Quietly in Different Languages
Discover 'Quietly' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'quietly' holds a special significance in our vocabulary, allowing us to express a state of calmness and tranquility. It is often used to describe a peaceful environment or a subtle action, and has been a source of inspiration in literature, music, and art. For instance, the famous novel 'Rebecca' by Daphne du Maurier begins with the iconic line 'Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again' - a sentence that starts off quietly, gradually building up to the haunting and mysterious tale that unfolds.
Moreover, the word 'quietly' has been used in various cultural and historical contexts, such as in political speeches and social movements, where a quietly assertive approach can be just as powerful as a loud and boisterous one. In fact, the term 'quiet resistance' was used to describe the non-violent civil rights movement in the United States during the mid-20th century.
Understanding the translation of 'quietly' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultural nuances and connotations associated with the word. For example, in Spanish, 'quietly' translates to 'calladamente', which also implies a sense of secrecy or hiding. Meanwhile, in French, 'quietly' is translated to 'tranquillement', which emphasizes a sense of calmness and serenity.
In the sections below, we will explore the translations of 'quietly' in various languages, shedding light on the unique cultural perspectives and interpretations of this fascinating word.
Quietly
Quietly in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | rustig | ||
| Rustig is also used to describe a person who is calm and relaxed | |||
| Amharic | በፀጥታ | ||
| በፀጥታ means "quietly" in Amharic, but it is also a term used to refer to a traditional Ethiopian musical genre characterized by its soft, soothing melodies. | |||
| Hausa | a nitse | ||
| "A nitse" in Hausa also means 'secretly' or 'with stealth'. | |||
| Igbo | juu | ||
| The word "juu" in Igbo comes from the onomatopoeia "" referring to a soft rustling sound of an object moving through dry leaves. | |||
| Malagasy | mangina | ||
| The word "mangina" in Malagasy originates from the Malay word "mangina", which means "to feel pain". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mwakachetechete | ||
| "Mwakachetechete" is a reduplication of "kakhethethe" which means "quietly". It is used to emphasize a person's calmness in the face of disturbance. | |||
| Shona | chinyararire | ||
| The word "chinyararire" can also mean "secretly" or "unnoticed" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | aamusnaan | ||
| The word 'aamusnaan' in Somali is likely derived from the Arabic word 'amana' meaning 'to be safe or secure', or possibly from the Cushitic root 'am-' meaning 'to sit' or 'to remain'. | |||
| Sesotho | ka khutso | ||
| Ka khutso may also refer to a state of tranquility or serenity | |||
| Swahili | kimya kimya | ||
| "Kimya kimya" is a reduplicated form of the Swahili word "kimya", meaning "quiet". The reduplication emphasizes the quietness or secrecy of an action. | |||
| Xhosa | cwaka | ||
| The word "cwaka" can also mean "secretly" or "privately" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | laiparuwo | ||
| Etymology: "lai" (come) + "paruwo" (slowly, softly). Thus it connotes "coming slowly" or "approaching softly". | |||
| Zulu | buthule | ||
| "Buthule" is related to the verb "ukubutha" which means to gather or assemble | |||
| Bambara | ni dususuma ye | ||
| Ewe | kpoo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bucece | ||
| Lingala | na kimya nyonso | ||
| Luganda | mu kasirise | ||
| Sepedi | ka setu | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kommyɛ mu | ||
Quietly in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | بهدوء | ||
| The word "بهدوء" comes from the root "هدأ" which means to calm down or become quiet. | |||
| Hebrew | בְּשֶׁקֶט | ||
| The word "בְּשֶׁקֶט" can also mean "calmly" or "peacefully" in Modern Hebrew, and "steadily" in Biblical Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | غلي | ||
| It may also refer to being alone. | |||
| Arabic | بهدوء | ||
| The word "بهدوء" comes from the root "هدأ" which means to calm down or become quiet. | |||
Quietly in Western European Languages
| Albanian | në heshtje | ||
| The word "në heshtje" is related to the Albanian word "hesht", which means "silence" or "quiet". It shares the same root with the Latin word "hist", which is also an interjection used to command silence. | |||
| Basque | lasai | ||
| The word "lasai" in Basque can also mean "slowly" or "carefully". | |||
| Catalan | tranquil·lament | ||
| The word "tranquil·lament" comes from the Latin word "tranquillus", meaning "peaceful". | |||
| Croatian | tiho | ||
| "Tiho" is related to "tih" (meek) and "tišina" (quietude), all originating from Proto-Slavic "tiхъ" (silent). | |||
| Danish | lige så stille | ||
| The etymology of the word "lige så stille" is unclear, but one theory suggests that it originates from the older phrase "lige så stille som vand", meaning "as quietly as water". | |||
| Dutch | zachtjes | ||
| The word "zachtjes" literally means "softly", and is not related to the word "zacht" ("soft") despite their phonetic similarity. | |||
| English | quietly | ||
| The Old English word 'cweðan' meant 'to say' and 'cwið' meant 'speech'. 'Quiet' evolved from a form of 'cwið' plus the suffix '-ly', and originally meant 'peacefully'. | |||
| French | tranquillement | ||
| The word "tranquillement" is derived from the Latin word "tranquillus," which means "calm" or "peaceful." | |||
| Frisian | stil | ||
| The Frisian word "stil" is cognate with the English word "still" and the German word "still" which mean "motionless", which is possibly cognate with the Slavic word "stojati" which also means "stop". | |||
| Galician | en silencio | ||
| En silencio can also mean 'discreetly' or 'without talking' in Galician. | |||
| German | ruhig | ||
| The German word "ruhig" may also mean cool-tempered, composed, or serene. | |||
| Icelandic | hljóðlega | ||
| The word "hljóðlega" in Icelandic derives from the word "hljóð", meaning "sound", and the suffix "-lega", which indicates manner or condition, hence "in a quiet or soundless manner". | |||
| Irish | go ciúin | ||
| The term "go ciúin" derives from the Irish word "cioth", meaning "soft" or "gentle", and the word "ciúin", meaning "calm" or "serene". | |||
| Italian | tranquillamente | ||
| "Tranquillamente" also means "without thinking" and derives from the Latin "tranquilla" (quiet) and "mens" (mind). | |||
| Luxembourgish | roueg | ||
| The verb "roueg" is also used in the sense of "to be in labour." | |||
| Maltese | bil-kwiet | ||
| The word "bil-kwiet" is derived from the Italian "con quiete," meaning "with peace. | |||
| Norwegian | stille | ||
| The word "stille" in Norwegian can also mean "calm" or "serene". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | silenciosamente | ||
| In Portuguese, "silenciosamente" can mean "silently" or "unobtrusively." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | gu sàmhach | ||
| This word can mean 'secretly' as well as 'quietly'. | |||
| Spanish | tranquilamente | ||
| "Tranquilamente" can mean "tranquilly" but it can also literally mean "tranquilizingly". | |||
| Swedish | tyst | ||
| The word "tyst" in Swedish is related to the word "tystna" meaning "to silence" or "to become silent". | |||
| Welsh | yn dawel | ||
| Literally 'at ease', the word reflects that in the past the quietness of a place or situation was a desirable thing, a relief from the noise and danger of the outside world. | |||
Quietly in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | ціха | ||
| The Belarusian word “ціха” (“quietly”) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *tixo, meaning “calm” or “silent”. | |||
| Bosnian | tiho | ||
| "Tiho" can also be used as a verb, meaning "to whisper". | |||
| Bulgarian | тихо | ||
| The word "тихо" also means "secretly" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | tiše | ||
| "Tiše" is also used as an exclamation meaning "Hush!" or "Be silent!" | |||
| Estonian | vaikselt | ||
| Vaikselt can also mean slowly or gradually | |||
| Finnish | hiljaa | ||
| The word "hiljaa" in Finnish likely comes from the Proto-Finnic word *hila, meaning "slow, quiet, or still." | |||
| Hungarian | csendesen | ||
| The word "csendesen" is derived from the Hungarian word "csend" meaning silence. | |||
| Latvian | klusi | ||
| In the Livonian language, **klusi** translates to "mute", and it's the origin of the Latvian word. | |||
| Lithuanian | tyliai | ||
| The word "tyliai" shares its root "ty" with Lithuanian words "tylėti" (to be quiet) and "tyla" (silence). | |||
| Macedonian | тивко | ||
| The word "тивко" finds its origins in the Proto-Slavic language, and it can mean both "quietly" and "softly". | |||
| Polish | cicho | ||
| In Polish, the word "cicho" originated from the Proto-Slavic root "*kikati", which also meant "to make a sound." | |||
| Romanian | in liniste | ||
| Romanian word "în liniste" (quietly) originated from Latin "linea" (line) + "sistere" (to stand), referring to a line of silence or inaction. | |||
| Russian | тихо | ||
| The word "тихо" can also mean "secretly" or "gently" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | тихо | ||
| "Tiho" originates from the Proto-Slavic word *tixъ and also means "calmly" and "secretly". | |||
| Slovak | potichu | ||
| Potichu also means "secretly" in Slovak, coming from the Slovak word for "secret" (tajomstvo). | |||
| Slovenian | tiho | ||
| The word "tiho" derives from Proto-Slavic "tichati", meaning "to flow quietly". | |||
| Ukrainian | тихо | ||
| Its meaning stems from the Old Church Slavonic 'tuxъ,' meaning 'secret' or 'hidden'. | |||
Quietly in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | নিঃশব্দে | ||
| The word "নিঃশব্দে" is derived from the Sanskrit words "निः" (niḥ) meaning "away from" and "शब्द" (śabda) meaning "sound". It can also mean "without noise or disturbance". | |||
| Gujarati | શાંતિથી | ||
| Hindi | चुपचाप | ||
| The word "चुपचाप" is derived from the Sanskrit word "चुप" (silence) and the reduplicated suffix "-chup" (intensifying the meaning). | |||
| Kannada | ಸದ್ದಿಲ್ಲದೆ | ||
| The word | |||
| Malayalam | നിശബ്ദമായി | ||
| The word "നിശബ്ദമായി" (niśabdamāyi) in Malayalam can also mean "in silence" or "without speaking". | |||
| Marathi | शांतपणे | ||
| "शांतपणे" (śāntapaṇe) is derived from the Sanskrit word "śānta," meaning "peaceful" or "calm." | |||
| Nepali | चुपचाप | ||
| The term चुपचाप, pronounced [tʃup tʃɑːp], is onomatopoeic, mimicking the 'shush' sound used to quieten children or adults, similar to shhh in English. | |||
| Punjabi | ਚੁੱਪ ਨਾਲ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නිහ .ව | ||
| Also refers to the quiet/silent place at the entrance to a house. | |||
| Tamil | அமைதியாக | ||
| The word "அமைதியாக" in Tamil derives from the Sanskrit "samadhi," which means "equanimity" or "balance." | |||
| Telugu | నిశ్శబ్దంగా | ||
| The word "నిశ్శబ్దంగా" can be used to describe not only auditory quiet, but also calmness, tranquility, or stillness. | |||
| Urdu | خاموشی سے | ||
| The word "خاموشی سے" can also mean "silently" or "without making a sound". | |||
Quietly in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 悄悄 | ||
| The term "悄悄" can also mean "secretly," as in the phrase "悄悄话" ("whispering,") highlighting its association with hidden or confidential matters. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 悄悄 | ||
| 悄悄 originates from the Chinese character “悄悄”, which means "secretly" or "furtively". | |||
| Japanese | 静かに | ||
| 静かに is the Sino-Japanese reading (on'yomi) of the native Japanese word しずか (shizuka), which originally meant "calm" or "peaceful," but later acquired the meaning of "quiet." | |||
| Korean | 조용히 | ||
| In addition to its literal meaning "quietly," 조용히 can also be used to describe behaviors that are calm, peaceful, or serene. | |||
| Mongolian | чимээгүйхэн | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တိတ်တိတ်လေး | ||
Quietly in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | diam-diam | ||
| The word "diam-diam" is derived from the Javanese word "diam", meaning "to be silent". Javanese-based loanwords are common in Indonesian and other Malayic languages, particularly in the eastern part of the Malay Archipelago. | |||
| Javanese | meneng wae | ||
| "Meneng wae" can also mean "being patient" or "restrained". | |||
| Khmer | ស្ងាត់ | ||
| "ស្ងាត់" (pronounced "song-at") is also used to describe a calm demeanor or peaceful setting. | |||
| Lao | ຢ່າງງຽບໆ | ||
| Malay | secara senyap | ||
| The word "secara senyap" can also mean "secretly" or "stealthily". | |||
| Thai | เงียบ ๆ | ||
| The word "เงียบ ๆ" can also mean "secretly" or "in secret." | |||
| Vietnamese | lặng lẽ | ||
| "Lặng lẽ" in Vietnamese can also mean "remote" or "discreet", depending on the context. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tahimik | ||
Quietly in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | sakitcə | ||
| The word "sakitcə" can also mean "slowly" or "unhurriedly" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | тыныш | ||
| The word "тыныш" also means "calm" or "peace". | |||
| Kyrgyz | тынч | ||
| The word "тынч" is derived from the Persian word "tünük" meaning "tranquil, gentle". | |||
| Tajik | оромона | ||
| The word "оромона" (quietly) is derived from the Persian word "آرام" (calm). | |||
| Turkmen | ýuwaşlyk bilen | ||
| Uzbek | sekin | ||
| The word "sekin" in Uzbek can also mean "slowly" or "calmly". | |||
| Uyghur | جىمجىت | ||
Quietly in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | malie | ||
| Malie also means 'easy,' 'gentle,' or 'calm' in Hawaiian, and the term for an omen or foreboding. | |||
| Maori | ata noho | ||
| The word "ata noho" is a compound word, with "ata" meaning "morning" and "noho" meaning "to sit". So, "ata noho" could also be interpreted as "morning repose". | |||
| Samoan | filemu | ||
| Filemu, a Samoan word for 'quietly,' may also refer to 'secretly' or 'silently.' | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tahimik | ||
| The word "tahimik" originally meant "to be deep" or "to be calm" in Old Tagalog. | |||
Quietly in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | amukt’asa | ||
| Guarani | kirirĩháme | ||
Quietly in International Languages
| Esperanto | kviete | ||
| Esperanto's "kviete" is cognate with English "quietly", deriving from a Slavic word. | |||
| Latin | quietly | ||
| The Latin word "quietly" is derived from the verb "quietere", meaning "to make or become quiet or calm". | |||
Quietly in Others Languages
| Greek | ήσυχα | ||
| "Ήσυχα" is also a way to tell someone to be quiet in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | ntsiag to | ||
| "ntsiag to" derives from the root word "ntsiag", which additionally means "rest". | |||
| Kurdish | bêdeng | ||
| Bêdeng can also refer to a state of inner peace, or to living a life without disturbance. | |||
| Turkish | sessizce | ||
| The word "sessizce" is derived from the Arabic word "sükût" meaning "silence". | |||
| Xhosa | cwaka | ||
| The word "cwaka" can also mean "secretly" or "privately" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | שטיל | ||
| The Yiddish word "שטיל" (quietly) is derived from the Old High German word "stille" meaning "motionless" or "still". It can also be used to describe someone who is calm or composed. | |||
| Zulu | buthule | ||
| "Buthule" is related to the verb "ukubutha" which means to gather or assemble | |||
| Assamese | নিৰৱে | ||
| Aymara | amukt’asa | ||
| Bhojpuri | चुपचाप कहल जाला | ||
| Dhivehi | މަޑުމަޑުންނެވެ | ||
| Dogri | चुपचाप | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tahimik | ||
| Guarani | kirirĩháme | ||
| Ilocano | siuulimek | ||
| Krio | kwayɛt wan | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بە هێمنی | ||
| Maithili | चुपचाप | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯊꯨꯅꯥ ꯌꯥꯡꯅꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | ngawi rengin | ||
| Oromo | callisee | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଚୁପଚାପ୍ | ||
| Quechua | ch’inllamanta | ||
| Sanskrit | शान्ततया | ||
| Tatar | тыныч кына | ||
| Tigrinya | ስቕ ኢሉ | ||
| Tsonga | hi ku miyela | ||