Choice in Different Languages
Discover 'Choice' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'choice' holds immense significance in our daily lives, often determining the path we take and the experiences we have. It embodies the freedom to select and the power to decide, making it a culturally important concept worldwide.
Did you know that the English word 'choice' comes from the Old French 'choisir', meaning 'to choose'? This term has evolved over centuries, reflecting the ever-changing societal values and norms. Understanding the translation of 'choice' in different languages can provide fascinating insights into diverse cultures and their unique perspectives on freedom and autonomy.
For instance, the German translation of 'choice' is 'Wahl', the Spanish is 'elección', and the Japanese is '選択 (sentaku)'. Each language's interpretation offers a glimpse into the nuances of that culture's values and beliefs.
Stay tuned to explore more translations of 'choice' and deepen your appreciation for the richness and diversity of global languages and cultures.
Choice
Choice in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | keuse | ||
| The word "keuse" in Afrikaans originates from the Dutch word "keuze", and also means "test" or "exam". | |||
| Amharic | ምርጫ | ||
| The word "ምርጫ" is also used in Amharic to refer to the act of choosing or making a decision. | |||
| Hausa | zabi | ||
| Hausa 'zabi' is cognate with Arabic 'dhabīḥ' (slaughtered animal), but this sense is not found in most Hausa dialects. | |||
| Igbo | nhọrọ | ||
| In Igbo culture, the word 'nhọrọ' encompasses not only the act of choosing but also the profound responsibility and accountability that comes with it. | |||
| Malagasy | safidy | ||
| SAFIDY shares the root 'Fidy' with 'Fidiovana' meaning 'to choose'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kusankha | ||
| The word "kusankha" in Nyanja also means "to prefer" or "to love". | |||
| Shona | sarudzo | ||
| The Shona word "sarudzo" can mean both "choice" and "vote"," with the latter being a more recent usage. | |||
| Somali | doorashada | ||
| The Somali term doorashada, meaning "choice," derives from the Arabic word durāʾa, meaning "to last." | |||
| Sesotho | kgetho | ||
| "Kgetha" can alternately indicate a type of grass that grows in swampy areas. | |||
| Swahili | uchaguzi | ||
| The word "uchaguzi" can also refer to a political election. | |||
| Xhosa | ukhetho | ||
| 'Ukhetho' can also mean "election" or "voting" | |||
| Yoruba | yiyan | ||
| In Yoruba, "yiyan" can refer to a decision, act of choosing, or food that accompanies a main dish, such as fufu or pounded yam. | |||
| Zulu | ukukhetha | ||
| 'Ukukhetha' is also a Zulu idiom that means 'to separate or distinguish'. | |||
| Bambara | ɲɛnata | ||
| Ewe | tiatia | ||
| Kinyarwanda | guhitamo | ||
| Lingala | liponi | ||
| Luganda | okusalawo | ||
| Sepedi | kgetho | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɔpɛ | ||
Choice in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | خيار | ||
| The Arabic word "خيار" also means "cucumber", and is related to the Persian word "khiyâr" meaning "green" | |||
| Hebrew | בְּחִירָה | ||
| The Hebrew word "בחירה" (behira) originally meant "freedom" and is related to the Arabic word "bara'a" (innocent). | |||
| Pashto | انتخاب | ||
| Pashto "انتخاب" is also used to refer to "election". | |||
| Arabic | خيار | ||
| The Arabic word "خيار" also means "cucumber", and is related to the Persian word "khiyâr" meaning "green" | |||
Choice in Western European Languages
| Albanian | zgjedhje | ||
| The word "zgjedhje" can also mean "election" or "selection". | |||
| Basque | aukera | ||
| The word "aukera" comes from the Basque word "auk", meaning "opening" or "opportunity". | |||
| Catalan | elecció | ||
| The word "elecció" derives from the Latin "electio", meaning "a picking out" or "a selection". | |||
| Croatian | izbor | ||
| The word 'izbor' derives from the Old Church Slavonic term 'izbyrati', meaning 'to separate out' or 'to select'. | |||
| Danish | valg | ||
| {"text": "Valg's alternate meaning is "corpse" and it derives from the Old Norse val, "slain warrior," from PIE *wel- "to be strong."}" | |||
| Dutch | keuze | ||
| The Dutch word "keuze" shares its etymology with the English word "cow". Early Indo-European speakers used the word *keus- as a general term for "possession" or "cattle". | |||
| English | choice | ||
| The word 'choice' originates from the Old French word 'choisir', meaning 'to select' or 'to choose' | |||
| French | choix | ||
| In French, "choix" also refers to a pile of hay. | |||
| Frisian | kar | ||
| The word "kar" also means "fate" or "lot" in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | elección | ||
| In Galician, "elección" also refers to the process of nominating a parish priest through popular vote. | |||
| German | wahl | ||
| The word "Wahl" is derived from the Old High German word "walan," which means "to select" or "to choose." | |||
| Icelandic | val | ||
| In Old Norse, "val" could also refer to the slain on the battlefield, likely stemming from the Proto-Germanic root *wal- meaning "corpse." | |||
| Irish | rogha | ||
| It stems from Old Irish ‘roghaim’ meaning ‘pick’, cognate with Old Norse ‘rekja’ and Latin ‘regula’ meaning ‘straighten’. | |||
| Italian | scelta | ||
| The Italian word "scelta" comes from the Latin word "selecta" which means "picked" or "selected". | |||
| Luxembourgish | wiel | ||
| The word "Wiel" can also refer to an elected official or representative. | |||
| Maltese | għażla | ||
| The word "għażla" is derived from the Arabic word "ghazwah", meaning "military expedition" or "raid", and has also been used to refer to a "choice" or "option". | |||
| Norwegian | valg | ||
| The term "valg" not only means "choice" but also "election," "ballot," and can even describe the act of being selective (especially with regards to food), "picky." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | escolha | ||
| The Portuguese word "escolha" (choice) comes from the Latin "ex-colligere" (to pick out), sharing the same etymological root as the French word "cueillir" (to gather). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | roghainn | ||
| The word "roghainn" in Scots Gaelic has its origins in the Proto-Celtic root "rog-," meaning "to choose" or "to ask." | |||
| Spanish | elección | ||
| In Spanish, "elección" can also refer to a political contest or the act of choosing a religious leader. | |||
| Swedish | val | ||
| "Val" can also refer to the selection process to make a choice, as in "att göra val" (to make a selection). | |||
| Welsh | dewis | ||
| In Middle Welsh, 'dewis' refers to a 'divine choice', a destiny or fate decreed by God. | |||
Choice in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | выбар | ||
| Bosnian | izbor | ||
| The word "izbor" can also refer to an electoral district or constituency, a legislative election, or a selected number of people or things. | |||
| Bulgarian | избор | ||
| Избор (choice) has the same root as the word 'to choose ( избирам)', but it also means 'selected (избран)' or 'gathering (събрание)'. | |||
| Czech | výběr | ||
| "Výběr" can also mean "extract" or "selection" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | valik | ||
| Valik shares a root with the word 'to choose,' which is 'valema.' | |||
| Finnish | valinta | ||
| "Valinta" also means "selection" in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | választás | ||
| The Hungarian word "választás" can also mean "election" or "decision". | |||
| Latvian | izvēle | ||
| "Izvēle" (choice) comes from the Slavic root *izvol- which means "select," "call out," "summon," and has cognates in many other Slavic languages. | |||
| Lithuanian | pasirinkimas | ||
| The word "pasirinkimas" in Lithuanian comes from the verb "rinktis" ("to choose, to select"), which in turn is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *hreg- ("to cut off, to tear apart"). This suggests that the concept of "choice" in Lithuanian originated from the idea of separating or selecting something from a larger whole. | |||
| Macedonian | избор | ||
| "Избор" can also mean "election" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | wybór | ||
| The word 'wybór' can also mean 'extraction' or 'selection', and comes from the Old Polish verb 'wybrać', meaning 'to take out'. | |||
| Romanian | alegere | ||
| The Romanian word "alegere" derives from the Latin verb "eligere," meaning "to choose" or "to select." | |||
| Russian | выбор | ||
| The word "выбор" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *bir-, meaning "to take" or "to choose". | |||
| Serbian | избор | ||
| The Serbian word “избор” may also refer to a collection of texts, e.g., “Избор настављања” meaning “a selection of sermons”. | |||
| Slovak | výber | ||
| "Výber" also means a collection of short stories in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | izbira | ||
| The word 'izbira' can also mean a special type of apple tree or the fruit it bears, similar to 'crab apples' or 'wild apples' in English. | |||
| Ukrainian | вибір | ||
| "Вибір" can also mean 'extract' in Ukrainian. | |||
Choice in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পছন্দ | ||
| "পছন্দ" is a cognate of the Hindi word "pasand" and ultimately comes from the Persian word "pasandīdan" meaning "to approve or like." | |||
| Gujarati | પસંદગી | ||
| "પસંદગી" (pasandagi) originates from the Persian word "پسند" (pasand) meaning "approval" or "liking". | |||
| Hindi | पसंद | ||
| The word 'पसंद' also means 'love' or 'affection' when used as a noun. | |||
| Kannada | ಆಯ್ಕೆ | ||
| The Kannada word 'ಆಯ್ಕೆ' also denotes a specific type of jasmine flower | |||
| Malayalam | ചോയിസ് | ||
| The word "ചോയിസ്" in Malayalam is derived from "ശ്രേയസ്" (śreyas), which means "what is good" or "the best". | |||
| Marathi | निवड | ||
| Nivad also refers to a type of flower garland made of jasmine buds. | |||
| Nepali | छनौट | ||
| The word “छनौट” (“choice”) in Nepali originates from the Sanskrit word “छंद” or “छंदना,” meaning a cut or slice. | |||
| Punjabi | ਚੋਣ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਚੋਣ" originates from the Sanskrit word "चयन" meaning "to select" or "to choose" and is also related to the Hindi term "चुनाव" with the same meaning. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | තේරීම | ||
| It is related to the Sanskrit word "teerne", meaning "to pass across" or "to choose". | |||
| Tamil | தேர்வு | ||
| The word "தேர்வு" in Tamil can also mean "examination" or "the act of choosing". | |||
| Telugu | ఎంపిక | ||
| ఎంపిక can also mean 'the act of sorting out or selecting', 'variety', 'option', 'classification', 'category', or 'alternative'. | |||
| Urdu | انتخاب | ||
| The Urdu word "انتخاب" is derived from the Arabic word "انتخاب" meaning "selection", and is also used in Persian, Pashto, and Punjabi. | |||
Choice in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 选择 | ||
| In ancient Chinese, "選擇" also meant "to eliminate", | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 選擇 | ||
| The word "選擇" literally means "to use the leftover". | |||
| Japanese | 選択 | ||
| "選択" is a loanword from Dutch, where it means "selection" or "collection". | |||
| Korean | 선택 | ||
| 선택(選擇)의 선택은 '골라내기' 외에 '선택해 뽑기'의 뜻도 갖습니다. | |||
| Mongolian | сонголт | ||
| The word "сонголт" can also refer to the process of choosing or making a decision. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရွေးချယ်မှု | ||
Choice in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | pilihan | ||
| In Indonesian, "pilihan" means not just "choice" but also "opinion" or "alternative." | |||
| Javanese | pilihan | ||
| In Javanese, "pilihan" also refers to a type of traditional cake made of rice flour and coconut. | |||
| Khmer | ជម្រើស | ||
| The word "ជម្រើស" can also refer to "an opinion" or "a preference." | |||
| Lao | ທາງເລືອກ | ||
| Malay | pilihan | ||
| Pilihan also means 'option' or 'selection' in Malay and shares the same root word 'pilih' meaning 'to pick' or 'to choose'. | |||
| Thai | ทางเลือก | ||
| In Thai, "ทางเลือก" can also refer to an "alternative", "option", "way out", or a "chance". | |||
| Vietnamese | sự lựa chọn | ||
| The Vietnamese word "sự lựa chọn" can also refer to a person's preferences or tastes. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagpili | ||
Choice in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | seçim | ||
| "Seçim" also means "the ability to choose" and "the elected person". | |||
| Kazakh | таңдау | ||
| "Таңдау" comes from the verb "таңда", meaning "to pick out" or "to choose." | |||
| Kyrgyz | тандоо | ||
| The word "тандоо" (choice) in Kyrgyz originates from the Turkic word "tangu" meaning "to seize, grab, choose". | |||
| Tajik | интихоб | ||
| The word "интихоб" in Tajik can also refer to the process of selecting a bride or groom. | |||
| Turkmen | saýlamak | ||
| Uzbek | tanlov | ||
| The word 'tanlov' is derived from the Persian word 'talan', meaning 'plunder', and also shares a root with the Turkish word 'tanlamak', meaning 'to choose from, to select'. | |||
| Uyghur | تاللاش | ||
Choice in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | koho | ||
| Although the Hawaiian word "koho" translates to "choice" in English, it can also mean "desire" or "will." | |||
| Maori | whiringa | ||
| Whiringa is also an alternative spelling of the Maori word "whiranga" meaning "to twist or wind" | |||
| Samoan | filifiliga | ||
| The word "filifiliga" is derived from the Proto-Polynesian word *fili* meaning "to select" and the suffix *-liga* meaning "process or result of." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pagpipilian | ||
| The Tagalog word "pagpipilian" can also refer to a menu or a ballot, reflecting the act of choosing from a list of options. | |||
Choice in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | chhijllawi | ||
| Guarani | jeporavo | ||
Choice in International Languages
| Esperanto | elekto | ||
| The word elekto comes from the Greek word eklektikos, meaning "select" or "chosen". | |||
| Latin | arbitrium | ||
| From the same root comes arbiter (‘judge’), indicating the judge’s role in deciding between two options. | |||
Choice in Others Languages
| Greek | επιλογή | ||
| The ancient Greek verb "επιλέγειν" means both "to choose" and "to collect". | |||
| Hmong | xaiv | ||
| "Xaiv" can also mean to select, prefer, vote, or elect in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | helbijartî | ||
| The word helbijartî also means 'to pick' in the Kurdish language. | |||
| Turkish | tercih | ||
| The word 'tercih' is derived from the Arabic word 'tarjih' (preference), which also means 'to incline or lean'. | |||
| Xhosa | ukhetho | ||
| 'Ukhetho' can also mean "election" or "voting" | |||
| Yiddish | ברירה | ||
| The Yiddish word "ברירה" is also a term in Jewish law referring to an obligation or requirement. | |||
| Zulu | ukukhetha | ||
| 'Ukukhetha' is also a Zulu idiom that means 'to separate or distinguish'. | |||
| Assamese | পচন্দ | ||
| Aymara | chhijllawi | ||
| Bhojpuri | पसंद | ||
| Dhivehi | ގޮތް | ||
| Dogri | पसंद | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagpili | ||
| Guarani | jeporavo | ||
| Ilocano | taban | ||
| Krio | disayd | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بژاردە | ||
| Maithili | पसंद | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯄꯥꯝꯕ | ||
| Mizo | duhthlanna | ||
| Oromo | filannoo | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପସନ୍ଦ | ||
| Quechua | akllay | ||
| Sanskrit | चयनं | ||
| Tatar | сайлау | ||
| Tigrinya | ምርጫ | ||
| Tsonga | hlawula | ||