Paper in Different Languages
Discover 'Paper' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Paper, a simple yet powerful invention, has transformed the world in countless ways. From ancient Chinese scrolls to modern-day novels, paper has been the foundation of human knowledge and communication. It's the unsung hero that has enabled art, literature, and science to flourish.
Did you know that paper was invented over 2,000 years ago in China? This revolutionary material was created from mulberry bark, hemp, and other plant fibers, and it quickly spread across the globe. Today, paper is an essential part of our daily lives, from the books we read to the packaging that protects our online purchases.
Understanding the translation of paper in different languages not only showcases the cultural importance of this versatile material but also highlights the beauty of linguistic diversity. Here are a few examples:
- French: Papier
- Spanish: Papel
- German: Papier
- Italian: Carta
- Japanese: 紙 (Kami)
- Korean: 종이 (Jong-i)
- Arabic: ورق (Warraq)
Paper
Paper in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | papier | ||
| In Afrikaans, 'papier' also refers to a collection of official documents, such as a passport or identity card. | |||
| Amharic | ወረቀት | ||
| The word "ወረቀት" in Amharic is derived from the root "ወረቅ" (leaf), and also means "leaf". | |||
| Hausa | takarda | ||
| In ancient Hausa, takarda often referred to a single sheet rather than a collection of pages. | |||
| Igbo | akwukwo | ||
| The word "akwukwo" in Igbo can also refer to the physical properties of a leaf, such as its shape, size, and color. | |||
| Malagasy | taratasy | ||
| Malagasy 'taratasy' is derived from the Arabic 'warq' meaning 'leaf' or 'paper'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | pepala | ||
| The word 'pepala' is also used to refer to a type of thin, flaky bread made from cassava flour. | |||
| Shona | bepa | ||
| The word 'bepa' in Shona is a diminutive form of 'pepa', which referred to tree bark used as a writing surface before the introduction of paper. | |||
| Somali | warqad | ||
| The word "warqad" is derived from the Arabic word "warqa" meaning "leaf". | |||
| Sesotho | pampiri | ||
| The word "pampiri" shares an etymology with the Zulu word "phepha" and the Xhosa word "ipepha," all meaning "paper." | |||
| Swahili | karatasi | ||
| Karatasi can also refer to documents, certificates or letters | |||
| Xhosa | iphepha | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of 'paper', 'iphepha' can also refer to a 'thin layer', such as the outer covering of a maize cob or the bark of a tree. | |||
| Yoruba | iwe | ||
| In Yoruba, 'iwe' shares the same root with 'iwo', meaning 'cloth'. This duality is because paper was initially a new form of cloth in the region. | |||
| Zulu | iphepha | ||
| The Zulu word "iphepha" originates from the Nguni word "phepha", meaning "to flatten". | |||
| Bambara | papiye | ||
| Ewe | pɛpa | ||
| Kinyarwanda | impapuro | ||
| Lingala | papie | ||
| Luganda | olupapula | ||
| Sepedi | pampiri | ||
| Twi (Akan) | krataa | ||
Paper in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ورقة | ||
| The word "ورقة" in Arabic derives from the verb "ورق" meaning "to cover", as paper covers information. | |||
| Hebrew | עיתון | ||
| In Hebrew, "עיתון" derives from "עות" ('time') and denotes a "periodical", hence the secondary meaning "newspaper". | |||
| Pashto | کاغذ | ||
| "کاغذ" is loaned into Persian and Pashto from "خاقان," the title of kings of the Khaganate. | |||
| Arabic | ورقة | ||
| The word "ورقة" in Arabic derives from the verb "ورق" meaning "to cover", as paper covers information. | |||
Paper in Western European Languages
| Albanian | letër | ||
| The word "letër" shares the same root with "litër" (liter), signifying the material's absorption and release of liquids. | |||
| Basque | papera | ||
| The Basque word "papera" is also used to refer to a type of duck, "Anas platyrhynchos". | |||
| Catalan | paper | ||
| The word "paper" derives from the Latin "papyrus", which in turn comes from the ancient Egyptian word for "reed". Alternatively, the word "paper" may also refer to a type of thin material used in smoking or a legal document. | |||
| Croatian | papir | ||
| The Croatian word "papir" does not only mean "paper" but also "a piece of paper". | |||
| Danish | papir | ||
| The Danish word "papir" derives from "papyrus", referring to the material used for writing in ancient Egypt. | |||
| Dutch | papier | ||
| In Dutch, "papier" also refers to a set of official documents, often related to a legal or administrative process. | |||
| English | paper | ||
| The word 'paper' originates from the ancient Egyptian word 'papyrus', which refers to the material made from the stem of the papyrus plant. | |||
| French | papier | ||
| The French word 'papier' comes from the Latin word 'papyrus', which referred to the ancient writing material made from the papyrus plant. | |||
| Frisian | papier | ||
| In the Saterland Frisian dialect of the Frisian language, "papier" means "newsprint". | |||
| Galician | papel | ||
| The Galician word "papel" comes from the Latin word "papyrus", the material that was used to make paper in ancient times. | |||
| German | papier- | ||
| Papier derives from the Latin word 'papyrus' and shares its root with the word 'paragraph'. | |||
| Icelandic | pappír | ||
| Pappír is cognate with 'papyrus' and 'paper' in English, derived from the Latin word 'papyrus' which referred to the writing material made from the stem of the papyrus plant. | |||
| Irish | páipéar | ||
| The Irish word | |||
| Italian | carta | ||
| In Italian, "carta" can also refer to a geographical map, a playing card, or a letter | |||
| Luxembourgish | pabeier | ||
| Maltese | karta | ||
| The word "karta" comes from the Italian word "carta" and originally referred to the sheets of paper used to write a letter. | |||
| Norwegian | papir | ||
| "Papir" is a borrowing of Latin "papyrus" (reed) and is also related to "papyros" (paper); " papir" can also refer to "toilet paper" | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | papel | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "papel" can also mean "role" or "part". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | pàipear | ||
| "Pàipear" likely comes from the Latin "papiyrus" and originally referred to papyrus, but has since come to mean paper in general in Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | papel | ||
| The word "papel" originally comes from the Latin word "papyrus", which referred to the material made from the papyrus plant used for writing. | |||
| Swedish | papper | ||
| The word "papper" also refers to a type of traditional Swedish folk music. | |||
| Welsh | papur | ||
| Papur can also mean "a document" or "a manuscript", particularly in legal or historical contexts. | |||
Paper in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | папера | ||
| Belarusian “папера” (paper) is cognate with Latin “papyrus”, ultimately derived from the Ancient Egyptian name for the papyrus plant. | |||
| Bosnian | papir | ||
| "Papir" is derived from the Ancient Greek "papyrus" meaning "a writing material made of the stem of a papyrus plant". | |||
| Bulgarian | хартия | ||
| The word "хартия" comes from the Greek word "χάρτης" which means "sheet of papyrus". | |||
| Czech | papír | ||
| The word "papír" is derived from the Latin word "papyrus", meaning "a writing material made from the stem of the papyrus plant". | |||
| Estonian | paber | ||
| The Estonian word "paber" is derived from the German "Papier", which itself comes from the Greek "papyros", referring to the ancient writing material made from papyrus reeds. | |||
| Finnish | paperi | ||
| In Finnish, 'paperi' can also refer to a banknote or currency. | |||
| Hungarian | papír | ||
| In Hungarian, "papír" also refers to the membranes covering organs, possibly from the rustling sound made by both. | |||
| Latvian | papīrs | ||
| "Papīrs" is a loanword from Ancient Greek "πάπυρος" (papyrus), through German "Papier". | |||
| Lithuanian | popieriaus | ||
| The word "popieriaus" is derived from the Latin word "papyrus", which in turn comes from the ancient Greek word "πάπυρος" (pápyros). | |||
| Macedonian | хартија | ||
| The word "хартија" can also refer to a document or certificate in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | papier | ||
| In Polish, "papier" can also refer to a type of thick, absorbent paper used for filtering liquids. | |||
| Romanian | hârtie | ||
| The word "hârtie" comes from the word "karta", which is a Latin term for a paper scroll. | |||
| Russian | бумага | ||
| "Бумага" is a loanword from Greek "pápyros" (papyrus) and also means "waste paper" in modern Russian. | |||
| Serbian | папир | ||
| The word "папир" in Serbian is derived from the Greek word "πάπυρος" (papyrus) and also refers to toilet paper and cigarette rolling papers. | |||
| Slovak | papier | ||
| "Papier" pochádza z latinského "papyrus", ktoré pôvodne znamenalo "loďová trstina". | |||
| Slovenian | papir | ||
| The word "papir" in Slovenian also means "papyrus". | |||
| Ukrainian | папір | ||
| The word "папір" in Ukrainian originates from the Greek "πάπυρος" (papyrus) through Latin "papyrus" and Polish "papier". | |||
Paper in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কাগজ | ||
| The word "কাগজ" in Bengali is derived from the Sanskrit word "कागद" (kAgad), which means "a leaf of a tree or plant used for writing, printing, or wrapping." | |||
| Gujarati | કાગળ | ||
| The Gujarati word "કાગળ" likely derives from the Sanskrit word "कागल" (kāgala), meaning "a bundle of reeds" or "a sheet of papyrus". | |||
| Hindi | कागज़ | ||
| The word 'कागज़' (paper) is derived from the Persian word 'kāghaz', which in turn originated from the Chinese word 'zhi' (paper). | |||
| Kannada | ಕಾಗದ | ||
| The word "ಕಾಗದ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "कागद" (kágada), which ultimately comes from the Persian word "کاغذ" (kāghaz), meaning "paper made from the bark of trees". | |||
| Malayalam | പേപ്പർ | ||
| The Malayalam word "പേപ്പർ" (paper) may have been derived from the word "പത്ര" (leaf), indicating the original use of leaves for writing. | |||
| Marathi | कागद | ||
| The word "कागद" (paper) in Marathi derived from the Sanskrit word "कागदपत्र" meaning "leaf of a tree used for writing". | |||
| Nepali | कागज | ||
| The word "कागज" (paper) in Nepali originates from the Sanskrit word "कागजपत्र" meaning "a document written on"} | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਾਗਜ਼ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਕਾਗਜ਼" is derived from the Persian word "kāghaz" which in turn comes from the Chinese word "zhi". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කඩදාසි | ||
| The word 'කඩදාසි' in Sinhala is derived from the Sanskrit word 'पत्र' (patra), meaning 'leaf' or 'writing material'. | |||
| Tamil | காகிதம் | ||
| "காகிதம்" originally meant a piece of palmyra leaf inscribed with an iron stylus. | |||
| Telugu | కాగితం | ||
| The Telugu word కాగితం (kāgitam) is a loanword from the Arabic word qirtās (paper) which is derived from the Greek word χάρτης (chartēs), which in turn comes from the Egyptian word apyrus. It is related to the English word "paper". | |||
| Urdu | کاغذ | ||
| The word 'کاغذ' ('paper') in Urdu, derived from Persian, comes from the Chinese word 'zhi', referring to 'paper from mulberry bark', with 'kagaz' also referencing 'vegetable parchment' in Urdu and Hindi. | |||
Paper in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 纸 | ||
| "纸" (paper) also means "evidence" or "proof", derived from the ancient practice of recording agreements on pieces of paper. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 紙 | ||
| 紙 is closely related to the word 縑, which can mean both 'silk' and 'paper'. | |||
| Japanese | 論文 | ||
| The word "論文" (paper) in Japanese has multiple meanings, including "an academic paper" and "a thesis or dissertation. | |||
| Korean | 종이 | ||
| "종이" is a cognate of the Chinese "紙 (지; zhǐ)", which is written using the same Hanja character and is also pronounced as "종지" ("joongji") in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | цаас | ||
| The word "цаас" originally meant "blank" or "empty" in Mongolian, and it has been used to refer to paper since the introduction of papermaking to Mongolia. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စက္ကူ | ||
| The word "စက္ကူ" (paper) in Myanmar (Burmese) is derived from the Sanskrit word "patra" meaning "leaf". In other contexts, it can also refer to the protective bark of a tree or even a type of metal plate used in ancient inscriptions. | |||
Paper in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kertas | ||
| The Indonesian word "kertas" is a loan word from Portuguese "carta", meaning a written document, which itself originated from the Greek "khartes" and Latin "charta", denoting a sheet of papyrus. | |||
| Javanese | kertas | ||
| In Javanese, the word "kertas" can also refer to a type of musical instrument, specifically a drum used in traditional ceremonies and gamelan performances. | |||
| Khmer | ក្រដាស | ||
| The word "ក្រដាស" in Khmer originally referred to tree bark used to make traditional Khmer manuscripts, known as "krama". | |||
| Lao | ເຈ້ຍ | ||
| In Thai, "ເຈ້ຍ" (paper) is also used as a slang term for "money". | |||
| Malay | kertas | ||
| In Indonesian, 'kertas' also refers to sandpaper. | |||
| Thai | กระดาษ | ||
| The Thai word "กระดาษ" (paper) is derived from the Sanskrit word "patra", meaning "leaf". | |||
| Vietnamese | giấy | ||
| "Giấy" is derived from the Chinese word "紙" (zhǐ), which can also mean "paper money" or "document." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | papel | ||
Paper in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | kağız | ||
| The word "kağız" in Azerbaijani is derived from Persian "kāġað" and ultimately from Chinese "zhǐ" (紙). | |||
| Kazakh | қағаз | ||
| The word | |||
| Kyrgyz | кагаз | ||
| Кагаз is used colloquially to refer to both paper and money in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | коғаз | ||
| The word "коғаз" in Tajik ultimately derives from the Chinese word "ko-chi", meaning "paper made from mulberry tree bark". | |||
| Turkmen | kagyz | ||
| Uzbek | qog'oz | ||
| Paper in Uzbek comes from the Persian واغچ ('kāghaz'), ultimately from the Chinese 紙 ('zhǐ'), likely through Mongolian. | |||
| Uyghur | قەغەز | ||
Paper in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pepa | ||
| The word "pepa" in Hawaiian can also refer to a book, a newspaper, or the written word. | |||
| Maori | pepa | ||
| The Maori word "pepa" is derived from the Polynesian root *fafa*, which also means "to beat" or "to pound". | |||
| Samoan | pepa | ||
| The word 'pepa' in Samoan comes from the Proto-Polynesian word 'pepa', meaning 'barkcloth', which was traditionally used as paper. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | papel | ||
| The Tagalog word "papel" is related to "papirus" in Spanish, which is derived from the Coptic "papuro" or the Greek word "papyros" meaning "papyrus". | |||
Paper in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | papila | ||
| Guarani | kuatia | ||
Paper in International Languages
| Esperanto | papero | ||
| Also means `duck` and is derived from the French "papier". | |||
| Latin | chartam | ||
| "Chartam" can alternatively refer to a leaf, card, or sheet. | |||
Paper in Others Languages
| Greek | χαρτί | ||
| The word "χαρτί" (paper) derives from the Coptic word "харти", which originally meant "papyrus plant." | |||
| Hmong | ntawv | ||
| "Ntawv" comes from the Proto-Hmong-Mien word for "book" or "writing." | |||
| Kurdish | kaxez | ||
| The root of "kaxez" may also mean to be flat | |||
| Turkish | kağıt | ||
| "Kağıt" means not only "paper," but also "evidence," "proof" and "document". | |||
| Xhosa | iphepha | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of 'paper', 'iphepha' can also refer to a 'thin layer', such as the outer covering of a maize cob or the bark of a tree. | |||
| Yiddish | פּאַפּיר | ||
| The Yiddish word "פּאַפּיר" comes from the German word "Papier" and ultimately from the Latin word "papyrus", meaning "writing material made from the stem of the papyrus plant." | |||
| Zulu | iphepha | ||
| The Zulu word "iphepha" originates from the Nguni word "phepha", meaning "to flatten". | |||
| Assamese | কাগজ | ||
| Aymara | papila | ||
| Bhojpuri | कागज | ||
| Dhivehi | ކަރުދާސް | ||
| Dogri | कागज | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | papel | ||
| Guarani | kuatia | ||
| Ilocano | papel | ||
| Krio | pepa | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کاغەز | ||
| Maithili | कागज | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯦ | ||
| Mizo | lehkha | ||
| Oromo | waraqaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କାଗଜ | ||
| Quechua | papel | ||
| Sanskrit | पत्रं | ||
| Tatar | кәгазь | ||
| Tigrinya | ወረቐት | ||
| Tsonga | phepha | ||