Rhythm in different languages

Rhythm in Different Languages

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

Updated on March 6, 2024

Rhythm is a fundamental aspect of human experience, present in everything from the beating of our hearts to the patterns of our speech. It's a concept that transcends cultural boundaries, and yet is expressed in unique ways in every language and culture. Understanding the translation of rhythm in different languages can open up new worlds of meaning and appreciation for the diverse ways that people around the globe express this universal human experience.

For example, in Spanish, rhythm is translated as 'ritmo', while in French it's 'rythme'. In German, the word for rhythm is 'Rhythmus', and in Japanese, it's 'リズム' (rizumu). Each of these translations reflects not only the phonetic sounds of the word, but also the cultural values and traditions that shape how rhythm is understood and experienced in each language.

In this list, you'll find a range of translations of rhythm in different languages, along with interesting facts and historical contexts that shed light on the cultural significance of this important concept.

Rhythm


Rhythm in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansritme
The word "ritme" in Afrikaans also means "pattern" or "sequence".
Amharicምት
The word "ምት" is derived from the Proto-Semitic root *mth, meaning "shake" or "oscillate."
Hausakari
In Hausa, "kari" may also refer to "a type of song or chant" or "the music of a flute."
Igbondori
The alternate meaning of 'ndori' in Igbo is 'a kind of drum' or 'drumming'.
Malagasyrhythm
Rhythm, or "tady", is a Malagasy word that combines musical timing and dance.
Nyanja (Chichewa)kayendedwe
The word 'kayendedwe' in Nyanja can also refer to a traditional dance or a musical performance featuring drums and other instruments.
Shonamutinhimira
The word "mutinhimira" in Shona can also refer to a type of musical ensemble or a specific musical genre.
Somalilaxanka
The word also refers to a type of fish in Somali.
Sesothomorethetho
The word "morethetho" can also mean "a beat" or "a melody" in Sesotho.
Swahilimdundo
"Mdundo" also means "world" or "universe" in Swahili, connoting that music has the power to connect people from all walks of life.
Xhosaisingqisho
The word "isingqisho" also refers to a form of divination through dance and the interpretation of dreams.
Yorubailu
Ilu can also refer to a Yoruba talking drum or a community gathering
Zuluisigqi
In Nguni languages, the cognate isigqi can also mean 'beat, time, pulse'.
Bambarafɔ́lisen
Eweʋugbe
Kinyarwandainjyana
Lingalaritme
Lugandaokucaccaliza ebigambo
Sepedimorethetho
Twi (Akan)nnyegyeeɛ

Rhythm in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicعلى نفس المنوال
Used to express a pattern, a similar way of doing something, or a routine.
Hebrewקֶצֶב
The Hebrew word קֶצֶב (qeṣeḇ) is derived from the root ק.צ.ב (q.ṣ.b), which means 'to cut,' and refers to the 'cutting' of time intervals to create a rhythm.
Pashtoتال
The Proto-Indo-European root of the Pashto word "تال" is "*tel-," which also gives us the Latin word "tolerare," meaning "to endure."
Arabicعلى نفس المنوال
Used to express a pattern, a similar way of doing something, or a routine.

Rhythm in Western European Languages

Albanianritëm
The Albanian word "ritëm" is borrowed from Greek "rhythmos" and also means "pulse" or "heartbeat".
Basqueerritmoa
The word "erritmoa" also means "order" in Basque, highlighting the importance of structure and pattern in both concepts.
Catalanritme
Ritme also means 'rhyme' in Catalan, coming from the Latin 'rhythmus'.
Croatianritam
The verb "ritati" in Croatian means "to dig", implying that the word "ritam" originally meant "digging".
Danishrytme
While "rytme" usually means "rhythm," it can also mean "rut" in the sense of a fixed pattern or routine.
Dutchritme
"Ritme" is a word that can mean 'movement' in addition to its typical translation, 'rhythm'.
Englishrhythm
The word "rhythm" derives from the Greek word "rhythmos," meaning "measured motion" or "flow."
Frenchrythme
The "th" in "rythme" is not pronounced in French, indicating that it was borrowed from Greek, where "rhythm" means "flow."
Frisianritme
It is related to the Dutch word "ritme" and the German word "rhythmus", all derived from the Greek word "rhythmos" meaning "flowing motion".
Galicianritmo
"Ritmo" in Galician also means "period" or "cycle".
Germanrhythmus
In German, "Rhythmus" also means "cadence" or "flow", especially in the context of music or speech.
Icelandichrynjandi
Icelandic "hrynjandi" not only refers to rhythm but also to the sound of something being broken or crushed.
Irishrithim
The Irish word 'rithim' may also refer to arithmetic, counting, and a type of traditional Irish poetry.
Italianritmo
"Ritmo" in Italian does not derive from Latin rhythm, but from the Greek "ῥυθμός" (rhymos) which meant, besides rhythm, also "proportion" and "due order".
Luxembourgishrhythmus
“Rhythmus” can also mean “period” or “flow” in Luxembourgish.
Malteseritmu
The word 'ritmu' is derived from the Italian word 'ritmo', which means 'rhythm' or 'beat'.
Norwegianrytme
In Norwegian, the word "rytme" also means "pattern" or "structure", reflecting its origins in the Greek word "rhythmos", meaning "flow" or "movement.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)ritmo
In Portuguese, "ritmo" can also refer to a sense of movement or flow, or to a particular style or pattern.
Scots Gaelicruitheam
Ruith rhythm refers to the rhythm of poetry, specifically the rhythm of a "ceangal" (stanza), and particularly the way the end of one line of a stanza flows into the next.
Spanishritmo
The word "ritmo" derives from the Greek "rhythmos" meaning "movement" or "flow" and also refers to the regular pattern of music or poetry.
Swedishrytm
"Rytm" comes from the Greek word "rhythmos," which means "flow."
Welshrhythm
The Welsh word 'rhythm' (rhythm) is derived from the Greek word 'rhythmos' (ῥυθμός) meaning 'a measured flow'.

Rhythm in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianрытм
**Белорусское** слово «рытм» происходит от древнегреческого «ρυθμός», означавшего в том числе и «соразмерность».
Bosnianritam
Bosnian "ritam" originally comes from Greek "rhythmos" and can also mean "tempo" or "cadence" in Bosnian.
Bulgarianритъм
In Bulgarian, "ритъм" derives from Greek "ρυθμός" (rhythmos), meaning "flowing movement" or "measured motion".
Czechrytmus
In Czech, "rytmus" also refers to the "pattern" or "structure" of something.
Estonianrütm
The word "rütm" derives from the same root as "rate" and means a repeating pattern or movement.
Finnishrytmi
Rytmi, meaning "rhythm" in Finnish, also refers to a 2003 Finnish film directed by Aku Louhimies.
Hungarianritmus
The Hungarian word "ritmus" also means "cadence" or "tune".
Latvianritms
Ritms is a loanword from Greek ῥυθμός (rhýthmos), meaning 'measured motion'.
Lithuanianritmas
Ritmas is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root “*rei-”, meaning “to flow” or “to move”.
Macedonianритам
In Old Church Slavonic, "ритам" meant "movement" or "order" and it was also used in the sense of "meter" in Medieval Bulgarian.
Polishrytm
The Polish word "rytm" comes from the Greek word "rhythmos," which means "flowing movement" or "a regular recurring pattern."
Romanianritm
Ritm has a second meaning in Romanian, that of rhyme, and it derives from the Greek rhuthmos, which also meant both rhythm and rhyme
Russianритм
In Slavic languages, the word "ритм" ultimately derives from the Greek word "ῥυθμός" meaning "measured movement.
Serbianритам
Serbian word "ритам" (ritam) also means the movement of a horse's legs while running.
Slovakrytmus
"Rytmus" je v slovenčine aj hudobný žáner, ktorého predstaviteľom je napríklad Paľo Habera.
Slovenianritem
The word "ritem" can have additional meanings in Slovenian, including "order" or "structure."
Ukrainianритм
The word "ритм" in Ukrainian can also refer to the beat or pulse of the heart.

Rhythm in South Asian Languages

Bengaliছন্দ
In Bengali, "ছন্দ" (rhythm) also refers to a "musical instrument" and "a poetic metre"
Gujaratiલય
"Lay" is also another form of the Gujarati word "ley", meaning "taking". This word is often used in the context of a rhythmic dance performance.
Hindiताल
The word "ताल" in Hindi not only refers to rhythm but also to a unit of time, a pond, or a musical instrument.
Kannadaಲಯ
In some contexts, it refers to the dissolution, the end and sometimes the merging with something larger.
Malayalamതാളം
The Malayalam word 'താളം' comes from the Sanskrit word 'ताल', which also means 'palm leaf', because the rhythm or beat was recorded on palm leaves in ancient India.
Marathiताल
The Marathi word "ताल" (rhythm) is also used to refer to a "pond" or a "lake" in the context of music, where it signifies a specific beat or time division.
Nepaliताल
ताल can also refer to a temporary natural lake created by the rise in the level of a river during the rainy season.
Punjabiਤਾਲ
The Punjabi word "ਤਾਲ" not only refers to rhythm, but also to a specific type of drumbeat used in traditional folk music.
Sinhala (Sinhalese)රිද්මය
The word "රිද්මය" is derived from the Sanskrit word "riddhati", meaning "to grow" or "to increase".
Tamilதாளம்
தாளம்' ('rhythm') comes from the word தாள் ('foot') which shows its association with footsteps in rhythmic patterns.
Teluguలయ
The Telugu word "layalu" means "to flow", and the word "laya" (rhythm) is derived from it.
Urduتال
"تال' means more than 'rhythm' in Urdu: it's what you drink from and a pond or lake."

Rhythm in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)韵律
In Chinese, "韵律" also refers to "musical patterns" or "euphony of poetry".
Chinese (Traditional)韻律
韻律 literally means the pattern and flow of sounds in written or spoken language.
Japaneseリズム
リズム can also mean "flow," "cadence," or "meter."
Korean
"율" in Korean can also mean "law" or "statute", deriving from the Middle Chinese word "律" (liot), meaning "musical pitch" or "standard".
Mongolianхэмнэл
Хэмнэл in Mongolian also means 'measure' or 'rule' and is derived from the verb хэмнэх (hemneh) meaning 'to measure' or 'to weigh'.
Myanmar (Burmese)စည်းချက်

Rhythm in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianirama
"Irama" also means "swaying" or "rocking" in Indonesian.
Javaneseirama
The term "irama" in Javanese can also refer to a specific melodic or rhythmic motif used in gamelan music.
Khmerចង្វាក់
In classical Khmer poetry, ចង្វាក់ also refers to a stanzaic pattern used to compose verses.
Laoຈັງຫວະ
The word “ຈັງຫວະ” was borrowed by Lao from Thai where “จังหวะ” (pronounced jang-hua) refers to the timing and rhythm of music or dance.
Malayirama
The word 'irama' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'rāga', meaning 'melody' or 'tune'.
Thaiจังหวะ
The word "จังหวะ" can also refer to a "beat" or a "tempo".
Vietnamesenhịp
"Nhịp" also refers to the pulse, tempo, and beat in Vietnamese music and poetry.
Filipino (Tagalog)ritmo

Rhythm in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniritm
The Azerbaijani word "ritm" derives from the French "rythme", meaning "patterned movement", and also has the alternate meaning of "beat" in the musical context.
Kazakhырғақ
The term is a borrowing from Arabic, "irqag", a beating or pulsation.
Kyrgyzритм
The Kyrgyz word "ритм" (rhythm) originates from the Greek word "ῥυθμός" (rhythmos), meaning "regular movement or pattern."
Tajikритм
The word "ритм" in Tajik also refers to the "beat" of music.
Turkmenritmi
Uzbekritm
In Uzbek, the word "ritm" derives from Persian and Arabic, where it referred to "order" or "arrangement".
Uyghurرېتىم

Rhythm in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianpālani
Pālani may also refer to a traditional chant sung by groups of Hawaiian paddlers or fishermen during the paddling or fishing activity.
Maorimanawataki
The word "manawataki" is derived from "manawa" (pulse) and "taki" (to strike), indicating the physical sensation of rhythm.
Samoanfati
The word "fati" in Samoan is derived from the Proto-Polynesian word for "recite" or "chant".
Tagalog (Filipino)ritmo
In Tagalog, "ritmo" can refer to both musical rhythm and the flow of spoken language, like the cadence of a poem.

Rhythm in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarasalla
Guaranipurysýi

Rhythm in International Languages

Esperantoritmo
Latinmodum
The Latin word "modum" can also refer to a measure, method, or manner.

Rhythm in Others Languages

Greekρυθμός
The word "ρυθμός" (rhythm) derives from the verb "ρέω" (flow), suggesting a sense of movement and flow.
Hmongkev sib nraus
'Kev sib nraus' is also the name for a specific Hmong dance.
Kurdishritim
In addition to its musical sense, 'ritim' can also refer to 'movement, shaking, or dance' in Kurdish.
Turkishritim
The Turkish word "ritim" originally referred to the movement of a horse's gait.
Xhosaisingqisho
The word "isingqisho" also refers to a form of divination through dance and the interpretation of dreams.
Yiddishריטם
The Yiddish word "ריטם" comes from the Greek word "ῥυθμός" (rhutmos), meaning "order" or "motion".
Zuluisigqi
In Nguni languages, the cognate isigqi can also mean 'beat, time, pulse'.
Assameseতাল
Aymarasalla
Bhojpuriताल
Dhivehiރިދަމް
Dogriताल
Filipino (Tagalog)ritmo
Guaranipurysýi
Ilocanoritmo
Kriobit
Kurdish (Sorani)ڕیتم
Maithiliताल
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯇꯥꯟꯊ
Mizohunbi neia inher
Oromodhahannaa
Odia (Oriya)ଗୀତ
Quechuaritmo
Sanskritताल
Tatarритм
Tigrinyaስኒት
Tsongacinelo

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