Prisoner in Different Languages
Discover 'Prisoner' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'prisoner' carries a significant weight, representing individuals deprived of their freedom and held in custody. This term has been used throughout history, literature, and media to describe a wide range of situations, from historical conflicts to modern legal systems. Understanding the translation of 'prisoner' in different languages can provide valuable insights into various cultures and their legal systems.
For instance, the French translation of 'prisoner' is 'prisonnier,' reflecting their cultural emphasis on rehabilitation and restorative justice. Meanwhile, in Germany, a 'prisoner' is translated as 'Häftling,' which shares roots with the word for 'capture' or 'seize,' indicating a focus on the act of incarceration. In Japan, the term '獄inand' (gokuchu) is used, which literally means 'detention center' or 'jail,' emphasizing the physical confinement aspect of imprisonment.
Stay tuned to learn more translations of the word 'prisoner' and deepen your understanding of global cultures and languages.
Prisoner
Prisoner in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | gevangene | ||
| The word "gevangene" is derived from the Dutch word "gevangen" meaning "captured" or "imprisoned." | |||
| Amharic | እስረኛ | ||
| The word "እስረኛ" can also refer to a captive or a slave. | |||
| Hausa | fursuna | ||
| 'Fursuna' also refers to a person under the guardianship of another. | |||
| Igbo | onye nga | ||
| The word "onye nga" also refers to a person who is indebted to another. | |||
| Malagasy | gadra | ||
| The word "gadra" in Malagasy has the same root as the word for "slave" and is used figuratively in the context of a prison. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mkaidi | ||
| The Nyanja word 'mkaidi' may have derived from the word for 'enemy' or 'adversary'. | |||
| Shona | musungwa | ||
| The name "musungwa" also refers to a type of tree used for traditional medicines and rituals in some cultures in Zimbabwe. | |||
| Somali | maxbuus | ||
| The word "maxbuus" in Somali may also refer to a person who is being held captive or involuntarily confined. | |||
| Sesotho | motšoaruoa | ||
| The word 'motšoaruoa' is derived from the verb 'ho tšoara', meaning 'to catch or hold'. | |||
| Swahili | mfungwa | ||
| The Kiswahili word "mfungwa" (literally meaning "the bound one") | |||
| Xhosa | ibanjwa | ||
| The word "ibanjwa" also means "a person who is caught in a trap" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | ẹlẹwọn | ||
| "Ẹlẹwọn" is a Yoruba word that also means "one who is caught in a trap" or "one who is entangled". | |||
| Zulu | isiboshwa | ||
| The Zulu word isiboshwa, meaning "prisoner" in English, also refers to the "person in custody of or held by another"} | |||
| Bambara | kasoden ye | ||
| Ewe | gamenɔla | ||
| Kinyarwanda | imfungwa | ||
| Lingala | moto ya bolɔkɔ | ||
| Luganda | omusibe | ||
| Sepedi | mogolegwa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɔdeduani | ||
Prisoner in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أسير | ||
| "أسير" is also used in Arabic to refer to a captive (a person being held in custody) or even a slave in some contexts. | |||
| Hebrew | אָסִיר | ||
| The Hebrew word for "prisoner" ("אָסִיר") originates from the root "אָסר" ("to bind"), which also gives rise to the words "bond" and "restriction"} | |||
| Pashto | بندي | ||
| The word "بندي" has other meanings in Pashto, such as "slave" and "servant". | |||
| Arabic | أسير | ||
| "أسير" is also used in Arabic to refer to a captive (a person being held in custody) or even a slave in some contexts. | |||
Prisoner in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i burgosur | ||
| The word “i burgosur” can also be used to refer to someone who is trapped or confined, not necessarily in a prison. | |||
| Basque | preso | ||
| The Basque word "preso" also means "forced" or "obliged". | |||
| Catalan | pres | ||
| The Catalan word "pres" (prisoner) comes from the Latin word "prensus" (seized). | |||
| Croatian | zatvorenik | ||
| The word zatvorenik comes from the verb zatvoriti (to close) and literally means 'someone who is closed off' | |||
| Danish | fange | ||
| The term "fange" derives from Old Norse word "fangi" or "fanga" referring to "capture," "catch," "prey," and "booty." | |||
| Dutch | gevangene | ||
| The 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. | |||
| English | prisoner | ||
| The 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'). | |||
| French | prisonnier | ||
| The word "prisonnier" in French comes from the Latin word "prehensus," meaning "taken" or "seized." | |||
| Frisian | finzene | ||
| The word "finzene" in Frisian is derived from the Old Frisian word "fena", meaning "to hold back". | |||
| Galician | prisioneiro | ||
| The Galician word "prisioneiro" comes from the Latin word "prensio," meaning "seizure," and is shared with the Portuguese word for prisoner, "prisioneiro." | |||
| German | häftling | ||
| "Häftling" derives from "haften" (to stick) and refers to someone who is bound or detained. | |||
| Icelandic | fangi | ||
| Fangi is derived from the Proto-Germanic verb *ǥangaz meaning captive or bound. | |||
| Irish | príosúnach | ||
| The Irish word "príosúnach" is derived from the Latin word "captivus", meaning "prisoner" or "slave." | |||
| Italian | prigioniero | ||
| "Prigioniero" comes from the Latin "prehendere," meaning "to seize". | |||
| Luxembourgish | prisonnéier | ||
| "Prissonéier" means "prisoner" in Luxembourgish but is the name of a type of cheese from Lorraine in France. | |||
| Maltese | priġunier | ||
| The word "priġunier" is derived from the Old French "prisonier", which is in turn derived from the Latin "prehendere" (to seize). | |||
| Norwegian | fange | ||
| The word "fange" is derived from the Old Norse word "fangi", meaning "to seize" or "to capture". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | prisioneiro | ||
| In Portuguese, "prisioneiro" (prisoner) comes from "prisão" (prison), ultimately deriving from the Latin "prehensio" (capture). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | prìosanach | ||
| The term 'prìosanach' in Scots Gaelic has no alternative meanings beyond 'prisoner', but it originates from the French word 'prisonnier'. | |||
| Spanish | prisionero | ||
| The word "prisionero" derives from the Latin word "prehendere," meaning "to seize" or "to capture." | |||
| Swedish | fånge | ||
| The word "fånge" can be traced back to the Old Norse word "fangi, | |||
| Welsh | carcharor | ||
| The Welsh word "carcharor" also means "captive" and "criminal". | |||
Prisoner in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | вязень | ||
| "Вязень" is derived from the Old Belarusian verb "вязати", meaning "to bind" or "to chain." | |||
| Bosnian | zatvorenik | ||
| The word zatvorenik in Bosnian can also refer to someone who is confined or restricted. | |||
| Bulgarian | затворник | ||
| The word "затворник" (prisoner) in Bulgarian comes from the word "затвор" (lock) and literally means "one who is locked up." | |||
| Czech | vězeň | ||
| "Vězeň" is derived from the Old Czech word "vęzati," meaning "to bind" or "to capture." | |||
| Estonian | vang | ||
| "Vang" is also a derogatory term in Indonesian and Thai. | |||
| Finnish | vanki | ||
| Vanki shares the same etymology as vankka meaning 'solid' and 'stable', both originating from Germanic *wankôz meaning 'bent' | |||
| Hungarian | rab | ||
| The word "Rab" was once used to mean "bondsmen" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | ieslodzītais | ||
| The 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. | |||
| Lithuanian | kalinys | ||
| The word "kalinys" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*kel-," meaning "to hide," and is related to the English word "cell." | |||
| Macedonian | затвореник | ||
| "Затвореник" also means "hermit" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | więzień | ||
| The word 'więzień' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'vęzь', meaning 'bondage' or 'restraint'. | |||
| Romanian | prizonier | ||
| The word "prizonier" derives from the Latin term "prehendere", meaning "to seize" or "to capture". | |||
| Russian | пленник | ||
| The word "пленник" originally meant "captive" or "slave" in Old Church Slavonic. | |||
| Serbian | затвореник | ||
| The verb part of 'затвореник' ('prisoner') is 'затворити' ('to close, to shut') so originally the word referred to someone locked in the house. | |||
| Slovak | väzeň | ||
| Slovak "väzeň" derives from "väz", meaning "bond" and refers to the bondage of imprisonment. | |||
| Slovenian | ujetnik | ||
| The 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 | |||
| Ukrainian | в'язень | ||
| The word "в'язень" derives from the Old Slavonic word "в'язати" meaning "to bind" or "to tie up". | |||
Prisoner in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বন্দী | ||
| The word "বন্দী" is derived from the Sanskrit word "bandha", meaning "bond" or "fetter". | |||
| Gujarati | કેદી | ||
| The word કેદી is derived from the Persian word 'qaid', meaning a fetter or chain. | |||
| Hindi | बंदी | ||
| The Hindi word "बंदी" (bandi) originates from the Sanskrit word "bandhan," meaning "to bind" or "captivate." | |||
| Kannada | ಖೈದಿ | ||
| The term "ಖೈದಿ" (prisoner) in Kannada originates from the Hindi word "Qaydi". | |||
| Malayalam | തടവുകാരൻ | ||
| Marathi | कैदी | ||
| The word कैदी is derived from the Sanskrit word कद, meaning an enemy or villain. | |||
| Nepali | कैदी | ||
| The 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. | |||
| Punjabi | ਕੈਦੀ | ||
| The 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. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සිරකරුවා | ||
| Tamil | கைதி | ||
| The word 'கைதி' in Tamil derives from the root word 'கை' (hand), implying someone who is 'handcuffed' or restrained. | |||
| Telugu | ఖైదీ | ||
| The word "ఖైదీ" is derived from the Arabic word "Qayid", meaning "fetters" or "shackles". | |||
| Urdu | قیدی | ||
| The primary, literal meaning of قیدی is 'subject to a legal or other constraint' | |||
Prisoner in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 囚犯 | ||
| 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" (囚犯) is the Chinese word for "prisoner". It is a combination of the characters "囚" (prison) and "犯" (criminal). | |||
| Japanese | 囚人 | ||
| The word "囚人" can also mean "confine" or "restrict" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 죄인 | ||
| The word 죄인 (joein) literally means “guilty person” or “sinner” in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | хоригдол | ||
| "Хоригдол" is based on the Mongolian verb "хоригдох," which means "to be prohibited" or "to be restricted." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အကျဉ်းသား | ||
Prisoner in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | tawanan | ||
| The word "tawanan" can also mean "captive" or "bondage" in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | tahanan | ||
| The word 'tahanan' in Javanese can also refer to a person who seeks refuge or protection. | |||
| Khmer | អ្នកទោស | ||
| The 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. | |||
| Lao | ນັກໂທດ | ||
| Malay | banduan | ||
| The word "banduan" in Malay is derived from the Sanskrit word "bandhana" meaning "bondage" or "fetters". | |||
| Thai | นักโทษ | ||
| "นักโทษ" is a Thai word with multiple meanings, including "criminal" and "debtor". | |||
| Vietnamese | tù nhân | ||
| "Tù nhân" literally means "criminal slave", with "tù" meaning "prison" and "nhân" meaning "slave." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bilanggo | ||
Prisoner in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | məhkum | ||
| The 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. | |||
| Kazakh | тұтқын | ||
| The word "тұтқын" in Kazakh also means "captive" or "hostage". | |||
| Kyrgyz | туткун | ||
| The Kyrgyz word “туткун” also means “a guest”, highlighting the traditional hospitality towards strangers and their protection in times of conflict. | |||
| Tajik | маҳбус | ||
| The Tajik word "маҳбус" can also refer to a captive animal or a person who is confined or restricted in some way. | |||
| Turkmen | tussag | ||
| Uzbek | mahbus | ||
| The word "mahbus" in Uzbek is derived from the Arabic word "mahbus", which means "restrained" or "confined". | |||
| Uyghur | مەھبۇس | ||
Prisoner in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | paʻahao | ||
| "Paʻahao" can also mean "fastened" or "tied up" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | herehere | ||
| The word 'herehere' is derived from a verb meaning to tie or fasten, suggesting imprisonment as a form of constraint. | |||
| Samoan | pagota | ||
| The word "pagota" also means "a place of confinement" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | bilanggo | ||
| Bilanggo, in Tagalog, can also refer to a member of a group of prisoners. | |||
Prisoner in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | katuntat jaqi | ||
| Guarani | ka’irãime | ||
Prisoner in International Languages
| Esperanto | kaptito | ||
| The word "kaptito" is derived from the Latin word "captivus", meaning "one taken in war". | |||
| Latin | captivus | ||
| The Latin word "captivus" also refers to someone or something that captivates or charms. | |||
Prisoner in Others Languages
| Greek | φυλακισμένος | ||
| The word "φυλακισμένος" is derived from the verb "φυλάκω" (to guard), ultimately coming from the Proto-Indo-European word *h₂pewḱ-, meaning "to protect". | |||
| Hmong | neeg raug kaw | ||
| The term "neeg rau kaw" literally translates to "tiger caged person" in the Hmong language. | |||
| Kurdish | girtî | ||
| The word girtî 'prisoner' derives from New Persian girîftan 'to seize, arrest', hence 'one who has been arrested'. | |||
| Turkish | mahkum | ||
| "Mahkum" also means "doomed" or "fated" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | ibanjwa | ||
| The word "ibanjwa" also means "a person who is caught in a trap" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | אַרעסטאַנט | ||
| The Yiddish word "אַרעסטאַנט" (arestant) derives from the Polish word "aresztant," which in turn comes from the Italian word "arresto" (arrest). | |||
| Zulu | isiboshwa | ||
| The Zulu word isiboshwa, meaning "prisoner" in English, also refers to the "person in custody of or held by another"} | |||
| Assamese | বন্দী | ||
| Aymara | katuntat jaqi | ||
| Bhojpuri | कैदी के नाम से जानल जाला | ||
| Dhivehi | ގައިދީ އެވެ | ||
| Dogri | कैदी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bilanggo | ||
| Guarani | ka’irãime | ||
| Ilocano | balud | ||
| Krio | prizina | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | زیندانی | ||
| Maithili | कैदी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯖꯦꯂꯗꯥ ꯂꯩꯕꯥ ꯃꯤꯑꯣꯏ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | tang a ni | ||
| Oromo | hidhamaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବନ୍ଦୀ | ||
| Quechua | preso | ||
| Sanskrit | बन्दी | ||
| Tatar | тоткын | ||
| Tigrinya | እሱር | ||
| Tsonga | mubohiwa | ||