Tennis in Different Languages
Discover 'Tennis' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Tennis is more than just a game; it's a global phenomenon that transcends language and culture. Originating in France during the 12-13th centuries, it was originally called 'jeu de paume' or 'game of the palm.' The modern name, 'tennis,' comes from the French word 'tenez' which means 'hold' or 'receive' - a call given by the server to their opponent. This sport has since evolved into a beloved pastime and professional sport, gracing us with iconic moments and legendary players.
Understanding the translation of 'tennis' in different languages not only showcases the sport's global reach but also highlights its cultural significance worldwide. For instance, in Spanish, it's 'tenis,' in German 'Tennis,' in Russian 'тенис' (tenis), in Japanese 'テニス' (tenisu), and in Chinese '网球' (wǎngqiú).
Whether you're a fan, a player, or simply curious about language and culture, exploring these translations offers a unique perspective on how this sport has touched lives across the globe.
Tennis
Tennis in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | tennis | ||
| The word 'tennis' in Afrikaans, 'tennis', is derived from the French word 'tenez', meaning 'take', referring to the challenge to receive the ball. | |||
| Amharic | ቴኒስ | ||
| In Amharic, ቴኒስ (tennis) can also refer to someone who is very active or skilled, particularly in a sport or game. | |||
| Hausa | tanis | ||
| In the 1925 Hausa language dictionary 'A Vocabulary of the Sokoto Dialects', it is defined as "a game for two players using balls, with a string stretched across the middle" | |||
| Igbo | tenis | ||
| The Igbo word 'tenis' also means 'to play' or 'to gamble'. | |||
| Malagasy | tenisy | ||
| The Malagasy word "tenisy" originally referred to a game similar to tennis played with a wooden ball. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | tenisi | ||
| The word "tenisi" in Nyanja is derived from the English word "tennis" and is used to refer to the sport of lawn tennis. | |||
| Shona | tenesi | ||
| The word 'tenesi' is derived from the English word 'tennis', and it also means 'to play tennis' or 'a game of tennis'. | |||
| Somali | teniska | ||
| The term also refers to a type of traditional Somali dance and music. | |||
| Sesotho | tenese | ||
| The word 'tenese' in Sesotho may also refer to 'playing tennis' as a sport. | |||
| Swahili | tenisi | ||
| Tenisi is also a type of shoe in Swahili and can mean any type of athletic shoe. | |||
| Xhosa | intenetya | ||
| The word 'intenetya' is also used to refer to the game of squash in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | tẹnisi | ||
| In Yoruba, "tẹnisi" means "tennis" and can also refer to a type of traditional wrestling. | |||
| Zulu | ithenisi | ||
| The word "ithenisi" may also refer to a type of Zulu dance. | |||
| Bambara | tenis (tennis) ye | ||
| Ewe | tenisƒoƒo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | tennis | ||
| Lingala | tennis ya lisano | ||
| Luganda | ttena | ||
| Sepedi | thenese | ||
| Twi (Akan) | tɛnis a wɔbɔ | ||
Tennis in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تنس | ||
| The Arabic word "تنس" (tennis) derives from the French word "tenez," meaning "hold" or "take." | |||
| Hebrew | טֶנִיס | ||
| "טֶנִיס" is a loan word from English, but comes from the Old French word "tenez" which means “take” or “receive”. Tennis was originally played by hitting a ball back and forth using the palm of the hand, so the game was known as "paume". | |||
| Pashto | ټینس | ||
| The Pashto word "ټینس" is borrowed from the English word "tennis", which is ultimately derived from the French word "tenez" meaning "hold", a reference to the call made by a server to the receiver before serving. | |||
| Arabic | تنس | ||
| The Arabic word "تنس" (tennis) derives from the French word "tenez," meaning "hold" or "take." | |||
Tennis in Western European Languages
| Albanian | tenis | ||
| "Tenis" means both "tennis" and "sneakers" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | tenisa | ||
| Tenisa is derived from the Old French word tenez, meaning "take (the ball)", and is ultimately related to the Latin word tenēre, meaning "to hold". | |||
| Catalan | tennis | ||
| The word "tennis" derives from the Old French word "tenez," meaning "take heed" or "receive." | |||
| Croatian | tenis | ||
| In Croatian, the word "tenis" can also refer to a type of dance. | |||
| Danish | tennis | ||
| The word "tennis" originally comes from the French "tenez" which means "take this". | |||
| Dutch | tennis | ||
| In Dutch, "tennis" refers to both the sport of tennis as well as a type of traditional wooden shoe. | |||
| English | tennis | ||
| The word "tennis" originates from the 13th-century French word "tenez" meaning "take this" or "receive." | |||
| French | tennis | ||
| In France, the word | |||
| Frisian | tennis | ||
| It may derive from the Dutch word "tennes" via Old Frisian "tenese". | |||
| Galician | tenis | ||
| Galician "tenis" derives from Old Occitan "tenis," meaning "struggle," and can also refer to arguing or fighting. | |||
| German | tennis | ||
| In German, "Tennis" also refers to a medieval court game played with a ball and rackets. | |||
| Icelandic | tennis | ||
| Tênis is a type of Portuguese dance music that originated in Rio de Janeiro and is known for its high energy and fast rhythm. | |||
| Irish | leadóg | ||
| The word "Leadóg" in Irish, as well as meaning "tennis" also refers to a "leap" or "bound". | |||
| Italian | tennis | ||
| The word "tennis" comes from the old French word "tenez" (meaning "take"), which was used to announce that a player was about to serve. | |||
| Luxembourgish | tennis | ||
| Maltese | tennis | ||
| The Maltese word "tennis" is derived from the French word "tenez", meaning "hold" or "take". | |||
| Norwegian | tennis | ||
| Tennis can also mean "thank you" or "excuse me" in Swedish. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | tênis | ||
| "Tênis" in Portuguese can also mean "sneaker" in both Portugal and Brazil. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | teanas | ||
| The root word "teanas" in Scots Gaelic refers to both a "journey" and "stretching", reflecting its ancient roots in a game played with a stretched hide and a projectile. | |||
| Spanish | tenis | ||
| 'Tenis' can also refer to sneakers or gym shoes in countries like Mexico, Colombia, and Guatemala. | |||
| Swedish | tennis | ||
| The Swedish word "tennis" comes from the French word "tenez," meaning "take it," and is a reference to the call made when serving the ball. | |||
| Welsh | tenis | ||
| The Welsh word 'tenis' can also refer to a type of dance. | |||
Tennis in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | тэніс | ||
| The word "тэніс" is thought to come from the French word "tenez", meaning "take (the ball)", or from the Old English word "tenisen", meaning "to strike with a palm". It can also refer to a type of embroidery or a breed of dog. | |||
| Bosnian | tenis | ||
| Tenis in Bosnian also means a type of dance. | |||
| Bulgarian | тенис | ||
| The word "тенис" in Bulgarian can also refer to table tennis or badminton. | |||
| Czech | tenis | ||
| Czech "tenis" also refers to shoes designed for the sport and to "tennis elbow" | |||
| Estonian | tennis | ||
| The word "tennis" is derived from the Old French word "tenez" meaning "take heed" or "receive". | |||
| Finnish | tennis | ||
| The Finnish word "tennis" is derived from the French "tenez", meaning "take this" or "hold". | |||
| Hungarian | tenisz | ||
| The word "tenisz" comes from the French word "tenez" meaning "hold!", a command used during a game of real tennis. | |||
| Latvian | teniss | ||
| Teniss originates from Old French "tenez" meaning "receive" and "play". | |||
| Lithuanian | tenisas | ||
| The word "tenisas" in Lithuanian is derived from the French word "tenez," meaning "hold" or "receive." | |||
| Macedonian | тенис | ||
| "Тенис" is derived from the Old French word "tenez", meaning "take" or "hold". | |||
| Polish | tenis ziemny | ||
| The term comes from French "jeu de paume" meaning "palm game". | |||
| Romanian | tenis | ||
| In Romanian, "tenis" can also refer to sports shoes worn for leisure. | |||
| Russian | большой теннис | ||
| Большой теннис in Russian can also refer to the sport of badminton. | |||
| Serbian | тенис | ||
| Реч Тенис означава и 'простор, место где се теже тели', од речи 'тег' која је сродна са германским 'ziehen' (вући). | |||
| Slovak | tenis | ||
| The word "tenis" in Slovak can also refer to a type of shoe worn for playing tennis. | |||
| Slovenian | tenis | ||
| The word 'tenis' in Slovenian can also refer to the sport of 'table tennis'. | |||
| Ukrainian | теніс | ||
| The word "теніс" comes from the French word "tenez" (literally "hold") and was used to announce that one was serving. | |||
Tennis in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | টেনিস | ||
| The word 'টেনিস' in Bengali derives from the Arabic word 'tenez', meaning 'hold' or 'take'. | |||
| Gujarati | ટેનિસ | ||
| The word "tennis" is derived from the Anglo-Norman term "tenetz", meaning "hold" or "take". It was originally a general term for any ball game played with the hand, but by the 17th century, it had come to refer specifically to the game we know today. | |||
| Hindi | टेनिस | ||
| टेनिस (tennis) शब्द की उत्पत्ति लैटिन शब्द 'टेनेरे' से हुई है, जिसका अर्थ है पकड़ना या रखना। | |||
| Kannada | ಟೆನಿಸ್ | ||
| "ಟೆನಿಸ್" is derived from the French word "tenez" meaning "take this" or "receive". | |||
| Malayalam | ടെന്നീസ് | ||
| The word "ടെന്നീസ്" is derived from the French word "tenez", which means "take (this)". | |||
| Marathi | टेनिस | ||
| It derives from the Old French word “tenez” (meaning “take (the ball)”) | |||
| Nepali | टेनिस | ||
| The word "टेनिस" is derived from the French word "tenir", meaning "to hold" or "to keep" in English, referring to the player's grip on the racket. | |||
| Punjabi | ਟੈਨਿਸ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਟੈਨਿਸ" also has a secondary meaning indicating a small tent or canopy. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ටෙනිස් | ||
| 'ටෙනිස්' ('tennis') is derived from Old French 'tenez', meaning 'take, receive, or hold' | |||
| Tamil | டென்னிஸ் | ||
| The word "tennis" is derived from the French word "tenez," which means "here you go." | |||
| Telugu | టెన్నిస్ | ||
| The word "టెన్నిస్" originated from the Old French word "tenez" meaning "take (the ball)". | |||
| Urdu | ٹینس | ||
Tennis in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 网球 | ||
| 网球一词源于法语「tenez」，意为“接球”。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 網球 | ||
| 網球來自法語「tenez」，意即「抓住它」 | |||
| Japanese | テニス | ||
| The word "テニス" can also mean "lawn tennis" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 테니스 | ||
| 테니스(tennis)는 중세 프랑스어 단어 'tenez'에서 유래했으며, '받아라'는 뜻이며, 서브를 할 때 라켓으로 공을 던질 때 사용하던 말로부터 왔습니다. | |||
| Mongolian | теннис | ||
| Теннис is derived from the French word "tenez", meaning “take”. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တင်းနစ် | ||
| Derived from the French word “tenez” which means “receive” | |||
Tennis in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | tenis | ||
| In Indonesian, "tenis" is derived from Dutch "tennis" and also refers to a type of small percussion instrument made of coconut shell. | |||
| Javanese | tenis | ||
| In Javanese, "tenis" also means "to play with a ball." | |||
| Khmer | កីឡាវាយកូនបាល់ | ||
| Lao | ເທນນິດ | ||
| คำว่า "ເທນນິດ" มักจะใช้เรียกการแข่งขันที่เรียกว่า "แบดมินตัน" | |||
| Malay | tenis | ||
| The name 'tenis' in Malay also refers to rackets used in traditional games like main jaring (net game) and sepak takraw (kick volleyball). | |||
| Thai | เทนนิส | ||
| The Thai word เทนนิส also means 'ten-nis' (สิบนิส) which could refer to the ten rules of tennis or the number of points one needs to win each game. | |||
| Vietnamese | quần vợt | ||
| The origin of “quần vợt” is still debated, but many believe it is derived from the counting word for balls used in the game: | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tennis | ||
Tennis in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | tennis | ||
| The word "tennis" is derived from the Old French "tenez," the imperative of "tenir" meaning to hold, referring to the act of holding the ball or the server's call of "play". | |||
| Kazakh | теннис | ||
| The word "теннис" comes from the French word "tenez" which means "take it" or "hold it". It is also thought to be derived from the Anglo-Norman word "tenez" which means "to strike". | |||
| Kyrgyz | теннис | ||
| Слово "теннис" образовано от французского „tenez“ ( | |||
| Tajik | теннис | ||
| In Tajik, теннис means "lawn tennis" or simply "tennis". | |||
| Turkmen | tennis | ||
| Uzbek | tennis | ||
| The word "tennis" comes from the French word "tenir", meaning "to hold". There is also the verb in Uzbek “to play (tennis) - "tennisi o‘ynash" | |||
| Uyghur | تېننىس توپ | ||
Tennis in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kinipōpō | ||
| The Hawaiian word | |||
| Maori | tēnehi | ||
| The word 'tēnehi' was originally used to describe a game played with a ball and a stick, similar to hockey. | |||
| Samoan | tenisi | ||
| The word 'tenisi' is also used to refer to a game similar to hopscotch, played with a small stone or shell on a marked out court. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tennis | ||
| In Tagalog, one of the alternate meanings of "tennis" is "a type of small fish caught in nets." | |||
Tennis in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | tenis ukax mä jach’a uñacht’äwiwa | ||
| Guarani | tenis rehegua | ||
Tennis in International Languages
| Esperanto | teniso | ||
| Latin | tennis | ||
| The word "tennis" originated from the Latin phrase "tenez", meaning "take heed", which was used to alert the receiver that the ball was coming. | |||
Tennis in Others Languages
| Greek | τένις | ||
| "Tένις" in Greek can also refer to a type of playing card known as a "court card" or "face card". | |||
| Hmong | ntaus pob tesniv | ||
| "Ntaus pob tesniv" derives from "ntaus pob" meaning "to throw a ball" and "tesniv" meaning "netted". Netted refers to the net that divides the court. | |||
| Kurdish | tenîs | ||
| The word "tenîs" in Kurdish is derived from the Persian word "tenīs" which means "stringed instrument" | |||
| Turkish | tenis | ||
| Tenis can also mean string, wire, or cord in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | intenetya | ||
| The word 'intenetya' is also used to refer to the game of squash in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | טעניס | ||
| The Yiddish word for tennis can also mean 'to run back and forth' or 'to dally'. | |||
| Zulu | ithenisi | ||
| The word "ithenisi" may also refer to a type of Zulu dance. | |||
| Assamese | টেনিছ | ||
| Aymara | tenis ukax mä jach’a uñacht’äwiwa | ||
| Bhojpuri | टेनिस के खेलल जाला | ||
| Dhivehi | ޓެނިސް ކުޅެއެވެ | ||
| Dogri | टेनिस दा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tennis | ||
| Guarani | tenis rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | tennis nga | ||
| Krio | tɛnis we dɛn kɔl tɛnis | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | تێنس | ||
| Maithili | टेनिस | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯦꯅꯤꯁ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | tennis a ni | ||
| Oromo | teenisii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଟେନିସ୍ | | ||
| Quechua | tenis | ||
| Sanskrit | टेनिसः | ||
| Tatar | теннис | ||
| Tigrinya | ቴኒስ ዝበሃል ውድድር | ||
| Tsonga | thenisi | ||