Nose in Different Languages
Discover 'Nose' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The nose, a small but mighty part of the human body, plays a vital role in our daily lives. It is the primary organ for our sense of smell, allowing us to experience the rich tapestry of scents that surround us. But the nose is more than just a sensory organ; it is also a symbol of character and identity in many cultures. In India, for example, the nose ring is a traditional piece of jewelry worn by women as a sign of marital status and social standing. And in many African cultures, the nose is a site of ritual scarification, signifying rites of passage and cultural belonging.
Given its significance and cultural importance, it's no wonder that people might want to know how to say 'nose' in different languages. After all, language is one of the most powerful tools we have for understanding and connecting with other cultures. Here are just a few examples of how to say 'nose' in some of the world's most widely spoken languages:
- Spanish: 'nariz'
- French: 'nez'
- Mandarin Chinese: '鼻子 (bí zi)'
- Japanese: 'はana (hana)'
- Arabic: 'أنف (ʾanf)'
Nose
Nose in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | neus | ||
| Neus, meaning "nose", also refers to someone being too inquisitive (neugierig) in German. | |||
| Amharic | አፍንጫ | ||
| The word "አፍንጫ" also means "smell". | |||
| Hausa | hanci | ||
| The word "hanci" can also refer to the tip of something pointed or the point where two lines meet. | |||
| Igbo | imi | ||
| The Igbo word "imi" also refers to the "smell" or "scent" of a person or thing. | |||
| Malagasy | orona | ||
| The word "orona" can also refer to the snout of an animal, or the nozzle of a water pipe. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mphuno | ||
| The term 'mphuno' is also used in a figurative sense to refer to the 'front' or 'tip' of something, such as 'mphuno wa bwato' (the bow of a boat). | |||
| Shona | mhino | ||
| The word "mhino" in Shona can also refer to the trunk of an elephant or the spout of a teapot. | |||
| Somali | sanka | ||
| Also refers to the tip or point of something. | |||
| Sesotho | nko | ||
| "Nko" in Sesotho can also refer to an animal's snout. | |||
| Swahili | pua | ||
| The word 'pua' in Swahili is also used to describe the head or face of a person. | |||
| Xhosa | impumlo | ||
| Impumlo also refers to the point of a spear or the pointed end of an assegai. | |||
| Yoruba | imu | ||
| In Yoruba, 'imu' not only means 'nose' but is also a word for 'character', 'personality', and the 'front' of something. | |||
| Zulu | ikhala | ||
| The Zulu word "ikhala" can also refer to the tip of the nose or to someone with a prominent or long nose. | |||
| Bambara | nun | ||
| Ewe | ŋɔti | ||
| Kinyarwanda | izuru | ||
| Lingala | zolo | ||
| Luganda | ennyindo | ||
| Sepedi | nko | ||
| Twi (Akan) | hwene | ||
Nose in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أنف | ||
| The word أنف also means "smell" or "scent" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | אף | ||
| The word "אף" (nose) can also refer to the concept of "anger" in Hebrew, stemming from the idea that anger often causes flaring nostrils. | |||
| Pashto | پوزه | ||
| The Pashto word "پوزه" (nose) is also used to refer to the snout of an animal. | |||
| Arabic | أنف | ||
| The word أنف also means "smell" or "scent" in Arabic. | |||
Nose in Western European Languages
| Albanian | hundë | ||
| The Albanian word "hundë" is a cognate of the Latin word "nasus," and also has the alternate meaning of "point" or "tip." | |||
| Basque | sudurra | ||
| The Basque word "sudurra" can also refer to a promontory or a beak. | |||
| Catalan | nas | ||
| In Catalan, in addition to meaning "nose", "nas" is also used to refer to the sense of smell. | |||
| Croatian | nos | ||
| The word "nos" is a borrowing from Italian "naso" and is unrelated to the Slavic root *nosъ, from which other related words like "nositi" (to carry) derive. | |||
| Danish | næse | ||
| Næse is the Scandinavian equivalent of English "ness" (land tongue), but came to mean the projecting part of a face | |||
| Dutch | neus- | ||
| The word "neus" can also refer to a cape or a headland, and is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*nasô". | |||
| English | nose | ||
| "Nose" can refer to the sense of smell in addition to the body part. | |||
| French | nez | ||
| The French word "nez" was borrowed from the Italian word "naso", which in turn comes from the Latin word "nasus". The word "nasus" could also refer to the bill of a bird or the snout of an animal. | |||
| Frisian | noas | ||
| In the Frisian language, "noas" also refers to the beak of a bird or the snout of a pig. | |||
| Galician | nariz | ||
| The Galician word "nariz" is derived from the Latin word "nasus" and has a variant meaning of "peak". | |||
| German | nase | ||
| The German word "Nase" also refers to a headland or peninsula jutting into the sea or a lake. | |||
| Icelandic | nef | ||
| In Icelandic, the word "nef" can also refer to a ship's beak or prow. | |||
| Irish | srón | ||
| Srón can also mean a cape, snout, or promontory, and can be used metaphorically to refer to the tip of anything. | |||
| Italian | naso | ||
| An Italian word for nose, "naso," comes from Latin and can also refer to "beak" or "promontory." | |||
| Luxembourgish | nues | ||
| Nues is derived from an Old High German term "naso" and related words in many Germanic languages. | |||
| Maltese | imnieħer | ||
| "Imnieħer" derives from the Arabic word "anf", meaning "nose". | |||
| Norwegian | nese | ||
| Although "nese" means "nose" in Norwegian, it also refers to a headland or promontory. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | nariz | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "nariz" can also refer to the sense of smell. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | sròn | ||
| The Gaelic word "sròn" (nose) shares a root with the Irish "srón", Welsh "ffroen", and Old Welsh "sron", all meaning 'nose, beak' and also 'cape' or 'promontory'. | |||
| Spanish | nariz | ||
| The word "nariz" in Spanish comes from the Latin word "nasus", which also means "nose". In some parts of Latin America, "nariz" can also refer to the smell of a person or thing. | |||
| Swedish | näsa | ||
| The Swedish word "näsa" might be related to Old Norse or Indo-European nasal words. | |||
| Welsh | trwyn | ||
| The Welsh word "trwyn" may also refer to a beak, a bill, a snout, or a peak. | |||
Nose in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | нос | ||
| The word "нос" (nose) can also mean the tip or the front part of an object in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | nos | ||
| An alternate meaning of "nos" in Bosnian is "to carry someone on one's shoulders". | |||
| Bulgarian | нос | ||
| "Нос" (nose) derives from Proto-Slavic *nosъ and is a cognate of English "nose" and German "Nase". | |||
| Czech | nos | ||
| The Czech word "nos" can also be used to colloquially refer to a person's face. | |||
| Estonian | nina | ||
| Estonian "nina" (nose) shares etymology with "nunnu" (nipple), "nunn" (doll) and "nuus" (sniff) | |||
| Finnish | nenä | ||
| The word "nenä" is also used in the expressions "nennäkarva" ("nose hair") and "nenäpäivä" ("nose day"), a charity event held annually in Finland. | |||
| Hungarian | orr | ||
| In Hungarian, "orr" can also refer to a mountain ridge or a beak. | |||
| Latvian | deguns | ||
| The word "deguns" also means "spout" in Latvian, referring to the nose-like structure of a teapot or other container. | |||
| Lithuanian | nosis | ||
| The Lithuanian word "nosis" is derived from the Proto-Balto-Slavic root *nosъ, which also means "nose" in other Balto-Slavic languages such as Latvian, Russian, and Polish. | |||
| Macedonian | носот | ||
| The word "носот" can also mean "the front part of something" | |||
| Polish | nos | ||
| In 16th-century Polish, "nos" also referred to part of a helmet or armor that covered the nose. | |||
| Romanian | nas | ||
| "Nas" in Romanian can also mean "birth" or "race". | |||
| Russian | нос | ||
| The Russian word for “nose” (нос) comes from an older Proto-Slavic word for the same meaning (nosъ), while also deriving from “carry, bring”. | |||
| Serbian | нос | ||
| The Serbian word "нос" not only means "nose" but also "beak" and "proboscis". | |||
| Slovak | nos | ||
| In Slovak, the word "nos" can have an alternate meaning of "bearer" or "carrier." | |||
| Slovenian | nos | ||
| The word "nos" in Slovenian can also refer to a beak or the tip of a plant shoot. | |||
| Ukrainian | ніс | ||
| In Ukrainian, "ніс" can also refer to a "beak" or "snout". | |||
Nose in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | নাক | ||
| The Bengali word "নাক" derives from the Sanskrit word "नासा," meaning both "nose" and "breath," highlighting the connection between the respiratory and olfactory functions of the nose. | |||
| Gujarati | નાક | ||
| The word "નાક" in Gujarati is derived from Proto-Indo-Aryan "*nāsā", ultimately from the PIE root "*nes-." | |||
| Hindi | नाक | ||
| The word 'नाक' (nose) originates from the Sanskrit word 'नासिका' (nostril), derived from the word 'नास' (to breathe). | |||
| Kannada | ಮೂಗು | ||
| The word 'ಮೂಗು' (nose) in Kannada is also used to refer to a person's honor or respect. | |||
| Malayalam | മൂക്ക് | ||
| മൂക്ക്" means "nose" in Malayalam but is derived from the Sanskrit word meaning "front", and is a cognate of the English word "beak" | |||
| Marathi | नाक | ||
| The word "नाक" (nose) in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word "नासा" (nose), which in turn comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *nas- (nose). | |||
| Nepali | नाक | ||
| नाक (nāk) is cognate with नाक (nāka) meaning "gateway, customs post," a sense preserved in its compound forms नगँनाक (nagaṅnāka) "city gate" and चोर नाका (cora nākā) "secret passage; rat hole." | |||
| Punjabi | ਨੱਕ | ||
| The Punjabi word 'ਨਾਕਕ', meaning 'nose', is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root '*nas-*', which also means 'nose', suggesting an ancient connection between Punjabi and other Indo-European languages. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නාසය | ||
| The Sinhala word for "nose" is cognate with the Sanskrit word "nāsā", which also means "nostrils" or "olfactory organ". | |||
| Tamil | மூக்கு | ||
| "மூக்கு" also refers to the "tip of a mountain" | |||
| Telugu | ముక్కు | ||
| The Telugu word 'muxu/mukku' comes from the Dravidian root word '*munki' , which represents the projecting nasal organ. | |||
| Urdu | ناک | ||
| The word "ناک" can also refer to a boat's prow or beak, or to the tip of a shoe. | |||
Nose in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 鼻子 | ||
| "鼻子" (nose) is also used to refer to the tip or front of an object, such as a mountain peak or a boat's bow. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 鼻子 | ||
| "鼻子" is also a Chinese slang term for "curiosity". | |||
| Japanese | 鼻 | ||
| 鼻 is also used to refer to the sense of smell or to sniff something. | |||
| Korean | 코 | ||
| The Korean word "코" also means "dog's foot", likely from its shape and color. | |||
| Mongolian | хамар | ||
| Хamar, likely from a Turkic loanword *burun, may mean both external or internal nose or nose as the sense of smell as well as snout of a beast, in such instances sometimes also with reference to the upper part of the head or its shape | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နှာခေါင်း | ||
Nose in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | hidung | ||
| "Hidung" is derived from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *iCuŋ, meaning "to smell". | |||
| Javanese | irung | ||
| In some Javanese dialects, "irung" may also refer to the snout of an animal, the nozzle of a firearm, or the spout of a teapot. | |||
| Khmer | ច្រមុះ | ||
| "ច្រមុះ" means "nose" in Khmer, but it also has alternate meanings such as "snout" and "beak". | |||
| Lao | ດັງ | ||
| The word "ດັງ" also refers to "strong" or “loud” in the Lao language. | |||
| Malay | hidung | ||
| 'Hidung' also means 'forefront' or 'prow' in Malay because of the protrusion of the nose. | |||
| Thai | จมูก | ||
| The word "จมูก" (nose) is derived from the Middle Khmer "จฺมูก" (dɲuuk), which in turn comes from the Proto-Mon-Khmer "*ɟmuːk". | |||
| Vietnamese | cái mũi | ||
| "Cái mũi" is a Sino-Vietnamese term derived from "鼻" (bì), the Chinese character for "nose". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ilong | ||
Nose in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | burun | ||
| The word "burun" can also refer to a cape or headland | |||
| Kazakh | мұрын | ||
| The word "мұрын" can also refer to a person's facial features or to their sense of smell. | |||
| Kyrgyz | мурун | ||
| Its origin is connected to the words "мур" (horn) and "ун" (nose in animals). | |||
| Tajik | бинӣ | ||
| The word "бинӣ" ("بینی") in Tajik can also mean "smell" or "to smell". | |||
| Turkmen | burun | ||
| Uzbek | burun | ||
| The word "burun" in Uzbek is closely related to the Turkish word "burun", which also means "nose". | |||
| Uyghur | بۇرۇن | ||
Nose in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ihu | ||
| The Hawaiian word "ihu" also means "face" and "front". | |||
| Maori | ihu | ||
| The word "ihu" can also refer to the prow of a boat or the point of a weapon in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | isu | ||
| The Samoan word for "nose" is related to the Proto-Polynesian term *isu, meaning "to smell". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | ilong | ||
| "Ilong" also means "horn" in Tagalog, and is related to the Indonesian word "ilong" meaning "elephant trunk". | |||
Nose in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | nasa | ||
| Guarani | tĩ | ||
Nose in International Languages
| Esperanto | nazo | ||
| The word "nazo" comes from the French "nez". The Esperanto word for "sniff" is "flari". | |||
| Latin | nasus | ||
| In Medieval Latin, "nasus" could also refer to the beak of a bird or the snout of a pig. | |||
Nose in Others Languages
| Greek | μύτη | ||
| The word "μύτη" (nose) in Greek also refers to the tip of a bird's beak or the spout of a vessel. | |||
| Hmong | ntswg | ||
| The Hmong word 'ntswg' can also refer to a plant that is used in traditional medicine for its analgesic properties. | |||
| Kurdish | poz | ||
| The Kurdish word 'poz' (nose) also means 'corner' or 'point' in some contexts. | |||
| Turkish | burun | ||
| The word "burun" also means "cape" or "headland" in Turkish, likely due to its geographic resemblance to a nose. | |||
| Xhosa | impumlo | ||
| Impumlo also refers to the point of a spear or the pointed end of an assegai. | |||
| Yiddish | נאָז | ||
| "Nāz" comes from the Middle High German word for "nose" ( | |||
| Zulu | ikhala | ||
| The Zulu word "ikhala" can also refer to the tip of the nose or to someone with a prominent or long nose. | |||
| Assamese | নাক | ||
| Aymara | nasa | ||
| Bhojpuri | नाक | ||
| Dhivehi | ނޭފަތް | ||
| Dogri | नक्क | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ilong | ||
| Guarani | tĩ | ||
| Ilocano | agung | ||
| Krio | nos | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | لووت | ||
| Maithili | नाक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯥꯇꯣꯟ | ||
| Mizo | hnar | ||
| Oromo | funyaan | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ନାକ | ||
| Quechua | sinqa | ||
| Sanskrit | नासिका | ||
| Tatar | борын | ||
| Tigrinya | ኣፍንጫ | ||
| Tsonga | nhompfu | ||