Rail in Different Languages
Discover 'Rail' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Rail
Afrikaans spoor | ||
Albanian hekurudhor | ||
Amharic ባቡር | ||
Arabic سكة حديدية | ||
Armenian ռելս | ||
Assamese ৰেল | ||
Aymara riel ukata | ||
Azerbaijani dəmir yolu | ||
Bambara nɛgɛso | ||
Basque trenbidea | ||
Belarusian чыгуначны | ||
Bengali রেল | ||
Bhojpuri रेल के बा | ||
Bosnian šina | ||
Bulgarian релса | ||
Catalan ferrocarril | ||
Cebuano riles | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 轨 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 軌 | ||
Corsican ferrovia | ||
Croatian šina | ||
Czech železnice | ||
Danish skinne | ||
Dhivehi ރޭލް އެވެ | ||
Dogri रेल | ||
Dutch het spoor | ||
English rail | ||
Esperanto relo | ||
Estonian raudtee | ||
Ewe ketekemɔ | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) riles | ||
Finnish rautatie | ||
French rail | ||
Frisian spoar | ||
Galician ferrocarril | ||
Georgian სარკინიგზო | ||
German schiene | ||
Greek ράγα | ||
Guarani riel rehegua | ||
Gujarati રેલવે | ||
Haitian Creole ray | ||
Hausa dogo | ||
Hawaiian kaʻa hao | ||
Hebrew רכבת | ||
Hindi रेल | ||
Hmong kev tsheb ciav hlau | ||
Hungarian vasút | ||
Icelandic járnbraut | ||
Igbo ụgbọ okporo ígwè | ||
Ilocano riles ti riles | ||
Indonesian rel | ||
Irish iarnród | ||
Italian rotaia | ||
Japanese レール | ||
Javanese ril | ||
Kannada ರೈಲು | ||
Kazakh рельс | ||
Khmer ផ្លូវដែក | ||
Kinyarwanda gari ya moshi | ||
Konkani रेल्वेमार्ग | ||
Korean 레일 | ||
Krio rel we dɛn kɔl | ||
Kurdish hesinê tirêne | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) شەمەندەفەر | ||
Kyrgyz темир жол | ||
Lao ລົດໄຟ | ||
Latin metuunt blasphemantes | ||
Latvian sliede | ||
Lingala nzela ya engbunduka | ||
Lithuanian bėgiu | ||
Luganda eggaali y’omukka | ||
Luxembourgish schinn | ||
Macedonian шина | ||
Maithili रेल | ||
Malagasy rail | ||
Malay kereta api | ||
Malayalam റെയിൽ | ||
Maltese ferrovija | ||
Maori tereina | ||
Marathi रेल्वे | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯔꯦꯜ ꯂꯝꯕꯤꯗꯥ ꯆꯠꯂꯤ꯫ | ||
Mizo rel kawng a ni | ||
Mongolian төмөр зам | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ရထားလမ်း | ||
Nepali रेल | ||
Norwegian skinne | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) njanji | ||
Odia (Oriya) ରେଳ | ||
Oromo baaburaa | ||
Pashto ریل | ||
Persian ریل | ||
Polish szyna | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) trilho | ||
Punjabi ਰੇਲ | ||
Quechua riel | ||
Romanian feroviar | ||
Russian рельс | ||
Samoan nofoaafi | ||
Sanskrit रेलः | ||
Scots Gaelic rèile | ||
Sepedi seporo | ||
Serbian шина | ||
Sesotho seporo | ||
Shona njanji | ||
Sindhi ريل | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) දුම්රිය | ||
Slovak koľajnice | ||
Slovenian železnica | ||
Somali tareenka | ||
Spanish carril | ||
Sundanese rél | ||
Swahili reli | ||
Swedish järnväg | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) riles | ||
Tajik роҳи оҳан | ||
Tamil ரயில் | ||
Tatar тимер юл | ||
Telugu రైలు | ||
Thai ราง | ||
Tigrinya ባቡር | ||
Tsonga xiporo | ||
Turkish demiryolu | ||
Turkmen demir ýol | ||
Twi (Akan) keteke kwan | ||
Ukrainian залізничний | ||
Urdu ریل | ||
Uyghur تۆمۈر يول | ||
Uzbek temir yo'l | ||
Vietnamese đường sắt | ||
Welsh rheilffordd | ||
Xhosa kaloliwe | ||
Yiddish רעלס | ||
Yoruba ojuirin | ||
Zulu ujantshi |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word "spoor" also refers to the track or trail left by an animal. |
| Albanian | The Albanian word hekurudhor (rail) is derived from Turkish 'demir yol' (iron road) |
| Amharic | ባቡር is used to refer to both a train and a camel in Amharic. |
| Arabic | The word "سكة حديدية" also means "train track" in Arabic. |
| Armenian | The word "ռելս" can also refer to a "ledge" or "shelf" in Armenian. |
| Azerbaijani | The word "dəmir yolu" in Azerbaijani literally means "iron road" or "way", reflecting the material and structure of early railroads. |
| Basque | The term "trenbidea" has also been applied to "road". |
| Belarusian | The word "чыгуначны" in Belarusian comes from the Russian word "железнодорожный", which means "railway" or "railroad". |
| Bengali | রেল ('rail') can also mean 'bar' in Bengali, derived from the French word 'barre'. |
| Bosnian | "Šina" can also mean "wire" when speaking about railroads, while "Željeznička pruga" means "the track" |
| Bulgarian | The word "релса" in Bulgarian also means "track" or "line". |
| Catalan | In Ecuadorian Spanish, "ferrocarril" can also refer to a "train" or "railway". |
| Cebuano | The Cebuano word 'riles' can also mean 'to be annoyed' or 'to be irritated', similar to the English word 'riles'. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The earliest form of 轨 was a measuring tool or rule with a fixed length. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 軌, a term used in ancient China to refer to the ruts created by the wheels of chariots or carts, has evolved to mean 'rail' in modern Chinese. |
| Corsican | Originating from the Latin 'ferrum' meaning 'iron', 'ferrovia' also means 'railway line', 'iron-ore' and 'iron-work' in Corsican. |
| Croatian | 'Šina' can also refer to a medical support splint or a type of bread roll. |
| Czech | "Železnice" is derived from "železo" (iron) and "nice" (thread), referring to the intertwining of rails to form the track. |
| Danish | The Danish word "skinne" is likely derived from the Old Norse "skinna," meaning "to shine" or "to be thin like a blade of straw." |
| Dutch | 'Het spoor' ('rail') was originally a noun referring to a footprint or a trace and comes from the Proto-Germanic word 'spaurô', which also meant 'footprint' or 'track'. |
| Esperanto | The word 'relo' in Esperanto can also refer to the 'movement of objects on wheels'. |
| Estonian | The verb 'raudteema' means 'to railroad' and the adjective 'raudteelane' means 'railwayman'. |
| Finnish | Rautatie, a Finnish word meaning 'railway', derives from the Swedish word 'järnväg' ('iron road') from the 19th century. |
| French | En français, le mot « rail » a aussi le sens de « raie » (poisson). |
| Frisian | The Dutch word "spoor" and the German word "Spur" share the same etymology but have different meanings, which is also similar to the Frisian word "spoar". |
| Galician | In Galician, "ferrocarril" also refers to the train tracks themselves. |
| Georgian | The word "სარკინიგზო" (rail) in Georgian also means "iron road" or "iron path", highlighting the historical use of iron in railway construction. |
| German | The German word "Schiene" (rail) is derived from the Middle Low German word "schēne" (leg), which also refers to a shinbone or splint, highlighting the supporting function of a rail. |
| Greek | The word "ράγα" also means "rhythm" and "song" in Greek music. |
| Gujarati | "રેલવે" can also mean "railway" or "rail system" in English. |
| Haitian Creole | In Haitian Creole, "ray" (rail) can also refer to the spokes of a bicycle wheel. |
| Hausa | In Hausa, "dogo" means "rail" but it also refers to a mythical bird-like creature that brings news. |
| Hawaiian | "Kaʻa hao" also refers to the bones in a human foot, the Hawaiian word "hao" meaning "leg bone". |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word 'רכבת' ('rail') also means 'train' or 'set of things strung together'. |
| Hindi | In some parts of India, "rail" can also refer to a kind of bullock cart. |
| Hmong | "Kev tsheb ciav hlau" literally translates to "iron horse's feet" because it refers to how the iron horseshoe-like shape of the rails supports moving wheels and keeps everything on a set path. |
| Hungarian | The Hungarian word "vasút" literally means "iron road," referring to the use of iron rails in railway construction. |
| Icelandic | The Icelandic word "járnbraut" literally means "iron road" and is derived from the Old Norse terms "járn" (iron) and "braut" (a paved road). |
| Indonesian | The word "rel" in Indonesian also refers to a type of musical instrument known as a tambourine. |
| Irish | The word "iarnród" comes from the Irish words "iarn" (iron) and "ród" (road), and it can also refer to a railway line or a railway system. |
| Italian | "Rotaia" means not only a rail but also a track, a path or a way. |
| Japanese | The word "レール" in Japanese can also refer to a "guideline" or "standard". |
| Javanese | The word "ril" in Javanese is derived from the Malay word "rel" or Dutch word "rail", both meaning "rail". |
| Kannada | The Kannada word 'ರೈಲು' not only means 'rail', but also 'train', highlighting the close association between the two concepts in the language. |
| Kazakh | The word "рельс" (rail) in Kazakh also means "a pole or a stick used for supporting or pushing something". |
| Khmer | The word "ផ្លូវដែក" comes from the Pali word "phalaka" meaning "board" or "plank". This is a reference to the wooden rails used in early railway lines. |
| Korean | The word "레일" (rail) can also refer to a type of fence used to mark boundaries or designate paths. |
| Kurdish | The word "hesinê tirêne" in Kurdish originates from the Persian word "hesin" meaning "horse" and the Turkish word "tira" meaning "pole". |
| Kyrgyz | The word "темир жол" in Kyrgyz literally means "iron road" |
| Lao | "ລົດໄຟ" is derived from Sanskrit रथ (ratha), meaning "chariot". The term is also used in Thai, where it can refer to trains, trams, and streetcars. |
| Latin | The word "metuunt" is also used to mean "fear" and "respect". |
| Latvian | The word "sliede" can also mean "ski" or "skate" in Latvian. |
| Lithuanian | The word "bėgiu" also means "I run" in the present tense. |
| Luxembourgish | "Schinn" (rail) is cognate with Dutch "schijn" (appearance, illusion) and German "Schein" (glow, light, appearance). |
| Macedonian | The word "шина" can also refer to a tire or a busbar in Macedonian. |
| Malagasy | The Malagasy word "lalamby" can also mean "cradle" or "swing". |
| Malay | "Kereta api" derives from Javanese and means "fire carriage". |
| Malayalam | The word "റെയിൽ" ("rail") in Malayalam can also refer to a type of bird known as the "rail". |
| Maltese | The Maltese word 'ferrovija' is derived from the Italian word 'ferrovia', which in turn comes from the Latin word 'ferrum' (iron) and 'via' (way). |
| Maori | Tereina can also refer to 'an inclined plane of short duration' (as a slope) from the word 'teri' meaning slant in older dialects. |
| Marathi | The word 'রেল্বে' ('rail') also has other meanings like a series, line or track. |
| Mongolian | The Mongolian word “төмөр зам” (rail) literally means “iron road”. |
| Nepali | The word 'रेल' in Nepali can also refer to a 'row' or a 'line' |
| Norwegian | In Norwegian, "skinne" is derived from the Old English word "scinn" meaning "a beam of light" or "a shining object". |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | "Njanji" in Nyanja (Chichewa) is a word that refers to other meanings as well. |
| Pashto | The Pashto word "ریل" can also mean "line", "row", or "series" in addition to a rail or track. |
| Persian | The word "ریل" also means "sand" in Persian, and originates from the Arabic word "رمل" meaning the same thing. |
| Polish | The word "szyna" originally meant a surgical splint and can also refer to a type of steel used in construction. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The Portuguese word "trilho" is also used to describe a path or trail. |
| Punjabi | In Punjabi, the word "ਰੇਲ" can also mean "train" or "railway line". |
| Romanian | The word "feroviar" is derived from the Latin "ferrum" (iron) and "via" (way), referring to the iron rails used in railway construction. |
| Russian | The Russian word "рельс" also refers to a type of bird, the Siberian jay. |
| Samoan | The Samoan word "nofoaafi" also means "to sit upon something supporting one's back, as a fence." |
| Scots Gaelic | Rèile derives from the French word for 'rail' and can refer to either rails for train tracks or the common grassland bird, the corncrake. |
| Serbian | The word "шина" (rail) has a different meaning from the Russian word "шина" (tire). |
| Sesotho | While 'separo' primarily translates as rail, the term 'sesporo' in the Tswana language means a type of musical instrument. |
| Shona | The word "njanji" can also refer to a type of traditional Shona drum. |
| Sindhi | The word "ريل" (rail) in Sindhi can also refer to a steel rod used for construction or fencing. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The Sinhalese word "දුම්රිය" (rail) is derived from the Sanskrit word "धूम" (smoke) likely denoting the use of steam engines in early railways |
| Slovak | The word "koľajnice" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*kolьjьnica", meaning "a track for wheels". |
| Slovenian | In Czech, the related word "železnice" also means "railway". |
| Somali | The word "tareenka" also means "car" in Somali, which is likely a result of the early use of trains as a mode of transportation in Somalia. |
| Spanish | In Spanish, "carril" also refers to the path of a ship in the water (a ship's "course") |
| Sundanese | In Sundanese, "rél" (rail) also refers to the edge of a cliff or any other steep slope. |
| Swahili | In Swahili, 'reli' can also refer to a line of people or a sequence of events. |
| Swedish | "Järnväg" literally means 'iron way' in Swedish, and it can also refer to a railroad or railway line. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The Tagalog word "riles" is cognate with the Indonesian word "rel" and the Malay word "ril" - all three meaning "rail". |
| Tajik | The word "роҳи оҳан" can also refer to a "railway" or "line" in Tajik. |
| Tamil | In Tamil, "ரயில்" (rail) can also refer to a small, wooden or bamboo frame used to wind thread or yarn. |
| Telugu | "రైలు," in addition to the object of the sentence, could mean a "ladder," "chain," or "line". |
| Thai | In Thai, "ราง" is not only the word for "rail", but also has a homonym that means "prize money". The latter is likely derived from the shape of the wooden box (a "ราง") in which the winnings were traditionally stored. |
| Turkish | Demiryolu literally means "iron path" in Turkish, reflecting its original use as a horse-drawn wagonway. |
| Ukrainian | The word "залізничний" (rail) in Ukrainian is derived from the word "залізо" (iron) and historically referred to iron-plated roads. |
| Urdu | The origin of Urdu word 'ریل' (rail) is the Arabic word 'ريل' (rail), which means 'a way or track'. |
| Uzbek | 'Temir' means 'iron', while 'yo'l' means 'path' or 'way' in Uzbek, indicating that 'temir yo'l' originally referred to an 'iron path'. |
| Vietnamese | Đường sắt is a Sino-Vietnamese compound word meaning "iron road," and the alternate meanings include "railway" and "train track." |
| Welsh | The word 'rheilffordd' in Welsh also refers to a 'horse tram' or 'horse-drawn railway'. |
| Xhosa | The word "kaloliwe" is an onomatopoeia, likely inspired by the sound of a train passing by. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "רעלס" was derived from Polish "rejel" (rod) via Ukrainian "rel's". |
| Yoruba | The word "ojuirin" also means "a metal rod used for connecting two objects" in Yoruba. |
| Zulu | The word "ujantshi" also refers to a small path or road in Zulu. |
| English | The word 'rail' can also refer to a type of bird or a verb meaning 'to scold or complain'. |