Poem in Different Languages
Discover 'Poem' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
A poem is a beautiful expression of emotions, thoughts, and ideas, often using a rhythmic and rhyming structure. Poems have been a part of human culture for thousands of years, with some of the earliest known poems dating back to ancient civilizations such as the Sumerians and Egyptians. The significance of poetry lies in its ability to convey complex ideas and emotions in a concise and memorable way, making it a powerful tool for communication and self-expression.
Throughout history, poems have played an important role in shaping cultural values and traditions. From the epic poems of Homer and Virgil to the sonnets of Shakespeare and the free verse of Walt Whitman, poems have inspired generations of readers and writers alike. In many cultures, poems are still recited and performed as a way of celebrating important events and milestones.
Understanding the translation of the word 'poem' in different languages can provide insight into the cultural significance of poetry around the world. For example, in Spanish, a poem is called 'poema', while in French, it is 'poème'. In German, the word for poem is 'Gedicht', and in Japanese, it is '詩' (shi). By exploring these translations, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the rich cultural heritage of poetry and its enduring appeal across languages and borders.
Poem
Poem in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | gedig | ||
| The word "gedig" in Afrikaans originates from the Dutch word "gedicht" and also means "monument" or "deed". | |||
| Amharic | ግጥም | ||
| The Amharic word "ግጥም" comes from the Ge'ez word "ግጥ" which means "thought". Thus, its literal translation would be "an expression of thought". | |||
| Hausa | waka | ||
| In Hausa, "waka" also refers to a genre of traditional folk literature that combines poetry, music, and dance. | |||
| Igbo | abu | ||
| The word 'abu' can also refer to a type of musical instrument or a song | |||
| Malagasy | tononkalo | ||
| The word "tononkalo" can also refer to the song of birds. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ndakatulo | ||
| Ndakatulo can also refer to a 'myth or legend,' or even an 'apocryphal or allegorical tale'. | |||
| Shona | nhetembo | ||
| The word "nhetembo" originally meant "a type of dance" in Shona, and later came to be used for "poem". | |||
| Somali | gabay | ||
| The Somali word "gabay" is derived from the Arabic word "qasida," which means "ode" or "long poem." | |||
| Sesotho | thothokiso | ||
| The word "thothokiso" in Sesotho can also mean "a song" or "a saying". | |||
| Swahili | shairi | ||
| The word 'shairi' is also used to refer to the poetic form of 'utendi,' a long narrative poem | |||
| Xhosa | umbongo | ||
| Umbongo may also refer to a type of tree or wood in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | ewi | ||
| In the Yoruba language, 'ewi' also signifies 'song' or 'lyric', highlighting the close relationship between poetry and music in Yoruba culture. | |||
| Zulu | inkondlo | ||
| The Zulu word 'inkondlo' is also used to refer to a traditional form of praise poetry that is performed at ceremonies and special occasions. | |||
| Bambara | poyi | ||
| Ewe | hakpanya | ||
| Kinyarwanda | igisigo | ||
| Lingala | poeme | ||
| Luganda | ekitontome | ||
| Sepedi | sereto | ||
| Twi (Akan) | anwensɛm | ||
Poem in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | قصيدة | ||
| The word "قصيدة" ("poem") in Arabic derives from the root "قصد" ("to aim, intend"), indicating the deliberate and purposeful nature of poetic expression. | |||
| Hebrew | שִׁיר | ||
| The Hebrew word "שִׁיר" (poem) can also refer to a musical instrument or a song in the Bible. | |||
| Pashto | شعر | ||
| The Pashto word "شعر" ("poem") also means "light" or "illumination." | |||
| Arabic | قصيدة | ||
| The word "قصيدة" ("poem") in Arabic derives from the root "قصد" ("to aim, intend"), indicating the deliberate and purposeful nature of poetic expression. | |||
Poem in Western European Languages
| Albanian | poemë | ||
| The Albanian word "poemë" comes from the Ancient Greek word "poiema," meaning "a thing made." | |||
| Basque | poema | ||
| The Basque word “poema” can also refer to a “song”. | |||
| Catalan | poema | ||
| "Poema" is also an archaic word for "song" in Catalan. | |||
| Croatian | pjesma | ||
| The word "pjesma" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "pěsĭma", meaning "song", and is cognate with the Latin word "poema". | |||
| Danish | digt | ||
| "Digt" originally meant "dictum" in Old Norse and "statement" in Danish, before acquiring its current meaning in the 20th century. | |||
| Dutch | gedicht | ||
| The Dutch word "gedicht" is related to the Middle Low German "gedichte", meaning "that which is put together or composed." | |||
| English | poem | ||
| The word “poem” is derived from the Greek “poiema,” meaning “made" or “created". | |||
| French | poème | ||
| The word "poème" in French derives from the Greek word "ποίημα" (poiema), meaning "a thing made" or "a creation." | |||
| Frisian | gedicht | ||
| Although 'gedicht' means 'poem' in Frisian, it is derived from the verb for 'thinking' ('thinke'). | |||
| Galician | poema | ||
| A Galician "poema" can also be a piece of music. | |||
| German | gedicht | ||
| The word "Gedicht" derives from the Middle High German word "getiht", which meant "composition" or "something that is composed." | |||
| Icelandic | ljóð | ||
| Old Norse *ljóðr means "song, voice, speaking, poem," also in runes on the Tune stone as the proper name of a woman | |||
| Irish | dán | ||
| The word 'dán' in Irish is derived from the Proto-Celtic root *dēn- ('song, poem') and is also related to the Latin word 'carmen' ('song, poem'). | |||
| Italian | poesia | ||
| "Poesía" in Spanish can also refer to "poetry" or "verse". | |||
| Luxembourgish | gedicht | ||
| The origin of the word "Gedicht" in Luxembourgish is likely related to the German "gedichtet," meaning "composed" or "created". | |||
| Maltese | poeżija | ||
| The Maltese word "poeżija" derives from the Italian "poesia" and the Latin "poēsis," meaning "(act of) making, creating." | |||
| Norwegian | dikt | ||
| The word "dikt" originates from the Old Norse word "dikta", which means "to tell" or "to compose." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | poema | ||
| The word "poema" in Portuguese can also refer to a song or a piece of music. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dàn | ||
| The word 'dàn' can also refer to a piece of music or a song. | |||
| Spanish | poema | ||
| The word "poema" comes from the Greek word "poiema," meaning "something made". | |||
| Swedish | dikt | ||
| The word "dikt" is derived from the Old Norse word "dikta", which means "to compose" or "to write". | |||
| Welsh | cerdd | ||
| The word "cerdd" in Welsh also refers to a craft or art, and can be used to describe music, poetry, and other forms of artistic expression. | |||
Poem in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | верш | ||
| В белорусском языке слово «верш» также означает «верхушка дерева». | |||
| Bosnian | pesma | ||
| The word 'pesma' in Bosnian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'pěsьmъ', which referred to both 'singing' and 'song' | |||
| Bulgarian | стихотворение | ||
| The word "стихотворение" is derived from the Old Slavonic word "стихъ," meaning "line" or "row," and refers to the linear arrangement of words in a poem. | |||
| Czech | báseň | ||
| The word 'báseň' is of Slavic origin, and it originally meant 'enchantment' or 'magic spell'. | |||
| Estonian | luuletus | ||
| "Luuletus" might have been derived from the Finnish word "luule" or "luula", meaning "to believe". | |||
| Finnish | runo | ||
| In Medieval Finnish, 'runo' also meant a magical formula or song | |||
| Hungarian | vers | ||
| The Hungarian word "vers" is derived from the Latin word "versus", meaning "a turning", "a line of poetry", or "a verse". | |||
| Latvian | dzejolis | ||
| The word “dzejolis” (poem) is derived from the Proto-Baltic word *dzejā- (“song”). | |||
| Lithuanian | eilėraštis | ||
| The Lithuanian word "eilėraštis" is derived from the root "eilė", which means "row", implying a sequence or arrangement of words. | |||
| Macedonian | песна | ||
| The word "песна" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *pěsnъ, meaning "song" or "poem." | |||
| Polish | wiersz | ||
| «Wiersz» derives from Middle Low German «verse» and originally meant a single line or stanza. | |||
| Romanian | poem | ||
| In Romanian, "poem" can also refer to a poetic composition. | |||
| Russian | стих | ||
| "Стих" means "poem" but also means "line" and is borrowed from Ancient Greek "στίχος" meaning "row, line," from "στείχω" - "go, walk." | |||
| Serbian | песма | ||
| The word 'pesma' is also used to refer to a type of traditional Serbian folk song. | |||
| Slovak | báseň | ||
| The word "báseň" can also refer to a "fable" or "legend" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | pesem | ||
| The Slovenian word "pesem" has alternate meanings such as "song" and "singing". | |||
| Ukrainian | вірш | ||
| The Ukrainian word "вірш" (poem) is cognate with the Old Church Slavonic "врѣшти" (to speak aloud), suggesting a performative aspect to early poetry. | |||
Poem in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কবিতা | ||
| The word "কবিতা" (poem) is derived from the Sanskrit word "कविता" (kavita), which means "composition" or "poetry". | |||
| Gujarati | કવિતા | ||
| A poetic composition often employing rhythmic and rhyming language. | |||
| Hindi | कविता | ||
| The word "कविता" is derived from the Sanskrit feminine noun "कव" (kavi), meaning "a poet" or "a sage". | |||
| Kannada | ಕವಿತೆ | ||
| The word 'ಕವಿತೆ' (poem) in Kannada is derived from the Sanskrit word 'कविता' (kavita), which means 'composition'. | |||
| Malayalam | കവിത | ||
| The Malayalam word "കവിത" is etymologically related to the Sanskrit word "कविता" (kavita) and the Tamil word "கவிதை" (kavidai), all of which ultimately derive from the Proto-Dravidian root *kav- meaning "to praise". In addition to "poem", "കവിത" can also refer to any literary work, regardless of its genre. | |||
| Marathi | कविता | ||
| The word "कविता" derives from the Sanskrit word "कवि" meaning "enchant, speak" and "त" "enchantment, that which speaks, speech." | |||
| Nepali | कविता | ||
| "कविता" is derived from the Sanskrit word "कवि" meaning "poet". | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਵਿਤਾ | ||
| The word "ਕਵਿਤਾ" (poem) in Punjabi originates from the Sanskrit word "कविता" (poetry), which in turn derives from the root "कवि" (poet). | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කවිය | ||
| The Sinhalese word "කවිය" is also a measure unit equal to 60 seconds and 100 කවිය make an hour. | |||
| Tamil | கவிதை | ||
| "கவிதை" translates to "poem" in English, but originates from the word "kav" meaning "to utter" or "to narrate". | |||
| Telugu | పద్యం | ||
| The word 'పద్యం' (padyaṁ) derives from Sanskrit 'पद्य' (padya), which also means 'foot' or 'verse' | |||
| Urdu | نظم | ||
| The word "نظم" in Urdu is derived from the Arabic root "نظم" meaning "to arrange," "to regulate," or "to compose." | |||
Poem in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 诗 | ||
| The character "诗" can also refer to the genre of "poetry" or a specific "poetic composition." | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 詩 | ||
| Besides its primary meaning as "poem", 詩 can also mean "poetic genre", "poetics", and a "poetic spirit or mood". | |||
| Japanese | 詩 | ||
| The character "詩" can also mean "poetry" or "poetics". | |||
| Korean | 시 | ||
| The word "시" (poem) in Korean is cognate with the Chinese "詩", which also means "poem". | |||
| Mongolian | шүлэг | ||
| Шүлэг also means 'arrow made of reed'. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကဗျာ | ||
| The word "ကဗျာ" derives from Pali and Sanskrit "kavya" meaning "poetic composition" or "a poet's work". | |||
Poem in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | puisi | ||
| The word "puisi" comes from the Sanskrit word "prasaasti," meaning "eulogy" or "inscription." | |||
| Javanese | geguritan | ||
| Geguritan refers to a kind of traditional Javanese song as well as a literary genre. | |||
| Khmer | កំណាព្យ | ||
| The Khmer word "កំណាព្យ" can also refer to a specific type of Khmer verse consisting of four lines, each with seven syllables. | |||
| Lao | ບົດກະວີ | ||
| Malay | puisi | ||
| "Puisi" can also mean "rhythmic" or "rhythmical language" in Malay. | |||
| Thai | บทกวี | ||
| บทกวี" is derived from Sanskrit "pat" (to read), meaning "something to be read aloud." | |||
| Vietnamese | bài thơ | ||
| The word "bài thơ" also means "chess game" in Vietnamese, and derives from a combination of the words "bài" (game) and "thơ" (poetry). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tula | ||
Poem in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | şeir | ||
| The word "şeir" in Azerbaijani derives from the Arabic word "shi'r", meaning "verse" or "poetry". | |||
| Kazakh | өлең | ||
| "Өлең" originally meant "knowledge" or "wisdom" in Old Turkic, and is cognate with the Mongolian word "үлгер" (story). | |||
| Kyrgyz | поэма | ||
| Kyrgyz "поэма" word is derived from Russian, originally borrowed from Greek, "ποίημα" (poíēma), meaning "thing made, composition, work". | |||
| Tajik | шеър | ||
| In Tajik, the word "шеър" can also refer to a portion or share, as in a distribution of inheritance. | |||
| Turkmen | goşgy | ||
| Uzbek | she'r | ||
| The word "she'r" ("poem") in Uzbek is derived from the Arabic word "shi'r" which also means "verse", "stanza" or "line" in poetry. | |||
| Uyghur | شېئىر | ||
Poem in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | mele mele | ||
| The Hawaiian word 'mele' translates to 'song' but has also historically meant 'spell,' as well as 'chant.' | |||
| Maori | whiti | ||
| The word "whiti" in Maori also refers to the chanting of genealogies and traditional songs. | |||
| Samoan | solo | ||
| "Solo" has three different meanings in Samoan: it means "solo," "a single person," and "a small amount." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | tula | ||
| "Tula" is derived from the Sanskrit word "shloka," meaning "verse". | |||
Poem in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | chapar aru | ||
| Guarani | ñe'ẽpoty | ||
Poem in International Languages
| Esperanto | poemo | ||
| "Poemo" also means "piece of music written to be sung" or "song". | |||
| Latin | carmen | ||
| Carmen in Latin can refer to a song or incantation in addition to its primary meaning. | |||
Poem in Others Languages
| Greek | ποίημα | ||
| The word "ποίημα" in Greek can also mean "creation" or "work" in a broader sense. | |||
| Hmong | paj huam | ||
| According to Bradley (1999), pajhuam originally meant “word(s) of a song”, from paj “word” and huam “song”. | |||
| Kurdish | helbest | ||
| The Kurdish word 'helbest' originates from the Avestan language, and means 'to speak, to recite, or to compose'. In the Avestan language, it is composed of two parts: the prefix 'he', which means 'good', and the root 'lb', which means 'to burn, to blaze'. Thus, the word 'helbest' has connotations of 'lighting or igniting the flame of language' and 'creating something of lasting value'. | |||
| Turkish | şiir | ||
| In Turkish, "şiir" means poem, but it can also refer to a type of spiritual chant or incantation. | |||
| Xhosa | umbongo | ||
| Umbongo may also refer to a type of tree or wood in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | ליד | ||
| The Yiddish word "ליד" shares its roots with the German "Lied" and the English "lay". | |||
| Zulu | inkondlo | ||
| The Zulu word 'inkondlo' is also used to refer to a traditional form of praise poetry that is performed at ceremonies and special occasions. | |||
| Assamese | কবিতা | ||
| Aymara | chapar aru | ||
| Bhojpuri | कविता | ||
| Dhivehi | ޅެން | ||
| Dogri | कविता | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tula | ||
| Guarani | ñe'ẽpoty | ||
| Ilocano | daniw | ||
| Krio | pɔym | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هۆنراوە | ||
| Maithili | कबिता | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯩꯔꯦꯡ | ||
| Mizo | hlathuhril | ||
| Oromo | walaloo | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କବିତା | ||
| Quechua | harawi | ||
| Sanskrit | काव्य | ||
| Tatar | шигырь | ||
| Tigrinya | ግጥሚ | ||
| Tsonga | xitlhokovetselo | ||