Lake in Different Languages
Discover 'Lake' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Lakes, these natural bodies of water surrounded by land, hold a significant place in our lives and cultures. They provide us with fresh water, offer recreational opportunities, and serve as a habitat for various species. Historically, lakes have been essential for human survival and development, serving as a source of food and transportation.
Moreover, lakes often hold cultural importance, featuring prominently in myths, legends, and folklore. For instance, in Finnish mythology, a lake called Tuonela is the home of the dead. In many cultures, lakes are considered sacred, serving as sites for rituals and ceremonies.
Understanding the translation of the word 'lake' in different languages can open up a world of cultural exchange and understanding. For instance, in Spanish, a lake is called 'lago'; in French, it's 'lac'; in German, 'See'; in Russian, 'озеро' (ozero); and in Japanese, '湖' (mizuumi).
Explore the world of lakes through language and culture. Discover how this simple word transcends borders and connects us all.
Lake
Lake in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | meer | ||
| The Afrikaans word "meer" derives from Dutch and also means "sea" or "ocean". | |||
| Amharic | ሐይቅ | ||
| The word "ሐይቅ" (lake) is also used to refer to a large body of water, such as a sea or ocean. | |||
| Hausa | tabki | ||
| "Tabki" is also used to refer to a temporary body of water that forms during the rainy season. | |||
| Igbo | ọdọ | ||
| The word "ọdọ" can also mean "river" or "stream" in Igbo, depending on the context. | |||
| Malagasy | farihy | ||
| FARIHY derives from Arabic and also means "ocean". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | nyanja | ||
| The word 'nyanja' also means 'great water body' in Nyanja, a language spoken in several countries in southeastern Africa. | |||
| Shona | lake | ||
| In Shona, the word "dziva" can also refer to a pond, lagoon, or even a swimming pool. | |||
| Somali | haro | ||
| The word "haro" can also refer to a large body of water, such as a sea or ocean. | |||
| Sesotho | letšeng | ||
| In Lesotho, the word 'letšeng' also refers to marshy, often grass-lined areas of land. | |||
| Swahili | ziwa | ||
| The word Ziwa, meaning 'lake' in Swahili, originates from the Bantu word 'zi', which refers to 'a body of water', and the Swahili suffix '-wa', indicating 'a place where something is located'. | |||
| Xhosa | ichibi | ||
| The word "ichibi" is thought to have originated from the Proto-Bantu term "*-hibi" or "*dibi". | |||
| Yoruba | adagun | ||
| The word "adagun" also means "river" in Yoruba, and is related to the word "agbo", meaning "water". | |||
| Zulu | ichibi | ||
| The Zulu word 'ichibi' can also mean 'to be quiet' or 'to be still'. | |||
| Bambara | dala | ||
| Ewe | tɔgbada | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ikiyaga | ||
| Lingala | laki | ||
| Luganda | enyanja | ||
| Sepedi | letsha | ||
| Twi (Akan) | sutadeɛ | ||
Lake in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | بحيرة | ||
| The Arabic word "بحيرة" literally means "sea in a land" and is often used to describe large, inland bodies of water. | |||
| Hebrew | אֲגַם | ||
| The name אֲגַם originally means a | |||
| Pashto | جهيل | ||
| The Pashto word "جهيل" can also refer to a pond, pool, lagoon or marsh | |||
| Arabic | بحيرة | ||
| The Arabic word "بحيرة" literally means "sea in a land" and is often used to describe large, inland bodies of water. | |||
Lake in Western European Languages
| Albanian | liqeni | ||
| The word "liqeni" in Albanian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *leikʷ-, meaning "to flow" or "to pour". It is also cognate with the Latin word "lacus" and the Greek word "λίμνη" (limnē), both of which also mean "lake". | |||
| Basque | lakua | ||
| The word laku is also the name of a fish species in Basque (a small fish common in rivers). | |||
| Catalan | llac | ||
| In some geographical locations, the term "llac" is also synonymous with a smaller water body known as a "pond". | |||
| Croatian | jezero | ||
| The word 'jezero' is an Indo-European root that means 'to flow' or 'to flood'. | |||
| Danish | sø | ||
| "Sø" is the Danish word for "lake" but also denotes a small, round, marshy pond. | |||
| Dutch | meer | ||
| The Dutch word "meer" is derived from the Old Germanic word "mari", meaning "sea", and can also refer to a large body of water that is not a sea. | |||
| English | lake | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning as a large body of water, "lake" can also refer to a pool of molten rock beneath a volcano's surface. | |||
| French | lac | ||
| In toponymy, "Lac" often refers to a small body of water, swamp, or marshland, not necessarily a lake. | |||
| Frisian | mar | ||
| The word "mar" in Frisian is also used in the context of a marshy or low-lying area. | |||
| Galician | lago | ||
| Galician "lago" (lake) derives from the Latin "lacus" (lake, reservoir, pond, or puddle) and is cognate with Spanish "lago" (lake) and Portuguese "lago" (lake, lagoon, or swamp). | |||
| German | see | ||
| The German word "See" is not only a noun for a lake, but also a verb that means "to see" or "to look at". | |||
| Icelandic | vatn | ||
| The word "vatn" is an Old Norse word and has a cognate in the Old English word "wæter", which means "water". | |||
| Irish | loch | ||
| Loch originates from the Proto-Celtic root "*lak-o-", meaning "marshy place" or "lake." | |||
| Italian | lago | ||
| The word "lago" also refers to a lagoon, a stretch of water separated from the sea by a sand dune. | |||
| Luxembourgish | séi | ||
| Séi's etymology is related to 'sea' and its Germanic root 'Saiw', which means 'standing water' or 'pool'. | |||
| Maltese | lag | ||
| In Maltese, "lag" can also mean "pitfall" or "trap" in a figurative sense. | |||
| Norwegian | innsjø | ||
| The word "innsjø" originates from the Old Norse word "insi", meaning "inner sea". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | lago | ||
| The Portuguese word "lago" comes from the Latin word "lacus", which also means "lake". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | loch | ||
| The Gaelic word 'loch' not only means 'lake', but it can also refer to a sea inlet or narrow bay. | |||
| Spanish | lago | ||
| "Lago" comes from the same word stem as the Latin word "locus" and the Irish word "loch." | |||
| Swedish | sjö | ||
| The word "sjö" has the same origin as the Indo-European root for "sea," seen in English "sea" and German "See." | |||
| Welsh | llyn | ||
| The Welsh word "llyn" shares roots with the Latin word "lacus," both meaning "lake or pool of water." | |||
Lake in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | возера | ||
| Belarusian word 'возера' originates from the old Slavic word 'взеро', which means 'a small body of water' | |||
| Bosnian | jezero | ||
| Bosnian 'Jezero' may derive from Slavic word 'jezero', Old Church Slavonic 'jezero' (lake), and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European root '*h₁éǵʰros' (water). | |||
| Bulgarian | езеро | ||
| The word "езеро" (lake) is related to the Proto-Slavic word *jezero, meaning "swamp, water-filled depression" and is often used in Bulgarian for artificial lakes as well. | |||
| Czech | jezero | ||
| In Czech, "jezero" means "lake" in the physical geographical sense, while "rybník" designates a smaller, artificial water body used for fish farming or recreation. | |||
| Estonian | järv | ||
| "Järv" may also refer to a wolverine in Estonian, derived from the Uralic word *jārwi. | |||
| Finnish | järvi | ||
| "Järvi" is also used in place names for bays like Pärnu, Lohja, and Kokemäki. | |||
| Hungarian | tó | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning as 'lake', 'tó' can also refer to specific bodies of water, e.g. 'Fertő tó' (Lake Fertő), or to the accumulation of water in low-lying areas, e.g. 'tócsa' (puddle). | |||
| Latvian | ezers | ||
| The word "ezers" in Latvian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂es- "water". | |||
| Lithuanian | ežeras | ||
| The Lithuanian word "ežeras" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*h₁éǵʰros" meaning "fish". | |||
| Macedonian | езеро | ||
| The word "езеро" in Macedonian also refers to a small natural deposit of water that forms in the ground after heavy rains, usually in clay areas. | |||
| Polish | jezioro | ||
| "Jezioro" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *ozero, which also meant "pool," "pond" or "swamp". | |||
| Romanian | lac | ||
| The Romanian word "lac" also means "paint" or "varnish" and derives from the Sanskrit word "laksha" meaning "lac resin" | |||
| Russian | озеро | ||
| The Russian word "озеро" (lake) is possibly related to the Indo-European root *eǵʰros, meaning "water" or "wet". | |||
| Serbian | језеро | ||
| Although језеро means "lake" in Serbian, it originally referred to a large puddle or swamp, and its root "zer" is probably related to the word "earth". | |||
| Slovak | jazero | ||
| The Slovak word "jazero" can also be found in Polish and means a weir, a dam, or an area where water is stored. | |||
| Slovenian | jezero | ||
| The word 'jezero' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'ozero', which originally meant 'a place where water collects'. | |||
| Ukrainian | озеро | ||
| "Озеро" is of Proto-Slavic origin, and is cognate with the Polish "jezioro" and the Slovenian "jezero", both meaning "lake". | |||
Lake in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | হ্রদ | ||
| "হ্রদ" also means 'heart' or 'joy' | |||
| Gujarati | તળાવ | ||
| Hindi | झील | ||
| The word "झील" ('lake') is derived from Sanskrit 'jhal,' meaning 'depression' or 'hollow,' and has cognates in other Indo-Aryan languages, such as Bengali 'jhul' and Gujarati 'jhil'. | |||
| Kannada | ಸರೋವರ | ||
| The word "ಸರೋವರ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "सरः" meaning "water" or "a pool". | |||
| Malayalam | തടാകം | ||
| The term തടാകം (lake) may also refer to a place of water scarcity during drought or a large well with stone steps | |||
| Marathi | लेक | ||
| The word "लेक" (lake) is also used in Marathi to refer to a child or someone younger, and is often used as a term of endearment | |||
| Nepali | ताल | ||
| "ताल" (lake) likely originates from Sanskrit and shares a connection to terms for plains, surfaces, and the sole of the foot. | |||
| Punjabi | ਝੀਲ | ||
| The word 'ਝੀਲ' can also refer to an enclosure or a place where water collects. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | විල | ||
| The word 'විල' ('lake') in Sinhala can also mean a 'puddle', 'pool', or 'pond', indicating a range of water bodies of varying sizes. | |||
| Tamil | ஏரி | ||
| In Tamil, the word 'ஏரி' can also refer to an area of low-lying land containing water or a large pond, often associated with ancient temples. | |||
| Telugu | సరస్సు | ||
| The Sanskrit word "sara" means "flowing"; as a Telugu word, "సరస్సు" can also mean a reservoir, which flows in and out | |||
| Urdu | جھیل | ||
| "جھیل" is the Urdu word for lake, derived from the Sanskrit words "jhal" and "jhillika." | |||
Lake in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 湖 | ||
| The character "湖" can also refer to the "Hugu" region in China, or to the "Hugu" ethnic group of China. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 湖 | ||
| 湖's etymology is related to the shape of the lake, which is like a mouth with water flowing in. | |||
| Japanese | 湖 | ||
| The character for 'lake' in Japanese (湖) is also used in the word 'country' (国), suggesting a historical connection to the idea of a lake as a source of life and settlement. | |||
| Korean | 호수 | ||
| The word "호수" originates from the Sino-Korean word "湖水", which also means "lake water". In modern Korean, it can also refer to a "reservoir" or "pond". | |||
| Mongolian | нуур | ||
| "нуур" (lake) may also refer to a "wide expanse of water, such as a sea or ocean" | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရေကန် | ||
Lake in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | danau | ||
| "Danau" is borrowed from Sanskrit "danava", meaning "water". In Javanese, it also means "swamp" or "pond". | |||
| Javanese | tlaga | ||
| Tlaga (lake) may also refer to the central area of a rice paddy or a collection of water that fills a depression in the ground. | |||
| Khmer | បឹង | ||
| "បឹង" also refers to a type of water container, similar to a vat or a tub. | |||
| Lao | ທະເລສາບ | ||
| Malay | tasik | ||
| "Tasik" also means "ocean" or "sea" in several Indonesian languages | |||
| Thai | ทะเลสาบ | ||
| The word "ทะเลสาบ" can also refer to a lagoon or a reservoir, and it is derived from the Sanskrit word "talasara", meaning "water body". | |||
| Vietnamese | hồ nước | ||
| The Vietnamese word "hồ nước" can also refer to a pond or reservoir. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lawa | ||
Lake in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | göl | ||
| Göl also means ''the shadow of trees falling on the water'' | |||
| Kazakh | көл | ||
| The word "көл" in Kazakh can also refer to a "puddle" or an "inlet on a river used to water cattle." | |||
| Kyrgyz | көл | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "көл" (lake) is also used to refer to large bodies of water, such as the Caspian Sea, even though "көл" etymologically means "small body of water" in Turkic. | |||
| Tajik | кӯл | ||
| The word "кӯл" is also used to refer to a swamp or marsh. | |||
| Turkmen | köl | ||
| Uzbek | ko'l | ||
| "Ko'l" in Uzbek may also refer to a pond or reservoir, and is cognate with the word "kol" in other Turkic languages, such as Turkish, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz. | |||
| Uyghur | كۆل | ||
Lake in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | loko | ||
| In Hawaiian, the word "loko" can also refer to a fishpond, a place for cultivation in a wetland area, or a container. | |||
| Maori | roto | ||
| The word "roto" can also refer to a swamp, lagoon, or any body of water. | |||
| Samoan | vaituloto | ||
| In Samoan, the word “vaituloto” shares its root with the word “loto”, which means “innermost”, indicating the lake’s sacred status as the heart of the village. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | lawa | ||
| The Tagalog word 'lawa' may also refer to 'a large body of standing water, other than a river or sea'. | |||
Lake in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | quta | ||
| Guarani | ypa | ||
Lake in International Languages
| Esperanto | lago | ||
| The Esperanto word "lago" comes from Italian, where it derives from the Latin word "lacus". In many languages, it also refers to a lagoon, as well as other bodies of water, such as gulfs, bays and straits. | |||
| Latin | lacus | ||
| In Latin, 'lacus' not only refers to 'lake' but also indicates a cistern or pool of water, providing a reservoir for household use or religious rituals. | |||
Lake in Others Languages
| Greek | λίμνη | ||
| Ancient Greek 'limnē' (stagnant body of water), Latin 'limus' (mud), Lithuanian 'liūnas' (pool, swamp). | |||
| Hmong | pas dej | ||
| Pas dej is a Hmong word that originally meant 'a space filled with water' and could refer to a lake, pond, or stream. | |||
| Kurdish | gol | ||
| The word 'gol' in Kurdish also means 'flower' and is used in place names and poetry. | |||
| Turkish | göl | ||
| The Turkish word "göl" not only means "lake", but also originates from the ancient Turkic word "köl" meaning "depression" and "hollow." | |||
| Xhosa | ichibi | ||
| The word "ichibi" is thought to have originated from the Proto-Bantu term "*-hibi" or "*dibi". | |||
| Yiddish | טייך | ||
| In Yiddish, the word "טייך" can also refer to a pond, a river, or a puddle. | |||
| Zulu | ichibi | ||
| The Zulu word 'ichibi' can also mean 'to be quiet' or 'to be still'. | |||
| Assamese | হ্ৰদ | ||
| Aymara | quta | ||
| Bhojpuri | झील | ||
| Dhivehi | ފެންގަނޑު | ||
| Dogri | झील | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lawa | ||
| Guarani | ypa | ||
| Ilocano | dan-aw | ||
| Krio | watasay | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دەریاچە | ||
| Maithili | झील | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯥꯠ | ||
| Mizo | dil | ||
| Oromo | haroo | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ହ୍ରଦ | ||
| Quechua | qucha | ||
| Sanskrit | सरोवरः | ||
| Tatar | күл | ||
| Tigrinya | ቃላይ | ||
| Tsonga | tiva | ||