Updated on March 6, 2024
The word company holds a significant place in our lives, whether it's the company we keep or the organizations we work for. Its cultural importance is undeniable, shaping the way we interact, work, and live. But have you ever wondered how the word company translates in different languages?
Understanding the translation of company in various languages can provide insight into cultural nuances and business practices worldwide. For instance, in Spanish, company translates to compañía, which also means companionship. Meanwhile, in German, it's Gesellschaft, reflecting the formal nature of German business culture. In Japanese, company is kaisha, which is also the term for a corporation or firm.
Exploring the translations of company is not just a linguistic exercise but also a journey through different cultural contexts. So, let's delve into the world of language and culture and discover how the word company is translated in various languages.
Afrikaans | geselskap | ||
The Afrikaans word 'geselskap' is cognate with the English 'society' or 'company' and has similar alternate meanings such as 'group' or 'association'. | |||
Amharic | ኩባንያ | ||
The word "ኩባንያ" can also refer to a group of people who work together or a collection of things. | |||
Hausa | kamfanin | ||
The word kamfanin also means 'to gather' or 'to assemble' in Hausa. | |||
Igbo | ụlọ ọrụ | ||
Malagasy | orinasa | ||
The word 'orinasa' may be an abbreviation of 'orinasa orinasa', which means 'company company'. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kampani | ||
"Kampani" is also the name for the "Nyanja Bible Society," a Malawian religious organization. | |||
Shona | kambani | ||
The word 'kambani' is derived from the pre-colonial Shona term 'kumupani', which referred to a group of people sharing tasks and resources. | |||
Somali | shirkadda | ||
"Shirkadda" derives from the Arabic word "sharikah", meaning "partnership" or "association". | |||
Sesotho | khamphani | ||
The word 'khamphani' in Sesotho is derived from the Dutch word 'compagnie' and also has the alternate meaning of 'troop'. | |||
Swahili | kampuni | ||
- "Kampuni", a loanword from English, is a term in Swahili that may also refer to a specific business establishment, as opposed to the more general term "biashara". | |||
Xhosa | inkampani | ||
The word "inkampani" can also mean "a group of people who work together" or "a group of people who have a common goal". | |||
Yoruba | ile-iṣẹ | ||
In Old Yoruba, "ile-iṣẹ" originally meant "the house of occupation," as in a home-based craft business. | |||
Zulu | inkampani | ||
The term 'inkampani' originates from the word 'kampeni', meaning 'a military camp'. | |||
Bambara | cakɛda | ||
Ewe | hã | ||
Kinyarwanda | sosiyete | ||
Lingala | moninga | ||
Luganda | kampane | ||
Sepedi | khamphani | ||
Twi (Akan) | adwumakuo | ||
Arabic | شركة | ||
The word "شركة" derives from the Arabic root "شرک" meaning "partnership" or "association". | |||
Hebrew | חֶברָה | ||
The Hebrew word "חֶברָה" can also mean "fellowship" or "society". | |||
Pashto | شرکت | ||
The word "شرکت" in Pashto can also refer to a "partnership" or "association". | |||
Arabic | شركة | ||
The word "شركة" derives from the Arabic root "شرک" meaning "partnership" or "association". |
Albanian | kompani | ||
The word 'kompani' in Albanian can also refer to a group of people working together or a military unit. | |||
Basque | konpainia | ||
In Basque, 'konpainia' can also mean 'gathering' or 'group' | |||
Catalan | empresa | ||
Curiously, 'empresa' means both 'company' and 'project' in Catalan, as it comes from the Latin verb 'praehendere,' which means 'to take possession' | |||
Croatian | društvo | ||
Etymology: from Old Church Slavonic *dragu "group of people," from Proto-Slavic *drugъ "companion," from Proto-Indo-European *dʰreugh- "to cheat, to deceive" | |||
Danish | selskab | ||
Originally used in Denmark to refer to a group of people dining together, the word "selskab" in modern Danish also means "company" in the business sense. | |||
Dutch | bedrijf | ||
The Dutch word "bedrijf" can also refer to a profession, trade, or occupation. | |||
English | company | ||
The word 'company' originates from the Latin word 'compagnia', meaning 'a group of people united for a common purpose'. | |||
French | entreprise | ||
The French word "entreprise" also means "undertaking". | |||
Frisian | bedriuw | ||
The word | |||
Galician | empresa | ||
In Galician, "empresa" has the additional meaning of a task or undertaking, as in the phrase "emprender una empresa" (to undertake a task). | |||
German | unternehmen | ||
The word "Unternehmen" can also refer to a military operation or an undertaking in German. | |||
Icelandic | fyrirtæki | ||
The word "fyrirtæki" can also mean "business enterprise" or "undertaking." | |||
Irish | cuideachta | ||
Cuideachta derives from the Old Irish word "cóicedácht" meaning "gathering, troop, assembly, company, host or retinue." | |||
Italian | azienda | ||
"Azienda" also means "farm" and comes from the Latin word "agere", meaning "to do". | |||
Luxembourgish | firma | ||
The word "Firma" is derived from the Latin word "firmare", meaning "to make firm" or "to make secure". | |||
Maltese | kumpanija | ||
The word "kumpanija" can also mean "fellowship" or "association" in Maltese. | |||
Norwegian | selskap | ||
The word "selskap" is derived from the Old Norse word "selskápr," meaning "fellowship" or "company of people." | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | companhia | ||
"Companhia" can also mean "fellowship" or "accompaniment" in Portuguese. | |||
Scots Gaelic | chompanaidh | ||
"Chompanaidh" derives from the Proto-Celtic "kom-bandyo" meaning "band of people." | |||
Spanish | empresa | ||
The word "empresa" derives from the Latin "in" and "prehendo," meaning "to undertake" or "to seize." | |||
Swedish | företag | ||
"Företag" derives from "före", meaning "before" or "ahead" and "tag", meaning "to take" or "to capture". | |||
Welsh | cwmni | ||
Cwmni is also a noun that means "a valley" in Welsh, cognate with the English "combe" and "coomb". |
Belarusian | кампанія | ||
Bosnian | kompanija | ||
In Bosnian, "kompanija" can also mean 'group' or 'crew', derived from Italian word 'compagnia'. | |||
Bulgarian | компания | ||
The word "компания" can also mean "a group of people who are together for a specific purpose" or "a performance of a piece of music". | |||
Czech | společnost | ||
Společnost can also mean 'society' or 'community' in Czech. | |||
Estonian | ettevõte | ||
The word "ettevõte" comes from the Old Estonian word "ette", meaning "forward", and "võte", meaning "to take". It originally meant "undertaking" or "project". | |||
Finnish | yhtiö | ||
The word "yhtiö" in Finnish stems from the verb "yhtyä," meaning "to join," and signifies a legal entity combining multiple individuals for a common purpose. | |||
Hungarian | vállalat | ||
Etymology: possibly from the verb 'váll' (to undertake, to bear), with the suffix '-alat' (a means of doing something). | |||
Latvian | uzņēmums | ||
The word “uzņēmums” is also used to refer to an enterprise, undertaking or business venture. | |||
Lithuanian | bendrovė | ||
The word "bendrovė" is cognate with the German word "band", meaning "tie" or "bond", and refers to a group of people united by a common purpose. | |||
Macedonian | компанија | ||
Компанија can also refer to an acting troupe, an opera group or an orchestra, or to a group of friends who spend time together. | |||
Polish | firma | ||
The word _firma_ is also used to refer to the signature of a person, or the name or logo that represents a business. | |||
Romanian | companie | ||
The Romanian word "companie" can also refer to a theater troupe or a military unit, both stemming from the French word "compagnie" with the same meanings. | |||
Russian | компания | ||
The Russian word "компания" (company) originates from the French word "compagnie", which means "society" or "association". | |||
Serbian | компанија | ||
The word "компáнија" derives from the Latin "компани́ја" or Italian "компáгнија", and originally had the meaning of a group of people traveling together for trade purposes. | |||
Slovak | spoločnosti | ||
The Slovak word "spoločnosti" is derived from the Old Slavic word "soplěština", meaning "community" or "fellowship". | |||
Slovenian | podjetje | ||
The word 'podjetje' comes from the Slovene verb 'podjeti', which means 'to undertake'. | |||
Ukrainian | компанії | ||
The word "компанії" can also refer to a group of people sharing a common purpose or to a military unit. |
Bengali | প্রতিষ্ঠান | ||
The word "প্রতিষ্ঠান" can also refer to an institution, organization, or establishment. | |||
Gujarati | કંપની | ||
The Gujarati word "કંપની" can also refer to a group of people gathered for a specific purpose, such as a group of actors forming a theater company. | |||
Hindi | कंपनी | ||
The word 'कंपनी' (company) in Hindi has multiple meanings, including 'group' or 'gathering', and is derived from the Sanskrit word 'sāmpratya', meaning 'present' or 'current'. | |||
Kannada | ಕಂಪನಿ | ||
The Kannada word "ಕಂಪನಿ" (kampani) is derived from the Portuguese word "companhia", meaning "group" or "association." | |||
Malayalam | കമ്പനി | ||
The word "കമ്പനി" is derived from the Tamil word "கம்பனி" and ultimately from the French word "compagnie", meaning "companionship". | |||
Marathi | कंपनी | ||
The Marathi word "कंपनी" can also refer to a group of people gathered to perform a task or a commercial establishment. | |||
Nepali | कम्पनी | ||
The term 'कम्पनी' (company) is derived from the Latin word 'companionus', meaning 'partner, associate'. | |||
Punjabi | ਕੰਪਨੀ | ||
The word "ਕੰਪਨੀ" in Punjabi can also refer to a group of people who gather for a specific purpose or activity. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සමාගම | ||
In Old Sinhala, "සමාගම" also referred to a "union of people for a specific purpose". | |||
Tamil | நிறுவனம் | ||
The Tamil word "நிறுவனம்" (company) also means "establishment, endowment, or organization" in other contexts. | |||
Telugu | సంస్థ | ||
"సంస్థ" can also mean a group of people or an organization. | |||
Urdu | کمپنی | ||
The Urdu word “کمپنی” ultimately comes from the Italian word “compagnia,” meaning “association” or “partnership”. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 公司 | ||
公司 is a translation of the Japanese word "kabushiki-gaisha" which literally means "joint-stock company". | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 公司 | ||
公司 in Chinese (Traditional) has a second meaning: to manage or control. | |||
Japanese | 会社 | ||
The word "会社" (pronounced "kaisha") is derived from the Chinese word "公司" (pronounced "gōngsī"), which originally meant "an association of people working together for a common purpose." | |||
Korean | 회사 | ||
회사 is derived from the Chinese word 公司 (gōngsī), which means "common" (공) and "business" (사). It can also refer to a "group of people" or a "social gathering". | |||
Mongolian | компани | ||
The Mongolian word "компани" can also refer to a military unit or a group of people assembled for a specific purpose. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ကုမ္ပဏီ | ||
Indonesian | perusahaan | ||
"Perusahaan" comes from the Old Javanese word "prasta", meaning "community" or "society". | |||
Javanese | perusahaan | ||
The word "perusahaan" is derived from the Javanese word "perusahaan", which originally meant "a group of people who work together". | |||
Khmer | ក្រុមហ៊ុន | ||
It shares its root with a word for 'family. | |||
Lao | ບໍລິສັດ | ||
The Lao word "ບໍລິສັດ" has been derived from the Pali word "parisatta", meaning "a great multitude or assembly" and "sadda" meaning "to make a noise". The term has evolved over centuries, and now is often used to refer to a group of people who come together for business purposes. | |||
Malay | syarikat | ||
Derived from Arabic, "syarikat" originally meant "association" or "partnership" and could refer to a group of people or a business enterprise. | |||
Thai | บริษัท | ||
The word "บริษัท" in Thai originally meant "a group of people who come together to do something," and can still be used in this sense today. | |||
Vietnamese | công ty | ||
Công ty in Vietnamese also means công việc (job) or động tác (action), but it is usually used to refer to a company. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | kumpanya | ||
Azerbaijani | şirkət | ||
The word "şirkət" in Azerbaijani comes from the Persian word "Shirkat", meaning "partnership". | |||
Kazakh | компания | ||
The word "компания" in Kazakh can also refer to a group of people gathered for a social event. | |||
Kyrgyz | компания | ||
It is derived from the Arabic word "kanpani" and also means "a group of people coming together for a common purpose". | |||
Tajik | ширкат | ||
The word “ширкат” comes from the Arabic word “sharik”, meaning “partner”. | |||
Turkmen | kompaniýasy | ||
Uzbek | kompaniya | ||
The Uzbek word "kompaniya" can also refer to a group of people assembled for a specific purpose, such as a team or a delegation. | |||
Uyghur | شىركەت | ||
Hawaiian | hui | ||
Hui can also mean a club, association, or group of people with a common purpose. | |||
Maori | kamupene | ||
The word 'kamupene' also means 'association' or 'partnership' in Maori, highlighting its relational aspects. | |||
Samoan | kamupani | ||
The word 'kamupani' is derived from the English word 'company'. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | kumpanya | ||
The term "kumpanya" in Tagalog can also refer to a group of individuals who work together, a band or troupe of performers, or an organization or association. |
Aymara | kumpañiya | ||
Guarani | tembiaporenda | ||
Esperanto | kompanio | ||
The Esperanto word "kompanio" originally meant "eating together" and is related to the Latin "com" (with) and "panis" (bread). | |||
Latin | turba | ||
The word "turba" can also refer to a "crowd", "mob", or "throng" |
Greek | εταιρία | ||
The Greek word "Εταιρία" (company) derives from "ἑταῖρος" (companion), and originally referred to an informal group of companions or friends. | |||
Hmong | tuam txhab | ||
The word "tuam txhab" can also refer to a group of people who work together on a project. | |||
Kurdish | şîrket | ||
The word "şîrket" in Kurdish originates from the Persian word "shirkat", which means "partnership" or "association". | |||
Turkish | şirket | ||
The word "şirket" can also refer to a partnership or a syndicate. | |||
Xhosa | inkampani | ||
The word "inkampani" can also mean "a group of people who work together" or "a group of people who have a common goal". | |||
Yiddish | פירמע | ||
The Yiddish word 'פירמע' (firme) comes from the German word 'Firma', meaning both 'company' and 'signature', from the Late Latin 'firma', also meaning 'signature'. | |||
Zulu | inkampani | ||
The term 'inkampani' originates from the word 'kampeni', meaning 'a military camp'. | |||
Assamese | কোম্পানী | ||
Aymara | kumpañiya | ||
Bhojpuri | कंपनी | ||
Dhivehi | ކުންފުނި | ||
Dogri | साथ | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | kumpanya | ||
Guarani | tembiaporenda | ||
Ilocano | kompania | ||
Krio | kɔmni | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | کۆمپانیا | ||
Maithili | संग | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯔꯨꯞ ꯃꯄꯥꯡ | ||
Mizo | company | ||
Oromo | dhaabbata | ||
Odia (Oriya) | କମ୍ପାନୀ | ||
Quechua | hatun llamkana | ||
Sanskrit | गोष्ठी | ||
Tatar | компаниясе | ||
Tigrinya | ድርጅት | ||
Tsonga | khamphani | ||