Promise in Different Languages
Discover 'Promise' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'promise' carries a significant weight in our daily lives, shaping our expectations and relationships. It represents a commitment or assurance made by one person to another, and its cultural importance is evident across the globe.
Promises have been a part of human history since the dawn of time. From ancient civilizations to modern societies, the act of promising has been a fundamental aspect of social interactions. In many cultures, breaking a promise is seen as a serious breach of trust and can have significant consequences.
Understanding the translation of 'promise' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultural nuances and values associated with this word. For example, in Spanish, 'promise' is 'promesa,' while in French, it is 'promesse.' These translations not only help us communicate effectively across languages but also deepen our appreciation for the cultural significance of this powerful word.
In this article, we will explore the translations of 'promise' in various languages, shedding light on the fascinating cultural and historical contexts associated with this word.
Promise
Promise in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | belofte | ||
| "Belofte" derives from "beloven" (Dutch, meaning "to vow"), and it has the same root as "believe" (Latin "bellus", meaning "fine" or "good"). | |||
| Amharic | ተስፋ | ||
| The verb "ተስፋ" can also mean "to hope" or "to expect" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | alƙawari | ||
| The word "alƙawari" shares an etymological root with "ƙwara" (truth) and can also mean "truth" or "oath" | |||
| Igbo | nkwa | ||
| The Igbo word 'nkwa' can also refer to a 'vow' or 'oath'. | |||
| Malagasy | teny fikasana | ||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | lonjezo | ||
| The word "lonjezo" can also mean "vow" or "assurance" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | vimbisa | ||
| The Shona word "vimbisa" is also used as a shortened form of the more formal verb phrase "kuvimbisa mhiko", which means "to make a promise". | |||
| Somali | ballanqaad | ||
| The word "ballanqaad" is also used to describe a "deed" or an "agreement. | |||
| Sesotho | tshepiso | ||
| In Sesotho, "tshepiso" can refer specifically to the promise of marriage or betrothal. | |||
| Swahili | ahadi | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "promise," "ahadi" in Swahili can also mean "vow," "oath," or "pledge." | |||
| Xhosa | isithembiso | ||
| The term "isithembiso" originates from the concept of "an oath bound by an individual to an external authority" or "something that one is held accountable for". | |||
| Yoruba | ileri | ||
| The word "ileri" can also mean "to agree" or "to consent". | |||
| Zulu | isithembiso | ||
| The word "isithembiso" can also mean "agreement" or "assurance" in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | ka lahidu ta | ||
| Ewe | ŋgbedodo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | amasezerano | ||
| Lingala | elaka | ||
| Luganda | okusuubiza | ||
| Sepedi | tshephišo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | hyɛ bɔ | ||
Promise in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | وعد | ||
| The word وعد (promise) also has the connotation of "connection" or "appointment" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | הַבטָחָה | ||
| The word הַבְטָחָה (promise) is derived from the root ב.ט.ח (to trust). | |||
| Pashto | ژمنه | ||
| The word "ژمنه" also means "guarantee" and "covenant" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | وعد | ||
| The word وعد (promise) also has the connotation of "connection" or "appointment" in Arabic. | |||
Promise in Western European Languages
| Albanian | premtim | ||
| The word 'premtim' is derived from the Latin word 'promittere', meaning 'to make a solemn promise' or 'to pledge'. | |||
| Basque | agindu | ||
| Other meanings of 'agindu' include: 'rule', 'law', 'statute', 'principle', 'precept', 'doctrine', 'system', 'method', 'discipline', 'procedure', 'pattern', 'formula', 'model', 'design', 'formula', 'template', 'recipe', 'blueprint', 'plan' | |||
| Catalan | promesa | ||
| "Promesa" derives from the Latin word "promittere," meaning "to send forward," indicating an obligation that must be fulfilled. | |||
| Croatian | obećanje | ||
| In Croatian, the word "obećanje" also means "assurance," with roots in the Proto-Slavic word "oběšteti," meaning "to hang". | |||
| Danish | løfte | ||
| In Old Norse, **løfte** also meant "to lift". Therefore, the phrase "at give et løfte" means literally "to give a lift". | |||
| Dutch | belofte | ||
| The word "belofte" (promise) is derived from the Old Dutch "bilofti" (obligation), meaning a binding agreement. | |||
| English | promise | ||
| The word 'promise' comes from the Old French 'promesse', meaning 'a pledge or undertaking'. | |||
| French | promettre | ||
| Promettre is derived from the Latin | |||
| Frisian | tasizzing | ||
| The word "tasizzing" is derived from the Old Frisian word "tas" (assurance) and likely means "that which is assured". | |||
| Galician | promesa | ||
| In Galician, "promesa" also means "betrothal" or "marriage proposal". | |||
| German | versprechen | ||
| In German, "versprechen" also means "to misspeak" or "to commit a mistake in speaking". | |||
| Icelandic | lofa | ||
| "Lofa" is also a term for the leaf of a tree. | |||
| Irish | gealladh | ||
| The word "gealladh" derives from the Old Irish word "geill", meaning "hostage". | |||
| Italian | promettere | ||
| The word "promettere" in Italian is derived from the Latin "promittere," which means "to send forward" or "to put before. | |||
| Luxembourgish | verspriechen | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "verspriechen" is derived from Old High German, where it meant "to arrange, to secure". | |||
| Maltese | wegħda | ||
| The root verb -w-ʕ-d ('to promise, to assure') also gives rise to wiċċ ('face, appearance, aspect, countenance, visage, expression, favour'), which can express the notion of a person's 'promising, alluring, agreeable' aspect. | |||
| Norwegian | love | ||
| In Old Norse, "love" also meant "to praise" or "to make a vow". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | promessa | ||
| "Promessa" is derived from the Latin word "promittere", meaning "to send out" or "to put forward", thus also being used to denote "an offering" (especially in a religious context). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | gealladh | ||
| In Scottish Gaelic, the term 'gealladh' also carries meanings related to assurance or pledge. | |||
| Spanish | promesa | ||
| "Promesa" comes from the Latin word "promittere", meaning "to let go" or "to release". | |||
| Swedish | löfte | ||
| The word "löfte" is derived from the Old Norse word "lof", which means "praise" or "vow". It can also refer to a legal obligation or a solemn declaration. | |||
| Welsh | addewid | ||
| The word "addewid" in Welsh can also refer to an oath or a covenant. | |||
Promise in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | абяцаю | ||
| "Абяцаю" is etymologically related to the Russian "обещать" and Polish "obiecać", all of which come from the Proto-Slavic "oběštati" meaning "to promise". | |||
| Bosnian | obećaj | ||
| It originally referred to the gift or bribe one gave to seal a contract. Today, the gift is usually money. | |||
| Bulgarian | обещавам | ||
| The word "обещавам" in Bulgarian also refers to making a vow or a pledge. | |||
| Czech | slib | ||
| The word "slib" (promise) in Czech comes from the Proto-Slavic "*slibu" which is related to "*slobodъ" meaning free. | |||
| Estonian | lubadus | ||
| The word "lubadus" is derived from the Proto-Uralic root *lupa-, meaning "to ask" or "to beg". | |||
| Finnish | lupaus | ||
| In Proto-Indo-European, the word *leup- meant "to long for, to yearn for". | |||
| Hungarian | ígéret | ||
| The word "ígéret" (promise) comes from the Proto-Uralic word "*ikɜ" meaning "to swear, to promise". | |||
| Latvian | apsolīt | ||
| Apsolit can also refer to a formal agreement or a vow made to a deity. | |||
| Lithuanian | pažadas | ||
| The word "pažadas" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*bʰedʰ-", meaning "to bind", and is related to the Latin word "fides" and the English word "faith". | |||
| Macedonian | ветување | ||
| The Slavic word "ветување" (promise) originally referred to a formal agreement between two parties. | |||
| Polish | obietnica | ||
| The word "obietnica" is derived from the Old Slavic word "obiet", meaning "to make a promise". It also has the alternate meaning of "a vow". | |||
| Romanian | promisiune | ||
| The Romanian word "promisiune" derives from the Latin word "promissio" but may also mean "betrothal" or "covenant." | |||
| Russian | обещание | ||
| "Обещать" comes from the Old Russian word "обѣщати", which means "to bind". | |||
| Serbian | обећај | ||
| Обећај is a cognate of the Proto-Slavic word *oběćati, "to offer," also found in Bulgarian, Macedonian, Czech, Slovak, and Polish. | |||
| Slovak | sľub | ||
| The Slovak word "sľub" comes from the Old Slavic root "ľubiti", which also means "to love". | |||
| Slovenian | obljubi | ||
| The word "obljubi" is not related to "ljubiti" (to love), but rather to "ljub" (dear), and it originally meant "to ask for something in a friendly way, to entreat." | |||
| Ukrainian | обіцянка | ||
| "Обіцянка" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *obětiti, meaning "to offer a sacrifice". | |||
Promise in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | প্রতিশ্রুতি | ||
| The word "প্রতিশ্রুতি" is derived from the Sanskrit word "प्रति-श्रु-ति" meaning "in return for hearing" or "in response to a request". | |||
| Gujarati | વચન | ||
| The Gujarati word "વચન" (vachan) is also used as a synonym for "speech" and "statement." | |||
| Hindi | वादा | ||
| वादा ('promise') is derived from the Sanskrit word 'वाक्य' (sentence or speech), which also means 'to promise'. | |||
| Kannada | ಭರವಸೆ | ||
| The word "ಭರವಸೆ" can also mean "reliance" or "confidence". | |||
| Malayalam | വാഗ്ദാനം | ||
| Marathi | वचन | ||
| The word "वचन" in Marathi can also refer to a sacred vow or a mantra. | |||
| Nepali | वाचा | ||
| The word "वाचा" also means "speech" or "talk" in Sanskrit, its root language. | |||
| Punjabi | ਵਾਅਦਾ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පොරොන්දුව | ||
| Tamil | வாக்குறுதி | ||
| வாக்குறுதி (vākkuṟuti) literally means 'speech protection' and implies that a promise should be kept. | |||
| Telugu | వాగ్దానం | ||
| The Telugu word "వాగ్దానం" is an abstract noun derived from the Sanskrit word "वचन" ("vchana"), meaning "speech or word". Additionally, it can also imply a vow or a formal assurance. | |||
| Urdu | وعدہ | ||
| The word "وعدہ" can be used in other contexts to mean "contract" or "engagement". | |||
Promise in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 诺言 | ||
| 诺言 can be used as a verb, meaning 'to promise', or a noun, meaning 'a promise'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 諾言 | ||
| The word "諾言" also means "a solemn oath" or "a vow". | |||
| Japanese | 約束する | ||
| 約束する, meaning “to promise”, originally stemmed from 束ねる (つなぐ) meaning “to tie together”. | |||
| Korean | 약속 | ||
| The Sino-Korean word 약속 (yaksok) traces its roots to the Chinese words "約束" (yuēsuò), meaning "mutual promise" or "agreement", suggesting its origin in the concept of reciprocal obligation in East Asian cultures. | |||
| Mongolian | амлах | ||
| The word "амлах" can also mean "vow" or "pledge". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကတိ | ||
| It also means "a prediction which comes true" in the Pali language and "a good and beautiful flower" in the Sanskrit language. | |||
Promise in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | janji | ||
| "Janji" is also used to denote a type of traditional Malay dance usually performed at celebratory occasions. | |||
| Javanese | janji | ||
| The Javanese word "janji" shares its root with the Sanskrit word "jati", meaning "to be". | |||
| Khmer | ការសន្យា | ||
| The Khmer word ការសន្យា, meaning 'promise', is derived from the Sanskrit 'sam + ni + ya', meaning 'to bind together'. | |||
| Lao | ສັນຍາ | ||
| The Lao word "sanya" ("ສັນຍາ") comes from the Sanskrit word "samjña," which also means "sign" or "symbol."} | |||
| Malay | janji | ||
| In Malay, "janji" not only means "promise", but also carries meanings of "bet" or "agreement" made between two individuals. | |||
| Thai | สัญญา | ||
| The Thai word "สัญญา" comes from the Sanskrit word "samjña", meaning "sign" or "symbol". It can also refer to a "contract" or "agreement". | |||
| Vietnamese | lời hứa | ||
| "Lời hứa" is also the name of a Vietnamese song about a promise from the perspective of a lover. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pangako | ||
Promise in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | söz ver | ||
| "Söz ver" literally translates to "to give a word" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | уәде беру | ||
| The Kazakh word "уәде беру" can also mean "to give a vow" or "to make an oath". | |||
| Kyrgyz | убада | ||
| Убада (promise) may also refer to an agreement between two people. | |||
| Tajik | ваъда додан | ||
| The word "ваъда додан" comes from the Persian phrase "وعده دادن" and literally means "giving a word". | |||
| Turkmen | wada bermek | ||
| Uzbek | va'da | ||
| The word "va'da" in Uzbek also has the alternate meanings of "agreement" and "contract". | |||
| Uyghur | ۋەدە | ||
Promise in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻohiki | ||
| When used as a noun, "hoʻohiki" also means "oath." | |||
| Maori | kupu whakaari | ||
| The word 'kupu whakaari' literally means 'word of fire', a reference to the strength and importance of a promise. | |||
| Samoan | folafolaga | ||
| The word 'folafolaga' in Samoan can also be used to refer to a covenant or agreement between two or more parties. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pangako | ||
| "Pangako" originates from the Proto-Austronesian word "*paŋakuŋ" meaning "obligation", "duty", or "promise". | |||
Promise in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | arsuta | ||
| Guarani | ñe'ẽme'ẽngue | ||
Promise in International Languages
| Esperanto | promesi | ||
| Esperanto's "promesi" comes from the Latin "promitto," so it also means "to promise" in English. | |||
| Latin | promissum | ||
| The Latin word 'promissum' is derived from the verb 'promittere' which means 'to send forth, to put forward, to offer'. | |||
Promise in Others Languages
| Greek | υπόσχεση | ||
| While "υπόσχεση" primarily means "promise", its root " ὑπ_ι_σχ_νέομαι" signifies "to stretch something under", referring to an implied contract established by verbal commitment. | |||
| Hmong | lus cog tseg | ||
| In the Black Hmong dialect, “lus cog tseg” can also refer to the ritual process of animal sacrifice for divination or the curing of illness. | |||
| Kurdish | ahd | ||
| The word "ahd" in Kurdish also means "covenant" or "treaty". | |||
| Turkish | söz vermek | ||
| The verb "söz vermek" in Turkish literally means "to give a word". | |||
| Xhosa | isithembiso | ||
| The term "isithembiso" originates from the concept of "an oath bound by an individual to an external authority" or "something that one is held accountable for". | |||
| Yiddish | צוזאָג | ||
| "צוזאָג" (promise) in Yiddish can be translated back to the Hebrew "צוּזָג" (same pronunciation), which means "something that is pulled towards" or "an addition." | |||
| Zulu | isithembiso | ||
| The word "isithembiso" can also mean "agreement" or "assurance" in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | প্ৰতিশ্ৰুতি | ||
| Aymara | arsuta | ||
| Bhojpuri | वादा | ||
| Dhivehi | ހުވާ | ||
| Dogri | कौल | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pangako | ||
| Guarani | ñe'ẽme'ẽngue | ||
| Ilocano | kari | ||
| Krio | prɔmis | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پەیمان | ||
| Maithili | वचन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯋꯥꯁꯛꯄ | ||
| Mizo | thutiam | ||
| Oromo | waadaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପ୍ରତିଜ୍ଞା | ||
| Quechua | sullullchay | ||
| Sanskrit | वचनं | ||
| Tatar | вәгъдә | ||
| Tigrinya | ቃል | ||
| Tsonga | tshembhisa | ||