Earth in Different Languages
Discover 'Earth' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'earth' holds a profound significance beyond its geological definition as the third planet from the sun. It represents the very ground we stand on, the home we all share, and the foundation of life as we know it. Throughout history and across cultures, the earth has been a powerful symbol of stability, fertility, and connection to our roots.
For those with a passion for language and cultural exploration, understanding the translations of 'earth' can offer fascinating insights into the diverse ways human communities perceive and interact with our natural world. From the Romance languages like Spanish (tierra) and French (terre) to the Germanic languages like Dutch (aarde) and English (earth), the term carries a rich tapestry of meanings and connotations.
Delving even further, the word 'earth' takes on new dimensions in languages such as Chinese (diqiu), Japanese (tsuchi), and Swahili (ardhi), reflecting the unique cosmologies and worldviews of these cultures. Join us as we embark on a global journey to uncover the many faces of 'earth' in different languages.
Earth
Earth in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | aarde | ||
| In addition to its literal meaning, 'aarde' can also figuratively refer to 'land', as in 'my home country' or 'my homeland'. | |||
| Amharic | ምድር | ||
| The word | |||
| Hausa | ƙasa | ||
| The Hausa word ƙasa is also used to refer to a country or region. | |||
| Igbo | ụwa | ||
| "Uwa" in Igbo also means "time", "age", "era", or "a period of life." | |||
| Malagasy | eto an-tany | ||
| The Malagasy word "eto an-tany" has another meaning: "the universe". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | dziko lapansi | ||
| The word "dziko lapansi" can also mean "the world" or "the universe". | |||
| Shona | pasi | ||
| 'Pasi' originated from Proto-Bantu '*masi' ('earth, dust'). | |||
| Somali | dhulka | ||
| "Dhulka" can also refer to a land dispute or a piece of property. | |||
| Sesotho | lefats'e | ||
| 'Lefats'e' shares its root with the word 'fa' meaning 'to give' as soil is a giver of life. | |||
| Swahili | dunia | ||
| The word 'dunia' in Swahili is derived from the Arabic word 'dunyā', which means 'the present world' or 'the temporal world'. | |||
| Xhosa | umhlaba | ||
| Xhosa word 'umhlaba' also means 'ground', 'soil', 'land', 'area', 'region', 'country', 'nation', 'world', 'universe', and 'earth'. | |||
| Yoruba | ayé | ||
| The Yoruba word "ayé" can also refer to the world or to a person's lifetime. | |||
| Zulu | umhlaba | ||
| The literal translation of "umhlaba" is "that which sustains"} | |||
| Bambara | dugukolo | ||
| Ewe | anyigba | ||
| Kinyarwanda | isi | ||
| Lingala | mabele | ||
| Luganda | ensi | ||
| Sepedi | lefase | ||
| Twi (Akan) | asase | ||
Earth in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أرض | ||
| While the Arabic word أرض (ard) primarily means 'earth', its root word also refers to 'firmness' and 'steadfastness'. | |||
| Hebrew | כדור הארץ | ||
| The word "earth" has different meanings depending on the context: a planet ("" כדור הארץ ""), soil ("אדמה") or a direction ("" ארצה"). | |||
| Pashto | ځمکه | ||
| The Pashto word "ځمکه" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *dʰǵʰom, meaning "land" or "earth." | |||
| Arabic | أرض | ||
| While the Arabic word أرض (ard) primarily means 'earth', its root word also refers to 'firmness' and 'steadfastness'. | |||
Earth in Western European Languages
| Albanian | toka | ||
| Toka, in Albanian, can also mean "foundation" or "base" of a structure or object. | |||
| Basque | lurra | ||
| The Basque word "lurra" may originate from the Proto-Basque word "*lurre" or "*luṟe," meaning "ground" or "soil." | |||
| Catalan | terra | ||
| The Catalan word "terra" also means "land" or "country". | |||
| Croatian | zemlja | ||
| In Croatian mythology, 'Zemlja' was a goddess of the Earth, mother of the sun, moon, and the stars. | |||
| Danish | jorden | ||
| The word "jorden" in Danish derives from the same root as the English word "year" and suggests the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun. | |||
| Dutch | aarde | ||
| The Dutch word "aarde" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European word *h₂er-, meaning "ground, soil, earth, world". | |||
| English | earth | ||
| The word "earth" can also refer to the soil or ground, as well as the world or planet we live on. | |||
| French | terre | ||
| The French word 'Terre' derives from the word 'Tellus' in Latin, the Goddess of the land. | |||
| Frisian | ierde | ||
| The word 'ierde' in Frisian also means 'soil' or 'ground'. | |||
| Galician | terra | ||
| In Galician, "terra" can mean "earth" or "land," including agricultural land. | |||
| German | erde | ||
| In some dialects of German, "Erde" also refers to a type of ceramics or earthenware. | |||
| Icelandic | jörð | ||
| In Old Norse, "jörð" also refers to the soil or the surface of the land | |||
| Irish | domhain | ||
| The Irish word "domhain" can also mean "the world" or "the universe". | |||
| Italian | terra | ||
| The word "terra" in Italian can also refer to a pottery or earthenware object, such as a vase or a flower pot. | |||
| Luxembourgish | äerd | ||
| The word "Äerd" in Luxembourgish shares Germanic roots with the English word "earth," as well as similar words in other languages like German ("Erde") and Dutch ("aarde"). | |||
| Maltese | art | ||
| In Maltese, the word "art" means "heavenly body", including the moon and stars, or any celestial phenomenon. | |||
| Norwegian | jord | ||
| "The Old Norse word "jǫrð," from which "jord" derives, also referred to the Greek goddess Gaia or Terra." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | terra | ||
| "Terra" also means "land" in Portuguese, referring to a specific geographical area, such as a country or a region. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | talamh | ||
| The Gaelic word "talamh" is also used metaphorically to refer to homeland or territory. | |||
| Spanish | tierra | ||
| In Spanish, "tierra" can also refer to land, territory, homeland, soil, or dust. | |||
| Swedish | jorden | ||
| The Swedish word "jorden" derives from the Old Norse "jorð", which meant "gravel" or "sandy soil". | |||
| Welsh | ddaear | ||
| Ddaear can also refer to the ground, soil, or land, and is related to the Breton word douar, the Cornish word dor, and the Irish word talamh. | |||
Earth in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | зямля | ||
| The word "зямля" can also mean "land" or "soil" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | zemlja | ||
| The word "zemlja" in Bosnian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "zemlja", meaning "land" or "ground". | |||
| Bulgarian | земя | ||
| The word "земя" in Bulgarian also means "land" or "soil". | |||
| Czech | země | ||
| The word "Země" is also used to refer to the Czech Republic, the native name of which is "Česká republika". | |||
| Estonian | maa | ||
| The word "maa" in Estonian can also refer to the land or the country, as well as being used in a figurative sense to mean "home" or "motherland". | |||
| Finnish | maa | ||
| The Finnish word "maa" also means "country" and is related to the Estonian word "maa" ("land") and the Hungarian word "magyar" ("Hungarian"). | |||
| Hungarian | föld | ||
| "Föld" (earth) can also refer to a land area, soil or dirt, or the world. | |||
| Latvian | zeme | ||
| The word “zeme” can also refer to a country or a region. | |||
| Lithuanian | žemė | ||
| "Žemė" shares the same root as the word "žmogus" (human) and refers to the substance and essence out of which life springs. | |||
| Macedonian | земјата | ||
| The word "земјата" also means "country" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | ziemia | ||
| "Ziemia" is also an archaic Polish spelling of the name "Zbigniew" | |||
| Romanian | pământ | ||
| The Romanian word "Pământ" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*dʰǵʰóm̥" meaning "earth" or "soil." | |||
| Russian | земля | ||
| The word "Земля" (Earth) in Russian also refers to the land, soil, or ground, and is related to the Proto-Slavic word *zemlja* with the same meaning. | |||
| Serbian | земља | ||
| The Serbian word "земља" also means "country" and is cognate with the Russian word "земля". | |||
| Slovak | zem | ||
| The word "zem" in Slovak comes from the Proto-Slavic word *zemь, which also means "ground" and "land". | |||
| Slovenian | zemlja | ||
| The word "zemlja" in Slovenian can also mean "soil", "country", or "land". | |||
| Ukrainian | землі | ||
| The Ukrainian word "землі" derives from the Proto-Slavic "or-mъ" meaning "arable land". | |||
Earth in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পৃথিবী | ||
| "পৃথিবী" is derived from the Sanskrit word "Prthvi", meaning "wide" or "broad", referring to the Earth's vastness. | |||
| Gujarati | પૃથ્વી | ||
| The word पृथ्वी can also refer to a square or rectangle, or to a type of sacrifice. | |||
| Hindi | पृथ्वी | ||
| The word पृथ्वी comes from Sanskrit and literally means "broad" or "wide" referring to its vast expanse. | |||
| Kannada | ಭೂಮಿ | ||
| The word "ಭೂಮಿ" (bhoomi) in Kannada is derived from Sanskrit and also means "the ground" or "soil". | |||
| Malayalam | ഭൂമി | ||
| The word "ഭൂമി" can also mean "globe" or "planet". | |||
| Marathi | पृथ्वी | ||
| The word पृथ्वी in Marathi not only means 'earth' but also refers to 'a large or heavy object' or 'something that is broad and flat'. | |||
| Nepali | पृथ्वी | ||
| The word पृथ्वी (earth) in Nepali, derived from the Sanskrit word 'prithvi', also holds the alternate meaning of 'expansive' or 'wide' in the context of physical space or quantity. | |||
| Punjabi | ਧਰਤੀ | ||
| The word "ਧਰਤੀ" (dhartī) in Punjabi also refers to the "land" or "soil" that one owns. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පොළොවේ | ||
| පොළොවේ may also mean 'ground', 'land', 'soil', 'the world', 'the universe' or 'an abode' in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | பூமி | ||
| பூமி (bhūmi) also means "ground" and "land" and is cognate with Skt. "bhūmi" and Pkt. "bhūmi" with the same meanings. | |||
| Telugu | భూమి | ||
| The word 'భూమి' can also refer to 'soil' or 'land' in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | زمین | ||
| زمین's alternate meaning is a 'flat surface'. | |||
Earth in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 地球 | ||
| The Chinese word "地球" can also mean "the world" and, in the context of ancient astrology, the "central star". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 地球 | ||
| The Chinese character "地球" can also mean "spherical object" or "globe". | |||
| Japanese | 地球 | ||
| The first character of the Japanese word "地球" (earth) means "big" or "great," and the second character means "ball" or "planet." | |||
| Korean | 지구 | ||
| 지구 (earth) is also used as a prefix in names of planets and satellites, such as 지구권 (geospheres), 지구 과학 (geoscience), 지구물리학 (geophysics), 지구화학 (geochemistry), and 지구학 (earth science). | |||
| Mongolian | дэлхий | ||
| "Дэлхий" also refers to "the world of human society, the human world, mankind" | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကမ္ဘာမြေ | ||
| The word "ကမ္ဘာမြေ" in Myanmar (Burmese) is ultimately derived from Sanskrit "Kumbha" or "Kumbhera" ("potter" or "earthen pot") or "Bhuma" ("earth"), signifying the material for creating pottery, i.e., earth. | |||
Earth in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | bumi | ||
| "Bumi" is derived from Sanskrit "bhumi", which means "ground", "soil", but also "world" or "universe". | |||
| Javanese | bumi | ||
| The Javanese word 'bumi' is also used to refer to one's homeland or birthplace. | |||
| Khmer | ផែនដី | ||
| The Khmer word "ផែនដី" can also mean "universe" or "world". | |||
| Lao | ແຜ່ນດິນໂລກ | ||
| Malay | bumi | ||
| The word "bumi" in Malay also means "native inhabitant" or "indigenous person". | |||
| Thai | โลก | ||
| The word โลก (earth) is derived from the Sanskrit word | |||
| Vietnamese | trái đất | ||
| Trái đất derives from the Classical Chinese word 地 (địa), meaning landmass, terrain, soil, or earth element. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lupa | ||
Earth in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | yer | ||
| {"text": "The word "yer" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Proto-Turkic word *yert, meaning "land, country, homeland". It also has the alternate meaning of "floor" or "ground" in Azerbaijani."} | |||
| Kazakh | жер | ||
| The Kazakh word "жер" can also refer to "land as a territory" or "surface". | |||
| Kyrgyz | жер | ||
| "Жер" is also used in Kyrgyz to mean "world", "country", or "land". | |||
| Tajik | замин | ||
| The Tajik word "замин" is cognate with Avestan "zam-", which has the same meaning, and Persian "زمین". | |||
| Turkmen | ýer | ||
| Uzbek | er | ||
| As an alternate meaning, "er" can also refer to a specific type of plow used in agriculture. | |||
| Uyghur | يەر | ||
Earth in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | honua | ||
| "Honua" also means "large" and was used in reference to the land mass "honua-nui-o-Hawaii" meaning "Big Island" | |||
| Maori | whenua | ||
| Maori word | |||
| Samoan | lalolagi | ||
| "Lalolagi" also translates to "the great expanse that stretches on all sides. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | daigdig | ||
| The word “daigdig” in Tagalog is derived from the root word “dig,” which means “to till” or “to cultivate.” | |||
Earth in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | uraqi | ||
| Guarani | yvy | ||
Earth in International Languages
| Esperanto | tero | ||
| The Esperanto word "tero" not only means "earth" but also "soil" and "ground." | |||
| Latin | terra | ||
| Latin "terra" also means "dry land" or "continent" and appears in names like "terra firma" or "Terra Australis". | |||
Earth in Others Languages
| Greek | γη | ||
| Its meaning can be extended to include not only literal ground, but also a person’s native town or country, or the world as a whole. | |||
| Hmong | lub ntiaj teb | ||
| The Hmong word "lub ntiaj teb" (earth) can also refer to the entire natural world, including both the physical and spiritual realms. | |||
| Kurdish | erd | ||
| The word "erd" in Kurdish is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *er-, meaning "earth" or "ground". | |||
| Turkish | dünya | ||
| Dünya', which denotes the Earth, derives from "dön", meaning circle, implying the Earth's orbit around the Sun. | |||
| Xhosa | umhlaba | ||
| Xhosa word 'umhlaba' also means 'ground', 'soil', 'land', 'area', 'region', 'country', 'nation', 'world', 'universe', and 'earth'. | |||
| Yiddish | ערד | ||
| "ערד" in Yiddish can also refer to a city in Israel, meaning "fiery" in Hebrew. | |||
| Zulu | umhlaba | ||
| The literal translation of "umhlaba" is "that which sustains"} | |||
| Assamese | পৃথিৱী | ||
| Aymara | uraqi | ||
| Bhojpuri | धरती | ||
| Dhivehi | ދުނިޔެ | ||
| Dogri | धरत | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lupa | ||
| Guarani | yvy | ||
| Ilocano | lubong | ||
| Krio | dunya | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | زەوی | ||
| Maithili | धरती | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄ꯭ꯔꯤꯊꯤꯕꯤ | ||
| Mizo | khawvel | ||
| Oromo | dachee | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପୃଥିବୀ | ||
| Quechua | tiqsimuyu | ||
| Sanskrit | पृथ्वी | ||
| Tatar | җир | ||
| Tigrinya | መሬት | ||
| Tsonga | misava | ||