Swim in Different Languages
Discover 'Swim' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Swimming is a significant and culturally important activity, enjoyed by people all over the world. It's not only a fun way to cool off during hot summer days, but also a low-impact form of exercise that offers numerous health benefits. From swimming laps in a pool to frolicking in the ocean, the word 'swim' holds a special place in our collective consciousness.
Did you know that the first swimming races date back to ancient civilizations such as the Greeks and Romans? Or that the butterfly stroke, one of the most challenging swimming styles, was developed in the 1930s? These fascinating facts highlight the rich history and evolution of swimming as a sport and recreational activity.
If you're planning a trip to a foreign country, it's always useful to know how to say 'swim' in the local language. For example, in Spanish, 'swim' is 'nadar', while in French, it's 'nager'. By learning this simple phrase, you can connect with locals and enjoy the water in a whole new way.
In the following list, you'll find the translations of 'swim' in 10 different languages. Whether you're a seasoned swimmer or just starting out, these translations will help you navigate the waters of language and culture.
Swim
Swim in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | swem | ||
| A variant spelling of "swem" in Afrikaans is "sweem". The word may also refer to the act of fainting or passing out. | |||
| Amharic | መዋኘት | ||
| "መዋኘት" (swim) and "መዋኒያ" (swimmer) are derived from the root "ዋ" (water), suggesting a close connection between water and the act of swimming in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | iyo | ||
| Hausa's "iyo" also denotes water-related actions like floating or paddling | |||
| Igbo | igwu mmiri | ||
| Igwu mmiri could also mean "to play in the water" or "to float on water" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | milomano | ||
| The word "milomano" also means "to be wet" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kusambira | ||
| "Kusambira" in Nyanja also means "to float on water". | |||
| Shona | kushambira | ||
| The word 'kushambira' is often used interchangeably with 'kushambadza,' a verb that means 'to bathe someone' or 'to give someone a bath.' | |||
| Somali | dabaal | ||
| "Dabaal" also means "run" in the context of a horse race | |||
| Sesotho | sesa | ||
| 'Sesa' is also used to refer to 'soaking' or 'steeping' something in a liquid. | |||
| Swahili | kuogelea | ||
| "Kuogelea" also means "to float" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | qubha | ||
| The word 'qubha' can also mean 'to float'. | |||
| Yoruba | we | ||
| In Yoruba, "we" means "to swim" in pools but "to row" in rivers. | |||
| Zulu | ukubhukuda | ||
| The Zulu verb ukubhukuda, derived from the onomatopoeic root bhuk, also carries the metaphorical meaning of "to avoid". | |||
| Bambara | nɔn | ||
| Ewe | ƒutsi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | koga | ||
| Lingala | kobeta mai | ||
| Luganda | okuwuga | ||
| Sepedi | rutha | ||
| Twi (Akan) | boro nsuo | ||
Swim in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | السباحة | ||
| The verb "السباحة" also means "to float" or "to sail" in some contexts. | |||
| Hebrew | לשחות | ||
| The word לשחות (lishhot) originally meant "to wander" or "to traverse," and is related to the Arabic word for "to float" or "to go around." | |||
| Pashto | لامبو | ||
| لامبو is borrowed from Persian and also means "to hang upside down". | |||
| Arabic | السباحة | ||
| The verb "السباحة" also means "to float" or "to sail" in some contexts. | |||
Swim in Western European Languages
| Albanian | notuar | ||
| The Albanian word "notuar" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *neu-, meaning "to flow" or "to wet". | |||
| Basque | igeri egin | ||
| Etymology and alternate meanings of 'igeri egin' ('swim') in Basque | |||
| Catalan | nedar | ||
| Catalan word 'nedar' likely derives from Proto-Indo-European root *h₂ep- 'water' | |||
| Croatian | plivati | ||
| In some other Slavic languages, the verb 'plivati' means 'to spit'. | |||
| Danish | svømme | ||
| The Old Norse word for "svømme" is "svimma" which also means "faint". | |||
| Dutch | zwemmen | ||
| The word "zwemmen" can also refer to "floating" or "soaking". | |||
| English | swim | ||
| The word 'swim' comes from the Old English word 'swimman', which also means 'to float or drift'. | |||
| French | nager | ||
| The French word "nager" comes from the Latin word "navigare", which means "to sail". | |||
| Frisian | swimme | ||
| The Frisian word "swimme" also means "to float" or "to drift along". | |||
| Galician | nadar | ||
| Originally a Proto-Celtic form that meant "to float" (like the English verb "nathe"), then adopted the meaning of "to swim" | |||
| German | schwimmen | ||
| "Schwimmen" also means "to float" or "to levitate". | |||
| Icelandic | synda | ||
| Synda is also a term for "to float" in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | snámh | ||
| The Irish word "snámh" has an interesting etymology, also referring to "thread" and "line". | |||
| Italian | nuotare | ||
| "Nuotare" is one of the few Italian words that do not derive from Latin. It comes from the Greek word ναυς (naus), that means "ship". | |||
| Luxembourgish | schwammen | ||
| The word 'schwammen' in Luxembourgish is derived from the German word 'schwimmen' and also means 'to float' or 'to be adrift'. | |||
| Maltese | għum | ||
| The term "għum" has also been used in historical texts to refer to "the act of walking in water". | |||
| Norwegian | svømme | ||
| The word 'svømme' has an alternate meaning, 'swoon', that was lost in other Germanic languages. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | nadar | ||
| "Nadar" derives from Latin "natare" (meaning to float) related to Greek "neō", which originated the English "nautical". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | snàmh | ||
| The Gaelic word "snàmh" also has the meanings "soak", "imbue", and "baptize" | |||
| Spanish | nadar | ||
| Also meaning 'to float', the verb 'nadar' comes from the Latin 'natare', which originally meant 'to wash' | |||
| Swedish | simma | ||
| "Swimma, "to swim", is the same as the Old English word." } | |||
| Welsh | nofio | ||
| The Middle Welsh word "nofiaf" meant "to swim" or "to wade". | |||
Swim in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | плаваць | ||
| Bosnian | plivati | ||
| In Bosnian, 'plivati' also means 'to spit'; the root 'pliv' likely referred to an act of making something wet through contact with a liquid (or saliva in the case of spitting). | |||
| Bulgarian | плувам | ||
| "Плувам" can also mean "drift" or "wander." | |||
| Czech | plavat | ||
| Czech "plavat" derives from an old Slavic verb meaning "to flow" and is also used to mean "to float or drift". | |||
| Estonian | ujuma | ||
| The word 'ujuma' is related to 'uju' which means to flow, and the suffix '-ma' which indicates an action or state. | |||
| Finnish | uida | ||
| The word "uida" derives from Proto-Finnic *uida, meaning "to swim", which is further related to Proto-Indo-European *wed-, meaning "to wet". | |||
| Hungarian | úszás | ||
| The word "úszás" in Hungarian stems from the same root as "úszó" ("swimmer"), which likely derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂ews- ("to dawn"), suggesting a connection between swimming and the rising of the sun. | |||
| Latvian | peldēt | ||
| In ancient writings, it also meant "to sail" and "to float". | |||
| Lithuanian | plaukti | ||
| The word "plaukti" in Lithuanian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*plewk-", which also means "to float" or "to splash." | |||
| Macedonian | пливање | ||
| The word "пливање" also means "swimming" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | pływać | ||
| "Pływać" in Polish means "swim" but also "float" and "sail" | |||
| Romanian | înot | ||
| "Înot" also means "sorrow" in Romanian, likely due to the feeling of sinking when swimming. | |||
| Russian | плавать | ||
| In Russian, the word "плавать" can also mean "to float", "to sail", or "to cruise." | |||
| Serbian | пливати | ||
| "пливати" also means "to sail" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | plávať | ||
| The verb "plávať" originally meant "to float" and is related to the word "plavák" ("float"). | |||
| Slovenian | plavati | ||
| The word "plavati" in Slovenian can also mean "sail" or "float". | |||
| Ukrainian | плавати | ||
| The word "плавати" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *plov-, meaning "to float"} | |||
Swim in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সাঁতার | ||
| "সাঁতার" word also has another meaning which is the "act or an instance of being pregnant". | |||
| Gujarati | તરી | ||
| The Gujarati word "તરી" also means "to fly" or "to jump". | |||
| Hindi | तैराकी | ||
| The Hindi word "तैराकी" also refers to the act of flying, especially in the context of aircraft. | |||
| Kannada | ಈಜು | ||
| The word "ಈಜು" can also refer to the movement of a snake or fish through water. | |||
| Malayalam | നീന്തുക | ||
| In Tamil, the word நீந்து (nīntu) also means "to stretch out". | |||
| Marathi | पोहणे | ||
| The word पोहणे (swim) also means 'to drown' in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | पौंडी | ||
| The word "पौंडी" can also refer to a type of traditional Nepali dance. | |||
| Punjabi | ਤੈਰਨਾ | ||
| The word 'ਤੈਰਨਾ' in Punjabi, which means 'swim,' comes from the Sanskrit word 'tirati,' which means 'cross' or 'pass over.' | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පීනන්න | ||
| Tamil | நீந்த | ||
| "நீந்த" can mean "to walk through water" too. | |||
| Telugu | ఈత | ||
| The word "ఈత" in Telugu also means "a swim", "a person who can swim", "a swimmer", or "swimming". | |||
| Urdu | تیرنا | ||
| In Urdu, the word "تیرنا" is also used to describe the act of flowing or moving gracefully through water, like a boat or a fish. | |||
Swim in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 游泳 | ||
| 游泳也可指用于治疗目的的游水 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 游泳 | ||
| 游泳 is a compound word of 游, which means 'to roam' or 'to stroll' and 泳, which means 'to move through water'. | |||
| Japanese | 泳ぐ | ||
| The word "泳ぐ" also means "to move through water quickly and gracefully". | |||
| Korean | 수영 | ||
| "수영" (swim) can also mean "to have a bath" or "to take a shower" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | сэлэх | ||
| The word for "swim" in Mongolian, сэлэх, is also used to describe the act of moving through other liquids or even air, conveying the sense of graceful, effortless motion. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရေကူး | ||
| The verb ရေကူး also refers to moving over the sea in a boat (especially if there are waves or obstacles), wading through a flood and swimming (human and animals). | |||
Swim in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | berenang | ||
| In Malay and Javanese, the word 'berenang' can also mean 'to take a bath'. | |||
| Javanese | nglangi | ||
| In Javanese, "nglangi" refers to not only swimming, but also floating and wading. | |||
| Khmer | ហែលទឹក | ||
| The word "ហែលទឹក" in Khmer is derived from the Sanskrit word "ह्लाद," meaning "to be happy or joyous." | |||
| Lao | ລອຍ | ||
| ລອຍ (swim) can also refer to the act of floating or staying afloat. | |||
| Malay | berenang | ||
| The Malay word "berenang" not only means "to swim" but also refers to the action of "floating" or "sailing" in a liquid. | |||
| Thai | ว่ายน้ำ | ||
| ว่ายน้ำ can also mean "to cross" or "to go across" when used in a figurative sense. | |||
| Vietnamese | bơi | ||
| The word "bơi" in Vietnamese can also mean "to float" or "to drift". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lumangoy | ||
Swim in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | üzmək | ||
| The verb "üzmək" (swim) may have originated from Proto-Altaic language and its root "**üz**" which also means "**to rise**" or "**to float**". | |||
| Kazakh | жүзу | ||
| The Kazakh word "жүзу" comes from the Proto-Turkic root "yǖz", meaning "to be wet". | |||
| Kyrgyz | сүзүү | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "сүзүү" also means "to filter" in English. | |||
| Tajik | шино кардан | ||
| "Шино кардан" is also used to describe the action of a bird flying through water. | |||
| Turkmen | ýüzmek | ||
| Uzbek | suzish | ||
| The Uzbek word "suzish" is also used to describe the process of soaking or steeping in water. | |||
| Uyghur | سۇ ئۈزۈش | ||
Swim in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻauʻau | ||
| The Hawaiian word ʻauʻau not only means "to swim" but also "to cleanse" or "to be pure." | |||
| Maori | kauhoe | ||
| "Kauhoe" is thought to derive from the Proto-Austronesian word *kapaw, which also means "to swim." | |||
| Samoan | aau | ||
| "Aau" can also mean "to bathe" or "to wash oneself." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | lumangoy | ||
| "Lumangoy" in Tagalog (Filipino) originally meant "to row a boat", and can still mean this in a poetic or literary context. | |||
Swim in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | tuyuña | ||
| Guarani | yta | ||
Swim in International Languages
| Esperanto | naĝi | ||
| The Esperanto word "naĝi" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*neǵh-", meaning "to wet". | |||
| Latin | natare | ||
| The Latin word "natare" can also mean "to float" or "to sail". | |||
Swim in Others Languages
| Greek | ζάλη | ||
| The word "ζάλη" derives from the Greek word "ζέω," meaning "boil" or "seethe," and is related to the English word "dizzy" from the Proto-Indo-European root "gwher-," meaning "to turn." | |||
| Hmong | ua luam dej | ||
| The word "ua luam dej" in Hmong has alternate meanings of "to submerge" and "to sink". | |||
| Kurdish | ajnêkirin | ||
| The word "ajnêkirin" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂ep-, meaning "to float on water or in air" and is related to the English word "swim". | |||
| Turkish | yüzmek | ||
| The word 'yüzmek' is also used in Turkish to describe the act of washing clothes by hand. | |||
| Xhosa | qubha | ||
| The word 'qubha' can also mean 'to float'. | |||
| Yiddish | שווימען | ||
| The Yiddish word "שווימען" has the same etymology as "swim" in English, both ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European "swem-", meaning "to float or flow." | |||
| Zulu | ukubhukuda | ||
| The Zulu verb ukubhukuda, derived from the onomatopoeic root bhuk, also carries the metaphorical meaning of "to avoid". | |||
| Assamese | সাঁতোৰ | ||
| Aymara | tuyuña | ||
| Bhojpuri | तैराकी | ||
| Dhivehi | ފެތުން | ||
| Dogri | तरना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lumangoy | ||
| Guarani | yta | ||
| Ilocano | aglangoy | ||
| Krio | swin | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | مەلە | ||
| Maithili | पोरनाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯏꯔꯣꯏꯕ | ||
| Mizo | tuihleuh | ||
| Oromo | daakuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପହଁରିବା | ||
| Quechua | wanpuy | ||
| Sanskrit | तरति | ||
| Tatar | йөзү | ||
| Tigrinya | ምሕማስ | ||
| Tsonga | khida | ||
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