Shadow in Different Languages
Discover 'Shadow' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Shadow
Afrikaans skaduwee | ||
Albanian hije | ||
Amharic ጥላ | ||
Arabic ظل | ||
Armenian ստվեր | ||
Assamese ছাঁ | ||
Aymara ch'iwi | ||
Azerbaijani kölgə | ||
Bambara ja | ||
Basque itzala | ||
Belarusian цень | ||
Bengali ছায়া | ||
Bhojpuri परछाई | ||
Bosnian sjena | ||
Bulgarian сянка | ||
Catalan ombra | ||
Cebuano landong | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 阴影 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 陰影 | ||
Corsican ombra | ||
Croatian sjena | ||
Czech stín | ||
Danish skygge | ||
Dhivehi ހިޔަނި | ||
Dogri छौरा | ||
Dutch schaduw | ||
English shadow | ||
Esperanto ombro | ||
Estonian vari | ||
Ewe vɔvɔli | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) anino | ||
Finnish varjo | ||
French ombre | ||
Frisian skaad | ||
Galician sombra | ||
Georgian ჩრდილი | ||
German schatten | ||
Greek σκιά | ||
Guarani kuarahy'ã | ||
Gujarati પડછાયો | ||
Haitian Creole lonbraj | ||
Hausa inuwa | ||
Hawaiian aka | ||
Hebrew צֵל | ||
Hindi साया | ||
Hmong duab ntxoov ntxoo | ||
Hungarian árnyék | ||
Icelandic skuggi | ||
Igbo onyinyo | ||
Ilocano anniniwan | ||
Indonesian bayangan | ||
Irish scáth | ||
Italian ombra | ||
Japanese 影 | ||
Javanese bayangan | ||
Kannada ನೆರಳು | ||
Kazakh көлеңке | ||
Khmer ស្រមោល | ||
Kinyarwanda igicucu | ||
Konkani सावळी | ||
Korean 그림자 | ||
Krio shed | ||
Kurdish sî | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) سێبەر | ||
Kyrgyz көлөкө | ||
Lao ເງົາ | ||
Latin umbra | ||
Latvian ēna | ||
Lingala elili | ||
Lithuanian šešėlis | ||
Luganda ekisiikirize | ||
Luxembourgish schied | ||
Macedonian сенка | ||
Maithili परछाई | ||
Malagasy aloky | ||
Malay bayangan | ||
Malayalam നിഴൽ | ||
Maltese dell | ||
Maori atarangi | ||
Marathi सावली | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯝꯃꯤ | ||
Mizo hlimthla | ||
Mongolian сүүдэр | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) အရိပ် | ||
Nepali छाया | ||
Norwegian skygge | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) mthunzi | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଛାୟା | ||
Oromo gaaddidduu | ||
Pashto سیوری | ||
Persian سایه | ||
Polish cień | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) sombra | ||
Punjabi ਪਰਛਾਵਾਂ | ||
Quechua llantu | ||
Romanian umbră | ||
Russian тень | ||
Samoan ata lafoia | ||
Sanskrit छाया | ||
Scots Gaelic sgàil | ||
Sepedi morithi | ||
Serbian сенка | ||
Sesotho seriti | ||
Shona mumvuri | ||
Sindhi پاڇو | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) සෙවනැල්ල | ||
Slovak tieň | ||
Slovenian senca | ||
Somali hooska | ||
Spanish sombra | ||
Sundanese kalangkang | ||
Swahili kivuli | ||
Swedish skugga | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) anino | ||
Tajik соя | ||
Tamil நிழல் | ||
Tatar күләгә | ||
Telugu నీడ | ||
Thai เงา | ||
Tigrinya ፅላሎት | ||
Tsonga ndzhuti | ||
Turkish gölge | ||
Turkmen kölege | ||
Twi (Akan) sunsum | ||
Ukrainian тінь | ||
Urdu سایہ | ||
Uyghur سايە | ||
Uzbek soya | ||
Vietnamese bóng | ||
Welsh cysgodol | ||
Xhosa isithunzi | ||
Yiddish שאָטן | ||
Yoruba ojiji | ||
Zulu isithunzi |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word "skaduwee" has Old High German origins, where "skado" meant "shade" and "uu" meant "something covering a space." |
| Albanian | The Albanian word "hije" is cognate with the Latin "umbra" and the Proto-Indo-European root "*h₁éǵʰs", meaning "covering, veil, or protection". |
| Amharic | "ጥላ" can also mean "shade" or "darkness". |
| Arabic | The Quranic word ظل (shadow) is derived from the verb ظلل (to shade), and its primary meaning is 'covering' or 'protection'. |
| Armenian | The word "ստվեր" is also used to describe a shadow figure or silhouette. |
| Azerbaijani | The word "kölgə" is derived from the Turkic root "köl" meaning "lake" or "pool". |
| Basque | The Basque word "itzala" also means "refuge" or "protection". |
| Belarusian | The word цень (tsen') in Belarusian also refers to a dark, shadowy place or a hidden spot. |
| Bengali | The Bengali word ছায়া (shadow) is cognate with the Sanskrit छाया (shadow) and also means 'reflection', 'image' or 'shade'. |
| Bosnian | The Croatian cognate 'sjena' also had meanings of "spectre" or "apparition" but in Bosnian "sjena" only retains the meaning of "shadow". |
| Bulgarian | The word "сянка" is also used to refer to a "reflection" or a "silhouette" in Bulgarian. |
| Catalan | "Ombra" can also mean shade, ghost, protection, and umbrella in Catalan. |
| Cebuano | The Cebuano word "landong" originally referred to a ghost or spirit believed to cause illness. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 阴影 (yīnyǐn) in Chinese can also refer to "influence" or "a sense of depression." |
| Chinese (Traditional) | The word "陰影" (shadow) in Chinese also means "shady places" or "hidden truths". |
| Corsican | In Corsican, "ombra" can also mean "shade", "shelter", or "privacy". |
| Croatian | The Croatian word 'sjena', meaning 'shadow', is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'sěna', which means 'darkness'. |
| Czech | The Czech word "stín" also means "shelter" or "protection". |
| Danish | The Danish word "skygge" has no clear etymology, but has been connected to "skjule" (conceal), "sky" (cloud), or the Proto-Indo-European root *skeu- 'to cover'. |
| Dutch | The word "schaduw" could also mean "shade" or "shadow play" in the context of theater performances. |
| Esperanto | The word "ombro" also means "shade" or "tint" as in the phrases "sunshade" and "skin tone". |
| Estonian | In addition to its meaning of "shadow," "vari" can also refer to "a shade of color" or "a variant form of something" in Estonian. |
| Finnish | The Finnish word "varjo" (shadow) may also refer to a place of hiding or refuge. |
| French | French "ombre" comes from the Latin "umbra" for "shadow" but refers to a fish, the grayling, from its dark back. |
| Frisian | The Frisian word 'skaad' not only means 'shadow', but also 'ghost' and 'demon'. |
| Galician | The Galician word "sombra" can also mean "shade" or "protection from the sun or heat". |
| Georgian | The term ჩრდილი may also refer to a person acting secretively or stealthily, such as a "spy" or "secret agent." |
| German | The word 'Schatten' also denotes the 'dark side' of a person or thing, or an 'image' or 'outline'. |
| Greek | The word "σκιά" comes from the Indo-European root "skei-," which means "to cover" or "to protect." |
| Gujarati | The Gujarati word "પડછાયો" (shadow) is derived from the Sanskrit word "प्रतिछाया" (praticchāyā), meaning "counter-image" or "reflection". It can also refer to a person's influence or reputation, or figuratively to a person who follows closely behind another. |
| Haitian Creole | The word "lonbraj" in Haitian Creole is derived from the French word "ombre" and also means "shade". |
| Hausa | The Hausa word 'inuwa' can also refer to a guardian spirit or an invisible companion that protects a person. |
| Hawaiian | In Hawaiian, "aka" can refer to shadows, spirits of the dead, or ancestors that guide and protect the living. |
| Hebrew | In Kabbalah, 'צל' can represent the negative aspect of Creation, the side of judgment and limitation |
| Hindi | The Sanskrit word 'छाय' (pronounced 'chāyā'), from which 'साय' ('sāyā') is derived, originally meant a 'shade' or 'reflected light'. |
| Hmong | In Hmong, the word "duab ntxoov ntxoo" also refers to a person's reflection in a mirror or water. |
| Hungarian | The word 'árnyék' also means 'contour' in Hungarian, indicating the shape or outline of something. |
| Icelandic | "Skuggi" derives from the Proto-Germanic root "*skuggjan" which can also be seen in English "shadow" or "shade". |
| Igbo | In Mbaise Igbo, "onyinyo" not only means "shadow" but also "evil spirit," and can be used to refer to a ghost or a demon. |
| Indonesian | The word 'bayangan' also means 'imagination' or 'vision' in Indonesian and is derived from the Old Javanese word 'bayang', meaning 'shadow' or 'phantom'. |
| Irish | The Irish word "scáth" also means "shelter", "protection", "safety", or "shelter from the elements". |
| Italian | The word "ombra" can also mean "spectre," "spirit," or "shade". |
| Japanese | "影" can refer to both a physical or metaphorical shadow, as well as the ghost of a deceased person or an apparition. |
| Javanese | In Javanese, "bayangan" not only means "shadow," but also refers to one's "image" or "reflection." |
| Kannada | The Kannada word ಸೆರ್ಲು is derived from the Dravidian root ᔕ and also means "darkness" |
| Kazakh | In Kazakh, the word "көлеңке" also refers to the shade on the dial of a clock, or to the shade left behind by the sunlight, i.e. what in English would be called "penumbra". |
| Khmer | The word "ស្រមោល" (shadow) in Khmer is derived from the Sanskrit word "chāya" (shadow, shade). |
| Korean | The Korean word 그늘 (geuneul) is cognate with the Japanese word 日צל (hi-kage) and means 'shade'. It is a compound of 日 (il, 'sun') and צל (cheul, 'shadow'). The Korean word 그늘 can also be used to mean 'darkness' or 'gloom'. |
| Kurdish | In Sorani Kurdish, "sî" also refers to the soul or spirit of a person when they are away from their body. |
| Kyrgyz | The word "көлөкө" in Kyrgyz is most likely derived from the Proto-Turkic word "kökö", meaning "ghost" or "spirit". It can also be used to refer to a reflection or an image. |
| Lao | It is pronounced “ngao” and can also mean “impression”, “reflection”, or “silhouette”. |
| Latin | The Latin word "umbra" meant either "darkness, shade, gloom" or "the shadowy form of an object as marked out by shade". |
| Latvian | The archaic root *ēn- may have derived from either of Proto-Indo-European roots *h₁eyn- “shade, darkness” or *h₁enʰ- “to blow”. |
| Lithuanian | The Lithuanian word "šešėlis" likely derives from the Proto-Baltic root "*sênslis, |
| Luxembourgish | The word 'Schied' in Luxembourgish can refer to both the literal meaning of 'shadow' and a state of sadness or depression. |
| Macedonian | The word "сенка" is also used in Macedonian to refer to a weak or pale color. |
| Malagasy | "Aloky" also means "spirit" and "darkness". |
| Malay | The word "bayangan" also means an estimate or forecast in Malay and "bayang" can mean projection or outline. |
| Malayalam | The etymology of the Malayalam word "നിഴൽ" likely comes from Tamil and is related to the Sanskrit word "छाया" (shadow). |
| Maltese | The Maltese word 'dell' is also used to describe an area of low-lying land surrounded by hills or mountains. |
| Maori | The word atarangi also signifies 'otherworldliness', a realm of gods, dead, and those who are yet unborn. |
| Marathi | "सावली" is related to the Sanskrit word "छाया" and the Prakrit word "छाया" (both meaning "shadow"). |
| Mongolian | The word 'сүүдэр' also refers to the 'dark side of an object' or 'shade' in Mongolian. |
| Nepali | In Sanskrit and other Indo-Aryan languages, 'छाया' is also used to denote illusion or deception |
| Norwegian | In Old Norse, "skygge" meant "a ghost" or "a phantom". |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "mthunzi" in Nyanja (Chichewa) can also refer to a protector or guardian. |
| Pashto | The word "سیوری" also means "the shade of a tree" or "darkness" in Pashto. |
| Persian | The Persian word "سایه" (shadow) originates from the Old Persian word "θaitiy-," meaning "to conceal or hide". |
| Polish | The Polish word "cień" can also refer to a shade or a nuance and is related to the Proto-Slavic word *kъnь, which meant "dark spot". |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | "Sombra" also means "umbrella" in Portuguese. |
| Romanian | The Romanian word "umbră" is derived from the Latin word "umbra", meaning "shade" or "darkness". |
| Russian | The word 'тень' not only means 'shadow', but also can mean 'shade', 'screen' or 'ghost' in Russian. |
| Samoan | The Samoan word "ata lafoia" can also refer to a figure of speech that describes something as hidden or kept secret. |
| Scots Gaelic | "Sgail" can also mean "shade", "shelter" or "hiding-place" in Scots Gaelic, and is cognate with the Irish "scáth". |
| Serbian | "Senka" can also mean "reflection" or "image" in a figurative sense. |
| Sesotho | The word "seriti" can also refer to a dark-colored or shady place, or to a person with a dark complexion. |
| Shona | The Shona word 'mumvuri' can also refer to a protective spirit or guardian angel. |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "پاڇو" also means "protection" or "support" (similar to the English phrase "under somebody's wing"), which are both extended meanings from the primary meaning of "shadow". |
| Slovak | The word "tieň" can also refer to a person's evil twin or alter ego. |
| Slovenian | "Senca" also refers to an unpleasant or oppressive feeling. |
| Somali | The word "hooska" may have originated from the Arabic word "hawsh", meaning "enclosure" or "courtyard". |
| Spanish | The word "sombra" in Spanish can also refer to a dark horse or an unexpected candidate in an election. |
| Sundanese | The word "kalangkang" in Sundanese also has the alternate meaning of "shelter" or "protection". |
| Swahili | "Kivuli" derives from the verb "kuvulia" which means "to weep or cry" |
| Swedish | "Skugga" is etymologically related to the English word "shelter" and also means "protection" in Swedish. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The Tagalog word "anino" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *qaNiŋu, which also means "ghost" or "spirit". |
| Tajik | The Tajik word "соя" also means "reflection" or "image". |
| Tamil | The word |
| Telugu | The word "నీడ" can also refer to the shaded area created by an object blocking light. |
| Thai | The Thai word "เงา" not only means "shadow," but also an invisible, ephemeral object that accompanies a person throughout their life and vanishes upon their death, serving as a metaphor for the transience of existence. |
| Turkish | The word "gölge" comes from the Proto-Turkic word "kölgö", which also means "darkness" and "night". |
| Ukrainian | The word "тінь" in Ukrainian is also used metaphorically to refer to something that is hidden or mysterious. |
| Urdu | The Urdu word "سایہ" means "shade or shelter provided by something that blocks the sunlight" and is thought to be an onomatopoeia referring to the shade's "hissing" sound when the leaves move. |
| Uzbek | In Uzbek, "soya" also means "coolness" or "darkness". |
| Vietnamese | "Bóng" also means "bulb" because it emits light and creates shadows. |
| Welsh | The word "cysgodol" in Welsh originates from the Proto-Celtic word "*ske(s)-to-lo-", meaning "shadow". It is also related to the Latin word "scutum", meaning "shield". |
| Xhosa | 'Isthunzi' may also mean 'protection' in Xhosa language as a shadow has a protective connotation. |
| Yiddish | In Yiddish, "שאָטן" can refer to both a literal shadow and a shade of color. |
| Yoruba | The Yoruba word "ojiji" has an alternative meaning as a type of Yoruba masquerade. |
| Zulu | The Zulu word for "shadow", "isithunzi", also means "soul" or "essence". |
| English | "Shadow" originates from an Old English word that can mean both "shade" and "a ghostlike figure" |