Northern in Different Languages
Discover 'Northern' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Northern
Afrikaans noordelike | ||
Albanian veriore | ||
Amharic ሰሜናዊ | ||
Arabic شمالي | ||
Armenian հյուսիսային | ||
Assamese উত্তৰ দিশৰ | ||
Aymara alay tuqinkir jaqinaka | ||
Azerbaijani şimal | ||
Bambara woroduguyanfan fɛ | ||
Basque iparraldekoa | ||
Belarusian паўночны | ||
Bengali উত্তর | ||
Bhojpuri उत्तरी के बा | ||
Bosnian sjeverno | ||
Bulgarian северна | ||
Catalan nord | ||
Cebuano amihanan | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 北方 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 北方 | ||
Corsican sittintriunali | ||
Croatian sjeverni | ||
Czech severní | ||
Danish nordlige | ||
Dhivehi އުތުރުންނެވެ | ||
Dogri उत्तरी | ||
Dutch noordelijk | ||
English northern | ||
Esperanto norda | ||
Estonian põhjapoolne | ||
Ewe dziehe gome | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) hilagang | ||
Finnish pohjoinen | ||
French nord | ||
Frisian noardlik | ||
Galician norte | ||
Georgian ჩრდილოეთი | ||
German nord | ||
Greek βόρειος | ||
Guarani norte gotyo | ||
Gujarati ઉત્તરીય | ||
Haitian Creole nò | ||
Hausa arewa | ||
Hawaiian ʻākau | ||
Hebrew צְפוֹנִי | ||
Hindi उत्तरी | ||
Hmong yav qaum teb | ||
Hungarian északi | ||
Icelandic norður | ||
Igbo ugwu | ||
Ilocano amianan | ||
Indonesian sebelah utara | ||
Irish thuaidh | ||
Italian settentrionale | ||
Japanese 北部 | ||
Javanese lor | ||
Kannada ಉತ್ತರ | ||
Kazakh солтүстік | ||
Khmer ភាគខាងជើង | ||
Kinyarwanda majyaruguru | ||
Konkani उत्तरेकडलें | ||
Korean 북부 사투리 | ||
Krio na di nɔt pat | ||
Kurdish bakûrî | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) باکووری | ||
Kyrgyz түндүк | ||
Lao ພາກ ເໜືອ | ||
Latin septentrionalem | ||
Latvian ziemeļu | ||
Lingala na nɔrdi | ||
Lithuanian šiaurinis | ||
Luganda mu bukiikakkono | ||
Luxembourgish nërdlechen | ||
Macedonian северно | ||
Maithili उत्तरी | ||
Malagasy northern | ||
Malay utara | ||
Malayalam വടക്കൻ | ||
Maltese tat-tramuntana | ||
Maori raki | ||
Marathi उत्तर | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯅꯣꯡꯄꯣꯛ ꯊꯪꯕꯥ ꯁꯔꯨꯛꯇꯥ ꯂꯩ꯫ | ||
Mizo hmar lam a ni | ||
Mongolian хойд | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) မြောက်ပိုင်း | ||
Nepali उत्तरी | ||
Norwegian nordlig | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) kumpoto | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଉତ୍ତର | ||
Oromo kaabaa | ||
Pashto شمالي | ||
Persian شمالی | ||
Polish północny | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) norte | ||
Punjabi ਉੱਤਰੀ | ||
Quechua wichay ladomanta | ||
Romanian de nord | ||
Russian северный | ||
Samoan matu | ||
Sanskrit उत्तरम् | ||
Scots Gaelic tuath | ||
Sepedi ka leboa | ||
Serbian северни | ||
Sesotho leboea | ||
Shona kuchamhembe | ||
Sindhi اتر | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) උතුරු | ||
Slovak severný | ||
Slovenian severni | ||
Somali waqooyi | ||
Spanish del norte | ||
Sundanese kalér | ||
Swahili kaskazini | ||
Swedish nordlig | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) hilaga | ||
Tajik шимол | ||
Tamil வடக்கு | ||
Tatar төньяк | ||
Telugu ఉత్తరాన | ||
Thai ภาคเหนือ | ||
Tigrinya ሰሜናዊ እዩ። | ||
Tsonga en’walungwini | ||
Turkish kuzey | ||
Turkmen demirgazyk | ||
Twi (Akan) atifi fam | ||
Ukrainian північний | ||
Urdu شمالی | ||
Uyghur شىمال | ||
Uzbek shimoliy | ||
Vietnamese phương bắc | ||
Welsh gogleddol | ||
Xhosa emantla | ||
Yiddish צאָפנדיק | ||
Yoruba ariwa | ||
Zulu enyakatho |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The word "noordelike" is derived from the Old Dutch word "noorderlic", which means "belonging to the north". |
| Albanian | Veriore is a synonym for the word 'veriu' in Albanian, both meaning "northern" in English. |
| Amharic | The word "ሰሜናዊ" ("northern") also means "above" or "upper" in Amharic. |
| Arabic | شمالي also refers to a genre of Arabic folk music originating from North Africa. |
| Armenian | The word Հյուսիսային derives from the Proto-Indo-European word *h₁yues-, meaning "dawn", due to the association of north with the rising sun. |
| Azerbaijani | The word "şimal" also has poetic meanings such as "beloved" and "direction of prayer" in Azerbaijani. |
| Basque | "Iparralde" is derived from the Basque words "ipar" (north) and "alde" (side), meaning "the north side". |
| Belarusian | The word "паўночны" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "sěverъ" which means "left" or "north". |
| Bengali | The word "উত্তর" can also refer to a response or an answer, or to a direction or position. |
| Bosnian | "Sjeverno" is also used to refer to the left-hand side of a river or stream, as opposed to "južno" (right-hand side). |
| Bulgarian | The word "северна" in Bulgarian can also be used to refer to the mythical character Sever, the personification of the north wind. |
| Catalan | The Catalan word "nord" not only means "north" but also "strong," likely from "nordis," meaning "Viking" |
| Cebuano | Amihanan is derived from the Arabic word 'al-maghreb,' meaning 'the west'. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 北方 is also used to refer to the northern provinces of China, known as 北方地区 (Northern Region). |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 北 is also used in the names of other Chinese provinces, such as Shanxi and Hebei. |
| Corsican | The word "sittintriunali" derives from the Latin phrase "septentrionalis". |
| Croatian | Although sjeverni is most often understood to mean “northern” in Croatian, it can also be used to mean “right-hand” in the context of the Croatian-Slavonian military border during the 18th century. |
| Czech | Other meanings of "severní" in Czech include "cool" (in both senses) or "serious". |
| Danish | The word 'nordlige' in Danish can also refer to the Norwegian county of Nordland or the Sami language spoken there. |
| Dutch | The word "noordelijk" can also refer to the direction towards the north. |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "norda" also means "cool" or "calm" in the sense of temperature. |
| Estonian | 'Põhjapoolne' is also the root of the Estonian words 'põhi' (base), 'põhjas' (bottom), and 'põhjalik' (thorough). |
| Finnish | The word "pohjoinen" is thought to originate from the Proto-Finnic word "puoliainen," meaning "half," referring to the northern half of the world as perceived by the ancient Finns. |
| French | The word 'nord' is derived from the Latin word 'septentriō', meaning 'the seven stars' (the Big Dipper). |
| Frisian | The word 'noardlik' in Frisian comes from the Old Frisian word 'nord', meaning 'north'. |
| Galician | "Norte" in Galician also refers to the point in the sky where the Sun is at noon. |
| Georgian | The word "ჩრდილოეთი" ("northern") in Georgian has historical connotations to a cold region, as its constituent "ჩრდი" is related to the word "cold" in Indo-European languages. |
| German | The German word "Nord" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*ner-," meaning "left," and it originally referred to the direction of the north in relation to the sunrise. |
| Greek | Related to Sanskrit 'bhr̥' meaning 'to carry', sharing a common Proto-Indo-European root with 'pherein' in Greek. |
| Haitian Creole | The word 'nò' has several meanings depending on the tone in which it is spoken: a high tone means 'yes,' a low tone means 'no,' and a mid-tone means 'north.' |
| Hausa | In Hausa, the word "arewa" is sometimes used to refer to the region of West Africa known as the "Western Sudan". |
| Hawaiian | ʻākau is also sometimes used to refer to the island of Kauaʻi, which is the northernmost of the main Hawaiian Islands. |
| Hebrew | The word "צְפוֹנִי" also denotes "hidden" or "secret" in Biblical Hebrew. |
| Hindi | "उत्तरी" also means "answer" or "reply" in Hindi. |
| Hmong | The word 'yav qaum teb' literally means 'from over the big mountains' in the Hmong language. |
| Hungarian | The word 'északi' is derived from the Hungarian word 'ész', meaning 'mind', and the suffix '-aki', meaning 'pertaining to'. |
| Icelandic | The word "Norður" in Icelandic can also refer to the left-hand side of a horse or the side of a ship facing the bow. |
| Igbo | The word "ugwu" also refers to the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra) in Igbo culture. |
| Indonesian | The word 'sebelah utara' literally means 'the side that faces north', highlighting the concept of relative direction in Indonesian. |
| Irish | This word may derive from the Gaelic word 'tuath', meaning 'land' or 'people'. |
| Italian | "Settentrione" is an archaic Tuscan word that means "the seven oxen" (from Latin "septem triones"), probably due to the shape of the Big Dipper constellation. |
| Japanese | The word "北部" (hokubuku) can also mean "the north side" or "the northern part" of something. |
| Javanese | The etymology of 'lor' in Javanese is unclear, though it is related to 'lorong', a derivative of the Sanskrit 'dwara', meaning 'gate', which suggests a metaphorical association between north and a place of entrance. |
| Kannada | The Kannada word 'ಉತ್ತರ' has the additional meaning of 'answer', originating from the Sanskrit root 'ut' meaning 'to rise'. |
| Kazakh | The word "Солтүстік" in Kazakh also refers to a wind that blows from the north. |
| Khmer | The word "ភាគខាងជើង" ("northern") in Khmer also means "the side of the person who is superior in rank or age." |
| Korean | “북부사투리” is also a slang term used in South Korea to refer to the Gyeonggi dialect |
| Kurdish | "Bakur" in Kurdish is a word with several meanings, such as "north," "left-handed" and "female." It is related to the Persian "bahr" (sea) and "bar" (fruit), and the Sumerian "bar" (mountain). |
| Kyrgyz | Түндүк also refers to the pole or top of a traditional Kyrgyz yurt, considered the most sacred part of the dwelling. |
| Lao | The term “ພາກເໜືອ” (“northern”) in Lao can also refer to the upper half of Laos, as opposed to the lower part of Laos in general. |
| Latin | The Latin word "septentrionalem" also refers to the constellation Ursa Major, known as the "Northern Dipper" in English. |
| Latvian | The Latvian word “ziemeļu” is derived from the Lithuanian word “šiaurė” which means “north” and may also be related to the Slavic word “sever”. |
| Lithuanian | Šiaurinis' comes from 'šiaurė', possibly from Lithuanian word 'šešuras', the North Star. |
| Macedonian | The word "северно" can also mean "harsh" or "severe" in Macedonian. |
| Malagasy | The Malagasy word "avaratra" can also mean "the left-hand side" because the compass's north is at the left when you face east. |
| Malay | The word "utara" is also used to refer to the "north pole" in Malay. |
| Malayalam | The word "വടക്കൻ" can also refer to the Malayalam language, which is spoken in the northern parts of Kerala. |
| Maltese | The word "tat-tramuntana" in Maltese, meaning "northern", is derived from the Arabic word "Tramuntana", which originally referred to the constellation Ursa Minor and the star Polaris, located in the north. |
| Maori | Maori word "raki" also means "heaven" or "above" in the language |
| Marathi | The word "उत्तर" also means "answer" in Marathi |
| Mongolian | The word "хойд" can also refer to the North Star, the Big Dipper, or the Big Bear constellation. |
| Nepali | The word "उत्तरी" means "northern" and comes from the Sanskrit root "उत्तर" "upper," "northern," or "posterior" |
| Norwegian | The Norwegian word "nordlig" can also refer to the northern lights, a celestial phenomenon seen mainly in the northern hemisphere. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "kumpoto" also means "origin" or "beginning" in Nyanja. |
| Pashto | The word "شمالي" in Pashto can also mean "northwesterly" or "upper". |
| Persian | The word "شمالی" ("northern") can also refer to the direction of the wind coming from the north or a person or thing from the north. |
| Polish | The word 'północny' in Polish is also used as a noun meaning 'midnight' |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | Norte is both a noun and an adjective meaning either the north or northwards, and also refers to the northern region of Portugal. |
| Punjabi | "Uttari" (उत्तर) - a traditional Punjabi shawl, or a long scarf used by women |
| Romanian | In Romanian, "de Nord" not only means "northern" but also refers to a type of wind (North wind) or a compass point (North). |
| Russian | The word "северный" can also mean "cold" or "harsh" in Russian. |
| Samoan | The word 'matu' also means 'head' in the Samoan language |
| Scots Gaelic | In Gaelic, 'tuath' also has the meaning of 'people' as well as 'lord', both in singular and plural use. |
| Serbian | The Serbian word "северни" (northern) also refers to someone or something coming from the northern part of Serbia or another country. |
| Sesotho | The word 'leboea' in Sesotho also refers to the 'north wind' or 'winter'. |
| Shona | Shona word "kuchamhembe" means "northern" while its literal meaning is "side of the river with a low bank". |
| Sindhi | The word "اتر" in Sindhi can also refer to the direction "upwards". |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word "උතුරු" can also mean "from the north" or "in the north". |
| Slovak | The word "severný" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*sěverъ", which also means "left". |
| Slovenian | The word "severni" in Slovenian also pertains to the geographical concept of "Arctic". |
| Somali | "Waqooyi" is also used to denote the left-hand side, as opposed to "koonfur" ("south") for the right-hand side. |
| Spanish | The word "del Norte" can also refer to the cardinal direction of north, or to the region of northern Mexico and the United States. |
| Sundanese | The word "kalér" can also refer to the direction "west" in some dialects of Sundanese. |
| Swahili | The word 'kaskazini' in Swahili derives from the Arabic word 'qibla,' meaning 'direction of prayer,' as the north is the direction faced during Muslim prayers. |
| Swedish | In the name of the 'nordligaste' ('northernmost') city, 'nord' means 'northern', while 'ligaste' is the superlative form of 'ligga' ('to lie'). |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The root word “hilag” in Tagalog, meaning “cold,” is also the root of the word “hilaga,” meaning “north,” as north is generally colder in the Philippines. |
| Tajik | "Шимол" also means "left side" or "west" in Tajik, derived from the Persian word "šomāl." |
| Tamil | "வடக்கு" (northern) is also used to refer to the Vaishnavism sect of Hinduism. |
| Telugu | The word "ఉత్తరాన" also means "in the direction of the northern star". |
| Thai | The word "ภาคเหนือ" can be literally translated as "sky section," a Thai idiom for the northern region of the country. |
| Turkish | Historically, the word "kuzey" also referred to a nomadic people living in the north. |
| Ukrainian | The word "північний" is derived from the Old East Slavic word "плънъ" (polnъ), meaning "full" or "complete". |
| Urdu | شمالی (Šamālī) is not a native Urdu word; it is an arabic loanword which literally means "left" but has the same usage as "northern" in Urdu. |
| Uzbek | The word "shimoliy" can also mean "upper" or "higher" in Uzbek, indicating a relative position or direction. |
| Vietnamese | 'Phương Bắc' is also used colloquially to refer to the Chinese people or China. This usage has a long history, dating back to the period of Chinese domination of Vietnam. |
| Welsh | The word gogleddol originally referred to the direction from which the wind blew, and thus to the west, not north. |
| Xhosa | The word 'emantla' is also used to refer to a region in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. |
| Yiddish | צאָפנדיק means "northern" in Yiddish. It is related to the German word "Norden" and the Dutch word "noord". It is also related to the Old Norse word "norðr". The literal meaning of "צאָפנדיק" is "from the side of the head or forehead. |
| Yoruba | Ariwa in Yoruba may also refer to the left side or direction of a person or object. |
| Zulu | The Zulu word "enyakatho" also means "the left hand side". |
| English | The word "northern" can also refer to the northern hemisphere, or to a political or cultural region in the north. |