Obligation in different languages

Obligation in Different Languages

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

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'obligation' carries significant weight in our daily lives, representing the social, moral, and legal duties we are expected to uphold. Its cultural importance is universal, shaping our interactions and relationships with others. Understanding the translation of 'obligation' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the unique perspectives and values of various cultures. For instance, in Spanish, 'obligation' is 'obligación,' reflecting the language's Latin roots. Meanwhile, in Japanese, 'obligation' is 'gimu' (義務), a term that also encompasses the concepts of duty and propriety. Similarly, in German, 'obligation' is 'Verpflichtung' (Ver-pflicht-ung), which literally means 'to bind upon.'

Moreover, the word 'obligation' has a rich historical context. In ancient cultures, obligations were often codified in laws and religious texts, serving as the foundation of social order. Today, the significance of 'obligation' remains, guiding our behavior and shaping our identities. By learning the translations of 'obligation' in different languages, we can deepen our appreciation for the diversity and complexity of human cultures.

Obligation


Obligation in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansverpligting
The Afrikaans word "verpligting" can also refer to a task that must be completed as part of one's job.
Amharicግዴታ
ግዴታ can also mean 'punishment or penalty'
Hausawajibi
'Wajibi' is the Hausa word for obligation, meaning something obligatory.
Igboibu ọrụ
'Ibu' in Igbo can also mean 'to be' or 'to exist' and 'ọrụ' can mean 'work' or 'task,' suggesting an obligation that is inherent or essential.
Malagasyadidy aman'andraikitra
The term "ADIDY AMAN'ANDRAIKITRA" in Malagasy literally translates to "what is binding," emphasizing the sense of duty or constraint associated with an obligation.
Nyanja (Chichewa)udindo
The word "udindo" can also mean "duty" or "responsibility".
Shonachisungo
The word "chisungo" also has the connotation of "respect" or "courtesy" in some contexts.
Somaliwaajibaadka
The word "waajibaadka" in Somali can also refer to a duty or responsibility.
Sesothoboitlamo
The word "boitlamo" is derived from the verb "tlama" (to tie), and it originally referred to the obligation to repay a debt or fulfill a promise.
Swahiliwajibu
The Swahili word 'wajibu' comes from the Arabic word 'wajib', which means 'duty' or 'responsibility'
Xhosauxanduva
"UXanduva" is derived from the Xhosa word "uxandu," meaning "debt" or "liability."
Yorubaọranyan
"Oranyan" is derived from the phrase "Oran ni yen," loosely meaning "It's one's task".
Zuluisibopho
The word 'isibopho' has been linked to Zulu beliefs about ancestors and spirits.
Bambarajagoya
Ewenuteɖeamedzi
Kinyarwandainshingano
Lingalaetinda
Lugandaobuvunaanyizibwa
Sepeditlamego
Twi (Akan)asɛdeɛ

Obligation in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicالتزام
In addition to its meaning as "obligation," "التزام" can also refer to a "commitment" or "vow."
Hebrewחוֹבָה
The Hebrew root חוֹב (Ḥ-O-B) expresses the concept of binding or connecting, and is also found in the words "husband" and "debt"
Pashtoمکلفیت
The Pashto word “مکلفیت” can also mean “duty” or “responsibility” in English.
Arabicالتزام
In addition to its meaning as "obligation," "التزام" can also refer to a "commitment" or "vow."

Obligation in Western European Languages

Albaniandetyrimi
The Albanian word "detyrimi" originates from the Latin word "debitum," meaning "debt" or "what is owed."
Basquebetebeharra
The word "betebeharra" is derived from the Basque words "bete" (to do) and "behar" (need).
Catalanobligació
Catalan word "obligació" originally referred to "ties of blood", from Latin "obligare" (= "to bind") and the suffix "-ción" (= "action").
Croatianobaveza
The word "obaveza" is derived from the Slavic root "obazati", which means "to bind" or "to tie".
Danishforpligtelse
"Forpligtelse" is derived from the Old Norse word "forpligta," meaning "to bind oneself."
Dutchverplichting
The word "verplichting" originally meant "to tie down"
Englishobligation
The word "obligation" derives from the Latin "obligare," meaning "to bind" or "make liable."
Frenchobligation
In French "obligation" can refer to the "act of obliging" or a "financial responsibility".
Frisianferplichting
The Frisian word "ferplichting" also means "duty" and originated from the Old Frisian word "ferplichtinge".
Galicianobriga
The word "obriga" derives from the Latin "obligare" (to bind), but in Galician it can also mean "duty" or "responsibility."
Germanverpflichtung
In the 18th century "Verpflichtung" (obligation) also meant the duty of a lord to protect and maintain his serfs.
Icelandicskylda
Skylda's etymology is 'debt', and it was historically used in reference to both 'guilt' and 'liability'.
Irishoibleagáid
The word "oibleagáid" derives from the Late Latin "obligātio," an agreement or promise, and is cognate with the English word "oblige"
Italianobbligo
The Italian word "obbligo" derives from the Latin verb "obligare," meaning "to bind" or "to obligate."
Luxembourgishflicht
The word "Flicht" can also refer to a type of duty or responsibility, such as a moral or religious obligation.
Malteseobbligu
"Obbligu" is derived from the Latin word "obligare" meaning "bind" or "create a legal obligation".
Norwegianforpliktelse
Forpliktelse derives from the Old Norse term "forpella," meaning "to seize hold of." Its usage evolved from "agreement with penalty for breaking it" to mean "legal or moral duty,".
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)obrigação
The word "obrigação" can also mean "compulsion" or "duty" and is derived from the Latin "obligare" meaning "to bind".
Scots Gaelicuallach
The Gaelic word "uallach" is related to the Welsh word "gwall" meaning "fault" and the Breton word "faut" meaning "mistake".
Spanishobligación
The Spanish word "obligación" can also refer to a financial bond or a legal document creating a debt.
Swedishskyldighet
The word 'skyldighet' derives from the Old Norse word 'skylda,' which meant 'to owe' or 'to be bound by duty'.
Welshrhwymedigaeth
'Rhwymedigaeth' is derived from the Welsh word 'rhwymo,' which means to bind or tie, emphasizing the notion of a contractual or binding agreement.

Obligation in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianабавязацельства
The word "абавязацельства" derives from the Old Belarusian term "вязь", which meant "connection" or "bond".
Bosnianobaveza
The word 'obaveza' is derived from the Old Slavic word 'obęzъ', which means 'duty' or 'responsibility'.
Bulgarianзадължение
The word "задължение" (obligation) derives from "дълг" (debt), and implies a sense of responsibility to fulfill a commitment.
Czechpovinnost
In Czech, "povinnost" has another meaning, namely "duty".
Estoniankohustus
Although "kohustus" literally means "demand" in Estonian, it is also the term used to describe an obligation.
Finnishvaatimus
The word "vaatimus" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "*waδtāmus", meaning "demand" or "claim".
Hungariankötelezettség
In Hungarian, "kötelezettség" is derived from the word "kötelék", meaning "bond" or "connection".
Latvianpienākums
The word "pienākums" is derived from the Proto-Baltic root "*pēn", meaning "to care for" or "to feed". It is related to the words "piene" (milk) and "pietikt" (to be enough), reflecting the importance of providing for one's family and community in Latvian culture.
Lithuanianįsipareigojimas
"Įsipareigojimas" is cognate with "pareiga", which stems from the verb "rengti". The noun form is "ranga", meaning "preparation".
Macedonianобврска
The word "обврска" in Macedonian originates from the Proto-Slavic word "*obvirzati" which means "to tie" or "to bind".
Polishobowiązek
The word obowiązek comes from the Old Slavic word "obvęzati", meaning "to tie".
Romanianobligaţie
The Romanian word "obligație" also has the meanings "document that proves a debt" or "duty", and originates from the Late Latin "obligatio", meaning "binding".
Russianобязательство
The word “обязательство” derives from the verb “обязать” which can also mean “to bind”, “to mortgage”, “to oblige” and “to engage”.
Serbianобавеза
"Обавеза" can also mean "duty," "liability," or "responsibility".
Slovakpovinnosť
The Slovak word "povinnosť" is cognate with the Czech word "povinnost" and the Polish word "powinność", and derives from the Proto-Slavic word *povinьstь, meaning "service, duty".
Slovenianobveznost
The word "obveznost" in Slovenian also refers to "duty" or "commitment".
Ukrainianзобов'язання
The word 'зобов'язання' is derived from the Old Slavic word 'zoba', meaning 'debt' or 'duty'.

Obligation in South Asian Languages

Bengaliবাধ্যবাধকতা
বাধ্যবাধকতা originates from the Sanskrit word "Bandha","meaning "bond" or "attachment."
Gujaratiજવાબદારી
Hindiकर्तव्य
"कर्तव्य" is cognate with Persian "kartab", both words share the original meaning of a "doing".
Kannadaಬಾಧ್ಯತೆ
"ಬಾಧ್ಯತೆ" (obligation) is derived from the Sanskrit word "bandha" (bond, tie), and also means "connection" or "duty".
Malayalamബാധ്യത
In Malayalam, "ബാധ്യത" can also refer to a financial burden, such as a debt.
Marathiबंधन
"बंधन" also means a bond, tie, knot, a fetter, restriction, confinement, limitation, or covenant in Marathi.
Nepaliदायित्व
The word "दायित्व" is also used in law to refer to the legal duty to perform an act or to refrain from doing something.
Punjabiਜ਼ਿੰਮੇਵਾਰੀ
The term "ਜ਼ਿੰਮੇਵਾਰੀ" can also refer to a debt or a duty, and is derived from the Sanskrit word "yamya," meaning "to restrain" or "to control".
Sinhala (Sinhalese)වගකීම
The term "වගකීම" in Sinhala can also refer to "responsibility" or "accountability".
Tamilகடமை
The Tamil word "கடமை" (obligation) derives from the Sanskrit word "कर्म" (action, duty), suggesting a connection between obligation and the performance of actions.
Teluguబాధ్యత
The word బాధ్యత (obligation) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'bhadra', meaning 'good' or 'auspicious', and 'hita', meaning 'beneficial'.
Urduذمہ داری
The Persian word "ذمہ" can also refer to a group or community, a sense that the Urdu word "ذمہ داری" retains in addition to its primary meaning of "obligation" or "responsibility."

Obligation in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)义务
In classical Chinese, "义务" meant "that which is right and appropriate".
Chinese (Traditional)義務
The character 義, which forms part of 義務, can also mean "righteousness," "morality," or "duty."
Japanese義務
The word 「義務」 can also mean 「task」 or 「duty」.
Korean의무
의무, literally meaning 'righteous act', also denotes something you 'ought' to do.
Mongolianүүрэг
In the Khalkha dialect, "үүрэг" also refers to a horse's saddle girth.
Myanmar (Burmese)တာဝန်
တာဝန် is possibly derived from Pali "ţhāna" and also means "posture" when used with other morphemes.

Obligation in South East Asian Languages

Indonesiankewajiban
The word "kewajiban" can also refer to "citizenship" or "duty" in Indonesian, reflecting its root in the Sanskrit word "sva-kartavya", meaning "one's own duty".
Javanesekewajiban
The word 'kewajiban' in Javanese can also mean a debt or a duty owed to a superior.
Khmerកាតព្វកិច្ច
Laoພັນທະ
The word "ພັນທະ" in Lao may also mean a "bond" or "tie" and is related to the Sanskrit word "bandh" with the same meaning.
Malaykewajipan
Its synonyms include "utang", "tanggung jawab", and "amanah"
Thaiภาระผูกพัน
The word 'ภาระผูกพัน' in Thai can also mean 'burden'.
Vietnamesenghĩa vụ
"Nghĩa vụ" (obligation) originates from the Chinese word "义务 (yìwù)", meaning a moral or legal duty.
Filipino (Tagalog)obligasyon

Obligation in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniöhdəlik
The word "öhdəlik" also means "position", "responsibility", or "duty" in Azerbaijani.
Kazakhміндеттеме
"міндеттеме" originated from the Arabic word "mihna" (test, trial), indicating the weight of responsibility it implies.
Kyrgyzмилдеттенме
Милдеттенме (obligation) derives from the Arabic word “miladi” (birth) and implies a commitment to something or someone.
Tajikӯҳдадорӣ
"ӯҳдадорӣ" is the Tajik equivalent of the Persian word "عهده داری" (pronounced: eh-deh-dā-rī), which means "undertaking" or "responsibility".
Turkmenborçnamasy
Uzbekmajburiyat
The word "majburiyat" can also mean "necessity", "compulsion", or "constraint".
Uyghurمەجبۇرىيەت

Obligation in Pacific Languages

Hawaiiankuleana
"Kuleana" also denotes the portion or share of a taro field belonging to a commoner who does not hold any office in the ahupua'a (land division)."
Maoriherenga
The Maori word "herenga" also refers to the meeting of two or more things, such as people, places, or ideas.
Samoannoataga
The word noataga originates from the Proto-Polynesian word *noa 'sacred or tabu'. When *noa was combined with various prepositions and possessive pronouns, a whole group of words meaning 'tabu' or 'obligation' were created.
Tagalog (Filipino)obligasyon
The Tagalog word "obligasyon" also means "debt" in Spanish, from which it was borrowed.

Obligation in American Indigenous Languages

Aymaraphuqhawi
Guaraniapopyrãtee

Obligation in International Languages

Esperantodevo
The Esperanto word "devo" also means "the condition of having to do something"
Latinofficium
The Latin word "officium" also means "duty" or "service" and is the root of the English word "office."

Obligation in Others Languages

Greekυποχρέωση
The Greek "υποχρέωση" originally referred not to a moral duty but to a binding contract.
Hmongkev lav ris
In the case of this word, the morpheme "kev" means "to do something". The morpheme "lav" means "to be obligated". The morpheme "ris" means "to do something in order to be obligated".
Kurdishxwegirêdanî
The word "xwegirêdanî" in Kurdish ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *gʰer- "to grasp, hold".
Turkishyükümlülük
In Turkish, the word 'yükümlülük' derives from the verb 'yüklemek', meaning 'to load' or 'to impose a burden'.
Xhosauxanduva
"UXanduva" is derived from the Xhosa word "uxandu," meaning "debt" or "liability."
Yiddishפליכט
The Yiddish word "פליכט" derives from the Middle High German "pliht", meaning "duty" or "responsibility".
Zuluisibopho
The word 'isibopho' has been linked to Zulu beliefs about ancestors and spirits.
Assameseকৰ্তব্য
Aymaraphuqhawi
Bhojpuriबाध्यता
Dhivehiވާޖިބު
Dogriजिम्मेबारी
Filipino (Tagalog)obligasyon
Guaraniapopyrãtee
Ilocanoobligasion
Kriopawpa
Kurdish (Sorani)ناچارکردن
Maithiliबाध्यता
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯏꯅꯗꯕ ꯌꯥꯗꯕ
Mizotiamna
Oromodirqama
Odia (Oriya)ବାଧ୍ୟତାମୂଳକ
Quechuasullullchay
Sanskritकर्तव्यता
Tatarбурыч
Tigrinyaግደታ
Tsongaxiboho

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