Sit in Different Languages
Discover 'Sit' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'sit' is simple, yet versatile, holding significance in various cultures and languages. It represents the action of assuming a position in which the weight of the body is supported by the buttocks and thighs, typically on a chair or the ground. But did you know that 'sit' has been used in English literature since the 9th century? Or that in Old English, 'sittan' meant 'to sit'?
Understanding the translation of 'sit' in different languages can open up a world of cultural exchange. For instance, in Spanish, 'sit' translates to 'sentarse'; in French, 's'asseoir'; in German, 'sich setzen'; in Italian, 'sedersi'; and in Japanese, 'お願いします' (onegai shimasu, which literally means 'please') is used when asking someone to sit.
Explore the many translations of 'sit' and delve into the unique cultural nuances they convey. Stay tuned for our comprehensive list of translations!
Sit
Sit in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | sit | ||
| In Afrikaans, "sit" also means "is" or "are" when used in front of a noun or pronoun. | |||
| Amharic | ተቀመጥ | ||
| The word “ተቀመጥ,” meaning 'to sit,' is also used in Amharic to describe the setting of the sun and moon. | |||
| Hausa | zauna | ||
| The Hausa word "zauna" shares the same etymology as the word "stay" in English, both deriving from the Proto-Bantu root "-zVn-". | |||
| Igbo | nọdụ ala | ||
| "Nọdụ ala" literally translates to "stay on the ground" and can also mean "be patient" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | fitorevahana | ||
| The verb **fitorevahana** is originally from the word ‘torevo’ which literally means ‘to lay or to deposit something’, hence its use figuratively to express the action of seating. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | khalani | ||
| The Nyanja word “khalani” can also mean to “perch” or “settle down”. | |||
| Shona | gara | ||
| The word "gara" also means "to live" or "to reside" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | fadhiiso | ||
| "Fadhiiso" also means "settle" or "stay for the remainder". | |||
| Sesotho | lula | ||
| In certain other Bantu languages, "lula" also means "to stay overnight". | |||
| Swahili | kaa | ||
| "Kaa" comes from the Proto-Bantu "*kala" meaning "to stay" and can also mean "to stand" or "to be". | |||
| Xhosa | hlala | ||
| "Hlala" also means "to reside" or "to dwell" | |||
| Yoruba | joko | ||
| Yoruba's "joko" originally signified an act of bowing rather than just sitting down, hence the expression "joko t'ese" ("sit on the ground.") | |||
| Zulu | hlala | ||
| The Zulu word "hlala" also means "to dwell" or "to reside". | |||
| Bambara | ka sigi | ||
| Ewe | nɔ anyi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | icara | ||
| Lingala | kofanda | ||
| Luganda | okutuula | ||
| Sepedi | dula | ||
| Twi (Akan) | tena ase | ||
Sit in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تجلس | ||
| The word "تجلس" can also mean "to reside" or "to settle down". | |||
| Hebrew | לָשֶׁבֶת | ||
| The root of the word "לָשֶׁבֶת" in Hebrew also means "to dwell". | |||
| Pashto | ناست | ||
| "ناست" means both "to sit" and "to put" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | تجلس | ||
| The word "تجلس" can also mean "to reside" or "to settle down". | |||
Sit in Western European Languages
| Albanian | rri | ||
| The Albanian word "rri" is also used figuratively to mean "to reside", "to live" or "to remain in a particular place or condition". | |||
| Basque | eseri | ||
| The verb "eseri" in Basque also means "to dwell" or "to inhabit". | |||
| Catalan | seure | ||
| In the 15th century, "seure" also meant "to stay, to wait, to stop" | |||
| Croatian | sjediti | ||
| {"text": "The word "sjediti" also means "to settle" in Croatian, deriving from the Proto-Slavic root *sěd- meaning "to sit, dwell, settle, set"."} | |||
| Danish | sidde | ||
| The word "sidde" also means "to be located" or "to be situated". | |||
| Dutch | zitten | ||
| Zitten can also mean "remain" or "rest". | |||
| English | sit | ||
| "Sit" comes from the Old English word "sittan," which also meant "to dwell" or "to brood over." | |||
| French | asseoir | ||
| In French, "asseoir" can also mean "to establish" or "to settle" | |||
| Frisian | sitte | ||
| The Frisian word "sitte" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*sitjaną", which also means "sit" in English and other Germanic languages. | |||
| Galician | sentar | ||
| "Sentar" can also mean "to feel (e.g. to feel cold)" or "to suit" in Galician. | |||
| German | sitzen | ||
| "Sitzen" also means "to be located" or "to be present" in German. | |||
| Icelandic | sitja | ||
| The word "sitja" in Icelandic can also mean "to happen" or "to occur". | |||
| Irish | suí | ||
| Irish "suí" also refers to being in session (e.g. parliament), and is semantically related to the English "suit" | |||
| Italian | sedersi | ||
| "Sedersi" in Italian derives from the Latin verb "sedēre" "to sit", which is also the origin of the words "sedentary" and "sediment." | |||
| Luxembourgish | sëtzen | ||
| Maltese | joqgħod | ||
| The word "joqgħod" can also be used to mean "reside", "stay", or "live". | |||
| Norwegian | sitte | ||
| In Norwegian, "sitte" can also mean "to stay put" or "to rest". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | sentar | ||
| Portuguese "sentar" (from Latin sedere ) also means to place, put down, or appoint somebody to some role. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | suidhe | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word “suidhe” is related to the Old Irish word “suide” and the Welsh word “eistedd”, all of which mean “to sit”. | |||
| Spanish | sentar | ||
| "Sentar" in Spanish also means "to fit well," like a garment. | |||
| Swedish | sitta | ||
| The word "sitta" is also used to refer to a bird in the family Sittidae | |||
| Welsh | eistedd | ||
| The Welsh word "eistedd" also means "assembly", "session", or "meeting", reflecting its ancient usage as a gathering for law, poetry, and music. | |||
Sit in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | сядзець | ||
| Сядзець in Belarusian can also mean "to live" or "to dwell" in a certain place, similar to the usage of "sit" in English expressions like "to sit in a house. | |||
| Bosnian | sedi | ||
| *Sediti* comes from the Proto-Slavic *sěděti*, meaning 'to sit' or 'to reside'. | |||
| Bulgarian | седни | ||
| The word "седни" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*sędti" meaning "to sit." | |||
| Czech | sedět | ||
| The verb "sedět" also means "to fit" or "to be appropriate". | |||
| Estonian | istuma | ||
| In Estonian, "istuma" also refers to a period of 30-45 minutes for sitting down and relaxing. | |||
| Finnish | istua | ||
| "Istuin" was borrowed from German "sitzen" or "sitzen" from Dutch in the 16th Century. | |||
| Hungarian | ül | ||
| The word "ül" in Hungarian can originally mean to nest, to settle (birds), and is only later that it comes to mean to just sit. | |||
| Latvian | sēdēt | ||
| "Sēdēt" also means "to be located", "to reside", or "to be situated" in Latvian, in addition to "to sit." | |||
| Lithuanian | sėdėti | ||
| The Lithuanian word "sėdėti" can also mean "to stay" or "to remain". | |||
| Macedonian | седи | ||
| The word "седи" can also mean "to live" or "to stay" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | siedzieć | ||
| "Siedzieć" can also mean "to live" or "to occupy a position (social, political, etc.)". | |||
| Romanian | sta | ||
| In Romanian, "stai" means "stay" in the sense of remaining in a place, while "șed" means "sit" in the sense of being seated in a particular spot. | |||
| Russian | сидеть | ||
| "Сидеть" (to sit) in Russian also means "to be in prison" or "to be on a diet." | |||
| Serbian | седи | ||
| The word "седи" could also mean "grey" or "hoary" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | sedieť | ||
| The word "sedieť" also means "to reside" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | sedi | ||
| The word "sedi" in Slovenian can also refer to a settlement or village. | |||
| Ukrainian | сидіти | ||
| The Ukrainian word "сидіти" also has the meaning of "to be in prison" and derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*sěděti" with the same meaning. | |||
Sit in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বসা | ||
| In Bengali, "বসা" (bosha) can also mean "to reside" or "to live in a particular place." | |||
| Gujarati | બેસવું | ||
| The word "બેસવું" in Gujarati also means "to set" or "to establish". | |||
| Hindi | बैठिये | ||
| The word 'बैठिये' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'उपविश', which means to sit down or stay in a place. | |||
| Kannada | ಕುಳಿತುಕೊಳ್ಳಿ | ||
| Malayalam | ഇരിക്കുക | ||
| "Irikkuk" also means 'to be'; 'to reside'; 'to be present' or 'to exist' in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | बसा | ||
| The word "बसा" in Marathi can also mean "to establish" or "to colonize." | |||
| Nepali | बस्नुहोस् | ||
| "बस्नुहोस्" (sit) is derived from the Sanskrit word "वास" (to dwell) and also means "to live" or "to reside". | |||
| Punjabi | ਬੈਠੋ | ||
| ਬੈਠੋ can also be used to indicate 'being present at a particular event' in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වාඩි වෙන්න | ||
| The word "වාඩි වෙන්න" derives from the Sanskrit word "वास" (वासति) meaning "to dwell". Other meanings include "to reside", "to live", "to stay", and "to settle". | |||
| Tamil | உட்கார | ||
| "உட்கார" is derived from the root "உட்" (inside) and "கார்" (to do), suggesting the action of placing oneself inside somewhere. | |||
| Telugu | కూర్చుని | ||
| The word "కూర్చుని" in Telugu derives from the Proto-Dravidian root *kur-, meaning "to bend". It has the alternate meanings of "to reside" and "to remain." | |||
| Urdu | بیٹھ | ||
| The root of 'بیٹھ' is 'بٹھ', which means 'to fix' or 'to establish'. It can also refer to 'to set up' or 'to arrange'. | |||
Sit in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 坐 | ||
| "坐" can also mean "to be in a particular position", indicating a specific state or situation. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 坐 | ||
| 坐 can also mean to reside, fit or match, to take an exam, or to be pregnant. | |||
| Japanese | 座る | ||
| The word "座る" (suwaru) derives from the Japanese word "すわる" (suwaru) which means "to sit down" or "to be seated". It can also refer to the act of sitting in a formal or respectful position. | |||
| Korean | 앉다 | ||
| The word "앉다" (sit) originally meant "to be in a lowered position" and also means "to be in a state of rest or inactivity." | |||
| Mongolian | суух | ||
| The Mongolian word "суух" can also mean "to ride" or "to travel" and is derived from the Proto-Mongolian word "*suɣa-/*suɣu-/*suqu-". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ထိုင်ပါ | ||
Sit in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | duduk | ||
| In Indonesian, 'duduk' can also be used for sitting down to eat, and sitting in a specific position. | |||
| Javanese | lenggah | ||
| "Lungguh" in Indonesian, meaning "to sit", can also refer to a type of Javanese dance accompanied by traditional music. | |||
| Khmer | អង្គុយ | ||
| The word "អង្គុយ" can also refer to the act of squatting or crouching in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ນັ່ງ | ||
| The word "ນັ່ງ" also means "to perch" or "to rest" in Lao. | |||
| Malay | duduk | ||
| "Duduk" in Malay also means "to dwell", "to live", "to stay", "to reside", or "to be located" | |||
| Thai | นั่ง | ||
| The word "นั่ง" can also mean "to perch" or "to be situated" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | ngồi | ||
| "Ngồi" also means "in" or "within" when used in certain contexts, such as "ngồi tù" (in prison) or "ngồi xe" (in a car). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | umupo | ||
Sit in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | oturmaq | ||
| "Oturmaq" (sit) in Azerbaijani shares its root with the Persian words "nişest" (sit) and "otur" (past tense of "sit"), with the suffix "-maq" denoting infinitive in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | отыру | ||
| "Отыру" can also mean "to be born" or "to be elected" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | отуруу | ||
| The verb "отуруу" can also mean "to reside" or "to live" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | нишастан | ||
| "Нишастан" was a ritual when a child is put in a cradle for the first time. | |||
| Turkmen | otur | ||
| Uzbek | o'tirish | ||
| "O'tiriskanda" means "to rest for the night" in the Uzbek language. | |||
| Uyghur | ئولتۇرۇڭ | ||
Sit in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | noho | ||
| The word 'noho' has secondary meanings such as 'to live', 'to dwell', 'to stay', 'to continue', 'to remain', 'to exist', 'to abide', 'to reside', and 'to be'. | |||
| Maori | noho | ||
| The word "noho" in Māori can also mean "to stay" or "to dwell". | |||
| Samoan | nofo | ||
| The root of the verb "nofo" is "noho", meaning "to sit down," which is similar to the Hawaiian word "noho," also meaning "to sit." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | umupo ka | ||
| The Filipino word "umupo ka" has an alternate meaning that originated from the Spanish verb "imponer," which means "to impose" or "to put on." | |||
Sit in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | qunuña | ||
| Guarani | guapy | ||
Sit in International Languages
| Esperanto | sidi | ||
| The Esperanto word "sidi" shares a root with the Latin "sedo" ("sit"), and can also be used to indicate other positions, such as "lie" and "reside". | |||
| Latin | sedere deorsum | ||
| The phrase 'sedere deorsum' in Latin is literally translated as 'to sit downwards', and is not to be confused with the word 'sedere' which means 'sit' on its own. | |||
Sit in Others Languages
| Greek | καθίστε | ||
| The word "Καθίστε" in Greek comes from the same root as "καθέδρα", which means "chair" or "seat". | |||
| Hmong | zaum | ||
| The word "zaum" in Hmong has multiple meanings, including "sit", "reside", and "live in a place for a long time." | |||
| Kurdish | rûniştin | ||
| The word "rûniştin" also means "place" or "dwelling" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | oturmak | ||
| 'Oturmak' means both 'to sit' and 'to live somewhere'. | |||
| Xhosa | hlala | ||
| "Hlala" also means "to reside" or "to dwell" | |||
| Yiddish | זיצן | ||
| The Yiddish word "זיצן" can also mean "to brood" or "to be engrossed in thought." | |||
| Zulu | hlala | ||
| The Zulu word "hlala" also means "to dwell" or "to reside". | |||
| Assamese | বহক | ||
| Aymara | qunuña | ||
| Bhojpuri | बईठऽ | ||
| Dhivehi | އިށީނުން | ||
| Dogri | बौहना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | umupo | ||
| Guarani | guapy | ||
| Ilocano | agtugaw | ||
| Krio | sidɔm | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دانیشتن | ||
| Maithili | बैसू | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯐꯝꯃꯨ | ||
| Mizo | thu | ||
| Oromo | taa'uu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବସ | ||
| Quechua | tiyay | ||
| Sanskrit | उप- विश् | ||
| Tatar | утыр | ||
| Tigrinya | ተቐመጠ | ||
| Tsonga | tshama | ||