Leather in Different Languages
Discover 'Leather' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Leather is a material that has been cherished for its durability, versatility, and natural beauty for thousands of years. Derived from the tanned hides of animals, leather has been used to create everything from clothing and footwear to furniture and accessories. Its significance extends beyond mere functionality, as leather has played a crucial role in various cultural and religious practices around the world.
For instance, in some Native American tribes, leather was used to make ceremonial garments, while in certain African cultures, leather masks are still used in traditional dances and rituals. Moreover, leather has been a symbol of status and wealth, with ancient civilizations like the Egyptians and Romans using it to adorn their elite members.
Given its rich history and global importance, it's no wonder that people might be interested in learning how to say 'leather' in different languages. Here are a few translations to get you started:
- French: cuir
- Spanish: cuero
- German: Leder
- Italian: pelle
- Chinese: 皮革 (pígé)
- Japanese: 革 (kawa)
Leather
Leather in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | leer | ||
| The word "leer" in Afrikaans is derived from Middle Dutch "leder" and can also refer to the process of tanning or the material used in bookbinding. | |||
| Amharic | ቆዳ | ||
| The Amharic word "ቆዳ" also refers to the skin of the human body. | |||
| Hausa | fata | ||
| In addition to "leather," "fata" can also refer to a type of leatherwork or a leather worker. | |||
| Igbo | akpụkpọ anụ | ||
| The Igbo word 'akpụkpọ' shares a common Bantu root with words for skin and bark in many other Bantu languages, highlighting the deep connection between natural materials and cultural concepts in Igbo society. | |||
| Malagasy | hoditra | ||
| The Malagasy word "hoditra" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "kulit", which also means "skin or hide" in many other Austronesian languages, such as Indonesian and Malay. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chikopa | ||
| In the 1951 Nyasaland-Portuguese East Africa dictionary compiled by F. P. Coulsen, a Portuguese-English lexicon and an English-Portuguese lexicon for native use, 'chikopa' also has connotations with the outer bark of a tree, 'chiwawa'. | |||
| Shona | dehwe | ||
| The word "dehwe" can also refer to the hide of an animal. | |||
| Somali | maqaar | ||
| Maqaar is etymologically linked to the root word 'qal', which means 'to be dry' or 'parched', hinting at the leather's ability to repel moisture. | |||
| Sesotho | letlalo | ||
| "Letlalo" is also the name of a plant whose roots are used for tanning. | |||
| Swahili | ngozi | ||
| The word 'ngozi' has multiple meanings including: skin, hide, fur, and pelt. | |||
| Xhosa | isikhumba | ||
| 'I-Sikhumba' in Xhosa originates from '-khumba' (to cover, clothe) and describes a material used to make clothing and other items. | |||
| Yoruba | awọ | ||
| The word 'awọ' in Yoruba can also mean 'colour' or 'dye', highlighting its connection to the process of tanning and dyeing leather. | |||
| Zulu | isikhumba | ||
| 'I-sikhumba esikhumbeni' means 'leather (is) in leather (material)'. Another meaning is 'the body of a person' | |||
| Bambara | wòlo | ||
| Ewe | lãgbalẽ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | uruhu | ||
| Lingala | kwire | ||
| Luganda | eddiba | ||
| Sepedi | mokgopa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | wedeɛ | ||
Leather in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | جلد | ||
| The Arabic word "جلد" (jild) also refers to the cover or binding of a book, particularly in the context of traditional Islamic bookbinding. | |||
| Hebrew | עוֹר | ||
| The Hebrew word "עוֹר" (leather) also means "skin" and is related to the Arabic word "وَرْق" (paper), as both materials are made from animal hides. | |||
| Pashto | چرم | ||
| چرم (čarəm) comes from Middle Persian čarm and originally meant 'hide' or 'skin'. | |||
| Arabic | جلد | ||
| The Arabic word "جلد" (jild) also refers to the cover or binding of a book, particularly in the context of traditional Islamic bookbinding. | |||
Leather in Western European Languages
| Albanian | lëkurë | ||
| The word "lëkurë" in Albanian also means "skin", and is related to the Latin word "corium" and the Greek word "χόριον" (chorion). | |||
| Basque | larrua | ||
| Although today it only means 'leather,' in the past 'larrua' also meant 'flesh' | |||
| Catalan | pell | ||
| The word "pell" in Catalan also means "skin" or "hide". | |||
| Croatian | koža | ||
| In Croatian, the word "koža" also carries the meaning of "skin", a term for the outer covering of an animal. | |||
| Danish | læder | ||
| The word "læder" derives from the Old Norse word "lethr" meaning "skin". It can also refer to other materials, such as artificial leather. | |||
| Dutch | leer | ||
| The Dutch word "leer" can also refer to the skin of a leather-covered animal, such as a cow or pig. | |||
| English | leather | ||
| The word 'leather' derives from the Old English word 'lether,' which meant 'skin' or 'hide.' | |||
| French | cuir | ||
| The word "cuir" originally comes from the Celtic term "coire" meaning "skin" and also shares its etymology with the words "cow" and "cover". | |||
| Frisian | lear | ||
| Frisian 'lear' comes from 'ler' (soft), and is related to English 'leather' and German 'Leder'. | |||
| Galician | coiro | ||
| The word "coiro" is derived from the Latin word "corium", meaning "animal hide", and is related to the Spanish word "cuero" and the Portuguese word "couro". | |||
| German | leder | ||
| Leder can also mean 'shining,' as in the phrase 'Lederschuhe,' which can refer to shiny shoes. | |||
| Icelandic | leður | ||
| The Icelandic word leður is derived from Proto-Germanic "leþram," which in turn comes from a PIE "lethr-", meaning to twist. | |||
| Irish | leathar | ||
| The word "leathar" in Irish can also refer to a belt, leash, or tether. | |||
| Italian | pelle | ||
| "Pelle" also means "skin" in Italian, originating from the Latin word "pellis" meaning "hide of an animal". | |||
| Luxembourgish | lieder | ||
| It can also mean 'leather trousers' or 'someone who makes or deals in leather' (rarely). | |||
| Maltese | ġilda | ||
| The Maltese word "ġilda" is thought to be derived from the Arabic "jildah", which also means "leather" or "hide". | |||
| Norwegian | lær | ||
| The word "lær" also means "knowledge" or "scholarship" in Norwegian. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | couro | ||
| "Couro" originated in the Latin word "corium", which means hide, animal skin or membrane. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | leathar | ||
| Scots Gaelic 'leathar' can mean 'leather' or 'seaweed', potentially deriving from the same root as 'lether' (leather) in Old English. | |||
| Spanish | cuero | ||
| In Spanish, "cuero" also refers to hides of animals, especially cattle. | |||
| Swedish | läder- | ||
| The word "läder" in Swedish is derived from the Old Norse word "leðr" which also means "skin" or "hide". | |||
| Welsh | lledr | ||
| The Welsh word "lledr" is derived from the Proto-Celtic word "leðro", and is related to the Latin word "corium" and the English word "hide". | |||
Leather in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | скура | ||
| The word "скура" can also refer to a person's hide or skin. | |||
| Bosnian | koža | ||
| Bosnian word 'koža' is a cognate of English 'cowhide' and Russian 'koža' and 'kozha'; it can refer to skin of any animal, human skin, or leather made from any animal hide. | |||
| Bulgarian | кожа | ||
| Кожа also means skin, the outer layer of the body of a human or animal. | |||
| Czech | kůže | ||
| The word "kůže" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*koža", which also means "skin" or "hide". | |||
| Estonian | nahk | ||
| In the Võro dialect, "nahk" means "skin", whereas in the standard language it means "leather". | |||
| Finnish | nahka- | ||
| The word "nahka-" can also refer to the skin of an animal, or a type of fabric made from the skin of an animal. | |||
| Hungarian | bőr | ||
| The Hungarian word "bőr" derives from the Proto-Turkic word "börü" meaning "to cut, to separate" and the Proto-Mongolic word "buri" meaning "skin, hide." | |||
| Latvian | ādas | ||
| The word “ādas” (“leather”) in Latvian comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁ed- (“to cover, to wrap”), also related to the Latin word “amictus” (“drape, clothing”). | |||
| Lithuanian | oda | ||
| "Oda" also means "song" in Persian and "room" in Turkish and Azerbaijani. | |||
| Macedonian | кожа | ||
| The Macedonian word "кожа" (leather) is also used to refer to paper used for tobacco rolling. | |||
| Polish | skórzany | ||
| The word "skórzany" in Polish also means "made of leather" or "covered with leather". | |||
| Romanian | piele | ||
| Romanian "piele" comes from Latin "pellis," but also means "skin" in medical terminology. | |||
| Russian | кожа | ||
| The word "кожа" also refers to the skin or hide of an animal, or the outer layer of a fruit or vegetable. | |||
| Serbian | кожа | ||
| "Кожа" is derived from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to hide,' and in Serbia is also used to denote the skin of the body, and a type of folk drum. | |||
| Slovak | koža | ||
| "Koža" also means "skin" in Slovak, highlighting its dual nature as a protective covering. | |||
| Slovenian | usnje | ||
| The word "usnje" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *uzъ, meaning "leather" or "hide". | |||
| Ukrainian | шкіра | ||
| 'Шкіра' can also mean 'skin' or 'hide,' which refers to the external covering of an animal's body. | |||
Leather in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | চামড়া | ||
| The Bengali word "চামড়া" can also refer to the skin of an animal or human being. | |||
| Gujarati | ચામડું | ||
| In Gujarati, the word "ચામડું" (leather) also refers to the skin, hide, or pelt of an animal. | |||
| Hindi | चमड़ा | ||
| The Hindi word "चमड़ा" can also refer to a type of traditional footwear worn in parts of India, known as ""jootis"". | |||
| Kannada | ಚರ್ಮ | ||
| 'ಚರ್ಮ' (charma) can refer to skin or hide of animals and, by extension, to leather. | |||
| Malayalam | തുകൽ | ||
| The word "തുകൽ" (thukaḷ) in Malayalam is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word *tukal, meaning "skin or hide". It is also used figuratively to refer to a person's skin or complexion. | |||
| Marathi | चामडे | ||
| In Marathi, the word "चामडे" can also mean "the skin of an animal". | |||
| Nepali | छाला | ||
| "छाला" also means "skin" in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਚਮੜਾ | ||
| The word 'ਚਮੜਾ' (chamṛa) in Punjabi also refers to a type of thick, durable cloth used for making garments and accessories. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සම් | ||
| The Sinhalese word සම් (leather) is derived from the Sanskrit word चर्म (carma) meaning 'skin'. | |||
| Tamil | தோல் | ||
| In Tamil, "தோல்" (thol) also refers to the outer membrane covering animal flesh or the outer layer of bark on trees. | |||
| Telugu | తోలు | ||
| The word "తోలు" also refers to the outer covering of a seed or nut | |||
| Urdu | چمڑے | ||
| The Urdu word "چمڑے" (leather) also means "skin of a living being". | |||
Leather in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 皮革 | ||
| 皮革在古代汉语中泛指包在外面的东西，后来专指从动物身上加工的皮革。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 皮革 | ||
| The word "皮革" means "skin", "hide" in addition to "leather". | |||
| Japanese | レザー | ||
| The word "レザー" also refers to a safety razor in Japanese, while in English it exclusively refers to leather. | |||
| Korean | 가죽 | ||
| The word "가죽" (literal translation "tree skin") was extended to mean any animal skin that had been cured or tanned. | |||
| Mongolian | савхин | ||
| The word "савхин" in Mongolian also refers to the type of clothing traditionally worn by hunters. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သားရေ | ||
| "သားရေ" (leather) in Myanmar (Burmese) is derived from the Pali word "Sarira" (body) or Sanskrit word "Chara" (skin). It originally referred to the layer under the skin. | |||
Leather in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kulit | ||
| The word "kulit" can also refer to the skin covering the human body, or the bark of a tree. | |||
| Javanese | kulit | ||
| The word 'kulit' also refers to the cover of a book, a tree trunk, or even a person's skin in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | ស្បែក | ||
| The Khmer word ស្បែក (sbeak) ultimately derives from the Sanskrit word पट्टिका (paṭṭikā), meaning "strip of leather or cloth". | |||
| Lao | ຫນັງ | ||
| The word 'ຫນັງ' can also refer to the skin of an animal or a person. | |||
| Malay | kulit | ||
| "Kulit" also means "skin" or "hide" in Malay. | |||
| Thai | หนัง | ||
| In Thai, "หนัง" (pronounced "nang") can also refer to "film" or "cinema". | |||
| Vietnamese | da | ||
| The Vietnamese word "da" can also refer to "skin" or "hide". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | balat | ||
Leather in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | dəri | ||
| The word "dəri" can also refer to the hide of an animal or a piece of clothing made from leather. | |||
| Kazakh | тері | ||
| The Kazakh word | |||
| Kyrgyz | булгаары | ||
| The word | |||
| Tajik | чарм | ||
| The same word is also used in Persian, where it originally meant "to chew or to eat". | |||
| Turkmen | deri | ||
| Uzbek | teri | ||
| 'Teri' also means 'fur' in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | خۇرۇم | ||
Leather in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻili | ||
| ʻIli is also a term used to describe a person who is dark or sunburnt. | |||
| Maori | hiako | ||
| Hiako is also used to refer to dried human skin preserved with fat and red ochre. | |||
| Samoan | paʻu | ||
| The word 'paʻu' in Samoan can also mean a skirt or garment worn by women. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | katad | ||
| "Katad" is cognate with the Malay word "kulit" and the Javanese word "kulit", all meaning "skin" or "leather" | |||
Leather in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | lip'ichi | ||
| Guarani | pire | ||
Leather in International Languages
| Esperanto | ledo | ||
| "Ledo" in Esperanto also refers to the hide or pelt, and the material made from the skin of a horse. | |||
| Latin | corium | ||
| Corium also refers to the leather-like fibrous layer of the skin or the outer layer of tree bark. | |||
Leather in Others Languages
| Greek | δέρμα | ||
| The Greek word 'δέρμα' not only means 'leather' but also 'skin' | |||
| Hmong | tawv | ||
| The word "tawv" can also refer to the hide of a tiger, or a tiger skin rug. | |||
| Kurdish | çerm | ||
| The Kurdish word "çerm" (leather) originally meant "skin" (as in animal's skin) and is cognate with the Persian word "charmak" (leather). | |||
| Turkish | deri | ||
| "Deri" also means "deep" in Turkish and comes from the Persian word "derin". | |||
| Xhosa | isikhumba | ||
| 'I-Sikhumba' in Xhosa originates from '-khumba' (to cover, clothe) and describes a material used to make clothing and other items. | |||
| Yiddish | לעדער | ||
| The word 'לעדער' in Yiddish also refers to the material used to make musical instruments such as the accordion and clarinet. | |||
| Zulu | isikhumba | ||
| 'I-sikhumba esikhumbeni' means 'leather (is) in leather (material)'. Another meaning is 'the body of a person' | |||
| Assamese | চামৰা | ||
| Aymara | lip'ichi | ||
| Bhojpuri | चमड़ा | ||
| Dhivehi | ލެދަރ | ||
| Dogri | चमड़ा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | balat | ||
| Guarani | pire | ||
| Ilocano | lalat | ||
| Krio | lɛda | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پێست | ||
| Maithili | चमड़ा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯎꯟ | ||
| Mizo | savun | ||
| Oromo | gogaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଚମଡା | ||
| Quechua | qara | ||
| Sanskrit | चर्म | ||
| Tatar | күн | ||
| Tigrinya | ክታብ | ||
| Tsonga | dzovo | ||