Sound in Different Languages
Discover 'Sound' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'sound' carries a world of meaning within its simple syllables. It represents the audible vibrations that travel through the air and reach our ears, enabling us to perceive the world around us. But 'sound' is also significant in a metaphorical sense, denoting something trustworthy and reliable - as in the phrase 'that sounds about right.'
Throughout history, sound has played a crucial role in human culture. From the rhythmic beats of ancient drums to the symphonic masterpieces of modern orchestras, sound has the power to evoke emotion, tell stories, and bring people together. And in our increasingly interconnected world, the ability to communicate across linguistic boundaries has never been more important.
That's why understanding the translation of 'sound' in different languages is so fascinating. Whether you're a language learner, a cultural enthusiast, or simply curious, exploring the nuances of this word can offer valuable insights into the ways that different cultures perceive and interact with the world around them.
Here are just a few examples of how 'sound' translates in some of the world's most widely spoken languages:
Sound
Sound in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | klank | ||
| The Afrikaans word 'klank' comes from the Dutch word 'klank', which means 'sound'. | |||
| Amharic | ድምጽ | ||
| The Amharic word for sound, ድምጽ, is related to the root word ድም, which means 'to ring' or 'to make a sound'. | |||
| Hausa | sauti | ||
| The word "sauti" in Hausa also refers to a musical instrument used to accompany traditional songs and storytelling. | |||
| Igbo | uda | ||
| In the Igbo language, the word “uda” also refers to a musical instrument or a type of dance rhythm. | |||
| Malagasy | misaina | ||
| MISAINA, in Malagasy, comes from the word "SAINA" which means "noise". However, when "MI" is added in front of SAINA, the meaning changes to "sound". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | phokoso | ||
| The word "phokoso" may also refer to the act of producing a sound, or to the quality of a sound. | |||
| Shona | kurira | ||
| The Shona word "kurira" not only means "sound," but also "sing" or "make a noise." | |||
| Somali | dhawaaq | ||
| "Dhawaaq" also means "to utter a sound." | |||
| Sesotho | modumo | ||
| "Modumo" is derived from the Proto-Bantu root "-*dumu". Its other meanings in Southern Bantu languages include "to call" or "to tell." | |||
| Swahili | sauti | ||
| The Swahili word 'sauti' can also refer to 'voice', 'noise', or 'pronunciation'. | |||
| Xhosa | isandi | ||
| The word 'isandi' also refers to the sound of a bell, which is a symbol of peace and tranquility. | |||
| Yoruba | ohun | ||
| The Yoruba word 'ohun' not only means 'sound,' but also refers to 'things' and the 'reason' for something. | |||
| Zulu | umsindo | ||
| Umsindo also signifies "news" or "report" in the context of communication. | |||
| Bambara | kanɲɛ | ||
| Ewe | gbeɖiɖi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ijwi | ||
| Lingala | makelele | ||
| Luganda | okuwulikika | ||
| Sepedi | modumo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nnyegyeeɛ | ||
Sound in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | صوت | ||
| The Arabic word "صوت" (sawt) also means "voice" and can be used to describe a musical instrument or a vocal performance. | |||
| Hebrew | נשמע | ||
| The Hebrew word "נשמע" can also mean "to be heard, to be perceptible" or "to be considered, to be deemed." | |||
| Pashto | غږ | ||
| The etymology of "غږ" may link to Avestan "γaθa", meaning "verse" or "hymn", or to Sanskrit "ghosha", meaning "noise" or "sound". | |||
| Arabic | صوت | ||
| The Arabic word "صوت" (sawt) also means "voice" and can be used to describe a musical instrument or a vocal performance. | |||
Sound in Western European Languages
| Albanian | tingull | ||
| The word "tingull" in Albanian also refers to a bell | |||
| Basque | soinua | ||
| The Basque word "soinua" also means "melody" or "music". | |||
| Catalan | so | ||
| The Catalan word "so" can also mean "quietly" or "slowly". | |||
| Croatian | zvuk | ||
| The word "zvuk" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*zvьkъ," which meant "call" or "voice." | |||
| Danish | lyd | ||
| "Lyd" also refers to the act of sounding or producing a certain sound. | |||
| Dutch | geluid | ||
| The word "geluid" can also be used to refer to "noise" or "music" in Dutch. | |||
| English | sound | ||
| , referring to a body of water, is an archaic usage dating back to the 14th century. | |||
| French | du son | ||
| In addition to its literal meaning, the French word "du son" can also refer to "music", "noise" or "information". | |||
| Frisian | lûd | ||
| The Frisian word "lûd" is cognate with the English word "loud" and the Dutch word "luid", all deriving from the Proto-West-Germanic word "*hludaz" meaning "loud" or "noise". | |||
| Galician | son | ||
| In Galician, "son" (pronounced as English "sawn") also means a "dream" or a "nightmare." | |||
| German | klang | ||
| The German word "Klang" is also used to describe the specific tone or timbre of a sound. | |||
| Icelandic | hljóð | ||
| The word "hljóð" can also refer to silence or quietude in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | fuaim | ||
| Fuaim derives from the common Celtic word for 'sound', and also means 'noise'. | |||
| Italian | suono | ||
| "Suono" can also mean a melody, symphony or tone. | |||
| Luxembourgish | toun | ||
| The word "Toun" in Luxembourgish can also refer to a place, specifically a village or small town. | |||
| Maltese | ħoss | ||
| The Maltese word 'ħoss' is also used to refer to the sense of hearing. | |||
| Norwegian | lyd | ||
| The word "lyd" can also mean "appearance" or "demeanor" in Norwegian. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | som | ||
| The Portuguese noun 'som' originates from Latin "summus", referring to the "top of the scale", hence the association with sound and high notes. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | fuaim | ||
| The word "fuaim" can also mean "a tune" or "a noise" in Scots Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | sonido | ||
| The word "sonido" is derived from the Latin word "sonitus," meaning "noise" or "sound." | |||
| Swedish | ljud | ||
| The Swedish word ljud originally referred to "song" and is related to words like "lute" and "melody". | |||
| Welsh | sain | ||
| The Welsh word "sain" can also mean "healthy" or "whole". | |||
Sound in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | гук | ||
| The Belarusian word «гук» can also mean «call» or «shout» depending on the context. | |||
| Bosnian | zvuk | ||
| "Zvuk" also means "bell" in Bosnian, likely deriving from the onomatopoeic sound of a bell ringing. | |||
| Bulgarian | звук | ||
| The Proto-Slavic root of "звук" also referred to a specific musical instrument. | |||
| Czech | zvuk | ||
| Zvuk is also used figuratively in Czech, like in the phrase "to make a sound" (dělat zvuk). | |||
| Estonian | heli | ||
| "Heli" is also used to refer to the volume of a sound or the range of frequencies that can be perceived by the human ear. | |||
| Finnish | ääni | ||
| The Finnish word "ääni" also refers to a vote or ballot. | |||
| Hungarian | hang | ||
| The Hungarian word for "hang" (sound), like its English counterpart, can also refer to the act of execution by hanging. | |||
| Latvian | skaņu | ||
| In Latvian, "skaņu" also means "noise" or "tone". | |||
| Lithuanian | garsas | ||
| The Lithuanian word "garsas" derives from "garsėti", meaning "to sound aloud, make noise". | |||
| Macedonian | звук | ||
| The word "звук" can also refer to a musical instrument or the act of ringing a bell. | |||
| Polish | dźwięk | ||
| The related adjective "dźwięczny" means "voiced" in reference to consonants, and "sonorous" in reference to vowels. | |||
| Romanian | sunet | ||
| The word "sunet" is also used in Romanian to refer to the "sunset". | |||
| Russian | звук | ||
| The verb form of сзвук, meaning "calling" or "summoning", is зову.} | |||
| Serbian | звук | ||
| In addition to its meaning of "sound", "звук" can also refer to a "musical note" or "tone". | |||
| Slovak | zvuk | ||
| The Slovak word "zvuk" is also used to refer to a musical instrument or a noise. | |||
| Slovenian | zvok | ||
| The Slovenian word "zvok" is a cognate of the Russian word "zvuk," also meaning "sound," which probably derives from a Proto-Slavic form meaning "call" or "noise". | |||
| Ukrainian | звук | ||
| The Ukrainian word “звук” is also used to refer to the act of expressing an opinion or thought. | |||
Sound in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | শব্দ | ||
| The word "শব্দ" in Bengali can also mean "word" or "noise", and is derived from the Sanskrit word "śabda" meaning "sound". | |||
| Gujarati | અવાજ | ||
| The word "અવાજ" can also refer to a person's voice or reputation. | |||
| Hindi | ध्वनि | ||
| The word "ध्वनि" can also refer to "clarity", "brightness" and "tone", or specifically to the "sacred sounds" (i.e. mantras). | |||
| Kannada | ಧ್ವನಿ | ||
| "ಧ್ವನಿ" means 'sound', but in music it means a 'note', and a 'tone' in the sense of a particular musical note. | |||
| Malayalam | ശബ്ദം | ||
| The Malayalam word "ശബ്ദം" (śabdam) is derived from the Sanskrit word "शब्द" (śabda), which means "word" or "sound." | |||
| Marathi | आवाज | ||
| "आवाज" (sound) in Marathi also means "call" or "voice". | |||
| Nepali | आवाज | ||
| The Nepalese word "आवाज" can originate either from an Austronesian root word as an onomatopoeia or from the Sino-Tibetan word "avadz", which likely originated in Indo-Aryan languages meaning "voice". | |||
| Punjabi | ਆਵਾਜ਼ | ||
| The Punjabi word 'ਆਵਾਜ਼' can also refer to a melody or a cry for help. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ශබ්දය | ||
| ශబ්දය can also mean 'word' and 'meaning' | |||
| Tamil | ஒலி | ||
| Telugu | ధ్వని | ||
| The word "ధ్వని" in Telugu also refers to the concept of "sound" or "meaning" in literature and philosophy. | |||
| Urdu | آواز | ||
| "Avaz" also means "call to prayer" or "song" in Urdu. | |||
Sound in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 声音 | ||
| 声音 (yīn shēng) literally means 'sound waves'. It can also refer to 'voice' or 'noise'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 聲音 | ||
| The character "聲" (sound) in "聲音" (sound) was originally a pictograph of a musical instrument, representing the sense of hearing. | |||
| Japanese | 音 | ||
| 音 is used in the given name 音 (on), meaning "music melody". | |||
| Korean | 소리 | ||
| 소리 can also mean "news" or "rumor" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | дуу чимээ | ||
| The Mongolian word | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အသံ | ||
| The Myanmar (Burmese) word "အသံ" (asham) can also mean "melody" or "music". | |||
Sound in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | suara | ||
| In Sundanese, 'suara' means 'voice', while in Javanese it means 'noise'. | |||
| Javanese | swara | ||
| The related word `swari` means either `singers` or `syllables`, suggesting a connection between sounds and singers or language. | |||
| Khmer | សំឡេង | ||
| The Khmer word "សំឡេង" can also mean "to speak, to make a sound" or "to cry, to weep". | |||
| Lao | ສຽງ | ||
| The Lao word "ສຽງ" also means "voice", "noise", or "music". | |||
| Malay | suara | ||
| The word "suara" in Malay can also refer to "voice" or "news". | |||
| Thai | เสียง | ||
| While "เสียง" primarily means "sound" in Thai, it can also refer to "fame" or "voice" | |||
| Vietnamese | âm thanh | ||
| The Vietnamese word "âm thanh" can also mean "music" or "tone". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tunog | ||
Sound in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | səs | ||
| The word "səs" in Azerbaijani can also refer to "voice" or "noise". | |||
| Kazakh | дыбыс | ||
| The word "дыбыс" in Kazakh can also mean "melody" or "noise". | |||
| Kyrgyz | үн | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "үн" also means "voice" and is cognate with the Mongolian word "үн" and the Turkish word "ses". | |||
| Tajik | садо | ||
| The Tajik word "садо" is derived from the Proto-Iranian word *ćā́ta- meaning "to shout" | |||
| Turkmen | ses | ||
| Uzbek | tovush | ||
| "Tovush" (sound) can also refer to "voice," "tone," or "noise" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | ئاۋاز | ||
Sound in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kani | ||
| In Hawaiian, "kani" also means "to ring" or "to sound". This is the etymology or word origin of the word's other meaning, "bell". | |||
| Maori | oro | ||
| Maori word "oro" also means "to speak" and "to sing". | |||
| Samoan | leo | ||
| The word "leo" also means "to bark" or "to crow" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tunog | ||
| In Tagalog, "tunog" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "tunuŋ" and also refers to a musical chord or a harmonious combination of sounds. | |||
Sound in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | salla | ||
| Guarani | pu | ||
Sound in International Languages
| Esperanto | sono | ||
| "Sono" derives from the Latin word "sonus" and also means "bell" in Esperanto. | |||
| Latin | sana | ||
| The Latin word "sana" can also mean "healthy" or "whole". | |||
Sound in Others Languages
| Greek | ήχος | ||
| In Byzantine music, ήχος ('sound') also refers to a musical scale or mode, one of eight standard melodic patterns used in the composition and performance of Byzantine chant. | |||
| Hmong | suab | ||
| In Hmong, the concept 'sound', 'voice' and 'words of a song' can all be represented using the word 'suab'. | |||
| Kurdish | rengdan | ||
| In Kurdish mythology, 'rengdan' also refers to a supernatural being associated with thunder and lightning. | |||
| Turkish | ses | ||
| Ses is a Turkish homonym, referring to both ‘sound’ and ‘voice’. | |||
| Xhosa | isandi | ||
| The word 'isandi' also refers to the sound of a bell, which is a symbol of peace and tranquility. | |||
| Yiddish | קלאַנג | ||
| The Yiddish word "קלאַנג" is derived from the German word "Klang", which also means "sound", and is ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*klang-", meaning "to sound". | |||
| Zulu | umsindo | ||
| Umsindo also signifies "news" or "report" in the context of communication. | |||
| Assamese | ধ্বনি | ||
| Aymara | salla | ||
| Bhojpuri | आवाज | ||
| Dhivehi | އަޑު | ||
| Dogri | अवाज | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tunog | ||
| Guarani | pu | ||
| Ilocano | timek | ||
| Krio | sawnd | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دەنگ | ||
| Maithili | आवाज | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯈꯣꯜ | ||
| Mizo | ri | ||
| Oromo | sagalee | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଶବ୍ଦ | ||
| Quechua | qapariy | ||
| Sanskrit | ध्वनि | ||
| Tatar | тавыш | ||
| Tigrinya | ድምጺ | ||
| Tsonga | mpfumawulo | ||