Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'sure' is a small but powerful word in the English language. It can convey confidence, agreement, and positivity all at once. Sureness is a state of being certain or confident about something, and this concept is universal, making the word 'sure' a cultural powerhouse in its own right.
Moreover, the word 'sure' has a rich history. It is derived from the Old English word 'sicor', which means 'secure'. Over time, 'sicor' evolved into the Middle English word 'sure', which has since become a staple in the English language.
Given its significance and cultural importance, it's no wonder that people might want to know the translation of 'sure' in different languages. After all, language is a window into culture, and understanding how other cultures express concepts like certainty can be a fascinating and enlightening experience.
Here are some translations of the word 'sure' in various languages. Whether you're a language enthusiast, a traveler, or simply curious, these translations are sure to pique your interest.
Afrikaans | seker | ||
The Afrikaans word "seker" comes from Dutch and originally meant "safe" or "secure". | |||
Amharic | እርግጠኛ | ||
"እርግጠኛ" is related to the root "ርግ","to stand" or "to be firm." | |||
Hausa | tabbata | ||
In Hausa, "tabbata" can also refer to a guarantee or a sign of confirmation. | |||
Igbo | n'aka | ||
"N'aka" in Igbo is also used as a short form of "n'aka m aka," which means "I said it before." | |||
Malagasy | azo antoka | ||
The Malagasy word "azo antoka" is also used to express certainty or confidence in something. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | zedi | ||
The word "zedi" in Chichewa, which is used to express agreement, is not etymologically related to the concept of certainty, but rather derives from the verb "kuzeza," meaning "to cut." | |||
Shona | chokwadi | ||
The word "chokwadi" in Shona can also mean "truth" or "reality". | |||
Somali | hubaal | ||
The word "Hubaal" in Somali also means "trust" or "reliance". | |||
Sesotho | bonnete | ||
The word "bonnete" in Sesotho is derived from the Zulu word "bonke", meaning "all" or "completely". | |||
Swahili | hakika | ||
The word "hakika" can also mean "reality" or "truth". | |||
Xhosa | qiniseka | ||
Xhosa has two words for "sure" – ngqiniseka, which carries a sense of knowing something as true (certain); and Qiniseka, which connotes something being confirmed. | |||
Yoruba | daju | ||
The Yoruba word "daju" is derived from the verb "da", meaning "to be fixed" or "to be certain". | |||
Zulu | impela | ||
The word 'impela' can also be used to mean 'indeed' or 'truly'. | |||
Bambara | jaati | ||
Ewe | ka ɖe edzi | ||
Kinyarwanda | byanze bikunze | ||
Lingala | solo | ||
Luganda | tewali kubuusabuusa | ||
Sepedi | kgonthiša | ||
Twi (Akan) | gye di | ||
Arabic | بالتأكيد | ||
The word "بالتأكيد" can also mean "of course" or "certainly". | |||
Hebrew | בטוח | ||
The Hebrew word "בטוח" ( בטח ) is based on the root בט"ח, which is usually associated with concepts like "trust" and "security". | |||
Pashto | ډاډه | ||
The Pashto word "ډاډه" also means "firm" or "inflexible". | |||
Arabic | بالتأكيد | ||
The word "بالتأكيد" can also mean "of course" or "certainly". |
Albanian | i sigurt | ||
"I sigurt" can also be used to express confidence or certainty. | |||
Basque | ziur | ||
In Basque, "ziur" can mean "sure" or "secure," and is derived from the Proto-Basque word "*ziurtu" meaning "to be sure." | |||
Catalan | segur | ||
"Segur" in Catalan derives from the Latin word "securus," meaning "carefree" or "without worry." | |||
Croatian | naravno | ||
The word "Naravno" also means "natural" in Croatian, reflecting its root in the Slavic word for "nature". | |||
Danish | jo da | ||
"Jo da" is a loan translation from the German phrase "Ja, doch" with the same meaning. | |||
Dutch | zeker | ||
The word "zeker" comes from the Middle Dutch word "seker" meaning "safe" or "secure". | |||
English | sure | ||
The word "sure" comes from the Old English word "siċor," which means "trustworthy" or "reliable." | |||
French | sûr | ||
The French spelling of the word comes from the Latin _securus._ The spelling with a circumflex _sûr_, instead, comes from Old Frankish _sur,_ which is the cognate of the English term 'sure'. | |||
Frisian | wis | ||
"Wis" is the Frisian equivalent of the Dutch "vast", but can also mean "probably" or "perhaps" depending on context. | |||
Galician | seguro | ||
In Galician, "seguro" also means strong or tough, while the related noun "seguridade" can refer to confidence, trust, or safety. | |||
German | sicher | ||
The word 'sicher' also means 'safe' or 'secure'. | |||
Icelandic | viss | ||
The Icelandic word "viss" is cognate with the English word "wit" and originally meant "to know". | |||
Irish | cinnte | ||
The word "cinnte" comes from Old Irish "cinnith", meaning "trust" or "belief", and also referred to a "covenant" or "bond". | |||
Italian | sicuro | ||
The word "sicuro" also means "safe" in Italian and derives from the Latin "securus". | |||
Luxembourgish | sécher | ||
The word "sécher" in Luxembourgish is derived from the Latin word "securus", meaning "free from care or anxiety", and can also mean "safe" or "certain". | |||
Maltese | żgur | ||
The word "żgur" in Maltese has alternate meanings including "for certain" and "without fail". | |||
Norwegian | sikker | ||
"Sikker" in Norwegian derives from Old Norse "sikr", meaning strong, firm or secure | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | certo | ||
The word "certo" can also mean "right" in the sense of "correct" or "accurate". | |||
Scots Gaelic | cinnteach | ||
The Gaelic word cinnteach 'sure', comes from the word ceann 'head', and also means 'chief' and 'foremost' | |||
Spanish | por supuesto | ||
The phrase "por supuesto" in Spanish has its roots in the late medieval and early modern period, and literally means "of course" or "as a matter of course." | |||
Swedish | säker | ||
Säker's root meaning is 'to seek' and its use in Swedish may also imply safety, reliability, or trust. | |||
Welsh | siwr | ||
The word "siwr" in Welsh can also mean "steady" or "firm". |
Belarusian | упэўнены | ||
The word "упэўнены" also means "firm", "steady", or "reliable" in Belarusian. | |||
Bosnian | naravno | ||
The word "naravno" also means "naturally" in Bosnian and derives from the Slavic root "naravь" meaning "nature" or "character." | |||
Bulgarian | сигурен | ||
"Сигурен" is the Bulgarian translation of the English word "confident", but it can also mean "certain" or "safe". | |||
Czech | tak určitě | ||
The Czech phrase "Tak určitě" can also be interpreted as "I highly doubt that" or "Of course not" | |||
Estonian | kindel | ||
The word "kindel" (sure) in Estonian can also refer to a torch or a wick. | |||
Finnish | varma | ||
The word "varma" is thought to derive from the Proto-Finnic word "*warma" meaning "warm", "firm" or "thick". | |||
Hungarian | biztos | ||
The word "biztos" in Hungarian also refers to insurance (biztosítás) and is related to the word "bizony" (certainly). | |||
Latvian | protams | ||
The word "protams" can also be translated as "obviously", "certainly", or "of course" in English. | |||
Lithuanian | tikras | ||
The Lithuanian word "tikras" originally meant "genuine" or "real" and has only recently acquired the meaning of "sure". | |||
Macedonian | сигурно | ||
"Сигурно" has other archaic and colloquial meanings in Macedonian, such as "probably" and "possibly." | |||
Polish | pewnie | ||
In Polish, the word "pewnie" comes from the Old Polish "pewien," meaning "firm,'' "steady," or "certain," and is also related to the word "pewność," meaning "certainty" or "assurance." | |||
Romanian | sigur | ||
"Sigur" is derived from the Slavic word "sigura," meaning "confidence" or "certainty." | |||
Russian | конечно | ||
"Конечно" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "konetšnyj" meaning "finite" and can also mean "of course" in Russian, but not in Church Slavonic. | |||
Serbian | наравно | ||
Наравно (Serbian for "sure") literally translates to "in level," and also means "equally". | |||
Slovak | samozrejme | ||
The word "samozrejme", which literally means "self-evident" | |||
Slovenian | seveda | ||
Sure's etymology comes from the Proto-Slavic word "sē-vědъ", meaning "know", "be aware". | |||
Ukrainian | звичайно | ||
The Ukrainian word "звичайно" can have several alternate meanings including "of course", "naturally", "by all means", "definitely", and "without a doubt" |
Bengali | নিশ্চিত | ||
"নিশ্চিত" is the present participle form of the verb নিশ্চয় করা which means "to determine or ascertain". | |||
Gujarati | ખાતરી કરો | ||
"ખાતરી કરો" (sure) is derived from Persian "khaatir" (thought) and has the additional meaning of "to keep in mind". | |||
Hindi | ज़रूर | ||
The word "ज़रूर" (sure) in Hindi derives from the Persian "zarur" (necessary), emphasizing the certainty of something. | |||
Kannada | ಖಚಿತವಾಗಿ | ||
The word "ಖಚಿತವಾಗಿ" in Kannada can also mean "definitely" or "positively". | |||
Malayalam | ഉറപ്പാണ് | ||
ഉറപ്പാണ്" is derived from the Sanskrit word "niśchita" and also means "firm" or "solid" | |||
Marathi | नक्की | ||
The word "नक्की" comes from the Sanskrit word "नित्य" (nitya), meaning "regular, constant, or perpetual." | |||
Nepali | निश्चित | ||
"निश्चित" is derived from the Sanskrit word "निश्चित" meaning "fixed, settled, established". | |||
Punjabi | ਯਕੀਨਨ | ||
The word 'ਯਕੀਨਨ' (yakinan) is derived from the Arabic word 'yakinan', which means 'certainly' or 'assuredly'. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | විශ්වාසයි | ||
The word | |||
Tamil | நிச்சயம் | ||
The word "நிச்சயம்" (nichchayam) shares its root with the Sanskrit word "nishcaya" which means a "determination" or a "conclusion". | |||
Telugu | ఖచ్చితంగా | ||
Urdu | یقینی | ||
The word "یقینی" can also mean "absolute" or "certain" in Urdu. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 当然 | ||
The first character of “当然” means “of course”, while the second character means “reason”. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 當然 | ||
The Chinese word "當然" (dāngrán) literally means "of course" or "naturally," but it can also be used to express "obviously" or "it goes without saying." | |||
Japanese | 承知しました | ||
承知しました (shōchi shimashita) literally means “to receive and know,” and it can also be used to express understanding or agreement. | |||
Korean | 확실한 | ||
The word "확실한" has Sino-Korean roots and is derived from the Chinese word "確実", which also means "certain" or "sure". | |||
Mongolian | итгэлтэй байна | ||
The word | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | သေချာတယ် | ||
Indonesian | tentu | ||
In Javanese, "tentu" has a separate meaning, namely "to be destined for something" | |||
Javanese | tenan | ||
The word "tenan" can also mean "real" or "genuine" in Javanese. | |||
Khmer | ប្រាកដ | ||
"ប្រាកដ" comes from the Pali word "pakatti", meaning "definitely, surely, clearly, or distinctly". | |||
Lao | ແນ່ໃຈ | ||
Malay | pasti | ||
The Malay word "pasti" (sure) originates from the Arabic word "fāṣil" meaning "distinguishing". | |||
Thai | แน่นอน | ||
"แน่" in "แน่ใจ" ("certain") is likely related to Old Khmer [ɲɔŋ], meaning "true, correct," and "แน่น" in "แน่นอน" likely derives from that word. | |||
Vietnamese | chắc chắn rồi | ||
"Chắc chắn rồi" is a popular Vietnamese phrase which literally means "firmly secured". Beyond the sense of certainty it conveys when used as an affirmation, it can also refer to physical security or stability, such as a firmly anchored boat or a well-built house. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sigurado | ||
Azerbaijani | mütləq | ||
"mütləq" derives from the Arabic word "muṭlaq", which means "absolute, definitive." | |||
Kazakh | әрине | ||
*Әрине* also means 'of course' or 'naturally'. | |||
Kyrgyz | сөзсүз | ||
"Сөзсүз" is derived from the Kyrgyz word "сөз" (speech), meaning "without speech" or "without doubt." | |||
Tajik | ҳосил | ||
Ҳосил can also mean 'harvested', 'result' or 'income'. | |||
Turkmen | elbetde | ||
Uzbek | aniq | ||
The Uzbek word "aniq" is also used to mean "exactly", "precisely", "definite", or "certain" | |||
Uyghur | ئەلۋەتتە | ||
Hawaiian | ʻoiaʻiʻo | ||
'Oia'i'o, "the real," also means a real person or a solid object. | |||
Maori | pono | ||
Pono has several extended meanings including "correct", "authentic", "reliable" and "ethical". | |||
Samoan | mautinoa | ||
The word 'mautinoa' in Samoan can be broken down into 'mau' (meaning 'true') and 'tinoa' (meaning 'body'), suggesting a strong and unwavering conviction. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | sigurado | ||
The term "segurado" has the alternate English meanings of "insured" or "secured." |
Aymara | sijuru | ||
Guarani | upeichaite | ||
Esperanto | certe | ||
"Certe" is also an adverb in Esperanto meaning "probably" or "likely". | |||
Latin | cave | ||
In Latin, "cave" can also mean "beware" or "take care", and is related to the word "cautious" in English. |
Greek | σίγουρος | ||
"Σίγουρος" ultimately derives from the Persian word "shah", meaning "king". | |||
Hmong | paub tseeb | ||
The term ”paub tseeb”, which refers to a type of traditional Hmong skirt with an extra layer on the front that serves as a pouch to carry personal belongings. | |||
Kurdish | emîn | ||
The Kurdish word "emîn" has alternate meanings including "true" and "faithful". | |||
Turkish | elbette | ||
The word "Elbette" derives from the Arabic word "al-batt", meaning "the firm, the established". | |||
Xhosa | qiniseka | ||
Xhosa has two words for "sure" – ngqiniseka, which carries a sense of knowing something as true (certain); and Qiniseka, which connotes something being confirmed. | |||
Yiddish | זיכער | ||
The Yiddish word "זיכער" (zikher) originally meant "firmly anchored" or "safe" and only later came to mean "sure". | |||
Zulu | impela | ||
The word 'impela' can also be used to mean 'indeed' or 'truly'. | |||
Assamese | নিশ্চয় | ||
Aymara | sijuru | ||
Bhojpuri | पक्का | ||
Dhivehi | ޔަޤީން | ||
Dogri | निश्चत | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sigurado | ||
Guarani | upeichaite | ||
Ilocano | sigurado | ||
Krio | shɔ | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | دڵنیا | ||
Maithili | निश्चित | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯣꯏꯗꯕ | ||
Mizo | ngei ngei | ||
Oromo | sirrii | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ନିଶ୍ଚିତ | ||
Quechua | chiqaq | ||
Sanskrit | निश्चयेन | ||
Tatar | sureичшиксез | ||
Tigrinya | እርግፀኛ | ||
Tsonga | tiyisisa | ||