Afrikaans werknemer | ||
Albanian punonjës | ||
Amharic ሰራተኛ | ||
Arabic موظف | ||
Armenian աշխատող | ||
Assamese কৰ্মচাৰী | ||
Aymara irnaqiri | ||
Azerbaijani işçi | ||
Bambara baarakɛla | ||
Basque langilea | ||
Belarusian супрацоўнік | ||
Bengali কর্মচারী | ||
Bhojpuri करमचारी | ||
Bosnian zaposlenik | ||
Bulgarian служител | ||
Catalan empleat | ||
Cebuano empleyado | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 雇员 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 僱員 | ||
Corsican impiigatu | ||
Croatian zaposlenik | ||
Czech zaměstnanec | ||
Danish medarbejder | ||
Dhivehi މުވައްޒަފު | ||
Dogri नौकर | ||
Dutch werknemer | ||
English employee | ||
Esperanto dungito | ||
Estonian töötaja | ||
Ewe dᴐwᴐla | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) empleado | ||
Finnish työntekijä | ||
French employé | ||
Frisian meiwurker | ||
Galician empregado | ||
Georgian თანამშრომელი | ||
German mitarbeiter | ||
Greek υπάλληλος | ||
Guarani mba'apohára | ||
Gujarati કર્મચારી | ||
Haitian Creole anplwaye | ||
Hausa ma'aikaci | ||
Hawaiian limahana | ||
Hebrew עוֹבֵד | ||
Hindi कर्मचारी | ||
Hmong neeg ua haujlwm | ||
Hungarian munkavállaló | ||
Icelandic starfsmaður | ||
Igbo onye oru | ||
Ilocano empleado | ||
Indonesian karyawan | ||
Irish fostaí | ||
Italian dipendente | ||
Japanese 社員 | ||
Javanese pegawe | ||
Kannada ಉದ್ಯೋಗಿ | ||
Kazakh қызметкер | ||
Khmer បុគ្គលិក | ||
Kinyarwanda umukozi | ||
Konkani कर्मचारी | ||
Korean 종업원 | ||
Krio wokman | ||
Kurdish karker | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) کارمەند | ||
Kyrgyz кызматкер | ||
Lao ລູກຈ້າງ | ||
Latin employee | ||
Latvian darbinieks | ||
Lingala moto ya mosala | ||
Lithuanian darbuotojas | ||
Luganda omukozi | ||
Luxembourgish mataarbechter | ||
Macedonian вработен | ||
Maithili करमचारी | ||
Malagasy mpiasa | ||
Malay pekerja | ||
Malayalam ജീവനക്കാരൻ | ||
Maltese impjegat | ||
Maori kaimahi | ||
Marathi कर्मचारी | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯊꯕꯀ ꯇꯧꯕ ꯃꯤ | ||
Mizo hnathawktu | ||
Mongolian ажилтан | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ဝန်ထမ်း | ||
Nepali कर्मचारी | ||
Norwegian ansatt | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) wogwira ntchito | ||
Odia (Oriya) କର୍ମଚାରୀ | ||
Oromo qacaramaa | ||
Pashto کارمند | ||
Persian کارمند | ||
Polish pracownik | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) empregado | ||
Punjabi ਕਰਮਚਾਰੀ | ||
Quechua llamkaq | ||
Romanian angajat | ||
Russian работник | ||
Samoan tagata faigaluega | ||
Sanskrit कार्मिक | ||
Scots Gaelic neach-obrach | ||
Sepedi mošomi | ||
Serbian запослени | ||
Sesotho mosebeletsi | ||
Shona mushandi | ||
Sindhi ملازم | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) සේවකයා | ||
Slovak zamestnanec | ||
Slovenian zaposleni | ||
Somali shaqaale | ||
Spanish empleado | ||
Sundanese pagawé | ||
Swahili mfanyakazi | ||
Swedish anställd | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) empleado | ||
Tajik корманд | ||
Tamil ஊழியர் | ||
Tatar хезмәткәр | ||
Telugu ఉద్యోగి | ||
Thai ลูกจ้าง | ||
Tigrinya ሰራሕተኛ | ||
Tsonga mutirhi | ||
Turkish işçi | ||
Turkmen işgäri | ||
Twi (Akan) odwumayɛni | ||
Ukrainian працівник | ||
Urdu ملازم | ||
Uyghur خىزمەتچى | ||
Uzbek xodim | ||
Vietnamese nhân viên | ||
Welsh gweithiwr | ||
Xhosa umqeshwa | ||
Yiddish אָנגעשטעלטער | ||
Yoruba oṣiṣẹ | ||
Zulu isisebenzi |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The word "werknemer" is derived from the German word "Werknehmer", which means "worker" or "employee". |
| Albanian | Punonjës derives from punoj (verb "to work") and njeri (noun "person"), denoting someone who "works as a person". |
| Amharic | The word "ሰራተኛ" can also mean "worker" or "servant" in Amharic. |
| Arabic | A 'موظف' can also refer to a scholar or an accountant. |
| Azerbaijani | The Azerbaijani word "işçi" derives from the Turkish word "iş" meaning "work" or "affair". |
| Basque | Langilea derives from the word "langile" meaning "worker" and suffixes indicating "agent" or "person with the characteristic". |
| Belarusian | The word "супрацоўнік" derives from the Slavic root "съ-рабу" meaning "to work together". |
| Bengali | The Bengali word কর্মচারী (kôrmôcari) is derived from Sanskrit, where it originally meant 'one who carries out actions or tasks'. |
| Bosnian | The word "zaposlenik" originates from the Old Slavic word "zapolŭ", meaning "to seize" or "to take possession of". |
| Bulgarian | The word “служител” in Bulgarian derives from the verb “служа,” meaning “to serve” or “to attend to.” |
| Catalan | 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. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 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。 |
| Corsican | The Corsican word "impiigatu" derives from the Italian "impiegato", ultimately from the Latin "implicare", meaning "to entangle". |
| Croatian | The word "zaposlenik" in Croatian is derived from the Slavic root "posao," meaning "job" or "work." |
| Czech | 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. |
| Danish | The word "medarbejder" comes from the Danish words "med" (with) and "arbejde" (work), implying that employees are those who work together. |
| Dutch | The Dutch 'werknemer' contains 'werk' ('work'), while the German cognate 'Arbeitnehmer' contains 'nehmen' ('take'), highlighting a subtle semantic difference in the perception of work. |
| Esperanto | 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. |
| Estonian | 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 | The word 'työntekijä' derives from 'työ' ('work') and '-ntekijä' ('doer'), a suffix denoting the agent of the action. |
| French | “Employé” in French also refers to a public official, while “employé de maison” denotes a domestic servant. |
| Frisian | The word meiwurker comes from the Old Frisian word metha, which means |
| Galician | In medieval Galician, "empregado" meant "taken in the act" or "guilty". |
| German | The German word 'Mitarbeiter' literally means 'co-worker' and highlights the collaborative nature of work. |
| Greek | The word "υπάλληλος" derives from the Greek word "ὑπ'" (under) and "ἄλλος" (other), and can also refer to a "subordinate" or "follower". |
| Gujarati | 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'. |
| Haitian Creole | The word "anplwaye" can be traced back to the French "employer," meaning "to use" and the suffix "-e" indicating an action or process. |
| Hausa | 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. |
| Hawaiian | 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'. |
| Hebrew | The word "עוֹבֵד" (employee) comes from the biblical word for "one who worships" and is also used to refer to priests and prophets |
| Hindi | The word "कर्मचारी" originated from the Sanskrit word "कर्मान्तः" (karmanta), meaning "someone who works under the orders of another." |
| Hmong | "Neeg ua haujlwm" literally means "person who does the work" in Hmong. |
| Hungarian | The word "munkavállaló" is derived from the verb "munkát vállal" (to undertake work), and its alternate meaning is "worker" or "laborer". |
| Icelandic | 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. |
| Igbo | "Onye oru" may also refer to a worker or someone who has been hired to perform a specific task. |
| Indonesian | "Karyawan" (employee) originates from Sanskrit and also means "one who does" or "worker." |
| Irish | The word "fostaí" comes from the Latin word "fostus," which means "nursling" or "foster child." |
| Italian | The word "dipendente" can also mean "dependent" or "subordinate" in Italian. |
| Japanese | 社員 (shain) literally means "company member" and can also refer to a salaried worker or staff member. |
| Javanese | The word "pegawe" is derived from the Sanskrit word "pagawai", meaning "one who works for wages". |
| Kannada | The word "ಉದ್ಯೋಗಿ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "उद्योग" (udyoga), which means "effort" or "work". |
| Kazakh | In the 19th century, қызметкер could also refer to a religious official or administrator, in addition to its modern meaning. |
| Korean | 종업원 comes from 종업 (work), which in turn comes from 종 (servant). 업 means business.} |
| Kurdish | The word "karker" is likely derived from the Akkadian word "karru" or Old Persian "kar" meaning "worker" or "laborer". |
| Kyrgyz | The term "кызматкер" can also refer to a "servant" or "subordinate" in Kyrgyz. |
| Latin | 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. |
| Latvian | The word "darbinieks" (employee) in Latvian is derived from the verb "darīt" (to do, to make). |
| Lithuanian | The word "darbuotojas" is derived from the Lithuanian word "darbas", which means "work". |
| Luxembourgish | The word "Mataarbechter" is derived from the Middle High German word "metarbeite", which means "to work together." |
| Macedonian | The word "вработен" ("employee") is derived from the Slavic word "rabota" ("work"), and is related to the Russian word "работать" ("to work"). |
| Malagasy | The word "mpiasa" can also mean "servant" or "worker" in Malagasy. |
| Malay | In some contexts, "pekerja" can also refer to a worker or laborer. |
| Malayalam | 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. |
| Maltese | The word "impjegat" is derived from the Italian word "impiegato" which means someone who is paid a salary. |
| Maori | Kaimahi in Māori, meaning 'those who work together', also refers to a tribe's food-gathering group who sustain the community. |
| Marathi | 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. |
| Mongolian | The word "ажилтан" can also refer to a worker, a laborer, or a staff member. |
| Nepali | The word "कर्मचारी" is derived from the Sanskrit word "karma" meaning "deed" or "action", and "chari" meaning "one who does". |
| Norwegian | The word "ansatt" is derived from the Norse word "andsetja," meaning "to set against" or "to appoint." |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | Wogwira ntchito is not a plural form, but an infinitive form of the phrase 'to work', which means 'to do work' |
| Pashto | The word "کارمند" is derived from the Persian word "کار کردن" meaning "to do work" and the suffix "-مند" meaning "possessing" or "having". |
| Persian | کارمند originates from the French word "employé" which itself originates from the Latin word "implicāre" meaning "to entangle". |
| Polish | Polish "pracownik" ("employee") stems from the Slavic "*robъ", a "servile labourer on someone else's land". |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Brazil, "empregado" can also refer to a "servant" or "subordinate", while in Portugal it primarily means "employee". |
| Punjabi | The term "ਕਰਮਚਾਰੀ" derives from Sanskrit roots meaning "to do" and "to act", implying active participation in work. |
| Romanian | 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 | The word "работник" in Russian can also refer to a "servant", "worker", or "laborer". |
| Samoan | "Tagata faigaluega" is literally translated to "people who are working" |
| Serbian | The word "запослени" derives from the Old Church Slavonic word "запосл", meaning "to work for someone". |
| Sesotho | The Sesotho word "mosebeletsi" can also refer to a "worker" or a "servant". |
| Shona | The noun 'mushandi' evolved from the verb '-shanda', meaning 'to work'. Hence, 'mushandi' denotes one who works. |
| Sindhi | In Sindhi, the word "ملازم" can also refer to a person who is attached or associated with someone or something. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The term "සේවකයා" also refers to a devotee of the Goddess Pattini, a popular deity in Sinhalese culture. |
| Slovak | "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" 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. |
| Somali | 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. |
| Spanish | "Empleado" in Spanish is derived from the Latin "implicare," meaning "to involve" or "to engage." |
| Sundanese | The Sundanese word "pagawé" (employee) is derived from the Old Javanese word "kawé"," meaning "work" or "task". It also implies a hierarchical relationship between the superior and the subordinate. |
| Swahili | The word "mfanyakazi" comes from the verb "kufanya" meaning "to do" or "to work" and the noun "kazi" meaning "work". |
| Swedish | The word "anställd" is derived from the German word "anstellen", meaning "to place in a position". |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The word "empleado" in Tagalog can also refer to the act of fulfilling a religious obligation. |
| Tajik | "Корманд" can also mean "employee" in Tajik, but it is a bit more formal and is often used in official settings or documents. |
| Tamil | The word 'ஊழியர்' in Tamil literally means 'one who works for wages', and is related to the word 'ஊழ்' (fate or destiny). |
| Telugu | The word 'ఉద్యోగి' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'उद्योग' meaning 'industry' or 'business'. |
| Thai | "ลูกจ้าง" (employee) is derived from the Sanskrit word "lokajanah" meaning "one who works for the public". |
| Turkish | 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. |
| Ukrainian | The word "працівник" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*работѧ" meaning "servitude" or "labour". |
| Urdu | The word "ملازم" can also mean "attached to" or "accompanying" in Urdu. |
| Uzbek | 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". |
| Vietnamese | "Nhân viên" is also a Vietnamese word of Chinese origin meaning "personnel" or "staff". |
| Welsh | The word "gweithiwr" has an alternate meaning referring to agricultural workers. |
| Xhosa | "Umqeshwa" is a borrowed word from Zulu. |
| Yiddish | 'אָנגעשטעלטער', like 'stehlen' ('steal') and 'stellen' ('put, place') in German, shares the root 'stall' ('place'). |
| Zulu | The Zulu word "isisebenzi" derives from the verb "sebenza" (to work) and the prefix "isi-" (noun class prefix denoting actors or agents) |
| English | Employee derives from the Old French word 'emploier' meaning 'to use' and originally meant someone hired for a particular job or task. |