Border in Different Languages
Discover 'Border' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'border' holds great significance in our daily lives, often representing a line that separates political or geographical entities. But beyond its practical implications, 'border' is a culturally important term, symbolizing boundaries that define communities, traditions, and identities. Its translation in different languages can offer us a glimpse into the unique perspectives of various cultures.
For instance, in Spanish, 'border' is 'frontera', reflecting the country's rich history of territorial disputes and alliances. In German, it's 'Grenze', which also means 'limit' or 'boundary', indicating a sense of restriction or opportunity, depending on the context.
Understanding the translation of 'border' in various languages can enrich our global understanding and foster cultural appreciation. Here are some translations to get you started:
Border
Border in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | grens | ||
| The Afrikaans word "grens" is derived from the Old High German word "grinza," meaning "a border or boundary." | |||
| Amharic | ድንበር | ||
| While ድንበር commonly means 'border' or 'boundary' in Amharic, it also has the alternate meaning of 'eyebrow' or 'edge of the eyelid'. | |||
| Hausa | iyaka | ||
| The word iyaka also means the edge or brim of something, as well as a boundary or limit. | |||
| Igbo | ókè-ala | ||
| The Igbo word "ókè-ala" is also used to refer to a "boundary" or a "limit". | |||
| Malagasy | sisintany | ||
| "Sisintany" derives from the root "sisi" meaning "side" and "tany" meaning "land". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | malire | ||
| 'Malire,' meaning border, is also used to refer to the boundary between two countries or regions. | |||
| Shona | muganhu | ||
| Muganhu, in Shona, can also refer to a "fence" or "boundary" separating two areas. | |||
| Somali | soohdinta | ||
| In some Somali dialects, "soohdinta" can also refer to the boundary between two clans or tribes. | |||
| Sesotho | moeli | ||
| Alternate meaning of 'moeli' is 'edge', similar to 'lebota' or 'leoto' | |||
| Swahili | mpaka | ||
| The word "mpaka" is derived from the verb "kupaka" (to boundary) and the prefix "m-" (classifier). | |||
| Xhosa | umda | ||
| The word "umda" in Xhosa can also refer to a boundary between two pieces of land or a riverbank. | |||
| Yoruba | ààlà | ||
| "Ààlà" also means "separation" or "dividing line" and can refer to both physical and metaphorical boundaries. | |||
| Zulu | umngcele | ||
| "Umngcele" can also refer to a hem or edge of a garment in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | dancɛ | ||
| Ewe | liƒo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umupaka | ||
| Lingala | ndelo | ||
| Luganda | ensalo | ||
| Sepedi | mollwane | ||
| Twi (Akan) | hyeɛ so | ||
Border in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الحدود | ||
| The term "الحدود" (al-Ḥudūd) derives from the Arabic root ح-د-د (ḥ-d-d), meaning "to determine", "to define", or "to establish limits". | |||
| Hebrew | גבול | ||
| The Hebrew word "גבול" (border) also means "limitation" or "restraint". | |||
| Pashto | پوله | ||
| The word "پوله" in Pashto can also mean "end" or "limit". | |||
| Arabic | الحدود | ||
| The term "الحدود" (al-Ḥudūd) derives from the Arabic root ح-د-د (ḥ-d-d), meaning "to determine", "to define", or "to establish limits". | |||
Border in Western European Languages
| Albanian | kufiri | ||
| "Kufiri" in Albanian also means "stranger", related to the Latin word "cohors" (cohort). | |||
| Basque | muga | ||
| The Basque word "muga" can also mean "goal" or "limit" and is cognate with the Latin "meta. | |||
| Catalan | frontera | ||
| "Frontera" stems from the Late Latin word "frontaria", meaning a land boundary. | |||
| Croatian | granica | ||
| "Granica" in Croatian comes from a Slavic root meaning "edge," and can also mean "limit" or "boundary." | |||
| Danish | grænse | ||
| "Grænse" derives from the Old Norse "grensa" meaning "something that divides or delimits". | |||
| Dutch | grens | ||
| The Dutch word "grens" also means "boundary" or "limit", both physically and figuratively. | |||
| English | border | ||
| Deriving from the Old English word "bord" meaning "edge", "border" can also refer to a hem or edging on clothing, a decorative trim, or a boundary line (figuratively or literally). | |||
| French | frontière | ||
| "Frontière" originally meant "forehead" in Old French, and this meaning persists in certain contexts. | |||
| Frisian | grins | ||
| The alternate meaning of "grins" ("boundary") in Frisian is connected to early land surveying methods, which included establishing border stones marked with crosses. | |||
| Galician | fronteira | ||
| The Galician word "fronteira" comes from the Latin "frontaria" meaning "frontier" or "forefront". | |||
| German | rand | ||
| The word "Rand" also means "margin" or "edge" in German, denoting the boundary or limit of something. | |||
| Icelandic | landamæri | ||
| Landamæri is a compound word derived from land (land) and mæri (boundary), and can also refer to a property boundary or the border between two jurisdictions. | |||
| Irish | teorann | ||
| The word "teorann" is derived from the Old Irish word "termonn," meaning "sanctuary. | |||
| Italian | confine | ||
| The word "confine" in Italian can also refer to a prison or to exile. | |||
| Luxembourgish | grenz | ||
| The word | |||
| Maltese | fruntiera | ||
| The Maltese word "fruntiera" comes from the Italian word "frontiera" which in turn comes from the Latin word "frons", meaning "forehead" or "boundary". | |||
| Norwegian | grense | ||
| The word "grense" is related to "grind" (gate) and "green" (boundary line), indicating both a physical and symbolic barrier. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | fronteira | ||
| The word "fronteira" in Portuguese derives from the Old French word "fronture" and ultimately from the Latin word "frons" (forehead), possibly alluding to the position of a border in relation to a country. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | chrìoch | ||
| Its meaning in this sense may be linked to its meaning of "an end" or "terminus", or to the earlier "a limit, a line on the ground". | |||
| Spanish | frontera | ||
| "Frontera" comes from the Latin "frons" (forehead) and referred to the forehead or brow of a cliff. | |||
| Swedish | gräns | ||
| The word "gräns" can also mean "limit" or "boundary" in Swedish. | |||
| Welsh | ffin | ||
| 'Ffin' also means 'end' in Welsh, hence the name 'Pen-y-ffin'. | |||
Border in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | мяжа | ||
| мяжа (“border”) in Belarusian comes from the Old Slavonic word *medja*, meaning “something in the middle”. | |||
| Bosnian | granica | ||
| The Bosnian word "granica" originates from the Latin "granire", meaning "to bark" or "to growl", and in the context of a border, it refers to the establishment of a vocal warning or boundary. | |||
| Bulgarian | граница | ||
| "Граница" in Bulgarian can also mean "extreme" or "edge". | |||
| Czech | okraj | ||
| The word "okraj" also means "margin" or "edge" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | piir | ||
| "Piir" in Estonian also means "limit", "boundary", "edge", or "verge". | |||
| Finnish | rajalla | ||
| Rajalla can also refer to a borderland, territory line, or boundary. | |||
| Hungarian | határ | ||
| The word "határ" originally meant "end" or "limit" in Hungarian, and it is related to the word "hat" (six), possibly suggesting the importance of the number six in marking boundaries | |||
| Latvian | robežas | ||
| The word "robežas" in Latvian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*repg-", meaning "to stretch out" or "to draw a line". | |||
| Lithuanian | sienos | ||
| The Lithuanian word "sienos" is cognate with the Latin word "signum", meaning "sign", and is also related to the concept of a "signpost" or "boundary marker". | |||
| Macedonian | граница | ||
| The word "граница" can also mean "limit" or "boundary" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | granica | ||
| The word "granica" originally referred to a stick marking a boundary between two villages. | |||
| Romanian | frontieră | ||
| « Frontieră » derives from the French word « frontière » which may have been influenced by the German word « Fronte » meaning « forehead » referring to the advanced lines of troops. | |||
| Russian | граница | ||
| The word "граница" can also refer to a boundary, a limit, or a frontier. | |||
| Serbian | граница | ||
| The word "граница" is derived from the Slavic root "gran-", meaning "edge" or "limit". It can also refer to a boundary between two different worlds. | |||
| Slovak | hranica | ||
| The Slovak word "hranica" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*granica" which also means "limit", "obstacle", or "end of the property". | |||
| Slovenian | meja | ||
| The word "meja" in Slovenian can also refer to a "boundary" or a "limit". | |||
| Ukrainian | кордон | ||
| The word "кордон" also refers to a sanitary cordon or quarantine zone established to prevent the spread of disease. | |||
Border in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সীমানা | ||
| In Sanskrit, the word 'sīmānā' also means 'furrow', hence the literal meaning of 'sīmānā' is 'a line dividing two fields'. | |||
| Gujarati | સીમા | ||
| The word "સીમા" is also used to refer to "coastline" and "boundary of a village or town." | |||
| Hindi | बॉर्डर | ||
| The word "बॉर्डर" ("border") in Hindi is derived from the Persian word "बॉरदार" ("bordar"), which means "to enclose" or "to surround". Alternatively, it can also be translated as "सीमा" ("seema") or "किनारा" ("kinara"). | |||
| Kannada | ಗಡಿ | ||
| 'ಗಡಿ' (border) in Kannada is derived from the Sanskrit word 'ghaṭa' meaning 'bank' or 'shore'. It can also refer to a 'limit', 'edge', 'boundary', or a 'mark'. | |||
| Malayalam | അതിർത്തി | ||
| Marathi | सीमा | ||
| The word "सीमा" also means "limit" or "boundary" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | सीमा | ||
| The word "सीमा" also means "limit" or "boundary" in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਬਾਰਡਰ | ||
| "ਬਾਰਡਰ" (border) is thought to have originated from the Old French word "borde" meaning "edge" or "margin." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මායිම | ||
| The Sinhala word for "border" can also refer to a fence. | |||
| Tamil | எல்லை | ||
| The word "எல்லை" also means "measure" or "limit" in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | సరిహద్దు | ||
| The word "సరిహద్దు" is derived from the Sanskrit words "सरी" (line) and "हद" (limit), and can also refer to a boundary or limit | |||
| Urdu | بارڈر | ||
| In Urdu, "بارڈر" can also refer to a "hem" or "edge", particularly in the context of clothing and textiles. | |||
Border in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 边境 | ||
| In Chinese, the word "边境" can also refer to a frontier, an edge, or a boundary. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 邊境 | ||
| The character “邊” represents a cliff at the edge of a hill, and “境” refers to what one sees when overlooking a territory. | |||
| Japanese | 境界 | ||
| 境界 (kyoukai), the Japanese word for “border”, also refers to the edge of a body of water or a cliff. | |||
| Korean | 경계 | ||
| The word "경계" can also refer to a line or boundary that separates two areas | |||
| Mongolian | хил | ||
| In Mongolian, the word "хил" is also a homophone of "heel", referring to the back part of the foot. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နယ်စပ် | ||
| This word နယ်စပ်, pronounced [nɛ̀ saʔ], in Burmese can also mean the "frontier or outer limits of a village or town or country or district; territory, province or district; region". Source: [U Aung Thwin](https://www.google.com/search?q=%E1%80%99%E1%80%80%E1%80%B8%E1%80%84%E1%80%B6%E1%80%84%E1%80%AD%E1%80%B7%E1%80%B1%E1%80%BD%E1%80%84&ei=10dMYr6wB5_60wG6u4DwCg&ved=0ahUKEwj8hO-D04_7AhWJxIsKHT-6C-sQ4dUDCAs&uact=5&oq=%E1%80%99%E1%80%80%E1%80%B8%E1%80%84%E1%80%B6%E1%80%84%E1%80%AD%E1%80%B7%E1%80%B1%E1%80%BD%E1%80%84&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMyCggAELEIAEEIQyQMQiwMyCggAELEIAEEIQyQMQiwMyCggAELEIAEEIQyQMQiwMyCggAELEIAEEIQyQMQiwMyCggAELEIAEEIQyQMQiwMyCggAELEIAEEIQyQMQiwMyCggAELEIAEEIQyQMQiwMyCggAELEIAEEIQyQMQiwMyCggAELEIAEEIQyQMQiwMyCggAELEIAEEIQyQMQiwMyCggAELEIAEEIQyQMQiwMyCggAELEIAEEIQyQMQiwMyCggAELEIAEEIQyQMQiwMyCggAELEIAEEIQyQMQiwMyCggAELEIAEEIQyQMQiwMyCggAELEIAEEIQyQMQiwMyCggAELEIAEEIQyQMQiwMyCggAELEIAEEIQyQMQiwMyCggAELEIAEEIQyQMQiwMyCggAELEIAEEIQyQMQiwMyCggAELEIAEEIQyQMQiwMyCggAELEIAEEIQyQMQiwMyCAgAELEDEJECOgUIABCSAzoLCC4QgAQQsQMQgwEQ1AI6BQgAEMkDOgYIABANEB46CAgAEA0QBRAeOgQIAhD8AhD8AugBGAGSA9oBbABg-gBg-gFAAoABggFAgAEB4AEaACAAb4BiAGSAZgBakgBAKABAcgBCMABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz) | |||
Border in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | berbatasan | ||
| Can mean "adjacent" or "neighboring" as well as "border" | |||
| Javanese | wates | ||
| In Javanese, "wates" can also refer to a boundary or a fence. | |||
| Khmer | ព្រំដែន | ||
| The word "ព្រំដែន" (prɔmɗaen) can also refer to a limit or boundary, especially in a metaphorical sense. | |||
| Lao | ຊາຍແດນ | ||
| Malay | sempadan | ||
| In the Indonesian language, the word "sempadan" is often used interchangeably with the word "batas" which also means "border" or "boundary". | |||
| Thai | ชายแดน | ||
| "ชาย" (ชาย) can also mean "male" or "man" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | biên giới | ||
| The word "biên giới" can also mean "frontier" or "margin". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hangganan | ||
Border in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | sərhəd | ||
| "Sərhəd" is derived from Persian "serhād" meaning "boundary". Serhād is comprised of "ser"- "head" and "hād"- "side". | |||
| Kazakh | шекара | ||
| The Kazakh word "шекара" can also refer to a frontier, boundary, or limit. | |||
| Kyrgyz | чек ара | ||
| The word "чек ара" also means "middle" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | сарҳад | ||
| The word "сарҳад" also means "limit" or "restriction" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | serhet | ||
| Uzbek | chegara | ||
| "Chegara's possible origins include 'chega', an old Turkic word for 'border', or the Mongolian word 'seger', which refers to the limit of a military formation." | |||
| Uyghur | چېگرا | ||
Border in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | palena | ||
| Palena is cognate to the Proto-Austronesian word *paŋa, meaning "fence". | |||
| Maori | rohe | ||
| In Maori, the word "rohe" can also refer to a tribal boundary, a sacred area, or a person's ancestral land. | |||
| Samoan | tuaoi | ||
| The word tuaoi can also refer to a boundary, limit, or edge. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | hangganan | ||
| The Tagalog word "hangganan" is derived from the root word "hangga" meaning "limit" or "boundary". | |||
Border in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | thiya | ||
| Guarani | tetãkorapy | ||
Border in International Languages
| Esperanto | limo | ||
| The Esperanto word "limo" derives from the Latin word "limes", meaning "boundary". In addition to its primary meaning of "border", "limo" can also refer to a "threshold" or "limit". | |||
| Latin | terminus | ||
| The Latin word "terminus" evolved from the concept of a stone marker dividing fields and came to mean "boundary" or "limitation". | |||
Border in Others Languages
| Greek | σύνορο | ||
| Σύνορο derives from the Ancient Greek word 'σύνορος' ('same boundary') and is used colloquially in modern Greek to refer to 'district'. | |||
| Hmong | ciam teb | ||
| "Ciam teb" can also mean "edge" or "boundary" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | hidûd | ||
| The word "hidûd" in Kurdish comes from the Persian word "hadd" which means "limit, border, boundary" and is also used in Arabic as "hudûd" with the same meaning. | |||
| Turkish | sınır | ||
| The word "sınır" in Turkish is a cognate of the words "sınır" in Azerbaijani and "sinir" in Persian, all meaning "limit" or "boundary". | |||
| Xhosa | umda | ||
| The word "umda" in Xhosa can also refer to a boundary between two pieces of land or a riverbank. | |||
| Yiddish | גרענעץ | ||
| The Yiddish word "גרענעץ" is derived from the German "Grenze" and ultimately the Slavic "granica," meaning "boundary". It can also refer to a physical or metaphorical boundary. | |||
| Zulu | umngcele | ||
| "Umngcele" can also refer to a hem or edge of a garment in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | সীমান্ত | ||
| Aymara | thiya | ||
| Bhojpuri | सरहद | ||
| Dhivehi | ބޯޑަރު | ||
| Dogri | सरहद्द | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hangganan | ||
| Guarani | tetãkorapy | ||
| Ilocano | beddeng | ||
| Krio | bɔda | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سنوور | ||
| Maithili | बॉर्डर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯉꯝꯈꯩ | ||
| Mizo | ramri | ||
| Oromo | daangaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସୀମା | ||
| Quechua | pata | ||
| Sanskrit | सीमा | ||
| Tatar | чик | ||
| Tigrinya | ዶብ | ||
| Tsonga | ndzilekano | ||