Want in different languages

Want in Different Languages

Discover 'Want' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'want' is a small but powerful part of our daily vocabulary. It signifies a strong desire or need for something, driving our actions and decisions. From a cultural perspective, wanting is a universal human experience that transcends borders and languages. But have you ever wondered how to express 'want' in different languages?

Understanding the translation of 'want' in various languages can open up new avenues of communication and cultural appreciation. For example, in Spanish, 'quiero' is the word for 'want,' while in French, 'je veux' translates to 'I want.' Meanwhile, in Mandarin Chinese, the phrase '我想要' (wǒ xiǎng yào) captures the same sentiment.

Moreover, exploring the word 'want' in different languages can also reveal interesting cultural nuances. For instance, in some languages, there may be multiple words to describe different types of wanting, reflecting the importance of this concept in a given culture.

Join us as we delve into the translations of 'want' in various languages, shedding light on the cultural significance of this simple but powerful word.

Want


Want in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaanswil hê
The Afrikaans word 'wil' is a cognate of the Old English 'willa' and Old Saxon 'willio,' meaning 'will,' 'desire,' or 'intention.'
Amharicይፈልጋሉ
Hausaso
The Hausa word "so" also means "to love" or "to desire."
Igbochọrọ
The Igbo word 'chọrọ' originally meant 'to choose' or 'to select', but its meaning has evolved to include 'to want' or 'to desire'.
Malagasyte
Malagasy "te" originally had a broader meaning, encompassing volition and desire as well as want.
Nyanja (Chichewa)ndikufuna
The Nyanja word "ndikufuna" is thought to derive from the Proto-Bantu word *funa* meaning to find, catch, or obtain.
Shonakuda
The word "kuda" in Shona also means "to need" or "to require".
Somaliraba
The Somali word "raba" also means "to need" or "to desire"
Sesothobatla
The word "batla" in Sesotho is also used to mean "aspire" or "crave" something.
Swahiliunataka
The Swahili word "unataka" derives from the Bantu root "-taka," meaning "to desire" or "to long for."
Xhosandifuna
Yorubafẹ
The word "fẹ" can also mean "to love" in Yoruba.
Zulufuna
Bambarabɛ ... fɛ
Ewedi
Kinyarwandabakeneye
Lingalakolinga
Lugandaokwagala
Sepedinyaka
Twi (Akan)

Want in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicتريد
The word "تريد" also means "hope" in Arabic, reflecting its connection to the concept of desire.
Hebrewרוצה
Pashtoغواړم
The Pashto word "غواړم" can also refer to hope, aspiration, or desire.
Arabicتريد
The word "تريد" also means "hope" in Arabic, reflecting its connection to the concept of desire.

Want in Western European Languages

Albaniandua
The word "dua" can also mean "prayer" or "blessing" in Albanian.
Basquenahi
The word "nahi" can also mean "not" in the sense of "no" or "don't want".
Catalanvoler
The Catalan word "voler" also means to fly, and it comes from the Latin verb "volare" which means "to fly" or "to want."
Croatianželite
The word "želite" is cognate to the French "souhaiter" ("to wish, desire") and has the archaic meaning of "to greet" in the expression "Dobro nam došli i dugo nam želili" ("Welcome and long waited for").
Danishvil have
"Vil have" is used only in the present tense and means "want," while the full form "ville have" is used in all other tenses and means "would like to have or would want to have."
Dutchwillen
The word “willen” also translates to “the will” or “willpower” and is related to the verb “willen” meaning “to want”.
Englishwant
"Want" comes from Middle English "wanten," meaning "be lacking."
Frenchvouloir
"Vouloir" can also mean "to be willing" or "to try" in French.
Frisianwolle
The Frisian word "wolle" is cognate with the English word "will," and can also mean "wish, desire, or intention."
Galicianquerer
Germanwollen
In older German, "wollen" also meant "to be able".
Icelandicvilja
The Icelandic word "vilja" not only means "want" but also "will" and derives from the same Old Norse root ("vili") from which the modern English word "will" comes
Irishiarraidh
The Irish word "iarraidh" has additional meanings beyond "want", including "ask", "seek", and "desire".
Italianvolere
The word "volere" is derived from the Latin verb "velle," which means "to wish, to want, or to desire."
Luxembourgishwëllen
Maltesetrid
The word 'trid' in Maltese comes from the Arabic word 'arad', meaning 'to seek' or 'to wish'.
Norwegianønsker
In Norwegian, "ønsker" also means "wish" or "desire". In Bokmål, "ønske" is more common in the sense of "wish", while "ønske" is more common in the sense of "want".
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)quer
The verb "querer" is derived from the Latin "quaerere," meaning "to seek" or "to ask."
Scots Gaeliciarraidh
The word "iarraidh" in Scots Gaelic can also mean "ask" or "beg".
Spanishdesear
Swedishvilja
"Vilja" can also mean "will" or "intention". This duality in meaning can lead to ambiguous usage in the context of ethics.
Welsheisiau
The noun "eisiau" ("want" in English) derives from the verb "eisio", meaning "to need"

Want in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianхачу
The Belarusian word “хацу” is derived from the Proto-Slavic word “хотѣти”, which also means “to wish” or “to desire”.
Bosnianželjeti
"Željeti" is a cognate of "želja" (desire) and "željni" (thirsty), and can therefore also mean "to crave" or "to need".
Bulgarianискам
The verb "искам" is derived from the Old Bulgarian word "ище", meaning "to seek" or "to desire"
Czechchci
In Old Czech, "chci" also meant "desire" or "need".
Estoniantahan
The Estonian word "tahan" also means "desire", "wish", or "crave" in addition to "want".
Finnishhaluta
The word "haluta" in Finnish, in addition to meaning "want or desire", can also be used to describe a person's "ambition" or "aspiration".
Hungarianakar
Akar also stems from an ancient Turkic language and can also indicate an agreement reached after negotiations.
Latviangribu
The word “gribu” comes from the Indo-European root *grebh- (“to seize, grab, take”), which also gave rise to the English words “grip” and “grab”.
Lithuaniannori
While "nori" in Lithuanian means "want," it can also refer to the imperative form of doing "to want."
Macedonianсака
The noun 'сака' can also mean a 'hole' in Macedonian, likely because it is a thing that you would 'want' to fill.
Polishchcieć
"Chcieć" originated from Proto-Slavic, but in old Polish it also meant "to wish" or "to like".
Romanianvrei
The Romanian word "vrei" (want) originates from the Proto-Indo-European root "*u̯er-" with the same meaning.
Russianхотеть
"Хотеть" derives from the Proto-Slavic "*xotьti", denoting "to need, desire, demand; to have to, must".
Serbianжелим
"Желим" originates from the Proto-Slavic word *(gъ)želi* and can also mean "desire", "wish", "aspire" or "aim for".
Slovakchcieť
The Slovak word "chcieť" ultimately derives from the Proto-Slavic root "*xotětь", also meaning "to want".
Slovenianželim
"Želim" is also used in Slovenian to mean "I wish" and "I desire".
Ukrainianхочуть

Want in South Asian Languages

Bengaliচাই
The Bengali word "চাই" derives from the Sanskrit word "ish" and shares its root with the English word "wish."
Gujaratiજોઈએ છે
The Gujarati word "જોઈએ છે" can also be used to express necessity or desire.
Hindiचाहते हैं
The Hindi word "चाहते हैं" is derived from the Sanskrit word "इच्छति," which also means "desire," "wish," or "longing."
Kannadaಬೇಕು
The word "ಬೇಕು" also means "need" and "must" in Kannada.
Malayalamവേണം
"വേണം" in Malayalam can also mean "should" or "need".
Marathiपाहिजे
The Marathi word
Nepaliचाहानुहुन्छ
Punjabiਚਾਹੁੰਦੇ
Sinhala (Sinhalese)අවශ්‍යයි
Tamilவேண்டும்
"வேண்டும்" can also mean "must", "should", or "need" depending on context.
Teluguకావాలి
కావాలి (kāvāli) may have been derived from kāvāram (kāv + āram), meaning 'guarding' or 'protecting' something with all one's heart.
Urduچاہتے ہیں

Want in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)
The character "想" (xiǎng) originally meant "to think" or "to miss" and was composed of a phonetic component "相" and a semantic component "心" (heart).
Chinese (Traditional)
In Chinese mythology, "想" is also the name of the goddess of the Xiang River.
Japanese欲しいです
欲しい is often translated as "want," but it can also mean "need" depending on the context.
Korean필요
The Korean word "필요" has an additional meaning of "necessary", highlighting its importance and necessity.
Mongolianхүсч байна
The verb хүсч байна can also mean to desire, wish for, intend to, plan to, or aim to do something.
Myanmar (Burmese)လိုချင်တယ်

Want in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianingin
The Indonesian word "ingin" is also used to describe a person's desire for something, or their intention to do something.
Javanesepengin
"Pengen" is closely related to the word "ingin," which also means "want," and might have evolved from a proto-Austronesian word for desire or intention.
Khmerចង់បាន
Laoຕ້ອງການ
Malaymahu
The word "mahu" in Malay also has the secondary meaning of "need" or "require".
Thaiต้องการ
'ต้องการ' ('want') in Thai is derived from 'การ' ('action') and 'ต้องการ' ('need'). It can also mean 'require' or 'ask for'.
Vietnamesemuốn
The word "muốn" in Vietnamese can also mean "love" or "wish".
Filipino (Tagalog)gusto

Want in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniistəyirik
The verb "istəyirik" is composed by the root "istə-(" to wish, to want and the verbal suffix "-y-(" and can mean "we demand", "we request"}
Kazakhкерек
The Kazakh word "керек" ("want") can also refer to a small yurt used for temporary accommodation.
Kyrgyzкаалайм
The Kyrgyz word "каалайм" also refers to the need for an object.
Tajikмехоҳанд
Turkmenisleýär
Uzbekxohlamoq
The Uzbek word "xohlamoq" is cognate with the Turkish word "istemek" and has the original meaning of "to request" or "to beg".
Uyghurئېھتىياجلىق

Want in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianmakemake
Hawaiian word "makemake" also refers to the Hawaiian god of creation.
Maorihiahia
The Maori word 'hiahia' has additional meanings of 'need, desire, longing' and also refers to a type of food.
Samoanmanaʻo
Tagalog (Filipino)gusto
"Gusto" also means "pleasure" or "joy" in Tagalog.

Want in American Indigenous Languages

Aymaramunaña
Guaranipota

Want in International Languages

Esperantovolas
The word "volas" in Esperanto originates from the Latin verb "volo", meaning "to wish" or "to have the will to do something."
Latincupio
"Cupio" can also mean "covet" or "desire".

Want in Others Languages

Greekθέλω
"Θέλω" is the infinitive form of the Greek verb "θέλω," which also means "to wish," "to desire," and "to intend."
Hmongxav tau
Kurdishxwestin
"Xwestin" is a loan word from Middle Persian, meaning "wish, desire, or request."
Turkishistemek
"Istemek" is a compound word coming from the root "iste- " (meaning "request") and the suffix "-mek" (meaning "to do"), hence "to request".
Xhosandifuna
Yiddishוועלן
The Yiddish word "וועלן" has an alternate meaning, "to pray" or "ask", originating from the Old High German "wellen".
Zulufuna
Assameseবিচৰা
Aymaramunaña
Bhojpuriचाही
Dhivehiބޭނުން
Dogriचांहना
Filipino (Tagalog)gusto
Guaranipota
Ilocanokayat
Kriowant
Kurdish (Sorani)ویستن
Maithiliचाह
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯄꯥꯝꯕ
Mizoduh
Oromobarbaaduu
Odia (Oriya)ଇଚ୍ଛା
Quechuamunay
Sanskritइच्छा
Tatarкирәк
Tigrinyaምድላይ
Tsongalava

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