Room in Different Languages
Discover 'Room' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word "room" holds a significant place in our daily lives, often acting as a versatile space that adapts to our various needs. It can be a place for relaxation, work, or socializing, depending on its purpose and design. Throughout history, rooms have played a crucial role in shaping cultural experiences, from the grand halls of ancient castles to the minimalist interiors of modern homes.
Moreover, the concept of a room transcends linguistic boundaries, making it a fascinating subject for language enthusiasts. For instance, did you know that the French equivalent of "room" is "chambre", while in Spanish, it is "habitación"? These translations not only offer insights into the vocabulary of different languages but also provide a glimpse into the unique ways various cultures perceive and utilize space.
In this article, we delve into the translations of the word "room" in a variety of languages, from the familiar to the exotic. Prepare to embark on a linguistic and cultural journey that will expand your understanding of this common yet intriguing term.
Room
Room in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | kamer | ||
| The Afrikaans word "kamer" derives from the Dutch word "kamer", which meant "a small, windowless room" in Middle Dutch. | |||
| Amharic | ክፍል | ||
| "ክፍል" means space, division, or portion in Amharic and refers to more than just a room. | |||
| Hausa | daki | ||
| "Daki" in Hausa can also refer to a prison cell or the area of a house dedicated to young adult children. | |||
| Igbo | ime ụlọ | ||
| The Igbo word “ime ụlọ” means “inside the house,” and it is often shortened to simply “ime.” | |||
| Malagasy | efitra | ||
| "Efitra" also means "wife" or "spouse" in Malagasy, suggesting its historical function as a living space for married couples. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chipinda | ||
| "Chipinda" can also refer to a traditional hut or a small hut-like structure. | |||
| Shona | imba | ||
| The word "imba" in Shona can also refer to a shelter, a hut, or a place of residence. | |||
| Somali | qol | ||
| The term "Qol" in Somali can also refer to a chamber in a house or a prison cell. | |||
| Sesotho | kamore | ||
| The word "kamore" in Sesotho can also refer to a specific type of room used for traditional ceremonies or rituals. | |||
| Swahili | chumba | ||
| The Swahili word "chumba" can also refer to a prison cell, a private apartment, or a cubicle and originates from the Arabic "ghurfa". | |||
| Xhosa | igumbi | ||
| The word "igumbi" can also refer to a specific room within a house, such as the kitchen or the bedroom. | |||
| Yoruba | yara | ||
| The Yoruba word 'yara' can also mean 'chamber', 'apartment' or 'den'. | |||
| Zulu | igumbi | ||
| The word "igumbi" derives from the Nguni root "-gumba", meaning "to be shut or closed," suggesting a private or enclosed space. | |||
| Bambara | soden | ||
| Ewe | xɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | icyumba | ||
| Lingala | chambre | ||
| Luganda | ekisenge | ||
| Sepedi | kamora | ||
| Twi (Akan) | dan mu | ||
Room in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | غرفة | ||
| The word "غرفة" can also refer to a place where a person resides (e.g., a home) or a place of business (e.g., an office). | |||
| Hebrew | חֶדֶר | ||
| The Hebrew word "חדר" (room) also refers to a "chamber in the heart" or the "inner sanctum" of a temple. | |||
| Pashto | کوټه | ||
| The word "کوټه" in Pashto is derived from the Persian word "اتاق" (atāq) and the Sanskrit word "कुटी" (kuṭī), both meaning "room" or "house". It can also mean "place" or "location" in a more general sense. | |||
| Arabic | غرفة | ||
| The word "غرفة" can also refer to a place where a person resides (e.g., a home) or a place of business (e.g., an office). | |||
Room in Western European Languages
| Albanian | dhoma | ||
| The word "dhoma" in Albanian is derived from the Proto-Albanian "*dhau̯mō", which originally meant "dwelling" or "hut". | |||
| Basque | gela | ||
| The word 'gela' is also used in Basque to refer to a 'classroom' or a 'group of people'. | |||
| Catalan | habitació | ||
| The term "habitació" (room) in Catalan is derived from the Latin word "habitare," meaning "to dwell" or "to inhabit." | |||
| Croatian | soba | ||
| The word 'soba' also refers to a 'barrel', suggesting its original usage as a storage space. | |||
| Danish | værelse | ||
| The word "værelse" in Danish is related to the word "være," meaning "to be" or "to exist," suggesting a room as a space where one can be or exist. | |||
| Dutch | kamer | ||
| The word "kamer" is cognate with the English "chamber" and originally denoted a private room within a palace. | |||
| English | room | ||
| The word 'room' also means 'space', as in 'there is no room for doubt' | |||
| French | pièce | ||
| French word "pièce" originates from Latin "pensum" meaning task or assignment - a room being a space for work or rest. | |||
| Frisian | keamer | ||
| The Dutch word "kamer", from which "keamer" ultimately derives, is first recorded in 1387 as "camere", and is likely derived from French "chambre" or Latin "camera". | |||
| Galician | cuarto | ||
| In Galician, "cuarto" also means "a quarter" or "a quarter of an hour." | |||
| German | zimmer | ||
| In certain dialects, 'Zimmer' can also refer to small enclosures or compartments, such as 'cow chambers' or 'dog kennels'. | |||
| Icelandic | herbergi | ||
| The word "herbergi" originally meant "resting place" or "shelter" | |||
| Irish | seomra | ||
| The word "seomra" in Irish can also refer to a chamber, a compartment, or a space. | |||
| Italian | camera | ||
| The origin of the Italian word 'camera' has another interpretation, deriving from the Greek 'kammara', which translates to 'vault'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | zëmmer | ||
| The word "Zëmmer" is derived from the Latin "camera", meaning "vaulted chamber" or "room". | |||
| Maltese | kamra | ||
| The word "kamra" originally meant "chamber" or "cabin" and is also used to refer to a prison cell. | |||
| Norwegian | rom | ||
| The Norwegian word "rom" has its roots in the Old Norse word "rúm", meaning "space" or "place". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | quarto | ||
| In Portuguese (both Portugal and Brazil), "quarto" also means a musical interval of a fourth. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | rùm | ||
| The Gaelic word "rùm" can also refer to a meadow, pasture, or open space. | |||
| Spanish | habitación | ||
| "Habitación" comes from the Latin "habitare" (to dwell), and originally meant "dwelling place" or "house". | |||
| Swedish | rum | ||
| In Swedish, "rum" also means "space" or "volume". | |||
| Welsh | ystafell | ||
| The word 'ystafell' can also refer to a 'stable', 'parlour' or 'study'. | |||
Room in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | пакой | ||
| The word "пакой" in Belarusian language can also mean a "corpse" or a "dead body". | |||
| Bosnian | soba | ||
| In Bosnian, the word "soba" can also mean a "hall" or "apartment", and is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*izba", meaning "a heated living space". | |||
| Bulgarian | стая | ||
| The word "стая" derives from the Proto-Slavic root "*stъja" which refers to the place where a flock (especially of birds) stays. | |||
| Czech | pokoj, místnost | ||
| The word "pokoj" is also a Slavic word for "peace" and "quiet." | |||
| Estonian | tuba | ||
| In the Võro dialect of Estonian, "tuba" can also mean "house" or "flat". | |||
| Finnish | huone | ||
| In Finnish, the word "huone" can have different meanings, depending on the context, such as a "room" in a building or a "cell" in a structure. | |||
| Hungarian | szoba | ||
| Despite its use for "room" today, "szoba" likely derives from the Ottoman Turkish word for "hall" or "chamber" | |||
| Latvian | istaba | ||
| The word "istaba" is derived from the Proto-Baltic *stubā, and is cognate with the Lithuanian stuba, the Old Prussian stubo, and the Gothic stoba, all meaning "room." | |||
| Lithuanian | kambarys | ||
| The word "kambarys" in Lithuanian possibly evolved from the word "komora" meaning "storeroom" in Old Prussian. | |||
| Macedonian | соба | ||
| In Turkish, 'soba' means 'stove' and in Romanian it means 'wife'. | |||
| Polish | pokój | ||
| The Polish word "Pokój" has several meanings, including "room", "peace", and "reconciliation." | |||
| Romanian | cameră | ||
| "Cameră" (room) comes from the Latin word for "chamber" or "room": camera. | |||
| Russian | комната | ||
| The word "комната" can also mean "compartment" or "apartment". | |||
| Serbian | соба | ||
| The Serbian word "соба" can also refer to a dog house or a cell in a prison. | |||
| Slovak | miestnosti | ||
| The word "místnost" originally meant "a place" or "a space" in Old Church Slavonic. | |||
| Slovenian | sobi | ||
| The word "sobi" in Slovenian comes from the Proto-Slavic word *sъba, which also meant "apartment" or "dwelling". | |||
| Ukrainian | кімнати | ||
| The word “кімнати” (“room”) is a plural form of “кімната”, derived from the Proto-Slavic word “komъnata”, from Proto-Indo-European “*kam-”, meaning “to hide, cover”. It can also refer to a chamber or apartment. | |||
Room in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ঘর | ||
| The word "ঘর" in Bengali is derived from the Sanskrit word "गृह" (gr̥ha), meaning "house" or "dwelling." | |||
| Gujarati | ઓરડો | ||
| The Gujarati word "ઓરડો" also means "an enclosed part of a building". In other Indian languages this word often denotes "a hall". In Gujarati literature it has been used since ancient times for "a tent" as well. | |||
| Hindi | कक्ष | ||
| The Sanskrit word "kaksham" (arm pit) is the origin of the Hindi word "kaks" (arm pit), which through a semantic extension, also means "room". | |||
| Kannada | ಕೊಠಡಿ | ||
| The word "ಕೊಠಡಿ" is also used to refer to a section or division of a larger space, such as a room in a house or a compartment in a train. | |||
| Malayalam | മുറി | ||
| In Malayalam, "മുറി" (room) is derived from the root "മുറ" (to cut or divide), indicating its function as a space separated from larger areas. | |||
| Marathi | खोली | ||
| Also called "kholi", a "kothri" is a small traditional hut with thatched roof and mud walls used as a dwelling, especially in the Konkan region of Maharashtra. | |||
| Nepali | कोठा | ||
| Punjabi | ਕਮਰਾ | ||
| The word "ਕਮਰਾ" can also refer to a specific room in a house, such as a bedroom or a living room. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කාමරය | ||
| The word "කාමරය" in Sinhala can also refer to a chamber or a section of a building. | |||
| Tamil | அறை | ||
| The Tamil word "അறை" also means "fight" or "quarrel". | |||
| Telugu | గది | ||
| The word "గది" (room) in Telugu is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root *kaṭi, meaning "a space or enclosure". | |||
| Urdu | کمرہ | ||
| It shares an etymology with "kamar" which means "belt" and "waist" in Hindi. | |||
Room in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 房间 | ||
| 房间 in Chinese, pronounced fángjiān, originally meant 'the space between two pillars' or 'the space for one pillar', indicating a spatial concept. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 房間 | ||
| 房間 (room) comes from the Old Chinese word 宏, meaning 'large'. | |||
| Japanese | ルーム | ||
| The word "ルーム" (room) is derived from the English word "room" and can also refer to a space, area, or compartment within a larger structure. | |||
| Korean | 방 | ||
| The Korean word "방" ("room") can also refer to a house, a space, or a compartment, and its root word means "to divide" or "to enclose." | |||
| Mongolian | өрөө | ||
| The word "өрөө" can also refer to a yurt or a specific part of a yurt | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အခန်း | ||
| The word "အခန်း" can also refer to a space or division within a larger area, such as a room within a house or a chapter within a book. | |||
Room in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kamar | ||
| The word "kamar" can also refer to a chamber in a firearm or the interior of a vehicle. | |||
| Javanese | kamar | ||
| Javanese "kamar" (room) is cognate with Malay "bilik" and Sanskrit "griha" (house). | |||
| Khmer | បន្ទប់ | ||
| បន្ទប់ derives from the Sanskrit word 'panth' which referred to a wayside shelter and resting place along roads or forests. | |||
| Lao | ຫ້ອງ | ||
| The Lao word ຫ້ອງ (hɔ̌ɔŋ) is derived from the Proto-Tai word *ʔɔːŋ, which also means "house" or "building." | |||
| Malay | bilik | ||
| Bilik can also refer to a compartment within a plant or animal, such as a flower's ovary or a bird's nest. | |||
| Thai | ห้อง | ||
| The word "ห้อง" (room) in Thai, is derived from the Sanskrit word "कोष्ठ" (kostha), meaning "cavity" or "chamber." | |||
| Vietnamese | phòng | ||
| "Phòng" shares its etymology with the word "phòng" meaning "defence". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | silid | ||
Room in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | otaq | ||
| In Kazakh and Uzbek, "otaq" means "yurt", a portable, round tent covered with skins or felt. | |||
| Kazakh | бөлме | ||
| The word "бөлме" is also used to refer to a division or section of a country, organization, or department. | |||
| Kyrgyz | бөлмө | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "бөлмө" also refers to a small section or division within a larger space. | |||
| Tajik | ҳуҷра | ||
| The word "ҳуҷра" (room) in Tajik is derived from the Arabic word "حجرة" (room, chamber) and has the alternate meaning of "a cell or room in a monastery or other religious institution". | |||
| Turkmen | otag | ||
| Uzbek | xona | ||
| "Xona" is cognate with the Persian word "khaneh", meaning "house", and is used in Uzbek to refer to a room within a house or building. | |||
| Uyghur | ياتاق | ||
Room in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lumi | ||
| The Hawaiian word "lumi" also signifies "shelter" or "dwelling place" | |||
| Maori | ruuma | ||
| "Ruuma" is not the Maori word for "room"; its literal translation is "belly". | |||
| Samoan | potu | ||
| The word "potu" can also mean "house" or "building" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | silid | ||
| The word 'silid' in Tagalog is derived from the Sanskrit word 'shalya', which means 'house' or 'dwelling'. | |||
Room in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | uta | ||
| Guarani | irundyha | ||
Room in International Languages
| Esperanto | ĉambro | ||
| Ĉambro derives from Latin camera, which referred to a vaulted space or room and is the root for many English words including chamber, camera, and chimney. | |||
| Latin | locus | ||
| The Latin word _locus_ not only means a `room`, but a location, position (in space/time) or passage (in a book). | |||
Room in Others Languages
| Greek | δωμάτιο | ||
| The word also shares a common root with the word | |||
| Hmong | chav tsev | ||
| The term "chav tsev" in Hmong can also refer to a gathering place or venue. | |||
| Kurdish | jûre | ||
| Kurdish "jûre" also means "dwelling" and derives from the Proto-Indo-European word "*h₂ew-es-ro-", meaning "hearth". | |||
| Turkish | oda | ||
| The word "oda" originates from the Arabic word "ghawthah" meaning "help or assistance" and came to Turkish through Persian during the Seljuk era | |||
| Xhosa | igumbi | ||
| The word "igumbi" can also refer to a specific room within a house, such as the kitchen or the bedroom. | |||
| Yiddish | צימער | ||
| "צימער" also means a prison cell in Yiddish. | |||
| Zulu | igumbi | ||
| The word "igumbi" derives from the Nguni root "-gumba", meaning "to be shut or closed," suggesting a private or enclosed space. | |||
| Assamese | কোঠা | ||
| Aymara | uta | ||
| Bhojpuri | कमरा | ||
| Dhivehi | ކޮޓަރި | ||
| Dogri | कमरा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | silid | ||
| Guarani | irundyha | ||
| Ilocano | kuarto | ||
| Krio | rum | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ژوور | ||
| Maithili | कमरा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯀꯥ | ||
| Mizo | pindan | ||
| Oromo | kutaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କୋଠରୀ | ||
| Quechua | habitacion | ||
| Sanskrit | कक्ष | ||
| Tatar | бүлмә | ||
| Tigrinya | ክፍሊ | ||
| Tsonga | kamara | ||