Basketball in Different Languages
Discover 'Basketball' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Basketball, a sport that has captured the hearts of millions around the world, is more than just a game. It's a cultural phenomenon that transcends borders and unites people of all backgrounds. Invented in 1891 by Canadian physical education instructor James Naismith, basketball has since become a global phenomenon, with the National Basketball Association (NBA) serving as its premier league.
The significance of basketball extends far beyond the court. It's a symbol of perseverance, teamwork, and determination. From the legendary Michael Jordan to the modern-day stars like LeBron James and Steph Curry, basketball has produced some of the most iconic figures in sports history.
Moreover, understanding the translation of basketball in different languages can provide insight into how the sport has been embraced and adapted by various cultures around the world.
For instance, the word for basketball in Spanish is 'baloncesto,' which combines the words for ball ('balón') and basketball court ('canasto'). In French, it's 'basketball,' while in German, it's 'Basketball.' In Mandarin Chinese, it's '篮球' (lán qiú), which literally means 'basket ball.'
In this article, we'll explore the translations of basketball in various languages, shedding light on the sport's global impact and cultural significance.
Basketball
Basketball in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | basketbal | ||
| In Afrikaans, the word "basketbal" can also refer to the game of netball. | |||
| Amharic | ቅርጫት ኳስ | ||
| ቅርጫት ኳስ directly translates to "inflated ball" but only refers to basketball in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | kwando | ||
| The term 'kwando' derives from the Kanuri word 'kuwado', signifying 'throwing at something'. The word itself connotes the skill of hurling and receiving objects. | |||
| Igbo | basketball | ||
| In Igbo, 'basketball' is also known as 'bọọlbọlụ ụkwụ,' which literally translates to 'ball that is kicked with the feet'. | |||
| Malagasy | baskety | ||
| The word "baskety" in Malagasy also means "basket" | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mpira | ||
| The word 'mpira' also means 'ball' and is related to the word 'pirira', meaning 'to play'. It is also used as a generic term for 'sports'. | |||
| Shona | basketball | ||
| In Shona, "Basketball" is also translated as "Bhora rebhasikiti", suggesting its classification as a "ball game". | |||
| Somali | kubbadda koleyga | ||
| The word "kubbadda koleyga" is derived from the Arabic phrase "kurat al-silah", meaning "ball of the basket". | |||
| Sesotho | basketball | ||
| The Sesotho word "basketball" also refers to the plant used to make the baskets used in basketball. | |||
| Swahili | mpira wa kikapu | ||
| The term 'mpira wa kikapu' ('basketball' in Swahili) literally means 'ball of basket' | |||
| Xhosa | ibhola yomnyazi | ||
| The term 'ibhola yomnyazi' is also used informally to refer to the ball used in traditional Xhosa stick-fighting games. | |||
| Yoruba | agbọn | ||
| In Yoruba, agbọn can also mean a small rubber ball used in children's games. | |||
| Zulu | i-basketball | ||
| The Zulu word for basketball, i-basketball, literally means 'basketball'. The English word 'basketball' is derived from the original name of the game, 'basket ball', which refers to the goal of throwing the ball into a basket. | |||
| Bambara | basikɛtikɛla | ||
| Ewe | basketball ƒoƒo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | basketball | ||
| Lingala | basketball | ||
| Luganda | basketball | ||
| Sepedi | basketball | ||
| Twi (Akan) | basketball a wɔde bɔ bɔɔl | ||
Basketball in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | كرة سلة | ||
| The word "كرة سلة" in Arabic literally means "basket ball" but its other meaning is "soccer ball". | |||
| Hebrew | כדורסל | ||
| The Hebrew word "כדורסל" ("basketball") can also mean "hot air balloon". | |||
| Pashto | باسکټبال | ||
| The word 'باسکټبال' ('basketball') is derived from the English words 'basket' and 'ball'. In Pashto, it can also refer to a type of street game played with a ball and a small basket. | |||
| Arabic | كرة سلة | ||
| The word "كرة سلة" in Arabic literally means "basket ball" but its other meaning is "soccer ball". | |||
Basketball in Western European Languages
| Albanian | basketboll | ||
| In Albanian, "basket\boll" is a tautology originating from the English "basket" | |||
| Basque | saskibaloia | ||
| The word 'saskibaloia' is derived from the Basque words 'saskia' ('basket') and 'baloia' ('ball'). | |||
| Catalan | bàsquet | ||
| The Catalan word "bàsquet" comes from the Spanish word "baloncesto", which in turn comes from the English word "basketball". | |||
| Croatian | košarka | ||
| In Serbo-Croatian dialects, "košarka" also means "a basket". | |||
| Danish | basketball | ||
| The word "basketball" in Danish is "basketball", and it has no alternate meanings. | |||
| Dutch | basketbal | ||
| Het woord 'basketbal' komt van het Engelse 'basket-ball', wat oorspronkelijk een mand aan een paal was waarin het fruit 'pawl' zat. | |||
| English | basketball | ||
| The word "basketball" could potentially also refer to the spherical object used in the game rather than the game itself. | |||
| French | basketball | ||
| In French, "basketball" translates to "basket-ball", with "basket" deriving from Old French "basquet" (small basket) and "ball" from Old French "bale" (ball). | |||
| Frisian | basketbal | ||
| The Frisian word "basketbal" can also refer to a type of fishing net. | |||
| Galician | baloncesto | ||
| No se sabe con certeza si la palabra "baloncesto" proviene de la palabra inglesa "basketball" o si es una palabra original del gallego. | |||
| German | basketball | ||
| Korb is the German word for "basket" while Ball is the German word for "ball". | |||
| Icelandic | körfubolti | ||
| The word "körfubolti" in Icelandic literally means "basket ball" as "körfur" means "basket" and "bolti" means "ball". | |||
| Irish | cispheil | ||
| Cispheil is a corruption of the English phrase "cheese fail" used in the 1980s to mock players throwing the ball and missing the basket. | |||
| Italian | pallacanestro | ||
| "Pallacanestro" is derived from "palla" (meaning "ball") and "canestro" (meaning "basket"), implying the game's objective of throwing the ball into the basket. | |||
| Luxembourgish | basketball | ||
| "Basketball" derives from German, where it translates to "basketball". | |||
| Maltese | basketball | ||
| The Maltese word for "basketball" is "baskitbol," which is derived from the English word "basketball". | |||
| Norwegian | basketball | ||
| The Norwegian word "basketball" can also refer to a type of bread roll. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | basquetebol | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "basquetebol" is a cognate of the English word "basketball", but it also means "basket" | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ball-basgaid | ||
| The word 'ball-basgaid' can also be used to refer to both the game of and a particular basketball in Scots Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | baloncesto | ||
| In Spanish, "baloncesto" means "basketball", and its root words literally mean "under the basket". | |||
| Swedish | basketboll | ||
| The Swedish word for 'basketball', 'basketboll', comes from the English "basket" and "boll", meaning 'ball' | |||
| Welsh | pêl-fasged | ||
| "Pêl-fasged" is an example of a compound word in Welsh, made up of "pêl" (ball) and "fasged" (basket). | |||
Basketball in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | баскетбол | ||
| In Belarusian, "баскетбол" is derived from the Russian word "баскетбол" and ultimately from the English word "basketball". | |||
| Bosnian | košarka | ||
| The word 'košarka' is derived from the Serbian ' koš' (basket) and the Croatian 'arka' (ark), thus 'basket ark'. | |||
| Bulgarian | баскетбол | ||
| The word "баскетбол" is derived from the English word "basketball" and means "a game played with a ball and a net" | |||
| Czech | basketball | ||
| "Basketball" in Czech translates to "košíková" which also means "female maid". | |||
| Estonian | korvpall | ||
| "Korvpall" merges "korv" (basket, container, sausage) with "pall" (ball), creating a hybrid word for a sport known both for the net's woven basketlike shape and the ball's flying trajectory through it. | |||
| Finnish | koripallo | ||
| "Koripallo" is a compound word formed from the words "kori" (basket) and "pallo" (ball). | |||
| Hungarian | kosárlabda | ||
| The word "kosárlabda" literally means "basket ball" in Hungarian, as "kosár" means "basket" and "labda" means "ball". | |||
| Latvian | basketbols | ||
| "Basketbols" in Latvian doesn't just mean "basketball" but could also be translated as "shopping cart". | |||
| Lithuanian | krepšinis | ||
| The word "krepšinis" is derived from the Lithuanian words "krepšys" (basket) and "nisti" (to put). | |||
| Macedonian | кошарка | ||
| The word "кошарка" (basketball in Macedonian) has the alternate meaning of the collective effort to protect livestock. | |||
| Polish | koszykówka | ||
| "Koszykówka" derives from the Polish words "kosz" (basket) and "kówka" (cage or coop), referring to the original baskets used as hoops. | |||
| Romanian | baschet | ||
| In Romanian, the word "baschet" also means "a kind of basket" used for carrying small objects. | |||
| Russian | баскетбол | ||
| "Баскетбол" происходит от англ. basket — корзина и ball — мяч. Первые игры были именно такими — нужно было забросить мяч в корзину. | |||
| Serbian | кошарка | ||
| Although "кошарка" is Serbian for “basketball”, it also means "the pen" or "the cage". | |||
| Slovak | basketbal | ||
| The Slovak word "košíková" means "basket", but also refers to the sport of basketball, as in the English word "basketball". | |||
| Slovenian | košarka | ||
| The word "košarka" is derived from the Slovenian word "koš", meaning "basket", and the suffix "-arka", which denotes a collective noun. | |||
| Ukrainian | баскетбол | ||
| Баскетбол comes from English words "basket" and "ball". | |||
Basketball in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বাস্কেটবল | ||
| The term "basketball" was coined by James Naismith, who created the game in 1891. It is a portmanteau of the words "basket" and "ball". The "basket" refers to the peach baskets that were used as goals when the game was first invented, and the "ball" is the spherical object that is used to play the game. | |||
| Gujarati | બાસ્કેટબ .લ | ||
| The word "basketball" comes from the English words "basket" and "ball". | |||
| Hindi | बास्केटबाल | ||
| "बास्केटबाल" शब्द की उत्पत्ति अंग्रेज़ी शब्द 'बास्केट बॉल' (Basket Ball) से हुई है, जिसका अर्थ 'टोकरी वाली गेंद' होता है। | |||
| Kannada | ಬ್ಯಾಸ್ಕೆಟ್ಬಾಲ್ | ||
| The word "basketball" in Kannada is derived from the English words "basket" and "ball", which refer to the sport's equipment and objective. | |||
| Malayalam | ബാസ്കറ്റ്ബോൾ | ||
| Marathi | बास्केटबॉल | ||
| The word "बास्केटबॉल" is also used to refer to the sport of basketball in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | बास्केटबल | ||
| The word "basketball" comes from the English words "basket" and "ball". | |||
| Punjabi | ਬਾਸਕਟਬਾਲ | ||
| The Punjabi word 'ਬਾਸਕਟਬਾਲ' ('basketball') is derived from the English word 'basketball', which refers to the sport played with a large ball that is thrown into a basket mounted on a pole. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පැසිපන්දු | ||
| Tamil | கூடைப்பந்து | ||
| Telugu | బాస్కెట్బాల్ | ||
| Urdu | باسکٹ بال | ||
| The word "باسکٹ بال" ultimately comes from the English word "basketball" and has no other meanings in Urdu. | |||
Basketball in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 篮球 | ||
| In Chinese, the word "篮球" literally means "ball in a cage". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 籃球 | ||
| 籃球 is also written as 籃子球 in Chinese and its alternate form refers to the bamboo-made ball used as a toy during the Mid-Autumn Festival. | |||
| Japanese | バスケットボール | ||
| バスケットボール is a loanword from English, meaning 'a ball that is used in a game where players try to score points by throwing the ball through a hoop'. | |||
| Korean | 농구 | ||
| Besides its literal meaning, "농구" also signifies "farming" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | сагсан бөмбөг | ||
| In Mongolian, 'сагсан бөмбөг' literally translates to '[a ball that goes into] a basket'. This is because basketball is played with a ball that is thrown into a basket that is attached to a pole. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဘတ်စကက်ဘော | ||
Basketball in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | bola basket | ||
| "Bola basket" literally means "basket ball" in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | bola basket | ||
| In Javanese, "bola basket" literally means "ball that is cast". | |||
| Khmer | បាល់បោះ | ||
| បាល់បោះ in Khmer is derived from the French "ballon au poing" (literally "ball at the fist") which was used in 1893 by James Naismith, a Canadian physical education teacher. | |||
| Lao | ບານບ້ວງ | ||
| The root word "ບ້ວງ" also refers to a kind of fruit called "custard apple". | |||
| Malay | bola keranjang | ||
| The word "bola keranjang" in Malay translates directly to "basket ball". | |||
| Thai | บาสเกตบอล | ||
| บาสเกตบอล (basketball) มีรากศัพท์มาจากคำว่า "basket" และ "ball" ในภาษาอังกฤษ ซึ่งหมายถึง "ตะกร้า" และ "ลูกบอล" ตามลำดับ | |||
| Vietnamese | bóng rổ | ||
| The word "bóng rổ" is also used in Vietnamese to refer to the sport of handball. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | basketball | ||
Basketball in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | basketbol | ||
| In Azerbaijani, "Basketbol" is also referred to as "Tor", meaning "net" in the context of a goal. | |||
| Kazakh | баскетбол | ||
| The Kazakh word for "basketball" is derived from the English word "basketball". | |||
| Kyrgyz | баскетбол | ||
| The word "баскетбол" comes from the English word "basketball" and has no other meanings in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | баскетбол | ||
| В русском языке слово «баскетбол» произошло от английского «basketball», что в переводе означает «корзина» (basket) и «мяч» (ball). В таджикском языке это слово пришло через русский и звучит так: «баскетбол». | |||
| Turkmen | basketbol | ||
| Uzbek | basketbol | ||
| The Uzbek word for "basketball" is "basketbol", which translates literally to "basket ball" in English. | |||
| Uyghur | ۋاسكېتبول | ||
Basketball in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kinipōpō hīnaʻi | ||
| In Hawaiian, the term kinipōpō can also refer to a kind of game similar to soccer. | |||
| Maori | poitūkohu | ||
| In contemporary Māori the word poitūkohu may be understood as a compound consisting of poitū ('ball') and kohu ('sound, noise'). | |||
| Samoan | pasiketipolo | ||
| The word "pasiketipolo" is derived from the English word "basketball". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | basketball | ||
| "Basketball" also refers to "waste basket" and, figuratively, to something worthless or a nuisance. This is because in English it was initially played using two peach baskets as goals. | |||
Basketball in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | baloncesto ukata | ||
| Guarani | baloncesto rehegua | ||
Basketball in International Languages
| Esperanto | korbopilko | ||
| The name is a combination of the words korbo, meaning “basket” (from the French corbeille) and pilko, meaning “ball”. | |||
| Latin | basketball | ||
| In Latin, "basketball" refers to the "game of the basket" or "basket-ball". | |||
Basketball in Others Languages
| Greek | μπάσκετ | ||
| The word "μπάσκετ" (basketball) derives from the Greek words "μπάλα" (ball) and "σκάφη" (trough). | |||
| Hmong | pob tawb | ||
| The Hmong word "pob tawb" literally translates to "throw a ball" in the Hmong language. | |||
| Kurdish | basketbol | ||
| In Kurdish, "basketbol" also refers to a type of basket used for farming and transporting goods. | |||
| Turkish | basketbol | ||
| The word basketbol has the same meaning as basketball in English, and it has no alternate meanings in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | ibhola yomnyazi | ||
| The term 'ibhola yomnyazi' is also used informally to refer to the ball used in traditional Xhosa stick-fighting games. | |||
| Yiddish | קוישבאָל | ||
| In Yiddish, "קוישבאָל" (koyshbal) humorously refers to "a game for boys and girls" (קוישן - children, playing, fooling around; באָל - ball). | |||
| Zulu | i-basketball | ||
| The Zulu word for basketball, i-basketball, literally means 'basketball'. The English word 'basketball' is derived from the original name of the game, 'basket ball', which refers to the goal of throwing the ball into a basket. | |||
| Assamese | বাস্কেটবল | ||
| Aymara | baloncesto ukata | ||
| Bhojpuri | बास्केटबॉल के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ބާސްކެޓްބޯޅަ އެވެ | ||
| Dogri | बास्केटबॉल | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | basketball | ||
| Guarani | baloncesto rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | basketball | ||
| Krio | baskɛtbɔl | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | باسکە | ||
| Maithili | बास्केटबॉल | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯕꯥꯁ꯭ꯀꯦꯠꯕꯣꯜ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | basketball khelh a ni | ||
| Oromo | kubbaa miilaa kubbaa miilaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବାସ୍କେଟବଲ୍ | | ||
| Quechua | baloncesto nisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | बास्केटबॉल | ||
| Tatar | баскетбол | ||
| Tigrinya | ኩዕሶ ሰኪዔት። | ||
| Tsonga | basketball | ||