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Capital Cities by Language of Origin

Type the language that the capital city's name originates from. Languages that aren't currently spoken natively are marked in purple, if there are multiple languages and one is still spoken while another is not then it's marked in blue
Oldest confirmable language of origin, for example Ankara may originate from a Hittite word but the answer is a more recent word.
Some are multiple languages combined, either will be accepted in these cases.
For countries where the native name differs significantly from English, either word's origin language will be accepted.
Proto-languages will be accepted for some but will never be the only allowed answer.
Quiz by
funnyliv
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Last updated: December 28, 2025
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First submittedAugust 27, 2024
Times taken61
Average score31.6%
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Capital City
Language
Original Form
Abu Dhabi
Arabic
أَبُو ظَبِي
Abuja
Hausa
Abuja
Accra
Akan
Nkran
Addis Ababa
Amharic
አዲስ አበባ
Algiers
Arabic
الجزائر
Amman
Ammonite
𐤏𐤌𐤍
Amsterdam
Middle Dutch
Aemstelredam
Andorra la Vella
Catalan
Andorra la Vella
Ankara
Ancient Greek
Ἄγκῡρα
Antananarivo
Malagasy
Antananarivo
Apia
Samoan
Apia
Ashgabat
Classical Persian
(Possibly Parthian)
عِشْق‌آبَاد
(𐭀𐭓𐭔𐭊)
Asmara
Tigrinya
ኣስመራ
Astana
Kazakh
Астана
Asunción
Early Modern
Spanish
Asunción
Athens
Ancient Greek
Ἀθῆναι
Baghdad
Middle Persian
𐭡𐭢𐭣𐭲
Baku
Classical Persian
باکو
Bamako
Bambara
ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ / Bamakɔ
Bandar Seri
Begawan
Sanskrit / Farsi
श्री + भगवान् + بندر
Bangkok /
Krung Thep
Thai
บางกอก / กรุงเทพฯ
Bangui
Bobangi
Ubangi / Oubangui
Banjul
Mandinka
Bang Julo
Basseterre
French
Basseterre
Beijing
Middle Mandarin
北平
Beirut
Phoenician
𐤁𐤀𐤓𐤕
Belgrade
Medieval Latin
Belgradum /
Belogradum
Belmopan
Spanish
Belmopan
Berlin
Middle Low
German
Berlyn
Bern
Middle High
German
(Possibly
Proto-Celtic)
Bern
(*berna/*branos)
Bishkek
Kyrgyz
Бишкек
Bissau
Papel
(b)uhlawʔ /
(b)usawʔ
Bloemfontein
Dutch
Bloemfontein
Bogotá
Chibcha
Bacatá /
Muyquytá
Brasília
Portuguese
Brasília
Bratislava
Slovak
Bratislava
Brazzaville
French
Brazzaville
Bridgetown
English
Bridgetown
Brussels
Old Dutch
Bruocsella /
Broekzele
Bucharest
Romanian
București
Budapest
Hungarian
Budapest
Buenos Aires
Aragonese /
Sardinian /
Spanish
Buen Ayre /
Bonaria /
Buen Aire
Cairo
Arabic
القاهرة
Canberra
Ngunnawal
Kamberra /
Kghambury /
Nganbra /
Gnabra
Cape Town
Dutch
Kaapstad
Caracas
Spanish
Caracas
(named after a local
tribe or flower)
Castries
French
Castries
Chișinău
Romanian or
Hungarian
Chișla + Nouă
or Kisjenő
Conakry
Susu
Kɔnakiri
Cona + Nakiri
Copenhagen
Old Danish
Køpmannæhafn
Cotonou
Fon
Kútɔ̀nú
Dakar
Wolof
Daqaar /
Ndakaaru
Damascus
Egyptian
𓍘𓄟𓊃𓈎𓅱
Dhaka
Bengali
ঢাক
Dili
Bunak
Zili
Djibouti
Afar or Egyptian
Gabouti or 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭
Dodoma
Cigogo
Idodomya
Doha
Arabic
الدوحة
Dublin
Middle Irish
Dublind
Dushanbe
Classical Persian
دُوشَنْبَه
Freetown
English
Freetown
Funafuti
Tuvaluan
Funafuti
Gaborone
Tswana
Gaborone
Georgetown
English
Georgetown
Gitega
Possibly Kirundi
Possibly from igitega
meaning plain
Guatemala City
Classical Nahuatl
Cuauhtemallan
Hanoi
Vietnamese
Hà Nội / 河內
Harare
chiShona
Haráre / Haarari
Havana
Taíno
Habaguanex
Helsinki
Old Swedish
Hälsinge
Honiara
Gela–Guadalcanal
language
(any accepted)
Nagho Ni Ara
Islamabad
Urdu /
Classical Persian
اسلام‌آباد /
اسلامآباد
Jakarta
Sanskrit
जयकर्ता
Jerusalem
Egyptian /
West Semitic
language
𓄫𓅱𓆷𓄿𓅓𓅓𓈉 /
𓄫𓏲𓆷𓄿𓅓𓅓𓈉 /
𒌑𒊒𒊓𒅆𒆠
(Akkadian Spelling)
Juba
Bari
Juba
Kabul
Sanskrit
कुभा
Kampala
Luganda /
English
ke'Empala /
Impala
Kathmandu
Sanskrit
काष्ठमण्डप
Khartoum
Dinka or Nubian
Khar-tuom or
Ⲁⲅⲁⲣⲧⲟⲩⲙ (Agartoum)
Kigali
Kinyarwanda
Kigali
Kingston
English
Kingston
Kingstown
English
Kingstown
Kinshasa
Kikongo
Kinshasa
Kuala Lumpur
Malay
Kuala Lumpur /
کوالا لمڤور
Kuwait City
Arabic
مدينة الكويت
Kyiv
Old East Slavic
Кꙑѥвъ
La Paz
Spanish
La Paz
Libreville
French
Libreville
Lilongwe
Chichewa
Lilongwe
Lima
Classical Quechua
Limaq
Lisbon
Classical Latin or
Phoenician
Olisīpō /
𐤏𐤋𐤉𐤑 𐤏𐤁𐤀
Ljubljana
Slovene or
MHG or
Old Slavonic
Ljubljána or
Laibach or
Ljubovid / *ľubъ
Lomé
Eʋegbe
Alotimé
London
Classical Latin /
Brittonic
Londinium /
Londinion
Luanda
Kimbundu
Axiluanda / Axilwanda
Lusaka
Chilenje
Lusaaka
Luxembourg
Old High German
Lucilinburhuc
Madrid
Latin/Mozarabic or
Arabic or
Proto-Celtic
Matrix/Matricis or
مَجْرًى or
Mageto-ɸritus
Majuro
Marshallese
Mājro
Malabo
Bubi
Malabo
Capital City
Language
Original Form
Malé
Dhivehi
މާލެ
Managua
Nahuatl or
Mangue
Mana-ahuac or
Managua
Manama
Arabic
الْمَنَامَة
Manila
Tagalog
Maynilà / ᜋᜌ᜔ᜈᜒᜎ
Maputo
Possibly Tsonga
Maputo from the river
of the same name
Maseru
Sesotho
Maseru
Mbabane
Swazi
ÉMbábáne
Mexico City
Classical Nahuatl
Mēxihco
Minsk
Old East Slavic
Мѣньскъ
Mogadishu
Farsi or
Somali
مقعد شاه or
Muuqdisho
Monaco
Ancient Greek /
Ligurian
Μόνοικος /
Unknown Ligurian Word
Monrovia
English
Monrovia
Montevideo
Spanish or
Portuguese
Montevideo or
Monte vide eu
Moroni
Ngazidja Comorian
Mroni
Moscow
Old East Slavic
Московь
Muscat
Old Persian or
Arabic
مَسْقَط
(Many different
variations)
N'Djamena
Arabic
نِجَامِينَا
Nairobi
Maasai
Enkare Nyrobi
Nassau
German
Nassau
Naypyidaw
Burmese
နေပြည်တော်
New Delhi
Sanskrit or
Hindi or
Prakrit
डिल्लि/डिल्ली or
दिल्ली or
𑀠𑀺𑀮𑁆𑀮
Ngerulmud
Palauan
Ngerulmud
Niamey
Possibly Zarma
N/A
Nicosia
Byzantine Greek /
Ancient Greek
Λευκωσία /
Λευτεῶν
Nouakchott
Berber Language or
Zenaga
Nawākšūṭ or
in wakchodh
Nukuʻalofa
Tongan
Nukuʻalofa
Oslo
Old Norse /
Proto-Norse
Ǫ́sló / ᚨᚾᛊᚢᛚᚨᚢᚺᚢ
Ottawa
Algonquin
Adawe
Ouagadougou
Mòoré or
Farefare
Waogdgo or
Wɔgdɔgɔ
Palikir
Pohnpeian
Palikir
Panama City
Spanish
Ciudad de Panamá
Paramaribo
Tupi–Guarani
language
Paramaribo
Paris
Latin /
Gaulish /
Proto-Celtic
Parīsiī / *parios /
*kʷaryos
Phnom Penh
Khmer
ភ្នំពេញ
Podgorica
Serbo-Croatian
По̀дгорица
Port Louis
French
Port-Louis
Port Moresby
English
Port Moresby
Port Vila
French
Port-Vila
Port-au-Prince
French
Port-au-Prince
Port-of-Spain
Spanish
Puerto de España
Porto-Novo
Portuguese
Porto-Novo
Prague
Old East Slavic /
Old Czech
Práh / Praga / Praha
Praia
Portuguese
Praia
Pretoria
Dutch / Latin
Pretoria / Pretorius
Pristina
(No non-theoretical source)
Proto-Slavic or
Proto-Albanian
*Prišьčь / *pryščina or
*pṛ-tu- + *stein
Pyongyang
Middle Korean
부루나 / 平壤
Quito
Tsafiki
quitso + to
Rabat
Arabic
الرباط
Reykjavík
Old Norse
Reykjavík
Riga
Livonian or
German or
Latin
Ringa or
Riege or
Rigata
Riyadh
Arabic
الرياض
Rome
Classical Latin or
Etruscan or
Ancient Greek
Romulus (Legend) or
𐌓𐌖𐌌𐌀 or
Ῥώμη/ῥέω
Roseau
French
Roseau
Saint George's
English
Saint George's
Saint John's
English
Saint John's
San José
Spanish
San José
San Marino
Late Latin or
Vulgar Latin or
Italian
San Marino /
Saint Marinus
San Salvador
Spanish
San Salvador
Sana'a
Old South Arabian
(Sabaic)
𐩮𐩬𐩲𐩥
Santiago
Spanish
Santiago
Santo Domingo
Spanish
Santo Domingo
São Tomé
Portuguese
São Tomé
Sarajevo
Serbo-Croatian /
Ottoman Turkish
Са̀рајево / Sàrajevo /
سراي اوفاسي
Seoul
Korean
서울
Singapore
Sanskrit
सिंहपुर
Skopje
Ancient Greek /
Classical Latin
Σκοῦποι / Scupi
Sofia
Byzantine Greek /
Ottoman Turkish
Σοφίας / صوفيه
South Tarawa
Gilbertese
Tarawa Teinainano
Sri
Jayawardenepura
Kotte
Sinhala / Tamil
ශ්‍රී ජයවර්ධනපුර
කෝට්ටේ / ஶ்ரீ
ஜெயவர்த்தனபுர
கோட்டை
Stockholm
Swedish
Stockholm
Sucre
Spanish
Sucre
Suva
Fijian
Suva
Taipei
Mandarin
臺北
Tallinn
Old Estonian
Taani-linna /
Tanin lidna
Tashkent
Chagatai
تاشکند
Tbilisi
Old Georgian
ტფილისი
Tegucigalpa
Classical Nahuatl
Tegucigalpa
(Specific word
unknown)
Tehran
Classical Persian
تَهران / طَهْرَان
Thimphu
Dzongkha
ཐིམ་ཕུ
Tirana
Latin or
(Proto-)Albanian or
Doric Greek
Terrana or
*Tūrsanā/Tiranë or
Τυρσανοί
Tokyo
Japanese
東京
Tripoli
Ancient Greek
Τρίπολις
Tunis
Berber Language
ⵜⵏⵙ
Ulaanbaatar
Mongolian
Улаанбаатар
Vaduz
Old Romansch
Auadutg / Faduzes
Valletta
French
Valette
Vatican City
Classical Latin
Vātī̆cānus
Victoria
English
Victoria
Vienna
Old High German
Wienna
Vientiane
Lao
ວຽງຈັນ
Vilnius
Lithuanian
Vìlnius
Warsaw
Old Polish
Warszewa
Washington D.C.
English
Washington D.C.
Wellington
English
Wellington
Windhoek
Dutch / Afrikaans
Windhoek
Yamoussoukro
Baoulé
Yamoussoukro
Yaoundé
Ewondo
Wondo / Jaundo
Yaren
Nauruan
Yaren
Yerevan
Old Armenian /
Urartian
Երևան /
𒌷𒅕𒁍𒌑𒉌
Zagreb
Old Croatian /
Old Hungarian /
Medieval Latin
*Zagrębъ /
Zagrabiensem /
Agranum/Zagrabia
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2 Comments
Zefyrinus
+1
Level 74
Aug 27, 2024
Is it really necessary to define old, classical or middle for those languages that don't have modern varieties, or whose modern varieties are not present in this quiz anyway?
funnyliv
+1
Level 63
Aug 27, 2024
fair, made a lot of them more a lot more lenient but i think it's important to distinguish a few of them based on just how dramatically different they are. i.e ancient greek and old east slavic
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