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
| Afrikaans | stryd | ||
| "Stryd" is cognate with the English word "strive" and the Dutch word "strijd". | |||
| Amharic | ትግል | ||
| The word "ትግል" can also refer to an "effort" or "endeavor" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | gwagwarmaya | ||
| Hausa 'gwagwarmaya' is derived from the word 'gwarmaya', meaning 'to make hot', and figuratively refers to the heat of conflict or competition. | |||
| Igbo | mgba | ||
| The word "mgba" in Igbo can also mean "competition" or "rivalry". | |||
| Malagasy | ady | ||
| The word "ady" can also refer to "adversity" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kulimbana | ||
| The verb 'kulimbana' also translates to 'to wrestle'. | |||
| Shona | kurwisa | ||
| Shona word 'kurwisa' also means 'to push, pull or wrestle'. | |||
| Somali | halgan | ||
| Halgan derives from the Proto-Somali root *ḥalg-, meaning "to fight" or "to resist". | |||
| Sesotho | sokola | ||
| Sokola, meaning 'struggle' is also used to denote 'fight' and 'contest'. | |||
| Swahili | pambana | ||
| The Swahili word 'pambana' can also refer to fighting back, defending oneself, or competing against an opponent. | |||
| Xhosa | umzabalazo | ||
| In the Nguni languages, the word umzabalazo describes the concept of collective action towards a common goal. | |||
| Yoruba | ijakadi | ||
| 'Ijakadi' may have roots in 'ika' (fight) or 'ja' (beat) | |||
| Zulu | umzabalazo | ||
| In Zulu, the word "umzabalazo" can also refer to violent conflicts or resistance movements. | |||
| Bambara | kɛlɛ | ||
| Ewe | ʋli | ||
| Kinyarwanda | urugamba | ||
| Lingala | kobunda | ||
| Luganda | okufuba | ||
| Sepedi | katana | ||
| Twi (Akan) | pere | ||
Struggle in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | صراع | ||
| The word "صراع" can also refer to a "dispute" or "quarrel" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | מַאֲבָק | ||
| "מאבק" in Hebrew can also mean a "wrestle". | |||
| Pashto | مبارزه | ||
| مبارزه can also refer to "warfare", "fighting", or "engagement". | |||
| Arabic | صراع | ||
| The word "صراع" can also refer to a "dispute" or "quarrel" in Arabic. | |||
Struggle in Western European Languages
| Albanian | luftë | ||
| Luftë is also the Albanian word for "fight" or "battle" | |||
| Basque | borroka | ||
| The Basque word "borroka" also means "battle" or "boxing match." | |||
| Catalan | lluita | ||
| In Catalan, "lluita" also refers to a traditional form of wrestling prevalent in rural areas, characterized by its distinct rules and techniques. | |||
| Croatian | borba | ||
| "Borba" also means "fight" or "battle" in Croatian and is related to the word "boriti se" which means "to fight". | |||
| Danish | kamp | ||
| The Danish word "kamp" is related to the word "kampf" which means "fight" in German. | |||
| Dutch | worstelen | ||
| "Worstelen" is historically derived from "worstel", which means "the act of throwing someone." | |||
| English | struggle | ||
| "struggle": comes from the Latin word "struere," meaning "to build" or "to construct." | |||
| French | lutte | ||
| "Lutte" also means "mud" in French, and the two words share the same Latin root "lutum." | |||
| Frisian | striid | ||
| The Frisian word "striid" also refers to a legal dispute or lawsuit. | |||
| Galician | loita | ||
| The word "loita" is related to the Latin word "lucta", which means "fight" or "contest". | |||
| German | kampf | ||
| The word "Kampf" in German can also refer to a wrestling match or a tournament. | |||
| Icelandic | barátta | ||
| The word "barátta" can also refer to a battle or competition, and is derived from the Old Norse word "barátta" meaning "conflict". | |||
| Irish | streachailt | ||
| The word 'streachailt' in Irish has alternate meanings including 'exertion', 'straining', 'endeavour', and 'toil'. | |||
| Italian | lotta | ||
| The Italian word "lotta" derives from the Latin word "lucta", which means "contest" or "effort". | |||
| Luxembourgish | kämpfen | ||
| The word "kämpfen" in Luxembourgish is cognate with the German word "kämpfen" and the English word "combat". | |||
| Maltese | ġlieda | ||
| "Ġlieda" derives from an extinct Arabic word that originally meant "conquest". | |||
| Norwegian | streve | ||
| 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 Gaelic | strì | ||
| The word 'strì' can also mean 'to fight against', 'to wrestle', or 'to strive'. | |||
| Spanish | dificil | ||
| In Spanish, "dificil" also means "difficult" or "hard" and comes from the Latin word "difficilis". | |||
| Swedish | kamp | ||
| "Kamp" in Swedish can also refer to a duel, battleground, training, or competition. | |||
| Welsh | brwydro | ||
| The word 'brwydro' also refers to the process of refining and smelting metals, particularly copper and iron. | |||
Struggle in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | барацьба | ||
| The word "барацьба" (struggle) comes from the Proto-Slavic word "borьba" which also means "fight". | |||
| Bosnian | borba | ||
| The Slavic word 'borba' originally meant 'wrangling' or 'fighting', and is cognate with the English word 'war'. | |||
| Bulgarian | борба | ||
| The word "борба" can also refer to a martial art or a political party. | |||
| Czech | boj | ||
| 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". | |||
| Estonian | võitlema | ||
| The word "võitlema" is derived from the Proto-Uralic root *woite-, meaning "to chase, pursue, or catch up with." | |||
| Finnish | kamppailu | ||
| Finnish "kamppailu" etymologically means "fight" in Swedish | |||
| Hungarian | küzdelem | ||
| 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". | |||
| Latvian | cīņa | ||
| The word "cīņa" could derive from Proto-Baltic *kéyna "agony" or *kéynas "torment". | |||
| Lithuanian | kova | ||
| The word "kova" (struggle) in Lithuanian likely comes from the word "kovoti", which means to fight. | |||
| Macedonian | борба | ||
| 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". | |||
| Polish | borykać się | ||
| "Borykać się" is derived from Old Polish "bor" meaning "pine forest" and referred to struggles that pioneers faced while clearing forests. | |||
| Romanian | lupta | ||
| 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. | |||
| Russian | борьба | ||
| The word "борьба" can also refer to a traditional Russian martial art, similar to wrestling. | |||
| Serbian | борба | ||
| The word "борба" ("struggle") in Serbian also means "fight or battle" and is derived from the Old Slavic word "borti" meaning "to fight". | |||
| Slovak | boj | ||
| The word "boj" also means "battle" or "fight" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | boj | ||
| The word "boj" has the same etymology as the English word "battle", meaning a violent encounter between two groups of people. | |||
| Ukrainian | боротьба | ||
| The word "боротьба" is also used to refer to a type of traditional Ukrainian wrestling. | |||
Struggle in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সংগ্রাম | ||
| "সংগ্রাম" (struggle) literally means "together (সম) + struggle (গ্রাম)" in Sanskrit. Hence, it also means "collective struggle" or "organized resistance". | |||
| Gujarati | સંઘર્ષ | ||
| The word 'સંઘર્ષ' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'संघर्ष', which means 'a fight, struggle, or battle.' | |||
| Hindi | संघर्ष | ||
| The word 'संघर्ष' in Hindi also refers to a type of dance performed by men in Punjab and Haryana. | |||
| Kannada | ಹೋರಾಟ | ||
| The word "ಹೋರಾಟ" can also mean "effort" or "endeavor" in Kannada, highlighting the multifaceted nature of struggles in life. | |||
| Malayalam | സമരം | ||
| "സമരം" also means "war". Its etymological origin is from Sanskrit. The Sanskrit word "samaram" means "war", "battle", or "fight". | |||
| Marathi | संघर्ष | ||
| The term "संघर्ष" derives from Sanskrit "sam" ("together") and "ghrish" ("rub"), signifying mutual friction in the pursuit of something. | |||
| Nepali | संघर्ष | ||
| "संघर्ष" can also refer to an organization or association, such as the "Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)", a Hindu nationalist paramilitary organization in India. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੰਘਰਸ਼ | ||
| The word "ਸੰਘਰਸ਼" (saṅghraṣ) is derived from the Sanskrit word "saṃ-grah" meaning "to seize, grasp, or take hold of". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අරගලයක් | ||
| Tamil | போராட்டம் | ||
| Telugu | పోరాటం | ||
| The word 'పోరాటం' in Telugu can also refer to a 'battle' or a 'conflict'. | |||
| Urdu | جدوجہد | ||
| "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". | |||
| Korean | 노력 | ||
| "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). | |||
| Mongolian | тэмцэл | ||
| 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
| Indonesian | perjuangan | ||
| The word "perjuangan" in Indonesian also refers to the struggle for independence. | |||
| Javanese | perjuangan | ||
| In Javanese, the word "perjuangan" also carries the connotation of "hardship" and "toil". | |||
| Khmer | តស៊ូ | ||
| 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." | |||
| Lao | ດີ້ນລົນ | ||
| 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"). | |||
| Malay | perjuangan | ||
| The word "perjuangan" in Malay stems from the Javanese noun "perjo" meaning "fight" or "competition". | |||
| Thai | การต่อสู้ | ||
| The Thai word "การต่อสู้" can also refer to a competition or contest, like a sports match. | |||
| Vietnamese | đấu tranh | ||
| The word "đấu tranh" can also mean "fight", "competition", or "contest" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pakikibaka | ||
Struggle in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | mübarizə | ||
| Mübarizə is derived from the Persian word “mubaraza”, meaning “dispute”. | |||
| Kazakh | күрес | ||
| In Turkish, "küreş" also means "wrestling". | |||
| Kyrgyz | күрөш | ||
| "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." | |||
| Tajik | мубориза | ||
| The word "мубориза" is also used to refer to a type of martial art practiced in Central Asia | |||
| Turkmen | göreş | ||
| Uzbek | kurash | ||
| The word "kurash" is also used to refer to a traditional Uzbek wrestling sport. | |||
| Uyghur | كۈرەش | ||
Struggle in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | paio | ||
| In Hawaiian, "paio" also refers to the flapping of wings or the movement of water. | |||
| Maori | pakanga | ||
| The word 'pakanga' is a Maori word meaning 'struggle', and can also refer to a battle or a contest. | |||
| Samoan | tauivi | ||
| 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
| Aymara | ch'axwaña | ||
| Guarani | hasýva | ||
Struggle in International Languages
| Esperanto | lukto | ||
| Latin | proelium | ||
| Proelium, the Latin word for "struggle," can also refer to a military engagement, battle, or contest. | |||
Struggle in Others Languages
| Greek | πάλη | ||
| The word "πάλη" also refers to a type of ancient Greek wrestling, which was similar to modern-day freestyle wrestling. | |||
| Hmong | nriaj | ||
| The Hmong word "nriaj" can also mean "fight" or "warfare". | |||
| Kurdish | şerr | ||
| "Şerr" is a Kurdish word meaning "struggle". It is also cognate with the Arabic word "sharr", meaning "evil". | |||
| Turkish | mücadele etmek | ||
| "Mücadele etmek" in Turkish has the same root as "mukaddes" (sacred), reflecting that both involve effort and determination | |||
| Xhosa | umzabalazo | ||
| In the Nguni languages, the word umzabalazo describes the concept of collective action towards a common goal. | |||
| Yiddish | געראַנגל | ||
| The Yiddish word "געראַנגל" (gerangl) is derived from the German word "gerangel," meaning "struggle" or "contention." | |||
| Zulu | umzabalazo | ||
| In Zulu, the word "umzabalazo" can also refer to violent conflicts or resistance movements. | |||
| Assamese | সংগ্ৰাম | ||
| Aymara | ch'axwaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | संघर्ष | ||
| Dhivehi | ސްޓްރަގްލް | ||
| Dogri | संघर्श | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pakikibaka | ||
| Guarani | hasýva | ||
| Ilocano | rigat | ||
| Krio | nɔ izi | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کێشە | ||
| Maithili | संघर्ष | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯋꯥꯅ ꯍꯣꯠꯅꯕ | ||
| Mizo | bei | ||
| Oromo | wal'aansoo | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସଂଘର୍ଷ | ||
| Quechua | maqanakuy | ||
| Sanskrit | संघर्षः | ||
| Tatar | көрәш | ||
| Tigrinya | ገልታዕታዕ | ||
| Tsonga | kayakaya | ||