Democratic in Different Languages
Discover 'Democratic' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'democratic' is more than just a political label - it represents a system of government where the people have the power to make decisions that affect their lives. This cultural ideal has been a driving force behind some of the world's most significant historical movements, from the American Revolution to the Civil Rights Movement. Understanding the meaning and significance of 'democratic' is essential for anyone interested in language, culture, and politics.
But what about the rest of the world? How is 'democratic' translated into different languages, and what cultural nuances does this reveal? For example, in Spanish, 'democratic' is translated as 'democrático', reflecting the country's rich history of democratic movements and its current status as the world's third-largest democracy. Meanwhile, in Mandarin Chinese, 'democratic' is translated as '民主的' (mínzhǔ de), highlighting the importance of the 'people's' voice in Chinese political culture.
In this list, you'll find translations of 'democratic' in over 30 languages, from Arabic to Zulu. Whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural critic, or a political scientist, this list is sure to inspire and inform. So, let's explore the world of 'democratic' translations and discover the rich cultural significance of this powerful word.
Democratic
Democratic in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | demokraties | ||
| The Afrikaans word "demokraties" is derived from the Greek word "demokratia", which means "rule by the people". | |||
| Amharic | ዲሞክራሲያዊ | ||
| The word ዲሞክራሲያዊ in Amharic is derived from the Greek word "dēmos," meaning "people," and "kratos," meaning "rule." Therefore, it refers to a system or government led by people. | |||
| Hausa | dimokiradiyya | ||
| The Hausa word "dimokiradiyya" can also refer to "democracy," "freedom," or "liberalism." | |||
| Igbo | ochichi onye kwuo uche ya | ||
| The word "ochichi onye kwuo uche ya" can also mean "the rule of the majority" or "the government of the people". | |||
| Malagasy | demokratikan'i | ||
| In Malagasy, the word "DEMOKRATIKAN'I" is derived from the French word "démocratique", meaning "democratic", and also has the alternate meaning of "popular" or "national". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | demokalase | ||
| The word "demokalase" in Nyanja also has the alternate meaning of "liberal". | |||
| Shona | kuzvitonga kuzere | ||
| The word "kuzvitonga kuzere" in Shona also refers to a traditional council of elders who make decisions through consensus. | |||
| Somali | dimuqraadi ah | ||
| The Somali term "dimuqraadi ah" is borrowed from English and Arabic and refers to governing systems that involve the participation of citizens in making political decisions. | |||
| Sesotho | demokrasi | ||
| Sesotho 'demokrasi' is derived from Greek for 'people's power' (demos = people, kratos = power). | |||
| Swahili | kidemokrasia | ||
| The word 'kidemokrasia' in Swahili is derived from the Greek word 'demokratia', meaning 'rule by the people'. | |||
| Xhosa | yedemokhrasi | ||
| The Xhosa word "yedemokhrasi" shares the same root with the word "demokhrasiya" in Greek, both referring to the idea of citizen-led governance. | |||
| Yoruba | tiwantiwa | ||
| "Tiwantiwa," meaning "democratic" in Yoruba, also refers to a style of drumming. | |||
| Zulu | ngentando yeningi | ||
| The word “ngentando yeningi” is derived from the Zulu words 'ngentando' ('people') and 'yeningi' ('many'), implying a system where power is vested in the people. | |||
| Bambara | demokarasi siratigɛ la | ||
| Ewe | demokrasi ƒe nuwɔna | ||
| Kinyarwanda | demokarasi | ||
| Lingala | ya demokrasi | ||
| Luganda | demokulasiya | ||
| Sepedi | ya temokrasi | ||
| Twi (Akan) | demokrase kwan so de | ||
Democratic in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ديمقراطية | ||
| The term "ديمقراطية" can also refer to the concept of equality of opportunity in Islam. | |||
| Hebrew | דֵמוֹקרָטִי | ||
| The Hebrew word “דֵמוֹקרָטִי” means not only “democratic,” but also “popular, favored by the people.” | |||
| Pashto | ډیموکراتیک | ||
| The word "ډیموکراتیک" used in Pashto is a loanword from English and retains its meaning of "democratic". | |||
| Arabic | ديمقراطية | ||
| The term "ديمقراطية" can also refer to the concept of equality of opportunity in Islam. | |||
Democratic in Western European Languages
| Albanian | demokratike | ||
| The Albanian word 'demokratike' is of Greek origin and derives from 'demokratia' which means 'people's power' or 'rule by the people'. | |||
| Basque | demokratikoa | ||
| The Basque word “demokratikoa” is derived from the Ancient Greek word “demokratikos,” and means “favoring popular rule.” | |||
| Catalan | democràtic | ||
| The Catalan word "democràtic" comes from the Greek language, meaning "related to the people". | |||
| Croatian | demokratski | ||
| The word 'demokratski' is ultimately derived from the Greek word 'δημοκρατία' (dēmokratiā), meaning 'rule by the people'. | |||
| Danish | demokratisk | ||
| The word "demokratisk" can also mean "liberal" or "constitutional". | |||
| Dutch | democratisch | ||
| Democratisch also means "democratic party" and may instead refer to "liberal" in a political context, in opposition to "conservatief" or "sociaaldemocratisch." | |||
| English | democratic | ||
| The word "democratic" comes from the Greek word "demos," meaning "people," and "kratos," meaning "power". | |||
| French | démocratique | ||
| The word "démocratique" in French has a connotation of social equality beyond its meaning of "democratic" in English. | |||
| Frisian | demokratysk | ||
| It is derived from the Greek word "dēmokratia" meaning "rule of the people." | |||
| Galician | democrático | ||
| German | demokratisch | ||
| The German concept of "demokratisch" can also refer to a direct, unmediated democracy rather than an indirect, representative democracy. | |||
| Icelandic | lýðræðislegt | ||
| The Icelandic word lýðræðislegt originated as an alternate spelling of lýðveldlegt (republican), but in modern Icelandic the two have diverged in usage. | |||
| Irish | daonlathach | ||
| The word "daonlathach" can also mean "popular" or "national" in Irish. | |||
| Italian | democratico | ||
| The Italian word "democratico" is derived from the Greek word "demos" meaning "people", and originally referred to a system of government in which power is vested in the people or its representatives. | |||
| Luxembourgish | demokratesch | ||
| The term "demokratesch" derives from the Ancient Greek word "dēmokratía", meaning "rule by the people". | |||
| Maltese | demokratiku | ||
| The Maltese word 'demokratiku' derives from the Greek word 'dēmokratía', meaning 'rule by the people'. | |||
| Norwegian | demokratisk | ||
| The word "demokratisk" can also mean "popular" or "relating to the common people" in Norwegian. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | democrático | ||
| In Portuguese, "democrático" can also mean "generous" or "unpretentious"} | |||
| Scots Gaelic | deamocratach | ||
| The word "deamocratach" (democratic) in Scots Gaelic comes from the Greek word "d?êmos," which means "people". | |||
| Spanish | democrático | ||
| In Spanish, "democrático" can also mean "affordable" or "popular." | |||
| Swedish | demokratisk | ||
| The word "demokratisk" in Swedish originally meant "popular" or "of the people". | |||
| Welsh | democrataidd | ||
| In Welsh, 'democrataidd' also means 'belonging to a democracy'. | |||
Democratic in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | дэмакратычны | ||
| Bosnian | demokratski | ||
| "Demokratski" comes from the Greek word "demos" (people), meaning the government is for and by the people. | |||
| Bulgarian | демократичен | ||
| The word "демократичен" ("democratic") in Bulgarian also means "of or belonging to the people". | |||
| Czech | demokratický | ||
| In Czech, "demokratický" can also mean "liberal". | |||
| Estonian | demokraatlik | ||
| The word "demokraatlik" originates from the Greek words "demos" (people) and "kratos" (power), and it signifies a political system where the power belongs to the citizens. | |||
| Finnish | demokraattinen | ||
| The word 'demokraattinen' derives from the Greek word 'demos' meaning 'people' and 'kratos' meaning 'power' or 'rule'. | |||
| Hungarian | demokratikus | ||
| The word "demokratikus" comes from the Greek word "demos" (people) and "kratos" (power, rule), meaning "power of the people". | |||
| Latvian | demokrātisks | ||
| The word “demokrātisks” in Latvian originates from the Greek word “dēmokratiā” (δημοκρατία), which combines “dēmos” (δῆμος, 'the people') and “kratos” (κράτος, 'rule'). | |||
| Lithuanian | demokratiškas | ||
| The word "demokratiškas" is derived from the Greek word "dēmokratia", which means "rule by the people". | |||
| Macedonian | демократски | ||
| The word "демократски" ("democratic") in Macedonian is derived from the Greek word "δημοκρατία" ("democracy"), which means "rule by the people." | |||
| Polish | demokratyczny | ||
| In Polish, the word "demokratyczny" can also mean "relating to democracy" or "in accordance with the principles of democracy." | |||
| Romanian | democratic | ||
| The Romanian word "democratic" is derived from Greek "dēmokratía", meaning rule by the people | |||
| Russian | демократичный | ||
| The Russian word "демократичный" can also mean "affordable" or "accessible". | |||
| Serbian | демократски | ||
| The word 'демократски' is derived from the Greek word 'δημοκρατία', which means 'rule by the people'. | |||
| Slovak | demokratický | ||
| The word ''demokratický'' can also mean ''constitutional'' in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | demokratično | ||
| "Demokratično" can refer both to something that follows democratic principles as well as to something that belongs to the Democratic Party." | |||
| Ukrainian | демократичний | ||
| The Ukrainian word "демократичний" comes from the Greek word "δημοκρατία" which means "rule by the people". | |||
Democratic in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | গণতান্ত্রিক | ||
| The word "গণতান্ত্রিক" (pronounced "gônôtantrik") is derived from the Sanskrit terms "গণ" (people) and "তন্ত্র" (rule), hence meaning "rule of the people" or "democracy". | |||
| Gujarati | લોકશાહી | ||
| The word "લોકશાહી" is derived from the Sanskrit words "lok" (people) and "shahi" (rule), and also means "republic" in English. | |||
| Hindi | डेमोक्रेटिक | ||
| The word "democratic" can also mean "of or relating to the people" or "common to all people." | |||
| Kannada | ಪ್ರಜಾಪ್ರಭುತ್ವ | ||
| Malayalam | ജനാധിപത്യപരമായ | ||
| Marathi | लोकशाही | ||
| In Marathi, 'लोकशाही' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'लोक' (people) and 'शाही' (rule), and can also refer to a traditional village panchayat or assembly. | |||
| Nepali | लोकतान्त्रिक | ||
| Punjabi | ਲੋਕਤੰਤਰੀ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ප්රජාතන්ත්රවාදී | ||
| The term "ප්රජාතන්ත්රවාදී" is derived from the Sanskrit words "prajā" (people) and "tantra" (rule), and it can also refer to a system of government where power is vested in the people. | |||
| Tamil | ஜனநாயக | ||
| It is a common word for republics in Tamil | |||
| Telugu | ప్రజాస్వామ్య | ||
| Urdu | جمہوری | ||
| In Urdu, "جمہوری" can also refer to a communal meal where many people dine together. | |||
Democratic in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 民主的 | ||
| "民主的" also means 'people's', 'republican', or 'national' | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 民主的 | ||
| 民主的 ( mínzhǔ de ) - also means 'popular', 'of the people', or 'populist'. | |||
| Japanese | 民主党 | ||
| The kanji for 'democracy' (民主) were introduced to Japan in the 19th century, replacing an earlier term 'minshu' (民衆). | |||
| Korean | 민주적 | ||
| The word 민주적 (democratic) in Korean is also used to describe something that is fair or just. | |||
| Mongolian | ардчилсан | ||
| The word "ардчилсан" also means "freed from aristocracy". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဒီမိုကရက်တစ် | ||
| ဒီမိုကရက်တစ်という言葉は、文字通り「人民の支配」を意味するギリシャ語の「デモクラシー」に由来しています。 | |||
Democratic in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | demokratis | ||
| The word "demokratis" in Indonesian can also mean "civilized" or "gentlemanly". | |||
| Javanese | demokratis | ||
| The Javanese word "demokratis" comes from the Greek root "demos," meaning "people". | |||
| Khmer | ប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ | ||
| The word 'ប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ' in Khmer is derived from the Sanskrit words 'praja' (people) and 'pati' (lord or master), and it originally referred to a form of government in which the people had a say in their own governance. | |||
| Lao | ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ | ||
| Malay | demokratik | ||
| The word 'demokratik' can also mean 'republican' in Malay, as in 'Parti Demokratik Republik Malaysia' (Democratic Republican Party of Malaysia). | |||
| Thai | ประชาธิปไตย | ||
| The Thai word "ประชาธิปไตย" (democratic) ultimately derives from the Greek words "demos" (people) and "kratos" (power). | |||
| Vietnamese | dân chủ | ||
| The word "dân chủ" in Vietnamese is a borrowed word from Chinese, but it originally meant "people" and "master" | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | demokratiko | ||
Democratic in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | demokratik | ||
| The word "demokratik" can also mean "republican" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | демократиялық | ||
| The Kazakh word "демократиялық" comes from the Ancient Greek word "δημοκρατία" (dēmokratía) meaning "power to the people". | |||
| Kyrgyz | демократиялык | ||
| Tajik | демократӣ | ||
| The word "демократӣ" can also refer to "a state governed by the people" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | demokratik | ||
| Uzbek | demokratik | ||
| In Uzbek, the word "demokratik" can also mean "liberal" or "constitutional". | |||
| Uyghur | دېموكراتىك | ||
Democratic in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | aupuni kemokalaka | ||
| In the Hawaiian language, "aupuni kemokalaka" means "democratic" and is derived from "aupuni," meaning "government," and "kemokalaka," meaning "fair or equal." | |||
| Maori | manapori | ||
| The word "manapori" in Maori can also mean "government" and is derived from the word "mana", meaning power or authority. | |||
| Samoan | faatemokalasi | ||
| The word 'faatemokalasi' is derived from the Samoan words 'faa' (to do) and 'temokalasi' (democracy), and can also mean 'to democratize' or 'to make democratic'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | demokratiko | ||
Democratic in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | democrático ukhamawa | ||
| Guarani | democrático rehegua | ||
Democratic in International Languages
| Esperanto | demokratia | ||
| The Esperanto word "demokratia" derives from the Greek word "δημοκρατία" (dēmokratiā), which originally referred to a system of government in which all citizens had the right to participate in the decision-making process. | |||
| Latin | popularis | ||
| The Latin word “popularis” (democratic) originated around the 5th century BC as a noun describing one of the lowest classes of Roman citizens. | |||
Democratic in Others Languages
| Greek | δημοκρατικός | ||
| The word "δημοκρατικός" (democratic) comes from the Greek words "δημος" (people) and "κρατος" (power or rule), and can also mean "popular" or "of the people". | |||
| Hmong | kev ywj pheej | ||
| "Kev ywj pheej" is a compound word that also means "common person." | |||
| Kurdish | dimûqratîk | ||
| The word "dimûqratîk" is derived from the Ancient Greek word "demos", meaning "people", and "kratos", meaning "power". | |||
| Turkish | demokratik | ||
| "Demokratik" means "democratic" or "democratic republic" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | yedemokhrasi | ||
| The Xhosa word "yedemokhrasi" shares the same root with the word "demokhrasiya" in Greek, both referring to the idea of citizen-led governance. | |||
| Yiddish | דעמאָקראַטיש | ||
| In Yiddish, the word "דעמאָקראַטיש" can also refer to "popular" or "common". | |||
| Zulu | ngentando yeningi | ||
| The word “ngentando yeningi” is derived from the Zulu words 'ngentando' ('people') and 'yeningi' ('many'), implying a system where power is vested in the people. | |||
| Assamese | গণতান্ত্ৰিক | ||
| Aymara | democrático ukhamawa | ||
| Bhojpuri | लोकतांत्रिक के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ޑިމޮކްރެޓިކް | ||
| Dogri | लोकतांत्रिक | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | demokratiko | ||
| Guarani | democrático rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | demokratiko nga | ||
| Krio | dimokrasi we de apin | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دیموکراسی | ||
| Maithili | लोकतांत्रिक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯗꯦꯃꯣꯛꯔꯦꯇꯤꯛ ꯑꯣꯏꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | democratic a ni | ||
| Oromo | dimokiraatawaa ta’e | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଗଣତାନ୍ତ୍ରିକ | ||
| Quechua | democrático nisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | लोकतान्त्रिक | ||
| Tatar | демократик | ||
| Tigrinya | ዲሞክራስያዊ እዩ። | ||
| Tsonga | xidemokirasi xa xidemokirasi | ||