Painter in Different Languages
Discover 'Painter' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
A painter is an artist who uses paint and other materials to create art on a canvas or other surface. The significance of painters lies in their ability to capture the world around us, express emotions, and tell stories through their work. Throughout history, painters have played a crucial role in shaping our cultural identity, from the ancient cave paintings of Lascaux to the modern masterpieces of Picasso and Warhol.
Understanding the translation of the word 'painter' in different languages can open up a world of cultural exploration and appreciation. For example, in Spanish, a painter is called 'un pintor,' while in French, they are known as 'un peintre.' In German, the word is 'ein Maler,' and in Japanese, it is '画家 (gaka).'
Not only is learning the translation of 'painter' in different languages fascinating, but it can also be practical for travelers, language learners, and art enthusiasts alike. By knowing the word for 'painter' in various languages, you can better connect with local artists, navigate museums and galleries, and gain a deeper appreciation for the cultural significance of painting around the world.
Painter
Painter in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | skilder | ||
| The word "skilder" in Afrikaans originates from the Middle Dutch word "scildere", meaning "one who protects with a shield". | |||
| Amharic | ሠዓሊ | ||
| "ሠዓሊ" (painter) is derived from the root "ሠአለ" (to draw). | |||
| Hausa | mai zane | ||
| In Hausa, the word "mai zane" can also refer to a weaver, decorator, or artist specializing in intricate designs. | |||
| Igbo | onye na-ese ihe | ||
| In Igbo, the word "onye na-ese ihe" literally translates to "one who draws things," highlighting the artistic aspect of painting. | |||
| Malagasy | mpanao hosodoko | ||
| The term "mpanao hosodoko" can also refer to a person who does any type of manual work | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wojambula | ||
| Wojambula comes from the word "jambula," which means "to paint" or "to draw." | |||
| Shona | mupendi | ||
| Mupendi can also mean "one who is loved". | |||
| Somali | ranjiye | ||
| The word "ranjiye" has an alternate meaning "to dye". In Swahili, this is "rangi." | |||
| Sesotho | motaki | ||
| The word "motaki" can also mean "artist" or "drawer" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | mchoraji | ||
| Mchoraji is also the root of the word 'michoro', meaning 'drawings' | |||
| Xhosa | opeyintayo | ||
| The word “opeyintayo” has a different connotation of “an imitator”, not only an artist, painter, or designer. | |||
| Yoruba | oluyaworan | ||
| "Oluyaworan" is a Yoruba word that can also mean "one who carries the paint of the gods" or "the one who decorates the body of the gods". | |||
| Zulu | umdwebi | ||
| Despite its English equivalent, "umdwebi" also means "potter" in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | jagokɛla | ||
| Ewe | nutala | ||
| Kinyarwanda | amarangi | ||
| Lingala | mosali ya mayemi | ||
| Luganda | omusiizi w’ebifaananyi | ||
| Sepedi | motaki wa motaki | ||
| Twi (Akan) | mfoniniyɛfo | ||
Painter in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | دهان | ||
| The word "دهان" in Arabic, besides meaning "painter," also refers to the mouth or the entrance to a cave. | |||
| Hebrew | צייר | ||
| The word "צייר" also means "to delineate" or "to draw." | |||
| Pashto | انځورګر | ||
| The Pashto word "انځورګر" also refers to a "sculptor" or "engraver" who creates two or three-dimensional images. | |||
| Arabic | دهان | ||
| The word "دهان" in Arabic, besides meaning "painter," also refers to the mouth or the entrance to a cave. | |||
Painter in Western European Languages
| Albanian | piktor | ||
| The Albanian word "piktor" ultimately derives from the Latin "pictor", meaning "painter", but also has the archaic meaning of "sculptor". | |||
| Basque | margolaria | ||
| "margolaria" is derived from the Proto-Basque word "*margola-*" meaning "paint, color, or mark". | |||
| Catalan | pintor | ||
| The Catalan "pintor" can also refer to a "chick"} | |||
| Croatian | slikar | ||
| The word "slikar" in Croatian originally derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*slik" meaning "to draw", but can also refer to a craftsman who paints or decorates objects. | |||
| Danish | maler | ||
| In Danish, "maler" can also mean someone who makes or repairs sails. | |||
| Dutch | schilder | ||
| The word "schilder" in Dutch can also refer to a "shield" or a "signboard". | |||
| English | painter | ||
| The word "painter" is ultimately derived from the Latin word "panis," meaning "bread," likely due to the use of bread as a canvas for early paintings in the Middle Ages. | |||
| French | peintre | ||
| The word “peintre” can also refer to a playing card in French and originates from the Latin *pingere*, ‘to paint’. | |||
| Frisian | skilder | ||
| The word "skilder" in Frisian can also refer to a writer, engraver, or sculptor. | |||
| Galician | pintor | ||
| The word “pintor” in Galician is the equivalent of the Spanish “pintor,” but it also refers to a "person who applies paint as a trade, without necessarily being an artist." | |||
| German | maler | ||
| In German, the word "Maler" can also refer to a female painter, known as a "Malerin" | |||
| Icelandic | málari | ||
| The Icelandic word "málari" is also used to refer to artists in general, including musicians and writers. | |||
| Irish | péintéir | ||
| In its original meaning, the word 'péintéir' referred to a person who coloured manuscripts or other such works. | |||
| Italian | pittore | ||
| In Italian, 'pittore' is also used to describe an artist's 'studio' or 'workroom' or even a 'small studio'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | moler | ||
| The word "Moler" in Luxembourgish is derived from the Latin word "molere", meaning "to grind", and also refers to a person who grinds grain or a millstone. | |||
| Maltese | pittur | ||
| The word "pittur" also means "a portrait" in Maltese. | |||
| Norwegian | maler | ||
| The Norwegian word "maler" is derived from the Old Norse word "máli", meaning "picture" or "painting". It also shares a root with the words "maleri" (painting), "maling" (paint), and "male" (to paint). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | pintor | ||
| In Portuguese, "pintor" can also refer to someone who plays the tambourine. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | peantair | ||
| In Scottish Gaelic, 'peantair' is derived from the Old Irish 'peantar', meaning 'writer', and is related to the Latin 'pictus' ('painted'). | |||
| Spanish | pintor | ||
| The word "pintor" in Spanish also means "chicken's croup".} | |||
| Swedish | målare | ||
| The word "målare" in Swedish not only means "painter" but also "landscaper", or someone who paints buildings or decorates porcelain. | |||
| Welsh | paentiwr | ||
| The word "paentiwr" can also refer to someone who paints or decorates objects other than buildings. | |||
Painter in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | жывапісец | ||
| The word "жывапісец" is cognate with the Russian word "живописец", both derived from the Old Slavonic word "живописъ", which means "life-writing" or "icon painting." | |||
| Bosnian | slikar | ||
| The word "slikar" can also mean "artist" in Bosnian, as in the phrase "slikar umetnosti" (artist of art). | |||
| Bulgarian | художник | ||
| The word "художник" also means "artist" or "creator" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | malíř | ||
| The Czech word "malíř" also means "artist" or "creator" in a broader sense. | |||
| Estonian | maalikunstnik | ||
| "Maalikunstnik" is also the name of a species of beetle in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | taidemaalari | ||
| The word "taidemaalari" is a compound word made up of "taide" (art) and "maalari" (painter), and it specifically refers to a painter who creates visual artworks. | |||
| Hungarian | festő | ||
| The Hungarian word festő is etymologically related to festék and fest, both derived from the Indo-European root *peis- meaning paint. | |||
| Latvian | gleznotājs | ||
| Gleznotājs comes from the word glezna, which means "paint" in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | dailininkas | ||
| The Lithuanian word "dailininkas" is a compound of the words "dailus" (meaning "beautiful") and "kūnas" (meaning "body"), and hence literally means "one who beautifies the body." | |||
| Macedonian | сликар | ||
| The term "сликар" in Macedonian can also refer to an icon or fresco painter specializing in religious art, particularly within Orthodox Christian tradition. | |||
| Polish | malarz | ||
| Malarz is also a colloquial name for a skilled craftsman, in the sense of a person who creates something by hand and with a tool. | |||
| Romanian | pictor | ||
| The Romanian word "pictor" derives from the Latin "pingere," meaning "to paint," and can also refer to a "portraitist" or "artist." | |||
| Russian | художник | ||
| The word "художник" comes from старославянский and also means "sorcerer" or "magician" | |||
| Serbian | сликар | ||
| The Serbian word "сликар" (painter) derives from the Proto-Slavic word *sъlika, meaning "image" or "picture". | |||
| Slovak | maliar | ||
| In Slovak, the word "maliar" can also refer to a woman, while "maliarka" refers to a female painter. | |||
| Slovenian | slikar | ||
| The word "slikar" (painter) in Slovene also has the alternate meaning of "artist who works in oil paints". | |||
| Ukrainian | живописець | ||
| "Живописець" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic "живъ" (alive) and "писати" (to write), and originally referred to any artist, not just painters. | |||
Painter in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | চিত্রশিল্পী | ||
| The term "চিত্রশিল্পী" can also refer to a photographer in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | ચિત્રકાર | ||
| Hindi | चित्रकार | ||
| The word "चित्रकार" is also used in a broader sense to mean "artist" and is not restricted to painters | |||
| Kannada | ವರ್ಣಚಿತ್ರಕಾರ | ||
| The word "ವರ್ಣಚಿತ್ರಕಾರ" is derived from the words "ವರ್ಣ" (color) and "ಚಿತ್ರ" (picture), and can also refer to a 'colorist' or someone who specializes in using colors. | |||
| Malayalam | ചിത്രകാരൻ | ||
| The word "ചിത്രകാരൻ" (chithrakaran) in Malayalam may also refer to a puppeteer or a photographer. | |||
| Marathi | चित्रकार | ||
| The word 'चित्रकार' also means 'one who makes pictures or images', or an 'artist'. | |||
| Nepali | चित्रकार | ||
| The word "चित्रकार" is derived from the Sanskrit word "चित्र" meaning "painting" and "कार" meaning "maker" or "doer". | |||
| Punjabi | ਪੇਂਟਰ | ||
| The word "ਪੇਂਟਰ" can also refer to a person who applies decorative coatings to buildings or other structures. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | චිත්ර ශිල්පියා | ||
| Tamil | ஓவியர் | ||
| "ஓவியர்" also means "one who draws" in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | చిత్రకారుడు | ||
| Urdu | پینٹر | ||
| The word "painter" comes from the Latin word "pictor," meaning "one who paints".} | |||
Painter in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 画家 | ||
| The character '画' in '画家' can also refer to 'to draw', 'a picture', or 'painting'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 畫家 | ||
| 畫家 (painter) is derived from 畫 (painting) with the addition of 家 (master) as a suffix, hence its meaning as a master of painting. | |||
| Japanese | 画家 | ||
| "画家" means "painter" and derives from "画" meaning "drawing" and "家" meaning "person". "家" can also mean "person" in general, as in "大家" meaning "great person" or "一家" meaning "family". In this case, it is used to refer to a person who professionally paints. | |||
| Korean | 화가 | ||
| The word "화가" can also refer to a "disaster". This is because a disaster can "burn" or "cause trouble", like a fire. | |||
| Mongolian | зураач | ||
| In the Khitan language of the Liao dynasty (907–1125 CE), "зураач" meant "to draw" and was used to refer to calligraphers, draughtsmen and painters, all of whom were considered to have the same basic skill. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပန်းချီဆရာ | ||
| In some contexts, can also mean a "draftsman" or "artist". Related to the Pali word "pannakaari". | |||
Painter in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | pelukis | ||
| "Pelukis" also means "drawer" in Indonesian as it originates from the Proto-Austronesian word "*puluk" which means to carve or engrave. | |||
| Javanese | pelukis | ||
| The word "pelukis" in Javanese can also mean "someone who writes beautiful handwriting" or "a calligrapher". | |||
| Khmer | វិចិត្រករ | ||
| The word វិចិត្រករ is derived from the Sanskrit word "vicitrakara" meaning "one who makes various forms" and also refers to an artisan or craftsman in general. | |||
| Lao | ຊ່າງແຕ້ມຮູບ | ||
| Malay | pelukis | ||
| Pelukis is derived from the Sanskrit word pelaka, which means 'to cover' or 'to decorate'. It can also refer to someone who writes or composes. | |||
| Thai | จิตรกร | ||
| The word "จิตรกร" ("painter") in Thai is derived from the Sanskrit word "चित्रकार" (citrakāra), meaning "one who makes pictures". | |||
| Vietnamese | họa sĩ | ||
| "Họa sĩ" in Vietnamese comes from Sino-Vietnamese and is composed of "họa" (picture) and "sĩ" (scholar, expert) | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pintor | ||
Painter in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | rəssam | ||
| "Rəssam" can also denote any kind of an artist | |||
| Kazakh | суретші | ||
| In the Kazakh language, "суретші" can also refer to "photographer". | |||
| Kyrgyz | сүрөтчү | ||
| The word 'сүрөтчү' (painter) in Kyrgyz is derived from the Persian word 'surat' (picture) and the suffix '-chi' (doer). It can also refer to an artist or a designer. | |||
| Tajik | рассом | ||
| Turkmen | suratkeş | ||
| Uzbek | rassom | ||
| The word "rassom" can also refer to a musician or an artist in general in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | رەسسام | ||
Painter in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | mea pena kiʻi | ||
| The word "mea pena kiʻi" can also mean "artist" or "sculptor" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | kaipeita | ||
| According to some, the word "kaipeita" refers to the act of daubing and not necessarily painting. | |||
| Samoan | atavali | ||
| Atavali can also mean an artist or sculptor. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pintor | ||
| The word "pintor" is a cognate of the Spanish word "pintor," and it means "painter" in both languages. | |||
Painter in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | pintiri | ||
| Guarani | pintor | ||
Painter in International Languages
| Esperanto | pentristo | ||
| "Pentristo" derives from the French "peintre" and also means "artist". | |||
| Latin | pictorem | ||
| Latin _pictorem_ also implies "creating, designing, or fashioning" in a general sense, beyond just painting. | |||
Painter in Others Languages
| Greek | ζωγράφος | ||
| The word ζωγράφος in Greek has a long and interesting etymology, with roots in the verb 'to draw' and the noun 'form' | |||
| Hmong | neeg pleev kob | ||
| The Hmong word "neeg pleev kob" literally translates to "person who plays paint." | |||
| Kurdish | wênekar | ||
| The word 'wênekar' is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *wen-, meaning 'to see', and the suffix -kar, which indicates a profession. | |||
| Turkish | ressam | ||
| The word "ressam" comes from the Persian word "rassam", which means "drawer". | |||
| Xhosa | opeyintayo | ||
| The word “opeyintayo” has a different connotation of “an imitator”, not only an artist, painter, or designer. | |||
| Yiddish | מאָלער | ||
| The word מאָלער" in Yiddish can also refer to an artist who creates decorative designs, or specifically to one who specializes in the application of ornamental paint. | |||
| Zulu | umdwebi | ||
| Despite its English equivalent, "umdwebi" also means "potter" in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | চিত্ৰকৰ | ||
| Aymara | pintiri | ||
| Bhojpuri | चित्रकार के ह | ||
| Dhivehi | ކުލަ ޖައްސާ މީހެކެވެ | ||
| Dogri | चित्रकार | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pintor | ||
| Guarani | pintor | ||
| Ilocano | pintor | ||
| Krio | pɔsin we de peint | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نیگارکێش | ||
| Maithili | चित्रकार | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯦꯟꯇꯤꯡ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | painter a ni | ||
| Oromo | fakkii kaasu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଚିତ୍ରକାର | ||
| Quechua | pintor | ||
| Sanskrit | चित्रकारः | ||
| Tatar | рәссам | ||
| Tigrinya | ቀባኢ | ||
| Tsonga | muvalangi wa swifaniso | ||