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
| Afrikaans | ritme | ||
| The word "ritme" in Afrikaans also means "pattern" or "sequence". | |||
| Amharic | ምት | ||
| The word "ምት" is derived from the Proto-Semitic root *mth, meaning "shake" or "oscillate." | |||
| Hausa | kari | ||
| In Hausa, "kari" may also refer to "a type of song or chant" or "the music of a flute." | |||
| Igbo | ndori | ||
| The alternate meaning of 'ndori' in Igbo is 'a kind of drum' or 'drumming'. | |||
| Malagasy | rhythm | ||
| 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. | |||
| Shona | mutinhimira | ||
| The word "mutinhimira" in Shona can also refer to a type of musical ensemble or a specific musical genre. | |||
| Somali | laxanka | ||
| The word also refers to a type of fish in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | morethetho | ||
| The word "morethetho" can also mean "a beat" or "a melody" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | mdundo | ||
| "Mdundo" also means "world" or "universe" in Swahili, connoting that music has the power to connect people from all walks of life. | |||
| Xhosa | isingqisho | ||
| The word "isingqisho" also refers to a form of divination through dance and the interpretation of dreams. | |||
| Yoruba | ilu | ||
| Ilu can also refer to a Yoruba talking drum or a community gathering | |||
| Zulu | isigqi | ||
| In Nguni languages, the cognate isigqi can also mean 'beat, time, pulse'. | |||
| Bambara | fɔ́lisen | ||
| Ewe | ʋugbe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | injyana | ||
| Lingala | ritme | ||
| Luganda | okucaccaliza ebigambo | ||
| Sepedi | morethetho | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nnyegyeeɛ | ||
Rhythm in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | على نفس المنوال | ||
| Used to express a pattern, a similar way of doing something, or a routine. | |||
| Hebrew | קֶצֶב | ||
| 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. | |||
| Pashto | تال | ||
| The Proto-Indo-European root of the Pashto word "تال" is "*tel-," which also gives us the Latin word "tolerare," meaning "to endure." | |||
| Arabic | على نفس المنوال | ||
| Used to express a pattern, a similar way of doing something, or a routine. | |||
Rhythm in Western European Languages
| Albanian | ritëm | ||
| The Albanian word "ritëm" is borrowed from Greek "rhythmos" and also means "pulse" or "heartbeat". | |||
| Basque | erritmoa | ||
| The word "erritmoa" also means "order" in Basque, highlighting the importance of structure and pattern in both concepts. | |||
| Catalan | ritme | ||
| Ritme also means 'rhyme' in Catalan, coming from the Latin 'rhythmus'. | |||
| Croatian | ritam | ||
| The verb "ritati" in Croatian means "to dig", implying that the word "ritam" originally meant "digging". | |||
| Danish | rytme | ||
| While "rytme" usually means "rhythm," it can also mean "rut" in the sense of a fixed pattern or routine. | |||
| Dutch | ritme | ||
| "Ritme" is a word that can mean 'movement' in addition to its typical translation, 'rhythm'. | |||
| English | rhythm | ||
| The word "rhythm" derives from the Greek word "rhythmos," meaning "measured motion" or "flow." | |||
| French | rythme | ||
| The "th" in "rythme" is not pronounced in French, indicating that it was borrowed from Greek, where "rhythm" means "flow." | |||
| Frisian | ritme | ||
| It is related to the Dutch word "ritme" and the German word "rhythmus", all derived from the Greek word "rhythmos" meaning "flowing motion". | |||
| Galician | ritmo | ||
| "Ritmo" in Galician also means "period" or "cycle". | |||
| German | rhythmus | ||
| In German, "Rhythmus" also means "cadence" or "flow", especially in the context of music or speech. | |||
| Icelandic | hrynjandi | ||
| Icelandic "hrynjandi" not only refers to rhythm but also to the sound of something being broken or crushed. | |||
| Irish | rithim | ||
| The Irish word 'rithim' may also refer to arithmetic, counting, and a type of traditional Irish poetry. | |||
| Italian | ritmo | ||
| "Ritmo" in Italian does not derive from Latin rhythm, but from the Greek "ῥυθμός" (rhymos) which meant, besides rhythm, also "proportion" and "due order". | |||
| Luxembourgish | rhythmus | ||
| “Rhythmus” can also mean “period” or “flow” in Luxembourgish. | |||
| Maltese | ritmu | ||
| The word 'ritmu' is derived from the Italian word 'ritmo', which means 'rhythm' or 'beat'. | |||
| Norwegian | rytme | ||
| 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 Gaelic | ruitheam | ||
| 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. | |||
| Spanish | ritmo | ||
| The word "ritmo" derives from the Greek "rhythmos" meaning "movement" or "flow" and also refers to the regular pattern of music or poetry. | |||
| Swedish | rytm | ||
| "Rytm" comes from the Greek word "rhythmos," which means "flow." | |||
| Welsh | rhythm | ||
| The Welsh word 'rhythm' (rhythm) is derived from the Greek word 'rhythmos' (ῥυθμός) meaning 'a measured flow'. | |||
Rhythm in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | рытм | ||
| **Белорусское** слово «рытм» происходит от древнегреческого «ρυθμός», означавшего в том числе и «соразмерность». | |||
| Bosnian | ritam | ||
| Bosnian "ritam" originally comes from Greek "rhythmos" and can also mean "tempo" or "cadence" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | ритъм | ||
| In Bulgarian, "ритъм" derives from Greek "ρυθμός" (rhythmos), meaning "flowing movement" or "measured motion". | |||
| Czech | rytmus | ||
| In Czech, "rytmus" also refers to the "pattern" or "structure" of something. | |||
| Estonian | rütm | ||
| The word "rütm" derives from the same root as "rate" and means a repeating pattern or movement. | |||
| Finnish | rytmi | ||
| Rytmi, meaning "rhythm" in Finnish, also refers to a 2003 Finnish film directed by Aku Louhimies. | |||
| Hungarian | ritmus | ||
| The Hungarian word "ritmus" also means "cadence" or "tune". | |||
| Latvian | ritms | ||
| Ritms is a loanword from Greek ῥυθμός (rhýthmos), meaning 'measured motion'. | |||
| Lithuanian | ritmas | ||
| Ritmas is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root “*rei-”, meaning “to flow” or “to move”. | |||
| Macedonian | ритам | ||
| In Old Church Slavonic, "ритам" meant "movement" or "order" and it was also used in the sense of "meter" in Medieval Bulgarian. | |||
| Polish | rytm | ||
| The Polish word "rytm" comes from the Greek word "rhythmos," which means "flowing movement" or "a regular recurring pattern." | |||
| Romanian | ritm | ||
| Ritm has a second meaning in Romanian, that of rhyme, and it derives from the Greek rhuthmos, which also meant both rhythm and rhyme | |||
| Russian | ритм | ||
| In Slavic languages, the word "ритм" ultimately derives from the Greek word "ῥυθμός" meaning "measured movement. | |||
| Serbian | ритам | ||
| Serbian word "ритам" (ritam) also means the movement of a horse's legs while running. | |||
| Slovak | rytmus | ||
| "Rytmus" je v slovenčine aj hudobný žáner, ktorého predstaviteľom je napríklad Paľo Habera. | |||
| Slovenian | ritem | ||
| The word "ritem" can have additional meanings in Slovenian, including "order" or "structure." | |||
| Ukrainian | ритм | ||
| The word "ритм" in Ukrainian can also refer to the beat or pulse of the heart. | |||
Rhythm in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ছন্দ | ||
| In Bengali, "ছন্দ" (rhythm) also refers to a "musical instrument" and "a poetic metre" | |||
| Gujarati | લય | ||
| "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. | |||
| Hindi | ताल | ||
| The word "ताल" in Hindi not only refers to rhythm but also to a unit of time, a pond, or a musical instrument. | |||
| Kannada | ಲಯ | ||
| In some contexts, it refers to the dissolution, the end and sometimes the merging with something larger. | |||
| Malayalam | താളം | ||
| 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. | |||
| Marathi | ताल | ||
| 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. | |||
| Nepali | ताल | ||
| ताल can also refer to a temporary natural lake created by the rise in the level of a river during the rainy season. | |||
| Punjabi | ਤਾਲ | ||
| 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". | |||
| Tamil | தாளம் | ||
| தாளம்' ('rhythm') comes from the word தாள் ('foot') which shows its association with footsteps in rhythmic patterns. | |||
| Telugu | లయ | ||
| The Telugu word "layalu" means "to flow", and the word "laya" (rhythm) is derived from it. | |||
| Urdu | تال | ||
| "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 | ||
| "율" in Korean can also mean "law" or "statute", deriving from the Middle Chinese word "律" (liot), meaning "musical pitch" or "standard". | |||
| Mongolian | хэмнэл | ||
| 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
| Indonesian | irama | ||
| "Irama" also means "swaying" or "rocking" in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | irama | ||
| The term "irama" in Javanese can also refer to a specific melodic or rhythmic motif used in gamelan music. | |||
| Khmer | ចង្វាក់ | ||
| In classical Khmer poetry, ចង្វាក់ also refers to a stanzaic pattern used to compose verses. | |||
| Lao | ຈັງຫວະ | ||
| The word “ຈັງຫວະ” was borrowed by Lao from Thai where “จังหวะ” (pronounced jang-hua) refers to the timing and rhythm of music or dance. | |||
| Malay | irama | ||
| The word 'irama' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'rāga', meaning 'melody' or 'tune'. | |||
| Thai | จังหวะ | ||
| The word "จังหวะ" can also refer to a "beat" or a "tempo". | |||
| Vietnamese | nhịp | ||
| "Nhịp" also refers to the pulse, tempo, and beat in Vietnamese music and poetry. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ritmo | ||
Rhythm in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ritm | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "ritm" derives from the French "rythme", meaning "patterned movement", and also has the alternate meaning of "beat" in the musical context. | |||
| Kazakh | ырғақ | ||
| The term is a borrowing from Arabic, "irqag", a beating or pulsation. | |||
| Kyrgyz | ритм | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "ритм" (rhythm) originates from the Greek word "ῥυθμός" (rhythmos), meaning "regular movement or pattern." | |||
| Tajik | ритм | ||
| The word "ритм" in Tajik also refers to the "beat" of music. | |||
| Turkmen | ritmi | ||
| Uzbek | ritm | ||
| In Uzbek, the word "ritm" derives from Persian and Arabic, where it referred to "order" or "arrangement". | |||
| Uyghur | رېتىم | ||
Rhythm in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pālani | ||
| Pālani may also refer to a traditional chant sung by groups of Hawaiian paddlers or fishermen during the paddling or fishing activity. | |||
| Maori | manawataki | ||
| The word "manawataki" is derived from "manawa" (pulse) and "taki" (to strike), indicating the physical sensation of rhythm. | |||
| Samoan | fati | ||
| 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
| Aymara | salla | ||
| Guarani | purysýi | ||
Rhythm in International Languages
| Esperanto | ritmo | ||
| Latin | modum | ||
| The Latin word "modum" can also refer to a measure, method, or manner. | |||
Rhythm in Others Languages
| Greek | ρυθμός | ||
| The word "ρυθμός" (rhythm) derives from the verb "ρέω" (flow), suggesting a sense of movement and flow. | |||
| Hmong | kev sib nraus | ||
| 'Kev sib nraus' is also the name for a specific Hmong dance. | |||
| Kurdish | ritim | ||
| In addition to its musical sense, 'ritim' can also refer to 'movement, shaking, or dance' in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | ritim | ||
| The Turkish word "ritim" originally referred to the movement of a horse's gait. | |||
| Xhosa | isingqisho | ||
| The word "isingqisho" also refers to a form of divination through dance and the interpretation of dreams. | |||
| Yiddish | ריטם | ||
| The Yiddish word "ריטם" comes from the Greek word "ῥυθμός" (rhutmos), meaning "order" or "motion". | |||
| Zulu | isigqi | ||
| In Nguni languages, the cognate isigqi can also mean 'beat, time, pulse'. | |||
| Assamese | তাল | ||
| Aymara | salla | ||
| Bhojpuri | ताल | ||
| Dhivehi | ރިދަމް | ||
| Dogri | ताल | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ritmo | ||
| Guarani | purysýi | ||
| Ilocano | ritmo | ||
| Krio | bit | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕیتم | ||
| Maithili | ताल | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯥꯟꯊ | ||
| Mizo | hunbi neia inher | ||
| Oromo | dhahannaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଗୀତ | ||
| Quechua | ritmo | ||
| Sanskrit | ताल | ||
| Tatar | ритм | ||
| Tigrinya | ስኒት | ||
| Tsonga | cinelo | ||