Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'own' holds a significant place in our language, denoting possession, individuality, and self-reliance. Its cultural importance is evident in literature, music, and everyday conversations. Understanding the translation of 'own' in different languages can provide valuable insights into diverse cultures and broaden our perspectives.
For instance, in Spanish, 'own' translates to 'propio', while in French, it's 'propre'. In German, 'eigen' is the equivalent, and in Japanese, 'own' is translated as '自分の (jibun no)'. These translations not only represent the word's meaning but also reflect the unique linguistic and cultural nuances of each language.
Moreover, knowing the translation of 'own' can be practical in various situations, such as traveling, international business, or academic research. It can help foster effective communication and mutual understanding among people from different backgrounds.
Explore the world of language and culture through the translations of 'own' below.
Afrikaans | eie | ||
The Afrikaans word "eie", meaning "own", can also refer to the sense of ownership or belonging. | |||
Amharic | የራሱ | ||
The term can also refer to the second person, meaning "your". | |||
Hausa | mallaka | ||
Mallaka is also used to refer to the act of owning or possessing something. | |||
Igbo | nwe | ||
"nwe" can also mean "mine" or "his (male)" in Igbo. | |||
Malagasy | ny | ||
The Malagasy word "ny" also means "the" when preceding a noun. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | mwini | ||
The word "mwini" in Nyanja can also refer to a host or owner, or be used as a term of endearment. | |||
Shona | wega | ||
Wega, meaning 'own' in Shona, also signifies that which is exclusive to the speaker or group they belong to. | |||
Somali | leedahay | ||
The word "leedahay" in Somali also means "to own" or "to possess". | |||
Sesotho | tsa hao | ||
"Tsa hao" is derived from the Proto-Bantu root "-ha-o", meaning "to have" or "to belong to". | |||
Swahili | kumiliki | ||
Kumiliki is a cognate of miliki in Malay and milikiwa in Chamorro and is possibly derived from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *mi-lik. | |||
Xhosa | yeyakho | ||
The word 'yeyakho' in Xhosa can also refer to a personal pronoun meaning 'you'. | |||
Yoruba | tirẹ | ||
The word 'tirẹ' also means 'yours' or 'his/her/its' in Yoruba. | |||
Zulu | okwakho | ||
The Zulu word "okwakho" means "own", but it also has an alternate meaning: "belonging to you" | |||
Bambara | bɛ ... fɛ | ||
Ewe | le esi | ||
Kinyarwanda | wenyine | ||
Lingala | ya yo moko | ||
Luganda | obwa nannyini | ||
Sepedi | rua | ||
Twi (Akan) | deɛ | ||
Arabic | خاصة | ||
The Arabic word 'خاصّ' has its origins in the Akkadian language, where it was originally used as a term for land ownership and inheritance. | |||
Hebrew | שֶׁלוֹ | ||
The word "שֶׁלוֹ" ("own") derives from the root "שׁ-ו-ל" ("to make whole"), meaning it implies a sense of completeness and belonging. | |||
Pashto | خپل | ||
"خپل" in Pashto also means native, indigenous, related by blood or marriage, or a member of the same community. | |||
Arabic | خاصة | ||
The Arabic word 'خاصّ' has its origins in the Akkadian language, where it was originally used as a term for land ownership and inheritance. |
Albanian | të vetat | ||
The Albanian word "të vetat" can also be used to mean "oneself" or "alone" | |||
Basque | propio | ||
The Basque word "propio" can also mean "individual", "special", or "proper". | |||
Catalan | pròpia | ||
The word "pròpia" in Catalan can also refer to the Catalan pronunciation of a word. | |||
Croatian | vlastiti | ||
The Croatian word "vlastiti" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *volьst, meaning "power" or "possession". | |||
Danish | egen | ||
The Danish word 'egen', meaning 'own', also refers to the European oak tree, Quercus robur. | |||
Dutch | eigen | ||
In various Germanic languages, "eigen" may refer to concepts similar to "own" such as property, distinct qualities or characteristics. | |||
English | own | ||
The word "own" can also refer to a specific territory, such as "one's own country" or "one's own property." | |||
French | posséder | ||
"Posséder" can mean "to control" or "to dominate" in the context of warfare, strategy, and politics. | |||
Frisian | eigen | ||
The Frisian word "eigen" derives from Old Dutch "egen" and Old West Frisian "eghen". | |||
Galician | propio | ||
The Galician word "propio" derives from the Latin "proprius" and can also mean "personal" or "specific" | |||
German | besitzen | ||
In legal contexts, 'besitzen' can also refer to physical possession without ownership. | |||
Icelandic | eiga | ||
Eiga is cognate with the Swedish word "egen" and the Faroese word "egin". | |||
Irish | féin | ||
"Féin" in Irish can also mean "self" or "indeed". | |||
Italian | proprio | ||
The word 'proprio' also means 'exactly' or 'precisely' in Italian. | |||
Luxembourgish | eege | ||
Eege can also mean one's own property, such as a house or land. | |||
Maltese | stess | ||
The word "stess" is derived from the Semitic root "š-t-m" meaning "to own" or "to possess". | |||
Norwegian | egen | ||
The word "egen" in Norwegian can also mean "suitable" or "proper". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | próprio | ||
"Próprio" can also mean specific, inherent, genuine, very appropriate, correct, proper, fitting, suitable, apt, appropriate, or characteristic. | |||
Scots Gaelic | fhèin | ||
The word "fhèin" also commonly means "self" or "individual". | |||
Spanish | propio | ||
In Spanish, "propio" comes from the Latin "proprius" meaning "belonging to oneself" or "peculiar." | |||
Swedish | egen | ||
In Swedish "egen" can also mean "strange" or "peculiar" and comes from the Old Norse word "eiginn" with the same meaning. | |||
Welsh | ei hun | ||
In the phrase 'ei hun', 'hun' means 'self' and 'ei' is a possessive pronoun, roughly translating to 'her/his/its own'. |
Belarusian | уласны | ||
In Belarusian, the word “уласны” can have two meanings: “own” or “private”. | |||
Bosnian | svoj | ||
The word "svoj" ('own') in Bosnian has Slavic origins and is related to the possessive pronoun "sv(o)j". | |||
Bulgarian | собствен | ||
Bulgarian "собствен" may derive from Proto-Slavic "*sъб"- meaning "with" or from Proto-Indo-European "*h₁swo-" meaning "one's own". | |||
Czech | vlastní | ||
The word "vlastní" can also refer to "proper" or "individual", e.g. "vlastní jméno" (proper name), "vlastní názor" (individual opinion). | |||
Estonian | oma | ||
In Estonian, the word "oma" can also refer to "home" or "personal property". | |||
Finnish | oma | ||
"Oma" also refers to the first or second person possessive in Finnish. | |||
Hungarian | saját | ||
The word "saját" in Hungarian can also refer to "specific" or "personal" when used in certain contexts. | |||
Latvian | pašu | ||
The Latvian word "pašu" has Indo-European roots and is related to possessive pronouns in other languages such as the English "self". | |||
Lithuanian | savo | ||
In other Slavic languages the etymology of the word | |||
Macedonian | сопствен | ||
This word comes from the Old Church Slavonic and Russian language where it had a similar meaning. | |||
Polish | posiadać | ||
The word "posiadać" can also mean "to be in possession of".} | |||
Romanian | proprii | ||
The word 'proprii' also means 'adequate', 'proper', 'fit', 'suitable', or 'characteristic'. | |||
Russian | своя | ||
The word "своя" in Russian can also refer to a wife or mistress | |||
Serbian | свој | ||
The Serbian word "свој" derives from the Old Slavic verb "съвати", meaning "to acquire" or "to get." | |||
Slovak | vlastné | ||
The word "vlastné" is ultimately derived from the Proto-Slavic word *ob-stě, meaning "one's own" or "belonging to oneself". | |||
Slovenian | lastno | ||
The word 'lastno' in Slovenian can also refer to the 'last one' or 'final', such as in the phrase 'zadnji avtobus' ('the last bus'). | |||
Ukrainian | власний | ||
The word "власний" derives from the Proto-Slavic root *volьnъ, meaning "free" or "independent." |
Bengali | নিজস্ব | ||
"নিজস্ব" can also mean "peculiar" or "characteristic of something or someone specific" in Bengali. | |||
Gujarati | પોતાના | ||
The Gujarati word "પોતાના" can refer to both the reflexive pronoun "self" and the possessive pronoun "own". | |||
Hindi | अपना | ||
The word "अपना" ("own") in Hindi can also refer to "self" or "family". | |||
Kannada | ಸ್ವಂತ | ||
The word "ಸ್ವಂತ" can also mean "independent" or "self-reliant". | |||
Malayalam | സ്വന്തമാണ് | ||
The word "സ്വന്തമാണ്" literally translates to "it's one's own" or "it's one's property". It is also used to express the possessive form of nouns, similar to the English "'s" or "of". | |||
Marathi | स्वत: चे | ||
The word "स्वत: चे" (svata: che) in Marathi is derived from Sanskrit and can also mean "self" or "essence". | |||
Nepali | आफ्नै | ||
The word "आफ्नै" in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit word "आत्मा" meaning "self", and also shares a connection to the English word "own". | |||
Punjabi | ਆਪਣਾ | ||
The word "ਆਪਣਾ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "आत्मान" (ātman), meaning "self" or "soul". | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | තමන්ගේම | ||
"තමන්ගේම" is used to describe something that belongs to the speaker or is done by the speaker's own efforts. | |||
Tamil | சொந்தமானது | ||
Telugu | స్వంతం | ||
స్వంతం (svantan) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'svatantra' meaning 'independent' or 'autonomous'. | |||
Urdu | اپنا | ||
"اپنا" in Urdu is an adjective which means belonging exclusively to a particular person (usually the subject). In Urdu, the word is used as a substitute for |
Chinese (Simplified) | 拥有 | ||
The original meaning of 拥有 is to "have, to possess". However, nowadays, it can also mean "to master, to be proficient in." | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 擁有 | ||
The word 擁有 (yǒngyǒu) comes from the phrase 有由 (yǒuyóu), which means "to have reasons" or "to have a justifiable cause." | |||
Japanese | 自分の | ||
The word "自分の" can be interpreted as both a possessive form (one's own) and as an indication that something is done independently (by oneself). | |||
Korean | 개인적인 | ||
The word '개인적인' ('own') in Korean can also mean 'personal' or 'private'. | |||
Mongolian | өөрийн | ||
The Mongolian word "өөрийн" not only means "own", but also refers to the first person singular pronoun "I" | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ကိုယ်ပိုင် | ||
Indonesian | sendiri | ||
"Sendiri" also means "alone" in most Indonesian dialects, similar to how "selbst" and "selbständig" both mean "independent" and "alone" in German. | |||
Javanese | duweke dhewe | ||
The word 'duweke dhewe' in Javanese, besides meaning 'own', also means 'to have something exclusively'. | |||
Khmer | ផ្ទាល់ខ្លួន | ||
It can also mean to be private or alone. | |||
Lao | ເປັນເຈົ້າຂອງ | ||
Malay | memiliki | ||
The Malay word "memiliki" is also used to refer to the possession of a characteristic or trait. | |||
Thai | เป็นเจ้าของ | ||
The term "เป็นเจ้าของ" also means "to possess" or "to have control over something". | |||
Vietnamese | sở hữu | ||
Sở hữu is also a verb that means to possess or acquire. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sariling | ||
Azerbaijani | öz | ||
The word "öz" also means "soul" or "spirit" in Azerbaijani, indicating a deep connection between ownership and the inner self. | |||
Kazakh | меншікті | ||
The word "меншікті" can also mean "belonging to" or "appropriate" in Kazakh. | |||
Kyrgyz | өз | ||
The Kyrgyz word "өз" also means root or origin, and is related to the Kazakh word "өзі" and the Turkish word "öz". | |||
Tajik | худ | ||
The word "худ" can also mean "master" or "husband" in Tajik. | |||
Turkmen | eýeçilik edýär | ||
Uzbek | shaxsiy | ||
Derived from the Persian word 'khāsiyat' or 'khāss', meaning 'peculiar' or 'special' | |||
Uyghur | own | ||
Hawaiian | ponoʻī | ||
Ponoʻī can also mean "to take care of oneself," "to be careful," or "to be prudent." | |||
Maori | ake | ||
In Māori, the word "ake" can also refer to a state of possessiveness, a sense of belonging, or a claim of ownership. | |||
Samoan | lava | ||
"Lava" also refers to the edible fruit of the Terminalia Catappa tree, commonly known as the Indian almond or tropical almond, in the Samoan language. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | pagmamay-ari | ||
The Tagalog word "pagmamay-ari" is derived from the Malay word "pemilik" meaning "owner" or "proprietor". |
Aymara | kipka | ||
Guarani | areko | ||
Esperanto | propra | ||
Esperanto's "propra" reflects the Latin "proprius", which can translate to "suitable" or "distinctive" in addition to "own". | |||
Latin | suum | ||
In legal contexts, "suum" can refer to property held by a son of a legal family. |
Greek | τα δικά | ||
The word "τα δικά" can also refer to someone's belongings or property | |||
Hmong | tus kheej | ||
"Tus kheej" is a possessive pronoun meaning "own" or "of one's own". It is sometimes used to emphasize ownership or belonging. | |||
Kurdish | xwe | ||
In the Sorani dialect of Kurdish, "xwe" can also refer to "self" or "essence." | |||
Turkish | kendi | ||
The word 'kendi' in Turkish derives from the Proto-Turkic word 'kez-di', meaning 'self'. It can also refer to 'one's own' or 'personal'. | |||
Xhosa | yeyakho | ||
The word 'yeyakho' in Xhosa can also refer to a personal pronoun meaning 'you'. | |||
Yiddish | אייגענע | ||
The Yiddish word "אייגענע" (eygene) also means "true", "real", or "genuine". | |||
Zulu | okwakho | ||
The Zulu word "okwakho" means "own", but it also has an alternate meaning: "belonging to you" | |||
Assamese | নিজৰ | ||
Aymara | kipka | ||
Bhojpuri | आपन | ||
Dhivehi | އަމިއްލަ | ||
Dogri | अपना | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sariling | ||
Guarani | areko | ||
Ilocano | bukod | ||
Krio | yon | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | خاوەن | ||
Maithili | अपन | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯏꯁꯥꯒꯤ ꯑꯣꯏꯕ | ||
Mizo | nei | ||
Oromo | qabaachuu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ନିଜର | ||
Quechua | kikinpa | ||
Sanskrit | स्वकीयम् | ||
Tatar | үз | ||
Tigrinya | ወንን | ||
Tsonga | vun'winyi | ||