Sun in Different Languages
Discover 'Sun' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The sun, the center of our solar system, is a vital part of our daily lives. It provides light and heat, allowing life on Earth to thrive. Culturally, the sun has been a source of inspiration for countless myths, legends, and religions across the globe. From the ancient Egyptians worshipping the sun god Ra, to the Aztecs' reverence for Huitzilopochtli, the sun has held a significant place in human history.
Moreover, the word 'sun' is a perfect example of how language reflects cultural context. For instance, in Spanish, the word for sun is 'sol,' which comes from the Latin word 'sol,' meaning 'whole daylight.' Meanwhile, in Japanese, the word for sun is 'hi,' but when combined with 'nichi' (day), it becomes 'hi-nichi,' or 'sun day,' which we know as 'Monday' in English.
Here are some translations of the word 'sun' in different languages, showcasing the rich diversity of human language and culture.
Sun
Sun in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | son | ||
| In addition to meaning "sun," the Afrikaans word "son" can also mean "son" (descendent). | |||
| Amharic | ፀሐይ | ||
| The word "ፀሐይ" evolved as "ṣēḥ" means "to light up", from proto-Semitic "ṣḥy", cognate with Arabic "ṣaḥā" and Hebrew "ṣaḥa."} | |||
| Hausa | rana | ||
| The word rana also means 'to open' | |||
| Igbo | anyanwụ | ||
| The word "anyanwụ" also means "heat" or "warmth" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | masoandro | ||
| The name 'Masoandro' may also refer to a Malagasy tree known for its medicinal and magical properties. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | dzuwa | ||
| In Nyanja, "dzuwa" also refers to sunrise and noontime. | |||
| Shona | zuva | ||
| The word "zuva" in Shona is also used to refer to the supreme being or God. | |||
| Somali | qoraxda | ||
| "Qoraxda" is also used to refer to a specific time of day, around noon, when the sun is at its highest point in the sky. | |||
| Sesotho | letsatsi | ||
| The Sesotho word "letsatsi" is derived from the root word "tsatsi", which means "heat". In addition to its primary meaning of "sun", "letsatsi" can also refer to the "heat of the day" or the "sunlight". | |||
| Swahili | jua | ||
| "Jua" is a homophone in Swahili, meaning both "sun" and "know". | |||
| Xhosa | ilanga | ||
| In traditional Xhosa cosmology, 'ilanga' also means 'the eye of the universe'. | |||
| Yoruba | oorun | ||
| The word 'Oorun' also means 'Tomorrow' and 'Tomorrow afternoon' in some Yoruba dialects | |||
| Zulu | ilanga | ||
| The Zulu word 'ilanga' also refers to a day or time. | |||
| Bambara | tile | ||
| Ewe | ɣe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | izuba | ||
| Lingala | moi | ||
| Luganda | enjuba | ||
| Sepedi | letšatši | ||
| Twi (Akan) | awia | ||
Sun in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | شمس | ||
| In addition to meaning "sun", "شمس" also refers to a "day" or "year" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | שמש | ||
| The Hebrew word for "sun", "שמש", also means "to serve" or "to minister", reflecting the historical belief that the sun was a divine entity that provided for and protected the world. | |||
| Pashto | لمر | ||
| Also used to describe a person with a high and distinguished position in society. | |||
| Arabic | شمس | ||
| In addition to meaning "sun", "شمس" also refers to a "day" or "year" in Arabic. | |||
Sun in Western European Languages
| Albanian | dielli | ||
| In Albanian, "dielli" also refers to daylight, sunshine, golden, bright, or radiant. | |||
| Basque | eguzkia | ||
| The word “eguzkia” is related to the word “egi” meaning “real,” suggesting the sun’s importance as the origin of light and warmth. | |||
| Catalan | sol | ||
| "Sol" can mean both "sun" and "floor" in Catalan, with different etymologies: "sol" for "sun" comes from Latin "sol", while "sol" for "floor" comes from Latin "solum". | |||
| Croatian | sunce | ||
| The Croatian word Sunce derives from Proto-Slavic *sъlnъko ('little sun'), a diminutive form of *sъlno ('sun'). | |||
| Danish | sol | ||
| Sol's etymology is the same as in English, deriving from the Old Norse word | |||
| Dutch | zon | ||
| "Zon" derives from the Proto-Germanic word "sunnôn," meaning "sun," and is cognate with English "sun," German "Sonne," and Latin "sol." | |||
| English | sun | ||
| In Old English, the word "sun" was also used to describe a day, as in "seven suns ago." | |||
| French | soleil | ||
| The word "Soleil" is derived from the Latin "sol", meaning "sun", and also shares the same root as the English word "solar". | |||
| Frisian | sinne | ||
| The Frisian word "sinne" also means "son" in Old English. | |||
| Galician | sol | ||
| "Sol" in Galician is also used to refer to a festival or public entertainment. | |||
| German | sonne | ||
| In German mythology, Sonne also refers to the goddess of the sun. | |||
| Icelandic | sól | ||
| The Icelandic word "sól" also refers to the Sun's rays. | |||
| Irish | ghrian | ||
| The Irish word "ghrian" (sun) is cognate with the Welsh word "haul" (sun) and with the Proto-Indo-European word "*ǵʰel-/*ǵʰōl- " (to shine). | |||
| Italian | sole | ||
| Sole derives from Late Latin sōl, which also gave Old French sol (modern French soleil). | |||
| Luxembourgish | sonn | ||
| Sonn is also used in Luxembourgish as a term of endearment, meaning "honey" or "darling." | |||
| Maltese | xemx | ||
| Maltese word "xemx" (sun) originates from the Semitic root *š-m-š* meaning "sun, light, day". | |||
| Norwegian | sol | ||
| In Norwegian, "sol" also means "soul" and can be used to refer to a person's core being or inner self. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | sol | ||
| The word "Sol" can also refer to a musical note (G) in the Portuguese language. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ghrian | ||
| The term 'ghrian' derives from the Proto-Celtic root *sel-yo-, meaning 'sun' or 'shining', and cognates include Latin 'sol' and Greek 'helios'. | |||
| Spanish | dom | ||
| In Spanish, "Dom" refers not only to the sun, but also to the "sun of the church" (the consecrated host). | |||
| Swedish | sol | ||
| Sol is also a common Swedish female first name, short for various names like Solveig or Solange. | |||
| Welsh | haul | ||
| "Haul" is also an informal term for a person from North Wales, and is thought to derive from the fact that the people of North Wales were historically known for their pale skin. | |||
Sun in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | сонца | ||
| The word "сонца" in Belarusian can also mean "dream" or "fate". | |||
| Bosnian | sunce | ||
| The word 'sunce' is derived from Proto-Slavic *sъnьce, which is related to the Sanskrit word 'surya'. | |||
| Bulgarian | слънце | ||
| Слънце in Bulgarian originally meant "sun" and "God" and was used as a dualistic image of the pagan deity Svarožič. | |||
| Czech | slunce | ||
| The word "slunce" may also refer to a "sunflower" or a "sundial" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | päike | ||
| Päike is also used to refer to the day of the week Sunday, as well as to a person who is cheerful and optimistic. | |||
| Finnish | aurinko | ||
| The word "aurinko" is related to the words "auro" (gold) and "kirkas" (bright), reflecting its golden and radiant nature. | |||
| Hungarian | nap | ||
| The Hungarian word "nap" has an Old Turkic origin and is related to Mongolian "nar", Manchu "narhu" and even Japanese "hi". | |||
| Latvian | saule | ||
| The word "saule" in Latvian also means "century". It is derived from the word "saul" which means "age" or "lifetime". | |||
| Lithuanian | saulė | ||
| The Lithuanian word "saulė" also means the center part of the head or the top part of a loaf of bread. | |||
| Macedonian | сонце | ||
| The word "сонце" also refers to "God" in old Slavic language and is cognate with the Proto-Slavic word *sлъньce. | |||
| Polish | słońce | ||
| The noun 'słońce' (sun) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'solnьce', meaning 'star', and is also related to the term 'sól' (salt). | |||
| Romanian | soare | ||
| The word "soare" in Romanian also means "hawk","falcon"} | |||
| Russian | солнце | ||
| "Солнце" is a Slavic word, which originally meant "a ray of light". | |||
| Serbian | сунце | ||
| The word "sunce" is of Proto-Slavic origin, related to "sun" in Proto-Germanic and cognate with the Sanskrit "surya". | |||
| Slovak | slnko | ||
| The word "slnko" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *solnьce, which also means "sun" in many other Slavic languages. | |||
| Slovenian | sonce | ||
| The word "sonce" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *sъlnьce, which also meant "sun." | |||
| Ukrainian | сонце | ||
| The word 'сонце' derives from Proto-Indo-European '*sóh₂ul' (sun), and is cognate to the English 'sun' and German 'Sonne'. | |||
Sun in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সূর্য | ||
| সূর্য' comes from the Sanskrit word 'सूर्य', which means 'sun', 'light', or 'brightness'. It can also refer to a deity or a planet in Vedic astrology. | |||
| Gujarati | સૂર્ય | ||
| The name of the Hindu sun deity, Surya is derived from the root word 'su,' which means 'one who gives life'. | |||
| Hindi | रवि | ||
| "रवि" शब्द की व्युत्पत्ति संस्कृत मूल "रुच्" से हुई है जिसका अर्थ है "चमकना, प्रकाश देना"। | |||
| Kannada | ಸೂರ್ಯ | ||
| "ಸೂರ್ಯ" is a Sanskrit word derived from the root "sur", which means "to shine" or "to be radiant". | |||
| Malayalam | സൂര്യൻ | ||
| സൂര്യൻ derives from the Sanskrit word "surya" and also means "god" or "deity" in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | सूर्य | ||
| The word "सूर्य" can also refer to a deity associated with the sun in Hindu mythology. | |||
| Nepali | सूर्य | ||
| The word "सूर्य" comes from the Sanskrit word "surya", which also means "light" or "energy". | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੂਰਜ | ||
| The word 'ਸੂਰਜ' is also a name for a demon in Sikh mythology. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඉර | ||
| The word 'ඉර' (ira) in Sinhala could have originated from the Tamil word 'Iraivan' or the Sanskrit word 'Ravana'. | |||
| Tamil | சூரியன் | ||
| "சூரியன்" comes from the Sanskrit "surya", "sky" but also the name of the sun deity | |||
| Telugu | సూర్యుడు | ||
| The Sanskrit word "सूर्य" is the origin of the Telugu word "సూర్యుడు" (sun), and also refers to the Hindu deity Surya. | |||
| Urdu | سورج | ||
| The word "سورج" has alternate meanings of "gold" but more commonly "sun" in Urdu. | |||
Sun in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 太阳 | ||
| The character 日 appears in many compound words, which have the meaning of "day" | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 太陽 | ||
| 太陽 is also the name of the ninth solar term in the Lunisolar Chinese calendar, beginning on approximately July 5th and ending on July 21st. | |||
| Japanese | 太陽 | ||
| The character '日' in '太陽' is also used in '日本' (Japan), '毎日' (daily), and '日曜日' (Sunday), reflecting the importance of the sun in Japanese culture. | |||
| Korean | 태양 | ||
| 태양 is also a male name used in Korea which means 'bright son'. | |||
| Mongolian | нар | ||
| The word "нар" can also refer to "fire" or "a firebrand." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နေ | ||
| The etymology of "နေ" is likely connected to the verb "နေ (nyay)" meaning "to reside," due to the sun being perceived as a resident of the sky. | |||
Sun in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | matahari | ||
| The Old Javanese word for 'sun' ('surya'), 'suruh', is cognate with 'matahari', as 'suruh' is a shortening of 'suroh-ari', 'bright-day'. | |||
| Javanese | srengenge | ||
| The word "srengenge" in Javanese has an alternate meaning, "the source of life", reflecting the cultural significance of the sun in Javanese tradition. | |||
| Khmer | ព្រះអាទិត្យ | ||
| Lao | ແສງຕາເວັນ | ||
| Malay | matahari | ||
| The word 'matahari' is a combination of the words 'mata' (eye) and 'hari' (day) in Malay, possibly referring to the sun's role as the 'eye' that brings light and life to the world during the day. | |||
| Thai | ดวงอาทิตย์ | ||
| In Sanskrit, "dวง" translates as "light" and "อาทิตย์" as the "god sun", making the full meaning "sun ball of light". | |||
| Vietnamese | mặt trời | ||
| The word "mặt trời" derives from Proto-Mon-Khmer "ɗaŋ kraw" meaning "fire of the sky". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | araw | ||
Sun in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | günəş | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "günəş" is a derivative of the Iranian "xurşēd," and it can also refer to the sunflower plant due to its sun-like shape, with the sunflower head called "günəbaxan," meaning "that looks/turns to the sun."} | |||
| Kazakh | күн | ||
| The word | |||
| Kyrgyz | күн | ||
| "Күн" derives from the Proto-Turkic word "kün" (day), and in ancient Kyrgyz texts can mean both "sun" and "day". | |||
| Tajik | офтоб | ||
| The word "офтоб" (sun) in Tajik is derived from the Old Persian word "āptab" and has the alternate meaning of "dawn". | |||
| Turkmen | gün | ||
| Uzbek | quyosh | ||
| The word "quyosh" is derived from the Proto-Turkic word "qun" and is cognate with the Mongolian word "nar" and the Chinese word "ri". | |||
| Uyghur | قۇياش | ||
Sun in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lā | ||
| While typically translated as “sun”, “lā” in Hawaiian can also mean “day” and be used to indicate the passage of time. | |||
| Maori | rā | ||
| In Māori, "rā" also refers to a day, a time, or a season, reflecting the sun's role in temporal and seasonal cycles. | |||
| Samoan | la | ||
| La, the Samoan word for sun, is also used to refer to a day or a year, highlighting the sun's central role in Samoan timekeeping and culture. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | araw | ||
| The Tagalog word for | |||
Sun in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | willka | ||
| Guarani | kuarahy | ||
Sun in International Languages
| Esperanto | sunon | ||
| The Esperanto word "sunon" derives from the Latin word "sol", meaning "sun". It also has the alternate meaning of "son". | |||
| Latin | solis | ||
| The term 'solis' can refer to the days of the week in medieval Latin, as Monday = lunae solis, Tuesday = martis solis, etc. | |||
Sun in Others Languages
| Greek | ήλιος | ||
| The ancient Greek word "ήλιος" can be cognate with the Slavic word "solнце" and the Sanskrit word "सूर्य", both meaning "sun." | |||
| Hmong | hnub ci | ||
| Hnub ci means “sun” in Hmong, a term originating from the Proto-East-Tai word *ŋuːŋ¹. | |||
| Kurdish | tav | ||
| In ancient Anatolian languages, “tav” also meant “god'' or “fire.” | |||
| Turkish | güneş | ||
| The Turkish word "Güneş" is of Indo-European origin, and is cognate with words for "sun" in other Indo-European languages such as Greek "helios" and Latin "sol" | |||
| Xhosa | ilanga | ||
| In traditional Xhosa cosmology, 'ilanga' also means 'the eye of the universe'. | |||
| Yiddish | זון | ||
| The Yiddish word "זון" (sun) is derived from the Middle Low German word "sunne" and is cognate with the Old English word "sunne" and the Old Norse word "sól". | |||
| Zulu | ilanga | ||
| The Zulu word 'ilanga' also refers to a day or time. | |||
| Assamese | সূৰ্য | ||
| Aymara | willka | ||
| Bhojpuri | सूरज | ||
| Dhivehi | އިރު | ||
| Dogri | सूरज | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | araw | ||
| Guarani | kuarahy | ||
| Ilocano | init | ||
| Krio | san | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | خۆر | ||
| Maithili | सुरुज | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯨꯃꯤꯠ | ||
| Mizo | ni | ||
| Oromo | aduu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସୂର୍ଯ୍ୟ | ||
| Quechua | inti | ||
| Sanskrit | सूर्य | ||
| Tatar | кояш | ||
| Tigrinya | ፀሓይ | ||
| Tsonga | dyambu | ||