Vehicle in Different Languages
Discover 'Vehicle' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
A 'vehicle' is more than just a means of transportation - it's a reflection of human ingenuity and innovation. From the humble beginnings of the wheel to the modern marvels of electric and autonomous cars, vehicles have transformed the way we live, work, and play. They've even shaped our cultures and societies, influencing our art, literature, and language.
Did you know that the word 'vehicle' comes from the Latin 'vehiculum' meaning 'a means of transport'? Or that the ancient Greeks had no specific word for 'vehicle', instead using 'harma' to refer to a chariot or team of horses?
Understanding the translation of 'vehicle' in different languages can open up a world of cultural insights and connections. For example, in Spanish, 'vehículo' evokes the rich history of Spanish-speaking countries and their love for automobiles. In Mandarin, '车辆' (cheliang) reflects China's rapid industrialization and urbanization, while in Hindi, 'वाहन' (vahan) highlights the importance of vehicles in India's bustling cities and crowded streets.
Join us as we explore the many translations of 'vehicle' and delve into the fascinating histories and cultures they represent.
Vehicle
Vehicle in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | voertuig | ||
| The word "voertuig" derives from the Dutch word "voertuig", which has the same meaning and also refers to a vessel or ship. | |||
| Amharic | ተሽከርካሪ | ||
| 'ተሽከርካሪ' is also used in a figurative sense, such as to refer to the body as a 'vehicle of the soul'. | |||
| Hausa | abin hawa | ||
| The Hausa word "abin hawa" can also mean "the thing of the air" or "a flying object." | |||
| Igbo | ugbo ala | ||
| Ugbo ala is an Igbo phrase which literally translates to 'tree of the land', highlighting the former use of trees to make vehicles | |||
| Malagasy | fiara | ||
| The Malagasy word 'fiara' ultimately stems from the French word 'voiture', meaning 'car'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | galimoto | ||
| "Galimoto" is derived from the verb "kulima" (to cultivate) and is originally used to refer to an ox-drawn plow. | |||
| Shona | mota | ||
| The word "mota" (vehicle) in Shona originates from the English word "motorcar". | |||
| Somali | gaari | ||
| The word "gaari" in Somali refers to a specific type of vehicle, a four-wheeled motorized vehicle. | |||
| Sesotho | koloi | ||
| Swahili | gari | ||
| The word "gari" can also refer to a wheelchair or a bicycle. | |||
| Xhosa | isithuthi | ||
| The word 'isithuthi' in Xhosa comes from the verb 'tutha', meaning 'to carry' or 'to convey'. | |||
| Yoruba | ọkọ | ||
| The Yoruba word ọkọ can also refer to a husband as one in possession or driver of their spouse or wives. | |||
| Zulu | imoto | ||
| The word 'imoto' can also refer to a person who is always on the move or a restless person. | |||
| Bambara | bolimafɛn | ||
| Ewe | ʋu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | imodoka | ||
| Lingala | motuka | ||
| Luganda | emmotoka | ||
| Sepedi | senamelwa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɛhyɛn | ||
Vehicle in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مركبة | ||
| The word "مركبة" (vehicle) can also mean "assembled" or "mounted" in Arabic, suggesting its original sense of a structure built from separate components. | |||
| Hebrew | רכב | ||
| Pashto | ګاډی | ||
| The word "ګاډی" can also refer to a caravan or a train in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | مركبة | ||
| The word "مركبة" (vehicle) can also mean "assembled" or "mounted" in Arabic, suggesting its original sense of a structure built from separate components. | |||
Vehicle in Western European Languages
| Albanian | automjetit | ||
| The word "automjetit" is derived from the Greek words "auto" (self) and "kinetos" (moving), and it can also refer to a machine or a device. | |||
| Basque | ibilgailua | ||
| The word "ibilgailua" derives from the Basque verb "ibil" (to go), and the suffix "-gailu" (tool), meaning "tool for going". It is also used to refer to a specific type of vehicle, such as a car or a bus. | |||
| Catalan | vehicle | ||
| Croatian | vozilo | ||
| "Vozić" means "to drive" in Croatian, while "vozilo" is a noun derived from it. | |||
| Danish | køretøj | ||
| The word 'køretøj' is derived from the Old Norse word 'kæruþ,' meaning 'cart' or 'wagon'. | |||
| Dutch | voertuig | ||
| The word "voertuig" comes from the Middle Dutch word "voertūch", which means "that which carries". | |||
| English | vehicle | ||
| The word 'vehicle' originates from the Latin word 'vehiculum', meaning 'that which carries'. | |||
| French | véhicule | ||
| Le terme «véhicule» dérive du latin «vehiculum», signifiant à la fois «objet servant au transport» et «instrument de guerre». | |||
| Frisian | wein | ||
| Frisian "wein" as a vehicle is cognate with Old English "wæn" but not with German "Wagen" (which instead derives from an older verb " bewegen" meaning "to move") | |||
| Galician | vehículo | ||
| A word for "vehicle" in Galician is "vehículo". It cognate with the Latin adjective "vehicularis" in meaning, but not in gender. | |||
| German | fahrzeug | ||
| The word "Fahrzeug" is derived from the Middle High German "var" (journey) and "ziug" (pulling), and originally meant "a means of transport". | |||
| Icelandic | farartæki | ||
| The word "farartæki" is composed of the words "farart" (travel) and "tæki" (taker), suggesting that a vehicle is something that takes one traveling. | |||
| Irish | feithicil | ||
| "Feithicil" derives from the Old Irish word "fecht"," meaning movement or travelling. | |||
| Italian | veicolo | ||
| "Veicolo" also means "medium" or "means" in Italian. | |||
| Luxembourgish | gefier | ||
| Maltese | vettura | ||
| In Maltese, "vettura" can also refer to a "carriage" or "tramcar". | |||
| Norwegian | kjøretøy | ||
| The word is derived from the Old Norse words | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | veículo | ||
| In Portuguese, "veículo" can also mean "vehicle" for transmitting diseases or ideas. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | carbad | ||
| The word "carbad" derives from Old Irish "carpat," meaning both "chariot" and "carriage". | |||
| Spanish | vehículo | ||
| The word "vehículo" in Spanish also refers to the body of an animal, particularly insects, mollusks, and amphibians. | |||
| Swedish | fordon | ||
| The word 'fordon' is derived from the Old Norse word 'for', meaning 'forward', and 'dón', meaning 'to do'. | |||
| Welsh | cerbyd | ||
| The word 'cerbyd' in Welsh is derived from the Latin 'carrus', meaning 'wagon' or 'cart'. | |||
Vehicle in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | транспартны сродак | ||
| Bosnian | vozilo | ||
| "Vozilo" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "voziti", which originally meant "to pull" or "to carry". It can also refer to a wheelchair, ambulance, or spacecraft. | |||
| Bulgarian | превозно средство | ||
| The Bulgarian word “превозно средство” is also used to refer to a means of transporting something, such as a suitcase. | |||
| Czech | vozidlo | ||
| In Polish, the word 'vozidlo' means 'chariot', while in Russian, it means 'cart'. | |||
| Estonian | sõiduk | ||
| "Sõiduk" comes from "sõitma" (to drive) and is related to "sõitja" (driver). | |||
| Finnish | ajoneuvo | ||
| Etymology: ajo (driving) + neuvo (instrument) | |||
| Hungarian | jármű | ||
| While "jármű" usually means "vehicle" in Hungarian, it may also refer to a "vessel" or even a "spacecraft". | |||
| Latvian | transportlīdzeklis | ||
| The word “transportlīdzeklis” is derived from German and literally means “transport device”. | |||
| Lithuanian | transporto priemonės | ||
| The Lithuanian word "transporto priemonės" literally means "means of transportation". | |||
| Macedonian | возило | ||
| In Slavic mythology, the vozilo is the chariot of the sun god Dažbog, which is sometimes depicted as a winged or fire-breathing serpent. | |||
| Polish | pojazd | ||
| Polish "pojazd" comes from "pojechać" meaning "to leave" or "ride away". | |||
| Romanian | vehicul | ||
| In Romanian, "vehicul" can also mean "means" or "instrument." | |||
| Russian | транспортное средство | ||
| The Russian word "транспортное средство" originally referred to a means of transporting goods or people by water. | |||
| Serbian | возило | ||
| The word "возило" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "voziti", meaning "to carry". | |||
| Slovak | vozidlo | ||
| The word "vozidlo" also has the archaic meaning of "army". | |||
| Slovenian | vozilu | ||
| The word "vozilu" can also refer to a wheelchair or a hospital bed in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | транспортного засобу | ||
| The word "транспортного засобу" derives from "транспорт" ("transport") and "засіб" ("means"). | |||
Vehicle in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | যানবাহন | ||
| The word 'যানবাহন' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'यान' (yaana), which means 'to go' or 'to travel', and 'वाह' (vaaha), which means 'to carry' or 'to transport'. | |||
| Gujarati | વાહન | ||
| The word 'vāhana' (वाहन) in Gujarati is derived from the Sanskrit word 'vahana' (वहन), which means 'to carry' or 'to transport'. | |||
| Hindi | वाहन | ||
| The word "वाहन" comes from the Sanskrit root "वाह" meaning "to carry" and also refers to a mythological bird, Garuda, who serves as the vehicle of Vishnu. | |||
| Kannada | ವಾಹನ | ||
| "ವಾಹನ" in Kannada also refers to the person who carries a palanquin or a litter | |||
| Malayalam | വാഹനം | ||
| The word "വാഹനം" originally meant "that which carries" and has been used to refer to carriers of deities or other important figures. | |||
| Marathi | वाहन | ||
| The word "वाहन" can also refer to a specific type of chariot used in Hindu mythology. | |||
| Nepali | गाडी | ||
| गाडी (gari) is also used in Nepali to refer to a prison cart or a litter. | |||
| Punjabi | ਵਾਹਨ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වාහනය | ||
| The Sinhala word "වාහනය" is derived from the Sanskrit word "वाहन" (vāhana), which literally means "that which is carried" or "a carrier". | |||
| Tamil | வாகனம் | ||
| The Tamil word 'vaahanam' is derived from Sanskrit, where it originally meant a 'mount' or 'rider', as opposed to today's meaning of 'vehicle'. | |||
| Telugu | వాహనం | ||
| "వాహనం" also means "deity's carrier" in Sanskrit, with the primary meaning of a bull of Lord Shiva. | |||
| Urdu | گاڑی | ||
| The Urdu word 'گاڑی' comes from the Prakrit word 'गअडि' meaning 'a cart' or 'a wagon'. | |||
Vehicle in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 车辆 | ||
| The character “车” in “车辆” can also mean “wheelchair”, “wagon”, “car”, “train”, and even “bicycle”. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 車輛 | ||
| The character 車 originally meant "carriage" or "cart", but later extended to mean any kind of wheeled vehicle. | |||
| Japanese | 車両 | ||
| The word "車両" (vehicle) is derived from the Chinese word "車輛", which originally referred to wheeled vehicles of any kind, including wagons, carts, and chariots. | |||
| Korean | 차량 | ||
| 차량 also refers to a trolley. | |||
| Mongolian | тээврийн хэрэгсэл | ||
| "Тээврийн хэрэгсэл" can refer to any type of powered land, water, or air vehicle, as well as hand-pulled carts or conveyances like sleds. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မော်တော်ယာဉ် | ||
Vehicle in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kendaraan | ||
| "Kendaraan" originally meant "tool to carry" in Old Javanese. | |||
| Javanese | kendharaan | ||
| In addition to meaning "vehicle" in Javanese, "kendharaan" also means "body or physical self". | |||
| Khmer | យានយន្ត | ||
| The word យានយន្ត is derived from the Sanskrit word 'yana', meaning 'to go' or 'to carry'. | |||
| Lao | ພາຫະນະ | ||
| Malay | kenderaan | ||
| "Kenderaan" also refers to an animal or person who carries or transports something. | |||
| Thai | ยานพาหนะ | ||
| The word "ยานพาหนะ" can also refer to animals or other entities that serve as means of transport. | |||
| Vietnamese | phương tiện | ||
| The word "phương tiện" in Vietnamese can also mean "method" or "means". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sasakyan | ||
Vehicle in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | vasitə | ||
| The word "vasitə" also means "means" or "method" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | көлік құралы | ||
| The word "көлік құралы" can also refer to a wheeled or tracked vehicle that is used to transport people or goods, or to a ship, boat, or aircraft. | |||
| Kyrgyz | унаа | ||
| The word "унаа" is also used in Kyrgyz to refer specifically to a horse or other animal used for riding or carrying loads. | |||
| Tajik | мошин | ||
| The word "мошин" has Persian origins and has the alternate meaning of "car". | |||
| Turkmen | ulag | ||
| Uzbek | transport vositasi | ||
| The Uzbek word "transport vositasi" literally means "means of transport". | |||
| Uyghur | ماشىنا | ||
Vehicle in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kaʻa | ||
| In Hawaiian, "kaʻa" also refers to a traditional sled or the act of sledding. | |||
| Maori | waka | ||
| The Maori word "waka" can also refer to a canoe or boat, reflecting its cultural significance as a mode of transportation and connection to the sea. | |||
| Samoan | taʻavale | ||
| The word ta'avale can also refer to a boat or an aircraft in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sasakyan | ||
| The word "sasakyan" in Tagalog can also refer to a "riding animal" or "mount". | |||
Vehicle in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | k'añasku | ||
| Guarani | mba'yrumýi | ||
Vehicle in International Languages
| Esperanto | veturilo | ||
| "Veturilo" is derived from the Latin "vehere" (to carry) and "-ilo" (a thing used for). It also refers to a public bicycle sharing system in Warsaw, Poland. | |||
| Latin | vehiculum | ||
| The word 'vehiculum' derives from Latin 'vehere' ('to carry') and initially meant not just 'vehicle', but any object designed for transporting something or someone. | |||
Vehicle in Others Languages
| Greek | όχημα | ||
| In the 18th century, "όχημα" was used to describe a beast of burden, and as such was the name given to a constellation that is now known as Auriga. | |||
| Hmong | tsheb | ||
| In Hmong, "tsheb" literally means "something with wheels" and can refer to anything from a car to a wheelbarrow. | |||
| Kurdish | erebok | ||
| The word "erebok" also means "automobile" or "car" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | araç | ||
| The word | |||
| Xhosa | isithuthi | ||
| The word 'isithuthi' in Xhosa comes from the verb 'tutha', meaning 'to carry' or 'to convey'. | |||
| Yiddish | פאָרמיטל | ||
| The Yiddish word "פאָרמיטל" is derived from the German word "Fahrzeug", which means "vehicle" or "carriage". | |||
| Zulu | imoto | ||
| The word 'imoto' can also refer to a person who is always on the move or a restless person. | |||
| Assamese | বাহন | ||
| Aymara | k'añasku | ||
| Bhojpuri | सवारी | ||
| Dhivehi | ދުއްވާއެއްޗެހި | ||
| Dogri | गड्डी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sasakyan | ||
| Guarani | mba'yrumýi | ||
| Ilocano | lugan | ||
| Krio | motoka | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئۆتۆمبێل | ||
| Maithili | गाड़ी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯒꯥꯔꯤ | ||
| Mizo | motor | ||
| Oromo | konkolaataa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଯାନ | ||
| Quechua | carro | ||
| Sanskrit | वाहनं | ||
| Tatar | транспорт | ||
| Tigrinya | ተሽከርካሪ | ||
| Tsonga | movha | ||