Highway in different languages

Highway in Different Languages

Discover 'Highway' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

Highways are a significant part of modern civilization, shaping the way we travel, transport goods, and connect with one another. They represent a country's infrastructure and economic growth, and are often symbols of cultural importance. From the iconic Route 66 in the United States to the Autobahn in Germany, highways have captured our collective imagination and inspired countless songs, films, and stories.

Moreover, understanding the translation of the word 'highway' in different languages can offer a unique glimpse into the culture and history of a region. For instance, in Spanish, a highway is called 'autopista,' while in French, it's 'autoroute.' In Japan, the term is 'kōsoku-dōro,' reflecting the country's emphasis on technological innovation and efficiency.

So whether you're a traveler planning a road trip through Europe, a language learner looking to expand your vocabulary, or a history buff interested in cultural context, exploring the translations of 'highway' in different languages can be a fascinating and rewarding journey.

Highway


Highway in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaanssnelweg
The word "snelweg" in Afrikaans originally meant "fast road" or "expressway".
Amharicአውራ ጎዳና
The word "አውራ ጎዳና" was originally used to describe a path made by animals, and later came to mean a road for vehicles.
Hausababbar hanya
Originally a borrowing from Arabic, babban hanya literally means "big road" in Hausa.
Igbookporo ụzọ
Malagasylalambe
The word "lalambe" can also refer to a long, narrow strip of land or a path cut through the forest.
Nyanja (Chichewa)khwalala
The term "khwalala" originates from the word "khwala," meaning "to chase" or "to pursue," implying that a highway allows for rapid and uninterrupted movement.
Shonamugwagwa
The word "mugwagwa" can also refer to a river course or path along which water flows during the rainy season.
Somaliwaddo weyn
The Somali word "waddo weyn" for "highway" also means 'major road', with "waddo" itself meaning "road, path".
Sesothommila o moholo
The word "mmila o moholo" is a combination of "mmila" (road) and "moholo" (big), emphasizing the size and importance of a highway.
Swahilibarabara kuu
"barabara kuu", the Swahili word for "highway", literally means "big road" or "main road".
Xhosauhola wendlela
The word "uhola wendlela" is derived from the verb "uhola", meaning "to open" or "to clear", and the noun "iwendlela", meaning "a path" or "a road".
Yorubaopopona
"Opopona" also denotes "crossroads" in the Yoruba lexicon.
Zuluumgwaqo omkhulu
The word 'umgwaqo omkhulu' can also refer to any large road, or a 'main road'.
Bambarasiraba kan
Ewemɔ gã aɖe dzi
Kinyarwandaumuhanda
Lingalanzela monene
Lugandaoluguudo olukulu
Sepeditsela e kgolo
Twi (Akan)ɔkwan kɛse so

Highway in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicالطريق السريع
In Arabic, "الطريق السريع" originally meant "a wide road" or "a main road", but its meaning has shifted over time to specifically refer to "a highway".
Hebrewכביש מהיר
Pashtoلویه لار
The word "لویه لار" in Pashto can also refer to a "great road" or a "main road".
Arabicالطريق السريع
In Arabic, "الطريق السريع" originally meant "a wide road" or "a main road", but its meaning has shifted over time to specifically refer to "a highway".

Highway in Western European Languages

Albanianautostradë
The word "autostradë" comes from the Italian words "auto" ("car") and "strada" ("road").
Basqueautobidea
The word autobidea derives from auto ('car') + bide ('path, way').
Catalancarretera
The word "carretera" in Catalan ultimately derives from the Latin word "quadraria" meaning "a squared stone".
Croatianautocesta
"Autocesta" originates from German and is a combination of two terms: "Auto" referring to an automobile or motor vehicle, and "cesta" derived from Old Slavic "cьsta" or Latin "strata" (street)
Danishmotorvej
Motorvej is a compound word derived from the words “motor” and “vej”, which respectively mean motor and path.
Dutchsnelweg
The word "snelweg" literally translates to "fast way" in Dutch, highlighting its primary purpose as a high-speed roadway.
Englishhighway
The derivation of "highway" is disputed: it may refer to the old usage of "hedge" meaning boundary, or an earlier meaning of "a path or route."
Frenchautoroute
The French 'Autoroute' can also refer to 'turnpike', or, colloquially, a 'free-for-all'.
Frisiansneldyk
"Sneldyk" is cognate with Dutch "sneldek" and German "schnelldeich", meaning "fast dike" referring to waterways rather than roads
Galicianestrada
In Galician, the word "estrada" can also mean "road", "path" or "street".
Germanautobahn
The word "Autobahn" is derived from the German words "Auto" (automobile) and "Bahn" (path or road), and originally referred to a high-speed road for automobiles.
Icelandicþjóðvegi
Þjóðvegi, meaning "highway" in Icelandic, derives from the Old Norse word "þjóðvegr," originally referring to a "main road" or "road for the people"
Irishmhórbhealaigh
Italianautostrada
"Autostrada" also means "the road of automobiles" in Italian, as it is composed by the words "auto" (automobile) and "strada" (road).
Luxembourgishautobunn
The word "Autobunn" is derived from the German word "Autobahn", which means "motorway".
Malteseawtostrada
The word "awtostrada" in Maltese is derived from the Italian word "autostrada" and ultimately from the Latin word "via strata" meaning "paved way".
Norwegianhovedvei
"Hovedvei" is the Norwegian word for "highway", and is composed of "hoved" meaning "main" and "vei" meaning "road".
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)rodovia
The Portuguese word "rodovia" (highway) derives from the Latin "rota" (wheel) and the suffix "-via" (way).
Scots Gaelicàrd-rathad
Àrd-rathad translates literally as "high road" and is also the Gaelic term for "main road".
Spanishautopista
The word "autopista" in Spanish comes from the Greek "autos" meaning "self" and the Latin "via" meaning "road".
Swedishmotorväg
Motorväg, meaning "highway" in Swedish, is a loanword from German consisting of two elements, "motor" and "väg" (literally "motor road").
Welshbriffordd
The Welsh word "briffordd" can trace its roots to the Brythonic word "*brigo-rotos" meaning "great road."

Highway in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianшашы
The word "шашы" is a borrowing from Polish "szosa", which in turn comes from French "chaussée" (paved road).
Bosnianautoput
The word 'autoput' is derived from the German word 'Autobahn', meaning 'motorway'.
Bulgarianмагистрала
The word "магистрала" can also refer to a major gas pipeline, or the main trunk line of a railroad.
Czechdálnice
"Dálnice" (highway) is also part of the word "dál" (far), highlighting the long-distance nature of highways.
Estonianmaanteel
The Estonian word "maanteel" is derived from the words "maa" (land) and "teel" (on the road), and it can also refer to a rural road.
Finnishvaltatie
"Valtatie" is derived from the root "valta" (power), implying that highways were once considered symbols of a nation's strength and authority.
Hungarianországút
A népnyelvben az „országút” jelenthet országgyűlési képviselő által a választókörzetében épített utat is.
Latvianšoseja
The word "šoseja" in Latvian originates from the French word "chaussée", meaning "road" or "causeway".
Lithuaniangreitkelis
The Lithuanian word "greitkelis" is thought to have originated from the words "greitas" (fast) and "kelti" (to lift), suggesting a path that enables fast movement.
Macedonianавтопат
The compound word "автопат" literally means "automobile road".
Polishautostrada
Autostrada in Polish can also mean "autopilot".
Romanianautostrada
In Romanian, 'autostrada' means 'highway', but it can also refer to the lanes reserved for public transport or the highway police.
Russianшоссе
Derived from French, with possible further Turkic origins
Serbianаутопут
The word "аутопут" also refers to a car race track and can be spelled with the Latin alphabet: "autoput".
Slovakdiaľnica
The term "diaľnica" is used in some countries in Central and Eastern Europe to indicate a motorway rather than just a freeway, but in other regions it can simply mean "road".
Slovenianavtocesti
The word 'avtocesti' derives from the Latin for 'auto' and the Italian for 'strada', but can also refer to a 'road' in general.
Ukrainianшосе
Шосе (highway) is a Ukrainian word derived from the French word “chaussée”, meaning a paved road or driveway.

Highway in South Asian Languages

Bengaliহাইওয়ে
The word "হাইওয়ে" is derived from the English word "highway".
Gujaratiહાઇવે
The word 'હાઇવે' ('highway') is ultimately derived from the Old English word 'hēahweg', meaning 'high way', referring to a main road.
Hindiहाइवे
The word 'हाइवे' (highway) in Hindi, comes from the Persian word 'hawai', meaning a road for horsemen.
Kannadaಹೆದ್ದಾರಿ
The word "ಹೆದ್ದಾರಿ" is derived from the Sanskrit words "हस्त" (hand) and "धार" (path), meaning "path for hands".
Malayalamഹൈവേ
ഹൈവേ comes from the English word highway, meaning a main road.
Marathiमहामार्ग
The word "महामार्ग" (highway) is derived from the Sanskrit words "महा" (great) and "मार्ग" (path)
Nepaliराजमार्ग
The word "राजमार्ग" in Sanskrit translates to "king's road", and also refers to the 1008 roads constructed in ancient India by emperor Ashoka.
Punjabiਹਾਈਵੇ
The word 'highway' comes from the Old English word 'hegweg,' which means 'way protected by hedges.'
Sinhala (Sinhalese)අධිවේගී මාර්ගය
Tamilநெடுஞ்சாலை
Teluguహైవే
The Telugu word "హైవే" (hāivē) is derived from the English word "highway", and can also mean "main road" or "major road".
Urduہائی وے
In Urdu, "ہائی وے" (highway) can also refer to aerial routes, or more broadly, any major route.

Highway in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)高速公路
高速公路 (gaosu gonglu) was formed from the abbreviation 高速 (gaosu, 'high speed') of 高速度 (gaosudu, 'high speed') and 公路 (gonglu, 'road').
Chinese (Traditional)高速公路
"高" in "高速公路" refers to the high standard of the road, "速" means fast speed, and "公" refers to public use.
Japanese高速道路
高速道路 (kousokudouro) literally means "high-speed road" in Japanese and is also known as the "expressway."
Korean고속도로
**고속도로** may also be a term for the 'express lanes' on highways in Korea, which only certain types of vehicles with a special pass are permitted to drive on.
Mongolianхурдны зам
The word хурдны зам also means a "thoroughfare" as in a "thoroughfare" of a city.
Myanmar (Burmese)အဝေးပြေး

Highway in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianjalan raya
The term 'jalan raya' is also used in Malaysian, meaning 'street' or 'road'.
Javanesedalan gedhe
"Dalan gedhe" in Javanese is derived from the Sanskrit word "dalan,
Khmerផ្លូវហាយវេ
The Khmer word "ផ្លូវហាយវេ" (highway) ultimately derives from the Latin word "via," meaning "way" or "road."
Laoທາງຫລວງ
Malayjalan raya
The Malay word "jalan raya" is derived from Persian and means both "highway" and "main street" in the context of a town or city.
Thaiทางหลวง
The word "ทางหลวง" (highway) in Thai derives from the Sanskrit word "dharma" meaning "moral law" or "right path"
Vietnamesexa lộ
Xa lộ is a loanword from French 'chaussée', meaning 'roadway' or 'causeway'.
Filipino (Tagalog)highway

Highway in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanimagistral
The word "magistral" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Latin word "magister" (meaning "master") and originally referred to a main road or highway.
Kazakhтасжол
The Kazakh word "тасжол" (highway) derives from the Persian "tashjol", meaning "stone path".
Kyrgyzшоссе
In Kyrgyz, "шоссе" (highway) is also a loanword from Russian.
Tajikшоҳроҳ
The word "шоҳроҳ" in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "شاهرَه" which means "main road".
Turkmenuly ýol
Uzbekmagistral yo'l
"Magistral yo'l" also refers to the main direction in something (for example, in science or art).
Uyghurتاشيول

Highway in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianalaloa
The word "alaloa" also means "long" or "tall" in Hawaiian, referring to the length of the roads.
Maorihuanui
In Maori, the word "huanui" also refers to a pathway marked by a row of stones or a guiding line for travelers.
Samoanauala tele
The word "auala tele" is also used to refer to the "path of life" or "way of life."
Tagalog (Filipino)highway
The word "highway" in Tagalog is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "carretera," meaning "road" or "highway."

Highway in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarajach’a thaki
Guaranitape guasu

Highway in International Languages

Esperantoŝoseo
"ŝoseo" is an artificial root created by Esperanto that is used in the construction of words related to roads and highways.
Latinvia
The Latin word "via" initially referred to a narrow path or road, with "highway" being a later extension of its meaning.

Highway in Others Languages

Greekαυτοκινητόδρομος
In ancient Greek, 'autokinētos' means 'self-moving' and 'dromos' refers to a 'racecourse' or 'roadway'.
Hmongtxoj kev loj
The word "txoj kev loj" in Hmong, in addition to meaning "highway," also means "avenue" or "roadway."
Kurdish
The Kurdish word "rê" is also used to refer to "direction" or "line".
Turkishotoyol
The word "otoyol" is a compound of the Turkish words "otomobil" (automobile) and "yol" (road).
Xhosauhola wendlela
The word "uhola wendlela" is derived from the verb "uhola", meaning "to open" or "to clear", and the noun "iwendlela", meaning "a path" or "a road".
Yiddishשאָסיי
In Eastern Yiddish, "שאָסיי" can also refer to a paved road or street.
Zuluumgwaqo omkhulu
The word 'umgwaqo omkhulu' can also refer to any large road, or a 'main road'.
Assameseঘাইপথ
Aymarajach’a thaki
Bhojpuriराजमार्ग पर भइल
Dhivehiހައިވޭގަ އެވެ
Dogriहाईवे पर
Filipino (Tagalog)highway
Guaranitape guasu
Ilocanohaywey
Kriodi aywe
Kurdish (Sorani)ڕێگای خێرا
Maithiliराजमार्ग
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯍꯥꯏꯋꯦꯗꯥ ꯂꯩ꯫
Mizohighway-ah a awm a
Oromodaandii guddaa
Odia (Oriya)ରାଜପଥ
Quechuahatun ñan
Sanskritराजमार्गः
Tatarшоссе
Tigrinyaጽርግያ
Tsongagondzo lerikulu

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