Blind in Different Languages
Discover 'Blind' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'blind' holds a profound significance in our daily lives and cultural discourse. It refers to the lack of vision or the inability to see, but it also serves as a metaphor for ignorance, bias, and unexpected twists in life. Blindness, as a concept, has been explored in literature, films, and philosophical debates, shedding light on various aspects of human perception and understanding.
Moreover, the term 'blind' has fascinating historical contexts and interesting facts associated with it. For instance, did you know that the International Symbol of Access, which includes the silhouette of a person in a wheelchair, was initially designed to represent a blind person? This symbol has since evolved to encompass all forms of disability, reflecting the importance of inclusivity and accessibility in our society.
Given the significance and cultural importance of the word 'blind', it's not surprising that people might want to know its translation in different languages. Understanding the nuances of this term in various languages can provide valuable insights into how different cultures perceive and address blindness, as well as enhance our cross-cultural communication skills.
Here are some translations of the word 'blind' in different languages:
Blind
Blind in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | blind | ||
| Despite meaning 'blind' in English, 'blind' in Afrikaans is related to the Dutch word 'blind' meaning 'glare', and Afrikaans 'blinde' (noun) is 'venetian blind'. | |||
| Amharic | ዓይነ ስውር | ||
| The Amharic word "ዓይነ ስውር" can also mean "blind alley", "dead end", or "no way out". | |||
| Hausa | makaho | ||
| The name of the ancient Hausa god Makau Hoho may derive from "makaho" by assimilation of "a" in a verbal prefix. Makau Hoho was the god of darkness and blindness. | |||
| Igbo | kpuru ìsì | ||
| Malagasy | jamba | ||
| "JAMBA" in Malagasy also means to "close one's eyes" or "blink". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | khungu | ||
| The word "khungu" in Nyanja (Chichewa) can also refer to someone who is unable to see in the dark. | |||
| Shona | bofu | ||
| The word "bofu" can also mean "dark" or "hidden" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | indhoole | ||
| The word "indhoole" in Somali has several other meanings, including "a dark place" and "a hole in the ground". | |||
| Sesotho | foufetse | ||
| The word "foufetse" can also refer to someone who is naive or gullible. | |||
| Swahili | kipofu | ||
| Kipofu can also refer to a dense forest or thicket. | |||
| Xhosa | ukungaboni | ||
| In Xhosa, 'ukungaboni' means 'not seeing' rather than 'blind' and is etymologically related to 'ukubona' meaning 'to see'. | |||
| Yoruba | afoju | ||
| The term "afoju" in Yoruba is also used to refer to individuals who are not visually impaired but are gullible and naive. | |||
| Zulu | impumputhe | ||
| The Zulu word 'impumputhe' also refers to someone who is naive or unaware, due to their inability to see and perceive clearly. | |||
| Bambara | fiyentɔ | ||
| Ewe | gbã ŋku | ||
| Kinyarwanda | impumyi | ||
| Lingala | mokufi-miso | ||
| Luganda | -zibe | ||
| Sepedi | foufala | ||
| Twi (Akan) | anifira | ||
Blind in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | بليند | ||
| The Arabic word "بليند" can also refer to "a window" or "a shutter". | |||
| Hebrew | סומא | ||
| In Hebrew, סומא means “blind,” but also can mean “mute,” and is used as a nickname for someone who is silent. | |||
| Pashto | ړوند | ||
| The Pashto word "ړوند" can also mean "one-eyed" or "unaware of something." | |||
| Arabic | بليند | ||
| The Arabic word "بليند" can also refer to "a window" or "a shutter". | |||
Blind in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i verbër | ||
| "I verbër" is the Albanian derivative of the Proto-Indo-European *wer- which means "see" | |||
| Basque | itsu | ||
| The Basque word "itsu" can also mean "concealed" or "hidden". | |||
| Catalan | cec | ||
| The Catalan word "cec" (blind) is derived from the Latin word "caecus", meaning "lacking sight". | |||
| Croatian | slijep | ||
| The word "slijep" is derived from the verb "sljediti" (to follow) and originally meant "not following" or "straying from the path" in Old Slavic languages. | |||
| Danish | blind | ||
| The word "blind" in Danish has a few related meanings, including "to close the eyes" and "to be unaware of something." | |||
| Dutch | blind | ||
| The Dutch word “blind” can also refer to a kind of window shutters that can be rolled up and down. | |||
| English | blind | ||
| The word 'blind' can also mean 'hidden' or 'unseen', as in 'a blind spot' or 'blind faith'. | |||
| French | aveugle | ||
| "Aveugle" also means "blinded by love" in a figurative sense. | |||
| Frisian | blyn | ||
| Frisian has a second homograph of 'blyn', which is spelled exactly the same but means to 'deceive', 'mislead', or 'trick'. | |||
| Galician | cego | ||
| The word cego comes from the Latin word caecus which also means 'blind', and it is also the origin of the Spanish word ciego which means the same. | |||
| German | blind | ||
| The German word "blind" is related to the Old English verb "blindan", which means "to strike" or "to dazzle." | |||
| Icelandic | blindur | ||
| The Icelandic word "blindur" also means "window shutter". | |||
| Irish | dall | ||
| The Irish word "dall" also means "dim" or "obscure". | |||
| Italian | cieco | ||
| The Italian word "cieco" can also refer to someone who is deluded or obstinate. | |||
| Luxembourgish | blann | ||
| The term "blann" in Luxembourgish, meaning "blind", is related to the Middle High German word "bleich," meaning not seeing. | |||
| Maltese | għomja | ||
| The word "għomja" in Maltese can also mean "darkening" or "eclipse". | |||
| Norwegian | blind | ||
| The word "blind" comes from the Old Norse word "blindr," meaning "to strike" or "to dazzle." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | cego | ||
| The word "cego" in Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) derives from the Latin "caecus," meaning "blind" or "in the dark." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dall | ||
| Dall also means `deaf` in Scots Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | ciego | ||
| In Spanish, "ciego," meaning "blind," derives from the Latin "caecus," also meaning "blind," with a related verb "caecare," or "to blind." | |||
| Swedish | blind | ||
| The word "blind" in Swedish also means "window panel". | |||
| Welsh | dall | ||
| The Welsh word "dall" derives from the Proto-Celtic root "dal-", meaning "concealed" or "hidden", and is cognate with the Latin "dolus" (meaning "trickery"). | |||
Blind in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | сляпы | ||
| The word "сляпы" likely comes from the ancient root *sle-, meaning "to see". | |||
| Bosnian | slijep | ||
| In Bosnian, the word 'slijep' is related to the root 'slepać', meaning 'to prevent from seeing'. | |||
| Bulgarian | сляп | ||
| In addition to meaning "blind", the Bulgarian word "сляп" can also refer to a person who is careless or clumsy. | |||
| Czech | slepý | ||
| "Slepý" is also an archaic term for "deaf". In some Old Czech texts, the two meanings of "slepý" are used interchangeably. | |||
| Estonian | pime | ||
| Pime, meaning "blind" in Estonian, may also refer to darkness or ignorance. | |||
| Finnish | sokea | ||
| "Sokea" is a word used in Finnish to describe someone who has lost their sense of sight or is visually impaired. | |||
| Hungarian | vak | ||
| Vak also means to 'stumble' or 'hesitate' in Hungarian, possibly from the old Slavic 'vыkati'. | |||
| Latvian | akls | ||
| The Latvian word "akls" can also refer to someone who is lacking understanding or insight. | |||
| Lithuanian | aklas | ||
| Aklas, like akmuo (stone), derives from the Indo-European root *ak-, meaning 'sharp' or 'pointed'. | |||
| Macedonian | слеп | ||
| The word "слеп" can also mean "dull" or "blunt". | |||
| Polish | ślepy | ||
| "Ślepy" can also mean "deaf" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | orb | ||
| In Romanian, "orb" is a synonym for "blind," but it originally meant "circle" or "sphere," as it still does in English. | |||
| Russian | слепой | ||
| The word "слепой" also means "dark", "dim", or "opaque" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | слеп | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "blind," "слеп" can also refer to "unlucky". | |||
| Slovak | slepý | ||
| "Slepý" also means "deaf" in old Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | slep | ||
| The Slovene word 'slep' originally meant 'unable to see' and later expanded to mean 'blind'. | |||
| Ukrainian | сліпий | ||
| The word "сліпий" also means "dark" or "unseeable" in Ukrainian. | |||
Blind in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অন্ধ | ||
| The word "অন্ধ" (ôndhô) in Bengali can also refer to "blind" or "unsighted," as well as "dark" or "unlit." | |||
| Gujarati | અંધ | ||
| The Gujarati word "અંધ" (blind) also has the alternate meaning of "ignorant" or "uneducated." | |||
| Hindi | अंधा | ||
| The word "अंधा" also means "dark" or "dim" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಬ್ಲೈಂಡ್ | ||
| The Kannada word "ब्लाइंड" (blind) has its origins in the Sanskrit word "ब्लेन्डा" (bleanda), meaning "crippled" or "lame". | |||
| Malayalam | അന്ധൻ | ||
| "അന്ധൻ" is also used to refer to a person who lacks knowledge or understanding of a particular subject | |||
| Marathi | आंधळा | ||
| The word "आंधळा" is derived from the Sanskrit word "अंध" meaning "darkness" and can also refer to a person who is "uneducated" or "ignorant". | |||
| Nepali | अन्धा | ||
| The Nepali word "अन्धा" can also refer to a type of fish or a measure of distance. | |||
| Punjabi | ਅੰਨ੍ਹਾ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අ න් ධ | ||
| In Sanskrit, the word "andha" means "darkness", and in Tamil, it means "to extinguish." | |||
| Tamil | குருட்டு | ||
| "குருட்டு" in Tamil can also refer to a type of traditional Tamil musical instrument consisting of a hollow gourd and a bamboo reed. | |||
| Telugu | గుడ్డి | ||
| "గుడ్డి" (gudḍi) can also mean a small child or, in a context of play, to 'move blindly' in a game of hide and seek. | |||
| Urdu | اندھا | ||
| اندھا can mean 'blind', 'dark', 'unseen', 'hidden', 'unaware', or 'without insight'. | |||
Blind in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 盲 | ||
| The character 盲 (máng) can also refer to ignorance or folly. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 盲 | ||
| "盲" can also mean: 1. ignorant; 2. dark; 3. in the dark; 4. blindly; 5. blindly optimistic; 6. blindly self-confident; 7. blindly arrogant; 8. blindly obedient; 9. blindly following others; 10. blindly pursuing fashion; 11. blindly worshipping foreign things; 12. blindly believing in authority; 13. blindly believing in superstition; 14. blindly following the crowd; 15. blindly following the trend; 16. blindly following the masses; 17. blindly following the media; 18. blindly following the masses; 19. blindly following the mainstream; 20. blindly following the herd; 21. blindly following the public opinion; 22. blindly following the fashion; 23. blindly following the trend; 24. blindly following the crowd; 25. blindly following the masses; 26. blindly following the media; 27. blindly following the herd; 28. blindly following the public opinion; 29. blindly following the masses; 30. blindly following the mainstream; 31. blindly following the herd; 32. blindly following the public opinion; 33. blindly following the masses; 34. blindly following the mainstream; 35. blindly following the herd. | |||
| Japanese | ブラインド | ||
| The word "ブラインド" (blind) can also refer to curtains, shutters, or shades. | |||
| Korean | 블라인드 | ||
| The word "블라인드" can also mean "curtain" or "shade" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | сохор | ||
| The Mongolian word "сохор" means "blind" but was also used as a term for a shaman's blindness during a divination rite. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မျက်စိကန်းသော | ||
| The term is a compound word of two synonyms, “မြင်” and “စိတ်” both of which mean “to see”. The term means “to see with mind’s eyes” in Burmese, and implies a “seeing” with extra-sensory perception, rather than physical vision. | |||
Blind in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | buta | ||
| Javanese | wuta | ||
| Wuta in Javanese not only means 'blind' but also 'closed' as in 'covered' or 'blocked out'. | |||
| Khmer | ខ្វាក់ | ||
| The Khmer word "khvak" can also mean "unable to see" in a figurative sense, such as "blind to the truth". | |||
| Lao | ຕາບອດ | ||
| "ຕາບອດ" (blind) comes from the Proto-Tai words *ta¹ boŋ¹ (ตาบอด), meaning "blind". | |||
| Malay | buta | ||
| The Malay word "buta" has multiple meanings, including "blind", "ignorant", and "unlucky". | |||
| Thai | ตาบอด | ||
| In traditional Thai belief, "ตาบอด" can also refer to having your "third eye" shut or being unable to perceive the spiritual world. | |||
| Vietnamese | mù | ||
| The word "mù" in Vietnamese also means "dark" or "invisible". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bulag | ||
Blind in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | kor | ||
| The word "kor" has Turkic origins and is cognate with the words "kurt" (wolf) and "kar" (snow) in some other Turkic languages, suggesting an earlier association with a fearsome or intimidating force. | |||
| Kazakh | соқыр | ||
| In Kazakh, the word "Соқыр" ("blind") is also colloquially used to refer to someone who is naive or gullible. | |||
| Kyrgyz | сокур | ||
| The verb ''соо көр-'' in Kyrgyz literally means ''not being able to see with one eye''. | |||
| Tajik | кӯр | ||
| The word "кӯр" comes from the Persian word "کور", which means "son", or "descendant". It is also used metaphorically to refer to someone who is lacking in knowledge or understanding. | |||
| Turkmen | kör | ||
| Uzbek | ko'r | ||
| "Ko'r" shares the same ancestor as the words "glare" and "chorus". | |||
| Uyghur | قارىغۇ | ||
Blind in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | makapō | ||
| Makapō ('blind') also means a 'wellspring' (often found in place names). | |||
| Maori | matapo | ||
| The Maori word "matapo" has a literal meaning of "face of death" and can also mean "zombie." | |||
| Samoan | tauaso | ||
| "Taūsō" also refers to the traditional tattoo applied around Samoan women's eyes. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | bulag | ||
| In Tagalog, "bulag" can also be a noun that refers to a small type of freshwater fish. | |||
Blind in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | juykhu | ||
| Guarani | ohecha'ỹva | ||
Blind in International Languages
| Esperanto | blindulo | ||
| A 'blindulo' is a blind person, but it can also be a window blind, a blind corner on the road, or a blind alley. | |||
| Latin | caecus | ||
| The Latin word "caecus" can also refer to darkness, obscurity, or ignorance, and is related to the Sanskrit word "kan" meaning "one-eyed". | |||
Blind in Others Languages
| Greek | τυφλός | ||
| The word 'τυφλός' (typhlos) can also mean 'dark' or 'obscure' in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | dig muag | ||
| The word "dig muag" in Hmong is a compound word, with "dig" meaning "eye" and "muag" meaning "closed" or "hidden". | |||
| Kurdish | kor | ||
| The Kurdish word "kor" (meaning "blind") also refers to a "dimly lit cave or a place with little light," suggesting a connection between sight and darkness. | |||
| Turkish | kör | ||
| Kör also means "burnt" or "baked", as in "kör ekmek" (bread cooked until it becomes slightly burnt). | |||
| Xhosa | ukungaboni | ||
| In Xhosa, 'ukungaboni' means 'not seeing' rather than 'blind' and is etymologically related to 'ukubona' meaning 'to see'. | |||
| Yiddish | בלינד | ||
| Although the Yiddish word "בלינד" commonly means "blind," it can also refer to something "not right" or "incorrect." | |||
| Zulu | impumputhe | ||
| The Zulu word 'impumputhe' also refers to someone who is naive or unaware, due to their inability to see and perceive clearly. | |||
| Assamese | অন্ধ | ||
| Aymara | juykhu | ||
| Bhojpuri | आन्हर | ||
| Dhivehi | ލޯ އަނދިރި | ||
| Dogri | अन्ना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bulag | ||
| Guarani | ohecha'ỹva | ||
| Ilocano | buldeng | ||
| Krio | blayn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کوێر | ||
| Maithili | आन्हर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯤꯠ ꯇꯥꯡꯕ | ||
| Mizo | mitdel | ||
| Oromo | qaroo kan hin qabne | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅନ୍ଧ | ||
| Quechua | ñawsa | ||
| Sanskrit | अन्ध | ||
| Tatar | сукыр | ||
| Tigrinya | ዕውር | ||
| Tsonga | bofu | ||