Win in Different Languages
Discover 'Win' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'win' holds a special significance in our lives, often symbolizing success, triumph, and achievement. It's a concept that transcends cultures and languages, bringing people together in the shared joy of victory. From the thrill of hearing 'we won!' after a hard-fought game to the satisfaction of overcoming personal challenges, 'win' is a powerful word that inspires and motivates us.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'win' in different languages can provide fascinating insights into cultural perspectives on success and competition. For instance, the German word for 'win' is 'gewinnen,' which also means 'to earn' or 'to acquire,' reflecting the value placed on hard work and merit in German culture. Meanwhile, the Chinese character for 'win' (勝) combines the symbols for 'army' and 'single,' symbolizing the importance of unity and cohesion in achieving victory.
Join us as we explore the translations of 'win' in various languages, diving into the unique cultural contexts that shape our understanding of this universal concept.
Win
Win in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | wen | ||
| The word "wen" in Afrikaans is derived from the Dutch word "winnen", meaning to gain or obtain something. | |||
| Amharic | ማሸነፍ | ||
| "ማሸነፍ" can also be used to refer to the process of 'making someone feel ashamed' | |||
| Hausa | lashe | ||
| In Hausa, "lashe" also denotes a type of traditional wrestling with the goal of pinning down the opponent three times. | |||
| Igbo | merie | ||
| The Igbo word | |||
| Malagasy | win | ||
| In Malagasy, the word "mandresy" (pronounced "mahn-dre-see") is used for both "winning" and "winning a dispute." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kupambana | ||
| In Chinyanja, 'kupambana' can also refer to engaging in a competition or striving to achieve a goal. | |||
| Shona | kukunda | ||
| Kukunda in Shona not only means 'win' but also 'harvest,' reflecting the deep connection between success and agricultural abundance in Shona culture. | |||
| Somali | guuleysto | ||
| The term "guuleysto" is related to "guul," meaning "victory" or "success," and the possessive suffix "-sto," indicating that something belongs to someone. | |||
| Sesotho | hlōla | ||
| The word "hlōla" also means "to be ahead of" or "to surpass" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | kushinda | ||
| In Swahili, "kushinda" can also mean "to overcome" or "to defeat". | |||
| Xhosa | phumelela | ||
| The word 'phumelela' in Xhosa is also used to describe a prosperous person, place or thing | |||
| Yoruba | win | ||
| In Yoruba, the word "win" can also mean "to get something" or "to achieve something". | |||
| Zulu | ukunqoba | ||
| "Ukunqoba" also means "victory" or "conquest". | |||
| Bambara | ka sɔ̀rɔ | ||
| Ewe | ɖu dzi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gutsinda | ||
| Lingala | kolonga | ||
| Luganda | okusinga | ||
| Sepedi | thopa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | di nkunim | ||
Win in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | يفوز | ||
| The verb "يفوز" (ya-fu-zu) originates from an Arabic root related to 'success or prosperity,' and also refers to 'being granted victory'. | |||
| Hebrew | לנצח | ||
| The verb stems from a root connoting stability, permanence, and conquest. | |||
| Pashto | ګټل | ||
| The Pashto word ګټل is also used to mean "to gain" or "to profit". | |||
| Arabic | يفوز | ||
| The verb "يفوز" (ya-fu-zu) originates from an Arabic root related to 'success or prosperity,' and also refers to 'being granted victory'. | |||
Win in Western European Languages
| Albanian | të fitojë | ||
| The Albanian word "të fitojë" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*bʰey- ", meaning "to strike, to seize, or to grasp"} | |||
| Basque | irabazi | ||
| The word "irabazi" comes from the Basque word "irabazi-i" meaning "that which is obtained". | |||
| Catalan | guanyar | ||
| The Catalan word | |||
| Croatian | pobijediti | ||
| The word | |||
| Danish | vinde | ||
| In Swedish 'vinde' means to whisk, and in Norwegian it means to become or be. | |||
| Dutch | winnen | ||
| The Dutch word "winnen" can also mean "to conquer" or "to gain something". | |||
| English | win | ||
| The word 'win' is thought to derive from the ancient Greek word 'oinos', meaning 'wine', which may explain its use in games and competitions where the victor was rewarded with wine. | |||
| French | gagner | ||
| The French verb "gagner" comes from the Old Germanic word "*wakanan" meaning "to move, to shake, to swing". | |||
| Frisian | winne | ||
| The word 'winne' is also used as a slang term for 'money' or 'earnings' in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | gañar | ||
| The Galician word "gañar" derives from the Latin word "lucrum," which means "profit" or "gain". | |||
| German | sieg | ||
| The word "Sieg" also refers to a historical German victory monument, the Siegessaule, which means "Victory Column" in English. | |||
| Icelandic | vinna | ||
| The Icelandic word "vinna" also means "to strive" or "to earn". | |||
| Irish | bua | ||
| Bua is a homophone of the Irish word bua, which means 'cow' or 'ox'. | |||
| Italian | vincere | ||
| "To conquer" or "to obtain", especially by effort or force. | |||
| Luxembourgish | gewannen | ||
| In the context of the Moselle wine region, "gewannen" refers to vineyard plots with similar soil compositions and microclimates. | |||
| Maltese | irbaħ | ||
| The Maltese word "irbaħ" comes from the Arabic word "ربح" (rabha), meaning "profit" or "gain". | |||
| Norwegian | vinne | ||
| Vinne derives from Old Norse vinna, meaning to work or conquer. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ganhar | ||
| A palavra "ganhar" vem do latim "ganiare", que significa "ganir, latir" - e também "ganhar". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | buannachadh | ||
| In Gaelic mythology Buannachadh was one of the four treasures given by the four gods of Ireland. | |||
| Spanish | ganar | ||
| In the Caribbean, "ganar" can mean not just "to win," but also "to get to." | |||
| Swedish | vinna | ||
| The Swedish word "vinna" comes from the Old Norse word "vinna", which means "to strive or work". The word is related to the English word "win", but has a more general meaning. | |||
| Welsh | ennill | ||
| The Welsh "ennill" comes from the Celtic *indli, "to obtain" and relates to a "lot" drawn in the Welsh "awdl" or medieval Welsh poetry contests. | |||
Win in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | выйграць | ||
| The word | |||
| Bosnian | pobijediti | ||
| The word 'pobijediti' is of Proto-Slavic origin, meaning 'to fight off', 'to defeat', and 'to overcome'. | |||
| Bulgarian | печеля | ||
| The Bulgarian word "печеля" is also used with the meaning "to earn or gain". | |||
| Czech | vyhrát | ||
| "Vyhrát" in Czech also means "to perform a magic trick" or "to cast a spell". | |||
| Estonian | võita | ||
| The word "võita" in Estonian, meaning "win", originates from the Proto-Uralic verb *wojte "to beat", also meaning "to win" in the sense of a fight or a sports competition. | |||
| Finnish | voittaa | ||
| "Voittaa" also means "to grease" in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | győzelem | ||
| The word "győzelem" can also mean "victory" or "triumph", and derives from the root word "győz", meaning "to conquer" or "to overcome". | |||
| Latvian | uzvarēt | ||
| Uzvarēt derives from the word "varēt," meaning "to be able to," which is also the root of the word "vara," meaning "power." | |||
| Lithuanian | laimėti | ||
| The Lithuanian word "laimėti" (to win) stems from the Proto-Baltic word *laim- meaning "luck", and is cognate with the Latvian word "laime" (happiness), and the Old Prussian word "loyme" (fortune). | |||
| Macedonian | победи | ||
| The word "победи" in Macedonian also means "to defeat" or "to overcome". | |||
| Polish | zdobyć | ||
| The Polish word 'zdobyć' also means 'to capture', 'to seize', or 'to get possession of'. | |||
| Romanian | victorie | ||
| The Romanian word "victorie" shares a common root with the Latin "victoria" (meaning "victory") and the Old French "victorie" (meaning "victory"). | |||
| Russian | выиграть | ||
| The Russian word "выиграть" originally meant "to take out" or "to pull out" something, such as a sword or a spear. | |||
| Serbian | победити | ||
| The word | |||
| Slovak | vyhrať | ||
| The word "vyhrať" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*vъ-grati", which meant "to play" or "to gamble." | |||
| Slovenian | zmaga | ||
| The word "zmaga" is of Slavic origin and is related to the words "moč" (power) and "mož" (man), suggesting a connection between victory and strength. | |||
| Ukrainian | виграти | ||
| "Виграти" is Ukrainian for "to play" but in Polish "wygrać" is an actual synonym for "to win." | |||
Win in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | জিত | ||
| The word "জিত" is derived from the Sanskrit root "ji", meaning "to conquer" or "to overcome". | |||
| Gujarati | જીત | ||
| The word 'જીત' comes from the Sanskrit word 'जित' which means 'to conquer'. | |||
| Hindi | जीत | ||
| The word "जीत" has other meanings like "success" and "victory" and is also used in the context of "winning a battle or competition". | |||
| Kannada | ಗೆಲುವು | ||
| The Kannada word ಗೆಲುವು comes from the Sanskrit word 'जय' and can mean both 'victory' and 'gain'. | |||
| Malayalam | ജയിക്കുക | ||
| The word "ജയിക്കുക" in Malayalam also has alternate meanings, including "to succeed" and "to be victorious". | |||
| Marathi | जिंकणे | ||
| The Marathi word 'जिंकणे' can also mean 'to gain', 'to acquire', or 'to obtain'. | |||
| Nepali | जीत | ||
| The word 'जीत' also means 'victory' or 'success' in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਜਿੱਤ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දිනන්න | ||
| දිනන්න (win) is etymologically related to the Sanskrit word "jayati" (to conquer) and has the alternate meaning of "to conquer" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | வெற்றி | ||
| Telugu | గెలుపు | ||
| The Telugu word "గెలుపు" can also refer to a "victory" or a "triumph". | |||
| Urdu | جیت | ||
| The Urdu word | |||
Win in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 赢得 | ||
| The verb 赢得 in Chinese can be used to denote winning an opponent or winning out in a contest, but can also refer to winning the affection or approval of someone. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 贏得 | ||
| 赢得 (winning) derives from a concept of capturing prey in ancient China, where hunting was an important activity. | |||
| Japanese | 勝つ | ||
| The Japanese word "勝つ" (katsu) is also used as a noun meaning "a win" or "a victory." | |||
| Korean | 승리 | ||
| The word "승리" (win) shares the same root with "승부" (勝負), meaning "victory or defeat" | |||
| Mongolian | ялах | ||
| "Ялах" is a Mongolian noun meaning 'win', 'victory', or 'triumph'. This word also shares the same stem as "ялгах" meaning 'to select', 'to choose' or 'to pick out' and can be found in the compound word "ялагар" which means 'winner' or 'champion'. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အနိုင်ရ | ||
| The word "အနိုင်ရ" (anainya) primarily means "to win," but it can also mean "to succeed" or "to gain the upper hand in a competition," highlighting its broader connotation of achievement or triumph. | |||
Win in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | menang | ||
| While the word "menang" typically means "to win" in current Indonesian usage, it originally derived from a Minahasan language (possibly Tonsea) word meaning "above" or "upper". | |||
| Javanese | menang | ||
| In Javanese, 'menang' can refer to winning a competition, succeeding in an endeavor, or being superior to others. | |||
| Khmer | ឈ្នះ | ||
| In Khmer, the word "ឈ្នះ" (win) is also a traditional greeting used by monks, and can be roughly translated as "Peace be with you". | |||
| Lao | ຊະນະ | ||
| " ชนะ " derives from the Pali word "jina", meaning "great" or "mighty". | |||
| Malay | menang | ||
| The term 'menang' also denotes a kind of traditional Malay wrestling game. | |||
| Thai | ชนะ | ||
| ชนะ comes from the Sanskrit word 'jita' (to conquer), also meaning 'successful', 'victor', 'superior'. | |||
| Vietnamese | thắng lợi | ||
| The word "thắng lợi" can also mean "victory" or "success". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | manalo | ||
Win in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qazanmaq | ||
| The word "qazanmaq" is also used to refer to "earning" or "gaining" something. | |||
| Kazakh | жеңу | ||
| The word 'жеңу' in Kazakh is derived from the Persian word 'jang' meaning 'war,' and also denotes 'conquering' or 'triumphing'. | |||
| Kyrgyz | жеңиш | ||
| The word "жеңиш" can also refer to a "prize" or "reward". | |||
| Tajik | ғолиб | ||
| The word "ғолиб" comes from the Persian word "ghalab", meaning "victory". | |||
| Turkmen | ýeňiş | ||
| Uzbek | g'alaba qozonish | ||
| The word "g'alaba qozonish" can also refer to the "victory of good over evil" in an allegorical sense. | |||
| Uyghur | win | ||
Win in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lanakila | ||
| Lanakila, meaning 'to win' in Hawaiian, also refers to the name of a Hawaiian Airlines passenger jet. | |||
| Maori | wini | ||
| In the Maori lexicon, "wini" encompasses a wider semantic field, extending beyond "to win" or "to be victorious" to embrace concepts of "to excel," "to succeed," or "to outdo." | |||
| Samoan | malo | ||
| Malo means "win" in Samoan, and can also serve as a noun referring to a prize, a reward, or a trophy. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | manalo | ||
| The Tagalog word "manalo" is also used figuratively to mean "to succeed" or "to achieve a goal". | |||
Win in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | atipaña | ||
| Guarani | ñerumonga | ||
Win in International Languages
| Esperanto | gajni | ||
| The word "gajni" is derived from the Old Norse word "gegna", meaning "to go against; to strive". | |||
| Latin | win | ||
| The Latin verb "vincere" (to conquer) also meant to gain in a trial, thus the evolution into the English word "win" | |||
Win in Others Languages
| Greek | νίκη | ||
| The verb "νικώ" (win) is connected with the noun "νική" (female victor) and they both derive from the verb "νέω" (swim). | |||
| Hmong | yeej | ||
| The Hmong word "yeej" also means "to receive", and is used in contexts such as receiving a gift or a compliment. | |||
| Kurdish | serkeftin | ||
| The word 'serkeftin' can also refer to a 'successful result' or 'triumph' in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | kazanmak | ||
| Kazanmak is derived from the Old Turkic verb kazan- meaning "to gain, to acquire." | |||
| Xhosa | phumelela | ||
| The word 'phumelela' in Xhosa is also used to describe a prosperous person, place or thing | |||
| Yiddish | געווינען | ||
| The name of the city Vienna comes from the Proto-Celtic word *Vedunia, which can mean either | |||
| Zulu | ukunqoba | ||
| "Ukunqoba" also means "victory" or "conquest". | |||
| Assamese | জয় | ||
| Aymara | atipaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | जीत | ||
| Dhivehi | މޮޅުވުން | ||
| Dogri | जित्त | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | manalo | ||
| Guarani | ñerumonga | ||
| Ilocano | mangabak | ||
| Krio | win | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بردنەوە | ||
| Maithili | जीतनाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯀꯥꯕ | ||
| Mizo | chak | ||
| Oromo | mo'uu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଜିତନ୍ତୁ | | ||
| Quechua | llalliy | ||
| Sanskrit | जय | ||
| Tatar | җиңү | ||
| Tigrinya | ዓወት | ||
| Tsonga | hlula | ||