Gray in Different Languages
Discover 'Gray' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The color 'gray' (or 'grey', as some prefer to spell it) holds a unique significance in our visual language. It's the middle ground between black and white, often associated with neutrality, ambiguity, and moderation. Culturally, gray has been used to convey melancholy in art and literature, yet it also signifies practicality and professionalism in modern contexts.
Moreover, the word 'gray' has fascinating historical contexts. During the Industrial Revolution, the color gray became a symbol of soot and smog, while in military terms, gray camouflage is used for blending into various environments. It's also the color of elephants' skin, which is why the Gray Elephant is a logo of the World Wildlife Fund.
Given its multifaceted meanings and uses, one might want to know how to say 'gray' in different languages, especially when exploring different cultures or communicating in international settings.
Here are some translations of 'gray' to pique your curiosity:
Gray
Gray in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | grys | ||
| The Afrikaans word "grys" has a secondary meaning of "white horse" or "gray horse". | |||
| Amharic | ግራጫ | ||
| The word "ግራጫ" also means "bald" in Old Amharic (Ge'ez). | |||
| Hausa | launin toka-toka | ||
| The word "launin toka-toka" also means "the color of ashes" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | isi awọ | ||
| The word "isi awọ" can also refer to the ash from a hearth or the ashes of the dead, and is sometimes used to describe something that is old or withered. | |||
| Malagasy | grey | ||
| In Malagasy, 'gris' can also mean 'white' or 'clear'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | imvi | ||
| The word "imvi" also means "ash" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | gireyi | ||
| Despite its English cognate, it is etymologically unrelated to "grey" in English, and actually means "black" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | cawl | ||
| The word "cawl" in Somali can also refer to a type of traditional clothing or a specific color shade. | |||
| Sesotho | putsoa | ||
| "Putsoa" can also refer to a type of animal skin or a traditional type of blanket | |||
| Swahili | kijivu | ||
| The word "kijivu" can also refer to "ash" or "dust". | |||
| Xhosa | ngwevu | ||
| The word "ngwevu" in Xhosa also means "clever" or "intelligent". | |||
| Yoruba | grẹy | ||
| In Yoruba, the word "grẹy" is also used to refer to a type of cloth or fabric. | |||
| Zulu | mpunga | ||
| Mpunga also refers to a gray animal or a black horse. | |||
| Bambara | bugurinjɛ | ||
| Ewe | fu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | imvi | ||
| Lingala | gris | ||
| Luganda | gray | ||
| Sepedi | sehla | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nso | ||
Gray in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | اللون الرمادي | ||
| Originally, the word "اللون الرمادي" referred to the color of ashes but now it has come to mean any shade of gray. | |||
| Hebrew | אפור | ||
| The etymology of "אפור" ("gray") is debated, some propose a relation to "אפר" ("ashes") but the actual origins are unclear | |||
| Pashto | خړ | ||
| The Pashto word "خړ" is commonly known as "gray" in English, but it also historically has meant "brown" or "grayish-brown". | |||
| Arabic | اللون الرمادي | ||
| Originally, the word "اللون الرمادي" referred to the color of ashes but now it has come to mean any shade of gray. | |||
Gray in Western European Languages
| Albanian | gri | ||
| The word "gri" in Albanian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European word | |||
| Basque | grisa | ||
| The word "grisa" is derived from the Latin word "grisius," which means "ash-gray". | |||
| Catalan | gris | ||
| "Gris" originally meant "dark brown" in Occitan, from which it was adopted into Catalan, Spanish and French. | |||
| Croatian | siva | ||
| The word 'siva' in Croatian can also refer to a bluish-green shade. | |||
| Danish | grå | ||
| Danish grå 'gray' is also used figuratively to mean 'not quite right' or 'odd,' e.g. Grådig (gray-ish) might be used to describe a strange or unusual person. | |||
| Dutch | grijs | ||
| The word "grijs" comes from the Middle Dutch word "grijsen," meaning "to grow gray." | |||
| English | gray | ||
| The word "gray" comes from the Old English word "græg", meaning "badger", and is also related to the words "green" and "grayling". | |||
| French | gris | ||
| In French, "gris" is derived from the Germanic word "grisja," meaning "gray" or "ash-colored." It also has a slang meaning of "drunk" or "intoxicated." | |||
| Frisian | griis | ||
| The Frisian word 'griis' is likely derived from Proto-Germanic '*grīsab', meaning 'old person' or 'hoary'. | |||
| Galician | gris | ||
| In Galician, the word "gris" can also mean "cold" or "impersonal." | |||
| German | grau | ||
| The word "grau" in German is often associated with the notion of twilight or dusk, and derives from an Indo-European root meaning "to shine" or "to glow". | |||
| Icelandic | grátt | ||
| Related to the word 'greet', the Icelandic word 'grátt' also has undertones of weeping and lamenting. | |||
| Irish | liath | ||
| The Irish word "liath" is also used to describe something that is dull or lifeless, and it can be applied to both physical and emotional states. | |||
| Italian | grigio | ||
| Grigio can also mean "ancient" or "antique," coming from the Lombard "grig" (gray hair). | |||
| Luxembourgish | gro | ||
| "Gro" comes from the same root as the French "gris" or English "gray" and is also used in Luxembourgish to describe the color of a horse or the sky on a gloomy day. | |||
| Maltese | griż | ||
| The etymology of the Maltese word "griż" is uncertain, but it may be derived from the Sicilian word "grisu" or the Arabic word "gharb". | |||
| Norwegian | grå | ||
| The word "grå" also refers to the color of a horse and is an adjective meaning "difficult". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | cinzento | ||
| The Portuguese word "cinzento" derives from the Latin word "cinis" (ash), and it can also refer to the color of ash or smoke. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | liath | ||
| The word "liath" can also refer to a blue-gray color in Scots Gaelic, similar to "glaucous" in English. | |||
| Spanish | gris | ||
| Gris also means 'young deer or fawn' in French, and 'fur' or 'ermine' in Old English. | |||
| Swedish | grå | ||
| In Swedish, "grå" can also refer to a shade of green, similar to "olive" in English. | |||
| Welsh | llwyd | ||
| The Welsh word llwyd, meaning gray, is also used to describe a type of fish found in the River Teifi in Wales, known as the llwyd bach or 'little gray fish'. | |||
Gray in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | шэры | ||
| The Belarusian word шэры (gray) is cognate with the Russian word серый (gray) and the Polish word szary (gray) | |||
| Bosnian | siva | ||
| The word "siva" can also mean "dull", "gloomy" or "dark" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | сиво | ||
| The Bulgarian word "сиво" can also mean "bluish" or "ashy". | |||
| Czech | šedá | ||
| The word "šedá" can also refer to a shade of gray or to a grayish color. | |||
| Estonian | hall | ||
| The word "hall" in Estonian has its origins in the Proto-Uralic word *śalə, meaning "gray or dark". | |||
| Finnish | harmaa | ||
| The Finnish word harmaa also means 'dim' or 'gloomy', and is related to words like 'horror' and 'haunted'. | |||
| Hungarian | szürke | ||
| "Szürke" also means "unimportant" and "average" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | pelēks | ||
| The word "pelēks" can also refer to a type of fish found in the Baltic Sea. | |||
| Lithuanian | pilka | ||
| "Pilkas" shares the same root with the word "pelė", meaning "mouse". | |||
| Macedonian | сиво | ||
| In other Slavic languages, such as Russian, the word | |||
| Polish | szary | ||
| The word "szary" in Polish can also mean "dull, boring, or commonplace." | |||
| Romanian | gri | ||
| "gri" is of Latin origin, meaning "gray", and can also refer to "grief" or "grimace". | |||
| Russian | серый | ||
| "Серый" can also mean "ordinary," "dull," or "uneventful" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | сива | ||
| The word "сива" can also refer to a type of fish or a variety of grapes. | |||
| Slovak | sivá | ||
| "Sivá" also means "female duck" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | siva | ||
| The word 'siva' shares the same root with the word 'srebro' ('silver') and originally meant 'shiny'. | |||
| Ukrainian | сірий | ||
| The word «сірий» is also used to describe a dull, uninspiring, or gloomy person or situation. | |||
Gray in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ধূসর | ||
| Did you know 'ধূসর' can also mean 'smoky' or 'dim'? | |||
| Gujarati | ભૂખરા | ||
| The word "ભૂખરા" is related to the Sanskrit word "भू" meaning "earth" or "soil", and its alternate meanings include a brownish-gray color, a type of soil, and a kind of grain. | |||
| Hindi | धूसर | ||
| From Old Hindi धूसर (dhūsar) "ash-colored, grey", derivative of धूल (dhūl) "dust, ashes," ultimately from Sanskrit धूली (dhūlī) "dust, ashes." | |||
| Kannada | ಬೂದು | ||
| The word "ಬೂದು" can also mean black or dark-coloured in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | ചാരനിറം | ||
| The word "ചാരനിറം" (gray) in Malayalam is derived from the Sanskrit word "च्छाय" (shadow), indicating its neutral and intermediate shade. | |||
| Marathi | राखाडी | ||
| The word 'राखाडी' in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word 'रक्त' (blood), referring to the reddish-gray color of ashes. | |||
| Nepali | खैरो | ||
| The word "खैरो" derives from the Sanskrit word "कावरी" meaning "reddish-brown" but has come to mean "gray" in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਲੇਟੀ | ||
| The word "ਸਲੇਟੀ" also means "bluish" in Punjabi, as opposed to the usual meaning of "gray" or "grey". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අළු | ||
| In addition to 'gray,' the Sinhala word 'අළු' can also refer to shades of yellow, black, or dark red. | |||
| Tamil | சாம்பல் | ||
| The Tamil word "சாம்பல்" can also refer to ashes or a shade of light gray. | |||
| Telugu | బూడిద | ||
| The word 'బూడిద' can also refer to the ash left over after a fire. | |||
| Urdu | سرمئی | ||
| The word "سرمئی" is derived from the Semitic word "sirm" meaning "black" or "dark". | |||
Gray in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 灰色 | ||
| 灰色 is a common Chinese compound word, where 灰 means "ashes" and 色 means "color". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 灰色 | ||
| "灰色" (gray) gets its name from its similarity to a young horse ("灰色马") | |||
| Japanese | グレー | ||
| "グレー" also means "a gray area". | |||
| Korean | 회색 | ||
| Did you know that 회색 can also mean "uncertain" or "ambiguous" in Korean? | |||
| Mongolian | саарал | ||
| The term "саарал" also references shades such as ashen, slate, leaden, silvery, and charcoal, and is associated with the concepts of age, wisdom, and balance. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မီးခိုးရောင် | ||
Gray in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | abu-abu | ||
| "Abu-abu" also means "ash" in Indonesian, as in "gray from the ashes". | |||
| Javanese | klawu | ||
| "Klawu" also refers to the color of unripe rice in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | ប្រផេះ | ||
| "ប្រផេះ" can also be a term for a ghost or spirit, especially one of ill-omen. | |||
| Lao | ສີຂີ້ເຖົ່າ | ||
| The word derives from Thai "สีขี้เถ้า" referring to the color of ash. | |||
| Malay | kelabu | ||
| Kelabu derives from a Proto-Austronesian word that also meant "ash," "dust," and "powder." | |||
| Thai | สีเทา | ||
| The word 'สีเทา' can refer to both the color 'gray' and to the shade 'dark brown or dull grey'. | |||
| Vietnamese | màu xám | ||
| The Vietnamese word ''màu xám'' derives from Old Vietnamese and originally meant ''black.'' | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kulay-abo | ||
Gray in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | boz | ||
| "Boz" also refers to a shade of blue in Azerbaijani and is related to the Turkish word "boz" meaning "dark". | |||
| Kazakh | сұр | ||
| It is also used to refer to a grayish-greenish color in Kazakh | |||
| Kyrgyz | боз | ||
| In Kyrgyz, "боз" also refers to the color of a horse's coat, specifically a pale bay or chestnut color. | |||
| Tajik | хокистарӣ | ||
| The word "хокистарӣ" can also refer to "gray hair" or "a gray-haired person" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | çal | ||
| Uzbek | kulrang | ||
| The Uzbek word "kulrang" also means "dove-colored" or "ash-colored." | |||
| Uyghur | كۈلرەڭ | ||
Gray in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hinahina | ||
| "Hinahina" translates to "gray" in Hawaiian, but also connotes ideas of weakness, fragility, and vulnerability. | |||
| Maori | hina | ||
| The Maori word "hina" primarily means "gray," but it also signifies "silver," "gleam," and various shades of gray or silver. | |||
| Samoan | lanu efuefu | ||
| The Samoan word "lanu efuefu" can also figuratively mean "a person who is not reliable, dishonest or unstable and is not worthy of trust." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kulay-abo | ||
| Kulay-abo means both 'gray' and 'dark' in Tagalog and is derived from the root word 'abo' meaning 'darkness' or 'shadow'. | |||
Gray in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ch'ixi | ||
| Guarani | hovyhũ | ||
Gray in International Languages
| Esperanto | griza | ||
| The Esperanto word "griza" is derived from the French word "gris" and can also mean "grizzled" or "hoary". | |||
| Latin | griseo | ||
| The original meaning of the Latin "griseus" was "reddish gray". | |||
Gray in Others Languages
| Greek | γκρί | ||
| The word "γκρί" is a cognate of the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰrei-, meaning "to shine", and is unrelated to the word "grey", which derives from the Old English "græg", meaning "grey-coloured". | |||
| Hmong | txho | ||
| The word "txho" in Hmong can also mean "to fade", "to lose color", or "old". | |||
| Kurdish | gewr | ||
| Gewr, which can also mean 'sky' or 'air', originates from the Proto-Indo-European root '*gʷʰer-' meaning 'to shimmer, shine'. | |||
| Turkish | gri | ||
| In addition to "gray," "gri" can also refer to a type of light brown in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | ngwevu | ||
| The word "ngwevu" in Xhosa also means "clever" or "intelligent". | |||
| Yiddish | גרוי | ||
| The Yiddish word 'gray' ('גרוי') derives from Old High German, and in the 16th century was the word for the color of horses, especially warhorses. | |||
| Zulu | mpunga | ||
| Mpunga also refers to a gray animal or a black horse. | |||
| Assamese | ধূসৰ | ||
| Aymara | ch'ixi | ||
| Bhojpuri | धूसर | ||
| Dhivehi | އަޅިކުލަ | ||
| Dogri | ग्रे | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kulay-abo | ||
| Guarani | hovyhũ | ||
| Ilocano | dapo | ||
| Krio | gre | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | خۆڵەمێشی | ||
| Maithili | धूसर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯃꯨ ꯝꯆꯨ | ||
| Mizo | paw | ||
| Oromo | daalacha | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଧୂସର | ||
| Quechua | uqi | ||
| Sanskrit | धूसर | ||
| Tatar | соры | ||
| Tigrinya | ሓሙዂሽቲ ሕብሪ | ||
| Tsonga | mpunga | ||