Learning how to say cold in different languages is a useful way to describe the weather, talk about temperature, and understand everyday conversations. Whether you are travelling, studying a new language, or simply curious about world languages, knowing the right word can make communication easier.
The English word cold can describe low temperature, chilly weather, or something that feels cold to the touch. However, some languages use different forms depending on whether you are describing the weather, an object, or a person. This guide focuses mainly on the everyday adjective used for cold.
Below, you will find cold translations, with native phrases, easy English pronunciations, and short real-life examples. The table is designed to answer the common search question, “How do you say cold in different languages?” in one clear, easy-to-read place.
How to Say Cold in Different Languages
| Language | Native phrase | Easy English pronunciation | Example sentence | English meaning |
| English | cold | kohld | It is cold outside. | The weather is cold. |
| Spanish | frío | FREE-oh | Hace frío hoy. | It is cold today. |
| French | froid | frwah | Il fait froid. | It is cold. |
| German | kalt | kahlt | Heute ist es kalt. | It is cold today. |
| Italian | freddo | FREH-doh | Fa freddo oggi. | It is cold today. |
| Portuguese | frio | FREE-oh | Está frio lá fora. | It is cold outside. |
| Dutch | koud | kowt | Het is koud buiten. | It is cold outside. |
| Afrikaans | koud | kowt | Dit is koud buite. | It is cold outside. |
| Swedish | kallt | kahlt | Det är kallt idag. | It is cold today. |
| Norwegian | kaldt | kahlt | Det er kaldt ute. | It is cold outside. |
| Danish | koldt | kohlt | Det er koldt i dag. | It is cold today. |
| Finnish | kylmä | KEEL-mah | Tänään on kylmä. | It is cold today. |
| Estonian | külm | kulm | Täna on külm. | It is cold today. |
| Icelandic | kalt | kahlt | Það er kalt úti. | It is cold outside. |
| Irish | fuar | foo-er | Tá sé fuar inni. | It is cold inside. |
| Welsh | oer | oy-r | Mae hi’n oer. | It is cold. |
| Scottish Gaelic | fuar | foo-er | Tha e fuar. | It is cold. |
| Breton | yen | yehn | An amzer zo yen. | The weather is cold. |
| Polish | zimny | ZHEEM-nih | Dziś jest zimno. | It is cold today. |
| Czech | studený | STOO-deh-nee | Dnes je zima. | It is cold today. |
| Slovak | studený | STOO-deh-nee | Dnes je zima. | It is cold today. |
| Slovenian | mrzel | MUR-zehl | Danes je mrzlo. | It is cold today. |
| Croatian | hladan | HLAH-dahn | Danas je hladno. | It is cold today. |
| Serbian | hladan | HLAH-dahn | Danas je hladno. | It is cold today. |
| Bosnian | hladan | HLAH-dahn | Danas je hladno. | It is cold today. |
| Bulgarian | студен | STOO-den | Днес е студено. | It is cold today. |
| Macedonian | студен | STOO-den | Денес е студено. | It is cold today. |
| Russian | холодный | kha-LOHD-nih | Сегодня холодно. | It is cold today. |
| Ukrainian | холодний | kho-LOHD-ny | Сьогодні холодно. | It is cold today. |
| Belarusian | халодны | kha-LOHD-nih | Сёння холадна. | It is cold today. |
| Lithuanian | šaltas | SHAHL-tahs | Šiandien šalta. | It is cold today. |
| Latvian | auksts | OWKSTS | Šodien ir auksts. | It is cold today. |
| Romanian | rece | REH-cheh | Astăzi este frig. | It is cold today. |
| Albanian | ftohtë | ftoht | Sot është ftohtë. | It is cold today. |
| Greek | κρύο | KREE-oh | Κάνει κρύο σήμερα. | It is cold today. |
| Turkish | soğuk | SOH-ook | Bugün hava soğuk. | The weather is cold today. |
| Azerbaijani | soyuq | soh-YOOK | Bu gün hava soyuqdur. | The weather is cold today. |
| Georgian | ცივი | TSEE-vee | დღეს ცივა. | It is cold today. |
| Armenian | ցուրտ | tsoort | Այսօր ցուրտ է։ | It is cold today. |
| Persian | سرد | sard | امروز هوا سرد است. | The weather is cold today. |
| Urdu | ٹھنڈا | THUN-dah | آج موسم ٹھنڈا ہے۔ | The weather is cold today. |
| Hindi | ठंडा | THUN-dah | आज मौसम ठंडा है। | The weather is cold today. |
| Bengali | ঠান্ডা | THAN-dah | আজ আবহাওয়া ঠান্ডা। | The weather is cold today. |
| Punjabi | ਠੰਢਾ | THUN-dha | ਅੱਜ ਮੌਸਮ ਠੰਢਾ ਹੈ। | The weather is cold today. |
| Gujarati | ઠંડુ | THUN-doo | આજે હવામાન ઠંડું છે. | The weather is cold today. |
| Marathi | थंड | THUND | आज हवामान थंड आहे. | The weather is cold today. |
| Nepali | चिसो | CHEE-soh | आज मौसम चिसो छ। | The weather is cold today. |
| Sinhala | සීතල | SEE-tah-lah | අද කාලගුණය සීතලයි. | The weather is cold today. |
| Tamil | குளிர் | KOO-leer | இன்று குளிராக இருக்கிறது. | It is cold today. |
| Telugu | చల్లగా | CHAL-lah-gah | ఈ రోజు చల్లగా ఉంది. | It is cold today. |
| Kannada | ಚಳಿ | CHA-lee | ಇಂದು ಚಳಿ ಇದೆ. | It is cold today. |
| Malayalam | തണുപ്പ് | tah-NUFF | ഇന്ന് തണുപ്പാണ്. | It is cold today. |
| Assamese | ঠাণ্ডা | THAHN-dah | আজি বতৰ ঠাণ্ডা। | The weather is cold today. |
| Odia | ଥଣ୍ଡା | THUN-dah | ଆଜି ପାଗ ଥଣ୍ଡା। | The weather is cold today. |
| Mandarin Chinese | 冷 | lěng | 今天很冷。 | It is very cold today. |
| Cantonese | 凍 | dung3 | 今日好凍。 | It is very cold today. |
| Japanese | 寒い | samui | 今日は寒いです。 | It is cold today. |
| Korean | 춥다 | chup-da | 오늘은 추워요. | It is cold today. |
| Vietnamese | lạnh | lahng | Hôm nay trời lạnh. | The weather is cold today. |
| Thai | หนาว | nǎao | วันนี้อากาศหนาว | The weather is cold today. |
| Indonesian | dingin | DEE-ngin | Hari ini dingin. | It is cold today. |
| Malay | sejuk | SEH-jook | Hari ini sejuk. | It is cool today. |
| Filipino | malamig | mah-LAH-mig | Malamig ngayon. | It is cold today. |
| Khmer | ត្រជាក់ | trah-JAK | ថ្ងៃនេះអាកាសធាតុត្រជាក់។ | The weather is cold today. |
| Burmese | အေး | aye | ဒီနေ့ အေးတယ်။ | It is cold today. |
| Mongolian | хүйтэн | KHOY-ten | Өнөөдөр хүйтэн байна. | It is cold today. |
| Kazakh | суық | soo-YUHK | Бүгін күн суық. | The weather is cold today. |
| Uzbek | sovuq | soh-VOOK | Bugun havo sovuq. | The weather is cold today. |
| Swahili | baridi | bah-REE-dee | Leo kuna baridi. | It is cold today. |
| Somali | qabow | kah-BOW | Maanta waa qabow. | It is cold today. |
| Amharic | ብርድ | BIRD | ዛሬ ብርድ ነው። | It is cold today. |
| Zulu | kubanda | koo-BAHN-dah | Namuhla kuyabanda. | It is cold today. |
| Xhosa | kuyabanda | koo-yah-BAHN-dah | Namhlanje kuyabanda. | It is cold today. |
| Yoruba | òtútù | oh-too-TOO | Ojú ọjọ́ òtútù ni. | The weather is cold. |
| Hausa | sanyi | SAN-yee | Yau akwai sanyi. | It is cold today. |
| Malagasy | mangatsiaka | mahn-gat-see-AH-kah | Mangatsiaka androany. | It is cold today. |
Understanding Cold Translations Around the World
The word cold is not always used in exactly the same way across languages. In English, we can say “It is cold”, “The water is cold”, or “I feel cold”. Other languages may change the form of the adjective depending on the noun, gender, or sentence structure.
For example, frío is the Spanish word for cold, but Spanish often uses the phrase Hace frío when describing the weather. In German, kalt is the adjective, while Heute ist es kalt means “It is cold today”.
In some languages, the same word can describe both the weather and a cold object. In others, separate words or grammatical forms may be preferred. This is why learning a short example sentence is often more useful than memorising a translation alone.
How to Use the Word Cold in Everyday Conversations
When learning cold in different languages, it helps to practise simple sentences that you might actually use.
- Talking about weather: “It is cold today.”
- Describing an object: “The water is cold.”
- Talking about yourself: “I feel cold.”
- Talking about a place: “The room is cold.”
- Talking about food or drinks: “The tea is cold.”
The exact translation may change depending on the sentence. For example, in Japanese, 寒い (samui) is commonly used for cold weather, while 冷たい (tsumetai) is used for something cold to the touch, such as water or food.
Similarly, in Spanish, frío is the general adjective, but the sentence structure changes when you describe the weather. This is why the examples in the table focus on natural everyday usage rather than isolated vocabulary.
FAQs
Is “cold” the same in every language?
No. Most languages have a word for cold, but the spelling, pronunciation, and grammar can vary. Some languages also use different words for cold weather and cold objects.
What is the easiest language in which to say cold?
There is no single easiest language for everyone. Spanish frío, Italian freddo, and Portuguese frio are relatively straightforward for English speakers to learn, although pronunciation still requires practice.
How do you say cold in different languages around the world?
You can use the table above to explore 70 cold translations from languages spoken across Europe, Asia, Africa, and other regions. Each entry includes a native phrase, pronunciation, and a short example.
Why do some languages have more than one word for cold?
Languages often distinguish between cold weather, cold objects, and the feeling of being cold. Grammar and regional usage can also affect which word sounds most natural.
How can I remember cold translations more easily?
Start with five languages, practise each phrase aloud, and use the example sentence in a real situation. Once you are comfortable, add more languages gradually.
Conclusion
Learning cold in different languages is a simple way to build useful vocabulary and discover how people around the world describe temperature. The examples above give you a practical starting point for conversations, travel, and language study.
The best way to remember these translations is to practise them in context. Instead of learning only the word, try using the full sentence whenever you talk about the weather or something that feels cold.
