Beach in Different Languages
Discover 'Beach' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Beaches, with their sun-kissed sands and soothing waves, have long been a source of inspiration, relaxation, and cultural significance. From the iconic beaches of Copacabana and Bondi, to the serene shores of the Maldives and Seychelles, these coastal gems are a testament to the beauty and power of nature. They also serve as a backdrop for human connection, where laughter, stories, and memories are woven into the fabric of our lives.
Moreover, understanding the translation of the word 'beach' in different languages can open up a world of cultural discovery. For instance, in Spanish, 'playa' captures the essence of a beach as a place for play and leisure. In French, 'plage' reflects the elegant and romantic allure of its coastal landscapes. In Japanese, 'umibe' carries a sense of respect and appreciation for the ocean's vastness and mystery.
Join us as we embark on a linguistic journey and explore the translations of the word 'beach' in various languages. Discover how this simple word can unlock a deeper understanding of the world's diverse cultures and traditions.
Beach
Beach in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | strand | ||
| The Afrikaans word "strand" originates from the Dutch word "strand" meaning "shore" or "coastline". | |||
| Amharic | የባህር ዳርቻ | ||
| The word "የባህር ዳርቻ" can also mean "the area along the coast of the sea" | |||
| Hausa | bakin teku | ||
| Bakin teku also means "the end of a body of water" or "the end of a pond" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | osimiri | ||
| The word "osimiri" is derived from the Igbo word "simiri," meaning "open space." | |||
| Malagasy | tora-pasika | ||
| The Malagasy word "tora-pasika" is composed of the words "tora" (sand) and "pasika" (coast), referring to the sandy shores that characterize the beaches of Madagascar. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | gombe | ||
| In Nyanja, 'gombe' can refer to both a beach and a 'grove' or 'copse', highlighting the connection between water and vegetation in the region's landscape. | |||
| Shona | gungwa | ||
| "Gungwa" is also used to refer to the sandy areas that line the rivers of north-eastern Zimbabwe. | |||
| Somali | xeebta | ||
| "Xeebta" in Somali derives from the Arabic word "sahil" meaning coast or seashore. | |||
| Sesotho | lebopong | ||
| The word "lebopong" can refer to a place near a body of water, a type of tree, or a type of grass. | |||
| Swahili | pwani | ||
| Pwani is the name of the coastal belt in Eastern Africa or of a language spoken there. | |||
| Xhosa | elwandle | ||
| The word "elwandle" also refers to the beach's surrounding dune-field and thicket of small trees, where various bird species nest. | |||
| Yoruba | eti okun | ||
| The name ̀etì òkùń (the 'edge of the ocean') was used by the Yoruba ancestors to describe locations within two days or less' walk inland from the Atlantic shorelines. | |||
| Zulu | ebhishi | ||
| The Zulu word "ebhishi" can also refer to sand dunes or sandy terrain. | |||
| Bambara | jida | ||
| Ewe | ƒuta | ||
| Kinyarwanda | nyanja | ||
| Lingala | libongo | ||
| Luganda | biiki | ||
| Sepedi | lebopo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | mpoano | ||
Beach in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | شاطئ بحر | ||
| The word "شاطئ بحر" (beach in Arabic) literally means "the edge of a body of water" and can also refer to the sloping land between the sea and the cliffs. | |||
| Hebrew | החוף | ||
| The word "החוף" has roots in the biblical Hebrew word for 'sand' and can also refer to the edge or shore. | |||
| Pashto | ساحل | ||
| Sahil ( ساحل ) is also used in Pashto language for the “bank” of a river. | |||
| Arabic | شاطئ بحر | ||
| The word "شاطئ بحر" (beach in Arabic) literally means "the edge of a body of water" and can also refer to the sloping land between the sea and the cliffs. | |||
Beach in Western European Languages
| Albanian | plazhi | ||
| The Albanian word 'plazhi' is thought to be derived from the Italian word 'spiaggia', meaning 'beach'. | |||
| Basque | hondartza | ||
| In Basque, 'hondartza' is often used to refer to the beach, but its literal meaning is 'sand field' | |||
| Catalan | platja | ||
| The word "platja" comes from the Latin "plaga" meaning "shore" or "flat land", and also means "square" or "plaza" in Catalan. | |||
| Croatian | plaža | ||
| The word "plaža" in Croatian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "plazъ", meaning "flood" or "inundation". | |||
| Danish | strand | ||
| In Danish, the word 'strand' means both 'strand of hair' and 'beach'. The latter meaning arose from the strands of sand that often line beaches. | |||
| Dutch | strand | ||
| In Dutch, "strand" can also refer to a shore, edge, or boundary. | |||
| English | beach | ||
| The word "beach" derives from the Old English word "bæce" meaning "brook" or "stream." | |||
| French | plage | ||
| The French word "plage" comes from the Latin word "plaga", meaning "flat surface" or "coastline". | |||
| Frisian | strân | ||
| In Frisian, 'strân' can also refer to a sandbank or a riverbank | |||
| Galician | praia | ||
| In Brazilian Portuguese, "praia" also means "shoreline". | |||
| German | strand | ||
| The German word "Strand" can also refer to a rope, wire, or shore in a river. | |||
| Icelandic | fjara | ||
| The word "fjara" derives from the Old Norse word "fjara" meaning "shore between high and low tide". | |||
| Irish | trá | ||
| "Trá" is cognate with Welsh "traeth" and Old English "strond", reflecting an ancient Celtic root meaning "strand" or "beach". | |||
| Italian | spiaggia | ||
| In ancient Greek, the term 'sphagia' denoted a narrow strip of sand between the sea and a swampy area. | |||
| Luxembourgish | plage | ||
| In colloquial language, "Plage" also means "swimming pool" in Luxembourgish. | |||
| Maltese | bajja | ||
| In Maltese, 'bajja' can also refer to a particular type of rock formation found in the sea or a small, enclosed bay. | |||
| Norwegian | strand | ||
| In Norwegian, "strand" can also refer to a shoreline, coast, or riverbank. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | de praia | ||
| The phrase "praia seca" in Portuguese means "dry beach" and refers to the sandbank that separates the sea from the lagoon in the Ria Formosa Natural Park. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | tràigh | ||
| The word "tràigh" also means "strand" or "shoreline" in Scots Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | playa | ||
| The Spanish word 'playa' also denotes the dried-out bottom of a lake or lagoon as well as a recreational area or park. | |||
| Swedish | strand | ||
| In Swedish, "strand" can also refer to a piece of string or twine. | |||
| Welsh | traeth | ||
| Some place names in Wales include 'traeth' in them to refer to the location of a former beach, not necessarily its present day location | |||
Beach in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | пляж | ||
| While “пляж” usually means “beach” in Russian, in Belarusian it can also refer to a “small town on the beach” or a “sandy strip of land”. | |||
| Bosnian | plaža | ||
| Plaža is an older spelling of plaža and also means ‘meadow by water’ in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | плаж | ||
| The Bulgarian word "плаж" comes from Turkish and is related to English "plage" meaning a broad sandy or pebbly shore, especially one at a vacation resort. | |||
| Czech | pláž | ||
| The word "pláž" is also used to refer to a flat area, such as a field or a lawn. | |||
| Estonian | rand | ||
| "Rand" is derived from the Germanic word "rand," meaning "edge" or "margin." | |||
| Finnish | ranta | ||
| In Finnish, "ranta" can refer to a sandy beach, a rocky shore, or even the edge of a forest. | |||
| Hungarian | strand | ||
| The word "strand" in Hungarian (part) can also refer to a type of fabric or yarn (fonal). | |||
| Latvian | pludmale | ||
| It is assumed that the word is derived from the word "pludums" („inundation"), which in turn may be related to the word "plāns" ("flat") or even the word "plūst" ("to flow"). | |||
| Lithuanian | papludimys | ||
| Lithuanian "papludimys" derives from “plùpti,” meaning to drift ashore. | |||
| Macedonian | плажа | ||
| The word "плажа" can also refer to a riverbank or the edge of a body of water. | |||
| Polish | plaża | ||
| The word "plaża" in Polish is derived from the Italian word "spiaggia" and also refers to an area of flat, sandy land near a body of water. | |||
| Romanian | plajă | ||
| The Romanian word "plajă" comes from the Greek word "πλαζ" (plaz), meaning "broad street" or "promenade". | |||
| Russian | пляж | ||
| The word "пляж" derives from the French word "plage", meaning "shore" or "strand", and has also been borrowed into other Slavic languages. | |||
| Serbian | плажа | ||
| The word 'плажа' is derived from the Italian word 'spiaggia', meaning 'beach' or 'shore'. | |||
| Slovak | pláž | ||
| In Slovak, "pláž" also means "a field near water". | |||
| Slovenian | plaža | ||
| The word "plaža" originally meant "flooded meadow" in Old Church Slavonic, but it later took on the meaning of "beach" in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | пляжний | ||
| The Ukrainian word 'Пляжний' derives from the Old Church Slavonic word 'пляжъ' (plazhu) meaning 'to bathe'. | |||
Beach in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সৈকত | ||
| The word "সৈকত" is derived from the Sanskrit word "sagarika", meaning "of the sea." | |||
| Gujarati | બીચ | ||
| In Gujarati, 'બીચ' can also refer to a river bank or the edge of a lake or pond. | |||
| Hindi | बीच | ||
| The word 'बीच' ('beach') is rooted in the Indo-Aryan root word 'bhaj,' meaning 'to break or cut,' likely referring to the breaking of the waves on the shore. | |||
| Kannada | ಬೀಚ್ | ||
| The word "ಬೀಚ್" (beach) in Kannada also refers to a type of small fishing net used in local waters by traditional fishermen. | |||
| Malayalam | ബീച്ച് | ||
| The word "ബീച്ച്" (beach) in Malayalam also means "a place where people meet to talk or relax". | |||
| Marathi | बीच | ||
| The word 'बीच' has its root in the Sanskrit word 'वेच' meaning 'to select' or 'to gather'. In Marathi, it specifically refers to the part of a river where water gathers during the rainy season. | |||
| Nepali | समुद्री तट | ||
| The word समुद्री तट in Nepali literally translates to "sea shore" in English, and is cognate with words like "samudra" in Sanskrit, "samudra" in Hindi, and "samudra" in Bengali, all meaning "ocean" or "sea". | |||
| Punjabi | ਬੀਚ | ||
| The word "ਬੀਚ" is the Punjabi equivalent of the Sanskrit word "विकास"(vikas), which means "developement"} | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වෙරළ | ||
| In Sinhala, the word "වෙරළ" also means an edge or boundary, indicating the beach's role as a transition between sea and land. | |||
| Tamil | கடற்கரை | ||
| கடற்கரை (kadarkarai) literally means "the edge of the sea" and also refers to a town on the seashore. | |||
| Telugu | బీచ్ | ||
| The word "బీచ్" (beach) in Telugu comes from the Sanskrit word "वेष" (vesha), meaning "to put on clothes". This is because, on the beach, people often dress in light summer clothes. | |||
| Urdu | بیچ | ||
| The word "بیچ" is also the name of a kind of grass that grows in marshy areas. | |||
Beach in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 海滩 | ||
| "海滩"源于闽南语「海蠏」，指沙滩上寄居蟹洞穴的积水 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 海灘 | ||
| 「海灘」一詞最初指的是靠海區域，後來延伸為指海岸線附近具有沙灘或砂礫的區域。 | |||
| Japanese | ビーチ | ||
| The Japanese word "\u30d3\u30fc\u30c1" ("beach") can also refer to a "sandbank". | |||
| Korean | 바닷가 | ||
| The word "바닷가" can also mean "seaside" or "coastal area". | |||
| Mongolian | далайн эрэг | ||
| In Mongolian, “далайн эрэг” literally means 'edge of the sea' and refers specifically to a sandy shore. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကမ်းခြေ | ||
| The word "ကမ်းခြေ" was originally used to describe the sandy banks of rivers, and only later came to be used for sea shores. | |||
Beach in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | pantai | ||
| "Pantai" is derived from the Sanskrit word "panti, | |||
| Javanese | pantai | ||
| "Pantai" in Javanese can also refer to the "ocean" or "seaside". | |||
| Khmer | ឆ្នេរ | ||
| ឆ្នេរ (chnea) can also mean "shore", "coast", or "riverbank" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ຫາດຊາຍ | ||
| The word หາດຊາຍ comes from the Sanskrit word "kshetra" which means "field" and is shared by Thai and Khmer. | |||
| Malay | pantai | ||
| The word "pantai" can also refer to a "side" or "edge" in Malay, reflecting its dual function as a barrier between land and sea. | |||
| Thai | ชายหาด | ||
| ชายหาด is the Thai word that combines ชาย (shore) and หาด (sand); it can also mean a beach resort or a sandy area next to a river. | |||
| Vietnamese | bờ biển | ||
| Bờ biển in Vietnamese also means the coast or shore, derived from the Chinese word 边海 (biān hǎi), which literally means "edge of the sea". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tabing dagat | ||
Beach in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | çimərlik | ||
| "Çimərlik" is also the name of a town and district in Turkey. | |||
| Kazakh | жағажай | ||
| The word "жағажай" can also refer to a lake or river bank. | |||
| Kyrgyz | пляж | ||
| The word "пляж" is of Russian origin and originally meant "shallow place in a river". | |||
| Tajik | соҳил | ||
| The word "соҳил" is also used to mean "shore", "bank" (of a river), or "coastline" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | plýa beach | ||
| Uzbek | plyaj | ||
| The word "plyaj" is derived from the Russian word "пляж" (plyazh), which is itself derived from the French word "plage" (meaning "beach"). | |||
| Uyghur | دېڭىز ساھىلى | ||
Beach in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kahakai | ||
| "Kahakai" is also translated as "skin of the sea" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | takutai | ||
| "Takutai is a Maori term that refers to the area between the high and low tide lines." | |||
| Samoan | matafaga | ||
| The term 'matafaga' comes from the word 'mata' meaning 'face' and 'faga' meaning 'water' or 'ocean', so the literal meaning is 'the face of the ocean'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | dalampasigan | ||
| The word 'dalampasigan' also means 'coast' or 'shoreline' and is derived from the root word 'pasig' ('river'). | |||
Beach in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | quta | ||
| Guarani | pararembe'y | ||
Beach in International Languages
| Esperanto | strando | ||
| "Strando" is related to the Swedish word "strand" which means "shore" or "bank". | |||
| Latin | litore | ||
| The word "litore" also means "sea coast" and "shore". | |||
Beach in Others Languages
| Greek | παραλία | ||
| The word "παραλία" is cognate with the English word "parallel," both deriving from the Greek "πᾰρά," meaning "beside," and "ἀλλήλων," meaning "of each other." | |||
| Hmong | kev puam | ||
| Kev puam is a word in the Hmong language that translates to "beach or riverside with sand". | |||
| Kurdish | berav | ||
| Berav derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰreg- 'high, hill', also found in Sanskrit "brah" (high) and Avestan "brahman" (priest). | |||
| Turkish | plaj | ||
| The word "plaj" comes from the French word "plage", which means "shore" or "beach". | |||
| Xhosa | elwandle | ||
| The word "elwandle" also refers to the beach's surrounding dune-field and thicket of small trees, where various bird species nest. | |||
| Yiddish | ברעג | ||
| The word "ברעג" is derived from the Old High German word "brëg" meaning "edge" or "bank". | |||
| Zulu | ebhishi | ||
| The Zulu word "ebhishi" can also refer to sand dunes or sandy terrain. | |||
| Assamese | সাগৰ তীৰ | ||
| Aymara | quta | ||
| Bhojpuri | समुंंदर के किनारा | ||
| Dhivehi | އަތިރިމަތި | ||
| Dogri | समुंदरी कनारा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tabing dagat | ||
| Guarani | pararembe'y | ||
| Ilocano | igid ti taaw | ||
| Krio | bich | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کەنار دەریا | ||
| Maithili | समुद्रक कात | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯃꯨꯗ꯭ꯔ ꯇꯣꯔꯕꯥꯟ | ||
| Mizo | tuipui kam | ||
| Oromo | qarqara galaanaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବେଳାଭୂମି | ||
| Quechua | qucha pata | ||
| Sanskrit | समुद्रतटम् | ||
| Tatar | пляж | ||
| Tigrinya | ገምገም | ||
| Tsonga | ribuwa | ||