Slightly in Different Languages
Discover 'Slightly' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'slightly' is a small but powerful term, subtly altering the meaning of any phrase it modifies. It implies a slight degree, a touch, or a minor presence - just enough to be noticeable, but not overwhelming. This nuanced term holds great significance in both casual and formal contexts, allowing us to express ourselves with greater precision and depth.
Throughout history, 'slightly' has played a crucial role in literature and culture. Shakespeare, for instance, used the term to add shades of meaning to his characters' speeches. Today, it remains a staple in our vocabulary, enabling us to convey our thoughts and emotions with greater refinement.
Given its importance, you might be interested in knowing the translations of 'slightly' in different languages. After all, understanding how to express this concept in various tongues can enrich your communication skills and cultural awareness.
Here are a few sample translations to pique your curiosity:
- French: un peu
- Spanish: un poco
- German: ein wenig
- Italian: un po'
- Japanese: 少し (sukoshi)
Stay tuned for a comprehensive list of 'slightly' translations in multiple languages, further expanding your linguistic and cultural horizons.
Slightly
Slightly in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | effens | ||
| The word "effens" in Afrikaans is derived from the Dutch word "effen" and can also mean "flat, even, or smooth". | |||
| Amharic | በትንሹ | ||
| In Amharic, "በትንሹ" can also mean "in a little while" or "after a little bit of time". | |||
| Hausa | kadan | ||
| The Hausa word "kadan" also means "few" or "some". | |||
| Igbo | ntakịrị | ||
| The Igbo word "ntakịrị" also means little or few. | |||
| Malagasy | kely | ||
| The word "kely" also means "small" or "little" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | pang'ono | ||
| The word "pang'ono" can also mean "a little bit" or "not much". | |||
| Shona | zvishoma | ||
| The word "zvishoma" is derived from the verb "zvisha," meaning "to be above or superior." | |||
| Somali | wax yar | ||
| The Somali word "wax yar" comes from the Arabic word "qalīl", which means "little". However, it can also refer to a "short period of time". | |||
| Sesotho | hanyane | ||
| The word "hanyane" can also mean "little", "small", or "few". | |||
| Swahili | kidogo | ||
| The word kidogo also means 'a little', 'a bit', 'some', or 'small'. | |||
| Xhosa | kancinci | ||
| The word "kancinci" also denotes a "small quantity". | |||
| Yoruba | die-die | ||
| In Yoruba, the word "die-die" is also the imperative of "to die." | |||
| Zulu | kancane | ||
| The word "kancane" in Zulu can also mean "a little bit" or "a small amount". | |||
| Bambara | dɔɔni | ||
| Ewe | vie ko | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gato | ||
| Lingala | moke | ||
| Luganda | katono | ||
| Sepedi | gannyane | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kakra bi | ||
Slightly in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | بعض الشيء | ||
| The Arabic word "بعض الشيء" originates from the verb "بضع" meaning "to cut", and refers to a small or limited amount of something. | |||
| Hebrew | מְעַט | ||
| The word "מְעַט" can also refer to a time, a place, or a quantity. | |||
| Pashto | لږ څه | ||
| The word "لږ څه" also means "a little bit" or "somewhat" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | بعض الشيء | ||
| The Arabic word "بعض الشيء" originates from the verb "بضع" meaning "to cut", and refers to a small or limited amount of something. | |||
Slightly in Western European Languages
| Albanian | paksa | ||
| "Paksa" can also mean "a little", "somewhat", or "relatively" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | apur bat | ||
| "Apur bat" can also mean "some time ago" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | lleugerament | ||
| "Lleugerament" is derived from the Latin "levis," meaning "light" or "light in weight." | |||
| Croatian | malo | ||
| Croatian "malo" can mean "a little bit", "a moment" or "slightly" and is derived from Proto-Slavic, related to Ukrainian "мало" (little) and Russian "малый" (small). | |||
| Danish | en smule | ||
| The Danish word "en smule" originates from the Old Saxon "smala" meaning "narrow", but has since shifted to mean small in size, quantity, or degree. | |||
| Dutch | een beetje | ||
| The term "een beetje" originally meant "a little bit" of food. | |||
| English | slightly | ||
| The word 'slightly' derives from the Old English 'slicht', meaning 'smooth' or 'even'. | |||
| French | légèrement | ||
| The word "légèrement" is derived from the Latin "levis", meaning "light", and can also refer to a fine mist or a lack of seasoning. | |||
| Frisian | licht | ||
| The word 'licht' in Frisian can also mean 'a little bit' or 'rather' | |||
| Galician | lixeiramente | ||
| The word "lixeiramente" comes from "lixeiro" (a dunghill) and thus originally meant "to a small degree". | |||
| German | leicht | ||
| The word "leicht" in German originally meant "light" in weight, but over time it has come to also mean "slight" in degree or intensity. | |||
| Icelandic | örlítið | ||
| "Örlítil" derives from "ör" (arrow) and "lítill" (small), and may have originally meant "as small as an arrow." | |||
| Irish | beagán | ||
| The word "beagán" in Irish can also mean "a little bit" or "a while". | |||
| Italian | leggermente | ||
| "Leggermente" originates from the Latin "levis," meaning "light," and shares its root with the English word "levity." | |||
| Luxembourgish | liicht | ||
| The word "liicht" is derived from Old High German "lūȥȥēl" meaning "little" and is also used in the sense of "not very" or "quite". | |||
| Maltese | kemmxejn | ||
| The word "kemmxejn" is derived from the Arabic word "qamīšan", meaning "a little bit". | |||
| Norwegian | litt | ||
| The word "litt" can also refer to a small amount or a short distance. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | levemente | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "levemente" literally means "lightly" or "with a gentle touch". It can also be used to indicate a degree of intensity or to soften a statement, similar to the English word "kind of". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | beagan | ||
| The word "beagan" in Scots Gaelic originally meant "a small amount" and is related to the Irish word "beagán" meaning "almost". | |||
| Spanish | ligeramente | ||
| Some sources say that "ligeramente" comes from the Latin "leviter" meaning "lightly", while others say it comes from "ligero" meaning "agile". | |||
| Swedish | lite | ||
| Swedish 'lite' also means 'small', 'little' or 'a bit', related to the English 'little' | |||
| Welsh | ychydig | ||
| Welsh 'ychydig' could also mean 'rather' or 'to some extent'. | |||
Slightly in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | злёгку | ||
| The word "злёгку" in Belarusian is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *leg-, meaning "to lie down", and is related to words such as "лёгкий" (light) and "ложе" (bed). | |||
| Bosnian | lagano | ||
| "Lagano" is likely related to the Turkish "lahanası", meaning "cabbage". | |||
| Bulgarian | леко | ||
| "Леко" also means "bed" in Bulgarian, likely originating from the Latin "lectus" (bed). | |||
| Czech | mírně | ||
| The word "mírně" (slightly) in Czech has other meanings such as "moderately", "somewhat" or "gently" depending on the context. | |||
| Estonian | kergelt | ||
| In colloquial Estonian, "kergelt" can also mean "in a state of intoxication". | |||
| Finnish | hieman | ||
| In Finnish, the word "hieman" can also mean "quietly" or "peacefully". | |||
| Hungarian | némileg | ||
| The Hungarian word "némileg" can also mean "not completely" | |||
| Latvian | nedaudz | ||
| The word "nedaudz" (slightly) in Latvian comes from the Proto-Baltic word *nedaugus, meaning "few". | |||
| Lithuanian | lengvai | ||
| "Lengvai" in Lithuanian, meaning "lightly," derives from the Proto-Balto-Slavic root *lengv- and shares similarities with Russian "легкий" (legkij), meaning "light," and Latin "levis" (levis), meaning "light" or "easy." | |||
| Macedonian | малку | ||
| The word "малку" in Macedonian derives from the Proto-Slavic term "malъ", which also means "small" or "little". | |||
| Polish | nieco | ||
| Polish "nieco" also means 'a bit' and is a comparative form of the adjective "nice". | |||
| Romanian | puțin | ||
| The word 'puțin' originates from the Proto-Slavic word 'pъtinъ', which meant 'path' or 'way'. In Romanian, it has also acquired the meanings of 'bit' or 'piece', as in 'un puţin de pâine' ('a bite of bread'). | |||
| Russian | слегка | ||
| The word "слегка" can also be used to mean "a little bit" or "somewhat". | |||
| Serbian | мало | ||
| The word "мало" (malo) in Serbian can also refer to "a small amount" or "a few". | |||
| Slovak | mierne | ||
| The word "mierne" in Slovak can also mean "quiet" or "calm". | |||
| Slovenian | malce | ||
| In Slovenian, "malce" also means "a little bit" or "a bit". | |||
| Ukrainian | трохи | ||
| In Ukrainian, “трохи” can also mean “a little bit” or “some”. | |||
Slightly in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সামান্য | ||
| The word "সামান্য" can also refer to "ordinary" or "common" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | સહેજ | ||
| The word "સહેજ" is derived from Sanskrit "sahaja" meaning "innate", "natural", or "unforced". | |||
| Hindi | थोड़ा | ||
| The word "थोड़ा" (thorā) comes from the Sanskrit word "stoka," meaning "small"} | |||
| Kannada | ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ | ||
| Malayalam | ചെറുതായി | ||
| Marathi | किंचित | ||
| किंचित is derived from the Sanskrit word 'kancana' meaning 'golden' and is cognate with the word 'kanchan' in Hindi. | |||
| Nepali | थोरै | ||
| The word "थोरै" is also used to mean "a little bit" or "a small amount". | |||
| Punjabi | ਥੋੜ੍ਹਾ | ||
| The word "ਥੋੜ੍ਹਾ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "stoka," which means "a little" or "a small amount" | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | තරමක් | ||
| The word තරමක් is derived from the Sanskrit word 'tara' meaning 'to cross', and can also mean 'a little', 'somewhat', or 'moderately'. | |||
| Tamil | சற்று | ||
| சற்று (saṟṟu) may mean 'a little less than one-half of a whole,' a 'bit,' and 'a few'. | |||
| Telugu | కొద్దిగా | ||
| కొద్దిగా can also mean "limited quantity," "a little bit of," or "a small amount of" | |||
| Urdu | قدرے | ||
| "قدرے" also means "some" or "a bit" in Urdu and is used to express a small amount or degree of something. | |||
Slightly in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 略 | ||
| "略" can also mean "generally speaking" or "to omit". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 略 | ||
| "略" is a shortened form of "简约 (jian4yue3)", meaning "simple" or "brief". | |||
| Japanese | 少し | ||
| "少し" (sukoshi) literally means "thinness" or "smallness" | |||
| Korean | 약간 | ||
| 약간 is also written as 若干, with the latter meaning a small number or quantity. | |||
| Mongolian | бага зэрэг | ||
| The word "бага зэрэг" (slightly) in Mongolian can also mean "a little bit" or "to some extent". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အနည်းငယ် | ||
Slightly in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sedikit | ||
| The Indonesian word "sedikit" is of Proto-Malayo-Polynesian origin, and cognates include "siket" in Javanese and "sikit" in Malay, all sharing similar meanings of "small" or "insignificant." | |||
| Javanese | rada | ||
| Rada is also an acronym for 'Rasa Dahaga' or the 'Feeling of Thirst' | |||
| Khmer | បន្តិច | ||
| "បន្តិច" can also mean "a little bit" or "a short time" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ເລັກນ້ອຍ | ||
| Malay | sedikit | ||
| The word 'sedikit' can also mean 'a little' or 'few', and is derived from the Old Malay word 'sikit' meaning 'small' or 'narrow'. | |||
| Thai | เล็กน้อย | ||
| "เล็กน้อย" comes from "เล็ก" + "น้อย" with "เล็ก" meaning "small" and "น้อย" meaning "a little bit". Thus the literal meaning of "เล็กน้อย" is "a little bit small". | |||
| Vietnamese | nhẹ nhàng | ||
| The word "nhẹ nhàng" also means "gently" or "tenderly". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bahagya | ||
Slightly in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | biraz | ||
| The word "biraz" is also used to indicate a small amount of something or to express a sense of hesitation. | |||
| Kazakh | сәл | ||
| The word "сәл" also means "a little bit", "a small amount", or "a short while" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | бир аз | ||
| "Бир аз" in Kyrgyz can also mean "almost" or "a little bit". | |||
| Tajik | каме | ||
| The word “каме” can also be used to mean "almost" in the sense of “almost finished". | |||
| Turkmen | azajyk | ||
| Uzbek | ozgina | ||
| The word "ozgina" in Uzbek has an alternate meaning of "slightly". | |||
| Uyghur | ئازراق | ||
Slightly in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | iki | ||
| The Hawaiian word “iki” can also mean “the youngest sibling” or “the smallest in a group” depending on context. | |||
| Maori | paku | ||
| "Paku" also means "bent, crooked, stooped, round-shouldered". | |||
| Samoan | laititi | ||
| Some claim the word "laititi" derives from the word "laiti" meaning "short" while others claim that it is derived from the word "laititi" meaning "a little". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | bahagyang | ||
| The word "bahagyang" in Tagalog is derived from the word "bahagi" meaning "part" or "portion" | |||
Slightly in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jank'akipuni | ||
| Guarani | mbeguekatu'asy | ||
Slightly in International Languages
| Esperanto | iomete | ||
| The Esperanto word "iomete" also means "little by little" and "gradually" in English. | |||
| Latin | paulo | ||
| In Latin, "paulo" can also mean "a little" or "somewhat". | |||
Slightly in Others Languages
| Greek | ελαφρώς | ||
| Ελαφρώς is also an adverb meaning “lightly” (“with light”) or “easily” (“with ease”), both of which are related to the word’s original meaning of “of little weight.” | |||
| Hmong | me ntsis | ||
| "Me ntsis" originates from the Proto-Hmong-Mien language and is used in various dialects with different meanings, including "slightly" and "slowly". | |||
| Kurdish | hinek | ||
| The word "hinek" also means "bit" or "small piece" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | biraz | ||
| Biraz derives from the Persian word ''birāz'' meaning "a time" or "a few." In Ottoman, it also meant "a few drinks" or "a bit of food." | |||
| Xhosa | kancinci | ||
| The word "kancinci" also denotes a "small quantity". | |||
| Yiddish | אַ ביסל | ||
| אַ ביסל derives from Middle High German "ein bizzeli" meaning "a tiny bit," which later also came to mean "in some way." | |||
| Zulu | kancane | ||
| The word "kancane" in Zulu can also mean "a little bit" or "a small amount". | |||
| Assamese | অলপীয়াকৈ | ||
| Aymara | jank'akipuni | ||
| Bhojpuri | तनी-मनी | ||
| Dhivehi | ކުޑަކޮށް | ||
| Dogri | थोहड़ा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bahagya | ||
| Guarani | mbeguekatu'asy | ||
| Ilocano | bassit laeng | ||
| Krio | smɔl | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کەمێک | ||
| Maithili | किछु न किछु | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯔ | ||
| Mizo | tlemtein | ||
| Oromo | xiqqoodhuma ishee | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସାମାନ୍ୟ | ||
| Quechua | asllata | ||
| Sanskrit | स्तोकम् | ||
| Tatar | бераз | ||
| Tigrinya | ብውሕድ | ||
| Tsonga | switsongo | ||