Distance in Different Languages
Discover 'Distance' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Distance is a fundamental concept that describes the space between two points or objects. It holds great significance in various fields such as mathematics, physics, geometry, and even in our daily lives. The cultural importance of distance is evident in phrases like 'social distancing' that have become a part of our global lexicon due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Understanding the translation of distance in different languages can provide valuable insights into how different cultures perceive and interact with the concept of space. For instance, in English, distance is often associated with isolation or separation, while in some African languages, distance can convey a sense of respect or formality.
Moreover, knowing the translation of distance in various languages can be practical for travel, international business, or simply for expanding one's linguistic and cultural knowledge.
Here are some translations of distance in different languages to get you started on your journey of linguistic and cultural discovery:
Distance
Distance in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | afstand | ||
| In Dutch, "afstand" can also mean "renunciation" or "abandonment". | |||
| Amharic | ርቀት | ||
| Hausa | nesa | ||
| Nesa is derived from the Arabic word 'nasa' which originally meant 'travelled distance', also denoting a 'journey'. In Hausa, it has evolved to exclusively refer to 'distance'. | |||
| Igbo | ebe dị anya | ||
| The Igbo word "ebe dị anya" can also refer to a remote location or a long time period. | |||
| Malagasy | elanelana | ||
| The Malagasy word "elanelana" also means "separateness" or "lack of intimacy." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mtunda | ||
| "Mtunda", or "distance" in Nyanja, also means "space" or "time duration." | |||
| Shona | chinhambwe | ||
| The word "chinhambwe" can also refer to a person who is very tall or who travels long distances. | |||
| Somali | masaafada | ||
| The word "masaafada" in Somali can also refer to the distance between two things in time or space. | |||
| Sesotho | hole | ||
| In Sesotho, "hole" also means a gap, an opening in a surface, a pit, a burrow, a hollow, a cavity, or a perforation. | |||
| Swahili | umbali | ||
| In some cases, "umbali" can imply temporal and metaphorical distance, or distance between two ideas. | |||
| Xhosa | umgama | ||
| The word "umgama" also refers to an unknown destination, suggesting the uncertainty and mystery associated with long distances. | |||
| Yoruba | ijinna | ||
| In some Yoruba dialects, "ijinna" also refers to a measurement of spatial difference. | |||
| Zulu | ibanga | ||
| The Zulu word "ibanga" can also refer to a place that is far away. | |||
| Bambara | janya | ||
| Ewe | didiƒe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | intera | ||
| Lingala | ntaka | ||
| Luganda | olugendo | ||
| Sepedi | monabo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ntwemu tenten | ||
Distance in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مسافة | ||
| In Classical Arabic, the word "مسافة" could refer to the "area" surrounding something (not necessarily a physical distance) | |||
| Hebrew | מֶרְחָק | ||
| The Hebrew word "מֶרְחָק" (merḥaq) also means "interval" or "space". | |||
| Pashto | واټن | ||
| The Pashto word "واټن" can also refer to a "stretch of land or territory" or "the area between two places". | |||
| Arabic | مسافة | ||
| In Classical Arabic, the word "مسافة" could refer to the "area" surrounding something (not necessarily a physical distance) | |||
Distance in Western European Languages
| Albanian | largësia | ||
| The word "largësia" comes from the Proto-Albanian word *larg-, meaning "separation". It is also associated with the Latin word "largior", meaning "to bestow or give". | |||
| Basque | distantzia | ||
| The word 'distantzia' in Basque shares its root with the Latin 'dis', meaning 'apart'. | |||
| Catalan | distància | ||
| The word "distància" in Catalan comes from the Latin word "distantia", which also means "difference" or "separation". | |||
| Croatian | udaljenost | ||
| Udaljenost has the alternate meaning of 'remoteness' in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | afstand | ||
| In Danish, "afstand" can also mean a "standoff" or "separation," especially in a disagreement or conflict. | |||
| Dutch | afstand | ||
| The Dutch word "afstand" has an etymological link to "afstand doen van", which means "to renounce or give up something". | |||
| English | distance | ||
| The word "distance" derives from the Latin word "distantia," meaning "separation, difference," and is related to the verb "distare," meaning "to stand apart." | |||
| French | distance | ||
| The French word | |||
| Frisian | ôfstân | ||
| The Frisian word "ôfstân" is derived from the Proto-West-Germanic word "*afstand" which could mean both "distance" and "separation" and the Proto-Germanic verb "*standjan" meaning "to stand". | |||
| Galician | distancia | ||
| The Galician word "distancia" also means "disagreement" or "difference". | |||
| German | entfernung | ||
| In German, "Entfernung" also means seclusion or separation. | |||
| Icelandic | fjarlægð | ||
| The Icelandic word "fjarlægð" shares a root with "fjall" ("mountain"), reflecting the challenges of travel through mountainous landscapes. | |||
| Irish | achar | ||
| The Irish word "achar" can also refer to a unit of measurement approximately equal to 22 English feet. | |||
| Italian | distanza | ||
| In Italian, the word 'distanza' also means 'remoteness', 'separation', or 'difference', and derives from the Latin 'distantia', meaning 'interval', 'difference', or 'divergence'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | distanz | ||
| The Luxembourgish language has several words for “distance”, depending on what type of separation is being described. | |||
| Maltese | distanza | ||
| The word "distanza" in Maltese derives from the Latin "distantia", meaning "separation" or "difference". | |||
| Norwegian | avstand | ||
| The word "avstand" in Norwegian can also refer to the amount of interest one has in something. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | distância | ||
| The word "distância" in Portuguese derives from the Latin "distantia", meaning "separation" or "interval". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | astar | ||
| The Gaelic word "astar" can also mean "measure" or "space". | |||
| Spanish | distancia | ||
| The Spanish word "distancia" comes from the Latin word "distantia," which means "separation" or "difference." | |||
| Swedish | distans | ||
| Swedish "distans" also means 'remoteness' and is cognate with English "distant" (same root). | |||
| Welsh | pellter | ||
| The word "pellter" is thought to be rooted in the Celtic word "pell," meaning "far" or "distant". | |||
Distance in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | адлегласць | ||
| Bosnian | razdaljina | ||
| The word "razdaljina" in Bosnian can also refer to the distance between two points in time. | |||
| Bulgarian | разстояние | ||
| The word "разстояние" in Bulgarian has etymological links to the Slavic root "стан" ("to stand"), implying a sense of "interval" or "separation." | |||
| Czech | vzdálenost | ||
| 'Vzdálenost' derives from 'vzdálit se' ('move away'), etymologically related to 'dálit' ('step'), hence it originally meant 'a step away', 'a space between steps'. | |||
| Estonian | kaugus | ||
| "Kaugus" derives from the Proto-Finnic *kauko-, meaning "faraway" and cognate with Finnish "kauko" and "kaug" in Võro and Seto." } | |||
| Finnish | etäisyys | ||
| The word 'etäisyys' comes from the Proto-Uralic word '*e̮t̮e̮', which meant 'far' or 'away'. | |||
| Hungarian | távolság | ||
| The word "távolság" is also used to mean "remoteness" or "interval" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | attālums | ||
| The Latvian word "attālums" comes from an older Baltic root, which also gave rise to "tol" in Russian, "tälla" in Finnish, "tal" in Estonian, "toli" in Lithuanian, "далёко" in Russian and "далёко" in Bulgarian, all of which mean "distance". | |||
| Lithuanian | atstumas | ||
| The word "atstumas" is cognate with the Latvian word "attālums" and the Sanskrit word "atisama," both meaning "distance." | |||
| Macedonian | растојание | ||
| The word "растојание" can also refer to a "span", "interval", or "difference", and is derived from the verb "растојати", meaning "to separate" or "to keep apart". | |||
| Polish | dystans | ||
| The Polish word "dystans" comes from the Latin word "distantia", which means "separation". | |||
| Romanian | distanţă | ||
| "Distanţă" is also used in Romanian to refer to the estrangement between two people. | |||
| Russian | расстояние | ||
| The noun «расстояние» originates from the verb «разойтись» meaning «to move apart». | |||
| Serbian | удаљеност | ||
| "Удаљеност" can also refer to "remoteness" or "alienation" in a metaphorical sense. | |||
| Slovak | vzdialenosť | ||
| "Vzdialenosť" originates from "vzdiaľ", meaning "away". Its Slavic root means "to divide" or "separate". | |||
| Slovenian | razdalja | ||
| The word "razdalja" (distance) derives from the Proto-Slavic word *razdalьje, meaning "to separate or move away." | |||
| Ukrainian | відстань | ||
| Відстань (distance) can also mean 'alienation', 'estrangement', or 'separation' in Ukrainian. | |||
Distance in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | দূরত্ব | ||
| The word দূরত্ব ('distance') in Bengali can also refer to the space or time between two events. | |||
| Gujarati | અંતર | ||
| The Gujarati word "અંતર" (distance) also means "difference" or "distinction". | |||
| Hindi | दूरी | ||
| दूरी comes from the Sanskrit word 'दृ' (drish), meaning 'to see', and originally meant 'separation of vision' | |||
| Kannada | ದೂರ | ||
| The word 'ದೂರ' in Kannada can also mean 'far away' or 'distant' | |||
| Malayalam | ദൂരം | ||
| The word "ദൂരം" (dūram) may originally have meant "a long time" or "a long time ago" rather than "a long way". | |||
| Marathi | अंतर | ||
| The word 'अंतर' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'अंतरम्', which means 'within' or 'interval'. | |||
| Nepali | दूरी | ||
| The Nepali word "दूरी" also means "far" or "remote". | |||
| Punjabi | ਦੂਰੀ | ||
| The word "ਦੂਰੀ" ("distance") can also refer to a "gap" or a "separation". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දුර | ||
| The Sinhala word 'දුර' ('distance') is etymologically related to the Sanskrit word 'दूर' ('far'). | |||
| Tamil | தூரம் | ||
| The Tamil word "தூரம்" (distance) comes from the Proto-Dravidian root *tū-ri which means "separation" or "disconnection". | |||
| Telugu | దూరం | ||
| The noun "దూరం" can also mean "separation" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | فاصلے | ||
| The word 'فاصلے' is thought to originate from the Sanskrit word 'विषम' ('vishama'), meaning 'uneven' or 'irregular'. | |||
Distance in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 距离 | ||
| The word "距离" (jùlí) can also mean "interval", "gap", or "separation". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 距離 | ||
| In addition to "distance," the term 距離 (jùlí) can also refer to the "difference" between things or places.} | |||
| Japanese | 距離 | ||
| 距離 can also refer to a relationship between two things, expressing intimacy or estrangement. | |||
| Korean | 거리 | ||
| The word "거리" originally meant "a place between people" and can still be used to refer to social distance. | |||
| Mongolian | зай | ||
| The word "зай" can also mean "to go", "to travel", or "to send" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အကွာအဝေး | ||
Distance in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | jarak | ||
| The word "jarak" in Indonesian is thought to derive from the Sanskrit word "durah", which means "distant". | |||
| Javanese | kadohan | ||
| Kadohan also means "separation" from the Old Javanese word "dohan". | |||
| Khmer | ចម្ងាយ | ||
| The term ចម្ងាយ also refers to the time taken to travel a certain distance. | |||
| Lao | ໄລຍະທາງ | ||
| The word ໄລຍະທາງ (distance) is derived from Sanskrit "raya" (way) and "tana" (stretch), meaning "the stretch of the way." | |||
| Malay | jarak | ||
| The word "jarak" in Malay also means "distance between the axles of a vehicle" or the "length of a horse's legs measured from the chest to the bottom of the hoof". | |||
| Thai | ระยะทาง | ||
| The term ระยะทาง can also refer to the range or extent of something. | |||
| Vietnamese | khoảng cách | ||
| Khoảng cách is a Vietnamese word that can also mean "gap" or "interval". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | distansya | ||
Distance in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | məsafə | ||
| The word "məsafə" originates from the Arabic word "masafa", meaning "space" or "interval between two points". | |||
| Kazakh | қашықтық | ||
| The Kazakh word "қашықтық" also refers to the interval between two events. | |||
| Kyrgyz | аралык | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "аралык" also means "space", "interval", or "gap". | |||
| Tajik | масофа | ||
| The word "масофа" in Tajik ultimately comes from the Arabic word "مسافة", meaning "distance or space". | |||
| Turkmen | aralyk | ||
| Uzbek | masofa | ||
| The word "masofa" in Uzbek is derived from the Persian word "masafat", which means "distance" or "space". | |||
| Uyghur | ئارىلىق | ||
Distance in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | mamao | ||
| 'Mamao' can also mean 'distant' as in 'distant relative' or 'distant land'. | |||
| Maori | tawhiti | ||
| Tawhiti also means 'the spirit of a departed chief' or 'a supernatural being'. | |||
| Samoan | mamao | ||
| The Samoan word "mamao" can also refer to a feeling of separation or loneliness. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | distansya | ||
| The Tagalog word "distansya" (distance) originally meant "interval between places," as it shared the root "distan" with the Latin "distare" (to stand apart). | |||
Distance in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jaya | ||
| Guarani | pukukue | ||
Distance in International Languages
| Esperanto | distanco | ||
| The Esperanto word "distanco" is derived from the Latin word "distantia"} | |||
| Latin | spatium | ||
| The original meaning of "spatium" was a racetrack or the distance covered in one stride of a horse. | |||
Distance in Others Languages
| Greek | απόσταση | ||
| The etymology of the word "απόσταση" is uncertain, but it may derive from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂eps- "to reach" or *h₂peh₂- "to guard, protect". | |||
| Hmong | deb | ||
| "Deb" is derived from the Proto-Hmong-Mien word *dʑaːp, and is cognate with the Proto-Tai word *dap | |||
| Kurdish | dûrî | ||
| The word "dûrî" in Kurdish can also refer to a "separation" or "period of time". | |||
| Turkish | mesafe | ||
| "Mesafe" sözcüğünün eski Türkçede "uzaklık, ayrılık" anlamlarına geldiği tahmin ediliyor. | |||
| Xhosa | umgama | ||
| The word "umgama" also refers to an unknown destination, suggesting the uncertainty and mystery associated with long distances. | |||
| Yiddish | ווייטקייט | ||
| 'ווייטקייט' is the Yiddish word for 'distance', but it can also refer to a person's stature or importance. | |||
| Zulu | ibanga | ||
| The Zulu word "ibanga" can also refer to a place that is far away. | |||
| Assamese | দূৰত্ব | ||
| Aymara | jaya | ||
| Bhojpuri | दूरी | ||
| Dhivehi | ދުރުމިން | ||
| Dogri | बक्फा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | distansya | ||
| Guarani | pukukue | ||
| Ilocano | distansia | ||
| Krio | fa | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دووری | ||
| Maithili | दूरी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯔꯥꯞꯄ | ||
| Mizo | hlatzawng | ||
| Oromo | fageenya | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଦୂରତା | ||
| Quechua | karu kaynin | ||
| Sanskrit | दूरी | ||
| Tatar | ара | ||
| Tigrinya | ርሕቐት | ||
| Tsonga | mpfhuka | ||