Sad in Different Languages
Discover 'Sad' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'sad' is a simple one, yet it carries a profound weight. It signifies a range of emotions, from disappointment to grief, and is a universal human experience. The cultural importance of sadness cannot be overstated, as it is often the catalyst for artistic expression, empathy, and growth.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'sad' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how different cultures view and express this emotion. For instance, the German word 'traurig' not only means 'sad,' but also carries a connotation of yearning or longing. Meanwhile, the Spanish 'triste' is a more straightforward translation, but is often used more frequently and openly in conversation compared to its English counterpart.
So, why should you learn the translation of 'sad' in different languages? Not only will it enhance your linguistic abilities, but it will also deepen your cultural understanding and emotional intelligence. Here are some translations to get you started:
Sad
Sad in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | nou | ||
| The word 'nou' is derived from the Dutch word 'nu', which means 'now' or 'this moment'. | |||
| Amharic | አሁን | ||
| In Amharic, the word 'አሁን' can also refer to a specific time or moment, similar to 'now' in English. | |||
| Hausa | yanzu | ||
| The Hausa word "yanzu" also means "now" or "the present time" in some contexts. | |||
| Igbo | ugbu a | ||
| The Igbo word 'ugbu a' can also refer to 'a mourning period,' 'grief,' or 'sorrow.' | |||
| Malagasy | ankehitriny | ||
| The word "ankehitriny" in Malagasy derives from the root "kehitra" meaning "hard" or "difficult". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | tsopano | ||
| The Nyanja word "tsopano" derives from the verb "ku-sopa", meaning "to be heavy". | |||
| Shona | ikozvino | ||
| In Shona, the word "ikozvino" can also mean "bad mood" or "unhappy". | |||
| Somali | hadda | ||
| Somali 'hadda' derives from an ancient Afro-Asiatic word likely meaning 'to be bent over' | |||
| Sesotho | hona joale | ||
| The word "hona joale" in Sesotho can also refer to a feeling of disappointment or regret. | |||
| Swahili | sasa | ||
| "Sasa" also means "now" or "at present" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | ngoku | ||
| The Xhosa word "ngoku" can also mean "just now" or "directly," depending on the context. | |||
| Yoruba | bayi | ||
| The word "bayi" in Yoruba can also mean "to regret" or "to be sorry for something." | |||
| Zulu | manje | ||
| The Zulu word "manje" has alternate meanings of "very" and "truly". | |||
| Bambara | dusukasi don | ||
| Ewe | nublanuitɔe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | birababaje | ||
| Lingala | mawa | ||
| Luganda | kya nnaku | ||
| Sepedi | manyami | ||
| Twi (Akan) | awerɛhow | ||
Sad in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الآن | ||
| The word "الآن" (al-ʾān) can also mean "now" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | עַכשָׁיו | ||
| The alternate meaning of the Hebrew word “עכשיו” is “now”. | |||
| Pashto | اوس | ||
| "اوس" means "sad" in Pashto, but it also means "sorrow" or "grief." | |||
| Arabic | الآن | ||
| The word "الآن" (al-ʾān) can also mean "now" in Arabic. | |||
Sad in Western European Languages
| Albanian | tani | ||
| The word "tani" is thought to derive from Proto-Albanian *tānos, *tānosh, and has cognates with "τᾰνύω" (tanýō, "to stretch out") in Ancient Greek. | |||
| Basque | orain | ||
| The word “orain” in Basque is derived from the Latin “horam” meaning “time,” as in the phrase “the time has come...” for the moment when sadness overtakes one. | |||
| Catalan | ara | ||
| The Catalan word "ara" is also used to mean "now" and can trace its roots back to the Latin word "hora" meaning "hour". | |||
| Croatian | sada | ||
| The Croatian word `sada` can also mean `now`, `right now`, `at the moment`, and `currently`. | |||
| Danish | nu | ||
| The word 'nu' also means 'now' in Danish, highlighting the connection between sadness and the present moment. | |||
| Dutch | nu | ||
| The Dutch word 'nu' can also refer to the present moment or the current time. | |||
| English | sad | ||
| The word 'sad' originates from the Old English word 'sæd', meaning 'tired' or 'satisfied'. | |||
| French | maintenant | ||
| "Maintenant" is derived from the Latin "manere", meaning "to remain" and can also mean "now" or "at the moment". | |||
| Frisian | no | ||
| It is an archaic spelling of the Old Frisian 'nee' which still means 'no' (as in denial). | |||
| Galician | agora | ||
| In Galician, "agora" means "now" and comes from the Latin "hac hora" (at this hour). | |||
| German | jetzt | ||
| "Jetzt" in German also means "now" or "at once". | |||
| Icelandic | núna | ||
| Icelandic word 'núna' ('sad') is cognate with 'now', reflecting a state of grief and the sense of a moment lost. | |||
| Irish | anois | ||
| The word "anois" can also refer to a type of Gaelic funeral song in Ireland. | |||
| Italian | adesso | ||
| The Italian "adesso" derives from "ad esse", meaning "at present." | |||
| Luxembourgish | elo | ||
| "Elo" is also a German dialect word for "old" or "worn out". | |||
| Maltese | issa | ||
| "Is-sa" is an Arabic loanword in Maltese that originally meant "the hour." | |||
| Norwegian | nå | ||
| The Old Norse word "ná" meant "corpse" and could refer to the appearance or smell of a sad person. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | agora | ||
| In Brazil, "agora" also means "right now". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | a-nis | ||
| "A-nis" is also a colloquialism in Scots Gaelic for "a nice person" or "a good friend." | |||
| Spanish | ahora | ||
| The word "ahora" in Spanish, meaning "sad", originates from the Latin word "hora", meaning "time" or "hour", suggesting a connection between sadness and the passage of time. | |||
| Swedish | nu | ||
| The word "nu" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*nauðiz" meaning "need" or "distress." | |||
| Welsh | nawr | ||
| As well as "sad", "nawr" can also mean "bad" or "weak" in Welsh. | |||
Sad in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | зараз | ||
| The word "зараз" (sad) derives from Proto-Slavic "žalъ", meaning "grief" or "sorrow". | |||
| Bosnian | sad | ||
| The word "sad" in Bosnian (tužan) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*tǫžiti", which means "to mourn" or "to grieve". | |||
| Bulgarian | сега | ||
| The word "сега" can also refer to the present moment or time, and is derived from the Proto-Slavic term *sьgъ, which also meant "now". | |||
| Czech | nyní | ||
| Nyní is also used to describe something that is not very good or desirable. | |||
| Estonian | nüüd | ||
| "Nüüd" also means "now" in Estonian, derived from the Proto-Finnic *nūte or *nūde, meaning "just now". | |||
| Finnish | nyt | ||
| "Nyt" in Finnish is possibly derived from the Proto-Finnic root *ńitte "to be depressed" but could also be related to the Proto-Baltic word *nieg-, meaning "to cry". | |||
| Hungarian | most | ||
| The Hungarian word 'Most' can also mean 'very' or 'very much', as in 'Most szép' ('Very beautiful') or 'Most szeretem' ('I love you very much'). | |||
| Latvian | tagad | ||
| "Tagad" is derived from Proto-Indo-European root "*teng-", which also yielded Latin "tangere" (to touch) and English "thank" (to express gratitude). | |||
| Lithuanian | dabar | ||
| The Lithuanian word "dabar" can also mean "now" or "at the moment." | |||
| Macedonian | сега | ||
| The word "сега" in Macedonian also means "now" or "at the moment". | |||
| Polish | teraz | ||
| The Slavic origin of 'teraźniejszy' ('present') reveals the original 'teraz' (sad) to mean a moment that has passed by and is lost. | |||
| Romanian | acum | ||
| The word "acum" also means "now" in Romanian, a meaning originating from the Latin "haec hora" (this hour). | |||
| Russian | в настоящее время | ||
| The Russian word "в настоящее время" can also mean "currently" or "at present". | |||
| Serbian | сада | ||
| Сада (sada) is also a name used in some Slavic languages. | |||
| Slovak | teraz | ||
| The word "teraz" in Slovak can also mean "present" or "current". | |||
| Slovenian | zdaj | ||
| The word 'zdaj' in Slovenian is etymologically related to the German word 'jetzt' ('now') and originally meant 'immediately'. | |||
| Ukrainian | зараз | ||
| The Ukrainian word "зараз" is homonymous with the preposition "now". | |||
Sad in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | এখন | ||
| The term 'এখন', while commonly meaning 'sad' in Bengali, can also mean 'now' due to its roots in Sanskrit where its original meaning was a derivative of 'today': 'adya'. | |||
| Gujarati | હવે | ||
| The Gujarati word 'હવે' ('have') derives from the Sanskrit word 'भवति' ('to come into existence') and bears similarities to the words 'happening' or 'event' in English. | |||
| Hindi | अभी | ||
| The word "अभी" ("abhi") in Hindi can also mean "now" or "just now". | |||
| Kannada | ಈಗ | ||
| "ಈಗ" also means 'now' in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | ഇപ്പോൾ | ||
| In many South Indian languages, both | |||
| Marathi | आता | ||
| "आता" can also mean 'now' or 'present' in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | अब | ||
| The word "अब" can also mean "in the future" | |||
| Punjabi | ਹੁਣ | ||
| The word "ਹੁਣ" in Punjabi also means "now" or "at the present time". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දැන් | ||
| The word "දැන්" also means "now" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | இப்போது | ||
| The word 'இப்போது' is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word '*ippuḍu*', meaning 'now' or 'the present time'. | |||
| Telugu | ఇప్పుడు | ||
| ఇప్పుడు (ippudu) is also used to mean 'just now,' 'now,' or 'at this moment' | |||
| Urdu | ابھی | ||
| The word 'ابھی' can mean 'present,' 'currently,' or 'now' in Urdu, as well as 'sad,' likely originating from the Sanskrit root 'adya'. | |||
Sad in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 现在 | ||
| The Chinese character "现在" can also mean "present" or "now". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 現在 | ||
| The full form of 現 (currently) is 目今, meaning eyes and today, indicating what you can see right now. | |||
| Japanese | 今 | ||
| 今 'ima' can also mean the present time, moment or day, as in 'ima wa', which means 'now'. | |||
| Korean | 지금 | ||
| The word '지금' in Korean can also mean 'now' or 'the present moment'. | |||
| Mongolian | одоо | ||
| The word "одоо" in Mongolian also means "now" or "present time". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အခု | ||
| The word "အခု" can also mean "now" or "at this time". | |||
Sad in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sekarang | ||
| The Indonesian word "sekarang" is a polyseme derived Proto-Austronesian meaning either "sad" or "now" | |||
| Javanese | saiki | ||
| The word saiki may also mean 'gloomy' or 'dull', or used to describe something that is not exciting or interesting. | |||
| Khmer | ឥឡូវនេះ | ||
| "ឥឡូវនេះ" also means "at the present moment", "now" or "immediately" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ດຽວນີ້ | ||
| Malay | sekarang | ||
| "Sekarang" is often used to express current time or ongoing actions, and it is derived from "saat ini" which means "this moment". | |||
| Thai | ตอนนี้ | ||
| ตอนนี้'s original meaning referred an emotional state similar to 'longing' or 'regret,' and can still be used that way in some dialects of Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | hiện nay | ||
| "Hiện nay" is also an idiom referring to the present day or period of time. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | malungkot | ||
Sad in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | i̇ndi | ||
| İndi (sad) comes from the Persian word | |||
| Kazakh | қазір | ||
| The word "қазір" is derived from the Persian word "ghaz", meaning "pain" or "anguish". | |||
| Kyrgyz | азыр | ||
| In Kyrgyz, the word "азыр" can have various connotations beyond its primary meaning of "sadness," such as feelings of disappointment, grief, or regret. | |||
| Tajik | ҳозир | ||
| "Ҳозир" is also synonymous with the Tajik term for "now" or "the present moment". | |||
| Turkmen | gynandyryjy | ||
| Uzbek | hozir | ||
| The word "hozir" is also used in Uzbek to denote a feeling of depression or sorrow. | |||
| Uyghur | قايغۇلۇق | ||
Sad in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kēia manawa | ||
| In the Hawaiian language, "kēia manawa" literally means "this time", but it has also come to mean "sad". | |||
| Maori | ināianei | ||
| The word "ināianei" can also refer to a feeling of homesickness or longing. | |||
| Samoan | nei | ||
| The Samoan word "nei" traces its origins to the Proto-Polynesian "*nagi", meaning "faint", "sick", or "dispirited." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | ngayon | ||
| "Ngayon" is derived from the proto-Austronesian word *nadiyaw, meaning "to mourn" or "to grieve." | |||
Sad in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | llakisiñawa | ||
| Guarani | ñembyasy | ||
Sad in International Languages
| Esperanto | nun | ||
| The Esperanto word 'nun' can also mean 'and' or 'now'. | |||
| Latin | nunc | ||
| "Nunc" has alternate meanings relating to the present moment such as "at this time" and "just now". | |||
Sad in Others Languages
| Greek | τώρα | ||
| The word "τώρα" (tora) in Greek can also mean "now" or "the present moment". | |||
| Hmong | tam sim no | ||
| The term "tam sim no" in the Hmong language refers to not only sadness, but also a sense of loneliness or desolation. | |||
| Kurdish | niha | ||
| The word "niha" is derived from the Persian word "nihād" which means "basis, foundation". | |||
| Turkish | şimdi | ||
| The word "şimdi" is derived from the Persian word "ham" meaning "at the same time" and can also mean "at present" or "now". | |||
| Xhosa | ngoku | ||
| The Xhosa word "ngoku" can also mean "just now" or "directly," depending on the context. | |||
| Yiddish | איצט | ||
| Stemming from the same root of אץ (fast), איצט refers to a state of intense hurry leading to a feeling of sadness and grief. | |||
| Zulu | manje | ||
| The Zulu word "manje" has alternate meanings of "very" and "truly". | |||
| Assamese | দুখৰ কথা | ||
| Aymara | llakisiñawa | ||
| Bhojpuri | दुखद बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ދެރަވެއްޖެއެވެ | ||
| Dogri | उदास | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | malungkot | ||
| Guarani | ñembyasy | ||
| Ilocano | naliday | ||
| Krio | sad | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دڵتەنگە | ||
| Maithili | उदास | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯣꯀꯄꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | lungngai tak a ni | ||
| Oromo | gaddisiisa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଦୁ sad ଖୀ | ||
| Quechua | llakisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | दुःखदः | ||
| Tatar | моңсу | ||
| Tigrinya | ዘሕዝን እዩ። | ||
| Tsonga | swi khomisa gome | ||