Major in Different Languages
Discover 'Major' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word
Major
Major in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | hoofvak | ||
| The word "hoofvak" is a compound of the words "hoof" and "vak", meaning "head" and "subject" respectively. | |||
| Amharic | ዋና | ||
| The word "ዋና" can also mean "main" or "primary" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | babba | ||
| In Bambara, "babba" also means "young man or slave". In Hausa, it means "the chief of the blacksmiths". | |||
| Igbo | isi | ||
| "Isi" also means "head" or "top" in Igbo, indicating the superior position or significance of a major. | |||
| Malagasy | lehibe | ||
| The Malagasy word 'LEHIBE' can also refer to a 'big tree'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chachikulu | ||
| The word "chachikulu" also means "strong" or "powerful" in Nyanja, as well as "elder" or "leader" in certain contexts. | |||
| Shona | chikuru | ||
| The word 'chikuru' (major) in Shona also refers to a type of bird called a 'bustard'. | |||
| Somali | waaweyn | ||
| Waaweyn is also a term for older people, especially in plural (waaweyn). | |||
| Sesotho | kholo | ||
| The word "kholo" also means "elder" and is used as a respectful form of address for older people. | |||
| Swahili | kuu | ||
| The word "kuu" in Swahili can also mean "ripe" or "mature". | |||
| Xhosa | enkulu | ||
| Enkulu can also mean 'great', 'senior', 'elder', or 'respected'. | |||
| Yoruba | pataki | ||
| "Pataki" also means "to make great" in the Yoruba language. | |||
| Zulu | enkulu | ||
| In Zulu, 'enkulu' is also used as a title for a village headman or as a respectful term for an older person. | |||
| Bambara | fanba | ||
| Ewe | ŋutɔŋutɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | major | ||
| Lingala | monene | ||
| Luganda | kikukulu | ||
| Sepedi | kgolo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | titire | ||
Major in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | رائد | ||
| The word رائد can also mean 'pioneer' or 'leader' in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | גדול | ||
| "גדול" in Hebrew also means "big" or "tall" | |||
| Pashto | لوی | ||
| لوی in Pashto can mean either a "major" or a "chieftain". | |||
| Arabic | رائد | ||
| The word رائد can also mean 'pioneer' or 'leader' in Arabic. | |||
Major in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i madh | ||
| The Albanian word "i madh" ("major") is related to the Latin word "magnus" ("great") and the Greek word "μέγας" ("large"). | |||
| Basque | nagusia | ||
| The term also refers to a chief or head figure in Basque society, and is cognate with the Latin "nasci" (to be born). | |||
| Catalan | major | ||
| In Catalan, "major" has a homonym that means "old" or "elder". | |||
| Croatian | majore | ||
| In Croatian, "majore" not only means "major", but also "drab" or "sombre". | |||
| Danish | major | ||
| In older Danish, "major" also meant an adult who was not married. | |||
| Dutch | majoor | ||
| The Dutch word "majoor" can also refer to a junior officer in the police force or to a type of sauce similar to mayonnaise. | |||
| English | major | ||
| "Major" can also refer to the chief or commanding officer in the military. | |||
| French | majeur | ||
| The French word "majeur" comes from the Latin word "maior", which means "greater" or "older", and has a range of meanings in French, including "major", "adult", and "important". | |||
| Frisian | majoar | ||
| The Frisian word "majoar" derives from the French "major", from the comparative degree of Latin "major", and can mean "majoor (soldier)" and "mayor of a village (informal)" in Dutch. | |||
| Galician | maior | ||
| In Galician, "maior" can also mean "elder" or "senior," as in "my elder brother" or "senior citizen." | |||
| German | haupt | ||
| The word ''Haupt'' can also mean ''head'' or ''main'', as in ''Hauptstadt'' (capital city). | |||
| Icelandic | meiriháttar | ||
| The word "meiriháttar" is derived from the Old Norse words *meiri* ("greater") and *háttur* ("rank, status"). | |||
| Irish | móra | ||
| In Irish, "móra" can also mean "great" or "large". | |||
| Italian | maggiore | ||
| The Italian word "maggiore" can also refer to a military rank equivalent to "major" or a musical interval of a major third. | |||
| Luxembourgish | grouss | ||
| The term 'grouss', meaning 'major', is of Proto-Germanic origin and is cognate with English 'great', German 'groß', and Dutch 'groot'. | |||
| Maltese | maġġuri | ||
| The word "maġġuri" in Maltese can also mean "elder" or "superior". | |||
| Norwegian | major | ||
| In Norwegian, “major” (pronounced “mah-yoor”) means both “major” and “ant.” | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | principal | ||
| "Princípio" (Portuguese) shares the same Latin root ("principium") as "principal" (English), meaning "beginning" or "foundation." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | prìomh | ||
| The Gaelic word "prìomh" also means "first" or "chief". | |||
| Spanish | mayor | ||
| "The word "mayor" in Spanish, meaning "major," is derived from the Latin word "maior," meaning "greater," indicating the elevated rank of the official." | |||
| Swedish | större | ||
| The Swedish word "större" (major) is a comparative form of "stor" (large), and can also be used to mean "greater in size or quantity" or "more important or serious". | |||
| Welsh | mawr | ||
| The word "mawr" also means "great" or "big" in Welsh. | |||
Major in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | маёр | ||
| The word "маёр" can also refer to a type of military rank or a musical scale in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | majore | ||
| "Major" in Bosnian is also used to refer to the oldest sibling in a family. | |||
| Bulgarian | майор | ||
| The word "майор" can also mean "master" or "chief" in Bulgarian and derives from the Turkish word "büyük", meaning "big". | |||
| Czech | hlavní, důležitý | ||
| In Czech, "hlavní" also means "main", related to the head and mind, and it has the same root as "hlava" (head) and "hlas" (voice). | |||
| Estonian | major | ||
| The word "major" in Estonian can also mean "main", "important", or "significant". | |||
| Finnish | suuri | ||
| The word "suuri" is etymologically related to "suuruus" (greatness) and "suureta" (to enlarge). | |||
| Hungarian | jelentősebb | ||
| In Hungarian, "Jelentősebb" also means "more important" or "more significant." | |||
| Latvian | vairākums | ||
| The word "vairākums" also refers to "the greater part" or "the plurality" in Latvian language. | |||
| Lithuanian | majoras | ||
| Lithuanian word "majoras" is a loanword from Latin "maior" and means "greater" or "higher". | |||
| Macedonian | мајор | ||
| The word "мајор" ("major") in Macedonian can also mean "mayor". | |||
| Polish | poważny | ||
| The word "poważny" also means "important" or "serious" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | major | ||
| In Romanian, "major" can also refer to a rank in the army or police. | |||
| Russian | главный | ||
| The word “главный” can also mean “chief” or “primary”. | |||
| Serbian | главни | ||
| The word "главни" can also mean "chief", "main", or "principal" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | major | ||
| In Slovak, the word "major" can also refer to a type of military unit (battalion) or to the title of mayor (starosta). | |||
| Slovenian | major | ||
| The word 'major' has multiple meanings, including 'large', 'important', 'significant', and a military rank. | |||
| Ukrainian | майор | ||
| The word "майор" also means "major" in Russian, referring to a military rank. | |||
Major in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | মেজর | ||
| In English, "major" can also refer to a field of academic study, a person with the highest rank in the military, or a scale in music. | |||
| Gujarati | મુખ્ય | ||
| "મુખ્ય" is derived from the Sanskrit word "mukhya", meaning "chief" or "primary". | |||
| Hindi | प्रमुख | ||
| The word "प्रमुख" ("major") also means "chief", "important", "prominent", or "foremost" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಪ್ರಮುಖ | ||
| "ಪ್ರಮುಖ" comes from the Sanskrit word "pra" (before) and "mukha" (face), meaning "first in order" or "leading." | |||
| Malayalam | പ്രധാന | ||
| The word "പ്രധാന" also refers to the head of an institution or organization. | |||
| Marathi | प्रमुख | ||
| The Marathi word "प्रमुख" can also refer to "prominent" or "leading" in English. | |||
| Nepali | प्रमुख | ||
| "प्रमुख" is a Nepali word that comes from the Sanskrit word "pra-mukha" meaning "foremost" or "chief". | |||
| Punjabi | ਪ੍ਰਮੁੱਖ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මේජර් | ||
| "මේජර්" is used to denote the higher rank of a soldier, but is also used in the context of the most important subject in one's degree." | |||
| Tamil | முக்கிய | ||
| The word "முக்கிய" can also mean "important" or "significant" in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | ప్రధాన | ||
| The word "ప్రధాన" (pradhāna) is derived from the Sanskrit word "pra" (chief) and "dhāna" (possession), meaning "possessing the chief position." | |||
| Urdu | میجر | ||
| In Urdu, 'میجر' can also refer to a musical scale or a military rank equivalent to a major in the English-speaking world. | |||
Major in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 重大的 | ||
| 重大的' (zhòngdàyì) directly translates to mean 'significant' or 'weighty,' but its Chinese characters individually suggest 'weight' and 'great.' | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 重大的 | ||
| 重大的 is written with two characters signifying 'weight' and 'large', indicating something of great importance. | |||
| Japanese | メジャー | ||
| メジャー (major) can also mean "measuring" or "meter" in the musical sense. | |||
| Korean | 주요한 | ||
| The Korean word "주요한" can also mean "important" or "significant" in the context of describing something's relevance or impact. | |||
| Mongolian | хошууч | ||
| The word 'хошууч' in Mongolian also refers to a leader or a person in charge, and is derived from the verb 'хоших' meaning 'to lead' or 'to manage'. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဗိုလ်မှူး | ||
Major in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | utama | ||
| The word "utama" in Indonesian derives from the Sanskrit word "uttama" meaning "best" or "foremost". | |||
| Javanese | utama | ||
| The word 'utama' also means 'first' or 'primary' in Javanese, indicating its importance or prominence. | |||
| Khmer | ធំ | ||
| "ធំ" also means to be old or wise in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ທີ່ສໍາຄັນ | ||
| Malay | utama | ||
| "Utama" also means "central" or "most important" in Malay and Indonesian. | |||
| Thai | รายใหญ่ | ||
| The word "รายใหญ่" also means "head office" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | chính | ||
| "Chính" means "the main or important thing", and is often seen in Vietnamese compounds that describe the most important part of something. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | major | ||
Major in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | böyük | ||
| The word "böyük" can also mean "great" or "large". | |||
| Kazakh | майор | ||
| In Kazakh, "майор" can also refer to the senior police officer of a district. | |||
| Kyrgyz | майор | ||
| Kyrgyz "майор" (major) can also refer to a military rank lower than полковник (colonel). | |||
| Tajik | майор | ||
| В таджикском языке слово "майор" имеет значение "мэр". | |||
| Turkmen | maýor | ||
| Uzbek | katta | ||
| "Katta" can also mean "big", "great" or "tall" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | major | ||
Major in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | nui | ||
| "Nui" also means "very," and is often used as an intensifier. | |||
| Maori | nui | ||
| The Maori word "nui" can also refer to the "great" or "important" as in "rangatira nui" (great chief). | |||
| Samoan | sili | ||
| Sili can also be used to describe something that is very big, strong, or powerful. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | major | ||
| "Major", when used as a noun, refers to the senior officer of a military or police force. | |||
Major in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | wakiskiri | ||
| Guarani | momba'eguasu | ||
Major in International Languages
| Esperanto | majoro | ||
| A similar stem appears in “maĵori”, which derives from Latin “major” meaning either “larger” or “elder”. In the latter sense, a “maĵoro” in Esperanto was a high-ranking, elder community leader (like an abbot in a monastery). | |||
| Latin | maior | ||
| Maior also denotes a superior or chief, such as a "mayor of a palace". | |||
Major in Others Languages
| Greek | μείζων | ||
| The term 'μείζων' in Greek is derived from the verb 'μείζω' (meizō), which means 'to increase' or 'to be greater'. | |||
| Hmong | loj | ||
| The word 'loj' also means 'chief' or 'head'. | |||
| Kurdish | serbaz | ||
| The word "serbaz" originates from Persian and has alternate meanings such as "soldier" or "army". | |||
| Turkish | majör | ||
| The Turkish word "majör" is derived from the French word "majeur", which ultimately comes from the Latin word "maior", meaning "greater". | |||
| Xhosa | enkulu | ||
| Enkulu can also mean 'great', 'senior', 'elder', or 'respected'. | |||
| Yiddish | הויפּט | ||
| The Yiddish word "הויפּט" (hoipt) is derived from the German word "Haupt" (head), and also means "main" or "chief" in Yiddish. | |||
| Zulu | enkulu | ||
| In Zulu, 'enkulu' is also used as a title for a village headman or as a respectful term for an older person. | |||
| Assamese | প্ৰধান | ||
| Aymara | wakiskiri | ||
| Bhojpuri | बड़हन | ||
| Dhivehi | މައިގަނޑު | ||
| Dogri | मुक्ख | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | major | ||
| Guarani | momba'eguasu | ||
| Ilocano | kangrunaan | ||
| Krio | men | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سەرەکی | ||
| Maithili | प्रमुख | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯔꯨ ꯑꯣꯏꯕ | ||
| Mizo | pui | ||
| Oromo | angafa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପ୍ରମୁଖ | ||
| Quechua | chaniyuq | ||
| Sanskrit | प्रधानः | ||
| Tatar | майор | ||
| Tigrinya | ዋና | ||
| Tsonga | lexikulu | ||