Powder in Different Languages
Discover 'Powder' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Powder, a simple word that evokes a multitude of images and associations. From the fine, glistening particles of freshly fallen snow to the vibrant, colorful hues of makeup, powder is a versatile substance that has woven itself into the fabric of our cultures and languages. Its significance extends beyond mere functionality, as it has been used for ceremonial purposes, artistic expression, and even as a symbol of social status.
Throughout history, powder has played a crucial role in various cultural contexts. In ancient Egypt, for instance, scented powders were used in religious ceremonies and as a form of personal hygiene. Meanwhile, in 18th century Europe, the use of face powder became a symbol of wealth and sophistication. Today, powder continues to be an essential part of our daily lives, whether it's the talcum powder that soothes our skin or the baking powder that gives our cakes their fluffy texture.
Given its widespread use and cultural importance, it's no surprise that the word 'powder' has been translated into countless languages around the world. Here are just a few examples:
Powder
Powder in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | poeier | ||
| In Afrikaans, the word "poeier" is derived from the Dutch word "poeder" and can also mean "fine dust" or "talcum powder" | |||
| Amharic | ዱቄት | ||
| In addition to referring to a substance in powder form, "ዱቄት" can also refer to flour or meal, particularly in a raw or uncooked state. | |||
| Hausa | foda | ||
| "Foda" is also derived from the Proto-Chadic word *foːdə, meaning "flour or powder." | |||
| Igbo | ntụ ntụ | ||
| The word "ntụ ntụ" can also refer to a type of traditional Igbo perfume made from ground nuts and spices. | |||
| Malagasy | vovoka | ||
| "Vovoka" is also used to refer to certain types of powders in specific contexts, such as "vovoka manga" (charcoal powder) or "vovoka sakay" (ginger powder). | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ufa | ||
| The word "ufa" also means "flour" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | upfu | ||
| "Upfu" originated from the word "pfuura", meaning "to blow", as powder is created by blowing a substance into a fine dust. | |||
| Somali | budada | ||
| The word "budada" in Somali also refers to traditional henna paste used to decorate the body, especially the hands and feet. | |||
| Sesotho | phofo | ||
| Swahili | poda | ||
| In Swahili, 'poda' is also a type of traditional cloth made from bark, resembling velvet. | |||
| Xhosa | umgubo | ||
| The term "umgubo" in Xhosa can also refer to a traditional African hair styling product made from white clay, herbs, and sometimes animal fat. | |||
| Yoruba | lulú | ||
| Lulú can also refer to a type of facial scarification practiced by the Yoruba people. | |||
| Zulu | impuphu | ||
| Imphuphu, in Zulu, comes from the Proto-Bantu word *punpunu*, or "ash or soot". | |||
| Bambara | mugu ye | ||
| Ewe | atikekui si wotsɔna ƒoa ƒui | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ifu | ||
| Lingala | poudre ya poudre | ||
| Luganda | butto | ||
| Sepedi | phofo ea phofo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | powder a wɔde yɛ nneɛma | ||
Powder in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مسحوق | ||
| The word "مسحوق" also means "powdered milk" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | אֲבָקָה | ||
| "אֲבָקָה" (powder) is related to the root "אב" (father) and may have originally referred to the dust or pollen that is associated with fertilization. | |||
| Pashto | پوډر | ||
| 'Powder' in Pashto is also often spelled 'powder', and is likely ultimately derived from the French 'poudre', meaning 'gunpowder'. | |||
| Arabic | مسحوق | ||
| The word "مسحوق" also means "powdered milk" in Arabic. | |||
Powder in Western European Languages
| Albanian | pluhur | ||
| The Albanian word "pluhur" traces its roots to the Proto-Indo-European "pleu-," meaning "to smash or crush," hinting at its connection to grinding or pulverizing substances. | |||
| Basque | hautsa | ||
| The word hautsa is derived from the Proto-Basque root *haut- ('dust, fine substance'), which also yielded the noun hautsi ('dust') | |||
| Catalan | pols | ||
| In Northern Catalan, "pols" also means 'dust' | |||
| Croatian | puder | ||
| "Puder" in Croatian originally meant "gunpowder". | |||
| Danish | pulver | ||
| In Danish, the word "pulver" can also refer to a medicinal powder that is dissolved in liquid. | |||
| Dutch | poeder | ||
| In some dialects, "poeder" can also refer to a type of flour or baking powder. | |||
| English | powder | ||
| The word "powder" comes from the Old French word "poudre," which in turn comes from the Latin word "pulvis," meaning "dust" or "powder." | |||
| French | poudre | ||
| The word "poudre" in French derives from the Latin word "pulvis", meaning "dust, powder" and is also used to refer to the explosive gunpowder, known as "poudre noire" (black powder) in French. | |||
| Frisian | poeder | ||
| Frisian "poeder" can also mean "sugar" or "gunpowder". | |||
| Galician | po | ||
| In Galician, besides its meaning as "powder", "po" also denotes a powder-like substance obtained by finely grinding a solid, like cocoa or coffee. | |||
| German | pulver | ||
| Pulver (powder) derives from Latin 'pulvis' (dust), hence also 'Pulverisierung' (pulverization) and 'zerpulvern' (to pulverize). | |||
| Icelandic | duft | ||
| In Old Norse, "duft" referred to a fine dust that was used to dye wool and other textiles. | |||
| Irish | púdar | ||
| ‘Púdar’ can also mean dust, flour, or gunpowder. | |||
| Italian | polvere | ||
| The word "polvere" also means "dust" or "ashes" in Italian. | |||
| Luxembourgish | pudder | ||
| The word also refers to a sweet pastry made from yeast dough, quark, and plums | |||
| Maltese | trab | ||
| The word "trab" in Maltese can also refer to dust or a fine powder that results from grinding or wearing down a substance. | |||
| Norwegian | pulver | ||
| In Norwegian, "pulver" can also mean "powdered spice". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | pó | ||
| The word "pó" can also refer to "dust" or "pollination". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | pùdar | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word pùdar is an anglicisation of "powder" but also means "thunder" or "rumbling noise". | |||
| Spanish | polvo | ||
| In Spanish, "polvo" can also refer to a fine dust or a cloud of small particles. | |||
| Swedish | pulver | ||
| In Finnish, it also means "gunpowder" and is sometimes used in this sense in Swedish. | |||
| Welsh | powdr | ||
| The Welsh word "powdr" can also mean "magic" or "dust". | |||
Powder in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | парашок | ||
| The Belarusian word "парашок" is also used to refer to a very small amount of something (especially something illegal) or to the dust from a road. | |||
| Bosnian | prah | ||
| The word "prah" in Bosnian is etymologically related to the Proto-Slavic word *porxъ, meaning "dust" or "ashes". | |||
| Bulgarian | прах | ||
| The word "прах" in Bulgarian originates from the Proto-Slavic word "porxъ", which means "dust" or "ashes" | |||
| Czech | prášek | ||
| The word "prášek" originates from the Proto-Slavic word "*pьrsьk" (sprinkle), related to "prskati" (to sprinkle). | |||
| Estonian | pulber | ||
| The word "pulber" is derived from the German word "Pulver", which also means "powder". | |||
| Finnish | jauhe | ||
| The Finnish word "jauhe" can also refer to a type of coarse-ground coffee. | |||
| Hungarian | por | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning, "por" can also refer to a form of punishment in which a criminal is buried in the ground up to their waist and left to die of exposure. | |||
| Latvian | pulveris | ||
| The word "pulveris" in Latvian comes from the Latin word "pulvis", which means "dust" or "powder". | |||
| Lithuanian | milteliai | ||
| The word "milteliai" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *mel-, "to grind" | |||
| Macedonian | прав | ||
| The word 'прав' can also refer to 'dust' or 'ashes' in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | proszek | ||
| The word "proszek" in Polish derives from the German word "Pulver" and originally meant "musket powder". | |||
| Romanian | pudra | ||
| "Pudră" comes from the Latin word "pulvis" meaning "dust" or "powder". | |||
| Russian | порошок | ||
| The Russian word "порошок" (poroshok) derives from the Proto-Slavic word "porxъ", which originally meant "dust". | |||
| Serbian | прах | ||
| The word "прах" in Serbian also means "ashes" or "dust", reflecting its origin in the Proto-Slavic word for "disintegration". | |||
| Slovak | prášok | ||
| The word "prášok" in Slovak is derived from the Old Czech word "prach", meaning "dust" or "powder", and is related to the Polish word "proch". | |||
| Slovenian | prah | ||
| The word 'prah' is a Slavic word for 'powder', also used in Polish and Slovak. | |||
| Ukrainian | порошок | ||
| The word "порошок" comes from the Old Church Slavonic слово "порхъ", which means "dust". | |||
Powder in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | গুঁড়া | ||
| "গুঁড়া" means "powder" in Bengali, but it also refers to a fine dust or powder that is used as a cosmetic or medicine. | |||
| Gujarati | પાવડર | ||
| The Gujarati word "પાવડર" is derived from the Persian word "paudar" and also refers to gunpowder. | |||
| Hindi | पाउडर | ||
| In Hindi, 'पाउडर' can also mean 'gunpowder' or 'medicine' | |||
| Kannada | ಪುಡಿ | ||
| The Kannada word 'pudi' is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word 'puti', meaning 'to grind' or 'to make fine'. | |||
| Malayalam | പൊടി | ||
| The Malayalam word 'പൊടി' ('powder') also refers to the dust created by grinding a material. | |||
| Marathi | पावडर | ||
| "पावडर" (powder) is derived from the Portuguese word "polvera" meaning "pot", "dust box" or "small box", and is also used to refer to a type of traditional Indian sweet, a steamed rice cake. | |||
| Nepali | पाउडर | ||
| The Nepali word "पाउडर" is derived from the English word "powder", which in turn is derived from the Old French word "poudre" or the Middle English word "powder", which is thought to have originated from the Proto-Germanic root *pordus, meaning "dust, ground soil, powder." | |||
| Punjabi | ਪਾ powderਡਰ | ||
| The word "ਪਾ powderਡਰ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "पर्ण" (parṇa), meaning "leaf". Additionally, it means "gunpowder" in the Punjabi language. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කුඩු | ||
| In Sinhala, the word "කුඩු" ("powder") is also used as a measurement unit for small quantities of substances, such as spices or medicine. | |||
| Tamil | தூள் | ||
| The word "தூள்" (powder) in Tamil also refers to dust, ash, and the pollen of flowers. | |||
| Telugu | పొడి | ||
| The Telugu word "పొడి" also means "small" or "slight". | |||
| Urdu | پاؤڈر | ||
| The word "پاؤڈر" (powder) is derived from the Middle French word "poudre" (gunpowder). | |||
Powder in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 粉末 | ||
| The character 粉 in 粉末 also means "to mill" or "to grind". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 粉末 | ||
| '粉末' is also used to refer to the fine powder used in cosmetics and medicine, known as 'talc' or 'face powder' in English. | |||
| Japanese | パウダー | ||
| The word "パウダー" (powder) in Japanese can also refer to a fine, powdery snow. | |||
| Korean | 가루 | ||
| In Korean, '가루' (garu) also refers to flour, starch, or dust, highlighting its versatile nature beyond just describing cosmetic products. | |||
| Mongolian | нунтаг | ||
| Although ᠨᠤᠨᠲᠠᠭ is derived from the word ᠨᠠᠮ Trần, it can also mean "dust" and "flour" in certain contexts. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အမှုန့် | ||
Powder in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | bubuk | ||
| "Bubuk" in Indonesian is derived from the Sanskrit word "bhuka" meaning "dust". | |||
| Javanese | bubuk | ||
| "Bubuk" also refers to face powder or the powder makeup that the female nobles of the Java royal court used to apply on their faces. | |||
| Khmer | ម្សៅ | ||
| “ម្សៅ” can also mean “salty” or “spicy”. | |||
| Lao | ຜົງ | ||
| The word “ຜົງ” in Lao can also refer to dust, flour, pollen, or even gunpowder | |||
| Malay | serbuk | ||
| The word "serbuk" is thought to come from the Sanskrit word "dhrb", meaning "to hold" or "to contain". | |||
| Thai | ผง | ||
| The Thai word ผง originates from the Mon word ပေါង meaning 'to break into small pieces'. It also refers to a medicinal mixture, especially of ground herbs. | |||
| Vietnamese | bột | ||
| The word "bột" can also refer to the residue of boiled rice, a paste made from fermented rice, or a flour made from various grains or beans. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pulbos | ||
Powder in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | toz | ||
| The word "toz" in Azerbaijani also means "dust" and is derived from the Persian word "tūz". | |||
| Kazakh | ұнтақ | ||
| The Kazakh word "ұнтақ" ("powder") is also used to describe finely-ground substances such as flour or spices. | |||
| Kyrgyz | порошок | ||
| The word "порошок" can also refer to "dust" or "medicine" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | хока | ||
| "Хока" (powder) in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "hâk", meaning "dust" or "powder". | |||
| Turkmen | poroşok | ||
| Uzbek | kukun | ||
| The word "kukun" can also refer to "talc powder" when used as "kukun kukuni". | |||
| Uyghur | پاراشوك | ||
Powder in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pauka | ||
| The word "pauka" also means "war club" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | paura | ||
| The Māori word "paura" can also refer to a type of fine flour or starch. | |||
| Samoan | efuefu | ||
| In Samoan, 'efuefu' can also refer to the powdered pollen of plants used in traditional medicine and cosmetics. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pulbos | ||
| The word "pulbos" is derived from the Spanish word "polvo" and also means "dust" or "talcum powder" in Tagalog. | |||
Powder in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ukatsti ukax mä polvo satawa | ||
| Guarani | polvo rehegua | ||
Powder in International Languages
| Esperanto | pulvoro | ||
| The word "pulvoro" is ultimately derived from the Latin word "pulvis" (dust or powder) via French "poudre". | |||
| Latin | pulveris | ||
| Pulveris, the Latin word for "powder," is related to the verb "pulverare," meaning "to bruise or crush into dust." | |||
Powder in Others Languages
| Greek | σκόνη | ||
| In ancient Greek, "σκόνη" also referred to "dust" or "ash" created by burning something, and its metaphorical use extended to indicate "trouble" or "hardship." | |||
| Hmong | hmoov | ||
| **Hmoov** can also mean "flour" or "dust." | |||
| Kurdish | toz | ||
| The word "toz" in Kurdish can also mean "dust", "dirt", or "ashes". | |||
| Turkish | pudra | ||
| In Turkish, "pudra" not only refers to "powder" but also to "cocaine" and "heroin" in criminal slang. | |||
| Xhosa | umgubo | ||
| The term "umgubo" in Xhosa can also refer to a traditional African hair styling product made from white clay, herbs, and sometimes animal fat. | |||
| Yiddish | פּודער | ||
| The Yiddish word "פּודער" (powder) also means "face powder". | |||
| Zulu | impuphu | ||
| Imphuphu, in Zulu, comes from the Proto-Bantu word *punpunu*, or "ash or soot". | |||
| Assamese | গুড়ি | ||
| Aymara | ukatsti ukax mä polvo satawa | ||
| Bhojpuri | पाउडर के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ޕައުޑަރެވެ | ||
| Dogri | पाउडर दा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pulbos | ||
| Guarani | polvo rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | pulbos | ||
| Krio | paoda we dɛn kin yuz | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پاودەر | ||
| Maithili | पाउडर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯥꯎꯗꯔ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | powder a ni | ||
| Oromo | daakuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପାଉଡର | | ||
| Quechua | polvo nisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | चूर्णम् | ||
| Tatar | порошок | ||
| Tigrinya | ፓውደር ዝበሃል ዱቄት። | ||
| Tsonga | phoyizeni | ||