Occupy in Different Languages
Discover 'Occupy' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'occupy' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, denoting the act of occupying a space or position, as well as describing a state of being filled or engaged. Its cultural importance is evident in movements such as 'Occupy Wall Street,' which highlighted economic inequality and sparked global conversations. But did you know that the word 'occupy' can be translated differently across languages, offering fascinating insights into cultural perspectives?
For instance, in Spanish, 'occupy' translates to 'ocupar,' while in French, it becomes 'occuper.' In German, the word is 'besetzen,' and in Japanese, 'occupy' is translated as '占領する (senryou suru).' These translations not only help us navigate linguistic barriers but also provide a glimpse into how different cultures view the concept of occupation.
Stay tuned to discover more translations of the word 'occupy' and broaden your understanding of language and culture!
Occupy
Occupy in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | beset | ||
| In Afrikaans the word "beset" also means to "charge" in battle or to "besiege". | |||
| Amharic | መያዝ | ||
| መያዝ (meyaz) also means 'to catch' in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | zauna | ||
| In Hausa, the word "zauna" can also mean "to possess" or "to own" something. | |||
| Igbo | ogide | ||
| "Oge" in Igbo, from which "ogide" is derived, can also mean time, season, and occasion, highlighting the temporal aspect of occupation. | |||
| Malagasy | hibodo | ||
| The word "hibodo" in Malagasy can also mean "to own" or "to possess". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | khalani | ||
| In some contexts, "khalani" may also mean "to dwell permanently in" or "to inhabit". | |||
| Shona | kutora | ||
| "Kutora" also means to "capture," or "catch" | |||
| Somali | mashquulin | ||
| Mashquulin is also used in Somali to refer to the military occupation of a territory or the taking over of a position by a group of people. | |||
| Sesotho | lula | ||
| The word "lula" also means "to dwell" or "to live" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | chukua | ||
| The word "chukua" in Swahili can also mean "to take" or "to pick up". | |||
| Xhosa | hlala | ||
| In Xhosa, 'hlala' also conveys a sense of 'remaining' or 'living in a particular place'. | |||
| Yoruba | tẹdo | ||
| The word "tẹdo" also means "to possess" or "to own" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | hlala | ||
| The Zulu word "hlala" is used not only to mean "stay" or "reside" but also "to be in session" or "to be held" in reference to a meeting or event. | |||
| Bambara | minɛ | ||
| Ewe | xɔ aƒe ɖe ame me | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kora | ||
| Lingala | occuper | ||
| Luganda | okutwala | ||
| Sepedi | go tšea | ||
| Twi (Akan) | gye | ||
Occupy in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تشغل | ||
| تشغل may also mean 'keep busy' and is derived from the root ش غ ل, which relates to work and employment. | |||
| Hebrew | לִכבּוֹשׁ | ||
| In Hebrew, the verb "לִכבּוֹשׁ" ("likbos") originally meant "to conquer" or "to capture" before acquiring its modern meaning of "to occupy". | |||
| Pashto | نیول | ||
| The word "نیول" in Pashto also means "to sit down" or "to reside". | |||
| Arabic | تشغل | ||
| تشغل may also mean 'keep busy' and is derived from the root ش غ ل, which relates to work and employment. | |||
Occupy in Western European Languages
| Albanian | zënë | ||
| "Zënë" is derived from Proto-Albanian “*zjem-n-”, cognate with Latin "diem" (day). | |||
| Basque | okupatu | ||
| The word "okupatu" can also refer to an unlawful occupation of a building or property. | |||
| Catalan | ocupar | ||
| In Catalan the word "ocupar" also means to hold a space or position without necessarily taking it over or using it. | |||
| Croatian | zauzeti | ||
| The verb 'zauzeti' originated in Croatian from Proto-Slavic languages as a derivative of the root 'zęti', which implied the act of taking, grabbing something. | |||
| Danish | besætte | ||
| In Danish "besætte" can also mean "to equip" or "to cast" (e.g. in a theater play). | |||
| Dutch | bezetten | ||
| The root of the Dutch word "bezetten" can be found in the Old Frankish word "bisatjan", meaning "to place or to settle." | |||
| English | occupy | ||
| The word "occupy" comes from the Latin word "occupare," meaning "to seize" or "to take possession." | |||
| French | occuper | ||
| The French verb "occuper", meaning "to occupy," derives from Latin occupātus, meaning "taken possession of." | |||
| Frisian | besette | ||
| The Frisian word "besette" also refers to the act of setting or laying something, as in setting the table. | |||
| Galician | ocupar | ||
| The word "ocupar" in Galician shares the same etymology and the same meaning of "to occupy" in Spanish. | |||
| German | besetzen | ||
| In chess, "besetzen" means to place a piece on a square, while in theater it means to cast a role with an actor. | |||
| Icelandic | hernema | ||
| Hernema derives from Old Norse words for "host" and "army" and may also refer to an "assembly" of people. | |||
| Irish | áitiú | ||
| The Irish verb "áitiú" can also mean "to possess" or "to inhabit," suggesting a close etymological relationship with the Irish noun "áit" (place). | |||
| Italian | occupare | ||
| The Italian verb "occupare" comes from the Latin verb "occpāre", which means "to seize, to take possession of." | |||
| Luxembourgish | besetzen | ||
| In Luxembourgish, the word "besetzen" can also mean "to appoint" or "to assign". | |||
| Maltese | tokkupa | ||
| "Tokkupa" is derived from the French "occuper" and also means "to possess" or "to lease" in Maltese. | |||
| Norwegian | okkupere | ||
| The etymology of “okkupere” traces back to the Latin word “occupare”, meaning “to seize” or “to take possession of”. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ocupar | ||
| In Portuguese, "ocupar" also means "to fill" or "to take up space." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | còmhnaidh | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "còmhnaidh" is cognate with the Welsh word "cymydog" (neighbor), which also comes from a root meaning "to stay". | |||
| Spanish | ocupar | ||
| The verb "ocupar" can also mean "to cover" or "to need" in Spanish | |||
| Swedish | uppta | ||
| The word "uppta" comes from the Old Norse word "upptaka", which means "to take up". | |||
| Welsh | meddiannu | ||
| The Welsh word "meddiannu" also means "to possess" or "to be in possession of". | |||
Occupy in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | займаць | ||
| This verb can also mean: to get, to acquire (some kind of quality); to hold (a certain position or view). | |||
| Bosnian | zauzeti | ||
| Zauzeti's root word, 'uzimati,' also conveys 'capturing, appropriating, and apprehending' in the Bosnian language. | |||
| Bulgarian | заемат | ||
| The Bulgarian word "заемат" can also mean "borrow" or "lend", and is related to the Latin word "sumere" meaning "to take". | |||
| Czech | okupovat | ||
| The Czech word "okupovat" comes from the Latin word "occupare" meaning "to take possession of" or "to seize." | |||
| Estonian | okupeerima | ||
| The word "okupeerima" in Estonian is derived from the Latin word "occupare", meaning "to seize" or "to take possession of." | |||
| Finnish | miehittää | ||
| Miehittää is a verb in Finnish that derives from the noun miehi ("man") and means "to occupy" in the military sense of taking and holding territory. | |||
| Hungarian | elfoglalni | ||
| The word "elfoglalni" originally meant "to take possession of" or "to settle in a place". | |||
| Latvian | ieņemt | ||
| Latvian word “ieņemt” can also mean “to conquer” and “to get pregnant”. | |||
| Lithuanian | užimti | ||
| The word "užimti" also means "seize" or "confiscate" in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | окупираат | ||
| The verb "окупираат" can also refer to the military act of occupying a territory, or the peaceful act of protesters taking over a public space. | |||
| Polish | zająć | ||
| "Zająć" (to occupy) comes from the word "jąć" (to take) and means "to take possession of something". | |||
| Romanian | ocupa | ||
| The Romanian word "ocupa" is also synonymous with "hold", "fill", or "take up space" | |||
| Russian | занимать | ||
| The word "занимать" also means "to borrow" and "to take up space" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | окупирати | ||
| The Serbian word "окупирати" comes from the French word "occuper", and it can also mean "to take possession of" or "to seize control of". | |||
| Slovak | obsadzovať | ||
| Slovak "obsadzovať" comes from the Old Czech "osazovati" or "osazovati" and is closely related to the verbs "sádzať" (plant) and "usadiť" (settle) | |||
| Slovenian | zasedejo | ||
| The word "zasedejo" in Slovenian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *sędti, meaning "to sit down" or "to inhabit"". It shares a common root with the English word "sedentary" and the Russian word "заседание" (zasedaniye, "meeting"). | |||
| Ukrainian | зайняти | ||
| "Зайняти" in Ukrainian can also mean "to borrow" or "to take up someone's time." | |||
Occupy in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | দখল করা | ||
| The word "দখল করা" can also mean "to possess", "to have custody of", or "to hold (something) in one's possession." | |||
| Gujarati | કબજો | ||
| "કબજો" comes from Persian and is also used to mean 'possession' in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | पर कब्जा | ||
| The word 'पर कब्जा' can also mean 'to possess' or 'to hold onto' something. | |||
| Kannada | ಆಕ್ರಮಿಸು | ||
| The Kannada term "ಆಕ್ರಮಿಸು" is a derivative of Sanskrit "आक्रमिष्" which means "to attack, invade". Hence the term has an additional meaning of "to conquer or capture". | |||
| Malayalam | കൈവശമാക്കുക | ||
| The Malayalam verb 'കൈവശമാക്കുക' also carries the meanings 'to capture', 'to seize', and 'to usurp'. | |||
| Marathi | व्यापू | ||
| The Marathi word "व्यापू" derives from the Sanskrit root "व्याप्" (vyāp), meaning "pervade" or "spread", and is related to the concept of "expansive diffusion" in Indian philosophy. | |||
| Nepali | ओगट्नु | ||
| The verb _ogatnu_ also conveys the meanings "to cover" or "to permeate". | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਬਜ਼ਾ | ||
| The word "ਕਬਜ਼ਾ" can also refer to possession, control, or holding something. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වාඩිලාගන්න | ||
| The word 'වාඩිලාගන්න' (vaadilāganna) in Sinhala is derived from the Sanskrit word 'vāsa' meaning 'to dwell' and 'lāganna' meaning 'to take'. It can also mean 'to settle down', 'to lodge', or 'to reside'. | |||
| Tamil | ஆக்கிரமிக்க | ||
| The word "ஆக்கிரமிக்க" in Tamil comes from the Sanskrit word "अक्रामति" (akrāmāti), which means "to step over", "to invade", or "to seize". | |||
| Telugu | ఆక్రమించు | ||
| Urdu | قبضہ کرنا | ||
| The Urdu word "قبضہ کرنا" derives from the Arabic "قبض" meaning "to grasp". It also carries connotations of "usurping" or "taking over" property. | |||
Occupy in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 占据 | ||
| 占据 also means 'hold', 'possess' or 'monopolize'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 佔據 | ||
| The word "佔據" is derived from the Chinese verb "占" (to seize or take possession of) and the noun "據" (a place or position). It can also figuratively refer to the act of controlling or dominating something. | |||
| Japanese | 占める | ||
| The verb 占める (shimeru) also means 'to hold' or 'to dominate,' as in the phrase 地位を占める (chii o shimeru), which means 'to hold a position.' | |||
| Korean | 차지하다 | ||
| 차가하다 "occupy" 은 해외 본 표현대 알티스 고 품함 ‘화’ | |||
| Mongolian | эзлэх | ||
| In Mongolian, "эзлэх" can also mean "to take possession of" or "to seize". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သိမ်းပိုက် | ||
Occupy in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | menempati | ||
| The word "menempati" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "*tampa", meaning "to receive" or "to accept". | |||
| Javanese | manggoni | ||
| "Manggoni" can also mean "to possess" or "to hold control" in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | កាន់កាប់ | ||
| The word 'កាន់កាប់' can also refer to 'to hold', 'to keep', or 'to guard'. | |||
| Lao | ຍຶດຄອງ | ||
| Malay | menduduki | ||
| In Indonesia it's also used to refer to the occupation of a spirit or ghost | |||
| Thai | ครอบครอง | ||
| ครอบครอง or ครอบงำ (krop-khruang) is derived from Sanskrit word “Kram” and “Gah”. Kram means to step over and Gah means to go or move. | |||
| Vietnamese | chiếm | ||
| The word "chiếm" also means "to possess," "to seize," or "to usurp." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sakupin | ||
Occupy in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | işğal etmək | ||
| 'İşğal etmək' kelimesi Arapça işğāl'den geliyor. Arapçada 'zorla ele geçirme, istila' anlamlarına gelir. | |||
| Kazakh | басып алу | ||
| Kazakh "басып алу" means "to seize" or "to capture" and is derived from the root "бас-" meaning "to step on" or "to tread on." | |||
| Kyrgyz | ээлөө | ||
| The word "ээлөө" also means "to take turns" or "to wait one's turn" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | ишғол кардан | ||
| The word "ишғол кардан" in Tajik, also meaning "employment," derives from the Persian word "eshghāl," meaning "occupation". | |||
| Turkmen | eýele | ||
| Uzbek | egallamoq | ||
| The word "egallamoq" in Uzbek also means "to take possession of" or "to seize". | |||
| Uyghur | ئىگىلىۋېلىڭ | ||
Occupy in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | noho | ||
| In Hawaiian, "noho" can also refer to "sitting", "residing", or "staying in place". | |||
| Maori | noho | ||
| In Māori, the word "noho" can also mean "to live" or "to reside". | |||
| Samoan | nofoia | ||
| The word "nofoia" can also mean "to live in" or "to reside in" | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sakupin | ||
| The word "sakupin" in Tagalog has an alternate meaning of "to cover". | |||
Occupy in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ocupar sañ muni | ||
| Guarani | ocupar | ||
Occupy in International Languages
| Esperanto | okupi | ||
| The word "okupi" is also used to refer to informal organizations that fight against the problem of urban housing, especially in large cities. | |||
| Latin | ingredieris possidendam | ||
| The word "ingredieris" derives from "gradior", meaning "to walk or enter", suggesting the sense of entering or taking possession of a place. | |||
Occupy in Others Languages
| Greek | ασχολούμαι | ||
| The word 'ασχολούμαι' is also used to mean 'to engage oneself in' or 'to be preoccupied with'. | |||
| Hmong | nyob | ||
| In Hmong, "nyob" can also mean "to live," "to reside," or "to inhabit." | |||
| Kurdish | rûniştin | ||
| The Kurdish word "rûniştin" is derived from the Persian word "neshin", which means "to sit". In its original context, "rûniştin" referred to the act of sitting down, but over time it has come to acquire the additional meaning of "to occupy". | |||
| Turkish | işgal etmek | ||
| "İşgal etmek," which literally means "to take over work," also means "to occupy". | |||
| Xhosa | hlala | ||
| In Xhosa, 'hlala' also conveys a sense of 'remaining' or 'living in a particular place'. | |||
| Yiddish | פאַרנעמען | ||
| The Yiddish word "פאַרנעמען" also means "to comprehend" or "to understand". | |||
| Zulu | hlala | ||
| The Zulu word "hlala" is used not only to mean "stay" or "reside" but also "to be in session" or "to be held" in reference to a meeting or event. | |||
| Assamese | দখল কৰা | ||
| Aymara | ocupar sañ muni | ||
| Bhojpuri | कब्जा कर लेत बानी | ||
| Dhivehi | ހިފާށެވެ | ||
| Dogri | कब्जा कर दे | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sakupin | ||
| Guarani | ocupar | ||
| Ilocano | okuparen | ||
| Krio | ɔkup | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | داگیرکردن | ||
| Maithili | कब्जा करब | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯣꯛꯌꯨꯄꯦꯁꯟ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | luah rawh | ||
| Oromo | qabachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଦଖଲ କରନ୍ତୁ | | ||
| Quechua | ocupar | ||
| Sanskrit | व्याप्य | ||
| Tatar | били | ||
| Tigrinya | ምሓዝ | ||
| Tsonga | ku tshama | ||