Safety in Different Languages
Discover 'Safety' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The concept of safety is universal, yet it is expressed differently across languages and cultures. Safety (noun) refers to the state of being protected from harm or other non-desirable outcomes. It is a fundamental human need, and it is intertwined with our physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Throughout history, safety has been a driving force behind many cultural, technological, and societal advancements. For instance, the development of safety regulations, safety equipment, and safety training programs has significantly reduced workplace accidents and fatalities.
Understanding the translation of safety in different languages can provide valuable insights into how other cultures prioritize and approach safety. For example, the German word for safety is 'Sicherheit,' which also means certainty or confidence. Meanwhile, the French word for safety is 'sécurité,' which is derived from the Latin word 'securus,' meaning free from care. In Spanish, safety is 'seguridad,' which also means confidence or certainty.
In the following list, you will find the translations of safety in 20 different languages, providing a glimpse into the diverse ways safety is perceived and valued around the world.
Safety
Safety in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | veiligheid | ||
| The Afrikaans word "veiligheid" derives from the Dutch "veiligheid" and "velig", which means "secure" or "protected". | |||
| Amharic | ደህንነት | ||
| The word "ደህንነት" can also mean "protection" or "security" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | aminci | ||
| The word "aminci" can also mean "mercy" or "protection" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | nchekwa | ||
| "Nchekwa" in Igbo is etymologically related to the word "kwu" meaning to speak, signifying "something to speak about" or "a matter to be discussed." | |||
| Malagasy | fiarovana | ||
| "Fiarovana" also means "a place where one can hide something" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chitetezo | ||
| The word "chitetezo" is derived from the verb "kucheteka," meaning "to be safe" or "to be secure." | |||
| Shona | kuchengeteka | ||
| 'kuchengeteka' is derived from the verb 'kuchengeta', meaning "to protect, defend, or secure". It can also refer to a place of refuge or shelter. | |||
| Somali | badbaadada | ||
| "Badbaado" is also used figuratively to mean a place of refuge or protection. | |||
| Sesotho | polokeho | ||
| The Sesotho term "polokeho" derives from the verb "o loka" (to protect), emphasizing the inherent sense of well-being it signifies. | |||
| Swahili | usalama | ||
| The word "usalama" in Swahili is derived from the Arabic word "salam" which means "peace" or "well-being". | |||
| Xhosa | ukhuseleko | ||
| The Xhosa word "ukhuseleko" also means "protection" or "refuge". | |||
| Yoruba | ailewu | ||
| Ailewu derives from two Yoruba words meaning "to look" and "to protect" which together mean "watchfulness for protection" and hence "safety." | |||
| Zulu | ukuphepha | ||
| **Ukuphepha** can also mean **to protect**, **to guard**. It shares a root with **isikuphephu** - **roof** in isiZulu. | |||
| Bambara | lakana | ||
| Ewe | dedienɔnɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umutekano | ||
| Lingala | libateli | ||
| Luganda | obukuumi | ||
| Sepedi | polokego | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ahwɛyie | ||
Safety in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | سلامة | ||
| سلامة can also mean salvation, welfare, or well-being in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | בְּטִיחוּת | ||
| The word "בְּטִיחוּת" is derived from the root "בטח" meaning "to trust" or "to be secure". | |||
| Pashto | خوندیتوب | ||
| The word "خوندیتوب" in Pashto also means "peace" or "tranquility." | |||
| Arabic | سلامة | ||
| سلامة can also mean salvation, welfare, or well-being in Arabic. | |||
Safety in Western European Languages
| Albanian | sigurinë | ||
| Sigurinë is also the name of a village in Kosovo. | |||
| Basque | segurtasuna | ||
| The word 'segurtasuna' comes from the Latin word 'securitas', meaning 'freedom from care or anxiety'. | |||
| Catalan | seguretat | ||
| Seguretat is also derived from the verb segurar meaning 'to make secure' | |||
| Croatian | sigurnost | ||
| The Croatian word 'sigurnost' can also mean 'assurance'. | |||
| Danish | sikkerhed | ||
| In Danish, 'sikkerhed' can also refer to security or surety. | |||
| Dutch | veiligheid | ||
| Veiligheid, Dutch for "safety," also shares a root with the English "vanguard," a group that leads an attacking force. | |||
| English | safety | ||
| The word 'safety' originates from the Old French word 'sauvetet', meaning 'a place of refuge'. | |||
| French | sécurité | ||
| The term 'sécurité' comes from the Latin word 'securitas', meaning 'freedom from worry'. | |||
| Frisian | feilichheid | ||
| The Frisian word "feilichheid" not only means "safety", but also "security" and "protection". | |||
| Galician | seguridade | ||
| "Seguridade" is derived from the Latin word "securitas" and also refers to the Galician police force. | |||
| German | sicherheit | ||
| The German word "Sicherheit" derives from the Middle High German word "siekerheit", meaning "freedom from care" or "peace of mind". | |||
| Icelandic | öryggi | ||
| The Icelandic word "öryggi" is related to the Old Norse word "örvængi" meaning "a place of refuge". | |||
| Irish | sábháilteacht | ||
| The Irish word "sábháilteacht" for "safety" refers specifically to physical rather than emotional safety as the English word "safety" sometimes does. | |||
| Italian | sicurezza | ||
| The word "sicurezza" also means "security" in Italian. | |||
| Luxembourgish | sécherheet | ||
| The etymology of the Luxembourgish word for "safety" derives from the German word "Sicherheit". | |||
| Maltese | sigurtà | ||
| The word "sigurtà" in Maltese is derived from the Italian word "sicurtà" or the French word "sécurité", both meaning "safety" or "security". | |||
| Norwegian | sikkerhet | ||
| The alternate spelling in Norwegian Bokmål, "sikkerhet", was influenced by the Danish word "sikkerhed" which dates back to a Proto-Germanic root for "truth". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | segurança | ||
| The Portuguese word "segurança" also means "security" and derives from the Latin word "securitas" meaning "freedom from care". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | sàbhailteachd | ||
| There is no known etymological origin for the word sàbhailteachd, but it is often used in legal contexts to refer to "safe custody". | |||
| Spanish | la seguridad | ||
| In Mexico, "la seguridad" can also refer to private security guards or to the government's public security apparatus. | |||
| Swedish | säkerhet | ||
| The word "säkerhet" also means "certainty" or "security" in Swedish. | |||
| Welsh | diogelwch | ||
| The Welsh word "diogelwch" also means "privacy" or "secrecy" and likely stems from the root word "celu" meaning "to conceal". | |||
Safety in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | бяспека | ||
| The word "бяспека" derives from the Proto-Slavic term "bezopečenъ," meaning "free from danger." | |||
| Bosnian | sigurnost | ||
| The Bosnian word 'sigurnost' also means 'assurance' or 'certainty'. | |||
| Bulgarian | безопасност | ||
| The word "безопасност" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "bezъ", meaning "without", and "пасъ", meaning "danger". It can also mean "security" or "protection". | |||
| Czech | bezpečnost | ||
| The word 'bezpečnost' comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'bezopečenstvo', meaning 'freedom from danger'. | |||
| Estonian | ohutus | ||
| The word "ohutus" derives from the verb "ohtuma" meaning "to prevent harm". It also relates to the Finnish word "vahinko" meaning "misfortune". | |||
| Finnish | turvallisuus | ||
| Historically, the word "turvallisuus" is related to the "turva" (protection), the "luola" (cave), and the "turvapaikka" (safe place) concept. | |||
| Hungarian | biztonság | ||
| The word "biztonság" also means "certainty" or "reliability" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | drošība | ||
| "Drošība" is also used in the context of reliability and certainty. | |||
| Lithuanian | saugumas | ||
| The word "saugumas" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *sewk-, meaning "to bind" or "to protect." | |||
| Macedonian | безбедност | ||
| The word "безбедност" can also mean "security" or "assurance". | |||
| Polish | bezpieczeństwo | ||
| It derives from the Proto-Slavic word *bezpečьstvo, meaning "security", "reliability" and "steadiness", itself derived from *bezъ "without" and *pečь (PIE: *pek-), meaning "to care", thus "without cares". | |||
| Romanian | siguranță | ||
| The Romanian word "Siguranță" is derived from the Latin word "securitas", meaning "freedom from care or anxiety" or "security". | |||
| Russian | безопасность | ||
| The word "безопасность" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "бесъ", meaning "demon" or "evil spirit". It originally referred to protection from supernatural forces, but its meaning has since expanded to include protection from physical harm and other threats. | |||
| Serbian | сигурност | ||
| The word "сигурност" is also used figuratively to indicate certainty in something. | |||
| Slovak | bezpečnosť | ||
| The word "bezpečnosť" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *bъzьpьсьnoti, which also means "carelessness" or "negligence". | |||
| Slovenian | varnost | ||
| Varnost is etymologically related to the word vera (faith), and thus implies a sense of trust or confidence in something. | |||
| Ukrainian | безпека | ||
| "Безпека" in Ukrainian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "bezpeka", which means "lack of danger" or "freedom from fear". | |||
Safety in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | নিরাপত্তা | ||
| The word "নিরাপত্তা" comes from the Sanskrit word "निर् + रक्षिता" (protected) and can also mean "shelter" or "protection from danger". | |||
| Gujarati | સલામતી | ||
| The word "સલામતી" is derived from the Persian word "salamat", meaning "peace" or "well-being". | |||
| Hindi | सुरक्षा | ||
| The word सुरक्षा is derived from the Sanskrit root 'su' (good) and 'rakṣa' (protection), and can also mean 'assurance', 'security', or 'peace' | |||
| Kannada | ಸುರಕ್ಷತೆ | ||
| The word "ಸುರಕ್ಷತೆ" originates from the Sanskrit term "suraksha," which means "protection, security, or defense." | |||
| Malayalam | സുരക്ഷ | ||
| The word "സുരക്ഷ" can also mean "protection" or "security". | |||
| Marathi | सुरक्षा | ||
| The word "सुरक्षा" in Marathi can also refer to a type of traditional Indian musical instrument. | |||
| Nepali | सुरक्षा | ||
| The word 'सुरक्षा' ('safety') in Nepali derives from the Sanskrit word 'surekhsha,' meaning 'well-guarded' or 'protected'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੁਰੱਖਿਆ | ||
| The word 'ਸੁਰੱਖਿਆ' shares its etymology with the Hindi word 'सुरक्षा' and ultimately derives from the Sanskrit word 'सुरक्षति', meaning 'to protect'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ආරක්ෂාව | ||
| "ආරක්ෂාව" (safety) in Sinhala is derived from the Sanskrit word "राख" (protect) and can also refer to "protection" or "security". | |||
| Tamil | பாதுகாப்பு | ||
| The Tamil word “பாதுகாப்பு” (“protection” or “security”) also refers to “the protection of a country against foreign threats or aggression.”} | |||
| Telugu | భద్రత | ||
| The term 'bhadratha' (భద్రత) also refers to a type of traditional Indian musical instrument. | |||
| Urdu | حفاظت | ||
| The word 'حفاظت' can also refer to 'protection' or 'custody' in Urdu. | |||
Safety in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 安全 | ||
| The two characters, 安 and 全, in the Chinese word 安全 ('safety') both have connotations of 'peace', 'completeness', and 'security'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 安全 | ||
| The etymology of 安全 can be traced to the ancient belief in spirits residing in mountains and waters. | |||
| Japanese | 安全性 | ||
| 安全性 (anzensei) also suggests stability, firmness of construction. | |||
| Korean | 안전 | ||
| The word "안전" (safety) in Korean is derived from the Middle Korean word "안전". It is also homophonous with the word "안전" (stable), which is derived from the Middle Korean word "안전". | |||
| Mongolian | аюулгүй байдал | ||
| The word аюулгүй байдал (safety) is derived from the Mongolian word аюул (danger), which is also used to refer to the negative consequences of an action. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဘေးကင်းလုံခြုံမှု | ||
Safety in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | keamanan | ||
| The word "keamanan" not only means "safety" but also "security". | |||
| Javanese | keslametan | ||
| The word 'keslametan' is also used to mean 'well-being' or 'welfare' in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | សុវត្ថិភាព | ||
| Lao | ຄວາມປອດໄພ | ||
| Malay | keselamatan | ||
| The word "keselamatan" also means "salvation" in a religious context, and is cognate with the Arabic "salāmah." | |||
| Thai | ความปลอดภัย | ||
| The Thai word "ความปลอดภัย" can be literally translated to "freedom from danger" in English. | |||
| Vietnamese | sự an toàn | ||
| "Sự an toàn" is a Vietnamese word derived from the Chinese characters 安 and 全, which individually mean "peace" and "complete". Therefore, the original meaning of the Vietnamese word is "peace of mind or contentment". Nowadays it is used almost exclusively in the sense of "safety". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kaligtasan | ||
Safety in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | təhlükəsizlik | ||
| The word "təhlükəsizlik" can also mean "security" or "assurance" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | қауіпсіздік | ||
| Kyrgyz | коопсуздук | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "коопсуздук" can also refer to security, reliability, and peace. | |||
| Tajik | бехатарӣ | ||
| The word "бехатарӣ" also implies a state of being protected from danger, harm or other adverse conditions. | |||
| Turkmen | howpsuzlygy | ||
| Uzbek | xavfsizlik | ||
| The word "xavfsizlik" is derived from the Persian word "xavf", meaning "fear". It can also refer to the absence of danger or risk. | |||
| Uyghur | بىخەتەرلىك | ||
Safety in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | palekana | ||
| The word "palekana" in Hawaiian is derived from the root word "pale", meaning "fence" or "enclosure"} | |||
| Maori | ahuru | ||
| The word "ahuru" also means "a shield." Shields were commonly made of wood or woven flax and could be decorated with motifs or symbols. | |||
| Samoan | saogalemu | ||
| The word "saogalemu" derives from the Proto-Polynesian word *saogalemu* meaning "to be safe" or "to be well-being". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kaligtasan | ||
| The word "kaligtasan" can also mean "salvation" or "redemption" in a religious context. | |||
Safety in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jark'aqawi | ||
| Guarani | kyhyje'ỹ | ||
Safety in International Languages
| Esperanto | sekureco | ||
| "Sekureco" is derived from the Latin word "securus", meaning "free from anxiety or fear". It also relates to the Esperanto word "sekvi", meaning "to follow", suggesting a sense of following a path or course that leads to safety. | |||
| Latin | salutem | ||
| The Latin word "salutem" is derived from the root "salus," which also means "health" and "well-being." | |||
Safety in Others Languages
| Greek | ασφάλεια | ||
| The word 'ασφάλεια' is derived from the ancient Greek verb 'ασφαλίζω,' meaning 'to make secure' or 'to fasten'. | |||
| Hmong | kev nyab xeeb | ||
| The term 'kev nyab xeeb' is also used to refer to a safety net or protective measure. | |||
| Kurdish | ewlekarî | ||
| Ewlekarî, meaning "safety" in Kurdish, derives from the root "ewle", which also connotes "trust". | |||
| Turkish | emniyet | ||
| The word 'Emniyet' also refers to the Turkish national police as well as a district in Istanbul province. | |||
| Xhosa | ukhuseleko | ||
| The Xhosa word "ukhuseleko" also means "protection" or "refuge". | |||
| Yiddish | זיכערקייַט | ||
| The loanword 'זיכערקייַט' ('safety') was borrowed from German, and also carries the alternate meaning of "guarantee" or "surety" in Yiddish. | |||
| Zulu | ukuphepha | ||
| **Ukuphepha** can also mean **to protect**, **to guard**. It shares a root with **isikuphephu** - **roof** in isiZulu. | |||
| Assamese | সুৰক্ষা | ||
| Aymara | jark'aqawi | ||
| Bhojpuri | सुरक्षा | ||
| Dhivehi | ރައްކާތެރި | ||
| Dogri | सुरक्खेआ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kaligtasan | ||
| Guarani | kyhyje'ỹ | ||
| Ilocano | kinatalged | ||
| Krio | fɔ sef | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سەلامەتی | ||
| Maithili | सुरक्षा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯦꯛꯇ ꯀꯥꯏꯗꯟꯕ | ||
| Mizo | sahimna | ||
| Oromo | nageenya | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସୁରକ୍ଷା | ||
| Quechua | harkasqa | ||
| Sanskrit | सुरक्षा | ||
| Tatar | куркынычсызлык | ||
| Tigrinya | ድሕንነት | ||
| Tsonga | vuhlayiseki | ||