Afrikaans gat | ||
Albanian vrimë | ||
Amharic ቀዳዳ | ||
Arabic الفجوة | ||
Armenian փոս | ||
Assamese ফুটা | ||
Aymara p'iya | ||
Azerbaijani dəlik | ||
Bambara dingɛ | ||
Basque zuloa | ||
Belarusian дзірка | ||
Bengali গর্ত | ||
Bhojpuri छैद | ||
Bosnian rupa | ||
Bulgarian дупка | ||
Catalan forat | ||
Cebuano lungag | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 孔 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 孔 | ||
Corsican pirtusu | ||
Croatian rupa | ||
Czech otvor | ||
Danish hul | ||
Dhivehi ލޯވަޅު | ||
Dogri सराख | ||
Dutch gat | ||
English hole | ||
Esperanto truo | ||
Estonian auk | ||
Ewe do | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) butas | ||
Finnish reikä | ||
French trou | ||
Frisian gat | ||
Galician burato | ||
Georgian ხვრელი | ||
German loch | ||
Greek τρύπα | ||
Guarani kuára | ||
Gujarati છિદ્ર | ||
Haitian Creole twou | ||
Hausa rami | ||
Hawaiian puka | ||
Hebrew חור | ||
Hindi छेद | ||
Hmong lub qhov | ||
Hungarian lyuk | ||
Icelandic gat | ||
Igbo onu | ||
Ilocano buttaw | ||
Indonesian lubang | ||
Irish poll | ||
Italian buco | ||
Japanese 穴 | ||
Javanese bolongan | ||
Kannada ರಂಧ್ರ | ||
Kazakh тесік | ||
Khmer រន្ធ | ||
Kinyarwanda umwobo | ||
Konkani बुराक | ||
Korean 구멍 | ||
Krio ol | ||
Kurdish qûl | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) کون | ||
Kyrgyz тешик | ||
Lao ຂຸມ | ||
Latin foraminis | ||
Latvian caurums | ||
Lingala libulu | ||
Lithuanian skylė | ||
Luganda ekinnya | ||
Luxembourgish lach | ||
Macedonian дупка | ||
Maithili बिल | ||
Malagasy lavaka | ||
Malay lubang | ||
Malayalam ദ്വാരം | ||
Maltese toqba | ||
Maori kōhao | ||
Marathi भोक | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯑꯍꯣꯕ | ||
Mizo kua | ||
Mongolian нүх | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) အပေါက် | ||
Nepali प्वाल | ||
Norwegian hull | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) dzenje | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଗର୍ତ୍ତ | ||
Oromo qaawwa | ||
Pashto سوري | ||
Persian سوراخ | ||
Polish otwór | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) orifício | ||
Punjabi ਮੋਰੀ | ||
Quechua uchku | ||
Romanian gaură | ||
Russian отверстие | ||
Samoan pu | ||
Sanskrit छिद्र | ||
Scots Gaelic toll | ||
Sepedi lešoba | ||
Serbian рупа | ||
Sesotho lesoba | ||
Shona gomba | ||
Sindhi سوراخ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) කුහරය | ||
Slovak diera | ||
Slovenian luknja | ||
Somali god | ||
Spanish agujero | ||
Sundanese liang | ||
Swahili shimo | ||
Swedish hål | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) butas | ||
Tajik сӯрох | ||
Tamil துளை | ||
Tatar тишек | ||
Telugu రంధ్రం | ||
Thai หลุม | ||
Tigrinya ነዃል | ||
Tsonga mbhovo | ||
Turkish delik | ||
Turkmen deşik | ||
Twi (Akan) tokuro | ||
Ukrainian отвір | ||
Urdu سوراخ | ||
Uyghur تۆشۈك | ||
Uzbek teshik | ||
Vietnamese hố | ||
Welsh twll | ||
Xhosa umngxuma | ||
Yiddish לאָך | ||
Yoruba iho | ||
Zulu umgodi |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word 'gat' is ultimately derived from the Proto-Germanic *gatą, which also meant 'hole' and is still used in English as a dialectal term for 'opening' or 'passage'. |
| Albanian | The etymology is uncertain, though it may be related to Germanic, Slavic, Celtic, or Albanian words for "hole" or "pit." |
| Amharic | The word "ቀዳዳ" can also refer to a gap or a shortcoming, both in a physical and a metaphorical sense. |
| Arabic | The word "الفجوة" (al-fajw) in Arabic refers to a gap, opening, or hole but can also denote a period of time or the absence of something. |
| Armenian | "Փոս" can be traced back to the Indo-European word "put" which also means "hole" but has other meanings too such as "to stink,"fall" or "cave". |
| Azerbaijani | In Old Turkic, the word "dəlik" meant "wide, open". In modern Azerbaijani, it is also used as a slang term for "prison" or "jail". |
| Basque | "Zuloa" derives from "zulu" ('dark', 'blind', or 'deep'), and from that comes also "eztula" ('cough', from an alteration of the throat). |
| Belarusian | The word "дзірка" also refers to an opening made in the earlobe for wearing an earring |
| Bengali | গর্ত is a homophone of the word গত ('past') and shares the same etymology, both coming from Sanskrit गत ('gone'). |
| Bosnian | The Bosnian word "rupa" can also mean "mine" or "pit". |
| Bulgarian | "Дупка" in Bulgarian also refers to something very bad, nasty or terrible, e.g.: "Това е пълна ДУПКА" |
| Catalan | "Forat" is cognate with Latin "forare" (to bore, pierce), French "forer" (to drill), "forage" (drilling) and "forêt" (drill), and Spanish "forar" (to bore, pierce). |
| Cebuano | Lungag, meaning 'hole' in Cebuano, is a cognate of the Indonesian word lubang and the Malay word lubang, all meaning 'hole'. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | "孔" also means "a person with great knowledge or talent". |
| Chinese (Traditional) | The character "孔" may also have the alternate meaning of "Confucius" or a person with great knowledge or ability. |
| Corsican | The Corsican word "pirtusu" can also refer to a small room or compartment in a house. |
| Croatian | In some dialects of Croatian, the word "rupa" can also refer to a "gap" or "opening" in a surface. |
| Czech | In Old Church Slavonic "otvor" denoted an opening, gate or window. |
| Danish | Hul (Danish for "hole") also means "cavity" or "hollow spot". |
| Dutch | "Gat" can derive from the Indo-European root "*ghedh-", meaning "to seize, catch, hold" or "*gha-", meaning "to gape". |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "truo" comes from the Latin word "trua", which also means "hole". |
| Estonian | In South Estonian dialects, the word "auk" can also refer to a narrow strait between two islands. |
| Finnish | "Reikä can also refer to a hole in someone's head." |
| French | The word "trou" can also mean "worry" or "annoyance" in French, and is related to the Old French word "truier," meaning "to bore" or "to pierce. |
| Frisian | The word "gat" in Frisian can also refer to a canal, a street, or a gap in a fence. |
| Galician | "Burato" shares its etymology with the Castillian "burato" (coarse fabric) and the French "bure" (rough fabric). |
| Georgian | The word 'ხვრელი' can also refer to the 'eye' of a needle, a 'pore' on the skin, the 'socket' for an object or a 'notch', a 'gap', a 'break', a 'chink' or a 'fissure'. |
| German | In Bavarian, the word 'Loch' also means an unlit attic space. |
| Greek | The word "τρύπα" (trypa) in Greek has Indo-European roots and is related to the Latin word "terebrare" (to bore), implying its primary meaning of "hole" but also extending to the concept of "perforation" or "opening." |
| Gujarati | The Gujarati word "છિદ્ર" (hole) is derived from the Sanskrit word "छिद्र" (hole), which in turn is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*ḱey-" (to split). |
| Haitian Creole | The word "twou" in Haitian Creole can also mean "aperture", "gap", or "cavity". |
| Hausa | Although "rami" means "hole" in Hausa, it is also used to describe the interior of a house, a cave, or any enclosed space. |
| Hawaiian | The word "puka" can also refer to a window, a gap, an opening, or a break. |
| Hebrew | The word "חור" in Hebrew can also refer to a cave, a ruin, or a gap. |
| Hindi | "छेद" also means "fault, flaw, or defect". |
| Hmong | The word "lub qhov" can also mean "den" or "cave" in Hmong. |
| Hungarian | "Lyuk" is a word used to refer to a hole in Hungarian. It derives from the Slavic word "luko" meaning "bow" and "luk" meaning "corner". |
| Icelandic | Gat, meaning "hole" in Icelandic, is a cognate of the Old Norse "gat", which also meant "path" or "road". |
| Igbo | The word "onu" in Igbo also refers to an opening through which something passes, like a passageway or window. |
| Indonesian | 'Lubang' is also an archaic Indonesian word for 'house' or 'room', reflecting its Proto-Austronesian root, *qubaŋ. |
| Irish | The Irish word "poll" can also refer to a head or skull |
| Italian | The origin of the word "buco" is unclear, though it is attested as early as the 13th century and is related to the French word "bouche" (mouth). |
| Japanese | "穴" (hole) also means a place where something is located or an opportunity. |
| Javanese | In Javanese, "bolongan" (hole) stems from Sanskrit "bhulanga" (serpent) and is also used to describe a cave. |
| Kannada | "ರಂಧ್ರ" also means "cavity, aperture, opening, passage, or orifice" in Kannada. |
| Kazakh | Derived from the Proto-Turkic *tešik, the word "тесік" is also a verb meaning "to pierce" or "to drill". |
| Khmer | The word “រន្ធ” or “rɔ:ndɔh” literally means “hole, cavity or passageway” but can figuratively mean “an opportunity”. |
| Korean | The word '구멍' is also used figuratively to refer to a flaw or weakness. |
| Kurdish | The word “qûl” can also mean: a trap for catching animals, a type of grain storage device, or a cave. |
| Kyrgyz | The word "тешик" also means "empty" or "hollow" in Kyrgyz, and is related to the word "теш" meaning "to dig". |
| Lao | In addition to meaning "hole," ຂຸມ can also refer to a "den," "cavity," or "opening." |
| Latin | Foraminis (meaning "hole" in Latin) originates from the Greek word "pora," meaning "hole, opening, or pore." |
| Latvian | Latvian word "caurums" originates from the ancient Lithuanian language and is related to words "kirvis" (axe) and "kertasi" (to cut). |
| Lithuanian | The word "skylė" in Lithuanian shares its root with the word "sklypas" (plot of land), both deriving from the Indo-European root "*skel" (to cut) |
| Luxembourgish | The term "Lach" in Luxembourgish, derived from the Old High German word "lahha" or the Old Norse word "lok", originally referred to a hollowed-out space used for storage or shelter. |
| Macedonian | The Macedonian word for "hole" also means "trap" or "pit" and has the same Slavic origin as the Russian word for "hole" (дырка). |
| Malagasy | The Malagasy word "lavaka" can also refer to a type of gully erosion common to the island nation. |
| Malay | Although "lubang" generally means "hole," it can also refer to a "cave" or an "orifice" of a body part, such as the mouth or nose. |
| Malayalam | The word "ദ്വാരം" also means "gate" or "door" in Sanskrit. |
| Maltese | The word "toqba" derives from the Arabic "thuqba", which refers to the holes in a sieve. |
| Maori | The word "kōhao" in Māori also means "a place where something is hidden" or "a secret place". |
| Marathi | The Marathi word 'भोक' (hole) also means 'hunger' in Sanskrit. |
| Mongolian | "Нүх" (hole) also refers to the openings on a garment to put one's arms and legs. |
| Nepali | The word "प्वाल" (hole) in Nepali may also refer to a hollow or cavity in the body or a gap or opening in a surface. |
| Norwegian | The word "hull" in Norwegian can also refer to a ship's body or a peapod. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | Dzenje also means the entrance to a house or a village, or an opening in a fence or wall. |
| Pashto | The word "سور" can also mean "cave" or "hollow" in Pashto. |
| Persian | The Persian word "سوراخ" can also refer to a nostril or an animal's burrow. |
| Polish | The word "otwór" (hole) derives from the Proto-Slavic word, "otvorъ" meaning opening or aperture. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The word "orifício" comes from the Latin word "orificium", meaning "opening". |
| Punjabi | The word "ਮੋਰੀ" can also mean "a hiding place" or "a secret passage". |
| Romanian | The word "gaură" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰew- meaning "to enclose, to cover". |
| Russian | The word "отверстие" comes from the Old Russian word "отверстити", meaning "to open". It can also refer to an opening in a wall, a door, or a window. |
| Samoan | Pu can also refer to an animal's den, a place of refuge, or a place of concealment. |
| Scots Gaelic | In Scottish Gaelic, the word "toll" can also mean "toll" or a "toll-keeper". |
| Serbian | The word "рупа" can also refer to a pockmark, pit, gap, aperture or cavity. |
| Sesotho | The word 'lesoba' can also mean 'a trap' or 'a snare' in Sesotho. |
| Shona | In the Shona language, the word "gomba" signifies not only a "hole" but also a cavity, pit, or empty space within an object. |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "سوراخ" (sorākh) or soro is also used to describe a pit, cavity, recess, opening, or aperture. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | In Sinhalese, 'hole' can also refer to a cavity in a body part, an empty space or container, a fault or defect, or a space within a system. |
| Slovak | The word "diera" also refers to a musical instrument similar to a flute. |
| Slovenian | While the most common meaning of "luknja" is "hole", it can also mean "cavity" or "pit". |
| Somali | The word "god" (hole) in Somali shares etymology with the word "gaad" meaning "to open". |
| Spanish | Agujero in Spanish also refers to a loophole or error, a cavity, a gap or opening, a flaw or defect. |
| Sundanese | The Sundanese word "liang", besides meaning "hole", can also mean a small crack, gap or interstice. |
| Swahili | In addition to its primary meaning of "hole," "shimo" can also refer to a well, grave, or pit. |
| Swedish | In Swedish, "hål" can be used in the phrase "hålla hål på något" which literally means "to keep a hole on something" but figuratively means "to keep an eye on something." |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | "Butas" also refers to a small room or dwelling, likely due to its small and enclosed nature. |
| Tajik | The word "сӯрох" (hole) in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "sūrx" meaning "opening". |
| Tamil | The Tamil word "துளை" can also refer to a cavity, burrow, or perforation, and may be cognate with the Proto-Dravidian word *tuḷu, signifying a cavity or hollow. |
| Thai | The word "หลุม" is derived from the Mon language and is related to the word "ละม" meaning "ditch". |
| Turkish | The Turkish word "delik" not only means "hole" but also "crazy" or "eccentric" when used figuratively. |
| Ukrainian | In Slavic languages, a cognate word “отворити” means “to open”, whereas “отвір” refers specifically to the resulting opening, such as a hole. |
| Urdu | "سوراخ" is related to the Persian word "سوراخ" and the Arabic word "ثقب" which also mean "hole". |
| Uzbek | "Teshik" in Uzbek comes from Proto-Turkic "*tešük" meaning "aperture in the ground" and has been used figuratively since at least the 15th century, meaning "lack" or "deficiency." |
| Vietnamese | The word "hố" also refers to a depression in the ground that is larger than a hole and smaller than a cave. |
| Welsh | A hole in the ground is known as 'twll mawn'. |
| Xhosa | The word "umngxuma" can also refer to a gap or an opening |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "לאָך" (lokh) can also refer to a prison cell or a hiding place. |
| Yoruba | The noun "iho" in Yoruba also means "an opening"} |
| Zulu | The noun 'umgodi', when prefixed by a locative pronoun, means a place or thing inside something. |
| English | Etymology: hole (n.) "cavity" comes from Old English "hol" of the same meaning, akin to German "hohle" and Dutch "hol" both meaning "hollow". Also, a hole in golf refers to a small cavity in the ground where the flag stick is placed. |