Voter in Different Languages
Discover 'Voter' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'voter' holds great significance in democratic societies, representing the fundamental right to have a say in the government that leads the nation. This cultural importance is reflected in the fact that the word 'voter' exists in various languages, showcasing the global reach of democratic values.
Did you know that the concept of voting can be traced back to ancient civilizations such as Athens, where adult male citizens had the right to vote in the Assembly? Or that in the United States, the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote in 1920? Understanding the word 'voter' in different languages can provide insight into how this concept has evolved and been adopted around the world.
For instance, in Spanish, a voter is 'un votante', while in French, it's 'un électeur'. In German, the word is 'ein Wähler', and in Mandarin Chinese, it's '选民' (xuǎn mín).
Keep reading to discover more translations of the word 'voter' in various languages and learn about the cultural significance of voting in different parts of the world.
Voter
Voter in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | kieser | ||
| The word "kieser" derives from the Dutch word "kiezer", a derivative of "kiezen", meaning "to choose." | |||
| Amharic | መራጭ | ||
| The word "መራጭ" in Amharic comes from the root "መረቐ", meaning "to choose or select." | |||
| Hausa | mai jefa kuri'a | ||
| The word "mai jefa kuri'a" is an idiomatic expression meaning "someone who brings out votes". | |||
| Igbo | onye nhoputa ndi ochichi | ||
| Its literal translation is "a person who selects someone who will speak" | |||
| Malagasy | mpifidy | ||
| The word "mpifidy" in Malagasy is derived from the root "pifidy" meaning "to choose". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wovota | ||
| 'Wovota' also means 'a person who chooses' or 'a person who selects' | |||
| Shona | muvhoti | ||
| The Shona word 'muvhoti' derives from the word 'kuvhota', which means 'to choose' or 'to select' | |||
| Somali | codbixiyaha | ||
| The word "codbixiyaha" is a compound of "cod" meaning "voice" and "bixiyaha" meaning "giver," suggesting the idea of expressing one's opinion through voting. | |||
| Sesotho | mokhethi | ||
| The word "mokhethi" is derived from the verb "ho khetha," meaning "to choose" or "to select". | |||
| Swahili | mpiga kura | ||
| The word "mpiga kura" also means "voter" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | umvoti | ||
| The word "umvoti" in Xhosa translates directly to "a person who chooses". | |||
| Yoruba | oludibo | ||
| The word "oludibo" in Yoruba signifies someone who casts a vote and is also often used as a euphemism for someone who is easily swayed or influenced. | |||
| Zulu | umvoti | ||
| The word "umvoti" in Zulu, meaning "voter," derives from the verb "vota," referring to the act of choosing or selecting. | |||
| Bambara | wotekɛla | ||
| Ewe | atikemawɔla | ||
| Kinyarwanda | abatora | ||
| Lingala | moponi | ||
| Luganda | omulonzi | ||
| Sepedi | mokgethi | ||
| Twi (Akan) | abatowfo | ||
Voter in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ناخب | ||
| The term "nākhib" originally referred to the process of selection and nomination of individuals, rather than voting itself in the modern understanding. | |||
| Hebrew | בּוֹחֵר | ||
| בּוֹחֵר can also mean 'one who chooses' or 'one who examines' in biblical Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | رایه ورکونکی | ||
| Arabic | ناخب | ||
| The term "nākhib" originally referred to the process of selection and nomination of individuals, rather than voting itself in the modern understanding. | |||
Voter in Western European Languages
| Albanian | votues | ||
| The word "votues" also means "elector" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | hautesle | ||
| The term "hautesle" is often incorrectly used as an equivalent to the Spanish word "voto" ("vote"), while it strictly means "to wish" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | votant | ||
| "Votant" not only means "voter" in Catalan, but also is used to refer to a device that holds votes in a secret ballot system. | |||
| Croatian | birač | ||
| The word "birač" in Croatian, meaning "voter", is derived from the verb "birati", which means "to choose". | |||
| Danish | vælger | ||
| The word 'vælger' is cognate with the German 'wählen', from 'waljan' 'to choose', which is also the origin of the English 'will'. | |||
| Dutch | kiezer | ||
| The word "kiezer" in Dutch, meaning "voter," is derived from the Middle Dutch word "kiesen," meaning "to choose" | |||
| English | voter | ||
| "Voter" derives from the French word "vouer", meaning "to dedicate" or "to vow", as in "to pledge one's support". | |||
| French | électeur | ||
| The French word | |||
| Frisian | kiezer | ||
| The Frisian word “kiezer” derives from the archaic German term for “judge” and still occasionally signifies this office in the language’s modern dialects. | |||
| Galician | votante | ||
| In Galician, "votante" also means "supporter" or "follower". | |||
| German | wähler | ||
| Wahl also means selection, election, poll, ballot, vote, preference, or choice in German | |||
| Icelandic | kjósandi | ||
| The word "kjósandi" also means "chooser" or "elector" in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | vótálaí | ||
| Italian | elettore | ||
| Elettore, from the Latin 'elector', also means 'prince elector' or 'cardinal elector'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | wieler | ||
| The word "Wieler" can also refer to a person who casts a ballot in an election. | |||
| Maltese | votant | ||
| The word "votant" in Maltese originally comes from the French word "voter", and can also refer to the act of "voting". | |||
| Norwegian | velger | ||
| The word "velger" in Norwegian literally means "the one who chooses", indicating the active role of the electorate in the democratic process. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | eleitor | ||
| In Portuguese, "eleitor" derives from the Latin "elector," meaning "one who chooses" | |||
| Scots Gaelic | neach-bhòtaidh | ||
| Spanish | votante | ||
| The word "votante" in Spanish can also refer to a "person who casts their vote". | |||
| Swedish | väljare | ||
| The word "väljare" comes from the Old Swedish word "vælia", meaning "to choose". | |||
| Welsh | pleidleisiwr | ||
Voter in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | выбаршчык | ||
| In Belarusian, "выбаршчык" can also refer to a specific type of elector, such as a presidential elector or a delegate to a political convention. | |||
| Bosnian | glasač | ||
| The word "glasač" also means "speaker" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | избирател | ||
| The Bulgarian word "избирател" can also mean "elector" or "constituent" in English. | |||
| Czech | volič | ||
| The Czech word "volič" can also refer to a "polling station" or a "voter turnout". | |||
| Estonian | valija | ||
| The word "valija" in Estonian also means "suitcase" or "baggage". | |||
| Finnish | äänestäjä | ||
| "Äänestäjä" is an agent noun derived from the verb "äänestää" which means to vote. | |||
| Hungarian | szavazó | ||
| "Szavazó" is derived from the verb "szavaz" ("vote"), which comes from the Old Turkic word "sav" ("to speak"). | |||
| Latvian | vēlētājs | ||
| The Latvian word for “voter” is also the name of the constellation Sagittarius in a poetic context. | |||
| Lithuanian | rinkėjas | ||
| In Lithuanian, the word "rinkėjas" is derived from the verb "rinkti," meaning "to select" or "to pick out." | |||
| Macedonian | гласач | ||
| The word "гласач" can also refer to an organ, which can be seen in the name of the famous French horn "cor de chasse", literally "hunting horn". | |||
| Polish | wyborca | ||
| Wyborca can also refer to the electoral district that a given voter comes from. | |||
| Romanian | alegător | ||
| Etymology: <Lat. _alector_ + _-tor_ | |||
| Russian | избиратель | ||
| The Russian word избиратель ( | |||
| Serbian | бирач | ||
| The Serbian word "бирач" (voter) is derived from the Old Slavonic verb "бирати" (to choose). | |||
| Slovak | volič | ||
| The word "volič" in Slovak originated from the verb "voliť" (to choose) and also means the device used for closing the mouth of a horse. | |||
| Slovenian | volivec | ||
| The word 'volivec' is derived from the word 'volitev', which means 'election', and originally referred to a person who has the right to vote, not necessarily someone who exercises that right. | |||
| Ukrainian | виборець | ||
| The word "виборець" in Ukrainian comes from the verb "вибирати" which means "to choose" or "to elect". | |||
Voter in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ভোটার | ||
| The term 'ভোটার' (voter) in Bengali is a loanword from the English language and has no alternate meanings. | |||
| Gujarati | મતદાર | ||
| મતદાર is a Gujarati word derived from the Sanskrit root "मत", meaning "opinion" or "choice", reflecting its role as a person who exercises their right to choose political representatives. | |||
| Hindi | मतदाता | ||
| The Hindi word "मतदाता" can also refer to a pollinator (such as a bee), as it means "one who casts a vote". | |||
| Kannada | ಮತದಾರ | ||
| ಮತದಾರ, meaning 'voter', derives from the word 'matadaara', which also holds the significance of 'supporter' or 'follower' in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | വോട്ടർ | ||
| Marathi | मतदार | ||
| The Sanskrit loanword मतदार (matadar) also means "opinionated person" in Marathi; a cognate meaning exists in Hindi as well. | |||
| Nepali | मतदाता | ||
| मतदाता is derived from the Sanskrit word मतदातृ, meaning 'one who gives a vote'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਵੋਟਰ | ||
| "ਵੋਟਰ" can also mean "the one who casts a vote" or "a person who has the right to vote". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඡන්ද දායකයා | ||
| Tamil | வாக்காளர் | ||
| Telugu | ఓటరు | ||
| The word "ఓటరు" also means "one who chooses" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | ووٹر | ||
| In Urdu, "ووٹر" (voter) also means "one who washes" or "one who cleanses." | |||
Voter in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 选民 | ||
| 选民，本义为被选中的人，后引申为通过投票选出政府官员的人。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 選民 | ||
| The word "選民" can also mean "electors" or "delegates" in Chinese (Traditional). | |||
| Japanese | 有権者 | ||
| 有権者 is a compound of 有（exist, be）and 権（right）, and originally meant "possessor of rights". | |||
| Korean | 유권자 | ||
| The word "유권자" is derived from the Hanja characters "有" (have) and "權" (right), and originally referred to those who had the right to participate in government affairs. | |||
| Mongolian | сонгогч | ||
| The Mongolian word "сонгогч" (voter) also means "the one who chooses" or "the one who elects". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မဲဆန္ဒရှင် | ||
Voter in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | pemilih | ||
| In addition to meaning "voter" in Indonesian, "pemilih" also has more general meanings like "chooser" or "selector". | |||
| Javanese | pamilih | ||
| The word "pamilih" in Javanese can also mean "family" or "group of people who live together". | |||
| Khmer | អ្នកបោះឆ្នោត | ||
| Lao | ຜູ້ລົງຄະແນນສຽງ | ||
| Malay | pengundi | ||
| "Pengundi" is derived from the Malay phrase "pengundi undi" meaning "one who casts a vote". | |||
| Thai | ผู้มีสิทธิเลือกตั้ง | ||
| "ผู้มีสิทธิเลือกตั้ง" also means "elector". Both words ultimately derive from the Latin verb "eligere" meaning "to choose". | |||
| Vietnamese | cử tri | ||
| Cử tri (literally “holding a pen”), from Han characters 舉 (to raise; to elect) and 吏 (an official, an underling) | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | botante | ||
Voter in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | seçici | ||
| "Seçici" also means "choosy" in Azerbaijani, reflecting the idea that voters have the power to make a choice. | |||
| Kazakh | сайлаушы | ||
| The word "сайлаушы" in Kazakh can also refer to "electorate". | |||
| Kyrgyz | шайлоочу | ||
| Tajik | интихобкунанда | ||
| The word "интихобкунанда" can also refer to a person who chooses something or makes a decision. | |||
| Turkmen | saýlawçy | ||
| Uzbek | saylovchi | ||
| The word "saylovchi" comes from the Uzbek word "saylash", meaning "election", and the suffix "-chi", which indicates a person who does something. | |||
| Uyghur | سايلىغۇچىلار | ||
Voter in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | mea koho | ||
| The word "mea koho" literally means "chosen thing" in Hawaiian, and can also refer to an election. | |||
| Maori | kaipōti | ||
| The word "kaipōti" derives from the verb "pōti" meaning "to elect" or "to choose". | |||
| Samoan | tagata palota | ||
| The Samoan "tagata palota" can also mean "the one who chooses". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | botante | ||
| The word "botante" is derived from the Spanish word "votante", which is a term for someone who is eligible to vote. | |||
Voter in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | chhijllañataki | ||
| Guarani | elector rehegua | ||
Voter in International Languages
| Esperanto | voĉdonanto | ||
| Latin | suffragator | ||
| The Latin noun "suffragator" means "voter", "one who supports (by vote)", or "he/she who votes". | |||
Voter in Others Languages
| Greek | ψηφοφόρος | ||
| The Greek word "ψηφοφόρος" literally means "stone-bearer" or "pebble-carrier", referring to the ancient practice of using pebbles or stones to cast votes in elections. | |||
| Hmong | tus pov ntawv xaiv tsa | ||
| The Hmong word for "voter" contains an internal reduplication of "xaiv" (to choose) and means "one who chooses over and over again." | |||
| Kurdish | dengder | ||
| The word "dengder" can also refer to a "member of a political party" or a "political activist" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | seçmen | ||
| The word "seçmen" is derived from the Turkish verb "seçmek" (to choose), and can also refer to a jury or a group of delegates. | |||
| Xhosa | umvoti | ||
| The word "umvoti" in Xhosa translates directly to "a person who chooses". | |||
| Yiddish | וויילער | ||
| "וויילער" can also mean "whales" (in the plural) in Yiddish. | |||
| Zulu | umvoti | ||
| The word "umvoti" in Zulu, meaning "voter," derives from the verb "vota," referring to the act of choosing or selecting. | |||
| Assamese | ভোটাৰ | ||
| Aymara | chhijllañataki | ||
| Bhojpuri | मतदाता के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ވޯޓަރެވެ | ||
| Dogri | मतदाता | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | botante | ||
| Guarani | elector rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | botante | ||
| Krio | di pɔsin we de vot | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دەنگدەر | ||
| Maithili | मतदाता | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯚꯣꯇꯔ ꯑꯣꯏꯅꯥ ꯄꯤꯈꯤ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | vote neitu a ni | ||
| Oromo | filataa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଭୋଟର | ||
| Quechua | akllaq | ||
| Sanskrit | मतदाता | ||
| Tatar | сайлаучы | ||
| Tigrinya | መራጺ | ||
| Tsonga | muvhoti | ||