Kiss in Different Languages
Discover 'Kiss' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
A kiss is more than just a meeting of lips – it’s a universal language that transcends borders and cultures. From a tender peck on the cheek to a passionate embrace, a kiss can convey a multitude of emotions and meanings. It’s no wonder then that the word ‘kiss’ holds such significance and cultural importance around the world.
Throughout history, the kiss has been depicted in art, literature, and music as a symbol of love, devotion, and even betrayal. In many cultures, a kiss is a sacred act that seals deals, binds families, and welcomes new beginnings. And in times of war and strife, a kiss can serve as a powerful reminder of our shared humanity.
For those interested in language and culture, learning the translation of ‘kiss’ in different languages can be a fun and fascinating way to explore the world. For example, in Spanish, the word for kiss is ‘beso’, while in French, it’s ‘baiser’. In German, it’s ‘Kuss’, and in Japanese, it’s ‘kisu’.
So whether you’re traveling to a foreign country or simply expanding your cultural horizons, learning the translation of ‘kiss’ in different languages is a small gesture that can have a big impact.
Kiss
Kiss in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | soen | ||
| The Afrikaan word "soen" is derived from the Dutch word "zoen", which also means "kiss". | |||
| Amharic | መሳም | ||
| "መሳም" can also refer to a type of small, round bread. | |||
| Hausa | sumbace | ||
| The word 'sumbace' also means 'honey' in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | isusu onu | ||
| The Igbo verb 'isusu onu' can also refer to the act of 'tasting food' | |||
| Malagasy | oroka | ||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kupsompsona | ||
| Shona | kutsvoda | ||
| The Shona word 'kutsvoda' also means 'to make peace' and 'to reconcile'. | |||
| Somali | dhunkasho | ||
| Dhunkasho can also refer to a type of traditional Somali dance. | |||
| Sesotho | atla | ||
| The word "atla" can also mean "to smack" or "to strike" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | busu | ||
| The word "busu" in Swahili has an alternate meaning of "a small amount of water that has been left in a cup". | |||
| Xhosa | ukwanga | ||
| Yoruba | fẹnuko | ||
| Zulu | ukuqabula | ||
| The verb ukuqabula, meaning "to kiss" in Zulu, is derived from the root -qabu "to stick". | |||
| Bambara | ka bizu kɛ | ||
| Ewe | ɖuɖɔ nu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gusomana | ||
| Lingala | bizu | ||
| Luganda | okunyweegera | ||
| Sepedi | atla | ||
| Twi (Akan) | anofeɛ | ||
Kiss in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | قبلة | ||
| The word "قبلة" in Arabic can also refer to the direction of prayer towards Mecca, the holiest city in Islam. | |||
| Hebrew | נְשִׁיקָה | ||
| Pashto | ښکلول | ||
| The Pashto word "ښکلول" also means "to be beautiful" and is related to the word "ښکلا" (beauty). | |||
| Arabic | قبلة | ||
| The word "قبلة" in Arabic can also refer to the direction of prayer towards Mecca, the holiest city in Islam. | |||
Kiss in Western European Languages
| Albanian | puthje | ||
| Basque | musu | ||
| Catalan | petó | ||
| Croatian | poljubac | ||
| Poljubac is also a Croatian dance similar to kolo, but the dancers hold hands in a circle while moving | |||
| Danish | kys | ||
| Dutch | kus | ||
| The Dutch word "kus" also means "chat" or "gossip", possibly derived from the sound of a gentle kiss. | |||
| English | kiss | ||
| French | baiser | ||
| Baiser derives from the Old French word "beiser," and can also mean "to hunt" or "to seek" in other contexts. | |||
| Frisian | tút | ||
| Galician | bico | ||
| Galician "bico" also means 'beak', 'peak of a mountain', and 'sprout' | |||
| German | kuss | ||
| The word "Kuss" may also refer to a type of pastry or a musical interlude. | |||
| Icelandic | koss | ||
| In Icelandic, "koss" can also refer to a type of candy or a small coin. | |||
| Irish | póg | ||
| Italian | bacio | ||
| The Italian word "bacio" not only means "kiss," but also an ancient coin or a type of traditional bread. | |||
| Luxembourgish | kuss | ||
| The word "Kuss" can also refer to a small sip of alcoholic beverage. | |||
| Maltese | bewsa | ||
| The word 'bewsa' (kiss) in Maltese derives from the Arabic word 'būs', meaning 'kiss', 'smooch', or 'caress'. | |||
| Norwegian | kysse | ||
| The word "kysse" in Norwegian is derived from the Old Norse word "kyssa," which also meant "to greet" or "to embrace." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | beijo | ||
| Scots Gaelic | pòg | ||
| In Gaelic, the word "pòg" can also refer to the act of sipping or tasting something. | |||
| Spanish | beso | ||
| The word "Beso" in Spanish has Arabic influences and can also mean "favor" or "mercy". | |||
| Swedish | puss | ||
| Welsh | cusan | ||
| "Cusan" also means "to love". | |||
Kiss in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | пацалунак | ||
| The word "пацалунак" (kiss) in Belarusian is derived from the word "цалаваць" (to kiss), which in turn comes from the Proto-Slavic word *cělovati. | |||
| Bosnian | poljubac | ||
| The etymology of the Bosnian word "poljubac" ("kiss") is obscure, with various theories linking it to Proto-Slavic, Proto-Indo-European, and even Arabic roots. | |||
| Bulgarian | целувка | ||
| The word "целувка" in Bulgarian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "cělovati", which also means "to honor" or "to worship". | |||
| Czech | pusa | ||
| The Czech word "pusa" can also refer to a bird's nest or a hollow tree trunk. | |||
| Estonian | suudlus | ||
| The word "suudlus" is derived from the word "suu" (mouth), and can also refer to the act of drinking or sipping. | |||
| Finnish | suudella | ||
| Hungarian | csók | ||
| The Hungarian word "csók" is ultimately derived from the Proto-Slavic word *cělovati, meaning "to kiss" or "to greet with a kiss". | |||
| Latvian | skūpsts | ||
| The Latvian word "skūpsts" can also refer to a type of small fish or a type of cake. | |||
| Lithuanian | bučinys | ||
| The word "bučinys" in Lithuanian is derived from the Proto-Baltic root *būč-, meaning "to strike", and is related to the words "būti" (to be) and "būdas" (nature). | |||
| Macedonian | бакнеж | ||
| Polish | pocałunek | ||
| The word "pocałunek" can also refer to a type of small fish from the Cyprinidae family known as the bleak in English. | |||
| Romanian | pup | ||
| Russian | поцелуй | ||
| "Поцелуй" — это не только обмен слюной, а еще и поцелуй-приветствие, поцелуй-благодарность и поцелуй-прощание. | |||
| Serbian | пољубац | ||
| The word "пољубац" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *polьubь, which means "to love" or "to kiss". | |||
| Slovak | bozk | ||
| Slovenian | poljub | ||
| The word "poljub" in the Slovenian language also means a "butterfly" in some dialects, which is most likely derived from its light and airy movement. | |||
| Ukrainian | поцілунок | ||
| In Ukrainian, "поцілунок" can also refer to a small piece of paper used to transfer fire from one candle to another. | |||
Kiss in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | চুম্বন | ||
| Gujarati | ચુંબન | ||
| Hindi | चुम्मा | ||
| "Chumma" in Hindi is likely derived from the Sanskrit word "chumbati" which also means "kiss." | |||
| Kannada | ಮುತ್ತು | ||
| The word "ಮುತ್ತು" also has the alternate meaning of "pearl" derived from the Sanskrit word "मुक्ता". | |||
| Malayalam | ചുംബനം | ||
| The word 'ചുംബനം' (chumbanam) in Malayalam shares its origin with the Sanskrit 'चुम्बन' (chumbana), meaning 'to kiss,' and also refers to a type of flower traditionally used in garland-making. | |||
| Marathi | चुंबन | ||
| The word "चुंबन" (chumban) in Marathi is derived from Sanskrit and literally means "to sip or drink". | |||
| Nepali | चुम्बन | ||
| Punjabi | ਚੁੰਮਣਾ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හාදුවක් | ||
| Tamil | முத்தம் | ||
| The Tamil word "முத்தம்" can also refer to a small bell or a bead string for a necklace | |||
| Telugu | ముద్దు | ||
| Telugu's 'ముద్దు' has an alternate meaning 'love' and is derived from Proto-Dravidian *muttu 'pearl', 'precious' as in Tamil 'muttu'. | |||
| Urdu | بوسہ | ||
| Urdu word "بوسہ" is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit term "कुसुम्भ" which means "saffron". | |||
Kiss in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 吻 | ||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 吻 | ||
| Japanese | 接吻 | ||
| Korean | 키스 | ||
| The word "키스" is also used as a verb meaning "to click" or "to tap" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | үнсэх | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နမ်း | ||
Kiss in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | ciuman | ||
| The origin of the Indonesian word "ciuman" is still debated; some believe it came from the Malay "kecup"," while others argue it has Javanese roots. | |||
| Javanese | ngambung | ||
| "Ngambung" is also used to describe how animals eat food with their mouths. | |||
| Khmer | ថើប | ||
| Lao | ຈູບ | ||
| Malay | cium | ||
| The word "cium" in Malay may also mean "to smell" or "to sniff", and is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *cium, meaning "to sniff". | |||
| Thai | จูบ | ||
| Vietnamese | hôn | ||
| The word "hôn" can also mean "to breathe"} | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | halikan | ||
Kiss in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | öpmək | ||
| Kazakh | сүйіс | ||
| Etymology: from the verb “сүй” (to love, to admire) | |||
| Kyrgyz | өбүү | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "өбүү" can also refer to the act of smelling something. | |||
| Tajik | бӯсидан | ||
| The word "бӯсидан" also means "to smell" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | öp | ||
| Uzbek | o'pish | ||
| The word "o'pish" in Uzbek also means "to smack" or "to slap". | |||
| Uyghur | سۆيۈش | ||
Kiss in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | honi | ||
| While 'honi' means "kiss," it also shares a more literal meaning of "to touch or join noses" similar to the traditional Hawaiian greeting of honi ihu. | |||
| Maori | kihi | ||
| The word "kihi" can also mean "to smell" or "to sniff" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | sogi | ||
| The Samoan word "sogi" can also refer to a type of traditional Samoan dance. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | halikan | ||
| The Tagalog word "halikan" is derived from the root word "halik" meaning "breath". | |||
Kiss in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jamp'ata | ||
| Guarani | hetũ | ||
Kiss in International Languages
| Esperanto | kiso | ||
| The word "kiso" in Esperanto is derived from the French word "baiser" and has the alternate meaning of "to kiss someone on the cheek as a greeting." | |||
| Latin | basium | ||
Kiss in Others Languages
| Greek | φιλί | ||
| The word "φιλί" can also mean "a friendly embrace" or "a token of affection" in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | hnia | ||
| "Hnia" also means to "bite" in Hmong, and is often said in a joking or teasing manner. | |||
| Kurdish | maç | ||
| Although 'maç' means 'kiss', it can also refer to a 'match' in the context of sports or competitions. | |||
| Turkish | öpücük | ||
| "Öpücük" can also refer to a type of pastry in Turkish, similar to a French macaron. | |||
| Xhosa | ukwanga | ||
| Yiddish | קושן | ||
| The Yiddish word 'קושן' stems from the old German word 'kussen' and means not only 'to kiss' but also 'to speak softly'. | |||
| Zulu | ukuqabula | ||
| The verb ukuqabula, meaning "to kiss" in Zulu, is derived from the root -qabu "to stick". | |||
| Assamese | চুমা | ||
| Aymara | jamp'ata | ||
| Bhojpuri | चुम्मा | ||
| Dhivehi | ބޮސްދިނުން | ||
| Dogri | पप्पी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | halikan | ||
| Guarani | hetũ | ||
| Ilocano | bisong | ||
| Krio | kis | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ماچ | ||
| Maithili | चुम्मा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯨꯞꯄ | ||
| Mizo | fawp | ||
| Oromo | dhungoo | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଚୁମ୍ବନ | ||
| Quechua | muchay | ||
| Sanskrit | चुंबन | ||
| Tatar | үбү | ||
| Tigrinya | ምስዓም | ||
| Tsonga | tsontswa | ||