The word art carries creativity, imagination, and human expression across the world.
Learning how to say art in different languages helps us connect with diverse cultures and appreciate how people everywhere interpret beauty and creativity.
Every region gives this word its own emotional color, making it more than just a translation.
Understanding the translation of art deepens our appreciation of global culture, communication, and the universal desire to express meaning.
Why Learning ‘Art’ in Different Languages Matters
Exploring how to say art in different languages opens a window into the cultural soul of different societies.
In some cultures, the meaning of art connects to storytelling; in others, it represents spirituality or craftsmanship.
Learning these variations strengthens global understanding, encourages creative respect, and helps us form emotional bonds across borders.
It also highlights how humans everywhere use imagination to express identity, history, and dreams.
Art in European Languages
- Spanish: arte (AR-teh)
- French: art (ahr)
- German: Kunst (koonst)
- Italian: arte (AR-tay)
- Portuguese: arte (AR-chee)
- Dutch: kunst (kohnst)
- Greek: téchni (TEKH-nee)
Art in Native American Languages

- Navajo: chol’íí’ (choh-LEE)
- Cherokee: adalihelvsgi (ah-dah-lee-HEL-ski)
- Lakota: woúŋspe kičhíža (woh-OON-speh kee-CHEE-zhah)
- Ojibwe: manidoo-mazina’igan (mah-nih-DOO mah-zee-NAH-gun)
- Hopi: tsakwaktu (tsa-KWAK-too)
- Inuit: tuniq (too-NIK)
- Shawnee: ɂelamahi (eh-LAH-mah-hee)
Art in Asian Languages
- Chinese (Mandarin): yìshù (yee-shoo)
- Japanese: geijutsu (gay-JOO-tsu)
- Korean: yesul (yeh-SOOL)
- Hindi: kala (KUH-lah)
- Thai: sin-lá-paa (sin-la-PAH)
- Malay/Indonesian: seni (suh-NEE)
- Filipino: sining (SEE-ning)
Art in Middle Eastern Languages
- Arabic: fan (fahn)
- Hebrew: omanut (oh-mah-NOOT)
- Persian (Farsi): honar (ho-NAR)
- Turkish: sanat (sah-NAHT)
- Kurdish: huner (hoo-NAIR)
- Aramaic: omanutha (oh-mah-NOO-tha)
- Pashto: hunar (hoo-NAR)
Art in African Languages
- Swahili: sanaa (sah-NAH-ah)
- Zulu: ubuciko (oo-boo-SEE-ko)
- Amharic: tibeb (ti-BEB)
- Hausa: fasaha (fah-SAH-ha)
- Yoruba: ọ̀nà (aw-NAH)
- Somali: farshaxan (far-SHA-khan)
- Shona: unyanzvi (oo-NYAN-zee)
Art in Indigenous Languages
- Maori: toi (toy)
- Hawaiian: hana no‘eau (hah-nah noh-EH-ow)
- Aboriginal (Wiradjuri): garra (GAH-rah)
- Quechua: ruray (roo-RYE)
- Aymara: luraña (loo-RAHN-yah)
- Tongan: ngāue fakamea‘a (ngah-oo-eh fah-kah-MEH-ah)
- Fijian: cakacaka vakalalai (thah-kah-THAH-kah vah-kah-LAH-lai)
Art in the Iroquoian Language Family
- Mohawk: karíhstha (kah-REES-tah)
- Seneca: ganö’öh (gah-NO-uh)
- Tuscarora: yakolíheʔ (yah-ko-LEE-heh)
- Cayuga: ganǫ́hsa’ (gah-NOH-sa)
- Onondaga: ganǫ́hkwa’ (gah-NOH-kwa)
- Oneida: kanolíhstha (kah-noh-LEES-tah)
- Huron-Wyandot: ahndehstha (ahn-DES-tah)
Art in Plains Languages
- Blackfoot: aapoh’tsii (ah-POH-tsee)
- Crow: baalishbíichia (baa-LEESH-bee-chee-ah)
- Cheyenne: heše’mą́he (heh-SHEH-mah-heh)
- Arapaho: nih’oo3oowu (nih-OH-o-woo)
- Comanche: rahkutu (rah-KOO-too)
- Pawnee: kútahkwa (koo-TAH-kwa)
- Kiowa: ts’áu-dáu (tsow-DAW)
Art in Southeastern Languages

- Choctaw: nan im anoli (nahn im ah-NO-lee)
- Chickasaw: a̱noli̱ (ah-NO-lee)
- Seminole: hvse’kv (hah-SEE-kuh)
- Catawba: wásu’ra (wah-SOO-rah)
- Timucua: tawaka (tah-WAH-kah)
- Muskogee: hvtakv (huh-TAH-kuh)
- Yuchi: tsánohe (tsa-NO-heh)
Art in Northwestern Languages

- Tlingit: yéil koodás (yayl koo-DOSS)
- Haida: tlaas guudaang (tlas-GOO-dang)
- Salish: sx̱élt (sk-ELT)
- Tsimshian: g̱waal (gwahl)
- Nuu-chah-nulth: č’aak (cha-AK)
- Chinook: t’ɬax̣w (tlah-HW)
- Klamath: wótega (WOH-teh-gah)
Art in Additional World Languages
- Romanian: artă (AR-tuh)
- Swedish: konst (kohnst)
- Danish: kunst (koonst)
- Finnish: taide (TAI-deh)
- Icelandic: list (list)
- Estonian: kunst (koonst)
- Basque: artea (AR-teh-ah)
- Albanian: art (ahrt)
- Slovak: umenie (oo-MEH-nyeh)
- Czech: umění (oo-MYEH-nee)
- Ukrainian: mystetstvo (mis-TET-svo)
- Serbian: umetnost (OO-met-nost)
- Croatian: umjetnost (OOM-yet-nost)
- Georgian: khelovneba (kheh-LOV-neh-bah)
- Mongolian: urlan zürag (oor-LAHN zur-AG)
Examples of Using ‘Art’ in Sentences Across Languages
- Spanish: arte — El arte conecta a las personas.
Meaning: Art connects people. - French: art — L’art inspire nos émotions.
Meaning: Art inspires our emotions. - Arabic: fan — الفن يروي قصصًا بلا كلمات.
Meaning: Art tells stories without words. - Hindi: kala — कला हमारे विचारों को रंग देती है।
Meaning: Art gives color to our thoughts. - Japanese: geijutsu — 芸術は心を自由にします。
Meaning: Art sets the heart free. - Swahili: sanaa — Sanaa huleta uzuri katika maisha.
Meaning: Art brings beauty into life. - German: Kunst — Kunst öffnet Türen zu neuen Ideen.
Meaning: Art opens doors to new ideas.
Cultural Meaning of ‘Art’ Around the World
Across the globe, art holds unique emotional and cultural roles.
In many Indigenous cultures, artistic expression is tied to ancestry and storytelling.
Asian traditions often view art as discipline and harmony, while European cultures highlight creativity and individual mastery.
African artwork celebrates community, rhythm, and symbolism, whereas Middle Eastern art is deeply linked to geometry, poetry, and spirituality.
Every culture shapes the meaning of art in its own beautiful way, proving that creativity is a universal human language.
Conclusion
Learning art in different languages helps us appreciate the beauty of global expression. Each translation reveals how cultures understand creativity and imagination.
By exploring these meanings, we grow more connected to people everywhere and celebrate the shared human desire to express, imagine, and create.

Ava Johnson
I’m Ava Johnson, a language lover and content writer who enjoys exploring words across cultures. I write to make languages simple, meaningful, and easy to understand for everyone. My passion is creating content that helps readers connect with different languages, phrases, and meanings in a practical way. Through my writing, I aim to educate, inspire, and make learning feel enjoyable. I believe language is a bridge that brings people closer. Every article I write is crafted with clarity, care, and curiosity.
Books by Ava Johnson:
-
Words Without Borders
-
The Beauty of Global Languages

