How to Say "Light" in Italian

luce

/ˈlu.t͡ʃe/feminine

The English word "light" is translated into Italian as luce.

luce is used to describe both physical light and metaphorical light, which can represent knowledge or truth.

Meaning: visible light, brightness (noun)

Which one should you use?

The singular form is luce, while the plural form is luci.

luce is a feminine noun. Consequently, any accompanying articles or adjectives must also be feminine, such as la luce or luce bianca.

The word is pronounced /ˈlu.tʃe/. It has two syllables, and the stress is on the first syllable.

The word luce is used to describe the 'light' or gap between two architectural elements, such as the space between window frames.
If you are looking for a 'light' meal in Italy, you should not ask for luce, but rather use the adjective leggero.
In Italian, to say 'to light' a cigarette or a candle, you use the verb accendere rather than a form of luce.

La luce è verde.
The light is green.
This is useful for describing the color of a light using luce.
Tatoeba #5419215 by Guybrush88, translation #3170676 by CK
Io vidi la luce.
I saw the light.
This shows the use of luce in a sentence about seeing light.
Tatoeba #5704736 by Guybrush88, translation #3736454 by CK
La luce è rossa.
The light is red.
Tatoeba #13269988 by Guybrush88, translation #10188613 by CM
Accendi la luce
Turn on the light
È troppo fioca!
The light is too dim!
In una giornata soleggiata, la luce del sole illumina tutto il paesaggio.
On a sunny day, the sunlight illuminates the entire landscape.
329 more sentences on Tatoeba

Martina and Francesco are decorating a room together.

Martina

C'è troppa luce in questa stanza.
There is too much light in this room.
Francesco

Hai ragione, chiudiamo le tende.
You are right, let's close the curtains.
Martina

Così la luce naturale non ci acceca.
That way the natural light won't blind us.
Francesco

Perfetto, ora è molto meglio.
Perfect, it is much better now.

Sources

Wiktionary, “light” translations and entries luce, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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