Afrikaans blind | ||
Albanian i verbër | ||
Amharic ዓይነ ስውር | ||
Arabic بليند | ||
Armenian կույր | ||
Assamese অন্ধ | ||
Aymara juykhu | ||
Azerbaijani kor | ||
Bambara fiyentɔ | ||
Basque itsu | ||
Belarusian сляпы | ||
Bengali অন্ধ | ||
Bhojpuri आन्हर | ||
Bosnian slijep | ||
Bulgarian сляп | ||
Catalan cec | ||
Cebuano buta | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 盲 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 盲 | ||
Corsican cecu | ||
Croatian slijep | ||
Czech slepý | ||
Danish blind | ||
Dhivehi ލޯ އަނދިރި | ||
Dogri अन्ना | ||
Dutch blind | ||
English blind | ||
Esperanto blindulo | ||
Estonian pime | ||
Ewe gbã ŋku | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) bulag | ||
Finnish sokea | ||
French aveugle | ||
Frisian blyn | ||
Galician cego | ||
Georgian ბრმა | ||
German blind | ||
Greek τυφλός | ||
Guarani ohecha'ỹva | ||
Gujarati અંધ | ||
Haitian Creole avèg | ||
Hausa makaho | ||
Hawaiian makapō | ||
Hebrew סומא | ||
Hindi अंधा | ||
Hmong dig muag | ||
Hungarian vak | ||
Icelandic blindur | ||
Igbo kpuru ìsì | ||
Ilocano buldeng | ||
Indonesian buta | ||
Irish dall | ||
Italian cieco | ||
Japanese ブラインド | ||
Javanese wuta | ||
Kannada ಬ್ಲೈಂಡ್ | ||
Kazakh соқыр | ||
Khmer ខ្វាក់ | ||
Kinyarwanda impumyi | ||
Konkani कुड्डेंपण | ||
Korean 블라인드 | ||
Krio blayn | ||
Kurdish kor | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) کوێر | ||
Kyrgyz сокур | ||
Lao ຕາບອດ | ||
Latin caecus | ||
Latvian akls | ||
Lingala mokufi-miso | ||
Lithuanian aklas | ||
Luganda -zibe | ||
Luxembourgish blann | ||
Macedonian слеп | ||
Maithili आन्हर | ||
Malagasy jamba | ||
Malay buta | ||
Malayalam അന്ധൻ | ||
Maltese għomja | ||
Maori matapo | ||
Marathi आंधळा | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯃꯤꯠ ꯇꯥꯡꯕ | ||
Mizo mitdel | ||
Mongolian сохор | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) မျက်စိကန်းသော | ||
Nepali अन्धा | ||
Norwegian blind | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) khungu | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଅନ୍ଧ | ||
Oromo qaroo kan hin qabne | ||
Pashto ړوند | ||
Persian نابینا | ||
Polish ślepy | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) cego | ||
Punjabi ਅੰਨ੍ਹਾ | ||
Quechua ñawsa | ||
Romanian orb | ||
Russian слепой | ||
Samoan tauaso | ||
Sanskrit अन्ध | ||
Scots Gaelic dall | ||
Sepedi foufala | ||
Serbian слеп | ||
Sesotho foufetse | ||
Shona bofu | ||
Sindhi انڌو | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) අ න් ධ | ||
Slovak slepý | ||
Slovenian slep | ||
Somali indhoole | ||
Spanish ciego | ||
Sundanese buta-buta | ||
Swahili kipofu | ||
Swedish blind | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) bulag | ||
Tajik кӯр | ||
Tamil குருட்டு | ||
Tatar сукыр | ||
Telugu గుడ్డి | ||
Thai ตาบอด | ||
Tigrinya ዕውር | ||
Tsonga bofu | ||
Turkish kör | ||
Turkmen kör | ||
Twi (Akan) anifira | ||
Ukrainian сліпий | ||
Urdu اندھا | ||
Uyghur قارىغۇ | ||
Uzbek ko'r | ||
Vietnamese mù | ||
Welsh dall | ||
Xhosa ukungaboni | ||
Yiddish בלינד | ||
Yoruba afoju | ||
Zulu impumputhe |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | Despite meaning 'blind' in English, 'blind' in Afrikaans is related to the Dutch word 'blind' meaning 'glare', and Afrikaans 'blinde' (noun) is 'venetian blind'. |
| Albanian | "I verbër" is the Albanian derivative of the Proto-Indo-European *wer- which means "see" |
| Amharic | The Amharic word "ዓይነ ስውር" can also mean "blind alley", "dead end", or "no way out". |
| Arabic | The Arabic word "بليند" can also refer to "a window" or "a shutter". |
| Armenian | The word "կույր" (kuyr) in Armenian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kei- meaning "to see" and has cognates in other Indo-European languages such as Latin caecus ("blind"). |
| Azerbaijani | 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. |
| Basque | The Basque word "itsu" can also mean "concealed" or "hidden". |
| Belarusian | The word "сляпы" likely comes from the ancient root *sle-, meaning "to see". |
| Bengali | The word "অন্ধ" (ôndhô) in Bengali can also refer to "blind" or "unsighted," as well as "dark" or "unlit." |
| Bosnian | In Bosnian, the word 'slijep' is related to the root 'slepać', meaning 'to prevent from seeing'. |
| Bulgarian | In addition to meaning "blind", the Bulgarian word "сляп" can also refer to a person who is careless or clumsy. |
| Catalan | The Catalan word "cec" (blind) is derived from the Latin word "caecus", meaning "lacking sight". |
| Cebuano | 'Buta' also means 'illiterate' and 'without light' in Cebuano language. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The character 盲 (máng) can also refer to ignorance or folly. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | "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. |
| Corsican | The word "cecu" in Corsican is derived from the Latin word "caecus", which also means "blind". |
| Croatian | 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. |
| Czech | "Slepý" is also an archaic term for "deaf". In some Old Czech texts, the two meanings of "slepý" are used interchangeably. |
| Danish | The word "blind" in Danish has a few related meanings, including "to close the eyes" and "to be unaware of something." |
| Dutch | The Dutch word “blind” can also refer to a kind of window shutters that can be rolled up and down. |
| Esperanto | A 'blindulo' is a blind person, but it can also be a window blind, a blind corner on the road, or a blind alley. |
| Estonian | Pime, meaning "blind" in Estonian, may also refer to darkness or ignorance. |
| Finnish | "Sokea" is a word used in Finnish to describe someone who has lost their sense of sight or is visually impaired. |
| French | "Aveugle" also means "blinded by love" in a figurative sense. |
| Frisian | Frisian has a second homograph of 'blyn', which is spelled exactly the same but means to 'deceive', 'mislead', or 'trick'. |
| Galician | 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. |
| Georgian | The Georgian word "ბრმა" not only means "blind" but also refers to someone who is unable to see spiritual truths. |
| German | The German word "blind" is related to the Old English verb "blindan", which means "to strike" or "to dazzle." |
| Greek | The word 'τυφλός' (typhlos) can also mean 'dark' or 'obscure' in Greek. |
| Gujarati | The Gujarati word "અંધ" (blind) also has the alternate meaning of "ignorant" or "uneducated." |
| Haitian Creole | 'Avèg' also means 'dim' or 'weak' when referring to light. |
| Hausa | 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. |
| Hawaiian | Makapō ('blind') also means a 'wellspring' (often found in place names). |
| Hebrew | In Hebrew, סומא means “blind,” but also can mean “mute,” and is used as a nickname for someone who is silent. |
| Hindi | The word "अंधा" also means "dark" or "dim" in Hindi. |
| Hmong | The word "dig muag" in Hmong is a compound word, with "dig" meaning "eye" and "muag" meaning "closed" or "hidden". |
| Hungarian | Vak also means to 'stumble' or 'hesitate' in Hungarian, possibly from the old Slavic 'vыkati'. |
| Icelandic | The Icelandic word "blindur" also means "window shutter". |
| Irish | The Irish word "dall" also means "dim" or "obscure". |
| Italian | The Italian word "cieco" can also refer to someone who is deluded or obstinate. |
| Japanese | The word "ブラインド" (blind) can also refer to curtains, shutters, or shades. |
| Javanese | Wuta in Javanese not only means 'blind' but also 'closed' as in 'covered' or 'blocked out'. |
| Kannada | The Kannada word "ब्लाइंड" (blind) has its origins in the Sanskrit word "ब्लेन्डा" (bleanda), meaning "crippled" or "lame". |
| Kazakh | In Kazakh, the word "Соқыр" ("blind") is also colloquially used to refer to someone who is naive or gullible. |
| Khmer | The Khmer word "khvak" can also mean "unable to see" in a figurative sense, such as "blind to the truth". |
| Korean | The word "블라인드" can also mean "curtain" or "shade" in Korean. |
| Kurdish | 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. |
| Kyrgyz | The verb ''соо көр-'' in Kyrgyz literally means ''not being able to see with one eye''. |
| Lao | "ຕາບອດ" (blind) comes from the Proto-Tai words *ta¹ boŋ¹ (ตาบอด), meaning "blind". |
| Latin | The Latin word "caecus" can also refer to darkness, obscurity, or ignorance, and is related to the Sanskrit word "kan" meaning "one-eyed". |
| Latvian | The Latvian word "akls" can also refer to someone who is lacking understanding or insight. |
| Lithuanian | Aklas, like akmuo (stone), derives from the Indo-European root *ak-, meaning 'sharp' or 'pointed'. |
| Luxembourgish | The term "blann" in Luxembourgish, meaning "blind", is related to the Middle High German word "bleich," meaning not seeing. |
| Macedonian | The word "слеп" can also mean "dull" or "blunt". |
| Malagasy | "JAMBA" in Malagasy also means to "close one's eyes" or "blink". |
| Malay | The Malay word "buta" has multiple meanings, including "blind", "ignorant", and "unlucky". |
| Malayalam | "അന്ധൻ" is also used to refer to a person who lacks knowledge or understanding of a particular subject |
| Maltese | The word "għomja" in Maltese can also mean "darkening" or "eclipse". |
| Maori | The Maori word "matapo" has a literal meaning of "face of death" and can also mean "zombie." |
| Marathi | The word "आंधळा" is derived from the Sanskrit word "अंध" meaning "darkness" and can also refer to a person who is "uneducated" or "ignorant". |
| Mongolian | The Mongolian word "сохор" means "blind" but was also used as a term for a shaman's blindness during a divination rite. |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | 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. |
| Nepali | The Nepali word "अन्धा" can also refer to a type of fish or a measure of distance. |
| Norwegian | The word "blind" comes from the Old Norse word "blindr," meaning "to strike" or "to dazzle." |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "khungu" in Nyanja (Chichewa) can also refer to someone who is unable to see in the dark. |
| Pashto | The Pashto word "ړوند" can also mean "one-eyed" or "unaware of something." |
| Persian | The word “نابینا” is derived from the Persian word نابین, meaning “unseeing,” itself derived from the Proto-Iranian word *na-paiθn-, meaning “unable to see”. |
| Polish | "Ślepy" can also mean "deaf" in Polish. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The word "cego" in Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) derives from the Latin "caecus," meaning "blind" or "in the dark." |
| Romanian | In Romanian, "orb" is a synonym for "blind," but it originally meant "circle" or "sphere," as it still does in English. |
| Russian | The word "слепой" also means "dark", "dim", or "opaque" in Russian. |
| Samoan | "Taūsō" also refers to the traditional tattoo applied around Samoan women's eyes. |
| Scots Gaelic | Dall also means `deaf` in Scots Gaelic. |
| Serbian | In addition to its primary meaning of "blind," "слеп" can also refer to "unlucky". |
| Sesotho | The word "foufetse" can also refer to someone who is naive or gullible. |
| Shona | The word "bofu" can also mean "dark" or "hidden" in Shona. |
| Sindhi | The word "انڌو" (blind) in Sindhi is derived from the Sanskrit word "अंधः" (andhah), which means "darkness" or "blindness." |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | In Sanskrit, the word "andha" means "darkness", and in Tamil, it means "to extinguish." |
| Slovak | "Slepý" also means "deaf" in old Slovak. |
| Slovenian | The Slovene word 'slep' originally meant 'unable to see' and later expanded to mean 'blind'. |
| Somali | The word "indhoole" in Somali has several other meanings, including "a dark place" and "a hole in the ground". |
| Spanish | In Spanish, "ciego," meaning "blind," derives from the Latin "caecus," also meaning "blind," with a related verb "caecare," or "to blind." |
| Sundanese | The word "buta-buta" in Sundanese can also refer to a type of traditional Sundanese puppet. |
| Swahili | Kipofu can also refer to a dense forest or thicket. |
| Swedish | The word "blind" in Swedish also means "window panel". |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | In Tagalog, "bulag" can also be a noun that refers to a small type of freshwater fish. |
| Tajik | 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. |
| Tamil | "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" (gudḍi) can also mean a small child or, in a context of play, to 'move blindly' in a game of hide and seek. |
| Thai | In traditional Thai belief, "ตาบอด" can also refer to having your "third eye" shut or being unable to perceive the spiritual world. |
| Turkish | Kör also means "burnt" or "baked", as in "kör ekmek" (bread cooked until it becomes slightly burnt). |
| Ukrainian | The word "сліпий" also means "dark" or "unseeable" in Ukrainian. |
| Urdu | اندھا can mean 'blind', 'dark', 'unseen', 'hidden', 'unaware', or 'without insight'. |
| Uzbek | "Ko'r" shares the same ancestor as the words "glare" and "chorus". |
| Vietnamese | The word "mù" in Vietnamese also means "dark" or "invisible". |
| Welsh | The Welsh word "dall" derives from the Proto-Celtic root "dal-", meaning "concealed" or "hidden", and is cognate with the Latin "dolus" (meaning "trickery"). |
| Xhosa | In Xhosa, 'ukungaboni' means 'not seeing' rather than 'blind' and is etymologically related to 'ukubona' meaning 'to see'. |
| Yiddish | Although the Yiddish word "בלינד" commonly means "blind," it can also refer to something "not right" or "incorrect." |
| Yoruba | The term "afoju" in Yoruba is also used to refer to individuals who are not visually impaired but are gullible and naive. |
| Zulu | The Zulu word 'impumputhe' also refers to someone who is naive or unaware, due to their inability to see and perceive clearly. |
| English | The word 'blind' can also mean 'hidden' or 'unseen', as in 'a blind spot' or 'blind faith'. |