White in Different Languages
Discover 'White' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
White
Afrikaans wit | ||
Albanian e bardhe | ||
Amharic ነጭ | ||
Arabic أبيض | ||
Armenian սպիտակ | ||
Assamese বগা | ||
Aymara janq'u | ||
Azerbaijani ağ | ||
Bambara jɛman | ||
Basque zuria | ||
Belarusian белы | ||
Bengali সাদা | ||
Bhojpuri ऊजर | ||
Bosnian bijela | ||
Bulgarian бял | ||
Catalan blanc | ||
Cebuano puti | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 白色 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 白色 | ||
Corsican biancu | ||
Croatian bijela | ||
Czech bílý | ||
Danish hvid | ||
Dhivehi ހުދު | ||
Dogri चिट्टा | ||
Dutch wit | ||
English white | ||
Esperanto blanka | ||
Estonian valge | ||
Ewe ɣi | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) puti | ||
Finnish valkoinen | ||
French blanc | ||
Frisian wyt | ||
Galician branco | ||
Georgian თეთრი | ||
German weiß | ||
Greek άσπρο | ||
Guarani morotĩ | ||
Gujarati સફેદ | ||
Haitian Creole blan | ||
Hausa fari | ||
Hawaiian keʻokeʻo | ||
Hebrew לבן | ||
Hindi सफेद | ||
Hmong dawb | ||
Hungarian fehér | ||
Icelandic hvítt | ||
Igbo ọcha | ||
Ilocano puraw | ||
Indonesian putih | ||
Irish bán | ||
Italian bianca | ||
Japanese 白い | ||
Javanese putih | ||
Kannada ಬಿಳಿ | ||
Kazakh ақ | ||
Khmer ស | ||
Kinyarwanda cyera | ||
Konkani धवें | ||
Korean 하얀 | ||
Krio wayt | ||
Kurdish spî | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) سپی | ||
Kyrgyz ак | ||
Lao ສີຂາວ | ||
Latin album | ||
Latvian balts | ||
Lingala mpembe | ||
Lithuanian baltas | ||
Luganda kyeeru | ||
Luxembourgish wäiss | ||
Macedonian бело | ||
Maithili उजर | ||
Malagasy fotsy | ||
Malay putih | ||
Malayalam വെള്ള | ||
Maltese abjad | ||
Maori ma | ||
Marathi पांढरा | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯑꯉꯧꯕ | ||
Mizo var | ||
Mongolian цагаан | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) အဖြူ | ||
Nepali सेतो | ||
Norwegian hvit | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) zoyera | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଧଳା | ||
Oromo adii | ||
Pashto سپین | ||
Persian سفید | ||
Polish biały | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) branco | ||
Punjabi ਚਿੱਟਾ | ||
Quechua yuraq | ||
Romanian alb | ||
Russian белый | ||
Samoan lanu paʻepaʻe | ||
Sanskrit श्वेतः | ||
Scots Gaelic geal | ||
Sepedi tšhweu | ||
Serbian бео | ||
Sesotho tšoeu | ||
Shona chena | ||
Sindhi اڇو | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) සුදු | ||
Slovak biely | ||
Slovenian belo | ||
Somali cad | ||
Spanish blanco | ||
Sundanese bodas | ||
Swahili nyeupe | ||
Swedish vit | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) maputi | ||
Tajik сафед | ||
Tamil வெள்ளை | ||
Tatar белый | ||
Telugu తెలుపు | ||
Thai สีขาว | ||
Tigrinya ፃዕዳ | ||
Tsonga basa | ||
Turkish beyaz | ||
Turkmen ak | ||
Twi (Akan) fitaa | ||
Ukrainian білий | ||
Urdu سفید | ||
Uyghur ئاق | ||
Uzbek oq | ||
Vietnamese trắng | ||
Welsh gwyn | ||
Xhosa mhlophe | ||
Yiddish ווייַס | ||
Yoruba funfun | ||
Zulu okumhlophe |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word "wit" can also refer to "sense" or "understanding". |
| Albanian | The Albanian word "e bardhe" comes from the Proto-Albanian word "*bardʰā", which originally meant "shining" or "dazzling". |
| Amharic | The word "ነጭ" also means "clean, pure, or clear" in Amharic. |
| Arabic | The word |
| Azerbaijani | " Ağ " also means " net " or a " mesh" in Turkish. |
| Basque | The word "zuria" in Basque also refers to happiness or purity, and is related to the word "zuri" in Albanian and "zhuri" in Old Slavic, both meaning "yellow." |
| Belarusian | The word “white”, “white-yellow”, “shiny”, “pure”, “beautiful” and “clean”, and also used as the name for the color white in most Slavic languages and Lithuanian; from Proto-Slavic "bělь", from Proto-Indo-European "*bʰel-", also found in Sanskrit "bhalas", meaning "forehead", and the Old English word "blaec", which evolved into modern-day "black". |
| Bengali | "সাদা" (white) in Bengali can also refer to "simple", "plain", or "honest". |
| Bosnian | The Bosnian word “bijela” also has an archaic meaning of “clear, pure” in an abstract sense, which can be seen in its use in the idiom “bijelo jutro” (“clear morning”). |
| Bulgarian | The word "бял" ("white") finds its origins in Slavic dialects during the late 8th and early 9th century, when the meaning of the term was related to "shine" and "light". |
| Catalan | The Catalan word "blanc" also means "empty" or "blank". |
| Cebuano | The word "puti" is cognate with the Filipino word "puti" meaning "to become white, to bleach", as well as the Indonesian word "putih" meaning "white". |
| Chinese (Simplified) | "白色" can also mean "neutral" or "insipid" in Chinese (Simplified). |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 白色 can mean not only white but also emptiness depending on context. |
| Corsican | It comes from the ancient Greek word "leukos". In Occitan, it also means "honest" while in Old French it means "brilliant". |
| Croatian | The Croatian word 'bijela' shares an etymological ancestor with Albanian 'bellë' and English 'fair', all meaning 'beautiful' in their respective languages, suggesting a common thread connecting 'white' with 'beauty'. |
| Czech | The word |
| Danish | The Danish word "hvid" derives from the Proto-Germanic word "*hwitaz" which also meant "bright" or "shining". |
| Dutch | In Dutch, "wit" also refers to a "joke" or "pun" |
| Esperanto | The word "blanka" is also used in Esperanto to describe colorless or transparent things. |
| Estonian | "Valge" in Estonian also means "free". |
| Finnish | The word "valkoinen" can also mean "pale" or "fair-haired" in Finnish. |
| French | Derived from Late Latin "blancus", and likely influenced by Frankish, German, and Celtic, blanc is cognate with "blank" and can carry both positive and negative meanings. |
| Frisian | The Frisian word 'Wyt' can also mean 'bright' or 'shining', and is related to the English word 'white'. |
| Galician | In Galician, "branco" can also refer to anything pure, clean, or unblemished, not just the color white. |
| Georgian | "თეთრი" (white) also means "bright," "clear," and "innocent" in Georgian. |
| German | The German word 'Weiß' is related to the Old High German word 'wīȥ' meaning 'to consecrate' which in turn is likely derived from an older Indo-European root meaning 'to see' or 'to shine'. |
| Greek | The word 'άσπρο' can also refer to 'innocence' or 'purity' in Greek |
| Gujarati | In Sanskrit, the word 'shveta' translates to 'white', while in Gujarati it becomes 'safed', sharing the same root. |
| Haitian Creole | The word "blan" in Haitian Creole can also mean "light-skinned" or "fair-skinned." |
| Hausa | "Fari" can also mean "clear" or "transparent" in Hausa. |
| Hawaiian | Keʻokeʻo can also refer to |
| Hebrew | The word "לבן" can also refer to the moon or ivory in Hebrew. |
| Hindi | सफ़ेद शब्द संस्कृत के 'श्वेत' शब्द से आया है, जिसका अर्थ है 'शुद्ध' या 'बिना दाग वाला'। |
| Hmong | The word 'dawb' (white) in Hmong can also refer to the color of rice or the whiteness of a person's teeth. |
| Hungarian | 'Fehér' is a color word that also means 'pure' or 'clean' in Hungarian. |
| Icelandic | In Icelandic, |
| Igbo | "Ọcha" also means "good" or "clean" in Igbo. |
| Indonesian | The word "putih" also refers to cleanliness, purity, and goodness in Indonesian culture. |
| Irish | Irish bán derives from the Proto-Celtic *banno- (white), but also retains the Proto-Indo-European meaning 'woman'. |
| Italian | The Italian word "bianca" can also refer to a "blank" or "empty space". |
| Japanese | Derived from the Old Japanese adjective "sirosi", meaning "new" or "clean" and later becoming associated with the color of snow and cloth. |
| Javanese | "Putih" in Javanese can also mean "clean, pure, sacred," or "beautiful." |
| Kannada | The word "ಬಿಳಿ" (white) is also used to describe the color of gold in Kannada. |
| Kazakh | "Ақ", meaning "white" in Kazakh, also refers to purity, blessing, or something valuable or special. |
| Khmer | The term 'ស' (white) also has connotations of 'clear, pure, clean, or light' in Khmer culture. |
| Korean | In addition to its primary meaning of 'white,' '하얀' can also refer to 'blank paper' or 'unfamiliar, distant person' in Korean. |
| Kurdish | The Kurdish word "spî" also means "pure" or "clean". |
| Kyrgyz | The word "Ак" in Kyrgyz also means "pure" or "clean". |
| Latin | In Latin, "album" can also refer to an official register, or a list of names, often used in religious ceremonies. |
| Latvian | Etymology of "balts" in Latvian: "balts" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*bhel-", meaning "to shine". |
| Lithuanian | The word "baltas" is also used to describe the colour of a horse's coat, as well as that of some flowers and fruits. |
| Luxembourgish | The word "wäiss" in Luxembourgish is likely derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*hwitaz" meaning "white," but it also has the figurative meaning of "innocent" or "pure." |
| Macedonian | "Бело" is derived from прасловенскiй *bělъ, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰelH-.“} |
| Malagasy | The Malagasy word "fotsy" also means "pure" or "holy". |
| Malay | "Putih" also means "pure" or "clean" in Malay. |
| Malayalam | The word "വെള്ള" in Malayalam can also mean "pale" or "clear", such as the color of water. |
| Maltese | The word "abjad" in Maltese comes from the Arabic word "abjad" meaning "alphabet," and is also used to refer to the traditional Semitic abjads, which are writing systems that represent individual consonants but not vowels. |
| Maori | The Maori word "ma" can also refer to "clear," "bright," or "clean." |
| Marathi | The word 'पांढरा' ('white') in Marathi also means 'pale', 'faded' or 'colourless'. |
| Mongolian | The word "цагаан" comes from the Proto-Mongolic word "*čaγan" and shares a root with the Chinese word for white, "白" (bái). |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | Apart from meaning "white," the word "အဖြူ" can also be interpreted as "lacking in knowledge" or "not experienced." |
| Nepali | The term "सेतो" in Nepali is etymologically related to the Sanskrit word "श्वेत" and its alternate meaning is "pure." |
| Norwegian | Hvit in Norwegian can also mean 'pure', 'bright', or 'holy'. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The phrase 'pa zoyera' ('in whiteness') conveys the sense of an action executed with sincerity, purity, or fairness, highlighting the positive connotations associated with the color white in Nyanja culture. |
| Pashto | The word "سپین" in Pashto not only means "white" but also "pure" and "clear". |
| Persian | The word سفید (white) in Persian is cognate with the English word "spiffy," both deriving from an Old Iranian root meaning "shining" |
| Polish | In Old Polish, 'biały' also denoted the concept of 'brightness' and was used in such contexts as 'biały dzień' ('broad daylight'). |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The Portuguese word "branco" originates from the Germanic word "blank" meaning "bright" and refers not only to the color white but also to a lack of color, like an unpainted wall. |
| Romanian | The Romanian word "alb" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *albh-, meaning "white" or "shining." |
| Russian | "белый" in Russian has multiple etymological roots, including "bright," "shining," and "pure," and also refers to a light gray or off-white shade. |
| Scots Gaelic | The word "geal" ("white") in Scots Gaelic shares a root with the word "gealach" ("moon"). |
| Serbian | The word 'beo' is an abbreviation of the Old Serbian verb 'beljeti' ('to become white'). |
| Sesotho | "Tšoeu" in Sesotho can also mean "light" or "bright", or be used to describe something that is clean or shiny. |
| Shona | The Shona word "chena" can also mean "white-skinned person" or "albino". |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word 'اڇو' (white) is derived from Prakrit 'accu', which means pure or clean. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | "සුදු" (white) in Sinhala also means "clear", "clean", or "pure". |
| Slovak | In Slovak "biely" also refers to the colour of the metal tin or light shades of gray. |
| Slovenian | The word 'belo' also refers to the color of skin, especially in the context of beauty standards and racial stereotypes. |
| Somali | The Somali word "cad" also means "good" or "beautiful". |
| Spanish | The word "blanco" in Spanish can also refer to a target or a specific piece of a target in archery. |
| Sundanese | "Bodas" also means "sacred" or "holy" in Sundanese. |
| Swahili | In old Swahili, nyeupe also meant 'clean'. |
| Swedish | The word 'vit' is also used in the expression 'vitt hus', meaning 'the government' or 'the White House'. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The Tagalog word "maputi" originally meant "clear" or "bright" and was only later applied to the color white. |
| Tajik | Сафед also refers to a type of melon in Tajik. |
| Tamil | The Tamil word "வெள்ளை" ("white") also means "purity", "cleanliness", and "clarity" in the context of morality and spirituality. |
| Telugu | The word "తెలుపు" in Telugu can also mean "brightness" or "clarity". |
| Thai | Some believe the term 'สีขาว' is derived from 'ศรี' meaning 'beauty' and 'ขาว' meaning 'clear' |
| Turkish | The word "beyaz" in Turkish ultimately derives from the Persian word "spêd", meaning "white". |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word "білий" also refers to unpainted, natural wood or ivory, and can be used to describe the color of skin or hair. |
| Urdu | سفید can also mean 'blank' or 'unblemished' in Urdu, derived from the Persian word 'sefid' meaning 'pure' or 'clean'. |
| Uzbek | In old texts, "oq" also signifies "milk". "Oq" as a loanword from Persian, meant "grey". Also, white and black horses were named "oq" and "qora" respectively. |
| Vietnamese | "Trắng" không chỉ có nghĩa đen là màu trắng, mà còn có nghĩa bóng là "trống rỗng, không có gì", được dùng để chỉ "khoảng không" hay "trang giấy trắng". |
| Welsh | The name "Gwyn" can also refer to a legendary Welsh prince or a type of Welsh sheep. |
| Xhosa | The word 'mhlophe' in Xhosa can also mean 'shining', 'clear' or 'unblemished'. |
| Yiddish | In Yiddish, "ווייַס" (veys) can also mean "pale" or "blank", and it has derived from the Middle High German word "wîz". |
| Yoruba | The Yoruba word "funfun" also refers to anything of good or pure quality or character. |
| Zulu | In isiZulu, the word 'okumhlophe' can also mean 'purity' or 'innocence'. |
| English | The word "white" derives from the Middle English word "whit," meaning "a small amount" or "a bit," and was originally used to describe a pale or faint color. |