Run in Different Languages
Discover 'Run' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'run' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, denoting a wide range of activities from a physical activity to a software program's operation. Its cultural importance is evident in various aspects, including sports, fitness, and technology. Moreover, the word 'run' has been used metaphorically in literature and music to express a sense of urgency, freedom, or even rebellion.
For language and culture enthusiasts, understanding the translation of 'run' in different languages can provide fascinating insights into how different cultures express motion and movement. For instance, in Spanish, 'run' is 'correr', while in French, it is 'courir'. In Mandarin Chinese, the word for 'run' is '跑' (pǎo), and in Japanese, it is '走る' (hashiru).
Delving into the translations of 'run' in different languages can open up a world of cultural and linguistic discovery. Not only is it an exciting journey into the nuances of various languages, but it also offers a fresh perspective on how we understand and express this simple yet profound concept.
Run
Run in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | hardloop | ||
| "Hardloop" is derived from the Dutch word "hardlopen," meaning "running". | |||
| Amharic | አሂድ | ||
| The verb አሂድ (run) also denotes the idea of "going" or "being in motion" | |||
| Hausa | gudu | ||
| In some rural dialects of Hausa, "gudu" is also used to refer to the act of walking quickly or jogging. | |||
| Igbo | gbaa ọsọ | ||
| "Gbaa ọsọ" literally means "to jump away", but can also be used to mean "to flee" or "to escape". | |||
| Malagasy | run | ||
| In Malagasy, | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | thamanga | ||
| "Thamanga" can also mean "to flee" or "to escape" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | mhanya | ||
| The word 'mhanya' can also mean 'wander aimlessly' or 'ramble' in Shona. | |||
| Somali | orod | ||
| The word "orod" also refers to an act of pouring or spilling something. | |||
| Sesotho | matha | ||
| In the context of a race, "matha" can also mean "compete". | |||
| Swahili | kukimbia | ||
| The word 'kukimbia' can also indicate to pursue a purpose of any kind, not necessarily physical movement. | |||
| Xhosa | ukubaleka | ||
| Xhosa has a few verbs for 'run', which can vary in meaning and formality. Ukubaleka is used when someone runs away, or when running is used to escape or avoid being caught. | |||
| Yoruba | ṣiṣe | ||
| The root word "ṣiṣẹ" can also mean "work," or "business" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | gijima | ||
| In Zulu, 'gijima' also means 'work hard' or 'strive for excellence'. | |||
| Bambara | ka boli | ||
| Ewe | ƒu du | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kwiruka | ||
| Lingala | kopota mbango | ||
| Luganda | okudduka | ||
| Sepedi | kitima | ||
| Twi (Akan) | dwane | ||
Run in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | يركض | ||
| The word "يركض" can also mean "hasten" or "rush" in some contexts. | |||
| Hebrew | לָרוּץ | ||
| The word "לָרוּץ" (laruts) also refers to the movement of water or animals, and is related to the root "רוּחַ" (ruach; spirit, air, wind). | |||
| Pashto | منډه وړه | ||
| The Pashto word "منډه وړه" can also mean "to cause to run" or "to make someone run". | |||
| Arabic | يركض | ||
| The word "يركض" can also mean "hasten" or "rush" in some contexts. | |||
Run in Western European Languages
| Albanian | vrapoj | ||
| The Albanian word 'vrapoj' can also refer to a quick movement or a sudden change in direction. | |||
| Basque | korrika egin | ||
| The Basque term "Korrika egin" not only signifies running but also has connotations of unity, collaboration, and collective action. | |||
| Catalan | correr | ||
| The Catalan word "correr" derives from the Vulgar Latin word "currere," meaning to run or flow. | |||
| Croatian | trčanje | ||
| The word "trčanje" in Croatian derives from Proto-Slavic "trъčati" meaning “to rub,” "to scrape,” or “to scrub.” | |||
| Danish | løb | ||
| The homophone "løb" can mean "onion" in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | rennen | ||
| The Dutch word "rennen" can refer to both the act of running as well as a particular horse race. | |||
| English | run | ||
| The word "run" can also mean to operate or to flow, as in "the engine is running" or "the river is running." | |||
| French | courir | ||
| In French, "courir" can also mean to pursue, chase, or flow. | |||
| Frisian | rinne | ||
| The word "rinne" can also refer to a stream or gutter. | |||
| Galician | correr | ||
| In Galician, "correr" also means to flow (of liquids) or to pass quickly (of time). | |||
| German | lauf | ||
| The word 'Lauf' in German can also refer to the barrel of a gun or a course or route. | |||
| Icelandic | hlaupa | ||
| While it's most commonly understood as a verb meaning 'to run,' 'hlaupa' can also mean 'to leap,' 'to bound,' or 'to jump.' | |||
| Irish | rith | ||
| The word "rith" in Irish derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *wret- meaning "to turn, move, or roll." | |||
| Italian | correre | ||
| "Correre" derives from the Latin "currere" and is also used figuratively meaning "to flow, pass quickly" or "to be current" | |||
| Luxembourgish | lafen | ||
| The verb "lafen" also means "to flow" or "to let flow" in Luxembourgish. | |||
| Maltese | ġirja | ||
| ġirja derives from Arabic جَرَى, meaning 'flow, stream' and has the archaic sense 'course' in Maltese, referring to a path or an action, and 'run' in the sense of 'flow' or 'escape'. | |||
| Norwegian | løpe | ||
| The word "løpe" in Norwegian has an alternative meaning of "rennet", which is the liquid or coagulant used to make cheese. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | corre | ||
| The word "corre" in Portuguese can also mean "flows" or "drips". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ruith | ||
| The Gaelic word "ruith" is a cognate of the Irish "riuth" and the Welsh "rhedeg" and likely derives from the Proto-Celtic "*ret-." | |||
| Spanish | correr | ||
| Correr can also be used to refer to the movement of liquids or the passage of time, and derives from the Latin word "currere," meaning "to flow." | |||
| Swedish | springa | ||
| Besides 'run', 'springa' also means 'leak', stemming from the old word 'springa' meaning 'to split'. | |||
| Welsh | rhedeg | ||
| 'Rhedeg' also refers to a type of ancient Welsh poetry | |||
Run in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | бегчы | ||
| The Belarusian word 'бегчы' is derived from the Old Church Slavonic 'бѣгати', meaning 'to run'. | |||
| Bosnian | trči | ||
| The verb 'trči' can also refer to the act of pushing or shoving something or someone. | |||
| Bulgarian | бягай | ||
| The word "бягай" ("run") in Bulgarian can also mean "to avoid" or "to escape". | |||
| Czech | běh | ||
| "Běh" also means "pregnancy" and "flow" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | jooksma | ||
| Etymology unknown; may be onomatopoeic or related to other Finnic verbs like Finnish juoksen 'run' and Vepsian jougzo 'hurry' | |||
| Finnish | juosta | ||
| The word 'juosta' also means 'to stream', as in water or other liquids, and has cognates in many Finno-Ugric languages. | |||
| Hungarian | fuss | ||
| The Hungarian word "fuss" also means "to scold" or "to complain". | |||
| Latvian | palaist | ||
| The word "palaist" can also mean "to flow" or "to escape". | |||
| Lithuanian | paleisti | ||
| The Lithuanian word "paleisti" also means "to release" or "to let go". | |||
| Macedonian | трча | ||
| The verb "трча" can also refer to the act of running water or a race. | |||
| Polish | biegać | ||
| The word "biegać" in Polish is also used to describe the act of "fleeing" or "escaping". | |||
| Romanian | alerga | ||
| The word "alerga" in Romanian is derived from the Latin word "alludere," meaning "to jump" or "to dance." | |||
| Russian | бегать | ||
| The verb “бегать” also means to avoid something or someone. | |||
| Serbian | трцати | ||
| The word "трцати" (/trtsati/) also means a game played by children consisting of hopping, running, and tossing a small object. | |||
| Slovak | bežať | ||
| Bežať is related to words like 'to beat' and 'to flee' in other Slavic languages. | |||
| Slovenian | teči | ||
| The verb "teči" has another meaning in Slovenian: "to leak" | |||
| Ukrainian | бігти | ||
| The word "бігти" (run) in Ukrainian also has the alternate meaning of "to flee". | |||
Run in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | চালান | ||
| চালান/chalan comes from the Sanskrit word 'chal' (to move) and can also mean a 'receipt' in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | ચલાવો | ||
| The word "ચલાવો" (run) in Gujarati also means "to operate" or "to manage". | |||
| Hindi | daud | ||
| The word "Daud" can also refer to a raid or incursion, especially one made by a military force. | |||
| Kannada | ಓಡು | ||
| "ಓಡು" also means "boat" in Kannada, likely deriving from the Proto-Dravidian root *waḍ-, meaning "to row a boat". | |||
| Malayalam | പ്രവർത്തിപ്പിക്കുക | ||
| Marathi | चालवा | ||
| "चालवा" also means "to operate" or "to manage" in Marathi, originating from the word "चाल" meaning "movement" or "operation." | |||
| Nepali | चलाउनुहोस् | ||
| "चलाउनुहोस्" can also mean "to drive" or "to conduct" in the Nepali language. | |||
| Punjabi | ਰਨ | ||
| In addition to meaning "run," "ਰਨ" can also mean "colour" or "dye." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දුවන්න | ||
| The Sinhalese term “දුවන්න” originally referred to a horse and it can also translate as “to rush”. | |||
| Tamil | ஓடு | ||
| "ஓடு" also means "tile" in Tamil, derived from the Sanskrit word "ud" meaning "to wet". | |||
| Telugu | రన్ | ||
| The word "రన్" ("run") in Telugu can also refer to "a stream of water" or "a period of time". | |||
| Urdu | رن | ||
| The word "رن" also means "wound". This is thought to be because old wounds are painful to step on, similar to stepping on a thorn (which is often referred to as "رن" in Urdu). | |||
Run in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 跑 | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning, "跑" can also refer to "escape" or "elope". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 跑 | ||
| 跑 (pǎo) can also mean 'run for election' | |||
| Japanese | 実行 | ||
| The word 実行 (jikkō) can also mean "execute" or "implement" | |||
| Korean | 운영 | ||
| 운영 is also used in Korean for the operation of vehicles, computers, businesses, and other things that can be run or operated. | |||
| Mongolian | гүйх | ||
| The word "гүйх" also means "to run away" and is cognate with "гуйх" in Buryat, meaning "to hide". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပြေး | ||
| The word "ပြေး" can also mean "to escape," or "to flow" | |||
Run in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | lari | ||
| The Indonesian word "lari" also signifies escape, flight, or evasion. | |||
| Javanese | mlayu | ||
| "Mlayu" also can means escaped away, vanished without a trace, or ran away | |||
| Khmer | រត់ | ||
| The word ''រត់'' could refer to ''running away'' and ''running toward'' | |||
| Lao | ແລ່ນ | ||
| The word "ແລ່ນ" can also mean "to go" or "to move quickly on foot". | |||
| Malay | lari | ||
| The word "lari" also means "to flee" or "to escape" in Malay, which adds to its sense of urgency and movement. | |||
| Thai | วิ่ง | ||
| วิ่ง (wing) can also mean "to fly" or "to leap". | |||
| Vietnamese | chạy | ||
| ''Chạy'' in Vietnamese can also mean ''to work'' or ''to operate''. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tumakbo | ||
Run in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qaç | ||
| "Qaç" means not only "run" but also "to flee" or "to escape" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | жүгіру | ||
| The word "жүгіру" also means "to move quickly" or "to flow" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | чуркоо | ||
| The word “чуркоо” comes from the word “чурк” which means a piece of wood for burning. | |||
| Tajik | давидан | ||
| The word 'давидан' ('run') in Tajik is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *dheu- ('to run'). | |||
| Turkmen | ylga | ||
| Uzbek | yugurish | ||
| The word yugurish also refers to a traditional Uzbek folk dance. | |||
| Uyghur | run | ||
Run in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | holo | ||
| The word "holo" in Hawaiian can also mean "to flow" or "to move smoothly". | |||
| Maori | oma | ||
| In Maori, "oma" also means "to follow" or "to pursue". | |||
| Samoan | tamoʻe | ||
| The Samoan word "tamoʻe" also has the archaic and poetic meaning of "a journey." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tumakbo | ||
| The Tagalog word "tumakbo" also means "to compete in an election". | |||
Run in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jalaña | ||
| Guarani | ñañi | ||
Run in International Languages
| Esperanto | kuri | ||
| In Indonesian "kūri" means "to rub", while in Maori and Proto-Polynesian it means "to move". | |||
| Latin | curre | ||
| The word "curre" is also used in Latin to refer to a young pig, especially one that has not yet been weaned. | |||
Run in Others Languages
| Greek | τρέξιμο | ||
| The word "τρέξιμο" (run) is derived from the verb "τρέχω" (I run), which is cognate with words in other Indo-European languages, including the Latin "curro" and the English "course". | |||
| Hmong | khiav | ||
| The word "khiav" in Hmong has multiple meanings, including "to run," "to flow," and "to escape." | |||
| Kurdish | rev | ||
| The word 'rev' can also mean 'flow' or 'pour' in Kurdish, referring to the movement of liquids. | |||
| Turkish | çalıştırmak | ||
| "Çalıştırmak" is also used to mean "operate (a machine)", "drive (a car)", "start (a program)", or "work (an employee)" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | ukubaleka | ||
| Xhosa has a few verbs for 'run', which can vary in meaning and formality. Ukubaleka is used when someone runs away, or when running is used to escape or avoid being caught. | |||
| Yiddish | לויפן | ||
| "לויפן" can also refer to "escape". | |||
| Zulu | gijima | ||
| In Zulu, 'gijima' also means 'work hard' or 'strive for excellence'. | |||
| Assamese | দৌৰা | ||
| Aymara | jalaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | दउरीं | ||
| Dhivehi | ދުވުން | ||
| Dogri | दौड़ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tumakbo | ||
| Guarani | ñañi | ||
| Ilocano | agtaray | ||
| Krio | rɔn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕاکردن | ||
| Maithili | दौरू | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯦꯟꯕ | ||
| Mizo | tlan | ||
| Oromo | fiiguu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଚଲାନ୍ତୁ | | ||
| Quechua | paway | ||
| Sanskrit | धावनं करोतु | ||
| Tatar | йөгер | ||
| Tigrinya | ጉየ | ||
| Tsonga | tsutsuma | ||