Winter in Different Languages
Discover 'Winter' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Winter, a magical season that brings to mind images of snow-covered landscapes, cozy fires, and warm drinks. It's a time of year that holds a special place in many cultures, signifying the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. From the festive celebrations of Christmas and New Year, to the serene beauty of a fresh snowfall, winter is a season of wonder and renewal.
But did you know that the word 'winter' has many different translations in languages around the world? In Spanish, for example, winter is 'invierno', while in German it's 'Winter' and in French, 'hiver'. These translations not only give us a glimpse into the linguistic diversity of different cultures, but also provide a unique window into how different cultures view and experience the season.
So whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or simply someone who loves the winter season, join us as we delve into the fascinating world of translating 'winter' in different languages.
Winter
Winter in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | winter | ||
| The Afrikaans word “winter” originally comes from the Proto-West Germanic word “*wintru-,” meaning “wet season.” | |||
| Amharic | ክረምት | ||
| The term "ክረምት" in Amharic also refers to the "rainy season" from July to September. | |||
| Hausa | hunturu | ||
| In some dialects, 'hunturu' also means 'cold season'. | |||
| Igbo | oyi | ||
| "Oyi" also means "year" in Igbo, signifying the importance of the winter harvest in marking the end of one year and the start of another. | |||
| Malagasy | ririnina | ||
| Malagasy word ririnina for "winter" also means "shaking chill" or "shivering", a vivid depiction of the cold season in Madagascar's highlands. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | yozizira | ||
| In Nyanja the word "yozizira" can also mean "cold season". | |||
| Shona | chando | ||
| The word "chando" (winter) can also refer to the period between March and June in the Shona calendar. | |||
| Somali | jiilaalka | ||
| The Somali word "jiilaalka" is related to the Arabic "jilla", meaning "darkness of the night". | |||
| Sesotho | mariha | ||
| In Sesotho, 'mariha' can also refer to a type of bird or a certain kind of traditional headdress. | |||
| Swahili | majira ya baridi | ||
| The Swahili word "majira ya baridi" comes from the Arabic word "mazira" meaning "season" and the Bantu word "baridi" meaning "cold." | |||
| Xhosa | ubusika | ||
| The word 'ubusika' is also used in a figurative way as a euphemism for the time after a person's death. | |||
| Yoruba | igba otutu | ||
| The Yoruba word "igba otutu" comes from the root "otutu", which means "cold" or "cool". | |||
| Zulu | ebusika | ||
| As well as its literal translation, 'ebusika' may be used metaphorically to signify a period of hardship or difficulty. | |||
| Bambara | samiya | ||
| Ewe | vuvᴐŋᴐli | ||
| Kinyarwanda | imbeho | ||
| Lingala | eleko ya malili | ||
| Luganda | ekiseera eky'obutiti | ||
| Sepedi | marega | ||
| Twi (Akan) | asuso | ||
Winter in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | شتاء | ||
| The word "شتاء" (winter) in Arabic may also refer to a type of rain that falls during the winter season, known as "شتاء رحمة" (mercy rain). | |||
| Hebrew | חוֹרֶף | ||
| The word 'חוֹרֶף' can also refer to early rainfall or late summer rains. | |||
| Pashto | ژمی | ||
| The Pashto word for winter, "ژمی", is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "gʰyeim-", meaning "cold" or "frost". | |||
| Arabic | شتاء | ||
| The word "شتاء" (winter) in Arabic may also refer to a type of rain that falls during the winter season, known as "شتاء رحمة" (mercy rain). | |||
Winter in Western European Languages
| Albanian | dimri | ||
| The Albanian word "dimri" may have originated from an Illyrian root or from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "dark" or "cold". | |||
| Basque | negua | ||
| The word "negua" in Basque could also refer to darkness or a shadow. | |||
| Catalan | hivern | ||
| The word "hivern" may derive from the Latin word "hibernus," meaning "pertaining to winter," or from the Proto-Indo-European word "ǵʰeym-," meaning "cold, winter." | |||
| Croatian | zima | ||
| The word "zima" also means "cold" or "frost" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | vinter | ||
| In Danish, "vinter" can refer to both the season and the constellation "Taurus". | |||
| Dutch | winter | ||
| In Dutch, the word "winter" can also refer to a particular type of apple or pear | |||
| English | winter | ||
| Winter derives from the Proto-Germanic word *wintruz, meaning 'wet season' or 'watery season'. | |||
| French | l'hiver | ||
| The French word "l'hiver" originates from the Latin word "hibernus," meaning "belonging to winter". | |||
| Frisian | winter | ||
| The Frisian word for winter, "winter", also means "year". | |||
| Galician | inverno | ||
| In Galician, "inverno" can also mean "hell" or "bad luck". | |||
| German | winter | ||
| The word | |||
| Icelandic | vetur | ||
| "Vetur" is also the name of the Icelandic month corresponding approximately to May and June. | |||
| Irish | geimhreadh | ||
| The word "geimhreadh" in Irish stems from the Proto-Celtic root word "*gheimrodo-," meaning "severe cold season." | |||
| Italian | inverno | ||
| The word "inverno" comes from the Latin word "hibernus," meaning "of winter". | |||
| Luxembourgish | wanter | ||
| Wanter is the Luxembourgish cognate of the Proto-Germanic */wintru/, meaning 'winter', with a metaphoric extension into 'the act of keeping alive during the winter' | |||
| Maltese | ix-xitwa | ||
| Maltese "ix-xitwa" derives from Arabic, possibly meaning "the cold" or "the season of storms." | |||
| Norwegian | vinter | ||
| The Norwegian word "vinter" can also refer to a person who produces or sells wine. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | inverno | ||
| The word "inverno" derives from the Latin word "hibernus," meaning "of winter" or "pertaining to winter." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | geamhradh | ||
| The word "geamhradh" is derived from the Proto-Celtic "*gʷemros" and shares a common origin with the Welsh "gaeaf" and the Breton "goañv". The word also has an alternate meaning of "fallow land" in some dialects. | |||
| Spanish | invierno | ||
| In Spanish, 'invierno' also refers to the period of Advent in the liturgical calendar. | |||
| Swedish | vinter- | ||
| The word "vinter-" has the same Proto-Germanic root as the English word "wander" | |||
| Welsh | gaeaf | ||
| The Welsh word "gaeaf" likely entered the language via Gaulish "gaib" and is ultimately related to Latin "hiems" ("winter"). | |||
Winter in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | зіма | ||
| Bosnian | zima | ||
| In Russian, | |||
| Bulgarian | зимата | ||
| The word “зимата” is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *zima, which also means “cold”. | |||
| Czech | zima | ||
| In Czech, the word "zima" has multiple meanings, including winter, cold weather, and shivering. | |||
| Estonian | talvel | ||
| The word \ | |||
| Finnish | talvi- | ||
| The word can also mean "steel" in an archaic sense, or "a piece of steel" in a slang sense. | |||
| Hungarian | téli | ||
| Télen, a szavak jégkristályokká alakulnak. | |||
| Latvian | ziema | ||
| The word "ziema" is related to the Lithuanian "žiema" and Old Prussian "semo", both meaning "winter". | |||
| Lithuanian | žiemą | ||
| The word "žiemą" in Lithuanian contains the Proto-Indo-European root "gʰei-m-", meaning "cold" or "winter". | |||
| Macedonian | зима | ||
| The Macedonian word "зима" originates from the Proto-Slavic word "*zima" meaning "cold season" and is cognate with other Slavic languages like Polish "zima" and Russian "зима". | |||
| Polish | zimowy | ||
| In Old Church Slavonic, 'zima' means 'cold', while 'zemlja' means 'earth'; thus, 'zimowy' may mean both 'winter' and 'of the earth' in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | iarnă | ||
| Cognate with Latin "hiems" and other Indo-European languages, it also bears the ancient meaning of "starvation, poverty". | |||
| Russian | зима | ||
| The Russian word «зима» and the Latin word «hiems» are both thought to originate from the Proto-Indo-European root *gʰei-, meaning 'cold'. | |||
| Serbian | зима | ||
| The word "зима" also refers to the period from the beginning of December to the end of February and is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "zьma". | |||
| Slovak | zimné | ||
| "Zimné" also means "a cold drink" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | pozimi | ||
| "Pozimi" is related to the Greek "potima" meaning "river" and "poiēma" meaning "creation", while in Romanian "podzim" means "autumn". | |||
| Ukrainian | зима | ||
| The word | |||
Winter in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | শীত | ||
| The word "শীত" (winter) also refers to "a cold, windy condition" and the "period of hibernation for snakes" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | શિયાળો | ||
| Hindi | सर्दी | ||
| "सर्दी" also means a condition of having a cold, or a common cold. | |||
| Kannada | ಚಳಿಗಾಲ | ||
| While 'ಚಳಿಗಾಲ' commonly denotes 'winter', in astronomy, it refers to the coldest season of the year when the Sun is farthest from the Earth and days are shortest. | |||
| Malayalam | ശീതകാലം | ||
| ശീതകാലം also refers to the season of winter in astrology and is the sixth season of the year. | |||
| Marathi | हिवाळा | ||
| हिवाळा is also associated with the festival of Makar Sankranti, celebrated as the transition from winter to spring in many parts of India. | |||
| Nepali | जाडो | ||
| The word | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਰਦੀ | ||
| ਸਰਦੀ (sardee) is derived from Sanskrit 'śarat' meaning 'autumn' and also 'cool season' in northern India. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ශීත .තුව | ||
| Tamil | குளிர்காலம் | ||
| The word 'குளிர்காலம்' literally means 'the time of coolness' in Tamil, and is also used to refer to the onset of the rainy season in South India. | |||
| Telugu | శీతాకాలం | ||
| Urdu | موسم سرما | ||
| موسم سرما is commonly used as a synonym for 'winter' in the context of the season, but is also used to describe other cold periods or seasons. | |||
Winter in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 冬季 | ||
| 冬季 is also refers to the first month of the winter, which refers to late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 冬季 | ||
| 字形上，冬季由「冬」和「時」兩字合組，其中「冬」字最初象形為人赤身露體，遭受寒冷之意，而「時」字則表示時間段落，故「冬季」即表示一年中身體赤露受寒的時間段落。此外，「冬」字在古代也用作動詞，意為「凍結」，因此「冬季」也可理解為一年中水結冰的時間段落。 | |||
| Japanese | 冬 | ||
| "冬" can also mean "to go" or "to return" in Japanese, and is the antonym of "夏", which means "summer". | |||
| Korean | 겨울 | ||
| 겨울 (gyo-ul) means a winter season in Korean. It can also mean "the year" or "old age" | |||
| Mongolian | өвөл | ||
| "Өвөл" also means "the north" in Mongolian: the part of the world where the cold comes from. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဆောင်းရာသီ | ||
Winter in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | musim dingin | ||
| "Musim dingin" in Indonesian is derived from the root words "dingin" (cold) and "musim" (season). The term has no alternate meanings. | |||
| Javanese | mangsa adhem | ||
| Mangsa Adhem, also known as Mangsa Rendheng, refers to the coldest period of a year in traditional Javanese terminology. | |||
| Khmer | រដូវរងារ | ||
| Lao | ລະດູຫນາວ | ||
| Malay | musim sejuk | ||
| The word "musim sejuk" comes from the Arabic word "sawq", meaning "to move" or "to change", and refers to the season of change from hot to cold. | |||
| Thai | ฤดูหนาว | ||
| The word "ฤดูหนาว" (winter) derives from Sanskrit "ฤดู" (season) and "หนาว" (cold), and also conveys a sense of desolation or loneliness. | |||
| Vietnamese | mùa đông | ||
| The Vietnamese word "mùa đông" literally means "cold season". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | taglamig | ||
Winter in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qış | ||
| The word "qış" (winter) in Azerbaijani is derived from the Proto-Turkic word "qɯʃ", meaning "dry season" or "dryness". | |||
| Kazakh | қыс | ||
| "Қыс" also means "difficulty" or "tightness" when used in a figurative sense. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кыш | ||
| The word "кыш" in Kyrgyz can also refer to the period from November to March, or the time of year when the ground is covered in snow. | |||
| Tajik | зимистон | ||
| Turkmen | gyş | ||
| Uzbek | qish | ||
| The word "qish" is of Mongolian origin and can also refer to a type of felt tent used for seasonal housing by nomads. | |||
| Uyghur | قىش | ||
Winter in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻoilo | ||
| In Hawaiian, “hoʻoilo” also means "to make a sound like an ʻōʻīo bird (plover)". | |||
| Maori | hotoke | ||
| Hotoke is derived from the Maori words "h" meaning "cold" and "toke" meaning "season". | |||
| Samoan | taumalulu | ||
| The word 'taumalulu' in Samoan can also refer to a traditional Samoan house or shelter, highlighting the close association between the season and the need for shelter. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | taglamig | ||
| In the Philippines, the term "taglamig" can also refer to the rainy season. | |||
Winter in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | juyphipacha | ||
| Guarani | araro'y | ||
Winter in International Languages
| Esperanto | vintro | ||
| Vintro' can also refer to a period of time that is not the typical winter season, but that is nonetheless cold and bleak. | |||
| Latin | hiems | ||
| The word 'hiems' also meant 'rain', 'storm', and 'bad weather' in Latin. | |||
Winter in Others Languages
| Greek | χειμώνας | ||
| The Greek word χειμώνας (cheimonas) 'winter' comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *gʰyei-m-, which also gives us the English word 'cold' | |||
| Hmong | lub caij ntuj no | ||
| Hmong word for "winter" translates to "season of falling dew" from its root words. | |||
| Kurdish | zivistan | ||
| The name “zivistan” for winter is possibly derived from “zîv” meaning life, and the -stan suffix meaning place, which could reference how winter is a time when most life hibernates or becomes dormant. | |||
| Turkish | kış | ||
| The word "kış" is derived from the Proto-Turkic word "*kïš" and also means "to spend the winter". | |||
| Xhosa | ubusika | ||
| The word 'ubusika' is also used in a figurative way as a euphemism for the time after a person's death. | |||
| Yiddish | ווינטער | ||
| The Yiddish word "ווינטער" (winter) is derived from the Old High German word "wintar" and is related to the English word "winter". | |||
| Zulu | ebusika | ||
| As well as its literal translation, 'ebusika' may be used metaphorically to signify a period of hardship or difficulty. | |||
| Assamese | শীতকাল | ||
| Aymara | juyphipacha | ||
| Bhojpuri | जाड़ा | ||
| Dhivehi | ފިނިމޫސުން | ||
| Dogri | स्याल | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | taglamig | ||
| Guarani | araro'y | ||
| Ilocano | tiempo ti lam-ek | ||
| Krio | kol wɛda | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | زستان | ||
| Maithili | जाड़ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯤꯡꯊꯝꯊꯥ | ||
| Mizo | thlasik | ||
| Oromo | bona | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଶୀତ | ||
| Quechua | chiri mita | ||
| Sanskrit | शीतकाल | ||
| Tatar | кыш | ||
| Tigrinya | ሓጋይ | ||
| Tsonga | xixika | ||