Nearly in Different Languages
Discover 'Nearly' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'nearly' is a small but powerful term that indicates close proximity to something, whether in time, distance, or amount. Its significance lies in its ability to convey the idea of almost, but not quite, reaching a certain point. This concept is universal and can be found in languages all around the world.
Throughout history, 'nearly' has played a crucial role in many areas, from mathematics to storytelling. In mathematics, 'nearly' is used to describe numbers or quantities that are almost equal, but not exactly so. In storytelling, 'nearly' can add suspense or drama to a narrative, as when a character narrowly escapes danger.
Given its importance and ubiquity, it's no wonder that people might be interested in knowing how to say 'nearly' in different languages. Not only can this knowledge help with travel or communication, but it can also provide insight into the cultural nuances and linguistic quirks of other countries and communities.
Here are some translations of 'nearly' in various languages:
Nearly
Nearly in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | amper | ||
| The word "amper" in Afrikaans can also mean "barely" or "just enough". | |||
| Amharic | ማለት ይቻላል | ||
| ማለት ይቻላል is literally translated as "it is possible to say", "it is possible to think" or "it is possible to believe", which implies possibility. | |||
| Hausa | kusan | ||
| "Kusan" has the alternate meaning of "approximately" in Hausa, with a similar pronunciation | |||
| Igbo | fọrọ nke nta | ||
| The word "fọrọ nke nta" can also mean "just now" or "recently" in Igbo, indicating a close proximity in time. | |||
| Malagasy | efa ho | ||
| Efa ho, in addition to meaning "nearly," can also mean "a little bit" or "almost." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | pafupifupi | ||
| The word "pafupifupi" can also mean "almost" or "nearly there" in Nyanja (Chichewa). | |||
| Shona | ndoda | ||
| The word "ndoda" can also be used to mean "a bit" or "slightly" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | ku dhowaad | ||
| The word "ku dhowaad" in Somali shares a root with the word "dhowr" meaning "few" or "small in number or amount" | |||
| Sesotho | hoo e ka bang | ||
| The word "hoo e ka bang" originated from the Sotho phrase "ho o ka ba nngwe," meaning "it is almost one," referring to the time just before something becomes one. | |||
| Swahili | karibu | ||
| The Swahili word "karibu" can also be the second person singular form of the copular verb "kuwa," meaning "to be". | |||
| Xhosa | phantse | ||
| The word "phantse" in Xhosa can also mean "not quite", implying just short of something. | |||
| Yoruba | fere | ||
| The word 'fere', meaning 'nearly' in Yoruba, can also mean 'almost' or 'about to' in some contexts. | |||
| Zulu | cishe | ||
| "Cishe" in Zulu derives from the word "kusondeza," meaning "to make close" and "to bring closer." | |||
| Bambara | sɔɔni dɔrɔn | ||
| Ewe | vie ko | ||
| Kinyarwanda | hafi | ||
| Lingala | pene | ||
| Luganda | kumpi | ||
| Sepedi | e ka ba | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɛkaa dɛ | ||
Nearly in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تقريبا | ||
| تقريبا is derived from the root ق-ر-ب, meaning "to come close to," which also exists in other Semitic languages like Hebrew and Aramaic. | |||
| Hebrew | כמעט | ||
| The word "כמעט" has been used in Hebrew since the 13th century, originally meaning "more or less" or "approximately"} | |||
| Pashto | نږدې | ||
| "نږدې" is also used as a preposition meaning "near to" or "close to". | |||
| Arabic | تقريبا | ||
| تقريبا is derived from the root ق-ر-ب, meaning "to come close to," which also exists in other Semitic languages like Hebrew and Aramaic. | |||
Nearly in Western European Languages
| Albanian | gati | ||
| The word "gati" is a derivative of the Proto-Albanian "gati" and is found in other Indo-European languages with the same meaning. | |||
| Basque | ia | ||
| The root of the word “ia” in Basque is *iaia*, also meaning “father” or “dad” | |||
| Catalan | gairebé | ||
| The word «gairebé», like the French word «guère» from which it comes, is made from the word for «scarcely» or «hardly» and an emphatic «bé» or «bien», which can also be used in Catalan as a standalone affirmative response meaning «good» or «correct». | |||
| Croatian | gotovo | ||
| The word "gotovo" in Croatian means both "nearly" and "completely", and stems from the Old Church Slavonic word for "completion". | |||
| Danish | næsten | ||
| In Old Danish, "næsten" meant "immediately", while in modern Danish it means "almost". | |||
| Dutch | bijna | ||
| The Dutch word "bijna" can be etymologically traced back to the noun "bij" which means "at" or "near" and the adjective "na" meaning "nigh," hence its connotation of "almost" or "close to." | |||
| English | nearly | ||
| The word 'nearly' originally meant 'closely resembling' and was first used in the 14th century. | |||
| French | presque | ||
| The word "presque" can also mean "almost" or "nearly so". | |||
| Frisian | omtrint | ||
| The word “omtrint” originated from the Old Frisian word “ombitrinda,” meaning “approximately,” “about,” or “nearly.” | |||
| Galician | case | ||
| In Galician, the word "case" can also mean "perhaps" or "maybe". | |||
| German | fast | ||
| In German, the word "fast" also means "almost" or "nearly". | |||
| Icelandic | næstum því | ||
| Næstum því means "almost" and is a contraction of the word "næstir" (nearest) and the suffix "um" (towards). | |||
| Irish | beagnach | ||
| The Irish word "beagnach" derives from "beagan" (small) and the suffix "-ach" (like, similar), and can also mean "humble". | |||
| Italian | quasi | ||
| "Quasi" derives from Latin "quasi," meaning "as if" or "like," often implying similarity or approximation. | |||
| Luxembourgish | bal | ||
| The word "bal" in Luxembourgish most likely derives from the Celtic word "balt", meaning "nearly, almost". | |||
| Maltese | kważi | ||
| The word “kważi” in Maltese is also used in reference to “something nearly correct” or “an almost right approximation”. | |||
| Norwegian | nesten | ||
| The Norwegian word "nesten" is derived from the Old Norse word "nest", meaning "something closely related". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | por pouco | ||
| The Portuguese expression 'por pouco' (nearly) originates from the Latin 'prope', meaning 'close' or 'near'. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | cha mhòr | ||
| Scots Gaelic "cha mhòr" means "nearly" and literally translates as "not much". | |||
| Spanish | casi | ||
| While 'casi' means 'nearly' in Spanish, it also derives from Latin 'quasi' meaning 'as if' or 'sort of'. | |||
| Swedish | nästan | ||
| The word "nästan" in Swedish has an alternate meaning of "almost" or "nearly". | |||
| Welsh | bron | ||
| In Middle Welsh, 'bron' could also mean 'breast', while in Old Welsh it referred to 'womb'. | |||
Nearly in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | амаль | ||
| The word "амаль" in Belarusian also means "almost" or "nearly". | |||
| Bosnian | skoro | ||
| The word "skoro" derives from the Slavic root "skorъ", meaning "fast" or "quickly", and also has the meanings "about", "approximately", or "right away" depending on context. | |||
| Bulgarian | почти | ||
| The word "почти" can also mean "almost", "nearly", or "close to". | |||
| Czech | téměř | ||
| The word "téměř" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *temerъ, which also meant "darkness" or "shadow". | |||
| Estonian | peaaegu | ||
| In addition to meaning “nearly,” the Estonian word “peaaegu” can also mean “almost.” | |||
| Finnish | lähes | ||
| "Lähes" is etymologically related to the word "lähellä" (close to), and also means "almost" or "nearly." | |||
| Hungarian | közel | ||
| The word "közel" also means "middle" or "center" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | gandrīz | ||
| The original meaning of the word was “hardly”, but over time it has come to mean “nearly”. | |||
| Lithuanian | beveik | ||
| Beveik is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *gʷʰéi- "to live, be alive", which is also the source of the English word "quick" and the Latin word "vīvus" "alive." | |||
| Macedonian | близу | ||
| The word "близу" also means "near" and "close" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | prawie | ||
| Prawie, meaning 'nearly,' is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *pravь, meaning 'right' or 'correct.' | |||
| Romanian | aproape | ||
| "Aproape" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂ep- ('to get, reach'), which also yielded the Latin "adpropinquare" ('to draw near'). | |||
| Russian | около | ||
| "Около" is a preposition in Russian which can also mean "approximate", "about", or "close to". | |||
| Serbian | скоро | ||
| Serbian "скоро" means "nearly" but it's also used to say "soon" or "in a little while". | |||
| Slovak | skoro | ||
| The Slovak word "skoro" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "skora", meaning "fast" or "quickly", and is cognate with the English word "score". | |||
| Slovenian | skoraj | ||
| The word "skoraj" has Slavic roots and is shared by several languages, including Polish, Czech, and Russian, where it also means "nearly". | |||
| Ukrainian | майже | ||
| The word "майже" in Ukrainian comes from the Proto-Slavic root *maje-, meaning "almost" or "a little bit". | |||
Nearly in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | প্রায় | ||
| The word "প্রায়" is derived from the Sanskrit word "प्रायः", meaning "often" or "frequently". | |||
| Gujarati | લગભગ | ||
| The Gujarati word "લગભગ" can also mean "about" or "approximately". | |||
| Hindi | लगभग | ||
| The word 'लगभग' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'लग्नः', meaning 'attached to' or 'in contact with'. | |||
| Kannada | ಸುಮಾರು | ||
| The word "ಸುಮಾರು" also means "nearly all" or "in general". | |||
| Malayalam | ഏകദേശം | ||
| The word "ഏകദേശം" is derived from the Sanskrit "एकादश," meaning "eleven," and is used to indicate an approximate quantity or number. | |||
| Marathi | जवळजवळ | ||
| The word "जवळजवळ" can also mean "approximately" or "close to" in English. | |||
| Nepali | लगभग | ||
| The word 'लगभग' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'लगभग', which means 'about' or 'approximately'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਲਗਭਗ | ||
| The word "ਲਗਭਗ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "लगभग" (lagbhag), which means "about" or "almost". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ආසන්න | ||
| "ආසන්න" can also mean "suitable" or "near" in the sense of "close to". | |||
| Tamil | கிட்டத்தட்ட | ||
| The word 'கிட்டத்தட்ட' can also mean 'almost all' or 'approximately' in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | దాదాపు | ||
| The word దాదాపు (dā dāpu) literally means 'closely placed'. | |||
| Urdu | قریب | ||
| The word "قریب" in Urdu can also mean "relative" or "close friend". | |||
Nearly in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 几乎 | ||
| 几乎 originated in the ancient Chinese phrase “及于机”， which means something that is “urgent and imminent”. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 幾乎 | ||
| 「幾乎」源自《莊子．養生主》，其原文為「刀刃若新發於硎」。 | |||
| Japanese | ほぼ | ||
| ほぼ is occasionally misrendered as 穂波, causing it to mean "tip of an ear of rice." | |||
| Korean | 거의 | ||
| The word '거의' is also used to indicate a feeling of uncertainty or ambiguity. | |||
| Mongolian | бараг | ||
| The word "бараг" also means "a little bit". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နီးပါး | ||
Nearly in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | hampir | ||
| The word "hampir" in Indonesian also originates from the Arabic word "hamara" meaning "attack" or "approach". | |||
| Javanese | meh | ||
| In Javanese, "meh" can also mean something is a little bit or just so-so. | |||
| Khmer | ជិត | ||
| The word "ជិត" can also mean "close" or "nearby" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ເກືອບ | ||
| The Lao word ເກືອບ is cognate with the Thai word กล้บ (or กลับ) and has similar meanings. | |||
| Malay | hampir | ||
| The word "hampir" shares its etymology with the word "hamper", originating from the Middle English word "hanaper", referring to a basket used to store official documents. | |||
| Thai | เกือบ | ||
| The word "เกือบ" is derived from the Pali word "เกือม" meaning "close to" or "adjacent to" and is related to the Sanskrit word "gur" meaning "near" or "nearness". | |||
| Vietnamese | gần | ||
| "Gần" can also mean "to visit" or "to visit someone" in Vietnamese, likely deriving from its original meaning of being close or near to someone. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | halos | ||
Nearly in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | təxminən | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "təxminən" is derived from the Persian word "taqreeban" with the same meaning. | |||
| Kazakh | шамамен | ||
| The word "шамамен" is derived from the Persian word "شامگاه" (shāmgāh), meaning "dusk" or "evening". | |||
| Kyrgyz | дээрлик | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "дээрлик" ("nearly") is also used to mean "almost" or "on the verge of" something. | |||
| Tajik | қариб | ||
| The Tajik word "қариб" can also mean "related" or "similar". | |||
| Turkmen | diýen ýaly | ||
| Uzbek | deyarli | ||
| The Uzbek word "deyarli" is likely related to the Turkish word "değirmek," and has the alternate meaning of "to grind." | |||
| Uyghur | دېگۈدەك | ||
Nearly in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻaneʻane | ||
| 'Aneʻane' also means 'a little while ago'. | |||
| Maori | tata | ||
| The Maori word "tata" can also mean "to be close to" or "to be near". | |||
| Samoan | toeitiiti | ||
| The word "toeitiiti" in Samoan can also refer to a tiny amount or a small quantity of something. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | halos | ||
| The word "halos" originated from the Spanish word "casi". | |||
Nearly in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jak'ana | ||
| Guarani | haimete | ||
Nearly in International Languages
| Esperanto | preskaŭ | ||
| The Esperanto word 'preskaŭ' is derived from the Hungarian word 'presque', meaning 'nearly' or 'almost'. | |||
| Latin | fere | ||
| The Latin word 'fere' can also mean 'for the most part', or 'almost all'. | |||
Nearly in Others Languages
| Greek | σχεδόν | ||
| The ancient Greek word σχεδόν was used both in its modern sense of "nearly" and in the sense of "approximately" or "about", much like the English word "about". | |||
| Hmong | ze li ntawm | ||
| "Ze li ntawm" comes from the Chinese expression "zaili" which means "in between". | |||
| Kurdish | hema hema | ||
| The Kurdish word "hema hema" (nearly) is also an exclamation meaning "be patient." | |||
| Turkish | neredeyse | ||
| The word "neredeyse" is a compound word derived from the Turkish words "nerede" (where) and "ise" (is or if). | |||
| Xhosa | phantse | ||
| The word "phantse" in Xhosa can also mean "not quite", implying just short of something. | |||
| Yiddish | קימאַט | ||
| The word "קימאַט" comes from the Hebrew word for "almost" and the Turkish suffix "-mat" for comparison, and is used in the context of quantity, time or degree. | |||
| Zulu | cishe | ||
| "Cishe" in Zulu derives from the word "kusondeza," meaning "to make close" and "to bring closer." | |||
| Assamese | প্ৰায় | ||
| Aymara | jak'ana | ||
| Bhojpuri | लगभग | ||
| Dhivehi | ކިރިޔާ | ||
| Dogri | तकरीबन | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | halos | ||
| Guarani | haimete | ||
| Ilocano | nganngani | ||
| Krio | lɛk | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نزیکەی | ||
| Maithili | लगभग | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯅꯛꯅꯕ | ||
| Mizo | tep | ||
| Oromo | dhiyootti | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପ୍ରାୟ | ||
| Quechua | yaqa | ||
| Sanskrit | सन्निकट | ||
| Tatar | диярлек | ||
| Tigrinya | ከባቢ | ||
| Tsonga | kusuhi na | ||