Chapter in Different Languages
Discover 'Chapter' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
A 'chapter' is a significant division or section in a book, document, or a piece of writing. It signifies a shift in the narrative, introducing new ideas or continuing from where the previous one left off. Chapters hold cultural importance as they structure our stories, making them more comprehensible and engaging. They allow us to organize complex ideas and narratives into manageable chunks.
Moreover, the word 'chapter' has been adopted in various languages, showcasing its global significance. For instance, in Spanish, it's 'capítulo'; in French, 'chapitre'; in German, 'Kapitel'; in Italian, 'capitolo'; and in Japanese, 章 (shō). These translations not only reflect linguistic diversity but also the universality of the concept.
Understanding the translation of 'chapter' in different languages can enrich one's appreciation for global literature and culture. It can open doors to foreign literature, making it more accessible and enjoyable. So, let's delve into the world of chapters, transcending language barriers and embracing the beauty of global storytelling.
Chapter
Chapter in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | hoofstuk | ||
| The original meaning of "hoofstuk" was "head piece of an animal used as a charm". | |||
| Amharic | ምዕራፍ | ||
| The word "ምዕራፍ" is derived from the root "ዕረፍ" meaning "to stop", indicating a division or pause in a narrative. | |||
| Hausa | babi | ||
| The word "babi" can also mean "verse" or "section" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | isi | ||
| In Igbo, the word "isi" comes from the verb "isi" meaning "to place upon" or "to set on top of," referring to the placement of a section atop another. | |||
| Malagasy | chapter | ||
| The Malagasy word "toko" can also mean "room" or "house" | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mutu | ||
| The word "mutu" in Nyanja can also mean "part" or "section" in the context of a book or document. | |||
| Shona | chitsauko | ||
| The word "chitsauko" in Shona derives from the verb "kutsauka", meaning "to read aloud", and thus refers to a portion of text meant to be read.} | |||
| Somali | cutubka | ||
| The word "cutubka" is derived from the Arabic word "kitab", meaning "book", and is also used to refer to a small wooden board used for writing. | |||
| Sesotho | khaolo | ||
| Khaolo is also a type of large tree found in the savanna of southern Africa. | |||
| Swahili | sura | ||
| The word "sura" in Swahili can also refer to a "portion of the Quran" or a "portion of a book". | |||
| Xhosa | isahluko | ||
| 'Isahluko' also means a small piece or portion of land usually within a large area of land. | |||
| Yoruba | ipin | ||
| The Yoruba word "ipin" can also refer to a section, part, or division of something. | |||
| Zulu | isahluko | ||
| The Zulu word "isahluko" can also refer to a section or division within a larger work. | |||
| Bambara | sapitiri kɔnɔ | ||
| Ewe | ta | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umutwe | ||
| Lingala | mokapo | ||
| Luganda | essuula | ||
| Sepedi | kgaolo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ti | ||
Chapter in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الفصل | ||
| The Arabic word "الفصل" can also mean "separation", "distinction", or "judgment". | |||
| Hebrew | פֶּרֶק | ||
| The Hebrew word "פרק" (chapter) also means "joint" or "division" and can refer to anatomical structures or other entities that are divided into sections. | |||
| Pashto | څپرکی | ||
| The word "څپرکی" is derived from the Persian word "فصل" which means "chapter", "section", or "season". | |||
| Arabic | الفصل | ||
| The Arabic word "الفصل" can also mean "separation", "distinction", or "judgment". | |||
Chapter in Western European Languages
| Albanian | kapitulli | ||
| Kapitulli is a loanword from Latin capitulum, meaning a small head or division, and shares an etymology with the English word "chapter". | |||
| Basque | kapitulua | ||
| Kapitulu in Basque derives from the Latin "capitulum," meaning "little head" and refers to a division or section of a text. | |||
| Catalan | capítol | ||
| In Catalan, the word "capítol" derives from the Latin 'capitulum', meaning both "chapter" and "head", suggesting the idea of a "head" or main part of a text. | |||
| Croatian | poglavlje | ||
| The word "poglavlje" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *pьglava, meaning "head" or "main point." | |||
| Danish | kapitel | ||
| In Danish, "kapitel" can also mean a capital of a column or the head of a body part. | |||
| Dutch | hoofdstuk | ||
| The Dutch word "hoofdstuk" also refers to the head of a group of people that make up a chapter; compare German "Hauptstück" "main part" | |||
| English | chapter | ||
| The word "chapter" is derived from the Latin word "capitulum", which means "head" or "small piece". | |||
| French | chapitre | ||
| The word "chapitre" in French comes from the Latin word "capitulum", meaning "head" or "summary". | |||
| Frisian | haadstik | ||
| The Frisian word "haadstik" also refers to an article or a section in a newspaper. | |||
| Galician | capítulo | ||
| The Galician word "capítulo" also means "head" or "heading" in Medieval Latin, from which it derives. | |||
| German | kapitel | ||
| The word "Kapitel" derives from the Latin "capitulum", meaning "head" or "small section". | |||
| Icelandic | kafla | ||
| In the sagas, 'kafla' could refer to the wooden tablets on which they were written or the section of a manuscript scroll. | |||
| Irish | caibidil | ||
| 'Caibidil' is derived from the Old Irish word 'caibidil' meaning 'fragment' or 'story'. | |||
| Italian | capitolo | ||
| The word "capitolo" can also refer to a building or meeting room where a group of religious people gather. | |||
| Luxembourgish | kapitel | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Kapitel" also refers to a church choir's seating area or to an area of a forest or field that has been felled or harvested. | |||
| Maltese | kapitlu | ||
| The word 'kapitlu' in Maltese ultimately derives from the Latin 'capitulum', meaning 'little head', but it can also refer to a group of people or a meeting. | |||
| Norwegian | kapittel | ||
| "Kapittel" derives from Late Latin "capitulum" (small head), and refers to the beginning of a new "head" in a text. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | capítulo | ||
| In Portuguese, "capítulo" derives from the Latin "capitulum," meaning "little head" or "section of a book" | |||
| Scots Gaelic | caibideil | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "caibideil", meaning "chapter", derives from the ecclesiastical Latin "capitulum", ultimately from the classical Latin "caput", meaning "head". | |||
| Spanish | capítulo | ||
| In Spanish, "capítulo" can also refer to a formal accusation or charge, particularly in legal contexts. | |||
| Swedish | kapitel | ||
| The word "kapitel" also refers to the topmost part of a classical column or a type of decorative finial in architecture. | |||
| Welsh | pennod | ||
| Pennod also means 'head' or 'end' in Welsh, and is a cognate of 'pen' in Breton and Cornish meaning 'head'. | |||
Chapter in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | кіраўнік | ||
| The word also refers to an ecclesiastical chapter of priests. | |||
| Bosnian | poglavlje | ||
| The word "poglavlje" in Bosnian can also mean "article" in a book or other written work. | |||
| Bulgarian | глава | ||
| The word "глава" can also mean "head" or a "section" of something like a book or law. | |||
| Czech | kapitola | ||
| The word "kapitola" derives from the Latin word "capitulum", meaning "head" or "division", and in Czech it can also refer to a building structure like a tower or chapel. | |||
| Estonian | peatükk | ||
| The word "peatükk" in Estonian is derived from the verb "peatama" (to stop) and the suffix "-ükk" (a piece), and thus can be literally translated as "a stopping piece". This is because chapters were historically used as a way to divide up a book into smaller, more manageable sections. | |||
| Finnish | luku | ||
| The word "luku" also refers to a number in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | fejezet | ||
| The Hungarian word "fejezet" comes from the verb "fej", which means "head", and originally meant "chapter, part, section of a book". | |||
| Latvian | nodaļā | ||
| "Nodaļā" comes from "nodaļa" meaning "place where something is cut off" and is related to "nodalīt" meaning "to divide". | |||
| Lithuanian | skyriuje | ||
| The Lithuanian word 'skyriuje' originally referred to a monastery cell but also means 'book section'. | |||
| Macedonian | поглавје | ||
| The word "поглавје" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*glava", meaning "head" or "top", and originally referred to the first section of a book, which was often written on a separate piece of parchment or paper. | |||
| Polish | rozdział | ||
| In Polish, "rozdział" can also mean "separation" or "partition". | |||
| Romanian | capitol | ||
| In Romanian, "capitol" can also refer to a building housing the seat of government or a chapter of a book. | |||
| Russian | глава | ||
| The Russian word "глава" (chapter) also means "head" and is related to the Old Church Slavonic word "glava" (head), which in turn comes from the Proto-Slavic word *golva, ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰéwlh₃- (head). | |||
| Serbian | поглавље | ||
| The word "поглавље" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root "*glava", meaning "head", and can also refer to a section of a book or a stage in life. | |||
| Slovak | kapitola | ||
| In the Czech language, "kapitola" also means "lecture" or "lesson". | |||
| Slovenian | odsek | ||
| "Odsek" also means "passage" and "section". | |||
| Ukrainian | розділ | ||
| In Ukrainian, the word 'розділ' also refers to a 'part' or 'section' of a larger work, such as a novel or encyclopedia. | |||
Chapter in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অধ্যায় | ||
| The word 'অধ্যায়' derives from the Sanskrit word 'adhyāya,' which carries the meanings 'reading,' 'lesson,' or 'course of study'. | |||
| Gujarati | પ્રકરણ | ||
| The word "પ્રકરણ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "प्रकरण", which also means "occasion","incident","event","affair","matter","subject","topic","section","passage","episode" or "circumstance". | |||
| Hindi | अध्याय | ||
| The Sanskrit word "adhyāya" is derived from "adha" meaning "near" or "on" and "aya" meaning "to go" or "to approach," suggesting a progression of knowledge or a step-by-step approach. | |||
| Kannada | ಅಧ್ಯಾಯ | ||
| The word "ಅಧ್ಯಾಯ" can also mean "a section of a book or manuscript, a part of a subject or science, or a period of time" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | അധ്യായം | ||
| The word അധ്യായം "chapter" in Malayalam comes from Sanskrit and originally meant "instruction". | |||
| Marathi | धडा | ||
| "धडा'' (chapter), also comes from the word 'धडाड' ('in a series') | |||
| Nepali | अध्याय | ||
| The word "अध्याय" also means a lesson, or a section of a book. | |||
| Punjabi | ਅਧਿਆਇ | ||
| The word "ਅਧਿਆਇ" (chapter) shares a root with "अध्याय" (lesson) in Sanskrit and "adhyaaya" (instruction) in Pali, suggesting its connection to the act of teaching or learning. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පරිච්ඡේදය | ||
| The word පරිච්ඡේදය can also be used to describe a story or a lesson, especially one that is part of a larger series. | |||
| Tamil | அத்தியாயம் | ||
| Telugu | అధ్యాయం | ||
| అధ్యాయం can also refer to a section, a division, or a topic of a text. | |||
| Urdu | باب | ||
| In religious texts, the word "باب" also refers to the opening verse of a chapter or a section. | |||
Chapter in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 章节 | ||
| 章节 in Chinese can refer to a book or article that has numbered sections or parts, such as a novel or dictionary. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 章節 | ||
| 章節 is also used as a counter word for a book's pages, chapters, or sections, similar to '冊' (“volume”) and '卷' (“scroll”). | |||
| Japanese | 章 | ||
| The word "章" also means "section" in the Bible, "book" in the Analects of Confucius, and "article" in a newspaper. | |||
| Korean | 장 | ||
| 장 may also refer to a traditional Korean paper used in calligraphy or painting. | |||
| Mongolian | бүлэг | ||
| Бүлэг means 'group' or 'collection' in Mongolian, and has been extended to refer to 'chapter' in the context of written works. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အခန်း | ||
| The Burmese word “အခန်း” is also used to mean “guest room; compartment,” and is thought to derive from an old Mon-Khmer word referring to a room in a palace. | |||
Chapter in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | bab | ||
| The word "bab" in Indonesian can also mean "topic" or "section" | |||
| Javanese | bab | ||
| In Javanese, "bab" can refer to a chapter, a book, or a topic. | |||
| Khmer | ជំពូក | ||
| "ជំពូក" was originally used to refer to the parts of a story that were tied together (literally) using a string made of palm leaves. | |||
| Lao | ບົດ | ||
| The Lao word "ບົດ" (chapter) is also used to refer to units of texts in religious or literary works, such as verses or stanzas. | |||
| Malay | bab | ||
| The word "bab" can also be used to refer to a "doorway" or a "gateway". | |||
| Thai | บท | ||
| The word "บท" can also mean "lesson" or "part" in Thai, showcasing its broader range of meanings beyond "chapter." | |||
| Vietnamese | chương | ||
| The word "chương" originally meant "door" or "gateway". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kabanata | ||
Chapter in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | fəsil | ||
| "Fəsil" (chapter) derives from the Arabic word "faṣl" (separation, distinction)" | |||
| Kazakh | бөлім | ||
| The word "бөлім" can also mean "section" or "division". | |||
| Kyrgyz | бөлүм | ||
| The word "бөлүм" can also mean "part" or "section" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | боб | ||
| "Боб" is a borrowed word from Persian, where it means "fragrance" or "scent" | |||
| Turkmen | bap | ||
| Uzbek | bob | ||
| The word "bob" in Uzbek also means "a weight attached to a fishing line". | |||
| Uyghur | باب | ||
Chapter in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | mokuna | ||
| Mokuna also means 'to be cut off,' 'separated,' or 'divided,' likely referring to the separation between chapters. | |||
| Maori | pene | ||
| Samoan | mataupu | ||
| The word 'mataupu' in Samoan has alternate meanings of a main point, heading or title, a book, and also the book of the law | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kabanata | ||
| "Kabanata" in Tagalog (Filipino) originally meant "an enclosure made of wood or bamboo" and was later used to refer to a "room" or "compartment". | |||
Chapter in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jaljankiwa | ||
| Guarani | kapítulo | ||
Chapter in International Languages
| Esperanto | ĉapitro | ||
| Esperanto “ĉapitro” is borrowed from French “chapitre,” itself from Latin “capitulum” (“little head”). | |||
| Latin | capitulum | ||
| The Latin word 'Capitulum' also means 'little head', and has cognates like 'cap' and 'capital' which share the idea of 'head' or 'top'. | |||
Chapter in Others Languages
| Greek | κεφάλαιο | ||
| It also derives the name of the capital city, | |||
| Hmong | tshooj | ||
| The word “tshooj” is cognate with the Chinese word “shu” (書), meaning “book”. When the Hmong people first encountered Chinese, they adopted Chinese characters for their own language. The character for “book” was borrowed by the Hmong to represent the sound “tshooj”. The word “tshooj” came to be used for both “book” and “chapter” in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | beş | ||
| The word 'beş' is closely related to the Kurdish word ' beşdar', which means 'to be part of something'. | |||
| Turkish | bölüm | ||
| "Bölüm" also means "section" or "compartment" in Turkish | |||
| Xhosa | isahluko | ||
| 'Isahluko' also means a small piece or portion of land usually within a large area of land. | |||
| Yiddish | קאַפּיטל | ||
| The Yiddish word “קאַפּיטל” (“chapter”) comes from the same Latin root as “capital,” and so also means “capital” or “wealth”. | |||
| Zulu | isahluko | ||
| The Zulu word "isahluko" can also refer to a section or division within a larger work. | |||
| Assamese | অধ্যায় | ||
| Aymara | jaljankiwa | ||
| Bhojpuri | अध्याय के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ބާބު | ||
| Dogri | अध्याय दा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kabanata | ||
| Guarani | kapítulo | ||
| Ilocano | kapitulo | ||
| Krio | chapta | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بابەتی | ||
| Maithili | अध्याय | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯦꯞꯇꯔꯗꯥ ꯌꯥꯑꯣꯔꯤ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | bung khat a ni | ||
| Oromo | boqonnaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅଧ୍ୟାୟ | ||
| Quechua | capitulo nisqapi | ||
| Sanskrit | अध्यायः | ||
| Tatar | бүлек | ||
| Tigrinya | ምዕራፍ | ||
| Tsonga | ndzima | ||