Telephone in Different Languages
Discover 'Telephone' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The telephone, a device that transformed the way we communicate, has a rich history and cultural significance. Invented in the late 19th century, the telephone revolutionized human interaction, enabling real-time communication across vast distances. It's hard to overstate the telephone's impact on society, from business to personal relationships.
Given its importance, it's no surprise that people around the world have incorporated the word 'telephone' into their languages. For instance, in Spanish, it's 'teléfono'; in French, 'téléphone'; in German, 'Telefon'; in Italian, 'telefono'; in Japanese, 'テレフォン (terefon)'; in Chinese, '电话 (diànhuà)'; and in Russian, 'телефон (telefon)'.
Understanding the translation of 'telephone' in different languages not only broadens your vocabulary but also offers a glimpse into how various cultures have adapted to and embraced this groundbreaking technology. Whether you're a language enthusiast, a history buff, or simply curious, exploring the word 'telephone' in multiple languages can be a fascinating journey.
Telephone
Telephone in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | telefoon | ||
| The word "telefoon" ultimately derives from the Greek "tēle" (far) and "phōnē" (sound), referring to its ability to transmit sound over long distances. | |||
| Amharic | ስልክ | ||
| "ስልክ" is derived from the Greek "tele" and "phone" (meaning sound) | |||
| Hausa | tarho | ||
| "Tarho" derives from Arabic "talihraf" meaning "distortion" because of the garbled sounds that came over the early device. | |||
| Igbo | ekwentị | ||
| The Igbo word "ekwentị" is derived from the English words "connect" and "telephone". | |||
| Malagasy | telefaonina | ||
| TELEFAONINA is derived from the French word "téléphone" which in turn comes from the Greek words "tele" (far) and "phone" (voice). | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | foni | ||
| The word "foni" is derived from the Greek word "phone", which means "sound". | |||
| Shona | runhare | ||
| The word "runhare" is derived from the Shona word "runhare", meaning "hare", as the telephone line was strung from pole to pole like a hare running. | |||
| Somali | taleefan | ||
| Somali "taleefan" comes from Arabic "tilfün" which derives from Greek "tēle" (far, distant) and "phōnē" (voice). | |||
| Sesotho | mohala | ||
| The word 'mohala' is derived from the Sesotho word 'hohala', meaning 'to shout'. | |||
| Swahili | simu | ||
| Although "simu" means "telephone" in Swahili, it originally meant "thing for hearing with". | |||
| Xhosa | umnxeba | ||
| The Xhosa word “umnxeba” literally translates to “a thing that makes one hear”. | |||
| Yoruba | tẹlifoonu | ||
| Tẹlifoonu, derived from "tele" (distant) and "fonu" (voice), refers not only to the telephone, but also traditional systems for long-distance voice transmission, like the Yoruba `àkààrà`. | |||
| Zulu | ucingo | ||
| The Zulu word "ucingo" means "a call" or "to call". | |||
| Bambara | telefɔni | ||
| Ewe | telefon dzi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | telefone | ||
| Lingala | telefone | ||
| Luganda | essimu | ||
| Sepedi | mogala | ||
| Twi (Akan) | telefon so | ||
Telephone in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | هاتف | ||
| The Arabic word "هاتف" (telephone) originally referred to a "summoner" or a "caller" and later came to refer to the communication device that allows one to call others over a distance. | |||
| Hebrew | טֵלֵפוֹן | ||
| The word טֵלֵפוֹן derives from the Greek words τηλε (tele, meaning “far”) and φωνή (phone, meaning “voice”). | |||
| Pashto | ټلیفون | ||
| The Pashto word "ټلیفون" comes from the Greek words "τῆλε" (far) and "φωνή" (sound), meaning "long-distance sound." | |||
| Arabic | هاتف | ||
| The Arabic word "هاتف" (telephone) originally referred to a "summoner" or a "caller" and later came to refer to the communication device that allows one to call others over a distance. | |||
Telephone in Western European Languages
| Albanian | telefonit | ||
| The Albanian word "telefonit" derives from the Greek "tēlephōnēin," meaning "to speak from afar". | |||
| Basque | telefonoa | ||
| The word "telefonoa" can also be used to refer to the human ear. | |||
| Catalan | telèfon | ||
| The word "telèfon" in Catalan derives from the Greek words "tele" (far) and "phone" (sound), and was first coined by German scientist Johann Philipp Reis in 1860. | |||
| Croatian | telefon | ||
| In Croatian, the word "telefon" can also refer to a landline telephone, a handset, or the act of making a phone call. | |||
| Danish | telefon | ||
| "Telefon" can also mean "big ear" in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | telefoon | ||
| The word "telefoon" comes from the Greek words "tele," meaning far, and "phone," meaning sound. | |||
| English | telephone | ||
| The word 'telephone' derives from the Greek roots 'tele,' meaning 'far', and 'phone,' meaning 'sound', hence 'sound from afar'. | |||
| French | téléphone | ||
| Téléphone can also refer to the telephone network or a telephone line. | |||
| Frisian | telefoan | ||
| The Frisian noun 'telefoan' is derived from the Greek words 'tēle' ('far') and 'phōnē' ('sound'). | |||
| Galician | teléfono | ||
| In Galician, "teléfono" also refers to a specific type of landline telephone known as a "teléfono de rueda" or "rotary phone". | |||
| German | telefon | ||
| The German word "Telefon" derives from the Greek words "tele" for "far" and "phone" for "sound". | |||
| Icelandic | sími | ||
| "Sími" also denotes a small, thin piece of wood used as a bookmarker. | |||
| Irish | teileafón | ||
| " Teileafón" comes from the Greek words "tele," meaning "far," and "phone," meaning "sound" | |||
| Italian | telefono | ||
| The Italian word "telefono" comes from the Greek words "tele," meaning "far," and "phōnē," meaning "voice". The word was coined by French inventor Charles Bourseul in 1854. | |||
| Luxembourgish | telefon | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Telefon" also refers to a mobile phone's SIM card. | |||
| Maltese | telefon | ||
| Maltese "telefon" derives from Ancient Greek "tēle" (far) + "phōnē" (sound), cognate with "telephone" in various Indo-European languages. | |||
| Norwegian | telefon | ||
| In Norwegian, "telefon" originates from the Greek "tele" (far) and "φωνή" (voice), emphasizing the device's ability to transmit sound over distance. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | telefone | ||
| In Portuguese, "Telefone" can also refer to a type of traditional Portuguese guitar with a teardrop-shaped body and wire strings. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | fòn | ||
| The Gaelic word "fòn" can also refer to an ear or hearing. | |||
| Spanish | teléfono | ||
| The word "teléfono" in Spanish comes from the Greek roots "tele" (far) and "phonos" (sound). | |||
| Swedish | telefon | ||
| The name 'telefon' in Swedish is also used for the speaking tube or intercom system used on ships. | |||
| Welsh | ffôn | ||
| The word "ffôn" is derived from the Greek word "phonē", meaning "sound". It can also refer to a "call", "voice" or an "instrument for producing sound." | |||
Telephone in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | тэлефон | ||
| Bosnian | telefon | ||
| The word 'telefon' is derived from the Greek word 'tele', meaning 'far', and 'phōnē', meaning 'sound'. | |||
| Bulgarian | телефон | ||
| The word "телефон" (telephone) in Bulgarian also means "device that transmits at a distance". | |||
| Czech | telefon | ||
| In Czech, "telefon" can also refer to a speakerphone or a conference call. | |||
| Estonian | telefon | ||
| The Estonian word "telefon" is derived from the Greek words "tele" (far) and "phone" (sound), indicating its function as a device for transmitting sound over long distances. | |||
| Finnish | puhelin | ||
| "Puhelin" is the Finnish word for "telephone", but it also literally means "speaker" or "one that speaks". | |||
| Hungarian | telefon | ||
| "Telefon" also means "snail's pace" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | tālrunis | ||
| The word "tālrunis" is a compound of the words "tāls" (distant) and "runis" (speaker). | |||
| Lithuanian | telefonu | ||
| In Romanian, the word "telefonu" also means "telegraphy", derived from the Greek "tele" (far) and "phōnē" (voice). | |||
| Macedonian | телефон | ||
| The word is derived from the Greek words "tele" meaning "far" and "phōnē" meaning "sound." | |||
| Polish | telefon | ||
| In Polish, "telefon" also means "earphone". | |||
| Romanian | telefon | ||
| The Romanian word "telefon" comes from the Greek "tēle" (far) and "phōnē" (voice), meaning "sound from afar". It can also mean "intercom" in some contexts. | |||
| Russian | телефон | ||
| The word "телефон" in Russian has its roots in the Greek words "tele" (far) and "phone" (sound), meaning "far-sounding". | |||
| Serbian | телефон | ||
| The Russian "телефон" borrowed from French "téléphone", but it has a more recent alternate use as a homograph meaning "cell phone". | |||
| Slovak | telefón | ||
| The word "telefón" in Slovak is derived from the Greek words "tēle" (far) and "phōnē" (sound) | |||
| Slovenian | telefon | ||
| The word 'telefon' originates from the Greek words 'tele' (far) and 'phōnē' (sound). | |||
| Ukrainian | телефон | ||
| The word "телефон" is derived from the Greek words "τῆλε" (far) and "φωνή" (voice). | |||
Telephone in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | টেলিফোন | ||
| The word 'টেলিফোন' is derived from the Greek words 'τελε' (tele), meaning 'far,' and 'φωνή' (phōnē), meaning 'voice,' indicating its purpose as a device for transmitting sound over long distances. | |||
| Gujarati | ટેલિફોન | ||
| The Gujarati word "ટેલિફોન" comes from the Greek words "tele" meaning "far" and "phone" meaning "sound" or "voice". | |||
| Hindi | telephone | ||
| The word 'TELEPHONE' (टेलीफ़ोन) in Hindi comes from the Greek words 'tele' meaning 'far' or 'distant' and 'phone' meaning 'sound' or 'voice'. The invention was named so because it allowed communication over a distance through sound. | |||
| Kannada | ದೂರವಾಣಿ | ||
| The Kannada word "ದೂರವಾಣಿ" literally means "a sound from far away". | |||
| Malayalam | ടെലിഫോണ് | ||
| "ടെലിഫോണ്" is the Malayalam word for "telephone", which is derived from the Greek words "tele" (far) and "phone" (sound). | |||
| Marathi | टेलिफोन | ||
| In Marathi, | |||
| Nepali | टेलिफोन | ||
| In English, "telephone" originally meant "speaking from afar" and was coined by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876. | |||
| Punjabi | ਟੈਲੀਫੋਨ | ||
| The word "ਟੈਲੀਫੋਨ" comes from the Greek words "tele" (meaning "far") and "phone" (meaning "sound") and was coined by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දුරකථන | ||
| The word "දුරකථන" is derived from the Sanskrit words "dura" (far) and "kathana" (speech), meaning "talking from afar". | |||
| Tamil | தொலைபேசி | ||
| தொலைபேசி means 'telephone', but it literally translates to 'far away sound' in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | టెలిఫోన్ | ||
| "టెలిఫోన్"(telephone) is derived from the Greek words "tele," meaning "far," and "phone," meaning "voice." | |||
| Urdu | ٹیلیفون | ||
| Urdu word "ὍE ٹیلیفون" (telephone) is derived from Greek "τῆλε" (tele, "far") and "φῶν" (phone, "voice"). | |||
Telephone in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 电话 | ||
| "电话", the Sino-Japanese word for "telephone," also means "electric speech". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 電話 | ||
| 電話 is also a Buddhist term meaning "telepathy." | |||
| Japanese | 電話 | ||
| "電話" literally means "electric speech" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 전화 | ||
| "전화" (telephone) is a loanword from Japanese, which in turn comes from the Greek "tēle" (far) and "phōnē" (voice). It can also mean "telephone number" or "call someone on the phone" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | утас | ||
| "Утас" also means "wire", hence the name of the telephone. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တယ်လီဖုန်း | ||
Telephone in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | telepon | ||
| The Indonesian word "telepon" is ultimately derived from the Greek words "tele" (far) and "phone" (sound). | |||
| Javanese | telpon | ||
| The Javanese word "telpon" is a shortened form of "télépon genggam," meaning "handheld telephone." | |||
| Khmer | ទូរស័ព្ទ | ||
| Lao | ໂທລະສັບ | ||
| "ໂທລະສັບ" comes from the Greek words "τῆλε" (tēle), meaning "far," and "φώνη" (phōnē), meaning "voice," and so literally means "far-sounding." | |||
| Malay | telefon | ||
| In Malay, "telefon" refers not only to the telephone but also colloquially to a "public phone booth" | |||
| Thai | โทรศัพท์ | ||
| โทรศัพท์ derives from Greek roots meaning "distance speech" and is unrelated to Thai, where it replaced a longer, native term for the same device | |||
| Vietnamese | điện thoại | ||
| The word "Điện thoại" originally referred to a specific type of telephone, the "điện thoại bàn" (landline telephone), as opposed to mobile phones, which were later introduced. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | telepono | ||
Telephone in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | telefon | ||
| The word "telefon" is derived from the Greek words "tele" and "phone," and literally means "far-sounding." | |||
| Kazakh | телефон | ||
| The Kazakh word "телефон" can also refer to a "landline telephone". | |||
| Kyrgyz | телефон | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "телефон" derives from Greek "tele" meaning "far" and "φωνή" meaning "sound". | |||
| Tajik | телефон | ||
| In Tajik, "телефон" can also mean mobile phone, smartphone, landline, or any other type of device used for communication. | |||
| Turkmen | telefon | ||
| Uzbek | telefon | ||
| The word "telefon" in Uzbek also has the alternate meaning of "to talk on the phone; to call someone on the phone". | |||
| Uyghur | تېلېفون | ||
Telephone in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kelepona | ||
| Its literal meaning is "giving voice to the distance," a fitting description of the telephone's original purpose. | |||
| Maori | waea | ||
| In Maori, the word _waea_ can also refer to a fishing line or the strands of a spiderweb. | |||
| Samoan | telefoni | ||
| The word "telefoni" in Samoan is derived from the Greek words "tele" and "phone," and also refers to "radio" or "broadcast." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | telepono | ||
| "Telepono" comes from the Greek words "tele" and "phone", meaning "far" and "voice", respectively. | |||
Telephone in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | telefono tuqi jawst’ata | ||
| Guarani | teléfono rupive | ||
Telephone in International Languages
| Esperanto | telefono | ||
| For Esperanto-speakers, telefono can mean "telephone" or "bone from the thigh or leg" (in anatomy). | |||
| Latin | telephono | ||
| In Latin, "telephono" literally translates to "far" (tele) and "sound" (phono), indicating the transmission of sound over distance. | |||
Telephone in Others Languages
| Greek | τηλέφωνο | ||
| The Greek term τηλέφωνο (telephone), originating from τηλε (tele, "distant") and φωνή (phōnē, "sound"), also encompasses broader communication methods. | |||
| Hmong | xov tooj | ||
| The term "xov tooj" literally means "mouth of the house". | |||
| Kurdish | telefûn | ||
| The Kurdish word "telefûn" ultimately derives from the Greek word "tēlephōnos", meaning "voice from afar". It can also refer to a mobile phone. | |||
| Turkish | telefon | ||
| "Telefon" (telephone) originates from the Greek words "tele" (far) and "phone" (sound), meaning "far sound." | |||
| Xhosa | umnxeba | ||
| The Xhosa word “umnxeba” literally translates to “a thing that makes one hear”. | |||
| Yiddish | טעלעפאָן | ||
| The Yiddish word 'טעלעפאָן' derives from the Greek 'τῆλε' (far) and 'φωνή' (voice), reflecting its function as a device for transmitting sound over distance. | |||
| Zulu | ucingo | ||
| The Zulu word "ucingo" means "a call" or "to call". | |||
| Assamese | টেলিফোন | ||
| Aymara | telefono tuqi jawst’ata | ||
| Bhojpuri | टेलीफोन पर फोन कइले बानी | ||
| Dhivehi | ފޯނުންނެވެ | ||
| Dogri | टेलीफोन | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | telepono | ||
| Guarani | teléfono rupive | ||
| Ilocano | telepono | ||
| Krio | tɛlifon | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | تەلەفۆن | ||
| Maithili | टेलीफोन पर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯦꯂꯤꯐꯣꯅꯗꯥ ꯐꯣꯟ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | telephone hmanga phone a ni | ||
| Oromo | bilbilaan bilbiluu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଟେଲିଫୋନ୍ | | ||
| Quechua | telefono nisqawan | ||
| Sanskrit | दूरभाषः | ||
| Tatar | телефон | ||
| Tigrinya | ቴሌፎን ስልኪ | ||
| Tsonga | riqingho | ||