Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'channel' holds a significant place in our daily lives, often used to describe a variety of concepts such as television channels, water channels, or even social media channels. Its cultural importance is evident in various fields, including communication, transportation, and entertainment.
Did you know that the word 'channel' has its roots in the Latin word 'canalis,' meaning 'tube or water pipe?' Over time, the meaning has evolved and expanded, reflecting the development of human civilization and technology. For instance, the Roman aqueducts were early examples of water channels, while the invention of television introduced a new type of channel to our lexicon.
Understanding the translation of 'channel' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how different cultures perceive and utilize this concept. Here are a few sample translations to pique your curiosity:
Afrikaans | kanaal | ||
The Afrikaans word "kanaal" originally meant "gully" or "drainage ditch" and is related to the Dutch word "kanaal", which means "canal" or "channel". | |||
Amharic | ሰርጥ | ||
In Tigrinya, ሰርጥ also means "to split". | |||
Hausa | tashar | ||
In some dialects, tashar may refer to a large pond or lake. | |||
Igbo | ọwa | ||
Ọwa also denotes a place of convergence, and is the root word for ọwa (marriage) and ọwara (family). | |||
Malagasy | fantsona | ||
The word "fantsona" can also refer to a path or a way. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | njira | ||
The word "njira" in Nyanja can also mean "road", "path" or "direction." | |||
Shona | mugero | ||
"Mugero" can also mean "a passageway" or "a gap in a fence" | |||
Somali | kanaalka | ||
The Somali word "kanaalka" is derived from the Arabic word "qanāh", meaning "canal" or "ditch". | |||
Sesotho | kanale | ||
Swahili | kituo | ||
Kituo originates from the Arabic word 'qatw' via Persian and can also mean 'department' or 'section'. | |||
Xhosa | itshaneli | ||
The word "itshaneli" in Xhosa can also refer to a watercourse or stream. | |||
Yoruba | ikanni | ||
Although the word "ikanni" in Yoruba means channel, it can also be used to refer to a pathway or a course of action. | |||
Zulu | isiteshi | ||
The Zulu word "isiteshi" can also refer to a valley or a stream, and is derived from the verb "sesha" meaning "to flow". | |||
Bambara | kanal | ||
Ewe | channel | ||
Kinyarwanda | umuyoboro | ||
Lingala | canal | ||
Luganda | omukutu gwa yintaneeti | ||
Sepedi | kanale ya | ||
Twi (Akan) | channel | ||
Arabic | قناة | ||
The Arabic word "قناة" (qanāt) can also refer to an artificial watercourse distributing water for irrigation or drinking. | |||
Hebrew | עָרוּץ | ||
The Hebrew word עָרוּץ (channel) originally meant "riverbed" or "watercourse". | |||
Pashto | چینل | ||
The word "چینل" (channel) in Pashto can also refer to a "passageway" or a "ditch". | |||
Arabic | قناة | ||
The Arabic word "قناة" (qanāt) can also refer to an artificial watercourse distributing water for irrigation or drinking. |
Albanian | kanali | ||
The Albanian word "kanali" is derived from the Italian word "canale", meaning "waterway or ditch" | |||
Basque | kanala | ||
"Kanala" also refers to the main vein or artery in the human body in Basque. | |||
Catalan | canal | ||
The Catalan noun "canal" translates to "channel" in English and it can also refer to a pipe used to convey liquids or the inner part of a bone. | |||
Croatian | kanal | ||
The Croatian word 'kanal' can also refer to a moat, gutter, or conduit, akin to its German cognate 'Kanal'. | |||
Danish | kanal | ||
The word "kanal" in Danish can also refer to a narrow waterway or a watercourse. | |||
Dutch | kanaal | ||
In Dutch, "kanaal" can also refer to a television or radio channel or a ditch or waterway. | |||
English | channel | ||
The word "channel" derives from the Greek "kanalis," meaning "ditch" or "stream," and in French, "canal" refers to a pipe or tube. | |||
French | canal | ||
In French, "canal" refers not only to an artificial waterway but also to a duct or tube in the body. | |||
Frisian | kanaal | ||
In West Frisian, the word "kanaal" means "ditch". | |||
Galician | canle | ||
The Galician word "canle" can also mean "pipe" or "conduit". | |||
German | kanal | ||
The German word 'Kanal' derives from the Latin word 'canalis', which means 'water pipe' or 'ditch'. | |||
Icelandic | rás | ||
The word "rás" in Icelandic can also refer to a promontory that juts out into the sea, cognate with the Old Norse "rás" meaning a "headland". | |||
Irish | cainéal | ||
The word "cainéal" is also used to refer to a narrow strait or a small river. | |||
Italian | canale | ||
"Canale" in Italian can mean either a small channel or a main channel of a river or canal. | |||
Luxembourgish | kanal | ||
The Luxembourgish word "Kanal" can also refer to a narrow waterway or a gutter. | |||
Maltese | kanal | ||
The word 'kanal' is derived from the Italian word 'canale' and also means 'a large drain' in Maltese. | |||
Norwegian | kanal | ||
The word "kanal" can also refer to a strait between landmasses or an anatomy within the body. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | canal | ||
In Porto and Northern Portugal, "canal" refers to a narrow street between buildings. | |||
Scots Gaelic | sianal | ||
In the Isle of Man, sianal can also mean a narrow path or waterway. | |||
Spanish | canal | ||
The Spanish word "canal" can also refer to a narrow strait or passage of water connecting two larger bodies of water. | |||
Swedish | kanal | ||
"Kanal" originally meant a narrow body of water to transport goods from lakes to the sea | |||
Welsh | sianel | ||
The Welsh word "sianel" can also refer to a furrow or groove, tracing its roots to the Latin "canalis" meaning "pipe" or "ditch." |
Belarusian | канал | ||
The Belarusian word "канал" can also refer to a ditch or a strait. | |||
Bosnian | kanal | ||
"Kanal" is cognate to Latin "canalis" meaning both "ditch" and "pipe". | |||
Bulgarian | канал | ||
The word "канал" in Bulgarian could also mean "ditch" or "sewer". | |||
Czech | kanál | ||
In Czech, "kanál" also means "sewer" or "gutter". | |||
Estonian | kanal | ||
The Estonian word kanal derives from Middle Low German "kanael", meaning a ditch, canal, or sewer | |||
Finnish | kanava | ||
The word "kanava" in Finnish comes from the Swedish word "kanal", which in turn comes from the Latin word "canalis", meaning "pipe" or "conduit". | |||
Hungarian | csatorna | ||
The Hungarian word "csatorna" also means "sewer" and is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "čьstorna", meaning "a place for sewage to flow." | |||
Latvian | kanāls | ||
The word "kanāls" can also refer to a "pipeline" or "trench" in Latvian. | |||
Lithuanian | kanalą | ||
"Kanalą" in Lithuanian also refers to a narrow waterway or a gutter. | |||
Macedonian | канал | ||
The word "канал" in Macedonian also means "ditch", "groove", or "furrow". | |||
Polish | kanał | ||
Polish 'kanał' comes from German 'Kanal' or Italian 'canale', both derived from Latin 'canalis', which meant 'a conduit for water'. | |||
Romanian | canal | ||
In Romanian, "canal" directly translates to "channel" but also refers to a narrow waterway connecting two larger bodies of water. | |||
Russian | канал | ||
In Russian, the word "канал" can also refer to a canal, a trench, or a ditch | |||
Serbian | канал | ||
The Serbian word "канал" also means "gully" or "canal" in the context of civil engineering | |||
Slovak | kanál | ||
The word "kanál" in Slovak can also mean "canal" or "gutter". | |||
Slovenian | kanal | ||
The Slovenian word 'kanal' is etymologically related to the English word 'canal' but also refers to a type of mountain valley. | |||
Ukrainian | каналу | ||
In Ukrainian, "каналу" can also refer to a water canal, a drainage ditch, or a narrow passage. |
Bengali | চ্যানেল | ||
The word "চ্যানেল" (channel) comes from the Portuguese word "canal", meaning an artificial waterway, and ultimately from the Latin word "canalis", meaning pipe or watercourse. | |||
Gujarati | ચેનલ | ||
The word "ચેનલ" also means a "strait", a stretch of open water connecting two large bodies of water. | |||
Hindi | चैनल | ||
The word "channel" originates from the Latin word "canalis," meaning "canal" or "watercourse." | |||
Kannada | ಚಾನಲ್ | ||
The Kannada word "ಚಾನಲ್" ("channel") can also refer to a narrow passage, groove, or furrow. | |||
Malayalam | ചാനൽ | ||
The Malayalam word "ചാനൽ" is derived from the Tamil word "சேனல்" meaning "path" or "route." | |||
Marathi | चॅनल | ||
In Marathi, "चॅनल" can also refer to a "furrow" or a "groove". | |||
Nepali | च्यानल | ||
Channel is derived from the Latin word "canalis", meaning "a watercourse". | |||
Punjabi | ਚੈਨਲ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නාලිකාව | ||
The term 'නාලිකාව' shares roots with the Sanskrit word 'नली', both of which refer to a tube or passageway. | |||
Tamil | சேனல் | ||
The Tamil word சேனல் also refers to a canal, ditch, or waterway. | |||
Telugu | ఛానెల్ | ||
The word ఛానెల్ (channel) comes from the Portuguese word canal, itself derived from the Latin word canalis. | |||
Urdu | چینل | ||
The Urdu word "چینل" (channel) can also refer to a waterway or a passage. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 渠道 | ||
"渠道" (qūdào) originally referred to a ditch that guides water, but now also refers to a means of distributing something. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 渠道 | ||
渠道 in Chinese can also mean "route" or "avenue". | |||
Japanese | チャネル | ||
In Japanese, "channel" can also refer to a program or service broadcast on television or radio. | |||
Korean | 채널 | ||
채널 (Channel) is the Korean reading/pronunciation of the English loanword 'channel', but in addition also means 'tunnel'. | |||
Mongolian | суваг | ||
"Суваг" also means "road" or "way" in Mongolian. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ချန်နယ် | ||
The word "ချန်နယ်" in Myanmar (Burmese) is derived from the English word "channel" and can also refer to a riverbed or a strait. |
Indonesian | saluran | ||
The word "saluran" in Indonesian can also refer to a groove or conduit for fluids or other substances. | |||
Javanese | saluran | ||
The Javanese word "saluran" also has the meaning "canal" and comes from the Sanskrit word "śāla" which means "hall" or "house". | |||
Khmer | ឆានែល | ||
The word "ឆានែល" can also refer to a path, a way or a means. | |||
Lao | ຊ່ອງທາງ | ||
Malay | saluran | ||
"Saluran" comes from the Sanskrit "srotas", meaning "stream, flow, or current", and can also refer to a ditch or drain. | |||
Thai | ช่อง | ||
The Thai word "ช่อง" (channel) originally meant "hole" or "opening" and is still used in this sense in some contexts. | |||
Vietnamese | kênh | ||
The Vietnamese word "kênh" can trace its etymological roots to the Chinese character "渠" (qú) and also carries the secondary meaning of "canal". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | channel | ||
Azerbaijani | kanal | ||
The Azerbaijani word "kanal" originates from the Arabic word "qanāl", meaning "ditch" or "conduit for water". | |||
Kazakh | арна | ||
In Old Turkic, "арна" meant "direction, place where the water or something flows," from Proto-Turkic *arna "stream, channel." | |||
Kyrgyz | канал | ||
In Kyrgyz, the word "канал" can also refer to a type of irrigation canal, a waterway used for transporting water for agricultural purposes. | |||
Tajik | канал | ||
The word "канал" also means "ditch" or "drain" in Tajik. | |||
Turkmen | kanal | ||
Uzbek | kanal | ||
The word "kanal" in Uzbek is borrowed from Russian and means "canal", "groove", or "duct". | |||
Uyghur | channel | ||
Hawaiian | kanal | ||
In Hawaiian 'kanal' means 'channel' but also means 'sound' produced by the vibration of a hollow object. | |||
Maori | hongere | ||
The word "hongere" can also refer to a stream, river, or gully in Maori. | |||
Samoan | auala | ||
The word "auala" also means an inlet, a channel in a reef or a river's mouth. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | channel | ||
In Tagalog, the word "channel" refers to a trench, while in English it can also mean a means of communication. |
Aymara | canal | ||
Guarani | canal rehegua | ||
Esperanto | kanalo | ||
The Esperanto word "kanalo" is derived from the Latin "canalis", meaning "ditch, conduit, or pipe". | |||
Latin | channel | ||
The Latin word 'canalis' meant 'water conduit' and was also used figuratively to refer to a 'pathway' or 'route'. |
Greek | κανάλι | ||
In Cypriot dialect, the word "κανάλι" can also mean a "ravine" or a "ditch." | |||
Hmong | channel | ||
The word "channel" in Hmong can also refer to a river or a stream. | |||
Kurdish | qenal | ||
The word "qenal" in Kurdish can also refer to a waterway or a conduit | |||
Turkish | kanal | ||
Kanal in Turkish means a channel, but it is also used to refer to canals or waterways, making it a versatile term. | |||
Xhosa | itshaneli | ||
The word "itshaneli" in Xhosa can also refer to a watercourse or stream. | |||
Yiddish | קאַנאַל | ||
The Yiddish word "קאַנאַל" can also refer to a gutter, a ditch, or a drain. | |||
Zulu | isiteshi | ||
The Zulu word "isiteshi" can also refer to a valley or a stream, and is derived from the verb "sesha" meaning "to flow". | |||
Assamese | চেনেল | ||
Aymara | canal | ||
Bhojpuri | चैनल के बा | ||
Dhivehi | ޗެނަލް | ||
Dogri | चैनल | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | channel | ||
Guarani | canal rehegua | ||
Ilocano | kanal | ||
Krio | chanɛl | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | کەناڵ | ||
Maithili | चैनल | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯦꯅꯦꯜ ꯑꯁꯤꯅꯥ ꯑꯦꯟ.ꯗꯤ.ꯑꯦ | ||
Mizo | channel a ni | ||
Oromo | channel | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଚ୍ୟାନେଲ୍ | | ||
Quechua | canal | ||
Sanskrit | चैनल | ||
Tatar | канал | ||
Tigrinya | channel | ||
Tsonga | xitichi xa xiteji | ||