Slow in Different Languages
Discover 'Slow' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'slow' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, reminding us to take our time and appreciate the world around us. It's a concept that transcends cultures and languages, yet is expressed in unique ways around the world. From the languid pace of a Southern drawl to the deliberate movements of a Japanese tea ceremony, the word 'slow' evokes a sense of calm and mindfulness that can be both soothing and grounding.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'slow' in different languages can provide insight into the cultural values and norms of different societies. For example, in Spanish, 'slow' is 'lento', reflecting the language's musicality and passion. Meanwhile, in German, 'slow' is 'langsam', a word that also means 'long', highlighting the language's emphasis on precision and detail.
With this in mind, let's explore the many translations of the word 'slow' and delve into the fascinating cultural contexts they represent.
Slow
Slow in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | stadig | ||
| Derived from Dutch “stedig,” meaning “steadily; firmly” or “slowly,” and originally from Old German “statig,” meaning “stable; firm; fixed.” | |||
| Amharic | ቀርፋፋ | ||
| ቀርፋፋ is derived from the root ቀረፈ (to dry), implying a gradual process. | |||
| Hausa | a hankali | ||
| The word "a hankali" can also mean "carefully" or "gently" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | jiri nwayọ | ||
| 'Jiri nwayọ' ('slow') is also used to describe something that is done or happening gently, carefully, or subtly. | |||
| Malagasy | mora | ||
| The Malagasy word "mora" also has the meanings "to think" and "to doubt". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | pang'onopang'ono | ||
| A 'pang'ono' can also refer to a small amount. | |||
| Shona | anononoka | ||
| "Nonoka" in Swahili is also translated as slow but it can also mean "quiet, peaceful or gently." | |||
| Somali | gaabis ah | ||
| 'Gaabis ah' can also refer to someone who is patient, relaxed, or calm. | |||
| Sesotho | butle | ||
| Butle is commonly understood as 'slow', but its other interpretations include 'lazy', 'inactive', and 'calm'. | |||
| Swahili | polepole | ||
| The word "polepole" in Swahili also means "steadily" or "calmly" and is often used to describe a peaceful or relaxed state of mind. | |||
| Xhosa | kancinci | ||
| "Kancinci" is also used to describe a gentle incline, slope or glide. | |||
| Yoruba | o lọra | ||
| O lọra also means "to be gentle; be at ease" or "to relax" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | kancane | ||
| The word "kancane" can also refer to someone who is reserved or shy. | |||
| Bambara | suma | ||
| Ewe | blewu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gahoro | ||
| Lingala | malembe | ||
| Luganda | mpola | ||
| Sepedi | nanya | ||
| Twi (Akan) | bɔkɔɔ | ||
Slow in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | بطيء | ||
| The word "بطيء" also means "lazy" or "cowardly" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | לְהַאֵט | ||
| The word לְהַאֵט is related to the word אֵט, which can mean both "slowly" and "firmly." | |||
| Pashto | ورو | ||
| The Pashto word "ورو" comes from the Proto-Indo-European word "*h₁welh₁-", which also has cognates in Armenian, Kurdish, and Persian. | |||
| Arabic | بطيء | ||
| The word "بطيء" also means "lazy" or "cowardly" in Arabic. | |||
Slow in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i ngadaltë | ||
| "Ngadaltë" is derived from the Proto-Albanian root *ngad- which also means "down, low" and "soft, gentle, tender". | |||
| Basque | geldoa | ||
| The word "geldoa" is also used in Basque to mean "paralyzed" or "immobile" | |||
| Catalan | lent | ||
| In Catalan, "lent" not only means "slow", but also has the alternative meanings of "thin" and "soft". | |||
| Croatian | usporiti | ||
| The word "usporiti" can also mean "to regulate" or "to moderate", especially in the context of speed or pace. | |||
| Danish | langsom | ||
| The word 'langsom' is cognate with the English word 'long', which also has the connotation of being slow. | |||
| Dutch | langzaam | ||
| The word "langzaam" in Dutch shares its origin with the English word "linger", indicating a gradual progression. | |||
| English | slow | ||
| The word 'slow' originates from the Middle English word 'slowen,' which meant 'to be lazy' or 'to delay,' and is related to the Dutch word 'sloom' and the German word 'schlummern,' both of which mean 'to slumber'. | |||
| French | lent | ||
| The French word "lent" also means "soak", "steep", or "soak in liquid". | |||
| Frisian | stadich | ||
| The Frisian word "stadich" can also mean "slow-witted" or "dull". | |||
| Galician | lento | ||
| In Galician, “lento” can also mean “slow-witted” or “lazy”. | |||
| German | langsam | ||
| Langsam also means 'lengthwise' in German and is derived from the Old High German word 'langas', meaning 'long'. | |||
| Icelandic | hægt | ||
| The word "hægt" in Icelandic is cognate with the English word "heave" and originally meant "heavy". | |||
| Irish | mall | ||
| Mall, which in Irish means 'slow', is also a term used to refer to a large shopping center. | |||
| Italian | lento | ||
| Lento, in Italian, can also mean 'soft', 'gentle', or 'smooth'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | lues | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "lues" can also refer to a "slow person" or a "lazybones." | |||
| Maltese | bil-mod | ||
| The word "bil-mod" has alternate meanings including "without speed" or "in a sluggish manner, | |||
| Norwegian | langsom | ||
| In Norwegian, "langsom" also describes something that is "long" or has a large distance between two things. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | lento | ||
| "Lento" has multiple meanings including "flexible", "pliant", "soft" and "dull". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | slaodach | ||
| Scots Gaelic "slaodach" is derived from Old Irish "slodach" meaning both "slow" and "slovenly" | |||
| Spanish | lento | ||
| "Lento" also means "dull" or "tardy" in Spanish. | |||
| Swedish | långsam | ||
| The word "långsam" also means "longsome" in Swedish, describing something that takes a long time. | |||
| Welsh | araf | ||
| The word 'araf' in Welsh also means 'gentle' or 'peaceful'. | |||
Slow in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | павольны | ||
| The word "павольны" is also used to describe something that is gentle, deliberate or unhurried. | |||
| Bosnian | sporo | ||
| The word "sporo" can also mean "leisurely" or "calmly". | |||
| Bulgarian | бавен | ||
| The word "бавен" in Bulgarian is thought to be related to the Old Church Slavonic word "бавити", which means "to delay" or "to hinder". | |||
| Czech | pomalý | ||
| The word "pomalý" also means "quiet" or "calm" | |||
| Estonian | aeglane | ||
| Aeglane is a borrowing from Finnish "aikainen" which means "early" in modern Finnish, but used to mean "slow" in old Finnish dialects. | |||
| Finnish | hidas | ||
| In Finnish, "hidas" also refers to a horse's slow gait, similar to an "amble" in English. | |||
| Hungarian | lassú | ||
| The word "lassú" is derived from the Proto-Uralic verb *laksV- "to be tired, slow down" and is cognate with Finnish "laisk(a)" and Estonian "laisk". | |||
| Latvian | lēns | ||
| The word “lēns” also has a secondary meaning, referring to something that is “gentle” or “meek.” | |||
| Lithuanian | lėtas | ||
| The word "lėtas" is thought to be derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*lendh-" meaning "lazy" or "sluggish". | |||
| Macedonian | бавно | ||
| The word "бавно" can also mean "softly" or "gently" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | powolny | ||
| The word 'powolny' can also mean 'solemn' or 'unhurried' in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | încet | ||
| "Încet" is also used to refer to "low-key" or "subtle". | |||
| Russian | медленный | ||
| The word 'медленный' is cognate with the English word 'measure', which suggests that its original meaning was related to 'measuring' or 'evaluating'. | |||
| Serbian | спор | ||
| The word 'спор' is also used to denote a dispute or a disagreement. | |||
| Slovak | pomaly | ||
| Pomaly, a Slovak word for "slow," also has the archaic meaning of "carefully" or "cautiously." | |||
| Slovenian | počasi | ||
| The Indo-European root of the word "počasi" also appears in the Russian "pochat'" ("to start") and the English "pace". | |||
| Ukrainian | повільний | ||
| The Ukrainian word "повільний" is also used to describe someone who is deliberate or thoughtful. | |||
Slow in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ধীর | ||
| The word "ধীর" means "patient" or "calm" in Sanskrit, its root language. | |||
| Gujarati | ધીમું | ||
| The word "ધીમું" also means "calm" or "gentle" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | धीरे | ||
| "धीरे" comes from the Sanskrit word "धी" meaning "to think" or "to understand". | |||
| Kannada | ನಿಧಾನ | ||
| The term “ನಿಧಾನ” (“slow” in Kannada) also refers to deliberate meditation and a particular kind of musical tempo. | |||
| Malayalam | മന്ദഗതി | ||
| Marathi | मंद | ||
| The word 'मंद' can also mean 'dull', 'feeble', or 'faint' in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | ढिलो | ||
| The word 'ढिलो' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'dhila', meaning 'lazy' or 'tardy', and is also related to the Hindi word 'dheela', meaning 'loose' or 'slack'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਹੌਲੀ | ||
| The word "ਹੌਲੀ" can also refer to a traditional Punjabi folk dance or to gentle steps. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මන්දගාමී | ||
| Tamil | மெதுவாக | ||
| The word "மெதுவாக" (slow) originates from the Proto-Dravidian root *mēt-, meaning "to be slow". | |||
| Telugu | నెమ్మదిగా | ||
| Urdu | سست | ||
| Derived from Proto-Indo-Aryan *śistas, “remaining,” “left over,” from the root *śi- “to leave”. | |||
Slow in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 慢 | ||
| 慢 in Chinese also means "gently," "deliberately," or "thoroughly" | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 慢 | ||
| 慢 can also mean gentle or leisurely as in 慢步 (leisurely walk) | |||
| Japanese | スロー | ||
| "スロー" has various meanings including "slower than usual," "not in a hurry," "thoughtful," "careful," "easy," "comfortable," and "unconstrained." | |||
| Korean | 느린 | ||
| The Korean word 느린 (slow) also means "softly" or "gently" in certain contexts. | |||
| Mongolian | удаан | ||
| While "удаан" now exclusively means "slow" in the modern Mongolian language, it originally had the meaning of "late" | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နှေးနှေး | ||
| In Burmese, "နှေးနှေး" means "slow and deliberate" and can also refer to "doing something gently and carefully" | |||
Slow in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | lambat | ||
| The Indonesian word 'lambat' and the Philippine word 'lambat' are both derived from an Old Malay word meaning 'sluggish' or 'tardy' | |||
| Javanese | alon-alon | ||
| "Alon-alon asal klakon" is a Javanese proverb that means "go slowly, but surely". | |||
| Khmer | យឺត | ||
| The word "យឺត" in Khmer shares a common root with "youthful," "youth," "lazy," and "to rest." | |||
| Lao | ຊ້າ | ||
| "ຊ້າ" also means "late" or "behind schedule". | |||
| Malay | lambat | ||
| "Lambat" also means "gentle" in Malay, with both meanings deriving from the act of walking at a slow pace. | |||
| Thai | ช้า | ||
| The word "ช้า" comes from the Khmer word "chaa" which means "to lag behind". | |||
| Vietnamese | chậm | ||
| "Chậm" also means "late" and "to wait" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mabagal | ||
Slow in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | yavaş | ||
| The word "yavaş" in Azerbaijani is a word of Persian origin and also means "soft" and "quiet". | |||
| Kazakh | баяу | ||
| In Kazakh, "баяу" also refers to the late afternoon period between prayer times | |||
| Kyrgyz | жай | ||
| The word "жай" in Kyrgyz can also mean "lazy" or "relaxed" | |||
| Tajik | суст | ||
| The word "суст" can also mean "dull" or "boring" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | haýal | ||
| Uzbek | sekin | ||
| The word "sekin" also means "quiet" in Uzbek, reflecting the idea that slowness can bring about tranquility. | |||
| Uyghur | ئاستا | ||
Slow in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lohi | ||
| Lohi, also refers to the reddish color of a mature fish, which can also translate to 'cooked.' | |||
| Maori | puhoi | ||
| The word "puhoi" in Māori can also mean "to be in a trance-like state" or "to be dizzy". | |||
| Samoan | telegese | ||
| Telegese can also mean "to go quietly" in the Samoan language. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mabagal | ||
| The Tagalog word "mabagal" (slow) originally referred to running water in Old Tagalog; its current meaning developed later on. | |||
Slow in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | k'acha | ||
| Guarani | mbegue | ||
Slow in International Languages
| Esperanto | malrapida | ||
| The word “malrapida” is based on the Latin “male” (bad) and “rapidus” (fast) and originally meant "not fast". | |||
| Latin | tarda | ||
| "Tarda" in Latin can also mean "late" or "delayed" | |||
Slow in Others Languages
| Greek | αργός | ||
| 'αργος' also means 'white' or 'shining' in Greek, and is related to 'αργύριος' (made of silver) and 'άργυρος' (silver). | |||
| Hmong | qeeb | ||
| This word can also mean "relaxed", "lazy", "calm". | |||
| Kurdish | hêdî | ||
| Kurdish ’hêdî’ shares an etymology with English ‘easy’ and ‘heed’. | |||
| Turkish | yavaş | ||
| In some cases, "yavaş" can mean "tender" or "soft" in Turkish, such as in the phrase "yavaş et" (tender meat). | |||
| Xhosa | kancinci | ||
| "Kancinci" is also used to describe a gentle incline, slope or glide. | |||
| Yiddish | פּאַמעלעך | ||
| The Yiddish word "פּאַמעלעך" (slow) is derived from the German word "gemächlich" (comfortable). | |||
| Zulu | kancane | ||
| The word "kancane" can also refer to someone who is reserved or shy. | |||
| Assamese | লাহে লাহে | ||
| Aymara | k'acha | ||
| Bhojpuri | धीमा | ||
| Dhivehi | މަޑުން | ||
| Dogri | बल्लें | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mabagal | ||
| Guarani | mbegue | ||
| Ilocano | nabattag | ||
| Krio | tek tɛm | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هێواش | ||
| Maithili | कम गति | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯞꯅ | ||
| Mizo | muang | ||
| Oromo | suuta | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଧୀର | ||
| Quechua | allillamanta | ||
| Sanskrit | मन्द | ||
| Tatar | әкрен | ||
| Tigrinya | ዝንጉዕ | ||
| Tsonga | nonoka | ||