Strange in Different Languages
Discover 'Strange' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'strange' holds a unique significance in our vocabulary, as it allows us to express the unfamiliar, the mysterious, and the unexpected. Its cultural importance is undeniable, as it has been woven into the fabric of stories, myths, and legends throughout history, often serving as the catalyst for adventure and discovery.
For those with a passion for language and culture, understanding the translation of 'strange' in different languages can offer a fascinating glimpse into how different cultures perceive and express the unknown. For instance, in Spanish, 'strange' translates to 'extraño' (pronounced eh-stran-yo), while in French, it becomes 'étrange' (pronounced ay-trahzh). In Mandarin Chinese, the word for strange is '奇怪' (qíguài), which combines the characters for 'strange' and 'strange event'.
Join us as we delve deeper into the translations of 'strange' in various languages, uncovering interesting facts and historical contexts along the way.
Strange
Strange in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | vreemde | ||
| The Afrikaans word "vreemde" has the same root as the English word "extraordinary". | |||
| Amharic | እንግዳ ነገር | ||
| In Amharic, the word 'እንግዳ ነገር' ('strange') also refers to an unpleasant or unusual person or thing. | |||
| Hausa | bakon | ||
| "Bako" can also mean 'unexpected' or 'weird' | |||
| Igbo | iju | ||
| Iju can also mean "wonderful" and "beautiful" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | hafahafa | ||
| Hafahafa comes from the root word "hafa" which can also mean "to be surprised" or "to be astonished"} | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zachilendo | ||
| The word "zachilendo" can also mean "unfamiliar" or "foreign" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | zvinoshamisa | ||
| The word "zvinoshamisa" also encompasses the notions of "extraordinary" and "marvelous." | |||
| Somali | yaab leh | ||
| The word "yaab leh" can also mean "unusual", "weird", or "peculiar" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | makatsa | ||
| "Makatsa" is also used to describe something that is new, unusual, or uncommon. | |||
| Swahili | ajabu | ||
| The word "ajabu" in Swahili, derived from the Arabic "`ajab", also implies astonishment, unusualness, or something remarkable. | |||
| Xhosa | engaqhelekanga | ||
| Engaqhelekanga derives from the Xhosa verb gaqhela, meaning "to notice" and "to be careful." | |||
| Yoruba | ajeji | ||
| Ajeji derives from "a ti n je ajeji," meaning, "I do not eat the stranger." It has a second meaning as "mystery." | |||
| Zulu | isimanga | ||
| The Zulu word 'isimanga', meaning 'strange', can also be used to describe something that is 'unfamiliar', 'peculiar' or 'extraordinary'. | |||
| Bambara | dunan | ||
| Ewe | si womekpᴐ kpᴐ o | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bidasanzwe | ||
| Lingala | ya kokamwa | ||
| Luganda | sikya bulijjo | ||
| Sepedi | makatša | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nwanwa | ||
Strange in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | غريب | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "strange" or "foreign," "غريب" can also refer to someone who is alone or a stranger in a particular place or situation. | |||
| Hebrew | מוּזָר | ||
| "מוּזָר" also means "unique" and comes from the root "זר" (foreign, alien). | |||
| Pashto | عجيبه | ||
| عجيبه (ajiba) is derived from the Arabic word عجيب ('ajīban) meaning 'wonder' or 'marvel', and also carries the connotation of 'unexpected' or 'surprising'. | |||
| Arabic | غريب | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "strange" or "foreign," "غريب" can also refer to someone who is alone or a stranger in a particular place or situation. | |||
Strange in Western European Languages
| Albanian | e çuditshme | ||
| The word "e çuditshme" derives from "i çuditun," which comes from Proto-Indo-European "*ǵu̯ʰédō" or "*gʰu̯édō," meaning "I perceive." | |||
| Basque | arraro | ||
| The word "arraro" in Basque is thought to be derived from the Proto-Basque form *harraro, meaning "rough" or "coarse". | |||
| Catalan | estrany | ||
| "Estrany" derives from the Latin "extraneus," meaning "foreigner" or "outsider." | |||
| Croatian | čudno | ||
| In Slovenian, the word 'čudno' means 'wonderful', or 'beautiful'. | |||
| Danish | mærkelig | ||
| The word "mærkelig" in Danish means "strange," but it originally meant "noticeable." | |||
| Dutch | vreemd | ||
| The Dutch word "vreemd" has its origin in the Old Germanic "framthi", meaning "forward", "first" or "out in front". | |||
| English | strange | ||
| The word "strange" originally meant "foreigner" or "outsider". It comes from the Old French word "estrange"} | |||
| French | étrange | ||
| Étrange et étranger sont issues de la même origine latine, extraneus, " celui qui est en dehors ", d'où l'idée d'une personne ou d'une chose inconnue et donc étrange. | |||
| Frisian | frjemd | ||
| The word 'frjemd' in Frisian originated from the Old Saxon word 'fremid, fremid' and referred to foreign and exotic as well as strange and unpleasant. | |||
| Galician | estraño | ||
| In Galician, "extraño" can also mean "foreign" or "unfamiliar". | |||
| German | seltsam | ||
| The word "seltsam" is related to the Middle High German "selsane" (uncanny) and originally meant something like "not belonging to one's own world, unfamiliar". | |||
| Icelandic | skrýtið | ||
| The word skrýtið likely derives from the word 'skríða' or 'to move'. | |||
| Irish | aisteach | ||
| The Irish word "aisteach" (strange, uncommon, unusual, uncanny) derives from the Old Irish "aithisch" (horrible, hideous, loathsome). | |||
| Italian | strano | ||
| The Italian word "strano" also has the meaning of "foreigner". This meaning is derived from the Latin word "extraneus", meaning "outside" or "foreign". | |||
| Luxembourgish | komesch | ||
| Kömesch is thought to stem from the Proto-Germanic *kamaz, meaning 'crooked' or 'bent'. | |||
| Maltese | stramba | ||
| Stramba (strange) derives from the Italian "strambo" meaning "eccentric, odd, bizarre". | |||
| Norwegian | rar | ||
| "Rar" is a word that was borrowed into Norwegian in the 1500s from Low German, where it meant "early" or "before". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | estranho | ||
| In Portuguese, "estranho" can also mean "foreigner" or "guest". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | neònach | ||
| In the 18th century, neònach also meant an unknown or foreign person who may have recently arrived to an area of Scotland from Ireland. | |||
| Spanish | extraño | ||
| The word "extraño" can also mean "foreign" or "not familiar" in Spanish. | |||
| Swedish | konstig | ||
| Konstig has an alternate meaning, 'artificial', as well as deriving from the Old Norse word for 'cunning'. | |||
| Welsh | rhyfedd | ||
| The Welsh word "rhyfedd" ultimately derives from the same Proto-Indo-European root as "riddle" and "mystery". | |||
Strange in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | дзіўна | ||
| The word "дзіўна" may also refer to something unexpected or surprising. | |||
| Bosnian | čudno | ||
| In archaic Slavic, "čudno" referred to something "wonderful" or "miraculous," reflecting its original religious connotations. | |||
| Bulgarian | странно | ||
| "Странно" may also mean "wonderful", "weird", or "curious". | |||
| Czech | podivný | ||
| The word "podivný" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *podivьnъ, which also meant "suspicious" or "envious". | |||
| Estonian | imelik | ||
| The Estonian word "imelik" (strange) comes from the word "ime" (miracle), suggesting something that deviates from the ordinary | |||
| Finnish | outo | ||
| According to the Finnish Etymological Dictionary, "outo" may derive from Proto-Finnic *o̯uta "guest" (meaning "a stranger") via Proto-Uralic *oti "other". | |||
| Hungarian | furcsa | ||
| The Hungarian word 'furcsa' is cognate with the Turkish word 'fursat', meaning 'opportunity'. | |||
| Latvian | dīvaini | ||
| The word „dīvaini” can also mean „wild” or „unusual”. | |||
| Lithuanian | keista | ||
| Lithuanian keista may be a cognate of *kais- (“to split, cut, beat, or crush”) found in various Germanic, Baltic, and Indo-Iranian languages. | |||
| Macedonian | чудно | ||
| The word "чудно" can also mean "wonderful" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | dziwne | ||
| The word 'dziwne' derives from Proto-Slavic *divьnъ, which also meant 'wild' and 'uncanny'. | |||
| Romanian | ciudat | ||
| The Romanian word "ciudat" is also used to describe something that is unusual or unexpected. | |||
| Russian | странный | ||
| In Russian, "странный" not only means "strange," but also has an alternate meaning of "foreign or unusual." | |||
| Serbian | чудан | ||
| The word "чудан" can also mean "miraculous" in Serbian, deriving from the Proto-Slavic root "*čudo" meaning "miracle". | |||
| Slovak | zvláštne | ||
| The word "zvláštne" can also mean "special" or "peculiar" in Slovak | |||
| Slovenian | čudno | ||
| As an adjective, "čudno" can also describe something exceptional or unusual without necessarily implying strangeness. | |||
| Ukrainian | дивно | ||
| "Дивное" в современном русском языке означает "чудесное", однако, в старославянском языке означало "странное", "необычное". | |||
Strange in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অদ্ভুত | ||
| The word "অদ্ভুত" can also refer to supernatural phenomena or unusual events. | |||
| Gujarati | વિચિત્ર | ||
| વિચિત્ર' could refer to a painting of a strange scene, a strange animal, or even a strange person, but it is not used to describe an unusual situation. | |||
| Hindi | अजीब | ||
| The Persian word 'aajiba', meaning 'wonder' or 'surprise', is the origin of the Hindi word 'ajeeb'. | |||
| Kannada | ವಿಚಿತ್ರ | ||
| ವಿಚಿತ್ರ (vicitra) comes from the Sanskrit word 'vichitra' meaning 'variegated' or 'diverse'. | |||
| Malayalam | വിചിത്രമായത് | ||
| Marathi | विचित्र | ||
| The word "विचित्र" can also mean "diverse" or "varied" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | अनौंठो | ||
| The word “अनौंठो” (anauṇṭho) is derived from the Sanskrit word “अनूतन” (anūtana), meaning "new" or "unprecedented. | |||
| Punjabi | ਅਜੀਬ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਅਜੀਬ" (ajīb) likely comes from the Persian "عجيب" (ʿajīb), which also means "strange" or "wondrous". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අමුතු | ||
| Sinhala "අමුතු" (strange) originates from the Sanskrit "अपूर्व" (unprecedented, unparalleled). | |||
| Tamil | விசித்திரமானது | ||
| Telugu | వింత | ||
| The word "వింత" can also mean "unusual" or "different". | |||
| Urdu | عجیب | ||
| The Urdu word "عجیب" can also mean "wonderful" or "surprising", and is derived from the Arabic word "عجب" meaning "to be astonished". | |||
Strange in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 奇怪 | ||
| The word "奇怪" (qíguài) is also used to describe things that are unusual or different, such as strange food or strange clothes. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 奇怪 | ||
| The character “奇” can also mean “wonderful” or “extraordinary”. | |||
| Japanese | 奇妙な | ||
| "奇妙な" is often translated as "strange," but it can also mean "curious," "mysterious," or "unusual." | |||
| Korean | 이상한 | ||
| 이상한(異狀한) is a compound word derived from 異狀(different state) meaning an abnormal state. | |||
| Mongolian | хачин | ||
| In Mongolian, "хачин" can also refer to a person who is unusual or eccentric. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ထူးဆန်း | ||
Strange in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | aneh | ||
| Indonesian "aneh" also means "other" or "different" in Malay, which itself likely comes from Sanskrit "anya" meaning "different" or "foreign." | |||
| Javanese | aneh | ||
| "Aneh" can also mean "different" or "unusual" in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | ចម្លែក | ||
| ចម្លែក (chamlék) also means "to be different from the usual or normal" and has been derived from Sanskrit. | |||
| Lao | ແປກ | ||
| The word ແປກ can also mean “different” or “extra”. | |||
| Malay | pelik | ||
| 'Pelik' can also mean 'unique', 'unusual', or 'curious.' | |||
| Thai | แปลก | ||
| The Thai word "แปลก" (strange) originally meant "different" or "unusual" and is related to the Khmer word "ប្លក" (block). | |||
| Vietnamese | lạ lùng | ||
| Despite its common meaning as "strange," "lạ lùng" can also mean "uncommon," "unexpected," or "astonishing" in Vietnamese, depending on the context. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kakaiba | ||
Strange in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qəribə | ||
| The word "qəribə" in Azerbaijani likely originates from the Persian word "qarib", meaning "foreign" or "unusual." | |||
| Kazakh | оғаш | ||
| The word "оғаш" has possible links to the Arabic words "عجيب" or "غريب" and the Mongolian word "очиш" all meaning "unfamiliar or strange." | |||
| Kyrgyz | кызыктай | ||
| The word "кызыктай" in Kyrgyz can also mean "interesting" or "curious". | |||
| Tajik | аҷиб | ||
| The word 'аҷиб' originates from the Persian phrase 'عجایب', which means marvels or wonders. | |||
| Turkmen | geň | ||
| Uzbek | g'alati | ||
| The Uzbek word "g'alati" is derived from the Persian word "gharib" meaning "foreign" or "unfamiliar". | |||
| Uyghur | غەلىتە | ||
Strange in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻē | ||
| The Hawaiian word ʻē has cognates in other Polynesian languages meaning both “strange” and “sacred.” | |||
| Maori | rerekē | ||
| "rerekē" can also mean "different" or "unfamiliar". | |||
| Samoan | ese | ||
| Ese also means 'not of this world' and is used to describe supernatural beings and phenomena. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kakaiba | ||
| Kakaiba, while meaning strange in Tagalog, also means "unique" or "special" in some contexts. | |||
Strange in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jan uñt'ata | ||
| Guarani | jepigua'ỹva | ||
Strange in International Languages
| Esperanto | stranga | ||
| "Stranga" in Esperanto is related to the English words "string" and "strangle", and its original meaning is "to twist"} | |||
| Latin | novis | ||
| The Latin word "novis" can also mean "new" or "unprecedented". | |||
Strange in Others Languages
| Greek | παράξενος | ||
| The word "παράξενος" also means "foreign" or "rare". | |||
| Hmong | coj txawv txawv | ||
| Coj txawv txawv, meaning "strange," comes from the base word "coj," which means "different," and "txawv txawv," which describes something that is "unfamiliar" or "unusual." | |||
| Kurdish | xerîb | ||
| The word "xerîb" in Kurdish also means "foreign" or "alien". | |||
| Turkish | garip | ||
| The Turkish word "garip" may be derived from either Persian "garib" (foreign) or Arabic "garīb" (solitude, stranger). | |||
| Xhosa | engaqhelekanga | ||
| Engaqhelekanga derives from the Xhosa verb gaqhela, meaning "to notice" and "to be careful." | |||
| Yiddish | מאָדנע | ||
| Yiddish "מאָדנע" (madne) derives from the Middle High German "morden" (murder). | |||
| Zulu | isimanga | ||
| The Zulu word 'isimanga', meaning 'strange', can also be used to describe something that is 'unfamiliar', 'peculiar' or 'extraordinary'. | |||
| Assamese | আচৰিত | ||
| Aymara | jan uñt'ata | ||
| Bhojpuri | अटपटाह | ||
| Dhivehi | އާދަޔާ ޚިލާފު | ||
| Dogri | अजीब | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kakaiba | ||
| Guarani | jepigua'ỹva | ||
| Ilocano | karkarna | ||
| Krio | strenj | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نامۆ | ||
| Maithili | विचित्र | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯣꯉꯥꯟꯅ | ||
| Mizo | mak | ||
| Oromo | haaraa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅଜବ | ||
| Quechua | mana riqsisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | अपरिचितः | ||
| Tatar | сәер | ||
| Tigrinya | ዘይተለመደ | ||
| Tsonga | hlamarisa | ||