Gold in Different Languages
Discover 'Gold' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Gold, a precious metal of unparalleled significance, has captivated the hearts and minds of people across the globe for millennia. Its radiant allure and scarcity have rendered it a symbol of wealth, power, and prosperity in various cultures and civilizations. From ancient Egyptians to modern-day investors, gold has held a special place in our collective consciousness.
Throughout history, gold has been utilized for various purposes, such as currency, jewelry, and art. Its unique properties, such as malleability, ductility, and resistance to corrosion, have made it an ideal material for crafting exquisite pieces that have withstood the test of time. Moreover, gold's cultural importance transcends its physical attributes, as it often represents divine entities, spiritual enlightenment, and even love.
Understanding the translation of gold in different languages can be a fascinating journey that sheds light on the cultural nuances and historical contexts associated with this coveted metal. For instance, the Spanish term for gold, 'oro,' reflects the country's rich mining history, while the German word, 'Gold,' mirrors the language's adherence to linguistic purity.
Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of gold translations, exploring how this precious metal is known and revered in various cultures and languages.
Gold
Gold in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | goud | ||
| In Afrikaans, "goud" can also refer to the type of colour it signifies, or an item made of the metal. | |||
| Amharic | ወርቅ | ||
| "ወርቅ" refers to a yellowish shade in painting and is also used to mean "golden" as in "golden opportunity". | |||
| Hausa | zinariya | ||
| The word 'zinariya' in Hausa is derived from the Arabic word 'dhinaar', which refers to a specific type of gold coin used in the pre-colonial era. | |||
| Igbo | ọla edo | ||
| "Ọla edo" in Igbo can also refer to a wealthy person or a symbol of wealth and prosperity. | |||
| Malagasy | volamena | ||
| The word "volamena" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word for "metal" or "iron", which is cognate with the Malay word "besi". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | golide | ||
| Nyanja golide 'gold' also means 'to be rich'. | |||
| Shona | ndarama | ||
| The word "ndarama" in Shona is cognate with the word "ndarama" in Swahili, both meaning "gold". | |||
| Somali | dahab | ||
| The name Dahab given to the gold colored male ostrich, derives from the gold color of a ripe date | |||
| Sesotho | khauta | ||
| Khauta is a derivative of the word 'khaoha', meaning 'reddish brown'. | |||
| Swahili | dhahabu | ||
| "Dhahabu" also means "gold" in Arabic and Sanskrit, and is cognate with "topaz" and "dollar". | |||
| Xhosa | igolide | ||
| The word 'igolide' is derived from the Proto-Bantu form '*golida', which also means 'money'. | |||
| Yoruba | wúrà | ||
| Yoruba wúrà, from Proto-Benue-Congo *ŋʷɔ̀ː, is also the name for 'wealth' and 'metal' generally. | |||
| Zulu | igolide | ||
| Igolide is also used in Zulu to refer to a person who is highly skilled or valuable. | |||
| Bambara | sanu | ||
| Ewe | sika | ||
| Kinyarwanda | zahabu | ||
| Lingala | wolo | ||
| Luganda | ezaabu | ||
| Sepedi | gauta | ||
| Twi (Akan) | sika kɔkɔɔ | ||
Gold in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ذهب | ||
| The word "ذهب" is also used in Arabic to refer to "wisdom" or "understanding". | |||
| Hebrew | זהב | ||
| This word is a loanword from Akkadian, which in turn borrowed from Sumerian, where it meant 'shining' or 'glowing'. | |||
| Pashto | سره | ||
| The Pashto word "سره" is also used figuratively to denote "pure" or "authentic". | |||
| Arabic | ذهب | ||
| The word "ذهب" is also used in Arabic to refer to "wisdom" or "understanding". | |||
Gold in Western European Languages
| Albanian | ari | ||
| The Albanian word "ari" is also used to refer to "money". | |||
| Basque | urrea | ||
| The word "urrea" also means "wealth" or "riches" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | or | ||
| "Or" can also refer to the heraldic color, orange-yellow (as it is similar to the color of metal gold). | |||
| Croatian | zlato | ||
| The word "zlato" in Croatian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *zolto, meaning "yellow". | |||
| Danish | guld | ||
| The Danish word "guld" also means "yellow" and is related to the word "gul" in Swedish and Norwegian. | |||
| Dutch | goud | ||
| In Dutch, 'goud' also refers to a rich, yellow color, akin to the color of gold. | |||
| English | gold | ||
| The word 'gold' comes from the Old English word 'gold', which is thought to be derived from the Proto-Germanic word 'gulþa', meaning 'yellow' or 'shining'. | |||
| French | or | ||
| In alchemy, the word "or" (gold) was used to represent the sun and was associated with the element of fire. | |||
| Frisian | goud | ||
| In West Frisian, Goud also means "good" or "yellow". | |||
| Galician | ouro | ||
| The word "ouro" is also the name for a Galician coin issued between 1286 and 1497. | |||
| German | gold | ||
| The German word "Gold" can also refer to a treasure or wealth. | |||
| Icelandic | gull | ||
| In Icelandic 'gull' can also mean a river | |||
| Irish | óir | ||
| In Irish, the word "óir" can also refer to copper or bronze, as well as a golden-haired person. | |||
| Italian | oro | ||
| The word "oro" in Italian is derived from the Latin word "aurum". It can also mean "golden" or "golden-colored." | |||
| Luxembourgish | gold | ||
| Luxembourgish "Gëllech" is derived from the old Germanic word "Gulba", meaning "yellow" and referring to the precious metal gold, as well as to a certain shade of the color yellow. | |||
| Maltese | deheb | ||
| Deheb comes from Semitic roots and shares an etymology with the Greek 'chrysos', meaning 'gold', and its derived 'chemistry'. | |||
| Norwegian | gull | ||
| In Norwegian, "gull" can also mean "yellow". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ouro | ||
| The Portuguese word "ouro" derives from the Latin "aurum", meaning "gold" or "yellow". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | òr | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "òr" can also refer to an object of great value or importance. | |||
| Spanish | oro | ||
| Oro derives from the Latin term "aurum", and also means "prayer or supplication" in the same language. | |||
| Swedish | guld- | ||
| The Old Norse root "gull" also has the meaning of "joy, happiness". | |||
| Welsh | aur | ||
| The Welsh word 'aur' can also refer to the ore or vein from which gold is extracted. | |||
Gold in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | золата | ||
| The word "золата" (zolata) originated from the Ukrainian word "золото" (zoloto), which in turn originated from the Proto-Slavic word "*золто" (zolto), meaning "yellow". | |||
| Bosnian | zlato | ||
| The word "zlato" also means "beloved" or "precious" in an affectionate sense in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | злато | ||
| In Bulgarian, "злато" also refers to a gold wedding band or engagement ring. | |||
| Czech | zlato | ||
| The Czech word "zlato" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*zolto" meaning "yellow". | |||
| Estonian | kuld | ||
| Kuld is cognate with the German "Gold" and the English "gold" and shares a common Proto-Indo-European origin with them. | |||
| Finnish | kulta- | ||
| The Estonian root *kulta- appears as *kulti- in Mordvinic, but in Permian and Ugric *kulte- | |||
| Hungarian | arany | ||
| The Hungarian word "arany" not only means "gold" but also refers to a color, similar to the English "golden". | |||
| Latvian | zelts | ||
| The word "zelts" in Latvian is also related to the words "zelts" or "zeltīt" in other languages, which mean "gold" or "to gild". | |||
| Lithuanian | auksas | ||
| The word "auksas" shares its root with the Sanskrit term "ukṣan" and the Latin "aurum". | |||
| Macedonian | злато | ||
| The root word “zl” in “zlato” is related to the words for “green,” “yellow,” and “bile.” | |||
| Polish | złoto | ||
| The word "złoto" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "zolto", which also means "yellow" or "green". | |||
| Romanian | aur | ||
| "Aur" is also the Romanian word for "breeze" | |||
| Russian | золото | ||
| The Russian word "золото" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *zolto, which also meant "yellow" | |||
| Serbian | злато | ||
| The word "злато" (zlato) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*zolto" and is cognate with the Latin word "aurum". | |||
| Slovak | zlato | ||
| The word "zlato" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*zolto", which is ultimately derived from the Uralic word "*sula". | |||
| Slovenian | zlato | ||
| The word "zlato" in Slovenian is related to the Proto-Slavic word "*zъlato", which means "golden, yellow" and is shared with many related forms in Slavic languages, as well as Lithuanian and Latvian, and further possibly with the Albanian word "i artë" with the same meaning. The word "zlato" in Bulgarian also means "gold coin" or "money". | |||
| Ukrainian | золото | ||
| The word "золото" (gold) in Ukrainian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *zolto, meaning "yellow" or "shining". | |||
Gold in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সোনার | ||
| The word "সোনার" in Bengali can also mean "golden" or "that which is related to gold". | |||
| Gujarati | સોનું | ||
| સોનું, which translates to "gold" in English, can also mean "good" or "beautiful". | |||
| Hindi | सोना | ||
| The word "सोना" also refers to the beautiful, beloved or precious person in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಚಿನ್ನ | ||
| "ಚಿನ್ನ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "hiranya," meaning "made of gold" or "golden-coloured." | |||
| Malayalam | സ്വർണം | ||
| The word "സ്വർണം" also means "svarna" in Sanskrit, a sacred metal believed to be associated with gods and goddesses in Hindu mythology. | |||
| Marathi | सोने | ||
| In Marathi, "सोने" means "gold", and also refers to a state of being asleep or resting or a particular color or shade of yellow. | |||
| Nepali | सुन | ||
| The word 'सुन' (gold) in Nepali is derived from the Proto-Indo-Iranian root *su- 'to shine', also found in the Latin 'aur-um' (gold) and the French 'or' (gold). | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੋਨਾ | ||
| The word "ਸੋਨਾ" in Punjabi has its roots in Sanskrit and shares a common origin with the English word "sun". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | රන් | ||
| The word රන් can also mean "yellow" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | தங்கம் | ||
| The word "தங்கம்" can also refer to a yellow pigment or the color yellow. | |||
| Telugu | బంగారం | ||
| The word "బంగారం" is derived from the Sanskrit word "भंगुरम्" (bhanguram), meaning "frail" or "perishable", likely due to gold's susceptibility to damage. | |||
| Urdu | سونا | ||
| The word "سونا" also means "dream" or "beauty" in Urdu. | |||
Gold in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 金 | ||
| "金" also means "metal" and in ancient times, it specifically referred to copper. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 金 | ||
| The character "金" can also refer to metal, money, or value, and can be found in compounds like "金屬" (metal) and "黃金" (gold). | |||
| Japanese | ゴールド | ||
| Japanese "gold" (ゴールド, "gorudo") is a contracted pronunciation of "kogane" (こがね), the old Japanese word for gold. | |||
| Korean | 금 | ||
| 금 can also mean 'prohibition' as in 금주 'prohibition of alcohol' | |||
| Mongolian | алт | ||
| "Alt" (gold) is also a root present in the Uyghur word "altun" and the Chinese word "jin," also meaning "gold." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရွှေ | ||
| Myanmar word ရွှေ originates from Mon language, with similar meaning "pure, clean, clear, shining, brilliant" to original Mon version. | |||
Gold in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | emas | ||
| The word "emas" is thought to have originated from the Sanskrit word "hema" and also the Malay word "mas", both meaning "gold". | |||
| Javanese | mas | ||
| The word "mas" also can mean "valuable" or "expensive" in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | មាស | ||
| The word "មាស" can also refer to the color golden-yellow or a unit of currency, a gold coin. | |||
| Lao | ຄຳ | ||
| The Lao word "ຄຳ" (gold) also means "word" or "speech". | |||
| Malay | emas | ||
| Emas can also be a slang term for money or wealth. | |||
| Thai | ทอง | ||
| The Thai word "ทอง" (gold) also means "victory" and "first place". | |||
| Vietnamese | vàng | ||
| "Vàng" has a homophone "vẳng", which means the sound of something distant, creating a poetic connection between the precious metal and the yearning for something far away. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ginto | ||
Gold in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qızıl | ||
| The word "qızıl" in Azerbaijani shares a common Proto-Turkic root with the word "kızıl" in Turkish, meaning "red". | |||
| Kazakh | алтын | ||
| The Kazakh word 'алтын' also refers to a pre-Soviet Kazakh currency analogous to the golden sovereign used in the Russian Empire and is related to the Turkic etymon 'altun', 'altyn' or 'altın', which refers to gold. | |||
| Kyrgyz | алтын | ||
| "Алтын" also means "six" in Kyrgyz, representing its role as a traditional unit of currency. | |||
| Tajik | тилло | ||
| In Afghan Uzbek, one of the Iranian languages, "tilla" means silver. | |||
| Turkmen | altyn | ||
| Uzbek | oltin | ||
| In Uzbek, "oltin" can also mean "wealth" or "prosperity". | |||
| Uyghur | ئالتۇن | ||
Gold in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | gula | ||
| Gu'u is a related word which means "red" or "yellow" and is the name of a small red snapper fish. | |||
| Maori | koura | ||
| In Maori, "koura" not only means "gold," but also refers to the koura, a native freshwater crayfish. | |||
| Samoan | auro | ||
| In Samoan, "auro" also means "money". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | ginto | ||
| The word 'ginto' may have originated from the Indonesian word 'jintan' (cumin) due to the similar color of cumin seeds to gold grains. | |||
Gold in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | quri | ||
| Guarani | itaju | ||
Gold in International Languages
| Esperanto | oro | ||
| The word "oro" comes from the Latin word "aurum", which also means "gold". | |||
| Latin | aurum | ||
| The Latin word 'aurum' is of possible Etruscan or Semitic origin, and also refers to 'shining dawn'. | |||
Gold in Others Languages
| Greek | χρυσός | ||
| The Greek word 'χρυσός' (gold) is also used to refer to the color of ripe wheat or honey. | |||
| Hmong | kub | ||
| The word "kub" can also mean "to be rich" or "to have a lot of wealth". | |||
| Kurdish | zêr | ||
| "Zêr" also refers to a color between yellow and saffron and is used in the names of Kurdish tribes. | |||
| Turkish | altın | ||
| The word "altın" derives from the Akkadian word "altu" meaning "copper, bronze". | |||
| Xhosa | igolide | ||
| The word 'igolide' is derived from the Proto-Bantu form '*golida', which also means 'money'. | |||
| Yiddish | גאָלד | ||
| The Yiddish word "גאָלד" can also refer to a treasure or something of great value. | |||
| Zulu | igolide | ||
| Igolide is also used in Zulu to refer to a person who is highly skilled or valuable. | |||
| Assamese | সোণ | ||
| Aymara | quri | ||
| Bhojpuri | सोना | ||
| Dhivehi | ރަން | ||
| Dogri | सुन्ना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ginto | ||
| Guarani | itaju | ||
| Ilocano | balitok | ||
| Krio | gold | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | زێڕ | ||
| Maithili | सोना | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯅꯥ | ||
| Mizo | rangkachak | ||
| Oromo | warqee | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସୁନା | ||
| Quechua | quri | ||
| Sanskrit | स्वर्णं | ||
| Tatar | алтын | ||
| Tigrinya | ወርቂ | ||
| Tsonga | nsuku | ||