Merely in Different Languages
Discover 'Merely' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'merely' is a small but powerful part of the English language. It may seem insignificant, but its significance cannot be overstated. 'Merely' is used to minimize or downplay the importance of something, often to emphasize that something is simpler or easier than it might appear. For example, saying
Merely
Merely in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | bloot | ||
| "Bloot" in Afrikaans can also mean "only," "exclusively" or "just like that." | |||
| Amharic | ብቻ | ||
| "ብቻ" is related to the verb "በቻ" (to be able) and literally means "only if able". | |||
| Hausa | kawai | ||
| Although usually translated as "merely," the Hausa word "kawai" also means "not yet" and can be used in negative responses to questions like "Have you eaten?" | |||
| Igbo | nanị | ||
| "Nanị" is short for "n'ani," from "n'ani ọhịa" meaning "animal of the bush," or "wild animal." | |||
| Malagasy | fotsiny | ||
| The word "fotsiny" in Malagasy is derived from the root word "tsiny", meaning "fault" or "sin", and carries the connotation of "only" or "barely". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chabe | ||
| The Nyanja term 'chabe' also refers to 'just', 'only' and 'solely' in English. | |||
| Shona | chete | ||
| In Shona, "chete" can also refer to "only" or "simply". | |||
| Somali | kaliya | ||
| In Somali, "kaliya" also means "very" or "a lot." | |||
| Sesotho | feela | ||
| "Feela" comes from the verb "feela", which means "to feel" or "to touch", and can also be used as an expression of emphasis. | |||
| Swahili | tu | ||
| "Tu" can also mean "only" or "just". | |||
| Xhosa | nje | ||
| The word "nje" can also mean "only" or "just", emphasizing exclusivity or limitation. | |||
| Yoruba | lásán | ||
| "Lásán" also means 'only' or 'just' in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | nje | ||
| The word "nje" in Zulu, besides meaning "merely," is etymologically related to the prefix "in-" in other Bantu languages, indicating "in" or "into." | |||
| Bambara | dama | ||
| Ewe | ʋee ko | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gusa | ||
| Lingala | kaka | ||
| Luganda | ekyo kyoka | ||
| Sepedi | fela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kɛkɛ | ||
Merely in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مجرد | ||
| The word 'مجرد' in Arabic also has spiritual meanings and can refer to divine beings' transcendence of the material world. | |||
| Hebrew | רק | ||
| The Hebrew word "רק" can derive from the Akkadian "riqu" (emptiness) or the Ugaritic "rq" (to be distant). | |||
| Pashto | یوازې | ||
| The word "یوازې" in Pashto can also mean "lonely" or "alone". | |||
| Arabic | مجرد | ||
| The word 'مجرد' in Arabic also has spiritual meanings and can refer to divine beings' transcendence of the material world. | |||
Merely in Western European Languages
| Albanian | thjesht | ||
| The word "thjesht" in Albanian is a shortened form of the ancient Greek word "theastos", meaning "divine" or "sacred". | |||
| Basque | besterik ez | ||
| The Basque term "besterik ez" has additional meanings besides "merely", including "only" and "nothing but". | |||
| Catalan | simplement | ||
| The Catalan 'simplement' means 'merely' but also 'simply', 'just', or 'only', and even 'naïvely', or 'foolishly' | |||
| Croatian | samo | ||
| "Samo" means "merely," and the cognate "sam" found in other Slavic languages has additional meanings like "one," "alone," and "same." | |||
| Danish | blot | ||
| The word "blot" in Danish can also mean "barely" or "just". | |||
| Dutch | slechts | ||
| The word 'slechts' originally meant 'smooth' or 'even', and still has that meaning in some contexts. | |||
| English | merely | ||
| "Merely" derives from the Middle English word "merli," and originally meant "lightly", or "incompletely." | |||
| French | seulement | ||
| The word "seulement" can also mean "only" or "just" in French. | |||
| Frisian | gewoan | ||
| The word "gewoan" in Frisian not only means "merely", but also "usual" or "customary". | |||
| Galician | simplemente | ||
| La palabra "simplemente" en gallego también puede significar "solamente" o "únicamente." | |||
| German | nur | ||
| "Nur" is cognate with English "now," "near," and "northern" and originally implied proximity in space or time. | |||
| Icelandic | bara | ||
| The word "bara" in Icelandic can also mean "only" or "just". | |||
| Irish | ach | ||
| Ach also means "but" or "however" and can be used to introduce a contradictory or contrasting statement. | |||
| Italian | semplicemente | ||
| The Italian word "semplicemente" derives from the Latin word "simplex", meaning "single, simple". | |||
| Luxembourgish | just | ||
| In Luxembourgish, the word "just" can also mean "exactly" or "precisely". | |||
| Maltese | sempliċement | ||
| The word "sempliċement" in Maltese comes from the Latin word "simpliciter", which means "without addition" or "without condition". | |||
| Norwegian | bare | ||
| In Norwegian, "bar" can also mean a child, while its related adjective "bar" means both "bare" and "naked". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | apenas | ||
| "Apenas" (Portuguese for "only") is derived from the Vulgar Latin word *ad penam* meaning "to the punishment". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dìreach | ||
| The word "dìreach" can also mean "truly" or "exactly" in Scots Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | simplemente | ||
| The word "simplemente" in Spanish shares its etymology with the English word "simple" and also has the meaning of "simply". | |||
| Swedish | endast | ||
| The word "endast" ultimately derives from the Old Swedish word "ændast" meaning "in one way only". | |||
| Welsh | yn unig | ||
| The Welsh word "yn unig" can also mean "alone" or "only". | |||
Merely in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | проста | ||
| "Проста" in Belarusian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "prostь" meaning "emptiness, void". | |||
| Bosnian | samo | ||
| The word "samo" is also used in the sense of "only" in the expression "samo on," which means "only this," and in the sense of "except" in the expression "samo ti," which means "except you." | |||
| Bulgarian | просто | ||
| "Просто" can sometimes mean "simply" or "just" instead of "merely". | |||
| Czech | pouze | ||
| The word "pouze" is an adverb that shares a root with the adjective "pouhý" (mere). | |||
| Estonian | lihtsalt | ||
| The word "lihtsalt" can also mean "only" or "just" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | vain | ||
| The word “vainaa” has many meanings, from “merely” to “sheath” to “womb”. | |||
| Hungarian | csupán | ||
| In Old Hungarian, *čupán* meant 'all, complete', from Proto-Uralic *čumpi- 'to gather, bring together'. | |||
| Latvian | tikai | ||
| It is of unclear etymology, possibly cognate to Russian "только" (tol'ko, "only"). | |||
| Lithuanian | tik | ||
| "Tik" can also mean "only" or, with the particle "ne," "not even." | |||
| Macedonian | само | ||
| The Macedonian word "само" can be traced back to the Old Slavic "самь" meaning "self, alone," with the same root found in other Slavic languages. | |||
| Polish | jedynie | ||
| "Jedynie" is also used as a verb in Polish, meaning "to be the only one" or "to be the only thing that exists". | |||
| Romanian | doar | ||
| "Doar" is likely a shortening of the obsolete conjunction "doară" (now only found as a phrase), which is derived from Latin *dum ora*, "while an hour", i.e. "while there is still time", "yet". | |||
| Russian | просто | ||
| The Russian word "просто" (merely) also has the meanings of "only" and "simply". | |||
| Serbian | само | ||
| The word "само" can also mean "only" or "just". | |||
| Slovak | iba | ||
| The word "iba" in Slovak comes from the Old Church Slavonic word "ibaco", which means "only" or "but". | |||
| Slovenian | zgolj | ||
| Possibly derived from the Middle High German word "zol", meaning "feeble" or "weak"} | |||
| Ukrainian | просто | ||
| The word “просто” originally meant “free,” as in “free from all obligations,” and is related to the word “простить” (“forgive”). | |||
Merely in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | নিছক | ||
| "নিছক" derives from the Sanskrit word "निश्चय" (niścay), meaning 'firmness,' 'determination,' or 'decision'. | |||
| Gujarati | માત્ર | ||
| The word “માત્ર” can also mean “the soul”, “God”, or “truth” in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | केवल | ||
| केवल also means 'alone' or 'exclusive' in Hindi, and is often used in legal and financial contexts to indicate singularity or exclusivity. | |||
| Kannada | ಕೇವಲ | ||
| The word "ಕೇವಲ" comes from the Sanskrit root "kevala", meaning "alone, separate, pure, or entire." | |||
| Malayalam | കേവലം | ||
| The term "കേവലം" originates from the Sanskrit word "Kevala," which means "pure" or "absolute." It can also indicate totality or entirety in certain contexts. | |||
| Marathi | फक्त | ||
| The word "फक्त" in Marathi could come from the Sanskrit word "पक्षत" meaning "certainly" or "only". | |||
| Nepali | केवल | ||
| The word केवल (keval) in Nepali originates from the Sanskrit word केवल (kevala), meaning "alone, single, or unique." | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਿਰਫ | ||
| The word "ਸਿਰਫ" (sirph) in Punjabi originates from the Persian word "सिर्फ" (sirph), meaning "only, merely, just". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හුදෙක් | ||
| Tamil | வெறுமனே | ||
| Telugu | కేవలం | ||
| The word "కేవలం" can also mean "solitude" or "isolation" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | محض | ||
| The word "محض" ("merely") in Urdu shares the same root with "محض" ("pure") in Arabic, suggesting a connection between purity and simplicity. | |||
Merely in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 仅仅 | ||
| The word "仅仅" can also mean "only" or "just". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 僅僅 | ||
| 僅僅本義為「只有」，引申為「不過」等，由「單衣」中的「單」字演變而來，單衣指只有一層的衣服。 | |||
| Japanese | 単に | ||
| This word's literal meaning is 'one' and 'matter' | |||
| Korean | 단지 | ||
| The Korean word 단지 (danji) is also used to refer to a "residential complex" or "housing estate." | |||
| Mongolian | зүгээр л | ||
| "Зүгээр л" is also used to say "only" or "just". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မျှမျှတတ | ||
Merely in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | hanya | ||
| "Hanya" is originally from Sanskrit 'hena' that means 'small' and in Old Javanese is 'hanya' that still means 'small'. | |||
| Javanese | namung | ||
| The Javanese word "namung" (merely) also means "but". | |||
| Khmer | គ្រាន់តែ | ||
| Lao | ພຽງແຕ່ | ||
| Malay | semata-mata | ||
| Derived from the Sanskrit term 'semā-tā', 'semata-mata' can also mean 'distinction' or 'mark'. | |||
| Thai | เพียง | ||
| The Thai word "เพียง" is also used as an adjective meaning "enough", and a noun meaning "adequacy". | |||
| Vietnamese | đơn thuần | ||
| "Đơn thuần" derives from Chinese characters meaning "simplicity, honesty" and is also a Buddhist term meaning "to have an uncluttered mind". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | basta | ||
Merely in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | sadəcə | ||
| The word "sadəcə" also means "simply" and "only". | |||
| Kazakh | тек | ||
| The Kazakh word "тек" also has the meaning of "even" or "indeed". | |||
| Kyrgyz | жөн гана | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "жөн гана" can have several meanings, including "merely", "only", "just", "no more than", or "as much as". | |||
| Tajik | танҳо | ||
| The word "танҳо" in Tajik can also mean "alone" or "only". | |||
| Turkmen | diňe | ||
| Uzbek | shunchaki | ||
| Shunchaki is also used as an intensifier of negation, meaning "absolutely not" or "by no means." | |||
| Uyghur | پەقەت | ||
Merely in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | wale | ||
| The Hawaiian word "wale" also means "to stretch" or "to spread out". | |||
| Maori | noa | ||
| The word "noa" in Maori also connotes normalcy, emptiness, or lack of supernatural tapu (restrictions) | |||
| Samoan | naʻo | ||
| The word "naʻo" can also mean "nothing" or "none" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | lamang | ||
| "Lamang" can also mean "advantage" or "exceed" in Tagalog. | |||
Merely in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | miraminti | ||
| Guarani | tasy'ỹ | ||
Merely in International Languages
| Esperanto | simple | ||
| The Esperanto word "simpla" has a secondary meaning of "elementary" related to its origin in mathematics as a name for "simple" equations | |||
| Latin | modo | ||
| The Latin word "modo" can also mean "just now" or "recently." | |||
Merely in Others Languages
| Greek | απλώς | ||
| In ancient Greek, "απλώς" could also mean "simply", "unfold", or "open out". | |||
| Hmong | yuav luag | ||
| Luag is used as a noun for "reason" and yauv is used as an adverb for "only". | |||
| Kurdish | tenê | ||
| The word "tenê" in Kurdish also means "only" or "just". | |||
| Turkish | sadece | ||
| The word "sadece" is derived from the Persian word "sadeh", meaning "pure"} | |||
| Xhosa | nje | ||
| The word "nje" can also mean "only" or "just", emphasizing exclusivity or limitation. | |||
| Yiddish | merely | ||
| In Yiddish, "merely" can also mean "but" or "rather". | |||
| Zulu | nje | ||
| The word "nje" in Zulu, besides meaning "merely," is etymologically related to the prefix "in-" in other Bantu languages, indicating "in" or "into." | |||
| Assamese | কেৱল | ||
| Aymara | miraminti | ||
| Bhojpuri | महज | ||
| Dhivehi | ކިރިޔާ | ||
| Dogri | सिर्फ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | basta | ||
| Guarani | tasy'ỹ | ||
| Ilocano | maymaysa | ||
| Krio | jɔs | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بە تەنها | ||
| Maithili | केवल मात्र | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯖꯤꯛꯈꯛ | ||
| Mizo | chauhin | ||
| Oromo | qofa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କେବଳ | ||
| Quechua | yanqalla | ||
| Sanskrit | नाममात्रेण | ||
| Tatar | бары тик | ||
| Tigrinya | ጥራሕ | ||
| Tsonga | ntsena | ||