Safe in Different Languages
Discover 'Safe' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'safe' holds a significant place in our daily lives, as it represents security, protection, and freedom from harm. Its cultural importance is evident in various aspects of society, from the safety measures in our homes to the concept of 'sanctuary' in literature and religion. Understanding the translation of 'safe' in different languages can be a fascinating exploration of cultural nuances and global perspectives.
For instance, the Spanish translation of 'safe' is 'seguro,' which also means 'certain' or 'sure.' In French, 'safe' becomes 'sûr,' but interestingly, it can also mean 'skilful' or 'expert.' These alternate meanings shed light on how different languages and cultures perceive safety and security.
Delving into the translations of 'safe' in various languages can be an enriching journey, opening doors to understanding the world's diverse cultures and languages. Below, you will find a comprehensive list of 'safe' translations in multiple languages, providing valuable insights for language enthusiasts, travellers, and anyone interested in global culture.
Safe
Safe in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | veilig | ||
| The Afrikaans word "veilig" comes from the Dutch word "veilig", which has the same meaning and is related to the German word "gewahr" meaning "aware". It can also refer to the condition of being secure or protected from danger or harm. | |||
| Amharic | ደህና | ||
| The word "ደህና" can also mean "comfortable" or "okay" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | lafiya | ||
| The Hausa word "lafiya" also means "peace" or "well-being" | |||
| Igbo | nchebe | ||
| In Igbo, "nchebe" is derived from the word "chebe," which means "to protect" or "to guard," and is often used in contexts relating to security or protection. | |||
| Malagasy | azo antoka | ||
| The Malagasy term "azo antoka" originally meant "to keep something in a secure place," but later took on the broader meaning of "safe." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | otetezeka | ||
| The word "otetezeka" in Nyanja can also mean "to be in a state of tranquility" or "to be free from anxiety or fear. | |||
| Shona | safe | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of 'safe', the Shona word 'safe' can also mean 'shield' or 'refuge'. | |||
| Somali | ammaan ah | ||
| The word "ammaan ah" also means "to have confidence in" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | sireletsehileng | ||
| The word "sireletsehileng" in Sesotho is related to the word "sirela", which means "to protect". | |||
| Swahili | salama | ||
| In the Congo Swahili dialect, "salama" also refers to a type of traditional greeting used to convey well-being. | |||
| Xhosa | ikhuselekile | ||
| The word "ikhuselekile" in Xhosa is derived from the verb "khuselisa," meaning "to protect" or "to keep safe." | |||
| Yoruba | ailewu | ||
| "Ailewu" also means "to be sure" or "to be certain" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | ephephile | ||
| Ephephile is derived from the Zulu word 'ephaphilelo,' meaning 'protection.' | |||
| Bambara | lakanalen | ||
| Ewe | le dedie | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umutekano | ||
| Lingala | libateli | ||
| Luganda | obukuumi | ||
| Sepedi | bolokegile | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɔhaw nni ho | ||
Safe in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | آمنة | ||
| The name "Amina" (female) also derives from the same triconsonantal root ('-m-n') and also means "safe. | |||
| Hebrew | בטוח | ||
| The word "בטוח" in Hebrew can also mean "sure" or "certain". | |||
| Pashto | خوندي | ||
| The Pashto word "خوندي" is derived from the Proto-Indo-Iranian root "*gʰondʰ-," meaning "to protect" or "to cover." | |||
| Arabic | آمنة | ||
| The name "Amina" (female) also derives from the same triconsonantal root ('-m-n') and also means "safe. | |||
Safe in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i sigurt | ||
| In Albanian, "i sigurt" literally means "of sure" and is used both as an adjective and noun. | |||
| Basque | segurua | ||
| Segurua is a Basque word with several meanings, including 'safe' and 'sure'. | |||
| Catalan | caixa forta | ||
| The Catalan word "Caixa forta" comes from the Latin "Capsa fortis" and literally translates to "strong box". | |||
| Croatian | sef | ||
| "Sef" is a Turkish loanword in Croatian; its original meaning and the meaning it sometimes retains in rural areas is "chest". In Turkish it comes from the Arabic word صَندوق (sandūq, "box, chest"). | |||
| Danish | sikker | ||
| The word 'sikker' is etymologically related to the word 'sikkert', which means 'surely' or 'certainly'. | |||
| Dutch | veilig | ||
| Veilig originates from Old Dutch meaning 'sure' and German meaning 'sound'. | |||
| English | safe | ||
| The word 'safe' originates from the Old English word 'salvus', which means 'saved' or 'sound'. | |||
| French | sûr | ||
| "Sûr" can also mean "certain" or "reliable" in French. | |||
| Frisian | feilich | ||
| The word "feilich" in Frisian also means "carefree" or "secure". | |||
| Galician | seguro | ||
| The Galician word "seguro" can also mean "certain" or "sure" in the sense of being confident about something. | |||
| German | sicher | ||
| In German, "sicher" can also mean "certainly" or "evidently". | |||
| Icelandic | öruggur | ||
| The word "öruggur" is a cognate of the English word "secure" and is ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *sewk- "to protect, guard, watch over". | |||
| Irish | sábháilte | ||
| Italian | sicuro | ||
| The word "sicuro" in Italian derives from the Latin "securus," meaning carefree or untroubled. | |||
| Luxembourgish | sécher | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "sécher" can also mean "to dry out". It derives from the French word "sécheresse", meaning "dryness". | |||
| Maltese | bla periklu | ||
| "Bla periklu" is Maltese for "safe", but it can also mean "without risk" or "without danger." | |||
| Norwegian | sikker | ||
| "Sikker" also means "sure" and derives from Old Norse "sikr", which means "certain". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | seguro | ||
| The word "seguro" is derived from the Latin "securus", meaning "free from care". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | sàbhailte | ||
| The word "sàbhailte" also means "sanctuary" or "refuge" and derives from the verb "sàbhail," meaning "to save" or "to protect." | |||
| Spanish | seguro | ||
| The Spanish word "seguro" also means "insurance" and comes from the Latin word "securus" meaning "free from care or anxiety." | |||
| Swedish | säker | ||
| "Säker" can also mean "sure" or "certain" in Swedish, and is sometimes replaced by "viss" in formal contexts. | |||
| Welsh | yn ddiogel | ||
| The spelling, pronunciation, and meaning of "yn ddiogel" are not immediately obvious from its constituent parts. | |||
Safe in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | бяспечна | ||
| "Бяспечна" also has meanings like "calm", "sound" or "well-protected". | |||
| Bosnian | sigurno | ||
| The noun 'sigurno' in Bosnian can also refer to an insurance document. | |||
| Bulgarian | безопасно | ||
| The word "безопасно" may also mean "without harm" or "innocuously" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | bezpečný | ||
| The word "bezpečný" is derived from the Old Czech word "bezpeč" meaning "without danger". | |||
| Estonian | ohutu | ||
| The word "ohutu" also means "unpolluted" or "clean" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | turvallinen | ||
| The word "turvallinen" comes from the Proto-Finnic word "turva," meaning "shelter" or "protection." | |||
| Hungarian | biztonságos | ||
| The word "biztonságos" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*wēik̂-", meaning "to protect". It is related to the English word "wicca", meaning "witchcraft". | |||
| Latvian | drošs | ||
| In Livonian and Estonian, the word "drošs" (comparable to Latvian "drošs") means "sure", "firm", or "strong". | |||
| Lithuanian | saugus | ||
| Saugus, meaning "dry" in Lithuanian, has been borrowed into other languages, including Polish, German, and English, where it is spelled "saug" or "sog" and usually means "mire" or "swamp". | |||
| Macedonian | безбеден | ||
| The word "безбеден" also has alternate meanings such as "prosperous" and "wealthy" in the Macedonian language. | |||
| Polish | bezpieczny | ||
| The Polish word "bezpieczny" originates from the Proto-Slavic "*bedu" (woe) and literally meant "free of woe". | |||
| Romanian | sigur | ||
| In Romanian, "sigur" also means "certain," derived from the Latin "securus," meaning "without care, carefree". | |||
| Russian | сейф | ||
| The word "сейф" (safe) in Russian originally meant "chest" or "box", and only later came to refer to a device for storing valuables secure from theft. | |||
| Serbian | сигурно | ||
| "Сигурно" is derived from Proto-Slavic *sъgъrъ, originally meaning "sure" or "stable". | |||
| Slovak | bezpečné | ||
| The word 'bezpečné' comes from Slavic and shares the root with the word 'bezpečnost', which means 'security' in English. | |||
| Slovenian | varno | ||
| The word "varno" in Slovenian originated from the Latin word "verus", meaning "true" or "real". | |||
| Ukrainian | сейф | ||
| The Ukrainian word "сейф" derives from the Persian word "сейф", meaning "sword" or "armory", and the Latin word "salvus", meaning "safe". | |||
Safe in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | নিরাপদ | ||
| নিরাপদ (nirapod) is a Sanskrit word that also means 'free from disease'. | |||
| Gujarati | સલામત | ||
| The word "salamat" comes from the Arabic word "salām" which means "peace" or "greeting". | |||
| Hindi | सुरक्षित | ||
| The Hindi word "सुरक्षित" also translates to "guarded". | |||
| Kannada | ಸುರಕ್ಷಿತ | ||
| The word 'ಸುರಕ್ಷಿತ' can also mean 'protected' or 'secure' in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | സുരക്ഷിതം | ||
| സുരക്ഷിതം derives from the Sanskrit word 'surakshitam' ('protected by the gods') and in Malayalam it can also mean 'secure' or 'well-guarded'. | |||
| Marathi | सुरक्षित | ||
| "सुरक्षित" (safe) is a Sanskrit word that also means "protected" or "well-guarded". | |||
| Nepali | सुरक्षित | ||
| The word "सुरक्षित" is derived from the Sanskrit prefix "सु" (good) and the verb root "रक्ष" (to guard, preserve). | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੁਰੱਖਿਅਤ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ආරක්ෂිතයි | ||
| Tamil | பாதுகாப்பானது | ||
| While the word 'பாதுகாப்பானது' is used to mean 'safe' in Tamil, it literally translates to 'that which protects' or 'that which provides protection'. | |||
| Telugu | సురక్షితం | ||
| It also serves as a noun signifying "security", but is in this sense generally superseded by భద్రత (bhadratha). | |||
| Urdu | محفوظ | ||
| The word "محفوظ" comes from the Arabic word "حفظ" (safekeeping or protection). | |||
Safe in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 安全 | ||
| "安全" originally meant "to not be dangerous" but now also means "to be safe from accidents". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 安全 | ||
| In English, the word "secure" shares a similar root with "safe", both stemming from the Latin "securus". However, "secure" often implies a greater level of certainty or permanence than "safe". | |||
| Japanese | 安全 | ||
| The word "安全" (anzen) can also mean "peace" or "security" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 안전한 | ||
| 안전한 originates from the Chinese character 安心, expressing freedom from worry or danger. | |||
| Mongolian | аюулгүй | ||
| Аюулгүй is an umbrella term for anything that is not dangerous as well as the concept of safety in general. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အန္တရာယ်ကင်း | ||
| Antaraik-kyin derives from the Pali word antarayā, meaning danger or harm. | |||
Safe in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | aman | ||
| The word 'aman' in Indonesian is derived from the Sanskrit word 'amana,' which means 'protection' or 'refuge'. | |||
| Javanese | aman | ||
| The word "aman" in Javanese, meaning "safe," also means "trustworthy" or "reliable." | |||
| Khmer | សុវត្ថិភាព | ||
| The term "សុវត្ថិភាព" derives from the Sanskrit word "su" (well) and "vatta" (protected), reflecting its meaning of well-guarded or secure. | |||
| Lao | ປອດໄພ | ||
| The Lao word "ປອດໄພ" has its roots in the Sanskrit term "pavitra", which means "pure" or "sacred". | |||
| Malay | selamat | ||
| The Malay word "selamat" can also be used to mean "well-being," "peace," or "prosperity" in certain contexts. | |||
| Thai | ปลอดภัย | ||
| 'ปลอดภัย' means free from danger, harm or risk. It can also mean secure or out of danger. | |||
| Vietnamese | an toàn | ||
| In Vietnamese, "an toàn" also refers to security and protection, implying a broader sense of well-being beyond physical safety. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ligtas | ||
Safe in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | təhlükəsiz | ||
| The word "təhlükəsiz" is derived from the Persian word "tahlikeh", meaning "danger", and the suffix "-siz", meaning "without". | |||
| Kazakh | қауіпсіз | ||
| The word "қауіпсіз" in Kazakh can also mean "secure", "free from danger", or "protected". | |||
| Kyrgyz | коопсуз | ||
| "Коопсуз" is derived from the verb "кооп" (to protect) and the suffix "-суз" (without), signifying "without protection" or "vulnerable". | |||
| Tajik | бехатар | ||
| The word "бехатар" in Tajik can also mean "carefree" or "secure". | |||
| Turkmen | howpsuz | ||
| Uzbek | xavfsiz | ||
| "Xavfsiz" not only means "safe" but also refers to something that is intact, whole, secure, or sheltered | |||
| Uyghur | بىخەتەر | ||
Safe in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | palekana | ||
| In Hawaiian, "palekana" also refers to a protective charm or talisman. | |||
| Maori | haumaru | ||
| Haumaru is a noun meaning 'safety; protection' as well as an adjective meaning 'safe; unharmed'. | |||
| Samoan | saogalemu | ||
| Saogalemu is a compound word deriving from sa'o 'to guard' and galemu 'house' or 'property', therefore meaning 'to protect one's home or property'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | ligtas | ||
| Ligtas (safe), from the root word ligtas (to save), is also used to mean 'to prevent or protect from harm or danger'. | |||
Safe in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | chiqa | ||
| Guarani | katuete | ||
Safe in International Languages
| Esperanto | sekura | ||
| "Sekura" derives from Latin "securus" ("carefree, secure"), and means "safe" in Esperanto; but it can also mean "certain, sure, confident". | |||
| Latin | tutum | ||
| The Latin word "tutum" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *teue-, meaning "to swell" or "to be strong." | |||
Safe in Others Languages
| Greek | ασφαλής | ||
| The word "ασφαλής" originates from the verb "άσφαλος" which means "to bind" or "to fasten", and it is related to the word "ἁλυσίδες" (chains). | |||
| Hmong | nyab xeeb | ||
| Nyab xeeb, a Hmong word for "safe" or "secure," literally means "the place you can hide your money." | |||
| Kurdish | emîn | ||
| The Kurdish word "emîn" also has the alternate meaning of "honest, trustworthy, or reliable." | |||
| Turkish | kasa | ||
| The Turkish word "kasa" can also refer to "money box", "treasury" or "cash register". | |||
| Xhosa | ikhuselekile | ||
| The word "ikhuselekile" in Xhosa is derived from the verb "khuselisa," meaning "to protect" or "to keep safe." | |||
| Yiddish | זיכער | ||
| The Yiddish word "זיכער" can also have the meaning of "secure" or "certain" in English | |||
| Zulu | ephephile | ||
| Ephephile is derived from the Zulu word 'ephaphilelo,' meaning 'protection.' | |||
| Assamese | সুৰক্ষিত | ||
| Aymara | chiqa | ||
| Bhojpuri | सुरक्षित | ||
| Dhivehi | ރައްކާތެރި | ||
| Dogri | सुरक्खत | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ligtas | ||
| Guarani | katuete | ||
| Ilocano | natalged | ||
| Krio | sef | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سەلامەت | ||
| Maithili | सुरक्षित | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯦꯛꯇ ꯀꯥꯏꯗꯕ | ||
| Mizo | him | ||
| Oromo | eegamaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସୁରକ୍ଷିତ | ||
| Quechua | harkasqa | ||
| Sanskrit | सुरक्षितः | ||
| Tatar | куркынычсыз | ||
| Tigrinya | ውሑስ | ||
| Tsonga | hlayiseka | ||