Capital in Different Languages
Discover 'Capital' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'capital' carries significant meaning and cultural importance across the globe. It can refer to a city that serves as a seat of government for a country or state, a center of economic activity, or a crucial resource in various contexts. Moreover, 'capital' is a term that appears in many fields such as finance, education, and politics, making it a versatile and essential word to know.
Throughout history, capitals have played pivotal roles in shaping societies and cultures. For instance, Rome, the capital of Italy, was once the center of the Roman Empire, a dominant force in the ancient world. Meanwhile, Washington D.C., the capital of the United States, is where crucial political decisions are made that impact the world. Understanding the significance of these capitals is essential to appreciating their cultural importance.
Moreover, knowing the translation of 'capital' in different languages can be beneficial for travelers, language learners, and cultural enthusiasts. Here are some translations of the word 'capital' in various languages:
Capital
Capital in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | kapitaal | ||
| "Kapitaal" in Afrikaans also means "capital punishment" as in the English usage "he was sentenced to kapitaal." | |||
| Amharic | ካፒታል | ||
| In Amharic, "ካፒታል" (capital) can also refer to "wealth" or "principal". | |||
| Hausa | babban birni | ||
| The Hausa word "babban birni" ("capital") originally meant "large city." | |||
| Igbo | isi obodo | ||
| In Igbo, “isi obodo” can also mean the “head of a community” or the “most important person in a group.” | |||
| Malagasy | renivohitr'i | ||
| In Malagasy, RENIVOHITR'I also denotes the "king's dwelling place" or "king's palace". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | likulu | ||
| Likulu, meaning "capital", also refers to the "head" of a chief, village, or household in Nyanja (Chichewa). | |||
| Shona | guta guru | ||
| The word "guta guru" can also mean "the head of a family" or "the leader of a clan" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | raasumaal | ||
| The Somali word "raasumaal" is derived from the Arabic word for "capital", but it also means "wealth" or "property". | |||
| Sesotho | motse-moholo | ||
| "Motse-moholo" means "big village" or "place of the chief". | |||
| Swahili | mtaji | ||
| Swahili word "mtaji" derives from Arabic and originally referred to a share or stake in a business venture. | |||
| Xhosa | ikomkhulu | ||
| The word 'ikomkhulu' in Xhosa literally means 'big chief' or 'senior chief,' reflecting the traditional role of chiefs as leaders and administrators. | |||
| Yoruba | olu | ||
| "Olori" means "head," hence its use for "capital" and the title for "queen." | |||
| Zulu | inhlokodolobha | ||
| The word 'inhlokodolobha' is derived from the Zulu words 'inhloko' (head) and 'idolobha' (city), and literally means 'the head of the city'. | |||
| Bambara | faaba | ||
| Ewe | toxɔdu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umurwa mukuru | ||
| Lingala | mboka-mokonzi | ||
| Luganda | kapitaali | ||
| Sepedi | letlotlo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kɛseɛ | ||
Capital in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | رأس المال | ||
| The word "رأس المال" ("capital") in Arabic originally meant "head of the herd". | |||
| Hebrew | עיר בירה | ||
| The term “עיר בירה” (“capital”) literally means “a city that selects,” suggesting the ancient practice of choosing a site for a city by casting lots. | |||
| Pashto | پانګه | ||
| The word "پانګه" is derived from the Persian word "پادگان" meaning a military camp or garrison. | |||
| Arabic | رأس المال | ||
| The word "رأس المال" ("capital") in Arabic originally meant "head of the herd". | |||
Capital in Western European Languages
| Albanian | kapitali | ||
| "Kapitali" in Albanian also means "capitalism". | |||
| Basque | kapitala | ||
| "Kapitala" can also refer to a "chapter" in a book, "a chunk of land" or a "head" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | capital | ||
| The word "capital" ("capital") in Catalan can also mean "chief" or "head of a family". | |||
| Croatian | kapital | ||
| The Croatian word "kapital" can also refer to a large letter, or a capital punishment. | |||
| Danish | kapital | ||
| In Danish, "kapital" can also refer to a capital letter or upper case character in the alphabet. | |||
| Dutch | kapitaal | ||
| The Dutch word "kapitaal" is derived from the Latin word "capitalis", which originally referred to the head of a person or a column. | |||
| English | capital | ||
| The word "capital" comes from the Latin word "caput," meaning "head" or "chief." | |||
| French | capitale | ||
| In French, 'Capitale' also means an upper case letter, a person who writes in capital letters, as well as 'capital' as an adjective. | |||
| Frisian | haadstêd | ||
| The word 'haadstêd' in Frisian originally meant 'hearth stead' and is related to the Dutch word 'haardstede' which means 'fireplace' or 'hearth'. | |||
| Galician | capital | ||
| In Galician, "capital" can also refer to a person's head, or their skull. | |||
| German | hauptstadt | ||
| The word "Hauptstadt" in German is derived from the Middle High German word "houbetstat", which means "head city" or "chief town". | |||
| Icelandic | fjármagn | ||
| The word "fjármagn" originally meant "livestock" in Old Norse and still carries this meaning in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | caipitil | ||
| The word "caipitil" in Irish can also refer to a "head tax" or "poll tax". | |||
| Italian | capitale | ||
| "Capitale" in Italian also means "capital crime" (punishable by death) and "capital sin" (a grave sin). | |||
| Luxembourgish | haaptstad | ||
| Maltese | kapital | ||
| The Maltese word "kapital" is derived from the Proto-Semitic word "*kaptar", meaning "money" or "wealth". It is also used in a figurative sense to mean "power" or "influence". | |||
| Norwegian | hovedstad | ||
| The word "hovedstad" in Norwegian can also refer to a "headquarters" or "main office". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | capital | ||
| In Portuguese, "capital" can also refer to the letter "C" in upper case or to a person or thing of prime importance. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | calpa | ||
| In Scottish Gaelic, "calpa" has alternate meanings such as "a great misfortune or loss" or "a period of time". | |||
| Spanish | capital | ||
| The Spanish word «capital» can also refer to the main town of a jurisdiction or district. | |||
| Swedish | huvudstad | ||
| Huvudstad's literal translation is "main place". | |||
| Welsh | cyfalaf | ||
| Alternatively, the word 'cyfalaf' can also refer to a small amount of money or a dowry. | |||
Capital in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | сталіца | ||
| The word "сталіца" in Belarusian comes from the Old East Slavic word "столъ", meaning "throne" or "table," and is cognate with the Russian word "стол" and the Polish word "stół." | |||
| Bosnian | kapitala | ||
| The word "kapitala" in Bosnian can also refer to a sum of money invested in a business or other venture. | |||
| Bulgarian | капитал | ||
| The Bulgarian word "капитал" also translates to "equity" and is etymologically rooted in the Latin word "capitalis" from "caput" meaning "head". | |||
| Czech | hlavní město | ||
| The Czech word “hlavní město” is a calque from German “Hauptstadt” (head town), which is also the origin of English “capital”. | |||
| Estonian | kapitali | ||
| The Estonian word "kapitali" is derived from the German "Kapital", which itself is derived from the Latin "caput", meaning "head" or "chief". | |||
| Finnish | iso alkukirjain | ||
| In Estonian, the word for "capital" is "kapital," and is likely also where the Finnish word originates from. | |||
| Hungarian | főváros | ||
| The word 'főváros' in Hungarian is a compound of two words, 'fő' and 'város', meaning 'main' and 'town', so it originally meant any major town. | |||
| Latvian | kapitāls | ||
| The word "kapitāls" can also mean "assets" or "wealth" in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | kapitalo | ||
| The Lithuanian word "kapitalo" is also used figuratively to describe an individual who possesses significant financial wealth. | |||
| Macedonian | капитал | ||
| The word "капитал" can also refer to a sum of money or property used for investment or to generate income. | |||
| Polish | kapitał | ||
| In Polish, the word "kapitał" can also refer to personal assets or human capital. | |||
| Romanian | capital | ||
| The Romanian word "capital" is derived from the Latin word "capitalis" and also means "head" or "chief" | |||
| Russian | капитал | ||
| "Капитал" is derived from the Latin word "caput", meaning "head" or "top" and refers to essential resources or assets, often associated with financial wealth, in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | главни град | ||
| "Главни" in "главни град" means "main". | |||
| Slovak | kapitál | ||
| In Slovak, "kapitál" also means "equity" or "assets". | |||
| Slovenian | kapitala | ||
| The word "kapitala" in Slovenian derives from the Latin "caput" meaning "head". | |||
| Ukrainian | капітал | ||
| The word "капітал" also means "equity" or "principal" in Ukrainian. | |||
Capital in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | মূলধন | ||
| The word "মূলধন" is also used in Bengali with the alternate meaning of "principal (sum of money lent)" which is not found in English. | |||
| Gujarati | પાટનગર | ||
| The word "પાટનગર" can also refer to a city or town that is the seat of government or administration. | |||
| Hindi | राजधानी | ||
| The word ''राजधानी'' also means, literally, ''kingdom's lap''. | |||
| Kannada | ಬಂಡವಾಳ | ||
| The word "ಬಂಡವಾಳ" in Kannada can also refer to "wealth" or "stock-in-trade". | |||
| Malayalam | മൂലധനം | ||
| The word "മൂലധനം" can also mean "origin" or "base" in Malayalam, indicating its fundamental nature as the foundation of wealth or enterprise. | |||
| Marathi | भांडवल | ||
| The word "भांडवल" (capital) in Marathi can also refer to a dowry, suggesting its importance in securing a bride's future. | |||
| Nepali | पूंजी | ||
| The Nepali word "पूंजी" (capital) is derived from the Sanskrit "पुंजी" and has the additional meaning of "stock" | |||
| Punjabi | ਪੂੰਜੀ | ||
| The word "ਪੂੰਜੀ" (capital) in Punjabi also means "money to start a business" or "funds". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ප්රාග්ධනය | ||
| ප්රාග්ධනය can also mean 'interest' or 'profit' as a noun derived from 'ප්රාග්' meaning 'before' and 'ධනය' meaning 'wealth'. It can also be used as a verb to mean 'to lend money with interest' or 'to finance something'. | |||
| Tamil | மூலதனம் | ||
| The Tamil word "மூலதனம்" (capital), derived from Sanskrit, also refers to the base of a tree or plant. | |||
| Telugu | రాజధాని | ||
| The Telugu word 'రాజధాని' can also be translated to 'head of the dynasty' and can be used to refer to the main branch or ruling house of a royal lineage. | |||
| Urdu | دارالحکومت | ||
| The word "دارالحکومت" is derived from Persian and literally means "house of the ruler." | |||
Capital in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 首都 | ||
| "首都" was originally only used for the capital of a country, and later extended to the capital of a province or a municipality. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 首都 | ||
| 首都 (capital) was originally written as 京师, meaning the capital of a state or dynasty. | |||
| Japanese | 資本 | ||
| The Chinese characters of "資本" were also used in Japan during the Edo period to mean "funds borrowed by a feudal lord from merchants". | |||
| Korean | 자본 | ||
| In Korean, '자본' can also refer to the capital of a company, or a person's financial assets. | |||
| Mongolian | капитал | ||
| In Mongolian, the word "капитал" can also mean "assets" or "wealth." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မြို့တော် | ||
Capital in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | modal | ||
| The word "modal" in Indonesian can also refer to a "primary element," "basic ingredient," or "main component." | |||
| Javanese | modal | ||
| Modal in Javanese also means "basic material, capital, foundation, principal, essence, substance, basis, stock, funds, resource, raw material" | |||
| Khmer | ដើមទុន | ||
| "ដើមទុន" can also be used to refer to the money used in a transaction or the amount invested in a business. | |||
| Lao | ນະຄອນຫຼວງ | ||
| Malay | modal | ||
| In Malay, "modal" also means "principal" or "capital" in the financial sense. | |||
| Thai | เมืองหลวง | ||
| The Thai word "เมืองหลวง" ("capital") originated from the Sanskrit word "nagara", meaning "city" or "town." | |||
| Vietnamese | thủ đô | ||
| The word "thủ đô" derives from the Chinese term "首府", meaning "head office" or "central administration". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kabisera | ||
Capital in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | kapital | ||
| "Kapital" in Azerbaijani also means "thick" in Turkish and "heavy" in Arabic. | |||
| Kazakh | капитал | ||
| "Капитал", наряду с прямым значением, также используется в смысле "постоянный, устойчивый, прочный" | |||
| Kyrgyz | капитал | ||
| The word "капитал" in Kyrgyz can also refer to property or wealth. | |||
| Tajik | пойтахт | ||
| The word "пойтахт" in Tajik derives from the Persian word "پایتخت" (pāytakht), meaning "foot of the throne", referring to the location of the sovereign's residence. | |||
| Turkmen | maýa | ||
| Uzbek | poytaxt | ||
| The word "poytaxt" is derived from the Persian word "pāye-taxt", meaning "throne foot" or "seat of government". | |||
| Uyghur | كاپىتال | ||
Capital in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kapikala | ||
| The Hawaiian word "kapikala" also means "head" and "crown". | |||
| Maori | whakapaipai | ||
| The word "whakapaipai" also means "to adorn" or "to embellish" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | laumua | ||
| The word "laumua" in Samoan also means "head" or "summit". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kabisera | ||
| "Kabisera" also means "head" or "top". | |||
Capital in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | kapitala | ||
| Guarani | tavaguasu | ||
Capital in International Languages
| Esperanto | ĉefurbo | ||
| The Esperanto word "ĉefurbo" is borrowed from the Polish word "czelny" meaning "leading" and "first". | |||
| Latin | capitis | ||
| The Latin word "capitis" (genitive of "caput"), meaning "head," is etymologically related to English "capital" as a "principal city." | |||
Capital in Others Languages
| Greek | κεφάλαιο | ||
| The Greek word "κεφάλαιο" can also mean "head": the physical head, the top or the beginning of something, or more figuratively, the chief point. | |||
| Hmong | peev | ||
| The word "peev" in Hmong can also mean "chief" or "elder." | |||
| Kurdish | paytext | ||
| In finance, it is also the initial amount invested to establish or operate a business, or a fund used to earn a return. | |||
| Turkish | başkent | ||
| "Başkent" derives from the words "baş" (head) and "kent" (city), meaning "chief city" or "capital". | |||
| Xhosa | ikomkhulu | ||
| The word 'ikomkhulu' in Xhosa literally means 'big chief' or 'senior chief,' reflecting the traditional role of chiefs as leaders and administrators. | |||
| Yiddish | קאפיטאל | ||
| The Yiddish word "קאפיטאל" can also mean "head" or "chapter". | |||
| Zulu | inhlokodolobha | ||
| The word 'inhlokodolobha' is derived from the Zulu words 'inhloko' (head) and 'idolobha' (city), and literally means 'the head of the city'. | |||
| Assamese | ৰাজধানী | ||
| Aymara | kapitala | ||
| Bhojpuri | पूंजी | ||
| Dhivehi | ރައުސުލްމާލު | ||
| Dogri | राजधानी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kabisera | ||
| Guarani | tavaguasu | ||
| Ilocano | kapital | ||
| Krio | kapital | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پایتەخت | ||
| Maithili | राजधानी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯀꯣꯅꯨꯡ | ||
| Mizo | khawpui ber | ||
| Oromo | magaalaa guddicha | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପୁଞ୍ଜି | ||
| Quechua | kuraq | ||
| Sanskrit | राजनगर | ||
| Tatar | капитал | ||
| Tigrinya | ሃብቲ | ||
| Tsonga | mali | ||