Retain in Different Languages
Discover 'Retain' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'retain' is a powerful and versatile term that holds great significance in many cultures and languages. At its core, 'retain' means to hold or keep something in one's possession, memory, or control. This concept is universal and has been expressed in various ways across different languages and cultures.
Retaining knowledge and information has been crucial to the survival and success of human societies throughout history. From ancient oral traditions to modern-day education systems, the ability to retain information has been a key factor in the progress of civilization. Moreover, the idea of retaining possessions and property is a fundamental aspect of economic systems and social structures around the world.
Given the importance of the concept of 'retain,' it's no surprise that it has been translated into many languages in various interesting and culturally significant ways. For example, in Spanish, 'retain' is translated as 'retener,' while in French, it is 'retenir.' In German, the word is 'behalten,' and in Japanese, it is '保持する' (hoji suru).
In this article, we will explore the many translations of the word 'retain' in different languages, shedding light on the fascinating cultural and historical contexts that have shaped these translations.
Retain
Retain in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | behou | ||
| The word "behou" in Afrikaans is derived from the Dutch word "behouden", meaning "to keep safe" or "to preserve". | |||
| Amharic | ማቆየት | ||
| The word "ማቆየት" can also mean "to keep something in its place" or "to prevent something from changing". | |||
| Hausa | riƙe | ||
| The word 'riƙe' can also mean 'to seize', 'to hold', 'to keep', 'to possess', or 'to control'. | |||
| Igbo | jigide | ||
| The verb "jigide" in Igbo can also refer to the act of holding or grasping onto something. | |||
| Malagasy | hitana | ||
| "Hitana" also means "to make sure of something, to confirm, to verify, to ratify"} | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kusunga | ||
| The word "kusunga" in Nyanja (Chichewa) can also mean "to hold", "to support", or "to take care of". | |||
| Shona | chengeta | ||
| The word "chengeta" is derived from the verb "chenga," meaning "to hold or grip with the fingers." | |||
| Somali | hayn | ||
| The word "hayn" in Somali also means "to keep something in mind". | |||
| Sesotho | boloka | ||
| The word "boloka" is a verb meaning "to keep something in a certain place"} | |||
| Swahili | kuhifadhi | ||
| The word "kuhifadhi" in Swahili, derived from Arabic, also carries the connotation of preserving or protecting something. | |||
| Xhosa | gcina | ||
| The Xhosa word "gcina" also means "keep" and "preserve". | |||
| Yoruba | idaduro | ||
| The word "idaduro" in Yoruba is derived from the verb "da duro", meaning "to hold tightly". It can also mean "to support" or "to maintain". | |||
| Zulu | gcina | ||
| The word "gcina" in Zulu can also mean "to take care of something", "to look after something", or "to guard something". | |||
| Bambara | ka majɔ | ||
| Ewe | le ɖi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gumana | ||
| Lingala | kobatela | ||
| Luganda | okukuuma | ||
| Sepedi | boloka | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kora | ||
Retain in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | احتفظ | ||
| The word احتفظ, meaning "retain," finds its roots in the Arabic word حفظه, which means "to guard" or "to keep watch over." | |||
| Hebrew | לִשְׁמוֹר | ||
| The word "לִשְׁמוֹר" can also mean to "guard", "watch over", or "preserve". | |||
| Pashto | ساتل | ||
| The word "ساتل" also means "be attached to" or "stick to" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | احتفظ | ||
| The word احتفظ, meaning "retain," finds its roots in the Arabic word حفظه, which means "to guard" or "to keep watch over." | |||
Retain in Western European Languages
| Albanian | mbajnë | ||
| "Mbajnë" is also used in the sense of "to support" or "to carry on one's shoulders" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | gorde | ||
| The Basque word "gorde" also means "to store" or "to save". | |||
| Catalan | retenir | ||
| The Catalan word "retenir" also means to detain, to hold back, or to delay. | |||
| Croatian | zadržati | ||
| The verb "zadržati" also means to "detain" or to "arrest". | |||
| Danish | beholde | ||
| Danish "beholde" originates from Old Norse "halda", meaning "to hold" or "to possess". | |||
| Dutch | behouden | ||
| The Dutch word "behouden" originally meant "to protect" and was derived from the Old High German word "bihouton," meaning "to guard". | |||
| English | retain | ||
| The word "retain" comes from the Latin word "retinere," meaning "to hold back" or "to keep." | |||
| French | conserver | ||
| En français, « conserver » peut également désigner des fruits ou légumes mis en bocaux, ou un agent chimique visant à empêcher la détérioration d’aliments. | |||
| Frisian | behâlde | ||
| "Behâlde" can be literally translated to "hold on" or "continue" in English. | |||
| Galician | reter | ||
| Reter "to retain" in Galician originates from the Latin word "retineo" which also means "to hold back". | |||
| German | behalten | ||
| Although 'behalten' means 'retain,' etymologically it stems from Old High German 'bihaltan' meaning 'to hold back' | |||
| Icelandic | halda | ||
| The Icelandic word "halda" also means "to hold" or "to keep" and is related to the Old Norse word "halda" with the same meaning. | |||
| Irish | choinneáil | ||
| "Choinneáil" comes from the Proto-Celtic "kom-senagati" (to preserve) and is also a term in music for a specific ornamentation in harp- or fiddle-playing. | |||
| Italian | trattenere | ||
| The word "trattenere" also means to hold or delay someone or something. | |||
| Luxembourgish | behalen | ||
| In German, "behalen" means "to get" or "to receive". | |||
| Maltese | żomm | ||
| The Maltese word żomm is also used in the sense of 'bear in mind', 'look after', or 'take care of', and ultimately derives from the Semitic root Ḥ-M-M meaning 'protect' or 'support'. | |||
| Norwegian | beholde | ||
| The Norwegian word "beholde" is derived from the Old Norse verb "halda" meaning "to hold" or "to keep." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | reter | ||
| The verb "reter" in Portuguese evolved from the Latin word "retenere", meaning "to hold back" or "to keep hold of". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | glèidheadh | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, "glèidheadh" also refers to "holding back", "possessing", or "reserving" something. | |||
| Spanish | conservar | ||
| "Conservar" can also mean "make someone or something holy or divine" or "preserve something that is already holy or divine" | |||
| Swedish | behålla | ||
| Behålla goes back to the Old English word behaldan meaning 'to look after' or 'to take care of'. It can also mean 'to withhold' or 'to reserve'. | |||
| Welsh | cadw | ||
| The word "cadw" in Welsh can also mean "preserve" or "protect". | |||
Retain in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | захаваць | ||
| "захаваць" comes from Slavic and has cognates in Ukrainian and Polish. | |||
| Bosnian | zadržati | ||
| "Zadržati" also has alternate meanings depending on its usage, such as "to restrain" or "to withhold". | |||
| Bulgarian | задържат | ||
| The word "задържат" (retain) in Bulgarian has an alternate meaning of "detain" (arrest or hold in confinement). | |||
| Czech | zachovat | ||
| "Zachovat" etymologically means either "to keep" (chovat) or "to capture" (chytat). | |||
| Estonian | hoidma | ||
| The word "hoidma" in Estonian has Proto-Uralic origins, stemming from the root *koti-, meaning "house" or "home," implying the idea of safekeeping or preservation. | |||
| Finnish | säilyttää | ||
| The word "säilyttää" also means "to keep safe; to preserve; to maintain; to save; to uphold; to protect." | |||
| Hungarian | megtartani | ||
| Tartani (hold) and meg (a prefix meaning negation or intensification) come from the same root word. | |||
| Latvian | saglabāt | ||
| Cognate with Russian "сохранять" (sokhranyat) and German "sparen" (to save); meaning "to protect" (e.g., from harm). | |||
| Lithuanian | išlaikyti | ||
| The Proto-Indo-European root of "išlaikyti" is *leikʷ-, meaning "to leave," and is shared with the German "lassen" and English "let." | |||
| Macedonian | задржи | ||
| The verb 'задржи' is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *deržь, which also meant 'to hold' or 'to support'. | |||
| Polish | zachować | ||
| The verb "zachować" can also mean "to keep in mind" or "to remember". | |||
| Romanian | reține | ||
| "Retine" comes from Latin retinere, "to hold back," also "to keep in memory". It is also related to the French verb retenir. | |||
| Russian | сохранять | ||
| The Russian word "сохранять" originally meant "to guard" or "to protect", but over time its meaning expanded to include "to store" or "to keep" something. | |||
| Serbian | задржати | ||
| The word " задржати" also means "to delay" or "to hold back" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | zachovať | ||
| The Slovak word "zachovať" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *sъchovati, which also means "to preserve" or "to keep safe". | |||
| Slovenian | obdrži | ||
| The word "obdrži" can also mean "to receive" or "to earn" in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | зберегти | ||
| The word "зберегти" derives from the Old Church Slavonic "съберещи" meaning "to collect, to gather". | |||
Retain in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ধরে রাখা | ||
| "ধরে রাখা" means to hold or keep something, but it can also mean to learn or remember something. | |||
| Gujarati | જાળવી રાખો | ||
| The word "જાળવી રાખો" is a verb that means "to keep something in one's possession or control" or "to maintain something in its existing state or condition". | |||
| Hindi | बनाए रखने के | ||
| 'बनाए रखने के' शब्द की व्युत्पत्ति लैटिन शब्द 'रेटिनेरे' से हुई है, जिसका अर्थ 'पीछे रखना' या 'न खोना' है। | |||
| Kannada | ಉಳಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು | ||
| The word 'retain' comes from the Latin word 'retinere,' which means 'to hold back.' | |||
| Malayalam | നിലനിർത്തുക | ||
| Marathi | टिकवून ठेवा | ||
| Retaining involves preserving something, holding it, or keeping it intact. | |||
| Nepali | कायम राख्नुहोस् | ||
| The Nepali word "कायम राख्नुहोस्" also means "to maintain" or "to keep in good condition". | |||
| Punjabi | ਬਰਕਰਾਰ | ||
| The word "retain" comes from the Latin word "retinere," meaning to hold back or keep. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | රඳවා ගන්න | ||
| Tamil | தக்க வைத்துக் கொள்ளுங்கள் | ||
| The word "retain" is derived from the Latin word "retinere," meaning "to hold back" or "to keep." | |||
| Telugu | నిలుపుకోండి | ||
| Urdu | برقرار رکھنا | ||
| The word "برقرار رکھنا" (retain) also means "to keep something in its original state" or "to keep something in one's possession". | |||
Retain in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 保留 | ||
| 保留' was adopted from the Japanese vorbehalten in the 19th century, which referred to the German 'vor' 'in advance' with the verb behalten'keep back, retain.' | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 保留 | ||
| 保留 (bǎoliú) literally means "to keep a hold of". | |||
| Japanese | 保持 | ||
| The word "保持" can be applied to both mental and physical health, meaning to sustain or preserve, and to physical possessions, meaning to keep or retain, such as a record or a memory. | |||
| Korean | 유지 | ||
| '유지' originally meant 'to keep one's head', then 'to keep one's life' and 'to keep one's property'. | |||
| Mongolian | хадгалах | ||
| The word "хадгалах" can also mean "to keep" or "to preserve". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဆက်ထိန်းထားပါ | ||
Retain in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | menahan | ||
| "Menahan" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *tahan, which also means 'to bear' or 'to endure'. | |||
| Javanese | njaga | ||
| The Javanese word "njaga" also means "to guard" or "to watch over" something or someone. | |||
| Khmer | រក្សា | ||
| In Khmer, the word "រក្សា" can also mean "to protect" or "to take care of". | |||
| Lao | ຮັກສາໄວ້ | ||
| Malay | mengekalkan | ||
| The Malay word "mengekalkan" comes from the Arabic word "محافظة" (muḥāfaẓah) meaning "preservation" or "protection" | |||
| Thai | รักษา | ||
| The word "รักษา" in Thai can also mean "to cure" or "to heal". | |||
| Vietnamese | giữ lại | ||
| The word "giữ lại" in Vietnamese has multiple meanings, including "to keep" "to hold" and "to preserve". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | panatilihin | ||
Retain in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | saxlamaq | ||
| In Turkish, "saklamak" also means "to hide". | |||
| Kazakh | сақтау | ||
| Сақтау (retain) is derived from the Persian word | |||
| Kyrgyz | сактоо | ||
| "Сактоо" is derived from the Turkic root "sak-" meaning "to keep, to hold, to store" and is cognate with the Kazakh word "сақтау", the Uzbek word "сақлаш" and the Turkish word "saklamak". | |||
| Tajik | нигоҳ доштан | ||
| In Tajik, the word “нигоҳ доштан” can also mean to “guard” someone or to “keep” something safe. | |||
| Turkmen | saklamak | ||
| Uzbek | saqlamoq | ||
| The word "saqlamoq" in Uzbek can also mean "keep" or "protect". | |||
| Uyghur | ساقلاپ قېلىش | ||
Retain in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | mālama | ||
| The Hawaiian word "mālama" also means "to care for" or "to protect". | |||
| Maori | pupuri | ||
| The word "pupuri" also means "to hold" or "to keep" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | taofi | ||
| The word 'taofi' can also mean 'stop', 'cease', or 'desist'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | panatilihin | ||
| The Tagalog word "panatilihin" can also mean to "maintain", "preserve", or "uphold". | |||
Retain in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | imaña | ||
| Guarani | ñongatu | ||
Retain in International Languages
| Esperanto | reteni | ||
| "Reteni" in Esperanto is a relative of the French word "retenir", which means "to retain." | |||
| Latin | suscipiat | ||
| The word "suscipiat" can also mean "to undertake" or "to receive" in Latin. | |||
Retain in Others Languages
| Greek | διατηρώ | ||
| The word "διατηρώ" can also mean "preserve", "maintain", or "keep" in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | khaws cia | ||
| "Khaws cia" means "keep safe" or "stay still" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | gelxwegirtin | ||
| The word "gelxwegirtin" can also mean "to preserve" or "to keep something safe". | |||
| Turkish | muhafaza etmek | ||
| Muhafaza etmek comes from 'hafız' that means memory in Arabic, 'muhafaza' means preservation in Persian. | |||
| Xhosa | gcina | ||
| The Xhosa word "gcina" also means "keep" and "preserve". | |||
| Yiddish | ריטיין | ||
| The Yiddish word "ריטיין" ("retain") is also used to mean "to rent" or "to lease." | |||
| Zulu | gcina | ||
| The word "gcina" in Zulu can also mean "to take care of something", "to look after something", or "to guard something". | |||
| Assamese | ধৰি ৰখা | ||
| Aymara | imaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | बनवले राखीं | ||
| Dhivehi | ދެމެހެއްޓުން | ||
| Dogri | रक्खना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | panatilihin | ||
| Guarani | ñongatu | ||
| Ilocano | ibati | ||
| Krio | kip | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هێشتنەوە | ||
| Maithili | रोकिक राखू | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯥꯛꯇꯨꯟ ꯊꯝꯕ | ||
| Mizo | chelh | ||
| Oromo | turfachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ରଖ | ||
| Quechua | kutipay | ||
| Sanskrit | हृ | ||
| Tatar | саклап калу | ||
| Tigrinya | ዓቀበ | ||
| Tsonga | tlherisela | ||