Wait in Different Languages
Discover 'Wait' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'wait' is a simple, two-syllable verb that carries a significant weight in our daily lives. It represents patience, anticipation, and the passage of time. From waiting for a friend to arrive, to waiting for a life-changing moment, the act of waiting is a universal human experience.
Culturally, the concept of waiting has been explored in various art forms, including literature, music, and film. In literature, waiting is often used as a narrative device to build tension and suspense. In music, songs about waiting evoke emotions of longing and hope. And in film, waiting is a common theme that resonates with audiences worldwide.
Given its significance and cultural importance, it's no surprise that someone might want to know the translation of 'wait' in different languages. For instance, in Spanish, 'wait' is 'esperar'; in French, it's 'attendre'; in German, it's 'warten'; and in Japanese, it's 'まつ wait'.
Exploring the translations of 'wait' in different languages not only broadens our linguistic skills but also deepens our understanding of cultural nuances and perspectives. So, let's delve into the world of language and discover more fascinating translations of 'wait'.
Wait
Wait in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | wag | ||
| The Afrikaans word "wag" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*waihtjan", meaning "to wait", but is cognate with the English word "weigh", meaning "to measure weight". | |||
| Amharic | ጠብቅ | ||
| The word “ጠብቅ” is a loanword of the Arabic verb “طلب”, which in Amharic means “wait” | |||
| Hausa | jira | ||
| The word "jira" can also refer to a waiting period or a delay. | |||
| Igbo | chere | ||
| Chere, meaning "wait", also denotes "calm" and "be patient" in Igbo culture. | |||
| Malagasy | miandry | ||
| The Malagasy word "miandry" shares a root with words meaning "patience" and "tolerance". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | dikirani | ||
| "Dikirani" can also mean "to delay" or "to hesitate". | |||
| Shona | mira | ||
| The Shona word 'mira' also means 'see' or 'look at' something | |||
| Somali | sug | ||
| In Arabic, "sugh" means "delay" or "procrastination". | |||
| Sesotho | ema | ||
| In Zulu, "ema" also means "to eat", and in Xhosa, it means "to drink." | |||
| Swahili | subiri | ||
| The word "subiri" in Swahili also means "be patient". | |||
| Xhosa | yima | ||
| Yima also means 'to stay' | |||
| Yoruba | duro | ||
| "Duro" in Yoruba can also mean "to remain" or "to endure." | |||
| Zulu | linda | ||
| The Zulu word 'linda', meaning 'wait', originates from the Proto-Bantu root word *-tidi, which also has the meaning 'stay'. This shared root suggests a historical connection between the concepts of 'staying' and 'waiting' in Bantu languages. | |||
| Bambara | ka kɔnɔ | ||
| Ewe | lala | ||
| Kinyarwanda | rindira | ||
| Lingala | zela | ||
| Luganda | linda | ||
| Sepedi | leta | ||
| Twi (Akan) | twɛn | ||
Wait in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | انتظر | ||
| In MSA, "انتظر" can mean to wait for a specific event or to wait generally, while in colloquial Arabic it usually refers to waiting for a person. | |||
| Hebrew | לַחֲכוֹת | ||
| The Hebrew word "לַחֲכוֹת" derives from the Akkadian word "lahtu" and originally meant "to stand at a distance". | |||
| Pashto | انتظار | ||
| The Pashto word "انتظار" is not derived from any other language and has no alternative meanings besides "to wait." | |||
| Arabic | انتظر | ||
| In MSA, "انتظر" can mean to wait for a specific event or to wait generally, while in colloquial Arabic it usually refers to waiting for a person. | |||
Wait in Western European Languages
| Albanian | prisni | ||
| The verb "prisni" shares the same Indo-European root "per-s" with the English word "forbear". | |||
| Basque | itxaron | ||
| The Basque word "itxaron" is derived from the Proto-Basque root *itxar-, meaning "to hope". | |||
| Catalan | espera | ||
| Catalan "espera" derives from Latin "spērāre" ("hope", "expect\"), but has also been influenced by the Arabic "aspera" ("waiting\") | |||
| Croatian | čekati | ||
| The word "čekati" can also refer to "expect" or "hope" in certain contexts. | |||
| Danish | vente | ||
| Vente also means 'expectation' or 'hope' in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | wacht | ||
| The word "wacht" in Dutch can also mean "a watch" (as in a timepiece) or "a guard". | |||
| English | wait | ||
| The word "wait" originally meant "to lie in ambush" or "to watch for". | |||
| French | attendez | ||
| "Attendez" also means "expect", "pay attention to" and "await" in French | |||
| Frisian | wachtsje | ||
| In Frisian, the word "wachtsje" can also refer to a short nap or a period of rest. | |||
| Galician | agarda | ||
| The Galician word "agarda" comes from the Latin "adgardam" which means "watching over" and is related to the French "attendre" (to wait). | |||
| German | warten | ||
| The word "warten" in German can also refer to tending to or guarding something. | |||
| Icelandic | bíddu | ||
| Bíddu may also mean "to ask" or "to pray" in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | fan | ||
| The word "fan" in Irish can also mean "stay" or "remain". | |||
| Italian | aspettare | ||
| The word "aspettare" derives from the Latin word "aspectare" which means "to look forward to" or "to expect". | |||
| Luxembourgish | waart | ||
| In Luxembourgish, the word "waart" can also mean "watch out" or "attention". | |||
| Maltese | stenna | ||
| In Maltese the word 'stenna' (wait) is often used to mean 'delay' in terms of 'being late'. | |||
| Norwegian | vente | ||
| "Vente" is the imperative form of the Norwegian verb "vente", which means "to wait" or "to expect". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | esperar | ||
| Esperar derives from the Latin "sperare" meaning "to hope". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | feitheamh | ||
| The Gaelic word 'feitheamh' can also refer to 'resting', 'delaying', 'expecting', 'watching' and 'lying in wait'. | |||
| Spanish | espere | ||
| The word “espere” is derived from the Latin word “sperare”, which means “to hope”. | |||
| Swedish | vänta | ||
| The word "vänta" can also mean "to anticipate" or "to expect". | |||
| Welsh | aros | ||
| In Welsh, 'aros' also refers to a period of suspension or a period of time before something happens. | |||
Wait in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | пачакай | ||
| The word "пачакай" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *čakati, meaning "to expect" or "to wait for." | |||
| Bosnian | čekaj | ||
| "Čekati" can also mean "to expect" or "to hope for" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | изчакайте | ||
| The word "изчакайте" is derived from the Slavic root "чакати" meaning "to expect". | |||
| Czech | počkejte | ||
| In Slovak, "počkajte" can also mean "understand" or "hold on". | |||
| Estonian | oota | ||
| The Estonian word "oota" is related to the Finnish word "odottaa", both meaning "to wait". | |||
| Finnish | odota | ||
| The word "odota" is also used in the sense of "expect" or "hope". | |||
| Hungarian | várjon | ||
| The Hungarian word "várjon" comes from Proto-Finnic "*wár-, *wárjo" which is related to Proto-Uralic "*war-, *warko-" (to wait). | |||
| Latvian | pagaidi | ||
| In Latvian, the word “pagaidi” comes from the verb “gaidīt,” meaning “to expect” or “to wait for,” and can also be used in a more general sense to describe a state of anticipation or readiness. | |||
| Lithuanian | laukti | ||
| In Baltic languages, this word is used to express the concept of "hope" or "expect". | |||
| Macedonian | чекај | ||
| The word "чекај" also means "expect" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | czekać | ||
| The Polish word "czekać" is related to the Czech word "čekat", the Slovak word "čakať", and the Russian word "ждать". | |||
| Romanian | aștepta | ||
| »Aștepta« derives from the Latin word »spectare« (to look at), suggesting an original meaning of »to gaze intently«. | |||
| Russian | подождите | ||
| The word "Подождите" (wait) derives from the verb "подождать" (to wait) and the suffix "-те", which is used to form polite requests. | |||
| Serbian | чекати | ||
| The word "чекати" also means "to expect" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | počkaj | ||
| The word "počkaj" also means "hold on" or "just a moment" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | počakaj | ||
| The word počakaj is derived from the Slavic word | |||
| Ukrainian | почекай | ||
| The word "почекай" in Ukrainian also means "to wait until something happens". | |||
Wait in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অপেক্ষা করুন | ||
| The word “অপেক্ষা” (ôpêkkha: wait) comes from Sanskrit 'upa-īkṣayati' meaning 'to look towards' (to look out for someone or something). | |||
| Gujarati | રાહ જુઓ | ||
| The Gujarati word "રાહ જુઓ" can also mean "to watch" or "to expect." | |||
| Hindi | रुको | ||
| The word "रुको" also has alternate meanings like "hold" or "pause" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ನಿರೀಕ್ಷಿಸಿ | ||
| Malayalam | കാത്തിരിക്കുക | ||
| The word "കാത്തിരിക്കുക" can also mean "to expect" or "to anticipate" an event or action in Malayalam. | |||
| Marathi | प्रतीक्षा करा | ||
| The word "प्रतीक्षा करा" in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word "प्रतीक्ष", which also means "expectation" or "hope". | |||
| Nepali | पर्ख | ||
| The word पर्ख shares its origin with the Sanskrit word पर्यंक, which had multiple meanings like 'bed', 'seat', and 'waiting'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਉਡੀਕ ਕਰੋ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඉන්න | ||
| Sinhala ඉන්න also means 'to remain', 'to be' or 'to exist', originating from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁es-. | |||
| Tamil | காத்திரு | ||
| The term 'காத்திரு' originates from the Tamil word 'காத்தல்,' meaning 'protection' or 'guardianship', suggesting that 'waiting' in Tamil is not merely passive but involves active care and vigilance. | |||
| Telugu | వేచి ఉండండి | ||
| Urdu | انتظار کرو | ||
Wait in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 等待 | ||
| 等待 (dēng dài) can be broken down into two characters: 邓 (dēng) meaning "expect" and 待 (dài) meaning "to treat". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 等待 | ||
| The Chinese character 等待 (dǎidèng) is composed of two parts: the character 待 (dài), meaning "to wait," and the character 登 (dēng), meaning "to climb" or "to ascend." | |||
| Japanese | 待つ | ||
| In Japanese, "待つ" has different kanji depending on the situation and duration of waiting. | |||
| Korean | 기다림 | ||
| 기다림 (wait) literally translates as "stand and watch". | |||
| Mongolian | хүлээх | ||
| “хүлээх” may also refer to an action taken by a deity or spirits. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စောင့်ပါ | ||
Wait in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | tunggu | ||
| The Indonesian word "tunggu" also means "expect", "anticipate", or "look forward to". | |||
| Javanese | ngenteni | ||
| "Ngenteni" is a Javanese word that can also mean "to expect" or "to anticipate". | |||
| Khmer | រង់ចាំ | ||
| Lao | ລໍຖ້າ | ||
| Malay | tunggu | ||
| Malay's "tunggu" traces its origins, via Middle Malay, to Sanskrit's "tungga," meaning either "to await," "be suspended," or "a bundle of hay." | |||
| Thai | รอ | ||
| The word 'รอ' also refers to the feeling of anticipation or eagerly expecting something to happen. | |||
| Vietnamese | chờ đợi | ||
| "Chờ" is a Sino-Vietnamese word derived from Chinese "俟", which also means "to await". It can be used interchangeably with "đợi", which is a native Vietnamese word with the same meaning. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maghintay | ||
Wait in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | gözləmək | ||
| Derived from Proto-Turkic *köz- "to see", also means "expect, look". Opposite word is "gör"/"kör- " "to not see, be blind". | |||
| Kazakh | күте тұрыңыз | ||
| Kyrgyz | күтүү | ||
| "Күтүү" is derived from the word "күт-" (to expect, to await) and also means "to guard, to protect" or "to be on the lookout for". | |||
| Tajik | интизор шавед | ||
| The word "интизор шавед" can also mean "look forward to" or "anticipate" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | garaş | ||
| Uzbek | kutmoq | ||
| The word "kutmoq" (wait) in Uzbek can also mean "to stop" or "to stand" and is related to the word "kutub" (pole or pillar) in Arabic. | |||
| Uyghur | ساقلاپ تۇرۇڭ | ||
Wait in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kali | ||
| The Hawaiian word "kali" can also mean "to hold," "to carry," or "to endure." | |||
| Maori | tatari | ||
| The word 'tatari' in Māori can also mean 'to delay' or 'to postpone'. | |||
| Samoan | faʻatali | ||
| "Fa'atali' is a polysemous word in Samoan meaning 'to wait', 'to stop', 'to delay', 'to pause', 'to hold back', and 'to be patient'" | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | teka | ||
| The word 'teka' in Tagalog can also mean 'let me see' or 'just a minute'. | |||
Wait in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | suyaña | ||
| Guarani | eha'arõ | ||
Wait in International Languages
| Esperanto | atendu | ||
| The verb 'atendu' in Esperanto relates to the French 'attendre' with the same meaning, and is often used in place of 'esti', the Esperanto verb for 'be'. | |||
| Latin | manere | ||
| The Latin word "manere" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *men- ("to think"), and is related to the words "memory" and "mind". | |||
Wait in Others Languages
| Greek | περίμενε | ||
| The word 'περίμενε' derives from the Greek word 'περιμένω', which means 'to watch over, guard'. It is cognate with the Latin word 'prehendo', which means 'to lay hold of'. | |||
| Hmong | tos | ||
| "Tos" in Hmong can also mean "stop" or "halt". | |||
| Kurdish | payin | ||
| The Kurdish word 'payin' is derived from the Old Iranian word 'pai-' meaning 'to guard or protect'. | |||
| Turkish | bekle | ||
| "Bekle" is related to the English word "beckon," and both come from an Old German word meaning "to beckon" or "to make a sign for." This root has also given us the English word "beacon." | |||
| Xhosa | yima | ||
| Yima also means 'to stay' | |||
| Yiddish | וואַרטן | ||
| The Yiddish word "וואַרטן" shares a root with the German "warten" (also meaning "wait") and may have originated in Middle High German. | |||
| Zulu | linda | ||
| The Zulu word 'linda', meaning 'wait', originates from the Proto-Bantu root word *-tidi, which also has the meaning 'stay'. This shared root suggests a historical connection between the concepts of 'staying' and 'waiting' in Bantu languages. | |||
| Assamese | অপেক্ষা কৰক | ||
| Aymara | suyaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | रूक | ||
| Dhivehi | މަޑުކޮށްލާ | ||
| Dogri | बल्गो | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | maghintay | ||
| Guarani | eha'arõ | ||
| Ilocano | aguray | ||
| Krio | wet | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | چاوەڕوان بە | ||
| Maithili | रुकू | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯉꯥꯏꯌꯨ | ||
| Mizo | nghak | ||
| Oromo | eegi | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅପେକ୍ଷା କର | | ||
| Quechua | suyay | ||
| Sanskrit | प्रतीक्षतु | ||
| Tatar | көт | ||
| Tigrinya | ፅናሕ | ||
| Tsonga | yima | ||