Office in Different Languages
Discover 'Office' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'office' holds a significant place in our daily lives, often acting as the hub of productivity and collaboration in many organizations. Its cultural importance is undeniable, serving as a symbol of professionalism and the place where ideas come to life. But have you ever wondered how the word 'office' translates in different languages?
Understanding the translation of 'office' in various languages can provide insight into how different cultures view and value the concept of a dedicated workspace. For instance, in Spanish, an 'office' is known as 'oficina,' while in German, it's 'Büro.' In French, the word is 'bureau,' and in Japanese, it's 'オフィス' (ofisu).
Delving into the nuances of language can also reveal fascinating historical contexts. For example, the English word 'office' comes from the Latin 'officium,' meaning 'a service or task.' This root word highlights the original purpose of an office as a place to perform specific duties and responsibilities.
Join us as we explore the translations of 'office' in various languages and cultures, shedding light on the global significance of this important concept.
Office
Office in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | kantoor | ||
| The word "kantoor" is likely derived from the French word "comptoir" meaning "counting-house" | |||
| Amharic | ቢሮ | ||
| "ቢሮ" also refers to a special place where students study in monasteries. | |||
| Hausa | ofis | ||
| In Hausa, the word “ofis” can also refer to a cubicle or small workspace within an office building. | |||
| Igbo | ụlọ ọrụ | ||
| The Igbo word | |||
| Malagasy | birao | ||
| The word **biraô** comes from the Indonesian word **biro** and was introduced to the Malagasy language during the colonial period. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ofesi | ||
| The word "ofesi" in Nyanja comes from the English word "office" and is also used to refer to a "workshop" or "plant." | |||
| Shona | hofisi | ||
| The Shona word for "office", "hofisi," is influenced by the German "büro", originally coined for desk.} | |||
| Somali | xafiiska | ||
| The word "xafiiska" is derived from the Arabic word "khafafa", meaning "to be light" or "to be easy to carry", referring to its portability. | |||
| Sesotho | ofisi | ||
| "Ofisi" can also refer to a government department or a place of work. | |||
| Swahili | ofisini | ||
| The Swahili word 'ofisini' originates from the Arabic word 'ofīs' meaning 'office' or 'administration'. | |||
| Xhosa | iofisi | ||
| The word "iofisi" in Xhosa is derived from the Afrikaans word "kantoor", which in turn comes from the French word "comptoir" meaning "counting house". | |||
| Yoruba | ọfiisi | ||
| Ọfiisi also means 'an official government document' like a passport, certificate, driver's license, etc. | |||
| Zulu | ihhovisi | ||
| The word 'Ihhovisi' is derived from the Zulu word 'Ikhosi', meaning 'chief' or 'lord', indicating the elevated status of the place where official business is conducted. | |||
| Bambara | biro | ||
| Ewe | dɔwɔƒe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | biro | ||
| Lingala | biro | ||
| Luganda | yafeesi | ||
| Sepedi | ofisi | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɔfese | ||
Office in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مكتب. مقر. مركز | ||
| In Arabic, "مكتب. مقر. مركز" can also refer to a location or an organization's physical address. | |||
| Hebrew | מִשׂרָד | ||
| The word "מִשׂרָד" (misrad) in Hebrew can also mean "ministry" or "department". | |||
| Pashto | دفتر | ||
| The word "دفتر" in Pashto can also mean a "notebook" or a "writing board." | |||
| Arabic | مكتب. مقر. مركز | ||
| In Arabic, "مكتب. مقر. مركز" can also refer to a location or an organization's physical address. | |||
Office in Western European Languages
| Albanian | zyrë | ||
| Etymology unknown; also a term for a type of tax collected by Albanian feudal lords. | |||
| Basque | bulegoa | ||
| Etymology: bule (council) + go(a) (place). Also used figuratively to refer to the position and functions of a person of authority | |||
| Catalan | despatx | ||
| The term 'despatx' is derived from the Latin word 'dispacium', meaning 'a clearing in a forest'. | |||
| Croatian | ured | ||
| The word "ured" can also refer to a division within an organization or a job title. | |||
| Danish | kontor | ||
| "Kontor" is a loanword from French "comptoir", originally meaning a counter in a shop or bank. | |||
| Dutch | kantoor | ||
| The word "kantoor" is derived from the French word "comptoir" and the Italian word "cantone". | |||
| English | office | ||
| The word "office" derives from the Latin word "officium", meaning "duty" or "service". | |||
| French | bureau | ||
| Bureau in French originated from the late Latin *burellus* (“coarse woolen cloth”), hence the use of the word *bureau* to refer to the writing desk covered with this cloth used by officials and scribes | |||
| Frisian | kantoar | ||
| The Frisian word "kantoar" comes from the French word "comptoir," meaning "counting house." | |||
| Galician | oficina | ||
| The Galician word "oficina" comes from the Latin "officina", which originally meant "workshop" or "studio". | |||
| German | büro | ||
| The word "Büro" is derived from the French word "bureau" and the Latin word "burellus," meaning "coarse woolen cloth or fabric." | |||
| Icelandic | skrifstofu | ||
| The word "skrifstofu" derives from the Old Norse "skrifstofa", meaning "writing chamber" or "scriptorium". | |||
| Irish | oifig | ||
| The word "oifig" comes from the Latin "officium", meaning "duty", and in Irish also has the meaning of "room" or "work". | |||
| Italian | ufficio | ||
| "Ufficio" originally came from the Latin word "officium", meaning "duty", "service", or "function", and has also been used to refer to a department or agency. | |||
| Luxembourgish | büro | ||
| In Luxembourgish, the word “Büro” can also refer to a room where people work, especially in a government or administrative setting. | |||
| Maltese | uffiċċju | ||
| The word "uffiċċju" is derived from the Latin word "officium", meaning "duty" or "service". | |||
| Norwegian | kontor | ||
| The word "kontor" is derived from the French word "comptoir", meaning "counting house". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | escritório | ||
| The word "escritório" comes from the Latin word "scriptorium", meaning "writing room". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | oifis | ||
| The term 'oifis' can also refer to a room or building where administrative or clerical work is carried out. | |||
| Spanish | oficina | ||
| The word "oficina" derives from the Latin word "officina", meaning "workshop" or "place of work". | |||
| Swedish | kontor | ||
| Kontor also means 'countor' or 'counter' in Swedish. | |||
| Welsh | swyddfa | ||
| Welsh "swyddfa" likely evolved from Proto-Celtic "*swidyo" meaning "a sitting down, rest." | |||
Office in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | кантора | ||
| "Office" in Russian and Belarusian is called "кантора", which means a "counting-house" or "exchange office" in the German language. | |||
| Bosnian | ured | ||
| Although ured originally meant "order" in Croatian, in Bosnian is has exclusively come to mean "office". | |||
| Bulgarian | офис | ||
| "Офис" (office) comes from the Latin "officium" (duty, service) and has additional meanings such as "ceremony, ritual" and "government department" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | kancelář | ||
| The word "kancelář" derives from the German "Kanzlei", which referred to the space where official documents were written in medieval chanceries. | |||
| Estonian | kontoris | ||
| The word "kontoris" in Estonian is derived from the German word "Kontor", which also means "office". However, it can also refer to a desk or a writing table. | |||
| Finnish | toimisto | ||
| The word "toimisto" comes from the Swedish word "tjänste" meaning "service", the suffix "istu" meaning "place" and the ending "-o" indicating a place or an institution. | |||
| Hungarian | hivatal | ||
| The word "hivatal" derives from the verb "hiv", meaning "to call", and originally referred to a place where people were summoned for official duties. | |||
| Latvian | birojs | ||
| The word "birojs" comes from the French word "bureau". | |||
| Lithuanian | biuras | ||
| The word "biuras" likely comes from the Prussian word "birwaitis" or the German word "büro"} | |||
| Macedonian | канцеларија | ||
| The word "канцеларија" (office) originates from the Latin word "cancelli", which referred to a lattice or screen separating a space within a building. | |||
| Polish | gabinet | ||
| The Polish word "gabinet" can also refer to a collection of curiosities or a doctor's consulting room, tracing its origins to the French word "cabinet." | |||
| Romanian | birou | ||
| The word "birou" can also refer to a bureau, a piece of furniture used for writing or administrative work. | |||
| Russian | офис | ||
| The word "офис" can also refer to a government department or agency. | |||
| Serbian | канцеларија | ||
| In Serbian, the word "канцеларија" (office) originally meant "room where books are stored". | |||
| Slovak | kancelária | ||
| Slovak "kancelária" comes from Latin word "cancelli" (lattice, screen). | |||
| Slovenian | pisarni | ||
| The word "pisarni" may also refer to a type of bread roll in some regions of Slovenia. | |||
| Ukrainian | офіс | ||
| The word "офіс" comes from the Latin word "officium", which means "duty" or "service". | |||
Office in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | দপ্তর | ||
| The word "দপ্তর" in Bengali comes from the Persian word "daftar", which means "register" or "record". | |||
| Gujarati | ઓફિસ | ||
| The word ઓફિસ derives from the Latin word "officium", meaning a duty or role, and is unrelated to the English word "office". | |||
| Hindi | कार्यालय | ||
| An office in India is also called 'दफ्तर' or 'चौकी', and it can refer to a wide range of government offices. | |||
| Kannada | ಕಚೇರಿ | ||
| The word "ಕಚೇರಿ" (office) in Kannada is derived from the Sanskrit word "कचहरि" (court of law). | |||
| Malayalam | ഓഫീസ് | ||
| In Malayalam, "ഓഫീസ്" (office) is also used colloquially to refer to a government office. | |||
| Marathi | कार्यालय | ||
| The word “कार्यालय” is derived from the Sanskrit word “कार” (work) and the suffix “लय” (place), indicating a place of work. | |||
| Nepali | कार्यालय | ||
| The word कार्यालय originated from the Sanskrit term 'karyalaya', meaning 'place of work'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਦਫਤਰ | ||
| "ਦਫਤਰ" is derived from the Persian word "daftar" which originally meant "a book" or "a register". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කාර්යාලය | ||
| Tamil | அலுவலகம் | ||
| "அலுவலகம்" can also refer to a place of business or a government department. | |||
| Telugu | కార్యాలయం | ||
| The word "కార్యాలయం" can also refer to a workshop or a place of business, especially when it is used in a compound word. | |||
| Urdu | دفتر | ||
| "دفتر" is the Urdu word for "office" and it is derived from the Persian word "daftar" which means "a book, a record, a register, a roll". | |||
Office in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 办公室 | ||
| "办公室" (office) originally refers to a "study" or "administrative office" in government agencies or organizations. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 辦公室 | ||
| The word "辦公室" can also refer to a government agency or bureau. | |||
| Japanese | オフィス | ||
| The word "オフィス" can also refer to a room or space within a building, particularly one used for a specific purpose. | |||
| Korean | 사무실 | ||
| The Hanja for '사무실' can also mean 'government office', 'public building' or 'temple' depending on the context. | |||
| Mongolian | оффис | ||
| The word "оффис" in Mongolian can also refer to a "shop" or a "workshop". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရုံး | ||
| "ရုံး" can also be used to refer to a place where a specific task or function is carried out, such as a court or a hospital. | |||
Office in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kantor | ||
| The word 'kantor' is derived from the Dutch word 'kantoor', which means 'office' or 'bureau'. | |||
| Javanese | kantor | ||
| The Javanese word "kantor" also means "store" or "warehouse." | |||
| Khmer | ការិយាល័យ | ||
| "ការិយាល័យ" also refers to a government ministry, or a government post, or a government official. | |||
| Lao | ຫ້ອງການ | ||
| Malay | pejabat | ||
| The word "pejabat" derives from Arabic and originally meant "place of decision"} | |||
| Thai | สำนักงาน | ||
| "สำนักงาน" derives from the Sanskrit word "saṃgrāma" meaning "battlefield" or "place of conflict". | |||
| Vietnamese | văn phòng | ||
| "Văn phòng" has alternate uses in Vietnamese, such as the "Department for Cultural Affairs," where it is a combination of the Sino-Vietnamese word văn for "culture," and phòng for "room." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | opisina | ||
Office in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ofis | ||
| In some contexts, the Azerbaijani word “ofis” can also refer to the location where a particular person works. | |||
| Kazakh | кеңсе | ||
| "Kenese" is a Kazakh word that has several meanings and etymological roots. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кеңсе | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "кеңсе" can also refer to a bureau, a chancellery, a secretariat, or even a ministry or department | |||
| Tajik | идора | ||
| In Tajik, "идора" is also a term used to refer to a government agency or department. | |||
| Turkmen | ofis | ||
| Uzbek | idora | ||
| "Idora," like many Uzbek words meaning "room" derives from Persian and is also used to describe administrative offices in Turkish. | |||
| Uyghur | ئىشخانا | ||
Office in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | keʻena | ||
| Keʻena is the Hawaiian term for an office, and it is also related to the Proto-Austronesian root *kena, meaning "house". | |||
| Maori | tari | ||
| The word tari can also refer to a storehouse, granary, or treasury | |||
| Samoan | ofisa | ||
| The word "ofisa" in Samoan can also refer to a classroom or a government department. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | opisina | ||
| In Tagalog, "opisina" is derived from the Spanish word "oficina", and can also refer to a desk or writing table. | |||
Office in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | uphisina | ||
| Guarani | mba'apoha | ||
Office in International Languages
| Esperanto | oficejo | ||
| The word "oficejo" is derived from the Latin "officium", meaning "duty" or "service", and can also refer to a room or building where business is conducted. | |||
| Latin | officium | ||
| Officium originally referred to a religious duty or service, and also denoted a judicial or public duty. | |||
Office in Others Languages
| Greek | γραφείο | ||
| "Γραφείο" derives from "γράφω" (write), and also refers to the physical writing desk in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | chaw ua haujlwm | ||
| The word "chaw ua haujlwm" is derived from the Chinese word "办公室", which also means "office". | |||
| Kurdish | dayre | ||
| The word 'dayre' in Kurdish may also refer to a monastery or convent. | |||
| Turkish | ofis | ||
| The word "ofis" in Turkish originates from the French word "office", originally meaning "duty" or "service". | |||
| Xhosa | iofisi | ||
| The word "iofisi" in Xhosa is derived from the Afrikaans word "kantoor", which in turn comes from the French word "comptoir" meaning "counting house". | |||
| Yiddish | ביוראָ | ||
| The Yiddish word "ביוראָ" may derive from the German word "Bureau" or the French word "Bureau" which means "desk". | |||
| Zulu | ihhovisi | ||
| The word 'Ihhovisi' is derived from the Zulu word 'Ikhosi', meaning 'chief' or 'lord', indicating the elevated status of the place where official business is conducted. | |||
| Assamese | কাৰ্যালয় | ||
| Aymara | uphisina | ||
| Bhojpuri | कार्यालय | ||
| Dhivehi | އޮފީސް | ||
| Dogri | दफ्तर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | opisina | ||
| Guarani | mba'apoha | ||
| Ilocano | opisina | ||
| Krio | ɔfis | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نووسینگە | ||
| Maithili | कार्यालय | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯣꯏꯁꯉ | ||
| Mizo | office | ||
| Oromo | waajjira | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅଫିସ୍ | ||
| Quechua | oficina | ||
| Sanskrit | कार्यालयं | ||
| Tatar | офис | ||
| Tigrinya | ቤት-ፅሕፈት | ||
| Tsonga | hofisi | ||