North in Different Languages
Discover 'North' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'north' holds a significant place in our understanding of the world around us. As one of the four cardinal directions, it helps us navigate and orient ourselves in physical space. But 'north' is more than just a compass point; it carries a wealth of cultural and historical importance as well.
For example, in Norse mythology, the north was associated with the frost giants and the realm of Niflheim, a bleak and misty world of ice and cold. In Chinese culture, the north is often associated with the element of water and the winter season. And in many Western cultures, the North Pole is synonymous with Santa Claus and his workshop, a symbol of warmth, generosity, and holiday cheer.
Given the significance and cultural importance of 'north,' it's no wonder that people around the world have their own unique translations for this fundamental concept. Here are just a few examples:
North
North in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | noord | ||
| The word "noord" also means "up" in Afrikaans, derived from the Old English word "norð" meaning "north". | |||
| Amharic | ሰሜን | ||
| The word "ሰሜን" can also mean "the right-hand side" or "the east" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | arewa | ||
| The word "arewa" also connotes "heaven" or "paradise" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | ugwu | ||
| "Ugwu" in Igbo can also mean "hill" or "mountain", reflecting the association between elevated terrain and the northern direction. | |||
| Malagasy | avaratra | ||
| The Malagasy word "AVARATRA" meaning "north" originally meant "where the sun rises" and then "east". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kumpoto | ||
| The word Kumpoto is also used to describe a very large number. | |||
| Shona | mawodzanyemba | ||
| The literal meaning of the word "mawodzanyemba" is "coming from the north", or "from the direction the sun rises from" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | waqooyi | ||
| The word "waqooyi" is derived from the Arabic word "waqa," meaning "to fall," and refers to the direction from which the sun falls, or sets. | |||
| Sesotho | leboea | ||
| The Sesotho word “leboea” directly translates to “north” in English but can also refer to the left hand. | |||
| Swahili | kaskazini | ||
| "Kaskazini" is derived from the Arabic word "qibla," which means "the direction of prayer" and specifically points to Mecca. | |||
| Xhosa | mantla | ||
| The word "mantla" derives from the Proto-Bantu root "-ntla", which also means "uphill" and "northward". | |||
| Yoruba | ariwa | ||
| The word 'ariwa' is used in Yoruba to mean 'north' but also 'front' in the sense a 'place of respect' or 'presence of elders'. | |||
| Zulu | enyakatho | ||
| The Zulu word "enyakatho" can also refer to the left-hand or clockwise direction. | |||
| Bambara | saheli | ||
| Ewe | dziehe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ruguru | ||
| Lingala | norde | ||
| Luganda | amambuka | ||
| Sepedi | leboa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | atifi | ||
North in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | شمال | ||
| The word "شمال" (north) in Arabic also means "the left hand" or "the left side". | |||
| Hebrew | צָפוֹן | ||
| צָפוֹן can mean both "north" and "hidden" because both senses derive from the Hebrew root ספן, "to be hidden, withdrawn, obscured." | |||
| Pashto | شمال | ||
| The Pashto word "شمال" ("north") is also used to refer to the direction of the winter sun. | |||
| Arabic | شمال | ||
| The word "شمال" (north) in Arabic also means "the left hand" or "the left side". | |||
North in Western European Languages
| Albanian | në veri | ||
| The Albanian word "në veri" (north) is likely derived from the Proto-Albanian *wori, meaning "the place where the sun rises". | |||
| Basque | iparraldea | ||
| The word "iparraldea" also means "the other side" in Basque, referring to the French Basque Country, which is located on the north side of the Pyrenees mountains. | |||
| Catalan | al nord | ||
| In 1881, the word “al nord” was employed to denote the side of the compass that was opposite to the south. | |||
| Croatian | sjeverno | ||
| The word 'sjeverno' derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁sker- ('left'), as the north was traditionally considered to be the direction to the left of the rising sun. | |||
| Danish | nord | ||
| The word “nord” in Danish is cognate to the English word “north” and is also used to mean “above” in Danish topographic contexts. | |||
| Dutch | noorden | ||
| The Dutch word "noorden" is cognate with the English word "north", both deriving from the Proto-Germanic word *northaz. | |||
| English | north | ||
| The word "north" comes from the Old English word "norþ," which means "left side" and originally referred to the direction the sun rises. | |||
| French | nord | ||
| The French word "Nord" originates from the Latin word "septentriōn-," meaning "seven stars," likely referring to the seven stars composing the Big Dipper. | |||
| Frisian | noard | ||
| In Frisian, "Noard" also means "up" or "higher ground", reflecting the region's geography. | |||
| Galician | norte | ||
| German | norden | ||
| The word "Norden" is derived from the Old High German word "nord" (north), which is related to the English word "north" and the Latin word "septentrio" (north). | |||
| Icelandic | norður | ||
| The Icelandic word "norður" is also used to refer to the "left side" when facing east. | |||
| Irish | ó thuaidh | ||
| The Irish word for 'north' also means 'left hand'—a convention borrowed from maritime tradition. | |||
| Italian | nord | ||
| In Italian, the word "nord" also has connotations of coldness, harshness, and remoteness. | |||
| Luxembourgish | norden | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Norden" could be derived from the Latin word "septentrionem" meaning "the seven stars", but it might also be related to the Germanic word "Nord" meaning "the place of darkness." | |||
| Maltese | it-tramuntana | ||
| The word "it-tramuntana" is derived from the Arabic word "at-taramuntāna", which means "the path of the sun". | |||
| Norwegian | nord | ||
| While 'nord' is Norwegian for 'north,' 'norr' refers to an old, revered direction associated with the supernatural. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | norte | ||
| The Portuguese word "norte" comes from the Latin word "septentriones", which referred to the seven brightest stars in the constellation Ursa Major, also known as the Big Dipper. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | tuath | ||
| The word "Tuath" in Scots Gaelic also means "people" or "nation" and is cognate with Welsh "tuath", Breton "tud", and Irish "tuath". | |||
| Spanish | norte | ||
| "Norte" is related to the Latin word "aquilo," which meant "wind," and to the Greek word "boreas," which referred to the north wind. | |||
| Swedish | norr | ||
| The word "norr" in Swedish can also mean "higher" or "upper" in relation to a river or stream. | |||
| Welsh | gogledd | ||
| Gogledd comes from **gog** meaning "face" or "front" and is related to the Gaulish word for "left". In Welsh mythology it is the direction of the otherworld. | |||
North in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | поўнач | ||
| The word "поўнач" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "polьnoky", which means "midnight" or "the time of the full moon". | |||
| Bosnian | sjever | ||
| The word "sjever" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*sěverъ", which also means "left". | |||
| Bulgarian | север | ||
| The word "север" shares the same root with the words "severe" and "serious". | |||
| Czech | severní | ||
| The word "severní" is derived from the Old Slavic word "severъ", meaning "left" or "cold". | |||
| Estonian | põhjas | ||
| In addition to the cardinal direction, "põhjas" can also mean "at the end", "finished", or "exhausted" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | pohjoinen | ||
| The word pohjoinen comes from the Proto-Germanic word *norþa-, meaning | |||
| Hungarian | északi | ||
| Az „északi” szó az „észre” (=észlelés, ész) gyöktől származik, a szó eredeti jelentése „ami az ész irányában van.” | |||
| Latvian | uz ziemeļiem | ||
| The word "uz ziemeļiem" also means "from the north" and "on the north side". | |||
| Lithuanian | šiaurė | ||
| The Lithuanian word "Šiaurė" for "north" is cognate with the Old Norse term "skeytr" and the Sanskrit word "cyuta," meaning "swift." | |||
| Macedonian | север | ||
| The word "север" is also used to describe the constellation Ursa Minor. | |||
| Polish | północ | ||
| The Polish word "północ" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*polьno" (field), and it originally referred to the direction where the sun shines at noon. | |||
| Romanian | nord | ||
| The word "nord" in Romanian comes from the Latin word "nordicus," which means "northern." In the past, the word "nord" was sometimes used only for a northerly course of a ship. | |||
| Russian | север | ||
| The word "север" also refers to the cold and harsh climate, or to the Arctic. | |||
| Serbian | север | ||
| "Север" in Serbian comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*sěverъ", which possibly means "left" or "shadow side", but might also be related to the words for "cold" or "frost". | |||
| Slovak | sever | ||
| The Slovak word "sever" can also mean "cold" or "harsh". | |||
| Slovenian | sever | ||
| The word "sever" can also mean "cold" or "strict" in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | північ | ||
| "Північ" also means "midnight" and derives from the word "півень" ("rooster"), as it coincides with the time when roosters crow. | |||
North in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | উত্তর | ||
| "উত্তর" also means "answer" in Bengali, a relic of the days when students were taught while facing north. | |||
| Gujarati | ઉત્તર | ||
| The word 'ઉત્તર' can also mean 'answer' or 'reply' in Gujarati, similar to its Sanskrit origin. | |||
| Hindi | उत्तर | ||
| The Sanskrit root | |||
| Kannada | ಉತ್ತರ | ||
| The word 'ಉತ್ತರ' can also refer to an answer or response, as in the phrase 'prashnottara' (question-answer). | |||
| Malayalam | വടക്ക് | ||
| The word "വടക്ക്" also means "cow's udder" and is derived from the Sanskrit word "उत्तरा" (uttara), which means "northern". | |||
| Marathi | उत्तर | ||
| The word "उत्तर" can also refer to an answer, a reply, or a solution. | |||
| Nepali | उत्तर | ||
| The word "उत्तर" can also mean "answer" or "solution" in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਉੱਤਰ | ||
| The word "ਉੱਤਰ" in Punjabi has multiple meanings, including "answer" and "solution". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | උතුරු | ||
| The word “උතුරු” means “a place where the Sun rises” in Sanskrit. | |||
| Tamil | வடக்கு | ||
| The Tamil word "வடக்கு" can also refer to the top of the mountain. | |||
| Telugu | ఉత్తరం | ||
| ఉత్తరం (north) comes from 'ud' meaning 'to rise' as the Sun rises in the north. | |||
| Urdu | شمال | ||
| شمال is also used in Urdu to mean 'direction' or 'side'. | |||
North in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 北 | ||
| The character "北" originally meant "a back." It's related to "背" (bèi), meaning back, and the original character for "north" was a person with their back to the sun. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 北 | ||
| 北 (north) can also mean "back," "behind," or "avoid." | |||
| Japanese | 北 | ||
| The word "北" (kita) can also mean "the Emperor," "the government," or "the capital." | |||
| Korean | 북쪽 | ||
| "북쪽" refers to the direction north, but it also means "back" or "the person behind" in a hierarchical context. | |||
| Mongolian | хойд | ||
| The word "хойд" also means "male" or "husband" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မြောက်ဘက် | ||
North in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | utara | ||
| "Utara" also refers to "heaven" as it is located above "langit" which is the equivalent of "sky" | |||
| Javanese | lor | ||
| In Old Javanese "Lor" also meant "above", but not in the sense of altitude but rather of social rank or age. | |||
| Khmer | ខាងជើង | ||
| The word "ខាងជើង" (north) also means "the direction of the wind" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ພາກ ເໜືອ | ||
| Malay | utara | ||
| The Malay word 'utara' is cognate with the Sanskrit word 'uttara', meaning 'later' or 'higher'. | |||
| Thai | ทิศเหนือ | ||
| Thai "ทิศเหนือ" (north) shares the same root with "ทิศหนือ" (upstream), as in the past, Thailand was predominantly an agrarian society, facing southbound rivers and using cardinal directions to navigate the waterways. | |||
| Vietnamese | bắc | ||
| The word "Bắc" also means "back" (of a person or animal) or "northern dialect". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hilaga | ||
North in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | şimal | ||
| The word "şimal" also means "left" in Azerbaijani, which aligns with the traditional Islamic orientation of north being on the left. | |||
| Kazakh | солтүстік | ||
| The word “солтүстік” (“north”) in Kazakh is derived from the word “сол” (“left”), as the north was considered to be on the left side when facing east. | |||
| Kyrgyz | түндүк | ||
| The word "түндүк" also means "right-hand side" in Kyrgyz, and is related to the word "түн", meaning "night". | |||
| Tajik | шимол | ||
| The word "шимол" comes from the Persian word "شمال" which means "the direction of the sun". | |||
| Turkmen | demirgazyk | ||
| Uzbek | shimoliy | ||
| The word "shimoliy" in Uzbek also means "northern" and is derived from the Persian word "shimāl" meaning "north." | |||
| Uyghur | شىمال | ||
North in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ke akau | ||
| The word "ke Akau" can also mean "the forehead" or "the highest point" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | raki | ||
| Raki derives from the Proto-Polynesian noun *laŋi, meaning "sky" in most Polynesian languages, as well as "heaven" or "deity" in some instances. | |||
| Samoan | matu | ||
| In addition to the cardinal direction, "matu" also means "up" and "above" in the spatial sense, and "earlier" and "first" in the temporal sense. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | hilaga | ||
| The Tagalog word “hilaga” for “north” may come from the Sanskrit word “himalaya,” meaning “abode of snow.” | |||
North in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | alaya | ||
| Guarani | yvatévo | ||
North in International Languages
| Esperanto | norde | ||
| "Norde" is related to the Norse word "norr" and the Old English word "norð". | |||
| Latin | north | ||
| "North" derives from an ancient Germanic word meaning "left-hand". | |||
North in Others Languages
| Greek | βόρειος | ||
| In ancient Greek, "Βόρειος" could also mean "of or pertaining to mountains". | |||
| Hmong | sab qaum teb | ||
| The word "sab qaum teb" literally means "the place where the water flows down" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | bakûr | ||
| In Kurdish dialects, bakûr can also refer to the 'right' side or direction, as opposed to 'left' (çep). | |||
| Turkish | kuzeyinde | ||
| The word "kuzeyinde" in Turkish also means "in the northern part of" or "in the north of". | |||
| Xhosa | mantla | ||
| The word "mantla" derives from the Proto-Bantu root "-ntla", which also means "uphill" and "northward". | |||
| Yiddish | צאָפן | ||
| In Yiddish, "צאָפן" can also refer to "locks of hair on the side of a man's head" or an "ornament on the side of a woman's headdress." | |||
| Zulu | enyakatho | ||
| The Zulu word "enyakatho" can also refer to the left-hand or clockwise direction. | |||
| Assamese | উত্তৰদিশ | ||
| Aymara | alaya | ||
| Bhojpuri | उत्तर | ||
| Dhivehi | އުތުރު | ||
| Dogri | पच्छम | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hilaga | ||
| Guarani | yvatévo | ||
| Ilocano | amianan | ||
| Krio | nɔt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | باکور | ||
| Maithili | उत्तर दिस | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯋꯥꯡ | ||
| Mizo | hmar | ||
| Oromo | kaaba | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଉତ୍ତର | ||
| Quechua | chincha | ||
| Sanskrit | उत्तर | ||
| Tatar | төньяк | ||
| Tigrinya | ሰሜን | ||
| Tsonga | n'walungu | ||