Sink in Different Languages
Discover 'Sink' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'sink' holds a special significance in our daily lives, often associated with the essential household fixture used for washing dishes or preparing food. Beyond its practical uses, the sink also carries cultural importance, symbolizing nourishment, hygiene, and household duties in various societies.
Understanding the translation of 'sink' in different languages can be a fascinating exploration of global culture and language. For instance, in Spanish, 'sink' translates to 'fregadero' or 'lavabo', while in German, it becomes 'Spüle'. In French, you would say 'évier', and in Japanese, 'sink' is translated as 'シンク' (shinku).
Moreover, the word 'sink' has interesting historical contexts. In naval warfare, a 'sink' could mean a sunken ship, while in physics, 'sink' refers to a region where a fluid falls in pressure. These diverse connotations make the word 'sink' even more intriguing and worthy of exploration.
Join us as we delve deeper into the translations of 'sink' in various languages, providing you with a unique perspective on cultural diversity and linguistic nuances.
Sink
Sink in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | wasbak | ||
| The word "wasbak" can also refer to a washbasin or a sink in a laboratory. | |||
| Amharic | መስመጥ | ||
| The word "መስመጥ" also means "to set" and is related to the verb "መጣ" ("to come"). | |||
| Hausa | nutse | ||
| Nutse is also an exclamation, similar to 'darn' in English. | |||
| Igbo | imi | ||
| The word "imi" in Igbo can also refer to a ditch or a pit. | |||
| Malagasy | hilatsaka | ||
| The word "hilatsaka" may also refer to a hole in the ground where water disappears, or to a type of trap for catching animals. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kumira | ||
| The Nyanja word "kumira" also means "to disappear." | |||
| Shona | kunyura | ||
| In Shona, the word 'kunyura' comes from the Shona word for 'mud,' meaning something is 'like mud'. | |||
| Somali | quusin | ||
| The word "quusin" also means "to drown" in Somali, and is derived from the Arabic word "غص" (ghas), meaning "to sink". | |||
| Sesotho | teba | ||
| The word "teba" is also used to refer to a place where water accumulates, or a swamp. | |||
| Swahili | kuzama | ||
| The word "kuzama" can also mean "to dive", "to submerge", or "to drown". | |||
| Xhosa | shona | ||
| The word 'shona' can also refer to a person who does domestic work, or to the act of digging. | |||
| Yoruba | rì | ||
| The noun 'rì' also means 'to happen' or 'to occur' | |||
| Zulu | cwila | ||
| "Cwila" is a Zulu word derived from Bantu languages, having similar meanings in various dialects | |||
| Bambara | lawabo | ||
| Ewe | yi to | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kurohama | ||
| Lingala | kodinda | ||
| Luganda | okubbira | ||
| Sepedi | sobelela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | mem | ||
Sink in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مكتب المدير | ||
| The word "مكتب المدير" can also refer to the office of the director of a school or company. | |||
| Hebrew | כִּיוֹר | ||
| The word "כִּיוֹר" (sink) is derived from the root word "כּוּר" (furnace), as it was originally used to describe a vessel for holding water to be heated. It can also refer to a basin or a ritual laver. | |||
| Pashto | ډوبول | ||
| The Pashto word "ډوبول" (sink) can also mean to immerse or dip something into a liquid. | |||
| Arabic | مكتب المدير | ||
| The word "مكتب المدير" can also refer to the office of the director of a school or company. | |||
Sink in Western European Languages
| Albanian | lavaman | ||
| The word "lavaman" in Albanian is derived from the Latin word "lavabo," meaning "I wash". | |||
| Basque | harraska | ||
| The Basque word "harraska" comes from the verbal root "has", meaning "to leave" or "to abandon". | |||
| Catalan | pica | ||
| Catalan pica is an homograph, it is the name of a bird (magpie, from Latin PICA) and it is the name of a sink (from Latin PILA) | |||
| Croatian | umivaonik | ||
| The word 'umivaonik' is derived from the Slavic word 'umiti', meaning 'to wash', and the suffix '-nik', indicating a place or thing. | |||
| Danish | håndvask | ||
| Håndvask means “a place where you wash your hands” and can also be a name given to a young boy. | |||
| Dutch | wastafel | ||
| In Dutch, the term 'wastafel' originally referred to a basin used for washing hands, but its meaning has since expanded to include kitchen and bathroom sinks. | |||
| English | sink | ||
| The word "sink" can also refer to a basin or bowl used for washing dishes or hands in a kitchen or bathroom. | |||
| French | évier | ||
| In Old French, 'évier' referred to a place where water flowed but could also mean a sewer. | |||
| Frisian | sinke | ||
| The Frisian word 'sinke' is cognate with the Dutch 'zinken' and the German 'sinken', all meaning 'to sink'. | |||
| Galician | pía | ||
| In Galician, the word "pía" can also refer to a stone basin used to hold holy water in churches. | |||
| German | sinken | ||
| The verb 'sinken' (to sink) is cognate with the English word 'sink' and the Dutch word 'zinken'. | |||
| Icelandic | vaskur | ||
| The Icelandic word "vaskur" originally referred to a wooden trough used for bathing or washing clothes. | |||
| Irish | doirteal | ||
| "Doirteal" derives from "dort", meaning "hole" or "hollow". | |||
| Italian | lavello | ||
| The Italian word "Lavello" derives from the Latin "Lavabo" (I wash), a bowl originally used for washing hands but later extended to the kitchen sink. | |||
| Luxembourgish | ënnerzegoen | ||
| The Luxembourgish word 'ënnerzegoen' is derived from the German word 'untergehen', meaning 'to go down' or 'to sink'. | |||
| Maltese | jegħrqu | ||
| The term "jegħrqu" is also used in the Maltese language to refer to drowning and becoming submerged in liquid or other substances. | |||
| Norwegian | synke | ||
| The Norwegian word "synke" can also refer to a feeling of sadness or disappointment. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | pia | ||
| The word "Pia" in Portuguese can also mean "holy water font" or "font" in the religious context. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | sinc | ||
| The Gaelic "sinc" can also mean "bay" or "sound" such as in "Loch na Sinc" (Loch na Keal). | |||
| Spanish | lavabo | ||
| The word «lavabo» derives from the Latin «lavare», to wash, and can also refer to a washbasin used for washing hands or other objects. | |||
| Swedish | handfat | ||
| Handfat can also refer to a fee paid by a newly ordained priest to his church or bishop. | |||
| Welsh | sinc | ||
| The word 'sinc' in Welsh can also refer to a well or a spring. | |||
Sink in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | ракавіна | ||
| The word "ракавіна" can also refer to a shell of a mollusk or a cavity in a rock. | |||
| Bosnian | sudoper | ||
| In Bosnian, "sudoper" can be used to refer to a whirlpool or an underground stream which feeds a surface spring. | |||
| Bulgarian | мивка | ||
| "Mivka" is a loanword from Turkish, where it means "water container". | |||
| Czech | dřez | ||
| "dřez" pochází ze staročeského "dřieti", tedy drhnout, původně označoval dřevěný žlab na praní prádla nebo mytí nádobí. | |||
| Estonian | valamu | ||
| The word "valamu" originally meant "something that holds or carries liquids" but its meaning narrowed to "sink" only in the 19th century. | |||
| Finnish | pesuallas | ||
| The word "pesuallas" comes from the verbs "pestata" (to wash) and "allas" (a basin). | |||
| Hungarian | mosogató | ||
| Hungarian word "mosogató" (sink) stems from the verb "mosni" (wash) and a suffix "-ó" (one performing the action); hence its literal meaning is "one who washes". | |||
| Latvian | izlietne | ||
| The etymology of the Latvian word "izlietne" is unknown, but it may be related to the Lithuanian word "išlietas," which means "poured out". | |||
| Lithuanian | kriauklė | ||
| "Kriauklė" also means "shell", deriving from the verb "kriaukti", to make a hollow sound | |||
| Macedonian | мијалник | ||
| The word "мијалник" is derived from the verb "мијам" (to wash), and is also used to refer to a type of dishwashing liquid. | |||
| Polish | tonąć | ||
| The verb "tonąć" also refers to the act of drowning and, figuratively, to a significant decline or loss in general, such as in "tonąć w długach" ("drowning in debt"). | |||
| Romanian | chiuvetă | ||
| The Romanian word "chiuvetă" ultimately derives from the French "cuvette" (small basin), which in turn comes from the Latin "cupa" (cup). | |||
| Russian | тонуть | ||
| The verb "тонуть" also means "to drown" or "to be at the bottom of something". | |||
| Serbian | лавабо | ||
| The etymology of the Serbian word "лавабо" likely stems from the Greek word "λαυρά,” meaning "monastery"} | |||
| Slovak | drez | ||
| The word "drez" in Slovak can also refer to a drain, a plumbing fixture, or a washbasin. | |||
| Slovenian | umivalnik | ||
| The word "umivalnik" ultimately derives from the Proto-Slavic word *umiti, meaning "to wash". In some dialects, the word "umivalnik" can also refer to a washbasin or a bathtub. | |||
| Ukrainian | раковина | ||
| The Ukrainian word "раковина" comes from the Old Slavic word "раковина", which meant "shell" or "seashell". The use of the word to refer to a sink is a secondary meaning that developed over time. | |||
Sink in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ডুবা | ||
| The word "ডুবা" (sink) in Bengali can also mean "to drown" or "to immerse." | |||
| Gujarati | ડૂબવું | ||
| The word "ડૂબવું" can also mean "to drown" or "to immerse." | |||
| Hindi | सिंक | ||
| The word "सिंक" (sink) comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*seǵʰ-**, meaning "to flow" or "to pour." | |||
| Kannada | ಮುಳುಗುತ್ತದೆ | ||
| ಮುಳುಗುತ್ತದೆ can also refer to the process of setting in the sky, like the sun. | |||
| Malayalam | മുങ്ങുക | ||
| മുങ്ങുക is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word *muk-, meaning "submerge" or "go under." | |||
| Marathi | बुडणे | ||
| The word "बुडणे" comes from the Sanskrit word "बुड्," which means "to sink or dive." | |||
| Nepali | डुब्नु | ||
| The word "डुब्नु" is also used to refer to the setting of the sun. | |||
| Punjabi | ਡੁੱਬ | ||
| In Punjabi, the word "ਡੁੱਬ" (sink) also means to drown or to submerge in water. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ගිලෙන්න | ||
| The Sinhala word "ගිලෙන්න" can also mean "to become absorbed" or "to get lost (in a thought)" in addition to "to sink". | |||
| Tamil | மூழ்கும் | ||
| "மூழ்கும்" in Tamil can also refer to 'being immersed in thought' or 'to be absorbed in something'. | |||
| Telugu | మునిగిపోతుంది | ||
| Urdu | ڈوبنا | ||
| The Urdu word "ڈوبنا" can also mean submerge, immerse, or drown. | |||
Sink in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 水槽 | ||
| "水槽" (sink) literally means "water trough" and can also refer to an aquarium or a water pipe. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 水槽 | ||
| 水槽 can also mean "fish tank" in Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | シンク | ||
| シンク (sink) can also refer to "to think" and "a tank" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 싱크대 | ||
| "싱크대" is a compound word consisting of "싱크" (sink) and "대" (table), which refers to a kitchen fixture or a standalone unit with a bowl and faucet for washing dishes or hands. | |||
| Mongolian | живэх | ||
| "The Mongolian word "живэх" can also mean "to be alive". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နစ်မြုပ် | ||
Sink in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | wastafel | ||
| "Wastafel" originally comes from the Dutch word "wasbak" meaning "wash basin" | |||
| Javanese | klelep | ||
| The Javanese word "klelep" has the same meaning as its Indonesian equivalent "tenggelam", but it can also mean to be submerged or drowned. | |||
| Khmer | លិច | ||
| The Khmer word "លិច" also means "drown", "be defeated" or "to disappear" when used in a figurative sense. | |||
| Lao | ຈົມລົງ | ||
| "ຈົມລົງ" (sink) is cognate with Thai "จมลง" (chɔ̀mlɔ̀ng) with the same meaning and Khmer "ចុះលង" (coh-laŋ) meaning "to set (sun)". | |||
| Malay | tenggelam | ||
| Tenggelam in Malay can also mean to be engrossed in thought or contemplation. | |||
| Thai | จม | ||
| The Thai word "จม" (sink) derives from the Sanskrit word "jagmu" (to be submerged). | |||
| Vietnamese | bồn rửa | ||
| "Bồn rửa" literally means "basin for washing" in Vietnamese, reflecting its primary use as a receptacle for water and various cleaning tasks. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lababo | ||
Sink in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | batmaq | ||
| The verb "batmaq" in Azerbaijani also means "to dive" or "to plunge". | |||
| Kazakh | батып кету | ||
| The word "батып кету" also means "to dive" or "to drown" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | чөгүп кетүү | ||
| Tajik | ғарқ шудан | ||
| The word "ғарқ шудан" is derived from the Old Persian word "*farq-," meaning "to fall." | |||
| Turkmen | gark bolmak | ||
| Uzbek | cho'kish | ||
| Uzbek cho'kish "sink" derives from cho'k "deep" and the suffix -ish (noun-forming), also seen in ko'z "eye" → ko'zish "look". | |||
| Uyghur | چۆكۈش | ||
Sink in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | piholo | ||
| The Hawaiian word “piholo” not only means “sink” but also refers to a “hiding place”. | |||
| Maori | totohu | ||
| Totohu, meaning "sink," can also refer to a depression in the ground or a hollow space in a tree trunk. | |||
| Samoan | magoto | ||
| In Samoan, "magoto" also means "to disappear into the ground" or "to be swallowed up by the earth." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | lababo | ||
| "Lababo" in Tagalog comes from the Spanish word "lavabo," meaning "washbasin." | |||
Sink in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | pilita | ||
| Guarani | moñapymi | ||
Sink in International Languages
| Esperanto | lavujo | ||
| The word "lavujo" can also mean "wash hand basin" or "laboratory sink". | |||
| Latin | labellum | ||
| In Latin, "Labellum" is occasionally used to refer to the "lips" of certain flowers analogous to human lips. | |||
Sink in Others Languages
| Greek | νεροχύτης | ||
| The etymology of "νεροχύτης" combines "νερό" (water) and "χύνω" (to pour), implying pouring or pouring out of water. | |||
| Hmong | tog | ||
| The Hmong word tog can also mean to collapse, to go to bed, or to pass out, due to the similar physical state that one is in. | |||
| Kurdish | cilşo | ||
| "Cilşo" is also used as a slang for prison, most likely due to its similarity to the word "zincir" (chain) and the fact that prisoners are often held in chains or behind bars. | |||
| Turkish | lavabo | ||
| In Turkish, "lavabo" originates from the French word "lavabo," meaning "washstand" and later "sink." | |||
| Xhosa | shona | ||
| The word 'shona' can also refer to a person who does domestic work, or to the act of digging. | |||
| Yiddish | זינקען | ||
| The Yiddish word "זינקען" is related to the German word "sinken" and the English word "sink". | |||
| Zulu | cwila | ||
| "Cwila" is a Zulu word derived from Bantu languages, having similar meanings in various dialects | |||
| Assamese | ডুবা | ||
| Aymara | pilita | ||
| Bhojpuri | डूबल | ||
| Dhivehi | ސިންކް | ||
| Dogri | सिंक | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lababo | ||
| Guarani | moñapymi | ||
| Ilocano | lumned | ||
| Krio | sink | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نوقم بوون | ||
| Maithili | डुबनाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯨꯞꯄ | ||
| Mizo | pil | ||
| Oromo | liqimfamuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବୁଡ଼ିଯିବା | | ||
| Quechua | aywina | ||
| Sanskrit | जलनिर्गमः | ||
| Tatar | батыру | ||
| Tigrinya | ዓሚቅ | ||
| Tsonga | dzika | ||