Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'pine' holds a special place in our hearts and minds, evoking images of towering trees and fragrant forests. Pine trees, known for their needle-like leaves and hard cone fruits, are evergreen, providing a sense of continuity and resilience throughout the seasons. Culturally, pine trees are often associated with eternal life, rebirth, and healing, making appearances in various mythologies and folklore across the globe.
Moreover, the significance of pine extends beyond its symbolic meaning. Its wood has been used for practical purposes, such as construction and fuel, while its resin has been tapped for medicinal and industrial uses. Pine nuts, a tasty treat, have been a valuable food source for many civilizations.
Given its global importance, you might be interested in knowing the translation of 'pine' in different languages. Here are a few examples: Pinus sylvestris in Latin, Pino in Spanish, Pino in Italian, and 소나무 (Sonamu) in Korean. Discovering these linguistic and cultural connections only deepens our appreciation for this remarkable tree.
Afrikaans | denne | ||
The word 'denne' in Afrikaans is also used to refer to a dense forest of trees. | |||
Amharic | ጥድ | ||
The word ጥድ also means "a needle" or "a thorn" in Amharic. | |||
Hausa | pine | ||
The word "pine" in Hausa can also mean "to be anxious or worried" or "to long for something" | |||
Igbo | paini | ||
In Igbo folklore, the word "paini" can also refer to the spirit of a deceased person that resides in a pine tree. | |||
Malagasy | hazo kesika | ||
"Hazo kely" is also the Malagasy name of a plant that is used for its medicinal properties. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | paini | ||
The Nyanja word "paini" is borrowed from the English word "pine". | |||
Shona | paini | ||
The word 'paini' is also used to refer to the resin of the pine tree, which is used in traditional medicine. | |||
Somali | geed | ||
The word "geed" in Somali also means "tree" and is cognate with the Arabic word "shajarat" meaning "tree" or "wood". | |||
Sesotho | phaene | ||
The word "phaene" in Sesotho comes from the Proto-Bantu word "*pana", which also means "pine" or "conifer". | |||
Swahili | pine | ||
In Swahili, "pine" can also refer to a kind of small tree used in traditional medicine. | |||
Xhosa | ipine | ||
The Xhosa word "ipine" can also refer to a type of tree or a type of wood. | |||
Yoruba | pine | ||
The Yoruba word "ìgbà" can refer to either the pine tree or a type of traditional pot. | |||
Zulu | uphayini | ||
Zulu word uphayini derives from uphayi, meaning "to carry on the back". Pine trees carry their seed "on their backs", hence the name. | |||
Bambara | pinɛ | ||
Ewe | pine | ||
Kinyarwanda | pinusi | ||
Lingala | pine | ||
Luganda | payini | ||
Sepedi | phaene | ||
Twi (Akan) | pine a wɔfrɛ no pine | ||
Arabic | صنوبر | ||
The word صنوبر (pine) is derived from the Akkadian word sunburu, which refers to a type of cypress tree. | |||
Hebrew | אורן | ||
Possibly cognate with Akkadian ʾurānu 'cedar', Arabic ʾarzun 'cedar', Berber ʾaraz 'cedar' | |||
Pashto | پائن | ||
In Pashto, the word "پائن" also means "resin" or "gum". | |||
Arabic | صنوبر | ||
The word صنوبر (pine) is derived from the Akkadian word sunburu, which refers to a type of cypress tree. |
Albanian | pisha | ||
Pisha, Albanian for "pine", has uncertain origins but may derive from an Indo-European root meaning "resinous wood" or be related to the Albanian word "pis," meaning "peak" or "summit" | |||
Basque | pinua | ||
The word "pinua" is related to the words "pintxo" and "puntzo" in Basque, all of which share the meaning of "point". | |||
Catalan | pi | ||
In Catalan, "pi" can also refer to a type of mushroom (Lactifluus piperatus) or a type of fish (Scomberomorus maculatus). | |||
Croatian | bor | ||
"Bor" also means "dwelling" or "town" in Old Slavic languages. | |||
Danish | fyrretræ | ||
The word "fyrretræ" shares the same root word with "fire" (fire), possibly indicating its use as a source of firewood. | |||
Dutch | pijnboom | ||
"Pijnboom" derives from "peyn" (fir tree) and "boom" (tree), and was once used for coniferous trees in general. | |||
English | pine | ||
The word 'pine' derives from Old English 'pinian' and Old French 'pigne,' and can also refer to yearning or longing. | |||
French | pin | ||
In French, "pin" can also mean "small nail" or "peg", and "pignon" refers to the smallest gear in a mechanical system | |||
Frisian | din | ||
Frisian "din" is cognate with English "den" and Germanic "tūn", meaning "enclosure" or "settlement". | |||
Galician | piñeiro | ||
The name 'piñeiro' also refers to the pine cone | |||
German | kiefer | ||
The German word "Kiefer" also means "jaw" because both are hinged structures. | |||
Icelandic | furu | ||
The word "furu" in Icelandic can also refer to a type of dwarf birch tree. | |||
Irish | péine | ||
Péine has multiple meanings: it denotes not only pine but also pain or torment. | |||
Italian | pino | ||
The Italian word "pino" means "pygmy pine" and is a cognate of the Spanish word "piñón" (seed). | |||
Luxembourgish | pinien | ||
Luxembourgish "Pinien" also means "peanut" or "groundnut" and is derived from the Spanish word "piñón" meaning "pine nut". | |||
Maltese | arżnu | ||
In Maltese, "arżnu" also means a mast of a ship, possibly a borrowing from Sicilian "arzuni," itself from the Arabic "rūzn" | |||
Norwegian | furu | ||
Furu shares its name with fire, as it was once used as a source of light, and the verb fyr means "to make fire". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | pinho | ||
"Pinho" is a slang term for a cannabis joint in Brazilian Portuguese. | |||
Scots Gaelic | giuthas | ||
Giuthas, a Scots Gaelic word for 'pine', may derive from an Old Irish word for 'splinter', referring to the splintery nature of pine wood. | |||
Spanish | pino | ||
The word "pino" in Spanish can also refer to a small nail or a wooden cone used in bowling. | |||
Swedish | tall | ||
The word 'tall' in Swedish can also refer to a person who is physically tall or a tree other than a pine tree. | |||
Welsh | pinwydd | ||
'Penwydd' means 'head tree' in Welsh. The Welsh 'penn' meaning 'head' is a cognate of 'bend' in English. |
Belarusian | хвоя | ||
"Хвоя" is also used to refer to artificial or ornamental needles made from other materials like metal or plastic. | |||
Bosnian | bor | ||
The Bosnian word "bor" can also refer to a type of wind or a forest of coniferous trees. | |||
Bulgarian | бор | ||
The word "бор" in Bulgarian can also refer to a coniferous forest or a type of mushroom. | |||
Czech | borovice | ||
The word "borovice" is likely derived from the Proto-Slavic word *borъ, meaning "pine forest". | |||
Estonian | mänd | ||
The word "mänd" is also used to refer to the resinous wood of the pine tree. | |||
Finnish | mänty | ||
"Mänty" also means "resin" in Finnish. | |||
Hungarian | fenyő | ||
The word "fenyő" is a cognate of the Polish word "pień" meaning "tree trunk". | |||
Latvian | priede | ||
The Latvian word "priede" ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*perh₃-/*pr̥h₃-" meaning "to cut, separate, divide, pierce, pierce". | |||
Lithuanian | pušis | ||
The word "pušis" also means a "decorated walking stick" or a "wooden rod used to beat flax" in Lithuanian. | |||
Macedonian | бор | ||
The word 'бор' is also used in a figurative sense, to describe a struggle or fight, as in the phrase 'да влезам во бор' ('to enter into the fight'). | |||
Polish | sosna | ||
The word "sosna" also refers to a type of mushroom in Polish, called the "pine mushroom". | |||
Romanian | pin | ||
In Romanian, "pin" means "pine" and is also a synonym for "money" derived from the French "denier d'argent". | |||
Russian | сосна | ||
"Сосна" is a borrowing from the Proto-Slavic *sosьna, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱḗwsos, also the ancestor of the English "hawthorn". | |||
Serbian | бор | ||
Бор (pine) derives from Proto-Slavic *bъr, related to Sanskrit *bhurja- and English "birch" meaning birch tree. | |||
Slovak | borovica | ||
The word "borovica" can also refer to brandy flavored with juniper berries. | |||
Slovenian | bor | ||
The word "bor" in Slovenian also has the alternate meaning of "forest" and is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *bher-, meaning "to bear" or "to carry." | |||
Ukrainian | сосна | ||
The Ukrainian word «сосна» also has alternate meaning of «mast», which is the wooden or metal pole on a sailing ship that supports the sails. |
Bengali | পাইন | ||
The word "পাইন" in Bengali also means "feet" in English, similar to the Latin origin of "pine" (from *ped-*, meaning "foot") which refers to the tree's needle-like leaves, resembling toes. | |||
Gujarati | પાઈન | ||
Gujarati પાઈન also refers to a measure of capacity for grains. | |||
Hindi | देवदार | ||
The word 'देवदार' comes from Sanskrit and literally means 'wood of the gods' and was used for cedar trees, not pines. | |||
Kannada | ಪೈನ್ | ||
"ಪೈನ್" is not only a tree but also a longing desire. | |||
Malayalam | പൈൻമരം | ||
The word "പൈൻമരം" ultimately derives from an old Indo-European root meaning "fat" or "resinous", and is cognate with the English word "pine" and the Latin word "pinus". | |||
Marathi | झुरणे | ||
The word "झुरणे" can also mean "to wrinkle" or "to become wrinkled" in Marathi. | |||
Nepali | पाइन | ||
Besides its usual meaning of 'conifer tree,' the Nepali word 'पाइन' can also refer to 'pine (away) for something or someone'. | |||
Punjabi | ਪਾਈਨ | ||
The word "ਪਾਈਨ" (pine) in Punjabi can also refer to a "line" or a "row". | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පයින් | ||
The word "පයින්" in Sinhala derives from the Sanskrit word "पिनाक" and also denotes the bow of Lord Shiva. | |||
Tamil | பைன் | ||
The Tamil word "பைன்" can also mean "fine" in English, indicating a high quality or standard. | |||
Telugu | పైన్ | ||
The word "పైన్" (pine) can also mean "loneliness" or "yearning" in Telugu. | |||
Urdu | پائن | ||
The word "پائن" (pine) in Urdu comes from the Persian word "پینے" (peene), meaning "to drink", and may also refer to a type of cypress tree. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 松树 | ||
松树 (sōngshù) is also used as a metaphor for steadfastness and perseverance because of its ability to survive in harsh conditions. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 松樹 | ||
"松樹" also refers to the Chinese zodiac sign for the dragon in the saying "龍生九子,子子不同" (the dragon gives birth to nine children, each different). | |||
Japanese | 松 | ||
"松" is sometimes used as the name of a type of mushroom or a kind of fish. | |||
Korean | 소나무 | ||
The word "소나무" is thought to be derived from the Old Korean word "*sonam" meaning "high tree". | |||
Mongolian | нарс | ||
The word "нарс" (pine) in Mongolian is also used figuratively to refer to something tall and stately, such as a mountain peak or a person of great stature. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ထင်းရှူး | ||
The word "ထင်းရှူး" in Myanmar (Burmese) has the same etymology as the Chinese "松" (pine), both deriving from the Proto-Sino-Tibetan word meaning "pine."} |
Indonesian | pinus | ||
In Indonesian, "pinus" refers specifically to the genus Pinus, while "cemara" is more general and can refer to both pines and other coniferous trees. | |||
Javanese | pinus | ||
In Javanese, "pinus" refers to the Pinus merkusii tree, a species of conifer native to Southeast Asia. | |||
Khmer | ស្រល់ | ||
"ស្រល់" ('srəl) means either "pine" or "cypress", with the latter being a tree more closely resembling the cedar than the pine. | |||
Lao | ແປກ | ||
The Lao word ແປກ is cognate with the Thai word แปลก, which means "strange". | |||
Malay | pain | ||
The Malay word "pain" also carries the connotation of "yearning" or "longing", similar to the English word "pine". | |||
Thai | ต้นสน | ||
The term "ต้นสน" can also refer to the genus "Casuarina" or to the Christmas tree. | |||
Vietnamese | cây thông | ||
In Vietnamese, "cây thông" specifically refers to pine trees in general, while "cây tùng" refers to the more specific genus Pinus. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | pine | ||
Azerbaijani | şam | ||
The word "şam" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Persian word "sam" and also refers to tree resin. | |||
Kazakh | қарағай | ||
The Kazakh word "қарағай" also refers to the Siberian pine nut, a delicacy prized for its culinary value. | |||
Kyrgyz | карагай | ||
In Kyrgyz, 'карагай' specifically refers to 'Siberian Larch' trees, although in some dialects it can also mean 'pine'. | |||
Tajik | санавбар | ||
The word "санавбар" originally meant "cypress" in Persian, and was later applied to the pine tree due to its similar appearance. | |||
Turkmen | sosna | ||
Uzbek | qarag'ay | ||
The word "qarag'ay" can also be used to describe the color "dark green" in Uzbek. | |||
Uyghur | قارىغاي | ||
Hawaiian | paina | ||
The word "paina" can also mean "to ache" or "to be in pain" in Hawaiian. | |||
Maori | paina | ||
The word “paina” also has alternate meanings such as "a disease" or "to make ill". | |||
Samoan | paina | ||
The term 'paina' also carries the connotation of 'firmly established' | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | pine | ||
The Tagalog word "pino" can also refer to a type of freshwater fish similar to sardines, or to the act of gathering or collecting. |
Aymara | pino sawurani | ||
Guarani | pino rehegua | ||
Esperanto | pino | ||
The word "pino" also means "a pin" in Spanish and "a seed" in Italian. | |||
Latin | abiete | ||
The word "abiete" derives from an Indo-European root meaning "sharp", likely referring to the pointed needles of the pine. |
Greek | πεύκο | ||
"Πεύκο" likely derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*peuk-," meaning "spruce," and is related to the Latin "picea" (spruce)" | |||
Hmong | ntoo thuv | ||
"Ntoo thuv" is a compound word, "ntoo" meaning "woods" and "thuv" meaning "evergreen". | |||
Kurdish | dara bî | ||
The word "dara bî" also means "evergreen" in Kurdish. | |||
Turkish | çam | ||
The word "çam" in Turkish is derived from the Proto-Turkic word "çam" meaning "resinous tree". It is also a common surname in Turkey. | |||
Xhosa | ipine | ||
The Xhosa word "ipine" can also refer to a type of tree or a type of wood. | |||
Yiddish | סאָסנע | ||
}סאָסנע“ can also refer to a tall person | |||
Zulu | uphayini | ||
Zulu word uphayini derives from uphayi, meaning "to carry on the back". Pine trees carry their seed "on their backs", hence the name. | |||
Assamese | পাইন | ||
Aymara | pino sawurani | ||
Bhojpuri | पाइन के बा | ||
Dhivehi | ޕައިން އެވެ | ||
Dogri | पाइन दा | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | pine | ||
Guarani | pino rehegua | ||
Ilocano | pino nga | ||
Krio | pain | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | سنەوبەر | ||
Maithili | पाइन | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯥꯏꯟ꯫ | ||
Mizo | pine a ni | ||
Oromo | paayinii | ||
Odia (Oriya) | କଦଳୀ | ||
Quechua | pino | ||
Sanskrit | पाइन | ||
Tatar | нарат | ||
Tigrinya | ጽሕዲ ጽሕዲ | ||
Tsonga | muphayini | ||