Service in Different Languages
Discover 'Service' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'service' holds a significant place in our daily lives, often associated with dedication, helpfulness, and responsibility. Its cultural importance is evident in how it bridges the gap between individuals, communities, and nations, fostering a sense of unity and cooperation. Understanding its translation in different languages can provide valuable insights into various cultures and their unique perspectives on service.
Did you know that the word 'service' originates from the Latin 'servitium', meaning slavery or servitude? Over time, its meaning has evolved to reflect more positive connotations, emphasizing the act of being useful or helpful to others. This transformation showcases how language and culture are intertwined, adapting and growing together.
Whether you're a language enthusiast, a world traveler, or a professional seeking to expand your cultural competence, knowing the translation of 'service' in different languages can enrich your understanding of the world and its diverse peoples.
Service
Service in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | diens | ||
| In Afrikaans, "diens" originates from the Middle Dutch, meaning "service" in English and "dienst" in modern Dutch. | |||
| Amharic | አገልግሎት | ||
| "ኣግልግሎት" is also used to describe the process of serving coffee in Ethiopia, which involves roasting, grinding, and brewing the beans, as well as presenting the coffee to guests in a traditional manner. | |||
| Hausa | sabis | ||
| "Sabis" (service) also means "a person who provides a service" or "a place where a service is provided" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | ọrụ | ||
| The verb "ọrụ" also has the alternate meaning "to work" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | fanompoana | ||
| The Malagasy word "fanompoana" originates from the root "fanompo" meaning "help" and the suffix "-ana" indicating an action, thus emphasizing the act of helping or rendering a service. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ntchito | ||
| "Ntchito" in Chichewa also has meanings like "work" or "job," as in the English word "service". The origin of the word may be the Chichewa "kutchita" meaning "to do". | |||
| Shona | service | ||
| The Shona word "basa" can mean both "service" and "work". | |||
| Somali | adeeg | ||
| The word "adeeg" in Somali comes from the Arabic word "khidma" which also means "service" and "work". | |||
| Sesotho | tšebeletso | ||
| The word "tšebeletso" can also mean "worship" or "prayer". | |||
| Swahili | huduma | ||
| Huduma's root "hud" also means a "presence" or "existence" in Arabic, connecting service to an underlying reality. | |||
| Xhosa | inkonzo | ||
| Inkonyana, "small cow," implies one who assists their parents in the home's operation, a kind of unpaid household "service." | |||
| Yoruba | iṣẹ | ||
| "Iṣẹ" can also mean "work" or "occupation" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | insiza | ||
| The word 'insiza' in Zulu is derived from the verb 'enza', meaning 'to do' or 'to make', and thus also carries the implication of 'work' or 'labour'. | |||
| Bambara | cákɛda | ||
| Ewe | dɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | serivisi | ||
| Lingala | mosala | ||
| Luganda | empeereza | ||
| Sepedi | tirelo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | asoɛeɛ | ||
Service in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الخدمات | ||
| The word 'الخدمات' in Arabic, meaning 'service', originates from the verb 'خدم', meaning 'to work' or 'to serve' | |||
| Hebrew | שֵׁרוּת | ||
| The Hebrew word 'שֵׁרוּת' ('service') is derived from the root 'שׁרת' ('to serve, to attend'), which also implies 'ministry' or 'worship'. | |||
| Pashto | خدمت | ||
| The word "خدمت" in Pashto can also refer to "devotion" or "worship". | |||
| Arabic | الخدمات | ||
| The word 'الخدمات' in Arabic, meaning 'service', originates from the verb 'خدم', meaning 'to work' or 'to serve' | |||
Service in Western European Languages
| Albanian | shërbimi | ||
| "Shërbim" comes from the Latin word "servire" which means "to serve" and also means "military duty" or "worship" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | zerbitzua | ||
| The word 'zerbitzua' in Basque comes from the Latin 'servitium', meaning 'slavery or servitude'. | |||
| Catalan | servei | ||
| The Catalan word "servei" also means "department" or "office", akin to its French cognate "service". | |||
| Croatian | servis | ||
| In Croatian, 'servis' also refers to a set of dishes designed to be served together. | |||
| Danish | service | ||
| The Danish word "service" is also used in a culinary context, referring to serving dishes on a plate. | |||
| Dutch | onderhoud | ||
| In the Dutch language, "onderhoud" also has the connotation of "maintenance" or "upkeep". | |||
| English | service | ||
| The word 'service' derives from Latin 'servitium' (slavery, servitude); a 'server' is a person who provides a service, and a 'serf' is a feudal farm laborer. | |||
| French | un service | ||
| The French word « un service » can also mean "a favor" (e.g. « rendre un service » = « to do someone a favor »). | |||
| Frisian | betsjinning | ||
| The Frisian word "betsjinning" can also mean "maintenance", "repair", "cleaning", "care" or "attendance". | |||
| Galician | servizo | ||
| The word "servizo" in Galician comes from the Latin word "servitium", meaning "condition of a slave". | |||
| German | bedienung | ||
| Interestingly, the word "Bedienung" also refers to female waitstaff in German, likely due to the historical perception of women as primarily responsible for serving others. | |||
| Icelandic | þjónusta | ||
| In Old Norse, the word "þjónusta" could also refer to "military service" or "retinue of attendants". | |||
| Irish | seirbhís | ||
| The word 'seirbhís' derives from the Old Irish word 'seirb', meaning 'bondsman' or 'servant'. It can also refer to a meal or banquet. | |||
| Italian | servizio | ||
| "Servizio" derives from the Latin "servitium", which could mean either "slavery" or "public duty". | |||
| Luxembourgish | service | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Service" can also refer to a set of dishes served together at a meal. | |||
| Maltese | servizz | ||
| The Maltese word "servizz" is derived from the Italian word "servizio", which traces its roots back to the Latin word "servus", meaning "slave". | |||
| Norwegian | service | ||
| The word "service" in Norwegian can also mean "worship" or "ritual". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | serviço | ||
| In Brazil, "serviço" can also refer to a type of small sandwich or snack. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | seirbheis | ||
| Seirbheis derives from Middle Irish 'servis', which is itself derived from the Latin 'servitium' (slavery). | |||
| Spanish | servicio | ||
| "Servicio" also means "set" in tennis or volleyball. | |||
| Swedish | service | ||
| The Swedish word "service" comes from the Latin word "servitium" meaning "slavery". | |||
| Welsh | gwasanaeth | ||
| The word "gwasanaeth" in Welsh is derived from the word "gwas" meaning "servant", and can also refer to a "religious service". | |||
Service in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | абслугоўванне | ||
| The word "абслугоўванне" in Belarusian derives from the Russian "обслуживание" which in turn derives from the French "service." | |||
| Bosnian | usluga | ||
| In Bosnian, "usluga" can also refer to a favor or an act of kindness performed for someone. | |||
| Bulgarian | обслужване | ||
| The Russian word "обслуживание" also means "maintenance," "assistance," or "support." | |||
| Czech | servis | ||
| Czech word "servis" also means a set of dishes for serving food. | |||
| Estonian | teenus | ||
| In the Võro dialect, the meaning of "teenus" can expand to include "assistance". | |||
| Finnish | palvelu | ||
| The word "palvelu" can also refer to a service or ceremony performed in honor of a deceased person. | |||
| Hungarian | szolgáltatás | ||
| The Hungarian word “szolgáltatás” originally meant a feudal duty or obligation to a lord, and it retained its archaic connotation of “servitude” until the 19th century. | |||
| Latvian | apkalpošana | ||
| The word "apkalpošana" comes from the verb "apkalpot", meaning "to care for" or "to serve" in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | paslaugą | ||
| The word "paslauga" can also mean "obligation" or "favor". | |||
| Macedonian | сервис | ||
| In Russian, the word 'Сервис' (service) can also refer to a toilet. | |||
| Polish | usługa | ||
| The Polish word "usługa" is derived from the Latin word "usus", meaning "use" or "utility". | |||
| Romanian | serviciu | ||
| The Romanian word "serviciu" ultimately derives from the Latin "servitium", meaning "slavery" or "service". | |||
| Russian | оказание услуг | ||
| The English word "service" comes from the Latin word "servire," meaning "to serve" or "to be a slave." | |||
| Serbian | услуга | ||
| "Услуга" can also mean "favor" or "benefit". | |||
| Slovak | služby | ||
| In addition to its meaning as "service", "služby" can also refer to public utilities or civil service. | |||
| Slovenian | storitev | ||
| The word "storitev" in Slovenian may also refer to a deed or act; duty; performance; task. | |||
| Ukrainian | обслуговування | ||
| The word "обслуговування" is derived from the verb "обслуговувати" which means "to serve", and can also refer to "maintenance" or "care" in Ukrainian. | |||
Service in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পরিষেবা | ||
| The term 'পরিষেবা' is derived from the Sanskrit words 'परिषद' (assembly) and 'सेवा' (service), implying a collective act of assistance rendered to others. | |||
| Gujarati | સેવા | ||
| The word is originally derived from Sanskrit (सेवा), originally denoting 'worshipping a God' | |||
| Hindi | सर्विस | ||
| The word "सर्विस" can also mean "worship" or "devotion." | |||
| Kannada | ಸೇವೆ | ||
| The word "ಸೇವೆ" also means "worshipping" or "honoring" someone or a deity in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | സേവനം | ||
| "സേവനം" also means "worship" in Sanskrit, and is used especially in the context of religious rituals and practices. | |||
| Marathi | सेवा | ||
| The Marathi word "सेवा" (sēvā) shares a linguistic root with the Sanskrit word "सवन" (savana), meaning "act of pouring or offering". | |||
| Nepali | सेवा | ||
| The word "सेवा" can also mean "worship" or "devotion" in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੇਵਾ | ||
| The term 'ਸੇਵਾ' (sevā) can also imply voluntary religious or charitable work done without expectation of reward. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සේවාව | ||
| In Sinhala, the word "සේවාව" can also refer to a government department or agency. | |||
| Tamil | சேவை | ||
| "சேவை" (service) is derived from the root "சே" (join), implying a connection or bond between the provider and recipient. | |||
| Telugu | సేవ | ||
| The word “సేవ” is a cognate of the Sanskrit word “सेवा”, which means “worship”, “adoration”, or “veneration”. | |||
| Urdu | خدمت | ||
| The word "خدمت" ("khidmat") originates from the Persian "khidmat" meaning "service" and "devotion"} | |||
Service in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 服务 | ||
| 服务 (fúwù) is the Chinese translation of “service”, but also means “to assist” or “to wait upon”. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 服務 | ||
| 服務 (service) also means 'to serve or wait on,' 'to provide,' and 'to carry out or execute'. | |||
| Japanese | サービス | ||
| In Japanese, the term "サービス" can also refer to a fee or charge for a service rendered. | |||
| Korean | 서비스 | ||
| 서비스 is cognate with the Chinese word "事". While both words originally meant "affairs" or "work", "事" primarily means "business" or "work" in Chinese while 서비스 primarily means "service" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | үйлчилгээ | ||
| үйлчилгээ is derived from the Mongolian root word "үйл" which can mean either "action" or "thing", and is used in a variety of constructions to convey different shades of meaning. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဝန်ဆောင်မှု | ||
Service in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | layanan | ||
| The word "layanan" can also mean "to serve" or "to attend to" in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | layanan | ||
| The word 'layanan' also refers to a Javanese dance form performed as an offering to a guardian spirit. | |||
| Khmer | សេវាកម្ម | ||
| The word "សេវាកម្ម" ("service") in Khmer is derived from the Sanskrit word "सेवा" (sevā), meaning "attendance" or "devotion". | |||
| Lao | ການບໍລິການ | ||
| Malay | perkhidmatan | ||
| The word "perkhidmatan" originates from the Sanskrit word "sevaka", meaning "service" or "servant." | |||
| Thai | บริการ | ||
| The word 'บริการ' can also refer to the act of providing a service or the department or organization that provides such services. | |||
| Vietnamese | dịch vụ | ||
| The word "dịch vụ" also has the alternate meanings of "business" or "ministry" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | serbisyo | ||
Service in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | xidmət | ||
| "Xidmət" in Azerbaijani also means the provision of something such as a meal or a vehicle to a customer or guest. | |||
| Kazakh | қызмет | ||
| The Kazakh word "қыызмет" is a loanword from the Arabic word " hizmet ", which means "service" and "work". | |||
| Kyrgyz | кызмат | ||
| In Kyrgyz, the word “кызмат” (“service”) derives from Arabic and Turkish, also referring to “employment” or “position”. | |||
| Tajik | хизматрасонӣ | ||
| Хизматрасонӣ is Persian in origin and literally means "work done for another person" (Pers. khidmat-rasānī "service: work for somebody"), the Persian phrase itself being an Arabic-Persian compound of the noun khidmat ("service") and the verbal noun suffix -rasāni ("providing, making available, performing"). | |||
| Turkmen | hyzmaty | ||
| Uzbek | xizmat | ||
| The word "xizmat" in Uzbek derives from the Persian "khidmat" meaning "ministry", "employment", or "service". | |||
| Uyghur | service | ||
Service in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lawelawe | ||
| In Hawaiian, the word "lawelawe" signifies not only "service" but also a reciprocal act of "support" or "assistance" within a community. | |||
| Maori | ratonga | ||
| Ratonga also refers to a Maori war party or expedition. | |||
| Samoan | tautua | ||
| "Tau" means to "bind" and "tua" is "back". So "tautua" can mean either "service" in the helping sense, or "back service" as in the old days of feudal lordships. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | serbisyo | ||
| The word "serbisyo" comes from the Spanish word "servicio", which also means "service". It can also refer to a favor or a task that is done for someone. | |||
Service in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | sirwisyu | ||
| Guarani | tembiapopy | ||
Service in International Languages
| Esperanto | servo | ||
| Esperanto's "servo" shares a linguistic root with the Latin "servus" (slave) and the Russian "serf" (peasant). | |||
| Latin | officium | ||
| Officium has meanings ranging from 'religious obligation' to 'a civil or military service' to 'official duties'. | |||
Service in Others Languages
| Greek | υπηρεσία | ||
| 'Υπηρεσία' also means 'department' or 'ministry' in English. | |||
| Hmong | kev pab cuam | ||
| The Hmong word "kev pab cuam" can also refer to "work" or "job". | |||
| Kurdish | xizmetkar | ||
| The word '*xizmetkar*' (service) also refers to a person who provides domestic services. | |||
| Turkish | hizmet | ||
| The Turkish term "hizmet" is a derivative of the Arabic word "khidma", meaning "ministration" or "servitude". | |||
| Xhosa | inkonzo | ||
| Inkonyana, "small cow," implies one who assists their parents in the home's operation, a kind of unpaid household "service." | |||
| Yiddish | דינען | ||
| "דינען" also means "to earn" in Yiddish. | |||
| Zulu | insiza | ||
| The word 'insiza' in Zulu is derived from the verb 'enza', meaning 'to do' or 'to make', and thus also carries the implication of 'work' or 'labour'. | |||
| Assamese | সেৱা | ||
| Aymara | sirwisyu | ||
| Bhojpuri | नौकरी | ||
| Dhivehi | ޚިދުމަތް | ||
| Dogri | नौकरी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | serbisyo | ||
| Guarani | tembiapopy | ||
| Ilocano | serbisio | ||
| Krio | savis | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | خزمەتگوزاری | ||
| Maithili | सेवा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯦꯕꯥ | ||
| Mizo | thawhna | ||
| Oromo | tajaajila | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସେବା | ||
| Quechua | yanapakuy | ||
| Sanskrit | सेवा | ||
| Tatar | хезмәт | ||
| Tigrinya | ግልጋሎት | ||
| Tsonga | vukorhokeri | ||