Permission in Different Languages
Discover 'Permission' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'permission' holds great significance in our daily lives, as it represents the concept of consent and approval. This cultural importance is reflected in various languages and societies around the world. Understanding the translation of 'permission' in different languages can open doors to new experiences and connections. For instance, the French translation is 'permission,' the Spanish translation is 'permiso,' and the German translation is 'Erlaubnis.'
Did you know that in ancient cultures, permission was often sought through rituals and offerings to the gods? This historical context highlights the deep-rooted significance of seeking approval and consent in human interactions. In many indigenous cultures, permission is still sought from the land and ancestors before any significant action is taken.
As we navigate our globalized world, knowing the translation of 'permission' in different languages can help us build relationships, conduct business, and appreciate cultural nuances. Here are more translations of 'permission' in various languages:
Permission
Permission in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | toestemming | ||
| "Toestemming" is derived from Dutch "toestemming", which in turn comes from the verb "toestemmen" meaning "to agree". | |||
| Amharic | ፈቃድ | ||
| ፈቃድ originates from the root ፈቀደ and is also used to mean 'wish' and 'desire'. | |||
| Hausa | izni | ||
| Izni, pronounced iz-ni, is used in Hausa to request permission and can also refer to a type of prayer or request for help. | |||
| Igbo | ikike | ||
| "Ikike," an Igbo term for "permission," also signifies "authority" and "power," reflecting the inherent connection between granting permission, making decisions, and wielding influence. | |||
| Malagasy | alalana | ||
| The word "alalana" in Malagasy also means "to forgive" and "to let pass". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chilolezo | ||
| "Chilolezo" also means "forgiveness" in some contexts in Nyanja (Chichewa). | |||
| Shona | mvumo | ||
| "Mvumo" also means 'a message' or 'word' in Shona. | |||
| Somali | ogolaansho | ||
| "Ogolaansho" is derived from the verb "ogolaan" which means "to allow" or "to permit". | |||
| Sesotho | tumello | ||
| "Tumello" derives from the verb "tuma" meaning "to send" or "to allow". | |||
| Swahili | ruhusa | ||
| The word "ruhusa" also means "leave" in Swahili, referring to a period of absence from work or school. | |||
| Xhosa | imvume | ||
| The word "imvume" can also refer to "a request" or "an apology" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | igbanilaaye | ||
| Igbanilaaye is synonymous with the phrase 'Igba ti a nla aye' and refers to a period of probation or testing before a full commitment is made in a relationship. | |||
| Zulu | imvume | ||
| In Zulu, "imvume" also colloquially means "opportunity" and is derived from the word "vuma" (to agree). | |||
| Bambara | yamaruya | ||
| Ewe | mᴐɖeɖe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | uruhushya | ||
| Lingala | ndingisa | ||
| Luganda | olukusa | ||
| Sepedi | tumelelo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kwan ma | ||
Permission in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الإذن | ||
| "الإذن" in Arabic also means "the ear" as an organ or "to lend". | |||
| Hebrew | רְשׁוּת | ||
| The word רשות can also refer to authority, a public domain, or permission to perform a ritual. | |||
| Pashto | اجازه | ||
| The word "اجازه" in Pashto is derived from the Arabic word "إذن" (idhn), which can also mean "leave" or "absence". | |||
| Arabic | الإذن | ||
| "الإذن" in Arabic also means "the ear" as an organ or "to lend". | |||
Permission in Western European Languages
| Albanian | leje | ||
| The Albanian leje is derived from the Latin “licentia,” meaning “freedom” or “permission.” | |||
| Basque | baimena | ||
| The word "baimena" can also mean "freedom" or "authority" depending on the context. | |||
| Catalan | permís | ||
| "Permís" in Catalan can also refer to a driver's or hunting license. | |||
| Croatian | dopuštenje | ||
| "Dopuštenje" is a noun derived from the verb "dopustiti", which means "to allow" or "to grant permission". It can also refer to the act of allowing or granting permission, or to the permission itself. | |||
| Danish | tilladelse | ||
| The word "tilladelse" is derived from the verb "tillade" meaning "to allow" and the suffix "-else" indicating a state or condition. It can also refer to a document or authorization granting permission. | |||
| Dutch | toestemming | ||
| Toestemming is derived from the Middle Dutch toestaen (to agree) and is related to the German Zustimmung (consent). | |||
| English | permission | ||
| The word 'permission' derives from the Latin word 'permissio', meaning 'to permit' or 'to allow'. | |||
| French | autorisation | ||
| The French word "autorisation" derives from Latin "auctorisatio" (authority) and "autor" (maker or originator). | |||
| Frisian | tastimming | ||
| Tastimmen can also mean ‘agree’ or ‘responding’ in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | permiso | ||
| In Galician, "permiso" also means "pass" (e.g. bus pass) | |||
| German | genehmigung | ||
| The word 'Genehmigung' derives from the old High German verb 'gigan' meaning 'to go', and thus originally meant 'a way' or 'a path'. | |||
| Icelandic | leyfi | ||
| Though uncommon, in some areas of Iceland "leyfi" can also refer to the "right of way" on a road, likely related to "leyfi" "freedom" in Old Norse. | |||
| Irish | cead | ||
| The word 'cead' can also mean 'head', 'top' or 'end' in Irish. | |||
| Italian | autorizzazione | ||
| "Autorizzazione" can also refer to the act of authorizing someone or something, or the document that grants permission. | |||
| Luxembourgish | erlaabnis | ||
| The word "Erlaabnis" also encompasses the concept of "experience" and can be used synonymously. | |||
| Maltese | permess | ||
| Though ultimately derived from Latin "permissio", the Maltese word "permess" is also cognate with the Arabic "ʾidh(n)" meaning "call". | |||
| Norwegian | tillatelse | ||
| The Norwegian word "tillatelse" is derived from the Old Norse word "tilla" and the suffix "-else", and it originally meant "an agreement" or "a deal" | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | permissão | ||
| The word "permissão" is derived from the Latin word "permissio", meaning "approval" or "consent." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | cead | ||
| The word "cead" is also used to mean "right" or "authority". | |||
| Spanish | permiso | ||
| The word "permiso" ultimately derives from the Latin word "permissum", meaning "that which is allowed or permitted". | |||
| Swedish | lov | ||
| The word "lov", meaning "permission" in Swedish, is derived from the Old Norse word "lǫf", which means "praise" or "approval". | |||
| Welsh | caniatâd | ||
| Caniatâd is a term derived from the Latin word "concedere" which means "to permit". | |||
Permission in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | дазвол | ||
| Belarusian "дазвол" ("permission") derives from the Old Slavic word *dozvolъ*, which also meant "admission" and "opportunity". | |||
| Bosnian | dozvolu | ||
| "Dozvola" derives from the Old Church Slavonic term "dozvoliti," meaning "to grant" or "to allow." | |||
| Bulgarian | разрешение | ||
| The word "разрешение" can also mean "resolution" in the context of images or video. | |||
| Czech | povolení | ||
| Czech "povolení" was derived from "povolaný" meaning "authorized". | |||
| Estonian | luba | ||
| The word "luba" also means "to promise" and is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "*lupa". | |||
| Finnish | lupa | ||
| "Lupa" is also the Finnish word for "she-wolf", which is etymologically connected to "lupa" in Latin. | |||
| Hungarian | engedély | ||
| The Hungarian word "engedély" comes from the Latin word "indulgentia" (indulgence, forgiveness) via Old Slavic "induljenъ" and can also mean "favor" as well as "tolerance" | |||
| Latvian | atļauju | ||
| 'Atļauju' derives from 'atļaut,' meaning 'to free, release', akin to Lithuanian 'atleisti' ('to dismiss, discharge') and related to 'laist' ('to pour, let go') | |||
| Lithuanian | leidimas | ||
| In the old Lithuanian language, the word "leidimas" also meant "approval", "consent" and "sanction". | |||
| Macedonian | дозвола | ||
| The word "дозвола" in Macedonian has a Latin origin (licentia) via the Proto-Slavic form *volja; its alternate meaning is "will". | |||
| Polish | pozwolenie | ||
| "Pozwolenie" has a more nuanced meaning in Polish, implying both permission and authorization. | |||
| Romanian | permisiune | ||
| The word "permisiune" originates from the Latin word "permissio," which means "to let pass." | |||
| Russian | разрешение | ||
| "Разрешение" is also a technical term referring to an electronic device's pixel density or screen resolution. | |||
| Serbian | дозволу | ||
| The word "дозволу" can also mean "licence" or "permit" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | povolenie | ||
| Povolenie is cognate with the Czech povolení and Polish pozwolenie, all derived from the Slavic root *vol- meaning 'to will' or 'to choose'. The verb povoliť can mean 'to allow', 'to permit', or 'to relax'. | |||
| Slovenian | dovoljenje | ||
| "Dovoljenje" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*dovoliti", meaning "to allow" or "to permit". | |||
| Ukrainian | дозволу | ||
| The Ukrainian word "дозволу" traces its roots to the Old Church Slavonic word "дозволити", meaning "to permit" or "to allow". | |||
Permission in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অনুমতি | ||
| অনুমতি' originates from the Sanskrit word 'anu + mata,' meaning 'after' + 'thought' or 'approval'. | |||
| Gujarati | પરવાનગી | ||
| The word "પરવાનગી" is derived from the Persian word "parvānah", meaning "decree, warrant, or license". | |||
| Hindi | अनुमति | ||
| The word "अनुमति" is derived from the Sanskrit root "मति" ("mind"), with the prefix "अनु" ("after") indicating "following the mind" or "assent". | |||
| Kannada | ಅನುಮತಿ | ||
| 'ಅನುಮತಿ' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'anumati' and literally means 'following after' or 'assent'. | |||
| Malayalam | അനുമതി | ||
| The word "അനുമതി" (anumaṭi) is derived from the Sanskrit word "anumati", meaning consent, approval, or permission. | |||
| Marathi | परवानगी | ||
| The Marathi word 'परवानगी' ('parwanagi') is derived from the Persian 'parwana', which means 'order, sanction, permission' and also refers to a type of official letter bearing a seal. | |||
| Nepali | अनुमति | ||
| The word "अनुमति" is derived from the Sanskrit word " अनुमनति " meaning "inference or consent", and can also refer to "confirmation" or "approbation". | |||
| Punjabi | ਆਗਿਆ | ||
| "ਆਗਿਆ" derives from Sanskrit "aajya", which originally meant "command" before evolving to mean "permission" in Punjabi | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අවසර | ||
| අවසර (avasara) is also used to refer to holidays or leaves of absence in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | அனுமதி | ||
| "அனுமதி" comes from Sanskrit "anujñā" which is derived from the roots "anu- (after, later)" and "jñā- (to know)", hence its literal meaning is "to allow after knowing". | |||
| Telugu | అనుమతి | ||
| In Sanskrit, the word "anumati" means consent or permission, and is derived from the roots "anu" (after) and "mati" (thought). | |||
| Urdu | اجازت | ||
| The word "اجازت" originally meant "to let go" in Persian and is cognate with the English word "license." | |||
Permission in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 允许 | ||
| 允许 derives from the Buddhist term 許 (xǔ), which means to accept or to grant. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 允許 | ||
| "允" means "agree", and "許" means "allow", "grant" or "permit". | |||
| Japanese | 許可 | ||
| 許可 (kyoka) can also mean "permit" or "authorization". | |||
| Korean | 허가 | ||
| 허가(permission)의 어원은 허락이란 뜻의 '허'자와 맡기겠다는 뜻의 '가'자가 합쳐졌으며, 허물의 '허'처럼 원래는 '허락하다, 맡기다'라는 뜻에서 나왔습니다. | |||
| Mongolian | зөвшөөрөл | ||
| The word "зөвшөөрөл" can also mean "approval" or "consent". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ခွင့်ပြုချက် | ||
Permission in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | izin | ||
| The word "izin" originally means "a request" in Indonesian | |||
| Javanese | ijin | ||
| The word "ijin" in Javanese also means "license" or "right". | |||
| Khmer | ការអនុញ្ញាត | ||
| Lao | ການອະນຸຍາດ | ||
| Malay | kebenaran | ||
| "Kebenaran" also means "truth" in Malay, highlighting the connection between authority and the ability to define what is true. | |||
| Thai | การอนุญาต | ||
| The word "การอนุญาต" (permission) is derived from Sanskrit "anujñā", meaning "favor, consent, or authorization". | |||
| Vietnamese | sự cho phép | ||
| In Vietnamese, the word "sự cho phép" is also used to refer to the license that allows someone to perform a specific action. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pahintulot | ||
Permission in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | icazə | ||
| In Azerbaijani, | |||
| Kazakh | рұқсат | ||
| 'Рұқсат' means 'permission'. Alternatively, it means 'farewell' due to its origin in Arabic "رخصة" (rukhsa), which also means 'license' and 'farewell'. | |||
| Kyrgyz | уруксат | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "уруксат" can also mean "blessing". | |||
| Tajik | иҷозат | ||
| The word "иҷозат" is derived from the Arabic word "إذن" (idhnn), meaning "permission, leave, or license to do something." | |||
| Turkmen | rugsady | ||
| Uzbek | ruxsat | ||
| The word "ruxsat" in Uzbek also means "leave" in the sense of a vacation or break from work. | |||
| Uyghur | ئىجازەت | ||
Permission in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻae ʻia | ||
| 'Ae 'ia' originally meant 'permitted to live' or 'granted life' in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | whakaaetanga | ||
| Samoan | faʻatagaina | ||
| "Faʻatagaina" is derived from the word "fai" (to do), and the suffix "-againa" which indicates "permission". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pahintulot | ||
| Pahintulot, meaning 'permission' in Filipino, suggests a 'path' or 'allowance' for something to proceed or happen. | |||
Permission in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | pirmisu | ||
| Guarani | jehechagi | ||
Permission in International Languages
| Esperanto | permeso | ||
| Permeso (permission) is derived from the French word "permission", meaning "authorization". | |||
| Latin | permission | ||
| The Latin word 'permission' derives from 'permissio,' meaning 'allowance' or 'leave,' and is related to 'permittō,' meaning 'to permit,' 'allow,' or 'give leave.' | |||
Permission in Others Languages
| Greek | άδεια | ||
| The word "άδεια" can also mean "leave" in Greek, as in a vacation or time off. | |||
| Hmong | kev tso cai | ||
| "Kev tso cai" can also refer to a person's authority or the right to do something. | |||
| Kurdish | destûr | ||
| Destûr in Kurdish means both permission and custom, and originates from the Persian word "dastûr" meaning "law" or "order". | |||
| Turkish | izin | ||
| The word 'izin' in Turkish also derives from the Arabic word 'idhn', meaning 'permission', 'leave', or 'excuse'. | |||
| Xhosa | imvume | ||
| The word "imvume" can also refer to "a request" or "an apology" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | דערלויבעניש | ||
| The Yiddish word "דערלויבעניש" can mean both "permission" and "praise." | |||
| Zulu | imvume | ||
| In Zulu, "imvume" also colloquially means "opportunity" and is derived from the word "vuma" (to agree). | |||
| Assamese | অনুমতি | ||
| Aymara | pirmisu | ||
| Bhojpuri | अनुमति | ||
| Dhivehi | ހުއްދަ | ||
| Dogri | इजाजत | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pahintulot | ||
| Guarani | jehechagi | ||
| Ilocano | pammalubos | ||
| Krio | alaw | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕێپێدان | ||
| Maithili | अनुमति | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯌꯥꯕ | ||
| Mizo | phalna | ||
| Oromo | hayyama | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅନୁମତି | ||
| Quechua | uyakuy | ||
| Sanskrit | अनुमति | ||
| Tatar | рөхсәт | ||
| Tigrinya | ፍቓድ | ||
| Tsonga | mpfumelelo | ||