East in Different Languages
Discover 'East' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'east' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, pointing us towards the rising sun and the start of a new day. Culturally, the east has been associated with enlightenment, new beginnings, and the mysterious Orient. From the Silk Road to the Spice Trade, the east has been a source of fascination and inspiration for centuries.
Understanding the translation of 'east' in different languages can open up a world of cultural insights. For instance, in Mandarin, 'east' is 东 (dōng), while in Japanese, it's 東 (higashi). In Arabic, 'east' is translated as شرق (sharq), reflecting the importance of the direction in Islamic culture.
Moreover, the word 'east' has been a muse for many artists and writers. From the poetry of Robert Frost to the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh, the east has been a symbol of beauty, mystery, and the unknown. So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a culture aficionado, or a curious traveler, understanding the word 'east' in different languages can be a fascinating journey.
East
East in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | oos | ||
| The word "oos" derives from the archaic Dutch form "oosten" but can also be used in the informal sense of "finished" or "out". | |||
| Amharic | ምስራቅ | ||
| The word “ምስራቅ” also refers to the rising sun. | |||
| Hausa | gabas | ||
| In Hausa, 'gabas' is cognate with 'gaba' in the Angas languages and 'gbat' in the Biu-Mandara languages, all meaning 'east'. | |||
| Igbo | ọwụwa anyanwụ | ||
| Malagasy | atsinanana | ||
| ATSINANANA derives from the Proto-Austronesian *aTsina "sunlight." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kummawa | ||
| The word "kummawa" can also refer to the direction where the sun rises, or the direction from which the wind is blowing. | |||
| Shona | mabvazuva | ||
| The word "mabvazuva" in Shona also means "sunrise" and "the place where the sun rises." | |||
| Somali | bari | ||
| The Somali word 'bari' can also mean 'early morning' or 'dawn'. | |||
| Sesotho | bochabela | ||
| The word "bochabela" is also used to refer to a person who comes from the east or to the eastern part of a country. | |||
| Swahili | mashariki | ||
| The word 'mashariki' in Swahili can also refer to the morning or the place where the sun rises. | |||
| Xhosa | bucala ngasekhohlo | ||
| The word "bucala ngasekhohlo" literally means "the side to the left" in Xhosa, reflecting the orientation of the sun when it rises in the east. | |||
| Yoruba | ìha ìla-eastrùn | ||
| The Yoruba word "ìha ìla-eastrùn" can also be translated to "the side where the sun rises". | |||
| Zulu | empumalanga | ||
| In the Zulu language, the term "empumalanga" also refers to a historical kingdom located in the eastern region of South Africa. | |||
| Bambara | kɔrɔn | ||
| Ewe | ɣedzeƒe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | iburasirazuba | ||
| Lingala | este | ||
| Luganda | ebuvanjuba | ||
| Sepedi | bohlabela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | apueɛ | ||
East in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الشرق | ||
| In Arabic, "الشرق" also refers to sunrise, brightness, or radiance. | |||
| Hebrew | מזרח | ||
| "מזרח" is used in modern Hebrew in a few contexts, including denoting "the Orient" (as opposed to "the Occident") and "the sunrise". | |||
| Pashto | ختيځ | ||
| "ختيځ" also means "front" or "first" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | الشرق | ||
| In Arabic, "الشرق" also refers to sunrise, brightness, or radiance. | |||
East in Western European Languages
| Albanian | lindja | ||
| Albanian "lindja" (east), from "lind" (to rise), originally referred to sunrise. | |||
| Basque | ekialdea | ||
| "Ekialdea" comes from the Basque words "eki", meaning "sun", and "aldea", meaning "side", referring to the side of the world where the sun rises. | |||
| Catalan | est | ||
| Catalan "est" comes from Latin "esse" (to be), like "east" in English. | |||
| Croatian | istočno | ||
| The word istočno comes from the Proto-Slavic word *vosъtokъ, meaning 'sunrise' or 'east'. | |||
| Danish | øst | ||
| Øst is likely derived from the Proto-Germanic word *austaz, which also means 'dawn' or 'morning'. | |||
| Dutch | oosten- | ||
| "Oosten-" is used in several Dutch words that do not necessarily refer to the direction, like "oosterwind" ("easterly wind"), "oosterse landen" ("Eastern countries") or "oostenrijker" ("Austrian"). | |||
| English | east | ||
| In Old English, "east" meant "dawn" and was related to the words "star" and "eye" due to the association between the east and the rising sun. | |||
| French | est | ||
| Est, meaning "east" in French, is derived from the Latin word "oriens", meaning "rising", and is also used in the phrase "l'Orient" to refer to the East. | |||
| Frisian | east | ||
| The Frisian word for "east" is also the name of an old Frisian deity called Aest | |||
| Galician | leste | ||
| Galician "leste" derives from Latin "laevus," meaning "left" or "sinister." | |||
| German | osten | ||
| Osten can also mean "front" or "head" in the context of a geographical feature, such as "Ostenwind" (east wind). | |||
| Icelandic | austur | ||
| "Austur" is also used figuratively to describe something that comes from the east, like the wind or the sun. | |||
| Irish | thoir | ||
| The Irish word "thoir" also derives from "tiar," meaning "on the right side," indicating that the east has been a cardinal direction in Ireland longer than the Latin and English "east" | |||
| Italian | est | ||
| Italian word "est" (east) derives from Latin word "oriens", meaning both "rising" (of the sun) and "east". | |||
| Luxembourgish | osten | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Osten" is only used in the phrase "am Osten", which can mean in the morning or to the east, similar to the German "Morgen" and "Abend". | |||
| Maltese | il-lvant | ||
| The word "il-lvant" is a borrowing from the French "le levant" but its original Semitic source is uncertain, and cognates are found with various meanings in many languages. | |||
| Norwegian | øst | ||
| Øst means "sun" in Norwegian as well as in a number of other Germanic languages. For example, the Norwegian "solrenning" refers both to the sunrise and the east | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | leste | ||
| The word "leste" also has the meaning of "fast" or "agile" in Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ear | ||
| In the Scottish Gaelic language, the word "ear" can also refer to a plough. | |||
| Spanish | este | ||
| The Spanish word "este" (east) comes from the Latin "est," meaning "it is" or "there is." | |||
| Swedish | öster | ||
| Öster is also a Swedish word for "open" which was the name once given to the eastern door of churches. | |||
| Welsh | dwyrain | ||
| Dwyrain, meaning 'east', ultimately derives from 'door': it referred to the door of a house facing sunrise. | |||
East in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | усход | ||
| "Усход" in Belarusian is of the same Proto-Slavic origin as the word in Russian, "восход", sharing the meaning "sun rising". | |||
| Bosnian | istok | ||
| The word 'istok' has additional meanings like 'spring' in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | изток | ||
| The word "изток" in Bulgarian can also refer to the eastern part of a mountain or hillside. | |||
| Czech | východní | ||
| In Slovak, 'východní' can also mean 'oriental' or 'Asian'. | |||
| Estonian | idas | ||
| The word "idas" can also refer to the "east wind" or the "direction of sunrise". | |||
| Finnish | itään | ||
| The etymology and potential meanings of "itään" ("east" in Finnish) have been subject to debate among linguists. | |||
| Hungarian | keleti | ||
| Keleti, the Hungarian word for “east”, originally meant “sunrise” or “from where the Sun rises”. | |||
| Latvian | uz austrumiem | ||
| Its etymology might be from the Proto-Baltic word '*auša' ('dawn'). | |||
| Lithuanian | į rytus | ||
| The word "į rytus" can also be used in a figurative sense, meaning "towards a goal or objective" | |||
| Macedonian | исток | ||
| The word "исток" can also refer to a "source" or "spring." | |||
| Polish | wschód | ||
| The word "Wschód" in Polish also means "rise" or "origin" and originates from the Proto-Slavic word *vъstъkъ, which means "the place where the sun rises". | |||
| Romanian | est | ||
| The Romanian word « Est » for «east» is also used to denote «summer», but not winter, and can mean «future» in the sentence «În est». | |||
| Russian | восток | ||
| The word "восток" in Russian has alternate meanings, including the "sunrise" and the "beginning". | |||
| Serbian | исток | ||
| The word "исток" can also mean "source" or "origin" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | východ | ||
| "Východ" also means "exit" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | vzhodno | ||
| The word "vzhodno" in Slovenian is derived from the Slavic word "vъstъ", which means "to rise". | |||
| Ukrainian | схід | ||
| The word "схід" in Ukrainian, in addition to meaning "east", comes from the word "сходити", "to ascend" or "to rise", from the Proto-Slavic *sxodъ. | |||
East in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পূর্ব | ||
| The word "পূর্ব" in Bengali can also mean "previous" or "earlier". | |||
| Gujarati | પૂર્વ | ||
| The word "પૂર્વ" in Gujarati derives from ancient Indian astronomy, where it means a cardinal direction determined from the sunrise, specifically at the vernal equinox. | |||
| Hindi | पूर्व | ||
| "पूर्व" means "east" in Hindi, but it also means "former" or "previous". | |||
| Kannada | ಪೂರ್ವ | ||
| "ಪೂರ್ವ" also means "previous" or "old" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | കിഴക്ക് | ||
| കിഴക്ക് originates from the Proto-Dravidian term *kiḍakku meaning 'the side of sunrise. | |||
| Marathi | पूर्व | ||
| The Marathi word “पूर्व” can also mean past (time) or first. | |||
| Nepali | पूर्व | ||
| The word "पूर्व" can also refer to the first part of anything, such as a book or a meal. | |||
| Punjabi | ਪੂਰਬ | ||
| The word "ਪੂਰਬ" (poorab) in Punjabi is derived from the Sanskrit word "पूर्व" (purva), meaning "east" or "former". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නැගෙනහිර | ||
| Tamil | கிழக்கு | ||
| Telugu | తూర్పు | ||
| తూర్పు ('east') is derived from తురుపు ('to rise', 'to appear', 'to become apparent') referring to the rising of the sun from the east. | |||
| Urdu | مشرق | ||
| The Urdu word "مشرق" (mashriq) comes from the Arabic word "شرق" (sharaqa), which means "to rise" or "to shine", possibly referring to the rising of the sun in the east. | |||
East in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 东 | ||
| "東" originally referred to the direction where the sun rises and later expanded to refer to the east as well as the direction on the left when facing south. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 東 | ||
| 東 is also used in the names of various countries in East Asia to indicate their geographical location, such as 東日本 (Eastern Japan), 東北 (Northeast China), and 東南亞 (Southeast Asia). | |||
| Japanese | 東 | ||
| '東' is the Japanese Kun'yomi reading of '朝' (Chinese: cháo), which refers to the direction sunrise, and by extension the east. | |||
| Korean | 동쪽 | ||
| The word "동쪽" (east) is derived from the Proto-Korean word "*tuŋ", meaning "sun". | |||
| Mongolian | зүүн | ||
| The word "зүүн" also means "left" in Mongolian, as the east is considered to be the direction of the rising sun, which is traditionally associated with the left side. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အရှေ့ | ||
East in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | timur | ||
| The word "timur" also means "dawn" or "sunrise" in some Indonesian dialects. | |||
| Javanese | wetan | ||
| "Wetan" is also the name of a Javanese gamelan composition that depicts the east as the place of the rising sun, and the beginning of life." | |||
| Khmer | ខាងកើត | ||
| "ខាងកើត" can also mean "to the right" or "the right side". | |||
| Lao | ທິດຕາເວັນອອກ | ||
| Malay | timur | ||
| In the past, "timur" also meant "high tide" or "flood tide" in Malay. | |||
| Thai | ตะวันออก | ||
| The word "ตะวันออก" can also refer to the "east" in a metaphorical sense, such as the "eastern philosophy" or the "eastern culture". | |||
| Vietnamese | phía đông | ||
| The word "phía đông" also means "the direction of the sun." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | silangan | ||
East in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | şərq | ||
| "Şərq" also means "sunrise" in Azerbaijani, coming from the Old Turkic word "şar" meaning "to rise". | |||
| Kazakh | шығыс | ||
| The word "шығыс" also means "beginning" or "departure" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | чыгыш | ||
| In Turkic, 'чыгыш' can also mean 'appearance', 'sunrise' or 'origin'. | |||
| Tajik | шарқ | ||
| The word "шарқ" also means "the country of the rising sun" in Persian and "dawn" in Arabic. | |||
| Turkmen | gündogar | ||
| Uzbek | sharq | ||
| The word "sharq" in Uzbek also denotes "sunrise" and "direction to Mecca (for prayer)". | |||
| Uyghur | شەرق | ||
East in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ka hikina | ||
| Ka hikina, meaning "the rising", refers to the direction from which the sun rises, or the east. | |||
| Maori | rawhiti | ||
| The word "rawhiti" can also mean "sunrise" or "the place where the sun rises." | |||
| Samoan | sase | ||
| The word "sasae" in Samoan, meaning "east", is related to the word "sau" meaning "to rise". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | silangan | ||
| The word "silangan" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "*siLaŋ", meaning "direction towards the rising sun" or "east". | |||
East in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | aka | ||
| Guarani | kóva | ||
East in International Languages
| Esperanto | oriente | ||
| "Oriente" is derived from the Latin word for origin or sunrise. | |||
| Latin | orientem | ||
| "Oriens" in Latin also refers to the rising sun, the dawn, and the place where the sun rises. | |||
East in Others Languages
| Greek | ανατολή | ||
| The Greek word 'Ανατολή' (Anatoli) not only means 'east' but also signifies 'sunrise' and 'rebirth,' carrying a strong connotation of new beginnings. | |||
| Hmong | sab hnub tuaj | ||
| The Hmong word "sab hnub tuaj" literally means "the direction the sun rises." | |||
| Kurdish | rohilat | ||
| The word "rohilat" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂ews- ("dawn, morning"), and is cognate with the Latin "aurora" ("dawn"), as well as the Middle Persian "rōšnabakr" ("daybreak"). | |||
| Turkish | doğu | ||
| "Doğu" is the Turkish word for "east" and is derived from the Proto-Turkic word *doğı-. | |||
| Xhosa | bucala ngasekhohlo | ||
| The word "bucala ngasekhohlo" literally means "the side to the left" in Xhosa, reflecting the orientation of the sun when it rises in the east. | |||
| Yiddish | מזרח | ||
| The Yiddish word for "east" derives from the Hebrew word "mizrah", which also means "sunrise" or "the place where the sun rises". | |||
| Zulu | empumalanga | ||
| In the Zulu language, the term "empumalanga" also refers to a historical kingdom located in the eastern region of South Africa. | |||
| Assamese | পূব | ||
| Aymara | aka | ||
| Bhojpuri | पूरब | ||
| Dhivehi | އިރުމަތި | ||
| Dogri | पूरब | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | silangan | ||
| Guarani | kóva | ||
| Ilocano | daya | ||
| Krio | ist | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | خۆرهەڵات | ||
| Maithili | पूरब | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯣꯡꯄꯣꯛ | ||
| Mizo | khawchhak | ||
| Oromo | baha | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପୂର୍ବ | ||
| Quechua | anti | ||
| Sanskrit | पूर्वं | ||
| Tatar | көнчыгыш | ||
| Tigrinya | ምብራቅ | ||
| Tsonga | vuxeni | ||