Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'quit' is a small but powerful part of many languages, signifying the act of leaving, giving up, or resigning from a situation. Its cultural importance is evident in literature, music, and film, where characters quitting their circumstances can be a turning point in the narrative. But have you ever wondered how to say 'quit' in other languages? Knowing the translation can be useful in both personal and professional settings, and can even provide insight into the cultural attitudes towards quitting in different countries.
For example, in Spanish, 'quit' is 'dejar,' which can also mean 'to leave' or 'to abandon.' In French, 'quitter' means 'to leave' or 'to exit,' but can also imply 'to break up with' in a romantic context. And in German, 'aufhören' means 'to stop' or 'to cease,' which is a more passive form of quitting.
Below, you'll find a list of translations of 'quit' in various languages, from Arabic to Zulu. Whether you're a language enthusiast, a world traveler, or simply curious, this list is sure to expand your vocabulary and cultural knowledge.
Afrikaans | ophou | ||
The Afrikaans word "ophou" is derived from the Dutch word "ophouden", meaning "to cease" or "to refrain". | |||
Amharic | ማቋረጥ | ||
The Amharic word "ማቋረጥ" can also mean "to come to an end", "to cease", or "to die". | |||
Hausa | daina | ||
The word "daina" can also mean "leave" or "cease" in Hausa. | |||
Igbo | kwụsị | ||
The Igbo word "kwụsị" also signifies "rest" or "stop" in the sense of a temporary break from an activity. | |||
Malagasy | miala | ||
"Miala" also means "to be free" or "to be independent" in Malagasy. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kusiya | ||
"Kusiya" is derived from the Proto-Bantu verb "-sa" and originally means "to finish" or "to end". | |||
Shona | kurega | ||
The Shona verb "kurega" can refer to stopping an action or refraining from doing something. | |||
Somali | jooji | ||
The word "jooji" can also refer to the act of escaping or fleeing from a dangerous situation. | |||
Sesotho | tlohela | ||
The word "tlohela" also conveys a sense of "leaving something" or "letting something go". | |||
Swahili | acha | ||
"Acha" can also mean "let go" or "stop". | |||
Xhosa | yeka | ||
The Xhosa word 'yeka' can also mean 'leave alone' or 'let go'. | |||
Yoruba | dawọ duro | ||
The Yoruba idiom "dawọ duro," which literally translates to "removing the hand from something," is often used in the context of stopping an action or discontinuing a task. | |||
Zulu | yeka | ||
The Zulu word "yeka" can also refer to a place of solitude or isolation. | |||
Bambara | ka bɔ | ||
Ewe | do le eme | ||
Kinyarwanda | kureka | ||
Lingala | kolongwa | ||
Luganda | okuwanika | ||
Sepedi | etšwa | ||
Twi (Akan) | gyae | ||
Arabic | استقال | ||
استقال is also used in the context of government officials resigning from their positions. | |||
Hebrew | לְהַפְסִיק | ||
The Hebrew word "לְהַפְסִיק" also means "to stop", "to cease", or "to desist". | |||
Pashto | پرېښودل | ||
The word "پرېښودل" in Pashto can also mean "to give up" or "to leave something behind". | |||
Arabic | استقال | ||
استقال is also used in the context of government officials resigning from their positions. |
Albanian | lë | ||
{"text": "Lë also means "leave", "abandon" and comes from a Proto-Albanian verb *līn- "to leave, to let go". This verb is derived from a Proto-Indo-European root *ley- with the same meaning."} | |||
Basque | utzi | ||
Utzi shares a root with other words like 'ustel' ('steal') and 'usnatu' ('spoil') | |||
Catalan | deixar de fumar | ||
In Catalan, "deixar de fumar" literally means "leave off the smoke". | |||
Croatian | prestati | ||
Prestati, meaning "quit" in Croatian, derives from Proto-Slavic "prestati" ("to cease"), and originally also meant "to wait" or "to hesitate". | |||
Danish | afslut | ||
The word "Afslut" in Danish also means "conclusion" or "end". | |||
Dutch | stoppen | ||
In Belgian Dutch, 'stoppen' also means 'to stuff' (a turkey, pillow etc). | |||
English | quit | ||
Quit is derived from the Latin word quietus, meaning 'quiet' or 'at rest', and has been used since the 13th century to describe the state of being free from something. | |||
French | quitter | ||
Quitting in French ('quitter') also means leaving someplace or someone | |||
Frisian | oerjaan | ||
"Oerjaan" in frisian is related to "overjarig" in german, as both mean "over a year." | |||
Galician | saír | ||
The Galician word "saír" is derived from the Latin "exire". It can also mean "to go out", "to leave", "to depart", or "to escape". | |||
German | verlassen | ||
"Verlassen" also means "lonely" or "forsaken" in German. | |||
Icelandic | hætta | ||
The noun hætta in Proto-Germanic originally conveyed "restraint" and the action to bring something to a "pause," and could be connected to "rest," rather than "quit." | |||
Irish | scor | ||
Scor can also mean "a band playing traditional Irish music" and is often used to name competitions involving such bands | |||
Italian | smettere | ||
The verb "smettere" comes from the Latin "submittere" meaning "to lower" or "to abandon". | |||
Luxembourgish | ophalen | ||
The verb "ophalen" comes from the Middle High German "upholen" and means to pick up or receive something. | |||
Maltese | nieqaf | ||
The Maltese word "nieqaf" can also mean "stop" or "cease", and is derived from the Arabic word "naqafa", meaning "to turn away from". | |||
Norwegian | slutte | ||
"Slutte" can also mean "conclude". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | sair | ||
In Portugal, "sair" can also mean "to go out" and "to leave". | |||
Scots Gaelic | cuidhtich | ||
"Quit" in Scots Gaelic, "Cuidhtich," also means "to help." | |||
Spanish | dejar | ||
The Spanish word "dejar" has Latin roots and can also mean "to leave" or "to abandon." | |||
Swedish | sluta | ||
The Swedish word 'sluta' can also be used to mean 'finish', 'close' or 'end'. This is because it originally referred to something coming to an end or being closed off. | |||
Welsh | rhoi'r gorau iddi | ||
"Rhoí'r gorau iddo" literally refers to "giving the best to him" but has come over time to simply mean to quit something. |
Belarusian | кінуць | ||
Кінуць comes from the Proto-Slavic *kitnąti, meaning “to throw,” and a similar word in Lithuanian kinti means “to raise, lift”. | |||
Bosnian | daj otkaz | ||
The Bosnian word "daj otkaz" can also mean "give up" or "renounce". | |||
Bulgarian | напуснете | ||
The word "напуснете" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "напꙋстити", meaning "to leave" or "to abandon". | |||
Czech | přestat | ||
The Czech word "přestat" can also mean "to cease" or "to stop". | |||
Estonian | lõpetage | ||
In addition to meaning "quit", "lõpetage" can also mean "finish", "end", "stop", or "complete". | |||
Finnish | lopettaa | ||
The word "lopettaa" in Finnish also means "to finish" or "to end", and is derived from the Proto-Finnic verb *loppe- ( | |||
Hungarian | kilépés | ||
In the 19th century, "kilépés" also meant "exit" in Hungarian, but this meaning is now obsolete. | |||
Latvian | atmest | ||
The word "atmest" is derived from the Proto-Balto-Slavic root *at-, meaning "to separate, to cut off, to leave". | |||
Lithuanian | mesti | ||
"Mesti" also means "to throw" in Lithuanian. | |||
Macedonian | откажете | ||
The verb "откажете" derives from the prefix "от" (meaning "away") and the verb "кажа" (meaning "say"). It can also mean "to refuse" or "to deny". | |||
Polish | porzucić | ||
"Porzucić" is etymologically related to the word "przeć", meaning "pass" or "go through". | |||
Romanian | părăsi | ||
"A părăsi" means "to abandon" or "to forsake" and comes from the Latin "parare" (to prepare). | |||
Russian | уволиться | ||
The Russian word "уволиться" comes from the old Slavic word "воля" (will), meaning "to become free". | |||
Serbian | одустати | ||
The word "одустати" derives from the old Slavic root "*dustati", meaning "to breathe" or "to blow". | |||
Slovak | skončiť | ||
In Slovak, "skončiť" can also mean "to finish" or "to end". | |||
Slovenian | prenehati | ||
The word "prenehati" in Slovenian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "prěněti", which means "to stop" or "to cease". | |||
Ukrainian | кинути | ||
In another meaning "кинути" means "to throw" or "to leave". |
Bengali | ছেড়ে দিন | ||
In Bengali, 'ছেড়ে দিন' ('quit') is also used to mean 'let go', 'release', or 'forgive'. | |||
Gujarati | છોડી દો | ||
छोड़ी दो in Gujarati can be a noun or a verb, and has alternate meanings such as leave, abandon, or release. | |||
Hindi | छोड़ना | ||
छोड़ना also denotes 'to leave' and has origins in the Sanskrit verb 'chrad' meaning 'to abandon'. | |||
Kannada | ಬಿಟ್ಟು | ||
The word "ಬಿಟ್ಟು" also means "to leave something" or "to let go of something" in Kannada. | |||
Malayalam | ഉപേക്ഷിക്കുക | ||
Marathi | सोडा | ||
The word "सोडा" (soda) in Marathi can also mean "to leave" or "to let go". | |||
Nepali | छोड्नुहोस् | ||
छोड्नुहोस् comes from the Sanskrit root chud (to cut) and can also mean to abandon, give up, or leave. | |||
Punjabi | ਛੱਡੋ | ||
The word ਛੱਡੋ (quit) in Punjabi can also mean 'to release' or 'to let go', indicating a broader semantic range beyond cessation of an activity. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඉවත් | ||
The word "ඉවත්" can also refer to "removing" or "getting rid of" something. | |||
Tamil | விட்டுவிட | ||
விட்டுவிட also means 'leave alone' or 'release' in some contexts. | |||
Telugu | నిష్క్రమించండి | ||
Urdu | چھوڑ دیں | ||
Chinese (Simplified) | 放弃 | ||
放弃, literally translated as 'abandoning', can also mean 'give up' in English. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 放棄 | ||
放棄 fàng qì, 'to let go,' suggests the abandonment of something that is already one's own. | |||
Japanese | 終了する | ||
終了する, meaning “to come to an end,” is also slang for “to die.” | |||
Korean | 떠나다 | ||
"떠나다" also means detach, move, come apart, depart, launch, sail, set out, leave, run away. | |||
Mongolian | гарах | ||
In Mongolian, 'гарах' can also refer to releasing an animal from a trap or letting go of something. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ထွက်သည် | ||
Indonesian | berhenti | ||
In Malay, "berhenti" also means "to stop" or "to pause" and is derived from the Sanskrit word "vriti" meaning "to cease". | |||
Javanese | mandhek | ||
"Mandhek" also means to stop or to end something. | |||
Khmer | ឈប់ | ||
The word "ឈប់" can also mean "to stop" or "to cease" in Khmer. | |||
Lao | ລາອອກ | ||
The Lao word "ລາອອກ" (quit) is derived from the Sanskrit word "rājyati," which means "to leave, abandon, or resign." | |||
Malay | berhenti | ||
"Berhenti" can also mean "to stop" or "to cease". | |||
Thai | เลิก | ||
The word "เลิก" can also mean "to stop" or "to give up". | |||
Vietnamese | bỏ cuộc | ||
The word "bỏ cuộc" (quit) in Vietnamese originated from "bỏ" (to leave or abandon) and "cuộc" (a task, job, or endeavor). | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | huminto | ||
Azerbaijani | çıxmaq | ||
"Çıxmaq" is also used to mean "to go out" and "to escape". | |||
Kazakh | шығу | ||
"Шығу" not only means "to leave" but also refers to the outcome of a situation or event in Kazakh. | |||
Kyrgyz | чыгуу | ||
The Kyrgyz word “чыгуу” also means “exit.” | |||
Tajik | баромадан | ||
The word "баромадан" in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "بار آوردن" (bar āvardan), meaning "to bring forth" or "to produce". | |||
Turkmen | taşla | ||
Uzbek | chiqish | ||
"Chiqish" can also mean "exit" or "to leave" in Uzbek. | |||
Uyghur | چېكىنىش | ||
Hawaiian | haʻalele | ||
Haʻalele is used in Hawaiian to mean forsake, separate, or leave behind (people or things). | |||
Maori | whakamutu | ||
"Whakamutu" (pronounced "fa-ka-muh-tu") is the Maori verb "to cease". In the context of gaming, however, it can also mean "quit", "resign", "leave", or "give up." | |||
Samoan | tuu | ||
The Samoan word "tuu" can also mean "sit" or "stand". | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | huminto | ||
The Tagalog word "huminto" can also mean "to stop", "to cease", "to halt", "to suspend", "to discontinue", "to conclude", or "to finish". |
Aymara | jaytaña | ||
Guarani | heja | ||
Esperanto | rezignu | ||
"Rezigxnu" can also mean "to give up one's nationality". | |||
Latin | quit | ||
The Latin "quit" also means "quiet". In English, "quit" can mean "be quiet" or "be free from" in addition to "leave or stop". |
Greek | εγκαταλείπω | ||
'εγκαταλείπω' comes from 'εν + κατά + λείπω' (in+downward+leave), i.e. to leave downwards, to abandon. | |||
Hmong | txiav luam yeeb | ||
The phrase "txiav luam yeeb" literally means "to cut the line of life" in Hmong. | |||
Kurdish | devjêberdan | ||
The Kurdish word 'devjêberdan' not only means 'to quit', but also 'to get something off' | |||
Turkish | çıkmak | ||
The word "çıkmak" also means "to get out of" or "to leave" in Turkish. | |||
Xhosa | yeka | ||
The Xhosa word 'yeka' can also mean 'leave alone' or 'let go'. | |||
Yiddish | פאַרלאָזן | ||
The Yiddish word "פאַרלאָזן" ("quit") also means "to trust" or "to rely on". | |||
Zulu | yeka | ||
The Zulu word "yeka" can also refer to a place of solitude or isolation. | |||
Assamese | এৰি দিয়া | ||
Aymara | jaytaña | ||
Bhojpuri | छोड़ीं | ||
Dhivehi | ދޫކޮށްލުން | ||
Dogri | छोड़ना | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | huminto | ||
Guarani | heja | ||
Ilocano | isardeng | ||
Krio | lɛf | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | وازهێنان | ||
Maithili | छोड़ि दिय | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯣꯛꯄ | ||
Mizo | bang | ||
Oromo | dhaabuu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଛାଡ | ||
Quechua | lluqsiy | ||
Sanskrit | परिजहातु | ||
Tatar | ташла | ||
Tigrinya | ግደፍ | ||
Tsonga | tshika | ||