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What does “északi sark” mean in Hungarian?

Hungarian builds “the North Pole” out of a strikingly homely word. Sarok is the corner of a room, the heel of a shoe, the hinge a door swings on; its shortened stem sark gives az északi sark, the North Pole, and a déli sark, the South Pole. In Hungarian, the planet turns on a hinge.

The adjective is sarki, “polar” — sarki róka (arctic fox), sarkkör (polar circle) — but sarki equally means “on the corner,” as in a sarki bolt, the corner shop. Note also the case pairing this story drills over and over: az északi sarkra megy (“goes to the pole”) against az északi sarkon van sör (“there’s beer at the pole”) — -ra for movement towards, -on for being there.