Swim in different languages

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

Afrikaansswem
A variant spelling of "swem" in Afrikaans is "sweem". The word may also refer to the act of fainting or passing out.
Amharicመዋኘት
"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.
Hausaiyo
Hausa's "iyo" also denotes water-related actions like floating or paddling
Igboigwu mmiri
Igwu mmiri could also mean "to play in the water" or "to float on water" in Igbo.
Malagasymilomano
The word "milomano" also means "to be wet" in Malagasy.
Nyanja (Chichewa)kusambira
"Kusambira" in Nyanja also means "to float on water".
Shonakushambira
The word 'kushambira' is often used interchangeably with 'kushambadza,' a verb that means 'to bathe someone' or 'to give someone a bath.'
Somalidabaal
"Dabaal" also means "run" in the context of a horse race
Sesothosesa
'Sesa' is also used to refer to 'soaking' or 'steeping' something in a liquid.
Swahilikuogelea
"Kuogelea" also means "to float" in Swahili.
Xhosaqubha
The word 'qubha' can also mean 'to float'.
Yorubawe
In Yoruba, "we" means "to swim" in pools but "to row" in rivers.
Zuluukubhukuda
The Zulu verb ukubhukuda, derived from the onomatopoeic root bhuk, also carries the metaphorical meaning of "to avoid".
Bambaranɔn
Eweƒutsi
Kinyarwandakoga
Lingalakobeta mai
Lugandaokuwuga
Sepedirutha
Twi (Akan)boro nsuo

Swim in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicالسباحة
The verb "السباحة" also means "to float" or "to sail" in some contexts.
Hebrewלשחות
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."
Pashtoلامبو
لامبو is borrowed from Persian and also means "to hang upside down".
Arabicالسباحة
The verb "السباحة" also means "to float" or "to sail" in some contexts.

Swim in Western European Languages

Albaniannotuar
The Albanian word "notuar" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *neu-, meaning "to flow" or "to wet".
Basqueigeri egin
Etymology and alternate meanings of 'igeri egin' ('swim') in Basque
Catalannedar
Catalan word 'nedar' likely derives from Proto-Indo-European root *h₂ep- 'water'
Croatianplivati
In some other Slavic languages, the verb 'plivati' means 'to spit'.
Danishsvømme
The Old Norse word for "svømme" is "svimma" which also means "faint".
Dutchzwemmen
The word "zwemmen" can also refer to "floating" or "soaking".
Englishswim
The word 'swim' comes from the Old English word 'swimman', which also means 'to float or drift'.
Frenchnager
The French word "nager" comes from the Latin word "navigare", which means "to sail".
Frisianswimme
The Frisian word "swimme" also means "to float" or "to drift along".
Galiciannadar
Originally a Proto-Celtic form that meant "to float" (like the English verb "nathe"), then adopted the meaning of "to swim"
Germanschwimmen
"Schwimmen" also means "to float" or "to levitate".
Icelandicsynda
Synda is also a term for "to float" in Icelandic.
Irishsnámh
The Irish word "snámh" has an interesting etymology, also referring to "thread" and "line".
Italiannuotare
"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".
Luxembourgishschwammen
The word 'schwammen' in Luxembourgish is derived from the German word 'schwimmen' and also means 'to float' or 'to be adrift'.
Maltesegħum
The term "għum" has also been used in historical texts to refer to "the act of walking in water".
Norwegiansvømme
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 Gaelicsnàmh
The Gaelic word "snàmh" also has the meanings "soak", "imbue", and "baptize"
Spanishnadar
Also meaning 'to float', the verb 'nadar' comes from the Latin 'natare', which originally meant 'to wash'
Swedishsimma
"Swimma, "to swim", is the same as the Old English word." }
Welshnofio
The Middle Welsh word "nofiaf" meant "to swim" or "to wade".

Swim in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianплаваць
Bosnianplivati
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).
Bulgarianплувам
"Плувам" can also mean "drift" or "wander."
Czechplavat
Czech "plavat" derives from an old Slavic verb meaning "to flow" and is also used to mean "to float or drift".
Estonianujuma
The word 'ujuma' is related to 'uju' which means to flow, and the suffix '-ma' which indicates an action or state.
Finnishuida
The word "uida" derives from Proto-Finnic *uida, meaning "to swim", which is further related to Proto-Indo-European *wed-, meaning "to wet".
Hungarianúszás
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.
Latvianpeldēt
In ancient writings, it also meant "to sail" and "to float".
Lithuanianplaukti
The word "plaukti" in Lithuanian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*plewk-", which also means "to float" or "to splash."
Macedonianпливање
The word "пливање" also means "swimming" in Macedonian.
Polishpływać
"Pływać" in Polish means "swim" but also "float" and "sail"
Romanianînot
"Înot" also means "sorrow" in Romanian, likely due to the feeling of sinking when swimming.
Russianплавать
In Russian, the word "плавать" can also mean "to float", "to sail", or "to cruise."
Serbianпливати
"пливати" also means "to sail" in Serbian.
Slovakplávať
The verb "plávať" originally meant "to float" and is related to the word "plavák" ("float").
Slovenianplavati
The word "plavati" in Slovenian can also mean "sail" or "float".
Ukrainianплавати
The word "плавати" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *plov-, meaning "to float"}

Swim in South Asian Languages

Bengaliসাঁতার
"সাঁতার" word also has another meaning which is the "act or an instance of being pregnant".
Gujaratiતરી
The Gujarati word "તરી" also means "to fly" or "to jump".
Hindiतैराकी
The Hindi word "तैराकी" also refers to the act of flying, especially in the context of aircraft.
Kannadaಈಜು
The word "ಈಜು" can also refer to the movement of a snake or fish through water.
Malayalamനീന്തുക
In Tamil, the word நீந்து (nīntu) also means "to stretch out".
Marathiपोहणे
The word पोहणे (swim) also means 'to drown' in Marathi.
Nepaliपौंडी
The word "पौंडी" can also refer to a type of traditional Nepali dance.
Punjabiਤੈਰਨਾ
The word 'ਤੈਰਨਾ' in Punjabi, which means 'swim,' comes from the Sanskrit word 'tirati,' which means 'cross' or 'pass over.'
Sinhala (Sinhalese)පීනන්න
Tamilநீந்த
"நீந்த" can mean "to walk through water" too.
Teluguఈత
The word "ఈత" in Telugu also means "a swim", "a person who can swim", "a swimmer", or "swimming".
Urduتیرنا
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".
Korean수영
"수영" (swim) can also mean "to have a bath" or "to take a shower" in Korean.
Mongolianсэлэх
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

Indonesianberenang
In Malay and Javanese, the word 'berenang' can also mean 'to take a bath'.
Javanesenglangi
In Javanese, "nglangi" refers to not only swimming, but also floating and wading.
Khmerហែលទឹក
The word "ហែលទឹក" in Khmer is derived from the Sanskrit word "ह्लाद," meaning "to be happy or joyous."
Laoລອຍ
ລອຍ (swim) can also refer to the act of floating or staying afloat.
Malayberenang
The Malay word "berenang" not only means "to swim" but also refers to the action of "floating" or "sailing" in a liquid.
Thaiว่ายน้ำ
ว่ายน้ำ can also mean "to cross" or "to go across" when used in a figurative sense.
Vietnamesebơi
The word "bơi" in Vietnamese can also mean "to float" or "to drift".
Filipino (Tagalog)lumangoy

Swim in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniüzmək
The verb "üzmək" (swim) may have originated from Proto-Altaic language and its root "**üz**" which also means "**to rise**" or "**to float**".
Kazakhжүзу
The Kazakh word "жүзу" comes from the Proto-Turkic root "yǖz", meaning "to be wet".
Kyrgyzсүзүү
The Kyrgyz word "сүзүү" also means "to filter" in English.
Tajikшино кардан
"Шино кардан" is also used to describe the action of a bird flying through water.
Turkmenýüzmek
Uzbeksuzish
The Uzbek word "suzish" is also used to describe the process of soaking or steeping in water.
Uyghurسۇ ئۈزۈش

Swim in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianʻauʻau
The Hawaiian word ʻauʻau not only means "to swim" but also "to cleanse" or "to be pure."
Maorikauhoe
"Kauhoe" is thought to derive from the Proto-Austronesian word *kapaw, which also means "to swim."
Samoanaau
"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

Aymaratuyuña
Guaraniyta

Swim in International Languages

Esperantonaĝi
The Esperanto word "naĝi" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*neǵh-", meaning "to wet".
Latinnatare
The Latin word "natare" can also mean "to float" or "to sail".

Swim in Others Languages

Greekζάλη
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."
Hmongua luam dej
The word "ua luam dej" in Hmong has alternate meanings of "to submerge" and "to sink".
Kurdishajnêkirin
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".
Turkishyüzmek
The word 'yüzmek' is also used in Turkish to describe the act of washing clothes by hand.
Xhosaqubha
The word 'qubha' can also mean 'to float'.
Yiddishשווימען
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."
Zuluukubhukuda
The Zulu verb ukubhukuda, derived from the onomatopoeic root bhuk, also carries the metaphorical meaning of "to avoid".
Assameseসাঁতোৰ
Aymaratuyuña
Bhojpuriतैराकी
Dhivehiފެތުން
Dogriतरना
Filipino (Tagalog)lumangoy
Guaraniyta
Ilocanoaglangoy
Krioswin
Kurdish (Sorani)مەلە
Maithiliपोरनाइ
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯏꯔꯣꯏꯕ
Mizotuihleuh
Oromodaakuu
Odia (Oriya)ପହଁରିବା
Quechuawanpuy
Sanskritतरति
Tatarйөзү
Tigrinyaምሕማስ
Tsongakhida

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