Acquire in Different Languages
Discover 'Acquire' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'acquire' is a versatile and vital part of our vocabulary, denoting the process of gaining knowledge, skills, or possessions. Its significance extends beyond the realm of language, as it represents a fundamental aspect of personal growth and development. Throughout history, the concept of acquisition has been intertwined with human culture, from the accumulation of resources for survival to the pursuit of knowledge for enlightenment.
Given the global reach of the English language, it's no surprise that the word 'acquire' has found its way into various languages and cultures around the world. Understanding its translations can provide valuable insights into the nuances of different languages and the cultural contexts in which they exist. For instance, in Spanish, 'acquire' is 'adquirir,' while in German, it's 'erwerben.' Meanwhile, in French, the word is 'acquérir,' and in Japanese, it's 'getsu'.
Join us as we explore the translations of 'acquire' in different languages, shedding light on the fascinating cultural and linguistic diversity that exists across the globe.
Acquire
Acquire in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | verwerf | ||
| The Afrikaans word 'verwerf', meaning 'acquire', derives from the Old Dutch word 'verwerven', which also means 'to win'. | |||
| Amharic | ያግኙ | ||
| The Amharic word ያግኙ can also mean "to reach" or "to find". | |||
| Hausa | saya | ||
| The Hausa word "saya" also means "obtain", "get", "pick up", and "bring in English. | |||
| Igbo | nweta | ||
| "Nweta" in Igbo is also used informally to mean 'understand' in the context of knowledge and concepts | |||
| Malagasy | nahazo | ||
| The word "Nahazo" in Malagasy can also mean "to find" or "to get". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kupeza | ||
| The word "kupeza" in Nyanja can also mean "to buy" or "to purchase". | |||
| Shona | wana | ||
| The word "wana" in Shona can also mean "to desire" or "to wish for". | |||
| Somali | helid | ||
| The word 'helid' in Somali also means 'possess' or 'get hold of'. | |||
| Sesotho | fumana | ||
| The noun "fumano" refers to a share of the harvest given to the owner of the field by laborers harvesting the field. | |||
| Swahili | pata | ||
| As a noun, 'pata' can mean 'leg' or 'paw', derived from the Proto-Bantu term '-pada' | |||
| Xhosa | fumana | ||
| The alternate meaning of "fumana" is "to get", and its etymology is from the root word "fum". | |||
| Yoruba | gba | ||
| The word "gba" in Yoruba shares a similar root with the words "gbe" (to take) and "gbà" (to receive), suggesting a broader concept of acquisition involving movement or reception. | |||
| Zulu | thola | ||
| The word 'thola' in Zulu, apart from its primary meaning of 'acquire,' also implies 'to reach' and 'to gain access to something'. | |||
| Bambara | ka sɔrɔ | ||
| Ewe | ƒle | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kugura | ||
| Lingala | kozwa | ||
| Luganda | okufuna | ||
| Sepedi | hwetša | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nya | ||
Acquire in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | يكتسب | ||
| يكتسب is a verb which has the basic meaning | |||
| Hebrew | לִרְכּוֹשׁ | ||
| The word "לִרְכּוֹשׁ" (acquire) shares the same root as the word "רכוש" (property), suggesting a connection between acquiring and owning something. | |||
| Pashto | ترلاسه کول | ||
| The word "ترلاسه کول" can also mean to "take away" or "remove" something. | |||
| Arabic | يكتسب | ||
| يكتسب is a verb which has the basic meaning | |||
Acquire in Western European Languages
| Albanian | fitoj | ||
| "Fitoj" derives from the Latin "facio" (to make, do). | |||
| Basque | eskuratu | ||
| The Basque word "eskuratu" also means "to recover" or "to win back" something that was lost. | |||
| Catalan | adquirir | ||
| The verb "adquirir" (to acquire) comes from the Latin word "adquirere" and can also mean to obtain or to gain. | |||
| Croatian | steći | ||
| The verb "steći" originates from the Slavic root "tekti," meaning "to run or flow," and its primary meaning is "to move from one place to another," not simply "to acquire." | |||
| Danish | erhverve | ||
| Erhverve is a loanword from Middle Low German and also has the meaning of "trade" or "occupation" in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | verkrijgen | ||
| The Dutch word "verkrijgen" derives from the Old English term "forgripan," meaning "to seize or grasp." | |||
| English | acquire | ||
| The word "acquire" derives from the Latin "adquirere," meaning "to get or obtain." It can refer not only to material goods but also to knowledge or skills. | |||
| French | acquérir | ||
| The French word "acquérir" can also mean to assimilate, to appropriate, to gain, to learn, or to obtain. | |||
| Frisian | oanwinne | ||
| "oanwinne" comes from the verb "winne" („win"), and has the alternate meaning "obtain"} | |||
| Galician | adquirir | ||
| Adoquirir means both "acquire" and "understand" in Galician. | |||
| German | erwerben | ||
| The verb "erwerben" comes from the Middle High German "erwerben" meaning "to gain through work or effort". | |||
| Icelandic | eignast | ||
| Eignast can also be used to describe the act of taking ownership or possession of something. | |||
| Irish | fháil | ||
| The word "fháil" has cognates in other Celtic languages including Welsh and Gaulish while also being related to Old Irish "áil" which means "property" or "right". | |||
| Italian | acquisire | ||
| The Italian word "acquisire" derives from the Latin verb "adquirere", which means "to get, to attain, or to seize". | |||
| Luxembourgish | kréien | ||
| The verb "kréien" may also mean "to get (something) done" or "to become." | |||
| Maltese | takkwista | ||
| The etymology of takkwista is from Sicilian "acquistari" which in turn is from the Latin word "acquirere". | |||
| Norwegian | tilegne | ||
| The Old Norse verb "tilgengja" translates to "to make" or "to produce". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | adquirir | ||
| In Brazil, the verb «adquirir» can also mean «se apoderar de», which translates to «seize» in English. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | faigh | ||
| The word 'faigh' can also refer to 'receive', 'earn', or 'obtain' | |||
| Spanish | adquirir | ||
| The Spanish term 'adquirir' originates from the Latin root 'adquirere', meaning 'to seize' or 'to reach out after', and is cognate with the English word 'acquire'. | |||
| Swedish | tillägna sig | ||
| "Tillägna sig" can also mean "to appropriate" or "to dedicate" in Swedish. | |||
| Welsh | caffael | ||
| The word 'caffael' is derived from the Latin 'capere', meaning 'to take' or 'to seize'. | |||
Acquire in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | набываць | ||
| The word "набываць" comes from the Proto-Slavic "*obiti", meaning "to get" or "to find". It is also cognate with the Russian word "набыть" and the Polish word "nabyć". | |||
| Bosnian | steći | ||
| The verb 'steći' is of Proto-Slavic origin, cognate with the Russian 'стекать', meaning 'to flow down', suggesting a connection to the material acquisition. | |||
| Bulgarian | придобивам | ||
| The verb "придобивам" in Bulgarian can also mean to gain knowledge, skills, habits, and qualities. | |||
| Czech | získat | ||
| Získat comes from the Proto-Slavic word *zęti, meaning "to take" or "to seize". | |||
| Estonian | omandama | ||
| The word "omandama" derives from "oma" (own) and "mända" (go), hence meaning "to make something your own". | |||
| Finnish | hankkia | ||
| The verb "hankkia" is related to the Hungarian verb "hankerni" ("to desire") and may indicate a pre-Finno-Ugric substrate. | |||
| Hungarian | szerez | ||
| The word "szerez" has Slavic roots and is related to the words "szar" (dirt) and "szűr" (filter). | |||
| Latvian | iegūt | ||
| The word "iegūt" can also mean "to win". | |||
| Lithuanian | įsigyti | ||
| "Įsigyti" can also mean "get" or "have" in the sense of "be in possession of something". | |||
| Macedonian | стекнуваат | ||
| The verb "стекнуваат" can also mean "to gain" or "to obtain". | |||
| Polish | nabyć | ||
| The Polish word "nabyć" derives from the Proto-Slavic word *nabъti, and has a similar meaning to its cognates in Czech, Slovak, and Ukrainian. | |||
| Romanian | dobândi | ||
| The Romanian word "dobândi" derives from the Latin "dēbere," meaning "to owe". | |||
| Russian | приобретать | ||
| The Russian verb "приобретать" (acquire) derives from the Old Church Slavonic "обрѣсти" (to find), and retains the meaning of "to find" in some contexts, such as "приобрести смысл" (to find meaning). | |||
| Serbian | стећи | ||
| The Serbian word "стећи" can also mean "to gain" or "to attain" something. | |||
| Slovak | získať | ||
| "Získať" derives from the Old Church Slavonic "iskati", meaning "to seek" or "to look for". | |||
| Slovenian | pridobiti | ||
| The word "pridobiti" in Slovenian also means "to gain" or "to acquire". | |||
| Ukrainian | набувати | ||
| The Ukrainian word "набувати" can also mean "to gain" or "to receive". | |||
Acquire in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অধিগ্রহণ | ||
| অধিগ্রহণ is derived from Sanskrit and can also mean 'to receive', 'to learn', or 'to understand'. | |||
| Gujarati | હસ્તગત કરો | ||
| The word "હસ્તગત કરો" comes from the Sanskrit word "hasta" meaning "hand" and "gata" meaning "gone" or "obtained", suggesting the act of taking something into one's possession. | |||
| Hindi | अधिग्रहण | ||
| अधिग्रहण' (acquire) is derived from the Sanskrit root 'ग्रह' (to take), and can also mean seizure, appropriation, or assumption of powers. | |||
| Kannada | ಸಂಪಾದಿಸಿ | ||
| The word "ಸಂಪಾದಿಸಿ" ("acquire") is derived from the root "ಪದ" ("to get"), and is also used to refer to the act of "earning" or "obtaining" something. | |||
| Malayalam | സ്വന്തമാക്കുക | ||
| The Malayalam verb "స్వంతమాക്കുക" can also mean "to conquer" or "to possess." | |||
| Marathi | घेणे | ||
| The Marathi word "घेणे" can also denote "borrowing" or "receiving". | |||
| Nepali | अधिग्रहण | ||
| The verb 'अधिग्रहण' (adhigaraṇa) is derived from the prefix 'अधि' (adhi) meaning 'above, over' and the root 'ग्रह' (grah) meaning 'to seize, to take' or 'to hold'. It has a broader meaning of 'to gain' or 'to possess' something physically as well as mentally, and can also refer to the act of 'taking over' or 'assumption', such as the 'acquisition' of power or territory. | |||
| Punjabi | ਹਾਸਲ | ||
| The word ਹਾਸਲ originally meant "to get something by chance or inheritance," later getting the additional meaning of "to earn something through hard work." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අත්පත් කර ගන්න | ||
| Tamil | பெறுங்கள் | ||
| The word 'பெறுங்கள்' can also mean 'to obtain', 'to receive', or 'to get'. | |||
| Telugu | సంపాదించండి | ||
| It derives from the Sanskrit word "sampādayati" meaning "to bring to or make ready, to provide, to cause to exist" | |||
| Urdu | حاصل | ||
| The Urdu word 'حاصل' can be traced back to the Arabic word 'حصل', meaning to obtain, get, or gather. | |||
Acquire in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 获得 | ||
| In addition to "acquire," the Chinese character 获得 (huòdé) can also mean "get," "obtain," or "win." | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 獲得 | ||
| In Cantonese, 獲得 (wok6 dak6) can also mean "to get" or "to receive." | |||
| Japanese | 取得する | ||
| 取得する means "to obtain" in Japanese, and can also refer to "understanding" or "grasping" something. | |||
| Korean | 얻다 | ||
| The Korean word 얻다 (eopda) can refer to obtaining something through your own efforts or receiving something from someone else. | |||
| Mongolian | олж авах | ||
| The Mongolian word "олж авах" can also mean "to gain" or "to obtain". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဆည်းပူး | ||
Acquire in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | memperoleh | ||
| The Indonesian word "memperoleh" comes from the root word "peroleh", which means "to obtain" or "to get". | |||
| Javanese | entuk | ||
| The word 'entuk' in Javanese also has a secondary meaning of 'to get something by force'. | |||
| Khmer | ទទួលបាន | ||
| The word "ទទួលបាន" also means "to get", "to receive", or "to obtain". | |||
| Lao | ໄດ້ມາ | ||
| The Lao word "ໄດ້ມາ" can also mean "to achieve" or "to attain". | |||
| Malay | memperoleh | ||
| Memperoleh derives from the Old Malay word "oleh", meaning "to possess" or "to gain". It also shares an etymology with the Indonesian word "memperoleh", which has the same meaning. | |||
| Thai | ได้มา | ||
| ได้มา can also mean "get" or "receive". | |||
| Vietnamese | có được, thu được | ||
| This verb can also be used in the sense of receiving or being bestowed something. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | makuha | ||
Acquire in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | əldə etmek | ||
| The word "əldə etmek" is derived from the Persian word "dast" meaning "hand" and the verb "etmek" meaning "to do," implying the act of taking something into one's possession. | |||
| Kazakh | сатып алу | ||
| The noun "сатып алу" also has the meanings of "buy" and "purchase" | |||
| Kyrgyz | алуу | ||
| The word "алуу" can also mean "to take" or "to seize" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | ба даст овардан | ||
| The word "ба даст овардан" has Persian roots and can also mean "to take action" or "to perform an action." | |||
| Turkmen | edin | ||
| Uzbek | sotib olmoq | ||
| "Sotib olish" (to acquire) shares an origin with the word "sotib" (seller) and "sotilish" (sale) in Uzbek, showing the word's deep roots in the language's commercial history. | |||
| Uyghur | ئېرىشىش | ||
Acquire in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | loaʻa | ||
| The Hawaiian word "loaʻa" also means "to find, gain, or discover." | |||
| Maori | whiwhi | ||
| The word "whiwhi" is also used in Maori to mean "to receive" or "to obtain". | |||
| Samoan | maua | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "acquire," "maua" also denotes "to gain or obtain something through effort or exertion." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | makuha | ||
| The word "makuha" is also used to mean "to be able to" or "to have the opportunity to". | |||
Acquire in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | mayisiña | ||
| Guarani | mba'ejoguáva | ||
Acquire in International Languages
| Esperanto | akiri | ||
| The Esperanto word "akiri" ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*ak-," meaning "sharp" or "pointed." | |||
| Latin | durum | ||
| The verb 'Durum' in Latin can also refer to 'to last, to endure' or 'to be valid or legal'. | |||
Acquire in Others Languages
| Greek | αποκτώ | ||
| In Ancient Greek, αποκτώ also meant 'to give birth to', which is reflected in its Latin cognate 'parere'. | |||
| Hmong | kis tau | ||
| The word "kis tau" in Hmong can also refer to the act of "gaining" or "obtaining" something. | |||
| Kurdish | kirrîn | ||
| "Kirrîn" also means "getting close" or "feeling comfortable". | |||
| Turkish | elde etmek | ||
| The word "elde etmek" in Turkish also means "to obtain" or "to achieve". | |||
| Xhosa | fumana | ||
| The alternate meaning of "fumana" is "to get", and its etymology is from the root word "fum". | |||
| Yiddish | קריגן | ||
| The Yiddish word "קריגן" ("acquire") is derived from the Middle High German word "krigen" ("to obtain, get"), ultimately from the Old High German word "krigon" ("to strive, fight"). | |||
| Zulu | thola | ||
| The word 'thola' in Zulu, apart from its primary meaning of 'acquire,' also implies 'to reach' and 'to gain access to something'. | |||
| Assamese | আঁকুৱালি | ||
| Aymara | mayisiña | ||
| Bhojpuri | कमाईल | ||
| Dhivehi | ލިބިގަތުން | ||
| Dogri | हासल करना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | makuha | ||
| Guarani | mba'ejoguáva | ||
| Ilocano | alaen | ||
| Krio | gɛt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بەدەست هێنان | ||
| Maithili | अधिग्रहण | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯧꯁꯤꯟꯕ | ||
| Mizo | nei | ||
| Oromo | argachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପ୍ରାପ୍ତ କରନ୍ତୁ | | ||
| Quechua | tariy | ||
| Sanskrit | अर्जन | ||
| Tatar | алу | ||
| Tigrinya | ሕተት | ||
| Tsonga | ku kuma | ||