Block in Different Languages
Discover 'Block' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'block' carries significant weight in our daily lives, shaping everything from our streets and buildings to our digital experiences. Its cultural importance is undeniable, as we use blocks to create, construct, and organize our physical and virtual worlds. From Lego blocks that spark children's creativity to concrete blocks that form the foundation of our cities, this word is both versatile and essential.
Moreover, the word 'block' has fascinating historical contexts. For instance, in the 16th century, the Dutch used the term 'blok' to describe a wooden or stone piece used in building. This term eventually made its way to English-speaking cultures, where it has since evolved into a term with a wide range of applications.
Given the global prevalence of 'block' in various contexts, knowing its translation in different languages can be incredibly useful. It can help you navigate foreign cities, understand cultural nuances, and even learn new languages.
Here are a few sample translations of 'block' to pique your interest:
- French: 'bloc'
- Spanish: 'bloque'
- German: 'Block'
- Italian: 'blocco'
- Chinese: '方块' ('fāngkuài')
- Japanese: 'ブロック' ('burokku')
Block
Block in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | blokkeer | ||
| Blokkeer ('block') refers to both stopping or hindering something and the physical shape of a block | |||
| Amharic | ብሎክ | ||
| In Amharic, the word ብሎክ can also refer to a division of text, such as a book or chapter. | |||
| Hausa | toshewa | ||
| Toshewa can also refer to the physical act of blocking or obstructing something. | |||
| Igbo | mgbochi | ||
| The term 'mgbochi' can refer to a large block or mass of a solid substance. | |||
| Malagasy | andian-tsoratra | ||
| The word "andian-tsoratra" can also mean "stamp" or "print". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chipika | ||
| The word "chipika" in Nyanja (Chichewa) is also used to refer to a small piece of wood or other material used to wedge something in place. | |||
| Shona | bhuroka | ||
| The word "bhuroka" shares its etymology with "bhuru" meaning "to conceal" and "kuvhura" meaning "to open" | |||
| Somali | block | ||
| In Somali, 'block' can also mean 'section' or 'part'. | |||
| Sesotho | thibela | ||
| The word "thibela" in Sesotho also means "to prevent" or "to obstruct". | |||
| Swahili | kuzuia | ||
| "Kuzuia" also means to prevent, prohibit, obstruct, impede or hinder something. | |||
| Xhosa | ibhloko | ||
| "ibhloko" also means "prison" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | ohun amorindun | ||
| The word "ohun amorindun" in Yoruba can also mean "obstacle" or "hindrance". | |||
| Zulu | vimba | ||
| Vimba may either refer to a block or lump (as in a block of stone or a lump of soil) or to the top or apex of something, such as the tip of a horn or the peak of a mountain. | |||
| Bambara | kare | ||
| Ewe | xe mɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | guhagarika | ||
| Lingala | kokanga | ||
| Luganda | bulooka | ||
| Sepedi | thibela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | si kwan | ||
Block in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | منع | ||
| The verb مَنَعَ is also used in the sense of preventing, hindering, or stopping something from happening. | |||
| Hebrew | לַחסוֹם | ||
| 'לחסום' is cognate with the Akkadian word 'lahasu', meaning 'to seize' or 'to capture'. | |||
| Pashto | بلاک | ||
| In Pashto, "بلاک" also refers to a wooden peg used for securing doors or windows. | |||
| Arabic | منع | ||
| The verb مَنَعَ is also used in the sense of preventing, hindering, or stopping something from happening. | |||
Block in Western European Languages
| Albanian | bllokoj | ||
| The Albanian word "bllokoj" is thought to be derived from the Proto-Albanian word "*blokë", which meant "lock" or "bar". It is also related to the Proto-Slavic word "*blokŭ", which has the same meaning. | |||
| Basque | blokeatu | ||
| In Basque, "blokeatu" also means "to freeze" or "to lock", and derives from the Latin word "bloccāre" | |||
| Catalan | bloc | ||
| In Catalan, "bloc" also means a notebook or writing pad, and can refer to a group of people united by a common goal. | |||
| Croatian | blok | ||
| The word 'blok' may also refer to a group of flats or houses in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | blok | ||
| In Danish, "blok" can also refer to a notebook or notepad. | |||
| Dutch | blok | ||
| The Dutch word "blok" can also mean a group of students studying together or a period of intensive study. | |||
| English | block | ||
| The word "block" can also mean a large, solid mass of something, such as a block of wood or a block of ice. | |||
| French | bloquer | ||
| The word "bloquer" in French can also mean "to checkmate" in chess. | |||
| Frisian | blok | ||
| In West Frisian, the word "blok" can also mean "log" or "tree stump." | |||
| Galician | bloque | ||
| The Galician word "bloque" also means "a group of people united by a common goal or purpose". | |||
| German | block | ||
| The word "Block" can also refer to pulleys or blocks of text in German. | |||
| Icelandic | loka | ||
| The word "loka" is derived from the Old Norse word "lækja," meaning "to shut" or "to close," suggesting its use as a barrier or obstruction. | |||
| Irish | bloc | ||
| The Irish word "bloc" can also mean "a block of land" or "a lump of something". | |||
| Italian | bloccare | ||
| "Bloccare" in Italian, like "block" in English, comes from the same Proto-Germanic root as "balk". In some contexts it also means "stall" or "jam." | |||
| Luxembourgish | blockéieren | ||
| Blockéieren can also mean to stop something, or to obstruct or impede. | |||
| Maltese | blokka | ||
| In Maltese, "blokka" can also refer to a type of pastry. | |||
| Norwegian | blokkere | ||
| The Norwegian word "blokkere" comes from the French word "bloquer," which means "to obstruct" or "to stop." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | quadra | ||
| In Latin, "quadra" means "square", and was used by Romans for land surveying, where they would divide large pieces of land into quadrants, which in Portuguese evolved to also mean the area between four consecutive streets (or two in some cities) | |||
| Scots Gaelic | bloc | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, 'bloc' can also refer to a piece of land or a parish. | |||
| Spanish | bloquear | ||
| «Bloquear» en español también se refiere a «impedir» o «parar», ambos con una raíz etimológica en «palo» o «barrera». | |||
| Swedish | blockera | ||
| In Swedish, "blockera" can also refer to a person or object that prevents something else from moving, and can be used figuratively to describe someone who is obstructive or hindering. | |||
| Welsh | bloc | ||
| The Welsh word "bloc" is derived from the Middle English word "blokke," meaning "a heavy piece of wood or stone," and is also related to the French word "bloc," meaning "a piece of stone or metal." | |||
Block in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | блок | ||
| Belarusian "блок" originally meant "pulley" but gained multiple meanings under Russian influence. | |||
| Bosnian | blok | ||
| The word "blok" also means "neighborhood" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | блок | ||
| "Блок" in Bulgarian can refer to a block of flats | |||
| Czech | blok | ||
| In Czech, "blok" means "block" but also a "notebook" or a "flat" (an apartment). | |||
| Estonian | blokeerida | ||
| The word "blokeerida" is derived from the Dutch word "blokkeren", meaning "to obstruct". | |||
| Finnish | lohko | ||
| A "lohko" can also refer to a small room or cage for livestock or an enclosure for a prisoner. | |||
| Hungarian | blokk | ||
| The Hungarian word "blokk" also refers to a receipt given for purchased goods or services. | |||
| Latvian | bloķēt | ||
| The word "bloķēt" in Latvian can also refer to a blockade, a traffic jam, or a mental block. | |||
| Lithuanian | blokuoti | ||
| In some contexts, "blokuoti" can refer to "locking" or "obstructing". | |||
| Macedonian | блок | ||
| In Russian, "блок" has the additional meaning of "alliance" or "faction", hence the name of the Bolsheviks, who were a political faction within the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party. | |||
| Polish | blok | ||
| In Polish "blok" means not only a block, but also a large apartment building constructed in the communist era. | |||
| Romanian | bloc | ||
| In Romanian, the word "bloc" is also used to refer to residential buildings built during the communist era. | |||
| Russian | блокировать | ||
| Блокировать in Russian can mean “to block” the way one might block a door, but it can also mean “to hang up” on a phone call. | |||
| Serbian | блокирати | ||
| The verb "блокирати" derives from the German "blockieren", meaning "to prevent or obstruct". | |||
| Slovak | blokovať | ||
| In Russian, the word "block" also means alliance or union. | |||
| Slovenian | blok | ||
| In Slovene, the word "blok" can also refer to a notepad or notebook. | |||
| Ukrainian | блок | ||
| The word "блок" in Ukrainian can also refer to a coalition of political parties | |||
Block in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ব্লক | ||
| In Bengali, the word "ব্লক" (block) has additional meanings, including "a piece of land" or a "unit of flats or apartments." | |||
| Gujarati | અવરોધિત કરો | ||
| The word "block" has several different meanings, including "to prevent from moving or acting", "to obstruct", "to hinder", and "to impede." | |||
| Hindi | खंड मैथा | ||
| The Hindi word "खंड मैथा" is likely derived from the Sanskrit word "खंड", meaning "part" or "piece", and "मैथा", meaning "skull" or "head". Thus, it literally means "broken head" or "skull fragment". | |||
| Kannada | ಬ್ಲಾಕ್ | ||
| "ಬ್ಲಾಕ್" (block) in Kannada can also mean a puzzle or an obstacle. | |||
| Malayalam | തടയുക | ||
| The word "തടയുക" can also mean "prevent" or "hinder" in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | ब्लॉक | ||
| The Marathi word "ब्लॉक" (block) can also refer to a group of administrative units. | |||
| Nepali | रोक्नुहोस् | ||
| The word "रोक्नुहोस्" is derived from the Sanskrit word "रुक्" meaning "to obstruct". | |||
| Punjabi | ਬਲਾਕ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਬਲਾਕ" can also refer to a small village or a portion of a town or city. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වාරණය | ||
| The Sinhala word "වාරණය" can also mean "protection" or "prohibition". | |||
| Tamil | தொகுதி | ||
| Tamil 'தொகுதி' derives from the Sanskrit term 'khanda', meaning 'fragment' or 'part,' and also refers to a territorial constituency in the context of elections. | |||
| Telugu | బ్లాక్ | ||
| The word “బ్లాక్” can also mean “stop” or “obstruction” in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | بلاک | ||
| The term "ब्लॉक" (block) in Urdu can also refer to an obstacle or hindrance, or a group of buildings or houses. | |||
Block in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 块 | ||
| In Chinese, the word "块" can also refer to a currency unit, a lump sum of money, or a type of Chinese steamed dumpling. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 塊 | ||
| "塊" in Chinese can also refer to a currency unit (i.e., yuan), a weight unit (i.e., 1000 grams), and a measure of land area (i.e., 100 square meters). | |||
| Japanese | ブロック | ||
| The Japanese word "ブロック" (burokku) has its origins in the Dutch word "blok" and can also refer to a group, such as a political bloc or building block. | |||
| Korean | 블록 | ||
| In Korean, "블록" (block) derives from English and retains its meaning as a discrete unit or building element, but also designates a city block, a period of time, a section of a program, and a hindrance. | |||
| Mongolian | блок | ||
| In Mongolian, "блок" can also have the alternate meaning of "apartment complex". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပိတ်ပင်တားဆီးမှု | ||
Block in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | blok | ||
| In Indonesian "blok" can also refer to an administrative subdistrict within a "kelurahan" (village), a "kompleks" (neighborhood) within a "blok", or a group of buildings and land, such as a "blok" of flats or offices. | |||
| Javanese | blok | ||
| The word "blok" in Javanese is cognate to the Malay word "blok" and ultimately derives from the Dutch word "blok" meaning "piece" or "block". | |||
| Khmer | រារាំង | ||
| The word "រារាំង" in Khmer also has the alternate meaning of "to prohibit" or "to prevent". | |||
| Lao | ຕັນ | ||
| The word ຕັນ is derived from the Sanskrit word "stan" meaning "to stand" | |||
| Malay | sekatan | ||
| The word "sekatan" in Malay can also refer to a restriction or obstacle, as in "sekatan jalan" (roadblock). | |||
| Thai | บล็อก | ||
| The Thai word "บล็อก" is derived from the English word "block", and also has the alternate meaning of "web log" | |||
| Vietnamese | khối | ||
| The Sino-Vietnamese word "khối" also means "mass", "volume" and "solidity" in the physical science context, a meaning not found in its Chinese cognate "块. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | harangan | ||
Block in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | blok | ||
| "Blok" in Azerbaijani can also refer to a "segment" or a "chunk" of something. | |||
| Kazakh | блок | ||
| Блок means "section" or "department" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | блок | ||
| Блок (block) may also refer to a pulley or a unit of measure for volume in Central Asia. | |||
| Tajik | блок | ||
| The word блок is borrowed from Russian and can alternatively mean the act of blocking, blockage, or impediment. | |||
| Turkmen | blokirlemek | ||
| Uzbek | blokirovka qilish | ||
| The word "blokirovka qilish" can also mean "to blockade" or "to bar". | |||
| Uyghur | block | ||
Block in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | palaka | ||
| The Hawaiian word "palaka" can also refer to a square, a mold, or a printing block. | |||
| Maori | aukati | ||
| The word aukati also refers to the last stage of the Maori life cycle, when they become frail and unable to care for themselves. | |||
| Samoan | poloka | ||
| The Samoan word poloka, meaning "block", is also used to refer to a type of traditional canoe race. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | harangan | ||
| "Harangan" also means "obstacle". In the past, people often used wooden harangan to bar the entrance of their houses. | |||
Block in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jark'aña | ||
| Guarani | tape | ||
Block in International Languages
| Esperanto | bloko | ||
| The Esperanto word "bloko" also refers to a set of houses or a neighborhood | |||
| Latin | obstructionum | ||
| "Obstructionum" can also mean 'obstacles' and 'hindrances' | |||
Block in Others Languages
| Greek | οικοδομικο τετραγωνο | ||
| "ΟΙΚΟΔΟΜΙΚΟ ΤΕΤΡΑΓΩΝΟ" can also refer to a city block. | |||
| Hmong | thaiv | ||
| Thai can also be an adjective describing something as "good," "well," "beautiful," or "healthy." | |||
| Kurdish | deste | ||
| The word "deste" in Kurdish can also refer to a set of playing cards or a stack of papers. | |||
| Turkish | blok | ||
| In Turkish, "blok" also means "apartment building" or "large neighborhood" | |||
| Xhosa | ibhloko | ||
| "ibhloko" also means "prison" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | פאַרשפּאַרן | ||
| The Yiddish word for "block" (פאַרשפּאַרן) can also mean "to bar" or "to obstruct". | |||
| Zulu | vimba | ||
| Vimba may either refer to a block or lump (as in a block of stone or a lump of soil) or to the top or apex of something, such as the tip of a horn or the peak of a mountain. | |||
| Assamese | অৱৰুদ্ধ কৰা | ||
| Aymara | jark'aña | ||
| Bhojpuri | खंड | ||
| Dhivehi | ބްލޮކް | ||
| Dogri | ब्लाक | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | harangan | ||
| Guarani | tape | ||
| Ilocano | lappedan | ||
| Krio | blɔk | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بلۆک | ||
| Maithili | रुकावट | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯊꯤꯡꯕ | ||
| Mizo | dang | ||
| Oromo | dhowwuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବ୍ଲକ | ||
| Quechua | harkay | ||
| Sanskrit | मृदुवस्तु | ||
| Tatar | блок | ||
| Tigrinya | ህንጻ | ||
| Tsonga | siva | ||