Pause in Different Languages
Discover 'Pause' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'pause' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, inviting us to take a moment of reflection or relaxation in our fast-paced world. Pauses are essential in various aspects of life, from public speaking and music to meditation and technology. They allow us to gather our thoughts, catch our breath, and appreciate the world around us.
Moreover, the cultural importance of pauses varies across the globe. In Japan, for instance, silence is regarded as golden, fostering deep connections during conversations. Meanwhile, in the West, pauses are often seen as moments of contemplation or preparation for the next action.
Understanding the translation of 'pause' in different languages can enrich our cross-cultural communication and broaden our perspectives. Here are a few examples:
- French: 'pause'
- Spanish: 'pausa'
- German: 'Pause'
- Mandarin: '停顿' (tíngdùn)
- Japanese: '一ishi' (ippuku)
Discover how this simple yet powerful word transcends language barriers and unites us in the shared human experience. Explore the list below to learn more about the translations of 'pause' in various languages.
Pause
Pause in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | pouse | ||
| The Afrikaans word "pouse" also has the meaning of "a rest" or "a break". | |||
| Amharic | ለአፍታ አቁም | ||
| The word "ለአፍታ አቁም" ("pause") in Amharic also means "to be in a state of waiting" or "to be on standby". | |||
| Hausa | a ɗan dakata | ||
| Though literally translated as "half a minute", a ɗan dakata is usually a much shorter pause used as an interjection. | |||
| Igbo | kwusi | ||
| Kwusi, also known as "the moment of silence," is a pause used to emphasize words or phrases in Igbo speech. | |||
| Malagasy | pause | ||
| In Malagasy, "pause" (paosy) can also mean "resting place" or "resting time". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | imani | ||
| "Imani" also means "faith" in many other Bantu languages, including Swahili, Bemba, Chewa and Zulu. | |||
| Shona | kumbomira | ||
| The word "kumbomira" in Shona can also refer to a moment of hesitation or reflection. | |||
| Somali | hakad | ||
| The Somali verb 'hakad' means 'to stop or hesitate,' and can also be used to describe a break or pause in an activity or speech. | |||
| Sesotho | kgefutsa | ||
| The word "kgefutsa" can also mean "wait" or "stop". | |||
| Swahili | sitisha | ||
| The Swahili word 'sitisha' also means 'to rest' or 'to take a break'. | |||
| Xhosa | nqumama | ||
| The word "nqumama" has its roots in the onomatopoeia for a pause or hesitation in speech, similar to "um" or "er" in English. | |||
| Yoruba | da duro | ||
| Da duro also means "very much" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | phumula | ||
| 'Phumula' comes from the Proto-Bantu verb *-fukula 'to lie down, recline', suggesting a state of physical or mental repose. | |||
| Bambara | ka jɔ | ||
| Ewe | tɔ vie | ||
| Kinyarwanda | hagarara | ||
| Lingala | kopema | ||
| Luganda | okuyimirizamu | ||
| Sepedi | ema nakwana | ||
| Twi (Akan) | home so | ||
Pause in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | وقفة | ||
| The Arabic word "وقفة" (pause) is also used in religious contexts to refer to the Day of Arafah pilgrimage in the Islamic faith. | |||
| Hebrew | הַפסָקָה | ||
| "The word הַפָּסָקָה derives from the root פס"ק, meaning 'to cut' or 'to divide,' suggesting that a pause is a type of separation or suspension." | |||
| Pashto | وقفه | ||
| The word وقفه also means "interval between verses of the Qur'an" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | وقفة | ||
| The Arabic word "وقفة" (pause) is also used in religious contexts to refer to the Day of Arafah pilgrimage in the Islamic faith. | |||
Pause in Western European Languages
| Albanian | pauzë | ||
| In Greek, "pauzē" (παύση) also means "stop," "cease," or "rest" as an action or noun. | |||
| Basque | pausatu | ||
| The Basque word "pausatu" also means "leisurely", "to make oneself comfortable", and "to relax". | |||
| Catalan | pausa | ||
| "Pausa" derives from Greek, meaning "cessation" or "stop". | |||
| Croatian | pauza | ||
| The word 'pauza' is also used colloquially to refer to a break from work or school. | |||
| Danish | pause | ||
| In Danish, it also means 'to talk in a childish or silly manner' (derived from French 'poser'). | |||
| Dutch | pauze | ||
| The Dutch word "pauze" also has a meaning similar to the English word "break", as in a short rest from work. | |||
| English | pause | ||
| The word 'pause' comes from the Greek word 'pauein', meaning 'to cease' or 'to make to cease'. | |||
| French | pause | ||
| In French, the word "pause" can also mean a musical rest or a period of silence in a conversation. | |||
| Frisian | skoft | ||
| In Frisian, "skoft" also refers to a short break during manual labour. | |||
| Galician | pausa | ||
| "Pausa" en gallego, además de "pausa", también significa "descanso" o "reposo". | |||
| German | pause | ||
| The German word "Pause" also means relaxation, and can describe the moment after a musical performance where the audience and performers take a break. | |||
| Icelandic | gera hlé | ||
| In Old Norse, 'gera hlé' also meant 'make a noise' or 'perform a loud action'. | |||
| Irish | sos | ||
| The word "sos" in Irish can also mean "soak" or "stew". | |||
| Italian | pausa | ||
| The Italian word "pausa" has several meanings including: rest, break, suspension, and delay. | |||
| Luxembourgish | pauséieren | ||
| The word "pauséieren" in Luxembourgish derives from the French word "se poser", meaning "to sit down or to take a rest". | |||
| Maltese | waqfa | ||
| Maltese word "waqfa" (pause) originates from the Arabic word "waqf" and in Maltese also refers to the intonation at the end of a clause. | |||
| Norwegian | pause | ||
| The Old Norse word for 'pause' is 'púsi', which also means 'bag', 'purse', and 'a small amount'. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | pausa | ||
| In Portugal, "pausa" also means "space" or "interval." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | stad | ||
| The Gaelic word 'stad' can also mean 'stop' or 'stand', and is related to the English word 'stead'. | |||
| Spanish | pausa | ||
| The word "pausa" in Spanish also means "break" or "rest". | |||
| Swedish | paus | ||
| "Paus" also refers to a musical rest, as the word is derived from the Greek word "pauein" meaning "to cease". | |||
| Welsh | saib | ||
| Welsh 'saib' also refers to a stop in the rhythm and melody of a 'penillion' (traditional Welsh sung poetry). | |||
Pause in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | паўза | ||
| The word "паўза" can also mean "recess" or "break" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | pauza | ||
| The word "pauza" comes from Greek and it can also mean "vacation". | |||
| Bulgarian | пауза | ||
| The word "пауза" in Bulgarian can also refer to a break in speech or music, a time of rest, or a period of silence. | |||
| Czech | pauza | ||
| The Czech term "pauza“ is derived from the ancient Greek "pausis", meaning “halt, pause or cessation". | |||
| Estonian | paus | ||
| In addition to meaning "pause", "paus" in Estonian also refers to a time of rest or the act of refraining from an activity. | |||
| Finnish | tauko | ||
| "Tauko" is also the Finnish word for "short break", "interruption", or "gap". | |||
| Hungarian | szünet | ||
| The word "szünet" in Hungarian comes from the Latin word "cessatio", meaning "cessation". It can also refer to a break in performance or a period of inactivity. | |||
| Latvian | pauze | ||
| The word "pauze" in Latvian shares its etymology with the word "pausa" in Hungarian, both meaning "pause" and "rest". | |||
| Lithuanian | pauzė | ||
| "Pauzė" is the Lithuanian spelling of the Greek word for "cease" | |||
| Macedonian | пауза | ||
| The word "пауза" comes from the Greek word "παύση", which means "cessation", "stop" or "rest". | |||
| Polish | pauza | ||
| The Polish word "pauza" has an additional meaning of "a break from school, college, or university". | |||
| Romanian | pauză | ||
| In Romanian, the word "pauză" also has the meanings of "break" and "rest". | |||
| Russian | пауза | ||
| The word "пауза" can also mean "a break" or "a rest" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | пауза | ||
| The word "пауза" (pause) in Serbian originates from the Greek word "παύσις" (pausis), meaning "cessation", "rest" or "stoppage". | |||
| Slovak | pauza | ||
| "Pauza" can also mean "a break" or "a gap" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | pavza | ||
| The word 'pavza' in Slovenian comes from the Latin word 'pausa', which originally meant 'a break in a musical piece'. | |||
| Ukrainian | пауза | ||
| "Пауза" is a word borrowed from Russian, derived from the Greek word "παῦσις" (pausis), meaning "cessation" or "suspension," and is used in Ukrainian to indicate a break or intermission. | |||
Pause in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিরতি দিন | ||
| বিরতি দিন also means "to have a break" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | થોભો | ||
| The Gujarati word "થોભો" (pause) can also mean "wait" or "hold on" in an imperative sense. | |||
| Hindi | ठहराव | ||
| The Hindi word ठहराव derives from the Sanskrit root 'sthir' meaning 'stationary' or 'firm'. | |||
| Kannada | ವಿರಾಮ | ||
| The word 'ವಿರಾಮ' (viraama) also means 'cessation, rest, stop, tranquility, interval, leisure, peace, relief, repose, retirement, and ease' in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | താൽക്കാലികമായി നിർത്തുക | ||
| The word "pause" is derived from the Greek word "pausis", which means "a cessation of action". | |||
| Marathi | विराम द्या | ||
| The word "विराम द्या" literally means "give a rest" in Marathi, and is often used in yoga or meditation to indicate a pause or break in a session. | |||
| Nepali | रोक्नुहोस् | ||
| The Nepali word 'रोक्नुहोस्' ('pause') is derived from the verb 'रोक्न' ('to stop'), and is used to indicate a break or interruption in an action or speech. | |||
| Punjabi | ਰੋਕੋ | ||
| The word "ਰੋਕੋ" also means to obstruct, block, or prevent. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | විරාමය | ||
| The word "විරාමය" also means "rest" or "cessation" in addition to its meaning of "pause". | |||
| Tamil | இடைநிறுத்தம் | ||
| The Tamil word 'இடைநிறுத்தம்' has an additional alternate meaning as the time duration between two things, similar to the usage of 'pause'. | |||
| Telugu | విరామం | ||
| The word "విరామం" also means "a mark of punctuation" or "a break in speech". | |||
| Urdu | توقف | ||
| In addition to meaning 'pause', 'توقف' can also refer to 'cease', 'stop', or 'halt' in Urdu. | |||
Pause in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 暂停 | ||
| "暂停" 在中文里除了表示 "pause" 之外，还表示 "intermission" 和 "respite" 。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 暫停 | ||
| "暫" in "暫停" means "for the time being". | |||
| Japanese | 一時停止 | ||
| In Japanese, the word 一時停止, 'pause,' literally means 'stop temporarily' or 'stop for a short while'. | |||
| Korean | 중지 | ||
| "중지" can refer not only to pausing an action or a process, but also to terminating something. | |||
| Mongolian | түр зогсоох | ||
| The Mongolian word "түр зогсоох" can also mean "to stop temporarily" or "to take a break". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ခေတ္တရပ်တန့်ရန် | ||
| The word "pause" derives from the Middle French word "pauser", meaning "to halt". In music, the term refers to a moment of silence or a slight break in the rhythm. | |||
Pause in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | berhenti sebentar | ||
| "Berhenti sebentar" literally means "stop for a moment" in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | ngaso | ||
| Ngaso shares an etymology with the words "lepas" ("rest") and "ngganggo" ("to use") in Indonesian, suggesting a semantic connection between taking a break and releasing oneself from an activity. | |||
| Khmer | ផ្អាក | ||
| ផ្អាក comes from the Sanskrit “avakāśa,” meaning “space, opportunity, leisure.” | |||
| Lao | ຢຸດຊົ່ວຄາວ | ||
| The Lao word ຢຸດຊົ່ວຄາວ comes from Sanskrit and can also mean หยุดการทำงานชั่วคราว, to suspend or discontinue temporarily. | |||
| Malay | berhenti seketika | ||
| The word "berhenti seketika" in Malay has roots in the Arabic word "istikharah", which means seeking guidance from God through prayer or meditation. | |||
| Thai | หยุด | ||
| หยุด can also mean "stop," "cease," or "forbid." | |||
| Vietnamese | tạm ngừng | ||
| Tạm ngừng has an alternate meaning of 'stop' or 'rest'. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | huminto | ||
Pause in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | fasilə | ||
| The etymology of the Azerbaijani word "fasilə" is unclear as it is not derived from any of the Turkic languages, but is also used in other languages including Arabic and Persian, with different meanings including "separation" or "interval". | |||
| Kazakh | кідірту | ||
| The word "кідірту" can also mean "hesitation" or "delay" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | тыным | ||
| "Тыным" in Kyrgyz also means "a place with grass". In the 1930s, it took on the additional meaning of "pause" when newspapers reported on the "тынымдар" (time-outs) taken by the runners in marathon races. | |||
| Tajik | таваққуф | ||
| The Tajik word "таваққуф" comes from the Arabic word "وقف," which means "to stand still, to pause, to stop." | |||
| Turkmen | pauza | ||
| Uzbek | pauza | ||
| Uzbek "pauza" ultimately derives from Greek "pauein" via Russian "pauza" and has a secondary meaning of "short stop". | |||
| Uyghur | توختاپ | ||
Pause in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻomaha | ||
| In Hawaiian, "hoʻomaha" originated from "maha", which refers to both a state of rest and the concept of sacred space or sanctuary. | |||
| Maori | okioki | ||
| Okioki, meaning "pause" in Maori, also refers to a period of "rest" or "break". | |||
| Samoan | malolo | ||
| The Samoan word “malolo” also refers to a type of fine mat traditionally given as a gift in weddings, births, and funerals. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | huminto | ||
| The word "huminto" can also mean "to stop" or "to cease". | |||
Pause in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | suyt'ata | ||
| Guarani | pa'ũ | ||
Pause in International Languages
| Esperanto | paŭzi | ||
| The word "paŭzi" is derived from the Greek word "πάυω" ("pauo"), meaning "to cause to cease". | |||
| Latin | silentium | ||
| The word "silentium" comes from the Latin word "silere", meaning "to be silent". | |||
Pause in Others Languages
| Greek | παύση | ||
| In medical contexts, "παύση" also refers to menopause, i.e. the cessation of menstruation. | |||
| Hmong | tos | ||
| In addition to meaning "pause," "tos" can also be used to say "wait" or "hold up". | |||
| Kurdish | mizdan | ||
| The word "mizdan" is derived from the Persian word "mizdan", meaning "scales", and is also used to refer to a balance or equilibrium. | |||
| Turkish | duraklat | ||
| In Turkish, Duraklat also means 'intermission' or 'cessation'. | |||
| Xhosa | nqumama | ||
| The word "nqumama" has its roots in the onomatopoeia for a pause or hesitation in speech, similar to "um" or "er" in English. | |||
| Yiddish | פּויזע | ||
| The Yiddish word "פּויזע" (pause) is derived from the Greek word "παύσις" (pause, cessation), which in turn comes from the verb "παύω" (pause, cause to cease). | |||
| Zulu | phumula | ||
| 'Phumula' comes from the Proto-Bantu verb *-fukula 'to lie down, recline', suggesting a state of physical or mental repose. | |||
| Assamese | বিৰতি | ||
| Aymara | suyt'ata | ||
| Bhojpuri | ठहराव | ||
| Dhivehi | މަޑުޖައްސާލުން | ||
| Dogri | बराम | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | huminto | ||
| Guarani | pa'ũ | ||
| Ilocano | isardeng biit | ||
| Krio | wet smɔl | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | وچان | ||
| Maithili | रोकनाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯉꯩꯍꯥꯛ ꯂꯦꯞꯄ | ||
| Mizo | chawl | ||
| Oromo | gidduutti dhaabuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବିରାମ | ||
| Quechua | suyay | ||
| Sanskrit | विराम | ||
| Tatar | пауза | ||
| Tigrinya | ጠጠው ምባል | ||
| Tsonga | yimanyana | ||