How to say “music” around the world
192 languages · 192 in their own spelling
Dots of one colour begin with a similar sound. Colours group words by the class of their first consonant (a sound-class method used in linguistics): words that begin alike share a colour. This shows resemblance, not common origin — proving relationship needs case-by-case comparison. Readable forms come from Wiktionary translation tables; many smaller languages come from the ASJP word lists, in ASJP’s simplified transcription.
| Language | Word | Romanization | Family |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 音乐 | yīnyuè | Sino-Tibetan |
| English | music | Indo-European | |
| Spanish | música | Indo-European | |
| Hindi | संगीत | saṅgīt | Indo-European |
| Arabic | مُوسِيقَى | mūsīqā | Afro-Asiatic |
| Bengali | সঙ্গীত | śoṅgit | Indo-European |
| Indonesian | musik | Austronesian | |
| Portuguese | música | Indo-European | |
| French | musique | Indo-European | |
| Russian | му́зыка | múzyka | Indo-European |
| Japanese | 音楽 | ongaku | Japonic |
| Marathi | संगीत | saṅgīt | Indo-European |
| Swahili | muziki | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Turkish | müzik | Turkic | |
| Telugu | సంగీతము | saṅgītamu | Dravidian |
| Wu Chinese | 音乐 | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Korean | 음악 | eumak | Koreanic |
| German | Musik | Indo-European | |
| Vietnamese | âm nhạc | Austroasiatic | |
| Tamil | சங்கீதம் | caṅkītam | Dravidian |
| Cantonese | 音樂 | jam¹ ngok⁶ | Sino-Tibetan |
| Urdu | موسیقی | mausīqī | Indo-European |
| Italian | musica | Indo-European | |
| Egyptian Arabic | مزّيكا | mazzīka | Afro-Asiatic |
| Gujarati | સંગીત | saṅgīt | Indo-European |
| Western Farsi | مُوسِیقِی | mūsīqī | Indo-European |
| Min Nan Chinese | 音樂 | im-ga̍k | Sino-Tibetan |
| Hakka Chinese | 音樂 | yîm-ngo̍k | Sino-Tibetan |
| Kannada | ಸಂಗೀತ | saṅgīta | Dravidian |
| Polish | muzyka | Indo-European | |
| Yoruba | orin | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Malayalam | സംഗീതം | saṅgītaṁ | Dravidian |
| Odia | ସଂଗୀତ | saṅgita | Indo-European |
| Burmese | ဂီတ | gita. | Sino-Tibetan |
| Ukrainian | му́зика | múzyka | Indo-European |
| Uzbek | musiqa | Turkic | |
| Sindhi | ميوزڪ | meozk | Indo-European |
| Romanian | muzică | Indo-European | |
| Dutch | muziek | Indo-European | |
| Amharic | ሙዚቃ | muziḳa | Afro-Asiatic |
| Thai | ดนตรี | don-dtrii | Tai-Kadai |
| Lingala | miziki | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Serbian-Croatian-Bosnian | му̀зика | Indo-European | |
| Khmer | ភ្លេង | phleing | Austroasiatic |
| Turkmen | saz | Turkic | |
| Nepali | संगीत | saṅgīt | Indo-European |
| Assamese | সংগীত | xoṅgit | Indo-European |
| Sinhala | සංගීතය | saṁgītaya | Indo-European |
| Greek | μουσική | mousikí | Indo-European |
| Kurdish | muzîk | Indo-European | |
| Hijazi Arabic | موسيقى | musīga | Afro-Asiatic |
| Tajik | мусиқӣ | musiqi | Indo-European |
| Kazakh | музыка | muwzıka | Turkic |
| Hungarian | zene | Uralic | |
| Southern Pashto | موسيقي | musiqi | Indo-European |
| Czech | hudba | Indo-European | |
| Uighur | مۇزىكا | muzika | Turkic |
| Afrikaans | musiek | Indo-European | |
| Min Dong Chinese | 音樂 | ĭng-ngŏk | Sino-Tibetan |
| Haitian | mizik | Indo-European | |
| Swedish | musik | Indo-European | |
| Azerbaijani | musiqi | Turkic | |
| Bulgarian | му́зика | múzika | Indo-European |
| Hiligaynon | musika | Austronesian | |
| Belarusian | му́зыка | múzyka | Indo-European |
| Tigrinya | ሙዚቃ | muziḳa | Afro-Asiatic |
| Neapolitan | museca | Indo-European | |
| Central Kurdish | موسیقی | musîqî | Indo-European |
| Kashmiri | موسیٖقی | mōsīqī | Indo-European |
| Danish | musik | Indo-European | |
| Slovak | hudba | Indo-European | |
| Southern Sotho | mmino | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Minangkabau | musik | Austronesian | |
| Finnish | musiikki | Uralic | |
| Lao | ດົນຕີ | don tī | Tai-Kadai |
| Norwegian | musikk | Indo-European | |
| Tatar | музыка | muzıqa | Turkic |
| Catalan | música | Indo-European | |
| Sicilian | mùsica | Indo-European | |
| Kirghiz | музыка | muzıka | Turkic |
| Armenian | երաժշտություն | eražštutʻyun | Indo-European |
| Balinese | musik | Austronesian | |
| Lithuanian | muzika | Indo-European | |
| Lombard | musica | Indo-European | |
| Georgian | მუსიკა | musiḳa | Kartvelian |
| Acehnese | musik | Austronesian | |
| Jamaican Creole English | myuuzik | Indo-European | |
| Albanian | muzikë | Indo-European | |
| Shan | ၵႂၢမ်းႁႆႇ | kwáam hài | Tai-Kadai |
| Mongolian | хөгжим | xögžim | Mongolic-Khitan |
| Galician | música | Indo-European | |
| Slovenian | glasba | Indo-European | |
| Esperanto | muziko | Artificial Language | |
| Macedonian | музика | muzika | Indo-European |
| Piedmontese | mùsica | Indo-European | |
| Venetian | mùxega | Indo-European | |
| Zhuang | yinhyoz | Tai-Kadai | |
| Rohingya | gan | Indo-European | |
| Kabardian | музыкэ | muzəkɛ | Abkhaz-Adyge |
| Latvian | mūzika | Indo-European | |
| Scots | muisic | Indo-European | |
| West Flemish | muziek | Indo-European | |
| Chechen | музыка | muzyka | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Estonian | muusika | Uralic | |
| Bashkir | музыка | muzıka | Turkic |
| Tibetan | རོལ་གཞས | rol gzhas | Sino-Tibetan |
| Maguindanao | gunigunien | Austronesian | |
| Romagnol | mùșica | Indo-European | |
| Central Okinawan | 音楽 | ungaku | Japonic |
| Kabuverdianu | múzika | Indo-European | |
| Western Frisian | muzyk | Indo-European | |
| Frafra | yʋʋmʋm | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Kalmyk | көгҗм | kögjm | Mongolic-Khitan |
| Maranao | bonibonian | Austronesian | |
| Basque | musika | Isolates | |
| Chuvash | кӗвӗ | kĕvĕ | Turkic |
| Welsh | cerddoriaeth | Indo-European | |
| Yucatec Maya | paax | Mayan | |
| Picard | musique | Indo-European | |
| Rusyn | музика | muzyka | Indo-European |
| Morisyen | lamizik | Indo-European | |
| Réunion Creole French | mizik | Indo-European | |
| Walloon | muzike | Indo-European | |
| Adyghe | музыкэ | muzəkɛ | Abkhaz-Adyge |
| Classical Syriac | ܙܡܪܐ | zmārā | Afro-Asiatic |
| Maltese | mużika | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Occitan | musica | Indo-European | |
| Ligurian | mûxica | Indo-European | |
| Mizo | rimawi | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Asturian | música | Indo-European | |
| Yakut | музыка | muzïka | Turkic |
| Sranan Tongo | poku | Indo-European | |
| Dhivehi | މިއުޒިކް | miuzik̊ | Indo-European |
| Icelandic | tónlist | Indo-European | |
| Friulian | musiche | Indo-European | |
| Tuvinian | хөгжүм | xögjüm | Turkic |
| Assyrian Neo-Aramaic | ܡܘܼܣܝܼܩܹܐ | mūsīqē | Afro-Asiatic |
| Buriat | хүгжэм | xügžem | Mongolic-Khitan |
| Abkhaz | амузика | amuzikʼa | Abkhaz-Adyge |
| Tonga (Tonga Islands) | musika | Austronesian | |
| Corsican | musica | Indo-European | |
| Irish | ceol | Indo-European | |
| Ladino | muzika | Indo-European | |
| Aromanian | muzicã | Indo-European | |
| Kashubian | mùzyka | Indo-European | |
| Breton | sonerezh | Indo-European | |
| Mwani | ngoma | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Erzya | музыка | muzïka | Uralic |
| Faroese | tónleikur | Indo-European | |
| Scottish Gaelic | ceòl | Indo-European | |
| Southern Altai | музыка | muzïka | Turkic |
| Sanskrit | सङ्गीत | saṅgīta | Indo-European |
| Dungan | йинйүә | yinyüə | Sino-Tibetan |
| Romansh | musica | Indo-European | |
| Hawaiian | mele | Austronesian | |
| North Saami | musihkka | Uralic | |
| Upper Sorbian | hudźba | Indo-European | |
| Cherokee | ᏗᎧᏃᎩᏛ | dikanogidv | Iroquoian |
| Louisiana Creole | mizik | Indo-European | |
| Aragonese | musica | Indo-European | |
| Lower Sorbian | muzika | Indo-European | |
| Mòcheno | musik | Indo-European | |
| Manx | bingys | Indo-European | |
| Cornish | musik | Indo-European | |
| Ingrian | muuzьkka | Uralic | |
| Taiga Sayan Turkic | һобус | Turkic | |
| Manchu | ᡴᡠᠮᡠᠨ | kumun | Tungusic |
| Guadeloupe-Martinique Creole French | mizik | Indo-European | |
| Coptic | ⲟⲩⲗⲗⲉ | oulle | Afro-Asiatic |
| Old French | musique | Indo-European | |
| Ancient Greek | μουσική | mousikḗ | Indo-European |
| Kalaallisut | nipilersorneq | Eskimo-Aleut | |
| Hebrew | מוּזִיקָה | múzika | Afro-Asiatic |
| Old Irish | ceól | Indo-European | |
| Javanese | musik | Austronesian | |
| Kituba (Democratic Republic of Congo) | miziki | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Latin | mūsica | Indo-European | |
| Low German | Musik | Indo-European | |
| Moselle Franconian | Musek | Indo-European | |
| Malay | muzik | Austronesian | |
| Middle English | musike | Indo-European | |
| Chayuco Mixtec | mazica | Otomanguean | |
| Classical Nahuatl | tlatzotzontli | Uto-Aztecan | |
| Old Provençal | muzica | Indo-European | |
| Old English | drēam | Indo-European | |
| Iron Ossetian | музыкӕ | muzykæ | Indo-European |
| Eastern Panjabi | ਸੰਗੀਤ | saṅgīt | Indo-European |
| Western Panjabi | موسیقی | moseqī | Indo-European |
| Sardinian | mùsica | Indo-European | |
| Old Spanish | musica | Indo-European | |
| Tagalog | musika | Austronesian | |
| Yiddish | מוזיק | muzik | Indo-European |