Pain in Different Languages
Discover 'Pain' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Pain is a universal human experience, yet it is a concept that is deeply embedded in our unique cultures and languages. Its significance extends beyond the physical sensation, as it also encompasses emotional and psychological distress. Pain serves as a survival mechanism, alerting us to potential harm and prompting us to take action. But when pain becomes chronic, it can have a profound impact on our quality of life, making effective communication and understanding all the more crucial.
Throughout history, pain has been a source of fascination and study for philosophers, doctors, and artists alike. From the ancient Greek concept of 'ponos' to the modern medical field of pain management, our understanding of pain has evolved significantly over time. And as we continue to explore the complexities of this human experience, we find that the word 'pain' itself holds a wealth of cultural and linguistic significance.
For those interested in language and culture, exploring the translations of 'pain' in different languages can offer a unique window into the ways that different cultures understand and express this fundamental human experience.
Here are some translations of the word 'pain' in different languages:
Pain
Pain in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | pyn | ||
| The Afrikaans word "pyn" is cognate with the English word "pain" and is derived from the Proto-Germanic word *painaz. | |||
| Amharic | ህመም | ||
| The word "ህመም" also refers to "sickness" or "disease". | |||
| Hausa | zafi | ||
| The word "zafi" can also refer to a type of physical distress or discomfort. | |||
| Igbo | mgbu | ||
| "Mgbu" can also refer to the Igbo concept of spiritual suffering or emotional distress. | |||
| Malagasy | fanaintainana | ||
| The word "fanaintainana" in Malagasy can also refer to a feeling of sadness or regret. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ululu | ||
| The word "ululu" is an onomatopoeia, derived from the sound of a cry or groan. | |||
| Shona | kurwadziwa | ||
| "Kurwadziwa" is often used in the context of physical pain, but also refers to psychological pain. | |||
| Somali | xanuun | ||
| The word "xanuun" is thought to be derived from the proto-Cushitic root "*xan-", meaning "to cut" or "to hurt". | |||
| Sesotho | bohloko | ||
| "Bohlōkō" also refers to a "sharp point" or a "painful event" in the figurative sense. | |||
| Swahili | maumivu | ||
| Swahili word 'maumivu' is derived from the verb 'uma' meaning 'to ache' or 'to hurt'. | |||
| Xhosa | intlungu | ||
| The word 'intlungu' derives from the Bantu root '-tungu-', meaning 'to prick or pierce'. | |||
| Yoruba | irora | ||
| The word 'irora' in Yoruba can also refer to 'a sharp mental or emotional distress'. | |||
| Zulu | ubuhlungu | ||
| "Ubuhlungu" (pain) has an additional meaning in Zulu: "a burden or problem". | |||
| Bambara | dimi | ||
| Ewe | vevesese | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ububabare | ||
| Lingala | mpasi | ||
| Luganda | obulumi | ||
| Sepedi | bohloko | ||
| Twi (Akan) | yeaw | ||
Pain in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ألم | ||
| In Arabic, "ألم" means "pain," while "ألن" means "to make soft." This semantic connection highlights pain's ability to soften and weaken individuals. | |||
| Hebrew | כְּאֵב | ||
| The Hebrew word "כְּאֵב" can also mean "grief" or "sorrow". | |||
| Pashto | درد | ||
| The word "درد" can also refer to a "wound". | |||
| Arabic | ألم | ||
| In Arabic, "ألم" means "pain," while "ألن" means "to make soft." This semantic connection highlights pain's ability to soften and weaken individuals. | |||
Pain in Western European Languages
| Albanian | dhimbje | ||
| The Albanian word "dhimbje" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *ḱleu- meaning "to hear" but has acquired the meaning of "pain" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | mina | ||
| In Spanish, "mina" also means "mine". | |||
| Catalan | dolor | ||
| The word "dolor" in Catalan has the same Latin roots as "dollar" and "douleur," connecting the concept of pain to monetary value and emotional anguish. | |||
| Croatian | bol | ||
| The word 'bol' in Croatian originates from the Proto-Indo-European root '*bhel-' or '*bhol-' meaning 'to strike'. | |||
| Danish | smerte | ||
| The Danish word "smerte" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*smurt-i", meaning "sharp" or "painful". | |||
| Dutch | pijn | ||
| The word "pijn" has the same root as the Old English word "pine," from which we get the modern word "pain". Additionally, "pijn" is also cognate with the German word "Pein," which means "torment." | |||
| English | pain | ||
| The word 'pain' derives from the Latin 'poena', meaning 'punishment' or 'penalty'. | |||
| French | douleur | ||
| Douleur derives from the Latin word 'dolere', which also gives us words such as 'dolorous', 'condolence' and 'indole'. | |||
| Frisian | pine | ||
| The Frisian word for "pine" is also used to describe a "sensation of unease". | |||
| Galician | dor | ||
| Galician "dor" is a cognate of Modern Portuguese "dor" (pain), originating from the Latin word "dolor" (sorrow, grief). | |||
| German | schmerzen | ||
| Schmerzen (pain) derives from Proto-Germanic *smerdano, which also gives the English word 'smart' (a twinge of sharp, stinging pain). | |||
| Icelandic | sársauki | ||
| The word "sársauki" in Icelandic is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*saraz", meaning "injury", and the Old Norse word "saukr", meaning "wound". | |||
| Irish | pian | ||
| The word 'pian' in Irish can also refer to punishment, suffering, or torment. | |||
| Italian | dolore | ||
| The word "dolore" derives from the Latin word "dolor", meaning "suffering, sadness, grief". | |||
| Luxembourgish | péng | ||
| "Péng" can also refer to a wooden stick used for bread dough or hammering in nails. | |||
| Maltese | uġigħ | ||
| "Uġigħ" derives from the Arabic "وجع" (waja‘), meaning "pain", possibly via Sicilian | |||
| Norwegian | smerte | ||
| The word "smerte" is cognate with the German word "schmerz" and the English word "smart", all sharing an Indo-European root meaning "to sting or burn". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | dor | ||
| Dor in Portuguese comes from the Latin word 'dolor' but can also refer to mourning or grief. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | pian | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, "pian" comes from Old Irish "pian" ("suffering, punishment") which in turn derives from Proto-Celtic "peina" ("suffering, atonement") which may be related to "poena" in Latin, also meaning "suffering, punishment." | |||
| Spanish | dolor | ||
| In Spanish, "dolor" evolved from Latin "doleo," meaning to suffer, grieve, or mourn. | |||
| Swedish | smärta | ||
| The word 'smärta' derives from the Proto-Germanic root *smart-, meaning 'to cause pain.' | |||
| Welsh | poen | ||
| From Latin 'poena' meaning both 'punishment' and 'pain', and Old English 'pin(a)', akin to 'pine'. | |||
Pain in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | боль | ||
| The Belarusian word "боль" is cognate with the Russian word "боль" and the Ukrainian word "біль," and is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *bolь, meaning "pain" or "sickness." | |||
| Bosnian | bol | ||
| The word "bol" in Bosnian is also used as a term of endearment, similar to "honey" or "darling". | |||
| Bulgarian | болка | ||
| The word "болка" is derived from the Old Bulgarian word "блъх" (bee sting), and originally referred to any sharp or stinging sensation. | |||
| Czech | bolest | ||
| The word "bolest" in Czech originally meant "illness" or "disease", but gradually came to mean "pain" in the 16th century. | |||
| Estonian | valu | ||
| The word "valu" can also mean "value" or "price" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | kipu | ||
| In Northern Savonian dialects, "kipu" can also mean "itch". | |||
| Hungarian | fájdalom | ||
| The word "fájdalom" is derived from the Proto-Uralic word "*pajta" meaning "to pinch" or "to squeeze". This also underlies the meaning of "pinch" in English, while in Hungarian this meaning is carried by the word "csip". | |||
| Latvian | sāpes | ||
| The word "sāpes" can also refer to a feeling of grief or sorrow. | |||
| Lithuanian | skausmas | ||
| The word “skausmas” is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *skeu- “to cut,” which is also the origin of the words “scissors” and “scalpel”. | |||
| Macedonian | болка | ||
| The word "болка" in Macedonian also has the meaning of "affliction" or "suffering". | |||
| Polish | ból | ||
| Ból also means "aching" or "soreness" and is related to the word "boleć" meaning "to ache" or "to be sore." | |||
| Romanian | durere | ||
| The Romanian word "durere" derives from the Proto-Slavic "dervati", meaning "pain, suffering, or sorrow." | |||
| Russian | боль | ||
| The word "боль" can have metaphorical meanings, such as "grief" or "sorrow" as well as physical discomfort. | |||
| Serbian | бол | ||
| The word "бол" (pronounced "bol") is derived from Proto-Slavic "*bъlь", which also means "sickness" or "disease". | |||
| Slovak | bolesť | ||
| The Slovak word "bolesť" is cognate with the Proto-Slavic word meaning "disease". | |||
| Slovenian | bolečina | ||
| In some dialects, "bolečina" also means "misery". | |||
| Ukrainian | біль | ||
| The word "біль" in Ukrainian is derived from the Proto-Slavic "bolь", meaning "suffering". | |||
Pain in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ব্যথা | ||
| The word "ব্যথা" also refers to "trouble" or "distress" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | પીડા | ||
| The word "પીડા" (pain) in Gujarati is derived from the Sanskrit word "piḍa," meaning "injury" or "affliction." | |||
| Hindi | दर्द | ||
| In Persian, the word "درد" also means "love" or "longing". | |||
| Kannada | ನೋವು | ||
| The Kannada word "నోవు" can also mean "sorrow" or "grief". | |||
| Malayalam | വേദന | ||
| The word "വേദന" is also used in Malayalam to refer to the "Vedas", ancient Hindu scriptures. | |||
| Marathi | वेदना | ||
| The word 'वेदना' ('pain') is derived from the Sanskrit root 'vid' ('to separate'). This root also appears in other Marathi words such as 'विचार' (thought) and 'विजय' (victory), suggesting a connection between pain, separation, and the process of gaining knowledge or success. | |||
| Nepali | पीडा | ||
| The root "पीड़" (pīḍ) in "पीडा" means both physical or emotional "pain" and the "pressing or grinding" of grains, possibly related to its archaic sense as a heavy rod used in crushing and pressing. | |||
| Punjabi | ਦਰਦ | ||
| The word "ਦਰਦ" can also refer to separation from a loved one in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වේදනාව | ||
| The Sanskrit word 'vEdanA' (वेदना), which is the root of 'vedanava', also means 'knowledge', 'perception', or 'feeling'. | |||
| Tamil | வலி | ||
| The Tamil word "வலி" (pain) shares its root with the word "வலிமை" (strength), suggesting a potential connection between pain and the resilience it can foster. | |||
| Telugu | నొప్పి | ||
| Its cognates in other Dravidian languages suggest that the word "నొప్పి" originally meant "to be bent or curved". | |||
| Urdu | درد | ||
| "درد" (dard) means "pain" in Urdu. In Persian, it also means "love" or "grief," reflecting the emotional and physical aspects of pain. | |||
Pain in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 疼痛 | ||
| The character 痛 in 疼痛, pronounced 'tòng', originally depicts a hand holding a pestle and can mean to strike, beat, or suffer a beating. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 疼痛 | ||
| 疼痛 (tong1 teng4) in Chinese is a compound word that literally means 'communication with the body'. | |||
| Japanese | 痛み | ||
| The kanji 痛 (“pain”) is often paired with a second kanji to create more specific compound words, such as 頭痛 (“headache”) and 腹痛 (“stomach pain”). | |||
| Korean | 고통 | ||
| "고통" can also mean "a hardship" or "a calamity". | |||
| Mongolian | өвдөлт | ||
| The word "өвдөлт" can also refer to a wound or injury. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နာကျင်မှု | ||
Pain in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | rasa sakit | ||
| The Indonesian word "rasa sakit" literally translates to "feeling sick" or "sickness of the body". | |||
| Javanese | lara | ||
| The word "lara" in Javanese also means a wound or injury. | |||
| Khmer | ឈឺចាប់ | ||
| The Khmer word "ឈឺចាប់" ("pain") is derived from the Sanskrit word "शिरो" ("head") and "छेद" ("to cut"), referring to the splitting headache that is a common symptom of pain. | |||
| Lao | ຄວາມເຈັບປວດ | ||
| Malay | sakit | ||
| "Sakit" (pain) is cognate with "saquit" in Javanese which also means "difficult or troublesome" and can be traced back to Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *sa(ŋ)kit which also refers to illness. | |||
| Thai | ความเจ็บปวด | ||
| The Thai word "ความเจ็บปวด" (pain) can also refer to physical exertion or hard work. | |||
| Vietnamese | đau đớn | ||
| Đau đớn is a compound noun meaning 'pain', but in the past, 'đớn' also meant 'severe' and 'đau' meant 'ache' | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sakit | ||
Pain in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ağrı | ||
| The word "ağrı" derives from the Proto-Turkic root *aq- "pain, ache" and shares this etymology with Mongolian "ahri" and Turkish "ağrı". | |||
| Kazakh | ауырсыну | ||
| The word "ауырсыну" in Kazakh also means "to be heavy" or "to be hard". | |||
| Kyrgyz | оору | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "оору" also means "sickness" and is related to the Kazakh word "ауру" and the Turkish word "ağrı". | |||
| Tajik | дард | ||
| Tajik 'дард' ('pain') has roots in Old Tajik 'dart' or 'dard', meaning 'suffering', and is cognate with Middle Indo-Aryan 'daridra', meaning 'poor or lacking'. | |||
| Turkmen | agyry | ||
| Uzbek | og'riq | ||
| "Og'riq" is a derivative of the Proto-Turkic word "**oγrï**" meaning "hurt, wound, wound" and is possibly related to the word "**oγru**" meaning "to steal, to rob, to kill". | |||
| Uyghur | ئاغرىق | ||
Pain in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻeha | ||
| The word ʻeha also means "mistake" or "error" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | mamae | ||
| "Mamae" also means "to bear with" or "to endure" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | tiga | ||
| The term "tiga" can also indicate a physical injury and is associated with traditional Samoan medicine used to treat ailments of the body. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sakit | ||
| In Tagalog, “sakit” can also refer to “illness” or “disease”. | |||
Pain in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | usu | ||
| Guarani | hasy | ||
Pain in International Languages
| Esperanto | doloro | ||
| The word "doloro" is a derivative of the Latin word "dolor", meaning "pain" or "suffering." | |||
| Latin | dolor | ||
| The Latin word "dolor" also means "grief", "sorrow", "misery" or "suffering." | |||
Pain in Others Languages
| Greek | πόνος | ||
| While the word "πόνος" in Greek denotes intense physical pain, it also holds deeper meanings, representing 'hardship', 'effort', and even 'the work of childbirth'. | |||
| Hmong | kev mob | ||
| In Hmong, the word 'kev mob' can also mean 'suffering' or 'distress'. | |||
| Kurdish | êş | ||
| The Kurdish word "êş" can also refer to a "thorn" or "prickle". | |||
| Turkish | ağrı | ||
| The word "Ağrı" may also refer to the Turkish province or its capital city of the same name. | |||
| Xhosa | intlungu | ||
| The word 'intlungu' derives from the Bantu root '-tungu-', meaning 'to prick or pierce'. | |||
| Yiddish | ווייטיק | ||
| It is etymologically related to the Old High German word 'wetag', meaning 'pain' or 'wound'. | |||
| Zulu | ubuhlungu | ||
| "Ubuhlungu" (pain) has an additional meaning in Zulu: "a burden or problem". | |||
| Assamese | দুখ | ||
| Aymara | usu | ||
| Bhojpuri | दरद | ||
| Dhivehi | ތަދު | ||
| Dogri | पीड़ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sakit | ||
| Guarani | hasy | ||
| Ilocano | ut-ot | ||
| Krio | pen | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ژان | ||
| Maithili | दर्द | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯅꯥꯕ | ||
| Mizo | na | ||
| Oromo | dhukkubbii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଯନ୍ତ୍ରଣା | ||
| Quechua | nanay | ||
| Sanskrit | पीडा | ||
| Tatar | авырту | ||
| Tigrinya | ቃንዛ | ||
| Tsonga | xivavi | ||