Mirror in Different Languages
Discover 'Mirror' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Mirror
Afrikaans spieël | ||
Albanian pasqyre | ||
Amharic መስታወት | ||
Arabic مرآة | ||
Armenian հայելի | ||
Assamese আইনা | ||
Aymara lirphu | ||
Azerbaijani güzgü | ||
Bambara dugalen | ||
Basque ispilu | ||
Belarusian люстэрка | ||
Bengali আয়না | ||
Bhojpuri आइना | ||
Bosnian ogledalo | ||
Bulgarian огледало | ||
Catalan mirall | ||
Cebuano salamin | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 镜子 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 鏡子 | ||
Corsican spechju | ||
Croatian ogledalo | ||
Czech zrcadlo | ||
Danish spejl | ||
Dhivehi ލޯގަނޑު | ||
Dogri शीशा | ||
Dutch spiegel | ||
English mirror | ||
Esperanto spegulo | ||
Estonian peegel | ||
Ewe ahuhɔ̃e | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) salamin | ||
Finnish peili | ||
French miroir | ||
Frisian spegel | ||
Galician espello | ||
Georgian სარკე | ||
German spiegel | ||
Greek καθρέφτης | ||
Guarani itangecha | ||
Gujarati અરીસો | ||
Haitian Creole glas | ||
Hausa madubi | ||
Hawaiian aniani | ||
Hebrew מַרְאָה | ||
Hindi आईना | ||
Hmong daim iav | ||
Hungarian tükör | ||
Icelandic spegill | ||
Igbo enyo | ||
Ilocano sarming | ||
Indonesian cermin | ||
Irish scáthán | ||
Italian specchio | ||
Japanese 鏡 | ||
Javanese pangilon | ||
Kannada ಕನ್ನಡಿ | ||
Kazakh айна | ||
Khmer កញ្ចក់ | ||
Kinyarwanda indorerwamo | ||
Konkani आरसो | ||
Korean 거울 | ||
Krio lukin-glas | ||
Kurdish neynik | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) ئاوێنە | ||
Kyrgyz күзгү | ||
Lao ກະຈົກ | ||
Latin speculum | ||
Latvian spogulis | ||
Lingala talatala | ||
Lithuanian veidrodis | ||
Luganda endabirwamu | ||
Luxembourgish spigel | ||
Macedonian огледало | ||
Maithili आईना | ||
Malagasy fitaratra | ||
Malay cermin | ||
Malayalam കണ്ണാടി | ||
Maltese mera | ||
Maori whakaata | ||
Marathi आरसा | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯃꯤꯡꯁꯦꯜ | ||
Mizo darthlalang | ||
Mongolian толь | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) မှန် | ||
Nepali ऐना | ||
Norwegian speil | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) galasi | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଦର୍ପଣ | | ||
Oromo of-ilaallee | ||
Pashto هنداره | ||
Persian آینه | ||
Polish lustro | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) espelho | ||
Punjabi ਸ਼ੀਸ਼ਾ | ||
Quechua rirpu | ||
Romanian oglindă | ||
Russian зеркало | ||
Samoan faʻata | ||
Sanskrit दर्पण | ||
Scots Gaelic sgàthan | ||
Sepedi seipone | ||
Serbian огледало | ||
Sesotho seipone | ||
Shona girazi | ||
Sindhi آئينو | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) කැඩපත | ||
Slovak zrkadlo | ||
Slovenian ogledalo | ||
Somali muraayad | ||
Spanish espejo | ||
Sundanese kaca spion | ||
Swahili kioo | ||
Swedish spegel | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) salamin | ||
Tajik оина | ||
Tamil கண்ணாடி | ||
Tatar көзге | ||
Telugu అద్దం | ||
Thai กระจกเงา | ||
Tigrinya መስተዋት | ||
Tsonga xivoni | ||
Turkish ayna | ||
Turkmen aýna | ||
Twi (Akan) ahwehwɛ | ||
Ukrainian дзеркало | ||
Urdu آئینہ | ||
Uyghur ئەينەك | ||
Uzbek oyna | ||
Vietnamese gương | ||
Welsh drych | ||
Xhosa isipili | ||
Yiddish שפּיגל | ||
Yoruba digi | ||
Zulu isibuko |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word 'spieël' derives from the Middle Dutch ‘spieghel’ and ultimately from the ancient Greek ‘speculum’, all meaning 'mirror' or 'reflection'. |
| Albanian | Pasqyra, the Albanian word for 'mirror', comes from the Late Latin 'specularia' which in turn derives from 'specere' (to look or observe). |
| Amharic | The word መስታወት is derived from the Ge'ez word መስተውት, which means "to reflect" or "to shine." |
| Arabic | The word "مرآة" also means "a reflection" or "an example" in Arabic, indicating its significance as not just a physical object but a tool for introspection and self-understanding. |
| Armenian | The Armenian word հայելի comes from the Persian word "ayine" which itself came from the Proto-Indo-European root *hayes- meaning "to shine", also the origin of English "eye" |
| Azerbaijani | The word "güzgü" also means "lake" in some Azerbaijani dialects, reflecting the lake-like characteristics of a mirror's surface. |
| Basque | The word "ispilu" in Basque comes from the Latin word "speculum" and can also refer to a lake or pond. |
| Belarusian | The word "люстэрка" in Belarusian comes from the German word "Luster", which means "shine" or "brightness". |
| Bengali | The word "আয়না" (mirror) in Bengali is derived from the Sanskrit word "आदर्श" (ādarśa) which means "reflection". Additionally, it can also mean "example" or "model". |
| Bosnian | "Ogledalo" derives from the verb "gledati" which means "to look" in Bosnian. |
| Bulgarian | The word "огледало" originates from the Old Slavic word "огледать," meaning "to take a look" or "to contemplate." |
| Catalan | The Catalan word "mirall" derives from the Latin word "mirare," meaning "to gaze at" or "to wonder." |
| Cebuano | The Cebuano word "salamin" is cognate with the Tagalog word "salamin" and the Malay word "cermin", all meaning "mirror". It is also related to the Sanskrit word "darsana", which means "seeing" or "mirror". |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 镜子 can be written as 镜 (jing), which means “to look at” or “to inspect.” |
| Chinese (Traditional) | The Chinese character "鏡子" originally referred to a metal container used for holding water to reflect one's appearance. |
| Corsican | The Corsican "spechju" ultimately derives from the proto-Indo-European root "*spek-," meaning "to see" and "to spy." |
| Croatian | "Ogledalo" derives from the word "glede" (meaning "to be seen"), thus denoting the object in which one can be seen. |
| Czech | The word "zrcadlo" derives from the Proto-Slavic term "*zьrkadlo", meaning "to look". |
| Danish | The word "spejl" also means "reflection" in a figurative sense, as in "a reflection of one's true self". |
| Dutch | The Dutch word "spiegel" for mirror may also be a synonym for a type of boat called a "sailboat" or a "scow." |
| Esperanto | "Spegulo" is derived from Latin speculum and also means "speculation" in Esperanto. |
| Estonian | The Estonian word "peegel" is likely derived from the Germanic root "*spegw-la", |
| Finnish | Although the word "peili" originally derived from a word for "ice", it is also metaphorically used to refer to something reflecting a truth or reality. |
| French | In Old French, "miroir" meant "to look," and the word evolved from the Latin "mirari," meaning "to wonder." |
| Frisian | Spegels in Frisian can also refer to the pond in front of a farm or the water that collects on the street in rainy weather. |
| Galician | Like the Latin word "speculum", "espello" can also mean "example" or "reflection" in Galician. |
| Georgian | The word "სარკე" in Georgian comes from the Persian word "آینه" (āyina), meaning "mirror". |
| German | The German word "Spiegel" is also a surname, which can mean "spy" or "reflector". |
| Greek | The word 'καθρέφτης' also means 'explorer' or 'observer' in old Greek. |
| Gujarati | "અરીસો" comes from the Farsi word "ayineh," which also means "mirror." In modern Farsi, "ayineh" is still used to mean "mirror," while in Gujarati, "ayino" also means "mirror." |
| Haitian Creole | The Haitian Creole word "glas" is derived from the French word "glace", which can also mean "ice" or "frozen dessert". |
| Hausa | The Hausa word for "mirror" "madubi" originally meant "looking glass", a surface used to see one's reflection. |
| Hawaiian | Historically "aniani" has referred to "a looking glass" or a "looking-glass of polished wood or ivory". Today it is known to mean a "mirror". In some references it is noted as a "small looking glass" which may be an indication that it once referred only to an individual's personal looking glass. |
| Hebrew | In Hebrew, the word "מַרְאָה" (mirror) also refers to an apparition or vision. |
| Hindi | The Hindi word "आईना" (mirror) originates from the Arabic word "a'yna", meaning "eye" or "vision". |
| Hmong | 'Daim' is a classifier for round, flat objects and 'iav' means to look at. |
| Hungarian | The word "tükör" can also refer to a pond or a puddle in Hungarian. |
| Icelandic | The related words in Old Norse were 'spegill' (mirror) and 'spegla' (to spy, to reflect, to see). |
| Igbo | The Igbo word "enyo" can also mean "to look"} |
| Indonesian | The Indonesian 'cermin' comes from the Portuguese 'espelho', meaning 'mirror', or from the Arabic 'mar'ah', meaning 'face', 'appearance' or 'woman'. |
| Irish | In Irish folklore, the word 'scáthán' also refers to a supernatural mirror said to reveal hidden realities. |
| Italian | "Specchio" comes from the Latin "specere" (to look) and also means "example" or "model" in Italian. |
| Japanese | 鏡 can also mean 'surface' or 'reflection' in Japanese. |
| Javanese | The word, perhaps deriving from Old Javanese **pa-gilang**, was also used to signify a type of gong. |
| Kannada | The word "ಕನ್ನಡಿ" in Kannada can also refer to a type of metal gong used in traditional Indian music. |
| Kazakh | "Айна" also has a metaphorical sense, meaning "the eye" or "the one that sees." |
| Khmer | The Khmer word for 'mirror', កញ្ចក់, is derived from the Sanskrit word 'kanchana', meaning 'gold' or 'yellow'. |
| Korean | The term 거울 can also refer to a 'reflection' or a 'guideline'. |
| Kurdish | The word "neynik" derives from the verb "neyin" ("to see"), indicating its function as a means of seeing one's reflection. |
| Kyrgyz | The Kyrgyz word "күзгү" can also refer to the surface of a lake, or a person's appearance or reputation. |
| Lao | The word ກະຈົກ (mirror) derives from Pali "kacchaka", meaning "a precious stone" or "glass". |
| Latin | Speculum can denote 'eye' or 'spy' in Latin. |
| Latvian | The Latvian word "spogulis" has no connection with spying, it derives from the Proto-Baltic root of "*speǵ-/*spoǵ-". |
| Lithuanian | The word "veidrodis" also refers to a magical object with the power to reveal one's true self. |
| Luxembourgish | Spigel, the Luxembourgish word for mirror, also shares a root with the Old Norse word 'spegill', and originally referred to a shiny surface, not necessarily a mirror. |
| Macedonian | The word "огледало" comes from the Old Church Slavonic word "огледати" meaning "to look at" and is cognate with the Russian word "зеркало". |
| Malagasy | The word "fitaratra" in Malagasy also means "to appear" or "to reflect". |
| Malay | The word 'cermin' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'darpana', meaning 'that which reflects' or 'a mirror'. |
| Malayalam | The word 'കണ്ണാടി' in Malayalam is derived from the Sanskrit word 'दर्पण' ('darpaṇa'), which means 'viewing device' or 'sight' and 'vision'. |
| Maltese | In the past, "mera" could also refer to the surface of still water or to the membrane of the eyeball. |
| Maori | The word "whakaata" can also mean "make visible" or "reveal" in Maori. |
| Marathi | The word "आरसा" (mirror) in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word "आदर्श" (example) and can also refer to a model or ideal. |
| Mongolian | "Толь" can also refer to a type of felt used for yurt coverings. |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | Although the primary meaning of "မှန်" is mirror, it also commonly means "true" or "correct". |
| Nepali | ऐना ('mirror' in Nepali) ultimately derives from 'oculus' (Latin), denoting 'eye', due to its reflective nature, and has cognates across Indo-Aryan languages such as 'aaina' (Hindi), 'aina' (Gujarati), and 'ayon' (Marathi). |
| Norwegian | The Norwegian word "speil" derives from Old Norse "spegel", meaning "water image", as mirrors were originally made from water. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "galasi" in Nyanja (Chichewa) can also refer to a glass or a transparent container. |
| Pashto | "هنداره" also means "reflection" or "image" in Pashto. |
| Persian | The word آینه is derived from the Middle Persian word "ayina", which ultimately comes from the Proto-Indo-European word "h₂ei-s", meaning "bronze" or "copper." |
| Polish | The Polish word "lustro" can also mean "a luster" or "a review". |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In the past, the term "espelho" in both Portugal and Brazil could also refer to a reflecting water pool, often used by women for their beauty routine. |
| Punjabi | The word "ਸ਼ੀਸ਼ਾ" in Punjabi can also refer to a type of glass hookah or a type of decorative glasswork. |
| Romanian | In Romanian, oglindă translates as "mirror" and derives from the Latin "oculus," meaning "eye." |
| Russian | The word "зеркало" also has the alternate meaning of "example" or "paradigm" |
| Samoan | The word "faʻata" has various meanings depending on the context, including "to see", "to appear", "to reveal", and "to show". |
| Scots Gaelic | Sgàthan also means 'reflection' and is related to the Irish word 'scáthán' meaning 'shade' or 'shadow'. |
| Serbian | The word 'огледало' also has connotations of 'examining' and 'inspecting' in Serbian. |
| Sesotho | The word "seipone" is derived from the verb "seip(o)na", which means "to look at oneself" or "to introspect." |
| Shona | The word "girazi" is also used to refer to a person who is always looking at themselves in the mirror. |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "آئينو" (mirror) originates from the Sanskrit word "आ दर्शन" (look or see). |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The Sinhala word "කැඩපත" (mirror) comes from the Sanskrit word "दर्पण" (mirror) and can also mean 'beauty' in certain contexts. |
| Slovak | The word "zrkadlo" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*zerkaldlo", which means "to look". |
| Slovenian | The word "ogledalo" comes from the verb "ogledati", meaning "to look at". It can also refer to a person's appearance or a reflection. |
| Somali | Somali "muraayad" is derived from the Arabic word "miraya" and also means "evidence" in Somali. |
| Spanish | In Medieval Spanish, "espejo" also designated "spectacles", and today the term is still used colloquially in some parts of the Spanish-speaking world. |
| Sundanese | The alternate meaning of "kaca spion" could be a shield since they are both commonly reflective |
| Swahili | "Kioo" is a Swahili word derived from the Arabic word "qīḥah," which can also mean "glass" or "lens." |
| Swedish | The word "spegel" in Swedish shares a common root with the Old Norse word "spegill", which also refers to a reflecting surface but can also mean "image" or "appearance". |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The Tagalog word "salamin" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *salemin, which also means "shiny stone" or "crystal". |
| Tajik | The word "оина" can also refer to a "window" or a "pane". |
| Tamil | The word "கண்ணாடி" can also mean "spectacles" or "eyeglasses" in Tamil. |
| Telugu | The word "అద్దం" can also mean "the act of reflecting" or "the reflected image of something" in Telugu. |
| Thai | The Thai word "กระจกเงา" comes from the Sanskrit word "kaca", meaning "glass". |
| Turkish | The word "ayna" in Turkish is closely related to the Persian word "ayna", also meaning "mirror", and both are derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂éḱs- "to see". |
| Ukrainian | The word "дзеркало" is derived from the Old Slavic word "*zьrkalo", which originally meant "to see" or "to look". |
| Urdu | The word آئینہ (mirror) originates from the Arabic word 'ayna, meaning a reflecting surface, and is also the root of the word 'eye' in English. |
| Uzbek | 'Oyna' derives from the Turkish word 'ayna', denoting an ornament for adorning the hair, which was sometimes made of silver. |
| Vietnamese | The Vietnamese word "gương" (mirror) originates from the Khmer word "krunh" (to illuminate), and can also refer to a good deed or role model. |
| Welsh | Drych also refers to a 'glass' (for drinking), 'bowl', 'mirror', or a 'window'. |
| Xhosa | "Isipili" also means "to expose" or "reveal something." |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "שפּיגל" (shpigl) derives from the German "Spiegel" but can also refer to a spy, a secret or a ghost |
| Yoruba | In some dialects of Yoruba, "digi" can also refer to a "ghost" or "apparition". |
| Zulu | "Isibuko" also means "the way things are" in Zulu, reflecting its role in introspection and understanding the world. |
| English | The word 'mirror' is derived from the Latin word 'mirari', meaning 'to wonder or marvel'. |