Smile in Different Languages
Discover 'Smile' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Smile
Afrikaans glimlag | ||
Albanian buzeqesh | ||
Amharic ፈገግ በል | ||
Arabic ابتسامة | ||
Armenian ժպիտ | ||
Assamese হাঁহি | ||
Aymara sixsi | ||
Azerbaijani təbəssüm | ||
Bambara ka yɛlɛ | ||
Basque irribarre | ||
Belarusian ўсмешка | ||
Bengali হাসি | ||
Bhojpuri हँसी | ||
Bosnian osmijeh | ||
Bulgarian усмивка | ||
Catalan somriure | ||
Cebuano pahiyom | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 微笑 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 微笑 | ||
Corsican surrisu | ||
Croatian osmijeh | ||
Czech úsměv | ||
Danish smil | ||
Dhivehi ހިނިތުންވުން | ||
Dogri हास्सा | ||
Dutch glimlach | ||
English smile | ||
Esperanto ridetu | ||
Estonian naerata | ||
Ewe alɔgbɔnu | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) ngumiti | ||
Finnish hymy | ||
French sourire | ||
Frisian laitsje | ||
Galician sorrir | ||
Georgian გაიღიმე | ||
German lächeln | ||
Greek χαμόγελο | ||
Guarani pukavy | ||
Gujarati સ્મિત | ||
Haitian Creole souri | ||
Hausa murmushi | ||
Hawaiian minoʻaka | ||
Hebrew חיוך | ||
Hindi मुस्कुराओ | ||
Hmong luag | ||
Hungarian mosoly | ||
Icelandic brosa | ||
Igbo ịmụmụ ọnụ ọchị | ||
Ilocano isem | ||
Indonesian tersenyum | ||
Irish aoibh gháire | ||
Italian sorridi | ||
Japanese スマイル | ||
Javanese mesem | ||
Kannada ಸ್ಮೈಲ್ | ||
Kazakh күлімсіреу | ||
Khmer ញញឹម | ||
Kinyarwanda kumwenyura | ||
Konkani हांसो | ||
Korean 미소 | ||
Krio smayl | ||
Kurdish kenn | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) خەندە | ||
Kyrgyz жылмаюу | ||
Lao ຍິ້ມ | ||
Latin ridere | ||
Latvian smaids | ||
Lingala komunga | ||
Lithuanian šypsokis | ||
Luganda okumweenya | ||
Luxembourgish laachen | ||
Macedonian насмевка | ||
Maithili मुस्कुराहट | ||
Malagasy tsiky | ||
Malay senyum | ||
Malayalam പുഞ്ചിരി | ||
Maltese tbissima | ||
Maori ataata | ||
Marathi स्मित | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯃꯣꯃꯣꯟ ꯅꯣꯛꯄ | ||
Mizo nui | ||
Mongolian инээмсэглэ | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) အပြုံး | ||
Nepali हाँसो | ||
Norwegian smil | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) kumwetulira | ||
Odia (Oriya) ହସ | ||
Oromo qummaaduu | ||
Pashto موسکا | ||
Persian لبخند | ||
Polish uśmiech | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) sorriso | ||
Punjabi ਮੁਸਕਾਨ | ||
Quechua asiy | ||
Romanian zâmbet | ||
Russian улыбка | ||
Samoan ataata | ||
Sanskrit स्मितः | ||
Scots Gaelic gàire | ||
Sepedi myemyela | ||
Serbian осмех | ||
Sesotho bososela | ||
Shona kunyemwerera | ||
Sindhi کلڻ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) සිනහව | ||
Slovak usmievať sa | ||
Slovenian nasmeh | ||
Somali dhoolla caddee | ||
Spanish sonreír | ||
Sundanese seuri | ||
Swahili tabasamu | ||
Swedish leende | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) ngiti | ||
Tajik табассум | ||
Tamil புன்னகை | ||
Tatar елма | ||
Telugu చిరునవ్వు | ||
Thai ยิ้ม | ||
Tigrinya ሰሓቅ | ||
Tsonga n'wayitela | ||
Turkish gülümsemek | ||
Turkmen ýylgyr | ||
Twi (Akan) nwene | ||
Ukrainian посмішка | ||
Urdu مسکراہٹ | ||
Uyghur كۈلۈمسىرەڭ | ||
Uzbek tabassum | ||
Vietnamese nụ cười | ||
Welsh gwenu | ||
Xhosa uncumo | ||
Yiddish שמייכלען | ||
Yoruba rẹrin musẹ | ||
Zulu ukumamatheka |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The word 'glimlag' is derived from the Dutch word 'glimlachen', and also means 'to gleam' or 'to shine' in Afrikaans. |
| Albanian | The word "buzeqesh" comes from the Albanian word "buzë" meaning "lip" and the suffix "-qesh" which means "to laugh". |
| Amharic | The word 'ፈገግ በል' literally means 'to swallow the lip' in Amharic, referring to the action of smiling. |
| Arabic | In Arabic, "ابتسامة" (ibtisama) originally meant "to have a cut" or "to cut," reflecting the way a smile can "cut through" facial features. |
| Armenian | The Armenian word for "smile", "ժպիտ", may also refer to a dimple or a grin. |
| Azerbaijani | The word "təbəssüm" is derived from the Arabic word "tabassum" and can also mean "to blush" or "to brighten up" in Azerbaijani. |
| Basque | This word originates from the onomatopoeia “irr-irr” and it is related to the verbs “irri egin” (“to laugh”) and “Barre egin” (“to smile”). |
| Belarusian | The word "ўсмешка" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "съмЂхъ" (směxъ), meaning "laughter" or "grin". |
| Bengali | The term 'হাসি' (smile) also refers to the emotion of laughter, especially when it is expressed spontaneously or involuntarily. |
| Bosnian | The word 'osmijeh' originates from the Proto-Slavic word 'osmĕхъ', which means 'eight', and refers to the eight teeth that are typically visible when smiling. |
| Bulgarian | The word "усмивка" is derived from the verb "усмивам се", meaning "to beam". It can also refer to a "slight curve of the lips", or an "expression of amusement". |
| Catalan | «Somriure» comes from the Latin word «subridere», meaning to smile slightly or mockingly. |
| Cebuano | The Cebuano word 'pahiyom' shares its root with the Tagalog word 'ngiti,' which also means 'smile' and the Indonesian word 'senyum'. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | "微笑" also refers to "smiling slightly" and is a more reserved form of smiling than "大笑" (laughing out loud). |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 微笑 (smile) also means 'faint smile' or 'slight smile' in Chinese. |
| Corsican | In addition to meaning "smile," surrisu can also be used to describe a slight movement of the lips or a gentle laugh. |
| Croatian | "Osmijeh" derives from an older word "smijeh" which stems from the Proto-Slavic word *směxъ, meaning "laughter". |
| Czech | The word "úsměv" derives from the verb "usmát se" meaning "to smile", and is related to the word "úsměv" meaning "success". |
| Danish | In Danish, the word "smil" not only means "smile", but also "the corner of the mouth" or "the small gap between the upper lip and the nose". |
| Dutch | The Dutch word "glimlach" also refers to a specific type of smile, characterized by a slight upturn of the corners of the mouth and a twinkle in the eyes, often denoting amusement or affection. |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "ridetu" is derived from the Latin word "ridere," meaning "to laugh." |
| Estonian | The word "naerata" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "*naara-, *naarat-," meaning "to laugh, to ridicule, to mock" |
| Finnish | The word "hymy" is also used figuratively in Finnish to express a sense of contentment or satisfaction. |
| French | The word "sourire" in French derives from the Latin word "subridere" meaning "to laugh softly" and is related to the words "rire" (to laugh) and "ris" (laughter). |
| Frisian | The word 'laits' possibly derives from an Old Frisian form of the verb 'to laugh' and refers to a smile or a smirk. |
| Galician | Galician's "sorrir" comes from the Latin "subridēre", which also means "to chuckle". |
| German | The word "Lächeln" originally referred to the sound of a flowing river and was later applied to the facial expression of smiling. |
| Greek | "Χαμόγελο" is also used colloquially as a synonym for "pleasure" or "joy". |
| Gujarati | The Gujarati word 'સ્મિત', meaning 'smile,' also denotes a graceful, subtle, and pleasing expression or attitude. |
| Haitian Creole | The word "souri" in Haitian Creole, while primarily meaning "smile," can also refer to a "grin" or a "smirk." |
| Hausa | In Hausa, the word 'murmushi' refers to a genuine smile accompanied by a slight contraction of the lips and a narrowing of the eyes. |
| Hawaiian | The Hawaiian word "minoʻaka" can also refer to a "grin" or a "smirk." |
| Hebrew | 'חיוך' (smile) also means 'to make alive' or 'to revive' in Hebrew. |
| Hindi | The word "मुस्कुराओ" also means "to bloom" or "to flourish" in Hindi. |
| Hmong | The word "luag" can also mean "to shine" or "to glow" in Hmong, reflecting the idea that a smile can brighten up a person's face. |
| Hungarian | Mosoly is originally a Romanian word meaning "to pray" and has been used in Hungarian since the 16th century. |
| Icelandic | The Icelandic word "brosa" is derived from the Old Norse word "broska", meaning "crumble" or "break into small pieces". |
| Indonesian | Tersenyum's root word 'senyum' comes from the Sanskrit 'hasita' meaning 'smile'. |
| Irish | The Old Irish word "gáir" meant "to laugh" or "to shout", a sense retained in the modern Irish word "gáire" meaning "laughter". |
| Italian | The Italian word "Sorridi" is derived from the Latin "subridere," meaning "to smile slightly or secretly." |
| Japanese | スマイル (smile) derives from the English word "smile," but can also refer to a facial expression that conveys a range of emotions, not just happiness. |
| Javanese | "Mesem" can also mean "to show teeth" or "to grin" in Javanese. |
| Kannada | The word "ಸ್ಮೈಲ್" can also be derived from the word "ಸ್ಮೃ" (smru), meaning "to remember" or "to recollect" in Kannada. |
| Kazakh | The word "күлімсіреу" in Kazakh can also mean "laughter" or "grin". |
| Khmer | The word "ញញឹម" can also refer to a flirtatious or cunning expression. |
| Korean | The word |
| Kurdish | The word "kenn" in Kurdish can also mean "to be happy" or "to be glad". |
| Kyrgyz | "Жылмаюу" is also used to describe the act of laughing out loud. |
| Lao | The word ຍິ້ມ derives from the Mon language, where it carries an additional connotation of politeness and reverence. |
| Latin | The verb 'ridēre' has a secondary sense in Classical and Medieval Latin, referring to a particular type of laughter that is associated with mockery or derision. |
| Latvian | The word "smaidīt" is derived from the Indo-European root "smei-", meaning "to laugh". It can also mean "to grin" or "to smirk". |
| Lithuanian | Šypsokis is also a name given to the sun, the bringer of warmth and smiles. |
| Luxembourgish | "laachen" in Luxembourgish comes from the Greek "gelan" meaning "to laugh" and also shares a common root with "laugh" in English. |
| Macedonian | The word "насмевка" in Macedonian can also mean "mockery" or "ridicule". |
| Malagasy | The word "tsiky" in Malagasy can also mean "laugh" or "giggle". |
| Malay | The word "senyum" in Malay can also mean "a slight smile, usually accompanied by a friendly or amused expression." |
| Malayalam | The word 'പുഞ്ചിരി' also refers to a type of laughter in Malayalam, typically used to describe a gentle chuckle or a soft laugh. |
| Maltese | The word "tbissima" in Maltese comes from the Italian "bissimo", which means "very twice" and is commonly used to intensify an adjective, such as "beautiful" or "good". |
| Maori | "Ataata" in Maori can also refer to a first glimpse of the sun at dawn or a state of contentment. |
| Marathi | The word ''स्मित'' may also refer to the ''act of smiling'' itself or an ''expression with a slight upward curve of the mouth''. |
| Mongolian | The word "инээмсэглэ" is an alteration and extension from a Mongolian word that is synonymous with "laugh", suggesting smiling and laughing are interconnected. |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | The word "အပြုံး" (smile) in Myanmar (Burmese) is derived from the Pali word "pamuccā", meaning "to beam with delight". |
| Nepali | The word "हाँसो" not only means "smile" but also refers to the act of smiling and the expression of happiness or amusement |
| Norwegian | In Norwegian, "smil" can also mean a small, bitter grimace, similar to "smirk" in English. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | Kumwetulira also means "to flash the teeth" in Nyanja. |
| Pashto | The word "موسکا" in Pashto can also mean "grin" or "laughter." |
| Persian | لبخند may also refer to a type of ornamental stitch used in traditional Iranian embroidery, similar to cutwork. |
| Polish | The word "uśmiech" originally referred to a "look" or "expression" and only later acquired the meaning of "smile". |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The word "sorriso" comes from the Latin "subridere", meaning "to laugh slightly". |
| Punjabi | The term "muskaan" is derived from the Sanskrit word "mitha" (sweet), referring to the pleasant expression associated with smiling. |
| Romanian | The Romanian word "zâmbet" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*zǫbъ", meaning "tooth." |
| Russian | The word "улыбка" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*ulyba", meaning "to curve". |
| Samoan | The word "ataata" in Samoan is also associated with the notions of laughter and happiness, and can be used in the context of a joke being "ataata tele" (very funny). |
| Scots Gaelic | "Gàire" also means "laughter" or "beam of sunlight" in Scots Gaelic. |
| Serbian | The word "осмех" in Serbian can also mean "a joke" or "a funny story." |
| Sesotho | Bososela is also a Sesotho word that means 'to make someone laugh' or 'to provoke laughter'. |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "کلڻ" ("smile") has several alternate meanings, including "to blossom" and "to illuminate." |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | "සිනහව" (smile) derives from "සිනම" (to open), suggesting a connection between smiling and the act of opening one's mouth. |
| Slovak | The Slovak word "usmievať sa" derives from the Slavic verb "světati se", meaning "to light up". |
| Slovenian | The word 'nasmeh' comes from 'na smeh' meaning 'for laughter' and is closely related to 'smeh', meaning just that. |
| Somali | The Somali word "dhoolla caddee" also means "bright morning" or "new beginning," reflecting the belief that a smile brings light and hope. |
| Spanish | Sonreír shares its etymology with the word subridere, from the Latin sub- (under) and ridere (laugh) |
| Sundanese | The word "seuri" in Sundanese can also mean "to laugh" or "to grin". |
| Swahili | The verb “kutabasamu” can apply to both a gentle smile and to a wider, exaggerated grin. |
| Swedish | The word "leende" can also refer to a "smiling landscape" or a "smiling expression" in Swedish. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | Ngiti is also an archaic term for a small knife or a razor. |
| Tajik | The Tajik word "табассум" ultimately comes from the Arabic word "تبسم" which means "to smile lightly or briefly." |
| Telugu | చిరునవ్వు is also an affectionate expression used for a child and means "little one". |
| Thai | The word "ยิ้ม" comes from the Sanskrit word "smriti" meaning "to remember". |
| Turkish | The word "gülümsemek" in Turkish is derived from the word "gül" (rose), implying that a smile is as beautiful as a rose. |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word "посмішка" is cognate with the Russian "улыбка" and ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *(s)mei-, meaning "to laugh". |
| Urdu | In Urdu, the word "مسکراہٹ" can also refer to "a slight or faint smile" or "a pleasant or welcoming expression on the face." |
| Uzbek | The word 'tabassum' has the same etymology as the word 'tabassam' in Arabic, and it is also used in Farsi with the same meaning. |
| Vietnamese | The word "nụ cười" derives from "nụ", meaning "flower bud", implying a blooming smile like a blossoming flower. |
| Welsh | In Welsh poetry, the word 'gwenu' can also refer to a gentle breeze or a pleasant sound, conveying a sense of tranquility and contentment. |
| Xhosa | The word "uncumo" can also mean "laughter" or "a joyful expression" in Xhosa. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "שמייכלען" (shmaykhelen) also means "to flatter". |
| Yoruba | "Rẹrin musẹ" is also a name given to describe the dimple(s) that form on the face when a person smiles. |
| Zulu | The word "ukumamatheka" in Zulu also means "to show one's teeth", referring to the act of smiling. |
| English | The English word "smile" derives from the Old English word "smilian," denoting not only a joyful facial expression, but also a gentle wind. |