General in Different Languages
Discover 'General' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'general' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, denoting something that is applicable to all cases or situations. It's a term of broadness and inclusivity, often used to describe things that are not specific or specialized. This cultural importance extends beyond English-speaking nations, as the concept of generality is universal and recognized in various languages worldwide.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'general' in different languages can be a gateway to appreciating the nuances of various cultures. For instance, the term translates to 'allgemein' in German, 'général' in French, and 'general' in Spanish, each reflecting the linguistic and cultural contexts of their respective communities.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or someone who appreciates the beauty of words, delving into the translations of 'general' can be an enlightening journey. Let's explore these translations together.
General
General in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | algemeen | ||
| Afrikaans "algemeen" derives from Dutch "algemeen" meaning "common" and is cognate with English "common" and "allege" (to assert publicly). | |||
| Amharic | አጠቃላይ | ||
| The Amharic word "አጠቃላይ" (general) is derived from the verb "ጠቀለ" (to collect, to gather together), likely referring to the role of generals as overseers or leaders of a collective. | |||
| Hausa | janar | ||
| The Hausa word "janar" is derived from the Arabic word "jeneral" and can also mean "commander" or "leader". | |||
| Igbo | izugbe | ||
| The word "izugbe" is an Igbo word that has different meanings depending on the context in which it is used. It can mean "general" in some contexts, but it can also mean "leader", "head", or "chief" in other contexts. | |||
| Malagasy | general | ||
| The Malagasy word for "general" is "jeneraly" and can also mean "master" or "leader". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ambiri | ||
| In Nyanja (Chichewa), “ambiri” may also refer to the head of a village or a supervisor, underscoring the hierarchical responsibilities of a general. | |||
| Shona | general | ||
| The Shona word "general" (jenari) can also refer to a "lieutenant general" or "major general". | |||
| Somali | guud | ||
| Somalis use the term 'guud' in a number of different contexts, each with its own distinct meaning. | |||
| Sesotho | ka kakaretso | ||
| In some contexts, the word "ka kakaretso" can also refer to a military commander or a leader in general. | |||
| Swahili | jumla | ||
| The word "jumla" entered Swahili from Arabic and initially meant "number" or "collection" before also taking on the meaning of "general" in the military sense. | |||
| Xhosa | ngokubanzi | ||
| Etymology unknown; also means 'one of many' or 'a person of considerable authority or influence'. | |||
| Yoruba | gbogboogbo | ||
| The word "gbogboogbo" in Yoruba can also mean "widespread", "thorough", or "extensive". | |||
| Zulu | jikelele | ||
| Some believe the word "jikelele" is derived from the phrase "isikali selikhulu", meaning "great weapon". | |||
| Bambara | zenerali | ||
| Ewe | gbadza | ||
| Kinyarwanda | rusange | ||
| Lingala | mbala mingi | ||
| Luganda | okutwaaliza awamu | ||
| Sepedi | kakaretšo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | daa daa | ||
General in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | جنرال لواء | ||
| The word "جنرال لواء" (general) is derived from the Persian word "سردار" (leader of an army). | |||
| Hebrew | כללי | ||
| The Hebrew word "כללי" (general) shares its root with "כלל" (rule), emphasizing its role in establishing and enforcing norms. | |||
| Pashto | عمومي | ||
| The Pashto word "عمومي" ("general") also means "universal" or "public". | |||
| Arabic | جنرال لواء | ||
| The word "جنرال لواء" (general) is derived from the Persian word "سردار" (leader of an army). | |||
General in Western European Languages
| Albanian | gjeneral | ||
| The word "gjeneral" in Albanian comes from the French word "général", which ultimately derives from the Latin word "generālis" meaning "of a kind" or "common". | |||
| Basque | orokorra | ||
| In Basque, the word | |||
| Catalan | general | ||
| Catalan "general" derives from the Latin "generalis" and also means "ordinary" or "common". | |||
| Croatian | općenito | ||
| The word "Općenito" in Croatian can also refer to the "general public" or "in general". | |||
| Danish | generel | ||
| While spelled "generel" in Danish, the word is pronounced "general" and has all the same meanings as the word in English. | |||
| Dutch | algemeen | ||
| In the context of the Dutch language, "algemeen" can also refer to a general assembly or a generalization. | |||
| English | general | ||
| The word "general" shares the same root with "genus" and "generate", indicating a wide-ranging or encompassing nature. | |||
| French | général | ||
| "Général" in French can also refer to a person in charge of a group of people or to the overall nature of something. | |||
| Frisian | algemien | ||
| The Frisian word "algemien" is most likely of French origin, deriving from the French word "algémene," meaning "universal, general." | |||
| Galician | xeral | ||
| The word "xeral" in Galician can also refer to a type of traditional Galician farmhouse or a type of chestnut tree. | |||
| German | allgemeines | ||
| The word "Allgemeines" can also refer to the general public, general affairs, or general information. | |||
| Icelandic | almennt | ||
| The word 'almennt' can also mean 'public' or 'common' and is related to the Old Norse word 'almenningr' meaning 'common to all'. | |||
| Irish | ginearálta | ||
| The Irish word "ginearálta" derives from the Latin "generalis", meaning "pertaining to the whole". | |||
| Italian | generale | ||
| "Generale" in Italian can also mean "generic" or "total". | |||
| Luxembourgish | allgemeng | ||
| While "allgemeng" in Luxembourgish means "general", it originates from the Old High German word "algemeine", whose root "gemain" meant "community". | |||
| Maltese | ġenerali | ||
| Maltese 'ġenerali' derives from the Italian 'generale' and can also mean 'in general'. | |||
| Norwegian | generell | ||
| "Generell" is an umbrella term that encompasses the meanings of "universal", "all-inclusive", and "generalizing". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | geral | ||
| In Portuguese, "geral" can also mean "common" or "universal". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | coitcheann | ||
| "Coitcheann" can also refer to "commonplace" or "common interest," and ultimately derives from the Latin word "communis," meaning "shared among a community." | |||
| Spanish | general | ||
| The Spanish word "general" comes from the Latin "generalis," meaning "of a kind" or "common." | |||
| Swedish | allmän | ||
| In Swedish, "allmän" can also mean "common", "public" or "universal" depending on the context and its usage. | |||
| Welsh | cyffredinol | ||
| The word "cyffredinol" in Welsh has an alternate meaning of "universal". | |||
General in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | агульны | ||
| Bosnian | generalno | ||
| The word 'generalno' has an alternate meaning in Bosnian, referring to something that is 'overall' or 'in general'. | |||
| Bulgarian | общ | ||
| "Общ" in Bulgarian can mean "common" or "total". | |||
| Czech | všeobecné | ||
| “Všeobecné” is also used in Czech for “universal” or “all-purpose.” | |||
| Estonian | üldine | ||
| The word "üldine" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word *yle, meaning "higher, upper, over, above", and is related to the Finnish word "yleinen" and the Karelian word "yleine". | |||
| Finnish | yleinen | ||
| The word "yleinen" can also refer to "public", such as "yleinen tie" ("public road"). | |||
| Hungarian | tábornok | ||
| The word "Tábornok" derives from the Turkish word "Teftirden" meaning "head of the troop list". | |||
| Latvian | vispārīgi | ||
| Vispārīgi originates from Old Slavic “obshtĭ” which is the root for “community”; in Russian “vo obshih chertakh” means the same as English “broadly speaking.” | |||
| Lithuanian | generolas | ||
| The Lithuanian word "generolas" comes from the German "General", | |||
| Macedonian | генерал | ||
| It derives from the French, Italian and Latin | |||
| Polish | generał | ||
| The word "generał" in Polish also means "admiral" and comes from the Latin word "generalis" meaning "common" or "universal". | |||
| Romanian | general | ||
| "General" (general) originated from the French word "général" and the Latin noun "genus" meaning "race" or "kind." | |||
| Russian | генеральная | ||
| The word "Генеральная" has a number of meanings and roots in Old Church Slavonic, Proto-Slavic, and Greek that encompass leadership, public assembly, and military matters. | |||
| Serbian | генерал | ||
| The word 'Генерал' is derived from the Latin word 'generalis', meaning 'general' or 'universal'. | |||
| Slovak | všeobecne | ||
| The word "všeobecne" can also mean "universal" or "common" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | splošno | ||
| The term 'splošno', though most often translated as 'general', can also denote 'widespread', or 'common' | |||
| Ukrainian | загальний | ||
| The word "загальний" can also mean "common" or "universal" in Ukrainian. | |||
General in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সাধারণ | ||
| "সাধারণ" can be a noun meaning "community, society, or world" or an adjective meaning "ordinary, or common." | |||
| Gujarati | સામાન્ય | ||
| સામાન્ય (general) is derived from the Latin word 'generalis', meaning 'of all kinds', and is also an alternative form of 'ordinary' in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | आम | ||
| आम means mango in Hindi, and is related to the word आमा in Sanskrit, which means raw | |||
| Kannada | ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ | ||
| Malayalam | ജനറൽ | ||
| The Malayalam word "ജനറൽ" ("general") can also refer to a person who commands an army. | |||
| Marathi | सामान्य | ||
| The Marathi word "सामान्य" can also mean "ordinary" or "common". | |||
| Nepali | सामान्य | ||
| The word “सामान्य” ( सामान्य ) also means ordinary, usual, common. | |||
| Punjabi | ਆਮ | ||
| The word "ਆਮ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "सामान्य", meaning "common" or "ordinary". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පොදු | ||
| The Sinhalese word “පොදු” (“general”) means a public thoroughfare, as well as a public privy, with the double meaning originating from the word's root in Sanskrit where “poda” meant “foot” and “podika” meant “a place where feet get placed on,” with those places being public pathways and toilets. | |||
| Tamil | பொது | ||
| The Tamil word "பொது" also means "public" in the context of places, events, or knowledge. | |||
| Telugu | సాధారణ | ||
| The Telugu word "సాధారణ" (sādhāraṇa) originates from Sanskrit and means "ordinary, common," or "usual." | |||
| Urdu | عام | ||
| "عام" can also mean "common" or "public". | |||
General in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 一般 | ||
| 一般 means not special or usual in Chinese, and can refer to a specific type of traditional Chinese medicine. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 一般 | ||
| In Chinese, "一般" (general) also means "ordinary" or "average", but it can be more formal than "普通" (common). | |||
| Japanese | 一般 | ||
| The word "一般" (ippan) also means "ordinary" or "common" when used as a noun. | |||
| Korean | 일반 | ||
| The word "일반" (general) in Korean has its origins in the Chinese word "一般", which means "common" or "usual." | |||
| Mongolian | ерөнхий | ||
| 'Ерөнхий' can be traced back to Sanskrit 'sarva' and ultimately Proto-Indo-European 'sel-' ('complete'). | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ယေဘူယျ | ||
General in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | umum | ||
| The word "umum" can also mean "public" or "common", and is derived from the Arabic word "umum" which means "universal" or "all-embracing". | |||
| Javanese | umume | ||
| The Javanese word "umume" also refers to the collective public or community in a general sense. | |||
| Khmer | ទូទៅ | ||
| The word "ទូទៅ" means "general" in Khmer and can also refer to "all" or "in general". | |||
| Lao | ທົ່ວໄປ | ||
| Malay | umum | ||
| "Umum" also means "common," "ordinary" or "in general" in Malay. | |||
| Thai | ทั่วไป | ||
| "ทั่วไป" can mean "all kinds" or "various" in Thai, and it can be used to refer to a wide range of things, including people, places, and things. | |||
| Vietnamese | chung | ||
| "Chung" can also mean "public" or "common," or can be used as an ordinal numeral for "first". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pangkalahatan | ||
General in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ümumi | ||
| Ümumi also means public, common, ordinary, and general in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | жалпы | ||
| In Kazakh, "жалпы" can also mean "common, general, or universal" and may be related to the verb "жалу" (to spread, cover). | |||
| Kyrgyz | жалпы | ||
| The word "жалпы" (general) in Kyrgyz is derived from the Persian word "jalp" meaning "army" and ultimately comes from the Sanskrit word "jalpa" meaning "discussion" or "disputation." | |||
| Tajik | генерал | ||
| Генерал in Tajik (Cyrillic) shares the same root word as 'general' in English, both deriving from the Latin word 'generalis' meaning 'of the whole'. | |||
| Turkmen | umumy | ||
| Uzbek | umumiy | ||
| In Uzbek, "umumiy" (general) is derived from the Arabic word "'umūm" (common, general), which refers to the totality or generality of something. | |||
| Uyghur | general | ||
General in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | laulā | ||
| Laulā means 'general' in Hawaiian, and also 'flower' in Samoan. | |||
| Maori | whanui | ||
| Whanui can also refer to a large group or tribe, or to the concept of the extended family. | |||
| Samoan | lautele | ||
| Lautele - a high-ranking chiefly title in Samoa, meaning "head of the village" or "master of the house". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pangkalahatan | ||
| The word "pangkalahatan" comes from the root word "pangkat", which means "rank" or "level". In Philippine history, the term "pangkalahatan" was used to refer to the highest rank of leadership in the indigenous political system. | |||
General in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | taqpacha | ||
| Guarani | opavavépe | ||
General in International Languages
| Esperanto | ĝenerala | ||
| The word "ĝenerala" comes from the Latin word "generalis", meaning "of a kind" or "common". | |||
| Latin | generalis | ||
| "Generalis" is also the name by which the Latin Church refers to its Superior General. | |||
General in Others Languages
| Greek | γενικός | ||
| The word "γενικός" in Greek also means "generic" or "of or relating to a genus or group". | |||
| Hmong | dav dav | ||
| The word "dav dav" is also used to address an elder in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | giştî | ||
| Kurdish "giştî" (general) derives from the Middle Persian term "*gišti-g" meaning "commander" or "chief". | |||
| Turkish | genel | ||
| The Turkish word "genel" not only means "general" but also "wide" and can be used in various contexts like "genel kültür" (general culture). | |||
| Xhosa | ngokubanzi | ||
| Etymology unknown; also means 'one of many' or 'a person of considerable authority or influence'. | |||
| Yiddish | אַלגעמיין | ||
| The Yiddish word "אַלגעמיין" also means "ordinary" or "normal". | |||
| Zulu | jikelele | ||
| Some believe the word "jikelele" is derived from the phrase "isikali selikhulu", meaning "great weapon". | |||
| Assamese | সাধাৰণ | ||
| Aymara | taqpacha | ||
| Bhojpuri | साधारन | ||
| Dhivehi | އާންމު | ||
| Dogri | आम | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pangkalahatan | ||
| Guarani | opavavépe | ||
| Ilocano | sapasap | ||
| Krio | kɔmɔn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | گشتی | ||
| Maithili | सामान्य | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯌꯥꯝꯒꯤ ꯑꯣꯏꯕ | ||
| Mizo | tlanglawn | ||
| Oromo | waliigala | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସାଧାରଣ | ||
| Quechua | llapan | ||
| Sanskrit | सामान्य | ||
| Tatar | гомуми | ||
| Tigrinya | ሓፈሻዊ | ||
| Tsonga | angarhela | ||