Heavy in Different Languages
Discover 'Heavy' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'heavy' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, denoting a great weight or force, as well as carrying connotations of difficulty, seriousness, or importance. Its cultural importance is evident in its use across various domains, from literature and music to science and technology. For instance, in literature, 'heavy' characters often bear the weight of the story's themes, while in music, 'heavy' refers to genres like heavy metal that evoke power and intensity. In science, 'heavy' elements contribute to nuclear reactions, shaping the very fabric of our universe.
Given its wide-ranging significance, one might wonder about the translations of 'heavy' in different languages. After all, understanding this term in various cultural contexts can enrich our global perspective and foster cross-cultural communication. For example, in Spanish, 'heavy' translates to 'pesado'; in French, 'lourd'; in German, 'schwer'; in Mandarin, '重'; and in Japanese, '重い'. These translations not only reflect linguistic diversity but also reveal the universal human experience of weight and burden.
Heavy
Heavy in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | swaar | ||
| The word "swaar" can also refer to a sense of emotional or psychological burden. | |||
| Amharic | ከባድ | ||
| "ከባድ" also means "important" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | nauyi | ||
| The word "nauyi" in Hausa can also refer to someone who is dignified or important. | |||
| Igbo | arọ | ||
| The Igbo word "arọ" can also refer to a type of heavy weight used in traditional measurement or to an elder who carries the wisdom of the community. | |||
| Malagasy | mavesatra | ||
| The Malagasy word "mavesatra" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian root *beðat, meaning "weight" or "to carry a burden". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | cholemera | ||
| In Nyanja, "cholemera" also means "to be burdensome" or "to be a burden". | |||
| Shona | inorema | ||
| In Shona, "inorema" also means "difficult" or "arduous." | |||
| Somali | culus | ||
| The term culus, meaning "heavy" in Somali, also signifies a weighty emotional burden. | |||
| Sesotho | boima | ||
| The word "boima" can also be used to describe something that is difficult or challenging. | |||
| Swahili | nzito | ||
| The Swahili word "nzito" also means "difficult" or "hard to deal with" in addition to its primary meaning of "heavy". | |||
| Xhosa | inzima | ||
| The Xhosa word 'inzima' also refers to a burden or responsibility. | |||
| Yoruba | wuwo | ||
| The Yoruba word 'wuwo' can also refer to a person who is slow or sluggish. | |||
| Zulu | kusinda | ||
| The word "kusinda" in Zulu can also mean "to feel burdened" or "to be tired". | |||
| Bambara | girin | ||
| Ewe | kpekpem | ||
| Kinyarwanda | biremereye | ||
| Lingala | kilo | ||
| Luganda | okuzitowa | ||
| Sepedi | boima | ||
| Twi (Akan) | mu duro | ||
Heavy in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ثقيل | ||
| "ثقيل" can also mean "slow" or "boring" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | כָּבֵד | ||
| The Hebrew word "כָּבֵד" also refers to the human liver. | |||
| Pashto | دروند | ||
| The word "دروند" can also refer to a "heavily built or obese person" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | ثقيل | ||
| "ثقيل" can also mean "slow" or "boring" in Arabic. | |||
Heavy in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i rëndë | ||
| The word "i rëndë" can also mean "difficult" or "important" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | astuna | ||
| "Astuna" is derived from the Proto-Basque root "-tu-", which also means "down" or "towards the ground," providing the word with a sense of physical weightiness. | |||
| Catalan | pesat | ||
| In Catalan, "pesat" can also mean "annoying". | |||
| Croatian | teška | ||
| In Croatian dialects, the word 'teška' is also a type of folk song, named after its slow, mournful rhythm. | |||
| Danish | tung | ||
| The Danish word "tung" also means "difficult" or "arduous". | |||
| Dutch | zwaar | ||
| The word "zwaar" originates from the Proto-Germanic word "*swair", meaning both "heavy" and "expensive." | |||
| English | heavy | ||
| The word 'heavy' can also refer to something that is burdensome or difficult to bear, or to a strong or intense emotion. | |||
| French | lourd | ||
| "Lourd" comes from the Latin "levem", meaning "light". | |||
| Frisian | swier | ||
| The word "swier" is also used to describe something that is difficult or burdensome. | |||
| Galician | pesado | ||
| In Galician, "pesado" can also mean "annoying" or "tiresome". | |||
| German | schwer | ||
| The word "schwer" also refers to serious or difficult tasks, problems, or consequences. | |||
| Icelandic | þungur | ||
| The word þungur (pronounced “Thoong-ur”) also means slow or boring, especially when referring to other people. | |||
| Irish | trom | ||
| The Irish word "trom" (heavy) also refers to a burdensome situation or a difficult task. | |||
| Italian | pesante | ||
| The Italian word "pesante" not only means "heavy", but also "boring", "dull", or "annoying". | |||
| Luxembourgish | schwéier | ||
| The word "schwéier" is derived from the Old High German word "swāri", which can also mean "difficult" or "painful". | |||
| Maltese | tqil | ||
| The Maltese word "tqil" is cognate of the Arabic word 'thaqeel' which means both "heavy" or "slow". | |||
| Norwegian | tung | ||
| The word "tung" in Norwegian also means "difficult" or "hard to do". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | pesado | ||
| "Pesado" can also be used to describe something that is annoying or boring. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | trom | ||
| The word can also mean "difficult" and is related to the Old Irish "tromm" meaning "heavy" or "difficult". | |||
| Spanish | pesado | ||
| The Spanish word 'pesado,' meaning 'heavy' or 'annoying,' originated from the Latin word 'pensare,' meaning 'to weigh' or 'to consider'. | |||
| Swedish | tung | ||
| "Tung" also means "sad" or "melancholic" in Swedish, capturing the emotional weight associated with heaviness. | |||
| Welsh | trwm | ||
| The word "trwm" can also mean "sad" or "uncomfortable" in Welsh, suggesting a metaphorical connection between physical weight and emotional burden. | |||
Heavy in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | цяжкі | ||
| Цяжкі (“heavy”) comes from the Proto-Slavic word *těžьkъ, which also meant “pregnant”. | |||
| Bosnian | teška | ||
| "Teška" can also refer to a type of Bosnian folk music featuring heavy bass and drums. | |||
| Bulgarian | тежък | ||
| "Тежък" is also used figuratively to mean "difficult, burdensome, or serious." | |||
| Czech | těžký | ||
| The word "těžký" also means "difficult" or "hard" in Czech, reflecting its dual nature as a physical and abstract concept. | |||
| Estonian | raske | ||
| In the Estonian slang, "raske" also means "good" or "cool". | |||
| Finnish | raskas | ||
| The word "raskas" can also refer to something laborious, difficult, or burdensome. | |||
| Hungarian | nehéz | ||
| The Hungarian word "nehéz" also means "difficult" or "hard" depending on the context. | |||
| Latvian | smags | ||
| The word “smags” in Latvian was borrowed from the Low German word “smag” (“strong” or “thick”), a cognate of the English word “smear.” | |||
| Lithuanian | sunkus | ||
| In Lithuanian, the word "sunkus" shares the same origin as its Old Prussian and Latvian counterparts, suggesting its Balto-Slavic origin, despite having a distinct Proto-Indo-European etymology compared to Slavic counterparts such as "tyazhel". | |||
| Macedonian | тежок | ||
| The word "тежок" can also mean "difficult" or "hard" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | ciężki | ||
| The Polish word "ciężki" originally meant "pregnant" but later took on the meaning of "heavy." | |||
| Romanian | greu | ||
| "Greu" also means "hard (to do, understand, etc.)" | |||
| Russian | тяжелый | ||
| The word "тяжелый" can mean "serious" or "difficult" as well as "heavy". | |||
| Serbian | тешка | ||
| The word "тешка" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root "*težъka", meaning "difficult", and is related to the words "tight" and "narrow" in other Slavic languages. | |||
| Slovak | ťažký | ||
| "Ťažký" also means "difficult" in Slovak, as in "ťažká otázka" (difficult question), or "serious" as in "ťažká choroba" (serious illness). | |||
| Slovenian | težka | ||
| The word "težka" in Slovenian shares its etymology with "tough" in English, originating from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰéwtko-. | |||
| Ukrainian | важкий | ||
| The Ukrainian word "важкий" is cognate to the Polish word "ważki," which means "important". | |||
Heavy in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ভারী | ||
| "ভারী" can also mean "important", "significant", or "serious" in Bengali, not just "heavy". | |||
| Gujarati | ભારે | ||
| The Gujarati word "ભારે" (bhare) originally meant "costly" or "valuable," and still retains that meaning in some contexts. | |||
| Hindi | भारी | ||
| भारी (bhārī) also means "great" or "important" in Hindi, as in "भारी काम" (an important task). | |||
| Kannada | ಭಾರ | ||
| The word 'ಭಾರ' (heavy) is also used to describe a sense of burden or responsibility, or a situation that requires great effort. | |||
| Malayalam | കനത്ത | ||
| "കനത്ത" can also mean 'solid', 'dense', 'thick' or 'rich'. | |||
| Marathi | भारी | ||
| The word "भारी" in Marathi can also mean "important" or "difficult". | |||
| Nepali | भारी | ||
| The Nepali word "भारी" traces its roots to the Sanskrit term "भृ" which means "to carry or support" and also has the alternate meaning of "great, much or many." | |||
| Punjabi | ਭਾਰੀ | ||
| The word "ਭਾਰੀ" can also mean "costly" or "expensive" in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | බර | ||
| The word "බර" can also mean "weight" or "pressure". | |||
| Tamil | கனமான | ||
| Despite deriving from the root 'KaN',' 'கனமான' does not always mean weighty but also implies gravity or seriousness. | |||
| Telugu | భారీ | ||
| "భారీ" also refers to being bulky in size; the term is commonly used when a person has gained weight and is looking a bit large. | |||
| Urdu | بھاری | ||
| The word "بھاری" (bhārī) shares its root with the Sanskrit word "भारी" (bhārī), meaning "important, weighty" | |||
Heavy in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 重 | ||
| 重 (zhòng) can also refer to "again," as in 重复 (chóngfù) "repeat," or "twice," as in 重点 (zhòngdiǎn) "main point." | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 重 | ||
| The character "重" was originally used to refer to a person doubled over under a heavy load. | |||
| Japanese | ヘビー | ||
| "ヘビー" can also mean "serious" or "severe". | |||
| Korean | 무거운 | ||
| "무거운" 본래의 의미는 무게가 더 크다는 것보다는 "무겁다"는 의미가 강했다. | |||
| Mongolian | хүнд | ||
| The Mongolian word "хүнд" also means "hard, difficult". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မိုးသည်းထန်စွာ | ||
Heavy in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | berat | ||
| "Berat" can also mean "difficult" or "burdensome." | |||
| Javanese | abot | ||
| "Abot" also means "to carry" in Javanese, suggesting a connection between the weight of an object and the effort required to move it. | |||
| Khmer | ធ្ងន់ | ||
| "ធ្ងន់" can also mean "difficult" or "serious" in Khmer | |||
| Lao | ໜັກ | ||
| "ໜັກ" is also an adjective that means "important" or "serious". | |||
| Malay | berat | ||
| The word "berat" in Malay can also refer to "important" or "burdensome" | |||
| Thai | หนัก | ||
| "หนักมือ" literally means "heavy-handed" but figuratively means "harsh". | |||
| Vietnamese | nặng | ||
| The word "nặng" also means "difficult" or "serious", reflecting the weight of responsibility or the difficulty of a task. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mabigat | ||
Heavy in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ağır | ||
| The word "ağır" in Azerbaijani also means "serious, important, or difficult" | |||
| Kazakh | ауыр | ||
| "Ауыр" also means "difficult," "serious," or "severe." | |||
| Kyrgyz | оор | ||
| The word "оор" in Kyrgyz, meaning "heavy," also has connotations of slowness, clumsiness, or difficulty. | |||
| Tajik | вазнин | ||
| The word "вазнин" in Tajik can also mean "serious" or "important". | |||
| Turkmen | agyr | ||
| Uzbek | og'ir | ||
| The word "og'ir" in Uzbek also means "difficult" or "complex". | |||
| Uyghur | ئېغىر | ||
Heavy in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kaumaha | ||
| In Hawaiian mythology, Kaumaha is the name of a gigantic turtle that is said to carry the islands on its back. | |||
| Maori | taumaha | ||
| The word taumaha can be used metaphorically in several contexts including when someone feels burdened with responsibility, physically exhausted, or overwhelmed with negative emotion | |||
| Samoan | mamafa | ||
| In Samoan, "mamafa" can also mean "important" or "serious". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mabigat | ||
| Mabigat also means 'difficult' or 'burdensome', from the root word 'bigat', meaning 'weight'. | |||
Heavy in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jathi | ||
| Guarani | pohýi | ||
Heavy in International Languages
| Esperanto | peza | ||
| The word "peza" is also used to refer to something difficult or burdensome. | |||
| Latin | gravis | ||
| In Latin, "gravis" also signifies importance, serious, or solemn, which is its original meaning. | |||
Heavy in Others Languages
| Greek | βαρύς | ||
| The word "βαρύς" (barys) derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*gʷer-/*gʷr-", meaning "heavy" or "serious." | |||
| Hmong | hnyav | ||
| In Hmong, the word "hnyav" can also refer to a person who is important or highly esteemed. | |||
| Kurdish | giran | ||
| "Giran" can also mean "difficult" or "complicated" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | ağır | ||
| The word "ağır" also means "serious", "mature", or "difficult" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | inzima | ||
| The Xhosa word 'inzima' also refers to a burden or responsibility. | |||
| Yiddish | שווער | ||
| The Yiddish word "shver" can also refer to a father-in-law or brother-in-law. | |||
| Zulu | kusinda | ||
| The word "kusinda" in Zulu can also mean "to feel burdened" or "to be tired". | |||
| Assamese | গধুৰ | ||
| Aymara | jathi | ||
| Bhojpuri | भारी | ||
| Dhivehi | ބަރު | ||
| Dogri | भारी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mabigat | ||
| Guarani | pohýi | ||
| Ilocano | nadagsen | ||
| Krio | ebi | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | قورس | ||
| Maithili | भारी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯔꯨꯝꯕ | ||
| Mizo | rit | ||
| Oromo | ulfaataa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଭାରୀ | ||
| Quechua | llasaq | ||
| Sanskrit | भारयुक्तम् | ||
| Tatar | авыр | ||
| Tigrinya | ከቢድ | ||
| Tsonga | tika | ||