Victory in Different Languages
Discover 'Victory' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Victory: a simple word that carries with it a world of meaning. It signifies triumph, success, and the overcoming of obstacles. From ancient battlefields to modern-day sports arenas, victory has been a celebrated concept throughout history and across cultures.
The significance of victory extends beyond the realm of competition, however. It represents the human spirit's ability to persevere in the face of adversity, to rise above challenges and emerge victorious. This cultural importance is reflected in the many ways that victory is celebrated and commemorated around the world.
For those with a passion for language and culture, exploring the translations of victory in different languages can be a fascinating journey. For example, in Spanish, victory is translated as 'victoria,' while in French, it is 'victoire.' In German, the word for victory is 'Sieg,' and in Japanese, it is 'seiko.'
Delving into the nuances of these translations can offer unique insights into the cultures that use them. Join us as we explore the many translations of victory and the fascinating histories and traditions behind them.
Victory
Victory in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | oorwinning | ||
| Oorwinning, meaning victory comes from the old Dutch word 'overwinninge'. | |||
| Amharic | ድል | ||
| The word "ድል" (victory) is derived from the Proto-Semitic root "*dl" meaning "to be powerful". | |||
| Hausa | nasara | ||
| The word "nasara" can also refer to a person who has achieved great success or status. | |||
| Igbo | mmeri | ||
| "Mme" is the plural form of "mmeri" but can also mean "a group of people" or "a gathering". | |||
| Malagasy | fandresena | ||
| In Madagascar, 'fandresena' is also used to refer to a person who has won a battle or competition. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kupambana | ||
| The word "kupambana" has the root "pambana," which also means "to fight" or "to struggle." | |||
| Shona | kukunda | ||
| Kukunda originates from the sound of the bell that was rung to announce an enemy's defeat. | |||
| Somali | guul | ||
| The word "guul" in Somali can also refer to a type of medicinal plant known for its healing properties. | |||
| Sesotho | tlholo | ||
| Tlholo also refers to the "day of victory" or "victory feast" in some Southern African cultures. | |||
| Swahili | ushindi | ||
| The word "ushindi" derives from the Proto-Bantu root "-kunda," meaning "to defeat. | |||
| Xhosa | uloyiso | ||
| The Xhosa word 'uloyiso' not only means 'victory,' but also 'success' or 'triumph,' implying a sense of achievement and culmination. | |||
| Yoruba | isegun | ||
| "Isegun" is a Yoruba word that also connotes "triumph" and "success." | |||
| Zulu | ukunqoba | ||
| Ukunqoba also means 'to overcome' and is related to the word 'ukunqoba umoya' (to overcome the spirit). | |||
| Bambara | se sɔrɔli | ||
| Ewe | aʋadziɖuɖu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | intsinzi | ||
| Lingala | elonga | ||
| Luganda | obuwanguzi | ||
| Sepedi | phenyo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nkonimdi | ||
Victory in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | فوز | ||
| The Arabic word "فوز" not only means "victory" but also "success" and "achievement." | |||
| Hebrew | ניצחון | ||
| The Hebrew word "ניצחון" also means "eternity" or "perpetuity". | |||
| Pashto | بریا | ||
| The word "بریا" also means "triumph" and is related to the word "برېالی" (successful). | |||
| Arabic | فوز | ||
| The Arabic word "فوز" not only means "victory" but also "success" and "achievement." | |||
Victory in Western European Languages
| Albanian | fitore | ||
| The word "fitore" in Albanian derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "wei-," meaning "to conquer" or "to be victorious." | |||
| Basque | garaipena | ||
| The word "garaipena" is derived from the Basque words "gara" (high) and "ipen" (to come), and can also refer to a high place or a mountain peak. | |||
| Catalan | victòria | ||
| Victòria is derived from the Latin word 'victoria,' which also means 'goddess of victory.' | |||
| Croatian | pobjeda | ||
| The Croatian word 'pobjeda' is ultimately derived from a Proto-Indo-European root that means 'to overcome' or 'to defeat'. | |||
| Danish | sejr | ||
| The word "sejr" in Danish is derived from the Old Norse word "sigr", meaning "victory", "triumph" or "gain". | |||
| Dutch | zege | ||
| The word "zege" in Dutch is derived from the Middle Dutch word "seghe", ultimately from the Latin "sequi" (to follow). | |||
| English | victory | ||
| The word "victory" derives from the Latin term "victoria," referring to the Roman goddess of triumph and success. | |||
| French | la victoire | ||
| La victoire, in French, can also refer to a card game or a type of carriage. | |||
| Frisian | oerwinning | ||
| The word "oerwinning" in Frisian has a similar root to the English word "overcoming", both relating to the idea of overcoming challenges. | |||
| Galician | vitoria | ||
| Vitoria, in addition to meaning 'victory' in Galician, is also the name of one of the provinces of the Basque Country, in Spain. | |||
| German | sieg | ||
| The German word "Sieg" originates from the Old High German word "sigu" and has cognates in other Germanic languages, such as English "see" and Swedish "seger". | |||
| Icelandic | sigur | ||
| Sigur's etymological connection to 'sá' (sea) suggests its use in ancient maritime victories. | |||
| Irish | bua | ||
| Bua is related to 'buaidh' ('to conquer') and 'buaile' ('a hit, a blow'), and derives from the Proto-Celtic verb *bow- ('to strike'). | |||
| Italian | vittoria | ||
| The Italian word "vittoria" derives from the Roman goddess of victory and triumph, Victoria. | |||
| Luxembourgish | victoire | ||
| In Luxembourgish, the word "Victoire" has an alternate spelling "Vicktor" and it is also used as a first name. | |||
| Maltese | rebħa | ||
| The word "rebħa" in Maltese is derived from the Arabic word "ربح", meaning "profit" or "gain", and is also used in the context of "winning" a game or competition. | |||
| Norwegian | seier | ||
| The word "seier" in Norwegian also refers to a type of fish called a "coalfish" in English. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | vitória | ||
| In Portuguese, "vitória" also means "window". The word comes from the Latin "victoria" (victory), which in turn comes from the verb "vincere" (to conquer). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | buaidh | ||
| The word "buaidh" in Scots Gaelic also means "advantage" or "upper hand". | |||
| Spanish | victoria | ||
| In Spanish, "victoria" can also refer to the Amazon water lily, Victoria amazonica, due to its large and imposing size. | |||
| Swedish | seger | ||
| Seger, meaning "victory" in Swedish, derives from the Old Norse word "sigr". | |||
| Welsh | buddugoliaeth | ||
Victory in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | перамога | ||
| The word "перамога" is etymologically related to the Proto-Slavic word "perk"ļēti (to fight successfully) and has the alternate meaning of "a triumphal parade" in modern Russian. | |||
| Bosnian | pobjeda | ||
| The word "pobjeda" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "pobĕda", which also means "victory" or "conquest." | |||
| Bulgarian | победа | ||
| The word “победа” shares the same Indo-European root as “veho” (“to carry” in Latin), which is also the root of the word “воз” (“cart” in Bulgarian), thus hinting at its original meaning as “that which is carried spoils” or “booty”. | |||
| Czech | vítězství | ||
| The word "vítězství" comes from the Old Czech word "vietiaz", meaning "warrior" or "knight". | |||
| Estonian | võit | ||
| "Võit" is also the Estonian word for "debt", which can provide some interesting wordplay in discussions. | |||
| Finnish | voitto | ||
| The word 'voitto' also refers to a type of Finnish polka dance. | |||
| Hungarian | győzelem | ||
| The word "győzelem" may derive from the Turkish word "gözelim" meaning "my beauty" or "my precious one". | |||
| Latvian | uzvara | ||
| "Uzvara" comes from the verb "uzvarēt," itself derived from "uz" (on) and "vara" (strength); thus, the original meaning of "uzvara" was "the gaining of strength". | |||
| Lithuanian | pergalė | ||
| The word "pergalė" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European word "*perǵ-," meaning "to strike" or "to conquer." | |||
| Macedonian | победа | ||
| The word "победа" also means "a success" or "an achievement" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | zwycięstwo | ||
| "Zwycięstwo" is derived from "zwyciężyć" which means "to win", which in turn comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*sъvědati" meaning "to be aware of". | |||
| Romanian | victorie | ||
| The Romanian word "victorie" is of Latin origin and also refers to a type of plum dessert. | |||
| Russian | победа | ||
| The name of the Soviet victory medals is a reference to a 1618 Russian warship called Sviatoy Konstantin i Elena Pobedonosets (St. Constantine and Helena the Victorious) | |||
| Serbian | победа | ||
| The verb "победити" (pobediti), from which "победа" (pobeda) is derived, means "to defeat" or "to overcome" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | víťazstvo | ||
| The word víťazstvo, meaning 'victory', derives from 'viťaz', meaning 'victor' and ultimately comes from Proto-Slavonic 'věťězь'. | |||
| Slovenian | zmaga | ||
| The word "zmaga" is derived from the Slavic root "*mogti", meaning "to be able" or "to have power". | |||
| Ukrainian | перемога | ||
| The word "перемога" also means "change" or "breakthrough" in Ukrainian and is rooted in the Proto-Slavic word "*peremogti" meaning "to cross over". | |||
Victory in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিজয় | ||
| The word "বিজয়" is also used to refer to the goddess of victory in Hindu mythology. | |||
| Gujarati | વિજય | ||
| વિજય is derived from the Sanskrit word "vijay", meaning "conquest" or "triumph". | |||
| Hindi | विजय | ||
| The word "विजय" can also refer to an auspicious time or a festival in Hinduism and Sikhism. | |||
| Kannada | ಗೆಲುವು | ||
| The Kannada word ಗೆಲುವು, meaning "victory," also carries the connotation of "success" or "achievement". | |||
| Malayalam | വിജയം | ||
| The Malayalam word for "victory", "വിജയം", is derived from the Sanskrit word "vijaya", which means "conquest" or "triumph". | |||
| Marathi | विजय | ||
| The word "विजय" can also mean "morning" in Marathi, and is derived from the Sanskrit word "विजयी", meaning "victorious". | |||
| Nepali | जीत | ||
| The word "जीत" is derived from the Sanskrit word "जी", meaning "to conquer" or "to prevail". | |||
| Punjabi | ਜਿੱਤ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਜਿੱਤ" can also refer to a battle, a contest, or a game. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ජයග්රහණය | ||
| The word “ජයග්රහණය” derives from the Sanskrit word “jayagrahaṇa”, meaning “winning a battle” or “achieving supremacy”. | |||
| Tamil | வெற்றி | ||
| The word "வெற்றி" originates from the Proto-Dravidian word "*veṭ-, *veṭt-", meaning "to cut, to fell". | |||
| Telugu | విజయం | ||
| The word "విజయం" (victory) in Telugu also means "flowering" or "blossoming", signifying the fruitful outcome of one's efforts. | |||
| Urdu | فتح | ||
| The Urdu word "فتح" ("victory") also has alternate meanings such as "opening" and "conquest" in Arabic. | |||
Victory in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 胜利 | ||
| The word "胜利", meaning "victory" in Chinese, is derived from the words "胜" (to overcome) and "利" (profit or advantage). | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 勝利 | ||
| "勝利" is a combination of "勝", which means to conquer or overcome, and "利", which can mean to be advantageous or beneficial. | |||
| Japanese | 勝利 | ||
| "Shōri" (victory) is also an old personal name for boys. | |||
| Korean | 승리 | ||
| The word "승리" comes from the Chinese characters "勝" (win) and "利" (profit), and also has the alternate meaning of "advantage". | |||
| Mongolian | ялалт | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အောင်ပွဲ | ||
Victory in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kemenangan | ||
| "Kemenangan" is also used figuratively to mean "success" and "achievement." | |||
| Javanese | kamenangan | ||
| "Kamenangan" also means "a place to get up" in Javanese, referring to the notion of standing tall and gaining a sense of accomplishment. | |||
| Khmer | ជ័យជំនះ | ||
| Lao | ໄຊຊະນະ | ||
| Malay | kemenangan | ||
| The word "kemenangan" in Malay comes from the Sanskrit word "menang" meaning "to conquer". | |||
| Thai | ชัยชนะ | ||
| In Thai, "ชัยชนะ" can also refer to the Buddhist concept of "victory over defilements" and the Sanskrit term "jaya" meaning "conquest". | |||
| Vietnamese | chiến thắng | ||
| Chiến thắng also means "triumph" or "success". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tagumpay | ||
Victory in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qələbə | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "qələbə" (victory) shares its root with the Arabic word "ġalaba" (to prevail), reflecting the shared linguistic and cultural heritage between the two languages. | |||
| Kazakh | жеңіс | ||
| The word "жеңіс" derives from the verb "жең", meaning "to win" or "to prevail" in battle. | |||
| Kyrgyz | жеңиш | ||
| Tajik | ғалаба | ||
| The word "ғалаба" is derived from the Arabic word "غالبة" meaning "to conquer" or "to overcome". | |||
| Turkmen | ýeňiş | ||
| Uzbek | g'alaba | ||
| The word "g'alaba" also means "superiority" and "triumph". | |||
| Uyghur | غەلىبە | ||
Victory in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lanakila | ||
| Lanakila is also the name of a famous Hawaiian pineapple variety that was developed by Dr. Walter Carter in 1947. | |||
| Maori | wikitoria | ||
| In Maori, 'wikitoria' is derived from the English word 'victory' and can also mean 'success' or 'triumph'. | |||
| Samoan | manumalo | ||
| While 'manumalo' translates to 'victory', it can also mean 'a victorious war' or 'to win in battle'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tagumpay | ||
| The word "tagumpay" can also mean "success" or "triumph". | |||
Victory in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | atipt’aña | ||
| Guarani | victoria rehegua | ||
Victory in International Languages
| Esperanto | venko | ||
| The word "venko" is derived from the Latin "vinco", meaning "I conquer". "Venko" can also refer to the state of being victorious. | |||
| Latin | victoria | ||
| "Victoria" is also related to "vicus," "a district of a town." | |||
Victory in Others Languages
| Greek | νίκη | ||
| The Greek word "νίκη" (victory) also means "the goddess of victory" or specifically "the personification of victory". | |||
| Hmong | yeej | ||
| The word 'yeej' is also used to describe the 'winning team' or the 'champion'. | |||
| Kurdish | serkeftin | ||
| The word "serketfin" also means "to overcome" or "to triumph" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | zafer | ||
| Turkish "zafer" can be traced back to Arabic "zfr", meaning "to succeed", and is also associated with "safar", meaning "journey". | |||
| Xhosa | uloyiso | ||
| The Xhosa word 'uloyiso' not only means 'victory,' but also 'success' or 'triumph,' implying a sense of achievement and culmination. | |||
| Yiddish | נצחון | ||
| "נצחון" originally meant "eternity" in Hebrew before it meant "victory" in Yiddish | |||
| Zulu | ukunqoba | ||
| Ukunqoba also means 'to overcome' and is related to the word 'ukunqoba umoya' (to overcome the spirit). | |||
| Assamese | বিজয় | ||
| Aymara | atipt’aña | ||
| Bhojpuri | जीत मिलल बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ކާމިޔާބެވެ | ||
| Dogri | जीत | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tagumpay | ||
| Guarani | victoria rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | balligi | ||
| Krio | win | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سەرکەوتن | ||
| Maithili | जीत | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯥꯏꯄꯥꯀꯄꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | hnehna a chang | ||
| Oromo | injifannoo | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବିଜୟ | ||
| Quechua | atipay | ||
| Sanskrit | विजयः | ||
| Tatar | җиңү | ||
| Tigrinya | ዓወት | ||
| Tsonga | ku hlula | ||