Have in Different Languages
Discover 'Have' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word "have" is a versatile and vital part of many languages, used to indicate possession, obligation, or experience. Its significance extends beyond mere grammar, as it often reveals cultural norms and societal structures.
For instance, in English, "have" is often used to express possession, such as "I have a dog." However, in some languages, this concept is conveyed through different grammatical structures. For example, in Russian, "у меня есть собака" (uy menya yest' sobaka) literally translates to "at me there is a dog," indicating a different way of thinking about possession.
Moreover, "have" can also indicate obligation or experience, as in "I have to work" or "I have been to Paris." These nuances can vary greatly across languages, making "have" a fascinating word to explore in different languages.
Understanding the translation of "have" in different languages can also enhance cultural competence and global awareness. For example, in Spanish, "tener" is used for possession, while "haber" is used for experience or obligation. Meanwhile, in Japanese, "moshi" is used to indicate possession, while "imasu" is used for temporary possession.
Join us as we delve into the translations of "have" in various languages, shedding light on the rich cultural and linguistic diversity of the world.
Have
Have in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | het | ||
| In Afrikaans, the word "het" also means "is" or "are". For example, "die hond het honger" means "the dog is hungry". | |||
| Amharic | አላቸው | ||
| Hausa | da | ||
| "Da" can also mean own or possess. | |||
| Igbo | nwee | ||
| The word "nwee" can also mean "own" or "possess". | |||
| Malagasy | efa | ||
| "EFA" can also mean "receive" and in southern dialects such as Bara it means "want"" | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | khalani nawo | ||
| The phrase 'khalani nawo' literally means 'be with it' and highlights the concept of possession. | |||
| Shona | have | ||
| In Shona, "have" can also mean "to own, possess, or hold something"} | |||
| Somali | leeyihiin | ||
| The Somali word "leeyihiin" also means "to be" or "to exist". | |||
| Sesotho | ba le | ||
| Sesotho has a verb 'ba le' which means 'to possess' or 'own', and the verb 'bo la' which means 'to hold in the hand.' | |||
| Swahili | kuwa na | ||
| The Swahili word 'kuwa na' not only means 'to have' but also denotes a wide range of states, conditions, and relationships. | |||
| Xhosa | unayo | ||
| The word 'unayo' can also mean 'there is' or 'there are' in Xhosa, indicating possession or existence. | |||
| Yoruba | ni | ||
| Despite its meaning of "to have", “ni” also has the extended meanings of "to need" and "to own". | |||
| Zulu | unayo | ||
| The Zulu word "unayo" can also mean "there is/are" or "it/they exist". | |||
| Bambara | sɔrɔ | ||
| Ewe | le esi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kugira | ||
| Lingala | kozala na | ||
| Luganda | -ina | ||
| Sepedi | na le | ||
| Twi (Akan) | wɔ | ||
Have in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | يملك | ||
| The word "يملك" in Arabic, meaning "to own" or "to possess", shares an etymological root with the Hebrew word "מָשָׁל" (mashal), meaning "to rule" or "to have authority". | |||
| Hebrew | יש | ||
| The word "יש" (have) in Hebrew also means "there is" or "exists". | |||
| Pashto | لري | ||
| The Pashto word "لري" not only means "to have" but can also refer to "to hold" or "to maintain". | |||
| Arabic | يملك | ||
| The word "يملك" in Arabic, meaning "to own" or "to possess", shares an etymological root with the Hebrew word "מָשָׁל" (mashal), meaning "to rule" or "to have authority". | |||
Have in Western European Languages
| Albanian | kanë | ||
| The Albanian word 'kanë' not only means 'have', but also refers to the act of holding a position or responsibility | |||
| Basque | dute | ||
| "Dute" is related to "eduki" (content) and "dauka" (to have) in Spanish. | |||
| Catalan | tenir | ||
| In Catalan, "tenir" can also mean "to hold" or "to keep". | |||
| Croatian | imati | ||
| The word "imati" also means "to have as one's possession" and "to hold in one's grasp or control". | |||
| Danish | har | ||
| In Danish, the word "har" can also refer to the act of wearing or exhibiting something, as in "Han har en hat" (He is wearing a hat). | |||
| Dutch | hebben | ||
| "Hebben" originates from the Proto-Germanic "habjan", meaning "to have" or "to hold", and is related to the English "have" and the German "haben". | |||
| English | have | ||
| The word 'have' derives from the Old English word 'habban', which meant 'to hold' or 'to possess'. | |||
| French | avoir | ||
| The word 'avoir' also means 'property' or 'wealth' in French, deriving from the Latin word 'habere', meaning 'to possess'. | |||
| Frisian | hawwe | ||
| In Saterland Frisian, "hawwe" also means "to owe" and "to hold". | |||
| Galician | ter | ||
| The word "ter" in Galician comes from the Latin word "tenere" meaning "to hold" and has the alternate meaning "to have" in the present tense. | |||
| German | haben | ||
| Both the German word "haben" and the English word "have" derive from the Proto-Indo-European word "*gʰabʰ- ", which originally meant "to seize". | |||
| Icelandic | hafa | ||
| The word "hafa" can also mean "to acquire" or "to possess" in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | agat | ||
| The verb "agat" in Irish can also mean "to be" and comes from the Old Irish "agaid" meaning "in front of". | |||
| Italian | avere | ||
| The Italian word "avere" originated from the Latin "habere," which also means "to hold" or "to possess." | |||
| Luxembourgish | hunn | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "hunn" originates from the Old High German word "hān" and can also mean "hold" or "keep". | |||
| Maltese | jkollhom | ||
| The word "jkollhom" in Maltese ultimately derives from Arabic, and originally meant "to have a need". | |||
| Norwegian | ha | ||
| The word "ha" in Norwegian also means "say" or "tell". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ter | ||
| In Old Occitan, the term "ter" was also a noun, meaning "possession, property" or "land tenure". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | have | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, "have" can mean both "possess" and "experience," as in "Tha miagal agam" (I have a lot) and "Tha miagal agam" (I'm very tired). | |||
| Spanish | tener | ||
| Tener comes from the Latin word "tenere," which can also mean "to hold, possess, or occupy." | |||
| Swedish | ha | ||
| Ha can be used as a short form of 'hat' in Swedish, meaning 'hat' in English. | |||
| Welsh | cael | ||
| The verb "cael" in Welsh is also used in the meaning of "to get, to obtain, or to earn something". | |||
Have in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | ёсць | ||
| "Ёсць" can also refer to a state of existence or the presence of something. | |||
| Bosnian | imati | ||
| "Imat" is derived from Proto-Slavic *imeti, meaning "to have" and also "to take, seize, grab, hold." | |||
| Bulgarian | имат | ||
| The word "имат" in Bulgarian is derived from the Proto-Slavic "*jьmati", meaning "to take". | |||
| Czech | mít | ||
| The Czech word "mít" derives from the Proto-Slavic root meaning "to take" or "to seize". | |||
| Estonian | omama | ||
| In Estonian, "omama" also means to "own" something, indicating a sense of possession or ownership. | |||
| Finnish | omistaa | ||
| The word "omistaa" is derived from the Proto-Uralic word *oma, meaning "one's own". | |||
| Hungarian | van | ||
| The Hungarian word "van" can also mean "there is" or "exists." | |||
| Latvian | ir | ||
| The word "ir" can also mean "exist" or "be" in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | turėti | ||
| The Lithuanian verb 'turėti' ('to have') is cognate with the English 'thorough' and the Irish 'dóigh' ('likely'). | |||
| Macedonian | имаат | ||
| The Macedonian word "имаат" ("have") shares its etymological roots with the English word "income." | |||
| Polish | mieć | ||
| The word "mieć" (have) in Polish comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*iměti", meaning "to take". | |||
| Romanian | avea | ||
| The Romanian word "avea" for "have" was originally a verb meaning "to hold" or "to possess". | |||
| Russian | иметь | ||
| The verb "иметь" (have) in Russian also has the alternative meaning "to possess knowledge or skills" | |||
| Serbian | имати | ||
| The word "имати" in Serbian shares the same etymological root with "име" (name) and "имити" (imitate), suggesting a connection between possession and identity. | |||
| Slovak | mať | ||
| The Slovak word "mať" has additional archaic meanings, including "to be" and "to take or receive". | |||
| Slovenian | imeti | ||
| The verb 'imeti' in Slovenian can also mean 'to hold' or 'to possess'. | |||
| Ukrainian | мати | ||
| The verb 'мати' in Ukrainian is cognate with the Sanskrit verb 'mat' (to measure, to give) and the Old Iranian verb 'mad' (to give). | |||
Have in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | আছে | ||
| Although "আছে" translates to "have", it can also mean "there is/there are" (indicating presence or existence). | |||
| Gujarati | છે | ||
| The Gujarati word ''છે'' (have) is a homophone of ''છ'' (six). | |||
| Hindi | है | ||
| The word "है" ("have") in Hindi also has the meaning of "is, exists". | |||
| Kannada | ಹೊಂದಿವೆ | ||
| The word "ಹೊಂದಿವೆ" in Kannada can also mean "to hold" or "to possess". | |||
| Malayalam | ഉണ്ട് | ||
| "ഉണ്ട്" means "to exist" in Malayalam, similar to its Sanskrit cognate "asti" | |||
| Marathi | आहे | ||
| The Marathi word "आहे" (āhe) is derived from the Sanskrit "अस्ति" (asti), meaning "to exist" or "to be". | |||
| Nepali | छ | ||
| छ (cha in Nepali), meaning "to hold," shares its root with the English word "catch." | |||
| Punjabi | ਹੈ | ||
| The Punjabi word 'ਹੈ' is used not only as an auxiliary verb indicating 'having' but it can also mean 'is' | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඇත | ||
| The Sinhala word "ඇත" ("have") derives from the Prakrit word "अत्ति" ("have, possess"), which in turn comes from the Sanskrit word "अस्ति" ("is"). | |||
| Tamil | வேண்டும் | ||
| "வேண்டும்" in Tamil also has the meanings of "desire" and "want". | |||
| Telugu | కలిగి | ||
| కలిగి is also used in the sense of "to own" or "to possess". | |||
| Urdu | ہے | ||
| Urdu word 'ہے' ('have') originates from the Sanskrit word 'asti', ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root '*h₁es-' meaning 'to be'. | |||
Have in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 有 | ||
| Beyond the simple meaning of 'have,' '有' can indicate existence, a sense of possession, an ability to do something, and is also used in philosophical and religious contexts. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 有 | ||
| The word "有" can also mean "existence", "being", or "there is/are" | |||
| Japanese | 持ってる | ||
| The verb 持ってる can also mean “possess” or “own” in addition to “have”. | |||
| Korean | 있다 | ||
| The verb '있다' (it-da) also means 'to be' or 'to exist'. | |||
| Mongolian | байна | ||
| Байна and Байгуул in the context of Mongolian wrestling literally mean having your opponent's back and neck in control. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရှိသည် | ||
Have in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | memiliki | ||
| The word 'memiliki' is derived from Proto-Austronesian *məŋəŋ, which also means 'to hold' or 'to carry'. | |||
| Javanese | duwe | ||
| "Duwe" also means "get" or "obtain" in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | មាន | ||
| The verb មាន (have) is derived from Proto-Mon-Khmer root *maa, and is also related to មន (monk). | |||
| Lao | ມີ | ||
| The Lao word "ມີ" can also mean "to possess" or "to have the ability to do something." | |||
| Malay | mempunyai | ||
| In Malay, "mempunyai" can also mean "to possess" or "to own". | |||
| Thai | มี | ||
| The Thai word "มี" (pronounced "mee") can also mean "exist" or "be present". | |||
| Vietnamese | có | ||
| In informal northern Vietnamese, "có" can also mean "yes" | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mayroon | ||
Have in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | var | ||
| In Old Turkic, “var” meant “to be present or to exist,” and “tap” meant “to find.” | |||
| Kazakh | бар | ||
| Some Kazakhs claim the phrase “bar menin” (“you are mine”), which is often heard at weddings, stems from “men” (“I”) which was then shortened and later transformed into “-mın,” and finally “-men,” to indicate possession, e.g. “senin” (“your”) and “bizin” (“our”). | |||
| Kyrgyz | бар | ||
| The word "бар" also means "there is/are" or "exists" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | доранд | ||
| The Tajik word "доранд" can also be used in the sense of "to possess" or "to be in possession of". | |||
| Turkmen | bar | ||
| Uzbek | bor | ||
| The word "bor" can also mean "is" or "are" when used with a noun to form the present tense. | |||
| Uyghur | have | ||
Have in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | loaʻa | ||
| The root of loaʻa is lo, ‘to come.’ | |||
| Maori | whai | ||
| The word "whai" also means "to seek" or "to pursue". | |||
| Samoan | maua | ||
| The word 'maua' in Samoan can also mean 'both of us'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mayroon | ||
| The Tagalog word "mayroon" can also mean "there is" or "there are". | |||
Have in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | utjayaña | ||
| Guarani | reko | ||
Have in International Languages
| Esperanto | havi | ||
| Esperanto's "havi" shares the same origin with Latin "habere" and English "have". | |||
| Latin | habet | ||
| In medieval Latin, "habet" can also mean "to be" or "to exist," with the meaning based on the context. | |||
Have in Others Languages
| Greek | έχω | ||
| The Greek word "έχω" (échō) also means "to hold, possess, or occupy" and is the origin of the English word "echo". | |||
| Hmong | muaj | ||
| The word 'muaj' can also mean 'to hold' or 'to possess' something. | |||
| Kurdish | hebûn | ||
| The word "hebûn" can also mean "to be" or "to exist" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | sahip olmak | ||
| The word "Sahip olmak" also means "master", and is related to the Arabian root *ṣaḥiba*, which means to accompany, assist or be present. | |||
| Xhosa | unayo | ||
| The word 'unayo' can also mean 'there is' or 'there are' in Xhosa, indicating possession or existence. | |||
| Yiddish | האָבן | ||
| "האָבן" (have) in Yiddish has alternate meanings such as "to be permitted" and "to be able to." | |||
| Zulu | unayo | ||
| The Zulu word "unayo" can also mean "there is/are" or "it/they exist". | |||
| Assamese | have | ||
| Aymara | utjayaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | पास | ||
| Dhivehi | އޮތުން | ||
| Dogri | होना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mayroon | ||
| Guarani | reko | ||
| Ilocano | addaan | ||
| Krio | gɛt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هەبوون | ||
| Maithili | लग अछि | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯩꯔꯦ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | nei | ||
| Oromo | qaba | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅଛି | ||
| Quechua | kanku | ||
| Sanskrit | अस्ति | ||
| Tatar | бар | ||
| Tigrinya | ኣለኒ | ||
| Tsonga | hi na | ||