Security in Different Languages
Discover 'Security' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Security, a concept that has been significant to human beings throughout history, continues to be of utmost importance in our daily lives. It refers to the state of being free from danger or threat, and it is a fundamental need that we all share. The significance of security extends beyond our personal lives and into the cultural and societal realms. For instance, the concept of security is deeply embedded in various cultural practices and traditions around the world, such as the use of locks and keys in many cultures, or the emphasis on community watch in others.
Given the global nature of our interconnected world, it is increasingly important to be able to communicate the concept of security in different languages. For instance, in Spanish, security is 'seguridad,' while in French, it is 'sécurité.' In German, security is 'Sicherheit,' and in Mandarin Chinese, it is '安全 (ānquán).'
In the following list, you will find the translations of security in 20 different languages. Whether you are traveling to a foreign country, conducting business internationally, or simply looking to expand your linguistic and cultural knowledge, understanding the nuances of this important concept in different languages can be a valuable tool.
Security
Security in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | sekuriteit | ||
| "Sekuriteit" derives from the Dutch "sekuriteit" (also "zekerheid"), and can additionally refer to "bond" or "stock". | |||
| Amharic | ደህንነት | ||
| In Amharic, the word "ደህንነት" can also refer to peace, safety, or well-being. | |||
| Hausa | tsaro | ||
| The word "tsaro" in Hausa can also mean "protection" or "guard". | |||
| Igbo | nche | ||
| Nche is related to the Yoruba word 'ni' meaning 'to have' and 'che' or 'ike' meaning 'power' or 'strength' | |||
| Malagasy | aro | ||
| Malagasy "ARO" can also refer to a guardian spirit that protects people and places. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chitetezo | ||
| "Chitetezo" in Nyanja is derived from the verb "tetezera," meaning "to be firm or secure." | |||
| Shona | chengetedzo | ||
| The word "chengetedzo" is related to the verbs "kuchengetedza" (to guard) and "kuchengetera" (to preserve or keep safe), all stemming from the root word "chengeta" meaning "to watch over" or "to protect". | |||
| Somali | amniga | ||
| 'Amniga' also refers to the security of the state and the military, as well as to a sense of safety and well-being | |||
| Sesotho | tshireletso | ||
| The word "tshireletso" also means "peacefulness" and "tranquility" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | usalama | ||
| The word "usalama" in Swahili traces its roots to the Arabic word "salam," meaning "peace" or "well-being." | |||
| Xhosa | ukhuseleko | ||
| The alternate meaning of "ukhuseleko" in Xhosa is "a place of safety or refuge." | |||
| Yoruba | aabo | ||
| The word "aabo" in Yoruba is also the Yoruba name for the silk-cotton tree, which is a sacred tree often associated with the divinity of Orunmila. | |||
| Zulu | ukuphepha | ||
| The Zulu word "ukuphepha" can also be translated as "protection" or "safety". | |||
| Bambara | lakana | ||
| Ewe | dedienɔnɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umutekano | ||
| Lingala | libateli | ||
| Luganda | obukuumi | ||
| Sepedi | tšhireletšo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | bammɔ | ||
Security in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الأمان | ||
| The Arabic word "الأمان" can also refer to peace, comfort, or assurance. | |||
| Hebrew | בִּטָחוֹן | ||
| The word "בטחון" in Hebrew can also mean "trust" or "confidence". | |||
| Pashto | امنیت | ||
| The word "امنیت" is derived from the Arabic word "أمن" (amn), meaning "safety" or "protection". | |||
| Arabic | الأمان | ||
| The Arabic word "الأمان" can also refer to peace, comfort, or assurance. | |||
Security in Western European Languages
| Albanian | sigurinë | ||
| The Albanian word "sigurinë" derives from the Latin word "securitas", meaning "freedom from care or anxiety." | |||
| Basque | segurtasuna | ||
| The Basque word 'segurtasuna' can also mean 'confidence' or 'trust'. | |||
| Catalan | seguretat | ||
| The word "seguretat" derives from the Latin word "securitas," also meaning "security." | |||
| Croatian | sigurnost | ||
| The word "sigurnost" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "sigъ" meaning "safe" or "secure". | |||
| Danish | sikkerhed | ||
| 'Sikkerhed' is a compound of the words 'sikke' (sure) and 'fred' (peace). | |||
| Dutch | veiligheid | ||
| Although the modern meaning of "veiligheid" in Dutch is "security," the word originally meant "safeness" or "well-being." | |||
| English | security | ||
| The word 'security' originally meant 'freedom from care or worry' and is related to the Latin word 'securus', meaning 'free from anxiety'. | |||
| French | sécurité | ||
| "Sécurité" comes from the Latin "securitas", also meaning "fearlessness" and "lack of anxiety". | |||
| Frisian | feiligens | ||
| The word "feiligens" is derived from the Old Frisian word "feiligh", meaning "safe" or "secure." | |||
| Galician | seguridade | ||
| Seguridade can be used for security, assurance or confidence but is also used for insurance | |||
| German | sicherheit | ||
| Sicherheit is derived from Old High German 'sihurheit' and also means 'certainty' or 'confidence'. | |||
| Icelandic | öryggi | ||
| Öryggi was first used in Old Icelandic to refer to safety or a defensive weapon. | |||
| Irish | slándáil | ||
| The word "slándáil" is cognate with the Welsh word "salwch"("illness"), likely a reference to the health hazards of being a surety for someone else. | |||
| Italian | sicurezza | ||
| The Italian word "sicurezza" originally meant "certainty", and still retains this meaning in some contexts. | |||
| Luxembourgish | sécherheet | ||
| The word "Sécherheet" in Luxembourgish is derived from the French word "sécurité", meaning "safety". It can also refer to certainty or protection. | |||
| Maltese | sigurtà | ||
| In Maltese, «sigurtà» comes from the Latin word «securitas» and also means «confidence». | |||
| Norwegian | sikkerhet | ||
| The word "sikkerhet" (security) in Norwegian also means "certainty" or "confidence". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | segurança | ||
| The word "segurança" (security) in Portuguese originated from the Latin word "securitas" meaning "freedom from care or anxiety". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | tèarainteachd | ||
| Spanish | seguridad | ||
| "Seguridad" comes from Latin "securitas", meaning "freedom from care, worry, or fear". The word also refers to the quality of being secure or safe. | |||
| Swedish | säkerhet | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "security," "säkerhet" can also refer to "certainty," "confidence," or "assurance."} | |||
| Welsh | diogelwch | ||
| The Welsh word "diogelwch" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *deuk-, meaning "to cover, hide, or protect." | |||
Security in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | бяспека | ||
| The word "бяспека" is related to the word "пека" (stove), thus implying a "warm and safe place". | |||
| Bosnian | sigurnost | ||
| Sigurnost also means certainty, confidence, reliability, safety, surety, trustworthiness, and assurance | |||
| Bulgarian | сигурност | ||
| The word "сигурност" also means "confidence" or "assurance" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | bezpečnostní | ||
| Bezpečnostní, meaning "security" in Czech, shares its etymology with the noun bezpečí, meaning "safety", both words tracing their roots back to the Proto-Slavic root *beči-, which had the dual meaning of both "safety" and "flight" or "escape". | |||
| Estonian | turvalisus | ||
| The word "turvalisus" derives from the Old Estonian word "turva," meaning "safety" or "protection." | |||
| Finnish | turvallisuus | ||
| In the 19th century the word "turvallisuus" also took the meaning of "safety" or "protection from danger or injury". | |||
| Hungarian | biztonság | ||
| Biztonság is a Hungarian word that also refers to "insurance" in the financial context. | |||
| Latvian | drošība | ||
| The word "drošība" is derived from the Old Slavic word "družina", a term originally referring to a group of armed warriors.} | |||
| Lithuanian | saugumas | ||
| The word 'saugumas' is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *sewk-, meaning 'to protect' or 'to guard'. | |||
| Macedonian | безбедност | ||
| The word "безбедност" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *bezbode*, meaning "without lack". | |||
| Polish | bezpieczeństwo | ||
| The word "bezpieczeństwo" derives from the Old Church Slavonic word "bez" (without) and "peča" (worry). | |||
| Romanian | securitate | ||
| In Latin, 'securitas' referred to security in the sense of peace and tranquility and absence of worry, as opposed to the physical safety denoted by the Romanian word. | |||
| Russian | безопасность | ||
| The word "безопасность" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "безопасьство", which means "safety" or "freedom from danger". | |||
| Serbian | сигурност | ||
| The word "siгурност" in Serbian also means "certainty" or "confidence". | |||
| Slovak | bezpečnosť | ||
| The Slovak word "bezpečnosť" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "bezopasŭ", meaning "without danger". | |||
| Slovenian | varnost | ||
| Varnost, meaning 'security' in Slovenian, is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'varъ', meaning 'to protect' or 'to guard'. | |||
| Ukrainian | безпеки | ||
| Security (безпеки) relates to the absence of risk or danger and can also refer to the feeling of safety from harm, such as with financial investments. | |||
Security in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সুরক্ষা | ||
| "সুরক্ষা" can also mean "protection" or "assurance." | |||
| Gujarati | સુરક્ષા | ||
| Hindi | सुरक्षा | ||
| The word "सुरक्षा" originates from the Sanskrit word "सु" (good) and "रक्षा" (protection), emphasizing its role in providing well-being. | |||
| Kannada | ಭದ್ರತೆ | ||
| In Kannada, the word "ಭದ್ರತೆ" can also refer to a fortress, a protective wall, or a safe deposit box. | |||
| Malayalam | സുരക്ഷ | ||
| The word "സുരക്ഷ" in Malayalam comes from the Sanskrit word "suraksha," which means "protection" or "guarding." | |||
| Marathi | सुरक्षा | ||
| 'सुरक्षा' is also a feminine noun meaning 'goddess of safety or protection'. | |||
| Nepali | सुरक्षा | ||
| The word "सुरक्षा" also means "safety" and comes from the Sanskrit word "सु+रक्षण," meaning "good protection." | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੁਰੱਖਿਆ | ||
| The word 'surrakhiya' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'surakṣa', which means 'protection' or 'safety'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ආරක්ෂක | ||
| The word ආරක්ෂක (security) is derived from the Sanskrit word रक्ष (rakṣa), meaning "to protect". | |||
| Tamil | பாதுகாப்பு | ||
| பாதுகாப்பு (pādukappu) is also a Tamil word that refers to the protection or preservation of something, such as a person, place, or object. | |||
| Telugu | భద్రత | ||
| The Telugu word 'భద్రత' also refers to the deity Lakshmi, goddess of wealth, good luck, and prosperity. | |||
| Urdu | سیکیورٹی | ||
| (Security comes from Latin, Securitas, meaning 'freedom from care or anxiety.') | |||
Security in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 安全 | ||
| In addition to “security,” the term 安全 can also mean “peace” or “safety”. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 安全 | ||
| 安全 also means "peace" and "safety" in Chinese, reflecting the importance of security for societal well-being. | |||
| Japanese | セキュリティ | ||
| The word "セキュリティ" (security) is derived from the Latin word "securitas", meaning "freedom from care or anxiety". | |||
| Korean | 보안 | ||
| The word "보안" can also mean "assurance" or "peace of mind" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | аюулгүй байдал | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | လုံခြုံရေး | ||
Security in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | keamanan | ||
| Keamanan also has the meaning of 'safe' in Indonesian, deriving from its Sanskrit origin 'ksemam' which means the same thing. | |||
| Javanese | keamanan | ||
| Keamanan has another meaning in Javanese, namely 'peaceful'. | |||
| Khmer | សន្តិសុខ | ||
| "សន្តិសុខ" is also used to refer to a unit of the police in Cambodia, known as the Ministry of National Security. | |||
| Lao | ຄວາມປອດໄພ | ||
| Malay | keselamatan | ||
| "Keselamatan" may also refer to a state of happiness or well-being | |||
| Thai | ความปลอดภัย | ||
| The word 'ความปลอดภัย' in Thai is derived from the Pali word 'sampanna', meaning 'complete' or 'fulfilled', and is also related to the concept of 'well-being' and 'happiness'. | |||
| Vietnamese | bảo vệ | ||
| "Bảo vệ" has the same root as "bảo mẫu" (nanny) because historically, palace guards were in charge of protecting royals, including their children. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | seguridad | ||
Security in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | təhlükəsizlik | ||
| The word "təhlükəsizlik" is derived from the Persian word "tahlukeh", meaning danger or risk, and the Turkish suffix "-lik", indicating a state or quality. | |||
| Kazakh | қауіпсіздік | ||
| In some contexts, "қауіпсіздік" can also refer to "safety" or "reliability." | |||
| Kyrgyz | коопсуздук | ||
| The word "коопсуздук" can also refer to "safety" or "reliability" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | амният | ||
| The word "амният" is derived from the Persian word "امان" (aman), meaning "safety" or "protection". | |||
| Turkmen | howpsuzlyk | ||
| Uzbek | xavfsizlik | ||
| The word "xavfsizlik" can also refer to "protection" or "safety" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | بىخەتەرلىك | ||
Security in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | palekana | ||
| Palekana also refers to a kind of traditional Hawaiian dance or hula. | |||
| Maori | ahuru | ||
| The word "ahuru" in Maori can refer to not only a person's physical safety but also his spiritual well-being. | |||
| Samoan | saogalemu | ||
| The word "saogalemu" can also mean "tranquility" or "peace". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | seguridad | ||
| The Tagalog word "seguridad" originated from the Spanish word "seguridad", which also means "security". | |||
Security in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jark'aqawi | ||
| Guarani | kyhyje'ỹ | ||
Security in International Languages
| Esperanto | sekureco | ||
| The word "sekureco" originated from Latin "securus" (free from anxiety or care) via French "sécure". | |||
| Latin | pignus | ||
| Pignus, the Latin word for "security", also referred to an object given as a pledge or surety. | |||
Security in Others Languages
| Greek | ασφάλεια | ||
| In ancient Greek, "ασφάλεια" originally meant "firmness" or "steadiness." | |||
| Hmong | kev ruaj ntseg | ||
| Kurdish | ewlekarî | ||
| The word 'ewlekarî' likely has its origins in the Middle Persian word 'awlekan', meaning 'guard', 'protection', or 'defense'. | |||
| Turkish | güvenlik | ||
| "Güvenlik" also means "reliability" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | ukhuseleko | ||
| The alternate meaning of "ukhuseleko" in Xhosa is "a place of safety or refuge." | |||
| Yiddish | זיכערהייט | ||
| The Yiddish word "זיכערהייט" is derived from the German word "Sicherheit" and has the alternate meaning of "certainty". | |||
| Zulu | ukuphepha | ||
| The Zulu word "ukuphepha" can also be translated as "protection" or "safety". | |||
| Assamese | সুৰক্ষা | ||
| Aymara | jark'aqawi | ||
| Bhojpuri | सुरक्षा | ||
| Dhivehi | ރައްކާތެރިކަން | ||
| Dogri | सुरक्षा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | seguridad | ||
| Guarani | kyhyje'ỹ | ||
| Ilocano | seguridad | ||
| Krio | natin nɔ de fɔ fred | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئاسایش | ||
| Maithili | सुरक्षा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯉꯥꯛ ꯁꯦꯟꯕ | ||
| Mizo | himna | ||
| Oromo | nageenya | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସୁରକ୍ଷା | ||
| Quechua | harkay | ||
| Sanskrit | सुरक्षा | ||
| Tatar | куркынычсызлык | ||
| Tigrinya | ድሕንነት | ||
| Tsonga | vuhlayiseki | ||