Painful in Different Languages
Discover 'Painful' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Painful is a powerful word that describes physical or emotional discomfort or distress. Its significance extends beyond personal experience, as it plays a crucial role in communication and cultural understanding. Have you ever wondered how people in other cultures express this concept? Understanding the translation of painful in different languages can provide fascinating insights into cultural nuances and historical contexts.
For instance, in Spanish, painful translates to 'doloroso/a,' which also means 'sorrowful' or 'regretful.' In German, 'schmerzhaft' not only refers to physical pain but can also signify emotional distress. Meanwhile, in Japanese, 'itai' is used for physical pain, while 'kurushii' denotes mental or emotional anguish.
Exploring the translations of painful in various languages can enrich your vocabulary and cultural awareness. Keep reading to discover more about this intriguing word and its equivalents in different languages.
Painful
Painful in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | pynlike | ||
| The word "pynlike" is derived from the Dutch word "pijnlijk", meaning "painful" or "torturous." | |||
| Amharic | የሚያሠቃይ | ||
| The word "የሚያሠቃይ" ("painful") in Amharic is derived from the root "ሠቃይ" ("pain"), which is also the root of the word "መሠቃየል" ("to suffer"). | |||
| Hausa | mai raɗaɗi | ||
| The Hausa word "mai raɗaɗi" can also refer to a type of spicy pepper. | |||
| Igbo | na-egbu mgbu | ||
| Na-egbu mgbu is also used figuratively to describe something that is very unpleasant or difficult | |||
| Malagasy | maharary | ||
| Malagasy has two words for "painful": "maharary" (physical pain) and "mampalahelo" (emotional pain). | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zopweteka | ||
| "Zopweteka" is also related to "zopetsa" (cause pain / hurt) and "Zopusa" (pain). | |||
| Shona | inorwadza | ||
| The word "inorwadza" in Shona also means "to be burdened", implying that pain is a heavy burden to bear. | |||
| Somali | xanuun badan | ||
| The Somali word "xanuun badan" also means "severe" or "intense". | |||
| Sesotho | bohloko | ||
| The word "bohloko" comes from the Proto-Bantu word "-lòkɔ̀", which originally meant "to be broken". | |||
| Swahili | chungu | ||
| The word "chungu" in Swahili can also refer to a type of traditional healing practice involving the use of herbs and incantations. | |||
| Xhosa | kubuhlungu | ||
| The word 'Kubuhlungu' in Xhosa also refers to a type of traditional healing ceremony involving the use of herbs and incantations. | |||
| Yoruba | irora | ||
| The word "irora" can also refer to "agony" or "suffering" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | kubuhlungu | ||
| "Kubuhlungu" in Zulu is derived from the word "buhlungu", meaning "sorrow" or "grief". | |||
| Bambara | dimi bɛ mɔgɔ la | ||
| Ewe | vevesese | ||
| Kinyarwanda | birababaza | ||
| Lingala | mpasi | ||
| Luganda | ebiruma | ||
| Sepedi | bohloko | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɛyɛ yaw | ||
Painful in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مؤلم | ||
| Arabic "مؤلم" also means "causing pain or sorrow". | |||
| Hebrew | כּוֹאֵב | ||
| The word "כּוֹאֵב" can also mean "heavy" or "difficult" in Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | دردناک | ||
| The word "دردناک" in Pashto can also mean "heartbreaking" or "saddening". | |||
| Arabic | مؤلم | ||
| Arabic "مؤلم" also means "causing pain or sorrow". | |||
Painful in Western European Languages
| Albanian | e dhimbshme | ||
| The term “e dhimbshme” originated from the Proto-Albanian word “të dhëm” (“to hurt”) and the suffix “-shme” signifying “quality or state”. | |||
| Basque | mingarria | ||
| The word "mingarria" is derived from the Basque word "mina" (wound), and can also refer to a "painful person". | |||
| Catalan | dolorós | ||
| The Catalan word "dolorós" comes from the Latin word "dolorōsus", which also means "painful". | |||
| Croatian | bolno | ||
| The word "bolno" in Croatian can also mean "sickly" or "pitiable", and derives from the Proto-Slavic word *bolьnъ, meaning "sick". | |||
| Danish | smertefuld | ||
| In Danish, "smertefuld" is derived from the Old Norse word "smerti", meaning "pain" or "suffering". | |||
| Dutch | pijnlijk | ||
| The Dutch word "pijnlijk" is cognate with the German "peinlich" and originally referred to torture, shame or embarrassment. | |||
| English | painful | ||
| "Painful" comes from the Latin "paene," meaning "nearly," and "fulvus," meaning "tawny," referring to the pale color of a wound. | |||
| French | douloureux | ||
| The word "douloureux" in French derives from the Latin word "dolere", meaning "to suffer or grieve". | |||
| Frisian | pynlik | ||
| The Frisian word 'pynlik', meaning 'painful', is derived from the Proto-Germanic word '*paina*', which also meant 'pain' or 'affliction'. | |||
| Galician | doloroso | ||
| The Galician word "doloroso" comes from the Latin word "dolorosus", which means "full of pain or sorrow". | |||
| German | schmerzlich | ||
| "Schmerzlich" is derived from the Middle High German word "smerzlich", which meant "to hurt" or "to cause pain." | |||
| Icelandic | sársaukafullt | ||
| "Sársaukafullt" is an Icelandic word that combines "sár" (pain) and "sauka" (wound), meaning "full of pain". | |||
| Irish | pianmhar | ||
| The Irish word 'pianmhar' is derived from the Proto-Celtic *pēni-moro-, meaning 'very great' or 'exceedingly large'. | |||
| Italian | doloroso | ||
| The word 'doloroso' is also an archaic term for 'sinister' or 'ominous'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | penibel | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "penibel" comes from the French word "pénible" which has the same meaning, while in German, the word for "painful" is "schmerzhaft". | |||
| Maltese | bl-uġigħ | ||
| The word "bl-uġigħ" in Maltese is derived from the Arabic word "وجع" (pronounced "wajaʿ"), which also means "pain". | |||
| Norwegian | smertefull | ||
| In Old Norwegian, "smertefull" also meant "troublesome". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | doloroso | ||
| Doloroso can also mean 'sorrowful' or 'mournful'. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | pianail | ||
| The Gaelic word 'pianail' can also mean 'penalty' or 'punishment'. | |||
| Spanish | doloroso | ||
| The word "doloroso" in Spanish is derived from the Latin word "dolor," which means "pain" or "grief." | |||
| Swedish | smärtsam | ||
| The word "smärtsam" is derived from the Old Norse "smart", meaning "pain" or "soreness." | |||
| Welsh | poenus | ||
| The word 'poenus' also means 'sting' or 'prick' in Welsh, and is related to the word 'pin' in English. | |||
Painful in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | балючая | ||
| "Балючая" is derived from the Proto-Slavic verb *boljeti, "to hurt". | |||
| Bosnian | bolno | ||
| 'Bolno' comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'bolěti' meaning 'to hurt' or 'to be ill'. In Croatian, it means 'illness', while in Bulgarian it means 'pain'. | |||
| Bulgarian | болезнено | ||
| Болезнено may also mean "morbid" or "sickly" in different contexts. | |||
| Czech | bolestivý | ||
| The word "bolestivý" comes from the Old Czech word "bolěti" meaning "to hurt". | |||
| Estonian | valus | ||
| "Valus" also means "light" in Estonian, a semantic shift from Proto-Uralic *valɛ, which also meant "bright". | |||
| Finnish | tuskallista | ||
| Tuskallista is related to the Finnish word "tuska," which means "agony". | |||
| Hungarian | fájdalmas | ||
| The word "fájdalmas" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *peh₂- "to suffer, to feel pain" | |||
| Latvian | sāpīgi | ||
| The word "sāpīgi" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*sep-", meaning "to bind, to fetter". It is related to the Latin "sapiō", meaning "to be wise", and to the Greek "sophia", meaning "wisdom". This suggests that the original meaning of "sāpīgi" was "to be bound or fettered by pain", and that the metaphorical sense of "painful" developed later. | |||
| Lithuanian | skaudus | ||
| The word "skaudus" in Lithuanian originates from the Proto-Indo-European root *skeud- which also meant "to cut, to hit" | |||
| Macedonian | болно | ||
| In Macedonian, "болно" (painful) also refers to physical injuries, mental anguish, and emotional distress. | |||
| Polish | bolesny | ||
| The Polish word "bolesny" originally meant "full of fear or concern" and only later acquired the meaning of "painful". | |||
| Romanian | dureros | ||
| The word "dureros" likely originates from the Latin word "dolorosus," which also means "painful." | |||
| Russian | болезненный | ||
| The word "болезненный" in Russian also means "sickly" or "morbid". | |||
| Serbian | болно | ||
| The word "болно" has dual meanings in the Serbian language, also referring to illness in the sense of being sick. | |||
| Slovak | bolestivé | ||
| The word 'bolestivé' in Slovak comes from the root word 'boľ', which means 'pain'. | |||
| Slovenian | boleče | ||
| The word "boleče" in Slovenian can also mean "aching" or "sore" | |||
| Ukrainian | болючий | ||
| "Болючий" also means "difficult" or "troublesome" in colloquial speech. | |||
Painful in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বেদনাদায়ক | ||
| বেদনাদায়ক also means "sorrowful" or "regretful". | |||
| Gujarati | પીડાદાયક | ||
| The term 'પીડાદાયક' ('painful') finds root in the Sanskrit term 'peed,' which refers to suffering and agony. | |||
| Hindi | दर्दनाक | ||
| The word comes from Persian and literally means 'related to a wound' | |||
| Kannada | ನೋವಿನಿಂದ ಕೂಡಿದೆ | ||
| Malayalam | വേദനാജനകമാണ് | ||
| Marathi | वेदनादायक | ||
| The word "वेदनादायक" can also mean "regrettable" or "unfortunate" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | पीडादायी | ||
| The word “पीड़ादायी” comes from the Sanskrit word “पीड़ा”, which can mean both “pain” and “disease”. | |||
| Punjabi | ਦੁਖਦਾਈ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਦੁਖਦਾਈ" has an alternate meaning "tragic", as it is derived from the Sanskrit word "दुःख" meaning "sorrow". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වේදනාකාරී | ||
| Tamil | வலி | ||
| The word "வலி" in Tamil is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root "*walu-/*walu". It is related to the Sanskrit "व्रण" (vraṇa) and the Telugu "వ్రణము" (vraṇamu). | |||
| Telugu | బాధాకరమైన | ||
| Urdu | تکلیف دہ | ||
| In Urdu, the word "تکلیف دہ" can also refer to something that is "burdensome" or "troublesome". | |||
Painful in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 痛苦 | ||
| "痛苦" literally translates to "pain and suffering" | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 痛苦 | ||
| 痛苦 means "painful," but can also mean "suffering" or "misery." | |||
| Japanese | 痛い | ||
| The word "痛い" also means "embarrassing" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 괴로운 | ||
| 괴로운 (goerooun) translates to "painful," but is ultimately of Chinese origin, meaning "difficulty" (고, go) or "hard/bitter experience" (로움, roam). | |||
| Mongolian | өвдөлттэй | ||
| "Өвдөлттэй" is also used as a euphemism to describe a person who is difficult to deal with. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နာကျင် | ||
| The word "နာကျင်" (painful) also has the alternate meaning of "to have a headache" or "to feel unwell". | |||
Painful in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | menyakitkan | ||
| The root word 'sakit' in 'menyakitkan' also refers to 'illness', reflecting the close association between physical and emotional pain. | |||
| Javanese | nglarani | ||
| Nglarani can also mean "to suffer or endure pain". | |||
| Khmer | ឈឺចាប់ | ||
| The word "ឈឺចាប់" ("painful") is derived from the Sanskrit word "शूल" ("thorn") and can also mean "acute" or "severe". | |||
| Lao | ເຈັບປວດ | ||
| Malay | menyakitkan | ||
| The word "menyakitkan" can also mean "annoying" or "troublesome" in Malay. | |||
| Thai | เจ็บปวด | ||
| The word "เจ็บปวด" (painful) in Thai comes from the Sanskrit word "jib" meaning "to hurt". | |||
| Vietnamese | đau đớn | ||
| The word "đau đớn" can also mean "excruciating" or "intensely painful". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | masakit | ||
Painful in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ağrılı | ||
| The word "ağrılı" is derived from the Proto-Turkic word "ağrı", meaning "pain," and the suffix "-li", indicating possession or quality. | |||
| Kazakh | ауыр | ||
| "Ауыр" is used to describe a heavy weight as well as a pain or burden. | |||
| Kyrgyz | ооруткан | ||
| The word "ооруткан" derives from the Turkish word "acı" meaning "bitter" and can also refer to emotional pain. | |||
| Tajik | дардовар | ||
| The word "дардовар" in Tajik comes from the Persian word "درد آور" (dard avar), which itself is a compound of the words "درد" (dard) meaning "pain" and "آور" (avar) meaning "causing". | |||
| Turkmen | agyryly | ||
| Uzbek | alamli | ||
| The word "alamli" can also refer to a person who is suffering from pain or distress, or to something that is causing pain or distress. | |||
| Uyghur | ئازابلىق | ||
Painful in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻeha | ||
| 'ʻEhaʻ is also the word for 'hurt,' 'sorrow,' 'offended,' 'injured,' or 'damaged'. | |||
| Maori | mamae | ||
| The word "mamae" can also mean "trouble" or "sorrow". | |||
| Samoan | tiga | ||
| It is cognate with the Fijian word 'siga', and Proto-Polynesian word *sika meaning 'be in pain'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | masakit | ||
| The Tagalog word "masakit" also means "hard" or "difficult". | |||
Painful in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | t’aqhisiña | ||
| Guarani | hasýva | ||
Painful in International Languages
| Esperanto | dolora | ||
| The Esperanto word "dolora" is derived from the Latin word "dolor", and also means "sorrowful" or "grieving". | |||
| Latin | dolens | ||
| }The alternate meanings of "dolens" can range from emotions like "afflicted" and "grieving" to physical feelings like "tender" and "irritated". | |||
Painful in Others Languages
| Greek | επώδυνος | ||
| The word "επώδυνος" derives from the Greek words "επί" (on, upon) and "ωδύνη" (pain), originally meaning "on top of pain". | |||
| Hmong | mob | ||
| In Hmong, "mob" also means "to be in pain" or "to be injured." | |||
| Kurdish | êşda | ||
| The word "êşda" in Kurdish is also used to refer to a type of stinging nettle that causes a burning sensation on contact. | |||
| Turkish | acı verici | ||
| "Acı verici" refers to the sensation of pain, as well as something that causes emotional or psychological distress. | |||
| Xhosa | kubuhlungu | ||
| The word 'Kubuhlungu' in Xhosa also refers to a type of traditional healing ceremony involving the use of herbs and incantations. | |||
| Yiddish | ווייטיקדיק | ||
| The word "ווייטיקדיק" is derived from the Hebrew word "וַיּוּתַךְ", which means "pain". | |||
| Zulu | kubuhlungu | ||
| "Kubuhlungu" in Zulu is derived from the word "buhlungu", meaning "sorrow" or "grief". | |||
| Assamese | যন্ত্ৰণাদায়ক | ||
| Aymara | t’aqhisiña | ||
| Bhojpuri | दर्दनाक बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ވޭންދެނިވި ކަމެކެވެ | ||
| Dogri | दर्द भरा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | masakit | ||
| Guarani | hasýva | ||
| Ilocano | nasakit ti nakemna | ||
| Krio | i kin mek pɔsin fil pen | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بە ئازارە | ||
| Maithili | दर्दनाक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯋꯥꯕꯥ ꯄꯤꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | hrehawm tak a ni | ||
| Oromo | nama dhukkubsa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଯନ୍ତ୍ରଣାଦାୟକ | | ||
| Quechua | nanayniyuq | ||
| Sanskrit | दुःखदम् | ||
| Tatar | авырту | ||
| Tigrinya | መሪር እዩ። | ||
| Tsonga | swi vava | ||