Obtain in Different Languages
Discover 'Obtain' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'obtain' is a versatile and vital part of our vocabulary, denoting the acquisition or gaining of something. Its significance spans various contexts, from achieving personal goals to procuring knowledge. The term's cultural importance is evident in its widespread use across languages and regions.
Delving into the historical context, 'obtain' has roots in the Latin 'obtinere,' which means 'to hold' or 'to keep.' This etymology highlights the term's enduring relevance in human experience – the desire to hold and keep that which we value.
For global citizens with an appreciation for language and culture, understanding the translations of 'obtain' can offer fascinating insights into the nuances of communication across borders.
For instance, in Spanish, 'obtain' becomes 'obtener,' while in French, it's 'obtenir.' In German, the term is 'erhalten,' and in Japanese, 'to obtain' is '取得する' (toketsu suru).
Obtain
Obtain in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | verkry | ||
| Verkry is an archaic term that can also mean "to conquer" or "to achieve". | |||
| Amharic | አግኝ | ||
| The word "አግኝ" ("obtain") can also mean "to find" or "to acquire." | |||
| Hausa | samu | ||
| The Hausa word "samu" has roots in Arabic, meaning "to reach" or "to attain". | |||
| Igbo | nweta | ||
| "Nweta" can also refer to "having" something, "receiving" something, or "acquiring" something. | |||
| Malagasy | hahazo | ||
| The word "hahazo" in Malagasy comes from the proto-Malayo-Polynesian word "*zaqup", meaning "to take". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kupeza | ||
| The word "kupeza" also means "to buy" in the Nyanja language. | |||
| Shona | wana | ||
| The word 'wana' in Shona also connotes the idea of 'taking hold of' or 'receiving'. | |||
| Somali | helid | ||
| The word "helid" also means "bring" or "collect" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | fumana | ||
| Fumana is also used to mean "to find" or "to discover" something. | |||
| Swahili | pata | ||
| The word "pata" in Swahili can also refer to a pawn in the game of chess. | |||
| Xhosa | fumana | ||
| The word 'fumana' is also used in Xhosa to mean 'find', 'get', or 'receive'. | |||
| Yoruba | gba | ||
| "Gba" in Yoruba can also mean "receive", "take", or "accept". | |||
| Zulu | thola | ||
| The word 'thola' in Zulu can also mean 'to know' or 'to understand'. | |||
| Bambara | ka sɔrɔ | ||
| Ewe | xᴐ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kubona | ||
| Lingala | kozwa | ||
| Luganda | okufuna | ||
| Sepedi | hwetša | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nya | ||
Obtain in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الحصول على | ||
| The 'obtain' root 'ح-ص-ل' ('h-ṣ-l') can also refer to earnings, reaping a harvest, or grasping something. | |||
| Hebrew | לְהַשִׂיג | ||
| The Hebrew word "לְהַשִׂיג" (lehaskig) also means "to reach" or "to attain," suggesting a deeper connection between obtaining and progress. | |||
| Pashto | ترلاسه کول | ||
| The Pashto word "ترلاسه کول" can also mean "to acquire" or "to attain". | |||
| Arabic | الحصول على | ||
| The 'obtain' root 'ح-ص-ل' ('h-ṣ-l') can also refer to earnings, reaping a harvest, or grasping something. | |||
Obtain in Western European Languages
| Albanian | fitoj | ||
| The word ''fitoj'' is the short Albanian form of ''fitues'' with the same original meaning and the same Indo-European root but a completely different evolution: ''ftohet-fitues- fitoj''. | |||
| Basque | lortu | ||
| "Lortu" can also refer to the action of stealing in certain contexts. | |||
| Catalan | obtenir | ||
| In French, "obtenir" derives from the Latin "obtinere" meaning to "hold on to". | |||
| Croatian | pribaviti | ||
| The verb 'pribaviti' (obtain) derives from the Proto-Slavic word 'pribyti' ('to go, approach'); a similar etymology applies to its synonyms 'nabaviti' and 'steći' in most other Slavic languages. | |||
| Danish | opnå | ||
| Opnå, meaning "obtain" in Danish, derives from the Old Norse "oppa" (over) and "ná" (to get), originally meaning "to reach over and take something."} | |||
| Dutch | verkrijgen | ||
| The verb "verkrijgen" also means "gain" or "acquire" in an abstract sense. | |||
| English | obtain | ||
| The word "obtain" comes from the French "obtenir", and it may also imply 'to win'} | |||
| French | obtenir | ||
| The French word "obtenir" derives from the Latin "obtinere", meaning "to hold fast" or "to possess" | |||
| Frisian | krije | ||
| The Frisian word "krije" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *kreh₁- "to create" and is also related to the English word "create". | |||
| Galician | obter | ||
| Galician's "obter" also means "to offer." | |||
| German | erhalten | ||
| The verb "erhalten" is derived from the Old High German "irhellen," meaning "to clarify," and originally referred to preserving an inheritance. | |||
| Icelandic | fá | ||
| Despite meaning obtain, "fá" can also mean "find" or "get at" | |||
| Irish | fuair | ||
| "Fuair" also means "recovered (from an illness)" or "came to" (as in a meeting). | |||
| Italian | ottenere | ||
| The Italian word "ottenere" originally meant "to hold". It derives from the Latin verb "obtinere", meaning "to keep, hold, or possess". | |||
| Luxembourgish | kréien | ||
| The word "kréien" also has the alternate meaning of "to grab" and is etymologically related to the German word "greifen" (to grasp). | |||
| Maltese | tikseb | ||
| Tikseb can mean to obtain in Maltese, but it has a broader meaning of to gain, acquire, or earn. | |||
| Norwegian | skaffe seg | ||
| The Norwegian verb "skaffe seg" originally meant "to create for oneself", but its meaning shifted to "to obtain" during the 17th century. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | obtivermos | ||
| "Obter" is related to the Latin verb "obtineri", which means "to be present". It can also mean "to hold, keep, or occupy". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | faigh | ||
| The etymology of the Scots Gaelic word "faigh" is unknown, but it may be related to the Irish word "faigh" meaning "ring" or "bracelet". | |||
| Spanish | obtener | ||
| The word "obtener" comes from the Latin word "obtinere" which also means "to hold, have, occupy" | |||
| Swedish | erhålla | ||
| "Erhålla" is a descendant of the Old Norse word "erhalda", which means "to seize" or "to capture." | |||
| Welsh | gael | ||
| The Welsh word "gael" can also mean "to fetch", "to collect", or "to go after". | |||
Obtain in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | атрымаць | ||
| The word "атрымаць" is derived from the Old East Slavic root *obъtiti, meaning "to find" or "to receive". | |||
| Bosnian | dobiti | ||
| The verb "dobiti" also means "to get" or "to receive" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | получи | ||
| The word "получи" also means "receive" or "get" in Bulgarian, and comes from the Proto-Slavic word *polŭčiti, meaning "to take hold of". | |||
| Czech | získat | ||
| Získat has two other meanings beside obtaining: "to earn" and "to deserve". | |||
| Estonian | saada | ||
| The Estonian word "saada" also means "to become" or "to happen". | |||
| Finnish | saada | ||
| The verb "saada" can also mean "to get", "to receive", or "to achieve". | |||
| Hungarian | megszerezni | ||
| The word "megszerezni" ultimately derives from the Proto-Uralic verb "*saŋə- " meaning "to catch". | |||
| Latvian | iegūt | ||
| The Latvian word "iegūt" derives from the Indo-European root "geu-", meaning "to strive for". | |||
| Lithuanian | gauti | ||
| The word "gauti" in Lithuanian is derived from the Indo-European root "*gʰew-", which means "to seize" or "to take". It is cognate with the Latin word "capere", which means "to take" or "to seize", and the Greek word "gammos", which means "marriage" or "union". | |||
| Macedonian | добие | ||
| The word "добие" also means "to achieve" or "to attain" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | uzyskać | ||
| The verb "uzyskać" can also mean "to achieve" or "to gain." | |||
| Romanian | obține | ||
| The word "obține" comes from the Latin word "obtinere", which means "to hold" or "to possess". | |||
| Russian | получить | ||
| The Russian word "получить" can also mean "to perceive" or "to receive, especially information or a message." | |||
| Serbian | прибавити | ||
| The Serbian word "прибавити" can also mean "to add" or "to increase". | |||
| Slovak | získať | ||
| The word "získať" in Slovak is cognate with the German word "gewinnen" and the Latin word "vincere", both of which mean "to win". | |||
| Slovenian | pridobiti | ||
| Pridobiti may also mean "to gain" as in "to gain weight". | |||
| Ukrainian | отримати | ||
| The Ukrainian word “отримати” also means “to receive” or “to get”. | |||
Obtain in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | প্রাপ্ত | ||
| The word "প্রাপ্ত" can also mean "attained", "achieved", or "gained". | |||
| Gujarati | મેળવો | ||
| મેળવો also means "to meet" or "to join" and is derived from the Sanskrit root "mil," meaning "to unite." | |||
| Hindi | प्राप्त | ||
| The word "प्राप्त" also means "arrived" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಪಡೆಯಲು | ||
| The verb "ಪಡೆಯಲು" also means "get, earn, or receive." The noun form is "ಪಡೆ" which means "acquisition." | |||
| Malayalam | നേടുക | ||
| The word "നേടുക" (néṭuk) in Malayalam comes from the Proto-Dravidian root *nīṭ- "to extend, reach, attain". | |||
| Marathi | प्राप्त | ||
| The Marathi word 'प्राप्त' can also refer to 'arrived' and is related to the Sanskrit word 'प्राप्नोति'. | |||
| Nepali | प्राप्त गर्नुहोस् | ||
| In Sanskrit, the word "प्राप्त" (prāpta) means "reached" or "attained," and is related to the root "प्राप्" (prāp), meaning "to go or reach." | |||
| Punjabi | ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ලබා ගන්න | ||
| The word "ලබා ගන්න" in Sinhala can also mean "to acquire", "to get", or "to receive". | |||
| Tamil | பெற | ||
| In Tamil, the word "பெற" (obtain) is also used to mean "receive" or "inherit". | |||
| Telugu | పొందటానికి | ||
| Urdu | حاصل | ||
| The word "حاصل" (obtain) also means "result" or "outcome". | |||
Obtain in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 获得 | ||
| "获得" also means "get", "acquire", and "inherit". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 獲得 | ||
| The word "獲得" can also mean "to receive" or "to get". | |||
| Japanese | 入手します | ||
| The verb 入手する (nyūshutosuru) is a compound of the verbs 入る (hairu) "to enter" and 手に入れる (te ni ireru) "to bring/hold in one's hand". | |||
| Korean | 얻다 | ||
| The word '얻다' can also mean 'to gain', 'to acquire', or 'to get' something. | |||
| Mongolian | олж авах | ||
| "Олж авах" is cognate to the Buryat verb "олзолхо" (olzolho) meaning "to hunt" or "to capture loot." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရရှိသည် | ||
Obtain in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | memperoleh | ||
| The word "memperoleh" in Indonesian can also mean "to acquire" or "to get". | |||
| Javanese | entuk | ||
| The Javanese word "entuk" also has a secondary meaning of "to meet" or "to encounter". | |||
| Khmer | ទទួលបាន | ||
| In Khmer, the verb "ទទួលបាន" ("obtain") is also used to express the concepts of "achieve", "gain", and "receive". | |||
| Lao | ໄດ້ຮັບ | ||
| Malay | memperoleh | ||
| As well as its primary meaning of "obtain," "memperoleh" can also mean "receive," "get," or "acquire." | |||
| Thai | ขอรับ | ||
| The word "ขอรับ" can also be used as a polite particle in Thai language. | |||
| Vietnamese | đạt được | ||
| The word "đạt được" in Vietnamese can also mean "to achieve" or "to reach". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | makuha | ||
Obtain in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | əldə etmək | ||
| The word "əldə etmək" is a compound verb in the Azerbaijani language derived from the words "әl" (arm, hand) and "düşmək" (to fall) meaning "to seize" in the literal sense. | |||
| Kazakh | алу | ||
| The word "алу" in Kazakh is derived from the Proto-Turkic root *al-, meaning "to take" or "to receive". | |||
| Kyrgyz | алуу | ||
| The word "алуу" also means "taking" or "seizing". | |||
| Tajik | ба даст овардан | ||
| The Tajiki phrase "ба даст овардан" also has the alternate meanings "obtain" or "reach". | |||
| Turkmen | almak | ||
| Uzbek | olish | ||
| In Chagatai, "olish" meant "to seize" or "to conquer" in addition to "to obtain". | |||
| Uyghur | ئېرىشىش | ||
Obtain in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | loaʻa | ||
| Loaʻa, meaning "to obtain," is also used in the sense of "to find," "to discover," "to get," and "to receive." | |||
| Maori | whiwhi | ||
| In the 1860s, a Maori word for 'obtain', 'whiwhi', was recorded by a European settler, misheard as 'wivee' and then 'weewee,' its modern incarnation. | |||
| Samoan | maua | ||
| The Samoan word "maua" can also mean "to take hold of something," "to bring," or "to get." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kumuha | ||
| The word "kumuha" originates from the Proto-Austronesian root word "*kuhuŋ" meaning "to fetch" or "to take." | |||
Obtain in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jikxataña | ||
| Guarani | jeguereko | ||
Obtain in International Languages
| Esperanto | akiri | ||
| The word "akiri" also means "to get" or "to reach" in Esperanto. | |||
| Latin | obtain | ||
| In Latin, "obtain" (obtinēre) also means "to hold fast" or "to possess permanently". | |||
Obtain in Others Languages
| Greek | αποκτώ | ||
| The Greek term "αποκτώ" (apoktṓ) holds an etymological connection to the acquisition of property and wealth. | |||
| Hmong | tau | ||
| The word "tau" can also mean "to receive" or "to get something for free". | |||
| Kurdish | sitendin | ||
| The word "sitendin" is derived from the Indo-European root "*sed-," meaning "to sit," and is related to the Latin word "sedere," meaning "to sit." | |||
| Turkish | elde etmek | ||
| In Turkish, "elde etmek" can also mean "to seize" or "to capture". | |||
| Xhosa | fumana | ||
| The word 'fumana' is also used in Xhosa to mean 'find', 'get', or 'receive'. | |||
| Yiddish | קריגן | ||
| The word 'קריגן' ('obtain') in Yiddish derives from the Middle High German word 'kriegen' ('to get'), which comes from the Old High German 'krigon' ('to obtain', 'to acquire'). | |||
| Zulu | thola | ||
| The word 'thola' in Zulu can also mean 'to know' or 'to understand'. | |||
| Assamese | প্ৰাপ্ত কৰা | ||
| Aymara | jikxataña | ||
| Bhojpuri | पावल | ||
| Dhivehi | ހޯދުން | ||
| Dogri | हासल करना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | makuha | ||
| Guarani | jeguereko | ||
| Ilocano | gun-oden | ||
| Krio | gɛt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بەدەست هێنان | ||
| Maithili | प्राप्त करु | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯐꯪꯕ | ||
| Mizo | nei | ||
| Oromo | fudhachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପ୍ରାପ୍ତ କରନ୍ତୁ | | ||
| Quechua | tariy | ||
| Sanskrit | प्राप्नोतु | ||
| Tatar | алу | ||
| Tigrinya | ሓዝ | ||
| Tsonga | kuma | ||