Soccer in different languages

Soccer in Different Languages

Discover 'Soccer' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

Soccer, known as football in many parts of the world, is a sport that transcends borders and unites people of all backgrounds. Its significance extends far beyond the field, as it has become a cultural phenomenon and a powerful symbol of unity and perseverance. From the thrilling World Cup matches to the local pickup games, soccer has a special place in the hearts of millions, if not billions, of fans worldwide.

But did you know that the word 'soccer' itself has an interesting history? It is derived from the word 'association', as in 'association football', to distinguish it from 'rugby football'. And while soccer is the preferred term in the United States, Canada, and Australia, much of the rest of the world uses the term 'football'.

Understanding the translation of soccer in different languages can open up new avenues of communication and cultural exchange. Here are a few examples:

  • Spanish: fútbol
  • French: football
  • German: Fußball
  • Italian: calcio
  • Chinese: 足球 (zú qiú)
  • Japanese: サッカー (sakkā)

Soccer


Soccer in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaanssokker
In Afrikaans, "sokker" is a diminutive form of "sok", meaning "sock".
Amharicእግር ኳስ
The word እግር ኳስ (soccer) literally means 'foot ball' in Amharic.
Hausaƙwallon ƙafa
The Hausa word 'ƙwallon ƙafa' literally means 'ball of the leg', referring to the foot used to play the sport.
Igbobọọlụ
"Bọọlụ" also refers to a game played by children in which one person is chosen as the "chief" and the others are "followers". The followers line up behind the chief and follow them around until they are called by the chief to come out and show their strength by wrestling or dancing or singing."
Malagasybaolina kitra
The word “baolina kitra” is a loanword from French, where it means 'soccer ball'
Nyanja (Chichewa)mpira
"Mpila" is also a slang term for a child or teenager.
Shonabhora
The word "bhora" also refers to a traditional Shona game played with a small ball made of rags.
Somalikubada cagta
The word "kubada cagta" literally means "kicked ball" or "run ball" in Somali.
Sesothobolo ea maoto
The term "bolo ea maoto" in Sesotho can also mean "ball of the feet".
Swahilisoka
Soka's Swahili root "saka" translates to "kick", hinting at the dominant playstyle seen in football.
Xhosaibhola ekhatywayo
The word ibhola ekhatywayo in Xhosa means 'ball that is kicked'
Yorubabọọlu afẹsẹgba
The Yoruba word “bọọlu afẹsẹgba” literally translates to “a ball that is kicked with the foot”.
Zuluibhola likanobhutshuzwayo
The word "ibhola likanobhutshuzwayo" is a compound noun derived from the words "ibhola" (ball) and "likanobhutshuzwayo" (a traditional Zulu game played with a ball).
Bambarantolatan
Ewebɔl ƒoƒo
Kinyarwandaumupira wamaguru
Lingalamobeti-ndembo
Lugandaomupiira
Sepedikgwele ya maoto
Twi (Akan)bɔɔlobɔ

Soccer in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicكرة القدم
Alternatively, "كرة القدم" refers to a round-shaped watermelon (without the rind) that is used as a toy by kicking it around.
Hebrewכדורגל
The word "כדורגל" (soccer in Hebrew) also means "foot ball" or "ball-foot" in Modern Hebrew.
Pashtoفوټبال
In Pashto, the word "فوتبال" can also refer to the sport of volleyball.
Arabicكرة القدم
Alternatively, "كرة القدم" refers to a round-shaped watermelon (without the rind) that is used as a toy by kicking it around.

Soccer in Western European Languages

Albanianfutboll
Futboll also means "ball" in Albanian, similar to "futbol" in Spanish and "futebol" in Portuguese.
Basquefutbola
In Basque, "futbola" literally means "foot ball" or "foot game".
Catalanfutbol
In Catalan, 'futbol' refers to both 'soccer' and 'table football'.
Croatiannogomet
The word 'nogomet', meaning 'soccer' in Croatian, is a compound of the words 'noga' meaning 'foot' and 'metati' meaning to 'throw'.
Danishfodbold
The word "fodbold" means "foot-ball" in Danish, but is used exclusively to refer to association football.
Dutchvoetbal
The Dutch term 'voetbal' is derived from the English 'football' but also refers to American football in the Netherlands.
Englishsoccer
The term 'soccer' originated as an abbreviation of the word 'Association,' referring to the Football Association, the governing body of the sport in England.
Frenchfootball
Football comes from French "foot" meaning "on foot" and Old French "balle" meaning "ball".
Frisianfuotbal
Frisian 'fuotbal' derives from English 'football' and is also used for 'handball,' and 'Australian rules football'
Galicianfútbol
In Galician, "fútbol" is also used to refer to a type of beach soccer played with four players a side and no goalkeeper.
Germanfußball
The word 'Fußball' can also refer to an inflatable rubber ball used in recreational games in the German-speaking world.
Icelandicfótbolti
"Fótbolti" is the Icelandic word for "soccer" and literally translates to "foot ball."
Irishsacar
The Irish term 'sacar' derives from 'sacar peile', which translates to 'to kick the ball'.
Italiancalcio
"Calcio" derives from the Italian word "calce" (heel), as soccer was traditionally played with the feet.
Luxembourgishfussball
Maltesefutbol
In Maltese, “futbol” can also refer to an oblong-shaped toy balloon designed to be kicked around.
Norwegianfotball
In Norwegian, "fotball" can also refer to American football, although this usage is less common.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)futebol
"Futebol" is a word with English and French roots meaning "foot" and "ball" respectively.
Scots Gaelicsoccer
In Scots Gaelic, ''soccer'' also derives from ''soccar'' which means ''to put'' or ''to strike''.
Spanishfútbol
In its alternate meaning "fútbol americano" the word "fútbol" refers to American Football.
Swedishfotboll
The Swedish word 'fotboll' comes from the English 'foot-ball' but refers exclusively to association football.
Welshpêl-droed
The term 'pêl-droed' was coined by Welsh lexicographer Daniel Silvan Evans as a calque of the English term 'football'

Soccer in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianфутбол
The word "футбол" (soccer) in Belarusian derives from the combination of the English words "foot" and "ball" and has various alternate meanings, including "football," "soccer," and "volleyball."
Bosnianfudbal
"Fudbal" is derived from the English words "foot" and "ball" and also refers to American football.
Bulgarianфутбол
The Bulgarian word "футбол" originally meant "rugby", but now it exclusively refers to soccer, while "ръгби" is used for rugby.
Czechfotbal
Czech "fotbal" comes from English "football" via German "Fußball" but its meaning has shifted exclusively to "soccer", leaving the original "football" to be known as "americký fotbal" ("American football").
Estonianjalgpall
"Jalgpall" in Estonian actually means "foot-ball" in English, and can refer to both soccer and American football.
Finnishjalkapallo
The Finnish word for "soccer" is "jalkapallo," which literally means "foot ball."
Hungarianfutball
The word "futball" derives from the English word "football" and was originally used to refer to English football in Hungary, but now refers to the international sport of association football.
Latvianfutbols
The word "futbols" in Latvian has also been used to refer to rugby and other ball games.
Lithuanianfutbolas
The word 'futbolas' is a borrowing from the English 'football', with an adapted ending to match Lithuanian grammar.
Macedonianфудбал
"Фудбал" is derived from the English word "football," but in Macedonian it specifically refers to soccer.
Polishpiłka nożna
In slang the word "piłka nożna" can also mean someone with poor foot hygiene.
Romanianfotbal
The Romanian word "fotbal" is derived from the English "football" and originally referred to rugby union.
Russianфутбольный
The literal translation for the “футбольный” is “footy”, meaning belonging to feet.
Serbianфудбал
The name 'фудбал' comes from the German 'fudball' or English 'football'.
Slovakfutbal
The Slovak word "futbal" is derived from the English word "football" and originally referred to rugby, not association football.
Sloveniannogomet
The word "nogomet" came directly from the English word "nogomet" and is the most commonly used word for "soccer" in Slovenia.
Ukrainianфутбол
"Футбол" in Ukrainian originally meant rugby, and was later adopted to refer to association football.

Soccer in South Asian Languages

Bengaliফুটবল
ফুটবল' (ফুট + বল) শব্দের অর্থ হল পায়ের বল বা পা দ্বারা খেলা বল।
Gujaratiસોકર
In Gujarati, the word "સોકર" can also mean "pain" or "suffering".
Hindiफुटबॉल
The Hindi word "फ़ुटबॉल" can also refer to the sport of American football, highlighting the different meanings of the term across languages.
Kannadaಸಾಕರ್
The word 'ಸಾಕರ್' (soccer) is derived from the term 'Association Football', which is a shortened form of 'The Football Association' founded in 1863 in England.
Malayalamസോക്കർ
സോക്കർ is the Malayalam spelling of the word "soccer" and is used to refer to the sport of association football.
Marathiसॉकर
The word "सॉकर" (soccer) is an informal term used in Marathi to refer to the sport of football, which is also known as "फुटबॉल" (futbol) in more formal settings.
Nepaliफुटबल
In Nepali, 'फुटबल' ('soccer') literally translates to 'foot-ball' and is a cognate of the original English term.
Punjabiਫੁਟਬਾਲ
Sinhala (Sinhalese)පාපන්දු
The word "පාපන්දු" is derived from the English word "football" and can also refer to other sports like rugby and cricket.
Tamilகால்பந்து
Originally referring to the foot part of a bed, the word “calf” (கால்) is used in Tamil to describe the leg below the knee, and "ball" (பந்து) refers to a spherical object. The term "calf-ball" (கால்பந்து) was coined to describe the game where players mostly use their feet to move a spherical ball.
Teluguసాకర్
"సాకర్" is derived from the word "Association Football" and is commonly used in British English.
Urduفٹ بال
The word "فٹ بال" (soccer) originates from the 14th century and originally referred to a variety of ball games played on foot.

Soccer in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)足球
“足球”字源于“踏鞠”,源自战国蹴鞠,后因英国人传入足球运动,故又称为足球。
Chinese (Traditional)足球
足球 also means "foot odor" in Chinese.
Japaneseサッカー
The Japanese word サッカー "sakkā" is an abbreviation of the English "Association Football".
Korean축구
The word "축구" (chukgu) is derived from the Korean transliteration of the English word "football" and originally referred to various ball games before becoming specifically associated with association football
Mongolianхөл бөмбөг
The word хөл бөмбөг literally means "leg ball" in Mongolian and is cognate with the English word "football".
Myanmar (Burmese)ဘောလုံး

Soccer in South East Asian Languages

Indonesiansepak bola
Sepak bola, literally meaning 'kick ball', is also used to refer to 'football' in Indonesia.
Javanesebal-balan
The word
Khmerបាល់ទាត់
The word "បាល់ទាត់" also means "football" in Khmer, referring to the sport played with an oval ball.
Laoກິລາບານເຕະ
Malaybola sepak
The term "bola sepak" literally means "kicked ball" in Malay, which encompasses all ball sports using kicking as the primary propulsion method.
Thaiฟุตบอล
ฟุตบอล (football) shares etymology with ฟุต (foot), but means "soccer" in Thai, not American football.
Vietnamesebóng đá
The word "bóng đá" literally means "ball foot" in Vietnamese, highlighting the footwork and ball control essential to the game.
Filipino (Tagalog)soccer

Soccer in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanifutbol
The word "futbol" used in Azerbaijani is derived from the English word "football" and is synonymous with the term "soccer".
Kazakhфутбол
In Kazakh, "футбол" can also refer to the traditional Central Asian equestrian sport, "kokpar", where players on horseback compete to grab a goat carcass.
Kyrgyzфутбол
Футбол (“futbol”) is derived from the Kyrgyz words “футбол” (“soccer”) and “топу” (“ball”)
Tajikфутбол
The Tajik word "футбол" can also refer to American football and other football variations.
Turkmenfutbol
Uzbekfutbol
In Uzbek, "futbol" can also be a slang term for "nonsense" or "rubbish."
Uyghurپۇتبول

Soccer in Pacific Languages

Hawaiiansoccer
In Hawaiian, "soccer" also refers to a type of traditional Hawaiian boxing.
Maoripoikiri
In Māori, 'poikiri' has an alternate meaning referring to a game similar to hopscotch.
Samoansoka
In Samoan, soka also refers to a type of traditional dance.
Tagalog (Filipino)soccer
In Tagalog, soccer is referred to as "futbol," derived from the Spanish word for "football."

Soccer in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarafutwula
Guaranimanga ñembosarái

Soccer in International Languages

Esperantofutbalo
Futbalo is derived from the English word "football" and refers to association football.
Latinmorbi
The Latin word "morbi" can also refer to contagious diseases.

Soccer in Others Languages

Greekποδόσφαιρο
"Πόδοσφαιρο" comes from the Greek words "πούς" (foot) and "σφαίρα" (ball).
Hmongkev ncaws pob
"Kev ncaws pob" is a compound word, which literally means "kicking the ball" in Hmong.
Kurdishgog
The word "gog" in Kurdish, meaning "soccer", is derived from the Persian word "gūl" meaning "ball".
Turkishfutbol
The Turkish word "futbol" comes from the English word "football", and has the same meaning in Turkish.
Xhosaibhola ekhatywayo
The word ibhola ekhatywayo in Xhosa means 'ball that is kicked'
Yiddishפוסבאָל
The Yiddish word "פוסבאָל" can also refer to American football.
Zuluibhola likanobhutshuzwayo
The word "ibhola likanobhutshuzwayo" is a compound noun derived from the words "ibhola" (ball) and "likanobhutshuzwayo" (a traditional Zulu game played with a ball).
Assameseছ’কাৰ খেল
Aymarafutwula
Bhojpuriफुटबाॅल
Dhivehiސޮކަރ
Dogriफुटबाल
Filipino (Tagalog)soccer
Guaranimanga ñembosarái
Ilocanosoccer
Kriofutbɔl
Kurdish (Sorani)تۆپی پێ
Maithiliफुटबाल
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯕꯣꯜ ꯁꯥꯟꯅꯕ
Mizofootball
Oromokubbaa miillaa
Odia (Oriya)ଫୁଟବଲ୍
Quechuafutbol
Sanskritफुटबॉलं
Tatarфутбол
Tigrinyaኹዕሶ እግሪ
Tsongantlangu wa milenge

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