Afrikaans foto | ||
Albanian fotografi | ||
Amharic ፎቶግራፍ | ||
Arabic تصوير | ||
Armenian լուսանկարել | ||
Assamese ফটোগ্ৰাফ | ||
Aymara fotografía uñacht’ayaña | ||
Azerbaijani fotoşəkil | ||
Bambara foto dɔ | ||
Basque argazkia | ||
Belarusian фатаграфаваць | ||
Bengali আলোকচিত্র | ||
Bhojpuri फोटो के फोटो बा | ||
Bosnian fotografija | ||
Bulgarian снимка | ||
Catalan fotografia | ||
Cebuano litrato | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 照片 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 照片 | ||
Corsican fotografia | ||
Croatian fotografirati | ||
Czech fotografie | ||
Danish fotografi | ||
Dhivehi ފޮޓޯއެކެވެ | ||
Dogri फोटो खिंचवाया | ||
Dutch fotograaf | ||
English photograph | ||
Esperanto foto | ||
Estonian fotograaf | ||
Ewe fotoɖeɖefia | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) litrato | ||
Finnish valokuva | ||
French photographier | ||
Frisian foto | ||
Galician fotografía | ||
Georgian ფოტოსურათი | ||
German foto | ||
Greek φωτογραφία | ||
Guarani ta’angambyrýpe | ||
Gujarati ફોટોગ્રાફ | ||
Haitian Creole foto | ||
Hausa hoto | ||
Hawaiian kiʻi paʻi kiʻi | ||
Hebrew תַצלוּם | ||
Hindi फोटो | ||
Hmong thaij duab | ||
Hungarian fénykép | ||
Icelandic ljósmynd | ||
Igbo foto | ||
Ilocano retrato | ||
Indonesian foto | ||
Irish grianghraf | ||
Italian fotografia | ||
Japanese 写真 | ||
Javanese foto | ||
Kannada .ಾಯಾಚಿತ್ರ | ||
Kazakh фотосурет | ||
Khmer រូបថត | ||
Kinyarwanda ifoto | ||
Konkani फोटो काडला | ||
Korean 사진 | ||
Krio foto we dɛn tek | ||
Kurdish sûret | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) وێنە | ||
Kyrgyz сүрөт | ||
Lao ຖ່າຍຮູບ | ||
Latin scan | ||
Latvian fotografēt | ||
Lingala fɔtɔ́ oyo ezali na kati | ||
Lithuanian fotografuoti | ||
Luganda ekifaananyi | ||
Luxembourgish foto | ||
Macedonian фотографија | ||
Maithili फोटोग्राफ | ||
Malagasy sary | ||
Malay gambar | ||
Malayalam ഫോട്ടോ | ||
Maltese ritratt | ||
Maori whakaahua | ||
Marathi फोटो | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯐꯣꯇꯣꯒ꯭ꯔꯥꯐ ꯑꯃꯥ ꯌꯥꯑꯣꯔꯤ꯫ | ||
Mizo thlalak a ni | ||
Mongolian гэрэл зураг | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ဓာတ်ပုံ | ||
Nepali फोटो | ||
Norwegian fotografi | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) chithunzi | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଫଟୋଗ୍ରାଫ୍ | ||
Oromo suuraa | ||
Pashto عکس | ||
Persian عکس | ||
Polish fotografia | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) fotografia | ||
Punjabi ਫੋਟੋ | ||
Quechua foto | ||
Romanian fotografie | ||
Russian фотография | ||
Samoan ata puʻeina | ||
Sanskrit छायाचित्रम् | ||
Scots Gaelic dealbh | ||
Sepedi senepe | ||
Serbian фотографирати | ||
Sesotho setšoantšo | ||
Shona mufananidzo | ||
Sindhi تصوير | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) ඡායාරූපය | ||
Slovak fotografia | ||
Slovenian fotografijo | ||
Somali sawir | ||
Spanish fotografía | ||
Sundanese motret | ||
Swahili picha | ||
Swedish fotografera | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) litrato | ||
Tajik акс | ||
Tamil புகைப்படம் | ||
Tatar фотография | ||
Telugu ఛాయాచిత్రం | ||
Thai รูปถ่าย | ||
Tigrinya ስእሊ | ||
Tsonga xifaniso | ||
Turkish fotoğraf | ||
Turkmen surat | ||
Twi (Akan) mfonini no | ||
Ukrainian фотографувати | ||
Urdu تصویر | ||
Uyghur سۈرەت | ||
Uzbek fotosurat | ||
Vietnamese ảnh chụp | ||
Welsh ffotograff | ||
Xhosa ifoto | ||
Yiddish פאָטאָגראַפיע | ||
Yoruba aworan | ||
Zulu isithombe |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word 'foto' originates from the Greek word 'phos' meaning 'light' and is related to the English word 'photography'. |
| Albanian | The Albanian word "fotografi" (photograph) originated from the Greek word "φωτογραφία" (photographia), which literally means "light writing" or "drawing with light". |
| Amharic | The word ''ፎቶግራፍ'' is derived from the Greek words ''φως'' (''phos'') meaning 'light' and ''γραφία'' (''graphe'') meaning 'writing', reflecting the process of capturing light to create an image. |
| Arabic | The Arabic word "تصوير" is derived from the root "ص و ر", meaning "to draw" or "to depict", and has the alternate meaning of "illustration" or "painting" in addition to "photography". |
| Azerbaijani | The Azerbaijani word “fotoşəkil” derives from French “photographie.” |
| Basque | The Basque word "argazkia" derives from the Ancient Greek word "argyrographia", meaning "silver writing." |
| Belarusian | The word "фатаграфаваць" is derived from the Greek words "phos" (light) and "graphein" (to write), meaning "to write with light." |
| Bengali | আলোকচিত্র, a compound noun, is derived from Sanskrit: आलोक (āloka) meaning "light" and चित्र (chitra) meaning "picture". It is used to mean "photograph" or "photographic image" in Bengali. |
| Bosnian | Fotografija comes from Greek "phōs" (light) and "graphein" (to draw), meaning "drawing with light." |
| Bulgarian | The Bulgarian word "снимка" also has the meaning of "snapshot" and is a derivative of the verb "снимам" (to shoot). |
| Catalan | The word "fotografia" is derived from the Greek words "phos" (light) and "graphe" (writing or drawing). |
| Cebuano | In old Cebuano, "litrato" also means "a thing that is printed". |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 照片 (zhàopiàn) literally means "to copy light", and in Cantonese it refers to an X-ray or an X-ray photo. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 「照片」在現代漢語裡只有一個意思,指用相機或其他器材把景物影像記錄在感光介質上的靜態畫面。 |
| Corsican | The Corsican word "fotografia" can also mean "photo album" or "snapshot". |
| Croatian | The Croatian word 'fotografirati', meaning 'to photograph', is derived from the Greek words 'phos' (light) and 'graphein' (write or draw), thus literally translating to 'writing/drawing with light'. |
| Czech | The Czech word "fotografie" is derived from the Greek words "phōs" (light) and "graphein" (to write), and it can also mean "painting with light". |
| Danish | The Danish word fotografi means both "photograph" and in a slang sense "a photograph taken with a mobile phone." |
| Dutch | Het woord "fotograaf" stamt af van het Griekse "phos" (licht) en "graphein" (schrijven), wat "het schrijven met licht" betekent. |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "foto" derives from the Greek word "phos" meaning "light" and is cognate with the English word "photo". |
| Estonian | Fotograaf is derived from the Greek words "phos" (light) and "graphein" (to write), and it refers to the process of capturing an image using light-sensitive materials. |
| Finnish | "Valokuva" is a compound word that literally means "light picture". |
| French | The French word "photographier" derives from the Greek words "phos," meaning light, and "graphein," meaning to write or draw, hence "drawing with light." |
| Frisian | In Frisian, "foto" can also refer to a snapshot or a moment in time. |
| Galician | The Galician word "fotografía" is a cognate of the Spanish word "fotografía", which in turn is derived from the Greek words "φῶς" (phôs), meaning "light", and "γράφειν" (graphein), meaning "to write". Thus, the word "fotografía" literally means "light writing". |
| Georgian | The Georgian word ფოტოსურათი (photograph) is derived from the Greek words "φως" (light) and "γραφω" (to write), meaning "to draw with light." |
| German | The German word "Foto" is the truncation of the Greek word "Photographie", a compound formed from the Greek terms "Phos" (light) and "Graphe" (writing) |
| Greek | "Φωτογραφία" derives from Greek "φῶς" (light) and "γράφω" (writing), but also means "writing with (a kind of) light". |
| Gujarati | The Sanskrit word 'Prakash' means light, and 'lekhah' means drawing. Together they mean 'drawing with light,' which accurately describes photography. |
| Haitian Creole | The word "foto", which is Creole for "photograph" derives from the French word "photo" and ultimately from the Greek word "phos" meaning "light." |
| Hausa | The name 'hoto' is derived from the Arabic word 'suwar', which also means 'picture' or 'image'. |
| Hawaiian | The word 'kiʻi paʻi kiʻi' literally translates to 'picture struck by a blow,' capturing the early photographic process of pressing an image onto a surface. |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word "תצלום" (photograph) comes from the root צלם (tzelam), meaning "image" or "shadow". |
| Hindi | The word "फोटो" is derived from the Greek word "φῶς" (phōs), meaning "light." |
| Hmong | "Thaij duab" also means to 'capture' or 'seize' in Hmong. |
| Hungarian | "Fénykép" is a compound word, "fény" meaning "light" and "kép" meaning "picture". |
| Icelandic | In addition to "photographs," "ljósmynd" in Icelandic can also refer to movies as well as photographs taken with x-rays, thermography, or similar instruments. |
| Igbo | 'Foto' is a loanword from English, but it can also refer to a 'picture' or 'image' in Igbo. |
| Indonesian | In Indonesian slang the term "foto" can also refer to a woman who has been photographed many times. |
| Irish | "Grianghraf" is an Old Irish word meaning "the act of sun writing". In modern Irish, it is used to mean "photograph". |
| Italian | In Italian, the term "fotografia" is derived from the Greek words "phos" (light) and "graphein" (to write), meaning "writing with light." |
| Japanese | The word "写真" (shashin) is derived from "sha" (copy) and "shin" (truth), hence meaning "copy of truth". |
| Javanese | In Javanese, "foto" also means "image" or "picture" in general, not just a photograph. |
| Kannada | The word "ಾಯಾಚಿತ್ರ" is derived from the Sanskrit words "आया" (drawn) and "चित्र" (picture). |
| Kazakh | The word "фотосурет" in Kazakh originates from the Russian word "фотография" and the Kazakh suffix "-ет", meaning "process" or "result". The word can also be used to refer to a photograph taken with a camera or a photograph printed on paper. |
| Khmer | The word "រូបថត" is derived from the Sanskrit word "rūpa" (meaning "form" or "shape") and the Pali word "paṭi" (meaning "copy"). |
| Korean | The word "사진" can also refer to a photo album or gallery. |
| Kurdish | The word "sûret" also refers to "face" in Kurdish, which reflects the connection between photography and the act of capturing a person's likeness. |
| Kyrgyz | The word "сүрөт" in Kyrgyz derives from the Arabic "sur" meaning "image" or "representation." |
| Latin | In Latin, 'scan' can also mean 'to measure' or 'to examine thoroughly' |
| Latvian | "Fotografēt" is a verb derived from the Greek words "φως" (light) and "γραφειν" (to write), indicating its meaning as "to write with light." |
| Lithuanian | The word "fotografuoti" in Lithuanian derives from the Greek words "φως" (phos, "light") and "γράφω" (graphō, "to write"). |
| Luxembourgish | The word "Foto" in Luxembourgish can also refer to photography in general or the art of taking pictures. |
| Macedonian | The word "фотографија" is derived from the Greek words "φῶς" (light) and "γράφειν" (to write), and it can also refer to a photographic image or a photograph album. |
| Malagasy | The word "sary" in Malagasy also means "picture" or "drawing". |
| Malay | The Javanese and Betawi word 'gambar' derives from the Sanskrit 'gambheer' (deep) as paintings were considered profound. |
| Malayalam | "ഫോട്ടോ" derives from the Greek "photos" (light) and "graph" (writing), meaning "light writing." |
| Maltese | The Maltese word "ritratt" derives from the Italian word "ritratto," meaning "portrait." |
| Maori | The word "whakaahua" in Maori also means "to make an image" or "to draw a picture." |
| Marathi | The word फोटो in Marathi is derived from the Greek word 'phos', which means 'light' |
| Mongolian | The word "гэрэл зураг" originally referred to "reflection" as well as to images made using light. |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဓာတ်ပုံ has alternate meanings of a painting or image produced without manual intervention and of the natural form or character of something, in addition to meaning photograph. |
| Nepali | The word 'फोटो' in Nepali is derived from the Greek word 'φως' (phōs), meaning 'light'. |
| Norwegian | "Fotografi" is the Norwegian word for "photograph" and originates from the Greek word "φῶς" (phōs; "light") and "γραφίς" (graphís; "stylus"), meaning "drawing with light." |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "chithunzi" also means "shadow" or "reflection" in Nyanja, reflecting its historical use as a way to capture the essence of an individual. |
| Pashto | The word "عکس" also means "reflection" in Pashto. |
| Persian | عکس (aks) has its historical etymological roots within the word عکاسی (akkasi); however today aks holds the meanings: photograph, image, snapshot or picture. |
| Polish | The word fotografia derives from the Greek words "φως" (phos) meaning "light" and "γραφειν" (graphein) meaning "to write". |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The Portuguese word "fotografia" originally referred to a method of drawing by means of light, and only later came to mean a photograph. |
| Punjabi | The Punjabi word "ਫੋਟੋ" is derived from the Greek word "φῶς" meaning "light". |
| Romanian | The word 'fotografie' in Romanian has various alternate meanings including 'radiography', 'X-ray', or 'copy' |
| Russian | "Фотография" also means "light painting" in Russian, as it is derived from the Greek words "φῶς" (light) and "γράφω" (to write). |
| Samoan | Ata puʻeina translates into English as "captured light" or "photographed". |
| Scots Gaelic | In Scottish Gaelic, "dealbh" can refer both to a photograph and to an apparition. |
| Serbian | The Serbian word "фотографирати" derives from the Greek word φως and γράφω meaning light and writing. |
| Shona | "Mufananidzo" is ultimately derived from the root "fanana," meaning "to compare" or "to make like." |
| Sindhi | The word "تصوير" in Sindhi also means "image" or "painting". |
| Slovak | It comes from the Greek words "phos" (meaning "light") and "graphe" (meaning "writing"), therefore, the word "fotografia" literally means "light writing". |
| Slovenian | The word "fotografijo" is derived from the Greek words "phos" (light) and "graphe" (writing), reflecting its original meaning as a "drawing with light." |
| Somali | Somali word "sawir" can also mean "image" or "painting". |
| Spanish | The word "fotografía" in Spanish derives from the Greek words "phos" (light) and "graphein" (to write), alluding to the process of capturing light using a camera. |
| Sundanese | The word "motret" is derived from the Dutch word "portret", meaning "portrait". |
| Swahili | Picha, meaning 'photograph' in Swahili, also refers to a 'picture' or 'image' in general. |
| Swedish | "Fotografera" ultimately derives from the Greek words "phos" (light) and "graphein" (to write), reflecting its original meaning as "writing with light." |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | "Litrato" is derived from the Spanish word "retrato" which means "portrait" or "likeness". |
| Tajik | The word "акс" in Tajik may also refer to a camera and the process of taking a photograph. |
| Tamil | The word 'புகைப்படம்' (photograph) in Tamil literally means 'light drawn picture'. |
| Thai | รูปถ่าย (ruup-thaa-y) is a Thai word that combines the words รูป (ruup) meaning "form" or "shape" and ถ่าย (thaa-y) meaning "to take". The word can also refer to a "snapshot" or an "image". |
| Turkish | The word "fotoğraf" is derived from the Greek words "photos" (light) and "graphein" (to write), thus meaning "drawing with light". |
| Ukrainian | The word "фотографувати" comes from the Greek words "φῶς" (light) and "γραφειν" (to write), and it originally meant "to draw with light". |
| Urdu | The word 'تصویر' (photograph) in Urdu also means 'image' or 'representation'. |
| Uzbek | The word 'fotosurat' is derived from the Greek words 'phos' and 'graphein,' meaning 'light' and 'to write,' respectively. |
| Vietnamese | The Vietnamese word "ảnh chụp" originally meant "reflection in water" but is now used exclusively for "photograph" as a result of French colonial influence via the word "cliché". |
| Welsh | The spelling "ffotograff" is a more traditional spelling, but the spelling "photograph" is more common in modern Welsh. |
| Xhosa | In Xhosa, ifoto also refers to a physical image, such as a painting or drawing. |
| Yiddish | The noun 'פאָטאָגראַפיע' is a Yiddish loanword from Greek meaning "painting with light". |
| Yoruba | Aworan derives from the phrases 'a rí ohun' ('one sees something') and 'ọ̀rọ̀ àn' ('statement of seeing'), as a photograph is a statement of seeing. |
| Zulu | It comes from 'i' (plural prefix for nouns), '-sitha-' (verb: 'to be seen' or 'to show'), and '-m' (noun suffix meaning 'that by which'): a noun denoting 'that by which something is shown'. |
| English | The word "photograph" comes from the Greek words "phos" (light) and "graphein" (to write), reflecting its original meaning of "writing with light." |