Prisoner in different languages

Prisoner in Different Languages

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

Prisoner


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Afrikaans
gevangene
Albanian
i burgosur
Amharic
እስረኛ
Arabic
أسير
Armenian
բանտարկյալ
Assamese
বন্দী
Aymara
katuntat jaqi
Azerbaijani
məhkum
Bambara
kasoden ye
Basque
preso
Belarusian
вязень
Bengali
বন্দী
Bhojpuri
कैदी के नाम से जानल जाला
Bosnian
zatvorenik
Bulgarian
затворник
Catalan
pres
Cebuano
piniriso
Chinese (Simplified)
囚犯
Chinese (Traditional)
囚犯
Corsican
prigiuneru
Croatian
zatvorenik
Czech
vězeň
Danish
fange
Dhivehi
ގައިދީ އެވެ
Dogri
कैदी
Dutch
gevangene
English
prisoner
Esperanto
kaptito
Estonian
vang
Ewe
gamenɔla
Filipino (Tagalog)
bilanggo
Finnish
vanki
French
prisonnier
Frisian
finzene
Galician
prisioneiro
Georgian
პატიმარი
German
häftling
Greek
φυλακισμένος
Guarani
ka’irãime
Gujarati
કેદી
Haitian Creole
prizonye
Hausa
fursuna
Hawaiian
paʻahao
Hebrew
אָסִיר
Hindi
बंदी
Hmong
neeg raug kaw
Hungarian
rab
Icelandic
fangi
Igbo
onye nga
Ilocano
balud
Indonesian
tawanan
Irish
príosúnach
Italian
prigioniero
Japanese
囚人
Javanese
tahanan
Kannada
ಖೈದಿ
Kazakh
тұтқын
Khmer
អ្នកទោស
Kinyarwanda
imfungwa
Konkani
कैदी
Korean
죄인
Krio
prizina
Kurdish
girtî
Kurdish (Sorani)
زیندانی
Kyrgyz
туткун
Lao
ນັກໂທດ
Latin
captivus
Latvian
ieslodzītais
Lingala
moto ya bolɔkɔ
Lithuanian
kalinys
Luganda
omusibe
Luxembourgish
prisonnéier
Macedonian
затвореник
Maithili
कैदी
Malagasy
gadra
Malay
banduan
Malayalam
തടവുകാരൻ
Maltese
priġunier
Maori
herehere
Marathi
कैदी
Meiteilon (Manipuri)
ꯖꯦꯂꯗꯥ ꯂꯩꯕꯥ ꯃꯤꯑꯣꯏ꯫
Mizo
tang a ni
Mongolian
хоригдол
Myanmar (Burmese)
အကျဉ်းသား
Nepali
कैदी
Norwegian
fange
Nyanja (Chichewa)
mkaidi
Odia (Oriya)
ବନ୍ଦୀ
Oromo
hidhamaa
Pashto
بندي
Persian
زندانی
Polish
więzień
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)
prisioneiro
Punjabi
ਕੈਦੀ
Quechua
preso
Romanian
prizonier
Russian
пленник
Samoan
pagota
Sanskrit
बन्दी
Scots Gaelic
prìosanach
Sepedi
mogolegwa
Serbian
затвореник
Sesotho
motšoaruoa
Shona
musungwa
Sindhi
قيدي
Sinhala (Sinhalese)
සිරකරුවා
Slovak
väzeň
Slovenian
ujetnik
Somali
maxbuus
Spanish
prisionero
Sundanese
tahanan
Swahili
mfungwa
Swedish
fånge
Tagalog (Filipino)
bilanggo
Tajik
маҳбус
Tamil
கைதி
Tatar
тоткын
Telugu
ఖైదీ
Thai
นักโทษ
Tigrinya
እሱር
Tsonga
mubohiwa
Turkish
mahkum
Turkmen
tussag
Twi (Akan)
ɔdeduani
Ukrainian
в'язень
Urdu
قیدی
Uyghur
مەھبۇس
Uzbek
mahbus
Vietnamese
tù nhân
Welsh
carcharor
Xhosa
ibanjwa
Yiddish
אַרעסטאַנט
Yoruba
ẹlẹwọn
Zulu
isiboshwa

Etymology & Notes

LanguageEtymology / Notes
AfrikaansThe word "gevangene" is derived from the Dutch word "gevangen" meaning "captured" or "imprisoned."
AlbanianThe word “i burgosur” can also be used to refer to someone who is trapped or confined, not necessarily in a prison.
AmharicThe word "እስረኛ" can also refer to a captive or a slave.
Arabic"أسير" is also used in Arabic to refer to a captive (a person being held in custody) or even a slave in some contexts.
AzerbaijaniThe word məhkum comes from the Arabic root حكمة (ḥikma), meaning "wisdom" or "judgment", and originally meant a person who has been judged by a court.
BasqueThe Basque word "preso" also means "forced" or "obliged".
Belarusian"Вязень" is derived from the Old Belarusian verb "вязати", meaning "to bind" or "to chain."
BengaliThe word "বন্দী" is derived from the Sanskrit word "bandha", meaning "bond" or "fetter".
BosnianThe word zatvorenik in Bosnian can also refer to someone who is confined or restricted.
BulgarianThe word "затворник" (prisoner) in Bulgarian comes from the word "затвор" (lock) and literally means "one who is locked up."
CatalanThe Catalan word "pres" (prisoner) comes from the Latin word "prensus" (seized).
CebuanoThe term 'piniriso' in Cebuano can also refer to someone who is bound or restrained, reflecting its historical usage in the context of slavery and human trafficking.
Chinese (Simplified)囚犯源自囚禁的犯人,囚禁是关押限制人身自由之意,与监禁近义。
Chinese (Traditional)"囚犯" (囚犯) is the Chinese word for "prisoner". It is a combination of the characters "囚" (prison) and "犯" (criminal).
CorsicanThe Corsican word "prigiuneru" is derived from the Latin word "prehendo", meaning "to seize" or "to grasp". Alternate meanings include "captive" or "detainee"
CroatianThe word zatvorenik comes from the verb zatvoriti (to close) and literally means 'someone who is closed off'
Czech"Vězeň" is derived from the Old Czech word "vęzati," meaning "to bind" or "to capture."
DanishThe term "fange" derives from Old Norse word "fangi" or "fanga" referring to "capture," "catch," "prey," and "booty."
DutchThe word "gevangene" in Dutch is derived from the medieval Dutch word "gevanc", meaning "capture". It can also refer to a person who has been captured or arrested.
EsperantoThe word "kaptito" is derived from the Latin word "captivus", meaning "one taken in war".
Estonian"Vang" is also a derogatory term in Indonesian and Thai.
FinnishVanki shares the same etymology as vankka meaning 'solid' and 'stable', both originating from Germanic *wankôz meaning 'bent'
FrenchThe word "prisonnier" in French comes from the Latin word "prehensus," meaning "taken" or "seized."
FrisianThe word "finzene" in Frisian is derived from the Old Frisian word "fena", meaning "to hold back".
GalicianThe Galician word "prisioneiro" comes from the Latin word "prensio," meaning "seizure," and is shared with the Portuguese word for prisoner, "prisioneiro."
Georgian"პატიმარი" is also used to describe people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol.
German"Häftling" derives from "haften" (to stick) and refers to someone who is bound or detained.
GreekThe word "φυλακισμένος" is derived from the verb "φυλάκω" (to guard), ultimately coming from the Proto-Indo-European word *h₂pewḱ-, meaning "to protect".
GujaratiThe word કેદી is derived from the Persian word 'qaid', meaning a fetter or chain.
Haitian CreoleThe word "prizonye" can also refer to a pet or any animal that is kept in captivity.
Hausa'Fursuna' also refers to a person under the guardianship of another.
Hawaiian"Paʻahao" can also mean "fastened" or "tied up" in Hawaiian.
HebrewThe Hebrew word for "prisoner" ("אָסִיר") originates from the root "אָסר" ("to bind"), which also gives rise to the words "bond" and "restriction"}
HindiThe Hindi word "बंदी" (bandi) originates from the Sanskrit word "bandhan," meaning "to bind" or "captivate."
HmongThe term "neeg rau kaw" literally translates to "tiger caged person" in the Hmong language.
HungarianThe word "Rab" was once used to mean "bondsmen" in Hungarian.
IcelandicFangi is derived from the Proto-Germanic verb *ǥangaz meaning captive or bound.
IgboThe word "onye nga" also refers to a person who is indebted to another.
IndonesianThe word "tawanan" can also mean "captive" or "bondage" in Indonesian.
IrishThe Irish word "príosúnach" is derived from the Latin word "captivus", meaning "prisoner" or "slave."
Italian"Prigioniero" comes from the Latin "prehendere," meaning "to seize".
JapaneseThe word "囚人" can also mean "confine" or "restrict" in Japanese.
JavaneseThe word 'tahanan' in Javanese can also refer to a person who seeks refuge or protection.
KannadaThe term "ಖೈದಿ" (prisoner) in Kannada originates from the Hindi word "Qaydi".
KazakhThe word "тұтқын" in Kazakh also means "captive" or "hostage".
KhmerThe word អ្នកទោស (prisoner) is derived from the word "ទោស" meaning "fault" and is used to describe those who have been convicted of a crime and sentenced to prison.
KoreanThe word 죄인 (joein) literally means “guilty person” or “sinner” in Korean.
KurdishThe word girtî 'prisoner' derives from New Persian girîftan 'to seize, arrest', hence 'one who has been arrested'.
KyrgyzThe Kyrgyz word “туткун” also means “a guest”, highlighting the traditional hospitality towards strangers and their protection in times of conflict.
LatinThe Latin word "captivus" also refers to someone or something that captivates or charms.
LatvianThe Latvian word "ieslodzītais" derives from the Slavic root "sloda", meaning "to catch, grasp, imprison" and originally referred to a caught creature or something held captive.
LithuanianThe word "kalinys" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*kel-," meaning "to hide," and is related to the English word "cell."
Luxembourgish"Prissonéier" means "prisoner" in Luxembourgish but is the name of a type of cheese from Lorraine in France.
Macedonian"Затвореник" also means "hermit" in Macedonian.
MalagasyThe word "gadra" in Malagasy has the same root as the word for "slave" and is used figuratively in the context of a prison.
MalayThe word "banduan" in Malay is derived from the Sanskrit word "bandhana" meaning "bondage" or "fetters".
MalteseThe word "priġunier" is derived from the Old French "prisonier", which is in turn derived from the Latin "prehendere" (to seize).
MaoriThe word 'herehere' is derived from a verb meaning to tie or fasten, suggesting imprisonment as a form of constraint.
MarathiThe word कैदी is derived from the Sanskrit word कद, meaning an enemy or villain.
Mongolian"Хоригдол" is based on the Mongolian verb "хоригдох," which means "to be prohibited" or "to be restricted."
NepaliThe word "कैदी" in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit word "कैदिय" (kaidiya), which means "one who is confined". It can also refer to a person who is held captive or in custody.
NorwegianThe word "fange" is derived from the Old Norse word "fangi", meaning "to seize" or "to capture".
Nyanja (Chichewa)The Nyanja word 'mkaidi' may have derived from the word for 'enemy' or 'adversary'.
PashtoThe word "بندي" has other meanings in Pashto, such as "slave" and "servant".
PersianThe Persian word "زندانی" is derived from "زندان" meaning "prison" and the suffix "-ی" indicating "being in, belonging to".
PolishThe word 'więzień' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'vęzь', meaning 'bondage' or 'restraint'.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)In Portuguese, "prisioneiro" (prisoner) comes from "prisão" (prison), ultimately deriving from the Latin "prehensio" (capture).
PunjabiThe word 'ਕੈਦੀ' (prisoner) in Punjabi shares its etymology with the word 'ਕੈਦ' (imprisonment) and 'ਕੱਟਣਾ' (to cut), as a prisoner is one who has been cut off from society or whose freedom has been restricted.
RomanianThe word "prizonier" derives from the Latin term "prehendere", meaning "to seize" or "to capture".
RussianThe word "пленник" originally meant "captive" or "slave" in Old Church Slavonic.
SamoanThe word "pagota" also means "a place of confinement" in Samoan.
Scots GaelicThe term 'prìosanach' in Scots Gaelic has no alternative meanings beyond 'prisoner', but it originates from the French word 'prisonnier'.
SerbianThe verb part of 'затвореник' ('prisoner') is 'затворити' ('to close, to shut') so originally the word referred to someone locked in the house.
SesothoThe word 'motšoaruoa' is derived from the verb 'ho tšoara', meaning 'to catch or hold'.
ShonaThe name "musungwa" also refers to a type of tree used for traditional medicines and rituals in some cultures in Zimbabwe.
SindhiThe Sindhi word "قيدي" can also mean "chained, fettered, or handicapped".
SlovakSlovak "väzeň" derives from "väz", meaning "bond" and refers to the bondage of imprisonment.
SlovenianThe term 'ujetnik' is thought to have originated from an old word for 'fugitive' and is also sometimes used to describe those held as hostages or slaves
SomaliThe word "maxbuus" in Somali may also refer to a person who is being held captive or involuntarily confined.
SpanishThe word "prisionero" derives from the Latin word "prehendere," meaning "to seize" or "to capture."
SundaneseTahanaan in Sundanese can mean "the one being held captive" or "the one who is bound by circumstances."
SwahiliThe Kiswahili word "mfungwa" (literally meaning "the bound one")
SwedishThe word "fånge" can be traced back to the Old Norse word "fangi,
Tagalog (Filipino)Bilanggo, in Tagalog, can also refer to a member of a group of prisoners.
TajikThe Tajik word "маҳбус" can also refer to a captive animal or a person who is confined or restricted in some way.
TamilThe word 'கைதி' in Tamil derives from the root word 'கை' (hand), implying someone who is 'handcuffed' or restrained.
TeluguThe word "ఖైదీ" is derived from the Arabic word "Qayid", meaning "fetters" or "shackles".
Thai"นักโทษ" is a Thai word with multiple meanings, including "criminal" and "debtor".
Turkish"Mahkum" also means "doomed" or "fated" in Turkish.
UkrainianThe word "в'язень" derives from the Old Slavonic word "в'язати" meaning "to bind" or "to tie up".
UrduThe primary, literal meaning of قیدی is 'subject to a legal or other constraint'
UzbekThe word "mahbus" in Uzbek is derived from the Arabic word "mahbus", which means "restrained" or "confined".
Vietnamese"Tù nhân" literally means "criminal slave", with "tù" meaning "prison" and "nhân" meaning "slave."
WelshThe Welsh word "carcharor" also means "captive" and "criminal".
XhosaThe word "ibanjwa" also means "a person who is caught in a trap" in Xhosa.
YiddishThe Yiddish word "אַרעסטאַנט" (arestant) derives from the Polish word "aresztant," which in turn comes from the Italian word "arresto" (arrest).
Yoruba"Ẹlẹwọn" is a Yoruba word that also means "one who is caught in a trap" or "one who is entangled".
ZuluThe Zulu word isiboshwa, meaning "prisoner" in English, also refers to the "person in custody of or held by another"}
EnglishThe word 'prisoner' is derived from the Old French word 'prisun' (meaning 'capture' or 'seizure') and ultimately from the Latin word 'prehendere' (meaning 'to seize' or 'to grasp').

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