Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'frequent' is a common term in English, meaning to happen often or regularly. Its significance extends beyond the realm of language, as it can also describe patterns and behaviors in various cultural contexts. For instance, in music, a frequent motif refers to a recurring theme, while in social sciences, frequent interactions can shape the dynamics of relationships and communities.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'frequent' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how other cultures perceive and express regularity and repetition. For example, in Spanish, 'frequent' translates to 'frecuente,' while in French, it becomes 'fréquent.' In German, the word for frequent is 'häufig,' and in Japanese, it is '頻繁な (hinchen na).'
Delving into the nuances of this term across languages can enrich one's linguistic and cultural repertoire, making it an exciting endeavor for language enthusiasts and cultural explorers alike.
Afrikaans | gereeld | ||
The word "gereeld" derives from the Dutch word "geregeld", which means "regularly" or "repeatedly". | |||
Amharic | ተደጋጋሚ | ||
The word ተደጋጋሚ can also mean "repetitive" or "recurring". | |||
Hausa | m | ||
The letter "m" in Hausa originated from the Arabic letter "mīm", and retains its original meaning of "water" in some contexts. | |||
Igbo | ugboro ugboro | ||
The phrase 'ugboro ugboro' literally means 'time after time' or 'again and again' in Igbo. | |||
Malagasy | matetika | ||
The word 'matetika' is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word 'matak', which means 'often' or 'repeatedly'. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | pafupipafupi | ||
The word "pafupipafupi" can also refer to something that is "short and stout" in Nyanja. | |||
Shona | kakawanda | ||
The word "kakawanda" can also mean "many times" or "often" in Shona. | |||
Somali | soo noqnoqda | ||
Soo noqnoqda also means 'often' or 'repeatedly'. | |||
Sesotho | kgafetsa | ||
Kgafetsa refers to both frequency and intensity or severity. | |||
Swahili | mara kwa mara | ||
"Mara kwa mara" is a reduplication of the word "mara" which means time, period, while the phrase "kwa mara" can also mean "at once, suddenly". | |||
Xhosa | rhoqo | ||
In Xhosa, "rhoqo" can also mean "constantly" or "oftentimes." | |||
Yoruba | loorekoore | ||
The word "loorekoore" also means "many times" in Yoruba. | |||
Zulu | njalo | ||
The word "njalo" is also used to mean "always" or "continuously" in Zulu. | |||
Bambara | kuma caman | ||
Ewe | edziedzi | ||
Kinyarwanda | kenshi | ||
Lingala | mbala na mbala | ||
Luganda | buli kaseera | ||
Sepedi | gantši | ||
Twi (Akan) | ntɛm | ||
Arabic | متكرر | ||
متكرر also means "repeating, recurrent," hence the derived verb "تكرر" (to repeat) | |||
Hebrew | תָכוּף | ||
The Hebrew word "תָכוּף" (takhuf) originally meant "often" or "dense" but now also means "frequent." | |||
Pashto | بار بار | ||
The word "بار بار" also means "time and again" or "repeatedly" and is often used in conjunction with the word "وخت" (time) to denote "every now and then". | |||
Arabic | متكرر | ||
متكرر also means "repeating, recurrent," hence the derived verb "تكرر" (to repeat) |
Albanian | të shpeshta | ||
The Albanian word "të shpeshta" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *seḱ-, meaning "to cut" | |||
Basque | maiz | ||
The word 'maiz' in Basque also means 'often' or 'usually', and is closely related to the word 'maizter', meaning 'frequently'. | |||
Catalan | freqüent | ||
The word "freqüent" in Catalan is derived from the Latin word "frequens", meaning "crowded" or "often occurring". | |||
Croatian | često | ||
The word "često" in Croatian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*čęstъ", which means "often" as well as "honor" and "esteem". | |||
Danish | hyppig | ||
"Hyppig" can also mean "often", "repeatedly", "regularly", or "usually". | |||
Dutch | veel voorkomend | ||
The Dutch word "veel voorkomend" is derived from the Middle Dutch word "vele","meaning "many" and "voorkomend" from "voorkomen" meaning "to occur". | |||
English | frequent | ||
The word "frequent" derives from the Latin "frequens," meaning "crowded," and is related to "frequentative," meaning "to do something often." | |||
French | fréquent | ||
In French, **fréquent** can refer to both frequency and popularity, e.g. "un écrivain **fréquent**" could mean either "a writer who writes often" or "a popular writer". | |||
Frisian | frekwint | ||
The word 'frekwint' means 'regular', and can be used to describe the frequency of an action or a thing. | |||
Galician | frecuente | ||
The Galician word "frecuente" can also mean "dense" or "crowded", unlike its English cognate. | |||
German | häufig | ||
The German word 'häufig' can also be an adverb, meaning 'often'. It originated from 'hōf' meaning 'multitude', 'abundance'. | |||
Icelandic | tíður | ||
Tíður is cognate with the Old Norse word "tíðr", which means "time" or "season". | |||
Irish | go minic | ||
The word "go minic" is derived from the Old Irish phrase "go mbeannaí cách," which translates to "so that it may often occur." | |||
Italian | frequente | ||
The Italian word "frequente" comes from the Latin "frequens", meaning "often" or "crowded", but can also mean "familiar" or "closely connected". | |||
Luxembourgish | heefeg | ||
The word "heefeg" comes from the Proto-Germanic word "haufi", meaning "heap" or "crowd". | |||
Maltese | frekwenti | ||
The word "frekwenti" in Maltese comes from the Latin word "frequens", meaning "often". However, it can also be used to mean "crowded" or "busy". | |||
Norwegian | hyppig | ||
The term 'hyppig' can also refer to something that occurs with a high degree of regularity or in rapid succession. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | freqüente | ||
The word "freqüente" in Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) originates from the Latin "frequens," meaning "crowded" or "often occurring." | |||
Scots Gaelic | tric | ||
The etymology of tric is not fully known; possibly from Latin tricæ (trifles) | |||
Spanish | frecuente | ||
The word "frecuente" comes from the Latin word "frequens" meaning "crowded" or "often occurring". | |||
Swedish | frekvent | ||
The Swedish word 'frekvent' means 'frequent', and is related to the English word 'frequency', while having the slightly outdated alternate meaning 'impudent'. | |||
Welsh | yn aml | ||
The word "yn aml" can also mean "often" or "frequently" in English. |
Belarusian | частыя | ||
The word "частыя" can also mean "dense" or "thick" in Belarusian. | |||
Bosnian | često | ||
The word "često" has roots in Proto-Slavic, and it is also used in Serbo-Croatian and Old Russian. | |||
Bulgarian | често срещан | ||
In Bulgarian, "често срещан" can also mean "common", "frequent", and "usual." | |||
Czech | časté | ||
The word "časté" is also used to mean "often" in Czech. | |||
Estonian | sage | ||
The word "sage" can also refer to a person who is wise or experienced. | |||
Finnish | usein | ||
Usein also means "in general" or "usually" when used as an adverb to modify a verb or phrase. | |||
Hungarian | gyakori | ||
The word "gyakori" comes from the Proto-Ugric word "*käk" meaning "to go, to wander". | |||
Latvian | bieži | ||
The word "bieži" also means "often" in Latvian. | |||
Lithuanian | dažnas | ||
The Lithuanian word "dažnas" also means "dense" or "compact". | |||
Macedonian | чести | ||
"Чести" can also mean "often" or "frequently" in Macedonian. | |||
Polish | częsty | ||
The alternate meaning of 'częsty' (frequent) in Polish is 'dense' (as in a forest), deriving from Old Polish 'częsta' | |||
Romanian | frecvent | ||
The word "frecvent" in Romanian also means "current" or "contemporary". | |||
Russian | частый | ||
In Russian, "частый" can also mean "dense" or "numerous". | |||
Serbian | често | ||
In Serbian, "често" not only means "frequent" but also refers to an old Slavic measurement unit of area or volume. | |||
Slovak | časté | ||
The Slovak word "časté" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*čęstъ", meaning "honor" or "esteem". This is reflected in the fact that "časté" can also mean "honorable" or "esteemed" in Slovak. | |||
Slovenian | pogosto | ||
The word 'pogosto' may also refer to a particular time or occasion. | |||
Ukrainian | часті | ||
The Ukrainian word "часті" derives from the Proto-Slavic root "*čęstь", meaning "part, portion" |
Bengali | ঘন ঘন | ||
In Sanskrit, 'ঘন' ('ghana') also means dense, thick or compact. | |||
Gujarati | વારંવાર | ||
Hindi | बारंबार | ||
The word "बारंबार" can also be used to refer to an item or event which occurs repeatedly or at regular intervals. | |||
Kannada | ಆಗಾಗ್ಗೆ | ||
This word also means "sometimes" and appears in many other languages, including Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, etc. | |||
Malayalam | പതിവായി | ||
The word "പതിവായി" ("frequent") in Malayalam is related to the word "പതി" (husband), indicating an established or ongoing pattern. | |||
Marathi | वारंवार | ||
The word 'वारंवार' means 'repeatedly' or 'often' in Marathi, it derives from the Sanskrit words 'वारा' (time) and 'वार' (again). | |||
Nepali | बारम्बार | ||
The etymology and alternate meanings of "बारम्बार" involve its connection to "वारं वारं," indicating "repeatedly." Its original Sanskrit form is "वारवार," meaning "frequently" or "continuously." | |||
Punjabi | ਵਾਰ ਵਾਰ | ||
In Punjabi, 'ਵਾਰ ਵਾਰ' is also a phrase with the extended meaning of 'again and again'. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නිතර | ||
නිතර is used in Sinhala to mean both "regularly" and "often". | |||
Tamil | அடிக்கடி | ||
"அடிக்கடி" in Tamil shares its root with "அடி" (foot), suggesting the idea of stepping or hitting repeatedly. | |||
Telugu | తరచుగా | ||
The Telugu word "తరచుగా" can also be used to mean "regularly" or "often". | |||
Urdu | بار بار | ||
بار بار is derived from the Persian word 'bar', meaning 'time' or 'occasion'. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 频繁的 | ||
頻繁的本義是「往返奔走」,引申為「經常」,在現代漢語中,頻繁的通常指發生或進行得很頻繁,具有時間或次數上的頻繁性。 | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 頻繁的 | ||
"頻繁的"在中文裡除了有「頻繁」的意思外,還可以指「繁忙」或「複雜」 | |||
Japanese | 頻繁に | ||
The kanji 頻 (bin) means 'often' and 繁 (han) means 'dense' or 'thick', so 頻繁に (hippan ni) literally means 'often and densely'. | |||
Korean | 빈번한 | ||
빈번한's etymology is from the Sino-Korean word '频繁' which means 'numerous; frequent; often'. | |||
Mongolian | байнга | ||
The word "байнга" can also mean "very" or "quite". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | မကြာခဏ | ||
မကြာခဏ in Burmese has the additional connotation of "often" and can express both habitual and repetitive actions. |
Indonesian | sering | ||
"Sering" is also the name of a type of plant with the scientific name {"Memecylon edule."} | |||
Javanese | asring | ||
The word asring in Javanese is derived from the Sanskrit **asrika**, meaning "repeated" or "repeatedly". | |||
Khmer | ញឹកញាប់ | ||
"ញឹកញាប់" also literally means "to pull something frequently and tightly". | |||
Lao | ເລື້ອຍໆ | ||
"ເລື້ອຍໆ" is also a synonym for "oftentimes", and is often used in situations where the frequency is uncertain or does not need to be specified. | |||
Malay | kerap | ||
"Kerap" can also mean "often" or "constantly" in other Malay dialects, including Indonesian. | |||
Thai | บ่อย | ||
บ่อย also means "very" as in "very good" (ดีมาก) or "very well" (สบายดีมาก). | |||
Vietnamese | thường xuyên | ||
"Thường xuyên" (frequent) in Vietnamese can also mean "regularly" or "usually". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | madalas | ||
Azerbaijani | tez-tez | ||
In Azerbaijani, "tez-tez" can also mean "fast" or "quickly." | |||
Kazakh | жиі | ||
The Kazakh word "жиі" can also refer to "often" or "many times" in the sense of occurring or happening frequently. | |||
Kyrgyz | тез-тез | ||
The word "тез-тез" is derived from the Proto-Turkic root "tez", meaning "fast" or "quick". | |||
Tajik | зуд-зуд | ||
The word "зуд-зуд" in Tajik is derived from the Persian phrase "zud-zud", meaning "quickly". It can also be used to describe something that is incessant or annoying. | |||
Turkmen | ýygy-ýygydan | ||
Uzbek | tez-tez | ||
The word "tez-tez" can also mean "quickly" or "in a hurry". | |||
Uyghur | دائىم | ||
Hawaiian | pinepine | ||
"Pinepine" also translates to "small or tiny" or even "a brief moment" or "fleeting instant". | |||
Maori | auau | ||
The word "auau" in Maori can also mean "to wash" or "to bathe". | |||
Samoan | fai soo | ||
The word "fai soo" also means "to work together" or "to unite together" in Samoan. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | madalas | ||
The Tagalog word "madalas" can also mean "usually" or "often". |
Aymara | sapakuti | ||
Guarani | jepiguáva | ||
Esperanto | ofta | ||
"Ofta" is a loanword from the Swedish word "ofta," which means "often" or "frequently." | |||
Latin | crebris | ||
The Latin word "crebris" also means "repeatedly" or "densely" and is related to the word "creber" ("thick" or "crowded"). |
Greek | συχνάζω | ||
The word "συχνάζω" ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *sḱand-, meaning to leap or jump | |||
Hmong | nquag | ||
The Hmong word "nquag" can also refer to the action of someone who frequently moves from one place to another. | |||
Kurdish | pircarane | ||
The etymology of the Kurdish word "pircarane" remains unclear but, in some regions of Kurdistan, it also has the meaning of "very". | |||
Turkish | sık | ||
"Sık" (frequent) can also mean "tight" or "dense" in Turkish, and it shares its origin with the English word "sick". | |||
Xhosa | rhoqo | ||
In Xhosa, "rhoqo" can also mean "constantly" or "oftentimes." | |||
Yiddish | אָפט | ||
The word "אָפט" in Yiddish is borrowed from the German "oft" and also has the alternate connotation of "often". | |||
Zulu | njalo | ||
The word "njalo" is also used to mean "always" or "continuously" in Zulu. | |||
Assamese | সঘনাই | ||
Aymara | sapakuti | ||
Bhojpuri | बार-बार | ||
Dhivehi | ވަރަށް އަވަސް އަވަހަށް | ||
Dogri | अक्सर | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | madalas | ||
Guarani | jepiguáva | ||
Ilocano | masansan | ||
Krio | bɔku | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | چەندبارە | ||
Maithili | बारबार | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯌꯥꯝꯅ ꯇꯣꯏꯕ | ||
Mizo | fo | ||
Oromo | irradeddeebii | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ବାରମ୍ବାର | | ||
Quechua | sapa kuti | ||
Sanskrit | बारंबार | ||
Tatar | еш | ||
Tigrinya | ብተደጋጋሚ | ||
Tsonga | nkarhi na nkarhi | ||