Dirt in Different Languages
Discover 'Dirt' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Dirt: it's a simple word, but one that carries a world of meaning. To some, it's merely the soil beneath our feet, the stuff that grows our food and flowers. To others, it's a symbol of hard work, of honest toil and getting one's hands dirty in the pursuit of a better life. And in certain cultural contexts, dirt can even take on spiritual or ritual significance.
Given its importance and ubiquity, it's no surprise that the word 'dirt' has been translated into countless languages around the world. In Spanish, for example, 'dirt' becomes 'tierra' - a word that also means 'land' or 'country'. In German, it's 'Schmutz', a term that can also refer to grime or filth. And in Japanese, 'dirt' is 'tsuchi', a character that also denotes 'earth' or 'ground'.
Clearly, the word 'dirt' carries with it a wealth of cultural and linguistic significance. Whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural scholar, or simply someone with a fascination for the world around us, exploring the many translations of 'dirt' can be a rewarding and enlightening experience.
Dirt
Dirt in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | vuil | ||
| In Old French, "vuil" also meant "vile or worthless," which later became "vuil" in Afrikaans | |||
| Amharic | ቆሻሻ | ||
| The Amharic word "ቆሻሻ" is also used to refer to waste or garbage. | |||
| Hausa | datti | ||
| The word 'datti' can also refer to a type of traditional Hausa pudding made from millet flour and fermented milk. | |||
| Igbo | unyi | ||
| Igbo word 'unyi' originates from the word 'ni', meaning 'to be' or 'to exist', and refers to the natural state of soil or earth. | |||
| Malagasy | vovoka | ||
| The Malagasy word "vovoka" can also refer to "a small piece of land enclosed in a house". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | dothi | ||
| Dothi can also mean a type of dance performed by the Tumbuka people in Malawi. | |||
| Shona | tsvina | ||
| In Shona, the word 'tsvina' can also mean 'dust' or 'rubbish'. | |||
| Somali | wasakh | ||
| The word "wasakh" in Somali can also refer to "filth" or "impurity", and is derived from the Arabic word "wasikh", meaning "dirty" or "unclean". | |||
| Sesotho | litšila | ||
| The word "litšila" is also used in Sesotho to describe a person who is clumsy or untidy. | |||
| Swahili | uchafu | ||
| The Swahili word "uchafu" not only denotes "dirt" but also figuratively represents "immoral" and "wrong". | |||
| Xhosa | ubumdaka | ||
| The word 'ubumdaka' in Xhosa has alternate meanings of 'dust' and 'ashes'. | |||
| Yoruba | eruku | ||
| The word 'eruku' (or 'iruku' and 'uruku' depending on dialect and region) can also refer to 'sand'. | |||
| Zulu | ukungcola | ||
| The word `ukungcola` can also refer to a type of traditional beer made of sour maize meal | |||
| Bambara | nɔgɔ | ||
| Ewe | ɖi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umwanda | ||
| Lingala | bosoto | ||
| Luganda | ettaka | ||
| Sepedi | tšhila | ||
| Twi (Akan) | efi | ||
Dirt in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | التراب | ||
| The Arabic word "التراب" ("dirt") also means "dust" and is related to the root word "ترب" ("to be dry"). | |||
| Hebrew | עפר | ||
| The Hebrew word "עפר" (dirt) has its roots in the Arabic word "غبار" (dust) and also means "ashes" in Biblical Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | چټل | ||
| In Persian, the word چټل also refers to a type of earthenware pottery, similar to terracotta. | |||
| Arabic | التراب | ||
| The Arabic word "التراب" ("dirt") also means "dust" and is related to the root word "ترب" ("to be dry"). | |||
Dirt in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i poshtër | ||
| The Albanian word "i poshtër" is derived from the Latin word "postis" meaning "doorpost" or "threshold". | |||
| Basque | zikinkeria | ||
| The Basque word "zikinkeria" can also refer to "grease" or "filth". | |||
| Catalan | brutícia | ||
| The word "brutícia" in Catalan shares its etymology with the word "brutality" in English, both deriving from the Latin word "brutus" meaning "heavy" or "dull." | |||
| Croatian | prljavština | ||
| The word "prljavština" also means "obscenity" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | smuds | ||
| The Danish word 'smuds' is derived from the Proto-Germanic root *smuttaz, meaning 'stain' or 'smudge' | |||
| Dutch | aarde | ||
| The Dutch word "aarde" is cognate with the English word "earth" and originally referred to the ground, soil, or land. | |||
| English | dirt | ||
| The word | |||
| French | saleté | ||
| The word "saleté" also means "nastiness" or "indecency" in French. | |||
| Frisian | smoargens | ||
| The Frisian word "smoargens" is derived from the Old Frisian word "smarnegon" meaning "grease" or "dirt", and is related to the Dutch word "smeer" meaning "grease" or "lard". | |||
| Galician | sucidade | ||
| The word "sucidade" in Galician comes from the Latin word "societas", meaning "companionship" or "society", and is unrelated to the English word "dirt". | |||
| German | schmutz | ||
| The Yiddish "shmutz” for “dirt” is related to the German “Schmutz” and the Dutch “smetten”, all derived from “smite.” | |||
| Icelandic | óhreinindi | ||
| In Icelandic, óhreinindi can also refer to something unclean or impure. | |||
| Irish | salachar | ||
| The Irish word "salachar" can also refer to a "dirty or untidy person" or a "disorderly place". | |||
| Italian | sporco | ||
| Originating from the Greek "sporgos," meaning "basket," the term "sporco" in Italian also signifies "freight" or "cargo" when used in nautical contexts | |||
| Luxembourgish | dreck | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Dreck" is closely related to the German "Dreck", both stemming from the Frankish word "drek" meaning "excrement" or "filth." | |||
| Maltese | ħmieġ | ||
| The Maltese word | |||
| Norwegian | skitt | ||
| "Skitt", meaning "dirt" in English, derives from Old Norse "skit", meaning a "dung of an animal", and from the Proto-Germanic root "*skit-", from which also stems the German word "Scheiße", meaning "shit", and the English "shit". It also has the meaning of "shit" and "trash" and is commonly used in the phrase "det er skitt" meaning "this is trash or useless". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | sujeira | ||
| "Sujeira" is thought to be of Arabic origin (from the word "suq") as in "marketplace", and may have originally indicated trash or dirt that accumulated in public places. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | salachar | ||
| The Gaelic word "salachar" can also mean "dirtiness" or "uncleanliness". | |||
| Spanish | suciedad | ||
| The noun 'suciedad' derives from the Latin 'sordidus', which means 'dirty', but also 'unclean', 'mean' or 'vile'. | |||
| Swedish | smuts | ||
| Smuts is the plural form of the Swedish word "smut", which means "dirt" or "grime". | |||
| Welsh | baw | ||
| The Welsh word "baw" can also refer to dung or excrement. | |||
Dirt in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | бруд | ||
| The Belarusian word “бруд” has the same root as the Russian word “грязь”, meaning “mud”. | |||
| Bosnian | prljavština | ||
| The word "prljavština" can also mean "filth" or "impurity". | |||
| Bulgarian | мръсотия | ||
| The word "мръсотия" is also used figuratively to refer to something that is morally or ethically wrong. | |||
| Czech | špína | ||
| In Czech, the word "špína" also means "dishonesty" or "meanness". | |||
| Estonian | mustus | ||
| The word "mustus" also means "black" in Estonian, and is related to the Finnish word "musta" meaning the same. | |||
| Finnish | lika | ||
| The word "lika" also has a slang meaning of "bad" or "immoral" | |||
| Hungarian | piszok | ||
| The Hungarian word "piszok" can mean impurity or contamination in a moral or physical sense. | |||
| Latvian | netīrumi | ||
| The word "netīrumi" also means "trash" or "filth" in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | purvas | ||
| "Purvas" is also a synonym for "purvynas" ("swamp") and "žemė" ("earth"). | |||
| Macedonian | нечистотија | ||
| Macedonian "нечистотија" is derived from Proto-Slavic "nečistъ", meaning "unclean", and is cognate with Bulgarian "нечистота", Ukrainian "нечистота", Russian "нечисть", and Polish "nieczystość". | |||
| Polish | brud | ||
| The word "brud" is also used in Polish to refer to a stain or discoloration on a surface. | |||
| Romanian | murdărie | ||
| The etymological root of "murdărie" is unknown, but it might originate from the Hungarian word "morda", meaning "mud" or "dirt". | |||
| Russian | грязь | ||
| Грязь"'s root is reconstructed as "*gordь" which also meant "fence" and "border" in Proto-Slavic, and is related to Latin "hortus" - "garden" | |||
| Serbian | прљавштина | ||
| The word "прљавштина" can also refer to something that is morally wrong or immoral. | |||
| Slovak | špina | ||
| The word "špina" also means "soot" and "rust" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | umazanijo | ||
| The word "umazanijo" has another meaning, namely "unhappiness or misery". | |||
| Ukrainian | бруд | ||
| The word "бруд" can also refer to "sediment" or "silt". | |||
Dirt in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ময়লা | ||
| "ময়লা" has a secondary meaning of "rust". | |||
| Gujarati | ગંદકી | ||
| The word "ગંદકી" (dirt) in Gujarati is derived from the Sanskrit word "गन्द" (gand), meaning "to smell bad" or "to be dirty". | |||
| Hindi | गंदगी | ||
| The word "गंदगी" also has the alternate meanings of "filth", "soil" and "impurity" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಕೊಳಕು | ||
| In Kannada, "ಕೊಳಕು" (dirt) also refers to moral impurity or contamination. | |||
| Malayalam | അഴുക്ക് | ||
| The Sanskrit origin of the word അഴുക്ക് means not only dirtiness, but also laziness and dullness. | |||
| Marathi | घाण | ||
| The Marathi word 'घाण' ( dirt ) also means 'bad smell'. | |||
| Nepali | फोहोर | ||
| The word "फोहोर" also means "trash" or "garbage". | |||
| Punjabi | ਮੈਲ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਮੈਲ" can also refer to sin or impurities in the body, mind, or spirit. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අපිරිසිදු | ||
| Tamil | அழுக்கு | ||
| The word 'அழுக்கு' also means "stain" or "blemish" in some contexts. | |||
| Telugu | దుమ్ము | ||
| In Telugu, 'దుమ్ము' primarily means 'dirt', but also has secondary meanings such as 'dust' or 'grime'. | |||
| Urdu | گندگی | ||
| The word "گندگی" can also mean "rottenness" or "putrefaction". | |||
Dirt in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 污垢 | ||
| "污垢" can also mean "filth" or "impurity". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 污垢 | ||
| The Chinese character for "dirt" (污垢) is a combination of the character for "water" (氵) and the character for "black" (乌). This suggests that the original meaning of the character was "water that has been contaminated with something black". | |||
| Japanese | 泥 | ||
| While the kanji "泥" literally translates to “mud” or “silt,” it can also convey a sense of impurity or immorality. | |||
| Korean | 더러운 | ||
| The word 더러운 (deoreoun) can also mean 'unclean', 'impure', or 'filthy' in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | шороо | ||
| The word "шороо" (dirt) in Mongolian is thought to be related to the verb "шорох" (to rub or scratch), suggesting a connection between dirt and the process of erosion or abrasion. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဖုန် | ||
| The word "ဖုန်" can also refer to "dust" or "powder" in Myanmar (Burmese). | |||
Dirt in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kotoran | ||
| The word "kotoran" can also mean "excrement" or "filth". | |||
| Javanese | rereget | ||
| Rereget is used to refer to anything that sticks to the feet, including mud, dirt, or tar. | |||
| Khmer | ភាពកខ្វក់ | ||
| Phâp khvak can also mean "vulgarity". | |||
| Lao | ຝຸ່ນ | ||
| The Lao word "ຝຸ່ນ" also means "ashes" and is likely derived from the Proto-Tai word *pʰuːŋᴬ, meaning "fine powder" or "dust". | |||
| Malay | kotoran | ||
| The word 'kotoran' derives from the Old Javanese word 'kotor', meaning 'impure' or 'unclean'. | |||
| Thai | สิ่งสกปรก | ||
| สิ่งสกปรก in Thai can also be used to refer to moral impurity or corruption. | |||
| Vietnamese | chất bẩn | ||
| "Chất bẩn" can also mean "pollutant" or "impurity". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | dumi | ||
Dirt in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | kir | ||
| The word "kir" in Azerbaijani can also refer to "dust" or "soot". | |||
| Kazakh | кір | ||
| "Kіr" also means a horse or camel that has a dark color of the hair, which is also considered a good sign of a strong horse or a valuable camel. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кир | ||
| The Kyrgyz word “кир” (dirt) is cognate with the Old Turkic word “кiр” meaning "stain", "spot", "filth", or "sin". | |||
| Tajik | лой | ||
| The word "лой" can also mean "earth" or "ground" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | kir | ||
| Uzbek | axloqsizlik | ||
| In Kazakh, Uzbek, and Kyrgyz the cognate of the word 'axloqsizlik' is also used to describe a person with no shame. | |||
| Uyghur | توپا | ||
Dirt in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lepo | ||
| The word "lepo" can also refer to volcanic ash or cinders. | |||
| Maori | paru | ||
| The word "paru" can also refer to the lungs, a dark colour, the skin, or the inside of the body. | |||
| Samoan | palapala | ||
| In Samoan, 'palapala' means 'dirt' but also refers to documents, writings, or education. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | dumi | ||
| In some dialects, dumi also refers to | |||
Dirt in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | q'añu | ||
| Guarani | mba'eky'a | ||
Dirt in International Languages
| Esperanto | malpuraĵo | ||
| Latin | lutum | ||
| From the Proto-Indo-European *pleu- (“to clean”), *lut- (“to wash”), and *leux- (“to break”), related to English “lute” and “lotion”. | |||
Dirt in Others Languages
| Greek | βρωμιά | ||
| The word 'βρωμιά' in Greek may also refer to a nasty smell or odor. | |||
| Hmong | av | ||
| The word "av" can also mean "soil" or "earth" in addition to "dirt". | |||
| Kurdish | gemmar | ||
| The word “gemmar” can also refer to a type of mineral or stone in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | kir | ||
| The word "kir" is also used figuratively to mean "fault" or "sin" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | ubumdaka | ||
| The word 'ubumdaka' in Xhosa has alternate meanings of 'dust' and 'ashes'. | |||
| Yiddish | שמוץ | ||
| Yiddish 'shmutz' may derive from 'smut'—charcoal dust, or from Hebrew 'shemetz,' meaning 'leaven.' | |||
| Zulu | ukungcola | ||
| The word `ukungcola` can also refer to a type of traditional beer made of sour maize meal | |||
| Assamese | ময়লা | ||
| Aymara | q'añu | ||
| Bhojpuri | गंदगी | ||
| Dhivehi | ކިލާ | ||
| Dogri | गलाजत | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | dumi | ||
| Guarani | mba'eky'a | ||
| Ilocano | rugit | ||
| Krio | dɔti | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پیسی | ||
| Maithili | मैला | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯃꯣꯠ ꯑꯀꯥꯏ | ||
| Mizo | bal | ||
| Oromo | xurii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ମଇଳା | ||
| Quechua | qacha | ||
| Sanskrit | मल | ||
| Tatar | пычрак | ||
| Tigrinya | ጓሓፍ | ||
| Tsonga | thyaka | ||