Darkness in Different Languages
Discover 'Darkness' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Darkness is a powerful and evocative concept that has captivated humans for centuries. It signifies the absence of light, but also represents mystery, fear, the unknown, and the unconscious mind. Throughout history, darkness has played a significant role in various cultures, religions, and literature. For instance, in many Western cultures, darkness is often associated with evil and negativity, while in some Eastern cultures, it symbolizes spiritual transformation and potential for growth.
Given its cultural importance and rich symbolism, it's no wonder that people might be interested in learning how to say 'darkness' in different languages. After all, exploring new words and expressions is one of the best ways to deepen our understanding of other cultures and broaden our perspectives.
Here are some translations of 'darkness' in various languages: Spanish - 'oscuridad', French - 'obscurité', German - 'Dunkelheit', Italian - 'oscurità', Chinese - '黑暗 (hēi'àn)', Japanese - '闇 (yami)', Arabic - 'ظلام (Ẓulām)', and many more.
Darkness
Darkness in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | duisternis | ||
| The word "duisternis" is derived from the Old Dutch word "dusterheit", which means "darkness", and is related to the German word "Dunkelheit", which also means "darkness". | |||
| Amharic | ጨለማ | ||
| The word "ጨለማ" can also mean "secret" or "hidden". | |||
| Hausa | duhu | ||
| The word "duhu" also means "night" or "darkness" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | ọchịchịrị | ||
| "Ọchichịri" is also the name of an Igbo masquerade or the act of performing as the masquerade. | |||
| Malagasy | haizina | ||
| The word "haizina" also means "ignorance" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mdima | ||
| 'Mdima' is also a type of bird found in Malawi. | |||
| Shona | rima | ||
| "Rima" also means "secret" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | mugdi | ||
| The word "mugdi" can also refer to night or a black cloud | |||
| Sesotho | lefifi | ||
| The word "lefifi" can also refer to a place of secrecy or mystery, or to something that is hidden or unknown. | |||
| Swahili | giza | ||
| The Swahili word 'giza' also means 'secret' or 'mystery'. | |||
| Xhosa | ubumnyama | ||
| In Xhosa, 'ubumnyama' ('darkness') comes from 'mnyama,' meaning 'beast,' which reflects the association between darkness and danger in Xhosa culture. | |||
| Yoruba | okunkun | ||
| The name Okun is closely related to the name of the Yoruba deity of the ocean, Olokun. | |||
| Zulu | ubumnyama | ||
| The Zulu word "ubumnyama" originates from "imnyama," a term referring to black or dark-colored items. | |||
| Bambara | dibi donna | ||
| Ewe | viviti me | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umwijima | ||
| Lingala | molili | ||
| Luganda | ekizikiza | ||
| Sepedi | leswiswi | ||
| Twi (Akan) | esum mu | ||
Darkness in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الظلام | ||
| "ظلام" can also mean hidden or unknown matters. | |||
| Hebrew | חוֹשֶׁך | ||
| The Hebrew word "חוֹשֶׁך" (choshekh, "darkness") shares a root with the word "חָשַׁךְ" (chashakh, "to be dark" or "to become dark"). | |||
| Pashto | تياره | ||
| The Pashto word "تياره" also means "night" and is related to the Persian word "تاریکی" (darkness). | |||
| Arabic | الظلام | ||
| "ظلام" can also mean hidden or unknown matters. | |||
Darkness in Western European Languages
| Albanian | errësirë | ||
| The word "errësirë" is derived from the Proto-Albanian word *h₂erǵʰ-si-rā, which also means "darkness". | |||
| Basque | iluntasuna | ||
| The word iluntasuna can also refer to 'lack of clarity' or 'mystery'. | |||
| Catalan | foscor | ||
| The Catalan word "foscor" comes from the Latin "fuscus" meaning "dark" or "dusky". | |||
| Croatian | tama | ||
| The word "tama" also means "secret" or "hidden" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | mørke | ||
| The word "mørke" can also mean "ignorance" or "evil" in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | duisternis | ||
| Duisternis ultimately derives from the Proto-West Germanic root “dheubhster”, meaning “deep”. | |||
| English | darkness | ||
| Originally meaning 'shadow; shade' in Old English, darkness has also come to mean 'ignorance; evil; or lack of knowledge'. | |||
| French | obscurité | ||
| Obscurité derives from the Latin obscurare, meaning "to cover up" or "to hide". | |||
| Frisian | tsjuster | ||
| The word "tsjuster" can also mean "twilight" or "late evening". | |||
| Galician | escuridade | ||
| "Escuridade" derives from Latin *obscuritatem* (“lack of light”), sharing etymological roots with "oscurecer" (meaning “to obscure”). | |||
| German | dunkelheit | ||
| The word 'Dunkelheit' is derived from the Proto-Germanic root *þunkaz, meaning 'darkness' or 'shadow'. | |||
| Icelandic | myrkur | ||
| The word "myrkur" in Icelandic is used to refer to both physical darkness and metaphorical darkness, such as ignorance or sorrow. | |||
| Irish | dorchadas | ||
| The word "dorchadas" can also refer to "ignorance" or "unbelief" in Irish. | |||
| Italian | buio | ||
| "Buio" derives from the Latin "bōs" (ox) and figuratively "ox eye", that is, blind from the cataract that covers the pupil, like the night's blindness. | |||
| Luxembourgish | däischtert | ||
| Däischtert derives from the Latin word "discretio" which refers to the separation or distinction between light and darkness. | |||
| Maltese | dlam | ||
| "Dlam" is the Maltese word for "darkness," and its etymological root is the Arabic word for "shadow" or "shade."} | |||
| Norwegian | mørke | ||
| Etymology: Old Norse myrkr - dark; darkness. Meaning: Lack of or absence of light. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | trevas | ||
| In Portuguese, "trevas" can also refer to a dark place or a state of ignorance or mental confusion. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dorchadas | ||
| The word 'dorchadas' can also be used to refer to a 'hiding-place' or a 'dark secret'. | |||
| Spanish | oscuridad | ||
| “Oscuridad” is a Spanish word for “obscurity” and has its root in Latin “obscuritas” (obscurity). | |||
| Swedish | mörker | ||
| "Mörker" also refers to the mythical giant Mrkr who embodies the cold, the night, and the mist. | |||
| Welsh | tywyllwch | ||
| The word "tywyllwch" can also refer to the dark forces that lurk in the night. | |||
Darkness in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | цемра | ||
| 'Цемра' in Belarusian is related to the Sanskrit word 'tamas' meaning 'darkness', 'ignorance' or 'stupidity'. | |||
| Bosnian | tama | ||
| The word "tama" is also used in a figurative sense to refer to ignorance or evil. | |||
| Bulgarian | тъмнина | ||
| Bulgarian "тъмнина" (darkness) also refers to a lack of clarity, understanding, or transparency. | |||
| Czech | tma | ||
| The Czech word "tma" is related to the Proto-Slavic word *tьma, which meant "army" or "crowd" and could have been derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *tem- meaning "to cover" or "to fill up". | |||
| Estonian | pimedus | ||
| The word "pimedus" shares a common Indo-European root with the Sanskrit word "tamas" (darkness) and is related to the Latin word "fumus" (smoke). | |||
| Finnish | pimeys | ||
| The word "pimeys" is related to the words "pimu" (dark, gloomy) and "pimennys" (eclipse). | |||
| Hungarian | sötétség | ||
| The word "sötétség" is derived from the Proto-Uralic word *śota "night, darkness". | |||
| Latvian | tumsa | ||
| Latvian "tumsa" shares roots with "temnota" in Slavic languages, signifying obscurity or ignorance | |||
| Lithuanian | tamsa | ||
| The word "tamsa" in Lithuanian is related to the Sanskrit root "tam" meaning "to spread" and also means "fog" or "mist". | |||
| Macedonian | темнина | ||
| The word "темнина" in Macedonian can also mean "ignorance" or "obscurity". | |||
| Polish | ciemność | ||
| The Polish word "ciemność" shares a common etymology with "shadow," "black," and "ink." | |||
| Romanian | întuneric | ||
| "Întuneric" shares the Proto-Indo-European root | |||
| Russian | тьма | ||
| The word “тьма” can also refer to the number “10,000”, or something very large and undefined. | |||
| Serbian | тама | ||
| In the Russian Northern dialect, "тьма" (darkness) can also mean "a great multitude", like "тьма народу" (a great multitude of people). | |||
| Slovak | tma | ||
| The word "tma" also means "secret" or "mystery" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | temo | ||
| The root tem- is found in various South Slavic languages to refer to obscurity, while in Proto-Slavic it meant 'thick.' | |||
| Ukrainian | темрява | ||
| The word "темрява" ('тьма' in Russian) may also refer to a state of ignorance or delusion or an evil force in Slavic folklore. | |||
Darkness in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অন্ধকার | ||
| The word 'অন্ধকার' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'अन्धकार' (andhkāra), which means 'not giving light' or 'absence of light'. | |||
| Gujarati | અંધકાર | ||
| Hindi | अंधेरा | ||
| "अंधेरा" is derived from Sanskrit word "अंध" which also means "blind" or "to be blind". | |||
| Kannada | ಕತ್ತಲೆ | ||
| The word 'ಕತ್ತಲೆ' (kattale) is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root word 'kaṭ', meaning 'to cover' or 'to conceal'. | |||
| Malayalam | ഇരുട്ട് | ||
| The Malayalam word 'ഇരുട്ട്' (darkness) shares a common root with the Proto-Dravidian word 'īr' meaning 'night' or 'darkness'. | |||
| Marathi | अंधार | ||
| The word "अंधार" also means "concealed" or "hidden" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | अँध्यारो | ||
| The word 'अँध्यारो' also refers to the absence of knowledge, understanding or enlightenment. | |||
| Punjabi | ਹਨੇਰਾ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අඳුරු | ||
| The word "අඳුරු" (darkness) is also used to describe something that is 'mysterious or difficult to understand'. | |||
| Tamil | இருள் | ||
| "இருள்" (darkness) derives from the Proto-Dravidian root *ir-, meaning "night". | |||
| Telugu | చీకటి | ||
| The word 'చీకటి' can also refer to confusion or a lack of knowledge. | |||
| Urdu | اندھیرے | ||
| The word "اندھیرے" is derived from the Sanskrit word "andhaka", which means "dark" or "blind". It is also related to the Persian word "andheri", which means "night". The word has been used in Urdu literature for centuries to describe both physical and metaphorical darkness. | |||
Darkness in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 黑暗 | ||
| In Chinese folklore, "黑暗" can also refer to the realm of ghosts and demons. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 黑暗 | ||
| In Chinese, 黑暗 (Darkness) is also used as a slang word for 'corrupt' or 'evil'. | |||
| Japanese | 闇 | ||
| 闇 (darkness) in Japanese also refers to the afterlife and shady dealings. | |||
| Korean | 어둠 | ||
| 어둠 can also mean “ignorance” or “unrighteousness,” or “not knowing something,” and is often used in Buddhist contexts. | |||
| Mongolian | харанхуй | ||
| The word "харанхуй" is also used to describe something that is hidden or mysterious. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မှောင်မိုက် | ||
Darkness in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kegelapan | ||
| "Kegelapan" can refer to physical darkness or spiritual and intellectual blindness, and originates from the Proto-Austronesian root *kelem "black, dark." | |||
| Javanese | pepeteng | ||
| The word "pepeteng" in Javanese can also mean "to close the eyes" or "to sleep". | |||
| Khmer | ភាពងងឹត | ||
| The term "darkness" in Khmer, "ភាពងងឹត", can also refer to ignorance or a lack of enlightenment. | |||
| Lao | ຄວາມມືດ | ||
| Its etymology goes back to the Pali word "tamas" meaning "to be dark". | |||
| Malay | kegelapan | ||
| The word "kegelapan" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *kələp, which also means "to be blind" or "to be unable to see". | |||
| Thai | ความมืด | ||
| The word "ความมืด" (darkness) in Thai has an alternate meaning of "ignorance" or "unenlightenment". | |||
| Vietnamese | bóng tối | ||
| The word "bóng tối" has several alternate meanings, including "shadow", "shade", "silhouette", and "secrecy". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kadiliman | ||
Darkness in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qaranlıq | ||
| "Qaranlıq" in Azerbaijani can also refer to something that is uncertain or hidden. | |||
| Kazakh | қараңғылық | ||
| The Kazakh word "қараңғылық" (darkness) is derived from the verb "қару" (to cover, to conceal), and its primary meaning is "absence of light" or "darkness." | |||
| Kyrgyz | караңгылык | ||
| The word "караңгылык" comes from the Old Turkic word "karaňgɯlɯḳ," meaning "dark place" or "shadow." | |||
| Tajik | зулмот | ||
| "Зулмот" (darkness) stems from the Old Persian "džamātar", meaning "son-in-law". | |||
| Turkmen | garaňkylyk | ||
| Uzbek | zulmat | ||
| Uyghur | قاراڭغۇلۇق | ||
Darkness in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pouli | ||
| The Hawaiian word "pouli" derives from the Proto-Polynesian root *poki, meaning "night" or "darkness." | |||
| Maori | pouri | ||
| Maori word 'pouri' relates to 'pouriuri' which means 'extreme dark' or 'night' and also 'te pōuriuri' - 'the ultimate state of darkness' or 'great dark'. | |||
| Samoan | pogisa | ||
| Pogisa can also refer to being hidden or concealed, and to the state of being asleep. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kadiliman | ||
Darkness in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ch’amaka | ||
| Guarani | pytũmby | ||
Darkness in International Languages
| Esperanto | mallumo | ||
| Latin | tenebris | ||
| The word "tenebris" can also refer to "the underworld" or "the realm of the dead" in Latin. | |||
Darkness in Others Languages
| Greek | σκοτάδι | ||
| The Ancient Greek word σκότος, from which σκοτάδι is derived, also meant "shadow" and "gloom". | |||
| Hmong | kev tsaus ntuj | ||
| "Kev tsaus ntuj" can also mean "a hidden or secret matter". | |||
| Kurdish | tarîtî | ||
| The Kurdish word "tarîtî" can also refer to "evening" or "nighttime" | |||
| Turkish | karanlık | ||
| Though Turkish "karanlık" initially meant "a dark space not illuminated by the sun", it came to mean "darkness" in general. | |||
| Xhosa | ubumnyama | ||
| In Xhosa, 'ubumnyama' ('darkness') comes from 'mnyama,' meaning 'beast,' which reflects the association between darkness and danger in Xhosa culture. | |||
| Yiddish | פינצטערניש | ||
| "פינצטערניש" derives from the Middle High German word "finsternisse," meaning not only "darkness" but also "imprisonment," "affliction," and "blindness." | |||
| Zulu | ubumnyama | ||
| The Zulu word "ubumnyama" originates from "imnyama," a term referring to black or dark-colored items. | |||
| Assamese | আন্ধাৰ | ||
| Aymara | ch’amaka | ||
| Bhojpuri | अन्हार हो गइल बा | ||
| Dhivehi | އަނދިރިކަމެވެ | ||
| Dogri | अंधेरा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kadiliman | ||
| Guarani | pytũmby | ||
| Ilocano | sipnget | ||
| Krio | daknɛs | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | تاریکی | ||
| Maithili | अन्हार | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯃꯝꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | thim a ni | ||
| Oromo | dukkana | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅନ୍ଧକାର | ||
| Quechua | tutayaq | ||
| Sanskrit | अन्धकारः | ||
| Tatar | караңгылык | ||
| Tigrinya | ጸልማት | ||
| Tsonga | munyama | ||