Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| costa | /ˈkɔs.ta/ | feminine |
| costiera | feminine | |
| litorale | /li.toˈra.le/ | masculine |
All three forms refer to the edge of land meeting an ocean, sea, gulf or bay. You can also use the verb costeggiare to describe the action of moving along or skirting the edge of a coast, or the phrase veleggiare sotto costa to mean sailing along a coast.
Which one should you use?
Costa is the most common and general term for a coast. Costiera is used for a geographical feature, often referring specifically to a coastal strip or a scenic stretch of coastline, such as la costiera amalfitana. Litorale is a more technical or administrative term, frequently used in geography or urban planning to describe the shoreline or the coastal zone.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Costa is a feminine noun, so it requires feminine articles and adjectives. Litorale is a masculine noun, which requires masculine articles and adjectives.
How do you pronounce it?
The word costa is pronounced /ˈkɔs.ta/. It has two syllables, and the stress is on the first syllable.
Did you know?
- In Italian, the word costa also means 'rib' when referring to human anatomy. This is because both a coastline and a rib are viewed as edges or curving boundaries.
- The phrase veleggiare sotto costa literally translates to 'sailing under the coast'. In English, one sails 'along' the coast, but the Italian perspective is to be 'under' the shoreline.
- The verb costeggiare is used not just for ships following a coast, but can also be used metaphorically to mean 'skirting' or 'avoiding' a topic in conversation.
Examples in context
- Il suo cottage è sulla costa.His cottage is on the coast.This sentence shows the location of a cottage using costa.Tatoeba #967702 by Guybrush88, translation #320320 by CK
- La città è a due miglia dalla costa.The town is two miles away from the coast.This sentence describes the distance of a town from the costa.Tatoeba #1007657 by Guybrush88, translation #45048 by CK
- Visitò la costa del Sudamerica nel 1499.He visited the coast of South America in 1499.This sentence is useful for describing a historical visit to the costa.Tatoeba #1000800 by Guybrush88, translation #803271 by Source_VOA
- La costa italiana è famosa per la sua bellezza.The Italian coast is famous for its beauty.
- Abbiamo programmato una vacanza in una cittadina sulla costa.We have planned a vacation in a town on the coast.
- Vediamo se troviamo un bel ristorante sul litorale oggi.Let's see if we can find a nice restaurant on the coast today.
- Andiamo a fare un'escursione sul litorale domani.Let's go on a hike along the coast tomorrow.
- Le spiagge del litorale toscano sono rinomate per la loro bellezza e tranquillità.The beaches of the Tuscan coast are renowned for their beauty and tranquility.
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia and Francesco are planning a vacation trip.
- GiuliaAndiamo a passeggiare lungo la costa?Shall we go for a walk along the coast?
- FrancescoSì, l'idea mi piace molto.Yes, I like the idea a lot.
- GiuliaLa costa in questa zona è bellissima.The coast in this area is beautiful.
- FrancescoHai ragione, Giulia, è stupenda.You are right, Giulia, it is wonderful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “coast” translations and entries costa, costiera, litorale, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
