Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'fairly' is a small word with a big impact. It is often used to describe something as reasonable, moderate, or adequate. But, delve a little deeper and you'll find that 'fairly' has a rich cultural importance and historical context. For instance, in Old English, 'fæger' meant beautiful or pleasant, which is a far cry from its current meaning. This evolution of meaning is a testament to the dynamic nature of language.
Moreover, the concept of 'fairness' is universal and forms the bedrock of many societies and cultures. It is a concept that transcends language, making the translation of 'fairly' into different languages intriguing and enlightening.
For instance, in Spanish, 'fairly' translates to 'razonablemente', in French, it's 'raisonnablement', while in German, it's 'vernünftigerweise'. Each translation offers a unique perspective into how different cultures perceive and express the concept of 'fairness'.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or simply curious, understanding the translation of 'fairly' in different languages can be a fascinating journey. Let's embark on this journey together.
Afrikaans | redelik | ||
"Redelik" in Afrikaans derives from an archaic Dutch term "redelijck" meaning "reasonable" or "proportionate." | |||
Amharic | በትክክል | ||
The word "በትክክል" originates from the verb "ተወክክ" meaning "to represent." | |||
Hausa | adalci | ||
Adalci in Hausa is also used as a noun meaning 'fairness', 'justice', 'equity' or 'reasonableness' | |||
Igbo | n'ụzọ ziri ezi | ||
Malagasy | somary | ||
The word "somary" in Malagasy can also mean "well" or "all right". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | mwachilungamo | ||
"Mwachilungamo" is derived from the root word "lungama" (to be straight or even), which also gives rise to the term "chilungamo" (justice or righteousness). | |||
Shona | zvakanaka | ||
The etymology of the Shona word "zvakanaka" is unclear, and it can also mean "quite" or "very" in addition to "fairly." | |||
Somali | cadaalad ah | ||
Cadaalad ah is an expression also used to describe an amount of money that is even or correct. | |||
Sesotho | ka toka | ||
The word 'ka toka' also denotes 'in truth'. | |||
Swahili | haki | ||
The word 'haki' in Swahili can also refer to 'justice' or 'legitimate authority'. | |||
Xhosa | ngokufanelekileyo | ||
The Xhosa word "ngokufanelekileyo" also means "properly" or "in an appropriate manner." | |||
Yoruba | iṣẹtọ | ||
Although it mostly means "fairly," iṣẹtọ can also mean "sufficiently" or "to a satisfactory level." | |||
Zulu | ngokulunga | ||
"Ngakulunga" means a little, slightly or somewhat in the Zulu language. | |||
Bambara | fisa | ||
Ewe | si kaɖe eme | ||
Kinyarwanda | muburyo bwiza | ||
Lingala | malamu | ||
Luganda | bulungiko | ||
Sepedi | ka toka | ||
Twi (Akan) | pɛpɛɛpɛ | ||
Arabic | تماما | ||
The word "تماما" can also mean "completely" or "perfectly". | |||
Hebrew | לְמַדַי | ||
The word "לְמַדַי" is also a biblical place name in the book of Jeremiah, referring to the Medes, an ancient Iranian people. | |||
Pashto | په عادلانه ډول | ||
Arabic | تماما | ||
The word "تماما" can also mean "completely" or "perfectly". |
Albanian | në mënyrë të drejtë | ||
Basque | nahiko | ||
The word "nahiko" in Basque can also mean "sufficiently" or "adequately." | |||
Catalan | bastant | ||
The Catalan word "bastant" shares its etymology with the French word "bastant" (meaning "pack animal") and the Spanish word "basto" (meaning "coarse", "rough"). | |||
Croatian | pošteno | ||
"Pošteno" is also used to describe a situation where something is divided equally. | |||
Danish | retfærdigt | ||
The word "retfærdigt" comes from the Old Norse word "réttvíss" which means "just" or "righteous". | |||
Dutch | redelijk | ||
The word "redelijk" in Dutch shares its root with the word "reason" hence the alternate meaning "reasonable" | |||
English | fairly | ||
The word 'fairly' is derived from the Middle English word 'fayr,' meaning 'beautiful' or 'pleasing'. | |||
French | équitablement | ||
The word "équitablement" is derived from the Latin word "aequus", meaning "equal" or "just". | |||
Frisian | frijwat | ||
The Frisian word "frijwat" comes from the Old Frisian "fri wat," meaning "quite something" or "rather a lot." | |||
Galician | de xeito xusto | ||
The Galician phrase "de xeito xusto" is calqued from the Spanish "de justo" and literally means "in a just manner". | |||
German | ziemlich | ||
The German word "ziemlich" originally meant "tame" or "moderate". | |||
Icelandic | sæmilega | ||
The word "sæmilega" is cognate with the English word "seemly" and can also mean "decently" or "properly". | |||
Irish | go cóir | ||
The phrase 'go cóir' literally means 'as it should be', and is commonly used to express something happening in the expected way. | |||
Italian | abbastanza | ||
"Abbastanza" is derived from the medieval Latin "abastantia", meaning "sufficiency" and "adequacy." | |||
Luxembourgish | zimlech | ||
The word 'zimlech' also means 'rather' or 'pretty', and is derived from the Middle High German word 'ziemlich', which had the same meaning. | |||
Maltese | ġust | ||
Ġust can also mean 'in a fair manner', 'with justice' or 'justly' in Maltese. | |||
Norwegian | ganske | ||
The word "ganske" originally meant "rather well" and was used in a positive sense. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | bastante | ||
The word 'bastante' also means 'sufficient' or 'adequate'. | |||
Scots Gaelic | gu cothromach | ||
The Gaelic word 'gu cothromach' has an alternate meaning of 'in any case' and derives from the Irish 'go cothromhach', which also means 'fairly' or 'equitably' | |||
Spanish | bastante | ||
The word "bastante" derives from the Latin "bastare," meaning "to suffice," and was originally used to denote "enough" or "sufficient." | |||
Swedish | ganska | ||
The Swedish word "ganska" originally meant "pretty" and was used to describe women. | |||
Welsh | yn deg | ||
Although 'yn deg' literally translates to 'in a nice way', it is most often used as an adverb that means 'fairly' or 'quite'. |
Belarusian | справядліва | ||
The word "справядліва" may also be used in a more archaic sense to mean "justly", "in accordance with the law", or "according to merit." | |||
Bosnian | pošteno | ||
The word "pošteno" in Bosnian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *poštьnъ, which originally meant "respected" or "honorable". | |||
Bulgarian | честно | ||
The word "честно" can also mean "honestly" or "with integrity" in Bulgarian | |||
Czech | spravedlivě | ||
The word "spravedlivě" is derived from the Old Czech word "pravda", meaning "truth" or "justice". | |||
Estonian | õiglaselt | ||
The Estonian word õiglaselt, meaning fairly or justly, derives from the root "õige," meaning just or correct, and is related to the words õiglus (justice) and õigus (law). | |||
Finnish | melko | ||
"Melko" is a derivation of the Proto-Finnic word *melke*, meaning "nearly". | |||
Hungarian | meglehetősen | ||
The word "meglehetősen" is derived from "meg", meaning "much" or "a lot", and "hető", meaning "can be done" or "is possible", indicating that something is possible to a considerable extent. | |||
Latvian | godīgi | ||
In Latvian, "godīgi" can also refer to "truthfully" or "sincerely." | |||
Lithuanian | sąžiningai | ||
The word "sąžiningai" is derived from the word "sąžinė" (conscience), suggesting acting in accordance with one's moral principles. | |||
Macedonian | праведно | ||
Праведно is also a noun that means "justice". | |||
Polish | dość | ||
"Dość" is also the imperative form of the verb "dostać" ("to get"), as in "dość tego!" ("that's enough of that!") | |||
Romanian | destul de | ||
The word "destul de" in Romanian is etymologically related to the words "destul" ("enough") and "de" ("of"). | |||
Russian | честно | ||
The word "честно" can also mean "honestly" or "honorably" in Russian. | |||
Serbian | поштено | ||
The word "поштено" in Serbian derives from the Proto-Slavic word "počьstь" meaning "honor" or "respect." | |||
Slovak | spravodlivo | ||
Derived from the Proto-Slavic root *pravъ, meaning 'straight' or 'correct', 'spravodlivo' also means 'justly' or 'correctly' in Slovak. | |||
Slovenian | pošteno | ||
The word 'pošteno' can also mean 'completely' or 'utterly' in Slovenian, as in 'pošteno utrujen' ('completely exhausted'). | |||
Ukrainian | справедливо | ||
The Ukrainian word "справедливо" also means “evenly”, “symmetrically”, “straightly”, and “rightly”. |
Bengali | মোটামুটি | ||
The word "মোটামুটি" is also used as an adjective to describe something as being "moderate" or "average" in quality. | |||
Gujarati | એકદમ | ||
The Gujarati word "એકદમ" also means "immediately" or "at once." | |||
Hindi | काफी | ||
The word "काफी" can also mean "sufficient" or "enough". | |||
Kannada | ತಕ್ಕಮಟ್ಟಿಗೆ | ||
Malayalam | ന്യായമായും | ||
The word న్యాయమాയും (nyāyamāyun) is borrowed from Sanskrit and means 'justly' or 'according to justice'. | |||
Marathi | बly्यापैकी | ||
The word "बly्यापैकी" in Marathi originates from the Persian word "बेजा" (beja), meaning "without cause" or "unfairly" | |||
Nepali | निष्पक्ष | ||
The word "निष्पक्ष" is derived from the Sanskrit roots "निः" (without) and "पक्ष" (favoritism), meaning "without favoritism or bias." | |||
Punjabi | ਕਾਫ਼ੀ | ||
ਕਾਫ਼ੀ is a Punjabi word derived from the Persian word 'kāfi', meaning 'abundant' or 'adequate'. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සාධාරණයි | ||
Tamil | மிகவும் | ||
The word 'மிகவும்' can also mean 'very much' or 'greatly' in Tamil. | |||
Telugu | బొత్తిగా | ||
"బొత్తిగా" (bothtiggaa) is a Telugu adverb that emphasizes the extent or degree of something, connoting completeness or entirety. | |||
Urdu | منصفانہ | ||
"منصفانہ" (fairly) literally translates to "by the standard of a judge" or "like a judge". |
Chinese (Simplified) | 相当 | ||
In Japanese, "相当" also means "considerable". | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 相當 | ||
相當 is sometimes used in Chinese to mean reasonable or appropriate. | |||
Japanese | かなり | ||
The kanji characters of "かなり" are the same as those of "軽荷," meaning "light load," reflecting the original meaning of "not very heavy" | |||
Korean | 꽤 | ||
The word 'pretty' in Korean can also mean 'quite' or 'rather', as in 'She's pretty smart'.} | |||
Mongolian | шударга | ||
"Шударга" is also used to describe something that is done in a slow and measured way. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | မျှတစွာ | ||
Indonesian | adil | ||
The Arabic origin of the word 'adil' suggests a meaning of 'being in balance' or 'straightforward'. | |||
Javanese | adil | ||
"Adil" in Javanese also means "precise" or "accurate." | |||
Khmer | ដោយស្មើភាព | ||
Lao | ເປັນ ທຳ | ||
Malay | secara adil | ||
"Secara adil" is a Malay phrase that literally means "in a just manner" and can also be used to mean "objectively". | |||
Thai | เป็นธรรม | ||
The word "เป็นธรรม" can also mean "correct" or "rightful". | |||
Vietnamese | công bằng | ||
"Công bằng" is derived from the Chinese word "公正", meaning "just and upright". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | nang walang kinikilingan | ||
Azerbaijani | kifayət qədər | ||
The word "kifayət qədər" also means "sufficient", "adequate" or "enough" in Azerbaijani. | |||
Kazakh | әділетті | ||
The Kazakh word "әділетті" also has the meanings of "honest" or "just" | |||
Kyrgyz | адилеттүү | ||
Tajik | одилона | ||
The word "одилона" can also mean "pretty good" or "not bad". | |||
Turkmen | adalatly | ||
Uzbek | odilona | ||
The word "odilona" is derived from the Persian word "adil", meaning "justice". It can also mean "righteous", "honest", or "impartial". | |||
Uyghur | ئادىل | ||
Hawaiian | kaulike | ||
The Hawaiian word "kaulike" also means "balanced" or "equal," suggesting a sense of fairness or justice. | |||
Maori | tika | ||
Tika can also mean 'correct' or 'appropriate' in Maori. | |||
Samoan | talafeagai | ||
"Talafeagai" also means "in the middle" or "moderate" in Samoan. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | nang walang kinikilingan | ||
Aymara | ukhapuni | ||
Guarani | ha'evéma | ||
Esperanto | juste | ||
"Justa" shares its root with "just" in English, meaning "fair" or "rightful". | |||
Latin | satis | ||
Satis is used as an adverb meaning "fairly" but also as a noun meaning "sufficiency" or plural "sufficiency." |
Greek | αρκετά | ||
The word 'αρκετά' can also mean 'enough' or 'sufficient'. | |||
Hmong | ncaj ncees | ||
The Hmong word "ncaj ncees" also refers to a type of traditional music. | |||
Kurdish | adil | ||
"Adil" (fairly) comes from the Arabic word "adalah" (justice) and the Kurdish word "di" (right, upright). | |||
Turkish | oldukça | ||
Oldukça originates from the noun "oldu" (fact), meaning "something that has become"} | |||
Xhosa | ngokufanelekileyo | ||
The Xhosa word "ngokufanelekileyo" also means "properly" or "in an appropriate manner." | |||
Yiddish | פערלי | ||
The Yiddish word "פערלי" also means "comparatively". | |||
Zulu | ngokulunga | ||
"Ngakulunga" means a little, slightly or somewhat in the Zulu language. | |||
Assamese | নিৰপেক্ষভাৱে | ||
Aymara | ukhapuni | ||
Bhojpuri | पर्याप्त | ||
Dhivehi | ފުދޭވަރަކަށް | ||
Dogri | काफी | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | nang walang kinikilingan | ||
Guarani | ha'evéma | ||
Ilocano | naparbeng | ||
Krio | fia wan | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | دادپەروەرانە | ||
Maithili | न्यायपूर्ण | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯇꯤꯛ ꯆꯥꯅ | ||
Mizo | diktakin | ||
Oromo | osoo wal hin caalchisin | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ପ୍ରାୟତଃ | ||
Quechua | sapakamaman | ||
Sanskrit | न्यायपूर्वक | ||
Tatar | гадел | ||
Tigrinya | ፍትሓዊ | ||
Tsonga | voyameki | ||