Province in Different Languages
Discover 'Province' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
A province is a significant political and administrative division in many countries around the world. The term 'province' originated in ancient Rome, where it referred to a territorial division governed by a senator or other high-ranking official. Today, the cultural importance of provinces remains, as they often serve as the heart of regional identity, customs, and dialects.
Understanding the translation of 'province' in different languages can open up a world of cultural discovery and appreciation. For example, in Spanish, a province is translated as 'provincia,' while in French, it is 'province.' In Mandarin Chinese, the word for province is '省 (shěng),' and in Japanese, it is '道 (dō).'
Not only is learning the translation of 'province' in different languages interesting, but it can also be practical for travel, business, or academic pursuits. By knowing the local term, you can better connect with the people and culture of a region, creating a more immersive and rewarding experience.
Province
Province in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | provinsie | ||
| The word "provinsie" originates from the French word "province" but also has the alternate meaning of "church diocese" in Afrikaans. | |||
| Amharic | ክፍለ ሀገር | ||
| Hausa | lardin | ||
| The Hausa word ‘lardin’ is also used to refer to a large, well populated settlement, or sometimes to the king’s headquarters of the kingdom and sometimes as a plural for the word ‘gari’ (country in Hausa). | |||
| Igbo | ógbè | ||
| The word "ógbè" in Igbo can also refer to a "landmass" or a "community". | |||
| Malagasy | -tokony eran'ny fanjakana | ||
| The word "-tokony eran'ny fanjakana" is also used to refer to a region or territory. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chigawo | ||
| Chigawo originates from the Ngoni word "ufawo" which also means "a place belonging to someone." | |||
| Shona | dunhu | ||
| The word "dunhu" in Shona derives from the Proto-Bantu term "*duŋu", meaning "settlement" or "village". | |||
| Somali | gobolka | ||
| The word "gobolka" derives from the Somali word "gob", meaning "region" or "area", and "-ka" is the definite article suffix. | |||
| Sesotho | provense | ||
| Sesotho's "porofense" originates from the English loanword "province" (meaning "province"). The original Latin word "provincia" referred to conquered foreign territory. | |||
| Swahili | mkoa | ||
| The word "mkoa" is also used to refer to a district within a region in Tanzania. | |||
| Xhosa | iphondo | ||
| The word "iphondo" was used in the past to refer to the administrative district of a chief who was accountable to the king. | |||
| Yoruba | igberiko | ||
| The word "igberiko" in Yoruba can also refer to a "domain" or "region" and derives from the root word "gbere", meaning "to spread" or "to extend." | |||
| Zulu | isifundazwe | ||
| Zulu 'isifundazwe' literally means 'something established' and could refer also to a settlement, region or farm | |||
| Bambara | marali | ||
| Ewe | nutoga | ||
| Kinyarwanda | intara | ||
| Lingala | provense | ||
| Luganda | ettwale | ||
| Sepedi | profense | ||
| Twi (Akan) | mansini | ||
Province in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | المحافظة | ||
| In medieval Arabic, the term "المحافظة" also referred to a type of land grant or fiefdom, where the governor had administrative and military authority over a particular territory. | |||
| Hebrew | מָחוֹז | ||
| The Hebrew word מָחוֹז, often translated as "province," can also mean a region, an area, or a district. | |||
| Pashto | ولایت | ||
| In Pashto, the word "ولایت" also refers to a religious territory ruled by a spiritual leader, similar to the "vilayet" system in Sufism. | |||
| Arabic | المحافظة | ||
| In medieval Arabic, the term "المحافظة" also referred to a type of land grant or fiefdom, where the governor had administrative and military authority over a particular territory. | |||
Province in Western European Languages
| Albanian | krahinë | ||
| The term 'krahinë' may also refer to an administrative region within a country, especially a historical or cultural region. | |||
| Basque | probintzia | ||
| The word "probintzia" derives from the Latin "provincia" and is also used to refer to a territory with special privileges or a group of people with common interests. | |||
| Catalan | província | ||
| The Catalan term "província" can also refer to a religious order. | |||
| Croatian | pokrajina | ||
| The term "pokrajina" has historical meanings in Croatia including "region; land; area; frontier; marching region; border territory; district; countryside; rural area; province" from Proto-Slavic *pokrajь «near, around» + *krajina «edge, border». | |||
| Danish | provins | ||
| In Danish, "provins" can also mean the countryside or the provinces, as opposed to the capital city. | |||
| Dutch | provincie | ||
| The Dutch word "provincie" derives from the French "province", and originally referred to any area of land outside the city walls of Rome. | |||
| English | province | ||
| The word "province" can also refer to a sphere of activity or a field of knowledge. | |||
| French | province | ||
| Originating from the word "provincia" from Latin and meaning a "conquered territory", in French province has come to mean a part of the country governed by a specific authority. | |||
| Frisian | provinsje | ||
| The word "provinsje" in Frisian also means "borderland" or "frontier region" | |||
| Galician | provincia | ||
| In Galician, "provincia" also means "task" or "work", which is related to the word "probar", meaning "to try". | |||
| German | provinz | ||
| In German usage, "Provinz" also refers to "rural areas" or "countryside." | |||
| Icelandic | héraði | ||
| The word "héraði" can also refer to a "district". | |||
| Irish | cúige | ||
| "Cúige" is related to the Welsh "cŵg" (five), and shares the same Proto-Celtic root as the English word "quintet." | |||
| Italian | provincia | ||
| The Italian word "Provincia" derives from the Latin "provincia" meaning "sphere of influence". During the Roman Empire provinces were the territories outside Italy proper that were governed by a military governor. | |||
| Luxembourgish | provënz | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Provënz" can also refer to the origin or provenance of an object or product. | |||
| Maltese | provinċja | ||
| "Provinċja" derives from the Latin "provincia", which originally meant a conquered territory outside Italy. | |||
| Norwegian | provins | ||
| Provins i betydningen «landskap» kommer fra latin «provincia», «oppgave, område eller embete», mens provins i betydningen «politisk underordnet område» kommer fra fransk «province». | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | província | ||
| "Provinces" derives from the Latin _provincia_, a territorial division outside, _pro_, its geographical center. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | mòr-roinn | ||
| The word “mòr-roinn” is also used in the sense of “large district”. | |||
| Spanish | provincia | ||
| "Provincia" also means "monastery" in Spanish. | |||
| Swedish | provins | ||
| The word "provins" in Swedish can also refer to the administrative divisions of some historical European countries such as France and Denmark. | |||
| Welsh | talaith | ||
| Welsh "talaith" also means "floor" but is cognate with Irish "tailte" meaning "domain" | |||
Province in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | правінцыі | ||
| In Old Belarusian, the word "правінцыі" was a synonym for "павет" (county) and referred to a territorial division within a voivodeship. | |||
| Bosnian | provincija | ||
| The word "provincija" also means "countryside" in Bosnian, derived from Latin "provincia" (area outside Rome). | |||
| Bulgarian | провинция | ||
| The word "провинция" in Bulgarian comes from the French word "province", which is derived from the Latin "provincia" meaning "conquered territory". | |||
| Czech | provincie | ||
| The Czech word "provincie" can also refer to a "province" in a religious context, specifically a "vicariate" or administrative division within a diocese. | |||
| Estonian | provints | ||
| "Provints" also means "countryside" or "provincial" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | maakunnassa | ||
| The term "maakunta" originates from the Proto-Germanic word "*makôjan-," meaning "land, territory, region, district, or country." | |||
| Hungarian | tartomány | ||
| The word "tartomány" is a loanword from Latin "territorium", meaning "territory" or "district". | |||
| Latvian | provincē | ||
| 'Province' (provincē) derives from Roman administrative divisions and has the secondary meanings 'territory' and 'region'. | |||
| Lithuanian | provincija | ||
| In Lithuanian, "provincija" also refers to a small town or region outside of a large city or capital. | |||
| Macedonian | провинција | ||
| The word 'провинција' in Macedonian comes from the Latin word 'provincia' ('province'). | |||
| Polish | województwo | ||
| Etymology of województwo derives from a Slavic word *vojevoda meaning "military leader", and its original meaning in Polish was "territory ruled by a voivode". | |||
| Romanian | provincie | ||
| In Romanian, the word "provincie" can also refer to a historical or geographical region within a larger territory. | |||
| Russian | провинция | ||
| The Russian word "провинция" (province) derives from the Latin "provincia," meaning "conquered territory." | |||
| Serbian | провинција | ||
| The word "провинција" in Serbian can also refer to a countryside or a part of the country outside of the capital city. | |||
| Slovak | provincie | ||
| The word "provincia" in Slovak can also mean "state" or "region" and comes from the Latin word for "sphere of influence". | |||
| Slovenian | provinca | ||
| The word 'provinca' in Slovenian also means 'a monastery with a surrounding estate' or 'a region with a monastery as its centre'. | |||
| Ukrainian | провінція | ||
| The word "провінція" comes from the Latin word "provincia", which means "sphere of activity" or "district of control". It used to refer to a Roman province, a territory beyond Italy that was under Roman rule and administration. | |||
Province in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | প্রদেশ | ||
| The Bengali word "প্রদেশ" (province) is of Sanskrit origin and can also refer to a state or territory. | |||
| Gujarati | પ્રાંત | ||
| The word 'પ્રાંત' means 'province' in Gujarati but it can also mean 'region', 'district', or 'division'. | |||
| Hindi | प्रांत | ||
| प्रांत (praant) may also refer to the outer edge of a sword's blade in Sanskrit, which is part of the reason that 'praant' translates to 'frontier' in English. | |||
| Kannada | ಪ್ರಾಂತ್ಯ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಪ್ರಾಂತ್ಯ" originates from the Sanskrit word "प्रान्त" ("prānta"), which originally meant "border" or "boundary". | |||
| Malayalam | പ്രവിശ്യ | ||
| Marathi | प्रांत | ||
| प्रांत (prānta) is also used to refer to the part of a building or a book | |||
| Nepali | प्रान्त | ||
| "प्रान्त" in Nepali ultimately derives from the Sanskrit term "pranta", meaning "boundary" or "border." | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੂਬਾ | ||
| The word "ਸੂਬਾ" is derived from the Persian word "suba", which means "a large administrative district". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පළාත | ||
| The word පළාත can also mean "area" or "region" in a broader sense. | |||
| Tamil | மாகாணம் | ||
| மாகாணம் may be cognate to "magamatham" and is likely related to Persian "maghzan" meaning "warehouse" or "depot" | |||
| Telugu | ప్రావిన్స్ | ||
| Urdu | صوبہ | ||
| In Urdu, ‘Province’ is known as “صوبہ”, derived from Sanskrit “pradesha,” indicating a region or country. | |||
Province in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 省 | ||
| Its earliest meaning was "to inspect," and thus by extension an "inspected area." | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 省 | ||
| 省 can also refer to the abbreviation for the word "province" (省份), or to the verb "to save" (节省). | |||
| Japanese | 州 | ||
| The character "州" (shu) meaning "province" in Japanese is also used as a classifier for ships, as in 軍艦一艘 (gunkan issō, "one warship"). | |||
| Korean | 지방 | ||
| The word "지방" can also refer to "fat" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | аймаг | ||
| The word "аймаг" also means "tribal union" in Mongolian, reflecting its historical connection to nomadic societies. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပြည်နယ် | ||
Province in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | propinsi | ||
| The word "propinsi" in Indonesian is derived from the Dutch word "provincie" and has the same meaning of "administrative division" or "region". | |||
| Javanese | provinsi | ||
| In Javanese, "provinsi" can also refer to the area of a house where the family spends the most time together, like the living room. | |||
| Khmer | ខេត្ត | ||
| The word "ខេត្ត" (khet) is derived from Sanskrit and originally meant a small administrative division. | |||
| Lao | ແຂວງ | ||
| The Lao word "ແຂວງ" (province) comes from the Sanskrit word "khvaḥ" (circle, enclosure), and it originally referred to a defensive stronghold or walled city. | |||
| Malay | wilayah | ||
| "Wilayah" in Malay can also refer to the administrative division of a state or country, or the sphere of influence or jurisdiction of a government or organization. | |||
| Thai | จังหวัด | ||
| The word “จังหวัด” can also refer to the area supervised by the governor of a city, often larger than a district. | |||
| Vietnamese | tỉnh | ||
| The word "tỉnh" in Vietnamese, meaning "province," originally meant "to guard" and is often used to describe a region within a larger territory. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lalawigan | ||
Province in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | vilayət | ||
| In Turkish, "vilayət" is also used as a synonym for "homeland" or "country". | |||
| Kazakh | провинция | ||
| The word "провинция" is a loanword from French and is also used to refer to a rural area. | |||
| Kyrgyz | провинция | ||
| The word "провинция" can also refer to an administrative district in Kyrgyzstan. | |||
| Tajik | вилоят | ||
| The word "вилоят" in Tajik shares its etymology with the Persian word "wilayat" (Arabic original: "wilayah"), and can also mean "territory" or "prefecture". | |||
| Turkmen | welaýaty | ||
| Uzbek | viloyat | ||
| "Viloyat" in Uzbek can also mean "district" or "county". | |||
| Uyghur | ئۆلكە | ||
Province in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | panalāʻau | ||
| "Panalāʻau" derives from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian word "panuaran", meaning "to mark a boundary". | |||
| Maori | kawanatanga | ||
| The word "kawanatanga" can also mean "government", "authority", or "jurisdiction" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | itumalo | ||
| Itumalo translates directly to "small tribe" and is used to describe "district" in a political sense. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | lalawigan | ||
| The word "lalawigan" is derived from the Tagalog word "lawa," which means "expanse" or "wide area." | |||
Province in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | provincia | ||
| Guarani | tetãpehẽ | ||
Province in International Languages
| Esperanto | provinco | ||
| In Esperanto, the word "provinco" can also refer to a "sphere of activity" or a "field of knowledge". | |||
| Latin | provinciae | ||
| The word "provincae" in Latin means "conquered territory" and is the origin of the modern word "province." | |||
Province in Others Languages
| Greek | επαρχία | ||
| "Eparchy" is used for dioceses in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and "eparch" for the bishop in charge of an eparchy. | |||
| Hmong | xeev | ||
| The word "xeev" can also refer to a large geographical area or a territory. | |||
| Kurdish | herêm | ||
| Herêm, in Kurdish, derives from the Akkadian word for "fortified enclosure" and also means "forbidden" or "sacred". | |||
| Turkish | bölge | ||
| In Turkish, "bölge" also refers to a region or area, not just a province. | |||
| Xhosa | iphondo | ||
| The word "iphondo" was used in the past to refer to the administrative district of a chief who was accountable to the king. | |||
| Yiddish | פּראָווינץ | ||
| The Yiddish word "פּראָווינץ" ("province") can also refer to an area outside of the big cities or a rural area. | |||
| Zulu | isifundazwe | ||
| Zulu 'isifundazwe' literally means 'something established' and could refer also to a settlement, region or farm | |||
| Assamese | প্ৰদেশ | ||
| Aymara | provincia | ||
| Bhojpuri | प्रान्त | ||
| Dhivehi | ޕްރޮވިންސް | ||
| Dogri | सूबा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lalawigan | ||
| Guarani | tetãpehẽ | ||
| Ilocano | probinsia | ||
| Krio | distrikt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پارێزگا | ||
| Maithili | राज्य | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯝꯗꯝ ꯑꯃ | ||
| Mizo | rambung | ||
| Oromo | godina | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପ୍ରଦେଶ | ||
| Quechua | provincia | ||
| Sanskrit | प्रांत | ||
| Tatar | өлкә | ||
| Tigrinya | ገጸር | ||
| Tsonga | xifundzhankulu | ||