Closely in different languages

Closely in Different Languages

Discover 'Closely' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'closely' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, denoting proximity or tight connection in space or time. It's a term that transcends cultural boundaries, reflecting a universal human experience. But how does it translate in different languages? Understanding these variations can provide unique insights into diverse cultures and their ways of expressing concepts similar to 'closely'.

For instance, in Spanish, 'closely' translates to 'cerca', which also means 'near'. In German, it's 'nahe', implying nearness but also intimacy. Meanwhile, in Japanese, the concept is captured by '近い (kinoi)', emphasizing proximity. These translations not only offer linguistic diversity; they reveal how various cultures perceive and express closeness.

Delving into the translations of 'closely' is more than just a language exercise. It's an exploration of cultural nuances and shared human experiences. So, let's take a 'closely' look at how this word resonates across different languages.

Closely


Closely in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansnoukeurig
The word "noukeurig" originally meant "accurately" or "carefully" in Dutch, and this meaning is still present in Afrikaans.
Amharicበቅርበት
በቅርበት often indicates an association with family or bloodline, not just physical proximity.
Hausaa hankali
The phrase 'A hankali' has been used metaphorically by Hausa people to represent the close relationship among family members.
Igbonso
'Nso' can also mean 'to hold' or 'to seize' in Igbo.
Malagasyakaiky
The word "akaiky" is also used to describe a close relationship or friendship.
Nyanja (Chichewa)pafupi
The word "pafupi" can also mean "nearby" or "adjacent" in Nyanja (Chichewa).
Shonapedyo
"Pedyo" is derived from the Proto-Bantu root "-ped-" meaning "to be near" and also "to lean against".
Somalidhow
The Somali word "dhow" also means "in the direction of; towards"
Sesothohaufi
"Haufi" also refers to the closeness found within family or a community.
Swahilikwa karibu
The Swahili word "kwa karibu" literally translates to "in nearness".
Xhosangokusondeleyo
The word "ngokusondeleyo" in Xhosa can also mean "in detail" or "thoroughly."
Yorubani pẹkipẹki
'Pẹkipẹki' refers to the idea of 'very close', 'tightly' or 'firmly', and the word itself is believed to originate from the Yoruba words 'pe' (to fold) and 'ki' (to press).
Zulueduze
The word "eduze" can also mean "on the floor" or "to the ground".
Bambaraka surunya ɲɔgɔn na
Ewekplikplikpli
Kinyarwandahafi
Lingalapenepene
Lugandaokumpi
Sepedikgauswi
Twi (Akan)bɛn hɔ

Closely in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicبعناية
The word "بعناية" is derived from the root word "عني" which means "to care for". This suggests that it originally meant "with care" or "attentively".
Hebrewמקרוב
The word "מקרוב" can also mean "far" or "from afar", depending on the context.
Pashtoله نږدې
له نږدې "Lah Nazday" literally means "at a distance" in Arabic, which is the literal opposite of its Pashto translation.
Arabicبعناية
The word "بعناية" is derived from the root word "عني" which means "to care for". This suggests that it originally meant "with care" or "attentively".

Closely in Western European Languages

Albaniannga afër
The etymology of "nga afër" is uncertain; it may be related to the Proto-Indo-European root *ap-, meaning "near" or "by".
Basquegertutik
The word "gertutik" in Basque is derived from the root "gertu", meaning "near".
Catalande prop
"De prop" in Catalan can also come from the Latin word "prope" meaning "near".
Croatianusko
The word "usko" also means "narrow" in Croatian, derived from the Proto-Slavic root *ǫzъkъ, meaning "narrow" or "tight."
Danishtæt
Tæt and its related words in Old Norse had the primary meaning 'to seize or grasp', and could refer to the closing of doors, or the clasping of hands in greeting.
Dutchnauw
The term "nauw" is rooted in the Old Dutch word "nawi", meaning "narrow" or "constricted".
Englishclosely
Frenchétroitement
The word étroitement in French can also mean "narrowly," "tightly," or "confinedly."
Frisiannau
"Nau" is derived from Old Frisian "nêg", meaning "enough", and is related to the Dutch word "nauw", meaning "narrows".
Galiciande preto
The Galician phrase “de preto” can also mean “very drunk” or “completely”.
Germaneng
Eng can also mean 'narrow', 'tight', or 'stingy'.
Icelandicnálægt
The word "nálægt" is a compound of the words "nál" (near) and "ægt" (family, lineage).
Irishgo dlúth
"Go dlúth" is also an idiom that means "to get along well with someone".
Italianstrettamente
The word "strettamente" comes from the Latin word "strictus," meaning "tight" or "narrow."
Luxembourgishenk
The Luxembourgish word "enk" is borrowed from the German word "enge" which also means "narrow" or "cramped".
Maltesemill-qrib
The word "mill-qrib" also means "from near" in Maltese.
Norwegiantett
The word "tett" in Norwegian can also refer to a small urban settlement or a group of closely spaced buildings.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)de perto
The Portuguese word "de perto" can also mean "intimately" or "personally".
Scots Gaelicgu dlùth
The word "gu dlùth" can also mean "intimately" or "affectionately" in Scots Gaelic.
Spanishcercanamente
The word "cercanamente" can also mean "familiarly" or "intimately."
Swedishnära
"Nära" comes from the Old Norse word "nær," which also meant "to nourish" or "to sustain."
Welshyn agos
The phrase "yn agos" can also mean "approximately" or "nearly" in Welsh.

Closely in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianцесна
The word "цесна" in Belarusian can also mean "narrow" or "tight".
Bosnianizbliza
"Izbliza" stems from the Old Church Slavonic "близъ", ultimately deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root "*bʰel-/*bʰl-", meaning "to swell, to bulge, to thrive."
Bulgarianотблизо
The word "отблизо" also means "from nearby" or "from close range".
Czechúzce
Úzce is derived from the Proto-Slavic *ǫsko, meaning "narrow" or "tight".
Estoniantihedalt
"Tihedalt" in Estonian derives from the word "tihe" meaning "thick" and can also refer to the density of an object.
Finnishtarkasti
Tarkasti translates to 'closely', but also refers to 'precisely' and 'accurately'.
Hungarianszorosan
The word 'szorosan' originates from the word 'szoros', meaning 'narrow' or 'tight' in Hungarian.
Latviancieši
Originated from a Proto-Indo-European root that also gives the English word
Lithuanianglaudžiai
"Glaudžiai" is related to the Proto-Indo-European *gʰleu- "to adhere, stick" from which also stems "clover".
Macedonianтесно
The Macedonian word "тесно" also means "narrow", "confined", or "tight".
Polishdokładnie
The word 'dokładnie' can also mean 'exactly' or 'precisely' in Polish.
Romanianîndeaproape
The word "îndeaproape" in Romanian comes from the Latin "de prope", meaning "from near"
Russianблизко
The Russian word близко 'closely' originally meant 'near,' and still means that in a concrete sense.
Serbianизблиза
The word "изблиза" means "from close by" or "at close range" in Serbian, and is formed by adding the prefix "из-" (meaning "out of" or "from") to the noun "близа" (meaning "near").
Slovakúzko
The Slovak word "úzko" not only means "closely" but also "narrow" and "strict".
Sloveniantesno
The word 'tesno' can also mean 'narrow' or 'confining'.
Ukrainianтісно
The word "тісно" also has a figurative meaning - "in a cramped or crowded space".

Closely in South Asian Languages

Bengaliঘনিষ্ঠভাবে
The term "ঘনিষ্ঠভাবে" is derived from the Sanskrit terms "ghaniṣṭha," meaning "nearest" or "closest," and "bhāva," meaning "state" or "condition."
Gujaratiનજીકથી
નજીકથી can also be used to indicate a close relationship or connection.
Hindiनिकट से
"निकट से" literally means "from near" and is the adverbial form of "निकट" (near).
Kannadaನಿಕಟವಾಗಿ
Malayalamഅടുത്ത്
The word "അടുത്ത്" ("closely") in Malayalam can also mean "near" or "by".
Marathiजवळून
The phrase 'जवळून देखणे' (literally translating to 'looking from closely') used in Marathi can be understood as 'examining in depth' or 'observing scrutinizingly'.
Nepaliनजिकबाट
"नजिकबाट" originated from the Sanskrit word "नज्दिक" which also means 'near' in Hindi.
Punjabiਨੇੜਿਓਂ
The word "ਨੇੜਿਓਂ" can also mean "from the vicinity", or "from a nearby place".
Sinhala (Sinhalese)සමීපව
"සමීපව" (samīpava) means "closely" in Sinhala, and also commonly means "nearby" or "in the vicinity".
Tamilநெருக்கமாக
Teluguదగ్గరగా
The word "దగ్గరగా" comes from the Proto-Telugu word "*tarka-ka-" meaning "touch" or "be near".
Urduقریب سے
The Urdu word 'قریب سے' ('closely') is an adverb of place with alternate meanings like 'nearly', 'approximately', or 'almost'.

Closely in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)密切
"密切" (closely) also means "intimate" in Chinese (Simplified).
Chinese (Traditional)密切
密切 literally means 'to close and inspect' closely.
Japanese密接に
密接に, consisting of the kanji 密 (thick, dense) and 接 (connection, contact), literally means "in close connection."
Korean면밀히
"면밀히" (closely) comes from the Chinese characters "綿密", meaning "fine and dense".
Mongolianойрхон
The Mongolian word "oirkhor" can have an alternate plural form, "oirkhuud", which also means "neighbors".
Myanmar (Burmese)နီးကပ်စွာ

Closely in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianrapat
The word "rapat" in Indonesian can also mean "council" or "meeting".
Javaneseraket
The word "raket" can also mean "to squeeze" or "to cling to" in some contexts.
Khmerយ៉ាងជិតស្និទ្ធ
I'm sorry, but I don't know the etymology or alternate meanings of that word.
Laoຢ່າງໃກ້ຊິດ
Malaysecara dekat
The word "secara dekat" in Malay means "closely" and can also mean "intimately" or "in detail."
Thaiอย่างใกล้ชิด
อย่างใกล้ชิด derives from the Pali word "upachida", which means "thoroughly" or "completely", and is cognate with English "epitome" and "episode".
Vietnamesechặt chẽ
In Old Vietnamese, "chặt chẽ" meant "to tie tightly, to make close, to make firm, to fix" or "to fix, to tighten"
Filipino (Tagalog)malapit

Closely in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniyaxından
The word "yaxından" originates from the Persian word "nazdik" meaning "near" or "close". It also means "attentively" or "thoroughly".
Kazakhтығыз
Тығыз is derived from the Turkic verb
Kyrgyzтыгыз
The word "тыгыз" in Kyrgyz can also mean "dense" or "thick".
Tajikаз наздик
The word «аз наздик» has another meaning - «from close up».
Turkmenýakyndan
Uzbekyaqindan
Yaqinda is a word that also means 'immediately, quickly' or 'now, presently' in Uzbek.
Uyghurيېقىن

Closely in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianpili pono
The Hawaiian word "pili pono" also means "to be well-balanced" or "to be in good order."
Maoripiri
In Māori, 'piri' also refers to the act of clinging, embracing, or uniting together
Samoanvavalalata
Vavalalata, meaning 'closely,' also denotes the state of having a strong bond with someone.
Tagalog (Filipino)malapit na
"Malapit na" can also mean "almost" or "nearly" but only in reference to time or sequence of events.

Closely in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarajak’at jak’achasiña
Guaranihi’aguĩva

Closely in International Languages

Esperantoproksime
The word "proksime" comes from the Latin word "proximus", meaning "nearest".
Latinpropinqua
"Propinqua" is a Latin word that originally meant "related by marriage" and also meant "near in time."

Closely in Others Languages

Greekαπο κοντα
The phrase "απο κοντα" can also mean "in person" or "up close".
Hmongze ze
The Hmong word "ze ze" can also mean "secretly" or "in a low voice".
Kurdishteng
The word "teng" in Kurdish can also mean "right", "immediately", or "instantly" depending on the context.
Turkishyakından
"Yakından" is a Turkish word that may also refer to "thoroughly," "in detail" and "intently."
Xhosangokusondeleyo
The word "ngokusondeleyo" in Xhosa can also mean "in detail" or "thoroughly."
Yiddishענג
The Yiddish word "ענג" can also mean "narrow" or "tight".
Zulueduze
The word "eduze" can also mean "on the floor" or "to the ground".
Assameseওচৰৰ পৰা
Aymarajak’at jak’achasiña
Bhojpuriकरीब से देखल जा सकेला
Dhivehiގާތުންނެވެ
Dogriनजदीक से
Filipino (Tagalog)malapit
Guaranihi’aguĩva
Ilocanonasinged
Krioklos klos wan
Kurdish (Sorani)لە نزیکەوە
Maithiliनिकटता से
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯌꯥꯝꯅꯥ ꯅꯛꯅꯥ ꯂꯩꯃꯤꯟꯅꯔꯤ꯫
Mizohnaih takin
Oromowalitti dhiyeenyaan
Odia (Oriya)ଘନିଷ୍ଠ ଭାବରେ |
Quechuaqayllamanta
Sanskritनिकटतः
Tatarтыгыз
Tigrinyaብቐረባ
Tsongaekusuhi swinene

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