Ice in Different Languages
Discover 'Ice' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Ice, a solid form of water, holds great significance in various cultures and languages around the world. Its transparent beauty and the cool sensation it provides have made it a fascinating subject of interest. From ancient civilizations using ice for preservation to modern-day cocktails adorning ice cubes, its importance cannot be overstated.
Historically, ice played a crucial role in the development of societies. In warmer climates, obtaining ice was a luxury, while in colder regions, it was a necessity. This contrast led to the creation of unique traditions and practices surrounding ice, many of which have been passed down through generations.
Understanding the translation of ice in different languages can provide valuable insights into various cultures. For instance, in Spanish, ice is 'hielo', in French, it's 'glace', while in German, it's 'Eis'. These translations not only represent a simple word but also the rich history and traditions associated with it.
Stay tuned to explore more translations of ice in various languages and delve deeper into the cultural significance of this fascinating natural phenomenon.
Ice
Ice in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | ys | ||
| "Ys" is likely derived from the Proto-West Germanic word "*isan" which also gave rise to the English word "ice". | |||
| Amharic | በረዶ | ||
| The Amharic word | |||
| Hausa | kankara | ||
| The word "kankara" in Hausa may derive from the Songhai word "kakaŋga," meaning "rain."} | |||
| Igbo | akpụrụ | ||
| The Igbo word | |||
| Malagasy | ranomandry | ||
| The Malagasy word 'ranomandry' means 'ice' and is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word for water, 'danum'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ayezi | ||
| The Nyanja (Chichewa) word for 'ice' is 'ayezi', a cognate of the English word, possibly dating back to Proto-Bantu interactions with Proto-Indo-European. | |||
| Shona | chando | ||
| The word “chando” can also mean “cold weather” or a “cold place” | |||
| Somali | baraf | ||
| The Somali word for "ice", "baraf", likely derives from Farsi.} | |||
| Sesotho | leqhoa | ||
| Leqhoa can also refer to a cold person. | |||
| Swahili | barafu | ||
| The word "barafu" is also used to refer to coldness or snow in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | umkhenkce | ||
| The Xhosa word "umkhenkce" shares a root with the word "khenketha," meaning "to make something brittle by freezing it." | |||
| Yoruba | yinyin | ||
| In Yoruba mythology, 'yinyin' also refers to a type of supernatural being associated with coldness and the underworld. | |||
| Zulu | iqhwa | ||
| The word 'iqhwa' also refers to the act of icing or cooling something. | |||
| Bambara | galasi | ||
| Ewe | tsikpe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | urubura | ||
| Lingala | glase | ||
| Luganda | ayisi | ||
| Sepedi | aese | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nsuboɔ | ||
Ice in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | جليد | ||
| The Arabic word "جليد" can also mean "frozen" or "very cold" in a figurative sense, describing feelings or attitudes. | |||
| Hebrew | קרח | ||
| The word "קרח" also means "baldness" in Hebrew, suggesting a possible connection to the cold, icy surface of a bald head. | |||
| Pashto | يخ | ||
| The word "يخ" in Pashto is cognate with the Persian word "يخ" and the Sanskrit word "himan", both meaning "cold" or "frost". | |||
| Arabic | جليد | ||
| The Arabic word "جليد" can also mean "frozen" or "very cold" in a figurative sense, describing feelings or attitudes. | |||
Ice in Western European Languages
| Albanian | akulli | ||
| The word "akulli" is derived from the Illyrian or Thracian word "akul", meaning "sharp, pointed", referring to the sharp points of icicles. | |||
| Basque | izotza | ||
| "Izozta", a word for "ice" in Basque, is thought to derive from "ixotz" or "izotz" (snow), as "izo" means "cold" in the Proto-Basque language. | |||
| Catalan | gel | ||
| Catalan "gel" derives from Latin "gelu," meaning "cold," but can also mean "frost" or colloquially "jelly." | |||
| Croatian | led | ||
| The Croatian word "led" can also refer to a kind of ice cream known as "frozen treat" or "popsicle" in English. | |||
| Danish | is | ||
| While the word "is" means "ice" in Danish, it also means "this" when placed at the start of a sentence. | |||
| Dutch | ijs- | ||
| The word "ijs" in Dutch also refers to cream-based desserts, such as ice cream and gelato. | |||
| English | ice | ||
| The word "ice" is derived from the Old English word "īs", which is related to the Latin "glacies" and the French "glace". | |||
| French | la glace | ||
| La glace (the ice) is also a colloquial term used in France to refer to the windshield of a car. | |||
| Frisian | iis | ||
| Frisian "iis" (ice) may also refer to the verb "to freeze over" or an "ice skate". | |||
| Galician | xeo | ||
| The Galician word "xeo" derives from the Latin "glacies" and is cognate with the Spanish "hielo" and the Portuguese "gelo". | |||
| German | eis | ||
| The word "Eis" in German is derived from the Old High German word "īs", which is related to the English word "ice". | |||
| Icelandic | ís | ||
| In Icelandic, "ís" can refer to ice, a particular type of fish, or a specific Icelandic name for a man. | |||
| Irish | oighir | ||
| The word "oighir" in Irish is cognate with the Proto-Celtic word "*agros" meaning "cold". | |||
| Italian | ghiaccio | ||
| "Ghiaccio" is derived from the Latin "glacies" meaning "hard, solid water." | |||
| Luxembourgish | äis | ||
| The word "Äis" is derived from the Old High German word "îs" and is cognate with the English word "ice" and the German word "Eis". | |||
| Maltese | silġ | ||
| Maltese "silġ" derives from Arabic "thalj" and in modern times has also adopted the meaning "snow". | |||
| Norwegian | is | ||
| Is ('ice') is homophonic with the verb 'is' (to be) and can lead to confusion. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | gelo | ||
| In Portuguese, "gelo" also means "very cold" or "apathetic, dull". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | deigh | ||
| The Scottish Gaelic word "deigh" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰei̯éǵʰos, meaning "frost" or "cold." | |||
| Spanish | hielo | ||
| The word "hielo" derives from the Latin word "glacies", meaning "ice", and is cognate with the English word "glacier". | |||
| Swedish | is | ||
| The word "is" in Swedish can also refer to a type of ice cream. | |||
| Welsh | rhew | ||
| Rhew is also a slang term for drunk, possibly deriving from the Welsh phrase “o fod yn rhew” (to be frozen), which means to be extremely drunk. | |||
Ice in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | лёд | ||
| "Лёд" in Belarusian can also refer to the glass pane in a window or a mirror. | |||
| Bosnian | led | ||
| The word "led" can also refer to a large sheet or block of ice used for transportation. | |||
| Bulgarian | лед | ||
| The Bulgarian word "лед" (ice) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "ledъ", which also means "glacier" or "sheet of ice". | |||
| Czech | led | ||
| The Czech word "led" does not only mean "ice", but also "metal" or "cast". | |||
| Estonian | jää | ||
| The Proto-Finnic word *jäg- meant "frost" or "ice". | |||
| Finnish | jäätä | ||
| The word "jäätä" also means "to leave" or "to let". | |||
| Hungarian | jég | ||
| The word "jég" is cognate with the Finnish word "jää", both originating from the Proto-Uralic word "*jäŋŋɛ". | |||
| Latvian | ledus | ||
| The word “ledus” derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*h₁el-" ('to freeze') and is a cognate of the English word “ice”. | |||
| Lithuanian | ledas | ||
| The Lithuanian word "ledas" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*leid-", meaning "to melt". | |||
| Macedonian | мраз | ||
| The word "мраз" also has the alternate meaning of "frost". | |||
| Polish | lód | ||
| Polish 'lód' originates from the Proto-Slavic word 'ledъ', which also means 'weather' or 'bad weather'. | |||
| Romanian | gheaţă | ||
| The Romanian word "gheaţă" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *ledъ (ледъ), which also means "ice" in many other Slavic languages. | |||
| Russian | лед | ||
| The word "лед" can also mean "cold" or "freezing" in Russian, and is related to the word "холод" (cold). | |||
| Serbian | лед | ||
| The Serbian word 'лед' is related to the Proto-Slavic word 'ledъ', meaning 'cold' or 'frost', and to the Greek word 'κρύσταλλος' (krýstallos), meaning 'ice'. | |||
| Slovak | ľad | ||
| The word "ľad" in Slovak is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "ledŭ" and is related to the words "lado" (cold) and "ledovat" (to freeze). | |||
| Slovenian | led | ||
| The Slovenian word "led" can also be used to refer to an "ice age". | |||
| Ukrainian | лід | ||
| "Лід" also has several other meanings in Ukrainian, including "people" and "sorrow". | |||
Ice in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বরফ | ||
| "বরফ" comes from Sanskrit "वर्फ" and has no alternate meaning in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | બરફ | ||
| The word "બરફ" comes from the Sanskrit word "हिम" (hima), meaning "cold" or "snow". | |||
| Hindi | बर्फ | ||
| "बर्फ" (ice) is also used in a figurative sense to describe something very cold or chilly | |||
| Kannada | ಐಸ್ | ||
| ಐಸ್ is also used to refer to a type of sweet made from sugar and coconut. | |||
| Malayalam | ഐസ് | ||
| ഐസ് is also used to mean a small amount of food or other substance added to another dish for flavour, like a 'dash of pepper' in English. | |||
| Marathi | बर्फ | ||
| The word “बर्फ” also refers to “snow” and “icicles”. | |||
| Nepali | बरफ | ||
| The word "बरफ" has Persian and Sanskrit origins and is etymologically related to the words for "cold" and "freezing" in a variety of languages including French, English, and Arabic. | |||
| Punjabi | ਬਰਫ | ||
| The word "ਬਰਫ" in Punjabi is derived from the Persian word "barf", which also means "snow". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අයිස් | ||
| The Sinhala word අයිස් is borrowed from English and shares its meaning with it, as opposed to being derived from any native Sinhala root. | |||
| Tamil | பனி | ||
| The word 'பனி' can also refer to 'frost' or a 'veil' in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | మంచు | ||
| In Telugu, "మంచు" not only refers to "ice" but also colloquially means "cold" or "chilly". | |||
| Urdu | برف | ||
| "برف" comes from the Persian word "barf" and also means "snow" in Pashto. | |||
Ice in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 冰 | ||
| The character "冰" (ice) in Chinese is composed of "冫" (ice) and "水" (water), symbolizing the solidification of water. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 冰 | ||
| 冰, meaning 'ice', also serves as a homophone indicating 'clear' or 'pure'. | |||
| Japanese | 氷 | ||
| "氷" can also mean "freezing cold" or "icy". | |||
| Korean | 빙 | ||
| 빙 comes from Proto-Koreanic *pəŋ, sharing an origin with Chinese 冰. | |||
| Mongolian | мөс | ||
| The Mongolian word | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရေခဲ | ||
| "ရေခဲ" literally means "water that hardens", reflecting its solid state. | |||
Ice in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | es | ||
| The Indonesian word "Es" can also refer to fruit or dessert drinks served with ice and various additional ingredients. | |||
| Javanese | es | ||
| The Javanese word "es" can also refer to drinks, fruit dishes, or desserts served cold. | |||
| Khmer | ទឹកកក | ||
| As a noun, “ទឹកកក” also refers to ice as a solid or in frozen form, but can also mean frost or icy particles suspended in the air. | |||
| Lao | ກ້ອນ | ||
| In addition to ice and icebox, ກ້ອນ refers to a part of a candle made of wax and placed in the center of a lamp. | |||
| Malay | ais | ||
| In Malay, "ais" can also refer to a type of sweet dessert or a shaved ice treat, highlighting its diverse culinary applications. | |||
| Thai | น้ำแข็ง | ||
| “น้ำ” in “น้ำแข็ง” is thought to have been derived from Khmer word “nam” (“water”) and “แข็ง” probably comes from the Old Khmer word “kaeng” (“to be hard, solid”). | |||
| Vietnamese | nước đá | ||
| "Nước đá" literally translates to "water of stone" | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | yelo | ||
Ice in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | buz | ||
| Buz also refers to a type of thin, transparent ice that forms on the surface of water when it freezes. | |||
| Kazakh | мұз | ||
| Мұз, Kazakh for "ice," has the same etymology as "мороз" (frost) in Russian, implying both a frozen state and the result of cold. | |||
| Kyrgyz | муз | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "муз" not only means "ice", but also refers to a type of frozen dessert similar to ice cream. | |||
| Tajik | ях | ||
| The word "ях" in Tajik is related to the Persian word "یخ" (yakh) and the Proto-Indo-European word "*yēǵʰ-" (ice). | |||
| Turkmen | buz | ||
| Uzbek | muz | ||
| Muz is also used in Uzbek to refer to various types of frozen confections, such as sorbet. | |||
| Uyghur | مۇز | ||
Ice in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hau | ||
| The word “hau” also means “snow” or “frost” in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | huka | ||
| The Maori word "huka" also refers to a whirlpool or geyser, reflecting the fluid and dynamic nature of ice. | |||
| Samoan | aisa | ||
| "Aisa" can also mean "a block" or "a lump" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | yelo | ||
| The Tagalog word "yelo" is ultimately derived from the Spanish word "hielo", which refers to frozen water or ice. | |||
Ice in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | chhullunki | ||
| Guarani | yrypy'a | ||
Ice in International Languages
| Esperanto | glacio | ||
| The Esperanto word "glacio" is derived from the Latin word "glacies", meaning "ice". | |||
| Latin | glacies | ||
| The word "glacies" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰel-, meaning "to shine" or "to be smooth or slippery". | |||
Ice in Others Languages
| Greek | πάγος | ||
| "Πάγος" is a Greek word that comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *pag- "to fix, make firm" | |||
| Hmong | dej khov | ||
| The term "dej khov" in Hmong can also refer to "hail" or "frosty dew" depending on the context. | |||
| Kurdish | qeşa | ||
| The word "qeşa" in Kurdish also refers to the snow that falls on the ground and accumulates there. | |||
| Turkish | buz | ||
| The word "buz" in Turkish is derived from the Persian word "buz" which also means "ice". | |||
| Xhosa | umkhenkce | ||
| The Xhosa word "umkhenkce" shares a root with the word "khenketha," meaning "to make something brittle by freezing it." | |||
| Yiddish | אייז | ||
| The Yiddish word 'אייז' ('ays') derives from the Old High German word 'îs', meaning 'frozen water' or 'ice'. | |||
| Zulu | iqhwa | ||
| The word 'iqhwa' also refers to the act of icing or cooling something. | |||
| Assamese | বৰফ | ||
| Aymara | chhullunki | ||
| Bhojpuri | बरफ | ||
| Dhivehi | ގަނޑު | ||
| Dogri | बर्फ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | yelo | ||
| Guarani | yrypy'a | ||
| Ilocano | yelo | ||
| Krio | ays | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سەهۆڵ | ||
| Maithili | बरफ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯚꯔꯞ | ||
| Mizo | vur | ||
| Oromo | cabbii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବରଫ | ||
| Quechua | riti | ||
| Sanskrit | हिम | ||
| Tatar | боз | ||
| Tigrinya | በረድ | ||
| Tsonga | ayisi | ||