Warn in Different Languages
Discover 'Warn' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'warn', meaning to alert or notify someone of a danger or potential danger, is a simple but powerful term. It holds great significance in our daily lives, as giving and receiving warnings can prevent accidents, harm, and even save lives. The cultural importance of this word can be seen in various customs and traditions around the world, such as the blowing of a horn to warn of approaching danger or the use of color-coded systems to signal the level of threat.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'warn' in different languages can be crucial for effective communication and ensuring safety in a globalized world. For instance, in Spanish, 'warn' is 'advertir', while in French, it is 'avertir'. In German, the word is 'warnen', and in Japanese, it is '危険を警告する (kiken o keikoku suru)'.
In this article, we delve into the fascinating world of language and culture by exploring the translations of 'warn' in various languages. By doing so, we not only enhance our cross-cultural understanding but also equip ourselves with the tools necessary to keep each other safe in today's interconnected world.
Warn
Warn in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | waarsku | ||
| Afrikaans "waarsku" originates from Dutch "verwittigen", possibly influenced by French "aviser". | |||
| Amharic | አስጠነቅቅ | ||
| Hausa | yi gargaɗi | ||
| The word "yi gargaɗi" in Hausa, meaning "warn", is derived from the Arabic word "garada", meaning "to watch or guard" or "to be careful". | |||
| Igbo | dọọ aka na ntị | ||
| Malagasy | hampitandremana | ||
| HAMPITANDREMANA is composed of the Malagasy words "ampitandrina" (to notice) and "manana" (to see), indicating the act of noticing (something) to see it. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chenjeza | ||
| "Chenjeza" (warn) is derived from the verb "chenjera" (beware), itself derived from the noun "chenjero" (danger). | |||
| Shona | yambira | ||
| The word "yambira" in Shona also means "to threaten" or "to scare" | |||
| Somali | digniin | ||
| The word "digniin" can also be used to describe the act of scolding or giving a stern reprimand. | |||
| Sesotho | lemosa | ||
| The word "lemosa" is a homophone of the word "lemosha," which means "to give birth". | |||
| Swahili | onya | ||
| "Onya" is a verb which can also mean "to foretell" or "to predict". | |||
| Xhosa | lumkisa | ||
| The word "lumkisa" in Xhosa also means "to inform" or "to tell someone something". | |||
| Yoruba | kilo | ||
| "Kilo" in Yoruba also means "to awaken" or "to rouse". | |||
| Zulu | xwayisa | ||
| Xwayisa is also used to indicate a warning, such as in the phrases 'xwayisa ngezikhukhula', meaning 'beware of snakes' or 'xwayisa ngezintombi', meaning 'beware of girls'. | |||
| Bambara | ka lasɔmi | ||
| Ewe | ɖo afɔ afɔta | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kuburira | ||
| Lingala | kokebisa | ||
| Luganda | okulabula | ||
| Sepedi | lemoša | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɔhyew | ||
Warn in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تحذير | ||
| The word تحذير, which means 'warn', also means 'warning', 'caution', or 'admonition'. | |||
| Hebrew | לְהַזהִיר | ||
| לְהַזהִיר can also mean 'to glorify' or 'to cause to shine' in Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | خبرداری ورکړئ | ||
| Arabic | تحذير | ||
| The word تحذير, which means 'warn', also means 'warning', 'caution', or 'admonition'. | |||
Warn in Western European Languages
| Albanian | paralajmëroj | ||
| Basque | abisatu | ||
| Catalan | advertir | ||
| The verb | |||
| Croatian | upozoriti | ||
| The word 'upozoriti' is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *ob-zor-i-ti, meaning 'to look around', 'to be vigilant'. | |||
| Danish | advare | ||
| The word "advare" is derived from an early variant of the Old Norse verb "vara" (to be aware), and has cognates in many other Germanic languages, including the English word "aware". | |||
| Dutch | waarschuwen | ||
| The word "waarschuwen" comes from the Middle Dutch word "warschouwen", which means "to be on guard" or "to be aware of". | |||
| English | warn | ||
| "Warn" can also mean "to make someone aware of something", or "to put someone on notice of a potential danger or difficulty." | |||
| French | prévenir | ||
| The French word "prévenir" also means "to foresee" or "to anticipate". | |||
| Frisian | warskôgje | ||
| The Dutch word “waarschuwen” (“warn”) comes from the Middle Dutch word warskôgje and the Old Frisian word warscôga (“to announce the danger”) | |||
| Galician | avisar | ||
| In Galician, "avisar" can also refer to the act of "notifying" or "informing" someone. | |||
| German | warnen | ||
| The word "warnen" in German originates from the Old High German word "warnon", meaning "to be aware" or "to pay attention to". | |||
| Icelandic | vara við | ||
| Vara við can also mean "to be aware of". | |||
| Irish | rabhadh a thabhairt | ||
| Italian | avvisare | ||
| The Italian word "avvisare" possibly shares the same root as the Latin word "avis" (bird), as birds were used to deliver messages. | |||
| Luxembourgish | warnen | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "warnen" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*warnjaną", which also means "to forbid". | |||
| Maltese | iwissi | ||
| The word "iwissi" in Maltese also means "to advise" or "to inform". | |||
| Norwegian | varsle | ||
| The word "varsle" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *wer-, meaning "to be aware" or "to perceive". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | advertir | ||
| The etymology derives from the Latin “advertere” which means “to direct one's attention” and has acquired the sense of “to warn” in the modern language. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | rabhadh | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "warn," "rabhadh" can also mean "threaten" or "forewarn." | |||
| Spanish | advertir | ||
| The word "advertir" also means "to perceive" or "to notice" in Spanish. | |||
| Swedish | varna | ||
| In Swedish, "varna" translates to "caution" or "forewarn," as opposed to its English meaning of "to coat or color." | |||
| Welsh | rhybuddio | ||
Warn in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | папярэджваю | ||
| The Belarusian word "папярэджваю" can also refer to giving notice of impending danger. | |||
| Bosnian | upozoriti | ||
| The word 'upozoriti' comes from the Old Slavic word 'uzoriti', which means to indicate. | |||
| Bulgarian | предупреждавам | ||
| The word "предупреждавам" comes from the Old Church Slavonic word "предьварднти" which means "to say beforehand" or "to inform". | |||
| Czech | varovat | ||
| "Varovat" is also a verb meaning "to protect" in Czech, highlighting its connection to the concept of vigilance and safety. | |||
| Estonian | hoiatama | ||
| The word "hoiatama" in Estonian is likely derived from the Proto-Finnic word "hoiti", meaning "heeding" or "attending to" and may also refer to the act of caring for someone or something. | |||
| Finnish | varoittaa | ||
| "Varoittaa" also bears the meaning "to caution" in a formal tone. | |||
| Hungarian | figyelmeztet | ||
| "Figyelmeztet" originates from "figyel" (watch) and "mez" (meadow), meaning that someone who warns is watching over a certain area. | |||
| Latvian | brīdināt | ||
| The Latvian word "brīdināt" originally meant "to cry out" or "to call out". | |||
| Lithuanian | perspėti | ||
| The word "perspėti" also means "to get ahead of" or "to anticipate." | |||
| Macedonian | предупредуваат | ||
| The word "предупредуваат" is derived from the Slavic root "*predъ", meaning "before" or "in front", and the verb "*věděti", meaning "to know". | |||
| Polish | ostrzec | ||
| Ostrzec can also mean 'sharpen' or 'edge', likely deriving from the Proto-Slavic word for 'sharp' or 'pointed'. | |||
| Romanian | a avertiza | ||
| «A avertiza» derives from the Hungarian verb «irtani», and also means «to write» or «to sign out». | |||
| Russian | предупреждать | ||
| "Предупреждать" can also mean "predict" or "prevent" in some contexts. | |||
| Serbian | упозорити | ||
| The word "упозорити" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *pozoriti, which also means "to notice" or "to pay attention to." | |||
| Slovak | varovať | ||
| The verb "varovať" can also be used as a noun, meaning "a warning". | |||
| Slovenian | opozori | ||
| The verb 'opozori' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'opora', meaning 'help' or 'support'. | |||
| Ukrainian | попереджати | ||
| The word | |||
Warn in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সতর্ক করা | ||
| The Bengali word "সতর্ক করা" can also mean to make someone alert or aware of something. | |||
| Gujarati | ચેતવણી | ||
| Hindi | चेतावनी देना | ||
| The Hindi word "चेतावनी देना" (warn) derives from the Sanskrit word "चेट" (to be awake or aware), indicating its function in alerting or making someone aware of potential danger or caution. | |||
| Kannada | ಎಚ್ಚರಿಕೆ | ||
| Malayalam | മുന്നറിയിപ്പ് | ||
| Marathi | चेतावणी द्या | ||
| The Marathi word 'चेतावणी द्या' originally meant to 'make aware' or 'remind' someone, and not necessarily to 'warn' them of danger. | |||
| Nepali | चेतावनी | ||
| "चेतावनी" comes from the Sanskrit word "चिताना" meaning "to remember" or "to warn". | |||
| Punjabi | ਚੇਤਾਵਨੀ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අවවාද කරන්න | ||
| Tamil | எச்சரிக்கவும் | ||
| Telugu | హెచ్చరించండి | ||
| The Telugu word న్హ్చరిన్డ comes from the Sanskrit verbal root "hras" meaning "to roar"} | |||
| Urdu | انتباہ | ||
Warn in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 警告 | ||
| The word "警告" (warn) literally means "small awakening" in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 警告 | ||
| 警告, meaning 'warn,' also means 'warning; cautionary words' | |||
| Japanese | 警告 | ||
| "警告" literally means "wake up and tell". | |||
| Korean | 경고 | ||
| The word 경고 (warn) is derived from the Chinese word "警告 (jǐnggào)", which means "to alert" or "to give notice." | |||
| Mongolian | анхааруулах | ||
| The word "анхааруулах" can also mean "to take precautions" or "to be careful". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သတိပေး | ||
| The word "သတိပေး" (sathipè) is derived from the Pali word "sati" (mindfulness) and means "to bring to someone's attention" or "to remind". | |||
Warn in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | memperingatkan | ||
| The word "memperingatkan" is derived from the root word "peringat" which means "reminder" or "caution"} | |||
| Javanese | ngelingake | ||
| "Ngelingake" comes from the word "eling" meaning "remember", thus it means to remind someone of something to be aware of. | |||
| Khmer | ព្រមាន | ||
| Lao | ເຕືອນ | ||
| Malay | memberi amaran | ||
| Thai | เตือน | ||
| The Thai word "เตือน" has an alternative meaning of "to remind". | |||
| Vietnamese | cảnh báo | ||
| Cảnh báo in Vietnamese originally meant a small gong used as a signal during a war or to announce imminent danger, from its Chinese root 鉦鼓（jīnggǔ） | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | balaan | ||
Warn in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | xəbərdar et | ||
| "xəbərdar et" in Azerbaijani means "to make someone aware of a danger or threat" or "to notify someone of something important". | |||
| Kazakh | ескерту | ||
| The Kazakh word "ескерту" comes from the Mongolian word "эскер", meaning "to pay attention" or "to take notice." | |||
| Kyrgyz | эскертүү | ||
| The word "эскертүү" originally meant "to give notice" or "to remind", but it has since taken on the meaning of "to warn". | |||
| Tajik | огоҳ кунед | ||
| Turkmen | duýduryş beriň | ||
| Uzbek | ogohlantiring | ||
| The word "ogohlantiring" can also mean "to advise" or "to inform". | |||
| Uyghur | ئاگاھلاندۇرۇش | ||
Warn in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | e ao aku | ||
| "E ao aku" also means "to give a signal," or "to beckon." | |||
| Maori | whakatupato | ||
| "Whakatupato" also means "to inform" or "to make known." | |||
| Samoan | lapatai | ||
| The word 'lapatai' is an informal Samoan term that signifies warning someone not to commit an action. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | balaan | ||
| "Balaan" also means "sacred" and "holy" in Tagalog. | |||
Warn in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | amtayaña | ||
| Guarani | momarandu | ||
Warn in International Languages
| Esperanto | averti | ||
| The word "averti" comes from the French word "avertir", meaning "to warn" or "to notify". | |||
| Latin | moneo | ||
| Latin 'moneo' also means 'remind' and 'advise', coming from PIE root *men- 'to think'. | |||
Warn in Others Languages
| Greek | προειδοποιώ | ||
| Προειδοποιώ, 'warn', is derived from 'προ' (before) and 'ειδω' (to see), implying seeing beforehand, predicting. | |||
| Hmong | ceeb toom | ||
| The Hmong word "ceeb toom" also means "be aware of" and "take care of". | |||
| Kurdish | gazîgîhandin | ||
| The word "gazîgîhandin" has cognates in other Iranian languages and is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₂- "to call, to name". | |||
| Turkish | uyarmak | ||
| The verb “uyarmak” also has the sense of “alerting” in a general way (e.g., to the presence of an object, a situation, etc.). | |||
| Xhosa | lumkisa | ||
| The word "lumkisa" in Xhosa also means "to inform" or "to tell someone something". | |||
| Yiddish | וואָרענען | ||
| The Yiddish word 'וואָרענען' ('warn') derives from the Old High German 'warnon', meaning both 'to be cautious' and 'to refuse'. | |||
| Zulu | xwayisa | ||
| Xwayisa is also used to indicate a warning, such as in the phrases 'xwayisa ngezikhukhula', meaning 'beware of snakes' or 'xwayisa ngezintombi', meaning 'beware of girls'. | |||
| Assamese | সতৰ্ক কৰা | ||
| Aymara | amtayaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | चेतावनी दिहल | ||
| Dhivehi | އިންޒާރުދިނުން | ||
| Dogri | तन्बीह् करना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | balaan | ||
| Guarani | momarandu | ||
| Ilocano | pakdaaran | ||
| Krio | wɔn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئاگادار کردنەوە | ||
| Maithili | चेतावनी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯦꯪꯁꯤꯟꯋꯥ ꯍꯥꯏꯕ | ||
| Mizo | vau | ||
| Oromo | akeekkachiisuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସତର୍କ କର | | ||
| Quechua | willay | ||
| Sanskrit | सचेत | ||
| Tatar | кисәт | ||
| Tigrinya | ምጥንቃቕ | ||
| Tsonga | lemukisa | ||