Floor in Different Languages
Discover 'Floor' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The floor: a simple, often overlooked aspect of our daily lives, yet it holds a wealth of cultural and historical significance. In many traditions, the floor is not just a surface to walk upon, but a sacred space that reflects our values, beliefs, and connection to the earth. From the tatami mats of Japan to the intricate tilework of Moroccan riads, the humble floor serves as a canvas for stunning craftsmanship and design.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'floor' in different languages can offer fascinating insights into global diversity and cultural nuances. For instance, the German word for floor, 'Boden,' also means 'soil' or 'ground,' emphasizing our intimate bond with the earth. Meanwhile, the Italian 'pavimento' stems from 'pavimentum,' an ancient Roman term for a layer of gravel or crushed stone used to pave roads and public spaces.
Join us as we explore the multifaceted world of 'floor' in various languages, shedding light on the rich tapestry of human experience and creativity.
Floor
Floor in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | vloer | ||
| Afrikaans "vloer" derives from Middle Dutch "vloer" ( | |||
| Amharic | ወለል | ||
| "ወለል" also means "base" when referring to an organization, and "the lowest point" when used to describe an object's location. | |||
| Hausa | bene | ||
| 'bene' (floor) is borrowed from the Fulani word 'phene' (floor). | |||
| Igbo | ala | ||
| In Igbo, "ala" refers to both "floor" and "earth," underscoring the foundational nature of land and the dwelling. | |||
| Malagasy | tany | ||
| "Tany" also means "village" or "region" in Malagasy, denoting the importance of the floor as a central and communal space in Malagasy culture. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | pansi | ||
| The word "pansi" in Nyanja (Chichewa) originates from the Bantu root *-tsi, meaning "ground" or "earth." | |||
| Shona | uriri | ||
| Uriri' can also refer to an open courtyard in Shona, derived from the word 'kureura', meaning 'to sweep. | |||
| Somali | dabaqa | ||
| The word dabaqa can also mean "a layer" or "a stratum". | |||
| Sesotho | mokatong | ||
| Its alternate meanings include 'flat' and in the context of a house it refers to 'the space between two walls'. | |||
| Swahili | sakafu | ||
| The word "sakafu" in Swahili also means "foundation" or "base". | |||
| Xhosa | umgangatho | ||
| The word "umgangatho" also means "a gathering place" or "a social gathering" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | pakà | ||
| The word "pakà" (meaning "floor") finds its roots in the phrase "a i pakà" meaning "on the ground." | |||
| Zulu | phansi | ||
| While 'phansi' means 'floor' in Zulu, it also signifies the 'ground' or 'earth'. | |||
| Bambara | dugukolo | ||
| Ewe | anyigbã | ||
| Kinyarwanda | hasi | ||
| Lingala | mabele | ||
| Luganda | wansi | ||
| Sepedi | lebato | ||
| Twi (Akan) | fam | ||
Floor in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أرضية | ||
| In addition to meaning "floor," the word "أرضية" can also refer to the surface of a body of water or a layer of paint. | |||
| Hebrew | קוֹמָה | ||
| The Hebrew word "קוֹמָה" (floor) also means "height" or "stature". | |||
| Pashto | پوړ | ||
| In Pashto, "پوړ" also means "level" or "stage" and is derived from the Proto-Indo-European word "*per-," meaning "to cross" or "to go through." | |||
| Arabic | أرضية | ||
| In addition to meaning "floor," the word "أرضية" can also refer to the surface of a body of water or a layer of paint. | |||
Floor in Western European Languages
| Albanian | kati | ||
| In Albanian, "kati" can also refer to a level, tier, or story of a building, as well as a floor of a multi-story building. | |||
| Basque | solairua | ||
| The word 'solairua' also means 'house'} | |||
| Catalan | pis | ||
| The word 'pis' also means 'apartment' in Catalan, likely deriving from the Latin 'pensum', meaning 'weighed'. | |||
| Croatian | kat | ||
| In Croatian dialects, there is a second meaning - "a part of a house". In Slavonian dialects, it even means "a house". | |||
| Danish | etage | ||
| It is an abbreviation of the French "étage" meaning "stage" or "tier" referring to one of the levels of a multi-story building. | |||
| Dutch | verdieping | ||
| The Dutch word 'verdieping' originally meant 'depth', but later acquired the meaning of 'floor' | |||
| English | floor | ||
| The word "floor" can also refer to a level of a building, a layer, or the bottom of a container. | |||
| French | sol | ||
| The origin of French word for floor ("sol") comes from the Latin word "solum" (literally "ground"). | |||
| Frisian | flier | ||
| The Frisian word "flier" can also refer to a type of pancake or a large piece of paper. | |||
| Galician | chan | ||
| The word «chan» can also refer to a flat place or plain land. | |||
| German | fußboden | ||
| The word "Fußboden" literally translates to "foot floor", referring to its purpose as a surface to walk on. | |||
| Icelandic | hæð | ||
| Icelandic cognates include haðningur m. (a floor covering), hodda f. (a piece of cloth used as a coverlet), and hylja f. (a veil). | |||
| Irish | urlár | ||
| The word 'urlár' is also used in Irish mythology to refer to the firmament, the solid floor of heaven. | |||
| Italian | pavimento | ||
| The word "pavimento" in Italian also means "pavement" or "mosaic". | |||
| Luxembourgish | buedem | ||
| The word "Buedem" in Luxembourgish originates from the Germanic word "bodum", meaning the ground or soil. | |||
| Maltese | art | ||
| The Maltese word "art" can also be used to refer to the ground or earth. | |||
| Norwegian | gulv | ||
| The word "gulv" is thought to derive from the Old Norse word "gölfr", meaning "a hole in the ground". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | chão | ||
| "Chão" derives from the Latin word "planus", meaning "flat" or "level", sharing a root with the English word "plain". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | làr | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word “làr”, “floor” in English, is also cognate with “lwr” in Welsh and the Breton word | |||
| Spanish | suelo | ||
| The word 'suelo' also derives from the Latin 'solum', meaning 'ground' or 'soil'. | |||
| Swedish | golv | ||
| The word 'golv' is cognate with the English word 'golf', both derived from the Old Germanic word 'gulfa' meaning 'pit' or 'ditch'. | |||
| Welsh | llawr | ||
| The word "llawr" also means "storey" in Welsh and is cognate with the Breton word "leur" meaning "place". | |||
Floor in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | падлога | ||
| "Падлога" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *podъlъga, meaning "something spread under". | |||
| Bosnian | sprat | ||
| The noun "sprat" ("sprat") in Bosnian derives from the Proto-Slavic language and is related to the verb "prati" ("to wash"), sharing its historical root with the words "prati" ("to wash") and "pralac" ("washer"). | |||
| Bulgarian | етаж | ||
| The word "етаж" (floor) also means "stage" in a theater or performance space. | |||
| Czech | podlaha | ||
| In Czech, "podlaha" also means "basement". | |||
| Estonian | korrus | ||
| In old Russian, "korossa" meant "fenced part (of a building)", which in Proto-Slavic was "*кор-са" ( | |||
| Finnish | lattia | ||
| The Finnish word "lattia" may derive from the Proto-Finnic word "lata", which referred to a wooden platform or walkway. | |||
| Hungarian | padló | ||
| In Hungarian, "padló" shares the same etymology with the English word "pillow" and originally referred to the raised wooden sleeping areas in traditional Hungarian homes. | |||
| Latvian | stāvā | ||
| The word 'stāvā' is derived from the Proto-Baltic word '*stātos', meaning 'to stand' or 'to be in place'. This root is also found in the Slavic languages (e.g. Russian 'стоять', Polish 'stać'), as well as in other Indo-European languages (e.g. English 'stand', German 'stehen'). | |||
| Lithuanian | grindis | ||
| The word "grindis" can also refer to the ground or soil. | |||
| Macedonian | подот | ||
| The Macedonian word "подот" is derived from the Proto-Slavic *podъ, which also gave rise to the Russian word "пол" and the Polish word "podłoga". | |||
| Polish | podłoga | ||
| In Polish, "podłoga" also refers to a wooden platform or scaffolding used in construction or mining. | |||
| Romanian | podea | ||
| "Podea" ultimately derives from Latin "podium" meaning "stage" or "balcony". In Romanian, "podea" has also the meaning of "loft". | |||
| Russian | этаж | ||
| Russian "этаж" comes from the Dutch "etage" via German "Etage", ultimately from the French "étage". It also means "stage" in the theater. | |||
| Serbian | под | ||
| The word "под" in Serbian, aside from meaning "floor", can also refer to the "lining" or "backing" of something, such as the lining of a coat or the backing of a mirror. | |||
| Slovak | poschodie | ||
| The word „poschodie“ (floor) comes from the Proto-Slavic word *podu, meaning “foot”, thus a poschodie is what you step on. | |||
| Slovenian | tla | ||
| The word "tla" can also refer to the ground or the land | |||
| Ukrainian | підлога | ||
| The Ukrainian word "підлога" originally meant "half" or "section" and referred to half of a house or room. | |||
Floor in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | মেঝে | ||
| The word "মেঝে" is derived from the Sanskrit word "मृज्" (mṛj), meaning "to clean" or "to wipe". It is also related to the Hindi word "मंजिल" (manzil), meaning "destination" or "goal". | |||
| Gujarati | ફ્લોર | ||
| The Gujarati word "ફ્લોર" is cognate with the French "fleur" and means "flower". | |||
| Hindi | मंज़िल | ||
| Hindi word "मंज़िल" has alternate meaning of "destination" in Urdu and Persian. | |||
| Kannada | ನೆಲ | ||
| ನೆಲ can also mean "ground", "land", "soil", or "earth" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | തറ | ||
| The word "തറ" can also refer to a threshing floor or a flat surface used for winnowing or drying paddy. | |||
| Marathi | मजला | ||
| The word 'मजला' in Marathi also means 'stage' or 'level' in a figurative sense. | |||
| Nepali | भुइँ | ||
| The word "भुइँ" can also refer to the ground or earth. | |||
| Punjabi | ਫਲੋਰ | ||
| The term 'ਫਲੋਰ' ('floor') in Punjabi can also refer to a layer or a group of individuals sharing a common characteristic. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මහල | ||
| The word "මහල" (floor) is derived from the Sanskrit word "महल" (palace) and also means "a story of a building" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | தரை | ||
| The Tamil word "தரை" also refers to the earth or the soil, and is related to the Sanskrit term "धरा" (dhara) with the same meaning. | |||
| Telugu | నేల | ||
| In Telugu, "నేల" (nela) can also refer to the earth or ground, the soil, or the bottom of a container. | |||
| Urdu | فرش | ||
| The word فرش (farsh) is derived from the Persian word "فرش" (farsh), which means "carpet" or "rug". It can also refer to any type of floor covering, such as a carpet, rug, or mat. | |||
Floor in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 地板 | ||
| 地板 (dìbǎn) is thought to have derived from the phrase 地板砖 (dìbǎnzhuān), originally referring to tiles set on the ground. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 地板 | ||
| 地板, composed of 地 (di) meaning "ground" and 板 (ban) meaning "board", originally referred to wooden flooring but now includes all types of flooring materials. | |||
| Japanese | 床 | ||
| The word "床" (とこ) in Japanese can originally also mean "bed". | |||
| Korean | 바닥 | ||
| The word “바닥” can refer to floorboards themselves and not just the entire floor. | |||
| Mongolian | шал | ||
| The Mongolian word "шал" (floor) and the Tibetan word "ཤལ" (plank) have common Proto-Sino-Tibetan roots. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကြမ်းပြင် | ||
Floor in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | lantai | ||
| The word "lantai" is not only used for the physical covering of a room, but also as a term for floors in a multi-story building, a stage, or a story in a building. | |||
| Javanese | lantai | ||
| "Lantai" in Javanese can also mean "foundation" or "basis". | |||
| Khmer | ជាន់ | ||
| The Khmer word "ជាន់" can also mean "level" or "story" of a building. | |||
| Lao | ຊັ້ນ | ||
| The word "ຊັ້ນ" could also mean "story" or "level" of a building. | |||
| Malay | lantai | ||
| The word "lantai" can also refer to a platform or the stage of a theater. | |||
| Thai | ชั้น | ||
| The Thai word "ชั้น" can also refer to a level or tier, as in a social hierarchy. | |||
| Vietnamese | sàn nhà | ||
| "Nhà sàn" is a traditional Vietnamese house built on stilts and is often used to describe the floors of a house. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sahig | ||
Floor in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | mərtəbə | ||
| The word "mərtəbə" can also mean "stage" or "rank" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | еден | ||
| "Еден" is cognate with "табан" (foot) and means "part you step on" | |||
| Kyrgyz | кабат | ||
| The word "кабат" also means "floor of a house" in Russian. | |||
| Tajik | фарш | ||
| The word фарш can also refer to minced meat or food stuffing. | |||
| Turkmen | pol | ||
| Uzbek | zamin | ||
| The word "zamin" also means "land, earth, or ground" in both Uzbek and Persian. | |||
| Uyghur | پول | ||
Floor in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | papahele | ||
| "Papa" in "papahele" also means flat and refers to flat land. | |||
| Maori | papa | ||
| The word "papa" also refers to a flat, horizontal surface, such as a table or a bench in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | foloa | ||
| In Samoan the word "foloa" can also mean "to follow" or "to accompany". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sahig | ||
| The Tagalog word 'sahig' also refers to a wooden plank or board, reflecting its original meaning as a type of flooring material. | |||
Floor in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | pisu | ||
| Guarani | tendapa'ũ | ||
Floor in International Languages
| Esperanto | etaĝo | ||
| "Etaĝo" also means "story", i.e. a part of a narrative, and is derived from the Old French "estage". | |||
| Latin | area | ||
| The Latin word "area" originally meant an open space such as a courtyard or a threshing floor. | |||
Floor in Others Languages
| Greek | πάτωμα | ||
| In ancient Greek, 'πάτωμα' meant 'the act of trampling' and could also refer to the 'sole of a shoe'. | |||
| Hmong | pem teb | ||
| The Hmong word "pem teb" also has alternate meanings "foundation", "base", "bottom". | |||
| Kurdish | erd | ||
| The Kurdish word "erd" can also mean "ground" or "land". | |||
| Turkish | zemin | ||
| The word "zemin" is derived from the Persian word "zamīn", meaning "earth" or "ground" and refers not only to the floor of a building but also to the underlying surface of the earth. | |||
| Xhosa | umgangatho | ||
| The word "umgangatho" also means "a gathering place" or "a social gathering" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | שטאָק | ||
| The Yiddish word "שטאָק" also means "stick" or "rod", likely due to the use of wooden beams in traditional floor construction. | |||
| Zulu | phansi | ||
| While 'phansi' means 'floor' in Zulu, it also signifies the 'ground' or 'earth'. | |||
| Assamese | মজিয়া | ||
| Aymara | pisu | ||
| Bhojpuri | फर्श | ||
| Dhivehi | ބިންމަތި | ||
| Dogri | फर्श | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sahig | ||
| Guarani | tendapa'ũ | ||
| Ilocano | datar | ||
| Krio | grɔn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نهۆم | ||
| Maithili | सतह | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯩꯃꯥꯏ | ||
| Mizo | chhuat | ||
| Oromo | lafa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଚଟାଣ | ||
| Quechua | panpa | ||
| Sanskrit | तलः | ||
| Tatar | идән | ||
| Tigrinya | መሬት | ||
| Tsonga | hansi | ||