I still remember the moment. I was 19, backpacking through a bustling night market in Chiang Mai, Thailand, when a deaf street vendor held up a hand-carved wooden elephant.
I pointed, nodded, smiled – but he gently took my hand, shaped it into a claw, and drew it toward his chest. No words. Just want. In that instant, the universal ache of desire crossed every border I’d ever known.
That single sign – used in American Sign Language (ASL) yet instantly understood by his Thai fingers – reminded me that want isn’t just a word. It’s a heartbeat.
Across oceans and alphabets, every culture has found a way to say I want. Some whisper it. Some dance it. Some sign it with a claw to the chest. But the feeling? That’s the thread that stitches humanity together.
Let’s explore how the world signs, speaks, and feels want – from silent gestures to ancient proverbs – and why this simple concept reveals so much about who we are.
Quick Reference Table
| Language | Word/Phrase | Cultural or Linguistic Insight |
| American Sign Language (ASL) | Claw hand pulls toward chest | The “claw” mimics grasping; used for both literal and emotional desire. |
| British Sign Language (BSL) | Flat hand circles chest, then pulls in | More circular motion reflects British restraint in expressing need. |
| French Sign Language (LSF) | Index finger draws toward self | Elegant, minimal – mirrors spoken French’s subtle je veux. |
| Japanese Sign Language (JSL) | Both hands pull toward torso | Emphasizes harmony – wanting without disrupting balance. |
| Mandarin Chinese (CSL) | Open hand pulls to chest | Identical to spoken yào (要) – direct, no fluff. |
| French | je veux | From Latin velle (“to wish”); polite je voudrais softens desire. |
| Spanish | quiero | From Latin quaerere (“to seek”); passionate, direct. |
| Italian | voglio | Same Latin root as French; used boldly in opera and daily life. |
| German | ich will | Stark, willful – reflects German precision in stating intent. |
| Hindi | चाहिए (chahiye) | Means “is needed” – desire framed as necessity, not greed. |
| Arabic | أريد (urīd) | Root r-w-d means “to seek”; used in poetry and prayer. |
| Swahili | nataka | Bantu root -tak- = “desire”; used playfully in markets. |
| Zulu | ngifuna | Funa = “seek”; often sung in protest songs for justice. |
| Maori | hiahia | Onomatopoeic – mimics a sigh of longing. |
| Hawaiian | makemake | Reduplication for emphasis – “really, really want.” |
European Languages
In Europe, want is often wrapped in etiquette.
- French: Je veux sounds abrupt, so je voudrais (“I would like”) is the default. Desire is served with a s’il vous plaît.
- Spanish: Quiero is raw – think ¡Quiero tacos! – but in Spain, me gustaría softens it. Passion meets courtesy.
- Italian: Voglio is operatic. Say it with a hand gesture, and you’re halfway to Puccini.
- German: Ich will is blunt. No sugar. Just will.
Cultural note: In Nordic countries, vil (Norwegian/Danish) or jag vill (Swedish) is rarely used alone – you önskar (wish) instead. Wanting too loudly? Rude.
Asian Languages
Asia’s 20+ sign systems and thousands of dialects reveal want as a negotiation between self and society.
| Country | Language | Word/Phrase | Insight |
| China | Mandarin | 要 (yào) | Direct; used for needs and whims. |
| Japan | Japanese | 欲しい (hoshii) | Rarely said outright – tabetai (“I want to eat”) is politer. |
| Korea | Korean | 원해요 (wonhaeyo) | Polite form; raw weonhae is for close friends. |
| India | Hindi | चाहिए (chahiye) | “It is needed” – desire as duty. |
| Thailand | Thai | อยาก (yàak) | Playful; yàak gin khao = “wanna eat rice?” |
| Vietnam | Vietnamese | muốn | From French vouloir influence; direct but soft. |
| Indonesia | Bahasa | mau | Means both “want” and “will” – intention = action. |
| Philippines | Tagalog | gusto | Spanish root; gusto ko = “I like/want.” |
Sign Language Spotlight:
- Chinese Sign Language (CSL): Pull hand to chest – same as ASL, but faster.
- Japanese Sign Language (JSL): Two hands pull in – reflects wa (harmony).
- Indian Sign Language (ISL): Tap chest twice – “heart wants.”
African Languages
In Africa, want is rarely solitary. It’s we want.
| Country | Language | Word/Phrase | Insight |
| Kenya/Tanzania | Swahili | nataka | Used in trade: Nataka chakula = “I want food.” |
| South Africa | Zulu | ngifuna | Sung in freedom songs: Siyafuna = “We want.” |
| Nigeria | Yoruba | mo fẹ́ | Means “I want/love” – desire and affection blur. |
| Ghana | Twi | mepɛ | Polite; mepɛ sika = “I want money” (but say it humbly). |
| Ethiopia | Amharic | እፈልጋለሁ (efellegallehu) | Formal; street Amharic shortens to felg). |
| Morocco | Moroccan Arabic | بغيت (bghit) | Darija slang; raw and rhythmic. |
Cultural note: In many Bantu languages, want is conjugated for person and urgency. You don’t just want – you want now, together, or for the ancestors.
Indigenous & Island Languages
Here, want is tied to earth, ancestors, and survival.
| Region | Language | Word/Phrase | Insight |
| New Zealand | Maori | hiahia | A sigh of longing; used in haka chants. |
| Hawaii | Hawaiian | makemake | Reduplicated for intensity – “deep want.” |
| USA | Cherokee | ᎤᎵᏍᏕ (ulisde) | “such as wants” – desire is observed, not owned. |
| Samoa | Samoan | mana’o | Means “think/want” – mind and desire are one. |
| Australia | Yolngu Matha | nhäma | “See and want” – visual desire. |
| Canada | Inuktitut | ᐊᐅᓚᑦᓯᓐᓇᕐᓂᐊᖅᑐᖓ (aulatsinnarniarqtuŋa) | “I want to go” – long for movement. |
Sign Language Note:
- Australian Indigenous Sign: Point to chest, then to desired object – direct, no shame.
- Hawaiian Sign Language (HSL): Pull hand to heart – same as ASL, but with aloha.
Cultural Insights
- Latin velle → French vouloir, Italian volere: Will and want were once the same.
- Sanskrit icchā → Hindi ichcha: Desire as cosmic force (kama in the Vedas).
- Old English wilnian → “will”: Want split into desire and intention.
- Arabic raghba: Root of rajā (hope) – want and hope entwine.
In ancient Egypt, want was written with a heart hieroglyph (ib). To want was to feel with the heart.
Proverbs About Want
- French: Qui veut, peut. (“Who wants, can.”)
- Japanese: 欲しいものが手に入るのは、欲しくなくなった時だ。 (“You get what you want when you stop wanting it.”)
- Yoruba: Ẹni tí ó fẹ́ kí ó rí, á rí. (“He who wants to see, will see.”)
- Zulu: Ufuna ukuphila, funa ukusebenza. (“If you want to live, want to work.”)
- Hawaiian: Makemake i ka pono. (“Want what is right.”)
FAQs
Q: Why do so many sign languages use a “pull to chest” gesture?
A: It mimics grasping – a universal human motion. Even babies do it.
Q: What’s the oldest known word for “want”?
A: Sumerian ba (c. 3000 BCE) – “to desire/distribute.” Want was tied to sharing.
Q: Why do some cultures avoid saying “I want”?
A: In collectivist societies (Japan, Korea, many African groups), direct desire disrupts harmony. You wish or need instead.
Conclusion
From a Thai night market to a Zulu protest song, want is the human pulse. It’s the claw to the chest in ASL, the soft je voudrais in Paris, the sung ngifuna in Durban. It’s the reason we build, fight, love, and sign.
Now it’s your turn.
How do you say “want” in your language?
Drop it in the comments – with the sign, the proverb, or the story. Let’s build the world’s longest thread of human desire.
