Slowly in Different Languages
Discover 'Slowly' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'slowly' holds a unique significance in our vocabulary, reminding us to appreciate the beauty in lingering moments. It's a concept that transcends cultural boundaries, encouraging us to savor life's experiences and learn valuable lessons along the way.
Through history, 'slowly' has been a source of inspiration for artists, writers, and philosophers alike. In a fast-paced world, this word serves as a gentle reminder to pause, reflect, and connect with our surroundings. By understanding its translation in different languages, we not only expand our linguistic abilities but also deepen our appreciation for global cultures and traditions.
For instance, in Spanish, 'slowly' is 'lentamente', while in French, it becomes 'lentement'. In German, the word is 'langsam', and in Japanese, it is 'おそい'. These translations not only offer a glimpse into the unique linguistic structures of various cultures but also remind us of the universal human experience of time and its passage.
Slowly
Slowly in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | stadig | ||
| Afrikaans "stadig" comes from Old Dutch "stade", meaning place or site. | |||
| Amharic | በቀስታ | ||
| The word በቀስታ can also be used to mean "quietly" or "calmly". | |||
| Hausa | ahankali | ||
| The word "ahankali" in Hausa is thought to be derived from the Arabic word "ahlan" meaning "slowly" or "gently." | |||
| Igbo | nwayọ nwayọ | ||
| "Nwayọ nwayọ" in Igbo originally meant "softly, gently," which can also be related to "slowly." | |||
| Malagasy | tsikelikely | ||
| The Malagasy word "tsikelikely" derives from Proto-Austronesian "*tikek" ("slowly") and can sometimes mean "quietly" or "gently" if used with care. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | pang'onopang'ono | ||
| Shona | zvishoma nezvishoma | ||
| "Zvishoma nezvishoma" is a repetitive form of the Shona word "zvishoma," which means "slowly," and is used to emphasize a gradual or unhurried pace or process. | |||
| Somali | tartiib ah | ||
| In Quranic Arabic, "tartiib" means "to give it its due importance" and "to do it properly", not "to do it slowly." | |||
| Sesotho | butle | ||
| The word "butle" in Sesotho also means "softly" or "gently." | |||
| Swahili | polepole | ||
| "Polepole" not only indicates "slowly," it also can refer to "gently" or "peacefully." | |||
| Xhosa | kancinci | ||
| The Xhosa word 'kancinci' has no known cognates or alternate meanings. | |||
| Yoruba | laiyara | ||
| The word 'laiyara' can also refer to a person who is sluggish or lazy. | |||
| Zulu | kancane | ||
| "Kancane" is a Zulu word meaning "slowly" and also refers to the "calm breeze" that precedes a rainstorm. | |||
| Bambara | dɔɔnin-dɔɔnin | ||
| Ewe | blewu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | buhoro | ||
| Lingala | malembe | ||
| Luganda | mpola | ||
| Sepedi | ka go nanya | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nyaa | ||
Slowly in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ببطء | ||
| The word "ببطء" in Arabic is derived from the root "بطأ" meaning "to be slow or sluggish" or "to procrastinate or delay." | |||
| Hebrew | לאט | ||
| The Hebrew word "לאט" (pronounced "lah-aht") is also used to describe something that is "quiet" or "softly". | |||
| Pashto | ورو | ||
| The word "ورو" also means "gently" or "carefully". | |||
| Arabic | ببطء | ||
| The word "ببطء" in Arabic is derived from the root "بطأ" meaning "to be slow or sluggish" or "to procrastinate or delay." | |||
Slowly in Western European Languages
| Albanian | ngadalë | ||
| The Albanian word "ngadalë" is also used to refer to someone who is patient, calm, or relaxed. | |||
| Basque | poliki-poliki | ||
| "Poliki-poliki" in Basque is an onomatopoeia that imitates the sound produced when walking slowly. | |||
| Catalan | lentament | ||
| The word "lentament" in Catalan comes from the Latin word "lentus," meaning "slow" or "sluggish." | |||
| Croatian | polako | ||
| The word 'polako' has a Slavic root shared with Russian 'poleg' (field, flat). | |||
| Danish | langsomt | ||
| Etymology: from Old Swedish *langsam, from Middle Low German *langesam, from Old High German *langsam, from Proto-West-Germanic *langasōm-. Related to Dutch langzaam, German langsam, Swedish långsam, Norwegian langsom, Icelandic langsár. | |||
| Dutch | langzaam | ||
| Langzaam means 'slowly' but also 'tired' or 'dull'. | |||
| English | slowly | ||
| The word "slowly" comes from the Old English word "slōwian," meaning "to be tardy or sluggish." | |||
| French | lentement | ||
| The word "lentement" is derived from the Latin word "lentus", which means "slow" or "flexible". | |||
| Frisian | stadich | ||
| The word "stadich" in Frisian is a cognate of the Dutch "stedelijk" (urban), and originally referred to the leisurely pace of city life. | |||
| Galician | lentamente | ||
| “Lentamente” ultimately derives from the same Latin root as the English word “lento” (“flexible”), and shares the same etymology with “lente” (“a magnifying glass”) and “dilatado” (“dilated”). | |||
| German | langsam | ||
| The German word "langsam" is derived from the Middle High German "langen," meaning "to stretch" or "to reach for." | |||
| Icelandic | hægt | ||
| It cognate with Gothic "hauhs", German "hoch", and English "high", denoting an uphill movement. | |||
| Irish | go mall | ||
| Historically, ‘go mall’ is associated with the sound of someone moving through a bog or soft earth, and also of slow movement in general. | |||
| Italian | lentamente | ||
| The word "lentamente" derives from the Latin word "lentus," meaning "slow," "sticky," or "soft." | |||
| Luxembourgish | lues | ||
| "Lues" is also a German word meaning "syphilis" and is etymologically related to the Luxembourgish word "laues" meaning "warm". | |||
| Maltese | bil-mod | ||
| The word "bil-mod" is derived from the Arabic word "bil-mawt", meaning "with death", and is used to emphasize the gradual and inevitable nature of something occuring. | |||
| Norwegian | sakte | ||
| Sakte's origin lies in Old Norse and shares roots with other Scandinavian languages as well as the English word 'soft'. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | lentamente | ||
| Lentamente is derived from the Latin word "lentus", meaning "slow" or "sluggish". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | gu slaodach | ||
| The word “gu slaodach” is a compound word in Gaelic, composed of "gu," meaning “to," and "slaodach," meaning "slow." The word "slaodach" has another, more archaic meaning: "lazy." This meaning of "slaodach" has been lost in the modern Scottish Gaelic language but persists in the Manx and Irish languages. | |||
| Spanish | despacio | ||
| The Spanish word "despacio" comes from Latin "dispatium," meaning "interval" or "pause." | |||
| Swedish | långsamt | ||
| "Långsamt" comes from "lång" (long) + "sam" (slowly), and also shares an etymology with the word "long" in English. | |||
| Welsh | yn araf | ||
| The Welsh word "yn araf" literally translates to "in slow", indicating a gradual or measured pace. | |||
Slowly in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | павольна | ||
| The word "павольна" can be literally translated as "to fall down", which reflects the gradual and deliberate nature of slow movement. | |||
| Bosnian | polako | ||
| This word is a contraction of two Serbo-Croatian words, " polako" (softly or gently) and "poleka" (dance, walk, or saunter). | |||
| Bulgarian | бавно | ||
| The Bulgarian word "бавно" can also mean "heavily" or "thoroughly", as in "бавно готвене" (slow cooking). | |||
| Czech | pomalu | ||
| The Czech word 'pomalu' can also be used figuratively to mean 'reluctantly' or 'carefully'. | |||
| Estonian | aeglaselt | ||
| "Aega" is in the genitive case and it is actually "time". "La" is a verb meaning "to let". So "aeglaselt" means "letting time pass", which is another way of saying "slowly". | |||
| Finnish | hitaasti | ||
| The word 'hitaasti' is derived from the Proto-Uralic word '*hita-', meaning 'slowly, gradually'. | |||
| Hungarian | lassan | ||
| The word "lassan" also can mean "calm" when it comes to people, and it's the base of the word "lassú" which means "slow". | |||
| Latvian | lēnām | ||
| "Lēnām" is also used as an adverb meaning "gently." | |||
| Lithuanian | lėtai | ||
| “Lėtai” is derived from “lėtas” and is a cognate with Latvian “lēts” (“kind”) and Slavic “latъ” (“good, kind”), suggesting an original sense of “gently, softly” | |||
| Macedonian | полека | ||
| The etymology of "полека" is closely linked to the Albanian "ngadalë" (slowly). | |||
| Polish | powoli | ||
| Powoli is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "povolь" meaning "leisure," "softly," or "mildly."} | |||
| Romanian | încet | ||
| "Încet" also means "quietly" or "gently" in Romanian. | |||
| Russian | медленно | ||
| The word "медленно" (slowly) derives from an older form "медьлено" meaning "to hinder" and can also refer to hesitation or difficulty. | |||
| Serbian | полако | ||
| Polako in Serbian could also mean 'a bit', 'slightly', 'gently' or 'softly'. | |||
| Slovak | pomaly | ||
| Pomaly derives from an Old Slavic word meaning "late" and is cognate with the Polish word "powolny." | |||
| Slovenian | počasi | ||
| "Počasi" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *pok-ol, which also meant "later." | |||
| Ukrainian | повільно | ||
| The word "повільно" can also mean "deliberately" or "methodically" in Ukrainian. | |||
Slowly in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | আস্তে আস্তে | ||
| The Bengali word "আস্তে আস্তে" can also mean "carefully" or "gently"} | |||
| Gujarati | ધીમે ધીમે | ||
| Hindi | धीरे से | ||
| The word "धीरे से" in Hindi can also mean "gently" or "lightly". | |||
| Kannada | ನಿಧಾನವಾಗಿ | ||
| ನಿಧಾನವಾಗಿ is a derivative of the word 'ನಿಧಿ', meaning 'treasure'. Thus it also means 'carefully' or 'gently'. | |||
| Malayalam | പതുക്കെ | ||
| The word "പതുക്കെ" in Malayalam, meaning "slowly", is derived from the Sanskrit word "पद" (pada), meaning "foot" or "step", and can also mean "gently" or "carefully". | |||
| Marathi | हळूहळू | ||
| The word 'हळूहळू' can also mean 'gradually' or 'by degrees'. | |||
| Nepali | बिस्तारी | ||
| The word "बिस्तारी" can also mean "gradually" or "step by step". | |||
| Punjabi | ਹੌਲੀ ਹੌਲੀ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සෙමින් | ||
| The Sinhala word සෙමින් can also refer to "calmly", "gently" or "with patience." | |||
| Tamil | மெதுவாக | ||
| The word "மெதுவாக" is derived from the Old Tamil root "மெல்" (mel), meaning "to go slowly". In modern usage, the word can also refer to gentleness or softness. | |||
| Telugu | నెమ్మదిగా | ||
| Urdu | آہستہ آہستہ | ||
Slowly in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 慢慢地 | ||
| "慢慢地" literally means "slow slow ground," highlighting the gradual nature of moving slowly. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 慢慢地 | ||
| In addition, it can mean "not quickly" in spoken Chinese but also "little by little". | |||
| Japanese | ゆっくり | ||
| The word 'ゆっくり' can also mean 'carefully' or 'deliberately' when used in certain contexts. | |||
| Korean | 천천히 | ||
| "천천히" originally meant "naturally" or "by oneself" but its meaning gradually shifted to "slowly" sometime between the 15th and 17th centuries. | |||
| Mongolian | аажмаар | ||
| The word "аажмаар" can also mean "gently" or "at ease". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဖြည်းဖြည်း | ||
| ဖြည်းဖြည်း (phnyay phnyay) means "gently," and can express concepts such as slowness of motion, the cautious application of force, as well as a gradual progression of some state or condition. | |||
Slowly in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | perlahan | ||
| The word "perlahan" likely originates from Proto-Austronesian "*pelan" which also means slowness or gentleness. | |||
| Javanese | alon-alon | ||
| In Javanese, "alon-alon" can also mean "relaxed" or "serene". | |||
| Khmer | យ៉ាងយឺត | ||
| The term "យ៉ាងយឺត" can also refer to a type of Khmer noodle dish made with thick rice noodles cooked in a flavorful broth. | |||
| Lao | ຊ້າໆ | ||
| "ຊ້າໆ" can also mean "gently" or "softly" in Lao. | |||
| Malay | perlahan-lahan | ||
| In Indonesian, "perlahan-lahan" also means "gradually" or "continuously". | |||
| Thai | ช้า | ||
| The word "ช้า" shares a root with the Thai word "ชั่ว" (evil), highlighting the negative connotations associated with tardiness in Thai culture. | |||
| Vietnamese | chậm rãi | ||
| Slow is also used to describe something that is dull or boring | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | dahan dahan | ||
Slowly in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | yavaş-yavaş | ||
| "Yavaş-yavaş" is a compound word consisting of "yavaş", which means slow, and reduplicative "yavaş", which gives the word the sense "gradually" or "little by little". | |||
| Kazakh | баяу | ||
| The Kazakh word "баяу" (slowly) is also used in Kazakh to describe the speed of a river and has the alternative meaning of "calmly" or "quietly". | |||
| Kyrgyz | жай | ||
| The word "жай" can also be used to describe the movement of a snail, caterpillar or a snake. | |||
| Tajik | оҳиста | ||
| The word "оҳиста" is derived from the Persian word "آهسته" and can also mean "quietly" or "gently". | |||
| Turkmen | ýuwaş-ýuwaşdan | ||
| Uzbek | sekin | ||
| The Uzbek word "sekin" is originally a loanword from Persian and is used as an adverb and noun, respectively meaning "slowly" and "calmness, peace, and quiet". | |||
| Uyghur | ئاستا | ||
Slowly in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lohi | ||
| Lohi can also mean "to be dull" or "to be slow-witted". | |||
| Maori | pōturi | ||
| The word "pōturi" can also refer to a state of "being at rest" or "being still" | |||
| Samoan | lemu | ||
| The word "lemu" can also mean "gently" or "faintly". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | dahan dahan | ||
| The Tagalog word "dahan dahan" also means "carefully" or "gently". | |||
Slowly in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | k'achaki | ||
| Guarani | mbeguekatu | ||
Slowly in International Languages
| Esperanto | malrapide | ||
| Esperanto's malrapide could also mean "badly rapidly" or "very slowly" in English. | |||
| Latin | lente | ||
| In Latin, "lente" can also refer to a type of bean or lentil. | |||
Slowly in Others Languages
| Greek | αργά | ||
| "αργά" also means "brightly". The word in ancient Greek meant "white", "shining" and "bright" and hence "slow", because it was thought that bright objects move more slowly than dark objects. | |||
| Hmong | maj mam | ||
| The Hmong word "maj mam" literally means "step by step" and can also be used to describe a gradual process. | |||
| Kurdish | hêdî hêdî | ||
| Turkish | yavaşça | ||
| The word "yavaşça" means "slowly" and is derived from the root word "yavaş", which means "slow." | |||
| Xhosa | kancinci | ||
| The Xhosa word 'kancinci' has no known cognates or alternate meanings. | |||
| Yiddish | פּאַמעלעך | ||
| The word "פּאַמעלעך" is also used in Yiddish to mean "gently" or "carefully". | |||
| Zulu | kancane | ||
| "Kancane" is a Zulu word meaning "slowly" and also refers to the "calm breeze" that precedes a rainstorm. | |||
| Assamese | ধীৰে ধীৰে | ||
| Aymara | k'achaki | ||
| Bhojpuri | धीरे-धीरे | ||
| Dhivehi | މަޑުމަޑުން | ||
| Dogri | आस्ता | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | dahan dahan | ||
| Guarani | mbeguekatu | ||
| Ilocano | nabattag | ||
| Krio | smɔl smɔl | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بەهێواشی | ||
| Maithili | धीरे सं | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯞꯅ | ||
| Mizo | zawitein | ||
| Oromo | suuta | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଧୀରେ | ||
| Quechua | allillamanta | ||
| Sanskrit | मन्दम् | ||
| Tatar | әкрен | ||
| Tigrinya | ቐስ ብቐስ | ||
| Tsonga | nonoka | ||