Updated on March 6, 2024
A journalist is a professional who collects, writes, and distributes news and other information. They are the cornerstone of a free and open society, providing the public with the information they need to make informed decisions. Journalists have a rich cultural importance, as they have been instrumental in exposing corruption, championing social justice, and holding those in power accountable for their actions.
The role of the journalist has evolved significantly over time, with the advent of new technologies and changing societal needs. From the early days of print journalism to the rise of digital media, journalists have had to adapt to new ways of telling stories and engaging audiences. Despite these changes, the core mission of journalism – to inform, educate, and empower the public – remains the same.
Understanding the translation of the word 'journalist' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultural significance of this important profession. For example, in Spanish, a journalist is known as 'periodista', while in French, they are called 'journaliste'. In German, the term is 'Journalist', and in Italian, it is 'giornalista'.
By exploring the many different translations of the word 'journalist', we can gain a deeper appreciation for the cultural importance of this vital profession.
Afrikaans | joernalis | ||
The word "joernalis" is derived from the French word "journalier" meaning "daily". | |||
Amharic | ጋዜጠኛ | ||
"ጋዜጠኛ" is derived from the word "ጋዜጣ" meaning "newspaper" indicating the profession's close association with written publications. | |||
Hausa | ɗan jarida | ||
The Hausa word "ɗan jarida" literally translates to "a son of ink". | |||
Igbo | onye nta akụkọ | ||
The term 'onye nta akụkọ' in Igbo can also be translated to 'news bearer', highlighting the traditional role of oral storytellers and messengers. | |||
Malagasy | mpanao gazety | ||
The word "Mpanao gazety" in Malagasy literally means "person who makes newspapers". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | mtolankhani | ||
The word "mtolankhani" is also used to refer to a person who spreads news or rumours, regardless of their profession. | |||
Shona | mutori wenhau | ||
The word 'mutori wenhau' comes from the verb 'kutora', meaning 'to write' and the noun 'nhau', meaning 'news' or 'information'. | |||
Somali | wariye | ||
The term "wariye" can also refer to "storyteller" or "messenger" in Somali. | |||
Sesotho | moqolotsi oa litaba | ||
The word "moqolotsi oa litaba" may have originated from the idea of messengers or collectors of stories. | |||
Swahili | mwandishi wa habari | ||
The Swahili word "mwandishi wa habari" literally means "writer of news" or "scribe of information."} | |||
Xhosa | intatheli | ||
The word 'intatheli' is derived from the verb 'ukuthetha', which means 'to speak'. | |||
Yoruba | onise iroyin | ||
'Oníṣẹ́ ìròyìn' is a compound word in Yorùbá made of two different words, 'oníṣẹ́' (worker) and 'ìròyìn' (news). The combined word literally means 'one who works with news' or 'a news worker'. | |||
Zulu | intatheli | ||
The word "intatheli" can also be used as a noun in its diminutive form to refer to a "small" journalist, or "a beginner" in the field of journalism. | |||
Bambara | kunnafonidila | ||
Ewe | nyadzɔdzɔŋlɔla | ||
Kinyarwanda | umunyamakuru | ||
Lingala | mopanzi-nsango | ||
Luganda | omunna mawulire | ||
Sepedi | mmegaditaba | ||
Twi (Akan) | nsɛntwerɛni | ||
Arabic | صحافي | ||
The word "صحافي" can also mean "writer" or "author" in Arabic, highlighting the broader role of journalists in the Arab world. | |||
Hebrew | עִתוֹנָאִי | ||
The word 'עִתוֹנָאִי' also means 'newspaper' in Hebrew. | |||
Pashto | ژورنالست | ||
In Pashto, “ژورنالست” can also refer to someone who reads or studies newspapers and magazines. | |||
Arabic | صحافي | ||
The word "صحافي" can also mean "writer" or "author" in Arabic, highlighting the broader role of journalists in the Arab world. |
Albanian | gazetar | ||
The word "gazetar" in Albanian can also refer to a gazetteer, a geographical dictionary. | |||
Basque | kazetaria | ||
The Basque word "kazetaria" derives from the French "gazette" (newspaper) and the suffix "-ari" (holder). | |||
Catalan | periodista | ||
The word "periodista" in Catalan comes from the Greek "perihodos," meaning "journey around." | |||
Croatian | novinar | ||
The word 'novinar' in Croatian is derived from the Latin word 'novus' meaning 'new,' and originally referred to someone who brought news. | |||
Danish | journalist | ||
In Danish, "journalist" can also refer specifically to a person who writes for a newspaper. | |||
Dutch | journalist | ||
In Dutch the word "journalist" can also mean "student in journalism". | |||
English | journalist | ||
The word "journalist" derives from the French word "journalier," meaning "daily," as journalists were originally writers for daily newspapers. | |||
French | journaliste | ||
The word "journaliste" in French derives from the Latin word "diurnalis," meaning "daily." | |||
Frisian | sjoernalist | ||
The term 'sjoernalist' is derived from the French 'journal' (meaning daily), which was first used in English in the 17th century. | |||
Galician | xornalista | ||
In Galician, "xornalista" comes from "xornal", meaning "day" or "journal", and "-ista", denoting someone who practices an activity, reflecting the journalist's role in recording daily events. | |||
German | journalist | ||
The German word "Journalist" also refers to students in the field of journalism | |||
Icelandic | blaðamaður | ||
"Blaðamaður" in Icelandic literally means "leaf-man" and is derived from the Old Norse word "blað" meaning "newspaper". | |||
Irish | iriseoir | ||
"Iriseoir" is an Irish word for "journalist". It is derived from the Irish words "iris" (meaning "eye") and "feoir" (meaning "man"), thus literally meaning "eye-man". | |||
Italian | giornalista | ||
The plural form “giornalisti” can also mean “newsboys” or “newspaper vendors”. | |||
Luxembourgish | journalistin | ||
The word "Journalistin" is the feminine form of the word "Journalist" in Luxembourgish. | |||
Maltese | ġurnalist | ||
The word “ġurnalist” in Maltese comes from the French “journaliste”, which in turn comes from the Latin “diurnalis”, meaning “daily”. | |||
Norwegian | journalist | ||
"Journalist" comes from the word "journalist", which derives from "journal" meaning daily record or newspaper. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | jornalista | ||
In Portuguese, "jornalista" can refer to a person who writes for newspapers as well as a person who presents the news on TV or radio. | |||
Scots Gaelic | neach-naidheachd | ||
Spanish | periodista | ||
"Periodista" is derived from the Greek "περίοδος" (period), meaning either a round of travel or a cycle, and refers to one who travels in order to gather information. | |||
Swedish | journalist | ||
In Swedish, journalist (journalist) also refers to a student who is working on a written assignment. | |||
Welsh | newyddiadurwr | ||
Belarusian | журналіст | ||
The term журналіст also means "writer, writer for press, or newspaperman" in Belarusian. | |||
Bosnian | novinar | ||
Bosnian word 'novinar' also means 'someone who brings news', which is related to its origin, coming from the Slavic word 'novina' ('news'). | |||
Bulgarian | журналист | ||
The word "журналист" is derived from the French word "journaliste", meaning "one who writes for a journal or newspaper." | |||
Czech | novinář | ||
The word novinář is derived from the Czech word "novina", which means "news". | |||
Estonian | ajakirjanik | ||
In Middle French the term 'ajournalier' referred to someone working by the day. | |||
Finnish | toimittaja | ||
In Finnish, "toimittaja" also means "supplier". | |||
Hungarian | újságíró | ||
The Hungarian word "újságíró" literally means "newspaper writer". | |||
Latvian | žurnālists | ||
"Žurnālists" in Latvian comes from the French word "journaliste" and the German word "Journalist," or it can refer to someone who writes for a journal. | |||
Lithuanian | žurnalistas | ||
The word "žurnalistas" comes from the French word "journaliste", meaning "writer of a newspaper or magazine." | |||
Macedonian | новинар | ||
The word 'новинар' is derived from the Macedonian word 'нова' (meaning 'news') and the suffix '-ар' (meaning 'one who'). | |||
Polish | dziennikarz | ||
"Dziennikarz" is derived from "dziennik" ("journal") and refers to someone who records events, although it is also used to describe the editor of a newspaper. | |||
Romanian | jurnalist | ||
The Romanian word "jurnalist" is derived from the French word "journaliste", which in turn comes from the Latin word "diurnalis", meaning "daily". | |||
Russian | журналист | ||
The Russian word "журналист" also refers to a member of the Russian Orthodox Church, while its feminine form "журналистка" additionally means a student attending church services as part of their preparation for baptism or chrismation. | |||
Serbian | новинар | ||
The Serbian word 'новинар' ('journalist') is derived from the word 'новина' ('newspaper'), which in turn comes from the Italian word 'novina'. | |||
Slovak | novinár | ||
In Slovak, "novinár" comes from the word "novina," which means "news," and is related to the Latin word "novus," meaning "new." | |||
Slovenian | novinar | ||
The Slovenian word 'novinar' comes from the Latin word 'novae', meaning 'new'. | |||
Ukrainian | журналіст | ||
The word "журналіст" in Ukrainian is derived from the French word "journaliste", meaning "diarist" or "writer for a journal". |
Bengali | সাংবাদিক | ||
The word "সাংবাদিক" comes from the Sanskrit words "sam" (with) and "vada" (speech). | |||
Gujarati | પત્રકાર | ||
The word "પત્રકાર" in Gujarati is derived from the Sanskrit word "पत्र" (patra) meaning "leaf" or "document", and "कार" (kāra) meaning "maker" or "doer", together meaning "one who writes or produces documents". This term is specifically used to refer to journalists in the field of journalism. | |||
Hindi | पत्रकार | ||
The word "पत्रकार" (journalist) is derived from the Sanskrit words "पत्र" (letter) and "कार" (doer), reflecting the role of journalists in conveying information through written words. | |||
Kannada | ಪತ್ರಕರ್ತ | ||
The word "ಪತ್ರಕರ್ತ" can also refer to a writer or correspondent. | |||
Malayalam | പത്രപ്രവർത്തകൻ | ||
Marathi | पत्रकार | ||
The word "पत्रकार" is derived from Sanskrit and literally means "one who writes for a newspaper". | |||
Nepali | पत्रकार | ||
The word 'पत्रकार' ('patrakar') in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit words 'पत्र' ('patra'), meaning 'leaf', and 'कर' ('kar'), meaning 'to do'. It originally referred to scribes who wrote on palm leaves. | |||
Punjabi | ਪੱਤਰਕਾਰ | ||
The term 'पत्रकार' derives from Sanskrit roots, with 'पत्र' ('leaf') alluding to the traditional medium of news dissemination and 'कार' ('maker') denoting craftsmanship, indicating the role of a journalist in shaping narratives. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මාධ්යවේදියා | ||
The Sinhalese word "මාධ්යවේදියා" is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit root "madhura," meaning "sweet," and refers to the ability to communicate effectively. | |||
Tamil | பத்திரிகையாளர் | ||
Telugu | జర్నలిస్ట్ | ||
Urdu | صحافی | ||
The word "صحافی" has additional meanings besides "journalist", including "writer", "author", and "editor." |
Chinese (Simplified) | 记者 | ||
"记者" originally meant a person who recorded contemporary history and reported current events, and it is still used in this sense today. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 記者 | ||
The term 記者 has the alternate meaning of 'recorder'. | |||
Japanese | ジャーナリスト | ||
The word ジャーナリスト ("journalist") is a loanword from English and directly translates to "journalist", but it can also be used to refer to "news reporter" or "journalist". | |||
Korean | 기자 | ||
The word '기자' in Korean is also used to refer to reporters, writers, editors, or correspondents. | |||
Mongolian | сэтгүүлч | ||
Сэтгүүлч is derived from the Mongolian word "сэтгүүл" (newspaper) and the suffix "-ч" (person), indicating a person associated with newspapers or journalism. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | သတင်းစာဆရာ | ||
သတင်းစာဆရာ means someone who writes for a newspaper, but also someone who carries or delivers the newspaper, as it literally refers to someone who "carries the news." |
Indonesian | wartawan | ||
The word 'wartawan' also denotes a reporter who delivers news from the battlefield. | |||
Javanese | wartawan | ||
The word "wartawan" in Javanese originally meant "messenger" or "envoy" before it was borrowed into Indonesian to mean "journalist." | |||
Khmer | អ្នកសារព័ត៌មាន | ||
The term "អ្នកសារព័ត៌មាន" is derived from the Sanskrit word "Patrakarta," which means "one who prepares a letter or document". In Khmer, the word can also refer to a "scribe" or "author". | |||
Lao | ນັກຂ່າວ | ||
Malay | wartawan | ||
The word 'wartawan' comes from the Sanskrit word 'warta' meaning 'news'. | |||
Thai | นักข่าว | ||
In Thai, the word "นักข่าว" also refers to people who work in the news industry, including editors, reporters, and photographers. | |||
Vietnamese | nhà báo | ||
In Vietnamese, "nhà báo" literally means "house of newspapers", referring to the traditional role of journalists as publishers of newspapers. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | mamamahayag | ||
Azerbaijani | jurnalist | ||
In Azerbaijani, "jurnalist" can also refer to a notebook or diary, with the root word "jurnal" translating to "journal." | |||
Kazakh | журналист | ||
The word "журналист" also means "writer" or "author" in Kazakh. | |||
Kyrgyz | журналист | ||
The Kyrgyz word "журналист" originates from the Russian word "журналист," meaning "journalist". | |||
Tajik | журналист | ||
The Tajik word "журналист" derives from the French word "journaliste", which in turn comes from the Latin word "diurnalis", meaning "daily". | |||
Turkmen | journalisturnalist | ||
Uzbek | jurnalist | ||
Uyghur | مۇخبىر | ||
Hawaiian | mea kākau moʻolelo | ||
Maori | kairipoata | ||
"Kairipoata" derives from the Maori words "kai" (food) and "ripoata" (report), referring to the journalist's role in providing sustenance for the public's knowledge. | |||
Samoan | tusitala | ||
The word "tusitala" derives from the Samoan word "tala" meaning "to tell" and the suffix "-ita" meaning "to do". | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | mamamahayag | ||
"Mamamahayag" originally meant "one who tells stories" in Old Tagalog. |
Aymara | yatiyiri | ||
Guarani | maranduhára | ||
Esperanto | ĵurnalisto | ||
Latin | diurnarius | ||
The word "diurnarius" also refers to a Roman official who kept a daily record of events. |
Greek | δημοσιογράφος | ||
The word "δημοσιογράφος" (journalist) is derived from "δημόσιος" (public) and "γράφω" (write), and can also mean "scribe" or "clerk". | |||
Hmong | tus neeg sau xov xwm | ||
Kurdish | rojnamevan | ||
The Kurdish word "rojnamevan" literally means "one who sees the day," alluding to the idea of a journalist as an observer and reporter of current events. | |||
Turkish | gazeteci | ||
The word 'gazeteci' is derived from the Persian word 'gāzideh' meaning 'one who is victorious in war'. | |||
Xhosa | intatheli | ||
The word 'intatheli' is derived from the verb 'ukuthetha', which means 'to speak'. | |||
Yiddish | זשורנאליסט | ||
"זשורנאליסט" is the Yiddish word for "journalist", deriving from the French word "journaliste" with the Yiddish diminutive ending "-ist." | |||
Zulu | intatheli | ||
The word "intatheli" can also be used as a noun in its diminutive form to refer to a "small" journalist, or "a beginner" in the field of journalism. | |||
Assamese | সাংবাদিক | ||
Aymara | yatiyiri | ||
Bhojpuri | पत्रकार | ||
Dhivehi | ނޫސްވެރިން | ||
Dogri | पत्रकार | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | mamamahayag | ||
Guarani | maranduhára | ||
Ilocano | tao ti media | ||
Krio | pɔsin we de rayt fɔ nyuspepa | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕۆژنامەنووس | ||
Maithili | पत्रकार | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯥꯎꯃꯤ | ||
Mizo | chanchinbumi | ||
Oromo | gaazexeessaa | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ସାମ୍ବାଦିକ | ||
Quechua | periodista | ||
Sanskrit | पत्रकाराः | ||
Tatar | журналист | ||
Tigrinya | ጋዜጠኛ | ||
Tsonga | muteki wa mahungu | ||