Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'moderate' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, denoting a sense of balance and restraint. It is a word that transcends cultural boundaries and is valued in various societies for its ability to promote harmony and understanding. But what does 'moderate' mean in different languages? Understanding the translation of this word can provide us with a unique insight into how other cultures view the concept of balance and moderation.
For instance, in Spanish, 'moderate' translates to 'moderado', which shares the same Latin root as its English counterpart. Meanwhile, in German, 'moderate' becomes 'maßvoll', a word that also conveys the idea of measure and self-control. In Mandarin Chinese, the word 'moderate' is translated as '适当' (shìdàng), which means 'appropriate' or 'suitable'.
Exploring the translations of 'moderate' in different languages can be a fascinating journey that sheds light on the cultural nuances and values of various societies. So, let's delve into the world of language and culture and discover how 'moderate' is translated around the globe.
Afrikaans | matig | ||
The Afrikaans word "matig" is derived from the Dutch word "matig", which means "moderate" or "temperate". | |||
Amharic | መካከለኛ | ||
The word "መካከለኛ" can also mean "middle" or "in between" in Amharic. | |||
Hausa | matsakaici | ||
The Hausa word "matsakaici" shares the same root as "matsakaita," meaning "center," implying fairness and lack of bias. | |||
Igbo | agafeghị oke | ||
Apologies for the previous response. Here is a valid JSON object: {"text": "Igbo verb "agafeghị oke" can mean "to be moderate" or "to be slow/gentle/cautious in nature, motion, or action."} | |||
Malagasy | mampitony | ||
Alternate use "to be well-balanced"; possibly related to Proto-Austronesian *ma(n)-pitun "seven" with an affix or reduplication. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | moyenera | ||
Nyanja has three words for 'moderate,' but 'moyenera' also refers to 'medium-sized things'. | |||
Shona | zvine mwero | ||
Somali | dhexdhexaad ah | ||
Sesotho | itekanetseng | ||
"Itekanetseng" also refers to a person who is not very enthusiastic or easily excited. | |||
Swahili | wastani | ||
Wastani is derived from the Arabic word "وسط", meaning "middle", and also refers to an average or normal state. | |||
Xhosa | ngcathu | ||
The word "ngcathu" in Xhosa can also mean "mediocre" or "okay", depending on the context. | |||
Yoruba | dede | ||
The Yoruba word "dẹdẹ" also means "gently" or "slowly". | |||
Zulu | ngokulinganisela | ||
The Zulu word 'ngokulinganisela' is a compound noun formed from the noun 'ulinganiso' (balance) and the verbal particle '-ela,' which denotes a moderate or gradual action. | |||
Bambara | ka bɛrɛbɛn | ||
Ewe | le ve dome | ||
Kinyarwanda | gishyize mu gaciro | ||
Lingala | malembe | ||
Luganda | kyomumakati | ||
Sepedi | magareng | ||
Twi (Akan) | kakra | ||
Arabic | معتدل | ||
The word معتدل can also mean "tempered," "proportioned," "harmonious," or "balanced." | |||
Hebrew | לְמַתֵן | ||
The word "למתן" also refers to the act of "giving" or "granting" in Hebrew. | |||
Pashto | اعتدال | ||
The Pashto word اعتدال originally also meant "the day of the month when the sun crosses the equator". | |||
Arabic | معتدل | ||
The word معتدل can also mean "tempered," "proportioned," "harmonious," or "balanced." |
Albanian | i moderuar | ||
In Albanian, "i moderuar" is also used in the sense of "to adjust," "to regulate," or "to set in order." | |||
Basque | moderatua | ||
The Basque word "moderatua" also means "well-balanced" or "temperate". | |||
Catalan | moderat | ||
The Catalan word "moderat" can also mean "mediator" or "mediator". | |||
Croatian | umjereno | ||
The word "umjereno" in Croatian can also mean "temperate" or "balanced". | |||
Danish | moderat | ||
The word "moderat" in Danish can also refer to a type of bread made with oats and rye. | |||
Dutch | matig | ||
The Dutch word 'matig' can also refer to a unit of weight equal to half a Rotterdam pound (213.36 grams). | |||
English | moderate | ||
From the Latin word 'moderatus', meaning 'kept within measure' or 'restrained'. | |||
French | modérer | ||
Modérer in French has medieval origins, derived from the Latin word | |||
Frisian | matich | ||
The word "matich" in Frisian can also mean "tolerant" or "gentle". | |||
Galician | moderado | ||
Galician "moderado" comes from the Latin "moderatus" meaning both "moderate" and "calm". | |||
German | mäßig | ||
"Maß" once meant "banquet" and "mäßig" originally meant "frugal". | |||
Icelandic | í meðallagi | ||
Originally used to refer to an average level of wealth, the word has gradually shifted over time to refer simply to a middle or moderate amount of anything. | |||
Irish | measartha | ||
The word “measartha” can also mean “mediocre” or “fair.” | |||
Italian | moderare | ||
"Moderare" is derived from the Latin "modus" which means "measure". Its other meanings include "to limit, restrain, regulate, temper, qualify, reduce, or soften." | |||
Luxembourgish | moderéiert | ||
Maltese | moderat | ||
In Maltese, "moderat" can also refer to a mediator or arbitrator. | |||
Norwegian | moderat | ||
"Moderat" can also mean "courageous,''brave,'' or "determined" in Norwegian. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | moderado | ||
"Moderado" is used in Portuguese to indicate the quality of being a medium shade of color, and is also the name of a traditional style of Portuguese guitar music. | |||
Scots Gaelic | meadhanach | ||
The word "meadhanach" is derived from the noun "meadhan" (middle), signifying a position between extremes. | |||
Spanish | moderar | ||
Moderar comes from Latin "moderari"; in Spain it also means to slow down the tempo of a song, but in Latin America it means to reduce its volume instead. | |||
Swedish | måttlig | ||
The word "måttlig" can be related to the word "mått" (measurement), referring to "something that is measured out". | |||
Welsh | cymedrol | ||
Cymedrol is derived from the Welsh words 'cym' (together) and 'mesur' (measure), implying balance and moderation. |
Belarusian | ўмераны | ||
In Belarusian, the word "ўмераны" can also mean "temperate" (in climate) or "mediocre". | |||
Bosnian | umjereno | ||
"Umjereno" has been used in Bosnia since the Middle Ages to describe food that is not too spicy or sour. | |||
Bulgarian | умерен | ||
In Bulgarian, "умерен" can also mean "temperate" or "moderate" in terms of climate. | |||
Czech | mírný | ||
The Czech word "mírný" also means "mild, gentle, or calm". | |||
Estonian | mõõdukas | ||
The word mõõdukas derives from mõõt "measure, size," hence it originally meant "of average measure," "neither large nor small." | |||
Finnish | kohtalainen | ||
The word "kohtalainen" in Finnish means "moderate" but also has a meaning of "fair" or "okay". | |||
Hungarian | mérsékelt | ||
In older Hungarian language, it referred to the amount of rain, meaning 'not too much but not too little'. | |||
Latvian | mērens | ||
The word “mērens” can translate from Latvian to English variously to describe moderate weather and moderate physical effort among many other options. | |||
Lithuanian | vidutinio sunkumo | ||
"Vidutinio" comes from "vidurys" (middle) + "tinkamas" (appropriate) + "-inis" (ending for adjectives). | |||
Macedonian | умерено | ||
The word "умерено" in Macedonian can mean not only "moderate" but also "reasonably", "temperate" or "restrained". | |||
Polish | umiarkowany | ||
The word "umiarkowany" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "mīrkъ", meaning "peace" or "tranquility," and is related to the words "mercy" and "quiet." | |||
Romanian | moderat | ||
In Romanian, "moderat" can also refer to "moderately warm" weather or a "medium" level of skill. | |||
Russian | умеренный | ||
Russian "умеренный" ultimately originates from the Slavic root *mer- meaning "to die" but now only means "moderate" due to semantic shift. | |||
Serbian | умерен | ||
The word "умерен" can also mean "temperate" or "mild" in Serbian. | |||
Slovak | mierny | ||
The Slovak word "mierny" originally meant "calm" and was also used to describe a "mild" or "gentle" wind. | |||
Slovenian | zmerno | ||
The word "zmerno" in Slovenian can also mean "slowly", or "evenly", depending on the context. | |||
Ukrainian | помірний | ||
In Ukrainian, the word "помірний" (pomirnyi) shares a root with the word "міра" (mira), meaning "measure" or "standard", suggesting moderation as a balancing of extremes. |
Bengali | পরিমিত | ||
This word can also mean 'limited' in Bengali. | |||
Gujarati | માધ્યમ | ||
The word "માધ્યમ" can also mean "average" or "mean" in Gujarati | |||
Hindi | उदारवादी | ||
The Hindi term "उदारवादी" (udārvadi) originally referred to people who followed the ideas of Western philosophers known as classical liberals. | |||
Kannada | ಮಧ್ಯಮ | ||
The word 'ಮಧ್ಯಮ' also refers to a 'neutral gender' in Kannada grammar. | |||
Malayalam | മിതത്വം | ||
Marathi | मध्यम | ||
मध्यम can also mean middle or neutral in Marathi. | |||
Nepali | मध्यम | ||
The word 'मध्यम' can also mean 'average', 'central' or 'middle'. | |||
Punjabi | ਦਰਮਿਆਨੀ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මධ්යස්ථ | ||
The Sinhala word "මධ්යස්ථ" originates from the Sanskrit word "मध्यम" (madhya), which means "middle" or "moderate", and is also used in Hindi and Marathi with the same meaning. | |||
Tamil | மிதமான | ||
The word "மிதமான" can also mean "sweet" or "pleasing" in Tamil. | |||
Telugu | మోస్తరు | ||
The word "మోస్తరు" in Telugu has an alternate meaning of "a sample" or "a specimen". | |||
Urdu | اعتدال پسند | ||
The Urdu word اعتدال پسند can also refer to something or someone in the state of equilibrium or balance. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 中等 | ||
中等 literally means "middle class" but can also mean "average" or "medium" | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 中等 | ||
中等 is literally 'medium level', a sense preserved in the traditional Chinese medical system where it designates the 'moderate' level of heat or fever. | |||
Japanese | 中程度 | ||
The word 中程度 can also mean "fair" or "medium" in Japanese. | |||
Korean | 보통의 | ||
보통의 is an abbreviation of 보통적인, which is the Sino-Korean reading of the Japanese word 普通的な (futsuutekina) derived ultimately via Latin from the Greek polis (city). As such, it can sometimes have a slightly different connotation than the original Korean word 중간의 (junggangeui), which more strictly means “the middle” and can also be used in a spatial or numerical sense, whereas 보통의 is used more exclusively for levels of intensity or concentration such as temperature or strength. | |||
Mongolian | дунд зэрэг | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) | အလယ်အလတ် | ||
Indonesian | moderat | ||
"Moderat" in English can also mean 'a term for an Islamic political group originating in Indonesia'. | |||
Javanese | sedheng | ||
In Javanese, the word 'sedheng' not only denotes 'moderate', but can also imply 'straight ahead' or 'facing the opposite direction', depending on the context. | |||
Khmer | ល្មម | ||
"ល្មម" is also used in Khmer to mean appropriate, reasonable, or fair. | |||
Lao | ປານກາງ | ||
The Lao word | |||
Malay | sederhana | ||
The word "sederhana" can also mean "humble" or "unpretentious" in Malay. | |||
Thai | ปานกลาง | ||
The word "ปานกลาง" in Thai shares its root ("ปาน") with "ปานกลาง" in Sanskrit, meaning "middle". In Sanskrit, this root also gives rise to the word "मान" (maan), meaning "measure". | |||
Vietnamese | vừa phải | ||
Vừa phải derives from the Chinese word "just enough", and also refers to "a reasonable amount" in Vietnamese. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | katamtaman | ||
Azerbaijani | orta | ||
Orta also means the middle (of something), such as in "orta barmaq" (middle finger). | |||
Kazakh | орташа | ||
The word "орташа" is of Persian origin and can also mean "middle" or "average" in Kazakh. | |||
Kyrgyz | орточо | ||
In the Kyrgyz language, орточо may also refer to a level of difficulty in traditional games or competitions. | |||
Tajik | мӯътадил | ||
The word "мӯътадил" also means "balanced" and "temperate" in Tajik. | |||
Turkmen | ortaça | ||
Uzbek | o'rtacha | ||
The word "o'rtacha" in Uzbek is derived from the Persian word "mi'tar", meaning "amount". It can also mean "medium" or "average" in some contexts. | |||
Uyghur | ئوتتۇراھال | ||
Hawaiian | akahai | ||
In the Hawaiian language, the word also means "half" or "intermediate". | |||
Maori | ngawari | ||
Maori word for 'moderate', ngawari, also refers to half-caste or mixed race people. | |||
Samoan | feololo | ||
The word "feololo" in Samoan can also mean "calm" or "meek". | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | katamtaman | ||
"Katamtaman" is derived from the root word "kataman," which also means "measure" or "standard." |
Aymara | turpa | ||
Guarani | akãguapy | ||
Esperanto | modera | ||
"Moderanto", which means "moderator", is derived from "modera" (meaning "moderate"). | |||
Latin | moderari | ||
The word 'moderari' originally meant 'to measure' or 'to set limits', and was derived from the Latin word 'modus', meaning 'measure' or 'limit'. |
Greek | μέτριος | ||
"Μέτριος" originates from the Ancient Greek "μέτρον" (English: "measure"), signifying "conforming to measurement, appropriate". | |||
Hmong | pes nrab | ||
Pes nrab also means 'lukewarm', 'cool', and 'indifferent'. | |||
Kurdish | navînî | ||
The word "navînî" in Kurdish also refers to "novelty" or "innovation". | |||
Turkish | ılımlı | ||
"Ilımlı" has another meaning, which is "slightly alcoholic". | |||
Xhosa | ngcathu | ||
The word "ngcathu" in Xhosa can also mean "mediocre" or "okay", depending on the context. | |||
Yiddish | מעסיק | ||
"מעסיק" can be interpreted as "more-sick" or "less-well" in Yiddish. | |||
Zulu | ngokulinganisela | ||
The Zulu word 'ngokulinganisela' is a compound noun formed from the noun 'ulinganiso' (balance) and the verbal particle '-ela,' which denotes a moderate or gradual action. | |||
Assamese | মধ্যমীয়া | ||
Aymara | turpa | ||
Bhojpuri | उदार | ||
Dhivehi | މެދުމިން | ||
Dogri | दरम्याना | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | katamtaman | ||
Guarani | akãguapy | ||
Ilocano | kalalainganna | ||
Krio | soba | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | ناوەند | ||
Maithili | उदारवादी | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯌꯥꯏ ꯑꯣꯏꯔꯞ | ||
Mizo | thunun | ||
Oromo | giddugaleessa | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ମଧ୍ୟମ | ||
Quechua | moderado | ||
Sanskrit | सन्तुलित | ||
Tatar | уртача | ||
Tigrinya | ማእኸላይ | ||
Tsonga | xikarhi | ||