Afrikaans vliegtuig | ||
Albanian aeroplan | ||
Amharic አውሮፕላን | ||
Arabic طائرة | ||
Armenian ինքնաթիռ | ||
Assamese বাহন | ||
Aymara awyuna | ||
Azerbaijani təyyarə | ||
Bambara awiyɔn | ||
Basque hegazkina | ||
Belarusian самалёт | ||
Bengali প্লেন | ||
Bhojpuri हवाई जहाज़ | ||
Bosnian avion | ||
Bulgarian самолет | ||
Catalan avió | ||
Cebuano eroplano | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 飞机 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 飛機 | ||
Corsican aviò | ||
Croatian avion | ||
Czech letadlo | ||
Danish fly | ||
Dhivehi ޕްލޭން | ||
Dogri ज्हाज | ||
Dutch vliegtuig | ||
English plane | ||
Esperanto aviadilo | ||
Estonian lennuk | ||
Ewe gbadza | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) eroplano | ||
Finnish kone | ||
French avion | ||
Frisian fleantúch | ||
Galician avión | ||
Georgian თვითმფრინავი | ||
German flugzeug | ||
Greek επίπεδο | ||
Guarani aviõ | ||
Gujarati વિમાન | ||
Haitian Creole avyon | ||
Hausa jirgin sama | ||
Hawaiian mokulele | ||
Hebrew מָטוֹס | ||
Hindi विमान | ||
Hmong dav hlau | ||
Hungarian repülőgép | ||
Icelandic flugvél | ||
Igbo ugbo elu | ||
Ilocano eroplano | ||
Indonesian pesawat | ||
Irish eitleán | ||
Italian aereo | ||
Japanese 飛行機 | ||
Javanese pesawat | ||
Kannada ವಿಮಾನ | ||
Kazakh ұшақ | ||
Khmer យន្ដហោះ | ||
Kinyarwanda indege | ||
Konkani विमान | ||
Korean 비행기 | ||
Krio iaplen | ||
Kurdish balafir | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) فڕۆکە | ||
Kyrgyz учак | ||
Lao ຍົນ | ||
Latin planum | ||
Latvian lidmašīna | ||
Lingala mpepo | ||
Lithuanian lėktuvas | ||
Luganda ennyonyi | ||
Luxembourgish fliger | ||
Macedonian рамнина | ||
Maithili हवाई जहाज | ||
Malagasy fiaramanidina | ||
Malay kapal terbang | ||
Malayalam വിമാനം | ||
Maltese pjan | ||
Maori rererangi | ||
Marathi विमान | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯑꯅꯥꯟꯕ ꯂꯩꯃꯥꯏ | ||
Mizo thlawhna | ||
Mongolian онгоц | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) လေယာဉ် | ||
Nepali विमान | ||
Norwegian flyet | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) ndege | ||
Odia (Oriya) ବିମାନ | ||
Oromo xiyyaara | ||
Pashto الوتکه | ||
Persian سطح | ||
Polish samolot | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) avião | ||
Punjabi ਜਹਾਜ਼ | ||
Quechua avion | ||
Romanian avion | ||
Russian самолет | ||
Samoan vaalele | ||
Sanskrit समतल | ||
Scots Gaelic plèana | ||
Sepedi sefofane | ||
Serbian авион | ||
Sesotho sefofane | ||
Shona ndege | ||
Sindhi جهاز | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) යානය | ||
Slovak lietadlo | ||
Slovenian letalo | ||
Somali diyaarad | ||
Spanish avión | ||
Sundanese pesawat | ||
Swahili ndege | ||
Swedish plan | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) eroplano | ||
Tajik ҳавопаймо | ||
Tamil விமானம் | ||
Tatar самолет | ||
Telugu విమానం | ||
Thai เครื่องบิน | ||
Tigrinya ሰጥ ዝበለ | ||
Tsonga hava | ||
Turkish uçak | ||
Turkmen uçar | ||
Twi (Akan) pradada | ||
Ukrainian площині | ||
Urdu ہوائی جہاز | ||
Uyghur ئايروپىلان | ||
Uzbek samolyot | ||
Vietnamese máy bay | ||
Welsh awyren | ||
Xhosa inqwelomoya | ||
Yiddish פלאַך | ||
Yoruba ọkọ ofurufu | ||
Zulu indiza |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The word "vliegtuig" in Afrikaans literally means "flying thing". |
| Albanian | Aeroplan is a rare word for planes in Modern Albanian, but in earlier times, it was more common and even carried the additional meaning of 'flag'. |
| Amharic | The Amharic word አውሮፕላን originates from the French "aeroplane", meaning "air machine". |
| Arabic | "طائرة" also means a carpet or a blanket in Arabic, referencing their ability to spread out and provide coverage. |
| Armenian | Ինքնաթիռ (inknatir) is a loanword that originally referred to a "ship that moves on its own" and in Armenian is applied solely to aircraft. |
| Azerbaijani | "tay" means "to fly" in Azeri, Arabic, and Persian, thus "təyyarə" literally means "a thing that flies" |
| Basque | The word 'hegazkina' comes from the Basque words 'hegan' (to fly) and 'kina' (machine), thus reflecting the idea of a flying machine or 'airplane'. |
| Belarusian | The word "самалёт" is borrowed from Russian and originates from the French word "aéroplane" (which means "air plane"). |
| Bengali | The word "প্লেন" also means "plain" in Bengali, referring to a flat or level surface. |
| Bosnian | While in Bosnian avion primarily refers to an aircraft or a plane, in French, it also has the alternate meaning of a bird. |
| Bulgarian | The word “самолет” is derived from the adjective “самом” - self, as the first planes were considered to be able to “fly themselves.” |
| Catalan | The origin of the word avió is uncertain and it could be a derivation of "auió", itself meaning "granny". |
| Cebuano | The Cebuano word "eroplano" is derived from the Spanish word "aeroplano", which means "airplane". |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 飞机 (fēijī) also means "airplane" and was first used in China in the early 20th century. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 飛機在日語中意為「紙飛機」,在韓語中則泛指「飛機模型」 |
| Corsican | The word "aviò" in Corsican derives from the Italian word "aereo" and the French word "avion". |
| Croatian | Derived from the French word "avion" but also refers to a type of fishing net. |
| Czech | The word "letadlo" in Czech is derived from the verb "lítat" (to fly), with the suffix "-dlo" indicating a tool or means. |
| Danish | In Danish, the word "fly" can also refer to a "flight," "flyer," or "airplane engine cover." |
| Dutch | The word "vliegtuig" is derived from the Dutch words "vliegen" (to fly) and "tuig" (tool), meaning literally "flying tool". |
| Esperanto | The word aviadilo is derived from the Latin words avis, meaning “bird,” and ad, meaning “toward,” which accurately describes an airplane’s movement and purpose. |
| Estonian | The word "lennuk" evolved from "lennu" ("flight") in the 1910s, and is related to "lendama" ("to fly") and "linn" ("bird"). |
| Finnish | The word "kone" also means "machine" in Finnish, and shares its root with the English word "engine" |
| French | The word "avion" in French is derived from the Latin word "avis", meaning "bird". |
| Frisian | The word 'fleantúch' is derived from the Old Frisian words 'fle' (flat) and 'tûch' (land). It can also refer to a level surface or a floor. |
| Galician | En gallego, avión también puede significar una especie de mosquito grande. |
| German | While "Flug" refers to flight, "Zeug" carries various meanings including tool, device, or machine, making "Flugzeug" a combination meaning "flying machine." |
| Greek | In Greek the word "επίπεδο" can also mean "level" or "flat". |
| Gujarati | The word "વિમાન" (vimana) in Gujarati is derived from the Sanskrit word "vimāna," meaning "a celestial chariot" or "a sacred structure that can fly." |
| Haitian Creole | The word 'avyon' derives from the French word 'avion', which in turn derives from the Latin word 'avis' ('bird'). |
| Hausa | The Hausa word 'jirgin sama' literally means 'sky vehicle'. |
| Hawaiian | Mokulele also means 'to skim the waters', with reference to the gliding motion of a landing plane |
| Hebrew | In modern Hebrew, "מָטוֹס" exclusively denotes an aircraft, but it can also refer to the act of throwing or hurling. |
| Hindi | The word "विमान" (vimana) in Sanskrit originally meant "temple or palace in the sky" and was later used to refer to "flying vehicle or aircraft." |
| Hmong | The Hmong word "dav hlau" can also refer to a flat surface, such as a table. |
| Hungarian | "Repülőgép" is a compound word meaning "flying apparatus". |
| Icelandic | "Flugvél" originally referred to a flying machine with flapping wings and is cognate with the English "flivver". |
| Igbo | "Ugbo elu" in Igbo can also refer to a kite or a flying bird. |
| Indonesian | The word "pesawat" in Indonesian can also refer to a machine, a tool, or a device, not just an aircraft. |
| Irish | In Irish, the word 'eitleán' can also refer to a board used in certain sports or games. |
| Italian | The Italian word "aereo" also refers to an open space or a vast expanse |
| Japanese | The word "飛行機" originally meant "aircraft" but its meaning has shifted in modern Japanese to exclusively refer to "airplanes" in common usage. |
| Javanese | In Javanese, "pesawat" can also refer to an umbrella. |
| Kannada | The word 'ವಿಮಾನ' (plane) in Kannada is derived from the Sanskrit word 'विमान' (vimana), which originally meant a celestial chariot in Hindu mythology. |
| Kazakh | The word “ұшақ” is a loanword from Russian, where it means “bird” in Turkic languages and derives from an unattested Proto-Turkic form meaning “flying” based on the suffix *uq-. |
| Khmer | The term "យន្ដហោះ" (plane) in Khmer also refers to other flying objects, such as kites and birds. |
| Korean | 비행기 is literally 'a machine that can fly' or 'a machine that does not land', which reflects its original use for military purposes and the fact that it was a relatively new invention when the name was coined. |
| Kurdish | The word |
| Kyrgyz | The Kyrgyz word "учак" also means "bird". |
| Lao | The Lao word "ຍົນ" (plane) is cognate with the Thai word "เครื่องบิน" which literally means "flying machine". |
| Latin | In anatomy, "planum" can refer to a flat or smooth surface, such as those found on bones or internal organs. |
| Latvian | The word "lidmašīna" is derived from the Latvian words "lidot" (to fly) and "mašīna" (machine). |
| Lithuanian | "Lektuvas" means "flyer" in Lithuanian, referencing the soaring motion of a plane. |
| Luxembourgish | The word "Fliger" comes from the Old High German word "fliegen," which also means "fly" or "flight." |
| Macedonian | The word "рамнина" can also mean "meadow" or "field". |
| Malagasy | The word "fiaramanidina" (plane) in Malagasy is derived from the French word "avion" (plane). |
| Malay | The Malay word "kapal terbang" literally means "flying ship". |
| Malayalam | The word "വിമാനം" (plane) in Malayalam has its roots in Sanskrit, where "विमान" (vimana) refers not only to aircraft but also to celestial chariots or palaces described in ancient Hindu texts. |
| Maltese | The word 'pjan' in Maltese can also mean 'scheme' or 'plan', reflecting its Latin origin, 'planus', meaning 'flat' or 'level'. |
| Maori | The term 'rererangi' can also refer to a 'flying ship' or 'aircraft'. |
| Marathi | The word "विमान" (plane) in Marathi originally meant "a vehicle that flies through the air" and was also used to refer to chariots and other airborne contraptions. |
| Mongolian | "Онгоц" also means "vehicle" and is derived from the word "онгох" ("to move"). |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | The word "လေယာဉ်" is derived from the Pali word "viyana" meaning "moving through the air". |
| Nepali | "विमान" also means "palace" in Sanskrit. |
| Norwegian | The word "flyet" in Norwegian can also mean "the flight" or "the flyer". |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | In Nyanja, the word "ndege" also refers to birds, suggesting the idea of flying through the air. |
| Pashto | The word "الوتکه" in Pashto means "anything that flies", not just a plane. |
| Persian | The word "سطح" has Indo-European roots and is also related to words like "spread" and "flat". |
| Polish | Samolot, meaning "self" and "to fly" originated in Poland in the 19th century due to the shape resembling birds wings. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Portuguese, "avião" originally meant "bird" or "flying machine" before it was used to refer specifically to planes. |
| Punjabi | The word 'ਜਹਾਜ਼' in Punjabi is a loanword from the Arabic word 'زورق' (zauruq), which means 'ship'. |
| Romanian | }In Romanian, avion also means "kite" and is used in the expression "a umbla cu avionul" meaning "to waste time". |
| Russian | "Самолет" originally meant a "self-flying machine" but the second part of the word "-лет" also means "a year" so in colloquial speech the plural of "самолет" is sometimes jokingly used to denote a very long period of time. |
| Samoan | The Samoan word "vaalele" originally meant "flying whale" due to the whale-like shape of early airplanes. |
| Scots Gaelic | Plèana can refer to a type of wooden plane found in a carpenter's workshop or used as part of a weaver's loom. |
| Serbian | The word "авион" is borrowed from French "avion", which originated from Latin "avis" (bird), likely because early airplanes resembled birds in flight. |
| Sesotho | The word "sefofane" in Sesotho is derived from the English word "aeroplane" or French "avion". |
| Shona | The word 'ndege' also means 'bird' in Shona, reflecting the shared characteristic of flying. |
| Sindhi | جهاز also means "device, apparatus" in Sindhi. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | 'යානය' also means a vehicle or a ship. |
| Slovak | The word "lietadlo" is derived from the Czech word "létadlo", which itself comes from the German word "fliegen" (to fly). |
| Slovenian | "Letalo" also designates an aircraft carrier in Slovenian, and can refer to any type of aircraft in archaic or poetic language. |
| Somali | "Diyaarad" is derived from the Arabic word "tayaran," meaning "flying". |
| Spanish | The word "avión" in Spanish comes from the French word "avion," which in turn comes from the Latin word "avis," meaning "bird." |
| Sundanese | The Sundanese word "pesawat" originally meant "instrument" or "tool", and was later extended to mean "airplane" due to its use as a tool for transportation. |
| Swahili | In Swahili, "ndege" also refers to birds and other flying creatures. |
| Swedish | The Swedish word "plan" can also mean "flat" or "level surface", and is related to the English word "plane" in geometry. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The word "eroplano" comes from the Spanish word "aeroplano", which in turn comes from the Greek words "aer" (air) and "planos" (wandering). |
| Tajik | The word “ҳавопаймо” is derived from Persian and means “airplane” in English. |
| Telugu | The word "plane" in Telugu, "విమానం", can also refer to an ancient Indian flying machine mentioned in Hindu texts. |
| Thai | The word "เครื่องบิน" also means "airplane" in Thai. |
| Turkish | Literally meaning "thing that flies", "uçak" is also used to refer to a kite in Turkish. |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word "площина" (plane) can also refer to a surface or a flat area, and is related to the Russian word "плоский" (flat). |
| Uzbek | The Uzbek word "samolyot" ultimately derives from the French "aéroplane" (meaning "aeroplane") via Russian. |
| Vietnamese | Máy bay is a Sino-Vietnamese word that literally means "Flying Machine." |
| Welsh | The Welsh word "awyren" is derived from the Old Irish term "eithir", meaning "bird". |
| Xhosa | The Xhosa word 'inqwelomoya' is derived from the Zulu word 'ingqulwana', which also means 'plane'. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "פלאַך" can also mean "plain, clear, flat," or "uninteresting," and is related to the German word "flach," meaning "flat." |
| Yoruba | The Yoruba word "ọkọ ofurufu" literally translates to "vehicle of the clouds," highlighting the plane's ability to soar above the sky. |
| Zulu | The word 'indiza' shares its root with the word 'indiza' ('to point', 'to aim') suggesting a link between the concept of a plane and the act of directing or guiding something. |
| English | The word "plane" is derived from Latin, originally meaning flat surface. |