Mountain in Different Languages
Discover 'Mountain' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Mountains, these awe-inspiring natural wonders, have been a source of fascination for humans since the dawn of time. Signifying strength and resilience, mountains have played a vital role in our cultural, spiritual, and even economic lives. They have been the muse of countless artists, poets, and photographers, capturing our imagination with their majestic beauty.
Throughout history, mountains have held great cultural importance across the globe. In many religions, mountains are considered sacred places, serving as the abode of gods and goddesses. For instance, in Japanese mythology, Mount Fuji is believed to be the center of the universe and the most sacred place on Earth. Similarly, in Hinduism, the Himalayas are revered as the abode of Lord Shiva.
Understanding the translation of the word 'mountain' in different languages can open up a world of cultural insights. For example, in Spanish, a mountain is called 'montaña,' while in German, it's 'Berg.' In French, it's 'montagne,' and in Russian, it's 'гора' (pronounced: gora).
Delving into the translations of 'mountain' in various languages can be a fascinating journey, shedding light on the diverse ways different cultures perceive and interact with these magnificent natural formations.
Mountain
Mountain in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | berg | ||
| The Afrikaans word "berg" is derived from the Middle Dutch word "berch", meaning "mountain" or "hill", and has a cognate in the English word "barren". | |||
| Amharic | ተራራ | ||
| "ተራራ" can also refer to a "large heap" or an "elevation of ground". | |||
| Hausa | dutse | ||
| "Dutse" also means "stone" in Hausa, a language spoken in northern Nigeria and parts of Niger | |||
| Igbo | ugwu | ||
| In some Igbo communities, | |||
| Malagasy | tendrombohitr'andriamanitra | ||
| The word "TENDROMBOHITR'ANDRIAMANITRA" (mountain) in Malagasy is derived from "Tendrombohitra," which means "place where the king lives" and "Andriamanitra," which means "God." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | phiri | ||
| The etymology behind 'phiri' is unknown. The Nyanja word 'phiripiri' means a 'small, long hill', and is likely a diminutive form. | |||
| Shona | gomo | ||
| The Shona word for 'mountain', 'gomo', is also used to refer to something that is large or difficult to move. | |||
| Somali | buur | ||
| The word "buur" can also refer to a "heap" or a "pile" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | thaba | ||
| Thaba is derived from an archaic word for 'rock' that also survives in the word for 'stone,' sefika. | |||
| Swahili | mlima | ||
| Swahili "mlima" originally referred to a small hill, and its meaning expanded over time to encompass all elevations. | |||
| Xhosa | intaba | ||
| The word "intaba" can also mean "a large animal, such as an elephant". | |||
| Yoruba | òkè | ||
| As an ideophone, 'òkè' describes a loud noise, like an explosion or the cracking of a whip. | |||
| Zulu | intaba | ||
| Intaba derives from the Proto-Bantu word *tabi, meaning 'small peak'. | |||
| Bambara | kuluba | ||
| Ewe | to | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umusozi | ||
| Lingala | ngomba | ||
| Luganda | olusozi | ||
| Sepedi | thaba | ||
| Twi (Akan) | bepɔ | ||
Mountain in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | جبل | ||
| In addition to meaning "mountain," the Arabic word "جبل" (pronounced "jebel") can also refer to a "heap" or a "pile," such as a pile of stones or sand. | |||
| Hebrew | הַר | ||
| In the Bible, the Hebrew word "הַר" can also mean "hill" or "elevated place." | |||
| Pashto | غره | ||
| غره in Pashto can also mean 'dawn' or 'forehead' | |||
| Arabic | جبل | ||
| In addition to meaning "mountain," the Arabic word "جبل" (pronounced "jebel") can also refer to a "heap" or a "pile," such as a pile of stones or sand. | |||
Mountain in Western European Languages
| Albanian | mali | ||
| The Albanian word 'mali' is also used to refer to a 'highland' or 'upland' area, and is cognate with the words 'mal' in Romanian and 'mala' in Bulgarian, all of which have the same meaning. | |||
| Basque | mendia | ||
| The word "mendia" comes from Proto-Basque *bendia and Proto-European *ben- "peak". | |||
| Catalan | muntanya | ||
| The Catalan word "muntanya" derives from the Latin "montanea", meaning "belonging to a mountain" or "hillside". | |||
| Croatian | planina | ||
| The Croatian word "planina" not only means "mountain", it can also refer to a high plateau or a mountain pasture. | |||
| Danish | bjerg | ||
| In Danish, "bjerg" is cognate with English "barrow," meaning a burial mound or hill. | |||
| Dutch | berg- | ||
| The Dutch word "berg-" also means "shelter" or "protection". | |||
| English | mountain | ||
| The word "mountain" comes from the Latin word "mons," which can also refer to a hill or any large, elevated landform. | |||
| French | montagne | ||
| The word "Montagne" originates from the Latin "montāneus" and can also refer to a "pile" or a "heap". | |||
| Frisian | berch | ||
| The word "berch" in Frisian also refers to a hill or an artificial mound. | |||
| Galician | montaña | ||
| In Galician, "montaña" is a term that specifically refers to a mountainous area with significant slopes, often associated with rural or remote locations. | |||
| German | berg | ||
| The word "Berg" in German can also refer to a mining area or a hill. | |||
| Icelandic | fjall | ||
| "Fjall" can also refer to the roof of a house, as well as the ridge or peak of a wave. | |||
| Irish | sliabh | ||
| The word 'sliabh' (mountain) in Irish is also used in the phrase 'sliabh mis' (months of pregnancy), as the body of a pregnant woman is likened to a mountain. | |||
| Italian | montagna | ||
| The Italian word "montagna" is derived from the Latin word "mons", meaning "mountain". In some Italian dialects, it can also refer to a "hill" or a "large hill". | |||
| Luxembourgish | bierg | ||
| Etymology not entirely clear, perhaps cognate with Middle Dutch "berch" (hillock) and German "Berg" (mountain). | |||
| Maltese | muntanji | ||
| Muntanji is also used to refer to a large building or a pile of something (usually hay). | |||
| Norwegian | fjell | ||
| In older times, the word "fjell" also referred to the mountain ridge and mountains generally as "fells". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | montanha | ||
| The word "montanha" is derived from the Latin word "montem" (nominative "mons"), meaning "hill" or "mountain". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | beinn | ||
| Beinn comes from the Gaelic words "beinn" and "fionn" meaning "white mountain" | |||
| Spanish | montaña | ||
| Montaña originally meant "wild and uncultivated land" in medieval Spanish. | |||
| Swedish | fjäll | ||
| The Swedish word "fjäll" can also be spelled as "fjell", which is the Norwegian spelling and has the same meaning. | |||
| Welsh | mynydd | ||
| The Welsh word "mynydd" is derived from the Proto-Celtic root "*mŭn-id-yo-", meaning "high, projecting". | |||
Mountain in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | горная | ||
| The word "горная" in Belarusian can also refer to a "chain of mountains" or a "mountainous region." | |||
| Bosnian | planina | ||
| In Bosnian, the word 'planina' is thought to originate from the Proto-Slavic word for 'elevation' or 'rise' (planina). | |||
| Bulgarian | планина | ||
| In Bulgarian, планина (planina) also refers to a mountainous region or a mountain range. | |||
| Czech | hora | ||
| The noun hora can also mean forest, a fact reflected in the name of the mountain range Lesní Hory (literally 'Forest Mountains'). | |||
| Estonian | mägi | ||
| The word "mägi" in Estonian may also refer to a hill or an elevation of land, not necessarily a mountain. | |||
| Finnish | vuori | ||
| "Vuori" likely comes from the Proto-Finnic "*wore" meaning "rock, stone". | |||
| Hungarian | hegy | ||
| The archaic meaning of the Hungarian word "hegy" (meaning mountain) is "forest". | |||
| Latvian | kalns | ||
| Derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "kel-/*kol-/*kwel-/*kwol-", meaning "to be high" or "to be prominent". | |||
| Lithuanian | kalnas | ||
| The word "kalnas" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*kel-", meaning "to rise" or "to swell". It is also related to the Sanskrit word "śrī" and the Greek word "kolos", both meaning "height" or "elevation". | |||
| Macedonian | планина | ||
| The word планина (mountain) in Macedonian derives from the Proto-Slavic word *planina, which originally meant a grassy field or pasture. | |||
| Polish | góra | ||
| Polish "Góra" (mountain) derives from Old Slavic *gora, and could also mean: a grave, a hill, an elevation, or a mine excavation. | |||
| Romanian | munte | ||
| The Romanian word "Munte" has Dacian origins, possibly meaning "hill, elevation". | |||
| Russian | гора | ||
| The word "гора" can also refer to a pile or heap of something, such as a pile of hay or a heap of rocks. | |||
| Serbian | планина | ||
| The word 'планина' derives from Indo-European 'pleu' and is cognate with names like Alps or Plymouth. | |||
| Slovak | vrch | ||
| The word "vrch" originally meant the top part of something, then the top of a hill, and eventually a hill itself. | |||
| Slovenian | gora | ||
| The Slovenian word "gora" is cognate with the Slavic word "gora" meaning "hill" and "forest". | |||
| Ukrainian | гірський | ||
| In Ukrainian, "mountain" can also be "горный" (hornyi) meaning "sickly" or "горняк" (horniak) a "miner". | |||
Mountain in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পর্বত | ||
| The Sanskrit word "parvatah" likely came from "pari" meaning "around or around about" and "vat" meaning "to go". As the ranges surround the earth from one end to another, these are called mountains. | |||
| Gujarati | પર્વત | ||
| The word "પર્વત" in Gujarati, also means "religious festival" and "junction of two or more hills or mountains." | |||
| Hindi | पर्वत | ||
| The word "पर्वत" is derived from the Sanskrit word "परिवर्तन" meaning "change or transformation"} | |||
| Kannada | ಪರ್ವತ | ||
| The word "ಪರ್ವತ" has its roots in Sanskrit, where it also means "group of trees" or "forest." | |||
| Malayalam | പർവ്വതം | ||
| The word 'പർവ്വതം' in Malayalam can also refer to a chapter in a book. | |||
| Marathi | डोंगर | ||
| The word "डोंगर" comes from the Sanskrit word "डुंगरी", meaning "hillock" or "small mountain." | |||
| Nepali | पहाड | ||
| The word "पहाड" is also used to refer to the Himalayas, the mountain range that separates India from Nepal and Tibet. | |||
| Punjabi | ਪਹਾੜ | ||
| "ਪਹਾੜ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "parvata", which also means "mountain". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කන්ද | ||
| In Sinhala, "කන්ද" (kanda) also refers to a specific type of hill or hillock found in Sri Lanka and South India, known as a "kanda" or "hill country". | |||
| Tamil | மலை | ||
| The Tamil word "மலை" (mountain) is cognate with the Proto-Dravidian root *mal-, meaning "high ground". | |||
| Telugu | పర్వతం | ||
| The word "పర్వతం" in Telugu is derived from the Sanskrit word "parvata", which means a hill or mountain range. | |||
| Urdu | پہاڑ | ||
| پہاڑ (pahāṛ) is also used figuratively to refer to a large or insurmountable obstacle | |||
Mountain in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 山 | ||
| The character "山" also means "three" (as in three mountains) and is often seen in ancient Chinese texts referring to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 山 | ||
| 山 (mountain) can also mean a pile, heap, or mound. | |||
| Japanese | 山 | ||
| The word "山" can also refer to a pile or mound, or to something that is large and imposing. | |||
| Korean | 산 | ||
| The Korean word "산" not only means "mountain," but also "a large quantity or amount" and "birth." | |||
| Mongolian | уул | ||
| Mongolian word "уул" (mountain) is derived from Proto-Mongolic "*uɡə" meaning "hill" or "uplands" and is related to other Mongolian words "ууж" (elevation) and "уулархаг" (hilly). | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တောင်ကြီးတောင်ငယ် | ||
Mountain in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | gunung | ||
| The word "gunung" in Indonesian has cognate forms in many other Austronesian languages, including Tagalog "bundok" and Malay "gunong". | |||
| Javanese | gunung | ||
| The Javanese word "gunung" can also refer to a person of high status or to the peak of a mountain. | |||
| Khmer | ភ្នំ | ||
| The Khmer word ភ្នំ (mountain) shares a similar etymology with the Sanskrit word "parvata" (mountain range). | |||
| Lao | ພູ | ||
| In Lao, ພູ also refers to the mountain spirit (ผีภู) of animist beliefs, embodying power and influence over the natural world. | |||
| Malay | gunung | ||
| Gunung, meaning 'mountain' in Malay, is cognate with 'gun' in Javanese and 'kun' in Sundanese, derived from Sanskrit and ultimately of Austroasiatic origins. | |||
| Thai | ภูเขา | ||
| "ภูเขา" originated from the Sanskrit word "girikuta" meaning "rock mountain". | |||
| Vietnamese | núi | ||
| "Núi" derives from the Proto-Mon-Khmer word "*pnuŋ" meaning "peak" or "high ground." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bundok | ||
Mountain in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | dağ | ||
| "Dağ" can also mean "forest" and comes from the Persian word "dah" meaning "ten", referring to the mountains in the Caucasus that are over 10,000 feet. | |||
| Kazakh | тау | ||
| The Kazakh word "тау" also refers to a hill, ridge, or peak. | |||
| Kyrgyz | тоо | ||
| In Kyrgyz, "тоо" has cognates in other Turkic languages, such as Kazakh "тау" and Turkish "dağ." | |||
| Tajik | кӯҳ | ||
| "Кӯҳ" is also the name of an ancient fortress built on the hills that surrounded the medieval city of Bukhara. | |||
| Turkmen | dag | ||
| Uzbek | tog | ||
| In Uzbek, "tog" is a Turkic word likely derived from the Persian word "dagh" or the Mongolian word "tog". | |||
| Uyghur | تاغ | ||
Mountain in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | mauna | ||
| Mauna, meaning "mountain" in Hawaiian, also denotes "great abundance" or "great elevation" in the language. | |||
| Maori | maunga | ||
| Maunga can also refer to a hill or a peak, or to a place of great significance or importance. | |||
| Samoan | mauga | ||
| The Samoan word 'mauga' not only means 'mountain' but also refers to a raised or elevated place, and is used in a proverb to describe a person who is respected and esteemed. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | bundok | ||
| The Tagalog word "bundok" is also cognate to the Malay "gunung", "mountain" and "hill". | |||
Mountain in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | qullu | ||
| Guarani | yvyty | ||
Mountain in International Languages
| Esperanto | monto | ||
| Monto is an alteration of "monte", which itself is cognate to the English word "mountain". | |||
| Latin | mons | ||
| "Mons" also means "admonition" and is the origin of the English word "monish" meaning "to warn". | |||
Mountain in Others Languages
| Greek | βουνό | ||
| The word "βουνό" in Greek shares the same root with the words "βοῦς" (cow) and "βόσκω" (to graze), suggesting its original meaning as a place where cattle graze. | |||
| Hmong | roob | ||
| "Roo" has the double meaning of | |||
| Kurdish | çîya | ||
| In Old Persian and Avestan, "çîya" meant "sharp" (referring to the peak), and later took the meaning "mountain" in Middle Persian and Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | dağ | ||
| The word "dağ" can also refer to a "hill" or a "pass" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | intaba | ||
| The word "intaba" can also mean "a large animal, such as an elephant". | |||
| Yiddish | באַרג | ||
| "באַרג" (barg) is also used as a generic Yiddish term for a hill, and is related to the German "Berg" and English "barrow" | |||
| Zulu | intaba | ||
| Intaba derives from the Proto-Bantu word *tabi, meaning 'small peak'. | |||
| Assamese | পৰ্বত | ||
| Aymara | qullu | ||
| Bhojpuri | पहाड़ | ||
| Dhivehi | ފަރުބަދަ | ||
| Dogri | प्हाड़ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bundok | ||
| Guarani | yvyty | ||
| Ilocano | bantay | ||
| Krio | mawntɛn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | چیا | ||
| Maithili | पहाड़ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯤꯡꯁꯥꯡ | ||
| Mizo | tlang | ||
| Oromo | gaara | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପର୍ବତ | ||
| Quechua | urqu | ||
| Sanskrit | पर्वत | ||
| Tatar | тау | ||
| Tigrinya | ጎቦ | ||
| Tsonga | ntshava | ||