Department in different languages

Department in Different Languages

Discover 'Department' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'department' holds great significance in our daily lives, especially in professional and organizational contexts. It refers to a distinct section or division within a larger organization, each with its own specific function or responsibility. From the workplace to academia, departments play a crucial role in ensuring smooth operations and achieving specific goals.

But did you know that the concept of departments has been around for centuries, with the first recorded use of the term in English in the late 15th century? Or that in some cultures, the concept of dividing labor and responsibilities into distinct departments is not as prevalent as in Western societies?

Understanding the translation of 'department' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how other cultures approach organization and collaboration. For example, in Spanish, 'department' is 'departamento', while in French, it's 'département'. In Mandarin Chinese, it's '部门 (bùmén)', and in Japanese, it's '部門 (bumon).'

Department


Department in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansdepartement
The Afrikaans word "departement" originally meant "district" but now primarily means "department".
Amharicመምሪያ
The word "መምሪያ" can also refer to a section or division within an organization.
Hausasashen
The word "sashen" also means "in the case of" or "with regard to" in Hausa.
Igbongalaba
Ngalaba also means 'a small basket used in the ancient era for holding kola nuts or other precious items'.
Malagasysampan-draharaha
The Malagasy word "sampan-draharaha" evolved from an old Sanskrit term meaning 'to hold together' or 'to support'.
Nyanja (Chichewa)dipatimenti
The original meaning of "dipatimenti" was probably "the government".
Shonadepartment
The word ‘dhipatimendi’ in Shona does not have any other meanings beyond the primary one of ‘department’, and it was borrowed from English.
Somaliwaaxda
The word 'waax' in Somali means 'to split', and '-da' forms a noun from the verb, signifying a 'place of division' or 'department'.
Sesotholefapha
The word 'lefapha' also means 'side' in Sesotho, highlighting the division of responsibilities within a department.
Swahiliidara
"Idara" also means "institution" or "establishment".
Xhosaisebe
In Xhosa, "isebe" can also refer to a section or area of land.
Yorubaẹka
The word "ẹka" in Yoruba can also mean "a section of a town or village with its own chief or head."
Zuluumnyango
Umnyango is a Zulu word that can also refer to a company or an organization.
Bambaradepariteman
Ewedɔwɔƒe ƒe alɔdze
Kinyarwandaishami
Lingaladepartema
Lugandaekibiina
Sepedilefapha
Twi (Akan)asoɛeɛ

Department in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicقسم
The word 'قسم' also refers to a part of a village in Arabic and originates from the Hebrew "kisma."
Hebrewמַחלָקָה
The word "מחלקה" also connotes a class or category of something.
Pashtoڅانګه
The Pashto word "څانګه" could also mean "wing, branch."
Arabicقسم
The word 'قسم' also refers to a part of a village in Arabic and originates from the Hebrew "kisma."

Department in Western European Languages

Albaniandepartamenti
The word "departamenti" in Albanian derives from the Latin word "dēpārtīre," which means "to separate" or "to divide."
Basquesail
Sail comes from "sailak", meaning "branches", so Sail is the department of the branches of the mountains.
Catalandepartament
The word "departament" is derived from the Latin word "departementum", which means "division or section".
Croatianodjel
The word "odjel" in Croatian can also refer to a section or a division within an organization.
Danishafdeling
In Denmark, "afdeling" also refers to a ward in a hospital or a part of a large store.
Dutchafdeling
"Afdeling" in Dutch can mean a section in a book, an organizational unit, and an administrative subdivision of a country.
Englishdepartment
The term 'department' finds its root in the medieval era when it referred to separate physical spaces in monasteries for specific functions.
Frenchdépartement
The French word "département", in addition to its administrative meaning, can also refer to a type of storage unit in a dresser or wardrobe.
Frisiandepartemint
The Frisian word "departemint" is derived from the French "département" and can also refer to a room in a building.
Galiciandepartamento
The Galician word "departamento" can also refer to a "room" or a "flat" in some areas.
Germanabteilung
The word "Abteilung" also means "detachment" or "battalion" in a military context.
Icelandicdeild
In Icelandic, "deild" can refer to a university faculty or a section of a newspaper.
Irishroinn
"Roinn" is derived from the Old Irish word "ruan", meaning "secret" or "mystery", and was originally used to refer to a secret council or group.
Italiandipartimento
"Dipartimento" originally meant the territory governed by the head of a Roman "decuria" — a military group of soldiers.
Luxembourgishdepartement
Maltesedipartiment
The word "dipartiment" can also refer to a section of a faculty in a university.
Norwegianavdeling
The word "avdeling" derives from the Old Norse "afdeiling", meaning "a separation or division".
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)departamento
In Portuguese, "departamento" can also refer to an administrative division within a municipality, or to a room or suite in a building.
Scots Gaelicroinn
"Roinn" can also mean "share" or "portion" depending on context.
Spanishdepartamento
"Departamento" can also mean "province" or "state" in Spanish-speaking countries.
Swedishavdelning
Swedish "avdelning" comes from the French "avant-garde" and thus also means "vanguard" or "advance guard".
Welshadran
The Welsh word "adran" is also related to the word "adranc", meaning "part" or "share".

Department in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianкафедры
In Belarusian, the word "кафедры" not only means "department," but also can refer to a pulpit, a chair, or even a professorship.
Bosnianodjel
The word "odjel" derives from the Persian word "juzdan" via the Turkish word "cüzdan", meaning "wallet" or "small bag".
Bulgarianотдел
The word "отдел" also has an alternate archaic meaning of "an isolated part, a separate piece"
Czechoddělení
Oddělení is derived from the Old Czech word "oddieliti," meaning "to separate".
Estonianosakond
The Estonian word "osakond" may also refer to a subdivision within an organization or a section within a book.
Finnishosasto
In the 1800s, "osasto" referred to the ward of a hospital, a section of an army, or the part of a building containing the apartments for one family.
Hungarianosztály
In Hungarian, "osztály" can also refer to a school class or rank in the military.
Latviannodaļa
Although nodaļa primarily means "department" in Latvian, it can also mean "chapter" or "section" in certain contexts.
Lithuanianskyrius
The word "skyrius" derives from the verb "skirti", meaning "to separate" or "to divide". It can also refer to a room or compartment in a building.
Macedonianоддел
The term "oddel" also relates to the concept of a separate part of an entity or a separate area of activity or responsibility.
Polishdepartament
The Polish word "departament" also refers to a large retail store.
Romaniandepartament
The Romanian word "departament" can also refer to a subdivision of a large organization, such as a university or a business.
Russianотдел
In Russian, the word "отдел" can also refer to a division within a scientific institution or a section of a book or archive.
Serbianодељење
"Одељење" comes from the verb "оделити", which means "to separate" or "to divide".
Slovakoddelenie
In Slovak, "oddelenie" can also refer to a hospital ward or a military unit.
Slovenianoddelek
The word "oddelek" has the same root as "oddeliti", to separate.
Ukrainianкафедра
Etymology: Greek καθέδρα (kathedra, “chair”); the same root as the word cathedral.

Department in South Asian Languages

Bengaliবিভাগ
বিভাগ also has another meaning in the context of administrative divisions in India and Bangladesh.
Gujaratiવિભાગ
The word "વિભાગ" can also mean "part", "section", or "branch" in Gujarati.
Hindiविभाग
विभाग or Vibhag is also used to refer "separation", "classification", "section", and "branch" in Hindi.
Kannadaಇಲಾಖೆ
"ಇಲಾಖೆ" can also mean "a group of people who work together or do something together".
Malayalamവകുപ്പ്
Marathiविभाग
The Marathi word "विभाग" (vibhāg) can also mean "division" or "category".
Nepaliविभाग
The Nepali word "विभाग" (department) can also refer to a portion, category, section, area, or field.
Punjabiਵਿਭਾਗ
The word "ਵਿਭਾਗ" is derived from Sanskrit and also means "part, section, division, category, or branch."
Sinhala (Sinhalese)ෙදපාර්තෙම්න්තුෙව්
Derived from the Old French word "departement", meaning "a part or division of a country".
Tamilதுறை
"துறை" also refers to a
Teluguవిభాగం
విభాగం may also refer to a division or a part of a whole.
Urduشعبہ
'شعبہ' derives from the Arabic word 'sha'ba' meaning branch

Department in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)
The Chinese character "部" (Simplified) originally referred to a military division and later came to mean "ministry" or "department".
Chinese (Traditional)部門
部門, a word for department, also referred to as a branch of a ministry, is composed of 部, meaning ministries in China or a part, with 門, a door.
Japanese部門
部門 can also mean "class" or "branch" in a wider sense.
Korean학과
"학과(Hak-kwa)" is also a Sino-Korean word meaning "subject" or "field of study".
Mongolianхэлтэс
In Mongolian, the word "хэлтэс" (department) originally meant "a collection of horses".
Myanmar (Burmese)ဌာန

Department in South East Asian Languages

Indonesiandepartemen
In French and Indonesian, "département" / "departemen" can also refer to a territorial district within a country.
Javanesedepartemen
The Javanese word "departemen" can also refer to a room or a building.
Khmerនាយកដ្ឋាន
Laoພະແນກ
The word ພັນຕ຿ເ ("department") derives from Sanskrit, and is cognate with นำเน ("office").
Malayjabatan
In Malay, 'jabatan' can also refer to a position or post, such as a 'high jabatan' or 'low jabatan'. This usage of the word stems from its root in Arabic, 'jabha', meaning 'forehead' or 'position'
Thaiสาขา
"สาขา" originally meant a "branch of a tree" and now also refers to an academic subject or organizational unit.
Vietnamesephòng ban
The word "Phòng ban" also means "room" or "chamber" in Vietnamese.
Filipino (Tagalog)departamento

Department in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanişöbə
The word "şöbə" is derived from the Persian word "shab", meaning "night", and is related to the idea of a place where people work at night.
Kazakhбөлім
Etymology: the word 'бөлім' is of Turkic origin.
Kyrgyzбөлүм
The Kyrgyz word "бөлүм" originally meant "part" in Mongolian, with its modern meaning as "department" being of Russian origin.
Tajikшӯъба
The word "шӯъба" can also mean a part, division, or section.
Turkmenbölümi
Uzbekbo'lim
The Uzbek word "Bo'lim" can also refer to a "section" or a "branch".
Uyghurتارماق

Department in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianʻoihana
ʻOihana also means 'business' or 'profession'.
Maoritari
'tari' originally referred to the carved slabs of wood used to adorn the outside of meeting houses.
Samoanmatagaluega
In Samoan, the word "matagaluega" also refers to a specific type of traditional canoe.
Tagalog (Filipino)departamento
"Departamento" also means a type of apartment or flat in Tagalog.

Department in American Indigenous Languages

Aymaramarka
Guaranijeikorenda

Department in International Languages

Esperantofako
The word "fako" derives from the Latin word "factio," meaning "making" or "doing."
Latindepartment
"Department" comes from the Latin word "departimere", meaning "to divide" or "to distribute."

Department in Others Languages

Greekτμήμα
Greek "τμήμα" derives from τέμνω, "to cut" as in an anatomical cross-section.
Hmongdepartment
The word "department" in Hmong can also refer to a "section" or "branch" of a government or organization.
Kurdishliq
The Kurdish word "liq" can also refer to the "area" where livestock are kept or to the "place" where people gather.
Turkishbölüm
"Bölüm" can also mean "division" or "chapter" in Turkish.
Xhosaisebe
In Xhosa, "isebe" can also refer to a section or area of land.
Yiddishאָפּטיילונג
The Yiddish word "אָפּטיילונג" (department) is derived from the German word "Abteilung" and can also refer to a section or division within an organization.
Zuluumnyango
Umnyango is a Zulu word that can also refer to a company or an organization.
Assameseবিভাগ
Aymaramarka
Bhojpuriविभाग
Dhivehiޑިޕާޓްމަންޓް
Dogriमैहकमां
Filipino (Tagalog)departamento
Guaranijeikorenda
Ilocanodepartamento
Kriodipatmɛnt
Kurdish (Sorani)بەش
Maithiliविभाग
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯕꯤꯚꯥꯒ
Mizopawl
Oromoqajeelcha
Odia (Oriya)ବିଭାଗ
Quechuadepartamento
Sanskritविभागः
Tatarбүлеге
Tigrinyaክፍሊ
Tsongandzawulo

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