President in Different Languages
Discover 'President' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'president' holds immense significance in many aspects of society, carrying with it a sense of leadership, authority, and representation. Originating from the Latin 'prae' meaning 'before' and 'sedere' meaning 'to sit', a president is one who sits before others, signifying their role as a leader or presiding officer.
Throughout history, presidents have played pivotal roles in shaping nations and making critical decisions. One of the most well-known presidents, George Washington, was the first President of the United States and is often referred to as the 'Father of His Country'. His leadership during the American Revolutionary War was instrumental in the formation of the United States.
Understanding the translation of 'president' in different languages can provide valuable insights into cultural differences and similarities. For instance, in Spanish, 'presidente' reflects the Latin roots of the word, while in Japanese, 'shusho' conveys a sense of respect and authority.
Join us as we explore the translations of 'president' in various languages, shedding light on the cultural importance of this influential role.
President
President in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | president | ||
| The Afrikaans word "president" is derived from the Dutch "preses", meaning "chairman" or "judge." | |||
| Amharic | ፕሬዚዳንት | ||
| The word ዞፍየድዚል, borrowed by Amharic through French “présidente”, was likely derived from Latin "prae-" and "sedere," meaning "to sit before," referring to ancient Roman military and civilian authorities who adjudicated disputes. | |||
| Hausa | shugaban kasa | ||
| The word "shugaban kasa" in Hausa also means "leader of the house" or "father of the house". | |||
| Igbo | onye isi ala | ||
| "Onye isi ala" can be literally translated to "owner of the headship position". | |||
| Malagasy | filoha | ||
| The word "filoha" can also refer to a chief or a leader in Malagasy society. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | purezidenti | ||
| Nyanja's "Purezidenti" is borrowed from English, but also means "leader", referring to a spiritual or religious group. | |||
| Shona | mutungamiri wenyika | ||
| Somali | madaxweyne | ||
| The term "madaxweyne" is a compound word derived from "madax" (head) and "weyne" (big or great). | |||
| Sesotho | mopresidente | ||
| The Sesotho word "mopresidente" is derived from the English "Mr President". | |||
| Swahili | rais | ||
| The Swahili word "rais" evolved from the Arabic word "ra'īs" meaning "a commander, a chief", and also means "a headmaster" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | umongameli | ||
| The word "umongameli" also means "shepherd" or "caretaker" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | aare | ||
| The term "Aare" has multiple meanings including "leader", "chieftain", "head", "captain", "commander", "general" and "ruler". | |||
| Zulu | umongameli | ||
| The Zulu word "umongameli" is related to the verb "onga mela," meaning "to lead or control." | |||
| Bambara | jamakuntigi | ||
| Ewe | dukplɔla | ||
| Kinyarwanda | perezida | ||
| Lingala | prezida | ||
| Luganda | omukulu w'eggwanga | ||
| Sepedi | mopresitente | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɔmanpanin | ||
President in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | رئيس | ||
| The word "رئيس" in Arabic also means "head" or "chief" and can refer to a leader of a group or organization. | |||
| Hebrew | נָשִׂיא | ||
| The Hebrew word for "president," נָשִׂיא, originally meant "prince" or "ruler." | |||
| Pashto | ولسمشر | ||
| The word "ولسمشر" has Arabic roots, with "ولس" meaning "ruler, chief" and "مر" meaning "leader, commander," conveying the notion of a powerful ruler. | |||
| Arabic | رئيس | ||
| The word "رئيس" in Arabic also means "head" or "chief" and can refer to a leader of a group or organization. | |||
President in Western European Languages
| Albanian | president | ||
| The word “president” (president) is commonly used in Albanian to refer to the head of a state or government, and originates from the Latin word praesidere, which means “to sit before”. | |||
| Basque | presidentea | ||
| The Basque word for "president" is "presidentea," which derives from the Latin "praesidens," meaning "one who sits before" | |||
| Catalan | president | ||
| In Catalan, "president" also means "principal" or "head". | |||
| Croatian | predsjednik | ||
| The word "predsjednik" shares its root "sjediti" with the word "sjedenje" (sitting), reflecting its original meaning of "the one who sits in front". | |||
| Danish | formand | ||
| Formand is derived from the Old Norse word formiro, meaning 'to preside, rule, or control' | |||
| Dutch | president | ||
| In Dutch, "president" also means "chairman" or "head of a meeting". | |||
| English | president | ||
| In French, 'president' originally denoted a presiding officer, while in English it originally meant 'overseer'. | |||
| French | président | ||
| The word "Président" in French also refers to the head of a court or tribunal. | |||
| Frisian | presidint | ||
| The Frisian word presidint shares an etymology with the English and French word 'president' and can also mean 'rector' of a church or 'chairman' | |||
| Galician | presidente | ||
| The Galician word "presidente" also means "chairman" or "principal". | |||
| German | präsident | ||
| The German word "Präsident" originates from the Latin word "praeses", meaning "one who sits in front". | |||
| Icelandic | forseti | ||
| The word "forseti" comes from the Old Norse word "forseti", meaning "one who speaks in the place of another". | |||
| Irish | uachtarán | ||
| Italian | presidente | ||
| The word "Presidente" also means "chairman" or "principal" in Italian. | |||
| Luxembourgish | president | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "president" can also refer to the leader of a sports club or association. | |||
| Maltese | president | ||
| In Maltese, "president" can also refer to a head of a religious order or a bishop. | |||
| Norwegian | president | ||
| Norwegian 'president' also means 'chairman' as in the chairman of a board or committee. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | presidente | ||
| While both Portuguese and Spanish use "Presidente" for "president", the word also means "chairman" or "principal" in Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ceann-suidhe | ||
| The word "ceann-suidhe", meaning "president" in Scots Gaelic, literally means "head of the seat". | |||
| Spanish | presidente | ||
| The word "presidente" in Spanish ultimately derives from the Latin word for "to sit". | |||
| Swedish | president | ||
| In Swedish, "president" refers not only to the Swedish head of government, but also an office chair or armchair. | |||
| Welsh | llywydd | ||
| The word "llywydd" also means "leader" or "chief" and is rooted in the Welsh word "llyw," meaning "to lead" or "to govern." | |||
President in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | прэзідэнт | ||
| Прэзідэнт (“prezident”) comes from the Latin word “praesidens,” meaning “one who sits in front.” | |||
| Bosnian | predsjednice | ||
| The word 'predsjednice' derives from the Proto-Slavic word 'prědsědeti', meaning 'to sit in front', which also gave rise to the Russian word 'председатель' (chairman). | |||
| Bulgarian | президент | ||
| In Bulgarian, "президент" can also refer to an official elected by a group or organization and is also used in titles of certain officials. | |||
| Czech | prezident | ||
| In Czech, the word "prezident" originated from the French word "président" in the 19th century. | |||
| Estonian | president | ||
| The word "president" comes from the Latin word "praesidere", meaning "to sit before" or "to preside". | |||
| Finnish | presidentti | ||
| It comes from the Latin word "praesidens", which means "one who sits before" or "one who presides." | |||
| Hungarian | elnök | ||
| The term 'elnök' can also refer to the leader of an association or a committee. | |||
| Latvian | prezidents | ||
| "Prezidents" in Latvian originated from the German word "Präsident" and is used to refer to the President of Latvia, other presidents, and a chairman of a board or organisation. | |||
| Lithuanian | prezidentas | ||
| The word "prezidentas" comes from the Latin word "praesidens", meaning "one who sits before" or "leader". | |||
| Macedonian | претседател | ||
| In Macedonian, the word "претседател" can also refer to a chairman or chairperson of a meeting or organization. | |||
| Polish | prezydent | ||
| In Polish, "prezydent" can also refer to leaders of regional or local administrative units. | |||
| Romanian | președinte | ||
| The Romanian word "președinte" derives from the French "président", but in Romanian, it can also refer to the head of an organization. | |||
| Russian | президент | ||
| The word "президент" means "chairman" or "chief" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | председник | ||
| The word "председник" (president) in Serbian also means "chairman" or "head of a group or organization." | |||
| Slovak | prezident | ||
| Prezident comes from Latin "prae-", meaning "in front of" or "over" and "sedere" meaning "to sit". | |||
| Slovenian | predsednik | ||
| The word "predsednik" is derived from the Slavic root "*sed-+", meaning "to sit" or "to occupy a seat". | |||
| Ukrainian | президент | ||
| The word "президент" is derived from the Latin word "praeses", meaning "chief," and is often used in Ukrainian to refer to the leader of an organization or institution. | |||
President in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | রাষ্ট্রপতি | ||
| The Bengali word "রাষ্ট্রপতি" (rashtrapati) is derived from the Sanskrit words "rashtra" (nation) and "pati" (lord), so it can also refer to a "head of state" more broadly. | |||
| Gujarati | રાષ્ટ્રપતિ | ||
| The Gujarati word "રાષ્ટ્રપતિ" can also refer to "the presiding officer of an assembly" or "the head of a country". | |||
| Hindi | अध्यक्ष | ||
| As a noun, अध्यक्ष can also refer to the head of an organization, a judge, or the presiding officer of a meeting | |||
| Kannada | ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷ | ||
| The word "ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷ" (adhyaksha) is related to the Sanskrit word "अध्यक्ष" (adhyaksha), meaning "one who is in charge" or "chief". It can also refer to a chairman, director, or head of an organization. | |||
| Malayalam | പ്രസിഡന്റ് | ||
| പ്രസിഡന്റ് (President) means the head of a state or an organization in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | अध्यक्ष | ||
| The Marathi word "अध्यक्ष" comes from the Sanskrit word "अध्यक्ष्य", meaning "headship" or "superintendence." | |||
| Nepali | राष्ट्रपति | ||
| In Sanskrit, "राष्ट्रपति" may refer to a commander, ruler, or a head of state | |||
| Punjabi | ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ | ||
| The word "प्रधान" (president) in Punjabi is derived from the Sanskrit word "pradhāna" meaning "chief" or "principal." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සභාපති | ||
| The Sinhala word "සභාපති" derives from the Sanskrit root "sabhā", meaning "gathering" or "assembly." | |||
| Tamil | ஜனாதிபதி | ||
| The Tamil word "ஜனாதிபதி" is derived from the Sanskrit word "जनपति" which means "Lord of the People" or "King". | |||
| Telugu | అధ్యక్షుడు | ||
| The word "అధ్యక్షుడు" also means a chairman or head of an organization, society, or group. | |||
| Urdu | صدر | ||
| The word “صدر” in Urdu also means the chief or the head of a department or a group, and is derived from the Arabic word “sadr” which means “chest” or “heart”. | |||
President in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 总统 | ||
| 总统 (zǒngtǒng), a Chinese word that originally referred to an elected leader of a club or other organization. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 總統 | ||
| 總統 (tóngzǒng) is also used colloquially in Chinese to refer to the school principal. | |||
| Japanese | 大統領 | ||
| The Japanese word "大統領" (daitouryou) literally means "great leader/commander". | |||
| Korean | 대통령 | ||
| In Korean, the word "대통령" can be broken down into "대" (great), "통" (control), and "령" (head), collectively meaning "the great leader who controls the country." | |||
| Mongolian | ерөнхийлөгч | ||
| In Mongolian, the word "ерөнхийлөгч" not only means "president" but also denotes a person who sits at the head of a table or gathering. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သမ္မတ | ||
| သမ္မတ is a Pali term borrowed from Sanskrit that means 'foremost', 'best' or 'chief'. | |||
President in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | presiden | ||
| The Indonesian word 'Presiden' also carries the meaning of a person with supernatural abilities in Javanese literature. | |||
| Javanese | presiden | ||
| In Javanese, the word "presiden" can also refer to the leader of a farmers' organization or a village chief. | |||
| Khmer | ប្រធានាធិបតី | ||
| Lao | ປະທານາທິບໍດີ | ||
| Malay | presiden | ||
| The word "presiden" in Malay originally meant "chief" or "leader" and was used to refer to the head of a village or community. | |||
| Thai | ประธาน | ||
| In Thai, the word "ประธาน" can also refer to the chair of a meeting, the head of an organization, or the highest authority in a country. | |||
| Vietnamese | chủ tịch | ||
| The word "chủ tịch" also means "chairman" and is derived from the Sino-Vietnamese word "主席" (pronounced "zhǔxí" in Mandarin), meaning "master of ceremonies" or "leader of a meeting". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | presidente | ||
President in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | prezident | ||
| In Azerbaijani, prezident can also refer to a type of melon. | |||
| Kazakh | президент | ||
| The Kazakh word “президент” comes from the French word “président” and has the same meaning. | |||
| Kyrgyz | президент | ||
| In Kyrgyz, the word "президент" can also refer to a "chairman" or "head of a meeting". | |||
| Tajik | президент | ||
| The word "президент" in Tajik originates from French and Latin, and is cognate with English "president". | |||
| Turkmen | prezidenti | ||
| Uzbek | prezident | ||
| In Uzbek, "Prezident" can also refer to a chairman or head of an organization or institution. | |||
| Uyghur | president | ||
President in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pelekikena | ||
| The Hawaiian word "pelekikena" is also used to mean "a chief who is like the king's shadow." | |||
| Maori | perehitini | ||
| Perehitini (president) derives from English through French and is related to the French word for 'president' (président), both ultimately deriving from Latin. | |||
| Samoan | peresitene | ||
| While it is often translated as "president," it originally referred to a chief who served as the leader of a village. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pangulo | ||
| The word "pangulo" in Tagalog originates from the Spanish word "cabeza" meaning "head" or "chief". | |||
President in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jïlir irpiri | ||
| Guarani | mburuvicha | ||
President in International Languages
| Esperanto | prezidanto | ||
| "Prezidanto" originally meant "one who sits before" in Latin, and in Esperanto it also means "chairman". | |||
| Latin | praeses | ||
| The word "praeses" in Latin refers to a person presiding over an assembly, meeting, or court; it has no connotation of executive leadership. | |||
President in Others Languages
| Greek | πρόεδρος | ||
| The Greek word "Πρόεδρος" (Proedros) originally meant "one who sits in front" and was used to refer to the head of a committee or assembly. | |||
| Hmong | tus thawj tswj hwm | ||
| In Hmong, the word "tus thawj tswj hwm" not only refers to the position of "president" but also carries the meaning of "chief" or "leader" in a broader sense. | |||
| Kurdish | serok | ||
| Serok derives from the Persian word 'sar' meaning 'head', 'top', 'chief' | |||
| Turkish | devlet başkanı | ||
| In Turkish, the word "Devlet Başkanı" also signifies "head of state" or "sovereign" rather than strictly denoting a role within a presidential system, capturing the wider concept of leadership authority. | |||
| Xhosa | umongameli | ||
| The word "umongameli" also means "shepherd" or "caretaker" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | פּרעזידענט | ||
| The Yiddish word "פּרעזידענט" can also mean a "chairman" or "leader" of an organization or group. | |||
| Zulu | umongameli | ||
| The Zulu word "umongameli" is related to the verb "onga mela," meaning "to lead or control." | |||
| Assamese | ৰাষ্ট্ৰপতি | ||
| Aymara | jïlir irpiri | ||
| Bhojpuri | राष्ट्रपति | ||
| Dhivehi | ރައީސް | ||
| Dogri | राश्ट्रीपति | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | presidente | ||
| Guarani | mburuvicha | ||
| Ilocano | presidente | ||
| Krio | prɛsidɛnt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سەرۆک | ||
| Maithili | अध्यक्ष | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯔꯥꯁꯇ꯭ꯔꯄꯇꯤ | ||
| Mizo | hotu | ||
| Oromo | pirezidaantii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ରାଷ୍ଟ୍ରପତି | ||
| Quechua | presidente | ||
| Sanskrit | राष्ट्रपति | ||
| Tatar | президенты | ||
| Tigrinya | ፕረዝደንት | ||
| Tsonga | phuresidente | ||