Rural in Different Languages
Discover 'Rural' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'rural' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, referring to the countryside or remote areas, as opposed to urban or industrialized regions. Its cultural importance is paramount, as rural areas often embody traditional ways of life, closer connections to the land, and unique community structures.
Understanding the translation of 'rural' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how various cultures perceive and value their rural spaces. For instance, in Spanish, 'rural' translates to ' rural ' (rurel), while in French, it becomes ' rural ' (rural). In German, the word is ' landlich ' (land-lih), and in Japanese, it is ' inaka ' (ee-nah-kah).
Delving into these linguistic nuances not only expands our cross-cultural communication skills but also allows us to appreciate the diverse ways people connect with their environments. By familiarizing ourselves with the global language of rurality, we can better understand and preserve the unique customs, traditions, and landscapes that make up our world.
Discover more translations of 'rural' and learn how different cultures embrace their countryside counterparts.
Rural
Rural in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | landelik | ||
| The word "landelik" derives from the Dutch word "land" meaning "country" and the suffix "-elijk" indicating "pertaining to". | |||
| Amharic | ገጠር | ||
| The Amharic word "ገጠር" can also refer to a "village". | |||
| Hausa | karkara | ||
| The Hausa word 'karkara' has a secondary meaning related to the movement of livestock. | |||
| Igbo | ime obodo | ||
| The Igbo word 'ime obodo' can also refer to a person who is from a rural area. | |||
| Malagasy | ambanivohitra | ||
| The word "ambanivohitra" literally means "village on the mountain" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kumidzi | ||
| Kumidzi also means "village" and is related to the root word "mudzi" which means "homestead". | |||
| Shona | kumaruwa | ||
| The word "kumaruwa" can also refer to a person who lives in a rural area. | |||
| Somali | miyiga | ||
| The word "miyiga" also refers to the Somali nomadic lifestyle. | |||
| Sesotho | mahaeng | ||
| The word "mahaeng" in Sesotho can also refer to a person who lives in a rural area. | |||
| Swahili | vijijini | ||
| "Vijijini" can also have connotations of "uneducated" or "rustic". | |||
| Xhosa | ezilalini | ||
| The word "ezilalini" in Xhosa originates from the noun "ilili" meaning "veld" or "open country." | |||
| Yoruba | igberiko | ||
| Igberiko, an alternate term for 'rural' in Yoruba, has additional connotations of "hidden" due to its sharing a root with 'gbẹ́rin', meaning "bush." | |||
| Zulu | emaphandleni | ||
| The word 'emaphandleni' can also refer to traditional villages, particularly those in rural areas. | |||
| Bambara | burusi | ||
| Ewe | kɔƒeme | ||
| Kinyarwanda | cyaro | ||
| Lingala | ya mboka | ||
| Luganda | mu kyaalo | ||
| Sepedi | metsemagae | ||
| Twi (Akan) | akurase | ||
Rural in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | قروي | ||
| The word "قروي" also refers to someone with rustic manners, or a villager who has just arrived in the city. | |||
| Hebrew | כַּפרִי | ||
| The word “כַּפְרִי” can also refer to someone who resides in a rural area or to a person of low culture or sophistication. | |||
| Pashto | کلیوال | ||
| The term "کلیوال" originates from the Persian "کلی" meaning "village" or "hamlet". | |||
| Arabic | قروي | ||
| The word "قروي" also refers to someone with rustic manners, or a villager who has just arrived in the city. | |||
Rural in Western European Languages
| Albanian | rurale | ||
| The Albanian word "rurale" is derived from the Latin word "ruralis", meaning "of the countryside". | |||
| Basque | landa | ||
| The word "landa" also has the alternate meaning of "heath" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | rural | ||
| The Catalan word "rural", like the English one, derives ultimately from Latin "rus" (countryside), which might be cognate with the Sanskrit "rusati" (bright) | |||
| Croatian | ruralni | ||
| The word 'ruralni' can also refer to rustic or uncivilized people or their ways. | |||
| Danish | landdistrikter | ||
| "Landdistrikter" derives from the Old Danish word "land" (meaning "country") and the suffix "-distrikter" (meaning "districts"), indicating its relation to the countryside. | |||
| Dutch | landelijk | ||
| The word "landelijk", meaning "rural" in Dutch, comes from "land" ("country") and "-lijk" (suffix indicating "related to"). It can also mean "national" or "countrywide" in a non-urban context. | |||
| English | rural | ||
| The word "rural" derives from the Latin word "rusticus," meaning "of the countryside" or "rustic." | |||
| French | rural | ||
| The word "rural" comes from the Latin word "rus", meaning "countryside". | |||
| Frisian | plattelân | ||
| The word plattelân derives from the word 'plat', meaning flat, referring to the flat landscape of the Frisian countryside. | |||
| Galician | rural | ||
| "Rural" en gallego procede de "villa" y "villae" (latín), pero también se usa en su acepción "rudo", "sin pulir". | |||
| German | ländlich | ||
| Despite its meaning as "rural," "ländlich" may also indicate "rustic" or "pastoral," reflecting its rural origins but also the Romantic era's idealization of country life. | |||
| Icelandic | dreifbýli | ||
| The word "dreifbýli" is derived from the Old Norse word "dreifbý", meaning "three-farm village." | |||
| Irish | tuaithe | ||
| In Old Irish, "tuaithe" referred to a "people" and specifically to "the laity," and derives from the PIE root “twete" ("people", "family") | |||
| Italian | rurale | ||
| The word "rurale" can also mean "rustic" or "pastoral" in Italian. | |||
| Luxembourgish | ländlech | ||
| "Ländlech" is the Luxembourgish word for "rural", and is related to the German word "ländlich" meaning "belonging to the countryside". This in turn is related to "Land" meaning "countryside" or "country". Other related words in Luxembourgish include "Landverlos" meaning "homestead", "Landwirtschaft" meaning "agriculture", and "Landwirtschaftler" meaning "farmer". In English, these terms would correspond to "rural", "farmstead", "agriculture", and "farmer" respectively. | |||
| Maltese | rurali | ||
| In Maltese, "rurali" can also refer to people who live in rural areas. | |||
| Norwegian | landlig | ||
| The word "landlig" likely originates from the Old Norse word "land", meaning "earth" or "ground". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | rural | ||
| No português, "rural" também pode referir-se a locais ou estilos de vida que não são urbanos. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dùthchail | ||
| The word dùthchail means "home country" and was originally used to describe the rural areas where most Gaels lived. | |||
| Spanish | rural | ||
| "Rural" derives from Latin *rūs* ('countryside') or *rūris* ('of the countryside'). | |||
| Swedish | lantlig | ||
| "Lantlig" comes from "land" (country) and the suffix "-lig," as in "vacker" (beautiful), from "vackerhet" (beauty), meaning something has a quality of something else. | |||
| Welsh | gwledig | ||
| Gwledig is a Welsh word that can also refer to a 'lay person' in a religious context. | |||
Rural in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | сельская | ||
| The word “сельская” can also refer to a type of fabric resembling wool. | |||
| Bosnian | ruralno | ||
| The word "ruralno" comes from the Latin word "rus" meaning "countryside". It can also refer to anything related to the countryside, such as farming or village life. | |||
| Bulgarian | селски | ||
| "Селски" also means "naive" or "unsophisticated" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | venkovský | ||
| The word "venkovský" in Czech comes from the Slavic word "venk" meaning "outside" or "on the other side", and therefore it refers to places outside of the city or larger towns. | |||
| Estonian | maaelu | ||
| The word may derive from two different words: “maa” (earth) and “elu” (life), or from Old Germanic loanword “maja” (house). | |||
| Finnish | maaseudun | ||
| "Maaseudun" is a compound of "maa" (land) and "seutu" (region). | |||
| Hungarian | vidéki | ||
| Vidéki also means 'rustic' or 'of the people' in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | lauku | ||
| The word "lauku" derives from the Latvian word "lauks," meaning "field" or "open space." | |||
| Lithuanian | kaimo | ||
| Possibly of Proto-Baltic origin, from a root *kai-, meaning a 'clearing, village', related to 'forest' or 'settlement'. | |||
| Macedonian | рурален | ||
| The Macedonian word "рурален" (rural) is derived from the Latin word "ruralis," meaning "of the countryside." | |||
| Polish | wiejski | ||
| The word "wiejski" in Polish can also mean "rustic" or "simple", | |||
| Romanian | rural | ||
| The Romanian word "rural" originates from the French word "rural", itself derived from the Latin word "rus, ruris" meaning "countryside". | |||
| Russian | сельский | ||
| The word "сельский" derives from the Proto-Slavic word *sel, which also meant "village" or "settlement" | |||
| Serbian | сеоски | ||
| The Serbian word "сеоски" ("rural") is derived from the word "село" ("village") and shares its Indo-European root with words like "rustic" and "sylvan". | |||
| Slovak | vidiecky | ||
| The word "vidiecky" is derived from the Latin word "villa" meaning "country house" and is related to the English word "village". In Slovak, it can also refer to a cottage or summer house. | |||
| Slovenian | podeželsko | ||
| The Slovene word "podeželsko" derives from the old Slavic word "podzeml" meaning "land" or "place". | |||
| Ukrainian | сільський | ||
| The term "сільський" (rural) in Ukrainian originally meant "belonging to a village" rather than "of the countryside". | |||
Rural in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | গ্রামীণ | ||
| The term 'গ্রামীণ' also means 'folk' in the context of art or music | |||
| Gujarati | ગ્રામીણ | ||
| Hindi | ग्रामीण | ||
| The word "ग्रामीण" is derived from the Sanskrit word "ग्राम", meaning "village", and can also refer to people or things associated with villages or the countryside. | |||
| Kannada | ಗ್ರಾಮೀಣ | ||
| ಗ್ರಾಮೀಣ is derived from the Sanskrit word 'grāmiṇa' which means 'villager' or 'rustic'. | |||
| Malayalam | ഗ്രാമീണ | ||
| The word "ഗ്രാമീണ" derives from the Sanskrit word "ग्राम" (grāma) meaning "village" and the suffix "-ീണ" (-īṇa) meaning "belonging to" or "pertaining to". | |||
| Marathi | ग्रामीण | ||
| The word "ग्रामीण" is derived from the Sanskrit word "ग्राम" meaning "village" and can also refer to a "villager" or "peasant". | |||
| Nepali | ग्रामीण | ||
| The word 'ग्रामीण' (gramin) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'ग्राम' (gram), meaning 'village'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਪੇਂਡੂ | ||
| ਪੇਂਡੂ is derived from the Persian word “dehkan,” meaning “villager” or “farmer,” and is cognated with the English word “peasant.” | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ගම්බද | ||
| "ගම්බද" refers to the countryside, but literally means "the place where elephants roam". | |||
| Tamil | கிராமப்புற | ||
| Telugu | గ్రామీణ | ||
| Urdu | دیہی | ||
| "دیہی" can also mean a "resident of a village" or a "village headman" | |||
Rural in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 乡村 | ||
| The character 乡 (xiāng) in 乡村 (cūnxīang) originally referred to a small town or village, while the character 村 (cūn) meant a group of houses in a rural area. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 鄉村 | ||
| "鄉 means village and 村 means village." | |||
| Japanese | 農村 | ||
| 農村 originally meant "a settlement of farms" but now often means "the countryside" or "the provinces". | |||
| Korean | 시골 | ||
| The Korean word for 'rural' can be used in different contexts to imply remoteness, lack of modern development, or even a feeling of loneliness or alienation. | |||
| Mongolian | хөдөөгийн | ||
| No information on alternate meanings or etymology found for "хөдөөгийн". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကျေးလက်ဒေသ | ||
Rural in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | pedesaan | ||
| Pedesaan also means `lowland` and is thought to be cognate with `pesisir` (`coastal land`), from the Javanese word `pesisi` (`edge`, `strip`). | |||
| Javanese | padesan | ||
| "Padesan" is a term used to describe a rural area in Javanese, also meaning a place for relaxation or a place to settle down | |||
| Khmer | នៅជនបទ | ||
| "នៅជនបទ" is also a euphemism for "not having a fixed residence". | |||
| Lao | ຊົນນະບົດ | ||
| Malay | luar bandar | ||
| The word 'luar bandar' literally means 'outside the town' in Malay, highlighting its connection to areas beyond urban centers. | |||
| Thai | ชนบท | ||
| The word ชนบท" (rural) is derived from Sanskrit, meaning "place where people live". | |||
| Vietnamese | nông thôn | ||
| Nông thôn is etymologically related to "nong" (farming), but also denotes "origins" as an alternate meaning | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kanayunan | ||
Rural in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | kənd | ||
| "Kənd" comes from the Old Turkic word "kand" meaning "city" or "settlement", and is related to the Mongolian word "khot", meaning "fortification" or "camp". | |||
| Kazakh | ауылдық | ||
| The word "ауылдық" can also mean "village-like" or "rustic" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | айылдык | ||
| In Kyrgyz, "айылдык" also means "village" and is derived from the word "айыл," meaning "village" or "settlement." | |||
| Tajik | деҳот | ||
| "Деҳот" is a Tajik word meaning "rural" or "village". It is derived from the Persian word "ده" (deh), meaning "village" or "settlement". | |||
| Turkmen | oba | ||
| Uzbek | qishloq | ||
| The word "qishloq" also refers to a settlement with a population of less than 500 people. | |||
| Uyghur | يېزا | ||
Rural in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kua'āina | ||
| The word "kua'āina" also means "backwoods" or "countryside". | |||
| Maori | tuawhenua | ||
| The word “tuawhenua” literally means “to stand on the land”. | |||
| Samoan | nuu i tua | ||
| The Samoan word "nuu i tua" can also refer to the countryside or an inland village. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kanayunan | ||
| The word 'kanayunan' is also used to refer to the people who live in rural areas. | |||
Rural in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | patatuqi | ||
| Guarani | okaraygua | ||
Rural in International Languages
| Esperanto | kampara | ||
| "Kampara" can also mean "rustic" or "pastoral". | |||
| Latin | rusticus | ||
| Originally meant an inhabitant of the country, or countryman, but later came to mean a person of rustic habits and speech. | |||
Rural in Others Languages
| Greek | αγροτικός | ||
| The word "αγροτικός" derives from the Greek root "αγρός" (field, countryside), and also means "rustic" or "unrefined". | |||
| Hmong | nyob deb nroog | ||
| 'Nyob deb' means 'living in the mountains', while 'nroog' means 'village'. | |||
| Kurdish | gûndewarî | ||
| The word "gûndewarî" also means "villager" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | kırsal | ||
| "Kırsal" (rural) derives from "kır" (countryside) and refers to areas outside urban centers, including nature reserves and agricultural lands. | |||
| Xhosa | ezilalini | ||
| The word "ezilalini" in Xhosa originates from the noun "ilili" meaning "veld" or "open country." | |||
| Yiddish | דאָרפיש | ||
| The Yiddish word "דאָרפיש" likely derives from the Middle High German word "dorf", meaning "village." | |||
| Zulu | emaphandleni | ||
| The word 'emaphandleni' can also refer to traditional villages, particularly those in rural areas. | |||
| Assamese | গ্ৰাম্য | ||
| Aymara | patatuqi | ||
| Bhojpuri | गंवई | ||
| Dhivehi | ރަށްފުށު | ||
| Dogri | ग्राईं | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kanayunan | ||
| Guarani | okaraygua | ||
| Ilocano | away | ||
| Krio | ɔplayn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | لادێی | ||
| Maithili | ग्रामीण | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯨꯡꯒꯪ | ||
| Mizo | thingtlang | ||
| Oromo | baadiyyaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଗ୍ରାମୀଣ | ||
| Quechua | rural | ||
| Sanskrit | ग्रामीयः | ||
| Tatar | авыл | ||
| Tigrinya | ከባቢ ገጠር | ||
| Tsonga | tikoxikaya | ||