Surgery in Different Languages
Discover 'Surgery' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Surgery, a significant and often intimidating concept, has been a crucial aspect of medical care for centuries. Its cultural importance is undeniable, as it has saved countless lives and allowed for advancements in various fields. From ancient civilizations like Egypt and Greece to modern-day operating rooms, surgery has evolved tremendously, reflecting our growing understanding of the human body and its intricacies.
As the world becomes more interconnected, knowing the translation of 'surgery' in different languages can be beneficial. For instance, medical professionals seeking international opportunities, global travelers requiring medical assistance, or even language enthusiasts exploring cultural nuances will find such knowledge valuable.
Did you know that the term 'surgery' comes from the Greek words 'cheir' meaning hand and 'ergon' meaning work? Or that the oldest known surgical text, the Edwin Smith Papyrus, dates back to around 1600 BCE? These fascinating facts highlight the rich history associated with the word 'surgery'.
Now, let's explore how this vital term is translated across various languages and cultures:
Surgery
Surgery in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | chirurgie | ||
| In Afrikaans, chirurgie retains its original Greek etymology as manual work. | |||
| Amharic | ቀዶ ጥገና | ||
| The Amharic word "ቀዶ ጥገና" also means "healing an injury" or "curing an illness". | |||
| Hausa | tiyata | ||
| The Hausa word 'tiyata' is said to have originated from the Arabic word 'tibb', which denotes medicine or treatment. | |||
| Igbo | ịwa ahụ | ||
| The Igbo word "ịwa ahụ" (surgery) is also used in some contexts to refer to "the act of carving". | |||
| Malagasy | fandidiana | ||
| The verb "fandidi" in Malagasy can also mean "to sew", "to stitch", and "to mend", suggesting the close association between surgery and needlework in the Malagasy worldview. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | opaleshoni | ||
| The word "opaleshoni" is derived from the English word "operation". | |||
| Shona | kuvhiya | ||
| Kuvhiya is derived from the Proto-Bantu term *ku-fwira* ("to cut, to sever") and is related to the Swahili term "kufaa" ("to die") | |||
| Somali | qalliin | ||
| The Somali word "qalliin" can also refer to a surgical procedure or a wound. | |||
| Sesotho | ho buoa | ||
| In Sesotho, "ho buoa" shares its root with "boea," meaning "to heal," connecting surgery with mending and recovery. | |||
| Swahili | upasuaji | ||
| In Swahili, the term "upasuaji" is also used in a more traditional context to refer to the act of applying herbal remedies and performing incisions for healing purposes. | |||
| Xhosa | utyando | ||
| The Xhosa word "utyando" is derived from the verb "utyanda", meaning "to cut". It can also refer to "circumcision" or "castration" in certain contexts. | |||
| Yoruba | abẹ | ||
| The word "abẹ" in Yoruba can also mean "incision", "wound", or " scar", emphasizing the physical aspect of surgery. | |||
| Zulu | ukuhlinzwa | ||
| The word "ukuhlinzwa" in Zulu is derived from the verb "ukuhla", meaning "to cut", and the passive suffix "-wa", indicating that an action is being performed on someone or something. | |||
| Bambara | operelikɛyɔrɔ | ||
| Ewe | amekoko | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kubaga | ||
| Lingala | lipaso | ||
| Luganda | okuloongoosa | ||
| Sepedi | karo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | sɛɛgyiri | ||
Surgery in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | جراحة | ||
| جراحة was used to mean "experience" or "knowledge" before it came to mean "surgery". | |||
| Hebrew | כִּירוּרגִיָה | ||
| The Hebrew word כִּירוּרגִיָה derives from the Greek word χειρουργία, meaning "handwork" or "work done by hand". | |||
| Pashto | جراحي | ||
| The Pashto word "جراحي" is ultimately derived from the Greek word "kheirourgos," which refers to a surgeon or the art of surgery. | |||
| Arabic | جراحة | ||
| جراحة was used to mean "experience" or "knowledge" before it came to mean "surgery". | |||
Surgery in Western European Languages
| Albanian | operacioni | ||
| Operacioni's etymological root in Sanskrit means 'to help', referring to the healing aspect of surgery. | |||
| Basque | ebakuntza | ||
| The word "ebakuntza" in Basque contains the morpheme "ebak", which means "to cut" or "to divide". | |||
| Catalan | cirurgia | ||
| The Catalan word "cirurgia" comes from the Greek "kheirourgia", meaning "handwork" or "manual labor." | |||
| Croatian | operacija | ||
| The word "operacija" in Croatian comes from the Latin word "operatio", meaning "action" or "performance". | |||
| Danish | kirurgi | ||
| Kirurgi is derived from the Greek word "kheirourgia," meaning "handwork" or "manual labor." | |||
| Dutch | chirurgie | ||
| "chirurgie" is French for "surgery" and in Old Dutch it also meant "craft" (like in "black magic") | |||
| English | surgery | ||
| "Surgery" derives from the Greek "cheirourgia," meaning "handwork" or "manual work." | |||
| French | chirurgie | ||
| The word | |||
| Frisian | sjirurgy | ||
| Frisian term 'sjirurgy' ('surgery') comes from Greek 'cheirourgia' ('manual work') | |||
| Galician | cirurxía | ||
| The word "Cirurxía" in Galician originally referred only to bloodletting but nowadays has the broader meaning of "surgery". | |||
| German | operation | ||
| In German, 'Operation' also refers to mathematical and logical procedures and can be used to denote military campaigns. | |||
| Icelandic | skurðaðgerð | ||
| The Icelandic word 'skurðaðgerð' is derived from the Old Norse 'skurðr' meaning 'gash' or 'cut', and 'gerð' meaning 'action'. | |||
| Irish | máinliacht | ||
| The word "máinliacht" is also used to refer to the skill of a surgeon or the practice of surgery in general. | |||
| Italian | chirurgia | ||
| The word "chirurgia" derives from the Greek word "kheirourgia," meaning "handicraft" or "manual work." | |||
| Luxembourgish | operatioun | ||
| The word 'Operatioun' (surgery) in Luxembourgish derives from the French 'opératoire' via Middle Low German 'operacie', and originally referred to a medical intervention performed on a living organism. | |||
| Maltese | kirurġija | ||
| The word "kirurġija" is derived from the Greek word "kheirourgia", meaning "handwork" or "manual operation." | |||
| Norwegian | kirurgi | ||
| In some dialects, «kirurgi» refers to a large knife. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | cirurgia | ||
| The word "cirurgia" is derived from the Greek word "kheirourgia", which means "handwork" or "manual operation." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | obair-lannsa | ||
| The word "obair-lannsa" is cognate with the Irish word "oibriú lámh" meaning "handwork". It has also been used to refer to fine metalworking and woodworking. | |||
| Spanish | cirugía | ||
| Cirugía is derived from the Greek word kheirourgia, meaning "handwork" or "manual labor". | |||
| Swedish | kirurgi | ||
| "Kirurgi" is derived from the Greek word "kheirourgia", meaning "handwork". | |||
| Welsh | llawdriniaeth | ||
| 'llawdriniaeth' is used to describe a surgical procedure and also, in a more general sense, to refer to surgical healing | |||
Surgery in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | хірургічнае ўмяшанне | ||
| Bosnian | operacija | ||
| The word 'operacija' has an additional meaning in Bosnian, referring to the act of harvesting agricultural crops or fruit. | |||
| Bulgarian | хирургия | ||
| In Greek, χειρουργία literally means "working with hands". | |||
| Czech | chirurgická operace | ||
| The word comes from the Greek "cheir" (hand) and "ergon" (work). | |||
| Estonian | kirurgia | ||
| The word "kirurgia" in Estonian derives from the Greek word "cheirourgia", which means "handwork" or "surgery". | |||
| Finnish | leikkaus | ||
| Leikkaus also means 'intersection' in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | sebészet | ||
| The word "sebészet" comes from the Hungarian word "seb" meaning "wound". | |||
| Latvian | operācija | ||
| "Operācija" derives from Latin "operatio" meaning "action, labor" and has a similar meaning in modern Latvian, referring to various types of actions and transformations, including those in medical, IT and other domains. | |||
| Lithuanian | operacija | ||
| The word "operacija" can also mean "transaction" or "operation" in a mathematical sense. | |||
| Macedonian | хирургија | ||
| The word "хирургија" (surgery) originates from the Greek word "cheirourgia", which means "hand work". It is the treatment of disease or injury by manual or instrumental methods. | |||
| Polish | operacja | ||
| The Polish word "operacja" derives from the Latin "operatio," meaning "action" or "work." | |||
| Romanian | interventie chirurgicala | ||
| The word "interventie chirurgicala" derives from the Latin "intervenire", meaning "to come between" or "to interfere." | |||
| Russian | операция | ||
| Операция is a false friend, deriving from the Russian word “operatsiya” (cooperation) | |||
| Serbian | хирургија | ||
| The word "хирургија" ultimately derives from the Greek word "χειρουργία", meaning "handwork" or "manual operation". | |||
| Slovak | chirurgický zákrok | ||
| The term 'chirurgický zákrok' is not to be confused with 'chirurgická operácia', which refers specifically to a surgical procedure that aims to remove or correct a damaged body part or organ. | |||
| Slovenian | operacija | ||
| The word "operacija" also means "operation" in the mathematical sense. | |||
| Ukrainian | хірургія | ||
| The English word “surgery” is a derivative of the Greek word “kheirourgia” which literally means “hand-work”. | |||
Surgery in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সার্জারি | ||
| আগে লাতিন 'cirurgia' কথা থেকে তৈরি সংস্কৃত কথা 'শুশ্রূষা' আসে, আর তা 'সংশ্রূষ' থেকে, যেখানে প্রথম শব্দের অর্থ 'সঠিক' ও মাদুলী মূল অর্থ 'যত্ন করা'। | |||
| Gujarati | શસ્ત્રક્રિયા | ||
| 'શસ્ત્રક્રિયા' ('surgery' in Gujarati) originates from the Sanskrit words 'śastra' meaning instrument or weapon, and 'kriya' meaning action, hence denoting an action performed with a surgical instrument. | |||
| Hindi | शल्य चिकित्सा | ||
| "शल्य" means "pertaining to surgery" and "चिकित्सा" means "medical treatment", so "शल्य चिकित्सा" literally means "medical treatment of surgical conditions". | |||
| Kannada | ಶಸ್ತ್ರಚಿಕಿತ್ಸೆ | ||
| In medical context, the word 'ಶಸ್ತ್ರಚಿಕಿತ್ಸೆ' (shastra chikitsa) is derived from 'shastra' (weapon) and 'chikitsa' (treatment), referring to the use of instruments in medical procedures. | |||
| Malayalam | ശസ്ത്രക്രിയ | ||
| The word 'ശസ്ത്രക്രിയ' (surgery) can also refer to 'using weapons' or 'performing surgical instruments'. | |||
| Marathi | शस्त्रक्रिया | ||
| The word 'शस्त्रक्रिया' in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word 'shastra', meaning instrument or weapon, and 'kriya', meaning action. | |||
| Nepali | शल्यक्रिया | ||
| Surgery is derived from the Greek word kheirourgia, meaning 'handwork'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਰਜਰੀ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සැත්කම් | ||
| In Sinhalese, "සැත්කම්" (surgery) also refers to any skilled work or craftsmanship requiring great attention and precision, or the act of putting something together, such as a machine or a house. | |||
| Tamil | அறுவை சிகிச்சை | ||
| "அறுவை சிகிச்சை" literally means "six branches of knowledge" in Tamil, referring to the six essential branches of knowledge required for a surgeon: anatomy, physiology, pathology, diagnosis, therapeutics and surgery. | |||
| Telugu | శస్త్రచికిత్స | ||
| "శస్త్రచికిత్స" means "the act of healing" and is derived from the Sanskrit word "śastra", meaning "instrument" or "weapon", and "cikitsā", meaning "healing" or "treatment". | |||
| Urdu | سرجری | ||
| سرجری in Urdu not only means "surgery", but can also mean "adorned" or "decorated." | |||
Surgery in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 手术 | ||
| "手术"源自"手之术",原指中医的按摩推拿等手法治疗. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 手術 | ||
| "手術" in Chinese means "surgery," but its original meaning was "to move the hands to perform an operation." | |||
| Japanese | 手術 | ||
| The word "手術" (shujutsu, surgery) originally meant "hand method" and was used in acupuncture and moxibustion. | |||
| Korean | 수술 | ||
| The word "수술" is derived from the Chinese word "手術", which means "to cut apart". | |||
| Mongolian | мэс засал | ||
| The word | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ခွဲစိတ်ကုသမှု | ||
Surgery in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | operasi | ||
| Operasi is also used colloquially to mean "investigation" or "action". | |||
| Javanese | operasi | ||
| Operation or surgery in Javanese is disebut operasi is a derivative from Dutch word operatie, or from English operation. | |||
| Khmer | ការវះកាត់ | ||
| This word can also be used to mean bowing down respectfully to a person or object. | |||
| Lao | ການຜ່າຕັດ | ||
| Malay | pembedahan | ||
| "Pembedahan" is derived from the Sanskrit word "bedah," meaning "to cut". | |||
| Thai | ศัลยกรรม | ||
| The Thai word ศัลยกรรม (pronounced 'san-lian-kam') originates from the Pali language and means 'a process of cutting or operating' and 'to cure'. In modern Thai, it refers to any type of medical procedure involving incisions or alterations to the body. | |||
| Vietnamese | phẫu thuật | ||
| Phẫu thuật is derived from the Chinese characters 剖 (cut) and 術 (art, skill). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | operasyon | ||
Surgery in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | cərrahiyyə | ||
| The term "cərrahiyyə" derives from the Arabic word "jarahah","wound", which also shares the same root with the word "jarrah","surgeon". | |||
| Kazakh | хирургия | ||
| The Kazakh word "хирургия" is derived from the Greek word "cheirourgia", which means "hand work". | |||
| Kyrgyz | хирургия | ||
| "Хирургия" (surgery) in Kyrgyz comes from the Greek word "cheirourgia", meaning "handwork" or "manual labor." | |||
| Tajik | ҷарроҳӣ | ||
| In modern Tajik "ҷарроҳӣ" is derived from the Arabic word "jarraha" (to cut) and in addition to meaning "surgery" it also means "wounding" or "injury". | |||
| Turkmen | operasiýa | ||
| Uzbek | jarrohlik | ||
| The word "jarrohlik" comes from the Persian word "jarrah", which means "surgeon". | |||
| Uyghur | ئوپېراتسىيە | ||
Surgery in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻoki kino | ||
| 'Oki kino' literally translates to 'bone cutting', reflecting the ancient practice of using sharpened shells to perform surgeries. | |||
| Maori | pokanga | ||
| The term pokanga's literal translation means 'to open out a space' | |||
| Samoan | taʻotoga | ||
| The word "taʻotoga" also means "a place of rest or lying down" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | operasyon | ||
| In Tagalog, "operasyon" not only refers to a surgical procedure but also to any form of activity or process. | |||
Surgery in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | khariyasiña | ||
| Guarani | ñembovo | ||
Surgery in International Languages
| Esperanto | kirurgio | ||
| Esperanto's "kirurgio" also relates to the "hand" as in French "chirurgie". | |||
| Latin | surgery | ||
| Derived from the Greek word "cheirourgia" meaning "handwork" and the Latin word "chirurgia" meaning "manual operation". | |||
Surgery in Others Languages
| Greek | χειρουργική επέμβαση | ||
| Χειρουργική (kheirourgiki) comes from the Greek words "kheir" (hand) and "ergon" (work) and originally meant "manual work" or "craftsmanship"} | |||
| Hmong | kev phais mob | ||
| The word "kev phais mob" originated in Chinese medicine and originally meant "to cure a wound by cutting it open." | |||
| Kurdish | emelî | ||
| In Kurdish, the word "emelî" also means "hope" or "desire". | |||
| Turkish | ameliyat | ||
| The word 'ameliyat' is cognate with the French 'amélioration', meaning 'improvement', as it refers to the act of 'improving' the patient's condition. | |||
| Xhosa | utyando | ||
| The Xhosa word "utyando" is derived from the verb "utyanda", meaning "to cut". It can also refer to "circumcision" or "castration" in certain contexts. | |||
| Yiddish | כירורגיע | ||
| "כירורגיע" (surgery) is derived from the Greek "cheirourgia" (χειρουργία), meaning "handwork" or "manual labor". In Yiddish, it took on the specific meaning of "surgery". | |||
| Zulu | ukuhlinzwa | ||
| The word "ukuhlinzwa" in Zulu is derived from the verb "ukuhla", meaning "to cut", and the passive suffix "-wa", indicating that an action is being performed on someone or something. | |||
| Assamese | অস্ত্ৰোপচাৰ | ||
| Aymara | khariyasiña | ||
| Bhojpuri | सर्जरी | ||
| Dhivehi | ސަރޖަރީ | ||
| Dogri | सर्जरी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | operasyon | ||
| Guarani | ñembovo | ||
| Ilocano | operasion | ||
| Krio | ɔpreshɔn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نەشتەرگەری | ||
| Maithili | शल्य-चिकित्सा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯦꯟꯕ | ||
| Mizo | inzai | ||
| Oromo | baqaqsanii yaaluu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅସ୍ତ୍ରୋପଚାର | ||
| Quechua | cirugia | ||
| Sanskrit | शल्य-चिकित्सा | ||
| Tatar | хирургия | ||
| Tigrinya | መጥባሕቲ | ||
| Tsonga | vuhandzuri | ||