Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'demand' holds immense significance in our daily lives, shaping our economic, social, and personal interactions. It refers to the need or desire for a particular product, service, or idea, which when expressed by a large number of people, can create cultural phenomena and even drive innovation. Understanding the translation of 'demand' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how various cultures perceive and prioritize their needs.
For instance, in Spanish, 'demand' translates to 'demanda', which reflects the language's Latin roots and its influence on Western culture. In Mandarin Chinese, 'demand' is translated as '需求' (xūqiú), highlighting the importance of this concept in China's rapidly growing economy. Meanwhile, in German, 'demand' becomes 'Nachfrage', emphasizing the proactive nature of seeking what one wants.
Join us as we explore the translations of 'demand' in various languages, shedding light on the fascinating cultural nuances that underpin this simple yet powerful word.
Afrikaans | eis | ||
The Afrikaans word "eis" can also mean "demand" in English. | |||
Amharic | ፍላጎት | ||
The word "ፍላጎት" in Amharic is derived from the verb "ፈለገ" meaning "to want" or "to desire". | |||
Hausa | nema | ||
The Hausa word "nema" can also mean "wish" or "need". | |||
Igbo | ina | ||
The word "ina" in Igbo also means "to question, to inquire, to ask for an explanation or reason. | |||
Malagasy | fangatahana | ||
Fangatahana is also used in a more general sense to mean "to ask for something", or even "to request". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kufunika | ||
The word "kufunika" can also mean "to ask for", "to request", or "to inquire about" something in Nyanja (Chichewa). | |||
Shona | kudiwa | ||
The alternate meaning of 'kudiwa' is 'to be thirsty'. | |||
Somali | dalab | ||
Dalab can also mean 'request' or 'prayer', and is related to the Arabic word 'talab' (طلب) meaning 'quest'. | |||
Sesotho | tlhokeho | ||
Tlhokeho derives from the verb '"hokeha"', which means to seek, ask, or request. | |||
Swahili | mahitaji | ||
The verb form of "mahitaji" is "kuhitaji" meaning "to need" or "to lack". | |||
Xhosa | ibango | ||
In Xhosa, "ibango" also refers to a request, plea, or prayer. | |||
Yoruba | eletan | ||
"Eletan" also means "to challenge" or "to question" in Yoruba. | |||
Zulu | funa | ||
Funa is also the name of a species of small fish and was traditionally used as a medium of exchange. | |||
Bambara | ka laɲinini | ||
Ewe | bia | ||
Kinyarwanda | icyifuzo | ||
Lingala | kosenga | ||
Luganda | okulagira | ||
Sepedi | nyaka | ||
Twi (Akan) | bisa | ||
Arabic | الطلب | ||
The word also means a religious request, an invocation or a prayer in a mosque. | |||
Hebrew | דרש | ||
The word "דרש" can also mean "investigate" or "study" in Hebrew. | |||
Pashto | غوښتنه | ||
The Pashto word "غوښتنه" can also mean "request" or "appeal". | |||
Arabic | الطلب | ||
The word also means a religious request, an invocation or a prayer in a mosque. |
Albanian | kërkesa | ||
"Kërkesa" comes from the Ottoman Turkish word "kerkes" which also means "request" or "need" | |||
Basque | eskaria | ||
The word "eskaria" in Basque is derived from "eskatu", meaning "to request", and can also refer to the "request" itself. | |||
Catalan | demanda | ||
Catalan "demanda" derives from Latin "demantare" and French "demander", meaning both "demand" and "petition". | |||
Croatian | zahtijevajte | ||
The Croatian word 'zahtijevajte' comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'tъčiti', meaning 'to touch' or 'to strike'. | |||
Danish | efterspørgsel | ||
The Danish word "efterspørgsel" derives from "efterspørge" meaning "to inquire" and "efterspurgt" meaning "to be wanted or sought after." | |||
Dutch | vraag naar | ||
The Dutch word "vraag naar" can also mean "question" and is derived from the Proto-West Germanic word "fragan" meaning "to ask". | |||
English | demand | ||
The word "demand" derives from the Latin "demandare," meaning "to ask for" or "to charge." | |||
French | demande | ||
The word "demande" in French can also mean "proposal" or "request". | |||
Frisian | eask | ||
The word "eask" in Frisian can also mean "to ask" or "to request". | |||
Galician | demanda | ||
In Galician, demanda also means 'request' or 'inquiry'. | |||
German | nachfrage | ||
The word "Nachfrage" in German originally meant "following after" and is related to the verb "nachfolgen" (to follow after). | |||
Icelandic | heimta | ||
The Icelandic word 'heimta' can also mean 'to fetch' or 'to bring home'. | |||
Irish | éileamh | ||
It is derived from Middle Irish "ailment". It can have the alternate meaning of "necessity". | |||
Italian | richiesta | ||
The Italian word "richiesta" is ultimately derived from the Latin word "requisitio" with the same meaning. | |||
Luxembourgish | fuerderen | ||
In Old French, "fuerderen" meant "to furnish or provide with." | |||
Maltese | domanda | ||
The word domanda also has meanings in Maltese and Sicilian that include question, query, and request. | |||
Norwegian | kreve | ||
The word 'kreve' is cognate with the German word 'kriegen', which means 'to get' or 'to receive' | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | exigem | ||
The Portuguese word "exigem" derives from the Latin verb "exigere," meaning "to drive out, claim, or demand." | |||
Scots Gaelic | iarrtas | ||
The Irish cognate of iarrtas is iarratas, which also means 'request'. | |||
Spanish | demanda | ||
In Spanish, 'demanda' is derived from the Latin 'demandare,' meaning to 'commit to trial.' | |||
Swedish | efterfrågan | ||
The word "efterfrågan" also has the alternate meaning of "inquiry" in Swedish. | |||
Welsh | galw | ||
"Galw" in Welsh, meaning "demand", can also refer to a "call" or "shout". |
Belarusian | попыт | ||
Belarusian word "попыт" is cognate with Serbian "potpis" and Russian "подпись", and originally meant "signature". | |||
Bosnian | potražnja | ||
The Bosnian word 'potražnja' comes from the Latin word 'postulare', meaning 'to request' and is also related to the French word 'poser', meaning 'to ask or demand'. | |||
Bulgarian | търсене | ||
Bulgarian "търсене" derives from the verb "търся" meaning "to look for" and shares the root with "искам" meaning "to want" and "нуждая се" meaning "to need". | |||
Czech | poptávka | ||
Poptávka can also refer to "inquiry" or "question" and comes from "poptati se", which means to ask for something. | |||
Estonian | nõudlus | ||
The word "nõudlus" in Estonian derives from the Estonian word "nõuda" meaning "to ask" or "to claim". | |||
Finnish | kysyntä | ||
The word "kysyntä" is derived from the verb "kysyä" (to ask) and can also refer to a question or inquiry. | |||
Hungarian | igény | ||
Igén(y) is connected to the words igéz(get) and igáz(conquer) suggesting a semantic transition from bewitching to compelling and finally to claiming. | |||
Latvian | pieprasījums | ||
The word "pieprasījums" in Latvian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *preǵʰ-, meaning "to ask or beg". | |||
Lithuanian | paklausa | ||
Paklausa shares an etymology with „klausyti“ (to listen) and means „to ask to get something“. | |||
Macedonian | побарувачката | ||
Polish | żądanie | ||
The word 'żądanie' in Polish can also mean 'desire' or 'wish'. | |||
Romanian | cerere | ||
The word "cerere" comes from the Latin "cerner(e)", meaning "to sift", "to separate", or "to distinguish". It also has the alternate meaning of "application" or "request". | |||
Russian | спрос | ||
The word "спрос" can also refer to the level of interest in or desire for something, or to the act of asking for something. | |||
Serbian | потражња | ||
The word 'потражња' in Serbian can also refer to 'search' or 'inquiry'. | |||
Slovak | dopyt | ||
Dopyt derives from the old word dopítať "to ask in detail" | |||
Slovenian | povpraševanje | ||
The Slovenian word 'povpraševanje' can also mean 'inquiry' or 'question'. | |||
Ukrainian | попит | ||
The Ukrainian word "попит" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "po-pъnati", meaning "to exert oneself". It also has the alternate meaning of "urge". |
Bengali | চাহিদা | ||
The Bengali word "চাহিদা" (demand) is derived from the Sanskrit word "चाहना" (desire), and also means "need" or "requirement". | |||
Gujarati | માંગ | ||
"માંગ" in Gujarati can also refer to a hair partition or the space between eyebrows or a desire, need or request. | |||
Hindi | मांग | ||
The word मांग (demand) is derived from the Sanskrit root मंच् (manch), meaning 'to ask' or 'to beg'. It also has the alternate meaning of 'parting of the hair on a woman's head'. | |||
Kannada | ಬೇಡಿಕೆ | ||
The Kannada word 'ಬೇಡಿಕೆ' ('baedike') also means 'request', 'want', 'need', or 'claim'. | |||
Malayalam | ഡിമാൻഡ് | ||
The word "ഡിമാൻഡ്" in Malayalam, derived from Portuguese, also signifies "request" or "claim". | |||
Marathi | मागणी | ||
मागणी can be traced to the Indo-European root "*meng-", shared by many other words for asking or begging. | |||
Nepali | माग | ||
माग (demand) is a Nepali word derived from Sanskrit and has several meanings, including 'request', 'need', and 'requirement'. | |||
Punjabi | ਮੰਗ | ||
The Punjabi word 'ਮੰਗ' ('demand') is derived from the Sanskrit word 'मांग' ('desire'), which also implies a plea or request. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඉල්ලුම | ||
The term "ඉල්ලුම" can also denote a "wish" or "request", highlighting its multifaceted nature in the Sinhala language. | |||
Tamil | தேவை | ||
"தேவை" also refers to 'need' and 'necessity', and it derives from the Tamil root word "தே" ('thē'), meaning 'to need' or 'to seek'. | |||
Telugu | డిమాండ్ | ||
The word is derived from the Latin word 'demandare', which means 'to ask or request'. | |||
Urdu | مطالبہ | ||
The term "مطالبہ" is an Arabic word meaning "request" or "claim" and also refers to a "rightful demand". |
Chinese (Simplified) | 需求 | ||
In economics, 需求 refers to the desire to possess a certain amount of a commodity combined with the ability and willingness to buy it, whereas in linguistics it is a grammatical function marking an element which is necessary to complete an utterance. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 需求 | ||
需求 in Traditional Chinese characters can be traced back to a concept of request, requisition or need, from which the meaning “demand” developed. | |||
Japanese | 要求する | ||
"要求する" derives from the word "求む" (request); the addition of the suffix "‐る" (indicating the passive voice) gives it the meaning of "to be requested" | |||
Korean | 수요 | ||
The word "수요" also means "Wednesday" in Korean, derived from the Chinese character "水" (water) and the cyclical character "요" (fire). | |||
Mongolian | эрэлт | ||
The Mongolian word 'эрэлт' (demand) is also a term referring to the state of being sought or needed. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ဝယ်လိုအား | ||
Indonesian | permintaan | ||
"Permintaan" in Indonesian, besides having the primary meaning of "demand," also shares an alternate meaning with the Malay "pmintaan," which means "a request." | |||
Javanese | panjaluk | ||
In the Indonesian language "panjaluk" means "request", but in Javanese it has a negative connotation, meaning "demand". | |||
Khmer | តំរូវការ | ||
The word តំរូវការ, when used in the context of a formal request, shares the same root word as a noun representing a 'writing' or as a verb representing 'writing, carving, copying, or drawing'. | |||
Lao | ຄວາມຕ້ອງການ | ||
Malay | permintaan | ||
The word "permintaan" in Malay is derived from the Arabic word "طلب" (ṭalab), which means "request" or "inquiry". | |||
Thai | ความต้องการ | ||
The Thai word "ความต้องการ" means both "demand" and "desire". | |||
Vietnamese | nhu cầu | ||
"Nhu cầu" is a Vietnamese word that can mean either "demand" or "need". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | demand | ||
Azerbaijani | tələb | ||
The word "tələb" also refers to "request", "need", or "application" in Azerbaijani. | |||
Kazakh | сұраныс | ||
"Сұраныс" can also mean "appeal" or "application" in Kazakh. | |||
Kyrgyz | талап кылуу | ||
The term "талап кылуу" is also used as a noun, meaning "request" or "request". | |||
Tajik | талабот | ||
The term "талабот" in Tajik originates from the Persian word "طلبه" (talaba), meaning "student" or "seeker of knowledge". | |||
Turkmen | isleg | ||
Uzbek | talab | ||
The word "talab" (demand) is derived from the Arabic word "talab", which means "request" or "asking for something." | |||
Uyghur | ئېھتىياج | ||
Hawaiian | koi | ||
In Hawaiian, "koi" can also mean "request" or "ask". | |||
Maori | tono | ||
In Maori, the word "tono" can also mean "to ask for something politely". | |||
Samoan | manaʻoga | ||
In Samoan, "manaʻoga" can also refer to a request or a desire. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | hiling | ||
The Tagalog word “hiling” is also a noun that means “wish” or “desire.” |
Aymara | timanta | ||
Guarani | oñeikotevẽva | ||
Esperanto | postulo | ||
The Latin origin of "postulo" is related to the idea of "asking", "requesting" or "requiring" something. | |||
Latin | demanda | ||
In Latin, the word 'demanda' originally meant 'a request to a lord' and could refer to a request for food, property, or service. |
Greek | ζήτηση | ||
The Greek word "ζήτηση" is derived from the verb "ζητώ", which means "to seek" or "to ask for." | |||
Hmong | coob | ||
The Hmong word "coob" can also refer to a type of traditional Hmong dance. | |||
Kurdish | xwestin | ||
The word "xwestin" has Proto-Indo-European roots and is related to the Latin word "quaestio" (question). | |||
Turkish | talep | ||
In Old Turkic, "talep" meant "request, petition" and in Kazakh "talap" means "pretend, claim". | |||
Xhosa | ibango | ||
In Xhosa, "ibango" also refers to a request, plea, or prayer. | |||
Yiddish | מאָנען | ||
The Yiddish word "מאָנען" is likely derived from the Proto-Slavic verb "*moniti" (to admonish or urge), or possibly from the Hebrew verb "מנה" (to appoint or decree). | |||
Zulu | funa | ||
Funa is also the name of a species of small fish and was traditionally used as a medium of exchange. | |||
Assamese | দাবী কৰা | ||
Aymara | timanta | ||
Bhojpuri | मांग | ||
Dhivehi | މަޖުބޫރުކުރުން | ||
Dogri | मंग | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | demand | ||
Guarani | oñeikotevẽva | ||
Ilocano | pakasapulan | ||
Krio | tɛl | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | داواکردن | ||
Maithili | मांग | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯤꯅꯕ ꯍꯥꯏꯕ | ||
Mizo | beisei | ||
Oromo | barbaaduu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଚାହିଦା | | ||
Quechua | mañakuy | ||
Sanskrit | अभियाचना | ||
Tatar | таләп | ||
Tigrinya | ተጠላብነት | ||
Tsonga | xikoxo | ||