Afrikaans gedig | ||
Albanian poemë | ||
Amharic ግጥም | ||
Arabic قصيدة | ||
Armenian բանաստեղծություն | ||
Assamese কবিতা | ||
Aymara chapar aru | ||
Azerbaijani şeir | ||
Bambara poyi | ||
Basque poema | ||
Belarusian верш | ||
Bengali কবিতা | ||
Bhojpuri कविता | ||
Bosnian pesma | ||
Bulgarian стихотворение | ||
Catalan poema | ||
Cebuano balak | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 诗 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 詩 | ||
Corsican puema | ||
Croatian pjesma | ||
Czech báseň | ||
Danish digt | ||
Dhivehi ޅެން | ||
Dogri कविता | ||
Dutch gedicht | ||
English poem | ||
Esperanto poemo | ||
Estonian luuletus | ||
Ewe hakpanya | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) tula | ||
Finnish runo | ||
French poème | ||
Frisian gedicht | ||
Galician poema | ||
Georgian პოემა | ||
German gedicht | ||
Greek ποίημα | ||
Guarani ñe'ẽpoty | ||
Gujarati કવિતા | ||
Haitian Creole powèm | ||
Hausa waka | ||
Hawaiian mele mele | ||
Hebrew שִׁיר | ||
Hindi कविता | ||
Hmong paj huam | ||
Hungarian vers | ||
Icelandic ljóð | ||
Igbo abu | ||
Ilocano daniw | ||
Indonesian puisi | ||
Irish dán | ||
Italian poesia | ||
Japanese 詩 | ||
Javanese geguritan | ||
Kannada ಕವಿತೆ | ||
Kazakh өлең | ||
Khmer កំណាព្យ | ||
Kinyarwanda igisigo | ||
Konkani कविता | ||
Korean 시 | ||
Krio pɔym | ||
Kurdish helbest | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) هۆنراوە | ||
Kyrgyz поэма | ||
Lao ບົດກະວີ | ||
Latin carmen | ||
Latvian dzejolis | ||
Lingala poeme | ||
Lithuanian eilėraštis | ||
Luganda ekitontome | ||
Luxembourgish gedicht | ||
Macedonian песна | ||
Maithili कबिता | ||
Malagasy tononkalo | ||
Malay puisi | ||
Malayalam കവിത | ||
Maltese poeżija | ||
Maori whiti | ||
Marathi कविता | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯁꯩꯔꯦꯡ | ||
Mizo hlathuhril | ||
Mongolian шүлэг | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ကဗျာ | ||
Nepali कविता | ||
Norwegian dikt | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) ndakatulo | ||
Odia (Oriya) କବିତା | ||
Oromo walaloo | ||
Pashto شعر | ||
Persian شعر | ||
Polish wiersz | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) poema | ||
Punjabi ਕਵਿਤਾ | ||
Quechua harawi | ||
Romanian poem | ||
Russian стих | ||
Samoan solo | ||
Sanskrit काव्य | ||
Scots Gaelic dàn | ||
Sepedi sereto | ||
Serbian песма | ||
Sesotho thothokiso | ||
Shona nhetembo | ||
Sindhi نظم | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) කවිය | ||
Slovak báseň | ||
Slovenian pesem | ||
Somali gabay | ||
Spanish poema | ||
Sundanese pantun | ||
Swahili shairi | ||
Swedish dikt | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) tula | ||
Tajik шеър | ||
Tamil கவிதை | ||
Tatar шигырь | ||
Telugu పద్యం | ||
Thai บทกวี | ||
Tigrinya ግጥሚ | ||
Tsonga xitlhokovetselo | ||
Turkish şiir | ||
Turkmen goşgy | ||
Twi (Akan) anwensɛm | ||
Ukrainian вірш | ||
Urdu نظم | ||
Uyghur شېئىر | ||
Uzbek she'r | ||
Vietnamese bài thơ | ||
Welsh cerdd | ||
Xhosa umbongo | ||
Yiddish ליד | ||
Yoruba ewi | ||
Zulu inkondlo |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The word "gedig" in Afrikaans originates from the Dutch word "gedicht" and also means "monument" or "deed". |
| Albanian | The Albanian word "poemë" comes from the Ancient Greek word "poiema," meaning "a thing made." |
| Amharic | The Amharic word "ግጥም" comes from the Ge'ez word "ግጥ" which means "thought". Thus, its literal translation would be "an expression of thought". |
| Arabic | The word "قصيدة" ("poem") in Arabic derives from the root "قصد" ("to aim, intend"), indicating the deliberate and purposeful nature of poetic expression. |
| Armenian | Բանաստեղծություն, originally meaning "narration or composition of a story" in Armenian, has acquired the specific meaning of "poem" due to the influence of Western literary and philosophical traditions. |
| Azerbaijani | The word "şeir" in Azerbaijani derives from the Arabic word "shi'r", meaning "verse" or "poetry". |
| Basque | The Basque word “poema” can also refer to a “song”. |
| Belarusian | В белорусском языке слово «верш» также означает «верхушка дерева». |
| Bengali | The word "কবিতা" (poem) is derived from the Sanskrit word "कविता" (kavita), which means "composition" or "poetry". |
| Bosnian | The word 'pesma' in Bosnian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'pěsьmъ', which referred to both 'singing' and 'song' |
| Bulgarian | 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. |
| Catalan | "Poema" is also an archaic word for "song" in Catalan. |
| Cebuano | The Cebuano word "balak" is also used to refer to a riddle, a proverb, or a song. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The character "诗" can also refer to the genre of "poetry" or a specific "poetic composition." |
| Chinese (Traditional) | Besides its primary meaning as "poem", 詩 can also mean "poetic genre", "poetics", and a "poetic spirit or mood". |
| Corsican | In Corsican, "puema" can also refer specifically to a traditional type of narrative song. |
| Croatian | The word "pjesma" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "pěsĭma", meaning "song", and is cognate with the Latin word "poema". |
| Czech | The word 'báseň' is of Slavic origin, and it originally meant 'enchantment' or 'magic spell'. |
| Danish | "Digt" originally meant "dictum" in Old Norse and "statement" in Danish, before acquiring its current meaning in the 20th century. |
| Dutch | The Dutch word "gedicht" is related to the Middle Low German "gedichte", meaning "that which is put together or composed." |
| Esperanto | "Poemo" also means "piece of music written to be sung" or "song". |
| Estonian | "Luuletus" might have been derived from the Finnish word "luule" or "luula", meaning "to believe". |
| Finnish | In Medieval Finnish, 'runo' also meant a magical formula or song |
| French | The word "poème" in French derives from the Greek word "ποίημα" (poiema), meaning "a thing made" or "a creation." |
| Frisian | Although 'gedicht' means 'poem' in Frisian, it is derived from the verb for 'thinking' ('thinke'). |
| Galician | A Galician "poema" can also be a piece of music. |
| Georgian | The word "პოემა" in Georgian is derived from the Greek word "ποίημα", meaning "creation" or "product"} |
| German | The word "Gedicht" derives from the Middle High German word "getiht", which meant "composition" or "something that is composed." |
| Greek | The word "ποίημα" in Greek can also mean "creation" or "work" in a broader sense. |
| Gujarati | A poetic composition often employing rhythmic and rhyming language. |
| Haitian Creole | Powèm, pronounced pow-em, is a French loanword that originally meant "piece of verse" in Haitian Creole. |
| Hausa | In Hausa, "waka" also refers to a genre of traditional folk literature that combines poetry, music, and dance. |
| Hawaiian | The Hawaiian word 'mele' translates to 'song' but has also historically meant 'spell,' as well as 'chant.' |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word "שִׁיר" (poem) can also refer to a musical instrument or a song in the Bible. |
| Hindi | The word "कविता" is derived from the Sanskrit feminine noun "कव" (kavi), meaning "a poet" or "a sage". |
| Hmong | According to Bradley (1999), pajhuam originally meant “word(s) of a song”, from paj “word” and huam “song”. |
| Hungarian | The Hungarian word "vers" is derived from the Latin word "versus", meaning "a turning", "a line of poetry", or "a verse". |
| Icelandic | Old Norse *ljóðr means "song, voice, speaking, poem," also in runes on the Tune stone as the proper name of a woman |
| Igbo | The word 'abu' can also refer to a type of musical instrument or a song |
| Indonesian | The word "puisi" comes from the Sanskrit word "prasaasti," meaning "eulogy" or "inscription." |
| Irish | 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 | "Poesía" in Spanish can also refer to "poetry" or "verse". |
| Japanese | The character "詩" can also mean "poetry" or "poetics". |
| Javanese | Geguritan refers to a kind of traditional Javanese song as well as a literary genre. |
| Kannada | The word 'ಕವಿತೆ' (poem) in Kannada is derived from the Sanskrit word 'कविता' (kavita), which means 'composition'. |
| Kazakh | "Өлең" originally meant "knowledge" or "wisdom" in Old Turkic, and is cognate with the Mongolian word "үлгер" (story). |
| Khmer | The Khmer word "កំណាព្យ" can also refer to a specific type of Khmer verse consisting of four lines, each with seven syllables. |
| Korean | The word "시" (poem) in Korean is cognate with the Chinese "詩", which also means "poem". |
| Kurdish | 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'. |
| Kyrgyz | Kyrgyz "поэма" word is derived from Russian, originally borrowed from Greek, "ποίημα" (poíēma), meaning "thing made, composition, work". |
| Latin | Carmen in Latin can refer to a song or incantation in addition to its primary meaning. |
| Latvian | The word “dzejolis” (poem) is derived from the Proto-Baltic word *dzejā- (“song”). |
| Lithuanian | The Lithuanian word "eilėraštis" is derived from the root "eilė", which means "row", implying a sequence or arrangement of words. |
| Luxembourgish | The origin of the word "Gedicht" in Luxembourgish is likely related to the German "gedichtet," meaning "composed" or "created". |
| Macedonian | The word "песна" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *pěsnъ, meaning "song" or "poem." |
| Malagasy | The word "tononkalo" can also refer to the song of birds. |
| Malay | "Puisi" can also mean "rhythmic" or "rhythmical language" in Malay. |
| Malayalam | 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. |
| Maltese | The Maltese word "poeżija" derives from the Italian "poesia" and the Latin "poēsis," meaning "(act of) making, creating." |
| Maori | The word "whiti" in Maori also refers to the chanting of genealogies and traditional songs. |
| Marathi | The word "कविता" derives from the Sanskrit word "कवि" meaning "enchant, speak" and "त" "enchantment, that which speaks, speech." |
| Mongolian | Шүлэг also means 'arrow made of reed'. |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | The word "ကဗျာ" derives from Pali and Sanskrit "kavya" meaning "poetic composition" or "a poet's work". |
| Nepali | "कविता" is derived from the Sanskrit word "कवि" meaning "poet". |
| Norwegian | The word "dikt" originates from the Old Norse word "dikta", which means "to tell" or "to compose." |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | Ndakatulo can also refer to a 'myth or legend,' or even an 'apocryphal or allegorical tale'. |
| Pashto | The Pashto word "شعر" ("poem") also means "light" or "illumination." |
| Persian | The word "شعر" in Persian has its roots in the Arabic word "شعور" (perception, consciousness), alluding to poetry's ability to evoke emotions and thoughts. |
| Polish | «Wiersz» derives from Middle Low German «verse» and originally meant a single line or stanza. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The word "poema" in Portuguese can also refer to a song or a piece of music. |
| Punjabi | The word "ਕਵਿਤਾ" (poem) in Punjabi originates from the Sanskrit word "कविता" (poetry), which in turn derives from the root "कवि" (poet). |
| Romanian | In Romanian, "poem" can also refer to a poetic composition. |
| Russian | "Стих" means "poem" but also means "line" and is borrowed from Ancient Greek "στίχος" meaning "row, line," from "στείχω" - "go, walk." |
| Samoan | "Solo" has three different meanings in Samoan: it means "solo," "a single person," and "a small amount." |
| Scots Gaelic | The word 'dàn' can also refer to a piece of music or a song. |
| Serbian | The word 'pesma' is also used to refer to a type of traditional Serbian folk song. |
| Sesotho | The word "thothokiso" in Sesotho can also mean "a song" or "a saying". |
| Shona | The word "nhetembo" originally meant "a type of dance" in Shona, and later came to be used for "poem". |
| Sindhi | "نظم" in Sindhi also means "to set right". |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The Sinhalese word "කවිය" is also a measure unit equal to 60 seconds and 100 කවිය make an hour. |
| Slovak | The word "báseň" can also refer to a "fable" or "legend" in Slovak. |
| Slovenian | The Slovenian word "pesem" has alternate meanings such as "song" and "singing". |
| Somali | The Somali word "gabay" is derived from the Arabic word "qasida," which means "ode" or "long poem." |
| Spanish | The word "poema" comes from the Greek word "poiema," meaning "something made". |
| Sundanese | In Sundanese, the word "pantun" also refers to a type of traditional song sung in a specific melody. |
| Swahili | The word 'shairi' is also used to refer to the poetic form of 'utendi,' a long narrative poem |
| Swedish | The word "dikt" is derived from the Old Norse word "dikta", which means "to compose" or "to write". |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | "Tula" is derived from the Sanskrit word "shloka," meaning "verse". |
| Tajik | In Tajik, the word "шеър" can also refer to a portion or share, as in a distribution of inheritance. |
| Tamil | "கவிதை" translates to "poem" in English, but originates from the word "kav" meaning "to utter" or "to narrate". |
| Telugu | The word 'పద్యం' (padyaṁ) derives from Sanskrit 'पद्य' (padya), which also means 'foot' or 'verse' |
| Thai | บทกวี" is derived from Sanskrit "pat" (to read), meaning "something to be read aloud." |
| Turkish | In Turkish, "şiir" means poem, but it can also refer to a type of spiritual chant or incantation. |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word "вірш" (poem) is cognate with the Old Church Slavonic "врѣшти" (to speak aloud), suggesting a performative aspect to early poetry. |
| Urdu | The word "نظم" in Urdu is derived from the Arabic root "نظم" meaning "to arrange," "to regulate," or "to compose." |
| Uzbek | The word "she'r" ("poem") in Uzbek is derived from the Arabic word "shi'r" which also means "verse", "stanza" or "line" in poetry. |
| Vietnamese | The word "bài thơ" also means "chess game" in Vietnamese, and derives from a combination of the words "bài" (game) and "thơ" (poetry). |
| Welsh | 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. |
| Xhosa | Umbongo may also refer to a type of tree or wood in Xhosa. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "ליד" shares its roots with the German "Lied" and the English "lay". |
| Yoruba | In the Yoruba language, 'ewi' also signifies 'song' or 'lyric', highlighting the close relationship between poetry and music in Yoruba culture. |
| Zulu | The Zulu word 'inkondlo' is also used to refer to a traditional form of praise poetry that is performed at ceremonies and special occasions. |
| English | The word “poem” is derived from the Greek “poiema,” meaning “made" or “created". |