Town in Different Languages
Discover 'Town' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
A town, often defined as a populated place with a fixed boundary and a local government, holds immense significance in our lives. It is more than just a physical space; it's a hub of culture, community, and identity. From the bustling markets of Marrakech's 'medina' to the picturesque townships of New England, towns tell stories of their people and their history.
Knowing the translation of the word 'town' in different languages can be a fascinating journey into cultural nuances. For instance, in Spanish, a town is a 'pueblo', in French, it's a 'ville', and in German, it's a 'Stadt'. Each language's translation offers a glimpse into how different cultures perceive and organize their communities.
Moreover, understanding local terms can enrich your travel experiences or deepen your connections in a global workplace. So, let's embark on this linguistic and cultural exploration together.
Town
Town in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | dorp | ||
| The term "dorp" comes from the Dutch word "dorp", which originally referred to a small village or hamlet, but now also includes larger towns in Afrikaans. | |||
| Amharic | ከተማ | ||
| The word "ከተማ" (town) in Amharic is derived from the Semitic root "k-t-m" meaning "to cover, conceal". | |||
| Hausa | gari | ||
| The word "gari" in Hausa may also refer to a type of food made from cassava. | |||
| Igbo | obodo | ||
| In some dialects, "obodo" can also refer to a "compound" or an "extended family". | |||
| Malagasy | tanàna | ||
| The word "tanàna" can also mean "village" or "countryside". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | tawuni | ||
| The word "tawuni" can also refer to a cluster of homesteads or a large village. | |||
| Shona | guta | ||
| Guta is also used to refer to the area surrounding a town or village, and can sometimes be used to refer to a rural settlement. | |||
| Somali | magaalada | ||
| Magaa-la-du can also refer to an important place in the context of the Somali proverb "Magaa-la-da ayay ku nool-yi-hi-ne" ("The town where they dwell"). | |||
| Sesotho | toropo | ||
| The word "toropo" is also used to refer to the central area of a traditional Sesotho village, where cattle are kept. | |||
| Swahili | mji | ||
| "Mji" comes from the Proto-Bantu word "*mudi", meaning "village" or "settlement" and is cognate with Kikuyu "mũcii". | |||
| Xhosa | edolophini | ||
| Edolophini is also a traditional Xhosa greeting meaning 'greetings to the people of the house'. | |||
| Yoruba | ilu | ||
| The word "ilu" can also refer to a group of people or an assembly, and is related to the word "ile" meaning "home". | |||
| Zulu | idolobha | ||
| The word "idolobha" also refers to the town's central area or marketplace. | |||
| Bambara | duguba | ||
| Ewe | du | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umujyi | ||
| Lingala | mboka | ||
| Luganda | kibuga | ||
| Sepedi | toropo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kuro | ||
Town in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مدينة | ||
| The root of the Arabic word "مدينة" (town) is "M-D-N", meaning "to settle" or "to be civilized" | |||
| Hebrew | העיר | ||
| The Hebrew word "העיר" ("town") can also mean "the state of being awake" or "the state of being watched". | |||
| Pashto | ښار | ||
| The Pashto word ښار (town) is also sometimes used in the sense of a province. | |||
| Arabic | مدينة | ||
| The root of the Arabic word "مدينة" (town) is "M-D-N", meaning "to settle" or "to be civilized" | |||
Town in Western European Languages
| Albanian | qyteti | ||
| The word "qyteti" is related to the Latin word "civitas" and the Sanskrit word "kheta". | |||
| Basque | herria | ||
| The word "herria" in Basque can also refer to a "people" or a "nation." | |||
| Catalan | ciutat | ||
| "Ciutat" in Catalan ultimately derives from the Latin word "civitas," which also means "state" or "people." | |||
| Croatian | grad | ||
| The word 'grad' in Croatian, meaning 'town', is related to the Latin word 'urbs', and the Persian word 'gard'. | |||
| Danish | by | ||
| In Old Norse, "bær" meant both "farm" and "dwelling place", later becoming "town" in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | stad- | ||
| Dutch 'stad' can derive from 'stede' ('place') or 'stat' ('bank, exchange') and is cognate to German 'Stadt' and English 'stead'. | |||
| English | town | ||
| The English word "town" derived from the Old English word "tun" meaning "a settlement or village" and is related to the German word "Zaun" meaning "fence". | |||
| French | ville | ||
| "Ville" (town) is derived from Latin "villa" (country house), and in French has the alternate meaning of "district". | |||
| Frisian | stêd | ||
| The word "stêd" has its origin in the Proto-Germanic word "*stadiz", which also means "place", "stead", or "dwelling place". | |||
| Galician | cidade | ||
| In Brazilian Portuguese, "cidade" can also refer to a city, not just a town, while in Galician it only refers to the latter. | |||
| German | stadt, dorf | ||
| "Stadt" and "Dorf" are both German words for "town", but "Stadt" usually refers to a larger settlement than "Dorf". | |||
| Icelandic | bær | ||
| The Icelandic word "bær" originally meant "homestead" or "farm" and is cognate with the English "byre" or "bower". | |||
| Irish | bhaile | ||
| The Irish word "bhaile" may be a cognate of the Welsh "baile" and the Proto-Celtic "*balia-" meaning "town" and "farmland". | |||
| Italian | cittadina | ||
| The Italian word "cittadina" can refer to a small town, a citizen of a city, or a small automobile, demonstrating the multifaceted nature of its etymology. | |||
| Luxembourgish | stad | ||
| The word 'Stad' can also refer to the capital city of Luxembourg | |||
| Maltese | belt | ||
| The word "belt" derives from the Arabic word "balad", meaning "land" or "city". | |||
| Norwegian | by | ||
| The Norwegian word "by" (town) is also used as a preposition meaning "in", "at", or "near." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | cidade | ||
| The word 'Cidade' in Portuguese derives from the Latin 'civitas', meaning 'citizen' or 'community', and is used to designate a settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | bhaile | ||
| The word "bhaile" in Scots Gaelic can also mean "homestead" or "dwelling place". | |||
| Spanish | pueblo | ||
| Pueblo, in Spanish, derives from the Latin word 'populus,' which means 'people' or 'nation.' | |||
| Swedish | stad | ||
| The word "stad" in Swedish can trace its origins to the Old Norse word "staðr", which means "place" or "settlement". | |||
| Welsh | tref | ||
| The word “tref” is also used in other Celtic languages, such as Irish and Scottish Gaelic, and derives from the Proto-Celtic word *trebou-. | |||
Town in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | горад | ||
| The word "горад" originally referred to a fortified settlement and is related to the Old Church Slavonic word "gradъ", meaning "city" or "fortress". | |||
| Bosnian | grad | ||
| It also means a fortified town or castle, likely because many towns developed from Roman forts. | |||
| Bulgarian | град | ||
| The word "град" also means "hail" in Bulgarian, sharing the same root as the English word "grand". | |||
| Czech | město | ||
| The word "město" can also refer to a "place" or a "location" in Czech, similar to the English word "stead". | |||
| Estonian | linn | ||
| Linn in Estonian also means a fortress, an encampment or a castle, as in the word | |||
| Finnish | kaupunki | ||
| The word "kaupunki" traces its roots to the Proto-Uralic word "*kawa-", meaning "field" or "plain". | |||
| Hungarian | város | ||
| The Hungarian word "város" ("town") etymologically may be related to the name of the people group "Var", or may derive from the Slavic "varъ", meaning "enclosed settlement". | |||
| Latvian | pilsēta | ||
| The Latvian word "pilsēta" originally meant "castle" but evolved to mean "town" | |||
| Lithuanian | miestas | ||
| The word "Miestas" can also refer to a village or a settlement in Lithuanian, not just a town. | |||
| Macedonian | град | ||
| The word "град" (town) in Macedonian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *gordъ, meaning "enclosure", "fort", or "fortified settlement". | |||
| Polish | miasto | ||
| The word 'miasto' also refers to an urban center in Poland, similar to a municipality or commune. | |||
| Romanian | oraș | ||
| The word "oraș" is derived from the Hungarian word "város", which means "city" or "settlement with town rights." | |||
| Russian | городок | ||
| The word городок can also refer to a military camp or a small fortification. | |||
| Serbian | град | ||
| In old Serbian, the word "Сð±Ð²" had an additional meaning: "a place of public gathering inside a fortified settlement" | |||
| Slovak | mesto | ||
| In Slavic languages, the word 'mesto' often refers to a settlement with a certain level of importance or self-governance. | |||
| Slovenian | mesto | ||
| Mesto is a South Slavic word meaning 'place', with cognates in most Slavic languages. | |||
| Ukrainian | місто | ||
| "Місто" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*mēs̆to", meaning "place" or "settlement". | |||
Town in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | শহর | ||
| শহর also means a "metropolis" or "city". | |||
| Gujarati | નગર | ||
| The Gujarati word "નગર" is derived from the Sanskrit word "नगर" ("nagara"), which has a range of meanings including "city" and "capital". | |||
| Hindi | नगर | ||
| "नगर" can also refer to a "settlement" or an "assembly of persons"} | |||
| Kannada | ಪಟ್ಟಣ | ||
| "ಪಟ್ಟಣ" is related to the Sanskrit word "pattana", which means "a market, a place of trade, a town," and also the verb "to fall down". | |||
| Malayalam | പട്ടണം | ||
| പട്ടണം ('town' in Malayalam) is derived from Sanskrit 'paṭṭaṇa', meaning 'market, town, trading station'. | |||
| Marathi | शहर | ||
| The word "शहर" (town) in Marathi is derived from the word "शहर" (city) in Persian. | |||
| Nepali | शहर | ||
| /शहर/ ('town') possibly derives from Sanskrit /छत्र/, a form of /छद्/ ( 'cover', 'hide'), which in turn is related to Persian /شه/ ('town'). | |||
| Punjabi | ਸ਼ਹਿਰ | ||
| The word 'ਸ਼ਹਿਰ' (town) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'शहर' meaning 'settlement,' 'town,' or 'fort,' and can also refer to an administrative or territorial jurisdiction. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නගරය | ||
| The word "නගරය" ultimately derives from the Sanskrit word "नगर" (nagara), meaning "city" or "town". | |||
| Tamil | நகரம் | ||
| The word "நகரம்" (town) in Tamil derives from the root "நகர்" (move), indicating a place where people gather and engage in activities. | |||
| Telugu | పట్టణం | ||
| In Sanskrit, the word "पट्टनम्" (pattanam) can also mean a "harbor" or "wharf". | |||
| Urdu | شہر | ||
| The word 'شہر' (town) originates from the Pahlavi 'šahr' (province), and is cognate with 'shire' in English and 'شهر' (city) in Farsi. | |||
Town in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 镇 | ||
| The word "镇" also has the meaning of "suppression" or "pacification" in Chinese culture. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 鎮 | ||
| The character "鎮" can also mean "calm" or "to suppress". | |||
| Japanese | 町 | ||
| 町 (machi) can also refer to the distance between telephone poles or the length of a block (109.1 meters) | |||
| Korean | 도시 | ||
| The Hanja of 도시 is 都市 and its first meaning was 'capital city'. | |||
| Mongolian | хотхон | ||
| The word "хотхон" (town) also means "settlement" or "village" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မြို့ | ||
| The word "မြို့" (town) is derived from the Pali word "nagara" which means "city" or "fortress." | |||
Town in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kota | ||
| The Indonesian word "kota", meaning “town,” originates from the Sanskrit word "kuta" meaning "fort" | |||
| Javanese | kutha | ||
| The etymology of "kutha" in Javanese is traced back to Proto-Austronesian root word *qəti, meaning "a fenced-in enclosure". | |||
| Khmer | ក្រុង | ||
| "ក្រុង" is derived from Pali "krung", meaning fortified city or capital, and is cognate with Thai "กรุง" (krung) and Lao "ກຸງ" (kung). | |||
| Lao | ເມືອງ | ||
| The word "ເມືອງ" also refers to a walled settlement protected by a moat. | |||
| Malay | bandar | ||
| The word "bandar" also refers to a port or harbor. | |||
| Thai | เมือง | ||
| The Thai word "เมือง" (town) likely originates from the Pali or Sanskrit word "nagara", meaning "city" or "fortified place". | |||
| Vietnamese | thị trấn | ||
| "Thị trấn" derives from Chinese "市镇", meaning both "town" and "marketplace". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bayan | ||
Town in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | şəhər | ||
| The word "şəhər" is etymologically related to the Persian word "shahr" and can also refer to a city, municipality, or urban area. | |||
| Kazakh | қала | ||
| The word "қала" is also used to refer to a fortress or castle in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | шаарча | ||
| The word "шаарча" (town) also means "fenced dwelling" and "small house" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | шаҳр | ||
| The Tajik word "шаҳр" is a loanword from Persian and has no Tajik analogue, but in Persian it also means "empire". | |||
| Turkmen | şäher | ||
| Uzbek | shahar | ||
| Uzbek "shahar" comes from the Persian "shahr", which originally meant "province." | |||
| Uyghur | شەھەر | ||
Town in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kulanakauhale | ||
| The word **kulanakauhale** literally means 'gathering place for the multitudes' in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | taone nui | ||
| The word "taone nui" also means "big village" or "city" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | taulaga | ||
| The word "taulaga" in Samoan also refers to a village meeting house or an assembly of respected village elders. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | bayan | ||
| The word 'bayan' is also used to refer to a 'nation' or a 'people', reflecting the communal nature of Filipino identity. | |||
Town in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | marka | ||
| Guarani | táva | ||
Town in International Languages
| Esperanto | urbo | ||
| "Urbo" is derived from the Latin word "urbs" (city) and also means "large population" in Esperanto. | |||
| Latin | oppidum | ||
| The Latin word "oppidum" can also refer to a fortified place or a military camp. | |||
Town in Others Languages
| Greek | πόλη | ||
| The word "πόλη" (town) in Greek is derived from the root word "πῶλις", meaning "fortified place" or "stronghold". | |||
| Hmong | lub zos | ||
| Lub zos is also a term of address to a male child. | |||
| Kurdish | bajar | ||
| The word "bajar" can also mean "spring" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | kasaba | ||
| The word "kasaba" in Turkish derives from the Arabic word "qasaba" (street, quarter, village) and is also used in Persian and Urdu with the same meaning. | |||
| Xhosa | edolophini | ||
| Edolophini is also a traditional Xhosa greeting meaning 'greetings to the people of the house'. | |||
| Yiddish | שטאָט | ||
| "שטאָט" is used as a feminine noun in the singular and plural while "שטעטל" is often used as a masculine singular noun to denote a small town. | |||
| Zulu | idolobha | ||
| The word "idolobha" also refers to the town's central area or marketplace. | |||
| Assamese | চহৰ | ||
| Aymara | marka | ||
| Bhojpuri | शहर | ||
| Dhivehi | ޓައުން | ||
| Dogri | नग्गर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bayan | ||
| Guarani | táva | ||
| Ilocano | ili | ||
| Krio | tɔŋ | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | شار | ||
| Maithili | शहर | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯍꯔ ꯃꯆꯥ | ||
| Mizo | khawpui | ||
| Oromo | magaalaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସହର | ||
| Quechua | llaqta | ||
| Sanskrit | नगरं | ||
| Tatar | шәһәр | ||
| Tigrinya | ንእሽተይ ከተማ | ||
| Tsonga | xidorobana | ||