Eastern in Different Languages
Discover 'Eastern' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'eastern' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, often referring to the direction that rises with the sun. But its significance extends far beyond geographical directions. Eastern also represents a vast array of cultures, languages, and histories that have captivated the world for centuries.
From the ancient civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia to the thriving metropolises of Tokyo and Shanghai, the eastern hemisphere boasts a rich tapestry of cultural diversity that continues to shape our global society. Understanding the word 'eastern' in different languages can open doors to new perspectives, traditions, and ways of life.
For instance, in Spanish, 'eastern' translates to 'oriental,' while in German, it's 'östlich.' In Russian, the word 'восточный' (vostochny) reflects the country's vast eastern territories and unique cultural heritage. And in Japanese, '東方' (higashi-hou) not only means 'eastern' but also refers to a popular cultural genre known as 'anime' and 'manga' that has gained worldwide acclaim.
Join us as we explore the many translations of the word 'eastern' and delve into the fascinating cultures and histories they represent.
Eastern
Eastern in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | oostelike | ||
| The Afrikaans word "oostelike" ultimately derives from the Middle Dutch word "oostlike", meaning "eastern", itself deriving from the Old Saxon word "ōstan." | |||
| Amharic | ምስራቅ | ||
| Hausa | gabas | ||
| In Hausa, gabas refers not only to cardinal directions, but also to an eastern region, a river, or its tributaries. | |||
| Igbo | owuwa anyanwu | ||
| The word "owuwa anyanwu" literally translates to "the face of the sun" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | eoropa | ||
| Eoropa comes from the Arabic word "ash-sharq", also meaning "east" or "sunrise". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kummawa | ||
| The word "kummawa" can also refer to "sunrise" or the "orient" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | kumabvazuva | ||
| The word 'kumabvazuva' can also refer to the direction of the sunrise, which is the east. | |||
| Somali | bari | ||
| Somali "bari" also exists in Cushitic Oromo where it refers to any of four cardinal directions and means "toward, in direction of". | |||
| Sesotho | bochabela | ||
| The word 'bochabela' in Sesotho derives from 'bochabela', meaning 'to come from east'. | |||
| Swahili | mashariki | ||
| The Swahili word 'mashariki' can also refer to the direction towards which one prays in the Islamic faith. | |||
| Xhosa | empuma | ||
| The Xhosa word “empuma” has a double meaning and can also refer to old age. | |||
| Yoruba | ila-oorun | ||
| The word 'ila-oorun' means 'east' in Yoruba, and it can also refer to the 'direction of the rising sun'. | |||
| Zulu | empumalanga | ||
| Empumalanga, meaning "the place where the sun rises," derives from the Zulu words "empuma" (east) and "langa" (sun). | |||
| Bambara | kɔrɔn fɛ | ||
| Ewe | ɣedzeƒe gome | ||
| Kinyarwanda | iburasirazuba | ||
| Lingala | na ɛsti | ||
| Luganda | ebuvanjuba | ||
| Sepedi | ka bohlabela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | apuei fam | ||
Eastern in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الشرقية | ||
| "الشرقية" is also the name of a governorate in Egypt, which is located in the eastern part of the Nile Delta. | |||
| Hebrew | מזרחי | ||
| The Hebrew word "מזרחי" refers not only to the direction east, but also to Jews of Middle Eastern or North African descent. | |||
| Pashto | ختیځ | ||
| The Pashto word "ختیځ" (eastern) also means "left" or "on the left hand side". | |||
| Arabic | الشرقية | ||
| "الشرقية" is also the name of a governorate in Egypt, which is located in the eastern part of the Nile Delta. | |||
Eastern in Western European Languages
| Albanian | lindore | ||
| The word "lindore" in Albanian is thought to be derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*lei-n-d-", meaning "to flow", and is related to the words "lindi" (river) and "lindje" (east). | |||
| Basque | ekialdekoa | ||
| In Basque, the word "ekialdekoa" doesn't only mean "eastern", but also "morning" or "at dawn". | |||
| Catalan | oriental | ||
| In Catalan, "oriental" can also refer to something or someone from the Middle East, notably the Levant and modern-day Turkey. | |||
| Croatian | istočni | ||
| The word 'istočni' can also mean 'genuine' or 'true', and is related to the word 'istina' ('truth'). | |||
| Danish | østlige | ||
| While østlige means "eastern" in Danish, it also means "austern" in Norwegian. | |||
| Dutch | oostelijk | ||
| The word "oostelijk" is derived from the Old Dutch word "oost", meaning "dawn" or "sunrise", and originally referred to the direction from which the sun rises. | |||
| English | eastern | ||
| "Eastern" also refers to nations or parts of the world influenced by Eastern religions, philosophies, or culture. | |||
| French | est | ||
| In place names, "Est" can also refer to the east of France, rather than the geographical direction. | |||
| Frisian | eastlik | ||
| In older Frisian, the word "eastlik" could also mean "convenient" or "handy". | |||
| Galician | oriental | ||
| In Galician, "oriental" can also mean "exotic" or "strange". | |||
| German | östlich | ||
| The word "östlich" can also refer to the Austrian province of Lower Austria, known as Niederösterreich in German. | |||
| Icelandic | austur | ||
| Austur shares similar origins to the English words "east" and "eastern," having derived from an Indo-European root word meaning "to shine." | |||
| Irish | thoir | ||
| The word "thoir" in Irish is also a verb meaning "to give" or "to bestow." | |||
| Italian | orientale | ||
| "Orientale" is also used in Italian to refer to the exotic, far-off lands of the East, as well as to the cultures and traditions of those regions. | |||
| Luxembourgish | ëstlech | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "ëstlech" is derived from the Proto-West Germanic word "*austlijaz", meaning "eastern" and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European word "*h₂ews-", meaning "to dawn, east". | |||
| Maltese | tal-lvant | ||
| The Maltese word "tal-Lvant" is derived from the Arabic word "al-Sharq", meaning "the east", and can also be used figuratively to refer to the "rising sun" or "new beginnings". | |||
| Norwegian | østlig | ||
| The word "østlig" can also mean "oriental" in Norwegian. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | oriental | ||
| "Oriental" can also refer to people from Timor-Leste or Macau in Portuguese (especially in Portugal). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | sear | ||
| In Ulster Scots, "sear" may also mean "sure" or "certain". | |||
| Spanish | oriental | ||
| The Spanish word "oriental" (meaning "eastern") can also refer to people or things from Asia, and, formerly, to people or things from the Middle East | |||
| Swedish | östra | ||
| The word "östra" comes from Old Norse "austr", meaning "east" or "sunrise". | |||
| Welsh | dwyreiniol | ||
| "Dwyreiniol" can also refer to the right side of the human body or the right-hand side of a place, as "de" means "right" or "south". | |||
Eastern in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | усходняй | ||
| 'Усходняй' also means 'rising' or 'rising sun'. | |||
| Bosnian | istočno | ||
| The word 'istočno' can also be used to refer to the 'eastern part' of something. | |||
| Bulgarian | източна | ||
| "Източна" in Bulgarian also refers to "a room facing east". | |||
| Czech | východní | ||
| In the Czech language, the word "východní" (eastern) can also mean "oriental". | |||
| Estonian | idapoolne | ||
| Idapoolne is also the Estonian word for "ideal" and means "perfect" in this context. | |||
| Finnish | itäinen | ||
| "Itäinen" also refers to eastern Karelia, a region now divided between Finland and Russia. | |||
| Hungarian | keleti | ||
| Some historians suggest "keleti" is related to the word "kelte," meaning "rise," in the sense of sunrise. | |||
| Latvian | austrumu | ||
| In addition to referring to the East, 'Austrumu' also carries connotations of 'sunrise' and 'beginning'. | |||
| Lithuanian | rytų | ||
| The word "rytų" in Lithuanian can also refer to the Slavic word "rito", meaning "to speak". | |||
| Macedonian | источна | ||
| The word "источна" (eastern) in Macedonian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *vostokъ, which also means "sunrise" or "the east". | |||
| Polish | wschodni | ||
| Wschodni might also refer to a region or a wind direction. | |||
| Romanian | estic | ||
| The word "estic" also means "beautiful" in Romanian, reflecting its historical association with the sunrise and the East. | |||
| Russian | восточный | ||
| The word "восточный" also means "oriental" and can refer to the Middle East and East Asia. | |||
| Serbian | источни | ||
| The Serbian word "источни" (eastern) originates from the Proto-Slavic word "vъstokъ", which also meant "sunrise" and "beginning". | |||
| Slovak | východná | ||
| The Slovak word "Východná" can also refer to a specific village in Slovakia. | |||
| Slovenian | vzhodni | ||
| The noun "vzhod" ("east" in English) also has the alternate meaning of "sunrise" in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | східний | ||
| The adjective “східний” can also mean “oriental”, denoting the ancient civilizations of the Middle East. | |||
Eastern in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পূর্ব | ||
| The Bengali word "পূর্ব" ("eastern") is often used in a non-directional sense to indicate the past. | |||
| Gujarati | પૂર્વી | ||
| The word "પૂર્વી" in Gujarati can also refer to a type of classical music, specifically a form of tappa music. | |||
| Hindi | पूर्व का | ||
| The Hindi word "पूर्व का" comes from Sanskrit "पूर्व" meaning "east" or "early; first." | |||
| Kannada | ಪೂರ್ವ | ||
| The word “ಪೂರ್ವ” (“poorva”) also means “previous” (in time). | |||
| Malayalam | കിഴക്ക് | ||
| "കിഴക്ക്" means south or south-east in Tamil, and has no relation with the compass | |||
| Marathi | पूर्व | ||
| In Marathi, "पूर्व" (pūrva) also means "to the front" or "the beginning". | |||
| Nepali | पूर्वी | ||
| The word "पूर्वी" also means "previous" or "former" in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਪੂਰਬੀ | ||
| "Puraabi", meaning "easterner, from the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent" (often referring specifically by historical context to Bengalis in particular and by stereotype as "outsiders" or "refugees"), in Punjabi, likely finds an origin in early 19th or late 18th century Punjabi vocabulary, as an adoption (loanword/colloquialism) likely arising via Persian (and subsequently Urdu) as "puraabi/puravi" (a word for "east/eastern/easterner") in the context of Bengali laborers arriving to Punjab to settle and/or conduct their work, likely via the port/harbor town, and historical trade-hub, known today as Karachi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නැගෙනහිර | ||
| The term can mean the East or sunrise in a broader sense | |||
| Tamil | கிழக்கு | ||
| In Tamil, the word "கிழக்கு" (kilakku) also refers to the "rising sun" and "the place where the sun rises". | |||
| Telugu | తూర్పు | ||
| తూర్పు (tūrpu) is also used to refer to the east direction or the eastern part of something. | |||
| Urdu | مشرقی | ||
| The word مشرقی "eastern" in Urdu derives from the Arabic origin "mashriq" which means "the east" or "the place where the sun rises." | |||
Eastern in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 东 | ||
| The Chinese character "东" means "east", but it is also used in the name of the Tokyo subway line and the name of a type of Chinese opera. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 東 | ||
| In Chinese, the character "東" can also mean "spring" or "brightness" | |||
| Japanese | 東部 | ||
| "東部" (tōbu) is a homonym, referring both to the east side and to the eastern part of a country. | |||
| Korean | 동부 | ||
| The same term can also mean "masculinity" or the direction "right". | |||
| Mongolian | зүүн | ||
| "Зүүн" also means "the left side" or "the left hand". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အရှေ့ပိုင်း | ||
Eastern in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | timur | ||
| Timur is also the Indonesian name for East Timor. | |||
| Javanese | wetan | ||
| The Javanese word 'wetan' also means 'the place of the rising sun' and is related to the Sanskrit word 'veda' (knowledge). | |||
| Khmer | ខាងកើត | ||
| "ខាងកើត" can also refer to "the direction of the rising sun" or "the place where the sun rises". | |||
| Lao | ພາກຕາເວັນອອກ | ||
| Malay | timur | ||
| "Timur" also has the connotation "rising" or "ascending", which is why the sun's direction is sometimes known as "matahari naik ke timur", meaning "the sun is rising in the east". | |||
| Thai | ตะวันออก | ||
| "ตะวันออก" (eastern) comes from the Sun's rise in the east. | |||
| Vietnamese | phương đông | ||
| The word "phương Đông" in Vietnamese can also refer to the direction "east" or the "Oriental" region. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | silangan | ||
Eastern in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | şərq | ||
| "Şərq" in Azerbaijani also refers to the Middle East, as it was initially introduced by Arabs and Persians. | |||
| Kazakh | шығыс | ||
| The word "шығыс" not only means "eastern" but also refers to "the east, the place where the sun rises". | |||
| Kyrgyz | чыгыш | ||
| The word “чыгыш” in Kyrgyz can also refer to "speech" or "presentation." | |||
| Tajik | шарқӣ | ||
| The word "шарқӣ" (eastern) in Tajik also means "musical genre" or "musical instrument". | |||
| Turkmen | gündogar | ||
| Uzbek | sharqiy | ||
| The word "sharqiy" in Uzbek can also refer to a type of traditional Uzbek folk music, characterized by its lively rhythm and upbeat melodies. | |||
| Uyghur | شەرق | ||
Eastern in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hikina | ||
| The word 'hikina' comes from the Proto-Polynesian word '*fiki', meaning 'to emerge', so it also refers to sunrise or east in many Polynesian languages. | |||
| Maori | rawhiti | ||
| The word "rawhiti" also refers to the star Arcturus, the "watcher of the east". | |||
| Samoan | sasaʻe | ||
| The word "sasaʻe" is also used to refer to the left side of the body or the left direction. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | silangan | ||
| The word "silangan" in Tagalog can also refer to the act of weaving together or crossing over. | |||
Eastern in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | inti jalsu tuqiru | ||
| Guarani | kuarahyresẽ gotyo | ||
Eastern in International Languages
| Esperanto | orienta | ||
| The word "orienta" is derived from the Latin word "oriens", meaning "rising" or "east". | |||
| Latin | orientem | ||
| "Orientem" in Latin can also refer to the "rising sun" or the "east" as a cardinal direction. | |||
Eastern in Others Languages
| Greek | ανατολικός | ||
| The word "ανατολικός" in Greek can also mean "oriental" or "levantine". | |||
| Hmong | sab hnub tuaj | ||
| The word "sab hnub tuaj" can also mean "morning" or "sunrise". | |||
| Kurdish | rohilatî | ||
| The Kurdish word "rohilatî" is etymologically related to the Arabic word "rūḥ", which means "wind" or "spirit." | |||
| Turkish | doğu | ||
| "Doğu" kelimesi Türkçede hem "doğu" yönünü hem de "güneşin doğduğu yer" anlamına gelir. | |||
| Xhosa | empuma | ||
| The Xhosa word “empuma” has a double meaning and can also refer to old age. | |||
| Yiddish | מזרח | ||
| The word מזרח may refer to either east or southeast in Yiddish. | |||
| Zulu | empumalanga | ||
| Empumalanga, meaning "the place where the sun rises," derives from the Zulu words "empuma" (east) and "langa" (sun). | |||
| Assamese | পূবৰ | ||
| Aymara | inti jalsu tuqiru | ||
| Bhojpuri | पूरबी के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | އިރުމަތީ ފަރާތުންނެވެ | ||
| Dogri | पूर्वी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | silangan | ||
| Guarani | kuarahyresẽ gotyo | ||
| Ilocano | daya | ||
| Krio | na di ist pat | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕۆژهەڵاتی | ||
| Maithili | पूर्वी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯣꯡꯄꯣꯛ ꯊꯪꯕꯥ ꯁꯔꯨꯛꯇꯥ ꯂꯩ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | hmar lam | ||
| Oromo | bahaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପୂର୍ବ | ||
| Quechua | inti lluqsimuy ladupi | ||
| Sanskrit | पूर्वम् | ||
| Tatar | көнчыгыш | ||
| Tigrinya | ምብራቓዊ | ||
| Tsonga | evuxeni | ||