Black in Different Languages
Discover 'Black' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The color black holds a profound significance across different cultures and languages. Often associated with power, elegance, and mystery, black also symbolizes mourning and darkness in many Western cultures. However, in some African and Asian societies, black is seen as a symbol of fertility and prosperity. Given its varied cultural importance, it's no wonder that people might want to know the translation of 'black' in different languages.
Historically, black has been used to convey deep meanings in art, literature, and religion. For instance, in ancient Egypt, black was associated with the rich soil of the Nile River, symbolizing life and rebirth. In contrast, medieval European artists used black to depict evil and darkness.
Here are some translations of 'black' in various languages: Spanish - negro, French - noir, German - schwarz, Italian - nero, Chinese - 黑色 (hēisè), Japanese - 黒 (kuro), Arabic - أسود (aswad), and Hindi - काला (kālā).
Black
Black in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | swart | ||
| Swart is cognate with English 'swarthy' and Old English 'sweart', all meaning 'dark-complexioned'. | |||
| Amharic | ጥቁር | ||
| In Amharic, ጥቁር "black" can also refer to "dark-skinned persons" and "darkness, lack of light." | |||
| Hausa | baki | ||
| Hausa bak'i is also used to denote "darkness, night, or misfortune". | |||
| Igbo | oji | ||
| The Igbo word "oji" also refers to the Kola nut tree and its seed, "ojimba" and "ojịgide" respectively. | |||
| Malagasy | mainty | ||
| The Malagasy word "mainty" can also mean "heavy" or "difficult". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wakuda | ||
| The word "wakuda" can also refer to a type of black cloth worn by men. | |||
| Shona | nhema | ||
| The word "nhema" also means "blackness" as well as "darkness" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | madow | ||
| The word **madow** can also mean the color **dark gray** or **charcoal**. | |||
| Sesotho | batsho | ||
| Sesotho does not use the word 'batsho' to mean 'black'; rather, its homonym "batsho" means "chief" in a socio-economic or political sense and can be used figuratively (e.g. "police", "headmaster", "foreman"), whereas the word for "black" in Sesotho is "ntšo". | |||
| Swahili | nyeusi | ||
| The word 'nyeusi' is related to the Swahili word for 'night', 'usiku'. | |||
| Xhosa | mnyama | ||
| The word "mnyama" in Xhosa can also refer to a dark-skinned person. | |||
| Yoruba | dudu | ||
| The Yoruba term "dudu" also signifies darkness, and can describe concepts such as "shadow" or "mystery". | |||
| Zulu | mnyama | ||
| The word "mnyama" in Zulu has alternate meanings such as "darkness", "shadow", and "mystery". | |||
| Bambara | finman | ||
| Ewe | yibᴐ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umukara | ||
| Lingala | moindo | ||
| Luganda | obuddugavu | ||
| Sepedi | ntsho | ||
| Twi (Akan) | tuntum | ||
Black in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أسود | ||
| In ancient Yemen, "أسود" (black) symbolized the southern direction and the south Arabian tribes | |||
| Hebrew | שָׁחוֹר | ||
| "שָׁחוֹר" is also related to "שחר" (morning), alluding to the darkness of dawn. | |||
| Pashto | تور | ||
| In Pashto, "تور" (black) also means "very good" or "perfect". | |||
| Arabic | أسود | ||
| In ancient Yemen, "أسود" (black) symbolized the southern direction and the south Arabian tribes | |||
Black in Western European Languages
| Albanian | e zezë | ||
| The word "e zezë" (black) is also used figuratively to describe something that is very bad or unlucky, e.g., "një ditë e zezë" (a black day). | |||
| Basque | beltza | ||
| The word beltza (black) comes from the Basque word beltz, which also means raven. | |||
| Catalan | negre | ||
| The word "negre" in Catalan also carries connotations of evil, bad luck, or darkness, similar to the English term "black magic." | |||
| Croatian | crno | ||
| The word "crno" also has a figurative meaning of "gloomy" or "sad" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | sort | ||
| The Danish word "sort", "black" in English, is related to the Dutch "zwart", "black" in English. | |||
| Dutch | zwart | ||
| The word "zwart" in Dutch can also refer to a shade of brown or dark grey, derived from Old Dutch "swart" meaning burnt or charred. | |||
| English | black | ||
| The word "black" derives from the Anglo-Saxon "blac," meaning "dark" or "burnt." | |||
| French | noir | ||
| "Noir" also has connotations of mystery, crime, and the underworld in French slang. | |||
| Frisian | swart | ||
| The word "Swart" in Frisian originally referred to a dark-brown color, but it has since come to mean black in most dialects. | |||
| Galician | negro | ||
| In Galician, "negro" has been used with the meaning of "poor" or "unfortunate". | |||
| German | schwarz | ||
| The German word "schwarz" also means "dark", "dirty", or "unlucky" and can be used to describe coffee or bread. | |||
| Icelandic | svartur | ||
| The word "svartur" can also mean "dark" or "brown" in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | dubh | ||
| The Old Irish term 'dubh' can also refer to 'darkness,' 'shade,' or 'gloom,' and is used in names describing dark-haired, dark-complexioned, or swarthy people. | |||
| Italian | nero | ||
| In Latin, the word nero also means `strong' or `vigorous' and was used to describe black horses, which were considered the strongest. | |||
| Luxembourgish | schwaarz | ||
| The term 'schwaarz' is only used in the north of Luxembourg and is a derivation of the German word 'schwartz', which originated in the 8th century Middle High German 'swarz' meaning 'dark, dim, or dusky'. | |||
| Maltese | iswed | ||
| "Iswed" as a Maltese surname also means "The Black" as a nickname of a person with a dark complexion, especially if from Ħal-Qormi, but as a descriptor, it is exclusively used in reference to the colour black. | |||
| Norwegian | svart | ||
| The Proto-Germanic root of 'svart' also means 'dark, dirty, evil', which is reflected in its use in several Germanic languages like English ('swarthy') and Dutch ('smerig'). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | preto | ||
| In ancient times, "Preto" could also mean "dark gray" or "dark blue". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dubh | ||
| The word 'Dubh', or 'Black', can refer to the color of something, but can also be used to describe something that is mysterious, hidden, or evil. | |||
| Spanish | negro | ||
| In Spanish, the word "negro" can also mean "dark-haired" or "brunette", depending on the context. | |||
| Swedish | svart | ||
| The word "svart" in Swedish can have other meanings like "angry" or "dirty", and is also the root of the word "svartur" in Icelandic, which means "dark". | |||
| Welsh | du | ||
| The Welsh word "du" has a range of meanings including black, dark, grey, gloomy, sullen and melancholy. | |||
Black in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | чорны | ||
| The word "чорны" also means "dark brown" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | crna | ||
| "Crna" also means female, dark-haired and is used in the term "Crna Gorica" meaning Montenegro (Black Mountain). | |||
| Bulgarian | черен | ||
| In the Bulgarian language, "черен" also means "unfavorable" or "evil". | |||
| Czech | černá | ||
| "Černá" also refers to a Czech village in the Domažlice district, an island on the Vltava river and a lake near Český Krumlov. | |||
| Estonian | must | ||
| The word "must" in Estonian also means "ink" or "dye". | |||
| Finnish | musta | ||
| The word "musta" can also refer to "dirt", "grime", or "soil". | |||
| Hungarian | fekete | ||
| The word "fekete" in Hungarian also denotes darkness, evil, and mourning. | |||
| Latvian | melns | ||
| Latvian word "melns" may also refer to dark, murky, stained, or unlucky, and is cognate with the Lithuanian word "melamas" (black). | |||
| Lithuanian | juoda | ||
| The word "juoda" in Lithuanian also refers to bad luck, misfortune, or evil. | |||
| Macedonian | црна | ||
| The word "црна" is also used to describe soil or land that is rich and fertile. | |||
| Polish | czarny | ||
| 'Czarny' can also mean 'dark', 'gloomy', or 'sinister'. | |||
| Romanian | negru | ||
| "Negru" in Romanian can also mean "a foreigner", "a slave", or "a servant". | |||
| Russian | черный | ||
| The word "черный" (black) in Russian can also refer to anything evil or malicious. | |||
| Serbian | црн | ||
| In Montenegro, "crn" is used with a slightly different meaning to express a darker shade of red. | |||
| Slovak | čierna | ||
| The word "čierna" in Slovak can also refer to a type of coffee, a type of bread, or a type of soil. | |||
| Slovenian | črna | ||
| The word 'Črna' has Slavic roots and is related to the words for 'black' and 'dark' in many Slavic languages. | |||
| Ukrainian | чорний | ||
| In Ukrainian, "чорний" (black) also refers to a person's mood or character, as in "чорний гумор" (dark humor) or "чорна душа" (evil soul). | |||
Black in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কালো | ||
| The word "কালো" in Bengali, besides meaning "black", also refers to a deity of time who embodies destructive aspects. | |||
| Gujarati | કાળો | ||
| The word "કાળો" can also mean "a long period of time" or "fate" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | काली | ||
| The word "काली" also refers to the Hindu goddess of destruction and transformation. | |||
| Kannada | ಕಪ್ಪು | ||
| The word "ಕಪ್ಪು" also means "bad" or "wicked" in Kannada and is a cognate of the word "कपट" (kapata) in Sanskrit, meaning "fraud" or "deception". | |||
| Malayalam | കറുപ്പ് | ||
| In addition to its literal meaning of "black," "കറുപ്പ്" can also signify "grief" or "sorrow" in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | काळा | ||
| The word "काळा" can also refer to "time," "death," or "fate" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | कालो | ||
| The word "कालो" also means "the evil eye" or "the time of death" in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਾਲਾ | ||
| The word "ਕਾਲਾ" (black) is also used to describe darkness or death in Punjabi, and is related to the Sanskrit word "काल" (time) and the Proto-Indo-European root "*kale" meaning "to darken or hide."} | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කළු | ||
| "Kala," a term for black in the Sinhala language, can be traced to the Proto-Indo European root "kal," which also implies darkness, night or shadows. | |||
| Tamil | கருப்பு | ||
| The word 'கருப்பு' (karuppu) can also mean 'unripe' or 'not yet matured' in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | నలుపు | ||
| The word "నలుపు" (nalupu) in Telugu derives from the Proto-Dravidian word "nal-", meaning "dark" or "black". It shares a common origin with the Tamil word "நல்லது" (nalladu), meaning "good" or "virtuous". | |||
| Urdu | سیاہ | ||
| "سیاہ", in Urdu, derives from the Persian word "siah," which also means black, but can mean 'dark-complexioned,' or 'unlucky'. | |||
Black in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 黑色 | ||
| In addition to meaning "black," 黑色 (hēisè) can mean "dark, mysterious," or "unscrupulous, corrupt" in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 黑色 | ||
| The character 黑色 (black) is composed of two radicals: 黑 (black) and 色 (color). | |||
| Japanese | 黒 | ||
| The kanji "黒" can also mean "dark" or "secret" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 검정 | ||
| The root of 검정 is 검 (keom), which means dark, mysterious, or hidden. | |||
| Mongolian | хар | ||
| In Khalkha Mongolian, it is also used to refer to the black part of a traditional Mongolian yurt, but has since been replaced by "хараа". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အနက်ရောင် | ||
Black in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | hitam | ||
| "Hitam" is also an archaic term for "north". | |||
| Javanese | ireng | ||
| In archaic Javanese, 'ireng' has a broader meaning encompassing 'darkness' and 'lack of knowledge'. | |||
| Khmer | ខ្មៅ | ||
| In Khmer, "ខ្មៅ" can also mean "dark", "unclean", or "dirty." | |||
| Lao | ສີດໍາ | ||
| Malay | hitam | ||
| The word 'hitam' in Malay is also used to refer to 'dark', 'dirty', or 'evil' in metaphorical senses. | |||
| Thai | ดำ | ||
| In Thai, the word "ดำ" (dam) can also refer to a dark shade of brown, specifically in the context of hair or skin tone. | |||
| Vietnamese | đen | ||
| The word "đen" can also refer to the dark-colored areas of the body, such as moles or birthmarks, or the dark-colored parts of plants, such as roots or stems. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | itim | ||
Black in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qara | ||
| The word "qara" can also mean "severe" or "strong" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | қара | ||
| The word "қара" in Kazakh can also refer to the color dark brown or dark gray. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кара | ||
| "Кара" in Kyrgyz also refers to a black falcon or a dark-colored horse. | |||
| Tajik | сиёҳ | ||
| The word "сиёҳ" can also mean "dark blue" or "dark green" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | gara | ||
| Uzbek | qora | ||
| "Qora" is also a term used to describe a rich, deep red color in some contexts. | |||
| Uyghur | black | ||
Black in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | eleʻele | ||
| In Hawaiian, “eleʻele” can refer to any dark-colored thing, including but not limited to, the darkness of night or the black skin of certain fish species. | |||
| Maori | mangu | ||
| The word "mangu" can also mean "dark" or "mysterious". | |||
| Samoan | lanu uliuli | ||
| "Lanu uliuli" can also mean "very dark" or "deeply shaded". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | itim | ||
| "Itim" can also refer to the cardinal direction "west" or indicate the shade of color as opposed to the state of not emitting or reflecting light. | |||
Black in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ch'iyara | ||
| Guarani | hũ | ||
Black in International Languages
| Esperanto | nigra | ||
| Esperanto's "nigra" is cognate with English "negro" and is used in botany to contrast light and dark colors (e.g., green and black grapes). | |||
| Latin | nigreos | ||
| The word "nigreos" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *neǵrós, meaning "dark" or "black," and is related to the Greek word "nékros" meaning "corpse" or "dead." | |||
Black in Others Languages
| Greek | μαύρος | ||
| "Μαύρος" (black) in ancient Greek also meant "unlucky, sinister, or polluted," and "dark, gloomy, or mournful." | |||
| Hmong | dub | ||
| The word "dub" also means "darkness" or "night" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | reş | ||
| The word "reş" also refers to the color of a horse, a type of grape, and the pupil of the eye in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | siyah | ||
| The word 'siyah' in Turkish can also refer to the color 'brown' or a dark shade of a color. | |||
| Xhosa | mnyama | ||
| The word "mnyama" in Xhosa can also refer to a dark-skinned person. | |||
| Yiddish | שוואַרץ | ||
| In Yiddish, "שוואַרץ" can also refer to a dark-haired person, a black market, or a person of African descent. | |||
| Zulu | mnyama | ||
| The word "mnyama" in Zulu has alternate meanings such as "darkness", "shadow", and "mystery". | |||
| Assamese | ক’লা | ||
| Aymara | ch'iyara | ||
| Bhojpuri | करिया | ||
| Dhivehi | ކަޅު | ||
| Dogri | काला | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | itim | ||
| Guarani | hũ | ||
| Ilocano | nangisit | ||
| Krio | blak | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕەش | ||
| Maithili | कारी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯃꯨꯕ | ||
| Mizo | dum | ||
| Oromo | gurraacha | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କଳା | ||
| Quechua | yana | ||
| Sanskrit | कृष्णः | ||
| Tatar | кара | ||
| Tigrinya | ፀሊም | ||
| Tsonga | ntima | ||