Struggle in different languages

Struggle in Different Languages

Discover 'Struggle' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word struggle holds a significant place in our vocabulary, representing the challenges and efforts we face in our daily lives. Its cultural importance is undeniable, as it reflects the human spirit's resilience and determination to overcome obstacles. Understanding the translation of struggle in different languages can provide valuable insights into how various cultures perceive and express this concept.

Did you know that the term struggle has been used in various historical contexts? For instance, in the late 19th century, the term was often associated with the labor movement and workers' rights. Moreover, the civil rights movement in the United States during the mid-20th century was also described as a struggle for equality and justice.

Given its significance and cultural importance, you might be interested in learning how to say struggle in different languages. Here are a few translations to get you started:

Struggle


Struggle in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansstryd
"Stryd" is cognate with the English word "strive" and the Dutch word "strijd".
Amharicትግል
The word "ትግል" can also refer to an "effort" or "endeavor" in Amharic.
Hausagwagwarmaya
Hausa 'gwagwarmaya' is derived from the word 'gwarmaya', meaning 'to make hot', and figuratively refers to the heat of conflict or competition.
Igbomgba
The word "mgba" in Igbo can also mean "competition" or "rivalry".
Malagasyady
The word "ady" can also refer to "adversity" in Malagasy.
Nyanja (Chichewa)kulimbana
The verb 'kulimbana' also translates to 'to wrestle'.
Shonakurwisa
Shona word 'kurwisa' also means 'to push, pull or wrestle'.
Somalihalgan
Halgan derives from the Proto-Somali root *ḥalg-, meaning "to fight" or "to resist".
Sesothosokola
Sokola, meaning 'struggle' is also used to denote 'fight' and 'contest'.
Swahilipambana
The Swahili word 'pambana' can also refer to fighting back, defending oneself, or competing against an opponent.
Xhosaumzabalazo
In the Nguni languages, the word umzabalazo describes the concept of collective action towards a common goal.
Yorubaijakadi
'Ijakadi' may have roots in 'ika' (fight) or 'ja' (beat)
Zuluumzabalazo
In Zulu, the word "umzabalazo" can also refer to violent conflicts or resistance movements.
Bambarakɛlɛ
Eweʋli
Kinyarwandaurugamba
Lingalakobunda
Lugandaokufuba
Sepedikatana
Twi (Akan)pere

Struggle in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicصراع
The word "صراع" can also refer to a "dispute" or "quarrel" in Arabic.
Hebrewמַאֲבָק
"מאבק" in Hebrew can also mean a "wrestle".
Pashtoمبارزه
مبارزه can also refer to "warfare", "fighting", or "engagement".
Arabicصراع
The word "صراع" can also refer to a "dispute" or "quarrel" in Arabic.

Struggle in Western European Languages

Albanianluftë
Luftë is also the Albanian word for "fight" or "battle"
Basqueborroka
The Basque word "borroka" also means "battle" or "boxing match."
Catalanlluita
In Catalan, "lluita" also refers to a traditional form of wrestling prevalent in rural areas, characterized by its distinct rules and techniques.
Croatianborba
"Borba" also means "fight" or "battle" in Croatian and is related to the word "boriti se" which means "to fight".
Danishkamp
The Danish word "kamp" is related to the word "kampf" which means "fight" in German.
Dutchworstelen
"Worstelen" is historically derived from "worstel", which means "the act of throwing someone."
Englishstruggle
"struggle": comes from the Latin word "struere," meaning "to build" or "to construct."
Frenchlutte
"Lutte" also means "mud" in French, and the two words share the same Latin root "lutum."
Frisianstriid
The Frisian word "striid" also refers to a legal dispute or lawsuit.
Galicianloita
The word "loita" is related to the Latin word "lucta", which means "fight" or "contest".
Germankampf
The word "Kampf" in German can also refer to a wrestling match or a tournament.
Icelandicbarátta
The word "barátta" can also refer to a battle or competition, and is derived from the Old Norse word "barátta" meaning "conflict".
Irishstreachailt
The word 'streachailt' in Irish has alternate meanings including 'exertion', 'straining', 'endeavour', and 'toil'.
Italianlotta
The Italian word "lotta" derives from the Latin word "lucta", which means "contest" or "effort".
Luxembourgishkämpfen
The word "kämpfen" in Luxembourgish is cognate with the German word "kämpfen" and the English word "combat".
Malteseġlieda
"Ġlieda" derives from an extinct Arabic word that originally meant "conquest".
Norwegianstreve
The Norwegian word "streve" has the alternate meaning of "to move quickly and erratically" which is thought to originate from the Dutch word "drijven" meaning "to float."
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)luta
The word "luta" in Portuguese can also refer to a type of martial art or wrestling.
Scots Gaelicstrì
The word 'strì' can also mean 'to fight against', 'to wrestle', or 'to strive'.
Spanishdificil
In Spanish, "dificil" also means "difficult" or "hard" and comes from the Latin word "difficilis".
Swedishkamp
"Kamp" in Swedish can also refer to a duel, battleground, training, or competition.
Welshbrwydro
The word 'brwydro' also refers to the process of refining and smelting metals, particularly copper and iron.

Struggle in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianбарацьба
The word "барацьба" (struggle) comes from the Proto-Slavic word "borьba" which also means "fight".
Bosnianborba
The Slavic word 'borba' originally meant 'wrangling' or 'fighting', and is cognate with the English word 'war'.
Bulgarianборба
The word "борба" can also refer to a martial art or a political party.
Czechboj
The word "boj" also means "combat" and is related to the Slavic word "bojati se" meaning "to fear" and the Sanskrit word "bhayam" meaning "fear".
Estonianvõitlema
The word "võitlema" is derived from the Proto-Uralic root *woite-, meaning "to chase, pursue, or catch up with."
Finnishkamppailu
Finnish "kamppailu" etymologically means "fight" in Swedish
Hungarianküzdelem
The Hungarian word "küzdelem" comes from the verb "küzdik" which means "to struggle" or "to fight", and is related to the Turkish word "güreş" meaning "wrestling".
Latviancīņa
The word "cīņa" could derive from Proto-Baltic *kéyna "agony" or *kéynas "torment".
Lithuaniankova
The word "kova" (struggle) in Lithuanian likely comes from the word "kovoti", which means to fight.
Macedonianборба
The word "борба" in Macedonian stems from the Proto-Slavic root *borti, meaning "to fight", and is cognate with similar words in other Slavic languages, such as Russian "борьба" and Polish "walka".
Polishborykać się
"Borykać się" is derived from Old Polish "bor" meaning "pine forest" and referred to struggles that pioneers faced while clearing forests.
Romanianlupta
The word lupte has a double root, one Romanian (luptă, meaning a fight or a battle) and one Hungarian (lupta, denoting a woman of ill repute), that through a misunderstanding, has the same Romanian pronunciation.
Russianборьба
The word "борьба" can also refer to a traditional Russian martial art, similar to wrestling.
Serbianборба
The word "борба" ("struggle") in Serbian also means "fight or battle" and is derived from the Old Slavic word "borti" meaning "to fight".
Slovakboj
The word "boj" also means "battle" or "fight" in Slovak.
Slovenianboj
The word "boj" has the same etymology as the English word "battle", meaning a violent encounter between two groups of people.
Ukrainianборотьба
The word "боротьба" is also used to refer to a type of traditional Ukrainian wrestling.

Struggle in South Asian Languages

Bengaliসংগ্রাম
"সংগ্রাম" (struggle) literally means "together (সম) + struggle (গ্রাম)" in Sanskrit. Hence, it also means "collective struggle" or "organized resistance".
Gujaratiસંઘર્ષ
The word 'સંઘર્ષ' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'संघर्ष', which means 'a fight, struggle, or battle.'
Hindiसंघर्ष
The word 'संघर्ष' in Hindi also refers to a type of dance performed by men in Punjab and Haryana.
Kannadaಹೋರಾಟ
The word "ಹೋರಾಟ" can also mean "effort" or "endeavor" in Kannada, highlighting the multifaceted nature of struggles in life.
Malayalamസമരം
"സമരം" also means "war". Its etymological origin is from Sanskrit. The Sanskrit word "samaram" means "war", "battle", or "fight".
Marathiसंघर्ष
The term "संघर्ष" derives from Sanskrit "sam" ("together") and "ghrish" ("rub"), signifying mutual friction in the pursuit of something.
Nepaliसंघर्ष
"संघर्ष" can also refer to an organization or association, such as the "Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)", a Hindu nationalist paramilitary organization in India.
Punjabiਸੰਘਰਸ਼
The word "ਸੰਘਰਸ਼" (saṅghraṣ) is derived from the Sanskrit word "saṃ-grah" meaning "to seize, grasp, or take hold of".
Sinhala (Sinhalese)අරගලයක්
Tamilபோராட்டம்
Teluguపోరాటం
The word 'పోరాటం' in Telugu can also refer to a 'battle' or a 'conflict'.
Urduجدوجہد
"جدوجہد" comes from the Persian word "jadal", meaning dispute

Struggle in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)斗争
斗争 can also refer to a Marxist philosophy in which conflicts are essential for human and societal development.
Chinese (Traditional)鬥爭
"鬥爭" (dou4 zheng1) is a term used to describe 'violent struggle', but also means 'debate', or 'competition'.
Japanese闘争
The character for "闘" in "闘争" also means "fight" or "war".
Korean노력
"노력" is derived from the Chinese character "戮" (戮力), meaning "to exert oneself" or "to work hard". This character is also used in the Korean word "노고" (labor).
Mongolianтэмцэл
The Mongolian word "тэмцэл" also refers to the "wrestling" sport and the "competition" or "contest" of any kind.
Myanmar (Burmese)တိုက်ပွဲ
The term is also used figuratively to describe an energetic effort in any activity.

Struggle in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianperjuangan
The word "perjuangan" in Indonesian also refers to the struggle for independence.
Javaneseperjuangan
In Javanese, the word "perjuangan" also carries the connotation of "hardship" and "toil".
Khmerតស៊ូ
The Khmer word "តស៊ូ" (tasoo) has cognates in various Austroasiatic languages, such as the Mon word "တသို" (taso), which also means "to fight" or "to struggle."
Laoດີ້ນລົນ
The origin of the Lao word "ດີ້ນລົນ" is uncertain, but it may be related to the Thai word "ดิ้นรน" ("thrash about") or the Khmer word "ដៀន" ("to persevere").
Malayperjuangan
The word "perjuangan" in Malay stems from the Javanese noun "perjo" meaning "fight" or "competition".
Thaiการต่อสู้
The Thai word "การต่อสู้" can also refer to a competition or contest, like a sports match.
Vietnameseđấu tranh
The word "đấu tranh" can also mean "fight", "competition", or "contest" in Vietnamese.
Filipino (Tagalog)pakikibaka

Struggle in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanimübarizə
Mübarizə is derived from the Persian word “mubaraza”, meaning “dispute”.
Kazakhкүрес
In Turkish, "küreş" also means "wrestling".
Kyrgyzкүрөш
"Күрөш" is used for various types of wrestling, including traditional Kyrgyz wrestling where wrestlers wear sheepskin vests which are used to grab hold of the opponent."
Tajikмубориза
The word "мубориза" is also used to refer to a type of martial art practiced in Central Asia
Turkmengöreş
Uzbekkurash
The word "kurash" is also used to refer to a traditional Uzbek wrestling sport.
Uyghurكۈرەش

Struggle in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianpaio
In Hawaiian, "paio" also refers to the flapping of wings or the movement of water.
Maoripakanga
The word 'pakanga' is a Maori word meaning 'struggle', and can also refer to a battle or a contest.
Samoantauivi
The Samoan word "tauivi" refers primarily to any form of physical contest or struggle, but can also be used to mean "labor" in the sense of exertion, as in childbirth or other difficult tasks.
Tagalog (Filipino)pakikibaka
The word "pakikibaka" can also mean "to help" or "to assist" in Tagalog.

Struggle in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarach'axwaña
Guaranihasýva

Struggle in International Languages

Esperantolukto
Latinproelium
Proelium, the Latin word for "struggle," can also refer to a military engagement, battle, or contest.

Struggle in Others Languages

Greekπάλη
The word "πάλη" also refers to a type of ancient Greek wrestling, which was similar to modern-day freestyle wrestling.
Hmongnriaj
The Hmong word "nriaj" can also mean "fight" or "warfare".
Kurdishşerr
"Şerr" is a Kurdish word meaning "struggle". It is also cognate with the Arabic word "sharr", meaning "evil".
Turkishmücadele etmek
"Mücadele etmek" in Turkish has the same root as "mukaddes" (sacred), reflecting that both involve effort and determination
Xhosaumzabalazo
In the Nguni languages, the word umzabalazo describes the concept of collective action towards a common goal.
Yiddishגעראַנגל
The Yiddish word "געראַנגל" (gerangl) is derived from the German word "gerangel," meaning "struggle" or "contention."
Zuluumzabalazo
In Zulu, the word "umzabalazo" can also refer to violent conflicts or resistance movements.
Assameseসংগ্ৰাম
Aymarach'axwaña
Bhojpuriसंघर्ष
Dhivehiސްޓްރަގްލް
Dogriसंघर्श
Filipino (Tagalog)pakikibaka
Guaranihasýva
Ilocanorigat
Krionɔ izi
Kurdish (Sorani)کێشە
Maithiliसंघर्ष
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯋꯥꯅ ꯍꯣꯠꯅꯕ
Mizobei
Oromowal'aansoo
Odia (Oriya)ସଂଘର୍ଷ
Quechuamaqanakuy
Sanskritसंघर्षः
Tatarкөрәш
Tigrinyaገልታዕታዕ
Tsongakayakaya

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