Updated on March 6, 2024
A document, a simple word that carries with it a world of significance. From ancient manuscripts to modern digital files, documents have been the foundation of human communication and knowledge sharing for centuries. They hold our history, our ideas, and our stories, making them a crucial part of our cultural identity.
Throughout history, documents have played a vital role in shaping our world. The Magna Carta, the United States Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence are all examples of documents that have had a profound impact on our society. But it's not just the famous documents that matter; it's also the everyday documents that hold our personal stories and memories.
Understanding the translation of the word 'document' in different languages can open up a new world of cultural understanding and appreciation. For example, in Spanish, a document is called 'un documento', in French, 'un document', and in German, 'ein Dokument'. By learning these translations, we not only expand our vocabulary but also gain insight into the way different cultures view and value documents.
So, whether you're a history buff, a language enthusiast, or just someone who appreciates the power of the written word, exploring the translations of 'document' in different languages is a fascinating journey that's worth taking.
Afrikaans | dokument | ||
The word "dokument" in Afrikaans is derived from the Latin word "documentum", meaning "lesson" or "proof." | |||
Amharic | ሰነድ | ||
"ሰነድ" in Amharic also refers to 'evidence', 'proof', and 'certificate'. | |||
Hausa | daftarin aiki | ||
The Hausa word daftarin aiki means "document" but it also has a second meaning, which is "diary" or "journal". | |||
Igbo | akwụkwọ | ||
Igbo word 'akwụkwọ' originally referred to any inscribed material, including leaves with ideograms, before being generalized to mean 'document'. | |||
Malagasy | tahirin-kevitra | ||
The word "tahirin-kevitra" in Malagasy literally means "witness of words" or "keeper of speech". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | chikalata | ||
"Chikalata" derives from "kalata," meaning "to write" or "to mark." | |||
Shona | gwaro | ||
The word "gwaro" can also refer to a letter or written correspondence. | |||
Somali | dokumenti | ||
The Somali word 'dokumenti' can also mean 'passport'. | |||
Sesotho | tokomane | ||
The word "tokomane" can also refer to a letter, manuscript, or other written material. | |||
Swahili | hati | ||
The word "hati" also refers to a deed of ownership or title in Swahili. | |||
Xhosa | uxwebhu | ||
The word "uxwebhu" can also refer to a letter, a card, or a painting. | |||
Yoruba | iwe aṣẹ | ||
The word "iwe aṣẹ" in Yoruba also means "command paper" or "official paper." | |||
Zulu | idokhumenti | ||
The Zulu word 'idokhumenti', meaning 'document', is derived from the Latin word 'documentum' (a written or printed document), ultimately from 'docēre' ('to teach'). | |||
Bambara | sɛbɛn | ||
Ewe | agbalẽ | ||
Kinyarwanda | inyandiko | ||
Lingala | mokanda | ||
Luganda | ekiwandiiko | ||
Sepedi | tokumente | ||
Twi (Akan) | nwoma | ||
Arabic | وثيقة | ||
Hebrew | מסמך | ||
מסמכים can also refer to official permissions or evidence | |||
Pashto | لاسوند | ||
The word "لاسوند" in Pashto originally meant "a piece of writing" and referred to any written material, including letters, contracts, and books. | |||
Arabic | وثيقة | ||
Albanian | dokument | ||
The Albanian word "dokument" comes from the Latin word "documentum", meaning "instruction" or "lesson". | |||
Basque | dokumentua | ||
The Basque word “dokumentua” derives from the Latin “documentum” meaning “teaching” or “proof”. | |||
Catalan | document | ||
The Catalan word "document" comes from the Latin word "documentum," meaning "instruction" or "proof." | |||
Croatian | dokument | ||
In Croatian, the word “dokument” can also refer to a documentary film or a piece of evidence. | |||
Danish | dokument | ||
The word "dokument" comes from the Latin word "documentum", which means "proof" or "evidence". | |||
Dutch | document | ||
Dutch "document" comes from Latin "docēre" "to teach", while the English "document" is from "docēre" "to show". | |||
English | document | ||
The word document comes from the Latin verb "docere," meaning "to teach," and can also refer to any kind of evidence or proof. | |||
French | document | ||
The French word "document" stems from the Latin word "documentum" meaning "instruction","example" or "proof ." | |||
Frisian | dokumint | ||
The Frisian word "dokumint" is derived from the Latin word "documentum", which means "proof" or "evidence". | |||
Galician | documento | ||
The Galician word "documento" derives from the Latin word "documentum", which means "teaching, proof, example, or evidence". | |||
German | dokument | ||
The word "Dokument" originates from the Latin word "docere," meaning "to teach," and is related to the word "doctrine." | |||
Icelandic | skjal | ||
In some old Nordic tongues, including Old Norse, it referred to an official or legal written record. | |||
Irish | doiciméad | ||
Doiciméad is a term derived from the Greek word 'dogma', meaning 'opinion' or 'doctrine'. | |||
Italian | documento | ||
In Italian, "documento" can refer to both a physical or digital record, as well as a legal document. | |||
Luxembourgish | dokument | ||
The Luxembourgish word "Dokument" is also used to refer to an identity card. | |||
Maltese | dokument | ||
The Maltese word "dokument" is derived from the Latin word "documentum", meaning "instruction" or "proof". | |||
Norwegian | dokument | ||
In Norwegian, "dokument" can refer to a document, a movie, or a television program. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | documento | ||
The word "documento" derives from the Latin "documentum", meaning "proof", "evidence", or "teaching", and is closely related to the word "docere", meaning "to teach" or "to show". | |||
Scots Gaelic | sgrìobhainn | ||
"Sgrìobhainn" can also refer to a formal or official writing, a treatise or a scripture. | |||
Spanish | documento | ||
The word "documento" comes from the Latin word "documentum", meaning "evidence" or "proof". | |||
Swedish | dokumentera | ||
The Swedish word "dokument" comes from the Latin word "documentum" and means "proof, evidence". It can also be used to refer to any written or printed document, especially one that provides evidence of something. | |||
Welsh | dogfen | ||
The Welsh word "dogfen" derives from the Latin "dogma," meaning "opinion" or "teaching." |
Belarusian | дакумент | ||
Bosnian | dokument | ||
The Bosnian word "dokument" is cognate with the English word "document" and is derived from Latin "dŏcūmentum". Besides its main meaning, it can also refer to evidence or proof, and in some contexts, it can mean "lesson" or "example". | |||
Bulgarian | документ | ||
The word "документ" (document) comes from the Latin word "documentum", meaning "proof" or "evidence". | |||
Czech | dokument | ||
The word "dokument" in Czech can also refer to a personal identification card. | |||
Estonian | dokument | ||
"Dokument" means 'proof' and derives from the Latin 'docere,' meaning 'to teach.' | |||
Finnish | asiakirja | ||
The word “asiakirja” could also mean “object” (in law). | |||
Hungarian | dokumentum | ||
The Hungarian word "dokumentum" derives from the Latin "documentum", meaning both "evidence" and "teaching". | |||
Latvian | dokumentu | ||
Latvian word "dokumentu" originated from Middle Low German "dokument" referring to a written agreement. | |||
Lithuanian | dokumentas | ||
The word "dokumentas" is derived from the Latin word "documentum", which means "lesson" or "example." | |||
Macedonian | документ | ||
The word "документ" derives from the Latin "documentum", meaning both "proof" and "instruction". | |||
Polish | dokument | ||
The Polish word "dokument" derives from the Latin word "documentum," meaning "proof" or "evidence." | |||
Romanian | document | ||
The Romanian word "document" can also refer to a person who provides testimony or evidence in a legal proceeding. | |||
Russian | документ | ||
The word "документ" can also refer to a documentary film or a personal story. | |||
Serbian | документ | ||
The word "документ" can also mean "evidence" or "proof" in Serbian. | |||
Slovak | dokument | ||
The word "dokument" also refers to a certificate or a passport in Slovak. | |||
Slovenian | dokument | ||
The Slovenian word "dokument" is derived from the Latin word "documentum", meaning "proof, evidence" or "instruction". | |||
Ukrainian | документа | ||
The word's root is the Latin "documentum," meaning "teaching" or "proof." |
Bengali | দলিল | ||
The Bengali word "দলিল" (document) originated from the Arabic word "دليل" (proof, evidence). | |||
Gujarati | દસ્તાવેજ | ||
The word "દસ્તાવેજ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "dusta", meaning "false", and "veza", meaning "witness", suggesting its role in establishing truth and legitimacy. | |||
Hindi | डाक्यूमेंट | ||
The word 'डाक्यूमेंट' originates from the Latin word 'documentum', which means 'evidence', 'proof', or 'certificate'. | |||
Kannada | ಡಾಕ್ಯುಮೆಂಟ್ | ||
This Kannada word is ultimately derived from Latin, and entered Kannada via French and English. | |||
Malayalam | പ്രമാണം | ||
"പ്രമാണം" is derived from the Sanskrit word "pramaana" meaning "proof", "evidence", or "authority" | |||
Marathi | दस्तऐवज | ||
The word 'दस्तऐवज' (document) comes from the Persian word 'dastāvez', which literally means 'hand-written' or 'signed' | |||
Nepali | कागजात | ||
The word 'कागजात' ('document') in Nepali shares its etymological roots with the Sanskrit word 'पत्र' ('leaf'), which signifies the traditional material upon which documents were once written. | |||
Punjabi | ਦਸਤਾਵੇਜ਼ | ||
The word "document" can also refer to a physical object (e.g., a written contract) or a piece of electronic data | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ලේඛනය | ||
The word ලේඛනය can also refer to a 'writing' or a 'manuscript'. | |||
Tamil | ஆவணம் | ||
The Tamil word 'ஆவணம்' can also refer to a 'certificate' or 'proof'. | |||
Telugu | పత్రం | ||
The word "పత్రం" also means "leaf" and "copper" in Telugu. | |||
Urdu | دستاویز | ||
The word "دستاویز" ("document") was influenced by multiple languages, as the first part, "دست" (="hand"), derives from Old Persian, and the second part, "اویز" (="something hanging"), came from Middle Persian and Arabic. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 文件 | ||
In simplified Chinese, "文件" is also used to refer to a computer file. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 文件 | ||
文件 (wénjiàn) consists of the characters 文, meaning writing or culture, and 件, meaning an affair or an issue. | |||
Japanese | 資料 | ||
The Japanese word "資料" (shiryō) was originally used exclusively to refer to historical sources but has since expanded to mean any kind of document. | |||
Korean | 문서 | ||
The etymology of the Korean word "문서" can be traced back to the Chinese word "文書" (wénshū), meaning "written records". | |||
Mongolian | баримт бичиг | ||
The term "баримт бичиг" in Mongolian literature has been applied for centuries, with the first recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | စာရွက်စာတမ်း | ||
Indonesian | dokumen | ||
The word "dokumen" in Indonesian has its origins in the Dutch word "document". It is spelled "document" in English. | |||
Javanese | dokumen | ||
In Javanese, "dokumen" can also refer to a traditional wedding invitation known as a "serat" containing genealogies and marital ties. | |||
Khmer | ឯកសារ | ||
ឯកសារ, which means document in Khmer, comes from the Sanskrit word "patra" meaning "leaf," as documents were originally written on dried leaves. | |||
Lao | ເອກະສານ | ||
The word "เอกสาร" is often used as a general term to refer to any type of written communication, regardless of the form or format. | |||
Malay | dokumen | ||
"Dokumen" also means "paper" or "certificate" in Malay. | |||
Thai | เอกสาร | ||
The word "เอกสาร" also means "proof" or "evidence" in Thai | |||
Vietnamese | tài liệu | ||
The word tài liệu is derived from the Chinese words tài ( tài tài ) and liệu (liào liệu ), meaning "evidence" and "material" respectively. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | dokumento | ||
Azerbaijani | sənəd | ||
The word "sənəd" can also mean "proof" or "evidence" in Azerbaijani. | |||
Kazakh | құжат | ||
"Құжат," the Kazakh word for "document," also means "written record of evidence." | |||
Kyrgyz | документ | ||
In Kyrgyz, "документ" can also mean "proof", "basis", or "evidence." | |||
Tajik | ҳуҷҷат | ||
The word "ҳуҷҷат" in Tajik originates from the Arabic word "ḥujjah" (حُجَّة), meaning "proof" or "argument". | |||
Turkmen | resminama | ||
Uzbek | hujjat | ||
Hujjat is also used to refer to a type of Islamic legal document that provides evidence of a transaction or agreement. | |||
Uyghur | ھۆججەت | ||
Hawaiian | palapala | ||
In Hawaiian, “palapala” originally meant “to fold” or “to wrap,” and described the process of printing on tapa cloth, which was done by folding and pressing the cloth onto a block. | |||
Maori | tuhinga | ||
Maori "tuhinga" also refers to "scripture" or "the act of writing". | |||
Samoan | pepa | ||
The word "pepa" is derived from the Latin word "pagina" meaning "page" and is related to the English word "paper." | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | dokumento | ||
The word "dokumento" in Tagalog is derived from the Spanish word "documento", which ultimately comes from the Latin word "documentum" meaning "teaching" or "example". |
Aymara | tukumintu | ||
Guarani | kuatia | ||
Esperanto | dokumento | ||
The Esperanto word "dokumento" is derived from the Latin word "documentum" and has the alternate meaning of "evidence". | |||
Latin | scriptum | ||
"Scriptus" in the singular can also refer to a single written character or letter of an alphabet. |
Greek | έγγραφο | ||
The word "έγγραφο" is derived from the Ancient Greek word "εγγράφω", meaning "to write on". It can also refer to a person who is literate or educated. | |||
Hmong | daim ntawv | ||
The Hmong word 'daim ntawv' comes from the Chinese word 'dǎngàn' which also means 'document', indicating the cultural exchange between the two peoples. | |||
Kurdish | belge | ||
In addition to its meaning as "document", "belge" can also refer to a "piece of evidence" or a "proof of something". | |||
Turkish | belge | ||
The word "belge" in Turkish is derived from the French word "billet," which means "note" or "letter." | |||
Xhosa | uxwebhu | ||
The word "uxwebhu" can also refer to a letter, a card, or a painting. | |||
Yiddish | דאָקומענט | ||
The Yiddish word "דאָקומענט" (dokuments) is borrowed from the Middle French "document," itself hailing from the Latin word "documentum" (example, model). | |||
Zulu | idokhumenti | ||
The Zulu word 'idokhumenti', meaning 'document', is derived from the Latin word 'documentum' (a written or printed document), ultimately from 'docēre' ('to teach'). | |||
Assamese | নথিপত্ৰ | ||
Aymara | tukumintu | ||
Bhojpuri | दस्तावेज | ||
Dhivehi | ލިޔެކިޔުން | ||
Dogri | दस्तावेज | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | dokumento | ||
Guarani | kuatia | ||
Ilocano | dokumento | ||
Krio | pepa | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | بەڵگەنامە | ||
Maithili | लिखित कागजात | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯦ ꯆꯥꯡ | ||
Mizo | lehkha pawimawh | ||
Oromo | sanada | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଡକ୍ୟୁମେଣ୍ଟ୍ | ||
Quechua | qillqa willakuq | ||
Sanskrit | प्रलेख | ||
Tatar | документ | ||
Tigrinya | ሰነድ | ||
Tsonga | tsalwa | ||