Kill in Different Languages: How to Say “Kill” in 70 Languages

The word “kill” is a strong English verb that generally means causing the death of a person, animal, or living thing. It can also appear in non-literal expressions, such as “kill time” or “kill the mood.

” Because its meaning can change with context, learning its equivalent in another language requires attention to how the word is naturally used.

If you are searching for kill in different languages, this guide provides 70 translations along with simple pronunciations and short examples.

If you are studying languages, writing dialogue, researching vocabulary, or simply curious about how to say kill in different languages, the table below makes these translations easy to compare.

Kill in All Languages

The following table lists the common verb equivalent of “to kill” in 70 languages. Pronunciations are approximate English-friendly guides, so actual pronunciation may vary by accent or region.

#	Language	Native Phrase	Easy English Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
1	English	to kill	tuh kil	They want to kill the character.	They want to kill the character.
2	Spanish	matar	mah-TAR	El villano quiere matar al héroe.	The villain wants to kill the hero.
3	French	tuer	tweh-AY	Le personnage veut tuer le monstre.	The character wants to kill the monster.
4	German	töten	TUR-ten	Der Bösewicht will den Helden töten.	The villain wants to kill the hero.
5	Italian	uccidere	oot-chee-DEH-reh	Il cattivo vuole uccidere il mostro.	The villain wants to kill the monster.
6	Portuguese	matar	mah-TAR	O vilão quer matar o herói.	The villain wants to kill the hero.
7	Dutch	doden	DOH-den	De schurk wil de held doden.	The villain wants to kill the hero.
8	Russian	убивать	oo-bee-VAT	Он хочет убивать монстров.	He wants to kill monsters.
9	Ukrainian	вбивати	vby-va-TY	Він хоче вбивати монстрів.	He wants to kill monsters.
10	Polish	zabijać	zah-BY-yatch	Nie wolno zabijać zwierząt.	One must not kill animals.
11	Czech	zabít	ZAH-bit	Nie chcę zabít muchu.	I do not want to kill the fly.
12	Slovak	zabiť	ZAH-bit	Nechce zabiť vtáka.	He does not want to kill the bird.
13	Slovenian	ubiti	oo-BEE-tee	Ne želim ubiti živali.	I do not want to kill an animal.
14	Croatian	ubiti	oo-BEE-tee	Ne želim ubiti životinju.	I do not want to kill an animal.
15	Serbian	убити	oo-BEE-tee	Ne želim ubiti životinju.	I do not want to kill an animal.
16	Bosnian	ubiti	oo-BEE-tee	Ne treba ubiti životinju.	An animal should not be killed.
17	Bulgarian	убивам	oo-BEE-vam	Не трябва да убиваме животни.	We should not kill animals.
18	Macedonian	убива	oo-BEE-va	Не треба да убиваме животни.	We should not kill animals.
19	Greek	σκοτώνω	sko-TOH-no	Δεν θέλω να σκοτώσω το ζώο.	I do not want to kill the animal.
20	Romanian	a ucide	ah oo-CHEE-deh	Nu vreau să ucid animalul.	I do not want to kill the animal.
21	Hungarian	ölni	UHL-nee	Nem akarok ölni.	I do not want to kill.
22	Finnish	tappaa	TAP-pah	En halua tappaa eläintä.	I do not want to kill an animal.
23	Estonian	tapma	TAP-mah	Ma ei taha looma tappa.	I do not want to kill an animal.
24	Latvian	nogalināt	noh-gah-lee-NAHT	Es negribu nogalināt dzīvnieku.	I do not want to kill an animal.
25	Lithuanian	nužudyti	noo-ZHOO-dy-tee	Nenoriu nužudyti gyvūno.	I do not want to kill an animal.
26	Swedish	döda	DUR-dah	Han vill inte döda djuret.	He does not want to kill the animal.
27	Norwegian	drepe	DRAY-peh	Jeg vil ikke drepe dyret.	I do not want to kill the animal.
28	Danish	dræbe	DRAY-beh	Jeg vil ikke dræbe dyret.	I do not want to kill the animal.
29	Icelandic	drepa	DREH-pah	Ég vil ekki drepa dýrið.	I do not want to kill the animal.
30	Irish	a mharú	uh WAH-roo	Níor cheart an t-ainmhí a mharú.	The animal should not be killed.
31	Welsh	lladd	h-lahd	Ni ddylid lladd anifail.	An animal should not be killed.
32	Scottish Gaelic	marbhadh	MAR-oo	Chan eil e ceart marbhadh bheathaichean.	It is not right to kill animals.
33	Basque	hil	heel	Ez dut animalia hil nahi.	I do not want to kill the animal.
34	Catalan	matar	mah-TAR	No vull matar l’animal.	I do not want to kill the animal.
35	Galician	matar	mah-TAR	Non quero matar o animal.	I do not want to kill the animal.
36	Maltese	joqtol	YOK-tol	Ma rridx noqtol l-annimal.	I do not want to kill the animal.
37	Albanian	vras	vras	Nuk dua të vras.	I do not want to kill.
38	Turkish	öldürmek	UHL-dur-mek	Hayvanı öldürmek istemiyorum.	I do not want to kill the animal.
39	Azerbaijani	öldürmək	uhl-dur-MEK	Mən heyvanı öldürmək istəmirəm.	I do not want to kill the animal.
40	Georgian	მოკვლა	mok-VLA	ცხოველის მოკვლა არ მინდა.	I do not want to kill the animal.
41	Armenian	սպանել	spah-NEL	Ես չեմ ուզում սպանել։	I do not want to kill.
42	Persian	کشتن	kosh-TAN	نمی‌خواهم کسی را بکشم.	I do not want to kill anyone.
43	Arabic	قتل	QAT-l	لا أريد أن أقتل أحدًا.	I do not want to kill anyone.
44	Hebrew	להרוג	lah-ha-ROHG	אני לא רוצה להרוג אף אחד.	I do not want to kill anyone.
45	Hindi	मारना	MAAR-na	मैं किसी को मारना नहीं चाहता।	I do not want to kill anyone.
46	Urdu	مارنا	MAAR-na	میں کسی کو مارنا نہیں چاہتا۔	I do not want to kill anyone.
47	Bengali	হত্যা করা	hot-tya KOH-ra	আমি কাউকে হত্যা করতে চাই না।	I do not want to kill anyone.
48	Punjabi	ਮਾਰਨਾ	MAAR-na	ਮੈਂ ਕਿਸੇ ਨੂੰ ਮਾਰਨਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਚਾਹੁੰਦਾ।	I do not want to kill anyone.
49	Gujarati	મારવું	MAAR-voo	હું કોઈને મારવા માંગતો નથી.	I do not want to kill anyone.
50	Marathi	मारणे	MAA-ra-ne	मला कोणालाही मारायचे नाही.	I do not want to kill anyone.
51	Nepali	मार्नु	MAAR-noo	म कसैलाई मार्न चाहन्नँ।	I do not want to kill anyone.
52	Sinhala	මරනවා	mah-rah-nah-WAH	මට කාවවත් මරන්න ඕන නැහැ.	I do not want to kill anyone.
53	Tamil	கொல்ல	KOL-lah	நான் யாரையும் கொல்ல விரும்பவில்லை.	I do not want to kill anyone.
54	Telugu	చంపడం	CHAM-pa-dam	నేను ఎవరినీ చంపాలని అనుకోవడం లేదు.	I do not want to kill anyone.
55	Kannada	ಕೊಲ್ಲು	KOL-loo	ನಾನು ಯಾರನ್ನೂ ಕೊಲ್ಲಲು ಬಯಸುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.	I do not want to kill anyone.
56	Malayalam	കൊല്ലുക	KOL-loo-kah	എനിക്ക് ആരെയും കൊല്ലാൻ ആഗ്രഹമില്ല.	I do not want to kill anyone.
57	Odia	ମାରିବା	MAA-ree-bah	ମୁଁ କାହାକୁ ମାରିବାକୁ ଚାହେଁ ନାହିଁ।	I do not want to kill anyone.
58	Thai	ฆ่า	KAH	ฉันไม่ต้องการฆ่าใคร	I do not want to kill anyone.
59	Vietnamese	giết	zee-ET	Tôi không muốn giết ai.	I do not want to kill anyone.
60	Indonesian	membunuh	mem-BOO-nooh	Saya tidak ingin membunuh siapa pun.	I do not want to kill anyone.
61	Malay	membunuh	mem-BOO-nooh	Saya tidak mahu membunuh sesiapa.	I do not want to kill anyone.
62	Filipino	pumatay	poo-mah-TAY	Ayaw kong pumatay ng sinuman.	I do not want to kill anyone.
63	Javanese	mateni	mah-TEH-nee	Aku ora pengin mateni sapa wae.	I do not want to kill anyone.
64	Chinese (Mandarin)	杀	SHAH	我不想杀任何人。	I do not want to kill anyone.
65	Japanese	殺す	koh-ROO-soo	誰も殺したくない。	I do not want to kill anyone.
66	Korean	죽이다	joo-gee-dah	나는 누구도 죽이고 싶지 않다.	I do not want to kill anyone.
67	Mongolian	алах	ah-LAKH	Би хэнийг ч алахыг хүсэхгүй байна.	I do not want to kill anyone.
68	Swahili	kuua	koo-OO-ah	Sitaki kuua mtu yeyote.	I do not want to kill anyone.
69	Afrikaans	doodmaak	DOHT-mahk	Ek wil niemand doodmaak nie.	I do not want to kill anyone.
70	Zulu	ukubulala	oo-koo-boo-LAH-lah	Angifuni ukubulala muntu.	I do not want to kill anyone.

How to Say “Kill” in Different Languages

The translation of “kill” varies considerably across languages. Some languages use a single infinitive or dictionary form, while others change the verb according to tense, person, number, or grammatical structure.

For example, Spanish uses matar, French uses tuer, German uses töten, Japanese uses 殺す (korosu), and Arabic commonly uses قتل (qatala). In Hindi and Urdu, मारना (maarna) can have several meanings depending on context, so the surrounding sentence is important.

Kill Translations Around the World

The word “kill” around the world can have both literal and figurative uses. In English, for example, “kill time” does not mean causing death; it means spending time while waiting. Similar expressions may use completely different verbs in other languages.

When using a translation in conversation, literature, subtitles, or creative writing, always consider the surrounding context. A dictionary translation may not always be the most natural expression in a complete sentence.

Literal and Figurative Uses of “Kill”

The literal meaning of “kill” is to cause the death of a living being. However, English also uses the word in several figurative expressions.

Common examples include:

• Kill time — spend time while waiting.
• Kill the mood — ruin an enjoyable atmosphere.
• Kill a conversation — cause a conversation to stop.
• Kill a project — cancel or discontinue a project.
• Kill the engine — turn off an engine.
• Kill the lights — switch off the lights.

These expressions should not automatically be translated word-for-word because other languages may use completely different idioms.

Why Learn “Kill” in Different Languages?

Learning kill in different languages can be useful for vocabulary development, language comparison, translation practice, fiction writing, and understanding international media.

It also demonstrates how different languages organize verbs. Some languages distinguish grammatical forms more strongly than English, while others rely heavily on context.

For students and language learners, studying the word alongside a complete example sentence is often more useful than memorizing a translation alone.

Tips for Using Kill Translations Correctly

When learning kill translations, keep these points in mind:

1. Check the context. A literal meaning and an idiomatic meaning can be very different.
2. Learn the pronunciation. The pronunciation guides in the table are simplified for English speakers.
3. Study complete sentences. This helps you understand how the verb functions naturally.
4. Watch grammatical forms. Verbs may change according to tense, person, gender, or number.
5. Use sensitive wording carefully. Because “kill” describes death or can refer to violence, context and tone matter.

FAQs:

1. How do you say “kill” in different languages?

“Kill” has different translations across languages. Examples include matar in Spanish, tuer in French, töten in German, убивать in Russian, قتل in Arabic, मारना in Hindi, 殺す in Japanese, and 죽이다 in Korean.

2. What is “kill” in Spanish?

The common Spanish verb for “to kill” is matar. It is pronounced approximately “mah-TAR.”

3. What is “kill” in Japanese?

The Japanese verb 殺す (korosu) means “to kill.” Its pronunciation is approximately “koh-ROO-soo.”

4. What is “kill” in Hindi and Urdu?

In Hindi, “to kill” is commonly expressed as मारना (maarna). In Urdu, the corresponding form is مارنا (maarna). The exact meaning can depend on context and sentence construction.

5. Why can “kill” have different translations depending on context?

“Kill” can be literal or figurative. Expressions such as “kill time” and “kill the mood” have meanings that are different from causing death. Therefore, a natural translation should consider the complete sentence rather than translating the word in isolation.

Conclusion

Learning kill in different languages offers a useful way to compare vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, and cultural expressions across languages.

The 70 translations above provide a convenient starting point for understanding how to say kill in different languages and exploring kill in all languages.

Remember that the best translation depends on context. For everyday communication, academic study, translation, or writing, looking at the complete sentence will usually produce a more natural result than relying on a single dictionary equivalent.