Secret in Different Languages
Discover 'Secret' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word secret holds a special allure, inviting us to explore hidden knowledge and uncover the unknown. Its significance spans cultures and centuries, often cloaked in mystery and intrigue. From ancient whispers to modern day ciphers, secrets have shaped history and captivated our imaginations.
Understanding the translation of secret in different languages not only enriches our vocabulary, but also offers a glimpse into the unique cultural perspectives of language speakers worldwide. For instance, the French say secret, the Spanish secreto, and the Germans Geheimnis. Each translation carries its own distinct flavor, reflecting the nuances of the language and the values of the people who speak it.
Delving into the world of secrets in different languages can be a thrilling journey, shedding light on fascinating historical contexts and intriguing cross-cultural connections. Join us as we unravel the mysteries of this captivating word.
Secret
Secret in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | geheim | ||
| Afrikaans "geheim" originates from the Middle Dutch "geheim" and also means "mystery". | |||
| Amharic | ምስጢር | ||
| The word "ምስጢር" (secret) comes from the Ge'ez word "ሰተራ" (to hide), which also gives us the word "ሰው" (man). | |||
| Hausa | sirri | ||
| The Hausa word sirri, which means "secret," is derived from the Arabic word "sir," which has the same meaning. | |||
| Igbo | ihe nzuzo | ||
| Ihe nzuzo comes from the root word "nzu," which means "be covered." | |||
| Malagasy | zava-miafina | ||
| In the language Malagasy, the term "zava-miafina" can refer to both a secret that has been kept or an internal matter of a family, group or individual. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chinsinsi | ||
| Chinsinsi can refer to both something kept hidden or a secret belief, a sacred word, or a mysterious person or thing | |||
| Shona | chakavanzika | ||
| Somali | qarsoodi ah | ||
| The Somali word "qarsoodi ah" can be translated as "secret" and also refers to "the state of being in hiding or seclusion. | |||
| Sesotho | lekunutu | ||
| The alternative meaning of 'lekunutu' is 'closet', implying a concealed or private space. | |||
| Swahili | siri | ||
| In Swahili, "siri" holds additional meanings beyond "secret", including "hidden knowledge", "mystery", and "intimacy." | |||
| Xhosa | imfihlo | ||
| The word "imfihlo" in Xhosa can also refer to a "hidden treasure" or "something concealed from view." | |||
| Yoruba | asiri | ||
| In Yoruba, 'asiri' also refers to a group of people in possession of a secret, such as a religious or professional society. | |||
| Zulu | imfihlo | ||
| The Zulu word "imfihlo" means "secret" and is associated with the act of covering or hiding something. | |||
| Bambara | gundo | ||
| Ewe | nuɣaɣla | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ibanga | ||
| Lingala | sekele | ||
| Luganda | ekyaama | ||
| Sepedi | sephiri | ||
| Twi (Akan) | asumasɛm | ||
Secret in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | سر | ||
| The Arabic word "سر" (sirr), meaning "secret", is also used to refer to "fate", "destiny", or "essence." | |||
| Hebrew | סוֹד | ||
| The word "סוֹד" also means "counsel", "advice", and "conversation". | |||
| Pashto | پټ | ||
| The word "پټ" in Pashto has the same root as the Persian word "پنهان" (hidden), and both words are derived from the Proto-Indo-Iranian root "*paθ-", meaning "to protect" or "to conceal". | |||
| Arabic | سر | ||
| The Arabic word "سر" (sirr), meaning "secret", is also used to refer to "fate", "destiny", or "essence." | |||
Secret in Western European Languages
| Albanian | sekret | ||
| The Albanian word "sekret" derives from the Latin "secretus", meaning "separated" or "removed". | |||
| Basque | sekretua | ||
| The word "sekretua" is derived from the Latin "secretum" (secret), but it can also refer to a confidant or someone who keeps secrets. | |||
| Catalan | secret | ||
| The word "secret" derives from the Latin word "secretum", which means "a private place". | |||
| Croatian | tajna | ||
| In Serbo-Croatian, the word 'tajna' has the alternate meaning of 'mystery', as well as the derived term 'tajni', meaning 'secret agent'. | |||
| Danish | hemmelighed | ||
| The word "hemmelighed" is derived from the Old Norse word "heimugr", meaning "private" or "belonging to the home". | |||
| Dutch | geheim | ||
| In the Germanic languages, words cognate with "geheim" often refer to marriage instead of secrecy. | |||
| English | secret | ||
| "Secret" is derived from the Latin "secretum," meaning "something kept apart." | |||
| French | secret | ||
| The French word 'secret' derives from the Latin 'secernere' and can also mean 'private' or 'hidden'. | |||
| Frisian | geheim | ||
| The Frisian word "geheim" has Old Dutch and Old Saxon forms which meant "sacred"} | |||
| Galician | segredo | ||
| The Galician word "segredo" derives from the Latin "secretum" and has other meanings depending on context, like "whisper" or "privacy". | |||
| German | geheimnis | ||
| The Old High German word "geheizi" originally designated a "promise" given in a religious context before it later on came to designate something "kept away secret". | |||
| Icelandic | leyndarmál | ||
| In Icelandic the word "leyndarmál" can also be used to refer to a person's password, private key or other information that needs to be kept confidential. | |||
| Irish | rúnda | ||
| "Rúnda" in Irish also means "mystery", "whisper" or "secret knowledge". | |||
| Italian | segreto | ||
| "Segreto" in Italian also means "apart", "separate", or "solitude". | |||
| Luxembourgish | geheim | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "geheim" can also refer to a "secret place" or a "secret passage". | |||
| Maltese | sigriet | ||
| The word 'sigriet' derives from the French 'secret', meaning 'separated' or 'withdrawn', and is related to the Latin 'secernere', meaning 'to separate'. | |||
| Norwegian | hemmelig | ||
| In Old Norse, "heimugligr" meant "familiar" and "homelike". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | segredo | ||
| The Portuguese word "segredo" derives from the Latin word "secretum", meaning "private" or "hidden." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dìomhair | ||
| {"text": "Its root is in the Proto-Celtic word *dēwis ("unknown, unseen") from which comes the Old Irish word díu ("hidden, unknown")."} | |||
| Spanish | secreto | ||
| In Spanish, the word "secreto" can also refer to a liquid or sauce secreted by animals or plants. | |||
| Swedish | hemlighet | ||
| The word "hemlighet" derives from the Old Norse word "heima", meaning "home", and "leikr", meaning "play", suggesting that secrets were once considered to be private and intimate matters that took place in the home. | |||
| Welsh | gyfrinach | ||
| The Welsh word "gyfrinach" has a variant form "gifrinach" that reflects an original meaning of "whisper; murmur" and is related to the word "gwifren" meaning "whisper; murmur". | |||
Secret in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | сакрэт | ||
| The Belarusian word | |||
| Bosnian | tajna | ||
| Bosnian word "tajna" also means "womb" and originates from the Proto-Slavic *tajna, meaning "secret, hidden". | |||
| Bulgarian | тайна | ||
| The word "тайна" can also refer to a "mystery" or an "enigma" | |||
| Czech | tajný | ||
| The word tajný can also mean "reserved" or "private" in a non-secret context, e.g. a tajný účet is a "private account". | |||
| Estonian | saladus | ||
| Although the Estonian word "saladus" primarily means "secret", it also carries the archaic meaning of "counsel" or "advice." | |||
| Finnish | salaisuus | ||
| The word "salaisuus" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word *salainen, meaning "concealed" or "hidden". | |||
| Hungarian | titok | ||
| "Titok" is a loanword from Turkish, where it means "a hidden thing". | |||
| Latvian | noslēpums | ||
| Noslēpums has the same root as the word “slēpt” (meaning “to hide”), but it also bears some relation to the word “slapts” (meaning “secretive”). | |||
| Lithuanian | paslaptis | ||
| "Paslaptis" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kele- "to hide, conceal, protect". | |||
| Macedonian | тајна | ||
| The word "тајна" in Macedonian can also refer to a mystery or a sacrament in a religious context. | |||
| Polish | sekret | ||
| "sekret" also means "secretion" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | secret | ||
| The Romanian word "secret" also means "council" or "assembly", derived from the Latin "secretum" meaning "private" or "apart". | |||
| Russian | секрет | ||
| In the 18th century, it also denoted a cosmetic product designed to hide facial defects. | |||
| Serbian | тајна | ||
| The word тајна (secret) originates from the Proto-Indo-European word *teḱ- meaning "to conceal" or "to hide". | |||
| Slovak | tajomstvo | ||
| The Slovak word "tajomstvo" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *tajnъ, meaning "hidden". It is related to the Czech word "tajemství", the Polish word "tajemnica", and the Russian word "тайна". The Slovak word is also used in a broader sense to mean "mystery" or "enigma". | |||
| Slovenian | skrivnost | ||
| The word "skrivnost" in Slovenian shares its root with the word "skrivališča" meaning "hiding places". | |||
| Ukrainian | таємний | ||
| In addition to meaning "secret," "таємний" is also used as an expression referring to something "forbidden." | |||
Secret in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | গোপন | ||
| গোপন derives from Sanskrit 'gupta' (or 'gopan') meaning 'concealed'. In Bengali, it also carries the specific meaning of 'confidential' | |||
| Gujarati | ગુપ્ત | ||
| "ગુપ્ત" is also used to refer to the famous Gupta dynasty in Indian history. | |||
| Hindi | गुप्त | ||
| The word "गुप्त" is derived from the Sanskrit root "gup" meaning "to hide" or "to conceal". | |||
| Kannada | ರಹಸ್ಯ | ||
| "ರಹಸ್ಯ" is derived from Sanskrit "rahasya" meaning "mystery, secret" and is also used as an adjective to mean "private, confidential." | |||
| Malayalam | രഹസ്യം | ||
| രഹസ്യം is also an archaic term in Malayalam for "treasure". | |||
| Marathi | गुप्त | ||
| The word "गुप्त" in Marathi can also mean "hidden", "concealed", or "classified". | |||
| Nepali | गोप्य | ||
| The word "गोप्य" has its roots in Sanskrit and can also mean "hidden" or "private". | |||
| Punjabi | ਗੁਪਤ | ||
| The word "ਗੁਪਤ" (secret) in Punjabi is derived from the Sanskrit word "gupta," meaning "hidden" or "concealed." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | රහස | ||
| Sinhala word රහස (secret) is derived from Sanskrit Rahasya meaning 'a mystery' and can also refer to 'confidential' or 'esoteric/private' matters. | |||
| Tamil | ரகசியம் | ||
| The Tamil word 'ரகசியம்' means 'secret', but can also mean 'privacy' and 'confidentiality'. | |||
| Telugu | రహస్యం | ||
| The Telugu word "రహస్యం" is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit word "rahasya", which means "mystery" or "hidden knowledge." | |||
| Urdu | خفیہ | ||
| The word "خفیہ" is derived from the Arabic word "خفا" meaning "to hide". | |||
Secret in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 秘密 | ||
| The Chinese character "秘密" (mìmi) originally meant "hidden things" and was used in a military context. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 秘密 | ||
| This Chinese character, "秘密", can also mean 'not revealing a secret'. | |||
| Japanese | 秘密 | ||
| The word "秘密" (himitsu) can also mean "confidential" or "classified" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 비밀 | ||
| The term '비밀' can also imply a confidential matter or a mystery. | |||
| Mongolian | нууц | ||
| The Mongolian word "нууц" is derived from the root "нүү" ("to hide, conceal") and has meanings such as "secret", "mystery", and "hidden". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | လျှို့ဝှက်ချက် | ||
| အန်သမြ အဌိည ဍနိ စိ့ညရီစာ (secret) | |||
Secret in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | rahasia | ||
| The Javanese word "rahasia" also has the meaning of "taboo" or "sacred". | |||
| Javanese | rahasia | ||
| The Javanese word "rahasia" originates from the Sanskrit word "rahasya," which also means "secret," "mystery," or "confidentiality." | |||
| Khmer | សម្ងាត់ | ||
| សម្ងាត់ is also used to describe something hidden or concealed from view, such as a secret place or a hidden object. | |||
| Lao | ຄວາມລັບ | ||
| Malay | rahsia | ||
| In Indonesian, the word "rahsia" also means "mystery". | |||
| Thai | ความลับ | ||
| The word "ความลับ" can also mean "confidential" or "private" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | bí mật | ||
| The Vietnamese word "bí mật" originally meant "not open" or "covered up", and still retains this meaning in compound words like "bí mật công khai" (open secret). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lihim | ||
Secret in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | gizli | ||
| Gizli also means "hidden" or "concealed" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | құпия | ||
| "Құпия" can also refer to a "treasure" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | сыр | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "сыр" can also mean "mystery" or "puzzle". | |||
| Tajik | махфӣ | ||
| The word "махфӣ" in Tajik comes from the Arabic word "مخفی" and also means "hidden" or "concealed". | |||
| Turkmen | gizlin | ||
| Uzbek | sir | ||
| Sir is also a title used for males, typically showing respect and formality. | |||
| Uyghur | مەخپىي | ||
Secret in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | huna | ||
| In Hawaiian, "huna" also refers to an ancient practice of keeping knowledge and abilities secret. | |||
| Maori | muna | ||
| The Maori word "muna" can also refer to a cave, a secret place, or an object that is hidden from view. | |||
| Samoan | mea lilo | ||
| Mea lilo, meaning "secret," can also refer to something clandestine, shameful, or taboo in Samoan culture. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | lihim | ||
| "Lihim" also means 'something wrapped up' in Tagalog, relating to its root word 'ligid' which means 'to roll up or wind around'. | |||
Secret in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jamasata | ||
| Guarani | ñemigua | ||
Secret in International Languages
| Esperanto | sekreta | ||
| "Sekreta" is Esperanto for "secret" and is derived from the same Latin root as "secrecy" and "secretory". | |||
| Latin | secretum | ||
| The word "secretum" originally referred to a private place for conversation or reflection, and later came to mean "a secret". | |||
Secret in Others Languages
| Greek | μυστικό | ||
| The word “μυστικό” stems from the Ancient Greek verb “μύω” meaning “to close the eyes or mouth”. | |||
| Hmong | zais cia | ||
| 'Zais cia' is often written as two morphemes, 'zais' and 'cia,' but may also be one compound noun. | |||
| Kurdish | dizî | ||
| The word 'dizî' is also used to refer to a type of meatball dish. | |||
| Turkish | gizli | ||
| The word 'gizli' also refers to something or someone that is hidden or concealed and that cannot be directly perceived but can be found or discovered | |||
| Xhosa | imfihlo | ||
| The word "imfihlo" in Xhosa can also refer to a "hidden treasure" or "something concealed from view." | |||
| Yiddish | סוד | ||
| Yiddish "סוד" derives from a Proto-Slavic root meaning "court" or "judgement". | |||
| Zulu | imfihlo | ||
| The Zulu word "imfihlo" means "secret" and is associated with the act of covering or hiding something. | |||
| Assamese | গোপনীয় | ||
| Aymara | jamasata | ||
| Bhojpuri | गुप्त | ||
| Dhivehi | ސިއްރު | ||
| Dogri | भेत | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lihim | ||
| Guarani | ñemigua | ||
| Ilocano | palimed | ||
| Krio | sikrit | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نهێنی | ||
| Maithili | गुप्त | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯔꯣꯟ ꯑꯊꯨꯞ | ||
| Mizo | thuruk | ||
| Oromo | icitii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଗୁପ୍ତ | ||
| Quechua | pakasqa | ||
| Sanskrit | रहस्य | ||
| Tatar | сер | ||
| Tigrinya | ምሽጥር | ||
| Tsonga | xihundla | ||