Survive in different languages

Survive in Different Languages

Discover 'Survive' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'survive' holds a profound significance in our lives, denoting the ability to continue living or existing, especially in difficult conditions. Its cultural importance is evident in literature, films, and historical accounts, where survival often symbolizes resilience, determination, and human spirit.

Given the universal theme of survival, it's no surprise that people across the globe might want to know its translation in various languages. Understanding this term in different languages can foster cross-cultural communication, deepen our appreciation for diverse perspectives, and even help us empathize with those facing challenging circumstances.

For instance, in Spanish, 'survive' translates to 'sobrevivir'. In French, it's 'survivre', while in German, it's 'überleben'. Each language offers a unique nuance to this powerful concept.

Explore the list below to discover how 'survive' translates in a multitude of languages, enriching your linguistic repertoire and broadening your cultural horizons.

Survive


Survive in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansoorleef
The word "oorleef" is derived from the Middle Dutch "orleven", meaning "to outlive".
Amharicመትረፍ
The word "መትረፍ" can also mean "to be left over" or "to remain".
Hausatsira
The Hausa word “tsira” can also mean to endure, escape, or persevere.
Igbolanarị
"*Lanarị*", "to survive" in Igbo, derives from the root word "-na", meaning "to live" or "to exist".
Malagasyvelona
In addition to its literal meaning of "survive," "velona" can also refer to "life" or "existence" in Malagasy.
Nyanja (Chichewa)kupulumuka
Shonakurarama
"Kurama" is a verb derived from "kura" (live), meaning "to stay alive" or "continue existing through difficulties."
Somalibadbaado
"Badbaado" in Somali originates from the root "bad" meaning "to live" and the suffix "-aado" indicating a state or condition, hence "the state of living" or "survival."
Sesothophela
"Phela" originated from the Bantu root word "*fiila" meaning "to bear" or "to bring forth."
Swahilikuishi
"Kuishi" is cognate with "ishi" (sit), meaning to continue or endure a state of existence.
Xhosasisinde
The Xhosa word "sisinde" is an imperative form of the verb "sindiza," meaning "save"
Yorubayọ ninu ewu
The Yoruba word "yọ ninu ewu" (survive) is literally "to step out of the trap". Yoruba is a tonal language and the word "yọ" has a different meaning depending on its tone.
Zulusisinde
The word "sisinde" also means "to persist" or "endure" in Zulu.
Bambaraka balo
Ewetsi agbe
Kinyarwandakurokoka
Lingalakobika
Lugandaokusimattuka
Sepediphologa
Twi (Akan)nya nkwa

Survive in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicينجو
"ينجو" can have the alternate meaning of "avoid evil" in Arabic.
Hebrewלִשְׂרוֹד
The word לִשְׂרוֹד (survive) derives from the root שׂרד (surplus), and its original meaning was to have leftover or excess.
Pashtoژوندي پاتې کیدل
Arabicينجو
"ينجو" can have the alternate meaning of "avoid evil" in Arabic.

Survive in Western European Languages

Albanianmbijetoj
Mbijetoj is derived from the Proto-Albanian term *mbijetōj, meaning “to remain alive” or “to live on”.
Basquebiziraun
The Basque word "biziraun" is derived from the words "bizia" (life) and "iraun" (endure).
Catalansobreviure
The word 'sobreviure' comes from the Latin 'supervivere', which means 'to live beyond'. It can also mean 'to endure' or 'to outlast'.
Croatianpreživjeti
The Serbian cognate 'preživeti' originally meant
Danishoverleve
The Danish word "overleve" can also mean to outlive someone or to remain.
Dutchoverleven
The Dutch word "overleven" can also mean "to experience".
Englishsurvive
The word "survive" is derived from the Latin word "supervivere," meaning "to live beyond" or "to outlive."
Frenchsurvivre
The verb "survivre" in French derives from Latin "supervivere" meaning "to live beyond" or "to outlive".
Frisianoerlibje
"Oerlibje" can also mean to escape or to save from danger in Frisian.
Galiciansobrevivir
"Sobrevivir" in Galician, like in Portuguese, comes from Latin "supervivere", where "super" means "over" or "beyond" and "vivere" means "to live". In some regions of Galicia it is still used to mean "to be left" or "to remain", as in "as casas sobreviventes de tal ou tal concello" - "the houses remaining in this or that town".
Germanüberleben
The word "überleben" is derived from the Middle High German "überleben," meaning "to live longer than."
Icelandiclifa af
"Lífa af" is derived from the Old Norse "lífa", meaning "live", and "af", meaning "away".
Irishmair
"Mair" also means "great" or "big" and is used in the phrase "mór-thimpeall" meaning "great hope".
Italiansopravvivere
The Italian word "sopravvivere" derives from the Latin "supervivere," meaning "to outlive" or "to remain alive."
Luxembourgishiwwerliewen
The etymology of "iwwerliewen" is unclear, but it may be related to the Old German word "überleben" (to live on).
Maltesejgħix
The Maltese verb "jgħix" derives from the Arabic root "عاش" (ʿāša), meaning "to live" or "to exist."
Norwegianoverleve
The word 'overleve' in Norwegian also means 'to outlive', 'to survive', or 'to endure'.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)sobreviver
Sobreviver, meaning "to survive" in Portuguese, has other meanings such as "to live beyond someone's death" or "to have a long and healthy life."
Scots Gaelicmairsinn
"Mairsinn" derives from the Old Irish verb "marthain", which meant both "to survive" and "to live" in a more general sense.
Spanishsobrevivir
"Sobrevivir", in addition to meaning "survive", also means to "outlive".
Swedishöverleva
The word "överleva" is derived from the Old Norse word "yfirlifandi", meaning "to live beyond" or "to outlive".
Welshgoroesi
The verb 'goroesi' derives from the Proto-Celtic verb "*kwr-e-ti" (to do, make).

Survive in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianвыжыць
"Выжыць" means both "survive" and "recover" in the Belarusian language.
Bosnianpreživjeti
The word "preživjeti" in Bosnian also means "to earn a living" or "to make a living".
Bulgarianоцелеят
The word "оцелеят" derives from the Slavic root "*cel-/*celj-/*celъ", meaning "whole" or "complete."
Czechpřežít
'přežít' means 'survive' in Czech. It is derived from the Proto-Slavic word '*peržiti', meaning 'to live through'. In addition to its literal meaning, 'přežít' can also be used figuratively to mean 'to endure' or 'to outlast'.
Estonianellu jääma
The word "ellu jääma" can also mean "to be left over", like when food remains after a meal.
Finnishhengissä
The word "hengissä" is a compound word of two words: "henki" (life) and "isä" (father), thus meaning "to be with life's father".
Hungariantúlélni
The word "túlélni" can also mean "to outlive" or "to be left over"
Latvianizdzīvot
The word "izdzīvot" shares its root with the word "dzīve" (life), suggesting a more enduring sense of survival than its English counterpart.
Lithuanianišgyventi
"Išgyventi" originated from the prefix "iš- ("out" or "from") and the verb "gyventi" ("to live"), denoting an action of "living through something" or "emerging from a difficult situation."
Macedonianпреживее
The verb "преживее" in Macedonian can also mean to endure, withstand, or experience.
Polishprzetrwać
"Przetrwać" in Polish can also refer to persisting through difficulties or enduring adversity.
Romaniansupravieţui
The Romanian verb "supravieţui" derives from the Latin verb "supervivere", which means "to outlive, to remain alive."
Russianвыжить
In Old Russian, the verb “выжить” meant to drive out, get rid of, destroy.
Serbianпреживети
The word 'преживети' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'prěžiti' meaning 'to go through', and can also mean 'to experience' or 'to endure'.
Slovakprežiť
The Slovak word "prežiť" also means "to experience" or "to live through".
Slovenianpreživeti
The word "preživeti" can also mean "to outlive" or "to endure".
Ukrainianвижити
"Вижити" (survive) in Ukrainian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "vyžiti", meaning "to live, endure, or remain".

Survive in South Asian Languages

Bengaliবেঁচে থাকা
বেঁচে থাকা (bêche thākā) can also mean to be healthy or to live.
Gujaratiટકી રહેવું
Hindiबना रहना
In Hindi, "बना रहना" also means "to last" or "to continue", indicating its broader usage beyond survival.
Kannadaಬದುಕುಳಿಯಿರಿ
The Kannada equivalent for survive, “ಬದುಕುಳಿಯಿರಿ,” translates to “continuing in a situation of danger with difficulty”.
Malayalamഅതിജീവിക്കുക
The verb "അതിജീവിക്കുക" is also used figuratively to refer to overcoming difficulties, hardships, or obstacles.
Marathiजगणे
In Marathi, "जगणे" (jagane) also means to experience or witness an event or situation.
Nepaliबाँच्न
The word "बाँच्न" can also mean "to live" or "to exist" in Nepali.
Punjabiਬਚ
In addition to meaning "survive," "ਬਚ" can also mean "to escape" or "to avoid."
Sinhala (Sinhalese)බේරෙන්න
The word 'බේරෙන්න' ('survive') is derived from the Sanskrit word 'bhṛ,' meaning 'to carry' or 'to support'.
Tamilபிழைக்க
The Tamil word "பிழைக்க" also means "to go astray", "to err", or "to be mistaken".
Teluguజీవించి
The word "జీవించి" can also mean "to live" or "to exist" in Telugu.
Urduزندہ رہنا
The word "زندہ رہنا" (survive) comes from the Persian word "زنده" (living) and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-Iranian root "*ǵʰiy-óti-", meaning "to live."

Survive in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)生存
生存 (shengcun) can also mean "existence" or "being alive."
Chinese (Traditional)生存
生存 is a combination of 生, which means life, and 存, which means exist. Hence it can mean 'to preserve one's life'. It can also mean 'to continue to exist'.
Japanese生き残ります
生き残ります is also a term used in shogi to refer to a piece that is not captured by the opponent.
Korean살아남 다
살아남 다 is a compound of the Sino-Korean word 살 (derived from 生) meaning "live" and the native Korean word 남 다 meaning "remain,"
Mongolianамьд үлдэх
The Mongolian word "амьд үлдэх" can also mean "to live on, to be left alive, to persist, to endure".
Myanmar (Burmese)ရှင်သန်ရပ်တည်

Survive in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianbertahan
The Indonesian word "bertahan" is also used figuratively to mean "endure" or "withstand".
Javaneseslamet
The Javanese word 'slamet' also means 'good fortune', 'well-being', or 'peace'.
Khmerរស់
"រស់" means "live," "exist," or "survive" in Khmer.
Laoຢູ່ລອດ
"ຢູ່ລອດ" originates from the Sanskrit word "sthā" meaning "to stand still", implying the ability to withstand adversity and remain intact.
Malaybertahan
The word "bertahan" is also used to mean "to endure" or "to withstand".
Thaiอยู่รอด
The word "อยู่รอด" also means "to exist" or "to be present" in Thai.
Vietnamesetồn tại
In Vietnamese, the word "tồn tại" can also mean to "exist" or "to remain".
Filipino (Tagalog)mabuhay

Survive in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanisağ qal
"Sağ qal" comes from the Persian word "sağ", meaning "safe", and the Arabic word "qal", meaning "to be". It can also mean "to recover from an illness" or "to outlive someone".
Kazakhаман қалу
In Kazakh, "аман қалу" literally means "to remain safe", emphasizing the preservation of life and well-being.
Kyrgyzаман калуу
The Kyrgyz word "аман калуу" can also refer to "staying out of danger" or "being safe and sound."
Tajikзинда мондан
Зинда мондани – “живой оставаться”, т.е. “выжить”.
Turkmendiri gal
Uzbekomon qolish
The word "omon qolish" in Uzbek literally means "to stand on feet".
Uyghurھايات

Survive in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianola
The Hawaiian word "ola" also means "life" or "health" and holds deep cultural significance.
Maoriora
In Māori, “ora” also refers to health, prosperity, and well-being.
Samoanola
In Samoan, "ola" can also mean "life" or "health".
Tagalog (Filipino)mabuhay
The word 'mabuhay' in Tagalog has multiple meanings, including 'long live,' 'good health,' and 'well-being,' all emphasizing the value of life.

Survive in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarajakapachaña
Guaranijeikove

Survive in International Languages

Esperantopluvivi
"Pluvivi" comes from the Latin word "pluvia," meaning "rain," and signifies "weathering the storm".
Latinsuperesse
The Latin word "superesse" also means "to be left over" or "to remain after death."

Survive in Others Languages

Greekεπιζώ
The verb "επιζώ" means "to outlive" in Greek, which is why it's often used with the genitive case.
Hmongciaj sia
The word "ciaj sia" is derived from the Proto-Hmong-Mien root *kɛj/*kɔj, meaning "to go" or "to continue."
Kurdishjîyan
The Kurdish word "jîyan" has the broader meaning of "existence" and can also refer to "spirit" or "soul".
Turkishhayatta kalmak
It also translates to "staying alive".
Xhosasisinde
The Xhosa word "sisinde" is an imperative form of the verb "sindiza," meaning "save"
Yiddishבלייַבנ לעבן
In Yiddish, the word בלייַבנ לעבן (''bleybn leben'') can also mean ''to sustain''. This phrase is often used as a blessing for staying strong and healthy.
Zulusisinde
The word "sisinde" also means "to persist" or "endure" in Zulu.
Assameseজীয়াই থকা
Aymarajakapachaña
Bhojpuriजियल
Dhivehiސަރވައިވް
Dogriजींदा बचना
Filipino (Tagalog)mabuhay
Guaranijeikove
Ilocanoagbiag
Kriosev
Kurdish (Sorani)ڕزگاربوون
Maithiliबचनाइ
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯍꯤꯡꯕ
Mizodamchhuak
Oromojiraachuu
Odia (Oriya)ବଞ୍ଚ
Quechuaqispichiy
Sanskritपरितिष्ठनति
Tatarисән кал
Tigrinyaህላወ
Tsongapona

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