Property in Different Languages
Discover 'Property' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Property is a term with significant meaning and cultural importance across the globe. It refers to something that a person or group owns, such as real estate, personal possessions, or intellectual property. The concept of property has been a central aspect of human societies throughout history, shaping laws, customs, and economic systems. Understanding the translation of property in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultural nuances and legal frameworks of various countries.
For instance, in Spanish, the word for property is 'propiedad', while in French it is 'propriété'. In German, property translates to 'Eigentum', and in Mandarin Chinese, it is '物业' (wù yè). These translations not only help in cross-cultural communication but also offer a glimpse into how different cultures view and value ownership.
In this article, we will explore the translations of property in various languages, shedding light on the fascinating historical contexts and cultural significance associated with the word. So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a global citizen, or a business professional, read on to discover the meaning of property in different languages.
Property
Property in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | eiendom | ||
| The Afrikaans word "eiendom" is derived from the Dutch word "eigendom" which means "property" or "possession". | |||
| Amharic | ንብረት | ||
| The word "ንብረት" can also refer to inheritance or wealth in Amharic, derived from the root "ብረ" meaning "to be rich". | |||
| Hausa | dukiya | ||
| The Hausa word "dukiya" also means "goods," "wealth," and "possessions." | |||
| Igbo | ihe onwunwe | ||
| In modern Igbo, | |||
| Malagasy | ny fananana | ||
| The Malagasy word "ny fananana" comes from the root "-fan-, " signifying something valuable, worthy of being owned. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | katundu | ||
| The word “katundu” also denotes wealth, possessions, belongings, estate, or material things. | |||
| Shona | pfuma | ||
| The word "pfuma" can also refer to an object of value or a source of wealth. | |||
| Somali | hanti | ||
| The word "hanti" in Somali can also mean "wealth" or "inheritance". | |||
| Sesotho | thepa | ||
| The word 'thepa' in Sesotho also has the alternate meaning of 'responsibility' or 'duty'. | |||
| Swahili | mali | ||
| The Swahili word "mali" derives from the Arabic "ma'l", meaning "property", "possessions", or "wealth". | |||
| Xhosa | ipropathi | ||
| The word 'ipropathi' can also refer to a 'place' or a 'territory' | |||
| Yoruba | ohun-ini | ||
| Yoruba word "ohun-ini" also means "something belonging to one" and "item for sale". | |||
| Zulu | impahla | ||
| The etymology of 'impahla' (property) is possibly linked to the idea of a fixed or established place, deriving from the root '-pahl' (to place). | |||
| Bambara | ta | ||
| Ewe | nunᴐamesi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umutungo | ||
| Lingala | lopango | ||
| Luganda | eby'obwa nannyini | ||
| Sepedi | thoto | ||
| Twi (Akan) | agyapadeɛ | ||
Property in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | خاصية | ||
| The Arabic word "خاصية" is derived from the root "خصّ" (to be special) and can also refer to a characteristic or attribute. | |||
| Hebrew | תכונה | ||
| In Hebrew, 'תכונה' ('property') is related to 'קונה' ('acquisition') and 'קו' ('line'). | |||
| Pashto | ځانتيا | ||
| In Pashto, 'ځانتيا' ('property') originates from the Persian word 'خان' ('house') and denotes ownership, possession, assets, or wealth. | |||
| Arabic | خاصية | ||
| The Arabic word "خاصية" is derived from the root "خصّ" (to be special) and can also refer to a characteristic or attribute. | |||
Property in Western European Languages
| Albanian | pronë | ||
| The word 'pronë' has a secondary meaning as 'belief' or 'conviction' | |||
| Basque | jabetza | ||
| The word "jabetza" in Basque initially referred to a farm or estate. | |||
| Catalan | propietat | ||
| "Propietat" derives from the Latin "proprietas", meaning "individual characteristic", and refers to something owned or controlled. | |||
| Croatian | imovine | ||
| The word "imovine" in Croatian can also mean "assets" or "possessions". | |||
| Danish | ejendom | ||
| The word "ejendom" comes from the Old Norse word "æign" meaning "possession". | |||
| Dutch | eigendom | ||
| "Eigendom" originates from "eigen domein"; a domain that is owned by oneself, and has no alternate meanings. | |||
| English | property | ||
| "Property" can also refer to a characteristic or quality. | |||
| French | propriété | ||
| The word "propriété" in French can also mean "propriety" or "correctness". | |||
| Frisian | besit | ||
| The word "besit" can also refer to a person's belongings or assets. | |||
| Galician | propiedade | ||
| The word "propiedade" in Galician originates from the Latin "proprietas", and also shares its etymology with the Spanish "propiedad". | |||
| German | eigentum | ||
| The German word "Eigentum" comes from the Old High German "eigan", meaning "to own", and is related to the English word "own" and "owe". | |||
| Icelandic | eign | ||
| The word “eign” originally meant “possession”, but now mainly refers to “property (land) of a municipality or government.” | |||
| Irish | maoin | ||
| The Irish word "maoin" is cognate with the Welsh "maenor" meaning "manor" and the Cornish "maner" with the same meaning. | |||
| Italian | proprietà | ||
| The Italian word "proprietà" derives from the Latin word "proprietas" which can also mean "characteristic," "nature" or "virtue." | |||
| Luxembourgish | propriétéit | ||
| The word "Propriétéit" is derived from the French word "propriété" and has similar meanings in both languages. | |||
| Maltese | proprjetà | ||
| Maltese "proprjetà" originates from Italian "proprietà" and is related to the English "propriety". | |||
| Norwegian | eiendom | ||
| The word "eiendom" is derived from the Old Norse word "eign", meaning "that which is owned". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | propriedade | ||
| In Portuguese, "propriedade" can also refer to an attribute or quality inherent to something. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | seilbh | ||
| The word "seilbh" can also mean "possession" or "control". | |||
| Spanish | propiedad | ||
| Propiedad's alternate meaning is 'quality or characteristic of something'. | |||
| Swedish | fast egendom | ||
| In some contexts, "fast egendom" can also refer to real estate or immovable property. | |||
| Welsh | eiddo | ||
| "Eiddo" can also imply a dowry, a person's nature, or a physical attribute. | |||
Property in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | маёмасць | ||
| The word "маёмасць" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*majętь", which also means "wealth" or "possession". | |||
| Bosnian | imovine | ||
| The word 'imovine' in Bosnian, besides its primary meaning of 'property,' can also refer to the deceased's belongings. | |||
| Bulgarian | имот | ||
| The word “Имот” originally meant “estate” and was used to describe a large piece of land owned by a wealthy person or institution. | |||
| Czech | vlastnictví | ||
| The Czech word "vlastnictví" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *volьstь, meaning "power" or "rule". | |||
| Estonian | vara | ||
| The word "vara" can also mean "assets" or "resources" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | omaisuus | ||
| In the context of inheritance law, "omaisuus" can also refer to one's entire estate or all of one's assets. | |||
| Hungarian | ingatlan | ||
| The Hungarian word “ingatlan”, despite its apparent connection to “ing”, a suffix denoting the action of movement or entering, does not carry any such connotation. | |||
| Latvian | īpašums | ||
| The term "īpašums" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁ey- "to belong to one's own". | |||
| Lithuanian | nuosavybė | ||
| "Nuosavybė" is derived from the Lithuanian words "nuosavas" (one's own) and "savybė" (quality, characteristic). | |||
| Macedonian | имот | ||
| The word "имот" is a Slavic loanword derived from the Proto-Slavic root *imǫtъ, which means "wealth" or "possession". | |||
| Polish | własność | ||
| The word "własność" in Polish ultimately derives from the Proto-Slavic word *vlastь, which originally meant "power" or "authority". | |||
| Romanian | proprietate | ||
| Proprietate means both "property" and "propriety" in Romanian. | |||
| Russian | свойство | ||
| Russian "свойство" (property) comes from "свой" (own), and can also mean "characteristic" or "trait". | |||
| Serbian | имовина | ||
| "Имовина" (property) derives from the Slavic root "*imъ" meaning "to have" and is cognate with other Slavic languages. | |||
| Slovak | nehnuteľnosť | ||
| Slovak word "nehnuteľnosť" literally translates as "immovability" and is often used in legal parlance to describe land plots and buildings. | |||
| Slovenian | lastnine | ||
| The word 'lastnine' originally meant 'something that belongs to the house', and later acquired the meaning of 'property' in general. | |||
| Ukrainian | майно | ||
| The word “майно” in Ukrainian shares etymological roots with the English word “mine.” | |||
Property in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সম্পত্তি | ||
| সম্পত্তির অর্থ যেমন 'অধিকৃত ভূমি' বা 'মানুষের স্বত্বাধীন কিছু' তেমনই এটি 'মূল্য' অর্থেও ব্যবহৃত হয়। | |||
| Gujarati | મિલકત | ||
| The word "malkat" in Guajarati derives from the Persian word "milk", meaning "dominion", and the Arabic word "khas", meaning "private". | |||
| Hindi | संपत्ति | ||
| Hindi word "संपत्ति" (property) derives from Sanskrit root "सम्प्र" signifying abundance, possession or acquisition. | |||
| Kannada | ಆಸ್ತಿ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಆಸ್ತಿ" ("property") originally meant "existence" and also referred to "position" or "rank". | |||
| Malayalam | പ്രോപ്പർട്ടി | ||
| In Malayalam, 'property' can also refer to an individual's good qualities or virtues. | |||
| Marathi | मालमत्ता | ||
| The word "मालमत्ता" (property) is derived from the Sanskrit word "मूल्यवान" (valuable) and means "something that has value or worth" | |||
| Nepali | सम्पत्ति | ||
| "सम्पत्ति" is derived from "Sampadya," which means "acquistion," or "earning". | |||
| Punjabi | ਜਾਇਦਾਦ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දේපල | ||
| The word "දේපල" also means "possessions" or "belongings" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | சொத்து | ||
| In ancient Tamil, சொத்து meant 'prosperity', 'fortune', or 'good luck', and was not strictly related to material possessions. | |||
| Telugu | ఆస్తి | ||
| The word "ఆస్తి" in Telugu is derived from the Sanskrit word "अस्ति", meaning "existence" or "being". | |||
| Urdu | پراپرٹی | ||
| The word "پراپرٹی" "property" is derived from the Latin word "proprietas", which means "ownership" or "belonging to someone." | |||
Property in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 属性 | ||
| In Chinese, the word "属性" ("property") can also refer to "attribute" or "characteristic", while in English, "property" is exclusively used to denote ownership or possession of something. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 屬性 | ||
| 屬性's other meaning "characteristics" stems from "characteristics of property". | |||
| Japanese | プロパティ | ||
| The Japanese word プロパティ can also mean “attribute”, “characteristic”, or “trait”. | |||
| Korean | 특성 | ||
| 특성 can also mean 'characteristic' or 'nature'. | |||
| Mongolian | үл хөдлөх хөрөнгө | ||
| үл хөдлөх хөрөнгө also refers to assets that are not easily moved or transferred, such as real estate and land. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပစ္စည်းဥစ္စာပိုင်ဆိုင်မှု | ||
Property in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | properti | ||
| "Properti" is a loanword from Dutch "propertie" (Eng: property) adopted in the 19th century. | |||
| Javanese | properti | ||
| The Javanese word "properti" can also refer to a type of traditional dance, or to the ability to control oneself. | |||
| Khmer | ទ្រព្យសម្បត្តិ | ||
| Lao | ຄຸນສົມບັດ | ||
| Malay | harta benda | ||
| The word "harta benda" can also refer to belongings, wealth, estate, effects, assets, or possessions. | |||
| Thai | ทรัพย์สิน | ||
| The Thai word 'ทรัพย์สิน' ('property') is derived from the Sanskrit word 'sampatti', meaning 'wealth' or 'possessions'. | |||
| Vietnamese | bất động sản | ||
| Bất động sản ('property' in Vietnamese) literally means 'immovable,' referring to the fixed nature of real estate. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ari-arian | ||
Property in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | əmlak | ||
| The word "əmlak" is also used to refer to feudal possessions and land in Azerbaijani | |||
| Kazakh | мүлік | ||
| The word "мүлік" in Kazakh is derived from the Persian word "mulk," which means "ownership." | |||
| Kyrgyz | мүлк | ||
| Мүлк comes from the Persian ملك (mulk) and originally meant "country, kingdom" while in Kyrgyz it specifically refers to livestock. | |||
| Tajik | амвол | ||
| Turkmen | emläk | ||
| Uzbek | mulk | ||
| Uzbek "mulk" also means "state", and is ultimately derived from Arabic "mulk" (kingdom). | |||
| Uyghur | مۈلۈك | ||
Property in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | waiwai | ||
| Waiwai has various meanings in Hawaiian, including 'property', 'wealth', 'inheritance', and 'estate', all derived from its root meaning, which is 'possessions'. | |||
| Maori | taonga | ||
| The word "taonga" can also refer to intangible properties such as knowledge, traditions, and cultural practices. | |||
| Samoan | meatotino | ||
| In Samoan, the word 'meatotino' comes from 'meatono', which means "belonging to" and '-tino' which denotes a thing or object. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pag-aari | ||
| The Tagalog word "pag-aari" derives from the root word "*ari*" (lord, master), signifying ownership or possession. | |||
Property in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jupankiri | ||
| Guarani | imba'éva | ||
Property in International Languages
| Esperanto | posedaĵo | ||
| The Esperanto word "posedaĵo" is derived from the Latin word "possessio", which means "possession". | |||
| Latin | possessionem | ||
| The Latin word "possessionem" derives from the verb "possidere" (to possess), which in turn comes from the root "pos" (power). | |||
Property in Others Languages
| Greek | ιδιοκτησία | ||
| The word "ιδιοκτησία" derives from the ancient Greek word "ἴδιος" meaning "own" and "κτᾶσθαι" meaning "to acquire". | |||
| Hmong | cov cuab yeej | ||
| The Hmong word "cov cuab yeej" literally means "things of ownership" and is also used to refer to wealth. | |||
| Kurdish | mal | ||
| In Kurdish, the word "mal" also refers to livestock and wealth. | |||
| Turkish | emlak | ||
| The word "Emlak" is derived from the Arabic word "amlak", meaning "possessions" or "property". It can also refer to real estate or land ownership. | |||
| Xhosa | ipropathi | ||
| The word 'ipropathi' can also refer to a 'place' or a 'territory' | |||
| Yiddish | פאַרמאָג | ||
| The Yiddish word פאַרמאָג (farmog) is derived from the Middle High German vermügende, meaning "wealth" or "possession." | |||
| Zulu | impahla | ||
| The etymology of 'impahla' (property) is possibly linked to the idea of a fixed or established place, deriving from the root '-pahl' (to place). | |||
| Assamese | সম্পত্তি | ||
| Aymara | jupankiri | ||
| Bhojpuri | धन-दउलत | ||
| Dhivehi | މުދާ | ||
| Dogri | जैदाद | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ari-arian | ||
| Guarani | imba'éva | ||
| Ilocano | sanikua | ||
| Krio | land | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سامان | ||
| Maithili | संपत्ति | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯟ ꯊꯨꯝ | ||
| Mizo | thilneih | ||
| Oromo | qabeenya | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସମ୍ପତ୍ତି | ||
| Quechua | kaqnin | ||
| Sanskrit | सम्पत्तिः | ||
| Tatar | милек | ||
| Tigrinya | ንብረት | ||
| Tsonga | nhundzu | ||