Marry in Different Languages
Discover 'Marry' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'marry' holds immense significance in cultures and societies worldwide, symbolizing the union of two individuals in a bond of love, companionship, and commitment. This simple term, when translated into different languages, showcases the rich linguistic and cultural diversity that exists across the globe.
Did you know that the word 'marry' has its roots in Old English? Derived from 'maerian,' which means 'to annoy, irritate, or make marvel,' the term's original connotation was quite different from its current meaning! Over time, 'marry' has evolved to represent a cherished and sacred institution, celebrated in various ways around the world.
Understanding the translation of 'marry' in different languages can enrich your cultural knowledge and facilitate communication with people from diverse backgrounds. Here are some fascinating translations to pique your curiosity:
Marry
Marry in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | trou | ||
| The Afrikaans verb "trou" is derived from the Dutch "trouwen, | |||
| Amharic | ማግባት | ||
| "Magbat" in Amharic is also used to refer to the joining of two churches or religious orders. | |||
| Hausa | aure | ||
| Aure is also used to refer to the act of a man paying the bride price, or to the money and goods offered as bride price. | |||
| Igbo | lụọ di | ||
| The Igbo verb "lụọ di" derives from the word "di" ("house") and the prefix "lụọ" ("enter"), thus literally meaning "to enter the house of a man (husband)". | |||
| Malagasy | hanambady | ||
| The word "hanambady" means "to become one" or "to be joined together" in Malagasy, suggesting the union of two individuals in marriage. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kukwatira | ||
| "Kukwatira" also means "to pick up" or "to take" in some contexts. | |||
| Shona | roora | ||
| Roora is derived from the Shona word "rora" meaning to "pour" or "sprinkle", as traditionally water is poured over the bride's head during the marriage ceremony. | |||
| Somali | guursado | ||
| "Guursado" also means "the act of tying a knot" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | nyala | ||
| The word 'nyala' also refers to a type of antelope indigenous to southern Africa. | |||
| Swahili | kuoa | ||
| "Kuoa" is derived from the Bantu root "*gwa" meaning "to take, carry, or acquire". | |||
| Xhosa | tshata | ||
| The term 'tshata' may also refer to a traditional Xhosa wedding ceremony or the process of paying lobola (bride price). | |||
| Yoruba | fẹ | ||
| Though 'fẹ' means 'to marry', in an extended sense it can be used to mean 'to take possession of', 'to obtain', or 'to seize'. | |||
| Zulu | shada | ||
| Shada is a term used in Zulu traditional ceremonies, particularly for the marriage of a chief's son. | |||
| Bambara | furu | ||
| Ewe | ɖe srɔ̃ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kurongora | ||
| Lingala | kobala | ||
| Luganda | okufumbirwa | ||
| Sepedi | nyala | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ware | ||
Marry in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الزواج | ||
| The word "الزواج" (marry) also means "to join together" or "to unite." | |||
| Hebrew | לְהִתְחַתֵן | ||
| "לְהִתְחַתֵן" is related to the Hebrew word for "beginning", hinting at the notion of embarking on a new stage in life. | |||
| Pashto | واده کول | ||
| "Wade kool" also literally means "to take someone into one's house", as in to take them in as a spouse." | |||
| Arabic | الزواج | ||
| The word "الزواج" (marry) also means "to join together" or "to unite." | |||
Marry in Western European Languages
| Albanian | martohem | ||
| The word "martohem" also means "to become one" or "to unite" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | ezkondu | ||
| Although it does not seem to be related etymologically, the verb “ezkondu” means “to marry” in Basque, and “egondu” (the gerund of “egon”, “to be”) means “to stay”, that is, not to go away. | |||
| Catalan | casar-se | ||
| In Catalan, "casar-se" is derived from the Latin "casus" (case) and originally meant "to take on a case or responsibility," including marriage. | |||
| Croatian | udati se | ||
| The root of the word 'udati se' is 'uda', which means 'daughter-in-law' or 'bride'. | |||
| Danish | gifte | ||
| The word "gifte" in Danish comes from the Old Norse word "gifta," which means "to give" or "to bestow." | |||
| Dutch | trouwen | ||
| The Dutch word "trouwen" comes from the Old Dutch word "trûwian," meaning "to trust" or "to be faithful." | |||
| English | marry | ||
| Outside of a marital context, "to marry" can also mean "to join together" or "to combine". | |||
| French | marier | ||
| "Marier," meaning "to marry" in French, derives from an Indo-European root meaning "to grind" or "to crush," alluding to the traditional role of women in preparing flour. | |||
| Frisian | trouwe | ||
| The Frisian word "trouwe" is also used to refer to a marriage ceremony or a wedding feast. | |||
| Galician | casar | ||
| In Galician, "casar" derives from Latin "casare" (to live together) and also means "to settle down" and "to tame". | |||
| German | heiraten | ||
| The word "heiraten" also denotes legal or symbolic unions in a non-romantic context. | |||
| Icelandic | giftast | ||
| The word "giftast" is derived from the Old Norse word "gifta," which means "to give in marriage" or "to be given in marriage." | |||
| Irish | pósadh | ||
| The Irish word 'pósadh' not only means 'marry' but also means 'to take possession of' or 'to obtain' something. | |||
| Italian | sposare | ||
| "Sposare" derives from the Latin word "spondere," meaning "to promise". | |||
| Luxembourgish | bestueden | ||
| The word "bestueden" in Luxembourgish is derived from the Old High German word "bistuon", meaning "to bestow". | |||
| Maltese | tiżżewweġ | ||
| The Maltese word “tiżżewweġ” can also be used to refer to the act of getting married in a religious ceremony. | |||
| Norwegian | gifte seg | ||
| In Old Norse, "gifte" meant "give" and "seg" meant "oneself," so "gifte seg" originally meant "to give oneself or be given to someone." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | casar | ||
| Casar originally meant "to fit two things together"", implying more than just the idea of marrying. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | pòsadh | ||
| The word "pòsadh" in Scots Gaelic also refers to "marriage", "settlement", or "establishment." | |||
| Spanish | casar | ||
| In Spanish, "casar" also means "to get a job" or "to build a house", all three meanings rooted in the Latin "casa" (house). | |||
| Swedish | gifta sig | ||
| The Swedish word "gifta sig" also connotes a notion of "giving" and is derived from the old Norse term "gefa, | |||
| Welsh | priodi | ||
| The word "priodi" can also refer to the act of pairing or linking together. | |||
Marry in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | ажаніцца | ||
| The word "ажаніцца" in Belarusian is derived from a Proto-Slavic root meaning "to join together" or "to unite". | |||
| Bosnian | udati se | ||
| "Udati se" in Bosnian is also used in the context of a woman giving birth or a tree being planted. | |||
| Bulgarian | ожени се | ||
| The word "ожени се" comes from the Old Slavic word "оженити", meaning "to take a wife". | |||
| Czech | vdávat se | ||
| "Vdávati se" comes from "dáti", which means "to give" or "to bestow" in English, and the suffix "-ti". Therefore, it conveys a sense of "handing" someone in marriage. | |||
| Estonian | abielluma | ||
| The word "abielluma" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "*abiline", meaning "to come together" or "to unite". | |||
| Finnish | naida | ||
| The Finnish word "naida" is derived from the Proto-Uralic word meaning "to take (a woman) as one's wife". | |||
| Hungarian | feleségül vesz | ||
| Latvian | apprecēties | ||
| The noun form "apprecēšana" also exists and means either a wedding ceremony or a marriage in general | |||
| Lithuanian | vesti | ||
| The word "vesti" also means "to clothe" or "to cover" in Lithuanian, likely stemming from the Proto-Indo-European root *wes- "to put on, to wear". | |||
| Macedonian | ожени се | ||
| The word "ожени се" is cognate with the Russian verb "жениться", which originally referred to a man taking a wife, but in modern Russian is also used for women getting married. | |||
| Polish | ożenić | ||
| The Polish verb 'ożenić' is cognate with the Czech verb 'ženit', both of which ultimately derive from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵenh₁- ('wife; marry'). | |||
| Romanian | căsătoriți-vă | ||
| The word "căsători" derives from the Latin "casare", meaning "to build a house". | |||
| Russian | выйти замуж | ||
| The verb "выйти замуж" (to marry) literally means "to go out behind" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | удати се | ||
| The verb 'удати се' originates from the word 'удадба', which means 'fate' or 'destiny'. In some cases, it can also refer to the act of 'giving a daughter in marriage' rather than the marriage itself. | |||
| Slovak | oženiť sa | ||
| The word "oženiť sa" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *ženъ, meaning "woman" or "wife", and the suffix -iť, meaning "to make". | |||
| Slovenian | poročiti se | ||
| The word "poročiti se" in Slovenian can also mean "to become related by marriage" or "to enter into a covenant or agreement". | |||
| Ukrainian | одружитися | ||
| The word "одружитися" also means "to unite" or "to join." | |||
Marry in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিবাহ করা | ||
| The word "বিবাহ করা" ("marry") comes from the Sanskrit root "vivāh", meaning "to enter into a contract". | |||
| Gujarati | લગ્ન | ||
| The word "લગ્ન" can also refer to a specific Hindu marriage ceremony, or to the state of being married. | |||
| Hindi | शादी कर | ||
| The word "शादी कर" (marry) is derived from the Persian word "shadi", meaning "happiness" or "joy". | |||
| Kannada | ಮದುವೆಯಾಗು | ||
| The word "ಮದುವೆಯಾಗು" also means "to become husband and wife" and "to unite in marriage" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | വിവാഹം | ||
| In Malayalam, “വിവാഹം” can mean both "to marry" and "wedding". | |||
| Marathi | लग्न करा | ||
| "लग्न करा" also means to "unite" or "join" in Marathi, showcasing its broader semantic scope beyond matrimony. | |||
| Nepali | विवाह | ||
| Sorry about that! Here's a valid JSON object: {"text": "The word "विवाह" derives from the Sanskrit root "vivāha," meaning both "marriage" and "coming together."} | |||
| Punjabi | ਵਿਆਹ | ||
| The word "ਵਿਆਹ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "vivaha", which means "to marry" or "to unite". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | විවාහ වන්න | ||
| Tamil | திருமணம் | ||
| The word "திருமணம்" is derived from the Sanskrit word "त्रियोमणं" (tryomanam), meaning "the uniting of three principles", referring to the bride, groom, and sacred fire. | |||
| Telugu | వివాహం | ||
| The Telugu word "వివాహం" also refers to a specific ceremony, typically involving a priest and family members, that marks the start of a marriage. | |||
| Urdu | شادی | ||
| In Urdu, "شادی" (marry) also means joy, delight, rejoicing, mirth, happiness, pleasure, cheer, and gladness. | |||
Marry in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 结婚 | ||
| The word "结婚" is derived from the Chinese characters "结" (to tie) and "婚" (marriage), symbolizing the joining of two people in matrimony. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 結婚 | ||
| 結婚, literally translated as "two trees growing together" in Chinese, is also used to refer to marriages involving two people of the same sex. | |||
| Japanese | 結婚する | ||
| The word 結婚する literally means “to become a house together” in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 얻다 | ||
| The word '얻다' also means to 'gain' or 'acquire' something, and is related to the word '얻음' ('gain' or 'acquisition'). | |||
| Mongolian | гэрлэх | ||
| The word "гэрлэх" is the Mongolian word for "marry" which means "to establish a home". It is likely related to the word "гэр" meaning "house" or "home". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | လက်ထပ်ထိမ်းမြား | ||
Marry in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | nikah | ||
| "Nikah" is also used to describe marriage under Islamic law. | |||
| Javanese | omah-omah | ||
| The Javanese word "omah-omah" also means "home" and is related to the Sanskrit word "grama" meaning "village". | |||
| Khmer | រៀបការ | ||
| The word "រៀបការ" can also mean "to arrange" or "to put in order". | |||
| Lao | ແຕ່ງງານ | ||
| Malay | kahwin | ||
| The word 'kahwin' is derived from the Arabic word 'kafwin', which means 'a pair' or 'a match'. | |||
| Thai | แต่งงาน | ||
| The word "แต่งงาน" can also mean "to be ordained as a monk" | |||
| Vietnamese | kết hôn | ||
| The word "kết hôn" literally means "to form a bond" or "to establish a connection" in Vietnamese | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | magpakasal | ||
Marry in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | evlənmək | ||
| The word "evlənmək" is derived from the word "ev" (house) and means "to establish a house". | |||
| Kazakh | үйлену | ||
| The word “үйлену” (marry) originates from the Old Turkic word “üi” (house), implying the establishment of a new household. | |||
| Kyrgyz | үйлөнүү | ||
| The word "үйлөнүү" can also mean "to have a family" or "to establish a household". | |||
| Tajik | хонадор шудан | ||
| The Tajik word "хонадор шудан" is derived from the Persian word "khoda vand", meaning "owner of a house" or "husband". | |||
| Turkmen | öýlenmek | ||
| Uzbek | uylanmoq | ||
| Uylanmoq comes from the word uy (home) and it also means to become settled in life. | |||
| Uyghur | توي قىلىڭ | ||
Marry in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | male | ||
| In Hawaiian, the word “male” also means “to be in a partnership. | |||
| Maori | marena | ||
| The Maori word “marena” also means “to die” or “to perish” and is related to the underworld and supernatural forces. | |||
| Samoan | faaipoipo | ||
| The Samoan word "faaipoipo" also means "to join together" or "to unite". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | magpakasal kayo | ||
| In Tagalog, the word "magpakasal kayo" can also mean "to get married" or "to have a wedding ceremony." | |||
Marry in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jaqichasiña | ||
| Guarani | omenda rehe | ||
Marry in International Languages
| Esperanto | edziĝi | ||
| "Edziĝi" is a compound of "edz" (husband) and "iĝi" (to become). | |||
| Latin | nubere | ||
| In Latin, "nubere" can refer to both marrying as a man or woman, while in English we have the distinct words "marry" and "wed." | |||
Marry in Others Languages
| Greek | παντρεύω | ||
| "παντρεύω" is derived from "παν" (all) and "τράω" (pull), suggesting uniting two entities into a whole. | |||
| Hmong | sib yuav | ||
| "Sib yuav" also means "to start a new life/family/future together" | |||
| Kurdish | zewicîn | ||
| The word "zewicîn" in Kurdish is derived from the Old Iranian word "*jīv-," meaning "to live" or "to be alive." | |||
| Turkish | evlenmek | ||
| The word "evlenmek" originates from the Turkic word "ev" meaning "house" and the suffix "-len" meaning "to become" or "to make". | |||
| Xhosa | tshata | ||
| The term 'tshata' may also refer to a traditional Xhosa wedding ceremony or the process of paying lobola (bride price). | |||
| Yiddish | חתונה האבן | ||
| The Yiddish word "חתונה האבן" literally translates to "wedding of the stone" and refers to the ancient Jewish tradition of marriage under a chuppah (wedding canopy) symbolized by a stone. | |||
| Zulu | shada | ||
| Shada is a term used in Zulu traditional ceremonies, particularly for the marriage of a chief's son. | |||
| Assamese | বিয়া কৰ | ||
| Aymara | jaqichasiña | ||
| Bhojpuri | बियाह कर लीं | ||
| Dhivehi | ކައިވެނި ކުރާށެވެ | ||
| Dogri | शादी कर दे | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | magpakasal | ||
| Guarani | omenda rehe | ||
| Ilocano | makiasawa | ||
| Krio | mared | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هاوسەرگیری | ||
| Maithili | विवाह करब | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯨꯍꯣꯡꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | nupui pasal nei rawh | ||
| Oromo | fuudhu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବିବାହ କର | ||
| Quechua | casarakuy | ||
| Sanskrit | विवाहं करोति | ||
| Tatar | өйләнеш | ||
| Tigrinya | ተመርዓዉ | ||
| Tsonga | tekana | ||