Roof in Different Languages
Discover 'Roof' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
A roof is more than just a structure on top of a building. It's a symbol of protection, warmth, and security. Throughout history, roofs have played a significant role in architecture and cultural identity. From the thatched roofs of traditional English cottages to the intricate tile roofs of Chinese palaces, roofs have been crafted with unique designs and materials that reflect the traditions and resources of each culture.
Understanding the translation of the word 'roof' in different languages can open up a world of cultural insights. For example, in German, the word for roof is 'Dach', while in Spanish, it's 'techo'. In Japanese, the word is 'yane', and in Arabic, it's 'sutuh'. Each translation not only represents a different word but also a different cultural perspective and history.
Whether you're an architect, a language enthusiast, or simply curious, exploring the translations of 'roof' can be a fascinating journey into the world's diverse languages and cultures.
Roof
Roof in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | dak | ||
| The word 'dak' in Afrikaans, meaning 'roof', is derived from the Dutch word 'dak', with the same meaning, and is cognate with the English word 'thatch'. | |||
| Amharic | ጣሪያ | ||
| The word "ጣሪያ", meaning "roof", is often used metaphorically to refer to the highest or most important part of something. | |||
| Hausa | rufin | ||
| The Hausa word "rufin" may also refer to the upper portion of a traditional Hausa house. | |||
| Igbo | ụlọ | ||
| The word "ụlọ" in Igbo also refers to a house, suggesting a close connection between the concepts of shelter and covering. | |||
| Malagasy | tafotrano | ||
| The word "TAFOTRANO" can also mean "shelter" or "protection" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | denga | ||
| The word "denga" in Nyanja can also refer to the ceiling or attic of a building. | |||
| Shona | denga | ||
| "Denga" in Shona also means "protection" or "shelter", reflecting the roof's role in providing security and refuge. | |||
| Somali | saqafka | ||
| The word "saqafka" in Somali refers to a type of protective covering over an opening | |||
| Sesotho | marulelo | ||
| Marulelo comes from the verb ho rula (to cover), signifying its role in providing shelter. | |||
| Swahili | paa | ||
| "Paa" also means "on top of" or "upon" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | uphahla | ||
| The word "uphahla" in Xhosa also means "ceiling" and "upper room". | |||
| Yoruba | orule | ||
| The word "orule" derives from the Yoruba word "oru" meaning "top" or "above" and the suffix "ile" meaning "house". | |||
| Zulu | uphahla | ||
| It is derived from the Proto-Bantu root *-pha "to cover, roof". | |||
| Bambara | bili | ||
| Ewe | xɔgbagbã | ||
| Kinyarwanda | igisenge | ||
| Lingala | toiture | ||
| Luganda | akasolya | ||
| Sepedi | marulelo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | dan so | ||
Roof in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | سقف | ||
| The word "سقف" (roof) in Arabic shares the same root as "سقف", meaning "to cover or conceal". | |||
| Hebrew | גג | ||
| The Hebrew word "גג" (roof) can also refer to the "top" of something or to a "summit". | |||
| Pashto | چت | ||
| The word "چت" in Pashto also means "ceiling". | |||
| Arabic | سقف | ||
| The word "سقف" (roof) in Arabic shares the same root as "سقف", meaning "to cover or conceal". | |||
Roof in Western European Languages
| Albanian | çati | ||
| Albanian word for “roof” çati is derived from the Proto-Albanian word *ket-i that also means “cover”. | |||
| Basque | teilatua | ||
| The word 'teilatua' is of Indo-European origin, with similar words found in other Indo-European languages like Hittite, and means 'something stretched over you' | |||
| Catalan | sostre | ||
| "Sostre" comes from the Latin word "substratum", meaning "that which is spread out underneath", referring to the roof's function as a cover over a building. | |||
| Croatian | krov | ||
| In the Kajkavian dialect, the word "krov" also means "home" or "shelter." | |||
| Danish | tag | ||
| In some parts of Northern Jutland, the word | |||
| Dutch | dak | ||
| "Dak" in Dutch is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "thak", meaning "thatched roof". | |||
| English | roof | ||
| The word "roof" originates from the Old English word "hrof", which referred to a shelter or covering. | |||
| French | toit | ||
| The French word "toit" derives from the Latin "tectum" meaning "covering" or "shelter" and is also related to the English word "deck". | |||
| Frisian | dak | ||
| The Frisian word "dak" is most closely related to the German word "Deck", which also means "roof". | |||
| Galician | tellado | ||
| The Galician word for roof, tellado, derives from the Latin "tegula," meaning tile, and also refers to the tiling or covering of a roof. | |||
| German | dach | ||
| The word "Dach" is cognate with the English word "thatch" which refers to a roofing material made of straw or reeds. | |||
| Icelandic | þak | ||
| The word 'þak' ('roof') in Icelandic is also found in many other Germanic languages and likely derives from the Proto-Germanic word '*þak-'. It is cognate to the English word 'thatch' and may have originally meant a covering of straw or reeds. | |||
| Irish | díon | ||
| The word "díon" in Irish also means "protection" or "shelter" and may be related to the word "díth" meaning "to protect" or "to defend". | |||
| Italian | tetto | ||
| The word "tetto" in Italian, ultimately deriving from Latin, also has the alternate meaning of "home" or "shelter". | |||
| Luxembourgish | daach | ||
| "Daach" derives from the Middle High German "dach" and Old High German "thah". | |||
| Maltese | saqaf | ||
| Saqaf, which derives from the Arabic for flooring, can also refer to floors, ceilings, and even the flat roofs of many Maltese buildings. | |||
| Norwegian | tak | ||
| The word "tak" in Norwegian has its origins in the Old Norse word "þak", meaning "covering" or "roof". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | cobertura | ||
| "Cobertura" can also mean "blanket" in Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | mullach | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "mullach" also means "summit" or "top of a hill". | |||
| Spanish | techo | ||
| The word "techo" in Spanish originally meant "place to shelter oneself" and can also refer to a shed or barn. | |||
| Swedish | tak | ||
| "Tak" in Swedish also means "thanks" and comes from the Proto-Germanic word "þakkjan" meaning "to express gratitude"} | |||
| Welsh | to | ||
| In Welsh the word 'to' also means 'the side' (of something) or 'that side' as opposed to 'this side'. | |||
Roof in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | дах | ||
| The word “дах” is of Proto-Indo-European origin and is related to the English word “deck”. It originally referred to a flat surface, such as a floor or ceiling, but came to mean “roof” in Slavic languages. | |||
| Bosnian | krov | ||
| The word "krov" also means "shelter, cover, refuge" in Bosnian and derives from the Proto-Slavic word *krivъ, meaning "to cover, hide, conceal." | |||
| Bulgarian | покрив | ||
| The word "покрив" in Bulgarian shares a common root with the Latin word "tectum" meaning "shelter", highlighting the shared architectural concept of protecting from the elements. | |||
| Czech | střecha | ||
| Czech word for 'roof', 'střecha', originally meant 'thatched roof', from the Old Czech word 'střěcha'. | |||
| Estonian | katus | ||
| The word "katus" is cognate with the Finnish word "katto", both meaning "roof" and deriving from the Proto-Uralic root *katto. | |||
| Finnish | katto | ||
| "Katto" is also used as a general term for a lid, cover, or canopy in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | tető | ||
| The Hungarian word "tető" also means "top" or "crown", and is related to the Latin word "tectum" meaning "covering". | |||
| Latvian | jumts | ||
| The Latvian word “jumts” (roof) stems from the Indo-European word “*keup” (to cover) and is related to the English word “cope.” | |||
| Lithuanian | stogas | ||
| A "stogas" can also be a "shed" and comes from the PIE root *steg-, meaning "to cover". | |||
| Macedonian | покрив | ||
| "Покрив" also means "cover" or "lid" in Macedonian | |||
| Polish | dach | ||
| Dach in Polish also means a | |||
| Romanian | acoperiş | ||
| "acoperiş" is also the Romanian word for "cover" or "covering". | |||
| Russian | крыша | ||
| In some Slavic dialects, "крыша" also refers to a tent or canopy. | |||
| Serbian | кров | ||
| The word "кров" comes from the Proto-Slavic "*krovъ", meaning "shelter", and is cognate with the Russian "кров" and Polish "krew" meaning "blood". | |||
| Slovak | strecha | ||
| The word "strecha" in Slovak is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*strexa", meaning "shelter" or "cover." | |||
| Slovenian | streho | ||
| The term 'streho' is sometimes used to denote a 'covered or protected area,' particularly in certain regions of Slovenia | |||
| Ukrainian | даху | ||
| The word "даху" can also refer to the top of the head or figuratively to the highest point or degree of something. | |||
Roof in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ছাদ | ||
| The word "ছাদ" (roof) is also used to refer to a terrace or balcony in Bengali | |||
| Gujarati | છાપરું | ||
| "છાપરું" comes from Sanskrit "kṣāpara," meaning "covering," and also refers to a "house" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | छत | ||
| The word | |||
| Kannada | roof ಾವಣಿ | ||
| The word "ಆವಣಿ" can also refer to a period of time corresponding to the month of August. | |||
| Malayalam | മേൽക്കൂര | ||
| The word "മേൽക്കൂര" is derived from the words "മേൽ" (above) and "കൂര" (hut), and can also refer to the top or uppermost part of something. | |||
| Marathi | छप्पर | ||
| "छप्पर" in Marathi likely derives from the Sanskrit "Chakrapura" meaning "wheel town" or "place made of wheels", alluding to the structure's circular shape and the use of circular tiles. | |||
| Nepali | छत | ||
| The word 'छत' is also used in Nepali to refer to the ceiling of a home. | |||
| Punjabi | ਛੱਤ | ||
| The Punjabi word 'ਛੱਤ' ('roof'), derived from the Sanskrit word 'छाद ('shade'), also refers to a platform extending from the roof. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වහලය | ||
| වහලය refers not only to the shelter provided by a building's roof, but also to the roof itself. | |||
| Tamil | கூரை | ||
| The word "கூரை" can also refer to a thatched roof, a bundle of coconut leaves, or a type of basket used to carry paddy. | |||
| Telugu | పైకప్పు | ||
| "పైకప్పు" also refers to the ceiling of a building, similar to "roof" in English. | |||
| Urdu | چھت | ||
| The word "چھت" is derived from the Sanskrit word "chhatra" which also means "umbrella". | |||
Roof in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 屋顶 | ||
| "屋" means "house" and "顶" means "top", so the literal meaning of "屋顶" is "the top of a house" | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 屋頂 | ||
| 屋頂, in Chinese, literally means roof over the room, '屋' being room and '頂' being top. | |||
| Japanese | ルーフ | ||
| "ルーフ" in Japanese can also refer to a type of baseball pitch that is thrown from above the shoulder, or to a roofed building or structure. | |||
| Korean | 지붕 | ||
| The word "지붕" can also mean "a lid or cover" or "the top of a tree". | |||
| Mongolian | дээвэр | ||
| The word | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ခေါင်မိုး | ||
Roof in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | atap | ||
| The word "atap" is thought to originate from the Old Javanese word "atap", meaning "mat", referring to the use of woven materials as roofing. | |||
| Javanese | gendheng | ||
| The term 'gendheng' can also refer to a mad person who is possessed by a spirit in Javanese culture. | |||
| Khmer | ដំបូល | ||
| The word "ដំបូល" in Khmer is derived from the Sanskrit word "stūpa", meaning a Buddhist reliquary monument. | |||
| Lao | ມຸງ | ||
| The word “ມຸງ” in Lao might share the same origin as the word "roof" in English, though its exact etymology is not fully understood. | |||
| Malay | bumbung | ||
| The Malay word "bumbung" is derived from "bubu," meaning "a fish trap," suggesting a resemblance between a roof and a fish trap's domed shape. | |||
| Thai | หลังคา | ||
| Despite being used commonly for "roof," "หลังคา" literally means "ridge of back" in Thai, referring to the sloping structure of a roof. | |||
| Vietnamese | mái nhà | ||
| The word "mái nhà" also means "home" or "family" in Vietnamese, reflecting the importance of shelter and family in Vietnamese culture. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bubong | ||
Roof in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | dam | ||
| The word “dam” comes from the Persian word “dam” (shelter) or from the Old Turkic word “tam” (roof). | |||
| Kazakh | шатыр | ||
| The word "шатыр" (roof) is derived from the Türkic word "şatı" meaning "tent". | |||
| Kyrgyz | чатыры | ||
| The word "чатыры" in Kyrgyz can also mean "cover" or "shelter". | |||
| Tajik | бом | ||
| In Pashto, "بام" means "roof of a house". | |||
| Turkmen | üçek | ||
| Uzbek | tom | ||
| In Uzbek, the word “tom” can also refer to the topmost part of a skullcap or a yurt | |||
| Uyghur | ئۆگزە | ||
Roof in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kaupaku | ||
| Kaupaku can also refer to a shed or storehouse, or to a person who is overprotected. | |||
| Maori | tuanui | ||
| The Maori word "tuanui" also refers to a type of traditional Maori building with a large, sloping roof. | |||
| Samoan | taualuga | ||
| In Hawaiian, 'taualuga' refers to the highest part of the sail, where the rope lines meet the end of the mast. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | bubong | ||
| The Tagalog word "bubong" is also used to refer to the topmost part of a tree. | |||
Roof in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | utapatxa | ||
| Guarani | ogahoja | ||
Roof in International Languages
| Esperanto | tegmento | ||
| Esperanto's "tegmento" derives from the Latin word "tegmen", which not only means "roof", but also "covering", "integument", or "shell". | |||
| Latin | tectum | ||
| The Latin word "tectum" is cognate with the Greek word "tekton," meaning "builder," and the Sanskrit word "takshan," meaning "carpenter." | |||
Roof in Others Languages
| Greek | στέγη | ||
| The Greek word "στέγη" (roof) is derived from the verb "στέγω" (to cover, to shelter), and is related to the English word "stigma" (a mark, a brand). | |||
| Hmong | ru tsev | ||
| This word derives from the word “ru,” which means above or up, and “tsev” which means space or place. | |||
| Kurdish | banî | ||
| The word “banî” in Kurdish is also used to refer to the part of the house above the roof. | |||
| Turkish | çatı | ||
| Çatı, a Turkish word for “roof”, is ultimately of Proto-Indo-European origin and has cognates in many other languages, including Latin and Sanskrit, where it meant “to cover”. | |||
| Xhosa | uphahla | ||
| The word "uphahla" in Xhosa also means "ceiling" and "upper room". | |||
| Yiddish | דאַך | ||
| The word "דאַך" can also refer to hair loss and is a cognate of the German "Dach", meaning "covering" or "tile". | |||
| Zulu | uphahla | ||
| It is derived from the Proto-Bantu root *-pha "to cover, roof". | |||
| Assamese | ছাদ | ||
| Aymara | utapatxa | ||
| Bhojpuri | छत | ||
| Dhivehi | ފުރާޅު | ||
| Dogri | छत्त | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bubong | ||
| Guarani | ogahoja | ||
| Ilocano | atep | ||
| Krio | ruf | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بنمیچ | ||
| Maithili | छत | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯌꯨꯝꯊꯛ | ||
| Mizo | inchung | ||
| Oromo | qooxii manaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଛାତ | ||
| Quechua | qata | ||
| Sanskrit | छाद | ||
| Tatar | түбә | ||
| Tigrinya | ናሕሲ | ||
| Tsonga | lwangu | ||