Surround in Different Languages
Discover 'Surround' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'surround' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, denoting the action of something being enclosed or encircled by something else. It's a word that paints a vivid picture and carries with it a sense of inclusion or protection. Culturally, it's a term that transcends borders, used in various languages and contexts worldwide.
Moreover, the concept of 'surround' has been present in many aspects of human history. For instance, ancient civilizations often built structures that symbolically 'surrounded' their communities, like stone circles or defensive walls. This word also carries a certain poetic weight, as seen in famous quotes and literature.
Given its cultural importance and historical context, you might be interested in knowing the translation of 'surround' in different languages. This can help you better understand the word's significance in various cultures and broaden your linguistic horizons.
Here are a few sample translations to pique your interest:
- French: 'entourer'
- Spanish: ' rodear'
- German: 'umgeben'
- Italian: 'circondare'
- Chinese: '围绕' ('wéirào')
Surround
Surround in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | omring | ||
| In Afrikaans, "omring" can also refer to the act of encircling something or someone securely. | |||
| Amharic | ዙሪያውን | ||
| The word ዙሪያውን (surround) in Amharic can also refer to a group of people or things that are gathered together or that form a circle. | |||
| Hausa | kewaye | ||
| "Kewaye" also means "to guard, or to protect" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | gbaa ya gburugburu | ||
| The Igbo word "gbaa ya gburugburu" also means "to envelop" or "to encompass" something. | |||
| Malagasy | nanodidina | ||
| Nanodidina is derived from the Proto-Austronesian root *dinәdә with a prefix na-. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zungulira | ||
| Originates from the verb "zungula" "to spin", thus a ring of people "spinning" about someone. | |||
| Shona | tenderera | ||
| In Shona, "tenderera" also means "to encircle" or "to enclose" | |||
| Somali | ku wareegsan | ||
| The word "ku wareegsan" can also mean "encircle" or "ring around" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | pota | ||
| The word "pota" can also mean "to wrap" or "to enclose" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | zunguka | ||
| Zunguka also means "revolve" or "go around" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | rhangqa | ||
| (There is) no known etymology or alternate meanings for the word "rhangqa" in the Xhosa language. | |||
| Yoruba | yi kaakiri | ||
| The word "yi kaakiri" in Yoruba is a compound phrase that translates to "to go around" or "to encircle" and is derived from the words "yi" (to go) and "kaakiri" (around). | |||
| Zulu | zungeza | ||
| "Zungeza" originates from the Zulu word "zungu," meaning "circle" or "ring." | |||
| Bambara | lamini | ||
| Ewe | ƒo xlãe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kuzenguruka | ||
| Lingala | zingazinga | ||
| Luganda | okwetoloola | ||
| Sepedi | go dikologa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | twa ho hyia | ||
Surround in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تحيط | ||
| "تحيط" also means "to comprise" or "to enclose," and is related to the word "حوط" (fence). | |||
| Hebrew | לְהַקִיף | ||
| The Hebrew verb לְהַקִיף can also mean 'to encompass', 'to surround', or 'to besiege'. | |||
| Pashto | شاوخوا | ||
| The word "شاوخوا" (surround) derives from the Persian phrase "شاخو بردن" (to take a branch), suggesting the idea of encircling or enclosing something. | |||
| Arabic | تحيط | ||
| "تحيط" also means "to comprise" or "to enclose," and is related to the word "حوط" (fence). | |||
Surround in Western European Languages
| Albanian | rrethojnë | ||
| "Rrethojnë" is a cognate of Latin "rotāre," from "rota" (wheel), possibly related to Proto-Indo-European "*ret-," meaning "to run." | |||
| Basque | inguratu | ||
| The Basque word "inguratu" (to surround) also means "to orbit" or "to turn around". | |||
| Catalan | envoltar | ||
| "Envoltar" comes from the Latin "volutus", meaning "rolled up" or "turned". | |||
| Croatian | okružuju | ||
| The word "okružuju" also means "encircle" or "besiege". | |||
| Danish | omgive | ||
| The Danish word “omgive” has the alternate meaning of “to provide with a surrounding environment”. | |||
| Dutch | omringen | ||
| The word "omringen" is derived from the Old Dutch word "umkringa," meaning "encircle" or "go around." | |||
| English | surround | ||
| The verb surround derives from the Latin "super" (meaning "above") and "undare" (meaning "to flow"), implying an envelopment. | |||
| French | entourer | ||
| The verb "entourer" comes from the Old French "entour," meaning "around, about." | |||
| Frisian | omrinne | ||
| The word "omrinne" can derive from the Germanic word "umbiringan" (to surround), or from the Latin word "murīre" (to wall in, to enclose). | |||
| Galician | rodear | ||
| In Galician, "rodear" can also mean "to go around", "to travel", or "to roam". | |||
| German | umgeben | ||
| The word "umgeben" derives from the Middle High German "umbegeben" meaning both "to envelop" and "to happen to someone". | |||
| Icelandic | umkringja | ||
| Umkringja also has meanings such as 'enclose', 'encompass' or 'confine' and can be found in other Scandinavian languages such as Swedish. | |||
| Irish | timpeall | ||
| Timpeall originated from the Irish word “imb” meaning to go around in a circle, to move in a circular pattern. Hence the word “Timpeall” means a surrounding area or place. | |||
| Italian | circondare | ||
| "Circondare" derives from Latin "circumdare" ("to put or place around") or "circum" + "dare" ("to give"). | |||
| Luxembourgish | ëmginn | ||
| The term "ëmginn" has a Proto-Germanic origin, deriving from the Proto-Germanic word "umgebinōn" which meant "to go around" or "to surround". | |||
| Maltese | jdawru | ||
| The word "jdawru" in Maltese originates from the Italian word "girare", meaning "to turn". | |||
| Norwegian | omgi | ||
| "Omgi" can also mean "to encompass" or "to embrace". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | cercar | ||
| "Cercar" comes from the Latin word "circumcirca", which means "all around". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | timcheall | ||
| 'Timcheall' comes from the Middle Irish word 'timcheall' meaning 'enclosure' or 'circle' | |||
| Spanish | rodear | ||
| The word `rodear` comes from the Latin `rotundus` meaning round, and has the additional meaning of `codiciar` (`to covet`) in some dialects. | |||
| Swedish | omge | ||
| The word "omge" in Swedish is related to the Old Norse word "umgjǫrða" meaning "to gird around". | |||
| Welsh | amgylchynu | ||
| The Welsh word "amgylchynu" derives from the Old Welsh "amgylch"," meaning "circle", suggesting the encirclement of a space. | |||
Surround in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | акружаць | ||
| "Акружаць" also means "to encircle", "to encompass", and "to surround with water". | |||
| Bosnian | okružuju | ||
| The noun "okrug" in Bosnian means "circle" or "region" and is closely related to "okružuju". | |||
| Bulgarian | обграждам | ||
| The word "обграждам" is derived from the Slavic root "grad", meaning "town" or "fortification". It originally referred to the act of surrounding a town or castle with troops or defenses. | |||
| Czech | obklopit | ||
| 'Obklopit' comes from the Old Church Slavonic word 'oblokopiti', meaning 'to wrap around'. In Polish, 'obkłopotać' means 'to bother' or 'to harass' | |||
| Estonian | ümbritsema | ||
| The word "ümbritsema" is derived from Proto-Finnic "*ümbär-, *ümberä-, *umberoida", ultimately from Proto-Uralic "*ümbär-, *ümberä" meaning "around, on a circle, roundabout". | |||
| Finnish | ympäröi | ||
| The word 'ympäröi' comes from the Proto-Uralic stem *ympär, which also means 'circle' or 'enclosure'. | |||
| Hungarian | körülveszi | ||
| The Hungarian word "körülveszi" can also refer to the act of besieging or encircling something, such as a castle or a city. | |||
| Latvian | ieskauj | ||
| In the Latgalian language, “ieskaut” can also refer to “searching”. | |||
| Lithuanian | apsupti | ||
| The word "apsupti" in Lithuanian also means "to guard", "to cover", or "to enclose". | |||
| Macedonian | опкружувачки | ||
| The Macedonian word "опкружувачки" (surround) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *obkorǫžiti, meaning "to surround" or "to enclose". | |||
| Polish | otaczać | ||
| The word "otaczać" also means "to enclose" or "to encircle" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | înconjurător | ||
| "Înconjur" comes from the Latin "in circulare," meaning "to move in a circle." | |||
| Russian | окружать | ||
| In Russian, «окружать» can also mean «to enclose» or «to besiege». | |||
| Serbian | окрузити | ||
| "Окрузити" also means "to block the opponent's movement in a certain direction" in chess. | |||
| Slovak | obklopiť | ||
| "Obklopiť" is a Slovak word derived from the Old Slovak verb "obklopiti" meaning "to surround" or "to embrace." | |||
| Slovenian | obkrožiti | ||
| The word "obkrožiti" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*ker-/*kre-**, which also gave rise to the English word "circle" | |||
| Ukrainian | оточують | ||
| The word "оточують" can also mean "to besiege", "to encompass", or "to envelop" in Ukrainian. | |||
Surround in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | চারপাশে | ||
| চারপাশে can also mean "around" or "nearby" in some contexts. | |||
| Gujarati | આસપાસ | ||
| The word "આસપાસ" can also mean "nearby" or "around". | |||
| Hindi | चारों ओर से घेरना | ||
| The word 'चारों ओर से घेरना' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'सर्वतोभद्र', which literally means 'all good'. | |||
| Kannada | ಸರೌಂಡ್ | ||
| The word 'ಸರೌಂಡ್' (surround) in Kannada also suggests protection. | |||
| Malayalam | ചുറ്റുക | ||
| "ചുറ്റുക" (/chuṯuka/), a Malayalam word related to Sanskrit *cukrnoti* "to go around" and Proto-Indo-European *kʷer- "to bend, turn". | |||
| Marathi | भोवती | ||
| The term "भोवती" may also refer to an area situated around a central point or a particular place. | |||
| Nepali | वरपर | ||
| The word "वरपर" ("surround") derives from Sanskrit वर "around" and पर "further". | |||
| Punjabi | ਆਲੇ ਦੁਆਲੇ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වටකර | ||
| වටකර (vaṭakara) is derived from the Sanskrit word वट (vaṭa) meaning "enclosure". It can also refer to a specific type of fence or an area enclosed by a fence. | |||
| Tamil | சுற்றி | ||
| "சுற்றி" is derived from the verb "சுற்று" (surround), and also means "to spin, go around, revolve, wander". | |||
| Telugu | చుట్టూ | ||
| "చుట్టూ" is also an honorific used for addressing an elder female. | |||
| Urdu | گھیرنا | ||
| The word “گھیرنا” is also used in Urdu to mean “to entrap”, “to besiege”, and “to encompass”. | |||
Surround in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 环绕 | ||
| 环绕 (huánrào) can refer to a circle or circumference, and also to a situation in which someone or something is surrounded. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 環繞 | ||
| 環繞 (环绕) has the alternate meaning of "revolve around" and "go around". | |||
| Japanese | 囲む | ||
| 囲む (kakomu) also means "to hold up" or "to intercept" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 둘러 싸다 | ||
| '둘러 싸다' is a Korean verb that literally means 'to wrap around'. It can also be used to mean 'to surround', 'to encompass', or 'to enclose'. | |||
| Mongolian | хүрээлэх | ||
| The word "хүрээлэх" (surround) is derived from the verb "хүрэх" (to reach), and also has the alternate meaning of "to enclose". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပတ်ဝန်းကျင် | ||
Surround in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mengelilingi | ||
| The word "mengelilingi" also means "to orbit" or "to encircle". | |||
| Javanese | ngubengi | ||
| "Ngubengi" originates from the root word "ubeng" (circle) and "ng" (prefix indicating motion), implying a circular motion that surrounds something. | |||
| Khmer | ព័ទ្ធជុំវិញ | ||
| Lao | ອ້ອມຮອບ | ||
| Malay | keliling | ||
| The word "keliling" is a doublet that can also mean "circumference" or "perimeter". | |||
| Thai | รอบทิศทาง | ||
| "รอบทิศทาง" (surround) derives from the Sanskrit word paritas, meaning "around" or "thoroughly." | |||
| Vietnamese | vây quanh | ||
| The word "vây quanh" originates from the Chinese word "圍" meaning "to encircle". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | palibutan | ||
Surround in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | əhatə etmək | ||
| It shares a common etymology with Turkish "eklemek" and means "to make something whole". | |||
| Kazakh | қоршау | ||
| The word "қоршау" also has the meaning "circle" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | курчоо | ||
| The word "курчоо" also means "to cover" or "to wrap" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | иҳота кардан | ||
| The verb "иҳота кардан" in Tajik has the same roots as "hat" in English which also means "surround", "cover" or "protect". | |||
| Turkmen | gurşap al | ||
| Uzbek | atrof | ||
| Atrof also means "to wrap", "to embrace" and "to be covered" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | ئەتراپى | ||
Surround in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻopuni | ||
| In Hawaiian, the word hoʻopuni can also mean "to encompass," "to encircle," or "to embrace." | |||
| Maori | karapoti | ||
| Karapoti is also the name for a kind of traditional Maori fishing net, shaped like a bag and closed at the bottom. | |||
| Samoan | siʻo | ||
| Samoan "siʻo" possibly derives from Proto-Polynesian *sio which also means "be next to" or "be at the side of". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | palibutan | ||
| "Palibutan" can also mean "environment" or a group of people around someone. | |||
Surround in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | muyuntata | ||
| Guarani | ojere hese | ||
Surround in International Languages
| Esperanto | ĉirkaŭi | ||
| "Ĉirkaŭi" also means "to circle" and "to besiege". | |||
| Latin | circumdantibus | ||
| The word "circumdantibus" has an alternate meaning of "to be in need" in a legal sense. | |||
Surround in Others Languages
| Greek | περιβάλλω | ||
| The word "περιβάλλω" also means "to embrace" or "to clothe" in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | puag ncig | ||
| The Hmong word "puag ncig" also means "to hug" or "to embrace". | |||
| Kurdish | dorgirtî | ||
| The word "dorgirtî" in Kurdish is also used in the sense of "to besiege" or to "blockade". | |||
| Turkish | çevrelemek | ||
| Çevrelemek comes from the word 'çevre', meaning 'environment' or 'surroundings', and the suffix '-lemek', which indicates an action or process. | |||
| Xhosa | rhangqa | ||
| (There is) no known etymology or alternate meanings for the word "rhangqa" in the Xhosa language. | |||
| Yiddish | אַרומרינגלען | ||
| The word "אַרומרינגלען" in Yiddish originates from the German word "umringen" with the same meaning. | |||
| Zulu | zungeza | ||
| "Zungeza" originates from the Zulu word "zungu," meaning "circle" or "ring." | |||
| Assamese | surround | ||
| Aymara | muyuntata | ||
| Bhojpuri | घेरले के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ވަށާލާށެވެ | ||
| Dogri | घेरना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | palibutan | ||
| Guarani | ojere hese | ||
| Ilocano | aglawlaw | ||
| Krio | rawnd | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دەوروبەری | ||
| Maithili | घेरब | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | surround ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | surround a ni | ||
| Oromo | naannoo | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଚାରିପାଖ | ||
| Quechua | muyurichiy | ||
| Sanskrit | परितः | ||
| Tatar | әйләндереп алу | ||
| Tigrinya | ከቢብካ ምኻድ | ||
| Tsonga | ku rhendzela | ||