Portray in different languages

Portray in Different Languages

Discover 'Portray' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'portray' holds a significant place in our linguistic and cultural landscape, as it allows us to represent and understand the world around us. Derived from the Old French 'portraire', this verb signifies the act of depicting or representing someone or something in a particular way. Throughout history, portrayals have shaped our understanding of events, people, and ideas, from Renaissance paintings to modern cinema.

Given its cultural importance, it's no surprise that individuals across the globe might be interested in learning how to say 'portray' in various languages. After all, the ability to convey thoughts and emotions accurately is vital for effective communication and fostering connections with others.

For instance, in Spanish, 'portray' becomes 'representar', while in German, it's translated as 'darstellen'. In Mandarin Chinese, the word takes on a more pictorial form, '描绘 (mí shào)'. These translations not only reveal linguistic nuances but also offer glimpses into different cultural perspectives.

Join us as we delve deeper into the translations of 'portray' in various languages, uncovering intriguing insights and fostering a greater appreciation for the richness of human language and culture.

Portray


Portray in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansuitbeeld
The word "uitbeeld" is derived from the Dutch word "uitbeelden", which means "to represent" or "to depict". In Afrikaans, it can also mean "to portray" or "to express".
Amharicአሳይ
The word "አሳይ" can also mean "to test" or "to try".
Hausabayyana
(Hausa) 'bayyana': to clarify, expose, interpret, explain, illustrate, manifest, portray, reveal, make known.
Igbogosi
"Gosi" in Igbo derives from "gosi-gosi," meaning "carefully and meticulously," implying the precision involved in portraying accurately.
Malagasymampiseho
"Mampiseho" originates from the root word "seho" meaning "face".
Nyanja (Chichewa)onetsani
The verb 'onetsani' in Nyanja (Chichewa) may also mean 'to draw', hence the alternate translation is 'to draw someone’s image'.
Shonakuratidza
The word "kuratidza" comes from the Shona root "rata", meaning "to portray", "to imitate", or "to represent."
Somalisawirid
The word "sawirid" in Somali also refers to a picture or an image.
Sesothohlahisa
The term “hlahisa” means “portray”, but it can also mean “describe” or “explain” in Sesotho.
Swahilionyesha
"Onyesha" can also mean "show" or "display" in Swahili.
Xhosaukuzoba
Ukubona and ukubonakalisa (used in this context) are derived from an ancient Bantu word, bon-, a verb stem meaning to see or understand.
Yorubaaworan
The word "aworan" also means "picture" or "image" in Yoruba.
Zuluukuveza
In Zulu, the word "ukuveza" is derived from the word "ukuveza," meaning "to show or make something known."
Bambaraja jira
Eweƒe nɔnɔmetata
Kinyarwandashushanya
Lingalakosala bililingi
Lugandaokulaga ekifaananyi
Sepediswantšha
Twi (Akan)yɛ mfonini

Portray in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicتصوير
The word "تصوير" (taswir) also means "to draw" or "to photograph" in Arabic.
Hebrewלתאר
The Hebrew word לתאר also means "to describe" and "to depict".
Pashtoانځور
"انځور" also refers to the process of taking someone's photograph in Pashto.
Arabicتصوير
The word "تصوير" (taswir) also means "to draw" or "to photograph" in Arabic.

Portray in Western European Languages

Albanianportretizoj
The word "portretizoj" in Albanian is derived from the French "porter" meaning "portray". Additionally, in the context of drawing or photography, it means "pose".
Basqueerretratatu
The word "erretratatu" can also mean "to depict" in Basque.
Catalanretratar
The verb "retratar" in Catalan can also mean "to take a picture", "to photograph" or "to draw a picture of someone or something."
Croatianportretirati
The word "portretirati" in Croatian ultimately derives from the French word "portraire", which means "to draw" or "to depict".
Danishskildre
The Danish word "skildre" also means "to describe" or "to depict".
Dutchportretteren
The Dutch word "portretteren" is derived from the French "pourtraire", which in turn comes from the Latin "protrahere" meaning "to draw forth".
Englishportray
"Portray" also means a "harbor or port".
Frenchreprésenter
"Représenter" can also mean "to stand for" or "to act on behalf of."
Frisianportrettearje
It is derived from the French word “portraitier” (to portray) and from the noun “portraict” (portrait).
Galicianretratar
In Galician, "retratar" can also mean "to photograph" or "to draw a portrait of someone"
Germanporträtieren
The word "porträtieren" is derived from the French "portrait" and Latin "protrahere". It originally meant "to draw out" or "to depict", and could refer to any type of representation, including paintings, sculptures, and even written descriptions.
Icelandicsýna
Sýna, which means "to portray" in Icelandic, is also used to describe the act of "showing" or "presenting" something.
Irishportráid
In Irish, the word "portráid" derives from the French word "portrait" and can also refer to "depiction" or "illustration".
Italianritrarre
The Italian word "ritrarre" also means "to retract" or "to withdraw".
Luxembourgishduergestallt
Duergestallt originally comes from the German word "darstellen" which also means "to present" or "to expose".
Malteseipinġi
The Maltese word "ipinġi" can also mean "to depict".
Norwegianskildre
The word 'skildre' comes from the Old Norse verb 'skilja' meaning 'to divide' or 'to separate'.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)retratar
In Portuguese, "retratar" can also mean "to depict" or "to describe".
Scots Gaelicdealbh
In addition to its primary meaning of "portray," "dealbh" also means "likeness," "copy," or "image.
Spanishretratar
In medieval Spanish, "retratar" meant "to withdraw or retract", and today it sometimes means "to delay or cancel" in Latin America.
Swedishporträttera
Swedish "porträttera" translates as "portray" in English and it also has the meaning "to portray", but in the sense of "to behave like someone or to play someone in drama".
Welshportread
In Welsh, 'portread' originated from the Middle English 'portray' and can also mean 'to carry' or 'to depict' something physically.

Portray in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianадлюстраваць
Bosnianoslikati
The verb 'oslikati' (portray) is derived from the noun 'oslik' (form), which in turn comes from the root 'ob' (around, about), suggesting the act of creating a representation of something by drawing around or outlining its form.
Bulgarianизобразявам
"Изобразявам" means to 'depict' something, but it can also refer to 'acting' or 'playing a role' in Bulgarian.
Czechzobrazit
The Czech verb "zobrazit" also means "to display" in computing and technology.
Estoniankujutama
The word "kujutama" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "*kujVttama", which means "to shape, form, or create".
Finnishkuvata
The word "kuvata" also means "to portray" in Russian.
Hungarianábrázolni
The verb "ábrázolni" is derived from the noun "ábra", meaning "figure", suggesting its original sense of "to depict or represent a figure."
Latvianattēlot
The word "attēlot" derives from the Latin word "attollere," meaning "to lift up" or "to elevate."
Lithuanianvaizduoti
The word "vaizduoti" also has the meanings "to imagine" and "to represent."
Macedonianпортретирај
The word "portray" comes from the Old French word "portraire," meaning "to draw or paint a picture of."
Polishprzedstawiać
"Przedstawiać" etymologically derives from the Slavic word "stavać" (to stand), thus originally meaning "to stand before".
Romanianportretiza
The Romanian word "portretiza" comes from French "portraire", meaning "to draw", which in turn derives from Latin "protrahere", meaning "to drag forth".
Russianизображать
The verb "изображать" can also mean "to depict", "to represent", "to show", or "to illustrate".
Serbianпортретирати
The word 'portray' originates from the Old French word 'portraire', which means 'to draw' or 'to describe'.
Slovakvykresliť
"Vykresliť" in Slovak also means to strike out or cross out.
Slovenianportretirati
The word "portretirati" can also mean "to portray" or "to depict" in Slovenian.
Ukrainianзобразити
The Ukrainian word "зобразити" can also mean to depict, illustrate, or represent something.

Portray in South Asian Languages

Bengaliভাষায় বর্ণনা করা
"Portray" comes from the Old French "portraire," meaning "to draw" or "to delineate," and is related to the Latin "protrahere," meaning "to drag forth".
Gujaratiચિત્રણ
"ચિત્રણ" can also be an artistic depiction or representation.
Hindiचित्रकला
चित्रकला is derived from the Sanskrit root 'चित्र' (meaning 'picture' or 'painted'), and also refers to the art of painting and drawing in India.
Kannadaಬಿಂಬಿಸಲು
Malayalamചിത്രീകരിക്കുക
Marathiचित्रण
"चित्रण" comes from the Sanskrit word "चित्र," meaning "picture", and literally means "the act of drawing".
Nepaliचित्रण
The Nepali word "चित्रण" can also be used to refer to the process of drawing, painting, or sketching.
Punjabiਤਸਵੀਰ
The word 'Tasveer' is derived from the Persian word 'Tasvir', meaning 'image' or 'picture'.
Sinhala (Sinhalese)නිරූපණය කරන්න
Tamilசித்தரிக்க
Teluguచిత్రీకరించండి
In English, "portray" can also mean to describe or present something in a specific way.
Urduپیش
In addition to its basic meaning, "پیش" (portray) can also indicate "to produce" or "to make" in a more general sense, or to "present" or "exhibit" something for others to see.

Portray in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)写真
The Chinese characters "写真" can also refer to photography or a photograph.
Chinese (Traditional)寫真
The character "寫" in "寫真" originally meant "to write or draw" and is still used in the context of calligraphy and photography.
Japanese描写する
"描写する" has another meaning, "to describe". It can mean to "describe a person or thing by speech or writing".
Korean그리다
The word "그리다" in Korean can also mean "to draw" or "to depict".
Mongolianдүрслэх
дүрслэх (dүrslex) is derived from the Mongol word “dür”, meaning “image”. It refers to the act of presenting an image or likeness of something, either by painting, drawing, or acting.
Myanmar (Burmese)ပုံဖော်

Portray in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianmenggambarkan
"Menggambarkan" derives from "gambar", meaning "picture", implying a more visual representation
Javanesenggambarake
The Javanese word "nggambarake" can be used to describe creating images or capturing the essence of something, or to describe the act of acting or pretending to be someone or something else.
Khmerបង្ហាញ
The word "បង្ហាញ" (portray) in Khmer can also mean "to show" or "to demonstrate".
Laoສະແດງ
The word ສະແດງ can also refer to demonstrating something or performing a play.
Malaymenggambarkan
The word "menggambarkan" can refer to both the act of portraying or the act of describing something through images or words.
Thaiพรรณนา
"พรรณนา" is the word for 'botany' or 'description'
Vietnamesevẽ chân dung
"Vẽ chân dung" means "draw a portrait" or "describe (someone or something) in detail" in Vietnamese.
Filipino (Tagalog)ilarawan

Portray in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanitəsvir etmək
The word "təsvir etmək" in Azerbaijani can also mean "to depict" or "to represent".
Kazakhбейнелеу
The Kazakh word "бейнелеу" also means "to depict", "to represent", and "to illustrate".
Kyrgyzсүрөттөө
Tajikтасвир кунед
The word "тасвир кунед" (tasvir kuneyd) is derived from the Arabic word "صور" (sawwar), meaning "to form" or "to create."
Turkmensuratlandyryň
Uzbektasvirlash
"tasvirlash" also means "describe" or "depict" in Uzbek.
Uyghurتەسۋىر

Portray in Pacific Languages

Hawaiiankiʻi
The word "kiʻi" can also mean "image", "statue", "model", or "representation".
Maoriwhakaahua
Whakaahua also means to 'make a likeness' or 'to take a photograph'.
Samoanata
The Samoan word “ata” also means “day” or “daylight”.
Tagalog (Filipino)portray
The Tagalog word "larawan" has multiple meanings in English, such as painting or print, image or portrait, representation, description, or depiction.

Portray in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarauñacht’ayaña
Guaraniohechauka

Portray in International Languages

Esperantoportreti
The Esperanto word 'portreti' is thought to be derived from the French 'portrait' or Italian 'ritrarre' (both meaning 'to portray'), but others believe it is derived from the Latin 'protrahere' (meaning 'to drag forth').
Latineffingo
Effingo also means 'to shape' or 'to form' and is the origin of the term 'effigy'.

Portray in Others Languages

Greekαπεικονίζω
In Homer, "απεικονίζω" refers to depicting a person or an object on a flat surface.
Hmongportray
The Hmong word "puag" can also mean "to draw" or "to write."
Kurdishsûretkirin
The Kurdish word "sûretkirin" also means "to draw" or "to sketch."
Turkishtasvir etmek
Tasvir etmek originates from the Arabic word "sawwara," meaning "to depict" or "to form". It can also refer to creating images or representations of people, places, or objects.
Xhosaukuzoba
Ukubona and ukubonakalisa (used in this context) are derived from an ancient Bantu word, bon-, a verb stem meaning to see or understand.
Yiddishשילדערן
The Yiddish word "שילדערן" can also mean to "describe" or "depict".
Zuluukuveza
In Zulu, the word "ukuveza" is derived from the word "ukuveza," meaning "to show or make something known."
Assameseচিত্ৰিত কৰা
Aymarauñacht’ayaña
Bhojpuriचित्रण करे के बा
Dhivehiދައްކުވައިދެއެވެ
Dogriचित्रण करना
Filipino (Tagalog)ilarawan
Guaraniohechauka
Ilocanoiladawan
Kriopikchɔ dɛn
Kurdish (Sorani)وێناکردن
Maithiliचित्रण करब
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯄꯣꯠꯊꯥꯕꯥ꯫
Mizoportray a ni
Oromofakkeessuun ni danda’ama
Odia (Oriya)ଚିତ୍ରଣ
Quechuasiq’iy
Sanskritचित्रयति
Tatarсурәтләү
Tigrinyaስእሊ ምቕራብ
Tsongaku kombisa

Click on a letter to browse words starting with that letter

Weekly TipWeekly Tip

Deepen your understanding of global issues by looking at keywords in multiple languages.

Immerse Yourself in the World of Languages

Type in any word and see it translated into 104 languages. Where possible, you'll also get to hear its pronunciation in languages your browser supports. Our goal? To make exploring languages straightforward and enjoyable.

How to use our multi-language translation tool

How to use our multi-language translation tool

Turn words into a kaleidoscope of languages in a few simple steps

  1. Start with a word

    Just type the word you're curious about into our search box.

  2. Auto-complete to the rescue

    Let our auto-complete nudge you in the right direction to quickly find your word.

  3. See and hear translations

    With a click, see translations in 104 languages and hear pronunciations where your browser supports audio.

  4. Grab the translations

    Need the translations for later? Download all the translations in a neat JSON file for your project or study.

Explore More Apps You'll Love

Ensure you're using the most relevant words in your game with our Scrabble US Dictionary Tool, tailored for precision and accuracy in one of the most loved word games.

Sharpen your linguistic skills with this dynamic language improvement app. A perfect tool for avid learners.

Take a confident step towards fluency in any language by leveraging a pronunciation learning platform that caters to your needs.

Features section image

Features overview

  • Instant translations with audio where available

    Type in your word and get translations in a flash. Where available, click to hear how it's pronounced in different languages, right from your browser.

  • Quick find with auto-complete

    Our smart auto-complete helps you quickly find your word, making your journey to translation smooth and hassle-free.

  • Translations in 104 Languages, no selection needed

    We've got you covered with automatic translations and audio in supported languages for every word, no need to pick and choose.

  • Downloadable translations in JSON

    Looking to work offline or integrate translations into your project? Download them in a handy JSON format.

  • All free, All for you

    Jump into the language pool without worrying about costs. Our platform is open to all language lovers and curious minds.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you provide translations and audio?

It's simple! Type in a word, and instantly see its translations. If your browser supports it, you'll also see a play button to hear pronunciations in various languages.

Can I download these translations?

Absolutely! You can download a JSON file with all the translations for any word, perfect for when you're offline or working on a project.

What if I can't find my word?

We're constantly growing our list of 3000 words. If you don't see yours, it might not be there yet, but we're always adding more!

Is there a fee to use your site?

Not at all! We're passionate about making language learning accessible to everyone, so our site is completely free to use.