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
| Afrikaans | moet | ||
| The Afrikaans word "moet" can also mean "to have to, must, ought to, need to". | |||
| Amharic | አለበት | ||
| 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". | |||
| Hausa | dole ne | ||
| The word "dole ne" can either mean "must" or "is compulsory" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | ga-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." | |||
| Malagasy | dia 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. | |||
| Shona | unofanira | ||
| The word "unofanira" in Shona can also mean "it is your duty" or "it is your obligation." | |||
| Somali | waa in | ||
| "Waa in" also means "it is" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | tlameha | ||
| Tlameha is also used to indicate a need or obligation, and can be translated as "must" or "should". | |||
| Swahili | lazima | ||
| The word "lazima" in Swahili was originally used to mean "debt", and it still carries this meaning in some contexts. | |||
| Xhosa | kufuneka | ||
| In Xhosa, the word "kufuneka" also means "to be necessary" or "to be required." | |||
| Yoruba | gbọdọ | ||
| The word "gbọdọ" in Yoruba can also mean "the need", a "requirement", or a "responsibility". | |||
| Zulu | kumele | ||
| Zulu 'kumele' is derived from the word 'umele', meaning 'to be compelled' or 'to be obliged'. | |||
| Bambara | kan | ||
| Ewe | dze be | ||
| Kinyarwanda | igomba | ||
| Lingala | esengeli | ||
| Luganda | okuteekwa | ||
| Sepedi | swanetše | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɛwɔ sɛ | ||
Must in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | يجب | ||
| The Arabic word "يجب" also means "it is necessary" or "it is obligatory." | |||
| Hebrew | צריך | ||
| The Hebrew word "צריך" (tsakrich) can also mean "to require," "to have to," or "to need." | |||
| Pashto | باید | ||
| Pashto "باید" is a present imperfect verb that may also correspond to "may" in English, not only "must." | |||
| Arabic | يجب | ||
| The Arabic word "يجب" also means "it is necessary" or "it is obligatory." | |||
Must in Western European Languages
| Albanian | duhet | ||
| The word derives from the Proto-Indo-European "*dʰewbʰ-" which also means to run. | |||
| Basque | behar | ||
| The word 'behar' can also mean 'need' or 'lack' in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | haver de | ||
| The word 'haver de' ('must') in Catalan originates from Latin 'habere de' meaning 'have necessity' | |||
| Croatian | mora | ||
| The Croatian word "mora" can also mean "nightmare" or "hag". | |||
| Danish | skal | ||
| 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. | |||
| Dutch | moet | ||
| The Dutch word "moet" can also mean "courage" or "bravery". | |||
| English | must | ||
| In Middle English, "must" was used to describe new wine as a "new beverage that foams or ferments" | |||
| French | doit | ||
| The word "doit" in French comes from the Latin word "debere", which means "to owe" or "to be under an obligation". | |||
| Frisian | moatte | ||
| The word "moatte" can also mean "may" or "should" in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | debe | ||
| The Galician word "debe" comes from medieval Latin "debere" with the meanings "owe" and "have to do" | |||
| German | muss | ||
| 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". | |||
| Icelandic | verður | ||
| The Icelandic word "verður" originally meant "to become" but has since taken on the meaning of "must". | |||
| Irish | ní mór | ||
| Ní mór also means 'not great' or 'not much'. | |||
| Italian | dovere | ||
| "Dovere" comes from Latin "debere" meaning "to owe", implying an obligation or duty to perform an action. | |||
| Luxembourgish | mussen | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "mussen" is derived from the Old High German "muoz", meaning "to have to" or "to be obliged to". | |||
| Maltese | għandu | ||
| The word 'għandu' can also mean 'it's his' or 'it's hers' in Maltese. | |||
| Norwegian | må | ||
| 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 Gaelic | feumaidh | ||
| The word "feumaidh" can also mean "necessary" or "obliged" in Scots Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | debe | ||
| The word "debe" also means "he owes" or "she owes" in Spanish, sharing its etymology with the Latin verb "debēre" (to owe). | |||
| Swedish | måste | ||
| 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). | |||
| Welsh | rhaid | ||
| 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
| Belarusian | мусіць | ||
| The word "мусіць" can mean "to have to" or "to be obliged to" in the literary style. | |||
| Bosnian | mora | ||
| The word "mora" in Bosnian is also used to refer to a small pause or resting point in music. | |||
| Bulgarian | трябва да | ||
| The phrase "трябва да" derives from the Old Church Slavonic "трѣбовати", meaning "to be necessary". | |||
| Czech | musí | ||
| The word "musí" comes from the Old Czech word "muoseti", which means "to have to" or "to be necessary". | |||
| Estonian | peab | ||
| "Peab" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "päδä-, which also meant "to be obliged" and "to have to." | |||
| Finnish | on pakko | ||
| "Pakko" also means "package" in Finnish, derived from the Swedish word "pack". | |||
| Hungarian | kell | ||
| The word "kell" is also used as a noun meaning "necessity" or "obligation". | |||
| Latvian | jābūt | ||
| The word "jābūt" can also mean "must be" or "should be". | |||
| Lithuanian | turi | ||
| "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." | |||
| Macedonian | мора | ||
| The Macedonian word "мора" can also be used to refer to night terrors, nightmares, or sleep paralysis. | |||
| Polish | musieć | ||
| The word "musieć" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*musití", meaning "to be forced or compelled". | |||
| Romanian | trebuie sa | ||
| In Romanian, the word "trebuie sa" can mean either "must" or "have to" | |||
| Russian | должен | ||
| The word "должен" has Slavic roots shared with words meaning "debt" in many European languages. | |||
| Serbian | мора | ||
| The word "мора" can also refer to a type of female vampire in Slavic folklore. | |||
| Slovak | musieť | ||
| The word "musieť" in Slovak also means "to be capable of". | |||
| Slovenian | mora | ||
| The Slovenian word "mora" (meaning "must") is also related to the verb "moriti" (meaning "to kill") and the noun "mor" (meaning "death"). | |||
| Ukrainian | повинен | ||
| The word "повинен" in Ukrainian can also mean "responsible" or "culpable". | |||
Must in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অবশ্যই | ||
| The word "অবশ্যই" is derived from the Sanskrit word "अवश्यम्", meaning "without fail". It can also imply "inevitably" or "unfailingly". | |||
| Gujarati | જ 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. | |||
| Hindi | जरूर | ||
| The word "जरूर" (must) in Hindi can also mean "certainly" or "definitely". | |||
| Kannada | ಮಾಡಬೇಕು | ||
| The word "ಮಾಡಬೇಕು" in Kannada can also mean "should" or "have to". | |||
| Malayalam | നിർബന്ധമായും | ||
| Marathi | हे 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. | |||
| Nepali | पर्छ | ||
| पर्छ's alternate meaning as "sufficient" might've stemmed from its Sanskrit origin (पर्याप्त), conveying abundance and adequacy. | |||
| Punjabi | ਲਾਜ਼ਮੀ ਹੈ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අනිවාර්යයෙන්ම | ||
| Tamil | வேண்டும் | ||
| The Tamil word "வேண்டும்" can also mean "to desire" or "to need," and is often used in the sense of obligation or necessity. | |||
| Telugu | తప్పక | ||
| In Telugu, "తప్పక" also means "without fail" or "certainly." | |||
| Urdu | لازمی | ||
| 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. | |||
| Korean | 절대로 필요한 것 | ||
| Mongolian | ёстой | ||
| 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
| Indonesian | harus | ||
| 'Harus' is also used as a response to a call, similar to 'hello' or 'yes.' | |||
| Javanese | kudu | ||
| The word "kudu" in Javanese also has a connotation of necessity or obligation. | |||
| Khmer | ត្រូវតែ | ||
| The word "ត្រូវតែ" can also mean "should" or "ought to" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ຕ້ອງ | ||
| In Lao, 'ຕ້ອງ' can also refer to 'obligated', 'determined' or 'inevitable'. | |||
| Malay | mesti | ||
| "Mesti" is an old-fashioned Malay spelling variant for the word "mesti", which is also the word for "certainly" in Indonesian. | |||
| Thai | ต้อง | ||
| Originally a loanword from Sanskrit that meant "a pillar", but now used exclusively to mean "have to" | |||
| Vietnamese | phải | ||
| 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
| Azerbaijani | olmalıdır | ||
| The word "olmalıdır" is derived from the verb "olmaq" (to be) and the suffix "-malıdır" (indicating necessity). | |||
| Kazakh | керек | ||
| The word "керек" in Kazakh, meaning "must," also has connotations of "need" and "necessity." | |||
| Kyrgyz | керек | ||
| The verb "керек" can also mean "need" or "require" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | бояд | ||
| In Persian and Tajiki, this verb also has an alternate meaning: to kiss. | |||
| Turkmen | hökman | ||
| Uzbek | kerak | ||
| The Uzbek word "kerak" also has a figurative meaning, referring to the necessity or importance of something. | |||
| Uyghur | چوقۇم | ||
Must in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pono | ||
| The Hawaiian word "pono" can also mean "righteousness" or "correctness". | |||
| Maori | me | ||
| In Maori, "me" also carries the connotation of "being required" or "something necessary to be done". | |||
| Samoan | tatau | ||
| 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
| Aymara | manuwa | ||
| Guarani | hembiapo | ||
Must in International Languages
| Esperanto | devas | ||
| The Esperanto word "devas" can also mean "needs to", "has to", or "is necessary." | |||
| Latin | oportebit | ||
| "Oportebit" in Latin also denotes a type of Roman garment, a long, sleeveless tunic worn by women. | |||
Must in Others Languages
| Greek | πρέπει | ||
| The Greek word "πρέπει" can also mean "it is appropriate" or "it is fitting. | |||
| Hmong | yuav tsum | ||
| The word "yuav tsum" can also mean "obligated" or "mandatory" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | mecbûrmayin | ||
| Mebcûrmayin derives from the Arabic word 'majbur', which also means 'obligation', and shares a similar root with the Kurdish word 'mecbûr' for 'forced'. | |||
| Turkish | zorunlu | ||
| "Zorunlu" derives from "zor" (force), and can also mean "difficult" or "compulsory." | |||
| Xhosa | kufuneka | ||
| In Xhosa, the word "kufuneka" also means "to be necessary" or "to be required." | |||
| Yiddish | מוז | ||
| The Yiddish word "מוז" can also be a noun in Hebrew, meaning "a museum". | |||
| Zulu | kumele | ||
| Zulu 'kumele' is derived from the word 'umele', meaning 'to be compelled' or 'to be obliged'. | |||
| Assamese | অৱশ্যেই | ||
| Aymara | manuwa | ||
| Bhojpuri | जरूर | ||
| Dhivehi | މަޖުބޫރު | ||
| Dogri | जरूर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | dapat | ||
| Guarani | hembiapo | ||
| Ilocano | kasapulan | ||
| Krio | mɔs | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پێویستە | ||
| Maithili | आवश्यक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯣꯏꯗꯅ ꯑꯣꯏꯒꯗꯕ | ||
| Mizo | ngei | ||
| Oromo | dirqama | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ନିଶ୍ଚୟ | | ||
| Quechua | mañakuy | ||
| Sanskrit | अवश्यम् | ||
| Tatar | булырга тиеш | ||
| Tigrinya | ግድን | ||
| Tsonga | fanele | ||