Unfortunately in Different Languages
Discover 'Unfortunately' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'unfortunately' is a common English term used to express regret or a sense of loss. It's a word that signifies a less-than-ideal situation, and is used in everyday conversations and written communications. But did you know that this word has cultural importance across the globe?
Throughout history, 'unfortunately' has been used in literature and speeches to convey disappointment or remorse. From Shakespearean sonnets to modern-day political speeches, this word has stood the test of time. And as our world becomes more interconnected, understanding the nuances of language becomes even more important.
That's why it's fascinating to explore the translation of 'unfortunately' in different languages. For example, in Spanish, 'unfortunately' is 'desafortunadamente', while in French, it's 'malheureusement'. In German, it's 'leider', and in Japanese, it's '悲しみに'. Each language has its own unique way of expressing disappointment or regret, and understanding these translations can help us better connect with people from different cultures.
So whether you're a language enthusiast, a world traveler, or just someone looking to expand your cultural knowledge, exploring the translation of 'unfortunately' in different languages is a great place to start.
Unfortunately
Unfortunately in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | ongelukkig | ||
| The Afrikaans word "Ongelukkig" comes from the Dutch word "ongelukkig," which also means "unfortunate" but is derived from the German word "unglücklich," meaning "not lucky" or "unhappy." | |||
| Amharic | በሚያሳዝን ሁኔታ | ||
| The word "በሚያሳዝን ሁኔታ" can be used to refer to something that is not actually unfortunate, such as a good joke.} | |||
| Hausa | rashin alheri | ||
| The Hausa word "rashin alheri" also means "lack of well-being" or "bad fortune." | |||
| Igbo | dị mwute ikwu na | ||
| Malagasy | indrisy | ||
| "Indrisy" originates from the Proto-Austronesian word "indu" meaning "pain" or "misery", and it still has this meaning in Malagasy as a standalone word. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mwatsoka | ||
| The word "mwatsoka" in Nyanja (Chichewa) is derived from the verb "kuchokera," meaning "to come from" or "to originate from." | |||
| Shona | zvinosuruvarisa | ||
| Zvinosuruvarisa is derived from the word suruvara meaning 'to grieve', implying a feeling of deep sadness or regret. | |||
| Somali | nasiib daro | ||
| Nasiib daro is a Somali term derived from "nasiib" (fate, destiny) and "daro" (black), implying a negative turn of fate. | |||
| Sesotho | ka bomalimabe | ||
| The word "ka bomalimabe" is also used to express regret, disapproval, or disappointment. | |||
| Swahili | kwa bahati mbaya | ||
| The Swahili word "kwa bahati mbaya" literally means "by bad luck" or "by misfortune." | |||
| Xhosa | ngelishwa | ||
| The Xhosa word "ngelishwa" derives from the verb "ukulila," meaning "to cry," and thus signifies a state of sadness or regret. | |||
| Yoruba | laanu | ||
| "Laanu" also means "to reject" or "to curse". | |||
| Zulu | ngeshwa | ||
| The word 'ngeshwa' in Zulu is derived from the verb 'gesha', meaning 'to miss' or 'to fail', and it is used to express regret or sorrow over something that has not happened as desired. | |||
| Bambara | kunagoya | ||
| Ewe | dzᴐgbevᴐetᴐ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kubwamahirwe | ||
| Lingala | eza mawa | ||
| Luganda | eky'embi | ||
| Sepedi | ka madimabe | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nanso | ||
Unfortunately in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | لسوء الحظ | ||
| The phrase "لسوء الحظ" originally meant "in the evil eye" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | לצערי | ||
| The word "לצערי" can also mean "to my regret" or "I'm sorry". | |||
| Pashto | بدبختانه | ||
| Alternately, "بدبختانه" (badbakhtāna) may convey "inauspiciously," "unpropitiously," or, colloquially, "unluckily." | |||
| Arabic | لسوء الحظ | ||
| The phrase "لسوء الحظ" originally meant "in the evil eye" in Arabic. | |||
Unfortunately in Western European Languages
| Albanian | për fat të keq | ||
| Basque | zoritxarrez | ||
| "Zor" means luck in old Basque, but "zori" means bad luck or misfortune. | |||
| Catalan | per desgràcia | ||
| The Catalan phrase "per desgràcia" ("unfortunately") comes from the Latin phrase "per desgraciam," meaning "by misfortune." | |||
| Croatian | nažalost | ||
| "Nažalost" is a compound of the preposition "na" (on, upon) and the noun "žalost" (sadness, grief), so it literally means "on sadness". | |||
| Danish | uheldigvis | ||
| The word "uheldigvis" derives from the Old Danish word "uhæppeligvis", meaning "unexpectedly" or "coincidentally". | |||
| Dutch | helaas | ||
| "Helaas" is etymologically related to "heil," meaning "salvation," and originally meant "lacking salvation." | |||
| English | unfortunately | ||
| The word "unfortunately" has two possible etymologies, either both "un- + fortune" and "un- + fortunately." | |||
| French | malheureusement | ||
| Malheureusement, or 'unhappily' in French, also carries the meaning of 'not being in a good position' from its Latin root 'male positus'. | |||
| Frisian | spitigernôch | ||
| The compound Frisian word 'spitigernôch' combines the morphemes 'spit' (spite) and 'gernôch' (enough), conveying a sense of excessive unhappiness. | |||
| Galician | desafortunadamente | ||
| The Galician word "Desafortunadamente" ultimately comes from the Latin word "fortunatus," meaning "lucky" or "fortunate." | |||
| German | unglücklicherweise | ||
| “Unglücklicherweise” etymologically translates as “luckless”; the “-lich” ending in German usually denotes similarity or affinity with a concept, rather than the more straightforward “-ly” ending in English. | |||
| Icelandic | því miður | ||
| Því miður is composed of the accusative of the demonstrative pronoun því, and miður, which derives from the comparative form of the Old Norse adjective smár, "small, scant, narrow". | |||
| Irish | ar an drochuair | ||
| The Gaelic 'ar an drochuair' derives from 'ar an droichead' ('on the bridge') and connotes the notion of being 'stuck' in an unfortunate situation | |||
| Italian | sfortunatamente | ||
| "Sfortunatamente" derives from the Latin "fortuna," or "fate," meaning "without luck." | |||
| Luxembourgish | leider | ||
| The word "leider" in Luxembourgish is derived from the German word "leider", which means "unfortunately" or "sadly". | |||
| Maltese | sfortunatament | ||
| "Sfortunatament," in Maltese, also signifies "by accident" or "by chance," emphasizing the unpredictable nature of misfortune. | |||
| Norwegian | dessverre | ||
| Dessverre originates from the Old Norse words "at verri" meaning "to make it worse". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | infelizmente | ||
| The Portuguese word "infelizmente" derives from Latin "infamis", meaning "without reputation". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | gu mì-fhortanach | ||
| The Scots Gaelic term "gu mì-fhortanach" evolved from "gu mì-fhòirtineach," meaning "lacking protection," and took on its current sense of "unfortunate" via semantic broadening. | |||
| Spanish | desafortunadamente | ||
| 'Desafortunadamente' derives from 'de-+a-+fortis-unatus,' meaning 'born with no fortune or luck'. | |||
| Swedish | tyvärr | ||
| "Tyvärr" is a contraction of "ty" (bad) and "värre" (worse). | |||
| Welsh | yn anffodus | ||
| The word "yn anffodus" in Welsh is an adverb that means "unfortunately", "sadly", or "regrettably". | |||
Unfortunately in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | на жаль | ||
| “На жаль”, помимо своего основного значения “не к добру” или “несчастный”, в некоторых диалектах означает также “хорошо”, “к счастью”. | |||
| Bosnian | nažalost | ||
| "Na žalost", "unfortunately", is a compound of "na", "on", and "žalost", "sadness, sorrow, pity", from Proto-Slavic žalosьtь, a derivative of Proto-Indo-European ǵʰélH- "to feel sorrow". | |||
| Bulgarian | за жалост | ||
| The word "за жалост" is a compound of the preposition "за" (for) and the noun "жалост" (pity, regret), and can also mean "regrettably". | |||
| Czech | bohužel | ||
| The word "bohužel" is derived from the Old Czech word "bohu" (meaning "God") and the suffix "-žel" (meaning "pity"), hence its literal meaning is "God's pity". | |||
| Estonian | kahjuks | ||
| The word "kahjuks" in Estonian has multiple meanings, including "unfortunately", "regrettably", and "to one's detriment." | |||
| Finnish | valitettavasti | ||
| The Finnish word "valitettavasti" is derived from the noun "valitus" (complaint) and the suffix "-sti" (manner), indicating a regrettable or unfortunate situation. | |||
| Hungarian | sajnálatos módon | ||
| The word Sajnálatos módon is derived from the Hungarian words "sajnálat" (pity, regret) and "módon" (manner, way), suggesting a sense of remorse or disappointment. | |||
| Latvian | diemžēl | ||
| It consists of the words "dievs" (god) and "žēl" (pity), thus the full meaning translates as "it is a pity for god." | |||
| Lithuanian | deja | ||
| "Deja" derives from Lithuanian "deja" (literally "therefore, hence, so") from Proto-Indo-European "*dei-dʰeh₁" meaning "to put, set, place". | |||
| Macedonian | за жал | ||
| The word "за жал" is a contraction of "за жалост," which literally means "for pity" or "for regret." | |||
| Polish | niestety | ||
| Niestety comes from the Old Polish word 'nie szczescie,' meaning 'not fortune. | |||
| Romanian | din pacate | ||
| The Romanian expression 'Din păcate', meaning "Unfortunately", stems from "Din păcat". "Păcat" is the cognate with the Slavic "grijeh," which in Old Slavic could also signify a misfortune or mishap, but now in Slavic mostly means "sin". | |||
| Russian | к сожалению | ||
| The word "К сожалению" originally meant "with shame" and was associated with the word "жаль" (pity, regret). | |||
| Serbian | нажалост | ||
| The word "нажалост" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *žalъ, meaning "sorrow" or "pity". | |||
| Slovak | bohužiaľ | ||
| The word "bohužiaľ" is derived from the words "boh" ("god") and "žiaľ" ("pity"), implying that something is regrettable or unfortunate by divine will. | |||
| Slovenian | na žalost | ||
| The phrase "na žalost" is derived from the combination of the preposition "na" (meaning "on") and the word "žalost" (meaning "sorrow"). It is primarily used to express sadness, disappointment, or regret. | |||
| Ukrainian | на жаль | ||
| "На жаль" in Ukrainian can also mean "please" when used at the end of a sentence. | |||
Unfortunately in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | দুর্ভাগ্যক্রমে | ||
| The word দুর্ভাগ্যক্রমে can also mean 'due to bad luck' or 'by chance' in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | કમનસીબે | ||
| The Gujarati word "કમનસીબે" ("kamnasibe") is derived from the Persian phrase "kam-nasīb" meaning "less-fortunate" or "having less luck". | |||
| Hindi | दुर्भाग्य से | ||
| The word "दुर्भाग्य से" (dubhāgye se) literally translates to "from ill fortune" or "by misfortune" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ದುರದೃಷ್ಟವಶಾತ್ | ||
| "ದುರದೃಷ್ಟ" means 'misfortune' or 'bad luck', while "ವಶಾತ್" means 'at the mercy of' or 'under the control of'. | |||
| Malayalam | നിർഭാഗ്യവശാൽ | ||
| Marathi | दुर्दैवाने | ||
| दुर्दैवाने is derived from the Sanskrit words दुर् (dur), meaning "difficult," and दैव (daiva), meaning "fate," implying something that happens against one's will. | |||
| Nepali | दुर्भाग्यवश | ||
| दुर्भाग्यवश is derived from the Sanskrit words दुर्गति (misfortune) and वश (under the control of). | |||
| Punjabi | ਬਦਕਿਸਮਤੀ ਨਾਲ | ||
| Its alternate meanings include: sadly, distressingly, pitiably, unhappily, regrettably. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අවාසනාවට | ||
| In astrology, "අවාසනාවට" describes the position of a weak planet in a chart, and thus can be interpreted as "auspiciously." | |||
| Tamil | எதிர்பாராதவிதமாக | ||
| The Tamil verb அதுறைர் ("eti pு par") literally means "opposite,"} | |||
| Telugu | దురదృష్టవశాత్తు | ||
| Urdu | بدقسمتی سے | ||
| The word "بدقسمتی سے" in Urdu can also be translated as "by ill luck" or "with misfortune." | |||
Unfortunately in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 不幸 | ||
| 不幸 ('bùxìng') also means 'not lucky' or 'unfortunate'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 不幸 | ||
| The word "不幸" can also mean "unhappiness" or "misfortune". | |||
| Japanese | 残念ながら | ||
| 残念 (zannen) derives from Sanskrit, and originally meant 'to abandon', while 後 (go) means 'afterward'. | |||
| Korean | 운수 나쁘게 | ||
| 운수 나쁘게 is an adverbial phrase which literally means 'bad way of luck' in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | харамсалтай нь | ||
| The phrase "харамсалтай нь" is an idiom that literally translates to "regrettably" or "pity". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကံမကောင်း | ||
| This Burmese (Myanmar) term can literally be broken down as either "karma is no-good" or in a more literary sense as either "auspicious moment/fate had no effect (on this)" or "auspicious moment/fate had an inappropriate role (in this)" | |||
Unfortunately in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sayangnya | ||
| In Indonesian, "sayangnya" can also mean "too bad" or express regret. | |||
| Javanese | sayangé | ||
| “Sayangé” is derived from the Sanskrit word “sajjanaka”, meaning “good person” or “virtuous”. | |||
| Khmer | ជាអកុសល | ||
| The word "ជាអកុសល" comes from the Pali word "akusala" which means "evil" or "unskillful". | |||
| Lao | ແຕ່ໂຊກບໍ່ດີ | ||
| Malay | malangnya | ||
| The Malay word "malangnya" (meaning "unfortunately") derives from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian root word "*malaŋ, | |||
| Thai | น่าเสียดาย | ||
| The term "น่าเสียดาย" can also refer to a feeling of regret, pity, or sorrow. | |||
| Vietnamese | không may | ||
| The word "không may" can also mean "unlucky" or "misfortunate". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sa kasamaang palad | ||
Unfortunately in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | təəssüf ki | ||
| The word "təəssüf ki" is derived from the Arabic word "taʼassuf" meaning "regret" or "sorrow". | |||
| Kazakh | өкінішке орай | ||
| Kyrgyz | тилекке каршы | ||
| The word "тилекке каршы" can also mean "unexpectedly" or "contrary to expectations". | |||
| Tajik | бадбахтона | ||
| The word "бадбахтона" ("unfortunately") is derived from the Persian phrase "بدبختانه" ("miserably"). | |||
| Turkmen | gynansakda | ||
| Uzbek | afsuski | ||
| The word "afsuski" is derived from the Arabic word "afsus", which means "grief" or "regret". | |||
| Uyghur | بەختكە قارشى | ||
Unfortunately in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | minamina | ||
| 'Minamina' in Hawaiian can also mean 'in sorrow' or 'with regret'. | |||
| Maori | heoi | ||
| The word "heoi" can also mean "but" or "however" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | paga lea | ||
| "Paga lea" can also mean "to speak the wrong language, to speak foolishly, or to speak out of turn". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sa kasamaang palad | ||
| Sa kasamaang palad can also mean, coincidentally, as it is composed of the prefix "sa" (in/within/by/during) and "kasamaan" (evil/bad thing), in which the prefix connotes "unintentionally" or "by chance" | |||
Unfortunately in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jan wakiskiri | ||
| Guarani | añarã | ||
Unfortunately in International Languages
| Esperanto | bedaŭrinde | ||
| "Bedaŭrinde" is derived from the Esperanto root "bedaŭr", which means "to regret" or "to deplore." | |||
| Latin | quod valde dolendum | ||
| The phrase "quod valde dolendum" literally means "which is very much to be grieved." | |||
Unfortunately in Others Languages
| Greek | δυστυχώς | ||
| Δυστυχώς means "difficult to bear" in Greek, which is a more literal translation that hints at the suffering that misfortune brings. | |||
| Hmong | hmoov tsis txog | ||
| The word 'hmoov tsis txog' can have other meanings depending on which language is being used. | |||
| Kurdish | mixabîn | ||
| The word “mixabîn” in Kurdish means “unfortunately,” but it can also be used to express feelings of regret or disappointment. | |||
| Turkish | ne yazık ki | ||
| The word "ne yazık ki" originally meant "what a pity," and is derived from the Arabic phrase "mā 'aṣfaa." | |||
| Xhosa | ngelishwa | ||
| The Xhosa word "ngelishwa" derives from the verb "ukulila," meaning "to cry," and thus signifies a state of sadness or regret. | |||
| Yiddish | ליידער | ||
| The Yiddish word "ליידער" not only means "unfortunately" but also "sadly" or "regrettably." | |||
| Zulu | ngeshwa | ||
| The word 'ngeshwa' in Zulu is derived from the verb 'gesha', meaning 'to miss' or 'to fail', and it is used to express regret or sorrow over something that has not happened as desired. | |||
| Assamese | দুৰ্ভাগ্যবশতঃ | ||
| Aymara | jan wakiskiri | ||
| Bhojpuri | दुर्भाग से | ||
| Dhivehi | ކަންދިމާކުރިގޮތުން | ||
| Dogri | बदनसीबी कन्नै | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sa kasamaang palad | ||
| Guarani | añarã | ||
| Ilocano | daksanggasat | ||
| Krio | i sɔri fɔ no se | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بەداخەوە | ||
| Maithili | दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯥꯏꯕꯛ ꯊꯤꯕꯗꯤ | ||
| Mizo | vanduaithlak takin | ||
| Oromo | kan hin eegamne | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଦୁର୍ଭାଗ୍ୟବଶତ। | | ||
| Quechua | mana samiyuq | ||
| Sanskrit | दौर्भाग्यवशात् | ||
| Tatar | кызганычка каршы | ||
| Tigrinya | ብዘሕዝን | ||
| Tsonga | nkateko-khombo | ||