A haphazard list of the names for Alces alces in a variety of languages from around the world.
If the word in your language is incorrect or not listed, please drop us an e-mail. If you’d also like to include a translation of “Would you be so kind as to direct me to the nearest moose park?” or some other equally useful phrase, we’d be much obliged.
A brief philological note
The various names for this noblest of animals can cause some confusion as you zip back and forth across the Atlantic. As mentioned on the Moose Facts page, there have been mooses roaming about the entire northern northern hemisphere ever since the moose was invented. Before the so-called “discovery” of the so-called New World, speakers of Indo-European languages called their moose by names related to the English word elk. (Those names are still around, as you’ll see below.) Sometime after English speakers stumbled onto the shores of North America, they started using an indigenous word: moose. So in Europe and Asia an elk is a moose (Alces alces). In North America an elk is a near-moose also called a wapiti (Elaphus canadensis), and a moose is a moose. As it should be.
This kind of thing is why scientists use scientific names, by the way. But sharp-eyed etymological mooseophiles will note the similarity between the Latin name, alces, and the English word elk. (Alc-/elk. Argh.)
The dictionary
| Language | Moose |
|---|---|
| Algonquin | moz |
| Arabic | غزال أمريكي ضخم (ghazal ‘amrikiun dakhm) |
| Basque | altze |
| Catalan | ant |
| Chinese | 驼鹿 (tuólù) |
| Cree | moosa |
| Croatian | los |
| Czech | los |
| Danish | elg |
| Dutch | eland |
| English | moose |
| Estonian | põder |
| Finnish | hirvi |
| Canadian French | orignal |
| French French | elan |
| German | Elch |
| Greek | άλκη (alki) |
| Hebrew | אייל קורא (ayal kore) |
| Hungarian | jávorszarvas |
| Icelandic | elgur |
| Inuktitut | ᑐᒃᑐᕙᒃ (tuttuvak) |
| Italian | alce |
| Japanese | ヘラジカ (herajika) |
| Korean | 엘크 (elkeu) |
| Koyukon | dineega |
| Latin | alces |
| Latvian | alnis |
| Lithuanian | briedis |
| Macedonian | лос (los) |
| Mongolian | хандгай (khandgai) |
| Norwegian | elg |
| Pig Latin | oosemay |
| Polish | łoś |
| Portuguese | alce |
| Romanian | elan |
| Russian | лось (los’) |
| Sami | ealga |
| Serbian | лос (los) |
| Slovak | los |
| Spanish | alce |
| Swedish | älg |
| Yiddish | לאָס (los) |
| Turkish | sığın |
| Ukrainian | лось (los’) |
| Welsh | elc |
| Yup’ik | tuntua |
Special thanks to the International MOose dictionary contributors!
Vicenç Feliú, Julie Danen, Constantin Parvulescu, David Chen, Erika Packer, Mariusz Los, Wladyslaw Los, Bo Jensen, Marty Blackson, Mark Meyer, Tiina, Frank and Elena Siewerdt, Ernest Blueboy, Nouchine Hadjikhani, Ela Pejcic, Juan Gomez, and the anonymoose e-mailers