string on a musical instrument. | |||
| English | nerve | ||
| The term 'nerve' derives from the Greek 'neuron', the Latin 'nervus', and the Proto-Indo-European root 'snaro', which referred to 'cord' and also had a metaphorical implication of strength or courage. | |||
| French | nerf | ||
| 'Nerf' in French also means 'sinew'. | |||
| Frisian | nerve | ||
| The Frisian word "nerve" can also mean "sinew, tendon, muscle." | |||
| Galician | nervio | ||
| "Nervio" derives from the Latin "nervus", also meaning "string". | |||
| German | nerv | ||
| The German word "Nerv" can also refer to a tendon or a sinew. | |||
| Icelandic | taug | ||
| An older meaning of the word "taug" in Icelandic is "sinew" or "string". | |||
| Irish | néaróg | ||
| The word 'néaróg' is also used in Irish to refer to a sinew or tendon. | |||
| Italian | nervo | ||
| The Italian word "nervo" can also mean "tendon" or "sinew". | |||
| Luxembourgish | nerv | ||
| Nerv in Luxembourgish derives from "nervus" of Late Latin in the 16th century, like in French where it also means "vigor", "determination", or "audacity" (nervus/nerf). | |||
| Maltese | nerv | ||
| Maltese 'nerv' also means 'sinew', from Vulgar Latin nervus | |||
| Norwegian | nerve | ||
| In Norwegian, "nerve" can also mean "muscle". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | nervo | ||
| In Portuguese, "nervo" can also mean "sinew", "muscle", or "courage". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | neoni | ||
| The Gaelic word "neoni" can also mean "sinew" or "tendon". | |||
| Spanish | nervio | ||
| In Spanish, the word "nervio" can also mean "muscle" or "sinew". | |||
| Swedish | nerv | ||
| "Nerv" is also used to refer to a muscle or sinew, and has the same meaning as "snöre" (string or cord). | |||
| Welsh | nerf | ||
| In Welsh, 'nerf' can also refer to a vein or sinew. | |||
Nerve in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | нерва | ||
| The word "нерва" (nerve) in Belarusian comes from Proto-Slavic *nervъ, meaning "string, thread". | |||
| Bosnian | nerv | ||
| The word "nerv" is borrowed from German and has no alternate meaning in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | нерв | ||
| In Bulgarian, the word "нерв" not only refers to a physical bodily structure, but it also denotes a person's temperament or disposition. | |||
| Czech | nerv | ||
| Czech "nerv" originally meant "sinew" or "tendon" but in the 16th century took on the meaning "nerve" under the influence of German "Nerv" | |||
| Estonian | närv | ||
| The word "närv" in Estonian is derived from the Old Norse word "nerfi", meaning "sinew" or "tendon". | |||
| Finnish | hermo | ||
| "Hermo" may also refer to the "courage" of a horse or a person. | |||
| Hungarian | ideg | ||
| The word "ideg" in Hungarian can also refer to "tendon" or "cord". | |||
| Latvian | nervs | ||
| The Latvian word "nervs" can also mean "sinew" or "muscle". | |||
| Lithuanian | nervas | ||
| In Lithuanian the word "nervas" is also used for the strings of a musical instrument, like violin, guitar or piano. | |||
| Macedonian | нерв | ||
| The word "нерв" in Macedonian can also mean "courage" or "strength" | |||
| Polish | nerw | ||
| "Nerw" can also mean "nerve" in some non-standard Polish dialects. | |||
| Romanian | nerv | ||
| In Romanian, the word nerv originates from Latin and can also refer to a "sinew" or "tendon". | |||
| Russian | нерв | ||
| Нерв (nerv) in Russian can also refer to a sinew or tendon | |||
| Serbian | нерв | ||
| The word "нерв" in Serbian also refers to a kind of stringed musical instrument resembling the western guitar. | |||
| Slovak | nerv | ||
| The Slovak word "nerv" can also mean "string", like "guitar string" or "fishing line." | |||
| Slovenian | živca | ||
| The word "živca" can also refer to a tendon or sinew. | |||
| Ukrainian | нерв | ||
| The word "нерв" (nerve) in Ukrainian comes from the Proto-Slavic word *nervo, which also means "sinew" or "tendon". | |||
Nerve in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | স্নায়ু | ||
| স্নায়ু may also mean 'sinew' in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | ચેતા | ||
| The Gujarati word "ચેતા" also means "alertness", "awareness", and "consciousness". | |||
| Hindi | नस | ||
| The word "nas" comes from the Sanskrit word "nadi", which means "channel" or "vessel" and refers to the channels in the body that carry vital fluids. | |||
| Kannada | ನರ | ||
| ನರ (nara) also means 'a male elephant or a heroic person' in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | നാഡി | ||
| The word | |||
| Marathi | मज्जातंतू | ||
| The word "मज्जातंतू" (majjātantū) in Marathi ultimately derives from the Sanskrit "मज्ज" (majjā) meaning "marrow" or "core", and "तंतु" (tantū) meaning "thread" or "filament", referring to the marrow-filled core of the nerve. | |||
| Nepali | स्नायु | ||
| The word स्नायु (ṣnāyu) comes from the Sanskrit word स्नायु (snāyu), which originally meant 'sinew, tendon' and is related to the English word 'string'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਨਸ | ||
| "ਨਸ" (nerve) in Punjabi originates from the Sanskrit word "नाडी" (nadi), which means "channel" or "flow", alluding to the body's network of energy channels known as "nadis" in Ayurveda. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ස්නායු | ||
| The verb ඹශඤය means both 'to bathe' and 'to shave' or 'to trim' (hair), but the noun ඹශඤයු (pronounced the same) only means 'nerve' (or rarely, a 'violin string'). | |||
| Tamil | நரம்பு | ||
| The Tamil word 'நரம்பு' (nerambu) is derived from the Proto-South Dravidian word *naṟampu, meaning both 'vein' and 'nerve'. | |||
| Telugu | నాడి | ||
| The Telugu word "నాడి" ("nerve") is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root word *nāṭi, meaning "vein" or "channel". | |||
| Urdu | اعصاب | ||
| The word "اعصاب" also means "veins" or "sinews". | |||
Nerve in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 神经 | ||
| The term 神经 (shénjīng) literally means "spirit-string" or "soul-string". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 神經 | ||
| "神經" (nerve) also refers to "nervousness" or "sensitivity" in Chinese (Traditional). | |||
| Japanese | 神経 | ||
| The word "神経" (nerve) in Japanese can also mean "delicacy" or "sensitivity". | |||
| Korean | 신경 이상 | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "nerve," "신경" can also refer to "sensitivity, awareness, attention," or "anxiety, concern, worry." | |||
| Mongolian | мэдрэл | ||
| The Mongolian word "мэдрэл" ('nerve') also refers to sensations, feelings, or emotions. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အာရုံကြော | ||
Nerve in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | saraf | ||
| "Saraf" also means "poison" in Old Javanese. | |||
| Javanese | saraf | ||
| The Javanese word "saraf" also refers to the concept of fate or destiny. | |||
| Khmer | សរសៃប្រសាទ | ||
| Lao | ເສັ້ນປະສາດ | ||
| Malay | saraf | ||
| The word "saraf" can also mean "sinew" or "channel" in Malay, reflecting its wider usage beyond the context of the nervous system. | |||
| Thai | เส้นประสาท | ||
| "เส้นประสาท" also means "sinew", "tendon", and "ligament". | |||
| Vietnamese | thần kinh | ||
| "Thần kinh" in Vietnamese can also mean "nervous" or a "nervous condition". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lakas ng loob | ||
Nerve in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | sinir | ||
| "Sinir" word also means "angry" in Azerbaijani; the original spelling, "sənnər", reflects this. | |||
| Kazakh | жүйке | ||
| The Kazakh word "жүйке" can also mean "sinew", "tendon", or "ligament." | |||
| Kyrgyz | нерв | ||
| In Kyrgyz, the word "нерв" can also refer to a "fiber" or a "vein". | |||
| Tajik | асаб | ||
| "Асаб" is also used to describe a very close friendship or familial relationship. | |||
| Turkmen | nerw | ||
| Uzbek | asab | ||
| "Asab" originates from the Persian "aṣāb" meaning both "nerve" and "tendon". | |||
| Uyghur | نېرۋا | ||
Nerve in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻalalā | ||
| 'Ālālā' ('nerve') in Hawaiian also refers to the large central vein in a banana leaf and a vein in a fish. | |||
| Maori | nerve | ||
| The Maori word "nerve" also refers to the "sinews, ligatures, muscles, cartilage, and veins". | |||
| Samoan | neula | ||
| The word 'neula' is also used to mean 'sting', likely due to the stinging pain associated with nerve damage. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | nerbiyos | ||
| The word "nerbiyos" has also been used to refer to the heart, sinews and tendons. | |||
Nerve in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | nervio ukax wali askiwa | ||
| Guarani | nervio rehegua | ||
Nerve in International Languages
| Esperanto | nervo | ||
| Latin | nervi | ||
| In Latin, "nervi" primarily refers to tendons, not nerves like in English. | |||
Nerve in Others Languages
| Greek | νεύρο | ||
| The word νεύρο can also refer to the string of a musical instrument or the bow of a boat. | |||
| Hmong | txoj hlab ntaws | ||
| The Hmong word for 'nerve' is 'txoj hlab ntaws', which literally means 'a bundle of tiny threads'. | |||
| Kurdish | tamar | ||
| In Kurdish, "tamar" can also mean "string" or "thread". | |||
| Turkish | sinir | ||
| "Sinir" also means "border" in Turkish, sharing the same root with the word "frontier" in English. | |||
| Xhosa | luvo | ||
| "Luvo" can also mean "the nerve of someone" or "the audacity of someone" | |||
| Yiddish | נערוו | ||
| “נערוו" is likely cognate to the Ukrainian “нерв" and possibly borrowed from French “nerf" (sinew, nerve) or Polish “nerw" (nerve). | |||
| Zulu | imizwa | ||
| In Zulu it can also mean | |||
| Assamese | স্নায়ু | ||
| Aymara | nervio ukax wali askiwa | ||
| Bhojpuri | नस के बारे में बतावल गइल बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ނާރު | ||
| Dogri | नर्वस | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lakas ng loob | ||
| Guarani | nervio rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | nerbio | ||
| Krio | na di nerv | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دەمار | ||
| Maithili | तंत्रिका | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯔꯚꯇꯥ ꯂꯩꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | nerve a ni | ||
| Oromo | narvii jedhamuun beekama | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସ୍ନାୟୁ | ||
| Quechua | nervio nisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | तंत्रिका | ||
| Tatar | нерв | ||
| Tigrinya | ነርቭ | ||
| Tsonga | xirho xa misiha | ||