Suffer in different languages

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

Afrikaansly
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".
Amharicመከራ
The Amharic word "መከራ" can also mean "punishment" or "torture".
Hausawahala
The Hausa word "wahala," meaning "trouble" or "problem," is also used in Pidgin English to convey a sense of distress or exasperation.
Igboahụhụ
In Igbo, the word "ahụhụ" also means "misery, grief, or pain".
Malagasyavelao
"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'.
Shonakutambura
The word "kutambura" also means "to be in a state of deprivation" in Shona.
Somalisilica
Silica can also refer to the mineral silicon dioxide.
Sesothoutloa bohloko
The word "utloa bohloko" in Sesotho can also mean "to be in pain" or "to feel sorry for someone."
Swahilikuteseka
The word "kuteseka" in Swahili also means "to be in pain or distress" and is related to the word "teso" meaning "hardship or difficulty".
Xhosaubunzima
'Ubunzima' can also mean 'difficulty' or 'hardship' in Xhosa.
Yorubajiya
"Jíyà" also means "to live" or "to exist" in Yoruba.
Zuluukuhlupheka
'Ukuhlupheka' can also mean 'to be in trouble' or 'to be punished'.
Bambaraka tɔɔrɔ
Ewekpe fu
Kinyarwandakubabazwa
Lingalakonyokwama
Lugandaokubonabona
Sepeditlaišega
Twi (Akan)brɛ

Suffer in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicيعاني
In 19th-century Egypt, "يعاني" also meant "be poor".
Hebrewסובל
The Hebrew word "סובל" can also mean "to bear" or "to tolerate".
Pashtoځورول
"ځورول" also means "to tease" and "to press".
Arabicيعاني
In 19th-century Egypt, "يعاني" also meant "be poor".

Suffer in Western European Languages

Albanianvuaj
The Albanian word "vuaj" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *weg-, meaning "to suffer, to be in pain, to die".
Basquesufritu
The Basque word "sufritu" can also refer to a type of stew or casserole.
Catalanpatir
The word "patir" in Catalan is derived from the Latin word "patior", meaning "to bear" or "to undergo".
Croatianpatiti
In Croatian, the word 'patiti' not only means 'to suffer' but also conveys a sense of 'passive acceptance' or 'endurance'.
Danishlide
The Old Norse word 'líða' meant both 'sail' and 'suffer', likely due to the physical and emotional toll of long sea journeys.
Dutchlijden
Dutch "lijden" (suffer) comes from "lithan" (sail), alluding to a ship struggling through a storm and the physical and emotional hardship endured by sailors
Englishsuffer
The term 'suffer' originates from the Latin word, 'sufferre', which means to sustain or to bear
Frenchsouffrir
The French word 'souffrir' originates from Latin 'sufferre' meaning 'to undergo or bear' and is also related to 'subire' meaning 'to undergo'
Frisianlije
"Lije" is cognate with English "lie" (recline) or Dutch "liggen", and also means "to rest or to lie (down)."
Galiciansufrir
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.
Germanleiden
The verb "leiden" also means "to endure" and can refer to the suffering of a martyr or the endurance of a long journey.
Icelandicþjást
"Þjást" also means "to undergo a medical examination" and is related to the word "þjáning" meaning "service".
Irishfulaingt
Irish 'fulaingt' may also mean 'patience', 'endurance' or 'tolerance'.
Italiansoffrire
The word "soffrire" comes from Latin "subferre," meaning "to undergo or bear something."
Luxembourgishleiden
"Leiden" can also mean "to lead" in Luxembourgish, derived from the German word "leiten".
Malteseibati
The alternate meaning of "ibati" in Maltese is "to punish".
Norwegianlide
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 Gaelicfulang
The Gaelic word "fulang" also means "perseverance" or "endurance".
Spanishsufrir
The verb "sufrir" originally meant "to bear" or "to endure" in Latin, and it retains this meaning in modern Spanish.
Swedishlida
"Lida" in Swedish ultimately derives from Proto-Indo-European "*leid-", meaning "to suffer" or "to be sorry."
Welshdioddef
The word "dioddef" in Welsh is a cognate of the Irish and Breton words for "bear".

Suffer in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianпакутаваць
The word "пакутаваць" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *pekti, meaning "to suffer, to endure, to bear."
Bosnianpatiti
"Patiti" is the past tense of "patiti", which originally meant "fall" in Proto-Slavic.
Bulgarianстрадат
Bulgarian “страдат” (“suffer”) is borrowed from Greek and is also used in Serbian, Macedonian, and Russian with the same meaning.
Czechtrpět
The word "trpět" comes from the Old Czech word "trpěti", which means "to endure" or "to tolerate".
Estoniankannatama
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."
Finnishkärsivät
"Kärsivä" is also a Finnish word for "the passive voice" and "the subject of a sentence".
Hungarianszenvedni
Szenvedni is a Hungarian word meaning
Latvianciest
The word "ciest" in Latvian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to punish" or "to torture."
Lithuaniankentėti
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.
Macedonianстрадаат
"Страдаат" is a verb in Macedonian which can also mean "to be in pain" or "to be in distress".
Polishponieść
The word "ponieść" (suffer) in Polish shares the same root as the English word "pain".
Romaniansuferi
The Romanian word "suferi" derives from the Latin "sufferre" and shares the same meaning in both languages.
Russianстрадать
"Страдать" is a verb that also means "to strive", "to desire greatly" or "to be zealous", cognate with "страсть" ("passion", "zeal").
Serbianтрпети
"Трпети" (sr.) may come from Proto-Slavic "*terpetъ" - "to endure, stand, bear."
Slovaktrpieť
The word "trpieť" in Slovak also means "to be patient" or "to endure".
Sloveniantrpeti
The word "trpeti" in Slovenian can also mean "to tolerate" or "to endure".
Ukrainianстраждати
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

Bengaliভোগা
The word "ভোগা" (suffer) in Bengali is derived from the Sanskrit word "भुज्" (enjoy), and can also mean "to experience" or "to consume".
Gujaratiસહન
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'.
Hindiभुगतना
The Hindi verb 'भुगतना' also means 'to enjoy' or 'to experience', highlighting the duality of human experiences.
Kannadaಬಳಲುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ
The word "ಬಳಲುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ" comes from the verb "ಬಳಲ" meaning "to struggle" or "to suffer". It can also refer to "toil" or "hardship".
Malayalamകഷ്ടപ്പെടുക
Marathiग्रस्त
The Marathi word "ग्रस्त" also denotes possession by an evil spirit and can imply extreme misfortune or hardship.
Nepaliकष्ट
The term "kasht" may also be used as a measure of time or to refer to the distance something travels.
Punjabiਦੁੱਖ
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
Tamilபாதிப்பு
Teluguబాధపడండి
The verb "బాధపడండి" may also mean to "be anxious".
Urduتکلیف
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".
Korean참다
The word "참다" is also used as a noun, meaning "saliva" or "spittle".
Mongolianзовох
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

Indonesianmenderita
The term "menderita" originally carried the meaning "painful" (sakit), which gradually took on the meaning "suffer".
Javanesenandhang sangsara
The word "nandhang sangsara" in Javanese is derived from Sanskrit and literally means "to endure the cycle of rebirth and suffering."
Khmerរងទុក្ខ
"រងទុក្ខ" (suffer) is derived from the Sanskrit word "duḥkha" (pain, sorrow). It can also mean "to endure" or "to tolerate".
Laoທຸກທໍລະມານ
Malaymenderita
"Menderita" is cognate with "derita" (pain, suffering) and "dara" (blood), suggesting a deep and ancient association between suffering, blood, and sacrifice.
Thaiทนทุกข์
The word "ทนทุกข์" is derived from the Sanskrit word "duhkha", which means "pain"}
Vietnameseđau 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

Azerbaijaniəziyyət çəkmək
The word "əziyyət çəkmək" in Azerbaijani is also used to refer to the act of grieving or mourning.
Kazakhазап шегу
Азап шегу is a Kazakh idiom that literally means "to pull torment," indicating experiencing severe pain.
Kyrgyzазап тартуу
The word "азап тартуу" is also a colloquialism that means "to have a hard time."
Tajikазоб кашидан
Turkmenejir çekmeli
Uzbekazob chekish
The word "azob chekish" in Uzbek can also refer to physical or mental pain, torment, or affliction.
Uyghurئازاب

Suffer in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianʻeha
'Eha' can also mean 'to be injured or wounded' as well as 'to be made ill' or 'to hurt'.
Maorimamae
"Mamae" can refer to physical suffering or pain, but also to spiritual distress in Maori culture.
Samoanpuapuagatia
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

Aymarat'aqisiña
Guaranijepy'apy

Suffer in International Languages

Esperantosuferi
Esperanto's "suferi" traces its roots to Proto-Indo-European "*sehw-, sewh-", meaning "to pour, let flow", also found in the English "sap".}
Latinpati
The Latin word "pati" also means "to endure" or "to bear up under something heavy or difficult."

Suffer in Others Languages

Greekυποφέρω
In Ancient Greek, "υποφέρω" could also mean "to endure" or "to tolerate".
Hmongkev txom nyem
The word "kev txom nyem" in Hmong can also mean "to be grieved" or "to mourn".
Kurdishêşkişîn
The word "êşkişîn" comes from Persian, where it originally meant "trouble".
Turkishacı çekmek
"Acı çekmek" can also mean "experience pain" or "feel sad".
Xhosaubunzima
'Ubunzima' can also mean 'difficulty' or 'hardship' in Xhosa.
Yiddishליידן
As a transitive verb, ליידן can also mean "to wear out" or "to use up" something.
Zuluukuhlupheka
'Ukuhlupheka' can also mean 'to be in trouble' or 'to be punished'.
Assameseভোগা
Aymarat'aqisiña
Bhojpuriकष्ट भोगल
Dhivehiތަހައްމަލުކުރުން
Dogriभुगतना
Filipino (Tagalog)magdusa
Guaranijepy'apy
Ilocanosagabaen
Kriosɔfa
Kurdish (Sorani)چەشتن
Maithiliकष्ट सहनाइ
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯑꯋꯥꯕ ꯅꯪꯕ
Mizotuar
Oromodararamuu
Odia (Oriya)ଯନ୍ତ୍ରଣା ଭୋଗ |
Quechuañakariy
Sanskritदुःख
Tatarгазаплан
Tigrinyaምቅላዕ
Tsongahlupheka

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