River in Different Languages
Discover 'River' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Rivers have been a source of life and inspiration for countless civilizations throughout history. The steady flow of water has provided a means of sustenance, transportation, and spiritual renewal for people all over the world. From the Nile, which nourished the ancient Egyptian empire, to the Ganges, which remains a sacred site for Hindus, rivers hold immense cultural significance.
Moreover, the word 'river' itself holds a certain charm, as it rolls off the tongue with a soft, lilting rhythm. It's no wonder, then, that people might be curious about how to say 'river' in different languages. After all, exploring the nuances of a foreign language can offer a window into a new culture, and what better way to start than with a word as universal and evocative as 'river'?
Here are just a few examples of how to say 'river' in various languages, from Spanish (río) to Chinese (江). Whether you're a language enthusiast or simply curious, read on to discover the beauty and diversity of this simple yet powerful word.
River
River in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | rivier | ||
| The Afrikaans word "rivier" ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁re̅y- ("to flow"), cognate with the English word "river". | |||
| Amharic | ወንዝ | ||
| The word ወንዝ in Amharic is likely derived from the Proto-Ethiopic root *wənəz, which also means "to flow" or "to run." | |||
| Hausa | kogi | ||
| 'Kogi' also means 'to flow' or 'to make a sound like water flowing', and is used in the names of some traditional water spirits. | |||
| Igbo | osimiri | ||
| The Igbo word "osimiri" also means "pathway" or "roadway". | |||
| Malagasy | renirano | ||
| RENIRANO in Malagasy may derive from 'reni' (mother) and 'rano' (water), and thus refers to the role of rivers as life-givers. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mtsinje | ||
| The word 'mtsinje' in Nyanja can also refer to a valley or a narrow body of water. | |||
| Shona | rwizi | ||
| The word "rwizi" also means "great" or "large" in Shona, highlighting the importance and awe associated with rivers. | |||
| Somali | webiga | ||
| The word "webiga" can also refer to a valley or a low-lying area where water flows during the rainy season. | |||
| Sesotho | noka | ||
| Noka is also sometimes used to refer to a wide and permanent stream of water (i.e. a river) that may or may not contain water depending on the time of the year, and sometimes used for dry streambeds too. | |||
| Swahili | mto | ||
| Mto, meaning 'river' in Swahili, shares a root with the word 'umto', which means 'child' or 'young person'. | |||
| Xhosa | umlambo | ||
| Xhosa word 'umlambo' may refer to both a natural or supernatural river. | |||
| Yoruba | odo | ||
| Odo can also mean "spring" or "creek" and is related to the word "odi" ( | |||
| Zulu | umfula | ||
| In Zulu, the word "umfula" can also mean "a deep place in a river where there is a whirlpool or a pool." | |||
| Bambara | ba | ||
| Ewe | tɔsisi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | uruzi | ||
| Lingala | ebale | ||
| Luganda | omugga | ||
| Sepedi | noka | ||
| Twi (Akan) | asubɔntene | ||
River in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | نهر | ||
| The word "نهر" (river) in Arabic also has the figurative meaning of "source" or "origin". | |||
| Hebrew | נהר | ||
| The Hebrew word "נהר" has alternate meanings including "flood" and "stream". | |||
| Pashto | سيند | ||
| The Pashto word "سيند" also refers to the "Indus River" and the "Ganges River" in specific contexts. | |||
| Arabic | نهر | ||
| The word "نهر" (river) in Arabic also has the figurative meaning of "source" or "origin". | |||
River in Western European Languages
| Albanian | lumi | ||
| Lumi is also used in Albanian as a personal name (usually for boys), likely derived from the Sanskrit word "loka", meaning "world" or "place". | |||
| Basque | ibaia | ||
| The word ibaia does not have any alternate meanings. | |||
| Catalan | riu | ||
| The Catalan word "riu" derives from the Latin term "rivus," meaning "stream" or "brook." | |||
| Croatian | rijeka | ||
| In Croatian, the word "Rijeka" not only means "river", but also a historic region in the eastern part of the country. | |||
| Danish | flod | ||
| The word "flod" can also mean "flood" or "estuary" in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | rivier- | ||
| The Dutch word 'rivier' is derived from the Old French word 'rivier', which comes from the Latin word 'rivus', meaning 'stream'. | |||
| English | river | ||
| The term "river" originates from the Latin "rivus" and has been used since the 13th century to describe a natural watercourse. | |||
| French | rivière | ||
| The word "rivière" also means "laugh" in French. | |||
| Frisian | rivier | ||
| The Frisian word "rivier" can also refer to a ditch or a small stream. | |||
| Galician | río | ||
| The Galician word "río" comes from the Latin word "rīvus," meaning "stream," and is related to the English word "river." | |||
| German | fluss | ||
| Derived from the Middle High German "vluz" or Old High German "fluz", Fluss can also refer to a "flow" or a "flood". | |||
| Icelandic | ána | ||
| "Ána" is a name derived from the Old Norse word "á" meaning "river" and is still used as a word for "river" in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | abhainn | ||
| The Scottish Gaelic word "abhainn" ultimately derives from the Proto-Celtic form of the word, *abona, which means "river of a certain size". | |||
| Italian | fiume | ||
| From the Latin word "flumen" (river), "fiume" can also refer to a watercourse that has not yet reached the sea, such as a stream or a brook. | |||
| Luxembourgish | floss | ||
| As well as denoting a waterway, the word also means "flood" and is cognate with the English "flush". | |||
| Maltese | xmara | ||
| The word "xmara" may also refer to a type of Maltese traditional fishing net. | |||
| Norwegian | elv | ||
| The word "elv" is cognate with the English word "elf", both deriving from the Proto-Germanic word *albiz "white", referring to the white foam in fast-flowing water. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | rio | ||
| In Portuguese, "rio" can also refer to a river's estuary or a large body of water. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | abhainn | ||
| Abhainn is derived from the Proto-Celtic word *abona, meaning "water" or "river." | |||
| Spanish | río | ||
| The Spanish word "río" likely originated from the Celtic word "rīgos," meaning "to flow" or "stream. | |||
| Swedish | flod | ||
| The origin of the Swedish word "flod" likely derives from the Indo-European root "*pleu" and the Proto-Germanic term "*flut", cognate to the English "flood". | |||
| Welsh | afon | ||
| Afon may also refer to a Welsh deity of rivers and one of the gods of the Mabinogion. | |||
River in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | рака | ||
| The Belarusian word "рака" also means "cancer" in Polish and Russian. | |||
| Bosnian | rijeka | ||
| The Slavic root *reka, from which "rijeka" derives, also refers to a body of water or a swamp | |||
| Bulgarian | река | ||
| The word "река" can also refer to a large amount of something, such as tears or blood. | |||
| Czech | řeka | ||
| The word "řeka" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*rekъ", which means "to flow". It is also related to the Latin word "rivus", meaning "stream". | |||
| Estonian | jõgi | ||
| "Jõgi" in Estonian derives from Proto-Uralic "*joŋki", also meaning "lake". | |||
| Finnish | joki | ||
| The word also refers to a | |||
| Hungarian | folyó | ||
| The word "folyó" in Hungarian originally meant "flowing" or "running", but it also refers to a river. | |||
| Latvian | upe | ||
| Latvian "upe" (river) shares the Indo-European root *h2ep– with the Sanskrit word "āpas" (water). | |||
| Lithuanian | upė | ||
| The word "upė" in Lithuanian comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*h₂up-," meaning "water\." | |||
| Macedonian | река | ||
| "Река" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *rēka, which also means "stream". | |||
| Polish | rzeka | ||
| The word "rzeka" is of Proto-Slavic origin and likely descends from the verb meaning "to flow". | |||
| Romanian | râu | ||
| "Râu" originates from the Latin word "rivus", and it can also mean "beard" in Romanian | |||
| Russian | река | ||
| In Russian, 'река' ( река) also means 'speech' or 'stream'. | |||
| Serbian | река | ||
| The Serbian word "река" (river) likely comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*sreu-," meaning "to flow" | |||
| Slovak | rieka | ||
| From Proto-Slavic, *reka, a hydronym also found in Baltic, Germanic, and Celtic. | |||
| Slovenian | reka | ||
| The word "reka" can also refer to a torrent or a flood. | |||
| Ukrainian | річка | ||
| The word “річка” is derived from the Proto-Slavic word “*rěka”, which also means “speech”. This reflects the ancient belief that rivers possessed a kind of consciousness and could communicate with humans. | |||
River in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | নদী | ||
| The word "নদী" ("river") in Bengali shares the same etymological root with the Sanskrit word "नदी" ("river"), meaning "water course". | |||
| Gujarati | નદી | ||
| The word "નદી" (river) in Gujarati is derived from the Sanskrit word "नदी" (nadi), which originally meant a "reed" or "tube". | |||
| Hindi | नदी | ||
| The word "नदी" (river) in Hindi is cognate with the Avestan word "naidi" (river), and is ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*(s)neh₂-", meaning "to flow". | |||
| Kannada | ನದಿ | ||
| The word "ನದಿ" derives from the Proto-Dravidian word "*nadi" meaning "watercourse" or "current". | |||
| Malayalam | നദി | ||
| In ancient Tamil, "nadi" referred to a large body of water, indicating that "nadi" may have come from Tamil and later adopted into Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | नदी | ||
| In Marathi, the word "नदी" also means "a stream" or "a riverbank". | |||
| Nepali | नदी | ||
| The Nepali word "नदी" (river) originates from the Sanskrit "nadee," which signifies a natural watercourse, and is cognate with words like "navya" (new). | |||
| Punjabi | ਨਦੀ | ||
| ਨਦੀ also refers to a mythical river that flows through the center of the Earth in Sikhism. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ගඟ | ||
| The term "ගඟ" can refer to a particular river, such as the "Mahaweli Ganga," or to rivers in general. | |||
| Tamil | நதி | ||
| The term 'நதி' (nadi) in Tamil also signifies a vein or artery in the human body, or any natural or spiritual pathway. | |||
| Telugu | నది | ||
| The word "నది" also refers to a type of snake called "King Cobra" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | دریا | ||
| The word "دریا" can also refer to the ocean or any large body of water. | |||
River in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 河 | ||
| 河 is a component of the character 江 (river) and is also a character in the word 河道 (river course). | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 河 | ||
| 河 in Chinese (Traditional) can refer to a river, the Milky Way, or the Yellow River. | |||
| Japanese | 川 | ||
| "川" also means "thread" in classical Japanese; it is sometimes seen in the name of bridges as "[Thread of X] bridge." | |||
| Korean | 강 | ||
| The word "강" can also mean "strength" or "power" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | гол | ||
| The Mongolian word "гол" (river) is related to the Turkic word "kol" (lake). | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မြစ် | ||
| The word "မြစ်" also means "a stream of water that flows continuously in a definite direction". | |||
River in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sungai | ||
| The word "sungai" is derived from Proto-Austronesian "*suŋai" meaning "watercourse". | |||
| Javanese | kali | ||
| "Kali" can also refers to a female deity who is the goddess of water and fertility. | |||
| Khmer | ទន្លេ | ||
| The word "ទន្លេ" can also mean "stream" or "canal" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ແມ່ນ້ໍາ | ||
| The Lao word for "river", "ແມ່ນ້ໍາ", is etymologically related to the Sanskrit word "nadī", which also means "river" or "stream". | |||
| Malay | sungai | ||
| "Sungai" in Malay can also refer to a body of water that is connected to the sea and is affected by the tide, known as an estuary. | |||
| Thai | แม่น้ำ | ||
| The Thai word for "river" (แม่น้ำ) literally means "mother water". | |||
| Vietnamese | con sông | ||
| The word "con sông" (river) in Vietnamese is a compound word that literally means "mother river". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ilog | ||
River in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | çay | ||
| The word "çay" has additional meanings in Azerbaijani, including "kind of tree" and "small stream". | |||
| Kazakh | өзен | ||
| The Kazakh word "өзен" is also used to refer to a water pipe or a conduit. | |||
| Kyrgyz | дарыя | ||
| In Kyrgyz, "дарыя" can also refer to a large body of water such as a lake or sea. | |||
| Tajik | дарё | ||
| The word "дарё" also means "life" and "existence" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | derýa | ||
| Uzbek | daryo | ||
| The word "daryo" comes from the Proto-Turkic word *tory, meaning "channel, stream". | |||
| Uyghur | دەريا | ||
River in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | muliwai | ||
| The Hawaiian word "muliwai" has other meanings including "flow of tears" and "slippery with water." | |||
| Maori | awa | ||
| Despite its translation as 'river', 'awa' in Maori also refers to a 'mouth', 'opening', or 'channel'. | |||
| Samoan | vaitafe | ||
| The word 'vaitafe', meaning river, is derived from the words 'vai' meaning water and 'tafe' meaning channel or path. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | ilog | ||
| The Tagalog word "ilog" is also used to refer to a stream, creek, or any body of water that flows. | |||
River in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jawira | ||
| Guarani | ysyry | ||
River in International Languages
| Esperanto | rivero | ||
| The word "rivero" can also refer to the concept of a waterway as a whole, including its branches, tributaries, and estuary. | |||
| Latin | flumen | ||
| The word "flumen" can also refer to a flow of water, tears, or words. | |||
River in Others Languages
| Greek | ποτάμι | ||
| While in Modern Greek "ποτάμι" means "river", in Ancient Greek the same word could also refer to the sea. | |||
| Hmong | dej | ||
| The Hmong word "dej" can also refer to streams, creeks, and currents. | |||
| Kurdish | çem | ||
| In Kurdish, the word "çem" (river) also denotes "water" in general. | |||
| Turkish | nehir | ||
| The word 'nehir' is derived from the Proto-Turkic word 'ner' meaning 'waterway'. | |||
| Xhosa | umlambo | ||
| Xhosa word 'umlambo' may refer to both a natural or supernatural river. | |||
| Yiddish | טייך | ||
| The Yiddish word טייך "Taykh" derives from Middle Low German teich "pond" or Upper German Teich "pond, fish pond" | |||
| Zulu | umfula | ||
| In Zulu, the word "umfula" can also mean "a deep place in a river where there is a whirlpool or a pool." | |||
| Assamese | নদী | ||
| Aymara | jawira | ||
| Bhojpuri | नदी | ||
| Dhivehi | ކޯރު | ||
| Dogri | दरेआ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ilog | ||
| Guarani | ysyry | ||
| Ilocano | karayan | ||
| Krio | riva | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕووبار | ||
| Maithili | नदी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯨꯔꯦꯜ | ||
| Mizo | lui | ||
| Oromo | laga | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ନଦୀ | ||
| Quechua | mayu | ||
| Sanskrit | नदी | ||
| Tatar | елга | ||
| Tigrinya | ሩባ | ||
| Tsonga | nambu | ||