Ball in Different Languages
Discover 'Ball' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Ball
Afrikaans bal | ||
Albanian topin | ||
Amharic ኳስ | ||
Arabic الكرة | ||
Armenian գնդակ | ||
Assamese বল | ||
Aymara piluta | ||
Azerbaijani top | ||
Bambara balɔn | ||
Basque pilota | ||
Belarusian мяч | ||
Bengali বল | ||
Bhojpuri गैंदा | ||
Bosnian lopta | ||
Bulgarian топка | ||
Catalan pilota | ||
Cebuano bola | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 球 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 球 | ||
Corsican ballò | ||
Croatian lopta | ||
Czech míč | ||
Danish bold | ||
Dhivehi ބޯޅަ | ||
Dogri गेद | ||
Dutch bal | ||
English ball | ||
Esperanto pilko | ||
Estonian pall | ||
Ewe bɔl | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) bola | ||
Finnish pallo | ||
French balle | ||
Frisian bal | ||
Galician pelota | ||
Georgian ბურთი | ||
German ball | ||
Greek μπάλα | ||
Guarani manga | ||
Gujarati દડો | ||
Haitian Creole boul | ||
Hausa ball | ||
Hawaiian kinipōpō | ||
Hebrew כַּדוּר | ||
Hindi गेंद | ||
Hmong pob | ||
Hungarian labda | ||
Icelandic bolti | ||
Igbo bọọlụ | ||
Ilocano bola | ||
Indonesian bola | ||
Irish liathróid | ||
Italian palla | ||
Japanese 玉 | ||
Javanese bal | ||
Kannada ಚೆಂಡು | ||
Kazakh доп | ||
Khmer បាល់ | ||
Kinyarwanda umupira | ||
Konkani बॉल | ||
Korean 공 | ||
Krio bɔl | ||
Kurdish gog | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) تۆپ | ||
Kyrgyz топ | ||
Lao ບານ | ||
Latin sphera | ||
Latvian bumba | ||
Lingala bile | ||
Lithuanian kamuolys | ||
Luganda omupiira | ||
Luxembourgish ball | ||
Macedonian топка | ||
Maithili गेन्द | ||
Malagasy baolina | ||
Malay bola | ||
Malayalam പന്ത് | ||
Maltese ballun | ||
Maori pōro | ||
Marathi बॉल | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯕꯣꯜ | ||
Mizo thilmum | ||
Mongolian бөмбөг | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ဘောလုံး | ||
Nepali बल | ||
Norwegian ball | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) mpira | ||
Odia (Oriya) ବଲ୍ | ||
Oromo kubbaa | ||
Pashto بال | ||
Persian توپ | ||
Polish piłka | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) bola | ||
Punjabi ਬਾਲ | ||
Quechua pukuchu | ||
Romanian minge | ||
Russian мяч | ||
Samoan polo | ||
Sanskrit कन्दुक | ||
Scots Gaelic ball | ||
Sepedi kgwele | ||
Serbian лопта | ||
Sesotho bolo | ||
Shona bhora | ||
Sindhi بال | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) බෝලය | ||
Slovak ples | ||
Slovenian žogo | ||
Somali kubbadda | ||
Spanish pelota | ||
Sundanese bal | ||
Swahili mpira | ||
Swedish boll | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) bola | ||
Tajik тӯб | ||
Tamil பந்து | ||
Tatar туп | ||
Telugu బంతి | ||
Thai ลูกบอล | ||
Tigrinya ኩዕሶ | ||
Tsonga bolo | ||
Turkish top | ||
Turkmen top | ||
Twi (Akan) bɔɔlo | ||
Ukrainian м'яч | ||
Urdu گیند | ||
Uyghur ball | ||
Uzbek to'p | ||
Vietnamese trái bóng | ||
Welsh bêl | ||
Xhosa ibhola | ||
Yiddish פּילקע | ||
Yoruba boolu | ||
Zulu ibhola |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | In Afrikaans, 'bal' can mean 'ball' or 'dance', stemming from the Old High German 'ballo'. |
| Albanian | The Albanian word "topin" (ball) can also refer to a "head" or the "top" of something. |
| Amharic | "ኳስ" can also refer to a game played with a ball, similar to soccer or volleyball. |
| Arabic | The Arabic word "الكرة" can also mean "Earth" or "sphere". |
| Armenian | The Armenian word "գնդակ" not only means "ball", but also can refer to a bullet, as both meanings derive from the Old Armenian "gntil", meaning "round". |
| Azerbaijani | The word "top" also means "ball" in Persian and Turkish, and is cognate with the English word "top". |
| Basque | The Basque word 'pilota' is derived from a pre-Romance root '*pil', meaning 'round' and is related to English words 'ball' and 'bowel'. |
| Belarusian | Мяч in Belarusian comes from Old Church Slavonic and also means ‘a piece of bread’ and ‘a small child’. |
| Bengali | The Bengali word 'বল' also means 'strength' or 'force', likely due to the perceived association between physical exertion and the strength of a 'ball'. |
| Bosnian | The Bosnian word "lopta" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "lopta", meaning "ball" or "sphere". |
| Bulgarian | The word "топка" also means "firebox" in Bulgarian, a reference to the heat generated by a ball game. |
| Catalan | In Spanish, "pilota" also refers to a traditional Valencian ball game. |
| Cebuano | The Cebuano word "bola" can also mean "a lie" or "a hoax". |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 球 can also mean "world", or a certain object in a set, as in "球体" (sphere). |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 球 as a radical means "jade" and appears in words like 琳 (fine jade), 珍 (treasured jade), and 瓊 (beautiful jade). |
| Corsican | The noun "ballò" can also mean a "dance" in the Corsican language. |
| Croatian | The word "lopta" originally comes from the Latin word "pilotta", meaning "small ball". |
| Czech | The word "míč" in Czech also refers to a specific type of ball used in bowling. |
| Danish | The Danish word "bold" originally meant "ball" and survives in this sense in the compound "fodbold" ("football"). |
| Dutch | "Bal" in Dutch not only means "ball," but also "party" or "testicle." |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "pilko" is derived from the Russian word "pilka" for "ball". |
| Estonian | The word “pall” has additional meanings beyond “ball”, including “head” and “brain”. |
| Finnish | "Pallo" also refers to a small farmholding or a plot of grassland used for grazing. |
| French | In French, "balle" can also refer to a ballet dancer or a lottery ticket. |
| Frisian | "Bal" has a secondary meaning "bottom" or "lower part" in the Frisian language |
| Galician | Galician "pelota" can refer to a variety of ball-based games, or an object similar to a balloon that is filled with air and hit with the hand or a racket. |
| Georgian | The word "ბურთი" is also used to refer to a "globe" or "sphere" in Georgian. |
| German | In German, the word "ball" (plural: Bälle) also means "dance" or "party". |
| Greek | The word 'μπάλα' (ball) can also refer to a gathering of people with shared interests, or a round, spherical object used in various games and sports. |
| Gujarati | "દડો" also means 'wheel', 'roller', 'castor' or 'a round seed'. |
| Haitian Creole | The word "boul" in Haitian Creole is not related to the word "ball" and has no alternate meanings. |
| Hausa | The word "ball" in Hausa has a secondary meaning of "gathering" or "meeting" |
| Hawaiian | The word "kinipōpō" in Hawaiian can also mean "sphere", "globe", "ball of yarn", or "testicle". |
| Hebrew | The word "כדור" (ball) derives from the root "כר" (to shape, round), hence its spherical shape. |
| Hindi | The word "गेंद" also means "a group of people" or "a group of animals" in Hindi. |
| Hmong | The Hmong noun 'pob' also refers to a 'group of people' or a 'bundle of things' tied together. |
| Hungarian | The term 'labda' is also a slang word for 'testicles'. |
| Icelandic | Bolti can refer to a ball used in sports or games or to one's head in Icelandic. |
| Igbo | The word "bọọlụ" in Igbo can also mean "spherical" or "round". |
| Indonesian | Bola (Ball) comes from Portuguese, meaning "a sphere". |
| Irish | The word "liathróid" is derived from the Old Irish word "lithar" meaning "stone" and the suffix "-óid" meaning "like," referring to the original stone balls used in hurling. |
| Italian | The Italian word for “ball,” "palla," can also refer to the game of basketball and to several ancient and contemporary Florentine games. |
| Japanese | The word "玉" can also mean "pearl" or "precious stone" in Japanese. |
| Javanese | The Javanese word "bal" can also mean a village, a gathering, or a meeting. |
| Kannada | The word "ಚೆಂಡು" (ball) is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root "*ten-," meaning "to roll." |
| Kazakh | "Доп" (ball) originates from the Old Kazakh word "топ", meaning an object or something round |
| Khmer | 'បាល់' is a Khmer word that can also refer to a 'bullet' or 'vote'. |
| Korean | The Korean word "공" also refers to "respect" and "fairness". |
| Kurdish | The Kurdish word "gog" (ball) is derived from the Indo-European root *ǵʰólǵʰo-, meaning "to turn" or "to roll". It is cognate with the English word "golf". Additionally, in some dialects of Kurdish, "gog" can also refer to a marble or a bead. |
| Kyrgyz | The word "топ" can also mean "cannonball" or "nucleus" in Kyrgyz. |
| Lao | The word "ບານ" can also mean "game" or "play" in Lao. |
| Latin | The word **Sphera** ultimately comes from the Greek σφαῖρα, or *sphaira*, which also means round object or celestial body. |
| Latvian | Bumba comes from the sound a ball makes when dropped, and its plural form bumbi can mean either "balls" or "testicles" |
| Lithuanian | Lithuanian "kamuolys" literally translates to "rolled up (thing)", from "kamuoti" (to roll up). |
| Luxembourgish | In Luxembourgish, the word "Ball" can also refer to a dance event or party. |
| Macedonian | The Macedonian word "топка" (ball) also refers to a cannonball, a cartridge, a bundle of wool, and a ball of thread. |
| Malagasy | The word "baolina" in Malagasy can also refer to a spherical object or a round fruit. |
| Malay | The Malay word "bola" (ball) is also used to refer to a type of fishing net or a spinning top. |
| Malayalam | The Malayalam word "പന്ത്" can also refer to a type of game played with a ball, similar to marbles or jacks. |
| Maltese | Maltese "ballun" derives from the Italian "pallone" and was adopted by Sicilian then by Maltese. |
| Maori | "Pōro" is the Māori word for "ball" and also refers to the games of rugby, netball, and basketball, which all involve a ball. |
| Marathi | In Marathi, the word "बॉल" can also refer to a "sphere" or a "round object". |
| Mongolian | The word "бөмбөг" can also refer to a sphere, globe, or planet, and is related to the words "бөөр" (kidney) and "бөөн" (round). |
| Nepali | "बल" can also mean strength or force in Sanskrit. |
| Norwegian | The Norwegian word "ball" not only means "ball," but can also refer to a party, especially one held in the evening. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | "Mpila" is derived from the Swahili word "mpira" which originally meant "ball of thread". |
| Pashto | The Pashto word "بال" derives from the Persian word "باز" meaning "a falcon or hawk" and can also refer to the game of football or the sport of falconry, showcasing Persian influence on Pashto vocabulary. |
| Persian | In Persian, "توپ" (ball) can also refer to a cannon or a firework. |
| Polish | In Polish, the word "piłka" has several alternate meanings, including "pillow" and "soccer ball." |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | "Bola" is a Latin word that also means "eye" or "pupil of the eye". In Ancient Rome, "bola" was a round object that was thrown or rolled as a game. |
| Punjabi | The word 'ਬਾਲ' ('ball') in Punjabi can also refer to a child or a young person. |
| Romanian | The word "minge" in Romanian can also refer to a fist or a cannonball. |
| Russian | The word "мяч" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *met-, meaning "to throw" or "to hit". |
| Samoan | "Polo" is also used as a term of endearment, especially for children and younger family members. |
| Scots Gaelic | The Scots word 'ba'' means not only 'ball', but also 'village'. |
| Serbian | In Serbia, the word "лопта" can also refer to a type of folk dance or a part of a traditional Serbian costume. |
| Sesotho | The word "bolo" in Sesotho can also refer to a lump, mass, or knot, and is derived from the Bantu root "*bɔlɔ". |
| Shona | The word "bhora" also refers to the ball-shaped fruit of the baobab tree. |
| Sindhi | The word "بال" (ball) in Sindhi can also refer to a dance performed by women, a sweet made from wheat flour and jaggery, or a type of fish. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word "බෝලය" (ball) in Sinhala is derived from the Dravidian root "pol", meaning "to revolve" or "to roll". |
| Slovak | The word "ples" in Slovak comes from the German word "ball" and is also used to refer to a dance party. |
| Slovenian | *Žogo* in Slovenian can also refer to a child's game where a ball is bounced and kicked with the feet.} |
| Somali | The Somali word "kubbadda" is also used to refer to "football" or "soccer". |
| Spanish | In Spain, 'pelota' refers to the sport of Basque pelota, played with a small, hard ball. |
| Sundanese | The word "bal" in Sundanese can also refer to a gathering or meeting place. |
| Swahili | Mpira, in addition to its primary meaning of 'ball', can also refer to a game similar to football or a specific position in that game, such as 'striker' or 'forward'. |
| Swedish | The word "boll" can also refer to a pod or capsule, particularly the seed pod of a plant such as cotton or poppy. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | In Tagalog (Filipino), the word "bola" can also refer to a lie or deception, showcasing the language's nuanced use of terms. |
| Tajik | The word "тӯб" has Indo-European roots, related to English "tube" and Persian "top". |
| Tamil | In colloquial Tamil, "பந்து" also refers to a group of people or a party involved in any activity. |
| Telugu | "బంతి" also means "a small measure" in Telugu, and originates from the Sanskrit word "Bhanda" meaning a vessel or container. |
| Thai | "ลูกบอล" comes from the Sanskrit word "balla", meaning "a round object." |
| Turkish | It can also mean "cannonball", or "a round or spherical object used as a toy". |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word "м'яч" (ball) comes from the Turkic word "meç", meaning "sphere". |
| Urdu | The Urdu word for 'ball', "گیند", likely derives from the Prakrit term "ginda", meaning a small spherical object. |
| Uzbek | The Uzbek word "to'p" can also refer to a type of traditional children's game played with small pebbles. |
| Vietnamese | The word "trái bóng" literally means "round fruit" in Vietnamese |
| Welsh | Welsh "bêl" is cognate with Irish "bál" meaning "a place, dwelling" and Breton "ball" meaning "a round field, mound". |
| Xhosa | The Xhosa word 'ibhola' can also refer to a person who is 'rolling' in wealth or good luck, particularly when combined with the figurative prefix 'u'. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "פּילקע" is cognate with the German word "Ball" and the English word "ball", all of which stem from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰel- "to swing". |
| Yoruba | In Yoruba, "boolu" has an alternate meaning of "a gathering of people" or "a meeting." |
| Zulu | In some contexts, the word "ibhola" can also refer to a "testicle" or "scrotum". |
| English | The word "ball" can also refer to a social dance or to a person who is pompous or arrogant. |