Antananarivo (French)
Where does "Antananarivo" come from?
The name Antananarivo comes directly from the Malagasy language, meaning "city of a thousand." It is formed by combining the prefix an- with the words tanana, meaning "city," and arivo, meaning "one thousand." This literal translation reflects the city's historical significance and foundational naming customs in Madagascar.
Full etymology tree
- Antananarivo (French), 'Antananarivo (the capital city of Madagascar)'
- borrowed Antananarivo (Malagasy), 'Antananarivo (the capital city of Madagascar)'
- compound an- (Malagasy), 'prefix element of an- -ana'
- compound tanana (Malagasy), 'hand (of humans)'
- inherited *taŋan (Proto-Malayo-Polynesian), 'finger; toe'
- compound arivo (Malagasy), 'one thousand'
- inherited *ʀibu (Proto-Malayo-Polynesian), 'thousand'
- borrowed Antananarivo (Malagasy), 'Antananarivo (the capital city of Madagascar)'
Ancestors
- Antananarivo (Malagasy)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris