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