Punishment in different languages

Punishment in Different Languages

Discover 'Punishment' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Punishment


Go to etymology & notes ↓
Afrikaans
straf
Albanian
dënimi
Amharic
ቅጣት
Arabic
عقاب
Armenian
պատիժ
Assamese
শাস্তি
Aymara
mutuyaña
Azerbaijani
cəza
Bambara
ɲangili
Basque
zigorra
Belarusian
пакаранне
Bengali
শাস্তি
Bhojpuri
सजा के सजा दिहल जाला
Bosnian
kazna
Bulgarian
наказание
Catalan
càstig
Cebuano
silot
Chinese (Simplified)
惩罚
Chinese (Traditional)
懲罰
Corsican
castigu
Croatian
kazna
Czech
trest
Danish
straf
Dhivehi
އަދަބު
Dogri
सजा देना
Dutch
straf
English
punishment
Esperanto
puno
Estonian
karistus
Ewe
tohehe na ame
Filipino (Tagalog)
parusa
Finnish
rangaistus
French
châtiment
Frisian
straf
Galician
castigo
Georgian
სასჯელი
German
bestrafung
Greek
τιμωρία
Guarani
castigo rehegua
Gujarati
સજા
Haitian Creole
pinisyon
Hausa
azaba
Hawaiian
hoʻopaʻi
Hebrew
עֲנִישָׁה
Hindi
सज़ा
Hmong
kev rau txim
Hungarian
büntetés
Icelandic
refsing
Igbo
ntaramahụhụ
Ilocano
dusa
Indonesian
hukuman
Irish
pionós
Italian
punizione
Japanese
Javanese
ukuman
Kannada
ಶಿಕ್ಷೆ
Kazakh
жазалау
Khmer
ការដាក់ទណ្ឌកម្ម
Kinyarwanda
igihano
Konkani
ख्यास्त दिवप
Korean
처벌
Krio
pɔnishmɛnt
Kurdish
cezakirin
Kurdish (Sorani)
سزا
Kyrgyz
жазалоо
Lao
ການລົງໂທດ
Latin
poena
Latvian
sods
Lingala
kopesa etumbu
Lithuanian
bausmė
Luganda
ekibonerezo
Luxembourgish
bestrofung
Macedonian
казна
Maithili
सजाय
Malagasy
sazy
Malay
hukuman
Malayalam
ശിക്ഷ
Maltese
piena
Maori
whiu
Marathi
शिक्षा
Meiteilon (Manipuri)
ꯆꯩꯔꯥꯛ ꯄꯤꯕꯥ꯫
Mizo
hremna pek a ni
Mongolian
шийтгэл
Myanmar (Burmese)
ပြစ်ဒဏ်
Nepali
सजाय
Norwegian
avstraffelse
Nyanja (Chichewa)
chilango
Odia (Oriya)
ଦଣ୍ଡ
Oromo
adabbii
Pashto
سزا ورکول
Persian
مجازات
Polish
kara
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)
punição
Punjabi
ਸਜ਼ਾ
Quechua
muchuchiy
Romanian
pedeapsă
Russian
наказание
Samoan
faʻasalaga
Sanskrit
दण्डः
Scots Gaelic
peanas
Sepedi
kotlo
Serbian
казна
Sesotho
kotlo
Shona
chirango
Sindhi
سزا
Sinhala (Sinhalese)
ද .ුවම්
Slovak
trest
Slovenian
kazen
Somali
ciqaab
Spanish
castigo
Sundanese
hukuman
Swahili
adhabu
Swedish
bestraffning
Tagalog (Filipino)
parusa
Tajik
ҷазо
Tamil
தண்டனை
Tatar
җәза
Telugu
శిక్ష
Thai
การลงโทษ
Tigrinya
መቕጻዕቲ
Tsonga
ku xupuriwa
Turkish
ceza
Turkmen
jeza
Twi (Akan)
asotwe a wɔde ma
Ukrainian
покарання
Urdu
سزا
Uyghur
جازا
Uzbek
jazo
Vietnamese
sự trừng phạt
Welsh
cosb
Xhosa
isohlwayo
Yiddish
שטראָף
Yoruba
ijiya
Zulu
isijeziso

Etymology & Notes

LanguageEtymology / Notes
AfrikaansThe word "straf" can also mean "tight" or "rigorous" in Afrikaans, a usage derived from the Dutch word "straf".
AlbanianThe Albanian word "dënimi" also has a religious connotation, referring to God's judgment or retribution
AmharicThe word "ቅጣት" can also mean "justice", highlighting the connection between retribution and fairness in Amharic.
ArabicThe word "عقاب" also means "eagle" in Arabic, with the latter meaning potentially originating from the bird's perceived harshness towards its prey.
ArmenianThe Armenian word "պատիժ" (patizh) can also refer to a "fine", a "penalty", or a "price paid".
AzerbaijaniThe word "cəza" in Azerbaijani also means "fine" or "penalty".
Basque"Zigorra", meaning "punishment" in Basque, derives from the Latin "jus" (law), signifying a just or deserved retribution.
BelarusianПакаранне can also mean a 'sentence' given by a court or a 'fine' paid for an offense.
BengaliFrom Sanskrit "shasti" meaning "instruction, command, discipline, control, chastisement, punishment" and ultimately from the root "śās" meaning "to command, regulate."
BosnianThe word 'kazna' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'kaza', which also means 'fate' or 'destiny'.
BulgarianThe word "наказание" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "наказати", meaning "to instruct" or "to correct".
CatalanIn Catalan, the word "càstig" can also refer to a type of traditional folk music from the Valencian Community.
CebuanoThe word "silot" can also refer to a type of fish stew popular in the Visayan region of the Philippines.
Chinese (Simplified)In Chinese, the character "惩罚" can also mean "to punish by law" or "a legal penalty."
Chinese (Traditional)懲罰 can also mean "to punish oneself" or "to warn others from making the same mistake."
CorsicanThe word "castigu" in Corsican can also mean "correction" or "rebuke."
CroatianThe word “kazna” comes from the Greek word “kolasis,” which means “punishment” or “chastisement.”
CzechThe word "trest" in Czech also means "sentence (legal)" and is derived from the Latin word "tribunal".
DanishThe word "straf" is derived from the Old Norse word "stráff", which means "severe" or "hard".
DutchThe word "straf" in Dutch also has the archaic meaning of "remedy" or "cure".
EsperantoThe word "puno" also means "point" or "period" in Esperanto.
Estonian"Karistus" is possibly a loanword from Northern German via Swedish "karrest" (prison) and means initially "place of detention".
FinnishThe word rangaistus is derived from the verb "rangata", meaning "to torment" or "to torture."
FrenchThe French word « châtiment » derives from the Latin « castigatio » (correction)
FrisianThe word "straf" in Frisian has Germanic roots and is related to the English word "strike".
GalicianIn Galician, "castigo" can also refer to a type of traditional dance.
GeorgianThe Georgian word "სასჯელი" (sasjgeli) comes from the Middle Persian word "sahrizn", which means "punisher"
GermanThe word "Bestrafung" derives from the Old High German word "strefon", meaning "to strengthen" or "to discipline".
GreekThe ancient Greek word 'τιμωρία' ('timoria') originally meant 'vengeance' or 'retribution', and only later acquired the more general meaning of 'punishment'.
Gujarati"સજા" is rooted in "Su" meaning "well" or "good" and "Jati" meaning "birth" or "origin". It thus refers to the idea of refining something for the greater good.
Haitian CreoleThe word "pinisyon" is derived from the French word "punition", which also means "punishment".
HausaThe word "azaba" in Hausa also means "hardship" or "suffering"
HawaiianIn Hawaiian, "hoʻopaʻi" can also refer to discipline, suffering, or torment.
HebrewThe Hebrew word for "punishment" ("עֲנִישָׁה") also means "correction" or "discipline"
HindiThe word "सज़ा" (punishment) is derived from the Sanskrit word "सज़ा" (correction) and implies the notion of rectifying or straightening an individual's behaviour.
HmongThe term "kev rau txim" is also used to describe a "penalty" in a legal context.
HungarianThe word "büntetés" also has the alternate meaning of "expiation".
IcelandicThe word "refsing" is derived from the Old Norse word "refsa", meaning "to punish or chastise". It can also refer to a penalty or fine imposed for an offense.
IgboThe Igbo word "ntaramahụhụ" also means "a state of being disciplined".
IndonesianThe word "hukuman" in Indonesian can also refer to a judicial decision or sentence.
IrishThe word "pionós" can also mean "penance" or "satisfaction" in a religious context.
ItalianThe Italian word for "punishment", "punizione", comes from the Latin word "punire", which means "to purify" or "to make clean".
Japanese罰 (batsu) can also mean "sin" or "suffering."
Javanese"Ukuman" is also the Javanese word for "measure", and is related to the Sanskrit word "uktha" (verse, rule).
KannadaThe Kannada word "ಶಿಕ್ಷೆ" also refers to education and training, as it shares its root with the Sanskrit word "शिष्य" (student).
KazakhThe Kazakh word “жазалау” (“punishment”) derives from the verb “жазу” (“to write”), implying the act of recording or decreeing a penalty.
Korean처벌 originates from the term '처분', which refers to the act of disposing of someone through punishment.
KurdishThe word "cezakirin" is derived from an Armenian word meaning "to hurt" or "injure."
Kyrgyz"Жазалоо" means "reproach" in Kyrgyz, and also has meanings like "blame",
LatinPoena is the Latin word for punishment or penalty, and its etymology is linked to the verb pensare, meaning to weigh or ponder, suggesting the idea of balancing or paying for a wrong.
Latvian“Sods” originally meant “judgment” and its meaning hasn't changed much today.
Lithuanian"Bausmė" comes from "baudžia", a form of servitude in the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
LuxembourgishBestrofung is derived from the German verb bestrafen, meaning to punish or penalize.
MacedonianThe word "казна" in Macedonian is used to describe a punishment or penalty, but it also has the alternate meaning of "the treasury" or "the state budget".
MalagasyIn Madagascar, the word "sazy" also means "lesson".
MalayThe word "hukuman" can also mean "sentence (as in a court decision)" in Malay.
Malayalam"ശിക്ഷ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "śikṣā", meaning "instruction" or "discipline".
MalteseMaltese "piena" derives from the Arabic "bayn" meaning "separation", as punishment involves being separated from society.
MaoriThe term 'whiu' in Te Reo Māori can also refer to the act of 'turning something upside down', highlighting the transformative nature of punishment.
MarathiThe Marathi word "शिक्षा" originates from the Sanskrit word "शिष्या", meaning teaching or instruction, and has undergone a semantic shift over time.
MongolianThe word "шийтгэл" can also refer to a "taxation" or "fine" in Mongolian.
NepaliThe word "सजाय" can also mean “ornament”.
NorwegianThe word "avstraffelse" is derived from the Old Norse "afstrá" meaning "to put right" and "straff" meaning "strict".
Nyanja (Chichewa)The word "chilango" also means "a person from Mexico City" in Spanish.
PashtoThe Pashto word "سزا ورکول" also means "reward or compensation".
PersianThe word "مجازات" also means "reward" in Persian, a meaning that is now used figuratively.
PolishThe word "kara" can also mean "penalty" in a legal context.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)The Portuguese word "punição" (punishment) derives from the Latin "punitio" (action of punishing, revenge), related to the root "poen" (pain).
PunjabiThe word "ਸਜ਼ਾ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "śikṣā", meaning "instruction" or "discipline".
RomanianThe word "pedeapsă" derives from the Latin "poena" and is also related to the verb "pedeapsi" and the noun "pedeapsă" in Albanian.
Russian"Наказание" can also mean "order" coming from the root "казнить" meaning "to execute".
SamoanIn Samoan, "faʻasalaga" also means "discipline" or "training".
Scots Gaelic"Peanas" is also a term for a "large, heavy load" or a "penalty".
SerbianThe word "казна" in Serbian has Slavic roots and is also related to the word "казнить", which means "to execute".
Sesotho"Kotlo" also means "oven" or "cooking pot".
ShonaThe word "chirango" is thought to be derived from the Proto-Bantu root "-lang-," meaning "to punish or chastise."
SindhiIn Sindhi, 'سزا' (punishment) is also used to refer to the due reward or recompense for one's actions.
Sinhala (Sinhalese)The word "ද.ුවම්" ("dunam") literally means "the act of burning" in Pali, the language of ancient Buddhist scriptures.
SlovakThe word "trest" also means "burden" or "trouble" in Slovak.
SlovenianKazen is also a name associated with the Slavic goddess of punishment and revenge, Perperuna.
SomaliThe word "ciqaab" is closely related to "caaqil", meaning an assembly of elders, as punishment is often determined by the deliberations of the community.
SpanishThe Spanish word "castigo" originates from the Latin "castigare," which means "to correct or improve."
Sundanese"Hukuman" also denotes a period of waiting for a period for which a decision is made after a period of time.
SwahiliThe term 'adhabu' is likely derived from the Arabic 'adab,' meaning instruction or discipline.
SwedishThe word 'bestraffning' is derived from the Old Norse word 'straff' meaning 'reproach' or 'disgrace'.
Tagalog (Filipino)"Parusa" is of Sanskrit origin and initially meant "severe" or "hard", but the meaning evolved to "punishment" in Tagalog.
TajikThe word "ҷазо" also means "revenge" and "retribution" in Tajik.
Tamil"தண்டனை" (tandaṉai) literally means "act of hitting" in Tamil and is related to the word "தண்டு" (taṇṭu), meaning "staff".
TeluguThe word 'శిక్ష' also means 'instruction' or 'discipline'
Thai'การลงโทษ' literally translates to 'lowering the body,' a reflection of the historical practice of chaining prisoners by the neck in a painful lowering position.
Turkish"Ceza" is the Turkish word for "punishment", but it also has the same root as the Arabic word for "judgment"
UkrainianThe word “покарання” evolved from “кара” meaning “retribution,” a punishment for wrongdoing.
UrduThe word "سزا" is derived from the Arabic word "سزاد" meaning "requital" or "retribution". It can also refer to the "consequences" of an action.
UzbekThe word "jazo" in Uzbek can also mean "punishment" or "retribution".
VietnameseThe word "sự trừng phạt" can also refer to the consequences of one's actions or behaviors.
WelshCosb is cognate with the Breton "kozh" meaning "old," perhaps connecting the concept of "ancient punishment" with "punishment."
Xhosa"Isohlwayo" is derived from the verb "sohla", meaning "to punish", and can also refer to a fine or compensation paid to the victim of a crime.
YiddishThe Yiddish word "שטראָף" derives from the German word "Strafe", meaning not only "punishment" but also "fine".
Yoruba"Ijiya" also means "debt" in Yoruba, indicating the strong connection between wrongdoing and the need for restitution.
Zulu"I-sijeziso" is related to "isiso" to correct, to set right, to make someone realize their sin or mistake
English'Punishment' derives from the Latin 'poena', meaning either 'atonement' or 'suffering'. Thus it can denote both retribution and penalty or suffering.

Click on a letter to browse words starting with that letter