Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'invite' holds a special significance in our daily lives, as it represents the act of welcoming someone to join us in various occasions and activities. This simple gesture can create meaningful connections and foster cultural exchange, making it a universally important concept.
Throughout history, invitations have played a crucial role in different societies. For instance, in ancient Rome, invitations were often hand-delivered by slaves, while in medieval Europe, they were sent in the form of elaborately decorated cards. Today, digital invites have become increasingly popular, reflecting the impact of technology on our social interactions.
Given its cultural importance, you might be interested in knowing the translation of 'invite' in different languages. Here are a few examples: 'invitare' in Italian, 'inviter' in French, 'einladen' in German, 'invitar' in Spanish, and 'καλέσετε' in Greek. By learning these translations, you not only expand your vocabulary but also gain a deeper appreciation for the diversity and richness of human cultures.
Afrikaans | nooi | ||
The word "nooi" is derived from the Dutch word "nodigen" and can also mean "to request politely" or "to summon". | |||
Amharic | መጋበዝ | ||
The word "መጋበዝ" can also mean "to call" or "to summon". | |||
Hausa | gayyata | ||
Gayyata" (Hausa) derives from the Arabic "ghaya" meaning "goal" or "destination", suggesting an invitation as a means to reach a desired outcome. | |||
Igbo | kpọọ | ||
The Igbo word 'kpọọ' also means 'call', 'summon' or 'convoke'. | |||
Malagasy | asao | ||
The word "Asao" also means "guest" in Malagasy, showcasing the interconnectedness between the act of inviting and the concept of hospitality. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuitana | ||
The word "kuitana" is derived from the Proto-Bantu root "-itana," meaning "to call, summon, or invite." | |||
Shona | kukoka | ||
The Shona word 'kukoka' shares a root with 'kuchema' (call), suggesting a connection between inviting and summoning. | |||
Somali | casuumaad | ||
Casuumaad shares its root term ('casu') with various words related to speaking, including 'casuuman' (advise), 'casiir' (lawyer), and 'cas' (word). | |||
Sesotho | mema | ||
The Sesotho word "mema" can also mean "to ask for something", or "to request something". | |||
Swahili | kualika | ||
The Swahili word "kualika" derives from the Arabic "qāla", meaning "to say". In some contexts, it can also refer to "to summon" or "to call to prayer". | |||
Xhosa | mema | ||
The Xhosa word "mema" can also mean "to call out", "to shout", or "to beckon" | |||
Yoruba | pe | ||
The Yoruba word "pe" can also mean "to gather" or "to assemble." | |||
Zulu | mema | ||
The Zulu word "mema" shares etymological roots with "mamama" meaning "to speak" and "mamameza" meaning "to greet with open arms." | |||
Bambara | ka wele | ||
Ewe | kpe | ||
Kinyarwanda | gutumira | ||
Lingala | kobengisa | ||
Luganda | okwaaniriza | ||
Sepedi | laletša | ||
Twi (Akan) | to nsa frɛ | ||
Arabic | يدعو | ||
The word يدعو (pronounced "yid'u") can also mean "to call" or "to summon" in Arabic. | |||
Hebrew | להזמין | ||
The Hebrew word "להזמין" can also mean "to order" something. | |||
Pashto | بلنه | ||
The word "بلنه" can also refer to a type of traditional Pashto music. | |||
Arabic | يدعو | ||
The word يدعو (pronounced "yid'u") can also mean "to call" or "to summon" in Arabic. |
Albanian | ftoj | ||
The Albanian word "ftoj" may derive from the Proto-Indo-European root "*bʰewdʰ-", meaning "to announce" or "to make known". | |||
Basque | gonbidatu | ||
Gonbidatu could originally mean "to offer bread to someone" in Basque, with "bread" being "ogia" in Basque. | |||
Catalan | convidar | ||
"Convidar" comes from the Latin "convitare", meaning "to share a meal". | |||
Croatian | pozvati | ||
Pozvati is an interesting word because it has various meanings. | |||
Danish | invitere | ||
"Invitere" is the Danish equivalent of "invite" and derives from the Latin "invitare". | |||
Dutch | nodig uit | ||
"Nodig uit" is derived from the Middle Dutch "nodigen uyt", meaning "to compel out". | |||
English | invite | ||
Invite, from Old French, ultimately comes from Latin, where 'invitare' meant 'to invite' as well as 'to revive by offering food and drink.' | |||
French | inviter | ||
'Inviter' comes from Latin 'invitare' which means 'to invite, introduce'. | |||
Frisian | noegje | ||
The word 'noegje' in Frisian is derived from Old Frisian 'nodgia', which also meant 'compel'. | |||
Galician | convidar | ||
In Galician, "convidar" also means "announce" or "offer" something. | |||
German | einladen | ||
The German word "einladen" also means "to charge" (e.g. a battery), or "to load" (e.g. a washing machine). | |||
Icelandic | bjóða | ||
The word "bjóða" in Icelandic comes from the Old Norse verb "bjoða," which means "to offer, present" and is related to Old English "biddan" meaning "to ask, request." | |||
Irish | cuireadh a thabhairt | ||
The word "cuireadh a thabhairt" can also mean "to introduce" or "to make known". | |||
Italian | invitare | ||
The Italian word "invitare" derives from the Latin word "invitare", meaning "to invite, summon, or entice". | |||
Luxembourgish | invitéieren | ||
Maltese | tistieden | ||
The Maltese word 'tistieden' ultimately derives from the Latin 'citare,' meaning 'to summon'. | |||
Norwegian | invitere | ||
"Invitere" in Norwegian can also mean "to initiate" or "to propose." | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | convite | ||
Invite comes from the Latin verb convito, meaning to live with, eat together, or feast | |||
Scots Gaelic | cuireadh | ||
The Gaelic word "cuireadh" also means "wedding", which in older times would have been an event to which all friends and neighbours would have been invited. | |||
Spanish | invitación | ||
El sustantivo "invitación" deriva del verbo "invitar", que procede del latín "invitare", que significa "llamar". También puede referirse a la acción de invitar o a un documento que contiene una invitación. | |||
Swedish | inbjudan | ||
The Swedish "inbjudan" comes from the German word "Einladung", which has a similar pronunciation and means "invitation". | |||
Welsh | gwahodd | ||
The word "gwahodd" also means "invitation" and derives from the Middle Welsh word "ghoedh", meaning "a call to arms". |
Belarusian | запрасіць | ||
The Belarusian word "запрасіць" can also mean "to call upon or summon," similar to the English word "cite." | |||
Bosnian | pozvati | ||
The verb 'pozvati' can also mean 'to telephone' or 'to call' someone. | |||
Bulgarian | покани | ||
The word "покани" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "покатити", meaning "to roll" or "to call." | |||
Czech | pozvat | ||
The word "pozvat" was derived from the Old Slavic word "*pozъvati" meaning "to call (for) something". | |||
Estonian | kutsu | ||
In the Võro dialect (a dialect of South Estonian), "kutsu" can also mean "to call" or "to summon." | |||
Finnish | kutsua | ||
The word "kutsua" is a derivative of the verb "kutsuu" ("call"), implying the sense of summoning or calling someone to an event. | |||
Hungarian | meghívás | ||
The Hungarian word "meghívás" is derived from the verb "meghív", which means "to call" or "to summon." | |||
Latvian | uzaicināt | ||
The word “uzaicināt” originates from the Old Slavic word “zazvati” meaning “to call out”. | |||
Lithuanian | pakviesti | ||
The verb "pakviest" may also be used in the sense "to call for", or "to request". | |||
Macedonian | покани | ||
The word 'покани' in Macedonian is derived from the Proto-Slavic 'pokaniti', which also means 'to call' or 'to summon'. | |||
Polish | zapraszam | ||
Zapraszam shares the same etymological root with the word "prośba" (request) and is used in both formal and informal settings, with "zapraszamy" (plural) being more formal. | |||
Romanian | a invita | ||
In Romanian, "a invita" also denotes a formal act or written document requesting someone's presence at an event, akin to the sense of "summon" in English. | |||
Russian | пригласить | ||
Serbian | позвати | ||
The Serbian verb позвати can also mean “to call upon,” “to summon,” or “to beckon” depending on the context. | |||
Slovak | pozvať | ||
The root of the verb "pozvať" in Slovak is "poviti," meaning "to wrap" or "to cover", suggesting the original sense of "inviting" as "bringing someone under one's roof." | |||
Slovenian | povabi | ||
The Slovenian word "povabi" is also used to refer to the call of an animal, and has the same root as "povabilo" (invitation). | |||
Ukrainian | запросити | ||
The word "запросити" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "просити", meaning "to ask" or "to request". |
Bengali | আমন্ত্রণ | ||
The word आमন্ত्रণ is derived from the Sanskrit word आमन्त्रयते, which means 'to invite, to call' | |||
Gujarati | આમંત્રિત | ||
Hindi | आमंत्रण | ||
The Hindi word आमंत्रण (invite) comes from the Sanskrit word आमन्त्रण (request), which also means 'to call upon or summon'. | |||
Kannada | ಆಹ್ವಾನಿಸಿ | ||
The word "ಆಹ್ವಾನಿಸಿ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "आह्वान", meaning "to call or summon." | |||
Malayalam | ക്ഷണിക്കുക | ||
"ക്ഷണിക്കുക" is derived from the Sanskrit word "Kshana", meaning "moment", and also refers to "asking someone to come somewhere or do something." | |||
Marathi | आमंत्रित करा | ||
The Marathi word "आमंत्रित करा" (invite) is derived from the Sanskrit word "आंमंत्रण", which means "an invitation" or "a request to attend a gathering or event." | |||
Nepali | आमन्त्रण | ||
आमन्त्रण originates from the Sanskrit word √मंत्र meaning "to consult", "to advise", "to deliberate", "to plan", and "to hold counsel". | |||
Punjabi | ਸੱਦਾ | ||
The word "ਸੱਦਾ" ("invite") in Punjabi is derived from the Sanskrit word "sādana" ("means") and can also mean "an opportunity" or "a call to action". | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ආරාධනා කරන්න | ||
Tamil | அழைக்க | ||
அழைக்க (invite) also means to call (a person), summon, or request. | |||
Telugu | ఆహ్వానించండి | ||
Urdu | مدعو کریں | ||
مدعو کریں (Invite) can also mean 'call' or 'summon' someone to attend, especially in an official capacity. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 邀请 | ||
The word '邀请' also means 'to invite' and 'a dinner invitation' in Chinese. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 邀請 | ||
「邀」本意為「飛鳥在空中互相應和」,引申為「互相應和、約定」之意。 | |||
Japanese | 招待する | ||
"招待する" (shōtai suru), meaning "to invite," also refers to a kind of traditional Japanese entertainment involving geisha, music, and food. | |||
Korean | 초대 | ||
"초대" can also mean "to provoke" or "to stir up". | |||
Mongolian | урих | ||
The Mongolian word "урих" also means "to attract, gather, or assemble." | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ဖိတ်ကြား | ||
The term "ဖိတ်ကြား" (invite) originates from the Pali term "patthanā" (invitation or request) and has the additional meaning of "to ask or request". |
Indonesian | undang | ||
The word "Undang" also means "law" or "statute" in Indonesian, deriving from the Sanskrit word "uṇḍati" meaning "to prescribe". | |||
Javanese | ngundang | ||
"Ndangang" also means "stand out from others" in the context of appearance. | |||
Khmer | អញ្ជើញ | ||
In ancient Sanskrit, អញ្ជើញ (ânchœun) meant 'to make someone go somewhere', which is similar to its meaning in Khmer. | |||
Lao | ເຊີນ | ||
The Lao word ເຊີນ (“invite”) can also mean "to ask", "to request", or "to persuade". | |||
Malay | menjemput | ||
The word 'menjemput' also means 'to fetch' or 'to pick up'. This is because, traditionally, people would often go to someone's house to invite them to an event, and then fetch them when it was time to go. | |||
Thai | เชิญ | ||
The word เชิญ (invite) is related to the Sanskrit word 'yaj' (to honor, to call) and the Pali word 'yaca' (to beg for). | |||
Vietnamese | mời gọi | ||
"Mời gọi" also means "to be attractive or enticing." | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | mag-anyaya | ||
Azerbaijani | dəvət etmək | ||
The literal meaning of dəvət etmək is actually "to call" (like in English), although this meaning is rarely used in the context of people, only used for objects. | |||
Kazakh | шақыру | ||
The Kazakh word "шақыру" comes from the Turkic root "çağır-", meaning "to call". It is related to the Turkish word "çağırmak", the Kyrgyz word "чагыруу", and the Uzbek word "chaqirish". | |||
Kyrgyz | чакыруу | ||
"Чакыруу" could also mean "call" or "summon" in Kyrgyz. | |||
Tajik | даъват кардан | ||
The Tajik verb "даъват кардан" is borrowed from the Arabic word "دعوت" and can also mean "to call" or "to summon". | |||
Turkmen | çakylyk | ||
Uzbek | taklif qiling | ||
The word "taklif qiling" can also mean "to offer" or "to propose". | |||
Uyghur | تەكلىپ قىلىڭ | ||
Hawaiian | kono | ||
Kono can also mean "to summon" or "to call" in Hawaiian. | |||
Maori | fakaafe | ||
Fakaafe, meaning "invite" in Maori, is derived from the Polynesian word "fakaaki" which shares a similar root meaning. | |||
Samoan | valaʻaulia | ||
The word valaʻaulia can also mean 'request', 'beg', 'urge', and 'persuade'. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | mag-anyaya | ||
The Tagalog word "mag-anyaya" ultimately derives from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian word *aŋaj, meaning "to call" or "to summon" |
Aymara | jawillt'aña | ||
Guarani | ñepepirũ | ||
Esperanto | inviti | ||
The word "inviti" also means "to tempt" in Esperanto. | |||
Latin | invite | ||
In Latin, "invite" means "ask" and can refer to asking someone to do something or to asking them to come to a place. |
Greek | καλώ | ||
The word "καλώ" can also mean "to call" or "to summon" in Greek. | |||
Hmong | caw | ||
In Hmong, the word "caw" not only means "invite" but also refers to the act of calling or summoning someone. | |||
Kurdish | ezimanden | ||
The word 'ezimanden' is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *men-, meaning 'to think', and is related to the English word 'mind' and the Welsh word 'meddwl' (thought). | |||
Turkish | davet et | ||
Davet in Turkish also means 'marriage proposal'. | |||
Xhosa | mema | ||
The Xhosa word "mema" can also mean "to call out", "to shout", or "to beckon" | |||
Yiddish | לאַדן | ||
The Yiddish word "לאַדן" (ladn) is derived from the Middle High German "laden" meaning "to load" or "to carry". | |||
Zulu | mema | ||
The Zulu word "mema" shares etymological roots with "mamama" meaning "to speak" and "mamameza" meaning "to greet with open arms." | |||
Assamese | আমন্ত্ৰণ | ||
Aymara | jawillt'aña | ||
Bhojpuri | नेवता पठाईं | ||
Dhivehi | ދަޢުވަތުދިނުން | ||
Dogri | साद्दा देना | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | mag-anyaya | ||
Guarani | ñepepirũ | ||
Ilocano | imbitaran | ||
Krio | invayt | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | بانگێشتکردن | ||
Maithili | आमंत्रण | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯥꯎꯖꯦꯜ ꯄꯤꯕ | ||
Mizo | sawm | ||
Oromo | afeeruu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ନିମନ୍ତ୍ରଣ | ||
Quechua | minkay | ||
Sanskrit | समाह्वे | ||
Tatar | чакыр | ||
Tigrinya | ምዕዳም | ||
Tsonga | rhamba | ||