Gun in Different Languages
Discover 'Gun' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Guns have played a significant role in shaping human history, from hunting and warfare to target shooting and self-defense. The cultural importance of guns cannot be overstated, as they have been featured prominently in art, literature, and media, reflecting societal attitudes towards power, violence, and freedom.
Understanding the translation of the word 'gun' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how different cultures perceive and interact with this powerful tool. For example, in Spanish, the word for gun is 'arma de fuego,' which translates to 'firearm,' reflecting the country's strict gun control laws. Meanwhile, in German, the word for gun is 'Schusswaffe,' which means 'shooting weapon,' emphasizing the weapon's function.
Moreover, exploring the etymology of the word 'gun' can reveal fascinating historical contexts. For instance, the English word 'gun' originated from the Norse word 'gunnr,' which means 'war.' Meanwhile, in Chinese, the word for gun is '枪' (qiāng), which has been in use since the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC).
Join us as we delve deeper into the translations of the word 'gun' in various languages, shedding light on the cultural significance and historical contexts of this powerful tool.
Gun
Gun in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | geweer | ||
| Geweer can also refer to a type of fishing net. | |||
| Amharic | ሽጉጥ | ||
| ሽጉጥ originally referred to an infantry rifle carried in a leathern sheath over one's shoulder and fired from the hip, similar to a carbine. | |||
| Hausa | bindiga | ||
| The word “bindiga” means “fire” in Hausa and has a similar meaning in other Chadic languages like Bura-Pabir and Bata. | |||
| Igbo | egbe | ||
| The Igbo word "egbe" can also refer to a "trap" or a "snare" used for hunting. | |||
| Malagasy | basy | ||
| Basy also refers to large bamboo stalks used as construction material for roofs and walls. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mfuti | ||
| The word mfuti in Nyanja (Chichewa) is also used to refer to a type of fishing net used for catching small fish. | |||
| Shona | pfuti | ||
| Somali | qoriga | ||
| Sesotho | sethunya | ||
| Sethunya comes from the Sotho word for “fire”, thus meaning “fiery stick”. | |||
| Swahili | bunduki | ||
| The word "bunduki" is derived from the Persian word "bandūq", meaning "firearm". | |||
| Xhosa | umpu | ||
| In Xhosa, "umpu" also refers to a type of stick used for playing traditional games. | |||
| Yoruba | ibon | ||
| In Yoruba, the word 'ibon' can also mean 'a hole' or 'a trap'. | |||
| Zulu | isibhamu | ||
| The word 'isibhamu' shares a root word with 'ibhamu,' which refers to a trap usually set for lions or elephants. | |||
| Bambara | marifa | ||
| Ewe | tu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | imbunda | ||
| Lingala | mondoki ya mondoki | ||
| Luganda | emmundu | ||
| Sepedi | sethunya | ||
| Twi (Akan) | tuo a wɔde tuo | ||
Gun in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | بندقية | ||
| "بندقية" (banduqiyyah) is the Arabic word for "gun," and comes from the Italian word "bandicchi," meaning "small flag" or "banner." | |||
| Hebrew | אֶקְדָח | ||
| "אֶקְדָח," meaning "gun" in modern Hebrew, derives from "אקדח," an axe or hatchet in Biblical Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | ټوپک | ||
| The word ټوپک, which means "gun" in Pashto, is derived from the Persian word "توپ", meaning "cannon" or "artillery piece." | |||
| Arabic | بندقية | ||
| "بندقية" (banduqiyyah) is the Arabic word for "gun," and comes from the Italian word "bandicchi," meaning "small flag" or "banner." | |||
Gun in Western European Languages
| Albanian | armë | ||
| The Albanian word for 'armë' ('gun') is a derivative of the Latin 'arma' ('weapons'), and also has the metaphorical sense of 'strength', 'courage', 'might' | |||
| Basque | pistola | ||
| The word `pistola` (gun) is also used figuratively in Basque to denote `strength` or `courage`. | |||
| Catalan | arma de foc | ||
| The Catalan word "arma de foc" comes from the Latin "arma fulmen," which means "fire-throwing weapon". | |||
| Croatian | pištolj | ||
| The word 'pištolj' comes from the Italian word 'pistola', meaning a small firearm. | |||
| Danish | pistol | ||
| In Danish, the word "pistol" can also refer to a type of sausage. | |||
| Dutch | pistool | ||
| The word "pistool" derives from the Czech word "píšťala", meaning "whistle" or "pipe" | |||
| English | gun | ||
| The word 'gun' has multiple origins, including the French 'conne' and the Welsh 'gwn', both of which referred to a wedge-shaped object or a piece of wood. | |||
| French | pistolet | ||
| The French word "pistolet" used to mean "small pistol" but now means "baguette". | |||
| Frisian | gewear | ||
| The Frisian word "gewear" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*ǥawjō", which also meant "bow". | |||
| Galician | arma | ||
| In Galician, "arma" can also mean "weapon" or "arm" (as a human body part). | |||
| German | gewehr | ||
| The word "Gewehr" is derived from the Middle High German "gewere," meaning "wehrhaftigkeit," or "ability to defend oneself." | |||
| Icelandic | byssu | ||
| The word "Byssu" in Icelandic also has the alternate meaning "a blow or strike" | |||
| Irish | gunna | ||
| The Irish word "gunna" also means "mouth" or "cannon". | |||
| Italian | pistola | ||
| The Italian word "pistola" is also a colloquial term for "letter" or "dispatch". | |||
| Luxembourgish | pistoul | ||
| The word "Pistoul" is derived from the French word "pistolet", which is itself a diminutive of "pistole", meaning "small gun". | |||
| Maltese | pistola | ||
| The Maltese word "pistola" derives from the Italian "pistola" and ultimately from the Late Latin "pistolla", meaning "a small dagger or poniard". | |||
| Norwegian | våpen | ||
| The word "våpen" originally meant "weapon" in Norwegian, but now it usually refers specifically to firearms. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | arma de fogo | ||
| The Portuguese word "arma de fogo" (gun) literally means "fire weapon". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | gunna | ||
| Its meaning changed from 'war engine' to 'firearm' with the advent of gunpowder weapons. | |||
| Spanish | pistola | ||
| The word 'pistola' in Spanish originates from the Italian word 'pistola', which means 'small dagger'. | |||
| Swedish | pistol | ||
| The word pistol comes from the Czech word 'pištala', which originally meant 'whistle' or 'pipe'. | |||
| Welsh | gwn | ||
| The word 'gwn' also means "wound" in Welsh, highlighting the historical connection between weaponry and injury. | |||
Gun in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | пісталет | ||
| The word пісталет comes from the word 'pistola' in Italian, which means 'a small firearm' | |||
| Bosnian | pištolj | ||
| The word "pištolj" comes from the Czech word "píšťala", which means "whistle" or "pipe". | |||
| Bulgarian | пистолет | ||
| The word "пистолет" in Bulgarian can also refer to a small, handheld spray bottle. | |||
| Czech | pistole | ||
| The word "pistole" in Czech also means "money" when referring to a specific historical coin. | |||
| Estonian | relv | ||
| Etymological origin unclear, although has been compared in shape with a | |||
| Finnish | ase | ||
| The Finnish "ase" is derived from Proto-Finnic "ase" meaning "tool, weapon". | |||
| Hungarian | pisztoly | ||
| In Hungarian, the word "pisztoly" can also refer to a kind of cake with a chocolate glaze. | |||
| Latvian | lielgabals | ||
| The Latvian word "lielgabals" is a compound of "liels" and "gabals", meaning "big" and "piece" respectively. | |||
| Lithuanian | ginklas | ||
| The word "ginklas" in Lithuanian derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*ghengh-", meaning "to strike" or "to kill", and is related to the Greek word "gongos" (meaning "battle club") and the English word "canine" (referring to the pointed teeth of a dog). | |||
| Macedonian | пиштол | ||
| The word "пиштол" comes from the French word "pistolet" and also means "a small pistol". | |||
| Polish | pistolet | ||
| In Polish, pistolet may also refer to a type of bread, particularly one that is small and round. | |||
| Romanian | pistol | ||
| In Romanian, the word for "pistol” (“gun”) is "pistol", and it has no other alternate meanings. | |||
| Russian | пистолет | ||
| "Пистолет" comes from Italian "pistola", meaning "a small dagger". | |||
| Serbian | пиштољ | ||
| The word 'пиштољ' ('gun') in Serbian originates from the Italian word 'pistola', meaning a small firearm that can be fired with one hand. | |||
| Slovak | pištoľ | ||
| The word "pištoľ" is also used to refer to a type of flute commonly played in Slovak folk music. | |||
| Slovenian | pištolo | ||
| The word 'pištolo' originally referred to a small whistle used by highwaymen, and later came to mean a firearm. | |||
| Ukrainian | пістолет | ||
| The name "пістолет" also refers to a tool similar to a caulking gun, used to apply silicone or acrylic into crevices while caulking home materials. | |||
Gun in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বন্দুক | ||
| The word বন্দুক in Bengali also means a kind of small traditional boat used to transport goods along waterways. | |||
| Gujarati | બંદૂક | ||
| "બંદૂક" ultimately traces its roots to 17th century French word "Bandoul". | |||
| Hindi | बंदूक | ||
| The word 'बंदूक' in Hindi is derived from the same root as the word 'بندوک' in Arabic, which also means 'gun. | |||
| Kannada | ಗನ್ | ||
| In Kannada, 'ಗನ್' (gun) can also refer to a stick, club, or cane. | |||
| Malayalam | തോക്ക് | ||
| The word "തോക്ക്" also means "a small bell or gong" in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | बंदूक | ||
| The word "बंदूक" (bandūk) in Marathi is derived from the Persian word "بندوق" (bandūq), which originally meant "hook" or "handle". | |||
| Nepali | बन्दुक | ||
| The Nepali word "बन्दुक" is derived from the Persian word "بندوق", which originally referred to a type of flintlock musket. | |||
| Punjabi | ਬੰਦੂਕ | ||
| The word "bandook" is an Urdu word, originally derived from Persian, that entered Punjabi through code-mixing. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | තුවක්කුව | ||
| Tamil | துப்பாக்கி | ||
| Telugu | తుపాకీ | ||
| The word 'తుపాకీ' ('gun') is derived from the Urdu word 'tupaak', which in turn comes from the Persian word 'tufang' ('musket'). | |||
| Urdu | بندوق | ||
| The Urdu word "بندوق" originates from the Persian word "بندک" and is related to the ancient Greek word "πόντος" (ship). | |||
Gun in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 枪 | ||
| In Chinese, "枪" (qiāng) also means "spear" or "lance", reflecting its historical use as a weapon for close combat. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 槍 | ||
| 槍 can also mean a spear or lance used in ancient warfare. | |||
| Japanese | 銃 | ||
| The character 銃 (jū) is also used to denote firearms in general. | |||
| Korean | 총 | ||
| The Korean word "총" (gun) has historically been used to describe a cannon or artillery, deriving from the Chinese character used for "cannon" (砲). | |||
| Mongolian | буу | ||
| The word 'буу' ('gun') is a noun in Mongolian, which also means 'weapon', 'firearm', and 'artillery'. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သေနတ် | ||
| The word "သေနတ်" in Myanmar (Burmese) is derived from the Pali word "senaka", meaning "shoulder", and refers to the long guns carried on the shoulder. | |||
Gun in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | senjata | ||
| The Indonesian word 'senjata' not only refers to firearms, but also to any tool that can cause physical harm, including knives, swords, and other sharp objects. | |||
| Javanese | bedhil | ||
| The Javanese word "bedhil" originally referred to a cannon, but later came to mean any type of firearm. | |||
| Khmer | កាំភ្លើង | ||
| In ancient Khmer, កាំភ្លើង (literally “tube of fire”) was originally an alternative name for lightning as well as a weapon that emitted fire and thunder | |||
| Lao | ປືນ | ||
| The word "ປືນ" is also used specifically to refer to "artillery." | |||
| Malay | pistol | ||
| The Malay word "pistol" derives from the Italian word "pistola," initially referring to a small, single-shot firearm | |||
| Thai | ปืน | ||
| The Thai word "ปืน" (pronounced "puan") originates from the Khmer word "phun", meaning "to shoot" or "to launch". | |||
| Vietnamese | súng | ||
| The word "súng" in Vietnamese also means "umbrella" when pronounced with a different tone. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | baril | ||
Gun in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | silah | ||
| The word "silah" can also refer to a tool, a weapon, or a means of doing something, depending on the context. | |||
| Kazakh | мылтық | ||
| The word "мылтық" is derived from the Russian word "ружьё" (pronounced "ruzhyo") and ultimately from the French word "fusil". It can also refer to a type of traditional Kazakh hunting rifle. | |||
| Kyrgyz | мылтык | ||
| The word "мылтык" also means "match" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | таппонча | ||
| According to some researchers, the word "Таппонча" comes from the Sanskrit verb "tap" which means "to make a noise". So, the word "таппонча" initially denoted "a thing that makes a noise" and only later came to mean "gun". | |||
| Turkmen | ýarag | ||
| Uzbek | qurol | ||
| It can also mean 'weapon', 'stick' (a long thin piece of wood), or 'spear'. | |||
| Uyghur | مىلتىق | ||
Gun in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pū | ||
| Pū is a homonym meaning 'gun' as well as 'trumpet', 'conch', 'to blow', 'to sprout', 'to swell', 'to erupt', or 'to ripen'. | |||
| Maori | pu | ||
| The Maori word "pu" originally meant "to strike" or "to kill," and only later came to refer specifically to a gun. | |||
| Samoan | fana | ||
| In Polynesian languages, 'fana' refers to weaponry like spears and clubs in addition to modern firearms. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | baril | ||
| Baril, in Tagalog, also refers to the large intestine or colon. | |||
Gun in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | pistola ukampi | ||
| Guarani | arma | ||
Gun in International Languages
| Esperanto | pafilo | ||
| "Pafilo" also means "thread" or "hair". | |||
| Latin | gun | ||
| In Latin, the word "gun" is not used to refer to firearms, but rather to describe a type of fishing net or trap. | |||
Gun in Others Languages
| Greek | όπλο | ||
| "Όπλο" (gun) in Greek derives from the ancient word "ὅπλον" (hoplon), meaning "weapon", and thus can also refer to any offensive or defensive tool. | |||
| Hmong | rab phom | ||
| Despite being homophonous with "rab phom" which means "to shoot," "rab phom" meaning "gun" does not have its roots in the latter verb; rather, it derives from the Chinese word 枪 (qiāng). | |||
| Kurdish | tiving | ||
| It is derived from Old Iranian "tibu" with the same meaning, related to Persian "tīr" (arrow). | |||
| Turkish | tabanca | ||
| The word "tabanca" in Turkish also means "horse whip" or "pistol". | |||
| Xhosa | umpu | ||
| In Xhosa, "umpu" also refers to a type of stick used for playing traditional games. | |||
| Yiddish | ביקס | ||
| In Yiddish, "ביקס" (biks) also means "a box" or "a safe", highlighting the dual nature of the object as both a destructive weapon and a protective container. | |||
| Zulu | isibhamu | ||
| The word 'isibhamu' shares a root word with 'ibhamu,' which refers to a trap usually set for lions or elephants. | |||
| Assamese | বন্দুক | ||
| Aymara | pistola ukampi | ||
| Bhojpuri | बंदूक के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ބަޑިއެވެ | ||
| Dogri | बंदूक | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | baril | ||
| Guarani | arma | ||
| Ilocano | paltog | ||
| Krio | gɔn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دەمانچە | ||
| Maithili | बंदूक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯕꯟꯗꯨꯛ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | silai a ni | ||
| Oromo | qawwee | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବନ୍ଧୁକ | ||
| Quechua | pistola | ||
| Sanskrit | बन्दुकम् | ||
| Tatar | мылтык | ||
| Tigrinya | ሽጉጥ | ||
| Tsonga | xibamu | ||