Land in Different Languages
Discover 'Land' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'land' holds immense significance in our lives as it represents the solid ground that we stand on, the territory that we inhabit, and the earth that we cultivate for resources. Throughout history, land has been a cultural cornerstone, shaping societies, economies, and identities. From the ancient Egyptians who revered the land as a divine gift to the modern-day homesteaders who live off the land, our connection to this vital resource remains profound.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'land' in different languages can open doors to cultural exchange and global understanding. For instance, in Spanish, 'land' is 'tierra'; in French, 'terre'; in German, 'Land'; in Mandarin, '土地' (tǔdì); in Japanese, '陸' (riku); and in Arabic, 'الأرض' (al'ard).
As you delve deeper into the intricacies of these translations, you'll uncover fascinating historical contexts, linguistic nuances, and cultural distinctions. So, join us as we embark on this enlightening journey to explore the word 'land' in various languages!
Land
Land in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | land | ||
| The Afrikaans word "land" can also refer to a "country" or "a plot of cultivated ground." | |||
| Amharic | መሬት | ||
| The term "መሬት" also signifies "the world," reflecting the ancient concept of the Earth as the central point of the universe. | |||
| Hausa | ƙasar | ||
| In Hausa, "ƙasar" also refers to one's homeland, native land, or country of origin. | |||
| Igbo | ala | ||
| In addition, ala can mean "ground" or "earth" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | tany | ||
| The Malagasy word “tany” is also used to mean “place” and “island”. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | nthaka | ||
| The etymology of "nthaka" is the verb "kutha," which means "to take, hold, or seize." | |||
| Shona | nyika | ||
| The word "nyika" in Shona can also refer to a specific region or territory, rather than just land in general. | |||
| Somali | dhul | ||
| Sesotho | naha | ||
| The Sesotho word "naha" also means "homeland" or "country" and is related to the Nguni word "ikhaya" with the same meanings. | |||
| Swahili | ardhi | ||
| The Swahili word "ardhi" means "land," and also has alternate meanings like "ground," "territory," "property," and "real estate." | |||
| Xhosa | umhlaba | ||
| In Xhosa, "umhlaba" can also refer to the Earth or the cosmos, highlighting its fundamental and interconnected nature. | |||
| Yoruba | ilẹ | ||
| The word 'ilẹ' in Yoruba also refers to the earth, the world, or a place of residence. | |||
| Zulu | umhlaba | ||
| 'Umhlaba' also figuratively means 'human world' or 'earth' | |||
| Bambara | duguma | ||
| Ewe | anyigbã | ||
| Kinyarwanda | butaka | ||
| Lingala | mabele | ||
| Luganda | ensi | ||
| Sepedi | naga | ||
| Twi (Akan) | asase | ||
Land in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أرض | ||
| The Arabic word "أرض" also means "earth" or "ground". | |||
| Hebrew | ארץ | ||
| Eretz (ארץ) can also mean earth, country, fatherland, territory or homeland in Hebrew | |||
| Pashto | ځمکه | ||
| The Pashto word "ځمکه" also refers to the planet Earth, akin to "earth" in English. | |||
| Arabic | أرض | ||
| The Arabic word "أرض" also means "earth" or "ground". | |||
Land in Western European Languages
| Albanian | tokë | ||
| Etymology unknown, but may be related to the Latin terra or the Greek topos. | |||
| Basque | lurra | ||
| "Lur" is related to the verb "lur" (to give birth) | |||
| Catalan | terra | ||
| The Catalan word «terra», meaning «land», comes from the Latin word «terra», which also means «earth» or «soil». | |||
| Croatian | zemljište | ||
| The word "zemljište" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "zemlja", meaning "earth" or "soil". | |||
| Danish | jord | ||
| The Danish word "jord" is cognate with the English word "earth" and originally meant "the ground". | |||
| Dutch | land- | ||
| The Dutch word "land" can also refer to a country, territory, or region. | |||
| English | land | ||
| "Land" comes from an Old English word referring to ploughed soil. | |||
| French | terre | ||
| Old French word 'terre' derives from Latin 'terra', also meaning 'earth,' 'country,' and 'region'. | |||
| Frisian | lân | ||
| The Frisian word "lân" derives from Proto-West-Germanic *landam, and also means "area of settlement" and "territory". | |||
| Galician | terra | ||
| In Galician, "terra" can also refer to "soil" or "earth", as in the phrase "a terra é fértil" (the soil is fertile). | |||
| German | land | ||
| The German word "Land" can also refer to a state or territory within a country, or to the people living in a particular area. | |||
| Icelandic | land | ||
| The Icelandic word "land" can also refer to a country or a farm. | |||
| Irish | talamh | ||
| The word "talamh" in Irish can also mean "the world" or "the earth". | |||
| Italian | terra | ||
| The Latin word "terra" (earth) survives in the Italian words "terrena" (ground floor), "terrace" (flat-roofed structure) and "terreno" (soil). | |||
| Luxembourgish | land | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning, "Land" can also refer to the country of Luxembourg in Luxembourgish. | |||
| Maltese | art | ||
| The Maltese word "art" can also refer to a field, or a plot of land. | |||
| Norwegian | land | ||
| The Norwegian word "land" can also refer to a country ("land") or property ("eiendom"). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | terra | ||
| The word "terra" comes from the Latin word "terra" and can also mean "soil", "earth", or "homeland" in Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | fearann | ||
| The Gaelic word for 'land', 'fearann', originally meant 'fertile' or 'grassy' land | |||
| Spanish | tierra | ||
| In Spanish, 'tierra' can also refer to 'soil', 'earth', or 'country'. | |||
| Swedish | landa | ||
| The word "landa" also means "to land" in Swedish, deriving from the Old Norse word "landa" meaning "to come to land". | |||
| Welsh | tir | ||
| "Tir" also means "food" or "nutriment" in Welsh. | |||
Land in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | зямлі | ||
| The word | |||
| Bosnian | zemljište | ||
| In Serbo-Croatian languages "zemlja" means both "earth" and "land" and comes from the Proto-Slavic word *zemlja, which is cognate with Latin humus "soil". | |||
| Bulgarian | земя | ||
| The Russian "земля" and Polish "ziemia" are cognates, sharing a common Slavic root meaning "ground" and "territory". | |||
| Czech | přistát | ||
| The Czech word "přistát" also means "to land in trouble" or "to arrive in an unpleasant situation". | |||
| Estonian | maa | ||
| "Maa" also means "ground" or "substance". | |||
| Finnish | maa | ||
| The word 'maa' in Finnish is also used to refer to 'country' or 'earth'. | |||
| Hungarian | föld | ||
| "Föld" in Hungarian also means soil, or the ground. In fact, it is cognate with the English word "field". | |||
| Latvian | zeme | ||
| The word "zeme" in Latvian derives from Proto-Baltic and Indo-European roots, also seen in Lithuanian, Russian, and Sanskrit. | |||
| Lithuanian | žemės | ||
| The Lithuanian word "žemė" also has the alternate meaning of "world" and is cognate with the Latvian and Old Prussian words for "land". | |||
| Macedonian | земјиште | ||
| The word "земјиште" in Macedonian is cognate with the Slavic word "zemlya," which means both "land" and "earth." | |||
| Polish | wylądować | ||
| The word "wylądować" comes from the Old Polish word "lądować", which means "to sink" or "to plunge". | |||
| Romanian | teren | ||
| The Romanian word "teren" originates from the Latin "terra" and also means "field" or "domain." | |||
| Russian | земля | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of 'land', 'земля' can also refer to 'soil', 'earth', or 'country' in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | земљиште | ||
| The Serbian word "земљиште" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *zemljь, which also meant "earth" and "soil" | |||
| Slovak | pôda | ||
| The word "pôda" in Slovak also means "soil". | |||
| Slovenian | zemljišča | ||
| The Slovenian word "zemljišča" can also refer to "real estate". | |||
| Ukrainian | землі | ||
| In Ukrainian, 'землі' (zemli) is a plural form of 'земля' (zemlya), both meaning 'land' but with nuances in usage. | |||
Land in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | জমি | ||
| The word "জমি" also means "ground" or "earth" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | જમીન | ||
| The Gujarati word "જમીન" (jamīn) is also related to the Sanskrit word "जन" (jana), which means "people" or "race". | |||
| Hindi | भूमि | ||
| The word "भूमि" is derived from the Sanskrit word "भू", meaning "to be" or "to exist". | |||
| Kannada | ಭೂಮಿ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಭೂಮಿ" (bhoomi) also refers to the Hindu goddess Bhudevi, representing Earth, and can mean "earth" or "soil" in general. | |||
| Malayalam | ഭൂമി | ||
| The word "ഭൂമി" is derived from the Sanskrit word "bhūmi," which also means "earth" or "world." | |||
| Marathi | जमीन | ||
| While the primary meaning of जमीन is "land" in Marathi, it can also refer to property in general or the land surrounding a city. | |||
| Nepali | जग्गा | ||
| The word "जग्गा" is derived from Sanskrit and also means "immovable property". | |||
| Punjabi | ਜ਼ਮੀਨ | ||
| The word "ਜ਼ਮੀਨ" (land) derives from the Persian word "zamin," meaning "ground" or "earth." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඉඞම් | ||
| The word 'ඉඞම්' may also refer to a country or a piece of territory. | |||
| Tamil | நில | ||
| In Tamil, 'நில' (land) can also mean 'ground', 'condition', 'situation', or 'state of being'. | |||
| Telugu | భూమి | ||
| The word 'భూమి' also means the planet Earth or the ground itself. | |||
| Urdu | زمین | ||
| "زمین" comes from the Persian word "zamīn," which can also mean "surface," "ground," or "site." | |||
Land in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 土地 | ||
| Land ('土地') in Chinese refers not only to the ground, but also to its fertility, which is why it can be written as '土' (earth) combined with '地' (bottom). | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 土地 | ||
| The character "土" in "土地" also means "earth" or "soil". | |||
| Japanese | 土地 | ||
| 土地 (tochi) can also mean "real estate" or "property." | |||
| Korean | 나라 | ||
| The Korean word "나라" (nara) also means "country" and "kingdom," and is cognate with the Mongolian word "nar," meaning "sun." | |||
| Mongolian | газар | ||
| Mongolian 'газар' may be derived from 'газ' ('surface') and relate to 'газлах' ('to spread out'). | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မြေ | ||
| The word "မြေ" in Myanmar can also refer to the ground, earth, or soil. | |||
Land in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | tanah | ||
| The Indonesian word "tanah" is derived from the Sanskrit word "sthāna," meaning "place" or "position." | |||
| Javanese | tanah | ||
| "Tanah" can also mean "ground, earth, or territory." | |||
| Khmer | ដី | ||
| "ដី" can also refer to a place or a country. | |||
| Lao | ທີ່ດິນ | ||
| The Lao word "ທີ່ດິນ" ("land") can also refer to a specific area of land, such as a field or a plot of land. | |||
| Malay | tanah | ||
| Tanah is a Austronesian root word for | |||
| Thai | ที่ดิน | ||
| "ที่ดิน" can also mean "a place to stay" or a "farmland". | |||
| Vietnamese | đất đai | ||
| "Đất" also means earth, soil, ground, or real estate and is commonly used in this sense in legal and official documents. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lupain | ||
Land in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | torpaq | ||
| The word "torpaq" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Proto-Turkic word "torp" meaning "earth". | |||
| Kazakh | жер | ||
| The Kazakh word "жер" does not have any alternate meanings. | |||
| Kyrgyz | жер | ||
| The word "жер" can also refer to a specific plot of land, such as a farm or pasture. | |||
| Tajik | замин | ||
| The word "замин" in Tajik has its roots in the Persian word "zamin", which also means "earth" or "world". | |||
| Turkmen | ýer | ||
| Uzbek | er | ||
| In Uzbek, "er" originally meant "man", which transitioned to meaning "land" over time. | |||
| Uyghur | يەر | ||
Land in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | āina | ||
| 'Āina also refers to that which feeds or nourishes, including sustenance from the land or spiritual nourishment. | |||
| Maori | whenua | ||
| Whenua comes from 'whenua' meaning 'placenta' or 'afterbirth' and relates to the significance of the whenua as the nurturing provider of life. | |||
| Samoan | laueleele | ||
| The Samoan word 'laueleele' can also refer to a village or a district. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | lupa | ||
Land in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | uraqi | ||
| Guarani | yvy | ||
Land in International Languages
| Esperanto | tero | ||
| "Tero" in Esperanto shares its root with the Ancient Greek "terra" (earth) and the Latin "terra" (land), ultimately tracing back to the Proto-Indo-European "*ters-" (dry). | |||
| Latin | terra | ||
| "Terra" also means "earth" in Latin, cognate with the Greek "gē" and Proto-Indo-European "*ǵʰérm-." It is a component of many words, including "terrain" and "terrarium." | |||
Land in Others Languages
| Greek | γη | ||
| The Greek word "γη" (land) is also connected to the word "γέα" (earth) and may derive from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰḗm, meaning "earth" or "ground." | |||
| Hmong | thaj av | ||
| Hmong word "thaj av" comes from Proto-Sino-Tibetan root *tʰa "ground" or *tʰa "earth". | |||
| Kurdish | welat | ||
| The word "welat" in Kurdish is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *wel- meaning "to turn, roll, or revolve" and can also refer to a "nation, people, or country". | |||
| Turkish | arazi | ||
| The word "arazi" is derived from the Arabic word "ارض" (pronounced "arḍ"), meaning "ground" or "earth." | |||
| Xhosa | umhlaba | ||
| In Xhosa, "umhlaba" can also refer to the Earth or the cosmos, highlighting its fundamental and interconnected nature. | |||
| Yiddish | לאַנד | ||
| The word "לאַנד" (land) in Yiddish also means "country" or "nation". | |||
| Zulu | umhlaba | ||
| 'Umhlaba' also figuratively means 'human world' or 'earth' | |||
| Assamese | ভূমি | ||
| Aymara | uraqi | ||
| Bhojpuri | जमीन | ||
| Dhivehi | ބިން | ||
| Dogri | जमीन | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lupain | ||
| Guarani | yvy | ||
| Ilocano | daga | ||
| Krio | land | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | زەوی | ||
| Maithili | जमीन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯝ | ||
| Mizo | ram | ||
| Oromo | lafa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଜମି | ||
| Quechua | allpa | ||
| Sanskrit | भूः | ||
| Tatar | җир | ||
| Tigrinya | መሬት | ||
| Tsonga | phatsama | ||