Stair in Different Languages
Discover 'Stair' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Stairs are an essential architectural feature, allowing us to navigate vertical spaces in buildings and homes. They have been a significant aspect of cultural importance throughout history, symbolizing social status, power, and transition. For instance, in ancient Egypt, stairs were a symbol of the journey to the afterlife, while in ancient Greece, they represented the ascent to divine realms.
Understanding the translation of the word 'stair' in different languages can provide insight into various cultural perspectives and historical contexts. For example, in Spanish, 'stair' is 'escalera,' while in French, it's 'escalier.' In German, it's 'Treppe,' and in Japanese, it's ' Hashigo.'
Moreover, knowing the translation of 'stair' in different languages can be helpful for travelers, architects, and language enthusiasts alike. It can also foster a deeper appreciation for the cultural significance of stairs in various societies.
Stair
Stair in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | trap | ||
| In Afrikaans the word "trap" does not mean "stair" but rather "step" or "tread" and also "pace" or "step" | |||
| Amharic | ደረጃ | ||
| In classical Ethiopian Geʽez, the term “stair” is “ተረጃ”, which is etymologically similar to “ደረጃ”. | |||
| Hausa | matakala | ||
| The word "matakala" in Hausa may have originated from the Hausa word "taka" meaning "step" or "stage". | |||
| Igbo | steepụ | ||
| The Igbo word ''steepụ'' (stair) is derived from the verb ''ste'' (to ascend) and the suffix ''-ụ'' (a nominal suffix). | |||
| Malagasy | stair | ||
| The Malagasy word "tohatra" can also mean "ladder" or "step ladder" in addition to "stair". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | masitepe | ||
| The Nyanja word 'masitepe' is cognate with the Swahili word 'ngazi', meaning 'ladder', suggesting a common Bantu origin. | |||
| Shona | kukwira | ||
| In Shona, "kukwira" is a verb meaning "to climb" or "to ascend," and can also refer to the process of raising or lifting something up. | |||
| Somali | jaranjaro | ||
| The word "jaranjaro" is said to derive from the word "jirin," which means "to walk" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | litepisi | ||
| The word "litepisi" also denotes a "step" in a series of actions or a stage in a process, as in the phrase: "litepisi la peledi" (the stage of a fight). | |||
| Swahili | ngazi | ||
| In some dialects, ngazi means "ladder" instead of "stair" | |||
| Xhosa | isiteji | ||
| "Isiteji" is also the name of a particular Xhosa musical rhythm. | |||
| Yoruba | pẹtẹẹsì | ||
| "Pẹtẹẹsì" also refers to stages in the development or progress of something. | |||
| Zulu | isitebhisi | ||
| The word "isitebhisi" in Zulu, besides meaning "stair" or "step", can also refer to a "row" or "line" of people or objects. | |||
| Bambara | ɛrɛzɛnsun | ||
| Ewe | atrakpui dzi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ingazi | ||
| Lingala | eskalye ya eskalye | ||
| Luganda | amadaala | ||
| Sepedi | manamelo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | antweri so | ||
Stair in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | سلم | ||
| The word "سلم" ("stair") in Arabic is derived from the root "س-ل-م" meaning "to be safe or secure". | |||
| Hebrew | מדרגה | ||
| The Hebrew word "מדרגה" (stair), from the root meaning "to step," also refers to an abstract level or rank in a hierarchy or organization. | |||
| Pashto | زينه | ||
| Alternate meaning: decoration, ornament, splendor, adornment. | |||
| Arabic | سلم | ||
| The word "سلم" ("stair") in Arabic is derived from the root "س-ل-م" meaning "to be safe or secure". | |||
Stair in Western European Languages
| Albanian | shkallët | ||
| The Albanian word "shkallët" is derived from the Proto-Albanian word "*skalje", which itself comes from the Latin word "scala". | |||
| Basque | eskailera | ||
| The word 'eskailera' (stair) is a loanword from Spanish, ultimately derived from the Latin 'scala' (ladder, staircase). | |||
| Catalan | escala | ||
| In music, "escala" refers to a series of musical notes in ascending or descending order. | |||
| Croatian | stubište | ||
| "Stubište" is a Croatian word for a field or lot where a house once stood and is derived from the word "stuba," meaning a room or dwelling. | |||
| Danish | trappe | ||
| In Danish, the word "trappe" can also refer to a flight of stairs, a staircase, or a trap door. | |||
| Dutch | trap | ||
| In Dutch, the word "trap" can also refer to a staircase or flight of stairs. | |||
| English | stair | ||
| The word "stair" comes from the Old English word "steger," which means "to climb." | |||
| French | escalier | ||
| The word "escalier" has a Latin origin, "scala" meaning "ladder", and also refers to a spiral staircase in French. | |||
| Frisian | trep | ||
| The word "trep" has cognates in multiple Germanic and Indo-European languages. | |||
| Galician | escaleira | ||
| The Galician word "escaleira" derives from the Latin "scala", originally meaning "ladder" or "flight of steps", and has cognates in many Romance languages, such as Spanish "escalera", Portuguese "escada", and French "escalier". | |||
| German | treppe | ||
| The word "Treppe" is derived from the ancient Teutonic root "trep," which means "to step." | |||
| Icelandic | stigi | ||
| The Icelandic word "stigi" shares an etymology with the Latin "stiegere" (to climb) and the English "sty" (a place where animals are housed). | |||
| Irish | staighre | ||
| The word "staighre" is a loanword from Old Norse, meaning "straight path". | |||
| Italian | scala | ||
| Scala is the Italian word for stair, but it can also refer to a musical scale or gradation. | |||
| Luxembourgish | trap | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Trap" is derived from the Old French word "trappe", which means "staircase". | |||
| Maltese | turġien | ||
| The Maltese word "turġien" is derived from the Sicilian word "turriggianu", which in turn comes from the Latin word "turris" meaning "tower". | |||
| Norwegian | trapp | ||
| In Norwegian, "trapp" also refers to a device used to catch animals, cognate with the English word "trap". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | escada | ||
| "Escada" comes from the Latin "scala" meaning "ladder", but is also used to refer to any kind of "staircase" or "flight of stairs" in Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | staidhre | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word “staidhre” (IPA: /s̪t̪əjɾʲə/), as well as the Welsh “ystwyll”, derives from the Proto-Celtic word *stēgʷri-, which meant “to climb, ascend”, and is ultimately of Proto-Indo-European (PIE) origin. | |||
| Spanish | escalera | ||
| "Escalera" comes from the Latin "scala" and also means "ladder" or "stepladder". | |||
| Swedish | trappsteg | ||
| "Trapp" in Swedish originally meant a mill hopper. In a figurative sense, the word can also mean "a series of steps" | |||
| Welsh | grisiau | ||
| The term 'grisiau' is derived from the verb 'graddio', meaning 'to stride' or 'to step', and bears the alternate meaning of 'gradation'. | |||
Stair in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | лесвіца | ||
| The word "лесвіца" in Belarusian originates from the Proto-Slavic word "lěstvica", which meant something that is used to climb something high. | |||
| Bosnian | stepenice | ||
| In some areas of Croatia, the word 'stepenice' can also mean 'ladder'. | |||
| Bulgarian | стълбище | ||
| In Old Bulgarian, “стълпъ“ meant both “pillar” and “stair”. | |||
| Czech | schodiště | ||
| In Czech, the word schodiště literally means "a place for strolling," and its plural form is used to describe a "grand staircase." | |||
| Estonian | trepp | ||
| The noun | |||
| Finnish | rappu | ||
| The word 'rappu' is a derivative of the German word 'treppe' and also refers to a large building or a grand staircase. | |||
| Hungarian | lépcsőfok | ||
| The word "lépcsőfok" comes from the Hungarian word "lép", meaning "step", and the suffix "-cső", meaning "place". | |||
| Latvian | kāpnes | ||
| The word "kāpnes" can also refer to a ladder or a staircase. | |||
| Lithuanian | laiptas | ||
| Lithuanian word "laiptas", meaning "stair", stems from the verb lipti, which refers to climbing up a ladder or a slope. | |||
| Macedonian | скала | ||
| The word "скала" in Macedonian is a false friend: it means "rock" in Russian, but "stair" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | schodek | ||
| The word 'schodki' can also refer to 'the first steps in a particular career'. | |||
| Romanian | scara | ||
| The Romanian word "scara" (stair) is derived from the Slavic word "skora" (hide), suggesting its use as a covering or barrier in early homes. | |||
| Russian | лестница | ||
| The word "лестница" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "лЪстъ", meaning "a ladder". It can also refer to a "flight of stairs" or a "rung of a ladder". | |||
| Serbian | степениште | ||
| The word "степениште" can also refer to a "staircase" or a "stairway". | |||
| Slovak | schodisko | ||
| The word "schodisko" derives from the German "Stiege" and originally meant "ladder". | |||
| Slovenian | stopnice | ||
| The word "stopnice" in Slovenian comes from the Proto-Slavic root *stopъ, meaning "foot" or "step", and is related to the Latin word "step" and the Greek word "stoicho" (row). | |||
| Ukrainian | сходи | ||
| "Сходи" derives from the Proto-Slavic *xodъ, which means "way", "route", "journey", or "procession", and is cognate with Old Church Slavonic "hodъ" ("step"), Church Slavonic "ходъ" ("procession"), Russian "ход" ("walk"), and Polish "chód" ("gait"). | |||
Stair in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সিঁড়ি | ||
| The word 'সিঁড়ি' originates from Sanskrit 'श्रेणी' ( श्रे + णि ), meaning 'a step, a row, a rank, a series' or 'a ladder.' | |||
| Gujarati | સીડી | ||
| In Gujarati, "સીડી" not only means "stair" but also a "ladder". | |||
| Hindi | सीढ़ी | ||
| The word "सीढ़ी" can also refer to a ladder, a staircase, or a flight of steps. | |||
| Kannada | ಮೆಟ್ಟಿಲು | ||
| The word "ಮೆಟ್ಟಿಲು" can also mean "a measure of capacity for grain or other dry goods". | |||
| Malayalam | ഗോവണി | ||
| The word "ഗോവണി" (stair) is derived from the Sanskrit word "गो" (cow) and "वण" (way), as cows were often led up and down stairs. | |||
| Marathi | जिना | ||
| The Marathi word "जिना" (stair) is derived from the Sanskrit word "जिन" (to conquer), suggesting its original use as a means to ascend obstacles. | |||
| Nepali | भर्या | ||
| The word "भर्या" can also mean a "crowd" or a "group" in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਪੌੜੀ | ||
| In Punjabi, the word 'ਪੌੜੀ' can also refer to a ladder, step stool, or flight of stairs. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පඩි පෙළ | ||
| The term 'පඩි පෙළ' is also figuratively used to refer to a sequence of steps or levels in an organization or system. | |||
| Tamil | படிக்கட்டு | ||
| Telugu | మెట్ల | ||
| The word "మెట్ల" in Telugu can also mean "steps" taken while walking or dancing. | |||
| Urdu | سیڑھی | ||
| Urdu word 'سیڑھی' also refers to a ladder, steps leading to a roof, staircase, and rungs of a ladder | |||
Stair in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 楼梯 | ||
| "楼梯"也可指建筑物的外露部分，如阳台和露台。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 樓梯 | ||
| In the Song Dynasty, "樓梯" was used to refer to a large building with multiple floors, and it was not until the Ming Dynasty that it began to specifically refer to stairs. | |||
| Japanese | 階段 | ||
| "階段" can also refer to the stages or levels in a hierarchy or progression. | |||
| Korean | 계단 | ||
| "계단" can also mean "stage" or "level" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | шат | ||
| The word "шат" (stair) is also used to refer to the steps of a ladder or staircase. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | လှေကားထစ် | ||
Stair in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | anak tangga | ||
| 'Anak tangga' literally means 'child of ladder' | |||
| Javanese | tangga | ||
| The word "tangga" has its origins in the Sanskrit term "tangga" which also means "rise" or "ascent." | |||
| Khmer | ជណ្តើរ | ||
| The word ជណ្តើរ (chântŏĕr) in Khmer may also refer to a ladder, a staircase, a flight of stairs, or a step. | |||
| Lao | ຂັ້ນໄດ | ||
| The Lao word ຂັ້ນໄດ also means "step" in English and is likely derived from the Mon language. | |||
| Malay | tangga | ||
| In some contexts, tangga can refer to a scale (as in music) or a rank (as in an organization). | |||
| Thai | บันได | ||
| The Thai word "บันได" (stair) originates from the Sanskrit word "पंक्ति" (paṅkti) meaning "a row". | |||
| Vietnamese | cầu thang | ||
| Cầu thang (stair) in Vietnamese contains the element "thang" (lift or elevator), referring to its primary function of transporting people vertically. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hagdanan | ||
Stair in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | pilləkən | ||
| The word "pilləkən" is also used in a figurative sense to refer to a step or stage in a process or development. | |||
| Kazakh | баспалдақ | ||
| Kyrgyz | тепкич | ||
| "Тепкич" is also the Kyrgyz word for "step" (of a person). | |||
| Tajik | зинапоя | ||
| The word "зинапоя" in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "زینه" or "زنه" meaning "staircase" or "ladder". | |||
| Turkmen | basgançak | ||
| Uzbek | narvon | ||
| The Uzbek word "narvon" is derived from the Persian word "nardan", which means "ladder" or "staircase". | |||
| Uyghur | پەلەمپەي | ||
Stair in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | alapiʻi | ||
| Alapiʻi comes from the Hawaiian word alā (path) and piʻi (to ascend) | |||
| Maori | arawhata | ||
| "Ara" meaning "path" and "whata" meaning "storage platform or stage," "arawhata" has dual meaning, also referring to a place where food and other items were stored and accessed via stairs. | |||
| Samoan | sitepu | ||
| 'Sitepu' is a word that can mean either a 'stair' or a 'level' in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | hagdanan | ||
| In Filipino, the term "hagdanan" does not exclusively mean "stair," but can also signify a "lineup" or "sequence." | |||
Stair in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | escalera ukat juk’ampinaka | ||
| Guarani | escalera rehegua | ||
Stair in International Languages
| Esperanto | ŝtuparo | ||
| The word "ŝtuparo" is derived from the Slavic word "stop" (step), and it also means "a ladder" or "a stepladder". | |||
| Latin | exstructos | ||
| The Latin word "exstructos" can have multiple meanings, including "building," "structure," "pile," or "heap." | |||
Stair in Others Languages
| Greek | σκαλί | ||
| The word 'σκαλί' can also refer to a step in a dance or a verse in a song. | |||
| Hmong | stair | ||
| "Stair" may also refer to the person in charge of maintenance and repairs of a staircase | |||
| Kurdish | merdim | ||
| In ancient Kurdish, the word "merdim" also referred to a ladder with rungs made from tree branches. | |||
| Turkish | merdiven | ||
| The word "merdiven" comes from the Persian word "me'râje", meaning "ladder". | |||
| Xhosa | isiteji | ||
| "Isiteji" is also the name of a particular Xhosa musical rhythm. | |||
| Yiddish | טרעפּל | ||
| In Old Yiddish, טרעפּל (trepl) meant a bar or beam used in construction, from Middle High German "treppe" and Latin "trabs" (beam). | |||
| Zulu | isitebhisi | ||
| The word "isitebhisi" in Zulu, besides meaning "stair" or "step", can also refer to a "row" or "line" of people or objects. | |||
| Assamese | চিৰি | ||
| Aymara | escalera ukat juk’ampinaka | ||
| Bhojpuri | सीढ़ी के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ސިޑިންނެވެ | ||
| Dogri | सीढ़ी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hagdanan | ||
| Guarani | escalera rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | agdan | ||
| Krio | stɛp | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پلیکانە | ||
| Maithili | सीढ़ी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁ꯭ꯇꯦꯔ ꯑꯃꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | stair a ni | ||
| Oromo | sadarkaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପାହାଚ | ||
| Quechua | escalera | ||
| Sanskrit | सोपानम् | ||
| Tatar | баскыч | ||
| Tigrinya | መደያይቦ | ||
| Tsonga | xitepisi | ||