Deserve in Different Languages
Discover 'Deserve' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'deserve' carries significant weight in our vocabulary, indicating a person's actions, behavior, or qualities merit a particular reward or punishment. Its cultural importance is undeniable, shaping our understanding of fairness, justice, and respect. Understanding the translation of 'deserve' in different languages can provide valuable insights into cultural nuances and societal values.
For instance, in Spanish, 'deserve' is 'merecer', while in German, it's 'verdienen'. These translations not only bridge linguistic gaps but also offer a glimpse into how different cultures perceive and express the concept of merit. In French, 'deserve' is 'mériter', and in Italian, it's 'meritare'. Each translation subtly reflects cultural attitudes towards earned recognition and reward.
Exploring the translations of 'deserve' is more than just a language lesson. It's a journey into the heart of cultural identity, a testament to our shared human experience, and a celebration of our unique cultural differences.
Deserve
Deserve in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | verdien | ||
| Afrikaans "verdienen" can also mean "to earn" or "to be worthy of", reflecting its Dutch etymology. | |||
| Amharic | ይገባቸዋል | ||
| The Amharic word 'ይገባቸዋል' also means 'ought to'. | |||
| Hausa | cancanci | ||
| 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. | |||
| Igbo | kwesịrị | ||
| The word "kwesịrị" in Igbo literally means "to be right or fit" and can also be used to express "justice" or "fairness." | |||
| Malagasy | mendrika | ||
| The Malagasy word "mendrika" can also mean "be right for" or "be appropriate for". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | woyenera | ||
| The Nyanja word "woyenera" can also mean "to be able to" or "to have the means to accomplish something." | |||
| Shona | vakakodzera | ||
| Shona 'vakakodzera' also denotes 'being worthy', 'being responsible', or 'being adequate' | |||
| Somali | mudan | ||
| The word "mudan" can also mean "a right" or "a claim". | |||
| Sesotho | tšoaneloa | ||
| The word "tšoaneloa" in Sesotho has an alternate meaning of "to be worthy of something" or "having a valid claim to something". | |||
| Swahili | stahili | ||
| The word "stahili" can also refer to a person's worth or importance. | |||
| Xhosa | kufanelekile | ||
| The word "kufanelekile" can also mean "to be worthy of" or "to be suitable for" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | yẹ | ||
| The word "yẹ" can also mean "to be fit for" or "to be worthy of" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | bafanelwe | ||
| From '*-fanelwa*, v. tr. be fit, becoming or suitable' (Doke & Vilakazi, 1972), a derivative of *-fanela*, v. intr. 'fit, be fitting' (1st ed., 1948). | |||
| Bambara | ka kan ni ... ye | ||
| Ewe | dze na | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bikwiye | ||
| Lingala | kobonga | ||
| Luganda | okusaana | ||
| Sepedi | swanelwa ke | ||
| Twi (Akan) | sɛ | ||
Deserve in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | استحق | ||
| The word "استحق" has the additional meaning of "to be due" or "to have a right to something" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | מגיע | ||
| מגיע in Hebrew can also mean "to arrive". | |||
| Pashto | مستحق | ||
| The Pashto word "مستحق" has an etymological link to the Arabic word "استحق" and can also refer to "entitlement" in addition to "deserving". | |||
| Arabic | استحق | ||
| The word "استحق" has the additional meaning of "to be due" or "to have a right to something" in Arabic. | |||
Deserve in Western European Languages
| Albanian | meritojnë | ||
| "Meritojnë" derives from Latin "mereor," meaning "earn" or "merit." | |||
| Basque | merezi | ||
| The Basque word 'merezi' can also mean 'to be worthy', 'to merit', or 'to be worth' | |||
| Catalan | mereix | ||
| "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. | |||
| Croatian | zaslužuju | ||
| The Croatian word "zaslužuju" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*zaslužiti", which means "to earn" or "to merit." | |||
| Danish | fortjener | ||
| The word "fortjener" comes from the Old Norse word "forþjena", meaning "to earn" or "to merit". | |||
| Dutch | verdienen | ||
| In Dutch, "verdienen" can also mean "to earn" or "to make money". | |||
| English | deserve | ||
| A secondary meaning of "deserve" is "merit as a reward or punishment." | |||
| French | mériter | ||
| 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 | fertsjinje | ||
| The word "fertsjinje" originates from the Old Frisian word "ferskina", meaning "to obtain" or "to gain". | |||
| Galician | merecer | ||
| Galician 'merecer' is derived from Latin 'merere' meaning 'to earn by service', unlike Spanish 'merecer' from 'merx' meaning 'merchandise'. | |||
| German | verdienen | ||
| In Middle High German, "verdienen" also meant "to earn wages". | |||
| Icelandic | eiga skilið | ||
| The Icelandic word "eiga skilið" literally means "have understood" but is used to mean "deserve". | |||
| Irish | tuillte | ||
| The word "tuillte" is also related to the word "tuille" (advantage, benefit), indicating that deserving is connected to gaining or possessing an advantage. | |||
| Italian | meritano | ||
| Originally, "meritare" meant "to earn one's keep as a soldier". | |||
| Luxembourgish | verdéngt | ||
| Maltese | jixirqilhom | ||
| The Maltese word "jixirqilhom" derives from the Arabic word "jizah" meaning "recompense" or "punishment". | |||
| Norwegian | fortjene | ||
| The verb "fortjene" likely developed from the Old Norse "forþiena", which refers to service in exchange for goods. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | merecer | ||
| In Portuguese, "merecer" can also mean "earn", "be worthy of", or "be entitled to". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | airidh air | ||
| Air comes from the Gaelic for "time" or "season," so "airidh air" means "comes its time" or "becomes the season." | |||
| Spanish | merecer | ||
| The noun "merecer" originally meant "market place" or "exchange". This meaning is preserved in the French word "marché" and the English word "merchant". | |||
| Swedish | förtjänar | ||
| The Swedish word "förtjänar" originally meant "to earn" or "to deserve one's wages". | |||
| Welsh | haeddu | ||
| The Welsh word "haeddu" is cognate with the English word "owed" and the Indo-European root "*h₁ey- " "to go, move" | |||
Deserve in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | заслугоўваюць | ||
| Bosnian | zaslužuju | ||
| The word "zaslužuju" may also mean "have a right to". | |||
| Bulgarian | заслужават | ||
| 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. | |||
| Czech | zasloužit si | ||
| The verb "zasloužit" can also mean "to earn". | |||
| Estonian | väärima | ||
| 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 | ||
| "Ansaitsevat" comes from "ansa","portion", referring initially to a specific share due to someone. | |||
| Hungarian | megérdemlik | ||
| The word "megérdemlik" comes from the verb "érdemel," which means "to merit" or "to be worthy of." | |||
| Latvian | pelnījuši | ||
| The noun "pelni" can refer to "service", "merit", "worth", or "desert". | |||
| Lithuanian | nusipelno | ||
| "Nusipelnyti" is a compound of the Slavic root slu (meaning "to become") and the Balto-Slavic verb pelnyti (meaning "to make"). | |||
| Macedonian | заслужуваат | ||
| 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". | |||
| Polish | zasłużyć | ||
| "Zasłużyć" is a Polish word meaning "to deserve" which is related to the words "talent" and "quality." | |||
| Romanian | merita | ||
| In Hungarian, "merita" means "to have". | |||
| Russian | заслужить | ||
| "Заслужить" derives from "слуга" (servant); to "deserve" is literally to become worthy of servitude. | |||
| Serbian | заслужују | ||
| 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"). | |||
| Slovak | zaslúžiť si | ||
| In Slovak the word "zaslúžiť si" used to mean "take back your merit". | |||
| Slovenian | zaslužijo | ||
| The verb "zaslužiti" can also mean "to earn". | |||
| Ukrainian | заслуговують | ||
| The word "заслуговують" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root "*zorgъ", meaning "to care for" or "to value". | |||
Deserve in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | প্রাপ্য | ||
| The word "প্রাপ্য" derives from Sanskrit and has the alternate meanings "eligible" and "fit" | |||
| Gujarati | લાયક | ||
| "લાયક" is derived from Sanskrit "लायक" meaning "competent, qualified, fit" | |||
| Hindi | लायक | ||
| "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. | |||
| Kannada | ಅರ್ಹರು | ||
| 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'. | |||
| Malayalam | അർഹത | ||
| The original usage refers to one who has acquired the fruits from good deeds | |||
| Marathi | पात्र | ||
| The word 'पात्र' (deserve) in Marathi also refers to a utensil used for drinking or serving liquids. | |||
| Nepali | पाउन योग्य | ||
| The word 'पाउन योग्य' ('deserve') comes from 'पाउन' ('to get') which means that if someone 'deserves' something, they should be able to 'get' it. | |||
| Punjabi | ਲਾਇਕ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਲਾਇਕ" additionally signifies "worthy" and "appropriate". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සුදුසුයි | ||
| Tamil | தகுதி | ||
| The Tamil word "தகுதி" is also used in the context of being worthy or qualified for a task or position. | |||
| Telugu | అర్హత | ||
| The Sanskrit word "arha" means "worthy, deserving" and is the root of the Telugu word "arhata" | |||
| Urdu | مستحق | ||
| 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. | |||
Deserve in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 值得 | ||
| 值得 was originally used as a unit of weight, about 20 grams. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 值得 | ||
| "值得" comes from "值" 'worth' and "得" 'obtain', and thus may alternatively mean 'worth obtaining', 'be worthy of', or 'be of value'. | |||
| Japanese | 値する | ||
| 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. | |||
| Korean | 받을 만하다 | ||
| 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)". | |||
| Mongolian | зохистой | ||
| The word "зохистой" is derived from the Mongolian word "зох", meaning "to be worthy or fit". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ထိုက်သည် | ||
Deserve in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | pantas | ||
| "Pantas" is a versatile term that denotes not only "deserving" but also "fitting" and "appropriate" depending on the context. | |||
| Javanese | pantes | ||
| The word "pantes" in Javanese can also mean "fitting" or "appropriate". | |||
| Khmer | សមនឹងទទួលបាន | ||
| This verb also means to be worthy of something. | |||
| Lao | ສົມຄວນ | ||
| Malay | berhak | ||
| The word “berhak” can also mean to have a right to something due to one's status or position. | |||
| Thai | สมควรได้รับ | ||
| สมควรได้รับ is also used to refer to a person who is worthy of respect or honor. | |||
| Vietnamese | xứng đáng | ||
| Xứng đáng derives from Middle Chinese xiàngdàng, possibly originally meaning 'to be worth'. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | nararapat | ||
Deserve in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | layiq olmaq | ||
| The Azerbaijani word | |||
| Kazakh | лайықты | ||
| The Kazakh word "лайықты" also means "worthy" or "fitting" and is cognate with the Kyrgyz word "лайык" with the same meaning. | |||
| Kyrgyz | татыктуу | ||
| The word "татыктуу" can also mean "worthy" or "suitable" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | сазовор | ||
| The word "сазовор" comes from Persian and also means a prize or trophy. | |||
| Turkmen | mynasyp | ||
| Uzbek | loyiq | ||
| The Uzbek word "loyiq" can also mean "worthy", "appropriate", or "suitable". | |||
| Uyghur | لايىق | ||
Deserve in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pono | ||
| Pono also means 'righteous,' 'fitting,' 'proper,' 'correct,' 'moral,' or 'upright.' | |||
| Maori | tika | ||
| In Maori, the word "tika" also means "right, correct, proper, or just" and is related to the word "tikanga", meaning "custom, tradition, or norm". | |||
| Samoan | tatau | ||
| The noun form of 'tatau' also refers to an object's value or price. (Source: https://www.verbix.com/languages/samoa.shtml) | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | karapat-dapat | ||
| The word "karapat-dapat" is derived from the root word "dapat" which means "to be fit or proper". | |||
Deserve in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | mirisiña | ||
| Guarani | momba'eguasu | ||
Deserve in International Languages
| Esperanto | meriti | ||
| "Meriti" derives from Esperanto words "merito" (merit) and "i" (to have) | |||
| Latin | digna | ||
| The Latin word "digna" can also mean "worthy" or "suitable". | |||
Deserve in Others Languages
| Greek | αξίζω | ||
| {"text": "The Ancient Greek verb "αξίζω" also meant "weigh" and "have weight or value," reflecting the original connotation of "worthiness."}" | |||
| Hmong | tsim nyog | ||
| The word "tsim nyog" is derived from the Proto-Hmong-Mien word *tshim nyɔŋ, which also means "to get" or "to obtain." | |||
| Kurdish | qezenckirin | ||
| The word "qezenckirin" in Kurdish can also mean "to be worthy" or "to be suitable". | |||
| Turkish | hak etmek | ||
| "Hak etmek", as well as "hak", derives from the Arabic root "ḥaqq" meaning "right", "justice", "truth". | |||
| Xhosa | kufanelekile | ||
| The word "kufanelekile" can also mean "to be worthy of" or "to be suitable for" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | פאַרדינען | ||
| 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. | |||
| Zulu | bafanelwe | ||
| From '*-fanelwa*, v. tr. be fit, becoming or suitable' (Doke & Vilakazi, 1972), a derivative of *-fanela*, v. intr. 'fit, be fitting' (1st ed., 1948). | |||
| Assamese | প্ৰাপ্য | ||
| Aymara | mirisiña | ||
| Bhojpuri | लायक | ||
| Dhivehi | ޙައްޤުވުން | ||
| Dogri | चाहना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | nararapat | ||
| Guarani | momba'eguasu | ||
| Ilocano | maiparbeng | ||
| Krio | fɔ gɛt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | شایستە | ||
| Maithili | योग्यता | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯐꯪꯐꯝ ꯊꯣꯛꯄ | ||
| Mizo | phu | ||
| Oromo | kan malu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଯୋଗ୍ୟ | ||
| Quechua | chaskikuy | ||
| Sanskrit | अर्हति | ||
| Tatar | лаек | ||
| Tigrinya | ምግባእ | ||
| Tsonga | faneleke | ||