Afrikaans voorsitter | ||
Albanian kryetari | ||
Amharic ሊቀመንበር | ||
Arabic رئيس | ||
Armenian նախագահող | ||
Assamese চেয়াৰমেন | ||
Aymara p’iqinchiri | ||
Azerbaijani sədr | ||
Bambara ɲɛmɔgɔba | ||
Basque presidentea | ||
Belarusian старшыня | ||
Bengali চেয়ারম্যান | ||
Bhojpuri अध्यक्ष के रूप में काम कइले बानी | ||
Bosnian predsjedavajući | ||
Bulgarian председател | ||
Catalan president | ||
Cebuano chairman | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 主席 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 主席 | ||
Corsican presidente | ||
Croatian predsjednik | ||
Czech předseda | ||
Danish formand | ||
Dhivehi ޗެއާމަން އެވެ | ||
Dogri चेयरमैन जी | ||
Dutch voorzitter | ||
English chairman | ||
Esperanto prezidanto | ||
Estonian esimees | ||
Ewe zimenɔla | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) tagapangulo | ||
Finnish puheenjohtaja | ||
French président | ||
Frisian foarsitter | ||
Galician presidente | ||
Georgian თავმჯდომარე | ||
German vorsitzende | ||
Greek πρόεδρος | ||
Guarani presidente | ||
Gujarati અધ્યક્ષ | ||
Haitian Creole prezidan | ||
Hausa shugaba | ||
Hawaiian lunahoomalu | ||
Hebrew יושב ראש | ||
Hindi अध्यक्ष | ||
Hmong tus thawj coj | ||
Hungarian elnök | ||
Icelandic formaður | ||
Igbo onye isi oche | ||
Ilocano tserman | ||
Indonesian ketua | ||
Irish cathaoirleach | ||
Italian presidente | ||
Japanese 委員長 | ||
Javanese ketua | ||
Kannada ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷ | ||
Kazakh төраға | ||
Khmer ប្រធាន | ||
Kinyarwanda umuyobozi | ||
Konkani अध्यक्ष म्हणून काम करता | ||
Korean 의장 | ||
Krio chiaman fɔ di chiaman | ||
Kurdish pêşewar | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) سەرۆک | ||
Kyrgyz төрага | ||
Lao ປະທານ | ||
Latin praeses | ||
Latvian priekšsēdētājs | ||
Lingala mokambi ya eteyelo | ||
Lithuanian pirmininkas | ||
Luganda ssentebe wa ssentebe | ||
Luxembourgish president | ||
Macedonian претседател | ||
Maithili अध्यक्ष जी | ||
Malagasy mpitari-draharaha | ||
Malay ketua | ||
Malayalam ചെയർമാൻ | ||
Maltese president | ||
Maori heamana | ||
Marathi अध्यक्ष | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯆꯦꯌꯔꯃꯦꯟ ꯑꯣꯏꯅꯥ ꯊꯧ ꯄꯨꯈꯤ꯫ | ||
Mizo chairman a ni | ||
Mongolian дарга | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ဥက္က္ဌ | ||
Nepali अध्यक्ष | ||
Norwegian formann | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) wapampando | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଅଧ୍ୟକ୍ଷ | ||
Oromo dura taa’aa | ||
Pashto رییس | ||
Persian رئيس هیئت مدیره | ||
Polish przewodniczący | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) presidente | ||
Punjabi ਚੇਅਰਮੈਨ | ||
Quechua umalliq | ||
Romanian preşedinte | ||
Russian председатель | ||
Samoan taitaifono | ||
Sanskrit अध्यक्षः | ||
Scots Gaelic cathraiche | ||
Sepedi modulasetulo | ||
Serbian председавајући | ||
Sesotho molula-setulo | ||
Shona sachigaro | ||
Sindhi چيئرمين | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) සභාපති | ||
Slovak predseda | ||
Slovenian predsednik | ||
Somali gudoomiye | ||
Spanish presidente | ||
Sundanese pupuhu | ||
Swahili mwenyekiti | ||
Swedish ordförande | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) chairman | ||
Tajik раис | ||
Tamil தலைவர் | ||
Tatar председателе | ||
Telugu చైర్మన్ | ||
Thai ประธาน | ||
Tigrinya ኣቦ መንበር | ||
Tsonga mutshama-xitulu | ||
Turkish başkan | ||
Turkmen başlygy | ||
Twi (Akan) oguamtrani | ||
Ukrainian голова | ||
Urdu چیئرمین | ||
Uyghur رەئىس | ||
Uzbek rais | ||
Vietnamese chủ tịch | ||
Welsh cadeirydd | ||
Xhosa usihlalo | ||
Yiddish טשערמאן | ||
Yoruba alaga | ||
Zulu usihlalo |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The word "voorsitter" is of Dutch origin and literally means "sitter in front". |
| Albanian | The Albanian word "kryetari" also means "leader" and derives from "krye" (head) and "tar" (holder). |
| Amharic | The word 'ሊቀመንበር' ('chairman') also refers to a church deacon who is responsible for administering the Eucharist. |
| Arabic | The word "رئيس" also means "head" or "leader" and is derived from the Arabic root "رءس" meaning "to be at the top". |
| Azerbaijani | "sədr" is derived from Arabic and has different meanings in different languages, including "front", "top", and "chief". |
| Basque | In Basque, the word "presidentea" is derived from the Spanish word "presidente" and also refers to the head of an association or group. |
| Belarusian | The Belarusian word `старшыня` is cognate with Polish `starszy` meaning `elder`. |
| Bengali | চেয়ারম্যান শব্দটি চেয়ার (কর্মকাণ্ডের পরিচালনাকারী) এবং ম্যান (পুরুষ) অর্থাৎ "কর্মকাণ্ডের পরিচালনাকারী পুরুষ" থেকে এসেছে। |
| Bosnian | The word "predsjedavajući" is derived from the Slavic root "sed-," meaning "to sit," and the suffix "-avajući," which indicates an ongoing action. |
| Bulgarian | In Bulgarian, the word "председател" can also refer to a person who leads a meeting or organization. |
| Catalan | The word "president" in Catalan comes from the Latin word "praesidere", meaning "to sit in front". |
| Cebuano | In Cebuano, “chairman” means “chairperson,” a gender-neutral term. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 主席 is short for 董事主席, meaning 'chairman of the board of directors'. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 主席 in Traditional Chinese is also used to address the chairperson of a group or meeting |
| Corsican | The word "presidente" can also mean "elder" or "chief" in Corsican. |
| Croatian | The word "predsjednik" comes from the Slavic word "prěděti" meaning "to lead" and is used in some Slavic languages with the meaning of "president". |
| Czech | The word "předseda" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *predьsěda*, meaning "one who sits in front". |
| Danish | The Danish word "formand" is derived from the German "Vorsitzender" (chairman) and can also refer to the head of an association, organization or committee. |
| Dutch | In Dutch, 'Voorzitter' is also used in the context of a judge presiding over a court, or a professor leading a meeting. |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "prezidanto" derives from the Latin word "praesidens" meaning "one who sits before". |
| Estonian | Esimees is also used as a title for the head of a household or estate, or the head of a family, or as a title for a foreman or manager. |
| Finnish | The word "puheenjohtaja" literally means "the leader of speeches" in Finnish and is used to refer to the person who chairs a meeting or discussion. |
| French | The French word "président" derives from the Latin "praesidere", meaning "to preside over" or "to lead". |
| Frisian | The word "foarsitter" is made up of the base "foar" meaning "before" or "first" and "sitter" meaning "sitter". |
| Galician | The Galician word "presidente" can also mean "leader" or "chief" in other contexts. |
| German | The term "Vorsitzende" in German also refers to a presiding officer, moderator, chairperson, chairwoman or president of a meeting or organization. |
| Greek | The word "Πρόεδρος" (chairman) comes from the Greek word "προεδρία" (presidency). |
| Gujarati | The word "અધ્યક્ષ" (adhyaksh) in Gujarati originally meant "president or head of an organization" |
| Haitian Creole | The word "prezidan" in Haitian Creole derives from the French "président" and refers to the head of a meeting or assembly, while in Haitian French it retains its original meaning of "president" of a country or institution. |
| Hausa | In some local governments and NGOs the word "shugaba" can also refer to a "president" |
| Hawaiian | The word "lunahoomalu" has its roots in Hawaiian: "luna," referring to a chief, leader, or overseer, and "hoomalu," meaning to protect, guard, or shield. |
| Hebrew | יושב ראש literally means 'one who sits at the head' |
| Hindi | The Hindi word "अध्यक्ष" comes from "अधि" meaning "over" and "क्ष" meaning "to protect". |
| Hmong | "Tus thawj coj" is a compound word that literally means "head of the people". |
| Hungarian | In Hungarian, the word "elnök" originated from the old Germanic verb "*walhón" meaning "to elect, to choose". |
| Icelandic | Formaður, a word derived from Proto-Norse *furmaðuz 'first person,' also designates a 'crew chief' on a fishing boat or a 'team leader' in sports. |
| Igbo | The Igbo phrase "Onye isi oche" literally means "head (isi) of the seat (oche)", signifying authority and leadership. |
| Indonesian | The word "ketua" in Indonesian comes from the Sanskrit word "ketu", meaning "a sign or banner". |
| Irish | "Cathaoirleach" is derived from the Irish word "cathaoir" meaning "chair", and also has the meaning of "cathedral canon" or "professor at a university". |
| Italian | In Italian, "presidente" can also refer to the chief executive of a nation or a corporate board. |
| Japanese | The term 委員長 can also refer to the leader of a student organization or club in Japan. |
| Javanese | The word "ketua" also denotes a head of a family or a head of a village or district in Javanese. |
| Kannada | The word 'ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷ' in Kannada also means 'president' if it refers to the head of a nation or an organization. |
| Kazakh | In Mongolian, 'төраға' means 'to be at the head, to lead' and 'the chief or head of a group, organization, or country'. |
| Khmer | The word "ប្រធាន" can also be used to refer to the head of a monastery, a village chief, or a teacher. |
| Korean | In addition to its meaning "chairman," 의장 can also refer to the speaker of the National Assembly or a provincial assembly in South Korea. |
| Kurdish | The word "pêşewar" is derived from the Persian word "peshwar" meaning "leader". |
| Kyrgyz | Derived from the word тор а - "gathering" or "council", and "-га" - the nominal suffix of action |
| Lao | The word "ປະທານ" can also refer to a president or head of an organization in Lao. |
| Latin | "Praeses" in Latin can also mean "protector" or "president". |
| Latvian | "Priekšsēdētājs" (chairman) comes from the Latvian verb "sēdēt" (to sit), referring to a person who literally sits in front of a meeting and leads it. |
| Lithuanian | The word "pirmininkas" is derived from "pirma" ("first") and "-ininkas", a suffix indicating the head of an organization. |
| Luxembourgish | President derives from the Latin word "praesidere" meaning "to preside". |
| Macedonian | In Macedonian the word претседател can also mean "president" or "speaker". |
| Malagasy | "Mpitarika dia raharaha" is also used to refer to the chief of a clan or village, or the head of an association |
| Malay | The word "ketua" is derived from the Sanskrit word "ketu" meaning "banner" or "standard", and in Malay it can also refer to a leader or chief. |
| Malayalam | ചെയർമാൻ (Chairman in English) is derived from the word 'chair', which refers to the seat of authority or leadership. |
| Maltese | The Maltese word "president" originated from the Italian "presidente," meaning "person who presides". |
| Maori | The Maori word "heamana" can also refer to a leader, chief, or head of a group or organization. |
| Marathi | The word 'अध्यक्ष' in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word 'अधि' meaning 'over' or 'on top of', and 'क्ष' meaning 'to rule or govern'. Hence, the word literally translates to 'one who presides over' or 'a superior'. |
| Mongolian | The Mongolian word "дарга" (chairman) is derived from the Tibetan word "sgar-ra" meaning "head of a monastery". |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | Pronounced [ʔoʊʔ kʰa̰], it derives from Pali and Sanskrit root word ‘ukh’ and ‘khachcha’ and the suffix ‘a’ indicating a masculine subject. |
| Nepali | The Sanskrit word "अध्यक्ष" can also refer to a deity, a leader, a president, a sovereign, a speaker, or a director. |
| Norwegian | The word "Formann" comes from the Old Norse word "formanni", meaning "leader of a group." |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "wapampando" is derived from the root word "pampando", which means to rule, control, or lead. |
| Pashto | The Pashto word "رییس" can also be spelled "رايس", which means "chieftain, ruler, leader". |
| Polish | The word "przewodniczący" is derived from the verb "przewodniczyć", which means "to preside over a meeting". |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The word "presidente" derives from the Latin "praesidere", meaning "to sit before or over" |
| Punjabi | ਚੇਅਰਮੈਨ (chairman) is derived from the English word 'chair,' meaning a seat for one person, and 'man,' a person who holds a position of authority. |
| Romanian | The Romanian word "preşedinte" comes from the French word "président" and can also mean "president" in Romanian. |
| Russian | The word "председатель" is derived from the verb "председать", meaning "to preside", and originally referred to the head of a council or meeting. |
| Samoan | The Samoan word 'taitaifono' also refers to a 'storyteller' and, historically, a high orator. |
| Scots Gaelic | The word `cathraiche` in Scots Gaelic is also sometimes used to refer to the chairman of a meeting or gathering. |
| Serbian | The word "председавајући" (chairman, chair) is derived from the Church Slavonic word "предсѣдати" (to sit before, to preside) and literally means "the one who sits before". |
| Sesotho | In the Sesotho language, the word “molula-setulo” is derived from the term “molula,” which means “chief,” and “setulo,” which means “chair.” |
| Shona | The word "sachigaro" in Shona can also refer to the head of a household or clan. |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "چيئرمين" is also used to refer to a person who presides over a meeting or a gathering. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සභාපති is derived from the Sanskrit words 'sabha' ('assembly') and 'pati' ('lord'), and has alternate meanings such as 'president' or 'speaker'. |
| Slovak | The word "predseda" in Slovak also means "chairman" or "president". |
| Slovenian | The word "predsednik" in Slovenian, in addition to meaning "chairman", is the term used to refer to the president of a country. |
| Somali | In the Somali language, "gudoomiye" also means "leader" or "head of an organization" |
| Spanish | The Spanish word "presidente" can also mean "president" or "head of state". |
| Sundanese | "pupuhu" also means "to lead" and derives from the word "upu" ("head") |
| Swahili | The word "mwenyekiti" is derived from the root -enye- meaning "to have" and -kiti- meaning "throne" or "seat", implying a position of authority. |
| Swedish | The term "ordförande" in Swedish originally referred to the presiding officer of a court or other legal body before becoming synonymous with "chairman" |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | In Tagalog, "chairman" comes from the Spanish word "chair" and also means "chair" or "seat." |
| Tajik | The word "раис" is also used to refer to the head of a religious community. |
| Tamil | The word "தலைவர்" also means "leader" or "head" in Tamil. |
| Telugu | "చైర్మన్" comes from the English word "chairman", which originally meant the person presiding over a meeting or group. |
| Thai | "ประธาน" (prathān) comes from the Sanskrit word "pradhāna", meaning "chief" or "principal". |
| Turkish | The word 'başkan' comes from Persian and also means 'chief' or 'leader'. |
| Ukrainian | In Ukrainian, "голова" also means "head" and can refer to the leader of an organization or community. |
| Urdu | The Urdu word چیئرمین can also refer to a chair used by someone who leads a meeting. |
| Uzbek | In Uzbek, "rais" can also refer to a "chief", "head**, or "leader**. |
| Vietnamese | In Vietnamese, Chủ tịch can mean either chairman or president, depending on the context |
| Welsh | The word 'cadeirydd' in Welsh is derived from the Latin word 'cathedra', meaning 'chair'. |
| Xhosa | Also used as a term of address for male elders, even when they are not in a position of authority. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "טשערמאן" ("tsherman") derives from the German "vorsitzender", meaning "presiding officer" or "one who sits in front" |
| Yoruba | The word 'alaga' is derived from the Yoruba word 'lagba', which means 'head' or 'leader'. |
| Zulu | "Usihlalo" derives from the verb "hlala" (sit), implying the chairman's positional authority. |
| English | In the 17th century, “chairman” referred to people who carried chairs or litters for hire. |