Stress in Different Languages
Discover 'Stress' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Stress, a word we're all too familiar with, is a significant aspect of modern life. It refers to the physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension caused by various factors such as work, relationships, or finances. Stress has been a part of the human experience for centuries, but its cultural importance has grown exponentially in recent times. The American Psychological Association even named the 21st century as the 'age of stress.'
Understanding stress in different languages can provide valuable insights into how different cultures perceive and cope with this universal experience. For instance, the German word 'Stress' refers to both physical pressure and mental strain, while the Swedish term 'Orka' signifies a lack of energy or motivation. In Japan, 'Kanari' implies a sense of psychological tension, and in France, 'Stress' is often used interchangeably with 'Burnout.'
Exploring the translations of stress in various languages can help us appreciate the nuances of this emotion and learn new ways to manage it. Keep reading to discover more fascinating translations of stress!
Stress
Stress in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | spanning | ||
| The Afrikaans word "spanning" comes from the Dutch "spanning" meaning "tension". | |||
| Amharic | ጭንቀት | ||
| The word 'stress' can be used to describe both mental and physical strain. | |||
| Hausa | danniya | ||
| The word "danniya" in Hausa also means "pressure" and is derived from the Arabic word "ḍanq" meaning "tightness". | |||
| Igbo | nrụgide | ||
| In Igbo etymology, 'nrụgide' can mean both 'stress' and 'effort/strive', a duality reflecting the cultural view that 'stress' can be either negative or a necessary motivator. | |||
| Malagasy | stress | ||
| In Malagasy, the word "stress" also means "importance" or "significance". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | nkhawa | ||
| The word "nkhawa" in Nyanja (Chichewa) is derived from the Proto-Bantu word "-khaw(a)" meaning "to worry" or "to be anxious" | |||
| Shona | kushushikana | ||
| Kushushikana, a Shona word for stress, is derived from 'kusveta', to draw, pull or drag, which describes the weight or burden that stress carries. | |||
| Somali | cadaadis | ||
| The Somali word "cadaadis" originates from the Arabic word "cadh-dh", meaning "to squeeze" or "to compress". It can also refer to pressure or force applied to an object. | |||
| Sesotho | khatello ea maikutlo | ||
| khatello ea maikutlo comes from the word “khatella” which means to pull, to drag or to strain. | |||
| Swahili | dhiki | ||
| The word "dhiki" also means "a pounding block for pounding grain." | |||
| Xhosa | uxinzelelo | ||
| The word 'uxinzelelo' may also refer to 'a strong sense of determination to do something'. | |||
| Yoruba | wahala | ||
| The word "wahala" in Yoruba can also mean "trouble," "difficulty," or "problem." | |||
| Zulu | ukucindezeleka | ||
| The word "ukucindezeleka" in Zulu literally translates to "to stretch or pull in different directions". | |||
| Bambara | hamina | ||
| Ewe | nuteɖeamedzi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | guhangayika | ||
| Lingala | kobeta sete | ||
| Luganda | okukoowa | ||
| Sepedi | kgatelelo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɔbrɛ | ||
Stress in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ضغط عصبى | ||
| The Arabic word "ضغط عصبى" (stress) literally translates to "nerve pressure". | |||
| Hebrew | לחץ | ||
| לחץ ('stress') in Hebrew can refer to both physical and mental stress, or to the act of pressing something down. It originates from the verb לחוץ ('to press'). | |||
| Pashto | فشار | ||
| فشار (feshār) is also used informally to mean "embarrassment" or "loss of face" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | ضغط عصبى | ||
| The Arabic word "ضغط عصبى" (stress) literally translates to "nerve pressure". | |||
Stress in Western European Languages
| Albanian | stresi | ||
| In Albanian, "stresi" additionally refers to "anxiety" or "difficulty." | |||
| Basque | estresa | ||
| Some Basque speakers use "estresa" as "stress" but it originally referred to a specific stress or need. | |||
| Catalan | estrès | ||
| The word "estrès" comes from the Latin word "stringere", meaning "to squeeze" or "to constrict". | |||
| Croatian | stres | ||
| The Croatian word "stres" also means "a shot" or "a bullet" and shares an etymology with the English word "stress" via the Ancient Greek root "stringere" meaning "to draw tight". | |||
| Danish | stress | ||
| "Stress" also means "line" in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | spanning | ||
| Spanning is derived from the Middle Dutch word 'spannen', meaning 'to stretch' or 'to tighten'. | |||
| English | stress | ||
| "Stress" can refer to physical strain or mental pressure, but it also derives from the Latin word "stringere" meaning "to draw tight" or "constrict". | |||
| French | stress | ||
| In French, "stress" can also mean emphasis, pressure, or urgency. | |||
| Frisian | klam | ||
| "Klam" comes from Old Frisian *klemm, meaning "clamp" or "pressure" | |||
| Galician | estrés | ||
| In the Galician language, "estrés" also signifies "narrowness" and is a synonym of "apretado" (meaning "tight" or "squeezed"). | |||
| German | stress | ||
| In German, "Stress" can also mean a beam or brace. | |||
| Icelandic | streita | ||
| In Icelandic, "streita" can also refer to "argument" or "dispute". | |||
| Irish | strus | ||
| The Irish word "strus" also means "river current" and is derived from the Old Irish word "sruth" meaning "stream". | |||
| Italian | fatica | ||
| The Italian word "fatica" has two main meanings: 1) physical or mental exertion; 2) misery, anguish or labour. | |||
| Luxembourgish | stress | ||
| In Luxembourgish, stress is often associated with the word drécken (dirty), and is used as an exclamation to convey surprise. | |||
| Maltese | stress | ||
| Stress is a verb that is derived from the Latin word stringere, which means to draw tight or constrict. | |||
| Norwegian | understreke | ||
| In Norwegian, the word "understreke" also means "to underline". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | estresse | ||
| The word "estresse" in Portuguese is derived from the Latin "stringere", meaning "to bind" or "to tighten." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | cuideam | ||
| Cuideam also means 'care', and it stems from the same root as the noun 'cùram' (care). | |||
| Spanish | estrés | ||
| In Spanish, "estrés" originated from the Latin "stringere," meaning "to tighten or press," hence its association with pressure and tension. | |||
| Swedish | påfrestning | ||
| Påfrestning comes from the Old Swedish word "fræsta" meaning "to press" or "to annoy". | |||
| Welsh | straen | ||
| In Old Welsh 'straen' had a meaning similar to our 'stretch' i.e. 'a state of being spread or expanded'. | |||
Stress in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | стрэс | ||
| Bosnian | stres | ||
| The word 'stres' is also used to describe a situation of anxiety or mental distress in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | стрес | ||
| В староболгарском "стрес" означало "ужас", а оттуда и "несчастье", в котором современный стресс и виноватят. | |||
| Czech | stres | ||
| In Czech, 'stres' can also refer to the roof or tiles of a house. | |||
| Estonian | stress | ||
| The word "stress" in Estonian also refers to a metal plate used to support a roof or ceiling. | |||
| Finnish | stressi | ||
| Stressi, which means stress in Finnish, is also the genitive form of the word 'stress' in Latin. | |||
| Hungarian | feszültség | ||
| The word "feszültség" derives from the verb feszül, meaning "to pull tight, to be in tension," and originally referred to a state of physical tension. | |||
| Latvian | stress | ||
| In Latvian, "stress" (spriedze) can also refer to electric voltage or the act of laying oneself at full length. | |||
| Lithuanian | stresas | ||
| The Lithuanian word "stresas" is derived from the Greek word "stressa", meaning "harmful" or "injurious". | |||
| Macedonian | стрес | ||
| The word "стрес" in Macedonian is derived from the Latin word "stringere," which means "to tighten" or "to constrain." | |||
| Polish | naprężenie | ||
| The Polish word "naprężenie" can also refer to physical "tension" or the "voltage" of an electric current. | |||
| Romanian | stres | ||
| The word "stres" in Romanian can also refer to a "pressing need" or a "difficulty". | |||
| Russian | стресс | ||
| In Russian, "стресс" (stress) originally meant a mechanical impact, or in general, any impact or influence that affects the body from outside. | |||
| Serbian | стрес | ||
| The Serbian word "стрес" is derived from the English word "stress" and has the same meaning. | |||
| Slovak | stres | ||
| The word "stres" in Slovak is a loanword from the German word "Stress" and it retains its original meaning, but it can also be used in a more general sense to refer to any kind of pressure or strain. | |||
| Slovenian | stres | ||
| In Slovenian, "stres" is derived from the verb "stresati", meaning "to shake" or "to scatter", hence it connotes both physical and mental stress. | |||
| Ukrainian | стрес | ||
| "Стрес" походить від латинського слова stringere, яке означає "стягувати, стискати". | |||
Stress in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | চাপ | ||
| The word "চাপ" in Bengali can have alternate meanings such as "pressure" or "burden" and is derived from the Sanskrit word "chāpa", meaning "to stamp" or "to press down." | |||
| Gujarati | તણાવ | ||
| The Gujarati word "તણાવ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "तृण" (grass), and it can also mean "strawness" or "dryness". | |||
| Hindi | तनाव | ||
| The Hindi word "तनाव" also means tension, strain, or pressure. | |||
| Kannada | ಒತ್ತಡ | ||
| The Sanskrit word "ut-sada" is believed to be the origin of the Kannada term "ಒತ್ತಡ". | |||
| Malayalam | സമ്മർദ്ദം | ||
| സമ്മർദ്ദം comes from the Sanskrit word 'samvardhana', meaning 'growth or development', and also refers to 'pressure or strain' | |||
| Marathi | ताण | ||
| The word "ताण" in Marathi refers not only to physical or mental stress, but also to the act of pulling or stretching something, highlighting its versatility in describing various forms of tension. | |||
| Nepali | तनाव | ||
| Nepali word 'तनाव' ('stress') originally meant the taut string that holds a bow's limbs to its handle; hence its secondary and more contemporary connotation. | |||
| Punjabi | ਤਣਾਅ | ||
| The word "ਤਣਾਅ" (stress) is also used in Punjabi to describe a rope or a string. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ආතතිය | ||
| The word ආතතිය can also be used to refer to anxiety, worry, or fear. | |||
| Tamil | மன அழுத்தம் | ||
| Telugu | ఒత్తిడి | ||
| The Telugu word ఒత్తిడి also refers to pressure exerted on an area, as well as emphasis on a particular syllable. | |||
| Urdu | دباؤ | ||
Stress in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 强调 | ||
| The Chinese character used for "stress" 强调 can also be used to mean "to emphasize". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 強調 | ||
| In addition to "stress," 強調 also means "emphasize." | |||
| Japanese | ストレス | ||
| The Japanese word "ストレス" can also describe something physically painful like pressure on one's back from a heavy backpack. | |||
| Korean | 스트레스 | ||
| In Korean, the word "스트레스" can also mean "emphasis" or "importance", as in the phrase "이 부분을 스트레스 주세요" (Please emphasize this part). | |||
| Mongolian | стресс | ||
| The Mongolian word "стресс" also means "tension". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စိတ်ဖိစီးမှု | ||
Stress in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | menekankan | ||
| "Menekankan" derives from "tekan," which means "to press" or "to emphasize," indicating the force or emphasis placed on something. | |||
| Javanese | stres | ||
| The Javanese word stres also means "rain shower" and comes from the Sanskrit word "srj" (meaning "flow") | |||
| Khmer | ស្ត្រេស | ||
| The word "stress" can also mean "pressure" or "tension" in the Khmer context. | |||
| Lao | ຄວາມກົດດັນ | ||
| Malay | tekanan | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "stress," "tekanan" can also refer to "pressure" or "emphasis" | |||
| Thai | ความเครียด | ||
| The Thai word "ความเครียด" (stress) comes from the Sanskrit word "klesha" which means "harm" or "affliction". | |||
| Vietnamese | nhấn mạnh | ||
| "Nhấn mạnh" also means "heavy/forceful/emphatic" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | stress | ||
Stress in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | stres | ||
| Azerbaijani word "stres" derives from the French word "stress" and also means "emphasis" or "accent" | |||
| Kazakh | стресс | ||
| The Kazakh word “стресс” is derived from the Russian word “стресс”, which in turn comes from the English word “stress”. | |||
| Kyrgyz | стресс | ||
| "Стресс" (stress) - a loanword from English (stress - "pressure, tension, tension") | |||
| Tajik | стресс | ||
| "Стресс" (stress) is borrowed from English, but Tajik "стресс" can also mean "situation" or "pressure" | |||
| Turkmen | stres | ||
| Uzbek | stress | ||
| In Uzbek, stress means not only "stress", but also "pressure, accent, or emphasis" | |||
| Uyghur | بېسىم | ||
Stress in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻoluhi | ||
| In Hawaiian, the word "hoʻoluhi" can also mean "to make slack, to loosen, to soften, to relieve". | |||
| Maori | ahotea | ||
| Ahotea can also refer to a feeling of sadness or melancholy, or to a state of being overwhelmed or burdened. | |||
| Samoan | atuatuvale | ||
| The etymology of 'atuatuvale' derives from proto-Polynesian words for 'press' and 'squeeze'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | stress | ||
| The Tagalog (Filipino) word "stress" (pronounced "istres") ultimately came from English and Spanish, but it also refers to a type of accent in Tagalog phonology. | |||
Stress in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | thithita | ||
| Guarani | kane'õpyre | ||
Stress in International Languages
| Esperanto | streĉo | ||
| Also spelled "streĉ", "streĉo" can mean "rope" or "bowstring". | |||
| Latin | accentus | ||
| "Accentus" in Latin means both "stress" and "song", possibly related to its root "canere" (to sing). | |||
Stress in Others Languages
| Greek | στρες | ||
| The root of the word "στρες" comes from the word "στρεφό," which means "to twist" or "to turn." | |||
| Hmong | kev ntxhov siab | ||
| The word "kev ntxhov siab" in Hmong, meaning "stress," refers to a mental burden or strain brought on by life's difficulties. | |||
| Kurdish | dûbare | ||
| The word 'dûbare' is derived from the Kurdish word 'dûbar', meaning 'to bend or fold', and can also refer to a state of tension or difficulty. | |||
| Turkish | stres | ||
| The Turkish word 'stres' also means 'accent' in music. | |||
| Xhosa | uxinzelelo | ||
| The word 'uxinzelelo' may also refer to 'a strong sense of determination to do something'. | |||
| Yiddish | דרוק | ||
| The Yiddish word "דרוק" (pronounced "druk") comes from the German word "Druck," meaning "pressure" or "force."} | |||
| Zulu | ukucindezeleka | ||
| The word "ukucindezeleka" in Zulu literally translates to "to stretch or pull in different directions". | |||
| Assamese | চাপ | ||
| Aymara | thithita | ||
| Bhojpuri | तनाव | ||
| Dhivehi | ފިކުރުގިނަވުން | ||
| Dogri | जोर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | stress | ||
| Guarani | kane'õpyre | ||
| Ilocano | tuok | ||
| Krio | strɛs | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | فشار | ||
| Maithili | तनाव | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯋꯥꯈꯜ ꯋꯥꯕ | ||
| Mizo | rimtawng | ||
| Oromo | cinqii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଚାପ | ||
| Quechua | pisipay | ||
| Sanskrit | आयास | ||
| Tatar | стресс | ||
| Tigrinya | ጭንቀት | ||
| Tsonga | ntshikelelo | ||