Tough in Different Languages
Discover 'Tough' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Tough
Afrikaans taai | ||
Albanian e ashpër | ||
Amharic ጠንካራ | ||
Arabic صعب | ||
Armenian կոշտ | ||
Assamese কঠিন | ||
Aymara ukatsa | ||
Azerbaijani sərt | ||
Bambara gɛlɛ | ||
Basque gogorra | ||
Belarusian жорсткі | ||
Bengali শক্ত | ||
Bhojpuri कड़ेर | ||
Bosnian teška | ||
Bulgarian жилав | ||
Catalan dur | ||
Cebuano gahi | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 强硬 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 強硬 | ||
Corsican duru | ||
Croatian tvrd | ||
Czech těžké | ||
Danish hård | ||
Dhivehi އުނދަގޫ | ||
Dogri कठन | ||
Dutch moeilijk | ||
English tough | ||
Esperanto malmola | ||
Estonian karm | ||
Ewe sẽ ŋu | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) matigas | ||
Finnish kova | ||
French dure | ||
Frisian taai | ||
Galician duro | ||
Georgian მკაცრი | ||
German zäh | ||
Greek σκληρός | ||
Guarani hasy | ||
Gujarati અઘરું | ||
Haitian Creole difisil | ||
Hausa tauri | ||
Hawaiian paʻakikī | ||
Hebrew קָשֶׁה | ||
Hindi कठोर | ||
Hmong tawv | ||
Hungarian kemény | ||
Icelandic sterkur | ||
Igbo siri ike | ||
Ilocano naamnot | ||
Indonesian sulit | ||
Irish diana | ||
Italian difficile | ||
Japanese タフ | ||
Javanese tangguh | ||
Kannada ಕಠಿಣ | ||
Kazakh қатал | ||
Khmer ស្វិតស្វាញ | ||
Kinyarwanda bikomeye | ||
Konkani कठीण | ||
Korean 강인한 | ||
Krio tranga | ||
Kurdish dijwar | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) توند | ||
Kyrgyz катаал | ||
Lao ເຄັ່ງຄັດ | ||
Latin lenta | ||
Latvian grūts | ||
Lingala atako | ||
Lithuanian kietas | ||
Luganda obugumu | ||
Luxembourgish haart | ||
Macedonian тежок | ||
Maithili मुश्किल | ||
Malagasy mafy | ||
Malay sukar | ||
Malayalam കഠിനമാണ് | ||
Maltese iebsa | ||
Maori uaua | ||
Marathi कठीण | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯂꯨꯕ | ||
Mizo tuarchhel | ||
Mongolian хатуу | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ခက်ခဲပါတယ် | ||
Nepali कठिन | ||
Norwegian vanskelig | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) cholimba | ||
Odia (Oriya) କଠିନ | ||
Oromo cimaa | ||
Pashto سخت | ||
Persian سخت است | ||
Polish twardy | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) difícil | ||
Punjabi ਸਖ਼ਤ | ||
Quechua sasa | ||
Romanian greu | ||
Russian жесткий | ||
Samoan malo | ||
Sanskrit कठिनम् | ||
Scots Gaelic duilich | ||
Sepedi thata | ||
Serbian тврд | ||
Sesotho thata | ||
Shona zvakaoma | ||
Sindhi سخت | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) දැඩි | ||
Slovak tvrdý | ||
Slovenian težko | ||
Somali adag | ||
Spanish difícil | ||
Sundanese tangguh | ||
Swahili ngumu | ||
Swedish tuff | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) matigas | ||
Tajik сахт | ||
Tamil கடுமையான | ||
Tatar каты | ||
Telugu కఠినమైనది | ||
Thai ยาก | ||
Tigrinya ተሪር | ||
Tsonga tika | ||
Turkish zorlu | ||
Turkmen kyn | ||
Twi (Akan) den | ||
Ukrainian жорсткий | ||
Urdu مشکل | ||
Uyghur جاپالىق | ||
Uzbek qattiq | ||
Vietnamese khó khăn | ||
Welsh anodd | ||
Xhosa inzima | ||
Yiddish האַרט | ||
Yoruba alakikanju | ||
Zulu kunzima |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | In addition to "tough" or "difficult", "taai" can also mean "viscous" or "glutinous" in Afrikaans, such as the consistency of dough or honey. |
| Albanian | The word "e ashpër" in Albanian, meaning "tough," also holds the meaning of "asperity" and "severity" in French and Italian, respectively. |
| Amharic | The word "ጠንካራ" can also mean "stubborn" or "tenacious" in Amharic. |
| Arabic | The word "صعب" ('tough') in Arabic has several other meanings, including 'difficult', 'hard', 'impossible', and 'obstinate'. |
| Armenian | "կոշտ" refers to food not well-cooked and to difficult conditions (weather), among other meanings. |
| Azerbaijani | "Sərt" is also used to refer to something that is inflexible or harsh in nature. |
| Basque | The word "gogorra" is derived from the Proto-Basque word "*gora", meaning "high" or "strong". |
| Belarusian | The word "жорсткі" (tough) is related to the word "жорна" (millstone) and means that something is hard and unyielding. |
| Bengali | The word "শক্ত" (tough) in Bengali can also mean "solid" or "strong". |
| Bosnian | The word 'teška' comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'tęžьka', meaning 'heavy' or 'difficult'. |
| Bulgarian | The word "жилав" derives from the Proto-Slavic "*žíla" and also means " sinewy". |
| Catalan | "Dur" in Catalan also means "hard" or "difficult" in Spanish and French. |
| Cebuano | "Gahi" also means "dry" or "stingy". |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The term "强硬" can also describe someone who is stubborn or inflexible. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | "強硬" literally means "strong" and "hard". It is also used figuratively to describe someone who is unyielding or stubborn. |
| Corsican | The Corsican word "duru" can also mean "sturdy" or "firm". |
| Croatian | In Serbo-Croatian dialects spoken around Dubrovnik and Ston, 'tvrd' means hard ground without soil suitable for farming. |
| Czech | The word "těžké" can also mean "hard" or "difficult" in Czech. |
| Danish | In Danish, "hård" can also mean heavy, solid, and thick. |
| Dutch | The word "moeilijk" also means "difficult" and is derived from the Old Dutch word "moeielijk", which means "difficult or troublesome". |
| Esperanto | The word 'malmola' comes from the Esperanto word 'molo' meaning 'hard' and the suffix '-a' indicating toughness. |
| Estonian | "Karm" has other meanings like "stern, strict, rigid, demanding, or harsh". |
| Finnish | The word "kova" (tough) is derived from the Proto-Finnic word *kowa, which also meant "strong, mighty" |
| French | The word "dure" in French comes from the Latin word "durare," meaning "to last" or "to endure," and is related to the English word "durable." |
| Frisian | In Frisian, "taai" not only means "tough", but also "viscous" or "sticky", possibly deriving from the Old Frisian word "tāi", meaning "glue". |
| Galician | The Galician word "duro" not only means "tough" but also refers to "stubborn" or "unyielding". |
| Georgian | The word |
| German | "Zäh" can mean "tenacious" in addition to its more common translation, "tough". |
| Greek | Σκληρός originally means 'unwrought metal', 'hard metal' |
| Gujarati | The word “અઘરું” also means 'firm' or 'solid' in Gujarati, and originates from the Sanskrit word 'अघटित' (aghaṭita), which means 'unsuitable' or 'impossible'. |
| Haitian Creole | The word "difisil" in Haitian Creole has a probable origin in the Latin word "difficilis," meaning "difficult" or "hard to do." |
| Hausa | Tauri also means "strong" in Hausa. |
| Hawaiian | Paʻakikī in Hawaiian can also refer to a type of hard coral found in shallow waters. |
| Hebrew | The word is also related to the word "קושי" (difficulty) and is used to describe something that requires effort or is challenging. |
| Hindi | The word "कठोर" in Hindi shares its etymological origin with "hard/harsh" in English, with both descending from Proto-Indo-European "*kert-'' meaning "to cut". This is reflected in their alternate meanings, as "कठोर" can also mean "severe" or "unfeeling". |
| Hmong | Tawv is also the root word for 'tawb' ('strong' or 'sturdy'). |
| Hungarian | The word "kemény" also means "hard" in the sense of "not soft", like the kemény part of a bread or a hard stone. |
| Icelandic | "Sterkur" comes from a Proto-Indo-European base meaning "firm" or "stiff". |
| Igbo | “Siri ike” can also mean "extremely" or "very" |
| Indonesian | "Sulit" can also mean "challenging" or "difficult to achieve" in Indonesian. |
| Irish | The word 'diana' also means 'lazy' or 'indolent' in Irish. |
| Italian | "Difficile" and "difficoltà" have the same base, which is the Latin word "dificultas," which also means "difficulty". |
| Japanese | The word タフ ("タフ") can also mean "reliable" or "durable" |
| Javanese | In Javanese, "tangguh" also implies resilience, endurance, and inner strength. |
| Kannada | The word "ಕಠಿಣ" can also mean "difficult" or "hard" in Kannada. |
| Kazakh | In Kazakh, "қатал" can also mean "cruel" or "hard-hearted". |
| Khmer | The word ស្វិតស្វាញ can also refer to a person who is strong or brave, or to something that is intense or extreme. |
| Korean | "강인한" derives from the root "강인" (강하다 + 인), meaning "to be strong; to be firm." |
| Kurdish | The Kurdish word 'dijwar' shares a root with the Persian word 'diwar' (Persian ديوار), which means 'wall'. |
| Kyrgyz | The word 'катаал' is also used to describe someone who is physically strong and has a lot of stamina. |
| Lao | The Lao word "ເຄັ່ງຄັດ" can also be used to describe something that is strict or difficult to deal with. |
| Latin | The Latin word "lenta" can also mean "flexible, supple", and "slow, leisurely". |
| Latvian | Latvian word "grūts" derives from Proto-Baltic root *gērd- "heavy" and is related to Lithuanian "gīras" and Russian "gruz". |
| Lithuanian | The word "kietas" in Lithuanian is related to the English word "kite", and originally meant "tenacious" or "difficult to break". |
| Luxembourgish | In German and Luxembourgish, the word 'haart' means 'tough', but is sometimes used figuratively to describe someone who has had to overcome many life obstacles. |
| Macedonian | The term “тежок”, besides “heavy”, can also mean “difficult” in Macedonian. |
| Malagasy | The Malagasy term for "tough" is "mafy", which also has connotations of firmness, strength, and hardness. |
| Malay | The word "sukar" is derived from the Sanskrit word "sukara" meaning "pig" or "boar". |
| Malayalam | The word 'കഠിനമാണ്' can also mean 'difficult' or 'hard' in Malayalam. |
| Maltese | "Iebez" means "heavy" and it is the origin of the word for "tough", ie that carries a heavy weight on your chest and soul. |
| Maori | In Maori, "uaua" (tough) comes from the word for "fiber," referring to the fibrous strength of tough materials. |
| Marathi | Apart from 'tough', the word 'कठीण' (kaṭhīṇ) also means 'hard' in English. |
| Mongolian | The word "хатуу" can also refer to "difficult" or "hard" in Mongolian. |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | The word "ခက်ခဲပါတယ်" in Myanmar (Burmese) is an adjective that means "difficult" or "hard". It can also be used to describe something that is "tough" or "challenging". |
| Nepali | The term "कठिन" is also applied to tasks or situations requiring considerable mental or physical effort. |
| Norwegian | The word "vanskelig" in Norwegian originally meant "left-handed". |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "cholimba" in Nyanja (Chichewa) can also refer to a type of beer made from sorghum or millet. |
| Pashto | The word "سخت" (sakht) in Pashto shares its root with the Persian word "سختی" (sakhti), meaning "difficulty" or "hardship". |
| Persian | The Persian word "سخت است" not only means "tough" but also "difficult" or "hard" in a general sense. |
| Polish | The word 'twardy' is also used figuratively to describe a difficult or unpleasant situation. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Portuguese, "difícil" can be traced back to the Latin word "difficilis," meaning both "difficult" and "obstructed." |
| Punjabi | The word 'ਸਖ਼ਤ' in Punjabi originated from the Sanskrit word 'सख्त' and also means 'firm', 'rigid', and 'severe'. |
| Romanian | The Romanian word “greu” may come from a Slavic source, with an original meaning of “heavy,” “difficult,” and “slow”. |
| Russian | The word "жесткий" derives from the Proto-Slavic "*žьstina", meaning "sharp" or "firm". |
| Samoan | 'Malo' in Samoan also refers to 'bad', 'sick' or 'wrong' |
| Scots Gaelic | The Gaelic word "duilich" has the alternate meaning of "difficult" or "painful". |
| Serbian | The word "тврд" in Serbian also means 'hard' or 'solid', depending on the context. |
| Sesotho | Thatha is also used to mean 'to be tired' or 'to be strong'. |
| Shona | The word "zvakaoma" in Shona is derived from the verb "kuoma," which means "to break" or "to destroy." |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "سخت" is also used to mean "strong" or "firm". |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | "දැඩි" may also mean "unripe" or "harsh". |
| Slovak | The word "tvrdý" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*tъrdъ", meaning "hard", "firm", or "strong". |
| Slovenian | "Težko" in Slovenian can also mean "heavy" or "difficult." |
| Somali | The Somali word "adag" is derived from the Proto-Somali word "*ʔadag" or "*ʔaaɖag", with Proto-Somali "*ʔad-" meaning "strong" or "firm" and "*-ag" being a nominalizing suffix. |
| Spanish | The word "difícil" in Spanish also means "difficult" or "hard". |
| Sundanese | The word "tangguh" in Sundanese also means "durable" or "enduring." |
| Swahili | The word 'ngumu' in Swahili also refers to a hard substance, such as a stone or metal. |
| Swedish | The Swedish word "tuff" derives from the Proto-Germanic root "duh", which can also be found in the English word "dough." |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The word "matigas" is also used to describe something that is stubborn or unyielding. |
| Tajik | The word "сахт" also means "severe" or "strong" in Tajik. |
| Tamil | The Tamil word "கடுமையான" not only means "tough" but also "severe, harsh, strong, bitter", or even "hard" depending on the context. |
| Telugu | The word కటినమిది ("kathinamedhi") in Telugu originated from the Sanskrit word కితర ("kathina") which means "hard". However, in Telugu, this word is also used to describe something that is "difficult" or "challenging". |
| Thai | "ยาก" can also mean "difficult, hard, complex, or challenging". |
| Turkish | The word "zorlu" in Turkish is derived from the Arabic word "zulm" meaning "injustice, oppression." |
| Ukrainian | The word "жорсткий" comes from the Proto-Slavic root *gъrdъ, which also means "harsh" or "severe." |
| Urdu | The word "مشکل" is derived from the Arabic word "مشكول" meaning "difficult" or "complex". |
| Uzbek | The word "qattiq" has additional meanings including "severe," "harsh" and "unfavorable" in Uzbek. |
| Vietnamese | Vietnamese "khó khăn" literally means "hard and dry" but is used to mean "tough" in both the sense of "difficult" and "strong". |
| Welsh | The word "anodd" in Welsh, meaning "tough" or "unyielding," may be related to the Latin "tenere" (to hold) or the Greek "tenai" (to stretch). |
| Xhosa | Inzima can also refer to a kind of traditional Xhosa beer made from maize and malted sorghum. |
| Yiddish | Etymology: Middle High German "hert", a strong material in general |
| Yoruba | The word "alakikanju" also means "very hard" or "unyielding" |
| Zulu | The Zulu word "Kunzima" is not originally related to physical strength but rather has a deeper meaning of emotional hardship and endurance. |
| English | The word "tough" originally meant "to pull or stretch" and can also refer to the quality of being able to withstand difficult conditions. |