Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'stay' is a small but powerful part of our vocabulary, denoting the idea of remaining in one place or position. Its significance goes beyond the literal, often used to express persistence, endurance, or even affection. From Shakespeare's famous line 'Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow' to the modern pop song 'Stay with Me' by Sam Smith, this word has woven itself into the fabric of our cultural expression.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'stay' in different languages can open up new avenues of communication when traveling or interacting with diverse cultures. For instance, in Spanish, 'stay' translates to 'quedarse', while in French, it's 'rester'. In Mandarin Chinese, the same concept is expressed as '留 Down', and in Japanese, '滞在 (taizai)'.
Explore the many faces of 'stay' and enrich your linguistic repertoire. Whether you're a globetrotter, a language enthusiast, or simply curious, delving into these translations will offer unique insights into various cultures and their ways of expressing this universal concept.
Afrikaans | bly | ||
The word "bly" in Afrikaans is also historically used to mean "rejoice" or "be happy". | |||
Amharic | ቆይ | ||
The word 'ቆይ' ('stay') in Amharic also means 'remain', 'endure', or 'continue'. | |||
Hausa | tsaya | ||
In Hausa, "tsaya" can also mean "stand"} | |||
Igbo | nọrọ | ||
In addition to meaning "stay," the Igbo word "nọrọ" can also refer to "live" or "exist." | |||
Malagasy | nijanonany | ||
The Malagasy word "nijanonany" also means "to remain" or "to endure". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | khalani | ||
The term "khalani" in Nyanja (Chichewa) can also refer to "stop," "halt," or "delay." | |||
Shona | gara | ||
The word "gara" also means "stay put", "halt", or "come to a halt" in Shona. | |||
Somali | joog | ||
The Somali word “joog” originates from the Proto-Somali verb “*ɗog” which means, “to reside in a location.” | |||
Sesotho | lula | ||
The word "lula" comes from the Proto-Bantu word "*yul/*li"} | |||
Swahili | kaa | ||
"Kaa" also means "sit" in Swahili, "be" in Hausa, and "eat" in Wolof. | |||
Xhosa | hlala | ||
The word "hlala" in Xhosa not only means "to stay" but also has the alternate meaning of "to live". | |||
Yoruba | duro | ||
Yoruba "duro" also refers to "patience" as a person who stays has patience. | |||
Zulu | hlala | ||
Hlala can also mean 'lay', 'rest', or 'sleep'. | |||
Bambara | ka to | ||
Ewe | nᴐ anyi | ||
Kinyarwanda | guma | ||
Lingala | kotikala | ||
Luganda | okusigala | ||
Sepedi | dula | ||
Twi (Akan) | tena | ||
Arabic | البقاء | ||
The verb "البقاء" also means "to survive", "to outlive" or "to persist" in Arabic. | |||
Hebrew | שָׁהוּת | ||
The word "שָׁהוּת" in Hebrew can also mean "delay". | |||
Pashto | پاتې شه | ||
The word "پاتې شه" can also mean "to remain" or "to be left over". | |||
Arabic | البقاء | ||
The verb "البقاء" also means "to survive", "to outlive" or "to persist" in Arabic. |
Albanian | qëndroj | ||
The Albanian word "qëndroj" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*steh₂-", meaning "to stand" or "to stay". | |||
Basque | egon | ||
The word "egon" can also mean "to be" or "to be present" in Basque. | |||
Catalan | quedar-se | ||
"Quedar-se" can also mean "to meet up" or, colloquially, "to be left in awe, or speechless". | |||
Croatian | boravak | ||
The word "boravak" derives from the Proto-Slavic *borǫ, meaning "stay, dwell, dwell in, live" and is cognate with Polish "być" (to be), German "Birken" (birch) and Russian "berëza" (birch). | |||
Danish | bliv | ||
Bliv is related to the English word | |||
Dutch | blijven | ||
The word "blijven" can also mean "continue" or "remain" in Dutch. | |||
English | stay | ||
The word “stay” comes from the Old French word “ester,” which originally meant “to stand”. | |||
French | rester | ||
The French word "rester" also has the meaning of "to hang up" or "to leave something behind". | |||
Frisian | bliuwe | ||
The root of the word 'bliuwe' may be found in the Proto-West-Germanic word 'blibana', 'to remain', but it can also refer to a flatfish. | |||
Galician | queda | ||
Galician's "queda" originates in Latin, "quieta", which also refers to a person's "calm" and "discretion". | |||
German | bleibe | ||
The word "bleibe" is derived from the Old High German word "blîban", meaning "to remain" or "to stay". | |||
Icelandic | vertu | ||
Vertu, meaning "stay," originates from the Old French word "virtus," which also means "strength." | |||
Irish | fanacht | ||
Alternate meanings of 'fanacht' include 'dwelling' and 'watch' | |||
Italian | restare | ||
"Restare" in Italian can also mean "to be left over" or "to remain in place". | |||
Luxembourgish | bleiwen | ||
In Old High German, the word “bleiwen” meant not only “to stay” but also “to remain alive.” | |||
Maltese | ibqa ' | ||
The Maltese word 'ibqa' comes from the Arabic word 'baqa', which also means 'remain' or 'persist'. | |||
Norwegian | oppholde seg | ||
"Oppholde seg" is derived from the Old Norse word "upphalda," meaning "to uphold" or "to maintain." | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | fique | ||
In the 13th century, the Portuguese word "ficar" meant "attach, nail" and "fix" in the 14th. | |||
Scots Gaelic | fuirich | ||
The word "fuirich" in Scots Gaelic may also mean "delay" or "to tarry". | |||
Spanish | permanecer | ||
Permanecer comes from the Latin word "permanent (lasting, fixed)" | |||
Swedish | stanna kvar | ||
The Swedish word "stanna kvar" has a similar construction as "stand still" in English. | |||
Welsh | aros | ||
The Welsh word "aros" has been borrowed from English and has a similar meaning, but retains its original English spelling and pronunciation. |
Belarusian | застацца | ||
The word "застацца" (stay) in Belarusian can also mean "to be left alone" or "to be forgotten". | |||
Bosnian | ostani | ||
The word "ostani" in Bosnian originated from the Proto-Slavic word "ostati", which shares the same root with the English word "statute". | |||
Bulgarian | престой | ||
In Bulgarian, the word "престой" can also refer to a legal adjournment. | |||
Czech | pobyt | ||
The word "pobyt" (stay) in Czech derives from the Old Church Slavonic word "pobyti," which means "to be present," "to exist," or "to live." | |||
Estonian | jää | ||
The Estonian word "jää" has multiple meanings beyond "stay," including "ice" and "to be left over, to remain." | |||
Finnish | pysyä | ||
The word "pysyä" is cognate with the word "pystyä" ("to be able"), suggesting that the ability to stay is linked to the ability to stand. | |||
Hungarian | marad | ||
The word "marad" is cognate with the Finnish word "jäädä" and the Estonian word "jääda", all meaning "to stay". | |||
Latvian | palikt | ||
The word "palikt" in Latvian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root “pel”, which also gave rise to the English word "fold". This suggests that the original meaning of "palikt" may have been "to fold up" or "to make a bed". | |||
Lithuanian | likti | ||
Likti is cognate with Sanskrit lih and Latin linquere, both meaning "to leave" | |||
Macedonian | остани | ||
The word "остани" also means "remain" or "survive" in Macedonian. | |||
Polish | zostać | ||
The word "zostać" in Polish can also mean "to remain", "to become", or "to be left over". | |||
Romanian | stau | ||
The word "stau" in Romanian is derived from the Latin word "status," meaning "state" or "condition." | |||
Russian | остаться | ||
The word "остаться" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic root "ostati", meaning "to be left over, to remain". | |||
Serbian | остани | ||
The word "остани" is also used figuratively to mean "to continue" or "to persist." | |||
Slovak | pobyt | ||
"Pobyt" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *pobyti, meaning "to be somewhere for a while"." | |||
Slovenian | ostani | ||
The word "ostani" in Slovenian can also refer to a type of traditional dish consisting of buckwheat groats and sour milk. | |||
Ukrainian | залишитися | ||
The word "залишитися" comes from the Proto-Slavic root *ost-, meaning "to stay" or "to remain". |
Bengali | থাকা | ||
The word "থাকা" can also mean "to be present" or "to exist" in Bengali. | |||
Gujarati | રહો | ||
As an idiom, the word "રહો" also means "to have" or "to possess" in Gujarati. | |||
Hindi | रहना | ||
Cognates of "रहना" include "rest" and "arrest" in English, indicating a connection between staying and stopping or being held in place. | |||
Kannada | ಉಳಿಯಿರಿ | ||
The Kannada word “ಉಳಿಯಿರಿ” (uLiyiri) means “to stay”, and also “to remain”, “to be left”, and “to be saved”. | |||
Malayalam | താമസിക്കുക | ||
Marathi | मुक्काम | ||
"मुक्काम" is also the name of a particular card game played in western India. | |||
Nepali | रहनु | ||
रहनु is a Nepali verb derived from the Sanskrit root "rabh", meaning "to seize", "to obtain". It can also have other meanings like living in a place, being present at a place, persisting, or remaining constant in a state or position. | |||
Punjabi | ਰੁਕੋ | ||
In Punjabi, "ਰੁਕੋ" also refers to a musical pause in classical singing | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නවතින්න | ||
In Buddhism, "නවතින්න" (navatinna) also denotes the 'nine stages of meditation' that one goes through on the path towards Nirvana. | |||
Tamil | தங்க | ||
Tamil word 'தங்க' (stay) originates from the Proto-Dravidian root '*taŋg-' meaning 'to stand'. | |||
Telugu | ఉండండి | ||
In the context of a house, "ఉండండి" can refer to the act of staying or living there. | |||
Urdu | ٹھہرنا | ||
"ٹھہرنا" is cognate with the Sanskrit word "sthhira" meaning "stable" or "firm". |
Chinese (Simplified) | 留 | ||
"留" also means "to detain" or "to keep". | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 留 | ||
The Chinese word 留 can also mean "detain" or "retain". | |||
Japanese | 滞在 | ||
The first kanji in the word 滞在 (stay) can also mean "stopping" or "delay". | |||
Korean | 머무르다 | ||
"머물다" is also a noun meaning "an agreement" and an archaic noun meaning "a dwelling or a lodge." | |||
Mongolian | үлдэх | ||
In the Khitan language, "үлдэх" meant "to remain," but in Mongolian, it also means "to last, endure," or "to survive." | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | နေ | ||
The word နေ also means 'exist' and 'live' in Myanmar (Burmese). |
Indonesian | tinggal | ||
The word "tinggal" in Indonesian can also mean "left behind" or "remaining". | |||
Javanese | nginep | ||
The word "nginep" in Javanese, meaning "to stay," also has alternate meanings such as "to sleep" or "to dwell." | |||
Khmer | ស្នាក់នៅ | ||
"ស្នាក់នៅ" can also refer to living or residing in a place for an extended period. | |||
Lao | ຢູ່ | ||
"ຢູ່" can also mean "to be" or "to exist", and is often used as a verb suffix to indicate a state or condition. | |||
Malay | tinggal | ||
The word "tinggal" in the Malay language, selain berarti tinggal juga berarti pergi | |||
Thai | อยู่ | ||
The Thai word 'อยู่' can also mean 'to be' or 'to exist'. | |||
Vietnamese | ở lại | ||
The term "ở lại" shares roots with "ở" ("reside") and "lại" ("return"), suggesting "continuing to reside" or "remaining behind". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | manatili | ||
Azerbaijani | qalmaq | ||
The verb "qalmaq" in Azerbaijani also shares the meaning of "to remain" in Turkish and other Turkic languages | |||
Kazakh | қалу | ||
Alternately means to remain in a specific place, to be preserved, or to endure. | |||
Kyrgyz | кал | ||
The same word also means "a place to sleep" and "a bed". | |||
Tajik | мондан | ||
The Tajik word “мондан” (“stay”) is likely derived from the Persian word “ماند/mândan” (meaning “to wait, remain or stay”). | |||
Turkmen | gal | ||
Uzbek | qolish | ||
The word "qolish" also means "to live" or "to remain" in Uzbek. | |||
Uyghur | تۇر | ||
Hawaiian | noho | ||
The Hawaiian word "noho" also means "to sit" or "to reside". | |||
Maori | noho | ||
Noho is also the root word for 'nohonga' (a meeting or gathering) and 'whano' (family). | |||
Samoan | nofo | ||
'Nofo' also means to 'sit' or 'live'. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | manatili | ||
In Tagalog, the word "manatili" can also mean "to remain" or "to endure". |
Aymara | ukankaña | ||
Guarani | pyta | ||
Esperanto | resti | ||
"Resti" can be used when you are staying somewhere for a short amount of time, such as a hotel, or when you are waiting for someone or something." | |||
Latin | maneat | ||
The Latin word "maneat" can also mean "let it remain" or "let it not be destroyed." |
Greek | διαμονή | ||
Στα Νέα Ελληνικά η λέξη "διαμονή" προέρχεται από το ρήμα "διαμένω" και σημαίνει παραμονή σε τόπο ή κατάσταση για ένα χρονικό διάστημα. | |||
Hmong | nyob | ||
"Nyob" also means "to put" in Hmong, as in "to put something down" or "to put someone in a place." | |||
Kurdish | mayin | ||
The Kurdish word "mayin" also denotes "water" in some dialects. | |||
Turkish | kalmak | ||
The word "kalmak" in Turkish can also mean "to remain" or "to be left". | |||
Xhosa | hlala | ||
The word "hlala" in Xhosa not only means "to stay" but also has the alternate meaning of "to live". | |||
Yiddish | בלייבן | ||
The term "בלייבן" also carries the connotation of "waiting" or "delaying." | |||
Zulu | hlala | ||
Hlala can also mean 'lay', 'rest', or 'sleep'. | |||
Assamese | থকা | ||
Aymara | ukankaña | ||
Bhojpuri | ठहरीं | ||
Dhivehi | ހުރުން | ||
Dogri | रुकना | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | manatili | ||
Guarani | pyta | ||
Ilocano | agtalinaed | ||
Krio | ste | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | مانەوە | ||
Maithili | रहू | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯩꯌꯨ | ||
Mizo | cham | ||
Oromo | turuu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ରୁହ | ||
Quechua | takyay | ||
Sanskrit | तिष्ठतु | ||
Tatar | калыгыз | ||
Tigrinya | ፅናሕ | ||
Tsonga | tshama | ||