Illustrate in Different Languages
Discover 'Illustrate' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'illustrate' holds a significant and culturally important place in our lives, as it allows us to visually represent concepts, ideas, and stories. To 'illustrate' is to shed light on the unknown, to clarify and explain through the use of images, diagrams, or other visual aids. This simple act has shaped human history, from ancient cave paintings to modern-day infographics.
Delving into the historical context of 'illustrate', we find that the word has its roots in the Latin 'illustrare', meaning 'to light up' or 'to make bright'. This etymology highlights the word's power to reveal and enlighten, making complex information more accessible and engaging.
As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, understanding the word 'illustrate' in different languages can help break down barriers and foster global communication. Here are a few sample translations to pique your curiosity:
- French: illustrer
- Spanish: ilustrar
- German: illustrieren
- Mandarin: 说明 (shuō míng)
- Japanese: 示唆 (jishaku)
- Russian: иллюстрировать (illjustrirovat')
Stay tuned for a comprehensive list of 'illustrate' translations in various languages, showcasing the word's global significance and the rich cultural contexts in which it exists.
Illustrate
Illustrate in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | illustreer | ||
| The word "illustreer" in Afrikaans comes from the Latin word "illustrare", meaning "to light up" or "to brighten". | |||
| Amharic | በምሳሌ አስረዳ | ||
| The word "በምሳሌ አስረዳ" (illustrate) can also mean "to explain with an example" or "to make something clear by using an example." | |||
| Hausa | kwatanta | ||
| Also means 'describe' or 'explain' or 'give examples'. | |||
| Igbo | maa atụ | ||
| "Maa atụ" is the Igbo verb for 'illustrate', but is also an imperative form of the verb 'to die' used for wishing someone dead. | |||
| Malagasy | ohatra | ||
| "Ohatra" in Malagasy has been borrowed from Arabic and can also mean "sign" or "miracle" | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | fanizani | ||
| "Fanizani" can also mean "explain" or "clarify". | |||
| Shona | enzanisira | ||
| The word "enzanisira" in Shona is derived from the root word "zanzi", meaning "to see" or "to behold", and the prefix "e-", which denotes the causative form, hence "to cause to see" | |||
| Somali | tusaalayn | ||
| The word "tusaalayn" has multiple meanings in Somali, including "to illustrate", "to exemplify", and "to demonstrate". | |||
| Sesotho | etsa papiso | ||
| The word "etsa papiso" derives from "etsa" (to draw) and "papiso" (picture). In some contexts, it can also mean "to describe vividly." | |||
| Swahili | onyesha | ||
| The Swahili word "onyesha" derives from the Arabic word "an-nuzūh", meaning "to exhibit" or "to display", reflecting the concept of showing something clearly. | |||
| Xhosa | umzekelo | ||
| The word "umzekelo" can also mean "an example" or "a model" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | ṣàkàwé | ||
| The word ṣàkàwé is also used to describe the act of putting something in order or making it tidy or attractive | |||
| Zulu | bonisa | ||
| The word 'bonisa' comes from the French 'bonis', meaning 'extra' or 'bonus', and the Latin 'bonus', meaning 'good'. | |||
| Bambara | misali jira | ||
| Ewe | wɔ kpɔɖeŋu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | vuga | ||
| Lingala | lakisá ndakisa | ||
| Luganda | laga ekyokulabirako | ||
| Sepedi | swantšha | ||
| Twi (Akan) | yɛ mfatoho | ||
Illustrate in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | توضيح | ||
| The word "توضيح" also has the meaning "explanation" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | להמחיש | ||
| The verb להמחיש is derived from the word "מחש", which means "thought". | |||
| Pashto | روښانه کړئ | ||
| The Persian word “روښانه کړئ” is derived from “روشن”, meaning ‘light’ or ‘bright’, and the suffix “انه”, which indicates an action or process. In Pashto, the word “روښانه کړئ” is often used to refer to the act of clarifying or explaining something, making it ‘light’ or ‘bright’ in terms of understanding. | |||
| Arabic | توضيح | ||
| The word "توضيح" also has the meaning "explanation" in Arabic. | |||
Illustrate in Western European Languages
| Albanian | ilustroj | ||
| In Albanian, "ilustroj" can also mean "enlighten" or "make clear". The word is derived from the Latin "illustro," meaning "to illuminate" or "make bright." | |||
| Basque | ilustratu | ||
| The word "ilustratu" can also refer to the process of giving light or color to something. | |||
| Catalan | il·lustrar | ||
| The Catalan word "il·lustrar" is derived from the Latin word "illuminare", which means "to light up", "to make clear", or "to make known". | |||
| Croatian | ilustrirati | ||
| The verb "ilustrirati" also means "to explain something thoroughly", which comes from the Latin word "illustrare" meaning "to light up" or "to make clear". | |||
| Danish | illustrere | ||
| "Illustrere" in Danish can mean "show" or make known or "to prove". | |||
| Dutch | illustreren | ||
| The Dutch word "illustreren" also means "to enlighten" or "to explain". | |||
| English | illustrate | ||
| The word "illustrate" derives from Latin "illustrare" meaning "to lighten" or "to illuminate," implying the act of shedding light on a subject. | |||
| French | illustrer | ||
| In Old French, "illustrer" meant to illuminate manuscripts, from the Latin word "illustrare," meaning "to bring to light. | |||
| Frisian | yllustrearje | ||
| The Frisian word "yllustrearje" comes from the Latin word "illustrare", meaning "to light up" or "to make bright". | |||
| Galician | ilustrar | ||
| German | veranschaulichen | ||
| "Veranschaulichen" derives from "anschaulich" (visually perceivable; illustrative) and "ver-" (prefix indicating completion or intensification). Hence, it implies making something as visually perceivable as possible. | |||
| Icelandic | myndskreytir | ||
| It derives from the Old Norse word myndskrift, which meant "a drawing, a depiction". | |||
| Irish | léiriú | ||
| The word 'léiriú' in Irish not only means 'illustrate', but also 'show', 'explain', and 'interpret'. | |||
| Italian | illustrare | ||
| The Latin root of Italian "illustrare" also means to "enlighten" or "make clear" | |||
| Luxembourgish | illustréieren | ||
| Maltese | juru | ||
| "Juru" may derive from Old French "jorer" meaning "to play". In Maltese it also means "to swear". | |||
| Norwegian | illustrere | ||
| Norwegian "illustrere" can mean to "illustrate" but it can also mean to "enlighten" or "explain". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ilustrar | ||
| The verb "ilustrar" in Portuguese can also mean "to enlighten" or "to explain". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dealbh | ||
| The Gaelic word "dealbh" can also mean "image" or "likeness". | |||
| Spanish | ilustrar | ||
| The word "ilustrar" comes from the Latin word "illustrare," which means "to light up," "to make clear," or "to adorn." | |||
| Swedish | illustrera | ||
| In Swedish, 'illustrera' also means to enlighten or make clear. | |||
| Welsh | darlunio | ||
| Darlunio (illustrate) shares a root with 'darlun' (picture) and may derive from 'dor-luniaw' (to bring before one's face). | |||
Illustrate in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | праілюстраваць | ||
| The word "праілюстраваць" comes from the Latin word "illustro," which means "to light up" or "to make clear. | |||
| Bosnian | ilustrirati | ||
| The word "ilustrirati" in Serbian and Bosnian can also mean "to enlighten" or "to explain". | |||
| Bulgarian | илюстрирам | ||
| The word "илюстрирам" means "to illustrate" in Bulgarian, but it also means "to enlighten" or "to clarify". | |||
| Czech | ilustrovat | ||
| The Czech word "ilustrovat" comes from the Latin word "ilustrare," meaning "to brighten" or "to make clear." | |||
| Estonian | illustreerida | ||
| The Estonian word "illustreerida" (illustrate) originates from Latin "illustris" (famous), which also relates semantically to "illustre" (distinguished) in French and "illustrious" (renowned) in English | |||
| Finnish | havainnollistaa | ||
| The word 'havainnollistaa' is derived from the nouns 'havainto' (observation) and 'nollista' (to zero), and it originally meant 'to reduce to observation'. | |||
| Hungarian | szemléltet | ||
| A szemléltet szó eredetéről nincs biztos tudás, de lehetséges, hogy a „szem” és „lát” szavakból származik, utalva az illusztrációk szemléltető jellegére. | |||
| Latvian | ilustrēt | ||
| In German, "Illustration" can refer to either "example" or "picture." | |||
| Lithuanian | iliustruoti | ||
| The word "iliustruoti" is derived from the Latin word "illuminare", meaning "to light up" or "to brighten". | |||
| Macedonian | илустрира | ||
| The word "илустрира" ultimately derives from the Latin word "illustro", meaning "to brighten" or "to make clear" | |||
| Polish | zilustrować | ||
| The word "zilustrować" comes from the Latin word "illustrare" meaning "to light up", "to make clear". | |||
| Romanian | ilustra | ||
| The Romanian word "ilustra" is derived from the Latin verb "illustrare," meaning "to illuminate" or "to shed light upon."} | |||
| Russian | иллюстрировать | ||
| The verb 'illustrate' comes from the Latin word 'illustro,' meaning 'to make bright' or 'to clarify,' and is related to the word 'lustrate,' meaning 'to purify.' | |||
| Serbian | илустровати | ||
| The French word "illustrer", the ancestor of "ilustrovati," means "to light up". | |||
| Slovak | ilustrovať | ||
| The Slovak word "ilustrovať" has its roots in the Latin word "illustration" and also means "to demonstrate". | |||
| Slovenian | ponazoriti | ||
| The word 'ponazoriti' can also mean 'to demonstrate' or 'to represent'. | |||
| Ukrainian | проілюструємо | ||
| "Проілюструємо" is derived from "ілюстрація" which comes from Latin "illustration" that means "to brighten or illuminate". | |||
Illustrate in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | চিত্রিত করা | ||
| The word "চিত্রিত করা" (illustrate) also means "to paint" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | સમજાવે છે | ||
| The Gujarati word "સમજાવે છે" is a verb that means "to illustrate", "to explain", or "to demonstrate" | |||
| Hindi | उदाहरण देकर स्पष्ट करना | ||
| The Hindi word "उदाहरण देकर स्पष्ट करना" (illustrate) derives from the Sanskrit root "दृश" meaning "to show". | |||
| Kannada | ವಿವರಿಸಿ | ||
| The word "ವಿವರಿಸಿ" also means "to describe", "to make clear or understandable", or "to give an example of something" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | ചിത്രീകരിക്കുക | ||
| Marathi | स्पष्ट करा | ||
| The word "स्पष्ट करा" can also mean "to make clear" or "to explain" in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | उदाहरण दिनुहोस् | ||
| The word "उदाहरण दिनुहोस्" is derived from the Sanskrit word "उदाहरणं", meaning "an example". | |||
| Punjabi | ਮਿਸਾਲ | ||
| The closest word is “example,” the Urdu equivalent to ਮਿਸਾਲ and its meaning in English is “An occurrence of something.” | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නිදර්ශනය කරන්න | ||
| The term "නිදර්ශනය කරන්න" not only means "illustrate," but also "demonstrate" and "prove," which all imply visually explaining a concept or idea. | |||
| Tamil | விளக்கு | ||
| Telugu | వర్ణించేందుకు | ||
| Urdu | واضح کریں | ||
| The word "واضح کریں" can also mean "to clarify", "to explain", or "to make clear" | |||
Illustrate in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 说明 | ||
| The word "说明" (shuōmíng) also means "to clarify" or "to explicate". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 說明 | ||
| 說明 (说明) is also a technical term in logic and mathematics, meaning 'to prove or demonstrate' | |||
| Japanese | イラスト | ||
| イラスト refers to an image in a book or magazine that illustrates the text, and is the shortened form of イラストレイション (Illustration). | |||
| Korean | 설명하다 | ||
| 설명하다 comes from the Chinese word 說明, which means to state clearly or explain | |||
| Mongolian | харуулах | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သရုပ်ဖော်ပါ | ||
Illustrate in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | menjelaskan | ||
| The word "menjelaskan" in Indonesian also means "to clarify" or "to explain". | |||
| Javanese | nggambarake | ||
| The word "nggambarake" in Javanese also means "to draw" or "to represent" something. | |||
| Khmer | ឧទាហរណ៍ | ||
| "ឧទាហរណ៍" is derived from Pali and Sanskrit, where it means "example, illustration, or instance." | |||
| Lao | ສະແດງຕົວຢ່າງ | ||
| Malay | memberi gambaran | ||
| In the context of painting or art, "memberi gambaran" can also mean "depict" or "represent". | |||
| Thai | แสดงให้เห็น | ||
| The word "แสดงให้เห็น" can also mean "to exhibit" or "to demonstrate" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | minh họa | ||
| "Minh họa" literally translates as "brightly drawing", referring to the use of light and color in illustrations. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ilarawan | ||
Illustrate in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | göstərmək | ||
| The word "göstərmək" in Azerbaijani also means "to show". | |||
| Kazakh | бейнелеу | ||
| "Бейнелеу" derives from "бейне" (image) and the suffix "-леу" (maker), thus meaning "to make an image". | |||
| Kyrgyz | иллюстрациялоо | ||
| The Kyrgyz word for "illustrate" can also mean "a book", "a letter". | |||
| Tajik | тасвир кардан | ||
| The word “тасвир кардан” in Tajik also means "to describe". | |||
| Turkmen | suratlandyryň | ||
| Uzbek | tasvirlash | ||
| The word "tasvirlash" can also mean "to describe" or "to depict" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | مىسال | ||
Illustrate in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kahakiʻi | ||
| 'Kahakiʻi' also means 'to write', 'to delineate', or 'to mark out'. | |||
| Maori | faahoho'a | ||
| The word "faahoho'a" in Maori can also mean "to make known" or "to explain". | |||
| Samoan | faʻataʻitaʻi | ||
| The word "faʻataʻitaʻi" in Samoan also means "to imitate" or "to resemble" something. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | ilarawan | ||
| "Ilarawan" (to illustrate) comes from the Spanish "ilustrar" (to enlighten, to illustrate), not "ilustrar" (to draw). | |||
Illustrate in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | uñacht’ayaña | ||
| Guarani | ehechauka peteĩ ehémplo | ||
Illustrate in International Languages
| Esperanto | ilustri | ||
| "Ilustri" is also the Esperanto word for "illustrious", deriving from the Latin "illustris" meaning "well-lighted", "shining", or "eminent". | |||
| Latin | illustratum | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "to light up" or "to explain", "illustratum" can also mean "to paint" or "to adorn" in Latin. | |||
Illustrate in Others Languages
| Greek | εικονογραφώ | ||
| The word "εικονογραφώ" comes from the Greek words "εικών" (image) and "γράφω" (write), and also means "to depict" or "to represent visually". | |||
| Hmong | ua piv txwv | ||
| The Hmong word "ua piv txwv" originally meant "to draw out a line". | |||
| Kurdish | illustrate | ||
| In Kurdish, "illustrate" translates to "nîşandarîn", which also means "to memorialize" or "to leave a mark on." | |||
| Turkish | gözünde canlandırmak | ||
| In Turkish, "gözünde canlandırmak" literally means "to make it come alive in one's eyes". | |||
| Xhosa | umzekelo | ||
| The word "umzekelo" can also mean "an example" or "a model" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | אילוסטרירן | ||
| "אילוסטרירן" can also mean "to enlighten," from the Latin "illustrare" to make light." | |||
| Zulu | bonisa | ||
| The word 'bonisa' comes from the French 'bonis', meaning 'extra' or 'bonus', and the Latin 'bonus', meaning 'good'. | |||
| Assamese | চিত্ৰিত কৰক | ||
| Aymara | uñacht’ayaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | चित्रण करे के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | މިސާލު ދައްކާށެވެ | ||
| Dogri | उदाहरण देना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ilarawan | ||
| Guarani | ehechauka peteĩ ehémplo | ||
| Ilocano | iladawan | ||
| Krio | ɛksplen wan ɛgzampul | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | وێنا بکە | ||
| Maithili | चित्रण करब | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯏꯂꯁ꯭ꯠꯔꯦꯁꯟ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | entir rawh | ||
| Oromo | fakkeenyaan ni ibsu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବର୍ଣ୍ଣନା କର | ||
| Quechua | ejemplowan qawachiy | ||
| Sanskrit | दृष्टान्तरूपेण दर्शयतु | ||
| Tatar | иллюстрация | ||
| Tigrinya | ብኣብነት ኣርእዮም | ||
| Tsonga | kombisa xikombiso | ||