Understanding the word “midnight” in different languages enhances your vocabulary and opens doors to learning about cultural and linguistic nuances.
Whether traveling, celebrating New Year’s Eve, or diving into language learning for professional or personal reasons, knowing how to express “midnight” can be essential.
This post will explore how to say “midnight” across various languages, including French, Spanish, German, Russian, and more.
We’ll also cover key phrases, examples of word usage, and related terms you may encounter.

Search Midnight in Different Languages:
- Abkhaz: уааҵыхә (uaa-tskhy)
- Acehnese: tengah malam
- Acholi: otiiri
- Afar: gaba le
- Afrikaans: middernag
- Albanian: mesnatë
- Amharic: እኩለ ሌሊት (ikuli lelit)
- Arabic: منتصف الليل (muntasaf al-layl)
- Armenian: կեսգիշեր (kesgisher)
- Assamese: মধ্যৰাত (madhyarat)
- Avar: пӀалавин хьечӀе (p’alavin khetche)
- Awadhi: आधीरात (aadhirat)
- Aymara: aruma jaqe
- Azerbaijani: gecəyarı
- Balinese: peteng wengi
- Baluchi: نیمہ شب (nime shab)
- Bambara: kunan foyi
- Baoulé: néné
- Bashkir: төн уртаһы (ton urtahy)
- Basque: gauerdia
- Batak Karo: tengah malem
- Batak Simalungun: tengah malem
- Batak Toba: tengah malam
- Belarusian: поўнач (pounach)
- Bemba: mukuoshi
- Bengali: মধ্যরাত (madhyarat)
- Betawi: tengah malam
- Bhojpuri: आधीरात (aadhirat)
- Bikol: tungang gab-i
- Bosnian: ponoć
- Breton: hanternoz
- Bulgarian: полунощ (polunosht)
- Buryat: шарагшу (sharagshu)
- Cantonese: 半夜 (bun je)
- Catalan: mitjanit
- Cebuano: tungang gabii
- Chamorro: puengi media
- Chechen: хуьллари (khullari)
- Chichewa: chapakati
- Chinese (Simplified): 午夜 (wǔyè)
- Chinese (Traditional): 午夜 (wǔyè)
- Chuukese: neiwefanap
- Chuvash: кӗшӗнкӗ икӗ тӑнкӗ (keshkeshkine ikke tankke)
- Corsican: mezanotte
- Crimean Tatar: yarı gece
- Croatian: ponoć
- Czech: půlnoc
- Danish: midnat
- Dari: نیمهشب (nimeshab)
- Dhivehi: މީޑާ ވަގުތް (meedhaa vaguththe)
- Dinka: mathöörɛ nɛkä
- Dogri: ਮੱਧ ਰਾਤ (madh raat)
- Dombe: mukuyâ
- Dutch: middernacht
- Dyula: tilenne
- Dzongkha: དགུང་མཚན (gung tsen)
- English: midnight
- Esperanto: noktomezo
- Estonian: kesköö
- Ewe: neƒliŋkε
- Faroese: midnátt
- Fijian: veimamao
- Filipino: hatinggabi
- Finnish: keskiyö
- Fon: ganta azɔ
- French: minuit
- Frisian: midnacht
- Friulian: mieznot
- Fulani: ɲaadi no
- Ga: faanyoɔtɔ
- Galician: medianoite
- Georgian: შუაღამე (shuaghame)
- German: Mitternacht
- Greek: μεσάνυχτα (mesánychta)
- Guarani: pytũ pyhare
- Gujarati: મધ્યરાત (madhyarat)
- Haitian Creole: minwi
- Hakha Chin: 午夜 (ng-ngie)
- Hausa: tsakar dare
- Hawaiian: waena o ka pō
- Hebrew: חֲצוֹת (kha’tsot)
- Hiligaynon: tunga gab-i
- Hindi: मध्य रात्रि (madhya raatri)
- Hmong: ib tag hmo ntuj
- Hungarian: éjfél
- Hunsrik: mitternacht
- Iban: mating-tungang gabi
- Icelandic: miðnætti
- Igbo: etiti abalị
- Ilocano: tengnga ti rabii
- Indonesian: tengah malam
- Irish: meánoíche
- Italian: mezzanotte
- Jamaican Patois: midnight
- Japanese: 真夜中 (mayonaka)
- Javanese: tengah wengi
- Jingpo: ramai hra
- Kalaallisut: uangaasaalernermi
- Kannada: ನಡುವರಾತ್ರಿ (naduvaratri)
- Kanuri: cikin dare
- Kapampangan: tungdang bengi
- Kazakh: түн ортасы (tun ortasy)
- Khasi: sngi sngi sngi
- Khmer: ពាក់កណ្ដាលយប់ (peakkandal yub)
- Kiga: ekyojojojo
- Kikongo: butu
- Kinyarwanda: igicuku
- Kituba: munia
- Kokborok: boüla
- Komi: ӵурупыр (churupyr)
- Konkani: मध्यरात्री (madhyaratri)
- Korean: 자정 (jajeong)
- Krio: midnait
- Kurdish (Kurmanji): nîvekê
- Kurdish (Sorani): نێڤە شەو (neva shaw)
- Kyrgyz: түн ортосу (tun ortosu)
- Lao: ກາງຄືນ (kang khuen)
- Latgalian: pussanakts
- Latin: media nox
- Latvian: pusnakts
- Ligurian: mesanöte
- Limburgish: middernag
- Lingala: katikati ya butu
- Lithuanian: vidurnaktis
- Lombard: mesanot
- Luganda: ekiro ky’ekiro
- Luo: thoo
- Luxembourgish: Mëtternuecht
- Macedonian: полноќ (polnokj)
- Madurese: tengah bengi
- Maithili: मध्यराति (madhyarati)
- Makassar: tengah malam
- Malagasy: misasakalina
- Malay: tengah malam
- Malay (Jawi): منتصف الليل (muntasaf allayl)
- Malayalam: മധ്യരാത്രി (madhyarātri)
- Maltese: nofsillejl
- Mam: xaapo xuxoq
- Manx: meadhan oie
- Maori: waenganui pō
- Marathi: मध्यरात्र (madhyaratra)
- Marshallese: polle midnet
- Marwadi: मध्य रात (madhya raat)
- Mauritian Creole: minwi
- Meadow Mari: кӱндӱрт ӱшӱн (kundyurt ushun)
- Meiteilon (Manipuri): মধ্যৰাতি (madhyarati)
- Minang: tangah malam
- Mizo: tum eng
- Mongolian: шөнө дун (shunu dun)
- Myanmar (Burmese): အလယ်နက် (a-lay net)
- Nahuatl (Eastern Huasteca): necehualia
- Ndau: ndakatulo
- Ndebele (South): izembe lebusuku
- Nepalbhasa (Newari): मध्य रात (madhya raat)
- Nepali: मध्यरात (madhyarat)
- NKo: ߛߍ߫ߓߙߏ߲߫ (sèbrô)
- Norwegian: midnatt
- Nuer: kuɔc nɛɛkä
- Occitan: mièjanuèch
- Odia (Oriya): ମଧ୍ୟରାତ୍ରି (madhyaratri)
- Oromo: gala sa’a
- Ossetian: шӕрӕ тӕмӕ (shaerae tema)
- Pangasinan: tungang gab-i
- Papiamento: medianòchi
- Pashto: نیمايي شپه (nimaya shpa)
- Persian: نیمهشب (nime-shab)
- Polish: północ
- Portuguese (Brazil): meia-noite
- Portuguese (Portugal): meia-noite
- Punjabi (Gurmukhi): ਅੱਧੀ ਰਾਤ (addhi raat)
- Punjabi (Shahmukhi): آدھی رات (aadhī raat)
- Quechua: chaupi tuta
- Qʼeqchiʼ: aj tuut
- Romani: midnight
- Romanian: miezul nopții
- Rundi: icico k’igicugu
- Russian: полночь (polnoch’)
- Sami (North): gaskavahkku
- Samoan: tutonu po
- Sango: nzon
- Sanskrit: मध्यरात्रि (madhyarātri)
- Santali: ᱵᱷᱟᱨᱡᱟᱢ ᱥᱟᱪ (bharjam sach)
- Scots Gaelic: meadhan-oidhche
- Sepedi: bosigole
- Serbian: поноћ (ponoć)
- Sesotho: bosiu
- Seychellois Creole: lanwit
- Shan: ခိုဝင်ခိုကျော် (khawun khokyaw)
- Shona: pakati peusiku
- Sicilian: mezzanotti
- Silesian: północ
- Sindhi: نيم رات (neem raat)
- Sinhala: මැදියම රෑ (mediyama rae)
- Slovak: polnoc
- Slovenian: polnoč
- Somali: badhashay habeenkii
- Spanish: medianoche
- Sundanese: tengah peuting
- Swahili: usiku wa manane
- Swedish: midnatt
- Tagalog: hatinggabi
- Tahitian: pōmiti
- Tajik: нисфишаб (nisf-e-shab)
- Tamil: நள்ளிரவு (naḷḷiravu)
- Tatar: ярты төн (yarty ton)
- Telugu: మధ్య రాత్రి (madhya raatri)
- Tetum: kesi kulus
- Thai: เที่ยงคืน (thiang khuen)
- Tibetan: དགུན་མཚན (dgunmtshan)
- Tigrinya: ማታ ምንት (mata mint)
- Tongan: mua pō
- Tok Pisin: bilong namel long nait
- Tsonga: vhugimela
- Tswana: bosigo jwa bosigo
- Turkmen: ýary gije
- Turkish: gece yarısı
- Tuvaluan: afaki alofa
- Ukrainian: північ (pivnich)
- Upper Sorbian: pólnoć
- Urdu: آدھی رات (aadhī raat)
- Uyghur: يېرى كېچە (ye’ri keche)
- Uzbek: yarim tunda
- Vietnamese: nửa đêm
- Volapük: semikönovüda
- Walloon: mièngnût
- Walser: mitternacht
- Waray: tunga gab-i
- Welsh: hanner nos
- Western Frisian: midnacht
- Wolof: kerinu
- Xhosa: phakathi kobusuku
- Yiddish: מיטנאַכט (mitnakht)
- Yoruba: àríwàlẹ́
- Zulu: phakathi kwamabili
Midnight in French: La Minuit

The French translation of “midnight” is la minuit. This is a key term to know, especially during celebrations like New Year’s Eve, when the stroke of midnight is significant. You may often hear phrases like:
- “À la minuit, nous avons célébré la nouvelle année.” (At midnight, we celebrated the New Year.)
Additionally, during New Year’s Day or New Year’s Eve, it’s common to hear phrases like Bonne année, which means “Happy New Year.”
Knowing these useful words will help you engage in French conversations during festive times.
Midnight in Spanish: La Medianoche

In Spanish, “midnight” is translated as la medianoche, or sometimes media noche. These words are vital when discussing time, particularly about the end of the day or specific events like New Year’s Eve.
- “Llegaré a casa a la medianoche.” (I will arrive home at midnight.)
“Como muy tarde llegaré” means “I will arrive no later than,” and it’s useful when discussing deadlines or late-night plans.
At midnight on New Year’s Eve, you may also hear Feliz año nuevo, meaning “Happy New Year.” Spanish is full of examples of word usage related to midnight, making it one of the most versatile terms for travelers or learners.
Midnight in German: Mitternacht

The German translation for midnight is Mitternacht. Whether you’re learning German for linguistic purposes or simply expanding your vocabulary, knowing how to use the term in conversation is helpful.
- “Wir treffen uns um Mitternacht.” (We are meeting at midnight.)
As in many cultures, New Year’s Eve is enthusiastically celebrated, and at midnight, you may hear Frohes neues Jahr, which means “Happy New Year” in German.
Midnight in Russian: Полночь (Polnoch)

The Russian translation of “midnight” is полночь (pronounced polnoch). This word is commonly used in both formal and informal settings.
- “Я приду в полночь.” (I will come at midnight.)
Russians also celebrate the New Year with a countdown to midnight, followed by fireworks and greetings of С новым годом (Happy New Year).
Midnight in Other Languages
Here’s a quick look at how to say “midnight” in several other languages:
- Italian translation: Mezzanotte
- Portuguese translation: Meia-noite
- Arabic translation: منتصف الليل (Munṣaf al-layl)
- Hebrew translation: חצות (Chatzot)
- Chinese translation: 午夜 (Wǔyè)
- Korean translation: 자정 (Jajeong)
- Turkish translation: Gece yarısı
- Kazakh translation: Түн ортасы (Tün ortasy)
- Azerbaijani translation: Gecəyarısı
- Uzbek translation: Tungi o‘rta
- Finnish translation: Keskiyö
- Estonian translation: Kesköö
- Ukrainian translation: Північ (Pivnich)
- Tatar translation: Ярым төн (Yarym tän)
- Turkmen translation: Gije ýary
Each language has its nuances and variations in word usage, making it interesting to explore for those engaged in language learning or wanting to understand the regional variations of a single term like “midnight.”
Midnight and Its Cultural Significance
In many cultures, midnight signifies more than just the end of the day. It often marks the transition between two important moments, especially during holidays like New Year’s Eve.
This transition is commonly celebrated worldwide, from the fireworks in the streets of Paris to the traditional twelve grapes eaten at the stroke of midnight in Spain.
For language learners, knowing the related words and expressions surrounding midnight can enhance your ability to communicate across different cultures. For instance:
- In French: Bonne année (Happy New Year)
- In Swedish: Gott nytt år (Happy New Year)
- In English: Happy New Year
How Midnight is Used in Different Contexts
Using cookies on websites, especially during online language learning or research, can be a practical way to personalize your learning experience.
Many language-learning platforms use cookies to offer bilingual search technologies that make it easier for learners to find translations of the word “midnight” or similar terms in real-time.
When exploring new language skills, focusing on literal translations and how words are used in different contexts is helpful. For example:
- In literature, midnight can symbolize a turning point or moment of suspense.
- In time-based conversations, midnight marks a deadline or the end of an event.
Awareness of these contexts enriches your understanding of the language and helps you use the term appropriately in conversation.
Example Sentences and Word Usage
Here are some example sentences showing the variety of uses for the word “midnight” across different languages:
- Spanish: “Nos vemos a la medianoche.” (We’ll meet at midnight.)
- French: “Je partirai avant minuit.” (I will leave before midnight.)
- Russian: “Новый год наступит в полночь.” (The New Year will come at midnight.)
- German: “Die Party geht bis Mitternacht.” (The party goes until midnight.)
Conclusion
The word “midnight” holds significance across cultures and languages, from marking the end of the day to the start of New Year’s Day celebrations.
Understanding how to say “midnight” in different languages, such as la medianoche (Spanish) or la minuit (French), can not only enhance your vocabulary but also deepen your cultural connections.
Learning these translations and related words like “Happy New Year” (Bonne année, Frohes neues Jahr) will give you a well-rounded understanding of how midnight fits into various linguistic and cultural contexts.
Whether for travel, communication, or simply expanding your language skills, knowing how to express “midnight” in multiple languages is a useful and fascinating linguistic journey!
Source: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)