Breath in Different Languages
Discover 'Breath' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Breath
Afrikaans asemhaal | ||
Albanian frymë | ||
Amharic እስትንፋስ | ||
Arabic نفس | ||
Armenian շունչ | ||
Assamese উশাহ | ||
Aymara samana | ||
Azerbaijani nəfəs | ||
Bambara ninakili | ||
Basque arnasa | ||
Belarusian дыханне | ||
Bengali শ্বাস | ||
Bhojpuri सांस | ||
Bosnian dah | ||
Bulgarian дъх | ||
Catalan respiració | ||
Cebuano ginhawa | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 呼吸 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 呼吸 | ||
Corsican fiatu | ||
Croatian dah | ||
Czech dech | ||
Danish åndedrag | ||
Dhivehi ނޭވާ | ||
Dogri दम | ||
Dutch adem | ||
English breath | ||
Esperanto spiro | ||
Estonian hingetõmme | ||
Ewe gbɔgbɔ | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) hininga | ||
Finnish hengitys | ||
French souffle | ||
Frisian azem | ||
Galician respiración | ||
Georgian სუნთქვა | ||
German atem | ||
Greek αναπνοή | ||
Guarani pytu | ||
Gujarati શ્વાસ | ||
Haitian Creole souf | ||
Hausa numfashi | ||
Hawaiian hanu | ||
Hebrew נְשִׁימָה | ||
Hindi सांस | ||
Hmong pa | ||
Hungarian lehelet | ||
Icelandic anda | ||
Igbo ume | ||
Ilocano anges | ||
Indonesian nafas | ||
Irish anáil | ||
Italian respiro | ||
Japanese 呼吸 | ||
Javanese ambegan | ||
Kannada ಉಸಿರು | ||
Kazakh тыныс | ||
Khmer ដង្ហើម | ||
Kinyarwanda umwuka | ||
Konkani श्वास | ||
Korean 숨 | ||
Krio briz we yu de blo | ||
Kurdish bîn | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) هەناسە | ||
Kyrgyz дем | ||
Lao ລົມຫາຍໃຈ | ||
Latin spiritum | ||
Latvian elpa | ||
Lingala kopema | ||
Lithuanian kvėpavimas | ||
Luganda okussa | ||
Luxembourgish ootmen | ||
Macedonian здив | ||
Maithili सांस | ||
Malagasy fofonaina | ||
Malay nafas | ||
Malayalam ശ്വാസം | ||
Maltese nifs | ||
Maori manawa | ||
Marathi श्वास | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯅꯤꯡꯁꯥ ꯁ꯭ꯋꯔ ꯍꯣꯟꯕ | ||
Mizo thaw | ||
Mongolian амьсгал | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) အသက်ရှူခြင်း | ||
Nepali सास | ||
Norwegian pust | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) mpweya | ||
Odia (Oriya) ନିଶ୍ୱାସ | ||
Oromo hafuura | ||
Pashto ساه | ||
Persian نفس کشیدن | ||
Polish oddech | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) respiração | ||
Punjabi ਸਾਹ | ||
Quechua samay | ||
Romanian suflare | ||
Russian дыхание | ||
Samoan manava | ||
Sanskrit श्वशन | ||
Scots Gaelic anail | ||
Sepedi mohemo | ||
Serbian дах | ||
Sesotho phefumoloho | ||
Shona mweya | ||
Sindhi ساه | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) හුස්ම | ||
Slovak dych | ||
Slovenian sapo | ||
Somali neef | ||
Spanish respiración | ||
Sundanese napas | ||
Swahili pumzi | ||
Swedish andetag | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) hininga | ||
Tajik нафас | ||
Tamil மூச்சு | ||
Tatar сулыш | ||
Telugu ఊపిరి | ||
Thai ลมหายใจ | ||
Tigrinya ተንፈሰ | ||
Tsonga hefemula | ||
Turkish nefes | ||
Turkmen dem | ||
Twi (Akan) home | ||
Ukrainian дихання | ||
Urdu سانس | ||
Uyghur نەپەس | ||
Uzbek nafas | ||
Vietnamese hơi thở | ||
Welsh anadl | ||
Xhosa umphefumlo | ||
Yiddish אָטעם | ||
Yoruba ẹmi | ||
Zulu umoya |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word "asemhaal" literally means "to pull breath". |
| Albanian | The word "frymë" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European word "*swerm-os", meaning "to breathe", and is cognate with the Greek word "ψύχος" (psukhos), meaning "cold" or "breath", and the Latin word "spiritus", meaning "spirit" or "breath". |
| Amharic | "እስትንፋስ" translates as "breath," and also denotes a person's vital energy, spirit or life. |
| Arabic | Arabic "نفس" also means "self", and it's also used to refer to the Holy Spirit or the soul in Abrahamic religions. |
| Armenian | **Շունչ** originates from “anhel” and “anel” which mean “breath,” “blow,” “steam,” “spirit,” denoting the soul or life force. |
| Azerbaijani | The word "nəfəs" in Azerbaijani can also refer to a "sigh" or "lamentation". |
| Basque | Arnasa, which in Basque means breath, is also related to the concept of soul, as in many other languages. |
| Belarusian | In Belarusian, "дыханне" also refers to a breeze or a spirit, while in the Old Belarusian, it meant "soul". |
| Bengali | "শ্বাস" can also mean life, or a span of time, or a sigh of relief. |
| Bosnian | Bosnian "dah" derives from Proto-Indo-European root *dʰeh₁- 'to blow, breath'. |
| Bulgarian | The word "дъх" also means "spirit" or "soul" in Bulgarian, reflecting the ancient belief that breath is the essence of life. |
| Catalan | The Catalan word "respiració" shares the Latin root *spirare* with the English word "spirit" and means both "breath" and "respiration". |
| Cebuano | The word "ginhawa" in Cebuano has an alternate meaning of "relief" or "ease", often used to express a sense of comfort or liberation. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The word 呼吸 (xīhū) literally means 'air-pull' and can also refer to the space between two breaths. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 呼吸 literally means "to inhale and exhale", but has the alternate meaning of "life" or "soul". |
| Corsican | In Corsican, the word 'fiatu' can also refer to a 'bad smell' or a 'fart'. |
| Croatian | The word "dah" in Croatian also means "a moment", "a time". |
| Czech | The word "dech" has the same etymological root as the word "dýchat" which means "to breathe". |
| Danish | The word "åndedrag" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*andathragz," meaning both "breath" and "spirit." |
| Dutch | The etymology of "adem" is related to the Proto-Germanic word "afma", meaning "spirit" or "inspiration", which is also found in English "affable" (Latin origin), meaning "courteous, agreeable". In the Indonesian language, "adem" also means "cool". |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "spiro" is derived from the Latin "spiro" meaning "to breathe" or "to exhale". |
| Estonian | The word "hingetõmme" can also refer to a pause or rest in a work or activity, a short respite. |
| Finnish | The Finnish word "hengitys" also means "spirit" or "life force". |
| French | In French, the word "souffle" also means a "puff" or "gust" of wind, as well as a "hint" or "suggestion". |
| Frisian | The Frisian word "azem" derives from the same root as the Latin "anima" (meaning "soul") and the Greek "anemos" (meaning "wind"). |
| Galician | "Respiración" in Galician can also imply "respiration" or "inspiration." |
| Georgian | The word "სუნთქვა" is derived from the Old Georgian word "სუნტ", meaning "smell" or "scent", indicating the connection between breath and the sense of smell. |
| German | The word "Atem" also translates to "steam" and is linked to the Old Norse word "and |
| Greek | The word 'αναπνοή' is derived from the Ancient Greek verb 'αναπνέω', which means 'to breathe', and the noun 'πνοή', which means 'breath', 'wind' or 'life' |
| Gujarati | The Gujarati word "श्वास" (breath) derives from the Sanskrit word "श्वास" and originally meant "the act of breathing" or "the air one breathes." |
| Haitian Creole | "Souf" in Haitian Creole can also refer to one's soul or spirit. |
| Hausa | "Numfashi" is used to refer to the breath of any living thing, as well as to the breath of the wind. |
| Hawaiian | The Hawaiian word "hanu" also means "life force" or "soul". |
| Hebrew | נְשִׁימָה (neshimah) also means "soul" or "life" and is rooted in the word "נשם" (nasham), meaning "to breathe". |
| Hindi | "Saans" (सांस) is derived from the Sanskrit word "swasa" (श्वास), meaning "vital breath", and also has the alternate meaning of "sound". |
| Hmong | In Hmong, the word "pa" not only refers to breath but also to the ancestral spirit and its life force. |
| Hungarian | Besides its meaning of "breath," "lehelet" also signifies "whisper," "sigh," or "exhalation." |
| Icelandic | The word "anda" in Icelandic can also mean "wave" or "spirit". |
| Igbo | 'Ume' can also refer to a type of yam, or the breath of life, especially when used in the context of 'ume ndu.' |
| Indonesian | Nafas, a Sanskrit loanword, also refers to a person's life, fate or spirit, or a unit of time equal to ten moments. |
| Irish | The word "anáil" in Irish can also refer to the soul or spirit, as well as the act of breathing. |
| Italian | "Respiro" derives from the Latin verb "respirare" which can also mean "to recover", "to revive" or "to regain consciousness". |
| Japanese | "呼吸" (breath) also refers to the process of breathing or inhalation and exhalation. |
| Javanese | The word "ambegan" in Javanese has alternative meanings including "wind" and "to blow". |
| Kannada | The word "ಉಸಿರು" can also refer to the life force or the soul in Kannada. |
| Kazakh | "Тыныс" in Kazakh also refers to the period when an animal holds its breath or stops breathing, such as while diving. |
| Khmer | The Khmer word "ដង្ហើម" has additional meanings beyond "breath", including "spirit" and "life force." |
| Korean | In addition to "breath," "숨" has meanings like "life," "soul," "spirit," or a "comma in music." |
| Kurdish | The Kurdish word "bîn" also signifies "face" or "countenance". |
| Kyrgyz | 'Дем' (dem) also refers to 'air' or 'atmosphere' in Kyrgyz. |
| Latin | The Latin word "spiritum" also means "soul", "life", or "essence". |
| Latvian | The Latvian word "elpa" derives from Proto-Indo-European "*help-", meaning "to help, aid, assist". |
| Lithuanian | The word "kvėpavimas" can also mean "spirit" or "life force" in Lithuanian. |
| Luxembourgish | In some regions of Luxembourg, "ootmen" can also refer to a light breeze or gentle wind. |
| Macedonian | "Здив" also means "sigh" in Macedonian. |
| Malagasy | "Fofonaina" has the same etymology as "rifo" (to blow), but with an additional suffix "-aina", which indicates an involuntary action, hence "breath". |
| Malay | In Arabic, 'nafas' also means 'a single utterance' |
| Malayalam | The word "श्वासं" in Malayalam comes from the Sanskrit word "श्वसन" meaning "respiration" and is also used to refer to the "soul" or "spirit". |
| Maltese | The word "nifs" also refers to the "soul" and is related to the word "spirit" in other languages. |
| Maori | In old New Zealand Maori, manawa also referred to the soul, mind, spirit, or the inner self of someone. |
| Marathi | The word "श्वास" in Marathi originally meant "life" but now primarily means "breath". |
| Mongolian | In Mongolian, the word "амьсгал" can also refer to the space between two objects, such as the distance between a person's mouth and a microphone. |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | The word "အသက်" can also mean "life" or "energy" in Myanmar (Burmese). |
| Nepali | The word “सास” can also mean “mother-in-law”. |
| Norwegian | The Norwegian word for breath, "pust", also means a breath of air or wind |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "mpweya" also means "spirit" or "life" in Nyanja. |
| Pashto | The Pashto word "ساه" (breath) also has alternate meanings such as "aroma", "fragrance", and "scent". |
| Persian | The Persian word "نفس کشیدن" originally meant "taking a soul", suggesting the ancient belief that breath carried the soul. |
| Polish | In Polish, the word "oddech" doesn't only mean "breath" but also "rest" or "moment of relaxation". |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The Portuguese word "respiração" comes from the Latin word "respiratio", which means "to breathe" or "to take breath". In Portuguese, it can also refer to the act of breathing or to the air that is breathed in and out. |
| Punjabi | The word 'ਸਾਹ' ('breath') in Punjabi can also mean 'courage' or 'vitality', deriving from the Sanskrit word 'sahas' meaning 'courage'. |
| Romanian | Romanian word "suflare" comes from Latin "exsuflare", meaning both "blow out" and "breathe out". |
| Russian | "Дыхание" means "breath" in Russian. It also refers to inspiration or relief. |
| Samoan | The Samoan word "manava" not only means "breath," but also signifies life, spirit, and one's inner being. |
| Scots Gaelic | The Gaelic word "anail" also means "soul" and is cognate with the Irish "anál" and Welsh "anael". |
| Serbian | The word "дах" in Serbian also means "a moment" or "a pause". |
| Sesotho | Phefumoloho can also refer to air, life, breeze, spirit, and soul. |
| Shona | The Shona word "mweya" also means "spirit" or "life force". |
| Sindhi | The word "ساه" also means "scent" or "fragrance" in Sindhi. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | Sinhalese word "husma" shares its origin with Sanskrit "svasa" and "anila" (air, wind), and "pranaya" (life, love), signifying the breath's vital role in life. |
| Slovak | The word "dych" in Slovak can also refer to a gust of wind, a scent, or a moment. |
| Slovenian | "Sapo" also relates to the "sapa" in Latin and "sha" in Sanskrit, which both mean to breathe or blow. |
| Somali | The Somali word "neef" can also refer to the scent or smell of something. |
| Spanish | In Spanish, the word 'respiración' can also refer to the process of breathing or the exchange of gases between the lungs and the blood. |
| Sundanese | "Napas" also refers to the soul, life force, or essence that animates a person. |
| Swahili | In some regions, "pumzi" also refers to a light breeze or a moment of respite. |
| Swedish | The word "andetag" is derived from the Old Norse word "andatagi", which means "inhalation". |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | 'Hininga' can also mean 'life, soul'. |
| Tajik | The word "нафас" in Tajik can also mean "the length of time a person can hold their breath" or "a person's life span". |
| Tamil | Tamil "மூச்சு" (breath) shares its root with the word "மூக்கு" (nose), indicating the connection between breathing and the nasal passages. |
| Telugu | "ఊపిరి" (breath) is also used to refer to life or existence, as in the phrase "ఊపిరాడని" (unable to breathe), meaning "without life." |
| Thai | The word "ลมหายใจ" can also mean "life" or "soul" in Thai. |
| Turkish | "Nefes" comes from the Persian word "nafas" which means "breath of life" or "soul". |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word "дихання" (breath) is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *dyx-, meaning "to blow". |
| Urdu | The word "سانس" (breath) in Urdu also means "a brief moment" or "a gasp". |
| Uzbek | Nafas in Uzbek also refers to the opening and closing of the glottis in speech and chanting. |
| Vietnamese | Hơi thở can also mean "a gentle breeze" or "a breath of air". |
| Welsh | The Welsh word 'anadl' derives etymologically from the Proto-Celtic '*anatl-', meaning 'a breath'. |
| Xhosa | The word umphefumlo in Xhosa is derived from the root word phefumla, which means 'to breathe' or 'to be alive'. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish term אָטעם has ancient Semitic roots, suggesting a sacred or vital force beyond the physical act of respiration. |
| Yoruba | In Yoruba, ẹmi can also be used to refer to a spirit or a person's soul or essence. |
| Zulu | The word 'umoya' not only means 'breath' in Zulu, but also refers to the 'mind' or 'spirit' and is connected to the concept of breath as the essence of life. |
| English | The word "breath" comes from the Old English word "brēþan," meaning "to breathe," and is related to the German word "braten," meaning "to roast." |