Photo in Different Languages
Discover 'Photo' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
A 'photo' is more than just a picture; it's a moment frozen in time, a story waiting to be told. From professional portraits to candid snapshots, photos hold immense cultural significance across the globe. They capture our history, our traditions, and our evolution, providing a visual narrative that transcends language barriers.
Did you know that the word 'photo' comes from the Greek word 'photos', meaning 'light'? This is fitting, as photography is all about capturing and manipulating light to create an image. Or that the first permanent photograph was taken by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826 or 1827?
Understanding the translation of 'photo' in different languages can enrich our appreciation of this universal art form. Here are a few examples: in Spanish, it's 'foto'; in French, 'photo'; in Mandarin, '照片' (zhào piàn); in Japanese, '写真' (shashin); in Arabic, 'صورة' (sūrah).
Photo
Photo in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | foto | ||
| In Afrikaans, "foto" can also refer to a photographer's darkroom. | |||
| Amharic | ፎቶ | ||
| The word "ፎቶ" is borrowed from English and is also used in the sense of "light" or "picture". | |||
| Hausa | hoto | ||
| In Hausa, hoto refers to a "picture" more generally but is often interpreted as a "photo" by association with the English word. | |||
| Igbo | foto | ||
| The Igbo word "foto" can also mean "photogenic" in English. | |||
| Malagasy | sary | ||
| The Malagasy word "sary" not only means "photo" but also "image" or "picture". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chithunzi | ||
| Chitunzi, meaning 'picture' in Nyanja, derives from the verb 'kuchitira', meaning 'to make a copy'. | |||
| Shona | mufananidzo | ||
| The word 'mufananidzo' is also figuratively used to refer to an example or illustration. | |||
| Somali | sawir | ||
| The word "sawir" also translates to "image" or "picture" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | foto | ||
| In Sesotho, "foto" is a shortened version of "fotomoli", which means "picture of light" in Greek. | |||
| Swahili | picha | ||
| The Swahili word 'picha' is a loanword from Portuguese 'picha' ('piece'), 'pintura' ('painting'), or perhaps Dutch 'prent' ('print'). | |||
| Xhosa | ifoto | ||
| In Xhosa, the word "ifoto" not only means "photo" but also holds significant cultural importance, referring to both a tangible object and a powerful tool for preserving and sharing memories. | |||
| Yoruba | aworan | ||
| The word 'aworan' also means 'image' or 'picture' in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | isithombe | ||
| The Zulu word "isithombe" also means "picture" or "image". | |||
| Bambara | foto | ||
| Ewe | foto | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ifoto | ||
| Lingala | foto | ||
| Luganda | ekifaananyi | ||
| Sepedi | senepe | ||
| Twi (Akan) | mfoni | ||
Photo in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | صورة فوتوغرافية | ||
| The word "صورة فوتوغرافية" is derived from Greek "φῶς" (phōs) and "ἔγραφον" (gráphō) and implies "drawing with light". | |||
| Hebrew | תמונה | ||
| The word "תמונה" in Hebrew also means "picture" or "image". | |||
| Pashto | انځور | ||
| The word "انځور" can also mean "image" or "picture" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | صورة فوتوغرافية | ||
| The word "صورة فوتوغرافية" is derived from Greek "φῶς" (phōs) and "ἔγραφον" (gráphō) and implies "drawing with light". | |||
Photo in Western European Languages
| Albanian | foto | ||
| Foto can also mean to take a picture or snapshot in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | argazkia | ||
| The word "argazkia" also means "light" or "image" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | foto | ||
| The Catalan word "foto" derives from the Greek "phos" (light) and the Latin "graphē" (writing), meaning "writing with light." | |||
| Croatian | fotografija | ||
| It derives from Ancient Greek "φῶς" (phōs), meaning "light”, and "γράφειν" (graphein), meaning "to draw". | |||
| Danish | foto | ||
| In Danish, "foto" can also refer to a specific still image in a film or video sequence. | |||
| Dutch | foto | ||
| The Dutch word "foto" originates from the Greek word "phōs," meaning "light." | |||
| English | photo | ||
| "Photo" is short for "photograph" and is derived from the Greek words "phos" (light) and "graphein" (to write/draw). | |||
| French | photo | ||
| "Photo" comes from Greek "φῶς," (phōs) "light," and is also the root for the words "photon" and "photography." | |||
| Frisian | foto | ||
| The Frisian word "foto" is derived from the Greek word "phōs," meaning "light." | |||
| Galician | foto | ||
| "Foto" también significa "persona que luce muy bien en una foto" en el registro coloquial. | |||
| German | foto | ||
| In German, "Foto" is a short form of "Fotografie", derived from the Greek "phos" (light) and "graphein" (to write). | |||
| Icelandic | ljósmynd | ||
| The Icelandic word "ljósmynd" literally translates to "light painting" and can also mean "movie theater" or "film projector". | |||
| Irish | grianghraf | ||
| The word "grianghraf" is a compound of the words "grian" (sun) and "ghraf" (drawing). | |||
| Italian | foto | ||
| "Foto" in Italian comes from the Greek word "φωτός" (phōtos), meaning "light". | |||
| Luxembourgish | foto | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Foto" can also mean "portrait" or "image". | |||
| Maltese | ritratt | ||
| The Maltese word "ritratt" is derived from the Italian word "ritratto", which means "portrait". | |||
| Norwegian | bilde | ||
| "Bilde" is also an archaic form of the word for "statue" and comes from the Old Norse word "bil" meaning "picture, image, statue". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | foto | ||
| "Foto" in Portuguese is derived from the Greek "phōs," meaning "light" or "brightness." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dealbh | ||
| The word dealbh is related to the Irish word delb "image, picture" which is cognate with Welsh delw "image, idol, statue, figure, form". | |||
| Spanish | foto | ||
| The word "foto" ("photo") in Spanish is derived from the Greek word "phōs" ("light"). | |||
| Swedish | foto | ||
| The Swedish word "Foto" can also refer to a "footprint". | |||
| Welsh | llun | ||
| 'Llún' is rooted in the Middle English word 'loune,' which meant a hidden or quiet spot, or a place of seclusion. | |||
Photo in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | фота | ||
| The word 'фота' is derived from the Greek word 'φῶς' meaning 'light'. | |||
| Bosnian | fotografija | ||
| The word "fotografija" in Bosnian comes from the Greek words "φῶς" (light) and "γράφω" (to write), and also shares a common etymology with the English word "photography" | |||
| Bulgarian | снимка | ||
| Снимка derives from the Russian word "снимок" and means both a photograph and a fingerprint. | |||
| Czech | fotografie | ||
| The Czech word "fotografie" comes from the Greek words "φως" (phōs, "light") and "γραφή" (graphē, "writing"). | |||
| Estonian | foto | ||
| In Estonian, "foto" is related to the English word "photography" and is also used more broadly to mean "picture" or "film still." | |||
| Finnish | kuva | ||
| "Kuva" also means "image" or "picture" in Finnish | |||
| Hungarian | fénykép | ||
| "Fénykép" literally means "light picture" and is cognate with "photo" in other European languages. | |||
| Latvian | foto | ||
| The Latvian word "foto" is derived from the Greek word "phōs" which means "light". | |||
| Lithuanian | nuotrauka | ||
| The word "nuotrauka" is derived from the Lithuanian word "nuotraukti," meaning "to draw or to take a picture." | |||
| Macedonian | фотографија | ||
| The word "фотографија" derives from Greek's "photos", for light, and "graphein", to write or draw. | |||
| Polish | zdjęcie | ||
| The Polish word "zdjęcie" (photo) comes from the verb "zdjąć" (to remove, to take off), as a photo is a "taken off" image of something. | |||
| Romanian | fotografie | ||
| The Romanian word "fotografie" is a cognate of the French "photographie" and ultimately derived from the Greek word "phōs" meaning "light" and "graphe" meaning "writing". | |||
| Russian | фото | ||
| "Фото" is an abbreviation of the Greek "φωτογραφία". "Φωτο" means "light" while "γραφία" means "writing". | |||
| Serbian | фотографија | ||
| The word "фотографија" in Serbian is derived from the Greek words "φως" (light) and "γραφειν" (writing), meaning "writing with light." | |||
| Slovak | foto | ||
| The word "foto" in Slovak can also mean a passport photo or a photograph in general, not just a digital one. | |||
| Slovenian | fotografija | ||
| The word 'fotografija' (photo) in Slovenian is derived from the Greek words 'phos' (light) and 'graphein' (to write), and also means 'the act of taking pictures' or 'the art of taking pictures'. | |||
| Ukrainian | фото | ||
| The word "фото" in Ukrainian comes from the Greek word "φῶς" (phos), meaning "light". | |||
Photo in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ফটো | ||
| ফটো (photo) শব্দটি এসেছে গ্রিক শব্দ ফটোস (photos) থেকে, যার অর্থ 'আলো'। | |||
| Gujarati | ફોટો | ||
| In Gujarati, "ફોટો" (photo) can also mean "a picture of a person" or "a photograph". | |||
| Hindi | तस्वीर | ||
| The Hindi word तस्वीर (tasveer) originated from the Persian language and literally means 'picture' or 'image'. | |||
| Kannada | ಫೋಟೋ | ||
| The word "ಫೋಟೋ" in Kannada derives from the Greek word "φῶς" (phôs), meaning "light". | |||
| Malayalam | ഫോട്ടോ | ||
| In Malayalam, 'ഫോട്ടോ' can also refer to the process of taking a photograph or the resulting image itself. | |||
| Marathi | छायाचित्र | ||
| छायाचित्र' is derived from the Sanskrit words 'छाया' (shadow) and 'चित्र' (picture), meaning 'a picture made by a shadow', and can also refer to a 'silhouette' or 'shadow play'. | |||
| Nepali | फोटो | ||
| The word "फोटो" is derived from the Greek word "φῶς" (phôs), meaning "light", and is related to the English word "photogenic". | |||
| Punjabi | ਤਸਵੀਰ | ||
| The word "ਤਸਵੀਰ" is derived from the Persian word "tasvir", meaning "image, picture, or painting". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඡායා රූප | ||
| The term 'ඡායා රූප' is also used in a broader sense to refer to any kind of image or depiction. | |||
| Tamil | புகைப்படம் | ||
| The word 'புகைப்படம்' literally means 'smoke picture' in Tamil, highlighting the historical connection between photography and early techniques using smoke. | |||
| Telugu | ఫోటో | ||
| The word "photo" is derived from the Greek word "φῶς" (phôs), meaning "light". It can also refer to a type of camera that uses light to capture images. | |||
| Urdu | تصویر | ||
| In Urdu, "تصویر" can also refer to a "portrait" or "image" not necessarily captured by a camera. | |||
Photo in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 照片 | ||
| 照片, 'photo' in Chinese, originally meant 'drawing with light'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 照片 | ||
| "照片" is borrowed from Japanese, which in turn borrowed the word "photograph" from English. | |||
| Japanese | 写真 | ||
| "写真" means 'photo,' with "写" meaning 'copy,' and '真' referring to 'truth': "true copy." | |||
| Korean | 사진 | ||
| The word '사진', pronounced 'sajin', was coined around 1907 by combining '사 (sa)', the Sino-Korean word for 'light or rays', and '진 (jin), the native Korean word for 'picture or writing.' | |||
| Mongolian | зураг | ||
| The word "зураг" can also mean "image", "picture", or "painting". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဓာတ်ပုံ | ||
Photo in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | foto | ||
| In Indonesian, "foto" can also mean "to capture an image" or "to take a picture". | |||
| Javanese | foto | ||
| "Foto" also refers to a Javanese dance performed with umbrellas. | |||
| Khmer | រូបថត | ||
| The word "រូបថត" in Khmer is derived from the Sanskrit word "rūpaṃ" (form, shape) and the Khmer word "thot" (to draw). | |||
| Lao | ຮູບຖ່າຍ | ||
| Malay | gambar | ||
| The word 'gambar' is cognate to the Indonesian word 'gambar', which means 'image' or 'picture'. | |||
| Thai | รูปถ่าย | ||
| The Thai word "รูปถ่าย" literally means "form light," suggesting its luminous nature. | |||
| Vietnamese | hình chụp | ||
| "Hình chụp" (photo) is a compound noun combining "hình" (shape) and "chụp" (to take), referring to the act of capturing an image and the resulting image itself. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | larawan | ||
Photo in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | şəkil | ||
| The Azeri word "Şəkil" for "photo" is also used for "form, appearance, figure, image, shape, picture, and painting". | |||
| Kazakh | фотосурет | ||
| The Kazakh word "фотосурет" derives from the Latin word "foto" and the Turkish word "suret", meaning "to draw". | |||
| Kyrgyz | сүрөт | ||
| "Сүрөт" comes from the Persian word "surat" which also means "figure" or "face". | |||
| Tajik | акс | ||
| Слово «акс» в таджикском языке происходит от персидского «акас», что означает «отражение». | |||
| Turkmen | surat | ||
| Uzbek | fotosurat | ||
| The word "fotosurat" is derived from Greek and can also mean "light writing" or "painting with light". | |||
| Uyghur | سۈرەت | ||
Photo in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kiʻi paʻi | ||
| In the Hawaiian language, 'kiʻi paʻi' originally meant 'stamped picture', as a result of the printing press being used in the 19th century. | |||
| Maori | whakaahua | ||
| Whakaahua is a loanword from English, although the original word "ahua" refers to a reflection or shadow. | |||
| Samoan | ata | ||
| In Samoan, 'ata' also means 'shadow, reflection, picture'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | larawan | ||
| "Larawan" also means "image" or "painting" in Tagalog. | |||
Photo in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jamuqa | ||
| Guarani | ta'ãnga | ||
Photo in International Languages
| Esperanto | foto | ||
| "Foto" is an abbreviation for "fotografia" (photography). | |||
| Latin | photo | ||
| "Photo" derives from Greek "phos" (light) and refers to light's ability to create images. | |||
Photo in Others Languages
| Greek | φωτογραφία | ||
| The Greek word "φωτογραφία" (photo) derives from "φως" (light) and "γράφειν" (to write), thus meaning 'writing with light'. | |||
| Hmong | duab | ||
| "Duab" also refers to the soul or spirit, and is used to express a person's image, likeness, or representation. | |||
| Kurdish | wêne | ||
| In Kurdish, the word "wêne" can also refer to the act of seeing or observing. | |||
| Turkish | fotoğraf | ||
| The word "Fotoğraf" is derived from the Greek words "φως" (phos) meaning "light" and "γραφειν" (graphein) meaning "to write," referring to the process of using light to create an image. | |||
| Xhosa | ifoto | ||
| In Xhosa, the word "ifoto" not only means "photo" but also holds significant cultural importance, referring to both a tangible object and a powerful tool for preserving and sharing memories. | |||
| Yiddish | פאָטאָ | ||
| פאָטאָ is also the Yiddish word for a large potato. | |||
| Zulu | isithombe | ||
| The Zulu word "isithombe" also means "picture" or "image". | |||
| Assamese | ফটো | ||
| Aymara | jamuqa | ||
| Bhojpuri | तस्वीर | ||
| Dhivehi | ފޮޓޯ | ||
| Dogri | फोटू | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | larawan | ||
| Guarani | ta'ãnga | ||
| Ilocano | ladawan | ||
| Krio | snap | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | وێنە | ||
| Maithili | छबी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯝꯃꯤ | ||
| Mizo | thlalak | ||
| Oromo | suuraa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଫଟୋ | ||
| Quechua | foto | ||
| Sanskrit | चित्रं | ||
| Tatar | фото | ||
| Tigrinya | ፎቶ | ||
| Tsonga | xifaniso | ||