Ask in Different Languages
Discover 'Ask' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'ask' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, allowing us to seek information, opinions, or assistance from others. Its cultural importance is evident in various aspects of communication, from casual conversations to formal meetings. Understanding its translation in different languages can open up new avenues of cross-cultural engagement and understanding.
Did you know that 'ask' is derived from the Old English 'ascian,' which means 'to inquire'? This historical context highlights the antiquity of this simple yet powerful word. Moreover, exploring the word 'ask' in various languages can uncover intriguing cultural nuances and language-specific communication styles.
For instance, in Spanish, 'ask' translates to 'preguntar,' while in French, it becomes 'demander.' In German, the word 'fragen' captures the essence of 'ask,' and in Japanese, 'kikimasu' is the appropriate term. These translations not only help us grasp the word's global significance but also encourage us to appreciate the richness and diversity of languages and cultures around the world.
Ask
Ask in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | vra | ||
| The word "vra" in Afrikaans stems from the Dutch word "vragen," meaning "to ask" or "to question." | |||
| Amharic | ብለህ ጠይቅ | ||
| The phrase "ብለህ ጠይቅ" can also mean "to be frank" or "to be honest." | |||
| Hausa | tambaya | ||
| The word 'tambaya' (ask) in Hausa shares its root with the word 'tambara' (to make a riddle or puzzle). | |||
| Igbo | jụọ | ||
| The word "jụọ" in Igbo can also mean "to inquire" or "to investigate". | |||
| Malagasy | anontanio | ||
| The Malagasy word "anontanio" can also mean "demand, require, request" or "consult" and is related to the word "antoka", which means "question, inquiry, interrogation, cross-questioning, examination." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | funsani | ||
| Funsani is also the name of a traditional Nyanja dance performed during various ceremonies. | |||
| Shona | bvunza | ||
| Shona word 'bvunza' originates from Proto-Bantu '*bundza', meaning 'to consult' or 'to ask' | |||
| Somali | weydii | ||
| The word 'weydii' also derives from the term 'waydii', which means 'question'. | |||
| Sesotho | botsa | ||
| The word "botsa" is also used to refer to the act of seeking or requesting something. | |||
| Swahili | uliza | ||
| The word 'uliza' in Swahili also has the alternate meaning of 'to inquire' or 'to make an enquiry'. | |||
| Xhosa | buza | ||
| The Xhosa word 'buza' derives from a proto-Nguni verb 'vuza', meaning to 'poke' or 'stir' something. | |||
| Yoruba | beere | ||
| The word "beere" in Yoruba also means "to seek or search for". | |||
| Zulu | buza | ||
| The word "buza" also has multiple other meanings and nuances, depending on the context in which it is used. | |||
| Bambara | ka ɲininka | ||
| Ewe | bia | ||
| Kinyarwanda | baza | ||
| Lingala | kotuna | ||
| Luganda | okubuuza | ||
| Sepedi | kgopela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | bisa | ||
Ask in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | يطلب | ||
| Originally يطلب meant "to strive for" or "to try to obtain" something. | |||
| Hebrew | לִשְׁאוֹל | ||
| The Hebrew word "לִשְׁאוֹל" ("ask") also means "to borrow" or "to inquire". | |||
| Pashto | پوښتنه وکړه | ||
| Arabic | يطلب | ||
| Originally يطلب meant "to strive for" or "to try to obtain" something. | |||
Ask in Western European Languages
| Albanian | pyesni | ||
| The word "pyesi" in Albanian, meaning "to ask," originates from the Proto-Indo-European root "*preḱ-," indicating a request or demand. | |||
| Basque | galdetu | ||
| "Gald" in galdetu is also found in galdu ("lose"). | |||
| Catalan | preguntar | ||
| "Preguntar" shares the Latin root *precare*, "to beg," with the Catalan word "pregar," which today means "to pray." | |||
| Croatian | pitajte | ||
| The word 'pitajte' is derived from the verb 'pitati' meaning 'to drink', suggesting a connection between asking and seeking nourishment. | |||
| Danish | spørge | ||
| "Spørge" is thought to be derived from the Old Norse "spyrja," meaning "to inquire" or "to search for information. | |||
| Dutch | vragen | ||
| The Dutch word "vragen" is related to the English "free" and German "fragen" and may have originally meant "to free (a way)" in Proto-Germanic. | |||
| English | ask | ||
| The word 'ask' originates from the Old Norse word 'áskja', meaning 'to wish for'. | |||
| French | demander | ||
| In Old French, "demander" meant "to tame," similar to the Italian "domandare" meaning "to subdue" or "to tame." | |||
| Frisian | freegje | ||
| The Frisian word "freegje" is derived from the Old Frisian "frega", which means "ask" or "question". | |||
| Galician | preguntar | ||
| The verb "preguntar" in Galician derives from the Latin "praecogitare", meaning "to think ahead". | |||
| German | fragen | ||
| The word "Fragen" can refer to both asking a question and the questions themselves, and is related to the Old High German "frāgēn" and Latin "frangere" (break). | |||
| Icelandic | spyrja | ||
| The Icelandic word "spyrja" also means "to smell", related to the Old Norse word "spyrr" meaning "track, search". | |||
| Irish | iarr | ||
| The word 'iarr' also means 'petition' in Irish. | |||
| Italian | chiedi | ||
| "Chiedi" is derived from the Latin quaero, which means "to seek out". | |||
| Luxembourgish | froen | ||
| The Middle High German word "vragen" (to ask) has been used in Luxembourgish since the 14th century | |||
| Maltese | staqsi | ||
| The Maltese word "staqsi" has possible Arabic roots in "istafta", meaning to make a legal inquiry or ask someone's advice. | |||
| Norwegian | spørre | ||
| "Spørre" likely derives from the Old Norse word "spyrja," which means "to seek out information." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | perguntar | ||
| The word "perguntar" derives from the Latin "percontari" meaning "to inquire" and is related to the English "percuss" meaning "to strike". In Portuguese slang, "perguntar" can also mean "to bother" or "to annoy". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | faighnich | ||
| The Scottish Gaelic word "faighnich" is cognate with Welsh "gofynych" (ask) and Irish "feigh" (ask), which are all ultimately derived from a Celtic root meaning "request" or "entreaty". | |||
| Spanish | pedir | ||
| The verb 'pedir' derives from the Latin 'petere', which means 'to ask, seek, or strive for'. It is related to the English word 'petition'. | |||
| Swedish | fråga | ||
| "Fråga" is also the imperative form of the verb "fråga". | |||
| Welsh | gofynnwch | ||
| The Welsh word 'gofynnwch' ('ask') is a cognate of the Irish word 'fiafraigh' ('ask'), and both words ultimately derive from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰewḱ- ('to speak'). | |||
Ask in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | спытайцеся | ||
| The word "спытайцеся" is the imperative form of the verb "пытаць", which also means "to torture" or "to experiment". | |||
| Bosnian | pitajte | ||
| The word "pitajte" in Bosnian comes from the Proto-Slavic word "pitati", meaning "to drink," and is also related to the word "pivo", meaning "beer." | |||
| Bulgarian | питам | ||
| The word “питам” can also mean “feed” in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | zeptat se | ||
| The word "zeptat se" comes from the Old Czech word "zaptati se", which means "to look at". | |||
| Estonian | küsima | ||
| The word "küsima" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "*küssämV", which also means "to inquire" or "to seek information". | |||
| Finnish | kysyä | ||
| "Kysyä" derives from a Proto-Finnic word meaning "to request, to beg" and is related to the Karelian word "kysyi". | |||
| Hungarian | kérdez | ||
| The Hungarian word "kérdez" originally meant "to gather", and it is related to the words "kör" (circle) and "jár" (to go). | |||
| Latvian | jautāt | ||
| The Latvian verb “jautāt” can also mean to “inquire” or “interrogate”. | |||
| Lithuanian | paklausti | ||
| The Lithuanian verb 'paklausti' originally meant 'to hear' and is phonetically related to the German verb 'lauschen'. | |||
| Macedonian | прашај | ||
| The verb 'прашај' ('ask') in Macedonian ultimately derives from the same Proto-Indo-European root as the English word 'pray' and may also mean 'to consult' or 'to beseech'. | |||
| Polish | zapytać | ||
| The word "zapytać" can also mean "to inquire" or "to ask for information". | |||
| Romanian | cere | ||
| The Romanian word "cere" originates from the Latin word "quaerere" (meaning "to seek" or "to ask") and has various other meanings, such as "to plead", "to inquire", or "to request."} | |||
| Russian | просить | ||
| The word "просить" in Russian is cognate with the Polish word "prosić", meaning to beg or ask for something, and the Old Church Slavonic word "просити", meaning to ask or request. | |||
| Serbian | питати | ||
| In Serbian, “питати” can mean both “to ask” and “to feed.” | |||
| Slovak | opýtať sa | ||
| The term "opýtať sa" originates from a Slavic root word, which originally meant "to speak against" or "to protest. | |||
| Slovenian | vprašajte | ||
| The Slovene word "vprašajte" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *vьprašati, which is related to the Old Church Slavonic word въпрашати, meaning "to question." The same root is found in words like **vprašanje** (question) and **vpraševanje** (interrogation). | |||
| Ukrainian | запитати | ||
| "Запитати" can also mean "to start working on something" or "to light (a fire/cigarette)" in Ukrainian. | |||
Ask in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | জিজ্ঞাসা | ||
| The word "জিজ্ঞাসা" (jijnasa) is derived from the Sanskrit word "jijnasa," which means "inquiry" or "investigation." | |||
| Gujarati | પુછવું | ||
| The word "પુછવું" comes from the Sanskrit word "pṛcchati", which also means "to ask" or "to inquire". | |||
| Hindi | पूछना | ||
| "पूछना" may also mean to search or request. | |||
| Kannada | ಕೇಳಿ | ||
| The word "ಕೇಳಿ" is also used to mean "to hear" or "to listen". | |||
| Malayalam | ചോദിക്കുക | ||
| The Malayalam word "ചോദിക്കുക" is derived from Vedic Sanskrit "pracchad" meaning "ask, inquire, request". | |||
| Marathi | विचारा | ||
| In Marathi, "विचारा" has the alternate meaning of "to think" and can also mean "to inquire into something." | |||
| Nepali | सोध्नु | ||
| "सोधी-सोध" (सो+इ)+नु is a reduplicative form found in the medieval Maithili texts. | |||
| Punjabi | ਪੁੱਛੋ | ||
| The word "ਪੁੱਛੋ" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂ews-, meaning "to desire" or "to wish for". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අහන්න | ||
| අහන්න can also mean 'to learn' or 'to study'. | |||
| Tamil | கேளுங்கள் | ||
| கேளுங்கள் (Kēluṅkaḷ) is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word *kēḷ- which means 'to hear' or 'to listen'. | |||
| Telugu | అడగండి | ||
| The word "అడగండి" also means "to inquire", "to interrogate", or "to request information" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | پوچھیں | ||
| پوچھیں originates from Sanskrit word 'prccha' but also means a small amount of liquid left in the bottom of a container. | |||
Ask in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 问 | ||
| "问" (wèn) also means "to visit" as a noun, and "to blame" as a verb. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 問 | ||
| "問" (literally, “to request”) can also mean “to inspect,” “to visit,” “to interview,” or “to judge (a test)." | |||
| Japanese | 尋ねる | ||
| The word "尋ねる" also has the alternate reading "たずねる" and can mean "to search for" or "to visit." | |||
| Korean | 물어보기 | ||
| 물어보기 originates from the verb 물다 (put in the mouth), suggesting that asking a question involves putting the question in the mouth of the listener. | |||
| Mongolian | асуу | ||
| The word "асуу" can also refer to requesting, inquiring, or seeking information. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မေး | ||
| မေး can also refer to “to request,” “to question,” and “to interrogate. | |||
Ask in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | meminta | ||
| "Meminta" is a word in Indonesian with Malay-Portuguese origin (pedir). In Malay, it refers to "to go to bed" or "lying on one's back (supine)" while in Portuguese it means "to ask." | |||
| Javanese | takon | ||
| "Takon" originates from the Sanskrit word "taksati" meaning "to carve" or "to cut". | |||
| Khmer | សួរ | ||
| The word "សួរ" can also mean "inquire" or "question" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ຖາມ | ||
| Asking for someone's wellbeing is usually expressed with ຖາມ | |||
| Malay | tanya | ||
| The Malay word "tanya" not only means "to ask" but also "to test" or "to examine". | |||
| Thai | ถาม | ||
| "ถาม" can also be translated as "want" in English in certain contexts | |||
| Vietnamese | hỏi | ||
| Hỏi shares the same root as | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | magtanong | ||
Ask in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | soruşun | ||
| The word "soruşun" in Azerbaijani can also refer to an investigation or inquiry. | |||
| Kazakh | сұра | ||
| The Kazakh word "сұра" also means "request", "demand", or "seek". | |||
| Kyrgyz | сура | ||
| The word "сура" in Kyrgyz is likely derived from the Proto-Turkic word "sor-", which also means "to ask" in other Turkic languages. | |||
| Tajik | пурсед | ||
| The word "пурсед" comes from the Old Persian word "pursidan", which also means "to examine" or "to investigate". | |||
| Turkmen | sora | ||
| Uzbek | so'rang | ||
| "So'rang" is derived from the Persian word "su'al" and also means "question". | |||
| Uyghur | سوراڭ | ||
Ask in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | e nīnau | ||
| There is an alternate way to say "ask" in Hawaiian using the word "hoolohe," which literally translates to "to hear. | |||
| Maori | pātai | ||
| The Maori word 'pātai' also means 'to search' or 'to inquire' and is derived from the Proto-Polynesian word 'pataka', meaning 'to tell' or 'to speak'. | |||
| Samoan | fesili | ||
| Although the word 'fesili' means 'to ask' in Samoan, it can also be used to mean 'to beg' or 'to request'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tanungin mo | ||
| The Tagalog phrase 'tanungin mo' is also used in Old Malay, where it has the dual meaning of both 'to ask' and 'to bewitch'. This suggests the possible existence of archaic animistic practices embedded within Tagalog. | |||
Ask in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jiskhiña | ||
| Guarani | jerure | ||
Ask in International Languages
| Esperanto | demandi | ||
| The word “demandi” is derived from the French “demander”, which originally meant “to request” and is now used with the broader meaning of “to ask”. | |||
| Latin | quaerere | ||
| The word "quaerere" was also used in Latin to mean "seek" or "inquire". | |||
Ask in Others Languages
| Greek | παρακαλώ | ||
| The Greek word "παρακαλώ" originates from the Proto-Indo-European root "*prek-", which also gave rise to words such as the Latin word "precor" (to ask, beseech) and the English word "pray". The original meaning of the Greek "παρακαλώ" is likely to have been close to that of "pray" and was only later extended to include more general meanings such as "ask" and "invite." | |||
| Hmong | nug | ||
| “Nug” may derive from the word for “look”, as in asking for an item by pointing or looking at it. | |||
| Kurdish | pirsîn | ||
| In Kurdish, 'pirsîn' not only means 'ask' but also 'search' and 'investigate'. | |||
| Turkish | sor | ||
| Sor is a verbal noun derived from the Old Turkic verb "sur" (to ask, question), which is also the origin of the Turkish words "soru" (question) and "soruşturma" (investigation). | |||
| Xhosa | buza | ||
| The Xhosa word 'buza' derives from a proto-Nguni verb 'vuza', meaning to 'poke' or 'stir' something. | |||
| Yiddish | פרעגן | ||
| פרעגן is borrowed from MHG vragēn 'to ask', and is semantically equivalent, but historically unrelated, with Yiddish פרעגן (fragen). | |||
| Zulu | buza | ||
| The word "buza" also has multiple other meanings and nuances, depending on the context in which it is used. | |||
| Assamese | সোধা | ||
| Aymara | jiskhiña | ||
| Bhojpuri | पूछल | ||
| Dhivehi | އެހުން | ||
| Dogri | पुच्छो | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | magtanong | ||
| Guarani | jerure | ||
| Ilocano | agdamag | ||
| Krio | aks | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پرسیارکردن | ||
| Maithili | पूछू | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯪꯕ | ||
| Mizo | zawt | ||
| Oromo | gaafachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପଚାର | | ||
| Quechua | tapuy | ||
| Sanskrit | पृच्छतु | ||
| Tatar | сора | ||
| Tigrinya | ሕተት | ||
| Tsonga | vutisa | ||