Hospital in Different Languages
Discover 'Hospital' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
A hospital is a place of healing and hope, a sanctuary where the sick and injured can find solace and receive much-needed medical care. The significance of hospitals extends beyond their role as healthcare providers; they are also vital cultural institutions that reflect the values, priorities, and resources of the communities they serve.
The word 'hospital' has roots in the Latin 'hospes,' meaning 'guest' or 'stranger.' This etymology underscores the essential function of hospitals as places of refuge and hospitality for those in need. Over time, the word has taken on various forms and meanings in different languages, reflecting the rich tapestry of global cultures and traditions.
For example, in Spanish, the word for hospital is 'hospital,' while in French, it is 'hôpital.' In German, the term is 'Krankenhaus,' and in Japanese, it is 'byōin.' These translations not only provide insight into the linguistic diversity of the world but also offer a glimpse into the unique histories, customs, and values of different societies.
Whether you're a globetrotter, a language learner, or simply a curious mind, exploring the translations of the word 'hospital' is a fascinating way to deepen your understanding of the world and its many cultures.
Hospital
Hospital in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | hospitaal | ||
| "Hospitaal" can also refer to a hospice, guest house or hotel, or an asylum or refuge. | |||
| Amharic | ሆስፒታል | ||
| The word "ሆስፒታል" (hospital) is derived from the Latin word "hospes" (guest) and originally referred to a place where strangers or travellers could receive hospitality. | |||
| Hausa | asibiti | ||
| The Hausa word 'asibiti' is derived from the Arabic word 'isbīṭār', which means 'hospital', and the Hausa word 'gida', which means 'house'. | |||
| Igbo | ụlọ ọgwụ | ||
| The Igbo word | |||
| Malagasy | hopitaly | ||
| The Malagasy word "hopitaly" is derived from the French word "hôpital", which itself comes from the Latin word "hospitale", meaning "guest house". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chipatala | ||
| The word 'chipatala' is derived from the Yao word 'chipatala', meaning 'small hut'. | |||
| Shona | chipatara | ||
| The word "chipatara" is derived from the Shona word "chipata", meaning "to heal". | |||
| Somali | isbitaalka | ||
| The word is derived from Arabic, as is the alternate Somali spelling isbitaal. | |||
| Sesotho | sepetlele | ||
| Sesotho "sepetlele" also means "a place of refuge" or "a hiding place". | |||
| Swahili | hospitali | ||
| Swahili term hospitali is borrowed from Latin 'hospitalis', which means hospitable or friendly. | |||
| Xhosa | esibhedlele | ||
| "Esibhedlele" is derived from the verb "sibheda," meaning "to spread out" or "to lay down." | |||
| Yoruba | ile-iwosan | ||
| The Yoruba word for "hospital" (ilé ìwòsàn) literally means "house of healing". | |||
| Zulu | isibhedlela | ||
| "Isibhedlela" comes from the verb "ukubhedlela," meaning "to take care of the sick." | |||
| Bambara | dɔgɔtɔrɔso | ||
| Ewe | kɔ̃dzi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ibitaro | ||
| Lingala | lopitalo | ||
| Luganda | eddwaaliro | ||
| Sepedi | sepetlele | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ayaresabea | ||
Hospital in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مستشفى | ||
| The word مستشفى originates from the Persian مهمانسرا, meaning | |||
| Hebrew | בית חולים | ||
| The word 'בית חולים' ('hospital' in Hebrew) originates from the phrase 'בית החולים', which refers to a place for the sick to stay and recover. | |||
| Pashto | روغتون | ||
| روغتون (hospital) derives from the Persian "rog" (illness) and "khaneh" (house), suggesting a place for treating the sick. | |||
| Arabic | مستشفى | ||
| The word مستشفى originates from the Persian مهمانسرا, meaning | |||
Hospital in Western European Languages
| Albanian | spital | ||
| "Spital" comes from Latin "hospitale" and originally meant "guest house". | |||
| Basque | ospitalea | ||
| The word "ospitalea" in Basque originally referred to a place of hospitality or refuge. | |||
| Catalan | hospital | ||
| The word "hospital" comes from the Latin "hospes", meaning "guest" or "stranger", and originally referred to a place of shelter for travelers and the poor. | |||
| Croatian | bolnica | ||
| The word 'bolnica' is derived from the Croatian word 'bol' ('pain'), and can also refer to a sickbed or infirmary. | |||
| Danish | hospital | ||
| The Danish word 'hospital' comes from the Latin 'hospitalis', meaning 'of a guest' | |||
| Dutch | ziekenhuis | ||
| The word "ziekenhuis" in Dutch literally means "sick house" and has a similar meaning to the word "lazarettet" in German. | |||
| English | hospital | ||
| The word "hospital" derives from the Latin word "hospes," meaning "guest" or "stranger" | |||
| French | hôpital | ||
| The word 'hôpital' comes from the Latin word 'hospitale', meaning 'guest house'. | |||
| Frisian | sikehûs | ||
| The origin of the word for 'hospital' in Frisian, 'sikehûs', lies in the ancient Greek words 'sike' ('soul') and 'hous' ('house'). | |||
| Galician | hospital | ||
| German | krankenhaus | ||
| The word Krankenhaus is derived from the Middle High German term "krankenhûs", which referred to buildings or rooms designated for providing medical care. | |||
| Icelandic | sjúkrahús | ||
| "Sjúkrahús" is derived from the Old Norse words "sjúkr" (sick) and "hús" (house). | |||
| Irish | ospidéal | ||
| The word "ospidéal" is derived from the Latin "hospitale", meaning "guest-house" or "place of refuge." | |||
| Italian | ospedale | ||
| The Italian word "ospedale" comes from the Latin word "hospes", meaning "guest", as in the first hospitals, guests were cared for. | |||
| Luxembourgish | spidol | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Spidol" is a cognate of the German word "Spital", and its original meaning was a shelter for the poor | |||
| Maltese | l-isptar | ||
| The word "l-isptar" in Maltese, meaning "hospital", derives from the Italian word "spedale" and the Sicilian "spitali." | |||
| Norwegian | sykehus | ||
| Sykehus stems from Old Norse "siúkhús", meaning "house for the sick". In Norwegian, the word can colloquially refer to an asylum. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | hospital | ||
| Derived from the Latin “hospes” meaning “guest,” the word “hospital” originally referred to a place where travelers could stay. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ospadal | ||
| Ospadal, from the Old Irish 'osspital', is cognate with the English word 'hospital', both originating from the Latin 'hospitale'. | |||
| Spanish | hospital | ||
| The Spanish word "hospital" comes from the Latin word "hospes", meaning "guest", and originally referred to a place where travellers could stay. | |||
| Swedish | sjukhus | ||
| The word "sjukhus" in Swedish comes from the Old Norse word "sjúkrahús", meaning "house for the sick". | |||
| Welsh | ysbyty | ||
| The alternate meaning of 'ysbyty' can include 'guest house' or 'house of entertainment'. | |||
Hospital in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | бальніца | ||
| The word "бальніца" (hospital) derives from the German word "spital" (hospital), which in turn comes from the Latin word "hospitalis" (guest-friendly). | |||
| Bosnian | bolnica | ||
| The word 'bolnica' ('hospital') is originally derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'bolьnica', which meant 'sick room' or 'infirmary'. | |||
| Bulgarian | болница | ||
| Bulgarian "болница" derives from the Proto-Slavic "*bolьnica" meaning "pain relief". | |||
| Czech | nemocnice | ||
| The word "nemocnice" derives from the Proto-Slavic word *nemoky, "sickness", but also meant "infirmary". Originally it was not used as a place for patients, but as an asylum for the poor. | |||
| Estonian | haigla | ||
| The word "haigla" derives from the Old High German word "heilag", meaning "holy" or "sacred". | |||
| Finnish | sairaala | ||
| The Finnish word sairaala is etymologically related to the word sairas, meaning sick, and can also be used to refer to a general infrmary or military hospital. | |||
| Hungarian | kórház | ||
| Kórház originated from the French “corps” (body) and the Latin suffix “-ház” (house), hence meaning “house for the body”. | |||
| Latvian | slimnīca | ||
| Latvian word slimnīca ("hospital") is derived from German word "Schlamm" ("mud") via Swedish "slemhus" ("muddhouse") and Estonian "slimmin" ("hospital"). | |||
| Lithuanian | ligoninėje | ||
| The term "ligoninėje" comes from the Prussian "ligonis" meaning "illness" or "sick person". | |||
| Macedonian | болница | ||
| The word "болница" (bolnica) has its roots in the Slavic word "bol" (pain), reflecting its historical association with medical care and healing. | |||
| Polish | szpital | ||
| The word "szpital" derives from the Old High German "spital", meaning "hospice for the poor". | |||
| Romanian | spital | ||
| The word "spital" in Romanian is derived from the Latin word "hospitale" meaning "guest house" or "shelter for the poor". | |||
| Russian | больница | ||
| The word "больница" derives from the Old Russian word "больница" meaning "shelter for the sick or poor". | |||
| Serbian | болница | ||
| The word "болница" originally meant "almshouse" or "asylum" in Old Church Slavonic. | |||
| Slovak | nemocnica | ||
| "Nemocnica" comes from the root word "nemoc" meaning "illness" or "sickness". | |||
| Slovenian | bolnišnica | ||
| The word "bolnišnica" derives from the Slavic word "boln" meaning "ill" and the suffix "-ica" denoting a place or institution. | |||
| Ukrainian | лікарні | ||
| The word "лікарні" ultimately comes from the Latin word "valētūdinārium". It has the same Indo-European root as "valēre" meaning "to be strong" and "well". | |||
Hospital in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | হাসপাতাল | ||
| The word "হাসপাতাল" (hospital) is derived from the Sanskrit word "आस्पदताल" (aaspadataal), which means "a place where guests are received and cared for". | |||
| Gujarati | હોસ્પિટલ | ||
| The Gujarati word "હોસ્પિટલ" (hospital) derives from the Latin word "hospes" (guest), which initially referred to a place where travelers could find lodging and care. | |||
| Hindi | अस्पताल | ||
| The word "अस्पताल" (hospital) in Hindi is derived from Persian and Arabic words meaning "guest house" and "shelter" respectively. | |||
| Kannada | ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆ | ||
| ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆ (hospital) is derived from Portuguese 'hospital' or Spanish 'hospital', meaning hospitality or welcoming guests. | |||
| Malayalam | ആശുപത്രി | ||
| The word "ആശുപത്രി" (hospital) is derived from the Sanskrit word "आशु" (aśu), meaning "fast" or "urgent", and "पत्रि" (patri), meaning "shelter" or "house", indicating a place for quick and specialized medical care. | |||
| Marathi | रुग्णालय | ||
| The word "रुग्णालय" in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word "रुग्ण" meaning "sick" and "आलय" meaning "house", hence it literally means "house for the sick". | |||
| Nepali | अस्पताल | ||
| The term "अस्पताल" is derived from the Sanskrit word "अथिति-शाला" (athiti-shala), meaning "guest house" or "rest house", and has historically referred to places where travelers and pilgrims could seek shelter and care. | |||
| Punjabi | ਹਸਪਤਾਲ | ||
| The word "ਹਸਪਤਾਲ" is derived from the Persian word "besimaristan", meaning "a place of the sick". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | රෝහල | ||
| රෝහල (Sinhala) comes from Pali "roha" (sick) and "salla" (resting place), meaning "a place where the sick live or rest"} | |||
| Tamil | மருத்துவமனை | ||
| "மருத்துவமனை" is derived from the Sanskrit word "marut" meaning air or wind, reflecting the ancient belief that fresh air was essential for healing. | |||
| Telugu | ఆసుపత్రి | ||
| The word "ఆసుపత్రి" comes from the Sanskrit word "asupata", meaning "a place of refuge for the sick". | |||
| Urdu | ہسپتال | ||
| The word "hospital" derives from the Latin word "hospes", meaning "guest" or "stranger". | |||
Hospital in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 医院 | ||
| In traditional Chinese medicine, the character "医" referred to a doctor who provided medical care and the character "院" referred to a place where people gathered or stayed. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 醫院 | ||
| The word “醫院” in Chinese originally referred to a place where the sick were taken care of by monks or priests, rather than a modern medical facility. | |||
| Japanese | 病院 | ||
| "病院" is the Japanese word for "hospital", but it originally meant "guest house" or "inn". | |||
| Korean | 병원 | ||
| 병원 병자의 병을 고치는 곳이라는 뜻에서 병자(병든 사람)를 거두는 원(집)이라는 뜻의 병원(病院)으로 쓰인다. | |||
| Mongolian | эмнэлэг | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဆေးရုံ | ||
| The word "ဆေးရုံ" originated from the Pali language, where it meant "a place for the sick to heal". | |||
Hospital in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | rumah sakit | ||
| The Indonesian word 'Rumah Sakit' (hospital) literally translates to 'house of the sick' and was once synonymous with leper hospitals. | |||
| Javanese | rumah sakit | ||
| The Javanese word "rumah sakit" literally means "sick house" | |||
| Khmer | មន្ទីរពេទ្យ | ||
| The word "មន្ទីរពេទ្យ" is derived from the Sanskrit words "mandira" (temple) and "vaidya" (physician), reflecting the historical association between temples and medical care in Cambodia. | |||
| Lao | ໂຮງ ໝໍ | ||
| Malay | hospital | ||
| The word "hospital" in Malay is derived from the Portuguese word "hospital" meaning "guest house". | |||
| Thai | โรงพยาบาล | ||
| The word "โรงพยาบาล" in Thai is derived from Sanskrit, meaning "house of healing". It can also refer to a quarantine camp or a place where people are cared for. | |||
| Vietnamese | bệnh viện | ||
| Bệnh viện is a Vietnamese word derived from Chinese that originally meant 'sick room' or 'guest house for the infirm'. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ospital | ||
Hospital in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | xəstəxana | ||
| "Xəstəxana" is a compound word in Azerbaijani, where "xəstə" means "sick" and "xana" means "house". So, "xəstəxana" literally means "a house for the sick" or "a hospital." | |||
| Kazakh | аурухана | ||
| The word "аурухана" in Kazakh comes from the Persian word "بیمارخانه" (bimar-khaneh), meaning "house of the sick." | |||
| Kyrgyz | оорукана | ||
| The word "оорукана" is derived from the Turkic word "оору" which means "disease" and the suffix "-кана" which indicates a "place". | |||
| Tajik | беморхона | ||
| The Tajik word "беморхона" (hospital) derives from the Persian words "bemar" (sick) and "khane" (house), and can also mean "infirmary" or "dispensary". | |||
| Turkmen | hassahana | ||
| Uzbek | kasalxona | ||
| "Kasalxona" also means "laziness" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | دوختۇرخانا | ||
Hospital in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | haukapila | ||
| The word haukapila, meaning "hospital," originated from the Hawaiian words haku, meaning "to take care of" and pila, meaning "sick or ill." | |||
| Maori | hōhipera | ||
| In Māori, hōhipera comes from the Greek 'xeno-dochium', meaning a 'house for strangers' | |||
| Samoan | falemai | ||
| Falemai, meaning 'house of the sick', is derived from fale (house) and mai (sickness). | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | ospital | ||
| The Tagalog word "ospital" originates from the Spanish word "hospital" and may also refer to a religious institution providing care and shelter. | |||
Hospital in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | qullañ uta | ||
| Guarani | tasyo | ||
Hospital in International Languages
| Esperanto | hospitalo | ||
| The Esperanto word "hospitalo" is directly based on "hospes", the Latin root of the word "hospital", meaning "host". | |||
| Latin | hospitium | ||
| The Latin word "hospitium" originally referred to guest-friendship and hospitality, and later came to mean a guest house or inn, and eventually a hospital. | |||
Hospital in Others Languages
| Greek | νοσοκομείο | ||
| The word "νοσοκομείο" derives from the Greek words "νόσος" (disease) and "κομέω" (to care for), reflecting its role in providing medical care to the sick and injured. | |||
| Hmong | tsev kho mob | ||
| The word "tsev kho mob" literally means "house for the sick and injured". | |||
| Kurdish | nexweşxane | ||
| The Kurdish term nexweşxane literally translates as 'place of the ailing' and is related to the Persian term bimaristan or 'place of the sick'. | |||
| Turkish | hastane | ||
| The Turkish word "hastane" originally referred to places where patients were taken care of by Sufi orders and religious brotherhoods. | |||
| Xhosa | esibhedlele | ||
| "Esibhedlele" is derived from the verb "sibheda," meaning "to spread out" or "to lay down." | |||
| Yiddish | שפּיטאָל | ||
| "שפּיטאָל" (shpitol) derives from Latin "hospitale", meaning "guest house", and was first used in this sense in Yiddish around the 14th century. | |||
| Zulu | isibhedlela | ||
| "Isibhedlela" comes from the verb "ukubhedlela," meaning "to take care of the sick." | |||
| Assamese | চিকিত্সালয় | ||
| Aymara | qullañ uta | ||
| Bhojpuri | अस्पताल | ||
| Dhivehi | ހަސްފަތާލު | ||
| Dogri | अस्पताल | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ospital | ||
| Guarani | tasyo | ||
| Ilocano | ospital | ||
| Krio | ɔspitul | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نەخۆشخانە | ||
| Maithili | अस्पताल | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯅꯥꯂꯥꯏꯌꯦꯡꯁꯪ | ||
| Mizo | damdawi in | ||
| Oromo | hospitaala | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଡାକ୍ତରଖାନା | ||
| Quechua | hanpina wasi | ||
| Sanskrit | चिकित्सालय | ||
| Tatar | больница | ||
| Tigrinya | ሆስፒታል | ||
| Tsonga | xibedlhele | ||