Ought in Different Languages
Discover 'Ought' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'ought' is a small but powerful part of the English language, denoting a sense of moral obligation or duty. It's a word that has been used in countless literary works, political debates, and philosophical discussions, making it a crucial component of cultural importance. Understanding its translation in different languages can open up new avenues of communication and cultural exchange.
For instance, in Spanish, 'ought' is translated as 'debería,' while in French, it's 'devrait.' In German, the word 'sollte' is used, and in Japanese, 'ought' is translated as 'ought to' - ought to 〜である / ought to 〜です. These translations not only help in cross-cultural communication but also provide insight into how different cultures view moral obligations and societal norms.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a world traveler, or a student of cultural studies, understanding the translation of 'ought' in different languages can be a fascinating journey. Here are some of the translations of 'ought' in various languages:
Ought
Ought in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | behoort te wees | ||
| In Afrikaans, the word "behoort te wees" has the same etymology as its English translation "to be ought", suggesting a relationship between obligation and existence. | |||
| Amharic | ይገባል | ||
| Hausa | ya kamata | ||
| The Hausa word "ya kamata" can also mean "it is necessary" or "it is appropriate". | |||
| Igbo | kwesiri | ||
| The word "kwesiri" in Igbo derives from the verb "kwesi" (to be fit or proper) and also means "duty" or "obligation." | |||
| Malagasy | tokony | ||
| The word "tokony" in Malagasy also means "must" or "should". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | muyenera | ||
| The word "muyenera" literally means "it is proper" or "it is righteous". | |||
| Shona | zvakafanira | ||
| The word "zvakafanira" can also mean appropriate, proper, or correct. | |||
| Somali | waajibka | ||
| Waajibka originates from the Arabic word 'waajib' meaning 'duty' or 'obligation'. | |||
| Sesotho | tšoanela | ||
| Sesotho 'tšoanela' means both 'ought' and 'deserve', a semantic link shared with its cognate 'tokwanela' in Nguni languages. | |||
| Swahili | inastahili | ||
| The Swahili word "inastahili" is derived from the Proto-Bantu root "*-stahili", meaning "to be firm, steady, or deserving" | |||
| Xhosa | kufanelekile | ||
| The Xhosa word "kufanelekile" can also mean "suitable" or "appropriate". | |||
| Yoruba | yẹ | ||
| The Yoruba word "yẹ" also has the meaning "to be allowed to" and the phrase "a yẹ mi" means "it is permissible for me" or "it is allowed to me." | |||
| Zulu | kufanele | ||
| "Kufanele" in Zulu also means "must" and is related to the verb "funa," meaning "to want" or "to desire." | |||
| Bambara | kan ka | ||
| Ewe | dze be | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bikwiye | ||
| Lingala | esengeli | ||
| Luganda | okuteekwa | ||
| Sepedi | swanetše | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɛwɔ sɛ | ||
Ought in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | يجب | ||
| The word 'يجب' (ought) in Arabic derives from the root 'وجب' (obligated), and also carries the meaning of 'must'. | |||
| Hebrew | צריך | ||
| The word צריכ derives from the Talmudic Aramaic verb שתסר that means “to need.” | |||
| Pashto | باید | ||
| The word "باید" in Pashto can also mean "necessary" or "must". | |||
| Arabic | يجب | ||
| The word 'يجب' (ought) in Arabic derives from the root 'وجب' (obligated), and also carries the meaning of 'must'. | |||
Ought in Western European Languages
| Albanian | duhet të | ||
| The Albanian word "duhet" is related to the Latin "debeo," meaning "to owe". | |||
| Basque | behar luke | ||
| The Basque word "behar luke" (ought) literally means "must be"} | |||
| Catalan | hauria de | ||
| The Catalan word “hauria” derives from Latin “habere”, meaning “to have” or “to possess”. | |||
| Croatian | trebao | ||
| The Croatian word "trebao" derives from the Slavic root "treb", meaning "need" or "necessity". | |||
| Danish | burde | ||
| The word "burde" in Danish comes from the Old Norse word "byrðr", meaning "burden" or "responsibility." | |||
| Dutch | zou moeten | ||
| The verb "zou moeten" in Dutch can also mean "I/you/he/she should/ought to do something" or "it should be done." | |||
| English | ought | ||
| The word "ought" is derived from the Old English word "āhte," meaning "possession" or "property." | |||
| French | devrait | ||
| Devoir, from which 'devrait' originates, also means 'to owe' and 'to have to do' | |||
| Frisian | ought | ||
| Frisian "ought" also means "at once, immediately." | |||
| Galician | debería | ||
| The Galician word "debería" also means "debt" and "obligation" | |||
| German | sollen | ||
| "Sollen" is the German equivalent of "ought" or "should," but it also has the additional meaning of "to be expected" or "to be necessary." | |||
| Icelandic | ætti | ||
| The word "ætti" also means "should" and is related to the Old Norse word "átta," meaning "to intend" or "to have to do." | |||
| Irish | chóir | ||
| The verb chóir appears only in the present tense, with a number of different meanings. | |||
| Italian | dovrebbe | ||
| The verb "dovrebbe" originates from "dovere" and "ebbe" ("had" in past tense), indicating that something was owed and its obligation still stands. | |||
| Luxembourgish | soll | ||
| "Soll" can also have the meaning of a floor or an attic space used for storage. | |||
| Maltese | kellha | ||
| 'Kellha' may also be used in other contexts to denote 'must' or to emphasize an obligation. | |||
| Norwegian | burde | ||
| Norwegian "burde" is a homonym of "burde" in Norwegian referring to birds. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | deveria | ||
| In Portuguese, "deveria" can also mean "should have" in a past context. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | bu chòir | ||
| The verb "bu chòir" is often used in the sense of "should" or "it is right to" rather than the sense of "it is necessary," which is more common in English. | |||
| Spanish | debería | ||
| "Debería" puede implicar "debería," "debe" o "tiene que," según el contexto. | |||
| Swedish | borde | ||
| "Borde" originates from the Proto-Germanic root for "flank", which referred to a sense of "moral obligation to uphold social harmony" in Old Norse. | |||
| Welsh | dylai | ||
| In some dialects of Welsh, 'dylai' ('ought') can also indicate permission or the future tense of a verb. | |||
Ought in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | трэба | ||
| The word “трэба” also means “there is a need,” but is more commonly used in the context of a need to fulfill a moral or social obligation. | |||
| Bosnian | trebalo bi | ||
| The word 'trebalo bi' is likely derived from the verb 'tresti', meaning 'to need' or 'to necessitate'. | |||
| Bulgarian | трябва | ||
| "Трябва" (тряب-ва) на старобългарски означава "жертва." | |||
| Czech | měl by | ||
| In Old and colloquial Czech, "měl by" could be a conditional, a subjunctive, imperative or optative form of the future of the verb "míti" (to have). | |||
| Estonian | peaks | ||
| The word "peaks" comes from the Proto-Finnic "*pekše-" meaning "to bake, roast", which is also the source of the Estonian word "pekkima" meaning "to bake". | |||
| Finnish | pitäisi | ||
| "Pitää" is related to pitko, meaning "longish" and "pitko" meaning "extended". Hence, "pitää" originally meant "to hold something for long". | |||
| Hungarian | kellene | ||
| Kellene, like the English 'ought', can also mean 'to be necessary' or 'required'. | |||
| Latvian | vajadzētu | ||
| The word vajadzētu derives from the noun vajadzība, meaning "need" or "requirement." | |||
| Lithuanian | turėtų | ||
| The Lithuanian word "turėtų" is derived from the verb "turėti", meaning "to have", and can also mean "should" or "must". | |||
| Macedonian | треба | ||
| "Треба" means "sacrifice" in Proto-Slavic and other Slavic languages. | |||
| Polish | powinien | ||
| The word "powinien" in Polish also has the meaning of "due" or "payable". | |||
| Romanian | ar trebui | ||
| The Romanian word "ar trebui" also means "should" or "must". | |||
| Russian | должен | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "ought", "должен" can also mean "must", "have to", or "required to". | |||
| Serbian | требало би | ||
| In Serbian, "trebalo bi" can be used impersonally to express duty or necessity without specifying an actor, similar to the French impersonal form "il faut". | |||
| Slovak | mal by | ||
| The word "mal by" in Slovak comes from the word "mal," meaning "property," and the word "by" meaning "to be." | |||
| Slovenian | moral bi | ||
| Moral bi could also mean "would have to" when used in the conditional mood. | |||
| Ukrainian | треба | ||
| "Треба" is also sometimes used to refer to what one should do according to religious law or tradition. | |||
Ought in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | উচিত | ||
| The word "উচিত" is derived from the Sanskrit word "उचित" (ucita), meaning "suitable" or "appropriate". | |||
| Gujarati | જોઈએ | ||
| "જોઈએ" can also refer to necessities, meaning "things one must have or do." | |||
| Hindi | चाहिए | ||
| The Hindi word 'चाहिए' is related to the word 'चाहना' meaning 'to desire', thus indicating a necessity derived from a desire. | |||
| Kannada | ought | ||
| The Kannada word "ought" is derived from the Old English word "āhte," meaning "possess" or "owe," and its alternate meaning in Kannada is "need" or "necessity." | |||
| Malayalam | ought | ||
| The Malayalam word 'ought' is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word '*awutu', meaning 'ability' or 'capacity'. | |||
| Marathi | पाहिजे | ||
| The word 'पाहिजे' in Marathi comes from the Sanskrit word 'पश्यति' which means 'to see' or 'to look at'. | |||
| Nepali | हुनु पर्छ | ||
| हुनु पर्छ is the only Nepali word that is always used in the passive voice. | |||
| Punjabi | ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ | ||
| It also means "it is necessary" in addition to "ought to". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ought | ||
| In Sinhala, the word "ought" can also refer to "need" or "deserve". | |||
| Tamil | கட்டாயம் | ||
| "கட்டாயம்" can also refer to a type of traditional Tamil musical instrument. | |||
| Telugu | తప్పక | ||
| The word "తప్పక" can also mean "certainly" or "without fail". | |||
| Urdu | چاہئے | ||
| "چاہئے" is related to the word "چاہ" which means desire and the Arabic word "حاجة" which means need or wish, implying a sense of want or necessity. | |||
Ought in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 应该 | ||
| 除了表示“应该”，“应该”还可以表示“或许”。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 應該 | ||
| In Mandarin Chinese, "應該" also carries meanings of "probability," "expectation," and "reason to." | |||
| Japanese | すべきです | ||
| すべきです can also be used to express obligation or necessity, as in the sentence 「この薬を飲むべきです。」 (You ought to take this medicine.). | |||
| Korean | 영 | ||
| 영 (ought) derives from the Middle Korean word ᄋᆞᆯ (ǒl), meaning "to be fit, proper, or necessary." | |||
| Mongolian | ёстой | ||
| The word "ёстой" can also mean "necessary" or "essential". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပေးသင့်တယ် | ||
Ought in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | seharusnya | ||
| The word "seharusnya" is derived from the Javanese word "harus" meaning "necessary" and the Indonesian suffix "-nya" indicating a subject or object. | |||
| Javanese | kudune | ||
| In Javanese, the word "kudune" also means "should" or "must". | |||
| Khmer | គួរតែ | ||
| គួរតែ (kŭor-tae) can also be used to mean "suitable", "proper", or "appropriate." | |||
| Lao | ຄວນ | ||
| "ຄວນ" can also mean "suitable" in some contexts. | |||
| Malay | semestinya | ||
| In Malay, "semestinya" can also mean "certainly" or "of course". | |||
| Thai | ควร | ||
| "ควร" originally meant "to suit" or "to be appropriate". | |||
| Vietnamese | phải | ||
| "Phải" also means "must" or "have to" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | dapat | ||
Ought in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | gərək | ||
| "Gərək" is an Azerbaijani word derived from the Persian word "garak" meaning "necessary". | |||
| Kazakh | керек | ||
| "Керек" can also be used as a noun, meaning "necessity" or "need" | |||
| Kyrgyz | керек | ||
| The word "керек" comes from the Persian word "گرگ" (gorg), which means "wolf". | |||
| Tajik | бояд | ||
| The Tajik word "бояд" is a cognate of the Persian word "باید" and has a similar meaning. | |||
| Turkmen | etmeli | ||
| Uzbek | kerak | ||
| The Uzbek word "kerak" originates from the Persian word "kār" (work, need) | |||
| Uyghur | تېگىشلىك | ||
Ought in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pono | ||
| In Hawaiian, "pono" also connotes balance, harmony, health, and well-being. | |||
| Maori | tika | ||
| In Maori, "tika" can mean "right" or "correct" beyond the realm of morality, extending to physical objects and actions. | |||
| Samoan | tatau | ||
| The word "tatau" in Samoan can also mean "to mark" or "to tattoo". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | dapat | ||
| "Dapat" can also mean "must," "should," or "need." | |||
Ought in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ukhamaspa | ||
| Guarani | tekotevẽva | ||
Ought in International Languages
| Esperanto | devus | ||
| Esperanto "devus" is a Latin loanword related to "devotion" and "duty." | |||
| Latin | oportet, | ||
| 'Oportet' derives from 'opus,' ('work') and denotes that something is necessary and must be worked towards. | |||
Ought in Others Languages
| Greek | πρέπει | ||
| The verb 'πρέπει' derives from the Indo-European root *prepe-, meaning 'to lead,' 'to send,' or 'to direct ahead.' | |||
| Hmong | yuav | ||
| "Yuav" can also be translated as "must" or "should" in English, but there are some subtle differences in usage. | |||
| Kurdish | divê | ||
| The word "divê" in Kurdish is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *dhew- "to move, shake, swing, drive". | |||
| Turkish | lazım | ||
| "Lazım" derives from Arabic and carries the connotation of necessity or requirement in a wider sense. | |||
| Xhosa | kufanelekile | ||
| The Xhosa word "kufanelekile" can also mean "suitable" or "appropriate". | |||
| Yiddish | דארף | ||
| The Yiddish word 'darf' is derived from the German 'darben,' meaning 'to be deprived' or 'to need' | |||
| Zulu | kufanele | ||
| "Kufanele" in Zulu also means "must" and is related to the verb "funa," meaning "to want" or "to desire." | |||
| Assamese | লাগে | ||
| Aymara | ukhamaspa | ||
| Bhojpuri | कुछुओ | ||
| Dhivehi | ވާންޖެހޭނެއެވެ | ||
| Dogri | चाहिदा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | dapat | ||
| Guarani | tekotevẽva | ||
| Ilocano | rumbeng | ||
| Krio | fɔ | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پێویستە | ||
| Maithili | चाही | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ought | ||
| Mizo | tur | ||
| Oromo | qaba | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଉଚିତ | ||
| Quechua | debe | ||
| Sanskrit | भाविन् | ||
| Tatar | тиеш | ||
| Tigrinya | ይግባእ | ||
| Tsonga | fanele | ||