Light in Different Languages
Discover 'Light' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Light
Afrikaans lig | ||
Albanian drita | ||
Amharic ብርሃን | ||
Arabic ضوء | ||
Armenian լույս | ||
Assamese পাতল | ||
Aymara qhana | ||
Azerbaijani işıq | ||
Bambara yeelen | ||
Basque argia | ||
Belarusian святло | ||
Bengali আলো | ||
Bhojpuri उजियार | ||
Bosnian svjetlost | ||
Bulgarian светлина | ||
Catalan lleuger | ||
Cebuano kahayag | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 光 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 光 | ||
Corsican luce | ||
Croatian svjetlo | ||
Czech světlo | ||
Danish lys | ||
Dhivehi އަލި | ||
Dogri लो | ||
Dutch licht | ||
English light | ||
Esperanto malpeza | ||
Estonian valgus | ||
Ewe kekeli | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) liwanag | ||
Finnish kevyt | ||
French lumière | ||
Frisian ljocht | ||
Galician lixeiro | ||
Georgian მსუბუქი | ||
German licht | ||
Greek φως | ||
Guarani tesakã | ||
Gujarati પ્રકાશ | ||
Haitian Creole limyè | ||
Hausa haske | ||
Hawaiian kukui | ||
Hebrew אוֹר | ||
Hindi रोशनी | ||
Hmong lub teeb | ||
Hungarian könnyű | ||
Icelandic létt | ||
Igbo ọkụ | ||
Ilocano silaw | ||
Indonesian cahaya | ||
Irish éadrom | ||
Italian luce | ||
Japanese 光 | ||
Javanese cahya | ||
Kannada ಬೆಳಕು | ||
Kazakh жарық | ||
Khmer ពន្លឺ | ||
Kinyarwanda urumuri | ||
Konkani उजवाड | ||
Korean 빛 | ||
Krio layt | ||
Kurdish sivik | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) ڕووناکی | ||
Kyrgyz жарык | ||
Lao ແສງສະຫວ່າງ | ||
Latin lux | ||
Latvian gaisma | ||
Lingala pole | ||
Lithuanian lengvas | ||
Luganda -koleeza | ||
Luxembourgish liicht | ||
Macedonian светло | ||
Maithili हल्लुक | ||
Malagasy fahazavana | ||
Malay cahaya | ||
Malayalam പ്രകാശം | ||
Maltese dawl | ||
Maori marama | ||
Marathi प्रकाश | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯃꯉꯥꯜ | ||
Mizo eng | ||
Mongolian гэрэл | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) အလင်း | ||
Nepali प्रकाश | ||
Norwegian lys | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) kuwala | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଆଲୋକ | ||
Oromo ifa | ||
Pashto ر .ا | ||
Persian سبک | ||
Polish lekki | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) leve | ||
Punjabi ਰੋਸ਼ਨੀ | ||
Quechua kanchi | ||
Romanian ușoară | ||
Russian свет | ||
Samoan malamalama | ||
Sanskrit प्रकाशः | ||
Scots Gaelic aotrom | ||
Sepedi seetša | ||
Serbian светло | ||
Sesotho lebone | ||
Shona chiedza | ||
Sindhi روشني | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) ආලෝකය | ||
Slovak svetlo | ||
Slovenian svetloba | ||
Somali iftiin | ||
Spanish ligero | ||
Sundanese cahaya | ||
Swahili mwanga | ||
Swedish ljus | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) ilaw | ||
Tajik нур | ||
Tamil ஒளி | ||
Tatar яктылык | ||
Telugu కాంతి | ||
Thai เบา | ||
Tigrinya ብርሃን | ||
Tsonga rivoni | ||
Turkish ışık | ||
Turkmen ýagtylyk | ||
Twi (Akan) kanea | ||
Ukrainian світло | ||
Urdu روشنی | ||
Uyghur نۇر | ||
Uzbek yorug'lik | ||
Vietnamese ánh sáng | ||
Welsh ysgafn | ||
Xhosa ukukhanya | ||
Yiddish ליכט | ||
Yoruba imole | ||
Zulu ukukhanya |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | "Lig" is derived from Old English "leoht", meaning "bright" or "shining", unrelated to its homophone "lig" which means "to lie or deceive" |
| Albanian | The word 'dritë' is cognate with Latin 'lustro', meaning 'to shine', and also 'lustrum', meaning 'cleansing' or 'expiation'. |
| Amharic | The word "ብርሃን" can also mean "understanding" or "revelation" in Amharic. |
| Arabic | In Classical Arabic, ضوء referred to shade or darkness, but later took on the meaning of light. |
| Armenian | "Լույս" (pronounced "looys") derives from the Indo-European root "leuk," shared with many other languages like Latin "lux" and English "luminous," all meaning "light" or "shining." |
| Azerbaijani | "Işıq" also means "happiness" or "joy" in Azerbaijani. |
| Basque | From Proto-Celtic **arg- (“silver, white”)**, cognate to Sanskrit arjuna (“white, silvery”) and Irish airgid (“silver”). |
| Belarusian | The word "святло" is often used in a religious context to refer to something "holy" or "sacred". |
| Bengali | The word "আলো" can also mean knowledge or understanding in Bengali. |
| Bosnian | The word 'svjetlost' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'světъ', meaning 'world' or 'universe'. |
| Bulgarian | "Светлина" is an Old Church Slavonic word for "world" and can also mean "enlightenment" or "knowledge" in Bulgarian. |
| Catalan | The word lleuger, meaning light, comes from the word levis, meaning soft in Latin. |
| Cebuano | The Tagalog word ‘liwanag’ was probably borrowed from kahayag by metathesis during the Spanish period. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | "光" also can means beautiful or glorious in ancient Chinese. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 光 is also a homophone of 洸, which means "brilliance" or "abundant." |
| Corsican | Corsican "luce" originates from Latin "lucem" (light), also sharing the alternative meaning of "dawn" or "daybreak". |
| Croatian | "Svjetlo" is also used to refer to a window in some contexts. |
| Czech | The word "světlo" also shares the same root as "svatý" ("holy"), implying a connection between light and divine purity. |
| Danish | "Lys" in Danish means not only "light," but also "joy," "happiness," or "pleasure." |
| Dutch | The Dutch word "licht" can also refer to "joy" or "happiness." |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "malpeza" derives from the Slavic word "mьrzъ" (darkness), having the opposite meaning. |
| Estonian | Valgus also means "pain" in Estonian, derived from Proto-Finnic "*walkja" (sorrow, anguish). |
| Finnish | The word "kevyt" also means "weak" in Finnish, indicating a shared understanding of lightness and weakness. |
| French | In French, "lumière" (light) shares a root with "illuminate," highlighting its ability to dispel darkness. |
| Frisian | The Old Frisian word for light was "leckt", closely related to the English word "light". This is in contrast to Modern Frisian "ljocht", which is related to the Dutch word "licht", as well as words in other Germanic languages like Swedish "ljus" and Norwegian "lys". |
| Galician | The Galician word "lixeiro" also means "garbage collector". |
| German | In archaic German, 'Licht' also meant 'form', 'appearance', and figuratively 'joy'. |
| Greek | Ancient Greeks also used φῶς to refer to the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, akin to the concept of light in English. |
| Gujarati | The Gujarati word "પ્રકાશ" (prakāś) can also refer to "luster", "glory", or "knowledge". |
| Haitian Creole | The term limyè (pronounced [ˈli.mjɛ]) is an altered pronunciation and spelling of 'lumière', French word for 'light'. |
| Hausa | Hausa “haske” also means “hope” and may relate to the word “haskiya” for “truth” and “clarity.” |
| Hawaiian | "Kukui" derives from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian root *kuhu "torch". |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word "אור" (light) also means "skin" or "membrane", suggesting a connection between light and the surface of things. |
| Hindi | In Hindi, 'रोशनी' can also refer to a celebration or festival of lights, such as Diwali. |
| Hmong | The word "lub teeb" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "*kabas", meaning "sun" or "bright sky". |
| Hungarian | The word "könnyű" meaning "light" is derived from the Latin "levior" (lighter). |
| Icelandic | Léttr is also used to describe the 'end of the line' in many games, as well as the 'goal' in a race or other competition. |
| Igbo | The Igbo word 'ọkụ' can also refer to a type of animal horn used for making musical instruments. |
| Indonesian | "Cahaya" can refer to either visible or mental illumination in Indonesian, and is derived from the Malay word " |
| Irish | The Irish word "éadrom" originally meant "a flight," and shares its Indo-European root with the Latin "levis," meaning "light." |
| Italian | The word “luce” also means “pike” (the fish) in Italian |
| Japanese | "光" (light) can also be used as a verb meaning "to shine" or "to illuminate." |
| Javanese | "Cahya" is also used to refer to the brightness of someone's face, especially when they are happy or excited. |
| Kannada | ಬೆಳಕು also means 'knowledge' or 'wisdom' in Kannada. |
| Kazakh | "Жарық" also means "brightness", "dawn" and "fame" in Kazakh. |
| Khmer | The Khmer word "ពន្លឺ" (light) also means "lightning" and "electricity." |
| Korean | The word "빛" (light) in Korean can also refer to the enlightenment one gains from Buddhist teachings or the light of life |
| Kurdish | The Kurdish word "sivik" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European word "*swēk-o- ("bright, light, burn"), which is also cognate with English "sickle". |
| Kyrgyz | The word "жарык" (light) in Kyrgyz derives from the Proto-Turkic word "*yarïq" (brightness, sun). |
| Latin | "Lux" also means "wealth" from the root noun "lucrum," meaning "profit." |
| Latvian | The word "gaisma" in Latvian shares the same root as "shine" in English and "Schein" in German. |
| Lithuanian | The original meaning of "lengvas" was "easy to lift" and is still used figuratively with this meaning. |
| Luxembourgish | The word "Liicht" in Luxembourgish can also refer to a "hole" or "window" in a wall. |
| Macedonian | "Светло" can also mean "blond" or "bright" in Macedonian. |
| Malagasy | Fahazavana in Malagasy comes from the root "hazavana" which means "shining." |
| Malay | The word "cahaya" derives from the Sanskrit word "chaya", meaning "shadow" or "reflection", with the Malay borrowing emphasizing the concept of illumination. |
| Malayalam | The word "പ്രകാശം" in Malayalam can be etymologically traced back to the Sanskrit word "प्रकाश" and carries the connotation of "illumination", "radiance", and "clarity". |
| Maltese | Daħal is also the Maltese version of the English word down, meaning either "lower" or "below" |
| Maori | The word 'marama' in Maori also refers to the moon, as it is a source of light in the night.} |
| Marathi | The word "प्रकाश" comes from the Sanskrit word "prakash", meaning "to shine" or "to illuminate". |
| Mongolian | "Гэрэл" (light) also means "electricity" in Mongolian. |
| Nepali | प्रकाश, derived from Sanskrit, also refers to illumination, knowledge, and the Supreme Being in Hinduism. |
| Norwegian | Norwegian "lys" also means "pleasure" or "delight". |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | In Nyanja, the word "kuwala" also means "to bring dawn" or "to make something bright". |
| Pashto | The word "ر . ا" in Pashto also means "dawn" or "radiance". |
| Persian | The Persian word "سبک" (light) can also refer to "easy", "fast", or "shallow". |
| Polish | The term "lekki" derives from the Old Polish "lěkъ", meaning "easy". |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The word "leve" can also mean "soft" or "mild" in Portuguese. |
| Punjabi | The word "ਰੋਸ਼ਨੀ" (roshni) in Punjabi derives from the Sanskrit "roshna" meaning "bright" or "shining", and is also cognate with the Persian word "roshni" meaning "lamp" or "light". |
| Romanian | The Romanian word "ușoară" is derived from the Latin "levis," meaning "light" or "easy." |
| Russian | The word "свет" (light) in Russian also means "world", a usage common in the archaic and poetic language. |
| Samoan | In addition to meaning 'light,' 'malamalama' can also symbolize 'knowledge,' 'understanding,' or 'enlightenment' in Samoan culture. |
| Scots Gaelic | The Scots Gaelic word "aotrom" is cognate with "athar" meaning 'father' and may indicate a pre-Christian origin of this concept. |
| Serbian | The Serbian word "светло" can also mean "bright", "clear", or "radiant". |
| Sesotho | The Sesotho word "lebone" also refers to the "sun" or "daytime". |
| Shona | The noun 'chiedza' can also refer to understanding or knowledge. |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "روشني" comes from the Arabic word "روشن", meaning "to shine" or "to illuminate." |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word "ආලෝකය" can also mean "enlightenment" or "spiritual awakening" in Sinhala. |
| Slovak | "Svetlo" is also sometimes used to refer to the world or an enlightened part of it. |
| Slovenian | "Svetloba" is derived from the Slavic word "světъ", meaning "world" or "light". |
| Somali | The word 'iftiin' is also used to describe knowledge or enlightenment, reflecting the importance of light as a source of understanding. |
| Spanish | Ligero comes from the Latin levis, meaning “light” but also “frivolous” or “impermanent”. |
| Sundanese | The archaic use of "cahaya" refers to what is known today as "sinar" (rays), while its modern meaning includes all forms of light and brightness. |
| Swahili | The verb mwanga, ‘to shine’, and the cognate noun mwanga, ‘light’, in many Bantu languages are usually seen as having been coined from the notion of ‘burning’. |
| Swedish | "Ljus" can also refer to an open area in a forest due to fallen trees. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | "Ilaw" in Tagalog can also mean "to enlighten" or "to illuminate" someone. |
| Tajik | The word "нур" likely has Persian origins, where it also means "light". In Tajik, it has the alternate meaning of "face". |
| Tamil | The word "ஒளி" (oḷi) also means "bright" or "brilliant". |
| Telugu | The word "కాంతి" (light) in Telugu also means brightness, radiance, and splendor. |
| Thai | In Northern Thai dialects the word |
| Turkish | In addition to its primary meaning of "light," "ışık" also refers to a type of silk fabric or to a mark placed above a letter to indicate stress. |
| Ukrainian | Ukrainian "світло" derives from Proto-Slavic "světlъ" meaning "bright, white" or "world, cosmos, life". |
| Urdu | The word "روشنی" can also mean "knowledge" or "inspiration" in a figurative sense. |
| Uzbek | The word "yorug'lik" originally meant "to shine" and is related to the word "yorqin" (bright). |
| Vietnamese | "Ánh sáng" can literally mean "phantom rays" or "phantom glow" |
| Welsh | In some contexts, the word 'ysgafn' also means 'shallow', 'easy' or 'slight'. |
| Xhosa | The Xhosa word “ukukhanya” also means “to dawn”. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "ליכט" can also refer to a candle or a wick, echoing its historical use as a source of illumination. |
| Yoruba | The word "imole" can also refer to "revelation" or "shining light" in Yoruba. |
| Zulu | "Ukukhanya" in Zulu also means "to shine" or "to give light". |
| English | The word "light" derives from the Old English word "leoht" which means "bright". |