Cool in Different Languages
Discover 'Cool' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'cool' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, transcending its literal meaning to represent a state of approval, admiration, or even a sense of calmness. Its cultural importance is undeniable, as it has been woven into various aspects of society, including music, fashion, and language. The term's evolution in the English language can be traced back to the 16th century, but its modern connotations have been popularized in the 20th century, particularly in the realms of jazz and counterculture movements.
Understanding the translation of 'cool' in different languages can provide valuable insights into various cultures and their unique perspectives on this versatile term. For instance, in Spanish, 'cool' is 'genial,' while in German, it's 'cool' itself, reflecting the term's global influence. In French, 'cool' can be translated to 'sympa,' and in Japanese, 'cool' becomes 'すごい' (sugoi), which also means 'great' or 'amazing.'
Discover the many faces of 'cool' in various languages and cultures, and learn how this simple word can convey a multitude of meanings around the world.
Cool
Cool in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | koel | ||
| Koel originally meant 'pit' or 'well' but now has many alternate meanings including 'brazier', 'furnace', 'pit of hell', and even a type of 'horse fly'. | |||
| Amharic | ጥሩ | ||
| "ጥሩ" (cool) comes from "አጥራ" (cold) or could mean "good, fine, excellent, satisfactory". | |||
| Hausa | sanyaya | ||
| The word "sanyaya" is derived from the Arabic word "sania" which means "comfortable". | |||
| Igbo | dị jụụ | ||
| In Igbo, "dị jụụ" can also mean "to be silent" or "to be calm and collected". | |||
| Malagasy | mangatsiatsiaka | ||
| The word "mangatsiatsiaka" in Malagasy is thought to have originated from an onomatopoeia describing the sound of wind rustling through leaves or the sound of water flowing over stones. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ozizira | ||
| Derived from the word "ozizira," meaning "to be cold," "ozizira" in Nyanja can also refer to something that is physically cold, emotionally comforting, or even attractive. | |||
| Shona | kutonhora | ||
| Kutonora in Shona, can also mean to be calm or to be fresh. | |||
| Somali | qabow | ||
| "Qabow" can also mean "calm" or "peaceful". | |||
| Sesotho | pholile | ||
| The word 'pholile' is also used to describe a calm or composed demeanor. | |||
| Swahili | baridi | ||
| "Baridi" also means "good health" or "peace of mind" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | kuhle | ||
| In Xhosa 'Kuhle' can also be used to describe someone in good health or doing well | |||
| Yoruba | dara | ||
| The word "dara" also means "good" or "beautiful" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | kupholile | ||
| The Zulu word 'kupholile' can also refer to relaxation or a state of calmness. | |||
| Bambara | suma | ||
| Ewe | fa | ||
| Kinyarwanda | akonje | ||
| Lingala | malili | ||
| Luganda | okunnyogoga | ||
| Sepedi | tonya | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nwunu | ||
Cool in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | رائع | ||
| In addition to its literal meaning of "cool" or "pleasant," "رائع" can also figuratively mean "great" or "awesome." | |||
| Hebrew | מגניב | ||
| The word "מגניב" (maganiv) in Hebrew can also mean "secret" or "hidden", and is derived from the root word "גן" (gan), meaning "garden" or "paradise". | |||
| Pashto | ارام | ||
| The word "ارام" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁rem- meaning "rest, be at peace" and is cognate with Latin "arma" (weapon) and Greek "αρμονία" (harmony). | |||
| Arabic | رائع | ||
| In addition to its literal meaning of "cool" or "pleasant," "رائع" can also figuratively mean "great" or "awesome." | |||
Cool in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i freskët | ||
| The Albanian word "i freskët" not only means "cool" but also "fresh", "new", or "uncooked." | |||
| Basque | freskoa | ||
| The Basque word "freskoa" can also refer to the freshness of a food or drink, or to something that is new or inexperienced. | |||
| Catalan | guai | ||
| The word "guai" in Catalan has a double meaning, as it can also be used to express the concepts of "nice" or "funny". | |||
| Croatian | cool | ||
| The Croatian word 'kul' meaning 'cool' is also used to describe someone who is calm or composed. | |||
| Danish | fedt nok | ||
| The word "fedt nok" is a slang term that was originally used to describe food that was fatty and rich in flavor. | |||
| Dutch | stoer | ||
| The word "stoer" also means "sturdy" or "strong", and is cognate with the English word "sturdy". | |||
| English | cool | ||
| The word "cool" originated in the 16th century from the Dutch word "koel," meaning "cold" or "fresh." | |||
| French | cool | ||
| The French word **cool** can also mean ‘stylish’ or ‘fashionable’. | |||
| Frisian | koel | ||
| In Frisian, the word "koel" also refers to a type of bird known as a cuckoo. | |||
| Galician | fresco | ||
| The Galician word "fresco" can also mean "fresh" or "recently made". | |||
| German | cool | ||
| The word "cool" in German can also mean "relaxed" or "calm". | |||
| Icelandic | flott | ||
| The Icelandic word "flott" is thought to derive from the French "flotter", meaning "to float" or "to be buoyant". | |||
| Irish | fionnuar | ||
| "Fionnuar" has the alternate meaning of "white-gold". | |||
| Italian | freddo | ||
| The Italian word 'freddo' also means 'cold', and is cognate with the English word 'frigid'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | cool | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "cool" can also refer to a person who is clever or cunning. | |||
| Maltese | kessaħ | ||
| "Kessaħ" in Maltese means both "to cool" and "to become annoyed". | |||
| Norwegian | kul | ||
| The word "kul" is an Old Norse word meaning "cold" or "chilly". In Norwegian, it has the same meaning and can also be used to describe someone who is calm or collected. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | legal | ||
| In Portuguese (Portugal and Brazil), the word "legal" also means lawful. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | tarraingeach | ||
| The word 'tarraingeach' can also mean 'to draw' or 'to pull', likely stemming from the idea of 'drawing in' or 'pulling in' coolness. | |||
| Spanish | frio | ||
| "Frio" comes from the Latin word "frigus," meaning "cold" or "icy." | |||
| Swedish | häftigt | ||
| The word "häftigt" in Swedish can also mean "intense" or "violent" and is derived from the Old Norse word "heftigr" meaning "strong" or "severe". | |||
| Welsh | cwl | ||
| Welsh word “cwl” (cool) derives from the Welsh for coal | |||
Cool in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | крута | ||
| “Крута” is derived from the Proto-Slavic word “*krutъ”, meaning “difficult, steep, or hard”. | |||
| Bosnian | super | ||
| The word 'super' (cool) in Bosnian is derived from the adjective 'superb' (excellent). | |||
| Bulgarian | готино | ||
| "Готино" (cool) also means "hot" in slang. | |||
| Czech | chladný | ||
| The word "chladný" in Czech can also mean "cold" or "indifferent". | |||
| Estonian | lahe | ||
| The word "lahe" is derived from the Old Estonian word "lahja", meaning "gift". It has also been suggested that it may be related to the Finnish word "lahkea", meaning "generous". | |||
| Finnish | viileä | ||
| "Viileä" is also an archaic term for a place of rest, which comes from the word for "shadow". | |||
| Hungarian | menő | ||
| Menő means "cool" in Hungarian, but is also the name of a Hungarian folk dance. | |||
| Latvian | forši | ||
| The word "forši" is likely derived from the German word "forsch" meaning "bold" or "daring". | |||
| Lithuanian | saunus | ||
| Saunus is a Lithuanian word likely derived from the Latin word "sanus," meaning healthy, sound, or cool. | |||
| Macedonian | кул | ||
| The noun and verb "кул" (kul) in Macedonian is used to refer to worship rituals, idols, and idol worshipping. | |||
| Polish | fajne | ||
| In Polish, "fajne" means "cool" and comes from the Yiddish word "fayin". In some Slavic dialects, it can also mean "nice" or "beautiful". | |||
| Romanian | rece | ||
| The word "rece" may derive from the Slavic word for "river", or from a term meaning "cold". It also means "colds", in a medical sense. | |||
| Russian | прохладно | ||
| The Russian word "прохладно" can also mean "indifferent" or "cold". | |||
| Serbian | хладан | ||
| The word 'хладан' is related to the word 'хлад', which means both 'coolness' and 'shade'. | |||
| Slovak | v pohode | ||
| While 'v pohode' has no literal English translation, the closest definition would be 'chilled'. | |||
| Slovenian | kul | ||
| The word 'kul' is a slang term derived from 'kulen', a type of spicy sausage popular in Slovenia. | |||
| Ukrainian | круто | ||
| The Ukrainian word "круто" can also mean "steep" or "abrupt". | |||
Cool in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | শীতল | ||
| The word 'শীতল' ('cool' in Bengali) originates from Sanskrit, and also means 'calming' and 'refreshing'. | |||
| Gujarati | સરસ | ||
| "સરસ" in Gujarati can also refer to something pleasant or beautiful. | |||
| Hindi | ठंडा | ||
| The Hindi word "ठंडा" can also mean "uninterested" or "aloof". | |||
| Kannada | ತಂಪಾದ | ||
| The word "ತಂಪಾದ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "ತಂ" meaning "to cool" and can also refer to anything that is refreshing or pleasant. | |||
| Malayalam | അടിപൊളി | ||
| The word "അടിപൊളി" literally means "bottom-explode" in Malayalam, and is also used to express amusement, excitement, and agreement. | |||
| Marathi | मस्त | ||
| In Sanskrit 'mast' or 'matha' meant 'intoxicated elephant' which later became more generic meaning 'intoxicated' or 'in heat' and later came to mean 'aroused', 'delighted' or 'in a frenzy' | |||
| Nepali | राम्रो | ||
| In Nepali, 'राम्रो' ('ramro') originally meant 'beautiful,' while 'चिसो' ('chiso') meant 'cool,' but over time 'ramro' has also come to mean 'cool.' | |||
| Punjabi | ਠੰਡਾ | ||
| The word "ਠੰਡਾ" can also mean "calm" or "composed" in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සිසිල් | ||
| In Sinhala, the word "සිසිල්" also refers to a breeze, a cooling agent, or a soothing sensation. | |||
| Tamil | குளிர் | ||
| The Tamil word "குளிர்" (kulir) is also used to refer to "chilliness" or "coldness". | |||
| Telugu | బాగుంది | ||
| The Telugu word 'బాగుంది' (baagundi) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'bhaga' meaning 'well-being, good fortune' and is unrelated to the English word 'cool' | |||
| Urdu | ٹھنڈا | ||
| The word | |||
Cool in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 凉 | ||
| The word 凉 (liáng) can also mean 'cold', 'shadow', and 'disappointment' in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 涼 | ||
| 『涼』字本意為『風』，引申為『冷』之意。 | |||
| Japanese | 涼しい | ||
| "涼しい" also means 'comfortable' and was originally used to describe how the shade of a tree made one feel during a hot day. | |||
| Korean | 멋있는 | ||
| "멋있는" originated from the Sino-Korean "멋있다" meaning "good-looking" or "handsome". | |||
| Mongolian | сэрүүн | ||
| The word 'сэрүүн' also means 'fresh' and 'calm'. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အေးတယ် | ||
Cool in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | keren | ||
| Keren, meaning "cool" in Indonesian, originates from the Dutch word "keren" meaning "grooves" or "scored lines". | |||
| Javanese | kelangan | ||
| The Javanese word 'kelangan' also refers to a feeling of numbness and lack of vitality. | |||
| Khmer | ត្រជាក់ | ||
| The word "ត្រជាក់" is also used to describe someone who is calm or collected. | |||
| Lao | ເຢັນ | ||
| The word ເຢັນ (cool) can also mean to be patient, calm, or not in a hurry. | |||
| Malay | sejuk | ||
| The word "sejuk" is also an archaic term for "peace" in Malay. | |||
| Thai | เย็น | ||
| "เย็น" (cool) can also mean evening, peaceful, or refreshing. | |||
| Vietnamese | mát mẻ | ||
| The word “mát mẻ” comes from the root “mát” meaning “cold” but can also describe pleasant breezes | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | malamig | ||
Cool in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | sərin | ||
| In Azerbaijani, "sərin" not only means "cool" but can also refer to "calm" or "relaxed". | |||
| Kazakh | салқын | ||
| The word "салқын" (cool) in Kazakh also means "shadow" or "shade". | |||
| Kyrgyz | баракелде | ||
| Баракелде, also known as Аяңгак, is a traditional Kyrgyz martial art that emphasizes quick footwork and evasive maneuvers. | |||
| Tajik | хунук | ||
| The word "хунук" can also mean "relaxed" or "calm" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | gowy | ||
| Uzbek | salqin | ||
| The word "salqin" in Uzbek can also refer to a type of fruit or a refreshing drink. | |||
| Uyghur | cool | ||
Cool in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | anu | ||
| "Anu" also refers to an icy wind on a mountain, or the coldness of winter. | |||
| Maori | hauhautanga | ||
| Hauhautanga also means 'coldness', 'freezing', 'chills' and the 'shivers'. | |||
| Samoan | sekia | ||
| Sekia can also mean "calm" or "unruffled" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | malamig | ||
| The Tagalog word "malamig" also means "quiet" and "calm". | |||
Cool in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | phisirku | ||
| Guarani | piro'ysã | ||
Cool in International Languages
| Esperanto | malvarmeta | ||
| Derived from "mal" (bad) and "varmeta" (warm), implying a pleasant coolness. | |||
| Latin | frigus | ||
| The word "frigus" in Latin can also refer to "cold" or "chilly" temperatures. | |||
Cool in Others Languages
| Greek | δροσερός | ||
| "Δροσερός" in Greek shares the same root to the word "dew", hinting at the freshness it represents | |||
| Hmong | txias | ||
| The word "txias" also means "young" or "green" in the Hmong language. | |||
| Kurdish | xwînsar | ||
| The Kurdish word "xwînsar" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *k̂wēns-, meaning "to refresh, cool, or make agreeable." | |||
| Turkish | güzel | ||
| The Turkish word "güzel", originally meaning "beautiful" or "lovely," has acquired a slang usage as "cool" or "awesome." | |||
| Xhosa | kuhle | ||
| In Xhosa 'Kuhle' can also be used to describe someone in good health or doing well | |||
| Yiddish | קיל | ||
| The Yiddish word "קיל" also means "cold" or "chilly". | |||
| Zulu | kupholile | ||
| The Zulu word 'kupholile' can also refer to relaxation or a state of calmness. | |||
| Assamese | ঠাণ্ডা | ||
| Aymara | phisirku | ||
| Bhojpuri | ठंढा | ||
| Dhivehi | ފިނި | ||
| Dogri | बधिया | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | malamig | ||
| Guarani | piro'ysã | ||
| Ilocano | nalammiis | ||
| Krio | kol | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | باش | ||
| Maithili | ठंडा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯌꯤꯡꯕ | ||
| Mizo | dai | ||
| Oromo | diilallaa'aa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଥଣ୍ଡା | ||
| Quechua | allin | ||
| Sanskrit | शोभनम् | ||
| Tatar | салкын | ||
| Tigrinya | ሰናይ | ||
| Tsonga | lulamile | ||