Choose in Different Languages
Discover 'Choose' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'choose' holds great significance in our daily lives, as it is often associated with decision-making and personal freedom. Choosing is a fundamental human ability that allows us to express our preferences, values, and desires. This cultural importance is reflected in various languages and cultures around the world.
Throughout history, the concept of choice has been intertwined with philosophical debates and moral dilemmas. From the ancient Greek concept of 'prohairesis' to the modern existentialist notion of 'freedom of choice,' the word 'choose' has evolved and adapted to different cultural contexts.
Understanding the translation of 'choose' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the unique ways in which different cultures approach decision-making and personal expression. Here are some sample translations:
- French: 'choisir'
- Spanish: 'elegir'
- German: 'wählen'
- Mandarin: '选择 (xuǎn zé)'
- Japanese: '選ぶ (erabu)'
By learning these translations, you can deepen your appreciation for the richness and diversity of human language and culture.
Choose
Choose in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | kies | ||
| The Afrikaans word "kies" comes from the Dutch word "kiezen", which means "to pick" or "to select". | |||
| Amharic | ምረጥ | ||
| "ምረጥ" can also mean "distinguish" or "prefer." | |||
| Hausa | zabi | ||
| The word "zabi" in Hausa can also refer to an animal that has been slaughtered and prepared for food. | |||
| Igbo | họrọ | ||
| The Igbo verb "họrọ" is a cognate of the Yoruba verb "dì" and the Ewe verb "gbɔŋlɔŋ," all meaning "to choose." | |||
| Malagasy | mifidy | ||
| The word "mifidy" can also mean "to judge" or "to examine" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | sankhani | ||
| The word "sankhani" in Nyanja also means "to select" or "to pick out". | |||
| Shona | sarudza | ||
| The word "Sarudza" in the Shona language is derived from the root word "Ruzha," which means "to separate" or "to select." | |||
| Somali | dooro | ||
| The word "dooro" in Somali also means "to be preferred" or "to be elected". | |||
| Sesotho | khetha | ||
| The word "khetha" in Sesotho has a similar origin to the English word "kit" and can also mean "a set of selected things". | |||
| Swahili | chagua | ||
| The word "chagua" can also mean "select" or "pick" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | khetha | ||
| **Alternate Meanings:** An area of land in rural areas (often associated with farming). | |||
| Yoruba | yan | ||
| In Yoruba, the word "yan" also means "to pick" or "to select". | |||
| Zulu | khetha | ||
| The word "khetha" can also mean "to appoint" or "to select" in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | sugandi | ||
| Ewe | tia | ||
| Kinyarwanda | hitamo | ||
| Lingala | kopona | ||
| Luganda | okulonda | ||
| Sepedi | kgetha | ||
| Twi (Akan) | yi | ||
Choose in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أختر | ||
| “أختر” (“choose”) is a verb derived from the three-letter root meaning “to prefer.” | |||
| Hebrew | בחר | ||
| The word "בחר" can also refer to the act of separating or selecting.} | |||
| Pashto | غوره | ||
| The Pashto word "غوره" also means "good" or "beautiful." | |||
| Arabic | أختر | ||
| “أختر” (“choose”) is a verb derived from the three-letter root meaning “to prefer.” | |||
Choose in Western European Languages
| Albanian | zgjedh | ||
| "Zgjedh" (choose) in Albanian originates from the Proto-Indo-European root "ǵʰeiǵʰ", meaning "to cut" or "to harvest", hence the notion of selecting or choosing. | |||
| Basque | aukeratu | ||
| The word "aukeratu" in Basque also means "to get" or "to find". | |||
| Catalan | tria | ||
| The Catalan word "tria" originates from the Latin word "triare," meaning to sift or to select. | |||
| Croatian | izabrati | ||
| The word "izabrati" in Croatian is derived from the Old Slavic word "*izbrati", which also means "to elect" or "to select". | |||
| Danish | vælge | ||
| The Danish word "vælge" is cognate with the English "will" and the German "wählen," and can also mean "to select" or "to prefer." | |||
| Dutch | kiezen | ||
| The word "Kiezen" has a cognates in many Germanic languages such as 'Kies' in German, 'Käse' in Swedish and 'Cheese' in English, all related to the concept of selection. | |||
| English | choose | ||
| "Choose" comes from the Old English word "ceosan," meaning "to taste" or "to test". As it evolved to other languages, its meaning changed to "to pick out" or "to select." | |||
| French | choisir | ||
| The French word 'choisir' derives from the Latin verb 'seligere', meaning 'to select' or 'to gather'. | |||
| Frisian | kieze | ||
| Frisian “kieze” means “to argue” or “to quarrel” in the dialect of East-Frisian Saterland. | |||
| Galician | escoller | ||
| The Galician word "escoller" also means "disciple" or "student". | |||
| German | wählen | ||
| The German word "wählen" originally meant "to gather", "to collect", or "to select." | |||
| Icelandic | velja | ||
| The verb 'velja' is descended from the same Proto-Indo-European root as 'will' and is thus also related to 'select' and 'election'. | |||
| Irish | roghnaigh | ||
| The Irish word "roghnaigh" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*reǵ-nóh₂-ti" and is cognate with words like "reign", "regent", and "royal" in English and other languages. | |||
| Italian | scegliere | ||
| In Italian, "scegliere" can also refer to "selecting" or "extracting" something from a larger group or collection. | |||
| Luxembourgish | wielt | ||
| The word "wielt" is derived from the Middle High German word "weln," meaning "to turn," and is related to the English word "will." | |||
| Maltese | agħżel | ||
| The Maltese word "agħżel" (choose) is thought to have derived from a Sicilian dialect word meaning "select" or "pick out". | |||
| Norwegian | velge | ||
| The word "velge" in Norwegian comes from the Old Norse word "velja", meaning "to select" or "to pick out". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | escolher | ||
| In the archaic usage, "escolher" also means to "detach" and "separate" | |||
| Scots Gaelic | tagh | ||
| The word "tagh" in Scots Gaelic has been suggested to be derived from Proto-Indo-European *teǵʰ- or *dʰegʰ- "to grasp, touch, hold, take". | |||
| Spanish | escoger | ||
| "Escoger" derives from Old Spanish "escollir," itself originating from Medieval Latin "excolligere" meaning "to collect". | |||
| Swedish | välja | ||
| "Välja" also means "to put out (fire) or select (cards)" in Swedish. | |||
| Welsh | dewis | ||
| "Dewis" derives from the Proto-Celtic *dewiso- and has an alternative meaning of "opinion". | |||
Choose in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | выбраць | ||
| Belarusian "выбраць" comes from Proto-Slavic "obrьzati", referring to haircutting and then to picking from others. | |||
| Bosnian | izaberi | ||
| ‘Izaberi’ (choose) traces its roots to Old Church Slavonic ‘izbrati’ meaning ‘to prefer, to take out’. | |||
| Bulgarian | избирам | ||
| The root of the word "избирам" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *obirati, meaning "to take" or "to gather", and is related to the words "оберка" ("a selection"), "отбор" ("a squad") and "борьба" ("a fight"). | |||
| Czech | vybrat | ||
| Vybrat, meaning "to choose" in Czech language, has cognates in other related Slavic languages such as Serbo-Croatian, and Bulgarian but they are not interchangeable with the Czech Vybrat in all circumstances. | |||
| Estonian | valida | ||
| The word "valida" in Estonian can also mean "to elect" or "to prefer". | |||
| Finnish | valita | ||
| The word "valita" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "walijan", meaning "to elect", and also related to the English word "will". | |||
| Hungarian | választ | ||
| The word 'választ' is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *wel-, meaning 'to turn, choose, or elect'. | |||
| Latvian | izvēlēties | ||
| The Latvian word "izvēlēties" also means "to select" or "to opt for". | |||
| Lithuanian | pasirinkti | ||
| The Lithuanian word 'pasirinkti' is also used for 'to decide, to make up one's mind', 'to elect', 'to mark with choice', 'to select', 'to option' | |||
| Macedonian | изберете | ||
| The word "изберете" derives from Slavic languages | |||
| Polish | wybierać | ||
| "Wybierać" is derived from Old Polish "wybirati" which in turn was borrowed from Middle High German "welen" meaning to "turn" or "roll" like a wheel. | |||
| Romanian | alege | ||
| "Alege" comes from the Latin "eligere" and also means "to elect" in Romanian. | |||
| Russian | выбирать | ||
| The verb "выбирать" (choose) is derived from the Old Russian root "birati," which also meant "to gather" or "to take." | |||
| Serbian | изабрати | ||
| "Изабрати" means "to choose" in Serbian. It is derived from the Old Slavic word "izbrati", which also means "to choose". The word "изабрати" is used in both formal and informal contexts, and it can be used to refer to choosing anything from a person to a thing. | |||
| Slovak | vybrať | ||
| The Slovak word 'vybrať' comes from the Proto-Slavic root *vorti, meaning 'to turn' or 'to twist', and originally meant 'to pick out' or 'to select'. | |||
| Slovenian | izberite | ||
| Izberite means to choose in Slovenian and derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂eyǵʰ- meaning "to strive for, choose". | |||
| Ukrainian | вибрати | ||
| The Ukrainian verb "вибрати" (vybraty) is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *bir- meaning "to take," and is related to the words "бирати" (byraty) meaning "to gather" and "брати" (braty) meaning "to take." | |||
Choose in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পছন্দ করা | ||
| The word “পছন্দ করা” originally meant “to have a preference for” rather than “to select”. | |||
| Gujarati | પસંદ કરો | ||
| This word derives from the Sanskrit word 'pasanda', meaning 'desired'. It can also mean 'to select' or 'to prefer'. | |||
| Hindi | चुनें | ||
| The word "चुनें" can also mean "to pick" or "to select" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಆಯ್ಕೆಮಾಡಿ | ||
| The word "ಆಯ್ಕೆಮಾಡಿ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "वृणोति" (vṛṇoti), which means "to select" or "to choose." | |||
| Malayalam | തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കുക | ||
| It can be split as "turn" and "take", indicating the action of picking up something while changing one's direction. | |||
| Marathi | निवडा | ||
| The word "निवडा" (nivDa) in Marathi originates from the Sanskrit word "निर्वेद" (nirveda), meaning "detachment" or "dispassion". Over time, it came to mean "to select" or "to choose" in Marathi, suggesting that the act of choosing involves a degree of detachment and objectivity. | |||
| Nepali | छनौट गर्नुहोस् | ||
| Punjabi | ਚੁਣੋ | ||
| The word "ਚੁਣੋ" can also mean "to select" or "to pick out". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | තෝරා | ||
| The word "තෝරා" (choose) in Sinhala is derived from the Sanskrit word "तुरीय" (turīya), which also means "fourth". This is because in ancient India, the act of choosing was considered to be the fourth stage of human development, after birth, growth, and reproduction. | |||
| Tamil | தேர்வு செய்யவும் | ||
| The Tamil word 'தேர்வு செய்யவும்' derives from the Sanskrit root 'vr,' meaning 'to cover' or 'to protect,' implying 'selection from a broader set'. | |||
| Telugu | ఎంచుకోండి | ||
| The word "ఎంచుకోండి" is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root *muntu- which means "to gather" or "to select". | |||
| Urdu | منتخب کریں | ||
Choose in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 选择 | ||
| 选择 originally meant "to cut off" in the oracle bone script, hence its current meaning. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 選擇 | ||
| 選擇 is also used in Chinese (Traditional) contexts to refer to natural selection. | |||
| Japanese | 選択 | ||
| In Japanese, the word "選択" (sentaku) can also mean "election" when used in the context of voting. | |||
| Korean | 고르다 | ||
| '고르다' can also be used to describe a process of selection where the criteria or standard is based on a specific characteristic of the subject being chosen. | |||
| Mongolian | сонгох | ||
| The word "соんごх" ("choose") derives from the Proto-Mongolic term "*soŋqu-'", meaning "thought, intention, or opinion". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရွေးချယ်ပါ | ||
Choose in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | memilih | ||
| Memilih derives from "pilih" meaning "separate" or "pick (out)", cognate with Malay "pilih" and Proto-Austronesian "*pi(R)iq". | |||
| Javanese | milih | ||
| The Javanese word "milih" also means "to want" or "to desire". | |||
| Khmer | ជ្រើសរើស | ||
| The word 'ជ្រើសរើស' ('choose') is derived from the root word 'ជ្រើស' ('to select, to choose') and means to make a selection from a number of options, usually after careful consideration. | |||
| Lao | ເລືອກ | ||
| The word "ເລືອກ" can also refer to a choice of food or drink, or to the act of selecting something from a group. | |||
| Malay | pilih | ||
| The word "pilih" in Malay is also used to refer to the process of separating or distinguishing between two or more items. | |||
| Thai | เลือก | ||
| "เลือก" is homonymous with the word for "play" in Isan, a dialect of Thai spoken in the northeast of the country. | |||
| Vietnamese | chọn | ||
| The word "chọn" can also refer to the first of the two branches of the Red River in Vietnam, known as the Thao River. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pumili | ||
Choose in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | seçin | ||
| "Seçin" (choose) is a Turkic word meaning to separate or select. In Azerbaijani, it has also acquired the meaning of choosing the best option. | |||
| Kazakh | таңдау | ||
| Таңдау (''choose'') is derived from the Persian word ''tan'' meaning 'body', hence the implication of 'choosing by the body' or 'preference'. | |||
| Kyrgyz | тандоо | ||
| "Тандоо" - also means "the way" or "the path" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | интихоб кунед | ||
| The word "интихоб кунед" ultimately derives from the Persian verb "kardan" which also means "to do". | |||
| Turkmen | saýlaň | ||
| Uzbek | tanlang | ||
| Etymology: Persian {"talang": "to choose, select"}. Alternate meaning: "an offer"} | |||
| Uyghur | تاللاڭ | ||
Choose in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | koho | ||
| The word "koho" also refers to "a candidate standing for election". | |||
| Maori | kōwhiri | ||
| Although kōwhiri now only means "choose," it used to mean "to taste" and "to sniff" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | filifili | ||
| The word 'filifili' is derived from Proto-Polynesian '*pili' and is cognate with other Polynesian languages, including Tongan and Māori, where it also means 'to choose'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pumili ka | ||
| Derived from Malay "pilih," meaning "to select" or "to pick," and ultimately from the Proto-Austronesian root word *pilik. | |||
Choose in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ajlliña | ||
| Guarani | poravo | ||
Choose in International Languages
| Esperanto | elekti | ||
| "Elekti" comes from Polish "elekcya", which means "election", and can be used in this sense in Esperanto, but is more often used to refer to personal choice. | |||
| Latin | eligere | ||
| The Latin verb 'eligere' originates from 'ex-' (out) and 'legere' (pick), thus implying careful selection. | |||
Choose in Others Languages
| Greek | επιλέγω | ||
| The word "επιλέγω" can also mean "select", "pick", or "choose out" in English. | |||
| Hmong | xaiv | ||
| The Hmong word "xaiv" also means "to buy" and "to sell". | |||
| Kurdish | helbijartin | ||
| The word "helbijartin" is derived from the Persian word "helbe","selection" and the Persian suffix "-artin","doer". The word "helbijartin" in Kurdish can also mean "to select" or "to pick". | |||
| Turkish | seç | ||
| In Old Turkish, "Seç" meant both "to choose" and "to take". | |||
| Xhosa | khetha | ||
| **Alternate Meanings:** An area of land in rural areas (often associated with farming). | |||
| Yiddish | קלייַבן | ||
| The word "קלייַבן" in Yiddish, which means "to choose," is derived from the Middle High German word "klieben," which also means "to choose" but has the additional meaning of "to cleave" or "to split." | |||
| Zulu | khetha | ||
| The word "khetha" can also mean "to appoint" or "to select" in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | বাছনি কৰক | ||
| Aymara | ajlliña | ||
| Bhojpuri | चुनीं | ||
| Dhivehi | އިޚްތިޔާރު | ||
| Dogri | चुनो | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pumili | ||
| Guarani | poravo | ||
| Ilocano | agpili | ||
| Krio | pik | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هەڵبژاردن | ||
| Maithili | चुनू | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯂꯂꯨ | ||
| Mizo | thlang | ||
| Oromo | filachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବାଛନ୍ତୁ | | ||
| Quechua | akllay | ||
| Sanskrit | चिनोतु | ||
| Tatar | сайлау | ||
| Tigrinya | ምረፅ | ||
| Tsonga | hlawula | ||