Silver in Different Languages
Discover 'Silver' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Silver: a precious metal that has captivated humans for centuries. Its significance extends far beyond its monetary value, as it holds deep cultural and historical importance across the globe. From ancient civilizations to modern society, silver has been used for everything from currency and jewelry to spiritual and medicinal purposes. It's even said that Cleopatra used silver powder as a cosmetic!
Given its rich history and global appeal, it's no wonder that someone might want to know the translation of 'silver' in different languages. After all, language is more than just a means of communication - it's a reflection of culture and tradition. By learning the translation of 'silver' in various languages, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the cultural significance of this remarkable metal.
Here are a few examples to pique your curiosity:
- Spanish: plata
- French: argent
- German: Silber
- Mandarin: 银 (yín)
- Japanese: 銀 (gin)
Stay tuned for a comprehensive list of translations of 'silver' in various languages, and discover the beauty and diversity of linguistic and cultural traditions around the world.
Silver
Silver in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | silwer | ||
| The word "silwer" is derived from the Old English word "seolfor", meaning "money" or "treasure". | |||
| Amharic | ብር | ||
| The word "ብር" (silver) in Amharic is also used to refer to "money" or "currency". | |||
| Hausa | azurfa | ||
| The Hausa word 'azurfa' is also the name of a fish species known for its silvery scales. | |||
| Igbo | ọlaọcha | ||
| The Igbo word “ọlaọcha” also means “white” and is used as a name for the moon. | |||
| Malagasy | silver | ||
| The Malagasy word for "silver" originates from Arabic and is also used in Somali to describe white hair or a horse's gray coat. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | siliva | ||
| The word "siliva" in Nyanja is derived from the Portuguese word "prata", ultimately coming from the Greek word "arguros". | |||
| Shona | sirivha | ||
| The Shona word "sirivha" is thought to be derived from the Proto-Bantu root *-liva-, meaning "to shine" or "to be white". | |||
| Somali | qalin | ||
| The term "qalin" in Somali not only denotes silver but also holds cultural significance, representing wealth and prosperity. | |||
| Sesotho | silevera | ||
| 'Silevera' in Sesotho comes from the Vulgar Latin 'silibra,' ultimately from the ancient Greek 'shekel,' possibly from the Assyro-Babylonian 'siqlu'. | |||
| Swahili | fedha | ||
| In Arabic, 'fidda' means 'silver', 'wealth' or 'ransom' and entered Swahili via Omani traders. | |||
| Xhosa | isilivere | ||
| "Isilivele, isilivere." Literally, "that which shines." | |||
| Yoruba | fadaka | ||
| Yoruba word for 'silver' (fadaka) may originate from a word meaning 'white cowrie' | |||
| Zulu | isiliva | ||
| The Zulu word 'isiliva' can also refer to a type of traditional necklace or a grey horse. | |||
| Bambara | warijɛ | ||
| Ewe | klosalo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ifeza | ||
| Lingala | palata | ||
| Luganda | effeeza | ||
| Sepedi | silibera | ||
| Twi (Akan) | sereba | ||
Silver in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | فضة | ||
| "فضة" is also the name of a type of sweet dough filled with cream | |||
| Hebrew | כסף | ||
| כסף can also mean "money" in slang Hebrew, likely from its historical association with coins. | |||
| Pashto | سلور | ||
| The word "سلور" can also refer to the color silver (as opposed to the metal). | |||
| Arabic | فضة | ||
| "فضة" is also the name of a type of sweet dough filled with cream | |||
Silver in Western European Languages
| Albanian | argjend | ||
| The word "argjend" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂erǵ- which also meant "white", "shining", or "light". | |||
| Basque | zilarra | ||
| The root of the Basque word zilar is thought to be related to the Proto-Indo-European root *ser-, meaning shine or glitter. | |||
| Catalan | plata | ||
| The Catalan word 'plata' comes from the Latin 'platta' and also means 'platter' | |||
| Croatian | srebro | ||
| In Old Church Slavonic the same word meant gold, but in Slavic languages that preserve the Proto-Slavic nasal vowels, gold is called "zlato" and silver "srebro" | |||
| Danish | sølv | ||
| The word "sølv" is related to the Old Norse word "sylfr", which means both "silver" and "treasure". | |||
| Dutch | zilver | ||
| "Zilver" (silver) comes from the Old Dutch "silubar", ultimately deriving from the Proto-Indo-European word for "shining, bright". | |||
| English | silver | ||
| The word 'silver' derives from the Middle English 'silver', which itself comes from the Proto-Germanic 'silubr', cognate with 'silver' in most other Germanic languages. | |||
| French | argent | ||
| The word 'argent' in French can also refer to money or wealth. | |||
| Frisian | sulver | ||
| Frisian "sulver" derives from a Proto-Germanic term related to sunlight. | |||
| Galician | prata | ||
| In Spanish, the word “plata” denotes a specific silver coin minted in the Americas between the 16th–19th centuries. | |||
| German | silber- | ||
| The word "Silber-" in German has been used to refer to both silver and money since the Middle Ages, and is related to the Old English word "seolfor" meaning "silver". | |||
| Icelandic | silfur | ||
| An Icelandic saying states that when the elves make noise in the mountains, they're said to be "counting their silfur," or money. | |||
| Irish | airgead | ||
| The word "airgead" can also mean "money" in Irish, similar to the word "argent" in French and "argentum" in Latin, both of which originate from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂erǵ-. | |||
| Italian | argento | ||
| The word "argento" comes from the Latin word "argentum", which originally meant "white" or "shining". | |||
| Luxembourgish | sëlwer | ||
| 'Sëlwer' is the Luxembourhish form of 'silver', but can also refer to a silvery or shiny appearance or to the colour grey or white. | |||
| Maltese | fidda | ||
| The word "fidda" in Maltese is derived from the Arabic word "fidda", meaning "silver", and also refers to money in general. | |||
| Norwegian | sølv | ||
| "Sølv" also refers to a plant or coin bearing silver or a colour, tone or note resembling the metallic element. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | prata | ||
| In Sanskrit, 'prata' is 'to expand' or 'to spread out'; in Latin, it is 'argentum' (silver). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | airgead | ||
| The Gaelic word "airgead" also refers to "money", which derives from the value of precious silver. | |||
| Spanish | plata | ||
| The Spanish word "plata" derives from the Greek "pláta," meaning "flat," and shares a root with the English word "plate" | |||
| Swedish | silver- | ||
| In Swedish, "silver-" can also refer to the color grey or to a type of fish called a vendace. | |||
| Welsh | arian | ||
| The word arian is a descendant of the Proto-Celtic term *arganto, meaning both metal, especially silver, and money | |||
Silver in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | срэбра | ||
| The word "срэбра" ("silver") comes from the Indo-European root *ser- (*shining), also found in words like "зiрка" ("star") and "свiтаць" ("to dawn"). | |||
| Bosnian | srebro | ||
| The word 'srebro' in Bosnian ultimately comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂erǵ-ent- (meaning 'white') | |||
| Bulgarian | сребро | ||
| The word "сребро" is also used in Bulgarian to denote a "coin". | |||
| Czech | stříbrný | ||
| The word "stříbrný" originates from the Proto-Slavic word "*sьrebro" meaning "silver" or "money". | |||
| Estonian | hõbe | ||
| The word "hõbe" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word *hopea, which also means "moon". | |||
| Finnish | hopea | ||
| The word 'hopea' is also used to refer to hope in Finnish, likely due to the association between silver and wealth or prosperity. | |||
| Hungarian | ezüst | ||
| The Hungarian word "ezüst" likely derives from the Proto-Turkic *kümüş, which also gave rise to the Slavic words for silver (such as Russian "серебро") and the Persian word "سیم". | |||
| Latvian | sudrabs | ||
| The word "Sudrabs" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂erǵ- "white" and is cognate with the Lithuanian word "sidabras" and the Old Prussian word "sirabis". | |||
| Lithuanian | sidabras | ||
| The Lithuanian word "sidabras" also means "money" or "wealth". | |||
| Macedonian | сребро | ||
| In Macedonian, the word "сребро" also means "money" or "wealth". | |||
| Polish | srebro | ||
| The word "srebro" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *sьrebro, which is related to the Sanskrit word "çilpara." Both words mean "bright" or "shiny." | |||
| Romanian | argint | ||
| The word "argint" may also refer to a traditional type of Romanian embroidery or to the name of an old Romanian coin. | |||
| Russian | серебряный | ||
| The word "Серебряный" can also mean "silvery" or "made of silver". | |||
| Serbian | сребро | ||
| The Serbian word "сребро" (silver) shares the same Proto-Slavic root "sьrebro" with "среда" (Wednesday) and "средина" (middle), indicating its ancient association with the middle day of the week and the central point of a circle. | |||
| Slovak | striebro | ||
| The word "striebro" comes from the Old Slavic word "srebro", meaning "bright" or "shining". | |||
| Slovenian | srebro | ||
| In Polish, the word "srebro" also means "money". | |||
| Ukrainian | срібло | ||
| "Срібло" (literally: " серебро" in Russian) originally meant "gold" in the Proto-Slavic language. | |||
Silver in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | রূপা | ||
| The word "রূপা" (silver) derives from the Sanskrit word "रूप" (form) and refers to the metal's malleability and ability to take different forms. | |||
| Gujarati | ચાંદીના | ||
| ચાંદીના' is a Gujarati word that originated from the Sanskrit word 'Chandana'. It does not mean 'silver' in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | चांदी | ||
| The Hindi word "चांदी" has been theorized to have originated from the Sanskrit word "चन्द्र" (chandra), meaning "moon". | |||
| Kannada | ಬೆಳ್ಳಿ | ||
| The term "ಬೆಳ್ಳಿ" is derived from the Prakrit word "veḷi" and is also associated with the Sanskrit word "veṇu," meaning "reed or flute". This connection alludes to the belief that silver resembles or sounds like a flute in certain contexts. | |||
| Malayalam | വെള്ളി | ||
| The word "വെള്ളി" in Malayalam also refers to Friday, the day of the week named after the planet Venus. | |||
| Marathi | चांदी | ||
| The word "चांदी" is thought to have derived from the Prakrit word "चांदि" and Sanskrit word "चांद", both meaning "shining". | |||
| Nepali | चाँदी | ||
| The word "चाँदी" is derived from the Sanskrit word "चंद्र" (candra), meaning "moon". | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਿਲਵਰ | ||
| The word "ਸਿਲਵਰ" in Punjabi refers to both the element silver and the color silver, and is derived from the Sanskrit word "silavra," which means "white". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | රිදී | ||
| The word "රිදී" (silver) in Sinhala is derived from the Sanskrit word "रजत" (rajata), meaning "silver" or "shining". | |||
| Tamil | வெள்ளி | ||
| The word 'வெள்ளி' can also refer to Friday, a period of 48 minutes, or wealth | |||
| Telugu | వెండి | ||
| The Telugu word "వెండి" comes from the Prakrit word "vendi", which in turn comes from the Sanskrit word "vedana", meaning "knowledge" or "wisdom". | |||
| Urdu | چاندی | ||
| The word "چاندی" in Urdu is derived from the Sanskrit word "chandr" meaning "moon". | |||
Silver in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 银 | ||
| In Chinese, "银" originally meant "white" and was later used to refer to silver due to its white color. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 銀 | ||
| 銀 has alternate meanings of "money" or "bank" in Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | 銀 | ||
| The kanji 銀 (silver) can also refer to money or financial matters in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 은 | ||
| The Korean word "은" (silver) is also used to refer to money, especially in the context of a certain amount of money. | |||
| Mongolian | мөнгө | ||
| In addition to "silver", "мөнгө" also means "money" in Mongolian, as it was the most valuable currency in the past. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ငွေ | ||
| In Burmese, “ငွေ” can also refer to currency in general, not just silver coins. | |||
Silver in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | perak | ||
| Perak is also the name of a state in Malaysia and a river in Sumatra. | |||
| Javanese | perak | ||
| In Javanese, perak is also used as a name for a variety of objects made of silver, such as jewelry, utensils, and coins. | |||
| Khmer | ប្រាក់ | ||
| In Thai, the cognate "prāk" (ปราก) also means "money" and is thought to have descended from an Austroasiatic word for "exchange or trade." | |||
| Lao | ເງິນ | ||
| The word ເງິນ (literally meaning 'silver') was derived from the Pali word 'rajata', which also means 'silver'. | |||
| Malay | perak | ||
| "Perak" also refers to the state in Malaysia and a river that flows through Thailand and Malaysia, both named after the silver-bearing ores once mined in the area. | |||
| Thai | เงิน | ||
| The word "เงิน" can also refer to "money" in a broader sense, encompassing both physical and digital forms of currency. | |||
| Vietnamese | bạc | ||
| The word "bạc" can also mean "hoary" or "gray" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pilak | ||
Silver in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | gümüş | ||
| The word "gümüş" comes from the Persian word "sim", which also means "silver". | |||
| Kazakh | күміс | ||
| In 13th century Turkic lexicon it also had the meaning of "gold" and in modern Turkish the word "gümüş" still means "silver". | |||
| Kyrgyz | күмүш | ||
| Kyrgyz күмүш 'silver' is borrowed from Mongolian 'silver' and ultimately derives from Middle Chinese 'metal'. | |||
| Tajik | нуқра | ||
| The word "нуқра" in Tajik derives from the Sanskrit word "nakram" or "nīla" meaning "blue" | |||
| Turkmen | kümüş | ||
| Uzbek | kumush | ||
| In Uzbek, the word "kumush" is etymologically related to words for "moon" in other Turkic languages, indicating its association with the lunar metal. | |||
| Uyghur | كۈمۈش | ||
Silver in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kālā | ||
| A secondary meaning for kālā is 'to cause to be white' | |||
| Maori | hiriwa | ||
| In Maori, 'silver' (hiriwa) also means 'to make a sound' or 'to be noisy'. | |||
| Samoan | siliva | ||
| The word "siliva" in Samoan has a secondary meaning of "money" or "currency". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pilak | ||
| The word "pilak" in Tagalog (Filipino) is also used to refer to a silvery sheen or luster. | |||
Silver in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | qullqi | ||
| Guarani | viru | ||
Silver in International Languages
| Esperanto | arĝento | ||
| A shortened form of 'argentum', Latin for 'silver money'. | |||
| Latin | argenti | ||
| The etymology of 'argenti' (silver) is unclear, and some propose its connection to the Greek 'argos' (shining) or 'argidamara', a plant used in silverworking. | |||
Silver in Others Languages
| Greek | ασήμι | ||
| The Greek word "ασήμι" also has a secondary and poetic meaning as "moonlight". | |||
| Hmong | nyiaj | ||
| The Proto-Hmong word "*ŋuŋ" is also a homophone for "coin" in Hmong and in many other Mienic languages such as Biao Min and Kim Mun. | |||
| Kurdish | zîv | ||
| Some linguists suggest that "zîv" also means "adornment". | |||
| Turkish | gümüş | ||
| In Ottoman Turkish, 'gümüş' also meant 'money' as in 'gümüş para' (silver money). | |||
| Xhosa | isilivere | ||
| "Isilivele, isilivere." Literally, "that which shines." | |||
| Yiddish | זילבער | ||
| The word "זילבער" (zilber) in Yiddish can be used to refer to both the chemical element and the color silver, as well as to a type of coin minted from silver. | |||
| Zulu | isiliva | ||
| The Zulu word 'isiliva' can also refer to a type of traditional necklace or a grey horse. | |||
| Assamese | ৰূপ | ||
| Aymara | qullqi | ||
| Bhojpuri | चांदी | ||
| Dhivehi | ރިހި | ||
| Dogri | चांदी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pilak | ||
| Guarani | viru | ||
| Ilocano | pirak | ||
| Krio | silva | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | زیو | ||
| Maithili | चांदी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯨꯄꯥ | ||
| Mizo | tangkarua | ||
| Oromo | nahaasii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ରୂପା | ||
| Quechua | qullqi | ||
| Sanskrit | रजत | ||
| Tatar | көмеш | ||
| Tigrinya | ነሓስ | ||
| Tsonga | silivhere | ||