Updated on March 6, 2024
At its core, a farm is a piece of land used for growing crops or raising animals, providing food and resources for communities around the world. This concept is so fundamental that it has been embraced and adapted in various ways across different cultures and languages.
The significance of farms extends beyond agriculture, as they also play a crucial role in preserving cultural heritage and traditions. For instance, Japanese satoyama landscapes are a unique blend of farmland, forests, and settlements that have been maintained for centuries. Similarly, the ancient Inca terraces in Peru showcase the remarkable agricultural practices of a bygone civilization.
As globalization continues to bring people closer together, understanding the translation of 'farm' in different languages can help bridge cultural gaps and foster mutual respect. For example, granja in Spanish, ferme in French, and Bauernhof in German all convey the same essential meaning, yet carry unique cultural nuances.
Discover the rich tapestry of farming traditions by exploring the translations of 'farm' in various languages. Delve into the historical contexts, interesting facts, and cultural importance that make each term unique.
Afrikaans | plaas | ||
The word "plaas" in Afrikaans is derived from the Dutch word "plaats", which originally meant "place" or "settlement". | |||
Amharic | እርሻ | ||
The word እርሻ is derived from the verb ራስ (ras), which means to cultivate or till. | |||
Hausa | gona | ||
Gona can also refer to a place where animals graze freely, as well as a place for leisure and recreation. | |||
Igbo | ugbo | ||
"Ugbo" in Igbo may also refer to the act of farming or a place where plants are grown for food. | |||
Malagasy | toeram-pambolena | ||
While "toeram-pambolena" literally translates to "place for planting," it can also refer to a garden or rice field. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | famu | ||
The word "famu" (farm) in Nyanja (Chichewa) is derived from the Proto-Bantu root *-ima "to cultivate". | |||
Shona | purazi | ||
"Purazi" is derived from the Portuguese root “prazo” meaning agricultural estate and it can also refer to a smallholding | |||
Somali | beer | ||
In the Afar language of Ethiopia and Eritrea, "beer" also means "field" or "plot of land." | |||
Sesotho | polasi | ||
"Polasi" also means "field" or "garden" and may be related to the Zulu word "isibaya" meaning "place of safety." | |||
Swahili | shamba | ||
The word 'shamba' originates from the Persian word 'chumbar' meaning 'garden' or 'orchard', and also has the alternate meaning of 'a piece of land used for farming'. | |||
Xhosa | ifama | ||
"Ifama" can also mean "a place of many trees" in Xhosa. | |||
Yoruba | oko | ||
The Yoruba word "oko" can also refer to a husband or a male, reflecting the significance of farming in traditional Yoruba society. | |||
Zulu | ipulazi | ||
Zulu word 'ipulazi' also refers to farm-workers, indicating the close relationship between them and the land. | |||
Bambara | foro | ||
Ewe | agble | ||
Kinyarwanda | umurima | ||
Lingala | ferme | ||
Luganda | faamu | ||
Sepedi | polase | ||
Twi (Akan) | afuo | ||
Arabic | مزرعة | ||
The word "مزرعة" (farm) in Arabic is derived from the root "زرع" (to sow), indicating its primary purpose as a place for cultivating crops. | |||
Hebrew | חווה חקלאית | ||
The Hebrew word "חווה חקלאית" can refer to both a place where crops and animals are raised or a company that produces and distributes agricultural products. | |||
Pashto | فارم | ||
In Pashto, "فارم" can also refer to a "house" or "household". | |||
Arabic | مزرعة | ||
The word "مزرعة" (farm) in Arabic is derived from the root "زرع" (to sow), indicating its primary purpose as a place for cultivating crops. |
Albanian | fermë | ||
The word "fermë" is derived from the Latin word "firma", meaning "firm, fixed" and in Albanian it can also refer to a "fortress" or a "stronghold". | |||
Basque | baserria | ||
The Basque word "baserria" (farm) is derived from the words "baso" (forest) and "erri" (town), reflecting the traditional Basque practice of establishing farms in forest clearings. | |||
Catalan | granja | ||
The word "granja" in Catalan derives from the Late Latin word "granica", meaning "boundary of a farm". | |||
Croatian | farmi | ||
The word 'farmi' in Croatian, though referring to a farm, is of Latin origin, coming from 'firmus', meaning 'strong'. | |||
Danish | gård | ||
The Danish word "gård" is cognate with the English word "yard", both deriving from the Proto-Germanic word *gardaz, meaning "enclosure". | |||
Dutch | boerderij | ||
The Dutch word "boerderij" can also refer to a collection of buildings used for farming, such as a barn, stables, and a farmhouse. | |||
English | farm | ||
The word 'farm' derives from the Old English word 'feorm', meaning 'food, provisions'. | |||
French | ferme | ||
The word 'ferme' in French can also mean 'firm' or 'closed' and comes from the Latin word 'firmare', meaning 'to make firm or secure'. | |||
Frisian | pleats | ||
Frisian word 'pleats' shares its roots with the English word 'pleat', both related to folding. | |||
Galician | granxa | ||
Galician granxa "farm" comes from Latin "granica" "boundary", and has been used to refer to a "border castle" as well as to a "farm". | |||
German | bauernhof | ||
The word "Bauernhof" is derived from the Middle High German word "būr", meaning "peasant", and "hof", meaning "court" or "yard". | |||
Icelandic | býli | ||
In Old Norse, | |||
Irish | feirm | ||
The Irish word "feirm" can also refer to the rent of a farm and, less commonly, to the "firm" that rents or holds the farm. | |||
Italian | azienda agricola | ||
The term "azienda agricola" can also refer to a wider agricultural business entity, encompassing not only farming but also related activities such as food processing and distribution. | |||
Luxembourgish | bauerenhaff | ||
The Luxembourgish word "Bauerenhaff" is derived from the Old High German word "būr", meaning "house" or "dwelling." | |||
Maltese | razzett | ||
The word “razzett” could derive from Arabic “ras” (head) or “raz” (to sow), or from Sicilian “razzu” (land). | |||
Norwegian | gård | ||
"Gård" is also an archaic term for "gate" in Norwegian. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | fazenda | ||
The Portuguese word "fazenda" originally derives from the Latin word "facere," meaning "to make". It can also refer to a large estate or plantation, especially in Brazil. | |||
Scots Gaelic | tuathanas | ||
The term "tuathanas" in Scots Gaelic historically referred to lands granted to a chieftain's followers in exchange for military service. | |||
Spanish | granja | ||
In Catalan, the word "granja" can also mean "café" or "bakery shop". | |||
Swedish | odla | ||
"Odla" in Swedish comes from the Old Norse word "œðla" (to clear or cultivate land) and is related to the English word "addle" (to make empty). | |||
Welsh | fferm | ||
Welsh 'fferm' also means 'tax' and derives from Latin 'firma' ('agreement'). |
Belarusian | хутар | ||
The Belarusian word "хутар" (farm) comes from the Ukrainian word "хутір" (hamlet), which itself originated from the Romanian word "hotar" (border). | |||
Bosnian | farmi | ||
The word "farmi" in Bosnian is derived from the Latin word "firma", meaning "fixed" or "established". | |||
Bulgarian | ферма | ||
The word "ферма" in Bulgarian is related to the Latin word "firmus" meaning "firm" or "strong", and can also refer to a "fortress" or "fortified place". | |||
Czech | farma | ||
The Czech word "farma" can also refer to a "pharmaceutical company". | |||
Estonian | talu | ||
The word "talu" also means "household" and "farmstead". | |||
Finnish | maatila | ||
In the 16th century, | |||
Hungarian | farm | ||
The Hungarian word "farm" ultimately derives from the German word "farm" via Slovak and Polish. | |||
Latvian | saimniecība | ||
The word saimniecība originally referred to a smallholding, and is still used in this sense in some Latvian dialects. | |||
Lithuanian | ūkis | ||
The word "ūkis" shares a common root with "auginti" (to grow), suggesting its original meaning was more general, referring to husbandry or agriculture, as opposed to just the management of real estate. | |||
Macedonian | фарма | ||
The word "фарма" also means "apothecary", and is derived from the Greek word "pharmakon", meaning "drug" or "poison." | |||
Polish | gospodarstwo rolne | ||
The word "gospodarstwo rolne" is derived from the Old Slavonic word "gospod" meaning "master" or "lord", and the word "rolny" meaning "agricultural". | |||
Romanian | fermă | ||
The Romanian word "fermă" is derived from the Hungarian word "farm" and ultimately from the German word "farm". In Hungarian, "farm" can also mean "estate" or "manor". | |||
Russian | ферма | ||
The Russian word "ферма" can also refer to a truss or a structural framework. | |||
Serbian | фарми | ||
The word 'фарми' in Serbian, meaning 'farm', is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'xvorma', meaning 'fenced enclosure'. | |||
Slovak | farma | ||
The word "farma" in Slovak can also refer to a "company" or a "business". | |||
Slovenian | kmetija | ||
In Slovene, the word "kmetija" can also mean "estate" or "homestead". | |||
Ukrainian | ферми | ||
The word 'ферми' (farm) is cognate with the German word 'farm', and the English word 'firm'. |
Bengali | খামার | ||
The word "খামার" (farm) in Bengali can also mean a "storehouse" or a "granary". | |||
Gujarati | ફાર્મ | ||
The word "ફાર્મ" is used in Gujarati to describe both commercial farms and smaller subsistence farms; it's origin is in the Indo-Aryan languages and is related to the Sanskrit word "phalam" meaning "fruit-tree". | |||
Hindi | खेत | ||
The word "खेत" (farm) derives from the Sanskrit word "क्षेत्र" (field), indicating its relation to land for cultivation. | |||
Kannada | ಕೃಷಿ | ||
The word "ಕೃಷಿ" also means "agriculture" in Kannada, and is derived from the Sanskrit word "कृषि" meaning "to cultivate" or "to till the soil". | |||
Malayalam | ഫാം | ||
"ഫാം" is derived from the Latin word "Firma" which means "fixed income". | |||
Marathi | शेत | ||
The word "शेत" in Marathi originates from the Sanskrit word "क्षेत्र" (kṣētra), which can also mean "field" or "area". | |||
Nepali | फार्म | ||
The word "फार्म" (farm) in Nepali, derived from Sanskrit, also means "form" or "method". | |||
Punjabi | ਖੇਤ | ||
The word "ਖੇਤ" (farm) is also used in Punjabi to refer to the "field" or "land" where crops are grown. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ගොවිපල | ||
The word "ගොවිපල" (farm) is derived from the Sanskrit word "कृषि" (kṛṣi), meaning "cultivation of the soil". | |||
Tamil | பண்ணை | ||
பண்ணை is sometimes used in the sense of a 'farm' or 'estate', but it can also mean 'a village, town, or city'. | |||
Telugu | వ్యవసాయం | ||
The word "వ్యవసాయం" in Telugu is derived from the Sanskrit word "kṛṣi", which means "to plow" or "to cultivate". | |||
Urdu | فارم | ||
The word "farm" may also refer to a tax lease in the Mughal Empire. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 农场 | ||
It has 2 radicals (部首): the first one, 田, means "farmland," and the second one, 夫, means "husband." This is a pun because in traditional China, husbands mostly do farming work. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 農場 | ||
The Chinese word 農場 (farm) in Traditional characters can also mean "agricultural plantation" or "farmhouse" in certain contexts. | |||
Japanese | ファーム | ||
The word “ファーム” (faamu) can also refer to a tobacco plantation or a place for raising livestock. | |||
Korean | 농장 | ||
The word 농장, meaning "farm," originally referred to a military outpost or garrison. | |||
Mongolian | ферм | ||
The word 'ферм' comes from the Latin word 'firma' meaning 'fixed or established' and is also related to the word 'firm'. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | လယ်ယာမြေ | ||
The original meaning of the word refers to a small area of land but later took on the meaning of an entire farm or estate. |
Indonesian | tanah pertanian | ||
The word "tanah pertanian" literally means "agricultural land" and can also refer to a field or plot of land used for cultivation. | |||
Javanese | tegalan | ||
Tegalan is likely derived from the word 'tagal', which means 'cleared land', and is cognate with the Malay word 'tegalan' and the Indonesian word 'ladang', both of which mean 'farm'. | |||
Khmer | កសិដ្ឋាន | ||
The word "កសិដ្ឋាន" can also refer to a place where plants are grown for research or education purposes. | |||
Lao | ກະສິກໍາ | ||
"ກະສິກໍາ" is derived from Sanskrit "kṛṣikarma", meaning "tillage" and "agriculture", and is used both for farming and agriculture." | |||
Malay | ladang | ||
The Malay word "ladang" means "farm", but it can also refer to a temporary clearing in the jungle created by burning and cultivating a plot of land for a few years. | |||
Thai | ฟาร์ม | ||
Thai "ฟาร์ม" ("farm") is borrowed from English, which in turn derives from Old English "feorm" or Medieval Latin "firma," meaning "rent" or "lease." | |||
Vietnamese | nông trại | ||
Nông trại in Vietnamese, besides its meaning of "farm," can also mean "plantation." | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sakahan | ||
Azerbaijani | ferma | ||
"Ferma" is also an antonym of the Azerbaijani word "meşə" and means "field" in Persian. | |||
Kazakh | ферма | ||
Ферма сarries the additional meaning of "the space inside a geometric shape" and is related to the "ferma" in the same sense in Italian. | |||
Kyrgyz | чарба | ||
"Чарба" comes from the Arabic word "charb", meaning "cattle" or "livestock." | |||
Tajik | ферма | ||
"Ферма" (farm) comes from the Italian "ferma" meaning "fixed place" or "resting place for cattle." | |||
Turkmen | ferma | ||
Uzbek | ferma | ||
The word "ferma" is borrowed from Russian where it means "farm" and ultimately comes from the Latin "firmus" meaning "strong" or "fixed". | |||
Uyghur | دېھقانچىلىق مەيدانى | ||
Hawaiian | mahiʻai | ||
The term 'mahiʻai' can also refer to food preparation, cultivation, and sustenance in Hawaiian. | |||
Maori | pāmu | ||
The word "pāmu" in Māori can also refer to a "place of cultivation", "a plantation", or "a cultivated area". | |||
Samoan | faʻatoʻaga | ||
The noun "faʻatoʻaga" can also mean a plantation in English. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | sakahan | ||
The term sakahan also refers to a specific area or plot of land used for farming. |
Aymara | uywa uywañawja | ||
Guarani | mymba mongakuaaha | ||
Esperanto | bieno | ||
"Bieno" is also used to refer to a small farm or homestead, as well as to a collection of farms or agricultural land. | |||
Latin | villam | ||
In Medieval Latin, villam also refers to a village, while in Late Latin it can mean a country estate. |
Greek | αγρόκτημα | ||
The word "αγρόκτημα" is derived from the ancient Greek words "αγρός" (field) and "κτίζω" (to build), and also means "estate" or "plantation". | |||
Hmong | liaj teb | ||
The term "liaj teb" in Hmong translates to "farm" in English, but it also references the specific space on the hill where the garden is planted. | |||
Kurdish | malgûndî | ||
The word 'malgûndî' in Kurdish has roots in the Persian word 'malgûn' meaning 'to overturn or to scatter,' and may also refer to a collective gathering of items or people. | |||
Turkish | çiftlik | ||
Çiftlik, besides its meaning of "farm", is also used to refer to any business or organization that operates on a large scale, or to a large number of people or animals belonging to one owner. | |||
Xhosa | ifama | ||
"Ifama" can also mean "a place of many trees" in Xhosa. | |||
Yiddish | פאַרם | ||
The Yiddish word "פאַרם" ("farm") can be traced to Middle Dutch "ferme," and is a cognate of English "farm," French "ferme," and German "Farm." | |||
Zulu | ipulazi | ||
Zulu word 'ipulazi' also refers to farm-workers, indicating the close relationship between them and the land. | |||
Assamese | খেতি | ||
Aymara | uywa uywañawja | ||
Bhojpuri | खेत | ||
Dhivehi | ދަނޑު | ||
Dogri | खेतर | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sakahan | ||
Guarani | mymba mongakuaaha | ||
Ilocano | talon | ||
Krio | fam | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | کێڵگە | ||
Maithili | बाडी | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯕꯨꯛ | ||
Mizo | lo | ||
Oromo | bakkee qonnaa | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଚାଷ | ||
Quechua | granja | ||
Sanskrit | क्षेत्र | ||
Tatar | фермасы | ||
Tigrinya | ምሕራስ | ||
Tsonga | purasi | ||