| Language | Language (in English) | turtle | gender | pronounced as: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afrikaans | Afrikaans (South Africa, Namibia) | skilpad | ||
| Bahasa Indonesia | Indonesian | kura-kura & penju | ||
| Bahasa Melayu | Malaysian |
penyu (sea-turtle) labi-labi (softshell) kura-kura (other turtles) | ||
| Bambara | Bambara (Mali) | koorakaara | ||
| Bangla | Bengali | Kachhim & Kochchhop | ||
| Bosansko-hercegovački | Bosnian | Kornjača | ||
| Brezhoneg | Breton (France) | baot-vor | f | |
| Bundjalung | Bundjalung (New South Wales, Australia) | bingihyn | ||
| Català | Catalan (Spain) | tortuga | f | |
| Cesky | Czech | želva | f | |
| Cymraeg | Welsh | môr-grwban | m | |
| dansk | Danish | skildpadde | ||
| Datiwuy | Datiwuy (Western Australia) | dhalwartpu (green turtle) garriwa (flatback turtle) | ||
| Deutsch | German | Schildkröte | f | (audio) |
| Eesti | Estonian | kilpkonn | ||
| English | English | turtle | ||
| Español | Spanish | tortuga | f | |
| Esperanto | Esperanto | testudo | ||
| Euskara | Basque | dortoka | ||
| Français | French | tortue | f | |
| Frysk | Frisian | skýldpod | ||
| Gaeilge | Irish | turtar | m | |
| Gaelg | Manx | turtyl | m | |
| Gooniyandi | Gooniyandi (Western Australia) | wilirrabi (long-necked turtle) | ||
| Gullah | Gullah (South-Carolina, Georgia, United States) | cootah | ||
| Guaraní | Guarani (Paraguayan) | karumbe | ||
| Hawai'i | Hawaiian | honu | ||
| Hindi | Hindi | kachua | ||
| Hrvatski | Croatian | Kornjača | ||
| Igbo | Igbo (Western Africa) | mbé | ||
| ìslenska | Icelandic | skjaldbaka | f | |
| Italiano | Italian | tartaruga | f | |
| jezyk polski | Polish | zółw | (audio) | |
| Kuna | Kuna (Panama) | ya-oo | ||
| Lacandón | Lacandón (a Maya language) | aak | ||
| Ladino | Ladino (Israel, Turkey) | tartuga | f | |
| Lakota | Lakota Sioux (United States, Canada) | keha | ||
| lea fakatonga | Tongan | fonu | ||
| lingua Latina | Latin | 1) testudo (classical Latin) 2) tartarucha, tortuca, tartuca (late classical and medieval Latin) | f | |
| Magyar | Hungarian | teknősbéka | ||
| Maori | Maori (New Zealand) | honu / nguturoa | ||
| Meryam Mir | Meryam Mir (Torres Strait Area, Australia) | bawg (hawksbill turtle) nam (turtle (generic)) uriz (flatback turtle) zegnaypul (a type of turtle) | ||
| Murrinh-Patha | Murrinh-Patha (Northern Territory Australia) | ngupu (loggerhead turtle) | ||
| Nahuatl | Nahuatl (Aztec) | áyotl | ||
| Nederlands | Dutch | schildpad | f(m) | |
| Norsk | Norwegian | skilpadde | ||
| Nukuoro | Nukuoro (Micronesia) | honu tolo/honu ssele | ||
| Nyungar | Nyungar (Western Australia) | kilang (turtle) buyi (turtle) yakany (freshwater turtle) | ||
| Occitan | Provençal (Southern France) | tartuga | ? | |
| Paakantyi | Paakantyi (New South Wales, Australia) | pumarla-puka | ||
| Papiamentu | Papiamento (Surinam) | morkoi,tortuga,karèt | ||
| português | Portuguese | tartaruga/cágado | f | |
| Quechua | Quechua (South America) | charapa? acharapa? | ||
| Romîn | Romanian | broascâ ţestoasâ | f | |
| Samoan | Samoan | laumei | ||
| Sesotho | Sesotho (South Africa) | kgudu | ||
| Shqipe | Albanian | breshkë | f | |
| sicilianu | Sicilian | tartuca | f | |
| Slovensko | Slovak | korytnačka | f | |
| Slovenčina | Slovenian | želva | f | |
| af-Somaliga | Somali | diin-ka | m | |
| Srpski | Serbian | Kornjača / Корњача | ||
| Suomi | Finnish | kilpikonna | ||
| Svenska | Swedish | sköldpadda | ||
| Swahili | Swahili | kobe | ||
| Tagalog/Filipino | Tagalog (regional language) Filipino (national language) (The Philippines) | pagong | ||
| tiêng Viêt | Vietnamese | con-rùa | ||
| Tok Pisin | Papuan Pidgin | torasel | ||
| Tswana | Tswana (South Africa) | khudu | ||
| Türkçe | Turkish | kaplumbağa | ||
| Wembawemba | Wembawemba (Victoria Australia) | nyim (short-necked turtle) pil-wil lernget (broad-shelled turtle) | ||
| Wik-Mungkan | Wik-Mungkan (Torres Strait Area, Australia) | minh miintim (sea turtle) nhengk tung-tung (long-necked turtle) | ||
| Wiradjuri | Wiradjuri (New South Wales Australia) | gandhalwaa (long-necked turtle) guudhamang (striped turtle) | ||
| Wolof | Wolof (western Africa) | nduumaar | ||
| Xhosa | Xhosa (South Africa) | i-sikolopati ufudo | ||
| Ye' Iswa | Catawba (South-Carolina, United States) | Kayäk | ||
| Yindjibarndi | Yindjibarndi (Western Australia) | thatharruga (sea turtle) | ||
| Yumplatok | Torres Strait Creole (Torres Strait Area, Australia) | biged (loggerhead turtle) platplat (flatback turtle) totol (turtle (generic from English)) | ||
| Zulu | Zulu (South Africa) | ufudu | ||
| Thai | 1: ta pab nam/plapha (softshells) 2: tao (all other species) | |||
| Japanese |  | umigame, kame | ||
| Greek |  | f | chelona | |
| Russian | черепаха | f | chiripakha | |
| Farsi (Persian) (Iran, central and western Asia) |  | laakposht | ||
| Arabic | 1:  2:  | f | 1: soulhoufat (standard Arabic) 2: kashf (Iraqi dialect) 3: ragga (Iraqi dialect) 4: fakrun (North-African dialect) | |
| Hebrew |  | tsav (zav) | ||
| Bulgarian | Костенурка | kostenurka | ||
| Chinese (traditional) (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau) | 1: 2:  | 1: pie (only softshells) 2: uguei (all other species) | ||
| Chinese (simplified) |  | 1: pie (only softshells) 2: uguei (all other species) | ||
| Marathi (India) | कासव | kasav (audio) |
N.B.: this is a collection of general words for 'turtle'. As a rule, more specific words like 'tortoise' and 'terrapin' are not listed because they don't refer to all turtle species. An exception is made if a language does not have an all-inclusive word for 'turtle'.
Please inform me if your language is missing, or if you want to make a correction. If your language uses non-standard symbols please send me an image of the written word for 'turtle', and a transcription of this word. My email address:
This list is my intellectual property. The first version of it went online in May 2000. Please do not copy this list to other sites. You are welcome to link to it though.
I would like to thank Josep Palet, Marijan Tunjic, Sondra Red Eagle Kehalacante, Eena Bravo, Guneet Singh, Franz Fischer, Martin, Zahra PourMorady, Barak Gull, Kei, Anna (Elbereth), Rawad Massoud, Mohd Uzairi Zailani, Yehuda Hatsvi, Mindy Chapman, Matt Lund, Imaam Chowdhury, Nikhil Umale, Ania Dachowska, Andreas Dietzel, and most notably Patrick E. Kennon, for their contributions to this page.
