Updated on March 6, 2024
An 'episode' is a significant unit of content in narratives, particularly in television and radio shows, as well as podcasts and web series. The term, derived from the Greek word 'episodion', means 'a little section or episode', encapsulating the idea of a self-contained story within a larger narrative arc.
The cultural importance of episodes cannot be overstated. They allow creators to explore various themes, subplots, and character development, ensuring that narratives remain engaging and dynamic. Moreover, episodes facilitate binge-watching, a global phenomenon where viewers consume multiple episodes or seasons in one sitting.
Given the global appeal of serialized content, understanding the translation of 'episode' in different languages is both fascinating and practical. For instance, in Spanish, an episode is 'un episodio'; in French, 'un épisode'; in German, 'eine Folge'; in Italian, 'un episodio'; in Japanese, 'an episode' is 'エピソード' (episōdo).
Explore the world of episodes through the lens of language and culture, and discover how this seemingly simple term plays a pivotal role in shaping the stories we love.
Afrikaans | episode | ||
The Afrikaans word “episode” directly stems from Ancient Greek “epeisodion,” and can also mean the “insert” part of a Greek play. | |||
Amharic | ክፍል | ||
The Amharic word "ክፍል" also means "part" or "section". | |||
Hausa | kashi na | ||
The word "kashi na" can also mean "a time" or "a period". | |||
Igbo | nwunye | ||
The word "nwunye" in Igbo also means "wife" and is cognate with the word "nwa" ("child") | |||
Malagasy | tantara | ||
"Tantàra" can alternately mean "to narrate, to expose, to detail, to explain." | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | gawo | ||
The term 'gawo' can also refer to 'a segment' or 'a portion of something'. | |||
Shona | episode | ||
The Shona word "episode" can also mean "a story" or "a part of a story." | |||
Somali | dhacdo | ||
The word "dhacdo" also refers to an occurrence or an incident | |||
Sesotho | ketsahalo | ||
Swahili | kipindi | ||
The word "kipindi" in Swahili has alternate meanings such as "installment" and "era". | |||
Xhosa | isiqendu | ||
The word "isiqendu" in Xhosa can also mean "a portion of time," "a period," or "an era." | |||
Yoruba | isele | ||
"Isẹlẹ̀" (episode) originally referred to an unexpected incident, but now means any occurrence, good or bad. | |||
Zulu | isiqephu | ||
The Zulu word "isiqephu" also means "a section of a book or magazine". | |||
Bambara | episode | ||
Ewe | episode | ||
Kinyarwanda | igice | ||
Lingala | épisode | ||
Luganda | episode | ||
Sepedi | ketsahalo | ||
Twi (Akan) | episode | ||
Arabic | حلقة | ||
The word "حلقة" can also mean "ring", "circle" or "loop" in Arabic. | |||
Hebrew | פרק | ||
פרק originally meant "separation," from the verb פירק which means "to divide" or "to dismantle" | |||
Pashto | برخه | ||
The word "برخه" in Pashto can also mean "part of a play" or "part of a book or story". | |||
Arabic | حلقة | ||
The word "حلقة" can also mean "ring", "circle" or "loop" in Arabic. |
Albanian | episodi | ||
The Albanian word “episodi” is a loanword from Italian and Greek and originally meant 'something that occurs in addition' or 'episode'. | |||
Basque | pasartea | ||
The word “pasartea” can also mean “occurrence” or “incident” and is related to the verbs “gertatu” (“to happen”) and “iragan” (“to pass”). | |||
Catalan | episodi | ||
The word "episodi" in Catalan is derived from the Greek word "επεισόδιον" meaning "additional", or "incident". | |||
Croatian | epizoda | ||
In Croatian, "epizoda" is also used in the context of a part of a book. | |||
Danish | episode | ||
In Danish, "episode" can also refer to a short story or a section of a novel. | |||
Dutch | aflevering | ||
The Dutch word "aflevering" can also mean "delivery" or "issue" of a publication. | |||
English | episode | ||
The word 'episode' derives from the Greek word 'epeisodion' meaning 'something happening after something else'. | |||
French | épisode | ||
"Épisode": from Greek "epeisodion", "intercalated", meaning that an episode was a section of a Greek play that could be added or omitted without affecting the plot. | |||
Frisian | ôflevering | ||
"Ôflevering" or "ôfleverïng" in Frisian is a cognate of the German "Ablieferung" (delivery) and the English "delivery" or "offloading". | |||
Galician | episodio | ||
Episodio en gallego es usado para referirse a un ataque de locura o epilepsia, en plural para una serie de convulsiones. | |||
German | folge | ||
The word "Folge" in German can also mean "sequence" or "series". | |||
Icelandic | þáttur | ||
The word "þáttur" originally meant a section of a saga recited at a single sitting. | |||
Irish | eachtra | ||
The Irish term "eachtra" also refers to an excursion or expedition. | |||
Italian | episodio | ||
In Italian, "episodio" can also refer to someone who's an outsider or marginal figure. | |||
Luxembourgish | episod | ||
Episod is also a word in Luxembourgish meaning a religious festival. | |||
Maltese | episodju | ||
The word 'episodju' in Maltese derives from the French word 'épisode' and the Italian word 'episodio', both sharing the same Greek origin, 'επεισόδιον', meaning 'incident'. | |||
Norwegian | episode | ||
In Norwegian, "episode" can also refer to a chapter in a book or a part of a play. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | episódio | ||
In Portuguese, "episódio" can also mean "fit" (as in illness), "incident", or "attack". | |||
Scots Gaelic | episode | ||
The Scots Gaelic word "eisode" also means "coming in" | |||
Spanish | episodio | ||
The Spanish word "episodio" comes from the Greek word "epeisodion," which refers to a section or part of a play that occurs between two songs sung by the chorus. | |||
Swedish | episod | ||
In Swedish, "episod" also can refer to an epileptic fit. | |||
Welsh | pennod | ||
The Welsh word "pennod" is cognate with the Old Irish word "indap" meaning "a part of a story", and also translates to "head" or "chapter" in other Celtic languages. |
Belarusian | эпізод | ||
In Belarusian, | |||
Bosnian | epizoda | ||
The word 'epizoda' is a borrowing from the Italian language and originally meant "insertion; interpolation; digression". | |||
Bulgarian | епизод | ||
The word "епизод" (episode) in Bulgarian also means "issue" or "case". | |||
Czech | epizoda | ||
Czech "epizoda" may also refer to an injection into a vein or to a period of treatment in a clinic. | |||
Estonian | episood | ||
In medicine, episood is also used to refer to an attack of a disease. | |||
Finnish | jakso | ||
"Jakso" also means "portion" or "period" in Finnish. | |||
Hungarian | epizód | ||
Az "epizód" szó görög eredetű, és a drámai művek egy-egy jelenetét vagy szakaszát jelentette. | |||
Latvian | epizode | ||
The word "epizode" in Latvian also refers to a theatrical performance by a nomadic troupe. | |||
Lithuanian | epizodas | ||
The Lithuanian word "epizodas" comes from the ancient Greek "epeisodion," meaning "coming in between" or "interlude." | |||
Macedonian | епизода | ||
The word “епизода” also means “period” in Macedonian. | |||
Polish | epizod | ||
The Polish word "epizod" derives from the New Latin "episodus" which, in turn, originates from the Greek "epeisodion", meaning "that which is introduced". | |||
Romanian | episod | ||
Originating from Greek, Romanian "episod" can also mean a theatrical act, an event, or a part of a book. | |||
Russian | эпизод | ||
In Russian, "эпизод" can also refer to a sequence of events or a specific part of a larger narrative. | |||
Serbian | епизода | ||
The word 'епизода' comes from Greek 'επεισόδιον', which originally meant an additional entry in an ongoing performance. | |||
Slovak | epizóda | ||
In Slovak, "epizóda" can also refer to a TV series or a radio program. | |||
Slovenian | epizoda | ||
The word 'Epizoda' in Slovenian can also refer to a stage in a journey or the place where it takes place. | |||
Ukrainian | епізод | ||
Ukrainian word "епізод" comes from Greek "επεισόδιον", "coming in or arrival," "insert that interrupts," from "εισόδιον", "entrance," from "εισ-", "in," and "οδός", "way," "road." |
Bengali | পর্ব | ||
The Bengali word "পর্ব" (episode) is derived from Sanskrit "परिवर्त" meaning "change" and also refers to a "section" of a book or story. | |||
Gujarati | એપિસોડ | ||
The word "episode" comes from the Greek word "epeisodion", meaning "something that comes in between". | |||
Hindi | प्रकरण | ||
The Sanskrit term 'प्रकरण' (prakaraṇa) means 'portion, section, paragraph, chapter, treatise, theme, subject, incident, or event'. | |||
Kannada | ಸಂಚಿಕೆ | ||
ಸಂಚಿಕೆ comes from Sanskrit संचय, referring to a collection of items or a series of events, and can also mean a section or a part. | |||
Malayalam | എപ്പിസോഡ് | ||
Marathi | भाग | ||
In Marathi, "भाग" also refers to "portion" or "share". | |||
Nepali | एपिसोड | ||
"Episode" comes from the Greek word "epeisodion," which means "something that happens between." In classical Greek drama, an epeisodion was a scene that occurred between two choral songs. | |||
Punjabi | ਪ੍ਰਸੰਗ | ||
ਪ੍ਰਸੰਗ can also mean 'relation between two things', 'reference', 'context' or 'a reason behind something', deriving from Sanskrit words 'pra' (relating to or related to) and 'sang' (relation to or with). | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කථාංගය | ||
In Sinhala, the word "කථාංගය" also has additional meanings of "act" (drama) and "part" (book). | |||
Tamil | அத்தியாயம் | ||
The word "அத்தியாயம்" comes from the Sanskrit word "adhyāya," which means "study," "section," or "chapter." | |||
Telugu | ఎపిసోడ్ | ||
Urdu | قسط | ||
In Persian, "قسط" (qسط) also denotes an "installment" and "equitable division". |
Chinese (Simplified) | 插曲 | ||
插曲本意为插进的曲子,比喻文中突然出现与正文内容无关的情节或人物故事 | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 插曲 | ||
插曲 can also mean 'an incidental story or part of a story, an event that is not part of the main plot', especially in Chinese dramas. | |||
Japanese | エピソード | ||
In Japanese, "エピソード" can also refer to anecdotes, personal stories, or particular aspects of something | |||
Korean | 삽화 | ||
The word “삽화” literally means “inserted picture” and refers to a short story or chapter that is not essential to the main plot but provides additional information or an aside. | |||
Mongolian | анги | ||
The word "анги" also means "part" or "section" in Mongolian, indicating a component of a larger whole. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | အပိုင်း | ||
Indonesian | episode | ||
The Indonesian word "episode" is borrowed from the English word "episode" and retains its original meaning, but it can also refer to a chapter or section in a book or other written work. | |||
Javanese | episode | ||
In Javanese, "episode" can also refer to a "portion" of food or a "chapter" in a book. | |||
Khmer | ភាគ | ||
The word "ភាគ" in Khmer can also refer to a portion or a section of something. | |||
Lao | ຕອນ | ||
The Lao word "ຕອນ" can also mean "part" or "section", as in a book or play. | |||
Malay | episod | ||
The Malay word "episod" also refers to a chapter in a story or book. | |||
Thai | ตอน | ||
The word "ตอน" in Thai can also mean "part", "section", or "chapter" of a larger work. | |||
Vietnamese | tập phim | ||
The word "tập phim" in Vietnamese can also be used to refer to a chapter or section of a book, play, or other written work. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | episode | ||
Azerbaijani | epizod | ||
The word "epizod" also means "incident" or "event" in Azerbaijani. | |||
Kazakh | эпизод | ||
In Kazakh, "эпизод" can also refer to a section of a book or film, or a particular incident or event. | |||
Kyrgyz | эпизод | ||
The Kyrgyz word "эпизод" also refers to a part or segment of something larger, like a story or film. | |||
Tajik | серия | ||
The word "серия" in Tajik can also mean "a set" or "a series of things". | |||
Turkmen | bölüm | ||
Uzbek | epizod | ||
The Uzbek word "epizod" also carries the meaning of "incident" or "event". | |||
Uyghur | episode | ||
Hawaiian | paukū | ||
In Hawaiian mythology, Pakū is also the name of a sea spirit that guards the island of Kahoolawe. | |||
Maori | waahanga | ||
The Maori word "waahanga" can also refer to a section or part of something. | |||
Samoan | vaega | ||
The word 'vaega' (episode) comes from two meanings in the Samoan language: 'to part or divide (vae)' and 'a slice of food taken from one person's plate or food (ga)'. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | episode | ||
"Episode" comes from the Greek word "epeisodion," meaning "something that comes in between". In Tagalog, it also refers to a "portion" or "segment" of something. |
Aymara | episodio ukax mä jach’a uñacht’äwiwa | ||
Guarani | episodio | ||
Esperanto | epizodo | ||
The word 'epizodo' comes from the Greek word 'epeisodion', meaning 'something that happens between two other things' | |||
Latin | episode | ||
In Latin, "episode" originally meant "additional occurrence, interlude," from Greek "episodeia, epeisodion" (dramatic) "an incident in a play" |
Greek | επεισόδιο | ||
In Ancient Greek, επεισόδιον was a part of a dramatic performance that came between choral interludes. | |||
Hmong | ntu | ||
The word 'ntu' in Hmong is cognate to the word 'nto' in Shan, meaning 'chapter' or 'story'. | |||
Kurdish | beşa | ||
The word "beşa" in Kurdish can also refer to a part of a story or a piece of writing. | |||
Turkish | bölüm | ||
The word "bölüm" in Turkish also means "part", "section", or "chapter" in other contexts. | |||
Xhosa | isiqendu | ||
The word "isiqendu" in Xhosa can also mean "a portion of time," "a period," or "an era." | |||
Yiddish | עפּיזאָד | ||
The Yiddish word "עפּיזאָד" can also mean "an incident or event, especially one that is unusual or exciting." | |||
Zulu | isiqephu | ||
The Zulu word "isiqephu" also means "a section of a book or magazine". | |||
Assamese | episode | ||
Aymara | episodio ukax mä jach’a uñacht’äwiwa | ||
Bhojpuri | एपिसोड के बा | ||
Dhivehi | އެޕިސޯޑް | ||
Dogri | एपिसोड | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | episode | ||
Guarani | episodio | ||
Ilocano | episode | ||
Krio | episod | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | ئەڵقەی | ||
Maithili | एपिसोड | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯦꯄꯤꯁꯣꯗ ꯑꯁꯤ ꯑꯦꯟ.ꯗꯤ.ꯑꯦ | ||
Mizo | episode a ni | ||
Oromo | kutaa | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଏପିସୋଡ୍ | ||
Quechua | episodio | ||
Sanskrit | प्रकरणम् | ||
Tatar | эпизод | ||
Tigrinya | episode | ||
Tsonga | xiphemu | ||