Library in Different Languages
Discover 'Library' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Library
Afrikaans biblioteek | ||
Albanian librari | ||
Amharic ቤተ መጻሕፍት | ||
Arabic مكتبة | ||
Armenian գրադարան | ||
Assamese পুথিভঁৰাল | ||
Aymara ullañuta | ||
Azerbaijani kitabxana | ||
Bambara gafekalanyɔrɔ | ||
Basque liburutegia | ||
Belarusian бібліятэка | ||
Bengali গ্রন্থাগার | ||
Bhojpuri पुस्तकालय | ||
Bosnian biblioteka | ||
Bulgarian библиотека | ||
Catalan biblioteca | ||
Cebuano librarya | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 图书馆 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 圖書館 | ||
Corsican biblioteca | ||
Croatian knjižnica | ||
Czech knihovna | ||
Danish bibliotek | ||
Dhivehi ކުތުބުޚާނާ | ||
Dogri लाइब्रेरी | ||
Dutch bibliotheek | ||
English library | ||
Esperanto biblioteko | ||
Estonian raamatukogu | ||
Ewe agbalẽdzraɖoƒe | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) aklatan | ||
Finnish kirjasto | ||
French bibliothèque | ||
Frisian biblioteek | ||
Galician biblioteca | ||
Georgian ბიბლიოთეკა | ||
German bibliothek | ||
Greek βιβλιοθήκη | ||
Guarani arandukarenda | ||
Gujarati પુસ્તકાલય | ||
Haitian Creole bibliyotèk | ||
Hausa laburare | ||
Hawaiian hale waihona puke | ||
Hebrew סִפְרִיָה | ||
Hindi पुस्तकालय | ||
Hmong tsev qiv ntawv | ||
Hungarian könyvtár | ||
Icelandic bókasafn | ||
Igbo ọba akwụkwọ | ||
Ilocano biblioteka | ||
Indonesian perpustakaan | ||
Irish leabharlann | ||
Italian biblioteca | ||
Japanese 図書館 | ||
Javanese perpustakaan | ||
Kannada ಗ್ರಂಥಾಲಯ | ||
Kazakh кітапхана | ||
Khmer បណ្ណាល័យ | ||
Kinyarwanda isomero | ||
Konkani लायब्ररी | ||
Korean 도서관 | ||
Krio laybri | ||
Kurdish pirtûkxane | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) کتێبخانە | ||
Kyrgyz китепкана | ||
Lao ຫ້ອງສະຫມຸດ | ||
Latin bibliotheca | ||
Latvian bibliotēka | ||
Lingala biblioteke | ||
Lithuanian biblioteka | ||
Luganda ekizimbe ekibeeramu ebitabo | ||
Luxembourgish bibliothéik | ||
Macedonian библиотека | ||
Maithili पुस्तकालय | ||
Malagasy fitehirizam-boky | ||
Malay perpustakaan | ||
Malayalam പുസ്തകശാല | ||
Maltese librerija | ||
Maori whare pukapuka | ||
Marathi ग्रंथालय | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯂꯥꯏꯔꯤꯛ ꯊꯝꯐꯝ | ||
Mizo library | ||
Mongolian номын сан | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) စာကြည့်တိုက် | ||
Nepali पुस्तकालय | ||
Norwegian bibliotek | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) laibulale | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଲାଇବ୍ରେରୀ | | ||
Oromo mana kitaabaa | ||
Pashto کتابتون | ||
Persian کتابخانه | ||
Polish biblioteka | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) biblioteca | ||
Punjabi ਲਾਇਬ੍ਰੇਰੀ | ||
Quechua yachay taqi | ||
Romanian bibliotecă | ||
Russian библиотека | ||
Samoan faletusi | ||
Sanskrit पुस्तकालय | ||
Scots Gaelic leabharlann | ||
Sepedi bokgobapuku | ||
Serbian библиотека | ||
Sesotho laeborari | ||
Shona raibhurari | ||
Sindhi لائبريري | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) පුස්තකාලය | ||
Slovak knižnica | ||
Slovenian knjižnica | ||
Somali maktabada | ||
Spanish biblioteca | ||
Sundanese perpustakaan | ||
Swahili maktaba | ||
Swedish bibliotek | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) silid aklatan | ||
Tajik китобхона | ||
Tamil நூலகம் | ||
Tatar китапханә | ||
Telugu గ్రంధాలయం | ||
Thai ห้องสมุด | ||
Tigrinya ቤተ ንባበ | ||
Tsonga layiburari | ||
Turkish kütüphane | ||
Turkmen kitaphanasy | ||
Twi (Akan) laabri | ||
Ukrainian бібліотека | ||
Urdu کتب خانہ | ||
Uyghur كۈتۈپخانا | ||
Uzbek kutubxona | ||
Vietnamese thư viện | ||
Welsh llyfrgell | ||
Xhosa ithala leencwadi | ||
Yiddish ביבליאָטעק | ||
Yoruba ìkàwé | ||
Zulu umtapo wezincwadi |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word "biblioteek" comes from the Dutch word "bibliotheek", which itself derives from the Latin word "bibliotheca", ultimately derived from the Greek "biblion" (book) and "theke" (container). |
| Albanian | "Librari" in Albanian is ultimately derived from the Latin word "liber", meaning "book", and also refers to a "bookcase" or "bookbinder". |
| Amharic | The word "ቤተመጻሕፍት" literally means "house of books" and is derived from the Ge'ez words "ቤት" (house) and "መጽሐፍ" (book). |
| Arabic | The word "مكتبة" can also refer to a "bookcase" or a "collection of books" depending on context. |
| Armenian | The Armenian word |
| Azerbaijani | "Kitabxana" also refers to a specific section in mosques or palaces designated for storing books and manuscripts, and is often associated with centers of Islamic scholarship. |
| Basque | The Basque word 'liburutegia' means 'library' in English, and derives from the Latin words 'liber', meaning 'book', and 'theca', meaning 'box' or 'container'. |
| Belarusian | In Belarusian, "бібліятэка" also means "a collection of books related to a specific subject or author." |
| Bengali | The word "গ্রন্থাগার" originally denoted a "collection of books", with "গ্রন্থ" meaning "book" and "আগার" indicating a room or storehouse. |
| Bosnian | The word "biblioteka" also means "repository" in Bosnian. |
| Bulgarian | The word "библиотека" is derived from the Greek word "βιβλιοθήκη", meaning "bookcase" or "book collection". |
| Catalan | The word "biblioteca" is derived from the Latin "bibliothēca", which in turn comes from the Greek "biblion" (book) and "thēkē" (container). |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 图书馆一词由“图”和“书”两个汉字组成，其中“图”意为图像或书籍，“书”意为文字或书面记录，合起来意为存放和保存图像、书籍的场所。 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | In Traditional Chinese, "圖書館" can also refer to a book depository or a collection of books. |
| Corsican | In Corsican, "biblioteca" also means "bookcase". |
| Croatian | The word “knjižnica” originally meant a place where public documents were kept and only later took on the meaning of a collection of books. |
| Czech | The Czech word “knihovna” comes from the German “Knabe,” meaning “servant.” |
| Danish | "Bibliotek" derives from the Greek "biblion" (book) and "theke" (container). |
| Dutch | The Dutch word "bibliotheek" shares its Proto-Germanic root with the English word "book". |
| Esperanto | "Biblioteko" comes from the Greek word "bibliotheke", which originally meant "a collection of books". |
| Estonian | The word "raamatukogu" is derived from the Estonian words "raamat" (book) and "kogu" (collection). |
| Finnish | The Finnish word "kirjasto" originates from the Greek "bibliotheca", which means "place for books". |
| French | "Bibliothèque" can also mean "a collection of books on a particular subject" or "a bookcase" in French. |
| Frisian | In Frisian, "biblioteek" may also refer to a specific collection of books or a reading room. |
| Galician | In Galician, besides "library" 'biblioteca' also means "archive" or "bookshop" |
| German | "Bibliothek" derives from Greek "biblion" (scroll, book) and "theke" (place, depository), akin to the Latin "bibliotheca" (collection of books). |
| Greek | The word "βιβλιοθήκη" comes from the Greek words "βιβλίον" (book) and "θήκη" (container), so it literally means "book container". |
| Gujarati | The word "પુસ્તકાલય" is derived from the Sanskrit words "pustaka" (book) and "alaya" (house), indicating a "house of books". |
| Haitian Creole | The term "bibliyotèk" in Haitian Creole comes from the French word "bibliothèque", which itself is derived from the Latin word "bibliotheca", meaning "a collection of books". |
| Hausa | Laburare's etymology suggests that it refers to a gathering place for sharing intellectual resources. |
| Hawaiian | This phrase, which translates to "gathering place for learning," reveals that these ancient Hawaiians viewed literacy as a shared journey. |
| Hebrew | סִפְרִיָה derives from the root ס-פ-ר (s-f-r), meaning "to count," and also "to write," or "to record." |
| Hindi | The word "पुस्तकालय" also means "place of books" or "collection of books" in Hindi. |
| Hmong | The word "tsev qiv ntawv" (library) in Hmong also means "books of knowledge" or "place of many books". |
| Hungarian | Könyvtár originated as a compound noun of the words 'könyv' (book) and 'tár' (container), and was first used in the 15th century. |
| Icelandic | The word 'bókasafn' may also refer to a specific collection of books, such as a personal library, or to the building that houses the collection. |
| Indonesian | The word "Perpustakaan" derives from the Sanskrit word "pustaka, |
| Irish | The term leabharlann (library) is derived from the Irish words leabhar (book) and lann (enclosure, house). |
| Italian | "Biblioteca" derives from Latin "bibliothēca", from Greek "βιβλιοθήκη" (bibliotheke), meaning "bookcase". |
| Japanese | The first element of 図書館 (toshokan), 図書 (tosho) means books or documents. |
| Javanese | The Javanese word "perpustakaan" is derived from Sanskrit, meaning "collection of books" or "place of knowledge." |
| Kannada | In ancient Kannada, the word “ಗ್ರಂಥಾಲಯ” (“granthalaya”) specifically referred to a repository for religious books and manuscripts. |
| Kazakh | The word "кітапхана" is derived from the Persian word "kitabkhaneh", meaning "book house". It can also refer to a bookstore or a collection of books. |
| Khmer | The word "បណ្ណាល័យ" in Khmer is derived from Sanskrit and has alternate meanings of "book repository" or "place of learning". |
| Korean | 도서관 is also the Korean name for a bookstore, as many Korean bookstores also have a section for lending books to readers. |
| Kurdish | The word "pirtûkxane" derives from the Persian words "pirtûk" (book) and "xane" (house), meaning "house of books". |
| Kyrgyz | The word "китепкана" is derived from the Persian word "kitāb", meaning "book", and the suffix "-xana", meaning "place". It can also refer to a bookstore. |
| Latin | Bibliotheca is a Latin word originally meaning a collection of books copied or collected by an individual for private use, or a place where such a collection is kept. |
| Latvian | The word "bibliotēka" ultimately derives from the Greek word for "book" and the suffix "-thekē" meaning "container". |
| Lithuanian | The word "biblioteka" is derived from the Greek word "biblion" meaning "book" and "theke" meaning "container". It can also be used to refer to a person who works in a library. |
| Luxembourgish | Bibliothéik (library) derives from the Greek βιβλιοθήκη, referring to a place where books are kept and collected. |
| Macedonian | The word "библиотека" (library) is derived from the Greek word "βιβλιοθήκη" (bibliotheke), which means "bookcase" or "collection of books". |
| Malagasy | The word 'fitehirizam-boky' is derived from the words 'fitehirizana' meaning 'treasure' and 'boky' meaning 'book', thus literally translating to 'treasure of books'. |
| Malay | The Malay word "perpustakaan" derives from the Sanskrit word "pustaka" meaning "books", and originally referred to a collection of writings on palm leaves. |
| Malayalam | The word "പുസ്തകശാല" can also mean "a collection of books" or "a place where books are stored" in Malayalam. |
| Maltese | "Librerija" in Maltese traces its roots to the Latin word "libraria," meaning "relating to books" or "a place where books are stored." |
| Maori | The Maori word 'whare pukapuka' literally translates to 'house of books', highlighting the importance of knowledge and education in Maori culture. |
| Marathi | The word ग्रंथालय (granthalaya) is derived from the Sanskrit words "grantha" (book) and "alaya" (house). |
| Mongolian | The word "номын сан" can also refer to a "bookcase". |
| Nepali | The word "पुस्तकालय" (library) comes from the Sanskrit word "पुस्तक" (book) and the Persian word "خانه" (house). |
| Norwegian | The Norwegian word «bibliotek» is of Greek origin, derived from «biblion» meaning «book» and «theke» meaning «container». |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "laibulale" derives from the word "laibulalo" which means "a place of reading". |
| Pashto | This word literally translates as “place of scribes” or “house of writers” and refers to a place where books and manuscripts were written and stored, usually in religious institutions. |
| Persian | Persian "ketabkhane" means "place where books are" (ketab: book, khane: home) but is also a synonym of "bookshop" in some dialects such as Isfahani. |
| Polish | The Polish term "biblioteka" derives from the Latin "bibliotheca" and originally denoted a room or a cabinet for storing books. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The word "biblioteca" derives from Latin "bibliothēca", ultimately originating from the Greek word for "book", βιβλίον (biblion). |
| Punjabi | The word "ਲਾਇਬ੍ਰੇਰੀ" likely derives from the Latin word "liber", meaning "book". It may also refer to a room or building where books are kept, or to a collection of books. |
| Romanian | In Romanian, "bibliotecă" can also refer to a bookcase or collection of books. |
| Russian | The word "библиотека" (library) comes from the Greek word "βιβλιοθήκη" (bibliotheke), which means "bookcase" or "collection of books." |
| Samoan | The word "faletusi" can also refer to a traditional Samoan home built for storing food and other valuables. |
| Scots Gaelic | "Leabharlann" derives from the Old Irish "leabhar" (book) and "lann" (church) and originally referred to a place where religious texts were stored. |
| Serbian | "Библиотека" in Serbian ultimately derives from the Greek word "bibliotheke," meaning "bookcase" or "collection of books." |
| Sesotho | "Laeborari" means "book hut" and is derived from Dutch "bibliotheek" |
| Shona | Raibhurari is derived from the English word 'library,' and it shares the same meaning. |
| Sindhi | The word "لائبريري" in Sindhi can also refer to a 'place for reading' or a 'collection of books'. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word 'පුස්තකාලය' is derived from the Sanskrit words 'पुस्तक' (book) and 'आलय' (house), meaning 'a house of books'. |
| Slovak | The word "knižnica" evolved from the Proto-Slavic word "kniga", meaning "book". |
| Slovenian | The word "knjižnica" may have roots in Slavic languages, potentially originating from the Bulgarian word "knigh" meaning "book". |
| Somali | The word "maktabada" in Somali originates from the Arabic word "maktab" (office or school), further derived from the Persian word "maktab" (place of study). |
| Spanish | The word "biblioteca" derives from the Latin "bibliotheca", itself taken from the Greek "bibliothēkē", meaning "collection of books". |
| Sundanese | The word "perpustakaan" is derived from Sanskrit and literally means "place to hide books". |
| Swahili | In Swahili, "maktaba" can also mean "office" or "workshop", and is related to the Arabic word "maktab" (school). |
| Swedish | The word "bibliotek" originates from the Greek "biblion" (book) and "theke" (case) and can also refer to a bookshelf or bookcase. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | Silid aklatan may have originally meant an 'exhibition hall of books' before it gained its current meaning. |
| Tajik | The word "китобхона" in Tajik comes from the Persian word "کتب خانه" ( "ketab-khaneh"), which itself is a loanword from the Arabic word "كتاب خانه" ( "kitab-khana"), meaning "house of books." |
| Tamil | The word "நூலகம்" (noolāgam) can also refer to a collection or compendium, such as a set of books or scriptures. |
| Thai | The word “ห้องสมุด” (“library”) is derived from the Sanskrit word “pustakalaya” meaning “place of books”. |
| Turkish | The word "kütüphane" derives from the Persian word "ketaab khaneh", meaning "book house." |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word "бібліотека" is derived from the Greek word "βιβλιοθήκη" meaning "book collection". |
| Urdu | The word "کتب خانہ" is derived from Persian and literally means "house of books." |
| Uzbek | Kutubxona is a compound of two words: "kutub", which has an Arabic origin and means "books", and "xona", which is Persian for "room" or "house". |
| Vietnamese | The Vietnamese word "thư viện" originally referred to a place for storing books, but later expanded to include a place for reading and studying. |
| Welsh | The Welsh word llyfrgell is derived from the Latin word liber, meaning book, and the Celtic suffix -gell, meaning a place. |
| Xhosa | Derived from the Zulu word “ithala”, meaning a place of storage. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "ביבליאָטעק" is derived from the Greek word for book, "βιβλιοθήκη". |
| Yoruba | 'Ìkàwé' literally translates to "the house of gathering" in Yoruba, signifying the library's role as a repository of knowledge. |
| Zulu | The term, 'umtapo wezincwadi', is not a direct translation of, 'library', yet it is its most apt approximation in isiZulu. |
| English | The word 'library' originates from the Latin 'liber' (book), meaning 'a collection of books'. |