How to say “skin” around the world
5,346 languages · 247 in their own spelling
Dots of one colour begin with a similar sound. Colours group words by the class of their first consonant (a sound-class method used in linguistics): words that begin alike share a colour. This shows resemblance, not common origin — proving relationship needs case-by-case comparison. Readable forms come from Wiktionary translation tables; many smaller languages come from the ASJP word lists, in ASJP’s simplified transcription.
| Language | Word | Romanization | Family |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 皮肤 | pífū | Sino-Tibetan |
| English | skin | Indo-European | |
| Spanish | piel | Indo-European | |
| Hindi | त्वचा | tvacā | Indo-European |
| Arabic | جِلْد | jild | Afro-Asiatic |
| Bengali | ত্বক | tok | Indo-European |
| Indonesian | kulit | Austronesian | |
| Portuguese | pele | Indo-European | |
| French | peau | Indo-European | |
| Russian | ко́жа | kóža | Indo-European |
| Japanese | 皮膚 | hifu | Japonic |
| Marathi | त्वचा | tvacā | Indo-European |
| Swahili | ngozi | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Turkish | cilt | Turkic | |
| Telugu | చర్మము | carmamu | Dravidian |
| Wu Chinese | 皮肤 | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Korean | 피부 | pibu | Koreanic |
| German | Haut | Indo-European | |
| Vietnamese | da | Austroasiatic | |
| Tamil | தோல் | tōl | Dravidian |
| Cantonese | 皮膚 | pei⁴ fu¹ | Sino-Tibetan |
| Urdu | جِلْد | jild | Indo-European |
| Italian | pelle | Indo-European | |
| Egyptian Arabic | جلد | gild | Afro-Asiatic |
| Gujarati | ચામડી | cāmḍī | Indo-European |
| Western Farsi | پوسْت | pōst | Indo-European |
| Min Nan Chinese | 皮膚 | phê-hu | Sino-Tibetan |
| Hakka Chinese | 皮膚 | phì-fû | Sino-Tibetan |
| Levantine Arabic | بشره | bašara | Afro-Asiatic |
| Kannada | ಚರ್ಮ | carma | Dravidian |
| Polish | skóra | Indo-European | |
| Yoruba | awọ | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Malayalam | തൊലി | toli | Dravidian |
| Odia | ଚର୍ମ | carma | Indo-European |
| Burmese | အရေ | a.re | Sino-Tibetan |
| Moroccan Arabic | جلد | jald | Afro-Asiatic |
| Ukrainian | шкі́ра | škíra | Indo-European |
| Uzbek | teri | Turkic | |
| Romanian | piele | Indo-European | |
| Dutch | huid | Indo-European | |
| Amharic | ቆዳ | ḳoda | Afro-Asiatic |
| Thai | ผิวหนัง | pǐu-nǎng | Tai-Kadai |
| Lingala | lomposo | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Serbian-Croatian-Bosnian | ко̏жа | Indo-European | |
| Khmer | ស្បែក | sbaek | Austroasiatic |
| Somali | dub | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Turkmen | deri | Turkic | |
| Cebuano | panit | Austronesian | |
| Nepali | छाला | chālā | Indo-European |
| Assamese | ছাল | sal | Indo-European |
| Sinhala | හම | hama | Indo-European |
| Greek | δέρμα | dérma | Indo-European |
| Kurdish | çerm | Indo-European | |
| Hijazi Arabic | جِلْد | jild | Afro-Asiatic |
| Tajik | пӯст | püst | Indo-European |
| Kazakh | тері | teri | Turkic |
| Hungarian | bőr | Uralic | |
| Zulu | inyama | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Nyanja | khungu | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Akan | wedeɛ | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Czech | kůže | Indo-European | |
| Uighur | تېرە | tëre | Turkic |
| Afrikaans | vel | Indo-European | |
| Min Dong Chinese | 皮膚 | puòi-hŭ | Sino-Tibetan |
| Haitian | po | Indo-European | |
| Swedish | hud | Indo-European | |
| Azerbaijani | dəri | Turkic | |
| Bulgarian | ко́жа | kóža | Indo-European |
| Belarusian | ску́ра | skúra | Indo-European |
| Tigrinya | ቈርበት | ḳʷärbät | Afro-Asiatic |
| Central Kurdish | پێست | pêst | Indo-European |
| Santali | ᱦᱟᱨᱛᱟ | harta | Austroasiatic |
| Kashmiri | ژَم | ċam | Indo-European |
| Northern Thai | ᩉ᩠ᨶᩢᨦ | Tai-Kadai | |
| Danish | hud | Indo-European | |
| Slovak | koža | Indo-European | |
| Wolaytta | gogaa | Ta-Ne-Omotic | |
| Finnish | iho | Uralic | |
| Lao | ຫນັງ | nang | Tai-Kadai |
| Norwegian | hud | Indo-European | |
| Tatar | тире | tire | Turkic |
| Catalan | pell | Indo-European | |
| Guarani | api | Tupian | |
| Sicilian | peddi | Indo-European | |
| Kirghiz | тери | teri | Turkic |
| Riffian | tirmešt | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Armenian | մաշկ | mašk | Indo-European |
| Lithuanian | oda | Indo-European | |
| Tok Pisin | skin | Indo-European | |
| Lombard | pèll | Indo-European | |
| Georgian | კანი | ḳani | Kartvelian |
| Acehnese | kulet | Austronesian | |
| Mazanderani | پوس | Indo-European | |
| Albanian | lëkurë | Indo-European | |
| Shan | ၽိဝ်ၼင် | phǐo nǎng | Tai-Kadai |
| Mongolian | арьс | arʹs | Mongolic-Khitan |
| Bikol | kublit | Austronesian | |
| Galician | pel | Indo-European | |
| Slovenian | kọ́ža | Indo-European | |
| Esperanto | haŭto | Artificial Language | |
| Macedonian | кожа | koža | Indo-European |
| Venetian | pèle | Indo-European | |
| Zhuang | naeng | Tai-Kadai | |
| Afar | aráb | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Latvian | āda | Indo-European | |
| Quechua | qara | Quechuan | |
| Chechen | цӏока | cʼoka | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Estonian | nahk | Uralic | |
| Bashkir | тире | tire | Turkic |
| Tibetan | པགས་པ | pags pa | Sino-Tibetan |
| Beja | adi | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Maguindanao | kubal | Austronesian | |
| Pangasinan | baog | Austronesian | |
| Romagnol | pël | Indo-European | |
| Newari | छ्येंगु | chyeṃgu | Sino-Tibetan |
| Western Frisian | hûd | Indo-European | |
| Iu Mien | ndopv | Hmong-Mien | |
| Kalmyk | арсн | arsn | Mongolic-Khitan |
| Maranao | panit | Austronesian | |
| Avar | тӏом | tʼom | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Talysh | pust | Indo-European | |
| Tai Dam | ꪘꪰꪉ | Tai-Kadai | |
| Basque | azal | Isolates | |
| Chuvash | тир | tir | Turkic |
| Welsh | croen | Indo-European | |
| Lü | ᦐᧂ | ṅang | Tai-Kadai |
| Lezghian | ли | li | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Réunion Creole French | po | Indo-European | |
| Walloon | pea | Indo-European | |
| Kara-Kalpak | teri | Turkic | |
| Maltese | ġilda | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Occitan | pèl | Indo-European | |
| Vlax Romani | morthǐ | Indo-European | |
| Tetum | kulit | Austronesian | |
| Asturian | pelleyu | Indo-European | |
| Yakut | тирии | tirii | Turkic |
| Kumyk | тери | teri | Turkic |
| Sranan Tongo | buba | Indo-European | |
| Ingush | цӏока | cʼoka | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Papiamento | kuero | Indo-European | |
| Icelandic | húð | Indo-European | |
| Karachay-Balkar | тери | teri | Turkic |
| Friulian | piel | Indo-European | |
| Saho | qarbat | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Ao Naga | teküp | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Plautdietsch | Hut | Indo-European | |
| Zeelandic | vel | Indo-European | |
| Buriat | арһан | arhan | Mongolic-Khitan |
| Māori | kiri | Austronesian | |
| West Coast Bajau | kulit | Austronesian | |
| Abkhaz | ацәа | acʷa | Abkhaz-Adyge |
| Tonga (Tonga Islands) | kili | Austronesian | |
| Corsican | pelle | Indo-European | |
| Solu-Khumbu Sherpa | པའུ | pa'u | Sino-Tibetan |
| Gagauz | deri | Turkic | |
| Irish | craiceann | Indo-European | |
| Ladino | kuero | Indo-European | |
| Aromanian | cheali | Indo-European | |
| Kashubian | skóra | Indo-European | |
| Breton | kroc'hen | Indo-European | |
| Erzya | кедь | keď | Uralic |
| Nogai | тери | teri | Turkic |
| Faroese | húð | Indo-European | |
| Scottish Gaelic | craiceann | Indo-European | |
| Mansaka | panit | Austronesian | |
| Southern Altai | тере | tere | Turkic |
| Sanskrit | त्वच | tvaca | Indo-European |
| Khakas | теер | teer | Turkic |
| Ternate | ahi | North Halmahera | |
| Dungan | пифу | pifu | Sino-Tibetan |
| Romansh | pel | Indo-European | |
| Bau-Jagoi Bidayuh | kurit | Austronesian | |
| Hawaiian | ʻili | Austronesian | |
| North Saami | liiki | Uralic | |
| 'Are'are | hinasuna | Austronesian | |
| Palauan | melabd | Austronesian | |
| Drung | vngpeun | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Upper Sorbian | koža | Indo-European | |
| Choctaw | hakshop | Muskogean | |
| Aragonese | pelello | Indo-European | |
| Lower Sorbian | kóža | Indo-European | |
| Even | эртэ | ərtə | Tungusic |
| Jejueo | ᄉᆞᆯ | sawl | Koreanic |
| Rapanui | kiri | Austronesian | |
| Dolgan | тирии | tirii | Turkic |
| Koryak | гылгын | gəlgən | Chukotko-Kamchatkan |
| Mrassu Shor-Tutal | тере | tere | Turkic |
| Moksha | ёжа | joža | Uralic |
| Manx | crackan | Indo-European | |
| Nanai | хэрэктэ | herekte | Tungusic |
| Northern Mansi | сов | sov | Uralic |
| Cornish | kroghen | Indo-European | |
| Amur Nivkh | ӿал | hal | Nivkh |
| Ingrian | hippiä | Uralic | |
| Chickasaw | hakshop | Muskogean | |
| Manchu | ᠰᡠᡴᡡ | sukū | Tungusic |
| Central Sierra Miwok | ṭól·eča- | Miwok-Costanoan | |
| Ainu | カㇷ゚ | kap | Ainu |
| Chamicuro | s̈hama | Arawakan | |
| Dupaninan Agta | gaddang | Austronesian | |
| Aiton | ꩫ︀င︀် | naṅ | Tai-Kadai |
| Ama (Papua New Guinea) | tono | Left May | |
| Eastern Arrernte | yenpe | Pama-Nyungan | |
| Avestan | 𐬯𐬎𐬭𐬍 | surī | Indo-European |
| Bobangi | loposo | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Central Atlas Tamazight | ⵉⵍⵎ | ilm | Afro-Asiatic |
| Eastern Cham | ꨆꨤꨪꩀ | kalik | Austronesian |
| Coptic | ⲁⲛⲟⲙ | anom | Afro-Asiatic |
| Dalmatian | pial | Indo-European | |
| Ancient Greek | δέρμα | dérma | Indo-European |
| Kalaallisut | ameq | Eskimo-Aleut | |
| Hebrew | עוֹר | or | Afro-Asiatic |
| Hmong Daw | tawv | Hmong-Mien | |
| Hunsrik | Haut | Indo-European | |
| Iranun | upis | Austronesian | |
| Latin | cutis | Indo-European | |
| Linngithigh | iwin | Pama-Nyungan | |
| Low German | Huut | Indo-European | |
| Moselle Franconian | Haut | Indo-European | |
| Malay | kulit | Austronesian | |
| Brunei | kulit | Austronesian | |
| Central Melanau | kulit | Austronesian | |
| Classical Nahuatl | ēhuatl | Uto-Aztecan | |
| Church Slavic | кожа | koža | Indo-European |
| Old Russian | кожа | koža | Indo-European |
| Old English | hȳd | Indo-European | |
| Oromo | gogaa | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Iron Ossetian | царм | carm | Indo-European |
| Pacoh | ngcár | Austroasiatic | |
| Eastern Panjabi | ਖੱਲ | khalla | Indo-European |
| Sango | pörö | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Sardinian | pedde | Indo-European | |
| Sebop | kulit | Austronesian | |
| Old Spanish | cuero | Indo-European | |
| Sundanese | kulit | Austronesian | |
| Tagalog | balat | Austronesian | |
| Muslim Tat | pust | Indo-European | |
| Rio Grande Tewa | khowa | Kiowa-Tanoan | |
| Tidore | ahi | North Halmahera | |
| Tokharian B | ewe | Indo-European | |
| Ulithian | gil | Austronesian | |
| Unami | xès | Algic | |
| Wappo | cʰíla | Yuki-Wappo | |
| Wolof | der | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Yámana | tatisa | Isolates | |
| Yiddish | הויט | hoyt | Indo-European |
| Dimli | çerm | Indo-European |