Picture in Different Languages
Discover 'Picture' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
A picture (picture) is more than just a visual representation; it's a powerful tool for communication and storytelling, often evoking emotions and ideas that transcend language barriers. Its cultural importance is undeniable, with artworks and photographs playing pivotal roles in shaping societies and preserving history. Understanding the translation of 'picture' in different languages can help break down these barriers and foster global connections.
Did you know that the word 'picture' has roots in the Latin 'pictura' meaning 'painting'? Or that in ancient Egypt, hieroglyphs served as a form of picture language, conveying complex narratives through symbolic images? These fascinating historical contexts highlight the enduring power of visual representation.
Whether you're an avid photographer, an art enthusiast, or someone who simply appreciates the beauty of a well-crafted image, knowing how to say 'picture' in various languages can enrich your cultural experiences.
Picture
Picture in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | prent | ||
| The word 'prent' is likely derived from the Middle Dutch 'prente', meaning 'mark' or 'impression'. | |||
| Amharic | ስዕል | ||
| The Amharic word "ስዕል" also means "painting", "statue", or "sculpture". | |||
| Hausa | hoto | ||
| The word "hoto" can also refer to a type of traditional Hausa dance or a particular style of Hausa clothing. | |||
| Igbo | foto | ||
| The Igbo word "foto" is derived from the English word "photo" and also means "camera". | |||
| Malagasy | picture | ||
| In Malagasy, the word "sary" can mean "picture," "painting," or "image." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chithunzi | ||
| "Chithunzi" can also mean "shadow" or "reflection" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | mufananidzo | ||
| Somali | sawir | ||
| The Somali word "sawir" can also mean "image", "photograph", or "painting" | |||
| Sesotho | setshwantsho | ||
| Although 'setshwantsho' most often translates to 'picture,' it may also refer to television and the Internet depending on context. | |||
| Swahili | picha | ||
| It is derived from the Arabic word 'picha', meaning 'piece of cloth' or 'drawing' | |||
| Xhosa | umfanekiso | ||
| The Xhosa word "umfanekiso" is derived from the verb "ukufanekisa," meaning "to resemble" or "to make an image." | |||
| Yoruba | aworan | ||
| Aworan is the Yoruba word for picture also means a person's guardian deity or a symbol of deity. | |||
| Zulu | isithombe | ||
| The Zulu word 'isithombe' derives from the verb 'ukuthomba' meaning 'to point at' or 'to show'. | |||
| Bambara | ja | ||
| Ewe | nutata | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ishusho | ||
| Lingala | foto | ||
| Luganda | ekifaananyi | ||
| Sepedi | seswantšho | ||
| Twi (Akan) | mfoni | ||
Picture in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | صورة | ||
| In Arabic, 'صورة' (picture) can also refer to a photograph, an image, a form, or even a metaphor. | |||
| Hebrew | תְמוּנָה | ||
| "תְמוּנָה" also means "vision" or "apparition" in Hebrew, as in the phrase "חֲזוֹן תְמוּנָה" (vision of a picture). | |||
| Pashto | انځور | ||
| انځور can also mean figure, image, or resemblance in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | صورة | ||
| In Arabic, 'صورة' (picture) can also refer to a photograph, an image, a form, or even a metaphor. | |||
Picture in Western European Languages
| Albanian | foto | ||
| The Albanian word "foto" is derived from the Greek word "phos" (light) and is related to words like "photography" and "photogenic" in other languages. | |||
| Basque | argazkia | ||
| The Basque word "argazkia" derives from the Greek "argyro" (silver) and "graphe" (writing), referring to the early use of silver salts in photography. | |||
| Catalan | imatge | ||
| The Catalan word “imatge” is derived from the Latin word “imago,” which means “image” or “likeness,” and also refers to a statue or effigy. | |||
| Croatian | slika | ||
| In Croatian, the word "slika" can also refer to an icon or a metaphor. | |||
| Danish | billede | ||
| The word "billede" in Danish is derived from the Old Norse word "bilithi", which means "image" or "idol." | |||
| Dutch | afbeelding | ||
| "Afbeelding" in Dutch also means "mapping" or "representation". | |||
| English | picture | ||
| The word "picture" originated from the Latin "pictura," meaning "painted decoration." | |||
| French | image | ||
| In French, the word "image" is derived from the Latin word "imago," meaning a representation or resemblance of something. | |||
| Frisian | ôfbylding | ||
| The Old Frisian word "ôfbylding" means not only "picture," but also "likeness." | |||
| Galician | imaxe | ||
| "Imaxe", in Galician, has two origins: one from the Greek "eikon" (image), and the second from the Latin "imago" (figure, appearance). | |||
| German | bild | ||
| The German word "Bild" (picture) comes from the Old High German word "bilidi," which also means "image," "idol," or "statue." | |||
| Icelandic | mynd | ||
| The word 'mynd' also means 'mind' and is related to the Old Norse word 'munr', meaning 'memory' or 'understanding'. | |||
| Irish | pictiúr | ||
| The Irish word "pictiúr" comes from the Latin word "pictura" meaning "painting". | |||
| Italian | immagine | ||
| The Italian word "immagine" comes from the Latin word "imago", meaning "likeness, copy, or representation". | |||
| Luxembourgish | bild | ||
| The word "Bild" in Luxembourgish can also refer to the Catholic practice of venerating an image of Christ, known as the "Heiliges Bild" or "Heilig Blut". | |||
| Maltese | stampa | ||
| The word "stampa" in Maltese can also refer to a "seal" or a "stamp" used to mark or authenticate documents. | |||
| Norwegian | bilde | ||
| While 'bilde' in modern Norwegian mainly means 'picture', it also retains the old sense of 'statue' in the set phrase 'billedhugger' ('sculptor'). | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | cenário | ||
| "Cenário" (Brazil) was originally a term for the backdrops used in theater, deriving from the Italian "scenario" meaning "script, plot". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dealbh | ||
| While "dealbh" in Gaelic usually means "picture", it also means "form", "figure" or "likeness". | |||
| Spanish | imagen | ||
| In Spanish, "imagen" originates from Latin "imago" meaning "copy, representation, phantom, or ghost." | |||
| Swedish | bild | ||
| The Swedish word "bild" originally meant "image carved into wood". | |||
| Welsh | llun | ||
| The word "llun" in Welsh could also mean "likeness" or "resemblance". | |||
Picture in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | малюнак | ||
| The Belarusian word "малюнак" derives from the Old Church Slavonic term "malŭ", meaning "small" or "tiny", and likely originally referred to sketches or illustrations. | |||
| Bosnian | slika | ||
| Slikanica, a Serbo-Croatian word for a picture book, is derived from slika, meaning "picture," and the suffix -nica, which denotes a container. | |||
| Bulgarian | снимка | ||
| The Bulgarian word "снимка" is also used to refer to a photograph taken for official purposes, such as an ID card or passport. | |||
| Czech | obrázek | ||
| The word "obrázek" likely originates from the Old German "obrizz" meaning "face" or "painting". | |||
| Estonian | pilt | ||
| The Estonian word "pilt" derives from the Germanic root "*filþ-a" meaning "to cover" and is related to the English word "felt" and the German word "Filz". | |||
| Finnish | kuva | ||
| "Kuva" is a word that means "picture", but it can also mean "image", "reflection", "figure", or "idol" in different contexts. | |||
| Hungarian | kép | ||
| The word "kép" can also refer to a representation, an image, or an idea in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | bilde | ||
| The Latvian word "bilde" can also refer to a figure or likeness in a work of art, and is related to the Sanskrit word "bilda" meaning "image". | |||
| Lithuanian | paveikslėlis | ||
| The Lithuanian word "paveikslėlis" for "picture" comes from the word "vaizdas" which means "view" or "image". | |||
| Macedonian | слика | ||
| In the plural, "слики" means “prints” in photography. | |||
| Polish | obrazek | ||
| The Polish word "obrazek" also means "icon" or "painting". | |||
| Romanian | imagine | ||
| In Romanian, "imagine" is derived from Latin "imago" (image) and also means "fantasy" or "concept". | |||
| Russian | рисунок | ||
| Рисовать ("рисовать") in Russian means "to draw or paint" and derives from "ряса (" ряса ")", a long, simple robe, which was worn by monks and priests. | |||
| Serbian | слика | ||
| The word "слика" (picture) is derived from the Proto-Slavic "*slikati" (to draw, to paint). | |||
| Slovak | obrázok | ||
| The word "obrázok" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "obrъzъ", which originally meant "appearance" or "form". | |||
| Slovenian | slika | ||
| The word "slika" in Slovenian also has the meaning of "image" or "representation", and is related to the words "slikati" (to paint) and "sloviti" (to see). | |||
| Ukrainian | картина | ||
| Картина" also denotes "the canvas" in the sense of a large canvas bag to carry heavy stuff on a horse's back. | |||
Picture in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ছবি | ||
| In Bengali, "ছবি" (chobi) can also mean an idol or image of a deity. | |||
| Gujarati | ચિત્ર | ||
| The word "ચિત્ર" (picture) in Gujarati can also refer to a painting, sketch, or drawing, and derives from the Sanskrit word "chitra" meaning "bright, shining, or variegated". | |||
| Hindi | चित्र | ||
| In Sanskrit, "चित्र" (chitra) means "bright" or "shining," and in Pali, it refers to a painted or colored object. | |||
| Kannada | ಚಿತ್ರ | ||
| The Kannada word 'ಚಿತ್ರ' can also refer to a moving picture or film. | |||
| Malayalam | ചിത്രം | ||
| The word "ചിത്രം" (picture) in Malayalam may also refer to a drawing, painting, or the act of making such a visual representation. | |||
| Marathi | चित्र | ||
| The Marathi word 'चित्र' ('picture') originates from the Sanskrit word 'चित्रम्' ('varied', 'diverse'), likely alluding to the visual diversity of paintings. | |||
| Nepali | चित्र | ||
| In Nepali, the word "चित्र" can also refer to a movie or a mental image. | |||
| Punjabi | ਤਸਵੀਰ | ||
| The word "ਤਸਵੀਰ" also has the alternate meaning of "a mental image or representation", similar to the English word "imagination". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පින්තූරය | ||
| The Sinhala word "පින්තූරය" derives ultimately from the Sanskrit "पत्र" (patra) and "चित्र" (citra) meaning "drawing" and "writing" respectively. | |||
| Tamil | படம் | ||
| In Tamil, "படம்" (padam) can also refer to a movie, play, or photograph, showcasing its wider use beyond capturing images. | |||
| Telugu | చిత్రం | ||
| చిత్రం additionally signifies 'strange', 'amazing' or 'curious', with the secondary implication of a 'work of art' or 'painting'. | |||
| Urdu | تصویر | ||
| The word "تصویر" in Urdu derives from the Persian word "taswir" meaning "image" or "likeness", and is related to the Arabic word "sura" meaning "shape" or "form". | |||
Picture in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 图片 | ||
| "图片" (túpiàn) literally translates to "image plate". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 圖片 | ||
| "圖片" was borrowed into Japanese as "え" in the Meiji period, where it has become the standard term for "picture" and is also used to denote "image". | |||
| Japanese | 画像 | ||
| The word "画像" also means "portrait" or "image of a person". | |||
| Korean | 그림 | ||
| The native Korean word 그림 can mean either a painting or a picture, while the Sino-Korean equivalent 도화 is exclusively used for a painting | |||
| Mongolian | зураг | ||
| The Mongolian word "зураг" is also used to refer to a "statue" or "photograph". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရုပ်ပုံ | ||
| The word "ရုပ်ပုံ" in Myanmar can also refer to a statue or a corpse, as it literally means "form and shape." | |||
Picture in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | gambar | ||
| The word "gambar" in Indonesian is derived from the Sanskrit word "gambhira" meaning "depth", and can also refer to a plan or scheme. | |||
| Javanese | gambar | ||
| The word "gambar" derives from the Old Javanese word "ghamba", meaning "idol" or "image". | |||
| Khmer | រូបភាព | ||
| The term "រូបភាព" can also refer to a "mental image" or "imaginary form" in Khmer literature. | |||
| Lao | ຮູບພາບ | ||
| The word "ຮູບພາບ" is also used to refer to one's appearance or image, especially in the context of social media. | |||
| Malay | gambar | ||
| Gambar is derived from the Sanskrit word 'chitra' meaning 'painted'. | |||
| Thai | ภาพ | ||
| The Thai word "ภาพ" (picture) derives from the Sanskrit word "bimba" (reflection, image), which is also the root of the English word "image". | |||
| Vietnamese | hình ảnh | ||
| The literal meaning of "hình ảnh" in Vietnamese is "form-image" or "image of form", indicating that an image is a reproduction of the visible form of something. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | larawan | ||
Picture in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | şəkil | ||
| 'Şəkil' is also the name of a city in Azerbaijan and means 'city' in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | сурет | ||
| The word "сурет" in Kazakh can also refer to an "image" in the sense of a mental representation, as in "a picture of the past". | |||
| Kyrgyz | сүрөт | ||
| The word "сүрөт" also means "icon" or "painting" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | расм | ||
| The Tajik word "расм" is derived from the Persian word "نقش" (naqsh), meaning "mark" or "design". | |||
| Turkmen | surat | ||
| Uzbek | rasm | ||
| "Rasm" can also mean "drawing" or "sketch" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | رەسىم | ||
Picture in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kiʻi | ||
| The Hawaiian word "kiʻi" also means "idol" or "statue". | |||
| Maori | pikitia | ||
| The Maori word "pikitia" also means "to draw, paint, or photograph". | |||
| Samoan | ata | ||
| The word "ata" can also mean "shadow" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | larawan | ||
Picture in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jamuqa | ||
| Guarani | ha'ãnga | ||
Picture in International Languages
| Esperanto | bildo | ||
| "Bildo" is related to the English "build," as photographs were originally constructed using a series of exposures. | |||
| Latin | picturae | ||
| The word "picturae" in Latin is the plural form of "pictura," which means "painting" or "representation." | |||
Picture in Others Languages
| Greek | εικόνα | ||
| The word "εικόνα" originates from the Greek verb "εικώ" (eikō), meaning "to resemble" or "to be like". | |||
| Hmong | daim duab | ||
| 'Daim duab' is a compound word, consisting of 'daim' (something visible) and 'duab' (to carve or draw). It refers to both the act of creating a picture and the picture itself. | |||
| Kurdish | sûret | ||
| "Sûret" shares a root with the word "surat" in Arabic, meaning "face". | |||
| Turkish | resim | ||
| 'Resim' has its roots in the Ottoman Turkish word 'resim' and the Arabic word 'rasm', meaning 'trace' or 'sketch'. It is also used to refer to a painting or drawing, and formerly a book or a letter. | |||
| Xhosa | umfanekiso | ||
| The Xhosa word "umfanekiso" is derived from the verb "ukufanekisa," meaning "to resemble" or "to make an image." | |||
| Yiddish | בילד | ||
| The Yiddish word בילד derives from the German Bild, which comes from the Old High German bilidi, ultimately tracing back to the Latin picto (to paint). | |||
| Zulu | isithombe | ||
| The Zulu word 'isithombe' derives from the verb 'ukuthomba' meaning 'to point at' or 'to show'. | |||
| Assamese | ছৱি | ||
| Aymara | jamuqa | ||
| Bhojpuri | तसवीर | ||
| Dhivehi | ފޮޓޯ | ||
| Dogri | तसवीर | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | larawan | ||
| Guarani | ha'ãnga | ||
| Ilocano | ladawan | ||
| Krio | pikchɔ | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | وێنە | ||
| Maithili | छवि | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯃꯤ | ||
| Mizo | milem | ||
| Oromo | suuraa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଛବି | ||
| Quechua | rikchay | ||
| Sanskrit | चित्र | ||
| Tatar | рәсем | ||
| Tigrinya | ስእሊ | ||
| Tsonga | xifaniso | ||