Bet in Different Languages
Discover 'Bet' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'bet' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, often used to express confidence in a proposition or outcome. It's a cultural cornerstone, featured in various forms of entertainment, from literature and film to sports and games. Understanding its translation in different languages not only broadens your linguistic repertoire but also provides cultural insights.
For instance, in Spanish, 'bet' translates to 'apuesta'. In French, it's 'pari'. These translations offer a glimpse into the language's cultural context, reflecting their unique perspectives on the concept of a 'bet'.
Moreover, exploring the word 'bet' in various languages can be fascinating. For instance, in German, 'bet' is 'wette', which also means 'challenge'. This dual meaning underscores the assertive nature often associated with making a bet.
Stay tuned as we delve into the translations of 'bet' in a variety of languages, from the familiar to the exotic, providing you with a global perspective on this common word.
Bet
Bet in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | weddenskap | ||
| The Afrikaans word "weddenskap" originates from the Dutch word "weddenschap", which also means "bet", and is related to the Old English word "weddian", meaning "to pledge". | |||
| Amharic | ውርርድ | ||
| "ውርርድ" came to mean ውርርድ ማድረግ "to make a bet," from its original meaning ውርርድ ማድረግ "to throw something at something else," through the idea of the two parties each wagering an amount and then each throwing a weapon at the other; if only one's weapon hits the other, that party wins both wagers." | |||
| Hausa | fare | ||
| The word 'fare' in Hausa is also used to refer to the act of 'throwing' an object. | |||
| Igbo | nzọ | ||
| In the Igbo dialect of Enu-Igbo, Nzọ also has the alternate meaning "a small portion of food". | |||
| Malagasy | bet | ||
| In Malagasy, "bet" comes from the Arabic word "baht," meaning "luck" or "fortune." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kubetcha | ||
| Kubetcha (bet) comes from the root word 'ku-beta', meaning 'to lay or place', and can also refer to an animal trap or the act of laying a trap. | |||
| Shona | bheji | ||
| Bheji, which can also mean 'brain', may be derived from the Shona term for the place one makes their 'home', 'bhika'. | |||
| Somali | sharad | ||
| The word "sharad" in Somali can also refer to a type of dance or a song. | |||
| Sesotho | becha | ||
| The word 'becha' in Sesotho can also mean 'to promise'. | |||
| Swahili | dau | ||
| The Swahili word "dau" also refers to a type of sailing vessel used in the Indian Ocean. | |||
| Xhosa | ukubheja | ||
| Ukubheja can also refer to the act of guessing or predicting something. | |||
| Yoruba | tẹtẹ | ||
| The word "tẹtẹ" in Yoruba can also refer to a "small amount" or a "little bit" of something. | |||
| Zulu | ukubheja | ||
| The Zulu word "ukubheja" also means "to cast a spell" or "to bewitch". | |||
| Bambara | nka | ||
| Ewe | gake | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ariko | ||
| Lingala | kasi | ||
| Luganda | naye | ||
| Sepedi | eupša | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nanso | ||
Bet in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | رهان | ||
| In modern usage, "رهان" usually refers to gambling, however, it can also be employed to mean a pledge. | |||
| Hebrew | לְהַמֵר | ||
| The verb לְהַמֵר (l’hamér) in Hebrew also means "to exchange" and shares the same etymology as the word סְחוֹרָה (s’horah) which means "merchandise." | |||
| Pashto | شرط | ||
| The word "شرط" also means "condition" or "provision" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | رهان | ||
| In modern usage, "رهان" usually refers to gambling, however, it can also be employed to mean a pledge. | |||
Bet in Western European Languages
| Albanian | bast | ||
| The Albanian word "bast" is said to derive from Latin, where bastum had several meanings, some similar to Albanian.} | |||
| Basque | apustua | ||
| Basque "apustua" is derived from "apostu" (wager), ultimately from Latin "apostare" (to promise, pledge) | |||
| Catalan | aposta | ||
| The Catalan noun “aposta” can also mean “hypothesis” or “conjecture.” | |||
| Croatian | kladiti se | ||
| The verb 'kladiti se' can also mean 'to swear' or 'to take an oath' in addition to 'to bet' | |||
| Danish | vædde | ||
| Danish "vædde" may mean not just a bet, but also a wager or stake. | |||
| Dutch | inzet | ||
| The verb "inzetten" also means "to put in effort," "to commit to something," or "to stake one's reputation on something." | |||
| English | bet | ||
| The word 'bet' originated in the Middle Ages from the Middle Dutch word 'wedden', meaning to risk or hazard. | |||
| French | pari | ||
| "Pari" is the French word for a bet, and also means "equal" in Italian and Spanish, and "similar" in Latin. | |||
| Frisian | weddenskip | ||
| The word weddenskip means 'bet' in Frisian and is cognate with the word wedding, with the implication of something 'promised'. | |||
| Galician | aposta | ||
| The word «aposta» is also used in Galician to refer to the «wager» in a gambling context. | |||
| German | wette | ||
| The German word "Wette" is derived from Old High German "wetten," meaning "to promise," and also relates to the English word "wedding." | |||
| Icelandic | veðja | ||
| The Icelandic word "veðja" is derived from Old Norse "veðja," meaning "to pledge" or "to wager. | |||
| Irish | geall | ||
| The word 'geall' can also mean 'pledge', 'security', or 'hostage' in Irish. | |||
| Italian | scommessa | ||
| Scommessa derives from the Lombard word "scoma", meaning "debt". It also has the alternate meaning of "promise". | |||
| Luxembourgish | wetten | ||
| The word "wetten" is derived from the Old French word "wapnēn", which means "to lay a pledge". | |||
| Maltese | imħatra | ||
| In Maltese, the word "imħatra" primarily means "bet," but it can also refer to the act of placing a bet or a wager. | |||
| Norwegian | vedde | ||
| The word "vedde" can also mean "to wager" or "to stake". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | aposta | ||
| "Apostatar" in Portuguese means "to abandon one's faith or principles." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | geall | ||
| The Gaelic word "geall" also means "pledge" or "security". | |||
| Spanish | apuesta | ||
| The word "apuesta" comes from the Latin word "posita", meaning "something placed" or "a wager". | |||
| Swedish | slå vad | ||
| Slå vad is derived from the Old Norse verb 'slá', meaning 'to strike', and the noun 'vað', meaning 'pledge', suggesting the notion of striking a pledge or making a wager | |||
| Welsh | bet | ||
| In Welsh, 'bet' also means 'world' or 'universe'. | |||
Bet in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | заклад | ||
| In Russian, "заклад" can refer to a pawnshop or something pawned. | |||
| Bosnian | kladiti se | ||
| The verb 'kladiti se' is also used in a figurative sense, meaning to undertake a risky venture or to assert a strong opinion. | |||
| Bulgarian | залог | ||
| The word "залог" can also mean "pledge" or "collateral" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | sázka | ||
| The word "sázka" can also mean "a small amount of something", or "a risk or gamble". | |||
| Estonian | kihlvedu | ||
| The word "kihlvedu" in Estonian can also refer to a competition or challenge, or an oath or pledge. | |||
| Finnish | veto | ||
| Finnish 'veto' is a false friend with English 'veto', and instead refers to a 'bet'. | |||
| Hungarian | tét | ||
| The Hungarian word "tét" not only means "bet", but also "stake", "pledge", or "wager" depending on the context. | |||
| Latvian | derību | ||
| The word "derību" in Latvian can also mean "wager" or "gambling". | |||
| Lithuanian | bet | ||
| The Lithuanian word "bet" can also mean "but", "however" or "yet". | |||
| Macedonian | обложување | ||
| Polish | zakład | ||
| The word "Zakład" also has the alternate meaning of "enterprise" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | pariu | ||
| The word "pariu" (bet) derives from the French "parier" via Turkish, possibly from the Persian "pāre" (piece, part). | |||
| Russian | ставка | ||
| In Russian, "ставка" can also refer to a military headquarters or a tax rate. | |||
| Serbian | опклада | ||
| The word "опклада" (bet) in Serbian comes from the Slavic root "kъladati", meaning "to put together" or "to join."} | |||
| Slovak | staviť sa | ||
| Stavviť sa also means to bet, and its origin is in the Proto-Slavic *staviti, meaning to put or set something in place. | |||
| Slovenian | stava | ||
| The word “stava” also means “stake” in a game and, figuratively, can refer to a situation in which something valuable is wagered (e.g. one’s reputation, career, or life). | |||
| Ukrainian | зробити ставку | ||
| In Ukrainian, the word “зробити ставку” can also mean 'to take a chance' or 'to put something on the line'. | |||
Bet in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বাজি | ||
| বাজি (baji) may also refer to the "jack" in a deck of playing cards or to a type of fried snack. | |||
| Gujarati | શરત | ||
| The Gujarati word "શરત" also means "condition" or "term". | |||
| Hindi | शर्त | ||
| The word 'शर्त' (bet) in Hindi can also mean a 'condition' or a 'promise'. | |||
| Kannada | ಪಂತ | ||
| The alternate meaning of "ಪಂತ" is "row" for example a row of plants in a garden. | |||
| Malayalam | പന്തയം | ||
| The word "പന്തയം" (pantayam) also refers to a wager or stake in a game or contest. | |||
| Marathi | पण | ||
| "पण" originates from Sanskrit "प्रतिज्ञा" meaning 'promise, pledge', but also refers to 'pledging' one's property, or a 'fine, wager'. | |||
| Nepali | शर्त | ||
| "शर्त" is a Hindi loanword derived from the Arabic "sharṭ" meaning "condition" or "agreement". | |||
| Punjabi | ਬਾਜ਼ੀ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඔට්ටු ඇල්ලීම | ||
| Tamil | பந்தயம் | ||
| In Tamil, the word "பந்தயம்" means not only "bet" but also "challenge" or "competition". | |||
| Telugu | పందెం | ||
| "పందెం" can also mean a wager, pledge, challenge, stake, and competition in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | شرط لگائیں | ||
| This word comes from either Sanskrit "Sharta" or Persian "Sharat", both meaning "condition" or "wager". | |||
Bet in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 赌注 | ||
| 汉语中的『赌注』最早指一种用于仪礼场合的酒具，后引申出押注、赌博含义。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 賭注 | ||
| "賭" means gambler, "注" means focus. It means to focus on and bet on something. | |||
| Japanese | ベット | ||
| In Japanese, "ベット" (betto) can also refer to a bed, a pet, or a person's assistant. | |||
| Korean | 내기 | ||
| The word "내기" can also refer to a "stake" or "wager" in a game or contest. | |||
| Mongolian | бооцоо | ||
| The word "бооцоо" likely derives from the verb "боох" (to give), suggesting that a bet is essentially a gift or offering. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အလောင်းအစား | ||
Bet in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | bertaruh | ||
| Bertaruh, deriving from the Arabic word 'bahr' ('sea'), suggests the unpredictable nature of gambling, akin to navigating a treacherous sea. | |||
| Javanese | taruhan | ||
| Taruhan also means a wager, a gamble or a bet. | |||
| Khmer | ភ្នាល់ | ||
| The word "ភ្នាល់" also means "to wager" or "to gamble" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ວາງເດີມພັນ | ||
| The word ວາງເດີມພັນ originated in Lao literature, but has also been borrowed and used in spoken Thai. | |||
| Malay | pertaruhan | ||
| In Indonesian and Malay, 'pertaruhan' can also refer to 'risk', 'gamble', or 'sacrifice'. | |||
| Thai | เดิมพัน | ||
| "เดิมพัน" is derived from the Pali word "dhammaṃ" meaning "duty" or "obligation." | |||
| Vietnamese | cá cược | ||
| "Cá cược" comes from the Chinese phrase "下賭注" (xià dǔ zhù), and used to only refer to betting on horse races. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ngunit | ||
Bet in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | mərc | ||
| "Mərc" is also a unit of volume used for measuring grains in Azerbaijan. | |||
| Kazakh | ставка | ||
| The Kazakh word "ставка" is derived from the Persian word "istâkân", meaning "glass", as betting games often involved participants throwing objects into glasses, and also means "post" as in a military post. | |||
| Kyrgyz | коюм | ||
| "Коюм" (bet) in Kyrgyz, also means "treasure" or "fortune". | |||
| Tajik | шарт | ||
| The Tajik word "шарт" derives from the Persian word "شرط", meaning "condition" or "agreement". | |||
| Turkmen | emma | ||
| Uzbek | garov | ||
| The word "garov" can also refer to a "pledge" or "collateral". | |||
| Uyghur | ئەمما | ||
Bet in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | bet | ||
| In Hawaiian, “bet” (“bet”) can also mean the word “better” or “best.” | |||
| Maori | petipeti | ||
| Petipeti, meaning "to stake," is the origin of the popular gambling game "petipeti" or "bet." | |||
| Samoan | peti | ||
| Peti is a contraction of the word petipeti, which means "to gamble" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pusta | ||
| In Tagalog, the word "pusta" originally meant "to gamble" or "to wager" but over time its meaning has evolved to mean "to bet". | |||
Bet in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ukampinsa | ||
| Guarani | hakatu | ||
Bet in International Languages
| Esperanto | veto | ||
| "Veto" means "permit" in Latin and can also refer to the first letter of a word. | |||
| Latin | bet | ||
| The Latin verb "battuere" (to beat) is the origin of the word "bet", meaning a wager or stake. | |||
Bet in Others Languages
| Greek | στοίχημα | ||
| "Στοίχημα" comes from the ancient Greek word "στοιχείν" ("to line up"), likely referring to the alignment of betting odds. | |||
| Hmong | thawj koom ruam | ||
| The word "thawj koom ruam" can also mean "to guarantee" or "to pledge" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | şertgirî | ||
| The word "şertgirî" can also mean "condition" or "agreement" in Kurdish, highlighting its broader semantic range beyond gambling. | |||
| Turkish | bahis | ||
| The word "bahis" in Turkish is also used to refer to arguments or discussions. | |||
| Xhosa | ukubheja | ||
| Ukubheja can also refer to the act of guessing or predicting something. | |||
| Yiddish | געוועט | ||
| The Yiddish word "געוועט" (bet) has alternate meanings such as "plea" or "request". | |||
| Zulu | ukubheja | ||
| The Zulu word "ukubheja" also means "to cast a spell" or "to bewitch". | |||
| Assamese | কিন্তু | ||
| Aymara | ukampinsa | ||
| Bhojpuri | लेकिन | ||
| Dhivehi | އެކަމަކު | ||
| Dogri | पर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ngunit | ||
| Guarani | hakatu | ||
| Ilocano | ngem | ||
| Krio | bɔt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بەڵام | ||
| Maithili | मुदा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯗꯨꯕꯨ | ||
| Mizo | mahse | ||
| Oromo | garuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କିନ୍ତୁ | ||
| Quechua | ichaqa | ||
| Sanskrit | किन्तु | ||
| Tatar | ләкин | ||
| Tigrinya | ግን | ||
| Tsonga | kambe | ||