Mouth in Different Languages
Discover 'Mouth' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The mouth is a significant part of our body, serving as the entrance to our digestive and respiratory systems. It plays a crucial role in communication, expressing our emotions, and tasting food. Throughout history, the mouth has held cultural importance, symbolizing speech, creativity, and even fertility in some cultures. In Hindu mythology, the goddess Kali is often depicted with a protruding tongue, symbolizing her all-consuming nature. In many African cultures, the mouth is associated with wisdom and power.
Understanding the translation of the word 'mouth' in different languages can provide insight into how different cultures view this important body part. For example, in Spanish, the word for mouth is 'boca', while in French, it's 'bouche'. In Mandarin Chinese, the word for mouth is '口' (kǒu), and in Japanese, it's '口' (kuchi).
Exploring the translations of the word 'mouth' in different languages is not only a fun exercise in language learning, but it also offers a glimpse into the cultural significance of this body part around the world.
Mouth
Mouth in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | mond | ||
| The Afrikaans word "mond" derives from the Dutch "mond" and is cognate with the Old English "muð" and the German "Mund" | |||
| Amharic | አፍ | ||
| አፍ "af" in Amharic refers to an animal's muzzle or a type of fish. | |||
| Hausa | bakin | ||
| The Hausa word `bakin` also means `entrance` or `doorway` | |||
| Igbo | ọnụ | ||
| "Ọnụ" also means "door" in Igbo, derived from the notion of the mouth as an opening. | |||
| Malagasy | vava | ||
| "Vava" also means "edge" or "boundary" in Malagasy, as in the phrase "vavan'ny ala," meaning "edge of the forest". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | pakamwa | ||
| "Pakamwa" in Nyanja can also refer to someone who speaks frequently or openly, like a talkative person. | |||
| Shona | muromo | ||
| The Shona word "muromo" (mouth) is also a euphemism for "home" or "village." | |||
| Somali | afka | ||
| In Somali, 'afka' can also mean 'speech' or 'language' and is the root of words like 'af-soomaali' ('Somali language'). | |||
| Sesotho | molomo | ||
| The word 'molomo' can also refer to a language, a person's speech, or a particular way of speaking. | |||
| Swahili | kinywa | ||
| The Swahili word "kinywa" originally meant "a thing one drinks from", akin to the Zulu "inkomishi". | |||
| Xhosa | umlomo | ||
| The word "umlomo" in Xhosa originates from the verb "ukuloma" meaning "to pierce". | |||
| Yoruba | ẹnu | ||
| The Yoruba word "ẹnu" (mouth) also refers to "speech", "voice", or "language". | |||
| Zulu | umlomo | ||
| 'Umlomo' also refers to the edge or lip of a container or the rim of a hole or crater in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | da | ||
| Ewe | nu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umunwa | ||
| Lingala | monoko | ||
| Luganda | omumwa | ||
| Sepedi | molomo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | anom | ||
Mouth in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | فم | ||
| فم (fim) comes from the Proto-Semitic root f-m, meaning "to breathe" or "to speak". | |||
| Hebrew | פֶּה | ||
| The Hebrew word "פֶּה" (peh) can also mean "rim" (as of a well), "edge" (as of a sword), or "opening" (as of a cave). | |||
| Pashto | خوله | ||
| "خوله" in Pashto also means "speech" or "language," and its plural, "خولي," can mean "conversation" or "dialect." | |||
| Arabic | فم | ||
| فم (fim) comes from the Proto-Semitic root f-m, meaning "to breathe" or "to speak". | |||
Mouth in Western European Languages
| Albanian | gojë | ||
| In Albanian, the word "gojë" derives from Proto-Albanian "*ghen-d'-ā", cognate to Proto-Romance "*ganda", from Latin "ganda", meaning "cheek". | |||
| Basque | ahoa | ||
| Ahoa can also mean 'opening' or 'entrance' in various contexts. | |||
| Catalan | boca | ||
| The Catalan word "boca" is derived from the Latin "bucca" and can also refer to an entrance, opening, or gap. | |||
| Croatian | usta | ||
| Usta also means lips or the opening of a river. | |||
| Danish | mund | ||
| The word "mund" in Danish has the alternate meaning of "female guardian" and is cognate with the English word "mother". | |||
| Dutch | mond | ||
| The Dutch word "mond" comes from the Proto-West Germanic word "mund", meaning "edge" or "brim". | |||
| English | mouth | ||
| In Old English, the word 'mouth' also meant 'opening,' 'entrance,' or 'hole'. | |||
| French | bouche | ||
| In Old French "bouche" referred to a hole of any kind; a portcullis; the beak or maw of a bird, beast or other creature; or an entrance or opening of almost any sort. | |||
| Frisian | mûle | ||
| The Frisian word "mûle" is cognate with the English word "muzzle". | |||
| Galician | boca | ||
| In Galician, "boca" may also refer to the hole on the face of a mask or helmet or to the mouthpiece of a musical instrument. | |||
| German | mund | ||
| The word "Mund" also means "protection", "guardian", or "authority" in German | |||
| Icelandic | munnur | ||
| In Icelandic, the word "munnur" has an alternate meaning of "speaker" or "orator". This meaning is most prevalent in formal contexts, while the word "tala" is more commonly used for "mouth" in everyday speech. | |||
| Irish | béal | ||
| The word "béal" also has alternate meanings including "border" or "edge". | |||
| Italian | bocca | ||
| In Italian, the word "bocca" not only means "mouth" but also refers to an opening or entrance to a place. | |||
| Luxembourgish | mond | ||
| "Mond" is also the Luxembourgish word for "month" and is derived from the Latin word "mēnsis." | |||
| Maltese | ħalq | ||
| In Maltese, "ħalq" can also refer to the opening of a bottle or a wound. | |||
| Norwegian | munn | ||
| The word "munn" in Norwegian also has the alternate meaning of "appearance" or "facial expression." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | boca | ||
| "Boca" also means the opening of a bottle or jar, or the mouthpiece of a musical instrument. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | beul | ||
| Beul (mouth) may come from Indo-European base *bhel, meaning 'to swell' or 'to blow', and is related to Old Irish bolg (bag). | |||
| Spanish | boca | ||
| In Spanish, the word "boca" also refers to the entrance of a cave, river, or other natural feature. | |||
| Swedish | mun | ||
| Mun is a common word for mouth in Swedish, and can also mean "speak" or "talk". | |||
| Welsh | ceg | ||
| Ceg also signifies the 'front' of anything, such as the bow of a boat or the point of a weapon. | |||
Mouth in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | рот | ||
| The Belarusian word "рот" can also refer to an opening or gap of any kind, as in "the mouth of a river". | |||
| Bosnian | usta | ||
| Usta also refers to a skilled worker in a craft or trade. | |||
| Bulgarian | устата | ||
| The Bulgarian word "устата" has a second, colloquial meaning, "talk". | |||
| Czech | pusa | ||
| "Pusa" also refers to the muzzle or snout of an animal in Polish. | |||
| Estonian | suu | ||
| The word "suu" may also refer to a river mouth or estuary, or a gate or entranceway. | |||
| Finnish | suu | ||
| "Suu" also means "opening" or "orifice" in Finnish, such as "oven suu" (doorway) or "pullon suu" (bottle opening). | |||
| Hungarian | száj | ||
| Száj (mouth) may refer to the facial opening, the entrance to a cave, or the opening of a container. | |||
| Latvian | mute | ||
| In Latvian "mute" not only means "a person unable to speak", like in English, but also "the mouth of a river or of another body of water". | |||
| Lithuanian | burna | ||
| The word "burna" in Lithuanian may also refer to a well, a spring, or a river opening. | |||
| Macedonian | уста | ||
| The word "уста" also has a figurative meaning, referring to the "voice" or "speech" of someone. | |||
| Polish | usta | ||
| In Polish, "usta" also refers to the "female lips" and the "mouth of a river". | |||
| Romanian | gură | ||
| In Romanian, "gură" can also refer to a river opening, the entrance to a cave, or an utterance. | |||
| Russian | рот | ||
| Рот, meaning "mouth" in Russian, also has alternate meanings including "entrance" and "opening". | |||
| Serbian | уста | ||
| In Serbian, "уста" (mouth) also means "lips" and can refer to the mouth of a river or a cannon. | |||
| Slovak | ústa | ||
| The Slovak noun "ústa" also means "lips". | |||
| Slovenian | usta | ||
| The word 'usta' can also refer to the opening of a river or a cave, or the hole in a needle. | |||
| Ukrainian | рот | ||
| In Ukrainian, "рот" also means "brood" in a family of bees or fish. | |||
Mouth in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | মুখ | ||
| The word "মুখ" can also mean "face", "opening", "speech", or "authority" depending on the context. | |||
| Gujarati | મોં | ||
| The word "મોં" can also refer to the face or expression on a person's face in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | मुंह | ||
| The Hindi word "मुख" can also mean "face" or "front". | |||
| Kannada | ಬಾಯಿ | ||
| The word "ಬಾಯಿ" also refers to the entrance of a cave or a river. | |||
| Malayalam | വായ | ||
| In archaic usage, "വായ" (vāya) could also mean "language" or "voice". | |||
| Marathi | तोंड | ||
| The word "तोंड" (mouth) in Marathi also refers to a face or expression. | |||
| Nepali | मुख | ||
| "मुख" in Nepali can also mean "a person's face," "appearance," "countenance," or "face of a clock." | |||
| Punjabi | ਮੂੰਹ | ||
| ਮੂੰਹ, which is pronounced as "moonh" in Hindi, is also used in Urdu to refer to the "face", or in other contexts, the "edge" or "opening of something." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මුඛය | ||
| "මුඛය" also means "entrance" or "opening" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | வாய் | ||
| The Tamil word "வாய்" (vai) can also refer to the opening of a cave or a river, or a means of expression. | |||
| Telugu | నోరు | ||
| In Telugu, "నోరు" can also refer to an opening or hole, such as the mouth of a river. | |||
| Urdu | منہ | ||
| The word "منہ" in Urdu can also mean "edge" or "brim", as in the edge of a river or the brim of a hat. | |||
Mouth in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 口 | ||
| 口 (kǒu) in Chinese characters can also refer to "doors"} | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 口 | ||
| "口" also means "entrance; opening; place; part of a word"} | |||
| Japanese | 口 | ||
| The character "口" can also mean "opening" or "entrance" in Japanese and is used in various kanji to convey such meanings. | |||
| Korean | 입 | ||
| In Korean, "입" can also refer to an entrance, hole, or the edge of a container or piece of clothing. | |||
| Mongolian | ам | ||
| The Mongolian word “ам” (mouth) originated from the Proto-Altaic word *ʾam or *ʾamba. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပါးစပ် | ||
| ပါးစပ် in Burmese can also refer to an animal's beak, a stream's estuary, a bottle's spout, or the edge or brim of something. | |||
Mouth in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mulut | ||
| "Mulut" also refers to the opening of a bottle, jar or other similar containers in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | cangkem | ||
| In Javanese, the word "cangkem" also refers to a type of traditional mask used in dance theater performances. | |||
| Khmer | មាត់ | ||
| The word មាត់ in modern Khmer is a borrowing of Thai ปาก, and in Old Khmer it originally referred to an aperture. | |||
| Lao | ປາກ | ||
| Its alternate meaning is "the edge of something". | |||
| Malay | mulut | ||
| In Kelantanese, "mulut" also means "a hole in the wall specifically used to place or withdraw money within a house" | |||
| Thai | ปาก | ||
| ปาก 'paak' literally means 'edge', the border between two things, not only a mouth. | |||
| Vietnamese | mồm | ||
| In Vietnamese, “mồm” can also mean "person who talks too much or who says many bad things". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bibig | ||
Mouth in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ağız | ||
| The word “ağız” in Azerbaijani can also mean “entrance” or “opening”. | |||
| Kazakh | ауыз | ||
| The word "ауыз" also refers to a "gateway" or "opening", highlighting its role as the entry point to the body or a space. | |||
| Kyrgyz | ооз | ||
| The word "ооз" also refers to the opening or entrance to something, such as a cave or a bag. | |||
| Tajik | даҳон | ||
| "Даҳон" also refers to the opening or entrance to something, a spout or nozzle, or a hole in a garment. | |||
| Turkmen | agzy | ||
| Uzbek | og'iz | ||
| The word "og'iz" also means "language" or "speech" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | ئېغىز | ||
Mouth in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | waha | ||
| In Hawaiian, 'waha' can also refer to an opening or hole, or the lip of a container. | |||
| Maori | waha | ||
| Waha can also refer to a cave, a river mouth, the opening to a valley or forest, or a speech in a parliamentary context. | |||
| Samoan | gutu | ||
| The Samoan word "gutu" for mouth can also refer to the lip or edge of something. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | bibig | ||
| The word "bibig" is a Tagalog onomatopoeia for the sound lips make when they close or open. | |||
Mouth in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | laka | ||
| Guarani | juru | ||
Mouth in International Languages
| Esperanto | buŝo | ||
| The word "buŝo" in Esperanto is borrowed from the French word "bouche", meaning "mouth", and is related to the English word "bushy". | |||
| Latin | os | ||
| Os could also refer to an entrance, shore, or threshold. | |||
Mouth in Others Languages
| Greek | στόμα | ||
| The Greek word "στόμα" can also refer to the opening of a container, the entrance to a place, or a river estuary. | |||
| Hmong | lub qhov ncauj | ||
| Hmong word lub qhov ncauj, meaning "mouth," comes from the root "ncauj," which refers to an opening or hole. | |||
| Kurdish | dev | ||
| The Kurdish word "dev" can also refer to a "door" or "opening". | |||
| Turkish | ağız | ||
| In Old Turkic, "ağız" meant "opening" and also "entrance to a cave or other space". | |||
| Xhosa | umlomo | ||
| The word "umlomo" in Xhosa originates from the verb "ukuloma" meaning "to pierce". | |||
| Yiddish | מויל | ||
| The Yiddish word "מויל" (moyl) literally means "mill" and, in addition to mouth, can also be used to refer to a grinder or a millstone. | |||
| Zulu | umlomo | ||
| 'Umlomo' also refers to the edge or lip of a container or the rim of a hole or crater in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | মুখ | ||
| Aymara | laka | ||
| Bhojpuri | मुँह | ||
| Dhivehi | އަނގަ | ||
| Dogri | मूंह् | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bibig | ||
| Guarani | juru | ||
| Ilocano | ngiwat | ||
| Krio | mɔt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دەم | ||
| Maithili | मुंह | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯤꯟꯕꯥꯟ | ||
| Mizo | ka | ||
| Oromo | afaan | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପାଟି | ||
| Quechua | simi | ||
| Sanskrit | मुख | ||
| Tatar | авыз | ||
| Tigrinya | ኣፍ | ||
| Tsonga | nomu | ||