Tongue in Different Languages
Discover 'Tongue' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The human tongue is a remarkable organ, serving as both a vital component of our taste system and an essential tool for speech. Its significance extends beyond the physical realm, as the tongue holds great cultural importance across the globe. From ancient rituals to modern-day idioms, the tongue plays a starring role in many aspects of our lives.
For travelers, linguists, or anyone interested in language and culture, understanding the translation of 'tongue' in different languages can be both fascinating and practical. For instance, in Spanish, 'tongue' is 'lengua,' while in French, it's 'langue.' In Mandarin Chinese, the word for tongue is '舌头' (she tou), and in Japanese, it's '舌' (shita).
Did you know that the tongue's flexibility and dexterity have been admired and feared throughout history? In some cultures, the tongue is seen as a symbol of truth and deception, while in others, it's associated with divine powers. Join us as we explore the many facets of this remarkable organ and its translations in various languages.
Tongue
Tongue in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | tong | ||
| The Afrikaans word "tong" also means "language". | |||
| Amharic | ምላስ | ||
| In addition to its literal meaning, "tongue," "ምላስ" may also refer to language or the act of speaking. | |||
| Hausa | harshe | ||
| The Hausa word 'harshe' can also refer to a 'slanderous person' or a 'gossip'. | |||
| Igbo | ire | ||
| In some Igbo dialects, 'ire' can also refer to the uvula, the small, fleshy projection hanging at the back of the mouth. | |||
| Malagasy | fiteny | ||
| The word “fiteny” in Malagasy also means ‘a promise’ or ‘an oath’ | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | lilime | ||
| "Lilime" also means "language" or "speech" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | rurimi | ||
| The word 'rurimi' also has a figurative meaning, referring to an eloquent speaker or persuasive argument. | |||
| Somali | carrabka | ||
| The word 'carrabka' is also used figuratively to refer to a person's eloquence or skill in speaking. | |||
| Sesotho | leleme | ||
| The Sesotho word "leleme" can also refer to a spoken language or a style of speech. | |||
| Swahili | ulimi | ||
| The Swahili word "ulimi" also refers to a sharp-pointed tool used for carving or engraving | |||
| Xhosa | ulwimi | ||
| The Xhosa word 'ulwimi' also translates to 'language'. | |||
| Yoruba | ahọn | ||
| "Ahọn" is also used to describe the tongue's role as the organ of speech, and by extension, the language or dialect spoken by a particular community. | |||
| Zulu | ulimi | ||
| Ulimi can also refer to the sense of taste and to the language spoken by a group of people | |||
| Bambara | nɛ | ||
| Ewe | aɖe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ururimi | ||
| Lingala | lolemo | ||
| Luganda | olulimi | ||
| Sepedi | leleme | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kɛtrɛma | ||
Tongue in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | لسان | ||
| "لسان" (tongue) is also used figuratively to mean "language" or "way of speaking" | |||
| Hebrew | לָשׁוֹן | ||
| Pashto | ژبه | ||
| "ژبه" in Pashto also refers to a specific type of traditional Pashto music characterized by its rhythmic and lyrical qualities. | |||
| Arabic | لسان | ||
| "لسان" (tongue) is also used figuratively to mean "language" or "way of speaking" | |||
Tongue in Western European Languages
| Albanian | gjuhë | ||
| The Albanian "gjuhë" is possibly related to Illyrian "glôssa" or Latin "lingua," but also has the meaning "language." | |||
| Basque | mihia | ||
| It comes from the Basque word for "speech," and in the plural form it means "languages." | |||
| Catalan | llengua | ||
| The word "llengua" in Catalan derives from the Latin "lingua", meaning both "tongue" and "language". | |||
| Croatian | jezik | ||
| Croatian 'jezik' (tongue) derives from Proto-Slavic word for 'language'. | |||
| Danish | tunge | ||
| The word "tunge" in Danish also means "accent", "language", or "dialect". | |||
| Dutch | tong | ||
| The Dutch word "tong" can also refer to a tool or appliance with a clamp-like mechanism, such as pliers or tongs. | |||
| English | tongue | ||
| The word "tongue" has roots in Old English, Proto-Germanic, and Indo-European, with possible connections to "tooth," "toothbrush," and "tongue." | |||
| French | langue | ||
| The Old French term "langue" also meant "language", with that meaning persisting in modern French as a technical term for "natural language". | |||
| Frisian | tonge | ||
| The word 'tonge' also means 'language' or 'dialect' in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | lingua | ||
| The Galician word "lingua" also means "language" in Portuguese and Spanish. | |||
| German | zunge | ||
| The word "Zunge" in German is also etymologically related to the English word "tooth", and originally meant the same thing. | |||
| Icelandic | tungu | ||
| The Icelandic word 'tungu' not only refers to the organ of speech, but also to the long, thin strips of land that extend into the ocean, known as spits or peninsulas. | |||
| Irish | teanga | ||
| In Old Irish teanga also meant "language" and "speech" and is still used as an orthographic plural of teangain "tongue" | |||
| Italian | lingua | ||
| In Italian, "lingua" may also refer to language or dialect | |||
| Luxembourgish | zong | ||
| The word "Zong" can also refer to a musical instrument, similar to a jew's harp. | |||
| Maltese | ilsien | ||
| The word "ilsien" can also refer to the flaps of a wallet or the points of a collar. | |||
| Norwegian | tunge | ||
| The word "tunge" also means "dialect" when used in a Norwegian context | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | língua | ||
| The word "língua" also means "language" in Portuguese, highlighting the close connection between speech and language in the Portuguese-speaking world. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | teanga | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "teanga" (tongue) is also used to refer to a language. | |||
| Spanish | lengua | ||
| Lengua can also refer to a South American language family or to a type of sausage. | |||
| Swedish | tunga | ||
| The word "tunga" also denotes the clapper in a bell or the tongue on a shoe. | |||
| Welsh | tafod | ||
| Welsh "tafod" (tongue) derives from a root word "taw" (silence), signifying the tongue's role in speech. | |||
Tongue in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | мова | ||
| The Belarusian word "мова" can also refer to language, speech, discourse, and idiom. | |||
| Bosnian | jezik | ||
| The word "jezik" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "* językъ", which also meant "language", reflecting the close connection between language and the tongue as its articulator in Slavic languages. | |||
| Bulgarian | език | ||
| Bulgarian "език" is also a synonym for "language". | |||
| Czech | jazyk | ||
| In Old Church Slavonic, "jazyk" meant "people" or "nation", and is cognate with the English word "ethnic." | |||
| Estonian | keel | ||
| The Estonian word "keel" can also refer to a ridge or boundary, particularly in geography or anatomy. | |||
| Finnish | kieli | ||
| "Kieli" in Finnish can also refer to a language or a dialect. | |||
| Hungarian | nyelv | ||
| The word "nyelv" (tongue) derives from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to lick" or "to lap". Another word "nyelve" (language) derives from "nyelv" (tongue), as in many cultures, the tongue was considered the organ of speech. | |||
| Latvian | mēle | ||
| The word "mēle" is also used to refer to a flap of tissue under the chin of a cow or horse, or to the fleshy part of the lip of a fish. | |||
| Lithuanian | liežuvis | ||
| "Liežuvis" also refers to the fleshy protuberance on the floor of the mouth of some fishes. | |||
| Macedonian | јазик | ||
| In Serbian and Croatian language, "jezik" means "language". | |||
| Polish | język | ||
| The Polish word "język" also means "language", with the same origin in the Latin word "lingua. | |||
| Romanian | limbă | ||
| In Romanian, "limbă'' also means "language", like in English, and comes from Indo-European **lengʰw-ā́" (**tongue, speech) | |||
| Russian | язык | ||
| The word "язык" is also used in Russian to refer to a natural language, such as English or Russian. | |||
| Serbian | језик | ||
| The Serbian word "језик" also means "language". | |||
| Slovak | jazyk | ||
| The word "jazyk" can also mean "language" in Slovak, originating from the Proto-Slavic word *językъ, which meant "tongue" and "language" or "speech". | |||
| Slovenian | jezik | ||
| The word 'jezik' (tongue) comes from Proto-Slavic *językъ, and is related to Old High German zunga, English tongue, Gothic tuggō, and Latin dingua. | |||
| Ukrainian | язик | ||
| Ukrainian "язик" also means a "nation" or "ethnic group" | |||
Tongue in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | জিহ্বা | ||
| The word 'জিহ্বা' is also used in some contexts to denote the sense of taste or the faculty of speech. | |||
| Gujarati | જીભ | ||
| In Gujarati, 'જીભ' (tongue) also refers to sharp-tongued speech or a specific type of musical instrument. | |||
| Hindi | जुबान | ||
| The Hindi word जुबान ('tongue') is derived from the Persian word زَبان ('language'), and can also refer to speech or a particular style of speaking. | |||
| Kannada | ನಾಲಿಗೆ | ||
| The word 'ನಾಲಿಗೆ' ('nalige') may also refer to a ploughshare or a type of sweet dish made from jaggery. | |||
| Malayalam | നാവ് | ||
| The word 'naav' has another meaning, 'ship', which is now obsolete. | |||
| Marathi | जीभ | ||
| The word 'जीभ' is also used to refer to the 'tongue of a bell'. | |||
| Nepali | जिब्रो | ||
| The word 'जिब्रो' in Nepali is also an endearing term for a child. | |||
| Punjabi | ਜੀਭ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਜੀਭ" derives from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰihʷbʰ, also the origin of "tongue" in English. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දිව | ||
| දිව also refers to the pointer or needle in clocks, or to the needle in a sewing machine. | |||
| Tamil | நாக்கு | ||
| The word "நாக்கு" (tongue) also means "language" and "speech" in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | నాలుక | ||
| The word "naalooka" can also refer to the tip of a whip, a pen or a brush in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | زبان | ||
| In Urdu, the word "زبان" (tongue) also figuratively means "language," and is derived from the Persian word "زبان" (meaning "tongue" or "language"). | |||
Tongue in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 舌 | ||
| "舌" (tongue) also refers to a style of calligraphic engraving and the pronunciation of a character or word | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 舌 | ||
| The Chinese character "舌" is also used to refer to "tastebuds" and "speech". | |||
| Japanese | 舌 | ||
| The character "舌" (tongue) is also used in the word "舌" (taste), referring to the sense of taste located on the tongue. | |||
| Korean | 혀 | ||
| The word "혀" (tongue) also means "language" in Korean, a usage dating back to the 15th century. | |||
| Mongolian | хэл | ||
| The word "хэл" in Mongolian also means "language" or "speech". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | လျှာ | ||
Tongue in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | lidah | ||
| "Lidah" is also used to refer to a type of traditional Indonesian food made from minced meat wrapped in banana leaf. | |||
| Javanese | ilat | ||
| The Javanese word "ilat" can also refer to the shape of an object that resembles a tongue, such as a curved or elongated shape. | |||
| Khmer | អណ្តាត | ||
| Lao | ລີ້ນ | ||
| The word "ລີ້ນ" in Lao is a loanword from Pali, where it means "the organ of taste". | |||
| Malay | lidah | ||
| In ancient Malay, "lidah" also meant "speech" or "language". | |||
| Thai | ลิ้น | ||
| The Thai word "ลิ้น" (tongue) derives from the Sanskrit word "jihvā", meaning "pointed organ". | |||
| Vietnamese | lưỡi | ||
| The word "lưỡi" can also refer to the blade of a sword or knife, or the tongue of a buckle. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | dila | ||
Tongue in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | dil | ||
| "Dil" also means "language" in Azerbaijani, a usage it inherits from the Old Turkic and Proto-Turkic languages. | |||
| Kazakh | тіл | ||
| The word тіл can also mean language in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | тил | ||
| The word "тил" in Kyrgyz also refers to the tongue of a bell or shoe. | |||
| Tajik | забон | ||
| The word "забон" can also refer to speech or language in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | dil | ||
| Uzbek | til | ||
| In Uzbek, "til" also means "language" | |||
| Uyghur | تىل | ||
Tongue in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | alelo | ||
| The word "alelo" can also refer to an outrigger float or a canoe platform in Hawaiian etymology. | |||
| Maori | arero | ||
| In some contexts, arero may also refer to a dialect, language, or manner of speaking. | |||
| Samoan | laulaufaiva | ||
| In Samoan, the word 'laulaufaiva' is also used to refer to the act of speaking or the manner of speech. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | dila | ||
| The Tagalog word "dila" (tongue) comes from the Proto-Austronesian word *dilaq, meaning "a projecting fleshy organ in the mouth that is used for tasting, swallowing, and speaking." | |||
Tongue in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | aru | ||
| Guarani | ñe'ẽ | ||
Tongue in International Languages
| Esperanto | lango | ||
| Esperanto's "lango" also means "language" (though this usage is now rare) | |||
| Latin | lingua | ||
| The Latin word “lingua” also means “language,” which is related to its definition as an organ of speech – and as a means by which language is produced and transmitted. | |||
Tongue in Others Languages
| Greek | γλώσσα | ||
| The Greek word 'γλώσσα' also has alternate meanings of 'language' and 'speech' when used as a noun. | |||
| Hmong | tus nplaig | ||
| Tus nplaig is also used as a slang term for 'mother tongue' or 'native language' | |||
| Kurdish | ziman | ||
| In Kurdish, "ziman" is also used to refer to a dialect or a region's accent. | |||
| Turkish | dil | ||
| "Dil" in Turkish means "language" or "speech" in addition to "tongue". | |||
| Xhosa | ulwimi | ||
| The Xhosa word 'ulwimi' also translates to 'language'. | |||
| Yiddish | צונג | ||
| In Yiddish, the word “צונג” (“tongue”) can also refer to a venomous snake or a small piece of land jutting out into a body of water. | |||
| Zulu | ulimi | ||
| Ulimi can also refer to the sense of taste and to the language spoken by a group of people | |||
| Assamese | জিভা | ||
| Aymara | aru | ||
| Bhojpuri | जीभ | ||
| Dhivehi | ދޫ | ||
| Dogri | जुबान | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | dila | ||
| Guarani | ñe'ẽ | ||
| Ilocano | dila | ||
| Krio | tɔng | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | زمان | ||
| Maithili | जीह | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯩ | ||
| Mizo | lei | ||
| Oromo | arraba | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଜିଭ | ||
| Quechua | qallu | ||
| Sanskrit | जिह्वा | ||
| Tatar | тел | ||
| Tigrinya | መልሓስ | ||
| Tsonga | ririmi | ||