Shake in Different Languages
Discover 'Shake' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'shake' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, with meanings ranging from a physical action to a state of emotion. It can refer to the act of shaking something, the sensation caused by fear or excitement, or even a type of cocktail!
Culturally, 'shake' has made its mark through various art forms. From James Bond's iconic 'shaken, not stirred' martini to the energetic dance moves in hip-hop culture, this word continues to resonate worldwide.
Given its wide usage and cultural importance, knowing the translation of 'shake' in different languages can be quite useful. It not only helps in understanding foreign languages better but also provides insights into how various cultures express this concept.
For instance, in Spanish, 'shake' translates to 'agitar'. In French, it's 'secouer'. And in German, you'd say 'schütteln'.
Shake
Shake in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | skud | ||
| Though the Afrikaans "skud" means "shake," in Dutch it also refers to a shower of rain or snow. | |||
| Amharic | መንቀጥቀጥ | ||
| The word መንቀጥቀጥ can also refer to the act of vibrating, trembling, or oscillating, and its root derives from the verb ንቀጥቀጠ, meaning 'to cause to shake'. | |||
| Hausa | girgiza | ||
| The Hausa word 'girgiza' can also refer to 'contagion', 'trembling' or 'shivering'. | |||
| Igbo | maa jijiji | ||
| "Maa jijiji" is an onomatopoeic word in Igbo, mimicking the sound of shaking. | |||
| Malagasy | mihorohoro | ||
| "Mihorohoro" can refer to a gentle movement, a sudden jolt, or a state of agitation. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | gwedezani | ||
| "Gwedezani" also means "mix" or "scatter" and shares a root with "gwedeza" ("sprinkle"). | |||
| Shona | zunza | ||
| The word "zunza" in Shona can also mean "to move quickly or suddenly" or "to shake or tremble". | |||
| Somali | ruxid | ||
| The word "ruxid" in Somali can also mean "tremble" or "vibrate". | |||
| Sesotho | tsitsinyeha | ||
| The word "tsitsinyeha" in Sesotho can also refer to the act of stirring or churning liquids. | |||
| Swahili | kutikisika | ||
| "Kutikisika" can also mean "to be nervous" or "to be restless" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | vuthulula | ||
| The word "vuthulula" (shake) also means "to excite" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | gbọn | ||
| The Yoruba word "gbọn" also means "to scatter" and likely comes from the verb "gbún", which means "to break". | |||
| Zulu | qhaqhazela | ||
| The word 'qhaqhazela' can also mean 'to shudder' or 'to tremble', originating from the onomatopoeic 'qhaqa' representing the sound of shaking. | |||
| Bambara | ka yigiyigi | ||
| Ewe | ʋuʋu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kunyeganyega | ||
| Lingala | koningisa | ||
| Luganda | okunyeenya | ||
| Sepedi | šikinya | ||
| Twi (Akan) | woso | ||
Shake in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | هزة | ||
| The word "هزة" in Arabic can also mean an "earthquake", "shock", or "tremor". | |||
| Hebrew | לְנַעֵר | ||
| The root of the verb "לְנַעֵר" also appears in the word "נער" (young boy), possibly alluding to the physical growth and energy of youth. | |||
| Pashto | شیک | ||
| The word "شیک" in Pashto can also refer to a type of dance, or a specific type of musical instrument. | |||
| Arabic | هزة | ||
| The word "هزة" in Arabic can also mean an "earthquake", "shock", or "tremor". | |||
Shake in Western European Languages
| Albanian | shkund | ||
| Shkund shares the same Proto-Indo-European root as "shake": "sk(w)end-", meaning "to leap, jump, or shake." | |||
| Basque | astindu | ||
| The word can also mean "to move something from side to side" or "to tremble". | |||
| Catalan | sacsejar | ||
| The word "sacsejar" comes from the Latin "saccus", meaning "bag", and refers to the action of shaking something to empty its contents. | |||
| Croatian | tresti | ||
| In Italian, 'tresti' means 'flax' or 'linen'. In Polish, 'trząść' means 'to shake' and 'trząść się' means 'to tremble'. | |||
| Danish | ryste | ||
| The noun 'ryste' can also refer to a fence, a trap, or a barrier designed to obstruct movement. | |||
| Dutch | schudden | ||
| Schudden can also mean "to stir", "to swing" or "to toss" in Dutch. | |||
| English | shake | ||
| The word 'shake' can mean to move or cause something to move with rapid, short movements, to cause something to tremble or vibrate, or to experience trembling or vibration. | |||
| French | secouer | ||
| The verb "secouer" can also denote "shocking" or "unsettling". | |||
| Frisian | skodzje | ||
| The Frisian word 'skodzje' or 'skodzje' is derived from the Old Frisian word 'skoddia,' meaning 'to shake,' and is related to the Dutch word 'schudden,' also meaning 'to shake.' | |||
| Galician | axitar | ||
| The word "axitar" comes from the same root as "agitar" in Spanish and "agitate" in English, all of which mean "to shake" or "to move rapidly to and fro." | |||
| German | shake | ||
| The German word "Schnack" is also derived from "Shake" and means "chat". | |||
| Icelandic | hrista | ||
| The verb "hrista" also means "to tremble" or "to flap" in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | croith | ||
| The word 'croith' is derived from the Old Irish word 'crith', meaning 'tremble' or 'shiver'. | |||
| Italian | scuotere | ||
| The verb "scuotere" comes from the Latin word "excutere" (to shake out), which is related to "cutis" (skin) and "cutere" (to beat). | |||
| Luxembourgish | rëselen | ||
| The verb "rëselen" originates from the Old High German "russeln", which meant to shake a sieve with coarse mesh to separate the wheat from the chaff. | |||
| Maltese | ħawwad | ||
| "Ħawwad" can also mean "shake hands" or "confuse." | |||
| Norwegian | riste | ||
| The Norwegian 'riste' relates to English 'wrestle', sharing a Proto-Germanic root of 'wrest', to turn violently. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | mexe | ||
| The word "mexe" in Brazilian Portuguese also means "to touch" or "to handle" something. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | crathadh | ||
| Crathadh is sometimes erroneously connected to “crat,” denoting a skin disease; others derive it from “crith,” which means “trembling | |||
| Spanish | sacudir | ||
| "Sacudir" also means "to jerk" in Spanish, which comes from the Arabic word "sakr" meaning "falcon". | |||
| Swedish | skaka | ||
| The verb 'skaka' is cognate with the German 'schacken' and originated in Medieval Low German. | |||
| Welsh | ysgwyd | ||
| In certain parts of southern Wales, "ysgwyd" also means "to rain very heavily (of rain)." | |||
Shake in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | страсянуць | ||
| The Belarusian word "страсянуць" is cognate with the Ukrainian word "трясти" and the Russian word "трясти", all meaning "shake". | |||
| Bosnian | promućkati | ||
| Promućkati comes from the root word 'mucati', meaning to shake or stir. | |||
| Bulgarian | клатя | ||
| The initial meaning of "клатя" was to swing, oscillate, like a pendulum. | |||
| Czech | otřást | ||
| "Otřást" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*treti", meaning "to strike or rub". | |||
| Estonian | raputama | ||
| Raputama, besides "shake", can also mean "to flutter" or "to shiver" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | ravista | ||
| "Ravista" originates from the Swedish word "röra", meaning to stir or mix. | |||
| Hungarian | ráz | ||
| The word "ráz" can also mean "time" or "occasion". | |||
| Latvian | krata | ||
| The word "krata" can also refer to a type of fish drying rack in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | papurtyti | ||
| The word "papurtyti" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *purt- meaning "to shake" and is related to the Latin word "perturbare" and the English word "perturb". | |||
| Macedonian | се тресат | ||
| The word "се тресат" can also mean "to be very upset" or "to be terrified". | |||
| Polish | potrząsnąć | ||
| The Polish word "potrząsnąć" also has the alternate meanings of "to shake one's head", "to stir up", and "to provoke or shock". | |||
| Romanian | scutura | ||
| The word's etymology is not certain, and is sometimes associated with scutura from Latin, meaning «to move violently». | |||
| Russian | встряхнуть | ||
| "Встряхнуть" originated from "стрясти" meaning "to shake (down) or cause to fall down" and "в" (a prefix meaning "in") | |||
| Serbian | мућкати | ||
| The Serbian word "мућкати" can also mean "to move in a swaying manner" or "to make a swishing sound." | |||
| Slovak | triasť | ||
| "Triasť" in Slovak also means "to tremble" and is related to the word "strach" (fear). | |||
| Slovenian | pretresemo | ||
| Pretresemo is thought to come from the Slavic word *tresti/*tręsti*, which also means "to shake" and is the origin of the word "tremor" in English. | |||
| Ukrainian | струсити | ||
| In Old Ukrainian, the word "струсити" could also mean "to shudder", "to tremble" or "to get goosebumps". | |||
Shake in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ঝাঁকি | ||
| The word "ঝাঁকি" can also mean a glimpse or a short glance in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | શેક | ||
| The Gujarati word "શેક" ("shake") can also refer to the dish known as "pan cake" in English. | |||
| Hindi | शेक | ||
| "शेक" (shake) can also refer to a kind of dessert drink or, historically, a theatrical dance style. | |||
| Kannada | ಅಲುಗಾಡಿಸಿ | ||
| The word "ಅಲುಗಾಡಿಸಿ" can also mean "to move" or "to cause to move" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | കുലുക്കുക | ||
| In Malayalam, "കുലുക്കുക" can also refer to shaking or swaying a tree to collect fruits. | |||
| Marathi | शेक | ||
| The Marathi word "शेक" has a second meaning, that of "a branch of a tree" | |||
| Nepali | हल्लाउनु | ||
| The word 'हल्लाउनु' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'हल्,' which means 'to move' or 'to stir' | |||
| Punjabi | ਹਿਲਾ | ||
| 'Hilā' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'calati', meaning 'to move' or 'to stir'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සොලවන්න | ||
| The Sinhala word "සොලවන්න" can also mean "to excite" or "to agitate" and has its origins in the Sanskrit word "śal" meaning "to loosen". | |||
| Tamil | குலுக்கல் | ||
| The term 'குலுக்கல்' (shake) is also used in Tamil to refer to a lottery or gamble, where lots are shaken to determine the winner. | |||
| Telugu | షేక్ | ||
| In Persian, 'షేక్' ('shake') also refers to a ruler or chief. | |||
| Urdu | ہلا | ||
| Etymology: From Persian 'halidn' (to move). | |||
Shake in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 摇 | ||
| "揺" also signifies trembling and waving in Chinese culture. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 搖 | ||
| 搖 can also mean 'to sway' or 'to swing'. | |||
| Japanese | シェイク | ||
| シェイク can also mean a milk-based beverage similar to a milkshake. | |||
| Korean | 떨림 | ||
| "떨림" can also refer to an anxious or uncomfortable feeling similar to the physical sensation of trembling. | |||
| Mongolian | сэгсрэх | ||
| "Сэгсрэх" also means to "be startled" in Mongolian | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | လှုပ် | ||
| The word “လှုပ်” comes from the Mon language and also means “to move”. | |||
Shake in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | menggoyang | ||
| Menggoyang, also meaning 'to dance', derives from the Malay word 'goyang', which can mean either 'shake' or 'dance'. | |||
| Javanese | goyangake | ||
| The word 'goyangake' is also used as a term of endearment for close friends, signifying comfort and familiarity. | |||
| Khmer | អ្រងួន | ||
| Lao | ສັ້ນ | ||
| The word ສັ້ນ comes from the Proto-Tai-Kadai root *saŋ, meaning "to tremble, shake". | |||
| Malay | goncang | ||
| The Malay word "goncang" also means to adulterate, to falsify, to cheat, or to swindle. | |||
| Thai | เขย่า | ||
| The word "เขย่า" can also mean "to stir" or "to agitate". | |||
| Vietnamese | rung chuyển | ||
| The word "rung chuyển" can also mean "upheaval" or "turmoil". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | iling | ||
Shake in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | silkələmək | ||
| The word | |||
| Kazakh | шайқау | ||
| The word "шайқау" in Kazakh can also mean "to shake hands" or "to shuffle cards." | |||
| Kyrgyz | силкинүү | ||
| The word "силкинүү" comes from the root "силки" and means "to move something back and forth". It is cognate with the Turkish word "sallamak" and the Russian word "трясти". | |||
| Tajik | ларзидан | ||
| The word "ларзидан" can also mean "to tremble" or "to quiver". | |||
| Turkmen | silkmek | ||
| Uzbek | silkit | ||
| The word "silkit" in Uzbek also means "to move quickly from side to side" and is derived from the Persian word "silkanidan". | |||
| Uyghur | سىلكىش | ||
Shake in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | luliluli | ||
| "Luliluli" also means "to sway" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | ruru | ||
| The word "ruru" in Maori also means "owl", which is believed to be named after the sound it makes. | |||
| Samoan | lulu | ||
| Lulu' can also refer to a 'tremor' or ‘earthquake’ in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | iling | ||
| The word "iling" in Tagalog also refers to the motion of swaying or trembling. | |||
Shake in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | thalsuña | ||
| Guarani | jetyvyro | ||
Shake in International Languages
| Esperanto | skui | ||
| "Skui" has several different meanings and etymologies depending on the language it's being used in. | |||
| Latin | excutite | ||
| In classical Latin, "excutio" has an additional sense meaning "to pay, fulfill (an obligation)". This is thought to derive from an archaic legal concept relating to the transfer of property by physical movement of the object from one person to another. | |||
Shake in Others Languages
| Greek | σέικ | ||
| The word "σέικ" can also refer to a type of cocktail, with origins in the early 20th century | |||
| Hmong | co | ||
| In Hmong, the word "co" can also mean to oscillate or move back and forth. | |||
| Kurdish | rijandin | ||
| The Kurdish word "rijandin" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *reg-, meaning "to move or shake." | |||
| Turkish | sallamak | ||
| The Turkish word "sallamak" may be of Arabic origin and has alternate meanings such as "to swing", "to oscillate", or "to move rhythmically." | |||
| Xhosa | vuthulula | ||
| The word "vuthulula" (shake) also means "to excite" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | שאָקלען | ||
| The Yiddish word "שאָקלען" can also refer to a back-and-forth motion, similar to rocking or swaying. | |||
| Zulu | qhaqhazela | ||
| The word 'qhaqhazela' can also mean 'to shudder' or 'to tremble', originating from the onomatopoeic 'qhaqa' representing the sound of shaking. | |||
| Assamese | কঁপা | ||
| Aymara | thalsuña | ||
| Bhojpuri | हिलल-डुलल | ||
| Dhivehi | ތަޅުވާލުން | ||
| Dogri | झटका | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | iling | ||
| Guarani | jetyvyro | ||
| Ilocano | iwagwag | ||
| Krio | shek | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | شەقاندن | ||
| Maithili | हिलनाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯤꯛꯄ | ||
| Mizo | thing | ||
| Oromo | urgufuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ହଲେଇବା | ||
| Quechua | aytiy | ||
| Sanskrit | घट्ट् | ||
| Tatar | селкетү | ||
| Tigrinya | ምጭባጥ | ||
| Tsonga | dzinginisa | ||