The hyena is a fascinating animal known for its distinctive laugh and social behavior. Just as with “yes,” the word for “hyena” can differ significantly across languages and cultures. In this article, we’ll explore how the word for “hyena” is expressed in different languages around the world, from the most commonly spoken languages to some of the lesser-known ones.
Here is a list of how to say “hyena” in 70 different languages:
- Albanian (🇦🇱) – Hiena | Pronunciation: Hee-eh-nah
- Arabic (🇸🇦) – ضبع (Dhab’) | Pronunciation: Thahb
- Armenian (🇦🇲) – Մողես (Moghes) | Pronunciation: Mo-ghes
- Azerbaijani (🇦🇿) – Hiyena | Pronunciation: Hee-yeh-nah
- Basque (🇪🇸) – Hiena | Pronunciation: Hee-eh-nah
- Belarusian (🇧🇾) – Гіена (Hiena) | Pronunciation: Hee-yeh-nah
- Bengali (🇧🇩) – হায়েনা (Hayena) | Pronunciation: Hah-yeh-nah
- Bosnian (🇧🇦) – Hijena | Pronunciation: Hee-yeh-nah
- Bulgarian (🇧🇬) – Хиена (Hiena) | Pronunciation: Hee-yeh-nah
- Catalan (🇪🇸 – Catalonia) – Hiena | Pronunciation: Hee-eh-nah
- Czech (🇨🇿) – Hyena | Pronunciation: Hyeh-nah
- Danish (🇩🇰) – Hyæne | Pronunciation: Hyeh-neh
- Dutch (🇳🇱) – Hyena | Pronunciation: Hyeh-nah
- English (🇺🇸 / 🇬🇧) – Hyena | Pronunciation: Hyeh-nah
- Estonian (🇪🇪) – Hüään | Pronunciation: Hoo-ahn
- Farsi (Persian) (🇮🇷) – کفتار (Kaftar) | Pronunciation: Kaf-tar
- Finnish (🇫🇮) – Hyeena | Pronunciation: Hyeh-eh-nah
- French (🇫🇷) – Hyène | Pronunciation: Yenn
- Georgian (🇬🇪) – აფრიკული ტურები (Afrik’uli Turebi) | Pronunciation: Ah-fri-koolee Too-reh-bee
- German (🇩🇪) – Hyäne | Pronunciation: Hyay-neh
- Greek (🇬🇷) – Ύαινα (Yaina) | Pronunciation: Yay-nah
- Hebrew (🇮🇱) – צבוע (Tzvoa) | Pronunciation: Ts-vo-ah
- Hindi (🇮🇳) – लकड़बग्घा (Lakadbaggah) | Pronunciation: Lah-kad-bag-gah
- Hungarian (🇭🇺) – Hiéna | Pronunciation: Hee-eh-nah
- Icelandic (🇮🇸) – Hýena | Pronunciation: Hee-yeh-nah
- Indonesian (🇮🇩) – Hyena | Pronunciation: Hee-yeh-nah
- Irish Gaelic (🇮🇪) – Hyena | Pronunciation: Hyeh-nah
- Italian (🇮🇹) – Iena | Pronunciation: Yeh-nah
- Japanese (🇯🇵) – ハイエナ (Haiena) | Pronunciation: Hah-ee-eh-nah
- Kazakh (🇰🇿) – Гиена (Giena) | Pronunciation: Ghee-eh-nah
- Khmer (Cambodian) (🇰🇭) – ខ្ទើយ (Khteuy) | Pronunciation: Kh-teuy
- Korean (🇰🇷) – 하이에나 (Haiena) | Pronunciation: Hah-ee-eh-nah
- Kurdish (🇮🇶 / 🇸🇾 / 🇹🇷 / 🇮🇷) – Hîna | Pronunciation: Hee-nah
- Kyrgyz (🇰🇬) – Гиена (Giena) | Pronunciation: Ghee-eh-nah
- Lao (🇱🇦) – ພວກຂີດ (Phuak Khith) | Pronunciation: Phu-ahk Khit
- Latvian (🇱🇻) – Hiena | Pronunciation: Hee-eh-nah
- Lithuanian (🇱🇹) – Hiena | Pronunciation: Hee-eh-nah
- Luxembourgish (🇱🇺) – Hyena | Pronunciation: Hyeh-nah
- Macedonian (🇲🇰) – Хиена (Hiena) | Pronunciation: Hee-eh-nah
- Malay (🇲🇾 / 🇮🇩) – Hyena | Pronunciation: Hee-yeh-nah
- Maltese (🇲🇹) – Iena | Pronunciation: Yeh-nah
- Mandarin Chinese (🇨🇳) – 鬣狗 (Liègǒu) | Pronunciation: Lyeh-go
- Marathi (🇮🇳) – तरस (Taras) | Pronunciation: Tah-ras
- Mongolian (🇲🇳) – Hyena | Pronunciation: Hee-yeh-nah
- Nepali (🇳🇵) – हाइना (Haina) | Pronunciation: Hye-nah
- Norwegian (🇳🇴) – Hyene | Pronunciation: Hyeh-neh
- Pashto (🇦🇫) – ګيدړه (Gidarha) | Pronunciation: Gee-dar-hah
- Polish (🇵🇱) – Hiena | Pronunciation: Hee-eh-nah
- Portuguese (🇵🇹 / 🇧🇷) – Hiena | Pronunciation: Hee-eh-nah
- Romanian (🇷🇴) – Hienă | Pronunciation: Hee-yeh-nuh
- Russian (🇷🇺) – Гиена (Giena) | Pronunciation: Ghee-eh-nah
- Serbian (🇷🇸) – Хијена (Hijena) | Pronunciation: Hee-yeh-nah
- Sinhala (🇱🇰) – හීනාවා (Hīnāwā) | Pronunciation: Hee-nah-wah
- Slovak (🇸🇰) – Hyena | Pronunciation: Hyeh-nah
- Slovenian (🇸🇮) – Hijena | Pronunciation: Hee-yeh-nah
- Somali (🇸🇴) – Waraabe | Pronunciation: Wah-rah-bay
- Spanish (🇪🇸) – Hiena | Pronunciation: Hee-eh-nah
- Swahili (🇰🇪 / 🇹🇿) – Fisi | Pronunciation: Fee-see
- Swedish (🇸🇪) – Hyena | Pronunciation: Hyeh-nah
- Tajik (🇹🇯) – Гиена (Giena) | Pronunciation: Ghee-eh-nah
- Tamil (🇮🇳) – ஹியீனா (Hiyīṉā) | Pronunciation: Hee-yee-nah
- Telugu (🇮🇳) – హైన (Haina) | Pronunciation: Hye-nah
- Thai (🇹🇭) – ไฮยีนา (Hái Yī Nā) | Pronunciation: Hai-yee-nah
- Turkish (🇹🇷) – Sırtlan | Pronunciation: Surt-lahn
- Ukrainian (🇺🇦) – Гієна (Hiiena) | Pronunciation: Hee-yeh-nah
- Urdu (🇵🇰) – لکڑبگڑ (Lakṛbaghaṛ) | Pronunciation: Lak-ur-bag-har
- Uzbek (🇺🇿) – Gigena | Pronunciation: Gee-geh-nah
- Vietnamese (🇻🇳) – Linh cẩu | Pronunciation: Lin-khau
- Welsh (🇬🇧 – Wales) – Hyena | Pronunciation: Hyeh-nah
- Zulu (🇿🇦) – Imphisi | Pronunciation: Im-pee-see
