Southern in Different Languages
Discover 'Southern' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'southern' holds a rich significance, often referring to the direction opposite of north and, more intriguingly, to the diverse cultures, traditions, and histories of the southern regions across the world. From the American South, steeped in a unique blend of colonial influences, to the Southern Cone of South America, where vibrant Spanish and Portuguese cultures meet, 'southern' is a keyword that opens up a world of discovery.
Understanding the translations of 'southern' in different languages can enrich your cultural knowledge and broaden your horizons. For instance, in Spanish, 'southern' translates to 'sur' or 'meridional,' while in French, it becomes 'sud' or 'méridional.' In the Chinese language, 'southern' is translated as '南方 (nán fāng),' and in Japanese, it is '南方 (minamiho)'.
Delving into the word 'southern' also uncovers fascinating historical contexts. For example, the Southern Hemisphere was once considered a mysterious region, with early explorers venturing into uncharted territories. Today, the term 'southern' continues to evoke a sense of adventure, curiosity, and cultural richness.
Discover more about the word 'southern' and its translations in various languages:
Southern
Southern in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | suidelike | ||
| The word "suidelike" can also refer to the direction of "southward" or the "southern hemisphere" in Afrikaans. | |||
| Amharic | ደቡባዊ | ||
| The word "ደቡባዊ" (southern) in Amharic also means "downstream" or "towards the south". | |||
| Hausa | kudu | ||
| In Hausa, the word "kudu" can also mean "end" or "finish." | |||
| Igbo | nke ndida | ||
| The Igbo word "nke ndida" can also refer to the southeastern part of Nigeria. | |||
| Malagasy | atsimo | ||
| The word "atsimo" in Malagasy also refers to the southeast monsoon winds and the corresponding rainy season, which occur from November to April. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kum'mwera | ||
| The word "kum'mwera" in Nyanja also means "from the south" or "towards the south". | |||
| Shona | kumaodzanyemba | ||
| The word "kumaodzanyemba" can also refer to the south-eastern region of Zimbabwe. | |||
| Somali | koonfureed | ||
| In the northern dialect of Somali, 'koonfureed' also refers to a style of singing. | |||
| Sesotho | boroa | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "southern," "boroa" can also mean "below" or "downwards" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | kusini | ||
| Kusini was borrowed from the Arabic Qublī meaning "facing the Qibla" which is a direction important in the Islam religion | |||
| Xhosa | emazantsi | ||
| The word 'emazantsi' literally means 'from the direction of the sun' in Xhosa, as the south is the direction of the rising sun in the Southern Hemisphere. | |||
| Yoruba | guusu | ||
| "Guusu" in Yoruba derives from "gu" (meaning "to follow") and "usu" (meaning "back"), hence "that which follows behind" (geographically). | |||
| Zulu | eningizimu | ||
| "Eningizimu" is cognate with the Swahili word "kusini" and is derived from the Proto-Bantu root "-ini"} | |||
| Bambara | saheliyanfan fɛ | ||
| Ewe | dzigbe gome | ||
| Kinyarwanda | majyepfo | ||
| Lingala | na sudi | ||
| Luganda | obw’obugwanjuba | ||
| Sepedi | ka borwa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | anafo fam | ||
Southern in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الجنوب | ||
| In Arabic, "الجنوب" (southern) can also refer to the Yemeni government's security forces established in 1994. | |||
| Hebrew | דְרוֹמִי | ||
| The word "דְרוֹמִי" also means "right-hand" in Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | سویل | ||
| The word 'سویل' ('southern') in Pashto is cognate with the word 'savior' in many Indo-European languages, and is ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *seH₂- ('to protect'). | |||
| Arabic | الجنوب | ||
| In Arabic, "الجنوب" (southern) can also refer to the Yemeni government's security forces established in 1994. | |||
Southern in Western European Languages
| Albanian | jugore | ||
| The Albanian word "jugore" meaning "southern" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*yeug-," meaning "to join"} | |||
| Basque | hegoaldekoa | ||
| In Basque, "hegoaldekoa" also refers to a southerly wind. | |||
| Catalan | sud | ||
| The Catalan word "sud" finds its etymology in the Latin word "sub", meaning "under". This explains why it is also used to refer to the underworld. | |||
| Croatian | južni | ||
| The word | |||
| Danish | syd- | ||
| In Denmark, "syd" can also refer to "sick" or "fainting". | |||
| Dutch | zuidelijk | ||
| The word "zuidelijk" is also used to describe the direction or region of South Africa. | |||
| English | southern | ||
| "Southern" originated from Old English and meant "coming from the south", but also meant "of lesser importance". | |||
| French | du sud | ||
| The term "du sud" can also refer to a type of wine from the southern regions of France. | |||
| Frisian | súdlik | ||
| Súdlik is derived from the Old Frisian word "sūthlik", which also meant "right", and is related to the English "south". | |||
| Galician | sur | ||
| In Galician, "sur" can also refer to the cardinal direction of southeast or to a place or thing that is southeast. | |||
| German | süd- | ||
| Süd- also often appears in compounds to refer to plants or other organisms restricted to hot and/or sunny regions. | |||
| Icelandic | suður | ||
| "Suður" (south) in Icelandic, originally meant "the land of the sun", due to the country's location in the northern hemisphere. | |||
| Irish | theas | ||
| The word "theas" also refers to the "left hand" or "sinister" in Gaelic Irish, due to an old Gaelic superstition regarding omens. | |||
| Italian | meridionale | ||
| The word "meridionale" is a loanword from Latin and also means "noon" or "midday." | |||
| Luxembourgish | südlechen | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "südlechen" is derived from the Old High German word "südlichin", which means "southern" or "from the south"} | |||
| Maltese | tan-nofsinhar | ||
| The word "tan-Nofsinhar" also refers to the wind blowing from the south. | |||
| Norwegian | sør- | ||
| The word "sør-" is derived from the Old Norse "sūthr", meaning "to the right side" when facing east. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | sulista | ||
| Sulista in Portuguese can also mean a person from the south, especially from the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | deas | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, "deas" also means "right (hand)" or "dexterous". | |||
| Spanish | meridional | ||
| The Spanish word "meridional" is derived from the Latin word for midday or south and can refer to a southern region as well as time, heat levels, or winds. | |||
| Swedish | sydlig | ||
| The word "sydlig" derives from the Old Swedish word "suder", meaning "south". | |||
| Welsh | deheuol | ||
| The word 'deheuol' is also used to refer to the south-western direction. | |||
Southern in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | паўднёвы | ||
| Bosnian | južni | ||
| The word 'južn' means both 'southern' and 'sour' in Bosnian, and is derived from the Slavic root '*jugъ'. | |||
| Bulgarian | южна | ||
| The word "южна" can also refer to "south wind" or "southern dialect" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | jižní | ||
| In Slavic languages, "jižní" often refers to the midday sun, hence its southern meaning. | |||
| Estonian | lõunapoolne | ||
| The Estonian word "lõunapoolne" ("southern") is also used to refer to the "afternoon". | |||
| Finnish | eteläinen | ||
| Eteläinen likely means 'warm, sunny side'. It can also refer to a side or point on the right (right hand). | |||
| Hungarian | déli | ||
| 'Déli' is also a colloquial term for the Hungarian capital Budapest, due to its geographic location in the southern part of the country. | |||
| Latvian | dienvidu | ||
| Latvian word "dienvidu" originates from the Old Prussian word "dīna" meaning "down". | |||
| Lithuanian | pietinis | ||
| The word "pietinis" is also used in a figurative sense to describe something that is located south of the speaker. | |||
| Macedonian | јужен | ||
| Јужен (southern) originates from the Proto-Slavic "jugъ" which also means "south" and from which "југ" (south) in Macedonian directly originates. | |||
| Polish | południowy | ||
| The word "południowy" also means "midday" in Polish, which derives from the fact that in the past, midday was considered to be the southern point of the sun's path. | |||
| Romanian | sudică | ||
| The word "sudică" in Romanian comes from the Slavic word "sudъ", meaning "judgment" or "trial". | |||
| Russian | южный | ||
| The Russian word "южный" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *jugъ, which also meant "warm". | |||
| Serbian | јужни | ||
| The word "јужни" also means "south" in other Slavic languages such as Russian and Polish. | |||
| Slovak | južná | ||
| The word "južná" also has the alternate meaning of "warm" or "sunny" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | južni | ||
| The word Južni also refers to the South Slavic branch of the Slavic languages. | |||
| Ukrainian | південний | ||
| "Південний" means both "southern" and "right-sided" in Ukrainian because it comes from the word "права рука" (right hand). | |||
Southern in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | দক্ষিণ | ||
| The word 'দক্ষিণ' ('southern') is cognate with Sanskrit 'dakshin' ('right', 'south'), which reflects the traditional association of right with the south in Indic culture. | |||
| Gujarati | દક્ષિણ | ||
| The Gujarati word "દક્ષિણ" can also refer to the Dakshina, a ritual offering or donation made to priests or teachers in Hinduism. | |||
| Hindi | दक्षिण | ||
| "दक्षिण" ("southern") comes from the Sanskrit word "दक्ष" ("able", "clever"), implying "the land of the able ones". | |||
| Kannada | ದಕ್ಷಿಣ | ||
| The word "ದಕ್ಷಿಣ" also means "right" or "correct" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | തെക്ക് | ||
| The word "തെക്ക്" (southern) in Malayalam is derived from the Sanskrit word "दक्षिण" (dakṣiṇa), which means "right". This is because the south was traditionally considered to be the direction of auspiciousness and prosperity. | |||
| Marathi | दक्षिणेकडील | ||
| दक्षिणेकडील is a word derived from the Sanskrit word "दक्षिण" which means "right". The term refers to geographical and cardinal directions, and is used in various contexts denoting positions and orientations relative to the south. | |||
| Nepali | दक्षिणी | ||
| दक्षिणी means "right hand" in Sanskrit, as the right side of the body corresponds to the south in ancient Indian cosmology. | |||
| Punjabi | ਦੱਖਣੀ | ||
| The word 'Dakhani' is also used to refer to the language spoken in the Deccan region of India, a dialect of Urdu. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දකුණු | ||
| The word "දකුණු" also means "right" or "dexterous" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | தெற்கு | ||
| The Tamil word 'தெற்கு' is related to the Sanskrit word 'dakṣiṇa', meaning 'right' or 'southern'. | |||
| Telugu | దక్షిణ | ||
| Derived from the Sanskrit word 'dakshina', it can also refer to the right-hand side or the proper side. | |||
| Urdu | جنوبی | ||
| جنوبی can also refer to a certain type of wind that blows from the south. | |||
Southern in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 南部的 | ||
| The word 南部的 can also mean 'of the Southern Song dynasty' in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 南部的 | ||
| 除了表示方向之外，「南部的」也可以表示時間上的「後期」、「晚期」或「以後」等意思。 | |||
| Japanese | 南方の | ||
| "Southern" in Japanese can also be used in the sense of "later generations." | |||
| Korean | 남부 지방 사투리 | ||
| The term "남부 지방 사투리" literally translates to "southern dialect", but it can also refer to the Jeolla dialects spoken in the southwestern region of South Korea. | |||
| Mongolian | өмнөд | ||
| "Өмнөд" means "south" in Mongolian. It can also mean "the front" or "the first". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တောင်ပိုင်း | ||
| The word is also used to refer to a group of related languages including Sgaw, Pwo, and Pa'o. | |||
Southern in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | selatan | ||
| The word "selatan" is derived from the Sanskrit word "dakshiņa," meaning "right-hand side," and originally referred to the southern part of Java. | |||
| Javanese | kidul | ||
| In Javanese, the term 'kidul' can also refer to the direction facing the Indian Ocean or the realm of the deceased. | |||
| Khmer | ភាគខាងត្បូង | ||
| In addition to referring to a geographical direction, "ភាគខាងត្បូង" can also indicate "the latter" or a specific direction within the context of performing an action. | |||
| Lao | ພາກໃຕ້ | ||
| The Lao word "ພາກໃຕ້" means "the south" in English and is derived from the Sanskrit word "dak??i?a". | |||
| Malay | selatan | ||
| Selatan, which means "southern" in Malay, can also refer to a specific geographic region or a cardinal direction. | |||
| Thai | ภาคใต้ | ||
| The Thai word "ภาคใต้" also refers to an administrative region of the same name that encompasses southern provinces like Surat Thani and Krabi. | |||
| Vietnamese | phía nam | ||
| "Phía Nam" (southern) in Vietnamese can also refer to the South of China. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | timog | ||
Southern in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | cənub | ||
| The word "cənub" in Azerbaijani can also refer to the direction of "below" or "the south end of something". | |||
| Kazakh | оңтүстік | ||
| ОҢТҮСТІК is also used to refer to the right side of the body or an object | |||
| Kyrgyz | түштүк | ||
| Түштүк - from the Old Turkic word 'tüsh', 'tüs', which originally meant 'low', 'downward' | |||
| Tajik | ҷанубӣ | ||
| "ҷанубӣ" is also a synonym for "past" used in the context of time or chronology, rather than direction. | |||
| Turkmen | günorta | ||
| Uzbek | janubiy | ||
| In the historical context, the word "Janubiy" can also refer to the direction of Mecca, the holy city of Islam. | |||
| Uyghur | جەنۇب | ||
Southern in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hema | ||
| In Hawaiian, "hema" can refer to the windward side or the leeward side of an island, depending on the context. | |||
| Maori | tonga | ||
| In some Māori dialects "tonga" can mean "downstream" or "seaward". | |||
| Samoan | saute | ||
| In Samoan, 'saute' also means 'south wind' and is pronounced with a glottal stop after the 'a'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | timog | ||
| "Timog" in Tagalog also refers to the northeast monsoon season from November to April. | |||
Southern in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | sur tuqina | ||
| Guarani | sur gotyo | ||
Southern in International Languages
| Esperanto | suda | ||
| "Suda" is derived from "sud" meaning "broth" and "sudor" meaning "sweat". | |||
| Latin | meridionali | ||
| In medieval Latin, "meridionali" also referred to the summer solstice or the southern hemisphere. | |||
Southern in Others Languages
| Greek | νότιος | ||
| The term "νότιος" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "nekʷ-," meaning "night," implying the sense of "darkness". Its synonym, "νοτερός (noteros)," also conveys the notion of "wet" or "moist" due to the connection between darkness and humidity. | |||
| Hmong | yav qab teb | ||
| In Hmong, 'yav qab teb' can refer to both a geographical location or a person's temperament. | |||
| Kurdish | başûrî | ||
| The word 'başûrî' is also used in a literary context to refer to the 'southern school' of Kurdish literature, which emerged in the 19th century. | |||
| Turkish | güney | ||
| The word "güney" also means "the side from which the sun comes", in contrast to "kuzey" ("the side from which the sun goes"). | |||
| Xhosa | emazantsi | ||
| The word 'emazantsi' literally means 'from the direction of the sun' in Xhosa, as the south is the direction of the rising sun in the Southern Hemisphere. | |||
| Yiddish | דרום | ||
| In Yiddish, "דרום" (drom) can also refer to the south wind or a southern Jewish community. | |||
| Zulu | eningizimu | ||
| "Eningizimu" is cognate with the Swahili word "kusini" and is derived from the Proto-Bantu root "-ini"} | |||
| Assamese | দক্ষিণ ফালৰ | ||
| Aymara | sur tuqina | ||
| Bhojpuri | दक्षिणी के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ދެކުނުންނެވެ | ||
| Dogri | दक्षिणी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | timog | ||
| Guarani | sur gotyo | ||
| Ilocano | abagatan | ||
| Krio | na di sawt pat | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | باشووری | ||
| Maithili | दक्षिणी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯥ ꯊꯪꯕꯥ ꯁꯔꯨꯛꯇꯥ ꯂꯩ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | khawthlang lam a ni | ||
| Oromo | kibbaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଦକ୍ଷିଣ | ||
| Quechua | surmanta | ||
| Sanskrit | दक्षिणी | ||
| Tatar | көньяк | ||
| Tigrinya | ደቡባዊ እዩ። | ||
| Tsonga | edzongeni | ||