Afrikaans verdien | ||
Albanian meritojnë | ||
Amharic ይገባቸዋል | ||
Arabic استحق | ||
Armenian արժանանալ | ||
Assamese প্ৰাপ্য | ||
Aymara mirisiña | ||
Azerbaijani layiq olmaq | ||
Bambara ka kan ni ... ye | ||
Basque merezi | ||
Belarusian заслугоўваюць | ||
Bengali প্রাপ্য | ||
Bhojpuri लायक | ||
Bosnian zaslužuju | ||
Bulgarian заслужават | ||
Catalan mereix | ||
Cebuano angay | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 值得 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 值得 | ||
Corsican meritu | ||
Croatian zaslužuju | ||
Czech zasloužit si | ||
Danish fortjener | ||
Dhivehi ޙައްޤުވުން | ||
Dogri चाहना | ||
Dutch verdienen | ||
English deserve | ||
Esperanto meriti | ||
Estonian väärima | ||
Ewe dze na | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) nararapat | ||
Finnish ansaitsevat | ||
French mériter | ||
Frisian fertsjinje | ||
Galician merecer | ||
Georgian იმსახურებს | ||
German verdienen | ||
Greek αξίζω | ||
Guarani momba'eguasu | ||
Gujarati લાયક | ||
Haitian Creole merite | ||
Hausa cancanci | ||
Hawaiian pono | ||
Hebrew מגיע | ||
Hindi लायक | ||
Hmong tsim nyog | ||
Hungarian megérdemlik | ||
Icelandic eiga skilið | ||
Igbo kwesịrị | ||
Ilocano maiparbeng | ||
Indonesian pantas | ||
Irish tuillte | ||
Italian meritano | ||
Japanese 値する | ||
Javanese pantes | ||
Kannada ಅರ್ಹರು | ||
Kazakh лайықты | ||
Khmer សមនឹងទទួលបាន | ||
Kinyarwanda bikwiye | ||
Konkani लायक | ||
Korean 받을 만하다 | ||
Krio fɔ gɛt | ||
Kurdish qezenckirin | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) شایستە | ||
Kyrgyz татыктуу | ||
Lao ສົມຄວນ | ||
Latin digna | ||
Latvian pelnījuši | ||
Lingala kobonga | ||
Lithuanian nusipelno | ||
Luganda okusaana | ||
Luxembourgish verdéngt | ||
Macedonian заслужуваат | ||
Maithili योग्यता | ||
Malagasy mendrika | ||
Malay berhak | ||
Malayalam അർഹത | ||
Maltese jixirqilhom | ||
Maori tika | ||
Marathi पात्र | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯐꯪꯐꯝ ꯊꯣꯛꯄ | ||
Mizo phu | ||
Mongolian зохистой | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ထိုက်သည် | ||
Nepali पाउन योग्य | ||
Norwegian fortjene | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) woyenera | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଯୋଗ୍ୟ | ||
Oromo kan malu | ||
Pashto مستحق | ||
Persian سزاوار | ||
Polish zasłużyć | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) merecer | ||
Punjabi ਲਾਇਕ | ||
Quechua chaskikuy | ||
Romanian merita | ||
Russian заслужить | ||
Samoan tatau | ||
Sanskrit अर्हति | ||
Scots Gaelic airidh air | ||
Sepedi swanelwa ke | ||
Serbian заслужују | ||
Sesotho tšoaneloa | ||
Shona vakakodzera | ||
Sindhi مستحق آهي | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) සුදුසුයි | ||
Slovak zaslúžiť si | ||
Slovenian zaslužijo | ||
Somali mudan | ||
Spanish merecer | ||
Sundanese pantes | ||
Swahili stahili | ||
Swedish förtjänar | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) karapat-dapat | ||
Tajik сазовор | ||
Tamil தகுதி | ||
Tatar лаек | ||
Telugu అర్హత | ||
Thai สมควรได้รับ | ||
Tigrinya ምግባእ | ||
Tsonga faneleke | ||
Turkish hak etmek | ||
Turkmen mynasyp | ||
Twi (Akan) sɛ | ||
Ukrainian заслуговують | ||
Urdu مستحق | ||
Uyghur لايىق | ||
Uzbek loyiq | ||
Vietnamese xứng đáng | ||
Welsh haeddu | ||
Xhosa kufanelekile | ||
Yiddish פאַרדינען | ||
Yoruba yẹ | ||
Zulu bafanelwe |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | Afrikaans "verdienen" can also mean "to earn" or "to be worthy of", reflecting its Dutch etymology. |
| Albanian | "Meritojnë" derives from Latin "mereor," meaning "earn" or "merit." |
| Amharic | The Amharic word 'ይገባቸዋል' also means 'ought to'. |
| Arabic | The word "استحق" has the additional meaning of "to be due" or "to have a right to something" in Arabic. |
| Azerbaijani | The Azerbaijani word |
| Basque | The Basque word 'merezi' can also mean 'to be worthy', 'to merit', or 'to be worth' |
| Bengali | The word "প্রাপ্য" derives from Sanskrit and has the alternate meanings "eligible" and "fit" |
| Bosnian | The word "zaslužuju" may also mean "have a right to". |
| Bulgarian | The Slavic root of заслужават "deserve" also exists in Polish (zasłużyć), Ukrainian (заслужити), Belarusian (заслугоўваць), Czech (zasloužit), Slovak (zaslúžiť), and Russian (заслужить), but in Serbo-Croatian the verb for "deserve" is zaslužiti. |
| Catalan | "Mereix" derives from the Latin "mereō," meaning "earn money," and has also been used in Catalan to refer to the earnings of a doctor or priest. |
| Cebuano | The root word "ang" in "angay" can also mean "right" or "proper". |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 值得 was originally used as a unit of weight, about 20 grams. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | "值得" comes from "值" 'worth' and "得" 'obtain', and thus may alternatively mean 'worth obtaining', 'be worthy of', or 'be of value'. |
| Corsican | The word "meritu" also means "merit" and ultimately derives from Latin "meritum". |
| Croatian | The Croatian word "zaslužuju" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*zaslužiti", which means "to earn" or "to merit." |
| Czech | The verb "zasloužit" can also mean "to earn". |
| Danish | The word "fortjener" comes from the Old Norse word "forþjena", meaning "to earn" or "to merit". |
| Dutch | In Dutch, "verdienen" can also mean "to earn" or "to make money". |
| Esperanto | "Meriti" derives from Esperanto words "merito" (merit) and "i" (to have) |
| Estonian | The Estonian word "väärima" is thought to be related to the word for "worth" or "value" in other Finno-Ugric languages, suggesting a meaning of "to have value" or "to be worthy". |
| Finnish | "Ansaitsevat" comes from "ansa","portion", referring initially to a specific share due to someone. |
| French | The word "mériter" comes from the Latin "merēre," meaning "to earn" or "to deserve," and can also mean "to win" or "to be worthy of" in French. |
| Frisian | The word "fertsjinje" originates from the Old Frisian word "ferskina", meaning "to obtain" or "to gain". |
| Galician | Galician 'merecer' is derived from Latin 'merere' meaning 'to earn by service', unlike Spanish 'merecer' from 'merx' meaning 'merchandise'. |
| Georgian | The verb იმსახურებს in Georgian also translates to the English words "warrant," "call for," and "entitle," depending on the context. |
| German | In Middle High German, "verdienen" also meant "to earn wages". |
| Greek | {"text": "The Ancient Greek verb "αξίζω" also meant "weigh" and "have weight or value," reflecting the original connotation of "worthiness."}" |
| Gujarati | "લાયક" is derived from Sanskrit "लायक" meaning "competent, qualified, fit" |
| Haitian Creole | The root 'meri' means 'want' or 'need' in some West African languages. |
| Hausa | The word "cancanci" in Hausa shares its root word with "cancanta," meaning "to become accustomed to," indicating that deserving something implies a familiarity or habit. |
| Hawaiian | Pono also means 'righteous,' 'fitting,' 'proper,' 'correct,' 'moral,' or 'upright.' |
| Hebrew | מגיע in Hebrew can also mean "to arrive". |
| Hindi | "लायक" comes from the word "लय" ("rhythm"), suggesting that to deserve something, one's actions must be in harmony with the principles of justice and fairness. |
| Hmong | The word "tsim nyog" is derived from the Proto-Hmong-Mien word *tshim nyɔŋ, which also means "to get" or "to obtain." |
| Hungarian | The word "megérdemlik" comes from the verb "érdemel," which means "to merit" or "to be worthy of." |
| Icelandic | The Icelandic word "eiga skilið" literally means "have understood" but is used to mean "deserve". |
| Igbo | The word "kwesịrị" in Igbo literally means "to be right or fit" and can also be used to express "justice" or "fairness." |
| Indonesian | "Pantas" is a versatile term that denotes not only "deserving" but also "fitting" and "appropriate" depending on the context. |
| Irish | The word "tuillte" is also related to the word "tuille" (advantage, benefit), indicating that deserving is connected to gaining or possessing an advantage. |
| Italian | Originally, "meritare" meant "to earn one's keep as a soldier". |
| Japanese | The word "値する" (deserve) derives from the Sino-Japanese word 値う, which originally refers to the worth or exchange value and has an additional semantic element of being suitable. |
| Javanese | The word "pantes" in Javanese can also mean "fitting" or "appropriate". |
| Kannada | ಅರ್ಹರು originates from the root word 'ಅರ್ಹ' meaning 'worthy' or 'suitable' and has alternate meanings like 'worthy of receiving something' or 'qualified for a particular position or task'. |
| Kazakh | The Kazakh word "лайықты" also means "worthy" or "fitting" and is cognate with the Kyrgyz word "лайык" with the same meaning. |
| Khmer | This verb also means to be worthy of something. |
| Korean | 받을 만하다 originally meant "to be able to receive (something)", but its meaning has shifted over time to also include "to be worthy of (something)". |
| Kurdish | The word "qezenckirin" in Kurdish can also mean "to be worthy" or "to be suitable". |
| Kyrgyz | The word "татыктуу" can also mean "worthy" or "suitable" in Kyrgyz. |
| Latin | The Latin word "digna" can also mean "worthy" or "suitable". |
| Latvian | The noun "pelni" can refer to "service", "merit", "worth", or "desert". |
| Lithuanian | "Nusipelnyti" is a compound of the Slavic root slu (meaning "to become") and the Balto-Slavic verb pelnyti (meaning "to make"). |
| Macedonian | The word "заслужуваат" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *zaslužiti which is derived from the suffix *-(o)služiti and the Proto-Indo-European root *kwer-, meaning "to turn". |
| Malagasy | The Malagasy word "mendrika" can also mean "be right for" or "be appropriate for". |
| Malay | The word “berhak” can also mean to have a right to something due to one's status or position. |
| Malayalam | The original usage refers to one who has acquired the fruits from good deeds |
| Maltese | The Maltese word "jixirqilhom" derives from the Arabic word "jizah" meaning "recompense" or "punishment". |
| Maori | In Maori, the word "tika" also means "right, correct, proper, or just" and is related to the word "tikanga", meaning "custom, tradition, or norm". |
| Marathi | The word 'पात्र' (deserve) in Marathi also refers to a utensil used for drinking or serving liquids. |
| Mongolian | The word "зохистой" is derived from the Mongolian word "зох", meaning "to be worthy or fit". |
| Nepali | The word 'पाउन योग्य' ('deserve') comes from 'पाउन' ('to get') which means that if someone 'deserves' something, they should be able to 'get' it. |
| Norwegian | The verb "fortjene" likely developed from the Old Norse "forþiena", which refers to service in exchange for goods. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The Nyanja word "woyenera" can also mean "to be able to" or "to have the means to accomplish something." |
| Pashto | The Pashto word "مستحق" has an etymological link to the Arabic word "استحق" and can also refer to "entitlement" in addition to "deserving". |
| Persian | The word "سزاوار" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*seh₂-", meaning "to satisfy, to fill", and is related to the Sanskrit word "sādhú", meaning "good, righteous". |
| Polish | "Zasłużyć" is a Polish word meaning "to deserve" which is related to the words "talent" and "quality." |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Portuguese, "merecer" can also mean "earn", "be worthy of", or "be entitled to". |
| Punjabi | The Punjabi word "ਲਾਇਕ" additionally signifies "worthy" and "appropriate". |
| Romanian | In Hungarian, "merita" means "to have". |
| Russian | "Заслужить" derives from "слуга" (servant); to "deserve" is literally to become worthy of servitude. |
| Samoan | The noun form of 'tatau' also refers to an object's value or price. (Source: https://www.verbix.com/languages/samoa.shtml) |
| Scots Gaelic | Air comes from the Gaelic for "time" or "season," so "airidh air" means "comes its time" or "becomes the season." |
| Serbian | The verb "заслужују" in Serbian is derived from the Proto-Slavic verb *zaslužiti, which is composed of the prefix *za- ("for, because of") and the root *služiti ("to serve"). |
| Sesotho | The word "tšoaneloa" in Sesotho has an alternate meaning of "to be worthy of something" or "having a valid claim to something". |
| Shona | Shona 'vakakodzera' also denotes 'being worthy', 'being responsible', or 'being adequate' |
| Sindhi | مستحق آهي is the past tense of the Sindhi verb 'حق رکندي', which also means 'to be fit for' or 'to be able to withstand' something. |
| Slovak | In Slovak the word "zaslúžiť si" used to mean "take back your merit". |
| Slovenian | The verb "zaslužiti" can also mean "to earn". |
| Somali | The word "mudan" can also mean "a right" or "a claim". |
| Spanish | The noun "merecer" originally meant "market place" or "exchange". This meaning is preserved in the French word "marché" and the English word "merchant". |
| Sundanese | The word "pantes" can also mean "necessary" or "proper". |
| Swahili | The word "stahili" can also refer to a person's worth or importance. |
| Swedish | The Swedish word "förtjänar" originally meant "to earn" or "to deserve one's wages". |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The word "karapat-dapat" is derived from the root word "dapat" which means "to be fit or proper". |
| Tajik | The word "сазовор" comes from Persian and also means a prize or trophy. |
| Tamil | The Tamil word "தகுதி" is also used in the context of being worthy or qualified for a task or position. |
| Telugu | The Sanskrit word "arha" means "worthy, deserving" and is the root of the Telugu word "arhata" |
| Thai | สมควรได้รับ is also used to refer to a person who is worthy of respect or honor. |
| Turkish | "Hak etmek", as well as "hak", derives from the Arabic root "ḥaqq" meaning "right", "justice", "truth". |
| Ukrainian | The word "заслуговують" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root "*zorgъ", meaning "to care for" or "to value". |
| Urdu | The word "مستحق" also means "poor" or "needy" in Urdu, indicating that those who are worthy of something are often those who are in need. |
| Uzbek | The Uzbek word "loyiq" can also mean "worthy", "appropriate", or "suitable". |
| Vietnamese | Xứng đáng derives from Middle Chinese xiàngdàng, possibly originally meaning 'to be worth'. |
| Welsh | The Welsh word "haeddu" is cognate with the English word "owed" and the Indo-European root "*h₁ey- " "to go, move" |
| Xhosa | The word "kufanelekile" can also mean "to be worthy of" or "to be suitable for" in Xhosa. |
| Yiddish | The origin of "פאַרדינען" is "דינען," from the Middle High German verb "dienen." Besides "deserve" or "earn" its secondary Yiddish meaning is to "serve," as in a server at a restaurant. |
| Yoruba | The word "yẹ" can also mean "to be fit for" or "to be worthy of" in Yoruba. |
| Zulu | From '*-fanelwa*, v. tr. be fit, becoming or suitable' (Doke & Vilakazi, 1972), a derivative of *-fanela*, v. intr. 'fit, be fitting' (1st ed., 1948). |
| English | A secondary meaning of "deserve" is "merit as a reward or punishment." |