how do you say lightning in different languages

June 28, 2026

Here’s “lightning” in a few different languages:

html

<table>
  <tr><th>Language</th><th>Word</th></tr>
  <tr><td>Spanish</td><td>rayo</td></tr>
  <tr><td>French</td><td>éclair</td></tr>
  <tr><td>German</td><td>Blitz</td></tr>
  <tr><td>Italian</td><td>fulmine</td></tr>
  <tr><td>Portuguese</td><td>relâmpago</td></tr>
  <tr><td>Japanese</td><td>稲妻 (inazuma)</td></tr>
  <tr><td>Korean</td><td>번개 (beongae)</td></tr>
  <tr><td>Chinese (Mandarin)</td><td>闪电 (shǎndiàn)</td></tr>
  <tr><td>Russian</td><td>молния (molniya)</td></tr>
  <tr><td>Arabic</td><td>برق (barq)</td></tr>
  <tr><td>Turkish</td><td>şimşek</td></tr>
  <tr><td>Danish</td><td>lyn</td></tr>
</table>

A few languages use words that can also overlap with “flash,” “thunderbolt,” or “storm-related lightning,” so the exact everyday word can vary by context.

More examples

Hindi: बिजली (bijli)

Finnish: salama

Dutch: bliksem

Greek: αστραπή (astrapi)

Swedish: blixt

Welsh: mellt

Note

If you want, I can also give you:

a bigger list by region,
pronunciation for each word, or
the word for “lightning” in 50+ languages.