Primarily in Different Languages
Discover 'Primarily' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'primarily', which signifies 'to the greatest extent or degree' or 'for the most part', is a common term in English language. It is primarily used to indicate the most important or main element in a sentence or idea.
Beyond its grammatical significance, 'primarily' holds a certain cultural importance as well. It reflects the human tendency to prioritize and categorize things based on their importance or relevance. This concept is not limited to English-speaking cultures, but is universal, making the understanding of this term crucial for effective communication across different languages and cultures.
Moreover, knowing the translation of 'primarily' in different languages can be particularly useful for those studying a foreign language or working in a multicultural environment. It can help in expressing complex ideas in a simple yet precise manner, thereby fostering better understanding and collaboration.
For instance, in Spanish, 'primarily' translates to 'principalmente', while in French, it is 'principalement' and in German, it is 'vor allem'. These translations not only help in understanding the word better but also provide insights into the cultural nuances of different languages.
Primarily
Primarily in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | hoofsaaklik | ||
| The Afrikaans word "hoofsaaklik" derives from the German word "hauptsächlich" and Dutch word "hoofdzakelijk", both meaning "primarily". | |||
| Amharic | በዋነኝነት | ||
| The word "በዋነኝነት" can also mean 'chiefly', 'mainly', 'principally', or 'for the most part'. | |||
| Hausa | da farko | ||
| Hausa's "da farko" is a phrase meaning "primarily," and is often used to introduce the most important point in a discussion. | |||
| Igbo | isi | ||
| In modern Igbo, isi can also mean "head" or "topmost position"} | |||
| Malagasy | voalohany indrindra | ||
| The word "voalohany indrindra" is derived from the root "loha", meaning "head", and the suffix "-ny indrindra", meaning "most important". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | makamaka | ||
| The word 'makamaka' in Nyanja (Chichewa) can also be translated as 'especially' or 'particularly'. | |||
| Shona | kunyanya | ||
| "Kunyanya" is derived from the verb "kunya" (to be ashamed) and also means "in secret" or "privately". | |||
| Somali | ugu horayn | ||
| "Ugu horayn" also means "first of all" or "first and foremost". | |||
| Sesotho | haholo-holo | ||
| In Sesotho 'haholo-holo' derives from the root 'holoha' meaning 'to begin' or 'to proceed' and also carries the connotation of 'primarily'. | |||
| Swahili | kimsingi | ||
| Kimsingi derives from the Arabic word 'qibla,' which refers to the direction toward Mecca. | |||
| Xhosa | ikakhulu | ||
| The word "ikakhulu" in Xhosa can also be used to mean "above all" or "most important." | |||
| Yoruba | nipataki | ||
| "Nipa" means "about" or "concerning" in Yoruba, but "nipata" means "primarily" or "in the first place." | |||
| Zulu | ngokuyinhloko | ||
| "Ngoguyinhloko" is also used in the expression "ngoyinhloko," which means "in the first place." | |||
| Bambara | fɔlɔ | ||
| Ewe | vevietɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | mbere | ||
| Lingala | libosoliboso | ||
| Luganda | okusinga | ||
| Sepedi | kudu-kudu | ||
| Twi (Akan) | titiriw no | ||
Primarily in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | بالدرجة الأولى | ||
| Hebrew | בְּרֹאשׁ וּבְרִאשׁוֹנָה | ||
| The phrase "בְּרֹאשׁ וּבְרִאשׁוֹנָה" can also mean "in the beginning" or "initially". | |||
| Pashto | اساسا | ||
| The word اساسا can also mean "at first," "generally," or "basically." | |||
| Arabic | بالدرجة الأولى | ||
Primarily in Western European Languages
| Albanian | kryesisht | ||
| Etymology, from Greek κρίσις (krisis, “crisis, danger, turning point, time of decisive change, determination, conclusion, doom”). | |||
| Basque | nagusiki | ||
| Initially, the term "nagusiki" was also used to indicate the beginning of a process, and could be translated as "at first" | |||
| Catalan | abans de res | ||
| The etymology of "abans de res" in Catalan is not entirely clear, but it may be related to the Latin phrase "ante res", meaning "before things". | |||
| Croatian | prvenstveno | ||
| In Croatian, 'prvenstveno' has a secondary meaning of 'initially, first'. | |||
| Danish | primært | ||
| The Danish word "primært" has its roots in Latin, meaning "first". It has been used in Danish since at least the 16th century. | |||
| Dutch | primair | ||
| Het woord 'primair' kan verwijzen naar de eerste of belangrijkste kwaliteit van iets, maar ook naar de laagste groep van de basisschool in Nederland. | |||
| English | primarily | ||
| The word "primarily" derives from the Greek "protos," meaning "first" and "malos," meaning "part." | |||
| French | principalement | ||
| Principale (feminine), from Latin “principalis,” also means “main” or “capital” in French. | |||
| Frisian | benammen | ||
| The word 'benammen' also means 'particularly', 'especially' or even 'indeed'. | |||
| Galician | principalmente | ||
| Principalmente is commonly mistaken for meaning "principal", but it actually means "primarily" in Galician. | |||
| German | in erster linie | ||
| The term "in erster Linie" (primarily) derives from the field of weaving and refers to the arrangement of threads in the warp of a loom. | |||
| Icelandic | fyrst og fremst | ||
| In Icelandic, "fyrst og fremst" literally means "first and foremost".} | |||
| Irish | go príomha | ||
| It can also mean 'initially' or 'at first' | |||
| Italian | in primis | ||
| In Latin, the term "in primis" is used to describe something that is of the highest importance or significance. | |||
| Luxembourgish | haaptsächlech | ||
| Haaptsächlech is a compound word meaning "chief cause" and the word haapt is a doublet of "head" with a different ending, while "sächlech" is still used to create adverbs and is related to the German "Sache" meaning "thing". | |||
| Maltese | primarjament | ||
| Primarjament is a loanword from Italian and French "primairement" or English "primarily", and has the same meaning. | |||
| Norwegian | primært | ||
| The word "primært" derives from the Latin "primarius", meaning "first"} | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | principalmente | ||
| "Principalmente" comes from the noun "princípio" and means "principally, fundamentally, chiefly" in English. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | sa mhòr-chuid | ||
| The Gaelic "sa mhòr-chuid" translates directly to "in the great part" in English. | |||
| Spanish | ante todo | ||
| The Spanish phrase "ante todo" translates literally to "before everything". | |||
| Swedish | först och främst | ||
| The phrase "först och främst" originated in 1555 from an Old Swedish term meaning "from the start", with "främst" later added in 1658 for emphasis. | |||
| Welsh | yn bennaf | ||
| The word "yn bennaf" means "primarily" in English and can also mean "especially" or "in particular." | |||
Primarily in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | у першую чаргу | ||
| The Belarusian word "у першую чаргу" can also mean "in the first place" or "first of all". | |||
| Bosnian | primarno | ||
| The word "primarno" originates from the Proto-Slavic *pirvь, meaning "the former" or "the first". | |||
| Bulgarian | преди всичко | ||
| The Bulgarian word "преди всичко" can also be used to mean "first of all" or "above all else". | |||
| Czech | především | ||
| Především also means "above all" or "before anything else". | |||
| Estonian | peamiselt | ||
| "Peamiselt" means "primarily", but can also mean "mostly" or "mainly". | |||
| Finnish | ensisijaisesti | ||
| It is derived from the genitive case of the word ensimmainen (first), and the suffix -sti (in the manner of). | |||
| Hungarian | elsősorban | ||
| This adverb of manner stems from the noun "sor" (queue), "sorrend" (order), and the Hungarian superlative suffix "-bb", resulting in a translation of "first in the queue/order" | |||
| Latvian | galvenokārt | ||
| The word galvenokārt derives from galvens, which is the genitive form of galva (head). | |||
| Lithuanian | pirmiausia | ||
| "Pirmas" means "first, chief" which is where we get "primus" meaning "foremost" in Latin | |||
| Macedonian | пред сè | ||
| "Пред сè" originates from the Old Church Slavonic word "прѣдъ съ", meaning "before something" or "in front of something." | |||
| Polish | głównie | ||
| The word 'głównie' ('primarily') can also mean roughly or mainly. | |||
| Romanian | în primul rând | ||
| The Romanian word "în primul rând" can also mean "first of all" or "in the first place". | |||
| Russian | в первую очередь | ||
| The Russian phrase “в первую очередь” can also mean “first come, first served”. | |||
| Serbian | најпре | ||
| The word "најпре" can also mean "first of all", "in the first place", or "above all." | |||
| Slovak | primárne | ||
| "Primárne" is derived from Latin "primarius" meaning "first" but could also mean "elementary" or "original". | |||
| Slovenian | predvsem | ||
| ''Predvsem'' can also mean ''namely'' or ''above all'' in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | насамперед | ||
| The word "насамперед" (primarily) in Ukrainian comes from the root "сам" (self), and originally meant "first of all for oneself." | |||
Primarily in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | প্রাথমিকভাবে | ||
| প্রাথমিকভাবে is the Bengali translation of the English word "primarily", which means "in the first place" or "most importantly". | |||
| Gujarati | મુખ્યત્વે | ||
| Hindi | प्रमुख रूप से | ||
| प्रमुख रूप से is derived from the Sanskrit word प्रमुख, which means 'first' or 'chief'. | |||
| Kannada | ಪ್ರಾಥಮಿಕವಾಗಿ | ||
| Malayalam | പ്രാഥമികമായി | ||
| Marathi | प्रामुख्याने | ||
| The word "प्रामुख्याने" in Marathi traces its roots back to the Sanskrit word "प्रमुख", meaning "chief" or "most important", and the suffix "-याने", which carries the sense of "by" or "through". Thus, "प्रामुख्याने" literally translates to "by way of the most important". | |||
| Nepali | मुख्य रूपमा | ||
| मुख्य रूपमा is the अव्यय (avyaya) form of the noun मुख्य (mukhya) meaning "chief" or "main". | |||
| Punjabi | ਮੁੱਖ ਤੌਰ ਤੇ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මූලික වශයෙන් | ||
| Primary is a synonym for elementary and is primarily used for education. | |||
| Tamil | முதன்மையாக | ||
| The word "முதன்மையாக" (muthanmaiyaka) in Tamil can also mean "initially" or "for the time being." | |||
| Telugu | ప్రధానంగా | ||
| The word "ప్రధానంగా" originally meant "at the head" or "in the first place" and is derived from the Sanskrit root "pra" meaning "before". | |||
| Urdu | بنیادی طور پر | ||
Primarily in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 主要 | ||
| 主要 (zhǔyào) literally means "main yao" (important drug or principle) | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 主要 | ||
| 主要 (zhǔyào) can also mean "main" or "essential." | |||
| Japanese | 主に | ||
| The word “主に” can also mean “often” or “frequently”. | |||
| Korean | 주로 | ||
| The word "주로" also means "a bridle" or "reins". | |||
| Mongolian | үндсэндээ | ||
| The term 'үндсэндээ' can refer to both the present moment and the beginning of an action. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အဓိကအားဖြင့် | ||
Primarily in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | terutama | ||
| "Terutama" can also mean "first", "above all others", or "in the first place". | |||
| Javanese | utamane | ||
| The word 'utamane' is not derived from Javanese but from Malay and shares a similar etymology with 'utama', meaning 'main' or 'important'. | |||
| Khmer | ជាចម្បង | ||
| The word "ជាចម្បង" derives from the Sanskrit word "प्रधान" (pradhāna), meaning "chief", "primary", "most important", or "essential." | |||
| Lao | ຕົ້ນຕໍ | ||
| Malay | terutamanya | ||
| In the Indonesian language, 'terutamanya' also means 'especially', 'mainly', or 'principally' | |||
| Thai | เป็นหลัก | ||
| The Thai word "เป็นหลัก" can also mean "mainly", "chiefly", or "principally". | |||
| Vietnamese | chủ yếu | ||
| The word "chủ yếu" comes from the Chinese word "主要", meaning "main" or "primary". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pangunahin | ||
Primarily in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ilk növbədə | ||
| Kazakh | бірінші кезекте | ||
| Kyrgyz | биринчи кезекте | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "биринчи кезекте" can also mean "first of all" or "in the first place". | |||
| Tajik | пеш аз ҳама | ||
| The word "пеш аз ҳама" in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "پیش از همه" (pish az hameh), which means "before everything else". | |||
| Turkmen | ilkinji nobatda | ||
| Uzbek | birinchi navbatda | ||
| The word "birinchi navbatda" can also mean "mainly" or "in the main". | |||
| Uyghur | ئاساسلىقى | ||
Primarily in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kumu nui | ||
| The word "kumu nui" in Hawaiian has the alternate meaning of "great teacher". | |||
| Maori | matua | ||
| Matua also means 'parent', 'ancestor', or 'senior' in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | muamua lava | ||
| The Samoan phrase “muamua lava” literally means “first water”. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pangunahin | ||
| Pangunahin also means 'principal' (a person holding a primary position). | |||
Primarily in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | nayraqatax juk’ampi | ||
| Guarani | tenonderãite | ||
Primarily in International Languages
| Esperanto | unuavice | ||
| The word "unuavice" is based on "unu" meaning "one" and the suffix "-avice" indicating "primary". However, it is sometimes incorrectly used as a synonym for the word "ĉefe". | |||
| Latin | praesertim | ||
| The word 'praesertim' originally meant 'especially' or 'above all'. | |||
Primarily in Others Languages
| Greek | πρωτίστως | ||
| The word "πρωτίστως" (primarily) comes from the Greek words "πρώτος" (first) and "ἵστημι" (to stand). | |||
| Hmong | feem | ||
| "Feem" can also mean "firstly" or "initially" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | asasî | ||
| The word 'asasî' in Kurdish has alternate meanings, including 'basic' or 'fundamental'. | |||
| Turkish | öncelikle | ||
| ‘Öncelikle’ kelimesi Türkçe’de ayrıca ‘başlangıçta, ilkin’ anlamlarında kullanılır. | |||
| Xhosa | ikakhulu | ||
| The word "ikakhulu" in Xhosa can also be used to mean "above all" or "most important." | |||
| Yiddish | בפֿרט | ||
| The Yiddish word "בפֿרט" comes from the German preposition "vor" (before) and can also mean "specifically" or "especially". | |||
| Zulu | ngokuyinhloko | ||
| "Ngoguyinhloko" is also used in the expression "ngoyinhloko," which means "in the first place." | |||
| Assamese | মূলতঃ | ||
| Aymara | nayraqatax juk’ampi | ||
| Bhojpuri | मुख्य रूप से बा | ||
| Dhivehi | މުހިންމު ގޮތެއްގައި | ||
| Dogri | मुख्य रूप कन्नै | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pangunahin | ||
| Guarani | tenonderãite | ||
| Ilocano | kangrunaanna | ||
| Krio | di men wan | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بە پلەی یەکەم | ||
| Maithili | मुख्यतः | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯔꯨ ꯑꯣꯏꯅꯥ ꯑꯦꯟ.ꯗꯤ.ꯑꯦ | ||
| Mizo | a bul berah chuan | ||
| Oromo | adda durummaan | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ମୁଖ୍ୟତ। | | ||
| Quechua | ñawpaqtaqa | ||
| Sanskrit | मुख्यतः | ||
| Tatar | беренче чиратта | ||
| Tigrinya | ብቐንዱ | ||
| Tsonga | ngopfu-ngopfu | ||