Surprising in Different Languages
Discover 'Surprising' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'surprising' holds a special place in our vocabulary, capturing the essence of unexpectedness and wonder. It's a word that transcends cultural boundaries and is cherished in various languages around the world.
Through the ages, surprising moments have been immortalized in literature, film, and art. From Shakespeare's plot twists to Hitchcock's suspenseful storytelling, surprising moments have left a lasting impact on our collective cultural consciousness.
Understanding the translation of surprising in different languages can enrich our appreciation for the diversity of human expression and emotion. For instance, the German word 'überraschend' captures the same sense of astonishment, while the French 'surprenant' adds a touch of elegance to the term.
Join us as we explore the many translations of surprising, shedding light on the fascinating cultural nuances that make each language unique. Whether you're a language enthusiast, a world traveler, or simply curious, this journey is sure to surprise and delight you.
Surprising
Surprising in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | verrassend | ||
| "Verrassend" (surprising) in Afrikaans has similar origins to the Dutch word "verrassing" (surprise), derived from the Old French word "surpris". The word might also be related to the Dutch word "verrijzen" (to rise), suggesting something unexpected or shocking. | |||
| Amharic | የሚገርም | ||
| The word 'የሚገርም' in Amharic comes from the verb 'መግረም,' which means 'to be astonished or amazed,' but it can also refer to something that is unexpected or unusual. | |||
| Hausa | abin mamaki | ||
| The Hausa word "abin mamaki" can also be used to mean "amazing" or "wonderful". | |||
| Igbo | ijuanya | ||
| The Igbo word "ijuanya" can also refer to a type of dance performed at Igbo weddings. | |||
| Malagasy | mahagaga | ||
| Malagasy _mahagaga_ can also mean "amazing" or "mysterious" | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zodabwitsa | ||
| "Zodabwitsa" is originally a noun that means an "amazing thing" | |||
| Shona | zvinoshamisa | ||
| "Zvinoshamisa" is derived from the verb "shamisa," meaning "to astonish" or "to startle." | |||
| Somali | yaab leh | ||
| In Somali, "yaab leh" also means "amazing" or "wonderful". | |||
| Sesotho | makatsa | ||
| The word "makatsa" also means "to be astonished" or "to be unexpected". | |||
| Swahili | kushangaza | ||
| "Kushangaza" comes from the Swahili root word shangaa, meaning "to be astonished or amazed." | |||
| Xhosa | iyamangalisa | ||
| The word 'iyamangalisa' in Xhosa is also used to express astonishment or amazement. | |||
| Yoruba | iyalẹnu | ||
| The word 'iyalenu' in Yoruba, meaning 'surprising', can also refer to a 'mother who is surprised'. | |||
| Zulu | kuyamangaza | ||
| The word 'kuyamangaza' could have originated from the Zulu word 'amangaza', which means 'a wonder' or 'a marvel'. | |||
| Bambara | kabako don | ||
| Ewe | si wɔ nuku ŋutɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | biratangaje | ||
| Lingala | likambo ya kokamwa | ||
| Luganda | ekyewuunyisa | ||
| Sepedi | go makatša | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɛyɛ nwonwa | ||
Surprising in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مفاجأة | ||
| Arabic "مفاجأة" can be traced back to the Persian term "pajh", which originally meant "to spin". | |||
| Hebrew | מַפתִיעַ | ||
| The word "מַפתִיעַ" (mafti'a) can also mean "astonishing" or "shocking". | |||
| Pashto | حیرانتیا | ||
| "Hairant" is a word with several meanings and etymologies. It comes from Proto-Iranian hāri- "to gaze, look at" and Proto-Indo-European *ḱēr-, *ḱrH2- "head". | |||
| Arabic | مفاجأة | ||
| Arabic "مفاجأة" can be traced back to the Persian term "pajh", which originally meant "to spin". | |||
Surprising in Western European Languages
| Albanian | befasues | ||
| The word "befasues" in Albanian derives from the Latin word "fascinare," meaning "to enchant" or "to bewitch." | |||
| Basque | harrigarria | ||
| The Basque word "harrigarria" derives from "harria" ("rock") and conveys the sensation of being "as solid as a rock". | |||
| Catalan | sorprenent | ||
| The Catalan word "sorprenent" comes from the Latin verb "supervenire," meaning "to come upon suddenly," and is related to the English word "supervene." | |||
| Croatian | iznenađujuće | ||
| "Iznenađujuće" is a derived form of the verb "iznenaditi," which comes from the Proto-Slavic root "*nadъ" (meaning "to hope" or "to expect"). | |||
| Danish | overraskende | ||
| "Overraskende" originates from the Dutch word "verrassend" meaning unexpected | |||
| Dutch | verrassend | ||
| The Dutch word "verrassend" originally meant "to freshen up" or "to astonish," and is related to the Old English word "freshian." | |||
| English | surprising | ||
| The word 'surprising' comes from the Old French word 'surprendre' meaning 'to take unawares' or 'to seize suddenly'. | |||
| French | surprenant | ||
| In French old literature, Surprenant can also mean | |||
| Frisian | ferrassend | ||
| The Frisian word "ferrassend" has a similar meaning to the Dutch word "verrassend", meaning "surprising" or "astonishing". | |||
| Galician | sorprendente | ||
| The Galician word "sorprendente" is derived from the Latin word "superare", meaning "to overcome" or "to surpass". | |||
| German | überraschend | ||
| The word "überraschend" can also mean "unexpectedly" or "unforeseenly". | |||
| Icelandic | á óvart | ||
| Á óvart is a play on the Icelandic word "óvart" which means "unexpectedly" as well as the word "óvartur" which is an archaic word for "surprised". | |||
| Irish | ionadh | ||
| In Irish, 'ionadh' derives from the Old Irish 'ionno' meaning 'knowledge' or 'understanding'. It can also refer to a 'place' or 'location'. | |||
| Italian | sorprendente | ||
| The word "sorprendente" comes from the Latin participle "surprehendens," meaning "to seize suddenly." | |||
| Luxembourgish | iwwerraschend | ||
| The word "iwwerraschend" is derived from the German word "überraschend," which means "surprising or unexpected." | |||
| Maltese | sorprendenti | ||
| The Maltese word "sorprendenti" derives from the Italian "sorprendente", meaning "surprising", but can also be used in a sarcastic or ironic context. | |||
| Norwegian | overraskende | ||
| The word "overraskende" is derived from the Old Norse word "ofrása", meaning "fear" or "sudden shock". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | surpreendente | ||
| In Portuguese, "surpreendente" also means extraordinary, outstanding, and amazing | |||
| Scots Gaelic | iongnadh | ||
| The word 'iongnadh' in Scots Gaelic is cognate with the Irish 'ionganta' meaning 'wonder', and has the same Proto-Celtic root ('*i̯óngnos') as 'agony', meaning 'great struggle'. | |||
| Spanish | sorprendente | ||
| Sorprender can also mean 'to seize' in legal contexts. | |||
| Swedish | förvånande | ||
| The Swedish word "förvånande" derives from the Old Norse "forvaena", meaning "to cause to expect" or "to lead to believe." | |||
| Welsh | syndod | ||
| The word 'syndod' in Welsh has Old English roots, possibly stemming from 'sundor', meaning 'separation, distinction'. | |||
Surprising in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | дзіўна | ||
| "Дзіўна" comes from the Old Church Slavonic word meaning "marvel, wonder" and is cognate with the Latin "dīvīnus" and the Greek "δῐ͂ος" (godlike, divine). | |||
| Bosnian | iznenađujuće | ||
| Iznenađujuće, the word iznenađujuće can also mean “unexpectedly” or “out of the blue”. | |||
| Bulgarian | изненадващо | ||
| The word “изненадващо” also shares a common root with the word “изненада”, meaning “surprise”. | |||
| Czech | překvapující | ||
| Překvapující also means 'astonishing' and 'unexpected'. | |||
| Estonian | üllatav | ||
| "Üllatav" (''surprising'') is derived from ''üle'' ('over') and ''latama'' ('to fly'), figuratively referring to something that soars above expectations. | |||
| Finnish | yllättävä | ||
| "Yllättävä" is related to "yllätys" (surprise) and to "yllä" (on, above). | |||
| Hungarian | meglepő | ||
| The Hungarian word "meglepő" is cognate with the Finnish "melkopa" meaning "pretty" or "somewhat". | |||
| Latvian | pārsteidzoši | ||
| The word "pārsteidzoši" originally meant "quickly, swiftly", and is related to the verb "pārsteigt", which means "to catch unawares". | |||
| Lithuanian | stebina | ||
| The word "stebina" can also refer to "a stitch" or "a sting", implying a sharp or unexpected sensation. | |||
| Macedonian | изненадувачки | ||
| The word "изненадувачки" is derived from the verb "изненадувам" which means "to surprise" or "to catch unawares."} | |||
| Polish | zaskakujący | ||
| "Zaskakujący" is one of the few Polish adjectives that is not derived from a verb. | |||
| Romanian | surprinzător | ||
| The Romanian word "surprinzător" is borrowed from the French "surprenant," but originally came from the Latin word "superprendere," which literally means "to seize from above." | |||
| Russian | удивительно | ||
| In old Russian, the word 'удивительно' meant 'to see' or 'to behold' something remarkable. | |||
| Serbian | изненађујуће | ||
| "Изненађујуће" has an alternate meaning of "exceptional". | |||
| Slovak | prekvapivé | ||
| "Prekvapivé" is derived from the verb "prekvapiť" (to surprise), and also has the alternate meaning of "unexpected". | |||
| Slovenian | presenetljivo | ||
| "Presenetljivo" is derived from the word "preseniti", meaning "to surprise," and also means "unexpected" or "remarkable." | |||
| Ukrainian | дивно | ||
| "Дивно" is derived from the Old East Slavic word "дивъ", meaning "wonder" or "marvel". It can also be used to express admiration or amazement. | |||
Surprising in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিস্ময়কর | ||
| The word "বিস্ময়কর" comes from the Sanskrit word "vismaya", which means "astonishment, wonder, or amazement." | |||
| Gujarati | આશ્ચર્યજનક | ||
| Hindi | चौंका देने वाला | ||
| The word 'चौंका देने वाला' literally means 'causing a jump' in Hindi, reflecting its sudden and unexpected nature. | |||
| Kannada | ಆಶ್ಚರ್ಯಕರ | ||
| Malayalam | ആശ്ചര്യകരമാണ് | ||
| Marathi | आश्चर्यकारक | ||
| The word "आश्चर्यकारक" comes from the Sanskrit root "car" meaning "to move". | |||
| Nepali | अचम्म | ||
| The Nepali word "अचम्म" may be derived from the Sanskrit word "अश्चर्य" or "अचमत्" and is cognate with the word "achaman" meaning "to sip water after performing religious rituals." | |||
| Punjabi | ਹੈਰਾਨੀ ਵਾਲੀ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පුදුමයි | ||
| පුදුමයි is also used to describe something as beautiful or wonderful. | |||
| Tamil | ஆச்சரியம் | ||
| Telugu | ఆశ్చర్యకరమైనది | ||
| Urdu | حیرت انگیز | ||
| The word حیرت انگیز is derived from the Arabic word حیرت, meaning 'utter amazement'. In Persian, the word also carries the meanings of 'bewildering', 'confusing', and 'astonishing'. | |||
Surprising in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 奇怪 | ||
| "奇" (odd) + "怪" (strange) = "strange" | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 奇怪 | ||
| The word "奇怪" can also mean "strange" or "odd" and is often used to describe something that is unusual or unexpected. | |||
| Japanese | 驚くべき | ||
| 驚くべき is written using the kanji for 'tremble' and 'awe,' which reflects its connotation of something causing astonishment or shock. | |||
| Korean | 놀라운 | ||
| 놀라운 (surprising) means awesome, wonderful, or great beyond imagination and is related to 노랗다, meaning "yellow. | |||
| Mongolian | гайхалтай | ||
| The word "гайхалтай" can also mean "suspicious" or "curious" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အံ့သြစရာ | ||
Surprising in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mengejutkan | ||
| The word "mengejutkan" can also mean "to surprise" or "to be surprised", and is derived from the root word "kejut" which means "shock". | |||
| Javanese | kaget | ||
| "Kaget" (surprising) can also mean "shy" or "embarrassed" in Javanese, showcasing the language's nuanced expressions. | |||
| Khmer | ការភ្ញាក់ផ្អើល | ||
| Lao | ແປກໃຈ | ||
| The Lao word “ແປກໃຈ” can be traced back to a Pali word meaning 'foreign' or 'strange'. | |||
| Malay | mengejutkan | ||
| "Mengejutkan" may derive from "mengejut" ("to shock"), but its root "kejut" also denotes "surprise" or "amazement". | |||
| Thai | น่าแปลกใจ | ||
| The Thai word "น่าแปลกใจ" can also mean "interesting" or "curious". | |||
| Vietnamese | thật ngạc nhiên | ||
| It derives from the Chinese word "出乎意料之外" (chūhū yìliào zhīwài), meaning "coming from beyond expectations". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | nakakagulat | ||
Surprising in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | təəccüblü | ||
| "Təəccüblü" is derived from the Arabic word "taʻaajjub", meaning "wonder, astonishment, or amazement." | |||
| Kazakh | таңқаларлық | ||
| Kyrgyz | таң калыштуу | ||
| The word "таң калыштуу" in Kyrgyz can also refer to something that is unexpected or unusual. | |||
| Tajik | ҳайратовар | ||
| Turkmen | geň galdyryjy | ||
| Uzbek | ajablanarli | ||
| "Ajablanarli" translates to "surprising" in Uzbek and can also mean "strange" or "unusual." | |||
| Uyghur | ھەيران قالارلىق | ||
Surprising in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pūʻiwa | ||
| The Hawaiian word “pūʻiwa” also refers to a type of shark known for attacking prey from below. | |||
| Maori | miharo | ||
| "Miharo" can also mean "sacred" or "awesome" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | ofo | ||
| The Samoan word "ofo" has an alternate meaning of "a supernatural being that can transform itself into an animal". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | nakakagulat | ||
| The etymology of "nakakagulat" in Tagalog can be found in the verb root "gulat (to be startled), which also gives rise to other terms such as kabigla-bigla (a surprise or shock) and magugulat(to be surprised). | |||
Surprising in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | muspharkañawa | ||
| Guarani | sorprendente | ||
Surprising in International Languages
| Esperanto | surprize | ||
| "Surprize" can also mean "to give a pleasant surprise" or "to catch unprepared". | |||
| Latin | surprising | ||
| The Latin word "surprising" can also mean "arousing" or "causing astonishment". | |||
Surprising in Others Languages
| Greek | εκπληκτικός | ||
| In ancient Greek, "εκπληκτικός" also meant "capable of paralyzing". | |||
| Hmong | ceeb | ||
| The Hmong word "ceeb" can also mean "to be startled" or "to jump in surprise." | |||
| Kurdish | nişkevaşakir | ||
| The word "nişkevaşakir" is also used to describe something that is very beautiful or extraordinary | |||
| Turkish | şaşırtıcı | ||
| Şaşırtıcı (surprising) originates from the Arabic word "şaşırmak" which means "to get lost". It can mean being bewildered, amazed, or taken aback. | |||
| Xhosa | iyamangalisa | ||
| The word 'iyamangalisa' in Xhosa is also used to express astonishment or amazement. | |||
| Yiddish | חידוש | ||
| The Yiddish word "חידוש" is borrowed from Hebrew and originally meant a novelty. | |||
| Zulu | kuyamangaza | ||
| The word 'kuyamangaza' could have originated from the Zulu word 'amangaza', which means 'a wonder' or 'a marvel'. | |||
| Assamese | আচৰিত ধৰণৰ | ||
| Aymara | muspharkañawa | ||
| Bhojpuri | हैरानी के बात बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ހައިރާން ކުރުވަނިވި ކަމެކެވެ | ||
| Dogri | हैरानी दी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | nakakagulat | ||
| Guarani | sorprendente | ||
| Ilocano | nakaskasdaaw | ||
| Krio | we de mek pɔsin sɔprayz | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سەرسوڕهێنەرە | ||
| Maithili | आश्चर्यजनक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯉꯀꯄꯥ ꯄꯣꯀꯏ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | mak tak mai a ni | ||
| Oromo | nama ajaa’ibsiisa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଆଶ୍ଚର୍ଯ୍ୟଜନକ | | ||
| Quechua | musphachiq | ||
| Sanskrit | आश्चर्यकारकम् | ||
| Tatar | гаҗәп | ||
| Tigrinya | ዘገርም እዩ። | ||
| Tsonga | ku hlamarisa | ||