Sea in Different Languages
Discover 'Sea' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The sea, a vast and mysterious body of water, has been a source of fascination for humans since the beginning of time. It has played a crucial role in the development of civilizations, providing a means of transportation, sustenance, and trade. The sea is also a symbol of power and beauty, inspiring countless works of art, literature, and music.
Moreover, the sea holds a special place in many cultures and languages. For example, in Hawaiian, the sea is known as kai, while in Maori, it is called moana. In Spanish, the word for sea is mar, and in French, it is mer.
Did you know that the world's largest sea, the Philippine Sea, covers an area of over 5 million square kilometers? Or that the sea has been used as a form of communication, with messages being tied to the legs of seagulls or written on bottles and thrown into the water?
Join us as we explore the translations of the word 'sea' in different languages, shedding light on the cultural significance and beauty of this magnificent natural wonder.
Sea
Sea in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | see | ||
| Afrikaans 'see' originates from the Dutch word 'zee', which also means 'sea', but can also refer to large lakes such as the Caspian Sea. | |||
| Amharic | ባሕር | ||
| "ባሕር" in Amharic can also refer to a large lake, a body of water, or a sea of people. | |||
| Hausa | teku | ||
| "Teku" in Hausa is derived from the Proto-Benue-Congo root *kɔŋ, meaning "water". | |||
| Igbo | oké osimiri | ||
| "Oké osimiri" in Igbo also means "abode of the water spirits." | |||
| Malagasy | ranomasina | ||
| In Malagasy, RANOMASINA means "the vast saltwater," suggesting a connection to the Proto-Austronesian root "raq" (to salt) | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | nyanja | ||
| The word "nyanja" in Nyanja (Chichewa) has multiple meanings, including "lake" and "salt". | |||
| Shona | gungwa | ||
| The Shona word "gungwa" is derived from the Proto-Bantu root "*-ngwa" meaning "water" or "lake". | |||
| Somali | badda | ||
| Badda can be derived from the root “bed” meaning to stretch or extend. | |||
| Sesotho | leoatle | ||
| The word "leoatle" in Sesotho also refers to bodies of water within a river, such as pools or eddies. | |||
| Swahili | bahari | ||
| Bahari also means "sailor" in Swahili, as the Bantu root *bari* indicates "to travel by water." | |||
| Xhosa | ulwandle | ||
| The word "ulwandle" also means "darkness" in Xhosa, referring to the unknown and mysterious nature of the sea. | |||
| Yoruba | okun | ||
| "Òkún" in Yoruba also refers to a large expanse of water, such as a lagoon, river, or ocean. | |||
| Zulu | ulwandle | ||
| The word 'ulwandle' in Zulu is derived from the Proto-Bantu form *lu-w-andi, which also means 'sea'. | |||
| Bambara | kɔgɔji | ||
| Ewe | atsyiaƒu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | inyanja | ||
| Lingala | mbu | ||
| Luganda | enyanja | ||
| Sepedi | lewatle | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɛpo | ||
Sea in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | البحر | ||
| Derived from the verb 'bahr' (to flow), 'al-bahr' also refers to rivers or large bodies of water, including the Nile, Euphrates, and Tigris. | |||
| Hebrew | יָם | ||
| Pashto | بحر | ||
| The Pashto word "بحر" ("baḥr") originates from the Arabic word of the same spelling and pronunciation, both meaning "sea". | |||
| Arabic | البحر | ||
| Derived from the verb 'bahr' (to flow), 'al-bahr' also refers to rivers or large bodies of water, including the Nile, Euphrates, and Tigris. | |||
Sea in Western European Languages
| Albanian | det | ||
| "Det" in Albanian also means "wave" or "current". | |||
| Basque | itsasoa | ||
| The word "itsasoa" (sea) in Basque is a compound word meaning "desert of water". | |||
| Catalan | mar | ||
| "Mar" also refers to wetlands or salt water lakes | |||
| Croatian | more | ||
| The Croatian word 'more' shares its etymological roots with the English word 'mere', both meaning a body of water. | |||
| Danish | hav | ||
| The word "hav" in Danish also refers to a large lake, and is cognate with the English word "haugh" | |||
| Dutch | zee | ||
| The Dutch word "zee" also refers to the specific sea between the Netherlands, Germany, and the United Kingdom, known as the North Sea in English. | |||
| English | sea | ||
| The word "sea" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *seh₁-, meaning "to flow" or "to boil". | |||
| French | mer | ||
| The word 'mer' in French derives from the Latin word 'mare', meaning 'sea', and can also refer to a lake in certain contexts. | |||
| Frisian | see | ||
| The Frisian word "see" can also mean "lake" or "pond". | |||
| Galician | mar | ||
| The Galician word "mar" is also used to refer to the intertidal zone (the area between the high and low tide marks). | |||
| German | meer | ||
| Meer in German is related to the English word 'mere,' which means lake, and can also refer to a small inland body of water. | |||
| Icelandic | sjó | ||
| "Sjó" in Icelandic is cognate with "see" in English and likely derives from the Proto-Germanic word *sewjō, also meaning "sea". | |||
| Irish | farraige | ||
| The word "farraige" also means "ocean" and is derived from the Proto-Celtic word *wari-. | |||
| Italian | mare | ||
| The Italian word "mare" also refers to the female of an equine, a "mare" in English, and this is the word's original Latin etymology. | |||
| Luxembourgish | mier | ||
| In Luxembourgish "Mier" also means "lake" and is related to the Old High German word "meri" meaning "lake" or "swamp". | |||
| Maltese | baħar | ||
| The word “baħar” may also refer to a “large amount” or “plenty.” | |||
| Norwegian | hav | ||
| The word "hav" is cognate with the Gothic word "hafs" and the Old Norse word "hof" meaning "bay". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | mar | ||
| In Portuguese, “mar” can also refer to a large lake or an arm of the ocean. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | mar | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, "mar" can refer to the "sea" but it can also mean "like" or "as."} | |||
| Spanish | mar | ||
| The word 'mar' can refer to a particular sea, like the Mediterranean Sea, or to the sea in general, like the open sea. | |||
| Swedish | hav | ||
| "Hav" has the same root as "heaviness". | |||
| Welsh | môr | ||
| Welsh "môr" derives from Old Celtic "mori," sharing cognates with English "mere" and Latin "mare" | |||
Sea in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | мора | ||
| Belarusian «мора» («sea») is cognate with English «mire» and the Proto-Indo-European root *mere- («marsh, sea») | |||
| Bosnian | more | ||
| The word "more" can also mean "lake" or "marsh" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | море | ||
| The word "море" in Bulgarian can also refer to "lake" or "ocean". | |||
| Czech | moře | ||
| The word "moře" can also refer to a vast amount of something, such as "a sea of people". | |||
| Estonian | meri | ||
| The word "meri" in Estonian may also refer to a large body of fresh water, such as a lake. | |||
| Finnish | meri | ||
| The word "meri" comes from the Proto-Finnic word "mere," which also means "big lake" | |||
| Hungarian | tenger | ||
| The word "tenger" in Hungarian is of Turkic origin and also means "vast steppe" or "ocean". | |||
| Latvian | jūra | ||
| The word “jūra” is derived from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning “water” and is cognate with words like “ocean” and “lake” in other languages. | |||
| Lithuanian | jūra | ||
| The word "jūra" (sea) in Lithuanian originates from the Proto-Indo-European root "*h₂éh₂s-ur-," meaning "water" or "liquid." | |||
| Macedonian | море | ||
| The word “море” is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root “*móri-”, meaning “water, sea, lake”. | |||
| Polish | morze | ||
| The word "morze" also means "liquid" or "brine" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | mare | ||
| Romanian "mare" derives from Old Slavic "more", and cognate with Albanian "det" and English "mere". | |||
| Russian | море | ||
| The word "море" in Russian is cognate with the English word "mere", both deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root *mer- meaning "lake" or "sea". | |||
| Serbian | море | ||
| The word "море" also means "flood" in Serbian, stemming from the Proto-Slavic word "*morje" meaning "sea" or "flood". | |||
| Slovak | more | ||
| The Slovak word "more" not only means "sea" but also "plague" or "epidemic". | |||
| Slovenian | morje | ||
| The word "morje" in Slovenian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*morje", which has also been reconstructed as the origin of the word "mare" in Latin. | |||
| Ukrainian | море | ||
| "Море" (sea) derives from the Proto-Slavic "*morje," akin to the Latin "mare" and the Greek "μάρ.“} | |||
Sea in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সমুদ্র | ||
| "সমুদ্র" is derived from Sanskrit and means "to gather or assemble." | |||
| Gujarati | સમુદ્ર | ||
| The word "સમુદ્ર" (samudra) can also refer to a celestial ocean in Hindu cosmology. | |||
| Hindi | समुद्र | ||
| The word 'समुद्र' can also refer to a lake or a large river. | |||
| Kannada | ಸಮುದ್ರ | ||
| The word 'ಸಮುದ್ರ' not only refers to the 'sea', but also to 'collection of water' as well as the 'king of rivers', 'Ganges'. | |||
| Malayalam | കടൽ | ||
| While the Malayalam word "കടൽ" primarily means "sea," it can also refer to a "pool" or a "lake." | |||
| Marathi | समुद्र | ||
| समुद्र is also a name used for the deity Varuna in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | समुद्री | ||
| The word 'समुद्री' can also refer to anything related to the sea, such as marine life or seafaring. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਮੁੰਦਰ | ||
| 'ਸਮੁੰਦਰ' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'samudra' and refers not only to the 'sea' but also to 'a large quantity of water' or 'a large collection'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මුහුදු | ||
| The word “මුහුදු” is derived from the Prakrit word “मुहुत्त” (muhutta), meaning “a moment”. This is because the sea is constantly changing, and can appear very different from one moment to the next. | |||
| Tamil | கடல் | ||
| The Tamil word for sea, 'kadal', is cognate with the Akkadian word 'kadalu', a river or canal, indicating a shared linguistic and cultural history between the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and the Tamil people. | |||
| Telugu | సముద్రం | ||
| "సముద్రం" (samudram) is a Sanskrit word meaning "ocean" or "sea". In Telugu, it is used to refer to the sea. | |||
| Urdu | سمندر | ||
| سمندر (samandar) is a Persian/Arabic word that literally means "sea." In Urdu, it is also used figuratively to mean "a vast expanse of something" or "a multitude of something." | |||
Sea in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 海 | ||
| In ancient Chinese, "海" was often used to refer to the boundless ocean, hence the idiom "海内存知己", which means "you can still find soulmates even across the vast ocean" | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 海 | ||
| "海" also means to swallow in Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | 海 | ||
| "海" can also refer to a lake, ocean, water, or a specific direction (southwest). | |||
| Korean | 바다 | ||
| Mongolian | далай | ||
| The word "далай" can also mean "great" or "vast". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပင်လယ် | ||
| The word "ပင်လယ်" is derived from two Old Mon words: "pram" and "le" which literally mean "salty water." | |||
Sea in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | laut | ||
| The word "laut" is also used to refer to a large body of water, such as a lake or a reservoir. | |||
| Javanese | segara | ||
| The Javanese word "segara" not only means "sea," but also refers to large bodies of water such as lakes and reservoirs. | |||
| Khmer | សមុទ្រ | ||
| The word "សមុទ្រ" can also refer to a large body of water in general, such as a lake or a river. | |||
| Lao | ທະເລ | ||
| In the Tai languages, the word | |||
| Malay | laut | ||
| The word "laut" in Malay is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "*la(u)t", meaning "ocean" or "sea". | |||
| Thai | ทะเล | ||
| The word "ทะเล" in Thai is derived from the Sanskrit word "talaka," which also means "pond" or "lake". | |||
| Vietnamese | biển | ||
| The word "biển" can also mean "lake" or "ocean" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | dagat | ||
Sea in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | dəniz | ||
| The word | |||
| Kazakh | теңіз | ||
| The word "теңіз" (sea) in Kazakh also means "ocean" and "lake". | |||
| Kyrgyz | деңиз | ||
| The word "деңиз" also refers to a large body of water, such as a lake or reservoir, in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | баҳр | ||
| The Tajik word "баҳр" (sea) comes from the Persian word "بحر" (sea), which in turn comes from the Arabic word "بحر" (sea). | |||
| Turkmen | deňiz | ||
| Uzbek | dengiz | ||
| In Turkish, the word "dengiz" can also refer to a lake. | |||
| Uyghur | دېڭىز | ||
Sea in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kai | ||
| The word "kai" in Hawaiian can also refer to salt water in general, or specifically to sea water. | |||
| Maori | moana | ||
| The Maori word moana also means a large lake | |||
| Samoan | sami | ||
| The word "sami" in Samoan is cognate with the Proto-Polynesian word "*tahi" meaning "ocean" or "saltwater". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | dagat | ||
| "Dagat" comes from "dagta" (gush of water), referring to the immense amounts of water bodies, or from "dag-at" (water that gets washed away). | |||
Sea in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | lamar quta | ||
| Guarani | para | ||
Sea in International Languages
| Esperanto | maro | ||
| "Maro" originates from the Proto-Indo-European word *móri-, meaning "standing water". | |||
| Latin | mare | ||
| "Mare" can also mean "a nightmare" in Latin. | |||
Sea in Others Languages
| Greek | θάλασσα | ||
| "θάλασσα" (sea) is thought to have originated from the Proto-Indo-European root "thal," meaning "to flow." | |||
| Hmong | hiav txwv | ||
| In addition to its literal meaning of 'sea,' 'hiav txwv' can also refer to a large body of water such as a lake or ocean, or figuratively to a vast or immeasurable quantity. | |||
| Kurdish | gol | ||
| The word "gol" in Kurdish is related to the Persian word "gol" meaning "flower" and the Turkish word "göl" meaning "lake". | |||
| Turkish | deniz | ||
| "Deniz" kökenli "düğün" sözcüğü, "deniz düğünü" anlamında kullanılmaktadır. | |||
| Xhosa | ulwandle | ||
| The word "ulwandle" also means "darkness" in Xhosa, referring to the unknown and mysterious nature of the sea. | |||
| Yiddish | ים | ||
| In Yiddish the word ים also refers to the Torah and to G-d's knowledge. | |||
| Zulu | ulwandle | ||
| The word 'ulwandle' in Zulu is derived from the Proto-Bantu form *lu-w-andi, which also means 'sea'. | |||
| Assamese | সাগৰ | ||
| Aymara | lamar quta | ||
| Bhojpuri | समुन्दर | ||
| Dhivehi | ކަނޑު | ||
| Dogri | समुंदर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | dagat | ||
| Guarani | para | ||
| Ilocano | taaw | ||
| Krio | watasay | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دەریا | ||
| Maithili | समुद्र | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯃꯨꯗ꯭ꯔ | ||
| Mizo | tuipui | ||
| Oromo | galaana | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସମୁଦ୍ର | ||
| Quechua | mama qucha | ||
| Sanskrit | समुद्रः | ||
| Tatar | диңгез | ||
| Tigrinya | ባሕሪ | ||
| Tsonga | lwandle | ||