Owe in Different Languages
Discover 'Owe' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Owe
Afrikaans skuld | ||
Albanian borxh | ||
Amharic ዕዳ | ||
Arabic مدينون | ||
Armenian պարտք ունեմ | ||
Assamese ঋণী হোৱা | ||
Aymara puqhaña | ||
Azerbaijani borcluyuq | ||
Bambara juru | ||
Basque zor | ||
Belarusian абавязаны | ||
Bengali ণী | ||
Bhojpuri कर्जदार होखल | ||
Bosnian dugujem | ||
Bulgarian дължа | ||
Catalan deure | ||
Cebuano utangan | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 欠 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 欠 | ||
Corsican devu | ||
Croatian dugovati | ||
Czech dlužíš | ||
Danish skylde | ||
Dhivehi ދެރުން | ||
Dogri कर्जदार होना | ||
Dutch verschuldigd | ||
English owe | ||
Esperanto ŝuldi | ||
Estonian võlgu | ||
Ewe nyi fe | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) may utang na loob | ||
Finnish olla velkaa | ||
French devoir | ||
Frisian owe | ||
Galician debe | ||
Georgian მმართებს | ||
German verdanken | ||
Greek οφείλω | ||
Guarani hembiaporã | ||
Gujarati ણી | ||
Haitian Creole dwe | ||
Hausa bashi | ||
Hawaiian ʻaiʻē | ||
Hebrew חייב | ||
Hindi आभारी होना | ||
Hmong tshuav nqi | ||
Hungarian tartozik | ||
Icelandic skulda | ||
Igbo ji | ||
Ilocano utangen | ||
Indonesian berhutang | ||
Irish dlite | ||
Italian devo | ||
Japanese 借りている | ||
Javanese utang | ||
Kannada ಬದ್ಧನಾಗಿರಬೇಕು | ||
Kazakh қарыздар | ||
Khmer ជំពាក់ | ||
Kinyarwanda umwenda | ||
Konkani रिणांत आसपी | ||
Korean 지고 있다 | ||
Krio fɔ pe | ||
Kurdish deyn | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) قەرزار بوون | ||
Kyrgyz карыздар | ||
Lao ຕິດຫນີ້ | ||
Latin debes | ||
Latvian parādā | ||
Lingala esengeli | ||
Lithuanian skolingi | ||
Luganda ebbanja | ||
Luxembourgish schëlleg | ||
Macedonian должам | ||
Maithili ऋणी | ||
Malagasy trosa | ||
Malay berhutang | ||
Malayalam കടപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു | ||
Maltese nirrispettaw | ||
Maori nama | ||
Marathi देणे | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯂꯃꯟ ꯇꯣꯟꯕ | ||
Mizo leiba | ||
Mongolian өртэй | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ကြွေး | ||
Nepali owणी | ||
Norwegian skylde | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) ngongole | ||
Odia (Oriya) we ଣୀ | ||
Oromo irraa qabaachuu | ||
Pashto پور ورکول | ||
Persian مدیون | ||
Polish zawdzięczać | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) devo | ||
Punjabi ਰਿਣੀ ਹੈ | ||
Quechua manukuna | ||
Romanian datora | ||
Russian должен | ||
Samoan aitalafu | ||
Sanskrit अपमयते | ||
Scots Gaelic fiachan | ||
Sepedi kolota | ||
Serbian дугујем | ||
Sesotho kolota | ||
Shona chikwereti | ||
Sindhi قرض ڏيندڙ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) ණයයි | ||
Slovak dlžíš | ||
Slovenian dolgujem | ||
Somali deyn lagu leeyahay | ||
Spanish deber | ||
Sundanese ngahutang | ||
Swahili deni | ||
Swedish är skyldig | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) may utang na loob | ||
Tajik қарздор | ||
Tamil கடன்பட்டிருக்கிறேன் | ||
Tatar бурычлы | ||
Telugu రుణపడి | ||
Thai เป็นหนี้ | ||
Tigrinya ብዓል ዕዳ | ||
Tsonga xikweleti | ||
Turkish borçlu olmak | ||
Turkmen bergili | ||
Twi (Akan) de ka | ||
Ukrainian винен | ||
Urdu واجب الادا | ||
Uyghur قەرزدار | ||
Uzbek qarzdor | ||
Vietnamese nợ | ||
Welsh dyledus | ||
Xhosa ityala | ||
Yiddish שולדיק זייַן | ||
Yoruba gbese | ||
Zulu ukweleta |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word "skuld" is derived from the Old Norse word "skuld," which means "debt" or "obligation." |
| Albanian | "Borxh" is derived from the Latin "borgium" and also means "collateral" or "pledge". |
| Amharic | The word ዕዳ (owe) in Amharic also means 'sin' in Tigrinya. |
| Arabic | The word "مدينون" also means "those who are indebted" in Arabic, suggesting that the debtor is in a position of servitude or obligation to the creditor. |
| Azerbaijani | The word "borcluyuq" also refers to a "debtor" in Azerbaijani. |
| Basque | The Basque word 'zor' derives from the Latin 'debitum', meaning 'debt'. |
| Belarusian | The word "абавязаны" comes from the Old Church Slavonic word "обязан" (obligated), which is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "vezati" (to bind). |
| Bengali | The word "ণী" also means "to borrow" or "to take on loan" in Bengali. |
| Bosnian | In Bosnian, the word 'dugujem' also means 'to be responsible for something or someone'. |
| Bulgarian | The word "дължа" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *dolgъ, meaning "debt" or "obligation". |
| Catalan | "Deure" in Catalan also refers to a door or an entrance. |
| Cebuano | While 'utangan' typically means 'owe' in Cebuano, it can also refer to a 'debtor' or 'creditor'. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 欠 appears in the expression '欠债还债, 天经地义', which means 'owing a debt and repaying it is natural and right'. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | The character "欠" also means "to lack" or "to be deficient" in Chinese. |
| Corsican | The Corsican word "devu" is a loanword from the Italian "dovere" and is also used in the sense of "have to" or "be supposed to". |
| Croatian | In Serbo-Croatian, 'dugovati' has multiple meanings, including 'to owe', 'to be indebted', or 'to be responsible'. |
| Czech | The noun "dluh" (debt) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "dlъgъ", which also means "long" or "distant". |
| Danish | In Danish, the word "skylde" also means to blame, impute, attribute, or ascribe; hence "skyld", which means guilt, fault, or blame, and "skyldig", which means guilty or indebted. |
| Dutch | The Dutch word "verschuldigd" derives from the Middle Dutch word "verschulden," which meant "to become guilty because of an offense against someone" |
| Esperanto | "Ŝuldi" can also mean to be indebted, or to have a debt to someone. |
| Estonian | "Võlgu" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "*wälgä" meaning "debt" or "obligation". |
| Finnish | The word "olla velkaa" in Finnish comes from the Proto-Finnic word *welka-, meaning "debt" or "obligation." |
| French | The term "devoir" also means "duty" in French, deriving from the Latin verb "debēre." |
| Frisian | The word 'owe' in Frisian can also mean 'to possess' or 'to have'. |
| Galician | The Galician word debe (owe) derives from the Latin word debitum, meaning a debt or obligation. |
| Georgian | The Georgian word for "owe" can also mean "to hold or control something" and can trace its etymology back to Old Georgian. |
| German | The verb 'verdanken' can also mean to 'thank', and its etymology derives from an old High German verb 'thanken' which had both meanings. |
| Greek | The verb "οφείλω" in Greek is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*h₃eǵʰ-yo-ó-, meaning "to bind" or "to fasten". |
| Gujarati | In Gujarati, "ણી" primarily means "owe", but it can also be used as a verb meaning "to get", "to obtain", or "to have". |
| Haitian Creole | Haitian Creole's 'dwe' can also mean 'must' or 'should'. |
| Hausa | In Hausa, 'bashi' is also used to refer to a type of long, decorative robe worn by women. |
| Hawaiian | The word “ʻaiʻē” can also mean “to have a debt” or “to be in debt”. |
| Hebrew | חייב is related to חוב (debt), and can also mean 'obligation' |
| Hindi | The Hindi word "आभारी होना" can also mean "to be grateful" or "to be beholden". |
| Hmong | The Hmong word "tshuav nqi" is also used to describe a debt to society or a need to make amends. |
| Hungarian | The word 'tartozik' also means 'to be attached to something' or 'to belong to a place or group'. |
| Icelandic | 'Skulda' also carries the meaning of 'to be obliged' and is sometimes used in formal or archaic language. |
| Igbo | "Ji" in Igbo can also mean "to have," "to own," or "to be the owner of something." |
| Indonesian | The word "berhutang" also means "borrow". |
| Irish | The Irish word "dlite" can also refer to a legal obligation to pay compensation or make reparation for a wrong committed. |
| Italian | "Devo" also means "to dedicate" in a religious sense, likely deriving from the Latin word "deo" meaning "to God." |
| Japanese | In Japanese, "借りている" (kariteiru) literally translates to "being borrowed," implying a temporary obligation to repay what is owed. |
| Javanese | In Javanese, “utang” can also refer to a traditional ritual sacrifice or offering made to appease spirits or deities. |
| Kannada | This word can also imply "being in custody". |
| Kazakh | Qaryzdar comes from the same root word as qarız- meaning "old age." |
| Khmer | "ជំពាក់" also means "to ask someone to keep something for you" in Khmer. |
| Korean | In addition to its primary meaning, "지고 있다" can also mean "to have been defeated" or "to have lost". |
| Kurdish | The word "deyn" in Kurdish is derived from the Middle Persian word "den" and also means "sin" or "debt". |
| Kyrgyz | "Карыздар" (owe) in Kyrgyz is also used to refer to those who are indebted to the speaker, either financially or otherwise. |
| Lao | The word "ຕິດຫນີ້" can also refer to being in debt to someone for a favor or kindness. |
| Latin | Latin "debes" derives from "de + habeo" meaning "to have from"} |
| Latvian | "Parādā" can also mean "in debt" or "under obligation". |
| Lithuanian | In Lithuanian, "skolingi" has been used in contexts of both owing money and owing a favor, indicating a broader semantic range compared to the English word "owe". |
| Luxembourgish | In the archaic Luxembourgish dialect, "schëlleg" also refers to the act of hitting or striking something. |
| Macedonian | Derived from proto-Slavic *dъlgъ, ultimately from *delgъ, meaning "debt" or "guilt". |
| Malagasy | The word "trosa" in Malagasy can also mean "to be in debt" or "to be obliged to do something." |
| Malay | The word "berhutang" comes from the Sanskrit word "vrddhi", meaning "to increase". |
| Maltese | "Nirrispettaw" comes from the Latin "non respecter", meaning "not to respect" or "to despise". |
| Maori | The Maori word "nama" not only means "owe," but also refers to a debt or obligation. |
| Marathi | The word "देणे" (dene) in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word "दा" (da) meaning "to give", and also has the alternate meaning of "to pay" or "to owe". |
| Mongolian | The word "өртэй" can also refer to a debt or obligation. |
| Nepali | In Nepal, "owणी" (owe) also refers to a type of traditional water mill used for grinding grains. |
| Norwegian | Skylde may derive from the Old Norse verb skjalda, which means to shield or protect. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word 'ngongole' can also mean 'debt' or 'credit' in Chichewa. |
| Pashto | The word "پور ورکول" can also refer to a person who owes someone money or a favor, or to the act of owing money or a favor |
| Persian | "مدیون" comes from the root word "دين" meaning religion or debt, thus meaning indebted to someone for some reason. |
| Polish | The verb "zawdzięczać" derives from the Old Polish noun "dzięk" meaning "thanks" or "gratitude", and retains its original sense in many contexts, including "to owe". |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | Devo, the Portuguese word for "owe" also means destiny or fate. |
| Punjabi | The word "ਰਿਣੀ ਹੈ" derives from the Sanskrit word "ऋण" meaning debt or repayment, and also has connotations of a vow or promise. |
| Romanian | The word "datora" in Romanian also comes from the Latin word "debitum", meaning "something owed". |
| Russian | The word "должен" also means "must" or "have to" in Russian. |
| Samoan | In Samoan, 'aitalafu' also means 'responsibility' or a 'debt' that cannot be measured in monetary form, such as an unfulfilled promise to a loved one. |
| Scots Gaelic | The word 'fiachan' derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰeydʰ-, meaning 'to bind' or 'to constrain'. |
| Serbian | "Дугујем" comes from the Turkish "borçluyum", which also means "I owe" |
| Sesotho | "Kolota" can also mean "to ask for a loan" or "to borrow money." |
| Shona | The word 'chikwereti' can also refer to a debt or an obligation in Shona. |
| Sindhi | قرض ڏيندڙ also means one who gives you a hard time financially. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The verb ණයයි ('owe') comes from the Sanskrit word ऋण ('debt'), which is itself derived from the proto-Indo-European root *h₃réǵʰ- ('owe, be obliged'). |
| Slovak | The word "dlžíš" in Slovak is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*dʰelǵʰ-*, meaning "to deceive" or "to be in debt." |
| Slovenian | The word 'dolgujem' is derived from the Proto-Slavic verb *dolžiti, meaning 'to be in debt'. |
| Somali | The Somali word for 'owe' ('deyn lagu leeyahay') also implies an obligation or debt that must be fulfilled. |
| Spanish | In Spanish, "deber" also means "to have to" or "to must", highlighting the obligation or necessity associated with the concept of owing. |
| Sundanese | The word "ngahutang" is derived from the Old Javanese word "utang", which can also mean "debt". In modern Sundanese, "ngahutang" can refer to both owing money as well as being indebted to someone for a favor. |
| Swahili | The Swahili word "deni" has its roots in the Arabic word "dayn", both signifying a debt or obligation |
| Swedish | The word "är skyldig" can also mean "is guilty" or "is responsible". |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The phrase "may utang na loob" can also mean to be indebted to someone for a favor or kindness. |
| Tajik | The word "қарздор" derives from the Persian word "qarzdār" and also means "debtor". |
| Telugu | "రుణపడి" in Telugu derives from the Sanskrit word "ruṇa," meaning "debt" or "obligation." |
| Thai | The etymology of "เป็นหนี้" is likely related to the Sanskrit term "jñāti" or "bandhu", meaning "relative" or "kinsman", suggesting a connection between familial ties and the concept of indebtedness. |
| Turkish | The word "borçlu olmak" can also mean "to be indebted" or "to be under obligation to someone." |
| Ukrainian | The word "винен" can also mean "guilty" or "to blame" in Ukrainian. |
| Urdu | The term "واجب الادا" also implies "compulsory" and "obligatory". |
| Uzbek | Qarzdor derived from Persian قرضدار (qardz-dār) which means the same, qard means loan and daar means holder. |
| Vietnamese | The word "nợ" in Vietnamese can also mean "debt" or "obligation." |
| Welsh | The word dyledus is possibly based on the Middle Irish díliu (< Latin dīluvium = “flood”), and it can also denote “an influx (of disease)”. |
| Xhosa | The word "ityala" in Xhosa derives from the Proto-Bantu root "-tal-", meaning "to pay a debt or fine". |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word שולדיק זיין is cognate with the German word „schuldig sein” which means „be bound to, to be under an obligation or duty” and shares its Indo-European root with the words „schuld”, „debt” and “guilty”. |
| Yoruba | In Yoruba, the word "gbese" also refers to a traditional dance performance characterized by acrobatic and stilt-walking feats. |
| Zulu | The word "ukweleta" can also refer to the act of waiting or expecting something. |
| English | The word "owe" comes from the Old English word "agan", which can also mean "to possess" or "to belong to". |