Sky in Different Languages
Discover 'Sky' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The sky, a breathtaking canvas of ever-changing colors and patterns, has been a source of inspiration and wonder for people across the globe. Its vastness and beauty have made it a significant symbol in various cultures, representing freedom, hope, and the great unknown. Have you ever pondered how different languages express the concept of 'sky'? Understanding these translations can provide a unique glimpse into the cultural nuances and histories of diverse societies.
For instance, in Spanish, the word for sky is 'cielo,' which also means 'heaven.' This dual meaning reflects the strong religious traditions in many Spanish-speaking countries. Meanwhile, in Japan, the word for sky is 'sora,' a term that also encompasses the air and atmosphere, highlighting the country's reverence for nature and harmony.
Join us as we embark on a linguistic journey to explore the translations of the word 'sky' in different languages. From 'himlen' in Swedish to 'nebo' in Russian, prepare to broaden your horizons and deepen your appreciation for the world's rich cultural tapestry.
Sky
Sky in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | lug | ||
| Afrikaans word 'lug' has cognates in other Germanic languages and possibly originated from the PIE root "*leuk-/" | |||
| Amharic | ሰማይ | ||
| The word 'ሰማይ' (sky) may also refer to 'heaven' or 'the heavens' where gods reside, and to 'weather'. | |||
| Hausa | sama | ||
| The Hausa word "sama" is likely to have originated from the Proto-West-Atlantic language spoken in the region, where it also meant "sky". | |||
| Igbo | elu igwe | ||
| It was also used to describe the spiritual realm of the Chi, or personal god, and the Umunna, or extended family unit. | |||
| Malagasy | lanitra | ||
| The word "lanitra" can also mean "the weather" or "the firmament". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kumwamba | ||
| The Nyanja (Chichewa) word "kumwamba" also refers to the ceiling of a house and the roof over a porch | |||
| Shona | denga | ||
| In Shona, "denga" also refers to the upper world where the ancestral spirits reside. | |||
| Somali | cirka | ||
| Cirka or Cirku is derived from the Cushitic root "S-R-K" meaning "to cover overhead." | |||
| Sesotho | leholimo | ||
| The word "leholimo" can also refer to the ceiling of a house or a canopy. | |||
| Swahili | anga | ||
| The word "anga" can also mean "space" or "ether" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | isibhakabhaka | ||
| The word "isibhakabhaka" in Xhosa means "sky" and can also refer to "heaven" or "God's abode." | |||
| Yoruba | ọrun | ||
| The term 'ọ̀run' in Yoruba also refers to a celestial realm or heaven, associated with the abode of the gods and ancestral spirits. | |||
| Zulu | isibhakabhaka | ||
| Isibhakabhaka originates from the Proto-Bantu term ɓɔ̀kɔ̀ "heaven, sky, cloud". | |||
| Bambara | sankolo | ||
| Ewe | yame | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ijuru | ||
| Lingala | mapata | ||
| Luganda | eggulu | ||
| Sepedi | lefaufau | ||
| Twi (Akan) | wiem | ||
Sky in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | سماء | ||
| The word "سماء" (sky) in Arabic also means "a roof" or "a canopy", and is derived from the Semitic root "s-m-w" meaning "to be high" or "to be elevated". | |||
| Hebrew | שָׁמַיִם | ||
| Besides its common meaning of "sky," "שָׁמַיִם" (shamayim) can also refer to heaven, the abode of God and the angels. | |||
| Pashto | اسمان | ||
| "آسمان" (ās mān) is also a synonym of "heaven" and the abode of God, in addition to meaning "the sky" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | سماء | ||
| The word "سماء" (sky) in Arabic also means "a roof" or "a canopy", and is derived from the Semitic root "s-m-w" meaning "to be high" or "to be elevated". | |||
Sky in Western European Languages
| Albanian | qielli | ||
| In Albanian, the word “qielli” is also used to mean “heaven” or “the afterlife”. | |||
| Basque | zerua | ||
| The word "zerua" in Basque is thought to derive from the Proto-Basque root "*zer" and may be cognate with other Proto-Basque words for "above", "up", and "high". | |||
| Catalan | cel | ||
| The word comes from the Latin word "caelum", which referred to the heavens or sky as the abode of celestials such as gods. | |||
| Croatian | nebo | ||
| "Nebo" also means "heaven" or "paradise" in religious contexts. | |||
| Danish | himmel | ||
| The term 'himmel' has also been used in Norse mythology, where it referred to the cosmic tree that connected the heavens with the underworld. | |||
| Dutch | lucht | ||
| The Dutch word “lucht” can also refer to a draft, fume, vapor, or a smell in the air. | |||
| English | sky | ||
| "Sky" is derived from the Old Norse word "skjya", meaning "cloud". | |||
| French | ciel | ||
| The French word 'ciel' derives from a Latin word for 'heaven' or the 'dwelling place of the gods'. | |||
| Frisian | himel | ||
| "Himel" shares its Indo-European root with the Latin "caelum" and Ancient Greek "koilos" meaning "hollowed out". | |||
| Galician | ceo | ||
| The word "ceo" in Galician not only means sky, but also is used to say "heaven" and "paradise". | |||
| German | himmel | ||
| The German word "Himmel" is cognate with the English "home" and originally meant "covering" or "vault". | |||
| Icelandic | himinn | ||
| The Old Norse word himinn, from which himinn is derived, also meant 'heaven'. | |||
| Irish | spéir | ||
| "Spéir" can also refer to supernatural realms or weather. | |||
| Italian | cielo | ||
| "Cielo" comes from the Latin word "caelum," which can also mean "heaven" or "the abode of the gods." | |||
| Luxembourgish | himmel | ||
| In Old High German the word "Himmel" also referred to a heavenly canopy or vault under which God sits enthroned. | |||
| Maltese | sema | ||
| The word "sema" is also used as a colloquialism in Maltese to refer to a "roof". | |||
| Norwegian | himmel | ||
| In the word "himmel", the consonant "m" originally came from an "n" with an "umlaut", which made it a "closed" "in"-sound. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | céu | ||
| The Portuguese word "céu" is derived from the Latin word "caelum", which also means "heaven". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | speur | ||
| Spèur also means "look" or "watch", and its root is the same as the one for spy. | |||
| Spanish | cielo | ||
| The word "cielo" derives from the Latin "caelum," which also means "heaven" and denotes the celestial sphere in an astronomical sense. | |||
| Swedish | himmel | ||
| The word "himmel" is related to the Norse word "himillr" and the Old English word "heofon" both meaning "heavens". | |||
| Welsh | awyr | ||
| The word "awyr" in Welsh may also refer to the weather or air. | |||
Sky in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | неба | ||
| The word | |||
| Bosnian | nebo | ||
| In Croatian and Serbian, 'nebo' also means 'heaven'. | |||
| Bulgarian | небе | ||
| The word "небе" can also mean "heaven" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | nebe | ||
| In some Czech dialects, "nebe" also means "heaven" or "paradise". | |||
| Estonian | taevas | ||
| The word "taevas" is linguistically close to the words "taev" and "täht" which translate to "heaven" and "star" respectively | |||
| Finnish | taivas | ||
| The word 'taivas' also means 'heaven' or 'paradise' in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | ég | ||
| The word "ég" also refers to "weather", "atmosphere" or "vault of heaven" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | debesis | ||
| The word "debesis" in Latvian shares its root with the Sanskrit word "diva" and the Proto-Indo-European word "*deiwos". | |||
| Lithuanian | dangus | ||
| The word "dangus" is of uncertain origin and may have been borrowed from an unknown Indo-European language. | |||
| Macedonian | небото | ||
| The word "небото" in Macedonian also refers to the Christian heaven, originating from the Proto-Slavic word *nebo "heaven". | |||
| Polish | niebo | ||
| The word 'niebo' (sky) in Polish is related to the Sanskrit word 'nabhas' (sky, cloud), the Germanic word 'nebula' (cloud, mist), and the Latin word 'nimbus' (cloud, rainstorm). | |||
| Romanian | cer | ||
| "Cer" shares its etymology with the Latin word "caelum" and also means "heaven" or "paradise" in Romanian. | |||
| Russian | небо | ||
| In Old Russian, небо could also refer to a ceiling or roof. | |||
| Serbian | небо | ||
| "Небо" in Serbian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "nebъ", meaning both "heaven" and "sky". | |||
| Slovak | nebo | ||
| "Nebo" is also the Slovak word for "heaven" and has the same origin as the English word "nebula". | |||
| Slovenian | nebo | ||
| The word 'nebo' can also refer to 'heaven' and 'umbrella' in Slovenian, alluding to the protective and canopy-like nature of the sky. | |||
| Ukrainian | небо | ||
| The Ukrainian word "небо" (sky) also has the alternate meaning of "heaven" or the "realm of God". | |||
Sky in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | আকাশ | ||
| "আকাশ" is a Sanskrit word, which can also mean "space" in English. | |||
| Gujarati | આકાશ | ||
| The word "આકાશ" also means "space" or "ether" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | आकाश | ||
| The Hindi word 'आकाश' is derived from the Sanskrit 'ākāśa,' referring to the 'ether' or a hypothetical substance in ancient Indian philosophy. | |||
| Kannada | ಆಕಾಶ | ||
| "ಆಕಾಶ" can also refer to space, firmament, atmosphere, heaven or paradise in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | ആകാശം | ||
| "ആകാശം" (ākāśam) can also mean "space" or "ether" in Sanskrit and Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | आकाश | ||
| The Marathi word "आकाश" (sky) is related to the Sanskrit word "आ + काश्" meaning "to shine" and "to be bright or luminous." | |||
| Nepali | आकाश | ||
| In Sanskrit, 'Aakash' refers to the primary element 'Ether' or empty space. | |||
| Punjabi | ਅਸਮਾਨ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අහස | ||
| The word 'අහස' also refers to the 'space' that surrounds the earth or other celestial bodies. | |||
| Tamil | வானம் | ||
| The word "வானம்" (sky) in Tamil is derived from the root "வான்" (colour, shine), alluding to the luminous nature of the sky. | |||
| Telugu | ఆకాశం | ||
| The word "ఆకాశం" is cognate with Sanskrit "आकाश" meaning "ether" and is also used to refer to the celestial sphere or heaven. | |||
| Urdu | آسمان | ||
| "آسمان" is also used in Urdu to denote a sense of vastness. | |||
Sky in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 天空 | ||
| "天空" (sky) combines "天" (heaven) and "空" (empty), representing the vastness and emptiness perceived in the sky. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 天空 | ||
| 天空 is also a Buddhist term meaning "heavenly realm". | |||
| Japanese | 空 | ||
| The word 空 also means 'emptiness,' 'nothingness' and 'void,' reflecting the Buddhist concept of 'emptiness.' | |||
| Korean | 하늘 | ||
| The word '하늘' (sky) also has meanings of 'heaven', 'god', and 'king'. | |||
| Mongolian | тэнгэр | ||
| "Тэнгэр" means "sky" in Mongolian, but it also refers to the supreme deity in Mongolian mythology. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မိုးကောင်းကင် | ||
Sky in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | langit | ||
| The word Langit means not only 'sky' but also 'heaven', derived from Sanskrit language. | |||
| Javanese | langit | ||
| The word 'langit' is also used in Javanese to refer to a specific type of fabric used in traditional clothing. | |||
| Khmer | មេឃ | ||
| The word "មេឃ" is derived from Sanskrit and also means "cloud" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ເຄົ້າ | ||
| The word "ເຄົ້າ" is also used to refer to the "heavens" or the "celestial realm" in Buddhism. | |||
| Malay | langit | ||
| The word 'langit' could derive from Sanskrit 'langit' or 'langit' means 'ceiling'. | |||
| Thai | ท้องฟ้า | ||
| The word ท้องฟ้า can also mean "abdomen" or "stomach" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | bầu trời | ||
| "Bầu" in "bầu trời" refers to the womb, implying the sky as a protective and nurturing blanket. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | langit | ||
Sky in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | səma | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "səma" (sky) derives from the Arabic word "samā'", meaning "heaven" or "sky". | |||
| Kazakh | аспан | ||
| The word "аспан" in Kazakh has an alternate meaning of "universe" and is cognate with similar words in other Turkic languages including the Turkish "gök" and the Azerbaijani "gök". | |||
| Kyrgyz | асман | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "асман" (sky) is likely derived from the Persian word آسمان (âsmân), which itself comes from the Proto-Indo-European word *h₂éḱs-men-, meaning "stone, rock". | |||
| Tajik | осмон | ||
| The word "осмон" in Tajik ultimately derives from the Avestan word "ahmi-nō" meaning "celestial world". | |||
| Turkmen | asman | ||
| Uzbek | osmon | ||
| In the Karakalpak language it means "star", in Turkmen it means "clouds". | |||
| Uyghur | ئاسمان | ||
Sky in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lani | ||
| The name of the Hawaiian god of the sky, Lani, also referred to as Laniakea, translates to “immense heaven,” | |||
| Maori | rangi | ||
| Rangi may also refer to the supernatural realm, or the personification of the sky as a deity. | |||
| Samoan | lagi | ||
| Samoan "lagi" also refers to a mythical realm above the sky, inhabited by gods and ancestral spirits. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | langit | ||
| The Tagalog word "langit" also means "heaven" or "paradise" and is cognate to the Malay word "langit" with the same meaning. | |||
Sky in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | alaxpacha | ||
| Guarani | ára | ||
Sky in International Languages
| Esperanto | ĉielo | ||
| Esperanto's "ĉielo" derives from the French word for "sky," "ciel." | |||
| Latin | caelum | ||
| In Latin, caelum also refers to a canopy or a type of ceiling, such as a vaulted ceiling. | |||
Sky in Others Languages
| Greek | ουρανός | ||
| The word ουρανός also means 'heaven' and is cognate with the Latin caelum, from which the English 'heaven' and 'celestial' are derived. | |||
| Hmong | ntuj | ||
| The word "ntuj" can also refer to the heavens, the celestial realm, or the spiritual world. | |||
| Kurdish | asûman | ||
| The word “asûman” is derived from the Old Persian word “asmān,” which also means “sky.” | |||
| Turkish | gökyüzü | ||
| The word 'gökyüzü' is derived from the Old Turkic word 'gök', meaning 'blue' or 'heaven', and the suffix '-yüzü', meaning 'face'. | |||
| Xhosa | isibhakabhaka | ||
| The word "isibhakabhaka" in Xhosa means "sky" and can also refer to "heaven" or "God's abode." | |||
| Yiddish | הימל | ||
| The Yiddish word 'הימל' is derived from the Middle High German 'himel', meaning 'heaven' or 'upper regions'. | |||
| Zulu | isibhakabhaka | ||
| Isibhakabhaka originates from the Proto-Bantu term ɓɔ̀kɔ̀ "heaven, sky, cloud". | |||
| Assamese | আকাশ | ||
| Aymara | alaxpacha | ||
| Bhojpuri | आकास | ||
| Dhivehi | އުޑު | ||
| Dogri | शमान | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | langit | ||
| Guarani | ára | ||
| Ilocano | langit | ||
| Krio | skay | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئاسمان | ||
| Maithili | अकास | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯇꯤꯌꯥ | ||
| Mizo | van | ||
| Oromo | samii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଆକାଶ | ||
| Quechua | hanaq pacha | ||
| Sanskrit | गगनः | ||
| Tatar | күк | ||
| Tigrinya | ሰማይ | ||
| Tsonga | tilo | ||