Snow in Different Languages
Discover 'Snow' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Snow
Afrikaans sneeu | ||
Albanian bora | ||
Amharic በረዶ | ||
Arabic الثلج | ||
Armenian ձյուն | ||
Assamese তুষাৰ | ||
Aymara khunu | ||
Azerbaijani qar | ||
Bambara nɛzi | ||
Basque elurra | ||
Belarusian снег | ||
Bengali তুষার | ||
Bhojpuri बरफ | ||
Bosnian snijeg | ||
Bulgarian сняг | ||
Catalan neu | ||
Cebuano niyebe | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 雪 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 雪 | ||
Corsican neve | ||
Croatian snijeg | ||
Czech sníh | ||
Danish sne | ||
Dhivehi ސްނޯ | ||
Dogri बर्फ | ||
Dutch sneeuw | ||
English snow | ||
Esperanto neĝo | ||
Estonian lumi | ||
Ewe sno | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) niyebe | ||
Finnish lumi | ||
French neige | ||
Frisian snie | ||
Galician neve | ||
Georgian თოვლი | ||
German schnee | ||
Greek χιόνι | ||
Guarani yrypy'avavúi | ||
Gujarati બરફ | ||
Haitian Creole nèj | ||
Hausa dusar ƙanƙara | ||
Hawaiian hau | ||
Hebrew שֶׁלֶג | ||
Hindi हिमपात | ||
Hmong los daus | ||
Hungarian hó | ||
Icelandic snjór | ||
Igbo snow | ||
Ilocano niebe | ||
Indonesian salju | ||
Irish sneachta | ||
Italian neve | ||
Japanese 雪 | ||
Javanese salju | ||
Kannada ಹಿಮ | ||
Kazakh қар | ||
Khmer ព្រិល | ||
Kinyarwanda shelegi | ||
Konkani बर्फ | ||
Korean 눈 | ||
Krio sno | ||
Kurdish berf | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) بەفر | ||
Kyrgyz кар | ||
Lao ຫິມະ | ||
Latin nix | ||
Latvian sniegs | ||
Lingala mbula mpembe | ||
Lithuanian sniego | ||
Luganda omuzira | ||
Luxembourgish schnéi | ||
Macedonian снег | ||
Maithili बरफ | ||
Malagasy oram-panala | ||
Malay salji | ||
Malayalam മഞ്ഞ് | ||
Maltese borra | ||
Maori hukarere | ||
Marathi बर्फ | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯎꯅ | ||
Mizo vur | ||
Mongolian цас | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) နှင်းကျ | ||
Nepali हिउँ | ||
Norwegian snø | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) chisanu | ||
Odia (Oriya) ତୁଷାର | ||
Oromo rooba cabbii | ||
Pashto واوره | ||
Persian برف | ||
Polish śnieg | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) neve | ||
Punjabi ਬਰਫ | ||
Quechua lasta | ||
Romanian zăpadă | ||
Russian снег | ||
Samoan kiona | ||
Sanskrit तुषार | ||
Scots Gaelic sneachda | ||
Sepedi lehlwa | ||
Serbian снег | ||
Sesotho lehloa | ||
Shona chando | ||
Sindhi برف | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) හිම | ||
Slovak sneh | ||
Slovenian sneg | ||
Somali baraf | ||
Spanish nieve | ||
Sundanese salju | ||
Swahili theluji | ||
Swedish snö | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) niyebe | ||
Tajik барф | ||
Tamil பனி | ||
Tatar кар | ||
Telugu మంచు | ||
Thai หิมะ | ||
Tigrinya በረድ | ||
Tsonga gamboko | ||
Turkish kar | ||
Turkmen gar | ||
Twi (Akan) sunoo | ||
Ukrainian сніг | ||
Urdu برف | ||
Uyghur قار | ||
Uzbek qor | ||
Vietnamese tuyết | ||
Welsh eira | ||
Xhosa ikhephu | ||
Yiddish שניי | ||
Yoruba egbon | ||
Zulu iqhwa |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word "sneeu" likely derives from the Dutch word "sneeuw", which in turn comes from the Proto-Germanic word "*snéigaz" |
| Albanian | Albanian "bora" derives from Proto-Indo-European "bher-" (to bear, carry), suggesting snow as a burden on the land. |
| Amharic | The root በረደ (barrada) means to be cold or chill. |
| Arabic | "ثلج" (snow) comes from the root "ثلج" (to be cold) and is related to the words "ثلج" (ice) and "ثلجة" (icicle). |
| Armenian | The Armenian word "ձյուն" means "snow", and has a possible cognate in Hittite "siganu" and Sanskrit "himan". Another possible source, "dzun", meaning ice or frost in Old Armenian. |
| Azerbaijani | "Qar" also means "white" in Azerbaijani and is used in various phrases, such as "qar kimi ağartmaq" (to whitewash) or "qar kimi gülmək" (to smile broadly). |
| Basque | "Elurra' is derived from the Proto-Basque word 'elur', which also means 'white' |
| Belarusian | The Belarusian word |
| Bengali | The word "তুষার" (snow) is possibly derived from the Sanskrit word "तुषार" (snow) or the Proto-Indo-European root "*ǵʰyes-ar-" (to freeze). |
| Bosnian | "Snijeg" is of Slavic origin, derived from the Proto-Slavic word *sněgъ, which is related to the Sanskrit word *snigh- |
| Bulgarian | Сняг derives from the Proto-Slavic word *sněgъ, from the Proto-Indo-European root *sneh₂- "to snow". |
| Catalan | Originating as Latin 'nix, nivis'. Variant of the Castilian 'nieve'. |
| Cebuano | In Cebuano, the word "niyebe" can also refer to a person who is very pale or sickly. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The character “雪” originally depicted falling snowflakes |
| Chinese (Traditional) | In its early usage the character 雪 also refers to the color white. |
| Corsican | In Corsican, "neve" can also refer to "a snow-capped mountain" or "a glacier" |
| Croatian | The word "snijeg" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *sněgъ, which also means "to snow". |
| Czech | The word "sníh" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *sněgъ, which also means "snow". |
| Danish | Danish "sne" from Middle Low German "snē," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European "*sneyǵʰ-." Scandinavian "snö" also from Proto-Indo-European "*sneyǵʰ-" (compare Old English "snāw") |
| Dutch | Sneeuw, a Dutch word for "snow," also refers to the "white of an egg" or a "fine powder," stemming from the Old Dutch "snee" meaning "cut" or "sheared." |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "neĝo" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*sнѣgъ", which also gives rise to words for "snow" in various Slavic languages. |
| Estonian | The Estonian word "lumi" for "snow" is thought to have originated from the Proto-Uralic word *lume, which also meant "ice". |
| Finnish | In ancient Finnish mythology, Lumi was the god of snow. |
| French | While French 'neige' comes from Latin 'nix', it may also be linked to the Sanskrit term 'sneha' meaning 'viscous substance'. |
| Frisian | The Frisian word 'snie' comes from the Old Frisian 'snia' or 'snoe' and is cognate with other Germanic words for 'snow', such as the English word 'snow' |
| Galician | The word neve in Galician comes from the Latin word nix, nivis, meaning "snow". |
| Georgian | "თოვლი" is derived from the Proto-Kartvelian root *tʼur- "cold". |
| German | The German word "Schnee" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "snaiws", meaning "to snow" or "snow cover". |
| Greek | The word "χιόνι" in Greek can also refer to a type of marble quarried in ancient Greece that was known for its white color. |
| Gujarati | The Gujarati word "બરફ" (barf) is derived from the Persian word "برف" (barf) and can also refer to "hail". |
| Haitian Creole | The word "nèj" in Haitian Creole likely derives from the French word "neige", which means "snow". |
| Hausa | In Hausa, 'dusar ƙanƙara' primarily refers to snow, but it can also mean 'cold' or 'very cold weather'. |
| Hawaiian | Hau is also the name of a type of tree in Hawaiian, the hau tree (Hibiscus tiliaceus), which is often associated with the concept of abundance and prosperity |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word "שֶׁלֶג" ('snow') also means 'frost' or 'hoarfrost'. |
| Hindi | "हिमपात" is also a synonym for the Hindi word "अंधेरा" (darkness), which is derived from the Sanskrit word "तम" (darkness). |
| Hmong | “Los daus” is derived from Proto-Mien-Yao *srau, a word for “ice”. |
| Icelandic | Icelandic "snjór" is cognate with "snow" in English and "snijeg" in Croatian, and is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *sneigʷh-. |
| Igbo | The Igbo word |
| Indonesian | The word "salju" is derived from Sanskrit, meaning "frost" or "dew". In Indonesian it has the same meaning, though it can also refer to very cold weather that doesn't necessarily include snow. |
| Irish | The Irish word "sneachta" may also refer to a shower of rain, hail or sleet. |
| Italian | The word "neve" in Italian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*sneigh-", meaning "to snow". |
| Japanese | In the Heian period, "雪" was also used to mean "whiteness" or "purity" and was often used in poetry. |
| Javanese | In the Old Javanese language, "salju" referred to both snow and ashes from Mount Merapi eruptions. |
| Kannada | The Kannada word "ಹಿಮ" (snow) is related to the Sanskrit word "hima," which also means "cold" or "frost." |
| Kazakh | In Kazakh, "қар" also refers to a white horse or a gray wolf. |
| Khmer | The word "ព្រិល" (snow) is derived from the Sanskrit word "hrima", which means "frost" or "hail". |
| Korean | The word 눈 (pronounced "nun") is also used in Korean to mean "eye". |
| Kurdish | The word "berf" in Kurdish can also refer to "ice" |
| Kyrgyz | In Turkic languages, "кар" means both "snow" and "old age". |
| Lao | The Lao word for "snow" is also used to refer to the white flowers of some trees, or to describe something that is "white as snow" |
| Latin | The Latin word "nix" also refers to the Roman goddess of snow and ice. |
| Latvian | "Sniegs" in Latvian also refers to a type of traditional Latvian headwear made from wool or linen |
| Lithuanian | Derived from Proto-Baltic *sniegas, perhaps related to Proto-Slavic *sněgъ, *sněgъ, and Proto-Armenian *sequn. |
| Luxembourgish | The word "Schnéi" is derived from the Proto-Germanic *snaiws, which also gave rise to the English word "snow". |
| Macedonian | The Macedonian word "снег" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*snьgъ", which is a cognate to the words "snow" in English and "schnee" in German. |
| Malagasy | Oram-panala literally translates to 'ice-like water' in the Malagasy language. |
| Malay | "Salji" also refers to a white, powdery mineral (snow white arsenic). |
| Malayalam | In Malayalam, "മഞ്ഞ്" can also refer to a type of flower known as the Indian Laburnum. |
| Maltese | The Maltese word "borra" is derived from the Arabic word "barad" meaning "hail" |
| Maori | The word 'hukarere' derives from 'huka', a verb that means 'to blow', and 'rere', which means 'to go' |
| Marathi | The word "बर्फ" (barf) in Marathi comes from the Sanskrit word "वर्फ" (varf), which means hail. |
| Mongolian | The word "цас" in Mongolian is derived from the Proto-Mongolic root "*tsʰaɣ" and has alternate meanings such as "white" and "bright". |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | The word "နှင်း" ("snow") in the Tai dialects of Myanmar such as Shan and Tai Lue is derived from the Proto-Tai word *naŋ, meaning "frost". |
| Nepali | The word 'हिउँ' can also refer to hail. |
| Norwegian | "Snø" likely derives from the Proto-Germanic "sneiwa". The word also appears with an alternative meaning referring to mucus discharge in the nose. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "chisanu" also means "winter" in Nyanja. |
| Pashto | The word "واوره" in Pashto has been suggested to derive from the Proto-Indo-European root *gʰwen-h₁-, meaning "to strike, to kill". |
| Persian | The word "برف" (barf) in Persian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *bherg-, meaning "mountain" or "high place," and is related to the English word "berg" as in "iceberg." |
| Polish | "Śnieg" is not only the Polish word for "snow," but also relates to "frost" and "hoarfrost" in Slavic languages. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The Portuguese word "neve" ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *sneg-, meaning "to snow". |
| Punjabi | The word "ਬਰਫ" (barf) in Punjabi, derived from Persian, refers to both natural snow and the hailstone type of precipitation. |
| Romanian | The Romanian word "zăpadă" comes from Proto-Slavic *sněgъ, and is cognate with words for "snow" in other Slavic languages, such as Russian "снег" (sneg), Polish "śnieg", and Czech "sníh". |
| Russian | Alternate meanings of "снег" include "white" and "pure". |
| Samoan | The word "kiona" could also refer to the season of winter or a cold, snowy day in Samoan. |
| Scots Gaelic | The Gaelic word "sneachd" for "snow" is thought by some to stem from the Proto-Indo-European root *sneigʷ-, "to snow", also found in Latin "nix", "snow". |
| Serbian | The Serbian word "снег" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *sнѣgъ, which also means "rain". |
| Sesotho | The word "lehloa" also means "ice". |
| Shona | Derived from Proto-Bantu root *chanda- 'to be cold, to rain'. |
| Sindhi | In Sindhi, " برف" is a noun meaning snow; it is borrowed from Persian "برف", which is related to English "frost". |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The term may also refer to the color white or a cool temperature. |
| Slovak | The word "sneh" derives from the Proto-Slavic root "*snēgъ". |
| Slovenian | The word “sneg” in Slovenian is related to the Latin word “nix” and the Old English word “snaw”. |
| Somali | The Somali word "baraf" comes from the Arabic word "barad", meaning "cold", and can also refer to "ice" or "hail". |
| Spanish | The Spanish word "nieve" originates from the Latin word "nix," meaning "snow" and it can also refer to "naïveté" or "ignorance". |
| Sundanese | The Sundanese word "salju" is a loanword from Sanskrit that originally meant "frost" but shifted in meaning to "snow" due to the influence of Dutch. |
| Swahili | The word "theluji" also means "whiteness" in Swahili, and is often associated with the purity and cleanliness of the snow. |
| Swedish | "Snö" can refer to snow in Swedish, but it also meant "to sail" in Old Norse. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The Tagalog word "niyebe" is cognate with the Spanish word "nieve", both ultimately derived from the Latin word "nix". |
| Tajik | The word also appears in Persian as 'Barf'. |
| Tamil | The Tamil word "பனி" (snow) is derived from the Sanskrit word "पनि" (pani), meaning "water", and is related to the Indo-European root "*pa-," meaning "to drink". In Tamil, "பனி" can also refer to dew or frost on cold surfaces. |
| Telugu | The Telugu word for snow, 'manchu,' shares roots with the Sanskrit word 'megha,' which means 'cloud,' indicating a connection between celestial phenomena and precipitation. |
| Thai | The word "หิมะ" comes from Pali, and while it has a secondary meaning of "cold", it only referred to snow in the past. |
| Turkish | The Turkish word "kar" is cognate to the Hungarian "hó", which also means "snow". |
| Ukrainian | "сніг" derives from Proto-Slavic *sněgъ, meaning both "snow" and "winter". |
| Urdu | The word "برف" (snow) in Urdu is also used to describe a form of precipitation that is composed of small, white, crystalline particles. |
| Uzbek | "Qor" may also refer to a type of eagle in Uzbek, known for its white feathers. |
| Vietnamese | "Tuyết" is a word with a rich history in Vietnamese. It is derived from the Middle Vietnamese word "tuyet", which itself is likely derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "*sut". The word "tuyết" has a number of alternate meanings, including "cold," "icy," "freezing," and "numbing." |
| Welsh | The word "eira" in Welsh can also refer to a type of avalanche or a snowy region. |
| Xhosa | The word 'ikhephu' in Xhosa originates from the Nguni word 'iqhwa', which also means 'frost' or 'hoarfrost'. |
| Yiddish | In Yiddish, "שניי" ("shney") also means "Monday" in the Ashkenazi pronunciation and "Sunday" in the Sephardic pronunciation. |
| Yoruba | Egbon can also mean "white" or "pale" in Yoruba, and is used to describe the color of objects or substances. |
| Zulu | The word 'iqhwa' can also refer to the 'white-ness' of snow or a 'very white' object. |
| English | The word "snow" derives from the Old English word "snaw," which comes from the Proto-Germanic word "*snaiwaz" and the Proto-Indo-European word "*sneygwh". |