Sing in different languages

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

Afrikaanssing
Afrikaans word "sing" may relate to the English word "singe".
Amharicዘፈን
The word 'ዘፈን' can also mean to 'play music'.
Hausaraira waƙa
In some contexts, the Hausa word "raira waƙa" can also mean "to recite poetry" or "to narrate a story".
Igbobuo
The Igbo word "buo" can also mean "to create" or "to bring into existence."
Malagasymihirà
"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'.
Shonaimba
The verb "imba" also means "narrate" or "recite poetry" in Shona.
Somaligabya
Somali "gabya" also means "to compose a song or poem".
Sesothobina
The word "bina" in Sesotho can also refer to the act of chanting or reciting.}
Swahiliimba
The Swahili verb "imba" also means "to tell a story" and is related to the noun "imbo" (story).
Xhosacula
The word "cula" also means "to call out" or "to recite" in Xhosa.
Yorubakọrin
In Yoruba, "kọrin" not only means "to sing" but also refers to "a song" or "a type of music played on a stringed instrument."
Zulucula
The word "cula" also means "to cry" or "to mourn" in Zulu, reflecting the emotional connection between music and human emotions.
Bambaraka dɔnkili da
Ewedzi ha
Kinyarwandakuririmba
Lingalakoyemba
Lugandaokuyimba
Sepediopela
Twi (Akan)to dwom

Sing in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicيغني
The word "يغني" can also mean "to make rich" or "to be content" in Arabic.
Hebrewלָשִׁיר
The word "לָשִׁיר" (lashir) in Hebrew is derived from the root "שר" (shar), meaning "to sing, to praise".
Pashtoسندرې ووايه
Arabicيغني
The word "يغني" can also mean "to make rich" or "to be content" in Arabic.

Sing in Western European Languages

Albaniankëndoj
The word "këndoj" in Albanian also has the alternate meanings of "recite" and "eulogize".
Basqueabestu
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)".
Catalancantar
The verb "cantar" in Catalan derives from the Latin word "cantare," which also means "to talk" and "to tell."
Croatianpjevati
The Croatian verb 'pjevati' is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *pěti, meaning 'to speak' or 'to recite'.
Danishsynge
In Danish, the word "synge" can also refer to a type of fish trap used in the Baltic Sea.
Dutchzingen
The Dutch word "zingen" (to sing) derives from the Middle Dutch "singhen" and Old High German "singan" and is cognate with the English "sing."
Englishsing
The word "sing" can also refer to the act of making a buzzing or humming sound, as in "the kettle is singing".
Frenchchanter
The French word 'chanter' also means 'to play a pipe or bagpipe', deriving from the Latin 'canere', meaning 'to sound' or 'to play'.
Frisiansjonge
Sjonge is derived from the Old Dutch word 'singan' meaning 'to sing', it is also related to the German 'singen'.
Galiciancantar
In Galician, "cantar" carries both the primary meaning of "to sing" and an alternate sense of "to speak".
Germansingen
The German word "singen" is ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "keng" (sing) and is also related to the English word "song."
Icelandicsyngja
The word "syngja" also means "to play an instrument" or "to make a sound" in Icelandic.
Irishcanadh
"Canadh" also means a "chant" or "incantation"}
Italiancantare
The Italian word "cantare" is derived from the Latin word "canere," which also means "to play music" and "to prophesy."
Luxembourgishsangen
"Sangen" (sing) originates from the Old High German word "singan", but can also refer to playing a musical instrument in Luxembourgish.
Malteseikanta
"Maltese "ikanta" (sing) also means "song" and "hymn" and may come from the Arabic "qanta" (sing)."
Norwegiansynge
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 Gaelicseinn
The Scots Gaelic word "seinn" can also refer to the chanting of prayers, hymns or incantations
Spanishcanta
The Spanish verb 'cantar' has various possible etymologies including Latin, Basque, and Celtic origins.
Swedishsjunga
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.
Welshcanu
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

Belarusianспяваць
The Belarusian word "спяваць" also means "to speak" or "to tell".
Bosniansing
In Bosnian, the word "sing" (pjevati) also means "to squeak" (as a mouse).
Bulgarianпейте
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”).
Czechzpívat
"Zpívat" literally means "to speak" and is related to "speak" in English, reflecting the origin of singing from spoken language.
Estonianlaulda
The word "laulda" is derived from the Proto-Finnic verb *laula- which also meant "to cry" or "to call".
Finnishlaulaa
The word "laulaa" is cognate with the Hungarian word "lál" and the Estonian word "laul".
Hungarianénekel
In Hungarian, “ének” (song) originally meant magic or prophecy, and its verb form "énekel" can also have a ritualistic or incantatory connotation
Latviandziedāt
"Dziedāt" in Latvian can be derived from the root word "dzied" which is an onomatopoeia for the sound of birdsong.
Lithuaniandainuoti
The Lithuanian word "dainuoti" could come from the Proto-Indo-European root "*dʰey-," meaning "suck," or the Slavic root "*dojiniti," meaning "to praise, chant."
Macedonianпее
The word "пее" can also refer to the sound made by a nightingale.
Polishśpiewać
The verb "śpiewać" derives from the Proto-Slavic "*pěti", related to "*petъ", meaning "rooster", likely due to the characteristic sound of the birds.
Romaniancânta
The Romanian word "cânta" also means "to chant," "to call out," or "to proclaim."
Russianпеть
The word "петь" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "pěti", which also means "to say" or "to speak".
Serbianпевати
The verb "певати" derives from the Proto-Slavic root "pěti," meaning "to speak" or "to recite a poem."
Slovakspievať
The word "spievať" is derived from the Proto-Slavic verb *pěti and also means "to speak".
Slovenianpojejo
The word 'pojejo' can also refer to a type of Slovenian folk song, typically sung by a group of people.
Ukrainianспівати
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

Bengaliগাই
The word "গাই" in Bengali can also mean "cow" or "grazing".
Gujaratiગાઓ
The word "ગાઓ" is also used in Gujarati to refer to a type of folk song, often accompanied by dance.
Hindiगाओ
The Hindi word 'गाओ' (sing) shares its root with the Sanskrit word 'गाय' (cow), and both words imply 'producing sound'.
Kannadaಹಾಡಿ
The word "ಹಾಡಿ" also means a "song" or a "poem" in Kannada.
Malayalamപാടുക
The word 'പാടുക' (sing) in Malayalam also means 'to sow', derived from the Proto-Dravidian root 'pāt-' meaning 'to spread' or 'to scatter'.
Marathiगाणे
The Marathi word "गाणे" can also refer to a song, melody, or musical composition.
Nepaliगाउनु
In some contexts, गाउनु can also refer to musical instruments being played or to poems being recited.
Punjabiਗਾਓ
The word 'ਗਾਓ' can also mean 'cow' in Punjabi, derived from the Sanskrit word 'gau' meaning 'ox'.
Sinhala (Sinhalese)ගායනා කරන්න
Tamilபாட
The word "பாட" in Tamil also means 'to learn', 'to study', and 'to compose (poetry)'.
Teluguపాడండి
'పాడండి' is also a slang term in Telugu referring to gossiping about someone.
Urduگانا
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).
Korean노래
In Korean, the word "노래" (sing) is also used to refer to a song itself, as well as the act of singing.
Mongolianдуулах
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

Indonesianbernyanyi
The root kata "bernyanyi" in Old Javanese means "to speak" or "to talk".
Javanesenyanyi
Nyanyi is also used with the meaning of 'making sounds like birds' or 'to make sounds to call people'.
Khmerច្រៀង
The word "ច្រៀង" can also refer to a type of traditional Khmer music performed by a group of singers.
Laoຮ້ອງ
The term "ຮ້ອງ" can also be used to refer to the sound made by birds or animals or to indicate an appeal or complaint.
Malaymenyanyi
"Menyanyi" can refer to the art of singing or a specific song.
Thaiร้องเพลง
Thai word "ร้องเพลง" is derived from Khmer word "រ้อง​ចំរៀង" which means "sing".
Vietnamesehát
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

Azerbaijanioxumaq
"Oxumaq" also means "to read" in Azerbaijani, as it shares the same root with the word "kitab" (book).
Kazakhән айту
"ән айту" can also refer to "praising somebody" in Kazakh.
Kyrgyzырдоо
The verb "ырдоо" in Kyrgyz can also refer to the action of "calling out" or "chanting".
Tajikсуруд хондан
The word "суруд хондан" in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "surud", meaning "song", and "khondan", meaning "to recite" or "to read."
Turkmenaýdym aýdyň
Uzbekqo'shiq ayt
The Uzbek word "qo'shiq ayt" translates to "sing" in English, but it also has an alternate meaning of "to recite poetry".
Uyghurناخشا ئېيت

Sing in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianmele
The Hawaiian word "mele" can also refer to a song, chant, or poem.
Maoriwaiata
The Maori word 'waiata' also refers to the traditional songs and chants of the New Zealand Indigenous people.
Samoanpepese
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

Aymarajaylliña
Guaranipurahéi

Sing in International Languages

Esperantokanti
The Esperanto word "kanti" comes from the Latin "cantare" and the Sanskrit "gan", both meaning "to sing".
Latinsing
The English word "sing" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*kenǵ-", meaning "to sound" or "to speak".

Sing in Others Languages

Greekτραγουδώ
The word "τραγουδώ" ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *dʰregh- "to sound, to roar, to shout"
Hmonghu nkauj
The word "hu nkauj" also means "to tell a story" or "to narrate" in Hmong.
Kurdishstran
In music, 'stran' can refer to a sung melody, a musical composition, or a vocal performance.
Turkishşarkı söyle
In Turkish, "şarkı söylemek" means "to sing" but also refers to the act of playing music with a string instrument.
Xhosacula
The word "cula" also means "to call out" or "to recite" in Xhosa.
Yiddishזינגען
The Yiddish word "זינגען" (zingen) is derived from the German word "singen," which also means "to sing."
Zulucula
The word "cula" also means "to cry" or "to mourn" in Zulu, reflecting the emotional connection between music and human emotions.
Assameseগোৱা
Aymarajaylliña
Bhojpuriगावऽ
Dhivehiލަވަކިޔުން
Dogriगाना
Filipino (Tagalog)kumanta
Guaranipurahéi
Ilocanoagkanta
Kriosiŋ
Kurdish (Sorani)گورانی
Maithiliगाना गानाइ
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯏꯁꯩ ꯁꯛꯄ
Mizozai
Oromofaarfachuu
Odia (Oriya)ଗାଅ
Quechuatakiy
Sanskritगायति
Tatarҗырла
Tigrinyaድረፍ
Tsongayimbelela

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