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
| Afrikaans | wil hê | ||
| The Afrikaans word 'wil' is a cognate of the Old English 'willa' and Old Saxon 'willio,' meaning 'will,' 'desire,' or 'intention.' | |||
| Amharic | ይፈልጋሉ | ||
| Hausa | so | ||
| The Hausa word "so" also means "to love" or "to desire." | |||
| Igbo | chọrọ | ||
| The Igbo word 'chọrọ' originally meant 'to choose' or 'to select', but its meaning has evolved to include 'to want' or 'to desire'. | |||
| Malagasy | te | ||
| 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. | |||
| Shona | kuda | ||
| The word "kuda" in Shona also means "to need" or "to require". | |||
| Somali | raba | ||
| The Somali word "raba" also means "to need" or "to desire" | |||
| Sesotho | batla | ||
| The word "batla" in Sesotho is also used to mean "aspire" or "crave" something. | |||
| Swahili | unataka | ||
| The Swahili word "unataka" derives from the Bantu root "-taka," meaning "to desire" or "to long for." | |||
| Xhosa | ndifuna | ||
| Yoruba | fẹ | ||
| The word "fẹ" can also mean "to love" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | funa | ||
| Bambara | bɛ ... fɛ | ||
| Ewe | di | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bakeneye | ||
| Lingala | kolinga | ||
| Luganda | okwagala | ||
| Sepedi | nyaka | ||
| Twi (Akan) | pɛ | ||
Want in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تريد | ||
| The word "تريد" also means "hope" in Arabic, reflecting its connection to the concept of desire. | |||
| Hebrew | רוצה | ||
| Pashto | غواړم | ||
| The Pashto word "غواړم" can also refer to hope, aspiration, or desire. | |||
| Arabic | تريد | ||
| The word "تريد" also means "hope" in Arabic, reflecting its connection to the concept of desire. | |||
Want in Western European Languages
| Albanian | dua | ||
| The word "dua" can also mean "prayer" or "blessing" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | nahi | ||
| The word "nahi" can also mean "not" in the sense of "no" or "don't want". | |||
| Catalan | voler | ||
| The Catalan word "voler" also means to fly, and it comes from the Latin verb "volare" which means "to fly" or "to want." | |||
| Croatian | želite | ||
| 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"). | |||
| Danish | vil 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." | |||
| Dutch | willen | ||
| The word “willen” also translates to “the will” or “willpower” and is related to the verb “willen” meaning “to want”. | |||
| English | want | ||
| "Want" comes from Middle English "wanten," meaning "be lacking." | |||
| French | vouloir | ||
| "Vouloir" can also mean "to be willing" or "to try" in French. | |||
| Frisian | wolle | ||
| The Frisian word "wolle" is cognate with the English word "will," and can also mean "wish, desire, or intention." | |||
| Galician | querer | ||
| German | wollen | ||
| In older German, "wollen" also meant "to be able". | |||
| Icelandic | vilja | ||
| 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 | |||
| Irish | iarraidh | ||
| The Irish word "iarraidh" has additional meanings beyond "want", including "ask", "seek", and "desire". | |||
| Italian | volere | ||
| The word "volere" is derived from the Latin verb "velle," which means "to wish, to want, or to desire." | |||
| Luxembourgish | wëllen | ||
| Maltese | trid | ||
| The word 'trid' in Maltese comes from the Arabic word 'arad', meaning 'to seek' or 'to wish'. | |||
| Norwegian | ønsker | ||
| 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 Gaelic | iarraidh | ||
| The word "iarraidh" in Scots Gaelic can also mean "ask" or "beg". | |||
| Spanish | desear | ||
| Swedish | vilja | ||
| "Vilja" can also mean "will" or "intention". This duality in meaning can lead to ambiguous usage in the context of ethics. | |||
| Welsh | eisiau | ||
| The noun "eisiau" ("want" in English) derives from the verb "eisio", meaning "to need" | |||
Want in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | хачу | ||
| The Belarusian word “хацу” is derived from the Proto-Slavic word “хотѣти”, which also means “to wish” or “to desire”. | |||
| Bosnian | željeti | ||
| "Željeti" is a cognate of "želja" (desire) and "željni" (thirsty), and can therefore also mean "to crave" or "to need". | |||
| Bulgarian | искам | ||
| The verb "искам" is derived from the Old Bulgarian word "ище", meaning "to seek" or "to desire" | |||
| Czech | chci | ||
| In Old Czech, "chci" also meant "desire" or "need". | |||
| Estonian | tahan | ||
| The Estonian word "tahan" also means "desire", "wish", or "crave" in addition to "want". | |||
| Finnish | haluta | ||
| The word "haluta" in Finnish, in addition to meaning "want or desire", can also be used to describe a person's "ambition" or "aspiration". | |||
| Hungarian | akar | ||
| Akar also stems from an ancient Turkic language and can also indicate an agreement reached after negotiations. | |||
| Latvian | gribu | ||
| 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”. | |||
| Lithuanian | nori | ||
| While "nori" in Lithuanian means "want," it can also refer to the imperative form of doing "to want." | |||
| Macedonian | сака | ||
| The noun 'сака' can also mean a 'hole' in Macedonian, likely because it is a thing that you would 'want' to fill. | |||
| Polish | chcieć | ||
| "Chcieć" originated from Proto-Slavic, but in old Polish it also meant "to wish" or "to like". | |||
| Romanian | vrei | ||
| The Romanian word "vrei" (want) originates from the Proto-Indo-European root "*u̯er-" with the same meaning. | |||
| Russian | хотеть | ||
| "Хотеть" derives from the Proto-Slavic "*xotьti", denoting "to need, desire, demand; to have to, must". | |||
| Serbian | желим | ||
| "Желим" originates from the Proto-Slavic word *(gъ)želi* and can also mean "desire", "wish", "aspire" or "aim for". | |||
| Slovak | chcieť | ||
| The Slovak word "chcieť" ultimately derives from the Proto-Slavic root "*xotětь", also meaning "to want". | |||
| Slovenian | želim | ||
| "Želim" is also used in Slovenian to mean "I wish" and "I desire". | |||
| Ukrainian | хочуть | ||
Want in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | চাই | ||
| The Bengali word "চাই" derives from the Sanskrit word "ish" and shares its root with the English word "wish." | |||
| Gujarati | જોઈએ છે | ||
| The Gujarati word "જોઈએ છે" can also be used to express necessity or desire. | |||
| Hindi | चाहते हैं | ||
| The Hindi word "चाहते हैं" is derived from the Sanskrit word "इच्छति," which also means "desire," "wish," or "longing." | |||
| Kannada | ಬೇಕು | ||
| The word "ಬೇಕು" also means "need" and "must" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | വേണം | ||
| "വേണം" in Malayalam can also mean "should" or "need". | |||
| Marathi | पाहिजे | ||
| The Marathi word | |||
| Nepali | चाहानुहुन्छ | ||
| Punjabi | ਚਾਹੁੰਦੇ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අවශ්යයි | ||
| Tamil | வேண்டும் | ||
| "வேண்டும்" can also mean "must", "should", or "need" depending on context. | |||
| Telugu | కావాలి | ||
| కావాలి (kāvāli) may have been derived from kāvāram (kāv + āram), meaning 'guarding' or 'protecting' something with all one's heart. | |||
| Urdu | چاہتے ہیں | ||
Want in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 想 | ||
| 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) | 想 | ||
| 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. | |||
| Korean | 필요 | ||
| The Korean word "필요" has an additional meaning of "necessary", highlighting its importance and necessity. | |||
| Mongolian | хүсч 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
| Indonesian | ingin | ||
| The Indonesian word "ingin" is also used to describe a person's desire for something, or their intention to do something. | |||
| Javanese | pengin | ||
| "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. | |||
| Khmer | ចង់បាន | ||
| Lao | ຕ້ອງການ | ||
| Malay | mahu | ||
| The word "mahu" in Malay also has the secondary meaning of "need" or "require". | |||
| Thai | ต้องการ | ||
| 'ต้องการ' ('want') in Thai is derived from 'การ' ('action') and 'ต้องการ' ('need'). It can also mean 'require' or 'ask for'. | |||
| Vietnamese | muốn | ||
| The word "muốn" in Vietnamese can also mean "love" or "wish". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | gusto | ||
Want in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | istəyirik | ||
| 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"} | |||
| Kazakh | керек | ||
| The Kazakh word "керек" ("want") can also refer to a small yurt used for temporary accommodation. | |||
| Kyrgyz | каалайм | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "каалайм" also refers to the need for an object. | |||
| Tajik | мехоҳанд | ||
| Turkmen | isleýär | ||
| Uzbek | xohlamoq | ||
| The Uzbek word "xohlamoq" is cognate with the Turkish word "istemek" and has the original meaning of "to request" or "to beg". | |||
| Uyghur | ئېھتىياجلىق | ||
Want in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | makemake | ||
| Hawaiian word "makemake" also refers to the Hawaiian god of creation. | |||
| Maori | hiahia | ||
| The Maori word 'hiahia' has additional meanings of 'need, desire, longing' and also refers to a type of food. | |||
| Samoan | manaʻo | ||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | gusto | ||
| "Gusto" also means "pleasure" or "joy" in Tagalog. | |||
Want in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | munaña | ||
| Guarani | pota | ||
Want in International Languages
| Esperanto | volas | ||
| The word "volas" in Esperanto originates from the Latin verb "volo", meaning "to wish" or "to have the will to do something." | |||
| Latin | cupio | ||
| "Cupio" can also mean "covet" or "desire". | |||
Want in Others Languages
| Greek | θέλω | ||
| "Θέλω" is the infinitive form of the Greek verb "θέλω," which also means "to wish," "to desire," and "to intend." | |||
| Hmong | xav tau | ||
| Kurdish | xwestin | ||
| "Xwestin" is a loan word from Middle Persian, meaning "wish, desire, or request." | |||
| Turkish | istemek | ||
| "Istemek" is a compound word coming from the root "iste- " (meaning "request") and the suffix "-mek" (meaning "to do"), hence "to request". | |||
| Xhosa | ndifuna | ||
| Yiddish | וועלן | ||
| The Yiddish word "וועלן" has an alternate meaning, "to pray" or "ask", originating from the Old High German "wellen". | |||
| Zulu | funa | ||
| Assamese | বিচৰা | ||
| Aymara | munaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | चाही | ||
| Dhivehi | ބޭނުން | ||
| Dogri | चांहना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | gusto | ||
| Guarani | pota | ||
| Ilocano | kayat | ||
| Krio | want | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ویستن | ||
| Maithili | चाह | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯥꯝꯕ | ||
| Mizo | duh | ||
| Oromo | barbaaduu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଇଚ୍ଛା | ||
| Quechua | munay | ||
| Sanskrit | इच्छा | ||
| Tatar | кирәк | ||
| Tigrinya | ምድላይ | ||
| Tsonga | lava | ||