Updated on March 6, 2024
At its core, the word audience refers to a group of people who gather to watch or listen to a performance, event, or speech. But this word holds so much more significance and cultural importance than one might initially think. Throughout history, audiences have played a crucial role in shaping cultural movements, from the ancient Greeks who gathered in amphitheaters to watch plays, to modern-day concertgoers who flock to music festivals around the world.
Given the importance of audiences in shaping our cultural landscape, it's no wonder that people might be interested in knowing how to say audience in different languages. After all, language is one of the most powerful tools we have for connecting with one another and building bridges across cultures.
Did you know, for example, that in Spanish, the word for audience is audiencia? Or that in Japanese, it's アウディエンス (audiensu)? By learning how to say audience in different languages, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the richness and diversity of human culture.
Afrikaans | gehoor | ||
The word 'gehoor' is also used in Afrikaans to refer to one's ability to hear, or to the sense of hearing. | |||
Amharic | ታዳሚዎች | ||
"ታዳሚዎች" derives from the root "ዳማ" (to hear), implying those who listen attentively. | |||
Hausa | masu sauraro | ||
The word 'masu sauraro' can also mean 'hearers' or 'recipients' | |||
Igbo | ndị na-ege ntị | ||
In traditional Igbo society, "ndị na-ege ntị" referred to a village council, consisting of elders, who would listen to and resolve community disputes. | |||
Malagasy | mpihaino | ||
The word "mpihaino" can also mean "spectator" or "onlooker", and is derived from the root word "haino" meaning "to see". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | omvera | ||
The word "omvera" in Nyanja (Chichewa) can also mean "witness" or "spectator." | |||
Shona | vateereri | ||
The word 'vateereri' can also refer to 'people who have gathered' or 'a group of people' | |||
Somali | dhagaystayaasha | ||
The word "dhagaystayaasha" also means "those who listen" or "the listening ones" in Somali. | |||
Sesotho | bamameli | ||
The word "bamameli" is also used to refer to an individual or collective group with whom one has spoken. | |||
Swahili | hadhira | ||
Hadhira also means "presence" or "gathering" in Swahili. | |||
Xhosa | abaphulaphuli | ||
The word "abaphulaphuli" in Xhosa can also be used to refer to a group of people who are watching or listening to something. | |||
Yoruba | olugbo | ||
Olugbo is also used to refer to a person who attends an event or gathering. | |||
Zulu | izilaleli | ||
The word "izilaleli" also means "witnesses". | |||
Bambara | lamɛlijama | ||
Ewe | nuselawo | ||
Kinyarwanda | abumva | ||
Lingala | bayoki | ||
Luganda | abawulize | ||
Sepedi | batheeletši | ||
Twi (Akan) | atiefoɔ | ||
Arabic | الجمهور | ||
The word "الجمهور" also denotes the public, or a community of people sharing common interests. | |||
Hebrew | קהל | ||
קהל in Hebrew can refer to both a 'gathering' and a 'congregation' in a religious context. | |||
Pashto | لیدونکي | ||
The word "لیدونکي" also means "a person who listens, a listener, an attendant, a person who gives ear to others' words, a disciple" in Pashto. | |||
Arabic | الجمهور | ||
The word "الجمهور" also denotes the public, or a community of people sharing common interests. |
Albanian | audienca | ||
In Albanian, "audienca" can also refer to a legal proceeding or a session of a court. | |||
Basque | audientzia | ||
The Basque word 'audientzia' (audience) shares its root with the word 'aintzindari' (pioneer), indicating the shared characteristic of being 'the first to hear or receive'. | |||
Catalan | públic | ||
"Públic" can also refer to places where people usually gather, such as public squares, parks, or public events. | |||
Croatian | publika | ||
The word 'publika' also has connotations of 'the public' and 'society' in Croatian. | |||
Danish | publikum | ||
"Publikum" is derived from Latin "publicus," meaning both "of or belonging to the people" and "open to all," reflecting its dual meaning as a collective body of spectators and the general public. | |||
Dutch | publiek | ||
"Publiek" also means public in the sense of publicly owned, as in "Publieke Werken" (public works). | |||
English | audience | ||
The word 'audience' can also refer to a formal hearing or an interview before a judge or other official. | |||
French | public | ||
From the Latin word "publicus," meaning "belonging to the people," it has come to refer to the larger body of people who witness a performance or event. | |||
Frisian | publyk | ||
Publyk derives from Latin "publicus," meaning "of the people," and can be used to mean "society" or "the public." | |||
Galician | público | ||
In Galician, "público" can also refer to a specific area or row of seats in a theater or circus. | |||
German | publikum | ||
"Publikum" comes from Latin and originally meant "to make public". | |||
Icelandic | áhorfendur | ||
The Icelandic word "áhorfendur" literally means "spectators" or "observers" and is derived from the Old Norse verb "horfa" (to look). | |||
Irish | lucht féachana | ||
The Irish word "lucht féachana" (audience) originally referred to viewers at a theatrical performance. | |||
Italian | pubblico | ||
The word "pubblico" also means "public" in Italian, in the sense of the general public or society as a whole. | |||
Luxembourgish | publikum | ||
The word "Publikum" in Luxembourgish originates from the Latin word "publicus", meaning "the people". | |||
Maltese | udjenza | ||
The word "udjenza" originates from the Italian word "udienza", meaning "hearing", and is related to the verb "udire", meaning "to hear". | |||
Norwegian | publikum | ||
In Norwegian, "publikum" can also refer to the general public or a specific segment of the population. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | público | ||
"Público" derives from Latin "publicus" meaning "of the people", related to "pueblo" in Spanish or "people" in English. | |||
Scots Gaelic | luchd-èisteachd | ||
Spanish | audiencia | ||
The word "audiencia" in Spanish originally meant "hearing" and is also used to refer to the seat of a governing body. | |||
Swedish | publik | ||
"Publik" in Swedish relates to "public" in English, deriving from the Latin "publicus" meaning "of the people". | |||
Welsh | cynulleidfa | ||
The word "cynulleidfa" is derived from the words "cynull" (to gather) and "lle" (place), meaning "a place of gathering". |
Belarusian | аўдыторыя | ||
The word "аўдыторыя" can also refer to a university lecture hall or classroom | |||
Bosnian | publika | ||
In Bosnian, the word "publika" also refers to the general populace, rather than just an audience for a performance or event. | |||
Bulgarian | публика | ||
The word "публика" derives from Latin "publicus", meaning "of or belonging to the people." | |||
Czech | publikum | ||
The Czech word "publikum" also means "public" or "the public sphere". | |||
Estonian | publik | ||
"Publik" in Estonian also refers to the gathering of individuals for a specific purpose or event. | |||
Finnish | yleisö | ||
The word "yleisö" is derived from the Finnish word "yleinen" meaning "common" and "universal". | |||
Hungarian | közönség | ||
The Hungarian word "közönség" can also mean "public" or "crowd". | |||
Latvian | auditorija | ||
The word "auditorija" comes from Latin "audītorius" and may also mean "lecture room" or "auditorium". | |||
Lithuanian | auditorija | ||
The Lithuanian word "auditorija" is derived from the Latin word "auditorium", which means "a place for hearing" and is a room or building where lectures or speeches are given. | |||
Macedonian | публика | ||
The word "публика" also refers to a mass of people, the public. | |||
Polish | publiczność | ||
"Publiczność" shares its root with "publiczny" (public), "publikować" (to publish), and "publikacja" (a publication). | |||
Romanian | public | ||
The Romanian word "public" derives from the Latin word "publicus," which referred to the common affairs of the citizens of a state, including the state itself and its people. | |||
Russian | аудитория | ||
The word "аудитория" can also refer to a university lecture hall or classroom. | |||
Serbian | публика | ||
The word "публика" derives from the Latin "publicus", meaning "of the people" or "public", and can also refer to a crowd or the general population. | |||
Slovak | publikum | ||
The Slovak word "publikum" originates from the Latin word "publicus," meaning "of or belonging to the people." | |||
Slovenian | občinstvo | ||
The word “občinstvo” is cognate to “community,” and can also refer to an assembly of people or a gathering. | |||
Ukrainian | аудиторія | ||
The word "аудиторія" in Ukrainian has cognates in other Slavic languages and comes from the Latin word "auditorium", meaning "a place for listening" or "a place for a performance." |
Bengali | শ্রোতা | ||
"শ্রোতা" is derived from the Sanskrit word "shrota", meaning "to listen," and also refers to a musical instrument. | |||
Gujarati | પ્રેક્ષકો | ||
"પ્રેક્ષકો" (prekshak) is a loan word in Gujarati from Hindi, ultimately derived from the Sanskrit term "prakṣaka", which refers not only to an audience or spectators, but also to an expounder of a book, lecturer, or preacher. | |||
Hindi | दर्शक | ||
The word "दर्शक" originates from the Sanskrit root "दृश्" (to see), and can also refer to a seer or visionary. | |||
Kannada | ಪ್ರೇಕ್ಷಕರು | ||
ಪ್ರೇಕ್ಷಕರು (prēkṣakaru), meaning "the spectators" or "the viewers," originates from the Sanskrit term प्रेक्षक (prekṣaka), a derivative of the verb "to gaze" or "to witness." | |||
Malayalam | പ്രേക്ഷകർ | ||
The Malayalam word 'പ്രേക്ഷകർ' ('audience') originates from the Sanskrit word 'preksh', meaning 'to see or to look'. | |||
Marathi | प्रेक्षक | ||
प्रेक्षक in Marathi also means 'witness' or 'observer'. | |||
Nepali | दर्शक | ||
The term 'दर्शक' also has connotations of spectatorship, viewing, and perception in Nepali. | |||
Punjabi | ਹਾਜ਼ਰੀਨ | ||
The word "ਹਾਜ਼ਰੀਨ" comes from the Arabic word "hazir," meaning "to be present," and thus also refers to "attendance" and a "presence" in addition to "audience." | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ප්රේක්ෂකයින් | ||
The Sinhalese word "ප්රේක්ෂකයින්" has its roots in Sanskrit and shares its alternate meaning with the Hindi word "preksha" which translates to "look". | |||
Tamil | பார்வையாளர்கள் | ||
Telugu | ప్రేక్షకులు | ||
The Telugu word "ప్రేక్షకులు" originally meant "spectators" and also refers to a type of performance where a single person tells or sings a story. | |||
Urdu | سامعین | ||
In Persian and Urdu, the word "سامعین" also means "listeners", "hearers", or "readers" |
Chinese (Simplified) | 听众 | ||
"听众" 的本意是 "听得见声音的人",由此引申出 "受众"、"听众" 和 "鉴赏者" 等意思。 | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 聽眾 | ||
The term 聽眾 (audience) literally means "listener" and it's composed of two characters: 「聽」 (listen) and 「眾」 (multitude). | |||
Japanese | 聴衆 | ||
The word "聴衆" can also refer to a gathering of people who listen to and appreciate music or lectures. | |||
Korean | 청중 | ||
The word '청중' can also refer to 'public opinion' or 'public sentiment' | |||
Mongolian | үзэгчид | ||
үзэгчид can also refer to a group of people who read, watch, or listen to a particular form of media. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ပရိသတ် | ||
The word "ပရိသတ်" is derived from the Pali word "parisatta", which means "group of people". It can also refer to a "gathering of listeners" or a "congregation". |
Indonesian | hadirin | ||
The Indonesian word "hadirin" is derived from the Arabic "hāḍiru" meaning "present" and also refers to members of a religious congregation assembled in a mosque. | |||
Javanese | pamirsa | ||
The word "pamirsa" in Javanese can also refer to a "group of people who are watching or listening to something" or a "collection of listeners or viewers"} | |||
Khmer | ទស្សនិកជន | ||
The word "ទស្សនិកជន" in Khmer originates from the Sanskrit word "दर्शन" meaning "to see" or "to view". | |||
Lao | ຜູ້ຊົມ | ||
The Lao word ຜູ້ຊົມ is derived from the Sanskrit word "pradarshana", which also means "showing" or "presenting". | |||
Malay | penonton | ||
The word 'penonton' comes from the Malay verb 'tonto', meaning 'to watch', and the suffix '-an', which indicates a noun of action or result. | |||
Thai | ผู้ชม | ||
The Thai word "ผู้ชม" (audience) is derived from "ชม" (to watch), and can also mean "viewer" or "spectator." | |||
Vietnamese | khán giả | ||
The word "khán giả" is derived from Chinese, meaning "to see" and "a guest", and can also refer to a public meeting or gathering. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | madla | ||
Azerbaijani | tamaşaçı | ||
The word "tamaşaçı" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Persian word "tamāšā", meaning "spectacle, show, entertainment". | |||
Kazakh | аудитория | ||
The Kazakh word "аудитория" (audience) is derived from the Latin "auditorium", which originally referred to a room where lectures were given. | |||
Kyrgyz | аудитория | ||
The word "аудитория" is a loanword from Latin "audītōrium", meaning "room for listening or lectures." | |||
Tajik | шунавандагон | ||
The word 'шунавандагон' can also be used to refer to the ability to listen and understand. | |||
Turkmen | diňleýjiler | ||
Uzbek | tomoshabinlar | ||
"Tomoshabinlar" has two components: "tomosha" and "bin" meaning "to perform" and "spectator", respectively. Thus, the word also roughly means "performer-spectator". | |||
Uyghur | تاماشىبىنلار | ||
Hawaiian | ʻaha hoʻolohe | ||
Maori | hunga whakarongo | ||
The word 'hunga whakarongo', meaning "audience" in Māori, is also used to refer to a group of birds sitting together on their perches. | |||
Samoan | aofia | ||
In Samoan, "aofia" means "spectators, crowd, spectators, gathering, onlookers, audience, visitors, congregation, party, and gathering of people." | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | madla | ||
The Tagalog word "madla" derives from "dama, |
Aymara | awrinsya | ||
Guarani | henduharakuéra | ||
Esperanto | spektantaro | ||
The word "spektantaro" in Esperanto also means "audience" in the sense of a group of people waiting to enter a theater or other venue. | |||
Latin | auditorium | ||
The Latin word "auditorium" originally referred to a place where legal cases were heard, and later came to mean a place where lectures or performances were given. |
Greek | ακροατήριο | ||
The Greek word "ακροατήριο" (akroatērion) also means "promontory" and is derived from "ακροάομαι" (akroáomai), "to listen at". | |||
Hmong | cov neeg tuaj saib | ||
The term 'cov neeg tuaj saib' is used to describe an audience watching a performance or event. | |||
Kurdish | binêrevan | ||
The word 'binêrevan' derives from the Persian word 'bīnande' meaning 'the seer' or 'the viewer'. | |||
Turkish | seyirci | ||
"Seyirci" derives from the Arabic "sayr" meaning "watching" and "walking", suggesting an audience's active role in the performance. | |||
Xhosa | abaphulaphuli | ||
The word "abaphulaphuli" in Xhosa can also be used to refer to a group of people who are watching or listening to something. | |||
Yiddish | וילעם | ||
The word "וילעם" ("audience") in Yiddish can also refer to a "reception" or a "gathering of guests". | |||
Zulu | izilaleli | ||
The word "izilaleli" also means "witnesses". | |||
Assamese | দৰ্শক | ||
Aymara | awrinsya | ||
Bhojpuri | देखनिहार | ||
Dhivehi | އޯޑިއަންސް | ||
Dogri | श्रोता | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | madla | ||
Guarani | henduharakuéra | ||
Ilocano | dum-dumngeg | ||
Krio | ɔdiɛns | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | جەماوەر | ||
Maithili | श्रोता | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯚꯥꯕꯣꯛ | ||
Mizo | ngaithlatu | ||
Oromo | dhaggeeffattoota | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଦର୍ଶକ | | ||
Quechua | runakuna | ||
Sanskrit | श्रोतृवर्ग | ||
Tatar | аудитория | ||
Tigrinya | ተመልካቲ | ||
Tsonga | vahlaleri | ||