Just in Different Languages
Discover 'Just' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'just' is a small but mighty one, with a significant impact on the meaning and tone of a sentence. In English, 'just' can be used as an adjective, adverb, or noun, and it often conveys ideas of fairness, morality, or time. But what about in other languages? Understanding the translations of 'just' in different languages can open up new avenues of communication and cultural understanding.
For example, in Spanish, 'justo' can mean 'just' or 'right,' while in French, 'juste' can mean 'fair' or 'exact.' In German, 'gerecht' means 'just' in the sense of fairness, while 'gerade' means 'just' in the sense of recently or exactly. And in Japanese, the word 'tsuuchou' (通帳) can be translated to 'just' as in a checking account, showing the cultural importance of financial record-keeping.
By learning the translations of 'just' in different languages, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the nuances of communication and the richness of cultural diversity. Here are some translations of 'just' to get you started:
Just
Just in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | net | ||
| The Afrikaans word "net" can also mean "still" or "yet". | |||
| Amharic | ብቻ | ||
| "ብቻ" can also mean "only" or "alone". | |||
| Hausa | kawai | ||
| The Hausa word "kawai" is not derived from the common Hausa suffix "-wai" meaning "just" or "only". | |||
| Igbo | naanị | ||
| In some Igbo dialects, particularly the Nsukka dialect, 'naanị' can also be used to mean 'alone'. | |||
| Malagasy | fotsiny | ||
| The word "fotsiny" can also mean "very" or "completely". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | basi | ||
| Nyanja "basi" also means "perhaps" or "maybe". | |||
| Shona | chete | ||
| In Shona, "chete" can also mean "only" or "specifically". | |||
| Somali | kaliya | ||
| The word "kaliya" can also be used to express equality, as in "labada ninba waa kaliya", which means "both men are equal". | |||
| Sesotho | feela | ||
| The word "feela" also means "almost" or "nearly" in some Sesotho dialects. | |||
| Swahili | tu | ||
| The word "tu" in Swahili can also mean "barely" or "scarcely." | |||
| Xhosa | nje | ||
| The word "nje" can also mean "only" or "merely" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | o kan | ||
| The Yoruba word "o kan" can also mean "only" or "alone". | |||
| Zulu | nje | ||
| The Zulu word `nje` has the similar meaning to `futhi` (also), and the opposite meaning to `kodwa` (but). | |||
| Bambara | a bena | ||
| Ewe | ko | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gusa | ||
| Lingala | kaka | ||
| Luganda | obwenkanya | ||
| Sepedi | fela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kɛkɛ | ||
Just in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مجرد | ||
| "مجرد" comes from the root word of "جَرَّ". It means: "pull with force " or "flow as water" | |||
| Hebrew | רַק | ||
| "רק" (rak) additionally means "only" or "except", from a Proto-Semitic root shared by Akkadian and Arabic, meaning "single". | |||
| Pashto | بس | ||
| In addition to meaning "just," the word "بس" in Pashto can also mean "only" or "merely." | |||
| Arabic | مجرد | ||
| "مجرد" comes from the root word of "جَرَّ". It means: "pull with force " or "flow as water" | |||
Just in Western European Languages
| Albanian | vetëm | ||
| The word "vetëm" also has the meaning of "only, alone" and is related to the Latin word "vita" (life). | |||
| Basque | besterik ez | ||
| The Basque word "besterik ez" is also used to mean "only". | |||
| Catalan | només | ||
| The word només's origins are in the Greek νόμος, which means 'law'. | |||
| Croatian | samo | ||
| The word 'samo' has its roots in Proto-Indo-European, and it is also found in many other Slavic languages with the same meaning. | |||
| Danish | lige | ||
| The word 'lige' in Danish also means 'straight' or 'exactly', and can be used as an adverb or adjective. | |||
| Dutch | alleen maar | ||
| The word "alleen maar" can also mean "only" or "nothing but". | |||
| English | just | ||
| The word "just" can also mean "close" or "nearly" as in "I just finished my dinner". | |||
| French | juste | ||
| The French word "juste" can also mean "accurate", "fair", or "appropriate". | |||
| Frisian | krekt | ||
| The Frisian word 'krekt' can also mean 'right' or 'correct', highlighting its connection to precision and accuracy. | |||
| Galician | só | ||
| The Galician word "só" can also mean "only" or "alone". | |||
| German | gerade | ||
| In architecture, the term "gerade" also refers to the central axis of a building, or to the line between a building and the street it faces. | |||
| Icelandic | bara | ||
| The word "bara" can also mean "only" or "merely" in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | díreach | ||
| The word díreach, meaning "straight" or "direct" in Irish, also has a secondary meaning of impartiality or fairness. | |||
| Italian | appena | ||
| The Italian word "appena" can also refer to "scarcely" or "as soon as", depending on context | |||
| Luxembourgish | just | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "just" comes from the french word "juste" which can also mean "exact" or "accurate" depending on the context. | |||
| Maltese | biss | ||
| The Maltese word "biss" originates from the Semitic root "b-s-s", which also denotes "enough" or "sufficiency". | |||
| Norwegian | bare | ||
| The Norwegian word "bare" can also mean "only" or "merely". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | somente | ||
| Portuguese 'somente' ('just') stems from Late Latin 'subinde' ('constantly, continually', from Latin 'sub' ('under') + 'inde' ('thence'), which acquired modern sense via Catalan 'soment' ('only'). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dìreach | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "dìreach" can also mean "straight" or "directly" in a physical sense. | |||
| Spanish | sólo | ||
| The word "sólo" can also mean "alone" or "only" depending on the context. | |||
| Swedish | bara | ||
| While "bara" in Swedish means "only" or "just," it can also refer to a bare meadow or pasture in Old Norse. | |||
| Welsh | yn unig | ||
| Unig comes from the same root as 'unique' and is sometimes translated as 'single'. | |||
Just in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | проста | ||
| The Belarusian word "проста" (just) comes from the Old Church Slavonic word "простити" (to forgive) and can also mean "simple" or "ordinary". | |||
| Bosnian | samo | ||
| The word 'samo' in Bosnian, which means 'just,' is also used to mean 'only' or 'merely'. | |||
| Bulgarian | просто | ||
| "Про́сто" in Bulgarian not only means "just," but also "simply," "easily," "merely," and can sometimes be used as an adverb meaning "simply" or "straightforwardly". | |||
| Czech | prostě | ||
| The word "prostě" also has the alternate meanings of "simply" or "merely" in the sense of "without further qualification". | |||
| Estonian | lihtsalt | ||
| The word "lihtsalt" in Estonian is derived from the Proto-Finnic word *liht, meaning "simple, easy" and shares a root with the English word "light." | |||
| Finnish | vain | ||
| The word "vain" in Finnish comes from the Latin word "vanus" meaning "empty" or "worthless". | |||
| Hungarian | éppen | ||
| The word "éppen" can also mean "exactly", "precisely", or "on time". | |||
| Latvian | tikai | ||
| The word “tikai” in Latvian also has an archaic meaning related to the time of day, such as “only in the afternoon” or “only in the evening”. | |||
| Lithuanian | tiesiog | ||
| In Lithuanian, "tiesiog" can also refer to "smoothly" or "directly". | |||
| Macedonian | само | ||
| The Macedonian word "само" can also mean "alone" or "only". | |||
| Polish | właśnie | ||
| The Polish word "właśnie" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *vol'ьnъ, meaning "free, right". | |||
| Romanian | doar | ||
| The word "doar" in Romanian derives from the Latin "dumtaxat," meaning "only" or "at least." | |||
| Russian | просто | ||
| The Russian word "просто" (just) derives from "прямо" (straight) and originally meant "directly, openly". | |||
| Serbian | само | ||
| The Serbian word "само" can also mean "alone" or "only". | |||
| Slovak | len | ||
| Len is cognate with "lene" in Czech, which is an interjection of encouragement. | |||
| Slovenian | samo | ||
| The word "samo" in Slovenian can also mean "only" or "merely". | |||
| Ukrainian | просто | ||
| The word "просто" can also mean "simply", "merely", or "only" in Ukrainian. | |||
Just in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ঠিক | ||
| The word "ঠিক" can also mean "correct" or "accurate" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | માત્ર | ||
| The Gujarati word "માત્ર" also means "only" or "merely". | |||
| Hindi | केवल | ||
| The Sanskrit word 'kevala' denotes both 'single' and 'complete', with the former sense leading to the Hindi 'keval' and the latter to the Hindi 'kevalya'. | |||
| Kannada | ಕೇವಲ | ||
| ಕೇವಲ is not only a synonym for "just" in English, but also means "only" or "alone". | |||
| Malayalam | വെറുതെ | ||
| The word "വെറുതെ" can also mean "idly" or "in vain," and is related to the Sanskrit verb "वृ" (vr) "to choose". | |||
| Marathi | फक्त | ||
| The word 'फक्त' (just) in Marathi has alternate meanings that include 'only' and 'merely' and originates from the Sanskrit word 'मात्र' (just, only). | |||
| Nepali | मात्र | ||
| Nepali word "मात्र" also means "only" or "merely", and shares its etymology with the English word "measure". | |||
| Punjabi | ਬੱਸ | ||
| The Punjabi word 'ਬੱਸ' can also refer to a 'bus', likely originating from the English word. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නිකම්ම | ||
| The Sinhala word "නිකම්ම" not only means "just" but also "merely" and "simply". | |||
| Tamil | வெறும் | ||
| The word "வெறும்" (verum) also means "naked" or "empty" in Tamil, showcasing its semantic range beyond the concept of "just" | |||
| Telugu | కేవలం | ||
| "కేవలం" is used in Telugu to mean "only" and "merely". | |||
| Urdu | صرف | ||
| In addition to its common meaning of 'just,' 'صرف' can also refer to grammar, money exchange, and purity. | |||
Just in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 只是 | ||
| In addition to the common meaning "just", the Chinese word "只是" ("zhǐshì") can also mean "merely" or "only". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 只是 | ||
| The term “只是” can also mean merely, only, or nothing more than. | |||
| Japanese | ただ | ||
| The word "ただ" (tada) can also mean "for free" or "solely". | |||
| Korean | 다만 | ||
| The word "다만" in Korean is derived from the Chinese word "但", meaning "only" or "but". It can also mean "however" or "nevertheless". | |||
| Mongolian | зүгээр л | ||
| The Mongolian word "зүгээр л" ("just") can also mean "only" or "merely" in certain contexts. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တရားမျှတ | ||
| The word "တရားမျှတ" is derived from the Pali word "dhamma", meaning "truth, justice, or righteousness", and the Burmese word "myat", meaning "equal" or "balanced". | |||
Just in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | hanya | ||
| In Indonesian, "hanya" can also mean "only" or "merely", and is derived from the Javanese word "hono" meaning "place or location". | |||
| Javanese | mung | ||
| The word "mung" in Javanese can also mean "only" or "merely". | |||
| Khmer | គ្រាន់តែ | ||
| Lao | ພຽງແຕ່ | ||
| Malay | hanya | ||
| "Hanya" in Malay also derives from Sanskrit word "hyana" which means lowliness." | |||
| Thai | แค่ | ||
| The word "แค่" can also mean "only" or "as far as". | |||
| Vietnamese | chỉ | ||
| The word "chỉ" in Vietnamese can also mean "only", "but", or "simply" | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | basta | ||
Just in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | yalnız | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "yalnız" is cognate with the Turkish word "yalnız" and likely derives from the Proto-Turkic word *yalnïg, meaning "alone, lonely, single." | |||
| Kazakh | жай | ||
| The word "жай" in Kazakh can also mean "sufficient" or "easy". | |||
| Kyrgyz | жөн эле | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "жөн эле" has multiple meanings, including "normal," "okay," and "usual." | |||
| Tajik | танҳо | ||
| The word "танҳо" in Tajik can also mean "only" or "alone". | |||
| Turkmen | diňe | ||
| Uzbek | faqat | ||
| The Uzbek word "faqat" can also be used to express „only" or „merely." | |||
| Uyghur | پەقەت | ||
Just in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pono wale | ||
| Pono wale derives from pono, meaning "righteous," and may also mean "accurate," "true," or "correct." | |||
| Maori | tika | ||
| The Maori word "tika" can also refer to correctness, morality, and righteousness. | |||
| Samoan | naʻo | ||
| The word "naʻo" can also mean "to make even" or "to balance" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | basta | ||
| In Tagalog, "basta" can also mean "enough". | |||
Just in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | justu | ||
| Guarani | hekopotĩ | ||
Just in International Languages
| Esperanto | nur | ||
| In Old High German, the word nur had a negative meaning and was used to describe that something was lacking, but in modern High German and Esperanto the meaning turned into the exact opposite. | |||
| Latin | tantum | ||
| The Latin word "tantum" means "only" or "merely" and is also used in musical notation to indicate a solo passage. | |||
Just in Others Languages
| Greek | μόλις | ||
| Μόλις, besides 'just', also means 'hardly', 'scarcely', or 'with difficulty'. | |||
| Hmong | xwb | ||
| Xwb has the alternate meaning "very" or "really" in Hmong | |||
| Kurdish | adîl | ||
| In Kurdish, "adîl" is a composite of two roots: "ad," meaning "sun," and "îl," meaning "power." | |||
| Turkish | sadece | ||
| The Turkish word "sadece" can also mean "completely" or "at all." | |||
| Xhosa | nje | ||
| The word "nje" can also mean "only" or "merely" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | פּונקט | ||
| פּונקט, meaning "precise" and "exactly," derives from the Hebrew "נקודה," "a point," or "a dot." | |||
| Zulu | nje | ||
| The Zulu word `nje` has the similar meaning to `futhi` (also), and the opposite meaning to `kodwa` (but). | |||
| Assamese | মাত্ৰ | ||
| Aymara | justu | ||
| Bhojpuri | अबहीं | ||
| Dhivehi | ހަމަ | ||
| Dogri | हूनै | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | basta | ||
| Guarani | hekopotĩ | ||
| Ilocano | laeng | ||
| Krio | jɔs | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | تەنها | ||
| Maithili | बस एहिना | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯀꯥꯡꯂꯣꯟ ꯆꯨꯝꯕ | ||
| Mizo | chiah | ||
| Oromo | haqa qabeessa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କେବଳ | ||
| Quechua | justo | ||
| Sanskrit | इदानीम् | ||
| Tatar | гадел | ||
| Tigrinya | ጥራሕ | ||
| Tsonga | njhe | ||