Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'tube' holds a significant place in our daily lives, often referring to a hollow cylindrical device or a mode of public transportation in London. Culturally, it has transcended boundaries, becoming a symbol of convenience and progress. But what about its significance in other languages? Understanding the translation of 'tube' in different languages can open up a world of cultural exchange and understanding.
For instance, in Spanish, 'tube' translates to 'tubo', which is used in various contexts, from plumbing to scientific equipment. In German, it's 'Röhre', a term that also applies to television technology. In Russian, 'труба' (truba) is used for pipes and chimneys, reflecting its practical application. In Japanese, 'チューブ' (chūbu) is a loanword from English, often used for packaging or containers.
Delving into these translations offers a glimpse into how different cultures have adapted and incorporated this simple yet versatile word. Explore the list below to discover more about 'tube' in different languages.
Afrikaans | buis | ||
The Afrikaans word "buis" is cognate with the French word "buis", meaning "pipe" or "tube". | |||
Amharic | ቧንቧ | ||
The word "ቧንቧ" in Amharic can also refer to a person who is talkative or gossipy. | |||
Hausa | bututu | ||
The Hausa word "bututu" can also refer to a cannon, horn, or megaphone. | |||
Igbo | ọkpọkọ | ||
The term ọkpọkọ also refers to "an armlet" and "a person of little intellect." | |||
Malagasy | fantsona | ||
The word "fantsona" is derived from the Malay word "panchong", meaning "spout" or "water channel". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | chubu | ||
The word 'chubu' is a homograph meaning both 'tube' and 'elbow' in Nyanja. | |||
Shona | chubhu | ||
The word "chubhu" can also refer to a person who is thin or of small stature. | |||
Somali | tuubo | ||
The Somali word "tuubo" can also refer to a type of traditional Somali skirt | |||
Sesotho | tube | ||
The Sesotho word 'tube' can also refer to a 'drain' or 'pipe'. | |||
Swahili | bomba | ||
The word 'bomba' in Swahili can also mean 'gun' or 'artillery', derived from the Portuguese word 'bomba' meaning 'bomb'. | |||
Xhosa | ityhubhu | ||
The Xhosa word "ityhubhu" also means "a small, round hole in the ground, especially one made by an animal". | |||
Yoruba | ọpọn | ||
In its figurative sense, "ọpọn" can also refer to "a path" or "a method". | |||
Zulu | ishubhu | ||
In Zulu, 'ishubhu' is also the name for a 'bottle' or 'cylinder.' | |||
Bambara | tiyo | ||
Ewe | nuto | ||
Kinyarwanda | itiyo | ||
Lingala | tiyo | ||
Luganda | omupiira | ||
Sepedi | tšhupu | ||
Twi (Akan) | dorobɛn | ||
Arabic | الة النفخ | ||
Hebrew | צינור | ||
The Hebrew word "צינור" (tube) also refers to the act of channeling water. | |||
Pashto | ټیوب | ||
The Pashto word “ټیوب” (tube) originates from Persian and has additional meanings like hollow organ or waterway. | |||
Arabic | الة النفخ | ||
Albanian | tub | ||
The Albanian word "tub" can also refer to a barrel or a vat, and is derived from the Latin word "tuba" meaning "trumpet". | |||
Basque | hodia | ||
The Basque word 'hodia' additionally means 'today' or 'present day'. | |||
Catalan | tub | ||
In Catalan, "tub" is the alternate spelling of "tup", meaning "blockhead" | |||
Croatian | cijev | ||
The word 'cijev' derives from the Proto-Slavic word 'cěvь', meaning 'hollow stem' or 'pipe'. | |||
Danish | rør | ||
In older Danish the word "rør" meant an elongated animal skin for storing liquids | |||
Dutch | buis | ||
The Dutch word 'buis' can also be used to describe the tubes in a church organ. | |||
English | tube | ||
The word 'tube' comes from the Latin word 'tubus', meaning 'pipe' or 'channel'. | |||
French | tube | ||
The French word “tube” can also mean “TV” | |||
Frisian | buis | ||
In Frisian, 'buis' can also refer to a conduit, pipe, or hose. | |||
Galician | tubo | ||
In Galician, "tubo" can refer to a tube, a toothpaste tube, or a drinking straw. | |||
German | tube | ||
The word "tube" in German can also refer to "valve," "subway," or "television." | |||
Icelandic | rör | ||
In Icelandic, "rör" initially denoted a reed or grass stem, and its current sense of "tube" is derived from that. | |||
Irish | feadán | ||
"Feadán" also means "a little whistle" or "a small pipe" in Irish. | |||
Italian | tubo | ||
The Italian word 'tubo' can also refer to the inner tube used in bicycles. | |||
Luxembourgish | réier | ||
The word "Réier", meaning "tube" in Luxembourgish, is derived from the Middle High German word "röre", meaning "reed" or "pipe". | |||
Maltese | tubu | ||
The Maltese word "tubu" also means "straw" or "reed". | |||
Norwegian | rør | ||
"Rør" also means "to shout" in Norwegian, which may derive from the sound of a long horn. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | tubo | ||
In Portuguese, "tubo" can also refer to a type of traditional Portuguese folk dance. | |||
Scots Gaelic | tiùb | ||
In Scots Gaelic, "tiùb" is cognate with "toib" in Irish and "tùb" in Welsh, all meaning "tube" and all ultimately derived from Late Latin "tūbus" | |||
Spanish | tubo | ||
"Tubo" can also mean "pipe" or "hose". | |||
Swedish | rör | ||
"Rör" is also a slang term for a woman's leg. | |||
Welsh | tiwb | ||
The word “tiwb” can also refer to a drainpipe. |
Belarusian | трубка | ||
"Трубка" - 1) Часть ствола дерева; 2) Дымоход; 3) Духовая часть духового муз. инструмента; | |||
Bosnian | cijev | ||
The word 'cijev' can also refer to a part of a firearm or a musical instrument. | |||
Bulgarian | тръба | ||
Bulgarian word "тръба" can also mean "horn" or "trumpet". | |||
Czech | trubka | ||
Estonian | toru | ||
"Toru" can mean a cylindrical shape, a pipe, a hose, or a musical brass instrument. | |||
Finnish | putki | ||
"Putki" can also refer to a large, long, hollow object. For example, a sewer pipe can be called a "viemäriputki". | |||
Hungarian | cső | ||
The word "cső" can also refer to other hollow cylindrical objects, such as a pipe organ or a pen barrel. | |||
Latvian | caurule | ||
The word "caurule" in Latvian is cognate with the English word "channel" | |||
Lithuanian | vamzdelis | ||
"Vamzdelis" means "tube" in Lithuanian but also refers to a type of pastry filled with poppy seeds. | |||
Macedonian | цевка | ||
In anatomy, "цевка" refers to the tibia, the larger of the two bones in the lower leg. | |||
Polish | rura | ||
The word "rura" in Polish is derived from German "Röhre" (which also means "tube") or Latin "rura" (meaning "pipe"). | |||
Romanian | tub | ||
The Romanian word "tub" (tube) also refers to a whirlpool bath. | |||
Russian | трубка | ||
The word "трубка" also denotes various wind instruments such as the bugle or trumpet, the stem of a tobacco pipe, and the mouthpiece of a telephone. | |||
Serbian | цев | ||
In Old Serbian, the word “cev” also meant “water duct” and “canal”. | |||
Slovak | trubica | ||
"Trubica" comes from Latin "tromba" (a trumpet), but in Hungarian the word "törub" means "a break", and the Slovak "trubiť" means "to blow a trumpet" and also "to honk". | |||
Slovenian | cev | ||
"cev" originates from the Proto-Indo-European root "*kewp-", meaning "to bend, to curve". | |||
Ukrainian | трубки | ||
"Трубки" (tube) is also a slang word for pants. |
Bengali | নল | ||
The word "নল" (tube) also refers to a hollow water-lifting device consisting of a long, rigid piece. | |||
Gujarati | ટ્યુબ | ||
In Gujarati, the word “ટ્યુબ” has its roots in the Sanskrit word “तुम्ब,” meaning “container” or “vessel” with a cylindrical shape. | |||
Hindi | ट्यूब | ||
"ट्यूब" का प्रयोग नल के लिए भी किया जाता है। | |||
Kannada | ಕೊಳವೆ | ||
The word "ಕೊಳವೆ" can also refer to a vein or artery in the body. | |||
Malayalam | ട്യൂബ് | ||
In Malayalam, "tube" (ട്യൂബ്) is also used to refer to an injection or syringe, particularly in the medical context. | |||
Marathi | ट्यूब | ||
The Marathi word "ट्यूब" (tube) has the same meaning as its English counterpart, but it can also refer to a straw or a pipe. | |||
Nepali | ट्यूब | ||
The word "ट्यूब (tube)" is derived from the Middle French word "tuibe," which in turn originates from the Latin word "tubus." | |||
Punjabi | ਟਿਊਬ | ||
The word "ਟਿਊਬ" (tube) is derived from the Latin word "tubus" meaning "pipe" or "channel". | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නළය | ||
The word "නළය" can also mean "pipe" or "conduit" in Sinhala. | |||
Tamil | குழாய் | ||
The Tamil word "குழாய்" can also mean "pipe", "channel", or "conduit". | |||
Telugu | ట్యూబ్ | ||
The word ట్యూబ్ can also refer to a hollow cylindrical object or a channel for conveying liquids or gases. | |||
Urdu | نالی | ||
The Urdu word "نالی" (nalī) likely derives from the Sanskrit word "नाली" (nālī), both meaning "tube" or "channel". |
Chinese (Simplified) | 管 | ||
管, in addition to meaning "tube", also refers to a government department or agency in Chinese. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 管 | ||
管 can also refer to a cylinder, a tube, a pipe, or a duct. | |||
Japanese | チューブ | ||
In Japanese, "チューブ" (pronounced "chūbu") can also refer to toothpaste or a subway line. | |||
Korean | 튜브 | ||
The word "튜브" can also refer to a subway or a toothpaste tube in Korean. | |||
Mongolian | хоолой | ||
The word "хоолой" in Mongolian may derive from the verb "хоолох" which means "to wrap" or "to roll up". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ပြွန် | ||
Indonesian | tabung | ||
In Tagalog, "tabung" means to cover or hide; while in Malaysian, it means to store or save money in a cylindrical container. | |||
Javanese | tabung | ||
"Tabung" in Javanese also means "to save money" or "savings account". (Old Javanese: ta-hung: to contain/save.) | |||
Khmer | បំពង់ | ||
The word "បំពង់" in Khmer can also refer to a section or part of a larger object. | |||
Lao | ທໍ່ | ||
The word "ທໍ່" is derived from the Sanskrit word "tūrya," which means musical instrument or pipe. | |||
Malay | tiub | ||
Tiub is a borrowed word from English, and in Indonesian it can also mean 'tyre'. | |||
Thai | หลอด | ||
In Northern Thai, "หลอด" (lot) can also refer to a type of bamboo flute. | |||
Vietnamese | ống | ||
In Vietnamese, "ống" can either mean "tube" or "a small part of a bamboo stem used for holding things". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | tubo | ||
Azerbaijani | boru | ||
"Boru" can also refer to a person who talks incessantly. | |||
Kazakh | түтік | ||
The Kazakh word "түтік" can also refer to a drinking straw, a chimney, or a pipe in musical instruments. | |||
Kyrgyz | түтүк | ||
The Kyrgyz word "түтүк" originates from the Old Turkic word "*tüdük" and may have multiple meanings, such as "pipe" or "stalk". | |||
Tajik | найча | ||
Найча also means "stalk" and "reed" in Tajik. | |||
Turkmen | turba | ||
Uzbek | naycha | ||
"Naycha" originally meant "reed", but today it is more commonly used to mean "tube". | |||
Uyghur | tube | ||
Hawaiian | paipu | ||
In Hawaiian, 'paipu' refers to the water-carrying bamboo cylinders used in pre-European society. | |||
Maori | ngongo | ||
The Maori word "ngongo" can also mean "to speak" or "a voice". | |||
Samoan | paipa | ||
The word "paipa" also means "pipe" or "hollow tube" in Samoan. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | tubo | ||
In Tagalog, "tubo" can also refer to the process of growing or increasing, such as "paglaki ng tubo" (growth of sugar cane). |
Aymara | tuwu | ||
Guarani | mba'ekua apu'a | ||
Esperanto | tubo | ||
The Esperanto word "tubo" can also refer to the digestive tract. | |||
Latin | tubus | ||
"Tubus" also means "thunderbolt" in Latin. |
Greek | σωλήνας | ||
The word "σωλήνας" can also refer to a type of pasta similar to penne. | |||
Hmong | hlab ntxhoo | ||
hlab ntxhoo literally means "water's bamboo" (hlab=water, ntxhoo=bamboo), referring to old-day use of bamboo for carrying water | |||
Kurdish | lûle | ||
In some dialects of Kurdish, lûle means "pipe", "barrel" or "rifle barrel". | |||
Turkish | tüp | ||
"Tüp" also means "natural gas" in Turkish, referencing the typical delivery method of natural gas to homes and businesses. | |||
Xhosa | ityhubhu | ||
The Xhosa word "ityhubhu" also means "a small, round hole in the ground, especially one made by an animal". | |||
Yiddish | רער | ||
The word "רער" is also used to mean "noise", similar to the verb "to roar" in English. | |||
Zulu | ishubhu | ||
In Zulu, 'ishubhu' is also the name for a 'bottle' or 'cylinder.' | |||
Assamese | টিউৱ | ||
Aymara | tuwu | ||
Bhojpuri | ट्यूब | ||
Dhivehi | ހޮޅި | ||
Dogri | ट्यूब | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | tubo | ||
Guarani | mba'ekua apu'a | ||
Ilocano | tubo | ||
Krio | tyub | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | تیوب | ||
Maithili | नल्ली | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯎꯇꯣꯡ | ||
Mizo | dawt | ||
Oromo | ujummoo | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ନଳି | ||
Quechua | tubo | ||
Sanskrit | नलिका | ||
Tatar | труба | ||
Tigrinya | ቱቦ | ||
Tsonga | chupu | ||