Pool in Different Languages
Discover 'Pool' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
A pool is more than just a body of water. It's a place of relaxation, recreation, and community. For many, it's a symbol of summer fun and a lifestyle that transcends cultural boundaries. From Olympic-sized swimming pools to backyard plunges, this aquatic attraction has made a significant impact on cultures around the world.
Did you know that the concept of a swimming pool dates back to ancient civilizations? The Romans, for instance, were known for their intricate bathhouses and pool systems. Fast forward to modern times, and the pool has become a staple in many homes and communities, fostering a sense of camaraderie and friendly competition.
Understanding the translation of the word
Pool
Pool in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | swembad | ||
| The Afrikaans word "swembad" is the cognate of the Dutch word "zwembad" and literally means "swimming bath". | |||
| Amharic | ገንዳ | ||
| The word ገንዳ can also refer to a puddle or a small body of water. | |||
| Hausa | waha | ||
| The word "waha" can also refer to a gathering of water in a depression, especially one that dries up during the dry season | |||
| Igbo | ọdọ mmiri | ||
| The Igbo word 'ọdọ mmiri' can also refer to a source of water or a watering hole. | |||
| Malagasy | kamory | ||
| The Malagasy word "kamory" may also refer to a lagoon, a port, or a dock. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | dziwe | ||
| Dziwe can also refer to a stagnant body of water or a puddle | |||
| Shona | dziva | ||
| The Shona word "dziva" also means "a small pit, hollow, or cavity". | |||
| Somali | barkad | ||
| The word 'barkad' also refers to the pooling of resources, such as money or labor, for a common goal. | |||
| Sesotho | letamo | ||
| The word "letamo" also means "dam", and is related to the Zulu word "uthlamu", meaning "to jump". | |||
| Swahili | bwawa | ||
| The word "bwawa" also means "reservoir" or "cistern" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | ichibi | ||
| In Xhosa, "ichibi" originally referred to a place where water gathered naturally, but now also denotes a swimming pool. | |||
| Yoruba | adagun-odo | ||
| Adagun-odo in Yoruba has other meanings like "place of rest" or "place of refuge". | |||
| Zulu | ichibi | ||
| The word "ichibi" can also refer to a small lake or a puddle | |||
| Bambara | pisini | ||
| Ewe | tsi xaxa | ||
| Kinyarwanda | pisine | ||
| Lingala | liziba | ||
| Luganda | puulu | ||
| Sepedi | bodiba | ||
| Twi (Akan) | tadeɛ | ||
Pool in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | حوض السباحة | ||
| The word "حوض السباحة" is cognate with the English word "basin" and also refers to a body of water in a natural or artificial hollow in the ground. | |||
| Hebrew | בריכה | ||
| In addition to the usual meaning of 'pool', 'בריכה' also means 'pond' and 'tank' in Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | حوض | ||
| The word "حوض" in Pashto can also refer to a pond, a reservoir, or a bathtub. | |||
| Arabic | حوض السباحة | ||
| The word "حوض السباحة" is cognate with the English word "basin" and also refers to a body of water in a natural or artificial hollow in the ground. | |||
Pool in Western European Languages
| Albanian | pishinë | ||
| The word "pishinë" is derived from Latin "piscinus" (fish pond) and can also mean "fishery" or "fish tank" in Albanian | |||
| Basque | igerilekua | ||
| The root of the word "igerilekua" is "igeri," which means "swimming." The suffix "-lekua" means "place," so the word literally means "swimming place." | |||
| Catalan | piscina | ||
| The Catalan word "piscina" derives from the Latin "piscina" meaning "fishpond" and also refers to a baptismal font in a church. | |||
| Croatian | bazen | ||
| The word 'bazen' comes from the Turkish "havuz", which also means a large metal plate for washing. | |||
| Danish | pool | ||
| The Danish word "pool" can also refer to a small body of water on the ground, such as a puddle. | |||
| Dutch | zwembad | ||
| In Dutch, the word "zwembad" can also refer to a public or commercial swimming pool facility | |||
| English | pool | ||
| The word "pool" derives from the Old English word "pōl", and also refers to a joint sum of money. | |||
| French | bassin | ||
| The French word "bassin" can also refer to a small basin, such as a wash basin, or a dry dock. | |||
| Frisian | swimbad | ||
| The Frisian word "swimbad" is derived from the Old Frisian word "swimbath", meaning "bathing place". | |||
| Galician | piscina | ||
| The Galician word "piscina" can also refer to the pool used for the sacrament of baptism in a church. | |||
| German | schwimmbad | ||
| The word "Schwimmbad" is derived from the Middle High German word "swimpfen", meaning "to swim". It can also refer to a body of water used for swimming, such as a lake or river. | |||
| Icelandic | sundlaug | ||
| The word sundlaug comes from Old Norse sundr meaning 'separate' and laug meaning 'bath'. | |||
| Irish | linn snámha | ||
| Italian | piscina | ||
| The Italian word 'piscina' can also mean a small basin for holding holy water in a church. | |||
| Luxembourgish | pool | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Pool" can also refer to a small coin of little value or a stake in a game. | |||
| Maltese | pool | ||
| The Maltese word "pool" can also mean "betting pool" or "prize". | |||
| Norwegian | basseng | ||
| The Norwegian word "basseng" is etymologically related to the French word "bassin" and can also refer to a sink or a basin. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | piscina | ||
| In both Portugal and Brazil, the word "piscina" is derived from the Latin word "piscina" meaning "fish tank" or "reservoir". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | amar | ||
| In the Scottish Highlands, the word "amar" refers not only to a pool or pond, but also to a hollow in a riverbed where salmon gather to spawn. | |||
| Spanish | piscina | ||
| "Piscina" can refer to a swimming pool, pond, or baptismal font in Spanish and derives from the Latin "piscina," meaning "fish pond." | |||
| Swedish | slå samman | ||
| "Slå samman" in Swedish, meaning "to pool," derives from the verb "slå," meaning "to strike," and "samman," meaning "together." | |||
| Welsh | pwll | ||
| The Welsh | |||
Pool in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | басейн | ||
| The word's root is found elsewhere in Slavic languages, often with the meaning of "a ditch used to water cattle, trough." | |||
| Bosnian | bazen | ||
| The word "bazen" also means "tank" in Turkish and "basin" in many Slavic languages. | |||
| Bulgarian | басейн | ||
| The word "басейн" (pool) in Bulgarian also refers to a large area of water, such as a lake or ocean. | |||
| Czech | bazén | ||
| Bazén originates from the French term bassin, which signifies a large container for holding liquids and is the root for several languages' words denoting a swimming pool, indicating the French cultural influence on the Czech language's vocabulary related to swimming facilities. | |||
| Estonian | bassein | ||
| "Bassein" is a borrowing from French "bassin" and German "der Bassin" or Latin "bassinus", which means a small basin, a fountain, a pond or a pool. | |||
| Finnish | uima-allas | ||
| "Uima-allas" is a Finnish word that literally means "swimming hole". It is a compound word formed from the words "uima" (swimming) and "allas" (hole). | |||
| Hungarian | medence | ||
| The word "medence" comes from the Latin word "medens", meaning "to care for". | |||
| Latvian | baseins | ||
| The word “baseins” has a Proto-Indo-European root meaning “basin” or “hole”. | |||
| Lithuanian | baseinas | ||
| Lithuanian "baseinas" has an alternate meaning related to a "fountain". | |||
| Macedonian | базен | ||
| The word "базен" is derived from the Turkish word "havuz", meaning "reservoir" or "tank". However, it can also refer to a "swimming pool" or a "fountain" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | basen | ||
| The word "basen" can also refer to a sink or a basin. | |||
| Romanian | bazin | ||
| The word "bazin" in Romanian also has the alternate meaning of "waterway". | |||
| Russian | бассейн | ||
| While "бассейн" literally translates to "basin", it can also mean "swimming pool" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | базен | ||
| The term “базен” has also been used metaphorically to indicate a large amount of wealth. | |||
| Slovak | bazén | ||
| Bazén in Slovak comes from "bazina", a diminutive of "baza", which means a mire or bog. | |||
| Slovenian | bazen | ||
| "Bazen" can also mean a urinary bladder or a water collector, while the word for "pool" is "plavalni bazen" | |||
| Ukrainian | басейн | ||
| The word "басейн" in Ukrainian can also refer to a river basin or a drainage basin. | |||
Pool in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পুল | ||
| "পুল" also means "group" as in "pool of experts". | |||
| Gujarati | પૂલ | ||
| The Gujarati word "પૂલ" can also refer to a group of people or a collection of things. | |||
| Hindi | पूल | ||
| The word "pool" in Hindi can also refer to a small stream or a puddle. | |||
| Kannada | ಪೂಲ್ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಪೂಲ್" can also mean "a collection of people" or "a group of things". | |||
| Malayalam | പൂൾ | ||
| The word "പൂൾ" ("pool") in Malayalam can also mean "group" or "collection". | |||
| Marathi | पूल | ||
| The Marathi word "पूल" (pool) originates from the Sanskrit word "पुष्ट," meaning "prosperity" or "increase." | |||
| Nepali | पोखरी | ||
| The Nepali word पोखरी ("pool") is of Sanskrit origin, coming from "pokharani" and "pokkharani", which respectively mean a place to store water in and a pond in Prakrit. | |||
| Punjabi | ਪੂਲ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਪੂਲ" derives from Sanskrit "पुल्क" via Prakrit and Hindi, bearing the alternate meanings of "bundle of straw", "heap", or "mass". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | තටාකය | ||
| In Sinhalese, 'තටාකය' also refers to a waterhole where animals drink or bathe and to a hollow in a rock that collects rainwater. | |||
| Tamil | பூல் | ||
| The word "pool" also meant "flower" in Tamil.} | |||
| Telugu | పూల్ | ||
| The word pool can also refer to a group of people or the accumulated funds in a lottery. | |||
| Urdu | پول | ||
| The Urdu word "پول" originates from the Sanskrit word "पुल्ल" or "पुल्", meaning "a heap" or "collection". | |||
Pool in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 池子 | ||
| 池子 (chízi) can also mean a gathering of people, like a party or a group of friends. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 池子 | ||
| 池子 is a slang term used to refer to a group of people who have a common interest or hobby. | |||
| Japanese | プール | ||
| The kanji for "pool" (プール) can also mean "to collect," hence its use in the context of "gambling pools." | |||
| Korean | 풀 | ||
| The word "풀" can also refer to a gathering of people or a group of things. | |||
| Mongolian | усан сан | ||
| In Mongolian, "усан сан" (pool) literally translates to "water box". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရေကန် | ||
Pool in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kolam | ||
| "Kolam" also means "pond". It is cognated with the Sanskrit word "kalama" which means "lake". | |||
| Javanese | blumbang | ||
| "Blumbang" can also refer to a natural well or a puddle in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | អាង | ||
| The word "អាង" can also mean "well" or "reservoir" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ສະລອຍນໍ້າ | ||
| The Lao word "ສະລອຍນໍ້າ" (pool) originates from the Sanskrit word "sara" meaning "water" and "laya" meaning "flow", but it can also refer to a natural body of water. | |||
| Malay | kolam | ||
| The word "kolam" in Malay can also refer to a traditional decorative floor design drawn using coloured rice flour. | |||
| Thai | สระว่ายน้ำ | ||
| The Thai word "สระว่ายน้ำ" (pool) literally means "pond for swimming". | |||
| Vietnamese | bể bơi | ||
| Vietnamese word "bể bơi" also means "a pond to cultivate fish" and "a place for bathing". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pool | ||
Pool in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | hovuz | ||
| "Hovuz" also refers to a traditional type of reservoir that collects rainwater from a roof through gutters. | |||
| Kazakh | бассейн | ||
| The word "бассейн" in Kazakh also means "river basin" or "catchment area". | |||
| Kyrgyz | бассейн | ||
| The word "бассейн" originally referred to a natural body of water and comes from the Turkic word "basqa" meaning "to press"} | |||
| Tajik | ҳавз | ||
| The word "ҳавз" in Tajik originates from the Persian word "حوض" (hauz), which in turn comes from the Arabic word "حوض" (Hawd), meaning "water basin" or "pond". | |||
| Turkmen | howuz | ||
| Uzbek | basseyn | ||
| Uzbek 'basseyn' can also refer to a basin or a reservoir. | |||
| Uyghur | كۆلچەك | ||
Pool in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | punawai | ||
| In Hawaiian, 'punawai' can also refer to a pond, water hole, or spring. | |||
| Maori | poka wai | ||
| It is the equivalent of the Hawaiian words poka wai and Pokai, all meaning 'spring' or 'waterhole'. | |||
| Samoan | vaitaʻele | ||
| The Samoan word "vaitaʻele" can also refer to a lagoon or a body of water that is separated from the sea by a reef. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pool | ||
| The Tagalog word "pool" can also refer to a "group of people with common interests." | |||
Pool in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | pisina | ||
| Guarani | ytarenda | ||
Pool in International Languages
| Esperanto | naĝejo | ||
| The word "naĝejo" derives from the Polish word "naju" meaning "to swim" and the Esperanto suffix "-ejo" meaning "place for". | |||
| Latin | stagnum | ||
| The word "stagnum" is also used in Latin to refer to a swamp or marsh, as well as to a pond or lake. | |||
Pool in Others Languages
| Greek | πισίνα | ||
| The Greek word "πισίνα" ultimately derives from the Latin word "piscina," meaning "fish pond." | |||
| Hmong | pas dej | ||
| The word "pas dej" in Hmong can also be used to refer to the water in the pool. | |||
| Kurdish | hezê avjenî | ||
| The term "hezê avjenî" can also refer to a group or collective, such as a group of people or animals. | |||
| Turkish | havuz | ||
| "Havuz" in Turkish refers both to an artificial pool of water, as well as an Ottoman treasury, coming from the Arabic "ḥawḍ" (pool) and "ḥawṣ" (enclosure) respectively. | |||
| Xhosa | ichibi | ||
| In Xhosa, "ichibi" originally referred to a place where water gathered naturally, but now also denotes a swimming pool. | |||
| Yiddish | בעקן | ||
| The Yiddish word "בעקן" (pool) likely derives from the German word "Becken" (basin), but also resembles the Hebrew word "בקעה" (valley). | |||
| Zulu | ichibi | ||
| The word "ichibi" can also refer to a small lake or a puddle | |||
| Assamese | পুখুৰী | ||
| Aymara | pisina | ||
| Bhojpuri | कुंड | ||
| Dhivehi | ފެންގަނޑު | ||
| Dogri | तलाऽ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pool | ||
| Guarani | ytarenda | ||
| Ilocano | paglanguyan | ||
| Krio | wata | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | مەلەوانگە | ||
| Maithili | पोखरि | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯨꯈ꯭ꯔꯤ | ||
| Mizo | tuitling | ||
| Oromo | kuufama bishaani xiqqaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପୁଲ୍ | ||
| Quechua | wanpuna | ||
| Sanskrit | सञ्चय | ||
| Tatar | бассейн | ||
| Tigrinya | መሐመሲ | ||
| Tsonga | xinkobyana | ||