Headquarters in Different Languages
Discover 'Headquarters' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Headquarters: it's a word that carries a sense of importance and authority. When we talk about the headquarters of a company or organization, we're referring to the central location where decisions are made, strategies are developed, and the overall direction of the organization is determined. But the significance of the word 'headquarters' goes beyond just its business connotations.
Throughout history, the headquarters of military forces have played a crucial role in determining the outcome of battles and wars. From ancient Rome to modern-day Washington D.C., the headquarters has been the nerve center of military operations, where commanders plan their strategies and issue orders to their troops.
Given the cultural importance of the word 'headquarters', it's no surprise that people around the world are interested in its translation in different languages. Whether you're traveling to a foreign country for business or pleasure, knowing the local word for 'headquarters' can be incredibly useful.
Here are just a few examples of how the word 'headquarters' translates in different languages:
- Spanish: cuartel general
- French: quartier général
- German: Hauptquartier
- Italian: quartier generale
- Chinese: 总部 (zǒng bù)
Headquarters
Headquarters in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | hoofkwartier | ||
| The word "hoofkwartier" literally means "head farm" in Afrikaans. | |||
| Amharic | ዋና መሥሪያ ቤት | ||
| Hausa | hedkwatar | ||
| "Hedkwatar" is most likely derived from the English word "headquarters" through transliteration or adaptation into Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | isi ụlọ ọrụ | ||
| The word "isi ụlọ ọrụ" means "head" or "source" and can also refer to a person's home or village. | |||
| Malagasy | foibe | ||
| The word "foibe" originally referred to a fortified house in Madagascar's south-east used for sheltering and storing valuables during attacks and has come to refer to a room in general. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | likulu | ||
| Likulu means 'base, home, headquarters' in Nyanja and can refer to military posts or the headquarters of political parties. | |||
| Shona | dzimbahwe | ||
| The word "dzimbahwe" also means "great stone house" or "house of stone". | |||
| Somali | xarunta | ||
| The Somali word "xarunta" also means "the heart" or "the centre" of something. | |||
| Sesotho | ntlo-kholo | ||
| The word "ntlo-kholo" in Sesotho is derived from the words "ntlo" (house) and "kholo" (big), and can also refer to a meeting place or a main building. | |||
| Swahili | makao makuu | ||
| Makaomeans 'capital' and makuu is the name of an island in central Zanzibar. | |||
| Xhosa | ikomkhulu | ||
| The term 'ikomkhulu' is originally derived from the Nguni language, and also refers to the place where the king resides. | |||
| Yoruba | olu | ||
| The word "olu" also means "king" or "chief" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | indlunkulu | ||
| Indlunkulu can also refer to a 'central' or 'main' structure, such as a kraal's central cattle enclosure. | |||
| Bambara | ɲɛmɔgɔso ɲɛmɔgɔso la | ||
| Ewe | dɔwɔƒegã | ||
| Kinyarwanda | icyicaro gikuru | ||
| Lingala | biro monene | ||
| Luganda | ekitebe ekikulu | ||
| Sepedi | ntlokgolo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | adwumayɛbea ti no | ||
Headquarters in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مقر | ||
| The word "مقر" in Arabic can also mean "place", "seat", "abode", or "base". | |||
| Hebrew | מַטֶה | ||
| The word "מַטֶה" (mateh) in Hebrew also means "staff" or "rod," connecting it to the ancient concept of a leader wielding a staff as a symbol of authority. | |||
| Pashto | مرکزي دفتر | ||
| The Pashto word "مرکزي دفتر" literally means "central office". | |||
| Arabic | مقر | ||
| The word "مقر" in Arabic can also mean "place", "seat", "abode", or "base". | |||
Headquarters in Western European Languages
| Albanian | selinë qendrore | ||
| The Albanian word "selinë qendrore" is a borrowing from Italian "sella centrale" and also means "saddle"} | |||
| Basque | egoitza nagusia | ||
| In Basque, 'egoitza nagusia' is also used in the sense of permanent residence, a meaning that is absent in standard Spanish. | |||
| Catalan | seu | ||
| The word "seu" can also refer to the seat or principal church of a diocese, with the same etymology as "see" in English. | |||
| Croatian | zapovjedništvo | ||
| The word "zapovjedništvo" derives from the verb "zapovijediti" (to command) and the suffix "-tvo" (denoting a collective noun). | |||
| Danish | hovedkvarter | ||
| The Danish word "hovedkvarter" is formed from "hoved" and "kvarter" and literally means "main quarter". The word "kvarter" can also mean "room" or "space". | |||
| Dutch | hoofdkwartier | ||
| The word "hoofdkwartier" is derived from the Dutch words "hoofd" (head) and "kwartier" (quarter) and originally referred to the most important fortified part of a castle. | |||
| English | headquarters | ||
| The word 'headquarters' originates from the term 'head quarters', meaning the main quarters of a military unit. | |||
| French | quartier général | ||
| The term 'quartier général' originally referred to the lodgings of the king's bodyguards. | |||
| Frisian | haadkertier | ||
| The word haadkertier is derived from the Ancient Greek word | |||
| Galician | sede | ||
| Galician "sede" (headquarters) comes from Latin "sedes" (seat, residence), which also gives Galician "sede" (stool). | |||
| German | hauptquartier | ||
| The word "Hauptquartier" is derived from the German words "Haupt" (head) and "Quartier" (quarters), and originally referred to the main living quarters of a military unit. | |||
| Icelandic | höfuðstöðvar | ||
| "Höfuð" can also mean "head", so "höfuðstöðvar" can be considered to mean "head offices". | |||
| Irish | ceanncheathrú | ||
| The word "ceanncheathrú" literally means "head of the four quarters", referring to the four provinces of Ireland. | |||
| Italian | sede centrale | ||
| Sede centrale (headquarters) comes from the Latin sēdes (seat) and centralis (central). | |||
| Luxembourgish | sëtz | ||
| "Sëtz" is derived from the Old High German word "saz" meaning "settlement" or "location". | |||
| Maltese | kwartieri ġenerali | ||
| The word "kwartieri ġenerali" in Maltese is derived from the Italian word "quartier generale," which means "headquarters" or "general command" | |||
| Norwegian | hovedkvarter | ||
| The Norwegian word "hovedkvarter" is derived from the German word "Hauptquartier", which literally means "main camp" or "main army". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | quartel general | ||
| The Portuguese word "quartel general" comes from the French "quartier général" and also means "district headquarters". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | prìomh oifis | ||
| From Proto-Celtic “pratom-ok” (“head, most important”) + “offic” (“office”). | |||
| Spanish | sede | ||
| The word "sede" in Spanish also means "seat" and can refer to the seat of a bishop or the seat of a government. | |||
| Swedish | huvudkontor | ||
| In Swedish, "huvudkontor" also refers to the location of a main office or business operation. | |||
| Welsh | pencadlys | ||
| Pencadlys also means "top of the hall" in Welsh, reflecting its traditional position in a communal house. | |||
Headquarters in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | штаб | ||
| The word "штаб" ("штаб-квартира") also means "staff", "general staff" or "headquarters". | |||
| Bosnian | sjedište | ||
| The word “sjedište” also means “seat” in Croatian and Serbian. | |||
| Bulgarian | централно управление | ||
| "Централно управление" is also the Bulgarian translation of "head office," "main office," "administration centre," and "central administration." | |||
| Czech | sídlo společnosti | ||
| The Czech term "sídlo společnosti" can also colloquially refer to a company's registered office or legal address. | |||
| Estonian | peakorter | ||
| The word "peakorter" originates from the German "Hauptquartier," meaning "headquarters". | |||
| Finnish | päämaja | ||
| "Pää" in "päämaja" means "head" and "maja" means "house" or "hut" in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | központ | ||
| Kozpont in Hungarian can also mean the center of a wheel, which is the point where the spokes meet the rim. | |||
| Latvian | galvenā mītne | ||
| The word "galvenā mītne" is derived from the German word "Generalstab", meaning "general staff" or "headquarters". | |||
| Lithuanian | būstinė | ||
| The word būstinė is derived from the Lithuanian word būstas, which means dwelling place or residence. | |||
| Macedonian | седиштето | ||
| The word "седиштето" also means "seat" in Macedonian, and is ultimately derived from the same Proto-Slavic root as the English word "sit" | |||
| Polish | kwatera główna | ||
| "kwatera" means 'apartment, flat, lodgings' and "główna" means 'main' | |||
| Romanian | sediu | ||
| The word "sediu" in Romanian is derived from the Latin word "sedes", meaning "seat" or "residence". | |||
| Russian | штаб-квартира | ||
| The term "штаб-квартира" may also refer to a military command center, but its root word "штаб" also means "staff" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | седиште | ||
| "Sedište" originally meant "seat" or "place of residence" in Serbian, later acquiring the meaning of "headquarters" through its use in military and administrative contexts. | |||
| Slovak | ústredie | ||
| The word 'ústredie' is derived from the Slovak word 'ústredný', meaning 'central' or 'main'. | |||
| Slovenian | sedež | ||
| The word 'sedež' also means 'seat' or 'chair' in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | штаб | ||
| The Ukrainian word "штаб" is related to the German "Stab", meaning both "headquarters" and "staff". | |||
Headquarters in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সদর দফতর | ||
| The word "সদর দফতর" literally means "seat of the chief office" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | મુખ્ય મથક | ||
| The Gujarati word "મુખ્ય મથક" ultimately derives from the Sanskrit word "mukhya-matha" meaning "chief or principal seat". | |||
| Hindi | मुख्यालय | ||
| The word "मुख्यालय" is derived from the Hindi word "मुख़्य" meaning "chief" and "आलय" meaning "residence" | |||
| Kannada | ಪ್ರಧಾನ ಕಚೇರಿ | ||
| ಪ್ರಧಾನ ಕಚೇರಿ is also used to refer to the main office of a political party or organisation. | |||
| Malayalam | ആസ്ഥാനം | ||
| ആസ്ഥാനം is derived from the Sanskrit word 'sthan' and 'aasa', which signifies 'a place where one sits or dwells'. | |||
| Marathi | मुख्यालय | ||
| "मुख्यालय" is derived from the Sanskrit words "mukhya" (main) and "alaya" (abode). | |||
| Nepali | मुख्यालय | ||
| "मुख्यालय" (headquarters) is derived from the Hindi word "mukhya" meaning "chief" and "laya" meaning "place". | |||
| Punjabi | ਮੁੱਖ ਦਫ਼ਤਰ | ||
| The word 'मुख्य दफ़्तर' (headquarters) is derived from the Prakrit word 'mukhya' (chief) and the Persian word 'daftar' (office). | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මූලස්ථානය | ||
| "මූලස්ථානය" is also used to refer to a person's residence or a place where something originates. | |||
| Tamil | தலைமையகம் | ||
| Telugu | ప్రధాన కార్యాలయం | ||
| Urdu | ہیڈ کوارٹر | ||
| "ہیڈ کوارٹر" (headquarters) is a compound word made up of "head" and "quarter," derived from the French "quartier général" (general quarter), referring to the place where a military commander and their staff are based. | |||
Headquarters in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 总部 | ||
| The word "总部" is also used to refer to the central office of a political party or organization in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 總部 | ||
| The word 總部 in Chinese can also refer to the main office of a company or organization. | |||
| Japanese | 本部 | ||
| The Japanese word "本部" (honbu) can also refer to a sect or organization, highlighting the notion of a central authority or governing body. | |||
| Korean | 본부 | ||
| "본부" is pronounced as bonbu, which is close to the pronunciation of the Chinese characters 本部 (bēnbù). | |||
| Mongolian | төв байр | ||
| Төв байр is also a term used when referring to the central building of a Mongolian university campus. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဌာနချုပ် | ||
Headquarters in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | markas besar | ||
| The word "markas besar" literally means "large base" in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | kantor pusat | ||
| The word "kantor pusat" is derived from the Dutch word "kantoor" meaning "office" and the Javanese word "pusat" meaning "center". | |||
| Khmer | ការិយាល័យកណ្តាល | ||
| Lao | ສໍານັກງານໃຫຍ່ | ||
| Malay | ibu pejabat | ||
| The word "ibu pejabat" literally means "mother office" in Malay, with "ibu" meaning "mother" and "pejabat" meaning "office" | |||
| Thai | สำนักงานใหญ่ | ||
| สำนักงานใหญ่ is a compound of สำนัก (office) and งาน (work) and can also mean 'office' in some contexts. | |||
| Vietnamese | trụ sở chính | ||
| The word "trụ sở chính" also means "main office" and comes from the Chinese word "总部" (zongbu). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | punong-tanggapan | ||
Headquarters in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qərargah | ||
| The word "qərargah" is derived from the Persian words "qarār" (place) and "gāh" (time), and originally referred to a temporary encampment or resting place for soldiers. | |||
| Kazakh | штаб | ||
| 'Штаб' also means 'tent' and originally comes from the Chagatai word 'shatyr'. During the reign of Chinggis Khan, this word began to be used to mean 'headquarters'. | |||
| Kyrgyz | штаб | ||
| The word "штаб" has a Russian origin and also means "staff" or "crew" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | штаб | ||
| The word "штаб" is borrowed from Russian and ultimately means "command" in German, but in Tajik, it has also come to refer to "headquarters". | |||
| Turkmen | ştab-kwartirasy | ||
| Uzbek | shtab-kvartirasi | ||
| The word "shtab-kvartirasi" in Uzbek ultimately derives from the French "quartier-général" via the Russian "shtab-kvartira". | |||
| Uyghur | باش شىتابى | ||
Headquarters in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ke keʻena nui | ||
| Maori | tari matua | ||
| Tari matua is also the name of a type of meeting house in Maori culture. | |||
| Samoan | ofisa ulu | ||
| Both the Samoan word ofisa and the English word office are derived from the Latin word officium, meaning duty. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | punong tanggapan | ||
| Punong tanggapan derives from the Tagalog word ulo ('head') and the Spanish word tanggapan ('receiving') and can also mean 'office' or 'agency'. | |||
Headquarters in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | sede central ukan irnaqapxi | ||
| Guarani | sede central-pe | ||
Headquarters in International Languages
| Esperanto | ĉefsidejo | ||
| "Ĉefsidejo" is compound of "ĉef" (head) and "sidejo" (seat), referring to the place where a chief sits. | |||
| Latin | headquarters | ||
| In Latin, 'headquarters' can also refer to a 'head office' or a 'central place' for an organization or group. | |||
Headquarters in Others Languages
| Greek | κεντρικά γραφεία | ||
| The Greek word "κεντρικά γραφεία" literally translates to "central offices" or "main offices". | |||
| Hmong | tsev hauv paus | ||
| The word "tsev hauv paus" is composed of "tsev" (house) and "paus" (head) and can also refer to a house of authority or leadership. | |||
| Kurdish | sergeh | ||
| \[Kurdish sergeh\] originates from [Persian sarguh] and [Mongolian sereg\] and could mean [upper side\] | |||
| Turkish | merkez | ||
| The word "Merkez" is derived from the Arabic word "markaz", meaning "meeting point" or "main place." | |||
| Xhosa | ikomkhulu | ||
| The term 'ikomkhulu' is originally derived from the Nguni language, and also refers to the place where the king resides. | |||
| Yiddish | הויפּטקוואַרטיר | ||
| The Yiddish word "הויפּטקוואַרטיר" is derived from the German word "Hauptquartier". | |||
| Zulu | indlunkulu | ||
| Indlunkulu can also refer to a 'central' or 'main' structure, such as a kraal's central cattle enclosure. | |||
| Assamese | মুখ্য কাৰ্যালয় | ||
| Aymara | sede central ukan irnaqapxi | ||
| Bhojpuri | मुख्यालय के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | މައި އޮފީހުގަ އެވެ | ||
| Dogri | मुख्यालय च | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | punong-tanggapan | ||
| Guarani | sede central-pe | ||
| Ilocano | hedkuarter | ||
| Krio | di hedkwata | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بارەگای سەرەکی | ||
| Maithili | मुख्यालय | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯦꯗꯛꯕꯥꯇꯔꯗꯥ ꯂꯩꯕꯥ ꯌꯨ.ꯑꯦꯁ | ||
| Mizo | headquarters-ah a awm a ni | ||
| Oromo | waajjira muummee | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ମୁଖ୍ୟାଳୟ | ||
| Quechua | umalliq wasi | ||
| Sanskrit | मुख्यालयः | ||
| Tatar | штаб | ||
| Tigrinya | ዋና ቤት ጽሕፈት | ||
| Tsonga | yindlu-nkulu | ||