Light in Different Languages
Discover 'Light' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Light is a fundamental aspect of our lives, providing visibility and warmth. It holds great cultural importance across the globe, often symbolizing knowledge, guidance, and hope. From the soft glow of a candle to the brilliant hues of a sunset, light has inspired countless artists, poets, and philosophers throughout history.
Moreover, understanding the translation of light in different languages can offer fascinating insights into how various cultures perceive and interact with this essential element. For instance, in Spanish, light is 'luz,' while in German, it's 'Licht.' In Japanese, the term 'hikari' represents both natural and artificial light, reflecting the culture's deep appreciation for both.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or simply curious, delving into the translations of light in different languages can be a captivating journey. Here's a glimpse into how various languages around the world express this universal concept:
Light
Light in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | lig | ||
| "Lig" is derived from Old English "leoht", meaning "bright" or "shining", unrelated to its homophone "lig" which means "to lie or deceive" | |||
| Amharic | ብርሃን | ||
| The word "ብርሃን" can also mean "understanding" or "revelation" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | haske | ||
| Hausa “haske” also means “hope” and may relate to the word “haskiya” for “truth” and “clarity.” | |||
| Igbo | ọkụ | ||
| The Igbo word 'ọkụ' can also refer to a type of animal horn used for making musical instruments. | |||
| Malagasy | fahazavana | ||
| Fahazavana in Malagasy comes from the root "hazavana" which means "shining." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuwala | ||
| In Nyanja, the word "kuwala" also means "to bring dawn" or "to make something bright". | |||
| Shona | chiedza | ||
| The noun 'chiedza' can also refer to understanding or knowledge. | |||
| Somali | iftiin | ||
| The word 'iftiin' is also used to describe knowledge or enlightenment, reflecting the importance of light as a source of understanding. | |||
| Sesotho | lebone | ||
| The Sesotho word "lebone" also refers to the "sun" or "daytime". | |||
| Swahili | mwanga | ||
| 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’. | |||
| Xhosa | ukukhanya | ||
| The Xhosa word “ukukhanya” also means “to dawn”. | |||
| Yoruba | imole | ||
| The word "imole" can also refer to "revelation" or "shining light" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | ukukhanya | ||
| "Ukukhanya" in Zulu also means "to shine" or "to give light". | |||
| Bambara | yeelen | ||
| Ewe | kekeli | ||
| Kinyarwanda | urumuri | ||
| Lingala | pole | ||
| Luganda | -koleeza | ||
| Sepedi | seetša | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kanea | ||
Light in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ضوء | ||
| In Classical Arabic, ضوء referred to shade or darkness, but later took on the meaning of light. | |||
| Hebrew | אוֹר | ||
| The Hebrew word "אור" (light) also means "skin" or "membrane", suggesting a connection between light and the surface of things. | |||
| Pashto | ر .ا | ||
| The word "ر . ا" in Pashto also means "dawn" or "radiance". | |||
| Arabic | ضوء | ||
| In Classical Arabic, ضوء referred to shade or darkness, but later took on the meaning of light. | |||
Light in Western European Languages
| Albanian | drita | ||
| The word 'dritë' is cognate with Latin 'lustro', meaning 'to shine', and also 'lustrum', meaning 'cleansing' or 'expiation'. | |||
| Basque | argia | ||
| From Proto-Celtic **arg- (“silver, white”)**, cognate to Sanskrit arjuna (“white, silvery”) and Irish airgid (“silver”). | |||
| Catalan | lleuger | ||
| The word lleuger, meaning light, comes from the word levis, meaning soft in Latin. | |||
| Croatian | svjetlo | ||
| "Svjetlo" is also used to refer to a window in some contexts. | |||
| Danish | lys | ||
| "Lys" in Danish means not only "light," but also "joy," "happiness," or "pleasure." | |||
| Dutch | licht | ||
| The Dutch word "licht" can also refer to "joy" or "happiness." | |||
| English | light | ||
| The word "light" derives from the Old English word "leoht" which means "bright". | |||
| French | lumière | ||
| In French, "lumière" (light) shares a root with "illuminate," highlighting its ability to dispel darkness. | |||
| Frisian | ljocht | ||
| 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 | lixeiro | ||
| The Galician word "lixeiro" also means "garbage collector". | |||
| German | licht | ||
| In archaic German, 'Licht' also meant 'form', 'appearance', and figuratively 'joy'. | |||
| Icelandic | létt | ||
| 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. | |||
| Irish | éadrom | ||
| The Irish word "éadrom" originally meant "a flight," and shares its Indo-European root with the Latin "levis," meaning "light." | |||
| Italian | luce | ||
| The word “luce” also means “pike” (the fish) in Italian | |||
| Luxembourgish | liicht | ||
| The word "Liicht" in Luxembourgish can also refer to a "hole" or "window" in a wall. | |||
| Maltese | dawl | ||
| Daħal is also the Maltese version of the English word down, meaning either "lower" or "below" | |||
| Norwegian | lys | ||
| Norwegian "lys" also means "pleasure" or "delight". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | leve | ||
| The word "leve" can also mean "soft" or "mild" in Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | aotrom | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "aotrom" is cognate with "athar" meaning 'father' and may indicate a pre-Christian origin of this concept. | |||
| Spanish | ligero | ||
| Ligero comes from the Latin levis, meaning “light” but also “frivolous” or “impermanent”. | |||
| Swedish | ljus | ||
| "Ljus" can also refer to an open area in a forest due to fallen trees. | |||
| Welsh | ysgafn | ||
| In some contexts, the word 'ysgafn' also means 'shallow', 'easy' or 'slight'. | |||
Light in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | святло | ||
| The word "святло" is often used in a religious context to refer to something "holy" or "sacred". | |||
| Bosnian | svjetlost | ||
| The word 'svjetlost' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'světъ', meaning 'world' or 'universe'. | |||
| Bulgarian | светлина | ||
| "Светлина" is an Old Church Slavonic word for "world" and can also mean "enlightenment" or "knowledge" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | světlo | ||
| The word "světlo" also shares the same root as "svatý" ("holy"), implying a connection between light and divine purity. | |||
| Estonian | valgus | ||
| Valgus also means "pain" in Estonian, derived from Proto-Finnic "*walkja" (sorrow, anguish). | |||
| Finnish | kevyt | ||
| The word "kevyt" also means "weak" in Finnish, indicating a shared understanding of lightness and weakness. | |||
| Hungarian | könnyű | ||
| The word "könnyű" meaning "light" is derived from the Latin "levior" (lighter). | |||
| Latvian | gaisma | ||
| The word "gaisma" in Latvian shares the same root as "shine" in English and "Schein" in German. | |||
| Lithuanian | lengvas | ||
| The original meaning of "lengvas" was "easy to lift" and is still used figuratively with this meaning. | |||
| Macedonian | светло | ||
| "Светло" can also mean "blond" or "bright" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | lekki | ||
| The term "lekki" derives from the Old Polish "lěkъ", meaning "easy". | |||
| Romanian | ușoară | ||
| The Romanian word "ușoară" is derived from the Latin "levis," meaning "light" or "easy." | |||
| Russian | свет | ||
| The word "свет" (light) in Russian also means "world", a usage common in the archaic and poetic language. | |||
| Serbian | светло | ||
| The Serbian word "светло" can also mean "bright", "clear", or "radiant". | |||
| Slovak | svetlo | ||
| "Svetlo" is also sometimes used to refer to the world or an enlightened part of it. | |||
| Slovenian | svetloba | ||
| "Svetloba" is derived from the Slavic word "světъ", meaning "world" or "light". | |||
| Ukrainian | світло | ||
| Ukrainian "світло" derives from Proto-Slavic "světlъ" meaning "bright, white" or "world, cosmos, life". | |||
Light in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | আলো | ||
| The word "আলো" can also mean knowledge or understanding in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | પ્રકાશ | ||
| The Gujarati word "પ્રકાશ" (prakāś) can also refer to "luster", "glory", or "knowledge". | |||
| Hindi | रोशनी | ||
| In Hindi, 'रोशनी' can also refer to a celebration or festival of lights, such as Diwali. | |||
| Kannada | ಬೆಳಕು | ||
| ಬೆಳಕು also means 'knowledge' or 'wisdom' in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | പ്രകാശം | ||
| The word "പ്രകാശം" in Malayalam can be etymologically traced back to the Sanskrit word "प्रकाश" and carries the connotation of "illumination", "radiance", and "clarity". | |||
| Marathi | प्रकाश | ||
| The word "प्रकाश" comes from the Sanskrit word "prakash", meaning "to shine" or "to illuminate". | |||
| Nepali | प्रकाश | ||
| प्रकाश, derived from Sanskrit, also refers to illumination, knowledge, and the Supreme Being in Hinduism. | |||
| Punjabi | ਰੋਸ਼ਨੀ | ||
| 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". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ආලෝකය | ||
| The word "ආලෝකය" can also mean "enlightenment" or "spiritual awakening" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | ஒளி | ||
| The word "ஒளி" (oḷi) also means "bright" or "brilliant". | |||
| Telugu | కాంతి | ||
| The word "కాంతి" (light) in Telugu also means brightness, radiance, and splendor. | |||
| Urdu | روشنی | ||
| The word "روشنی" can also mean "knowledge" or "inspiration" in a figurative sense. | |||
Light in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 光 | ||
| "光" also can means beautiful or glorious in ancient Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 光 | ||
| 光 is also a homophone of 洸, which means "brilliance" or "abundant." | |||
| Japanese | 光 | ||
| "光" (light) can also be used as a verb meaning "to shine" or "to illuminate." | |||
| Korean | 빛 | ||
| The word "빛" (light) in Korean can also refer to the enlightenment one gains from Buddhist teachings or the light of life | |||
| Mongolian | гэрэл | ||
| "Гэрэл" (light) also means "electricity" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အလင်း | ||
Light in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | cahaya | ||
| "Cahaya" can refer to either visible or mental illumination in Indonesian, and is derived from the Malay word " | |||
| Javanese | cahya | ||
| "Cahya" is also used to refer to the brightness of someone's face, especially when they are happy or excited. | |||
| Khmer | ពន្លឺ | ||
| The Khmer word "ពន្លឺ" (light) also means "lightning" and "electricity." | |||
| Lao | ແສງສະຫວ່າງ | ||
| Malay | cahaya | ||
| The word "cahaya" derives from the Sanskrit word "chaya", meaning "shadow" or "reflection", with the Malay borrowing emphasizing the concept of illumination. | |||
| Thai | เบา | ||
| In Northern Thai dialects the word | |||
| Vietnamese | ánh sáng | ||
| "Ánh sáng" can literally mean "phantom rays" or "phantom glow" | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | liwanag | ||
Light in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | işıq | ||
| "Işıq" also means "happiness" or "joy" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | жарық | ||
| "Жарық" also means "brightness", "dawn" and "fame" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | жарык | ||
| The word "жарык" (light) in Kyrgyz derives from the Proto-Turkic word "*yarïq" (brightness, sun). | |||
| Tajik | нур | ||
| The word "нур" likely has Persian origins, where it also means "light". In Tajik, it has the alternate meaning of "face". | |||
| Turkmen | ýagtylyk | ||
| Uzbek | yorug'lik | ||
| The word "yorug'lik" originally meant "to shine" and is related to the word "yorqin" (bright). | |||
| Uyghur | نۇر | ||
Light in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kukui | ||
| "Kukui" derives from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian root *kuhu "torch". | |||
| Maori | marama | ||
| The word 'marama' in Maori also refers to the moon, as it is a source of light in the night.} | |||
| Samoan | malamalama | ||
| In addition to meaning 'light,' 'malamalama' can also symbolize 'knowledge,' 'understanding,' or 'enlightenment' in Samoan culture. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | ilaw | ||
| "Ilaw" in Tagalog can also mean "to enlighten" or "to illuminate" someone. | |||
Light in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | qhana | ||
| Guarani | tesakã | ||
Light in International Languages
| Esperanto | malpeza | ||
| The Esperanto word "malpeza" derives from the Slavic word "mьrzъ" (darkness), having the opposite meaning. | |||
| Latin | lux | ||
| "Lux" also means "wealth" from the root noun "lucrum," meaning "profit." | |||
Light in Others Languages
| Greek | φως | ||
| Ancient Greeks also used φῶς to refer to the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, akin to the concept of light in English. | |||
| Hmong | lub teeb | ||
| The word "lub teeb" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "*kabas", meaning "sun" or "bright sky". | |||
| Kurdish | sivik | ||
| The Kurdish word "sivik" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European word "*swēk-o- ("bright, light, burn"), which is also cognate with English "sickle". | |||
| Turkish | ışık | ||
| 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. | |||
| Xhosa | ukukhanya | ||
| The Xhosa word “ukukhanya” also means “to dawn”. | |||
| Yiddish | ליכט | ||
| The Yiddish word "ליכט" can also refer to a candle or a wick, echoing its historical use as a source of illumination. | |||
| Zulu | ukukhanya | ||
| "Ukukhanya" in Zulu also means "to shine" or "to give light". | |||
| Assamese | পাতল | ||
| Aymara | qhana | ||
| Bhojpuri | उजियार | ||
| Dhivehi | އަލި | ||
| Dogri | लो | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | liwanag | ||
| Guarani | tesakã | ||
| Ilocano | silaw | ||
| Krio | layt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕووناکی | ||
| Maithili | हल्लुक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯉꯥꯜ | ||
| Mizo | eng | ||
| Oromo | ifa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଆଲୋକ | ||
| Quechua | kanchi | ||
| Sanskrit | प्रकाशः | ||
| Tatar | яктылык | ||
| Tigrinya | ብርሃን | ||
| Tsonga | rivoni | ||