Must in different languages

Must in Different Languages

Discover 'Must' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'must' is a small but mighty one, expressing necessity, urgency, and importance in our daily lives. Its significance goes beyond grammar, as it reflects cultural values and societal norms across the globe.

For instance, in Spanish, 'must' translates to 'debe/debe de', which is used to convey obligation or advice. In German, it's 'muss', reflecting a firm requirement. In Japanese, 'must' is '必要{ひitsuよう}', emphasizing the importance of a task. In Russian, 'must' is 'должен/должна', indicating duty and responsibility.

Understanding the translation of 'must' in different languages can enhance cross-cultural communication, foster global understanding, and even foster personal growth. Imagine being able to express the urgency of a situation in French ('il faut') or convey a strong recommendation in Italian ('bisogna').

Join us as we explore the many faces of 'must' in a variety of languages, shedding light on the fascinating nuances of cultural expression and linguistic diversity.

Must


Must in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansmoet
The Afrikaans word "moet" can also mean "to have to, must, ought to, need to".
Amharicአለበት
The word "አለበት" in Amharic is often understood as a modal auxiliary to express necessity or obligation, but it can also be used as a possessive form of the verb "to have".
Hausadole ne
The word "dole ne" can either mean "must" or "is compulsory" in Hausa.
Igboga-emerịrị
The Igbo word "ga-emerịrị" means "must" in English, and it is believed to have originated from the phrase "ga na-emerịrị m," which means "it is happening to me."
Malagasydia tsy maintsy
The Malagasy word "dia tsy maintsy" derives from the Proto-Austronesian word *ma-i, which also means "must" or "should" in many other Austronesian languages.
Nyanja (Chichewa)ayenera
"Ayenela" is a more formal Nyanja word for "must," and it often implies necessity or obligation.
Shonaunofanira
The word "unofanira" in Shona can also mean "it is your duty" or "it is your obligation."
Somaliwaa in
"Waa in" also means "it is" in Somali.
Sesothotlameha
Tlameha is also used to indicate a need or obligation, and can be translated as "must" or "should".
Swahililazima
The word "lazima" in Swahili was originally used to mean "debt", and it still carries this meaning in some contexts.
Xhosakufuneka
In Xhosa, the word "kufuneka" also means "to be necessary" or "to be required."
Yorubagbọdọ
The word "gbọdọ" in Yoruba can also mean "the need", a "requirement", or a "responsibility".
Zulukumele
Zulu 'kumele' is derived from the word 'umele', meaning 'to be compelled' or 'to be obliged'.
Bambarakan
Ewedze be
Kinyarwandaigomba
Lingalaesengeli
Lugandaokuteekwa
Sepediswanetše
Twi (Akan)ɛwɔ sɛ

Must in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicيجب
The Arabic word "يجب" also means "it is necessary" or "it is obligatory."
Hebrewצריך
The Hebrew word "צריך" (tsakrich) can also mean "to require," "to have to," or "to need."
Pashtoباید
Pashto "باید" is a present imperfect verb that may also correspond to "may" in English, not only "must."
Arabicيجب
The Arabic word "يجب" also means "it is necessary" or "it is obligatory."

Must in Western European Languages

Albanianduhet
The word derives from the Proto-Indo-European "*dʰewbʰ-" which also means to run.
Basquebehar
The word 'behar' can also mean 'need' or 'lack' in Basque.
Catalanhaver de
The word 'haver de' ('must') in Catalan originates from Latin 'habere de' meaning 'have necessity'
Croatianmora
The Croatian word "mora" can also mean "nightmare" or "hag".
Danishskal
The word "skal" can also mean "to make a toast" and is often used in festive contexts, where people raise their glasses and say "skål" before drinking.
Dutchmoet
The Dutch word "moet" can also mean "courage" or "bravery".
Englishmust
In Middle English, "must" was used to describe new wine as a "new beverage that foams or ferments"
Frenchdoit
The word "doit" in French comes from the Latin word "debere", which means "to owe" or "to be under an obligation".
Frisianmoatte
The word "moatte" can also mean "may" or "should" in Frisian.
Galiciandebe
The Galician word "debe" comes from medieval Latin "debere" with the meanings "owe" and "have to do"
Germanmuss
The word "Muss" in German is derived from the Old High German "muoz" and originally meant "necessity" or "obligation" rather than its current meaning of "must".
Icelandicverður
The Icelandic word "verður" originally meant "to become" but has since taken on the meaning of "must".
Irishní mór
Ní mór also means 'not great' or 'not much'.
Italiandovere
"Dovere" comes from Latin "debere" meaning "to owe", implying an obligation or duty to perform an action.
Luxembourgishmussen
The Luxembourgish word "mussen" is derived from the Old High German "muoz", meaning "to have to" or "to be obliged to".
Maltesegħandu
The word 'għandu' can also mean 'it's his' or 'it's hers' in Maltese.
Norwegian
The word "må", meaning "must", derives from the Old Norse "má", which could also mean "to have time for" or "to be able to afford."
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)devo
Devo, from Latin "debēre," can also mean "to owe" and "to be necessary."
Scots Gaelicfeumaidh
The word "feumaidh" can also mean "necessary" or "obliged" in Scots Gaelic.
Spanishdebe
The word "debe" also means "he owes" or "she owes" in Spanish, sharing its etymology with the Latin verb "debēre" (to owe).
Swedishmåste
In the past, "måste" could also mean "be able to", and related words still retain this meaning in modern Swedish, like "makt" (power) and "förmåga" (ability).
Welshrhaid
This form probably derives from the Middle Welsh word "reid," which originated in the Irish "roid," which can also mean "abundant."

Must in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianмусіць
The word "мусіць" can mean "to have to" or "to be obliged to" in the literary style.
Bosnianmora
The word "mora" in Bosnian is also used to refer to a small pause or resting point in music.
Bulgarianтрябва да
The phrase "трябва да" derives from the Old Church Slavonic "трѣбовати", meaning "to be necessary".
Czechmusí
The word "musí" comes from the Old Czech word "muoseti", which means "to have to" or "to be necessary".
Estonianpeab
"Peab" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "päδä-, which also meant "to be obliged" and "to have to."
Finnishon pakko
"Pakko" also means "package" in Finnish, derived from the Swedish word "pack".
Hungariankell
The word "kell" is also used as a noun meaning "necessity" or "obligation".
Latvianjābūt
The word "jābūt" can also mean "must be" or "should be".
Lithuanianturi
"Turi" may come from the Proto-Indo-European root *tewr, meaning "to give" or "to sacrifice," and is related to the Sanskrit word "dā́ti," meaning "to give."
Macedonianмора
The Macedonian word "мора" can also be used to refer to night terrors, nightmares, or sleep paralysis.
Polishmusieć
The word "musieć" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*musití", meaning "to be forced or compelled".
Romaniantrebuie sa
In Romanian, the word "trebuie sa" can mean either "must" or "have to"
Russianдолжен
The word "должен" has Slavic roots shared with words meaning "debt" in many European languages.
Serbianмора
The word "мора" can also refer to a type of female vampire in Slavic folklore.
Slovakmusieť
The word "musieť" in Slovak also means "to be capable of".
Slovenianmora
The Slovenian word "mora" (meaning "must") is also related to the verb "moriti" (meaning "to kill") and the noun "mor" (meaning "death").
Ukrainianповинен
The word "повинен" in Ukrainian can also mean "responsible" or "culpable".

Must in South Asian Languages

Bengaliঅবশ্যই
The word "অবশ্যই" is derived from the Sanskrit word "अवश्यम्", meaning "without fail". It can also imply "inevitably" or "unfailingly".
Gujaratiજ જોઈએ
The term "જ જોઈએ" is also used to convey a sense of urgency, meaning "urgently requires someone's attention". It signifies a compelling demand for immediate action.
Hindiजरूर
The word "जरूर" (must) in Hindi can also mean "certainly" or "definitely".
Kannadaಮಾಡಬೇಕು
The word "ಮಾಡಬೇಕು" in Kannada can also mean "should" or "have to".
Malayalamനിർബന്ധമായും
Marathiहे केलेच पाहिजे
"हे केलेच पाहिजे" can also mean "it must be done" in Marathi and is commonly used in sentences to express obligation or necessity.
Nepaliपर्छ
पर्छ's alternate meaning as "sufficient" might've stemmed from its Sanskrit origin (पर्याप्त), conveying abundance and adequacy.
Punjabiਲਾਜ਼ਮੀ ਹੈ
Sinhala (Sinhalese)අනිවාර්යයෙන්ම
Tamilவேண்டும்
The Tamil word "வேண்டும்" can also mean "to desire" or "to need," and is often used in the sense of obligation or necessity.
Teluguతప్పక
In Telugu, "తప్పక" also means "without fail" or "certainly."
Urduلازمی
Etymology: From Persian لازم laazim "necessary."

Must in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)必须
The character 须 literally means “whiskers” and was associated with the idea of "following the rules". Thus its use to describe something that is compulsory.
Chinese (Traditional)必須
必須 is derived from 必 ('necessary') and 須 ('need'), emphasizing the crucial and unavoidable nature of something.
Japaneseしなければならない
"しなければならない" (must) was originally used to describe that something was necessary but unpleasant.
Korean절대로 필요한 것
Mongolianёстой
The Mongolian word ёстой (must) may be related to the word ээ (father) and may have once meant "paternal".
Myanmar (Burmese)မဖြစ်မနေ

Must in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianharus
'Harus' is also used as a response to a call, similar to 'hello' or 'yes.'
Javanesekudu
The word "kudu" in Javanese also has a connotation of necessity or obligation.
Khmerត្រូវតែ
The word "ត្រូវតែ" can also mean "should" or "ought to" in Khmer.
Laoຕ້ອງ
In Lao, 'ຕ້ອງ' can also refer to 'obligated', 'determined' or 'inevitable'.
Malaymesti
"Mesti" is an old-fashioned Malay spelling variant for the word "mesti", which is also the word for "certainly" in Indonesian.
Thaiต้อง
Originally a loanword from Sanskrit that meant "a pillar", but now used exclusively to mean "have to"
Vietnamesephải
The word "phải" in Vietnamese is ultimately derived from the Chinese word "必" (bì), meaning "must", "necessary", or "certain".
Filipino (Tagalog)dapat

Must in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniolmalıdır
The word "olmalıdır" is derived from the verb "olmaq" (to be) and the suffix "-malıdır" (indicating necessity).
Kazakhкерек
The word "керек" in Kazakh, meaning "must," also has connotations of "need" and "necessity."
Kyrgyzкерек
The verb "керек" can also mean "need" or "require" in Kyrgyz.
Tajikбояд
In Persian and Tajiki, this verb also has an alternate meaning: to kiss.
Turkmenhökman
Uzbekkerak
The Uzbek word "kerak" also has a figurative meaning, referring to the necessity or importance of something.
Uyghurچوقۇم

Must in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianpono
The Hawaiian word "pono" can also mean "righteousness" or "correctness".
Maorime
In Maori, "me" also carries the connotation of "being required" or "something necessary to be done".
Samoantatau
In Samoan, "tatau" can also refer to a tattoo, a permanent mark or design made on the skin by inserting ink.
Tagalog (Filipino)dapat
Though the Tagalog word "dapat" commonly means "must," it also has an alternate meaning of "appropriate" or "rightful."

Must in American Indigenous Languages

Aymaramanuwa
Guaranihembiapo

Must in International Languages

Esperantodevas
The Esperanto word "devas" can also mean "needs to", "has to", or "is necessary."
Latinoportebit
"Oportebit" in Latin also denotes a type of Roman garment, a long, sleeveless tunic worn by women.

Must in Others Languages

Greekπρέπει
The Greek word "πρέπει" can also mean "it is appropriate" or "it is fitting.
Hmongyuav tsum
The word "yuav tsum" can also mean "obligated" or "mandatory" in Hmong.
Kurdishmecbûrmayin
Mebcûrmayin derives from the Arabic word 'majbur', which also means 'obligation', and shares a similar root with the Kurdish word 'mecbûr' for 'forced'.
Turkishzorunlu
"Zorunlu" derives from "zor" (force), and can also mean "difficult" or "compulsory."
Xhosakufuneka
In Xhosa, the word "kufuneka" also means "to be necessary" or "to be required."
Yiddishמוז
The Yiddish word "מוז" can also be a noun in Hebrew, meaning "a museum".
Zulukumele
Zulu 'kumele' is derived from the word 'umele', meaning 'to be compelled' or 'to be obliged'.
Assameseঅৱশ্যেই
Aymaramanuwa
Bhojpuriजरूर
Dhivehiމަޖުބޫރު
Dogriजरूर
Filipino (Tagalog)dapat
Guaranihembiapo
Ilocanokasapulan
Kriomɔs
Kurdish (Sorani)پێویستە
Maithiliआवश्यक
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯁꯣꯏꯗꯅ ꯑꯣꯏꯒꯗꯕ
Mizongei
Oromodirqama
Odia (Oriya)ନିଶ୍ଚୟ |
Quechuamañakuy
Sanskritअवश्यम्‌
Tatarбулырга тиеш
Tigrinyaግድን
Tsongafanele

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