Cicada Mania

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November 17, 2011

How to say cicada around the world

Filed under: FAQs | Genera — Dan @ 6:06 am

Ever wonder how people say “cicada” around the world. According to Google Translate, here’s how to say “cicada” in 44 different languages.

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Afrikaans: sonbesie
Armenian: ts’ikada
Belarusian: cykady
Bulgarian: tsikada
Catalan: cigala
Chinese: Chán
Czech: cikáda
Dutch: cicade
Estonian: tsikaad
Filipino: kuliglig
Finnish: laulukaskas
French: cigale
Galician: cigarra
German: Zikade
Greek: tzitzíki
Haitian Creole: sigal
Hindi: Sikada
Hungarian: kabóca
Indonesian: tonggeret
Italian: cicala
Japanese: Semi
Kannada: Rekkeya
Korean: maemi
Latvian: cikade
Macedonian: cikada
Malay: Cengkerik
Maori: Tatarakihi
Polish: cykada
Portuguese: cigarra
Romanian: greier
Russian: tsikada
Serbian: cikada
Slovak: Cikada
Spanish: cigarra, chicharra
Swedish: cikada
Ukrainian: tsykada
Vietnamese: con ve

Last edited 3/29/2021.

15 Comments »

  1. Robyn Kamira says:

    Kia ora (greetings), in the Maori language, indigenous to New Zealand, the word is Tatarakihi, Cicada 🙂 I’d love it if you could add it to the list please.

    1. Dan says:

      A great addition! Added.

  2. Cicada 3301
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  3. Anyonamous N says:

    Can u add how to say in Telugu

    1. Dan says:

      Google translate says “Sikāḍā” or సికాడా. It makes sense that it sounds like the English cicada because the English word is based not the Latin word “cicada”, and the Latin “cicada” is based on the Sanskrit “cizara”.

  4. Carlos says:

    I grew up in a farm in Costarica ( tropical weather ) and I remember when I was little running around Granmas house hearing cicadas ( chicharras ) and i could listen to them for ours as they were sitting on a tree and make a noise very much well known in Costarica and it just was part of my childhood memories, I even grab one and held it by the wings , no harm just to look at it , they are just cool insects but wasn’t aware of the fact that they come out every 17 years and so on , very interesting and will continue paying attention to this event ,

  5. Nandini says:

    Very good information, including the species found around the world!
    Please make the correction of the ‘Hindu’ language to ‘Hindi’.
    The common language of north India and much of Pakistan is Hindi (not Hindu – which is a faith/religion).

    1. Dan says:

      Thanks! Fixed.

  6. Abouzar says:

    In Iran they called “Jirjirak”. In the south of Iran they called “Chanz”.

  7. Daniel Mapulanga says:

    The Zambian name for Cicadas is Nyenye(singular) and Banyenye(Plural). They appear every year from September to October.

    1. Dan says:

      @Daniel, thank you!

  8. Silvia says:

    In Uruguay we call rhem Chicharra

  9. Harry van der Pol says:

    In dutch, cicades that make sounds in their adult stage are called: “Krekel”. I used the dutch spelling.

  10. Dave Marshall says:

    Thanks heaps for this, Dan — very interesting and potentially useful.

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