Physician in Different Languages
Discover 'Physician' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Physician
Physician in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | geneesheer | ||
| The word "geneesheer" originates from Middle Dutch "genesere", which meant "healer", ultimately coming from the Greek word "genesthai", meaning "to heal or to cure". | |||
| Amharic | ሐኪም | ||
| "Hakim" also refers to a learned person, a scholar, or a wise man, and derives from the Arabic word "hakim," meaning "one who has knowledge or wisdom." | |||
| Hausa | likita | ||
| The Hausa word 'likita' can also refer to a healer, medicine man, or diviner. | |||
| Igbo | dibia | ||
| The term "dibia" can also refer to a priest, medium, or diviner in Igbo tradition, showcasing the interconnectedness of medicine and spirituality in Igbo culture. | |||
| Malagasy | mpitsabo | ||
| The term "mpitsabo" in Malagasy can also refer to traditional healers or spiritual mediums who practice folk medicine. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | dokotala | ||
| The word "dokotala" shares its root with "dokotela" (doctor) and can also mean "pharmacist"} | |||
| Shona | chiremba | ||
| In ancient times, 'chiremba' also referred to traditional healers and medicine men who provided herbal remedies for ailments. | |||
| Somali | dhakhtar | ||
| Dhakhtar is likely derived from the Sanskrit word 'daktar', meaning 'doctor'. | |||
| Sesotho | ngaka | ||
| The word "ngaka" in Sesotho is also used as a general term for someone who has special knowledge or skills in a particular area, such as a healer or diviner. | |||
| Swahili | daktari | ||
| "Daktari" can refer to both a human physician and a skilled traditional healer in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | ugqirha | ||
| The term "ugqirha" in Xhosa is synonymous with the concept of a traditional healer, encompassing both medicinal and spiritual practices. | |||
| Yoruba | oniwosan | ||
| "Oniwosan" (Yoruba for "physician") also means "one who heals wounds". | |||
| Zulu | udokotela | ||
| The Zulu word "udokotela" can also refer to a traditional healer or diviner. | |||
| Bambara | dɔgɔtɔrɔ | ||
| Ewe | atikewɔla | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umuganga | ||
| Lingala | monganga | ||
| Luganda | omusawo | ||
| Sepedi | ngaka ya ngaka | ||
| Twi (Akan) | oduruyɛfo | ||
Physician in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الطبيب المعالج | ||
| The word الطبيب المعالج (physician) is derived from the Arabic root word كتب (to write), and originally referred to someone who had mastered the art of writing. | |||
| Hebrew | רוֹפֵא | ||
| The word "רופא" (physician) in Hebrew is derived from the root "רפא" (heal) and also means "healer" or "therapist". | |||
| Pashto | معالج | ||
| Pashto "معالج" also means "sorcerer, magician, shaman" | |||
| Arabic | الطبيب المعالج | ||
| The word الطبيب المعالج (physician) is derived from the Arabic root word كتب (to write), and originally referred to someone who had mastered the art of writing. | |||
Physician in Western European Languages
| Albanian | mjek | ||
| Albanian 'mjek' derives from Proto-Albanian *mēdikó- (< Vulgar Latin medicus) and has cognates in Slavic as well as Romanian and Greek. | |||
| Basque | sendagilea | ||
| The word 'sendagilea' (physician) in Basque comes from 'sendatu' (to heal) and the suffix '-gile' (one who does). | |||
| Catalan | metge | ||
| The Catalan word «metge» (physician) comes from the Egyptian language, where it meant «seer» or «wise man». | |||
| Croatian | liječnik | ||
| The word "liječnik" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "lěkari", meaning "healer". | |||
| Danish | læge | ||
| The word "læge" is derived from the Old Norse word "læknir", which means "healer" or "mender". | |||
| Dutch | arts | ||
| The Dutch word "arts" is derived from the Latin word "ars" meaning "art, skill, knowledge" and can also refer to various medical practitioners, such as dentists, chiropractors, and veterinarians. | |||
| English | physician | ||
| The word 'physician' comes from the Greek word 'phusis', meaning 'nature', and refers to the natural power to heal. | |||
| French | médecin | ||
| The word “médecin” derives from the Latin word “medicus”, which also meant “healer”, but with a specialization in pharmaceuticals. | |||
| Frisian | dokter | ||
| The word "dokter" in Frisian has cognates in multiple Germanic languages, including "doctor" in English and "dokter" in Dutch. | |||
| Galician | médico | ||
| The Galician word «médico» is derived from the Latin word «medicus», meaning «healer». | |||
| German | arzt | ||
| The German word Arzt is related to the Latin term 'ars,' meaning 'skill' or 'art.' | |||
| Icelandic | læknir | ||
| The Icelandic word for 'physician', 'læknir', derives from 'lækna' meaning 'to heal'. | |||
| Irish | lia | ||
| The word "lia" in Irish likely derives from the Proto-Celtic root "*lijos", meaning "healer" or "curer". | |||
| Italian | medico | ||
| In Italian, "medico" also refers to an herbalist who practices phytotherapy. | |||
| Luxembourgish | dokter | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Dokter" also refers to a vet as well as someone who has earned a doctorate degree. | |||
| Maltese | tabib | ||
| The word "tabib" also means "cook" in Maltese, a meaning that comes from the Arabic "tabikh" ("cooking"). | |||
| Norwegian | lege | ||
| The word "lege" can also refer to a "layman" or "unordained person" in Norwegian. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | médico | ||
| The Portuguese word "médico" derives from the Latin word "medicus", which means "one who heals". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | lighiche | ||
| The word "lighiche" comes from the Old Irish word "liaig", meaning "healer". | |||
| Spanish | médico | ||
| "Médico" is a derivative of the Latin "medicus," meaning "one who heals." | |||
| Swedish | läkare | ||
| The word "läkare" ultimately comes from the Old Norse word "læknir," which originally meant "healer" or "one who knows how to heal." | |||
| Welsh | meddyg | ||
| In Old Welsh 'meddyg' referred to magical healing and 'medd' (mead) may have been used for healing purposes. | |||
Physician in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | урач | ||
| The word "урач" originally meant "bloodletter" | |||
| Bosnian | ljekar | ||
| The word "ljekar" derives from the Persian word "lekar" meaning "helper" or "healer" | |||
| Bulgarian | лекар | ||
| The word "лекар" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*lěkarь", which originally meant "healer" or "sorcerer". | |||
| Czech | lékař | ||
| The word "lékař" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *lěkari, meaning "healer." | |||
| Estonian | arst | ||
| The word "arst" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word *läkäri, which also means "healer". | |||
| Finnish | lääkäri | ||
| "Lääkäri" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "*läkäj" meaning "healer" or "shaman". In modern Finnish, the word can also refer to a veterinarian or a dentist. | |||
| Hungarian | orvos | ||
| The word “orvos” is derived from the Old Turkic word “örük”, meaning “shaman”. In the Hungarian language, the word still retains this meaning in some phrases, such as the expression “orvosolni a bajt”, which means “to heal the trouble”. | |||
| Latvian | ārsts | ||
| The word "ārsts" is of Germanic origin and has a cognate in the English word "art" in the sense of "practical skill or expertise". | |||
| Lithuanian | gydytojas | ||
| The word "gydytojas" (physician) is derived from the Lithuanian verb "gydyti" (to heal), which is itself related to the Proto-Indo-European root "*gʰedh-" (to care for). | |||
| Macedonian | лекар | ||
| The word 'лекар' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'lěkari', meaning 'healer' or 'one who treats diseases'. | |||
| Polish | lekarz | ||
| The Polish term 'Lekarz' is etymologically related to the verbs 'leczyc' ('to treat' in the medical sense) and 'lekowac' ('to cure' or 'to medicate'). | |||
| Romanian | medic | ||
| In Romanian, "medic" can also refer to a person who studies or practices medicine. | |||
| Russian | врач | ||
| The Russian word "врач" originally meant "liar", and was used to refer to sorcerers and folk healers, but its meaning shifted over time to refer to legitimate physicians. | |||
| Serbian | лекар | ||
| The word "лекар" can also mean "healer" or "magician" | |||
| Slovak | lekár | ||
| "Lekár" is a Slovak word derived from an Old Church Slavonic term meaning "healer" or "herb gatherer". | |||
| Slovenian | zdravnik | ||
| The word 'zdravnik' in Slovene may come from 'znati' ('to know'), 'zdrava pamet' ('common sense') or 'Zdravko', the pagan god of medicine. | |||
| Ukrainian | лікар | ||
| The word "лікар" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *lěkari, which also meant "healer" or "medicine man". | |||
Physician in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | চিকিত্সক | ||
| "চিকিত্সক" is derived from the Sanskrit word "cikitsaka", which means "healer". | |||
| Gujarati | ચિકિત્સક | ||
| The word "ચિકિત્સક" (physician) is derived from the Sanskrit root "cikitsa", meaning "healing" or "medicine". | |||
| Hindi | चिकित्सक | ||
| The word 'चिकित्सक' ultimately derives from Sanskrit and carries additional meanings such as 'healer' or 'therapist'. | |||
| Kannada | ವೈದ್ಯ | ||
| The word "ವೈದ್ಯ" (vaidya) in Kannada is derived from the Sanskrit word "vid", which means "knowledge" or "science." | |||
| Malayalam | വൈദ്യൻ | ||
| In addition to 'physician,' the Malayalam word 'വൈദ്യൻ' can also refer to people with healing knowledge or powers. | |||
| Marathi | वैद्य | ||
| In Sanskrit, "vaidya" can mean "one who knows the Vedas" or "healer". | |||
| Nepali | चिकित्सक | ||
| "चिकित्सक" is a Sanskrit word that also means "healer" or "one who cares for the sick" in Hindi and other languages. | |||
| Punjabi | ਵੈਦ | ||
| The word "ਵੈਦ" in Punjabi shares a common root with the Persian word "vaidh" and the Sanskrit word "bhishaj," all meaning "physician." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වෛද්යවරයා | ||
| The word "වෛද්යවරයා" is derived from the Sanskrit word "vaidya", which means "one who knows" or "one who is skilled". | |||
| Tamil | மருத்துவர் | ||
| The word "மருத்துவர்" in Tamil can also refer to a sorcerer or a person who performs a ritual for removing evil spirits. | |||
| Telugu | వైద్యుడు | ||
| The word "physician" can also refer to a teacher or a philosopher. | |||
| Urdu | معالج | ||
| In Urdu, "معالج" can also mean "healer" or "therapist". | |||
Physician in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 医师 | ||
| 医师 can also be used to refer to a doctor of Chinese medicine or a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 醫師 | ||
| 醫師 (traditional Chinese) is a term that can refer to either a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine or a medical doctor. | |||
| Japanese | 医師 | ||
| 医師 originally meant "healer of diseases" before becoming a general term for physician. | |||
| Korean | 내과 의사 | ||
| The word '내과 의사' (physician) is derived from the Korean words '내과' (internal medicine) and '의사' (doctor). | |||
| Mongolian | эмч | ||
| The word "эмч" derives from the Mongolian word " эмчилгээ" (healing), a process that requires knowledge and skill | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဆရာဝန် | ||
| The word ဆရာဝန် "physician" in Myanmar (Burmese) is derived from the Sanskrit word "acharya," and can also mean "teacher". | |||
Physician in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | dokter | ||
| The word "dokter" in Indonesian comes from the Dutch word "doctor" and has a similar meaning in both languages. | |||
| Javanese | dhokter | ||
| "Dhokter" originally meant "older brother" but over time has come to mean "physician" | |||
| Khmer | គ្រូពេទ្យ | ||
| It is also known as វេជ្ជគិរី (physician), a compound word consisting of វេជ្ជ (medicine) + គិរី (mountain), possibly indicating that physicians in the past were associated with the treatment of diseases on mountaintops. | |||
| Lao | ແພດ | ||
| The word | |||
| Malay | pakar perubatan | ||
| The word 'pakar perubatan' can also refer to a medical practitioner who is not a doctor, such as a nurse or pharmacist. | |||
| Thai | แพทย์ | ||
| The word แพทย์ (physician) is derived from the Pali word 'bhesajja', meaning 'healer'. | |||
| Vietnamese | bác sĩ | ||
| The word "bác sĩ" is also used as a respectful term of address for educated people, especially elders | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | manggagamot | ||
Physician in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | həkim | ||
| "Həkim" is both an Arabic and Persian loanword meaning "sage" or "scholar" in addition to its medical definition. | |||
| Kazakh | дәрігер | ||
| The Kazakh word "дәрігер" derives from the Persian word "داروگر" (dârugar), originally meaning "one who heals with medicine." | |||
| Kyrgyz | дарыгер | ||
| The word "дарыгер" is derived from the Persian word "dārugar", meaning "healer" or "one who knows medicine". | |||
| Tajik | табиб | ||
| The term "табиб" in Tajik originates from the Arabic word "tabīb" which means "someone who heals" in its root sense and is related to the word "tabīʿa" meaning "nature". | |||
| Turkmen | lukman | ||
| Uzbek | shifokor | ||
| The Uzbek word “shifokor” is Persian in origin, derived from the Arabic word “shifa” (healing) and the Persian suffix “-kor” (doer). | |||
| Uyghur | دوختۇر | ||
Physician in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kauka | ||
| The word "kauka" also means "expert" or "skillful person" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | rata | ||
| Rata, meaning physician in Maori, also means ‘to heal, revive or cure’, ‘to make well’, and ‘to be in good health’. | |||
| Samoan | fomaʻi | ||
| The word "fomaʻi" in Samoan, meaning "physician," is derived from the Polynesian root "foma" meaning "to heal" or "to restore health". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | manggagamot | ||
| The word 'manggagamot' comes from the root word 'gamot', which means 'to heal' or 'to cure'. In the past, 'manggagamot' also referred to faith healers and spiritual practitioners. | |||
Physician in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | qulliri | ||
| Guarani | pohanohára | ||
Physician in International Languages
| Esperanto | kuracisto | ||
| 'Kuracisto' comes from the root word 'kuraci', which can also mean 'care' or 'treatment.' | |||
| Latin | medicus | ||
| The term 'medicus' derives from the Indo-European root 'med-' meaning 'to heal' and also relates to the Latin 'remedium' ('remedy'). | |||
Physician in Others Languages
| Greek | γιατρός | ||
| The word "γιατρός" is derived from the Greek word "ἰατρός", meaning "healer" or "one who heals". | |||
| Hmong | tus kws kho mob | ||
| Tus kws kho mob literally means “one who uses needles to cure wounds” in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | bijîşk | ||
| The word 'bijîşk' also means 'wise person' in Kurdish, reflecting the respect and trust placed in those who heal. | |||
| Turkish | doktor | ||
| "Doktor" originates from the Greek word "didaskalos," meaning "teacher" and was used to refer to the teacher who taught students about medicine | |||
| Xhosa | ugqirha | ||
| The term "ugqirha" in Xhosa is synonymous with the concept of a traditional healer, encompassing both medicinal and spiritual practices. | |||
| Yiddish | דאָקטער | ||
| The Yiddish word "דאָקטער" (dokter) originates from the Middle High German word "doctor", meaning "teacher" or "scholar", and ultimately derives from the Latin word "docēre", meaning "to teach". | |||
| Zulu | udokotela | ||
| The Zulu word "udokotela" can also refer to a traditional healer or diviner. | |||
| Assamese | চিকিৎসক | ||
| Aymara | qulliri | ||
| Bhojpuri | चिकित्सक के ह | ||
| Dhivehi | ފިޒިޝަން އެވެ | ||
| Dogri | वैद्य जी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | manggagamot | ||
| Guarani | pohanohára | ||
| Ilocano | mangngagas | ||
| Krio | dɔktɔ we de mɛn pipul dɛn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پزیشک | ||
| Maithili | चिकित्सक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯐꯤꯖꯤꯁꯤꯌꯟ ꯑꯃꯥ ꯑꯣꯏꯅꯥ ꯊꯕꯛ ꯇꯧꯔꯤ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | damdawi lam thiam | ||
| Oromo | ogeessa fayyaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଚିକିତ୍ସକ | ||
| Quechua | hampiq | ||
| Sanskrit | वैद्यः | ||
| Tatar | табиб | ||
| Tigrinya | ሓኪም | ||
| Tsonga | dokodela | ||