Traffic in Different Languages
Discover 'Traffic' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Have you ever wondered how different cultures and languages define and understand the concept of 'traffic'? This word, so familiar to us in the context of modern transportation, holds significance far beyond its everyday usage. Traffic serves as a barometer of a city's vitality, a key component of urban planning, and even as a metaphor for the flow of information or people in various contexts.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'traffic' in different languages can offer intriguing insights into cultural priorities and societal norms. For instance, in German, 'Verkehr' refers to both traffic and transportation, while in French, 'trafic' also includes illegal drug trade. In Hindi, 'trafico' translates to 'सड़क सम्बन्धी गतिविधि' (Sadak sambandhi gatividhi), emphasizing the connection between traffic and roads.
Join us as we delve into the multifaceted world of 'traffic' in different languages, and discover the unique perspectives that each language offers on this global phenomenon.
Traffic
Traffic in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | verkeer | ||
| The Afrikaans term 'verkeer' also refers to a person's 'manner' and is derived from the Dutch 'verkeren' meaning 'to associate', 'to dwell' and 'to circulate'. | |||
| Amharic | ትራፊክ | ||
| The Amharic word ትራፊክ can also mean 'trade' or 'commerce'. | |||
| Hausa | zirga-zirga | ||
| "Zirga-zirga" also means "to wander" or "to go in circles" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | okporo ụzọ | ||
| "Okporo ụzọ" literally translates to "road children" in Igbo, highlighting the common perception of traffic as a nuisance caused by numerous vehicles crowding the roads. | |||
| Malagasy | fifamoivoizana | ||
| The word 'fifamoivoizana' in Malagasy is derived from 'five' (fivY) and 'move' (move), referring to the movement of vehicles. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | magalimoto | ||
| The word 'magalimoto' is derived from the noun 'galimoto' ('car') and the prefix 'ma-' ('of, belonging to'). This suggests that the original meaning of 'magalimoto' was 'a collection of cars'. | |||
| Shona | traffic | ||
| The word "traffic" in Shona can also refer to the movement of people or animals. | |||
| Somali | taraafikada | ||
| In Somali, the word "taraafikada" is also used to refer to a "road" or a "street". | |||
| Sesotho | sephethephethe | ||
| In Sesotho, the word "sephethephethe" originally meant "a large group of people walking together", but its meaning has since evolved to refer to "traffic". | |||
| Swahili | trafiki | ||
| The Swahili word "trafiki" also means "business" or "affairs" and is derived from the Arabic word "taraafa" meaning "news" or "affairs". | |||
| Xhosa | ukugcwala | ||
| The word 'Ukugcwala' derives from 'ukugcwala komgwaqa', which means 'being crowded on the road'. | |||
| Yoruba | ijabọ | ||
| "Ijabọ," the Yoruba word for "traffic" shares the same root with "ijó" meaning "to walk" in the Yoruba language. | |||
| Zulu | ithrafikhi | ||
| The Zulu word "ithrafikhi" literally translates to "the movement of people". | |||
| Bambara | sirikilasiyɔn | ||
| Ewe | trafik | ||
| Kinyarwanda | traffic | ||
| Lingala | makambo ya kotambola | ||
| Luganda | tulafiki | ||
| Sepedi | sephethephethe | ||
| Twi (Akan) | trafeke | ||
Traffic in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | حركة المرور | ||
| The word حركة المرور literally means 'the movement of passage.' | |||
| Hebrew | תְנוּעָה | ||
| תְנוּעָה, in addition to meaning "traffic," also refers to "movement," "dance," and "a vowel." | |||
| Pashto | ترافیک | ||
| ترافیک also means 'exchange' or 'business' in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | حركة المرور | ||
| The word حركة المرور literally means 'the movement of passage.' | |||
Traffic in Western European Languages
| Albanian | trafiku | ||
| The word "trafiku" is derived from the Italian word "traffico", meaning "trade" or "commerce". | |||
| Basque | trafikoa | ||
| In Basque, "trafikoa" can also refer to a game where a group of people run around and try to avoid being caught by one person. | |||
| Catalan | trànsit | ||
| The word "trànsit" can also refer to the passage of a heavenly body across the sky or a person's journey to the afterlife. | |||
| Croatian | promet | ||
| The word "promet" is derived from the verb "promijentiti", meaning "to change or exchange", and also refers to the circulation of goods and services in the economy. | |||
| Danish | trafik | ||
| The Danish word 'trafik' can also refer to the physical infrastructure, such as roads and railways, used for the movement of people and goods. | |||
| Dutch | verkeer | ||
| English | traffic | ||
| The word 'traffic' derives from the Middle English word 'trafik,' meaning 'commerce' or 'trade,' which in turn comes from the Latin word 'traficus,' meaning 'pertaining to a road.' | |||
| French | trafic | ||
| In Old French, "trafic" meant a trick or a deceptive practice, akin to the English "traffic" in its archaic sense. | |||
| Frisian | ferkear | ||
| In Dutch, 'verkeer' can also mean 'incorrect behavior' or 'wrongdoing' | |||
| Galician | tráfico | ||
| En galego, "tráfico" significa também "comércio ilícito". | |||
| German | der verkehr | ||
| The word "der Verkehr" also means "course of action" or "intercourse" in German. | |||
| Icelandic | umferð | ||
| The Icelandic word "umferð" also refers to a "circuit" or "procession". | |||
| Irish | trácht | ||
| The Irish word "trácht" originally meant "strand", but has come to mean "traffic" since the 19th century. | |||
| Italian | traffico | ||
| The Italian word “traffico” derives from the Latin word “traficare”, meaning “to move from one place to another”. | |||
| Luxembourgish | verkéier | ||
| The word "Verkéier" in Luxembourgish can also refer to a crowd of people or the movement of goods or people. | |||
| Maltese | traffiku | ||
| The Maltese word "traffiku" originates from the Sicilian "trafficu", ultimately deriving from the Arabic "tarfīq" meaning "company" or "association." | |||
| Norwegian | trafikk | ||
| "Trafikk" is derived from the Dutch word "trafick" which means "trade" or "commerce" and was originally used in Norwegian to refer to the movement of goods. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | tráfego | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "tráfego" can also refer to data transmission or the flow of people or goods. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | trafaic | ||
| Scots Gaelic 'trafaic' also means 'journey', from the Middle Irish 'trabach' meaning 'labour'. | |||
| Spanish | tráfico | ||
| Tráfico, Spanish for "traffic," derives from the Arabic "at-tawfīq" meaning "distribution, order," but can also refer to drug dealing or human trafficking. | |||
| Swedish | trafik | ||
| "Trafik" in Swedish originally meant "post road" (postväg) | |||
| Welsh | traffig | ||
| Welsh "traffig" means "traffic", but is also an alternate spelling of "traffwyg", meaning "activity, proceedings, or conduct". | |||
Traffic in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | руху | ||
| Belarusian "руху" also means "movement", similar to the Russian "движение". | |||
| Bosnian | prometa | ||
| The word 'promet' in Bosnian can also mean 'transfer of knowledge', 'exchange of goods', or 'progress'. | |||
| Bulgarian | трафик | ||
| In Bulgarian, "трафик" (traffic) derives from Arabic "tārif", meaning "announcement" or "proclamation", via Greek "tariffos" and French "tarif". | |||
| Czech | provoz | ||
| Provoz can also refer to an establishment, enterprise, or an installation. | |||
| Estonian | liiklus | ||
| In Estonian, "liiklus" not only refers to automotive traffic, but also transportation overall and even blood circulation. | |||
| Finnish | liikenne | ||
| The word "liikenne" is related to the verb "liikkua" and means "movement" or "circulation" in general, which includes not only vehicle traffic but also the flow of water or people. | |||
| Hungarian | forgalom | ||
| Forgalom can also mean turnover, especially in the context of business revenue. | |||
| Latvian | satiksme | ||
| The word "satiksme" is derived from the verb "satikties", meaning "to meet". | |||
| Lithuanian | srautas | ||
| The word "srautas" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *sreu- meaning "to flow". | |||
| Macedonian | сообраќај | ||
| The Macedonian word "сообраќај" also means "consideration", "opinion", or "thought" in a more general sense. | |||
| Polish | ruch drogowy | ||
| Ruch drogowy, a literal translation of 'traffic', also means 'movement of the road' or 'traffic in the road'. | |||
| Romanian | trafic | ||
| In Romanian, "trafic" can also refer to the illegal sale or exchange of goods or services. | |||
| Russian | движение | ||
| The word "движение" (traffic) in Russian can also mean "movement", | |||
| Serbian | саобраћај | ||
| In Serbian, "саобраћај" originally meant "interaction" or "communication" but later acquired the additional meaning of "traffic". | |||
| Slovak | doprava | ||
| The Slovak word "doprava" also means "transport" and is derived from the verb "dopraviť" (to transport). | |||
| Slovenian | prometa | ||
| The word "prometa" shares the same root "met" with English "come" and "meet," referring to convergence. | |||
| Ukrainian | дорожнього руху | ||
| "Дорожнього руху" is the Ukrainian translation of "traffic" and literally means "road movement". | |||
Traffic in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ট্র্যাফিক | ||
| The Bengali word 'ট্র্যাফিক' (traffic) is a cognate of the English word 'traffic', which originally meant 'trade' or 'commerce'. | |||
| Gujarati | ટ્રાફિક | ||
| "ટ્રાફિક" comes from Arabic "tafriq" meaning "separation" and also means "trading" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | यातायात | ||
| The word 'यातायात' has its roots in Sanskrit, meaning 'movement' or 'circulation'. | |||
| Kannada | ಸಂಚಾರ | ||
| The word "ಸಂಚಾರ"(traffic) originally meant "wandering" or "circulation" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | ട്രാഫിക് | ||
| The word ട്രാഫിക് (traffic) in Malayalam is derived from the Portuguese word "tráfego", meaning "trade, business, or commerce." | |||
| Marathi | रहदारी | ||
| The word 'रहदारी' (traffic) in Marathi comes from the Persian word 'rahdari', which means 'to pass'. | |||
| Nepali | ट्राफिक | ||
| In Nepali, "ट्राफिक" also refers to the transportation of goods or people, or to the movement of data or information. | |||
| Punjabi | ਟ੍ਰੈਫਿਕ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ගමනාගමනය | ||
| In modern usage, ගමනාගමනය (traffic) is mostly but not exclusively associated with motor vehicles; in ancient usage, it referred to the movement of people and goods more generally. | |||
| Tamil | போக்குவரத்து | ||
| Telugu | ట్రాఫిక్ | ||
| "ట్రాఫిక్" word is derived from the Arabic word “tafriq” which means distribution or separation. Hence, it means the distribution of goods or of people over a particular area. | |||
| Urdu | ٹریفک | ||
| The word 'traffic' also means commerce or trade in Urdu. | |||
Traffic in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 交通 | ||
| 交通 is a Chinese word used to describe the movement of people or goods, but also refers to the relationship between people or things. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 交通 | ||
| 交通's original meaning is 'uninterrupted connection' and refers to the flow of water or goods. | |||
| Japanese | トラフィック | ||
| The Japanese word "トラフィック" "(traffic)" can also mean "trade" or "intercourse". | |||
| Korean | 교통 | ||
| 교통 (gyotong) could also mean public transportation, like buses or trains. | |||
| Mongolian | замын хөдөлгөөн | ||
| The Mongolian word for "traffic" is derived from the Sanskrit root "gam" meaning "to go", and can also refer to "movement" or "circulation". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အသွားအလာ | ||
| The root of the word, "သွား," means "to go" and together the word implies movement both ways. | |||
Traffic in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | lalu lintas | ||
| The Indonesian word "lalu lintas" can also refer to "flow", "movement", or "circulation". | |||
| Javanese | lalu lintas | ||
| "Lalu lintas" in Javanese literally translates to "passing by," and refers to the movement of people and goods, as well as to physical infrastructure facilitating such movement. | |||
| Khmer | ចរាចរណ៍ | ||
| Lao | ການຈາລະຈອນ | ||
| The Lao word ການຈາລະຈອນ, which means traffic, is derived from the Sanskrit word "चराचर" (charachar), which means "moving or wandering". This suggests that the concept of traffic has been around for centuries and is not just a modern phenomenon. | |||
| Malay | lalu lintas | ||
| Lalu lintas literally means 'to go back and forth' in Malay, but commonly refers to traffic on roads. | |||
| Thai | การจราจร | ||
| The Thai word "การจราจร" derives from the Sanskrit word "car" meaning "to move". | |||
| Vietnamese | giao thông | ||
| "Giao thông" originates from the Chinese characters 交通, meaning "interconnecting" or "crossroad." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | trapiko | ||
Traffic in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | trafik | ||
| "Trafik" in Azerbaijani comes from an Arabic word which can mean a "market" or a "way", both of which relate to the Azerbaijani word's meaning of "traffic". | |||
| Kazakh | трафик | ||
| The word “трафик” in Kazakh comes from the Russian “трафик”, which in turn comes from the English “traffic.” | |||
| Kyrgyz | трафик | ||
| In Kyrgyz, "трафик" (traffic) also refers to data transmission over a network, like internet or phone data. | |||
| Tajik | ҳаракат | ||
| The word "ҳаракат" in Tajik is derived from the Arabic word "harakah" (move) and can also mean a "movement" or "action". | |||
| Turkmen | ulag | ||
| Uzbek | tirbandlik | ||
| The word "tirbandlik" also means "embarrassment" or "confusion" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | قاتناش | ||
Traffic in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kalepaʻi | ||
| Kalepa'i, meaning "to impede" or "to obstruct," gained its extended meaning of "traffic" due to its association with the obstruction caused by numerous vehicles. | |||
| Maori | waka | ||
| The term 'waka' refers to a canoe in Māori, denoting the movement of water vehicles rather than the movement of cars. | |||
| Samoan | auala | ||
| The word 'auala' in Samoan can also refer to a road or pathway. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | trapiko | ||
| "Trapiko" can also refer to a type of board game similar to Ludo. | |||
Traffic in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | sarnaqawi | ||
| Guarani | ku'eñemurã | ||
Traffic in International Languages
| Esperanto | trafiko | ||
| The Esperanto word "trafiko" is derived from the Italian word "traffico", which means "trade" or "commerce". | |||
| Latin | negotiationis | ||
| Negotiationis in Latin can also refer to trade or travel. | |||
Traffic in Others Languages
| Greek | κινηση στους δρομους | ||
| "ΚΙΝΗΣΗ στους ΔΡΟΜΟΥΣ" literally means "movement in the roads". | |||
| Hmong | tsheb loj | ||
| Kurdish | tirafîk | ||
| The word 'tirafîk' is derived from the Persian word 'tarāfiḵ' meaning 'sides' and can also refer to the sides of a road. | |||
| Turkish | trafik | ||
| The word "trafik" in Turkish can also refer to a type of dance or a children's game. | |||
| Xhosa | ukugcwala | ||
| The word 'Ukugcwala' derives from 'ukugcwala komgwaqa', which means 'being crowded on the road'. | |||
| Yiddish | פאַרקער | ||
| The Yiddish word "פאַרקער" also refers to the Jewish practice of blocking traffic near a synagogue for Shabbat services in New York City. | |||
| Zulu | ithrafikhi | ||
| The Zulu word "ithrafikhi" literally translates to "the movement of people". | |||
| Assamese | ট্ৰেফিক | ||
| Aymara | sarnaqawi | ||
| Bhojpuri | यातायात | ||
| Dhivehi | ޓްރެފިކް | ||
| Dogri | ट्रैफिक | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | trapiko | ||
| Guarani | ku'eñemurã | ||
| Ilocano | panagdaliasat | ||
| Krio | trafik | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هاتوچۆ | ||
| Maithili | ट्रैफिक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇ꯭ꯔꯐꯤꯛ | ||
| Mizo | motor | ||
| Oromo | sosochii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଟ୍ରାଫିକ୍ | ||
| Quechua | trafico | ||
| Sanskrit | सम्मर्द | ||
| Tatar | трафик | ||
| Tigrinya | ትራፊክ | ||
| Tsonga | ntlimbano | ||