Tear in Different Languages
Discover 'Tear' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
A 'tear' is a small drop of saline fluid that falls from the eye as a result of emotion or physical irritation. Tears are a universal human experience, and they play a significant role in our emotional lives. They serve as a powerful form of non-verbal communication, conveying a range of emotions from joy and love to sadness and pain. In many cultures, tears are seen as a sign of vulnerability and authenticity, and they can help to build connections and deepen relationships.
Moreover, the word 'tear' has fascinating historical contexts and interesting facts associated with it. For instance, in ancient Egypt, tears were believed to contain the essence of the soul, and they were often collected and preserved as a form of protection. In contrast, in some Western cultures, crying has historically been associated with weakness and femininity, although this perception is gradually changing.
Given the significance and cultural importance of tears, you might be interested in knowing their translations in different languages. Here are a few examples: 'lágrima' in Spanish, 'larm' in French, 'Träne' in German, 'larma' in Icelandic, 'dào' in Chinese, and 'rok' in Swedish.
Tear
Tear in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | skeur | ||
| The Afrikaans word skeur, meaning "tear," is derived from the Middle Dutch scheuren, which also means "to tear apart". | |||
| Amharic | እንባ | ||
| "እንባ" can also mean "eye" or "source." | |||
| Hausa | hawaye | ||
| "hawaye" originally referred to both "tears" and "saliva" in Hausa, with the specific meaning determined by context. | |||
| Igbo | dọka | ||
| In Igbo, the verb "dọka" can also refer to ripping or breaking apart an object. | |||
| Malagasy | baomba | ||
| The Malagasy word "baomba" also refers to the act of picking fruits. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | misozi | ||
| Misozi also means "to cry" or "to weep" in Chichewa. | |||
| Shona | kubvarura | ||
| "Kubvarura" can also mean "to be in a panic" or "to be agitated". | |||
| Somali | jeexjeex | ||
| "Jeexjeex" in Somali may also refer to a type of traditional Somali poetry. | |||
| Sesotho | tabola | ||
| The word 'tabola' in Sesotho can also refer to a deep sadness or a feeling of regret. | |||
| Swahili | chozi | ||
| The word 'chozi' can also refer to rain or water droplets. | |||
| Xhosa | ukukrazuka | ||
| The word "ukunuka" in Xhosa also means "to smell" or "to stink." | |||
| Yoruba | ya | ||
| "Ya" (tear) is derived from the verb "yi" (to tear, rip, cut) and also means "to break, sever, separate, or divide." | |||
| Zulu | izinyembezi | ||
| The word "izinyembezi" can also refer to sweat or saliva. | |||
| Bambara | ɲɛji | ||
| Ewe | aɖatsi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | amarira | ||
| Lingala | kopasola | ||
| Luganda | okuyuza | ||
| Sepedi | gagola | ||
| Twi (Akan) | te | ||
Tear in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | دمعة | ||
| The word "دمعة" (tear) in Arabic is derived from the root "دمع" (to weep) and has the alternate meaning of "a drop" or "a small amount of liquid." | |||
| Hebrew | דמעה | ||
| "דמעה" (tear) comes from the root ד.מ.ע (weep), and also means a "drop" or a small amount of something liquid | |||
| Pashto | اوښکې | ||
| "اوښکې" in Pashto can also refer to the milk of a nursing mother. | |||
| Arabic | دمعة | ||
| The word "دمعة" (tear) in Arabic is derived from the root "دمع" (to weep) and has the alternate meaning of "a drop" or "a small amount of liquid." | |||
Tear in Western European Languages
| Albanian | lot | ||
| The Albanian word ''lot'' derives from Proto-Albanian *lotja, cognate with Illyrian ''lōta'' 'tear', and also 'water' in modern Albanian dialect Tosk and Gheg.''} | |||
| Basque | malko | ||
| The Basque word "malko" means "tear". Historically, it also meant "liquid, juice" or "to cry, to weep" | |||
| Catalan | llàgrima | ||
| The word "llàgrima" originates from the Latin "lacrima", also meaning "tear". | |||
| Croatian | suza | ||
| The word "suza" can also refer to a small amount of liquid or a drop. | |||
| Danish | tåre | ||
| The word 'tåre' has its origins in Proto-Germanic, sharing a root with the English word 'tear' and the Dutch word 'traan'. | |||
| Dutch | scheur | ||
| In the Dutch language, the word | |||
| English | tear | ||
| The word "tear" can also refer to a tear in clothing. | |||
| French | larme | ||
| Larme is also a slang term for money and is derived from the old French word for 'ingot'. | |||
| Frisian | skuorre | ||
| "Skuorre" is a noun derived from the Old Frisian word "schurre" or "schurr" meaning "tear" but can also refer to "wound" or "sore". | |||
| Galician | bágoa | ||
| Bágoa is a word of Arabic origin (بكا /baká/, 'crying'), and is also synonymous with 'saliva', 'drooling' and 'drizzle' in Galician. | |||
| German | reißen | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning, "reißen" can also mean "to move quickly and forcefully" or "to snatch or grab." | |||
| Icelandic | rífa | ||
| The etymology of "rífa" is not entirely clear, although there is a proposed link to the Old Norse word "rífa" meaning "to scratch" or "to tear." | |||
| Irish | cuimilt | ||
| The word "cuimilt" also refers to a "whetstone" and is cognate with the Welsh "cwymyl", meaning "point". | |||
| Italian | lacrima | ||
| The word "lacrima" in Italian derives from the Latin word "lacrima", meaning "tear", but it also has the alternate meaning of "drop" or "small amount" in Italian. | |||
| Luxembourgish | räissen | ||
| In Moselle Franconian, the verb "räissen" (meaning "to make a cut") is derived from Old High German "reizzen" (= to cut open), related to Greek "rhein" (= to tear/flow). Thus, the two verbs in this dialect differ only from each other in their vowel. | |||
| Maltese | tiċrita | ||
| The word "tiċrita" is derived from the Italian word "lacerta", meaning "to tear". | |||
| Norwegian | rive | ||
| The word "rive" in Norwegian can also mean "to carve" or "to cut". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | lágrima | ||
| This word, in Portuguese, also means "tear of the skin" or "scratch". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | deòir | ||
| In the language of the Hebrides, "deòir" also signifies "dew", so that a weeping sky might be poetically described as a "crying God" | |||
| Spanish | lágrima | ||
| Lágrima also means 'drop' or 'vestige', e.g. 'lágrima de cera' (drop of wax). | |||
| Swedish | riva | ||
| "Riva" also means "bank", as in the bank of a river, suggesting that tears are like small rivers or trickles of water. | |||
| Welsh | rhwygo | ||
| Welsh "rhwygo" derives from Proto-Celtic "*rug-/*reg-", meaning "break, tear", from which also descend Gaelic "reag" and Irish "reagadh" | |||
Tear in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | рваць | ||
| The word "рваць" in Belarusian also means "to yank" or "to snatch" | |||
| Bosnian | suza | ||
| "Suza" also means "a trace" (of something): npr. "suza krvi" ("a trace of blood"). | |||
| Bulgarian | късам | ||
| The verb "късам" also means to pull, rip, pluck, or break something into pieces. | |||
| Czech | roztržení | ||
| The word "roztržení" can also mean "divorce" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | pisar | ||
| The word "pisar" can also mean "to crush" or "to break" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | repiä | ||
| The verb repiä also means to tear something off or to remove something, such as removing a bandage from a wound. | |||
| Hungarian | könny | ||
| The word “könny” also means “easy” in Hungarian, which is probably related to the emotional relief provided by crying. | |||
| Latvian | asaru | ||
| The word "asaru" is also used to refer to the liquid secreted by trees or other plants. | |||
| Lithuanian | ašara | ||
| "Ašara" also means "stream" or "spring" in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | солза | ||
| The word "солза" is derived from the Proto-Slavic *solza, which is related to the Sanskrit word "saras" meaning "lake" or "pond." | |||
| Polish | łza | ||
| In Polish, łza also means 'drop' or 'drizzle' (e.g., 'łza deszczu' = 'a raindrop'). | |||
| Romanian | rupere | ||
| The word "rupere" is derived from the Latin word "rumpere" and also means "to break". | |||
| Russian | рвать | ||
| "Рвать" in Russian originally meant "to vomit," the modern meaning began to develop in the 17th century. | |||
| Serbian | суза | ||
| The word 'суза' is also used to refer to the 'pupil' of the eye in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | roztrhnúť | ||
| In Polish, "roztrząść" originally meant "to loosen". In Czech, Polish, and Slovak, it was used about "loosening knots". | |||
| Slovenian | trgati | ||
| The word 'trgati' derives from Proto-Slavic *tergati, further from Proto-Indo-European *derg-, meaning 'to pull, tear'. | |||
| Ukrainian | рвати | ||
| The word "рвати" (tear) in Ukrainian also means to grab or snatch, and is related to the word "рвати" (to dig or excavate). | |||
Tear in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | টিয়ার | ||
| In Bengali, "টিয়ার" also refers to "a thin strip of cloth or paper" and "a thin slice of fruit or bread". | |||
| Gujarati | આંસુ | ||
| The word "આંસુ" can also mean "water" or "dew" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | आँसू | ||
| The word "आँसू" (tear) originates from the Sanskrit term "अश्रु," which means both "drop of water" and "tear." | |||
| Kannada | ಕಣ್ಣೀರು | ||
| The Kannada word "ಕಣ್ಣೀರು" (kanneeru), meaning "tear", is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root *kann-, which also means "eye". | |||
| Malayalam | കീറുക | ||
| "കീറുക" (kiṟuka) is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root *kīr-, meaning 'to tear, cut, or scratch'. | |||
| Marathi | फाडणे | ||
| The Marathi verb 'फाडणे' derives from Sanskrit _sphut_, which also means 'to appear, reveal, or bloom'. | |||
| Nepali | च्यात्नु | ||
| Nepali word 'च्यात्नु' originates from Proto-Indo-European root *(s)key-, meaning 'to cut'. Similar words can be found in other Indo-European languages like 'cut' (English) or 'schneiden' (German). | |||
| Punjabi | ਅੱਥਰੂ | ||
| The Punjabi word for 'tear' is derived from Sanskrit, with multiple meanings such as a drop of water, pity, and the emotion of sadness. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඉරීම | ||
| The word "ඉරීම" in Sinhala can also refer to the act of splitting or dividing something into two or more parts. | |||
| Tamil | கண்ணீர் | ||
| 'கண்ணீர்' (tear) can also refer to the moisture around the eye, especially when produced in excess due to emotional distress. | |||
| Telugu | కన్నీటి | ||
| The Telugu word కన్నీటి (kannīti) means 'tear' and is derived from the Sanskrit word अश्रु (aśru), which also means 'tear'. | |||
| Urdu | آنسو | ||
| The alternate meanings of "آنسو" include "sorrow", "distress", "regret", and "compassion." | |||
Tear in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 眼泪 | ||
| In classical Chinese, the character '泪' also meant 'eye', and '眼泪' could mean 'pupil', 'eyelight', 'eyeball' or 'eye socket'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 眼淚 | ||
| 「眼淚」在中文裡也指稱懷念或傷感之情，例如「眼淚流了下來」可以表示悲傷或懷念。 | |||
| Japanese | 涙 | ||
| 涙 means 'tears,' but also can mean 'to leave' or 'to be filled with emotion,' or can be used to describe the sound of raindrops. | |||
| Korean | 찢다 | ||
| The word "찢다" can also mean "to pull apart". | |||
| Mongolian | нулимс | ||
| As a slang, it also refers to small amount of alcohol drinks | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မျက်ရည် | ||
| The word "မျက်ရည်" comes from the Pali word "makkhi", which means "liquid that flows from the eyes". | |||
Tear in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | air mata | ||
| "Air mata" in Indonesian literally means "water of the eyes" and can also refer to a person's sorrow or grief. | |||
| Javanese | luh | ||
| The word "luh" in Javanese can also mean "water" or "spring". | |||
| Khmer | បង្ហូរទឹកភ្នែក | ||
| Lao | ນ້ ຳ ຕາ | ||
| Malay | koyak | ||
| The word "koyak" in Malay can also mean "to be torn" or "to be ripped". | |||
| Thai | ฉีก | ||
| ฉีก (chìk) can also mean "to win a game of cards" or "to be victorious". | |||
| Vietnamese | nước mắt | ||
| The Vietnamese word "nước mắt" literally means "water eyes". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mapunit | ||
Tear in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | göz yaşı | ||
| The word “göz yaşı” can also mean “eye of the sea” due to the saltiness of tears. | |||
| Kazakh | көз жас | ||
| Көз жас can also refer to water in general or to a stream or river. | |||
| Kyrgyz | көз жаш | ||
| In Kyrgyz, the word | |||
| Tajik | ашк | ||
| The Tajik word "ашк" can also be translated as "love". | |||
| Turkmen | ýyrtmak | ||
| Uzbek | ko'z yoshi | ||
| The Uzbek word "ko'z yoshi" can alternatively refer to emotional turmoil or a sense of grievance. | |||
| Uyghur | ياش | ||
Tear in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | waimaka | ||
| "Waimaka" is a Hawaiian word that means "tear," but it can also refer to water or spring water. | |||
| Maori | haehae | ||
| Maori word "haehae" means both "to tear" and "to laugh out loud". | |||
| Samoan | loimata | ||
| The word “loimata” can also be translated as “dew”, and has been interpreted as a symbol of the beauty of the human form. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | luha | ||
| The word "luha" in Tagalog derives from the Proto-Austronesian root *lus, meaning "water". It can also refer figuratively to sorrow or grief. | |||
Tear in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jacha | ||
| Guarani | tesay | ||
Tear in International Languages
| Esperanto | larmo | ||
| The word "larmo" is also used to refer to the liquid produced by the lacrimal glands of animals and insects. | |||
| Latin | lacrimam | ||
| Lacrimam, meaning 'tear' in Latin, also refers to a small vessel for holding precious liquids or ointments. | |||
Tear in Others Languages
| Greek | σχίσιμο | ||
| It also means 'chasm', 'division', 'split' and 'rent' in a figurative sense. | |||
| Hmong | kua muag | ||
| The term 'kua muag' can refer to tears that fall from the eyes or tears of grief and sadness in the heart and can also mean 'sorrow' or 'heartache.' | |||
| Kurdish | hêsir | ||
| The Kurdish word "hêsir" can also refer to a "cut" or "incision". | |||
| Turkish | yırtmak | ||
| "Yırtmak" can also mean "to break" or "to rip". | |||
| Xhosa | ukukrazuka | ||
| The word "ukunuka" in Xhosa also means "to smell" or "to stink." | |||
| Yiddish | טרער | ||
| Yiddish "טרער" derives from Middle High German "trâher," possibly related to the Latin verb "trahō" or "to drag." | |||
| Zulu | izinyembezi | ||
| The word "izinyembezi" can also refer to sweat or saliva. | |||
| Assamese | চকুপানী | ||
| Aymara | jacha | ||
| Bhojpuri | आँसू | ||
| Dhivehi | ކަރުނަ | ||
| Dogri | अत्थरूं | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mapunit | ||
| Guarani | tesay | ||
| Ilocano | lua | ||
| Krio | kray wata | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | فرمێسک | ||
| Maithili | फारनाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯤ | ||
| Mizo | mittui | ||
| Oromo | imimmaan | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅଶ୍ରୁ | ||
| Quechua | wiqi | ||
| Sanskrit | अश्रू | ||
| Tatar | елау | ||
| Tigrinya | ንብዓት | ||
| Tsonga | handzula | ||