Sick in Different Languages
Discover 'Sick' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'sick' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, often used to describe feeling unwell or experiencing physical discomfort. However, its usage extends beyond this, also indicating impressive admiration, as in 'that skateboard trick is sick!'
Culturally, 'sick' has been adopted into various slang terms worldwide, demonstrating how language evolves and adapts to different societies. Its translation into other languages not only helps us understand these cultural nuances but also provides insights into how diverse languages express similar concepts.
For instance, did you know that 'sick' translates to 'malade' in French, 'krank' in German, and 'sjuk' in Swedish? These translations offer a glimpse into the unique linguistic landscapes of these countries, each with its own phonetic charm and cultural significance.
Explore the many faces of 'sick' in our comprehensive list below, and broaden your understanding of this versatile word and its global equivalents.
Sick
Sick in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | siek | ||
| The word "siek" in Afrikaans derives from the Old Dutch word "siec" meaning "painful" or "sore". | |||
| Amharic | የታመመ | ||
| የታመመ can mean both sick and drunk in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | rashin lafiya | ||
| The word "rashin lafiya" in Hausa can also mean "unwell" or "not feeling well". | |||
| Igbo | na-arịa ọrịa | ||
| "Na-arịa ọrịa" is also used to describe someone who is physically weak or feeble. | |||
| Malagasy | marary | ||
| The word "marary" can also mean "to be tired" or "to be weak". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kudwala | ||
| The word "kudwala" in Nyanja (Chichewa) is also used to mean "to be weak" or "to be tired". | |||
| Shona | kurwara | ||
| "Kurwara" can also mean "to be faint" or "to be dizzy" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | jiran | ||
| "Jiran" is etymologically related to "Jiri", which means "heat" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | kulang | ||
| In Sesotho, "kulang" can also mean "illness" or "disease". | |||
| Swahili | mgonjwa | ||
| Mgonjwa is also an alternative term for a "patient" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | ndiyagula | ||
| "Ndiyagula" is a compound word in Xhosa, formed from the root "gula" (to be ill) and the prefix "ndi-" (I). | |||
| Yoruba | aisan | ||
| The Yoruba word "aisan" can also mean "disease" or "illness." | |||
| Zulu | uyagula | ||
| Zulu word 'uyagula' may come from the word 'ugawu', which is a term for an ailment caused by witchcraft. | |||
| Bambara | banabagatɔ | ||
| Ewe | le dɔ lém | ||
| Kinyarwanda | abarwayi | ||
| Lingala | maladi | ||
| Luganda | -lwadde | ||
| Sepedi | lwala | ||
| Twi (Akan) | yare | ||
Sick in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مرض | ||
| "مرض" can originate from "مارض" meaning to soften in classical Arabic, indicating the weakening effect of illness. | |||
| Hebrew | חוֹלֶה | ||
| "חוֹלֶה" (sick), also implies "sand" like in the desert, and can also mean "illness" as a noun. | |||
| Pashto | ناروغ | ||
| ناروغ is also used to describe someone who is weak or feeble. | |||
| Arabic | مرض | ||
| "مرض" can originate from "مارض" meaning to soften in classical Arabic, indicating the weakening effect of illness. | |||
Sick in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i semure | ||
| The word "i semure" derives from the Proto-Albanian "*sem" (poison) and is cognate with Latin "venenum" (poison). | |||
| Basque | gaixo | ||
| "Gaixo" is a Basque word meaning "sick", possibly derived from the Proto-Basque root "*gaitz(a)", meaning "bad" or "evil", also found in words like "gaizto" ("evil") and "gaixotasun" ("disease"). | |||
| Catalan | malalt | ||
| The Catalan word "malalt" also means "badly wounded" or "crippled". | |||
| Croatian | bolesna | ||
| The word "bolesna" in Croatian ultimately derives from the Proto-Slavic term "bolěznь", meaning "pain" or "disease." | |||
| Danish | syg | ||
| The Danish word "syg" is derived from the Old Norse word "siúkr", which also means "ill" or "diseased". | |||
| Dutch | ziek | ||
| The word "ziek" in Dutch can also mean "nauseated" or "unwell", and is related to the Old English word "sēoc" meaning "afflicted by illness". | |||
| English | sick | ||
| "Sick" can also mean "cool" or "awesome" (as in "rad") when used with the right modifiers such as "totally sick" | |||
| French | malade | ||
| The French word 'malade' originates from the Latin 'malus', meaning 'bad', and can also refer to moral or spiritual illness. | |||
| Frisian | siik | ||
| In addition to meaning "sick," siik also means "cool" and can be used to describe someone or something that is trendy or fashionable. | |||
| Galician | enfermo | ||
| In Galician, "enfermo" also means a "weakling" or a "coward". | |||
| German | krank | ||
| In German, "krank" not only means "sick," but also "weak," "rotten," and "fragile." | |||
| Icelandic | veikur | ||
| The Icelander word “veikur” also refers to the weather, meaning “unfavorable.” | |||
| Irish | tinn | ||
| An alternative meaning of "tinn" is "weak, powerless, feeble, frail". | |||
| Italian | malato | ||
| The Italian word "malato" derives from the Latin "male habitus," meaning "badly affected," and can also refer to poor health or a specific ailment. | |||
| Luxembourgish | krank | ||
| In addition to the medical meaning, "krank" can also colloquially refer to an intoxicated or upset person. | |||
| Maltese | marid | ||
| The word "marid" in Maltese derives from the Arabic word "marid" meaning "ill" or "diseased". | |||
| Norwegian | syk | ||
| In Norwegian, "syk" can also mean "weak," "ill," or "ailing." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | doente | ||
| Derived from the Latin "dolens," "doente" can also mean "painful," "aching," or "sore". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | tinn | ||
| The word tinn is also used colloquially in Scots Gaelic to mean 'tired'. | |||
| Spanish | enfermo | ||
| "Enfermo" also means "infirm" and comes from the Latin "infirmus," meaning "weak". | |||
| Swedish | sjuk | ||
| The Swedish word "sjuk" may also refer to the Swedish word "sju" (seven), especially in contexts like room numbers in hotels. | |||
| Welsh | yn sâl | ||
| The Welsh word "yn sâl" can also be translated as "tired" or "ill at ease." | |||
Sick in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | хворы | ||
| "Хворы" in Belarusian can also mean "bad" or "unwell." | |||
| Bosnian | bolestan | ||
| The word "bolestan" in Bosnian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *bolьstь, meaning "pain" or "illness." | |||
| Bulgarian | болен | ||
| The word "болен" in Bulgarian also has the alternate meaning of "tired" or "exhausted". | |||
| Czech | nemocný | ||
| The word 'nemocný' can also mean 'ill' or 'unwell' in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | haige | ||
| "Haigus" is a loanword from Finnish "haigeus", itself derived from "haikea" meaning "trouble". | |||
| Finnish | sairas | ||
| Sairas can also mean 'ailing' when used to describe something other than a person. | |||
| Hungarian | beteg | ||
| In Hungarian, the word "beteg" not only means "sick", but also "ill-tempered" or "annoyed". | |||
| Latvian | slims | ||
| In Latvian, the word “slims” can also mean “narrow” or “thin". | |||
| Lithuanian | serga | ||
| The word "serga" can also refer to a "disease" or "illness" in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | болен | ||
| The word "болен" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *bolьnъ, which means "ill" or "diseased." | |||
| Polish | chory | ||
| "Chory" is a masculine form of "chora". In the past, "chory" meant weak or thin. | |||
| Romanian | bolnav | ||
| Bolnav may also refer to the plant called henbane. | |||
| Russian | больной | ||
| The Russian word "больной" also refers to "patient" and is related to "боль" (pain) and "болезнь" (disease). | |||
| Serbian | болестан | ||
| The word "болестан" also has the meaning of "hospital" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | chorý | ||
| The Slovak word 'chorý' is also used figuratively to mean 'bad' or 'evil'. | |||
| Slovenian | bolan | ||
| The Proto-Slavic word *bol-ьnъ means "more swollen," from *bol- "swelling, bulge," and is related to the Greek word βαλαν- "acorn, nut". | |||
| Ukrainian | хворий | ||
| The word “хворий” is a Ukrainian adjective meaning “sick” that originally meant “weak”. | |||
Sick in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অসুস্থ | ||
| The word অসুস্থ (sick) in Bengali derives from the Sanskrit word 'asvastha', which literally means 'unstable' or 'not well-being'. | |||
| Gujarati | બીમાર | ||
| The word "બીમાર" in Gujarati can also mean "unwell" or "unhealthy." | |||
| Hindi | बीमार | ||
| The Hindi word "बीमार" is related to the Sanskrit word "vyâma" meaning "disease or sickness" as well as the word "vyâman" meaning "to spread out" from the Proto-Indo-European root "wei-" also found in the English word "venom". | |||
| Kannada | ಅನಾರೋಗ್ಯ | ||
| The word "ಅನಾರೋಗ್ಯ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "अनारोग्य" (anarogya), meaning "lack of health" or "sickness." | |||
| Malayalam | രോഗികൾ | ||
| The word can also mean "diseased", "affected by a disease", "infirm", or "invalid". | |||
| Marathi | आजारी | ||
| The word 'आजारी' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'आजिरा' meaning 'disease' or 'illness'. | |||
| Nepali | बिरामी | ||
| The word "बिरामी" in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit word "vyādhi", which also means "suffering". | |||
| Punjabi | ਬਿਮਾਰ | ||
| ਬਿਮਾਰ' (bimaar) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'vyamana,' meaning 'illness,' and also refers to 'separation' or 'distance' in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අසනීප | ||
| The Sinhalese word "අසනීප" (asaneepa) has other meanings such as "uncomfortable", "unwell", or "out of sorts". | |||
| Tamil | நோய்வாய்ப்பட்டது | ||
| The Tamil word "நோய்வாய்ப்பட்டது" (sick) originates from the root word "நோய்" ("disease"), and can also refer to a physical or mental ailment that causes discomfort or distress. | |||
| Telugu | అనారోగ్యం | ||
| The Telugu word "అనారోగ్యం" ('sick') is related to the Sanskrit word "अनारोग्य" ('unhealth'), which itself is a compound of "अ" ('not') and "आरोग्य" ('health'). | |||
| Urdu | بیمار | ||
| The Urdu word 'بیمار' derives from Persian, where it also denotes someone suffering from a physical or spiritual ailment or, metaphorically, a 'lover'. | |||
Sick in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 生病 | ||
| The word "生病" can also mean "to be ill" or "to be unwell". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 生病 | ||
| 生病 originally referred to mental illness as somatic illnesses were described as “得病” or “有病”. | |||
| Japanese | 病気 | ||
| 病気 (byoki) literally means “changing disease,” referring to the shifting nature of illness. | |||
| Korean | 병든 | ||
| 병든 can also refer to a feeling or emotion that is painful or distressing. | |||
| Mongolian | өвчтэй | ||
| The Mongolian word "өвчтэй" ("sick") also has the alternate meaning of "injured," which is reflected in its etymology, as it is derived from the Mongolian word "өв," which means "damage" or "injury." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နေမကောင်း | ||
Sick in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sakit | ||
| "Sakit" can also mean "pain" or "ache". | |||
| Javanese | lara | ||
| The word 'lara' in Javanese also means 'disease,' 'pain,' 'suffering,' and 'affliction.' | |||
| Khmer | ឈឺ | ||
| In Khmer, "ឈឺ" also means "sad" or "unhappy". | |||
| Lao | ເຈັບປ່ວຍ | ||
| - | |||
| Malay | sakit | ||
| "Sakit" also means "pain" and comes from the Sanskrit "sakti". | |||
| Thai | ป่วย | ||
| The word "ป่วย" in Thai originates from the Khmer word "ป่วย" meaning "to be ill" or "to be unwell". | |||
| Vietnamese | đau ốm | ||
| The word "đau ốm" in Vietnamese can also mean "pain" or "sickness". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | may sakit | ||
Sick in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | xəstə | ||
| "Xəstə" also means "patient" in Azerbaijani, as in someone who is receiving medical treatment. | |||
| Kazakh | ауру | ||
| The word "ауру" in Kazakh can also refer to a disease or illness. | |||
| Kyrgyz | оорулуу | ||
| The word 'оорулуу' in Kyrgyz can also mean 'disease', 'illness', or 'condition'. | |||
| Tajik | бемор | ||
| The word "бемор" has additional meanings, such as "weak," "feeble," and "delicate." | |||
| Turkmen | näsag | ||
| Uzbek | kasal | ||
| Uzbek word "kasal" came into the language via Persian but is cognate with "hasta" in Turkish languages. | |||
| Uyghur | كېسەل | ||
Sick in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | maʻi | ||
| In addition to 'sick,' 'maʻi' also refers to a disease or epidemic. | |||
| Maori | māuiui | ||
| The word "māuiui" in Māori can also mean "to feel faint or dizzy". | |||
| Samoan | maʻi | ||
| The word ma'i can also refer to illness caused by witchcraft or spirits in Samoan culture. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | may sakit | ||
| May sakit is the Filipino word for "sick," which is derived from the Spanish word "sacar," meaning "to take out". | |||
Sick in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | usuta | ||
| Guarani | hasýva | ||
Sick in International Languages
| Esperanto | malsana | ||
| The word "malsana" is derived from the Latin word "male sanus," which means "not healthy." | |||
| Latin | infirmum | ||
| The Latin word “infirmum” originally meant “weak, feeble” and was only later used to mean “sick”. | |||
Sick in Others Languages
| Greek | άρρωστος | ||
| "Άρρωστος" shares the root *worgh* with the English word "weary". | |||
| Hmong | mob | ||
| In Hmong, the word “mob” can also mean “to be intoxicated,” or “to be addicted to drugs.” | |||
| Kurdish | nexweş | ||
| The Kurdish word 'nexweş' can also mean 'unhappy' or 'uncomfortable' in other contexts. | |||
| Turkish | hasta | ||
| The word "hasta" comes from the Persian word "hastah" meaning "ill" and has also come to mean "hospital" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | ndiyagula | ||
| "Ndiyagula" is a compound word in Xhosa, formed from the root "gula" (to be ill) and the prefix "ndi-" (I). | |||
| Yiddish | קראנק | ||
| The Yiddish word "קראנק" derives from the Middle High German "kranch," meaning "pain" or "suffering." | |||
| Zulu | uyagula | ||
| Zulu word 'uyagula' may come from the word 'ugawu', which is a term for an ailment caused by witchcraft. | |||
| Assamese | বেমাৰী | ||
| Aymara | usuta | ||
| Bhojpuri | बेमार | ||
| Dhivehi | ބަލި | ||
| Dogri | बमार | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | may sakit | ||
| Guarani | hasýva | ||
| Ilocano | masakit | ||
| Krio | sik | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نەخۆش | ||
| Maithili | बीमार | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯥꯕ | ||
| Mizo | dam lo | ||
| Oromo | dhibamaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅସୁସ୍ଥ | ||
| Quechua | unquq | ||
| Sanskrit | रुग्णः | ||
| Tatar | авыру | ||
| Tigrinya | ሕሙም | ||
| Tsonga | vabya | ||
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