Serve in Different Languages
Discover 'Serve' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'serve' holds great significance in many cultures and languages around the world. Derived from the Old French 'servir' meaning 'to be a slave or servant,' the term has evolved to encompass a wide range of meanings, from providing food and drink to performing a useful function. In English, 'serve' can also mean to be of use or assistance, to officially act in a position or capacity, or to participate in a tennis game!
Throughout history, the act of serving has been a cornerstone of human interaction, from the ancient practice of hosting feasts to the modern-day custom of tipping in restaurants. Moreover, the concept of service is deeply ingrained in many religious and philosophical traditions, which emphasize the importance of selflessness, compassion, and contributing to the greater good.
Given the cultural importance of the word 'serve,' it's no wonder that many languages have their own unique translations for the term. Whether you're traveling abroad, studying a foreign language, or simply expanding your cultural horizons, understanding the different meanings and connotations of 'serve' in various languages can be a fascinating and rewarding endeavor.
Here are some translations of 'serve' in different languages to get you started:
Serve
Serve in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | bedien | ||
| The etymology of the Afrikaans word "bedien" is uncertain, and it may be a loanword from the Dutch word "bedelen" or the French word "besogner". | |||
| Amharic | ማገልገል | ||
| The Amharic word 'ማገልገል' also means 'to work for' or 'to be employed by'. | |||
| Hausa | bauta | ||
| The word "bauta" in Hausa also means "to accompany" or "to follow". | |||
| Igbo | jee ozi | ||
| Also referred to as "ije ozi" | |||
| Malagasy | hanompo | ||
| The word 'hanompo' also has the alternate meaning of 'to please' or 'to satisfy'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kutumikira | ||
| "Kutuma" in Nyanja also means "to send" or "to transmit". | |||
| Shona | kushandira | ||
| The word "kushandira" can also refer to "assisting" or "working for" someone. | |||
| Somali | u adeegid | ||
| adeegid is also the Somali word for “service” or “service as a government” | |||
| Sesotho | sebeletsa | ||
| "Sebeletsa" in Sesotho also means "to work" or "to help" someone. | |||
| Swahili | tumikia | ||
| The word "tumikia" can also mean "to worship" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | khonza | ||
| The word "khonza" in Xhosa can also mean "to work for someone" or "to be a servant." | |||
| Yoruba | sin | ||
| The Yoruba word 'sin' (serve) can also refer to 'worship', 'obey', or 'bow down'. | |||
| Zulu | khonza | ||
| The word 'khonza' is also used as a form of greeting in Zulu, meaning 'good day'. | |||
| Bambara | ka sɔn | ||
| Ewe | subɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gukorera | ||
| Lingala | kosalela | ||
| Luganda | okuweereza | ||
| Sepedi | solela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | som | ||
Serve in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تخدم | ||
| The word "تخدم" also means "to obey" or "to submit". | |||
| Hebrew | לְשָׁרֵת | ||
| לְשָׁרֵת (lasharet) is also used to refer to the act of taking care of someone's needs, both physical and emotional. | |||
| Pashto | خدمت کول | ||
| The word "خدمت کول" in Pashto can also mean "to obey" or "to respect". | |||
| Arabic | تخدم | ||
| The word "تخدم" also means "to obey" or "to submit". | |||
Serve in Western European Languages
| Albanian | shërbej | ||
| The word "shërbej" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ḱer-, meaning "to do, make, or perform." | |||
| Basque | zerbitzatu | ||
| The word "zerbitzatu" in Basque is derived from the Latin word "servitium", which means "service" or "slavery". | |||
| Catalan | servir | ||
| The Catalan word "servir" comes from the Latin word "servire", which also means "to obey". In modern Catalan, "servir" is commonly used to describe actions such as "to provide a service", "to help", or "to submit to authority". | |||
| Croatian | poslužiti | ||
| The verb "poslužiti" in Croatian can also mean to help oneself to something, even without asking for permission. | |||
| Danish | tjene | ||
| The word "tjene" in Danish is derived from the Old Norse word "þjóna," which means "to follow" or "to be subordinate to." | |||
| Dutch | dienen | ||
| The word "dienen" in Dutch shares the same Germanic root as the word "thegn" in Old English, both meaning "servant" or "attendant." | |||
| English | serve | ||
| The word 'serve' is derived from the Latin word 'servire', meaning 'to be a slave'. | |||
| French | servir | ||
| The French word "servir" also derives from a word meaning "conserve" which has also yielded words denoting a waiter (serveur, serveuse) | |||
| Frisian | tsjinje | ||
| Tsjinje can also mean "to help" or "to take care of" in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | servir | ||
| In Galician, the word "servir" can also mean "to attend" or "to wait on". | |||
| German | dienen | ||
| While the original meaning of "Dienen" was "to work on someone's behalf," its contemporary and most common usage is "to cater to someone's needs." | |||
| Icelandic | þjóna | ||
| The word "þjóna" is also used in Icelandic to refer to a female servant, maid, or waitress. | |||
| Irish | fónamh | ||
| The Irish word "fónamh" also means "to wait upon someone or something." | |||
| Italian | servire | ||
| The verb "servire" in Italian ultimately derives from the Latin "servus," which meant either "servant" or "slave." | |||
| Luxembourgish | zerwéieren | ||
| The word "zerwéieren" also refers to the act of serving food, or to the role of a servant. | |||
| Maltese | iservi | ||
| The Maltese word "iservi" is cognate with the Italian word "servire" and the French word "servir". | |||
| Norwegian | tjene | ||
| Although the word "tjene" means "to serve" in Norwegian, its root meaning is actually "to wash". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | servir | ||
| "Servir" is also used in the sense of setting the table, laying out the tablecloth, plates, and cutlery for meals. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | frithealadh | ||
| The word 'frithealadh' in Scots Gaelic can also mean 'to perform', 'to fulfill', or 'to obey'. | |||
| Spanish | servir | ||
| "Servir" comes from the Latin "servire," meaning "to serve" but can also mean "to attend to," "to assist," or "to comply with." | |||
| Swedish | tjäna | ||
| The word 'tjäna' is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *teḱ- 'to create, to produce', which is also the origin of the English word 'thank'. | |||
| Welsh | gwasanaethu | ||
| The Welsh word "gwasanaethu" derives from the Old Welsh "guassanaeth", meaning "service" or "attendance". | |||
Serve in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | падаваць | ||
| In Belarusian, the word "падаваць" can also mean "to file" or "to apply". | |||
| Bosnian | služiti | ||
| The word "služiti" can also mean "to work" or "to be employed" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | сервирайте | ||
| The root of the word "сервирайте" is Latin "servire," meaning "to be a slave" or "to serve." | |||
| Czech | sloužit | ||
| The term 'sloužit' has ancient judicial roots meaning 'to appear in court for trial'. | |||
| Estonian | serveerima | ||
| In Estonian, the word 'serveerima' can also mean to present or offer something. | |||
| Finnish | palvella | ||
| "Palvella" literally means 'to burn'. It's related to the words 'palo' ('fire'), 'palava' ('burning') and 'paloa' ('to burn'). | |||
| Hungarian | szolgál | ||
| The verbs ‘szolgál’ and ‘szolga’ are derived from the Slavic word *slug- ‘servant’. | |||
| Latvian | kalpot | ||
| Kalpot is also used to describe the act of performing a service for someone, such as fetching them a drink or doing them a favor. | |||
| Lithuanian | tarnauti | ||
| The word "tarnauti" in Lithuanian comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*ter-," meaning "to cross over, pass through, overcome." | |||
| Macedonian | служат | ||
| The word "служат" can also refer to "minister" or "service" in a religious context. | |||
| Polish | służyć | ||
| The word "służyć" also means "to be useful" or "to be of service" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | servi | ||
| The Romanian word "servi" is derived from the Latin word "servire", meaning "to serve" or "to attend to." | |||
| Russian | обслуживать | ||
| The word обслуживать has a root that means 'circle,' and so implies serving many people or things at once. | |||
| Serbian | служити | ||
| The word "служити" can also mean "to function" or "to be of use" | |||
| Slovak | slúžiť | ||
| "Slúžiť" also means to officiate as a priest. | |||
| Slovenian | služijo | ||
| "Služijo" comes from the root "sluziti", meaning "to worship" or "to wait upon". In Old Church Slavonic, "sluga" (literally "servant") meant "a member of the clergy". | |||
| Ukrainian | подавати | ||
| In Ukrainian, "подавати" also means "to give", "to present", and "to file". | |||
Serve in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পরিবেশন | ||
| "পরিবেশন" (poribeshon) is derived from the Sanskrit word "परिवेषण" (pariveshana) meaning "surrounding" or "presenting". | |||
| Gujarati | સેવા આપે છે | ||
| Hindi | सेवा कर | ||
| The word 'सेवा कर' ('serve') in Hindi is derived from the Sanskrit word 'सेवा' ('service'), which also means 'worship' or 'devotion'. | |||
| Kannada | ಸೇವೆ | ||
| The word "ಸೇವೆ" comes from the Sanskrit word "सेवा" (sevā), which also means service. | |||
| Malayalam | സേവിക്കുക | ||
| സേവിക്കുക also means 'worship' or 'pray'. It originated from the Tamil word 'sevvai' ('red') referring to the color of the blood of the sacrifices offered to deities. | |||
| Marathi | सर्व्ह करावे | ||
| The word "सर्व्ह करावे" (sarva karaave) also means "to submit" or "to offer" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | सेवा | ||
| The word 'सेवा' is derived from the Sanskrit root 'Sev', meaning 'to follow' or 'to attend to', and can refer to both acts of personal assistance and religious devotion. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੇਵਾ | ||
| The word "ਸੇਵਾ" (sevaa) in Punjabi also has the connotation of "selfless service", emphasizing the act of providing aid without expecting anything in return. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සේවය | ||
| සේවය (sēvaya) comes from the Sanskrit word 'sevā,' which means service or labor, and it can also refer to duties or tasks undertaken for the benefit of others. | |||
| Tamil | சேவை | ||
| In Tamil, the word "சேவை" can also refer to a "religious service" or "worship". | |||
| Telugu | అందజేయడం | ||
| It also means "to supply what is needed, to meet the requirements of". | |||
| Urdu | خدمت | ||
| The word "خدمت" in Urdu may also refer to "service" or "attendance". | |||
Serve in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 服务 | ||
| "服务" (serve) derives from the Buddhist concept of "bodhisattva," meaning enlightenment beings who vow to assist others before achieving Buddhahood. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 服務 | ||
| "服務" can also mean "service industry" in Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | サーブ | ||
| The word "serve" in Japanese, "サーブ", can also mean "service" in the context of tennis or volleyball. | |||
| Korean | 서브 | ||
| 서브(serve)는 영어에서 온 말로, 원래는 테니스에서 공을 치는 것을 의미했습니다. | |||
| Mongolian | үйлчлэх | ||
| "Үйлчлэх" (serve) originates from "үй" (house) and "члэх" (to do something to someone) and means "to do something for someone in your house". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အစေခံ | ||
| The term "အစေခံ" is also used in a legal context to refer to servitude or forced labor. | |||
Serve in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | menyajikan | ||
| "Menyajikan" also means "to contribute" or "to offer". | |||
| Javanese | ngawula | ||
| The verb "ngawula" also means "to worship" in Old Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | បម្រើ | ||
| បម្រើ also means "work for someone as a servant; be an employee of" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ຮັບໃຊ້ | ||
| Malay | hidang | ||
| The term hidang is also used in Malay to refer to a type of dining table or food display. | |||
| Thai | ให้บริการ | ||
| "ให้บริการ" is also a Thai honorific phrase referring to the provision of services by a superior to an inferior. | |||
| Vietnamese | giao banh | ||
| The word "giao banh" also means "to hand over". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maglingkod | ||
Serve in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | xidmət etmək | ||
| The verb "xidmət etmək" (or "khidmət etmək") has many meanings such as "to work with diligence and honesty" and "to be attentive to someone as a servant" | |||
| Kazakh | қызмет ету | ||
| The word "қызмет ету" (serve) in Kazakh also means "to work" or "to occupy a position of service." | |||
| Kyrgyz | кызмат кылуу | ||
| The word "кызмат кылуу" can also mean "to work" or "to be employed" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | хизмат кардан | ||
| The Tajik word "хизмат кардан" also means "to help" in Uzbek, and "to help" and "to do favor" in Pashto. | |||
| Turkmen | hyzmat et | ||
| Uzbek | xizmat qilish | ||
| In Uzbek, "xizmat" originates from the Persian "khidmat" and can also refer to "office" or "department". | |||
| Uyghur | مۇلازىمەت قىلىڭ | ||
Serve in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lawelawe | ||
| The word 'lawelawe' in Hawaiian can also mean 'to worship' or 'to revere' in a religious context. | |||
| Maori | mahi | ||
| Derived from the Proto-Polynesian word *mafi*, meaning 'be appropriate' or 'be right', 'mahi' also conveys the sense of 'to provide' or 'to prepare'. | |||
| Samoan | tautua | ||
| The Samoan word "tautua" can also mean "to assist" or "to help out". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | maglingkod | ||
| In Tagalog, the word "maglingkod" can mean either "to serve" or "to guard" | |||
Serve in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | luqtaña | ||
| Guarani | ñangareko | ||
Serve in International Languages
| Esperanto | servi | ||
| "Serva" in Esperanto also translates as "handmaid", "girl servant" and "maidservant". | |||
| Latin | serve | ||
| In Latin, "serve" also means "to preserve" or "to keep safe". | |||
Serve in Others Languages
| Greek | σερβίρισμα | ||
| "Σερβίρισμα" is a Greek word that also means "a portion of food or drink". | |||
| Hmong | pab | ||
| The word "pab" can also mean "to carry" or "to bring". | |||
| Kurdish | sûxrekirin | ||
| The word "sûxrekirin" has an alternate meaning of "to drag" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | servis | ||
| Servis, a Turkish word, also refers to the act of distributing goods, especially newspapers or mail. | |||
| Xhosa | khonza | ||
| The word "khonza" in Xhosa can also mean "to work for someone" or "to be a servant." | |||
| Yiddish | דינען | ||
| The Yiddish word "דינען" can also have the meaning of "to work for" or "to be employed by." | |||
| Zulu | khonza | ||
| The word 'khonza' is also used as a form of greeting in Zulu, meaning 'good day'. | |||
| Assamese | সেৱা কৰা | ||
| Aymara | luqtaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | चाकरी कईल | ||
| Dhivehi | ޚިދުމަތްކުރުން | ||
| Dogri | सेवा करना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maglingkod | ||
| Guarani | ñangareko | ||
| Ilocano | agserbi | ||
| Krio | sav | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | خزمەتکردن | ||
| Maithili | सेवा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯦꯕꯥ ꯇꯧꯕ | ||
| Mizo | rawngbawlsak | ||
| Oromo | tajaajiluu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସେବା କର | | ||
| Quechua | aypuy | ||
| Sanskrit | सेवते | ||
| Tatar | хезмәт ит | ||
| Tigrinya | ኣገልገለ | ||
| Tsonga | tirhela | ||