Holiday in Different Languages
Discover 'Holiday' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'holiday' holds a special place in our hearts as it evokes images of relaxation, adventure, and quality time with loved ones. Its significance goes beyond just a break from work or school, as it often represents traditions, celebrations, and cultural importance.
Throughout history, holidays have played a crucial role in various societies. For instance, ancient Romans celebrated 'Saturnalia' to honor the god Saturn, while the modern Christmas holiday has its roots in ancient pagan festivals. No matter the origin, holidays bring people together and provide a sense of community.
Given the cultural significance of holidays, it's no wonder that people might want to know the translation of 'holiday' in different languages. Understanding this term in various languages can enrich your travel experiences, foster connections with diverse individuals, and deepen your appreciation for global customs.
Here are a few translations to pique your interest:
- French: 'vacances'
- Spanish: 'vacaciones'
- German: 'Ferien'
- Italian: 'vacanze'
- Chinese: '假期' (jià qī)
- Japanese: '休み' (yasumi)
Stay tuned for more fascinating translations and insights into the world of 'holiday' in different languages!
Holiday
Holiday in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | vakansie | ||
| The word "vakansie" in Afrikaans is derived from the Latin word "vacare", meaning "to be empty" or "to be free from occupation". | |||
| Amharic | በዓል | ||
| በዓል also means "feast". | |||
| Hausa | hutu | ||
| The Hausa word "hutu" has alternate meanings including "celebration" and "festival". | |||
| Igbo | ezumike | ||
| "Ezumike" shares a root with "izu," meaning "to rest" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | fialan-tsasatra | ||
| 'Fialan-tsasatra' literally means 'stop-work' in Malagasy, highlighting its purpose as a break from labor. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | tchuthi | ||
| "Tchuthi" also means "rest" or "break" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | zororo | ||
| "Zororo" is derived from "uzorora," which means "to appear at dawn" or "to return from a journey." | |||
| Somali | fasax | ||
| The Somali word "fasax" derives from the Arabic word "fursa", meaning "opportunity". | |||
| Sesotho | matsatsi a phomolo | ||
| The Sesotho word "matsatsi a phomolo" could also mean "good days" or "happy times" in an abstract sense. | |||
| Swahili | sikukuu | ||
| The Swahili word "Sikukuu" also relates to festive days commemorating religious or special occasions, such as the Muslim festival Idul Fitri. | |||
| Xhosa | iholide | ||
| The word iholide (holiday) in Xhosa also means "a period of rest and celebration" or "a time of feasting and merrymaking" | |||
| Yoruba | isinmi | ||
| The word "isinmi" can also mean "rest" or "relaxation" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | iholide | ||
| Iholide is a Zulu word that is borrowed from the English word "holiday". | |||
| Bambara | kɔnze | ||
| Ewe | mɔkeke | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ibiruhuko | ||
| Lingala | mokolo ya kopema | ||
| Luganda | ekiwummulo | ||
| Sepedi | maikhutšo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | afoofida | ||
Holiday in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | يوم الاجازة | ||
| يوم الاجازة derives from the Arabic "waqafa" meaning "to stand" or "to stop" hence it can refer to a time of rest or a time when work is stopped. | |||
| Hebrew | חַג | ||
| The word "חַג" in Hebrew can also mean "cycle" or "festival", as it derives from the root "חוג" which signifies "to go around". | |||
| Pashto | رخصتي | ||
| The word "رخصتي" can also mean "permission" or "leave" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | يوم الاجازة | ||
| يوم الاجازة derives from the Arabic "waqafa" meaning "to stand" or "to stop" hence it can refer to a time of rest or a time when work is stopped. | |||
Holiday in Western European Languages
| Albanian | pushime | ||
| The word "pushime" also means "rest" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | oporrak | ||
| Oporrak derives from "opor" (=work) and the suffix "-ak" (=without), hence the meaning of "without work". | |||
| Catalan | festa | ||
| The word "festa" in Catalan comes from the Latin word "festus", meaning "festive" or "joyful". | |||
| Croatian | odmor | ||
| The word "odmor" in Croatian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "otmoriti", meaning "to rest" or "to take a break". | |||
| Danish | ferie | ||
| In Danish, ferie is a shortened version of "feriedage" which means "days of peace". The word has been borrowed into other Germanic languages such as Swedish and Norwegian. | |||
| Dutch | vakantie | ||
| The Dutch word "vakantie" originates from the Latin word "vacatio", which means "freedom from work". | |||
| English | holiday | ||
| The word 'holiday' derives from the Middle English 'holy day' (a religious holiday) and can also refer to other special days, such as birthdays or anniversaries. | |||
| French | vacances | ||
| The French word "vacances" originated from Latin "vacans," meaning "empty" or "free". | |||
| Frisian | fakânsje | ||
| The Dutch word "vakantie" (holiday) also comes from the Latin word "vacare" (to be empty). | |||
| Galician | vacacións | ||
| In Galician, "vacacións" can also refer specifically to the Christmas holidays. | |||
| German | urlaub | ||
| "Urlaub" is derived from "Erlaubnis" (permission) and originally meant a leave of absence granted by a feudal lord. | |||
| Icelandic | frí | ||
| The word stems from Old Norse 'frí', meaning 'beloved' or 'friend' and is also related to 'frjá' meaning 'love' or 'affection'. | |||
| Irish | saoire | ||
| Despite its current meaning of "holiday," saoire was originally used to refer to any period of time set apart by law, custom, or circumstance. | |||
| Italian | vacanza | ||
| The word "vacanza" comes from the Latin "vacare", meaning "to be free or unoccupied". | |||
| Luxembourgish | vakanz | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Vakanz" likely originates from the Old French "vacance" meaning "emptiness" and "freedom". | |||
| Maltese | btala | ||
| The Maltese word "btala" derives from the Arabic word "batala", meaning "to be free" or "to rest". | |||
| Norwegian | ferie | ||
| The word "ferie" also means "vacation", and is derived from the Old Norse word "færi", which means "journey" or "travel". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | feriado | ||
| The word "feriado" comes from the Latin "feriare", meaning "to make holy" or "to keep as a holiday". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | saor-làithean | ||
| Spanish | fiesta | ||
| In some Spanish-speaking countries, "fiesta" also refers to the patron saint's day of a town or village. | |||
| Swedish | semester | ||
| "Semester" in Swedish has the alternate meaning of "half year," used to refer to the two academic terms. | |||
| Welsh | gwyliau | ||
| The word "gwyliau" in Welsh comes from the Proto-Celtic word "wel", meaning "to see". | |||
Holiday in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | свята | ||
| The Belarusian word "свята" (svjata) for "holiday" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *svętъ, which also means "holy" or "sacred". | |||
| Bosnian | odmor | ||
| Etymologically connected to the Russian word 'otdykh', which is derived from the term 'ot' (off) and 'dykhat' (breathe), therefore describing 'a respite to breathe'. | |||
| Bulgarian | празник | ||
| The word “празник” is derived from the Proto-Slavic form *svętъ, meaning “holy” or “sacred”. | |||
| Czech | dovolená | ||
| The word "Dovolená" derives from the verb "dovolit" meaning "to allow" or "to authorize". | |||
| Estonian | puhkus | ||
| "Puhkus" originated from the word "puh", which means clean or to be clean. | |||
| Finnish | loma- | ||
| The word loma is also used in Estonian, where it means "vacation." | |||
| Hungarian | ünnep | ||
| The word "ünnep" derives from the verb "ünnepelni" ("to celebrate"), which shares a root with "ünne" ("joy, celebration"). | |||
| Latvian | svētki | ||
| The Latvian word “svētki” is an alternate form of the word “svēta,” which means "holy" or "sacred". | |||
| Lithuanian | šventė | ||
| The word "šventė" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *s(w)en- meaning "to be strong" and is related to words like "sway" and "swing". | |||
| Macedonian | празник | ||
| "Праздник" (holiday) in Macedonian is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "празднъ" (empty), as holidays were considered days of rest from work and other obligations. | |||
| Polish | wakacje | ||
| The word "wakacje" derives from the Latin "vacatio" meaning "freedom from duties". | |||
| Romanian | vacanţă | ||
| The Romanian "vacanţă" traces its origin from the Latin "vacantia" (emptiness, free time), related to "vacare" (to be empty, to be vacant). | |||
| Russian | праздничный день | ||
| The Russian word for "holiday," "праздничный день," derives from the word "праздник," which also means "festival" and "celebration." | |||
| Serbian | празник | ||
| The word "празник" (holiday) in Serbian comes from the Slavic word "prazdnь", which means "empty" or "idle." | |||
| Slovak | dovolenka | ||
| Slovak "dovolenka" derives from "dovoľovať," meaning "to permit" or "to allow," reflecting the permission to temporarily suspend work. | |||
| Slovenian | počitnice | ||
| "Počitnice" is derived from the Old Slavic word "počiti" meaning "to rest" and also refers to the Christian holidays of Whitsuntide and Pentecost in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | свято | ||
| The word "свято" (holiday) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *svętъ, meaning "sacred" or "holy," and is related to the words "święty" (holy) in Polish, "святъ" (holy) in Russian, and "svätý" (holy) in Czech. | |||
Holiday in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ছুটি | ||
| ছুটি is a loanword from Hindi meaning 'leave of absence' | |||
| Gujarati | રજા | ||
| The word "રજા" can also mean "leave" or "permission". | |||
| Hindi | छुट्टी का दिन | ||
| The Hindi word "छुट्टी का दिन" literally means "free day" and can refer to any day off work or school. | |||
| Kannada | ರಜೆ | ||
| The word "ರಜೆ" also means "leave" in Kannada, and comes from the Sanskrit word "राज़ि" (rāji), meaning "permission" or "vacation". | |||
| Malayalam | അവധിദിനം | ||
| The word “അവധിദിനം” has many meanings depending on the context – absence, exemption, leave, and holiday. | |||
| Marathi | सुट्टी | ||
| The word "सुट्टी" can also refer to a day of rest or vacation from work or school. | |||
| Nepali | छुट्टी | ||
| The word "छुट्टी" can also mean "leave" or "absence". | |||
| Punjabi | ਛੁੱਟੀ | ||
| The word "ਛੁੱਟੀ" can also refer to a period of time after a marriage ceremony, often used to describe the time the bride and groom spend together for the first time. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නිවාඩු | ||
| In Sinhala, "නිවාඩු" is derived from the Sanskrit word "निवात" meaning "shelter" or "refuge", indicating a day of rest or sanctuary from life's daily grind. | |||
| Tamil | விடுமுறை | ||
| The word "விடுமுறை" (vitu murai) literally means "leaving a place" in Tamil, and can also refer to a break from work or school. | |||
| Telugu | సెలవు | ||
| "సెలవు" also refers to a day devoted to a special observance; specifically, the Hindu festival of Holi. | |||
| Urdu | چھٹی | ||
| The Urdu word "چھٹی" is linked to the Sanskrit word "षष्ठी" (shasthi), which refers to the sixth lunar day and is often associated with rest or leisure periods. | |||
Holiday in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 假日 | ||
| 假日 (Jiàrì) in Chinese refers not only to a holiday but also to a specific day within a holiday period. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 假日 | ||
| 假日 (literally 'break day') is a homophone of 解日 (literally 'remove sun') which refers to the summer solstice. | |||
| Japanese | 休日 | ||
| "休日" (holiday) and "祭日" (national holiday) are both abbreviated as "休". This is because "休" means "rest" or "relax". On the other hand, "祝" in "祝日" (national holiday) means "celebrate" or "congratulate". | |||
| Korean | 휴일 | ||
| "휴일" originally referred to non-working days for farmers, but now refers to days off from work or school for everyone. | |||
| Mongolian | амралт | ||
| The Mongolian word "амралт" ("holiday") also means "rest" or "leisure". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အားလပ်ရက် | ||
Holiday in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | liburan | ||
| Indonesian "liburan" derives from Dutch "vrije uren" ("free hours"), also a source of "free" (leisure time) in English and French. | |||
| Javanese | preinan | ||
| "Preinan" also means "to play" or "recreation" in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | ថ្ងៃឈប់សម្រាក | ||
| Lao | ວັນພັກ | ||
| Malay | percutian | ||
| The word "percutian" has an alternate meaning as "vacation leave" and is derived from the Dutch word "vacantie." | |||
| Thai | วันหยุด | ||
| The Thai word "วันหยุด" ("holiday") literally means "day of stop" or "day of not working." | |||
| Vietnamese | ngày lễ | ||
| In Chinese, the word 'ngày lễ' is a two-character idiom used to describe a holiday. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | holiday | ||
Holiday in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | tətil | ||
| The word "tətil" likely derives from the Arabic root "tl"" - "to neglect," "to postpone," and its plural in Azerbaijani is "tətillər". | |||
| Kazakh | мереке | ||
| The word "мереке" in Kazakh means "holiday," but it also has a deeper meaning, referring to a gathering of people for a specific purpose. | |||
| Kyrgyz | майрам | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "майрам" (holiday) is thought to have originated from a Persian term meaning "feast" or "celebration". | |||
| Tajik | таътил | ||
| The word "таътил" is derived from the Arabic word "عطلة" ("vacation") and originally meant "free time". | |||
| Turkmen | dynç alyş | ||
| Uzbek | bayram | ||
| Bayram derives from the Persian word "baidaram", meaning "celebration" or "festival". | |||
| Uyghur | دەم ئېلىش | ||
Holiday in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lā hoʻomaha | ||
| "La ho'omaha" literally translates to "no rest", reflecting the Hawaiian tradition of holidays being active and lively. | |||
| Maori | hararei | ||
| Hararei can also refer to a day of rest or a special day for celebration in Maori culture. | |||
| Samoan | aso malolo | ||
| The word “aso malolo” also means “day of prayer” or “day of the Sabbath” and is derived from the ancient Polynesian mythology. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | bakasyon | ||
| The word "bakasyon" is derived from the Spanish word "vacación". In addition to its primary meaning as "holiday", it can also refer to a "vacation" or "leave of absence". | |||
Holiday in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | samarawi | ||
| Guarani | arete | ||
Holiday in International Languages
| Esperanto | ferio | ||
| The Esperanto word "ferio" is derived from the Latin word "feriae", meaning religious holiday or festival, and is also related to the English word "fair". | |||
| Latin | ferias | ||
| "Feriae", in Latin, originally meant religious holidays, but the word later came to refer to any day off work. | |||
Holiday in Others Languages
| Greek | αργία | ||
| Etymology: Ancient Greek ἀργία (argía), meaning idleness or laziness | |||
| Hmong | hnub so | ||
| The Hmong word "hnub so" literally translates to "day of rest." | |||
| Kurdish | karbetalî | ||
| The Kurdish word "karbetalî" can also mean "festival" or "celebration". | |||
| Turkish | tatil | ||
| The word "tatil" in Turkish is derived from the Arabic word "ta'til", which means "vacation" or "suspension of work or activity." | |||
| Xhosa | iholide | ||
| The word iholide (holiday) in Xhosa also means "a period of rest and celebration" or "a time of feasting and merrymaking" | |||
| Yiddish | יום טוּב | ||
| The Yiddish word "יום טוב" likely originates from the Hebrew phrase "יום טוב" meaning "good day", but in Yiddish it now refers specifically to Jewish holidays. | |||
| Zulu | iholide | ||
| Iholide is a Zulu word that is borrowed from the English word "holiday". | |||
| Assamese | ছুটীৰ দিন | ||
| Aymara | samarawi | ||
| Bhojpuri | छुट्टी के दिन | ||
| Dhivehi | ޗުއްޓީ | ||
| Dogri | छुट्टी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | holiday | ||
| Guarani | arete | ||
| Ilocano | aldaw ti rarambak | ||
| Krio | ɔlide | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پشوو | ||
| Maithili | छुट्टी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯨꯇ | ||
| Mizo | chawlh | ||
| Oromo | ayyaana | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଛୁଟିଦିନ | | ||
| Quechua | raymi | ||
| Sanskrit | अवकाशदिनं | ||
| Tatar | бәйрәм | ||
| Tigrinya | በዓል | ||
| Tsonga | holideyi | ||