South in Different Languages
Discover 'South' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
South
Afrikaans suid | ||
Albanian në jug | ||
Amharic ደቡብ | ||
Arabic جنوب | ||
Armenian հարավ | ||
Assamese দক্ষিণ | ||
Aymara aynacha | ||
Azerbaijani cənub | ||
Bambara worodugu | ||
Basque hegoaldea | ||
Belarusian паўднёвы | ||
Bengali দক্ষিণ | ||
Bhojpuri दक्खिन | ||
Bosnian jug | ||
Bulgarian юг | ||
Catalan sud | ||
Cebuano habagatan | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 南 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 南 | ||
Corsican sudu | ||
Croatian jug | ||
Czech jižní | ||
Danish syd | ||
Dhivehi ދެކުނު | ||
Dogri दक्खन | ||
Dutch zuiden | ||
English south | ||
Esperanto sude | ||
Estonian lõunasse | ||
Ewe anyiehe | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) timog | ||
Finnish etelään | ||
French sud | ||
Frisian súd | ||
Galician sur | ||
Georgian სამხრეთი | ||
German süden | ||
Greek νότος | ||
Guarani ñemby | ||
Gujarati દક્ષિણ | ||
Haitian Creole sid | ||
Hausa kudu | ||
Hawaiian ka hema | ||
Hebrew דָרוֹם | ||
Hindi दक्षिण | ||
Hmong sab qab teb | ||
Hungarian déli | ||
Icelandic suður | ||
Igbo ndịda | ||
Ilocano abagatan | ||
Indonesian selatan | ||
Irish ó dheas | ||
Italian sud | ||
Japanese 南 | ||
Javanese kidul | ||
Kannada ದಕ್ಷಿಣ | ||
Kazakh оңтүстік | ||
Khmer ខាងត្បូង | ||
Kinyarwanda majyepfo | ||
Konkani दक्षिण | ||
Korean 남쪽 | ||
Krio sawt | ||
Kurdish başûr | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) باشوور | ||
Kyrgyz түштүк | ||
Lao ພາກໃຕ້ | ||
Latin meridianam | ||
Latvian uz dienvidiem | ||
Lingala sude | ||
Lithuanian į pietus | ||
Luganda sawusi | ||
Luxembourgish süden | ||
Macedonian југ | ||
Maithili साऊथ | ||
Malagasy atsimo | ||
Malay selatan | ||
Malayalam തെക്ക് | ||
Maltese fin-nofsinhar | ||
Maori tonga | ||
Marathi दक्षिण | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯈꯥ | ||
Mizo chhim | ||
Mongolian өмнөд | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) တောင် | ||
Nepali दक्षिण | ||
Norwegian sør | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) kum'mwera | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଦକ୍ଷିଣ | ||
Oromo kibba | ||
Pashto سویل | ||
Persian جنوب | ||
Polish południe | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) sul | ||
Punjabi ਦੱਖਣ | ||
Quechua qulla | ||
Romanian sud | ||
Russian юг | ||
Samoan saute | ||
Sanskrit दक्षिण | ||
Scots Gaelic deas | ||
Sepedi borwa | ||
Serbian југ | ||
Sesotho boroa | ||
Shona chamhembe | ||
Sindhi ڏکڻ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) දකුණු | ||
Slovak juh | ||
Slovenian južno | ||
Somali koonfur | ||
Spanish sur | ||
Sundanese kidul | ||
Swahili kusini | ||
Swedish söder | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) timog | ||
Tajik ҷануб | ||
Tamil தெற்கு | ||
Tatar көньяк | ||
Telugu దక్షిణాన | ||
Thai ทิศใต้ | ||
Tigrinya ደቡብ | ||
Tsonga dzonga | ||
Turkish güney | ||
Turkmen günorta | ||
Twi (Akan) anaafoɔ | ||
Ukrainian південь | ||
Urdu جنوب | ||
Uyghur جەنۇب | ||
Uzbek janub | ||
Vietnamese miền nam | ||
Welsh de | ||
Xhosa mazantsi | ||
Yiddish דרום | ||
Yoruba guusu | ||
Zulu eningizimu |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The word "suid" can also refer to pigs or boars, as the Afrikaans word for "pig" is "vark" or "varken". |
| Albanian | The word "në jug" also has the figurative meaning of "to the right". |
| Amharic | The Amharic word "ደቡብ" can also refer to the left-hand side and to the back or rear. |
| Arabic | The word "جنوب" also refers to the south or the southern direction of any place or thing. |
| Armenian | The word "հարավ" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ḱʰr̥-, meaning "to turn, to wind" and is also related to the Armenian word "հալած" meaning "to pursue, to chase". |
| Azerbaijani | The word "cənub" derives from the Old Turkic word *kün*, meaning "sun". |
| Basque | "Hegoaldea" is a Basque compound word composed of "hego" (south) and "aldea" (side), referring to the Basque Country south of the Pyrenees. |
| Belarusian | The word "паўднёвы" in Belarusian originates from the Old Church Slavonic "пъдънъ", meaning "southern, towards the foot of the mountain". |
| Bengali | The word "দক্ষিণ" also means "right" in Bengali, and is derived from the Sanskrit word "dakshina", which means both "right" and "south". |
| Bosnian | The word `jug` also means `yolk` or `jug` (the container). |
| Bulgarian | In Bulgarian, the word "юг" also means a warm wind blowing from the south or an open and sunny region. |
| Catalan | In Catalan, "sud" derives from the Latin "subtus" meaning "below," as southerly winds are often associated with cooler temperatures. |
| Cebuano | In Tagalog, "habagatan" means "the south", while in Cebuano, it specifically refers to the southwest monsoon winds. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The original character for 南 was a drawing of the sun hanging above a roof, to symbolize the noon sun, which is always in the south. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 南 can also mean "male" when used as an adjective, as in 南方 (southern) or 南朝 (Southern Dynasties). |
| Corsican | The word "sudu" also refers to the humid part of a Corsican house and a type of Corsican knife or dagger. |
| Croatian | In addition to meaning "south," "jug" also means "pitcher" in Croatian. |
| Czech | The word "jižní" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *jugъ, which also means "right" or "the right side of the body". |
| Danish | The word "syd" is also used in Norwegian and Swedish, and its root is the Proto-Indo-European root "*se-," meaning "to turn" or "to set (of the sun)." |
| Dutch | The word "zuiden" can also mean "the land", or "the countryside". |
| Esperanto | The word "sude" can also mean "south wind" or "southern place". |
| Estonian | The word "lõunasse" in Estonian language also means "for lunch" and the noun form "lõuna" means both "lunch" and "the South". |
| Finnish | The word "etelään" can also refer to the opposite direction, north, in Finnish mythology. |
| French | In Old French, "Sud" also meant "below, lower part" and "the part of the body located at the bottom of the back." |
| Frisian | The West Frisian word "Súd" can also refer to the Southern European or Mediterranean region. |
| Galician | Besides meaning "south", "sur" can mean "southeast" or "under the wind" in Galician. |
| Georgian | The Georgian word for "south" (სამხრეთი) derives from an archaic root meaning "sun" or "warmth". |
| German | The word "Süden" in German also refers to the countries in the south of the European continent. |
| Greek | "Νότος" comes from the Proto-Greek word "*not-os, |
| Gujarati | The word ંેખસીન ("dakshiN") also means "right" in Gujarati, denoting the right-hand side or direction and possibly reflecting the cultural significance of the right-hand as being auspicious and associated with divine power. |
| Haitian Creole | The Haitian Creole word "sid" is derived from the Spanish word "sur," which also means "south." |
| Hausa | The name is possibly derived from the Songhai language term "koodoo", meaning "the back" or "southward", or the Zarma language term "goudou," meaning "riverside" |
| Hawaiian | The word "ka hema" in Hawaiian can also refer to the place of death or the afterworld. |
| Hebrew | The word "דָרוֹם" (darom) also means "dwell" or "inhabit" in Hebrew, suggesting a connection between the south and the place of residence. |
| Hindi | The word "दक्षिण" also means right (as opposed to left) or skillful and competent. |
| Hmong | The word "sab qab teb" also refers to anything that is located in the southern region. |
| Hungarian | "Déli" (meaning "southern") in Hungarian can also be used in a colloquial way to signify a person with southern characteristics, particularly those who are from southern parts of the country, and sometimes to indicate that one has a rustic and conservative nature. |
| Icelandic | The word "suður" comes from the Old Norse word "sœðr", which means "toward the sun". |
| Igbo | Historically and in some dialects, 'ndịda' also refers to the left in a pair. |
| Indonesian | The word 'Selatan' in Indonesian also has a connotation of 'downwards' or 'lower' in terms of geographical position. |
| Irish | As 'ó dheas' translates to 'south' in English, its Latin-based spelling is 'déas'. |
| Italian | The word "Sud" in Italian comes from the Latin word "sub", meaning "under" or "beneath", and refers to the southern position of Italy relative to the rest of Europe. |
| Japanese | The Japanese character "南" (pronounced "minami") also means "the sunny side" and is often used to indicate the direction of the sun. |
| Javanese | "Kidul" in Javanese may also refer to the supernatural realm associated with the southern sea. |
| Kannada | The word "ದಕ್ಷಿಣ" (dakshina) in Kannada also means "right (as opposed to left)", "dexterous", "skillful", or "capable". |
| Kazakh | The Kazakh word оңтүстік "south" was first used in the 17th century to specifically refer to the "southeast" direction. |
| Khmer | Etymology: from Pali/Sanskrit "dakṣiṇa", meaning "right side, south" or "southern, being on or toward the right". "ខាង" usually means "side" or "direction" in Khmer. |
| Korean | "남쪽" (south) literally means "sun side" in Korean, as it is the direction the sun faces. |
| Kurdish | The word "başûr" also means "right" or "right-hand side" in Kurdish. |
| Kyrgyz | The word "түштүк" also means "lunch" in Kyrgyz, as it is typically eaten in the afternoon, during the southern part of the day. |
| Latin | In Roman mythology, Meridianam is the Roman goddess who represents the south or noon, and was the consort of the sun god Apollo. |
| Latvian | “Dienvidi” may have come from Indo-European roots meaning “the sunny side”. |
| Lithuanian | Etymology: Old Prussian *pītan 'south', perhaps from Proto-Baltic *pītas. |
| Luxembourgish | The word "Süden" in Luxembourgish also means "the midday meal". |
| Macedonian | Македонската дума "југ" произлиза од словенската дума "júgъ", што значи "топла страна". |
| Malagasy | The word 'atsimo' in Malagasy also refers to a region in the southern part of the island. |
| Malay | The word 'selatan' (south) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'siryah' which means 'cool' and refers to the cooler southerly regions of the Indian subcontinent. |
| Malayalam | The Malayalam word "തെക്ക്" (south) shares its root with the Old Tamil word "തെക്ക" (darkness), signifying the association between the south and the setting sun. |
| Maltese | "Fin-nofsinhar" is a Maltese word meaning "south" which literally translates to "in the throat of the wind". |
| Maori | In Maori mythology, Tonga is also the name of the god of the underworld |
| Marathi | The word "दक्षिण" also implies "grace", hence the word "दक्षिणा" (money given to people to show respect or for service rendered) |
| Mongolian | Өмнөд is also used to refer to the back of an animal or object or to the posterior part of the body. |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | Burmese "တောင်" (taung) also means "mountain" and can be used to denote southern regions of the country because Burma is mostly mountainous in the south and west. |
| Nepali | The word "दक्षिण" also refers to the goddess of wealth and prosperity in Hinduism. |
| Norwegian | "Sør" shares the same root word as "sun" in English, implying that the south is the direction of the sun. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "kum'mwera" also refers to the season of the year between March and May when the rains stop and the weather is cold. |
| Pashto | The Pashto word "سویل" not only means "south" but also "left" in the context of direction and "back" in the context of an animal's body. |
| Persian | In Persian, the word "جنوب" means "south" but can also refer to the "southern side" of a building or object. |
| Polish | The word 'południe' comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'polъdьne', meaning 'half of the day', and also refers to the direction from which the midday sun shines. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | "Sul" in Portuguese originally meant "sun," from Latin "sol," referring to the direction it shines. |
| Punjabi | "Dakkhin" can also mean strong, capable, powerful |
| Romanian | The word "sud" derives from the Latin "sudus", meaning "southern", and also designates the south side of a mountain (when facing east) in traditional Romanian architecture. |
| Russian | The word "юг" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "югъ", which also means "right" or "east". Its cognate in other Slavic languages is related to the word "sun". |
| Samoan | "Saute" comes from the Proto-Polynesian word *saŋati, which also means "to fry". |
| Scots Gaelic | Deas is cognate with the Welsh word dehau and the Irish word deas, all meaning "right hand". |
| Serbian | While "југ" typically means "south" in Serbian, it can also refer to the "left hand" or "west" in certain contexts |
| Sesotho | In Sesotho, 'boroa' can also be the name of a person, or an ingredient used to make traditional medicine |
| Shona | "Chamhembe" is the Shona term for "south". It is also the name of a river in Zimbabwe that flows into the Zambezi River. |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word for south 'ڏکڻ' is cognate with Sanskrit 'दक्षिण' (dakṣiṇa), which also means 'right (hand)', possibly due to the association of the south with the direction of the rising sun. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The term is also found in many place names, such as Dakshina Kannada in Karnataka, India. |
| Slovak | In Old Church Slavonic and Old Russian, the word "juh" also meant "warm". |
| Slovenian | The word "južno" is also the name of a Slovenian rock band formed in 1995. |
| Somali | The word 'Koonfur' also has the alternate meaning of 'darkness' in Somali. |
| Spanish | In French, "sur" also means "above". |
| Sundanese | Kidul' means not only 'the south' but also 'the left' in Sundanese |
| Swahili | The Swahili word "kusini" derives from the Arabic word "qibla," which also means "south". |
| Swedish | The word "söder" is also used in Swedish to refer to the southern parts of Stockholm, such as the island of Södermalm. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The Tagalog word "Timog" may also mean "darkness" or "shadow". |
| Tajik | The Persian and Tajik word 'جنوب' comes originally from Akkadian, via Arabic and Turkish. |
| Tamil | The word "தெற்கு" (therku) in Tamil can also mean "right side" or "opposite direction". |
| Telugu | The word "దక్షిణాన" can also refer to the southern direction, the southern regions of India, or the Deccan Plateau. |
| Thai | The word "ทิศใต้" (south) in Thai comes from the Sanskrit word "dakṣiṇa" (right), which is the opposite of "uttara" (north), which means "left". |
| Turkish | "Güney" also refers to the southerly point or region, the opposite end of the horizon. |
| Ukrainian | The word “південь” comes from Proto-Indo-European root *speu- meaning “to spit,” as in the direction of wind (i.e. the south). |
| Urdu | The Urdu word "جنوب" (south) is cognate with the Persian word "جنوب" (south) and the Arabic word "جنوب" (south). |
| Uzbek | The word "janub" in Uzbek is also used to refer to the direction of prayer in Islam, known as the Qibla, and can also mean "right" or "south." |
| Vietnamese | The word "miền Nam" in Vietnamese can also refer to a region in the south of Vietnam or a southern dialect of the Vietnamese language. |
| Welsh | The word "de" in Welsh can also mean "right" or "dexter" in a directional sense. |
| Xhosa | The Xhosa word "mazantsi" has another meaning, "the way to the sun", as the sun sets in the west, the direction is referred to as "mabutsheni". |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "דרום" originated from the Hebrew word "דרים" (darim), meaning "dwellings" or "southern slopes", and also referred to the southern part of the Land of Israel |
| Yoruba | The Yoruba word "guusu" means "south," but it can also be used to refer to the "left side" or the "western direction." |
| Zulu | The word 'eningizimu' in Zulu also refers to the 'lower part' or 'bottom' of something. |
| English | From Old English sūth, from Proto-Germanic *sunþaz (also the source of Old Norse sunnan, German Süden, Dutch zuid). |