Necessary in different languages

Necessary in Different Languages

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

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'necessary' is a fundamental part of our vocabulary, denoting something that is required or indispensable. Its significance extends beyond mere semantics, as it speaks to the very core of our decision-making process. To deem something necessary implies a prioritization of resources and values, a crucial skill in both personal and professional settings. Moreover, the concept of necessity has played a pivotal role in shaping human history, from the industrial revolution to the digital age, where new 'necessities' continue to emerge.

Given the cultural importance of the word 'necessary', it's no surprise that many languages have their own unique translations. For instance, in Spanish, 'necessary' translates to 'necesario', while in French it becomes 'nécessaire'. In German, the word is 'notwendig', and in Japanese, it's '必要な'. These translations not only reflect linguistic diversity but also offer a glimpse into different cultural perspectives on what constitutes a necessity.

Stay tuned as we delve deeper into the translations of 'necessary' in various languages, providing you with a global perspective on this fundamental concept.

Necessary


Necessary in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansnodig
The Afrikaans word "nodig" comes from the Dutch word "nodig" which has the same meaning but also means "need" and "want".
Amharicአስፈላጊ
The word "አስፈላጊ" (asfelagi) is derived from the root "ፈላ" (fela), which means "to move" or "to change".
Hausazama dole
There is no alternative meaning for "Zama dole" in Hausa, and its etymology is not recorded.
Igbodị mkpa
The Igbo word 'dị mkpa' (necessary) is etymologically related to 'mkpa' (need or importance), indicating that something is both needful and important.
Malagasyilaina
The word "ilaina" can also mean "obligation" or "duty" in Malagasy.
Nyanja (Chichewa)zofunikira
Zofunikira can also mean "important" or "obligatory."
Shonazvakafanira
"Zvakafanira" can also mean "obligatory" or "it is befitting."
Somalilagama maarmaan
Sesothohlokahala
Swahililazima
"Lazima" derives from the Arabic word "laazim" (لزوم), meaning "necessary" or "compulsory."
Xhosaiyimfuneko
The word iyimfuneko comes from the Xhosa root verb 'funda,' meaning to learn, which is also the root of the word for 'school', 'isikolo,' and 'education', 'emfundo.'
Yorubapataki
Pataki in Yoruba can also mean 'obliged' or 'required' when used in certain contexts.
Zulukudingekile
The word 'kudingekile' can also be used to refer to an essential or crucial element or action.
Bambarakan
Ewehiã
Kinyarwandangombwa
Lingalantina
Luganda-ya mugaso
Sepedihlokega
Twi (Akan)ɛhia

Necessary in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicضروري
The Arabic word "ضروري" also means "urgent" or "important".
Hebrewנחוץ
The Hebrew word "נחוץ" (necessary) comes from the root word "חץ" (arrow), indicating a pointed object or an imperative need.
Pashtoاړین
The word "اړین" can also refer to something that is essential or indispensable.
Arabicضروري
The Arabic word "ضروري" also means "urgent" or "important".

Necessary in Western European Languages

Albaniane nevojshme
The word "e nevojshme" in Albanian comes from the Latin word "necesse" and also means "need".
Basquebeharrezkoa
The word "beharrezkoa" also means "inevitable" or "obligatory" in Basque.
Catalannecessari
The word "necessari" in Catalan, derived from Latin "necessarius," can also mean "close friend" or "spouse"
Croatianpotrebno
"Potrebno" is also used with the meaning "poor" (in the financial sense) or "needy" in the Croatian language and is derived from a Slavic root.
Danishnødvendig
The Danish word "nødvendig" is derived from the Old Norse word "nauðsyn", meaning "need".
Dutchnoodzakelijk
The word "noodzakelijk" is derived from the Middle Dutch "noet" (need) and "zakelijk" (relating to a matter).
Englishnecessary
The word "necessary" comes from the Latin "necessarius," meaning "impossible to do without."
Frenchnécessaire
Nécessaire can also mean "makeup kit", "toilet bag" (when it is masculine)
Frisianneedsaaklik
"Needsaaklik" comes from the Old Frisian words "nēdsaaklik" or "nēdseklik" and "nēd" meaning compulsion, constraint or necessity.
Galiciannecesario
In Galician, "necesario" can also mean "toilet", deriving from Latin "necessarium"
Germannotwendig
"Notwendig" also means "inevitable" or "unavoidable" in German.
Icelandicnauðsynlegt
The word "nauðsynlegt" is derived from the Old Norse word "nauðsyn," which means "necessity, need, or compulsion."
Irishriachtanach
Although 'riachtanach' is used most often in Irish to mean 'necessary', the word itself more literally translates to 'coming to an end', 'reaching conclusion'.
Italiannecessario
The Italian word "necessario" comes from the Latin "necesse," meaning "compulsory" or "inevitable," and can also refer to a privy or toilet.
Luxembourgishnoutwendeg
The word "noutwendeg" comes from the Middle High German word "notdürftig", which means "poor" or "needy".
Maltesemeħtieġ
From a Semitic root meaning 'to make poor', also the origin of 'muħħ' (brain)
Norwegiannødvendig
The Norwegian word "nødvendig" is ultimately derived from the Latin word "necessitas," meaning "constraint".
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)necessário
In Portuguese “necessário” also means "toilet". Both meanings come from Latin "necessarius", meaning something that can't be avoided.
Scots Gaelicriatanach
In the older forms of the word 'riatanach' its first syllable was pronounced "ri" as opposed to today's "re". "Ri" is an older form of "ro", as in "ro-fheudar", or "must".
Spanishnecesario
"Necesario" derives from the Latin "necessarius," meaning "essential" or "indispensable."
Swedishnödvändig
While "nödvändig" shares its origin with English "need", it can also mean "sufficient" in Swedish.
Welshangenrheidiol
"Angenrheidiol" is ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*h₃enǵʰ-", meaning "to bind".

Necessary in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianнеабходна
The word "неабходна" shares its etymology with the Latin word "necesse" and can also mean "needful" or "essential".
Bosnianpotrebno
Potrebno is also used to express a need or desire for something, similar to the English word 'needful'.
Bulgarianнеобходимо
Bulgarian "необходимо" derives from the Proto-Slavic word *nędьtь meaning "lack" and has secondary meanings such as "misfortune" and "distress".
Czechnutné
The Czech word "nutné" is related to "need" (i.e. having to do something), but has the additional meaning "essential" (i.e. being important).
Estonianvajalik
The Estonian word "vajalik" originated from the Proto-Finnic word "wačali" which means "lacking"
Finnishtarpeen
While 'tarpeen' has cognates in other Uralic languages, the Finnish word is distinct in its meaning as 'necessary'.
Hungarianszükséges
"Szükséges" is an old Hungarian word, with its root in Turkish.
Latviannepieciešams
The Latvian term "nepieciešams" shares similarities with other Indo-European words, with possible roots traced back to "necesse" from Latin or "deik-" in Proto-Indo-European, both implying constraints or obligations.
Lithuanianbūtina
The word "būtina" may also refer to a "compulsory subject".
Macedonianнеопходни
The word "неопходни" is derived from the Greek word "ανάγκη", meaning "necessity" or "need". It can also mean "essential", "indispensable", or "requisite".
Polishniezbędny
The word "niezbędny" also means "impossible" in Polish, derived from the negation of "być" (to be) and the word "zbędny" (disposable).
Romaniannecesar
The Romanian word 'necesar' originates from Latin 'necesse' meaning 'fateful'.
Russianнеобходимо
The word «необходимо» comes from the Old Church Slavonic word «нєобходимъ», which means «forced, inevitable».
Serbianнеопходно
"Неопходно" (neohodno) comes from the Proto-Slavic *nędъ, meaning "poverty", "want", or "need". It is related to the Russian надо (nado), meaning "must" or "should" and the Polish niedostatek (niedostatek), meaning "lack" or "deficiency."
Slovaknevyhnutné
The word "nevyhnutné" in Slovak is cognate with the Russian word "неизбежный", meaning "inevitable".
Slovenianpotrebno
The word "potrebno" in Slovenian likely derives from the Slavic root "potrebъ", meaning "need" or "requirement."
Ukrainianнеобхідний
"Необхідний" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*potreba (*need)", which also gave rise to the Russian word "нужда" (*need). In the Ukrainian language, "необхідний" has acquired the additional meaning of "urgent" or "indispensable".

Necessary in South Asian Languages

Bengaliপ্রয়োজনীয়
The word "প্রয়োজনীয়" is derived from the Sanskrit word "प्रयोजन" (prayojana), which means "purpose" or "need."
Gujaratiજરૂરી
Hindiज़रूरी
The word "ज़रूरी" is derived from the Persian word "zorori", meaning "essential".
Kannadaಅಗತ್ಯ
Alternate meanings of "ಅಗತ್ಯ" include "obligation" and "need", while it derives from Sanskrit "आगत्य" (āgatya), meaning "arrival" or "coming."
Malayalamആവശ്യമാണ്
Marathiआवश्यक
The word "आवश्यक" is an adjective derived from the word "आवश्य", which means "need, want, or requirement" in Sanskrit, and has the same meaning in Marathi.
Nepaliआवश्यक
"आवश्यक" can also mean 'required', 'requisite', or 'essential'.
Punjabiਜ਼ਰੂਰੀ
Sinhala (Sinhalese)අවශ්‍යයි
The word "අවශ්‍යයි" (avashyayi) in Sinhala is derived from the Sanskrit word "आवश्यक" (āvashyaka), which means "essential" or "indispensable."
Tamilஅவசியம்
Teluguఅవసరం
The word "అవసరం" (avasaaram) in Telugu derives from the Sanskrit word "आवश्यक" (aavashyak), meaning "needful" or "requisite".
Urduضروری
ضروری comes from Arabic ضرور meaning 'essential, indispensable' and has alternate meanings of 'urgent' in Hindi and 'must' in Bengali.

Necessary in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)必要
"必要(bixu)" also means "indispensable" in Chinese.
Chinese (Traditional)必要
"必要" is the traditional Chinese form of the simplified "必须"
Japanese必要
"必要" originated from the Chinese word "必用", which means "what must be used".
Korean필요한
필요한 is also a compound word formed from '필(必)' meaning 'surely' and '요(要)' meaning 'necessity'.
Mongolianшаардлагатай
The word "шаардлагатай" originally meant "obligatory" or "compulsory". Nowadays, it is used to mean "necessary" in a more general sense.
Myanmar (Burmese)လိုအပ်သော

Necessary in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianperlu
The word "perlu" in Indonesian also carries the meaning of "to need", as in "Saya perlu uang" ("I need money").
Javaneseprelu
The word "prelu" can also mean "essential" or "fundamental".
Khmerចាំបាច់
Laoມີຄວາມ ຈຳ ເປັນ
Malayperlu
"Perlu" stems from the Proto-Austronesian word "*pəlu", which means "to need" or "to be required."
Thaiจำเป็น
จำเป็น (จำ - เป็น) - จดจำไว้เป็นสิ่งจำเป็น (necessary)
Vietnamesecần thiết
Cần thiết derives from the Chinese concept of “necessity,” and it originally meant “urgent” or “pressing.”
Filipino (Tagalog)kailangan

Necessary in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanizəruri
The word “zəruri” is derived from the Arabic word “darura”, which means “essential” or “urgent”.
Kazakhқажетті
The Kazakh word "қажетті" is derived from the Persian word "kārz", meaning "work" or "need".
Kyrgyzзарыл
The word "зарыл" in Kyrgyz, meaning "necessary", also has the connotation of "urgent" or "indispensable".
Tajikзарурӣ
The word "зарурӣ" can also mean "urgent" or "important".
Turkmenzerur
Uzbekzarur
"Zarur" has the same root with the word "zarurat" which means "situation of helplessness".
Uyghurزۆرۈر

Necessary in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianpono
"Pono" also means righteous, proper, fitting, or correct in Hawaiian.
Maoritika
'Tika' in Maori can also refer to a sacred mark or symbol on the forehead or face.
Samoantalafeagai
In Samoan, "talafeagai" originally meant "to meet a need".
Tagalog (Filipino)kailangan
"Kailangan" is the Tagalog word for "necessary," a word which also means "need," "requirement," and "demand."

Necessary in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarawakiskiri
Guaranioñeikotevẽva

Necessary in International Languages

Esperantonecesa
Esperanto's "necesa" comes from Latin "necesse" which can also mean "fateful, unavoidable, destined, inevitable," and shares a root with "nexus."
Latinnecesse
Nec esse is a Latin phrase that literally means 'it is not possible to not',

Necessary in Others Languages

Greekαπαραίτητη
"Απαραίτητη" means "indispensable" in Greek, ultimately deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root *par- "to pass through".
Hmongtsim nyog
The Hmong word for necessary, "tsim nyog," also means "must" or "have to."
Kurdishpêwist
The word "pêwist" in Kurdish has a wider meaning than its common English translation, "necessary". It can also refer to something that is obligatory, unavoidable, or inevitable.
Turkishgerekli
The word "gerekli" is derived from the Arabic word "gerek", meaning "need" or "want".
Xhosaiyimfuneko
The word iyimfuneko comes from the Xhosa root verb 'funda,' meaning to learn, which is also the root of the word for 'school', 'isikolo,' and 'education', 'emfundo.'
Yiddishנויטיק
The Yiddish word נויטיק also means 'distressed' and is related to the German 'nötig' (distressed) and the Old Norse nauðr (distress).
Zulukudingekile
The word 'kudingekile' can also be used to refer to an essential or crucial element or action.
Assameseপ্ৰয়োজনীয়
Aymarawakiskiri
Bhojpuriजरूरी
Dhivehiކޮންމެހެން ބޭނުންވާ
Dogriजरूरी
Filipino (Tagalog)kailangan
Guaranioñeikotevẽva
Ilocanonasken
Krionid
Kurdish (Sorani)پێویست
Maithiliआवश्यकता
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯃꯊꯧ ꯇꯥꯕ
Mizotul
Oromobarbaachisaa
Odia (Oriya)ଆବଶ୍ୟକ
Quechuamanakusqa
Sanskritआवश्यकम्‌
Tatarкирәк
Tigrinyaአድላዩ
Tsongalaveka

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