Modest in Different Languages
Discover 'Modest' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'modest' is a small but powerful term, often used to describe a person who is humble, unassuming, and respectful. It's a quality that is highly valued in many cultures, and is often associated with grace, dignity, and self-control. In fact, the concept of modesty has been a part of human societies for thousands of years, and has been expressed in many different ways across different cultures and traditions.
For example, in Western cultures, modesty is often associated with dressing conservatively and avoiding drawing attention to oneself. In some Eastern cultures, modesty is expressed through quiet, understated behavior and a focus on the needs of others. And in many religious traditions, modesty is seen as a key virtue, reflecting a deep respect for the sacred and a commitment to living a life of integrity.
Given the importance of modesty in so many different contexts, it's not surprising that people around the world might be interested in learning how to say 'modest' in different languages. Whether you're traveling to a new country, studying a foreign language, or simply looking to expand your cultural horizons, understanding the nuances of this important term can help you connect with people from all walks of life.
Here are just a few of the many ways to say 'modest' in different languages:
Modest
Modest in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | beskeie | ||
| The word "beskeie" is derived from the Dutch word "bescheiden", which also means "modest". It can also mean "humble" or "unassuming". | |||
| Amharic | ልከኛ | ||
| The word "ልከኛ" can also refer to someone who is not talkative or expressive. | |||
| Hausa | suna fadin | ||
| The Hausa word 'suna fadin' also means 'to be humble' or 'to be well-mannered'. | |||
| Igbo | obi umeala | ||
| The Igbo word "obi umeala" can also refer to "the heart of the poor" or "the heart of the common man." | |||
| Malagasy | tsotra | ||
| The word "tsotra" in Malagasy can also mean "straight, simple, direct". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | modzichepetsa | ||
| The word 'modzichepetsa' in Nyanja can also mean 'to be ashamed' or 'to be shy'. | |||
| Shona | zvine mwero | ||
| The Shona word "zvine mwero" literally means "to have a lot of blood", and is used to describe someone who is modest or humble. | |||
| Somali | suubban | ||
| "Suubban" can also mean "quietly respectful". | |||
| Sesotho | inyenyefatsa | ||
| The word "inyenyefatsa" in Sesotho is derived from "inyenya," meaning "spider," and "fatsa," meaning "spinning web," which together refer to the cautious and intricate nature of modesty. | |||
| Swahili | kiasi | ||
| The Swahili word 'kiasi' comes from the Proto-Bantu word '-asi' meaning 'a little bit'. | |||
| Xhosa | ukuthozama | ||
| "Ukuthozama" in Xhosa also refers to the act of lowering oneself in a humble or respectful manner. | |||
| Yoruba | iwonba | ||
| Iwónbá also refers to politeness or humility. | |||
| Zulu | nesizotha | ||
| The Zulu word ‘nesizotha’ is a compound word made up of ‘neso’ meaning ‘to be low’ or ‘humble’ and ‘izotha’ meaning ‘a bottom or an end’. | |||
| Bambara | mɔgɔsɛbɛ | ||
| Ewe | si le sue | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kwiyoroshya | ||
| Lingala | koyeba bandelo | ||
| Luganda | obuwombeefu | ||
| Sepedi | ikokobetšago | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ne ketewa mu | ||
Modest in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | متواضع | ||
| The word "متواضع" (modest) also has the connotation of "humble" or "lowly" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | צָנוּעַ | ||
| The root of "צָנוּעַ" appears in the Bible referring to "covering" or "hiding" which gives us a sense of its original meaning. | |||
| Pashto | متل | ||
| The Pashto word "متل" can also refer to the concept of "being in balance" or "being equal". | |||
| Arabic | متواضع | ||
| The word "متواضع" (modest) also has the connotation of "humble" or "lowly" in Arabic. | |||
Modest in Western European Languages
| Albanian | modest | ||
| Modest in Albanian can also mean "low" or "humble". | |||
| Basque | apala | ||
| "Apala" is originally from the Spanish word "apacible" ( | |||
| Catalan | modest | ||
| The Catalan noun "modèstia" (modesty) comes from Latin "molestia" meaning disturbance or annoyance | |||
| Croatian | skroman | ||
| While skroman in Croatian only means "modest," its Russian and Polish cognates also mean "penurious" and "stingy," respectively. | |||
| Danish | beskeden | ||
| The word 'beskeden' is derived from the German word 'bescheiden', meaning 'wise' or 'prudent'. | |||
| Dutch | bescheiden | ||
| The adjective "bescheiden" in Dutch derives from the Old High German "biskeiden", meaning "to separate and distinguish, understand reasonably, decide upon". | |||
| English | modest | ||
| The word `modest` originates from the Latin word `modestus`, meaning `moderate` or `unassuming`. | |||
| French | modeste | ||
| The word "modeste" is derived from the Latin word "modestus," meaning "moderate" or "temperate." | |||
| Frisian | beskieden | ||
| The word "beskieden" in Frisian is derived from the Old Frisian word "besciedan," which means "to command" or "to inform." | |||
| Galician | modesto | ||
| In Galician, the word "modesto" can also mean "a small, rural area". | |||
| German | bescheiden | ||
| The word "bescheiden" is derived from the Middle High German word "bescheiden," meaning "wise," "prudent," or "discreet." | |||
| Icelandic | hófstillt | ||
| The word "hófstillt" can also refer to calmness or composure in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | measartha | ||
| Measartha can also mean "moderate" or "limited" in Irish. | |||
| Italian | modesto | ||
| "Modesto" in Italian can also mean "moderate" or "fair." | |||
| Luxembourgish | bescheiden | ||
| In Luxembourgish, the word "bescheiden" can refer to both "modest" and "ashamed". | |||
| Maltese | modest | ||
| In Maltese, "modest" can be slang for "crazy" | |||
| Norwegian | beskjeden | ||
| Historically, the word "beskjeden" had an alternate meaning of "reasonable" in addition to "modest". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | modesto | ||
| In Brazil, "modesto" can also mean "simple" or "unpretentious". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | modhail | ||
| In English, "modest" means "free from vanity", but in Gaelic, "modhail" also has a sense of "of good character". | |||
| Spanish | modesto | ||
| In Spanish, the word "modesto" also means "humble" and "moderate". | |||
| Swedish | blygsam | ||
| The word "blygsam" can also mean "shy" or "reserved" in Swedish, and originates from the Proto-Germanic word "blaga-samja", meaning "able to understand, capable". | |||
| Welsh | cymedrol | ||
| The word "cymedrol" is derived from the Brythonic Celtic word "kymedrolos", meaning "concealed" or "reserved." | |||
Modest in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | сціплы | ||
| Слово «сціплы» походить від латинського «scrupulus», що означає «камінчик у взутті». | |||
| Bosnian | skroman | ||
| The word "skroman" can also mean "humble" or "unassuming" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | скромен | ||
| Bulgarian "скромен" also means "humble" or "with no pretentions" in some contexts, and has the same Slavic root as the English "scrum" | |||
| Czech | skromný | ||
| The word "skromný" derives from the word "skroma" („a piece of land”), which denotes humility and willingness to share. | |||
| Estonian | tagasihoidlik | ||
| "Tagasihoidlik" is derived from the verb "tagasi hoida", meaning to hold back, and implies reserve and restraint. | |||
| Finnish | vaatimaton | ||
| "Vaatimaton" is a Finnish word that is often translated as "modest" in English, but it can also mean "unassuming" or "humble." | |||
| Hungarian | szerény | ||
| "Szerény" ultimately derives from the Latin word "serenus", which means "peaceful" or "calm". | |||
| Latvian | pieticīgs | ||
| Etymology: from "piety" which refers to deep religious feeling or devotion. | |||
| Lithuanian | kuklus | ||
| The Lithuanian word "kuklus" has Slavic roots and is related to the Russian словом "kukol," meaning "idol" or "doll." | |||
| Macedonian | скромен | ||
| The word "скромен" comes from the Old Church Slavonic word "скромь", which means "humility" or "lowliness". | |||
| Polish | skromny | ||
| "Skromny" means modest, but can also describe someone or something that's simple, plain, or lacking ornamentation. | |||
| Romanian | modest | ||
| In Romanian, "modest" can also refer to moderate or reasonable amounts of something. | |||
| Russian | скромный | ||
| "Скромный" (modest) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *skromъ, meaning "lean, thin, narrow". | |||
| Serbian | скроман | ||
| "Скромност" (skromnost), meaning modesty or humility, derives from "скршити" (skršiti) meaning "to break". | |||
| Slovak | skromný | ||
| The Slovak word "skromný" comes from the Czech word "skromny" and the Latin word "scromnis", which means "scrupulous". | |||
| Slovenian | skromen | ||
| The adjective "skromen" is derived from the Indo-European root *sker- meaning "to cut, to separate" and has connotations of "humble" or "plain". | |||
| Ukrainian | скромний | ||
| The word "скромний" (modest) in Ukrainian derives from the Proto-Slavic root *skromъ, meaning "close, narrow, constrained". | |||
Modest in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিনয়ী | ||
| "বিনয়ী" is also used to describe a person who is submissive or even obsequious. | |||
| Gujarati | વિનમ્ર | ||
| The word "વિનમ્ર" is derived from the Sanskrit word "vinamra", which means "bending down" or "humble", and is related to the word "nam", meaning "to bow down". | |||
| Hindi | मामूली | ||
| मामूली is also used to describe something that is simple or plain, a meaning most likely derived from the word मामल (legal case) and माँगना (to ask). | |||
| Kannada | ಸಾಧಾರಣ | ||
| The word "ಸಾಧಾರಣ" can also mean "common" or "usual" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | എളിമ | ||
| The word "എളിമ" in Malayalam can also refer to being humble, unassuming, or respectful. | |||
| Marathi | विनम्र | ||
| The word "विनम्र" in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word "विनम्र" meaning "humble" or "courteous". | |||
| Nepali | भद्र | ||
| The word "भद्र" can also mean "auspicious" or "fortunate". | |||
| Punjabi | ਨਿਮਰ | ||
| The word "ਨਿਮਰ" is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit word "नम्र", which means "bent" or "bowed". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නිහතමානී | ||
| In a secondary sense 'nihathamani' also carries the meaning 'not being haughty' | |||
| Tamil | சாதாரண | ||
| The Tamil word "சாதாரண" ("modest") is a compound of "சதா" ("constant") and "ஆரவார" ("noise"), suggesting something that is "not noisy or flashy". | |||
| Telugu | నమ్రత | ||
| The Telugu word "నమ్రత" (namrata) comes from the Sanskrit word "नम्र" (namra), which means 'bent' or 'supple', and is related to the concept of humility or modesty. | |||
| Urdu | معمولی | ||
| The Persian word "mo`tadil" (meaning "moderate") is the etymological root of "معمولی" (modest). | |||
Modest in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 谦虚 | ||
| The Chinese character '谦' in '谦虚' (modest) originally meant 'lowly' and 'humble' and was often used in a self-deprecating way. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 謙虛 | ||
| 謙虛 derives from 謙遜 (qiānxùn) 'to give up, yield' (to superior force or opinion), and 虛 (xū) 'empty'. In Buddhism, it means 'emptying oneself'. | |||
| Japanese | 控えめ | ||
| 控えめ (tsutsumashī) comes from 慎む (tsutsushimu), meaning to exercise caution or discretion. | |||
| Korean | 겸손한 | ||
| 겸손 has the additional meaning of “humble” and is derived from the Chinese characters 謙(겸) meaning “to yield” and 遜(손) meaning “to retreat or defer.” | |||
| Mongolian | даруухан | ||
| The Mongolian word "даруухан" can also mean "meek" or "humble". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကျိုးနွံ | ||
Modest in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sederhana | ||
| The Indonesian word "sederhana" comes from the Sanskrit word "sudharana", meaning "easy" or "uncomplicated". | |||
| Javanese | andhap asor | ||
| The word "andhap asor" in Javanese originally meant "unseen and unheard". | |||
| Khmer | សុភាពរាបសា | ||
| The word "សុភាពរាបសា" is derived from the Sanskrit word "subhāva" meaning "nature" and "prāpasa" meaning "to attain". It can also mean "good character" or "virtue". | |||
| Lao | ຈຽມຕົວ | ||
| The Lao word ຈຽມຕົວ can also mean "to be shy" or "to be reserved." | |||
| Malay | sederhana | ||
| The word 'sederhana' can also mean 'simple', 'plain' or 'humble'. | |||
| Thai | เจียมเนื้อเจียมตัว | ||
| The Thai word "เจียมเนื้อเจียมตัว" (modest) literally translates to "knowing one's own flesh and knowing one's own body." | |||
| Vietnamese | khiêm tốn | ||
| "Khiêm tốn" literally translates as "to humble oneself" and also carries the meaning of "to be humble, modest, unpretentious, or reserved" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mababang-loob | ||
Modest in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | təvazökar | ||
| The word "təvazökar" derives from the Persian word "tāvazō" which means "low, humble". | |||
| Kazakh | қарапайым | ||
| The word "қарапайым" can also refer to something that is "simple" or "unpretentious". | |||
| Kyrgyz | жөнөкөй | ||
| The word "жөнөкөй" in Kyrgyz can also mean "simple" or "plain". | |||
| Tajik | хоксор | ||
| The word “хоксор” also means “modest” in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | sada | ||
| Uzbek | kamtarona | ||
| The word "kamtarona" in Uzbek originally meant "to be humble" or "to be ashamed", but it now also means "modest". | |||
| Uyghur | ھايالىق | ||
Modest in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | akahai | ||
| The word "akahai" in Hawaiian can also mean "humble", "meek", or "unassuming". | |||
| Maori | mahaki | ||
| The word "mahaki" in Maori also refers to someone who is shy, or reserved. | |||
| Samoan | tauagafau | ||
| Tauagafau also means 'bashful,' 'shamefaced,' 'reserved,' or 'timid' in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mababang-loob | ||
Modest in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | muristu | ||
| Guarani | jejapo'ỹva | ||
Modest in International Languages
| Esperanto | modesta | ||
| "Modesta" in Esperanto can also mean "low" or "humble". | |||
| Latin | verecundus | ||
| The word "verecundus" has an alternative meaning of "reverent" or "respectful", and is derived from "vereri", meaning "to fear" or "to reverence." | |||
Modest in Others Languages
| Greek | μετριόφρων | ||
| The word "μετριόφρων" can also mean "moderate" or "temperate" in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | coj tus | ||
| The expression can also be used in the context of a married woman, which means that her "co" is covered by "tus" | |||
| Kurdish | mutewazî | ||
| The word "mutewazî" has another meaning in Kurdish: "balanced". | |||
| Turkish | mütevazı | ||
| Mütevazı also refers to buildings that cover a small area and are not as tall as the surrounding buildings or are very close to the ground. | |||
| Xhosa | ukuthozama | ||
| "Ukuthozama" in Xhosa also refers to the act of lowering oneself in a humble or respectful manner. | |||
| Yiddish | באַשיידן | ||
| The Yiddish word באַשיידן may also mean "unassuming" or "humble". | |||
| Zulu | nesizotha | ||
| The Zulu word ‘nesizotha’ is a compound word made up of ‘neso’ meaning ‘to be low’ or ‘humble’ and ‘izotha’ meaning ‘a bottom or an end’. | |||
| Assamese | বিনয়ী | ||
| Aymara | muristu | ||
| Bhojpuri | आडंबरहीन | ||
| Dhivehi | މޮޑެސްޓް | ||
| Dogri | सिद्धा-सादा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mababang-loob | ||
| Guarani | jejapo'ỹva | ||
| Ilocano | napakumbaba | ||
| Krio | ɔmbul | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | خاکی | ||
| Maithili | मामूली | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯝꯊꯣꯛꯄ | ||
| Mizo | zahawm | ||
| Oromo | murtaawaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ନମ୍ର | ||
| Quechua | modesto | ||
| Sanskrit | शालीन | ||
| Tatar | тыйнак | ||
| Tigrinya | ምጥን ዝበለ | ||
| Tsonga | mpimo wutsongo | ||