# What verbs are used in other languages for 'playing' music? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 20, 2009, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-verbs-are-used-in-other-languages-for-playing-music/514422 "2009-10-20T01:25:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-verbs-are-used-in-other-languages-for-playing-music/514422/1 "2009-10-20T01:25:33Z")
In a video I saw the other day, Bob Brozman, guitarist and singer, describes how he discovered making different sounds on his instrument by fooling around. He then went on to make the statement “In any language I’ve ever encountered, they say ‘…play music’, they don’t say ‘…work music’.” It got me thinking, and so, I want to pose the following factual questions - what verbs are used in other languages to describe the action of making music on an instrument? And - in how many languages that Dopers know or know about does the same verb do multiple duty for musical instruments, games and what kids do with their free time? English, of course - one plays piano, chess or with the kids next door. In French, on joux… from the verb Jouer Auf Deutsch, man spielt… from the verb Spielen In Italiano, si giuoca… from the verb Giuocare In Russian, ya igrayu na royalye… from the verb Igrayet. What are the verbs in other languages? ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-verbs-are-used-in-other-languages-for-playing-music/514422/2 "2009-10-20T01:27:36Z")
Tocar, to touch or knock is also used in Spanish for “to play music.” ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-verbs-are-used-in-other-languages-for-playing-music/514422/3 "2009-10-20T01:33:50Z")
In Hebrew–Lenagen. From the root Nun Gimel Nun, which includes the words for musicians, tunes, and other music related stuff. But Hebrew has different words for everything. Tons more than English. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-verbs-are-used-in-other-languages-for-playing-music/514422/4 "2009-10-20T01:45:47Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > Tocar, to touch or knock is also used in Spanish for “to play music.” Would Jugar ever be used, or is it strictly Tocar? I speak absolutely no Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-verbs-are-used-in-other-languages-for-playing-music/514422/5 "2009-10-20T01:47:29Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > In Hebrew–Lenagen. From the root Nun Gimel Nun, which includes the words for musicians, tunes, and other music related stuff. > > But Hebrew has different words for everything. Tons more than English. I’m sensing a cute saying on the verge of being disproven. Oh, well. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-verbs-are-used-in-other-languages-for-playing-music/514422/6 "2009-10-20T01:51:28Z")
Well, not everything. But lots of things. In Hebrew, the average word has fewer meanings than in English. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-verbs-are-used-in-other-languages-for-playing-music/514422/7 "2009-10-20T01:57:42Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > In French, on joux… from the verb Jouer Nitpick: on joue. In Dutch: spelen (to play); in Czech: hrát (to play) ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-verbs-are-used-in-other-languages-for-playing-music/514422/8 "2009-10-20T01:57:44Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > Would Jugar ever be used, or is it strictly Tocar? I speak absolutely no Spanish. Never jugar. Tocar. Tocar el piano, tocar la guitarra, tocar la flauta, tocar las palmas: play piano, play guitar, play the flute, clap. You can clap with “hacer” as well, make (and in that case there’s no article, “hacer palmas”) or with dar, give (“dar palmadas” = give clapping sounds). It is “touch” in Catalan as well. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-verbs-are-used-in-other-languages-for-playing-music/514422/9 "2009-10-20T02:02:10Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > In a video I saw the other day, Bob Brozman, guitarist and singer, describes how he discovered making different sounds on his instrument by fooling around. He then went on to make the statement “In any language I’ve ever encountered, they say ‘…play music’, they don’t say ‘…work music’.” > > It got me thinking, and so, I want to pose the following factual questions - what verbs are used in other languages to describe the action of making music on an instrument? And - in how many languages that Dopers know or know about does the same verb do multiple duty for musical instruments, games and what kids do with their free time? > > English, of course - one plays piano, chess or with the kids next door. > > In French, on joux… from the verb Jouer > > Auf Deutsch, man spielt… from the verb Spielen > > In Italiano, si giuoca… from the verb Giuocare > > In Russian, ya igrayu na royalye… from the verb Igrayet. > > What are the verbs in other languages? I believe your Italian is wrong. _Suonare_ goes with music and instruments, not _giocare_, which is used for playing games. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-verbs-are-used-in-other-languages-for-playing-music/514422/10 "2009-10-20T02:25:21Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > I believe your Italian is wrong. _Suonare_ goes with music and instruments, not _giocare_, which is used for playing games. Oops. You’re quite right. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-verbs-are-used-in-other-languages-for-playing-music/514422/11 "2009-10-20T04:20:01Z")
> [@](#): > > In any language I’ve ever encountered, they say ‘…play music’, they don’t say ‘…work music’. The members of the German electronica group **Kraftwerk** term themselves _musikarbeiters_ or music workers. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-verbs-are-used-in-other-languages-for-playing-music/514422/12 "2009-10-20T04:35:31Z")
Celtic: Irish is _seinn_, which I believe is ultimately cognate with Italian _suonare_ and English _sound_. (You can _sound horns_ in English, can’t you? Though you certainly don’t ordinarily “sound a banjo” or “sound a kazoo.”) _Seinn_ also means “warble, twitter.” In Scottish Gaelic _seinn_ is just _sing_, and if you want to play something you use _cluich_ for either a game or an instrument. In Breton the cognate word is _soniñ_ (stem _sen–_) for instruments. For games it’s _c’hoari_. Welsh uses _chwarae_, “play,” for both games and instruments, though you can say _seinio_ for instruments, too. ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-verbs-are-used-in-other-languages-for-playing-music/514422/13 "2009-10-20T06:24:07Z")
Swedish is “Spela”, as with games. ---
**Author:** ![Panurge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-verbs-are-used-in-other-languages-for-playing-music/514422/14 "2009-10-20T08:00:26Z")
Danish: “spille” - same thing. Sanskrit: √vad (or abhi+ √vad): lit: “To cause to sound/speak” (with instr. of the instrument). I like that take on things - you cause your instrument to speak. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-verbs-are-used-in-other-languages-for-playing-music/514422/15 "2009-10-20T08:20:31Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > In Hebrew–Lenagen. From the root Nun Gimel Nun, which includes the words for musicians, tunes, and other music related stuff. > . While at the same time, _Lesachek_, the Hebrew word for “play”, also means “act” - much as it once did in English. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-verbs-are-used-in-other-languages-for-playing-music/514422/16 "2009-10-20T08:30:37Z")
> [@Myglaren](#): > > Swedish is “Spela”, as with games. But not “play” as in “the children are playing in the street”, at least not nowadays. In medieval times we used the same word: _leka_. We can also say _musicera_, which is a verb in itself. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-verbs-are-used-in-other-languages-for-playing-music/514422/17 "2009-10-20T10:12:55Z")
German also has the verb _musizieren_ for ‘making music’. (And it’s probably more common to ‘make music’ (= _Musik machen_) than to play it; though you certainly play instruments.) ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-verbs-are-used-in-other-languages-for-playing-music/514422/18 "2009-10-20T11:34:36Z")
Portuguese mirrors Spanish, for the most part. _Tocar_ (to touch) is used for instruments: _Você toca violão?_ (Do you play [acoustic] guitar?) In contrast with Spanish, one does not say _tocar [as] palmas_; the most common phrase is _bater palmas_, which means to hit or strike the palms. Children playing: _brincar_—_Vai brincar com seu irmão_ (Go play with your brother.) Playing a game: _jogar_—_Vamos jogar futebol!_ (Let’s play soccer!). ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-verbs-are-used-in-other-languages-for-playing-music/514422/19 "2009-10-20T12:29:23Z")
In Japanese it depends on the instrument. Generally, it’s _hiku_ (pluck) for stringed instruments, _fuku_ (blow) for wind instruments, and _tataku_ (strike) for percussion. Pianos count as stringed. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-verbs-are-used-in-other-languages-for-playing-music/514422/20 "2009-10-20T13:41:38Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Never jugar. Tocar. Tocar el piano, tocar la guitarra, tocar la flauta, tocar las palmas: play piano, play guitar, play the flute, clap. > > You can clap with “hacer” as well, make (and in that case there’s no article, “hacer palmas”) or with dar, give (“dar palmadas” = give clapping sounds). > > It is “touch” in Catalan as well. Does one use ‘tocar’ for making music in general, without specifying an instrument? (¿Se dice “tocar musica”?) As an aside, note that in English, you can make music as well as play music. This is actually important for instance when singing is involved, because you don’t play your voice, but you can make music with your voice. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-verbs-are-used-in-other-languages-for-playing-music/514422.md?page=2)