Use in Different Languages
Discover 'Use' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'use' is a small but powerful part of our everyday vocabulary. It signifies the act of utilizing something for a specific purpose or benefit. From a practical standpoint, 'use' is essential in our daily lives, as we constantly employ objects, tools, and skills for various tasks.
Beyond its functional significance, the concept of 'use' carries rich cultural importance. For instance, in many Eastern philosophies, the idea of non-attachment teaches that objects, relationships, and even our own selves should not be clung to, but rather used wisely and then released. This perspective highlights the importance of using resources mindfully and efficiently.
Given the global reach of the English language, understanding the translation of 'use' in different languages can be both enlightening and practical. For example, in Spanish, 'use' translates to 'uso', while in French, it becomes 'usage'. In Mandarin Chinese, the word for 'use' is '使用' (shǐ yòng).
In the sections below, we delve deeper into the translations of 'use' in various languages, shedding light on the fascinating cultural nuances that underpin this simple yet profound term.
Use
Use in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | gebruik | ||
| "Gebruik" in Afrikaans can also mean "custom," "habit," or "usage." | |||
| Amharic | አጠቃቀም | ||
| አጠቃቀም can also refer to an object's utility or value. | |||
| Hausa | amfani | ||
| "A amfani da shi" can also mean to make use | |||
| Igbo | jiri | ||
| jiri also means 'do or make' and is related to the word ji 'to be', and in Igbo philosophy, use or making is synonymous to being. | |||
| Malagasy | ampiasao | ||
| The word "Ampiasao" shares a Proto-Austronesian root with the Tagalog word "gamit", meaning "tool, equipment," which implies that "use" in Malagasy may originally have meant the application of a tool. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | gwiritsani | ||
| The word "gwiritsani" (use) can also mean "employ," "utilize," or "avail oneself of." | |||
| Shona | shandisa | ||
| The word "shandisa" can also mean "to make use of" or "to apply" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | isticmaal | ||
| The word "isticmaal" has been in use in Somali since at least the 19th century, and was borrowed from Arabic via Swahili. | |||
| Sesotho | sebedisa | ||
| The word "sebedisa" can also mean "to operate" or "to work with" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | tumia | ||
| The word "tumia" in Swahili can also refer to the act of sending or applying something. | |||
| Xhosa | sebenzisa | ||
| In Xhosa, 'sebenzisa' can also mean 'to treat' or 'to behave towards' someone | |||
| Yoruba | lilo | ||
| Lilo can also mean 'to take care of' or 'to maintain' in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | sebenzisa | ||
| The Zulu word "sebenzisa" is thought to originally refer to a process resembling the act of chewing or grinding, similar to the Nguni word "senga" or "shenga". | |||
| Bambara | k'a nafa bɔ a la | ||
| Ewe | zã | ||
| Kinyarwanda | koresha | ||
| Lingala | kosalela | ||
| Luganda | omugaso | ||
| Sepedi | šomiša | ||
| Twi (Akan) | fa di dwuma | ||
Use in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | استعمال | ||
| The word "استعمال" in Arabic can also refer to "treatment" or "consumption." | |||
| Hebrew | להשתמש | ||
| The term “להשתמש” can also denote “apply”, “put in use”, “exercise”, “operate”, “reach”, “exploit”, and more. | |||
| Pashto | کارول | ||
| In addition to "use," "کارول" can also mean "work," "function," or "application." | |||
| Arabic | استعمال | ||
| The word "استعمال" in Arabic can also refer to "treatment" or "consumption." | |||
Use in Western European Languages
| Albanian | përdorim | ||
| "Përdorim" is derived from the Latin word "usus", meaning "use, custom, or practice." | |||
| Basque | erabili | ||
| The word "erabili" also carries the meanings "benefit," "comfort," and "utility." | |||
| Catalan | ús | ||
| The Catalan word "ús" derives from the Latin word "usus", which means "custom, practice, or habit." | |||
| Croatian | koristiti | ||
| The word 'koristiti' is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *korь, meaning 'profit' or 'benefit'. | |||
| Danish | brug | ||
| In Norwegian, "brug" can mean both "use" and "bridge." | |||
| Dutch | gebruik | ||
| The Dutch word "gebruik" also has the meaning "custom" and derives from the Middle Dutch "ghebruken", meaning "to enjoy, have pleasure in, use." | |||
| English | use | ||
| The word “use” can derive from “utī” or “ūsus,” from Proto-Indo-European “h₁ews-”. In Latin, this gave rise to “utī” (“to make use of,” “to employ, utilize,” “to be accustomed”)} | |||
| French | utilisation | ||
| The French word "utilisation" originates from the Latin word "utilis", meaning "useful" or "advantageous". | |||
| Frisian | brûke | ||
| Galician | uso | ||
| The Galician word “uso” is related to its Spanish counterpart, but it can also mean “custom” or “habit”. | |||
| German | verwenden | ||
| The verb 'verwenden' also has the meaning 'to apply', e.g. 'die Flüssigkeit auf die Wunde ~'. | |||
| Icelandic | nota | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "use", "nota" can also refer to "enjoyment", "benefit", or "profit". | |||
| Irish | úsáid | ||
| The word "úsáid" in Irish ultimately derives from the Vulgar Latin word "usātaticus" meaning "pertaining to use," which in turn derives from the Latin word "usus" meaning "use." | |||
| Italian | uso | ||
| The word "uso" in Italian can also refer to a custom, habit, or tradition. | |||
| Luxembourgish | benotzen | ||
| "Benotzen" is derived from the Romance root "*benedicere" meaning "to bless" and is cognate with French "bénir" "to bless" and "bénédiction" "blessing". | |||
| Maltese | użu | ||
| The word "użu" is derived from the Arabic word "istikhdam" and can also refer to "employment" or "practice". | |||
| Norwegian | bruk | ||
| The Norwegian word "bruk" is ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰrew-, meaning "to cook" or "boil". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | usar | ||
| The Portuguese word "usar" can also mean "to wear" or "to use up". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | cleachdadh | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "cleachdadh" derives from the Old Irish "clecht" meaning "practice" or "procedure". | |||
| Spanish | utilizar | ||
| The verb "utilizar" is derived from the Latin word "uti" (to use), which also gave rise to the English word "utility". | |||
| Swedish | använda sig av | ||
| In addition to "use," "använda sig av" also means "to utilize" and "to employ." | |||
| Welsh | defnyddio | ||
Use in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | выкарыстоўваць | ||
| Bosnian | koristiti | ||
| The word 'koristiti' can also mean 'to utilize' or 'to apply'. | |||
| Bulgarian | използване | ||
| The Bulgarian word "използване" also has the meaning of "spending". | |||
| Czech | použití | ||
| The word "použití" is related to the word "pouštět" which means "to let go" or "to release". | |||
| Estonian | kasutamine | ||
| The word 'kasutamine' derives from the verb 'kasutama' (to use, to employ), which is ultimately rooted in the Proto-Uralic verb *käyd- ('to go'). | |||
| Finnish | käyttää | ||
| Käyttää also means "to operate" or "to utilize", and is derived from the verb "käydä" ("to go, to visit"). | |||
| Hungarian | használat | ||
| The word "használat" (use) is derived from the Proto-Uralic word *käts-, meaning "hand, use, power, authority." | |||
| Latvian | izmantot | ||
| The word "izmantot" also means "to exploit" and is derived from the Russian word "использовать" (ispol'zovat), meaning "to use" or "to take advantage of". | |||
| Lithuanian | naudoti | ||
| Possibly derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *newd- ("to take, to give") and cognate with Latin nauta ("sailor") and Sanskrit nau ("ship"). | |||
| Macedonian | употреба | ||
| The word "употреба" can also refer to the act of using a substance, especially in a recreational context. | |||
| Polish | posługiwać się | ||
| The word "posługiwać się" can also mean "to serve" or "to minister to" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | utilizare | ||
| "Utilizare" in Romanian can also refer to "consumption," "utilization," or "usage". | |||
| Russian | использовать | ||
| Использовать can also mean "to apply" (e.g. "to apply paint"). | |||
| Serbian | употреба | ||
| The word "употреба" is also used in Serbian to refer to a "consumption" or "utility". | |||
| Slovak | použitie | ||
| Slovenian | uporaba | ||
| The word 'uporaba' derives from the Slavic root 'rab-' meaning 'to work' and originally referred to any kind of activity. | |||
| Ukrainian | використання | ||
| The Ukrainian word | |||
Use in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ব্যবহার | ||
| ব্যবহার' শব্দটি সংস্কৃত ব্যুৎপত্তি 'व्यवहार' থেকে এসেছে, যার আসল অর্থ 'ব্যবসা' বা 'व्यवस्था' (व्यव + हार) | |||
| Gujarati | વાપરવુ | ||
| The Gujarati word "વાપરવુ" derives from the Sanskrit root "वृष्" (vr̥ṣ) meaning "to rain" or "to sprinkle", and has alternate meanings of "to apply", "to employ", and "to utilize". | |||
| Hindi | उपयोग | ||
| उपयोग (use) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'upyog', which also means 'benefit' or 'application'. | |||
| Kannada | ಬಳಕೆ | ||
| The verb 'ಬಳಕೆ' can also mean 'to wear' or 'to practice', indicating its broad range of applications. | |||
| Malayalam | ഉപയോഗം | ||
| The word "ഉപയോഗം" can also refer to "employment" or "service" in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | वापरा | ||
| The Marathi word 'वापरा' (vaapara), meaning 'to use,' shares a root with the Sanskrit verb 'अपराव्' (aparāv), which means 'to turn to, apply, or employ.' | |||
| Nepali | प्रयोग गर्नुहोस् | ||
| Punjabi | ਵਰਤਣ | ||
| The Punjabi word ਵਰਤਣ can also mean 'to wear' or 'to apply' something. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | භාවිත | ||
| The term භාවිත may also imply "practice," "method," "habit," or "application" in certain contexts. | |||
| Tamil | பயன்பாடு | ||
| Telugu | వా డు | ||
| This word has meanings like: to use, to utilize, to put into practice, to employ, to apply, to serve, to behave, to act. | |||
| Urdu | استعمال کریں | ||
Use in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 使用 | ||
| 使用 (shǐyòng), which literally means "to use for" or "to make use of," can also mean "to consume" or "to adopt." | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 採用 | ||
| 採用（yòngyòng）本亦作「擁擁」，意為擁抱、支持，如「擁護」、「擁軍」。 | |||
| Japanese | 使用する | ||
| 使用する is the verb form of 使用, and its literal meaning is not “to use,” but “to cause to use.” | |||
| Korean | 사용하다 | ||
| Mongolian | ашиглах | ||
| The word "ашиглах" is derived from the Old Turkic word "аšyğ" meaning "weapon" or "tool". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အသုံးပြုသည် | ||
Use in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | menggunakan | ||
| Menggunakan is also used to express possession, such as "mobil menggunakan saya" ("the car is mine"). | |||
| Javanese | nggunakake | ||
| The word "nggunakake" can also mean "to apply" or "to utilize" in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | ប្រើ | ||
| The word "ប្រើ" (pronounced as bru) can also have the connotation of "to make use of", which can be seen in the phrase: ប្រើរបស់គេ (to make use of someone's belongings) | |||
| Lao | ການນໍາໃຊ້ | ||
| Malay | menggunakan | ||
| In Malay, 'menggunakan' can also refer to the consumption of food or resources. | |||
| Thai | ใช้ | ||
| The Thai word 'ใช้' means 'use' but can also mean 'spend', 'apply' or 'utilize', depending on the context. | |||
| Vietnamese | sử dụng | ||
| The word "sử dụng" derives from Chinese characters meaning "to command" and has the alternate meaning of "to employ". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | gamitin | ||
Use in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | istifadə edin | ||
| The verb | |||
| Kazakh | пайдалану | ||
| The Kazakh word "пайдалану" can also refer to the process of extracting value or utility from something. | |||
| Kyrgyz | колдонуу | ||
| The word "колдонуу" can also mean "apply" or "employ" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | истифода бурдан | ||
| The term "истифода бурдан" in Tajik, meaning "use", also has alternate meanings such as "utilize", "employ", and "make use of". | |||
| Turkmen | ulanmak | ||
| Uzbek | foydalanish | ||
| The Uzbek word "foydalanish" has a similar etymological root to the Uyghur word "paylanish," which also means "use." | |||
| Uyghur | use | ||
Use in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻohana | ||
| Maori | whakamahi | ||
| In Maori, | |||
| Samoan | faʻaaoga | ||
| Faʻaaoga can also mean "usage" or "application." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | gamitin | ||
| "Gamitin" derives from the Proto-Austronesian root "*gamit", which also means "to take" or "to hold." | |||
Use in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | apnaqaña | ||
| Guarani | poru | ||
Use in International Languages
| Esperanto | uzi | ||
| The word | |||
| Latin | usus | ||
| The Latin word 'usus' means both 'use' and 'law' or 'custom' in the sense of established social norms. | |||
Use in Others Languages
| Greek | χρήση | ||
| The Greek word "χρήση" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*ker-yo- ("to make, do")", and can also mean "action, behavior" or "practice." | |||
| Hmong | siv | ||
| The word "siv" can also mean "to be used to" or "to be accustomed to". | |||
| Kurdish | bikaranîn | ||
| The word "bikaranîn" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*bʰerǵʰ-", meaning "to carry" or "to bring". | |||
| Turkish | kullanım | ||
| Kullanim (use) originates from the Persian word 'istihdam', which also means 'employment' in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | sebenzisa | ||
| In Xhosa, 'sebenzisa' can also mean 'to treat' or 'to behave towards' someone | |||
| Yiddish | נוצן | ||
| The Yiddish word "נוצן" ("use") derives from the German "nutzen" (benefit), which in turn comes from the Old High German "nuzzi" (good). | |||
| Zulu | sebenzisa | ||
| The Zulu word "sebenzisa" is thought to originally refer to a process resembling the act of chewing or grinding, similar to the Nguni word "senga" or "shenga". | |||
| Assamese | ব্যৱহাৰ | ||
| Aymara | apnaqaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | उपयोग | ||
| Dhivehi | ބޭނުންކުރުން | ||
| Dogri | बरतून | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | gamitin | ||
| Guarani | poru | ||
| Ilocano | usaren | ||
| Krio | yuz | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بەکارهێنان | ||
| Maithili | इस्तेमाल | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯤꯖꯤꯟꯅꯕ | ||
| Mizo | hmang | ||
| Oromo | fayyadamuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବ୍ୟବହାର କରନ୍ତୁ | | ||
| Quechua | hapiy | ||
| Sanskrit | उपयुञ्जताम् | ||
| Tatar | куллану | ||
| Tigrinya | ጥቅሚ | ||
| Tsonga | tirhisa | ||