Swear in Different Languages
Discover 'Swear' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Swearing is a part of many cultures and languages around the world. It can be used to express strong emotions, emphasize a point, or even add humor to a conversation. But have you ever wondered how to swear in different languages?
Understanding the translation of swear words can provide insight into the cultural significance of certain phrases and the values of a society. For example, in German, 'Scheisse' is a common swear word, which literally translates to 'shit'. However, it's important to note that using such words in different cultural contexts can have varying degrees of offensiveness and acceptability.
Moreover, exploring the etymology of swear words can reveal fascinating historical contexts. For instance, the English word 'goddamn' originated as a euphemism to avoid taking the Lord's name in vain. Meanwhile, the Spanish equivalent, 'joder', is believed to have originated from the verb 'to bother' or 'to annoy'.
Join us as we delve into the translations of the word 'swear' in different languages and discover the unique cultural nuances that come with it.
Swear
Swear in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | vloek | ||
| The word "vloek" in Afrikaans can also mean "curse" and is derived from the Proto-West Germanic word "*flōkan", meaning "to lament" or "to cry out in grief". | |||
| Amharic | እምለው | ||
| The word "እምለው" also means "to curse" or "to revile". | |||
| Hausa | rantsuwa | ||
| 'Rantsuwa' is also a word for 'oath' and shares the same origin with 'ranto', meaning 'promise'. | |||
| Igbo | ụọ iyi | ||
| In Igbo cosmology, the act of swearing is believed to be a powerful force that can have both positive and negative consequences, depending on the intention and circumstances. | |||
| Malagasy | mianiana | ||
| The word "mianiana" in Malagasy is derived from the Arabic word "ma'na" meaning "oath". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | lumbira | ||
| The word "lumbira" can also mean "to curse" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | kupika | ||
| "Kupika" can also mean to "mix" or "stir" a liquid in Shona. | |||
| Somali | dhaarid | ||
| "Dhaarid" is related to the Somali word "dhaar," which means "vow" or "oath," and the Proto-Somali word "*dheer," which means "straight" or "long." | |||
| Sesotho | hlapanya | ||
| The Sesotho word 'hlapanya' originates from the Bantu root '-lapana', which also means 'to smear' or 'to plaster' and is related to the noun 'lepa' (mud plaster) | |||
| Swahili | kuapa | ||
| The word "kuapa" in Swahili has several meanings, including "to swear," "to promise," and "to take an oath." | |||
| Xhosa | funga | ||
| The Xhosa word "funga" can also mean "to promise" or "to vow." | |||
| Yoruba | búra | ||
| The Yoruba word "búra" also means "curse" or "malediction". | |||
| Zulu | funga | ||
| In some contexts, "funga" can also refer to making a promise or vow. | |||
| Bambara | ka kalen | ||
| Ewe | ka atam | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kurahira | ||
| Lingala | kolapa ndai | ||
| Luganda | okulayira | ||
| Sepedi | ikana | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ka ntam | ||
Swear in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أقسم | ||
| In addition to “swearing,” aṣama (أقسم) meant “to cause to share” in pre-Islamic Arabic, and can still have this second meaning in certain contexts and expressions. | |||
| Hebrew | לְקַלֵל | ||
| The Hebrew verb "לְקַלֵל" (l'kalel) can also mean "to curse" or "to speak evil of". | |||
| Pashto | قسم کول | ||
| The Pashto word "قسم کول" also denotes "to declare solemnly" or "to pledge or to promise." | |||
| Arabic | أقسم | ||
| In addition to “swearing,” aṣama (أقسم) meant “to cause to share” in pre-Islamic Arabic, and can still have this second meaning in certain contexts and expressions. | |||
Swear in Western European Languages
| Albanian | betohem | ||
| The word "betohem" in Albanian originates from the Proto-Albanian word "b*t-n-o" meaning "oath" or "curse". | |||
| Basque | zin egin | ||
| The Basque word 'zin egin' is literally translated to 'to do sin', suggesting that the act of swearing was once considered an immoral act | |||
| Catalan | jurar | ||
| In Catalan, "jurar" can also mean "to swear an oath" or "to vow". | |||
| Croatian | zakleti se | ||
| Croatian verb "zakleti se" also means to curse and has many synonyms, including "kletva" and "kleti". | |||
| Danish | sværge | ||
| The Danish word "sværge" also has the meanings "to curse" and "to vow". | |||
| Dutch | zweer | ||
| The Dutch word "zweer" can also mean "ulcer" or "abscess". | |||
| English | swear | ||
| The verb “swear” comes from the Old English word “swerian,” meaning "to make an oath or promise." | |||
| French | jurer | ||
| In French, "jurer" can also mean "to make a formal statement under oath" or "to declare solemnly". | |||
| Frisian | swarre | ||
| The Frisian word 'swarre' is cognate with English 'swear', but its root is in Old Norse 'svarra', meaning 'to answer'. | |||
| Galician | xurar | ||
| "Xurar" originates from the Latin "iūro" and also means "to attest" or "to assure" in Galician. | |||
| German | schwören | ||
| The term "schwören" in German traces its origins to the Proto-Germanic root "swer-", meaning "to answer or agree". | |||
| Icelandic | sverja | ||
| The Icelandic word "sverja" is also used to refer to an oath or vow, and is related to the Old Norse word "sverja", meaning "to swear". | |||
| Irish | mionn | ||
| The word "mionn" can also mean "promise" or "vow". | |||
| Italian | giurare | ||
| The word "giurare" derives from the Latin word "iurare" and originally meant to "speak solemnly" or "promise under oath". | |||
| Luxembourgish | schwieren | ||
| "Schwieren" has a double meaning: to swear an oath or to swear at somebody. | |||
| Maltese | naħlef | ||
| The Maltese word "naħlef" is also used to refer to a solemn promise or oath | |||
| Norwegian | sverge | ||
| The Norwegian word "sverge" has its roots in the Old Norse word "sverja", which means "to promise solemnly to do or not to do something" | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | xingar | ||
| The Brazilian word "xingar" comes from the Portuguese "chingar", which itself derives from the Spanish "cingar", ultimately tracing back to the Latin "cingere" ("to envelop"). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | mionnachadh | ||
| The word "mionnachadh" can also refer to a "vow" or "oath" in Scots Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | jurar | ||
| The verb "jurar" can also mean "to promise" or "to assure" in Spanish. | |||
| Swedish | svära | ||
| In Swedish, svära can also refer to a parent-in-law or swearing at someone. | |||
| Welsh | rhegi | ||
| The Welsh word "rhegi" also means "to crack, split or burst", a meaning derived from its Proto-Celtic and Proto-Indo-European roots. | |||
Swear in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | лаяцца | ||
| The word "лаяцца" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "lajati", which means "to scold or to curse". | |||
| Bosnian | kunem se | ||
| The word "kunem se" also means "curse or vow" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | закълни се | ||
| The word "Закълни се" also means "to pledge" or "to vow" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | přísahat | ||
| As a noun, "přísaha" can also mean "oath" | |||
| Estonian | vanduma | ||
| In Estonian, the word "vanduma" not only means to swear, but also to take an oath, make a vow, or curse. | |||
| Finnish | vannoa | ||
| "Vannoa" may derive from the word "vanha" ("old", "venerable") by way of the concept of "swearing an oath upon something old", i.e. swearing solemnly. | |||
| Hungarian | esküszik | ||
| The word "esküszik" derives from the Proto-Uralic word for "to speak", indicating that taking an oath was originally seen as a speech act. | |||
| Latvian | zvēru | ||
| "Zvēru" in Latvian derives from Proto-Slavic "*zveriti", which meant "to make an animal roar", "to call upon animals", "to hunt" and "to chase". | |||
| Lithuanian | prisiekti | ||
| The word "prisiekti" can also mean "to take an oath". | |||
| Macedonian | се колнам | ||
| The Proto-Slavic form *klęti (from Proto-Indo-European *ḱelh₂-) could also imply 'invoke', in the sense of uttering a religious oath as a magical formula. | |||
| Polish | przysięgać | ||
| The Polish word "przysięgać" also means "to swear an oath" in English. | |||
| Romanian | jura | ||
| The word "jura" in Romanian is derived from the Latin word "jurare", meaning "to swear" or "to take an oath", and has the same meaning in Romanian. | |||
| Russian | клянусь | ||
| The Russian word "клянусь" can also mean "to promise". | |||
| Serbian | закуни се | ||
| The verb 'Закуни се' can also mean 'to swear an oath' or 'to make a promise'. | |||
| Slovak | prisahať | ||
| The word "prisahať" shares its root with the word "prisaha" (oath) and means "to take an oath" or "to make a vow". | |||
| Slovenian | preklinjati | ||
| The word "preklinjati" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "preklinati", which means "to curse" or "to invoke evil upon someone". In Slovenian, it has retained this meaning, as well as acquiring the additional meaning of "to swear". | |||
| Ukrainian | присягати | ||
| The word "присягати" in Ukrainian derives from the Old Church Slavonic "присѣгати", meaning "to make a promise" | |||
Swear in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কসম | ||
| "কসম" can be traced back to the Sanskrit word "kuśama" meaning "to be angry or enraged" | |||
| Gujarati | શપથ લેવો | ||
| The word "શપથ" (oath) is derived from the Sanskrit word "śapatha" meaning "promise". In Gujarati, it also means to "take an oath" or to "vow". | |||
| Hindi | कसम खाता | ||
| The word 'कसम खाता' can also mean 'to promise' or 'to vow' in Hindi, and is derived from the Sanskrit word 'svaṃ saṃsthā', meaning 'one's own establishment'. | |||
| Kannada | ಪ್ರತಿಜ್ಞೆ ಮಾಡಿ | ||
| The word "ಪ್ರತಿಜ್ಞೆ ಮಾಡಿ" in Kannada has its roots in the Sanskrit word "प्रतिज्ञा" meaning "oath". It can also refer to a promise or vow made to a deity or a respected person. | |||
| Malayalam | സത്യം ചെയ്യുക | ||
| In ancient Sanskrit, 'സത്യം' meant 'truth' or 'reality', and 'ചെയ്യുക' means 'to do' or 'to perform', hence its literal meaning is 'to perform truth' or 'to speak the truth'. | |||
| Marathi | शपथ | ||
| The Marathi word "शपथ" (śapatha) has its roots in the Sanskrit word "सपथ" (sapath), meaning "oath" or "vow". It also has a less common meaning of "an agreement" or "a promise". | |||
| Nepali | कसम | ||
| The word "कसम" derives from the Sanskrit word "शपथ" (śapatha), meaning "oath" or "vow". | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਹੁੰ ਖਾਓ | ||
| The word 'ਸਹੁੰ ਖਾਓ' ultimately derives from Ancient Greek 'homilos' via Arabic and Persian, and also means 'oath, vow', 'promise, pledge, sacred promise', 'word of honour', 'covenant', 'troth', 'faith', 'engagement', and 'warranty'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දිවුරන්න | ||
| The verb "දිවුරන්න" is derived from the Sanskrit word "div" meaning "to swear". It can also mean "to affirm", "to promise", or "to take an oath". | |||
| Tamil | சத்தியம் | ||
| Telugu | ప్రమాణం | ||
| Urdu | قسم کھانا | ||
| قسم کھانا means 'to swear' in Urdu and has additional meanings like 'to promise' or 'to vow'. | |||
Swear in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 发誓 | ||
| 发誓 is also a term used in traditional Chinese oath-taking ceremonies. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 發誓 | ||
| The character 發 in 發誓 refers to both "hair" and "vows," reflecting the ancient practice of binding vows to locks of hair. | |||
| Japanese | 誓う | ||
| The word '誓う' can also mean to 'promise' or 'vow', and is often used in formal or legal settings. | |||
| Korean | 저주 | ||
| "저주" can also refer to a curse, imprecation, or an oath | |||
| Mongolian | тангарагла | ||
| "Тангарагла" - originally meant "to make a promise before Heaven or a god". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကျိန်ဆို | ||
| ကျိန်ဆို (swear) derives from a Mon-Khmer root meaning both "to curse" and "to love" and is related to other words for "love" and "affection" in other Southeast Asian languages, suggesting its original meaning may have been closer to "to bind" or "to attach." | |||
Swear in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | bersumpah | ||
| Bersumpah can also mean "to agree", "to swear an oath", or "to bind oneself" in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | sumpah | ||
| "Sumpah" in Javanese also means "prayer". | |||
| Khmer | ស្បថ | ||
| In Khmer, ស្បថ (swear) can also mean to vow or promise solemnly. | |||
| Lao | ສາບານ | ||
| Malay | bersumpah | ||
| "Bersumpah" shares the same root word as "sumpah", which has several different but related meanings depending on context, including "curse" and "oath". | |||
| Thai | สาบาน | ||
| This word has two sources. One is "ศัพท์" which means "word", and the other is "บาน" which means "to open", so it means "to open a word." | |||
| Vietnamese | xin thề | ||
| The word xin thề derives from Chinese 誓 (shì), meaning "oath" or "promise". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | magmura | ||
Swear in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | and içmək | ||
| "And içmək" in Azerbaijani also means "to spit" in Turkish. | |||
| Kazakh | ант беру | ||
| The Kazakh word "ант беру" can also refer to "taking an oath" or "making a vow". | |||
| Kyrgyz | ант | ||
| "Ант" can be translated as "oath", not only as "curse". | |||
| Tajik | қасам хӯрдан | ||
| In a religious context, "қасам хӯрдан" can also mean to make an oath or affirmation. | |||
| Turkmen | ant iç | ||
| Uzbek | qasam ichish | ||
| In Uzbek, "qasam ichish" also means "to take an oath" or "to give a promise". | |||
| Uyghur | قەسەم | ||
Swear in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻohiki | ||
| The Hawaiian word “hoʻohiki” means to “swear,” but also has the meanings of “to cause to vow,” “to promise,” and “to command.” | |||
| Maori | oati | ||
| The word 'oati' is a corruption of the English word 'oath'. | |||
| Samoan | palauvale | ||
| The word "palauvale" can also mean "to curse" or "to blaspheme". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sumpa | ||
| "Sumpa" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian root word "*sumpah", which also means "curse" or "oath." | |||
Swear in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | phuqhaw saña | ||
| Guarani | ñe'ẽme'ẽpy | ||
Swear in International Languages
| Esperanto | ĵuri | ||
| "Ĵuri" is derived from the French "jurer" and also means "to make a solemn promise." | |||
| Latin | testor | ||
| The word "Testor" can also mean "to prove" or "to bear witness" in Latin. | |||
Swear in Others Languages
| Greek | ορκίζομαι | ||
| In Greek, the word "ορκίζομαι" also means "to cause someone to swear" or "to conjure someone in the name of a deity." | |||
| Hmong | hais lus dev | ||
| The term "hais lus dev" is derived from the Chinese phrase "hài shí lù de," which means "to speak evil words" | |||
| Kurdish | nifirkirin | ||
| Nifirkirin is a colloquial term for swearing, derived from the Arabic word "nifq", meaning "hypocrisy" or "pretense". | |||
| Turkish | yemin etmek | ||
| The word 'yemin' derives from the Arabic root 'yamn', meaning 'right' or 'direction', referring to the ancient practice of swearing by pointing to the right. | |||
| Xhosa | funga | ||
| The Xhosa word "funga" can also mean "to promise" or "to vow." | |||
| Yiddish | שווערן | ||
| The Yiddish word "שווערן" also means "to be pregnant" or "to be heavy". | |||
| Zulu | funga | ||
| In some contexts, "funga" can also refer to making a promise or vow. | |||
| Assamese | শপত | ||
| Aymara | phuqhaw saña | ||
| Bhojpuri | कसम खाईल | ||
| Dhivehi | ހުވާކުރުން | ||
| Dogri | सगंध खाना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | magmura | ||
| Guarani | ñe'ẽme'ẽpy | ||
| Ilocano | agkari | ||
| Krio | swɛ | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سوێند خواردن | ||
| Maithili | कसम | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯋꯥꯁꯛ ꯁꯛꯄ | ||
| Mizo | chhechham | ||
| Oromo | kakachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଶପଥ କର | ||
| Quechua | ñakay | ||
| Sanskrit | शपथ | ||
| Tatar | ант ит | ||
| Tigrinya | ማሕላ | ||
| Tsonga | rhukana | ||