Grave in Different Languages
Discover 'Grave' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word grave holds a profound significance in many cultures and languages. It often symbolizes the final resting place of our loved ones, serving as a physical manifestation of the circle of life. Moreover, it represents a place of great respect and reverence, where we pay tribute to those who have left an indelible mark on our lives.
Throughout history, graves have been adorned with intricate carvings, symbols, and inscriptions, reflecting the cultural values and beliefs of different societies. For instance, in ancient Egypt, pyramids were built as grand tombs for pharaohs, showcasing the civilization's advanced architectural skills and religious practices.
Given its universal importance, it's no surprise that the word grave has been translated into various languages, each with its unique cultural nuances. Here are some translations to pique your curiosity:
- Latin: sepultura
- Spanish: tumba
- French: tombe
- German: Grab
- Italian: tomba
- Japanese: haka
- Chinese: 墓穴 (mùxuè)
- Russian: могила (mogíla)
- Hindi: कबर (kabar)
Grave
Grave in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | graf | ||
| Graf can also mean "pit" or "ditch" in Afrikaans. | |||
| Amharic | መቃብር | ||
| "መቃብር" can also refer to the area where a body is buried. | |||
| Hausa | kabari | ||
| Kabari, in Hausa, can also refer to a hole in the ground made by rodents, particularly rats. | |||
| Igbo | ili | ||
| "Ili" also means "grave" in Igbo, and comes from the word "ile" which means "home". | |||
| Malagasy | fasana | ||
| Fasana is derived from Arabic "fasan" which means "bloodshed". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | manda | ||
| The word "manda" can also refer to a "platform" or "stage" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | guva | ||
| The word "guva" can also mean "gorge" in Shona, highlighting the connection between graves and deep, narrow places. | |||
| Somali | qabri | ||
| The word "qabri" is also used to refer to a group of graves, a cemetery, or a sacred burial site | |||
| Sesotho | lebitla | ||
| Swahili | kaburi | ||
| Swahili 'kaburi' derives from the Proto-Bantu form *kamburi 'heap, mound' | |||
| Xhosa | bethuna | ||
| The word "bethuna" also means "to bury" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | ibojì | ||
| "Ìbojì' can also mean "a curse" or "a thing that brings misfortune" in the Yoruba language. | |||
| Zulu | ithuna | ||
| In Zulu culture, 'ithuna' also refers to ancestors or a sacred place | |||
| Bambara | kaburu | ||
| Ewe | yɔdo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | imva | ||
| Lingala | lilita | ||
| Luganda | amalaalo | ||
| Sepedi | lebitla | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nna | ||
Grave in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | القبر | ||
| The Arabic word "القبر" can also refer to the tomb of a saint or the grave of a martyr. | |||
| Hebrew | קבר | ||
| The Hebrew word "קבר" (grave) also means "to bury" and is related to the Arabic word "قبر" (grave). | |||
| Pashto | قبر | ||
| The Pashto word "قبر" (grave) is also used as a slang term for a place where something is hidden or forgotten. | |||
| Arabic | القبر | ||
| The Arabic word "القبر" can also refer to the tomb of a saint or the grave of a martyr. | |||
Grave in Western European Languages
| Albanian | varr | ||
| Albanian 'varr' is derived from Proto-Indo-European *gʷreh₃bʰ- ('to cover'). | |||
| Basque | hilobia | ||
| The word "hilobia" in Basque derives from the Proto-Basque word *ilobi, meaning "death". | |||
| Catalan | sepultura | ||
| The word "sepultura" can also refer to a religious ceremony or a burial vault. | |||
| Croatian | grob | ||
| The Croatian word "grob" has the primary meaning of "grave" but also derives from the Proto-Slavic "*gъrbъ" meaning "mound" or "hill". | |||
| Danish | grav | ||
| The Danish word "grav" also means "ditch" and "trench" and derives from the Old Norse word "gröf" meaning "hollow". | |||
| Dutch | graf | ||
| The Dutch word "graf" can also refer to a moat or trench. | |||
| English | grave | ||
| The word 'grave' derives from the Latin 'gravis' meaning 'heavy', and in addition to denoting a place of burial, can also refer to a serious or solemn matter. | |||
| French | la tombe | ||
| French word "la tombe" also refers to a musical tombeau from the 17th century, and the tomb of a saint. | |||
| Frisian | grêf | ||
| The Old Frisian word "grêf" shares the same Germanic root with the Old English word "grǣf," meaning "a hole dug in the ground." | |||
| Galician | grave | ||
| In Galician, 'grave' also means 'a large, flat stone used as a cover for a tomb or grave'. | |||
| German | grab | ||
| While "Grab" means "ditch/trench" in German in general, it specifically means a grave site on ships. | |||
| Icelandic | gröf | ||
| The word "gröf" can also mean "pit" or "ditch". | |||
| Irish | uaigh | ||
| "Uaigh" can also refer to a "fairy mound" or "cave" in ancient Irish folklore. | |||
| Italian | tomba | ||
| In Sicilian, "tomb" also means "stomach". In Venetian, the word "tomba" means "tomb" but also means "the back of the head." | |||
| Luxembourgish | graf | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Graf" (grave) derives from the Frankish "grafa," meaning a ditch or trench. | |||
| Maltese | qabar | ||
| The Maltese word 'qabar' derives from the Arabic word 'qabr' (grave), and is also related to the Hebrew word 'kever' (grave). | |||
| Norwegian | grav | ||
| In Norwegian, the word "grav" also means "mound" or "hill" and is often used in place names. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | grave | ||
| Grave in Portuguese means not only "grave" but also "heavy, serious, important, imposing, venerable, illustrious, reputable." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | uaigh | ||
| The word "uaigh" comes from the Old Irish word "uaimh", which can mean cave, pit or womb. | |||
| Spanish | tumba | ||
| In Spanish, 'tumba' not only refers to a grave, but also to a musical genre or a type of dance. | |||
| Swedish | grav | ||
| The Scandinavian origin of grav means to | |||
| Welsh | bedd | ||
| The Welsh word "bedd" (grave), originally referred not to a hole, but a mound or heap of stones or turf, marking a place of burial or a battlefield. | |||
Grave in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | магіла | ||
| The word "магіла" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*mogila", meaning "grave mound" or "burial site". | |||
| Bosnian | grob | ||
| The word "grob" also means "rough" or "coarse" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | гроб | ||
| The word 'гроб' can also refer to the coffin or sarcophagus in which a dead person is buried. | |||
| Czech | hrob | ||
| The word "hrob" in Czech may also mean "heap" or "pile", indicating the mound of earth often associated with graves. | |||
| Estonian | haud | ||
| The word "haud" also means "tomb" or "burial mound" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | hauta | ||
| "Hauta" also means "to brood" and "cemetery" in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | sír | ||
| Although similar in spelling , the Hungarian "sír", meaning "grave", and the Turkish "sır", meaning "secret", are unrelated | |||
| Latvian | kapa | ||
| There is also a Russian word "капа" (kapa) meaning "drop" or "drip". | |||
| Lithuanian | kapas | ||
| "Kapas" in Lithuanian originally meant "high", and only later took on the meaning of "grave". | |||
| Macedonian | гроб | ||
| "Гроб" (grave) in Macedonian comes from the Old Church Slavonic "гробъ" (tomb), derived from the Greek "γρόβος" (a hole in the ground). | |||
| Polish | mogiła | ||
| Mogiła can also refer to a burial mound, a heap of stones raised over a grave, or a hill. | |||
| Romanian | mormânt | ||
| "Mormânt" comes from the old Slavic word "mrŭtŭ" (corpse) and can also mean "tomb" or "mausoleum." | |||
| Russian | могила | ||
| "Могила" is a Slavic word meaning "hill". In Russian, it has acquired the meaning of "grave". | |||
| Serbian | гроб | ||
| The word "гроб" has its origin in the Bulgarian word "гръб" and is also used in Russian and Old Church Slavonic. | |||
| Slovak | hrob | ||
| "Hrob" also means "lump" in some dialects of Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | grob | ||
| The word "grob" in Slovenian originated from the Proto-Slavic word "*grobъ" meaning "pit", and is also related to the word "groza" meaning "terror". | |||
| Ukrainian | могила | ||
| The Ukrainian word "могила" has been used in Russian since the 16th century, but it is likely of Türkic origin. | |||
Grave in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কবর | ||
| The word "কবর" is ultimately derived from the Arabic word "qabr", which also means "tomb" or "grave". | |||
| Gujarati | કબર | ||
| "કબર" can also refer to a grave in the context of a burial ground, but in a more poetic sense. | |||
| Hindi | गंभीर | ||
| The word "गंभीर" can also mean "deep" or "serious" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಸಮಾಧಿ | ||
| The term 'ಸಮಾಧಿ' is also used to refer to a state of deep meditation, derived from the Sanskrit word 'samādhi,' meaning 'concentration,' 'absorption,' or 'ecstasy'. | |||
| Malayalam | കുഴിമാടം | ||
| "കുഴിമാടം" literally means "the place of the pit" from "കുഴി" (pit) + "മാടം" (place). It can also refer to a "tomb" where people are buried. | |||
| Marathi | गंभीर | ||
| The word "गंभीर" (grave) in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word "गंभीर" (deep, weighty) and also means "serious" or "solemn". | |||
| Nepali | चिहान | ||
| The word "चिहान" is derived from the Sanskrit word "शयन" (sayan), meaning "bed" or "resting place." | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਬਰ | ||
| The word "ਕਬਰ" can also refer to a graveyard or cemetery in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සොහොන | ||
| "සොහොන" is derived from the Sanskrit word "शोषण" (śoshana), meaning "drying up" or "withering away". | |||
| Tamil | கல்லறை | ||
| In Tamil, "கல்லறை" can also refer to a flat stone found at the top of a tomb or a tombstone. | |||
| Telugu | సమాధి | ||
| In Sanskrit, the word "samadhi" originally meant "placing together" or "joining together," referring to the union of the soul (jiva) with the divine (Brahman) in a state of absorption or trance. | |||
| Urdu | قبر | ||
| In Urdu, the word "قبر" can also refer to a "tomb" or "mausoleum". | |||
Grave in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 坟墓 | ||
| The word "坟墓" is composed of "土" (earth) and "穴" (hole) in Chinese, and is also used to refer to a "tomb" or "burial mound". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 墳墓 | ||
| The word "墳墓" (grave) can also refer to a "tomb" or "burial mound" in Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | 墓 | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "grave," "墓" (haka) also refers to a tomb or burial mound in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 묘 | ||
| The word "묘" also signifies a person's ancestral tablet, which symbolizes their spirit in the afterlife. | |||
| Mongolian | булш | ||
| In some Mongolian dialects, the word "булш" (grave) also means "the bottom of a hill". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သင်္ချိုင်း | ||
Grave in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kuburan | ||
| The word "kuburan" is derived from the Arabic word "qabir", meaning "place of burial" or "tomb". It can also refer to a cemetery or a graveyard. | |||
| Javanese | kuburan | ||
| In Javanese, "kuburan" not only means "grave" but also "cemetery," reflecting the concept of a communal burial ground within a certain boundary. | |||
| Khmer | ផ្នូរ | ||
| The word "ផ្នូរ" in Khmer can also refer to a kind of traditional Khmer music associated with funeral ceremonies. | |||
| Lao | ບ່ອນຝັງສົບ | ||
| Malay | kubur | ||
| The word "kubur" also means "tombstone" in Malay. | |||
| Thai | หลุมฝังศพ | ||
| The word "หลุมฝังศพ" (grave) also means "hole" or "pit" when used in a more general sense. | |||
| Vietnamese | phần mộ | ||
| In Buddhism, "phần mộ" originally referred to the place where a Buddha's relics are buried. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | libingan | ||
Grave in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qəbir | ||
| In Azerbaijani, "qəbir" also means "death" and is cognate with the Persian word "qabr". | |||
| Kazakh | қабір | ||
| Қабір may also refer to "a tomb" or "the place of burial" in the context of Arabic literature. | |||
| Kyrgyz | мүрзө | ||
| The word "мүрзө" in Kyrgyz also refers to a noble title or a respected elder. | |||
| Tajik | қабр | ||
| The word "қабр" in Tajik has the same origin as the word "cubit" in English, both ultimately deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root *keubh-, meaning "to bend" or "to curve". | |||
| Turkmen | mazar | ||
| Uzbek | qabr | ||
| "Qabr" also means the area in front of the mosque in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | قەبرە | ||
Grave in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lua kupapaʻu | ||
| The Hawaiian word "lua kupapaʻu" can also mean "a deep pit or hole" or "a place of confinement or imprisonment." | |||
| Maori | urupa | ||
| The word "urupa" also has a metaphorical meaning, referring to the gathering of people or the congregation of souls. | |||
| Samoan | tuugamau | ||
| The word 'tuugamau' can also mean 'tomb' or 'cemetery' in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | libingan | ||
| The Tagalog word "libingan" is related to the word "libing," which means "to surround," as graves traditionally marked the perimeters of towns. | |||
Grave in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | lichu | ||
| Guarani | tyvy | ||
Grave in International Languages
| Esperanto | tombo | ||
| The word "tombo" comes from the French word "tombe", meaning "tombstone". The word is also often used in a figurative sense to mean "the end" or "the doom of something". | |||
| Latin | sepulcrum | ||
| "Sepulcrum" also refers to a place of concealment, a hiding place for the living. | |||
Grave in Others Languages
| Greek | τάφος | ||
| 'Τάφος' in Greek also means 'tomb' or 'burial place'. | |||
| Hmong | ntxa | ||
| The word "ntxa" is said to derive from the Khmu "nta" which also means "grave", but this is not certain. | |||
| Kurdish | gor | ||
| The word "gor" may be derived from the Old Norse word "grófr" or the Old English term "greofa." | |||
| Turkish | mezar | ||
| In Turkish, "mezar" is not only used for "grave" but also for "cemetery" or "tomb". This word originates from Arabic and comes from the root "z-r-w" which means "to visit", as graves were frequently visited in the early days of Islam. | |||
| Xhosa | bethuna | ||
| The word "bethuna" also means "to bury" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | ערנסט | ||
| The Yiddish word "ערנסט" is derived from the German word "Ernst", which means "serious" or "earnest". | |||
| Zulu | ithuna | ||
| In Zulu culture, 'ithuna' also refers to ancestors or a sacred place | |||
| Assamese | কবৰ | ||
| Aymara | lichu | ||
| Bhojpuri | समाधि | ||
| Dhivehi | ކަށްވަޅު | ||
| Dogri | कबर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | libingan | ||
| Guarani | tyvy | ||
| Ilocano | sidunget | ||
| Krio | grev | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | گۆڕ | ||
| Maithili | समाधि | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯣꯡꯐꯝ | ||
| Mizo | thlan | ||
| Oromo | awwaala | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କବର | ||
| Quechua | tumba | ||
| Sanskrit | गंभीर | ||
| Tatar | кабер | ||
| Tigrinya | መቓብር | ||
| Tsonga | sirha | ||