Hill in different languages

Hill in Different Languages

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

Updated on March 6, 2024

Hills hold a special significance in many cultures and languages, often symbolizing challenges to overcome or a smaller, more accessible version of a mountain. From the rolling green hills of the English countryside to the majestic sand dunes of the Sahara, these natural landforms have been an inspiration for countless artists, writers, and dreamers throughout history.

Moreover, the word 'hill' carries interesting historical contexts. For instance, in the United States, the term 'hillbilly' was used to refer to people who lived in the hills, often with a negative connotation. Meanwhile, in Chinese culture, a famous saying goes, 'The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,' likening a large journey to climbing a hill or mountain.

Understanding the translation of 'hill' in different languages can provide unique insights into various cultures and their relationship with nature. Here are a few examples:

  • German: Hügel
  • Spanish: Colina
  • French: Colline
  • Italian: Collina
  • Russian: Kholm
  • Japanese: Oka
  • Chinese: 丘陵 (Qiūlíng)

Stay tuned for a comprehensive list of 'hill' translations in various languages, enriching your global cultural knowledge!

Hill


Hill in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansheuwel
The Afrikaans word "heuwel" is cognate with English "howl" and German "hügel," all deriving from the Proto-Germanic word *hugl-.
Amharicኮረብታ
The Amharic word ኮረብታ derives from the root verb ከረበ "to pile up or raise," thus indicating a small mound or elevated area.
Hausatudu
Hausa "tudu" also means "mountain" and is related to the word for "stone."
Igbougwu
In the context of geology, 'ugwu' can mean any earth formation rising above the ground.
Malagasycolina
In the context of a rice paddy, "colina" refers to the border or perimeter raised on the edge of the rice plot.
Nyanja (Chichewa)phiri
Phiri also means "chief" or "a spirit of the soil" in Chewa and might also be related to the verb "to blow" due to the wind on hills or the wind created by spirits
Shonagomo
The word "gomo" in Shona also refers to a type of wooden stilt used to support granaries and other structures.
Somalibuur
The Somali word "buur" can also refer to a "mountain" or a "tomb"
Sesotholeralleng
This word may be derived from the verb lera, meaning "to climb", suggesting the idea of a hill as something that is climbed.
Swahilikilima
The Swahili word "kilima" can also refer to a "sand dune" or a "volcano".
Xhosainduli
In toponomy, the prefix "induli" may also refer to the presence of a "hill" or "rocky outcrop" in a specific location.
Yorubaoke
"Òkè" in Yoruba shares the same root with "òkun" (ocean), suggesting a common ancestral meaning of "large body of water".
Zuluigquma
The word "igquma" also means "a heap of stones or rocks" in Zulu.
Bambarakulu
Ewetogbɛ
Kinyarwandaumusozi
Lingalangomba moke
Lugandaakasozi
Sepedimmoto
Twi (Akan)kokoɔ

Hill in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicتل
In Arabic, "تل" (hill) can also mean a heap, mound, or elevation.
Hebrewגִבעָה
The biblical word 'Gibeah' can also mean a 'round hill' or 'mound'.
Pashtoغونډۍ
The name of the Pashtun tribe "Ghilzai" means "dwellers of the lower hills".
Arabicتل
In Arabic, "تل" (hill) can also mean a heap, mound, or elevation.

Hill in Western European Languages

Albaniankodër
In Gheg Albanian, "kodër" can also refer to a 'mountain' or a 'hilltop'.
Basquemuinoa
Muinoa has two possible etymologies: (1) from **muin** = "heap, pile" or (2) from **muhi** = "summit, peak, mountaintop"
Catalanturó
The Catalan word "turó" can also refer to a pile of stones or a raised earthwork
Croatianbrdo
The word "brdo" originally meant "forest" in Proto-Slavic, and can still have this meaning in some Slavic languages.
Danishbakke
The word "bakke" is also used in Danish to refer to a mound of earth or a shelf on a wall.
Dutchheuvel
The word "heuvel" is derived from Middle Dutch "hovel" (a mound), and is related to "heffen" (to raise).
Englishhill
"Hill" originally meant "a hollow or depression in the ground," and its sense of "a natural elevation" developed later.
Frenchcolline
The French word "colline" comes from the Latin "collis")
Frisianheuvel
The Frisian word "heuvel" derives from an Old Germanic word that also referred to a heap or mound of earth and is cognate to the English word "how".
Galicianouteiro
In Portuguese and Galician, "outeiro" refers not just to a hill, but also to a plateau with a gentle slope.
Germanhügel
The word 'Hügel' is derived from the Middle High German word 'hiubel', meaning 'heap'.
Icelandichæð
Hæð can also refer to a raised platform, a scaffold, or a high place.
Irishcnoc
"Cnoc" is also used to refer to a type of fairy dwelling associated with the sídhe mound
Italiancollina
In Italian, the word "collina" derives from the Latin word "collis," which can also mean a "mound" or a "knoll."
Luxembourgishhiwwel
Possibly derived from Proto-Celtic *segh-lo-, meaning "hill." Also a masculine given name.
Maltesegħoljiet
The word "għoljiet" is likely derived from the Arabic word "jāliyah" meaning "mountain" or "range".
Norwegianhøyde
The word "høyde" can also mean "height" or "altitude".
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)colina
In Latin, "colina" also means "strainers" used in Roman mills.
Scots Gaeliccnoc
The word "cnoc" also means "the back of the head" in Scots Gaelic.
Spanishcolina
In Latin, "colina" originally meant "an elevated place" and has cognates in "column" and "colossus."
Swedishkulle
In Finland, "kulle" also refers to a type of round-shaped hill or mound.
Welshbryn
The word 'bryn' is also used in Welsh placenames such as Brynmawr ('big hill') and Bryncoch ('red hill').

Hill in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianузгорак
The word "узгорак" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*горк" meaning "heap" or "pile". It can also refer to a small hill or mound.
Bosnianbrdo
The word 'brdo' also means 'forest' in some Slavic languages.
Bulgarianхълм
The word "хълм" can also refer to a mound or barrow, and is related to the word "хълмче" (hillock).
Czechkopec
The word 'kopec' can also refer to a mound of earth or a pile of something.
Estonianküngas
The word "küngas" may derive from a Proto-Uralic term meaning "heap" or "pile", shared with Finnish "kumpu".
Finnishmäki
Mäki, meaning "hill" in Finnish, may also refer to an assembly, a duel, or to a person with protruding cheekbones.
Hungarianhegy
The Hungarian word "hegy" is related to the Slavic word "gora" meaning "mountain".
Latviankalns
The origin of the Latvian word “kalns” is debated, with theories suggesting an ancient Indo-European root or a borrowing from a Uralic language.
Lithuaniankalva
The word "kalva" is also used to refer to a skull, a bald head, or a grave mound
Macedonianрид
The word "Рид" can also refer to a pile of earth or garbage.
Polishwzgórze
The word "wzgórze" (hill) in Polish comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*gordъ", which also means "enclosure" or "fortress".
Romaniandeal
The Romanian word "deal" is derived from the Slavic word "del" and also means "share" or "part".
Russianхолм
The word "холм" is derived from the Proto-Slavic "*xolmъ", meaning "rounded elevation" or "hillock".
Serbianбрдо
The Serbian word "брдо" (hill) derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*bordъ", meaning "side" or "edge".
Slovakkopec
'Kopec' originally meant 'pile' (heap)
Slovenianhrib
The word "hrib" can also refer to a mountain range or a pile of objects.
Ukrainianпагорб
The word "пагорб" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *gora*, which also means "mountain".

Hill in South Asian Languages

Bengaliপাহাড়
The word "পাহাড়" can also refer to a mountain range or a group of hills.
Gujaratiટેકરી
"ટેકરી" can refer to the small elevated area on which Jain temples are usually situated or to a fort built on top of an elevated area
Hindiपहाड़ी
The word "पहाड़ी" is also used to refer to a specific region in northern India, known as the "Pahari" region.
Kannadaಬೆಟ್ಟ
The word "ಬೆಟ್ಟ" (hill) also means a "big house" in Kannada, a meaning related to its association with strength and permanence.
Malayalamമലയോര
The word 'മലയോര' is also used to refer to the foothills of a mountain or the slopes of a hill.
Marathiटेकडी
The word टेकडी ('hill' in Marathi) possibly derives from the Sanskrit word 'takri', a type of ancient fort built on steep hills.
Nepaliपहाड
The word 'पहाड' also refers to the ridges forming the boundaries of terraced fields in the hilly regions of Nepal.
Punjabiਪਹਾੜੀ
In the Kangra Valley, the term "pahaadi" is also used to refer to the inhabitants of the hilly regions of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Sinhala (Sinhalese)කන්ද
The Sinhala word "කන්ද" is said to be derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kand-,"high, shining".
Tamilமலை
The word 'மலை' also means 'a large quantity or heap' in Tamil.
Teluguకొండ
The word "కొండ" can also refer to a mound or heap of anything, and is thought to be derived from the Dravidian root "kuṇṭa", meaning "to raise".
Urduپہاڑی
The word "پہاڑی" in Urdu can also refer to a highland or mountainous region, and is derived from the Sanskrit word "pṛṣṭa", meaning "back" or "ridge".

Hill in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)爬坡道
The term "爬坡道" can also refer to a ramp or an incline.
Chinese (Traditional)爬坡道
爬坡道 means "hill" in Chinese. In addition, it figuratively refers to the path to climb to the top.
Japanese
In Chinese, the character "丘" originally meant "mound" or "small hill", but in Japanese it also means "hill" and "village".
Korean언덕
The Korean word “언덕” is derived from the Chinese word “偃塞”, which means “low mountain” or “hill.”
Mongolianтолгод
The Mongolian word "толгод" is derived from the Proto-Mongolic word *tolïγod, meaning "round hill" or "dome-shaped hill".
Myanmar (Burmese)တောင်ကုန်း

Hill in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianbukit
The Javanese word "bukit" is related to the Filipino word "bukid" (mountain).
Javanesebukit
The term "bukit" in Javanese can have meanings other than just denoting a geographical elevation, such as "grave", "pile", or "mound" depending on the context.
Khmerភ្នំ
The Khmer word ភ្នំ also means "mountain" in Thai.
Laoພູ
The Lao word ພູ “hill” is cognate with the Thai word ภู “mountain”, which in turn is cognate with the Proto-Austroasiatic word *pʰuːʔ “hill”.
Malaybukit
"Bukit" also means "mountain" or "mound" in Malay, and comes from the Proto-Austronesian word "*bukit" meaning "small hill".
Thaiเนินเขา
Thai word "เนินเขา" can be split into 2 words: "เนิน" (slope) and "เขา" (mountain or hill).
Vietnameseđồi núi
The Sino-Vietnamese word "đồi núi" can also refer to a mountain range or a mountainous region.
Filipino (Tagalog)burol

Hill in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanitəpə
The word "təpə" in Azerbaijani also means "a small round-shaped object" and is a borrowing from the Persian word "tappe".
Kazakhтөбе
The Kazakh word "төбе" can be used to denote a mound or elevated area formed by the accumulation of materials or the presence of an underlying structure.
Kyrgyzдөбө
The Kyrgyz word "дөбө" is also used figuratively to refer to a "bump," a "swelling," or a "mound."
Tajikтеппа
The word "теппа" may be related to the Old Iranian word "*tīpa-," meaning "heap" or "mound."
Turkmendepe
Uzbektepalik
The etymology of "tepalik" is unknown and it is rarely encountered in modern-day Uzbek literature.
Uyghurhill

Hill in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianpuʻu
'Puʻu' also means 'eruption' or 'bulge' in Hawaiian.
Maoripuke
In Maori, 'puke' can also refer to a fortified hill or a volcanic cone
Samoanmaupuepue
"Maupuepue" is sometimes translated as "mountain", but it more often refers to a hill.
Tagalog (Filipino)burol
The word "burol" also has a less common meaning, "wake for the dead".

Hill in American Indigenous Languages

Aymaraqullu
Guaraniyvytymi

Hill in International Languages

Esperantomonteto
The Esperanto word "monteto" is derived from the Latin "monticulus", meaning "small mountain".
Latincollis
In medieval Latin, 'collis' also referred to the summit of a mountain, as distinct from its slope, denoted by 'clivus'.

Hill in Others Languages

Greekλόφος
The word "λόφος" originally referred to a tuft of hair or feathers, and the modern meaning "hill" arose as a later extension.
Hmongtoj
In some Hmong dialects, "toj" can also mean "mountain" or "highland."
Kurdishgirik
The word "girik" in Kurdish is derived from the Persian word "garh", meaning "fortress" or "hilltop", and is often used to refer to villages or settlements located on hillsides.
Turkishtepe
The word "Tepe" has multiple meanings in Turkish, including "top", "hilltop", and "summit".
Xhosainduli
In toponomy, the prefix "induli" may also refer to the presence of a "hill" or "rocky outcrop" in a specific location.
Yiddishבערגל
בערגל can also mean the raised rim of a glass.
Zuluigquma
The word "igquma" also means "a heap of stones or rocks" in Zulu.
Assameseপাহাৰ
Aymaraqullu
Bhojpuriटीला
Dhivehiފަރުބަދަ
Dogriप्हाड़ी
Filipino (Tagalog)burol
Guaraniyvytymi
Ilocanobunton
Krioil
Kurdish (Sorani)گرد
Maithiliपहाड़ी
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯆꯤꯡ
Mizotlang
Oromotulluu
Odia (Oriya)ପାହାଡ
Quechuaqata
Sanskritचोटी
Tatarкалкулык
Tigrinyaኮረብታ
Tsongaxintshabyana

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