Updated on March 6, 2024
A musician is someone who plays a musical instrument or sings, often as a profession or for enjoyment. Musicians have been an integral part of human culture for thousands of years, providing entertainment, comfort, and inspiration through their art. From ancient bards who sang epic tales to modern-day pop stars, musicians have captured our hearts and minds with their melodies and rhythms.
The significance of musicians goes beyond mere entertainment. They have played a crucial role in shaping our cultural identity, preserving our history, and fostering social cohesion. Musicians have also been at the forefront of social and political movements, using their platform to advocate for change and challenge the status quo.
Given the global reach of music, it's no surprise that the word 'musician' has been translated into countless languages around the world. Whether you're a music lover traveling abroad or a language enthusiast exploring the world of music, knowing the translation of 'musician' in different languages can enrich your understanding and appreciation of this universal art form.
Here are some translations of the word 'musician' in various languages:
Afrikaans | musikant | ||
The word "musikant" in Afrikaans can also refer to a type of bird or a skilled performer. | |||
Amharic | ሙዚቀኛ | ||
The word ሙዚቀኛ is derived from the word ሙዚቃ, which means 'music', and the suffix -ኛ, which indicates a person who is associated with or skilled in something. | |||
Hausa | mawaƙi | ||
"Mawaƙi" is also the name of the first Hausa newspaper, established in 1926. | |||
Igbo | onyeegwu | ||
The word "onyeegwu" is also used to refer to a traditional healer or diviner in Igbo culture. | |||
Malagasy | mozika | ||
"Mozika" in Malagasy has Arabic origins, derived from the Arabic word "musiqa" or "musiqar," meaning "singer" or "composer of music". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | woyimba | ||
The word "woyimba" in Nyanja can also refer to a traditional healer or a sorcerer. | |||
Shona | muimbi | ||
The term 'muimbi' is said to have originated from the word 'kuimba', meaning 'to sing', as music has always been a core part of the Shona culture. | |||
Somali | muusikiiste | ||
Muusikiiste's root is 'muusika', which is borrowed from English and refers to the art of music. | |||
Sesotho | sebini | ||
"Sebini" is derived from the word "sebini" meaning a type of drum or musical instrument. | |||
Swahili | mwanamuziki | ||
"Mwanamauziki", originating from "mwana-wa-muziki" (child-of-music), also refers to singers in Swahili. | |||
Xhosa | imvumi | ||
The Xhosa word "imvumi" can also refer to a traditional praise singer who often accompanies musicians. | |||
Yoruba | olórin | ||
The Yoruba name Olórin translates to "owner of the melody" and is typically a moniker bestowed on accomplished vocalists. | |||
Zulu | umculi | ||
The word 'umculi' is derived from the verb '-cula' meaning 'to make a sound' and may have originally meant 'singer or diviner'. | |||
Bambara | fɔlikɛla | ||
Ewe | hadzila | ||
Kinyarwanda | umucuranzi | ||
Lingala | mosani ya miziki | ||
Luganda | omuyimbi | ||
Sepedi | seopedi sa mmino | ||
Twi (Akan) | nnwontofo | ||
Arabic | موسيقي او عازف | ||
Originally used to describe a singer or reciter of poetry | |||
Hebrew | מוּסִיקָאִי | ||
The Hebrew word "מוּסִיקָאִי" originally meant "skilled worker" or "craftsman" in Greek. | |||
Pashto | سندرغاړی | ||
The word "سندرغاړی" can also refer to a singer or a vocalist in Pashto. | |||
Arabic | موسيقي او عازف | ||
Originally used to describe a singer or reciter of poetry |
Albanian | muzikant | ||
The word "muzikant" comes from the Italian word "musicante" and originally meant a wandering musician who entertained people in the streets. | |||
Basque | musikaria | ||
"Musikaria" in Basque can also mean an object or a person that produces sound, music, or noise. | |||
Catalan | músic | ||
The word "músic" (Catalan for "musician") originates from the Greek "mousikos," meaning "of or pertaining to the Muses." | |||
Croatian | glazbenik | ||
The word "glazbenik" in Croatian can also mean "singer" or "composer". | |||
Danish | musiker | ||
The word 'musiker' is derived from the Greek word 'mousikos', meaning 'pertaining to the Muses' and originally referred to poets and philosophers as well as musicians. | |||
Dutch | musicus | ||
The Dutch word "muzikaal" (musical) comes from the Latin word "musicus", which also means "dedicated to the Muses". | |||
English | musician | ||
The term 'musician' derives from the Greek word 'mousikos,' meaning one skilled in or devoted to the Muses. | |||
French | musicien | ||
The word "musicien" comes from the Latin word "musicus", meaning "pertaining to the Muses". | |||
Frisian | muzikant | ||
The Frisian word "muzikant" is thought to derive from the Middle Dutch word "musicant", which in turn came from the Latin word "musicus" meaning "musical". | |||
Galician | músico | ||
The Galician word "músico" is derived from the Latin "mūsicus", which can also mean "singer" or "composer". | |||
German | musiker | ||
In German, 'Musiker' ('musician') can also refer to someone who plays several instruments or someone who composes music. | |||
Icelandic | tónlistarmaður | ||
The word 'tónlistarmaður' derives from the Icelandic words 'tónlist' (music) and 'maður' (man), and can also refer to a music composer or singer. | |||
Irish | ceoltóir | ||
The word "ceoltóir" in Irish is a loanword from the Old English "ceoldhor", meaning "cantor" or "singer." | |||
Italian | musicista | ||
The Italian word "musicista" is derived from the Latin word "musicus", which means "pertaining to the Muses". | |||
Luxembourgish | museker | ||
The word "Museker" is derived from the French word "musique" and also refers to a musical instrument. | |||
Maltese | mużiċist | ||
The word “mużiċist” is derived from the Italian word “musicista,” which in turn comes from the Latin word “mūsicus,” meaning “belonging to the Muses.” | |||
Norwegian | musiker | ||
Musiker is also a term for people playing drums, like those in marching bands. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | músico | ||
The word "músico" in Portuguese derives from the Greek "mousikos," meaning "pertaining to the Muses." | |||
Scots Gaelic | ceòladair | ||
The term "ceòladair" originally referred to the leader of a pipe band but has come to encompass all musicians. | |||
Spanish | músico | ||
The Spanish word "músico" derives from the Greek word "mousikos", which means "related to the Muses". | |||
Swedish | musiker | ||
The word "musiker" in Swedish can also refer to someone who creates music for use in video games, movies, or other media. | |||
Welsh | cerddor | ||
Cerddor, meaning "musician," comes from the Welsh word "cerdd" (music). |
Belarusian | музыкант | ||
Bosnian | muzičar | ||
The word 'muzičar' is derived from the Turkish word 'muzika', which comes from the Persian word 'mūsiqi' meaning 'music'. | |||
Bulgarian | музикант | ||
The word 'музикант' can also refer to a person who plays a musical instrument in a band or orchestra. | |||
Czech | hudebník | ||
The word "hudebník" is derived from the Old Czech word "hudba," which means "sound" or "noise." | |||
Estonian | muusik | ||
The word "muusik" comes from the Greek word "mousikos," which means "pertaining to the Muses". | |||
Finnish | muusikko | ||
The term 'muusikko' is also used in Finnish slang to refer to a skilled car driver. | |||
Hungarian | zenész | ||
The word "zenész" derives from the Persian word "zanesh" meaning "to strike, to play" and is related to the Sanskrit word "gāna" meaning "song". | |||
Latvian | mūziķis | ||
"Mūziķis" in Latvian likely derives from Ancient Greek "mousikos" meaning "of the Muses" and was loaned via French "musicus" or Polish "muzykus". | |||
Lithuanian | muzikantas | ||
The word "muzikantas" originates from the Greek word "mousikos", meaning "pertaining to the Muses" and "the arts." | |||
Macedonian | музичар | ||
The word "музичар" (musician) is derived from the Greek word "μουσικός" (mousikos), which originally referred to a person skilled in the arts of the Muses, particularly in music and poetry. | |||
Polish | muzyk | ||
The Polish word "muzyk" derives from the Greek word "μουσικός" meaning "pertaining to the Muses" | |||
Romanian | muzician | ||
In Romanian, "muzician" can also refer to someone who plays a musical instrument as a hobby, not necessarily professionally. | |||
Russian | музыкант | ||
In Russian, the word "музыкант" has roots in the Greek word "μουσικός" (mousikos), meaning "artistic," and its alternate meaning is "a person who composes music." | |||
Serbian | музичар | ||
The Serbian word "музичар" can also mean "composer". | |||
Slovak | hudobník | ||
The word "hudobník" can also refer to a musical instrument maker in Czech and Slovak. | |||
Slovenian | glasbenik | ||
The word "glasbenik" in Slovenian comes from the Slavic word "glasba" meaning "music," and the suffix "-nik" meaning "one who does something." | |||
Ukrainian | музикант | ||
The word "музикант" is derived from the Greek word "μουσικός" meaning "pertaining to the Muses". |
Bengali | সুরকার | ||
The word "সুরকার" (musician) comes from the Sanskrit word "sur" (tone) and "kar" (maker), meaning "one who makes music." | |||
Gujarati | સંગીતકાર | ||
The term 'સંગીતકાર' is derived from Sanskrit, where 'sangita' means 'music' and 'kara' means 'to do'. | |||
Hindi | संगीतकार | ||
Kannada | ಸಂಗೀತಗಾರ | ||
The word "ಸಂಗೀತಗಾರ" derives from the Sanskrit words " संगीत" (music) and "कार" (doer), meaning "one who performs music". | |||
Malayalam | സംഗീതജ്ഞൻ | ||
The word "സംഗീതജ്ഞൻ" in Malayalam has roots in Sanskrit, composed of "sangīta" (music) and "jña" (one who possesses knowledge or skill), denoting a musician or music expert. | |||
Marathi | संगीतकार | ||
The masculine form of the word 'musician' is 'संगीतज्ञ' and the feminine form is 'संगीतकारणी'. | |||
Nepali | संगीतकार | ||
In Sanskrit, “Sangita” consists of two words: “Sa” meaning “that” and “Gita” meaning “song” which refers to something which is the song or has a connection with the song. | |||
Punjabi | ਸੰਗੀਤਕਾਰ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සංගීත ian | ||
In Sinhala, the word "සංගීත ian" not only means "musician" but also refers to a "singer" or "music lover". | |||
Tamil | இசைக்கலைஞர் | ||
Telugu | సంగీతకారుడు | ||
The word "సంగీతకారుడు" (musician) is derived from the Sanskrit word "sangita", meaning "music", and the suffix "kāru", meaning "maker" or "doer." | |||
Urdu | موسیقار | ||
The Urdu word "موسیقار" (musician) derives from the Arabic word "موسيقى" (music) and ultimately from the Greek word "μουσική" (art of the Muses). |
Chinese (Simplified) | 音乐家 | ||
音乐家 can also refer to a person who makes musical instruments. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 音樂家 | ||
Musician (音樂家) can also mean 'music expert', 'music creator' or 'music enthusiast'. | |||
Japanese | 音楽家 | ||
音楽家 is a combination of 音楽 (music) and 家 (house), meaning someone who does music for a living. | |||
Korean | 음악가 | ||
The word "음악가" is derived from the Chinese characters "音樂家", which literally mean "music family member", suggesting that musicians were highly respected in ancient Korean society. | |||
Mongolian | хөгжимчин | ||
Хөгжимчин is also used to refer to someone who makes musical instruments | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ဂီတပညာရှင် | ||
Indonesian | pemusik | ||
The word "pemusik" originates from the Sanskrit word "vamshika," meaning "pipe," implying the use of wind instruments in ancient Indonesian music. | |||
Javanese | musisi | ||
Javanese word 'musisi' is derived from Sanskrit 'musici', meaning 'a dancer or a singer or a musician' | |||
Khmer | តន្ត្រីករ | ||
The word "តន្ត្រីករ" (musician) is derived from the Sanskrit word "tantu" (string) and the suffix "-kar" (maker), referring to the use of strings in traditional Cambodian musical instruments. | |||
Lao | ນັກດົນຕີ | ||
Malay | pemuzik | ||
The Malay word "pemuzik" is derived from the Sanskrit word "vādita" meaning "played instrument". It is also used to refer to a "singer" in Javanese. | |||
Thai | นักดนตรี | ||
The term "นักดนตรี" is a compound of the Pali word "nataka," meaning "play," and "duri," meaning "instrument." | |||
Vietnamese | nhạc sĩ | ||
In Vietnamese, the word “nhạc sĩ” can also mean “composer.” | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | musikero | ||
Azerbaijani | musiqiçi | ||
The word “musiqiçi” is derived from “musiqi”, which itself comes from the Arabic word for “music” or “song”. The term is also commonly used in the broader sense of “singer” or, in a historical context, “minstrel”. | |||
Kazakh | музыкант | ||
The word "музыкант" comes from the Greek "μουσική" (mousike), which means "art of the Muses" | |||
Kyrgyz | музыкант | ||
The word "музыкант" can also refer to a "singer" or a "composer" in Kyrgyz. | |||
Tajik | навозанда | ||
The word "навозанда" may also refer to a "singer" or a "composer" in Tajik. | |||
Turkmen | sazanda | ||
Uzbek | musiqachi | ||
The word is derived from the Persian word موسیقار (mūsīqār) meaning "musician". | |||
Uyghur | مۇزىكانت | ||
Hawaiian | mea hoʻokani pila | ||
"Mea hoʻokani pila" can also refer to musical instruments, particularly stringed instruments like guitars or ukuleles. | |||
Maori | kaiwaiata | ||
The word "kaiwaiata" originates from the word "waiata," which means "song" or "melody." | |||
Samoan | faimusika | ||
The word "faimusika" can also refer to a "master of ceremonies" in Samoan culture, indicating the wide range of roles musicians can play in Samoan society. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | musikero | ||
Aymara | musica tuqit yatxatt’atawa | ||
Guarani | músico | ||
Esperanto | muzikisto | ||
The Esperanto word “muzikisto” ultimately derives from the Greek term “mousikos,” which refers to all liberal arts—not just music. | |||
Latin | ille musicus | ||
Despite its literal translation as "he musician," the Latin term "ille musicus" could also carry the nuance of "that musician over there" or "the well-known musician." |
Greek | μουσικός | ||
The word "μουσικός" derives from the Greek word "μούσα" (muse), referring to the divine inspiration associated with music. | |||
Hmong | tshuab raj | ||
The Hmong word "tshuab raj" can also refer to a specific percussion instrument in the Hmong folk ensemble. | |||
Kurdish | mûsîqevan | ||
The word "mûsîqevan" is derived from the Persian word "môsīqīdān" which means "musician" or "singer". | |||
Turkish | müzisyen | ||
"Müzisyen" kelimesi Yunanca "mousa" (ilham perisi) ve "mousikē" (müzik ile ilgili) sözcüklerinden türemiştir. | |||
Xhosa | imvumi | ||
The Xhosa word "imvumi" can also refer to a traditional praise singer who often accompanies musicians. | |||
Yiddish | קלעזמער | ||
The Yiddish word "קלעזמער" derives from the Hebrew word "כלי זמר," meaning "musical instrument." | |||
Zulu | umculi | ||
The word 'umculi' is derived from the verb '-cula' meaning 'to make a sound' and may have originally meant 'singer or diviner'. | |||
Assamese | সংগীতজ্ঞ | ||
Aymara | musica tuqit yatxatt’atawa | ||
Bhojpuri | संगीतकार के नाम से जानल जाला | ||
Dhivehi | މިއުޒީޝަން އެވެ | ||
Dogri | संगीतकार | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | musikero | ||
Guarani | músico | ||
Ilocano | musikero | ||
Krio | myusishan | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | مۆسیقاژەن | ||
Maithili | संगीतकार | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃ꯭ꯌꯨꯖꯤꯁꯤꯌꯥꯟ ꯑꯣꯏꯅꯥ ꯊꯕꯛ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo | musician a ni | ||
Oromo | muuziqeessaa | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ସଂଗୀତଜ୍ଞ | ||
Quechua | musiku | ||
Sanskrit | संगीतकारः | ||
Tatar | музыкант | ||
Tigrinya | ሙዚቀኛ | ||
Tsonga | muyimbeleri wa vuyimbeleri | ||