Jail in Different Languages
Discover 'Jail' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The concept of a 'jail' is a significant and culturally important one, as it represents a physical space where individuals are confined for the purpose of punishment, rehabilitation, or protection of society. The word 'jail' has been translated into various languages, reflecting the global prevalence of this institution and its cultural significance. For instance, in Spanish, a jail is known as 'cárcel', while in French, it is called 'prison'. In German, the word is 'Gefängnis', and in Italian, it is 'carcere'. These translations not only provide insight into the linguistic differences between cultures but also highlight the similarities in the way societies approach criminal justice.
Moreover, the word 'jail' has a rich historical context, with the use of confinement as a form of punishment dating back to ancient civilizations. For example, in ancient Greece, prisoners were often held in underground cells known as 'desmoterion'. Similarly, in medieval Europe, prisons were used as a means of detaining individuals awaiting trial or punishment.
Understanding the translation of the word 'jail' in different languages can be useful for a variety of reasons. For instance, if you are traveling to a foreign country and need to communicate with local authorities, knowing the word for 'jail' in the local language can be essential. Additionally, for language learners and linguists, studying the translations of this word can provide insight into the cultural and historical contexts of different societies.
Jail
Jail in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | tronk | ||
| The word "tronk" in Afrikaans, meaning "jail," originates from the Portuguese word "tronco," meaning "tree trunk" or "log," as prisoners were often chained to logs in early prisons. | |||
| Amharic | እስር ቤት | ||
| Hausa | kurkuku | ||
| In some other Hausa varieties, "kurkuku" also means "a prison warder" | |||
| Igbo | nga | ||
| Derived from 'àgbà' (prisoner), 'nga' is also a term to address prisoners politely. | |||
| Malagasy | am-ponja | ||
| "Am-ponja" comes from the Malagasy word for a trap built to catch pigeons. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ndende | ||
| Ndende (jail) is also used to refer to the place where chiefs used to keep prisoners in precolonial times. | |||
| Shona | jeri | ||
| The word "jeri" is a derivative of the word "jerera" which means "to keep or guard something." | |||
| Somali | xabsi | ||
| "Xabsi" means "jail" in Somali. It is derived from the Arabic word "habs" meaning "detention". | |||
| Sesotho | teronko | ||
| The name "teronko" derives from the Sesotho root word "teronka," which means "to be tied and restricted" (confined within specific boundaries). | |||
| Swahili | jela | ||
| The word "jela" in Swahili can also refer to a "cage" or a "prison cell". | |||
| Xhosa | ijele | ||
| The word "ijele" also means a "wild fig" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | ewon | ||
| The word "ewon" can also refer to a place where people are kept in seclusion, such as a convent or a seminary. | |||
| Zulu | ijele | ||
| In Zulu, the word 'ijele' can also mean 'basket' or 'container'. | |||
| Bambara | kaso | ||
| Ewe | gaxɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gereza | ||
| Lingala | boloko | ||
| Luganda | ekkomera | ||
| Sepedi | kgolego | ||
| Twi (Akan) | fa to afiease | ||
Jail in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | سجن | ||
| The word 'سجن' is also used to refer to a space of confinement for animals, and it originates from the root word 'سجن' which means 'to imprison'. | |||
| Hebrew | כלא | ||
| כלא also means 'to restrain' or 'to confine', from the root כ.ל.א (k.l.a), meaning 'to enclose'. | |||
| Pashto | زندان | ||
| The word "زندان" in Pashto shares its root with the verb "بند" (to bind, imprison), suggesting a place of confinement. | |||
| Arabic | سجن | ||
| The word 'سجن' is also used to refer to a space of confinement for animals, and it originates from the root word 'سجن' which means 'to imprison'. | |||
Jail in Western European Languages
| Albanian | burg | ||
| Etymology of the Albanian word "burg" is unknown, but it may be related to the Proto-Indo-European word "*bʰergʰ- ("hill"). | |||
| Basque | kartzela | ||
| Basque "kartzela" derives from Old Italian "carcere" and has cognate terms in Occitan, Catalan and Portuguese meaning "jail". | |||
| Catalan | presó | ||
| The Catalan word "presó" is derived from the Latin word "prensus," meaning "taken" or "held." | |||
| Croatian | zatvor | ||
| In Serbo-Croatian and Slovene, the word "zatvor" is cognate with "zatvoriti" (to close), but in Russian the related word "затвор" means "shutter" instead of "prison" | |||
| Danish | fængsel | ||
| Fængsel derives from Norwegian "fengsel", ultimately from Old Norse "fang", meaning "catch" or "prisoner". | |||
| Dutch | gevangenis | ||
| Dutch 'gevangenis' is cognate with French 'convenir', as both share Latin 'convenire': come together, meet, be suitable, prison. | |||
| English | jail | ||
| The word 'jail' originally referred to a large cage or a pit for hunting. | |||
| French | prison | ||
| The French word for "prison," "prison," derives from the Latin word "prehendere," meaning "to seize". | |||
| Frisian | finzenis | ||
| "Finsenis" is derived from "finsen," meaning "capture" or "imprison," and refers to the act of capturing or confining something. | |||
| Galician | cárcere | ||
| The word "cárcere" is related to "cercar" (to surround), indicating the idea that prisoners are enclosed. | |||
| German | gefängnis | ||
| "Gefängnis" derives from the Middle High German "gevangenisse" meaning "captivity". It also referred to a physical prison or a legal state of imprisonment. | |||
| Icelandic | fangelsi | ||
| Fangelsi in Icelandic is derived from the Old Norse word fang, meaning "catch". | |||
| Irish | phríosún | ||
| Italian | prigione | ||
| The Italian word 'prigione' derives from the Latin word 'prehendere', meaning 'to seize' or 'to catch'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | prisong | ||
| "Prisong" is derived from the Old French word "prison" meaning "to take hold of". | |||
| Maltese | ħabs | ||
| Ħabs derives from the Arabic word ḥabs, meaning 'detention' or 'imprisonment', and is related to the word ḥabsa, meaning 'to confine' or 'to restrain'. | |||
| Norwegian | fengsel | ||
| The word "fengsel" derives from the Old Norse word "fang" meaning "catch" or "trap," and shares a root with the English word "fang." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | cadeia | ||
| The word 'cadeia' comes from the Latin 'catena', meaning 'chain', reflecting the historical use of chains to restrain prisoners. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | phrìosan | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "phrìosan" is derived from the French word "prison" and also means "closure" or "blocking up". | |||
| Spanish | cárcel | ||
| The term "cárcel" evolved from the Arabic term "qasr," meaning "castle" or "fortified building." | |||
| Swedish | fängelse | ||
| Fängelse was once used to refer to a trap for catching animals, reflecting its root in the word "fånga" (to catch). | |||
| Welsh | carchar | ||
| The Welsh word "carchar" is derived from the Proto-Celtic root "*karkaros" meaning "to enclose" and is cognate with the Old Irish "carcair" and Breton "karchar". | |||
Jail in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | турма | ||
| The word 'турма' ('jail') in Belarusian has the same origin as the word 'tower' in English. | |||
| Bosnian | zatvor | ||
| "Zatvor" is derived from "zatvoriti," meaning "to close" or "to shut in." | |||
| Bulgarian | затвор | ||
| The Bulgarian word "затвор" also means hermitage and the shutter in an SLR camera. | |||
| Czech | vězení | ||
| The word "vězení" is derived from the Czech word "víz", meaning "to lock", and originally referred to a place where someone is locked up. | |||
| Estonian | vangla | ||
| The word "vangla" in Estonian comes from the Swedish word "vång" meaning "prison" or "dungeon". | |||
| Finnish | vankila | ||
| The word "vankila" is derived from the verb "vankiin", meaning "to imprison". | |||
| Hungarian | börtön | ||
| Börtön derives from the Turkic word 'bört' meaning 'tent' or 'felt', alluding to the felt-covered prison tents set up in medieval Hungary. | |||
| Latvian | cietums | ||
| The word "cietums" originates from the word "ciets", meaning "hard" or "firm" in Latvian, and refers to the hard conditions and confinement of a jail. | |||
| Lithuanian | kalėjimas | ||
| "Kalėjimas" is etymologically related to "kalti" (to forge) and "kala" (a forge), suggesting a connection to the idea of punishment through hard labor. | |||
| Macedonian | затвор | ||
| In Church Slavonic it is used in the meaning of “monastic cell, hermitage” | |||
| Polish | więzienie | ||
| "Więzienie" can also mean "confinement" or "restriction" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | temniță | ||
| The Romanian word "temniță" is derived from the Latin "tenebrae" (darkness), reflecting the dark and confined conditions of prisons. | |||
| Russian | тюрьма | ||
| "Тюрьма" is a Russian word derived from Turkic, meaning "dungeon" or "place of confinement". It can also refer to a prison or a reformatory institution. | |||
| Serbian | затвор | ||
| The word "затвор" (pronounced "zatvor") can also mean "hermitage" or "cloister" in Serbian, reflecting its historical association with solitary confinement. | |||
| Slovak | väzenie | ||
| The word "väzenie" also translates to "prison" or "confinement". | |||
| Slovenian | zapor | ||
| The word "zapor" is derived from Slavic *zapirъ* meaning "a lock" and carries a similar meaning in most Slavic languages. | |||
| Ukrainian | тюрма | ||
| Тюрма is also a synonym for | |||
Jail in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | জেল | ||
| In Bengali slang, 'জেল' ('jail') can refer to a very difficult situation, especially if someone has to stay indoors or be confined | |||
| Gujarati | જેલ | ||
| "જેલ" bears an etymological relation to "jelly" due to its historical spelling as "gelly" in the 15th century, meaning "soft, jelly-like substance." | |||
| Hindi | जेल | ||
| The word `जेल` originates from Persian, where it meant `a cold, underground prison`. | |||
| Kannada | ಜೈಲು | ||
| The Kannada word "ಜೈಲು" (jail) originates from the Sanskrit word "जाल" (jāla), meaning "net" or "web". | |||
| Malayalam | ജയിൽ | ||
| The word "ജയിൽ" (jail) is derived from the Sanskrit word "जयालय" (jayalaya), meaning "house of victory" or "place of confinement". In Malayalam, it can also refer to a prison or penitentiary. | |||
| Marathi | तुरूंग | ||
| The word "तुरूंग" in Marathi ultimately derives from the Persian word "زندان" (Zendān), also meaning "jail". The word has also been used in Marathi to refer to a prison, a fortress, or a stronghold. | |||
| Nepali | जेल | ||
| The Nepali word “जेल” also means “net” and is cognate with the English word “gelatin”. | |||
| Punjabi | ਜੇਲ | ||
| The word "ਜੇਲ" ("jail") also refers to a net or snare in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හිරගෙදර | ||
| "හිරගෙදර" is a compound word that can also mean "fiery house" or "house of light" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | சிறை | ||
| "சிறை" means not only 'jail' but also a 'cage', 'net' or 'fence', indicating a sense of confinement or enclosure. | |||
| Telugu | జైలు | ||
| The word "జైలు" (jail) in Telugu has been derived from the Persian word "زندان" (zindan), meaning "dungeon" or "prison". | |||
| Urdu | جیل | ||
| جیل' is derived from the French word “geôle,” which means “cage”. | |||
Jail in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 监狱 | ||
| 监狱 means 'jail' in Chinese, but literally translates to 'a place of detention' or 'a cage' | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 監獄 | ||
| "監" comes from the radical 氵(water) and means "a place to see into." "獄" comes from the radical 門(door) and means "a fortified place." | |||
| Japanese | 刑務所 | ||
| 刑務所, literally meaning place of reform, is a prison in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 교도소 | ||
| In Korean, the word for "jail" ("교도소") originally referred to a public institution where convicted criminals served their punishment and received education and rehabilitation. | |||
| Mongolian | шорон | ||
| In the Mongolian language, the word | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ထောင် | ||
Jail in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | penjara | ||
| The word 'penjara' in Indonesian is derived from the Portuguese word 'penjarra', meaning 'cage' or 'enclosure'. | |||
| Javanese | kunjara | ||
| The word 'kunjara' in Javanese is derived from the Sanskrit word 'kuñjara', meaning 'elephant'. In ancient Java, elephants were used as symbols of power and authority, and thus the term 'kunjara' came to be used for a place where criminals were detained. | |||
| Khmer | ពន្ធនាគារ | ||
| The word “ពន្ធនាគារ” (bond+snake+building) is derived from a legend about a king who ordered all the snakes in his kingdom to be imprisoned in a building. | |||
| Lao | ຄຸກ | ||
| In addition to "jail", "ຄຸກ" can also mean "a trap" in Lao. | |||
| Malay | penjara | ||
| The Malay word "penjara" derives from the Sanskrit word "panjara", meaning "cage" or "lattice." | |||
| Thai | คุก | ||
| The word "คุก" (jail) in Thai originally referred to a wooden cage used to hold animals or people. | |||
| Vietnamese | nhà tù | ||
| The word "nhà tù" (prison) literally means "house of detention" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kulungan | ||
Jail in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | həbsxana | ||
| The word "həbsxana" is derived from the Persian word "habshan" meaning "prison". | |||
| Kazakh | түрме | ||
| In Turkish, the word "türeme" can mean "derivation", "origin", or "descent". | |||
| Kyrgyz | түрмө | ||
| The word "түрмө" in Kyrgyz is derived from the Persian word "زندان" (zendan), meaning "prison" or "dungeon". | |||
| Tajik | зиндон | ||
| The word "зиндон" also means "dark place" or "basement" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | türme | ||
| Uzbek | qamoq | ||
| The word "qamoq" is also used to describe a dark, enclosed space, such as a cave or dungeon. | |||
| Uyghur | تۈرمە | ||
Jail in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hale paʻahao | ||
| In its early use, hale paʻahao referred to the stocks or pillory, rather than an actual building, and the term was later extended to include a jail. | |||
| Maori | whare herehere | ||
| Whare herehere literally means "house of noise" and the term refers to cells where prisoners are held awaiting trial. | |||
| Samoan | falepuipui | ||
| Falepuipui, meaning 'house of confinement', was traditionally a small, dark structure used as a temporary place of detention, especially for those accused of crimes or awaiting trial. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kulungan | ||
Jail in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | mutuñ uta | ||
| Guarani | ka'irãi | ||
Jail in International Languages
| Esperanto | malliberejo | ||
| "Malliberejo" comes from "libera" (to free), so "mallibera" (not to free), with a passive ending. | |||
| Latin | vincula | ||
| The Latin word "vincula" can also refer to chains, fetters, or bonds. | |||
Jail in Others Languages
| Greek | φυλακή | ||
| The word "φυλακή" in Greek can also refer to a "watchtower" or a "guard post". | |||
| Hmong | nkuaj | ||
| In addition to "jail", "nkuaj" also means a place for detention in general or prison. | |||
| Kurdish | girtîgeh | ||
| The word "girtîgeh" in Kurdish, like similar words "gaolach" in Scottish or "carcere" in Italian, also carries the secondary meaning of a "pen" (for animals). | |||
| Turkish | hapis | ||
| The Turkish word "hapis" (jail) originated from the Middle Persian "hāpēh" (confinement, prison), ultimately derived from Old Iranian *hāpa- (to protect). | |||
| Xhosa | ijele | ||
| The word "ijele" also means a "wild fig" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | טורמע | ||
| The Yiddish word "טורמע" ("jail") is derived from the Latin word "turris" ("tower"), possibly referring to the towers of medieval prisons. | |||
| Zulu | ijele | ||
| In Zulu, the word 'ijele' can also mean 'basket' or 'container'. | |||
| Assamese | কাৰাগাৰ | ||
| Aymara | mutuñ uta | ||
| Bhojpuri | जेल | ||
| Dhivehi | ޖަލު | ||
| Dogri | जेल | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kulungan | ||
| Guarani | ka'irãi | ||
| Ilocano | pagbaludan | ||
| Krio | jel | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بەندیخانە | ||
| Maithili | जेल | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯐꯥꯗꯣꯛꯁꯪ | ||
| Mizo | tan in | ||
| Oromo | hidhuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଜେଲ୍ | ||
| Quechua | wichqana | ||
| Sanskrit | कारावास | ||
| Tatar | төрмә | ||
| Tigrinya | ቤት ማእሰርቲ | ||
| Tsonga | khotso | ||
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