Travel in Different Languages
Discover 'Travel' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Travel: it's a word that evokes excitement, adventure, and discovery. But did you know that the word 'travel' has different meanings and connotations in various cultures? In English, 'travel' refers to the act of going from one place to another, typically for pleasure or business. However, in some languages, the word for 'travel' carries a deeper cultural significance.
For example, in Spanish, 'viajar' not only means to travel but also to enjoy the journey, emphasizing the importance of the experience over the destination. Meanwhile, in German, 'reisen' implies a sense of wandering and exploration, capturing the spirit of adventure that many travelers seek.
Understanding the translation of 'travel' in different languages can enrich your cultural knowledge and enhance your travel experiences. Imagine being able to say 'I love to travel' in French ('J'aime voyager'), Italian ('Mi piace viaggiare'), or Japanese ('Tabi ga daisuki desu').
In this article, we'll explore the translations of 'travel' in various languages, shedding light on the cultural significance of this word and providing you with a new perspective on this exciting activity.
Travel
Travel in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | reis | ||
| Originally borrowed from Dutch "reis", it can also refer to a round trip or a journey with a specific direction. | |||
| Amharic | ጉዞ | ||
| In Ethiopia, people call long journeys by foot “ጉዞ” which also means “pilgrimage”. | |||
| Hausa | tafiya | ||
| The Hausa word "tafiya" can also refer to walking, going on a business journey, or migrating to a new location. | |||
| Igbo | njem | ||
| "Njem" can also refer to a journey or expedition. | |||
| Malagasy | tsangatsangana | ||
| The Malagasy word "Tsangatsangana" not only means "travel", but also "to carry on the back" and "to wander". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuyenda | ||
| The word "kuyenda" is also used figuratively in Nyanja to refer to "progress" or "going somewhere in life." | |||
| Shona | kufamba | ||
| "Kufamba" also means "to walk". | |||
| Somali | safarka | ||
| The word 'safarka' in Somali can also refer to a 'journey' or an 'expedition'. | |||
| Sesotho | ho eta | ||
| Sesotho "ho eta" is also used figuratively to mean "to go or arrive at a certain point in time, state, or condition, or to reach a certain level or degree." | |||
| Swahili | kusafiri | ||
| The word "kusafiri" in Swahili comes from the root "sfr," meaning "to journey" and is related to the Arabic word "safar," meaning "travel." | |||
| Xhosa | uhambo | ||
| The Xhosa word "uhambo" is also used to refer to a journey, an expedition, or a pilgrimage. | |||
| Yoruba | irin-ajo | ||
| In the "Ijebu" dialect of Yoruba, the word "irin-ajo" means "to take a journey or go on a trip," but in the "Ekiti" dialect, it means "to come or arrive." | |||
| Zulu | ukuhamba | ||
| In Zulu, the word 'ukuhamba' also means a 'journey to the underworld' in cultural mythology. | |||
| Bambara | ka taama | ||
| Ewe | zɔ̃ mᴐ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ingendo | ||
| Lingala | kosala mobembo | ||
| Luganda | okutambula | ||
| Sepedi | sepela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | tu kwan | ||
Travel in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | السفر | ||
| The Arabic word "السفر" ("travel") also means "the Bible" or "scripture"} | |||
| Hebrew | לִנְסוֹעַ | ||
| The verb לִנְסוֹעַ ultimately derives from the Akkadian word nassahu, which means "to pull" or "to draw out". | |||
| Pashto | سفر | ||
| "سفر" can also mean "a book" in Persian. | |||
| Arabic | السفر | ||
| The Arabic word "السفر" ("travel") also means "the Bible" or "scripture"} | |||
Travel in Western European Languages
| Albanian | udhëtim | ||
| In Albanian, the Albanian word 'udhëtim' (travel) is thought to derive from a Proto-Indo-European root, where its cognates include words like the Latin 'iter' (journey) and Sanskrit 'i-ti' (to go). | |||
| Basque | bidaiatzea | ||
| 'Bidaiatzea' means 'travel', but it also referred to the custom of children leaving home after their marriage to settle in the home of their spouse's family. | |||
| Catalan | viatjar | ||
| "Viatjar" is derived from the Latin "via" meaning "way," and also means "living" in Catalan. | |||
| Croatian | putovati | ||
| The word "putovati" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root "*pъtь", meaning "path" or "way". It is related to the English word "path" and the German word "Pfad". | |||
| Danish | rejse | ||
| The word 'rejse' is derived from the Old Norse word 'reisa' ('to rise') and primarily means 'to set out' or 'to go on a journey'. | |||
| Dutch | reizen | ||
| "Reizen" in Dutch also means "to stir up" or "to bother" in an idiomatic sense. | |||
| English | travel | ||
| "Travel" originates from the Old French "travail," meaning "work" or "labor," suggesting that travel was once a strenuous undertaking. | |||
| French | voyage | ||
| The word "voyage" comes from the Latin word "viaticum," which means "provisions for a journey." | |||
| Frisian | reizgje | ||
| The word "reizgje" comes from the Old Frisian word "reize", which also means "journey" or "trip". | |||
| Galician | viaxar | ||
| Viaxar derives from the Latin word via and can also refer to the journey of life or a particular route or path. | |||
| German | reise | ||
| The German noun “Reise” originates from the Old High German “reisa” and describes both a journey and an event of moving, like an army | |||
| Icelandic | ferðalög | ||
| The word "ferðalög" can also refer to a diary or a journal of travels. | |||
| Irish | taisteal | ||
| The modern spelling, taisteal, is also used in Scottish Gaelic. | |||
| Italian | viaggio | ||
| The word 'viaggio' comes from the Latin word 'viaticum', which means 'provisions for a journey'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | reesen | ||
| The word "reesen" is derived from the Old High German word "reisan," which also means "to travel". | |||
| Maltese | ivvjaġġar | ||
| The word "ivvjaġġar" originates from the Arabic word "safar" which also means "journey" or "travel." | |||
| Norwegian | reise | ||
| The Norwegian word "reise" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "raisjan," meaning "to rise" or "to move upwards." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | viagem | ||
| The word "viagem" in Portuguese can also refer to a "trip", "journey", "voyage", or "flight". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | siubhal | ||
| 'Siubhal' is the Scots Gaelic word for 'travel', but it also means 'to walk' or 'to move'. | |||
| Spanish | viajar | ||
| "Viajar" in Spanish comes from the Latin "via" (way), and also means "to drift" or "to roam." | |||
| Swedish | resa | ||
| From Old Swedish, resa meant to run or walk along, and was originally used to refer to the migration of the people in early history. | |||
| Welsh | teithio | ||
| The word "teithio" can also mean "journey" or "excursion". | |||
Travel in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | падарожжа | ||
| The word "парожжа" also means a "rein" and originated from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "rope". | |||
| Bosnian | putovanje | ||
| "Put" stands for road, way, path and journey, and "ovanje" means going somewhere, so literally "putovanje" means "going somewhere on a road". | |||
| Bulgarian | пътуване | ||
| "Пътуване" derives from the Proto-Slavic word *pǫt- ("way, path"), denoting movement from one place to another. | |||
| Czech | cestovat | ||
| The word "cestovat" can also mean "to journey" or "to roam" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | reisima | ||
| The word "reisima" also means "to go on a trip" or "to take a journey". | |||
| Finnish | matkustaa | ||
| Matkustaa can also mean 'journey' or 'navigate', sharing a root with the word 'matka' ('trip'). | |||
| Hungarian | utazás | ||
| "Utazás" originally meant "journey on foot" and also "trip to a spa" before it gained its modern meaning. | |||
| Latvian | ceļot | ||
| The word "ceļot" also means "to weigh" in Latvian, stemming from the Proto-Baltic root *kel-. | |||
| Lithuanian | kelionė | ||
| Lithuanian word "kelionė" comes from the verb "keliauti", which means "to travel" but can also mean "to move", "to wander", "to go from one place to another". | |||
| Macedonian | патува | ||
| The Macedonian word "патува" is derived from the Greek "πάθος" meaning "suffering or experience," suggesting travel as a transformative journey. | |||
| Polish | podróżować | ||
| The word 'podróżować' derives from 'droga' ('road'), and initially meant 'to go along the road', whereas now it has a broader meaning of 'to travel'. | |||
| Romanian | voiaj | ||
| "Voiaj" comes from the French "voyage" and in some contexts, can also refer to a person who travels a lot. | |||
| Russian | путешествовать | ||
| "Путешествовать" is derived from "путь" (way) and "шествовать" (walk), therefore it literally means "walk the way". | |||
| Serbian | путовати | ||
| The word "путовати" can also refer to walking or wandering, particularly in a religious context. | |||
| Slovak | cestovanie | ||
| The word "cestovanie" also means "tourism" and "traveling" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | potovanja | ||
| "Potovanje" can also refer to a book or a TV show that provides information on various destinations. | |||
| Ukrainian | подорожі | ||
| The word "подорожі" in Ukrainian is cognate with the word "дорога" meaning "road". | |||
Travel in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ভ্রমণ | ||
| The word "ভ্রমণ" derives from Sanskrit and can also mean "wandering" or "erratic movement" | |||
| Gujarati | પ્રવાસ | ||
| The Gujarati word "પ્રવાસ" can also refer to a journey of the mind or spirit, or a pilgrimage to a holy place. | |||
| Hindi | यात्रा | ||
| The word 'यात्रा' (travel) in Hindi can also refer to a pilgrimage or spiritual journey. | |||
| Kannada | ಪ್ರಯಾಣ | ||
| The usage of the word "ಪ್ರಯಾಣ" is also seen to refer to the movement of celestial bodies. | |||
| Malayalam | യാത്ര | ||
| The word "യാത്ര" in Malayalam shares a common root with "travel" in English, where "tra" refers to going across or passing through. | |||
| Marathi | प्रवास | ||
| The word "प्रवास" (pravas) in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word "प्रवासन" (pravasan), which means "sojourning in a foreign land", and also has the connotation of "migration" or "exile". | |||
| Nepali | यात्रा | ||
| The word "यात्रा" can also mean "pilgrimage" or "journey to a holy place" in a religious context. | |||
| Punjabi | ਯਾਤਰਾ | ||
| "ਯਾਤਰਾ" can also mean the act of going on a pilgrimage, a religious journey undertaken to a holy place. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ගමන් | ||
| The word ගමන් also means a village or a journey. | |||
| Tamil | பயணம் | ||
| The Tamil word "பயணம்" can also refer to a journey of personal or spiritual growth and transformation. | |||
| Telugu | ప్రయాణం | ||
| The word 'ప్రయాణం' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'pra-yāna', which means 'to go' or 'to move'. | |||
| Urdu | سفر | ||
| Its plural form, اسفار, (asfaar) also means "books." | |||
Travel in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 旅行 | ||
| 旅行 originates from the term 行獵, which refers to hunting trips, and the character 呂 added to the right denotes a form of punishment | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 旅行 | ||
| "旅行" originally means "to hunt" in ancient Chinese, reflecting the nomadic lifestyle of early Chinese people. | |||
| Japanese | トラベル | ||
| The word "travel" comes from the Old French word "travail," which meant "work" or "labor." | |||
| Korean | 여행 | ||
| "여행" (travel) can also mean "a trip" or "a journey". | |||
| Mongolian | аялал | ||
| The word "аялал" can also mean "journey" or "expedition". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ခရီးသွား | ||
| The word "ခရီးသွား" in Burmese (Myanmar) is derived from the Pali word "cariya", meaning "going, wandering, or a journey". It has a secondary meaning as "a traveler". | |||
Travel in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | perjalanan | ||
| Perjalanan, a word for 'travel' in Indonesian, originally meant 'a journey', derived from the ancient Javanese word 'prajana', meaning 'to wander'. | |||
| Javanese | lelungan | ||
| The word 'lelungan' in Javanese can also refer to a pilgrimage or journey for spiritual purposes. | |||
| Khmer | ធ្វើដំណើរ | ||
| Lao | ທ່ອງທ່ຽວ | ||
| The Lao word ທ່ອງທ່ຽວ, or "travel", is also used in colloquial speech to mean tourism, and can thus be used to refer to a trip or excursion without the connotation of movement. | |||
| Malay | melancong | ||
| Malay "melancong" derives from Sanskrit "mala" (flower garland) and "conga" (movement), denoting a leisurely excursion adorned with garlands. | |||
| Thai | การท่องเที่ยว | ||
| The Thai word "การท่องเที่ยว" literally means "to go around looking at things". | |||
| Vietnamese | du lịch | ||
| "Du lịch" can also mean "tour" or "excursion" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | paglalakbay | ||
Travel in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | səyahət | ||
| The word "səyahət" can also mean "journey" or "voyage" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | саяхат | ||
| The word "саяхат" in Kazakh originates from the Arabic word "سفر" (safar), which means "journey" or "travel." | |||
| Kyrgyz | саякаттоо | ||
| The word "саякаттоо" can also refer to "wandering" or "traveling for leisure" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | саёҳат | ||
| The Tajik word "саёҳат" is derived from the Persian word "سیاحت", which can also mean "tourism" or "sightseeing". | |||
| Turkmen | syýahat | ||
| Uzbek | sayohat | ||
| "Sayohat" is derived from the Arabic "sayyah" meaning "explorer", giving the word a broader sense of adventure beyond mere "travel". | |||
| Uyghur | ساياھەت | ||
Travel in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | huakaʻi | ||
| Huakaʻi can also refer to the journey into the afterlife in Hawaiian culture. | |||
| Maori | haerenga | ||
| The word 'haerenga' in Maori also refers to 'a journey of life' or 'a path of action'. | |||
| Samoan | malaga | ||
| "Malaga" can also mean "to leave", | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | paglalakbay | ||
| The word "paglalakbay" can also mean "journey", "pilgrimage", or "odyssey". | |||
Travel in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ch'usasiwi | ||
| Guarani | guatapuku | ||
Travel in International Languages
| Esperanto | vojaĝi | ||
| The Esperanto word 'vojaĝi' can also mean 'journey' or 'cruise'. | |||
| Latin | itinerantur | ||
| Itinerantur can also mean a group of judges travelling around a province to enforce justice | |||
Travel in Others Languages
| Greek | ταξίδι | ||
| The word 'ταξίδι' ultimately derives from the ancient greek word 'τάξις', meaning 'order' or 'arrangement'. | |||
| Hmong | mus ncig ua si | ||
| The alternate meaning of "mus ncig ua si" is "to visit." | |||
| Kurdish | gerrîn | ||
| In Kurdish, the word "gerrîn" can also mean "to roam". | |||
| Turkish | seyahat | ||
| The word "seyahat" in Turkish originates from the Arabic word "sayr" meaning "walking" or "traveling". | |||
| Xhosa | uhambo | ||
| The Xhosa word "uhambo" is also used to refer to a journey, an expedition, or a pilgrimage. | |||
| Yiddish | אַרומפאָרן | ||
| Yiddish "אַרומפאָרן" (lit. "to drive around") is cognate with the German "umfahren", meaning "to bypass". | |||
| Zulu | ukuhamba | ||
| In Zulu, the word 'ukuhamba' also means a 'journey to the underworld' in cultural mythology. | |||
| Assamese | ভ্ৰমণ | ||
| Aymara | ch'usasiwi | ||
| Bhojpuri | जतरा | ||
| Dhivehi | ދަތުރުކުރުން | ||
| Dogri | जात्तरा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | paglalakbay | ||
| Guarani | guatapuku | ||
| Ilocano | agbiahe | ||
| Krio | travul | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | گەشتکردن | ||
| Maithili | यात्रा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯝ ꯀꯣꯏꯕ | ||
| Mizo | zin | ||
| Oromo | imaluu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଭ୍ରମଣ | ||
| Quechua | illay | ||
| Sanskrit | यात्रा | ||
| Tatar | сәяхәт | ||
| Tigrinya | ምጉዓዝ | ||
| Tsonga | teka rendzo | ||