Surprised in Different Languages
Discover 'Surprised' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Have you ever been 'surprised'? This common emotion, often accompanied by a sharp intake of breath or an exclamation of wonder, is a universal human experience. Yet, the way we express it can vary greatly across languages and cultures.
Take, for instance, the Spanish word 'sorprendido' or the French 'surpris'. Both capture the essence of being taken aback, but also carry nuances that reflect the cadence and rhythm of their respective languages. Even in German, where efficiency is key, the term 'überrascht' manages to convey the same sentiment, but with a distinctly Teutonic twist.
Understanding how to express 'surprised' in different languages not only enriches our vocabulary but also offers a window into the hearts and minds of people from diverse backgrounds. It's a small step towards cultural understanding, but an important one.
Join us as we explore the many facets of 'surprised' in various languages. From the romance of Italian's 'sorpreso' to the subtlety of Japanese's 'odoroki', prepare to be delighted and intrigued.
Surprised
Surprised in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | verbaas | ||
| The word 'verbaas' comes from the Dutch word 'verbaasd', which means 'amazed' or 'astonished'. | |||
| Amharic | ተገረመ | ||
| The word "ተገረመ" in Amharic can also mean "to look at". This usage is derived from the root "ገረመ," which means "to see". | |||
| Hausa | mamaki | ||
| The word "mamaki" in Hausa, which means "surprised," has multiple meanings such as "shocked" and "astonished." | |||
| Igbo | juru ya anya | ||
| "Juru ya anya" can also be used to describe something that is very shocking or unexpected. | |||
| Malagasy | gaga | ||
| The word "gaga" has alternate meanings of "astounded," "amazed," "overcome with awe," and "completely taken aback"} | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kudabwa | ||
| "Kudabwa" can also mean "to be dumbfounded" or "to be bewildered". | |||
| Shona | kushamisika | ||
| The word "kushamisika" can also mean "to be bewildered" or "to be startled". | |||
| Somali | yaabay | ||
| "Yaabay" can also mean "astonishment" or "amazement". | |||
| Sesotho | maketse | ||
| The Sesotho word "maketse" also refers to the feeling of being shocked, startled, or taken aback. | |||
| Swahili | kushangaa | ||
| The word "kushangaa" can also mean "to be amazed" or "to be astonished". | |||
| Xhosa | ndothukile | ||
| The word "ndothukile" is derived from the Xhosa word "ndotho," which means "to jump," and the suffix "-ile," which indicates a completed action. | |||
| Yoruba | yà | ||
| "Yà" is similar to the word "yán" which means "to open the eyes wide". | |||
| Zulu | emangele | ||
| Zulu also has an idiom for emangele, "Uya ngeke uyazi", which means "you come without knowing". | |||
| Bambara | balinan | ||
| Ewe | wɔ nuku | ||
| Kinyarwanda | yatunguwe | ||
| Lingala | kokamwa | ||
| Luganda | okuzinduukiriza | ||
| Sepedi | maketše | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nwanwa | ||
Surprised in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مندهش | ||
| The word "مندهش" is derived from the root word "دهش" which means "astonishment" or "amazement". | |||
| Hebrew | מוּפתָע | ||
| The Hebrew word "מוּפתָע" (mufta'a) also means "astonished" or "startled". | |||
| Pashto | حیران | ||
| The word "حیران" also means "confused" or "amazed" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | مندهش | ||
| The word "مندهش" is derived from the root word "دهش" which means "astonishment" or "amazement". | |||
Surprised in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i befasuar | ||
| The Albanian word "i befasuar" derives from an ancient Greek word that means "to become speechless"} | |||
| Basque | harrituta | ||
| The Basque word 'harrituta' ('surprised') also means 'captured' or 'held back' when used with the verb 'eduki' ('to have'). | |||
| Catalan | sorprès | ||
| The word "sorprès" in Catalan originates from the Latin word "suspicio" which means "suspicion" or "distrust". | |||
| Croatian | iznenađena | ||
| Iznenađena, Croatian for 'surprised', comes from the verb iznenaditi, meaning 'to surprise' or 'to catch someone off guard'. | |||
| Danish | overrasket | ||
| The Danish word "overrasket" is derived from the German word "überrascht," meaning "taken unawares." | |||
| Dutch | verbaasd | ||
| The Dutch word "verbaasd" derives from the Middle Dutch "verbaesen" meaning "to cause to be amazed". | |||
| English | surprised | ||
| The word "surprised" originates from the Old French "surpris," meaning "overtaken" or "caught unawares." | |||
| French | surpris | ||
| The word “surpris” in French comes from the Latin word “superprehendere,” meaning “to seize from above, to overtake”. | |||
| Frisian | ferrast | ||
| The word "ferrast" in Frisian is derived from the Old Frisian word "ferriasta", meaning "to hurry, to rush". | |||
| Galician | sorprendido | ||
| "Sorprendido" is also used to mean "caught in the act" or "found out" in Galician. | |||
| German | überrascht | ||
| "Überrascht" means both "surprised" and "overrun". Its origin is the Old High German "ubir-raskon," which translates to "run over." | |||
| Icelandic | hissa | ||
| The word 'hissa' is also used to describe a feeling of being overwhelmed or startled. | |||
| Irish | ionadh | ||
| "Ionaid" is an Old Irish word that may originally have meant "wonderful". | |||
| Italian | sorpreso | ||
| The word "sorpreso" derives from the Latin "surripere", meaning "to seize" or "to catch". It has also been used in Italian to refer to being caught in a trap or ambush. | |||
| Luxembourgish | iwwerrascht | ||
| The word "iwwerrascht" is derived from the Middle High German word "überraschen", meaning "to come upon suddenly". | |||
| Maltese | sorpriż | ||
| The word "sorpriż" comes from the Italian word "sorpresa" which means "surprise". The Maltese word can also be used to express astonishment or amazement. | |||
| Norwegian | overrasket | ||
| The Norwegian word 'overrasket' not only means 'surprised' but also has a colloquial meaning in Norwegian slang to describe someone who has drunk too much alcohol, and thus become impaired | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | surpreso | ||
| "Surpreso" is the past participle of the verb "surpreender" (to surprise), and also means "taken by surprise" in Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | iongnadh | ||
| "Ionngaidh is also used to refer to a stranger, which may be related to the sensation of being caught off-guard or startled by something unfamiliar." | |||
| Spanish | sorprendido | ||
| The word "sorprendido" in Spanish derives from the Latin "superprendere", meaning "to seize". | |||
| Swedish | överraskad | ||
| In Swedish, "överraskad" can also mean "overtaken" or "overwhelmed". | |||
| Welsh | synnu | ||
| The Welsh word 'synnu' also refers to a sudden movement or a quiver. | |||
Surprised in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | здзіўлены | ||
| Bosnian | iznenađen | ||
| The word 'iznenađen' originates from the Old Slavic word 'iznaditi', meaning 'to come up behind'. It also has a second, more colloquial, meaning: 'drunk'. | |||
| Bulgarian | изненадан | ||
| In Bulgarian, the word "изненадан" can also mean "found by surprise", "caught off guard", or "taken aback." | |||
| Czech | překvapený | ||
| The word 'překvapený' in Czech can also mean 'taken aback', 'astonished', or 'flabbergasted'. | |||
| Estonian | üllatunud | ||
| The Estonian word "üllatunud" has the alternate meaning of "stunned" in English. | |||
| Finnish | yllättynyt | ||
| "Yllättynyt" contains the root "yltä", meaning "exceed," and refers to something that "exceeds one's expectations". | |||
| Hungarian | meglepődött | ||
| The word "meglepődött" is derived from the Hungarian verb "lepődik meg", meaning "to be surprised", which in turn comes from the noun "lep", meaning "cover" or "veil". Thus, "meglepődött" literally means "to be covered" or "to be veiled", suggesting that surprise is a state in which one's vision is obscured or blocked. | |||
| Latvian | pārsteigts | ||
| "Pārsteigts" also means "transgressed" and comes from verb "pāriet" (to cross). | |||
| Lithuanian | nustebęs | ||
| Lithuanian "nustebęs" derives from "stebėti" meaning "to observe" or "to watch". | |||
| Macedonian | изненаден | ||
| The word "изненаден" can also refer to someone who is caught off guard or unprepared. | |||
| Polish | zaskoczony | ||
| The Polish word "zaskoczony" originated from the verb "skoczyć", which means "to jump", implying the suddenness of being caught off guard. | |||
| Romanian | uimit | ||
| A possible etymology of the Romanian word "uimit" (surprised) is the old Slavic word "utiti" (to please). | |||
| Russian | удивлен | ||
| "Удивлен" means "the one who was taken to the veche" (у веча взят) | |||
| Serbian | изненађен | ||
| The word "изненађен" can also mean "taken aback" or "shocked". | |||
| Slovak | prekvapený | ||
| "Prekvapený" also means "taken off guard" and derives from the Proto-Slavic "prevakъ", meaning "obstacle, ambush". | |||
| Slovenian | presenečen | ||
| The verb presenetiti comes from the noun presenečenje and means "to present something". In its archaic form, it was often used for "to surprise" or "to offer as a gift". | |||
| Ukrainian | здивований | ||
| 'Здивований' ('surprised') likely originates from the Proto-Slavic word 'divъ', meaning 'marvel' or 'wonder'. | |||
Surprised in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অবাক | ||
| অবাক is derived from the Sanskrit word 'abhigata' (abhi= towards, gata= gone), which means 'approaching' or 'overtaken'. | |||
| Gujarati | આશ્ચર્ય | ||
| The word "આશ્ચર્ય" ("surprised") in Gujarati also means "wonder" or "astonishment". | |||
| Hindi | आश्चर्य चकित | ||
| The word "आश्चर्य चकित" is derived from the Sanskrit root "as", meaning "great" or "extreme", and the suffix "-cita", meaning "caused to be" or "made to be". | |||
| Kannada | ಆಶ್ಚರ್ಯ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಆಶ್ಚರ್ಯ" can also be used to signify something that is extraordinary, as well as a sense of amazement. | |||
| Malayalam | ആശ്ചര്യപ്പെട്ടു | ||
| Marathi | आश्चर्यचकित | ||
| आश्चर्यचकित may also mean "extraordinary, wonderful". | |||
| Nepali | अचम्मित | ||
| अचम्मित derives from the Sanskrit root चमत् (camat), which also means 'to surprise' or 'astonish'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਹੈਰਾਨ | ||
| The word "ਹੈਰਾਨ" (surprised) in Punjabi originated from the Persian word "hairān", meaning "astonished" or "confused". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පුදුමයි | ||
| Tamil | ஆச்சரியமாக இருக்கிறது | ||
| Telugu | ఆశ్చర్యం | ||
| ఆశ్చర్యం has a similar root to the word "to expect" and shares connotations of "eagerly waiting". | |||
| Urdu | حیرت | ||
| The word حیرت (hairat) comes from the Arabic root ه ر ت (h-r-t), which means 'to be perplexed' or 'to be amazed'. It is also related to the word 'harut', which refers to a type of magic or witchcraft. | |||
Surprised in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 惊讶的 | ||
| It is also used to describe a situation where someone is shocked or stunned. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 驚訝的 | ||
| "驚" also means "to be alerted, alarmed, or scared". | |||
| Japanese | びっくり | ||
| The word "びっくり" (surprised) also means "thunder" and is onomatopoeic in both meanings. | |||
| Korean | 놀란 | ||
| 놀란's alternate meaning is 'unripe fruit', which stems from the word 'nol', meaning "green"} | |||
| Mongolian | гайхсан | ||
| The term 'гайхсан' can also indicate astonishment, bewilderment, or amazement. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အံ့သြသွားတယ် | ||
Surprised in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | terkejut | ||
| "Terkejut" also means "shocked" in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | kaget | ||
| The word "kaget" in Javanese also means "to stumble" or "to fall down" | |||
| Khmer | ភ្ញាក់ផ្អើល | ||
| The word ភ្ញាក់ផ្អើល (surprised) is also used in the sense of "to be startled" or "to be taken aback". | |||
| Lao | ແປກໃຈ | ||
| “ແປກໃຈ” literally means “strange.” The word also has another meaning that is close to “bewildered” which can be used synonymously in many situations. | |||
| Malay | terkejut | ||
| In some dialects, "terkejut" can also mean "to jump" or "to be startled". | |||
| Thai | ประหลาดใจ | ||
| The word "ประหลาดใจ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "prahlada", which means "great joy or delight". | |||
| Vietnamese | ngạc nhiên | ||
| "Ngạc nhiên" originates from the Chinese character "愕" (è), which means "dumbfounded" or "astonished". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | nagulat | ||
Surprised in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | təəccübləndi | ||
| Originating from the Arabic word "ta'ajjub" meaning "astounded" or "amazed". | |||
| Kazakh | таң қалды | ||
| "Таң қалды" in Kazakh also means "astonished", "amazed", "flabbergasted", or "taken aback". | |||
| Kyrgyz | таң калды | ||
| The word "таң калды" literally means "dawn remained" in Kyrgyz, referring to the lingering shock or amazement that prevents one from moving on. | |||
| Tajik | ҳайрон | ||
| The word "ҳайрон" is cognate with the Persian word "حیران" (confused), and is also used in Tajik to mean "confused" or "bewildered". | |||
| Turkmen | geň galdy | ||
| Uzbek | hayron qoldi | ||
| In Uzbek, "hayron qoldi" can also be used to express astonishment, disbelief, or shock. | |||
| Uyghur | ھەيران قالدى | ||
Surprised in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pūʻiwa | ||
| In Hawaiian, 'puʻiwa' also refers to a variety of sea snail or jellyfish. | |||
| Maori | miharo | ||
| The Māori word "miharo" is derived from the Proto-Polynesian term "mahana", meaning "hot" or "warm". | |||
| Samoan | teʻi | ||
| "Teʻi" is also used figuratively to describe something unusual or unexpected. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | nagulat | ||
| "Nagulat ako" literally translates to “I got startled” and is often used in the context of a sudden or unexpected event. | |||
Surprised in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | akatjamarstayata | ||
| Guarani | noha'arõite | ||
Surprised in International Languages
| Esperanto | surprizita | ||
| The word "surprizita" derives from the French word "surprise" and also means "astonishment" or "amazement". | |||
| Latin | miratus | ||
| "Miratus" in Latin can also mean "wonderful" or "amazing." | |||
Surprised in Others Languages
| Greek | έκπληκτος | ||
| The word “έκπληκτος” originally meant 'struck by lightning' and has evolved to also mean “surprised”. | |||
| Hmong | tag | ||
| In Hmong, the word “tag” can also mean “to be surprised” or “to be startled”. | |||
| Kurdish | şaş kirin | ||
| Kurdish "şaş kirin" shares the root word of the Persian "şah", meaning king, thus suggesting that the expression may originally have described an expression of awe in the presence of royalty. | |||
| Turkish | şaşırmış | ||
| The word "şaşırmış" can also mean "squinting" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | ndothukile | ||
| The word "ndothukile" is derived from the Xhosa word "ndotho," which means "to jump," and the suffix "-ile," which indicates a completed action. | |||
| Yiddish | איבעראשונג | ||
| The Yiddish word 'איבעראשונג' is derived from the German 'Überraschung' and can also mean 'confusion or disorientation'. | |||
| Zulu | emangele | ||
| Zulu also has an idiom for emangele, "Uya ngeke uyazi", which means "you come without knowing". | |||
| Assamese | আচৰিত হোৱা | ||
| Aymara | akatjamarstayata | ||
| Bhojpuri | चकित | ||
| Dhivehi | އާޝޯޚްވުން | ||
| Dogri | टऊ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | nagulat | ||
| Guarani | noha'arõite | ||
| Ilocano | nasiddaaw | ||
| Krio | dɔn sɔprayz | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سەرسووڕماو | ||
| Maithili | ताज्जुब भेनाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯉꯛꯄ ꯐꯥꯎꯕ | ||
| Mizo | mak ti | ||
| Oromo | osoo hin beekin irra ba'e | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଆଶ୍ଚର୍ଯ୍ୟ | ||
| Quechua | qunqasqa | ||
| Sanskrit | अचंभित | ||
| Tatar | гаҗәпләнде | ||
| Tigrinya | ዝተገረመ | ||
| Tsonga | hlamarile | ||