Wondering how to say White in Different Languages? Discover translations from French to Zulu and explore the beauty of this universal color!

When you think of the color white, what comes to mind? A clean sheet of paper? A snowy landscape? Or perhaps something more symbolic, like purity, peace, or simplicity?

The word “white” can carry many meanings in different languages. Whether used to describe a colour, a concept, or something tied to daily life, understanding how white is translated across foreign languages provides a fascinating insight into different cultures.

This post will explore how “white” is expressed in various languages, including the French word for white, how English words for “white” are compared to other European languages, and the word’s broader cultural and symbolic meanings.

By the end, you’ll see how this simple color can connect human beings from all corners of the globe through language.

Search For Translation of White in Different Languages:

Translation and Audio
  • Abkhaz: аиҾНа (aizla)
  • Acehnese: peurah
  • Acholi: dwuong
  • Afar: boora
  • Afrikaans: wit
  • Albanian: i bardhĂŤ
  • Amharic: ነጭ (nech)
  • Arabic: أبيض (abyad)
  • Armenian: Ő˝ŐşŐŤŐżŐĄŐŻ (spitak)
  • Assamese: সৰৱজিত (sorbojita)
  • Avar: акъӏл (akĘźl)
  • Awadhi: सफ़ेद (safed)
  • Aymara: ch’ixi
  • Azerbaijani: ağ
  • Balinese: putih
  • Baluchi: سپید (sepÄŤd)
  • Bambara: jɔrɔ
  • BaoulĂŠ: kpèkpè
  • Bashkir: Đ°ŇĄ (ak)
  • Basque: zuri
  • Batak Karo: putih
  • Batak Simalungun: putih
  • Batak Toba: putih
  • Belarusian: белы (bely)
  • Bemba: pwa
  • Bengali: সাদা (shada)
  • Betawi: putih
  • Bhojpuri: सफेद (safed)
  • Bikol: maputi
  • Bosnian: bijelo
  • Breton: gwenn
  • Bulgarian: бял (byal)
  • Buryat: саҝан (sahan)
  • Cantonese: 白 (baahk)
  • Catalan: blanc
  • Cebuano: puti
  • Chamorro: apa’ka
  • Chechen: Ӏаха (lĘźakha)
  • Chichewa: oyera
  • Chinese (Simplified): 白 (bĂĄi)
  • Chinese (Traditional): 白 (bĂĄi)
  • Chuukese: neo
  • Chuvash: вăхăр (văhar)
  • Corsican: biancu
  • Crimean Tatar: aq
  • Croatian: bijelo
  • Czech: bĂ­lĂ˝
  • Danish: hvid
  • Dari: سپین (spen)
  • Dhivehi: ހައުޅަ (haulha)
  • Dinka: dit
  • Dogri: ਸਫੈਦ (safed)
  • Dombe: blanc
  • Dutch: wit
  • Dyula: fin
  • Dzongkha: དཀར་པོ (karpo)
  • English: white
  • Esperanto: blanka
  • Estonian: valge
  • Ewe: fufu
  • Faroese: hvĂ­tur
  • Fijian: vulavula
  • Filipino: puti
  • Finnish: valkoinen
  • Fon: ɖoɖo
  • French: blanc
  • Frisian: wyt
  • Friulian: blanc
  • Fulani: puulol
  • Ga: kpekple
  • Galician: branco
  • Georgian: თეთრი (tetri)
  • German: weiß
  • Greek: άσπρος (ĂĄspros)
  • Guarani: morotÄŠ
  • Gujarati: સફેદ (saphed)
  • Haitian Creole: blan
  • Hakha Chin: 白 (bĂĄek)
  • Hausa: fari
  • Hawaiian: ke’oke’o
  • Hebrew: לָבָן (lavan)
  • Hiligaynon: puti
  • Hindi: सफ़ेद (safed)
  • Hmong: dawb
  • Hungarian: fehĂŠr
  • Hunsrik: weiß
  • Iban: putih
  • Icelandic: hvĂ­tur
  • Igbo: ọcha
  • Ilocano: nalabaga
  • Indonesian: putih
  • Irish: bĂĄn
  • Italian: bianco
  • Jamaican Patois: wite
  • Japanese: 白 (shiro)
  • Javanese: putih
  • Jingpo: လွန်း (lĘźon)
  • Kalaallisut: qaqortoq
  • Kannada: ಏಿಳಿ (bili)
  • Kanuri: fari
  • Kapampangan: puti
  • Kazakh: ақ (aq)
  • Khasi: ka-sngi
  • Khmer: ស (sa)
  • Kiga: kyeera
  • Kikongo: pembe
  • Kinyarwanda: umweru
  • Kituba: mpembe
  • Kokborok: rangwi
  • Komi: морт (mort)
  • Konkani: पांढरा (pandra)
  • Korean: 하얀 (hayan)
  • Krio: wɛt
  • Kurdish (Kurmanji): spĂŽ
  • Kurdish (Sorani): سپی (spey)
  • Kyrgyz: Đ°Đş (ak)
  • Lao: ຂາວ (khao)
  • Latgalian: balts
  • Latin: albus
  • Latvian: balts
  • Ligurian: biancon
  • Limburgish: wit
  • Lingala: mpembe
  • Lithuanian: baltas
  • Lombard: bianc
  • Luganda: kyeera
  • Luo: dhoge
  • Luxembourgish: wäiss
  • Macedonian: йоН (bel)
  • Madurese: abĂŠn
  • Maithili: सफेद (safed)
  • Makassar: putih
  • Malagasy: fotsy
  • Malay: putih
  • Malay (Jawi): ءبياض (byaad)
  • Malayalam: വെളുപ്പ് (veḡuppu)
  • Maltese: abjad
  • Mam: q’anik
  • Manx: bane
  • Maori: ma
  • Marathi: पांढरा (pandra)
  • Marshallese: paake
  • Marwadi: सफेद (safed)
  • Mauritian Creole: blan
  • Meadow Mari: Đ°Đş (ak)
  • Meiteilon (Manipuri): সাদা (shada)
  • Minang: putiah
  • Mizo: vet
  • Mongolian: цагаан (tsagaan)
  • Myanmar (Burmese): အဖြူ (aphyu)
  • Nahuatl (Eastern Huasteca): iztac
  • Ndau: cena
  • Ndebele (South): mhlophe
  • Nepalbhasa (Newari): सफ़ेद (safed)
  • Nepali: सेतो (seto)
  • NKo: ߛߊߞߏ߲߬ߘߏ߬ (tanko)
  • Norwegian: hvit
  • Nuer: wan
  • Occitan: blanc
  • Odia (Oriya): ସପ୍ପା (sappa)
  • Oromo: adi
  • Ossetian: хæхæнæг (khĂŚkhanĂŚg)
  • Pangasinan: puti
  • Papiamento: blan
  • Pashto: سپین (spen)
  • Persian: سفید (sefid)
  • Polish: biały
  • Portuguese (Brazil): branco
  • Portuguese (Portugal): branco
  • Punjabi (Gurmukhi): ਸਫੈਦ (safed)
  • Punjabi (Shahmukhi): سپید (safed)
  • Quechua: yuraq
  • QĘźeqchiĘź: saq’aw
  • Romani: jito
  • Romanian: alb
  • Rundi: umweru
  • Russian: белый (belyy)
  • Sami (North): vilges
  • Samoan: pa’epa’e
  • Sango: kondo
  • Sanskrit: श्वेत (śveta)
  • Santali: ᱯᱟᱹᱲᱤ (pandi)
  • Scots Gaelic: geal
  • Sepedi: tĹĄhweu
  • Serbian: йоО (beo)
  • Sesotho: tĹĄoeu
  • Seychellois Creole: blan
  • Shan: အဖြူ (aphyu)
  • Shona: chena
  • Sicilian: biancu
  • Silesian: biouy
  • Sindhi: اڇو (achho)
  • Sinhala: සුදු (sudu)
  • Slovak: biely
  • Slovenian: bel
  • Somali: caddaan
  • Spanish: blanco
  • Sundanese: bodas
  • Swahili: nyeupe
  • Swedish: vit
  • Tagalog: puti
  • Tahitian: ma
  • Tajik: сафед (safed)
  • Tamil: வெள்ளை (veḡḡai)
  • Tatar: Đ°Đş (ak)
  • Telugu: తెలుపు (telupu)
  • Tetum: mutin
  • Thai: ขาว (khao)
  • Tibetan: དཀར་པོ (karpo)
  • Tigrinya: ጻዕዳ (tsa’ida)
  • Tongan: hinehina
  • Tok Pisin: wait
  • Tsonga: kasiwa
  • Tswana: tshweu
  • Turkmen: ak
  • Turkish: beyaz
  • Tuvaluan: paapa
  • Ukrainian: білий (bilyy)
  • Upper Sorbian: bily
  • Urdu: سفید (safed)
  • Uyghur: ئاق (aq)
  • Uzbek: oq
  • Vietnamese: trắng
  • VolapĂźk: vialik
  • Walloon: blanc
  • Walser: wiis
  • Waray: busag
  • Welsh: gwyn
  • Mingrelian: თეთრი (tetri)
  • Xhosa: mhlophe
  • Yiddish: ווייס (vays)
  • Yoruba: funfun
  • Zazaki: bĂŞj
  • Zulu: mhlophe

The French Word for White: “Blanc”

Let’s begin with one of the most spoken languages in Europe—French. In French, the word for white is “blanc” (pronounced [blahngk]).

This word is not limited to describing a color but can reflect deeper cultural symbolism.

For instance, the French associate white with innocence, weddings, and cleanliness. The French translation for “white man” would be “homme blanc,” a term that might be used in historical or descriptive contexts.

White is an important colour in French culture, often used to describe everything from fashion (a white dress is “une robe blanche“) to political contexts, as the color white has been associated with monarchist movements in France.

In everyday French translation, white appears frequently in daily life phrases. For example:

  • Pain blanc” – white bread
  • Vin blanc” – white wine

“White” in English: More Than Just a Color

In English, “white” is one of the basic colors children learn early in life. It’s one of the core English words in any basic vocabulary list.

However, “white” in English extends beyond being a color. It can describe many different concepts—purity, innocence, simplicity. For example, to be “in the white” can mean something fresh and untouched.

The term “white man” has been historically significant in the context of identity and race. While its usage has evolved, it still holds cultural significance in various discussions about history and social dynamics.

This shows how even a simple word white can carry layers of meaning.

White in Slovenian: “Bela”

Now, let’s travel eastward to Slovenia, a country rich in tradition and history. In Slovenian, the word for white is “bela.” The term is used in much the same way as in English, to describe objects, places, and people. For instance:

  • Bela obleka” – white dress
  • Bela hiĹĄa” – white house

Like other European languages, Slovenian uses white in contexts involving purity and cleanliness.

It’s fascinating to see how languages in different parts of the world have similar cultural connections to the color white despite having entirely different linguistic roots.

White Across European Languages

European languages offer many white words, but cultural threads often tie them together.

In daily life, the word white describes everything from clothes to foods to landscapes. Let’s take a look at some common translations:

  • German: “Weiß” (pronounced [vice])
  • Spanish: “Blanco” (similar to French “blanc”)
  • Italian: “Bianco
  • Dutch: “Wit

Each of these translations reflects different cultures and their relationship with the color white. For example, in Spain and Italy, white is often seen as a celebration colour, particularly at weddings.

In Germany, white is associated with formality and cleanness, often used in uniforms and decor.

In the English language, this color is represented in phrases such as “white-collar” (referring to professionals or office workers) or “white lie” (a harmless or small untruth).

This shows how different things and concepts can be tied to the same color in different languages.

White in Non-European Languages

Stepping outside of Europe, we find that the word for white varies dramatically. However, many cultures share similar symbolic meanings:

  • Japanese: “Shiro” – White is often associated with purity and simplicity in Japan. It’s the color of traditional wedding dresses and is seen in minimalist designs.
  • Arabic: “Abyad“—In many Arab countries, white symbolizes peace and clarity, often used in flags and important cultural symbols.
  • Chinese: “BĂĄi“—In China, white is also tied to purity but has additional meanings, such as mourning, where it is traditionally worn at funerals.

Each language presents white as more than a color; it’s part of their cultural fabric. This helps human beings connect across different cultural and linguistic boundaries.

The Importance of Translation Services

Whether you’re learning these words for academic purposes or travel, understanding how “white” is used across languages is important.

Translation services play a critical role in accurate translations. If you’re looking to translate words like “white man” or the color “white” in a way that respects cultural nuances, professional services ensure that no meanings are lost in translation.

For example, in English, “white man” might be directly translated into other languages, but in some foreign languages, a direct translation might not fully capture the historical or cultural context.

Working with translators who understand different things and cultures is key to ensuring clarity and respect across languages.

White as a Universal Concept

What makes white so universally recognizable? It’s one of the few colors easy to find in nature—snow, clouds, flowers. It’s also a color that is visually striking and often used in contrast to darker shades.

White can symbolize peace, as seen in the universally recognized white dove or the white flag of surrender.

White may be pronounced differently or have varying connotations in different languages, but at its core, it remains tied to essential human concepts—purity, peace, and new beginnings.

In daily life, no matter where you go, white is present. It’s in the clothes we wear, the food we eat (white rice, milk, eggs), and even how we describe people and objects.

It’s also in how we communicate, from the English words to the French translation of “blanc.”

Conclusion: White in a Multicultural World

In its simplicity, white is a color that connects human beings across the globe. From the French “blanc” to the Slovenian “Bela,” from the Japanese “Shiro” to the Arabic “abjad,” each language adds its own flavor to the color, yet the meanings often overlap.

Whether you’re discussing daily life matters, such as a white man in a historical context, or simply trying to describe a white shirt, knowing how to say “white” in different languages is not just a vocabulary exercise—it’s a glimpse into how different cultures view the world.

As we’ve seen, translation services can help bridge these cultural divides, ensuring that words like “white” carry the right weight and meaning, no matter where you are.

By understanding these words, you’re learning a language and exploring a small yet significant piece of what makes each culture unique.

Next time you see the color white, think about how it might be described in foreign languages and how, despite our differences, this simple word connects us all in more ways than one.

Source: Stanford University – Center for the Study of Language and Information (CSLI)

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