ruhig

ruhiger · am ruhigsten
Based on: Ruhe
Goethe A1 Adjective #135 Adjective
  1. "without worry", #noproblem
  2. quiet, silent
  3. chill, calm, relaxed
1.

"without worry", #noproblem

(very common way to make a statement of permission or possibility sound inviting. "Mach ruhig!" for instance means "Go ahead, do it, don't worry.")
Examples
  • Du kannst ruhig laut Musik hören. Die Nachbarn sind nicht da.
  • Don't worry, you can listen to loud music. The neighbors are not around.
  • Practice pronunciation - click once to start recording and again to stop
2.

quiet, silent

(pretty wholesome word, so not always just about "sound", but more generally about "low agitation")
Examples
  • Sei ruhig!
  • Be quiet!
  • Practice pronunciation - click once to start recording and again to stop
3.

chill, calm, relaxed

Opposite: unruhig
(In the context of "keeping one's temper". Usually combined with "bleiben".)
Examples
  • Bleib bitte ruhig: ich habe deinen nicht Laptop kaputt gemacht.
  • Please stay calm / don't freak out:  I did not break your laptop.
  • Practice pronunciation - click once to start recording and again to stop

Word Family

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Sources for Etymology:

My Articles

Word of the Day – “ruhig”

A fun look at the origin and meaning of "ruhig" and why the sentence "Sei ruhig laut." actually makes sense. Also: die Ruhe and German for "Leave me alone!"

Vocab: ruhig, die Ruhe, still, leise

Read article →

Questions and Comments

Do you have questions about the usage or meaning of “ruhig”? Just ask here and I’ll try to clear it up.

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andreig
andreig

In the example for the second meaning, the recording doesn’t match the text. (The text is missing the *nicht*)

Should be:
Bleib bitte ruhig: ich habe deinen Laptop nicht kaputt gemacht.

How many meanings does the German word 'ruhig' have?

ruhig has 3 distinct meanings: 1. "without worry", #noproblem, 2. quiet, silent, 3. chill, calm, relaxed.

What is the comparative and superlative of 'ruhig'?

comparative: ruhiger / superlative: am ruhigsten

What is 'ruhig' related to?

The word 'ruhig' is related to Ruhe.

Where can I learn more about 'ruhig'?

Here are some articles where you can learn more about 'ruhig':

Word of the Day – “ruhig”
A fun look at the origin and meaning of "ruhig" and why the sentence "Sei ruhig laut." actually makes sense. Also: die Ruhe and German for "Leave me alone!"
Vocab: ruhig, die Ruhe, still, leise
Read article