Stupid in Different Languages
Discover 'Stupid' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Have you ever wondered how to say 'stupid' in different languages? At first glance, this question might seem a bit odd or even humorous. However, delving into the translations of this word can reveal some fascinating insights into cultural perspectives and language nuances. The word 'stupid' holds significance in various contexts, often used to describe a lack of intelligence or understanding. Yet, its cultural importance extends beyond that, as it highlights how different societies and languages approach and express such concepts.
For instance, did you know that the Italian translation of 'stupid' is 'stupido'? Or that in German, it's 'dumm'? These translations offer a glimpse into the similarities and differences in how various cultures perceive and express the idea of being unintelligent or slow to understand.
Understanding the translations of 'stupid' can be beneficial in many situations, such as when learning a new language, engaging in cross-cultural communication, or simply satisfying your curiosity about linguistic and cultural differences. Keep reading to discover more about the translations of 'stupid' in different languages!
Stupid
Stupid in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | onnosel | ||
| The word "onnosel" in Afrikaans originates from the Dutch word "onnozel", which means "innocent" or "naive". | |||
| Amharic | ደደብ | ||
| The word ደደብ can also refer to a type of bird found in Ethiopia, known for its dull appearance and slow movements. | |||
| Hausa | wawa | ||
| The Hausa word 'wawa' derives from the original 'wawa baki' meaning 'empty head'. | |||
| Igbo | onye nzuzu | ||
| "Anya nzuzu" in Igbo is derived from "nzuzu-nzuzu," which means a state of complete bewilderment and lack of sense, similar to the English idiom "to be all thumbs." | |||
| Malagasy | adala | ||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wopusa | ||
| The word "wopusa" in the Nyanja (Chichewa) language is also used to describe something that is "rotten" or "spoiled". | |||
| Shona | benzi | ||
| In other languages, "benzi" can mean "to be beautiful", or "to be foolish", depending on the context. | |||
| Somali | doqon | ||
| Sesotho | bothoto | ||
| Swahili | mjinga | ||
| "Mjinga" is derived from the Swahili word "kung'ara" meaning "to shine", referring to someone who is slow-witted or dull in comparison to others' "brightness." | |||
| Xhosa | bubudenge | ||
| "Bubudenge" also refers to a type of tree or shrub in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | omugo | ||
| "Omugo" also refers to a type of yam in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | isilima | ||
| In Zulu, "isilima" (pejorative) derives from "isilim[a]", "to miss the mark, fumble, be clumsy". | |||
| Bambara | naloma | ||
| Ewe | abunɛ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ibicucu | ||
| Lingala | bolole | ||
| Luganda | -siru | ||
| Sepedi | setlaela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nkwaseasɛm | ||
Stupid in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | غبي | ||
| Hebrew | מְטוּפָּשׁ | ||
| Pashto | احمق | ||
| Arabic | غبي | ||
Stupid in Western European Languages
| Albanian | budalla | ||
| The word "budalla" also refers to a "calf" | |||
| Basque | ergela | ||
| The word "ergela" in Basque has the alternate meaning of "a person who is excessively talkative or boastful". | |||
| Catalan | estúpid | ||
| Croatian | glupo | ||
| Danish | dum | ||
| Danish word 'Dum' derives from Old Norse, with cognates in Old English and Old High German. | |||
| Dutch | dom | ||
| The Dutch word "dom" is also a shortened form of the Latin word "dominus" (master) and the French word "dame" (lady). It can also be used to refer to a cathedral or a large church. | |||
| English | stupid | ||
| French | stupide | ||
| In French, "stupide" can also mean "astonished" or "amazed", coming from the Latin "stupere", meaning "to be struck senseless". | |||
| Frisian | stom | ||
| The word "stom" can also mean "dull" or "blunt". | |||
| Galician | estúpido | ||
| In Galician, "estúpido" can also refer to a slow-moving individual, while in Brazilian Portuguese it means "great" or "splendid". | |||
| German | blöd | ||
| The word "Blöd" in German is derived from the Middle High German word "blœde", meaning "cowardly" or "timid". | |||
| Icelandic | heimskur | ||
| Irish | dúr | ||
| This Irish word likely descends from Proto-Indo-European and has cognates across many Indo-European languages (such as English "dull" or "daze"). | |||
| Italian | stupido | ||
| Luxembourgish | domm | ||
| "Domm" can also mean "tame" or "submissive" and is related to the Latin word "dominus" meaning "owner" or "master." | |||
| Maltese | stupidu | ||
| Norwegian | dum | ||
| The word "dum" in Norwegian is derived from the Old Norse word "dombr", meaning "dull". It can also mean "deaf" or "numb". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | estúpido | ||
| Scots Gaelic | gòrach | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "gòrach" (often translated as "stupid") is more accurately defined as "simple" or "unworldly". The word is thought to derive from the Middle Scots "gorrok" (rough, coarse), and is related to the Irish "gorach" and Welsh "gwrach" (both meaning "hag" or "witch"). | |||
| Spanish | estúpido | ||
| The word "estúpido" can also mean "bewildered" or "perplexed" in Spanish. | |||
| Swedish | dum | ||
| The word 'dum' in Swedish can also mean 'quiet' or 'calm'. | |||
| Welsh | dwp | ||
| The Welsh word "dwp" can also mean "a block of wood" or "a log of wood". | |||
Stupid in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | дурны | ||
| The word "дурны" can also mean "ugly" or "bad" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | glupo | ||
| The word "glupo" also has the alternative meaning of "deafmute" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | глупаво | ||
| The word "глупаво" in Bulgarian can also mean "unwise"} | |||
| Czech | hloupý | ||
| Estonian | rumal | ||
| Finnish | tyhmä | ||
| The word "tyhmä" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word *tümpä, meaning "stub", "block", or "blunt object". | |||
| Hungarian | hülye | ||
| "Hülye" derives from the Turkish word "deli" and also means "mad" or "crazy" in modern Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | stulbi | ||
| The word “stulbi” also means “pillars” and is related to the word “stabuls” which means “stable”. | |||
| Lithuanian | kvailas | ||
| Macedonian | глупав | ||
| The word "глупав" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *glupъ, which means "deaf" or "mute". | |||
| Polish | głupi | ||
| Romanian | prost | ||
| "Prost" comes from Slavic and means "vulgar" or "rude". | |||
| Russian | глупый | ||
| Serbian | глупо | ||
| The Serbian "глупо" also has the meaning of "in vain" | |||
| Slovak | hlúpy | ||
| The word "hlúpy" originally meant "deaf" in Old Church Slavonic, and it still retains this meaning in some dialects of Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | neumno | ||
| The word "neumno" can also refer to "inconvenient" or "in vain". | |||
| Ukrainian | дурний | ||
Stupid in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বোকা | ||
| The word "বোকা" is derived from the Sanskrit word "मुक्ता" (mukta) meaning "freed" or "liberated", and can also refer to a "fool" or "simpleton" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | મૂર્ખ | ||
| Hindi | बेवकूफ | ||
| Kannada | ದಡ್ಡ | ||
| ದಡ್ಡ also means a "big vessel made of leaves", which could explain why the Kannada word for "pregnant" is "ದಡ್ಡಿ". | |||
| Malayalam | മണ്ടൻ | ||
| Marathi | मूर्ख | ||
| Nepali | मूर्ख | ||
| "मूर्ख" is derived from the Sanskrit word "मूर्छा" meaning "faint" or "unconscious". | |||
| Punjabi | ਮੂਰਖ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මෝඩ | ||
| The root word is 'මෝහ,' meaning 'delusion' or 'ignorance' which can be both temporary and permanent. | |||
| Tamil | முட்டாள் | ||
| Telugu | తెలివితక్కువవాడు | ||
| Urdu | بیوقوف | ||
| The word "بیوقوف" is derived from the Persian word "بیخ" (root) and "و" (and), meaning literally "without root" | |||
Stupid in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 笨 | ||
| "笨" can also mean slow, clumsy, or awkward. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 笨 | ||
| The word "笨" can also mean "slow" or "clumsy" in Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | 愚か | ||
| Korean | 바보 | ||
| Mongolian | тэнэг | ||
| The word "тэнэг" also has the alternate meaning of "dull" or "foolish". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မိုက်မဲ | ||
Stupid in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | bodoh | ||
| Javanese | bodho | ||
| Khmer | ឆោតល្ងង់ | ||
| ឆោតល្ងង់ (chhot langng) can also mean "immature" or "lacking in experience or judgment." | |||
| Lao | ໂງ່ | ||
| In Lao, the word "ໂງ່" can also be used to describe a child or someone who is young or inexperienced, but in a more playful or affectionate way. | |||
| Malay | bodoh | ||
| The word "bodoh" in Malay may also refer to a type of traditional Malay sword. | |||
| Thai | โง่ | ||
| โง่ (ngò) is a word that also means 'dull' or 'blunt' in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | ngốc nghếch | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bobo | ||
Stupid in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | axmaq | ||
| The word "axmaq" in Azerbaijani originates from the Persian word "aḥmaq" and also means "illiterate". | |||
| Kazakh | ақымақ | ||
| Kyrgyz | келесоо | ||
| Tajik | беақл | ||
| In Tajik the word "беақл" is derived from the Persian word "بی عقل" and means "without understanding". | |||
| Turkmen | samsyk | ||
| Uzbek | ahmoq | ||
| Uyghur | ئەخمەق | ||
Stupid in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hūpō | ||
| Maori | poauau | ||
| Samoan | valea | ||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | bobo | ||
Stupid in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ipi | ||
| Guarani | tovatavy | ||
Stupid in International Languages
| Esperanto | stulta | ||
| "Stulta" derives from the Latin word "stultus," meaning "foolish" or "foppish." | |||
| Latin | stultus | ||
| The Latin word 'stultus' can also be translated as 'arrogant' or 'foolish'. | |||
Stupid in Others Languages
| Greek | χαζος | ||
| Hmong | neeg ruam | ||
| Kurdish | balûle | ||
| Turkish | aptal | ||
| Aptal's other meaning can be "a little bit". | |||
| Xhosa | bubudenge | ||
| "Bubudenge" also refers to a type of tree or shrub in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | נאַריש | ||
| The Yiddish word "נאַריש" can also mean "naive" or "foolish". | |||
| Zulu | isilima | ||
| In Zulu, "isilima" (pejorative) derives from "isilim[a]", "to miss the mark, fumble, be clumsy". | |||
| Assamese | অঁকৰা | ||
| Aymara | ipi | ||
| Bhojpuri | मूरख | ||
| Dhivehi | މޮޔަ | ||
| Dogri | डैंजा. बेवकूफ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bobo | ||
| Guarani | tovatavy | ||
| Ilocano | dagmel | ||
| Krio | ful | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | گێل | ||
| Maithili | बेवकूफ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯄꯪꯕ | ||
| Mizo | atthlak | ||
| Oromo | kan hin hubanne | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବୋକା | ||
| Quechua | upa | ||
| Sanskrit | मूढ़ | ||
| Tatar | ахмак | ||
| Tigrinya | ደደብ | ||
| Tsonga | xiphunta | ||