Have you ever wondered how to say COVER in different languages?
Whether you’re a language enthusiast, exploring cultures, or interested in expressions of protection and concealment worldwide, discovering the word “cover” across languages can be both enlightening and fun.
This guide provides translations, pronunciations, and insights into the word “cover” in over 100 languages.
Why Understanding “Cover” is Important
The concept of “cover” is global, symbolizing protection, concealment, and sometimes even security.
Learning how to express “cover” in various languages enhances understanding how cultures perceive and protect their valuable things or shield themselves from the elements.
Saying “Cover” in European Languages
Western European Languages
- English: Cover (pronounced KUH-ver)
- French: Couverture (pronounced koo-ver-TUR)
- German: Deckung (pronounced DEK-oong)
- Spanish: Cubierta (pronounced koo-bee-AIR-tah)
- Italian: Copertura (pronounced koh-pehr-TOO-rah)
- Portuguese: Cobertura (pronounced koh-behr-TOO-rah)
- Dutch: Dekking (pronounced DEH-king)
- Catalan: Coberta (pronounced ko-BER-tah)
Northern European Languages
- Swedish: Skydd (pronounced khwid)
- Danish: Dække (pronounced DEH-keh)
- Norwegian: Dekke (pronounced DEH-keh)
- Finnish: Peite (pronounced PAY-teh)
- Icelandic: Hlíf (pronounced hleef)
Eastern European Languages
- Russian: Покрытие (pronounced poh-KRIT-ee-ye)
- Polish: Pokrywa (pronounced poh-KREE-vah)
- Czech: Krytí (pronounced KREE-tee)
- Hungarian: Fedél (pronounced FEH-dayl)
- Slovak: Pokrytie (pronounced POH-kree-tee-eh)
- Ukrainian: Покриття (pronounced poh-KRYT-tya)
- Bulgarian: Покритие (pronounced poh-KREE-tee-eh)
- Serbian: Покривач (pronounced poh-KREE-vahch)
Celtic Languages
- Irish Gaelic: Clúdach (pronounced KLOO-dakh)
- Scottish Gaelic: Còmhdach (pronounced KOHM-dakh)
- Welsh: Gorchudd (pronounced GOR-khid)
Saying “Cover” in Asian Languages
East Asian Languages
- Chinese (Simplified): 覆盖 (pronounced foo-guy)
- Chinese (Traditional): 覆蓋 (pronounced foo-guy)
- Japanese: カバー (pronounced KAH-bah)
- Korean: 덮개 (pronounced duhp-geh)
South Asian Languages
- Hindi: आवरण (pronounced AH-vuh-run)
- Bengali: কভার (pronounced koh-BAHR)
- Tamil: மூடி (pronounced MOO-dee)
- Urdu: غلاف (pronounced gha-LAHF)
- Punjabi: ਕਵਰ (pronounced kah-VUR)
- Telugu: కవర్ (pronounced kah-VAR)
- Gujarati: કવર (pronounced kah-VUR)
- Kannada: ಮುಚ್ಚು (pronounced MOO-chu)
Southeast Asian Languages
- Thai: ปก (pronounced pok)
- Vietnamese: Bao phủ (pronounced bao-foo)
- Indonesian: Penutup (pronounced peh-NOO-top)
- Malay: Penutup (pronounced peh-NOO-top)
- Khmer (Cambodian): គ្រប (pronounced krohp)
Saying “Cover” in Middle Eastern Languages
- Arabic: غطاء (pronounced ghee-TAH)
- Hebrew: כיסוי (pronounced kee-soo-ee)
- Persian (Farsi): پوشش (pronounced poo-shesh)
- Turkish: Kapak (pronounced kah-PAHK)
- Kurdish (Sorani): پەوش (pronounced pohsh)
Saying “Cover” in African Languages
- Swahili: Funika (pronounced foo-NEE-kah)
- Zulu: Isimbozo (pronounced ee-seem-BOH-zoh)
- Afrikaans: Deksel (pronounced DEK-sel)
- Amharic: ሽፋን (pronounced she-FAN)
- Yoruba: Aṣọboju (pronounced ah-SHOH-boh-joo)
- Igbo: Ekpuchi (pronounced ek-POO-chee)
- Hausa: Rufewa (pronounced roo-FAY-wah)
Saying “Cover” in Austronesian Languages
- Filipino (Tagalog): Takip (pronounced tah-KEEP)
- Cebuano: Takob (pronounced tah-KOHB)
- Maori: Uhi (pronounced OO-hee)
- Hawaiian: Uhi (pronounced OO-hee)
- Javanese: Tutup (pronounced TOO-toop)
- Malagasy: Saron-tava (pronounced sah-ROON-tah-vah)
Saying “Cover” in Indigenous Languages
Native American Languages
- Quechua: Phaskay (pronounced PAH-sky)
- Navajo: T’ááłáhááł (pronounced t’ah-LAH-hahl)
Australian Aboriginal Languages
- Pitjantjatjara: Murrka (pronounced MOOR-kah)
More Translations of “COVER” in Different Languages
- Amharic (Ethiopia): እንቅስቃሴ (ənqsəqasē)
- Georgian: საფარი (safari)
- Mongolian: Нөмрөг (nomrog)
- Nepali: आवरण (aawaran)
- Sinhala (Sri Lanka): ආවරණය (aavaranaya)
- Xhosa (South Africa): Isikhuselo (isi-khoo-SEH-lo)
- Estonian: Kate (KAH-teh)
- Latvian: Vāks (VAH-ks)
- Lithuanian: Dangtis (DANG-tees)
- Macedonian: Покрив (PO-kreev)
- Armenian: Կափարիչ (kaparich)
- French: Couverture (koo-veer-TYOOR)
- German: Abdeckung (AHB-deck-oong)
- Spanish: Cubierta (koo-BYEHR-tah)
- Italian: Copertura (koh-per-TOO-rah)
- Portuguese: Cobertura (koh-behr-TOO-rah)
- Dutch: Deksel (DEK-sel)
- Catalan: Coberta (koh-BER-tah)
- Swedish: Omslag (OHM-slahg)
- Danish: Omslag (OM-slah)
- Norwegian: Dekke (DEH-keh)
- Finnish: Kansi (KAN-see)
- Icelandic: Kápa (KOW-pa)
- Russian: Обложка (ob-LOZH-ka) / Покрытие (pah-KRI-tee-yeh)
- Polish: Okładka (oh-KWAHT-kah)
- Czech: Obálka (oh-BAL-kah)
- Hungarian: Borító (bo-ree-TOH)
- Slovak: Kryt (krit)
- Ukrainian: Обкладинка (ob-KLAH-din-kah)
- Bulgarian: Покритие (po-KREE-tee-ye)
- Serbian: Покривач (po-KREE-vach)
- Irish Gaelic: Clúdach (KLOO-dahk)
- Scottish Gaelic: Còmhdach (KO-mokh)
- Welsh: Clawr (KLOW-er)
- Basque: Estalki (es-TAL-kee)
- Maltese: Qoxra (KAW-ra)
- Albanian: Mbulesë (MBOO-lehs)
- Chinese (Simplified): 覆盖 (fù-gài)
- Chinese (Traditional): 覆蓋 (fù-gài)
- Japanese: カバー (ka-bā)
- Korean: 덮개 (deop-gae)
- Hindi: आवरण (aavaran)
- Bengali: কভার (kabar)
- Tamil: மூடல் (moodal)
- Urdu: غلاف (ghilaf)
- Punjabi: ਕਵਰ (kavar)
- Telugu: కవర్ (kavar)
- Gujarati: કવર (kavar)
- Kannada: ಮುಚ್ಚಳ (muchchala)
- Thai: ฝาปิด (fah-pit)
- Vietnamese: Bìa (bee-ah)
- Indonesian: Sampul (SAM-pool)
- Malay: Penutup (peh-NU-tup)
- Khmer (Cambodian): គម្រប (kom-rop)
- Burmese (Myanmar): ဖုံးကွယ်မှု (pon-gwe-mhoo)
- Kazakh: Қаптау (kap-tow)
- Uzbek: Qoplama (qop-lama)
- Turkmen: Örtmek (ört-mek)
- Tajik: Пӯшиш (poo-sheesh)
- Arabic: غطاء (ghi-TAH)
- Hebrew: כיסוי (kisuy)
- Persian (Farsi): پوشش (poo-shesh)
- Turkish: Kapak (ka-PAK)
- Kurdish (Sorani): پارچەپەنا (par-cha-pe-na)
- Swahili: Kifuniko (ki-fu-NEE-ko)
- Zulu: Isivalo (isi-VA-lo)
- Afrikaans: Deksel (DEK-sel)
- Amharic: አሸፍ (a-shef)
- Yoruba: Aṣọ (ah-SHAW)
- Igbo: Nkuku (n-koo-koo)
- Hausa: Rufi (roo-fee)
- Somali: Dabool (dah-BOOL)
- Filipino (Tagalog): Takip (ta-KEEP)
- Cebuano: Tabon (TAH-bon)
- Maori: Taupoki (tow-PO-kee)
- Hawaiian: Pā’ani (pah-AH-nee)
- Javanese: Kacar (kah-CHAR)
- Malagasy: Fonenana (fo-NE-na-na)
- Quechua: Waqsay (wahk-SAY)
- Navajo: Názisí (reflects covering or protection)
- Pitjantjatjara: Ngarpalinganyi (implying covering or hiding)
- French (Canada): Couverture (koo-veer-TYOOR)
- Haitian Creole: Kouvèti (koo-VER-tee)
- Romanian: Acoperire (ah-co-peh-REE-reh)
- Greek: Κάλυμμα (KAH-lee-mah)
- Croatian: Poklopac (PO-klo-patz)
- Bosnian: Poklopac (PO-klo-patz)
- Slovenian: Pokrov (po-KROV)
- Esperanto: Kovrilo (koh-VREE-loh)
- Latvian: Vāks (VAH-ks)
- Luxembourgish: Deckel (DECK-el)
- Azerbaijani: Qapaq (qa-PAK)
- Belarusian: Вокладка (vok-LAH-dka)
- Tatar: Капка (kap-KA)
- Bashkir: Ҡапҡас (kap-KAS)
- Macedonian: Покривка (po-KREEV-ka)
- Finnish: Suoja (SWOY-ah)
- Icelandic: Hlíf (HLEEV)
- Basque: Azala (ah-ZAH-lah)
- Estonian: Kaan (KAHN)
Tips for Proper Pronunciation
- Listen and Repeat: Hearing native speakers pronounce “cover” in different languages can help you understand the subtle sounds and accents that may differ from your own.
- Use Phonetic Spelling: Use phonetic guides to help you match each language’s unique sounds, especially for languages with different alphabets or sounds.
- Practice Often: Repeating the word “cover” frequently will improve accuracy, especially if you’re aiming for fluent pronunciation.
Cultural Significance
The word “cover” carries various meanings and cultural significance depending on context and language, often symbolizing protection, concealment, or care:
- Protection and Shelter: In many cultures, “cover” can represent physical or emotional protection, such as protecting someone from harm or sheltering them.
- Literary and Artistic Expression: Artists and writers often use “cover” metaphorically to depict themes of mystery, secrecy, or safeguarding.
- Daily Life and Clothing: “Cover” frequently appears in discussions around modesty, privacy, or dressing appropriately, reflecting cultural norms and values.
Translation, Meaning, and Usage in Sentences
Examples in Different Languages
- French
- Translation: Couverture
- Meaning: Cover
- Sentence: La couverture du livre est très colorée. (The book cover is very colorful.)
- Russian
- Translation: Обложка (for book cover) / Покрытие (for general covering)
- Meaning: Cover
- Sentence: Обложка этой книги привлекает внимание. (The cover of this book grabs attention.)
- Swahili
- Translation: Kifuniko
- Meaning: Cover
- Sentence: Kifuniko cha kitabu hiki ni cha kuvutia. (The cover of this book is attractive.)
- Arabic
- Translation: غلاف (for book cover) / غطاء (for general covering)
- Meaning: Cover
- Sentence: غلاف الكتاب جميل جداً. (The cover of the book is very beautiful.)
- Hindi
- Translation: कवर / आवरण
- Meaning: Cover
- Sentence: इस किताब का कवर बहुत सुंदर है। (The cover of this book is very beautiful.)
Conclusion
In different languages, learning to say “cover” expands your vocabulary and enhances your cultural understanding.
Each translation reflects unique nuances, often symbolizing concepts like protection, concealment, or presentation across various societies.
Whether exploring languages or seeking to connect across cultures, understanding how to express “cover” gives insight into one of the language’s versatile terms, bridging practical and symbolic meanings worldwide.
Reference: Harvard University Linguistics Department
