Chief in Different Languages
Discover 'Chief' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Chief
Afrikaans hoofman | ||
Albanian shefi | ||
Amharic አለቃ | ||
Arabic رئيس | ||
Armenian գլխավոր | ||
Assamese প্ৰধান | ||
Aymara k'uk'u | ||
Azerbaijani rəis | ||
Bambara kuntigi | ||
Basque nagusia | ||
Belarusian начальнік | ||
Bengali প্রধান | ||
Bhojpuri मुख्य | ||
Bosnian šefe | ||
Bulgarian главен | ||
Catalan cap | ||
Cebuano hepe | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 首席 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 首席 | ||
Corsican capu | ||
Croatian glavni | ||
Czech hlavní | ||
Danish chef | ||
Dhivehi ޗީފް | ||
Dogri मकद्दम | ||
Dutch chef | ||
English chief | ||
Esperanto estro | ||
Estonian pealik | ||
Ewe fia | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) hepe | ||
Finnish päällikkö | ||
French chef | ||
Frisian opperhaad | ||
Galician xefe | ||
Georgian მთავარი | ||
German chef | ||
Greek αρχηγός | ||
Guarani mburuvucha | ||
Gujarati મુખ્ય | ||
Haitian Creole chèf | ||
Hausa shugaba | ||
Hawaiian aliʻi | ||
Hebrew רֹאשׁ | ||
Hindi दार सर | ||
Hmong thawj | ||
Hungarian fő | ||
Icelandic höfðingi | ||
Igbo onyeisi | ||
Ilocano tsip | ||
Indonesian kepala | ||
Irish príomhfheidhmeannach | ||
Italian capo | ||
Japanese チーフ | ||
Javanese pangarsa | ||
Kannada ಮುಖ್ಯ | ||
Kazakh бастық | ||
Khmer ប្រធាន | ||
Kinyarwanda umukuru | ||
Konkani मुखेल | ||
Korean 주요한 | ||
Krio chif | ||
Kurdish serok | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) سەرۆک | ||
Kyrgyz башкы | ||
Lao ຫົວຫນ້າ | ||
Latin summum | ||
Latvian priekšnieks | ||
Lingala mokonzi | ||
Lithuanian vyriausiasis | ||
Luganda omukungu | ||
Luxembourgish chef | ||
Macedonian главен | ||
Maithili मुखिया | ||
Malagasy lohan'ny | ||
Malay ketua | ||
Malayalam ചീഫ് | ||
Maltese kap | ||
Maori rangatira | ||
Marathi मुख्य | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯃꯀꯣꯛ | ||
Mizo hotu | ||
Mongolian дарга | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) အကြီးအကဲ | ||
Nepali प्रमुख | ||
Norwegian sjef | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) mkulu | ||
Odia (Oriya) ମୁଖିଆ | ||
Oromo geggeessaa olaanaa | ||
Pashto مشر | ||
Persian رئیس | ||
Polish szef | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) chefe | ||
Punjabi ਮੁੱਖ | ||
Quechua kamachiq | ||
Romanian şef | ||
Russian начальник | ||
Samoan aliʻi | ||
Sanskrit मुख्य | ||
Scots Gaelic ceann-cinnidh | ||
Sepedi kgoši | ||
Serbian шеф | ||
Sesotho hlooho | ||
Shona mukuru | ||
Sindhi چيف | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) ප්රධාන | ||
Slovak náčelník | ||
Slovenian šef | ||
Somali ugaas | ||
Spanish jefe | ||
Sundanese kapala | ||
Swahili mkuu | ||
Swedish chef | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) hepe | ||
Tajik саркор | ||
Tamil தலைமை | ||
Tatar начальнигы | ||
Telugu చీఫ్ | ||
Thai หัวหน้า | ||
Tigrinya ሓለቓ | ||
Tsonga hosi | ||
Turkish şef | ||
Turkmen başlygy | ||
Twi (Akan) ɔhene | ||
Ukrainian начальник | ||
Urdu چیف | ||
Uyghur باشلىق | ||
Uzbek boshliq | ||
Vietnamese trưởng phòng | ||
Welsh prif | ||
Xhosa inkosi | ||
Yiddish הויפּט | ||
Yoruba olori | ||
Zulu induna |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | Although the word "hoofman" directly translates to "chief," it is also used informally to refer to a person who is considered the leader or boss of a group or organization. |
| Albanian | The word "shefi" is derived from the Turkish word "şef", which means "head" or "leader", and can also refer to a "boss" or "manager" in Albanian. |
| Amharic | The word |
| Arabic | In Arabic, "رئيس" can also refer to a president of a nation, a dean or head of an academic institution, or a director of a company. |
| Armenian | The word "գլխավոր" (chief) comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰelh₃-, which also means "helmet" or "head". |
| Azerbaijani | The word "rəis" is derived from the Arabic word "ra'īs", meaning "leader" or "head". |
| Basque | The word 'nagusia' in Basque has an alternate meaning of 'master', 'lord', or 'boss'. |
| Belarusian | The word 'начальнік' derives from the Proto-Slavic 'na-čelьnikь' meaning 'he who is in front', and also has the connotation of 'commander'. |
| Bengali | The word "প্রধান" (chief) in Bengali, derives from the Sanskrit word "pradhāna", meaning "principal, important, or primary." |
| Bosnian | The word "šefe" in Bosnian also means "master", "owner", or "patron". |
| Bulgarian | The word "главен" also means "main", "primary", or "principal" in Bulgarian. |
| Catalan | The word "cap" in Catalan can also mean "end" or "top". |
| Cebuano | The word "hepe" can also refer to a head, leader, or boss. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The word "首席" can also mean "first seat" or "top student". |
| Chinese (Traditional) | The character 首 (pronounced **shǒu**) was originally used in the sense of "head" in 甲骨文 (Oracle bone script) and 金文 (Bronzeware script) of the 商 dynasty. |
| Corsican | The word "capu" also means "head" in Corsican, derived from the Latin "caput". |
| Croatian | The term 'Glavni' in Croatian can also mean 'Primary', 'Principal', or 'Senior' and originates from the Proto-Slavic word 'glava' (head). |
| Czech | The word "hlavní" also has the meaning "main", which is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "glava", meaning "head". |
| Danish | Danish "chef" is derived from French "chef" which in turn comes from Latin "caput" meaning "head". |
| Dutch | The word "chef" in Dutch can also mean "boss" or "supervisor". |
| Esperanto | "estro" comes from an earlier form of "mastro", which comes from Latin "magister" (magistrate, master), from the root "mag" meaning "great" |
| Estonian | "Pealik" is a loanword, via German, of the Latin "princeps" meaning "first in position, rank, influence, or power." |
| Finnish | The word "päällikkö" also means "overlord" or "headman" in Finnish. |
| French | The French word "chef" can also refer to a head of a household, a leader of a group, or the main ingredient in a dish. |
| Frisian | The Frisian word "opperhaad" ultimately derives from Old High German, and also signifies "head" in East Frisian Low Saxon. |
| Galician | In Portuguese, the word "chefe" (chief) is a loanword from Galician; however, in Galician, "xefe" means "boss" or "owner". |
| German | In German, the word "Chef" can also refer to the head of a household or a group of people. |
| Greek | "The term comes from the Greek: ἄρχω/árkhō, meaning to "have power" or "begin," and ἡγέομαι/hēgéomai, meaning "to lead." |
| Gujarati | The word "મુખ્ય" ("chief") in Gujarati is derived from the Sanskrit word "मुख" ("mouth"), indicating the chief's role as a spokesperson or leader of a group. |
| Haitian Creole | The Haitian Creole word "chèf" has alternate meanings such as "leader" and "head of a household". |
| Hausa | The word "shugaba" also means "leader" or "ruler". |
| Hawaiian | Aliʻi can also refer to ancestors, gods, or a noble class of individuals. |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word 'רֹאשׁ' ('chief') comes from the Proto-Semitic root '*rʾš', which also means 'head' in Arabic ('رَأْس') and 'chief' in Aramaic ('רֵישׁ'). |
| Hindi | This word originates from the Sanskrit word "द्वार" (dwar), meaning "gate" or "entrance"} |
| Hmong | Thawj is also a term for a male family member or a person of respect. |
| Hungarian | The word "fő" in Hungarian is derived from the Turkic word "baş", meaning "head", and also refers to the top of a mountain or river's source. |
| Icelandic | The Icelandic word "höfðingi" is derived from the Old Norse word "höfuð", meaning "head", and originally referred to the head of a household or clan. |
| Igbo | The word "onyeisi" can also mean "father" or "master" in Igbo. |
| Indonesian | The Indonesian word 'kepala' originates from the Sanskrit word 'kapala' meaning 'skull' |
| Italian | The word "capo" in Italian has multiple meanings, including "chief" and "head", and is derived from the Latin "caput", meaning "head". |
| Japanese | In Japanese, the word "チーフ" also carries the meaning of "headband" or "scarf" |
| Javanese | The word "pangarsa" is likely derived from Sanskrit, where "pra" means "forward" and "ngarsa" means "front". |
| Kannada | The word "ಮುಖ್ಯ" can also mean "face" or "front" in Kannada. |
| Kazakh | The word «бастық» likely has Turkic and Mongolian origins, as well as meanings related to «head» or a «leading element». |
| Khmer | The word "ប្រធាន" (chief) is derived from the Sanskrit word "pra-dhāna", which means "to place in front" or "to appoint as leader." |
| Korean | "주요한"이라는 말은 ""핵심적인""이라는 의미 외에도 "무리의 대표자"라는 뜻으로도 사용될 수 있습니다. |
| Kurdish | The name Serok is also a common Kurdish name used by both men and women. |
| Kyrgyz | The word “башкы” can also mean “brain” or “head” in Kyrgyz. |
| Lao | In Khmer language the word for 'chief' ("ហ្វេង") has the same etymology and can take the same meanings and roles in the language as in Lao |
| Latin | In addition to its meaning of "the highest point," "summum" also refers to the topmost part of a tree and to the highest pitch of the human voice. |
| Latvian | The word "priekšnieks" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *pre- "before" and the suffix "-nieks" indicating an agent or doer of an action, thus literally meaning "one who goes before". |
| Lithuanian | Vyriausiasis is also the root word for "vyras" (man) in Lithuanian. |
| Luxembourgish | In Luxembourgish, "Chef" can also refer to the head of a household or a group of people. |
| Macedonian | The word "главен" can also mean "principal" or "main" |
| Malagasy | The term 'lohan'ny' has evolved from its initial meaning of 'elder' or 'head of the family' to encompass its modern usage as 'chief'. |
| Malay | The word "ketua" can also mean "chairperson" or "head" in the context of an organization or group. |
| Malayalam | The word 'ചീഫ്' (chief) in Malayalam also means the head or leader of a community or group. |
| Maltese | The word "kap" in Maltese derives from the Arabic word "qabīla", meaning "tribe" or "clan". |
| Maori | Rangatira (chief) derives from the Proto-Polynesian word *laqatira, meaning "to stand" or "to be upright." |
| Marathi | The Marathi word "मुख्य" (chief) derives from the Sanskrit word "मूल" (root) and signifies "primary" or "fundamental." |
| Mongolian | The title "darga" is etymologically related to the Sanskrit term "dharma" and also means "law" or "truth" in Mongolian. |
| Nepali | "प्रमुख" originated from the Sanskrit word "pra" (first) and "mukha" (mouth, face), indicating one who is first or foremost in position, power, or authority. |
| Norwegian | The word “sjef” can also be used to refer to a person who is in charge of a group or organization, but it is more commonly used to refer to a boss or supervisor. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "mkulu" is also used as a term of respect for an older person or a person in a position of authority. |
| Pashto | The word "مشر" is also used to refer to a leader or a head of a group. |
| Persian | The word "رئیس" (chief) in Persian is derived from the Arabic word "رأس" (head), and has the same alternate meaning of "head of an organization". |
| Polish | The word 'szef' is derived from the German 'Chef', which in turn comes from the French 'chef', ultimately from the Latin 'caput', meaning 'head'. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | Portuguese "chefe" comes from Latin "caput" meaning both "head" and "leader". It's related to English "chief", French "chef", Italian "capo", and "capital". |
| Punjabi | The Punjabi word 'ਮੁੱਖ' ('chief') is also used to mean 'face' or 'forehead'. |
| Romanian | The word "şef" can also mean "boss" or "head" in Romanian. |
| Russian | From the Proto-Slavic *nɑtʲelʲnikъ, from *nɑ "on" + *telʲe "body", thus "head of a body". |
| Samoan | The term aliʻi also carries connotations of respect, nobility, and sacredness in the Samoan language and culture. |
| Scots Gaelic | Ceann-cinnidh can also describe the chief of a clan or the leader of a tribe, especially in the Highlands of Scotland. |
| Serbian | The word "Шеф" can also refer to a "boss" or "manager". |
| Sesotho | The word "hlooho" is also used to refer to a "great animal" or a "respected person" in Sesotho. |
| Shona | The word "mukuru" also means "head" in the context of a family or lineage. |
| Sindhi | Sindhi "چيف" (chief) originates from Arabic "كيف" (how) and came to represent "chief" via its meaning of "how to behave"} |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word "ප්රධාන" can also refer to a "main" or "principal" aspect or person. |
| Slovak | The Slovak word "náčelník" can also refer to a head foreman or a headman. |
| Slovenian | "Šef" also refers to a kitchen boss, or "head cook". |
| Somali | The Somali word |
| Spanish | The word "jefe" originates from the Arabic word "shaykh", meaning "old" or "leader". The word has taken on different connotations in Spanish, depending on the context, and can also mean "manager", "head", or "supervisor". |
| Sundanese | The word "kapala" also denotes a particular style of Sundanese turban typically worn by village headmen. |
| Swahili | The word 'mkuu' can also mean 'leader', 'senior', or 'elder' |
| Swedish | In Swedish, the word 'chef' also refers to the head of a government or organization. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | In some contexts, "hepe" can also refer to a respected elder or a leader in a community. |
| Tajik | The word "саркор" ("chief") in Tajik also means "ringleader" or "head of a group". |
| Tamil | The word 'தலைமை' ('chief') in Tamil also has the alternate meanings of 'head' and 'topmost'. |
| Telugu | The Telugu word "చీఫ్" derives from the English word "chief" and shares its meaning. |
| Thai | The word "หัวหน้า" can also refer to the head of a household or a group of people. |
| Turkish | The word "şef" can also mean "boss" or "master" in Turkish. |
| Ukrainian | In Russian, «начальник» can also mean an official overseer (e.g., of a prison or other institution). |
| Urdu | In Urdu, "چیف" can also mean a type of cloth resembling muslin imported from China. |
| Uzbek | The word "boshliq" can also mean "head" or "leader" in Uzbek. |
| Vietnamese | The Vietnamese word trưởng phòng, which literally translates to 'room head', also has the meaning of 'manager' or 'supervisor' in an office setting. |
| Welsh | Prif means 'first' or 'main' in Welsh, and the word's root is probably related to the Latin word 'primus' meaning 'first'. |
| Xhosa | "Inkósi" literally means "great person" in Xhosa, but it can also refer to a king, a chief, or a person of high rank. |
| Yiddish | In the Yiddish word "הויפּט" (hoipt), the "h" is silent and the "o" is pronounced like the "u" in "put". |
| Yoruba | The word "olori" in Yoruba is also used as a title for the wife of a chief or king, meaning "senior wife." |
| Zulu | The word "induna" is also used to refer to a military commander or a leader of a group of people. |
| English | The word "chief" comes from the French word "chef", which means "head" or "leader". |