Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'branch' holds a wealth of significance and cultural importance across the globe. Derived from the Old English 'branche,' it refers to a secondary stem growing from a main tree trunk. This word has been woven into the fabric of our languages, symbolizing growth, connection, and diversity.
Throughout history, branches have been used as symbols of knowledge in various cultures. In Greek mythology, the branches of the tree of knowledge held the power to reveal secrets of the universe. Meanwhile, in Norse mythology, the World Tree, Yggdrasil, had branches that extended to the heavens.
Understanding the translation of 'branch' in different languages can provide insight into how various cultures perceive and interact with their natural environment. For instance, in Spanish, 'branch' is 'Rama,' while in German, it's 'Ast.' In French, it's 'Branche,' and in Japanese, it's 'Eda.
Join us as we delve deeper into the translations of 'branch' in different languages, uncovering fascinating insights into global cultures and traditions.
Afrikaans | tak | ||
"Tak" is related to the Old English "tac", which refers to a prong, a point or a sharp projection. | |||
Amharic | ቅርንጫፍ | ||
The word "ቅርንጫፍ" is also used to refer to the trunk of a tree in some contexts, such as when the trunk is being chopped down. | |||
Hausa | reshe | ||
The word "reshe" (branch) in Hausa can also refer to "a limb of the body" or "a part of a whole". | |||
Igbo | alaka ụlọ ọrụ | ||
Malagasy | sampana | ||
SAMPANA is thought to have derived from the word SAMBAIKA meaning "to be born", and thus carries the notion of "offspring" or "scion". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | nthambi | ||
The verb 'kutamba' means 'to spread out' and 'ntambi' is the noun form of that verb. | |||
Shona | bazi | ||
Shona bazi is a homonym, also meaning "a kind of tree used to make rope" and "a unit of time equivalent to one night". | |||
Somali | laan | ||
It is derived from the Proto-Somali word “laaə” which means "leaf”. | |||
Sesotho | lekaleng | ||
"Lekaleng" also denotes an 'assistant or deputy' of a headman in some areas. | |||
Swahili | tawi | ||
The word 'tawi' in Swahili can also mean 'family branch' or 'clan'. | |||
Xhosa | isebe | ||
The word "isebe" can also refer to the "handle" of a tool or weapon in Xhosa. | |||
Yoruba | ẹka | ||
The word "ẹka" in Yoruba also means "family" or "clan", and is related to the word "ẹgbẹ", meaning "society" or "association". | |||
Zulu | igatsha | ||
In Zulu, 'igatsha' can also refer to a tributary or a clan. | |||
Bambara | bolofara | ||
Ewe | alɔdze | ||
Kinyarwanda | ishami | ||
Lingala | eteni | ||
Luganda | olusaga | ||
Sepedi | lekala | ||
Twi (Akan) | fa | ||
Arabic | فرع شجرة | ||
In the context of programming, 'فرع شجرة' can also refer to a 'branch' in a data structure. | |||
Hebrew | ענף | ||
The word `ענף` ('branch') derives from the root ע-נ-ו ('to sprout, grow'). It shares an etymological relation with terms for 'eye' (`עין`) | |||
Pashto | څانګه | ||
The word "څانګه" can also refer to a section, division, or subgroup within an organization or entity. | |||
Arabic | فرع شجرة | ||
In the context of programming, 'فرع شجرة' can also refer to a 'branch' in a data structure. |
Albanian | dega | ||
In Greek, “dega” means “hand” or “branch,” and in Albanian, it refers to the extended family who share a common ancestor, i.e., their “hand” or “branch.” | |||
Basque | adarra | ||
The word "adarra" is also used in Basque to refer to a limb, a branch of a family tree, or a tributary of a river. | |||
Catalan | branca | ||
In botany, the term 'branca' also refers to the primary divisions of the root system of a plant. | |||
Croatian | podružnica | ||
The Croatian 'podružnica' comes via Medieval Latin from Latin provincia 'a province' (originally a part of territory outside Italy) from the verb provincere 'conquer'. This sense of 'province' is first found in English from the mid to late 1400s. | |||
Danish | afdeling | ||
The Danish word "afdeling" shares its etymology with the English words "defeat" and "department" | |||
Dutch | afdeling | ||
Afdeling is also an administrative unit within the Dutch East Indies, similar to a province. | |||
English | branch | ||
The word 'branch' derives from the Old French 'branche' and is related to 'bramble', 'briar', and 'sprout'. | |||
French | branche | ||
French "branche" also means "line" of a company, "section" or "division" of an administration, or a "part" of a family. | |||
Frisian | tûke | ||
The Frisian word "tûke" also refers to a type of bread or cake in some regions of the Netherlands. | |||
Galician | rama | ||
The Galician word "rama" can also refer to a limb or branch of a family. | |||
German | ast | ||
The word "Ast" in German can also refer to a flaw or blemish on an object's surface. | |||
Icelandic | útibú | ||
The word "útibú" also means "outsider" or "someone who doesn't belong." | |||
Irish | géaga | ||
The word "géaga" can also refer to a twig or a bough, and is related to the Welsh word "gwydd" meaning "tree". | |||
Italian | ramo | ||
The Italian word "ramo" can also refer to a "business branch" or a "category". | |||
Luxembourgish | branche | ||
In Luxembourgish, "Branche" can also refer to a profession or a field of activity. | |||
Maltese | fergħa | ||
The Maltese word 'fergħa' may also refer to a person's descendants or lineage. | |||
Norwegian | gren | ||
The word "gren" in Norwegian is also used to refer to a division or branch of a family tree. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ramo | ||
The word 'ramo' also means 'business sector' or 'occupation' in Portuguese. | |||
Scots Gaelic | meur | ||
In Scots Gaelic, the word "meur" is the singular form of "meuran" and originally meant "wood" or "timber". | |||
Spanish | rama | ||
The word "rama" in Spanish originally comes from the Sanskrit word "ramaka" meaning "pleasant", and is also used to refer to a type of Indian dance. | |||
Swedish | gren | ||
Gren is also used to mean border or limit, e.g. "gränslandet" (the borderland). | |||
Welsh | cangen | ||
In Welsh mythology, the word ‘cangen’ could refer to a sacred grove or temple. |
Belarusian | філіял | ||
"Філіял" is a cognate of the Russian word "филиал" and comes from the Latin word "filius" meaning "son". | |||
Bosnian | grana | ||
Grana may also refer to 'a unit of measure', 'a type of marble', 'a part of the chloroplast', or a 'unit of measure for precious stones' in Bosnian. | |||
Bulgarian | клон | ||
The word "клон" in Bulgarian has an alternate meaning of "clone", derived from the Greek word "klōn" meaning "twig". | |||
Czech | větev | ||
The word "větev" also has the meanings "branch of a family tree" or "part of a river". | |||
Estonian | haru | ||
"Haru" is also a female given name in Japanese, meaning "spring", sharing the same root with the Estonian word. | |||
Finnish | haara | ||
The Finnish word "haara" can also refer to a fork in a road or a river. | |||
Hungarian | ág | ||
The Hungarian word "ág" also refers to a stage of a river's development when meanders form. | |||
Latvian | zars | ||
The word "zars" in Latvian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰrés-, meaning "to grow" or "to cut". | |||
Lithuanian | atšaka | ||
The word "atšaka" can also refer to a branch of a family or organisation. | |||
Macedonian | гранка | ||
In Russian, "гранка" also means "facet" or "proof sheet". | |||
Polish | gałąź | ||
"Gałąź" in Polish not only means "branch" but also a side road | |||
Romanian | ramură | ||
In Romanian, the word "ramură" has an etymological origin in the Slavic word "ramę", and can also refer to a division or subdivision, like a section of a tree, or a branch of a business or organization. | |||
Russian | филиал | ||
"Филиал" is derived from the Greek word "phyle", meaning "leaf", and originally referred to a shoot or branch off the main stem of a tree. | |||
Serbian | грана | ||
In the context of mathematics, "грана" can also mean "axis" or "coordinate axis". | |||
Slovak | pobočka | ||
The word "pobočka" is derived from the Slovak word "poboč" meaning "beside" or "adjacent". | |||
Slovenian | podružnica | ||
In Slovenian, "podružnica" can also refer to an affiliate or subsidiary company. | |||
Ukrainian | відділення | ||
The word 'відділення' has two possible etymologies, one of which is related to the Ukrainian noun 'відділ' ('department') while the other one is related to the Ukrainian verb 'ділити' ('to divide'). |
Bengali | শাখা | ||
The word "শাখা" can also refer to an offshoot, a branch of knowledge, or a division of an organization. | |||
Gujarati | શાખા | ||
The word "શાખા" (branch) in Gujarati derives from Sanskrit and also means "department" or "division" | |||
Hindi | डाली | ||
The word "डाली" not only means "branch" in Hindi but also refers to a twig, bouquet, or tassel. | |||
Kannada | ಶಾಖೆ | ||
In Kannada, the word "ಶಾಖೆ" also refers to a branch office, affiliate, or franchise. | |||
Malayalam | ശാഖ | ||
'ശാഖ' also refers to the division / department of an organization in Malayalam. | |||
Marathi | शाखा | ||
The Marathi word "शाखा" derives from the Sanskrit word "शाख" meaning "part or section" and also refers to a "stream" or "river". | |||
Nepali | साखा | ||
The word "साखा" can also refer to a "friend" or "associate" in Nepali. | |||
Punjabi | ਸ਼ਾਖਾ | ||
The word 'ਸ਼ਾਖਾ' also implies a 'section' of a religious text in Sikhism. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ශාඛාව | ||
The word 'ශාඛාව' can also refer to a bank branch or a branch of a political party or organization. | |||
Tamil | கிளை | ||
Kilai is also a common Tamil name for women meaning "parrot". | |||
Telugu | శాఖ | ||
The word "శాఖ" in Telugu has alternate meanings including "department", "section", or "chapter". | |||
Urdu | شاخ | ||
شاخ can also mean 'antler', 'horn', 'ray', or 'beam'. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 科 | ||
In Traditional Chinese, "科" can refer specifically to the imperial examination system. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 科 | ||
"科" can also refer to scientific examination or a scientific or artistic subject. | |||
Japanese | ブランチ | ||
The word "ブランチ" (branch) in Japanese can also refer to a meal eaten between breakfast and lunch. | |||
Korean | 분기 | ||
The Korean word "분기" ("branch") can also refer to a tributary of a river, a turning point, or a junction. | |||
Mongolian | салбар | ||
The Mongolian word "салбар" not only means "branch," but also "separate" or "distinct." | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ဌာနခွဲ | ||
Indonesian | cabang | ||
"Cabang" in Indonesian also means "branch office" or "branch of a company". | |||
Javanese | cabang | ||
The Javanese word "cabang" shares an etymology with the Indonesian word "cabang" and the Malaysian word "cabang", which all mean "branch" in their respective languages | |||
Khmer | សាខា | ||
The word សាខា is the Khmer root for various terms referring to branches, arms, and even a branch office. | |||
Lao | ສາຂາ | ||
ສາຂາ also means "division" of a company or "arm" of a tree. | |||
Malay | cawangan | ||
The word “cawangan” in Malay can also refer to "limb", a branch of a subject, or an agency of a company. | |||
Thai | สาขา | ||
The word "สาขา" in Thai can also mean "field of study". | |||
Vietnamese | chi nhánh | ||
"Chi nhánh" also means "agency" or "affiliate" in Vietnamese. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sangay | ||
Azerbaijani | filial | ||
The word "filial" also means "pious, devoted to one's parents" in Azerbaijani. | |||
Kazakh | филиал | ||
In Russian, the word "филиал" can also refer to a church, while in Polish and Serbo-Croatian it means a church or monastery branch. | |||
Kyrgyz | филиал | ||
The Kyrgyz word "филиал" is derived from the Russian word "филиал" (branch), which itself comes from the Latin word "filius" (son). | |||
Tajik | филиал | ||
The word «филиал» could have the meaning of «division» in the context of an organization or institution | |||
Turkmen | şahasy | ||
Uzbek | filial | ||
In Uzbek, "filial" can also mean "an associate" or "a business unit". | |||
Uyghur | شۆبە | ||
Hawaiian | lālā | ||
In Hawaiian, lālā also refers to the stalks of sugar cane and the veins in the body. | |||
Maori | peka | ||
The Maori word | |||
Samoan | lala | ||
The word "lala" in Samoan can also refer to a limb of the body or a tributary of a river. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | sangay | ||
The word "sangay" can also refer to a clan, a river, or even a particular type of tree. |
Aymara | sukursala | ||
Guarani | yvyrarakã | ||
Esperanto | branĉo | ||
Branĉo derives from the French word branche, which can also mean "part" or "sector". | |||
Latin | genere | ||
"Generare" is the derivative of a word which also contains the notion of "procreation", i.e. "generare" and this is the ultimate origin of the French words "gendre" meaning "son-in-law" and "gendre" meaning "son-in-law in law" |
Greek | κλαδί | ||
In Cypriot dialect, "κλαδί" additionally means "small tree", and in some regions of Greece it refers to the "beam" of a scale. | |||
Hmong | ceg | ||
The word 'ceg' can also mean 'to be forked' or 'to diverge', and is related to the word 'cex', which means 'to divide'. | |||
Kurdish | liq | ||
The word "liq" can also refer to a tree, a rod, or a handle. | |||
Turkish | şube | ||
In Ottoman Turkish, "şube" could also refer to a prison cell or a room in a madhouse or monastery. | |||
Xhosa | isebe | ||
The word "isebe" can also refer to the "handle" of a tool or weapon in Xhosa. | |||
Yiddish | צווייַג | ||
The Yiddish word צווייַג (tsveyg) is related to the German word "zweig" (branch), both of which are derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *gʷʰey- "to grow". | |||
Zulu | igatsha | ||
In Zulu, 'igatsha' can also refer to a tributary or a clan. | |||
Assamese | শাখা | ||
Aymara | sukursala | ||
Bhojpuri | साखा | ||
Dhivehi | ބްރާންޗް | ||
Dogri | ब्रांच | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sangay | ||
Guarani | yvyrarakã | ||
Ilocano | sanga | ||
Krio | branch | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | لق | ||
Maithili | डाढ़ि | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯁꯥ | ||
Mizo | tawpeng | ||
Oromo | damee | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଶାଖା | ||
Quechua | kallma | ||
Sanskrit | शाखा | ||
Tatar | филиал | ||
Tigrinya | ቅርንጫፍ | ||
Tsonga | rhavi | ||