Race in Different Languages
Discover 'Race' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'race' carries significant meaning and cultural importance in our world today. It refers to a group of people sharing distinct physical traits, ancestry, or a common culture. Yet, the concept of race has been a source of controversy and debate due to its historical use in promoting discrimination and inequality.
Understanding the translation of 'race' in different languages can shed light on how various cultures perceive and address this complex issue. For instance, in Spanish, the word for race is 'raza,' while in French, it is 'course.' In German, the term 'Rasse' has been used to promote racist ideologies, highlighting the importance of understanding cultural contexts.
Moreover, exploring the translations of 'race' can also reveal fascinating historical contexts. For example, in ancient Greece, the term 'genos' was used to describe a group of people sharing a common ancestry or lineage, which has influenced modern conceptions of race.
With this in mind, let's delve into the translations of 'race' in various languages, from Arabic to Zulu, and discover how this word has been interpreted and understood across cultures and time periods.
Race
Race in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | ras | ||
| The Afrikaans word 'ras' comes from the Malay word 'bangsa', meaning 'nation' or 'people'. | |||
| Amharic | ዘር | ||
| "ዘር" (Amharic for "race") can also mean line, generation, or genealogy. | |||
| Hausa | tsere | ||
| The word "tsere" in Hausa also means "the condition of being different in kind or form". | |||
| Igbo | agbụrụ | ||
| While the word "agbụrụ" primarily means "race" in Igbo, it can also refer to a "line of descent" or "lineage". | |||
| Malagasy | hazakazaka | ||
| The word "hazakazaka" is related to the Malagasy word "hazakazaka" which means "a fast or furious activity". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mpikisano | ||
| In Nyanja, the word 'mpikisano' not only means 'race' but can also mean a competition in general. | |||
| Shona | mujaho | ||
| The word "mujaho" also means "strain" or "breed". | |||
| Somali | tartanka | ||
| The word tartanka, meaning "race," derives from the English word "tartan," a type of woven plaid fabric associated with Scottish culture. | |||
| Sesotho | peiso | ||
| In addition to its literal meaning, "peiso" also refers to a type of traditional dance performed by married women. | |||
| Swahili | mbio | ||
| The word "mbio" in Swahili can also refer to a line or a row. | |||
| Xhosa | ubuhlanga | ||
| The word "ubuhlanga" also means "kind" or "type" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | ije | ||
| The Yoruba word 'ije' also refers to a type of masquerade performance and a traditional festival. | |||
| Zulu | umjaho | ||
| "Umjaho" is also a ritual foot race, often run as part of the Zulu wedding ceremony. | |||
| Bambara | siya | ||
| Ewe | ɖimekeke | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ubwoko | ||
| Lingala | mposo ya nzoto | ||
| Luganda | okusindana | ||
| Sepedi | morafe | ||
| Twi (Akan) | tu mmirika | ||
Race in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | سباق | ||
| The word "سباق" can also mean "competition" or "contest" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | גזע | ||
| The Hebrew word "גזע" (gaza) can also mean "trunk" (of a tree), "stem" (of a plant), or "lineage". | |||
| Pashto | ریس | ||
| ريس (race) can also refer to a horse or camel race. | |||
| Arabic | سباق | ||
| The word "سباق" can also mean "competition" or "contest" in Arabic. | |||
Race in Western European Languages
| Albanian | garë | ||
| "Garë" is also used to refer to a train station or a horse race. | |||
| Basque | lasterketa | ||
| The Basque word for 'race', 'lasterketa', also means 'run' or 'course'. | |||
| Catalan | carrera | ||
| "Carrera" can also mean "career" in Catalan, a similar meaning to its Spanish counterpart. | |||
| Croatian | utrka | ||
| The Croatian word 'utrka' comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'ъtrъkъ', which also meant 'meeting'. | |||
| Danish | race | ||
| Race (Danish), meaning a bicycle-racing route in English. | |||
| Dutch | ras | ||
| The word "ras" in Dutch can also mean "breed" or "strain". | |||
| English | race | ||
| The word "race" derives from the Old Italian "razza", meaning "breed" or "strain" and refers primarily to differences between populations in terms of skin color, ancestral geographic origin or other physical features. | |||
| French | course | ||
| The word "course" in French can also refer to a meal or a dish made from various ingredients. | |||
| Frisian | ras | ||
| Ras or rasse can in Frisian besides 'race' also refer the course in sailing competitions | |||
| Galician | carreira | ||
| In Galician, "carreira" can also refer to a lane, track, or path. | |||
| German | rennen | ||
| Rennen derives from the Old High German word "rinnan", meaning "to run" and can also mean "to flow". | |||
| Icelandic | hlaup | ||
| In Icelandic, the word "hlaup" can also refer to a type of traditional dance or a short run. | |||
| Irish | rás | ||
| Rás, the Irish word for "race," also denotes a "course" or "path," as in a journey or a competition. | |||
| Italian | gara | ||
| The word "gara" in Italian originates from the word "carra," meaning "road," and thus initially referred to a race on foot or horseback along a road. | |||
| Luxembourgish | rennen | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "rennen" can also refer to running, especially in the context of a competition. | |||
| Maltese | razza | ||
| The Maltese word "razza" is derived from the Arabic word "razā" meaning "will, wish, or consent". | |||
| Norwegian | løp | ||
| The word "løp" in Norwegian is cognate to "leap" in English, and can also refer to a running path or a flight of stairs. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | raça | ||
| Portuguese "raça" relates back to the Latin word "radix" (root), meaning lineage, while the English "race" comes from "razza", an early Italian term for breeds or types, which derives from the Arabic "ras" (head, beginning). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | rèis | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word “rèis” can also mean “track”, "footprint" or "step". | |||
| Spanish | raza | ||
| In Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Uruguay, "raza" retains its historic meaning that refers to ethnicity/origins, not physical traits. | |||
| Swedish | lopp | ||
| The word "lopp" can also refer to the foliage or branches of trees that are cut back or cropped. | |||
| Welsh | ras | ||
| The word 'ras' also refers to 'course', 'direction', 'series' or 'run', as seen in 'ras fach' ('short run') and 'ras o gwmpas' ('circuit'). | |||
Race in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | раса | ||
| The Belarusian word "раса" derives from the Polish word "rasa" and has the alternate meaning of "dew". | |||
| Bosnian | trka | ||
| The word "trka" in Bosnian can also refer to a running track or a competition between several animals. | |||
| Bulgarian | раса | ||
| Bulgarian term "раса" is a false cognate with English "race" and originally meant either "breed", "species", or "group of relatives sharing a common ancestor". | |||
| Czech | závod | ||
| "Závod" also means "factory" in Czech, as factories were often located near water sources for power, similar to mills. | |||
| Estonian | võistlus | ||
| The word "võistlus" in Estonian also means "competition". | |||
| Finnish | rotu | ||
| The Finnish word "rotu" can also refer to a line, row, or column in a table or spreadsheet. | |||
| Hungarian | verseny | ||
| "Verseny" also means rivalry or competition. | |||
| Latvian | sacīkstes | ||
| The word "sacīkstes" is derived from the Slavic "сътязати", or "to compete against". | |||
| Lithuanian | lenktynės | ||
| The word "lenktynės" is used in Lithuanian to refer to a competition between people or animals, or to the act of running or driving as fast as possible. | |||
| Macedonian | раса | ||
| In Macedonian, "раса" can also refer to "sort" or "type". | |||
| Polish | wyścigi | ||
| In Polish, wyścigi also means competition or contest. | |||
| Romanian | rasă | ||
| The Romanian word "rasă" has several alternate definitions and etymologies: "origin, lineage, stock, breed," and also, in colloquial language, "kind, sort, species." | |||
| Russian | раса | ||
| The Russian word "раса" ultimately derives from the French word "race" (meaning "lineage, family"), but it has come to have connotations of ethnicity and physical characteristics. | |||
| Serbian | трка | ||
| The word “трка” can also mean “chase” or “racecourse”. | |||
| Slovak | rasa | ||
| The word "rasa" has also been used historically in Slovak to refer to a "nation" or "family". | |||
| Slovenian | dirka | ||
| The Slovenian word 'dirka' is a cognate of the German word 'derk', meaning 'course' or 'path', and can also refer to a competition or test. | |||
| Ukrainian | гонки | ||
| The word "гонки" can also refer to a competition between horses or other animals. | |||
Race in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | জাতি | ||
| In Bengali, the word "জাতি" can also mean "birth", "origin", or "caste". | |||
| Gujarati | રેસ | ||
| The word "રેસ" can also refer to a series of performances or entertainments. | |||
| Hindi | रेस | ||
| In Hindi, the word "रेस" can also mean "a kind" or "a style". | |||
| Kannada | ರೇಸ್ | ||
| ರೇಸ್ also means 'crowd' or 'group' in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | ഓട്ടം | ||
| It can mean any competitive run as well as the act of pouring. | |||
| Marathi | शर्यत | ||
| The word "शर्यत" (race) in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word "शृ" (to go) and means "a going, a running, a coursing," or "a race." | |||
| Nepali | दौड | ||
| "दौड" (race) in Nepali comes from Sanskrit "द्रु" (dru), meaning "to run," not from English "race." | |||
| Punjabi | ਦੌੜ | ||
| The word "ਦੌੜ" in Punjabi also means a line, or a row, like a queue or a military formation. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | තරඟය | ||
| The term තරඟය, or race, can refer to any physical competition involving speed or endurance in Sinhalese. | |||
| Tamil | இனம் | ||
| While 'இனம்' primarily means 'race' in Tamil, it also has other meanings like 'kind', 'species', and 'class'. | |||
| Telugu | జాతి | ||
| "జాతి" is the Telugu equivalent of the English word "race", but it also has other meanings such as "species", "variety" | |||
| Urdu | دوڑ | ||
| The word 'دوڑ' ('race') in Urdu can also mean 'contest' or 'competition' | |||
Race in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 种族 | ||
| In Chinese, the word "种族" also means "type" or "category". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 種族 | ||
| The word 種族 (race) in Chinese can also refer to "species" or "kind". | |||
| Japanese | 人種 | ||
| The word "人種" (じんしゅ) in Japanese can also refer to "species" or "kind".} | |||
| Korean | 경주 | ||
| The word "경주" also means "capital" or "metropolis" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | уралдаан | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပြိုင်ပွဲ | ||
Race in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | ras | ||
| Indonesian "ras" derives from Spanish and Portuguese terms for "lineage" that originated in Arabic "ra's" (head). | |||
| Javanese | balapan | ||
| Balapan is also a kind of puppet in Javanese folk theater. | |||
| Khmer | ការប្រណាំង | ||
| The word "ការប្រណាំង" in Khmer can also refer to a competition between people or animals, as in a running or swimming race. | |||
| Lao | ເຊື້ອຊາດ | ||
| Malay | perlumbaan | ||
| From the Javanese word "pralambah", which means "origin" | |||
| Thai | แข่ง | ||
| แข่ง derives from the Proto-Austronesian term kadiŋ, and its other meanings include 'compete', 'contest', and 'compare'. | |||
| Vietnamese | cuộc đua | ||
| "Cuộc đua" can also mean a competition of speed between two or more animals, vehicles, or people. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lahi | ||
Race in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | yarış | ||
| The word 'yarış' also means 'competition' or 'contest' in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | жарыс | ||
| "Жарыс" means race, contest or competition. Can be also interpreted as a "chase" | |||
| Kyrgyz | жарыш | ||
| The word "жарыш" can also mean "competition" or "rivalry" in Kyrgyz, showing its deep connection to the idea of struggle and striving. | |||
| Tajik | нажод | ||
| The Tajik word "нажод" can also refer to a type of apricot or a group of people sharing a common language, history, and culture. | |||
| Turkmen | ýaryş | ||
| Uzbek | poyga | ||
| In some contexts, the word "poyga" can also refer to a "competition" or "match". | |||
| Uyghur | مۇسابىقە | ||
Race in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | heihei | ||
| The word "heihei" in Hawaiian also means "to chase" or "to compete". | |||
| Maori | reihi | ||
| Maori word "reihi" can refer to any kind of competition, not just races; it also means "line" or "row". | |||
| Samoan | tuʻuga | ||
| The Samoan word "tuʻuga" is also a term for "descent" or "origin". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | karera | ||
| The word "karera" in Filipino also refers to a "profession" or a "career" in English. | |||
Race in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | rasa | ||
| Guarani | ñemoñanga | ||
Race in International Languages
| Esperanto | vetkuro | ||
| The word "vetkuro" in Esperanto also has the meaning of "strain" or "stock" (for example, of animals or plants). | |||
| Latin | genus | ||
| Genus in Latin also means a type, kind, origin, or stock, and is related to the English word "generate" and the Greek word "genos," meaning "race" or "family. | |||
Race in Others Languages
| Greek | αγώνας | ||
| Derived from the ancient verb άγω 'I lead' through a Greek stem αγων- "a contest or assembly," "place for assembly" via a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to drive' | |||
| Hmong | haiv neeg | ||
| The term "haiv neeg" (race) derives from the concept of "lineage" or "descent" with the "haiv" meaning "branch" and "neej" meaning "root". | |||
| Kurdish | nîjad | ||
| The word "nîjad" also has the meaning of "lineage" or "descent". | |||
| Turkish | yarış | ||
| The word "yarış" also means "competition" or "contest" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | ubuhlanga | ||
| The word "ubuhlanga" also means "kind" or "type" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | געיעג | ||
| The Yiddish word "געיעג" derives from the Middle High German "gagen", meaning "to go, to seek, to desire". | |||
| Zulu | umjaho | ||
| "Umjaho" is also a ritual foot race, often run as part of the Zulu wedding ceremony. | |||
| Assamese | জাতি | ||
| Aymara | rasa | ||
| Bhojpuri | दौड़ | ||
| Dhivehi | ރޭސް | ||
| Dogri | दौड़ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lahi | ||
| Guarani | ñemoñanga | ||
| Ilocano | karera | ||
| Krio | res | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پێشبڕکێ | ||
| Maithili | दौर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯝꯖꯦꯜ ꯇꯥꯟꯅꯕ | ||
| Mizo | intlansiak | ||
| Oromo | sanyii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଜାତି | ||
| Quechua | paway | ||
| Sanskrit | धावनं | ||
| Tatar | узыш | ||
| Tigrinya | ዘርኢ | ||
| Tsonga | rixaka | ||