Lung in Different Languages
Discover 'Lung' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The lung, a vital organ in the human body, plays a significant role in our survival by facilitating the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. This organ has been revered and respected in various cultures and societies, symbolizing life, breath, and vitality. For instance, in Chinese culture, the lung is associated with courage and resilience, reflecting its importance in maintaining life.
Given the global significance of the lung, it's fascinating to learn how different languages and cultures refer to this essential organ. For instance, in Spanish, the lung is called 'pulmón,' while in French, it's 'poumon.' In German, it's 'Lunge,' and in Japanese, it's 'rukku.'
Understanding the translation of the word 'lung' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultural nuances and linguistic diversity of various societies. It can also help travelers and medical professionals communicate more effectively and build stronger connections across cultures.
Lung
Lung in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | long | ||
| The Afrikaans word "long" is derived from the Dutch word "long" meaning "lung", and is also used to refer to the lungs in Afrikaans. | |||
| Amharic | ሳንባ | ||
| In addition to "lung," the word "ሳንባ" in Amharic also means "throat" or "esophagus." | |||
| Hausa | huhu | ||
| The word "huhu" in Hausa also means "something that is empty or hollow". | |||
| Igbo | akpa ume | ||
| The Igbo word 'akpa ume' literally translates to 'a bag of breath,' highlighting its function as the organ that holds the breath of life. | |||
| Malagasy | avokavoka | ||
| The word "avokavoka" in Malagasy can also refer to a person's chest or a person's anger. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mapapo | ||
| The word "mapapo" can also refer to a small type of fish in the Lake Malawi region. | |||
| Shona | mapapu | ||
| The word mapapu, meaning 'lung' in Shona, is also used to refer to the 'mind' or 'intellect'. | |||
| Somali | sambabka | ||
| The term derives from the Proto-Cushitic word ""saam-ba"" meaning "organ that fills up with air" and is related to the word for "breath" in Somali and Afar. | |||
| Sesotho | matšoafo | ||
| The word "matšoafo" can also refer to a type of traditional Sesotho medicine used to treat respiratory ailments. | |||
| Swahili | mapafu | ||
| The root word of "mapafu" is "-pafu" meaning air passageway but can also refer to a bellows of an accordion. | |||
| Xhosa | umphunga | ||
| In Xhosa, the word umphunga also refers to an organ used for breathing and located in the chest. | |||
| Yoruba | ẹdọfóró | ||
| The Yoruba word "ẹdọfóró" (lung) also refers to a type of basket used to store clothes. | |||
| Zulu | amaphaphu | ||
| The word 'amaphaphu' can also refer to the leaves of a type of wild spinach plant or the foam that forms on the surface of a liquid. | |||
| Bambara | fogonfogon | ||
| Ewe | lãkusi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ibihaha | ||
| Lingala | mimpululu | ||
| Luganda | amawuggwe | ||
| Sepedi | maswafo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ahurututu mu | ||
Lung in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | رئة | ||
| رئة can also refer to a person's character, personality, or disposition. | |||
| Hebrew | ריאה | ||
| The Hebrew word "ריאה" (lung) derives from the Akkadian word "ri'tu" (wind), emphasizing the role of the lungs in respiration. | |||
| Pashto | سږي | ||
| The Pashto word "سږي" can also mean "breath" or "soul." | |||
| Arabic | رئة | ||
| رئة can also refer to a person's character, personality, or disposition. | |||
Lung in Western European Languages
| Albanian | mushkëritë | ||
| The word "mushkëritë" is derived from the Proto-Albanian word *muk-, meaning "nostril". | |||
| Basque | birika | ||
| The Basque word | |||
| Catalan | pulmó | ||
| The Latin pulmō, genitive pulmōnis, means lung; but in Catalan, its descendant “pulmó” is the organ and also means a blow in the chest. | |||
| Croatian | pluća | ||
| The word 'pluća' is also the name for a traditional Dalmatian wind instrument that resembles a bagpipe, but is shorter and narrower than the Scottish instrument, with a goat skin bag and two pipes. | |||
| Danish | lunge | ||
| "Lunge" also means "attack" from the Middle French "alongier" (to stretch out, lengthen). | |||
| Dutch | long | ||
| The Dutch word "long" also has the alternate meaning of "yearn" or "desire", stemming from the Old English word "langian". | |||
| English | lung | ||
| The word "lung" derives from the Old English word "lungen", meaning the edible parts of an animal's lungs. | |||
| French | poumon | ||
| French "poumon" comes from Greek and Latin "pulmo" (lung), which may be related to "flare, blow". | |||
| Frisian | long | ||
| In Frisian, "long" can also refer to a type of dance. | |||
| Galician | pulmón | ||
| Galician "pulmón" derives from Latin "pulmō, -ōnis", but is also used colloquially to mean "strength, vigor, courage." | |||
| German | lunge | ||
| The German word "Lunge" has other meanings, including "lunge" (a sudden movement forward), "lung" (a hollow pipe), "lung" (a cavity in a reef), "lung" (a type of dance), and "lung" (a type of fish) | |||
| Icelandic | lunga | ||
| The Icelandic word "lunga" also refers to a type of traditional Icelandic sausage. | |||
| Irish | scamhóg | ||
| In Irish mythology, a scámhóg was a legendary animal that could change its shape and lived in the lungs of people and animals. | |||
| Italian | polmone | ||
| "Polmone" derives from the Greek "pneumōn", which also gave us the word "pneumonia" | |||
| Luxembourgish | longen | ||
| The word "Longen" is derived from the Old High German word "lunga", which also means "lung". | |||
| Maltese | pulmun | ||
| The Maltese word 'pulmun' ('lung') is derived from the Arabic word 'ri'ah'. In modern Maltese, 'ri'ah' typically refers to the 'womb'. | |||
| Norwegian | lunge | ||
| "Lunge" in Norwegian can also mean "a nap" or "a short break". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | pulmão | ||
| The Portuguese word for "lung", "pulmão", is derived from the Latin word "pulmo" and has several additional meanings like a cavity in a building or an inflatable balloon. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | sgamhan | ||
| The Gaelic word "sgamhan" shares the same root with the Welsh word "ysgam" meaning "spleen". | |||
| Spanish | pulmón | ||
| The word "pulmón" also means "bellows" in Spanish, referring to a device used to increase airflow into a fire. | |||
| Swedish | lunga | ||
| In Swedish, "lunga" also means "slow", akin to the English "languid". | |||
| Welsh | ysgyfaint | ||
| As well as meaning "lung", "ysgyfaint" derives from "ysgyf" (shadow), implying a hidden respiratory function, and "aint" (breath). | |||
Lung in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | лёгкіх | ||
| The Belarusian word "лёгкіх" means both "lungs" and "lightly". | |||
| Bosnian | pluća | ||
| "Pluća" can also mean "insides" (of a person or an animal) in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | бял дроб | ||
| "Бял дроб" literally means "white tree" | |||
| Czech | plíce | ||
| The word "plíce" in Czech also means "buoyancy" or "float". | |||
| Estonian | kopsu | ||
| The word "kopsu" is also used in Estonian to refer to the lungs of animals, especially those of livestock. | |||
| Finnish | keuhkoihin | ||
| Keuhkot, a Finnish word for 'lungs', originally referred to a 'cavity' | |||
| Hungarian | tüdő | ||
| The word "tüdő" is related to the Turkish word "tütün","tobacco", suggesting that lungs were seen as tobacco containers. | |||
| Latvian | plaušas | ||
| The word "plaušas" also translates to "raft" in Latvian, and is possibly derived from the Latvian word "plāvu" meaning "to float". | |||
| Lithuanian | plaučių | ||
| The word "plaučių" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "pleu-," meaning "to float" or "to breathe." | |||
| Macedonian | белите дробови | ||
| In Macedonian, the plural "белите дробови" can also refer to a type of mushroom known as "lungwort". | |||
| Polish | płuco | ||
| The etymology of the Polish word 'płuco' is thought to come from an Indo-European root meaning 'to inflate or swell'. | |||
| Romanian | plămân | ||
| The Romanian word "plămân" is derived from the Latin word "pulmo", which also means "lung". | |||
| Russian | легкое | ||
| The word "легкое" can also mean "easy" or "light" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | плућа | ||
| In Serbian, the word "плућа" (lung) is derived from the Proto-Slavic "pljuča", which also means "flow" or "stream". | |||
| Slovak | pľúca | ||
| "Pľúca" is related to the Slavic words for "to spit" and can also refer to "spittle" or "saliva". | |||
| Slovenian | pljuča | ||
| The word "pljuča" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "pljucha", meaning "water" or "liquid". | |||
| Ukrainian | легеня | ||
| In addition to "lung", "легеня" can also mean "legend" in Ukrainian. | |||
Lung in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ফুসফুস | ||
| The word "ফুসফুস" (lung) in Bengali comes from the Sanskrit word "पुष्प" (flower), as the lungs are said to resemble flowers in their shape and color. | |||
| Gujarati | ફેફસાં | ||
| Hindi | फेफड़ा | ||
| The word फेफड़ा (phephṛā) is derived from the Proto-Indo-Aryan word *puhpura-, meaning 'that which blows or inflates'. | |||
| Kannada | ಶ್ವಾಸಕೋಶ | ||
| ಶ್ವಾಸಕೋಶ is derived from the Sanskrit word 'श्वास', meaning 'breath', and 'कोश', meaning 'container'. This suggests its role in respiration. | |||
| Malayalam | ശാസകോശം | ||
| The Malayalam word "ശാസകോശം" (shaasakosha) literally translates to "ruler ("shaashaka") of the cavities ("kocha")". | |||
| Marathi | फुफ्फुस | ||
| The word "फुफ्फुस" in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word "पुष्प" meaning "flower" and "उस" meaning "to grow". | |||
| Nepali | फोक्सो | ||
| The word "फोक्सो" (lung) in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit word "फुप्फुस" (pupusa), which means "a pair of bellows". | |||
| Punjabi | ਫੇਫੜੇ | ||
| The word "ਫੇਫੜੇ" likely originates from the Sanskrit word "phupphusa" which means "that which swells". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පෙනහළු | ||
| The word "පෙනහළු" is derived from the Sanskrit word "phena" meaning "foam" and "aśana" meaning "eating", referring to the spongy texture of the lungs. | |||
| Tamil | நுரையீரல் | ||
| நுரையீரல் literally means "foaming air" in Tamil, highlighting its role in respiration. | |||
| Telugu | ఊపిరితిత్తుల | ||
| This word also means "vital energy" and is the root of the idiom "ప్రాణం ఊదిపోవు" which means "to breathe life into". | |||
| Urdu | پھیپھڑا | ||
| The word 'پھیپھڑا' (phep-hrah) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'phupphusa', which means 'blown up' or 'inflated'. | |||
Lung in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 肺 | ||
| The Chinese character "肺" (lung) is also used to represent the concept of "courage" or "morale". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 肺 | ||
| 肺 in Traditional Chinese is composed of 肺 (fèi) meaning 'lung' and 頁 (yè) meaning 'page'; so 肺 refers to the pulmonary system and also to pages in a book, and can be used figuratively in the sense 'heart' | |||
| Japanese | 肺 | ||
| "肺" also refers to the lungs of animals when consumed as a dish, often translated to "offal" in English. | |||
| Korean | 폐 | ||
| The Hanja for 폐 can also mean 'ruin', 'injury', or 'destruction'. | |||
| Mongolian | уушиг | ||
| The Mongolian word "уушиг" (lung) also means "windpipe". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အဆုတ် | ||
Lung in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | paru-paru | ||
| The word “paru-paru” originally refers to a bamboo musical instrument. | |||
| Javanese | paru-paru | ||
| Paru-paru in Javanese can also mean 'to be pregnant' or 'to be with child'. | |||
| Khmer | សួត | ||
| "សួត" ('suot') is derived from the Sanskrit word "śvāsa" meaning "breath" and also refers to the "intestines". | |||
| Lao | ປອດ | ||
| The word "ປອດ" can also mean "to escape" or "to avoid" in Lao. | |||
| Malay | paru-paru | ||
| The term "paru-paru" in Malay is derived from the Sanskrit word "paru", meaning "leaf", as the lungs resemble leaves in appearance. | |||
| Thai | ปอด | ||
| 'ปอด' is cognate with 'pud' ('heart') in Malay and is likely derived from Proto-Austronesian *pudan ('to breathe'). | |||
| Vietnamese | phổi | ||
| In Vietnamese, the word 'phổi' also refers to a type of dumpling made from minced meat and herbs. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | baga | ||
Lung in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ağciyər | ||
| The word "ağciyər" is derived from the Persian word "acīgar", meaning "internal organ" or "liver". | |||
| Kazakh | өкпе | ||
| The Kazakh word "өкпе" also refers to an "armpit" or the area in the armpit. | |||
| Kyrgyz | өпкө | ||
| "Өпкө" also means "breath" or "soul" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | шуш | ||
| Tajik "шуш" (lung) comes from Persian "شش" (six), referring to the six pulmonary lobes in humans. | |||
| Turkmen | öýken | ||
| Uzbek | o'pka | ||
| The word "o'pka" can also refer to the "breath" or "spirit" of a person. | |||
| Uyghur | ئۆپكە | ||
Lung in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | māmā | ||
| The word "māmā" in Hawaiian has the alternate meaning of "to be bright" and the etymology of "bright, shining." | |||
| Maori | pūkahukahu | ||
| Samoan | māmā | ||
| "Māmā" means "lung", but can also mean "breath" or "spirit" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | baga | ||
| The word "baga" in Tagalog (Filipino) can also refer to a type of tobacco or gunpowder. | |||
Lung in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | pulmonar uñtatawa | ||
| Guarani | pulmón rehegua | ||
Lung in International Languages
| Esperanto | pulmo | ||
| "Pulmo" also means "soul" in Latin and "spirit" in some Romance languages. | |||
| Latin | pulmonem | ||
| The word "pulmonem" can also refer to the "soft substance of the lungs" or "the parenchyma of the lungs". | |||
Lung in Others Languages
| Greek | πνεύμονας | ||
| πνεύμονας in Greek is derived from πνεῖν (breath), and originally meant "anything that blows": lungs, bellows, or wind instruments. | |||
| Hmong | ntsws | ||
| The Hmong word "ntsws" not only means "lung," but also refers to the respiratory system and the vital force of life. | |||
| Kurdish | pişik | ||
| In Kurdish, | |||
| Turkish | akciğer | ||
| "Akciğer" (lung) comes from Arabic "akciğer" (meaning "dry organ"), and is also used figuratively to refer to dry plants or substances. | |||
| Xhosa | umphunga | ||
| In Xhosa, the word umphunga also refers to an organ used for breathing and located in the chest. | |||
| Yiddish | לונג | ||
| The Yiddish word "לונג" shares the same root as the English word "lung" but can also mean "to desire". | |||
| Zulu | amaphaphu | ||
| The word 'amaphaphu' can also refer to the leaves of a type of wild spinach plant or the foam that forms on the surface of a liquid. | |||
| Assamese | হাওঁফাওঁ | ||
| Aymara | pulmonar uñtatawa | ||
| Bhojpuri | फेफड़ा के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ފުއްޕާމޭ | ||
| Dogri | फेफड़े | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | baga | ||
| Guarani | pulmón rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | bara | ||
| Krio | di lɔng | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سی | ||
| Maithili | फेफड़ा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯪꯁꯇꯥ ꯂꯩꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | lung | ||
| Oromo | sombaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଫୁସଫୁସ | ||
| Quechua | pulmón nisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | फुफ्फुसः | ||
| Tatar | үпкә | ||
| Tigrinya | ሳንቡእ እዩ። | ||
| Tsonga | lung | ||