Wild in Different Languages
Discover 'Wild' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'wild' holds a special significance in our language, evoking a sense of freedom, unpredictability, and untamed beauty. It's a concept that transcends cultural boundaries and resonates with people all over the world. From the wild horses of the American West to the untamed jungles of the Amazon, the word 'wild' captures the essence of nature's raw power and beauty.
Throughout history, the concept of 'wild' has played a significant role in shaping our cultural identity. From ancient myths and legends to modern literature and film, the idea of the wild has captivated our imaginations and inspired us to explore the unknown. Whether it's the wilderness of the great outdoors or the wildness of our own emotions, this concept continues to shape our understanding of the world around us.
Given its cultural importance, it's no wonder that someone might want to know the translation of 'wild' in different languages. Here are just a few examples:
- German: wild
- Spanish: salvaje
- French: sauvage
- Italian: selvaggio
- Japanese: 野生 (yasei)
- Chinese: 野生 (yěshēng)
Wild
Wild in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | wild | ||
| As a noun, 'wild' means savage, untamed animal or land in Afrikaans. | |||
| Amharic | የዱር | ||
| Hausa | daji | ||
| The Hausa word "daji" also carries connotations of untamed, uncultivated wilderness and a place inhabited by spirits. | |||
| Igbo | ohia | ||
| The Igbo word 'ohia' also means 'forest' or 'bush'. | |||
| Malagasy | bibidia | ||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zakutchire | ||
| The etymology of the word 'zakutchile' is unclear, but it is hypothesized to be derived from the Proto-Bantu root '-kutch-' or '-kutsh-', which can refer to 'to be cut or divided'. | |||
| Shona | musango | ||
| "Musango" has meanings associated with the wilderness, the bush, and animals. | |||
| Somali | duurjoog ah | ||
| Somali word "duurjoog ah" is derived from "duur" (land) and "joog" (standing) with the latter implying wild animals' tendency to roam freely on the land. | |||
| Sesotho | hlaha | ||
| Hlaha also means the 'bush' or 'unoccupied or uncultivated land', in its figurative sense, 'barbarism' or 'a wilderness'. | |||
| Swahili | mwitu | ||
| Mwitu (wild) could also be "unfamiliar", hence the Swahili proverb, "Mgeni si mwitu," meaning a guest is not inherently strange. | |||
| Xhosa | zasendle | ||
| The word "zasendle" in Xhosa has other meanings such as "undomesticated" or "rough." | |||
| Yoruba | egan | ||
| The Yoruba word "egan" also means "crazy" or "mad". | |||
| Zulu | zasendle | ||
| The Zulu word "zasendle" can also refer to something that is difficult or challenging. | |||
| Bambara | kungo | ||
| Ewe | le gbe me | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ishyamba | ||
| Lingala | zamba | ||
| Luganda | eky'ensiko | ||
| Sepedi | hlaga | ||
| Twi (Akan) | krakra | ||
Wild in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | بري | ||
| The word "بري" in Arabic can also mean "of the desert" or "uncultivated". | |||
| Hebrew | פְּרָאִי | ||
| פּרא, which means "wild" today, originally also meant "donkey." | |||
| Pashto | وحشي | ||
| In Pashto, وحشي not only means "wild" but also signifies "uncivilized," "savage," and "cruel." | |||
| Arabic | بري | ||
| The word "بري" in Arabic can also mean "of the desert" or "uncultivated". | |||
Wild in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i eger | ||
| "i eger" comes from Proto-Albanian *jager and is possibly borrowed from the Greek "agrios" (wild). | |||
| Basque | basatia | ||
| The Basque word “basatia” (“wild”) is similar to the word “basoak” (“forests”) and to the word “baserri” (“farmhouse”) | |||
| Catalan | salvatge | ||
| The word "salvatge" derives from the Latin word "silvaticus," meaning "of the woods" or "wild." | |||
| Croatian | divlji | ||
| In Croatian, "divlji" also means 'untamed', 'uncultivated', 'natural', or 'native', and can refer to animals, plants, or land. | |||
| Danish | vild | ||
| In Norwegian "vild" means only wild beast or bird. | |||
| Dutch | wild | ||
| In Dutch, "wild" can also mean "game" or "untamed." | |||
| English | wild | ||
| The word 'wild' originally meant 'untamed' or 'undomesticated,' and is related to the word 'wilderness.' | |||
| French | sauvage | ||
| In old French, the word 'sauvage' meant 'from the forest'. | |||
| Frisian | wyld | ||
| The word "wyld" in Frisian has Germanic roots, sharing a similar etymology with the English word "wild" and the Dutch word "wild". | |||
| Galician | salvaxe | ||
| The word "salvaxe" originally referred to uncultivated or untamed animals. | |||
| German | wild | ||
| The word "wild" derives from the Old High German "wildi," meaning "wild, untamed," and is related to the Old English "wilde," meaning "savage, fierce." | |||
| Icelandic | villt | ||
| "Villt" can also mean "lost, misguided, mistaken, astray" and is related to the Old Norse "villa" (to lose, to mislead) and the Old English "willan" (to lead astray). | |||
| Irish | fiáin | ||
| Italian | selvaggio | ||
| The Italian word "selvaggio" shares an etymology with "sylvan" in English, both referring to the wilderness. | |||
| Luxembourgish | wëll | ||
| The word "wëll" is derived from the Indo-European root "*wel-," meaning "to turn, roll, or revolve." | |||
| Maltese | selvaġġ | ||
| The word "selvaġġ" is derived from Arabic "silwāj" meaning wilderness and from Latin "silva" meaning woods. | |||
| Norwegian | vill | ||
| In Norwegian, 'vill' also means 'erring' or 'devious'. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | selvagem | ||
| The term "selvagem" can also apply to uncultivated lands or animals that haven't been tamed. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | fiadhaich | ||
| The word "fiadhaich" also refers to a wild, untamed person, analogous to the English "savage." | |||
| Spanish | salvaje | ||
| In Spanish, "salvaje" can also refer to an unsophisticated person or a savage act. | |||
| Swedish | vild | ||
| The word "vild" in Swedish can also mean "untamed" or "untamed". | |||
| Welsh | gwyllt | ||
| The word 'gwyllt' also means 'wild' or 'untamed' in other Brythonic languages. | |||
Wild in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | дзікі | ||
| In Belarusian the word “дзікі” can also mean “untamed” or “barbaric; uncivilized,” akin to its meaning in Russian. | |||
| Bosnian | divlje | ||
| "Divlje" can also refer to a specific type of Bosnian folk music, characterized by its rapid, lively tempo and emotional lyrics. | |||
| Bulgarian | див | ||
| "Див" is cognate with Latin "divus" (divine), and Proto-Slavic "divъ" (beautiful). | |||
| Czech | divoký | ||
| "Divoký" not only means "wild" in Czech, but also "untamed" or "barbaric". | |||
| Estonian | metsik | ||
| "Metsik" also means "forest" and "savage" in Estonian, indicating a close connection between wilderness and untamed nature in Estonian culture. | |||
| Finnish | villi | ||
| The word "villi" has Indo-European roots and is related to words meaning "animal", "forest", or "wilderness" in other languages. | |||
| Hungarian | vad | ||
| The word "vad" in Hungarian can also refer to a type of wild boar or to an area where wild animals live. | |||
| Latvian | savvaļas | ||
| "Savvaļa" also means "wilderness" and comes from the word "sava" meaning "own". | |||
| Lithuanian | laukinis | ||
| "Laukinis" in Lithuanian also refers to something that is unkempt or unrefined. | |||
| Macedonian | диви | ||
| The Macedonian word "диви" is derived from a Proto-Slavic root meaning "untamed" or "fierce," and it can also be used colloquially to describe something that is unkempt or disorderly. | |||
| Polish | dziki | ||
| The word "dziki" can also refer to a type of wild boar in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | sălbatic | ||
| From Proto-Slavic *selvatьkъ, from *selvъ 'village', ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- 'to dwell'. | |||
| Russian | дикий | ||
| The word "дикий" in Russian can also mean "untamed" or "uncivilized". | |||
| Serbian | дивље | ||
| The word "дивље" in Serbian also refers to something that is uninhabited, remote, or untamed. | |||
| Slovak | divoký | ||
| In addition to meaning “wild”, “divoký” can also refer to unkempt hair or an untamed animal. | |||
| Slovenian | divji | ||
| The adjective 'divji' in Slovenian derives from the Proto-Slavic word 'divъ' meaning 'woodland spirit'. | |||
| Ukrainian | дикий | ||
| The word "дикий" in Ukrainian is derived from the Old East Slavic word "дичь", meaning "game" or "wild animal". | |||
Wild in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বন্য | ||
| বন্য (bannya) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'vana' meaning 'forest' and also refers to wild animals. | |||
| Gujarati | જંગલી | ||
| The word "જંગલી" can also be used to refer to someone or something that is uncivilized or barbaric. | |||
| Hindi | जंगली | ||
| The Hindi word "जंगली" can also refer to someone who is rustic, unruly, or unkempt. | |||
| Kannada | ಕಾಡು | ||
| The Kannada word "ಕಾಡು" (kāɖu) likely shares an origin with its Sanskrit counterpart "कादम्ब" (kadamba), which refers to a legendary forest of Kadamba trees associated with Lord Krishna. | |||
| Malayalam | കാട്ടു | ||
| The word 'കാട്ടു' ('wild') in Malayalam can also mean 'forest' or 'uncultivated'. | |||
| Marathi | वन्य | ||
| "वन्य" (wild) in Marathi also refers to uncultivated or natural forests and plants. | |||
| Nepali | जंगली | ||
| जंगली (jangali) also means "unprocessed" in Nepali | |||
| Punjabi | ਜੰਗਲੀ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වල් | ||
| වල් (wal) also means "to grow", "to multiply", or "to spread" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | காட்டு | ||
| In Tamil, "காட்டு" also refers to a place where animals live, a wilderness. | |||
| Telugu | అడవి | ||
| 'అడవి' (wild) is an expansion of 'అడవు' (forest), which derives from Proto-Dravidian *kaːɖu 'woodland' | |||
| Urdu | جنگلی | ||
| The word "جنگلی" (jangli) can also mean "of the jungle" or "rustic" in Urdu. | |||
Wild in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 野生 | ||
| 除了“野生的”，汉语中的“野生”一词还指生长在野外、未经人工驯化的植物或动物。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 野生 | ||
| 野生 can also refer to animals or plants that live in their natural state, without being domesticated or cultivated. | |||
| Japanese | 野生 | ||
| The Japanese word "野生" (yasei) can also mean "natural" or "untamed." | |||
| Korean | 야생 | ||
| The word "야생" can also mean "feral" or "savage". | |||
| Mongolian | зэрлэг | ||
| The Mongolian word "зэрлэг" has an alternate meaning of "in a disorganized state". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တောရိုင်း | ||
Wild in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | liar | ||
| The Indonesian word "liar" can also mean "wild" or "untamed". | |||
| Javanese | alam bébas | ||
| The term "alam bébas" is also used in the context of Javanese mysticism to refer to the spiritual realm. | |||
| Khmer | ព្រៃ | ||
| The Khmer word "ព្រៃ" can also mean "forest" or "wilderness" | |||
| Lao | ທຳ ມະຊາດ | ||
| Malay | liar | ||
| In Malay, | |||
| Thai | ป่า | ||
| The word "ป่า" originally meant "forest" in Sanskrit, but it has also been used to refer to wilderness, wastelands, and places outside of human settlement. | |||
| Vietnamese | hoang dã | ||
| "Hoang dã" also means "vast" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ligaw | ||
Wild in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | vəhşi | ||
| Vəhşi (wild) is related to vəhşət (horror) in Azerbaijani, which comes from Arabic wahshat (wilderness). | |||
| Kazakh | жабайы | ||
| Kyrgyz | жапайы | ||
| The word "жапайы" can also mean "rough" or "unrefined" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | ваҳшӣ | ||
| The Tajik word “ваҳшӣ” originally meant “living in water”, but has evolved to mean “wild” and even “rude”. | |||
| Turkmen | ýabany | ||
| Uzbek | yovvoyi | ||
| The Uzbek word "yovvoyi" originates from the Persian word "yabani", meaning "untamed" or "foreign". | |||
| Uyghur | ياۋايى | ||
Wild in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻāhiu | ||
| Maori | mohoao | ||
| The Maori word 'mohoao' can also refer to a state of confusion or bewilderment. | |||
| Samoan | vao | ||
| The Samoan word "vao" can also mean "untamed" or "undomesticated". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | ligaw | ||
| "Ligaw" also means "to court" or "to woo" in Tagalog, which is related to its original meaning of "to be free" or "to roam." | |||
Wild in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | yanqhachiri | ||
| Guarani | sarigue | ||
Wild in International Languages
| Esperanto | sovaĝa | ||
| Sovaĝa is an adjective derived from the Latin word 'silvaticus' meaning 'of the forest', 'of the woods' or 'wild'. | |||
| Latin | ferox | ||
| The term 'ferox' derives from the Proto-Indo-European root '*bʰer-/*bʰerə-, meaning 'wild, savage, ferocious'. | |||
Wild in Others Languages
| Greek | άγριος | ||
| "Άγριος" is derived from the same root as "αγρός" (field), suggesting a connection between the wild and the untamed natural world. | |||
| Hmong | qus | ||
| In addition to meaning "wild", in some dialects "qus" can also mean "crazy" or "foolish". | |||
| Kurdish | bejî | ||
| Although it now almost exclusively means "wild" in the adjectival sense, the root word *bejî* also historically has carried meanings such as "stranger" or "alien" in Kurdish, a possible source of confusion in some contexts due to overlap in usage with contemporary "wild." | |||
| Turkish | vahşi | ||
| Vahşi also means "fierce, brutal" and comes from the Arabic word "vahş", meaning "savage, untamed". | |||
| Xhosa | zasendle | ||
| The word "zasendle" in Xhosa has other meanings such as "undomesticated" or "rough." | |||
| Yiddish | ווילד | ||
| ווילד יידיש ל שטיותות ו הוא שה מינגל סר שבור, והיא ייד שוינג יד שמואה שואה אי שי או לא שבאו עולמית. | |||
| Zulu | zasendle | ||
| The Zulu word "zasendle" can also refer to something that is difficult or challenging. | |||
| Assamese | বনৰীয়া | ||
| Aymara | yanqhachiri | ||
| Bhojpuri | जंगली | ||
| Dhivehi | ވައިލްޑް | ||
| Dogri | जंगली | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ligaw | ||
| Guarani | sarigue | ||
| Ilocano | naatap | ||
| Krio | wayl | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کێوی | ||
| Maithili | जंगली | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯝꯂꯛ | ||
| Mizo | ramhnuai | ||
| Oromo | kan daggalaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଜଙ୍ଗଲୀ | ||
| Quechua | sallqa | ||
| Sanskrit | अग्राम्यः | ||
| Tatar | кыргый | ||
| Tigrinya | ልቂ | ||
| Tsonga | nhova | ||