Book in Different Languages: How to Say “Book”

A book is one of the most universal words in everyday communication, connecting people through reading, education, stories, and knowledge. If you want to know how to say book in different languages, this guide gives you 70 translations with native terms, simple English pronunciations, and practical example sentences.

Whether you are learning a new language, traveling, studying, writing, or simply exploring book translations around the world, the table below makes it easy to compare the word across languages.

Book in All Languages

The word “book” can look and sound very different from one language to another. In some languages, the word is closely related to older Germanic or Latin roots, while others have completely different forms.

Here are 70 ways to say book in different languages:

#	Language	Native word for “Book”	Easy English pronunciation	Example sentence	English meaning
1	English	book	book	I bought a new book.	I bought a new book.
2	Spanish	libro	LEE-broh	Este libro es interesante.	This book is interesting.
3	French	livre	LEE-vruh	J’ai acheté un livre.	I bought a book.
4	German	Buch	bookh	Ich lese ein Buch.	I am reading a book.
5	Italian	libro	LEE-broh	Ho un nuovo libro.	I have a new book.
6	Portuguese	livro	LEE-vroo	Eu comprei um livro.	I bought a book.
7	Dutch	boek	book	Ik lees een boek.	I am reading a book.
8	Afrikaans	boek	book	Ek lees ’n boek.	I am reading a book.
9	Danish	bog	boh	Jeg læser en bog.	I am reading a book.
10	Norwegian	bok	book	Jeg leser en bok.	I am reading a book.
11	Swedish	bok	book	Jag läser en bok.	I am reading a book.
12	Finnish	kirja	KEE-ryah	Luen kirjaa.	I am reading a book.
13	Estonian	raamat	RAH-maht	Ma loen raamatut.	I am reading a book.
14	Latvian	grāmata	GRAA-mah-tah	Es lasu grāmatu.	I am reading a book.
15	Lithuanian	knyga	KNEE-gah	Aš skaitau knygą.	I am reading a book.
16	Polish	książka	KSHONSH-kah	Czytam książkę.	I am reading a book.
17	Czech	kniha	KNEE-hah	Čtu knihu.	I am reading a book.
18	Slovak	kniha	KNEE-hah	Čítam knihu.	I am reading a book.
19	Slovenian	knjiga	KNYEE-gah	Berem knjigo.	I am reading a book.
20	Croatian	knjiga	KNYEE-gah	Čitam knjigu.	I am reading a book.
21	Serbian	књига	KNYEE-gah	Читам књигу.	I am reading a book.
22	Bulgarian	книга	KNEE-gah	Чета книга.	I am reading a book.
23	Macedonian	книга	KNEE-gah	Читам книга.	I am reading a book.
24	Romanian	carte	KAR-teh	Citesc o carte.	I am reading a book.
25	Hungarian	könyv	KURN-yv	Olvasok egy könyvet.	I am reading a book.
26	Greek	βιβλίο	vee-VLEE-oh	Διαβάζω ένα βιβλίο.	I am reading a book.
27	Albanian	libër	LEE-buhr	Po lexoj një libër.	I am reading a book.
28	Russian	книга	KNEE-gah	Я читаю книгу.	I am reading a book.
29	Ukrainian	книга	KNYEE-hah	Я читаю книгу.	I am reading a book.
30	Armenian	գիրք	geerk	Ես գիրք եմ կարդում։	I am reading a book.
31	Georgian	წიგნი	TS’IG-nee	მე წიგნს ვკითხულობ.	I am reading a book.
32	Azerbaijani	kitab	kee-TAHB	Mən kitab oxuyuram.	I am reading a book.
33	Turkish	kitap	kee-TAHP	Bir kitap okuyorum.	I am reading a book.
34	Arabic	كتاب	kee-TAAB	أنا أقرأ كتابًا.	I am reading a book.
35	Hebrew	ספר	SEH-fer	אני קורא ספר.	I am reading a book.
36	Persian	کتاب	kee-TAAB	من یک کتاب می‌خوانم.	I am reading a book.
37	Urdu	کتاب	kee-TAAB	میں ایک کتاب پڑھ رہا ہوں۔	I am reading a book.
38	Hindi	किताब	kee-TAAB	मैं एक किताब पढ़ रहा हूँ।	I am reading a book.
39	Bengali	বই	boi	আমি একটি বই পড়ছি।	I am reading a book.
40	Punjabi	ਕਿਤਾਬ	kee-TAAB	ਮੈਂ ਇੱਕ ਕਿਤਾਬ ਪੜ੍ਹ ਰਿਹਾ ਹਾਂ।	I am reading a book.
41	Gujarati	પુસ્તક	POOS-tak	હું એક પુસ્તક વાંચું છું.	I am reading a book.
42	Marathi	पुस्तक	POOS-tak	मी एक पुस्तक वाचत आहे.	I am reading a book.
43	Nepali	किताब	kee-TAAB	म किताब पढ्दै छु।	I am reading a book.
44	Sinhala	පොත	POH-tah	මම පොතක් කියවනවා.	I am reading a book.
45	Tamil	புத்தகம்	POOT-tha-gam	நான் ஒரு புத்தகம் படிக்கிறேன்.	I am reading a book.
46	Telugu	పుస్తకం	POOS-ta-kam	నేను ఒక పుస్తకం చదువుతున్నాను.	I am reading a book.
47	Kannada	ಪುಸ್ತಕ	POOS-ta-ka	ನಾನು ಒಂದು ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಓದುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇನೆ.	I am reading a book.
48	Malayalam	പുസ്തകം	POOS-tha-kam	ഞാൻ ഒരു പുസ്തകം വായിക്കുന്നു.	I am reading a book.
49	Odia	ବହି	ba-hee	ମୁଁ ଏକ ବହି ପଢୁଛି।	I am reading a book.
50	Thai	หนังสือ	nang-SUE	ฉันกำลังอ่านหนังสือ	I am reading a book.
51	Lao	ປື້ມ	peuem	ຂ້ອຍກຳລັງອ່ານປື້ມ.	I am reading a book.
52	Khmer	សៀវភៅ	siev-phov	ខ្ញុំកំពុងអានសៀវភៅ។	I am reading a book.
53	Vietnamese	sách	sahk	Tôi đang đọc sách.	I am reading a book.
54	Indonesian	buku	BOO-koo	Saya sedang membaca buku.	I am reading a book.
55	Malay	buku	BOO-koo	Saya sedang membaca buku.	I am reading a book.
56	Filipino	aklat	AK-laht	Nagbabasa ako ng aklat.	I am reading a book.
57	Chinese	书	shū	我正在看书。	I am reading a book.
58	Japanese	本	hon	私は本を読んでいます。	I am reading a book.
59	Korean	책	chaek	저는 책을 읽고 있어요.	I am reading a book.
60	Mongolian	ном	nom	Би ном уншиж байна.	I am reading a book.
61	Burmese	စာအုပ်	sa-ohk	ကျွန်တော် စာအုပ်ဖတ်နေတယ်။	I am reading a book.
62	Swahili	kitabu	kee-TAH-boo	Ninasoma kitabu.	I am reading a book.
63	Zulu	incwadi	in-KWAH-dee	Ngifunda incwadi.	I am reading a book.
64	Xhosa	incwadi	in-KWAH-dee	Ndifunda incwadi.	I am reading a book.
65	Yoruba	ìwé	ee-WEH	Mo ń ka ìwé.	I am reading a book.
66	Igbo	akwụkwọ	ah-KWOO-kwuh	Ana m agụ akwụkwọ.	I am reading a book.
67	Somali	buug	BOOG	Waxaan akhrinayaa buug.	I am reading a book.
68	Amharic	መጽሐፍ	mets-HAF	መጽሐፍ እያነበብኩ ነው።	I am reading a book.
69	Hausa	littafi	lee-TAH-fee	Ina karanta littafi.	I am reading a book.
70	Swahili	kitabu	kee-TAH-boo	Kitabu hiki ni kizuri.	This book is good.

How to Say “Book” in Different Languages

The most common translations for book include libro in Spanish and Italian, livre in French, Buch in German, livro in Portuguese, kitab in several languages of South and West Asia, and kitabu in Swahili.

Some languages use a word that is easy for English speakers to recognize, while others have completely different sounds and writing systems. For example, Chinese uses 书, Japanese uses 本, and Korean uses 책.

The pronunciation column above provides a simple English-friendly guide. These approximations are designed for learners and may not capture every sound found in the original language.

Book Translations Around the World

The word book is closely connected with education, literature, storytelling, religion, history, and entertainment. Because books are used in nearly every culture, the concept has a place in virtually every major language.

In European languages, you can see several related forms. Spanish and Italian both use libro, while Portuguese uses livro. German uses Buch, and Dutch uses boek. Slavic languages such as Polish, Czech, Russian, Bulgarian, and Serbian have their own related forms.

Across Asia, the differences become even more noticeable. Hindi and Urdu use forms based on kitab, while Bengali uses boi. Chinese uses 书, Japanese uses 本, and Korean uses 책.

African languages also have distinctive terms. Swahili uses kitabu, while Zulu and Xhosa use incwadi. These differences make learning vocabulary an interesting way to explore language and culture.

Why Learn the Word “Book” in Other Languages?

Learning one simple word in several languages can be a useful starting point for language study. Book is particularly practical because it appears in conversations about school, libraries, reading, literature, travel, and hobbies.

Knowing this word can also help you recognize signs, titles, menus, educational materials, and basic conversations when visiting another country.

For language learners, comparing the same word across languages can also make vocabulary patterns easier to remember.

Book in Different Writing Systems

One fascinating part of learning book in all languages is seeing how the word changes between writing systems.

Latin-based languages may use familiar letters, such as libro, livre, Buch, and kitabu. Other languages use completely different scripts. For example:

• Arabic: كتاب
• Hebrew: ספר
• Hindi: किताब
• Bengali: বই
• Tamil: புத்தகம்
• Thai: หนังสือ
• Chinese: 书
• Japanese: 本
• Korean: 책
• Georgian: წიგნი
• Armenian: գիրք

Learning both the native spelling and pronunciation gives you a better understanding of how the word is actually used.

Common Uses of the Word “Book”

The English word book can refer to several related things. Most commonly, it means a written or printed work containing pages bound together.

For example:

• I bought a book yesterday.
• This book is very interesting.
• She is reading a history book.
• Please open your book.
• The library has thousands of books.

English also uses book as a verb. For example, you can book a hotel, book a flight, or book a table. However, the translations in this article focus primarily on the noun book, meaning a written or printed work.

Tips for Learning Book Translations

If you are studying several languages, avoid trying to memorize all 70 translations at once. Start with five or ten languages that are most relevant to your interests.

Write each native word beside its pronunciation and use it in a short sentence. Repetition is especially helpful for words that use unfamiliar scripts.

You can also group languages by region. For example, learn European translations first, followed by South Asian, East Asian, Southeast Asian, and African languages.

Most importantly, remember that the pronunciation guides in this table are simplified for English speakers. For accurate speaking, listening to native speakers and learning the pronunciation rules of the individual language is recommended.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do you say “book” in different languages?

“Book” has many translations. Examples include libro in Spanish and Italian, livre in French, Buch in German, livro in Portuguese, kitabu in Swahili, 书 in Chinese, 本 in Japanese, and 책 in Korean.

2. What is the word for book in Spanish?

The Spanish word for book is libro. A common sentence is Este libro es interesante, meaning “This book is interesting.”

3. How do you say book in French?

The French word for book is livre. For example, J’ai acheté un livre means “I bought a book.”

4. What is book in Hindi and Urdu?

In Hindi, book is किताब (kitaab). In Urdu, it is کتاب (kitaab). The two words are closely related and are commonly used in everyday speech.

5. What is book in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean?

In Chinese, book is 书 (shū). In Japanese, the common word is 本 (hon), and in Korean, it is 책 (chaek). These languages use different writing systems, making their translations visually distinct.

Conclusion

Learning how to say book in different languages is a simple way to expand your vocabulary while discovering how languages express the same everyday idea. From libro and livre to kitabu, 书, 本, and 책, each translation reflects the vocabulary and writing system of its language.

Use the 70-language table as a quick reference for studying, traveling, communicating, or exploring book translations around the world.