City in Different Languages
Discover 'City' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
City
Afrikaans stad | ||
Albanian qyteti | ||
Amharic ከተማ | ||
Arabic مدينة | ||
Armenian քաղաք | ||
Assamese চহৰ | ||
Aymara jach'a marka | ||
Azerbaijani şəhər | ||
Bambara duguba | ||
Basque hiria | ||
Belarusian горад | ||
Bengali শহর | ||
Bhojpuri शहर | ||
Bosnian grad | ||
Bulgarian град | ||
Catalan ciutat | ||
Cebuano syudad | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 市 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 市 | ||
Corsican cità | ||
Croatian grad | ||
Czech město | ||
Danish by | ||
Dhivehi ޝަހަރު | ||
Dogri शैहर | ||
Dutch stad | ||
English city | ||
Esperanto urbo | ||
Estonian linn | ||
Ewe dugã | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) lungsod | ||
Finnish kaupunki | ||
French ville | ||
Frisian stêd | ||
Galician cidade | ||
Georgian ქალაქი | ||
German stadt | ||
Greek πόλη | ||
Guarani táva | ||
Gujarati શહેર | ||
Haitian Creole lavil | ||
Hausa birni | ||
Hawaiian kulanakauhale | ||
Hebrew עִיר | ||
Hindi faridabad | ||
Hmong lub nroog | ||
Hungarian város | ||
Icelandic borg | ||
Igbo obodo | ||
Ilocano siudad | ||
Indonesian kota | ||
Irish chathair | ||
Italian città | ||
Japanese 市 | ||
Javanese kutha | ||
Kannada ನಗರ | ||
Kazakh қала | ||
Khmer ទីក្រុង | ||
Kinyarwanda umujyi | ||
Konkani शार | ||
Korean 시티 | ||
Krio siti | ||
Kurdish bajar | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) شار | ||
Kyrgyz шаар | ||
Lao ເມືອງ | ||
Latin urbs | ||
Latvian pilsēta | ||
Lingala engumba | ||
Lithuanian miestas | ||
Luganda ekibuga | ||
Luxembourgish stad | ||
Macedonian град | ||
Maithili नगर | ||
Malagasy tanàna | ||
Malay bandar | ||
Malayalam നഗരം | ||
Maltese belt | ||
Maori taone nui | ||
Marathi शहर | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯁꯍꯔ | ||
Mizo khawpui | ||
Mongolian хот | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) မြို့ | ||
Nepali शहर | ||
Norwegian by | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) mzinda | ||
Odia (Oriya) ସହର | ||
Oromo magaalaa | ||
Pashto ښار | ||
Persian شهر | ||
Polish miasto | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) cidade | ||
Punjabi ਸ਼ਹਿਰ | ||
Quechua llaqta | ||
Romanian oraș | ||
Russian город | ||
Samoan taulaga | ||
Sanskrit नगरी | ||
Scots Gaelic bhaile-mòr | ||
Sepedi toropokgolo | ||
Serbian град | ||
Sesotho motse | ||
Shona guta | ||
Sindhi شهر | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) නගරය | ||
Slovak mesto | ||
Slovenian mesto | ||
Somali magaalada | ||
Spanish ciudad | ||
Sundanese kota | ||
Swahili mji | ||
Swedish stad | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) lungsod | ||
Tajik шаҳр | ||
Tamil நகரம் | ||
Tatar шәһәр | ||
Telugu నగరం | ||
Thai เมือง | ||
Tigrinya ከተማ | ||
Tsonga doroba | ||
Turkish kent | ||
Turkmen şäher | ||
Twi (Akan) kuropɔn | ||
Ukrainian місто | ||
Urdu شہر | ||
Uyghur شەھەر | ||
Uzbek shahar | ||
Vietnamese thành phố | ||
Welsh ddinas | ||
Xhosa isixeko | ||
Yiddish שטאָט | ||
Yoruba ilu | ||
Zulu idolobha |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | In South Africa, 'stad' is commonly used to refer to Pretoria, the country's administrative capital. |
| Albanian | The word "qyteti" is derived from the Proto-Albanian word "*kwéti" and is cognate with the Latin word "civitas". It can also refer to a town or village. |
| Amharic | The word "ከተማ" (city) originally meant "fortified enclosure" but later came to refer to any significant settlement. |
| Arabic | The word "مدينة" in Arabic is derived from the root "مدن", which means "to settle down" or "to become civilized". It can also refer to a "place of gathering" or a "metropolis". |
| Armenian | The Armenian word “քաղաք” originated from the Old Persian word “pātaka” (marketplace, district) or the Old Assyrian word “pātāku” (storehouse). In Middle Armenian, it gained the meaning of “fortress” or “stronghold”. |
| Azerbaijani | The word "şəhər" is derived from the Persian word "shahr" and ultimately from the Akkadian word "âlu", meaning "settlement" or "city-state". |
| Basque | "Hiria" can also be broken down into "hiri" (town) and "a" (suffix indicating a place), suggesting a historical relationship between towns and cities. |
| Belarusian | Горад originally meant a fortified settlement, a stronghold, but later acquired the meaning of any urban area. |
| Bengali | The Bengali word "শহর" can also refer to a large marketplace or town, especially one in a rural area. |
| Bosnian | The word "grad" can also refer to a castle or fortress, and is cognate with the word "gorod" in Russian and other Slavic languages. |
| Bulgarian | In Old Church Slavonic, "град" means "castle", as does its cognate German "burg" (as in "Hamburg", "Edinburgh") |
| Catalan | The Catalan word "ciutat" derives from the Latin term "civitas", also meaning "city" but with the extended connotation of "citizen" or "civilized community". |
| Cebuano | The word "syudad" derives from the Spanish word "ciudad", meaning "city", but can also refer to a large town or municipality. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The character '市' can also refer to a marketplace, fair, or a unit of area. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | The character 市 also means 'market', and is a homophone of 事, meaning 'business', 'matter', or 'thing'. |
| Corsican | The Corsican word "cità" derives from the Latin "civitas", meaning "community" or "citizenship", but can also refer to a village or town. |
| Croatian | The term 'grad' is of Illyrian origin and also refers to an old type of fortified castle, similar to the English 'burgh', which was often the origin of modern Balkan cities and later administrative districts |
| Czech | The word "město" in Czech also refers to a town or village, as opposed to a "vesnice" (village). |
| Danish | The word "by" in Danish can also refer to a small town or village. |
| Dutch | The word "stad" in Dutch, which means "city," is derived from the Old Dutch word "statha," meaning "a place where trade, commerce, or administrative activities take place." |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "urbo" comes from the Latin word "urbs", which means "city" or "town." |
| Estonian | The word "linn" in Estonian can also refer to a fortress or a castle. |
| Finnish | "Kaupunki" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "kauppa", meaning "trade" or "market." |
| French | French "ville" is derived from Latin "villa" (country house or farm), while "cité" is from Latin "civitas" (city-state). |
| Frisian | Old Frisian 'stêd' meant 'place, plot' or 'place of human settlement,' with the latter evolving into 'city'. |
| Galician | The Galician word "cidade" derives from the Latin term "civitās," which denoted both a community of citizens and an urban settlement. |
| Georgian | The word "ქალაქი" (city) may have originated from the Persian word "کلا" (kala) meaning "fortress" or "citadel". |
| German | The word "Stadt" shares its etymology with "stead" and "state" and can refer to a location, a political entity, or a social condition. |
| Greek | The word "πόλη" can also mean "state" or "country" in Greek, depending on the context. |
| Gujarati | The Gujarati word "શહેર" comes from Sanskrit "क्षेत्र" (kṣetra), meaning 'field' or 'abode'. In modern Gujarati, it still retains this meaning in addition to 'city'. |
| Haitian Creole | The Haitian word "lavil" derives from the French word "ville," meaning "town" or "city. |
| Hausa | Hausa word 'birni' also means a 'walled city'. |
| Hawaiian | The compound Hawaiian noun “kulanakauhale” originates from an older form “kulana kauhale,” meaning “to collect at the place of government.” |
| Hebrew | The word עִיר can also refer to a large settlement in the Bible and a capital, in contrast to כרך ('metropolis'). |
| Hindi | "Faridabad" is likely derived from the word "Farid", meaning "a descendant of Farid" or "born to Farid". |
| Hmong | The word "lub nroog" (city) in Hmong is a compound word composed of "lub" (water) and "nroog" (rice patty). |
| Hungarian | "Város" derives from the Slavic word "var" meaning "fortress". |
| Icelandic | The word "borg" can also refer to a fort or castle, and is related to the English word "borough". |
| Igbo | "Obodo" in Igbo also refers to "community" or "homeland," highlighting the importance of communal bonds and shared identity in Igbo culture. |
| Indonesian | "Kota" also means 'fortress' in Sanskrit, possibly explaining why the word was used to refer to walled cities in the past. |
| Irish | The Irish word "chathair" derives from the Proto-Indo-European word "*kʷetwóres, |
| Italian | The word "città" derives from the Latin "civitas", meaning "community" or "state", and also relates to the concept of "citizenship" and "civilization". |
| Japanese | 市 in Japanese can also mean 'market', which gives us street words like 'Shinsekai' (lit. 'new world market') and 'Kuromon Ichiba' (lit. 'Kuromon market'). |
| Javanese | Derived from Sanskrit "ku" meaning "to dig" and "thas" meaning "place": a place that has been excavated. |
| Kannada | ನಗರ is derived from the Sanskrit word "नग्न" (naked), possibly referring to unguarded open areas around early settlements. |
| Kazakh | The word "қала" can also refer to a fortress or castle, as it is derived from the Persian word for "fort". |
| Khmer | The term "ទីក្រុង" also means "metropolitan area" in Khmer, encompassing the city proper and its surrounding suburbs. |
| Korean | In Korean, "시티" can also mean "death" or "corpse," derived from the Sino-Korean word for "deathly smell" |
| Kurdish | The word "bajar" in Kurdish is cognate with the Persian word "bāzār" and originally meant "market" or "marketplace". |
| Kyrgyz | The word "шаар" has two meanings in Kyrgyz: “city” and “battle”. |
| Lao | The Lao word "ເມືອງ" also refers to a type of administrative division similar to a province or district. |
| Latin | The Latin word "urbs" originally referred to a fortified settlement, and is related to the word "orbis" (circle), as cities were often built in a circular shape. |
| Latvian | The word pilsēta is derived from the Proto-Baltic word *pilsātas, meaning "fortified settlement," and is related to the Lithuanian word pilis and the Old Prussian word pilso, both meaning "castle". |
| Lithuanian | "Miestas" is possibly derived from Proto-Indo-European |
| Luxembourgish | The Luxembourgish word "Stad" is related to the German word "Stadt" and the Dutch word "Stad", meaning "city", and also refers to the city of Luxembourg. |
| Macedonian | The word "град" also means "hail" in Macedonian and is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *gordъ, which meant "fortified settlement". |
| Malagasy | "Tanàna" also means "place where water rises" in the Betsimisaraka dialect spoken in the northeast of Madagascar. |
| Malay | The word "bandar" is derived from the Persian word "bandar" meaning "port". |
| Malayalam | The Malayalam word "നഗരം" is derived from the Sanskrit word "नगर" and also means "town" or "village". |
| Maltese | The Maltese word "belt" is also used to refer to a town square, a garden, or a country area. |
| Maori | The word "taone nui" can also refer to a "great gathering" or a "meeting place" in Maori. |
| Marathi | The word "शहर" likely derives from the Sanskrit word "क्षेत्र" (kṣetra), meaning "field". |
| Mongolian | Хот, also translated as “town”, comes from the Mongolian root hot- (or khot-) meaning “walled enclosure” and was extended to refer to a “fortress”, “fort”, and “stronghold”, and by metonymy a “town” or “city”. |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | The word "မြို့" (city) in Myanmar can also mean "town", "village", or "settlement". |
| Nepali | The word "शहर" is derived from the Sanskrit word "क्षेत्र" (kṣetra), which means "field" or "area". |
| Norwegian | The word «by» in Norwegian can also refer to a small town or a village, distinguishing it from the larger «by» meaning city. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "mzinda" can also be used to refer to the physical structure of the city, including its buildings and streets. |
| Pashto | The word "ښار" is derived from the Proto-Indo-Iranian word "*kaxar," meaning "fenced place," and is cognate with the Sanskrit word "क्षेत्र" (kṣetra), meaning "field" or "territory." |
| Persian | The word 'شهر' (شهر) is derived from the Old Persian word 'cishaka', meaning 'enclosed space' or 'settlement'. |
| Polish | The word "miasto" in Polish can also refer to a town, village, or any other settlement that has a charter. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | "Cidade", from Vulgar Latin "civitatem" (acc.) and ultimately Latin "civis" ("civilian", "citizen"): a settlement of any size with charter, a market or town centre, and usually some form of local government or town council, not always clearly distinguished as a town from a small city, especially in Latin America or Portugal." |
| Punjabi | The word "ਸ਼ਹਿਰ" is also used to refer to a large town or a marketplace. |
| Romanian | The Romanian word "oraș" is derived from the Hungarian word "város" and also means "time" in Romanian. |
| Russian | "Город" (city) in Russian derives from the Slavic term meaning "fenced place" and can refer to a settlement with protective walls or ramparts. |
| Samoan | Taulaga, meaning 'harbor,' derives from the Proto-Polynesian term *tau* ('harbor') and *laga* ('calm, peaceful'). |
| Scots Gaelic | Bhaile-mòr is cognate with "big town" and "town" in Irish and with "farm" and "townland" in Manx. |
| Serbian | "Град" can also refer to a hailstone. |
| Sesotho | The Sesotho word "motse" can also refer to a town, village, or any settlement of people. |
| Shona | The word "guta" in Shona can also mean "a place where people live", "a village", or "a homestead". |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "شهر" originally derives from the Arabic word "شُهْر" (shuhr), which translates to "month". |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The Sinhala word "නගරය" shares a root with the word "නග" meaning "rise," and can refer to a mountain or other high place in addition to a city. |
| Slovak | The word "mesto" also has a historical meaning of "place" or "settlement", similar to its etymology in other Slavic languages. |
| Slovenian | The word "mesto" can also mean "place" or "site" in Slovenian. |
| Somali | The word magaalada in Somali derives from the Arabic word madiina, meaning "city" or "town". |
| Spanish | Ciudad originates from the Latin 'civitas' meaning 'city-state' or 'citizenship'. |
| Sundanese | The word 'kota' also means 'fort' or 'castle' in Sundanese, reflecting the historical role of cities as fortified settlements. |
| Swahili | The Swahili word "mji" also means "village" and is derived from the Proto-Bantu word *muji* meaning "settlement". |
| Swedish | "Stad" also means "bank" in Swedish, sharing the same root as "stead" and "establish" in English. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | "Lungsod" can be traced to the Old Malay "lugas", meaning "a wide stretch of land with an open sea-facing shore." |
| Tajik | The word "шаҳр" in Tajik comes from the Persian word "شهر", which itself comes from the Avestan word "xšaθra", meaning "power" or "dominion." |
| Tamil | Derived from Proto-Dravidian *nakaram, the word also means "settlement" or "dwelling place." |
| Telugu | The word "నగరం" (city) is derived from the Sanskrit word "नगर" (town) and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *nek- (to bind). |
| Thai | The Thai word "เมือง" (city) derives from the Mon word "meung" (settlement) and is also used to refer to certain administrative divisions. |
| Turkish | Kent in Turkish can also refer to the geographical region of the British Isles, known as the County of Kent. |
| Ukrainian | In Old Slavic, the word “місто” meant any settlement, regardless of whether it was fortified or not. |
| Urdu | شهر is also a term of endearment for a lover or spouse |
| Uzbek | The word "shahar" comes from the Arabic "shahristan", which means "district or town". |
| Vietnamese | The word "thành phố" is of Chinese origin and is derived from the characters "thành" (city wall) and "phố" (street), reflecting its historical association with walled urban settlements. |
| Welsh | The modern name 'ddinas' is derived from the word 'dinas', which often referred to a hill-fort or a fortified settlement in older Welsh texts. |
| Xhosa | In Xhosa, "isixeko" also refers to a traditional settlement surrounded by a protective enclosure. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "שטאָט" (shtot) can also mean "town" or "village" in some contexts. |
| Yoruba | The Yoruba word "ilu," meaning "city," is believed to have originated from the word "ilu," meaning "campsite" or "settlement. |
| Zulu | Idolobha, meaning 'city' in Zulu, derives from the word 'idolo' (settlement) and 'bha' (place). |
| English | The word “city” derives from the Old French “cité” and the Latin “civitas”, both of which mean “community of citizens.” |