Music in Different Languages
Discover 'Music' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Music is a universal language that transcends borders and connects people from all walks of life. It has the power to evoke emotions, tell stories, and bring people together in a way that few other things can. From classical symphonies to modern pop hits, music is a fundamental aspect of human culture and expression.
Throughout history, music has played a significant role in shaping societies and influencing social movements. It has been used to express dissent, celebrate victories, and mourn losses. In many cultures, music is an integral part of religious ceremonies and cultural traditions.
Understanding the translation of music in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultural significance of this art form around the world. For example, in Spanish, music is translated as 'música,' while in French, it is 'musique.' In German, the word for music is 'Musik,' and in Mandarin, it is '音乐' (yīnyuè).
By exploring the translations of music in different languages, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the cultural importance of this art form and the ways in which it unites us as a global community.
Music
Music in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | musiek | ||
| "Musiek" in Afrikaans derives from the Dutch "muziek", ultimately from the ancient Greek "mousike", referring to the arts inspired by the Muses. | |||
| Amharic | ሙዚቃ | ||
| "ሙዚቃ" derives from the Greek word "μουσική", which also gave rise to the European terms "music" and "muse" | |||
| Hausa | kiɗa | ||
| "Kiɗa" is also an idiophone describing percussive musical instruments in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | egwu | ||
| In Igbo cosmology, "egwu" also denotes "play," suggesting the performative and participatory aspects of traditional Igbo music and dance. | |||
| Malagasy | mozika | ||
| The word "mozika" is derived from the Arabic word "musiqa", which itself is derived from the Greek word "mousike" meaning "art of the Muses". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | nyimbo | ||
| "Nyimbo" can also mean a poem or song of praise in Nyanja (Chichewa). | |||
| Shona | mumhanzi | ||
| The word "mumhanzi" comes from the Proto-Bantu root "-hanji" meaning "play" or "sing." | |||
| Somali | muusig | ||
| The Somali word "muusig" is derived from the Arabic word "musiqa," which means "the art of combining sounds in a pleasing way." | |||
| Sesotho | mmino | ||
| The Sesotho word "mmino" is also used to refer to traditional healing rituals. | |||
| Swahili | muziki | ||
| The Swahili word "muziki" originates from the Arabic word "musiqa," which in turn comes from the Greek word "mousikē," meaning "art of the Muses." | |||
| Xhosa | umculo | ||
| Yoruba | orin | ||
| Orin in Yoruba can refer to both music and praise songs specifically to deities or kings | |||
| Zulu | umculo | ||
| "Umculo" is derived from the Proto-Bantu word "*muloŋgo", meaning "song" or "dance". | |||
| Bambara | fɔli | ||
| Ewe | hadzidzi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umuziki | ||
| Lingala | miziki | ||
| Luganda | ennyimba | ||
| Sepedi | mmino | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nnwom | ||
Music in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | موسيقى | ||
| It is etymologically related to the Greek word "mousikē", which originally meant "the art of the Muses." | |||
| Hebrew | מוּסִיקָה | ||
| The Hebrew word "מוּסִיקָה" also means "discipline" or "science. | |||
| Pashto | سندره | ||
| The word "سندره" in Pashto also refers to a musical instrument known as a "tanbur". | |||
| Arabic | موسيقى | ||
| It is etymologically related to the Greek word "mousikē", which originally meant "the art of the Muses." | |||
Music in Western European Languages
| Albanian | muzika | ||
| The Albanian word 'muzika' is ultimately derived from the Greek 'μουσική' ('mousike'), which referred to all the arts under the patronage of the Muses. | |||
| Basque | musika | ||
| The Basque word 'musika' derives from the Greek 'mousike', meaning 'the art of the Muses' and encompasses literature, dance, and drama, not just music. | |||
| Catalan | música | ||
| The Catalan word "música" derives from either the Greek "mousike" or the Arabic "mūsiqī", both referring to the art of the Muses. | |||
| Croatian | glazba, muzika | ||
| While 'glazba' is Slavic in origin, 'muzika' is borrowed from Italian and ultimately from ancient Greek's 'mousike' (art of the Muses). | |||
| Danish | musik | ||
| The word "musik" in Danish can also refer to a collection of songs, or a particular style of music. | |||
| Dutch | muziek- | ||
| The Dutch word "muziek" is derived from the Greek word "mousike", which means "art of the Muses". | |||
| English | music | ||
| The word 'music' derives from the Greek word 'mousike' meaning 'art of the Muses' | |||
| French | la musique | ||
| "La musique" can refer to either a composition for voices or instruments or to musical art. | |||
| Frisian | muzyk | ||
| The Frisian word 'muzyk' derives from the ancient Greek 'μουσική', meaning 'the art of the Muses'. | |||
| Galician | música | ||
| The Galician word "música" is derived from the Latin word "musica", which means "art of the Muses". | |||
| German | musik- | ||
| The word "Musik-" (music) in German comes from the Latin word "musica," which in turn derives from the Greek word "mousikē," meaning "art of the Muses." | |||
| Icelandic | tónlist | ||
| The word "tónlist" derives from the Old Norse word "tónleikr," meaning "musical performance" or "art of music." | |||
| Irish | ceol | ||
| The word "ceol" in Irish has Celtic roots, and can also mean "soothing" or "healing". | |||
| Italian | musica | ||
| The Italian word "musica" originates from the Greek word "mousike," which encompasses all aspects of the arts and literature inspired by the Muses. | |||
| Luxembourgish | musek | ||
| The word "Musek" is derived from the Latin "musica", which means "the art of the Muses". Muses were goddesses who inspired artists and poets in Greek mythology. | |||
| Maltese | mużika | ||
| "Mużika" is related to the Arabic "mūsīqā" (meaning melody) and the Italian "musica". | |||
| Norwegian | musikk | ||
| Norwegian "musikk" is derived from Old French "musique" which in turn comes from ancient Greek "mousikē" | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | música | ||
| Scots Gaelic | ceòl | ||
| "Ceòl" also means "harmony" or "melody" in Scots Gaelic. | |||
| Spanish | música | ||
| The word "música" in Spanish has an etymological root in the Greek word "μουσική" (mousike), referring to the arts of the Muses. | |||
| Swedish | musik | ||
| The word "musik" in Swedish derives from the Greek word "mousike", meaning "art of the Muses", and encompasses poetry, dance, and drama in addition to music. | |||
| Welsh | cerddoriaeth | ||
| The Welsh word 'cerddoriaeth' originates from the root 'cerdd' meaning 'song' or 'poetry'. | |||
Music in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | музыка | ||
| Музыкой в Беларуси называется также группа музыкантов или хор. The word “music” can also mean a group of musicians or a choir in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | muzika | ||
| The word 'muzika' in Bosnian comes from the Arabic word 'mūsīqī', but is also commonly used as a slang for 'love'. | |||
| Bulgarian | музика | ||
| Музика (muzyka) в болгарском языке также используется в значении «удовольствие, наслаждение» | |||
| Czech | hudba | ||
| The Czech word "hudba" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *gǫd- ("sound, noise"), which is also the source of the word "hudební" ("musical") and the name of the Slavic deity Jarovít, who was associated with music. | |||
| Estonian | muusika | ||
| Muusika, music, is derived from the ancient Greek word 'mousike', meaning learning or scholarship. | |||
| Finnish | musiikkia | ||
| The word 'musiikkia' comes from the Greek word 'mousike', which originally meant 'art of the Muses'. | |||
| Hungarian | zene | ||
| From the Proto-Uralic word *śona "to sound, to ring, to play". | |||
| Latvian | mūzika | ||
| The word “mūzika” is derived from the Greek word “mousike”, which refers to the art of the Muses and encompasses music, poetry, and dance. | |||
| Lithuanian | muzika | ||
| Lithuanian "muzika" ultimately derives from the Greek "μουσική" and shares the meanings of both "music" and "art." | |||
| Macedonian | музика | ||
| Macedonian "музика" comes from the Greek "mousike", which encompasses all aspects of music including poetry, literature, and dance. | |||
| Polish | muzyka | ||
| The word "muzyka" in Polish comes from the Greek word "mousike", which originally referred to the art of the Muses and included other arts such as dance and poetry. | |||
| Romanian | muzică | ||
| The word "muzică" derives from the Greek "μουσική" (mousiké), meaning "art of the Muses." | |||
| Russian | музыка | ||
| In Turkic languages, 'Музыка' means 'song for the soul'. | |||
| Serbian | музика | ||
| The word "музика" (muzika) in Serbian is derived from the Greek word "μουσική" (mousike), which originally referred to the art of the Muses, the goddesses of music, poetry, and dance. | |||
| Slovak | hudba | ||
| Hudba means 'music' in Slovak, but it can also mean 'noise' or 'chaos'. | |||
| Slovenian | glasba | ||
| "Glasba" in Slovene is derived from an Old Slavic word meaning "sound," and in dialects can also refer to "noise" or "hubbub." | |||
| Ukrainian | музики | ||
| In Ukrainian, "музики" (muzyki) is not only used for music, but also for musicians, bands, and musical instruments. | |||
Music in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সংগীত | ||
| The word 'সংগীত' (music) is derived from the Sanskrit term 'sangita', meaning 'sung together' or 'harmonious melody'. | |||
| Gujarati | સંગીત | ||
| The word "સંગીત" is derived from the Sanskrit word "संगीत" (saṅgīta), which means "a union of sounds that is pleasing to the ear". | |||
| Hindi | संगीत | ||
| "संगीत" (sangīta) derives from "सम" (sama, 'together') and "गीत" (gīta, 'song'), implying a harmonious combination of melodies. | |||
| Kannada | ಸಂಗೀತ | ||
| The word 'ಸಂಗೀತ' derives from Sanskrit and literally means 'coming together of voices'. | |||
| Malayalam | സംഗീതം | ||
| The word "సంగీతం" is derived from the Sanskrit word "sangeeta" which means "to perform music" or "to create harmony". | |||
| Marathi | संगीत | ||
| The word "संगीत" (music) in Marathi is derived from two older Prakrit words, "संगीति" (union) and "त" (element) | |||
| Nepali | संगीत | ||
| "संगीत" शब्द संस्कृत के "संगम" शब्द से आया है जिसका अर्थ है "एक साथ" और "गीत" शब्द से आया है जिसका अर्थ है "गीत"। | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੰਗੀਤ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਸੰਗੀਤ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "संगीत" (saṃgīta), which means "sung together" or "melody". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සංගීත | ||
| සංගීත may also mean "a collection of songs, tunes, or compositions." | |||
| Tamil | இசை | ||
| The Tamil word 'இசை' is used in both a narrow sense, meaning music, and in a wider sense, encompassing melody and rhythm. | |||
| Telugu | సంగీతం | ||
| The word "సంగీతం" is derived from the Sanskrit word "సంగ" meaning "union" and "गीत" meaning "song", suggesting the harmonious combination of sounds. | |||
| Urdu | موسیقی | ||
| The Urdu word "موسیقی" is a loanword from the Greek "mousike", meaning "art of the muses". | |||
Music in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 音乐 | ||
| 音乐' can also refer to 'sound' or 'harmony', indicating a broader concept than just music. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 音樂 | ||
| The word “音樂” literally means ‘enjoying sounds’ and includes singing, playing, and writing music. | |||
| Japanese | 音楽 | ||
| The characters "音" and "楽" in "音楽" can also mean "sound" and "enjoyment" respectively. | |||
| Korean | 음악 | ||
| 음악 (eumak) comes from Chinese 飮樂, originally meaning 'enjoyable sounds' | |||
| Mongolian | хөгжим | ||
| The word "хөгжим" has the alternate meaning "tune". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဂီတ | ||
| ဂီတ is derived from the Sanskrit word 'गीत', which means 'song'. | |||
Music in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | musik | ||
| "Musik" in Indonesian comes from the Sanskrit word "musika", meaning "dance", "song", and "drama". | |||
| Javanese | musik | ||
| In Javanese, musik can also refer to the sound of nature or animal calls. | |||
| Khmer | តន្ត្រី | ||
| In ancient Sanskrit, the word "tantri" initially referred to the strings of a musical instrument | |||
| Lao | ເພງ | ||
| The Lao word "ເພງ" can also refer to a specific genre of Lao folk music. | |||
| Malay | muzik | ||
| The Malay word "muzik" is derived from the Arabic word "musique", which in turn is derived from the Greek word "mousike", meaning "art of the Muses". | |||
| Thai | เพลง | ||
| The word "เพลง" is also used to refer to "a group of people who play music together", and is related to the Khmer word "ភ្លេង" (pleng), which means "song". | |||
| Vietnamese | âm nhạc | ||
| "Âm nhạc" is a compound word consisting of the Sino-Vietnamese word "âm" (meaning "sound") and the native Vietnamese word "nhạc" (meaning "harmony"). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | musika | ||
Music in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | musiqi | ||
| 'Musiqi' derives from the Arabic word 'musiqa' and also refers to the muse of history, Clio. | |||
| Kazakh | музыка | ||
| В казахском языке слово «музыка» имеет древнее происхождение от тюркского корня «мус», означавшего «песня» и «звук». | |||
| Kyrgyz | музыка | ||
| In Kyrgyz, "музыка" (muzyka) has various meanings, including songs, melodies, and the study of musical theory and composition. | |||
| Tajik | мусиқӣ | ||
| The word "мусиқӣ" originated from the Arabic word "موسيقى" (mūsīqā), which refers to the art of combining sounds in a harmonious way. | |||
| Turkmen | aýdym-saz | ||
| Uzbek | musiqa | ||
| "Musiqa" derives from the Arabic "musiqa", but also shares a connection with "muz" meaning "ice", possibly due to the calming nature of the art. | |||
| Uyghur | مۇزىكا | ||
Music in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | mele | ||
| The Hawaiian word 'mele' is cognate with 'meri,' the Maori word for song or dance | |||
| Maori | puoro | ||
| The Maori word 'puoro' is thought to have evolved from the Proto-Polynesian word 'polu', meaning 'sound', 'noise', or 'rumble'. | |||
| Samoan | musika | ||
| The Samoan word "musika" refers to any type of sound, not just music. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | musika | ||
| In Tagalog, 'musika' not only means 'music,' but it also comes from the Spanish word for 'musical' or 'pertaining to music,' adding an extra layer to its significance. | |||
Music in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jaylliwi | ||
| Guarani | mba'epu | ||
Music in International Languages
| Esperanto | muziko | ||
| 'Muziko' may also refer to a musical score or the art of music. | |||
| Latin | musicorum | ||
| The Latin "musicorum" derives from the Muses, the Greek goddesses who personify the arts and sciences. | |||
Music in Others Languages
| Greek | μουσικη | ||
| The Greek word "ΜΟΥΣΙΚΗ" ('mousiki') derives from the name of the Muses, who were goddesses of art and inspiration. | |||
| Hmong | nkauj | ||
| The word "nkauj" can also mean "sing" or "play an instrument" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | mûzîk | ||
| The Kurdish word "mûzîk" derives from the Greek "mousike", meaning "art of the Muses". | |||
| Turkish | müzik | ||
| The word "müzik" entered Turkish from Arabic as "mûsiki" and refers to both "music" and "sound". | |||
| Xhosa | umculo | ||
| Yiddish | מוזיק | ||
| In Yiddish, "מוזיק" can also refer to a band or an orchestra. | |||
| Zulu | umculo | ||
| "Umculo" is derived from the Proto-Bantu word "*muloŋgo", meaning "song" or "dance". | |||
| Assamese | সংগীত | ||
| Aymara | jaylliwi | ||
| Bhojpuri | संगीत | ||
| Dhivehi | މިއުޒިކް | ||
| Dogri | संगीत | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | musika | ||
| Guarani | mba'epu | ||
| Ilocano | musika | ||
| Krio | myuzik | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | مووزیک | ||
| Maithili | संगीत | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯏꯁꯩ ꯅꯣꯡꯃꯥꯏ | ||
| Mizo | rimawi | ||
| Oromo | muuziqaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସଙ୍ଗୀତ | ||
| Quechua | taki | ||
| Sanskrit | संगीतं | ||
| Tatar | музыка | ||
| Tigrinya | ሙዚቃ | ||
| Tsonga | vuyimbeleri | ||