Wrong in Different Languages
Discover 'Wrong' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'wrong' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, signifying something that is incorrect, inaccurate, or inappropriate. Its cultural importance is evident in various aspects of society, including art, literature, and education. Understanding the translation of 'wrong' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the nuances of different cultures and their values. For instance, in Spanish, 'wrong' is 'incorrecto,' while in French, it's 'faux.' In German, 'wrong' is 'falsch,' and in Japanese, it's 'まちがっている' ( 'machigatte iru').
Moreover, the word 'wrong' has a rich historical context. In English, it originates from the Old English 'wrang,' meaning 'twisted' or 'distorted.' This historical context sheds light on the evolution of the word and its changing meanings over time. For language enthusiasts and cultural explorers, discovering the translations of 'wrong' in various languages can be a fascinating journey.
Wrong
Wrong in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | verkeerde | ||
| "Verkeerde" in Afrikaans comes from the Middle Dutch "verkeert" meaning "turned in the wrong direction" or "twisted", and is related to the English word "awkward". | |||
| Amharic | ስህተት | ||
| In Amharic, "ስህተት" has an alternate meaning of "obstacle" or "impediment"} | |||
| Hausa | ba daidai ba | ||
| The word "ba daidai ba" can also be used to mean "incorrect", "unfair", or "inappropriate". | |||
| Igbo | ezighi ezi | ||
| The term "ezighi ezi" in Igbo can also refer to an action that is unacceptable or forbidden | |||
| Malagasy | ratsy | ||
| The Malagasy word "ratsy" can also mean "bad" or "evil". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | cholakwika | ||
| It is thought to be derived from the phrase "cholako kuŵika" (lacking where to be placed). | |||
| Shona | zvisizvo | ||
| Zvisizvo is a word used in Shona and its stem svisv is the same for the word to 'go astray'. | |||
| Somali | qaldan | ||
| Qaldan derives from the Arabic "ghalata", meaning "mistake" and shares its root with the Somali word "qalad", meaning "error." | |||
| Sesotho | fosahetse | ||
| Swahili | vibaya | ||
| In Swahili, "vibaya" can also refer to a state of misfortune or suffering. | |||
| Xhosa | gwenxa | ||
| The Xhosa word "gwenxa" also means "perverse" or "unlawful". | |||
| Yoruba | aṣiṣe | ||
| "Așiṣe" is related to the noun "ìṣe," meaning "work" or "deed," and conveys the idea of an "incorrect" or "improper" action. | |||
| Zulu | akulungile | ||
| In some parts of South Africa, "akulungile" may also be used to refer to a person who is naughty or behaves badly. | |||
| Bambara | hakɛ | ||
| Ewe | mede o | ||
| Kinyarwanda | nabi | ||
| Lingala | mabe | ||
| Luganda | -kyaamu | ||
| Sepedi | phošo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ti | ||
Wrong in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | خطأ | ||
| The word "خطأ" can also mean "mistake" or "error" in Arabic, and has roots in the word for "to pass beyond" or "to make a mistake". | |||
| Hebrew | לא נכון | ||
| The word “לא נכון” means "not true/correct," and it’s also used to mean "not acceptable" or “not good enough." | |||
| Pashto | غلط | ||
| In Eastern Pashto, غلط can also mean "false", "incorrect", or "mistaken". | |||
| Arabic | خطأ | ||
| The word "خطأ" can also mean "mistake" or "error" in Arabic, and has roots in the word for "to pass beyond" or "to make a mistake". | |||
Wrong in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i gabuar | ||
| The Albanian word | |||
| Basque | oker | ||
| Oker shares a root with the word 'okertu' (to spoil) while in other languages it may come from the root | |||
| Catalan | mal | ||
| The Catalan word "mal" comes from the Latin "malus" meaning "bad" or "evil" and is related to the English word "malevolent." | |||
| Croatian | pogrešno | ||
| The word 'pogrešno' in Croatian is derived from the word 'pogreb' meaning 'funeral' and signifies an action or decision that leads to negative consequences. | |||
| Danish | forkert | ||
| The Old Norse word "forkr" (meaning "crooked") may be the origin of "forkert". | |||
| Dutch | mis | ||
| "Mis" can also refer to a manure heap or a dunghill | |||
| English | wrong | ||
| Though 'wrong' refers to a moral error, it also applies to a physical object that isn't right: the 'wrong' side of a tapestry, for example. | |||
| French | faux | ||
| The French word "faux" also means "false" or "artificial". | |||
| Frisian | ferkeard | ||
| The word "ferkeard" in Frisian is related to the English word "forked" and ursprünglich meant "crooked". | |||
| Galician | mal | ||
| Galician "mal" can mean either "wrong" (as in antonym of "right") or "ill" (as in sick). | |||
| German | falsch | ||
| Falsch is related to the English word "false" and to the Latin word "falsus" | |||
| Icelandic | rangt | ||
| The Icelandic word "rangt" is derived from the Old Norse word "rangr" meaning "twisted" or "crooked." | |||
| Irish | mícheart | ||
| Italian | sbagliato | ||
| In the past, 'sbagliato' was also a synonym of the adjective 'sinister' and a noun indicating an accident. | |||
| Luxembourgish | falsch | ||
| Maltese | ħażin | ||
| The Maltese word "ħażin" may also refer to a person with a bad character or to something harmful. | |||
| Norwegian | feil | ||
| In Old Norse, "feil" also meant "to fail" and "fault." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | errado | ||
| "Errado" also means "lost" in an abstract sense, such as "a lost cause" or "a lost opportunity". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ceàrr | ||
| The Gaelic word "ceàrr" has the same origin as the English word "error", meaning "wrong" in both languages, and ultimately derives from the Latin word "errare". | |||
| Spanish | incorrecto | ||
| The etymology of 'incorrecto' implies both 'inconsistent' and 'impolite' actions. | |||
| Swedish | fel | ||
| The word "fel" in Swedish shares its root with the English word "fell" and originally meant "to fall away". | |||
| Welsh | anghywir | ||
| The word | |||
Wrong in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | няправільна | ||
| In Belarusian, the word "няправільная" can also be used to refer to something that is not straight or correct. | |||
| Bosnian | pogrešno | ||
| The word "pogrešno" comes from the Proto-Slavic root "pogrĕšiti", meaning "to miss" or "to err". | |||
| Bulgarian | погрешно | ||
| Погрешно derives from погреб (cellar), meaning "placed in the wrong place". | |||
| Czech | špatně | ||
| The word "špatně" may derive from the Slavic word meaning "to delay". | |||
| Estonian | vale | ||
| Estonian "vale" also means "ditch", akin to Finnish "valli" and Hungarian "vályú". | |||
| Finnish | väärä | ||
| The word "väärä" (wrong) can also mean "false" or "incorrect." | |||
| Hungarian | rossz | ||
| "Rossz" can also mean "bad" or "ill" in Hungarian, and is related to the word "rosszabb" meaning "worse". | |||
| Latvian | nepareizi | ||
| This Latvian word is used to mean "wrong" and also "bad". | |||
| Lithuanian | neteisinga | ||
| Lithuanian "neteisinga" also means "unjust" or "wrongful". | |||
| Macedonian | погрешно | ||
| The word " погрешно " in Macedonian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *pogrěšiti, which also means “to fail” or “to be unsuccessful”. | |||
| Polish | źle | ||
| In Polish the word "źle" has two distinct meanings: "bad" and "incorrectly" | |||
| Romanian | gresit | ||
| Gresit is the Romanian word for "wrong" and has a second meaning of "sin"} | |||
| Russian | неправильно | ||
| In Russian, “неправильно” can also mean “not right,” “improperly,” and “in vain.” | |||
| Serbian | погрешно | ||
| The word 'погрешно' comes from the Proto-Slavic adjective *pogrĕšĭnъ, which originally meant 'mistaken' or 'erroneous'. | |||
| Slovak | zle | ||
| "Zle" is also a colloquial word for „bad“ in the sense of feeling bad or ill. | |||
| Slovenian | narobe | ||
| The word `narobe`, originally referring to an upside-down cloak, now signifies incorrectness and serves a dual role: an adverb describing an improper action (e.g., `narečno` - `incorrectly`) and an independent predicate expressing disapproval of an erroneous situation. | |||
| Ukrainian | неправильно | ||
| The word "неправильно" comes from the Proto-Slavic *nepravъ, which meant "unjust" or "untrue". | |||
Wrong in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ভুল | ||
| The word "ভুল" can also mean "error" or "mistake". | |||
| Gujarati | ખોટું | ||
| The word "ખોટું" means "wrong" in Gujarati, but can also mean "loss" or "damage". | |||
| Hindi | गलत | ||
| गलत is often used alongside the word ठीक (correct) to indicate both affirmation (गलत ठीक) and negation (ठीक गलत). | |||
| Kannada | ತಪ್ಪು | ||
| The word "ತಪ್ಪು" also means "mistake" or "error" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | തെറ്റാണ് | ||
| The word "തെറ്റാണ്" can also mean "mistake" or "error" in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | चुकीचे | ||
| The word "चुकीचे" (wrong) is derived from the Sanskrit word "च्युत" (fallen). | |||
| Nepali | गलत | ||
| The word 'गलत' in Nepali originates from the Sanskrit word 'कलह' meaning 'dispute' or 'quarrel'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਗਲਤ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වැරදි | ||
| The word "වැරදි" in Sinhala can also mean "a mistake" or "an error". | |||
| Tamil | தவறு | ||
| Telugu | తప్పు | ||
| The word "తప్పు" (wrong) also means "error" and "mistake" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | غلط | ||
| 'غلط' can also mean a mistake or error. | |||
Wrong in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 错误 | ||
| The Chinese character "错误" is derived from the ancient Chinese word "過", meaning "to exceed" or "to go beyond". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 錯誤 | ||
| The word "錯誤" also means "error" in computer science. | |||
| Japanese | 違う | ||
| The word "違う" can be used as an exclamation meaning "surprise, shock" or "disgust, aversion", but not to express anger | |||
| Korean | 잘못된 | ||
| "잘못된" also means "incorrectly"} | |||
| Mongolian | буруу | ||
| The Mongolian word "буруу" (wrong) can also mean "unlucky" or "badly done", and is likely derived from the verb "бурагдах" (to fail). | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မှားတယ် | ||
Wrong in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | salah | ||
| "Salah" is the root of several other words, like "kesalahan" (error), "bersalah" (guilty), and "menyesal" (to regret). | |||
| Javanese | salah | ||
| The word "salah" in Javanese also means "mistake" or "error". | |||
| Khmer | ខុស | ||
| The word "ខុស" also refers to "a difference between two things" | |||
| Lao | ຜິດ | ||
| The word ຜິດ can also mean "incorrect," "false," "incorrectly," and "falsely," in Lao. | |||
| Malay | salah | ||
| The word "salah" in Malay has multiple meanings, including mistaken, erroneous, faulty, incorrect, and inaccurate. | |||
| Thai | ไม่ถูกต้อง | ||
| In Thai, ไม่่งอน can also mean "inappropriate." | |||
| Vietnamese | sai lầm | ||
| Etymology: Chinese 错評 (sài lầm), meaning "error, flaw." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mali | ||
Wrong in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | səhv | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "səhv" also carries the meaning of "mistake, fault, error" in Persian, Turkish, and Arabic. | |||
| Kazakh | қате | ||
| The word "қате" in Kazakh is also used to describe mistakes, errors, or faults. | |||
| Kyrgyz | туура эмес | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "туура эмес" can also refer to something that is incorrect or invalid. | |||
| Tajik | хато | ||
| The Tajik word "хато" also means "mistake". | |||
| Turkmen | nädogry | ||
| Uzbek | noto'g'ri | ||
| " Noto'g'ri" means "wrong" in Uzbek, but it can also mean "inappropriate" or "not correct." | |||
| Uyghur | خاتا | ||
Wrong in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hewa | ||
| The Hawaiian word 'hewa' means 'wrong', but it can also refer to a 'mistake' or to an 'offence'. | |||
| Maori | he | ||
| In Māori, the word 'he' can also refer to a type of ceremonial weapon or tool made from wood or stone. | |||
| Samoan | sese | ||
| Historically, the word 'sese' was also used to refer to 'incorrect conduct' or 'misbehavior' | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mali | ||
Wrong in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | pantjata | ||
| Guarani | hekope'ỹgua | ||
Wrong in International Languages
| Esperanto | malĝusta | ||
| Latin | malum | ||
| Malum, meaning "wrong," derives from the same Latin root as "apple," and in folklore, evil spirits were thought to reside in apple trees. | |||
Wrong in Others Languages
| Greek | λανθασμένος | ||
| Λανθασμένος (wrong) derives from the verb λανθάνω (to escape notice), hence its original meaning was "hidden" or "unnoticed". | |||
| Hmong | tsis ncaj ncees lawm | ||
| The Hmong word "tsis ncaj ncees lawm" is used to emphasize wrong actions or choices; the phrase translates to "against law and nature." | |||
| Kurdish | qelp | ||
| The Kurdish word "qelp" is also used figuratively to express disagreement or disapproval and can mean "inappropriate" and "faulty". | |||
| Turkish | yanlış | ||
| The word "yanlış" is also used in Turkish to mean "incorrect," "false," or "inaccurate." | |||
| Xhosa | gwenxa | ||
| The Xhosa word "gwenxa" also means "perverse" or "unlawful". | |||
| Yiddish | פאַלש | ||
| The Yiddish word "פֿאַלש" can also refer to "fictitious" or "counterfeit". | |||
| Zulu | akulungile | ||
| In some parts of South Africa, "akulungile" may also be used to refer to a person who is naughty or behaves badly. | |||
| Assamese | অশুদ্ধ | ||
| Aymara | pantjata | ||
| Bhojpuri | गलत | ||
| Dhivehi | ނުބައި | ||
| Dogri | गलत | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mali | ||
| Guarani | hekope'ỹgua | ||
| Ilocano | kamali | ||
| Krio | rɔng | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هەڵە | ||
| Maithili | गलत | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯔꯥꯟꯕ | ||
| Mizo | dik lo | ||
| Oromo | dogoggora | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଭୁଲ | ||
| Quechua | pantasqa | ||
| Sanskrit | दोषपूर्णः | ||
| Tatar | ялгыш | ||
| Tigrinya | ጌጋ | ||
| Tsonga | hoxeka | ||