Climate in Different Languages
Discover 'Climate' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Climate, a concept that has shaped human civilization and continues to impact our daily lives, is the long-term weather pattern of a specific region. Its significance extends beyond meteorological phenomena, as it influences agriculture, economy, and even cultural practices. For instance, the monsoon climate of Southeast Asia has inspired numerous festivals and rituals, while the Mediterranean climate has given rise to a distinctive culinary culture.
Given its importance, understanding the word 'climate' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how various cultures perceive and interact with their environments. For example, in Spanish, 'climate' is 'clima'; in French, 'climat'; in German, 'Klima'; in Mandarin, '气候' (qìhòu); in Japanese, 'クリマト' (kurimato); and in Arabic, 'مناخ' (manākh).
Exploring these translations not only broadens our linguistic horizons but also deepens our appreciation for the diverse ways in which people experience and adapt to their local climates. Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of climate in different languages!
Climate
Climate in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | klimaat | ||
| In Afrikaans "klimaat" can refer to climate, or to a specific region where someone originates from | |||
| Amharic | የአየር ንብረት | ||
| The word "የአየር ንብረት" can also refer to the qualities of a place, such as its beauty or attractiveness. | |||
| Hausa | yanayi | ||
| The Hausa word "yanayi" is possibly derived from the Arabic word "jāwiyyah" (جوّية), meaning "atmosphere" or "weather conditions". | |||
| Igbo | ihu igwe | ||
| "Ihu igwe" originates from the Igbo expression "ihu uha na igu egwu," meaning "the face of a snake and the tail of a lizard," referring to the unpredictable nature of the weather. | |||
| Malagasy | toetr'andro | ||
| The word "toetr'andro", meaning "climate", can also refer to the season or period of time during which an event takes place. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | nyengo | ||
| According to Chichewa and Yao oral tradition, «nyengo» originally referred to one's temperament, particularly to a mild one, that in turn may influence the weather, as it does in English too. | |||
| Shona | mamiriro ekunze | ||
| Mamirwo ekunze is the Shona term for "climate," and comes from the infinitive "kurara" (to dwell or stay) and "kunze" (outside). | |||
| Somali | cimilada | ||
| The Somali word "cimilada" is derived from the Arabic word "iqlim", meaning "clime" or "region". | |||
| Sesotho | tlelaemete | ||
| In Sesotho, the word 'tlelaemete' refers to the changing weather conditions that characterize a particular region. | |||
| Swahili | hali ya hewa | ||
| The Swahili word "hali ya hewa" literally translates to "condition (or state) of air," highlighting the close connection between weather and the overall atmosphere. | |||
| Xhosa | imozulu | ||
| Its root in the verb -zulu means to 'arrive at a point of conclusion, to end, to mature'. | |||
| Yoruba | afefe | ||
| There is a Yoruba word 'afefe ife' which refers to the climate or weather of the town of Ife. | |||
| Zulu | isimo sezulu | ||
| The word "isimo sezulu" is derived from the Zulu words "isi" (atmosphere) and "sezulu" (sky), and literally means "condition of the sky". | |||
| Bambara | wagati | ||
| Ewe | na | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ikirere | ||
| Lingala | climat | ||
| Luganda | embeera y'obudde | ||
| Sepedi | klaemete | ||
| Twi (Akan) | berɛ tenten mu wien bɔberɛ | ||
Climate in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مناخ | ||
| The word "مناخ" is also used to refer to the prevailing social or political conditions of a place or time. | |||
| Hebrew | אַקלִים | ||
| The word "אַקלִים" ("climate") is also used in Hebrew to describe zones of vegetation or types of crops, reflecting the ancient Greek meaning "inclination of the sun." | |||
| Pashto | هوا | ||
| "هوا" in Pashto can also refer to the air, breath, or atmosphere. | |||
| Arabic | مناخ | ||
| The word "مناخ" is also used to refer to the prevailing social or political conditions of a place or time. | |||
Climate in Western European Languages
| Albanian | klima | ||
| Klima also signifies time and season in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | eguraldi | ||
| Eguraldi in Basque is a compound word meaning "the nature of the air" or "the temperament of the air". | |||
| Catalan | clima | ||
| Catalan "clima" derives from Ancient Greek, meaning both "inclination, slope" and "climate." | |||
| Croatian | klima | ||
| The Croatian word "klima" originally meant "weather" or "temperature" and only later gained its modern meaning of "climate". | |||
| Danish | klima | ||
| In Danish, "klima" also translates to "quiet", "calm", "serenity", and "peace". | |||
| Dutch | klimaat | ||
| "Klimaat" in Dutch can also mean "environment" or "atmosphere". | |||
| English | climate | ||
| The word 'climate' comes from the Greek word 'klima,' which means 'slope' or 'inclination'. | |||
| French | climat | ||
| The French word "climat" comes from the Greek word "klima," which means slope or inclination and was used to describe the variation in sunlight based on latitude. | |||
| Frisian | klimaat | ||
| The Frisian word "klimaat" can also refer to a "climate or mood" as an extension of its primary meaning. | |||
| Galician | clima | ||
| In Galician, "clima" also refers to the slope or inclination of a surface. | |||
| German | klima | ||
| In German, "Klima" not only refers to climate but also to atmosphere, mood, or environment. | |||
| Icelandic | veðurfar | ||
| "Veðurfar" in Icelandic literally translates to "weather behavior". | |||
| Irish | aeráid | ||
| The Irish word "aeráid" is a cognate of the Latin word "aer", meaning "air", and also shares its root with the Greek word "aēr", meaning "mist" or "fog". | |||
| Italian | clima | ||
| In astronomy, "klima" refers to a zone parallel to the equator and is derived from the Greek word for slope or inclination. | |||
| Luxembourgish | klima | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Klima" means both "climate" and a space enclosed by a building, such as a room. | |||
| Maltese | klima | ||
| "Klima" in Maltese can also refer to the weather conditions of a specific day or period. | |||
| Norwegian | klima | ||
| In Norwegian, "klima" also means "step" or "ascent", derived from the Old Norse word "klifa" meaning "to climb." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | clima | ||
| "Clima" comes from the Greek "klima" meaning "inclination," and in Portuguese, it refers both to climate and to the angle of the sun. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | gnàth-shìde | ||
| In some cases, gnàth-shìde can also refer to 'weather' or 'atmosphere'. | |||
| Spanish | clima | ||
| The word "clima" in Spanish can also refer to the "geographical area of the Earth with a certain type of climate". | |||
| Swedish | klimat | ||
| "Klimat" in Swedish can also refer to "weather" and is cognate with the English word "climate". It entered Swedish from Old Greek through Latin. | |||
| Welsh | hinsawdd | ||
| The word ‘hinsawdd’ originates from ‘hins,’ meaning ‘weather’ or ‘season,’ akin to the English word ‘hint.’ | |||
Climate in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | клімат | ||
| The word "клімат" is derived from the Greek word "klima", meaning "slope" or "inclination." | |||
| Bosnian | klima | ||
| "Klima" can also mean "room" or "atmosphere" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | климат | ||
| In Bulgarian, the word "климат" can also refer to a person's temperament or disposition. | |||
| Czech | klima | ||
| The word “klima” comes from the Greek word “klima” meaning slope or incline, and was originally used to describe the angle of the sun's rays at a particular location. | |||
| Estonian | kliima | ||
| "Kliima" in Estonian also means "opinion" (from Middle Low German "klima" (literally, "inclination" or "direction")). | |||
| Finnish | ilmasto | ||
| "Ilmasto" is derived from the Old Finnish word "ilma" ('air'), referring to climatic phenomena in the atmosphere. | |||
| Hungarian | éghajlat | ||
| The word "éghajlat" derives from the phrase "ég és hajlat," which means "sky and slope," referring to the influence of celestial bodies and topography on the climate. | |||
| Latvian | klimats | ||
| "Klimats" in Latvian is cognate with "climate" in English and comes from Greek "klima" meaning 'slope' or 'inclination', and originally referred to the angle of the sun's rays at a given latitude. | |||
| Lithuanian | klimatas | ||
| The word "klimatas" derives from the Greek word "klima", meaning "slope" or "inclination", and refers to the varying degrees of solar radiation received at different latitudes. | |||
| Macedonian | клима | ||
| The word "клима" also translates to "slope" in English, referring to a slanted portion of a surface of an object | |||
| Polish | klimat | ||
| "Klimat" (climate) can also refer to "atmosphere" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | climat | ||
| In Romanian, "climat" derives from the Greek "klima" and can also mean "mood" or "atmosphere". | |||
| Russian | климат | ||
| The word "климат" shares roots with words denoting "home" and "dwelling" and carries the meaning of "residential conditions" and "comfortable living conditions". | |||
| Serbian | клима | ||
| "Клима" also means "step" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | podnebie | ||
| "Podnebie" is also used in archaic contexts to refer to the heavens or the sky. | |||
| Slovenian | podnebje | ||
| The Slovenian word "podnebje" is derived from the Old Slavic word "nebje", meaning "sky", and the prefix "pod", meaning "under". | |||
| Ukrainian | клімат | ||
| Клімат, помимо своего современного смысла, может также относиться к периоду в истории или геологическом времени с определенным набором условий. | |||
Climate in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | জলবায়ু | ||
| The word "জলবায়ু" (climate) in Bengali originates from Sanskrit, where it originally meant "the state of the weather," or "the condition of the atmosphere and water." | |||
| Gujarati | વાતાવરણ | ||
| The Gujarati word "વાતાવરણ" can also refer to the atmosphere, environment, or conditions | |||
| Hindi | जलवायु | ||
| "जलवायु" also refers to the grace, charm, and allure of a person or performance. | |||
| Kannada | ಹವಾಮಾನ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಹವಾಮಾನ" can also refer to the weather conditions of a place or a season. | |||
| Malayalam | കാലാവസ്ഥ | ||
| The second word of the term literally means "condition", with roots in the words for "time" and "to exist". | |||
| Marathi | हवामान | ||
| The Marathi word "हवामान" (havamaan) also refers to "weather" and can be broken down into "हवा" (hava), meaning "air," and "मान" (maan), meaning "measure," or "quantity." | |||
| Nepali | मौसम | ||
| The word "मौसम" (climate) is also used to refer to seasons in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਮੌਸਮ | ||
| }ਮੌਸਮ" also refers to a season in Punjabi, while in English "climate" refers to long-term weather patterns. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දේශගුණය | ||
| දේශගුණය" can also refer to "mood" or "disposition" in Sinhala, conveying a sense of regional or group-wide atmosphere. | |||
| Tamil | காலநிலை | ||
| In Tamil, "காலநிலை" can refer to seasonal conditions like rainfall or drought. | |||
| Telugu | వాతావరణం | ||
| The word "వాతావరణం" not only means "climate" but also refers to the protective layer of gases that surround the Earth and other celestial bodies. | |||
| Urdu | آب و ہوا | ||
| The Persian word for climate, "āb o havā" translates literally to "water and air." | |||
Climate in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 气候 | ||
| In Chinese, the word "气候" also refers to "temperament"} | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 氣候 | ||
| In ancient Chinese, “氣候” originally had the meaning of “air” or “the state of the sky,” and it was not until the modern era that it took on the more specific meaning of “climate,” under the influence of Western languages. | |||
| Japanese | 気候 | ||
| 気候 is a compound of two Chinese characters, 気 (air, atmosphere) and候 (season, weather). | |||
| Korean | 기후 | ||
| The Korean word “기후” can also refer to “weather”. | |||
| Mongolian | уур амьсгал | ||
| In Mongolian, “уур амьсгал” means 'weather' but can also mean 'atmosphere' and 'air' in broader senses. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရာသီဥတု | ||
| The term ရာသီဥတု is used to refer not only to general patterns of temperature and rainfall over seasons, but to specific seasonal periods as well. | |||
Climate in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | iklim | ||
| "Iklim" in the context of Indonesian traditional architecture refers to the specific arrangement of rooms within a dwelling. | |||
| Javanese | iklim | ||
| "Iklim" can also refer to a "forecast" in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | អាកាសធាតុ | ||
| The word "អាកាសធាតុ" in Khmer is derived from Sanskrit and has the alternate meaning of "element" | |||
| Lao | ສະພາບອາກາດ | ||
| Malay | iklim | ||
| The Malaysian word for climate "iklim" derives from the Greek for "slope": "klima" | |||
| Thai | สภาพภูมิอากาศ | ||
| The Thai word "สภาพภูมิอากาศ" also has the alternate meaning of "weather conditions." | |||
| Vietnamese | khí hậu | ||
| The Vietnamese word "khí hậu" (climate) literally means "air quality". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | klima | ||
Climate in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | iqlim | ||
| In Arabic, the root of the word “iqlim” means “division” or “portion”. Historically, the term was used to describe different climate zones with distinct temperatures and humidity levels. | |||
| Kazakh | климат | ||
| The Kazakh word | |||
| Kyrgyz | климат | ||
| The word "климат" may also refer to the weather or general atmospheric conditions of a place. | |||
| Tajik | иқлим | ||
| The word "иқлим" in Tajik also means "a region or country that has a particular type of climate." | |||
| Turkmen | howa | ||
| Uzbek | iqlim | ||
| The word “iqlim” in Uzbek also refers to a specific geographical zone with its distinct weather and temperature patterns | |||
| Uyghur | كېلىمات | ||
Climate in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | aniau | ||
| The Hawaiian word 'aniau' also refers to a type of native fern. | |||
| Maori | āhuarangi | ||
| The word "āhuarangi" derives from the compound words "āhua" (shape or appearance) and "rangi" (sky), referring to the changing nature of the sky as an indicator of the weather. | |||
| Samoan | tau | ||
| The Samoan word "tau" also means "season". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | klima | ||
| The Tagalog word "klima" ultimately derives from the Greek word "klima," meaning "slope" or "inclination," and originally referred to the angle of the sun's rays at a particular location. | |||
Climate in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | pacha | ||
| Guarani | arareko | ||
Climate in International Languages
| Esperanto | klimaton | ||
| The word 'klimaton' is derived from the Ancient Greek word 'klima', meaning 'inclination'. | |||
| Latin | caeli | ||
| In Late Latin, caeli came to refer to both 'heaven' and 'temperature' | |||
Climate in Others Languages
| Greek | κλίμα | ||
| In Ancient Greek, 'κλίμα' also referred to a geographic zone between parallels, a concept borrowed by the Arabs and then the Latins. | |||
| Hmong | huab cua | ||
| The term "huab cua" in Hmong can also refer to the weather conditions or seasons of the year. | |||
| Kurdish | bagûrdan | ||
| The term "bagûrdan" in Kurdish likely derives from the Persian word "bahar" or "bag"," which both mean "spring". | |||
| Turkish | iklim | ||
| "İklim" kelimesi Türkçe'de "meyilli" veya "eğimli" anlamlarına da gelebilir. | |||
| Xhosa | imozulu | ||
| Its root in the verb -zulu means to 'arrive at a point of conclusion, to end, to mature'. | |||
| Yiddish | קלימאט | ||
| The Yiddish term "קלימאט" (climate) relates to the Hebrew word "אקלים" (climate), suggesting a connection to the Greek word "κλίμα" (inclination, slope), which also underpins the English word "climate". | |||
| Zulu | isimo sezulu | ||
| The word "isimo sezulu" is derived from the Zulu words "isi" (atmosphere) and "sezulu" (sky), and literally means "condition of the sky". | |||
| Assamese | জলবায়ু | ||
| Aymara | pacha | ||
| Bhojpuri | आबोहवा | ||
| Dhivehi | މޫސުން | ||
| Dogri | मौसम | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | klima | ||
| Guarani | arareko | ||
| Ilocano | klima | ||
| Krio | wɛda | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئاوهەوا | ||
| Maithili | जलवायु | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯏꯪꯑꯁꯥ | ||
| Mizo | sik leh sa | ||
| Oromo | haala qilleensaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଜଳବାୟୁ | ||
| Quechua | clima | ||
| Sanskrit | वायुमंडल | ||
| Tatar | климат | ||
| Tigrinya | climate | ||
| Tsonga | maxelo | ||