Quit in Different Languages: How to Say “Quit” in 70 Languages Around the World

The word “quit” is commonly used when someone wants to stop doing something, leave a job, give up an activity, or end a habit. However, the translation of “quit” changes depending on the language and the situation. For example, quitting a job is different from quitting smoking or telling someone to stop an activity.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to say quit in different languages, including native translations, easy pronunciations, example sentences, and English meanings. Whether you’re learning a new language, writing content, traveling, or exploring international vocabulary, this list will help you understand how to express “quit” around the world.

What Does “Quit” Mean?

“Quit” is a verb that generally means to stop doing something, leave a position, or discontinue an activity. It can be used in both formal and informal conversations.

Common meanings of “quit” include:

• Stop: Quit talking or quit making noise.
• Leave: Quit a job or leave a position.
• Give up: Quit trying or stop pursuing a goal.
• Break a habit: Quit smoking or quit drinking.
• End an activity: Quit playing a game or stop working on a task.

The correct translation depends on the context, so some languages use different words for different meanings of “quit.”

Quit in Different Languages: Quick Translation Table

The following table lists common translations of “quit” in 70 languages. Pronunciations are approximate, and some translations are context-dependent.

European Languages (1–10)

No.	Language	Translation	Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
1	Spanish	Dejar	deh-HAR	Voy a dejar mi trabajo.	I will quit my job.
2	French	Arrêter	ah-reh-TAY	Je vais arrêter de fumer.	I will quit smoking.
3	German	Aufhören	OWF-hur-en	Hör auf damit!	Quit doing that!
4	Italian	Smettere	ZMET-teh-reh	Voglio smettere di fumare.	I want to quit smoking.
5	Portuguese	Parar	pah-RAR	Vou parar de fumar.	I will quit smoking.
6	Dutch	Stoppen	STOP-en	Ik wil stoppen.	I want to quit.
7	Swedish	Sluta	SLOO-tah	Sluta nu!	Quit now!
8	Norwegian	Slutte	SLOOT-teh	Jeg vil slutte.	I want to quit.
9	Danish	Stoppe	STOH-peh	Jeg vil stoppe.	I want to quit.
10	Finnish	Lopettaa	loh-PET-tah	Haluan lopettaa.	I want to quit.

European Languages (11–20)

No.	Language	Translation	Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
11	Icelandic	Hætta	HIGH-tah	Ég vil hætta.	I want to quit.
12	Irish	Éirí as	AY-ree ash	Ba mhaith liom éirí as.	I want to give it up.
13	Welsh	Rhoi’r gorau i	HROYR GOW-ry ee	Rhoi’r gorau i ysmygu.	Quit smoking.
14	Polish	Rzucić	ZHOO-cheech	Chcę rzucić palenie.	I want to quit smoking.
15	Czech	Přestat	PSHES-taht	Chci přestat.	I want to quit.
16	Slovak	Prestať	PRES-taht	Chcem prestať.	I want to quit.
17	Slovenian	Prenehati	preh-neh-HAH-tee	Želim prenehati.	I want to quit.
18	Croatian	Prestati	PRES-tah-tee	Želim prestati.	I want to quit.
19	Serbian	Престати (Prestati)	PRES-tah-tee	Желим да престанем.	I want to quit.
20	Bulgarian	Спирам (Spiram)	SPEE-rahm	Искам да спра.	I want to quit.

European and Middle Eastern Languages (21–30)

No.	Language	Translation	Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
21	Russian	Бросить (Brosit’)	BRAH-seet	Я хочу бросить курить.	I want to quit smoking.
22	Ukrainian	Кинути (Kynuty)	KEE-noo-tee	Я хочу кинути палити.	I want to quit smoking.
23	Greek	Σταματάω (Stamatáo)	stah-mah-TAH-oh	Θέλω να σταματήσω.	I want to quit.
24	Romanian	A renunța	ah reh-noon-TSHAH	Vreau să renunț.	I want to quit.
25	Hungarian	Abbahagyni	AHB-bah-hahd-nee	Abba akarom hagyni.	I want to quit.
26	Albanian	Lë	luh	Dua ta lë.	I want to quit it.
27	Turkish	Bırakmak	buh-rahk-MAHK	Sigarayı bırakmak istiyorum.	I want to quit smoking.
28	Arabic	أترك (Atruk)	AT-rook	أريد أن أترك التدخين.	I want to quit smoking.
29	Hebrew	להפסיק (Lehפסik)	leh-haf-SEEK	אני רוצה להפסיק.	I want to quit.
30	Persian	ترک کردن (Tark kardan)	tark kar-DAN	می‌خواهم ترک کنم.	I want to quit.

South Asian Languages (31–40)

No.	Language	Translation	Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
31	Urdu	چھوڑنا	chhor-NAH	میں سگریٹ نوشی چھوڑنا چاہتا ہوں۔	I want to quit smoking.
32	Hindi	छोड़ना	chhor-NAH	मैं धूम्रपान छोड़ना चाहता हूँ।	I want to quit smoking.
33	Bengali	ছেড়ে দেওয়া	chhe-re de-WAH	আমি ধূমপান ছেড়ে দিতে চাই।	I want to quit smoking.
34	Punjabi	ਛੱਡਣਾ	chhaD-NAH	ਮੈਂ ਸਿਗਰਟ ਪੀਣੀ ਛੱਡਣੀ ਚਾਹੁੰਦਾ ਹਾਂ।	I want to quit smoking.
35	Gujarati	છોડી દેવું	chho-DEE deh-voo	મારે ધૂમ્રપાન છોડવું છે.	I want to quit smoking.
36	Marathi	सोडणे	soh-DUN-eh	मला धूम्रपान सोडायचे आहे.	I want to quit smoking.
37	Nepali	छोड्नु	chhod-NUH	म धूम्रपान छोड्न चाहन्छु।	I want to quit smoking.
38	Sinhala	නවත්වනවා	nah-wath-wah-nah-wah	මට දුම්පානය නවත්වන්න ඕනේ.	I want to quit smoking.
39	Tamil	நிறுத்து (Niruththu)	nee-rooth-too	நான் புகைபிடிப்பதை நிறுத்த விரும்புகிறேன்.	I want to quit smoking.
40	Telugu	మానేయడం (Māneyadam)	maa-neh-yah-dam	నేను ధూమపానం మానేయాలనుకుంటున్నాను.	I want to quit smoking.

Asian Languages (41–50)

No.	Language	Translation	Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
41	Kannada	ಬಿಡುವುದು (Biduvudu)	bee-doo-voo-doo	ನಾನು ಧೂಮಪಾನ ಬಿಡಲು ಬಯಸುತ್ತೇನೆ.	I want to quit smoking.
42	Malayalam	നിർത്തുക (Nirthuka)	neer-thoo-kah	എനിക്ക് പുകവലി നിർത്തണം.	I want to quit smoking.
43	Mandarin Chinese	停止 (Tíngzhǐ)	ting-jrr	我想戒烟。	I want to quit smoking.
44	Cantonese	停止 (Tìhng jí)	ting-jee	我想戒煙。	I want to quit smoking.
45	Japanese	やめる (Yameru)	yah-meh-roo	タバコをやめたいです。	I want to quit smoking.
46	Korean	그만두다 (Geumanduda)	guh-man-doo-dah	담배를 끊고 싶어요.	I want to quit smoking.
47	Vietnamese	Bỏ	baw	Tôi muốn bỏ thuốc lá.	I want to quit smoking.
48	Thai	เลิก (Loek)	lerk	ฉันอยากเลิกสูบบุหรี่	I want to quit smoking.
49	Indonesian	Berhenti	ber-HEN-tee	Saya ingin berhenti merokok.	I want to quit smoking.
50	Malay	Berhenti	ber-HEN-tee	Saya mahu berhenti merokok.	I want to quit smoking.

Asian and African Languages (51–60)

No.	Language	Translation	Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
51	Filipino (Tagalog)	Tumigil	too-MEE-geel	Gusto kong tumigil sa paninigarilyo.	I want to quit smoking.
52	Burmese	ရပ်တန့်သည်	yat-tan-deh	ဆေးလိပ်ဖြတ်ချင်တယ်။	I want to quit smoking.
53	Khmer	ឈប់ (Chhop)	chop	ខ្ញុំចង់ឈប់ជក់បារី។	I want to quit smoking.
54	Lao	ເຊົາ (Sao)	sow	ຂ້ອຍຢາກເຊົາສູບຢາ.	I want to quit smoking.
55	Mongolian	Болих (Bolikh)	boh-leekh	Би тамхи татахаа болимоор байна.	I want to quit smoking.
56	Kazakh	Тоқтату (Toqtatu)	tok-tah-too	Мен темекі шегуді тоқтатқым келеді.	I want to quit smoking.
57	Uzbek	To‘xtatmoq	tokh-tat-mok	Men chekishni tashlamoqchiman.	I want to quit smoking.
58	Swahili	Kuacha	koo-AH-chah	Nataka kuacha kuvuta sigara.	I want to quit smoking.
59	Amharic	ማቆም (Maqom)	mah-kohm	ማጨስን ማቆም እፈልጋለሁ።	I want to quit smoking.
60	Somali	Joojin	joh-OH-jeen	Waxaan rabaa inaan joojiyo sigaarka.	I want to quit smoking.

African and Other Languages (61–70)

No.	Language	Translation	Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
61	Hausa	Daina	DAI-nah	Ina so in daina shan taba.	I want to quit smoking.
62	Yoruba	Dúró	DOO-roh	Mo fẹ́ dáwọ́ sìgá mímu dúró.	I want to quit smoking.
63	Igbo	Ịkwụsị	ee-KWOO-shee	Achọrọ m ịkwụsị ịṅụ sịga.	I want to quit smoking.
64	Zulu	Yeka	YEH-kah	Ngifuna ukuyeka ukubhema.	I want to quit smoking.
65	Xhosa	Yeka	YEH-kah	Ndifuna ukuyeka ukutshaya.	I want to quit smoking.
66	Afrikaans	Ophou	OP-how	Ek wil ophou rook.	I want to quit smoking.
67	Malagasy	Mitsahatra	meet-sah-HAH-trah	Te hitsahatra amin’ny fifohana sigara aho.	I want to quit smoking.
68	Haitian Creole	Kite	kee-TEH	Mwen vle kite fimen.	I want to quit smoking.
69	Esperanto	Ĉesi	CHEH-see	Mi volas ĉesi fumi.	I want to quit smoking.
70	Latin	Desinere	deh-see-NEH-reh	Fumare desinere volo.	I want to quit smoking.

Different Ways to Use “Quit” in Other Languages

The word “quit” can have several meanings in English. Understanding the context helps you choose the right translation.

1. How to Say “Quit Smoking”

When talking about stopping smoking, many languages use a specific expression meaning “stop smoking” or “give up smoking.”

Examples include:

• Spanish: Dejar de fumar
• French: Arrêter de fumer
• German: Mit dem Rauchen aufhören
• Urdu: سگریٹ نوشی چھوڑنا
• Hindi: धूम्रपान छोड़ना
• Japanese: タバコをやめる
• Mandarin Chinese: 戒烟

2. How to Say “Quit Your Job”

When someone leaves their employment, the translation may be different from the word used to stop an activity.

Examples include:

• Spanish: Dejar el trabajo
• French: Quitter son emploi
• German: Den Job kündigen
• Italian: Lasciare il lavoro
• Urdu: نوکری چھوڑنا
• Hindi: नौकरी छोड़ना
• Japanese: 仕事を辞める

3. How to Say “Quit It!” or “Stop It!”

In casual conversations, “Quit it!” often means “Stop doing that!” These expressions can sound direct or impatient depending on tone.

Examples include:

• Spanish: ¡Déjalo!
• French: Arrête !
• German: Hör auf!
• Italian: Smettila!
• Japanese: やめて！
• Korean: 그만해!
• Urdu: بس کرو!
• Hindi: बस करो!

4. How to Say “Never Quit”

“Never quit” is an encouraging phrase that tells someone not to give up, especially when facing difficulties.

Examples include:

• Spanish: Nunca te rindas.
• French: N’abandonne jamais.
• German: Gib niemals auf.
• Italian: Non arrenderti mai.
• Portuguese: Nunca desista.
• Urdu: کبھی ہمت نہ ہارو۔
• Hindi: कभी हार मत मानो۔
• Japanese: 決して諦めないで。

Why Does the Translation of “Quit” Change Between Languages?

There is no single translation of “quit” that works perfectly in every situation. Languages often use different verbs depending on whether someone is stopping an activity, abandoning a goal, leaving a job, or ending a habit.

For example, the Spanish verb dejar can mean to leave or stop doing something, while rendirse means to give up or surrender. In French, arrêter commonly means to stop, whereas quitter can mean to leave a person, place, or position.

The same distinction appears in many other languages. Learning the context alongside the translation helps you communicate more naturally and avoid misunderstandings.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is “quit” in Spanish?

“Quit” can be translated as dejar, parar, or abandonar, depending on the context. For example, dejar de fumar means “to quit smoking,” while abandonar can mean to abandon something or give it up.

2. What is “quit” in French?

The French translation depends on the situation. Arrêter means to stop an activity, while quitter often means to leave a person, place, or job. For example, arrêter de fumer means “to quit smoking.”

3. How do you say “quit” in Urdu?

In Urdu, “quit” is commonly translated as چھوڑنا (chhorna). For example, نوکری چھوڑنا means “to quit a job,” and سگریٹ نوشی چھوڑنا means “to quit smoking.”

4. What is the difference between “quit” and “give up”?

“Quit” usually means to stop an activity, leave a position, or discontinue a habit. “Give up” often means to stop trying to achieve something, although the expressions can overlap. For example, quitting a job means leaving employment, while giving up on a goal means no longer pursuing it.

5. Is “quit” the same in every language?

No. Different languages use different words and expressions depending on the situation. Some have separate verbs for leaving a job, stopping an activity, abandoning a goal, or ending a habit. Context is important when choosing the most accurate translation.

Conclusion

Learning how to say quit in different languages helps you understand how people around the world express stopping an activity, leaving a job, breaking a habit, or giving up on something. Although the translations vary, the basic idea remains similar across many languages.

From Spanish dejar and French arrêter to Urdu چھوڑنا and Japanese やめる, each language has its own way of expressing the concept. Use the 70-language table as a reference, and remember that the best translation depends on the context in which you want to use the word.