Sudden in Different Languages
Discover 'Sudden' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'sudden' carries a sense of urgency and surprise, capturing our attention and sparking intrigue. Its significance lies in its ability to describe unexpected events, making it a vital term in various cultures and languages. From the sudden downpour that interrupts a picnic to the sudden opportunity that arises in one's career, this term resonates with people worldwide.
Historically, 'sudden' has been used to convey the unpredictability of life's circumstances. In literature, it adds excitement and suspense, keeping readers on their toes. In everyday conversations, it helps us express our astonishment and react to unforeseen events.
As global citizens, understanding the translation of 'sudden' in different languages can enrich our cross-cultural communication. Here are a few examples:
- French: subit
- Spanish: repentino
- German: plötzlich
- Italian: improvviso
- Japanese: 突然 (totsuzen)
- Chinese: 突然 (túrán)
- Russian: внезапный (vnezapny)
- Korean: 갑자기 (gabjagi)
- Arabic: غامض (ġāmiḍ)
- Hindi: अचानक (achānak)
Discovering the nuances of 'sudden' in various languages can lead to a deeper appreciation of cultural diversity and a more profound understanding of the world we share.
Sudden
Sudden in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | skielik | ||
| The Afrikaans word "skielik" can also mean "abruptly", "without warning", or "unexpectedly". | |||
| Amharic | ድንገት | ||
| The word "ድንገት" can also mean "unexpected occurrence" or "catastrophe" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | kwatsam | ||
| The Hausa word "kwatsam" can also refer to a type of dance or a sudden movement. | |||
| Igbo | na mberede | ||
| The Igbo word "na mberede" can also mean "unexpected" or "by chance". | |||
| Malagasy | tampoka | ||
| "Tampoka" also means "to stumble", referring to the way in which sudden events can cause us to lose our balance or footing. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mwadzidzidzi | ||
| The word 'mwadzidzidzi' is also used to describe something that is surprising or unexpected. | |||
| Shona | pakarepo | ||
| In Shona, the word "pakarepo" can also mean "quickly" or "without hesitation." | |||
| Somali | lama filaan ah | ||
| The word "lama filaan ah" also means "unexpected" or "impetuous". | |||
| Sesotho | ka tshohanyetso | ||
| The word "ka tshohanyetso" can also mean "abruptly" or "unexpectedly". | |||
| Swahili | ghafla | ||
| The Swahili word "ghafla" also implies unexpectedness, surprise, and a lack of preparedness. | |||
| Xhosa | ngesiquphe | ||
| The word "ngesiquphe" can also refer to an unexpected event or an urgent matter that requires immediate attention. | |||
| Yoruba | lojiji | ||
| "Lojiji" may also mean "quickly" or "abruptly". | |||
| Zulu | ngokuzumayo | ||
| The Zulu word 'ngokuzumayo' comes from the verb 'zuma', meaning 'to leap' or 'to spring', and the prefix 'ngoku', meaning 'now' or 'suddenly'. | |||
| Bambara | ka bali | ||
| Ewe | emumake | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gitunguranye | ||
| Lingala | na mbalakaka | ||
| Luganda | kibwatukira | ||
| Sepedi | ka bonako | ||
| Twi (Akan) | hyew | ||
Sudden in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | فجأة | ||
| فجأة in Arabic is derived from فج (faja), meaning to split or burst open, implying an abrupt or unexpected occurrence. | |||
| Hebrew | פִּתְאוֹמִי | ||
| "פִּתְאוֹמִי" is derived from the root "פת" which means "to open" or "to appear," suggesting something that occurs unexpectedly. | |||
| Pashto | ناڅاپي | ||
| ناڅاپي also means unanticipated and unforeseen in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | فجأة | ||
| فجأة in Arabic is derived from فج (faja), meaning to split or burst open, implying an abrupt or unexpected occurrence. | |||
Sudden in Western European Languages
| Albanian | papritur | ||
| Papritur derives from Latin "prae" (before) + "ripere" (to arrive) | |||
| Basque | bat-batekoa | ||
| Bat-batekoa is formed by the noun 'bat-batean' meaning 'in an instant' and the suffix '-koa', meaning 'relating to'. | |||
| Catalan | sobtat | ||
| In Catalan, "sobtat" has the same root as "sobresalt", meaning "fright". This suggests that something sudden can be startling or unexpected. | |||
| Croatian | iznenadna | ||
| "Iznenadna" is related to the word "iznenada", meaning "all of a sudden" and originates from the Slavic word *nadъ* meaning "over/upon/against." | |||
| Danish | pludselig | ||
| The word "pludselig" is derived from the Old Norse word "pludr", meaning "something that happens quickly". | |||
| Dutch | plotseling | ||
| The word 'plotseling' also refers to a 'sudden change in direction' in a ship or aircraft. | |||
| English | sudden | ||
| The word "sudden" is derived from the Old English word "soden," which means "boiled" or "steeped." | |||
| French | soudain | ||
| The word "soudain" comes from the Latin word "subitaneus," which means "unexpected" or "abrupt. | |||
| Frisian | hommels | ||
| The Frisian word "hommels" has an alternative meaning of "violent or aggressive." | |||
| Galician | de súpeto | ||
| The Galician expression "de súpeto" derives from the Latin phrase "de subito", meaning "unexpectedly" or "suddenly". | |||
| German | plötzlich | ||
| The word "plötzlich" comes from the Middle High German word "plotzlich", which means "quickly". It is related to the English word "blithe", which means "cheerful". | |||
| Icelandic | skyndilega | ||
| "Skyndilega" is also used as an interjection meaning "hurry" or "look out". | |||
| Irish | tobann | ||
| The Irish word "tobann" also means "a heap", "a crowd", "a swarm", or "a collection" | |||
| Italian | improvvisa | ||
| The word "improvvisa" can also mean "improvised" or "unrehearsed" in Italian. | |||
| Luxembourgish | op eemol | ||
| The word "op eemol" can also mean "in a hurry" or "abruptly" in Luxembourgish. | |||
| Maltese | f'daqqa | ||
| The Maltese word "f'daqqa" also means "at once" and it shares its root with the Arabic word "daqqa" meaning "minute, moment" as well as the word "daqīqa" meaning "precise." | |||
| Norwegian | plutselig | ||
| The word "plutselig" is derived from the Old Norse word "plót" which means "something unexpected". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | de repente | ||
| Portuguese word "de repente" can also mean "unexpectedly" | |||
| Scots Gaelic | gu h-obann | ||
| The word "gu h-obann" can also mean "unexpectedly" or "without warning" in Scots Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | repentino | ||
| "Repentino" in Spanish also means "unexpected" or "unforeseen". | |||
| Swedish | plötslig | ||
| Plötslig means "suddenly" but can also mean "fast". | |||
| Welsh | sydyn | ||
| The word "sydyn" in Welsh derives from the Proto-Celtic root "*sodino-" meaning "violent" or "powerful." | |||
Sudden in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | раптоўна | ||
| "Раптоўна" comes from Proto-Slavic root "*raptъ" - "quick" (as in "surprise","seize") that is also a source for Russian and Polish cognates in addition to Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | iznenadna | ||
| The word "iznenadna" in Bosnian is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *izьnъ "out, from", with the suffix -ьnъ added to form the adjective. | |||
| Bulgarian | внезапно | ||
| The word "внезапно" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *vьnьzati, meaning "to go out" or "to emerge". | |||
| Czech | náhlý | ||
| "Náhlý" can also mean "impetuous" or "rash". | |||
| Estonian | ootamatu | ||
| Ootamatu is related to the word ootama (to wait), and also means unexpected. | |||
| Finnish | äkillinen | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "sudden," "äkillinen" can also describe a steep slope or a sudden change in temperature. | |||
| Hungarian | hirtelen | ||
| The word 'hirtelen' can also be used to describe something that is done without thinking, or something that happens unexpectedly. | |||
| Latvian | pēkšņi | ||
| The word "pēkšņi" likely originates from the Proto-Indo-European root "*pekʷ-", meaning "to strike, pierce, or cleave". It shares cognates with words such as "peak" and "peck" in English, "picco" in Italian, and "πλήσσω" (plēssō) in Greek. | |||
| Lithuanian | staiga | ||
| Lithuanian "staiga" originally meant "instant" but was influenced by Russian "vdrug" and shifted towards sudden, unexpected event. | |||
| Macedonian | ненадејно | ||
| The word "ненадејно" can also mean "unexpectedly" or "out of the blue". | |||
| Polish | nagły | ||
| The Polish word "nagły" also means "urgent" or "unexpected." | |||
| Romanian | brusc | ||
| Brusc, which means "sudden" in Romanian, also refers to a type of plum in Romanian. | |||
| Russian | внезапно | ||
| The etymology of "внезапно" (sudden) comes from the verb "внести" (to bring in), meaning "something unexpected that was brought in". | |||
| Serbian | изненадан | ||
| The Serbo-Croatian word "iznenadan" also means "caught by surprise" or "unexpected". | |||
| Slovak | náhly | ||
| The word "náhly" is derived from the Old Slavic word "naglъ", meaning "unexpected". | |||
| Slovenian | nenadna | ||
| Nenadna is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *nędъ, meaning 'lacking, deprived of' | |||
| Ukrainian | раптовий | ||
| The Ukrainian word "раптовий" derives from an Old Slavonic word meaning "seize" and can also mean "unexpected" or "swift". | |||
Sudden in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | হঠাৎ | ||
| "হঠাৎ" has an alternate meaning: "by chance" | |||
| Gujarati | અચાનક | ||
| The word "અચાનક" may also mean "unexpectedly" or "out of the blue". | |||
| Hindi | अचानक | ||
| The word 'अचानक' has its roots in the Sanskrit word 'a-canaka' which refers to an unexpected, unanticipated, or swift occurrence. | |||
| Kannada | ಹಠಾತ್ | ||
| The word "ಹಠಾತ್" (hataat) in Kannada, meaning "sudden," is derived from the Sanskrit word "hathāt," which also means "suddenly" or "impulsively." | |||
| Malayalam | പെട്ടെന്ന് | ||
| Marathi | अचानक | ||
| The Marathi word 'अचानक' ('achanak') is derived from the Sanskrit word 'अक्षिण' ('akshina'), meaning 'without a break' or 'uninterrupted'. | |||
| Nepali | अचानक | ||
| The word "अचानक" in Nepali also means "unexpected". | |||
| Punjabi | ਅਚਾਨਕ | ||
| The word "ਅਚਾਨਕ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "अचानकः" (acānakah), which means "unforeseen" or "unexpected". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හදිසියේ | ||
| Tamil | திடீர் | ||
| Tamil word "திடீர்" also means "unexpectedly" and is related to the word "திட" meaning "steady". | |||
| Telugu | ఆకస్మిక | ||
| The word 'ఆకస్మిక' can also mean 'unexpected' or 'unforeseen'. | |||
| Urdu | اچانک | ||
| The word "اچانک" is a compound of the words "آ" (meaning "to come") and "چانک" (meaning "instantly"), thus literally meaning "coming instantly". | |||
Sudden in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 突然的 | ||
| The first character, "突," means "to pierce" and the second, "然," means "to happen" or "to appear", so the term means "happening suddenly". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 突然的 | ||
| "突然" is also a Chinese idiom that means "without warning" or "out of the blue". | |||
| Japanese | 突然 | ||
| "突然" is a combination of characters meaning "rush" and "enter". | |||
| Korean | 갑자기 | ||
| "갑자기" (sudden) literally means "suddenly". It is composed of two Chinese characters: "갑" (갑자년, the first year of the Chinese zodiac's 60-year cycle) and "자기" (itself). | |||
| Mongolian | гэнэт | ||
| The word "гэнэт" (sudden) in Mongolian can also mean "unexpected" or "out of the blue." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရုတ်တရက် | ||
| The word can be used in the context of something happening fast, like the snap of a finger, or something arising rapidly. | |||
Sudden in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | tiba-tiba | ||
| "Tiba-tiba" also means "to arrive" or "to come" in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | dumadakan | ||
| "Dumadakan" in Javanese also means "all of a sudden, unexpectedly". | |||
| Khmer | ភ្លាមៗ | ||
| The Khmer word "ភ្លាមៗ" can also mean "immediately" or "without delay". | |||
| Lao | ທັນທີທັນໃດ | ||
| Malay | secara tiba-tiba | ||
| In Malay, "secara tiba-tiba" not only means "sudden," but also "unexpectedly" or "abruptly." | |||
| Thai | กะทันหัน | ||
| This word "กะทันหัน" (sudden) shares the root word with the word "ทัน" (to catch) and the word "หัน" (to turn), representing an action or event that happens unexpectedly, catching one off guard. | |||
| Vietnamese | đột nhiên | ||
| The word "đột nhiên" can also mean "out of the ordinary" or "special" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | biglaan | ||
Sudden in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qəfil | ||
| 'Qəfil' also means 'unwittingly' or 'unexpectedly' in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | кенеттен | ||
| The word "кенеттен" can also mean "unexpectedly" or "without warning". | |||
| Kyrgyz | күтүлбөгөн жерден | ||
| Tajik | ногаҳон | ||
| The word "ногаҳон" comes from the Persian word "ناگهان" (nāgahān), which means "all of a sudden" or "unexpectedly." | |||
| Turkmen | duýdansyz | ||
| Uzbek | to'satdan | ||
| The word "toʻsatdan" may also mean "immediately" or "quickly" in addition to its primary meaning of "sudden". | |||
| Uyghur | تۇيۇقسىز | ||
Sudden in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hikiwawe | ||
| The term 'hikiwawe' comes from 'hiki,' meaning 'to snatch, pull, drag, or haul' and 'wawe,' meaning 'a wave of the sea,' but may also refer to 'thunder or lightning' when used in conjunction with the term 'lani' ('heaven, sky'). | |||
| Maori | ohorere | ||
| The word "ohorere" also means "tremor" or "surprise" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | faʻafuaseʻi | ||
| Faʻafuaseʻi is derived from the word "fuaseʻi," meaning "swift" or "hasty. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | biglang | ||
| "Biglang" derives from the Proto-Austronesian word "*biliŋ" meaning "to coil or entwine," hinting at a sudden action or change. | |||
Sudden in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | akatjamata | ||
| Guarani | ojehureíva | ||
Sudden in International Languages
| Esperanto | subita | ||
| The word "subita" is derived from the Latin word "subitus", meaning "sudden" or "unexpected". | |||
| Latin | subita | ||
| In Latin, "subita" can also mean "unexpected" or "unforeseen". | |||
Sudden in Others Languages
| Greek | αιφνίδιος | ||
| In Ancient Greek, "αιφνίδιος" (αἰφνίδιος) also meant "unexpected" and "unforeseen." | |||
| Hmong | dheev | ||
| In Hmong, "dheev" can also mean "quickly" or "in a hurry". | |||
| Kurdish | nişka | ||
| The word “nişka” is derived from Old Iranian *nišk-, meaning “to go out, pass away, disappear”. | |||
| Turkish | ani | ||
| The Turkish word "ani" has Indo-European origins and is also found in Sanskrit and Persian languages, referring to "instant" or "now." | |||
| Xhosa | ngesiquphe | ||
| The word "ngesiquphe" can also refer to an unexpected event or an urgent matter that requires immediate attention. | |||
| Yiddish | פּלוצעמדיק | ||
| Yiddish 'פּלוצעמדיק' (ploetzlemedick) derives from the German 'plötzlich' and originally meant 'clumsy,' 'awkward,' or 'foolish.' | |||
| Zulu | ngokuzumayo | ||
| The Zulu word 'ngokuzumayo' comes from the verb 'zuma', meaning 'to leap' or 'to spring', and the prefix 'ngoku', meaning 'now' or 'suddenly'. | |||
| Assamese | আকস্মিক | ||
| Aymara | akatjamata | ||
| Bhojpuri | अचानक | ||
| Dhivehi | ކުއްލި | ||
| Dogri | चानक | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | biglaan | ||
| Guarani | ojehureíva | ||
| Ilocano | nakellaat | ||
| Krio | wantɛm wantɛm | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | لەناکاو | ||
| Maithili | एकाऐक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯨꯗꯛꯇ | ||
| Mizo | thut | ||
| Oromo | osoo hin yaadamin | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ହଠାତ୍ | ||
| Quechua | qunqaymanta | ||
| Sanskrit | आकस्मिक | ||
| Tatar | кинәт | ||
| Tigrinya | ኣጋጣሚ | ||
| Tsonga | xihatla | ||