Wish in Different Languages
Discover 'Wish' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'wish' holds a special place in our hearts and minds, as it allows us to express our deepest desires and hopes. Its cultural importance is evident in various traditions, literature, and media, where it serves as a powerful narrative device that moves stories and captivates audiences. Understanding the translation of 'wish' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the unique ways that diverse cultures conceptualize and articulate their dreams and aspirations.
For instance, the German word for 'wish' is 'Wunsch,' which is derived from an Old High German term meaning 'to long for' or 'to hope.' Meanwhile, the Japanese translation of 'wish' is 'negai,' which carries a sense of earnestness and sincerity. In the Hawaiian language, 'wish' is translated as 'hana hou,' which also means 'do it again,' reflecting the idea that wishes often involve a desire for a positive experience to be repeated.
In this article, we will explore the translations of 'wish' in various languages, shedding light on the fascinating cultural nuances and historical contexts associated with this universal human emotion.
Wish
Wish in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | wens | ||
| The Afrikaans word "wens" is cognate with the English word "ween". | |||
| Amharic | ምኞት | ||
| "ምኞት" (wish) in Amharic can also refer to "longing" or "aspiration". | |||
| Hausa | fata | ||
| The Hausa word "fata" can also mean "fate", "destiny", or "portion". | |||
| Igbo | chọrọ | ||
| Chọrọ derives from the verb 'chọta' (want), and is also used to mean 'choose' or 'select'. | |||
| Malagasy | faniriana | ||
| The word "faniriana" also means "intention" or "purpose" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ndikukhumba | ||
| "Ndikukhumba" is derived from the word "khumba" which means "to lack" or "to need." | |||
| Shona | chishuwo | ||
| The word "chishuwo" also refers to a traditional Shona ceremony where wishes are made through the sacrifice of a goat. | |||
| Somali | rabi | ||
| Somali word "rabi" derives from "rabo" (to hope), and also means "wish" in English, "spekuler" in German, "желание" in Russian, and "deseo" in Spanish. | |||
| Sesotho | lakatsa | ||
| The word 'lakatsa' is also used to express 'longing' or 'craving' for something. | |||
| Swahili | tamani | ||
| The Swahili word 'tamani' is linguistically related to the word 'tamanyo', meaning 'size'. | |||
| Xhosa | nqwenela | ||
| The word "nqwenela" can also mean "to desire" or "to long for" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | fẹ | ||
| "Fẹ" also means "to be pleased with" or "to agree with". | |||
| Zulu | ufisa | ||
| The Zulu word "ufisa" is cognate to the word "fis" in Proto-Bantu, which means "to desire". | |||
| Bambara | sago | ||
| Ewe | didi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | icyifuzo | ||
| Lingala | kolinga | ||
| Luganda | singa | ||
| Sepedi | duma | ||
| Twi (Akan) | pɛ | ||
Wish in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | رغبة | ||
| "رغبة" also means "lust" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | בַּקָשָׁה | ||
| In the 1st book of Samuel, בַּקָשָׁה refers to a gift (1 Samuel 2:18). | |||
| Pashto | خواهش | ||
| The Pashto word for "wish", "خواهش", which is of Persian origin, also has its root in several Sanskrit words for "to ask". | |||
| Arabic | رغبة | ||
| "رغبة" also means "lust" in Arabic. | |||
Wish in Western European Languages
| Albanian | uroj | ||
| The Albanian word "uroj" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *wer-, meaning "to ask" or "to desire." | |||
| Basque | nahia | ||
| The word "nahia" in Basque is also used as a greeting, similar to "hello" or "goodbye." | |||
| Catalan | desitjar | ||
| The verb "desitjar" comes from the Latin "desiderare", which also means "to regret". | |||
| Croatian | želja | ||
| The Croatian word | |||
| Danish | ønske | ||
| Ønske', in addition to meaning 'wish', can also mean 'request' or 'desire', and is related to the Old Norse word 'ønskr', meaning 'a wish'. | |||
| Dutch | wens | ||
| In Dutch dialects, "wens" also refers to "eyelid" (like German "Wimper"). | |||
| English | wish | ||
| In Old English, 'wish' meant 'to point out' or 'to show'. | |||
| French | souhait | ||
| The French word "souhait" is derived from the Latin "sollicitare", meaning "to entreat" or "to beg". | |||
| Frisian | winsk | ||
| The Frisian word "winsk" also refers to a desire, need, or request. | |||
| Galician | desexo | ||
| Galician "desexo" shares its root with "desire" and "desiderata". | |||
| German | wunsch | ||
| The German word 'Wunsch,' 'wish' in English, stems from an Old German word meaning 'want' | |||
| Icelandic | ósk | ||
| The word 'ósk' in Icelandic also means 'request', 'desire', or 'craving'. | |||
| Irish | mian | ||
| The Irish word 'mian' originates from the Proto-Indo-European word 'men-', meaning 'to think'. | |||
| Italian | desiderio | ||
| The Italian word "desiderio" can also refer to the object of one's desire or a state of longing. | |||
| Luxembourgish | wënschen | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "wënschen" is derived from the German word "wünschen" and has the same meaning in both languages. | |||
| Maltese | xewqa | ||
| Norwegian | skulle ønske | ||
| 'Skulle ønske' is also the imperfect subjunctive form of 'å ville' (want). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | desejo | ||
| The word "desejo" in Portuguese comes from the Latin "desiderium", meaning "longing" or "desire". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | miann | ||
| 'Miann' can also mean an object of desire, such as food. | |||
| Spanish | deseo | ||
| Swedish | önskar | ||
| The word 'önskar' also has the meaning 'to desire' and is derived from the Old Norse word 'ønskja' meaning 'to expect'. | |||
| Welsh | dymuniad | ||
| The Old Welsh 'dymun' meant 'to be human or alive', hence 'dymuniad' ('wish') meant an 'aspiration to be'. | |||
Wish in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | пажаданне | ||
| Bosnian | želja | ||
| The word | |||
| Bulgarian | пожелание | ||
| The word "пожелание" also means "greeting" or "congratulation" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | přát si | ||
| The word "přát si" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*prositi" meaning "to ask for". | |||
| Estonian | soov | ||
| The Estonian word "soov" (wish) originated from its original Indo-European root of "swep" meaning "to sweep," as in sweep away or sweep out of the way. | |||
| Finnish | toive | ||
| Finnish "toive" (wish) is cognate with English "hope" and Greek "theos" (god). | |||
| Hungarian | szeretnék | ||
| "Szeretnék" is the conditional form of "szeretni," meaning "to love," and can also mean "would like" or "want to." | |||
| Latvian | vēlēšanās | ||
| The word vēlēšanās derives from the verb veltīt meaning "to devote" and shares a root with the noun velte meaning "present; gift". | |||
| Lithuanian | noras | ||
| The word "noras" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *wer-, meaning "to desire". | |||
| Macedonian | желба | ||
| The word "желба" in Macedonian is derived from the Proto-Slavic *želb- and is related to the words "жeлать" and "жeлание" (wish, desire). | |||
| Polish | życzenie | ||
| "Życzenie" also means "a curse" in Polish, as the etymology of the word comes from "zygać". This word meant "to vomit" or "to curse" in Old Slavic. | |||
| Romanian | dori | ||
| The word "dori" has cognates in various languages, such as "durere" (pain) in French and "dolor" (pain) in Latin. | |||
| Russian | желаю | ||
| Cognate with "желать" ("desire"), "жаловать" ("bestow, favour"), and "жаль" ("pity, regret"), from Proto-Slavic *želati, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰel-. | |||
| Serbian | желети | ||
| The root of the word "желети" ("wish") in Serbian is "želja," which means "desire" or "aspiration." | |||
| Slovak | želanie | ||
| The Slovak word "želanie" can also mean "desire" or "craving" and is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *želěti* meaning "to want". | |||
| Slovenian | želja | ||
| "Želja" can also mean "thirst" in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | побажання | ||
| The Ukrainian word "побажання" is derived from the older word "бажати" (to desire), which is cognate with the Russian word "желать" (to wish) and the Polish word "życzyć" (to wish). | |||
Wish in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ইচ্ছা | ||
| The word 'ইচ্ছা' derives from Sanskrit 'iccha' meaning 'will' and may also mean a 'desire'. | |||
| Gujarati | ઇચ્છા | ||
| The Gujarati word "ઇચ્છા" has various meanings, including "desire," "intention," and "determination." | |||
| Hindi | तमन्ना | ||
| "तमान्ना" शब्द हिंदी में फारसी के 'تمنا' से आया है जिसका अर्थ 'इच्छा' या 'आशा' होता है। | |||
| Kannada | ಹಾರೈಕೆ | ||
| ಹಾರೈಕೆ (wish) is a borrowing from the Sanskrit word "harati" which also means "wish". | |||
| Malayalam | ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നു | ||
| Marathi | इच्छा | ||
| The Marathi word 'इच्छा' ('wish') stems from the Sanskrit word 'इच्छति' ('to desire'), which also implies longing, craving, or a strong want. | |||
| Nepali | इच्छा | ||
| The Nepali word "इच्छा" is derived from the Sanskrit word "इच्छ" meaning "desire, wish, or intention." | |||
| Punjabi | ਇੱਛਾ | ||
| The Punjabi word 'ਇੱਛਾ' (wish) originates from Sanskrit and means 'desire', 'longing', or 'yearning'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ප්රාර්ථනා කරන්න | ||
| Tamil | விரும்பும் | ||
| "விரும்பும்" not only means "to wish" in Tamil, but also "to like" or "to desire". | |||
| Telugu | కోరిక | ||
| The Telugu word "కోరిక" can also mean "desire", "longing", or "appetite". | |||
| Urdu | خواہش | ||
| "خواہش" may also mean "desire", "inclination", "hankering", or "craving" in Urdu. | |||
Wish in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 希望 | ||
| In Chinese, '希望' not only refers to 'wish', but also means 'hope' and 'expectation'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 希望 | ||
| 『希望』的甲骨文描繪一把插入土地中的農具，象徵播種後冀盼豐收的意象。 | |||
| Japanese | 願い | ||
| The verb root of 願い (negai) is | |||
| Korean | 소원 | ||
| The word '소원' ('wish') in Korean is also used to refer to a Buddhist vow or aspiration. | |||
| Mongolian | хүсэх | ||
| "Хүсэх" may also refer to craving, longing, or even to a religious vow. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စေတနာ | ||
| The Pali word "cetanā" originally means will, intention, or purpose, and "စေတနာ" (ce‧ta‧na) originated from this Pali root. | |||
Wish in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | ingin | ||
| The Indonesian word for 'wish' ('ingin') derives from its Proto-Austronesian form *ŋi?an, the same root that yielded the Polynesian word 'hia' (desire). | |||
| Javanese | kekarepan | ||
| The Javanese term 'kekarepan' can also mean 'determination', 'intention', or the 'act of wishing'. | |||
| Khmer | ជូនពរ | ||
| Khmer "ជូនពរ" (juun pɔɔr) comes from Sanskrit "vara" (a boon, a favor), and also means "to grant a boon or favor". | |||
| Lao | ປາດຖະ ໜາ | ||
| Malay | hajat | ||
| The word "hajat" in Malay has alternative meanings such as "defecation" and "need". | |||
| Thai | ประสงค์ | ||
| The Thai word "ประสงค์" derives from the Sanskrit word "prāsangika", meaning "essential" or "important." | |||
| Vietnamese | muốn | ||
| Muốn in Vietnamese is related to 'mong muốn' (desire), but it can also imply 'necessity' or 'obligation'. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hiling | ||
Wish in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | arzu edirəm | ||
| Kazakh | тілек | ||
| The Kazakh word тілек can also refer to the act of asking for something or the thing that is wished for, similar to its English cognate. | |||
| Kyrgyz | каалоо | ||
| "Каалоо" can also mean longing or yearning for someone or something. | |||
| Tajik | орзу | ||
| The word "орзу" (wish) is derived from the Proto-Iranian word *arzi- and is related to the Avestan word "ārz" (desire). | |||
| Turkmen | arzuw edýärin | ||
| Uzbek | tilak | ||
| In Uzbek, "tilak" also means "a small dot" or "a mark on the forehead" | |||
| Uyghur | ئارزۇ | ||
Wish in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | makemake | ||
| Maori | hiahia | ||
| In Maori, “hiahia” not only means “wish” but also refers to a need or desire that is not easily expressed. | |||
| Samoan | moomoo | ||
| In Samoan culture, "moomoo" is also a term for a traditional fine mat, often used in ceremonies and as a symbol of respect and wealth. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | hiling | ||
| The word "hiling" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *quliŋ, meaning "to desire" or "to wish for". | |||
Wish in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | munaña | ||
| Guarani | potapy | ||
Wish in International Languages
| Esperanto | deziro | ||
| The word "deziro" was coined by Esperanto's creator, L.L. Zamenhof, from the Latin word "desiderium". | |||
| Latin | votum | ||
| The Latin word votum (wish) is related to the English word "devotion", which originally meant "a vow", and the verb "vote", which derives from the same root meaning "to promise". | |||
Wish in Others Languages
| Greek | επιθυμία | ||
| Hmong | xav tau | ||
| Kurdish | xwestek | ||
| The word "xwestek" has multiple meanings, including "desire", "want", and "longing". | |||
| Turkish | dilek | ||
| Dilek is also the name of a popular Turkish female name, meaning "prayer" or "petition". | |||
| Xhosa | nqwenela | ||
| The word "nqwenela" can also mean "to desire" or "to long for" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | ווינטשן | ||
| The Yiddish word "ווינטשן" (vintshn) originated from the Old High German word "wunsch", which means "desire" or "longing". | |||
| Zulu | ufisa | ||
| The Zulu word "ufisa" is cognate to the word "fis" in Proto-Bantu, which means "to desire". | |||
| Assamese | বাঞ্চা কৰা | ||
| Aymara | munaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | चाह | ||
| Dhivehi | އުންމީދު | ||
| Dogri | कामना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hiling | ||
| Guarani | potapy | ||
| Ilocano | panggepen | ||
| Krio | want | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | خواست | ||
| Maithili | इच्छा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯄꯥꯝꯕ | ||
| Mizo | duhsak | ||
| Oromo | hawwii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଇଚ୍ଛା | ||
| Quechua | munay | ||
| Sanskrit | इच्छा | ||
| Tatar | теләк | ||
| Tigrinya | ትምኒት | ||
| Tsonga | tsakela | ||