mászik

Mászik is a Hungarian verb meaning to move by crawling or creeping, typically close to the ground or along a surface, using the hands and knees or dragging parts of the body. It can describe a child learning to move, a person slowly advancing, or a creature that travels by close contact with the ground. The sense emphasizes the proximity to the ground and a deliberate, low-to-the-surface movement rather than a rapid climb or jump.

In grammar, mászik is the third-person singular present indicative form of the infinitive mászni (to crawl). The verb is regular in its conjugation: present forms include mászom, mászol, mászik, mászunk, mászotok, másznak; past forms include másztam, másztál, mászott, másztunk, másztatok, másztak. The past participle is mászott and is used in compound tenses. The verb can be completed with directional prefixes to indicate movement toward or onto something, such as mászik fel (to crawl up) or mászik be (to crawl inside).

Usage notes: mászik is commonly used for physical crawling, especially by infants or animals moving close to the ground, but it can also describe slow, gradual progress in non-physical contexts. It is distinct from csúszik (to slide or slip) and kúszik (to creep, often with a lower body position). Metaphorically, it may describe slow, steady advancement in projects or plans, as in creeping forward.

Translations to English are typically crawl or creep, depending on context. Example: A gyerek a földön mászik. (The child is crawling on the ground.) The investment is slowly but surely mászik előre.