Slight in Different Languages
Discover 'Slight' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'slight' is a versatile term, often used to describe something or someone that is small, subtle, or faint. Its significance lies in its ability to convey a sense of delicacy, lightness, or insignificance, making it a popular choice in literature, poetry, and everyday conversation. The word has also been used historically to describe a slight injury or wound, adding to its cultural importance.
For those interested in language and culture, understanding the translations of 'slight' in different languages can provide insight into how other cultures perceive and express this concept. For example, in Spanish, 'slight' translates to 'leve' or 'ligero', while in French, it is 'léger' or 'faible'. In German, the word 'schwach' or 'gering' can be used to convey the same meaning.
But the word 'slight' has many more translations, each with its own unique connotations and nuances. Explore the list below to discover how this word is translated in different languages and cultures around the world.
Slight
Slight in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | effens | ||
| The word "effens" can also mean "just" or "slightly" | |||
| Amharic | ትንሽ | ||
| The word "ትንሽ" can also mean "little" or "a bit". | |||
| Hausa | kadan | ||
| Hausa word "kadan" also means "not even", "not yet" or "only". | |||
| Igbo | nta | ||
| Nta is a homophone in Igbo, and its alternate meaning is "today". | |||
| Malagasy | kely | ||
| The word "kely" can also mean "little" or "young" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | pang'ono | ||
| The term "pang'ono" in Nyanja, meaning "slight, can be associated with the phrase "pang'onopang'ono" denoting something extremely slight or insignificant. | |||
| Shona | zvishoma | ||
| The word "zvishoma" also means "slightly" or "somewhat" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | yar | ||
| The word 'yar' in Somali can also refer to a 'faint' or a 'trace'. | |||
| Sesotho | hanyenyane | ||
| The term "hanyenyane" may also refer to an insect that jumps or hops, or a light touch or caress. | |||
| Swahili | kidogo | ||
| In Swahili, "kidogo" can also mean "a little bit" or "a few". | |||
| Xhosa | kancinci | ||
| "Kancinci" also means "a small quantity" or "a short distance" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | diẹ | ||
| The Yoruba word "diẹ" also means "light" and "few". | |||
| Zulu | kancane | ||
| Kancane is probably derived from the root -kan- (little) and its meaning is "very small" or "tiny". | |||
| Bambara | dɔɔni dɔɔni | ||
| Ewe | nu sue aɖe ko | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gake | ||
| Lingala | mwa moke | ||
| Luganda | ekitono ennyo | ||
| Sepedi | e nyenyane | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kakra | ||
Slight in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | طفيف | ||
| "طفيف" can also mean "young" (as a noun), or "soft" and "light" (as adjectives). | |||
| Hebrew | קָלוּשׁ | ||
| The word "קָלוּשׁ" can also mean "faint" or "insincere". | |||
| Pashto | لږ | ||
| The word "لږ" in Pashto can also refer to "less" or "few". | |||
| Arabic | طفيف | ||
| "طفيف" can also mean "young" (as a noun), or "soft" and "light" (as adjectives). | |||
Slight in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i lehtë | ||
| The word "i lehtë" is derived from the Proto-Albanian word *lend- "light" and can also mean "easy" or "quickly". | |||
| Basque | arina | ||
| "Arina" in Basque can also mean "light, delicate, or tender." | |||
| Catalan | lleuger | ||
| The Catalan word "lleuger" is derived from the Latin "levis", meaning "light" or "easy". | |||
| Croatian | neznatan | ||
| "Neznatan" is also used to describe something that is not significant or important. | |||
| Danish | let | ||
| The Danish word "let" is derived from the Middle Dutch word "lette", meaning "hinderance" or "obstacle". | |||
| Dutch | gering | ||
| "Gering" is used in the context of "geringe" and "geringschattend" (depreciation), "geringe" means "low" and "geringschattend" means "contemptuous". | |||
| English | slight | ||
| The word "slight" (meaning "small") comes from the Old English word "sliht, | |||
| French | léger | ||
| "Léger" also means "light" in the sense of "not heavy," a usage that dates back to the 12th century. | |||
| Frisian | lyts | ||
| The word 'lyts' likely originates from the Proto-Germanic word 'lutiz' meaning 'small' or 'humble'. | |||
| Galician | lixeiro | ||
| A palavra 'lixeiro', em galego, pode também significar 'lixeira', local onde se coloca lixo. | |||
| German | leicht | ||
| The German word "leicht" can also mean "easy" or "light in weight". | |||
| Icelandic | lítilsháttar | ||
| "Lítilsháttar" is cognate with English "little" and shares an etymology with "small". | |||
| Irish | beag | ||
| The Irish word beag also means "little," and is related to the Scottish Gaelic word "beag," meaning "small" or "little." | |||
| Italian | lieve | ||
| In some local Italian dialects, "lieve" can also mean "smooth" or "soft to the touch". | |||
| Luxembourgish | liicht | ||
| Maltese | żgħira | ||
| The word "żgħira" can also mean "young" or "small" in Maltese. | |||
| Norwegian | svak | ||
| Derived from the Old Norse word "svakr" meaning "weak" or "feeble". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | leve | ||
| In Brazilian and Portuguese, “leve” can mean “slight” and “light” (in weight). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | beag | ||
| The Scots Gaelic adjective "beag" also means "fine" or "good" in Old Irish, and "small" in Manx Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | leve | ||
| In old Spanish, "leve" also meant "fast". | |||
| Swedish | lätt | ||
| In Norwegian, "lett" also means "easy". | |||
| Welsh | bach | ||
| The Welsh word "bach" also means "little" or "small" and is cognate with the Breton word "bihan". | |||
Slight in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | нязначны | ||
| Bosnian | blago | ||
| "Blago" can also mean "soft" or "tender" | |||
| Bulgarian | леко | ||
| In Bulgarian, "леко" can also mean "easily" or "without much effort". | |||
| Czech | mírný | ||
| In Czech, "mírný" also means "mild", "moderate" or "gentle". | |||
| Estonian | kerge | ||
| The Estonian word "kerge" can also refer to "lungs", sharing a root with the Old Norse "ker". | |||
| Finnish | vähäinen | ||
| The word "vähäinen" comes from the Proto-Finnic word *wähäinän, which means "small" or "insignificant". | |||
| Hungarian | enyhe | ||
| The word "enyhe" is ultimately of Proto-Uralic origin, and shares a common root with the Finnish "enkeä" (mild). | |||
| Latvian | nedaudz | ||
| "Nedaudz" is related to the word "nedēļa" (week), as a "nedaudz" of something is considered to be a week's worth. | |||
| Lithuanian | nežymus | ||
| The Lithuanian word "nežymus", which means "slight", comes from the Proto-Indo-European roots *n̥- "not" and *ǵʰen- "to strike, to destroy". | |||
| Macedonian | мало | ||
| The word "мало" in Macedonian can also refer to the concept of "few" or a small number of something. | |||
| Polish | niewielki | ||
| The word "niewielki" originally meant "not small" but rather "not big". | |||
| Romanian | uşor | ||
| The Romanian word "uşor" comes from Proto-Slavic *ǫ̑gъkъ 'light, quick', cognate with Latin levis 'light, quick'. | |||
| Russian | слабый | ||
| "Слабый" can also mean "sweet and sugary" or "feeble". | |||
| Serbian | незнатан | ||
| The word "незнатан" can also mean "unknown" or "obscure" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | mierne | ||
| The word "mierne" can also mean "moderate" or "mild". | |||
| Slovenian | rahlo | ||
| It is a diminutive of the adjective "rah", which means "loose, not firm". | |||
| Ukrainian | незначний | ||
| The word "незначний" can also mean "insignificant" or "unimportant". | |||
Slight in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সামান্য | ||
| The word 'সামান্য' ('slight') is derived from the Sanskrit word 'सम्यक्' ('completely'), implying a small or incomplete extent. | |||
| Gujarati | સહેજ | ||
| The word "સહેજ" can also mean "a little bit" or "slightly". | |||
| Hindi | थोड़ा | ||
| "थोड़ा" is a word in Hindi that can also mean a little bit, a small amount, a small quantity, a small number, a small amount of money, or a small measure. | |||
| Kannada | ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ | ||
| The Kannada word 'ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ' ('slight') also means 'a small quantity' or 'slightly'. | |||
| Malayalam | നേരിയ | ||
| The Malayalam word 'നേരിയ' ('neriyan') shares an etymological root with the words 'നേരം' ('neram', time) and 'നേടുക' ('netun', to win); connoting a temporary nature or a 'winning' over an obstacle.} | |||
| Marathi | किंचित | ||
| "किंचित" has alternate meanings like "small amount", "little by little", "slightly", denoting a small or gradual difference or change. | |||
| Nepali | अलि कति | ||
| In Nepali, "अलि कति" can also mean "more or less". | |||
| Punjabi | ਮਾਮੂਲੀ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සුළු | ||
| The word “සුළු” shares its root with the word “සුලඟ” meaning “air”, implying a light and insignificant quality to the subject. | |||
| Tamil | சிறிதளவு | ||
| The Tamil word "சிறிதளவு" (slight) can also refer to "a small quantity" or "a trace of something". | |||
| Telugu | స్వల్ప | ||
| "స్వల్ప" in Telugu means "slight", but can also refer to something with little or insignificant value or importance in a broader sense. | |||
| Urdu | معمولی | ||
| The word "معمولی" in Urdu also means "common, usual, ordinary" and is derived from the Arabic word "عامة" (common). | |||
Slight in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 轻微 | ||
| "轻微"也作"轻微"，轻而微少，微不足道；量词，表示数量极少。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 輕微 | ||
| 輕微 is constructed from 輕 (light) and 微 (subtle); hence, the composite means 'somewhat light'. It can also be an indication that something is 'trivial' or 'unimportant', or to indicate something 'barely perceptible'. | |||
| Japanese | わずか | ||
| わずか is also an archaic word for "just now", as in "right now". | |||
| Korean | 근소한 | ||
| 근소한 (근+소한)은 아주 조금의 차이를 의미하는 것으로, '근근히'라는 뜻의 '근'과 '적은'이라는 뜻의 '소한'을 합친 말입니다. | |||
| Mongolian | бага зэрэг | ||
| The term бага зэрэг also translates to "in small measure" and refers to a diminutive amount of something. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အနည်းငယ် | ||
Slight in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sedikit | ||
| "Sedikit" can also mean "few" or "a little" in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | sithik | ||
| "Sthik" in Javanese is also related to "asthik" (strong), as the Javanese word for "thin" is "cipik". | |||
| Khmer | បន្តិច | ||
| "បន្តិច" can also refer to a small amount of something, such as a bite of food or a drink. | |||
| Lao | ເລັກນ້ອຍ | ||
| Malay | sedikit | ||
| The word "sedikit" also means "a little" or "few" in Malay and is commonly used to express small quantities or amounts. | |||
| Thai | เล็กน้อย | ||
| "เล็กน้อย" in Thai can also mean "almost, nearly". | |||
| Vietnamese | mảnh dẻ | ||
| Although the word "mảnh" often means "piece" or "portion," in "mảnh dẻ" it means "thin" or "slender". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bahagya | ||
Slight in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | cüzi | ||
| The word "cüzi" in Azerbaijani ultimately derives from the Arabic word "juzʾ" (جزء), meaning "part" or "portion", and is related to the Turkish word "cüz". | |||
| Kazakh | шамалы | ||
| The word "шамалы" ("slight") in Kazakh also means "a gentle breeze" or "a light rain". | |||
| Kyrgyz | бир аз | ||
| The word "бир аз" in Kyrgyz can also mean "a little bit" or "a few". | |||
| Tajik | ночиз | ||
| The word „nočiz” can also mean „time” and „night.” | |||
| Turkmen | azajyk | ||
| Uzbek | ozgina | ||
| The word "ozgina" also means "small in size or quantity" and is derived from the Old Turkic root "ozuk" meaning "little". | |||
| Uyghur | ئازراق | ||
Slight in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | iki | ||
| 'Iki is also slang for 'tiny' or 'little,' or to be used in 'pidgin' with the same meaning | |||
| Maori | paku | ||
| "Paku" can alternatively mean to shrink or recede, possibly due to its similarity to "pa", representing closure. | |||
| Samoan | laititi | ||
| The word "laititi" in Samoan also means "to be thin" or "skinny". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | bahagya | ||
| Bahagya is also used to refer to the position of objects, people, or events relative to an axis of orientation, in some cases signifying proximity or being within some specific distance of something else. | |||
Slight in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jisk’a jisk’a | ||
| Guarani | michĩmi | ||
Slight in International Languages
| Esperanto | malgrava | ||
| The word 'malgrava' is derived from the Latin 'levis', meaning 'light' or 'insignificant'. | |||
| Latin | paulum | ||
| "Paulum" is a Latin noun meaning "a little bit," also used in the sense "slightly" or "a little while." | |||
Slight in Others Languages
| Greek | μικρός | ||
| The Greek word "μικρός" can also mean "small, young, or little". | |||
| Hmong | me ntsis | ||
| The word "me ntsis" in Hmong can also mean "tiny" or "insufficient". | |||
| Kurdish | sivik | ||
| The word "sivik" in Kurdish is ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *sewq- meaning "to follow" or "to pursue". | |||
| Turkish | hafif | ||
| The Ottoman Turkish origin of "hafif" is "hafīf," meaning "light or mild." | |||
| Xhosa | kancinci | ||
| "Kancinci" also means "a small quantity" or "a short distance" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | קליין | ||
| The Yiddish word "קליין" ("slight") is cognate with the German "klein" meaning small or little. | |||
| Zulu | kancane | ||
| Kancane is probably derived from the root -kan- (little) and its meaning is "very small" or "tiny". | |||
| Assamese | সামান্য | ||
| Aymara | jisk’a jisk’a | ||
| Bhojpuri | हल्का-फुल्का | ||
| Dhivehi | ކުޑަކޮށް | ||
| Dogri | हल्की-फुल्की | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bahagya | ||
| Guarani | michĩmi | ||
| Ilocano | bassit | ||
| Krio | smɔl smɔl | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کەمێک | ||
| Maithili | हल्का-फुल्का | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯔꯥ ꯍꯦꯟꯅꯥ ꯋꯥꯡꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | a tlem hle | ||
| Oromo | xiqqoo | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସାମାନ୍ୟ | ||
| Quechua | pisilla | ||
| Sanskrit | लघु | ||
| Tatar | аз | ||
| Tigrinya | ቅሩብ | ||
| Tsonga | switsongo | ||