Politics in Different Languages
Discover 'Politics' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Politics, a term that has shaped societies and cultures throughout history, is the art and science of governing and managing public affairs. Its significance lies in its ability to impact the lives of citizens, from shaping laws and policies to influencing social norms and values. The cultural importance of politics is undeniable, as it serves as the foundation for how communities and nations are governed.
Understanding the translation of politics in different languages can provide valuable insights into how various cultures approach governance and decision-making. For instance, the Chinese translation of politics (政治, zhèng zhì) reflects a focus on the regulation and management of state affairs, while the Spanish translation (política) emphasizes the practical application of political principles.
Moreover, exploring the translations of politics can also shed light on historical contexts and power dynamics. For example, the Russian translation of politics (политика, politika) was heavily influenced by the country's Soviet past, while the German translation (Politik) reflects the country's federal system of government.
Join us as we delve into the translations of politics in various languages, from Arabic (سياسة, siyāsah) to Zulu (isiko sikaPhathi), and gain a new perspective on the cultural significance of this important term.
Politics
Politics in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | politiek | ||
| "Politiek" in Afrikaans is also used as a noun to describe political activity, a political system, or political thinking. | |||
| Amharic | ፖለቲካ | ||
| Hausa | siyasa | ||
| "Siyasa" also means "wisdom" and "cunning" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | ndọrọ ndọrọ ọchịchị | ||
| Malagasy | politika | ||
| Politika is also a Malagasy term for 'policy,' 'law,' or 'rule' | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ndale | ||
| "Ndale" also means "the place where a chief resides". | |||
| Shona | zvematongerwo enyika | ||
| Somali | siyaasada | ||
| The word 'siyaasada' is derived from the Arabic word 'siyasa', which means 'governance' or 'management'. | |||
| Sesotho | lipolotiki | ||
| 'Lipolotiki' also means 'the practice of governing a country or organization' and derives from the word 'polotika' in Greek which means 'of, for, or relating to citizens' | |||
| Swahili | siasa | ||
| The Swahili word "siasa" originally referred to the management of traditional African kingdoms. | |||
| Xhosa | ezopolitiko | ||
| The Xhosa word "ezopolitiko" is derived from the Zulu word "izopolitiki," which means "the state of affairs." | |||
| Yoruba | oselu | ||
| The Yoruba word "oselu" also refers to "a gathering of people for an assembly or meeting" or "the place where such a gathering is held." | |||
| Zulu | ipolitiki | ||
| Ipolitiki can also mean 'policy,' 'ideology,' or 'governmental affairs' in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | politiki siratigɛ la | ||
| Ewe | dunyahehe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | politiki | ||
| Lingala | politiki | ||
| Luganda | ebyobufuzi | ||
| Sepedi | dipolotiki | ||
| Twi (Akan) | amammuisɛm | ||
Politics in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | سياسة | ||
| سياسة means "the art of government" or "the way something is run." | |||
| Hebrew | פּוֹלִיטִיקָה | ||
| The word "פּוֹלִיטִיקָה" derives from the Greek word "πολιτικός", meaning "of or pertaining to the state or government". | |||
| Pashto | سیاست | ||
| The Pashto word “سیاست” is also used to refer to the “system of government”. | |||
| Arabic | سياسة | ||
| سياسة means "the art of government" or "the way something is run." | |||
Politics in Western European Languages
| Albanian | politika | ||
| The word "politika" in Albanian derives from the ancient Greek word "polis," meaning "city-state" and referring to the affairs of the citizenry. | |||
| Basque | politika | ||
| In Basque, "politika" shares its root with words meaning "city" and "order", indicating the historical link between politics and urban governance. | |||
| Catalan | política | ||
| In Catalan, "política" can also refer to the art of governance or the science of politics. | |||
| Croatian | politika | ||
| Politika means a policy of the government; it can also stand for the entire sphere of the social life | |||
| Danish | politik | ||
| Politik is derived from the Greek word "polis," meaning "city-state," and refers to the art of governing a city or state. | |||
| Dutch | politiek | ||
| The Dutch word "politiek" derives from the Greek word "politikos", meaning "pertaining to government". | |||
| English | politics | ||
| Stemming from the ancient Greek word polis, meaning "city-state," "politics" retains its original definition of "affairs of the city" alongside its modern meaning. | |||
| French | politique | ||
| "Politique" in the French language can mean both "policy", as in "public policy" or "corporate policy," and also "civility" in the sense of refinement and cultivation. | |||
| Frisian | polityk | ||
| Frisian "polityk" is derived from the Greek word "politeia", meaning "citizenship" or "form of government". | |||
| Galician | política | ||
| In Galician, "política" can also mean "insurance policy" or "strategy". | |||
| German | politik | ||
| The German word "Politik" can also refer to police affairs, as in the "Polizeidirektion" (police headquarters). | |||
| Icelandic | stjórnmál | ||
| In modern Icelandic, "stjórnmál" is a plural noun but it is used with singular verbs like the singular "stjórnmálfræði" (political science), which was calqued on German "Politikwissenschaft" | |||
| Irish | polaitíocht | ||
| The word "polaitíocht" derives from the Greek "politeia", meaning "citizenship" or "the affairs of the city-state". | |||
| Italian | politica | ||
| Politica is derived from the Greek word "polis," meaning "city-state," indicating its focus on governing a community. | |||
| Luxembourgish | politik | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Politik" can also mean "policy" or "strategy". | |||
| Maltese | politika | ||
| The word "politika" comes from the Greek word "politiki", meaning "affairs of the city-state". | |||
| Norwegian | politikk | ||
| The word "politikk" is derived from the Greek word "polis," meaning "city-state" or "community." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | política | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "política" can also refer to a type of insurance policy or a lottery bet. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | poilitigs | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "poilitigs" is borrowed from English, and is often used to refer to traditional music and song. | |||
| Spanish | política | ||
| In Spanish, "política" also refers to a written agreement or contract. | |||
| Swedish | politik | ||
| In Swedish, "politik" can also refer to "police matters" or "political science" when preceded by terms like "politi- or "polis-. | |||
| Welsh | gwleidyddiaeth | ||
Politics in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | палітыка | ||
| Палітыка (“politics”) is a word that appeared in the 15th century from the Greek “πολιτικός” (“belonging to the city or state”), which is related to the words “polis” and “πολίτης” (“citizen”). It is worth noting that in Belarus in the late Middle Ages, the meaning of the word “палітыка” was also associated with the “state”, but only later did it acquire a political meaning. | |||
| Bosnian | politika | ||
| The word 'politika' originally meant "the art of citizenship" from Greek. | |||
| Bulgarian | политика | ||
| The word “политика” also means “policy” and derives from the Greek word for “city,” πόλις (polis). | |||
| Czech | politika | ||
| The word 'politika' comes from the Greek word 'politikos', which means 'of citizens', and is also related to the word 'polis', which means 'city'. | |||
| Estonian | poliitika | ||
| The word "poliitika" is derived from the Greek word "polis," meaning "city-state," and refers to the activities involved in governing a city or state. | |||
| Finnish | politiikka | ||
| The word "politiikka" is borrowed from the French word "politique", which in turn comes from the Ancient Greek word "πολιτική" (politikē), meaning "of, for, or relating to the citizens". In Finnish, the word has acquired a more general meaning, encompassing all aspects of government and public affairs. | |||
| Hungarian | politika | ||
| The word "politika" is borrowed from Greek and it also means "science, scholarly writing" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | politikā | ||
| 'Politika' also means 'affair' or 'event' in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | politika | ||
| The word 'politika' is thought to derive from the Ancient Greek term 'polis,' denoting a city-state, suggesting that politics originates in the organization and governance of urban communities. | |||
| Macedonian | политика | ||
| The word "политика" in Macedonian can also refer to a type of insurance policy or a lottery ticket. | |||
| Polish | polityka | ||
| In Poland, polityka can also mean insurance, such as health, life, property or car insurance. | |||
| Romanian | politică | ||
| The word "politică" in Romanian ultimately derives from the ancient Greek word "politikos", meaning "of the city-state" or "citizenly". | |||
| Russian | политика | ||
| In ancient Greek, “πολιτικά” meant the affairs of the citizens of a city-state, the “πόλις” (“polis”). | |||
| Serbian | политике | ||
| The word "politike" in Serbian can also refer to "rules" or "guidelines" when used in a non-political context. | |||
| Slovak | politika | ||
| Politika can also refer to a type of sausage in Slovakia, known for its strong flavor and aroma. | |||
| Slovenian | politiko | ||
| The word "politiko" can also refer to a politician or political figure in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | політика | ||
| "Політика" is derived from the Greek "polis" meaning "city-state", highlighting politics' connection to governance and society. | |||
Politics in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | রাজনীতি | ||
| রাজনীতি' শব্দের মূল অর্থ 'রাজার নীতি', অর্থাৎ যে নীতি অনুসারে রাজা তার রাজ্য শাসন করেন। | |||
| Gujarati | રાજકારણ | ||
| Hindi | राजनीति | ||
| The term "राजनीति" can also imply statesmanship or diplomacy. | |||
| Kannada | ರಾಜಕೀಯ | ||
| The word "ರಾಜಕೀಯ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "राजनीति" (rājanīti), which means "the art of governing." | |||
| Malayalam | രാഷ്ട്രീയം | ||
| Marathi | राजकारण | ||
| "राजकारण" can also mean "the business of government" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | राजनीति | ||
| The word 'राजनीति' is derived from the Sanskrit words 'राज' (king) and 'नीति' (policy), and can also refer to statecraft, diplomacy, or the science of government. | |||
| Punjabi | ਰਾਜਨੀਤੀ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දේශපාලනය | ||
| "දේශපාලනය" (politics) derives from Sanskrit "deśa" (country, land) and "pālana" (protection, preserving), hence "protection or preservation of the country". | |||
| Tamil | அரசியல் | ||
| The word அரசியல் also means "policy" or "governance" in Tamil | |||
| Telugu | రాజకీయాలు | ||
| It can also refer to the art of governance without implying the presence of political parties. | |||
| Urdu | سیاست | ||
| سیاست is the Urdu word for "politics" but is also an Islamic term meaning "jurisprudence" originating from the Quran. | |||
Politics in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 政治 | ||
| 政治 (zhèngzhì) originally meant 'to govern a state' and later broadened to mean 'politics'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 政治 | ||
| 政治 is derived from two characters: 治, meaning "to govern" and 政, meaning "to order or administer." | |||
| Japanese | 政治 | ||
| '政治' can refer to either "political affairs" or "government," depending on whether it is read as "seiji" or " siyaji," respectively, in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 정치 | ||
| 정치 ('jeong-chi') can also refer to 'government' or 'politics and governance'. | |||
| Mongolian | улс төр | ||
| The Mongolian word "улс төр" derives from an ancient word, "үлүс тооригч" which means a "leader who looks over the interests of the nation." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နိုင်ငံရေး | ||
Politics in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | politik | ||
| Politik in Indonesian also means 'politics' in a more narrow sense, referring to the activities of political parties and their leaders. | |||
| Javanese | politik | ||
| Javanese 'politik' also refers to 'social etiquette' or 'customary laws' in addition to 'politics'. | |||
| Khmer | នយោបាយ | ||
| "នយោបាយ" is derived from Pali and Sanskrit words meaning "guidance" or "control." | |||
| Lao | ການເມືອງ | ||
| Malay | politik | ||
| The Malay word "politik" can also refer to "clever manipulation" or "cunning stratagem". | |||
| Thai | การเมือง | ||
| In Thai, "การเมือง" (politics) also refers to the affairs of the state and the process of governing. | |||
| Vietnamese | chính trị | ||
| The word “chính trị” derives from two Chinese characters, “chính” (correct) and “trị” (rule), and can also mean “administrative management” in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pulitika | ||
Politics in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | siyasət | ||
| The word "siyasət" in Azerbaijani derives from the Persian word "siyāsat" meaning "governance, administration". | |||
| Kazakh | саясат | ||
| The word 'саясат' ('politics') in Kazakh comes from the Arabic word 'siyāsat' ('governance'), which in turn derives from the Greek word 'politeia' ('citizenship'). | |||
| Kyrgyz | саясат | ||
| Саясат means the art of government or prudence in Kyrgyz, the word is derived from Arabic and Persian and has other meanings such as "statecraft", "policy", or "governance." | |||
| Tajik | сиёсат | ||
| The word "сиёсат" is ultimately derived from the Greek word "πολιτική" (politikē), meaning "affairs of the city". | |||
| Turkmen | syýasat | ||
| Uzbek | siyosat | ||
| The word "siyosat" in Uzbek comes from the Persian word "siyāsat" meaning "governance", "polity", | |||
| Uyghur | سىياسەت | ||
Politics in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kālaiʻāina | ||
| The Hawaiian word "kālaiʻāina" (literally "land carving") was also used to refer to the division of land among chiefs. | |||
| Maori | torangapu | ||
| The word 'torangapu' can also mean 'negotiation,' 'mediation,' or 'peacemaking' in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | polokiki | ||
| Polokiki is a term that entered the Samoan language when New Zealand took over the administration of Samoa in 1914. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | politika | ||
| Politika may derive from the Greek word "polis" which means "city", or from the Spanish word "politica" which means "policy". | |||
Politics in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | política tuqitxa | ||
| Guarani | política rehegua | ||
Politics in International Languages
| Esperanto | politiko | ||
| "Politiko" in Esperanto also refers to the body of politicians in a state. | |||
| Latin | rei publicae | ||
| The term "rei publicae," meaning "of the public thing," encompasses the administration of public affairs and the responsibilities of citizens. | |||
Politics in Others Languages
| Greek | πολιτική | ||
| The word "πολιτική" originally meant "affairs of the city" in ancient Greek, and its alternate meanings include "civics" and "governance". | |||
| Hmong | ua nom ua tswv | ||
| The Hmong term "ua nom ua tswv" combines the words for "words" and "power" to describe the realm of politics and decision-making. | |||
| Kurdish | sîyaset | ||
| In Ottoman Turkish, the word "sîyaset" could also refer to the art of horsemanship and archery, as well as the science of managing horses. | |||
| Turkish | siyaset | ||
| "Siyaset" derives from Persian word "siyāsah" meaning "management" or "policy," suggesting that politics is considered the art of governing and managing state affairs. | |||
| Xhosa | ezopolitiko | ||
| The Xhosa word "ezopolitiko" is derived from the Zulu word "izopolitiki," which means "the state of affairs." | |||
| Yiddish | פּאָליטיק | ||
| The Yiddish word "פּאָליטיק" can also mean "a political party" or "a government policy". | |||
| Zulu | ipolitiki | ||
| Ipolitiki can also mean 'policy,' 'ideology,' or 'governmental affairs' in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | ৰাজনীতি | ||
| Aymara | política tuqitxa | ||
| Bhojpuri | राजनीति के बात कइल जाव | ||
| Dhivehi | ސިޔާސީ ކަންކަމެވެ | ||
| Dogri | राजनीति | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pulitika | ||
| Guarani | política rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | politika | ||
| Krio | pɔlitiks | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سیاسەت | ||
| Maithili | राजनीति | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯔꯥꯖꯅꯤꯇꯤꯒꯤ ꯂꯃꯗꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | politics lam a ni | ||
| Oromo | siyaasa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ରାଜନୀତି | ||
| Quechua | política nisqamanta | ||
| Sanskrit | राजनीति | ||
| Tatar | сәясәт | ||
| Tigrinya | ፖለቲካ | ||
| Tsonga | tipolitiki | ||