Ice in Different Languages
Discover 'Ice' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Ice
Afrikaans ys | ||
Albanian akulli | ||
Amharic በረዶ | ||
Arabic جليد | ||
Armenian սառույց | ||
Assamese বৰফ | ||
Aymara chhullunki | ||
Azerbaijani buz | ||
Bambara galasi | ||
Basque izotza | ||
Belarusian лёд | ||
Bengali বরফ | ||
Bhojpuri बरफ | ||
Bosnian led | ||
Bulgarian лед | ||
Catalan gel | ||
Cebuano yelo | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 冰 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 冰 | ||
Corsican ghjacciu | ||
Croatian led | ||
Czech led | ||
Danish is | ||
Dhivehi ގަނޑު | ||
Dogri बर्फ | ||
Dutch ijs- | ||
English ice | ||
Esperanto glacio | ||
Estonian jää | ||
Ewe tsikpe | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) yelo | ||
Finnish jäätä | ||
French la glace | ||
Frisian iis | ||
Galician xeo | ||
Georgian ყინული | ||
German eis | ||
Greek πάγος | ||
Guarani yrypy'a | ||
Gujarati બરફ | ||
Haitian Creole glas | ||
Hausa kankara | ||
Hawaiian hau | ||
Hebrew קרח | ||
Hindi बर्फ | ||
Hmong dej khov | ||
Hungarian jég | ||
Icelandic ís | ||
Igbo akpụrụ | ||
Ilocano yelo | ||
Indonesian es | ||
Irish oighir | ||
Italian ghiaccio | ||
Japanese 氷 | ||
Javanese es | ||
Kannada ಐಸ್ | ||
Kazakh мұз | ||
Khmer ទឹកកក | ||
Kinyarwanda urubura | ||
Konkani बर्फ | ||
Korean 빙 | ||
Krio ays | ||
Kurdish qeşa | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) سەهۆڵ | ||
Kyrgyz муз | ||
Lao ກ້ອນ | ||
Latin glacies | ||
Latvian ledus | ||
Lingala glase | ||
Lithuanian ledas | ||
Luganda ayisi | ||
Luxembourgish äis | ||
Macedonian мраз | ||
Maithili बरफ | ||
Malagasy ranomandry | ||
Malay ais | ||
Malayalam ഐസ് | ||
Maltese silġ | ||
Maori huka | ||
Marathi बर्फ | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯚꯔꯞ | ||
Mizo vur | ||
Mongolian мөс | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ရေခဲ | ||
Nepali बरफ | ||
Norwegian is | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) ayezi | ||
Odia (Oriya) ବରଫ | ||
Oromo cabbii | ||
Pashto يخ | ||
Persian یخ | ||
Polish lód | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) gelo | ||
Punjabi ਬਰਫ | ||
Quechua riti | ||
Romanian gheaţă | ||
Russian лед | ||
Samoan aisa | ||
Sanskrit हिम | ||
Scots Gaelic deigh | ||
Sepedi aese | ||
Serbian лед | ||
Sesotho leqhoa | ||
Shona chando | ||
Sindhi برف | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) අයිස් | ||
Slovak ľad | ||
Slovenian led | ||
Somali baraf | ||
Spanish hielo | ||
Sundanese es | ||
Swahili barafu | ||
Swedish is | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) yelo | ||
Tajik ях | ||
Tamil பனி | ||
Tatar боз | ||
Telugu మంచు | ||
Thai น้ำแข็ง | ||
Tigrinya በረድ | ||
Tsonga ayisi | ||
Turkish buz | ||
Turkmen buz | ||
Twi (Akan) nsuboɔ | ||
Ukrainian лід | ||
Urdu برف | ||
Uyghur مۇز | ||
Uzbek muz | ||
Vietnamese nước đá | ||
Welsh rhew | ||
Xhosa umkhenkce | ||
Yiddish אייז | ||
Yoruba yinyin | ||
Zulu iqhwa |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | "Ys" is likely derived from the Proto-West Germanic word "*isan" which also gave rise to the English word "ice". |
| Albanian | The word "akulli" is derived from the Illyrian or Thracian word "akul", meaning "sharp, pointed", referring to the sharp points of icicles. |
| Amharic | The Amharic word |
| Arabic | The Arabic word "جليد" can also mean "frozen" or "very cold" in a figurative sense, describing feelings or attitudes. |
| Azerbaijani | Buz also refers to a type of thin, transparent ice that forms on the surface of water when it freezes. |
| Basque | "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. |
| Belarusian | "Лёд" in Belarusian can also refer to the glass pane in a window or a mirror. |
| Bengali | "বরফ" comes from Sanskrit "वर्फ" and has no alternate meaning in Bengali. |
| Bosnian | The word "led" can also refer to a large sheet or block of ice used for transportation. |
| Bulgarian | The Bulgarian word "лед" (ice) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "ledъ", which also means "glacier" or "sheet of ice". |
| Catalan | Catalan "gel" derives from Latin "gelu," meaning "cold," but can also mean "frost" or colloquially "jelly." |
| Cebuano | The Cebuano word "yelo" also refers to a person of European descent or a person with fair skin. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The character "冰" (ice) in Chinese is composed of "冫" (ice) and "水" (water), symbolizing the solidification of water. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 冰, meaning 'ice', also serves as a homophone indicating 'clear' or 'pure'. |
| Corsican | The word "ghjacciu" is likely derived from a Vulgar Latin "glacia" through the Tuscan dialect of Old Italian, where it took on the meaning of "frost". |
| Croatian | The Croatian word "led" can also refer to a kind of ice cream known as "frozen treat" or "popsicle" in English. |
| Czech | The Czech word "led" does not only mean "ice", but also "metal" or "cast". |
| Danish | While the word "is" means "ice" in Danish, it also means "this" when placed at the start of a sentence. |
| Dutch | The word "ijs" in Dutch also refers to cream-based desserts, such as ice cream and gelato. |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "glacio" is derived from the Latin word "glacies", meaning "ice". |
| Estonian | The Proto-Finnic word *jäg- meant "frost" or "ice". |
| Finnish | The word "jäätä" also means "to leave" or "to let". |
| French | La glace (the ice) is also a colloquial term used in France to refer to the windshield of a car. |
| Frisian | Frisian "iis" (ice) may also refer to the verb "to freeze over" or an "ice skate". |
| Galician | The Galician word "xeo" derives from the Latin "glacies" and is cognate with the Spanish "hielo" and the Portuguese "gelo". |
| Georgian | "ყინული" is similar to "κρύσταλλος" (krustallos) in Greek, meaning "crystal". |
| German | The word "Eis" in German is derived from the Old High German word "īs", which is related to the English word "ice". |
| Greek | "Πάγος" is a Greek word that comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *pag- "to fix, make firm" |
| Gujarati | The word "બરફ" comes from the Sanskrit word "हिम" (hima), meaning "cold" or "snow". |
| Haitian Creole | The word glas (ice) is derived from the Old French word glaz, which is also the root of the English word glass |
| Hausa | The word "kankara" in Hausa may derive from the Songhai word "kakaŋga," meaning "rain."} |
| Hawaiian | The word “hau” also means “snow” or “frost” in Hawaiian. |
| Hebrew | The word "קרח" also means "baldness" in Hebrew, suggesting a possible connection to the cold, icy surface of a bald head. |
| Hindi | "बर्फ" (ice) is also used in a figurative sense to describe something very cold or chilly |
| Hmong | The term "dej khov" in Hmong can also refer to "hail" or "frosty dew" depending on the context. |
| Hungarian | The word "jég" is cognate with the Finnish word "jää", both originating from the Proto-Uralic word "*jäŋŋɛ". |
| Icelandic | In Icelandic, "ís" can refer to ice, a particular type of fish, or a specific Icelandic name for a man. |
| Igbo | The Igbo word |
| Indonesian | The Indonesian word "Es" can also refer to fruit or dessert drinks served with ice and various additional ingredients. |
| Irish | The word "oighir" in Irish is cognate with the Proto-Celtic word "*agros" meaning "cold". |
| Italian | "Ghiaccio" is derived from the Latin "glacies" meaning "hard, solid water." |
| Japanese | "氷" can also mean "freezing cold" or "icy". |
| Javanese | The Javanese word "es" can also refer to drinks, fruit dishes, or desserts served cold. |
| Kannada | ಐಸ್ is also used to refer to a type of sweet made from sugar and coconut. |
| Kazakh | Мұз, Kazakh for "ice," has the same etymology as "мороз" (frost) in Russian, implying both a frozen state and the result of cold. |
| Khmer | 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. |
| Korean | 빙 comes from Proto-Koreanic *pəŋ, sharing an origin with Chinese 冰. |
| Kurdish | The word "qeşa" in Kurdish also refers to the snow that falls on the ground and accumulates there. |
| Kyrgyz | The Kyrgyz word "муз" not only means "ice", but also refers to a type of frozen dessert similar to ice cream. |
| Lao | 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. |
| Latin | The word "glacies" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰel-, meaning "to shine" or "to be smooth or slippery". |
| Latvian | The word “ledus” derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*h₁el-" ('to freeze') and is a cognate of the English word “ice”. |
| Lithuanian | The Lithuanian word "ledas" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*leid-", meaning "to melt". |
| Luxembourgish | 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". |
| Macedonian | The word "мраз" also has the alternate meaning of "frost". |
| Malagasy | The Malagasy word 'ranomandry' means 'ice' and is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word for water, 'danum'. |
| Malay | In Malay, "ais" can also refer to a type of sweet dessert or a shaved ice treat, highlighting its diverse culinary applications. |
| Malayalam | 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. |
| Maltese | Maltese "silġ" derives from Arabic "thalj" and in modern times has also adopted the meaning "snow". |
| Maori | The Maori word "huka" also refers to a whirlpool or geyser, reflecting the fluid and dynamic nature of ice. |
| Marathi | The word “बर्फ” also refers to “snow” and “icicles”. |
| Mongolian | The Mongolian word |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | "ရေခဲ" literally means "water that hardens", reflecting its solid state. |
| Nepali | 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. |
| Norwegian | Is ('ice') is homophonic with the verb 'is' (to be) and can lead to confusion. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | 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. |
| Pashto | The word "يخ" in Pashto is cognate with the Persian word "يخ" and the Sanskrit word "himan", both meaning "cold" or "frost". |
| Persian | The word **یخ** ("ice") is originally borrowed from Aramaic in its Old Persian form of *yaχ* (meaning "frost"), then from the Akkadian word "akhu" (ice). |
| Polish | Polish 'lód' originates from the Proto-Slavic word 'ledъ', which also means 'weather' or 'bad weather'. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Portuguese, "gelo" also means "very cold" or "apathetic, dull". |
| Punjabi | The word "ਬਰਫ" in Punjabi is derived from the Persian word "barf", which also means "snow". |
| Romanian | The Romanian word "gheaţă" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *ledъ (ледъ), which also means "ice" in many other Slavic languages. |
| Russian | The word "лед" can also mean "cold" or "freezing" in Russian, and is related to the word "холод" (cold). |
| Samoan | "Aisa" can also mean "a block" or "a lump" in Samoan. |
| Scots Gaelic | The Scottish Gaelic word "deigh" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰei̯éǵʰos, meaning "frost" or "cold." |
| Serbian | 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'. |
| Sesotho | Leqhoa can also refer to a cold person. |
| Shona | The word “chando” can also mean “cold weather” or a “cold place” |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "برف" also has the alternate meaning of "snow". |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The Sinhala word අයිස් is borrowed from English and shares its meaning with it, as opposed to being derived from any native Sinhala root. |
| Slovak | 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 | The Slovenian word "led" can also be used to refer to an "ice age". |
| Somali | The Somali word for "ice", "baraf", likely derives from Farsi.} |
| Spanish | The word "hielo" derives from the Latin word "glacies", meaning "ice", and is cognate with the English word "glacier". |
| Sundanese | The Sundanese word "es" also denotes a traditional ice-based dessert. |
| Swahili | The word "barafu" is also used to refer to coldness or snow in Swahili. |
| Swedish | The word "is" in Swedish can also refer to a type of ice cream. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The Tagalog word "yelo" is ultimately derived from the Spanish word "hielo", which refers to frozen water or ice. |
| Tajik | The word "ях" in Tajik is related to the Persian word "یخ" (yakh) and the Proto-Indo-European word "*yēǵʰ-" (ice). |
| Tamil | The word 'பனி' can also refer to 'frost' or a 'veil' in Tamil. |
| Telugu | In Telugu, "మంచు" not only refers to "ice" but also colloquially means "cold" or "chilly". |
| Thai | “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”). |
| Turkish | The word "buz" in Turkish is derived from the Persian word "buz" which also means "ice". |
| Ukrainian | "Лід" also has several other meanings in Ukrainian, including "people" and "sorrow". |
| Urdu | "برف" comes from the Persian word "barf" and also means "snow" in Pashto. |
| Uzbek | Muz is also used in Uzbek to refer to various types of frozen confections, such as sorbet. |
| Vietnamese | "Nước đá" literally translates to "water of stone" |
| Welsh | 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. |
| Xhosa | The Xhosa word "umkhenkce" shares a root with the word "khenketha," meaning "to make something brittle by freezing it." |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word 'אייז' ('ays') derives from the Old High German word 'îs', meaning 'frozen water' or 'ice'. |
| Yoruba | In Yoruba mythology, 'yinyin' also refers to a type of supernatural being associated with coldness and the underworld. |
| Zulu | The word 'iqhwa' also refers to the act of icing or cooling something. |
| English | The word "ice" is derived from the Old English word "īs", which is related to the Latin "glacies" and the French "glace". |