Caving Translations
A basic knowledge of foreign words for ‘cave’ (or associated names such as ‘cavern’, ‘pot’ or ‘system’) may help you when researching in our indexes or other publications. Some of these words may be used as a prefix (eg. Ireland: Poul/Poll) or suffix (eg. Austria: Höhle, as in Mammuthöhle). A short list of the commonest of these appears here:
| Language/country | Foreign language | English |
| Afrikaans | -gat | cave |
| Brazil | abismo | pot |
| gruta | cave | |
| Bulgaria | dupka | cave |
| China | dong | cave |
| yan | cave | |
| Czech Republic | jeskyne | cave |
| Ethiopia | enkoftu | cave |
| holka | cave | |
| France | abîme | pot |
| aven | pot | |
| gouffre | pot | |
| grotte | cave | |
| reseau | system | |
| trou | hole | |
| Germany | höhle | cave |
| loch | hole | |
| schacht | shaft | |
| Hungary | barlang | cave |
| zsomboly | pot | |
| India | krem | cave |
| Indonesia | gua | cave |
| luweng | pot | |
| ngalau | cave | |
| sirah | resurgence | |
| surupan | sink | |
| Iran | ghar | cave |
| Ireland | poll- | hole |
| poul- | hole | |
| Italy | abisso | pot |
| buca | hole | |
| buco | hole | |
| complesso | system | |
| grotta | cave | |
| Japan | -do | cave |
| Malaysia | gua | cave |
| lubang | cave | |
| Morocco | ifri | cave |
| kef | cave | |
| Nepal | gupha | cave |
| Netherlands | grot | cave |
| Pakistan | ghara/gharra | cave |
| Poland | jaskinia | cave |
| Portugal | abismo | pot |
| gruta | cave | |
| Romania | pestera | cave |
| Russia | пещера | cave |
| грот | cave | |
| колодец | pit | |
| шахта | pit | |
| шкурник | squeeze | |
| шкуродёр | squeeze | |
| Scotland | allt | stream |
| uamh | cave | |
| Slovakia | jaskyna | cave |
| Slovenia | brezno | pot |
| jama | cave | |
| pécina | cave | |
| spilja | cave | |
| Spain | cueva | cave |
| gruta | cave | |
| hoyo | hole | |
| nita | cave | |
| pozo | pot | |
| pozu | pot | |
| resumidero | resurgence | |
| sima | pot | |
| sistema | system | |
| sótano | cavern | |
| sumidero | sink | |
| torca | pot | |
| Thailand | tham | cave |
| Turkey | magarasi | cave |
| Wales | ogof | cave |
| pwll | pot | |
| twll | hole |