Summer in Different Languages
Discover 'Summer' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Summer, the sun-soaked season of warmth and vitality, holds a special place in cultures around the world. As the days grow longer and the temperatures rise, people from diverse backgrounds celebrate the unique charm of this radiant time of year. From the balmy beaches of Brazil, where summer is known as 'verão,' to the picturesque lavender fields of France, where the season is called 'été,' the concept of summer transcends geographical boundaries.
Summer's significance extends beyond its association with leisure and recreation. Historically, summer has been a time of agricultural abundance, with ripe fruits and vegetables symbolizing prosperity and nourishment. Moreover, various cultural festivals and traditions are deeply intertwined with the summer season, further emphasizing its global importance.
Delving into the translations of 'summer' in different languages not only broadens our linguistic horizons but also offers a fascinating glimpse into the unique ways diverse cultures perceive and celebrate this vibrant season. Join us as we explore the captivating world of 'summer' in various languages, from the romantic 'estate' in Italy to the exotic 'canícula' in Spain.
Summer
Summer in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | somer | ||
| In earlier forms of the language (before 1972), "somer" used to be the word for "holiday". | |||
| Amharic | በጋ | ||
| The word "በጋ" (summer) is derived from the Proto-Semitic root *bG, meaning "to ripen", and is related to the Arabic word "bgh", meaning "to be ripe". | |||
| Hausa | bazara | ||
| The word "bazara" can also refer to the heat of the sun or a drought. | |||
| Igbo | ndaeyo | ||
| "Ndaeyo" is also used to refer to the dry season in Igbo culture, which typically spans from November to March. | |||
| Malagasy | vanin-taona mafana | ||
| The word "vanin-taona mafana" literally means the "the hot season". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chilimwe | ||
| The etymology of "chilimwe" is uncertain, but one theory is that it derives from the verb "kulima", meaning "to cultivate", suggesting a link between summer and the agricultural season. | |||
| Shona | chirimo | ||
| The noun "chirimo" primarily means "summer" in Shona, but can also refer to "heat" or "dryness." | |||
| Somali | xagaaga | ||
| The word "xagaaga" also refers to a specific period of the year between August 15 and September 14. | |||
| Sesotho | hlabula | ||
| "Hlabula" (summer) comes from the verb "hlaba" (to reap), suggesting the season of harvest. | |||
| Swahili | majira ya joto | ||
| The Swahili word "majira ya joto" is derived from the Arabic word "muharrat" (summer). In Arabic, "muharrat" also means "heat" and "drought", highlighting the strong association between summer and these phenomena in the region. | |||
| Xhosa | ihlobo | ||
| In isiXhosa, the word 'Ihlobo' not only means 'summer' but also refers to the 'season of heat'. | |||
| Yoruba | ooru | ||
| "Ooru" also means "town" or "city" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | ehlobo | ||
| The word "ehlobo" also means "heat" in Zulu, indicating the association between summer and hot weather. | |||
| Bambara | k'a ta zuwɛnkalo ka taa sɛtanburukalo la | ||
| Ewe | dzomeŋɔli | ||
| Kinyarwanda | icyi | ||
| Lingala | eleko ya molunge | ||
| Luganda | obudde bw'akasana | ||
| Sepedi | selemo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ahuhuroberɛ | ||
Summer in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الصيف | ||
| In Classical Arabic, "الصيف" could also mean "the direction of the sunrise". | |||
| Hebrew | קַיִץ | ||
| The Hebrew word "קַיִץ" originally referred to the end of the dry season, when rivers and streams receded and the air was hot and dry. | |||
| Pashto | دوبی | ||
| The word "دوبی" can alternatively mean "a double bedsheet made of cotton" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | الصيف | ||
| In Classical Arabic, "الصيف" could also mean "the direction of the sunrise". | |||
Summer in Western European Languages
| Albanian | verë | ||
| "Verë" (summer) in Albanian is also the word for "fruit" because fruit ripens in the summer. | |||
| Basque | uda | ||
| The Basque word | |||
| Catalan | estiu | ||
| The Catalan word "estiu" is derived from the Latin "aestas", meaning "hot season", and is cognate with the French "été" and the Italian "estate". | |||
| Croatian | ljeto | ||
| The word "ljeto" in Croatian originates from the Proto-Slavic term "lěto", which originally meant "year" and was later used to refer specifically to the warm season. | |||
| Danish | sommer | ||
| The word sommer is the same word as the English word summer. | |||
| Dutch | zomer | ||
| The Dutch word 'zomer' shares the root word with other words for the same season in several Germanic languages such as German 'sommer', Swedish 'sommar', Norwegian 'sommer' and English 'summer'. | |||
| English | summer | ||
| The word "summer" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*sems-," meaning "warm season". | |||
| French | été | ||
| The word "été" in French is derived from the Latin word "aestas," meaning "season of warmth". | |||
| Frisian | simmer | ||
| Frisian "simmer" is likely derived from an ancient Indo-European root meaning "warm" or "hot". | |||
| Galician | verán | ||
| The Galician word "verán" originates from the Latin word "veranum", meaning "of spring", and also signifies the season of growth and renewal. | |||
| German | sommer- | ||
| In German, "Sommer-" can also refer to a type of fruit or the color "yellow" | |||
| Icelandic | sumar | ||
| Sumar's Old Norse cognate sumar meant 'warm season' and its verb sumra 'to go warm'. | |||
| Irish | samhradh | ||
| The word 'samhradh' is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *sem-, meaning 'warm season'. | |||
| Italian | estate | ||
| In Italian, the word "estate" also means "estate" (in the sense of "landed property"). | |||
| Luxembourgish | summer | ||
| "Summer" in Luxembourgish also means "top, top part" or "upper part of a tree, upper part of a plant". | |||
| Maltese | sajf | ||
| "Sajf" in Maltese comes from the Arabic "sajf", meaning "ripe fruit". | |||
| Norwegian | sommer | ||
| Etymology: Old Norse somar meaning 'season of sunshine'. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | verão | ||
| The word "verão" in Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil), derived from the Latin "verare", initially meant "to flourish". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | samhradh | ||
| Samhradh shares an origin with "summer" and also translates to "midyear" in Scots Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | verano | ||
| Verano, derived from 'ver', meaning 'green', is also used to denote lush vegetation or the greenness of summer. | |||
| Swedish | sommar | ||
| The Swedish word "sommar" is cognate with the English word "summer", both ultimately deriving from the Proto-Germanic word "*sumaraz". | |||
| Welsh | haf | ||
| The Welsh word "haf" derives from the Proto-Celtic root "*samā" and is cognate with the English "summer" and Latin "aestas". | |||
Summer in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | лета | ||
| "Лета" also means "years" in Belarusian, possibly indicating a connection to the time needed for crops to mature during the summer months. | |||
| Bosnian | ljeto | ||
| The Slavic word 'ljeto' originally meant 'year', and its use to denote 'summer' in Bosnian is a semantic shift. | |||
| Bulgarian | лятото | ||
| The word "лятото" shares a root with the word "ляг" (meaning "to lie down" or "to sleep"), due to the common perception of summer as a time of rest and relaxation. | |||
| Czech | léto | ||
| The word "léto" in Czech can also refer to the period of time between Easter and Pentecost, known as "golden summer". | |||
| Estonian | suvi | ||
| The word "suvi" derives from Slavic languages, and it initially referred to a longer period including both spring and summer. | |||
| Finnish | kesä | ||
| According to some theories, "kesä" is derived from the word "kehrätä", meaning "to spin", possibly referring to the sun's movement in the sky. | |||
| Hungarian | nyári | ||
| The word "nyári" is derived from the Proto-Uralic word "*näri", meaning "hot" or "heat". | |||
| Latvian | vasara | ||
| The Latvian word "vasara" also refers to a beekeeper's veil or helmet worn to protect the face from bee stings. | |||
| Lithuanian | vasara | ||
| The word "vasara" is related to the Sanskrit word "vasara" meaning "day" or "sun". | |||
| Macedonian | лето | ||
| The word "лето" (summer) in Macedonian shares its origin with the Greek word "aestas" and has the alternate meaning of "year" in Old Church Slavonic. | |||
| Polish | lato | ||
| The word "lato" is also a slang term for "alcohol" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | vară | ||
| The Romanian word "vară" is a cognate of the Latin verb "verare," meaning "to flourish." | |||
| Russian | лето | ||
| The word лето also means "year" in Old Church Slavonic, and its original meaning was "warm season" | |||
| Serbian | лето | ||
| The Serbian word "лето" also refers to a period of 100 years. | |||
| Slovak | leto | ||
| Leto is also a common name for the Slavic sun goddess, Lada | |||
| Slovenian | poletje | ||
| The Slovenian word "poletje" derives from the Proto-Slavic word *pьľtьje, meaning "warm season". | |||
| Ukrainian | літо | ||
| "Літо" is also a Proto-Slavic root meaning "to pour" and is the origin of the word "лити" ("to pour") in Ukrainian. | |||
Summer in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | গ্রীষ্ম | ||
| The word "গ্রীষ্ম" is derived from the Sanskrit word "ग्रीष्म" (grīṣma), which originally meant "sun, heat" and later came to mean "summer". | |||
| Gujarati | ઉનાળો | ||
| ઉનાળો is also used as a slang term for a very hot or humid day. | |||
| Hindi | गर्मी | ||
| "गर्मी" is also a slang term for a quarrel or argument in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಬೇಸಿಗೆ | ||
| The word "ಬೇಸಿಗೆ" (bēsige) in Kannada also refers to the hot season or the period of intense heat. | |||
| Malayalam | വേനൽ | ||
| വേനൽ also means "the south" and shares a root with words like "vanam" (forest) and "veena" (musical instrument). | |||
| Marathi | उन्हाळा | ||
| The Marathi word 'उन्हाळा' (summer) is derived from the root 'उष्ण' (hot), and also refers to the hot season in traditional Indian astrology, lasting from mid-April to mid-June. | |||
| Nepali | गर्मी | ||
| The word "गर्मी" can also refer to heat or warmth. | |||
| Punjabi | ਗਰਮੀ | ||
| The word "ਗਰਮੀ" also has an alternate meaning of "heat" or "warmth". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ගිම්හානය | ||
| In Sinhala, the word ගිම්හානය (gimhana) not only refers to the summer season but also denotes a period of extreme heat and drought. | |||
| Tamil | கோடை | ||
| The word "கோடை" comes from the Sanskrit word "grīṣma," which translates to "hot season. | |||
| Telugu | వేసవి | ||
| వేసవి is a month in Telugu calendar, and is the first part of the monsoon season. | |||
| Urdu | موسم گرما | ||
| The word 'موسم گرما' is also used to refer to the rainy season in South Asia. | |||
Summer in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 夏季 | ||
| "夏季" also refers to a Chinese solar term which lasts from about July 6 to 22 in the Gregorian calendar. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 夏季 | ||
| The character '夏' in '夏季' first appears in the oracle bone scripts during the Shang dynasty, depicting a farmer working in a field. | |||
| Japanese | 夏 | ||
| The kanji character '夏' (summer) is derived from '者' (person) and '火' (fire), indicating the intense heat and activity of the season. | |||
| Korean | 여름 | ||
| 여름 is also used to indicate the hottest day during a given season | |||
| Mongolian | зун | ||
| "Зун" is a homonym, meaning both "summer" and "east" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နွေရာသီ | ||
Summer in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | musim panas | ||
| In addition to "summer", "musim panas" also means a "hot, dry season" in tropical climates. | |||
| Javanese | panas | ||
| In Javanese folklore, 'panas' means the season when rice is planted. | |||
| Khmer | រដូវក្តៅ | ||
| The Khmer word "រដូវក្តៅ" can also refer to the time period from March to May. | |||
| Lao | ລະດູຮ້ອນ | ||
| Malay | musim panas | ||
| The Malay word "musim panas" comes from the Sanskrit word "grīṣma" (ग्रीष्म), which also means "summer". | |||
| Thai | ฤดูร้อน | ||
| The word "ฤดูร้อน" also means "hot season" and is derived from the Sanskrit word "grīṣma" meaning "hot season". | |||
| Vietnamese | mùa hè | ||
| "Mùa hè" comes from "mùa" (season) and "hè" (hot), referring to the hot season. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tag-init | ||
Summer in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | yay | ||
| The word "yay" also means "time" in the Azerbaijani language, and is the 2nd person singular possessive form of the word "ya" ("summer"). | |||
| Kazakh | жаз | ||
| In Kazakh, "жаз" also means "green pasture" and "greenery" | |||
| Kyrgyz | жай | ||
| In Kyrgyz, the word "жай" also refers to the warmest season in general, including spring and autumn. | |||
| Tajik | тобистон | ||
| The word "тобистон" is derived from the Persian word "таъбистан" (summer) and is also cognate with the Russian word "лето" (summer). | |||
| Turkmen | tomus | ||
| Uzbek | yoz | ||
| Uzbek "yoz" has an Iranian origin, meaning "warmth" in Persian, and is also used in other Turkic languages with similar meaning. | |||
| Uyghur | ياز | ||
Summer in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kauwela | ||
| "Kauwela" is derived from "kau" (season) and "wela" (hot), and can also refer to drought. | |||
| Maori | raumati | ||
| The Maori word "raumati" not only denotes "summer" but also signifies "warmth" and "comfort". | |||
| Samoan | taumafanafana | ||
| The word "taumafanafana" in Samoan not only means "summer", but also "the season of plenty" and "the time of abundance". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tag-araw | ||
| The Tagalog word "tag-araw" literally translates to "sun season" or "sun days". | |||
Summer in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jallupacha | ||
| Guarani | arahaku | ||
Summer in International Languages
| Esperanto | somero | ||
| Somero is a cognate of "summer" in the Romance languages, and also means "shallow" or "superficial" in Spanish and Portuguese. | |||
| Latin | aestas | ||
| Aestas is the Latin word for "summer" and is also the root of the word "estival," meaning "of or relating to summer." | |||
Summer in Others Languages
| Greek | καλοκαίρι | ||
| "Καλοκαίρι" is derived from "καλός" (kalos, "beautiful") and "καιρός" (kairos, "weather"), referring to the pleasant weather associated with the season. | |||
| Hmong | lub caij ntuj sov | ||
| Summer is also known as "the season of heat." | |||
| Kurdish | havîn | ||
| The word 'havîn' is used in some Kurdish dialects to refer to 'harvest' as well. | |||
| Turkish | yaz | ||
| "Yaz" is also an abbreviation for "yazılım" (software) in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | ihlobo | ||
| In isiXhosa, the word 'Ihlobo' not only means 'summer' but also refers to the 'season of heat'. | |||
| Yiddish | זומער | ||
| The Yiddish word "זומער" (zumer) can also refer to a "buzz" or "humming sound". | |||
| Zulu | ehlobo | ||
| The word "ehlobo" also means "heat" in Zulu, indicating the association between summer and hot weather. | |||
| Assamese | গ্ৰীষ্ম | ||
| Aymara | jallupacha | ||
| Bhojpuri | गरमी | ||
| Dhivehi | ހޫނު މޫސުން | ||
| Dogri | सोहा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tag-init | ||
| Guarani | arahaku | ||
| Ilocano | kalgaw | ||
| Krio | sɔma | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هاوین | ||
| Maithili | गर्मी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯀꯥꯂꯦꯟꯊꯥ | ||
| Mizo | nipui | ||
| Oromo | ganna | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଗ୍ରୀଷ୍ମ | ||
| Quechua | rupay pacha | ||
| Sanskrit | ग्रीष्म | ||
| Tatar | җәй | ||
| Tigrinya | ክረምቲ | ||
| Tsonga | ximumu | ||