Updated on March 6, 2024
Agriculture has been the backbone of human civilization since the dawn of time. It's the practice of cultivating the earth to produce food, fiber, and other resources, and it has played a critical role in shaping our world. From the lush vineyards of France to the verdant rice paddies of Japan, agricultural practices have varied across cultures and continents, reflecting the unique environments, resources, and traditions of each region.
Understanding the term 'agricultural' in different languages can open up a world of cultural insights and appreciation. For example, in Spanish, agriculture is 'agricultura,' while in German, it's 'Landwirtschaft.' In French, it's 'agriculture,' and in Mandarin Chinese, it's '农业' (nóngyè). These translations not only reflect linguistic differences but also highlight the cultural significance of agriculture in each society.
Whether you're a language enthusiast, a world traveler, or a student of cultural studies, learning the translation of 'agricultural' in different languages can enrich your understanding of the world and its diverse peoples. So, let's delve into the fascinating world of agricultural terminology and explore its cultural significance across languages and continents.
Afrikaans | landbou | ||
In the 19th century, "landbou" meant both "agriculture" and "farming ground" in Afrikaans, but the latter usage declined around 1900. | |||
Amharic | ግብርና | ||
The verb "ግብር" (gäbbär) means to "demand taxes", and "ግብርና" (gäbbärnna) as a noun also means "tax or tribute", and as an adjective it means "pertaining to crops or farming". | |||
Hausa | aikin gona | ||
In Hausa, "aikin gona" can also refer to the occupation of farming. | |||
Igbo | oru ugbo | ||
"Oru ugbo" can also refer to a farm or farmland in the Igbo language. | |||
Malagasy | fambolena | ||
The word "fambolena" is derived from the Malagasy words "fambo" (to cultivate) and "lena" (field), and it can also refer to the land used for agriculture or the agricultural sector of the economy. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | zaulimi | ||
In the Nyanja (Chichewa) language, the word "zaulimi" can refer to both agricultural practices and crops. | |||
Shona | zvekurima | ||
The term 'zvekurima' can also refer to agricultural tools and implements, farming activities, and rural areas where agriculture is practiced | |||
Somali | beeraha | ||
The word "beeraha" is derived from the root "beer" meaning "to plant" in Somali. | |||
Sesotho | temo | ||
Temo is cognate with the Zulu word "ilumo" meaning "cultivated field". | |||
Swahili | kilimo | ||
"Kilimo" is also a word for "farming" in Swahili. | |||
Xhosa | kwezolimo | ||
The Xhosa word "kwezolimo" can also mean "to cultivate" or "to farm." | |||
Yoruba | ogbin | ||
"Ogbín" is derived from the Yoruba word "ogbé" (farm) and means "pertaining to farming" | |||
Zulu | ezolimo | ||
Ezolimo, an isiZulu term derived from 'isilimo,' means a place of farming and cultivation. | |||
Bambara | sɛnɛko siratigɛ la | ||
Ewe | agbledede me nyawo | ||
Kinyarwanda | ubuhinzi | ||
Lingala | ya bilanga | ||
Luganda | eby’obulimi | ||
Sepedi | tša temothuo | ||
Twi (Akan) | kuayɛ ho adwuma | ||
Arabic | زراعي | ||
The word "زراعي" (agricultural) is derived from the Arabic root "زرع" (to sow), which also refers to the act of planting or cultivating crops. | |||
Hebrew | חַקלָאִי | ||
חַקלָאִי is derived from the Hebrew word חָקַל (field), and its alternate meanings include 'rural' and 'agrarian'. | |||
Pashto | کرنه | ||
The word "کرنه" can also mean "cultivation" or "farmland" in Pashto. | |||
Arabic | زراعي | ||
The word "زراعي" (agricultural) is derived from the Arabic root "زرع" (to sow), which also refers to the act of planting or cultivating crops. |
Albanian | bujqësore | ||
Bujqësore derives from the Turkish word 'bujgedi' meaning 'land worked by cattle'. | |||
Basque | nekazaritza | ||
The Basque word "nekazaritza" also means "agriculture" or "farming". | |||
Catalan | agrícola | ||
The word "agrícola" (agricultural) in Catalan derives from the Latin "ager" (field), and its plural form, "agrícoles", can also refer to agricultural workers. | |||
Croatian | poljoprivredni | ||
The word Poljoprivredni is derived from the Latin words "ager" (field) and "cultura" (to cultivate). | |||
Danish | landbrugs | ||
In Danish, 'landbrugs' is an adjectival form of 'landbrug', derived from 'land' (land) and 'brug' (use), referring to the utilization of land for agricultural purposes. | |||
Dutch | landbouw | ||
The word "landbouw" in Dutch is derived from the Old Dutch words "lant" (land) and "bouwen" (to build, to cultivate), and refers to the cultivation of land for agricultural purposes. | |||
English | agricultural | ||
Alternate meanings of 'agricultural': relating to arable land, or to the process of farming. | |||
French | agricole | ||
"Agricole" can also mean "rustic" or "peasant-like" in French. | |||
Frisian | agrarysk | ||
The word 'agrarysk' is derived from the Latin word 'ager', meaning 'field' | |||
Galician | agrícola | ||
"Agrícola" in Galician also means "farmer". | |||
German | landwirtschaftlich | ||
Landwirtschaftlich has an alternate meaning related to rural living and the activities therein | |||
Icelandic | landbúnaðar | ||
"Landbúnaðar" is a compound word consisting of the nouns "land" (land) and "búnaður" (farming, cultivation), hence its meaning as "agricultural". | |||
Irish | talmhaíochta | ||
In Irish mythology, "talmhaíochta" refers to divine beings associated with the land and agricultural prosperity. | |||
Italian | agricolo | ||
The word 'agricolo' in Italian can also refer to agricultural land, such as farmland or vineyards. | |||
Luxembourgish | landwirtschaftlech | ||
Landwirtschaftlech has a second meaning, "in an orderly manner," that stems from an older usage of Land in Luxembourgish to represent "regularity" | |||
Maltese | agrikoli | ||
The word "agrikoli" in Maltese derives from the Latin word "ager", meaning "field". | |||
Norwegian | jordbruks | ||
The word "jordbruks" derives from the Old Norse terms "jǫrð" (earth) and "bruk" (cultivation). | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | agrícola | ||
The word "agrícola" derives from the Latin word "ager", which means "field". | |||
Scots Gaelic | àiteachas | ||
In addition to 'agricultural', "àiteachas" can also refer to 'agronomy' or 'cultivation'. | |||
Spanish | agrícola | ||
The word "agrícola" derives from the Latin "ager", meaning "field", and "cola", meaning "cultivating" or "tilling", hence its meaning of "agricultural". | |||
Swedish | jordbruks | ||
In Swedish, "jordbruks" is derived from "jord" (earth) and "bruk" (use), denoting land use for farming. | |||
Welsh | amaethyddol | ||
Amaethyddol is also used figuratively in Welsh, to describe something rural or rustic in character. |
Belarusian | сельскагаспадарчай | ||
Bosnian | poljoprivredni | ||
"Poljoprivredni" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*polje", meaning "field," and "*privesti", meaning "to lead". | |||
Bulgarian | земеделски | ||
The Bulgarian word "земеделски" ("agricultural") is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "земля" ("land") and the Proto-Slavic suffix "-delь" (indicating an action or occupation). | |||
Czech | zemědělský | ||
The name is borrowed from Polish "ziemia" ("land"), and its Slavic root "země" "land". This word is in its genitive case here. | |||
Estonian | põllumajanduslik | ||
"Põllumajandus" combines the words "põll" (field) and "majandus" (economy), reflecting the agricultural origins of Estonian economy and the field-based nature of farming. | |||
Finnish | maatalous | ||
The word 'maatalous' is derived from the Proto-Finnic words 'maa' ('land') and 'talous' ('economy'), and has been used at least since the 16th century. | |||
Hungarian | mezőgazdasági | ||
Mezőgazdasági is derived from the words "mező" (field) and "gazdaság" (economy). | |||
Latvian | lauksaimniecības | ||
Lauksaimniecības is a compound word formed from lauks ('field') and saimniecība ('farm') | |||
Lithuanian | žemės ūkio | ||
The word `žemės ūkio` literally translates to "farming of the land" in Lithuanian. | |||
Macedonian | земјоделски | ||
The word "земјоделски" (agricultural) derives from the Old Church Slavonic word "земьдѣл" (tiller of the soil). | |||
Polish | rolniczy | ||
The Polish word "rolniczy" derives from the Latin "ager" meaning "field" and is also related to the Czech word "role" meaning "acre". | |||
Romanian | agricol | ||
The Romanian word "agricol" comes from the Latin word "ager", meaning "field."} | |||
Russian | сельскохозяйственный | ||
The word "сельскохозяйственный" comes from the Old Russian word "сельга," meaning "a village," and "хозяйственный," meaning "economic." | |||
Serbian | пољопривредне | ||
The word 'пољопривредне' ('agricultural') in Serbian is derived from the Slavic root 'polje', meaning 'field', and 'privredivati', meaning 'to cultivate' or 'to farm'. | |||
Slovak | poľnohospodársky | ||
The word "poľnohospodársky" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *polьno, meaning "field", and *gospodъ, meaning "master" or "lord". | |||
Slovenian | kmetijski | ||
The word "kmetijski" comes from the Old Slavic word "kmetъ" meaning "peasant". | |||
Ukrainian | сільськогосподарські | ||
The word “сільськогосподарські” (“agricultural”) in Ukrainian is derived from the word “село” (“village”) and the word “господарство” (“economy”), thus referring to the economy of rural areas. |
Bengali | কৃষি | ||
"কৃষি" originates from the Sanskrit word "kṛṣi", meaning "tilling of the soil, agriculture". | |||
Gujarati | કૃષિ | ||
The Gujarati word "કૃષિ" (agricultural) originally meant "tilling, ploughing" but now it means farming in general. | |||
Hindi | कृषि | ||
The word "कृषि" (agricultural) comes from the Sanskrit word "कृष" (to plow). | |||
Kannada | ಕೃಷಿ | ||
"ಕೃಷಿ" in Kannada is a Sanskrit loanword, coming from "कृषि" (kṛṣi), which also means "agriculture" or "farming". | |||
Malayalam | കാർഷിക | ||
Marathi | कृषी | ||
"कृषी" comes from the Sanskrit word "कृषि" which means "cultivation". The term also denotes the study of soil and the relationship between plants and animals in the environment. | |||
Nepali | कृषि | ||
The word "कृषि" is derived from the Sanskrit word "कृष" meaning "to plow" and is related to the word "کشاورزی" (keshtvarzi) in Persian, meaning "agriculture." | |||
Punjabi | ਖੇਤੀਬਾੜੀ | ||
The word "ਖੇਤੀਬਾੜੀ" derives from the Sanskrit word "kshetra-vibhardana," meaning "the art of dividing or apportioning the land." | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කෘෂි | ||
The word 'කෘෂි' derives from the Sanskrit word 'कृषि' (kṛṣi), which also means 'agriculture' and 'cultivation' | |||
Tamil | விவசாய | ||
The word "விவசாய" (agricultural) originates from the Tamil verb "விவஸிக்க" (to cultivate), implying an action or process rather than a state of being. | |||
Telugu | వ్యవసాయ | ||
The term 'వ్యవసాయ' ('agricultural') is derived from the Sanskrit root 'कृष्' ('to cultivate') and the Telugu suffix '-యం' ('action'). It can also refer to 'farming' or 'agriculture'. | |||
Urdu | زرعی | ||
The word "زرعی" is derived from the Arabic word "زرع", which means plant, sow, or cultivate. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 农业的 | ||
该词是“Agriculture”的音译,有“农耕的、农业的、农事的”等意思。 | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 農業的 | ||
農業的,有田園詩般、農村或鄉村特色的;樸實的,務實的。 | |||
Japanese | 農業 | ||
農業 (nougyou) can be interpreted as "agriculture", "farming industry", or "agriculture, forestry and fishery industry" (although other terms may also be preferred for the latter). | |||
Korean | 농업 | ||
"농업" means farming or agriculture, and also has the meaning of farming and cultivating one's health through diet and exercise. | |||
Mongolian | хөдөө аж ахуй | ||
Literally "village economy," Mongolian хөдөө аж ахуй is a calque from Russian сельское хозяйство (sel'skoye khozyaystvo) "agriculture, farming." | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | စိုက်ပျိုးရေး | ||
Indonesian | pertanian | ||
The Indonesian word "pertanian" (agricultural) stems from "tani" (farmer), ultimately derived from Sanskrit "tana" (soil). | |||
Javanese | tetanen | ||
Tetanen is the Javanese form of the Indonesian word "tani" and refers to the "people of the soil", i.e. the farmers. | |||
Khmer | កសិកម្ម | ||
The term "កសិកម្ម" is derived from Sanskrit, where it originally meant "cultivation of the land". | |||
Lao | ກະສິກໍາ | ||
The word 'ກະສິກໍາ' ('agricultural') in Lao can also refer to the process of farming or cultivating crops. | |||
Malay | pertanian | ||
The word "pertanian" can also refer to the field of agriculture or the industry of farming. | |||
Thai | เกษตรกรรม | ||
The word เกษตรกรรม derives from the Sanskrit word krishi, meaning farming. | |||
Vietnamese | nông nghiệp | ||
"Nông nghiệp" also means "agriculture" in Vietnamese | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | agrikultural | ||
Azerbaijani | kənd təsərrüfatı | ||
The word "kənd təsərrüfatı" comes from the Persian word "kand" meaning "village" and the Arabic word "tasarruf" meaning "management" or "administration". | |||
Kazakh | ауыл шаруашылығы | ||
Kyrgyz | айыл чарба | ||
The word "айыл чарба" comes from the Turkic word "ayıl," meaning "village," and the Persian word "charba," meaning "cultivation." | |||
Tajik | кишоварзӣ | ||
The Tajik word "кишоварзӣ" ultimately derives from the Persian word "کشتکارز" ( "kashtakār"), meaning a cultivator or an agriculturalist. | |||
Turkmen | oba hojalygy | ||
Uzbek | qishloq xo'jaligi | ||
The term "qishloq xo'jaligi" is also used in Uzbek to refer to a type of farming system that is based on the collective ownership of land and resources. | |||
Uyghur | دېھقانچىلىق | ||
Hawaiian | mahiai | ||
"Mahiai" also shares its root with "'ai" (to eat), and "maha" (to live) and its cognates, making its meaning also extend to "nourishment" and "sustenance." | |||
Maori | ahuwhenua | ||
"Ahuwhenua" (agricultural) also refers to a traditional Polynesian marae complex. | |||
Samoan | faʻatoʻaga | ||
The word "faʻatoʻaga" in Samoan means "agriculture", but its root word "toʻaga" also means "garden" or "field". | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | agrikultura | ||
"Agrikultura" originates from Spanish "agricultura" and ultimately from the Latin "ager", meaning "land", and "colere," meaning "to cultivate." |
Aymara | yapu lurañataki | ||
Guarani | ñemitỹ rehegua | ||
Esperanto | agrikultura | ||
The Esperanto word "agrikultura" derives from the Latin word "agricola", meaning "farmer", and can also mean "agriculture" or "farming". | |||
Latin | agriculturae | ||
The Latin word "agricultura" derives from "ager" (field) and "colere" (to cultivate). |
Greek | γεωργικός | ||
Γεωργικός originally referred to the cultivation of the earth and later became a general term for agriculture. | |||
Hmong | kev ua liaj ua teb | ||
The word 'kev ua liaj ua teb' has a literal meaning of "working on the ground," but its usage has expanded to include all aspects of agriculture. | |||
Kurdish | cotarî | ||
The word "cotarî" is of Arabic origin and is related to the word "qatr," which means "drop of water". | |||
Turkish | tarımsal | ||
The word "tarımsal" is derived from the Persian word "tarım", meaning "cultivation". | |||
Xhosa | kwezolimo | ||
The Xhosa word "kwezolimo" can also mean "to cultivate" or "to farm." | |||
Yiddish | לאַנדווירטשאַפטלעך | ||
The Yiddish word “לאַנדווירטשאַפטלעך” (“agricultural”) stems from the German “Landwirtschaft”, meaning “farming” or “agriculture”. Interestingly, it also shares a root with “Landesverrat”, which means “treason” in German. | |||
Zulu | ezolimo | ||
Ezolimo, an isiZulu term derived from 'isilimo,' means a place of farming and cultivation. | |||
Assamese | কৃষিভিত্তিক | ||
Aymara | yapu lurañataki | ||
Bhojpuri | कृषि के काम होला | ||
Dhivehi | ދަނޑުވެރިކަމުގެ ދާއިރާއިންނެވެ | ||
Dogri | खेतीबाड़ी दा | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | agrikultural | ||
Guarani | ñemitỹ rehegua | ||
Ilocano | agrikultura nga agrikultura | ||
Krio | agrikalchɔral biznɛs | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | کشتوکاڵی | ||
Maithili | कृषि सम्बन्धी | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯧꯎ-ꯁꯤꯡꯎꯒꯤ ꯂꯃꯗꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo | agriculture lam thil a ni | ||
Oromo | qonnaa irratti | ||
Odia (Oriya) | କୃଷି | ||
Quechua | chakra llamk’aymanta | ||
Sanskrit | कृषिकम् | ||
Tatar | авыл хуҗалыгы | ||
Tigrinya | ሕርሻዊ ምዃኑ’ዩ። | ||
Tsonga | swa vurimi | ||