Employee in Different Languages
Discover 'Employee' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
An employee, a vital component of any successful organization, is an individual who is hired by a company to work in a specific role and is typically paid for their labor. The significance of this word extends beyond the world of work, as it reflects the cultural importance placed on employment and financial independence in modern societies.
Delving into the historical context, the concept of employment has evolved over centuries, with the industrial revolution marking a significant shift from agrarian societies to a more formalized employment structure. This transformation has led to a complex web of labor laws, employee rights, and benefits that vary across countries and cultures.
Understanding the translation of 'employee' in different languages is not only a fascinating exploration of linguistic and cultural diversity but also essential for global businesses seeking to expand their operations and build strong relationships with their international workforce.
Here are a few sample translations to pique your interest:
- Employee (English)
- Employé (French)
- Angestellter (German)
- Empleado (Spanish)
- Impiegato (Italian)
Employee
Employee in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | werknemer | ||
| The word "werknemer" is derived from the German word "Werknehmer", which means "worker" or "employee". | |||
| Amharic | ሰራተኛ | ||
| The word "ሰራተኛ" can also mean "worker" or "servant" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | ma'aikaci | ||
| The word "ma'aikaci" in Hausa is derived from the Arabic word "ma'mal", meaning "place of work", and the suffix "-ci", indicating a person who does something. | |||
| Igbo | onye oru | ||
| "Onye oru" may also refer to a worker or someone who has been hired to perform a specific task. | |||
| Malagasy | mpiasa | ||
| The word "mpiasa" can also mean "servant" or "worker" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wogwira ntchito | ||
| Wogwira ntchito is not a plural form, but an infinitive form of the phrase 'to work', which means 'to do work' | |||
| Shona | mushandi | ||
| The noun 'mushandi' evolved from the verb '-shanda', meaning 'to work'. Hence, 'mushandi' denotes one who works. | |||
| Somali | shaqaale | ||
| The word "shaqaale" comes from the Arabic "shaghal", meaning "to work" or "to be busy", and can also refer to someone who performs manual labor. | |||
| Sesotho | mosebeletsi | ||
| The Sesotho word "mosebeletsi" can also refer to a "worker" or a "servant". | |||
| Swahili | mfanyakazi | ||
| The word "mfanyakazi" comes from the verb "kufanya" meaning "to do" or "to work" and the noun "kazi" meaning "work". | |||
| Xhosa | umqeshwa | ||
| "Umqeshwa" is a borrowed word from Zulu. | |||
| Yoruba | oṣiṣẹ | ||
| Zulu | isisebenzi | ||
| The Zulu word "isisebenzi" derives from the verb "sebenza" (to work) and the prefix "isi-" (noun class prefix denoting actors or agents) | |||
| Bambara | baarakɛla | ||
| Ewe | dᴐwᴐla | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umukozi | ||
| Lingala | moto ya mosala | ||
| Luganda | omukozi | ||
| Sepedi | mošomi | ||
| Twi (Akan) | odwumayɛni | ||
Employee in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | موظف | ||
| A 'موظف' can also refer to a scholar or an accountant. | |||
| Hebrew | עוֹבֵד | ||
| The word "עוֹבֵד" (employee) comes from the biblical word for "one who worships" and is also used to refer to priests and prophets | |||
| Pashto | کارمند | ||
| The word "کارمند" is derived from the Persian word "کار کردن" meaning "to do work" and the suffix "-مند" meaning "possessing" or "having". | |||
| Arabic | موظف | ||
| A 'موظف' can also refer to a scholar or an accountant. | |||
Employee in Western European Languages
| Albanian | punonjës | ||
| Punonjës derives from punoj (verb "to work") and njeri (noun "person"), denoting someone who "works as a person". | |||
| Basque | langilea | ||
| Langilea derives from the word "langile" meaning "worker" and suffixes indicating "agent" or "person with the characteristic". | |||
| Catalan | empleat | ||
| The Catalan word "empleat" is derived from the Latin word "implere", meaning "to fill". It can also refer to a person who performs a service or function. | |||
| Croatian | zaposlenik | ||
| The word "zaposlenik" in Croatian is derived from the Slavic root "posao," meaning "job" or "work." | |||
| Danish | medarbejder | ||
| The word "medarbejder" comes from the Danish words "med" (with) and "arbejde" (work), implying that employees are those who work together. | |||
| Dutch | werknemer | ||
| The Dutch 'werknemer' contains 'werk' ('work'), while the German cognate 'Arbeitnehmer' contains 'nehmen' ('take'), highlighting a subtle semantic difference in the perception of work. | |||
| English | employee | ||
| Employee derives from the Old French word 'emploier' meaning 'to use' and originally meant someone hired for a particular job or task. | |||
| French | employé | ||
| “Employé” in French also refers to a public official, while “employé de maison” denotes a domestic servant. | |||
| Frisian | meiwurker | ||
| The word meiwurker comes from the Old Frisian word metha, which means | |||
| Galician | empregado | ||
| In medieval Galician, "empregado" meant "taken in the act" or "guilty". | |||
| German | mitarbeiter | ||
| The German word 'Mitarbeiter' literally means 'co-worker' and highlights the collaborative nature of work. | |||
| Icelandic | starfsmaður | ||
| In Old Norse, "starf" meant "strength, force, work, task," while "maðr" referred to a man, so literally, a "starfsmaðr" was someone carrying out a job, especially a paid job. | |||
| Irish | fostaí | ||
| The word "fostaí" comes from the Latin word "fostus," which means "nursling" or "foster child." | |||
| Italian | dipendente | ||
| The word "dipendente" can also mean "dependent" or "subordinate" in Italian. | |||
| Luxembourgish | mataarbechter | ||
| The word "Mataarbechter" is derived from the Middle High German word "metarbeite", which means "to work together." | |||
| Maltese | impjegat | ||
| The word "impjegat" is derived from the Italian word "impiegato" which means someone who is paid a salary. | |||
| Norwegian | ansatt | ||
| The word "ansatt" is derived from the Norse word "andsetja," meaning "to set against" or "to appoint." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | empregado | ||
| In Brazil, "empregado" can also refer to a "servant" or "subordinate", while in Portugal it primarily means "employee". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | neach-obrach | ||
| Spanish | empleado | ||
| "Empleado" in Spanish is derived from the Latin "implicare," meaning "to involve" or "to engage." | |||
| Swedish | anställd | ||
| The word "anställd" is derived from the German word "anstellen", meaning "to place in a position". | |||
| Welsh | gweithiwr | ||
| The word "gweithiwr" has an alternate meaning referring to agricultural workers. | |||
Employee in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | супрацоўнік | ||
| The word "супрацоўнік" derives from the Slavic root "съ-рабу" meaning "to work together". | |||
| Bosnian | zaposlenik | ||
| The word "zaposlenik" originates from the Old Slavic word "zapolŭ", meaning "to seize" or "to take possession of". | |||
| Bulgarian | служител | ||
| The word “служител” in Bulgarian derives from the verb “служа,” meaning “to serve” or “to attend to.” | |||
| Czech | zaměstnanec | ||
| In the early 20th century the term "zaměstnanec" (lit. "occupied by something") was sometimes pejorative and referred to someone working long hours, and was later broadened to mean regular paid work. | |||
| Estonian | töötaja | ||
| The etymology of "töötaja" relates back to the noun "töö" meaning 'work' and the suffix "-taja," meaning 'doer' or 'one who does'. The term thus literally translates to "one who works". | |||
| Finnish | työntekijä | ||
| The word 'työntekijä' derives from 'työ' ('work') and '-ntekijä' ('doer'), a suffix denoting the agent of the action. | |||
| Hungarian | munkavállaló | ||
| The word "munkavállaló" is derived from the verb "munkát vállal" (to undertake work), and its alternate meaning is "worker" or "laborer". | |||
| Latvian | darbinieks | ||
| The word "darbinieks" (employee) in Latvian is derived from the verb "darīt" (to do, to make). | |||
| Lithuanian | darbuotojas | ||
| The word "darbuotojas" is derived from the Lithuanian word "darbas", which means "work". | |||
| Macedonian | вработен | ||
| The word "вработен" ("employee") is derived from the Slavic word "rabota" ("work"), and is related to the Russian word "работать" ("to work"). | |||
| Polish | pracownik | ||
| Polish "pracownik" ("employee") stems from the Slavic "*robъ", a "servile labourer on someone else's land". | |||
| Romanian | angajat | ||
| The word "angajat'' shares its etymology with "angajament'' (commitment) and "angajare'' (hiring) and refers to the contractual relationship between the employee and the employer. | |||
| Russian | работник | ||
| The word "работник" in Russian can also refer to a "servant", "worker", or "laborer". | |||
| Serbian | запослени | ||
| The word "запослени" derives from the Old Church Slavonic word "запосл", meaning "to work for someone". | |||
| Slovak | zamestnanec | ||
| "Zamestnanec" comes from the verb "zamestnať" which means "to give a task". In Old Czech it also meant "to marry off a girl". | |||
| Slovenian | zaposleni | ||
| "Zaposleni" in Slovene means 'employed' and is related to the verb 'zaposliti' (to employ). It shares the same root as 'poslati' (to send) and 'poslanec' (an MP or representative), which stems from sending someone to do a task. | |||
| Ukrainian | працівник | ||
| The word "працівник" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*работѧ" meaning "servitude" or "labour". | |||
Employee in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কর্মচারী | ||
| The Bengali word কর্মচারী (kôrmôcari) is derived from Sanskrit, where it originally meant 'one who carries out actions or tasks'. | |||
| Gujarati | કર્મચારી | ||
| The Gujarati word 'કર્મચારી' comes from the Sanskrit word 'karmachārin', which means 'one who is engaged in work'. Its literal meaning, in Gujarati, is 'one who does work'. | |||
| Hindi | कर्मचारी | ||
| The word "कर्मचारी" originated from the Sanskrit word "कर्मान्तः" (karmanta), meaning "someone who works under the orders of another." | |||
| Kannada | ಉದ್ಯೋಗಿ | ||
| The word "ಉದ್ಯೋಗಿ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "उद्योग" (udyoga), which means "effort" or "work". | |||
| Malayalam | ജീവനക്കാരൻ | ||
| The word "ജീവനക്കാരൻ" is derived from the root word "ജീവൻ" (life), and it originally meant someone who earned their living by working for someone else. | |||
| Marathi | कर्मचारी | ||
| The word "कर्मचारी" in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word "कर्म" (action) and "चारी" (one who does), hence it refers to someone who performs an action or work. | |||
| Nepali | कर्मचारी | ||
| The word "कर्मचारी" is derived from the Sanskrit word "karma" meaning "deed" or "action", and "chari" meaning "one who does". | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਰਮਚਾਰੀ | ||
| The term "ਕਰਮਚਾਰੀ" derives from Sanskrit roots meaning "to do" and "to act", implying active participation in work. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සේවකයා | ||
| The term "සේවකයා" also refers to a devotee of the Goddess Pattini, a popular deity in Sinhalese culture. | |||
| Tamil | ஊழியர் | ||
| The word 'ஊழியர்' in Tamil literally means 'one who works for wages', and is related to the word 'ஊழ்' (fate or destiny). | |||
| Telugu | ఉద్యోగి | ||
| The word 'ఉద్యోగి' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'उद्योग' meaning 'industry' or 'business'. | |||
| Urdu | ملازم | ||
| The word "ملازم" can also mean "attached to" or "accompanying" in Urdu. | |||
Employee in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 雇员 | ||
| 最早用于指雇佣农民开垦土地，后引申为一切受人雇用的劳动者。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 僱員 | ||
| 僱員來自「僱」與「員」，在古文中「僱」指雇用、聘請，而「員」則有人的意思，因此「僱員」原指受雇用的人員。 | |||
| Japanese | 社員 | ||
| 社員 (shain) literally means "company member" and can also refer to a salaried worker or staff member. | |||
| Korean | 종업원 | ||
| 종업원 comes from 종업 (work), which in turn comes from 종 (servant). 업 means business.} | |||
| Mongolian | ажилтан | ||
| The word "ажилтан" can also refer to a worker, a laborer, or a staff member. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဝန်ထမ်း | ||
Employee in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | karyawan | ||
| "Karyawan" (employee) originates from Sanskrit and also means "one who does" or "worker." | |||
| Javanese | pegawe | ||
| The word "pegawe" is derived from the Sanskrit word "pagawai", meaning "one who works for wages". | |||
| Khmer | បុគ្គលិក | ||
| Lao | ລູກຈ້າງ | ||
| Malay | pekerja | ||
| In some contexts, "pekerja" can also refer to a worker or laborer. | |||
| Thai | ลูกจ้าง | ||
| "ลูกจ้าง" (employee) is derived from the Sanskrit word "lokajanah" meaning "one who works for the public". | |||
| Vietnamese | nhân viên | ||
| "Nhân viên" is also a Vietnamese word of Chinese origin meaning "personnel" or "staff". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | empleado | ||
Employee in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | işçi | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "işçi" derives from the Turkish word "iş" meaning "work" or "affair". | |||
| Kazakh | қызметкер | ||
| In the 19th century, қызметкер could also refer to a religious official or administrator, in addition to its modern meaning. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кызматкер | ||
| The term "кызматкер" can also refer to a "servant" or "subordinate" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | корманд | ||
| "Корманд" can also mean "employee" in Tajik, but it is a bit more formal and is often used in official settings or documents. | |||
| Turkmen | işgäri | ||
| Uzbek | xodim | ||
| It also means "person who eats". The word "xodim" is derived from the Persian word "khod" meaning "self" and the Arabic word "dem" meaning "food". | |||
| Uyghur | خىزمەتچى | ||
Employee in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | limahana | ||
| Limahana ('employee') was originally used as a term for a 'work unit' with multiple workers but has since come to mean a single worker or 'employee'. | |||
| Maori | kaimahi | ||
| Kaimahi in Māori, meaning 'those who work together', also refers to a tribe's food-gathering group who sustain the community. | |||
| Samoan | tagata faigaluega | ||
| "Tagata faigaluega" is literally translated to "people who are working" | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | empleado | ||
| The word "empleado" in Tagalog can also refer to the act of fulfilling a religious obligation. | |||
Employee in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | irnaqiri | ||
| Guarani | mba'apohára | ||
Employee in International Languages
| Esperanto | dungito | ||
| The word 'dungito' is derived from the Latin word 'fungi', meaning 'to perform'. It has a similar meaning in Esperanto, but can also refer to any type of work or task. | |||
| Latin | employee | ||
| In Latin, the word "employee" derives from "emere," meaning "to buy" or "to hire," suggesting that employees were initially purchased or hired for their labor. | |||
Employee in Others Languages
| Greek | υπάλληλος | ||
| The word "υπάλληλος" derives from the Greek word "ὑπ'" (under) and "ἄλλος" (other), and can also refer to a "subordinate" or "follower". | |||
| Hmong | neeg ua haujlwm | ||
| "Neeg ua haujlwm" literally means "person who does the work" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | karker | ||
| The word "karker" is likely derived from the Akkadian word "karru" or Old Persian "kar" meaning "worker" or "laborer". | |||
| Turkish | işçi | ||
| The word "işçi" derives from the Turkish root "iş", meaning "work," and the suffix "-çi," which forms nouns denoting persons engaged in the activity specified by the root word. | |||
| Xhosa | umqeshwa | ||
| "Umqeshwa" is a borrowed word from Zulu. | |||
| Yiddish | אָנגעשטעלטער | ||
| 'אָנגעשטעלטער', like 'stehlen' ('steal') and 'stellen' ('put, place') in German, shares the root 'stall' ('place'). | |||
| Zulu | isisebenzi | ||
| The Zulu word "isisebenzi" derives from the verb "sebenza" (to work) and the prefix "isi-" (noun class prefix denoting actors or agents) | |||
| Assamese | কৰ্মচাৰী | ||
| Aymara | irnaqiri | ||
| Bhojpuri | करमचारी | ||
| Dhivehi | މުވައްޒަފު | ||
| Dogri | नौकर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | empleado | ||
| Guarani | mba'apohára | ||
| Ilocano | empleado | ||
| Krio | wokman | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کارمەند | ||
| Maithili | करमचारी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯊꯕꯀ ꯇꯧꯕ ꯃꯤ | ||
| Mizo | hnathawktu | ||
| Oromo | qacaramaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କର୍ମଚାରୀ | ||
| Quechua | llamkaq | ||
| Sanskrit | कार्मिक | ||
| Tatar | хезмәткәр | ||
| Tigrinya | ሰራሕተኛ | ||
| Tsonga | mutirhi | ||
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