Portrait in Different Languages
Discover 'Portrait' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
A portrait is a powerful tool for capturing the essence of a person, place, or thing. It has been a significant form of expression throughout history, often used to depict the likeness, character, or achievements of its subject. From Renaissance masterpieces to modern photographic portraits, this artform has evolved while retaining its cultural importance.
Understanding the translation of 'portrait' in different languages not only broadens your vocabulary but also offers a glimpse into how various cultures perceive and value this artistic medium. For instance, in Spanish, a portrait is translated as 'retrato'; in French, 'portrait'; in German, 'Porträt'; in Italian, 'ritratto'; and in Japanese, '肖像' (shōzō).
Did you know that the earliest known portraits date back to ancient Egypt, where they were used as a means of ensuring the deceased's identity in the afterlife? Or that the first photographic portrait was taken by French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826 or 1827? Exploring the word 'portrait' in different languages is a fascinating journey that uncovers intriguing facts and historical contexts.
Portrait
Portrait in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | portret | ||
| The Afrikaans word “portret” refers to a portrait but can also mean a passport photo. | |||
| Amharic | የቁም ስዕል | ||
| The word "የቁም ስዕል" can also refer to a statue or other effigy of a person. | |||
| Hausa | hoto | ||
| "Hoto" also means "light" or "day" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | eserese | ||
| The word "Eserese" can also mean a "likeness or resemblance of a person" or an "apparition".} | |||
| Malagasy | mombamomba ny mpanoratra | ||
| The word originates from the Malagasy term "momba ny momba ny", meaning "to tell the story of" | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chithunzi | ||
| The Nyanja word 'chithunzi' can also refer to a ghost, phantom, or any disembodied spirit. | |||
| Shona | mufananidzo | ||
| Mufananidzo derives from the word 'fananidza' meaning 'to compare' and can also refer to an allegory or a parable. | |||
| Somali | sawir | ||
| The word "sawir" in Somali originates from the Arabic word "sawra", meaning "to draw" or "to depict". | |||
| Sesotho | potreite | ||
| Sesotho word "potreite" is a loan word from English, originally coming from French "portraire" which means "to draw". | |||
| Swahili | picha | ||
| In Swahili, "picha" has a secondary meaning of "a picture of a person," distinct from a "painting of a person." | |||
| Xhosa | umzobo | ||
| The word "umzobo" in Xhosa, meaning "portrait," derives from the verb "zoba," which means "to draw" or "to paint." | |||
| Yoruba | aworan | ||
| "Aworan" is also used to refer to an image in a dream or hallucination, and its root word "ri" means "to see". | |||
| Zulu | isithombe | ||
| The word "isithombe" is related to the word "umbono", meaning "a representation, image or model" in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | ja min bɛ kɛ | ||
| Ewe | nɔnɔmetata | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ifoto | ||
| Lingala | elilingi ya elilingi | ||
| Luganda | ekifaananyi | ||
| Sepedi | setshwantsho sa setshwantsho | ||
| Twi (Akan) | mfonini a wɔayɛ | ||
Portrait in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | صورة | ||
| Originally meant "a thing made of wax" and is related to the word "wax" in many languages, including English and Irish. | |||
| Hebrew | דְיוֹקָן | ||
| The word "דְיוֹקָן" means "portrait" in Hebrew, but it can also mean "an image" or "a likeness" | |||
| Pashto | انځور | ||
| The Pashto word "انځور" can also mean "statue" or "figure". | |||
| Arabic | صورة | ||
| Originally meant "a thing made of wax" and is related to the word "wax" in many languages, including English and Irish. | |||
Portrait in Western European Languages
| Albanian | portret | ||
| The word "portret" in Albanian is derived from the French word "portrait", meaning a likeness of a person in drawing, painting or photography. | |||
| Basque | erretratua | ||
| Erretratua, the Basque word for "portrait," is derived from the verb "erretratatu" ("to portray"), which in turn comes from the Latin "retrahere" ("to draw back"). | |||
| Catalan | retrat | ||
| The Catalan word "retrat" (portrait) comes from the Latin "retractus," meaning "drawn back," suggesting the act of capturing a subject's likeness. | |||
| Croatian | portret | ||
| The word "portret" in Croatian is derived from the Latin word "portraitura," meaning "likeness." | |||
| Danish | portræt | ||
| The Danish word "portræt" also denotes "demeanor" or "behavior" - as in the phrases "et smukt portræt" ("a beautiful demeanor") or "et dårligt portræt" ("a poor behavior"). | |||
| Dutch | portret | ||
| Portret can also refer to a photographic printing process in which light-sensitive metal salts are used to recreate an image on paper. | |||
| English | portrait | ||
| The word "portrait" originally meant a drawing or sketch of a person's head and shoulders, but it now also refers to any likeness of a person, regardless of the medium. | |||
| French | portrait | ||
| In French, "portrait" has a broader meaning, encompassing not only paintings but also literary descriptions of a person. | |||
| Frisian | portret | ||
| In Frisian, "portret" also means "appearance" or "image". | |||
| Galician | retrato | ||
| In Galician, "retrato" also means "image", "shape", or "appearance" of a person or thing. | |||
| German | porträt | ||
| In German, the word "Porträt" originally referred to a depiction of a face, but now it can also refer to a full-body portrait or a written character study. | |||
| Icelandic | andlitsmynd | ||
| The Old Norse 'and-lit' means both 'face' and 'appearance' or 'form'. | |||
| Irish | portráid | ||
| Italian | ritratto | ||
| The term 'ritratto' derives from the Late Latin verb 'retrahere,' meaning 'to pull back,' indicating the artist's skill in extracting an image from the subject and presenting it to the viewer. | |||
| Luxembourgish | portrait | ||
| Maltese | ritratt | ||
| Ritratt is a Maltese word derived from the Italian word 'ritratto' meaning 'portrait', also used in Maltese as a synonym for 'photograph'. | |||
| Norwegian | portrett | ||
| The word "portrett" in Norwegian is derived from the Old French word "portraict" meaning "likeness". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | retrato | ||
| In Portuguese, "retrato" can also mean a description or a biographical account. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dealbh | ||
| Dealbh also refers to an image, such as a photograph or picture. | |||
| Spanish | retrato | ||
| "Retrato" in Spanish comes from the Latin "retrahēre," which means both "pull back" and "depict." | |||
| Swedish | porträtt | ||
| The Swedish word "porträtt" originally meant "portrait of a person"} | |||
| Welsh | portread | ||
| In Welsh, "portread" also has an alternate meaning: "the shape or appearance of a person's face." | |||
Portrait in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | партрэт | ||
| The word "партрэт" in Belarusian derives from the French "portrait" and originally referred primarily to depictions of people rather than inanimate objects. | |||
| Bosnian | portret | ||
| The Bosnian word 'portret' derives from the Italian word 'ritratto', meaning 'depiction' or 'representation'. | |||
| Bulgarian | портрет | ||
| The word "портрет" in Bulgarian originally referred to "a description of someone's physical appearance", but over time it came to mean a painted or drawn likeness. | |||
| Czech | portrét | ||
| Czech "portrét" originally meant "inventory" and is related to "port", a door or gate. | |||
| Estonian | portree | ||
| Portree in Estonian has an alternate meaning of "a photograph of a person, usually a formal or professional one". | |||
| Finnish | muotokuva | ||
| The word "muotokuva" is derived from the Finnish words "muoto" (shape) and "kuva" (picture), and can also refer to a general description or likeness of a person or object. | |||
| Hungarian | portré | ||
| The word "portré" derives from the Persian word "pardeh" meaning "curtain" or "tapestry" and was originally used to refer to a type of painted cloth used to depict people or scenes. | |||
| Latvian | portrets | ||
| In Latvian, the word “portrets” has a double meaning: both “portrait” and “wallet”. | |||
| Lithuanian | portretas | ||
| The word 'portretas' is derived from the French word 'portrait', which in turn comes from the Latin word 'protrahere', meaning 'to draw forth'. | |||
| Macedonian | портрет | ||
| The word "портрет" also means "portrait" in French, and "porter" in Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian. | |||
| Polish | portret | ||
| Słowo "portret" pochodzi od łacińskiego słowa "protrahere", oznaczającego "ciągnąć do przodu" lub "wywoływać". | |||
| Romanian | portret | ||
| The word "portret" in Romanian comes from the French word "portrait", which in turn comes from the Latin word "protrahere", meaning "to draw forth". | |||
| Russian | портрет | ||
| Портрет, besides meaning "picture," derives from "to bring" and "face" in French, which is apt given a portrait supposedly captures one's true appearance. | |||
| Serbian | портрет | ||
| The word "портрет" can also mean "portrait" in Russian. | |||
| Slovak | portrét | ||
| In Slovak, "portrét" can also refer to a brief written description of a person's character or appearance. | |||
| Slovenian | portret | ||
| The word "portret" also means "photo" in Slovenian slang. | |||
| Ukrainian | портрет | ||
| The Ukrainian word "портрет" is derived from the French word "portrait" and the Latin word "protrahere," meaning "to draw forth or bring to light." | |||
Portrait in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | প্রতিকৃতি | ||
| The word প্রতিকৃতি is derived from the Sanskrit word 'pratikriti', which means 'semblance' or 'likeness', and is also used to refer to an image or statue | |||
| Gujarati | પોટ્રેટ | ||
| In French, 'portrait' originally meant to 'portray' a likeness, hence the English name. | |||
| Hindi | चित्र | ||
| In Sanskrit, 'चित्र' (citra) originally meant 'bright' or 'variegated' and was also used to describe paintings. | |||
| Kannada | ಭಾವಚಿತ್ರ | ||
| The word "bhavacitra" can also refer to a mental representation or impression. | |||
| Malayalam | ഛായാചിത്രം | ||
| Marathi | पोर्ट्रेट | ||
| The word 'पोर्ट्रेट' (portrait) is derived from the Latin word 'protrahere' which means to 'to drag or bring forth'. | |||
| Nepali | चित्र | ||
| The Nepali word "चित्र" (portrait) originates from the Sanskrit word "चित्र" meaning "painting" or "picture". | |||
| Punjabi | ਪੋਰਟਰੇਟ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ආලේඛ්ය චිත්රය | ||
| Tamil | உருவப்படம் | ||
| Telugu | చిత్రం | ||
| The word "చిత్రం" can also mean "picture", "painting", or "cinema" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | پورٹریٹ | ||
| The word "پورٹریٹ" is derived from the Old French word "portraire", which means "to draw" or "to depict". | |||
Portrait in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 肖像 | ||
| In Chinese, “肖像” is used in law to refer to a personal image protected from unauthorized use; in photography it refers to a portrait focusing on a person's likeness and expressions. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 肖像 | ||
| 肖像 in Chinese can also mean "reputation" or "honor". | |||
| Japanese | 肖像画 | ||
| 肖像画 (shozouga) derives from the Chinese word "shaoxiang," meaning "likeness". It can also refer to a photograph. | |||
| Korean | 초상화 | ||
| 초상화 is derived from the Chinese characters 初 (cho) and 상 (sang), meaning first and appearance, respectively. | |||
| Mongolian | хөрөг | ||
| Etymology: Derived from the Mongolian word "хөр" (image, appearance). | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပုံတူ | ||
Portrait in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | potret | ||
| In Indonesian, 'potret' comes from the Dutch word 'portret' and can also mean 'photograph' or 'photographic negative'. | |||
| Javanese | potret | ||
| The Javanese word 'potret' can also mean 'picture', 'painting', or 'photograph'. | |||
| Khmer | បញ្ឈរ | ||
| The word "បញ្ឈរ" also means "image" or "picture" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ຮູບຄົນ | ||
| Malay | potret | ||
| The word 'potret' is derived from the Dutch word 'portret', which in turn comes from the French word 'portrait', meaning 'a painting, drawing, or photograph of a person'. | |||
| Thai | แนวตั้ง | ||
| The Thai word "แนวตั้ง" can also refer to "vertical orientation" or "longitudinal arrangement". | |||
| Vietnamese | chân dung | ||
| "Chân dung" (portrait) literally means "true face". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | portrait | ||
Portrait in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | portret | ||
| The word "portret" can also mean depiction, picture in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | портрет | ||
| In Kazakh, "портрет" can also refer to personal details recorded on a document or a passport-style photograph. | |||
| Kyrgyz | портрет | ||
| In some instances, "портрет" may be used in Kyrgyz to refer to an image from a security or identification document rather than an artistic work. | |||
| Tajik | портрет | ||
| "Портрет" в таджикском языке также может обозначать «изображение» и «образ». | |||
| Turkmen | portret | ||
| Uzbek | portret | ||
| The Uzbek word "portret" also means "image" and "picture". | |||
| Uyghur | سۈرەت | ||
Portrait in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kiʻi paʻi kiʻi | ||
| Kiʻi paʻi kiʻi also refers to a stamp or a stencil that may be used to imprint markings. | |||
| Maori | whakaahua | ||
| "Whakaahua" also means "to make an image or likeness". | |||
| Samoan | ata | ||
| Ata' is also used to refer to a 'photo'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | larawan | ||
| The word 'larawan' in Tagalog also means 'image' or 'picture' and is derived from the root word 'laro' meaning 'game' or 'play'. This suggests that images were once considered as forms of amusement or recreation. | |||
Portrait in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | retrato uñacht’ayaña | ||
| Guarani | retrato rehegua | ||
Portrait in International Languages
| Esperanto | portreto | ||
| Esperanto for portrait is “portreto”, which is a loan from Spanish.} | |||
| Latin | effigies | ||
| The Latin word "effigies" also means "likeness" and "representation". | |||
Portrait in Others Languages
| Greek | πορτρέτο | ||
| Etymology: From Medieval Latin *portraitura, *portrectura from Old French portraire "to depict". Alternate meaning: A person who poses for an artist. | |||
| Hmong | duab thaij duab | ||
| In some contexts, "duab thaij duab" means "photo" or "image." | |||
| Kurdish | portreya | ||
| The word "portreya" in Kurdish can also refer to a sculpture or carving of a person or animal. | |||
| Turkish | vesika | ||
| The term "Vesika" originally meant "document", and it is still used in that sense in official contexts. | |||
| Xhosa | umzobo | ||
| The word "umzobo" in Xhosa, meaning "portrait," derives from the verb "zoba," which means "to draw" or "to paint." | |||
| Yiddish | פּאָרטרעט | ||
| The Yiddish word "פּאָרטרעט" (portrait) derives from the French "portraiture" and ultimately Latin "protrahere" (to drag forward). | |||
| Zulu | isithombe | ||
| The word "isithombe" is related to the word "umbono", meaning "a representation, image or model" in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | প্ৰতিকৃতি | ||
| Aymara | retrato uñacht’ayaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | चित्र के रूप में देखावल गइल बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ޕޯޓްރެއިޓް އެވެ | ||
| Dogri | चित्र | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | portrait | ||
| Guarani | retrato rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | retrato | ||
| Krio | pikchɔ we dɛn mek | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پۆرترێت | ||
| Maithili | चित्र | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯣꯠꯊꯥꯐꯝ ꯊꯣꯀꯄꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | thlalak (portrait) a ni | ||
| Oromo | suuraa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଚିତ୍ର | ||
| Quechua | retrato | ||
| Sanskrit | चित्रम् | ||
| Tatar | портрет | ||
| Tigrinya | ስእሊ | ||
| Tsonga | xifaniso xa xifaniso | ||