Țările de Jos
/ˈt͡sə.ri.le de ˈʒos/feminine, plural
The English phrase 'the Netherlands' is translated into Romanian as Țările de Jos. Wiktionary also lists Olanda.
Meaning: country in northwestern Europe (name)
Ways to say it
| Romanian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Țările de Jos | /ˈt͡sə.ri.le de ˈʒos/ | feminine, plural |
| Olanda | feminine |
Both Țările de Jos and Olanda are used to refer to the country in northwestern Europe.
What does it mean word for word?
The name Țările de Jos literally translates to 'The Low Lands'.
Which one should you use?
Țările de Jos is the official name for the country, whereas Olanda is a more common, though technically imprecise, way to refer to it.
How does it change in a sentence?
Olanda is a feminine noun. Țările de Jos is a plural noun phrase.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈtsə.ri.le de ˈʒos/. The stress is on the first of four syllables.
Did you know?
- In Romanian, the adjective jos is used not only for altitude but also to describe the bottom of a page or the lower part of a building.
- In Romanian, if you want to say 'the Dutch' as a people, you would use a different word entirely, rather than a variation of Țările de Jos.
- The word jos is a direct descendant of the Latin word deorsum, meaning 'downwards', which gives the country's name its literal sense of being 'down' or 'low'.
Examples in context
- Sunt din Țările de Jos.I'm from the Netherlands.The sentence is useful for stating where you are from using Țările de Jos.Tatoeba #8862641 by elenacristina260, translation #3617392 by Ricardo14
- Țările de Jos sunt cunoscute pentru bicicletele lor.The Netherlands is known for their bicycles.
- Am prieteni care locuiesc în Olanda.I have friends who live in the Netherlands.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Andreea are discussing their next vacation destination.
- GabrielUnde vrei să mergem în vacanță, Andreea?Where do you want us to go on vacation, Andreea?
- AndreeaMăcar o dată, aș vrea să văd Țările de Jos.For once, I would like to see the Netherlands.
- GabrielAm auzit că acolo sunt multe canale.I heard that there are many canals there.
- AndreeaDa, sună ca o idee excelentă, Gabriel!Yes, that sounds like an excellent idea, Gabriel!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “netherlands” translations and entries Țările de Jos, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, jos, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
