Iron in Different Languages
Discover 'Iron' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Iron, a chemical element with the symbol Fe, is one of the most significant and widely used metals on our planet. Its significance extends beyond the scientific and industrial realms, as iron has been a vital component in human culture and history for millennia. From the Iron Age to the construction of modern cities, this versatile metal has shaped the course of human development.
Did you know that iron is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust? It's also the most common element by mass in the entire Earth, making up a significant portion of our planet's core! Historically, iron has been used for tools, weapons, and architectural marvels, leaving its indelible mark on human civilization.
Understanding the translation of iron in different languages can open up a world of cultural exchange and discovery. Here are a few examples:
- Spanish: hierro
- French: fer
- German: Eisen
- Mandarin: 铁 (tiě)
- Japanese: 鉄 (tetsu)
Stay tuned for a comprehensive list of iron translations in various languages, further enriching your understanding of this essential metal's global impact.
Iron
Iron in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | yster | ||
| The Afrikaans word "yster" is derived from the Old Dutch word "yster", which is ultimately derived from the Proto-Germanic word for iron, "*isarna." | |||
| Amharic | ብረት | ||
| The word ብረት (iron) is cognate with the Ge'ez word በረዘ (to cut), suggesting its original association with the use of iron tools. | |||
| Hausa | baƙin ƙarfe | ||
| "Baƙin ƙarfe" is the Hausa name for the chemical element iron, but it can also refer to other strong and hard objects. | |||
| Igbo | ígwè | ||
| The word 'ígwè' also refers to any hard or strong object in Igbo language, e.g., one can refer to a strong man as 'ígwè ọ̀tọ̀' (iron man). | |||
| Malagasy | vy | ||
| The word "vy" in Malagasy can also mean "hardwood" or "metal", particularly a tool made of metal or hardwood. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chitsulo | ||
| "Chitsulo" is a Nyanja word that derives from the verbs "kuchita" (construct) and "kusula" (extract), alluding to the process of metalworking and the extraction of iron from ore. | |||
| Shona | iron | ||
| In Shona, `iron` is also known as `simbi`, which can refer to both the metal and the color red. | |||
| Somali | birta | ||
| The Somali word 'birta' also means 'a piece of scrap iron', 'a piece of iron', or 'an iron cooking pot'. | |||
| Sesotho | tšepe | ||
| The word "tšepe" is also used to refer to a strong or brave person in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | chuma | ||
| The word 'chuma' is also used to refer to the color black or dark grey. | |||
| Xhosa | intsimbi | ||
| "Intsimbi" is a homophone in Xhosa, meaning both "iron" and "metal." | |||
| Yoruba | irin | ||
| "Irín" can also mean "a journey" or "a path" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | insimbi | ||
| The Zulu word "insimbi" can also be interpreted as "a piece of metal" or "a lump of metal". | |||
| Bambara | nɛgɛ | ||
| Ewe | ga | ||
| Kinyarwanda | icyuma | ||
| Lingala | libende | ||
| Luganda | okugolola | ||
| Sepedi | aene | ||
| Twi (Akan) | dadeɛ | ||
Iron in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | حديد | ||
| The word | |||
| Hebrew | בַּרזֶל | ||
| The Hebrew word "בַּרזֶל" (iron) is also used in the Bible to refer to a "yoke" or "fetter". | |||
| Pashto | اوسپنه | ||
| The Pashto word for "iron" (اوسپنه) is derived from the Avestan word "aspa" meaning "horse", suggesting the historical association between horses and iron-use in the region. | |||
| Arabic | حديد | ||
| The word | |||
Iron in Western European Languages
| Albanian | hekuri | ||
| The word "hekuri" also means "blood" in Albanian, potentially due to the use of iron in weapons and the connection between blood and war. | |||
| Basque | burdina | ||
| The word "burdina" in Basque is thought to derive from an Indo-European root meaning "heavy". | |||
| Catalan | ferro | ||
| "Ferro" is also the Catalan word for a railroad. | |||
| Croatian | željezo | ||
| The word "željezo" can also refer to "iron ore" or "ironclad" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | jern | ||
| The word "jern" in Danish not only refers to "iron" but also to "tool" or "weapon". | |||
| Dutch | ijzer | ||
| IJzer ('iron') is also an archaic name for the river Yser, from Celtic *isara ('swift water'). | |||
| English | iron | ||
| The element's name derives from Proto-Germanic ıisarn-, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European ĭs-i-ro-, a derivative of an early root ĭhes-, "to glow". | |||
| French | le fer | ||
| In Old French, "le fer" was also used to refer to a sword or other cutting weapon | |||
| Frisian | izer | ||
| In Frisian, "izer" can also refer to an iron used for pressing clothing. | |||
| Galician | ferro | ||
| "Ferro" is a homophone of "fero" (wild) in Galician, and is also the root of the word "ferreiro" (blacksmith). | |||
| German | eisen | ||
| The word "Eisen" is derived from the Old High German word "īsan" meaning "ore" and can also refer to different types of ore, such as copper ore or iron ore. | |||
| Icelandic | járn | ||
| The word "járn" in Icelandic can also refer to a sword, spear, or other weapon made of iron. | |||
| Irish | iarann | ||
| The Irish word 'iarann', meaning iron, also appears in Irish place names as a word for an ironworks. | |||
| Italian | ferro | ||
| Italian "ferro" derives from Latin "ferrum" and Proto-Indo-European "*h₂es-" (metal) | |||
| Luxembourgish | eisen | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Eisen" not only denotes "iron", but is also a common nickname for railway tracks in Luxembourg. | |||
| Maltese | ħadid | ||
| In addition to its meaning as "iron," the word "ħadid" is also used in Maltese to refer to a type of "chain mail". | |||
| Norwegian | jern | ||
| The Old Norse word "jǫrn" meant "sword, blade" as well as "iron", suggesting the importance of iron in Viking culture. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ferro | ||
| In Brazilian Portuguese, "ferro" can also refer to a clothes iron. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | iarann | ||
| The word "iarann" in Scots Gaelic derives from the Celtic word "īsarno" meaning "strong, firm," and is cognate with the Old Irish word "iarann" meaning "iron". | |||
| Spanish | hierro | ||
| In Spanish, the word "hierro" also refers to the chemical element "Fe" or a branding iron used to mark livestock. | |||
| Swedish | järn | ||
| Järv is a cognate to iron, which shares the Proto-Germanic stem *īsarna-. | |||
| Welsh | haearn | ||
| The word 'haearn' derives from the Proto-Indo-European word for 'to shine'. | |||
Iron in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | жалеза | ||
| The word "жалеза" also refers to a type of axe, similar to a hatchet. | |||
| Bosnian | gvožđe | ||
| The Bosnian word "gvožđe" can also refer to the color black. | |||
| Bulgarian | желязо | ||
| Bulgarian "желязо" ("iron") derives from the Proto-Slavic "*želězo", which also meant "strength". | |||
| Czech | žehlička | ||
| In the Czech language, the word "žehlička" also refers to a type of pastry made from yeast dough and rolled flat into thin sheets. | |||
| Estonian | rauda | ||
| The word "raua" originates from the Proto-Finnic term "*rauta", a derivative of an unknown ancient Indo-European word meaning "metal". | |||
| Finnish | rauta- | ||
| In addition to "iron", "rauta" may refer to iron, nickel, copper, or other metal substances, or even a metal alloy, a metal object, ironwork, a railway, or even a tool or a weapon; it may also mean "difficulty" and sometimes "strength". | |||
| Hungarian | vas | ||
| In Hungarian, "Vas" not only means "iron", but it also refers to a county in Western Hungary. | |||
| Latvian | dzelzs | ||
| "Dzelzs" is derived from the Proto-Baltic word *ǵelʒis, which also meant "bluish-gray". | |||
| Lithuanian | geležis | ||
| "Geležis" is a cognate of the Sanskrit word "jalaja" meaning "born from water". | |||
| Macedonian | железо | ||
| The word "железо" can also mean "steel" or "cast iron" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | żelazo | ||
| "Żelazo" may derive from the Proto-Balto-Slavic root ‘ǵel’, meaning "to glow"} | |||
| Romanian | fier | ||
| The Romanian word "fier" is derived from the Latin word "ferrum," which also means "iron." | |||
| Russian | железо | ||
| In Old Russian, the word "железо" also referred to a type of spear, the name for which comes from its distinctive blue color. | |||
| Serbian | гвожђе | ||
| "Гвожђе" derives from Proto-Slavic "gъvozdo" meaning "nail", "rivet", and "spike", and was likely extended to "iron" by metonymy due to its main product. | |||
| Slovak | železo | ||
| The word "železo" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *železъ, which originally meant "metal" or "ore". | |||
| Slovenian | železo | ||
| "Železo" in Slovenian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*želsъ", meaning "metal" or "ore". | |||
| Ukrainian | залізо | ||
| "Залізо" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *železo, which is related to the Latin word "ferrum" and the Greek word "σίδηρος" (sídēros). The Proto-Slavic word is also the origin of the German word "Eisen". | |||
Iron in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | লোহা | ||
| The word "লোহা" also means "red" in Bengali, possibly due to the reddish color of iron when rusted. | |||
| Gujarati | લોખંડ | ||
| The word "લોખંડ" also refers to a surgical tool used to amputate or cut off a limb. | |||
| Hindi | लोहा | ||
| The word "लोहा" (loha) also refers to the red-colored soil in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಕಬ್ಬಿಣ | ||
| The word "ಕಬ್ಬಿಣ" comes from the Proto-Dravidian root *kampi-, meaning "hard metal." | |||
| Malayalam | ഇരുമ്പ് | ||
| Marathi | लोह | ||
| The word "लोह" can also mean "blood" in Marathi, a usage shared by other Indo-Aryan languages like Sanskrit and Hindi. | |||
| Nepali | फलाम | ||
| The word "फलाम" (iron) in Nepali originates from the Sanskrit word "फला" (fruit), as iron was considered a fruit of the earth. | |||
| Punjabi | ਲੋਹਾ | ||
| The word "ਲੋਹਾ" can also refer to a type of sword or dagger in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | යකඩ | ||
| The word යකඩ (iron) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'ayakada', meaning 'unyielding' or 'firm'. It can also refer to something that is heavy, strong, or unbreakable. | |||
| Tamil | இரும்பு | ||
| "இரும்பு" refers to both iron and a dark brown dye made from iron oxide. | |||
| Telugu | ఇనుము | ||
| The word "ఇనుము" (iron) in Telugu is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word "*iɲu" meaning "to be hard or heavy". | |||
| Urdu | لوہا | ||
| The word 'لوہا' derives from Sanskrit 'lauha', likely linked to the Proto-Indo-European root '*hlewǵʰ-', meaning 'to melt' or 'to glow'. | |||
Iron in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 铁 | ||
| "铁" (iron) also means "certain" or "unwavering" in some contexts. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 鐵 | ||
| The word 鐵 (iron) also refers to a specific type of cast iron cookware, especially woks | |||
| Japanese | 鉄 | ||
| "鉄" (鉄) is not only the Japanese term for iron but also the first syllable of the Sino-Korean word "鉄砲" (鉄砲), which means "gun" or "rifle". In this context, "鉄" is used as a phonetic component rather than a semantic component, indicating the material from which the gun is made. | |||
| Korean | 철 | ||
| 철 (鐵) can also mean 'law' as in the word '법철' or 'justice' as in the word '공평철'. | |||
| Mongolian | төмөр | ||
| Tөмөр is also a surname in Mongolia, likely originating from the Mongolian word for iron and reflecting an ancestor who worked with metal. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သံ | ||
| "သံ" also means "rust" in Myanmar (Burmese). | |||
Iron in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | besi | ||
| In Indonesia, the term 'besing besi', which literally means 'iron of iron', refers to a traditional method used in Java, Bali, and Madura islands for smelting and forging low carbon steel. | |||
| Javanese | wesi | ||
| In Old Javanese, 'wesi' also refers to a type of sword. | |||
| Khmer | ដែក | ||
| Lao | ທາດເຫຼັກ | ||
| Malay | besi | ||
| "Besi" means "steel" in modern Malay, though "besi tempa" specifically means "wrought iron" | |||
| Thai | เหล็ก | ||
| The word "เหล็ก" (iron) in Thai can also refer to the metal alloy "steel" and the musical instrument "gong". | |||
| Vietnamese | bàn là | ||
| Bàn là also means the action of pressing a heavy object on paper or cloth with a hot tool | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bakal | ||
Iron in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | dəmir | ||
| The word "dəmir" in Azerbaijani ultimately derives from the Proto-Turkic word "temir" meaning "iron", and is cognate with the word "demir" in Turkish. | |||
| Kazakh | темір | ||
| The word "темір" is also used to refer to the metal in general, as well as to objects made of metal, such as weapons, tools, and jewelry. | |||
| Kyrgyz | темир | ||
| The word "темир" has Turkic origin and in different Turkic languages it also can mean knife blade and a knife in general. | |||
| Tajik | оҳан | ||
| The word "оҳан" is of Persian origin and is also used in other Iranian languages such as Pashto and Kurdish. | |||
| Turkmen | demir | ||
| Uzbek | temir | ||
| The word "temir" also means "strength" or "hardness" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | تۆمۈر | ||
Iron in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hao | ||
| Although the Hawaiian word 'hao' means 'iron,' it also refers to 'strong' or 'firm' in the figurative sense. | |||
| Maori | rino | ||
| The Maori word "rino" also refers to a type of ironwood tree. | |||
| Samoan | uʻamea | ||
| The Samoan word "uʻamea" comes from the Proto-Austronesian word "*qasen" which also means "iron" in many other Austronesian languages such as Malay, Indonesian, and Ilocano. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | bakal | ||
| The word "bakal" in Tagalog can also refer to the metal "steel". | |||
Iron in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | yiru | ||
| Guarani | kuarepoti | ||
Iron in International Languages
| Esperanto | fero | ||
| The Esperanto word "fero" is derived from the Latin word "ferrum", which means "iron". | |||
| Latin | ferrum | ||
| The word "ferrum" can also refer to a weapon or a tool made of iron. | |||
Iron in Others Languages
| Greek | σίδερο | ||
| The Greek word 'σίδερο' may also refer to 'Sirius', the brightest star in the night sky, or 'iron arrowheads' used by archers. | |||
| Hmong | hlau | ||
| The Hmong word "hlau" may also refer to a specific type of ore or metallic substance. | |||
| Kurdish | hesin | ||
| Hesin is also the name of a Kurdish god of war and iron. | |||
| Turkish | demir | ||
| The Turkish word "demir" comes from the Greek "sideros," the origin of the chemical element symbol "Fe" | |||
| Xhosa | intsimbi | ||
| "Intsimbi" is a homophone in Xhosa, meaning both "iron" and "metal." | |||
| Yiddish | פּרעסן | ||
| פּרעסן is derived from the same root as the Latin word "pressus" (meaning "pressed\"), and shares the meaning of "to press" in Yiddish as well. | |||
| Zulu | insimbi | ||
| The Zulu word "insimbi" can also be interpreted as "a piece of metal" or "a lump of metal". | |||
| Assamese | লো | ||
| Aymara | yiru | ||
| Bhojpuri | लोहा | ||
| Dhivehi | ދަގަނޑު | ||
| Dogri | लोहा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bakal | ||
| Guarani | kuarepoti | ||
| Ilocano | plantsa | ||
| Krio | ayɛn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئاسن | ||
| Maithili | लोहा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯌꯣꯠ | ||
| Mizo | thir | ||
| Oromo | sibiila | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଲୁହା | ||
| Quechua | hierro | ||
| Sanskrit | लौह | ||
| Tatar | тимер | ||
| Tigrinya | ሓፂን | ||
| Tsonga | nsimbhi | ||