Pause in different languages

Pause in Different Languages

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

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'pause' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, inviting us to take a moment of reflection or relaxation in our fast-paced world. Pauses are essential in various aspects of life, from public speaking and music to meditation and technology. They allow us to gather our thoughts, catch our breath, and appreciate the world around us.

Moreover, the cultural importance of pauses varies across the globe. In Japan, for instance, silence is regarded as golden, fostering deep connections during conversations. Meanwhile, in the West, pauses are often seen as moments of contemplation or preparation for the next action.

Understanding the translation of 'pause' in different languages can enrich our cross-cultural communication and broaden our perspectives. Here are a few examples:

  • French: 'pause'
  • Spanish: 'pausa'
  • German: 'Pause'
  • Mandarin: '停顿' (tíngdùn)
  • Japanese: '一ishi' (ippuku)

Discover how this simple yet powerful word transcends language barriers and unites us in the shared human experience. Explore the list below to learn more about the translations of 'pause' in various languages.

Pause


Pause in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaanspouse
The Afrikaans word "pouse" also has the meaning of "a rest" or "a break".
Amharicለአፍታ አቁም
The word "ለአፍታ አቁም" ("pause") in Amharic also means "to be in a state of waiting" or "to be on standby".
Hausaa ɗan dakata
Though literally translated as "half a minute", a ɗan dakata is usually a much shorter pause used as an interjection.
Igbokwusi
Kwusi, also known as "the moment of silence," is a pause used to emphasize words or phrases in Igbo speech.
Malagasypause
In Malagasy, "pause" (paosy) can also mean "resting place" or "resting time".
Nyanja (Chichewa)imani
"Imani" also means "faith" in many other Bantu languages, including Swahili, Bemba, Chewa and Zulu.
Shonakumbomira
The word "kumbomira" in Shona can also refer to a moment of hesitation or reflection.
Somalihakad
The Somali verb 'hakad' means 'to stop or hesitate,' and can also be used to describe a break or pause in an activity or speech.
Sesothokgefutsa
The word "kgefutsa" can also mean "wait" or "stop".
Swahilisitisha
The Swahili word 'sitisha' also means 'to rest' or 'to take a break'.
Xhosanqumama
The word "nqumama" has its roots in the onomatopoeia for a pause or hesitation in speech, similar to "um" or "er" in English.
Yorubada duro
Da duro also means "very much" in Yoruba.
Zuluphumula
'Phumula' comes from the Proto-Bantu verb *-fukula 'to lie down, recline', suggesting a state of physical or mental repose.
Bambaraka jɔ
Ewetɔ vie
Kinyarwandahagarara
Lingalakopema
Lugandaokuyimirizamu
Sepediema nakwana
Twi (Akan)home so

Pause in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicوقفة
The Arabic word "وقفة" (pause) is also used in religious contexts to refer to the Day of Arafah pilgrimage in the Islamic faith.
Hebrewהַפסָקָה
"The word הַפָּסָקָה derives from the root פס"ק, meaning 'to cut' or 'to divide,' suggesting that a pause is a type of separation or suspension."
Pashtoوقفه
The word وقفه also means "interval between verses of the Qur'an" in Pashto.
Arabicوقفة
The Arabic word "وقفة" (pause) is also used in religious contexts to refer to the Day of Arafah pilgrimage in the Islamic faith.

Pause in Western European Languages

Albanianpauzë
In Greek, "pauzē" (παύση) also means "stop," "cease," or "rest" as an action or noun.
Basquepausatu
The Basque word "pausatu" also means "leisurely", "to make oneself comfortable", and "to relax".
Catalanpausa
"Pausa" derives from Greek, meaning "cessation" or "stop".
Croatianpauza
The word 'pauza' is also used colloquially to refer to a break from work or school.
Danishpause
In Danish, it also means 'to talk in a childish or silly manner' (derived from French 'poser').
Dutchpauze
The Dutch word "pauze" also has a meaning similar to the English word "break", as in a short rest from work.
Englishpause
The word 'pause' comes from the Greek word 'pauein', meaning 'to cease' or 'to make to cease'.
Frenchpause
In French, the word "pause" can also mean a musical rest or a period of silence in a conversation.
Frisianskoft
In Frisian, "skoft" also refers to a short break during manual labour.
Galicianpausa
"Pausa" en gallego, además de "pausa", también significa "descanso" o "reposo".
Germanpause
The German word "Pause" also means relaxation, and can describe the moment after a musical performance where the audience and performers take a break.
Icelandicgera hlé
In Old Norse, 'gera hlé' also meant 'make a noise' or 'perform a loud action'.
Irishsos
The word "sos" in Irish can also mean "soak" or "stew".
Italianpausa
The Italian word "pausa" has several meanings including: rest, break, suspension, and delay.
Luxembourgishpauséieren
The word "pauséieren" in Luxembourgish derives from the French word "se poser", meaning "to sit down or to take a rest".
Maltesewaqfa
Maltese word "waqfa" (pause) originates from the Arabic word "waqf" and in Maltese also refers to the intonation at the end of a clause.
Norwegianpause
The Old Norse word for 'pause' is 'púsi', which also means 'bag', 'purse', and 'a small amount'.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)pausa
In Portugal, "pausa" also means "space" or "interval."
Scots Gaelicstad
The Gaelic word 'stad' can also mean 'stop' or 'stand', and is related to the English word 'stead'.
Spanishpausa
The word "pausa" in Spanish also means "break" or "rest".
Swedishpaus
"Paus" also refers to a musical rest, as the word is derived from the Greek word "pauein" meaning "to cease".
Welshsaib
Welsh 'saib' also refers to a stop in the rhythm and melody of a 'penillion' (traditional Welsh sung poetry).

Pause in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianпаўза
The word "паўза" can also mean "recess" or "break" in Belarusian.
Bosnianpauza
The word "pauza" comes from Greek and it can also mean "vacation".
Bulgarianпауза
The word "пауза" in Bulgarian can also refer to a break in speech or music, a time of rest, or a period of silence.
Czechpauza
The Czech term "pauza“ is derived from the ancient Greek "pausis", meaning “halt, pause or cessation".
Estonianpaus
In addition to meaning "pause", "paus" in Estonian also refers to a time of rest or the act of refraining from an activity.
Finnishtauko
"Tauko" is also the Finnish word for "short break", "interruption", or "gap".
Hungarianszünet
The word "szünet" in Hungarian comes from the Latin word "cessatio", meaning "cessation". It can also refer to a break in performance or a period of inactivity.
Latvianpauze
The word "pauze" in Latvian shares its etymology with the word "pausa" in Hungarian, both meaning "pause" and "rest".
Lithuanianpauzė
"Pauzė" is the Lithuanian spelling of the Greek word for "cease"
Macedonianпауза
The word "пауза" comes from the Greek word "παύση", which means "cessation", "stop" or "rest".
Polishpauza
The Polish word "pauza" has an additional meaning of "a break from school, college, or university".
Romanianpauză
In Romanian, the word "pauză" also has the meanings of "break" and "rest".
Russianпауза
The word "пауза" can also mean "a break" or "a rest" in Russian.
Serbianпауза
The word "пауза" (pause) in Serbian originates from the Greek word "παύσις" (pausis), meaning "cessation", "rest" or "stoppage".
Slovakpauza
"Pauza" can also mean "a break" or "a gap" in Slovak.
Slovenianpavza
The word 'pavza' in Slovenian comes from the Latin word 'pausa', which originally meant 'a break in a musical piece'.
Ukrainianпауза
"Пауза" is a word borrowed from Russian, derived from the Greek word "παῦσις" (pausis), meaning "cessation" or "suspension," and is used in Ukrainian to indicate a break or intermission.

Pause in South Asian Languages

Bengaliবিরতি দিন
বিরতি দিন also means "to have a break" in Bengali.
Gujaratiથોભો
The Gujarati word "થોભો" (pause) can also mean "wait" or "hold on" in an imperative sense.
Hindiठहराव
The Hindi word ठहराव derives from the Sanskrit root 'sthir' meaning 'stationary' or 'firm'.
Kannadaವಿರಾಮ
The word 'ವಿರಾಮ' (viraama) also means 'cessation, rest, stop, tranquility, interval, leisure, peace, relief, repose, retirement, and ease' in Kannada.
Malayalamതാൽക്കാലികമായി നിർത്തുക
The word "pause" is derived from the Greek word "pausis", which means "a cessation of action".
Marathiविराम द्या
The word "विराम द्या" literally means "give a rest" in Marathi, and is often used in yoga or meditation to indicate a pause or break in a session.
Nepaliरोक्नुहोस्
The Nepali word 'रोक्नुहोस्' ('pause') is derived from the verb 'रोक्न' ('to stop'), and is used to indicate a break or interruption in an action or speech.
Punjabiਰੋਕੋ
The word "ਰੋਕੋ" also means to obstruct, block, or prevent.
Sinhala (Sinhalese)විරාමය
The word "විරාමය" also means "rest" or "cessation" in addition to its meaning of "pause".
Tamilஇடைநிறுத்தம்
The Tamil word 'இடைநிறுத்தம்' has an additional alternate meaning as the time duration between two things, similar to the usage of 'pause'.
Teluguవిరామం
The word "విరామం" also means "a mark of punctuation" or "a break in speech".
Urduتوقف
In addition to meaning 'pause', 'توقف' can also refer to 'cease', 'stop', or 'halt' in Urdu.

Pause in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)暂停
"暂停" 在中文里除了表示 "pause" 之外,还表示 "intermission" 和 "respite" 。
Chinese (Traditional)暫停
"暫" in "暫停" means "for the time being".
Japanese一時停止
In Japanese, the word 一時停止, 'pause,' literally means 'stop temporarily' or 'stop for a short while'.
Korean중지
"중지" can refer not only to pausing an action or a process, but also to terminating something.
Mongolianтүр зогсоох
The Mongolian word "түр зогсоох" can also mean "to stop temporarily" or "to take a break".
Myanmar (Burmese)ခေတ္တရပ်တန့်ရန်
The word "pause" derives from the Middle French word "pauser", meaning "to halt". In music, the term refers to a moment of silence or a slight break in the rhythm.

Pause in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianberhenti sebentar
"Berhenti sebentar" literally means "stop for a moment" in Indonesian.
Javanesengaso
Ngaso shares an etymology with the words "lepas" ("rest") and "ngganggo" ("to use") in Indonesian, suggesting a semantic connection between taking a break and releasing oneself from an activity.
Khmerផ្អាក
ផ្អាក comes from the Sanskrit “avakāśa,” meaning “space, opportunity, leisure.”
Laoຢຸດ​ຊົ່ວ​ຄາວ
The Lao word ຢຸດ​ຊົ່ວ​ຄາວ comes from Sanskrit and can also mean หยุดการทำงานชั่วคราว, to suspend or discontinue temporarily.
Malayberhenti seketika
The word "berhenti seketika" in Malay has roots in the Arabic word "istikharah", which means seeking guidance from God through prayer or meditation.
Thaiหยุด
หยุด can also mean "stop," "cease," or "forbid."
Vietnamesetạm ngừng
Tạm ngừng has an alternate meaning of 'stop' or 'rest'.
Filipino (Tagalog)huminto

Pause in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanifasilə
The etymology of the Azerbaijani word "fasilə" is unclear as it is not derived from any of the Turkic languages, but is also used in other languages including Arabic and Persian, with different meanings including "separation" or "interval".
Kazakhкідірту
The word "кідірту" can also mean "hesitation" or "delay" in Kazakh.
Kyrgyzтыным
"Тыным" in Kyrgyz also means "a place with grass". In the 1930s, it took on the additional meaning of "pause" when newspapers reported on the "тынымдар" (time-outs) taken by the runners in marathon races.
Tajikтаваққуф
The Tajik word "таваққуф" comes from the Arabic word "وقف," which means "to stand still, to pause, to stop."
Turkmenpauza
Uzbekpauza
Uzbek "pauza" ultimately derives from Greek "pauein" via Russian "pauza" and has a secondary meaning of "short stop".
Uyghurتوختاپ

Pause in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianhoʻomaha
In Hawaiian, "hoʻomaha" originated from "maha", which refers to both a state of rest and the concept of sacred space or sanctuary.
Maoriokioki
Okioki, meaning "pause" in Maori, also refers to a period of "rest" or "break".
Samoanmalolo
The Samoan word “malolo” also refers to a type of fine mat traditionally given as a gift in weddings, births, and funerals.
Tagalog (Filipino)huminto
The word "huminto" can also mean "to stop" or "to cease".

Pause in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarasuyt'ata
Guaranipa'ũ

Pause in International Languages

Esperantopaŭzi
The word "paŭzi" is derived from the Greek word "πάυω" ("pauo"), meaning "to cause to cease".
Latinsilentium
The word "silentium" comes from the Latin word "silere", meaning "to be silent".

Pause in Others Languages

Greekπαύση
In medical contexts, "παύση" also refers to menopause, i.e. the cessation of menstruation.
Hmongtos
In addition to meaning "pause," "tos" can also be used to say "wait" or "hold up".
Kurdishmizdan
The word "mizdan" is derived from the Persian word "mizdan", meaning "scales", and is also used to refer to a balance or equilibrium.
Turkishduraklat
In Turkish, Duraklat also means 'intermission' or 'cessation'.
Xhosanqumama
The word "nqumama" has its roots in the onomatopoeia for a pause or hesitation in speech, similar to "um" or "er" in English.
Yiddishפּויזע
The Yiddish word "פּויזע" (pause) is derived from the Greek word "παύσις" (pause, cessation), which in turn comes from the verb "παύω" (pause, cause to cease).
Zuluphumula
'Phumula' comes from the Proto-Bantu verb *-fukula 'to lie down, recline', suggesting a state of physical or mental repose.
Assameseবিৰতি
Aymarasuyt'ata
Bhojpuriठहराव
Dhivehiމަޑުޖައްސާލުން
Dogriबराम
Filipino (Tagalog)huminto
Guaranipa'ũ
Ilocanoisardeng biit
Kriowet smɔl
Kurdish (Sorani)وچان
Maithiliरोकनाइ
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯉꯩꯍꯥꯛ ꯂꯦꯞꯄ
Mizochawl
Oromogidduutti dhaabuu
Odia (Oriya)ବିରାମ
Quechuasuyay
Sanskritविराम
Tatarпауза
Tigrinyaጠጠው ምባል
Tsongayimanyana

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