The word “city” is simple in English, but its equivalent can look and sound quite different across the world. Learning how to say city in 70 different languages is useful for travelers, language learners, students, writers, and anyone interested in how people describe the places where communities live and grow.
In some languages, the usual word for a city is closely related to ideas such as a town, urban area, settlement, or capital. Context can therefore matter when choosing the most natural translation. Regional varieties can also influence pronunciation and everyday usage.
This guide covers 78 languages, including major European, Asian, African, Middle Eastern, and Pacific or American languages. Each entry provides the natural word for city, an easy pronunciation guide, and a simple example sentence. Where a language uses a different writing system, the native spelling is included alongside romanization where practical.
The goal is not simply to provide literal translations. It is to show how city is naturally expressed in different languages while recognizing regional and cultural variation.
Interesting Facts About City
- The English word city ultimately developed through French and Latin linguistic history, while other languages use completely different roots.
- Many languages distinguish between a city and a town, although the exact boundary between the two concepts varies by country.
- In several languages, the same word can refer broadly to an urban settlement rather than matching the English meaning exactly.
- Some languages use words that are also connected historically with ideas such as settlement, community, or fortified place.
- A language may have one standard word for city but use a different expression in everyday speech or in a particular region.
- Languages written in different scripts, such as Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, and Greek, can represent the same concept in very different visual forms.
- Learning a basic word such as city can help language learners recognize related vocabulary for streets, neighborhoods, transportation, buildings, and urban life.
What Does City Mean?
A city is a large or important human settlement with a substantial population and developed infrastructure. Cities commonly contain homes, businesses, schools, government offices, transportation networks, cultural institutions, and other services.
The word can also have a broader cultural meaning. People may associate a city with community, work, travel, history, architecture, and identity.
For example:
- New York is a large city.
- This city has many historic buildings.
- I live in a small city near the coast.
The exact definition of a city can vary between countries because legal and administrative classifications are not identical everywhere.
Why Can City Have Different Translations?
There is not always a perfect one-to-one relationship between English city and another language.
The best translation can depend on:
- Context
- Formal or informal usage
- Regional vocabulary
- Administrative definitions
- Whether the speaker means a city generally or a specific municipality
- Differences between city, town, urban area, and settlement
- Local pronunciation and spelling conventions
For this reason, the tables below focus on the most natural commonly understood word for “city” rather than forcing a literal translation into every language.
Translation note: The “Translation” column gives the natural word corresponding to city. It does not translate the entire English phrase “How to Say City.”
European Languages
Europe contains several major language families, including Germanic, Romance, Slavic, Celtic, Uralic, and Greek branches. As a result, the word for city can vary considerably even between neighboring countries.
European Languages Table
| 🌍 Language | Country/Region | Translation | Pronunciation | Example Sentence |
| English | International | city | SIT-ee | This city is beautiful. |
| Spanish | Spain, Latin America | ciudad | see-oo-DAHD | Esta ciudad es hermosa. — This city is beautiful. |
| French | France, Belgium, Canada | ville | veel | Cette ville est magnifique. — This city is beautiful. |
| German | Germany, Austria, Switzerland | Stadt | shtat | Diese Stadt ist schön. — This city is beautiful. |
| Italian | Italy, Switzerland | città | chee-TAH | Questa città è bellissima. — This city is beautiful. |
| Portuguese | Portugal, Brazil | cidade | see-DAH-jee | Esta cidade é bonita. — This city is beautiful. |
| Dutch | Netherlands, Belgium | stad | staht | Deze stad is mooi. — This city is beautiful. |
| Swedish | Sweden | stad | stahd | Den här staden är vacker. — This city is beautiful. |
| Norwegian | Norway | by | bee | Denne byen er vakker. — This city is beautiful. |
| Danish | Denmark | by | bü | Denne by er smuk. — This city is beautiful. |
| Finnish | Finland | kaupunki | KOW-poong-kee | Tämä kaupunki on kaunis. — This city is beautiful. |
| Icelandic | Iceland | borg | pork | Þessi borg er falleg. — This city is beautiful. |
| Irish | Ireland | cathair | KAH-hir | Is cathair álainn í seo. — This is a beautiful city. |
| Welsh | Wales | dinas | DIN-as | Mae’r ddinas hon yn hardd. — This city is beautiful. |
| Polish | Poland | miasto | MYA-stoh | To miasto jest piękne. — This city is beautiful. |
| Czech | Czechia | město | MYEH-stoh | Toto město je krásné. — This city is beautiful. |
| Slovak | Slovakia | mesto | MES-toh | Toto mesto je krásne. — This city is beautiful. |
| Ukrainian | Ukraine | місто (misto) | MEE-stoh | Це місто красиве. — This city is beautiful. |
| Russian | Russia | город (gorod) | GOH-rut | Этот город красивый. — This city is beautiful. |
| Bulgarian | Bulgaria | град (grad) | graht | Този град е красив. — This city is beautiful. |
| Serbian | Serbia, Balkans | град (grad) | grahd | Овај град је леп. — This city is beautiful. |
| Croatian | Croatia | grad | grahd | Ovaj grad je lijep. — This city is beautiful. |
| Slovenian | Slovenia | mesto | MES-toh | To mesto je lepo. — This city is beautiful. |
| Romanian | Romania, Moldova | oraș | oh-RASH | Acest oraș este frumos. — This city is beautiful. |
| Hungarian | Hungary | város | VAA-rosh | Ez a város gyönyörű. — This city is beautiful. |
| Greek | Greece, Cyprus | πόλη (póli) | POH-lee | Αυτή η πόλη είναι όμορφη. — This city is beautiful. |
| Albanian | Albania, Kosovo | qytet | chi-TET | Ky qytet është i bukur. — This city is beautiful. |
| Lithuanian | Lithuania | miestas | MYES-tas | Šis miestas yra gražus. — This city is beautiful. |
| Latvian | Latvia | pilsēta | pil-SAY-ta | Šī pilsēta ir skaista. — This city is beautiful. |
| Estonian | Estonia | linn | linn | See linn on ilus. — This city is beautiful. |
English Varieties
English uses city in American, British, and Australian English. The spelling is the same, although accent and pronunciation can vary.
American English 🇺🇸
City — pronounced roughly SIT-ee.
New York is a busy city.
British English 🇬🇧
City — also SIT-ee, with pronunciation varying by regional accent.
London is a historic city.
Australian English 🇦🇺
City — the same standard word, with Australian pronunciation and accent features.
Sydney is a famous city.
There is no need to invent separate translations simply because English has different regional varieties.
European Cultural Notes
In Romance languages such as Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese, the word for city is grammatically feminine. In German, Stadt is feminine, while in several Slavic languages the grammatical gender of the word varies by language.
A particularly useful distinction appears in Norwegian and Danish, where by is the ordinary word for a city or town. Context helps determine the intended size or status of the place.
Read More: How to Say Circle in Different Languages
Asian Languages
Asia includes hundreds of languages and many writing systems. A word as basic as city can therefore appear as a Chinese character compound, a Japanese kanji expression, an Indic-script word, or a term written in Southeast Asian scripts.
| 🌍 Language | Country/Region | Translation | Pronunciation | Example Sentence |
| Mandarin Chinese | China, Taiwan, Singapore | 城市 (chéngshì) | chuhng-shrr | 这座城市很美。 — This city is beautiful. |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong, Guangdong | 城市 (sing4 si5) | sing-see | 呢個城市好靚。 — This city is beautiful. |
| Japanese | Japan | 都市 (toshi) | TOH-shee | この都市は美しいです。 — This city is beautiful. |
| Korean | South Korea, North Korea | 도시 (dosi) | doh-shee | 이 도시는 아름답습니다. — This city is beautiful. |
| Hindi | India | शहर (shahar) | sha-har | यह शहर सुंदर है। — This city is beautiful. |
| Urdu | Pakistan, India | شہر (shahr) | shehr | یہ شہر خوبصورت ہے۔ — This city is beautiful. |
| Bengali | Bangladesh, India | শহর (shohor) | sho-hor | এই শহরটি সুন্দর। — This city is beautiful. |
| Punjabi | India, Pakistan | ਸ਼ਹਿਰ / شہر (shahir) | sha-hir | ਇਹ ਸ਼ਹਿਰ ਸੁੰਦਰ ਹੈ। — This city is beautiful. |
| Gujarati | India | શહેર (shaher) | sha-her | આ શહેર સુંદર છે. — This city is beautiful. |
| Marathi | India | शहर (shahar) | sha-har | हे शहर सुंदर आहे. — This city is beautiful. |
| Tamil | India, Sri Lanka, Singapore | நகரம் (nakaram) | NAH-ga-ram | இந்த நகரம் அழகாக இருக்கிறது. — This city is beautiful. |
| Telugu | India | నగరం (nagaram) | NAH-ga-ram | ఈ నగరం అందంగా ఉంది. — This city is beautiful. |
| Kannada | India | ನಗರ (nagara) | NA-ga-ra | ಈ ನಗರ ಸುಂದರವಾಗಿದೆ. — This city is beautiful. |
| Malayalam | India | നഗരം (nagaram) | NA-ga-ram | ഈ നഗരം മനോഹരമാണ്. — This city is beautiful. |
| Nepali | Nepal | शहर (sahar) | sa-har | यो शहर सुन्दर छ। — This city is beautiful. |
| Sinhala | Sri Lanka | නගරය (nagaraya) | na-ga-ra-ya | මේ නගරය ලස්සනයි. — This city is beautiful. |
| Thai | Thailand | เมือง (mueang) | meu-ang | เมืองนี้สวยมาก — This city is very beautiful. |
| Vietnamese | Vietnam | thành phố | tahng foh | Thành phố này rất đẹp. — This city is very beautiful. |
| Indonesian | Indonesia | kota | KOH-ta | Kota ini indah. — This city is beautiful. |
| Malay | Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore | bandar | BAN-dar | Bandar ini cantik. — This city is beautiful. |
| Filipino | Philippines | lungsod | LOONG-sod | Maganda ang lungsod na ito. — This city is beautiful. |
| Burmese | Myanmar | မြို့ (myo) | myoh | ဒီမြို့က လှတယ်။ — This city is beautiful. |
| Khmer | Cambodia | ទីក្រុង (ti krong) | tee-krong | ទីក្រុងនេះស្អាត។ — This city is beautiful. |
| Kazakh | Kazakhstan | қала (qala) | qa-LA | Бұл қала әдемі. — This city is beautiful. |
| Uzbek | Uzbekistan | shahar | sha-HAR | Bu shahar chiroyli. — This city is beautiful. |
Asian Cultural Notes
In Chinese, 城市 (chéngshì) is a general word for an urban city. In Japanese, 都市 (toshi) is common for the concept of a city or urban area, while 市 (shi) is also used in administrative names.
Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi, and Nepali use related vocabulary for city, reflecting historical connections among languages of the Indian subcontinent. However, the scripts and pronunciation are different.
In Southeast Asia, words such as Vietnamese thành phố, Indonesian kota, Malay bandar, and Filipino lungsod demonstrate that neighboring countries can use entirely different vocabulary for the same concept.
Middle Eastern Languages
The Middle East contains several unrelated language families and traditions. Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Kurdish, Turkish, Armenian, and Georgian should not be treated as dialects of one language. Regional usage can also differ significantly within Arabic and Kurdish.
| 🌍 Language | Country/Region | Translation | Pronunciation | Example Sentence |
| Arabic | Middle East, North Africa | مدينة (madīna) | ma-DEE-na | هذه المدينة جميلة. — This city is beautiful. |
| Persian | Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan | شهر (shahr) | shahr | این شهر زیباست. — This city is beautiful. |
| Hebrew | Israel | עיר (ir) | eer | העיר הזאת יפה. — This city is beautiful. |
| Kurdish | Kurdish-speaking regions | bajar / شار | ba-JAR | Ev bajar xweş e. — This city is beautiful. |
| Turkish | Turkey, Cyprus | şehir | sheh-HEER | Bu şehir çok güzel. — This city is very beautiful. |
| Armenian | Armenia, Armenian communities | քաղաք (k’aghak) | ka-GHAK | Այս քաղաքը գեղեցիկ է։ — This city is beautiful. |
| Georgian | Georgia | ქალაქი (kalaki) | ka-LA-kee | ეს ქალაქი ლამაზია. — This city is beautiful. |
Arabic Note
مدينة (madīna) is widely understood as “city” in Modern Standard Arabic. Everyday speech can differ between Arabic-speaking countries, so a local dialect may use pronunciation or vocabulary that differs from the standard written form.
Kurdish Note
Kurdish has multiple major varieties. Bajar is widely used for “city” in Kurmanji and related usage, but spelling and pronunciation can vary by Kurdish variety and writing system.
African Languages
Africa is home to enormous linguistic diversity. A single country can contain many languages, and a language such as Swahili can be spoken across several national borders.
| 🌍 Language | Country/Region | Translation | Pronunciation | Example Sentence |
| Swahili | East Africa | jiji | JEE-jee | Jiji hili ni zuri. — This city is beautiful. |
| Afrikaans | South Africa, Namibia | stad | staht | Hierdie stad is mooi. — This city is beautiful. |
| Zulu | South Africa | idolobha | ee-doh-LOH-bha | Leli dolobha lihle. — This city is beautiful. |
| Xhosa | South Africa | isixeko | ee-see-KEH-koh | Esi sixeko sihle. — This city is beautiful. |
| Amharic | Ethiopia | ከተማ (ketema) | ke-te-ma | ይህች ከተማ ቆንጆ ናት። — This city is beautiful. |
| Yoruba | Nigeria, Benin | ìlú | ee-LOO | Ìlú yìí lẹ́wà. — This city is beautiful. |
| Igbo | Nigeria | obodo | oh-BOH-doh | Obodo a mara mma. — This city is beautiful. |
| Hausa | Nigeria, Niger and surrounding areas | birni | BEER-nee | Wannan birni yana da kyau. — This city is beautiful. |
| Somali | Somalia, Somaliland, Horn of Africa | magaalo | ma-GAA-loh | Magaaladan waa qurux badan tahay. — This city is beautiful. |
| Shona | Zimbabwe | guta | GOO-ta | Guta iri rakanaka. — This city is beautiful. |
African Cultural Notes
The word city does not necessarily correspond to one universal concept of urban settlement across Africa. Administrative definitions and everyday vocabulary can differ between countries.
For example, Swahili jiji is widely understood across East Africa, while South African languages such as Zulu and Xhosa have their own distinct vocabulary and grammatical structures.
It is also useful to remember that language and nationality are not interchangeable. A language may be spoken in several countries, and many African countries are multilingual.
Other World Languages
Languages outside the major regional groups also offer interesting ways to express the idea of a city.
| 🌍 Language | Country/Region | Translation | Pronunciation | Example Sentence |
| Māori | New Zealand | tāone | TAH-oh-neh | He tāone ataahua tēnei. — This is a beautiful city. |
| Samoan | Samoa | ‘a’ai | ah-EYE | E matagofie lenei ‘a’ai. — This city is beautiful. |
| Tongan | Tonga | kolo | KOH-loh | ʻOku fakaʻofoʻofa ʻa e kolo ni. — This city is beautiful. |
| Haitian Creole | Haiti | vil | veel | Vil sa bèl. — This city is beautiful. |
| Quechua | Andes, South America | llaqta | LYAK-ta | Kay llaqta sumaqmi. — This city is beautiful. |
| Guarani | Paraguay, South America | táva | TAH-va | Ko táva iporã. — The city is beautiful. |
Cultural Notes
Some languages have words whose meanings can extend beyond the modern administrative concept of a city. In Indigenous languages especially, words may refer more broadly to a community, settlement, or inhabited place depending on context.
That is why a dictionary-style equivalent should not automatically be treated as an exact legal definition of “city.”
Pronunciation Guidelines
Pronunciation guides in this article are designed to help ordinary English-speaking readers get close to the target-language pronunciation. They are not substitutes for hearing a native speaker.
A few useful examples:
- Mandarin 城市 is pronounced approximately chéngshì, with tones that are important in Mandarin.
- Japanese 都市 is commonly romanized as toshi.
- Korean 도시 is dosi.
- Hindi शहर is shahar.
- Arabic مدينة is commonly romanized madīna.
- Persian شهر is shahr.
- Greek πόλη is póli.
- Turkish şehir contains a sound that does not map perfectly to ordinary English spelling.
For languages using non-Latin scripts, learning the native spelling alongside the pronunciation is often the most useful approach.
Quick Reference: City in Different Languages
| Language | Translation |
| English | city |
| Spanish | ciudad |
| French | ville |
| German | Stadt |
| Italian | città |
| Portuguese | cidade |
| Dutch | stad |
| Swedish | stad |
| Norwegian | by |
| Danish | by |
| Finnish | kaupunki |
| Icelandic | borg |
| Irish | cathair |
| Welsh | dinas |
| Polish | miasto |
| Czech | město |
| Slovak | mesto |
| Ukrainian | місто |
| Russian | город |
| Bulgarian | град |
| Serbian | град |
| Croatian | grad |
| Slovenian | mesto |
| Romanian | oraș |
| Hungarian | város |
| Greek | πόλη |
| Albanian | qytet |
| Lithuanian | miestas |
| Latvian | pilsēta |
| Estonian | linn |
| Mandarin Chinese | 城市 |
| Cantonese | 城市 |
| Japanese | 都市 |
| Korean | 도시 |
| Hindi | शहर |
| Urdu | شہر |
| Bengali | শহর |
| Punjabi | ਸ਼ਹਿਰ / شہر |
| Gujarati | શહેર |
| Marathi | शहर |
| Tamil | நகரம் |
| Telugu | నగరం |
| Kannada | ನಗರ |
| Malayalam | നഗരം |
| Nepali | शहर |
| Sinhala | නගරය |
| Thai | เมือง |
| Vietnamese | thành phố |
| Indonesian | kota |
| Malay | bandar |
| Filipino | lungsod |
| Burmese | မြို့ |
| Khmer | ទីក្រុង |
| Kazakh | қала |
| Uzbek | shahar |
| Arabic | مدينة |
| Persian | شهر |
| Hebrew | עיר |
| Kurdish | bajar |
| Turkish | şehir |
| Armenian | քաղաք |
| Georgian | ქალაქი |
| Swahili | jiji |
| Afrikaans | stad |
| Zulu | idolobha |
| Xhosa | isixeko |
| Amharic | ከተማ |
| Yoruba | ìlú |
| Igbo | obodo |
| Hausa | birni |
| Somali | magaalo |
| Shona | guta |
| Māori | tāone |
| Samoan | ‘a’ai |
| Tongan | kolo |
| Haitian Creole | vil |
| Quechua | llaqta |
| Guarani | táva |
How to Choose the Right Translation
The best translation of city depends on what you are trying to say.
For a straightforward sentence such as “This city is beautiful,” use the ordinary everyday word for city in the target language.
When discussing an official administrative area, however, the local language may have a more specific term. Likewise, a word translated as town in English may sometimes overlap with the local word used for an urban settlement.
Keep these points in mind:
- Check the context. A travel conversation may use a simpler word than an administrative document.
- Consider the region. Languages such as Arabic and Kurdish contain important regional variation.
- Use natural vocabulary. A dictionary’s first entry is not always the best choice in every sentence.
- Pay attention to grammar. Some languages require agreement with gender, number, or case.
- Learn pronunciation with the written form. This is especially important for unfamiliar scripts.
- Ask what local speakers normally use. Everyday usage can differ from highly literal translation.
Common Mistakes When Translating City
1. Translating Word for Word
A direct translation can sometimes produce an expression that sounds unnatural. The safest approach is to identify the ordinary target-language word for city and then build a natural sentence around it.
2. Assuming One Word Covers Every Settlement
City, town, village, municipality, and urban area are not always interchangeable.
3. Ignoring Regional Variation
Arabic, Kurdish, Chinese, and several other languages have important regional varieties. A standard form may be widely understood without being the only everyday option.
4. Confusing Scripts With Languages
Different languages can use the same script, while one language can also be written using different scripts. The writing system alone does not identify the language.
5. Using Incorrect Pronunciation
Words such as şehir, πόλη, 城市, şəhər-like forms in related languages, and words from tonal languages can be difficult to pronounce from English spelling alone.
6. Assuming Similar Words Mean Identical Things
Related languages sometimes contain similar-looking words, but their exact meanings and grammatical behavior can still differ.
Why Learn City in Different Languages?
Learning the word city across languages is a small but useful part of broader language learning. It introduces learners to vocabulary connected with travel, geography, transportation, architecture, neighborhoods, culture, and everyday conversation.
Knowing this word can also make it easier to understand signs, maps, travel information, addresses, and descriptions of places.
More importantly, comparing translations shows that languages do not organize ideas in exactly the same way. One language may use a simple everyday term, while another may distinguish more carefully between different kinds of settlements.
For travelers, learning even one basic local word can make conversations feel more personal. For students, comparing words across languages provides a practical way to notice differences in grammar, pronunciation, scripts, and vocabulary.
FAQs:
How do you say city in different languages?
The word city has many different translations. For example, it is ciudad in Spanish, ville in French, Stadt in German, città in Italian, 城市 (chéngshì) in Mandarin Chinese, مدينة (madīna) in Arabic, and jiji in Swahili.
What is the most natural translation of city?
The most natural translation depends on the language and context. Common examples include ciudad in Spanish, ville in French, Stadt in German, kota in Indonesian, and şehir in Turkish.
Can the translation of city change by country?
Yes. A language may have regional vocabulary differences, and some languages are spoken across several countries. Arabic and Kurdish, for example, have multiple regional varieties.
Why do some languages have multiple translations for city?
A language may distinguish between a city, town, urban area, municipality, or settlement. Context can therefore determine which word is most appropriate.
Is city the same as town in every language?
No. Some languages make a clear distinction between city and town, while others use a broader term that can cover different types of settlements.
Conclusion:
Learning how to say city in different languages reveals much more than a list of vocabulary words. Across Spanish, French, German, Mandarin, Hindi, Arabic, Swahili, Māori, and many other languages, the same basic idea is expressed through different sounds, scripts, grammatical systems, and cultural traditions.
The most useful translation is not always the most literal one. Context, region, pronunciation, and everyday usage can all influence which word sounds natural. This is especially important when a language has separate terms for a city, town, settlement, or urban area.
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