Dry in Different Languages
Discover 'Dry' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'dry' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, referring to a lack of moisture or a state of feeling thirsty. But did you know that it also has cultural importance in various contexts, such as in the phrase 'dry humor' or 'dry spell'? Moreover, understanding the translation of 'dry' in different languages can provide fascinating insights into how cultures express similar concepts in unique ways.
For instance, in Spanish, 'dry' translates to 'seco,' while in French, it's 'sec.' In German, 'dry' is 'trocken,' and in Japanese, it's 'karui.' These translations not only help us communicate effectively with speakers of other languages but also offer a glimpse into the cultural nuances of different nations.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a world traveler, or simply curious, learning the translations of 'dry' in various languages can be a fun and enriching experience. Keep reading to discover more translations and cultural insights!
Dry
Dry in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | droog | ||
| Droog in Afrikaans, although meaning "dry", can also be used as a noun meaning "drought". | |||
| Amharic | ደረቅ | ||
| "ደረቅ" also means "to become light" or "to become empty". | |||
| Hausa | bushe | ||
| Bushe also refers to "dry rice straw" and is related to the root verb "bushe" which means "to dry" or "to be dry". | |||
| Igbo | kpọrọ nkụ | ||
| Kpọrọ nkụ's other meanings include "become lean," "shrivel up," and "wither away." | |||
| Malagasy | maina | ||
| The Malagasy word MAINA derives from the Proto-Austronesian word "maina" meaning "sun" or "light". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | youma | ||
| The word "youma" also means "afternoon" or "evening" in Nyanja (Chichewa). | |||
| Shona | kuoma | ||
| Although the word "kuoma" most often means "dry," it can also mean "to wither," "to shrivel," or "to get thin." | |||
| Somali | qalalan | ||
| "Qalalan" also means "not hot" or "cool" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | omella | ||
| "Omella" in Sesotho also means "to become lean". | |||
| Swahili | kavu | ||
| "Kavu" can also mean "free" or "empty" in Swahili, akin to its root word "kufa" (to die). | |||
| Xhosa | yomile | ||
| In some contexts, “yomile” in Xhosa can mean "not salty" or "with no liquid inside". | |||
| Yoruba | gbẹ | ||
| The word "gbẹ" (pronounced gee-bay) can also refer to "a type of tree" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | yomile | ||
| The Zulu word "yomile" can also mean "to become dry" or "to dry up" | |||
| Bambara | ka ja | ||
| Ewe | ƒu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | yumye | ||
| Lingala | kokauka | ||
| Luganda | okukala | ||
| Sepedi | omile | ||
| Twi (Akan) | wesee | ||
Dry in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | جاف | ||
| The root ج-ف-ف (jafafa) also carries connotations of emptiness, dryness, and being devoid of life. | |||
| Hebrew | יָבֵשׁ | ||
| The word יָבֵשׁ can also mean "arid" or "withered". | |||
| Pashto | وچ | ||
| In Pashto, "وچ" also refers to something weak, brittle, or lacking substance. | |||
| Arabic | جاف | ||
| The root ج-ف-ف (jafafa) also carries connotations of emptiness, dryness, and being devoid of life. | |||
Dry in Western European Languages
| Albanian | e thate | ||
| Though in Albanian "e thate" means "dry", in some dialects it refers to "the sun" or "warmth" instead. | |||
| Basque | lehorra | ||
| Etymology and alternate meanings: Basque "lehorra" (dry) may also refer to something "firm" and "hard" or "arid". | |||
| Catalan | sec | ||
| The word "sec" in Catalan also comes from the Latin word "siccus". | |||
| Croatian | suho | ||
| The word 'suh' is rooted in the Proto-Balto-Slavic root '*sausos', which is also found elsewhere, such as Lithuanian 'sausas' or Russian 'suhoy'. | |||
| Danish | tør | ||
| Tør can also mean 'boring' and is a cognate with 'tear' and 'tidor'. | |||
| Dutch | droog | ||
| In Dutch, "droog" besides meaning "dry" also means "serious" or "solemn". | |||
| English | dry | ||
| "Dry": from the same root (dreugh-) as drought, related to Greek druos (tree), possibly because of the dryness around trees. | |||
| French | sec | ||
| Sec can also mean 'secret' when combined with autre as in 'un autre sec'. Sec has many definitions but only 'dry' applies to wine. | |||
| Frisian | droech | ||
| The noun "droechte" also exists, meaning a drought. | |||
| Galician | seco | ||
| The Galician word "seco" (dry) comes from the Latin word "siccus", with the same meaning, and can also mean "lean", "skinny", or "thin" in Galician. | |||
| German | trocken | ||
| The word "trocken" derives from the Old High German "trocchan", meaning "to become dry" or "to wither." | |||
| Icelandic | þurrt | ||
| Þurrt derives from Proto-Norse *þurraz meaning 'dry', with cognates in Swedish, Norwegian, and Old English. | |||
| Irish | tirim | ||
| The word "tirim" is cognate with the Latin word "terra" (earth) and is also used to mean "land" in Irish. | |||
| Italian | asciutto | ||
| The Italian word "asciutto" can also mean "stingy" or "lean", deriving from the Latin "exsuccus", meaning "lacking moisture". | |||
| Luxembourgish | dréchen | ||
| The word "dréchen" in Luxembourgish shares its origin with the German word "dürr" and the English word "dry", likely deriving from an Indo-European root meaning "to rub, grind". | |||
| Maltese | niexef | ||
| Niexef could also mean 'in vain' or 'uselessly' as both the root n-x-f and the word niexef stem from the Semitic word n-q-s, meaning 'to leak' or 'to drain'. | |||
| Norwegian | tørke | ||
| The word "tørke" can also mean a period of drought or a dry season. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | seco | ||
| "Seco" in Portuguese can also mean "thin", "lean", or even "boring". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | tioram | ||
| Scots Gaelic "tioram" also referred to "a time not for fishing; "a period when fish were not available" among Gaelic speaking fishing communities. | |||
| Spanish | seco | ||
| The word "seco" can also refer to something lean, thin, or lacking in moisture. | |||
| Swedish | torr | ||
| The word 'torr' in Swedish may also refer to a person who is dull or boring. | |||
| Welsh | sych | ||
| Sych also means 'so' or 'thus' in Welsh and derives from Middle Welsh sicc ('thus'). | |||
Dry in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | сухі | ||
| In Belarusian, the word "сухі" ("sukhi") also means "thin" or "lean" when used to describe people or animals. | |||
| Bosnian | suvo | ||
| The word 'suvo' is derived from an older form 'suh', meaning 'parched' or 'withered', which is likely cognate with the Latin word 'siccus' meaning 'dry'. | |||
| Bulgarian | суха | ||
| In Bulgarian, "суха" also means "thin" or "slender". | |||
| Czech | suchý | ||
| The word "suchý" ("dry") also has a second meaning in Czech: "thin or lean". | |||
| Estonian | kuiv | ||
| The Estonian word "kuiv" also refers to drought or a dry place and is related to the Finnish word "kuiva". | |||
| Finnish | kuiva | ||
| The Finnish word "kuiva" is thought to be derived from the Proto-Finnic word *kuiwa, meaning "ash" or "dust". | |||
| Hungarian | száraz | ||
| In Hungarian, "száraz" also refers to "sober" and "arid". | |||
| Latvian | sauss | ||
| The word "sauss" can also refer to something crispy or thin. | |||
| Lithuanian | sausas | ||
| The word "sausas" in Lithuanian can also refer to a person who is stingy or frugal. | |||
| Macedonian | суво | ||
| The word "суво" is related to the Proto-Slavic word *suhъ* and the Proto-Indo-European word *seuk-ó-, which also means "dry". | |||
| Polish | suchy | ||
| The word 'suchy' is also used in Polish to mean 'harsh', 'stern', or 'austere'. | |||
| Romanian | uscat | ||
| Uscat' also means 'lean' and 'thin' when used to describe living beings. | |||
| Russian | сухой | ||
| The word "сухой" in Russian can also refer to something that is plain or boring. | |||
| Serbian | сув | ||
| СУВ can also mean 'bare', 'empty', 'lean', or 'meager'. | |||
| Slovak | suchý | ||
| In the old Slovak language, the word "suchý" had an additional meaning - "not sweet", which was applied to describe wines. | |||
| Slovenian | suha | ||
| Suha is also used to describe a person who is thin or has a lean build, as in the phrase 'suha kot treska' (as thin as a cod). | |||
| Ukrainian | сухий | ||
| The word "сухий" in Ukrainian also means "thin" or "lean". | |||
Dry in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | শুকনো | ||
| The word 'শুকনো' ('dry') in Bengali is related to 'শুক' ('parrot'), both having roots in Proto-Indo-European 'seuk' meaning 'dry' and denoting parrot species with dry skin and plumage. | |||
| Gujarati | શુષ્ક | ||
| The term "shushk" in Gujarati derives from the Sanskrit word "shushka," which primarily means "dry" or "parched" but also figuratively refers to "being devoid of moisture or vitality. | |||
| Hindi | सूखी | ||
| The word "सूखी" (dry) also means "plain" or "unadorned" in Hindi, indicating a lack of ornamentation or embellishment. | |||
| Kannada | ಒಣಗಿಸಿ | ||
| ಒಣಗಿಸಿ is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root *ku-ŋc- 'to dry up'. | |||
| Malayalam | വരണ്ട | ||
| In Malayalam, the word "വരണ്ട" can also refer to the absence of vegetation or rain. | |||
| Marathi | कोरडे | ||
| Marathi 'कोरडे' comes from Sanskrit 'kushida', which means 'emaciated', 'dry', or 'dried up'. This relates to the dryness which results from emaciation or the dried-up state of something. | |||
| Nepali | सुक्खा | ||
| सुक्खा (dry) has an alternate meaning of 'wilt' that is used in certain contexts. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੁੱਕੇ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වියළි | ||
| The word "වියළි" can also refer to roasted or parched grains or seeds. | |||
| Tamil | உலர்ந்த | ||
| The word உலர்ந்த (dry) in Tamil also means 'withered' or 'faded'. | |||
| Telugu | పొడి | ||
| The Telugu word "పొడి" can also refer to a coarse powder made from roasted lentils. | |||
| Urdu | خشک | ||
| خشک can also mean 'empty', 'shallow', or 'dull' depending on the context | |||
Dry in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 干燥 | ||
| The Chinese character "干" in "干燥" (dry) can also mean "to do" or "to work". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 乾燥 | ||
| The word 乾燥 literally means 'expose to air', and only came to mean 'dry' in the 16th century. | |||
| Japanese | ドライ | ||
| In Japanese, "ドライ" (dry) also means "dry humor" and "no ice," as in "ドライビール" (beer without ice). | |||
| Korean | 마른 | ||
| The word "마른" can also mean "thin" or "skinny" in the context of a person's body. | |||
| Mongolian | хуурай | ||
| The Mongolian word "хуурай" (dry) is derived from the Mongolian word "хуураг" (to become dry). | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ခြောက်သွေ့ | ||
Dry in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kering | ||
| The Indonesian word 'kering' can also refer to a type of traditional dried fish or meat. | |||
| Javanese | garing | ||
| The Javanese word "garing" also has a connotation of hardness, such as of a crispy fried food. | |||
| Khmer | ស្ងួត | ||
| The word "ស្ងួត" can also mean "boring" or "dull" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ແຫ້ງ | ||
| ແຫ້ງ means "dry" but can also refer to a kind of tree or the sound of something drying or burning. | |||
| Malay | kering | ||
| "Kering" can also means "unproductive in producing fruit", | |||
| Thai | แห้ง | ||
| "แห้ง" can also mean "boring", possibly from its association with dryness and lifelessness. | |||
| Vietnamese | khô | ||
| The word "khô" in Vietnamese has alternate meanings of "thin", "lean", "parched", "austere", and "laconic". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tuyo | ||
Dry in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | quru | ||
| The word "quru" also means "old" in Azerbaijani, possibly due to the association between dryness and aging. | |||
| Kazakh | құрғақ | ||
| Құрғақ (dry) can also mean empty, fruitless, or without substance. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кургак | ||
| The word "кургак" comes from the Turkic root "kur", meaning "to be dry" or "to wither", and is related to other words such as "кургат" (to dry) and "кургап" (to be dried). | |||
| Tajik | хушк | ||
| The word "хушк" in Tajik also means "fragile" or "thin". | |||
| Turkmen | gury | ||
| Uzbek | quruq | ||
| The word "quruq" also means "withered" or "barren" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | قۇرۇق | ||
Dry in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | maloo | ||
| The word 'maloo' also means 'bald' and is related to the word for 'clear' (as in the sky). | |||
| Maori | maroke | ||
| Maroke also means 'to be quiet' or 'to be still' in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | mago | ||
| The Samoan word "mago" can also mean "wrinkled". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | matuyo | ||
| "Matuyo" is also an archaic term for a type of rice | |||
Dry in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | waña | ||
| Guarani | hypa | ||
Dry in International Languages
| Esperanto | seka | ||
| "Seka" comes from the Latin "siccus" (dry), and in Esperanto it can also mean "simple" or "without decoration" | |||
| Latin | siccum | ||
| The Latin word "siccum" also means "thirsty". | |||
Dry in Others Languages
| Greek | ξηρός | ||
| The word ξηρός (xēros) also refers to the taste and the weight, with the latter denoting the sensation one has when holding up or lifting dry objects. | |||
| Hmong | qhuav | ||
| The Hmong word "qhuav" also means "withered, dehydrated, and desiccated." | |||
| Kurdish | zûha | ||
| In Kurdish, "zûha" not only means "dry," but also refers to the time of afternoon prayers, named for the typically dry weather at that time. | |||
| Turkish | kuru | ||
| In some contexts, "kuru" means not only "dry" but also "barren" or "lean" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | yomile | ||
| In some contexts, “yomile” in Xhosa can mean "not salty" or "with no liquid inside". | |||
| Yiddish | טרוקן | ||
| The Yiddish word 'טרוקן' derives from the Middle High German 'trucken', meaning 'dry' and also 'sober'. | |||
| Zulu | yomile | ||
| The Zulu word "yomile" can also mean "to become dry" or "to dry up" | |||
| Assamese | শুকান | ||
| Aymara | waña | ||
| Bhojpuri | सूखल | ||
| Dhivehi | ހިކި | ||
| Dogri | सुक्का | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tuyo | ||
| Guarani | hypa | ||
| Ilocano | namaga | ||
| Krio | dray | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ووشک | ||
| Maithili | सूखायल | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯀꯪꯕ | ||
| Mizo | ro | ||
| Oromo | gogaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଶୁଖିଲା | | ||
| Quechua | chaki | ||
| Sanskrit | शुष्कः | ||
| Tatar | коры | ||
| Tigrinya | ደረቅ | ||
| Tsonga | oma | ||