Category in different languages

Category in Different Languages

Discover 'Category' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word category is a fundamental concept in many fields, from philosophy and linguistics to mathematics and computer science. It refers to a group or class of things that have characteristics in common. This cultural importance is reflected in the various ways the word is translated across different languages.

For example, in Spanish, the word for category is categoría. In French, it's catégorie. In German, it's Kategorie. In Mandarin Chinese, it's 类别 (lèi bié). In Japanese, it's カテゴリー (kategori). In Russian, it's категория (kategoriiá).

Understanding the translation of category in different languages can help us appreciate the cultural nuances and linguistic differences that exist around the world. It can also be a useful tool for anyone studying a foreign language or conducting international business.

Category

Category in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaanskategorie
Afrikaans adopted "kategorie" from Dutch "categorie", which derives from Latin "categorema" (statement), and Greek "kategoria" (accusation).
Amharicምድብ
In Amharic, the word "ምድብ" also means "group" or "type".
Hausarukuni
A rukuni can be a category of something, a department, or a group of people.
Igboudi
The Igbo word "ụdị" can also refer to "type," "kind," or "sort," and can be applied to a wide range of things.
Malagasysokajy
The word "sokajy" in Malagasy derives from the Arabic word "suq" (market), indicating its historical association with trade and exchange.
Nyanja (Chichewa)gulu
The Nyanja word 'gulu' is also used to refer to a group or type of people.
Shonachikamu
"Chikamu" can also mean "a group of people with similar characteristics" or "a type of thing."
Somaliqaybta
The word "qaybta" can also refer to a group of people sharing similar characteristics or interests.
Sesothosehlopha
'Sehlopha', a Sesotho term meaning 'category', also refers to a group or type of people, animals or things sharing similar characteristics.
Swahilijamii
"Jamii" can also mean "society" or "community" in Swahili.
Xhosaudidi
"Udi di" also means 000, i.e. nothing, and can be used to indicate something that does not exist or to indicate that something is impossible or not worth considering.
Yorubaẹka
'Eka' is an ordinal number that means 'first' when it's followed by names of months, and 'only' when followed by other nouns.
Zuluisigaba
The Zulu word "isigaba" shares a root with the word "isigaba sabakhwezeli", meaning "the category of the deceased".
Bambarasuguya
Ewehatsotso
Kinyarwandaicyiciro
Lingalalolenge
Lugandaolubu
Sepedilegoro
Twi (Akan)ɔfa

Category in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicالفئة
The word الفئة can also mean 'group', 'party', or 'sect' in Arabic.
Hebrewקטגוריה
Pashtoکټګورۍ
The Pashto word "کټګورۍ" is derived from the Greek word "κατηγορία", which means "accusation" or "charge".
Arabicالفئة
The word الفئة can also mean 'group', 'party', or 'sect' in Arabic.

Category in Western European Languages

Albaniankategori
The word 'kategori' is also used to refer to a place where something is kept, such as a storage room or a filing cabinet.
Basquekategoria
The Basque word 'kategoria' is also used to refer to a 'rank' or 'order' in a hierarchy.
Catalancategoria
"Categoria" also means "class" or "rank" in Catalan.
Croatiankategorija
The word kategorija is derived from the Ancient Greek word κατηγορία, meaning 'predicate'.
Danishkategori
The Danish word "kategori" can also mean "kind", "sort", or "type".
Dutchcategorie
Dutch "categorie" stems from Ancient Greek "kategoria," meaning "accusation," "charge," and "predication."
Englishcategory
"Category" comes from 'kategoria,' Greek for 'to accuse,' from 'katēgorein,' 'to make a charge against,' ultimately from 'agora,' meaning 'marketplace' and 'assembly.'"
Frenchcatégorie
The word catégory can also mean "category" in English. It can also mean "accusation" or "blame".
Frisiankategory
The Frisian word "kategory" originates from the Greek "kategoria", meaning "accusation" or "predicate".
Galiciancategoría
Germankategorie
The German word 'Kategorie' is derived from the Greek word 'kategoria', which originally meant 'accusation'.
Icelandicflokkur
In Old Norse, flokkur also meant 'army' or 'troop'.
Irishchatagóir
The Irish word "chatagóir" ultimately derives from the Ancient Greek word "kategoria," meaning "accusation, predicate, or quality."
Italiancategoria
The Italian word "categoria" derives from the Ancient Greek "kategoria," meaning "accusation" or "predicate."
Luxembourgishkategorie
In Luxembourgish the word "Kategorie" also means "box" or "drawer".
Maltesekategorija
The word "kategorija" is derived from the Greek word "kategoria", meaning "predication" or "statement".
Norwegiankategori
The word 'kategori' stems from the Greek word 'katēgoría' which means 'accusation, charge, allegation' and is related to 'katēgoreō', which means 'accuse'
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)categoria
In Portuguese, 'categoria' can also refer to a class, rank, or type.
Scots Gaelicroinn-seòrsa
Spanishcategoría
“Categoría” ultimately derives from the Ancient Greek word “katēgoría” meaning “accusation”.
Swedishkategori
The word "kategori" derives from Ancient Greek "κατηγορία", meaning "accusation" or "predicate".
Welshcategori
Categori means both 'category' and 'chair' in Welsh, coming from the French 'categorie' and Latin 'cathedra', respectively.

Category in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianкатэгорыя
Усе славянские языки имеют слово "категория" для обозначения философского понятия
Bosniankategorija
Kategorija in Bosnian comes from the Greek word "kategoria" meaning "accusation".
Bulgarianкатегория
The word "категория" is derived from the Greek word "kategoria", which means "accusation" or "charge", and was later used by Aristotle to refer to a class of things sharing common characteristics.
Czechkategorie
In Czech, "kategorie" can also refer to a type of sports event
Estoniankategooria
The Estonian word "kategooria" derives from the Greek word "kategoria", meaning "statement" or "accusation."
Finnishkategoria
The Finnish word 'kategoria' also has the meanings of 'article' and 'category', 'genre' or 'class' in philosophical and logical contexts.
Hungariankategória
In Greek it refers to an accusation and a prosecutor's office.
Latviankategorijā
Derived from Greek "kategoria", meaning both "statement" and "accusation".
Lithuaniankategorija
In English, the word "category" has the same root as the Greek word "kategoria," meaning "accusation."
Macedonianкатегорија
The word "категорија" is derived from Ancient Greek "κατηγορία", meaning "accusation" or "predicate" but has changed meanings over time and now commonly means "category" in Macedonian.
Polishkategoria
The word "Kategoria" in Polish is derived from the Greek word "kategoria", meaning "accusation" or "predicate" and can also refer to a broader classification or division of things.
Romaniancategorie
Romanian "categorie" is derived from Greek "κατηγορία" ("charge, accusation").
Russianкатегория
The word "категория" can also refer to a class or rank in a hierarchy or classification system.
Serbianкатегорија
The word "категорија" can also refer to a philosophical category or to a class of people.
Slovakkategórie
The word "kategórie" in Slovak can also refer to a grammatical category or a rank in a hierarchical system.
Sloveniankategoriji
The word “kategoriji” derives from the Greek word “kategoria,” which means “assertion” or “predicate.”
Ukrainianкатегорії
The Ukrainian word «категорії» is derived from the Ancient Greek word «κατηγορία» (kategoria), which means «accusation» or «charge».

Category in South Asian Languages

Bengaliবিভাগ
বিভাগ can also refer to a political or administrative division, a class or group of people, or a subject or area of study.
Gujaratiવર્ગ
"વર્ગ" also means "class" or "grade" in Gujarati.
Hindiवर्ग
Hindi "वर्ग" (category), also meaning "class" in the context of grade level in school.
Kannadaವರ್ಗ
ವರ್ಗ also means a 'row' which is a set of data arranged in a horizontal row in a table. "ವರ್ಗ" (row) comes from Sanskrit "वर्गः (vargah)" - to turn, to place in rows.
Malayalamവിഭാഗം
The word "വിഭാഗം" may also be used in the senses of "class" or "division".
Marathiश्रेणी
The Marathi word श्रेणी (shreNI) also means 'rank', 'grade', 'step', or 'class'.
Nepaliकोटि
While 'कोटि' typically means 'category', it also holds other meanings like 'type' and 'class'
Punjabiਸ਼੍ਰੇਣੀ
The word "ਸ਼੍ਰੇਣੀ" ("category") in Punjabi is derived from the Sanskrit word "श्रेणी" ("series"), which itself is derived from the root "शृ" ("to go").
Sinhala (Sinhalese)වර්ගය
The word "වර්ගය" (category) in Sinhala also means "kind" or "type".
Tamilவகை
The Tamil term "வகை" can also refer to a type, kind, or variety.
Teluguవర్గం
The word "వర్గం" (category) in Telugu is derived from the Sanskrit word "वर्ग" (class, variety), which is also the root of the word "वर्गिकरण" (classification).
Urduقسم
The word قِسْم originates from the Arabic word قَسم, meaning division, portion, or classification.

Category in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)类别
The word 类别 (lèibie) was derived from the combination of two Chinese characters, 类 (lèi), meaning “kind or type,” and 别 (bié), meaning “to distinguish” or “to differentiate.”
Chinese (Traditional)類別
"類" in "類別" means "a type" and "別" means "separating" in Chinese.
Japaneseカテゴリー
The Japanese word "カテゴリー" derives from the Greek "κατηγορία" meaning "condition, accusation".
Korean범주
In addition to "category", "범주" also means "predicate" and is derived from the Sanskrit word "pra-da-ju", meaning "to put forth".
Mongolianангилал
The word "ангилал" can also mean "classification" or "order" in Mongolian.
Myanmar (Burmese)အမျိုးအစား

Category in South East Asian Languages

Indonesiankategori
In Indonesian, the word "kategori" is also used to refer to a specific type of traditional Javanese puppet known as a "lakon".
Javanesekategori
In Javanese, kategori also means a type of traditional dance.
Khmerប្រភេទ
ប្រភេទ (category) is cognate with the term "type" (a kind or class) in Thai, Lao and Burmese, and may have been borrowed via Sanskrit.
Laoປະເພດ
Malaykategori
The Indonesian borrowing 'kategori' derives from Greek 'kategoria' (accusation, charge) via Latin.
Thaiประเภท
Originally an honorific or polite address in Thai, the word "ประเภท" later came to mean "category" through a metonymic shift.
Vietnamesethể loại
The word "thể loại" literally means "body of something" in Vietnamese and can also refer to "style" or "genre" in various contexts.
Filipino (Tagalog)kategorya

Category in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanikateqoriya
In Azerbaijani, "kateqoriya" is derived from the Greek word "kategoria", meaning "accusation" or "predicate" in logic and philosophy.
Kazakhсанат
In Kazakh, "санат" can also refer to a rank or an occupation, similar to the English word "profession."
Kyrgyzкатегория
"Категория" in Kyrgyz can also mean "condition" or "situation".
Tajikкатегория
In Tajik, “категория” also means “rank”.
Turkmenkategoriýasy
Uzbektoifasi
Uzbek 'toifasi' is derived from the Persian word 'taifeh', which means 'class' or 'group'
Uyghurتۈرى

Category in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianwaeʻano
The word “waeʻano” also means a “class of students” in Hawaiian.
Maorikāwai
In Maori, 'kāwai' can also refer to a particular type of mullet fish or a traditional Maori dance accompanied by a chorus.
Samoanvaega
The etymology of "vaega" is "to be a part of" or "to make up a whole".
Tagalog (Filipino)kategorya

Category in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarakasta
Guaranihendápe

Category in International Languages

Esperantokategorio
The Esperanto word "kategorio" comes from the Ancient Greek word "kategoria" and also means "accusation".
Latingenus
The Latin word "genus" can also refer to birth, descent, kind, race, or stock.

Category in Others Languages

Greekκατηγορία
"Κατηγορία" also means "accusation" in Greek, a meaning that is not present in the English word "category."
Hmongqeb
The word "qeb" in Hmong can also mean "kind" or "type".
Kurdishliq
In some Kurdish dialects, liq can also refer to a type of poem or a group of people sharing a common identity.
Turkishkategori
While 'kategori' (category) comes from French 'catégorie', 'katar' originates in Arabic and denotes 'row, level, layer'.
Xhosaudidi
"Udi di" also means 000, i.e. nothing, and can be used to indicate something that does not exist or to indicate that something is impossible or not worth considering.
Yiddishקאַטעגאָריע
Zuluisigaba
The Zulu word "isigaba" shares a root with the word "isigaba sabakhwezeli", meaning "the category of the deceased".
Assameseশ্ৰেণী
Aymarakasta
Bhojpuriश्रेणी
Dhivehiކެޓަގަރީ
Dogriवर्ण
Filipino (Tagalog)kategorya
Guaranihendápe
Ilocanokategoria
Kriokayn
Kurdish (Sorani)جۆر
Maithiliवर्ग
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯀꯥꯡꯂꯨꯞ
Mizobithliahna
Oromoramaddii
Odia (Oriya)ବର୍ଗ
Quechuañiqichana
Sanskritकोटी
Tatarкатегориясе
Tigrinyaምደባ
Tsongaxiyenge

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