Lose in Different Languages
Discover 'Lose' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'lose' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, denoting the absence or departure of something cherished or desired. Its cultural importance is evident in various idiomatic expressions, such as 'lose face' or 'lose one's mind,' which have permeated our languages and showcased our shared human experiences.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'lose' in different languages can shed light on cultural nuances and historical contexts. For instance, the German word 'verlieren' stems from an Old High German term meaning 'to wander,' reflecting a rich linguistic heritage. Meanwhile, the Chinese translation '失去' (shīqù) combines characters representing 'lose' and 'possess,' emphasizing the relinquishment of ownership.
As global citizens, we may find ourselves in situations where knowing the word 'lose' in another language is crucial. Whether you're traveling, conducting international business, or simply exploring the world of linguistics, the ability to express this concept can foster understanding and connection.
Here are some translations of 'lose' in various languages:
Lose
Lose in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | verloor | ||
| "Verloor" is derived from the Middle Dutch "verloren". It also means "to waste" or "to dissipate". | |||
| Amharic | ማጣት | ||
| The verb ''ማጣት'' can also mean ''to waste'', as opposed to ''መጥፋት'', which denotes an irreversible and definite state of ''not having anymore''. | |||
| Hausa | rasa | ||
| Hausa "rasa" also means "to be lost" or "to be destroyed". | |||
| Igbo | ida | ||
| The Igbo word | |||
| Malagasy | very | ||
| The word "very" in Malagasy also comes from the Arabic word "varah", which means "to avoid" or "to keep away from". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kutaya | ||
| "Kutaya" can also mean to throw away, reject, or discard something. | |||
| Shona | kurasikirwa | ||
| The word "kurasikirwa" in Shona can also mean "to be separated from someone or something due to death or distance." | |||
| Somali | lumiso | ||
| The term "lumiso" in Somali, meaning "to lose," also shares a root with "lum", meaning "to be destroyed, spoiled, or ruined." | |||
| Sesotho | lahleheloa | ||
| The term 'lahleheloa' is a metaphor derived from a hunting context, where it referred to the situation when a pack of dogs lose track of their prey. | |||
| Swahili | kupoteza | ||
| In Swahili, the verb 'kupoteza' originally referred to losing physical objects but has extended to encompass metaphorical meanings like losing control or hope. | |||
| Xhosa | phulukana | ||
| The word 'phulukana' is also used to describe the act of slipping past someone unnoticed. | |||
| Yoruba | padanu | ||
| The word "padanu" can also mean "to be lost" or "to disappear." | |||
| Zulu | ulahlekelwe | ||
| The Zulu word "ulahlekelwe" can also mean "to be defeated", "to suffer a loss", or "to be deprived of something." | |||
| Bambara | ka tunun | ||
| Ewe | bu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gutakaza | ||
| Lingala | kopola | ||
| Luganda | okusemba | ||
| Sepedi | lahlegelwa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | hwere | ||
Lose in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تخسر | ||
| The word "تخسر" comes from the root word "خسر" which means "to lose, to fail, to be deprived of." | |||
| Hebrew | לאבד | ||
| The Hebrew word "לאבד" can also mean "to lead astray" or "to confuse." | |||
| Pashto | له لاسه ورکول | ||
| The word "له لاسه ورکول" ("lose") in Pashto stems from the Old Persian "varsk-", meaning "to tear" or "to separate". | |||
| Arabic | تخسر | ||
| The word "تخسر" comes from the root word "خسر" which means "to lose, to fail, to be deprived of." | |||
Lose in Western European Languages
| Albanian | humb | ||
| The word "humb" in Albanian comes from the Proto-Albanian term *humbja, meaning both "loss" and "death, demise, ruin". | |||
| Basque | galdu | ||
| "Galdu" can also mean "to be defeated" in the sense of losing a battle or game. | |||
| Catalan | perdre | ||
| The Catalan word "perdre" also means "to spend", reflecting the idea that losing something involves spending time, effort, or resources on it. | |||
| Croatian | izgubiti | ||
| The Croatian verb 'izgubiti' is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *gubiti, which also means 'to destroy' or 'to ruin'. | |||
| Danish | tabe | ||
| The word "tabe" in Danish also means "to waste away" or "to perish". | |||
| Dutch | verliezen | ||
| In Middle Dutch 'verliezen' meant 'to fail' or 'to be defeated'. | |||
| English | lose | ||
| The word "lose" derives from the Old English word "losian," meaning "to be lost" or "to perish." | |||
| French | perdre | ||
| The word "perdre" in French is etymologically linked to the word "parere", which means "beget" or "bring forth". | |||
| Frisian | ferlieze | ||
| In the Frisian language, the verb "ferlieze" also has the meaning "to be deprived of something". | |||
| Galician | perder | ||
| The word "perder" in Galician can also mean "waste" or "miss". | |||
| German | verlieren | ||
| The German word "verlieren" can also be used in the sense of losing something non-physical (e.g. memory). | |||
| Icelandic | tapa | ||
| The word "tapa" in Icelandic can also mean "shed" or "drop". | |||
| Irish | chailleadh | ||
| The Irish word 'chailleadh' (meaning 'lose') may be derived from 'caill' ('lose') or 'call' ('loss') | |||
| Italian | perdere | ||
| The verb "perdere" can also mean "to ruin" or "to corrupt," as in moral, physical, or legal terms. | |||
| Luxembourgish | verléieren | ||
| Maltese | titlef | ||
| The Maltese 'titlef' is derived from the Semitic root 'ț-l-f', also found in Arabic, Hebrew, Aramaic and Ethiopic languages, and the noun form 'telif' means 'spoil' or 'loss', while the verb form 'itlef', from which the Maltese 'itlef' is derived, means 'to spoil', 'to lose', 'to damage', 'to destroy' or 'to waste'. | |||
| Norwegian | å tape | ||
| The word can be traced back to the Middle Ages and the verb 'at yppa' which means 'to reveal', 'to disclose', or 'to divulge'. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | perder | ||
| In Brazilian Portuguese, perder can also mean to miss (someone or something). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | chailleadh | ||
| The word "chailleadh" can also be used to refer to damage, harm, or misfortune, reflecting the wider concept of loss. | |||
| Spanish | perder | ||
| The Spanish verb 'perder' is derived from the Latin word 'perdere', which means 'to destroy' or 'to ruin'. | |||
| Swedish | förlora | ||
| The word "förlora" is derived from the Old Norse word "forlǫsa", meaning "to release" or "to free." | |||
| Welsh | colli | ||
| The Welsh word 'colli' can also mean 'let go', 'release', or 'permit'. | |||
Lose in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | прайграць | ||
| The word "прайграць" in Belarusian has Germanic origins, likely deriving from the Old High German "ferlegan," meaning "to lay down" or "to fail." | |||
| Bosnian | izgubiti | ||
| The verb "izgubiti" can also mean "to waste" or "to be lost" in a figurative sense. | |||
| Bulgarian | загуби | ||
| In Bulgarian, "загуби" can also refer to a personal loss, such as the death of a loved one. | |||
| Czech | prohrát | ||
| The Czech word “prohrát” is related to the word “hrát,” which means “to gamble” or “to play.” | |||
| Estonian | kaotama | ||
| "kaotada" likely derives from Proto-Indo-European "kewt-" ("to split apart, to fall or destroy") | |||
| Finnish | menettää | ||
| "Menettää" is a verb in Finnish formed from "mene- " (meaning "to go" or "to pass") and "-ttää" (meaning "to cause"). | |||
| Hungarian | elveszít | ||
| The word "elveszít" derives from an Old Hungarian word that originally meant "separate". | |||
| Latvian | zaudēt | ||
| The word "zaudēt" in Latvian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*lewdh-," which also means "to be deprived of, to lose." | |||
| Lithuanian | pralaimėti | ||
| The Lithuanian word "pralaimėti" also means "to be defeated" or "to fail". | |||
| Macedonian | изгуби | ||
| The Macedonian verb изгуби ("izgubi") derives from the Proto-Slavic з-губ-и- ("z-gub-") which has the meaning of "getting rid of" and is related to за-гин-а ("z-agina"), meaning "perish, be destroyed" and гану ("ganu"), meaning "to chase, drive away". | |||
| Polish | stracić | ||
| "Stracić" originates from the Proto-Slavic "*sterti", meaning "to wipe out, or erase". | |||
| Romanian | pierde | ||
| The Romanian word "pierde" shares an etymological root with the Latin word "perdere," meaning to destroy or be lost. | |||
| Russian | проиграть | ||
| "Проиграть" (lose) in Russian initially meant "to play on a musical instrument" (or "in musical competition"); now it almost exclusively has only the meaning of "to be defeated" in competition or games. | |||
| Serbian | изгубити | ||
| The word "изгубити" can also mean "to forget" or "to misplace." | |||
| Slovak | prehrať | ||
| Besides the primary meaning "to lose", the word "prehrať" (or "prehrávať") in Slovak also means "to play back" audio or video, or "to record" (audio). | |||
| Slovenian | izgubiti | ||
| "Izgubiti" is derived from the Slavic verb "gubiti" and it used to mean "to perish". | |||
| Ukrainian | губити | ||
| The word "губити" also means "destroy" or "ruin" in Ukrainian. | |||
Lose in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | হারান | ||
| The word "হারান" (haran) in Bengali derives from the Sanskrit word "হরন" (harana), meaning "to take away," and is cognate with the English word "harass." | |||
| Gujarati | ગુમાવો | ||
| The Gujarati word "ગુમાવો" also means "to miss" or "to lose sight of". | |||
| Hindi | खोना | ||
| The Hindi word "खोना" can also mean "to hide" or "to be lost in thought". | |||
| Kannada | ಕಳೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳಿ | ||
| Malayalam | നഷ്ടപ്പെടുക | ||
| Marathi | गमावणे | ||
| The word "गमावणे" in Marathi is closely related to the Sanskrit word "गम" meaning "to go, to depart, to disappear." | |||
| Nepali | हराउनु | ||
| The word "हराउनु" originally meant "to fall away from" or "to be separated", but now primarily means "to lose". | |||
| Punjabi | ਹਾਰੋ | ||
| The word "हारो" (lose) in Punjabi is also used to refer to a game played with a spinning top. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අහිමි | ||
| The Sinhalese word "අහිමි" (ahimi) derives from the Sanskrit word "ahimana", meaning "to let go" or "to abandon". | |||
| Tamil | இழக்க | ||
| The Tamil word 'இழக்க' derives from the Proto-Dravidian root *il- 'to drop, pour out, fall'. | |||
| Telugu | కోల్పోతారు | ||
| The word "కోల్పోతారు" can also refer to "suffering a loss" or "being deprived of something." | |||
| Urdu | کھو جانا | ||
Lose in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 失去 | ||
| The Chinese word 失 ("lose") originally meant "to die" or "to destroy". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 失去 | ||
| The character 失去 derives from two other characters, 失 (失落), meaning “to fall or let drop,” and 去 (離開), meaning “to go or leave.” | |||
| Japanese | 失う | ||
| "失う" is also used to describe the death of a loved one or the loss of consciousness. | |||
| Korean | 잃다 | ||
| "잃다" also means "to come out from hiding". | |||
| Mongolian | алдах | ||
| The Mongolian word "алдах" (lose) comes from the same Proto-Mongolic root as the word "альц" (forget). | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အရှုံး | ||
Lose in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kalah | ||
| Kalah, a homonym of 'kalah,' means a 'field' or a 'meadow'. | |||
| Javanese | kalah | ||
| The word "kalah" in Javanese has cognates in other Austronesian languages, including "kalag" (to be defeated) in Filipino and "kalah" (to lose) in Malay. | |||
| Khmer | ចាញ់ | ||
| The word "ចាញ់" can also mean "to come second" or "to be behind" in a competition or race. | |||
| Lao | ສູນເສຍ | ||
| The word "ສູນເສຍ" is also used in a figurative sense to describe a loss of power, prestige, or status. | |||
| Malay | kalah | ||
| Kalah is also a slang word for "tired", possibly originating from the sensation of exhaustion after losing a competition | |||
| Thai | แพ้ | ||
| In the past, “แพ้” meant “to make a mistake”, “to do the wrong thing”, and “to be wrong”. | |||
| Vietnamese | thua | ||
| "Thua" also means "to concede" or "admit defeat". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | matalo | ||
Lose in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | itirmək | ||
| The word "itirmək" also means "to send" or "to let go" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | жоғалту | ||
| The word "жоғалту" can also refer to "missing" or "loss" in a broader sense. | |||
| Kyrgyz | жоготуу | ||
| The Kyrgyz word “жоготуу” is derived from a Proto-Turkic word and can also mean "to be ruined," "to be defeated," or "to be gone." | |||
| Tajik | гум кардан | ||
| The word "гум кардан" can also mean "to break". | |||
| Turkmen | ýitirmek | ||
| Uzbek | yo'qotish | ||
| Uzbek "yo'qotish" is also used to describe losing one's way, mind, or memory. | |||
| Uyghur | يوقىتىش | ||
Lose in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | eo | ||
| Eo can also mean to vanish, and is related to the word "hi'o" (to hide). | |||
| Maori | ngaro | ||
| **Ngāro** is also used to describe something becoming hidden, invisible, or lost. | |||
| Samoan | leiloa | ||
| Leiloa is borrowed from the English word "lose" and is pronounced as "leh-loh-ah" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | talo | ||
| "Talo" can also mean "defeat" or "failure" in a more general sense. | |||
Lose in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | chhaqhayaña | ||
| Guarani | takykue | ||
Lose in International Languages
| Esperanto | perdi | ||
| Perdi is cognate with the French perdre; both words ultimately trace back to the Proto-Indo-European root *(s)perd-, "to destroy". | |||
| Latin | perdet | ||
| The word "perdet" also means "destroy" in Latin. | |||
Lose in Others Languages
| Greek | χάνω | ||
| The word also denotes a relaxation or opening, as in 'χαίνω' (to yawn). | |||
| Hmong | plam | ||
| The word "plam" can also mean "miss" or "lack" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | windakirin | ||
| The Kurdish word "windakirin" also means "to be left behind" or "to be unable to keep up" | |||
| Turkish | kaybetmek | ||
| Kaybetmek also comes from Kaymak which means 'cream' referring to when cream rises to the top and the milk below is the 'lost part'. | |||
| Xhosa | phulukana | ||
| The word 'phulukana' is also used to describe the act of slipping past someone unnoticed. | |||
| Yiddish | פאַרלירן | ||
| "פאַרלירן" is cognate with the German "verlieren" and is also used figuratively to mean "to miss out on an opportunity". | |||
| Zulu | ulahlekelwe | ||
| The Zulu word "ulahlekelwe" can also mean "to be defeated", "to suffer a loss", or "to be deprived of something." | |||
| Assamese | হৰা | ||
| Aymara | chhaqhayaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | हेराइल | ||
| Dhivehi | ގެއްލުން | ||
| Dogri | ढिल्ला | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | matalo | ||
| Guarani | takykue | ||
| Ilocano | napukaw | ||
| Krio | dɔn lɔs | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | لەدەستدا | ||
| Maithili | नुकसान | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯥꯡꯖꯕ | ||
| Mizo | hloh | ||
| Oromo | dhabuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ହାରିଯାଅ | | ||
| Quechua | chinkachiy | ||
| Sanskrit | पराजयते | ||
| Tatar | югалту | ||
| Tigrinya | ምስኣን | ||
| Tsonga | lahlekeriwa | ||