Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'zone' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, denoting a variety of meanings including a field or area, a region with specific characteristics, or even a state of mental or emotional focus. Its cultural importance is evident in various contexts, such as the distinct 'zone' of responsibility in business, the 'red zone' in American football, or the 'zones' in the popular children's game, 'Minecraft.'
Delving into the historical context, the term 'zone' originates from the Greek word 'zonē,' meaning 'a girdle or belt.' This term was later adopted by the Romans, who used it to describe a 'belt of land' or 'climate.' The word's evolution and adaptability across cultures and languages make it a fascinating subject of study.
Understanding the translation of 'zone' in different languages can broaden one's cultural awareness and enhance communication skills. For instance, the French translation is 'zone,' while in Spanish, it's 'zona.' In German, it's 'Zone,' and in Japanese, it's 'ゾーン (zōn).'
Afrikaans | sone | ||
The Afrikaans word "sone" can also refer to a type of musical instrument or a particular note in a piece of music. | |||
Amharic | ዞን | ||
'ዞን' in Amharic not only refers to an administrative division but also a time zone or a belt. | |||
Hausa | yanki | ||
"Yankee" can also be used as a plural of "yanka" (to cut, chop, or divide). | |||
Igbo | mpaghara | ||
The word 'mpaghara' in Igbo also means 'space' or 'area'. | |||
Malagasy | ara-potoana | ||
"Ara-potoana" is a Malagasy word that can also mean "district" or "region." | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | zone | ||
In Nyanja, 'zone' can also mean 'area' or 'region'. | |||
Shona | nzvimbo | ||
The word "nzvimbo" in Shona is derived from the verb "kuzvimba," meaning "to swell" or "to be inflated," and can also refer to a place of refuge or protection. | |||
Somali | aagga | ||
Its root, 'aag,' refers to the 'center' of an area or an 'open gathering space. | |||
Sesotho | libaka | ||
"Libaka" is also a word in Zulu and means "place" or "spot". | |||
Swahili | eneo | ||
The word "eneo" also means "time" or "space" in Swahili. | |||
Xhosa | indawo | ||
The word "indawo" in Xhosa can also refer to a place, a location, or a position in space. | |||
Yoruba | agbegbe | ||
"Agbegbe" also means area, region, district, province, or environment. | |||
Zulu | indawo | ||
The word 'indawo' can also mean a place or a position. | |||
Bambara | zone (zone) la | ||
Ewe | zone | ||
Kinyarwanda | akarere | ||
Lingala | zone | ||
Luganda | zone | ||
Sepedi | zone | ||
Twi (Akan) | zone | ||
Arabic | منطقة | ||
In its original Arabic form, | |||
Hebrew | אֵזוֹר | ||
The term אֵזוֹר originates from the Biblical Hebrew word for 'enclose', and is also an acronym for 'Ecological Zoology of Reptiles'. | |||
Pashto | زون | ||
It has additional meaning such as "circle" in Persian. | |||
Arabic | منطقة | ||
In its original Arabic form, |
Albanian | zonë | ||
The Albanian word "zonë" is derived from the Greek word "zoni" which means "belt" or "girdle". | |||
Basque | zona | ||
Zona's original meaning in Basque is 'a hole to put something'. | |||
Catalan | zona | ||
The Catalan word "zona" and its Spanish cognate "zona" both stem from the Greek word "zōnē" meaning "belt" or "girdle." | |||
Croatian | zona | ||
The word "zona" in Croatian is etymologically related to "zone" in English, but can also mean "area" and "belt" | |||
Danish | zone | ||
In Danish, "zone" can also refer to a strip of land along a coastline or a period of time. | |||
Dutch | zone | ||
In Dutch "zone" can also refer to a sandbank or shoal, and in older sources, to a district or area. | |||
English | zone | ||
The word 'zone' derives from the Greek word 'zōnē', which originally meant 'belt' or 'girdle' and later came to signify a 'region' or 'area'. | |||
French | zone | ||
In French, « zone » primarily means « zone ». However, it can also mean a specific part of a city or town, such as a business district or a residential area. | |||
Frisian | sône | ||
The Frisian word "sône" is thought to originate from the same Proto-Germanic root as the English word "sun" and is related to the concept of warmth and light. | |||
Galician | zona | ||
In Galician, "zona" also means "area" or "region" and comes from the Latin word "zona," meaning "belt" or "girdle." | |||
German | zone | ||
The German word "Zone" can also refer to a time zone or a section of a city. | |||
Icelandic | svæði | ||
In Icelandic, the word "svæði" also means "area" or "region", and it is related to the Old Norse word "svíða" ("to burn"), suggesting a connection to the cleared land around a settlement. | |||
Irish | crios | ||
In the 19th century, "crios" also referred to the area around the hearth in a house. | |||
Italian | zona | ||
In Italian, "zona" can also mean "area" or "region", similar to its Latin origin. | |||
Luxembourgish | zone | ||
The Luxembourgish word "Zone" comes from the French word "zone", which in turn comes from the Greek word "zōnē", meaning "belt" or "girdle". | |||
Maltese | żona | ||
Maltese "żona" derives from Italian "zona", but also means "wife" in Polish. | |||
Norwegian | sone | ||
The Norwegian word "sone" comes from the Greek "zonē," meaning "belt" or "band," and is related to the English word "zone." | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | zona | ||
In Portuguese, "zona" is a polysemic word that can refer not only to a geographical zone, but also to a specific area of a city or neighborhood and, less commonly, to a period of time. | |||
Scots Gaelic | sòn | ||
The word "sòn" can also mean "affection" or "love" in Scots Gaelic. | |||
Spanish | zona | ||
The term "zona" can also refer to a region of the body or to a period of time, such as the "zona de guerra" (war zone) or the "zona horaria" (time zone). | |||
Swedish | zon | ||
The word "zon" in Swedish can also refer to a certain type of cake called "kakan" or a type of soup called "zonk". | |||
Welsh | parth | ||
The word "parth" in Welsh can also mean "place" or "region". |
Belarusian | зона | ||
The word зона (zone) in Belarusian is a borrowing from the Russian word зона (zone), which in turn is a borrowing from the Greek word ζώνη (zone). | |||
Bosnian | zona | ||
The word "zona" in Bosnian can also mean "area" or "region". | |||
Bulgarian | зона | ||
Зона (zona), a Bulgarian word for 'zone,' also refers to 'area' and 'region,' and is related to the Greek 'zone,' meaning 'belt' or 'girdle.' | |||
Czech | pásmo | ||
"Pásmo" derives from a Proto-Slavic term for "belt" or "band" and is the equivalent of a Russian "poyas" | |||
Estonian | tsooni | ||
The word "tsooni" in Estonian can also refer to a "tusk" or a "fang". | |||
Finnish | vyöhyke | ||
The word "vyöhyke" derives from the Swedish word "vy" meaning "belt". | |||
Hungarian | zóna | ||
In ancient Greek, "zone" referred to a belt worn around the waist, which divided the body into three parts. | |||
Latvian | zonā | ||
The word "zonā" in Latvian is derived from the German word "Zone" meaning a "belt" or "area". | |||
Lithuanian | zona | ||
The Lithuanian word "zona" is derived from the Latin word "zona," which means "belt" or "girdle." | |||
Macedonian | зона | ||
The word "зона" in Macedonian can also refer to a 'zone' in the sense of a geographical region or a specific area of focus or activity. | |||
Polish | strefa | ||
In Polish, "strefa" can also refer to a zone of activity, influence, or condition. | |||
Romanian | zona | ||
In Romanian, "zona" can also refer to a type of traditional alcoholic beverage made from fermented fruits or grains. | |||
Russian | зона | ||
The word "зона" can also refer to a prison camp or a restricted area in Russian. | |||
Serbian | зона | ||
In Serbian, "зона" is borrowed from Russian and also means "area" or "region." | |||
Slovak | zóna | ||
The word "zóna" is a borrowing from Greek "zónē", but also has a Latin origin "zona" with the meaning "belt", "girdle". In Slovak, it was originally used for "waist", while the meaning "zone" emerged later via German. | |||
Slovenian | območju | ||
The word "območju" in Slovenian can also mean "area" or "region". | |||
Ukrainian | зони | ||
In botany, "зони" is the plural form of "зона" meaning "belt". |
Bengali | মণ্ডল | ||
The word "মণ্ডল" can also refer to a circle, a sphere, or a group of people. | |||
Gujarati | ઝોન | ||
"ઝોન" (zone) also means "belt" or "area" in Gujarati. | |||
Hindi | क्षेत्र | ||
The word "क्षेत्र" in Hindi can also mean "field" or "area" | |||
Kannada | ವಲಯ | ||
The word 'ವಲಯ' ('zone') is derived from the Sanskrit word 'वलय' ('circle') and has alternate meanings of 'area', 'region', 'province' and 'sphere'. | |||
Malayalam | സോൺ | ||
"സോൺ" is the colloquial way of saying "zone" in Malayalam; "zone" can also refer to a part of a city or an electoral constituency | |||
Marathi | झोन | ||
मराठी 'झोन' अंग्रेज़ी के 'ज़ोन' से लिया है। | |||
Nepali | क्षेत्र | ||
The word "क्षेत्र" can also refer to a field, domain, or area of study. | |||
Punjabi | ਜ਼ੋਨ | ||
The word 'ਜ਼ੋਨ' ('zone') in Punjabi can also refer to the waistband of a garment or the waist region of a body. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කලාපය | ||
Tamil | மண்டலம் | ||
Telugu | జోన్ | ||
In Telugu, 'జోన్' (jōn) can also refer to a specific administrative division or area within a larger region. | |||
Urdu | زون | ||
The word "زون" can also mean "waist" or "belt" in Urdu, suggesting a connection between the concept of a zone and the waist, which is a boundary between the upper and lower body. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 区 | ||
The Chinese character "区" is a homophone for the word "区域", which means "area". Additionally, it has a historical meaning of "village" or "community" in some contexts. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 區 | ||
區 (zone) is also used to refer to administrative divisions such as districts or counties in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and was historically used to refer to a military camp or area. | |||
Japanese | ゾーン | ||
The word "ゾーン" (zone) is also used in Japanese to refer to a state of intense concentration or focus, similar to the English term "flow". | |||
Korean | 존 | ||
존 (zone) is thought to be derived from the Chinese character '邨', meaning 'a small village or neighborhood' | |||
Mongolian | бүс | ||
"Бүс" (/bus/) is also a Mongolian word for a belt, sash, or girdle. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ဇုန် | ||
The word "ဇုန်" (zone) in Myanmar can also mean "region" or "area". |
Indonesian | daerah | ||
In Indonesian, the word "daerah" not only means "zone," but also refers to a "region" or "territory" | |||
Javanese | zona | ||
"Zona" also means "belt" in Javanese, referring to a traditional woven garment worn around the waist. | |||
Khmer | តំបន់ | ||
The Khmer word "តំបន់" can also refer to areas or regions for other things like zones on a computer or on a mobile phone or even something like a time zone. | |||
Lao | ເຂດ | ||
"ເຂດ" can also mean "area", "district", or "region". | |||
Malay | zon | ||
The word 'zon' in Malay is derived from the Arabic word 'sunnat', meaning 'tradition' or 'practice'. | |||
Thai | โซน | ||
"โซน" (zone) มาจากคำฝรั่งเศส "zone" ซึ่งแปลว่า "เขต" หรือ "พื้นที่" | |||
Vietnamese | khu | ||
The word | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sona | ||
Azerbaijani | zona | ||
In Azerbaijani, | |||
Kazakh | аймақ | ||
The word "аймақ" in Kazakh can also refer to a specific region or territory within a larger area. | |||
Kyrgyz | зона | ||
In Kyrgyz, word "зона" is a loanword from Russian that also means "prison". | |||
Tajik | минтақа | ||
In astronomy, Минтақа (Mintaka) is also the name of the middle star in Orion's Belt. | |||
Turkmen | zona | ||
Uzbek | zona | ||
In Uzbek, "zona" ("zone") also means "region", "district", or "territory" and can refer to geographical or administrative divisions. | |||
Uyghur | رايون | ||
Hawaiian | ʻāpana | ||
ʻĀpana can also mean 'division', 'section', 'plot', 'part', or 'area'. | |||
Maori | rohe | ||
"Rohe" can also refer to a traditional tribal boundary or territory. | |||
Samoan | sone | ||
The related word 'son' refers to the center or core of a fruit or tuber. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | sona | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) "sona" is an alternate spelling of "zona", the Spanish word for "zone" which it was borrowed from. |
Aymara | zona ukanxa | ||
Guarani | zona rehegua | ||
Esperanto | zono | ||
The Esperanto word “zono” also means “girdle” and comes from the Ancient Greek word "ζώνη" (zōnē). | |||
Latin | zona | ||
Latin "zona" (Greek "zone") meant “belt” and could refer to the world, the heavens, or the zodiac. |
Greek | ζώνη | ||
In Ancient Greek, ζώνη means "belt", a piece of clothing with a specific cultural significance. | |||
Hmong | cheeb tsam | ||
The Hmong word "cheeb tsam" has an alternate meaning of "region or district." | |||
Kurdish | dor | ||
The word "dor" also means "place" or "location" in Kurdish. | |||
Turkish | bölge | ||
"Bölge" originally meant "part, region" and then came to mean "zone". Also refers to the "part of an army in the line of battle". | |||
Xhosa | indawo | ||
The word "indawo" in Xhosa can also refer to a place, a location, or a position in space. | |||
Yiddish | זאָנע | ||
The Yiddish word "זאָנע" also means "sun" or "sunshine". | |||
Zulu | indawo | ||
The word 'indawo' can also mean a place or a position. | |||
Assamese | zone | ||
Aymara | zona ukanxa | ||
Bhojpuri | जोन के बा | ||
Dhivehi | ޒޯން | ||
Dogri | ज़ोन | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sona | ||
Guarani | zona rehegua | ||
Ilocano | sona | ||
Krio | zon | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | زۆن | ||
Maithili | जोन | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯖꯣꯟ ꯑꯗꯨꯗꯥ ꯑꯦꯟ.ꯗꯤ.ꯑꯦ | ||
Mizo | zone a ni | ||
Oromo | zoonii | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଜୋନ୍ | ||
Quechua | zona nisqa | ||
Sanskrit | क्षेत्रम् | ||
Tatar | зона | ||
Tigrinya | ዞባ | ||
Tsonga | zone | ||