Evening in Different Languages
Discover 'Evening' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'evening' holds a special significance in our daily lives as it marks the transition from a busy day to a peaceful night. It is a time for relaxation, reflection, and spending quality time with loved ones. Culturally, the evening holds different meanings across the world - from the Japanese 'Yugata' symbolizing the end of the day and the beginning of night, to the Spanish 'Anochecer' representing the moment the sun sets and the stars begin to appear. Understanding the translation of 'evening' in different languages can help us appreciate the cultural diversity of our global community and enhance our travel experiences. For instance, the French 'Soir' and the German 'Abend' not only translate to 'evening', but also convey a sense of elegance and tranquility associated with the word. Explore the list below to discover more translations of 'evening' in different languages and immerse yourself in the unique cultural perspectives they represent.
Evening
Evening in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | aand | ||
| The word "aand" is derived from the Dutch "avond," which also means "evening," and is cognate with the English "eventide." | |||
| Amharic | ምሽት | ||
| "ምሽት" also means "overnight" as a noun and "overnight" or "for the night" as a preposition. | |||
| Hausa | maraice | ||
| The etymology is thought to derive from the word for sunset (māriyā) | |||
| Igbo | mgbede | ||
| Mgbede is also used to describe a specific type of Igbo music, dance, and storytelling performed in the evening. | |||
| Malagasy | hariva | ||
| Hariva, meaning "evening," also refers to a mythical place of residence for the Vazimba, the island's original inhabitants. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | madzulo | ||
| The word 'madzulo' in Nyanja is also used to refer to the time just before sunset, often as a greeting or request to hurry before nightfall. | |||
| Shona | manheru | ||
| The term 'manheru' is derived from the root 'nheru', which also refers to the afternoon, or late afternoon. | |||
| Somali | fiidkii | ||
| The Somali word "fiidkii" can also mean "dinner" or "supper". | |||
| Sesotho | mantsiboea | ||
| The name 'mantsiboea' is likely derived from the word 'manatsiboea', meaning 'the time of the moon' | |||
| Swahili | jioni | ||
| The Swahili word "jioni" comes from the Arabic word "jayn", meaning "side". In this context, it refers to the side of the day that faces the setting sun. | |||
| Xhosa | ngokuhlwa | ||
| The Xhosa word "ngokuhlwa" can also mean "darkness" or "nighttime". This is because "ngokuhlwa" literally translates to "the time when the sun goes down." | |||
| Yoruba | irọlẹ | ||
| "Irọlẹ" also denotes the period between dusk and the time of moon-rise. | |||
| Zulu | kusihlwa | ||
| The Zulu word "kusihlwa" comes from the verb "ukuhlwa" meaning "to go down", indicating the lowering of the sun in the sky. | |||
| Bambara | su | ||
| Ewe | fiɛ̃ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | nimugoroba | ||
| Lingala | mpokwa | ||
| Luganda | akawawungeezi | ||
| Sepedi | mantšiboa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | anwummerɛ | ||
Evening in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مساء | ||
| The word "مساء" also refers to the sunset prayer in Islam performed after sunset and before the night prayer ("عشاء"). | |||
| Hebrew | עֶרֶב | ||
| The word "עֶרֶב" can also mean "mixture" or "confusion" in Hebrew, derived from the root ע-ר-ב meaning "to mix" or "to confuse". | |||
| Pashto | ماښام | ||
| "ماښام" not only means "evening" in Pashto, but it also signifies a sense of twilight or dusk when the sky transitions from day to night. | |||
| Arabic | مساء | ||
| The word "مساء" also refers to the sunset prayer in Islam performed after sunset and before the night prayer ("عشاء"). | |||
Evening in Western European Languages
| Albanian | mbrëmje | ||
| The Albanian word "mbrëmje" also refers to the twilight hours, encompassing sunset and dusk. | |||
| Basque | arratsaldean | ||
| The Basque word "arratsaldean" (evening) literally translates to "after noon" in Spanish due to an overlap in the Basque word "arrats" (afternoon) and the Spanish word "tarde" (afternoon). | |||
| Catalan | vespre | ||
| In Latin, vesper referred to the goddess of the evening, and was also used to describe the evening star. | |||
| Croatian | večer | ||
| The word 'večer' is also used to refer to a social gathering in the afternoon or evening where coffee, desserts, and conversation is enjoyed. | |||
| Danish | aften | ||
| The Danish word "aften" is derived from the Old Norse word "áptan", which originally meant a "period of time" or an "occasion". | |||
| Dutch | avond | ||
| The word 'avond' likely derives from the old Germanic word 'aftan,' meaning 'going down,' as it referred to the sun setting in the evening. | |||
| English | evening | ||
| The word 'evening' is derived from the Old English word 'æfnung', which means 'the time of day when the sun goes down'. | |||
| French | soir | ||
| The French word "soir" also means "party" in colloquial language. | |||
| Frisian | jûn | ||
| The Frisian word for evening, "jûn," is also cognate to Old Norse "jól," and Proto-Germanic "*jēlaz," which also signified festivals and celebrations of the winter solstice and later, Christmas. | |||
| Galician | noite | ||
| Galician "noite" derives from Latin "noctem" (night) and also means "dark" or "obscure". | |||
| German | abend | ||
| The word "Abend" in German is derived from the Proto-Germanic term *abendoz, meaning "evening" or "sunset". | |||
| Icelandic | kvöld | ||
| The word 'kvöld' comes from the Old Norse word 'kvöld', which meant 'falling night' or 'darkness'. | |||
| Irish | tráthnóna | ||
| The term 'tráthnóna' is also used to refer to the period between noon and sunset. | |||
| Italian | sera | ||
| In Latin, 'sera' can also refer to 'late' or 'delayed'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | owend | ||
| "Owend" is derived from the Old High German word "âband", meaning "end". It can also refer to the evening meal or supper. | |||
| Maltese | filgħaxija | ||
| The Maltese word "filgħaxija" also means "after noon" and is derived from the Arabic word "al-`așī" meaning "the late afternoon". | |||
| Norwegian | kveld | ||
| The word "kveld" derives from the Old Norse word "kvöld" which also means "calm". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | tarde | ||
| "Tarde" also means "delay" in several Romance languages, as it comes from the Latin *tardus* (slow). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | feasgar | ||
| It likely derives from Old Gaelic and has similar cognates in Welsh, Breton and Cornish. | |||
| Spanish | noche | ||
| The Spanish word "noche" originates from the Latin word "nox," which means "night." | |||
| Swedish | kväll | ||
| "Kväll" (evening) derives from the Proto-Germanic word "kweljaną", meaning "to cool down". | |||
| Welsh | gyda'r nos | ||
| The Welsh word "gyda'r nos" derives from the phrase "gyda y nos" meaning "with the night" and shares the same root as the word "noson" (night). | |||
Evening in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | вечар | ||
| The word "вечар" is derived from the Proto-Slavic term *větьher, meaning both "fire" and "evening". | |||
| Bosnian | navečer | ||
| The word "navečer" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*na večerъ", which means "at evening time". | |||
| Bulgarian | вечер | ||
| The word "вечер" is cognate with the Old Church Slavonic word "večerъ" and the Sanskrit word "vakara." | |||
| Czech | večer | ||
| "Večer" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *večeru, which also meant "dinner or supper" as well as "evening". | |||
| Estonian | õhtul | ||
| The word "õhtul" is derived from the Proto-Uralic word "*ekta" meaning "darkness, night". | |||
| Finnish | ilta | ||
| Finnish "ilta" also refers to a "night", and its Estonian counterpart comes from "moon". | |||
| Hungarian | este | ||
| The word "este" comes from the Romanian word "este" meaning "is" | |||
| Latvian | vakars | ||
| In Latvian, the word "vakars" is of Indo-European origin and is related to the word "wake", as in staying awake late at night. | |||
| Lithuanian | vakaro | ||
| Lithuanian "vakaras" shares its root with "wake" and "watch", reflecting its original meaning as a time of vigilance against danger. | |||
| Macedonian | вечер | ||
| "Вечер" comes from a Proto-Slavic root word "večrь"" (meaning "night") but in modern usage mainly corresponds to the English "evening". | |||
| Polish | wieczór | ||
| The word "wieczór" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *večerъ, which also means "west". | |||
| Romanian | seară | ||
| The Romanian word "seară" comes from the same Proto-Indo-European root as "sera" in Latin, and therefore means both "evening" and "dew". | |||
| Russian | вечер | ||
| The Russian word "вечер" (evening) cognates with Old Church Slavonic "въчерь" meaning "supper". | |||
| Serbian | вече | ||
| In Serbian, "вече" can also refer to an assembly or council, with roots in the Slavic word "vech" meaning "discussion" or "assembly". | |||
| Slovak | večer | ||
| The word "večer" in Slovak ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *wes- ('to dwell') and is cognate with words like "vesnice" ('village') and "včera" ('yesterday'). | |||
| Slovenian | zvečer | ||
| The word "zvečer" also means "towards evening" in Slovene. | |||
| Ukrainian | вечірній | ||
| The Ukrainian word "вечірній" also refers to the West or sunset. | |||
Evening in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সন্ধ্যা | ||
| "সন্ধ্যা" originates from Sanskrit "samdha" (lit. union), referring to the fusion of day and night. | |||
| Gujarati | સાંજ | ||
| "સાંજ" (evening) is derived from Sanskrit "sandhya" or "sam-i","meaning "come together," referring to the sun coming together with the darkness. | |||
| Hindi | शाम | ||
| In some contexts, 'शाम' can mean the period between the afternoon and dusk or simply the time after sunset. | |||
| Kannada | ಸಂಜೆ | ||
| The word "ಸಂಜೆ" (sanje) in Kannada is derived from the Sanskrit word "sandhya," which means "twilight" or "junction between day and night." | |||
| Malayalam | വൈകുന്നേരം | ||
| The Malayalam term 'വൈകുന്നേരം' (vaikunneram) originally meant the time following the departure of the King | |||
| Marathi | संध्याकाळी | ||
| In Marathi, "संध्याकाळी" (sandhyakali) is derived from the Sanskrit word "sandhya," which originally meant "junction" or "meeting point," referring to the time when day and night meet. | |||
| Nepali | साँझ | ||
| In the context of Hindi literature, "Saanjh Ki Bel" refers to the twilight hour. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸ਼ਾਮ ਨੂੰ | ||
| The word "ਸ਼ਾਮ ਨੂੰ" is also used to describe the time of day when the sun is setting, between 4 and 6 pm, similar to the English word "dusk". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සවස | ||
| සවස (savasa) is also used to refer to the afternoon, twilight, or the first part of the night. | |||
| Tamil | சாயங்காலம் | ||
| The word "சாயங்காலம்" (evening) in Tamil is derived from the root "சாய" (to decline), referring to the time when the sun declines in the sky. | |||
| Telugu | సాయంత్రం | ||
| "సాయంత్రం" (evening) means "west" in Sanskrit, and this is probably the root of the word because the Sun sets in the west in the evening. | |||
| Urdu | شام | ||
| The word "شام" also means "Syria" in Urdu, derived from the Arabic word "ash-Shām" referring to the greater Syria region. | |||
Evening in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 晚间 | ||
| The word '晚' in '晚间' is related to the concept of 'completion' or 'end', and '间' refers to 'time' or 'space', together signifying the 'end of the day'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 晚間 | ||
| 晚間 in Chinese can also refer to night, dusk, or late at night. | |||
| Japanese | イブニング | ||
| In addition to meaning "evening," イブニング is used in Japanese to refer to an evening party or formal gathering. | |||
| Korean | 저녁 | ||
| The word "저녁" is derived from the Middle Korean word "저녁", which meant "afternoon" or "dusk". | |||
| Mongolian | орой | ||
| The Mongolian word 'орой' ('evening') is derived from the Proto-Mongolian word '*oroi', possibly cognate with the Proto-Altaic word '*ere' ('darkness'). | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ညနေခင်း | ||
| According to legend, a "ညနေခင်း" is the time of day when all the spirits, witches and demons in Myanmar come out to play. | |||
Evening in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | malam | ||
| The word "malam" is derived from Proto-Austronesian *malem, which also means "night". | |||
| Javanese | sore | ||
| In Javanese, "sore" also denotes a period after noon but before sunset. | |||
| Khmer | ល្ងាច | ||
| "ល្ងាច" in Khmer can metaphorically refer to the waning of a person's life. | |||
| Lao | ຕອນແລງ | ||
| The word "ຕອນແລງ" can also refer to the Laotian dish "khao piak sen" (rice noodle soup) in some contexts. | |||
| Malay | petang | ||
| The word "petang" may also refer to the "afternoon" or "twilight," and is derived from the Old Malay word "petang" meaning "sunset." | |||
| Thai | ตอนเย็น | ||
| The word "ตอนเย็น" can refer to both the "evening" and the "late afternoon". | |||
| Vietnamese | tối | ||
| The word "tối" also means "dark" or "dim" in Vietnamese, and is related to the word "đen," which means "black." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | gabi | ||
Evening in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | axşam | ||
| The word "axşam" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Persian word "akhshām" and also means "the time of prayer". | |||
| Kazakh | кеш | ||
| The word "кеш" (evening) in Kazakh is also used to refer to a time between dusk and midnight. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кечинде | ||
| The word "кечинде" can also mean "time spent in the twilight" | |||
| Tajik | шом | ||
| "Shom" also refers to "West" or "West side", and is related to "sham", "dark", "darkness", "sunset", and "West". | |||
| Turkmen | agşam | ||
| Uzbek | oqshom | ||
| The word "oqshom" derives from the Proto-Turkic "*aγšām" meaning "dusk" or "twilight". | |||
| Uyghur | كەچ | ||
Evening in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ahiahi | ||
| The word “ahiahi” also means “to grow dim or dark” as well as “grey”, and is related to the word “ahi” which means “fire”. | |||
| Maori | ahiahi | ||
| The word “ahiahi” derives from the Proto-Austronesian root *qaRi “night” and also means “twilight” or “dusk”. | |||
| Samoan | afiafi | ||
| The Samoan word "afiafi" can also refer to the afternoon or dusk, indicating the transition period between day and night. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | gabi na | ||
| "Gabi na" literally translates to "night has come" in Tagalog. | |||
Evening in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | aruma | ||
| Guarani | pyhare | ||
Evening in International Languages
| Esperanto | vespero | ||
| In Esperanto, "vespero" comes from Latin and also means "Hesperus", the Greek god of the planet Venus as an evening star. | |||
| Latin | vesperum | ||
| "Vesperum" is related to "vespers", which are evening prayers, and also to "Hesperus", an alternate name for the evening star, Venus. | |||
Evening in Others Languages
| Greek | απόγευμα | ||
| "Απόγευμα" also means "to be without soil" in Ancient Greek. | |||
| Hmong | yav tsaus ntuj | ||
| The word "yav tsaus ntuj" in Hmong is a compound word that means "sun goes down". Its literal meaning is "the sun" (yav tsaus) "sinks" (ntuj). | |||
| Kurdish | êvar | ||
| "Êvar" has roots in the Proto-Indo-European root "*wespero-", meaning "evening" or "west". | |||
| Turkish | akşam | ||
| The word "akşam" derives from the Proto-Turkic word "akšam", meaning "night". | |||
| Xhosa | ngokuhlwa | ||
| The Xhosa word "ngokuhlwa" can also mean "darkness" or "nighttime". This is because "ngokuhlwa" literally translates to "the time when the sun goes down." | |||
| Yiddish | אָוונט | ||
| The Yiddish word "אָוונט" (ovent) is related to the German "Abend" and means "evening", but it can also refer to the time period after a meal, specifically in the context of a Jewish Sabbath or holiday. | |||
| Zulu | kusihlwa | ||
| The Zulu word "kusihlwa" comes from the verb "ukuhlwa" meaning "to go down", indicating the lowering of the sun in the sky. | |||
| Assamese | সন্ধিয়া | ||
| Aymara | aruma | ||
| Bhojpuri | सांझि | ||
| Dhivehi | ހަވީރު | ||
| Dogri | तरकालां | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | gabi | ||
| Guarani | pyhare | ||
| Ilocano | rabii | ||
| Krio | ivin | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئێوارە | ||
| Maithili | सांझ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯨꯡꯊꯤꯜ | ||
| Mizo | tlailam | ||
| Oromo | galgala | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସନ୍ଧ୍ୟା | ||
| Quechua | tutapi | ||
| Sanskrit | सायंकालः | ||
| Tatar | кич | ||
| Tigrinya | ምሸት | ||
| Tsonga | madyambu | ||