Sing in Different Languages
Discover 'Sing' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The act of singing has been a fundamental part of human expression and communication since the dawn of time. From ancient rituals to modern-day pop stars, people have been using their voices to express emotions, tell stories, and connect with others. The word 'sing' holds a special significance in our cultural lexicon, and its translation into different languages can offer fascinating insights into the unique sounds and rhythms of the world's many cultures.
For example, in Spanish, the word for 'sing' is 'cantar', while in French, it's 'chanter'. In German, the word is 'singen', and in Mandarin Chinese, it's '唱' (chant). Each of these translations reflects the unique phonetic and cultural characteristics of the language, offering a window into the rich and diverse world of human communication.
Whether you're a language enthusiast, a world traveler, or simply curious about the many ways in which people express themselves, exploring the translation of the word 'sing' in different languages can be a fun and enlightening journey. So why not join us as we embark on this musical adventure?
Sing
Sing in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | sing | ||
| Afrikaans word "sing" may relate to the English word "singe". | |||
| Amharic | ዘፈን | ||
| The word 'ዘፈን' can also mean to 'play music'. | |||
| Hausa | raira waƙa | ||
| In some contexts, the Hausa word "raira waƙa" can also mean "to recite poetry" or "to narrate a story". | |||
| Igbo | buo | ||
| The Igbo word "buo" can also mean "to create" or "to bring into existence." | |||
| Malagasy | mihirà | ||
| "Hira" (meaning wind) in Malagasy, refers also to "song," suggesting singing as "producing" wind. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | imba | ||
| Imba, meaning 'sing', also means 'dance' and 'play an instrument'. | |||
| Shona | imba | ||
| The verb "imba" also means "narrate" or "recite poetry" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | gabya | ||
| Somali "gabya" also means "to compose a song or poem". | |||
| Sesotho | bina | ||
| The word "bina" in Sesotho can also refer to the act of chanting or reciting.} | |||
| Swahili | imba | ||
| The Swahili verb "imba" also means "to tell a story" and is related to the noun "imbo" (story). | |||
| Xhosa | cula | ||
| The word "cula" also means "to call out" or "to recite" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | kọrin | ||
| In Yoruba, "kọrin" not only means "to sing" but also refers to "a song" or "a type of music played on a stringed instrument." | |||
| Zulu | cula | ||
| The word "cula" also means "to cry" or "to mourn" in Zulu, reflecting the emotional connection between music and human emotions. | |||
| Bambara | ka dɔnkili da | ||
| Ewe | dzi ha | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kuririmba | ||
| Lingala | koyemba | ||
| Luganda | okuyimba | ||
| Sepedi | opela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | to dwom | ||
Sing in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | يغني | ||
| The word "يغني" can also mean "to make rich" or "to be content" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | לָשִׁיר | ||
| The word "לָשִׁיר" (lashir) in Hebrew is derived from the root "שר" (shar), meaning "to sing, to praise". | |||
| Pashto | سندرې ووايه | ||
| Arabic | يغني | ||
| The word "يغني" can also mean "to make rich" or "to be content" in Arabic. | |||
Sing in Western European Languages
| Albanian | këndoj | ||
| The word "këndoj" in Albanian also has the alternate meanings of "recite" and "eulogize". | |||
| Basque | abestu | ||
| The word "abestu" comes from the Latin word "absolvere", meaning "to perform". It is also used in the sense of "to officiate" or "to celebrate (a ceremony)". | |||
| Catalan | cantar | ||
| The verb "cantar" in Catalan derives from the Latin word "cantare," which also means "to talk" and "to tell." | |||
| Croatian | pjevati | ||
| The Croatian verb 'pjevati' is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *pěti, meaning 'to speak' or 'to recite'. | |||
| Danish | synge | ||
| In Danish, the word "synge" can also refer to a type of fish trap used in the Baltic Sea. | |||
| Dutch | zingen | ||
| The Dutch word "zingen" (to sing) derives from the Middle Dutch "singhen" and Old High German "singan" and is cognate with the English "sing." | |||
| English | sing | ||
| The word "sing" can also refer to the act of making a buzzing or humming sound, as in "the kettle is singing". | |||
| French | chanter | ||
| The French word 'chanter' also means 'to play a pipe or bagpipe', deriving from the Latin 'canere', meaning 'to sound' or 'to play'. | |||
| Frisian | sjonge | ||
| Sjonge is derived from the Old Dutch word 'singan' meaning 'to sing', it is also related to the German 'singen'. | |||
| Galician | cantar | ||
| In Galician, "cantar" carries both the primary meaning of "to sing" and an alternate sense of "to speak". | |||
| German | singen | ||
| The German word "singen" is ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "keng" (sing) and is also related to the English word "song." | |||
| Icelandic | syngja | ||
| The word "syngja" also means "to play an instrument" or "to make a sound" in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | canadh | ||
| "Canadh" also means a "chant" or "incantation"} | |||
| Italian | cantare | ||
| The Italian word "cantare" is derived from the Latin word "canere," which also means "to play music" and "to prophesy." | |||
| Luxembourgish | sangen | ||
| "Sangen" (sing) originates from the Old High German word "singan", but can also refer to playing a musical instrument in Luxembourgish. | |||
| Maltese | ikanta | ||
| "Maltese "ikanta" (sing) also means "song" and "hymn" and may come from the Arabic "qanta" (sing)." | |||
| Norwegian | synge | ||
| Synge comes from the Old Norse "söngva" and has the alternate meanings "recite" and "chant." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | cantar | ||
| In Portuguese, "cantar" also means "to crow" (like a rooster). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | seinn | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "seinn" can also refer to the chanting of prayers, hymns or incantations | |||
| Spanish | canta | ||
| The Spanish verb 'cantar' has various possible etymologies including Latin, Basque, and Celtic origins. | |||
| Swedish | sjunga | ||
| It comes from an Old Norse verb "söngva", which itself derives from the Indo-European base "songwh", meaning to utter a high-pitched, nasal sound. | |||
| Welsh | canu | ||
| The verb 'canu' has also a meaning of 'to make a sound', 'to resound'. When referring to the human voice it is often translated by 'to chant'. | |||
Sing in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | спяваць | ||
| The Belarusian word "спяваць" also means "to speak" or "to tell". | |||
| Bosnian | sing | ||
| In Bosnian, the word "sing" (pjevati) also means "to squeak" (as a mouse). | |||
| Bulgarian | пейте | ||
| The word “пейте” (sing) in Bulgarian also has the archaic meaning of “wait” or “let”, as in “пейте да се върна” (“wait for me to come back”). | |||
| Czech | zpívat | ||
| "Zpívat" literally means "to speak" and is related to "speak" in English, reflecting the origin of singing from spoken language. | |||
| Estonian | laulda | ||
| The word "laulda" is derived from the Proto-Finnic verb *laula- which also meant "to cry" or "to call". | |||
| Finnish | laulaa | ||
| The word "laulaa" is cognate with the Hungarian word "lál" and the Estonian word "laul". | |||
| Hungarian | énekel | ||
| In Hungarian, “ének” (song) originally meant magic or prophecy, and its verb form "énekel" can also have a ritualistic or incantatory connotation | |||
| Latvian | dziedāt | ||
| "Dziedāt" in Latvian can be derived from the root word "dzied" which is an onomatopoeia for the sound of birdsong. | |||
| Lithuanian | dainuoti | ||
| The Lithuanian word "dainuoti" could come from the Proto-Indo-European root "*dʰey-," meaning "suck," or the Slavic root "*dojiniti," meaning "to praise, chant." | |||
| Macedonian | пее | ||
| The word "пее" can also refer to the sound made by a nightingale. | |||
| Polish | śpiewać | ||
| The verb "śpiewać" derives from the Proto-Slavic "*pěti", related to "*petъ", meaning "rooster", likely due to the characteristic sound of the birds. | |||
| Romanian | cânta | ||
| The Romanian word "cânta" also means "to chant," "to call out," or "to proclaim." | |||
| Russian | петь | ||
| The word "петь" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "pěti", which also means "to say" or "to speak". | |||
| Serbian | певати | ||
| The verb "певати" derives from the Proto-Slavic root "pěti," meaning "to speak" or "to recite a poem." | |||
| Slovak | spievať | ||
| The word "spievať" is derived from the Proto-Slavic verb *pěti and also means "to speak". | |||
| Slovenian | pojejo | ||
| The word 'pojejo' can also refer to a type of Slovenian folk song, typically sung by a group of people. | |||
| Ukrainian | співати | ||
| Besides its primary meaning 'to sing', Ukrainian 'співати' can also mean 'to play a musical instrument' or 'to recite poetry' | |||
Sing in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | গাই | ||
| The word "গাই" in Bengali can also mean "cow" or "grazing". | |||
| Gujarati | ગાઓ | ||
| The word "ગાઓ" is also used in Gujarati to refer to a type of folk song, often accompanied by dance. | |||
| Hindi | गाओ | ||
| The Hindi word 'गाओ' (sing) shares its root with the Sanskrit word 'गाय' (cow), and both words imply 'producing sound'. | |||
| Kannada | ಹಾಡಿ | ||
| The word "ಹಾಡಿ" also means a "song" or a "poem" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | പാടുക | ||
| The word 'പാടുക' (sing) in Malayalam also means 'to sow', derived from the Proto-Dravidian root 'pāt-' meaning 'to spread' or 'to scatter'. | |||
| Marathi | गाणे | ||
| The Marathi word "गाणे" can also refer to a song, melody, or musical composition. | |||
| Nepali | गाउनु | ||
| In some contexts, गाउनु can also refer to musical instruments being played or to poems being recited. | |||
| Punjabi | ਗਾਓ | ||
| The word 'ਗਾਓ' can also mean 'cow' in Punjabi, derived from the Sanskrit word 'gau' meaning 'ox'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ගායනා කරන්න | ||
| Tamil | பாட | ||
| The word "பாட" in Tamil also means 'to learn', 'to study', and 'to compose (poetry)'. | |||
| Telugu | పాడండి | ||
| 'పాడండి' is also a slang term in Telugu referring to gossiping about someone. | |||
| Urdu | گانا | ||
| The Urdu word "گانا" (sing) also refers to a style of devotional music popular in North India. | |||
Sing in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 唱 | ||
| 唱 can also mean "to perform (a stage play or opera)", or "to recite (poetry)" in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 唱 | ||
| The character 唱 can also mean "recite" or "chant." | |||
| Japanese | 歌う | ||
| The Japanese word for 'singing', '歌う' (utau), also refers to a type of Japanese poetry, '歌' ('uta'), and is related to the Korean word for singing, '노래' (norae). | |||
| Korean | 노래 | ||
| In Korean, the word "노래" (sing) is also used to refer to a song itself, as well as the act of singing. | |||
| Mongolian | дуулах | ||
| The word "дуулах" can also refer to a bird's call or a musical instrument's sound. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သီချင်းဆိုပါ | ||
Sing in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | bernyanyi | ||
| The root kata "bernyanyi" in Old Javanese means "to speak" or "to talk". | |||
| Javanese | nyanyi | ||
| Nyanyi is also used with the meaning of 'making sounds like birds' or 'to make sounds to call people'. | |||
| Khmer | ច្រៀង | ||
| The word "ច្រៀង" can also refer to a type of traditional Khmer music performed by a group of singers. | |||
| Lao | ຮ້ອງ | ||
| The term "ຮ້ອງ" can also be used to refer to the sound made by birds or animals or to indicate an appeal or complaint. | |||
| Malay | menyanyi | ||
| "Menyanyi" can refer to the art of singing or a specific song. | |||
| Thai | ร้องเพลง | ||
| Thai word "ร้องเพลง" is derived from Khmer word "រ้องចំរៀង" which means "sing". | |||
| Vietnamese | hát | ||
| Hát can also mean "to reveal" or "to show" in Vietnamese, like "hát múa" (to dance and sing). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kumanta | ||
Sing in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | oxumaq | ||
| "Oxumaq" also means "to read" in Azerbaijani, as it shares the same root with the word "kitab" (book). | |||
| Kazakh | ән айту | ||
| "ән айту" can also refer to "praising somebody" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | ырдоо | ||
| The verb "ырдоо" in Kyrgyz can also refer to the action of "calling out" or "chanting". | |||
| Tajik | суруд хондан | ||
| The word "суруд хондан" in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "surud", meaning "song", and "khondan", meaning "to recite" or "to read." | |||
| Turkmen | aýdym aýdyň | ||
| Uzbek | qo'shiq ayt | ||
| The Uzbek word "qo'shiq ayt" translates to "sing" in English, but it also has an alternate meaning of "to recite poetry". | |||
| Uyghur | ناخشا ئېيت | ||
Sing in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | mele | ||
| The Hawaiian word "mele" can also refer to a song, chant, or poem. | |||
| Maori | waiata | ||
| The Maori word 'waiata' also refers to the traditional songs and chants of the New Zealand Indigenous people. | |||
| Samoan | pepese | ||
| The word "pepese" can also mean "to chant" or "to recite" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kumanta | ||
| The verb 'kumanta' comes from the Tagalog word 'kanta' meaning 'song', with the prefix 'ma-' indicating an action. | |||
Sing in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jaylliña | ||
| Guarani | purahéi | ||
Sing in International Languages
| Esperanto | kanti | ||
| The Esperanto word "kanti" comes from the Latin "cantare" and the Sanskrit "gan", both meaning "to sing". | |||
| Latin | sing | ||
| The English word "sing" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*kenǵ-", meaning "to sound" or "to speak". | |||
Sing in Others Languages
| Greek | τραγουδώ | ||
| The word "τραγουδώ" ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *dʰregh- "to sound, to roar, to shout" | |||
| Hmong | hu nkauj | ||
| The word "hu nkauj" also means "to tell a story" or "to narrate" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | stran | ||
| In music, 'stran' can refer to a sung melody, a musical composition, or a vocal performance. | |||
| Turkish | şarkı söyle | ||
| In Turkish, "şarkı söylemek" means "to sing" but also refers to the act of playing music with a string instrument. | |||
| Xhosa | cula | ||
| The word "cula" also means "to call out" or "to recite" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | זינגען | ||
| The Yiddish word "זינגען" (zingen) is derived from the German word "singen," which also means "to sing." | |||
| Zulu | cula | ||
| The word "cula" also means "to cry" or "to mourn" in Zulu, reflecting the emotional connection between music and human emotions. | |||
| Assamese | গোৱা | ||
| Aymara | jaylliña | ||
| Bhojpuri | गावऽ | ||
| Dhivehi | ލަވަކިޔުން | ||
| Dogri | गाना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kumanta | ||
| Guarani | purahéi | ||
| Ilocano | agkanta | ||
| Krio | siŋ | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | گورانی | ||
| Maithili | गाना गानाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯏꯁꯩ ꯁꯛꯄ | ||
| Mizo | zai | ||
| Oromo | faarfachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଗାଅ | ||
| Quechua | takiy | ||
| Sanskrit | गायति | ||
| Tatar | җырла | ||
| Tigrinya | ድረፍ | ||
| Tsonga | yimbelela | ||