Afrikaans vallei | ||
Albanian lugina | ||
Amharic ሸለቆ | ||
Arabic الوادي | ||
Armenian հովիտ | ||
Assamese উপত্যকা | ||
Aymara qhirwa | ||
Azerbaijani vadi | ||
Bambara kùlufurancɛ | ||
Basque harana | ||
Belarusian даліне | ||
Bengali উপত্যকা | ||
Bhojpuri घाटी | ||
Bosnian dolina | ||
Bulgarian долина | ||
Catalan vall | ||
Cebuano walog | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 谷 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 谷 | ||
Corsican valle | ||
Croatian dolina | ||
Czech údolí | ||
Danish dal | ||
Dhivehi ވެލީ | ||
Dogri घाटी | ||
Dutch vallei | ||
English valley | ||
Esperanto valo | ||
Estonian org | ||
Ewe bali | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) lambak | ||
Finnish laaksoon | ||
French vallée | ||
Frisian delte | ||
Galician val | ||
Georgian ხეობა | ||
German senke | ||
Greek κοιλάδα | ||
Guarani yvytypa´ũ | ||
Gujarati ખીણ | ||
Haitian Creole fon | ||
Hausa kwari | ||
Hawaiian awāwa | ||
Hebrew עֶמֶק | ||
Hindi घाटी | ||
Hmong hav | ||
Hungarian völgy | ||
Icelandic dalur | ||
Igbo ndagwurugwu | ||
Ilocano lungog | ||
Indonesian lembah | ||
Irish gleann | ||
Italian valle | ||
Japanese 谷 | ||
Javanese lembah | ||
Kannada ಕಣಿವೆ | ||
Kazakh алқап | ||
Khmer ជ្រលងភ្នំ | ||
Kinyarwanda ikibaya | ||
Konkani देंगण | ||
Korean 골짜기 | ||
Krio vali | ||
Kurdish newal | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) دۆڵ | ||
Kyrgyz өрөөн | ||
Lao ຮ່ອມພູ | ||
Latin vallis | ||
Latvian ieleja | ||
Lingala lobwaku | ||
Lithuanian slėnis | ||
Luganda ekiwonvu | ||
Luxembourgish dall | ||
Macedonian долина | ||
Maithili घाटी | ||
Malagasy -dohasaha | ||
Malay lembah | ||
Malayalam താഴ്വര | ||
Maltese wied | ||
Maori raorao | ||
Marathi दरी | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯇꯝꯄꯥꯛ | ||
Mizo ruam | ||
Mongolian хөндий | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ချိုင့်ဝှမ်း | ||
Nepali उपत्यका | ||
Norwegian dal | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) chigwa | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଉପତ୍ୟକା | ||
Oromo dachaa | ||
Pashto ویلی | ||
Persian دره | ||
Polish dolina | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) vale | ||
Punjabi ਘਾਟੀ | ||
Quechua qichwa | ||
Romanian vale | ||
Russian долина | ||
Samoan vanu | ||
Sanskrit घाटी | ||
Scots Gaelic gleann | ||
Sepedi molapo | ||
Serbian долина | ||
Sesotho phula | ||
Shona mupata | ||
Sindhi وادي | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) නිම්නය | ||
Slovak údolie | ||
Slovenian dolino | ||
Somali dooxada | ||
Spanish valle | ||
Sundanese lebak | ||
Swahili bonde | ||
Swedish dal | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) lambak | ||
Tajik водӣ | ||
Tamil பள்ளத்தாக்கு | ||
Tatar үзән | ||
Telugu లోయ | ||
Thai หุบเขา | ||
Tigrinya ሽንጥሮ | ||
Tsonga riwa | ||
Turkish vadi | ||
Turkmen jülgesi | ||
Twi (Akan) bɔnka | ||
Ukrainian долина | ||
Urdu وادی | ||
Uyghur جىلغىسى | ||
Uzbek vodiy | ||
Vietnamese thung lũng | ||
Welsh cwm | ||
Xhosa intlambo | ||
Yiddish טאָל | ||
Yoruba afonifoji | ||
Zulu isigodi |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Albanian | The word "lugina" is derived from the Proto-Albanian word "*lug" (meadow, plain), and is cognate with the Romanian word "luncă" (meadow). |
| Amharic | The word "ሸለቆ" (valley) may have originated from the Proto-Ethio-Semitic root "ś-l-q", meaning "to split, divide, or cut in two." |
| Arabic | The word "الوادي" can also refer to a riverbed that is dry during the summer. |
| Armenian | Հովիտ (hovit) might be related to Indo-European *keh₂u- "to swell, grow" referring to a fertile depression. |
| Azerbaijani | In Persian and some dialects of Kurdish, vadi also refers to a fertile land suitable for farming. |
| Basque | In Basque, “harana” can also refer to a district or municipality, especially in rural areas. |
| Belarusian | The word “даліне” derives from the Proto-Slavic term “dol” and shares its root with the Belarusian words “доўгі” (long) and “дно” (bottom). |
| Bosnian | The word "dolina" can also refer to a sinkhole or a depression in the ground. |
| Bulgarian | The word "долина" is a derivative of the Old Bulgarian word "долу", meaning "bottom" or "downward". |
| Catalan | The Catalan word "vall" may derive from the Latin word "vallis", meaning low ground or vale, suggesting a valley's geographical characteristic. |
| Cebuano | The Cebuano word "walog" is cognate with the Filipino word "ilog," which means "river". |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The Chinese character “谷” also means “grain,” connecting its etymology to the fertility and abundance of valleys as sources of agriculture. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | “谷”本指“穀”,由“禾”與“口”構成,意为有谷物的所在。 |
| Corsican | The Corsican word "valle" may derive from an unidentified pre-Indo-European root, possibly related to Basque "ibar" or Albanian "lugt" (meaning "valley"). |
| Croatian | The word 'dolina' comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'dolь', which means 'a space between mountains or hills'. |
| Czech | The word "údolí" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*ǫdolь", which originally meant "depression" or "ditch". |
| Danish | The word 'dal' is also used in Danish to refer to the path created by glaciers in a mountain. |
| Dutch | The Dutch word "vallei" derives from the Old French "valée", which ultimately traces back to the Latin word "vallis". |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "valo" also means "strength" or "virtue" and is related to the word "valora" meaning "precious" or "esteemed". |
| Estonian | Org is also a poetic word for a glen or meadow. |
| Finnish | The word "laakso" is likely derived from the verb "laata" meaning "to extend" or "to spread out". |
| French | The French word 'vallée' may derive from a Gaulish cognate of the Welsh 'glyn' ('valley'). |
| Frisian | The word "delte" is also a diminutive of "dale" and an augmentative of "dille" in certain dialects of Frisian. |
| Galician | In toponymy, "val" sometimes designates a small plateau |
| Georgian | The word "ხეობა" can also mean "canyon" or "gorge" in Georgian. |
| German | The word "Senke" is thought to be derived from the Old High German word "senka", which means "hollow" or "depression." |
| Greek | The word "κοιλάδα" ("valley") in Greek is derived from the root "κοιλ-," meaning "hollow" or "cavity". |
| Gujarati | The word "ખીણ" can also refer to a ditch or a ravine. |
| Haitian Creole | Fon, in Haitian Creole, is the equivalent of the French word «fond», which can also mean a deep place in a riverbed. |
| Hausa | The word "kwari" in Hausa, meaning "valley," can also refer to a low-lying area that contains water during the rainy season. |
| Hawaiian | In Hawaiian, the word 'awāwa' also refers to a steep-sided gulch or ravine. |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word "עֶמֶק" (valley) is also used to describe a deep, narrow place or a furrow in the ground. |
| Hindi | 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." |
| Hmong | The Hmong word "hav" can also be used to refer to a river valley or a ravine. |
| Hungarian | Völgy is derived from the Proto-Uralic word "*welg" and is cognate with the Finnish word "vuoret", as well as the Saami word "vuojŋŋah". |
| Icelandic | Dalur is also used to describe a path between hills or ridges, or a low-lying area, or a narrow ravine. |
| Igbo | The Igbo word 'Ndagwurugwu' (valley) is etymologically related to the word 'gwuru' (to roll) |
| Indonesian | The word "lembah" also refers to a depression in the earth's surface not as deep as a gorge but deeper than a dell. |
| Irish | Some placenames with 'gleann' relate to a physical valley but others relate to a broader river valley in low-lying land. |
| Italian | The word "valle" in Italian can also mean "depression" or "hollow". |
| Japanese | 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. |
| Javanese | In Javanese, 'lembah' originally denoted 'low' areas on the ground, and in a broader sense referred to areas with lower social status. |
| Kannada | The Kannada word "ಕಣಿವೆ" has roots in the Dravidian language family, possibly stemming from the Proto-Dravidian root "kaṇ-", meaning "lower, deep, or dark." |
| Kazakh | The word "алқап" (valley) in Kazakh has several alternate meanings, including "cavity", "hollow", and "depression". |
| Khmer | The word "ជ្រលងភ្នំ" can also refer to a low pass or saddle between two hills or mountains. |
| Korean | 골짜기 is also the name of a district in Seoul, South Korea. |
| Kurdish | The word "newal" also means "a young animal" in Kurdish. |
| Kyrgyz | The Kyrgyz word "өрөөн" also refers to a type of traditional Kyrgyz yurt used for summer grazing. |
| Lao | "ຮ່ອມພູ" (valley) can also mean "surrounded by mountains" or even "a small, enclosed area within a group of mountains". |
| Latin | The Latin word "vallis" can also refer to "a low place" or "a depression". |
| Latvian | The word "ieleja" also means "gully" in Latvian. |
| Luxembourgish | {"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")."} |
| Macedonian | The word "долина" ultimately derives from the Proto-Slavic word "dolь", which also means "floor" or "plain". |
| Malagasy | The word also means "low place" in some dialects. |
| Malay | The word "lembah" shares its root with "lambah" meaning "slow" in Old Javanese. |
| Maltese | The Maltese word "wied" (valley) derives from the Arabic word "wadi" (riverbed) and also means "stream" or "watercourse". |
| Maori | The word "raorao" in Māori can also refer to a low-lying area or depression, specifically one that is long and narrow. |
| Marathi | The word "दरी" also means "a long, narrow piece of cloth used as a floor covering" in Marathi. |
| Nepali | The word "उपत्यका" in Nepali has the same origin as "उपतल" (depression), meaning in this context a lower lying area or valley between mountains |
| Norwegian | The word "dal" in Norwegian can also refer to a depression in the ground, or a hollow in a rock. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "chigwa" also refers to an area of low elevation in a mountain range. |
| Pashto | The Pashto word "ویلی" also refers to a low-lying area near a river or stream. |
| Persian | In Persian, "دره" can also refer to a mountain pass, narrow strait, or the armpit. |
| Polish | The word "dolina" can also refer to a karst depression or sinkhole. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Portuguese, "vale" can also mean "greeting", "farewell", or "worth". |
| Punjabi | 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". |
| Romanian | In Romanian, the word "vale" is also used to refer to a type of dance similar to the waltz. |
| Russian | The Russian word "долина" originated from the Old Church Slavonic "долови" (pronounced as "dolovi"), which translates as "space" or "cavity". |
| Samoan | Vanu is also an archaic term for 'world' or 'universe' in Samoan, reflecting the belief that valleys were the center of the world. |
| Scots Gaelic | The Gaelic word "gleann" also refers to a valley's sides or its lower grassy part. |
| Serbian | In the past, "долина" was also one of the Serbian words for "year" and "land". |
| Sesotho | Phula has alternate meanings, including 'open' or 'flat' terrain. |
| Shona | 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. |
| Sindhi | "وادي" (vāḍi) has also been used in the sense of a river, stream or canal. In some old Sindhi literature, the words "واري" (vāṛi) and "وههار" (vahhār) have been used for a canal, and "وهه" (vahh) for the watercourse of a canal. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The Sinhala word නිම්නය ('valley') is derived from the Sanskrit word निवम् ('low') and originally meant 'low, depressed' |
| Slovak | The word "údolie" can also mean "sadness" in Slovak, reflecting a common association of valleys with melancholy and contemplation. |
| Slovenian | 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". |
| Somali | The word "dooxada" can also mean "ditch" or "ravine" in Somali. |
| Spanish | Valle also means 'the lower deck of a galley'. The word derives from Late Latin 'vallis', through Medieval Latin. |
| Sundanese | The word "lebak" is also used to refer to a swampy lowland area. |
| Swahili | The word "bonde" in Swahili can also refer to a depression or a low-lying area. |
| Swedish | In Swedish, "dal" also refers to a deep ravine, a dale, a dingle, or a glen. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | "Lambak" also means "plain" or "meadow" in old Tagalog. |
| Tajik | The word "водӣ" in Tajik can also mean "riverside" or a "watered area". |
| Tamil | The Tamil word "பள்ளத்தாக்கு" can also refer to a low-lying area between hills, a depression, or a ravine. |
| Telugu | The word "లోయ" ("valley") in Telugu, can also refer to the land between two parallel rivers or between ridges. |
| Thai | The Thai word "หุบเขา" originates from the Khmer word "ភ្នំ" which means "mountain". |
| Turkish | It is also the name of a type of carpet woven in the town of Uşak, Turkey. |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word "долина" has alternate meanings of "plain" or "flatland" and is related to the word "дольний" meaning "lower". |
| Urdu | The word "وادی" can also refer to a riverbed, a stream, or a ravine in Urdu. |
| Uzbek | “Vodiy” also means a river bed with little to no water in Uzbek. |
| Vietnamese | The word "thung lũng" (valley) in Vietnamese also refers to a type of musical instrument, a kind of drum. |
| Welsh | 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. |
| Xhosa | "Intlambo" is also the name of a mythical beast that resides in the valleys of the Eastern Cape mountains. |
| Yiddish | The word "טאָל" may stem from the Middle High German word "tal" or Old High German "dal". |
| Yoruba | Afonifoji may also mean "a person who is easily deceived" in Yoruba. |
| Zulu | The word "isigodi" can also refer to a cave or ravine. |
| English | Valley comes from the Latin word vallis, which means both "valley" and "wall". |