Prison in Different Languages
Discover 'Prison' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Prison is a word that carries significant weight in our global vocabulary. It represents a place of confinement, punishment, and rehabilitation, and has been a part of human societies for centuries. The concept of imprisonment is not only a legal or criminal justice term, but also a cultural and historical concept that varies across different societies and time periods.
For instance, did you know that the ancient Greeks and Romans used prisons primarily as holding cells before trial or execution? Or that the infamous Bastille in Paris, which was stormed during the French Revolution, was originally built as a royal fortress and later turned into a state prison?
Understanding the translation of prison in different languages can provide insight into how different cultures view and approach the concept of imprisonment. Here are a few examples:
- Spanish: prisión
- French: prison
- German: Gefängnis
- Mandarin: 狱 (__yù)
- Japanese: 牢 (__rō)
Prison
Prison in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | gevangenis | ||
| The word 'gevangenis' likely originates from the Latin 'captivus', meaning 'captive.' | |||
| Amharic | እስር ቤት | ||
| The word 'እስር ቤት' in Amharic literally means 'house of chains'. | |||
| Hausa | kurkuku | ||
| The Hausa word "kurkuku" also means "a small hole" | |||
| Igbo | ụlọ mkpọrọ | ||
| Malagasy | am-ponja | ||
| "Am-ponja" is derived from the Malay word "penjara", originally meaning "trap". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ndende | ||
| In Nyanja, 'ndende' is also a type of wooden fence used to encircle villages or cattle pens. | |||
| Shona | jeri | ||
| The word "jeri" in Shona, meaning "prison," originates from the verb "kujira" (to shut or enclose). | |||
| Somali | xabsi | ||
| The Somali word "xabsi" also means "cage" or "confinement". | |||
| Sesotho | chankana | ||
| The word "chankana" also means "to trap" or "to ensnare" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | gereza | ||
| The term 'gereza' may be related to 'gerezo', a type of tree found near a prison in Zanzibar and used to make prison walls. | |||
| Xhosa | intolongo | ||
| The word 'intolongo' in Xhosa also carries connotations of isolation and containment. | |||
| Yoruba | tubu | ||
| Tubu is thought to be derived from the word 'tu', meaning 'to guard' in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | ijele | ||
| The word "ijele" in Zulu, meaning "prison," is etymologically related to the verb "jele," meaning "to lock up or imprison." | |||
| Bambara | kaso | ||
| Ewe | mɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gereza | ||
| Lingala | boloko | ||
| Luganda | ekkomera | ||
| Sepedi | kgolego | ||
| Twi (Akan) | afiase | ||
Prison in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | السجن | ||
| The Arabic word "السجن" (al-sijn) also means "fortification" or "stronghold" and is derived from the root word "سجن" (sajana), meaning "to enclose" or "to shut in." | |||
| Hebrew | בית כלא | ||
| בית כלא in Hebrew comes from the Talmudic phrase על בית סוהר, and originally meant a place of detention for non-criminals | |||
| Pashto | زندان | ||
| The Pashto word "زندان" is cognate with the Persian word "زندان", both of which derives from the Arabic root word "ز-ن-د" meaning "to restrain" or "to imprison". | |||
| Arabic | السجن | ||
| The Arabic word "السجن" (al-sijn) also means "fortification" or "stronghold" and is derived from the root word "سجن" (sajana), meaning "to enclose" or "to shut in." | |||
Prison in Western European Languages
| Albanian | burgu | ||
| An alternative meaning is "a place where animals are kept". | |||
| Basque | kartzela | ||
| "Kartzel" is a loanword from Spanish "cárcel" which, in turn, comes from Latin "carcer". It has been part of the Basque language since at least the 16th century. | |||
| Catalan | presó | ||
| The word "presó" in Catalan is derived from the Latin word "prensus", meaning "captured" or "seized". | |||
| Croatian | zatvor | ||
| "Zatvor" is derived from the Croatian word "zatvoriti," meaning "to close" or "to lock," and originally referred to a closed-off space; it can also mean "constipation" or "a blockage." | |||
| Danish | fængsel | ||
| The word "fængsel" is derived from the Old Norse word "fengs" meaning "fetter" and the Old Danish word "sal" meaning "house". | |||
| Dutch | gevangenis | ||
| "Gevangenis" is derived from the Middle Dutch word "gevangenisse," meaning "captivity" or "imprisonment." | |||
| English | prison | ||
| The word "prison" derives from the Old French word "prisun" meaning "capture," and ultimately from the Latin word "prehendere" meaning "to seize." | |||
| French | prison | ||
| The French word 'prison' comes from the Latin 'prehendere', meaning 'to seize or capture'. | |||
| Frisian | gefangenis | ||
| In some contexts, the West Frisian word "gefangenis" can refer to the act of capturing or imprisonment. | |||
| Galician | prisión | ||
| In the Galician language, the word "prisión" can also refer to a clamp used to fasten something tightly. | |||
| German | gefängnis | ||
| The word "Gefängnis" derives from the Old High German word "givancnissa", meaning "capture" or "imprisonment". | |||
| Icelandic | fangelsi | ||
| The term 'fangelsi' was originally a term for the space between two posts or branches supporting a trap. | |||
| Irish | príosún | ||
| The word "príosún" (prison) in Irish comes from the Latin word "prehensio" (seizure) and also means "capture". | |||
| Italian | prigione | ||
| "Prigione" derives from the Latin word "prendere," meaning "to seize" or "to capture" | |||
| Luxembourgish | prisong | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Prisong" can also refer to a dungeon or a small cell. | |||
| Maltese | ħabs | ||
| The Maltese word for prison, "ħabs", also has an alternative meaning, "confines" or "boundaries". | |||
| Norwegian | fengsel | ||
| The word 'fengsel' is derived from the Old Norse word 'fanga', meaning 'to catch or capture'. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | prisão | ||
| The Portuguese word "prisão" derives from the Latin "prehensio", meaning "seizure" or "capture", and can also refer to a legal restraint, such as an injunction or arrest. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | phrìosan | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "phrìosan" is related to the Latin word "prensio" meaning "to seize" and the Irish word "príosún" meaning "a catch or trap". | |||
| Spanish | prisión | ||
| "Prisión" also means "pressure" or "tightness" in Spanish. | |||
| Swedish | fängelse | ||
| "Fängelse" in Swedish originates from the Old Norse word "fengsel", meaning "to catch" or "to hold captive." | |||
| Welsh | carchar | ||
| Carchar is derived from the Middle Welsh term 'carchar' meaning 'enclosure' or 'confine' | |||
Prison in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | турма | ||
| The term "турма" is also used in some Slavic languages to refer to a prison or a place of detention. | |||
| Bosnian | zatvor | ||
| "Zatvor" has several meanings in Bosnian, including "constipation", "closure" and "conclusion of a case or meeting". | |||
| Bulgarian | затвор | ||
| The Bulgarian word "затвор" is related to the Serbian words "zatvor" ("closure, imprisonment") and "zatvoriti" ("to close, to imprison"). | |||
| Czech | vězení | ||
| The word "vězení" comes from the Old Czech word "věziti," meaning "to bind" or "to hold captive." | |||
| Estonian | vangla | ||
| Etymology of "vangla" is uncertain, but it may derive from German "fangen" (to catch) or Latin "vinculum" (bond). | |||
| Finnish | vankila | ||
| Its Proto-Germanic origin means 'curved', which could relate to a type of prison. | |||
| Hungarian | börtön | ||
| The Hungarian word "börtön" ("prison") is derived from the Turkic word "börte" meaning "tent" or "dwelling place". | |||
| Latvian | cietums | ||
| The word "cietums" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*ketjōną", which originally meant "to bind together". | |||
| Lithuanian | kalėjimas | ||
| "Kalėjimas" also means "blacksmithing" in Lithuanian and comes from the verb "kalti" ("to forge") | |||
| Macedonian | затвор | ||
| The word "затвор" ("zatvor") also refers to a hermit's cell in an Eastern Orthodox monastery, where a monk lives in secluded prayer. | |||
| Polish | więzienie | ||
| The Polish word "więzienie" can also mean "a bond" or "a fetter". | |||
| Romanian | închisoare | ||
| "Închisoare" is derived from the Latin word "incarcerare", meaning "to imprison". In Romanian, it can also refer to a monastery or a place of confinement. | |||
| Russian | тюрьма | ||
| The word "тюрьма" (prison) in Russian comes from the Turkic word "türmä", meaning "dwelling" or "place of confinement". | |||
| Serbian | затвор | ||
| The word "затвор" (prison) is derived from the verb "затворити" (to close), suggesting a place of confinement or isolation. | |||
| Slovak | väzenie | ||
| The word "väzenie" (prison) is derived from the Slavic verb "vęzati" (to bind), implying confinement and restriction of movement. | |||
| Slovenian | zapor | ||
| "Zapor" in Slovenian can also refer to a barrier or enclosure, not just a prison. | |||
| Ukrainian | тюрма | ||
| The word "тюрма" (prison) in Ukrainian originates from the ancient Greek word "turme" (watchtower, dungeon). | |||
Prison in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কারাগার | ||
| "কারাগার" can also mean "captivity," "bondage," or "slavery" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | જેલ | ||
| "જેલ" can refer to prison or a lattice of any material | |||
| Hindi | जेल व | ||
| The word "जेल" is derived from the Persian word "زندان" (zindān), meaning "a place of confinement". | |||
| Kannada | ಜೈಲು | ||
| The word "ಜೈಲು" in Kannada is thought to be derived from the Portuguese word "gaiola" or the English word "jail", both meaning "prison". | |||
| Malayalam | ജയിൽ | ||
| The word "ജയിൽ" also means "successful" in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | तुरुंग | ||
| "तुरुंग" (prison) originated from "तुरुंग" (cave) and was later used for prisons possibly due to caves being used as makeshift prisons in the past. | |||
| Nepali | जेल | ||
| The word "जेल" is derived from the Persian word "زندان" (zindān), meaning "dungeon" or "prison". | |||
| Punjabi | ਜੇਲ | ||
| In Punjabi, "jail" can also be used as a verb meaning "to confine" or "to restrain". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | බන්ධනාගාර | ||
| The Sinhala term 'bandanagara' for 'prison' derives from Sanskrit and originally referred to a 'residence of the bound' | |||
| Tamil | சிறையில் | ||
| The Tamil word "சிறையில்" comes from the Sanskrit word "श्री" meaning "prosperous" or "auspicious", which is ironic considering its current meaning of "prison". | |||
| Telugu | జైలు | ||
| The word "జైలు" (prison) is derived from the Persian word "زندان" (zindān), meaning "stronghold" or "dungeon". | |||
| Urdu | جیل | ||
| The word "جیل" ultimately derives from the Latin word "caveola", meaning "small cave". | |||
Prison in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 监狱 | ||
| The Chinese word "监狱" (jiànyù) literally means "to isolate and educate". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 監獄 | ||
| The character 監 (jiàn) in 監獄 originally meant 'to supervise', while 獄 (yù) meant 'a place of detention'. During the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE), the character 監獄 was officially adopted to refer to prisons. | |||
| Japanese | 刑務所 | ||
| The word "刑務所" is derived from the Chinese word "刑務", meaning "punishment". | |||
| Korean | 감옥 | ||
| 감옥 is derived from the Middle Chinese word 'kám-ngiok' meaning 'locked building' and its original meaning was more like 'jail' or 'detention centre'. | |||
| Mongolian | шорон | ||
| In some dialects of Mongolian, this word refers to “fence made of reeds” or “sheep fold” | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အကျဉ်းထောင် | ||
Prison in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | penjara | ||
| The Indonesian word "penjara" can also refer to a cage, an enclosure, or a place of confinement. | |||
| Javanese | pakunjaran | ||
| Pakunjaran, derived from Sanskrit, originally meant 'island', and evolved to refer to a place of confinement due to its isolation. | |||
| Khmer | ពន្ធនាគារ | ||
| In Khmer, the word "ពន្ធនាគារ" literally means "a place where you are wrapped up in chains of snakes." | |||
| Lao | ຄຸກ | ||
| In Lao, the word "ຄຸກ" can also refer to a "cage" or a "pen". | |||
| Malay | penjara | ||
| The word "penjara" originally meant "cage" or "enclosure" in Javanese. | |||
| Thai | คุก | ||
| The word "คุก" also means "to cough" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | nhà tù | ||
| "Nhà tù" can also refer to a specific type of traditional Vietnamese architecture. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bilangguan | ||
Prison in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | həbsxana | ||
| "Həbsxana" is derived from the Persian word "habs", meaning "custody", and the Azerbaijani suffix "-xana", meaning "place". It can also refer to a detention center or a juvenile detention facility. | |||
| Kazakh | түрме | ||
| The Kazakh word "түрме" is also used in Turkish and means "tomb" or "sepulcher". | |||
| Kyrgyz | түрмө | ||
| The word "түрмө" (tyurma) is not originally Kyrgyz but has been adopted from Russian and is a cognate of the Turkic word "тюрьма" (tyurma), meaning "place of confinement". | |||
| Tajik | зиндон | ||
| "Зиндон" is an Arabic loanword meaning "dungeon" or "cell". In modern Tajik, it is used to refer to prisons in general. | |||
| Turkmen | türme | ||
| Uzbek | qamoqxona | ||
| Qamoqxona is derived from the Persian word "qamoghikhounah" which means "place of arrest and detention". | |||
| Uyghur | تۈرمە | ||
Prison in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hale paʻahao | ||
| Historically 'hale pa'ahao' referred to prisons with walls of stone or coral. | |||
| Maori | whare herehere | ||
| The word "whare herehere" in Maori can also refer to a house of corrections or a place of confinement. | |||
| Samoan | falepuipui | ||
| The word "falepuipui" derives from the Samoan words "fale" (house) and "puipui" (to enclose), suggesting its historical use as a place of confinement. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kulungan | ||
| The Tagalog word "kulungan" is derived from the root word "kulong," which means "to confine" or "to imprison." | |||
Prison in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jariyawi | ||
| Guarani | ka'irãi | ||
Prison in International Languages
| Esperanto | malliberejo | ||
| "Malliberejo" literally means "free-unplace" or "not-liberty-place", which reflects the negative connotation associated with prison. | |||
| Latin | carcerem | ||
| The word "carcerem" originates from the Latin verb "carcere," meaning "to enclose," and its root is shared with the word "coercive." | |||
Prison in Others Languages
| Greek | φυλακή | ||
| The word 'φυλακή' (prison) in Greek also means 'guard', 'watch', or 'protection'. | |||
| Hmong | nkuaj | ||
| The word "nkuaj" is possibly derived from the Vietnamese word "ngục," meaning "prison." | |||
| Kurdish | girtîgeh | ||
| The word 'girtîgeh' is derived from the Persian word 'gerdīgah', which means 'a place where people are detained'. | |||
| Turkish | hapishane | ||
| The word "hapishane" originates from the Persian word "habs" meaning "detention" and the Turkish suffix "-hane" meaning "house". | |||
| Xhosa | intolongo | ||
| The word 'intolongo' in Xhosa also carries connotations of isolation and containment. | |||
| Yiddish | טורמע | ||
| In Hebrew, "טורמע" originally meant "wall" or "barrier" and was only later used figuratively to refer to "prison". | |||
| Zulu | ijele | ||
| The word "ijele" in Zulu, meaning "prison," is etymologically related to the verb "jele," meaning "to lock up or imprison." | |||
| Assamese | কাৰাগাৰ | ||
| Aymara | jariyawi | ||
| Bhojpuri | जेल | ||
| Dhivehi | ޖަލު | ||
| Dogri | जै'ल | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bilangguan | ||
| Guarani | ka'irãi | ||
| Ilocano | pagbaludan | ||
| Krio | jel | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بەندیخانە | ||
| Maithili | कारागार | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯐꯥꯗꯣꯛꯁꯪ | ||
| Mizo | lungin | ||
| Oromo | mana hidhaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କାରାଗାର | ||
| Quechua | atisanka wasi | ||
| Sanskrit | कारागृह | ||
| Tatar | төрмә | ||
| Tigrinya | እስር ቤት | ||
| Tsonga | khotso | ||