Cell in Different Languages
Discover 'Cell' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'cell' holds immense significance in various fields, from biology to technology. In biology, a cell is the basic unit of life, a building block that makes up all living organisms. In technology, a cell refers to a battery unit that powers mobile devices. This versatile word has cultural implications too, with 'cell' being used to describe a small room in a prison or a monastic residence. Moreover, the word 'cell' has been a part of pivotal historical moments, such as the development of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell, who coined the term 'cell' to describe the basic unit of a telephone exchange. With such a wide range of uses and meanings, it's no wonder that someone might want to know the translation of 'cell' in different languages.
Here are a few sample translations to pique your interest:
- In Spanish, 'cell' translates to 'célula'
- In French, 'cell' translates to 'cellule'
- In German, 'cell' translates to 'Zelle'
- In Italian, 'cell' translates to 'cella'
- In Russian, 'cell' translates to 'клетка' (pronounced 'kletka')
Cell
Cell in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | sel | ||
| In Afrikaans, "sel" can also mean "prison cell" or "jail cell." | |||
| Amharic | ሴል | ||
| "ሴል" can also refer to a monastic cell or a honeycomb. | |||
| Hausa | cell | ||
| Hausa cell is used in biological, imprisonment, or religious contexts e.g., "kwayar jiki" (body cell), "kurkuku" (prison cell), "masallachi" (mosque cell). | |||
| Igbo | cell | ||
| Igbo word "cell" (sɛl) could also mean "hut". | |||
| Malagasy | sela | ||
| While “sela” means “cell” in Malagasy, it also refers to a room or a house. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | selo | ||
| "Selo" in Nyanja can also refer to a cell phone sim card. | |||
| Shona | sero | ||
| "Sero" is also used to mean a bee hive. | |||
| Somali | qolka | ||
| In Somali, the word "qolka" can also refer to a room or compartment. | |||
| Sesotho | sele | ||
| Also refers to a cell battery and a cell phone | |||
| Swahili | seli | ||
| The Swahili word seli is also an alternative form of the word sili which means "metal ring" | |||
| Xhosa | iseli | ||
| "Iseli" is also used to refer to the stomach or a womb. | |||
| Yoruba | sẹẹli | ||
| The word "sẹẹli" (cell) in Yoruba also refers to the smallest unit of a living organism. | |||
| Zulu | iseli | ||
| The word "iseli" in Zulu, besides meaning "cell," also means "inner room" | |||
| Bambara | selili | ||
| Ewe | gaxɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | selire | ||
| Lingala | selile | ||
| Luganda | ekatoffaali | ||
| Sepedi | sele | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nnaduafie | ||
Cell in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | زنزانة | ||
| Originally, "زنزانة" in Arabic denoted a place of prayer isolated from everyday life. | |||
| Hebrew | תָא | ||
| תָא also means "chest" or "trunk" in Hebrew, like in the chest used for a burial. | |||
| Pashto | حجره | ||
| Pashto word "حجره" is derived from the Arabic word "حجرة", meaning "room", "chamber", or "small enclosure". | |||
| Arabic | زنزانة | ||
| Originally, "زنزانة" in Arabic denoted a place of prayer isolated from everyday life. | |||
Cell in Western European Languages
| Albanian | qelizë | ||
| The word "qelizë" can also refer to a small room or a compartment, originating from the Greek word "κελί" (keli), meaning "small room". | |||
| Basque | zelula | ||
| The Basque word "zelula" derives from the Latin "cellula" but also denotes a "granary" or "storeroom". | |||
| Catalan | cel·la | ||
| From Latin cella 'small room, chamber, storeroom', ultimately from PIE *kel- 'cover, shelter'. | |||
| Croatian | stanica | ||
| The term "stanica" in Croatian can also refer to a train or bus stop, as well as to a prison cell, while in Polish and Ukrainian its primary meaning is "place", "location" or "camp" | |||
| Danish | celle | ||
| "Celle" also means "storeroom", "dungeon" and "Monastic room". | |||
| Dutch | cel | ||
| In Dutch, "cel" can also refer to a prison cell or a monk's cell. | |||
| English | cell | ||
| The word "cell" originally referred to a small room or compartment. | |||
| French | cellule | ||
| The word 'cellule' is derived from the Latin word 'cellula', which means 'small room'. | |||
| Frisian | sel | ||
| The Frisian word "sel" can also refer to a prison cell, a monastery cell, or a small room. | |||
| Galician | cela | ||
| German | zelle | ||
| In German, "Zelle" can also refer to a prison cell or a monastery cell. | |||
| Icelandic | klefi | ||
| In Icelandic, "klefi" is a diminutive form of "klefi" (cell) and refers to a small room or compartment. | |||
| Irish | cill | ||
| The Irish word "cill" can also refer to a monastery or church, deriving from the Latin "cella" meaning "small room or chamber". | |||
| Italian | cellula | ||
| From the Latin word "cellula" meaning "small room" or "compartment"} | |||
| Luxembourgish | zell | ||
| In Luxembourgish "Zell" can also refer to the "jail". | |||
| Maltese | ċellula | ||
| "Ċellula" can also mean "monk's cell" or "prison cell" in Maltese | |||
| Norwegian | celle | ||
| In Norwegian, "celle" is related to words for "home" or "room" in other Germanic languages like "hall" in English. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | célula | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "célula" also means "cell phone" or "prison cell". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | cealla | ||
| Cealla derives from Proto-Celtic *kelia, meaning both "cell" and "church". | |||
| Spanish | célula | ||
| "Célula" proviene del latín "cella", que significa "pequeña habitación" o "cavidad". | |||
| Swedish | cell | ||
| In Swedish, "cell" can also refer to a room in a monastery or prison. | |||
| Welsh | cell | ||
| The Welsh word "cell" originally meant "hiding place" or "retreat" and is related to the English word "cellar". | |||
Cell in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | клетка | ||
| The Belarusian word "клетка" means "cage" in Russian. | |||
| Bosnian | ćelija | ||
| The word "ćelija" in Bosnian can also refer to a monk's cell or a prison cell. | |||
| Bulgarian | клетка | ||
| "Клетка" originally referred to a monk's small room and is related to the verb "клеть" (to confine)." | |||
| Czech | buňka | ||
| The Czech word "buňka" comes from the German word "Bunke", meaning "bin" or "compartment". | |||
| Estonian | kamber | ||
| The word "kamber" also means "chamber" or "room" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | solu | ||
| The word "solu" is related to the word "solmu" (knot), indicating the interconnected nature of cells. | |||
| Hungarian | sejt | ||
| "Sejt" is derived from the Latin word "cella" (meaning "small room" or "compartment") | |||
| Latvian | šūna | ||
| The word “šūna” in Latvian originally referred to a barn or a small wooden house, and only began to mean “cell” in the 19th century. | |||
| Lithuanian | ląstelė | ||
| "ląstelė" also refers to a monastery cell, a bee cell, a prison cell, or a unit of a battery. | |||
| Macedonian | ќелија | ||
| The word 'ќелија' also means 'monastery cell' in Macedonian, derived from the Greek 'κελλίον'. | |||
| Polish | komórka | ||
| In Polish, "komórka" not only means "cell" but also a small apartment or a prison cell. | |||
| Romanian | celulă | ||
| In Romanian, the word "celulă" is derived from the Latin word "cella", meaning "small room" or "chamber". | |||
| Russian | ячейка | ||
| In Russian, "ячейка" can also refer to a prison cell or a storage unit in a honeycomb. | |||
| Serbian | ћелија | ||
| The Serbian word 'ћелија' can also mean 'monk's cell' or 'prison cell'. | |||
| Slovak | bunka | ||
| The word "bunka" in Slovak also refers to a small room or a unit of something, especially when it's part of a larger structure or group. | |||
| Slovenian | celica | ||
| Slovenian word "celica" also means "prison cell" and is a homophone of "celilo" (a small wound or sore). | |||
| Ukrainian | клітинку | ||
| "Клітинку" is of the same etymology with "клонити", referring to a place for leaning against. | |||
Cell in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কোষ | ||
| "কোষ" (cell) comes from Sanskrit "koṣa" (a container) and is cognate with the Persian "kus" (palace). | |||
| Gujarati | કોષ | ||
| In Gujarati, "કોષ" (pronounced "kosh") also refers to a dictionary or glossary. | |||
| Hindi | सेल | ||
| The Hindi word "सेल" (cell) can also mean a jail or prison. | |||
| Kannada | ಕೋಶ | ||
| The word "ಕೋಶ" (kōśa) in Kannada, meaning "cell," originates from the Sanskrit word "कोश" (kōśa), meaning "sheath" or "covering," referring to the cell membrane. | |||
| Malayalam | സെൽ | ||
| The word "സെൽ" derives from the Latin word "cella" and also refers to a room, chamber, or enclosed space. | |||
| Marathi | सेल | ||
| The Marathi word "सेल" comes from the Sanskrit word "शेल" (śela), meaning "stone" or "rock". | |||
| Nepali | सेल | ||
| सेल can mean either a room or a battery in English. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੈੱਲ | ||
| "ਸੈੱਲ" in Punjabi can also mean a room, a hall, a house, or a monastery. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කොටුව | ||
| "කොටුව" (cell) comes from the Portuguese "cota," meaning "share" or "portion;" | |||
| Tamil | செல் | ||
| The Tamil word "செல்" (cell) also means "go" or "proceed". | |||
| Telugu | సెల్ | ||
| The word "సెల్" (cell) can also refer to a room in a monastery or prison. | |||
| Urdu | سیل | ||
| The word "سیل" can also mean "flood" or "torrent" in Urdu. | |||
Cell in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 细胞 | ||
| “细胞”的本义是“僧房”，后才引申为“组织的最小单位”的含义。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 細胞 | ||
| “细胞”一词源自拉丁语“cella”，意为“小房间”，指生物体内的基本结构和功能单位。 | |||
| Japanese | 細胞 | ||
| "細胞" is also written as "細胞質," which means cytoplasm, referring to the substance of the cytoplasm. | |||
| Korean | 세포 | ||
| The word 세포 originates from the Latin word cella ('small room') but also means an organizational unit within a structure or society. | |||
| Mongolian | эс | ||
| In Mongolian, the word "эс" (cell) also refers to a "clan" or "tribe" in a broader sense. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဆဲလ် | ||
| The word "ဆဲလ်" in Myanmar derives from the Pali word "kheḷa", meaning "room" or "chamber". | |||
Cell in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sel | ||
| The Indonesian word "sel" is derived from the Malay word "sal", which originally referred to a type of cage or pen. | |||
| Javanese | sel | ||
| In Javanese, the word "sel" can also refer to a temple or a place of worship. | |||
| Khmer | កោសិកា | ||
| In chemistry, **កោសិកា** refers to the unit cell of a crystalline structure. | |||
| Lao | ຈຸລັງ | ||
| The word "ຈຸລັງ" ("cell") in Lao can also refer to a "room" or a "compartment". | |||
| Malay | sel | ||
| In Malay, "sel" can also mean "prison" or "chamber," derived from the root word "selit," meaning "to squeeze" or "to enclose." | |||
| Thai | เซลล์ | ||
| The word 'เซลล์' can also refer to a solitary confinement chamber in a Thai prison. | |||
| Vietnamese | ô | ||
| The word "ô" originated from the French word "haut" and originally meant "up" | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | cell | ||
Cell in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | hüceyrə | ||
| The word "hüceyrə" in Azerbaijani, like its English cognate "cell," can also refer to a monastic room or a small chamber. | |||
| Kazakh | ұяшық | ||
| "Ұяшық" also means "nest" and "cage" in Kazakh, reflecting the interconnectedness of life forms and the concept of containment. | |||
| Kyrgyz | клетка | ||
| Клетка (cell) has alternate meanings in Kyrgyz, such as the inner room of a yurt, a cage, or a hole in the ground. | |||
| Tajik | ҳуҷайра | ||
| Ҳуҷайра is an Arabic loanword meaning both "cell" and "room". | |||
| Turkmen | öýjük | ||
| Uzbek | hujayra | ||
| The word "hujayra" comes from the Arabic word "ḥujayrah", meaning "small room" or "chamber". In Uzbek, "hujayra" can also refer to a prison cell or a room in a mosque. | |||
| Uyghur | cell | ||
Cell in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pūnaewele | ||
| The Hawaiian word "pūnaewele" can also refer to a honeycomb or a net. | |||
| Maori | pūtau | ||
| In New Zealand, the word pūtau is a Maori term for an underground storage cellar or pit, traditionally used to store crops. | |||
| Samoan | sela | ||
| “Sela” (cell) can also be used in Samoan to describe the chambers of a coconut, or the cells within a battery. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | selda | ||
| The word "selda" is derived from the Spanish word "celda", which in turn comes from the Latin word "cella", meaning "small room" or "chamber." | |||
Cell in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | silula | ||
| Guarani | koty'i | ||
Cell in International Languages
| Esperanto | ĉelo | ||
| The word "ĉelo" comes from the French word "cellule" and can also mean "room" or "compartment" in Esperanto. | |||
| Latin | cellulam | ||
| Cellulam can also refer to a small room or a monk's cell in Latin. | |||
Cell in Others Languages
| Greek | κύτταρο | ||
| The Greek word "κύτταρο" also refers to a honeycomb, a small hollow space, or a hollow vessel. | |||
| Hmong | ntawm tes | ||
| 'Ntawv tes' is a compound word, meaning 'square' and 'box' in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | koşik | ||
| Koşik is also used to denote a prison cell or a small room. | |||
| Turkish | hücre | ||
| Hücre comes from Arabic "hujra" (room), also meaning "prison", "mosque", "tomb". | |||
| Xhosa | iseli | ||
| "Iseli" is also used to refer to the stomach or a womb. | |||
| Yiddish | צעל | ||
| The Yiddish word "צעל" (pronounced "tsel") can also mean "pain" or "sorrow" in the language's Biblical and medieval contexts. | |||
| Zulu | iseli | ||
| The word "iseli" in Zulu, besides meaning "cell," also means "inner room" | |||
| Assamese | কোষ | ||
| Aymara | silula | ||
| Bhojpuri | कक्ष | ||
| Dhivehi | ސެލް | ||
| Dogri | कोठरी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | cell | ||
| Guarani | koty'i | ||
| Ilocano | sellula | ||
| Krio | sɛl | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | خانە | ||
| Maithili | कक्ष | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯀꯥꯈꯜ | ||
| Mizo | pindan | ||
| Oromo | seelii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କକ୍ଷ | ||
| Quechua | pukullu | ||
| Sanskrit | कोशिका | ||
| Tatar | күзәнәк | ||
| Tigrinya | ዋህዮ | ||
| Tsonga | sele | ||