Deer in Different Languages
Discover 'Deer' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Deer
Afrikaans takbokke | ||
Albanian dreri | ||
Amharic አጋዘን | ||
Arabic الغزال | ||
Armenian եղնիկ | ||
Assamese হৰিণা | ||
Aymara sirwu | ||
Azerbaijani maral | ||
Bambara minan | ||
Basque orein | ||
Belarusian алені | ||
Bengali হরিণ | ||
Bhojpuri हरिन | ||
Bosnian jelena | ||
Bulgarian елен | ||
Catalan cérvols | ||
Cebuano lagsaw | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 鹿 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 鹿 | ||
Corsican cervi | ||
Croatian jelena | ||
Czech jelen | ||
Danish hjort | ||
Dhivehi ފުއްލާ | ||
Dogri हिरन | ||
Dutch herten | ||
English deer | ||
Esperanto cervoj | ||
Estonian hirved | ||
Ewe sẽ | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) usa | ||
Finnish peura | ||
French cerf | ||
Frisian hart | ||
Galician cervos | ||
Georgian ირმის | ||
German hirsch | ||
Greek ελάφι | ||
Guarani guasu | ||
Gujarati હરણ | ||
Haitian Creole sèf | ||
Hausa barewa | ||
Hawaiian dia | ||
Hebrew צְבִי | ||
Hindi हिरन | ||
Hmong tus mos lwj | ||
Hungarian szarvas | ||
Icelandic dádýr | ||
Igbo mgbada | ||
Ilocano usa | ||
Indonesian rusa | ||
Irish fianna | ||
Italian cervo | ||
Japanese 鹿 | ||
Javanese kijang | ||
Kannada ಜಿಂಕೆ | ||
Kazakh бұғы | ||
Khmer សត្វក្តាន់ | ||
Kinyarwanda impongo | ||
Konkani हरण | ||
Korean 사슴 | ||
Krio dia | ||
Kurdish ahû | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) مامز | ||
Kyrgyz бугу | ||
Lao ກວາງ | ||
Latin arietes | ||
Latvian brieži | ||
Lingala mbuli | ||
Lithuanian elnias | ||
Luganda empeewo | ||
Luxembourgish réi | ||
Macedonian елен | ||
Maithili हरिन | ||
Malagasy serfa | ||
Malay rusa | ||
Malayalam മാൻ | ||
Maltese ċriev | ||
Maori tia | ||
Marathi हरिण | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯁꯖꯤ | ||
Mizo sakhi | ||
Mongolian буга | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) သမင် | ||
Nepali हिरण | ||
Norwegian hjort | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) mbawala | ||
Odia (Oriya) ହରିଣ | ||
Oromo bosonuu | ||
Pashto هرن | ||
Persian گوزن | ||
Polish jeleń | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) veado | ||
Punjabi ਹਿਰਨ | ||
Quechua taruka | ||
Romanian cerb | ||
Russian олень | ||
Samoan aila | ||
Sanskrit मृग | ||
Scots Gaelic fèidh | ||
Sepedi tshepe | ||
Serbian јелена | ||
Sesotho likhama | ||
Shona nondo | ||
Sindhi هرڻ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) මුවා | ||
Slovak jeleň | ||
Slovenian srnjad | ||
Somali deerada | ||
Spanish ciervo | ||
Sundanese kijang | ||
Swahili kulungu | ||
Swedish rådjur | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) usa | ||
Tajik охуи | ||
Tamil மான் | ||
Tatar болан | ||
Telugu జింక | ||
Thai กวาง | ||
Tigrinya ድብ | ||
Tsonga mhala | ||
Turkish geyik | ||
Turkmen sugun | ||
Twi (Akan) wansane | ||
Ukrainian олень | ||
Urdu ہرن | ||
Uyghur بۇغا | ||
Uzbek kiyik | ||
Vietnamese con nai | ||
Welsh ceirw | ||
Xhosa ixhama | ||
Yiddish הירש | ||
Yoruba agbọnrin | ||
Zulu izinyamazane |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word "takbokke" is thought to be a corruption of the Dutch term "tamme bok", meaning "tame goat". |
| Albanian | In Albanian, the word "dreri" can also refer to a "place covered with trees", or a "forest". |
| Amharic | The Amharic word አጋዘን (deer) also means 'animal having a slender body and long legs' and 'an agile or swift-moving animal' |
| Arabic | The word الغزال is also used to refer to a slender man. |
| Armenian | The Armenian word "եղնիկ" is derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₁erh₃ "elk", also related to Latin "cervus" and Greek "ἔλαφος". |
| Azerbaijani | The word "maral" is of Proto-Turkic origin, meaning "wild goat". |
| Basque | Basque orein, "deer", may derive from the proto-Basque or proto-Indo-European roots for the concept of "mountain". |
| Belarusian | "Алені" in Belarusian has been theorized to derive from the Proto-Slavic word *olьnь, which also meant deer. |
| Bengali | "হরিণ" is derived from Sanskrit "harin," which also means a "golden-colored horse." |
| Bosnian | There are several words in Croatian and Serbian for "deer", including "jelen", "košuta", and "srna". |
| Bulgarian | The word "елен" in Bulgarian is derived from Proto-Slavic *olьnь, meaning "wild animal," and is cognate with the Latin "cervus," meaning "stag." |
| Catalan | "Cérvol" is also an archaic name for a type of medieval crossbow or the wooden beam it rested on while aiming. |
| Cebuano | The word 'lagsaw' also means 'to cut' or 'serrate', likely due to the serrated edges of a deer's antlers. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | "鹿" is pronounced as "lù" in Mandarin and also means "power" or "wealth". |
| Chinese (Traditional) | The character "鹿" (deer) is also used as a radical in other Chinese characters related to animals or hunting. |
| Corsican | Originally, "cervi" came from the Latin word "cervus", meaning "deer", but nowadays it also means "reindeer" or "elk". |
| Croatian | The word "jelena" also means "Helen" (the female given name) in Croatian. |
| Czech | The word "Jelen" in Czech has alternate meanings of a "stag" or a "lover" |
| Danish | The word 'hjort' comes from the Proto-Germanic word 'herta', meaning 'deer'. |
| Dutch | "Herten" shares an etymology with the English word "horn," and is cognate with Old English "heorot" (stag). |
| Esperanto | The word "cervoj" in Esperanto is derived from the Latin word "cervus", meaning "deer", and also shares a root with the English word "cervine", meaning "relating to deer". |
| Estonian | The word "hirved" is derived from the Proto-Finnic root "*hirve" and also means "elk" in many Uralic languages |
| Finnish | The word "peura" also refers to the "reindeer" species in Finnish. |
| French | The word "cerf" in French comes from the Latin "cervus", which means "horned animal or beast". |
| Frisian | Frisian "hart" is cognate with the English word "heart" and originally meant "strong". |
| Galician | In Galician, "cervos" derives from Latin "cervus" (deer) but also designates the first vertebra in animals. |
| Georgian | The word "irmis" also means "comet" in Georgian and comes from the Persian word "irm", meaning "a star that moves." |
| German | The word comes from Old High German |
| Greek | In ancient Greek, "ελάφι" could also refer to a type of wild goat or antelope, and was possibly derived from the word "άλφω" (alphō), meaning "to leap" or "to bound." |
| Gujarati | The Sanskrit word 'harina' is the origin of the Gujarati word 'હરણ', which refers to deer and also to the constellation Orion. |
| Haitian Creole | The word "sèf" can also refer to a type of small, wild pig. |
| Hausa | The word "barewa" is also used as a nickname or a term of endearment for someone who is tall and slender. |
| Hawaiian | The word "dia" in Hawaiian also translates to "to look at" or "to admire the beauty of". |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word "צְבִי" (deer) also means "beauty" or "splendor" in biblical Hebrew. |
| Hindi | The word |
| Hmong | No information found on the alternate meanings and etymology of the word "tus mos lwj" in Hmong. |
| Hungarian | In Hungarian, "szarvas" refers to both deer and the city of Szentendre, the latter likely due to the proliferation of red deer antlers found in the area. |
| Icelandic | The Icelandic word "dádýr" derives from the Old Norse word "dáðýri" and could mean "fawn" or "roe deer" in addition to "deer". |
| Igbo | The word "mgbada" also means "a type of drum" and is sometimes used as an idiom to refer to a beautiful woman. |
| Indonesian | In some regions, rusa can also refer to a type of large squirrel called a flying squirrel or a mouse deer (pelanduk). |
| Irish | The word 'fianna' in Irish also means 'warband' or 'warrior' and is the root of the word 'fenian', referring to the Irish Republican movement. |
| Italian | The Italian word "cervo" has cognates in several other Indo-European languages, including Latin "cervus," Irish "ceirb," and English "hart." |
| Japanese | The word "鹿" (deer) in Japanese can also be used to represent the Japanese zodiac sign of the same animal, which is associated with the element of wood. |
| Javanese | In Javanese, "kijang" can also refer to a species of bird, the common emerald dove. |
| Kannada | The Kannada word “ಜಿಂಕೆ” may be derived from Sanskrit "mrga", which means "beast" or "animal." |
| Kazakh | The word "бұғы" can also refer to the female of a camel or horse. |
| Korean | The word "사슴" (deer) is also used in Korean to refer to a constellation, a unit of measurement, and a traditional Korean dance. |
| Kurdish | The word "ahû" may also refer to the colour white in Kurdish. |
| Kyrgyz | The word "бугу" can also be used to mean "a male mountain goat" or "a young ibex". |
| Lao | The Lao word "ກວາງ" ("deer") is also used to describe anything of great size or beauty. |
| Latin | The Latin term "arietes," denoting deer, also alludes to a battering-ram, owing to their powerful antlers. |
| Latvian | In Latvian, the word for "deer" can also refer to elk, moose, or other large ungulates. |
| Lithuanian | The word "elnias" is cognate with the Latin "alces" and the Greek "ḗlakhos", meaning "elk" or "moose". |
| Luxembourgish | Réi is possibly derived from the Proto-Celtic words "reiksos" (king) or "reiks" (noble) that survive in Celtic languages as words referring to the male of an animal species or the male gender. |
| Macedonian | The Macedonian word "елен" (deer) derives from the Proto-Slavic word *jeleṇь, meaning "strong one". |
| Malagasy | The Malagasy word "serfa" (deer) likely derives from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian word "*sarupa" (horse), as deer were not native to Madagascar until introduced by humans. |
| Malay | The Malay word "rusa" is cognate with the Sanskrit "ruru" and the Old Javanese "ruruś". |
| Malayalam | The word "മാൻ" (deer) in Malayalam also means "pride, dignity, or self-respect." |
| Maltese | The word "ċriev" likely derives from the Arabic word "ahl", meaning "gazelle". |
| Maori | The Maori word 'tia' also refers to a mythological creature that guards the forest. |
| Marathi | The Marathi word "हरिण" derives from Sanskrit and originally referred to either a horse or a deer. |
| Mongolian | According to the book "Etymology of Mongolian Words" by Zundui, the root-word "буг" ("bug") means a "wild bull" (as in "bull of the wild") with its etymology likely tracing back to proto-Mongolic '*busun'. Alternatively, its etymology has been linked to '*buk', with '*busun' instead signifying "stag, elk". |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | "သမင်" also refers to a legendary deer-like creature in Burmese folklore believed to have magical powers and to be a symbol of good luck and prosperity. |
| Nepali | The word 'हिरण' (hiran) is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ḱr̥s-no-, meaning 'horned'. It is cognate with the Latin 'cornū', the Greek 'κέρας' (keras), and the English 'horn'. |
| Norwegian | The name 'hjort' is cognate to the English word 'hart', which refers specifically to a male deer, and is derived from the Proto-Germanic word 'hertuz' or 'hertuza'. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | "Mbawala" may also refer to an idiomatic expression meaning "a place of safety" or "a sanctuary." |
| Pashto | The word "هرن" can also mean "a long and slender tree" or "the horn of an animal". |
| Persian | In Zoroastrianism, the term "گوزن" (deer) has connections to the guardian spirits (yazatas) and the concept of "yazata-worshiping." |
| Polish | "Jeleń" (deer) is also used in Polish to describe a kind of trap or a blockhead. |
| Punjabi | The word also refers to a kind of antelope in some dialects and a mythical being that resembles the griffin. |
| Romanian | Cerb (''deer'') shares the same root word as the Latin ''cervus'', but can also refer to ''elk'' or ''stag'' in certain contexts. |
| Russian | The word "олень" can also refer to a type of chess piece analogous to the knight in western chess, a reindeer, or an elk. |
| Samoan | The Samoan word "aila" can also refer to a kind of antelope native to Samoa. |
| Scots Gaelic | The word "fèidh" in Scots Gaelic can also refer to a deer fence. |
| Serbian | "Јелена" is also a common Serbian female name derived from the same Indo-European root. |
| Sesotho | The word "likhama" can also refer to a type of antelope known as the kudu. |
| Shona | The word "nondo" may also refer to a totemic animal associated with the Moyo clan. |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "هرڻ" (deer) could also mean "love" or "beloved". |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word "මුවා" (deer) is also used to refer to the constellation Orion in Sinhala. |
| Slovak | The word "jeleň" is derived from a Proto-Slavic form meaning "horned animal". |
| Slovenian | The Slovenian word "srnjad" is also used to refer to "game" in the sense of animals that are hunted for sport. |
| Somali | In Somali, 'deerada' can also mean 'cattle', 'wealth' or 'property'. |
| Spanish | The word "ciervo" in Spanish can also refer to a constellation, a type of fish, and a mythical creature. |
| Sundanese | The Sundanese word "kijang" also refers to a type of small, fast-moving horse used in traditional ceremonies. |
| Swahili | In Swahili, 'kulungu' also denotes a wild goat or antelope. |
| Swedish | In Sweden, "rådjur" also refers to the roe deer which belongs to the genus Capreolus. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The term "usa" can also refer to the meat of a deer as well as to the Philippine peso. |
| Tajik | The Tajik word "охуи" can also mean "male deer". |
| Tamil | In Tamil, "மான்" (māṉ) can also refer to a type of grass; "மானம்" (māṉam) means "honour" or "self-respect". |
| Telugu | The word "జింక" comes from the Proto-Dravidian word "*cinka", meaning "animal with horns". |
| Thai | The word "กวาง" can also refer to a kind of firework, a type of orchid, or a unit of measurement for precious stones. |
| Turkish | The word "geyik" also means "foolish talk" or "nonsense" in Turkish slang. |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word "олень" is cognate with the Latin word "alces", which refers to the moose. |
| Urdu | The Urdu word "ہرن" can also refer to a type of musical instrument used in classical music, specifically a stringed instrument similar to a violin. |
| Uzbek | The Uzbek word "kiyik" also means "bank" or "shore". |
| Vietnamese | "Con nai" not only means "deer", but can also be used figuratively to refer to someone who is naive or gullible. |
| Welsh | In addition to the general meaning of "deer", "ceirw" can also refer specifically to "stag" or "male fallow deer." |
| Xhosa | The word "Ixhama" in Xhosa can also refer to a type of antelope known as the impala. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "הירש" (deer) also shares a root with the German word "Hirsch" (stag). |
| Yoruba | "Agbonrin" is the Yoruba word for a deer, but it can also mean "something that is very fast" or "a hunter." |
| Zulu | The Zulu word "izinyamazane" shares the same root as the word for "star", implying a celestial connection to the animal. |
| English | The word "deer" derives from Old English "dēor", a general term encompassing any non-domesticated hoofed animal inhabiting forests. |