Entertainment in Different Languages
Discover 'Entertainment' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Entertainment is a fundamental aspect of human culture, providing joy, relaxation, and social connection. From ancient Greek theater to modern-day blockbuster movies, entertainment has evolved in form but remained constant in its significance. Its cultural importance cannot be overstated, as it brings people together, fosters creativity, and serves as a reflection of our values and beliefs.
Moreover, understanding the translation of entertainment in different languages can offer unique insights into various cultures. For instance, the German word 'Unterhaltung' emphasizes the interactive nature of entertainment, while the French term 'Divertissement' highlights its ability to distract and amuse. Meanwhile, the Chinese character for entertainment, '娛樂', consists of the symbols for woman, child, and joy, symbolizing the importance of play and leisure in daily life.
As you explore the world of entertainment through language, you'll not only enhance your cultural competence but also deepen your appreciation for the universal power of storytelling and human connection.
Entertainment
Entertainment in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | vermaak | ||
| The Afrikaans word "vermaak" can also refer to the enjoyment of food or drink. | |||
| Amharic | መዝናኛ | ||
| Hausa | nishaɗi | ||
| The word "nishaɗi" is related to the Arabic word "naṣh", meaning "conversation" or "advice". It can also refer to a gathering or meeting place for entertainment. | |||
| Igbo | ntụrụndụ | ||
| The word "ntụrụndụ" can also mean "play" or "amusement" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | fialam-boly | ||
| 'Fialam-boly' derives from 'fialam' ('pleasure') and 'boly' ('dance'), hence its alternative meaning of 'dance'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zosangalatsa | ||
| Zosangalatsa is derived from the verb "kusangalatsa," meaning "to make happy" or "to please," thus the noun refers to anything that brings joy or amusement. | |||
| Shona | varaidzo | ||
| The word 'varaidzo' is derived from the verb 'kuvaraidza' which means 'to play' or 'to amuse' | |||
| Somali | madadaalo | ||
| The word "madadaalo" can also mean "distraction" or "amusement". | |||
| Sesotho | boithabiso | ||
| The word "boithabiso" also has the connotation of "a place of gathering" | |||
| Swahili | burudani | ||
| The Swahili word "burudani" originally referred to the act of distracting someone from a serious situation or task. | |||
| Xhosa | ukuzonwabisa | ||
| The Xhosa word 'ukuzonwabisa' derives from the root 'zonwaba', meaning 'to have fun' or 'to be happy'. | |||
| Yoruba | idanilaraya | ||
| The word idanilaraya can also mean "recreation" or "leisure". | |||
| Zulu | ukuzijabulisa | ||
| The word 'ukuzijabulisa' is derived from the Zulu word 'ijabulo', meaning 'joy' or 'happiness'. | |||
| Bambara | ɲɛnajɛ | ||
| Ewe | modzakaɖeɖe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | imyidagaduro | ||
| Lingala | masano | ||
| Luganda | okwesanyusa | ||
| Sepedi | boithabišo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | anigyedeɛ | ||
Entertainment in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | وسائل الترفيه | ||
| وسائل الترفيه (literally, 'the means to refresh oneself') is the Arabic word for 'entertainment'. | |||
| Hebrew | בידור | ||
| The Hebrew word "בידור" (entertainment) contains the root בדר, which means "to separate" or "to distance." | |||
| Pashto | ساتیري | ||
| The word "ساتیري" can also mean "satire" or "comedy" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | وسائل الترفيه | ||
| وسائل الترفيه (literally, 'the means to refresh oneself') is the Arabic word for 'entertainment'. | |||
Entertainment in Western European Languages
| Albanian | argëtim | ||
| In Albanian the word "argëtim" is derived from the word "arg" which means "to shine", "to light up" or "to illuminate". | |||
| Basque | entretenimendua | ||
| The Basque word "entretenimendua" ultimately derives from the Latin "intertenere," meaning "to hold between" or "to occupy (time)" and entered Basque via Spanish. | |||
| Catalan | entreteniment | ||
| In Catalan, the word "entreteniment" also means "diversion" or "amusement". | |||
| Croatian | zabava | ||
| The word "zabava" also means "fun", "play", or "joy" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | underholdning | ||
| The Danish word "underholdning" literally means "supporting from below" and can also refer to maintenance or sustenance. | |||
| Dutch | vermaak | ||
| Vermaak derives from 'maken', meaning 'to make' - thus 'entertainment' or 'something that has been made'. | |||
| English | entertainment | ||
| The word 'entertainment' first appeared in the 15th century and was used to describe a financial payment or allowance. | |||
| French | divertissement | ||
| French "divertissement" comes from "diverter" (to amuse) and was once used to refer to works that didn't fit the classical rules of comedy, tragedy, or opera. | |||
| Frisian | ferdivedaasje | ||
| The term 'ferdivedaasje' can also refer to entertainment that is less formal, such as playing games or watching television. | |||
| Galician | entretemento | ||
| The Spanish word "entretenimiento" comes from the verb "entretener", meaning "to occupy or amuse (someone)." | |||
| German | unterhaltung | ||
| In German, 'Unterhaltung' also means 'conversation' or 'dialogue'. | |||
| Icelandic | skemmtun | ||
| "Skemmtun" originally referred to a place where people gathered for storytelling and games. | |||
| Irish | siamsaíocht | ||
| The Irish word "siamsaíocht" derives from the Old Irish word "siams" meaning "social gathering or company", highlighting the communal aspect of entertainment. | |||
| Italian | divertimento | ||
| The Italian word "divertimento" originates from the Latin "divertere," meaning "to turn aside" or "to amuse oneself. | |||
| Luxembourgish | ënnerhalung | ||
| "Ënnerhalung" comes from the German word "Unterhaltung", which can also mean "conversation" or "discussion". | |||
| Maltese | divertiment | ||
| The Maltese word "divertiment" is derived from the Italian word "divertimento", which means "amusement" or "pastime". | |||
| Norwegian | underholdning | ||
| Underholdning comes from under + holde, meaning 'to hold or keep under', so it means to 'keep occupied or amused'. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | entretenimento | ||
| Entretenimento originated from Latin "intertĕnēre", "to hold between", meaning "to occupy (someone's time or attention)." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | fèisteas | ||
| The word fèisteas comes from the Scottish Gaelic word fèis, meaning 'feast,' and is often used to refer to festive gatherings or large celebrations such as the annual festivals held across Scotland. | |||
| Spanish | entretenimiento | ||
| Spanish "entretenimiento" comes from Latin "inter-" (between) and "tenere" (to hold), referring to holding time or attention. | |||
| Swedish | underhållning | ||
| The Swedish word 'underhållning' derives from 'underhålla' meaning 'to sustain', originally referring to providing material needs, but in the 17th century adopted the meaning 'to entertain'. | |||
| Welsh | adloniant | ||
| The word "adloniant" derives from the Latin word "adlinere". It originally meant "to smear" or "to daub", and only later came to mean "entertainment". | |||
Entertainment in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | забавы | ||
| The word "забавы" also means "amusements" or "diversions" in Russian. | |||
| Bosnian | zabava | ||
| The word "zabava" in Bosnian is derived from the Old Slavic word "zabaviti, | |||
| Bulgarian | развлечение | ||
| The word "развлечение" is derived from the Slavic root "влещи", meaning "to pull" or "to drag", and the prefix "раз-", indicating distribution or dispersion, suggesting that entertainment is something that pulls or distracts the mind from its primary focus. | |||
| Czech | zábava | ||
| The word "zábava" in Czech derives from the verb "bavit se", meaning "to amuse oneself". | |||
| Estonian | meelelahutus | ||
| The word "meelelahutus" literally means "mind relaxation" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | viihde | ||
| The suffix -de in "viihde" means "to cause" or "to induce," implying entertainment's role in creating or eliciting certain feelings, experiences, or sensations. | |||
| Hungarian | szórakozás | ||
| The word derives from "szó" (word), as it originally implied "wordplay". | |||
| Latvian | izklaide | ||
| In Latvian, "izklaide" originates from the verb "izklaidēt," meaning "to distract" or "to amuse." | |||
| Lithuanian | pramogos | ||
| The word "pramogos" is derived from the Proto-Baltic word "pramogā", meaning "pleasure" or "delight". | |||
| Macedonian | забава | ||
| The word 'забава' may also be understood as 'fun' or 'pastime'. | |||
| Polish | zabawa | ||
| "Zabawa" also means "play" in Polish, which is cognate with the English "play" and the German "spielen". | |||
| Romanian | divertisment | ||
| In Romanian, the word "divertisment" also means "diversion" or "amusement". | |||
| Russian | развлечения | ||
| The word "развлечения" also means "distractions" in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | забава | ||
| The word "Zábava" derives from the Proto-Slavic root "*za-baviti", meaning both "entertainment" and "delay". | |||
| Slovak | zábava | ||
| The word "zábava" in Slovak is etymologically related to the Slavic word "zabava", meaning "pastime" or "amusement". | |||
| Slovenian | zabava | ||
| The word 'zabava' in Slovenian also has the alternate meaning of 'wedding' or 'festival'. | |||
| Ukrainian | розваги | ||
| The Ukrainian word "розваги" (entertainment) derives from the verb "розважати" (to entertain) and has an alternate spelling form "розвага" (a single activity of entertainment). | |||
Entertainment in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিনোদন | ||
| The word "বিনোদন" in Bengali comes from the Sanskrit word "vinoda", which means "to take pleasure in" or "to enjoy oneself", and is also related to the word "বেদান্ত" (Vedanta), meaning "the end of knowledge". | |||
| Gujarati | મનોરંજન | ||
| Hindi | मनोरंजन | ||
| The word "मनोरंजन" comes from the Sanskrit root "ranj," meaning "to delight" or "to please." | |||
| Kannada | ಮನರಂಜನೆ | ||
| ಮನರಂಜನೆ is also used figuratively to refer to anything that amuses or interests someone. | |||
| Malayalam | വിനോദം | ||
| The word "വിനോദം" in Malayalam originates from the Sanskrit word "vinoda" meaning "delight" or "pleasure". | |||
| Marathi | करमणूक | ||
| "करमणूक" (entertainment) is also referred to as "मकरंद" in Marathi, which means "relish", "enjoyment", or "delight". | |||
| Nepali | मनोरञ्जन | ||
| The word मनोरञ्जन originates from the Sanskrit words 'मन', meaning 'mind', and 'रञ्जन', meaning 'to delight', thus referring to something that refreshes and engages the mind. | |||
| Punjabi | ਮਨੋਰੰਜਨ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | විනෝදාස්වාදය | ||
| Tamil | பொழுதுபோக்கு | ||
| Telugu | వినోదం | ||
| Urdu | تفریح | ||
| The word تفریح is derived from the Arabic root 'firaha' which means space and openness | |||
Entertainment in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 娱乐 | ||
| 娱乐的 etymology 起源於 “娱” 字，原意是 “逗弄、取乐”，後專指娛樂表演或休閒消遣活動。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 娛樂 | ||
| The Chinese character "娛" in "娛樂" was originally used to describe music and dance performed by female performers during banquets in ancient Chinese society. | |||
| Japanese | エンターテインメント | ||
| The word "エンターテインメント" can also mean "guest". | |||
| Korean | 환대 | ||
| The word "환대" in Korean can also refer to "hospitality" or "treatment". | |||
| Mongolian | үзвэр үйлчилгээ | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဖျော်ဖြေရေး | ||
Entertainment in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | hiburan | ||
| The word 'hiburan' is derived from the Arabic word 'habara', meaning 'to inform' or 'to make known'. | |||
| Javanese | hiburan | ||
| "Hiburan" is derived from the Old Javanese word "hibor", meaning "to relieve or console oneself". | |||
| Khmer | ការកំសាន្ត | ||
| Lao | ບັນເທີງ | ||
| The word ບັນເທີງ can also be loosely translated as "distraction" or "amusement", highlighting its role in providing enjoyment and relief from boredom. | |||
| Malay | hiburan | ||
| 'Hiburan' is also used to refer to religious celebrations like weddings and birth festivities in Malaysia. | |||
| Thai | ความบันเทิง | ||
| The word 'บันเทิง' can also mean 'entertainment', 'pleasure', or 'amusement'. | |||
| Vietnamese | sự giải trí | ||
| Derived from Old French word 'entretenir' which means 'to maintain' or 'to support' | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | aliwan | ||
Entertainment in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | əyləncə | ||
| The word "əyləncə" comes from the Persian word "aylanmaq", meaning "to turn". This is because entertainment often involves activities that keep us turning or occupied. | |||
| Kazakh | ойын-сауық | ||
| The Kazakh word “ойын-сауық” not only translates as “entertainment” but also has another meaning — “game,” emphasizing the playful and interactive nature of amusement. | |||
| Kyrgyz | көңүл ачуу | ||
| The literal meaning of "көңүл ачуу" is "giving heart", suggesting that entertainment is something that brings joy and lightens the heart. | |||
| Tajik | вақтхушӣ | ||
| In Persian, the word has the same meaning. However, the root word "vaqt" (time) has the sense of "at one’s disposal; suitable; fitting" in Sanskrit. | |||
| Turkmen | güýmenje | ||
| Uzbek | o'yin-kulgi | ||
| The word "o'yin-kulgi" is derived from the Turkic word "o'yin", meaning "play", and the Persian word "kulgī", meaning "laughter". | |||
| Uyghur | كۆڭۈل ئېچىش | ||
Entertainment in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻokipa | ||
| The verb form of hoʻokipa is hoʻokipa aku, which means to "provide hospitality to" and "to offer entertainment to." | |||
| Maori | whakangahau | ||
| In Maori, the term "whakangahau" refers not only to "entertainment" but also to the concept of "making lively" or "stirring up" emotions and thoughts. | |||
| Samoan | faʻafiafiaga | ||
| The word faʻafiafiaga is derived from the word fiafia, meaning "joy" or "happiness", and the suffix -aga, which indicates a state or condition. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | aliwan | ||
| Aliwan', 'leisure,' may derive from 'liwanag', 'light,' as in a light moment, though it has also been connected to 'alun-alon', 'to stroll' leisurely. | |||
Entertainment in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | anat'awi | ||
| Guarani | vy'arã | ||
Entertainment in International Languages
| Esperanto | distro | ||
| The word "distro" in Esperanto is also used as an abbreviation for "distribuaĵo", meaning "distribution" or "release" | |||
| Latin | entertainment | ||
| The Latin word "entertainment" (intertenere) literally means "to hold between" or "to keep busy." | |||
Entertainment in Others Languages
| Greek | ψυχαγωγία | ||
| Literally means 'leading of the soul', referring to Plato's theory that all men seek happiness and fulfillment. | |||
| Hmong | kev lom zem | ||
| The Hmong word "kev lom zem" also means "fun" or "amusement" and is related to the concept of "playing" or "having a good time". | |||
| Kurdish | axaftin | ||
| The word "axaftin" is derived from the Persian word "akhshīdan" meaning "to play, to entertain". It can also refer to a performance, a show, or a game. | |||
| Turkish | eğlence | ||
| Originally "eğlence" meant leisure time, a meaning that still exists but is archaic. | |||
| Xhosa | ukuzonwabisa | ||
| The Xhosa word 'ukuzonwabisa' derives from the root 'zonwaba', meaning 'to have fun' or 'to be happy'. | |||
| Yiddish | פאַרווייַלונג | ||
| Zulu | ukuzijabulisa | ||
| The word 'ukuzijabulisa' is derived from the Zulu word 'ijabulo', meaning 'joy' or 'happiness'. | |||
| Assamese | বিনোদন | ||
| Aymara | anat'awi | ||
| Bhojpuri | मनोरंजन | ||
| Dhivehi | މުނިފޫހިފިލުވުން | ||
| Dogri | मनोरंजन | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | aliwan | ||
| Guarani | vy'arã | ||
| Ilocano | lingay | ||
| Krio | ɛnjɔymɛnt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دڵخۆشکردن | ||
| Maithili | मनोरंजन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯔꯥꯎ ꯅꯨꯡꯉꯥꯏꯕꯒꯤ ꯄꯥꯝꯕꯩ | ||
| Mizo | intihhlimna | ||
| Oromo | bohaaruu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ମନୋରଞ୍ଜନ | ||
| Quechua | kusirikuy | ||
| Sanskrit | मनोरंजनं | ||
| Tatar | күңел ачу | ||
| Tigrinya | ምዝንጋዕ | ||
| Tsonga | vunyanyuri | ||