Low in Different Languages
Discover 'Low' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'low' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, denoting a variety of concepts related to height, volume, or intensity. Its cultural importance is evident in its use in idioms and phrases, such as 'keep a low profile' or 'feeling low.' Understanding the translation of 'low' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the nuances of various cultures and broaden your linguistic horizons.
Did you know that the word 'low' has roots in Old English and originally meant 'not lofty' or 'close to the ground'? This historical context highlights the word's versatility and longevity in the English language. Moreover, its translations in different languages can reveal fascinating cultural differences and similarities.
For instance, in Spanish, 'low' translates to 'bajo,' while in French, it's 'bas.' In German, 'low' becomes 'niedrig,' and in Japanese, 'hikui' captures the same meaning. These translations offer a glimpse into the diverse ways that different cultures express the concept of 'low' and can enrich your understanding of language and culture.
Low
Low in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | laag | ||
| The word "laag" is a homonym of the English "log", referring to a tree trunk that has fallen off a tree. | |||
| Amharic | ዝቅተኛ | ||
| In addition, ዝቅተኛ can also refer to someone of low social status. | |||
| Hausa | low | ||
| The Hausa word "low" can also refer to a person or group of people of low status or rank. | |||
| Igbo | dị ala | ||
| The Igbo word "dị ala" also refers to someone who is humble, modest, or respectful. | |||
| Malagasy | iva | ||
| The word IVA can also refer to a type of fish trap or a small, narrow path or passageway. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | otsika | ||
| Otsika can also refer to a valley or ditch. | |||
| Shona | pasi | ||
| "Pasi" may also have other meanings, including "short in height", "underdeveloped", or "deficient". | |||
| Somali | hooseeya | ||
| The word "hooseeya" in Somali comes from the Arabic word "'aseeya", meaning "inferior" or "humble". | |||
| Sesotho | tlase | ||
| This word is derived form the Proto-Bantu word "tas" with the same meaning | |||
| Swahili | chini | ||
| The word "chini" in Swahili can also mean "south" or "inferior". | |||
| Xhosa | isezantsi | ||
| Isezantsi may also refer to the region of Southern Africa, especially as named in the 'Southern Africa Development Community' or by the University of South Africa, where it refers to the southern part of their campus. | |||
| Yoruba | kekere | ||
| Yoruba "kekere" also means "small or little" as in "o mo kekere" (a small child). | |||
| Zulu | phansi | ||
| "Phansi" in Zulu holds associations with the depths of the earth and the realm of ancestors. | |||
| Bambara | fɛ́gɛn | ||
| Ewe | bᴐbᴐ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | hasi | ||
| Lingala | nse | ||
| Luganda | wansi | ||
| Sepedi | fase | ||
| Twi (Akan) | fam | ||
Low in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | منخفض | ||
| In addition to its literal meaning of "low," منخفض also denotes a "depression," "trough," or "sinkhole" in topography. | |||
| Hebrew | נָמוּך | ||
| The Hebrew word for 'low' is derived from the Akkadian word 'namû,' which refers to the lowest position of the sun during its daily orbit. | |||
| Pashto | ټیټ | ||
| "ټیټ" can also refer to a "valley" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | منخفض | ||
| In addition to its literal meaning of "low," منخفض also denotes a "depression," "trough," or "sinkhole" in topography. | |||
Low in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i ulët | ||
| The word "i ulët" can also refer to a plain or valley, or to something that is humble or modest. | |||
| Basque | baxua | ||
| The Basque word “baxua” also means “peaceful” or “quiet”. | |||
| Catalan | baix | ||
| In Catalan, "baix" can also mean "nearby" or "underneath". | |||
| Croatian | niska | ||
| "niska" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "nek-" meaning "bow, stoop" and is also related to the Latin word "nixus" meaning "effort, exertion". | |||
| Danish | lav | ||
| In Danish the word "lav" (low) can also refer to the act of making a sound between yawning and laughter. | |||
| Dutch | laag | ||
| The Dutch word "laag" can also mean "stratum" or "layer". | |||
| English | low | ||
| The word 'low' originates from the Proto-Germanic word '*laugaz', meaning 'bent' or 'sloping'. | |||
| French | faible | ||
| The term "faible" in French also means "weak" or "feeble". | |||
| Frisian | leech | ||
| In Frisian, "leech" can also refer to a ditch or stream. | |||
| Galician | baixo | ||
| "Baixo" can also refer to a musical instrument, a river area, or a low-lying place, depending on the context. | |||
| German | niedrig | ||
| The archaic meaning of "niedrig" in German was "near the ground" rather than indicating a quantitative measure of height, and the word is related to "nahe" (near) and "Niederung" (lowlands). | |||
| Icelandic | lágt | ||
| In Icelandic, “lágt” can also refer to a shallow depth or the lower end of a scale. | |||
| Irish | íseal | ||
| From the Proto-Celtic *īsalo-, meaning "low" or "base." | |||
| Italian | basso | ||
| The Italian word "Basso" can also refer to a bass or bass guitar player in a musical ensemble. | |||
| Luxembourgish | niddereg | ||
| "Niddereg" stems from the Old High German "nidar", which has the meaning of "down". | |||
| Maltese | baxx | ||
| Baxx is also a type of small boat used for fishing in Malta. | |||
| Norwegian | lav | ||
| The word "lav" in Norwegian can also refer to a type of moss, moss carpet, or growth of moss. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | baixo | ||
| In Portuguese, "baixo" can also refer to a musical instrument similar to an upright bass or a dance style with an associated musical genre. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ìosal | ||
| The Gaelic word "ìosal" derives from the Gaelic word "ìseal" and can also mean "humble or meek." | |||
| Spanish | bajo | ||
| "Bajo" in Spanish can mean "under," "below" or "soft" depending on the context. | |||
| Swedish | låg | ||
| The word "låg" can also refer to a flame or a fire. | |||
| Welsh | isel | ||
| The Welsh word "isel" can also mean "humble" or "gentle". | |||
Low in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | нізкая | ||
| The word | |||
| Bosnian | niska | ||
| The word 'niska' is also used in Bosnia to refer to a type of folk dance. | |||
| Bulgarian | ниско | ||
| Bulgarian "ниско" may be derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*ney-", meaning "down" or "below." | |||
| Czech | nízký | ||
| "Nízký" is related to the adjectives "nedotknutelný" (untouchable) and "neviditelný" (invisible) and the ancient verb "níjeti" (to disappear). | |||
| Estonian | madal | ||
| "Madal" also relates to "madaldama," meaning to lower, as well as "madalik," or depression in the earth. | |||
| Finnish | matala | ||
| "Matala" originates from Proto-Uralic "*mata-l", meaning "lying on the ground" or "near the ground". | |||
| Hungarian | alacsony | ||
| The word "alacsony" comes from the Proto-Uralic *alak "to go down". | |||
| Latvian | zems | ||
| The word “zems” can also refer to geographical depression, which can be seen, for example, in the place name “Zemgale” and “Zemenes” (strawberries) - berries growing close to the ground. | |||
| Lithuanian | žemas | ||
| The word 'žemas' derives from the Proto-Baltic word '*žem-' which meant 'below, earth, ground'. | |||
| Macedonian | ниско | ||
| The word "ниско" can also refer to a person of low social status or to something that is considered as being of a low standard. | |||
| Polish | niska | ||
| "Niska" can also refer to the Polish city Nisko, established in 1593. | |||
| Romanian | scăzut | ||
| The word "scăzut" originates from the Proto-Slavic *skǫdъ, meaning "poor" or "deficient." | |||
| Russian | низкий | ||
| Russian word "низкий" initially meant "the lower one" and was used to describe the position of a servant in relation to the master. | |||
| Serbian | ниска | ||
| The word "ниска" (low) in Serbian can also mean "necklace", originating from the old Slavic word for thread or string. | |||
| Slovak | nízka | ||
| The word "nízka" can also refer to a woman of low social status or a type of folk song. | |||
| Slovenian | nizka | ||
| The word "nizka" can also refer to a necklace or a string of pearls. | |||
| Ukrainian | низький | ||
| The Ukrainian word "низький" not only means "low," but also means "humble". | |||
Low in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কম | ||
| In Bengali, 'কম' can also mean 'lacking' or 'without' something. | |||
| Gujarati | નીચા | ||
| "નીચા" also means "a piece of low-quality land" or "a person of low birth or character". | |||
| Hindi | कम | ||
| "कम" is a homonym meaning both "low" and "less" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಕಡಿಮೆ | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "low," "ಕಡಿಮೆ" can also mean "few," "less," or "below average" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | താഴ്ന്നത് | ||
| Marathi | कमी | ||
| The word "कमी" can also mean "fault". | |||
| Nepali | कम | ||
| The word "कम" also means "few" or "less" and derives from the Sanskrit word "कम". | |||
| Punjabi | ਘੱਟ | ||
| The word "ਘੱਟ" also means "minus" or "less" in a mathematical sense. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අඩු | ||
| The word "අඩු" also means "less" or "deficient". | |||
| Tamil | குறைந்த | ||
| The Tamil word "குறைந்த" can also mean "lessened", "diminished", or "deficient". | |||
| Telugu | తక్కువ | ||
| The word "తక్కువ" can also mean "lacking in value" or "inferior". | |||
| Urdu | کم | ||
| The word 'کم' can also mean 'less', 'deficient', or 'insufficient' | |||
Low in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 低 | ||
| "低" can also mean humble, mean, inferior, cheap, thin, poor, or shallow. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 低 | ||
| 低 can also mean 'humility' or 'modesty' | |||
| Japanese | 低 | ||
| 低 (dī) can also mean “short” (of stature), “shallow,” “weak,” or “inferior.” | |||
| Korean | 낮은 | ||
| "낮은" is also used to refer to the register of speech or writing, with "낮은말" meaning "informal language". | |||
| Mongolian | бага | ||
| "Бага" is also the name of an administrative unit in several Mongolian regions and means "division" or "part". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အနိမ့် | ||
| The word "အနိမ့်" can also refer to a "small amount", "a short time", or "something that is not very important". | |||
Low in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | rendah | ||
| Rendah is the Indonesian word for “low”, cognate with randah and landas, from Proto-Austronesian *landen – to lie down; to be flat | |||
| Javanese | kurang | ||
| In Javanese, 'kurang' can also refer to 'lacking' or 'insufficient'. | |||
| Khmer | ទាប | ||
| The Khmer word "ទាប" can also mean "humble" or "modest". | |||
| Lao | ຕ່ ຳ | ||
| Malay | rendah | ||
| Rendah derives from Proto-Austronesian *landeq, meaning "ground" or "below". | |||
| Thai | ต่ำ | ||
| The Thai word "ต่ำ" (low) also means "vulgar" or "uncouth". | |||
| Vietnamese | thấp | ||
| The word "thấp" in Vietnamese also has the alternate meaning of "inferior" or "base". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mababa | ||
Low in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | aşağı | ||
| The word "aşağı" can also mean "downstream" or "the lower part of a river" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | төмен | ||
| The Kazakh word "төмен" can also refer to the bottom of a tree or a shallow section of a river. | |||
| Kyrgyz | төмөн | ||
| The word "төмөн" also means "ten thousand" in Kyrgyz, reflecting its use as a unit of measurement in the past. | |||
| Tajik | паст | ||
| The word "паст" also means "down" or "below" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | pes | ||
| Uzbek | past | ||
| The Uzbek word "past" meaning "low" also means "vile, vulgar, wicked, base, mean". | |||
| Uyghur | تۆۋەن | ||
Low in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | haʻahaʻa | ||
| Haʻahaʻa can also mean 'humble' - a virtue highly valued in traditional Hawaiian culture. | |||
| Maori | iti | ||
| The word "iti" also means "small" or "narrow" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | maualalo | ||
| The word "maualalo" ("low") in Samoan can also refer to modesty. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mababa | ||
| The word "mababa" can also mean "cheap" or "of low quality" in Tagalog. | |||
Low in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jask'a | ||
| Guarani | iguýpe | ||
Low in International Languages
| Esperanto | malalta | ||
| The Esperanto word "malalta" can also mean "humble" or "modest". | |||
| Latin | humilis | ||
| "Humilis" can also mean "close to the ground", "of humble status", or "unpretentious." | |||
Low in Others Languages
| Greek | χαμηλός | ||
| The word "χαμηλός" also means "humble" or "modest" in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | tsawg | ||
| The term "tsawg" also refers to a person who works slowly and does not meet others' expectations or standards. | |||
| Kurdish | nizm | ||
| 'Nizm' also means 'peace' in the Sorani dialect of Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | düşük | ||
| The word "düşük" can also mean "miscarriage" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | isezantsi | ||
| Isezantsi may also refer to the region of Southern Africa, especially as named in the 'Southern Africa Development Community' or by the University of South Africa, where it refers to the southern part of their campus. | |||
| Yiddish | נידעריק | ||
| The word "נידעריק" ("nidrig") in Yiddish can also be used to refer to a person of low social status. | |||
| Zulu | phansi | ||
| "Phansi" in Zulu holds associations with the depths of the earth and the realm of ancestors. | |||
| Assamese | নিম্ন | ||
| Aymara | jask'a | ||
| Bhojpuri | कम | ||
| Dhivehi | ދަށް | ||
| Dogri | घट्ट | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mababa | ||
| Guarani | iguýpe | ||
| Ilocano | ababa | ||
| Krio | lo | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نزم | ||
| Maithili | कम | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯦꯝꯕ | ||
| Mizo | hniam | ||
| Oromo | gadi bu'aa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ନିମ୍ନ | ||
| Quechua | pisi | ||
| Sanskrit | न्यूनम् | ||
| Tatar | түбән | ||
| Tigrinya | ውሑድ | ||
| Tsonga | hansi | ||