Which one should you use?
Use magia to refer to the concept or the art of magic, whereas magico is the adjective used to describe something as magical or producing extraordinary results.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
magia is a feminine noun. When saying 'believe in magic', the prepositional phrase uses the articulated preposition nella (in + la) because the noun is feminine. When using the verb credere (to believe) in the sense of believing in the existence of something, it is followed by the preposition a, resulting in alla magia (a + la). Other related forms include mago for a male magician or wizard and maga for a female magician or sorceress.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /maˈdʒi.a/. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 2nd of 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- In Italian folklore, the term malocchio refers to the 'evil eye'. This is a form of perceived 'dark magic' that is culturally distinct from the general concept of magia.
- While mago is a wizard, in modern Italian slang, the word mago is frequently used to praise someone who is an absolute expert or a 'genius' at a specific task, such as a 'mago della cucina' (wizard of the kitchen).
- In technical contexts like computer programming, Italians may use the expression magia to describe a piece of code that works perfectly but is almost impossible to explain or understand.
Examples in context
- Tu credi nella magia?Do you believe in magic?This sentence is useful for asking if someone believes in magia.Tatoeba #3176805 by Guybrush88, translation #1648612 by Spamster
- Non credo alla magia.I don't believe in magic.This sentence is useful for stating that you do not believe in magia.Tatoeba #5901727 by Guybrush88, translation #2275963 by CK
- Tom crede nella magia?Does Tom believe in magic?This sentence is useful for asking if Tom believes in magia.Tatoeba #3512200 by Guybrush88, translation #3511429 by CK
- Lo spettacolo era pieno di magia.The show was full of magic.
- La serata è stata davvero magica.The evening was truly magical.
- L'antica fattucchiera ha eseguito un incantesimo potente.The ancient sorceress performed a powerful spell.
- Ho trovato un libro sugli incantesimi.I found a book about spells.
- La nostra amica è una brava maghetta.Our friend is a talented female magician.
- 33 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia and Francesco are watching a street performer.
- GiuliaGuarda, che bella magia!Look, what a beautiful magic trick!
- FrancescoÈ incredibile, come ha fatto?It's incredible, how did he do it?
- GiuliaNon lo so, sembra vera magia.I don't know, it seems like real magic.
- FrancescoSicuramente è solo un trucco.Surely it is just a trick.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “magic” translations and entries magia, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
