Darkness in Different Languages
Discover 'Darkness' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Darkness
Afrikaans duisternis | ||
Albanian errësirë | ||
Amharic ጨለማ | ||
Arabic الظلام | ||
Armenian խավար | ||
Assamese আন্ধাৰ | ||
Aymara ch’amaka | ||
Azerbaijani qaranlıq | ||
Bambara dibi donna | ||
Basque iluntasuna | ||
Belarusian цемра | ||
Bengali অন্ধকার | ||
Bhojpuri अन्हार हो गइल बा | ||
Bosnian tama | ||
Bulgarian тъмнина | ||
Catalan foscor | ||
Cebuano kangitngit | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 黑暗 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 黑暗 | ||
Corsican bughju | ||
Croatian tama | ||
Czech tma | ||
Danish mørke | ||
Dhivehi އަނދިރިކަމެވެ | ||
Dogri अंधेरा | ||
Dutch duisternis | ||
English darkness | ||
Esperanto mallumo | ||
Estonian pimedus | ||
Ewe viviti me | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) kadiliman | ||
Finnish pimeys | ||
French obscurité | ||
Frisian tsjuster | ||
Galician escuridade | ||
Georgian სიბნელე | ||
German dunkelheit | ||
Greek σκοτάδι | ||
Guarani pytũmby | ||
Gujarati અંધકાર | ||
Haitian Creole fènwa | ||
Hausa duhu | ||
Hawaiian pouli | ||
Hebrew חוֹשֶׁך | ||
Hindi अंधेरा | ||
Hmong kev tsaus ntuj | ||
Hungarian sötétség | ||
Icelandic myrkur | ||
Igbo ọchịchịrị | ||
Ilocano sipnget | ||
Indonesian kegelapan | ||
Irish dorchadas | ||
Italian buio | ||
Japanese 闇 | ||
Javanese pepeteng | ||
Kannada ಕತ್ತಲೆ | ||
Kazakh қараңғылық | ||
Khmer ភាពងងឹត | ||
Kinyarwanda umwijima | ||
Konkani काळोख जालो | ||
Korean 어둠 | ||
Krio daknɛs | ||
Kurdish tarîtî | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) تاریکی | ||
Kyrgyz караңгылык | ||
Lao ຄວາມມືດ | ||
Latin tenebris | ||
Latvian tumsa | ||
Lingala molili | ||
Lithuanian tamsa | ||
Luganda ekizikiza | ||
Luxembourgish däischtert | ||
Macedonian темнина | ||
Maithili अन्हार | ||
Malagasy haizina | ||
Malay kegelapan | ||
Malayalam ഇരുട്ട് | ||
Maltese dlam | ||
Maori pouri | ||
Marathi अंधार | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯑꯃꯝꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo thim a ni | ||
Mongolian харанхуй | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) မှောင်မိုက် | ||
Nepali अँध्यारो | ||
Norwegian mørke | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) mdima | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଅନ୍ଧକାର | ||
Oromo dukkana | ||
Pashto تياره | ||
Persian تاریکی | ||
Polish ciemność | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) trevas | ||
Punjabi ਹਨੇਰਾ | ||
Quechua tutayaq | ||
Romanian întuneric | ||
Russian тьма | ||
Samoan pogisa | ||
Sanskrit अन्धकारः | ||
Scots Gaelic dorchadas | ||
Sepedi leswiswi | ||
Serbian тама | ||
Sesotho lefifi | ||
Shona rima | ||
Sindhi اونداهي | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) අඳුරු | ||
Slovak tma | ||
Slovenian temo | ||
Somali mugdi | ||
Spanish oscuridad | ||
Sundanese poekna | ||
Swahili giza | ||
Swedish mörker | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) kadiliman | ||
Tajik зулмот | ||
Tamil இருள் | ||
Tatar караңгылык | ||
Telugu చీకటి | ||
Thai ความมืด | ||
Tigrinya ጸልማት | ||
Tsonga munyama | ||
Turkish karanlık | ||
Turkmen garaňkylyk | ||
Twi (Akan) esum mu | ||
Ukrainian темрява | ||
Urdu اندھیرے | ||
Uyghur قاراڭغۇلۇق | ||
Uzbek zulmat | ||
Vietnamese bóng tối | ||
Welsh tywyllwch | ||
Xhosa ubumnyama | ||
Yiddish פינצטערניש | ||
Yoruba okunkun | ||
Zulu ubumnyama |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | 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". |
| Albanian | The word "errësirë" is derived from the Proto-Albanian word *h₂erǵʰ-si-rā, which also means "darkness". |
| Amharic | The word "ጨለማ" can also mean "secret" or "hidden". |
| Arabic | "ظلام" can also mean hidden or unknown matters. |
| Armenian | The word "խավար" (darkness) in Armenian is related to the Persian word "خور" (sun) and the Sanskrit word "hvar" (light). |
| Azerbaijani | "Qaranlıq" in Azerbaijani can also refer to something that is uncertain or hidden. |
| Basque | The word iluntasuna can also refer to 'lack of clarity' or 'mystery'. |
| Belarusian | 'Цемра' in Belarusian is related to the Sanskrit word 'tamas' meaning 'darkness', 'ignorance' or 'stupidity'. |
| Bengali | The word 'অন্ধকার' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'अन्धकार' (andhkāra), which means 'not giving light' or 'absence of light'. |
| Bosnian | The word "tama" is also used in a figurative sense to refer to ignorance or evil. |
| Bulgarian | Bulgarian "тъмнина" (darkness) also refers to a lack of clarity, understanding, or transparency. |
| Catalan | The Catalan word "foscor" comes from the Latin "fuscus" meaning "dark" or "dusky". |
| Cebuano | The word "kangitngit" in Cebuano likely originated from the Proto-Austronesian word "*kaniŋiŋ" meaning "to be dark". |
| Chinese (Simplified) | In Chinese folklore, "黑暗" can also refer to the realm of ghosts and demons. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | In Chinese, 黑暗 (Darkness) is also used as a slang word for 'corrupt' or 'evil'. |
| Corsican | The Corsican word "bughju" can also refer to a dense forest or thicket. |
| Croatian | The word "tama" also means "secret" or "hidden" in Croatian. |
| Czech | 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". |
| Danish | The word "mørke" can also mean "ignorance" or "evil" in Danish. |
| Dutch | Duisternis ultimately derives from the Proto-West Germanic root “dheubhster”, meaning “deep”. |
| Estonian | 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 | The word "pimeys" is related to the words "pimu" (dark, gloomy) and "pimennys" (eclipse). |
| French | Obscurité derives from the Latin obscurare, meaning "to cover up" or "to hide". |
| Frisian | The word "tsjuster" can also mean "twilight" or "late evening". |
| Galician | "Escuridade" derives from Latin *obscuritatem* (“lack of light”), sharing etymological roots with "oscurecer" (meaning “to obscure”). |
| Georgian | The word 'სიბნელე', besides its literal translation of 'darkness' in Georgian, can also refer to 'ignorance' and 'wickedness'. |
| German | The word 'Dunkelheit' is derived from the Proto-Germanic root *þunkaz, meaning 'darkness' or 'shadow'. |
| Greek | The Ancient Greek word σκότος, from which σκοτάδι is derived, also meant "shadow" and "gloom". |
| Haitian Creole | Fènwa is derived from the French word "fin" (meaning "end") and is also used in Haitian Creole to refer to the 'darkening' of the sky before a storm. |
| Hausa | The word "duhu" also means "night" or "darkness" in Hausa. |
| Hawaiian | The Hawaiian word "pouli" derives from the Proto-Polynesian root *poki, meaning "night" or "darkness." |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word "חוֹשֶׁך" (choshekh, "darkness") shares a root with the word "חָשַׁךְ" (chashakh, "to be dark" or "to become dark"). |
| Hindi | "अंधेरा" is derived from Sanskrit word "अंध" which also means "blind" or "to be blind". |
| Hmong | "Kev tsaus ntuj" can also mean "a hidden or secret matter". |
| Hungarian | The word "sötétség" is derived from the Proto-Uralic word *śota "night, darkness". |
| Icelandic | The word "myrkur" in Icelandic is used to refer to both physical darkness and metaphorical darkness, such as ignorance or sorrow. |
| Igbo | "Ọchichịri" is also the name of an Igbo masquerade or the act of performing as the masquerade. |
| Indonesian | "Kegelapan" can refer to physical darkness or spiritual and intellectual blindness, and originates from the Proto-Austronesian root *kelem "black, dark." |
| Irish | The word "dorchadas" can also refer to "ignorance" or "unbelief" in Irish. |
| Italian | "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. |
| Japanese | 闇 (darkness) in Japanese also refers to the afterlife and shady dealings. |
| Javanese | The word "pepeteng" in Javanese can also mean "to close the eyes" or "to sleep". |
| Kannada | The word 'ಕತ್ತಲೆ' (kattale) is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root word 'kaṭ', meaning 'to cover' or 'to conceal'. |
| Kazakh | 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." |
| Khmer | The term "darkness" in Khmer, "ភាពងងឹត", can also refer to ignorance or a lack of enlightenment. |
| Korean | 어둠 can also mean “ignorance” or “unrighteousness,” or “not knowing something,” and is often used in Buddhist contexts. |
| Kurdish | The Kurdish word "tarîtî" can also refer to "evening" or "nighttime" |
| Kyrgyz | The word "караңгылык" comes from the Old Turkic word "karaňgɯlɯḳ," meaning "dark place" or "shadow." |
| Lao | Its etymology goes back to the Pali word "tamas" meaning "to be dark". |
| Latin | The word "tenebris" can also refer to "the underworld" or "the realm of the dead" in Latin. |
| Latvian | Latvian "tumsa" shares roots with "temnota" in Slavic languages, signifying obscurity or ignorance |
| Lithuanian | The word "tamsa" in Lithuanian is related to the Sanskrit root "tam" meaning "to spread" and also means "fog" or "mist". |
| Luxembourgish | Däischtert derives from the Latin word "discretio" which refers to the separation or distinction between light and darkness. |
| Macedonian | The word "темнина" in Macedonian can also mean "ignorance" or "obscurity". |
| Malagasy | The word "haizina" also means "ignorance" in Malagasy. |
| Malay | The word "kegelapan" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *kələp, which also means "to be blind" or "to be unable to see". |
| Malayalam | The Malayalam word 'ഇരുട്ട്' (darkness) shares a common root with the Proto-Dravidian word 'īr' meaning 'night' or 'darkness'. |
| Maltese | "Dlam" is the Maltese word for "darkness," and its etymological root is the Arabic word for "shadow" or "shade."} |
| Maori | Maori word 'pouri' relates to 'pouriuri' which means 'extreme dark' or 'night' and also 'te pōuriuri' - 'the ultimate state of darkness' or 'great dark'. |
| Marathi | The word "अंधार" also means "concealed" or "hidden" in Marathi. |
| Mongolian | The word "харанхуй" is also used to describe something that is hidden or mysterious. |
| Nepali | The word 'अँध्यारो' also refers to the absence of knowledge, understanding or enlightenment. |
| Norwegian | Etymology: Old Norse myrkr - dark; darkness. Meaning: Lack of or absence of light. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | 'Mdima' is also a type of bird found in Malawi. |
| Pashto | The Pashto word "تياره" also means "night" and is related to the Persian word "تاریکی" (darkness). |
| Persian | The word "تاریکی" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ter- "to tremble" and is related to the English word "terror". |
| Polish | The Polish word "ciemność" shares a common etymology with "shadow," "black," and "ink." |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Portuguese, "trevas" can also refer to a dark place or a state of ignorance or mental confusion. |
| Romanian | "Întuneric" shares the Proto-Indo-European root |
| Russian | The word “тьма” can also refer to the number “10,000”, or something very large and undefined. |
| Samoan | Pogisa can also refer to being hidden or concealed, and to the state of being asleep. |
| Scots Gaelic | The word 'dorchadas' can also be used to refer to a 'hiding-place' or a 'dark secret'. |
| Serbian | In the Russian Northern dialect, "тьма" (darkness) can also mean "a great multitude", like "тьма народу" (a great multitude of people). |
| Sesotho | The word "lefifi" can also refer to a place of secrecy or mystery, or to something that is hidden or unknown. |
| Shona | "Rima" also means "secret" in Shona. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word "අඳුරු" (darkness) is also used to describe something that is 'mysterious or difficult to understand'. |
| Slovak | The word "tma" also means "secret" or "mystery" in Slovak. |
| Slovenian | The root tem- is found in various South Slavic languages to refer to obscurity, while in Proto-Slavic it meant 'thick.' |
| Somali | The word "mugdi" can also refer to night or a black cloud |
| Spanish | “Oscuridad” is a Spanish word for “obscurity” and has its root in Latin “obscuritas” (obscurity). |
| Sundanese | "Poekna" can also mean 'secret' or 'mysterious' in Sundanese. |
| Swahili | The Swahili word 'giza' also means 'secret' or 'mystery'. |
| Swedish | "Mörker" also refers to the mythical giant Mrkr who embodies the cold, the night, and the mist. |
| Tajik | "Зулмот" (darkness) stems from the Old Persian "džamātar", meaning "son-in-law". |
| Tamil | "இருள்" (darkness) derives from the Proto-Dravidian root *ir-, meaning "night". |
| Telugu | The word 'చీకటి' can also refer to confusion or a lack of knowledge. |
| Thai | The word "ความมืด" (darkness) in Thai has an alternate meaning of "ignorance" or "unenlightenment". |
| Turkish | Though Turkish "karanlık" initially meant "a dark space not illuminated by the sun", it came to mean "darkness" in general. |
| Ukrainian | The word "темрява" ('тьма' in Russian) may also refer to a state of ignorance or delusion or an evil force in Slavic folklore. |
| Urdu | 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. |
| Vietnamese | The word "bóng tối" has several alternate meanings, including "shadow", "shade", "silhouette", and "secrecy". |
| Welsh | The word "tywyllwch" can also refer to the dark forces that lurk in the night. |
| Xhosa | In Xhosa, 'ubumnyama' ('darkness') comes from 'mnyama,' meaning 'beast,' which reflects the association between darkness and danger in Xhosa culture. |
| Yiddish | "פינצטערניש" derives from the Middle High German word "finsternisse," meaning not only "darkness" but also "imprisonment," "affliction," and "blindness." |
| Yoruba | The name Okun is closely related to the name of the Yoruba deity of the ocean, Olokun. |
| Zulu | The Zulu word "ubumnyama" originates from "imnyama," a term referring to black or dark-colored items. |
| English | Originally meaning 'shadow; shade' in Old English, darkness has also come to mean 'ignorance; evil; or lack of knowledge'. |