West in Different Languages
Discover 'West' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'west' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, representing a direction that has been crucial in shaping human history and culture. In the Northern Hemisphere, the sun sets in the west, symbolizing the end of a day and the beginning of a new one. This association with the setting sun has given the west a cultural importance that goes beyond mere cardinal direction.
Moreover, the concept of 'the West' is often used to refer to a group of countries, including the United States and much of Europe, which share similar political, economic, and cultural values. This usage highlights the word's significance in a historical context, as these countries have been at the forefront of many global developments and changes.
Given its importance, you might be interested in knowing the translation of 'west' in different languages. Here are a few examples: in Spanish, 'west' is 'oeste'; in French, it's 'ouest'; in German, it's 'westen'; in Russian, it's 'запад' (zapad); in Chinese, it's '西方' (xī fāng); in Japanese, it's '西' (nishi).
West
West in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | wes | ||
| "Wes" is a loanword from Dutch and also means "to be" or "to stay" in Afrikaans. | |||
| Amharic | ምዕራብ | ||
| The Amharic word "ምዕራብ" also means "evening" or "sunset". | |||
| Hausa | yamma | ||
| "Yamma" shares an etymological origin with "yamma" meaning "left" in Arabic, indicating the cultural association between the direction of left and the westerly | |||
| Igbo | odida anyanwu | ||
| "Odi da anyanwu" in Igbo literally means "where the sun sets," alluding to the direction of the west. | |||
| Malagasy | west | ||
| In Malagasy, the word "andrefana" is cognate with "avaratra" ("north") and "atsimo" ("south"), suggesting a possible shared root with these cardinal directions. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kumadzulo | ||
| Shona | madokero | ||
| The word 'madokero' was derived from the verb '-dokera' meaning 'to go down because of gravity'. As the sun sets in the west, the movement resembles sinking or going down. | |||
| Somali | galbeed | ||
| The word "galbeed" is also used in Somali to refer to the direction of the south-west. | |||
| Sesotho | bophirimela | ||
| The word "bophirimela" in Sesotho is likely derived from the Bantu root "-bo" meaning "to boil" and "-rima" meaning "to turn," perhaps referring to the position of the sun at sunset. | |||
| Swahili | magharibi | ||
| The Swahili word "magharibi" ultimately derives from an Arabic word meaning both "western" and "place of sunset". | |||
| Xhosa | bucala ngasekunene | ||
| The word "bucala ngasekunene" literally means "the direction where the sun sets", and is cognate with the Zulu word "entshonalanga" and the Swati word "nentshonalanga" | |||
| Yoruba | ìwọ-westrùn | ||
| The Yoruba term for "west," ìwọ̀-òrùn, also translates to "the face of the sun" or "sun's abode." | |||
| Zulu | entshonalanga | ||
| In Zulu, the term "entshonalanga" also conveys the notion of "evening" or "sunset" due to its association with the western horizon where the sun sets. | |||
| Bambara | tilebin fɛ | ||
| Ewe | ɣetoɖoƒe gome | ||
| Kinyarwanda | iburengerazuba | ||
| Lingala | na wɛsti | ||
| Luganda | amaserengeta | ||
| Sepedi | bodikela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | atɔe fam | ||
West in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الغرب | ||
| In addition to "west," الغرب can also mean "sunset," "the west wind," or "the place where the sun sets." | |||
| Hebrew | מַעֲרָב | ||
| The Hebrew word 'ma'arav' (מַעֲרָב), meaning 'west', is also used figuratively to refer to 'sunset' and 'the western world'. | |||
| Pashto | لویدیځ | ||
| The Pashto word لویدیځ, besides meaning west, also historically meant 'left', and 'northwest'. | |||
| Arabic | الغرب | ||
| In addition to "west," الغرب can also mean "sunset," "the west wind," or "the place where the sun sets." | |||
West in Western European Languages
| Albanian | perendim | ||
| The word "perendim" is also used to refer to the "afternoon" or "sunset". | |||
| Basque | mendebaldean | ||
| The word "mendebaldean" comes from the Basque words "mende" (mountain) and "bal" (die), and originally referred to the western side of a mountain, where the sun sets. | |||
| Catalan | oest | ||
| The Catalan word "oest" is related to the Basque word "hego" and the Spanish word "oeste," meaning "south." | |||
| Croatian | zapad | ||
| The word 'Zapad' is derived from Slavic roots, meaning both 'west' and 'sunset'. | |||
| Danish | vest | ||
| The Danish word "vest" can also refer to a sleeveless garment worn under a jacket. | |||
| Dutch | west | ||
| "West" in Dutch can also mean "jacket". | |||
| English | west | ||
| West is also a homonym, referring to the Western Hemisphere, as in "the West". | |||
| French | ouest | ||
| In French, « Ouest » (west) derives from a Latin root meaning « to burn », which refers to the sunset in the West. | |||
| Frisian | west | ||
| The Frisian word "west" can also refer to the direction "northwest" or the province of "West Friesland" in the Netherlands. | |||
| Galician | oeste | ||
| The Galician word "oeste" ("west") derives from the medieval Latin "oestum", meaning "sunset" or "evening". | |||
| German | westen | ||
| The word "Westen" is derived from the Old High German "westar" meaning "sunset", and it can also refer to the Occident or the Western world. | |||
| Icelandic | vestur | ||
| The word "vestur" also means "left" in Icelandic, as the left side of the compass was traditionally associated with the west. | |||
| Irish | thiar | ||
| "Thiar" evolved from "teis" (literally "to the right") | |||
| Italian | ovest | ||
| Luxembourgish | westen | ||
| Westen is also the name of a commune and a village in Luxembourg. | |||
| Maltese | punent | ||
| The word 'punent' in Maltese originated from the Latin word 'ponens', which also means 'west'. | |||
| Norwegian | vest | ||
| The Norwegian word "vest" can also refer to a sweater or a sleeveless jacket. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | oeste | ||
| "Oeste" comes from the Latin "occidentalis", meaning "toward the setting sun". In Portuguese, it can also refer to the western part of a country, region, or city. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | iar | ||
| The word 'Iar' is cognate with the Irish word 'Iarthar', which also means 'west'. It is thought to derive from the Proto-Celtic word *i̯es-ro-s. | |||
| Spanish | oeste | ||
| Oeste, the Spanish word for "west," also means "backstage" in theatrical contexts. | |||
| Swedish | västerut | ||
| Etymology: From väster and -ut, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *wes- "to dwell". | |||
| Welsh | gorllewin | ||
| Gorllewin is derived from the word gorlleu which means 'to face', so gorllewin means 'the direction of facing'. It is cognate with gorllewin in Breton and gorlech in Cornish. | |||
West in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | захад | ||
| The Belarusian word "захад" (west) is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *xodъ, meaning "to go" or "to travel", and is related to the words "уход" (departure) and "ходьба" (walking). | |||
| Bosnian | zapad | ||
| The word "zapad" in Bosnian has origins in the archaic Proto-Indo-European root "*wes-/*wos-", meaning "to shine, set, die". | |||
| Bulgarian | на запад | ||
| "На запад" can also figuratively mean "to move on", "to progress". | |||
| Czech | západ | ||
| The word "Západ" also refers to the sunset as a noun. | |||
| Estonian | läänes | ||
| "Läänes" in Estonian can mean both "west" and "sunset". | |||
| Finnish | länteen | ||
| "Länteen" is also used to refer to the sunset or evening. | |||
| Hungarian | nyugat | ||
| The Hungarian word, nyugat, comes from the Proto-Indo-European word, *nekwt- "night", sharing a common origin with "north" (észak) and "twilight" (homály) | |||
| Latvian | uz rietumiem | ||
| The word "uz rietumiem" in Latvian can also mean "to the future" or "towards progress". | |||
| Lithuanian | vakarų | ||
| The word "vakarų" derives from the word "vakaras", meaning "evening". In ancient Lithuanian culture, the west was associated with the setting sun and the end of the day, hence the name. | |||
| Macedonian | запад | ||
| The word "запад" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *zapadъ*, meaning "sunset" | |||
| Polish | zachód | ||
| "Zachód" is cognate with the Russian "západ" (запад) and originates from the Proto-Slavic root *zаpadъ (meaning 'fall, go down'), as it refers to the setting sun." | |||
| Romanian | vest | ||
| The Romanian word "vest" ultimately derives from the Latin word "vestis", meaning "garment", but has also come to mean "west" due to its position relative to the Balkans. | |||
| Russian | запад | ||
| The verb "западать" (zapadat') and the noun "запад" (zapad) initially meant "falling down," but later referred to the sunset. | |||
| Serbian | западно | ||
| The word "западно" can also refer to the Roman Catholic Church in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | západ | ||
| In addition to the geographical direction, "západ" in Slovak can also mean "demise" or "decline". | |||
| Slovenian | zahodno | ||
| In some contexts, "zahodno" can mean "from the back" or "rear" in a less formal or slangy way. | |||
| Ukrainian | захід | ||
| "Захід" also means "event" in Ukrainian, like "public event," "sporting event," "cultural event," etc. | |||
West in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পশ্চিম | ||
| The word "পশ্চিম" (west) in Bengali is derived from the Sanskrit word "प्रतीची" (pratichi), meaning "towards the sunset". | |||
| Gujarati | પશ્ચિમ | ||
| The word "પશ્ચિમ" (west) is derived from the Sanskrit word "pratichi," which means "facing the back"} | |||
| Hindi | पश्चिम | ||
| The word "पश्चिम" also refers to the regions on the west side of rivers and the direction "behind". | |||
| Kannada | ಪಶ್ಚಿಮಕ್ಕೆ | ||
| ಪಶ್ಚಿಮಕ್ಕೆ refers to both the cardinal direction "west" and the Western region of India, particularly the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Goa. | |||
| Malayalam | പടിഞ്ഞാറ് | ||
| 'പടിഞ്ഞാറ്' is also used to refer to the left side or direction of something, indicating a lateral position. | |||
| Marathi | पश्चिम | ||
| "पश्चिम" का अर्थ "मृत्यु" भी होता है, जो हिंदू धर्म में अंत का प्रतीक है. | |||
| Nepali | पश्चिम | ||
| The word 'पश्चिम' ('west') is a compound of Sanskrit words 'पश्' meaning 'behind' and 'चिम्' meaning 'to collect' or 'to heap', referring to the direction where the sun appears to set and gather. | |||
| Punjabi | ਪੱਛਮ | ||
| The term "ਪੱਛਮ" (pachcham) in Punjabi is believed to be derived from Sanskrit where it originally meant "behind" or "after", signifying the geographical direction facing away from the rising sun and towards the setting sun. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | බටහිර | ||
| The word “බටහිර” also has another meaning in Sinhala, which is "the person who eats on a plate at a funeral or other ceremony"} | |||
| Tamil | மேற்கு | ||
| Telugu | పడమర | ||
| The word "పడమర" also means "the side where the sun sets". | |||
| Urdu | مغرب | ||
| The word "مغرب" can also refer to the time of sunset or the land of the setting sun (the direction in which one prays in Islam). | |||
West in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 西方 | ||
| 西方“亦指佛教净土 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 西方 | ||
| "西方" in Traditional Chinese can also refer to Heaven or Buddhism. | |||
| Japanese | 西 | ||
| The character "西" can also mean "evening" or "death" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 서쪽 | ||
| The word "서쪽" can also be used to refer to the direction "left" or a person's "back." | |||
| Mongolian | баруун | ||
| The word "баруун" in Mongolian also refers to the masculine gender. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အနောက်ဘက် | ||
West in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | barat | ||
| "Barat" can also refer to the western direction in traditional Javanese terminology. | |||
| Javanese | mangulon | ||
| "Mangulon" also means "to take turns," referring to the alternation of day and night. | |||
| Khmer | ខាងលិច | ||
| The Khmer word "ខាងលិច" has a second meaning of "afternoon" or "sunset". | |||
| Lao | ທິດຕາເວັນຕົກ | ||
| Malay | barat | ||
| The Malay word 'barat', meaning 'west', shares a common root with the Sanskrit term 'parvata', which signifies 'mountain'. | |||
| Thai | ทิศตะวันตก | ||
| The Thai word for "west", ทิศตะวันตก, literally means "direction of the setting sun". | |||
| Vietnamese | hướng tây | ||
| "Hướng Tây" means "west" in Vietnamese, but can also refer to the afternoon or the general direction of "out there" or "over there". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kanluran | ||
West in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qərb | ||
| The word "qərb" is rooted in the Persian word "gharb" and Arabic word "غرب" (gharb), all meaning "west" or "sunset side." | |||
| Kazakh | батыс | ||
| The Kazakh word "батыс" originates from the Old Turkic word "bat" meaning "to sink, set" (referring to the sun setting in the west). | |||
| Kyrgyz | батыш | ||
| The word “батыш” also means | |||
| Tajik | ғарб | ||
| Etymology: from Arabic غَرْب ‘gharbun’ ‘west’. Also means: sunset; side of a mountain that faces down; the West; in traditional Persian poetry, a metaphor for youth and freshness. | |||
| Turkmen | günbatar | ||
| Uzbek | g'arb | ||
| The word "g'arb" in Uzbek is derived from the Arabic word "gharb", meaning "sunset" or "the region where the sun sets." | |||
| Uyghur | west | ||
West in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | komohana | ||
| The word "komohana" is cognate with "komo" ("to enter") and "hana" ("direction of the setting sun"), referring to the west where the sun sets into the ocean. | |||
| Maori | hauauru | ||
| The word 'hauauru' also means 'wind' and is thought to originate from the sound of the westerly wind. | |||
| Samoan | sisifo | ||
| Samoan word "sisifo" refers to either "west" or a type of traditional Samoan house | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kanluran | ||
| The Tagalog word "kanluran" for "west" originates from the Proto-Austronesian word *ka-lalud, which means "sunset, evening, west". | |||
West in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | inti jalanta tuqiru | ||
| Guarani | kuarahyreike gotyo | ||
West in International Languages
| Esperanto | okcidente | ||
| Latin | occidens | ||
| Occidens, meaning "west" in Latin, also connotes "setting" or "end," referring to the sun's descent in the west. | |||
West in Others Languages
| Greek | δυτικά | ||
| Δυτικά comes from the word δύνω, meaning 'to set' (as the sun), and refers to the direction where the sun sets. | |||
| Hmong | sab hnub poob | ||
| In Hmong, "sab hnub poob" also means "sunset" or "the place where the sun goes down", reflecting its relation to the direction of the west. | |||
| Kurdish | rojava | ||
| Rojava's name comes from the Kurdish word "roj", meaning "sun", and is a reference to the region's location to the east of Kurdistan. | |||
| Turkish | batı | ||
| Batı originates from the Old Turkic word "batı", meaning "to decline", | |||
| Xhosa | bucala ngasekunene | ||
| The word "bucala ngasekunene" literally means "the direction where the sun sets", and is cognate with the Zulu word "entshonalanga" and the Swati word "nentshonalanga" | |||
| Yiddish | מערב | ||
| Yiddish word "מערב" can also mean "sunset" or "evening". | |||
| Zulu | entshonalanga | ||
| In Zulu, the term "entshonalanga" also conveys the notion of "evening" or "sunset" due to its association with the western horizon where the sun sets. | |||
| Assamese | পশ্চিমে | ||
| Aymara | inti jalanta tuqiru | ||
| Bhojpuri | पश्चिम के ओर बढ़ल बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ހުޅަނގަށް | ||
| Dogri | पश्चिम च | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kanluran | ||
| Guarani | kuarahyreike gotyo | ||
| Ilocano | laud | ||
| Krio | na di wɛst pat | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕۆژئاوا | ||
| Maithili | पश्चिम | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯋꯦꯁ꯭ꯇꯇꯥ ꯂꯩꯕꯥ ꯌꯨ.ꯑꯦꯁ | ||
| Mizo | chhim lam | ||
| Oromo | dhihaatti | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପଶ୍ଚିମ | ||
| Quechua | inti chinkaykuy ladoman | ||
| Sanskrit | पश्चिमाम् | ||
| Tatar | көнбатыш | ||
| Tigrinya | ንምዕራብ | ||
| Tsonga | evupela-dyambu | ||