Grab in Different Languages
Discover 'Grab' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'grab' is a versatile and vital part of our daily vocabulary. It signifies seizing something quickly and often with a certain level of force. This action can be physical, like grabbing a cup before it falls, or metaphorical, like grabbing an opportunity when it arises. The word has cultural importance too, featuring prominently in sayings, stories, and idioms around the world.
For instance, in English-speaking cultures, the phrase 'grab the bull by the horns' is used to describe taking charge of a situation. Meanwhile, in Spain, the equivalent phrase is 'coger el toro por los cuernos,' reflecting their famous bullfighting culture. In Japan, the concept of 'te o tsukamu' (grabbing hands) is a symbol of unity and cooperation.
Given the word's significance and cultural importance, you might be interested in knowing its translation in different languages. Here are a few examples: 'grab' translates to 'agarrar' in Spanish, 'grabben' in German, 'empoigner' in French, and '握る' (nr.ukeru) in Japanese.
Grab
Grab in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | gryp | ||
| The word "gryp" in Afrikaans also has the meaning of "notch".} | |||
| Amharic | ያዝ | ||
| "Yaz" can also mean "control" or "hold". | |||
| Hausa | kama | ||
| "Kama" also means "to hold tightly" or "to restrain" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | jidere | ||
| The word "jidere" in Igbo also translates to "hold" or "take hold of something with the hands". | |||
| Malagasy | haka | ||
| The Malagasy word "haka" means "grab" and it is cognate of the Proto-Austronesian word *haqa which means "pick up". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | gwirani | ||
| The word "gwirani" can also mean "to seize" or "to take hold of". | |||
| Shona | kubata | ||
| The word "kubata" in Shona can also mean "to catch" or "to seize". | |||
| Somali | qabsasho | ||
| The word ''qabsasho'' also means ''taking'' and ''seizing'' in the context of language acquisition. | |||
| Sesotho | tšoara | ||
| In Zulu, the word "tšoara" can also mean "to arrest" or "to detain." | |||
| Swahili | kunyakua | ||
| The word 'kunyakua' is also used to refer to the act of stealing. | |||
| Xhosa | bamba | ||
| The word "bamba" in Xhosa can have additional meanings such as "to obstruct" or "to obstruct". | |||
| Yoruba | gbamu | ||
| Gbamu is used figuratively to mean "to snatch" or "to catch" something. | |||
| Zulu | bamba | ||
| In Zulu, 'bamba' also refers to the act of stopping something in its tracks. | |||
| Bambara | minɛ | ||
| Ewe | le | ||
| Kinyarwanda | fata | ||
| Lingala | kokanga | ||
| Luganda | okukwaabula | ||
| Sepedi | ubula | ||
| Twi (Akan) | fom | ||
Grab in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | إختطاف | ||
| In modern Standard Arabic, “إختطاف” also refers to “kidnapping”, while in some Arabic dialects, it means “stealing”. | |||
| Hebrew | לִתְפּוֹס | ||
| The word "לִתְפּוֹס" also means "to understand" in Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | ونیول | ||
| The word "ونیول" in Pashto also refers to a specific type of knot used to secure animals. | |||
| Arabic | إختطاف | ||
| In modern Standard Arabic, “إختطاف” also refers to “kidnapping”, while in some Arabic dialects, it means “stealing”. | |||
Grab in Western European Languages
| Albanian | kap | ||
| 'Kap' is a Turkish word that has been adopted into Albanian and means 'to seize' or 'to snatch'. | |||
| Basque | hartu | ||
| The word "hartu" is derived from the Proto-Basque root *hartu-, meaning "to take, seize". | |||
| Catalan | agafar | ||
| In Catalan, "agafar" also means to catch, hold, or take. | |||
| Croatian | zgrabiti | ||
| The word 'zgrabiti' in Croatian can also mean to 'snatch' or 'steal' something. | |||
| Danish | tag fat | ||
| "Tag fat" originally meant "seize by the hair" but has broadened to mean "grab" in general in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | grijpen | ||
| The word "grijpen" also means "to understand" or "to comprehend" in Dutch. | |||
| English | grab | ||
| The word "grab" is derived from the Middle English "grappen," meaning "to seize" or "to clutch." | |||
| French | saisir | ||
| The French verb "saisir" derives from the Latin "sacere," meaning "to consecrate" or "to invest with legal authority." | |||
| Frisian | grab | ||
| Frisian has a verb 'gripe' which also means 'to seize' and is etymologically related to 'grab'. | |||
| Galician | coller | ||
| "Coller" is related to Spanish "coger" and Portuguese "colher", deriving from Vulgar Latin "collĭgere" (to collect). It can also mean to "gather" or "to get". | |||
| German | greifen | ||
| The word "greifen" is derived from the Old High German "grīfan" and is related to the English word "grip" | |||
| Icelandic | grípa | ||
| "Grípa" in Icelandic also denotes a mythical bird believed to carry children away in its claws. | |||
| Irish | grab | ||
| The Irish "greim" can also mean a grip, a seizure, a catch or a clutch. | |||
| Italian | afferrare | ||
| "Afferrare" in Italian also means "to understand" as it derives from the Latin "ad prehendere" meaning "to take hold of, to seize". | |||
| Luxembourgish | gräifen | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "gräifen" is derived from the Old High German "greifan" and is related to the English "grip" and "grasp". | |||
| Maltese | aqbad | ||
| " Aqbad " is cognate with Arabic " قبض " and also means "to receive" or "to accept". | |||
| Norwegian | gripe | ||
| In Norwegian, "gripe" also means "to complain" or "a complaint". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | agarrar | ||
| Agarrar means both "obtain" and "hold", from "agare", to adhere. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | grab | ||
| The Gaelic "grab" may also mean a branch or a grove of trees. | |||
| Spanish | agarrar | ||
| 'Agarrar' comes from the Arabic 'a-harr' which means 'to hold firmly' | |||
| Swedish | hugg | ||
| The word "hugg" can also refer to something that is tight or narrow, such as a hugg passageway. | |||
| Welsh | cydio | ||
| The word 'cydio' is also used in Welsh to mean 'grip' or 'hold' | |||
Grab in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | хапаць | ||
| "хапаць" shares its root with the Latin "capere" (to take), hence its alternate meaning "to receive" or "to get". | |||
| Bosnian | zgrabi | ||
| The word "zgrabi" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*grabiti", which means "to seize or take hold of". | |||
| Bulgarian | грабнете | ||
| The Bulgarian word "грабнете" can also mean "to rob, plunder, or loot". | |||
| Czech | urvat | ||
| Despite its homonymy, Czech "urvat" is not cognate to English "grab" and instead derives from Proto-Slavic "*jьrvati", cognate with English "harvest". | |||
| Estonian | haarake | ||
| The word "haarake" can also mean "to seize" or "to apprehend". | |||
| Finnish | napata | ||
| The word "napata" can also mean "to seize" or "to take hold of". | |||
| Hungarian | megragad | ||
| "Megragad" is derived from the verb "ragad" (to stick) and the suffix "-meg", which means "to grasp" or "to hold onto". | |||
| Latvian | greifers | ||
| The word "greifers" in Latvian is etymologically related to the Middle Low German word "grīpen" meaning "to seize" and also has the alternate meaning of "rakes" in the context of farming equipment. | |||
| Lithuanian | griebk | ||
| The word "griebk" is also used figuratively to describe the act of taking hold of or seizing something. | |||
| Macedonian | зграби | ||
| Зграби derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *gʰerbh- meaning "to seize". | |||
| Polish | chwycić | ||
| "Chwycić" is onomatopoeic. It is derived from the sound of a sudden movement, possibly a grab. | |||
| Romanian | apuca | ||
| In Romanian, "apuca" can also mean "to understand" or "to undertake." | |||
| Russian | схватить | ||
| The verb "схватить" also has the meaning of "to snatch", "to grip". | |||
| Serbian | зграбити | ||
| The word "зграбити" in Serbian is also used to describe the act of stealing or taking something from someone by force. | |||
| Slovak | uchmatnúť | ||
| "Uchmatnúť" comes from "uch" meaning "ear" and "mat" meaning "mother", thus a baby "uchmatnutí" a breast to drink milk. | |||
| Slovenian | zgrabi | ||
| The word "zgrabi" is related to "zgristi" and "zgraviti". The root "grab" is also found in other Slavic languages, like "hrabić" in Croatian. | |||
| Ukrainian | схопити | ||
| The verb «схопити» ("grab") derives from the Proto-Slavic word meaning "to join" and shares the same root with «скоба» ("staple"). | |||
Grab in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | দখল | ||
| The word 'দখল' can also refer to possession, occupation, or control. | |||
| Gujarati | પડાવી લેવું | ||
| The Gujarati word "પડાવી લેવું" can also mean "to hold onto something tightly" or "to steal something." | |||
| Hindi | लपकना | ||
| The word "लपकना" (lapkana) originally meant "to stick" or "to adhere" in Hindi and Sanskrit. | |||
| Kannada | ದೋಚಿದ | ||
| The Kannada word "ದೋಚಿದ" (dōcida) is also used in a figurative sense to mean "to deceive" or "to trick." | |||
| Malayalam | പിടിക്കുക | ||
| The verb 'പിടിക്കുക' can also mean to catch or hold something, or to like or enjoy something. | |||
| Marathi | बळकावणे | ||
| 'बळकावणे' is derived from Sanskrit 'बल' (force) and 'कव' (to take hold of). It also means 'to usurp' or 'to embezzle'. | |||
| Nepali | समात्नुहोस् | ||
| The word 'समात्नुहोस्' (grab) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'सम' (together, with) and 'आत्मा' (soul), meaning 'to take possession of' or 'to seize something with one's whole being'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਫੜੋ | ||
| The word "ਫੜੋ" (grab) also has a slang meaning of "to be caught" or "to be in trouble." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | උදුරා ගන්න | ||
| The Sinhala word "උදුරා ගන්න" not only means "grab", it can also mean "to select" or "to pick out". | |||
| Tamil | பிடுங்க | ||
| The word 'பிடுங்க' can also mean 'to extort' or 'to snatch' in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | పట్టుకో | ||
| The word 'పట్టుకో' can also mean 'to catch' or 'to hold' something. | |||
| Urdu | پکڑو | ||
| پکڑو can also mean "hold firmly," "seize," or "catch" | |||
Grab in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 抓 | ||
| The character "抓" also means "arrest", especially informally. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 抓 | ||
| 抓 (zhuā) is a Chinese character that also means "to arrest" and "to scratch." | |||
| Japanese | つかむ | ||
| "つかむ" can also mean "to seize an opportunity" or "to capture the essence of something." | |||
| Korean | 붙잡다 | ||
| The word "붙잡다" also means "to arrest" or "to catch" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | шүүрэх | ||
| The word "шүүрэх" (grab) can also mean "to grasp" or "to seize". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဆုပ်ကိုင် | ||
Grab in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mengambil | ||
| "Mengambil" also means to fetch, collect, or take. | |||
| Javanese | nyekel | ||
| "Nyekel" can also mean to hold or to possess something. | |||
| Khmer | ចាប់យក | ||
| In Thai, the word ចាប់យក also means to 'receive' or 'take'. In English, this is often expressed as 'accepting' something. | |||
| Lao | ຈັບ | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "grab," the Lao word "ຈັບ" can also refer to the act of catching something or someone. | |||
| Malay | ambil | ||
| The word "ambil" also means "to take" and is derived from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian root *ambil. | |||
| Thai | คว้า | ||
| "คว้า" can also mean "to reach out and get something" or "to seize". | |||
| Vietnamese | vồ lấy | ||
| "Vồ lấy" (grab) can also mean "to catch (prey)", "to snatch", or "to seize". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sunggaban | ||
Grab in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | tutmaq | ||
| In Old Turkic, "tutmaq" meant not only "to grab" but also "to hold" and "to keep something in place."} | |||
| Kazakh | ұстап алу | ||
| While ұстап алу (ұстау + алу) literally means "catching with one's hands," it is commonly used to also describe seizing an opportunity or concept. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кармоо | ||
| The word "кармоо" also means to "catch" or "to take" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | гирифтан | ||
| The word "гирифтан" in Tajik can also mean "to acquire knowledge" and is derived from the Persian word "giriftan", meaning "to take, to seize, to grasp". Its root, "gir", means "to catch, to hold, to imprison", and is also used in other Tajik words such as "гирдовар" ("roundup") and "гиргоз" ("hostage"). | |||
| Turkmen | tutmak | ||
| Uzbek | qatnashmoq | ||
| The word "qatnashmoq", meaning "grab" in Uzbek, also refers to seizing power or obtaining something unfairly. | |||
| Uyghur | grab | ||
Grab in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lālau | ||
| Lālau also means "to capture, gather, embrace, receive, take possession of" | |||
| Maori | hopu | ||
| The word hopu in Maori also denotes the act of seizing or holding something firmly. | |||
| Samoan | uʻu | ||
| In Samoan, the word "uʻu" can also refer to a type of traditional dance. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | grab | ||
| In Tagalog, "agaw" has additional meanings like "to steal" or "to snatch", and is often used in contexts like "agaw-buhay" (struggle for life) or "agaw-pansin" (attention-grabbing). | |||
Grab in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | katjaña | ||
| Guarani | pyhy | ||
Grab in International Languages
| Esperanto | ekpreni | ||
| In Esperanto, the word "ekpreni" is a calque of the English word "to apprehend", and also has the secondary meaning of "understand". | |||
| Latin | iaculis | ||
| The Latin word "iaculis" can also refer to stones thrown from a distance, or to missiles shot from a bow. | |||
Grab in Others Languages
| Greek | αρπάζω | ||
| In ancient Greek mythology, Harpies were personifications of storm winds; "harpy" itself is possibly derived from "αρπάζω" (grab), via a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to seize". | |||
| Hmong | lauj thawb | ||
| The Hmong word "lauj thawb" can also mean "hold" or "take possession of something" | |||
| Kurdish | bidestxistin | ||
| The word "bidestxistin" has other meanings such as "to get hold of" or "to seize" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | kapmak | ||
| "Kapmak" derives from the same Proto-Turkic root as "kabul" ("acceptance") and "kavuşmak" ("reunion"). | |||
| Xhosa | bamba | ||
| The word "bamba" in Xhosa can have additional meanings such as "to obstruct" or "to obstruct". | |||
| Yiddish | כאַפּן | ||
| The Yiddish word "כאַפּן" (khapn) originated from Middle High German “kapfen” and has a second meaning of “to receive, catch,” as in “כאַפּן אַ קאָלט” (khapn a kalt), “to catch a cold.” | |||
| Zulu | bamba | ||
| In Zulu, 'bamba' also refers to the act of stopping something in its tracks. | |||
| Assamese | খামুচি ধৰা | ||
| Aymara | katjaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | झपटल | ||
| Dhivehi | އަތުލުން | ||
| Dogri | पकड़ना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sunggaban | ||
| Guarani | pyhy | ||
| Ilocano | agawen | ||
| Krio | grip | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕاکێشان | ||
| Maithili | पकड़नाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯥꯏꯕ | ||
| Mizo | tham | ||
| Oromo | qabuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଧର | ||
| Quechua | hapiy | ||
| Sanskrit | समालभते | ||
| Tatar | тоту | ||
| Tigrinya | ሓዝ | ||
| Tsonga | vhanganyeta | ||