Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'poll' holds a significant place in our democratic societies, referring to the act of voting in an election or survey. This simple action is a cornerstone of cultural importance, allowing individuals to have their say and influence decisions that can shape their communities, countries, and the world. But what about the word 'poll' in different languages? Understanding this term in various languages can provide insight into how other cultures approach this fundamental concept. For instance, in German, 'poll' translates to 'Umfrage' or 'Wahl', while in Spanish, it's 'encuesta' or 'voto'. In French, you might say 'sondage' or 'vote', and in Japanese, 'poll' is translated as '公表' (kōhō) or '投票' (tōhyō).
Delving into the translations of 'poll' in different languages not only expands our vocabulary but also deepens our appreciation for the diversity of human cultures and political systems. Join us as we explore the many ways to say 'poll' around the world!
Afrikaans | peiling | ||
The Afrikaans word "peiling" can also mean "sounding" or "depth measurement". | |||
Amharic | ምርጫ | ||
The word 'ምርጫ' in Amharic can also refer to "option" or "choice". | |||
Hausa | zabe | ||
"Zabe" in Hausa also means "choice" or "election". | |||
Igbo | nghoputa | ||
Derived from the Igbo word 'ghota' ('guess'), 'nghoputa' denotes the act of predicting or forecasting an outcome. | |||
Malagasy | fitsapan-kevitra | ||
Derived from the French "bulletin de vote" | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kafukufuku | ||
The word 'kafukufuku' is also used to describe a small hut or shelter. | |||
Shona | sarudzo | ||
'Sarudzo' in Shona also means 'the power or right to choose' or 'a choice or decision'. | |||
Somali | codbixin | ||
Codbixin is derived from the Somali verb codbixi, meaning 'to vote' or 'to cast a ballot' | |||
Sesotho | phuputso | ||
Phuputso is also commonly used to refer to any form of voting or expression of opinion, especially in political contexts. | |||
Swahili | kura | ||
Kura in Swahili refers to "poll" in English, but also means "lot" in the sense of "a decision or selection made by random draw." | |||
Xhosa | ukuvota | ||
The Xhosa word "ukuvota" also means "to choose" or "to elect". | |||
Yoruba | idibo | ||
The word 'idibo' in Yoruba also signifies 'the end of the month' and 'a boundary' | |||
Zulu | ukuvota | ||
The Zulu word "ukuvota" can also mean "to choose" or "to count". | |||
Bambara | poll (sɛgɛsɛgɛli). | ||
Ewe | poll | ||
Kinyarwanda | amatora | ||
Lingala | sondage ya sondage | ||
Luganda | okulonda | ||
Sepedi | poll | ||
Twi (Akan) | nhwehwɛmu a wɔyɛe | ||
Arabic | تصويت | ||
The word تصويت derives from the root صوت (sawta), meaning "to make a sound" or "to utter a word". | |||
Hebrew | מִשׁאָל | ||
The word מִשׁאָל is similar to "משאלה" (wish) in that it implies a desire to get a response. | |||
Pashto | ټولیزه | ||
The Pashto word "ټولیزه" ("poll") can also refer to a religious festival or gathering. | |||
Arabic | تصويت | ||
The word تصويت derives from the root صوت (sawta), meaning "to make a sound" or "to utter a word". |
Albanian | sondazh | ||
The word "sondazh" in Albanian derives from the French word "sondage," which means "survey" or "opinion poll." | |||
Basque | inkesta | ||
In Basque, "inkesta" also means "survey". | |||
Catalan | enquesta | ||
Catalan "enquesta" derives from the Latin word "inquirere," to inquire or investigate, which also gave rise to "inquiry" in English. | |||
Croatian | anketa | ||
The word 'anketa' is derived from the French word 'enquête', meaning 'investigation' or 'inquiry'. | |||
Danish | afstemning | ||
The Danish word "afstemning" can be traced back to the old Danish word "stemme", meaning "voice". | |||
Dutch | poll | ||
In Dutch, the word "poll" can also refer to a poplar tree, derived from the Latin word "populus". | |||
English | poll | ||
"Poll" can also refer to a short stick used to register votes | |||
French | sondage | ||
Derived from the Old French 'sonder', meaning 'to sound, to probe' | |||
Frisian | poll | ||
In Frisian, 'poll' also means 'head' or 'skull'. | |||
Galician | enquisa | ||
"Enquisa" comes from the Old Galician word "enquerer", meaning "to investigate". | |||
German | umfrage | ||
The noun "Umfrage" is a compound of two words: "um" and "Frage", the latter of which means "question" in English. | |||
Icelandic | skoðanakönnun | ||
The Icelandic word "skoðanakönnun" can also mean "exploration of views" | |||
Irish | vótaíocht | ||
Italian | sondaggio | ||
"Sondaggio" is derived from "sonda", meaning "probe" or "sound", suggesting an exploration or measurement of public opinion. | |||
Luxembourgish | ëmfro | ||
Ëmfro is also used figuratively to refer to a person's head or face. | |||
Maltese | votazzjoni | ||
The Maltese word "votazzjoni" is originally derived from the Italian"votazione". | |||
Norwegian | avstemming | ||
The Norwegian avstemming, "poll," also means "lineage" or "descent," stemming from the Old Norse word "stemma," "family tree." | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | votação | ||
The Portuguese word "votação" can also refer to the act of voting or the result of a vote. | |||
Scots Gaelic | cunntas-bheachd | ||
In modern Scottish Gaelic, this word is most likely to refer to a deep place in a river, rather than a general word for "hole" in the sense of a cavity in the ground. | |||
Spanish | encuesta | ||
The word "encuesta" comes from the Latin "inquirere", meaning "to inquire". | |||
Swedish | opinionsundersökning | ||
Opinionsundersökning comes from the words 'opinion' and 'undersökning' (investigation) and is used in the context of surveys. | |||
Welsh | pôl | ||
Pôl originates from the Welsh word "pol," meaning "pool" or "head" and "poll" in Old English. |
Belarusian | апытанне | ||
Bosnian | anketa | ||
The word "anketa" in Bosnian comes from the German word "Ankette" or the French word "enquête," both meaning "survey" or "inquest." | |||
Bulgarian | анкета | ||
The word "анкета" in Bulgarian is derived from the French word "enquête", which means "investigation" or "inquiry." | |||
Czech | hlasování | ||
The Czech word "hlasování" also means "voice" or "vote." | |||
Estonian | küsitlus | ||
The word "küsitlus" can also refer to an interrogation or inquiry in Estonian. | |||
Finnish | kysely | ||
The Finnish word "kysely" (poll) is derived from the verb "kysyä" (to ask) and originally meant "a question" or "an inquiry". | |||
Hungarian | közvélemény kutatás | ||
In Hungarian, the word for "poll" (közvélemény kutatás) literally translates to "investigation of public opinion." | |||
Latvian | aptauja | ||
The word "aptauja" is cognate with "aptauja" in Lithuanian, meaning "to ask" or "inquiry." | |||
Lithuanian | apklausa | ||
The Lithuanian word "apklausa" derives from the verb "klausyti" (to listen), reflecting its origin as a way to gather opinions. | |||
Macedonian | анкета | ||
The word "анкета" is a loanword from French "enquête" and is used in Macedonian to refer to a survey, questionnaire, or poll. | |||
Polish | głosowanie | ||
The word "głosowanie" in Polish also means "voting" or "the act of casting a vote". | |||
Romanian | sondaj | ||
In French, sondaj means 'drilling' or 'boring,' reflecting its original usage in geological surveying. | |||
Russian | опрос | ||
"Опрос" also means an interrogation or questioning. | |||
Serbian | анкета | ||
The word “анкета” in Serbian originates from the French “enquête” (investigation, survey), and is often used interchangeably with the term “упитник” (questionnaire). | |||
Slovak | anketa | ||
The Slovak word "anketa" is cognate with the Greek word "anecdota", which means "unpublished" or "secret". | |||
Slovenian | anketa | ||
The word 'anketa' comes from the German word 'Anfrage', meaning 'request' or 'inquiry'. | |||
Ukrainian | опитування | ||
The Ukrainian word "опитування" originally referred to the practice of counting votes or opinions, and is derived from the Old Ukrainian verb "опитатися" (to inquire), which itself is derived from the Proto-Slavic verb *opytati (to test). |
Bengali | পোল | ||
The word "poll" in Bengali can also refer to a measure of land, equal to about one acre. | |||
Gujarati | મતદાન | ||
The word "poll" comes from the Latin word "polliceo," meaning "to promise". | |||
Hindi | मतदान | ||
The word मतदान in Hindi, which translates to 'poll' in English, also means 'casting of a vote' and 'ballot'. It is derived from the word ' मत ', which means 'opinion'. The word 'दान' means 'to give', so मतदान refers to the act of giving one's opinion in a formal way through voting. | |||
Kannada | ಮತದಾನ | ||
ಮತದಾನ is a word in Kannada which means 'voting', 'election polling', or 'public opinion'} | |||
Malayalam | വോട്ടെടുപ്പ് | ||
The word "poll" comes from the Dutch word "pol" meaning "top of the head," as it originally referred to a list of heads counted to determine a winner in an election. | |||
Marathi | मतदान | ||
मतदान, meaning "poll" in Marathi, comes from the Sanskrit शब्द "मत" (opinion) and "दान" (gift). | |||
Nepali | पोल | ||
The word "पोल" ("poll") in Nepali can also mean a "pole" or a "stick". | |||
Punjabi | ਚੋਣ | ||
The word "poll" can refer to a survey of public opinion or to the act of cutting or shearing hair from the head or body. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මත විමසුම | ||
Tamil | கருத்து கணிப்பு | ||
Telugu | ఎన్నికలో | ||
"ఎన్నిక" (poll) originally meant "to trim" or "to cut". In Telugu, the word also refers to the counting of votes cast in an election. | |||
Urdu | پول | ||
پول (poll) can also mean an election or a survey in Urdu. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 轮询 | ||
"轮询" 在英语中除了投票的意思以外,还可指轮换、轮流、巡逻等。 | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 輪詢 | ||
輪詢 (noun) - 輪流詢問意見 or a system that examines input-output units on a data communications channel in cyclical order | |||
Japanese | 投票 | ||
"投票(poll)" also carries alternate meanings such as "election" and the verb "to vote." | |||
Korean | 투표 | ||
The Korean word "투표" also means "to cast a vote." | |||
Mongolian | санал асуулга | ||
The word "санал асуулга" is derived from the Mongolian word "санал" (opinion) and "асуулга" (question), and it can also refer to an official statement or decree issued by a government or organization. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | မဲရုံ | ||
The word "မဲရုံ" can also mean "a small amount" or "a little bit" in Myanmar (Burmese). |
Indonesian | pemilihan | ||
"Pemilihan" in Indonesian derives from the root word "pilih" meaning "to choose" and shares a linguistic connection with "selection" in English, highlighting its use in the context of making choices. | |||
Javanese | jajak pendapat | ||
The word 'jajak pendapat' ('poll') in Javanese can also refer to 'a group of people' or 'a way of conducting an election'. | |||
Khmer | ការស្ទង់មតិ | ||
Lao | ແບບ ສຳ ຫຼວດ | ||
Malay | pengundian | ||
The Malay word "pengundian" (poll) also has the alternate meaning of "lottery." | |||
Thai | แบบสำรวจ | ||
The Thai word "แบบสำรวจ" also means "questionnaire" or "survey". | |||
Vietnamese | cuộc thăm dò ý kiến | ||
The word 'poll' can also mean a register of people eligible to vote in an election. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | poll | ||
Azerbaijani | anket | ||
"Anket" is also a name of a historical Azeri village located in the territory of the modern-day Armenia, which was a part of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918-1920; during the Soviet era the village was populated mainly by ethnic Kurds. It was abandoned and emptied during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War." | |||
Kazakh | сауалнама | ||
The Kazakh word "сауалнама" also means "survey" or "questionnaire". | |||
Kyrgyz | сурамжылоо | ||
The Kyrgyz word "сурамжылоо" also refers to a collective discussion | |||
Tajik | пурсиш | ||
The word "пурсиш" can also mean "inquiry" or "investigation" in Tajik. | |||
Turkmen | pikir soralyşyk | ||
Uzbek | so'rovnoma | ||
The word "so'rovnoma" is derived from the Persian word "so'rovat" meaning "question". | |||
Uyghur | راي سىناش | ||
Hawaiian | balota | ||
The Hawaiian word "balota" can also refer to a voting ballot or the act of voting. | |||
Maori | pooti | ||
The word "pooti" also refers to the top of the head or the back of the neck in Maori. | |||
Samoan | palota | ||
The Samoan word 'palota' can also refer to a vote, an election, or a census. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | botohan | ||
"Botohan" also means "fishing method of driving fish into a shallow area so that they can be easily caught" in Tagalog. |
Aymara | encuesta luraña | ||
Guarani | encuesta rehegua | ||
Esperanto | enketo | ||
"Enketo" is derived from the Greek word "enkētēsis", meaning "investigation" or "inquiry" | |||
Latin | suffragium | ||
The word "suffragium" is closely related to "suffragor," meaning "to support", "to agree with," "to vote." |
Greek | ψηφοφορία | ||
The word 'ψηφοφορία' comes from the ancient Greek word 'ψῆφος,' meaning 'pebble' or 'vote,' as pebbles were used in ancient Greece to cast votes. | |||
Hmong | chaw ntsuas | ||
The Hmong word "chaw ntsuas" also means "to talk over something together" or "to discuss". | |||
Kurdish | gelpisî | ||
The Kurdish word "gelpisî" also refers to a type of bird known as a "lapwing". | |||
Turkish | anket | ||
"Anket" (meaning "poll" today) derives semantically from "a-nak-id" in Sumerian meaning, "to make known; to report" | |||
Xhosa | ukuvota | ||
The Xhosa word "ukuvota" also means "to choose" or "to elect". | |||
Yiddish | אַנקעטע | ||
The Yiddish word "אַנקעטע" (anketa) comes from the Russian "анкета" (anketa), which itself is derived from the French "enquête" (investigation). | |||
Zulu | ukuvota | ||
The Zulu word "ukuvota" can also mean "to choose" or "to count". | |||
Assamese | poll | ||
Aymara | encuesta luraña | ||
Bhojpuri | पोल के बा | ||
Dhivehi | ޕޯލް | ||
Dogri | पोल करो | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | poll | ||
Guarani | encuesta rehegua | ||
Ilocano | surbey | ||
Krio | poll we dɛn kin du | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕاپرسی | ||
Maithili | पोल | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯣꯜ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo | poll a ni | ||
Oromo | filannoo | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ମତଦାନ | ||
Quechua | encuesta | ||
Sanskrit | मतदानम् | ||
Tatar | сораштыру | ||
Tigrinya | ድምጺ ምሃብ | ||
Tsonga | poll | ||