Valley in Different Languages
Discover 'Valley' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
A valley, a dip in the land surrounded by hills or mountains, is a significant and awe-inspiring geographical feature with a unique cultural and spiritual importance across various civilizations. Valleys have been often associated with fertile lands, life-giving rivers, and breathtaking beauty, making them an essential part of many myths, legends, and cultural expressions. For instance, the lush Swat Valley in Pakistan is revered for its historical significance, while the scenic Kali Gandaki Valley in Nepal is a spiritual haven for pilgrims.
Given the cultural importance of valleys, understanding the translation of 'valley' in different languages can open up a world of fascinating insights and connections. For example, the Spanish translation of 'valley' is 'valle', while in German, it is 'Tal'. In the romantic language of French, 'valley' is translated as 'vallée', and in the land of the rising sun, Japan, 'valley' is ' Tanima'.
Discover more translations of valley in different languages and immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of global cultures and traditions.
Valley
Valley in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | vallei | ||
| Amharic | ሸለቆ | ||
| The word "ሸለቆ" (valley) may have originated from the Proto-Ethio-Semitic root "ś-l-q", meaning "to split, divide, or cut in two." | |||
| Hausa | kwari | ||
| The word "kwari" in Hausa, meaning "valley," can also refer to a low-lying area that contains water during the rainy season. | |||
| Igbo | ndagwurugwu | ||
| The Igbo word 'Ndagwurugwu' (valley) is etymologically related to the word 'gwuru' (to roll) | |||
| Malagasy | -dohasaha | ||
| The word also means "low place" in some dialects. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chigwa | ||
| The word "chigwa" also refers to an area of low elevation in a mountain range. | |||
| Shona | mupata | ||
| The name of the mupata also refers to the leader and ruler of that valley and his domain; his influence was often measured by the size of his herd. | |||
| Somali | dooxada | ||
| The word "dooxada" can also mean "ditch" or "ravine" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | phula | ||
| Phula has alternate meanings, including 'open' or 'flat' terrain. | |||
| Swahili | bonde | ||
| The word "bonde" in Swahili can also refer to a depression or a low-lying area. | |||
| Xhosa | intlambo | ||
| "Intlambo" is also the name of a mythical beast that resides in the valleys of the Eastern Cape mountains. | |||
| Yoruba | afonifoji | ||
| Afonifoji may also mean "a person who is easily deceived" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | isigodi | ||
| The word "isigodi" can also refer to a cave or ravine. | |||
| Bambara | kùlufurancɛ | ||
| Ewe | bali | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ikibaya | ||
| Lingala | lobwaku | ||
| Luganda | ekiwonvu | ||
| Sepedi | molapo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | bɔnka | ||
Valley in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الوادي | ||
| The word "الوادي" can also refer to a riverbed that is dry during the summer. | |||
| Hebrew | עֶמֶק | ||
| The Hebrew word "עֶמֶק" (valley) is also used to describe a deep, narrow place or a furrow in the ground. | |||
| Pashto | ویلی | ||
| The Pashto word "ویلی" also refers to a low-lying area near a river or stream. | |||
| Arabic | الوادي | ||
| The word "الوادي" can also refer to a riverbed that is dry during the summer. | |||
Valley in Western European Languages
| Albanian | lugina | ||
| The word "lugina" is derived from the Proto-Albanian word "*lug" (meadow, plain), and is cognate with the Romanian word "luncă" (meadow). | |||
| Basque | harana | ||
| In Basque, “harana” can also refer to a district or municipality, especially in rural areas. | |||
| Catalan | vall | ||
| The Catalan word "vall" may derive from the Latin word "vallis", meaning low ground or vale, suggesting a valley's geographical characteristic. | |||
| Croatian | dolina | ||
| The word 'dolina' comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'dolь', which means 'a space between mountains or hills'. | |||
| Danish | dal | ||
| The word 'dal' is also used in Danish to refer to the path created by glaciers in a mountain. | |||
| Dutch | vallei | ||
| The Dutch word "vallei" derives from the Old French "valée", which ultimately traces back to the Latin word "vallis". | |||
| English | valley | ||
| Valley comes from the Latin word vallis, which means both "valley" and "wall". | |||
| French | vallée | ||
| The French word 'vallée' may derive from a Gaulish cognate of the Welsh 'glyn' ('valley'). | |||
| Frisian | delte | ||
| The word "delte" is also a diminutive of "dale" and an augmentative of "dille" in certain dialects of Frisian. | |||
| Galician | val | ||
| In toponymy, "val" sometimes designates a small plateau | |||
| German | senke | ||
| The word "Senke" is thought to be derived from the Old High German word "senka", which means "hollow" or "depression." | |||
| Icelandic | dalur | ||
| Dalur is also used to describe a path between hills or ridges, or a low-lying area, or a narrow ravine. | |||
| Irish | gleann | ||
| Some placenames with 'gleann' relate to a physical valley but others relate to a broader river valley in low-lying land. | |||
| Italian | valle | ||
| The word "valle" in Italian can also mean "depression" or "hollow". | |||
| Luxembourgish | dall | ||
| {"text": "The word "Dall" is cognate with the German "Tal" and the English "dale" and likely stems from the Proto-Indo-European root *delh- ("valley, hollow")."} | |||
| Maltese | wied | ||
| The Maltese word "wied" (valley) derives from the Arabic word "wadi" (riverbed) and also means "stream" or "watercourse". | |||
| Norwegian | dal | ||
| The word "dal" in Norwegian can also refer to a depression in the ground, or a hollow in a rock. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | vale | ||
| In Portuguese, "vale" can also mean "greeting", "farewell", or "worth". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | gleann | ||
| The Gaelic word "gleann" also refers to a valley's sides or its lower grassy part. | |||
| Spanish | valle | ||
| Valle also means 'the lower deck of a galley'. The word derives from Late Latin 'vallis', through Medieval Latin. | |||
| Swedish | dal | ||
| In Swedish, "dal" also refers to a deep ravine, a dale, a dingle, or a glen. | |||
| Welsh | cwm | ||
| The word "cwm" also refers to the hollow behind a person's knees, a secluded place or person, and to a sanctuary or retreat of some kind. | |||
Valley in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | даліне | ||
| The word “даліне” derives from the Proto-Slavic term “dol” and shares its root with the Belarusian words “доўгі” (long) and “дно” (bottom). | |||
| Bosnian | dolina | ||
| The word "dolina" can also refer to a sinkhole or a depression in the ground. | |||
| Bulgarian | долина | ||
| The word "долина" is a derivative of the Old Bulgarian word "долу", meaning "bottom" or "downward". | |||
| Czech | údolí | ||
| The word "údolí" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*ǫdolь", which originally meant "depression" or "ditch". | |||
| Estonian | org | ||
| Org is also a poetic word for a glen or meadow. | |||
| Finnish | laaksoon | ||
| The word "laakso" is likely derived from the verb "laata" meaning "to extend" or "to spread out". | |||
| Hungarian | völgy | ||
| Völgy is derived from the Proto-Uralic word "*welg" and is cognate with the Finnish word "vuoret", as well as the Saami word "vuojŋŋah". | |||
| Latvian | ieleja | ||
| The word "ieleja" also means "gully" in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | slėnis | ||
| Macedonian | долина | ||
| The word "долина" ultimately derives from the Proto-Slavic word "dolь", which also means "floor" or "plain". | |||
| Polish | dolina | ||
| The word "dolina" can also refer to a karst depression or sinkhole. | |||
| Romanian | vale | ||
| In Romanian, the word "vale" is also used to refer to a type of dance similar to the waltz. | |||
| Russian | долина | ||
| The Russian word "долина" originated from the Old Church Slavonic "долови" (pronounced as "dolovi"), which translates as "space" or "cavity". | |||
| Serbian | долина | ||
| In the past, "долина" was also one of the Serbian words for "year" and "land". | |||
| Slovak | údolie | ||
| The word "údolie" can also mean "sadness" in Slovak, reflecting a common association of valleys with melancholy and contemplation. | |||
| Slovenian | dolino | ||
| The Slovene word "dolino" is related to the Proto-Slavic word "*dolъ", meaning "low place" or "valley", and is also cognate with the Old Norse word "dalr", meaning "valley" or "dale". | |||
| Ukrainian | долина | ||
| The Ukrainian word "долина" has alternate meanings of "plain" or "flatland" and is related to the word "дольний" meaning "lower". | |||
Valley in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | উপত্যকা | ||
| Gujarati | ખીણ | ||
| The word "ખીણ" can also refer to a ditch or a ravine. | |||
| Hindi | घाटी | ||
| In Hindi, the word "घाटी" primarily refers to a valley, but it also carries secondary meanings like a "place" or a "low-lying area between hills or mountains." | |||
| Kannada | ಕಣಿವೆ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಕಣಿವೆ" has roots in the Dravidian language family, possibly stemming from the Proto-Dravidian root "kaṇ-", meaning "lower, deep, or dark." | |||
| Malayalam | താഴ്വര | ||
| Marathi | दरी | ||
| The word "दरी" also means "a long, narrow piece of cloth used as a floor covering" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | उपत्यका | ||
| The word "उपत्यका" in Nepali has the same origin as "उपतल" (depression), meaning in this context a lower lying area or valley between mountains | |||
| Punjabi | ਘਾਟੀ | ||
| The word "ਘਾਟੀ" (valley) in Punjabi is derived from the Sanskrit word "ghati", meaning "a descending slope" or "a depression in the earth's surface". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නිම්නය | ||
| The Sinhala word නිම්නය ('valley') is derived from the Sanskrit word निवम् ('low') and originally meant 'low, depressed' | |||
| Tamil | பள்ளத்தாக்கு | ||
| The Tamil word "பள்ளத்தாக்கு" can also refer to a low-lying area between hills, a depression, or a ravine. | |||
| Telugu | లోయ | ||
| The word "లోయ" ("valley") in Telugu, can also refer to the land between two parallel rivers or between ridges. | |||
| Urdu | وادی | ||
| The word "وادی" can also refer to a riverbed, a stream, or a ravine in Urdu. | |||
Valley in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 谷 | ||
| The Chinese character “谷” also means “grain,” connecting its etymology to the fertility and abundance of valleys as sources of agriculture. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 谷 | ||
| “谷”本指“穀”，由“禾”與“口”構成，意为有谷物的所在。 | |||
| Japanese | 谷 | ||
| The character "谷" (tani) can also mean "deep," as in a ravine or valley; "hollow," as in a hole or cavity; "dark," as in a shadowy place; and "remote," as in a secluded location. | |||
| Korean | 골짜기 | ||
| 골짜기 is also the name of a district in Seoul, South Korea. | |||
| Mongolian | хөндий | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ချိုင့်ဝှမ်း | ||
Valley in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | lembah | ||
| The word "lembah" also refers to a depression in the earth's surface not as deep as a gorge but deeper than a dell. | |||
| Javanese | lembah | ||
| In Javanese, 'lembah' originally denoted 'low' areas on the ground, and in a broader sense referred to areas with lower social status. | |||
| Khmer | ជ្រលងភ្នំ | ||
| The word "ជ្រលងភ្នំ" can also refer to a low pass or saddle between two hills or mountains. | |||
| Lao | ຮ່ອມພູ | ||
| "ຮ່ອມພູ" (valley) can also mean "surrounded by mountains" or even "a small, enclosed area within a group of mountains". | |||
| Malay | lembah | ||
| The word "lembah" shares its root with "lambah" meaning "slow" in Old Javanese. | |||
| Thai | หุบเขา | ||
| The Thai word "หุบเขา" originates from the Khmer word "ភ្នំ" which means "mountain". | |||
| Vietnamese | thung lũng | ||
| The word "thung lũng" (valley) in Vietnamese also refers to a type of musical instrument, a kind of drum. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lambak | ||
Valley in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | vadi | ||
| In Persian and some dialects of Kurdish, vadi also refers to a fertile land suitable for farming. | |||
| Kazakh | алқап | ||
| The word "алқап" (valley) in Kazakh has several alternate meanings, including "cavity", "hollow", and "depression". | |||
| Kyrgyz | өрөөн | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "өрөөн" also refers to a type of traditional Kyrgyz yurt used for summer grazing. | |||
| Tajik | водӣ | ||
| The word "водӣ" in Tajik can also mean "riverside" or a "watered area". | |||
| Turkmen | jülgesi | ||
| Uzbek | vodiy | ||
| “Vodiy” also means a river bed with little to no water in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | جىلغىسى | ||
Valley in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | awāwa | ||
| In Hawaiian, the word 'awāwa' also refers to a steep-sided gulch or ravine. | |||
| Maori | raorao | ||
| The word "raorao" in Māori can also refer to a low-lying area or depression, specifically one that is long and narrow. | |||
| Samoan | vanu | ||
| Vanu is also an archaic term for 'world' or 'universe' in Samoan, reflecting the belief that valleys were the center of the world. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | lambak | ||
| "Lambak" also means "plain" or "meadow" in old Tagalog. | |||
Valley in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | qhirwa | ||
| Guarani | yvytypa´ũ | ||
Valley in International Languages
| Esperanto | valo | ||
| The Esperanto word "valo" also means "strength" or "virtue" and is related to the word "valora" meaning "precious" or "esteemed". | |||
| Latin | vallis | ||
| The Latin word "vallis" can also refer to "a low place" or "a depression". | |||
Valley in Others Languages
| Greek | κοιλάδα | ||
| The word "κοιλάδα" ("valley") in Greek is derived from the root "κοιλ-," meaning "hollow" or "cavity". | |||
| Hmong | hav | ||
| The Hmong word "hav" can also be used to refer to a river valley or a ravine. | |||
| Kurdish | newal | ||
| The word "newal" also means "a young animal" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | vadi | ||
| It is also the name of a type of carpet woven in the town of Uşak, Turkey. | |||
| Xhosa | intlambo | ||
| "Intlambo" is also the name of a mythical beast that resides in the valleys of the Eastern Cape mountains. | |||
| Yiddish | טאָל | ||
| The word "טאָל" may stem from the Middle High German word "tal" or Old High German "dal". | |||
| Zulu | isigodi | ||
| The word "isigodi" can also refer to a cave or ravine. | |||
| Assamese | উপত্যকা | ||
| Aymara | qhirwa | ||
| Bhojpuri | घाटी | ||
| Dhivehi | ވެލީ | ||
| Dogri | घाटी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lambak | ||
| Guarani | yvytypa´ũ | ||
| Ilocano | lungog | ||
| Krio | vali | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دۆڵ | ||
| Maithili | घाटी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯝꯄꯥꯛ | ||
| Mizo | ruam | ||
| Oromo | dachaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଉପତ୍ୟକା | ||
| Quechua | qichwa | ||
| Sanskrit | घाटी | ||
| Tatar | үзән | ||
| Tigrinya | ሽንጥሮ | ||
| Tsonga | riwa | ||