Mainly in Different Languages
Discover 'Mainly' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'mainly' is a common English adverb, often used to indicate that something is true for the most part or in the greatest degree. It's a word we use frequently in everyday language, and yet, its significance extends far beyond the realm of basic communication. 'Mainly' is a word that helps us to focus our thoughts, to prioritize information, and to express ourselves more clearly. In many ways, 'mainly' is a word that reflects the very nature of human communication - a blend of complexity and simplicity, nuance and directness.
But what about the rest of the world? How is 'mainly' translated into different languages, and what insights can we gain from these translations? Understanding the word 'mainly' in different languages can provide us with a unique perspective on cultural differences and similarities. For example, in Spanish, 'mainly' is translated as 'principalmente', a word that reflects the importance of hierarchy and order in Spanish-speaking cultures. Meanwhile, in Japanese, 'mainly' becomes '主に', a term that emphasizes the collective nature of Japanese society.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or simply someone who wants to expand their vocabulary, exploring the word 'mainly' in different languages is a fascinating journey. Here are some translations to get you started:
Mainly
Mainly in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | hoofsaaklik | ||
| The word "hoofsaaklik" is derived from the Dutch word "hoofdzakelijk", which has the same meaning. | |||
| Amharic | በዋናነት | ||
| The word በዋናነት is derived from the root word ዋና, which means 'main' or 'principal'. | |||
| Hausa | yafi | ||
| The word "yafi" in Hausa also means "just" or "merely". | |||
| Igbo | tumadi | ||
| The alternate form of "tumadi" is "tumadị", which is a noun meaning "majority, bulk" or an adverb meaning "in the majority, mostly, mainly" | |||
| Malagasy | indrindra | ||
| "Indrindra" also means "above all" and "especially". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | makamaka | ||
| The word "makamaka" can also mean "always" or "usually" in Nyanja (Chichewa). | |||
| Shona | kunyanya | ||
| The word 'kunyanya' in Shona can also be used to mean 'as much as possible' or 'as far as possible'. | |||
| Somali | inta badan | ||
| The Somali word "inta badan" can also mean "most of the time" or "for the most part". | |||
| Sesotho | haholo-holo | ||
| The word "haholo-holo" can also mean "to walk about" or "to wander". | |||
| Swahili | hasa | ||
| In Swahili, "hasa" can also mean "especially" or "particular". | |||
| Xhosa | ikakhulu | ||
| The word 'ikakhulu' also means 'very' or 'great' in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | o kun | ||
| "O kun' can also mean "in fact" or "indeed". | |||
| Zulu | ikakhulukazi | ||
| "Ikakhulukazi" also means "particularly" or "in most cases" in Zulu | |||
| Bambara | kɛrɛnkɛrɛnnenya la | ||
| Ewe | vevietɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ahanini | ||
| Lingala | mingimingi | ||
| Luganda | okusinga | ||
| Sepedi | kudu-kudu | ||
| Twi (Akan) | titiriw no | ||
Mainly in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | في الأساس | ||
| The word "في الأساس" can also mean "originally" or "in the beginning." | |||
| Hebrew | בעיקר | ||
| The word "בעיקר" also means "primarily" or "chiefly" in Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | په عمده توګه | ||
| Arabic | في الأساس | ||
| The word "في الأساس" can also mean "originally" or "in the beginning." | |||
Mainly in Western European Languages
| Albanian | kryesisht | ||
| This word is derived from the word “kryes”, which means “main” or “most important”. | |||
| Basque | batez ere | ||
| The word "batez ere" has also been used to mean “each one” or “each time.” | |||
| Catalan | principalment | ||
| The word "principalment" in Catalan derives from the Latin "principaliter" (chiefly) and also means "especially" or "particularly". | |||
| Croatian | uglavnom | ||
| The word "uglavnom" also means "generally" or "for the most part". | |||
| Danish | hovedsagelig | ||
| The Danish word "hovedsagelig" originally meant "in the main", and can also mean "approximately", "for the most part", or "generally speaking". | |||
| Dutch | hoofdzakelijk | ||
| Hoofdzakelijk relates etymologically to words such as | |||
| English | mainly | ||
| The word "mainly" has two possible etymologies. The older one is from the 14th century, where it referred to something that was "maimed" or "crippled." The alternate origin is from the 16th century, where it meant "in a great degree". | |||
| French | principalement | ||
| « Principalement » peut aussi signifier « initialement » ou « au début ». | |||
| Frisian | foaral | ||
| In Frisian, "foaral" can also refer to the "majority" or the "greatest part" of something. | |||
| Galician | principalmente | ||
| The Galician word "principalmente" is derived from the Latin "principalis", meaning "first" or "chief". | |||
| German | hauptsächlich | ||
| "Hauptsache" literally means "head thing" and can translate as either "essential" or "of primary importance." | |||
| Icelandic | aðallega | ||
| Its original meaning was 'in particular' or 'for most part', which still occasionally surfaces. | |||
| Irish | go príomha | ||
| "Go príomha" is an expression that is usually used to mean "mainly, mostly, or generally" in Irish. | |||
| Italian | principalmente | ||
| "Principalmente" is an adjective formed by "principale" (principal) and the suffix "-mente" (manner). It can also mean "primarily" or "fundamentally". | |||
| Luxembourgish | haaptsächlech | ||
| Maltese | prinċipalment | ||
| "Prinċipalment" can also mean "initially" or "fundamentally" in Maltese. | |||
| Norwegian | hovedsakelig | ||
| "Hovedsakelig" is the Norwegian translation of the German word "hauptsächlich" which is the main component of "Hauptsache" ("main thing"). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | principalmente | ||
| "Principalmente" can also mean "above all" or "at the beginning". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | sa mhòr-chuid | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "sa mhòr-chuid" can also mean "for the most part" or "in the majority." | |||
| Spanish | principalmente | ||
| Principalmente is derived from the Latin word 'princeps', meaning 'first' or 'chief'. This suggests that the root meaning of 'principalmente' is 'primarily' or 'above all'. | |||
| Swedish | huvudsakligen | ||
| The word "huvudsakligen" is derived from the Swedish words "huvud" (head) and "sak" (thing), and can also mean "in essence" or "in principle"} | |||
| Welsh | yn bennaf | ||
| The Welsh word "yn bennaf" can also mean "in chief" or "primarily." | |||
Mainly in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | галоўным чынам | ||
| Bosnian | uglavnom | ||
| The word "uglavnom" is a combination of the words "u" (in) and "glavnom" (main), which means "in the main" or "mainly". | |||
| Bulgarian | главно | ||
| In Old Bulgarian, the word “главно” (“mainly”) had a completely different meaning and it was written as “глава” (“head”) and this is why the expression “главното място” (the main spot) literally means “a place for the head”. | |||
| Czech | hlavně | ||
| In Czech, the word "hlavně" can also mean "especially" or "first of all". | |||
| Estonian | peamiselt | ||
| "Peamiselt" is an Estonian word for "mainly", which is etymologically related to "peamine", meaning "main" or "primary". | |||
| Finnish | pääosin | ||
| The word "pääosin" is derived from the Finnish word "pää", meaning "head", and the suffix "-osin", meaning "in the main part". It can also mean "in general" or "on the whole". | |||
| Hungarian | főként | ||
| “Főként” derives from “főképpen”, meaning both “mainly” and “especially” in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | galvenokārt | ||
| “Galvenokārt” is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰel- (“to shine, burn”) and is cognate with words in other Indo-European languages such as Latin galea (“helmet”) and German glänzen (“to shine”). This root can also be found in the Latvian word “zelts” (“gold”). | |||
| Lithuanian | daugiausia | ||
| The word "daugiausia" originally meant "most" or "the majority," but has since come to mean "mainly" or "primarily." | |||
| Macedonian | главно | ||
| The word "главно" also has the meanings "chiefly" and "principally" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | głównie | ||
| The Polish word "głównie" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *glavъ, meaning "head", and originally meant "in the main, in the first place". | |||
| Romanian | în principal | ||
| The Romanian word "în principal" is derived from Latin "in principio", meaning "at the beginning" or "primarily". | |||
| Russian | в основном | ||
| The word "в основном" also means "as a rule" or "on the whole". | |||
| Serbian | углавном | ||
| Углавном (uglavnom) literally means 'head angle' or 'main corner' in Serbian, reflecting its original use in architecture to refer to the most important corner of a building. | |||
| Slovak | hlavne | ||
| The word 'hlavne' can also mean 'important' or 'essential' when used independently | |||
| Slovenian | predvsem | ||
| Predvsem is composed of the prefix "pred" meaning "before" and the noun "vsem" meaning "all", and thus means "before all" or "first of all". | |||
| Ukrainian | головним чином | ||
| Головним чином — український фразеологізм, що походить від словосполуки «голова» («розум») та «чин» («дія») і означає «переважно», «у більшості випадків». | |||
Mainly in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | প্রধানত | ||
| The word "প্রধানত" derives from the Sanskrit word "प्रधान" (pradhāna), meaning "chief, principal, or most important." | |||
| Gujarati | મુખ્યત્વે | ||
| The word "મુખ્યત્વે" is derived from the Sanskrit word "मुख", meaning "face" or "mouth", and is used to emphasize the importance or prominence of something. | |||
| Hindi | में मुख्य | ||
| The Hindi word "में मुख्य" is derived from the Sanskrit word "मुख्य" (mukhya), meaning "chief" or "principal." | |||
| Kannada | ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿ | ||
| The term is also used in the context of "firstly", "to begin with", and "primarily". | |||
| Malayalam | പ്രധാനമായും | ||
| Malayalam mainly - primarily, chiefly, more particularly, notably, substantially, considerably | |||
| Marathi | प्रामुख्याने | ||
| The word "प्रामुख्याने" is derived from the Sanskrit word "प्रामुख्य" meaning "chief" or "principal". | |||
| Nepali | मुख्य रूपमा | ||
| मुख्य रूपमा is an adverb with its origins in Sanskrit, where the equivalent term is "mukhyataha". | |||
| Punjabi | ਮੁੱਖ ਤੌਰ ਤੇ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ප්රධාන වශයෙන් | ||
| Tamil | முக்கியமாக | ||
| Telugu | ప్రధానంగా | ||
| The word "ప్రధానంగా" is derived from the Sanskrit word "प्रधान" (pradhāna), meaning "principal". It can also mean "primarily" or "above all". | |||
| Urdu | بنیادی طور پر | ||
| Also used to mean 'basically' or 'above all'. | |||
Mainly in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 主要是 | ||
| 主要地（mainly）的词源出自“主要（main）”和“地（ly）”，后者表示一种情况或方式。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 主要是 | ||
| "主要是" is also a synonym of "根本上", meaning "in general", "in principle", or "fundamentally." | |||
| Japanese | 主に | ||
| 主に, chiefly, can also mean: "to be responsible for a place or a business; to preside over " | |||
| Korean | 주로 | ||
| 주로 is a contraction of 주로히 which means "mostly", and was originally used to refer to the predominant colour of a horse's coat. | |||
| Mongolian | ихэвчлэн | ||
| Ихэвчлэн, meaning mainly or mostly, is a Mongolian word deriving from the verb "ихэвчлэх", meaning "to be in the majority" or "to prevail". It is often used to describe a predominant or major aspect of something. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အဓိကအားဖြင့် | ||
Mainly in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | terutama | ||
| In Javanese, "terutama" also means "especially" or "in particular" and is usually used in formal or literary contexts. | |||
| Javanese | utamane | ||
| "Utamane" in Javanese originates from the word "utama," which means "primary" or "important." | |||
| Khmer | ជាចម្បង | ||
| The word "ជាចម្បង" can also mean "primary" or "first" in Khmer, indicating its importance or priority in relation to other elements. | |||
| Lao | ສ່ວນໃຫຍ່ | ||
| Can also mean "generally, in general, on the whole, mostly or almost always". Similar usage as in English. | |||
| Malay | terutamanya | ||
| The word "terutamanya" originally meant "especially" as indicated by its root words "ter" (very), "utama" (main), and "nya (its), and only in modern-day Malay it also means "mostly," "primarily." | |||
| Thai | เป็นหลัก | ||
| The word "เป็นหลัก" (pen-lak) in Thai can also mean "important" or "essential". | |||
| Vietnamese | chủ yếu | ||
| Chủ yếu is derived from Hán tự meaning "the key point", "the most important thing", or "the majority". It can also be used to mean "especially" or "particularly". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | higit sa lahat | ||
Mainly in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | əsasən | ||
| While normally pronounced [əˈsɑsɛn] like its Turkish cognate, the word "əsasən" can also be pronounced as [əsaˈsɛn] with the stress on the second syllable. | |||
| Kazakh | негізінен | ||
| Originally “негізінен” meant “in the main” or “principally” in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | негизинен | ||
| Tajik | асосан | ||
| The word also means "in the end" and "after all" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | esasan | ||
| Uzbek | asosan | ||
| The word "asosan" can also mean "mainly", "generally", or "mostly" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | ئاساسلىقى | ||
Mainly in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻano nui | ||
| ʻAno nui may also refer to the time an event or activity mostly occurred or an activity usually engaged in. | |||
| Maori | te nuinga | ||
| The word 'te nuinga' in Maori can also mean 'the majority' or 'the greater part'. | |||
| Samoan | tele lava | ||
| Tele lava translates directly to "on the lava" with tele meaning "on" and lava referring to the hot rocks on the floor of a Samoan kitchen. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pangunahin | ||
| "Pangunahin" is cognate to the word "puno" or "chief", and also used to refer to the firstborn child in a family or a person of great importance in the community. | |||
Mainly in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jilpachax | ||
| Guarani | principalmente | ||
Mainly in International Languages
| Esperanto | ĉefe | ||
| The word "ĉefe" shares a root with the word "ĉefa" (chief), highlighting its connotation of priority or dominance. | |||
| Latin | maxime | ||
| In Medieval French, "maxime" meant "especially" and was borrowed by Medieval English, where it was subsequently replaced with "chiefly" | |||
Mainly in Others Languages
| Greek | κυρίως | ||
| The Ancient Greek word κυρίως (kyrios) can also mean 'by right', 'as it should be', 'truly', 'really', or 'chiefly'. | |||
| Hmong | mas | ||
| The word "mas" also means "not have" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | serewanî | ||
| Serewanî, meaning "mainly" in Kurdish, is said to have originated from the word "ser" meaning "head" or "top". | |||
| Turkish | esasen | ||
| "Esasen" (mainly) originates from the Arabic word "asasin" (foundation), suggesting a deep-rooted or fundamental nature. | |||
| Xhosa | ikakhulu | ||
| The word 'ikakhulu' also means 'very' or 'great' in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | דער עיקר | ||
| The Yiddish word "דער עיקר" ("mainly") also means "essentially" or "the quintessence of something" in Hebrew. | |||
| Zulu | ikakhulukazi | ||
| "Ikakhulukazi" also means "particularly" or "in most cases" in Zulu | |||
| Assamese | মূলতঃ | ||
| Aymara | jilpachax | ||
| Bhojpuri | मुख्य रूप से बा | ||
| Dhivehi | މައިގަނޑު ގޮތެއްގައި | ||
| Dogri | मुख्य रूप से | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | higit sa lahat | ||
| Guarani | principalmente | ||
| Ilocano | kangrunaanna | ||
| Krio | men wan | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بە شێوەیەکی سەرەکی | ||
| Maithili | मुख्यतः | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯔꯨ ꯑꯣꯏꯅꯥ ꯑꯦꯟ.ꯗꯤ.ꯑꯦ | ||
| Mizo | a bik takin | ||
| Oromo | irra caalaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ମୁଖ୍ୟତଃ | ||
| Quechua | astawanqa | ||
| Sanskrit | मुख्यतः | ||
| Tatar | нигездә | ||
| Tigrinya | ብቐንዱ | ||
| Tsonga | ngopfu-ngopfu | ||