The word black is one of the most common color words in the world. It is used to describe clothing, objects, animals, nature, art, design, and many other things. Learning how to say black in different languages is a useful way to expand your vocabulary and discover how languages express colors.
If you are a language learner, traveler, writer, student, or simply curious about world languages, this guide gives you black translations in 70 different languages. Each entry includes the native word, an easy English pronunciation, a short example sentence, and its English meaning.
If you are searching for black in all languages, wondering how to say black in different languages, or looking for black translations around the world, the table below provides a quick and easy reference.
Black in Different Languages
The translation of black can change depending on grammar, gender, and context. The following table uses a common or standard form where appropriate.
| # | Language | Native Phrase | Easy English Pronunciation | Example Sentence | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | black | blak | The cat is black. | The cat is black. |
| 2 | Spanish | negro | NEH-groh | El gato es negro. | The cat is black. |
| 3 | French | noir | nwahr | Le chat est noir. | The cat is black. |
| 4 | German | schwarz | shvarts | Der Hund ist schwarz. | The dog is black. |
| 5 | Italian | nero | NEH-roh | Il gatto è nero. | The cat is black. |
| 6 | Portuguese | preto | PREH-too | O carro é preto. | The car is black. |
| 7 | Dutch | zwart | zvart | De kat is zwart. | The cat is black. |
| 8 | Swedish | svart | svart | Katten är svart. | The cat is black. |
| 9 | Norwegian | svart | svart | Bilen er svart. | The car is black. |
| 10 | Danish | sort | sort | Huset er sort. | The house is black. |
| 11 | Finnish | musta | MOOS-tah | Kissa on musta. | The cat is black. |
| 12 | Estonian | must | moost | Kass on must. | The cat is black. |
| 13 | Icelandic | svartur | SVAR-tur | Hesturinn er svartur. | The horse is black. |
| 14 | Irish | dubh | doov | Tá an madra dubh. | The dog is black. |
| 15 | Welsh | du | dee | Mae’r ci yn ddu. | The dog is black. |
| 16 | Scottish Gaelic | dubh | doov | Tha an cat dubh. | The cat is black. |
| 17 | Russian | чёрный | CHYOR-ny | Кот чёрный. | The cat is black. |
| 18 | Ukrainian | чорний | CHOR-nyy | Кіт чорний. | The cat is black. |
| 19 | Polish | czarny | CHAR-ny | Kot jest czarny. | The cat is black. |
| 20 | Czech | černý | CHER-nee | Pes je černý. | The dog is black. |
| 21 | Slovak | čierny | CHEER-ny | Pes je čierny. | The dog is black. |
| 22 | Slovenian | črn | chern | Avto je črn. | The car is black. |
| 23 | Croatian | crn | tsrn | Auto je crn. | The car is black. |
| 24 | Serbian | црн | tsrn | Ауто је црн. | The car is black. |
| 25 | Bulgarian | черен | CHEH-ren | Котът е черен. | The cat is black. |
| 26 | Macedonian | црн | tsrn | Мачката е црна. | The cat is black. |
| 27 | Romanian | negru | NEH-groo | Pisica este neagră. | The cat is black. |
| 28 | Hungarian | fekete | FEH-keh-teh | A macska fekete. | The cat is black. |
| 29 | Greek | μαύρος | MAV-ros | Ο γάτος είναι μαύρος. | The cat is black. |
| 30 | Albanian | i zi | ee zee | Macja është e zezë. | The cat is black. |
| 31 | Lithuanian | juodas | YOO-das | Katinas yra juodas. | The cat is black. |
| 32 | Latvian | melns | melns | Kaķis ir melns. | The cat is black. |
| 33 | Armenian | սև | sev | Կատուն սև է։ | The cat is black. |
| 34 | Georgian | შავი | SHAH-vee | კატა შავია. | The cat is black. |
| 35 | Turkish | siyah | see-YAH | Araba siyah. | The car is black. |
| 36 | Azerbaijani | qara | gah-RAH | Maşın qaradır. | The car is black. |
| 37 | Persian | سیاه | see-YAH | گربه سیاه است. | The cat is black. |
| 38 | Arabic | أسود | AS-wad | القط أسود. | The cat is black. |
| 39 | Hebrew | שחור | sha-KHOR | החתול שחור. | The cat is black. |
| 40 | Hindi | काला | KAA-laa | बिल्ली काली है। | The cat is black. |
| 41 | Urdu | کالا | KAA-laa | بلی کالی ہے۔ | The cat is black. |
| 42 | Bengali | কালো | KAA-loh | বিড়ালটি কালো। | The cat is black. |
| 43 | Punjabi | ਕਾਲਾ | KAA-laa | ਬਿੱਲੀ ਕਾਲੀ ਹੈ। | The cat is black. |
| 44 | Gujarati | કાળો | KAA-loh | બિલાડી કાળી છે. | The cat is black. |
| 45 | Marathi | काळा | KAA-laa | मांजर काळे आहे. | The cat is black. |
| 46 | Nepali | कालो | KAA-loh | बिरालो कालो छ। | The cat is black. |
| 47 | Sinhala | කළු | KAH-loo | පූසා කළුයි. | The cat is black. |
| 48 | Tamil | கருப்பு | kah-ROOP-poo | பூனை கருப்பாக உள்ளது. | The cat is black. |
| 49 | Telugu | నలుపు | nah-LOO-poo | పిల్లి నలుపుగా ఉంది. | The cat is black. |
| 50 | Kannada | ಕಪ್ಪು | KAP-poo | ಬೆಕ್ಕು ಕಪ್ಪಾಗಿದೆ. | The cat is black. |
| 51 | Malayalam | കറുപ്പ് | kah-ROOP-puh | പൂച്ച കറുപ്പാണ്. | The cat is black. |
| 52 | Thai | ดำ | dam | แมวดำ | The cat is black. |
| 53 | Lao | ດຳ | dam | ແມວສີດຳ. | The cat is black. |
| 54 | Khmer | ខ្មៅ | kmow | ឆ្មាពណ៌ខ្មៅ។ | The cat is black. |
| 55 | Vietnamese | đen | den | Con mèo màu đen. | The cat is black. |
| 56 | Indonesian | hitam | HEE-tam | Kucing itu hitam. | The cat is black. |
| 57 | Malay | hitam | HEE-tam | Kucing itu hitam. | The cat is black. |
| 58 | Filipino | itim | EE-teem | Itim ang pusa. | The cat is black. |
| 59 | Javanese | ireng | EE-reng | Kucing iku ireng. | The cat is black. |
| 60 | Chinese (Mandarin) | 黑色 | hēi sè | 这只猫是黑色的。 | This cat is black. |
| 61 | Japanese | 黒い | ku-ROH-ee | 猫は黒いです。 | The cat is black. |
| 62 | Korean | 검은색 | geom-eun-saek | 고양이는 검은색이에요. | The cat is black. |
| 63 | Mongolian | хар | khar | Муур хар. | The cat is black. |
| 64 | Kazakh | қара | qah-RAH | Мысық қара. | The cat is black. |
| 65 | Uzbek | qora | koh-RAH | Mushuk qora. | The cat is black. |
| 66 | Swahili | nyeusi | nyeh-OO-see | Paka ni nyeusi. | The cat is black. |
| 67 | Afrikaans | swart | svart | Die kat is swart. | The cat is black. |
| 68 | Zulu | mnyama | m-NYAH-mah | Ikati limnyama. | The cat is black. |
| 69 | Xhosa | mnyama | m-NYAH-mah | Ikati limnyama. | The cat is black. |
| 70 | Haitian Creole | nwa | nwah | Chat la nwa. | The cat is black. |
What Does Black Mean?
Black is a color associated with the absence or very low reflection of visible light. In everyday language, it can describe the color of objects, clothing, animals, hair, vehicles, and many other things.
The word can also have cultural or symbolic meanings. Depending on the context, black may represent elegance, formality, mystery, strength, simplicity, darkness, or sophistication.
How to Say Black in Different Languages
If you want to know how to say black in different languages, the translations above provide 70 commonly used forms. Some languages change the word according to grammatical gender, number, or the noun being described.
For example, Spanish uses negro for masculine nouns and negra for feminine nouns. French similarly uses noir and noire. Other languages have different grammatical systems, so the exact form can depend on the sentence.
Black in All Languages: Quick Reference
Here are some of the most recognizable translations:
- Spanish: negro
- French: noir
- German: schwarz
- Italian: nero
- Portuguese: preto
- Russian: чёрный
- Arabic: أسود
- Hindi: काला
- Urdu: کالا
- Turkish: siyah
- Chinese: 黑色
- Japanese: 黒い
- Korean: 검은색
- Thai: ดำ
- Vietnamese: đen
- Indonesian: hitam
- Swahili: nyeusi
These examples make it easy to compare black in all languages and see how different language families express the same basic color.
Black Translations Around the World
The translations for black show how diverse the world’s languages are. European languages such as German, Dutch, Swedish, and English have forms that are historically related, while languages such as Arabic, Hindi, Japanese, and Swahili use completely different words.
Some translations may also have several forms depending on grammar and context. Therefore, when learning a new language, it is useful to study the word together with a simple sentence rather than memorizing the translation alone.
Why Learn Color Words in Different Languages?
Color vocabulary is useful for beginners because colors appear in everyday conversations. Learning words such as black, white, red, blue, green, and yellow can help learners describe clothes, objects, animals, places, and personal preferences.
Learning color words can also make travel and communication easier. A simple knowledge of common colors can help when shopping, describing an item, following instructions, or having basic conversations in another language.
Common Uses of the Word Black
The word black can be used in many everyday situations.
Describing objects:
“The table is black.”
Talking about clothing:
“She is wearing a black dress.”
Describing animals:
“The horse is black.”
Describing vehicles:
“He bought a black car.”
Talking about hair:
“She has black hair.”
The meaning is generally straightforward, but some languages require the color word to change according to the noun.
Black in Different Languages for Language Learners
For language learners, memorizing the native spelling and pronunciation together is often easier than learning the translation alone. Start with a few languages that interest you and practice each word in a short sentence.
You can also compare related languages. For example, Swedish svart, Norwegian svart, and Dutch zwart have noticeable similarities. This can help learners recognize patterns across related languages.
FAQs:
1. How do you say black in Spanish?
Black in Spanish is negro. The feminine form is negra, depending on the noun being described.
2. What is black in French?
Black in French is noir for masculine nouns and noire for feminine nouns.
3. How do you say black in Japanese?
Black in Japanese is commonly written as 黒い (kuroi) when describing something that is black.
4. What is the word for black in Arabic?
Black in Arabic is أسود (aswad) in the masculine form. The feminine form is سوداء (sawdāʾ).
5. How do you say black in Hindi and Urdu?
Black is काला (kaala) in Hindi and کالا (kaala) in Urdu. The form can change according to grammatical gender and context.
Conclusion
Learning black in different languages is a simple and interesting way to build vocabulary and explore languages around the world. From Spanish negro and French noir to Japanese 黒い and Swahili nyeusi, the same everyday color has many fascinating forms.
If you need black translations for language learning, travel, writing, education, or personal curiosity, these 70 languages provide a useful starting point for discovering how people around the world express the color black.

Evelyn Grace is a language enthusiast and content writer at LingoMean, where she explains the meaning of words, phrases, and expressions. She creates clear, practical, and engaging content that helps readers confidently understand what to say in everyday conversations.