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11 Apr 2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The word "genocide" 
translated or defined in 80 languages 
How is this list useful? Researchers use terms on this list as keywords or phrases in searching documents in many of these languages. In some languages 'genocide' is commonly translated into words meaning 'extermination', 'massacre' or 'mass murder'. These translations fail to indicate the full range of destructive acts included in the legal definition of genocide .
Languages used by more than 100 million people
Languages used by between 20 and 100 million people
Languages used by less than 20 million people

Languages used by more than 100 million people
With links to text of the Genocide Convention in the language

Language 
Translation
Definition and/or pronounciation
Arabic
(Alarabia)
Ebadeh jamayia
Ebadeh jamayia (destruction of a group); Also Ckateal jamay (group killing)
Bangla (Bengali)

Also
gonohatya, ganahatya (mass killing)
Chinese jaintizi (simplified)
Wei Hai Zhong Zu, also Mie Jue Zhong Zu, See also Datusha (massacre)
fintizi- (traditional)
Wei Hai Zhong Zu (Pinyin)
English
Genocide
Also Crimes against Humanity and War Crimes; and extermination, atrocities, massacre, killing fields, ethnic cleansing, bloodbath
French 
(Français)
Génocide
Also Génocidaire (person who commits genocide), ; populicide [Babeuf, 1794], battue; also les crimes contre l'humanité (crimes against humanity) and les crimes de guerre (war crimes). "nettoyage" ("cleanup" - euphemism for mass killing)
German 
(Deutsch)
Völkermord
Also Genozids and Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit (crimes against humanity) and Kriegsverbrechen (war crimes). Ausrotten (destroy), auswischen ( to wipe out). The term Endlösung ('Final Solution') was used to refer to the destruction of European Jews.
Hindi 


'killing of a race' The word 'jaati' means 'race' but can also refer to a religious, social, ethnic, caste- based or birth (rebirth) group.

Indonesian
(Bahasa
Indonesia)
Genosid
Pemusnahan bangsa; Pemusnahan sautu suku bangsa; Pemusnahan secara teratur terhadap suatu golongan bangsa (Systematic destruction of a particular national group); Also pembasmian (extermination); melibas (clean out, defeat completely), pembersihan etnis (ethnic cleansing); Also kejahatan terhadap kemanusiaan (crimes against humanity) and Kejahatan Perang (war crimes).
Japanese
(Nihongo)
JenosaidoJenosaido, Also
Shuudan-gyakusatsu(shuudan- gyakusatsu)
Portuguese
(Português)
Genocidio
Also exterminar (exterminate, aniquilar (annihilate), destruir (destroy), suprimir (eliminate). Crimes contra a humanidade (crimes against humanity) and crimes de guerra (war crimes).
Russian
(Russky)
Genotsid
Genotsid, also prestupleniya protiv chelovechestva (crimes against humanity) and voennye prestupleniya (war crimes).
Spanish
(Español)
Genocidio
Also aniquilar (annihilate), extirpar (extirpate), liquidar ( liquidate), limpiar (cleanse). Los crímenes de lesa humanidad (crimes against humanity) and los crímenes de guerra (war crimes).
Languages used by between 20 and 100 million people
Language 
Translation
Definition and/or pronounciation
Amharic
(Ethiopia)

Zr Matfat
Zr (Race) and Matfat (extermination)
Burmese (Myanmar) loo myo ti myo ko tamin tha phyit chin (people one group intentional kill to be); tha (kill)
Dutch
(Nederlands)
Volkenmoord
Also Volkerenmoord, Rassenmoord, Genocide and misdrijven tegen de menselijkheid (crimes against humanity) and oorlogsmisdrijven (war crimes). verdelgen (exterminate), uitroeien (exterminate)
Farsi
(Persian)
 
Also kostare goruhi, kostare hamegani
Italian
(Italiano)
Genocidio
Also sterminare (exterminate), cancellare (obliterate), crimini contro l'umanità (crimes against humanity) and crimini di guerra (war crimes).
Korean
(Hankuko)
Genotsid
group killing, haksal (massacre)
Kurdish
(Iraq, Turkey, Iran, Syria)
Gelkujî

Gelkujî (genocide; gel= people, kujî= killing) Also Tevkujî (total killing; tev= total, kujî= killing) and Komkujî (Massacre, kom= mass, kujî= killing); Jinosayd (Genocide); Tawanên dijî Mirovatiyê (tawan= crime; dijî= against mirovatî= humanity), Tawanên Cenjî (tawan= crime; ceng= war) and Koçdiraw (Forced deportation or depopulation)

Malay
(Bahasa Melayu)

Genosid
Penghapusan sst bangsa, penjenayah perang (war criminal) jenayah perang jenayah terhadap kemanusiaan
Malayalam (Kerala - India)
Marathi
(Maharashtra - India)
Janasamhaar
Jana (people) and samhaar (mass killing). See also janahatyaa - Jana and hatyaa (killing), shirkaan (eradication), samuul naash/vinaash (root out/ destruction), saamudaayik hatyaa (killing a collectivity), nirvamsh karane (to exterminate a lineage) and hatyaakaand (massacre).  Also Maanavate viruddha dushkrutya (crimes against humanity) and Yuddhakaaliin dushkrutye (war crimes).
Polish
(Polski)
Ludobójstwo
Ludzie (people), Zabójstwo (homicide); see Also Ludobójca; zbrodnie przeciwko ludzkosci (crimes against humanity); wojenne zbrodnie (war crimes); ekstermincja (extermination)
Punjabi
(India, Pakistan)
Ghalughara
 
Romanian
(Româna)
Genocid
 Also genocidului, nimici (annihilate)
Swahili
(kiSwahili)
Mauaji ya Kizazi
Mauaji (murder) and "Kizazi" (ethnic or family group or lineage). Also: Mauaji ya halaiki (massacre); Maangamizi ya halaiki" (mass destruction); Mauaji ya maangamizi" (murder and extinct/destruction); Mauaji ya kikatili (murder with cruelty); Maafa (great disaster, catastrophe, horror, "terrible occurrence" or African Holocaust, see Dr. Marimba Ani/Dona Richards) . The phrase "war crimes" translates as "jinai za vita" and "crimes against humanity" as "jinai dhidi ya binadamu."
Tamil
(Tamil Nadu - India, Sri Lanka)

genocide; also war crimes:

Telugu
(Andhra Pradesh - India)
 
Turkish 
(Türkçe)
Soy (kin, kind, lineage) and (slaughter); genosit; jenosid; savas suçlulari (war crimes), kismi soykirim (partial genocide);silmek ( blot out); yok etmek (do away with); temizlemek (cleanse)
Ukrainian (Ukrayins'ka)
Genotsid

Henotsyd, henotsydom, henotsydu. Also Holodomor (extermination by starvation), Shtuchnyi holod (man-made famine), Holod (famine) and etnotsyd (ethnocide), resnya (massacre)

Urdu (Pakistan)
nasal-kushi; Garoh ya nasl ka qatle âam/nasl kaShi; (Génocidaires); Jang jurm (war crime).
Vietnamese
diet chung
Languages used by fewer than 20 million people
Language 
Translation
Definition and/or pronounciation
Afrikaans
Volksmoord
(nation murder), also Rassemoord (race murder), uitroei (exterminate)
Albanian (Shqip)
Gjenocid
gjenocidal, gjenocide, gjenocidi, gjenocidit. Also Krimet kundër njerëzimit (crimes against humanity) and Krimet e luftës (war crimes). fik (destroy),
ArmenianTseghaspanutiun; tsegh (race) and aspanutiun (killing); Also "Metz Yeghern" (great crime, great calamity).
Assyrian
Sayfo

(Sword) Short for Shato d´Sayfo (Year of the Sword) refering to genocide of Assyrians in 1915 in Ottoman Turkey. Shato d´sayfo is western dialect and shata d'saypa is astern dialect.

Azeri (Azerbaijan)
Soyqirim
Also Soyquirim
Basque
(Euskara)
Genozidio
 

Bosnian (Bosanski)

Genocid
Also zlocine protiv covjecnosti (crimes against humanity) and ratni zlocine (war crimes).

Breton
(Brezhoneg)

Muntriaj
Muntr (murder), Muntreri (homicide), tolpaj (masse); Also Muntriajoù, Muntriajchoù
Bulgarian
(Balgarski)
Genotsid
 
Catalan
(Català)
Genocidi
Extermini d'un poble o d'una ètnia.
Cebuano
(Philippines)
  Pamatay ug daghan (massacre)
Croat
(Hrvatski)
Genocid
Genocidom, Sprovesti genocid (to commit genocide); Etnicko Ciscenje. Also zlocine protiv covjecnosti (crimes against humanity) and ratne zlocine (war crimes).
Czech
(Cesky)
Genocida

Genocidia, genocidium, genocidy. Also zlocinu proti lidskosti (crimes against humanity) and valecnych zlocinu (war crimes). Etnické cistky (ethnic cleansing), Vyhubení národù (Extermination of a people), vylikvidovat (liquidate completely); obliterate, puddle, rub off, rub out, scrub), vyhubit (exterminate), vyhladit (annihilate), vymazat (blot out, delete)

Danish
(Dansk)
Folkedrab
folk (folk, nation, people), dræbe (kill, liquidate, slay); also forbrydelser mod menneskeheden (crimes against humanity) and krigsforbrydelser (war crimes).
Esperanto
Genocido
also genocidon, ekstermi (exterminate)
Estonian
(Eesti)
Genotsiid
also genotsiidiga , rahvahävitus. Also Inimsusevastased kuriteod (crimes against humanity) and Sõjakuriteod (war crimes).
Finnish 
(Suomi)
Joukkotuhonta

Joukkotuhonta (intentional mass destruction), Joukkotuhontarikos (the crime of genocide). Also Kansanmurha, (Kansa - people, nation and murha - murder, homicide) also rikokset ihmisyyttä (crimes against humanity) and satarikokset (war crimes).

Gaelic, Irish (Gaeilge)
Cinedhíothú
mass extermination, also cinedhíothaithe
Gaelic, Scottish (Gàidhlig na h-Albannaich)
Sgrios-Cinnidh
(Ethnic annihilation); from Sgrios (Annihilation) and Cinnidh from cinnidheach (ethnic). Pronounced "SCREEos-cinNEE".
Georgian
Genocidi

Also adamianurobis winaaRmdeg mimarTuli danaSaulebi (crimes against humanity) and omis danaSaulebi (war crimes).

Greek
(Ellinika')
Genoktonia, Genoktonias. From genos (kin, kind, species), anthropoktonia (homicide). Also katastrofi, megali katastrofi (destruction, mega destruction)
Hawaiian Luku (massacre, destroy); Ho'opau, Hana make (destroy)
Hebrew
(Ivrit)
Genosiid (Tranliteraton of the word 'genocide'); Also Hashmadat Am (Legal phrase meaning 'murder of a people'); Retzach Am (Commonly used phrase meaning 'destruction of a people');
Hungarian (Magyar)
Népirtás

Népi (folk) and kiirtás (exterminaton); also népirtással and fajirtás, Faj (race) and kiirtás. Also "az emberiség elleni bûncselekmények" (crimes against humanity); "a háborús bûncselekmények" (war crimes).

Icelandic
(Islensku)
Þjóðarmorð
Þjóð (people), Þjóðríki (nation), morð (murder)
Khmer
(Cambodia)
Prolai puch sah (to destroy the race)

Kinya-rwanda
(Rwanda)

Itsembabwoko
Itsemba (from the verb 'gutsemba' - to exterminate, to massacre) and ubwoko (ethnic group, clan) Compare to Itsembatsemba (mass killing). Also ibyaha byibasiye inyokomuntu OR ibyaha ku kiremwamuntu (crimes against humanity) and ibyaha by' intambara (war crimes)
kiRundi (Burundi)
Ihonyabwoko
Ihonya (from the verb 'guhonya' - to make extinct or exterminate) and Ubwoko (ethnic group or species)
Latvian
Also Noziegumi pret cilveci (crimes against humanity) and Kara noziegumi (war crimes).
Lithuanian
(Lietuviskai)
Genocidas
Also nusikaltimams pries zmogiskuma (crimes against humanity) and karo nusikaltimams (war crimes).
Luganda Obutemu ssaanya
Manx, Yn Ghaelg, (Isle of Man Gaelic)
Kynney -ghunverys
kyn - slaughter
Mongolian
(Khalkha)

 Oostgal (extermination)
Norwegian
(Norsk)  
Folkemord
Also folkemordet and forbrytelser mot menneskeheten (crimes against humanity) and krigsforbrytelser (war crimes).
Occitan
Genocidi
Oromo (Southern Ethiopia)Saanyi Duguuggaa

"Saanyi Duguugga" (race clearing, ie genocide), saanyi (race), Duguugga (clearing or wiping out); Also Dhabamsiisu (Extermination), as in "Namoota Dhabamsiisu" (extermination of human beings); Yakka or Wanjala (crime) as in "Yakka (Wanjala) Namooma irrat hojjetame" (Crime against humanity). Namooma means humanity. "Yakka (Wanjala) lolaa (waraana)" (War Crime), lolaa or waraana mean war.

Romani
(Roma)
 Porrajmos (Meaning "The devouring"; pronounced: paw rye mos)
Serbian
(Srpski)
Genotsid
Genocid, Also Etnicko Ciscenje ("Ethnic Cleansing"), ubiti (do away with), izbrisati (delete), fizickom likvidacijom
Shona Kuuraya vanhu vakawanda ('the killing of a multitude of people'), kuuraya (to kill), vanhu (people), vakawanda (many); The word gukurahundi ('wiping away') was used in 1983 to refer the killing of Ndebele people in the Matabeleland area of Zimbabwe
Somali
Xusuuq
xusuuqa, xasuusiyo, xasuuqyadii, xusuuqii (massacre), isir-siib
Sotho (Lesotho) Difaqane ("forced march"); more parellel to ethnic cleansing than genocide. Usually refers to historical events in the early 1800s, which are still debated. See Zulu below.
Slovak
(Slovencina)
Genocída
Also genocídium, genocídy; Zlocin proti ludskosti (crimes against humanity)
Slovenian
(Slovenscina)
Genocid

Also genocida; Iztrebljenje verske ali narodne skupnosti (extermination of a national collectivity), mnozieni umor (group homicide), izbris (erase)

Swedish
(Svenska)

Folkmord
Also brott mot mänskligheten (crimes against humanity) and krigsforbrytelser (war crimes).

Tagalog (Pilopino)

 Máramiháng papatáy o pagpuksâ ng mga tao
Thai Lang phao phan (to wash away the racial species)
Tibetan Massacre:
Uzbek genotsid
Welsh
(Cymraeg)
Hil-laddiad
Hil (race)
Wolof (Senegal)
Fagaala
(genocide)
Yiddish 
Gunazide
Genozid (genocide); Fulkermard (volkermord), Khurbn, hurban (destruction)
Fulkermard
Xhosa Ukubulala ngonhyamnhyeko
Zulu
Mfecane (great crushing, grinding), more parellel to ethnic cleansing than genocide. Usually refers to historical events in the early 1800s, which are still debated. See Sotho above

If you have a comment, correction or suggested addition to this list, please send an email message to info@preventgenocide.org

At this time we especially need assistance to translate or define the word genocide in Akan, Burmese (Myanamar), Dinka, Guarani, Gujarati, Hausa, Igbo, Javanese, Karen, Kashmiri, Kazakh, Macedonian, Maya-Quiché, Nuer, Quechua, Sinhala, Wolof, and Yoruba.

We need one or more of the following: 1) the word or phrase as it is written in the language, 2) a version of the word or phrase as it would appear in the Latin alphabet and 3) the literal meaning or definition of the word (see above for examples)

Another multilingual website Universal Declaration of Human Rights in over 300 languages on the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights website. On languages, see Ethnologue. Also see www.websters-dictionary-online.org/definition/english/ge/genocide.html

 

Prevent Genocide International

info@preventgenocide.org

Please send us your comments on our website.

 


 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Azeri