Train in Different Languages
Discover 'Train' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Ah, the humble 'train' - a word that signifies so much more than just a mode of transportation! It represents a cultural phenomenon, a symbol of human ingenuity and progress. From the first steam locomotive to the high-speed bullet trains, this invention has transformed our lives and landscapes in countless ways.
Trains have played a starring role in literature and film, from the romantic Hogwarts Express in Harry Potter to the thrilling locomotive chases in Westerns. They've also been the site of significant historical events, like the Underground Railroad that ferried slaves to freedom in the US.
Given their global impact, it's no surprise that the word 'train' has been adopted and adapted into many languages. Here are just a few examples:
- Spanish: tren
- French: train
- German: Zug
- Mandarin: 火车 (huǒchē)
- Japanese: 列車 (ressha)
Stay tuned to learn more about these translations and the rich cultural contexts they're embedded in!
Train
Train in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | trein | ||
| In the Afrikaans language, "trein" additionally denotes a queue or line, similar to its usage in Dutch. | |||
| Amharic | ባቡር | ||
| In Amharic, the word ባቡር also means 'a great many' or 'a large number'. | |||
| Hausa | jirgin kasa | ||
| "Jirgin kasa" means both "train" and "airplane" in Hausa, and derives from the Arabic "jarra" (to pull, to transport) and "kasa" (a thing, an object). | |||
| Igbo | ụgbọ oloko | ||
| In Igbo, the word "ụgbọ oloko" not only means "train" but also refers to a "line of people or things". | |||
| Malagasy | fiaran-dalamby | ||
| The word "fiaran-dalamby" literally means "iron carriage". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | sitima | ||
| The Nyanja word sitima can also refer to a motor vehicle or a bicycle | |||
| Shona | chitima | ||
| The word 'chitima' in Shona also means 'a group of people travelling together for a common purpose'. | |||
| Somali | tareen | ||
| The Somali word "tareen" can also refer to a line of people or animals, or a sequence of events. | |||
| Sesotho | terene | ||
| Sesotho derives 'terene' from the Dutch 'trein' which in turn stems from the French 'train', meaning 'pull' or 'draw'. | |||
| Swahili | treni | ||
| In Swahili, "treni" is derived from the English word "train" and primarily refers to a mode of transportation on rails, but it can also mean a practice session or a sequence of events. | |||
| Xhosa | uloliwe | ||
| The Xhosa word 'uloliwe' is derived from the Zulu word for 'snake' (ululwe), referring to the snake-like motion of the train. | |||
| Yoruba | reluwe | ||
| In Yoruba, the word "reluwe" can also refer to a long chain, rope, or line, highlighting its extended usage beyond the realm of trains. | |||
| Zulu | isitimela | ||
| The Zulu word "isitimela" is also used to refer to a "railway" or "line of rail". | |||
| Bambara | tɛrɛn | ||
| Ewe | na hehe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gari ya moshi | ||
| Lingala | koteya | ||
| Luganda | gaali y'omukka | ||
| Sepedi | hlahla | ||
| Twi (Akan) | tete | ||
Train in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | قطار | ||
| قطار (qiṭār) is not only the Arabic word for train but also the Arabic plural of قِط (qiṭṭ), which means "cat". | |||
| Hebrew | רכבת | ||
| רכבת (train) is a combination of the words רֶכֶב (vehicle) and תְּבוּאָה (cargo), referring to the vehicle's purpose of transporting goods. | |||
| Pashto | اورګاډي | ||
| The Pashto word "اورګاډي" is derived from the Persian word "ارابه" meaning "carriage" or "chariot". | |||
| Arabic | قطار | ||
| قطار (qiṭār) is not only the Arabic word for train but also the Arabic plural of قِط (qiṭṭ), which means "cat". | |||
Train in Western European Languages
| Albanian | tren | ||
| The English word "train" likely shares a common ancestral Proto-Indo-European root, *tre- ('run, wheel'), with the Albanian word "tren". | |||
| Basque | trena | ||
| The word "trena" in Basque, derived from French "traîne", can also refer to a long trailing fabric or garment worn as part of a ceremonial dress. | |||
| Catalan | tren | ||
| "Tren" in Catalan also refers to the sound of thunder. | |||
| Croatian | vlak | ||
| The word "vlak" also refers to a type of traditional Croatian folk dance. | |||
| Danish | tog | ||
| In Danish, "tog" also means "rope" or "string". | |||
| Dutch | trein | ||
| In Dutch, "trein" also means "procession" or "series". | |||
| English | train | ||
| The word 'train' comes from the Old French word 'trahiner', which means 'to drag' or 'to pull'. | |||
| French | train | ||
| Train can also mean "to pull" or "to educate" in French. | |||
| Frisian | trein | ||
| The Frisian word "trein" can also refer to a "series" or "course", such as a "trein fan dagen" (series of days). | |||
| Galician | adestrar | ||
| Adestrar derives from Latin ad + dextera (right hand), and also means to become skillful or competent. | |||
| German | zug | ||
| Zug, meaning 'train' in German, comes from the verb 'ziehen,' meaning 'to pull,' as trains pull carriages behind them. | |||
| Icelandic | þjálfa | ||
| The Icelandic word "þjálfa" can also mean "to exercise" or "to practice". | |||
| Irish | traein | ||
| The Irish word "traein" also means "strength" or "power". | |||
| Italian | treno | ||
| The Italian word "treno" derives from the Latin verb "trahere," meaning "to pull" or "to drag," as trains pull or drag carriages behind them. | |||
| Luxembourgish | trainéieren | ||
| Maltese | ferrovija | ||
| The Maltese word 'ferrovija' likely originates from the Italian word 'ferrovia', meaning 'railway', which in turn derives from the Latin words 'ferrum', meaning 'iron', and 'via', meaning 'way'. | |||
| Norwegian | tog | ||
| The word "tog" in Norwegian can also refer to a garment worn over other clothing | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | trem | ||
| "Trem" derives from the Latin word "tramen," meaning "a way across" and also refers to a "streetcar" or "tramway" in Brazil. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | trèana | ||
| The Gaelic word "trèana" was originally "triana" and it meant "three" and described the three wheels that a train travels on. | |||
| Spanish | tren | ||
| Tren derives from the Latin "trahere", meaning "to pull" or "to drag". | |||
| Swedish | tåg | ||
| The word "tåg" in Swedish comes from the Proto-Germanic | |||
| Welsh | trên | ||
| In Welsh, "trên" is not only a synonym for "train" but also means "upon" or "above". | |||
Train in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | цягнік | ||
| The word "цягнік" also means "tractor" or "a long line of something moving" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | voz | ||
| "Voz" also means "Army" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | влак | ||
| The word "влак" has alternate meanings of "convoy" and "line, row" (in the context of military formations) in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | vlak | ||
| In Old Czech, the word "vlak" could also mean a "bundle of hay" or a "group of people" | |||
| Estonian | rong | ||
| The word rong, meaning train in Estonian, was derived from an early railway company's telegraph system, 'Telegraaf Rong'} | |||
| Finnish | kouluttaa | ||
| The word "kouluttaa" in Finnish can also mean "to teach" or "to educate." | |||
| Hungarian | vonat | ||
| The word "vonat" is a Hungarian loanword from the German "Bahnhof", meaning "railway station". | |||
| Latvian | vilciens | ||
| The Latvian word "vilciens" is derived from the German word "Viehwagen," meaning "cattle car," due to the use of cattle cars for passenger transport in the early days of Latvian railways. | |||
| Lithuanian | traukinys | ||
| The word "traukinys" originally referred to a group of people or things traveling together. | |||
| Macedonian | воз | ||
| The word "воз" in Macedonian could be originally derived from Proto-Slavic "vozъ", which also referred to a cart. | |||
| Polish | pociąg | ||
| The word "pociąg" also means "urge" or "desire" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | tren | ||
| In Romanian, the word "tren" can also refer to a section or route of a railroad, a cable car, or a trolley. | |||
| Russian | поезд | ||
| The Russian word "поезд" (train) initially referred to a convoy of carts or sleds and in this sense originated from the verb "поезжать" (to set off on a journey). | |||
| Serbian | воз | ||
| The word "воз" (voz) may also refer to a type of wooden cart used for transportation. | |||
| Slovak | vlak | ||
| The word "vlak" can also refer to a single rail car. | |||
| Slovenian | vlak | ||
| The word "vlak" is not originally Slovenian, it was borrowed from German, where it means "plain surface". | |||
| Ukrainian | поїзд | ||
| The word "поїзд" comes from the Middle French verb "poyer", meaning "to push" or "to drive forward". | |||
Train in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ট্রেন | ||
| In addition to its conventional meaning, "ট্রেন" also refers to a hairstyle similar to a French braid with hair extensions woven in. | |||
| Gujarati | ટ્રેન | ||
| This term can also be used to describe a series of people or animals that move in an orderly way. | |||
| Hindi | रेल गाडी | ||
| "रेल गाडी" (train) is a combination of two words "रेल" (rail) and "गाडी" (cart) | |||
| Kannada | ರೈಲು | ||
| The word "ರೈಲು" (train) in Kannada is derived from the English word "rail" and also refers to a series of connected vehicles used for transportation. | |||
| Malayalam | ട്രെയിൻ | ||
| "ട്രെയിൻ" in Malayalam also refers to a collection of logs tied together and floated downstream | |||
| Marathi | ट्रेन | ||
| In Marathi, the word "ट्रेन" (pronounced "tren") can also refer to a line of people or vehicles, or a series of events or actions. | |||
| Nepali | ट्रेन | ||
| The word "ट्रेन" (train) can also refer to a long group of people or animals moving in a line. | |||
| Punjabi | ਟ੍ਰੇਨ | ||
| The word 'ਟ੍ਰੇਨ' (train) in Punjabi can also refer to the process of grooming or training an individual or animal. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දුම්රිය | ||
| The word "දුම්රිය" can also refer to a "chimney" or "pipe" which is probably because trains have tall chimneys on top of their engine cars. | |||
| Tamil | தொடர்வண்டி | ||
| In Tamil, the term "தொடர்வண்டி" originally referred to an elephant-drawn carriage, showcasing the cultural significance of elephants in the region. | |||
| Telugu | రైలు | ||
| The word "రైలు" (train) is derived from the Tamil word "ரயில்" (rail), which in turn is derived from the English word "rail." | |||
| Urdu | ٹرین | ||
| "ٹرین" can also refer to a group of people or animals moving together in a line, or to a line of vehicles moving along a road. | |||
Train in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 培养 | ||
| The word 培养 can also mean "to cultivate" or "to nurture" in Chinese | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 培養 | ||
| The alternate meaning of the Chinese character "培養" is "nurture". | |||
| Japanese | 列車 | ||
| "列車" (ressha, train) comes from "連なる" (renreru, to be connected) and "車" (sha, a vehicle), as the individual cars are linked together into a longer train. | |||
| Korean | 기차 | ||
| "기차" also refers to a 'series of events, actions, or situations that follow one after the other', like English "train of thought." | |||
| Mongolian | галт тэрэг | ||
| The word | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရထား | ||
| ရထား is likely derived from Sanskrit, where ''ratha'' means ''chariot'' | |||
Train in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | melatih | ||
| The Indonesian word "melatih" derives from the Proto-Austronesian word "*talay", which means "to stretch" or "to extend". | |||
| Javanese | sepur | ||
| In Javanese, the word 'sepur' can also refer to a snake or a train of carts. | |||
| Khmer | រថភ្លើង | ||
| Before the widespread use of trains in Cambodia, រថភ្លើង also referred to a kind of sedan chair carried by several people. | |||
| Lao | ຝຶກອົບຮົມ | ||
| A common error in teaching the word "ຝຶກອົບຮົມ" for "train" is to include the middle syllable "อบ", which is actually a loanword from Thai that means "to warm". The correct Lao word for "train" contains only the first and last syllables, "ຝຶກ" and "ຮົມ". | |||
| Malay | kereta api | ||
| The word "kereta api" literally means "fire cart" in Malay, referring to the early steam engines used to power trains. | |||
| Thai | รถไฟ | ||
| The Thai word "รถไฟ" (train) is etymologically derived from the Sanskrit word "रथ" (ratha), meaning "vehicle" or "chariot". | |||
| Vietnamese | xe lửa | ||
| Originally meant 'fire chariot', its meaning drifted from carriages with burning candles to steam trains, then diesel trains and modern ones. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tren | ||
Train in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qatar | ||
| The word "qatar" is a cognate of the Persian word "qator" and the Arabic word "qaṭār", all meaning "row, series, or file". | |||
| Kazakh | пойыз | ||
| «Пойыз» is thought to have originated from Russian «поезд» (train). In some regional dialects it can mean "a flock of sheep". | |||
| Kyrgyz | поезд | ||
| The word "поезд" also means "line of wagons or carriages" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | қатора | ||
| "қатора" is derived from the Tajik word "қотар" meaning "row" or "line" and refers to the arrangement of train cars in a single line. | |||
| Turkmen | otly | ||
| Uzbek | poezd | ||
| The word "poezd" in Uzbek is derived from the Persian word "payizd", which means "foot soldier" or "infantry". | |||
| Uyghur | پويىز | ||
Train in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kaʻaahi | ||
| Kaʻaahi is a modern Hawaiian word derived from the English word "train," reflecting the influence of Western technology on Hawaiian culture. | |||
| Maori | tereina | ||
| The word "tereina" can also refer to a line or row, such as a line of people or a row of trees. | |||
| Samoan | nofoaafi | ||
| The word 'nofoaafi' in Samoan is cognate with 'oloafi' or 'kolo' ('ship' or 'canoe') in Polynesian languages. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sanayin | ||
| The word 'sanayin' in Tagalog can also refer to the process of training or conditioning. | |||
Train in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | chhukhuchhukhu | ||
| Guarani | ñembosako'i | ||
Train in International Languages
| Esperanto | trajno | ||
| The word "trajno" is originally derived from the French word "traîner" (to drag or pull), which is ultimately derived from the Latin word "trahere" (to draw or pull). | |||
| Latin | agmen | ||
| The Latin word "agmen" not only means "train" but also can refer to a marching army, a flock of birds, or a swarm of insects. | |||
Train in Others Languages
| Greek | τρένο | ||
| The word "τρένο" can also mean "song" or "hymn" in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | tsheb ciav hlau | ||
| The word "tsheb ciav hlau" can also refer to "airplane" or "helicopter". | |||
| Kurdish | tirên | ||
| The word "tirên" also means "to carry" in Kurdish, suggesting its dual role in transportation. | |||
| Turkish | tren | ||
| The Turkish word "tren" is derived from the French word "train", which means "pull" or "drag". | |||
| Xhosa | uloliwe | ||
| The Xhosa word 'uloliwe' is derived from the Zulu word for 'snake' (ululwe), referring to the snake-like motion of the train. | |||
| Yiddish | באַן | ||
| The Yiddish word "באַן" ("train") is derived from the German word "Bahn" ("road" or "track") and also means "path" or "course" in Yiddish. | |||
| Zulu | isitimela | ||
| The Zulu word "isitimela" is also used to refer to a "railway" or "line of rail". | |||
| Assamese | ৰেলগাড়ী | ||
| Aymara | chhukhuchhukhu | ||
| Bhojpuri | रेल | ||
| Dhivehi | ޓްރެއިން | ||
| Dogri | रेल | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tren | ||
| Guarani | ñembosako'i | ||
| Ilocano | tren | ||
| Krio | tren | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕاهێنان | ||
| Maithili | ट्रेन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯥꯛꯄꯤ ꯇꯝꯕꯤꯕ | ||
| Mizo | zirtir | ||
| Oromo | leenjisuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଟ୍ରେନ୍ | ||
| Quechua | tren | ||
| Sanskrit | रेलयानम् | ||
| Tatar | поезд | ||
| Tigrinya | ባቡር | ||
| Tsonga | letela | ||