Dark in Different Languages
Discover 'Dark' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'dark' holds a profound significance in various cultures and languages, often representing the unknown, mystery, and even fear. Its cultural importance is evident in stories, folklore, and literature where 'dark' is used to depict events that occur during the night or in dimly lit settings. This word also symbolizes challenging times or negative experiences, as seen in phrases like 'dark moments' or 'dark past'.
Given its multifaceted significance, one might want to learn the translation of 'dark' in different languages to better understand cultural nuances and expand their vocabulary. For instance, in Spanish, 'dark' translates to 'oscuro'; in French, it's 'sombre'; and in German, 'dunkel'.
Interestingly, the English word 'dark' has roots in Old English 'deorc', which originally meant 'pale' or 'wan'. Over time, its meaning evolved to encompass the sense of absence of light we're familiar with today. Delving into these linguistic histories can offer unique insights into how languages and cultures have evolved.
Dark
Dark in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | donker | ||
| The word 'donker' not only means dark but also refers to a gloomy temperament. | |||
| Amharic | ጨለማ | ||
| In addition to 'darkness,' ጨለማ can refer to misfortune, secrecy, or spiritual deprivation. | |||
| Hausa | duhu | ||
| The word 'duhu' can also mean 'darkness' or 'shadow' in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | ọchịchịrị | ||
| "Ọchịchịrị" may have its etymological root in the Igbo term "chi" (spirit), referring to the absence of light like a spiritless or lifeless body. | |||
| Malagasy | maizina | ||
| In the Sakalava dialect of Malagasy, "maizina" can also refer to the color "ashy gray" | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mdima | ||
| The word "mdima" in Nyanja can also refer to a forest or a shadow. | |||
| Shona | kwasviba | ||
| The Shona word "kwasviba" can also refer to a type of tree with dark wood. | |||
| Somali | mugdi ah | ||
| In Somali, mugdi also means "late in the night" or "evening hours" | |||
| Sesotho | lefifi | ||
| The word can also refer to a dark or secret place, a hidden or secret thing, and a secret or confidential matter. | |||
| Swahili | giza | ||
| In Swahili, "giza" can also refer to a deep, unfathomable place or a mystery that is beyond comprehension. | |||
| Xhosa | mnyama | ||
| In addition to meaning "darkness," "mnyama" can refer to someone with negative intentions, or misfortune. | |||
| Yoruba | ṣokunkun | ||
| "Ṣokunkun" in Yoruba can also refer to something that is hidden or concealed. | |||
| Zulu | kumnyama | ||
| The Zulu word 'kumnyama' for 'dark' also alludes to a state without light or understanding. | |||
| Bambara | dibi | ||
| Ewe | nyrɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umwijima | ||
| Lingala | molili | ||
| Luganda | ekizikiza | ||
| Sepedi | leswiswi | ||
| Twi (Akan) | sum | ||
Dark in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | داكن | ||
| The word "داكن" in Arabic literally translates to "to enter", and is related to the Arabic word "ادخل", meaning "enter". | |||
| Hebrew | אפל | ||
| In Hebrew, אפל ('āp̄el) also means "dark fruit" (such as grapes or figs), "darkness of night", or "mystery or obscurity." | |||
| Pashto | تیاره | ||
| The word "تیاره" also means "night" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | داكن | ||
| The word "داكن" in Arabic literally translates to "to enter", and is related to the Arabic word "ادخل", meaning "enter". | |||
Dark in Western European Languages
| Albanian | e errët | ||
| The word "e errët" is cognate with the Greek word "erēmos" (ερημος), meaning "wilderness" or "desert". | |||
| Basque | iluna | ||
| The word "iluna" in Basque can also refer to the "night" or "shade". | |||
| Catalan | fosc | ||
| The Catalan word "fosc" is derived from the Latin word "fuscus," meaning "dark" or "dusky" | |||
| Croatian | tamno | ||
| The word "tamno" in Croatian also means "dull" or "obscure". | |||
| Danish | mørk | ||
| "Mørk" can also refer to an old Danish coin worth one-fourth of a penny. | |||
| Dutch | donker | ||
| The word 'donker' can also refer to a dark-skinned person or a dark-colored horse. | |||
| English | dark | ||
| The word 'dark' comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *derk-, meaning 'to see' or 'to perceive'. | |||
| French | sombre | ||
| The French word "sombre" also means "melancholic" or "gloomy". | |||
| Frisian | tsjuster | ||
| The origin of “tsjuster” is the same as “düüster” and both derive from “dust” in Old English and “dust” in Old Frisian which refers to dusk or darkness. | |||
| Galician | escuro | ||
| The Galician word "escuro" ultimately comes from Latin "obscurus", and also means "hidden" or "secret". | |||
| German | dunkel | ||
| In German, 'dunkel' can also refer to a type of beer with a rich, malty flavor. | |||
| Icelandic | myrkur | ||
| The word 'Myrkur' originated from the Old Norse word 'myrkr', which also means 'dark' or 'shadowy'. | |||
| Irish | dorcha | ||
| The Irish word "dorcha" can also refer to a hidden or unknown aspect of something. | |||
| Italian | buio | ||
| "Buio" is derived from the Latin word "boscus," meaning "wood" or "forest." | |||
| Luxembourgish | donkel | ||
| The word "donkel" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*þunklaz" meaning "dark," and is related to the English word "dank". | |||
| Maltese | skur | ||
| "Skur" may also mean "ugly" or "unpleasant". | |||
| Norwegian | mørk | ||
| "Mørk" is also an old word for forest, from which the word "myrke" (darkness) is derived. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | sombrio | ||
| The word "sombrio" is derived from the Latin "subumbrius," meaning "shady" or "cast in shade." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dorcha | ||
| The Gaelic word "dorcha" is related to the Irish word "dorcadh" and the Welsh word "tywyll", which likewise mean "dark". | |||
| Spanish | oscuro | ||
| In Italian, "oscuro" means "obscure" or "unclear", implying a lack of clarity or understanding. | |||
| Swedish | mörk | ||
| The Swedish word "mörk" is related to the English word "murk", which means "darkness" or "gloom". | |||
| Welsh | tywyll | ||
| The Welsh word "tywyll" is cognate with the Irish word "dorcha" and the Latin word "tenebrae", all meaning "darkness." | |||
Dark in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | цёмны | ||
| The word "цёмны" can also mean "unintelligible" or "mysterious". | |||
| Bosnian | tamno | ||
| "Tamno" can also refer to a shade of blue. | |||
| Bulgarian | тъмно | ||
| The word | |||
| Czech | temný | ||
| The word "temný" can also mean "mysterious" or "gloomy" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | pime | ||
| The word "pime" may be derived from ancient Proto-Germanic and Proto-Norse roots with similar meanings to darkness. | |||
| Finnish | tumma | ||
| The word 'tumma' shares a root with the Estonian word 'tume' and the Karelian word 'tumah, both of which also mean 'dark'. | |||
| Hungarian | sötét | ||
| The Hungarian word "sötét" also has the meaning of "mysterious" and "unfathomable". | |||
| Latvian | tumšs | ||
| The word "tumšs" is derived from the Proto-Baltic word *tumsa, which also means "darkness" or "shadow". | |||
| Lithuanian | tamsu | ||
| The Lithuanian word "tamsu" can be traced to Proto-Indo-European *temH-, meaning "dark" or "black". | |||
| Macedonian | темно | ||
| The word "темно" can also refer to ignorance, mystery, or secrecy. | |||
| Polish | ciemny | ||
| "Ciemny" comes from Proto-Slavic "kymonъ", meaning "bad" or "evil". It has been used to refer to something dark or obscure, as well as something negative or harmful. | |||
| Romanian | întuneric | ||
| "Întuneric" originates from the Proto-Indo-European root "*h₁énh₁ter-", meaning "fog", and is related to English "night" and Latin "tenebrae". | |||
| Russian | темно | ||
| Russian "темно" ("night") is cognate with the Ancient Greek "θύνομαι" ("to sacrifice"), likely owing to the practice of nightly sacrifices to ward off evil spirits. | |||
| Serbian | тамно | ||
| The word "тамно" derives from the Proto-Slavic root "*tъmъ", meaning "dark, black, or obscured", and is related to the Proto-Indo-European root "*temH-", meaning "dark, black". | |||
| Slovak | tmavý | ||
| The word "tmavý" also means "dusky" or "sombre" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | temno | ||
| Despite its similarity to the Greek word | |||
| Ukrainian | темний | ||
Dark in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অন্ধকার | ||
| "অন্ধকার" can also mean "the absence of knowledge or understanding". | |||
| Gujarati | શ્યામ | ||
| The word "śyāma" is derived from the Sanskrit word "śyam," meaning "dark," "black," or "blue." | |||
| Hindi | अंधेरा | ||
| The Hindi word अंधेरा, meaning "dark," originates from the Sanskrit word अंध, which also signifies "blind" | |||
| Kannada | ಡಾರ್ಕ್ | ||
| In Kannada, "ಡಾರ್ಕ್" can also mean "to hide" or "to conceal". | |||
| Malayalam | ഇരുട്ട് | ||
| "ഇരുട്ട്" in Malayalam can also mean "shadow", "darkness", "blindness", or "ignorance". | |||
| Marathi | गडद | ||
| The word "गडद" (dark) also means "dense" or "compact" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | अँध्यारो | ||
| The word "अँध्यारो" is derived from the Sanskrit word "अंधकार" meaning "darkness", and is also used figuratively to describe ignorance or lack of understanding. | |||
| Punjabi | ਹਨੇਰ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අඳුරු | ||
| The Sinhalese word 'අඳුරු' can also refer to 'ignorance', 'lack of understanding', or a 'difficult situation'. | |||
| Tamil | இருள் | ||
| The word "இருள்" ("dark") in Tamil is also related to the words "இரு" ("two") and "இரவு" ("night"), indicating its connection to the duality and obscurity of nighttime. | |||
| Telugu | చీకటి | ||
| "చీకటి" means "darkness" and is also the name of a type of lentil soup in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | سیاہ | ||
| "سیاہ" ("dark") in Urdu comes from the Sanskrit word "śyāma" meaning "black, dark, dusky" and has a figurative meaning of "misfortune, sorrow". | |||
Dark in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 黑暗 | ||
| Besides its meaning of “dark,” 黑暗 (hēiàn) also means “secret” or “mysterious.” | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 黑暗 | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "dark," the Chinese character 黑暗 (hēiàn) can also mean "ignorance" or "evil." | |||
| Japanese | 闇 | ||
| The kanji "闇" (yami) originally meant "hidden" or "obscure" and was often used in the context of divination and supernatural phenomena. | |||
| Korean | 어두운 | ||
| " 어두운 " is etymologically related to the word for "child" and in some dialects retains a meaning of "immature". | |||
| Mongolian | харанхуй | ||
| The word "хараанхуй" is derived from the Proto-Mongolic word *xaraŋ, meaning "black" or "dark". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မှောငျမိုကျသော | ||
Dark in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | gelap | ||
| Javanese | peteng | ||
| The word "peteng" in Javanese can also mean "night" or "darkness". | |||
| Khmer | ងងឹត | ||
| "ងងឹត" shares the same root word with "ងង" or "ងុំ" meaning "to close", referring to the closed nature of darkness. | |||
| Lao | ມືດ | ||
| Malay | gelap | ||
| The word "gelap" or "gelabu" in Malay also means "deep" as in "deep in a swamp" or deep thought. | |||
| Thai | มืด | ||
| While "มืด" commonly means "dark," it can also refer to ignorance or confusion. | |||
| Vietnamese | tối | ||
| The Vietnamese word for "dark," "tối," also has connotations of solitude, sadness, or secrecy. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | madilim | ||
Dark in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qaranlıq | ||
| "Qaranlıq" can also mean "mystery" or "secret" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | қараңғы | ||
| The word "қараңғы" is also an archaic name of Qara Qum Desert located south-east of the Aral Sea. | |||
| Kyrgyz | караңгы | ||
| The word "караңгы" also means "secret" and "hidden" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | торик | ||
| The word "торик" is also used to describe a type of horse with a dark coat in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | garaňky | ||
| Uzbek | qorong'i | ||
| The Uzbek word "qorong'i" is related to the Mongolian "khare" and Turkish word "kara", both meaning "black" | |||
| Uyghur | قاراڭغۇ | ||
Dark in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pouli | ||
| Pouli, the Hawaiian word for dark, can also refer to the dark coloration of the moon during an eclipse. | |||
| Maori | pouri | ||
| The word "pouri" in Maori also means "night" and "darkness". | |||
| Samoan | pogisa | ||
| Pogisa can also be used to describe something hidden, unknown or not visible. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | madilim | ||
| "Madilim" comes from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian word *malem*, which could also mean "night", "deep sleep", "death", "extinction", "obscurity", or "ignorance". | |||
Dark in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ch'amaka | ||
| Guarani | pytũ | ||
Dark in International Languages
| Esperanto | malhela | ||
| "Malhela" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *mel-, meaning "black" or "dark." | |||
| Latin | tenebris | ||
| "Tenebris" is sometimes used to refer to the dark of night, while "tenebrae" commonly refers to the darkness of Hell. | |||
Dark in Others Languages
| Greek | σκοτάδι | ||
| The word σκοτάδι also refers to the underworld or realm of the dead in Greek mythology. | |||
| Hmong | tsaus ntuj | ||
| The Hmong word "tsaus ntuj" can also mean "night" or "the underworld". | |||
| Kurdish | tarî | ||
| The word "tarî" in Kurdish is derived from the Persian word "tarik" and the Arabic word "tarīq". | |||
| Turkish | karanlık | ||
| The word "karanlık" in Turkish not only means "dark" but also refers to "ignorance" or "evil." | |||
| Xhosa | mnyama | ||
| In addition to meaning "darkness," "mnyama" can refer to someone with negative intentions, or misfortune. | |||
| Yiddish | טונקל | ||
| טונקל (tonkl) also means 'brown coffee' or 'drunken'. | |||
| Zulu | kumnyama | ||
| The Zulu word 'kumnyama' for 'dark' also alludes to a state without light or understanding. | |||
| Assamese | অন্ধকাৰ | ||
| Aymara | ch'amaka | ||
| Bhojpuri | अन्हरिया | ||
| Dhivehi | އަނދިރި | ||
| Dogri | न्हेरा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | madilim | ||
| Guarani | pytũ | ||
| Ilocano | nasipnget | ||
| Krio | dak | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | تاریک | ||
| Maithili | अन्हार | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯃꯝꯕ | ||
| Mizo | thim | ||
| Oromo | duukkana | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅନ୍ଧାର | ||
| Quechua | tutayasqa | ||
| Sanskrit | तिमिर | ||
| Tatar | караңгы | ||
| Tigrinya | ፀልማት | ||
| Tsonga | xinyama | ||