Decide in Different Languages
Discover 'Decide' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Deciding is a fundamental aspect of human cognition and behavior. It's the process of making a choice between different options or alternatives. The significance of 'decide' cannot be overstated, as it underpins our ability to navigate the world and make informed choices. From the mundane (deciding what to have for breakfast) to the monumental (choosing a life partner or career path), deciding is a constant and universal feature of human experience.
Moreover, the word 'decide' carries important cultural implications. In many societies, decision-making is a collective process, involving input and consensus from multiple stakeholders. In others, decision-making is more individualistic, emphasizing personal autonomy and self-determination. Understanding the cultural nuances of decision-making is essential for effective cross-cultural communication and collaboration.
If you're interested in language and culture, you might want to know how to say 'decide' in different languages. This can help you appreciate the diversity and richness of human languages and cultures, and deepen your understanding of the world around you.
Here are some translations of 'decide' in various languages:
Decide
Decide in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | besluit | ||
| The Afrikaans word "besluit" is derived from the Dutch word "besluit", which means "resolution" or "decree". | |||
| Amharic | መወሰን | ||
| The verb መወሰን (mäwäsän) also means "to be determined" | |||
| Hausa | yanke shawara | ||
| "Yanke shawara" is a Hausa phrase that literally means "to cut discussion". | |||
| Igbo | kpebie | ||
| The word "kpebie" can also refer to the act of separating or dividing something into parts. | |||
| Malagasy | manapa-kevitra | ||
| "Manapa-kevitra" originates from the Proto-Austronesian root word "*paṣnu" meaning "to judge or decide". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | sankhani | ||
| The word "sankhani" can also mean to "conclude", "infer", or "determine". | |||
| Shona | sarudza | ||
| The word "sarudza" also means "to choose" or "to select" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | go'aanso | ||
| The word "go'aanso" also means "conclusion" or "determination" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | etsa qeto | ||
| The word “etsa qeto” literally means “to tie a knot”, referring to the symbolic act of making a firm decision. | |||
| Swahili | amua | ||
| The word 'amua' can also mean 'to guess' or 'to make an assumption' in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | isigqibo | ||
| The Xhosa word 'isigqibo' also means 'a judgment' or 'sentence' | |||
| Yoruba | pinnu | ||
| The Yoruba word "pinnu" also has the alternate meaning of "to become stubborn". | |||
| Zulu | nquma | ||
| The word "nquma" in Zulu can also refer to a legal advisor, judge or counselor. | |||
| Bambara | ka latigɛ | ||
| Ewe | tso nyame | ||
| Kinyarwanda | fata umwanzuro | ||
| Lingala | kozwa ekateli | ||
| Luganda | okusalawo | ||
| Sepedi | phetha | ||
| Twi (Akan) | si gyinaeɛ | ||
Decide in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | قرر | ||
| The word "قرر" can also mean "to cut off" or "to separate" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | לְהַחלִיט | ||
| The Hebrew verb "לְהַחלִיט" can also mean "to resolve" or "to clarify". | |||
| Pashto | پریکړه وکړئ | ||
| The Pashto word "پریکړه وکړئ" "decide" is derived from the Persian word "پریکار" "compass" and figuratively means "to draw a circle or boundary around something". | |||
| Arabic | قرر | ||
| The word "قرر" can also mean "to cut off" or "to separate" in Arabic. | |||
Decide in Western European Languages
| Albanian | vendos | ||
| The word "vendos" in Albanian also means "sells" and is related to the Latin word "vendo" which means the same. | |||
| Basque | erabaki | ||
| The Basque word "erabaki" also refers to the act of choosing or selecting something | |||
| Catalan | decidir | ||
| The verb "decidir" in Catalan can also mean "to declare" or "to decide something by vote". | |||
| Croatian | odlučiti | ||
| The verb 'odlučiti' is derived from an old Slavic root 'luk', meaning 'to bend', 'to curve', and 'to separate' | |||
| Danish | beslutte | ||
| "Beslutte" is derived from the Middle Low German word "besluten," meaning "to close" or "to lock." | |||
| Dutch | besluiten | ||
| The word 'besluiten' derives from the Middle Dutch 'besluten', meaning 'to lock up or shut in'. | |||
| English | decide | ||
| The word 'decide' derives from the Latin 'decidere', meaning 'to cut off' or 'to separate', reflecting its association with reaching a firm resolution or conclusion. | |||
| French | décider | ||
| In archaic French, the term "décider" could refer to separating physical objects, not only taking a course of action. | |||
| Frisian | beslute | ||
| Frisian 'beslute' is a loanword from French, ultimately derived from Latin 'resolvere'. | |||
| Galician | decidir | ||
| In Galician and Portuguese, the word "decidir" also means "to clarify". | |||
| German | entscheiden | ||
| "Entscheiden" means "to divide" in German, but it was originally used to mean "to separate" or "to cut off". | |||
| Icelandic | ákveða | ||
| In the 12th-century, 'ákveða' also meant 'agree' and was used to describe consensus between two parties | |||
| Irish | cinneadh a dhéanamh | ||
| Italian | decidere | ||
| The Italian word "decidere" derives from the Latin "decidere," meaning "to cut off," thus implying a definitive choice or separation. | |||
| Luxembourgish | entscheeden | ||
| Entscheeden can also mean to "dismantle" or "to solve" in the Luxembourgish language. | |||
| Maltese | tiddeċiedi | ||
| The Maltese word tiddeċiedi derives from the Arabic word دسر (daṣira), which also means "decide". | |||
| Norwegian | bestemme seg for | ||
| The word 'Bestemme seg for' is derived from the Old Norse words 'bestemma' (to determine) and 'seg for' (for oneself). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | decidir | ||
| "Decidir" is derived from the Latin word "decidere," meaning "to cut off" or "to separate," also conveying the sense of making a clear and definitive choice. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | co-dhùnadh | ||
| In addition to 'deciding', 'co-dhùnadh' means to 'form an opinion' or to 'give a verdict' | |||
| Spanish | decidir | ||
| «Decidir» means to cut (something) off from its attachment point — like the tail of an animal or a branch from a tree. | |||
| Swedish | besluta | ||
| The word 'besluta' derives from 'beslut', meaning 'decision', and ultimately from the Old Norse word 'slita', meaning 'to tear' or 'to cut'. | |||
| Welsh | penderfynu | ||
| The verb 'penderfynu' also means 'to define, to determine, to resolve' | |||
Decide in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | вырашыць | ||
| The Belarusian word "вырашыць" can also mean "to solve" or "to resolve". | |||
| Bosnian | odluči | ||
| Odluči can also mean to separate, divide, or distinguish. | |||
| Bulgarian | реши | ||
| The word "реши" in Bulgarian can also mean "to cut". | |||
| Czech | rozhodni se | ||
| The Czech word "rozhodni se" can also mean "solve" or "break up". | |||
| Estonian | otsustama | ||
| The word "otsustama" is derived from the Latin word "decidere", meaning "to cut off". | |||
| Finnish | päättää | ||
| "Päättää" also meant "to finish" in old Finnish and can still be found in some dialects. | |||
| Hungarian | döntsd el | ||
| "Döntsd el" literally translates to "shake it apart". | |||
| Latvian | izlemt | ||
| The word "izlemt" can also refer to a legal or judicial decision. | |||
| Lithuanian | nuspręsti | ||
| Lithuanian "nuspręsti" means "to solve" or "to make up one's mind" and derives from "spręsti" meaning "to judge" or "to resolve." | |||
| Macedonian | одлучува | ||
| The verb "одлучува" can also mean "separate" or "remove" from something. | |||
| Polish | decydować się | ||
| The verb "decydować się" can also be used to express the meaning of "to choose". | |||
| Romanian | decide | ||
| The Romanian word "decide" has a similar etymology to the English "decide", both deriving from the Latin "decidere", meaning to cut off. | |||
| Russian | принимать решение | ||
| The verb "принимать решение" derives from the merging of two Slavic roots: "приим(ати)" – "to accept" and "решение" – "solution (of a task or problem)". Thus, a more literal translation would be "to accept a solution", which highlights the act of making a choice from among a set of available options. | |||
| Serbian | одлучити | ||
| The word "одлучити" in Serbian, which means to decide or separate, is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *odlučiti*. | |||
| Slovak | rozhodnúť | ||
| The word "rozhodnúť" is derived from the Old Slavic word "roz-", meaning "apart", and "hoditi", meaning "to go". | |||
| Slovenian | odločite se | ||
| It is derived from the Proto-Slavic term *otъlučiti meaning 'to separate'. | |||
| Ukrainian | вирішити | ||
| The word "вирішити" is derived from the Old Slavic word "рѣшити", meaning "to untie" or "to solve". | |||
Decide in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সিদ্ধান্ত | ||
| The word 'সিদ্ধান্ত' can also mean 'conclusion' or 'result' in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | નક્કી કરો | ||
| Hindi | तय | ||
| The word "तय" in Hindi also means "to fix" or "to determine". | |||
| Kannada | ನಿರ್ಧರಿಸಿ | ||
| This word in Kannada has alternate meanings: 'to make a decision' or 'to give an explanation' | |||
| Malayalam | തീരുമാനിക്കുക | ||
| Marathi | निर्णय | ||
| The Marathi word निर्णय (decide) comes from the Sanskrit निर् ( | |||
| Nepali | निर्णय गर्नुहोस् | ||
| The word "निर्णय गर्नुहोस्" is derived from the Sanskrit word "निर्णय", which means "to ascertain or determine" or "to come to a conclusion". | |||
| Punjabi | ਫੈਸਲਾ ਕਰੋ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | තීරණය කරන්න | ||
| Tamil | முடிவு | ||
| The word "முடிவு" can also refer to a conclusion, end, result, or the termination of an action in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | నిర్ణయించండి | ||
| The etymology is from Sanskrit "ni-r" + "naya", to lead, with sense "to come or bring to an end". | |||
| Urdu | فیصلہ کرنا | ||
Decide in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 决定 | ||
| 决定 (juéding) in Chinese also means 'to determine', 'to resolve', or 'to make up one's mind'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 決定 | ||
| "決定" comes from two morphemes: "決", meaning "to end, to break", and "定", meaning "to fix, to establish." | |||
| Japanese | 決定する | ||
| The verb "決定する" can also mean "to resolve" or "to determine". | |||
| Korean | 결정하다 | ||
| 결정하다 can also mean "to crystallize" or "to solidify". | |||
| Mongolian | шийдэх | ||
| The verb "шийдэх" is derived from the noun "шийд" (meaning "decision") and has extended meanings such as "to conclude" or "to judge". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဆုံးဖြတ် | ||
Decide in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | memutuskan | ||
| "Memutuskan" in Indonesian derives from "putus" meaning "broken". | |||
| Javanese | mutusake | ||
| The word "mutusake" has roots in the Sanskrit term "mut" meaning "to release" or "to separate". | |||
| Khmer | សម្រេចចិត្ត | ||
| The word "សម្រេចចិត្ត" is derived from the Sanskrit word "saṃkalpa" which means "resolve, intention, determination". It is also related to the Pali word "sankappa" which has the same meaning. | |||
| Lao | ຕັດສິນໃຈ | ||
| Malay | tentukan | ||
| The word "tentukan" can also refer to the act of setting up camp. | |||
| Thai | ตัดสินใจ | ||
| "ตัดสินใจ" is derived from "ตัด" meaning "to cut". It implies making a choice between options by "cutting off" other possibilities. | |||
| Vietnamese | quyết định | ||
| The word "quyết định" comes from Chinese and can mean "to cut off"} | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | magpasya | ||
Decide in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qərar ver | ||
| The word "qərar ver" comes from the Turkish word "karar vermek", which also means "to decide". | |||
| Kazakh | шешім қабылдаңыз | ||
| The phrase "шешім қабылдаңыз" can also be used to refer to making a decision on behalf of someone else, or to making a decision that will affect a group of people. | |||
| Kyrgyz | чечим | ||
| The word "чечим" in Kyrgyz also means "to cut" or "to determine". | |||
| Tajik | қарор кунед | ||
| The word "қарор кунед" is also used in Tajik to refer to the process of making up your mind or reaching a conclusion. | |||
| Turkmen | karar ber | ||
| Uzbek | qaror qiling | ||
| The term "qaror qiling" is also commonly used to refer to the process of reaching a conclusion or making a determination after careful consideration or judgment. | |||
| Uyghur | قارار قىلىڭ | ||
Decide in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hooholo | ||
| Hooholo may also refer to a Hawaiian feather cape or the act of donning such a cape. | |||
| Maori | whakatau | ||
| Whakatau also means "to establish" or "to acknowledge". | |||
| Samoan | filifili | ||
| The word "filifili" in Samoan can also mean "to select" or "to choose". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | magpasya | ||
| "Magpasya" is also a slang term for "die", most likely derived from the Spanish "matar" (to kill). | |||
Decide in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | amtaña | ||
| Guarani | py'apeteĩ | ||
Decide in International Languages
| Esperanto | decidas | ||
| The word "decidas" in Esperanto ultimately derives from the Latin word "decidere," meaning "to cut off," and shares its root with the English word "decision." | |||
| Latin | decernere, | ||
| The word "decernere" in Latin can also mean "to award" or "to distribute". | |||
Decide in Others Languages
| Greek | αποφασίζω | ||
| The Greek word "αποφασίζω" (decide) comes from the verb "αποφαινω" (declare), hence its original meaning was "to announce a decision after deliberation". | |||
| Hmong | txiav txim siab | ||
| In the Hmong language 'txiav txim siab' can also translate as 'think carefully to reach a conclusion'. | |||
| Kurdish | biryardan | ||
| The word "biryardan" is derived from the Old Kurdish word "birê", meaning "to divide" and "-dan", meaning "to come". | |||
| Turkish | karar ver | ||
| "Karar ver" (decide) originates from "karar" (decision) which originates from Arabic "qara'a" (to establish, to fix). | |||
| Xhosa | isigqibo | ||
| The Xhosa word 'isigqibo' also means 'a judgment' or 'sentence' | |||
| Yiddish | באַשליסן | ||
| The Yiddish word "באַשליסן" (bashliesn) comes from the German "beschließen" which also means "to close, to lock". | |||
| Zulu | nquma | ||
| The word "nquma" in Zulu can also refer to a legal advisor, judge or counselor. | |||
| Assamese | সিদ্ধান্ত লোৱা | ||
| Aymara | amtaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | फैसला कईल | ||
| Dhivehi | ކަނޑައެޅުން | ||
| Dogri | तै करना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | magpasya | ||
| Guarani | py'apeteĩ | ||
| Ilocano | ikeddeng | ||
| Krio | disayd | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بڕیاردان | ||
| Maithili | निर्णय | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯋꯥꯔꯦꯞ ꯂꯧꯕ | ||
| Mizo | duhthlang | ||
| Oromo | murteessuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ନିଷ୍ପତ୍ତି ନିଅ | ||
| Quechua | akllay | ||
| Sanskrit | निश्चिनोति | ||
| Tatar | карар | ||
| Tigrinya | ወስን | ||
| Tsonga | teka xiboho | ||