Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'street' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, symbolizing the bustling hub of human activity and cultural exchange. Streets have been the backdrop of historical events, the setting for countless novels and films, and the heart of urban life.
Translating 'street' into different languages not only bridges linguistic gaps but also offers a glimpse into the unique cultural perspectives of various countries. For instance, in Spanish, 'street' is 'calle,' while in German, it's 'Straße.' In Japanese, it's 'streeto,' reflecting the influence of English on the language.
Understanding the translation of 'street' in different languages can enrich your travel experiences, facilitate international communication, and deepen your appreciation for global cultures. It's a small word with a big impact.
Afrikaans | straat | ||
The Afrikaans word "straat" is derived from the Dutch word "straat" which means "road" or "thoroughfare". | |||
Amharic | ጎዳና | ||
'ጎዳና' in Amharic is cognate with 'garden' in English, reflecting the fact that streets were once lined with gardens. | |||
Hausa | titi | ||
Titi may also refer to 'a place or point from which something flows', or 'a line along which a stream moves, a valley' in Hausa. | |||
Igbo | n'okporo ámá | ||
The Igbo word "n'okporo ámá" (street) also means "the middle of the road" or "the middle of the street". | |||
Malagasy | eny an-dalana | ||
"Eny an-dalana" literally means "mother of the way" in Malagasy. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | msewu | ||
The word "msewu" in Nyanja (Chichewa) can also refer to a "line" or "row". | |||
Shona | mugwagwa | ||
"Mugwagwa" can also refer to a narrow footpath or a line of march. | |||
Somali | wadada | ||
The word "wadada" can also refer to a "main road" or an "avenue" in Somali. | |||
Sesotho | seterata | ||
The word 'seterata' can also refer to a 'path' or a 'road'} | |||
Swahili | mitaani | ||
The word "Mitaani" can also mean "Alley" or "Lane" in Swahili. | |||
Xhosa | isitalato | ||
The Xhosa word "isitalato" not only means "street" but also "footpath" and "road". | |||
Yoruba | opopona | ||
The name "opopona" also refers to the goddess of fortune or wealth | |||
Zulu | umgwaqo | ||
'Umgwaqo' also means 'path' or 'road' in Zulu and is derived from the verb 'ukugwaqa', meaning 'to step across'. | |||
Bambara | bɔlɔn | ||
Ewe | mɔdodo | ||
Kinyarwanda | ibarabara | ||
Lingala | balabala | ||
Luganda | ekkubo | ||
Sepedi | seterata | ||
Twi (Akan) | tempɔn | ||
Arabic | شارع | ||
The word شارع also means "law" in Arabic, deriving from the verb "to set forth a rule". | |||
Hebrew | רְחוֹב | ||
The Hebrew word "רְחוֹב" (street) also appears in the Bible as "רְחָב" (spacious) and "רְחָבָה" (broad), suggesting a connection between the concept of a street and the idea of openness and accessibility. | |||
Pashto | سړک | ||
The Pashto word for street, "سړک", is derived from Persian and ultimately comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*sterh₂-", meaning "to spread" or "to lay out". | |||
Arabic | شارع | ||
The word شارع also means "law" in Arabic, deriving from the verb "to set forth a rule". |
Albanian | rrugë | ||
"Rrugë" also means "path" or "journey" in Albanian. | |||
Basque | kalean | ||
The Basque word "kalean" comes from the Latin word "callis," meaning "a path" or "a way." | |||
Catalan | carrer | ||
The word "carrer" in Catalan also refers to a career or a path in life. | |||
Croatian | ulica | ||
The word "ulica" in Croatian is derived from the Latin word "via" meaning "road". It also has the alternate meaning of "row" or "line". | |||
Danish | gade | ||
The word "gade" is cognate with the English word "gate" and originally meant "path". | |||
Dutch | straat | ||
The word "straat" also has the connotation of "district" or "area" in Dutch, similar to the English word "district". | |||
English | street | ||
The word "street" originated from the Latin word "strata," meaning "paved way," in reference to the Roman roads that were built across the empire. | |||
French | rue | ||
The French word 'rue' originally meant 'stream', which is still reflected in its modern-day usage in some street names in Paris. | |||
Frisian | strjitte | ||
Frisian also uses 'strjitte' colloquially meaning "small street", whereas "great street" (heastrjit) refers to a road outside a village. | |||
Galician | rúa | ||
Galician "rúa" shares its etymology with English "rue", both stemming from the Latin "via ruga" meaning "country road". | |||
German | straße | ||
The word 'Straße' also shares its origin with the English word 'strata', referring to the layers that form the earth's crust or the pavement of a road. | |||
Icelandic | götu | ||
The Icelandic word "götu" derives from the Old Norse "gata", which had the double meaning of "street" and "pathway," possibly because paths often developed into streets. | |||
Irish | sráide | ||
The word "sráide" in Irish can also refer to a "way" or a "course of action" | |||
Italian | strada | ||
In Italian, "strada" can also mean "route" or "way". | |||
Luxembourgish | strooss | ||
The Luxembourgish word "Strooss" is derived from the Latin word "strata", meaning a paved road. | |||
Maltese | triq | ||
The word "triq" in Maltese can also refer to a "road" or a "path". | |||
Norwegian | gate | ||
Gate can also refer to a narrow alley or path, similar to an English ginnel. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | rua | ||
Rua can also mean 'noise' or 'bustle' in Portuguese, derived from the Latin 'ruga', meaning 'wrinkle'. | |||
Scots Gaelic | sràid | ||
Scots Gaelic word "sràid" also means "a row, a line, a series, a file" and comes from Old Norse "stræt" (meaning "road"). | |||
Spanish | calle | ||
The word 'calle' derives from the Latin word 'callis', meaning 'path' or 'narrow road'. | |||
Swedish | gata | ||
In older Swedish texts and dialects, "gata" could also refer to a narrow passage or alleyway. | |||
Welsh | stryd | ||
Welsh 'stryd' may derive from Latin 'strata' meaning 'paved way' or 'Roman road'. |
Belarusian | вул | ||
The word "вул" (street) is cognate with the Polish word "ulica" and the Czech word "ulice". | |||
Bosnian | ulica | ||
The word "ulica" can also refer to a "town" or "village" in colloquial Bosnian. | |||
Bulgarian | улица | ||
The word "улица" is a borrowing from the Turkish word "yol", meaning "road". | |||
Czech | ulice | ||
The word ulice, meaning street, derives from ulík or úle, denoting a beehive, as streets were lined with beehives. | |||
Estonian | tänav | ||
The word "tänav" in Estonian is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "*tanava", meaning "open space". | |||
Finnish | katu | ||
Kat(u)u derives from the German word Gasse, which is of Latin origin, meaning a street or alley. | |||
Hungarian | utca | ||
The word "utca" may come from the Turkish word "sokak" or the Tatar word "uča". | |||
Latvian | iela | ||
The word "iela" in Latvian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ei-, meaning "to go". | |||
Lithuanian | gatvėje | ||
The word "gatvėje" also means "in the street" and is derived from the word "gatvė," meaning "path". | |||
Macedonian | улица | ||
" улица " derives from the Ottoman " sokak " through Turkish; in some dialects, the word can also mean a neighborhood. | |||
Polish | ulica | ||
The word "ulica" in Polish originates from the Proto-Slavic word "ulice", which itself comes from the Proto-Indo-European word "wegh", meaning "road". | |||
Romanian | stradă | ||
The Romanian word "stradă" ultimately derives from the Latin "strata" meaning "paved road", from a root meaning "to spread". | |||
Russian | улица | ||
The word "улица" originally meant "a narrow passage" or "a ditch", and it is related to the word "узкий" (narrow). | |||
Serbian | улица | ||
In Serbian, "улица" ('street') comes from Turkish "sokak" ('narrow street, lane, alleyway') and can also refer to a row of houses (as in "улица кућа" or "street of houses"). | |||
Slovak | ulica | ||
The word “ulica” has Germanic roots and is related to the German word “gasse”, meaning “narrow street”. | |||
Slovenian | ulica | ||
The word 'ulica' comes from Latin 'via publica' ('public road'), while in colloquial use it may also refer to a 'neighbourhood' | |||
Ukrainian | вул | ||
The Ukrainian word "вул" (street) derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*vulь", meaning "open space, field". |
Bengali | রাস্তা | ||
"রাস্তা" derives from the Sanskrit "rāstam" ('path'), also a cognate of the modern English "road" | |||
Gujarati | શેરી | ||
The word "શેરી" is derived from the Sanskrit word "श्री" (Shri), meaning "auspicious" or "prosperous". | |||
Hindi | सड़क | ||
The word "सड़क" also means "path" or "way". | |||
Kannada | ರಸ್ತೆ | ||
The term 'ರಸ್ತೆ' may also refer to a military formation, a musical performance, or a specific path or road within a temple or palace. | |||
Malayalam | തെരുവ് | ||
The word 'തെരുവ്' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'स्त्री' (stri), which means 'woman', indicating that streets were once considered the domain of women. | |||
Marathi | रस्ता | ||
Marathi word रस्ता is also sometimes used for a route, course of action or a way. | |||
Nepali | सडक | ||
"सडक" is derived from the Sanskrit word "सड़क" which means a "public road" or "high way." | |||
Punjabi | ਗਲੀ | ||
The word "ਗਲੀ" (street) in Punjabi is possibly derived from the Sanskrit word "gul" (hole) and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root "gelh-" (to split). | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වීදිය | ||
The word "වීදිය" (street) can also mean "a row" or "a line". | |||
Tamil | தெரு | ||
In addition to its primary meaning of "street," தெரு (teru) can also refer to a row of houses or shops, a village street, or a particular street in a town or city. | |||
Telugu | వీధి | ||
వీధి word comes from the Prakrit word "vihī", meaning "row of houses". | |||
Urdu | گلی | ||
The word "گلی" also means "flower" in Urdu. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 街 | ||
"街" (Jiē) also means ""town"" or ""city"" in Chinese, and the original meaning is ""market place"". | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 街 | ||
The word 街 (street) in Chinese can also refer to a neighbourhood or district. | |||
Japanese | 通り | ||
通り also means “passage” and “channel” as in the passage of time or water. | |||
Korean | 거리 | ||
In addition to meaning "street," 거리 (geori) also refers to the length of something, as in 거리 점프 (geori jeompeu), or "long jump." | |||
Mongolian | гудамж | ||
The word "гудамж" is derived from the Turkic word "kutam" meaning "settlement" or "village" and was borrowed into Mongolian during the Hunnic period. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | လမ်း | ||
"လမ်း" [ram] is a Monic loanword from Old Mon "ram". In Mon, the word referred to a path or road through a forest, while in Burmese, it has come to mean a street or road in a town or city. |
Indonesian | jalan | ||
The word "jalan" in Indonesian is derived from the Sanskrit word "jalan" meaning "to go" or "to travel". | |||
Javanese | dalan | ||
The word "dalan" in Javanese also refers to a courtyard or open space in front of a house. | |||
Khmer | ផ្លូវ | ||
The word 'ផ្លូវ' can also refer to a path, road, or way. | |||
Lao | ຖະຫນົນ | ||
ຖະຫນົນ (Thanon) is a cognate of the Thai word "ถนน" (Thanon), both derived from the Sanskrit "sthāna" meaning "place, site, or location." | |||
Malay | jalan | ||
"Jalan" also refers to a journey or a path in Indonesian and Malay, highlighting the interconnectedness between movement and the physical space through which one travels. | |||
Thai | ถนน | ||
The word "ถนน" ("street") in Thai originally meant "pathway" or "roadway," derived from the Sanskrit word "srotas" meaning "current" or "stream." | |||
Vietnamese | đường phố | ||
The word "đường phố" in Vietnamese originated from the Chinese characters "唐浦", meaning "Tang dynasty port," referring to a bustling trading port established by the Tang dynasty in what is now Vietnam. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | kalye | ||
Azerbaijani | küçə | ||
The word "küçə" is derived from the Persian word "kūchah" which means "a narrow lane or alleyway, usually in a residential area" | |||
Kazakh | көше | ||
The word "көше" in Kazakh can also mean "corner" or "angle". | |||
Kyrgyz | көчө | ||
The term "көчө" is often used in conjunction with other words such as "жылуу көчө", meaning "the street where one lives". | |||
Tajik | кӯча | ||
The word "кӯча" in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "kūchah", which means "alley" or "lane". | |||
Turkmen | köçe | ||
Uzbek | ko'cha | ||
The Uzbek word "ko'cha" is derived from the Persian word "kucha" and also means "alley" or "lane". | |||
Uyghur | كوچا | ||
Hawaiian | alanui | ||
The Hawaiian word for street, 'alanui,' originated as a combination of the words 'ala,' meaning path, and 'nui,' meaning great. | |||
Maori | tiriti | ||
The word 'tiriti' can also refer to a path, road or track. | |||
Samoan | auala | ||
The word 'auala' in Samoan, besides meaning 'street', is also a word for 'way', 'pathway', or 'route'. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | kalye | ||
The word "kalye" originated from the Malay word "khaly", which also means "street". |
Aymara | kalli | ||
Guarani | tape | ||
Esperanto | strato | ||
The Esperanto word "strato" is derived from the Latin "strata via", meaning "paved way". | |||
Latin | via | ||
Via originates from the Proto-Indo-European root *wegh-, signifying a way or path |
Greek | δρόμος | ||
In Ancient Greek, "δρόμος" also meant "a race, a course" and "a way, a path". | |||
Hmong | txoj kev | ||
"Txog kev" is a combination of two Hmong words meaning "way" and "to have." | |||
Kurdish | rêgah | ||
In Kurdish mythology, 'rêgah' refers to the Milky Way, signifying the path taken by souls after death. | |||
Turkish | sokak | ||
Sokak, also meaning “blind” in Turkish, refers to a dead-end path or alleyway and derives from the word "sokmak" meaning "to insert" or "to plug in". | |||
Xhosa | isitalato | ||
The Xhosa word "isitalato" not only means "street" but also "footpath" and "road". | |||
Yiddish | גאַס | ||
The Yiddish word "גאַס" is derived from the Old High German "gazzu" meaning "alley" or "passage", or from Middle Dutch "gatse" and Old French "gate" meaning "street." | |||
Zulu | umgwaqo | ||
'Umgwaqo' also means 'path' or 'road' in Zulu and is derived from the verb 'ukugwaqa', meaning 'to step across'. | |||
Assamese | ৰাষ্টা | ||
Aymara | kalli | ||
Bhojpuri | गली | ||
Dhivehi | މަގުމަތި | ||
Dogri | शिड़क | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | kalye | ||
Guarani | tape | ||
Ilocano | kalsada | ||
Krio | strit | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | شەقام | ||
Maithili | गली | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯝꯕꯤ | ||
Mizo | khawlai | ||
Oromo | daandii | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଗଳି | ||
Quechua | kikllu | ||
Sanskrit | मार्गं | ||
Tatar | урам | ||
Tigrinya | ፅርጊያ | ||
Tsonga | xitarata | ||