Ghost in Different Languages
Discover 'Ghost' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Ghosts have long captivated the human imagination, appearing in stories, myths, and legends across cultures and centuries. A ghost is typically understood to be the soul or spirit of a deceased person, lingering in the mortal world. The concept of ghosts reflects our fascination with the afterlife and the unknown.
The significance of ghosts extends beyond the supernatural. They often serve as metaphors for unresolved issues, lingering memories, or the presence of the past. In this sense, ghosts can be seen as cultural symbols that help us navigate the complexities of life and death.
For those interested in language and culture, exploring the translation of 'ghhost' in different languages can offer unique insights. For instance, in Spanish, a ghost is known as 'fantasma,' while in German, it's 'Geist.' In Japanese, the term is 'yoKai,' which can also refer to supernatural beings or phenomena.
Join us as we delve into the translations of 'ghost' in various languages, shedding light on the cultural importance of these elusive spirits.
Ghost
Ghost in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | spook | ||
| The Afrikaans word "spook" comes from the Dutch word "spook", which itself comes from the Middle Dutch word "spōk", meaning "apparition". | |||
| Amharic | ghost | ||
| The Amharic word መንፈስ (menfes) means "spirit" but can also refer to a ghost or apparition. | |||
| Hausa | fatalwa | ||
| The Hausa word "fatalwa" may have originated from the Arabic "fatl" meaning "destruction". | |||
| Igbo | mmuo | ||
| Mmuo can also refer to a masquerade or a spirit being that embodies the ancestors. | |||
| Malagasy | masina | ||
| The Malagasy word "masina" can also refer to a spirit of a deceased person or an evil spirit. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mzukwa | ||
| In some dialects, "mzukwa" also refers to a water spirit. | |||
| Shona | chipoko | ||
| The Shona word "chipoko" can also mean "spirit of a deceased person" or "spirit medium" depending on the context. | |||
| Somali | cirfiid | ||
| Cirfiid, in Somali, may originate from the Arabic word 'sarf', meaning 'to turn away' or 'to change direction', implying the ephemeral nature of ghosts. | |||
| Sesotho | sepoko | ||
| The word 'sepoko' is also used to refer to 'an evil or harmful spirit' or a 'familiar spirit'. | |||
| Swahili | mzuka | ||
| The Swahili word "mzuka" also refers to the soul of a living person or one that has departed from their body. | |||
| Xhosa | isiporho | ||
| "Isiporho" in Xhosa can also refer to a legendary creature associated with the ocean. | |||
| Yoruba | iwin | ||
| In modern Yoruba, the word "iwin" can also mean "spirit" or "phantom". | |||
| Zulu | isipoki | ||
| The name "isipoki" may refer to a traditional spirit or a departed human soul or both depending on the context | |||
| Bambara | ja | ||
| Ewe | ŋɔli | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umuzimu | ||
| Lingala | mongandji | ||
| Luganda | omuzimu | ||
| Sepedi | sepoko | ||
| Twi (Akan) | saman | ||
Ghost in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | شبح | ||
| The Arabic word "شبح" (ghost) derives from the root "شبح" (to vanish, disappear), suggesting its ethereal nature. | |||
| Hebrew | רוּחַ | ||
| The Hebrew word “רוּחַ” also means breath, and like breath, is considered a life force. | |||
| Pashto | غرق | ||
| The word غرق can also mean "to drown" or "to be submerged in water" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | شبح | ||
| The Arabic word "شبح" (ghost) derives from the root "شبح" (to vanish, disappear), suggesting its ethereal nature. | |||
Ghost in Western European Languages
| Albanian | fantazmë | ||
| The Albanian word "fantazmë" is derived from the Greek "phantasma" meaning "illusion". | |||
| Basque | mamua | ||
| "Mamua" has been linked with the Latin "anima" (soul) and the Greek "phantasma" (specter), suggesting that the word carries different connotations beyond the usual "ghost". | |||
| Catalan | fantasma | ||
| In Catalan, "fantasma" comes from the Greek "phasma" meaning "apparition" but can also refer to a "bogeyman". | |||
| Croatian | duh | ||
| The word 'duh' is also used to refer to someone who is deceased but has not yet passed over to the other side. | |||
| Danish | spøgelse | ||
| The word "spøgelse" is derived from the Old Norse word "spøki", meaning "appearance" or "apparition". | |||
| Dutch | geest | ||
| In addition to being a ghost, a "geest" can also refer to barren and sandy soil and, in some regions, to a forest. | |||
| English | ghost | ||
| The word 'ghost' stems from the Old English word 'gast', meaning 'breath' or 'spirit'. | |||
| French | fantôme | ||
| The French word "fantôme" derives from the Greek word "phantasma," meaning "appearance" or "illusion." | |||
| Frisian | geast | ||
| The word "geast" derives from the Old Frisian "gāst", meaning "guest" or "visitor". | |||
| Galician | pantasma | ||
| The word "pantasma" in Galician has its origins in the Greek word "phantasma," which means "imaginary appearance". | |||
| German | geist | ||
| The word "Geist" in German has connections to the English word "guest" and can also mean "spirit" or "mind." | |||
| Icelandic | draugur | ||
| In Icelandic folklore, a draugur is an undead creature believed to be the ghost of a person who died a violent death or was not properly buried. | |||
| Irish | púca | ||
| The Irish word "Púca" can refer to a variety of supernatural creatures, including mischievous fairies, malevolent spirits, and shapeshifters. | |||
| Italian | fantasma | ||
| Fantasma is a borrowed word from the Greek 'phantasma', meaning 'image' or 'illusion'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | geescht | ||
| Maltese | ghost | ||
| The Maltese word "fantasm" is derived from the Greek word "phantasma", meaning "apparition" or "illusion" | |||
| Norwegian | spøkelse | ||
| "Spøkelse" originally meant "mockery," which reflects the idea that ghosts are often seen as tricksters or deceivers. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | fantasma | ||
| Fantasma can also mean illusion, hallucination, or apparition, deriving from the Greek word 'phantasma' for 'apparition'. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | taibhse | ||
| In Gaelic the word “taibhse” is also a term for a person’s physical form after death or their appearance in a dream. | |||
| Spanish | fantasma | ||
| The word 'fantasma' derives from the Greek 'phantasma', meaning 'appearance' or 'illusion'. It also has connotations of 'specter' or 'phantom'. | |||
| Swedish | spöke | ||
| While "spöke" is commonly used for "ghost," it originally referred to a "phantom" that could have been a hallucination. | |||
| Welsh | ysbryd | ||
| The Welsh word 'ysbryd', meaning 'spirit' or 'soul', is cognate with the Irish 'spiorad', the Breton 'spered' and the Latin 'spiritus' | |||
Ghost in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | прывід | ||
| The word "прывід" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *prividъ, which also meant "phantom" or "apparition". | |||
| Bosnian | duh | ||
| In Serbo-Croatian, 'duh' can also mean 'soul' or 'spirit'. | |||
| Bulgarian | призрак | ||
| The word "призрак" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "prizraku", which means "apparition" or "phantom." | |||
| Czech | duch | ||
| "Duch" can also mean "spirit" or "soul" in Czech, and is related to the word "dýchat" (to breathe). | |||
| Estonian | kummitus | ||
| The Estonian word "kummitus" can also refer to a scarecrow or a ghost, and has no etymological connection to the English word "ghost". | |||
| Finnish | aave | ||
| The word "aave" is related to the Estonian word "vaim", meaning "spirit" or "soul". It may also derive from the Proto-Finnic word "*awa", meaning "shadow". The latter etymology is supported by the fact that "aave" can also refer to a shadow or reflection. | |||
| Hungarian | szellem | ||
| The word "szellem" also means "spirit" or "mind" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | spoks | ||
| Latvian "spoks" ultimately derives from Proto-Indo-European *sper-, cognate with English "scare" | |||
| Lithuanian | vaiduoklis | ||
| The word "vaiduoklis" may have originated from the verb "vaidentis", meaning "to appear". Other possible etymologies include the Lithuanian word "vaiduos" (a seer) or the Slavic word "упырь" (a vampire). | |||
| Macedonian | духот | ||
| The word "духот" can also mean "spirit", "soul", "breath", "smell", "aroma", or "scent" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | duch | ||
| In Polish, duch may also refer to spirit or soul. | |||
| Romanian | fantomă | ||
| The Romanian word "fantomă" has its origins in the Greek word "phantasma", meaning "apparition" or "illusion". | |||
| Russian | призрак | ||
| Prizrak (призрак) in Russian also means phantom, apparition, or specter | |||
| Serbian | дух | ||
| In Serbian the word "дух" can mean both "spirit" and "ghost".} | |||
| Slovak | duch | ||
| In old Slavic duch meant "breath", but in Slovak the word has a different meaning: "ghost". | |||
| Slovenian | duh | ||
| The Slovenian word "duh" also means "spirit" or "soul". | |||
| Ukrainian | привид | ||
| The Ukrainian word "привид" (ghost) can also refer to a phantom or an apparition. | |||
Ghost in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | প্রেতাত্মা | ||
| The word "প্রেতাত্মা" is derived from Sanskrit and means "disembodied spirit" or "ancestor". | |||
| Gujarati | ભૂત | ||
| The Sanskrit origin of "ભૂત" suggests an alternate meaning of "a being," expanding its significance beyond just a spectral entity. | |||
| Hindi | भूत | ||
| "भूत" (ghost) from Sanskrit "bhu" (to become) also means past, existence, element, and creature. | |||
| Kannada | ಭೂತ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಭೂತ" can also refer to a type of spirit or deity that is believed to inhabit specific places or objects. | |||
| Malayalam | പ്രേതം | ||
| The Malayalam word "പ്രേതം" derives from Sanskrit and also refers to a "corpse". | |||
| Marathi | भूत | ||
| The Marathi word "भूत" can also refer to the past or elapsed time. | |||
| Nepali | भूत | ||
| The word "भूत" can also mean "past" or "time gone by". | |||
| Punjabi | ਭੂਤ | ||
| The term "ਭੂਤ" not only means a ghost but also a spirit, demon or even an evil force. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අවතාරය | ||
| The word "අවතාරය" can in rare or literary cases also reference a reincarnation or an incarnation. | |||
| Tamil | பேய் | ||
| The word "பேய்" can also mean "devil" or "demon" in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | దెయ్యం | ||
| Urdu | بھوت | ||
| The word "بھوت" can also refer to a spiritual being or a supernatural entity. | |||
Ghost in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 鬼 | ||
| In Chinese mythology, the 鬼 symbol can also represent deities, spirits, or supernatural beings. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 鬼 | ||
| "鬼" (Traditional Chinese) not only refers to supernatural beings, but also carries connotations of cleverness, cunning, and mischief. | |||
| Japanese | 幽霊 | ||
| The word "幽霊" (ghost) in Japanese originally meant "faint light" or "shadow". | |||
| Korean | 유령 | ||
| The word "유령" can also refer to a person who haunts a place or a memory that refuses to fade. | |||
| Mongolian | сүнс | ||
| In Mongolian folklore, the word “сүнс” can also refer to spirits of the ancestors, or to malignant spirits who cause illness. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သရဲ | ||
| သရဲ originates from Pali "seti" which means "corpse, dead body, lifeless body." | |||
Ghost in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | hantu | ||
| The word 'hantu' is also used to refer to a malevolent spirit that haunts a particular place or person. | |||
| Javanese | memedi | ||
| The word "memedi" can also refer to an "invisible presence" or "something eerie". | |||
| Khmer | ខ្មោច | ||
| The word "ខ្មោច" (ghost) is derived from an Austroasiatic root, related to Proto-Mon-Khmer *kmɔŋ "spirit, deity". | |||
| Lao | ຜີ | ||
| The word "ຜີ" (ghost) can also refer to spirits, ancestors, or deities. | |||
| Malay | hantu | ||
| The word "hantu" in Malay is thought to originate from the Proto-Austronesian word "*qanitu," which means "spirit" or "soul." | |||
| Thai | ผี | ||
| In Thai, 'ผี' can also refer to a person's spirit, a guardian spirit, or a spirit of a deceased person. | |||
| Vietnamese | con ma | ||
| The Vietnamese word "ma" can also refer to a malevolent deity or spirit, or to the spirit of a deceased person. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | multo | ||
Ghost in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | xəyal | ||
| In Azerbaijani folklore, it was believed that a person who died before his or her time turned into “xəyal” and wandered around, haunting their family and friends. | |||
| Kazakh | елес | ||
| The word "елес" also means "breath" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | арбак | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "арбак," derived from the Persian "arvak," suggests a connection to spirits or restless souls. | |||
| Tajik | шабаҳ | ||
| Шабаҳ also means "mirage" and is thought to derive from the Persian word "shabah" meaning "likeness" or "image." | |||
| Turkmen | arwah | ||
| Uzbek | arvoh | ||
| The Uzbek word "arvoh" has alternate meanings including "shadow" and "reflection" in addition to "ghost." | |||
| Uyghur | ئەرۋاھ | ||
Ghost in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻuhane | ||
| The Hawaiian word ʻuhane can also refer to the spirit or soul of a person or deity. | |||
| Maori | kēhua | ||
| In Māori mythology, `kēhua` can also refer to a physical representation of a deceased person who returns to their home or place of death. | |||
| Samoan | aitu | ||
| "Aitu" can also refer to spirits of departed ancestors or deities in Samoan mythology. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | multo | ||
| The word "multo" is derived from the Spanish word "muerto", which means "dead". | |||
Ghost in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | kukuli | ||
| Guarani | póra | ||
Ghost in International Languages
| Esperanto | fantomo | ||
| The word "fantomo" is derived from the Greek word "phantasma", meaning "phantom" or "illusion". It can also be used figuratively to refer to a person or thing that is elusive or intangible. | |||
| Latin | exspiravit | ||
| The Latin term "exspiravit" can be used to depict the final departure of breath on the verge of death. | |||
Ghost in Others Languages
| Greek | φάντασμα | ||
| The term "φάντασμα" is also used metaphorically to describe something unreal, illusory, or deceptive | |||
| Hmong | dab | ||
| The word 'dab' is derived from the Proto-Hmong-Mien word *tɔ:p, meaning 'spirit' or 'soul'. | |||
| Kurdish | rûh | ||
| The term "rûh" is used as a generic synonym of "spirit," but can sometimes refer only to the spirit that remains on earth after a physical body's death. | |||
| Turkish | hayalet | ||
| In Turkish, the word hayalet not only refers to a ghost but can also mean 'illusion' or 'phantasm', highlighting the idea that ghosts are often perceived as intangible or dreamlike entities. | |||
| Xhosa | isiporho | ||
| "Isiporho" in Xhosa can also refer to a legendary creature associated with the ocean. | |||
| Yiddish | גייַסט | ||
| Derived from the German "geist" meaning 'spirit', "גייַסט" can also refer to an apparition or spirit of a dead person. | |||
| Zulu | isipoki | ||
| The name "isipoki" may refer to a traditional spirit or a departed human soul or both depending on the context | |||
| Assamese | ভুত | ||
| Aymara | kukuli | ||
| Bhojpuri | भूत | ||
| Dhivehi | ފުރޭތަ | ||
| Dogri | भूत | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | multo | ||
| Guarani | póra | ||
| Ilocano | ar-arya | ||
| Krio | gost | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | تارمایی | ||
| Maithili | भूत | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯚꯨꯠ | ||
| Mizo | thlahrang | ||
| Oromo | ekeraa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଭୂତ | ||
| Quechua | manchachi | ||
| Sanskrit | प्रेत | ||
| Tatar | арбак | ||
| Tigrinya | መንፈስ | ||
| Tsonga | xipuku | ||