Smoke in Different Languages
Discover 'Smoke' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Smoke is a fascinating and culturally significant phenomenon, with a rich history that has shaped societies and inspired stories. From the earliest days of human civilization, smoke has played a crucial role in many aspects of life, from cooking and heating to communication and ceremony.
As a universal element, smoke carries a deep cultural significance across the globe. For instance, in many Indigenous cultures, smoke is considered a powerful spiritual symbol, used in purification and healing rituals. Meanwhile, in Europe, the smoking of meats and fish has been a traditional method of preservation for centuries.
Understanding the translation of smoke in different languages can offer valuable insights into the cultural importance of this natural phenomenon. For example, in Spanish, 'smoke' is 'humo,' while in German, it's 'Rauch.' In Japanese, the word for smoke is 'kemuri,' and in Mandarin Chinese, it's '烟 (yan).'
By exploring the many translations of smoke in different languages, we can deepen our appreciation for the rich cultural diversity of the world around us.
Smoke
Smoke in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | rook | ||
| In Afrikaans, 'rook' also means 'to smoke', 'a cigarette', or 'a pipe'. | |||
| Amharic | ማጨስ | ||
| The Amharic word 'ማጨስ' comes from the Ge'ez root 'ማጭስ', meaning 'to burn'. | |||
| Hausa | hayaki | ||
| "Hayaki" also means "firewood" in Hausa, highlighting the close association between smoke and the burning of wood. | |||
| Igbo | anwụrụ ọkụ | ||
| The Igbo word "anwụrụ ọkụ" also means "mist" or "haze", particularly when referring to the early morning or evening fog. | |||
| Malagasy | setroka | ||
| The word "setroka" in Malagasy can also refer to a type of bush or tree native to Madagascar. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kusuta | ||
| Kusuta can also mean 'to burn', which is a different meaning from 'smoke' | |||
| Shona | chiutsi | ||
| 'Chiutsi' also refers to traditional pottery pots and utensils | |||
| Somali | sigaar cab | ||
| Cab' has a double meaning in Somali: it refers to tobacco and to smoke. | |||
| Sesotho | tsuba | ||
| "Tsuba" can also be used to describe the smoke that emits from a fire or the steam from boiling water | |||
| Swahili | moshi | ||
| In the Shambaa dialect, ‘moshi’ also refers to clouds | |||
| Xhosa | umsi | ||
| The word "umsi" in Xhosa also refers to mist or vapor. | |||
| Yoruba | ẹfin | ||
| The word 'ẹfin' can also refer to a shade of dark grey that resembles smoke. | |||
| Zulu | intuthu | ||
| The word 'intuthu' in Zulu can also refer to the act of smoking or the smell of smoke. | |||
| Bambara | sisi | ||
| Ewe | dzudzɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umwotsi | ||
| Lingala | komela makaya | ||
| Luganda | omukka | ||
| Sepedi | muši | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nwisie | ||
Smoke in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | دخان | ||
| The word "دخان" (smoke) is also used in Arabic to refer to "hellfire" or a "great sin." | |||
| Hebrew | עָשָׁן | ||
| "עָשָׁן" (smoke) also refers to wealth, as in "עשיר" (wealthy) | |||
| Pashto | لوګی | ||
| The Pashto word "لوګی" "smoke" originates from Proto-Indo-Iranian word "*dʰawgʰ-" | |||
| Arabic | دخان | ||
| The word "دخان" (smoke) is also used in Arabic to refer to "hellfire" or a "great sin." | |||
Smoke in Western European Languages
| Albanian | pi duhan | ||
| The Albanian word "pi duhan" (smoke) originates from the Latin phrase "pipio ducanium" (a pipe of incense). | |||
| Basque | kea | ||
| The Basque word 'kea' has roots in the Proto-Basque word 'keai', which also means 'fog'. | |||
| Catalan | fum | ||
| In Catalan, "fum" also means "rumor" or "gossip". | |||
| Croatian | dim | ||
| The Croatian word 'dim' is cognate with the Latin word 'fumus', meaning 'smoke', and also shares a root with the English word 'fume'. | |||
| Danish | røg | ||
| The word "røg" has two similar meanings, the first is tobacco smoke, and the second is the smoke from a fire. | |||
| Dutch | rook | ||
| In Dutch, “rook” is not only smoke. It can also mean “to smoke” (as in cigarettes) or “chess rook”. | |||
| English | smoke | ||
| The word "smoke" can also refer to a vapor or haze, or to the act of inhaling and exhaling tobacco smoke. | |||
| French | fumée | ||
| The French word "fumée" comes from the Late Latin word "fumata", meaning "smoke" or "exhalation". | |||
| Frisian | reek | ||
| In Frisian, "reek" also means "smell" or "odour", and is related to the English word "reek" | |||
| Galician | fume | ||
| German | rauch | ||
| In some German dialects, like Bavarian or Austrian, | |||
| Icelandic | reykur | ||
| In Icelandic, reykur primarily refers to smoke, but it can also mean mist or fog. | |||
| Irish | deataigh | ||
| Deataigh is also used in some dialects in the west to refer to a bonfire. | |||
| Italian | fumo | ||
| The Italian word 'fumo' (smoke) derives from the Latin 'fumus', and can also mean 'fumes' or 'vapour', or figuratively 'delusion', 'mistake', or 'doubt'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | fëmmen | ||
| The word 'fëmmen' is derived from the Old High German word 'femmen', meaning 'to steam' or 'to emit smoke', and is related to the English word 'fume'. | |||
| Maltese | duħħan | ||
| The word "duħħan" is also used figuratively to refer to trouble, as in the phrase "b'duħħan ma 'rasu," meaning "he's in trouble." | |||
| Norwegian | røyk | ||
| The word "røyk" is derived from the Old Norse word "reykr", meaning "smoke". It also shares a common root with the English word "reek", meaning "a strong unpleasant smell". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | fumaça | ||
| In Portuguese, "fumaça" comes from the Latin "fumus", but it can also mean "a good dose of laughter". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ceò | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "ceò" can also refer to a mist or fog. | |||
| Spanish | fumar | ||
| The Spanish word "fumar" derives from the Latin "fumare," meaning "to smoke," and also carries a colloquial meaning of "to inhale drug smoke." | |||
| Swedish | rök | ||
| The word "rök" in Swedish also refers to a kind of rune stone found in Scandinavia. | |||
| Welsh | mwg | ||
| In the Welsh language, the word "mwg" can also refer to a mist or a haze. | |||
Smoke in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | дым | ||
| "Дым" (smoke) is cognate with the Latin "fumus" (smoke) and the Old Church Slavonic "дымъ" (smoke). | |||
| Bosnian | dim | ||
| The word “dim” can also mean “gunpowder” in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | дим | ||
| "Дим" is also used figuratively to describe something elusive or enigmatic. | |||
| Czech | kouř | ||
| "Kouř" shares the Indo-European root *keuH- with "heat" and "cook". | |||
| Estonian | suitsetama | ||
| "Suitsetama" also means "to smoke" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | savu | ||
| "Savu" also appears in another context outside its primary meaning: the Finnish saying, "Jäädä savuun", translates to "Left behind in smoke", indicating a situation in which someone leaves their duties unfinished before leaving the workplace. | |||
| Hungarian | füst | ||
| The Hungarian word "füst" is related to "fűt", which means "heat" or "stove". | |||
| Latvian | smēķēt | ||
| Latvian "smēķēt" (smoke) derives from Proto-Baltic "smek-“, akin to Lithuanian "smėkti“ (to whip). | |||
| Lithuanian | parūkyti | ||
| The word "parūkyti" in Lithuanian can also mean "to take a smoke break". | |||
| Macedonian | чад | ||
| The word "чад" also means "fumes" and "mirage" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | palić | ||
| In Polish, "palić" can also mean to burn or ignite, and its etymological ancestors include the verb "paliti" and the noun "pał" (meaning "stick"), signifying the ancient ritual of burning sticks for religious or practical purposes. | |||
| Romanian | fum | ||
| The Romanian word for 'smoke', 'fum', also signifies 'smoke', 'gas' or 'exhaust fumes' in Latin and French. | |||
| Russian | курить | ||
| Serbian | дима | ||
| Serbian 'дима' has Indo-European root *dʰew- with meanings of 'cover with smoke' and 'to suffocate' | |||
| Slovak | dym | ||
| The word “dym” can also mean “fog” or “mist” depending on the context. | |||
| Slovenian | dim | ||
| The word "dim" can also refer to a type of fog or mist, similar to the English word "haze". | |||
| Ukrainian | диму | ||
| The Ukrainian word "диму" (smoke) is cognate with the Latin "fumus" (smoke) and the Sanskrit "dhuma" (smoke) | |||
Smoke in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ধোঁয়া | ||
| In old Bengali, 'dhua' also meant 'water' and 'foam', and 'dhuaan' meant 'cloud'. | |||
| Gujarati | ધૂમ્રપાન | ||
| Hindi | धुआं | ||
| The word "धुआं" can also refer to "scent", "aroma", or "smell". | |||
| Kannada | ಹೊಗೆ | ||
| The Kannada word 'ಹೊಗೆ' also refers to a type of traditional tobacco product consumed in South India. | |||
| Malayalam | പുക | ||
| The Malayalam word "പുക" (puka) also refers to the residue left after burning something (e.g., incense, camphor). | |||
| Marathi | धूर | ||
| Marathi word "धूर" (dhoor), apart from meaning "smoke," also refers to "a lot of dust" or "haze". | |||
| Nepali | धुवाँ | ||
| The word "धुवाँ" (smoke) in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit word "धूमः" (smoke), which also means "smoke" or "vapor". | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਮੋਕ | ||
| The word "ਸਮੋਕ" (smoke) in Punjabi is derived from the Sanskrit word "dhuma" and also means "fog". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දුම | ||
| The word "දුම" also means "vapor" or "mist" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | புகை | ||
| The Tamil word 'புகை' ('smoke') also refers to the 'breath of a deity' as well as the smell of a burning animal sacrifice. | |||
| Telugu | పొగ | ||
| The word "పొగ" can also refer to a type of firecracker that emits a lot of smoke. | |||
| Urdu | دھواں | ||
| The word "دھواں" is derived from the Sanskrit word "dhūma," meaning "fog, mist, or vapor." | |||
Smoke in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 抽烟 | ||
| 抽烟 can refer to either "smoking" or, when used in a specific context, "drinking alcohol". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 抽煙 | ||
| 抽煙 (Traditional Chinese) can mean 'to smoke' or 'to inhale' something. | |||
| Japanese | 煙 | ||
| The character 煙 (煙) is composed of three fire radicals (火), which suggests a burning process, but it can also refer to other gaseous or vaporous emissions, such as steam or mist. | |||
| Korean | 연기 | ||
| "연기" not only means "smoke" but also "acting" or "play." | |||
| Mongolian | утаа | ||
| The word 'утаа' also means 'steam' or 'vapor' in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဆေးလိပ် | ||
Smoke in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | merokok | ||
| An alternate meaning of "merokok" is to "consume tobacco" which is more commonly used in Indonesian than "to smoke". | |||
| Javanese | kumelun | ||
| The word "kumelun" in Javanese derives from the word "kelumu" meaning "fog", and "kemelus" meaning "smoky" in the Kawi language. | |||
| Khmer | ផ្សែង | ||
| ផ្សែង may also refer to a Cambodian traditional weapon used in martial arts | |||
| Lao | ຄວັນ | ||
| Malay | asap | ||
| The Malay word 'asap' can also be used metaphorically to describe something that is quickly dispersed or disappears without a trace. | |||
| Thai | ควัน | ||
| ควัน in Thai also refers to a unit of traditional Thai measurement equal to about one hundred hectares. | |||
| Vietnamese | khói | ||
| Khói, meaning | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | usok | ||
Smoke in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | tüstü | ||
| The word "Tüstü" in Azerbaijani is a derivative of the ancient Turkic word "tüstüg", which means "a puff of air originating from an open fire". | |||
| Kazakh | түтін | ||
| "Түтін" could also mean "soot" or "dust". | |||
| Kyrgyz | түтүн | ||
| The word "түтүн" can also refer to a small fire used for warmth or cooking. | |||
| Tajik | дуд | ||
| "Дуд" in Tajik can also mean "steam" or "vapor". | |||
| Turkmen | tüsse | ||
| Uzbek | tutun | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "smoke," "tutun" also has the secondary meaning of "tobacco" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | تاماكا | ||
Smoke in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | uahi | ||
| In Hawaiian, "uahi" can also mean "to burn" or "to extinguish". | |||
| Maori | paowa | ||
| The word 'paowa' is a homonym, as it also refers to a type of Maori dance or song | |||
| Samoan | asu | ||
| The Samoan word "asu" also means "to inhale air". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | usok | ||
| The Tagalog word "usok" has been theorized to derive from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian root "*husuq" or "*qusuk," meaning "smoke, vapor, or steam." | |||
Smoke in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | phusaña | ||
| Guarani | tatatĩ | ||
Smoke in International Languages
| Esperanto | fumi | ||
| The word "fumi" is also used to refer to the "smoke" produced by a fire or by the burning of a substance. | |||
| Latin | fumus | ||
| The Latin word fumus (smoke) is related to the Greek word θυμὸς (thumos), meaning both smoke and wrath or rage. | |||
Smoke in Others Languages
| Greek | καπνός | ||
| In Ancient Greek, "καπνός" could also refer to "vapor", "incense", or "mist". | |||
| Hmong | haus luam yeeb | ||
| The Hmong word 'haus luam yeeb' (smoke) is also used to refer to tobacco or cigarettes. | |||
| Kurdish | dixan | ||
| In Kurdish, "dixan" can also mean "to burn". | |||
| Turkish | sigara içmek | ||
| The word "Sigara içmek" originally meant "to inhale smoke from a narghile" but now is used for cigarettes. | |||
| Xhosa | umsi | ||
| The word "umsi" in Xhosa also refers to mist or vapor. | |||
| Yiddish | רויך | ||
| Yiddish word "רויך" also means "ghost" or "spirit", cognate with Slavic "dvx". | |||
| Zulu | intuthu | ||
| The word 'intuthu' in Zulu can also refer to the act of smoking or the smell of smoke. | |||
| Assamese | ধোঁৱা | ||
| Aymara | phusaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | धुआं | ||
| Dhivehi | ދުން | ||
| Dogri | धूं | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | usok | ||
| Guarani | tatatĩ | ||
| Ilocano | asok | ||
| Krio | smok | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دووکەڵ | ||
| Maithili | धुआ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯩꯈꯨ | ||
| Mizo | meikhu | ||
| Oromo | aara | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଧୂଆଁ | ||
| Quechua | qusñi | ||
| Sanskrit | धुंधं | ||
| Tatar | төтен | ||
| Tigrinya | ትኪ | ||
| Tsonga | dzaha | ||