Principal in different languages

Principal in Different Languages

Discover 'Principal' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'principal' carries great significance in many aspects of life, denoting a primary source, chief person, or leading authority. Its cultural importance is evident in various fields, such as education where a principal is the head of a school, or finance, where principal refers to the original sum of money lent or invested. Understanding the translation of 'principal' in different languages can open up new avenues of communication and cultural appreciation.

Did you know that the word 'principal' has Latin roots, stemming from 'principalis' which means 'first in order of importance'? Or that in Hawaiian, the word for principal, 'kumu,' also means 'teacher' or 'source'? This linguistic and cultural connection highlights the revered role of educators in Hawaiian society.

Explore the many faces of 'principal' in our list below, and discover how this word is woven into the fabric of languages and cultures worldwide.

Principal


Principal in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansskoolhoof
The word "skoolhoof" (principal) in Afrikaans comes from the Dutch word "schoolhoofd", which literally means "school head".
Amharicዋና
The word 'ዋና' can also mean 'main', 'chief', or 'head'.
Hausashugaban makaranta
"Makaranta" means 'school' or 'education', and "shugaba" means 'leader' or 'head'", so the term literally means "the head of the school".
Igboonye isi ulo akwukwo
Malagasyfototra
"Fototra" is cognate with "foto-foto", the reduplicated form of "foto" (first, eldest).
Nyanja (Chichewa)wamkulu
"Wamkulu" can also refer to a chief, or a traditional healer.
Shonamukuru
In addition to meaning "principal," the Shona word "mukuru" also refers to a "senior" or "elder."
Somalimaamulaha
The Somali word 'maamulaha' comes from the Arabic word 'mudir' meaning 'manager' or 'director'.
Sesothoka sehloohong
The word "ka sehloohong" in Sesotho literally translates to "of the big horn" and is also used to refer to a respected elder.
Swahilimkuu
Mkuu derives from the Arabic word
Xhosainqununu
Inqununu, meaning 'chief' or 'head', is also a term used to refer to a school principal in Xhosa.
Yorubaolori ile-iwe
The term "olori ile-iwe" literally translates to "head of the house of books" in Yoruba, highlighting its connection to leadership and education.
Zuluuthishanhloko
The Zulu word "uthishanhloko" derives from the conjugation of the verb "ukuthi" (to tell, say) and the noun "isanhluko" (head), resulting in the meaning "the one who speaks on behalf of the head".
Bambaraɲɛmaa
Ewenua ŋutɔ
Kinyarwandaumuyobozi
Lingalaya yambo
Lugandapulinsipaali
Sepedimotheo
Twi (Akan)ankasa

Principal in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicالمالك
As a noun, "المالك" also means "owner".
Hebrewקֶרֶן
"קרן" can also mean „horn” or „ray” and is related to the Latin word „cornu” (horn) and the Greek word “κέρας” (horn).
Pashtoپرنسپل
The word "پرنسپل" in Pashto can also mean "capital" or "principal money".
Arabicالمالك
As a noun, "المالك" also means "owner".

Principal in Western European Languages

Albaniandrejtori
"Drejtori" is derived from the Latin word "directus" meaning "straight" and also refers to a "leader" or "manager" in Albanian.
Basquenagusia
The word "nagusia" can also mean "chief" or "elder" in Basque.
Catalanprincipal
The Catalan word "principal" can also refer to the front door of a building or the main artery of a circulatory system.
Croatianglavni
In Croatian, "glavni" can also mean "chief", "main", or "head" in various contexts.
Danishrektor
The word "rektor" is derived from the Latin word "rector", meaning "ruler" or "director".
Dutchopdrachtgever
Dutch "opdrachtgever" (principal) may also mean the commissioner of an artwork or the sender of a package.
Englishprincipal
In education, 'principal' refers to the head of a school, derived from 'princeps' (Latin for 'first').
Frenchprincipal
In French, the word "principal" can also mean "main" or "most important".
Frisianrektor
The Frisian word "rektor" is derived from the Latin word "rector," which also means "ruler" and "steerer."
Galicianprincipal
In Galician, "principal" can also be a noun referring to a spring (source of water).
Germanschulleiter
The term "Schulleiter" translates literally as "school leader" and historically was also used for other school leadership roles, such as head teacher and senior teacher.
Icelandicskólastjóri
"Skólastjóri" literally means "school-steerer" or "helmsman of the school" in Icelandic.
Irishpríomhoide
Italianprincipale
The word "principale" in Italian can also mean "primary" or "main".
Luxembourgishhaaptleit
The word Haaptleit can also mean 'head teacher' or 'head of an institution'.
Malteseprinċipal
The Maltese term "prinċipal" originates from the Latin word "princeps," meaning "first or chief."
Norwegianrektor
"Rektor" comes from the Latin "regere," meaning "to rule."
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)diretor
The Portuguese word "diretor" originates from the Latin term "directus," meaning "straight" or "direct."
Scots Gaelicprionnsapal
The word "prionnsapal" is derived from the Latin "princeps", meaning "first or chief".
Spanishprincipal
Besides meaning "principal", "principal" can also mean "director".
Swedishrektor
'Rektor', which translates as 'principal', comes from the Latin 'regere', which means 'to rule or govern'.
Welshprifathro
Its Welsh form is sometimes rendered as 'prifathro', a word which also denotes a 'headmaster' in the language.

Principal in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianгалоўны
The word "галоўны" and its variants mean "head" as well as "main" in many Slavic languages.
Bosnianglavnica
The word 'glavnica' can also refer to the 'capital' in the 'capital and interest' formula.
Bulgarianглавница
The word "главница" in Bulgarian can also refer to the "principal" amount of a loan, the "capital" of a company, or the "main" thing in general.
Czechředitel školy
The word "ředitel školy" can also refer to the head of a company or organization, not just an educational institution.
Estonianpeamine
Principal is related to the word “peal,” meaning “on” or “top,” but also refers to a “head” of a school or a “main” thing.
Finnishpäämies
The word "päämies" is derived from the word "pää" ("head") and denotes a person who is in charge or has authority over others.
Hungarian
Fő can also mean 'main', 'major', 'head', or 'chief'.
Latviangalvenais
The word “galvenais” can also mean “central” or “leading” in Latvian.
Lithuanianpagrindinis
Pagrindinis is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *per- (
Macedonianдиректор
In Greek, the word "διευθυντής" can refer to an "overseer" or "administrator," hinting at the role a principal plays in overseeing a school's daily operations.
Polishdyrektor
The Polish word "dyrektor" originally meant "conductor" and is related to the Latin word "dirigere" (to direct).
Romanianprincipal
In Romanian, "principal" can also mean "husband" or "head of a household," derived from the Latin word "principalis," meaning "first."
Russianглавный
The word "главный" (principal) in Russian can also refer to "most important" or "supreme".
Serbianглавни
"Главни" can be used in Serbian in contexts unrelated to education, for example, as a translation of "main".
Slovakprincipál
The Slovak word "principál" can also mean "the main person or thing" in general.
Slovenianravnatelj
The word 'ravnatelj', meaning 'principal' in Slovenian, is derived from the verb 'ravnati', which means 'to manage' or 'to direct'.
Ukrainianголовний
The word "головний" ("principal") in Ukrainian can also refer to the head, the main part, or the most important thing.

Principal in South Asian Languages

Bengaliঅধ্যক্ষ
অধ্যক্ষ, Sanskrit for 'ruler or administrator', can refer to a school administrator (principal) or to a university vice-chancellor (president or provost).
Gujaratiઆચાર્યશ્રી
Hindiप्रधान अध्यापक
'प्रधान अध्यापक' is also known as 'प्रधानाचार्य' and 'हेडमास्टर' in Hindi.
Kannadaಪ್ರಧಾನ
The Kannada word "ಪ್ರಧಾನ" (pradhāna) is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit word "pradhāna", which means "chief, main, essential".
Malayalamപ്രിൻസിപ്പൽ
"പ്രിൻസിപ്പൽ" is commonly used in Malayalam banking industry with the same meaning "principal" in English, the money deposited or lent.
Marathiप्राचार्य
The word "प्राचार्य" in Marathi ultimately derives from the Sanskrit word "pra-ācārya", meaning "the highest teacher or spiritual guide."
Nepaliप्रिंसिपल
The term 'प्रिंसिपल' ('principal') is derived from the Latin word 'principalis', meaning 'first' or 'chief'.
Punjabiਪ੍ਰਿੰਸੀਪਲ
Sinhala (Sinhalese)විදුහල්පති
Tamilமுதன்மை
"முதன்மை" is also used to mean "the first", "the most important", or "the main".
Teluguప్రిన్సిపాల్
Urduپرنسپل
The word "پرنسپل" can also mean "capital" or "amount invested" in Urdu.

Principal in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)主要
"主要" can also mean "majority" or "most important".
Chinese (Traditional)主要
In Japanese, "主要" can also refer to "the head of a family" or "the main part of a building."
Japanese主要な
"主要な" (shuyona) literally means "the important one" in Japanese, but it can also mean "main" as in "main entrance"}
Korean주요한
The word "주요한" can also mean "chief", "main", or "essential" in English.
Mongolianзахирал
Originally meaning 'chief' or 'leader', захирал also means 'manager' in modern Mongolian.
Myanmar (Burmese)ကျောင်းအုပ်ကြီး

Principal in South East Asian Languages

Indonesiankepala sekolah
Kepala Sekolah is a compound noun consisting of `Kepala` (literally `head`) and `Sekolah` (literally `school`), but it does not refer to the physical head of a school but rather to its administrative leader.
Javanesekepala sekolah
"Kepala sekolah" can also mean "the head of a school" or "the leader of a school".
Khmerនាយកសាលា
The Khmer word “នាយកសាល” (“principal”) also refers to a “mayor” or other village or city leader.
Laoອໍານວຍການ
Malaypengetua
In Malay, "pengetua" can also refer to a dean or a warden, further emphasizing its broad role in education and leadership.
Thaiเงินต้น
The word "เงินต้น" in Thai can also mean "capital" or "funds invested".
Vietnamesehiệu trưởng
In Vietnamese, the word "hiệu trưởng" is also used to refer to the head of a religious or educational institution, denoting their authority and leadership within the organization.
Filipino (Tagalog)punong-guro

Principal in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniəsas
The word "əsas" in Azerbaijani also means "main, basic, fundamental, primary, chief".
Kazakhнегізгі
The word "негізгі" in Kazakh can also mean "basic" or "main".
Kyrgyzнегизги
The word "негизги" can also mean "essential" or "main" in Kyrgyz.
Tajikасосӣ
The word "асосӣ" also means "main" or "backbone" in Tajik.
Turkmenmüdir
Uzbekasosiy
The word "asosiy" in Uzbek not only means "principal", but also has the meanings "main", "primary", and "chief".
Uyghurمەكتەپ مۇدىرى

Principal in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianpoʻokumu
Poʻokumu literally means 'the root of a tree', suggesting a solid foundation and enduring authority.
Maoritumuaki
Tumuaki carries a primary and an alternate definition in te reo Māori, with the alternative meaning being "head of the land or people."
Samoanpule aʻoga
The word "pule aʻoga" comes from the Samoan words "pule" (power, authority) and "aʻoga" (school).
Tagalog (Filipino)punong-guro
"Punong-guro" is also a title given to an elementary school teacher in the Philippines.

Principal in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarawakiskiri
Guaranitenondetegua

Principal in International Languages

Esperantorektoro
The Esperanto word "rektoro" derives from the Latin "rector", meaning "ruler" or "director".
Latinprincipalem
"Principalem" is used for a capital city and for the leading official of a province.

Principal in Others Languages

Greekδιευθυντρια σχολειου
Διευθύντρια (Greek) comes from the verb διευθύνω (I direct) and ultimately from the Greek word ἰθύνω (I lead, I control, I command, I guide).
Hmongtus thawj xibfwb
I'm sorry, I don't know the etymology of tus thawj xibfwb in Hmong.
Kurdishasasî
The word "asasî" can also mean "essential" or "basic" in Kurdish.
Turkishmüdür
"Müdür" is the Turkish word for "principal" and derives from the Arabic word "mudir," also meaning "director" or "manager"
Xhosainqununu
Inqununu, meaning 'chief' or 'head', is also a term used to refer to a school principal in Xhosa.
Yiddishהויפּט
The word "hoipt" comes from the German word "Haufen", which means "heap" or "pile."
Zuluuthishanhloko
The Zulu word "uthishanhloko" derives from the conjugation of the verb "ukuthi" (to tell, say) and the noun "isanhluko" (head), resulting in the meaning "the one who speaks on behalf of the head".
Assameseপ্ৰধান
Aymarawakiskiri
Bhojpuriप्रधानाध्यापक
Dhivehiޕްރިންސިޕަލް
Dogriप्रिंसिपल
Filipino (Tagalog)punong-guro
Guaranitenondetegua
Ilocanokangrunaan
Kriomen
Kurdish (Sorani)بەڕێوەبەر
Maithiliप्रधान
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯁꯦꯜꯂꯦꯞ
Mizohruaitu
Oromooogganaa mana barnootaa
Odia (Oriya)ପ୍ରଧାନ
Quechuakuraq
Sanskritप्रधानाचार्य
Tatarпринципиаль
Tigrinyaርእሰ መምህር
Tsongamurhangeri

Click on a letter to browse words starting with that letter