Driver in Different Languages
Discover 'Driver' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'driver' carries great significance in our daily lives, especially in this age of technology and transportation. It refers to an individual who operates a vehicle, but it's also a term used in computing to describe a software program that facilitates communication between hardware and software. Beyond its practical uses, the word 'driver' has found its way into various colloquialisms and idioms, such as 'driving force' or 'driving someone up the wall', which highlight its cultural importance.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'driver' in different languages can be fascinating and useful. For instance, in Spanish, it's 'conductor', in French 'conducteur', in German 'Fahrer', in Russian 'водитель' and in Japanese 'ドライバー' (doraibā). This linguistic exploration not only enriches our vocabulary but also offers insights into how different cultures perceive and interact with the concept of 'driving'.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a global traveler, or someone interested in broadening your cultural knowledge, exploring the translations of 'driver' is a great place to start.
Driver
Driver in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | bestuurder | ||
| Bestuurder (driver) is cognate with Dutch 'bestuurder', which in turn derives from 'besturen' (to govern, to control, to steer), ultimately from Old Frisian 'stiuren' or 'stiura' (to steer). | |||
| Amharic | ሹፌር | ||
| The term "chauffeur" is borrowed, via French, ultimately from "chauffer," meaning "stoke". Although in modern Amharic there is an association with transportation, it can still mean "fireman, stoker, attendant" | |||
| Hausa | direba | ||
| The word "direba" in Hausa is derived from the Arabic word "daraba", which means "to strike" or "to beat". | |||
| Igbo | ọkwọ ụgbọ ala | ||
| The Igbo term "ọkwọ ụgbọ ala" is often translated as "driver", but it literally means "navigator of the iron horse." | |||
| Malagasy | driver | ||
| The Malagasy word "driver" can also refer to a type of small fish. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | dalaivala | ||
| "Dalaivala" can also refer to someone who travels long distances, or who walks as their daily form of transport. | |||
| Shona | mutyairi | ||
| The word "mutyairi" also means "a person who is in charge". | |||
| Somali | darawal | ||
| In Somali, 'darawal' can also refer to a guide or a person who leads the way. | |||
| Sesotho | mokhanni | ||
| Mokhanni can also mean "person who is always asking for things". | |||
| Swahili | dereva | ||
| The Swahili word 'dereva' originates from the Arabic 'durrāj', meaning 'pilot'. | |||
| Xhosa | umqhubi | ||
| The word "umqhubi" can also refer to a person who guides or directs others. | |||
| Yoruba | awako | ||
| In Yoruba, the word "awako" has alternate meanings of "head" and "leader". | |||
| Zulu | umshayeli | ||
| The word "umshayeli" was also sometimes used to refer to a guide or a person who leads the way. | |||
| Bambara | bolifɛntigi | ||
| Ewe | ʋukula | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umushoferi | ||
| Lingala | mokumbi motuka | ||
| Luganda | ddereeva w’emmotoka | ||
| Sepedi | mootledi | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ofirikafo | ||
Driver in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | سائق | ||
| The word "سائق" can mean "waterer" or "pusher" depending on the context. | |||
| Hebrew | נהג | ||
| The Hebrew word 'נהג' ('driver') can also mean 'custom' or 'habit' and is cognate with the Arabic word 'nahj' ('pathway'). | |||
| Pashto | چلوونکی | ||
| The word “چلوونکی” can also refer to a person who operates a bullock cart. | |||
| Arabic | سائق | ||
| The word "سائق" can mean "waterer" or "pusher" depending on the context. | |||
Driver in Western European Languages
| Albanian | shofer | ||
| The word "shofer" in Albanian is also used to refer to a person who drives a horse-drawn carriage. | |||
| Basque | gidaria | ||
| The word "gidaria" in Basque also means "chauffeur" and "steersman of a boat". | |||
| Catalan | conductor | ||
| Catalan word "conductor" refers to an electric current carrier or an orchestra leader, while retaining its main meaning of "driver". | |||
| Croatian | vozač | ||
| The Croatian word 'vozač' derives from the Slavic verb 'voziti,' meaning to 'transport' or 'haul.' | |||
| Danish | chauffør | ||
| In Danish, "chauffør" also means "chauffeur" because this was the original meaning of the word in French. | |||
| Dutch | bestuurder | ||
| The Dutch word "bestuurder" is cognate with "besturen", meaning "to govern", and originally referred to a "steersman". | |||
| English | driver | ||
| In some parts of England the term 'driver' was used to describe the person who guided horses drawing threshing machinery. | |||
| French | chauffeur | ||
| In French, "chauffeur" originally meant "stoker" (of a furnace), then "fireman" (on a train), and then "driver" (of a car). | |||
| Frisian | sjauffeur | ||
| The word "sjauffeur" in Frisian comes from the French word "chauffeur" and originally meant "stoker". | |||
| Galician | condutor | ||
| "Condutor" also refers to something that conducts, like wires or pipes. | |||
| German | treiber | ||
| In computer science, a "Treiber" is a data structure used for fast thread-safe synchronization. | |||
| Icelandic | bílstjóri | ||
| In Norwegian, "bilkjører" means "driver", but is literally translated to "car (bil) runner (kjører)" (as opposed to the Icelandic "runner (hlaupandi)", which refers to someone who runs as an exercise). | |||
| Irish | tiománaí | ||
| "Tiománaí" is often used by Irish learners to mean "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" from confusion with French "mon ami.e." (f./m.) | |||
| Italian | conducente | ||
| Conducente in Italian can also mean 'proper' or 'suitable', deriving from the Latin 'conducens' meaning 'bringing together' or 'leading to'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | chauffer | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Chauffer" also means "fireman" and derives from the old French word "chaufeur" meaning "stoker". | |||
| Maltese | sewwieq | ||
| The word "sewwieq" also means "conductor" in the musical context. | |||
| Norwegian | sjåfør | ||
| In Norway, a "sjåfør" (driver) can also refer to a coachman or a private chauffeur, a sense now obsolete in English. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | motorista | ||
| Motorista (Portuguese) ultimately derives from Latin movere and motor, meaning "to move" and "mover," akin to French moteur and English "motor." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | draibhear | ||
| The word "draibhear" can also refer to a "carter", a person who drives a cart or waggon. | |||
| Spanish | conductor | ||
| In Spanish, "conductor" can also refer to someone who operates a musical ensemble, similar to "conductor" in English. | |||
| Swedish | förare | ||
| The word "förare" originates from the Old Norse word "fori" meaning "one who travels" or "messenger". | |||
| Welsh | gyrrwr | ||
| In medieval and renaissance Welsh, | |||
Driver in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | кіроўца | ||
| “Кіроўца” is derived from the Greek word “kyrios,” meaning “master” or “lord,” as drivers were once considered the masters of their vehicles. | |||
| Bosnian | vozač | ||
| The word 'vozač' is also used to refer to a wagon or a carrier. | |||
| Bulgarian | шофьор | ||
| "Шофьор" is borrowed from French "chauffeur" (stoker), which in turn originated in Latin "calefacere" (to make warm). | |||
| Czech | řidič | ||
| Řidič is derived from the verb řídit, meaning 'to steer' or 'to guide', and is also used informally to refer to a leader or supervisor. | |||
| Estonian | autojuht | ||
| The word "autojuht" in Estonian also means "chauffeur" or "professional driver". | |||
| Finnish | kuljettaja | ||
| In Estonian, the word kuljetaja means 'courier' | |||
| Hungarian | sofőr | ||
| The word "sofőr" is derived from the French "chauffeur", meaning "stoker", as early automobiles were steam-powered. | |||
| Latvian | šoferis | ||
| Šoferis derives from French "chauffeur", which is related to "chaud" (hot) and referred to a person who stoked a fire, then a steam engine, and later a car engine. | |||
| Lithuanian | vairuotojas | ||
| Vairuotojas is derived from the Lithuanian word "vairuoti," meaning "to drive" or "to steer." | |||
| Macedonian | возачот | ||
| The Macedonian word "возачот" (driver) also refers to a person who drives a locomotive or a tram. | |||
| Polish | kierowca | ||
| The word "kierowca" derives from the verb "kierować", meaning "to direct", and can also refer to a leader or supervisor. | |||
| Romanian | conducător auto | ||
| Conducător auto in romanian means driver and also leader or conductor in music. | |||
| Russian | водитель | ||
| The word "Водитель" (driver) derives from the verb "водить" (to lead, to guide), thus signifying "one who leads or guides". | |||
| Serbian | возач | ||
| In Old Church Slavonic, the word "возач" (vozach) originally meant "rider" or "charioteer". | |||
| Slovak | vodič | ||
| In Slovak, the word "vodič" can also be a conductor of electricity or music, as seen in expressions like "elektrický vodič" ("electrical conductor") and "orchestrálny vodič" ("band conductor"). | |||
| Slovenian | voznik | ||
| Voznik has Slavic roots and also means 'to emerge', 'to arise', and 'to occur'. | |||
| Ukrainian | водій | ||
| The word "водій" is derived from the verb "водити" (to lead, to guide), and it can also refer to a conductor, a pilot, or a captain. | |||
Driver in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | চালক | ||
| In physics, "চালক" also refers to an electrical conductor, a material that allows the flow of electric current. | |||
| Gujarati | ડ્રાઈવર | ||
| "ડ્રાઈવર" (driver) is derived from the English word "driver" meaning "one who drives a vehicle" or "a device that transmits power or signal". | |||
| Hindi | चालक | ||
| "चालक" can also mean 'one who causes to move' or 'one who motivates' in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಚಾಲಕ | ||
| In Kannada, "ಚಾಲಕ" can also refer to a person who uses an agricultural tool called "ಚಾಲ" to create furrows in soil. | |||
| Malayalam | ഡ്രൈവർ | ||
| The word "ഡ്രൈവർ" ("driver") in Malayalam can also mean a "machinist" or "engineer". | |||
| Marathi | ड्रायव्हर | ||
| The Marathi word "ड्रायव्हर" (driver) is derived from the English word "driver," but can also refer to a "chaplain" or "charioteer" in certain contexts. | |||
| Nepali | ड्राइभर | ||
| The word "ड्राइभर" can also refer to a screw or nail used to fasten metal sheets together. | |||
| Punjabi | ਡਰਾਈਵਰ | ||
| In Punjabi, the word "driver" also has the alternate meaning of "person who instigates or leads something" | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | රියදුරු | ||
| Tamil | இயக்கி | ||
| இயக்கி (iyakki) can also refer to an engine, mechanism, or the act of driving | |||
| Telugu | డ్రైవర్ | ||
| The word "డ్రైవర్" can also refer to a tool used to tighten or loosen screws. | |||
| Urdu | ڈرائیور | ||
| In Urdu, ڈرائیور (driver) also signifies a horse-drawn carriage and a metal screw to drive other screws in. | |||
Driver in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 司机 | ||
| 司机, in Chinese, can also refer to 'a machine or device that drives'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 司機 | ||
| 司機 is also a term for any motor vehicle or train operator in Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | 運転者 | ||
| "運転者" literally means "person who operates" and can refer to drivers of various vehicles, such as trains or ships, not just cars. | |||
| Korean | 운전사 | ||
| The word "운전사" can also refer to a locomotive engineer or a pilot. | |||
| Mongolian | жолооч | ||
| The word | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကားမောင်းသူ | ||
Driver in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sopir | ||
| In old Javanese, 'sopir' referred to a horseman or knight. | |||
| Javanese | sopir | ||
| The term 'sopir' is also a derivative word from the Dutch 'chaufeur', which is a loanword from the French term for 'stoker'. | |||
| Khmer | អ្នកបើកបរ | ||
| The alternative meaning of "អ្នកបើកបរ" means "someone who is in charge of something," such as a leader, manager, or commander. | |||
| Lao | ຄົນຂັບລົດ | ||
| The Lao word for "driver" can also refer to someone in charge of anything, like a team or an organization. | |||
| Malay | pemandu | ||
| "Pemandu" in Malay also refers to a person who directs (a group, etc.), as in "pemimpin," an "officer," an "expert," or "one who teaches". | |||
| Thai | คนขับ | ||
| The word "คนขับ" can also be used to refer to an operator or a person who makes something move, such as a machine or a vehicle. | |||
| Vietnamese | người lái xe | ||
| The word "người lái xe" can also mean "driver" in English, in addition to its literal meaning of "person who drives a vehicle" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | driver | ||
Driver in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | sürücü | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "sürücü" comes from the Turkish word "sürmek", meaning "to drive". | |||
| Kazakh | жүргізуші | ||
| In Kazakh, | |||
| Kyrgyz | айдоочу | ||
| Another meaning of the word is "an animal or person that guides or leads the way." | |||
| Tajik | ронанда | ||
| "Ронанда" is a word in Tajiki that means "driver" and is derived from the word "рондан" meaning "to drive". | |||
| Turkmen | sürüjisi | ||
| Uzbek | haydovchi | ||
| The Uzbek word “haydovchi” is rooted in the Persian word “hay” meaning “driving,” and the suffix “chi” denoting a profession. | |||
| Uyghur | شوپۇر | ||
Driver in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kalaiwa | ||
| "Kalaiwa" also means "to cut" or "to carve" in Hawaiian, referring to the skill of guiding a canoe through the water. | |||
| Maori | taraiwa | ||
| Taraiwa is also an uncommon term for a 'pilot' that guides waka (canoes) through dangerous waterways. | |||
| Samoan | avetaʻavale | ||
| The word "avetaʻavale" is derived from the words "ave" (to carry) and "taʻavale" (vehicle). | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | driver | ||
| The word "driver" in Tagalog (Filipino) also means "the shaft of a cart or carriage" or "a person who drives a nail or stake." | |||
Driver in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | conductora | ||
| Guarani | chofer | ||
Driver in International Languages
| Esperanto | ŝoforo | ||
| Despite the fact that 'ŝoforo' literally means 'chauffeur,' it can also refer to any driver or motorist. | |||
| Latin | agitator | ||
| In Latin, 'agitator' refers to a person in charge of driving horses, chariots, or ships. | |||
Driver in Others Languages
| Greek | οδηγός | ||
| The word "οδηγός" (driver) is derived from the Greek verb "οδηγώ" (to lead) and also means "guide" or "conductor." | |||
| Hmong | tsav tsheb | ||
| "Tsav tsheb" has a root, "tsav," meaning "to use, operate, or control," and "tsheb" meaning "automobile, vehicle, or machine." | |||
| Kurdish | ajotvan | ||
| The word 'ajotvan' is derived from the Persian word 'ajidan', meaning 'to drive' | |||
| Turkish | sürücü | ||
| In addition to its common meaning, "sürücü" can also refer to a conductor (of electricity), a chauffeur, or a stimulant. | |||
| Xhosa | umqhubi | ||
| The word "umqhubi" can also refer to a person who guides or directs others. | |||
| Yiddish | שאָפער | ||
| The Yiddish word "שאָפער" ("driver") is of German origin, originating in the 18th century when the automobile was invented. | |||
| Zulu | umshayeli | ||
| The word "umshayeli" was also sometimes used to refer to a guide or a person who leads the way. | |||
| Assamese | ড্ৰাইভাৰ | ||
| Aymara | conductora | ||
| Bhojpuri | ड्राइवर के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ޑްރައިވަރެވެ | ||
| Dogri | ड्राइवर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | driver | ||
| Guarani | chofer | ||
| Ilocano | drayber | ||
| Krio | drayva | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | شۆفێر | ||
| Maithili | ड्राइवर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯗ꯭ꯔꯥꯏꯚꯔ ꯑꯣꯏꯅꯥ ꯊꯧ ꯄꯨꯈꯤ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | driver a ni | ||
| Oromo | konkolaachisaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଡ୍ରାଇଭର | | ||
| Quechua | chofer | ||
| Sanskrit | चालकः | ||
| Tatar | машина йөртүче | ||
| Tigrinya | መራሒ መኪና | ||
| Tsonga | muchayeri | ||