Suffer in Different Languages
Discover 'Suffer' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'suffer' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, as it allows us to express pain, hardship, and adversity. Its cultural importance is undeniable, as it has been used in literature, music, and art to convey deep emotions and struggles. Understanding its translation in different languages can open up new perspectives and cultural insights. For instance, in Spanish, 'suffer' is 'sufrir', while in French, it's 'souffrir'. In German, 'suffer' is 'leiden', and in Japanese, it's '苦しむ' (kurushimu).
Moreover, the word 'suffer' has a rich historical context. It originates from the Old French 'souffrir', which means 'to undergo, endure, or allow'. This word has been used in various religious texts, such as the Bible, to describe the suffering of Jesus Christ. It has also been used in political and social contexts to describe the struggles of marginalized communities.
Given its significance and cultural importance, you might want to know the translation of 'suffer' in different languages. Below is a list of translations in various languages to expand your linguistic and cultural knowledge.
Suffer
Suffer in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | ly | ||
| The word "ly" in Afrikaans can also refer to a type of shelter or dwelling, possibly derived from the Old English word "hlið" meaning "side" or "slope". | |||
| Amharic | መከራ | ||
| The Amharic word "መከራ" can also mean "punishment" or "torture". | |||
| Hausa | wahala | ||
| The Hausa word "wahala," meaning "trouble" or "problem," is also used in Pidgin English to convey a sense of distress or exasperation. | |||
| Igbo | ahụhụ | ||
| In Igbo, the word "ahụhụ" also means "misery, grief, or pain". | |||
| Malagasy | avelao | ||
| "Avelao" in Malagasy, meaning "to suffer", may also refer to "hard work". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuvutika | ||
| The word 'kuvutika' also means 'to become weak' or 'to be exhausted'. | |||
| Shona | kutambura | ||
| The word "kutambura" also means "to be in a state of deprivation" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | silica | ||
| Silica can also refer to the mineral silicon dioxide. | |||
| Sesotho | utloa bohloko | ||
| The word "utloa bohloko" in Sesotho can also mean "to be in pain" or "to feel sorry for someone." | |||
| Swahili | kuteseka | ||
| The word "kuteseka" in Swahili also means "to be in pain or distress" and is related to the word "teso" meaning "hardship or difficulty". | |||
| Xhosa | ubunzima | ||
| 'Ubunzima' can also mean 'difficulty' or 'hardship' in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | jiya | ||
| "Jíyà" also means "to live" or "to exist" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | ukuhlupheka | ||
| 'Ukuhlupheka' can also mean 'to be in trouble' or 'to be punished'. | |||
| Bambara | ka tɔɔrɔ | ||
| Ewe | kpe fu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kubabazwa | ||
| Lingala | konyokwama | ||
| Luganda | okubonabona | ||
| Sepedi | tlaišega | ||
| Twi (Akan) | brɛ | ||
Suffer in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | يعاني | ||
| In 19th-century Egypt, "يعاني" also meant "be poor". | |||
| Hebrew | סובל | ||
| The Hebrew word "סובל" can also mean "to bear" or "to tolerate". | |||
| Pashto | ځورول | ||
| "ځورول" also means "to tease" and "to press". | |||
| Arabic | يعاني | ||
| In 19th-century Egypt, "يعاني" also meant "be poor". | |||
Suffer in Western European Languages
| Albanian | vuaj | ||
| The Albanian word "vuaj" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *weg-, meaning "to suffer, to be in pain, to die". | |||
| Basque | sufritu | ||
| The Basque word "sufritu" can also refer to a type of stew or casserole. | |||
| Catalan | patir | ||
| The word "patir" in Catalan is derived from the Latin word "patior", meaning "to bear" or "to undergo". | |||
| Croatian | patiti | ||
| In Croatian, the word 'patiti' not only means 'to suffer' but also conveys a sense of 'passive acceptance' or 'endurance'. | |||
| Danish | lide | ||
| The Old Norse word 'líða' meant both 'sail' and 'suffer', likely due to the physical and emotional toll of long sea journeys. | |||
| Dutch | lijden | ||
| Dutch "lijden" (suffer) comes from "lithan" (sail), alluding to a ship struggling through a storm and the physical and emotional hardship endured by sailors | |||
| English | suffer | ||
| The term 'suffer' originates from the Latin word, 'sufferre', which means to sustain or to bear | |||
| French | souffrir | ||
| The French word 'souffrir' originates from Latin 'sufferre' meaning 'to undergo or bear' and is also related to 'subire' meaning 'to undergo' | |||
| Frisian | lije | ||
| "Lije" is cognate with English "lie" (recline) or Dutch "liggen", and also means "to rest or to lie (down)." | |||
| Galician | sufrir | ||
| The Galician verb "sufrir" comes from the Latin verb "soffrire" meaning "to support" and "to bear or endure something", implying a sense of passive suffering rather than an active experience of pain. | |||
| German | leiden | ||
| The verb "leiden" also means "to endure" and can refer to the suffering of a martyr or the endurance of a long journey. | |||
| Icelandic | þjást | ||
| "Þjást" also means "to undergo a medical examination" and is related to the word "þjáning" meaning "service". | |||
| Irish | fulaingt | ||
| Irish 'fulaingt' may also mean 'patience', 'endurance' or 'tolerance'. | |||
| Italian | soffrire | ||
| The word "soffrire" comes from Latin "subferre," meaning "to undergo or bear something." | |||
| Luxembourgish | leiden | ||
| "Leiden" can also mean "to lead" in Luxembourgish, derived from the German word "leiten". | |||
| Maltese | ibati | ||
| The alternate meaning of "ibati" in Maltese is "to punish". | |||
| Norwegian | lide | ||
| The word "lide" in Norwegian also means "to pass" or "to expire". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | sofra | ||
| The word "sofra" in Portuguese also means "table" and is derived from the Arabic word "sufra". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | fulang | ||
| The Gaelic word "fulang" also means "perseverance" or "endurance". | |||
| Spanish | sufrir | ||
| The verb "sufrir" originally meant "to bear" or "to endure" in Latin, and it retains this meaning in modern Spanish. | |||
| Swedish | lida | ||
| "Lida" in Swedish ultimately derives from Proto-Indo-European "*leid-", meaning "to suffer" or "to be sorry." | |||
| Welsh | dioddef | ||
| The word "dioddef" in Welsh is a cognate of the Irish and Breton words for "bear". | |||
Suffer in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | пакутаваць | ||
| The word "пакутаваць" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *pekti, meaning "to suffer, to endure, to bear." | |||
| Bosnian | patiti | ||
| "Patiti" is the past tense of "patiti", which originally meant "fall" in Proto-Slavic. | |||
| Bulgarian | страдат | ||
| Bulgarian “страдат” (“suffer”) is borrowed from Greek and is also used in Serbian, Macedonian, and Russian with the same meaning. | |||
| Czech | trpět | ||
| The word "trpět" comes from the Old Czech word "trpěti", which means "to endure" or "to tolerate". | |||
| Estonian | kannatama | ||
| Kannatama can also mean "be capable of bearing or tolerating something", "put up with something", "take on a burden", or even "tolerate something or someone." | |||
| Finnish | kärsivät | ||
| "Kärsivä" is also a Finnish word for "the passive voice" and "the subject of a sentence". | |||
| Hungarian | szenvedni | ||
| Szenvedni is a Hungarian word meaning | |||
| Latvian | ciest | ||
| The word "ciest" in Latvian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to punish" or "to torture." | |||
| Lithuanian | kentėti | ||
| The Lithuanian word "kentėti" is also used to describe the sensation of being physically or emotionally overwhelmed, or to express a sense of discomfort or pain. | |||
| Macedonian | страдаат | ||
| "Страдаат" is a verb in Macedonian which can also mean "to be in pain" or "to be in distress". | |||
| Polish | ponieść | ||
| The word "ponieść" (suffer) in Polish shares the same root as the English word "pain". | |||
| Romanian | suferi | ||
| The Romanian word "suferi" derives from the Latin "sufferre" and shares the same meaning in both languages. | |||
| Russian | страдать | ||
| "Страдать" is a verb that also means "to strive", "to desire greatly" or "to be zealous", cognate with "страсть" ("passion", "zeal"). | |||
| Serbian | трпети | ||
| "Трпети" (sr.) may come from Proto-Slavic "*terpetъ" - "to endure, stand, bear." | |||
| Slovak | trpieť | ||
| The word "trpieť" in Slovak also means "to be patient" or "to endure". | |||
| Slovenian | trpeti | ||
| The word "trpeti" in Slovenian can also mean "to tolerate" or "to endure". | |||
| Ukrainian | страждати | ||
| The word "страждати" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *stord-, meaning "to lose," and is related to the words "страта" ("loss") and "страдание" ("suffering"). | |||
Suffer in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ভোগা | ||
| The word "ভোগা" (suffer) in Bengali is derived from the Sanskrit word "भुज्" (enjoy), and can also mean "to experience" or "to consume". | |||
| Gujarati | સહન | ||
| The word 'સહન' ('suffer') in Gujarati originally meant 'to bear' or 'to endure', and is related to the Sanskrit word 'sahate'. It has also been used to denote 'patience' or 'tolerance'. | |||
| Hindi | भुगतना | ||
| The Hindi verb 'भुगतना' also means 'to enjoy' or 'to experience', highlighting the duality of human experiences. | |||
| Kannada | ಬಳಲುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ | ||
| The word "ಬಳಲುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ" comes from the verb "ಬಳಲ" meaning "to struggle" or "to suffer". It can also refer to "toil" or "hardship". | |||
| Malayalam | കഷ്ടപ്പെടുക | ||
| Marathi | ग्रस्त | ||
| The Marathi word "ग्रस्त" also denotes possession by an evil spirit and can imply extreme misfortune or hardship. | |||
| Nepali | कष्ट | ||
| The term "kasht" may also be used as a measure of time or to refer to the distance something travels. | |||
| Punjabi | ਦੁੱਖ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਦੁੱਖ" comes from the Sanskrit word "dukha", meaning "pain" or "sorrow". In the Sikh faith, this term is used to describe the four types of suffering: physical, mental, caused by others, and caused by oneself. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දුක් විඳින්න | ||
| Tamil | பாதிப்பு | ||
| Telugu | బాధపడండి | ||
| The verb "బాధపడండి" may also mean to "be anxious". | |||
| Urdu | تکلیف | ||
| The word "تکلیف" also means "duty" or "assignment" in Urdu | |||
Suffer in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 遭受 | ||
| 遭受 originally meant “to encounter” or “to meet something”. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 遭受 | ||
| The word "遭受" can also mean "to be subject to" or "to undergo". | |||
| Japanese | 苦しむ | ||
| The word "苦しむ" can also mean "hard; difficult" or "unpleasant; repugnant". | |||
| Korean | 참다 | ||
| The word "참다" is also used as a noun, meaning "saliva" or "spittle". | |||
| Mongolian | зовох | ||
| The word may also refer to "pain," "anguish," or "sorrow." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဆင်းရဲဒုက္ခ | ||
| The word can also refer to physical or mental pain. | |||
Suffer in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | menderita | ||
| The term "menderita" originally carried the meaning "painful" (sakit), which gradually took on the meaning "suffer". | |||
| Javanese | nandhang sangsara | ||
| The word "nandhang sangsara" in Javanese is derived from Sanskrit and literally means "to endure the cycle of rebirth and suffering." | |||
| Khmer | រងទុក្ខ | ||
| "រងទុក្ខ" (suffer) is derived from the Sanskrit word "duḥkha" (pain, sorrow). It can also mean "to endure" or "to tolerate". | |||
| Lao | ທຸກທໍລະມານ | ||
| Malay | menderita | ||
| "Menderita" is cognate with "derita" (pain, suffering) and "dara" (blood), suggesting a deep and ancient association between suffering, blood, and sacrifice. | |||
| Thai | ทนทุกข์ | ||
| The word "ทนทุกข์" is derived from the Sanskrit word "duhkha", which means "pain"} | |||
| Vietnamese | đau khổ | ||
| From Middle Chinese đau khổ, from earlier đau khổ, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *kraw-paw, from Proto-Burushaski *kɔr | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | magdusa | ||
Suffer in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | əziyyət çəkmək | ||
| The word "əziyyət çəkmək" in Azerbaijani is also used to refer to the act of grieving or mourning. | |||
| Kazakh | азап шегу | ||
| Азап шегу is a Kazakh idiom that literally means "to pull torment," indicating experiencing severe pain. | |||
| Kyrgyz | азап тартуу | ||
| The word "азап тартуу" is also a colloquialism that means "to have a hard time." | |||
| Tajik | азоб кашидан | ||
| Turkmen | ejir çekmeli | ||
| Uzbek | azob chekish | ||
| The word "azob chekish" in Uzbek can also refer to physical or mental pain, torment, or affliction. | |||
| Uyghur | ئازاب | ||
Suffer in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻeha | ||
| 'Eha' can also mean 'to be injured or wounded' as well as 'to be made ill' or 'to hurt'. | |||
| Maori | mamae | ||
| "Mamae" can refer to physical suffering or pain, but also to spiritual distress in Maori culture. | |||
| Samoan | puapuagatia | ||
| The word "puapuagatia" in Samoan is derived from the verb "puapuaga", meaning "to be broken" or "to be shattered" | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | magdusa | ||
| The word "magdusa" is also used in a religious context, specifically in the context of repentance or atonement. | |||
Suffer in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | t'aqisiña | ||
| Guarani | jepy'apy | ||
Suffer in International Languages
| Esperanto | suferi | ||
| Esperanto's "suferi" traces its roots to Proto-Indo-European "*sehw-, sewh-", meaning "to pour, let flow", also found in the English "sap".} | |||
| Latin | pati | ||
| The Latin word "pati" also means "to endure" or "to bear up under something heavy or difficult." | |||
Suffer in Others Languages
| Greek | υποφέρω | ||
| In Ancient Greek, "υποφέρω" could also mean "to endure" or "to tolerate". | |||
| Hmong | kev txom nyem | ||
| The word "kev txom nyem" in Hmong can also mean "to be grieved" or "to mourn". | |||
| Kurdish | êşkişîn | ||
| The word "êşkişîn" comes from Persian, where it originally meant "trouble". | |||
| Turkish | acı çekmek | ||
| "Acı çekmek" can also mean "experience pain" or "feel sad". | |||
| Xhosa | ubunzima | ||
| 'Ubunzima' can also mean 'difficulty' or 'hardship' in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | ליידן | ||
| As a transitive verb, ליידן can also mean "to wear out" or "to use up" something. | |||
| Zulu | ukuhlupheka | ||
| 'Ukuhlupheka' can also mean 'to be in trouble' or 'to be punished'. | |||
| Assamese | ভোগা | ||
| Aymara | t'aqisiña | ||
| Bhojpuri | कष्ट भोगल | ||
| Dhivehi | ތަހައްމަލުކުރުން | ||
| Dogri | भुगतना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | magdusa | ||
| Guarani | jepy'apy | ||
| Ilocano | sagabaen | ||
| Krio | sɔfa | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | چەشتن | ||
| Maithili | कष्ट सहनाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯋꯥꯕ ꯅꯪꯕ | ||
| Mizo | tuar | ||
| Oromo | dararamuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଯନ୍ତ୍ରଣା ଭୋଗ | | ||
| Quechua | ñakariy | ||
| Sanskrit | दुःख | ||
| Tatar | газаплан | ||
| Tigrinya | ምቅላዕ | ||
| Tsonga | hlupheka | ||