Resistance in Different Languages
Discover 'Resistance' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Resistance is a powerful word that carries significant meaning and cultural importance across the globe. It represents the ability to withstand external pressures, challenges, or adversity, and is often associated with strength, perseverance, and courage. Throughout history, resistance has played a crucial role in shaping societies, cultures, and political landscapes. From the French Resistance during World War II to the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, resistance has been a catalyst for change and a symbol of hope.
Given its significance, it's no wonder that the word 'resistance' has been translated into various languages, each with its own unique cultural context and nuance. For instance, in Spanish, resistance is translated as 'resistencia,' while in German, it is 'Widerstand.' In French, the word is 'résistance,' and in Japanese, it is '抵抗 (teikou).'
Understanding the translation of resistance in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultural and historical contexts of various societies. It can also help facilitate cross-cultural communication and foster a deeper appreciation for the richness and diversity of languages and cultures worldwide.
Resistance
Resistance in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | weerstand | ||
| "Weerstand" is derived from the Middle Dutch word "wederstand", which means "opposition" or "counterforce". | |||
| Amharic | መቋቋም | ||
| The word "መቋቋም" (resistance) in Amharic can also mean "to stand firm" or "to refuse to yield". | |||
| Hausa | juriya | ||
| The word "juriya" also means "strength" or "protection" in Hausa, and is derived from the Arabic word "جِرْيَة" (jirya), meaning "boldness" or "daring." | |||
| Igbo | iguzogide | ||
| The Igbo word "iguzogide" also means "a determination to overcome difficulties or opposition." | |||
| Malagasy | fanoherana | ||
| "Fanoherana" is a Malagasy word that means "resistance" and can also mean "rebellion" or "defiance." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kukana | ||
| The word 'kukana' in Nyanja can also refer to 'clinging' or 'sticking to something'. | |||
| Shona | kuramba | ||
| The word 'kuramba' is derived from the Proto-Bantu word *kúlàmbà, meaning 'to refuse' or 'to reject'. | |||
| Somali | iska caabin | ||
| The word "iska caabin" also means "to refuse" or "to protest" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | ho hanyetsa | ||
| "Ho hanyetsa" can also mean "stubbornness" or "defiance". | |||
| Swahili | upinzani | ||
| The word "upinzani" can also refer to political opposition or the act of opposing something. | |||
| Xhosa | ukuxhathisa | ||
| "Ukuxhathisa" originates from the word "uxhatho," which means "a challenge or obstacle." | |||
| Yoruba | resistance | ||
| "Resistance" in Yoruba, "idà", also means "shield" and "defense". | |||
| Zulu | ukumelana | ||
| An alternate meaning of 'ukumelana' includes 'opposition' or 'conflict' in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | firifirili | ||
| Ewe | agladzedze | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kurwanywa | ||
| Lingala | kotelemela | ||
| Luganda | okugaana | ||
| Sepedi | twantšho | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nkotia | ||
Resistance in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مقاومة | ||
| In Arabic, "مقاومة" ("resistance") also refers to the act of countering the influence or control of others. | |||
| Hebrew | הִתנַגְדוּת | ||
| The stem נ-ג-ד signifies both opposing as well as moving against another, with הִתנַגְדוּת describing this second implication in contemporary usage. | |||
| Pashto | مقاومت | ||
| The Pashto word "مقاومت" can also mean "obstacle" or "barrier" | |||
| Arabic | مقاومة | ||
| In Arabic, "مقاومة" ("resistance") also refers to the act of countering the influence or control of others. | |||
Resistance in Western European Languages
| Albanian | rezistenca | ||
| The Albanian word "rezistenca" comes from the Latin word "resistentia", meaning "to withstand" or "to oppose". | |||
| Basque | erresistentzia | ||
| In Basque, "erresistentzia" not only means "resistance" but also "the action of stopping a rolling object or force". | |||
| Catalan | resistència | ||
| In addition to its meaning of "resistance," the Catalan word "resistència" also means "resistor," an electrical component that provides resistance to the flow of current. | |||
| Croatian | otpornost | ||
| The word 'otpornost' is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *opr-ti, meaning 'to stand against', and also has the meaning of 'robustness' or 'endurance'. | |||
| Danish | modstand | ||
| In Danish, "modstand" can also refer to a resistor or opposition to authority. | |||
| Dutch | weerstand | ||
| Weerstand can also refer to a resistor, a component used in electrical circuits. | |||
| English | resistance | ||
| In electrical engineering, 'resistance' also refers to a component that impedes the flow of electrical current, or an impedance with only real component and positive value | |||
| French | la résistance | ||
| In French, "la résistance" can refer to the organized resistance movement against Nazi occupation during World War II or to a general spirit of resistance and opposition to oppression. | |||
| Frisian | ferset | ||
| The Frisian word "ferset" is derived from the Old Frisian word "fersetja", meaning "to defend oneself". | |||
| Galician | resistencia | ||
| The word "resistencia" also means "resilience" or "endurance" in Galician. | |||
| German | widerstand | ||
| The word 'Widerstand' can also refer to a resistor, an electrical component used to reduce the flow of current in a circuit. | |||
| Icelandic | mótstöðu | ||
| In Icelandic, "mótstöðu" can also mean "opposition" or "contrast." | |||
| Irish | friotaíocht | ||
| The word "friotaíocht" can also refer to a "cold" or to the "action of cooling." | |||
| Italian | resistenza | ||
| Resistenza in Italian can refer to the Italian resistance to occupying forces during WWII or more broadly to any type of social or political struggle. | |||
| Luxembourgish | widderstand | ||
| In Luxembourgish, like in German, "der Widderstand" is not only used for "resistance" but also for "resistor", a component that resists the flow of electric current in a circuit. | |||
| Maltese | reżistenza | ||
| In Maltese, 'reżistenza' also means 'consistency' or 'firmness'. | |||
| Norwegian | motstand | ||
| In physics, 'motstand' means 'resistance', while in everyday language, it can also mean 'opposition'. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | resistência | ||
| The Portuguese word "resistência" comes from the Latin "resistentia" and can also mean "opposition" or "obstruction."} | |||
| Scots Gaelic | strì an aghaidh | ||
| Spanish | resistencia | ||
| 'Resistencia' can also refer to a capital city in Argentina or to an electrical device, a resistor. | |||
| Swedish | motstånd | ||
| "Motstånd" also means opposition, impedance, resistor, resistance to a current, resistor, resistance movement, strength, strength of material, or force opposite to the direction of motion. | |||
| Welsh | gwrthiant | ||
| In Welsh, "gwrthiant" can also mean "resistance to change"} | |||
Resistance in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | супраціў | ||
| The word "супраціў" is derived from the Old East Slavic word "супротива", meaning "opposition" or "counteraction". | |||
| Bosnian | otpor | ||
| "Otpor" (resistance) also means "bounce" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | съпротива | ||
| "Съпротива" can also refer to the act of withstanding the effects of an electrical current in physics. | |||
| Czech | odpor | ||
| The primary meaning of "odpor" is "electrical resistance," while "odolnost" is the more generic word for "resistance" as in resilience. | |||
| Estonian | vastupanu | ||
| The word "vastupanu" in Estonian carries the dual meaning of passive resistance and resistance to an enemy in war. | |||
| Finnish | vastus | ||
| The word vastus originally meant 'great' or 'huge', and is related to the word 'vasta', which means 'against'. | |||
| Hungarian | ellenállás | ||
| In the Hungarian language, the word "ellenállás" has the alternate meanings "resistor" and "brake lining." | |||
| Latvian | pretestība | ||
| The word "pretestība" also means "obstruction" or "impediment" in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | pasipriešinimas | ||
| The Lithuanian word "pasipriešinimas" also means "obstacle". | |||
| Macedonian | отпор | ||
| "Отпор (resistance)" derives from the Old Church Slavonic verb "отир" meaning "to throw back," "to bounce," or "to reflect." | |||
| Polish | odporność | ||
| In addition to its meaning of "resistance," "odporność" can also refer to "immunity" or "tolerance." | |||
| Romanian | rezistenţă | ||
| In Romanian, "rezistenţă" can also refer to the resistor, a passive electrical component that opposes the flow of electric current. | |||
| Russian | сопротивление | ||
| The word "сопротивление" in Russian also means "impedance" in the context of electrical engineering. | |||
| Serbian | отпор | ||
| The Serbian word "отпор" (resistance) also means "reply" or "answer". | |||
| Slovak | odpor | ||
| The Slovak word "odpor" can also mean "disgust" or "aversion". | |||
| Slovenian | odpornost | ||
| The Slovenian word "odpornost" is also related to the word "odpirati", meaning to open, as in the context of opening a door or a window. | |||
| Ukrainian | опір | ||
| The word "опір" also means "resilience" or "endurance" in Ukrainian. | |||
Resistance in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | প্রতিরোধের | ||
| This term's equivalent root 'rodh'(রোধ) comes from Sanskrit, with other cognates including 'nirodh' (निरोध, prevention, prohibition), 'nivaran' (निवारण, obstacle) and 'vivran' (विवरण, exposition, revelation) indicating its wide semantic range. | |||
| Gujarati | પ્રતિકાર | ||
| While "પ્રતિકાર" means "resistance", it can also refer to the power to heal diseases | |||
| Hindi | प्रतिरोध | ||
| प्रतिरोध' has an interesting etymology, coming from the root 'प्रति', meaning 'against', and 'रोध', meaning 'to check'. Its alternate meaning is 'opposition'. | |||
| Kannada | ಪ್ರತಿರೋಧ | ||
| In Kannada, "ಪ್ರತಿರೋಧ" (pratirodha) can also refer to opposition, objection, or immunity to a disease. | |||
| Malayalam | പ്രതിരോധം | ||
| "പ്രതിരോധം" is an abstract noun and literally means "the quality of acting against". As per Sanskrit, this word has been derived from the term "प्रतिरोधः" which means "the ability of acting against". | |||
| Marathi | प्रतिकार | ||
| The Marathi word "pratikar" can also refer to a counter-reaction, a remedy or an antidote. | |||
| Nepali | प्रतिरोध | ||
| The Nepali word प्रतिरोध (pratirodha) also has the alternate meaning of "response" or "reply". | |||
| Punjabi | ਵਿਰੋਧ | ||
| The word "ਵਿਰੋਧ" (resistance) is derived from the Sanskrit verb "वृ" (var), meaning "to cover" or "to oppose". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ප්රතිරෝධය | ||
| Tamil | எதிர்ப்பு | ||
| எதிர்ப்பு derives from the Proto-Dravidian verb *eṭ- “to oppose; to resist,” cognate with other Dravidian languages like Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, and even Brahui. | |||
| Telugu | నిరోధకత | ||
| The word 'నిరోధకత' also connotes 'protection', 'insulation' and 'immunity'. | |||
| Urdu | مزاحمت | ||
| The word "مزاحمت" can also mean "disturbance" or "annoyance" in Urdu. | |||
Resistance in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 抵抗性 | ||
| In Chinese, the term "抵抗性" can also refer to "drug resistance" or "corrosion resistance" depending on the context. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 抵抗性 | ||
| The word "抵抗性" can also be used in Chinese to describe something that is durable or resistant to wear and tear. | |||
| Japanese | 抵抗 | ||
| "抵抗" comes from the Chinese words "抵" (stop) and "抗" (oppose) and also means "electricity resistance". | |||
| Korean | 저항 | ||
| 저항 (jeohang): can refer to electric resistance, friction, or opposition to political or social change. | |||
| Mongolian | эсэргүүцэл | ||
| The Mongolian word "эсэргүүцэл" can also refer to the act of opposing or fighting back against something. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ခုခံ | ||
| The word "ခုခံ" can also mean "to endure" or "to withstand" in Myanmar (Burmese). | |||
Resistance in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | perlawanan | ||
| The word "perlawanan" is derived from the root word "lawan" meaning "to oppose" or "to fight". | |||
| Javanese | resistensi | ||
| In Javanese, the word "resistensi" also has the alternate meaning of "endurance" or "fortitude". | |||
| Khmer | ភាពធន់ | ||
| The word 'ភាពធន់' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'dhri' and can also mean 'firmness' or 'steadfastness'. | |||
| Lao | ຄວາມຕ້ານທານ | ||
| Malay | rintangan | ||
| The word 'rintangan' can also refer to obstacles or difficulties encountered. | |||
| Thai | ความต้านทาน | ||
| "ความต้านทาน" in Thai can also refer to the ability to withstand something, such as pain or pressure. | |||
| Vietnamese | sức cản | ||
| The Vietnamese word 'Sức cản' is derived from the Chinese character '阻力', originally 'to stop a wheel' | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | paglaban | ||
Resistance in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | müqavimət | ||
| The word "müqavimət" in Azerbaijani is thought by some scholars to derive from the Arabic word "muqawama" meaning "resistance", "defense", or "confrontation", while others say it is ultimately derived from the Persian word "moqavamat" with the same meanings. | |||
| Kazakh | қарсылық | ||
| The word "қарсылық" in Kazakh can also refer to a petition or protest against something. | |||
| Kyrgyz | каршылык | ||
| "Каршылык" also means "confrontation, opposition, contrast" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | муқовимат | ||
| The word “муқовимат” can also be used to describe the ability of an object to withstand a force or pressure, as in the case of a material's resistance to heat or electricity. | |||
| Turkmen | garşylyk | ||
| Uzbek | qarshilik | ||
| The Uzbek word "qarshilik" can also mean "opposite" or "counterpart". | |||
| Uyghur | قارشىلىق | ||
Resistance in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kūpaʻa | ||
| "Kūpaʻa", meaning "firm" or "steadfast", is derived from the word "kū", which means "to stand." | |||
| Maori | ātete | ||
| The Māori word "ātete" can also refer to an attitude of defiance or stubbornness. | |||
| Samoan | teteʻe | ||
| Teteʻe in Samoan also refers to the act of sticking out one's tongue as a sign of mockery or defiance. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | paglaban | ||
| "Paglaban" is derived from the Tagalog word "laban", meaning "to fight" or "to oppose". | |||
Resistance in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | thurkatiri | ||
| Guarani | jepytaso | ||
Resistance in International Languages
| Esperanto | rezisto | ||
| The Esperanto word 'rezisto' can also refer to a resistor (in an electrical circuit), deriving from Latin resistō 'I stand against'. | |||
| Latin | resistentiam | ||
| "Resistentia" means "resurrection" but it also means "resistance". | |||
Resistance in Others Languages
| Greek | αντίσταση | ||
| The Greek word 'αντίσταση' (resistance) can also mean 'withstand', 'oppose', or 'object' | |||
| Hmong | ua hauj | ||
| The word "ua hauj" in Hmong can also refer to an obstacle or hindrance. | |||
| Kurdish | berxwedan | ||
| The Kurdish word "berxwedan" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁rewǵ- and also means "to oppose" or "to deny". | |||
| Turkish | direnç | ||
| "Direnç" de "dir" ve "enç" kelimelerinden oluşur ve "en güçlü olma" anlamına gelen "enç" kelimesinin üzerine "dir" eklenmesiyle türemiştir. | |||
| Xhosa | ukuxhathisa | ||
| "Ukuxhathisa" originates from the word "uxhatho," which means "a challenge or obstacle." | |||
| Yiddish | קעגנשטעל | ||
| The Yiddish word "קעגנשטעל" ("resistance") also means "obstacle". | |||
| Zulu | ukumelana | ||
| An alternate meaning of 'ukumelana' includes 'opposition' or 'conflict' in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | বিৰোধ কৰা | ||
| Aymara | thurkatiri | ||
| Bhojpuri | प्रतिरोध | ||
| Dhivehi | ދެކޮޅު ހެދުން | ||
| Dogri | बरोध | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | paglaban | ||
| Guarani | jepytaso | ||
| Ilocano | panagkedked | ||
| Krio | fɔ avɔyd | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بەرگری کردن | ||
| Maithili | रुकावट | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯊꯤꯡꯕ ꯄꯤꯕ | ||
| Mizo | doletna | ||
| Oromo | dandeettii ittisuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପ୍ରତିରୋଧ | ||
| Quechua | muchuy | ||
| Sanskrit | अवरोध | ||
| Tatar | каршылык | ||
| Tigrinya | ተቓውሞ | ||
| Tsonga | sihalala | ||