Afrikaans digter | ||
Albanian poeti | ||
Amharic ገጣሚ | ||
Arabic شاعر | ||
Armenian բանաստեղծ | ||
Assamese কবি | ||
Aymara poeta satawa | ||
Azerbaijani şair | ||
Bambara poyikɛla | ||
Basque poeta | ||
Belarusian паэт | ||
Bengali কবি | ||
Bhojpuri कवि के ह | ||
Bosnian pjesnik | ||
Bulgarian поет | ||
Catalan poeta | ||
Cebuano magbabalak | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 诗人 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 詩人 | ||
Corsican pueta | ||
Croatian pjesnik | ||
Czech básník | ||
Danish digter | ||
Dhivehi ޅެންވެރިޔާ އެވެ | ||
Dogri कवि जी | ||
Dutch dichter | ||
English poet | ||
Esperanto poeto | ||
Estonian luuletaja | ||
Ewe hakpanyaŋlɔla | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) makata | ||
Finnish runoilija | ||
French poète | ||
Frisian dichter | ||
Galician poeta | ||
Georgian პოეტი | ||
German dichter | ||
Greek ποιητής | ||
Guarani ñe’ẽpapára | ||
Gujarati કવિ | ||
Haitian Creole powèt | ||
Hausa mawaki | ||
Hawaiian haku mele | ||
Hebrew מְשׁוֹרֵר | ||
Hindi कवि | ||
Hmong kws sau paj lug | ||
Hungarian költő | ||
Icelandic skáld | ||
Igbo abu abu | ||
Ilocano mannaniw | ||
Indonesian penyair | ||
Irish file | ||
Italian poeta | ||
Japanese 詩人 | ||
Javanese pujangga | ||
Kannada ಕವಿ | ||
Kazakh ақын | ||
Khmer កំណាព្យ | ||
Kinyarwanda umusizi | ||
Konkani कवी | ||
Korean 시인 | ||
Krio pɔsin we de rayt poem | ||
Kurdish helbestvan | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) شاعیر | ||
Kyrgyz акын | ||
Lao ນັກກະວີ | ||
Latin poeta | ||
Latvian dzejnieks | ||
Lingala poɛmi ya maloba ya ntɔki | ||
Lithuanian poetas | ||
Luganda omutontomi | ||
Luxembourgish dichter | ||
Macedonian поет | ||
Maithili कवि | ||
Malagasy poety | ||
Malay penyair | ||
Malayalam കവി | ||
Maltese poeta | ||
Maori rohipehe | ||
Marathi कवी | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯀꯕꯤ꯫ | ||
Mizo hla phuah thiam | ||
Mongolian яруу найрагч | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ကဗျာဆရာ | ||
Nepali कवि | ||
Norwegian dikter | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) wolemba ndakatulo | ||
Odia (Oriya) କବି | ||
Oromo walaloo barreessaa | ||
Pashto شاعر | ||
Persian شاعر | ||
Polish poeta | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) poeta | ||
Punjabi ਕਵੀ | ||
Quechua harawiq | ||
Romanian poet | ||
Russian поэт | ||
Samoan fatusolo | ||
Sanskrit कविः | ||
Scots Gaelic bàrd | ||
Sepedi sereti | ||
Serbian песник | ||
Sesotho seroki | ||
Shona mudetembi | ||
Sindhi شاعر | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) කවියා | ||
Slovak básnik | ||
Slovenian pesnik | ||
Somali abwaan | ||
Spanish poeta | ||
Sundanese pujangga | ||
Swahili mshairi | ||
Swedish poet | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) makata | ||
Tajik шоир | ||
Tamil கவிஞர் | ||
Tatar шагыйрь | ||
Telugu కవి | ||
Thai กวี | ||
Tigrinya ገጣሚ | ||
Tsonga mutlhokovetseri | ||
Turkish şair | ||
Turkmen şahyr | ||
Twi (Akan) anwensɛm kyerɛwfo | ||
Ukrainian поет | ||
Urdu شاعر | ||
Uyghur شائىر | ||
Uzbek shoir | ||
Vietnamese bài thơ | ||
Welsh bardd | ||
Xhosa imbongi | ||
Yiddish דיכטער | ||
Yoruba akéwì | ||
Zulu imbongi |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word "digter" derives from the Dutch "dichter" and the Old English "dyhtan" (to compose) and shares a root with the Latin "dictare" (to dictate). |
| Albanian | The word "poeti" in Albanian, meaning "poet," derives from the Latin "poeta". |
| Amharic | In Amharic, the word "ገጣሚ" can also refer to a "speaker" or "singer". |
| Arabic | The word "شاعر" originates from the verb "شعَر" (to have feelings), highlighting the connection between poetry and expression of emotions. |
| Armenian | The term "բանաստեղծ" has evolved over time in Armenian with different connotations, including a "storyteller" and a "writer of history." |
| Azerbaijani | "Şair" in Azerbaijani also means "writer" or "singer". |
| Basque | Poeta, in Basque, is an abbreviation of the compound word "poesi eragile" (literally "poetry doer"). |
| Belarusian | The Belarusian word "паэт" also means "one who knows how to read and write" and is related to the verb "пісаць" (pisatst) meaning "to write." |
| Bengali | The word "poet" in Bangla, "কবি", can also mean "prophet" or "mystic" in some religious contexts. |
| Bosnian | The word 'pjesnik' originates from the Slavic root 'pěsnь' meaning 'song', thus connecting the poet with the singer of ancient songs. |
| Bulgarian | The Bulgarian word "поет" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *pěti, which means "to sing". |
| Catalan | The word "poeta" comes from the Greek word "ποιητής," meaning "maker, creator." |
| Cebuano | Cognate with Malay "pembalak", both from Sanskrit "phalaka" meaning "plank, tablet, writing material". |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The first character 诗 in "诗人" is an ancient ideogram resembling a house with a decorated door or window, and 人 means person, indicating the poet as one who dwells in the realm of poetry and imagination. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 詩人 was originally used to describe a musician who sang "詩" while playing a "瑟" (a type of zither with 25 strings). |
| Corsican | In Corsica, it can also mean 'good-for-nothing', or 'idle' |
| Croatian | The root of "pjesnik" is "pjesma," meaning either "song" or "poem." |
| Czech | The word "básník" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *basnikъ, which originally meant "magician" or "shaman." |
| Danish | In Danish, the word "digter" evolved from a term meaning "invent" or "imagine". |
| Dutch | The Dutch word "dichter" shares a root with "thick," and also refers to someone who seals something. |
| Esperanto | In Esperanto, the word "poeto" is rooted in the Greek for "maker", and this sense is also carried in the Esperanto word "faristo". |
| Estonian | The Estonian word "luuletaja" has several meanings, including "poet", "writer", and "storyteller". |
| Finnish | The word 'runoilija' originally referred to a person who composed or sang runos, or oral folk poems. |
| French | The French word 'poète' comes from the Greek word 'poiētēs', meaning 'maker' or 'creator'. |
| Frisian | In Frisian, the word "dichter" can also mean a seal |
| Galician | The word "poeta" in Galician comes from the Latin word "poeta," which means "creator" or "maker." |
| Georgian | პოეტი derives from Ancient Greek and originally meant "creator" or "maker." |
| German | The word "Dichter" in German can also refer to a sealant or caulking material. |
| Greek | While "ποιητής" is often translated as "poet," it was originally a more general term referring to someone who creates something, like an artisan. |
| Gujarati | The word "કવિ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "kavi", meaning "seer" or "sage". |
| Haitian Creole | In Haitian Creole, 'powèt' can refer to someone with prophetic or supernatural abilities as well as a poet. |
| Hausa | 'Mawaki' also refers to 'singer' or 'praise singer' and is derived from the Arabic word 'mawwak' meaning 'to tell', 'to sing' or 'to praise'. |
| Hawaiian | In Hawaiian, 'haku mele' literally translates to 'composer of words' or 'word composer'. |
| Hebrew | The word "מְשׁוֹרֵר" (poet) in Hebrew also means "singer". |
| Hindi | The etymology of the Hindi word "kavi" is from the Sanskrit word "kavi" (कवि) which means "seer" or "sage". |
| Hmong | The word "kws sau paj lug" literally means "word-shaping-spirit person". |
| Hungarian | In Hungarian, the word "költő" not only relates to poetry but also to "to create" or "to feign". |
| Icelandic | The word "skáld" originally referred to "one who interprets hidden knowledge" in Old Norse mythology and can be used in reference to someone who predicts the future like a prophet, as well as someone who records the past like a historian. |
| Igbo | In Igbo, 'abu abu' literally means 'speech speech', highlighting its connection to the spoken word and emphasizing the performative aspect of poetry. |
| Indonesian | Penyair may be influenced by a similar Chinese character with a close pronunciation that refers to artists who use a brush (毛, máo). |
| Irish | In early Irish usage 'file' also means 'noble person'. |
| Italian | The Italian word "poeta" derives from the Greek word "ποιητής," meaning "creator" or "maker." |
| Japanese | The second Kanji in the Japanese word for "poet" (詩人) means "person", and the first Kanji means "poem" or "song lyrics". However, the word also has the alternate spelling of "詩人", which means "thinker" or "intellectual". |
| Javanese | The term 'pujangga' has two possible etymologies: either from Sanskrit 'pujangga' meaning 'to pay homage', or 'bhujangga' meaning 'cobra'. |
| Kannada | The word "ಕವಿ" in Kannada, in addition to meaning "poet," also refers to the god Brahma as the creator of the universe. |
| Kazakh | The Kazakh word "ақын" has the alternate meanings of "composer" and "improvisational singer". |
| Khmer | The Khmer word "កំណាព្យ" can also refer to poetry or verse in general. |
| Korean | 시인 can also mean 'a person who is deeply moved by something' or 'a person who has a strong sense of feeling or emotion'. |
| Kurdish | The word "Helbestvan" originated from the word "Helbest", which means "word" or "speech" in Kurdish. |
| Kyrgyz | The word "акын" is also used to refer to a traditional Kyrgyz singer-poet who improvises verse and sings to the accompaniment of a stringed instrument. |
| Lao | The word can also refer to a philosopher. |
| Latin | The Latin word "poeta" originates from the Greek "poietēs" meaning "maker" or "creator", and specifically a "composer of poetry". |
| Latvian | The Latvian word "dzejnieks" likely derives from the Proto-Indo-European word *dʰeyǵʰ- meaning "to form" or "to shape". |
| Lithuanian | "Poetas" can also mean "prophet" or "seer" in Lithuanian. |
| Luxembourgish | "Dichter" in Luxembourgish has the same meaning as in German, but can also refer to someone who is skilled in writing or speaking creatively. |
| Macedonian | The Macedonian word "поет" is derived from the Greek word "ποιητής," which also refers to a "creator" or "composer" in music or other fields. |
| Malagasy | The Malagasy word "poety" originally meant "wise man" or "elder". |
| Malay | The word "penyair" in Malay is derived from the Sanskrit word "pañc̣a" meaning "five" and carries the connotation of having five elements or qualities considered essential for poetic composition. |
| Malayalam | The word "കവി" also has a secondary meaning of "wise man" or "sage". |
| Maltese | The word "poeta" in Maltese is derived from Latin, meaning "maker" or "creator". |
| Maori | The word "rohipehe" also means "prophet" or "seer" in Maori. |
| Marathi | The Sanskrit word 'kavi' refers to a wise or inspired person, or one who possesses supernatural knowledge or poetic inspiration. |
| Mongolian | The Mongolian word "яруу найрагч" literally means "one who makes beautiful words," emphasizing the poet's role as a creator of language and imagery. |
| Nepali | "कवि" in Nepali can also mean "learned person" or "one who has attained spiritual knowledge," possibly coming from the Sanskrit root "kavi," meaning "wise" or "seer." |
| Norwegian | Dikter is a Norwegian word which originally meant 'one who dictates' |
| Pashto | The word "شاعر" (poet) in Pashto is derived from the Persian word "sha'er", which ultimately comes from the Arabic word "shu'ara'", meaning "knower" or "possessor of knowledge". |
| Persian | The Persian word "شاعر" (poet) originally meant "knower" or "singer", but later became associated with the creation of poetry. |
| Polish | In Polish, "poeta" can also refer to a person who writes poetry, regardless of their skill or experience. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Portuguese, "poeta" can also refer to a person who is skilled at writing poetry or verse, and is not necessarily a professional poet. |
| Punjabi | The word "ਕਵੀ" (kavi) in Punjabi is derived from the Sanskrit word "कवि" (kavi), which means "sage" or "seer". |
| Romanian | In Romanian, the word "poet" has its origins in the Ancient Greek word "ποιητής" (poiētḗs), meaning "maker" or "creator". |
| Russian | The word 'поэт' is derived from the Greek word 'ποιητής' (poiētēs), which means 'maker' or 'creator'. |
| Samoan | In Samoan, a 'fatusolo' is a word that also means 'foolish' or 'crazy'. |
| Scots Gaelic | Scots Gaelic bàrd, also meaning "a person who sings at a funeral"} |
| Serbian | The word "pesnik" in Serbian also means "singer" and is derived from the verb "pevati" (to sing). |
| Sesotho | The term 'seroki' may derive from 'sarohaka' ('praise-singer') or 'se-rokisi' ('the one who speaks'). |
| Shona | The word "mudetembi" in Shona also means "one who makes songs" and is related to the word "kudetemba" meaning "to sing". |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "شاعر" traces etymologically to the Arabic root "ش ع ر" (sheen-ayn-ra), meaning "to recognize" or "to perceive". |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word 'කවියා' (poet) has another meaning, 'a person who talks cleverly'. |
| Slovak | The word "básnik" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *basnь* meaning "to speak, to tell a story". |
| Slovenian | Pesnik may also refer to a |
| Somali | The word 'abwaan' in Somali may also refer to a type of praise song. |
| Spanish | The word 'poeta' comes from the Greek 'poietes', which means 'maker' or 'creator'. |
| Sundanese | In Indonesian, "pujangga" also refers to a scholar, while in Malay it commonly means "bard". |
| Swahili | The word "mshairi" in Swahili also means "composer of verse" or "singer of verse". |
| Swedish | The Swedish word "poet" (poet) comes from the Greek word "poietes", which means "maker" or "creator." |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | "Makata" has alternate meanings of "wise" or "learned" in ancient Tagalog culture. |
| Tajik | Шоир (shoir) comes from the Arabic word شاعر (shāʿir), which means "knower," "one who knows" or "one who discerns." The word can also refer to a singer or musician, a composer of poetry, or a person with a gift for oratory. |
| Tamil | The word "கவிஞர்" (kaviñar) in Tamil derives from the Sanskrit root "kavi," meaning "wise" or "seer," and also refers to a type of ancient Tamil bard who composed and recited heroic verses. |
| Telugu | "కవి" in Telugu also means "one who composes poems in an inspired manner in ancient and medieval India." |
| Thai | "กวี" (poet) in Thai also refers to the 12-syllable poem form invented during the Sukhothai Period. |
| Turkish | Şair originates from Persian and refers to the 'one who sings or composes'. |
| Ukrainian | "Поет" means "singer" and is derived from "петь" (to sing), which itself is rooted in Proto-Slavic “*pēti”. |
| Urdu | In Urdu, the word "شاعر" not only means "poet" but may also refer to a "lover" or "singer". |
| Uzbek | The word 'shoir' may also refer to a song or chant. |
| Vietnamese | The word "bài thơ" literally means "step by step" in Vietnamese, and can also refer to a poem or a piece of writing. |
| Welsh | Historically, the Welsh word "bardd" has also been used to refer to musicians, storytellers, and even prophets. |
| Xhosa | "Imbongi" is a Xhosa word referring to a poet, but can also mean "seer" or "prophet." |
| Yiddish | "דּיכטער" can also be interpreted as "densifier" when applied to a person, referring to one who intensifies emotions or thoughts through the use of language. |
| Yoruba | Aside its common use as 'poet', 'akéwì' literally translates to 'one who composes' or 'one who writes'. |
| Zulu | In some other Nguni languages, the word 'imbongi' is used for doctors. |
| English | The word 'poet' comes from the Greek word 'ποιητής', meaning 'maker' or 'creator'. |