Weather in Different Languages
Discover 'Weather' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Weather (noun): the state of the atmosphere at a particular place and time, with respect to temperature, cloudiness, moisture, wind, and other factors.
The weather has a profound impact on our daily lives, influencing our clothing choices, outdoor activities, and even our moods. It also plays a critical role in various cultural practices and beliefs around the world. For instance, in agriculture-based societies, farmers rely on weather patterns to determine the best time for planting and harvesting crops. In maritime cultures, sailors use weather forecasts to navigate the seas safely.
Moreover, understanding the weather in different languages can be both fascinating and practical. For globetrotters and language enthusiasts, knowing the local term for 'weather' can enhance cultural immersion and facilitate communication with locals. Here are a few examples:
- Spanish: tiempo
- French: météo
- German: Wetter
- Italian: tempo
- Japanese: 天気 (tenki)
- Mandarin Chinese: 天气 (tiān qì)
- Russian: погода (pogoda)
Stay tuned for a comprehensive list of 'weather' translations in various languages, helping you connect with people and cultures worldwide.
Weather
Weather in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | weer | ||
| "Weer" in Afrikaans comes from the Dutch word "weer" which can also mean "defense" or "resistance". | |||
| Amharic | የአየር ሁኔታ | ||
| The term "የአየር ሁኔታ" in Amharic is a compound word that literally translates to "the condition of the air," implying a direct relationship between weather and the state of the atmosphere. | |||
| Hausa | yanayi | ||
| The Hausa word "yanayi" also means "season". | |||
| Igbo | ihu igwe | ||
| "Ihu" refers to the face and "igwe" means sky in Igbo, so "ihu igwe" literally means "the face of the sky," referring to what we see up in the atmosphere. | |||
| Malagasy | weather | ||
| The Malagasy word "WEATHER" can also mean "air" or "climate". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | nyengo | ||
| The word “nyengo” can also mean “time” in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | mamiriro ekunze | ||
| Somali | cimilada | ||
| "Cimilada" may also refer to a meteorological event or a specific type of weather condition. | |||
| Sesotho | boemo ba leholimo | ||
| Swahili | hali ya hewa | ||
| The Swahili word "hali ya hewa" literally means "state of the air". | |||
| Xhosa | imozulu | ||
| The word "Imozulu" is also used to mean "mood" or "temperament" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | oju ojo | ||
| The Yoruba word "oju ojo" is believed to refer to the watchful eyes of the gods, which control the weather. | |||
| Zulu | isimo sezulu | ||
| The Zulu word "isimo sezulu" also means "weather". | |||
| Bambara | waati | ||
| Ewe | ya me | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ikirere | ||
| Lingala | mopepe | ||
| Luganda | obudde | ||
| Sepedi | boso | ||
| Twi (Akan) | wiem bɔberɛ | ||
Weather in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | طقس | ||
| The Arabic word "طقس" also refers to religious rituals and ceremonies | |||
| Hebrew | מזג אוויר | ||
| 'מזג' (Temperament) can also refer to 'Nature', 'Disposition' or 'Character'. 'אוויר' (Air) is from 'אוורר' (to Air out), ultimately from the root 'אור' (Light). | |||
| Pashto | هوا | ||
| The word هوا is also used in Pashto to refer to "desire" or "opinion". | |||
| Arabic | طقس | ||
| The Arabic word "طقس" also refers to religious rituals and ceremonies | |||
Weather in Western European Languages
| Albanian | moti | ||
| "Moti" may also refer to "climate", "temperature" or "condition" depending on the context. | |||
| Basque | eguraldia | ||
| The word "eguraldia" may also refer to someone or something that has changed or altered, or to the process of changing. | |||
| Catalan | temps | ||
| In Catalan, "temps" comes from the Latin "tempus" (time) and also means "time". | |||
| Croatian | vrijeme | ||
| The Croatian word "vrijeme" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "vьremę", meaning "time". | |||
| Danish | vejr | ||
| "Vejr" is also used colloquially to refer to a person's mood or general disposition. | |||
| Dutch | weer | ||
| "Weer" is not only Dutch for "weather" but also for "back", "pain", or "defence". | |||
| English | weather | ||
| The word 'weather' comes from the Old English word 'weder', which means 'wind'. It is related to the Dutch word 'weder' and the German word 'wetter', both of which also mean 'weather'. | |||
| French | la météo | ||
| In addition to its literal meaning, "la météo" can also refer to "the weather forecast" or "the weather service" in French. | |||
| Frisian | waar | ||
| Frisian 'waar' is derived from Old Frisian 'wār' meaning 'water', and has a similar meaning to 'water' in Modern English. | |||
| Galician | tempo | ||
| In Galician, "tempo" derives from the Latin "tempus," meaning "time" or "season," giving it a broader sense than the limited meteorological context of English "weather." | |||
| German | wetter | ||
| Beyond | |||
| Icelandic | veður | ||
| The word "veður" also means "wind" and is related to the Latin "ventus". "veðra" is a plural form that can refer to both "weather" and "winds." | |||
| Irish | aimsir | ||
| In meteorology, | |||
| Italian | tempo metereologico | ||
| In Italian, "tempo metereologico" literally means "meteorological time," emphasizing the dynamic and ever-changing nature of weather conditions. | |||
| Luxembourgish | wieder | ||
| The verb "wieder" is also used in the sense of "to become" or "to turn", e.g. "d'Wieder huet sech gebessert" (the weather has improved). | |||
| Maltese | it-temp | ||
| The Maltese word "it-temp" is cognate with the word "temple" in English, both coming from the Proto-Semitic root *T-M-P. | |||
| Norwegian | vær | ||
| The word "vær" is thought to be related to the word "vara" meaning "to be" and also to the Icelandic word "vera" meaning "the weather". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | clima | ||
| "Clima" can also mean "climate" in Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | aimsir | ||
| The word "aimsir" in Scots Gaelic derives from the Old Irish "aimser" meaning "time", likely because the weather was considered a manifestation of the passage of time. | |||
| Spanish | clima | ||
| "Clima" in Spanish does not only mean "weather" but also "climate" and is not related to the word "climax" | |||
| Swedish | väder | ||
| Väder also literally means 'direction', 'side' or 'point of the compass' from Old Norse 'veðr'. | |||
| Welsh | tywydd | ||
| The Welsh word 'tywydd' is cognate with the English word 'tide,' and both terms originally referred to cyclical atmospheric changes. | |||
Weather in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | надвор'е | ||
| Belarusian "надвор'е" comes from "двор" (yard, courtyard) so etymologically it means "state of things in the yard", as well as "environment" or "circumstances". | |||
| Bosnian | vrijeme | ||
| "Vrijeme" is also used to refer to "time" within the context of an event scheduled within a specific timeframe; however, "vrijeme" as "weather" is more common. | |||
| Bulgarian | метеорологично време | ||
| The word | |||
| Czech | počasí | ||
| "Počasí" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "pogoditi," meaning "to hit" or "to affect." | |||
| Estonian | ilm | ||
| The word | |||
| Finnish | sää | ||
| "Sää" is also used to refer to precipitation or the state of the sky. | |||
| Hungarian | időjárás | ||
| Hungarian "időjárás" literally means "nature of time" and could describe time itself or "weather" depending on the context | |||
| Latvian | laikapstākļi | ||
| The word "laikapstākļi" originates from the word "laiks" meaning "time" and "apstākļi" meaning "conditions". | |||
| Lithuanian | oras | ||
| The Lithuanian word "oras" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*h₃ers-ōs" meaning "year," which also gave rise to the English word "year" and the Latin word "annus." | |||
| Macedonian | временски услови | ||
| The word "временски услови" can also refer to a person's overall condition or circumstances. | |||
| Polish | pogoda | ||
| "Pogoda" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "pogodъ" meaning "favorable time". | |||
| Romanian | vreme | ||
| The word "vreme" also means "time" in Romanian due to its etymological root in the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European word *gʷer- meaning "warm season; year; weather". | |||
| Russian | погода | ||
| The word "Погода" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "pogodъ" meaning "suitable time" or "calm weather". | |||
| Serbian | временске прилике | ||
| The word "временске прилике" in Serbian also means "circumstances". | |||
| Slovak | počasie | ||
| The word "počasie" comes from the word "čas" meaning "time" and refers to the state of the atmosphere at a particular time. | |||
| Slovenian | vreme | ||
| The word 'vreme' is also used to refer to the atmosphere or the conditions of the sky, and derives from the verb 'vreti', meaning 'to boil' or 'to bubble'. | |||
| Ukrainian | погода | ||
| In Czech, Polish, and Slovak, “pogoda” means “harmony,” “tranquility.” | |||
Weather in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | আবহাওয়া | ||
| Gujarati | હવામાન | ||
| "હવામાન" is also a term used in astrology to refer to a specific period of time. | |||
| Hindi | मौसम | ||
| "मौसम" (weather) may also refer to the period of life | |||
| Kannada | ಹವಾಮಾನ | ||
| In Kannada, ಹವಾಮಾನ (havā-māna) is derived from the Sanskrit phrase सुवमान (su-vaman), meaning "good measure or proportion", referring to the moderate and balanced state of the atmosphere. | |||
| Malayalam | കാലാവസ്ഥ | ||
| The word "കാലാവസ്ഥ" can also mean "season" or "climate" depending on the context. | |||
| Marathi | हवामान | ||
| The Marathi word हवामान (hawaman) likely derives from the Hindi word hawamaan, which in turn derives from the Sanskrit word vayumandala, meaning 'atmosphere'. | |||
| Nepali | मौसम | ||
| The word "मौसम" is also used in Nepali to refer to "season" and "climate." | |||
| Punjabi | ਮੌਸਮ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කාලගුණය | ||
| The term "kālaguṇaya" can refer to a period, the duration of an action, an occasion, an interval, the weather, the season or an era. | |||
| Tamil | வானிலை | ||
| In Tamil, 'வானிலை' can also refer to the sky, atmosphere, or climate. | |||
| Telugu | వాతావరణం | ||
| "వాతావరణం" in Telugu also refers to the "climate" or "the surrounding conditions" in a specific geographic area. | |||
| Urdu | موسم | ||
| The word "موسم" can also refer to a period of time characterized by a particular type of weather, such as the rainy season or the monsoon season. | |||
Weather in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 天气 | ||
| "天气" can also mean a person's complexion, mood, or state of mind. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 天氣 | ||
| 天氣 can also mean temperament, mood, or atmosphere. | |||
| Japanese | 天気 | ||
| The kanji "気" in "天気" also means "mood" or "feeling," reflecting the connection between weather and our emotional state. | |||
| Korean | 날씨 | ||
| 날씨 is cognate with the Japanese word "tenki" (天気), both ultimately derived from the Middle Chinese "tien-khi" (天氣), meaning "the appearance of the sky". | |||
| Mongolian | цаг агаар | ||
| The word "цаг агаар" originally referred to time and space, and later acquired its current meaning of "weather" in the 19th century. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရာသီဥတု | ||
Weather in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | cuaca | ||
| The word | |||
| Javanese | cuaca | ||
| The word "cuaca" in Javanese also means "the state of the sky or atmosphere at a particular time or place". | |||
| Khmer | អាកាសធាតុ | ||
| The word "អាកាសធាតុ" in Khmer, which means "weather", also refers to the element of space or sky in traditional Khmer cosmology. | |||
| Lao | ສະພາບອາກາດ | ||
| Malay | cuaca | ||
| Cuaca can also mean 'face' in Malay, such as in the idiom 'menjaga cuaca', which means 'to be diplomatic'. | |||
| Thai | สภาพอากาศ | ||
| The Thai word for weather, "สภาพอากาศ," can also refer to the state or condition of something. | |||
| Vietnamese | thời tiết | ||
| "Thời tiết" (weather) can also mean "climate" or "season" in Vietnamese, depending on the context. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | panahon | ||
Weather in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | hava | ||
| The word "hava" in Azerbaijani has the same root as the Persian word "hawā", which means "air" or "space." | |||
| Kazakh | ауа-райы | ||
| "Ауа-райы" is derived from the words "ауа" (air) and "райы" (condition), indicating the state of the atmosphere. | |||
| Kyrgyz | аба ырайы | ||
| The word "аба ырайы" can also refer to the climate or a person's mood | |||
| Tajik | обу ҳаво | ||
| The word "обу ҳаво" in Tajik can also mean "air" or "climate". | |||
| Turkmen | howa | ||
| Uzbek | ob-havo | ||
| In Chagatai, the word "ob-havo" had the meaning "climate". | |||
| Uyghur | ھاۋارايى | ||
Weather in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | aniau | ||
| Maori | huarere | ||
| The Maori word 'huarere' can also refer to a squall or tempest. | |||
| Samoan | tau | ||
| The Samoan word "tau" can also mean "year" or "season", reflecting the strong connection between weather and time in Polynesian culture. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | panahon | ||
Weather in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | pacha | ||
| Guarani | ára | ||
Weather in International Languages
| Esperanto | vetero | ||
| "Vetero" is also an archaic term for "star". It was used in the early days of Esperanto to translate the word "astronomy". | |||
| Latin | tempestatibus | ||
| "Tempestatibus" also means "storms" or "bad weather" in Latin. | |||
Weather in Others Languages
| Greek | καιρός | ||
| The word "καιρός" also means "opportune moment" or "suitable time" in Greek, with its root in the Proto-Indo-European word "krei-", meaning "to separate". | |||
| Hmong | huab cua | ||
| The Hmong word for weather, 'huab cua,' also means the 'face of the day.' | |||
| Kurdish | hewa | ||
| The word 'hewa' can also refer to the sky, atmosphere, or climate. | |||
| Turkish | hava | ||
| In Ottoman Turkish, | |||
| Xhosa | imozulu | ||
| The word "Imozulu" is also used to mean "mood" or "temperament" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | וועטער | ||
| The Yiddish word "וועטער" is derived from the Middle High German word "weder," meaning "weather" or "season." | |||
| Zulu | isimo sezulu | ||
| The Zulu word "isimo sezulu" also means "weather". | |||
| Assamese | বতৰ | ||
| Aymara | pacha | ||
| Bhojpuri | मौसम | ||
| Dhivehi | މޫސުން | ||
| Dogri | मौसम | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | panahon | ||
| Guarani | ára | ||
| Ilocano | tiempo | ||
| Krio | wɛda | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کەشوهەوا | ||
| Maithili | मौसम | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯏꯪ ꯑꯁꯥ | ||
| Mizo | khawchin | ||
| Oromo | haala qilleensaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପାଣିପାଗ | ||
| Quechua | llapiya | ||
| Sanskrit | वातावरणम् | ||
| Tatar | һава торышы | ||
| Tigrinya | አየር | ||
| Tsonga | maxelo | ||