Best Guide To 40+ Useful Hobbies In Latvian

Are you wondering what to read next to improve your Latvian language skills? Learning the words related to vaļasprieki or hobbies in Latvian will undoubtedly elevate your interactions with the locals. This common topic will interest anyone, making it a great way to start your conversations the right way. If you want to learn more about this, keep reading below!

5+ Popular Hobbies In Latvian

Besides sports, painting, and playing board games, you will find a lot about the local’s most loved activities in the sections below. Are you ready for that? Keep reading below!

Latvian hobbies

1. Reading (Lasīšana)

If you are a writer or a reader, you will love your stay in Latvia. Lasīšana books are one of the Latvian people’s most typical and favorite pastimes, and both women and men are fond of this hobby. However, if you go statistically, women are more fond of reading than men and indulge in multiple genres like romantic, comic, horror, and even academic.

2. Board Games (Galda Spēles)

The next most common hobby of the Latvian locals is playing galda spēles. Everyone in Latvia has a huge heart for board games, from kids to older adults. Be it different mind games, brain games, or even basic board games like wash dash and crossword puzzles, all they need is a bottle of beer and a few mates to play the game with. It is also considered a perfect way of making new friends and spending time with family.

3. Drawing (Zīmējums) And Painting (Glezna)

If you are a natural artist yourself, you will be amazed by the talented souls that the country is creating. Moreover, painting has a unique way of binding Latvians together. Being a country filled with greenery and water bodies, artists always spend time painting landscapes in parks and river banks with their friends. Doesn’t it sound like a movie dream?

4. Dancing (Dejošana)

When it comes to physical activity, the most popular hobby of the locals is Dejošana. From traditional folk dance to party moves, they have a fondness for every kind of dance that brings joy and expresses pleasure. Dziesmu svētki is the Latvian song and dance celebration regarded as a pilgrimage form. It is the most famous cultural event in Riga, and once you witness it yourself, you will see the locals’ enthusiasm for dancing.

5. Singing (Dziedāšana)

If dancing is an everyday activity for the locals, then it is evident that they love to sing as well. Latvians believe that unity comes through music, fostering an image of respect for their national identity. Following such a view, you will also notice that music festivals in Latvia are pretty famous, and people hold them in an exalted position as singing helped them build their country in 1918.

6. Traveling (Ceļošana)

Just like you love to travel worldwide, you will also find many travel enthusiasts in Latvia. Since Latvia is already full of so many beautiful sites and places, traveling is not only international, but locals love to travel to areas even within their country. The airports of Latvia are always busy and carry millions of passengers every day inside and outside the homeland.

7. Fishing (Makšķerēšana)

Another favorite hobby of the people that reside in a country loaded with mesmerizing lakes and water bodies is Makšķerēšana. From 10-year-olds to 50-year-old people, everyone loves to go fishing whenever they are free. Hundreds of small rivers and streams make fishing exciting for the people with transparent water and blissful scenery. Even for tourists, you will find many fishing lakes where they let you rent boats and nets for your fish hunting journey.

8. Berry Picking (Ogu Lasīšana)

How can we miss out on Ogu lasīšana when talking about Latvians? Mushroom and Berry picking is a unique tradition that not only Latvia but other Baltic states have followed for ages. Since there are a lot of diverse berries and beautiful gardens, you will be amazed to see how refreshing it feels to be a part of such an aesthetic tradition. Most of the berry picking takes place in mid-summer.

More Hobby Words In The Latvian Language

Latvian hobby references

Here we will look for other hobby words that we might have missed in the previous section. Remember that familiarizing yourself with all these will improve your speaking skills and expand your vocabulary. So, please give them a good read.

Vocabulary A-F

EnglishLatvianPronunciation
ArcheryLoka šaušana
ActingAktiermāksla
Arm wrestlingLaušanās 
AntiquesSenlietas 
Acro danceAkro deja 
BoatingLaivošana 
BasketballBasketbols 
BicyclingRiteņbraukšana 
BilliardBiljards 
BowlingBoulings 
BoxingBokss 
ChessŠahs 
Craft makingAmatniecības darināšana 
CampingKempings 
Candle MakingSveču izgatavošana 
CheerleadingKarsējmeitenes 
CollectingKolekcionēšana 
DartsŠautriņas 
DominoesDominos 
DrummingBungu spēlēšana 
EmbroideryIzšuvumi 
FencingPaukošana 
FootballFutbols 
Figure skatingDaiļslidošana 
FilmmakingFilmu veidošana 
Fossil huntingFosiliju medības 

Vocabulary G-M

EnglishLatvianPronunciation
GamblingAzartspēles
GardeningDārzkopība
GymnasticsVingrošana
GuitarĢitāra 
Go-kartingKartings 
GamingSpēles 
GraffitiGrafiti 
Ghost huntingSpoku medības 
HikingPārgājieni 
HuntingMedības 
Horse ridingJāšana 
HoopingRiņķošana 
HockeyHokejs 
Ice skatingSlidošana 
InvestingLeguldot 
Icing cakeGlazūra kūka 
Ice divingLedus niršana 
Jumping ropesLēcas virves 
JudoDžudo 
JoggingSkriešana 
KnittingAdīšana 
KarateKaratē 
kayakingSmaiļošana 
KitesPūķi 
KickboxingKikbokss 
Mountain climbingAlpīnisms 
Magic tricksBurvju triki 
MicroscopyMikroskopija 

Vocabulary N-Z

EnglishLatvianPronunciation
Nail artNagu māksla
NeedleworkRokdarbi 
OrigamiOrigami 
PuzzlesPuzles 
ParkourParkour 
PotteryKeramika 
PhotographyFotogrāfija 
PlayingSpēlē 
QuizViktorīna 
RacingSacīkšu sacīkstes 
RaftingRaftings 
RappingRepošana 
SketchingSkicēšana 
SwimmingPeldēšana 
SewingŠūšana 
SunbathingSauļošanās 
ShoppingLepirkšanās 
TennisTeniss 
Tap dancingStepa dejas 
UkeleleUkelele 
WritingRakstīšana 
Water skiingŪdens slepošana 
Wood carvingKoka grebšana 
WeightliftingSvarcelšana 
Zoo visitingZoodārza apmeklējums 

Useful Latvian Phrase

Now we will see some helpful sentences related to hobbies that you can use whenever needed. Learning these can help make discussions more engaging and profound.

EnglishLatvianPronunciation
I love gardeningMan patīk dārzkopība
Do you read books?Vai jūs lasāt grāmatas? 
We have similar hobbiesMums ir līdzīgi hobiji 
Racing is sometimes good for healthSacensības dažkārt nāk par labu veselībai 
I am in the mood to paintEsmu noskaņota gleznot 
Do you have specific hobbies?Vai jums ir kādi konkrēti hobiji? 
Do you know how to dance?Vai jūs zināt, kā dejot? 
How did you start your hobby?Kā sāki savu hobiju? 
I would love to go fishing with youEs labprāt dotos ar tevi makšķerēt 
Your hobbies sound very interestingJūsu vaļasprieki izklausās ļoti interesanti 

Onto You!

Now that you know almost all of the hobby words in Latvian, you are sure to make hundreds of friends during your stay in Latvia. These words will become a great way to share your thoughts with the locals and engage in deeper and more relaxing conversations. With such bonding, you will make millions of memories worth remembering.

If you liked this blog and found it valuable, we invite you to read our other articles by Ling, such as Sports in LatviaDisaster vocab, and Health words list. All you need to do is go to the Appstore or Playstore and download the Ling App for free!

Learn Latvian With Ling

Hobbies in Latvian ling

Latvian can be a little tricky, but it is one of the Baltic languages you should not miss out on. So to make learning easier, the Ling App is the best for you. It is a language learning app that provides numerous topics with proper meaning and translation that will help improve your communication skills. The app also has an AI Chatbot feature that lets you experience interactive sessions to retain all the information you learned.

So, what are you wondering? Click on the link, download the Ling App today, and spread the word if you support us!

Share this post

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

What makes learning with Ling special

Interactive exercises

Improve your pronunciation by starting a conversation with our app’s interactive chatbot

Engaging activities

Practice your skills with mini-games and track your progress with fun quizzes

Mix of languages

Choose from over 60 languages, both big and small, and listen to audio from native speakers

Proven results

Backed by linguistic research, our learning methods can help you achieve fluency in record time