Photograph in different languages

Photograph in Different Languages

Discover 'Photograph' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Photograph


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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

Etymology & Notes

LanguageEtymology / Notes
AfrikaansThe Afrikaans word 'foto' originates from the Greek word 'phos' meaning 'light' and is related to the English word 'photography'.
AlbanianThe Albanian word "fotografi" (photograph) originated from the Greek word "φωτογραφία" (photographia), which literally means "light writing" or "drawing with light".
AmharicThe 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.
ArabicThe 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".
AzerbaijaniThe Azerbaijani word “fotoşəkil” derives from French “photographie.”
BasqueThe Basque word "argazkia" derives from the Ancient Greek word "argyrographia", meaning "silver writing."
BelarusianThe word "фатаграфаваць" is derived from the Greek words "phos" (light) and "graphein" (to write), meaning "to write with light."
Bengaliআলোকচিত্র, 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.
BosnianFotografija comes from Greek "phōs" (light) and "graphein" (to draw), meaning "drawing with light."
BulgarianThe Bulgarian word "снимка" also has the meaning of "snapshot" and is a derivative of the verb "снимам" (to shoot).
CatalanThe word "fotografia" is derived from the Greek words "phos" (light) and "graphe" (writing or drawing).
CebuanoIn 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。
CorsicanThe Corsican word "fotografia" can also mean "photo album" or "snapshot".
CroatianThe 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'.
CzechThe Czech word "fotografie" is derived from the Greek words "phōs" (light) and "graphein" (to write), and it can also mean "painting with light".
DanishThe Danish word fotografi means both "photograph" and in a slang sense "a photograph taken with a mobile phone."
DutchHet woord "fotograaf" stamt af van het Griekse "phos" (licht) en "graphein" (schrijven), wat "het schrijven met licht" betekent.
EsperantoThe Esperanto word "foto" derives from the Greek word "phos" meaning "light" and is cognate with the English word "photo".
EstonianFotograaf 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".
FrenchThe French word "photographier" derives from the Greek words "phos," meaning light, and "graphein," meaning to write or draw, hence "drawing with light."
FrisianIn Frisian, "foto" can also refer to a snapshot or a moment in time.
GalicianThe 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".
GeorgianThe Georgian word ფოტოსურათი (photograph) is derived from the Greek words "φως" (light) and "γραφω" (to write), meaning "to draw with light."
GermanThe 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".
GujaratiThe Sanskrit word 'Prakash' means light, and 'lekhah' means drawing. Together they mean 'drawing with light,' which accurately describes photography.
Haitian CreoleThe word "foto", which is Creole for "photograph" derives from the French word "photo" and ultimately from the Greek word "phos" meaning "light."
HausaThe name 'hoto' is derived from the Arabic word 'suwar', which also means 'picture' or 'image'.
HawaiianThe word 'kiʻi paʻi kiʻi' literally translates to 'picture struck by a blow,' capturing the early photographic process of pressing an image onto a surface.
HebrewThe Hebrew word "תצלום" (photograph) comes from the root צלם (tzelam), meaning "image" or "shadow".
HindiThe 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".
IcelandicIn 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.
IndonesianIn 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".
ItalianIn Italian, the term "fotografia" is derived from the Greek words "phos" (light) and "graphein" (to write), meaning "writing with light."
JapaneseThe word "写真" (shashin) is derived from "sha" (copy) and "shin" (truth), hence meaning "copy of truth".
JavaneseIn Javanese, "foto" also means "image" or "picture" in general, not just a photograph.
KannadaThe word "ಾಯಾಚಿತ್ರ" is derived from the Sanskrit words "आया" (drawn) and "चित्र" (picture).
KazakhThe 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.
KhmerThe word "រូបថត" is derived from the Sanskrit word "rūpa" (meaning "form" or "shape") and the Pali word "paṭi" (meaning "copy").
KoreanThe word "사진" can also refer to a photo album or gallery.
KurdishThe word "sûret" also refers to "face" in Kurdish, which reflects the connection between photography and the act of capturing a person's likeness.
KyrgyzThe word "сүрөт" in Kyrgyz derives from the Arabic "sur" meaning "image" or "representation."
LatinIn 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."
LithuanianThe word "fotografuoti" in Lithuanian derives from the Greek words "φως" (phos, "light") and "γράφω" (graphō, "to write").
LuxembourgishThe word "Foto" in Luxembourgish can also refer to photography in general or the art of taking pictures.
MacedonianThe 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.
MalagasyThe word "sary" in Malagasy also means "picture" or "drawing".
MalayThe 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."
MalteseThe Maltese word "ritratt" derives from the Italian word "ritratto," meaning "portrait."
MaoriThe word "whakaahua" in Maori also means "to make an image" or "to draw a picture."
MarathiThe word फोटो in Marathi is derived from the Greek word 'phos', which means 'light'
MongolianThe 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.
NepaliThe 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.
PashtoThe word "عکس" also means "reflection" in Pashto.
Persianعکس (aks) has its historical etymological roots within the word عکاسی (akkasi); however today aks holds the meanings: photograph, image, snapshot or picture.
PolishThe 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.
PunjabiThe Punjabi word "ਫੋਟੋ" is derived from the Greek word "φῶς" meaning "light".
RomanianThe 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).
SamoanAta puʻeina translates into English as "captured light" or "photographed".
Scots GaelicIn Scottish Gaelic, "dealbh" can refer both to a photograph and to an apparition.
SerbianThe 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."
SindhiThe word "تصوير" in Sindhi also means "image" or "painting".
SlovakIt comes from the Greek words "phos" (meaning "light") and "graphe" (meaning "writing"), therefore, the word "fotografia" literally means "light writing".
SlovenianThe word "fotografijo" is derived from the Greek words "phos" (light) and "graphe" (writing), reflecting its original meaning as a "drawing with light."
SomaliSomali word "sawir" can also mean "image" or "painting".
SpanishThe 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.
SundaneseThe word "motret" is derived from the Dutch word "portret", meaning "portrait".
SwahiliPicha, 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".
TajikThe word "акс" in Tajik may also refer to a camera and the process of taking a photograph.
TamilThe word 'புகைப்படம்' (photograph) in Tamil literally means 'light drawn picture'.
Thaiรูปถ่าย (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".
TurkishThe word "fotoğraf" is derived from the Greek words "photos" (light) and "graphein" (to write), thus meaning "drawing with light".
UkrainianThe word "фотографувати" comes from the Greek words "φῶς" (light) and "γραφειν" (to write), and it originally meant "to draw with light".
UrduThe word 'تصویر' (photograph) in Urdu also means 'image' or 'representation'.
UzbekThe word 'fotosurat' is derived from the Greek words 'phos' and 'graphein,' meaning 'light' and 'to write,' respectively.
VietnameseThe 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".
WelshThe spelling "ffotograff" is a more traditional spelling, but the spelling "photograph" is more common in modern Welsh.
XhosaIn Xhosa, ifoto also refers to a physical image, such as a painting or drawing.
YiddishThe noun 'פאָטאָגראַפיע' is a Yiddish loanword from Greek meaning "painting with light".
YorubaAworan derives from the phrases 'a rí ohun' ('one sees something') and 'ọ̀rọ̀ àn' ('statement of seeing'), as a photograph is a statement of seeing.
ZuluIt 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'.
EnglishThe word "photograph" comes from the Greek words "phos" (light) and "graphein" (to write), reflecting its original meaning of "writing with light."

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