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
| Afrikaans | departement | ||
| The Afrikaans word "departement" originally meant "district" but now primarily means "department". | |||
| Amharic | መምሪያ | ||
| The word "መምሪያ" can also refer to a section or division within an organization. | |||
| Hausa | sashen | ||
| The word "sashen" also means "in the case of" or "with regard to" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | ngalaba | ||
| Ngalaba also means 'a small basket used in the ancient era for holding kola nuts or other precious items'. | |||
| Malagasy | sampan-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". | |||
| Shona | department | ||
| The word ‘dhipatimendi’ in Shona does not have any other meanings beyond the primary one of ‘department’, and it was borrowed from English. | |||
| Somali | waaxda | ||
| The word 'waax' in Somali means 'to split', and '-da' forms a noun from the verb, signifying a 'place of division' or 'department'. | |||
| Sesotho | lefapha | ||
| The word 'lefapha' also means 'side' in Sesotho, highlighting the division of responsibilities within a department. | |||
| Swahili | idara | ||
| "Idara" also means "institution" or "establishment". | |||
| Xhosa | isebe | ||
| In Xhosa, "isebe" can also refer to a section or area of land. | |||
| Yoruba | ẹka | ||
| The word "ẹka" in Yoruba can also mean "a section of a town or village with its own chief or head." | |||
| Zulu | umnyango | ||
| Umnyango is a Zulu word that can also refer to a company or an organization. | |||
| Bambara | depariteman | ||
| Ewe | dɔwɔƒe ƒe alɔdze | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ishami | ||
| Lingala | departema | ||
| Luganda | ekibiina | ||
| Sepedi | lefapha | ||
| Twi (Akan) | asoɛeɛ | ||
Department in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | قسم | ||
| The word 'قسم' also refers to a part of a village in Arabic and originates from the Hebrew "kisma." | |||
| Hebrew | מַחלָקָה | ||
| The word "מחלקה" also connotes a class or category of something. | |||
| Pashto | څانګه | ||
| The Pashto word "څانګه" could also mean "wing, branch." | |||
| Arabic | قسم | ||
| The word 'قسم' also refers to a part of a village in Arabic and originates from the Hebrew "kisma." | |||
Department in Western European Languages
| Albanian | departamenti | ||
| The word "departamenti" in Albanian derives from the Latin word "dēpārtīre," which means "to separate" or "to divide." | |||
| Basque | sail | ||
| Sail comes from "sailak", meaning "branches", so Sail is the department of the branches of the mountains. | |||
| Catalan | departament | ||
| The word "departament" is derived from the Latin word "departementum", which means "division or section". | |||
| Croatian | odjel | ||
| The word "odjel" in Croatian can also refer to a section or a division within an organization. | |||
| Danish | afdeling | ||
| In Denmark, "afdeling" also refers to a ward in a hospital or a part of a large store. | |||
| Dutch | afdeling | ||
| "Afdeling" in Dutch can mean a section in a book, an organizational unit, and an administrative subdivision of a country. | |||
| English | department | ||
| The term 'department' finds its root in the medieval era when it referred to separate physical spaces in monasteries for specific functions. | |||
| French | département | ||
| The French word "département", in addition to its administrative meaning, can also refer to a type of storage unit in a dresser or wardrobe. | |||
| Frisian | departemint | ||
| The Frisian word "departemint" is derived from the French "département" and can also refer to a room in a building. | |||
| Galician | departamento | ||
| The Galician word "departamento" can also refer to a "room" or a "flat" in some areas. | |||
| German | abteilung | ||
| The word "Abteilung" also means "detachment" or "battalion" in a military context. | |||
| Icelandic | deild | ||
| In Icelandic, "deild" can refer to a university faculty or a section of a newspaper. | |||
| Irish | roinn | ||
| "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. | |||
| Italian | dipartimento | ||
| "Dipartimento" originally meant the territory governed by the head of a Roman "decuria" — a military group of soldiers. | |||
| Luxembourgish | departement | ||
| Maltese | dipartiment | ||
| The word "dipartiment" can also refer to a section of a faculty in a university. | |||
| Norwegian | avdeling | ||
| 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 Gaelic | roinn | ||
| "Roinn" can also mean "share" or "portion" depending on context. | |||
| Spanish | departamento | ||
| "Departamento" can also mean "province" or "state" in Spanish-speaking countries. | |||
| Swedish | avdelning | ||
| Swedish "avdelning" comes from the French "avant-garde" and thus also means "vanguard" or "advance guard". | |||
| Welsh | adran | ||
| The Welsh word "adran" is also related to the word "adranc", meaning "part" or "share". | |||
Department in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | кафедры | ||
| In Belarusian, the word "кафедры" not only means "department," but also can refer to a pulpit, a chair, or even a professorship. | |||
| Bosnian | odjel | ||
| The word "odjel" derives from the Persian word "juzdan" via the Turkish word "cüzdan", meaning "wallet" or "small bag". | |||
| Bulgarian | отдел | ||
| The word "отдел" also has an alternate archaic meaning of "an isolated part, a separate piece" | |||
| Czech | oddělení | ||
| Oddělení is derived from the Old Czech word "oddieliti," meaning "to separate". | |||
| Estonian | osakond | ||
| The Estonian word "osakond" may also refer to a subdivision within an organization or a section within a book. | |||
| Finnish | osasto | ||
| 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. | |||
| Hungarian | osztály | ||
| In Hungarian, "osztály" can also refer to a school class or rank in the military. | |||
| Latvian | nodaļa | ||
| Although nodaļa primarily means "department" in Latvian, it can also mean "chapter" or "section" in certain contexts. | |||
| Lithuanian | skyrius | ||
| 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. | |||
| Macedonian | оддел | ||
| The term "oddel" also relates to the concept of a separate part of an entity or a separate area of activity or responsibility. | |||
| Polish | departament | ||
| The Polish word "departament" also refers to a large retail store. | |||
| Romanian | departament | ||
| The Romanian word "departament" can also refer to a subdivision of a large organization, such as a university or a business. | |||
| Russian | отдел | ||
| In Russian, the word "отдел" can also refer to a division within a scientific institution or a section of a book or archive. | |||
| Serbian | одељење | ||
| "Одељење" comes from the verb "оделити", which means "to separate" or "to divide". | |||
| Slovak | oddelenie | ||
| In Slovak, "oddelenie" can also refer to a hospital ward or a military unit. | |||
| Slovenian | oddelek | ||
| The word "oddelek" has the same root as "oddeliti", to separate. | |||
| Ukrainian | кафедра | ||
| Etymology: Greek καθέδρα (kathedra, “chair”); the same root as the word cathedral. | |||
Department in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিভাগ | ||
| বিভাগ also has another meaning in the context of administrative divisions in India and Bangladesh. | |||
| Gujarati | વિભાગ | ||
| The word "વિભાગ" can also mean "part", "section", or "branch" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | विभाग | ||
| विभाग or Vibhag is also used to refer "separation", "classification", "section", and "branch" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಇಲಾಖೆ | ||
| "ಇಲಾಖೆ" can also mean "a group of people who work together or do something together". | |||
| Malayalam | വകുപ്പ് | ||
| Marathi | विभाग | ||
| The Marathi word "विभाग" (vibhāg) can also mean "division" or "category". | |||
| Nepali | विभाग | ||
| The Nepali word "विभाग" (department) can also refer to a portion, category, section, area, or field. | |||
| Punjabi | ਵਿਭਾਗ | ||
| 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". | |||
| Tamil | துறை | ||
| "துறை" also refers to a | |||
| Telugu | విభాగం | ||
| విభాగం may also refer to a division or a part of a whole. | |||
| Urdu | شعبہ | ||
| 'شعبہ' derives from the Arabic word 'sha'ba' meaning branch | |||
Department in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 部 | ||
| 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. | |||
| Korean | 학과 | ||
| "학과(Hak-kwa)" is also a Sino-Korean word meaning "subject" or "field of study". | |||
| Mongolian | хэлтэс | ||
| In Mongolian, the word "хэлтэс" (department) originally meant "a collection of horses". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဌာန | ||
Department in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | departemen | ||
| In French and Indonesian, "département" / "departemen" can also refer to a territorial district within a country. | |||
| Javanese | departemen | ||
| The Javanese word "departemen" can also refer to a room or a building. | |||
| Khmer | នាយកដ្ឋាន | ||
| Lao | ພະແນກ | ||
| The word ພັນຕເ ("department") derives from Sanskrit, and is cognate with นำเน ("office"). | |||
| Malay | jabatan | ||
| 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' | |||
| Thai | สาขา | ||
| "สาขา" originally meant a "branch of a tree" and now also refers to an academic subject or organizational unit. | |||
| Vietnamese | phòng ban | ||
| The word "Phòng ban" also means "room" or "chamber" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | departamento | ||
Department in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | şöbə | ||
| 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. | |||
| Kazakh | бөлім | ||
| Etymology: the word 'бөлім' is of Turkic origin. | |||
| Kyrgyz | бөлүм | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "бөлүм" originally meant "part" in Mongolian, with its modern meaning as "department" being of Russian origin. | |||
| Tajik | шӯъба | ||
| The word "шӯъба" can also mean a part, division, or section. | |||
| Turkmen | bölümi | ||
| Uzbek | bo'lim | ||
| The Uzbek word "Bo'lim" can also refer to a "section" or a "branch". | |||
| Uyghur | تارماق | ||
Department in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻoihana | ||
| ʻOihana also means 'business' or 'profession'. | |||
| Maori | tari | ||
| 'tari' originally referred to the carved slabs of wood used to adorn the outside of meeting houses. | |||
| Samoan | matagaluega | ||
| 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
| Aymara | marka | ||
| Guarani | jeikorenda | ||
Department in International Languages
| Esperanto | fako | ||
| The word "fako" derives from the Latin word "factio," meaning "making" or "doing." | |||
| Latin | department | ||
| "Department" comes from the Latin word "departimere", meaning "to divide" or "to distribute." | |||
Department in Others Languages
| Greek | τμήμα | ||
| Greek "τμήμα" derives from τέμνω, "to cut" as in an anatomical cross-section. | |||
| Hmong | department | ||
| The word "department" in Hmong can also refer to a "section" or "branch" of a government or organization. | |||
| Kurdish | liq | ||
| The Kurdish word "liq" can also refer to the "area" where livestock are kept or to the "place" where people gather. | |||
| Turkish | bölüm | ||
| "Bölüm" can also mean "division" or "chapter" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | isebe | ||
| In Xhosa, "isebe" can also refer to a section or area of land. | |||
| Yiddish | אָפּטיילונג | ||
| The Yiddish word "אָפּטיילונג" (department) is derived from the German word "Abteilung" and can also refer to a section or division within an organization. | |||
| Zulu | umnyango | ||
| Umnyango is a Zulu word that can also refer to a company or an organization. | |||
| Assamese | বিভাগ | ||
| Aymara | marka | ||
| Bhojpuri | विभाग | ||
| Dhivehi | ޑިޕާޓްމަންޓް | ||
| Dogri | मैहकमां | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | departamento | ||
| Guarani | jeikorenda | ||
| Ilocano | departamento | ||
| Krio | dipatmɛnt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بەش | ||
| Maithili | विभाग | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯕꯤꯚꯥꯒ | ||
| Mizo | pawl | ||
| Oromo | qajeelcha | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବିଭାଗ | ||
| Quechua | departamento | ||
| Sanskrit | विभागः | ||
| Tatar | бүлеге | ||
| Tigrinya | ክፍሊ | ||
| Tsonga | ndzawulo | ||