Bean in different languages

Bean in Different Languages

Discover 'Bean' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

Beans are more than just a humble legume; they hold immense significance and cultural importance across the globe. From the classic baked beans of American cuisine to the black beans of Mexican fare, beans are a versatile and vital source of nutrition. Historically, beans have played a crucial role in the diets of various civilizations, with evidence of their consumption dating back to ancient times.

But did you know that the word 'bean' has fascinating translations in different languages? For instance, in Spanish, the word for bean is 'frijol,' while in German, it's 'Bohne.' In French, beans are referred to as 'haricots,' and in Japanese, the word is 'mame.' These translations not only offer insight into the linguistic diversity of different cultures but also highlight the global ubiquity of beans as a dietary staple.

So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a foodie, or simply curious, exploring the translations of the word 'bean' is a fun and enlightening journey. Read on to discover more about this common yet remarkable legume and its name in various languages!

Bean


Bean in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansboontjie
'Boontjie' is possibly a corruption of 'bone' (bean) as it was originally pronounced in old English or Dutch
Amharicባቄላ
The Amharic word "ባቄላ" (baqela) is derived from the Geez word "baqillu," which in turn is likely derived from the ancient Egyptian word "bq.t," meaning "bean."
Hausawake
The Hausa word “wake” can also refer to a type of soup or stew made with beans.
Igboagwa
The Igbo word 'agwa' also means 'seed' or 'kernel'.
Malagasytsaramaso
The word "tsaramaso" is also used to refer to the kidney and is likely derived from the Proto-Austronesian root *tasum, meaning "seed".
Nyanja (Chichewa)nyemba
The word "nyemba" in Nyanja (Chichewa) may also refer to a kind of tree or its fruit.
Shonabhinzi
The word "bhinzi" in Shona also refers to a type of small, round pumpkin.
Somalidigir
The word 'digir' also refers to a species of bean locally known as 'digirta madow' or 'black bean'.
Sesotholinaoa
In Sesotho, "linaoa" is a homonym for "beans" and "beautiful one", showcasing the language's rich vocabulary and cultural connections.
Swahilimaharagwe
It is derived from Proto-Bantu *malaγwe, from Proto-Niger-Congo *maláŋwà, from the root *mal- 'rub, grind, crush'
Xhosaimbotyi
I'mboti can also refer to the round and hard seed of the umhlaba (Voacanga africana).
Yorubaìrísí
ìrísí also means `to be similar` or `to resemble`.
Zuluubhontshisi
The word "ubhontshisi" can also refer to a type of game played with beans.
Bambarashɛfan
Ewebean
Kinyarwandaibishyimbo
Lingalanzungu ya nzungu
Lugandaekinyeebwa
Sepedinawa ya
Twi (Akan)bean

Bean in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicفاصوليا
The word "فاصوليا" is derived from the Greek word "φάσηλος", which means "kidney bean".
Hebrewאפונה
The word "אפונה" is derived from the Greek word "αφρός", meaning "foam" or "scum", possibly referring to the plant's white flowers or seed pods.
Pashtoلوبیا
The Pashto word "لوبیا" can also refer to a specific type of bean known as the "lubia bean" or "asparagus bean".
Arabicفاصوليا
The word "فاصوليا" is derived from the Greek word "φάσηλος", which means "kidney bean".

Bean in Western European Languages

Albanianfasule
"Fasule" is cognate with Italian "fagiuolo", French "haricot", and Spanish "fréjol".
Basquebabarruna
The Basque word "babarruna" may be rooted in the ancient word "babar" meaning "food" and the suffix "-una" indicating "abundance."
Catalanmongeta
The word "mongeta" in Catalan derives from the Arabic word "múng" meaning "bean" and also referred to a type of small bean used for making a specific dish.
Croatiangrah
The word 'grah' can also refer to a variety of legumes and peas, including chickpeas, lentils, and fava beans.
Danishbønne
The Danish word "bønne" is derived from the Old Norse "baun", which also meant "bone".
Dutchboon
The Dutch word "boon" can also refer to a blessing or a favor bestowed upon someone.
Englishbean
The word "bean" originates from the Middle English word "bene," derived from the Old English word "bean," which referred to various legumes, including beans, peas, and lentils.
Frenchharicot
"Haricot", coming from "harigot", was initially "ragout", then anything cut in pieces, such as "ragout".
Frisianbean
It is also used as a term of endearment in the diminutive form "beentsje".
Galicianfeixón
The Galician word "feixón" originates from the Latin word "phaseolus", meaning "bean".
Germanbohne
The word "Bohne" is related to the Old Low German word "bona" and ultimately to the Latin word "fabam" (bean).
Icelandicbaun
The Icelandic word 'baun' can also refer to the 'ball' of a foot or the 'sole' of a shoe.
Irishpónaire
The word "pónaire" in Irish can also refer to a type of boat or a small island.
Italianfagiolo
"Fagiolo" initially meant "string bean" and later also "common bean"
Luxembourgishboun
The word "Boun" can also mean "beanstalk" or "vine" in Luxembourgish.
Maltesefażola
Maltese fażola, fażulu 'bean,' from It. fagiolo 'bean,' via Sp. alubia or Fr. haricot (also from Sp.).
Norwegianbønne
Originally it referred to the broad bean but today all types of leguminous seed is called "bønner".
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)feijão
The word "feijão" comes from the Latin "phaseolus", meaning "bean" or "kidney bean".
Scots Gaelicbean
In Scots Gaelic, the word 'bean' can also refer to a woman or a fairy.
Spanishfrijol
The word "frijol" derives from the Nahuatl word "etli", meaning "flesh".
Swedishböna
Böna is also the Swedish word for "prayer".
Welshffa
In Welsh, "ffa" can also refer to the number 20.

Bean in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianфасоля
The word "фасоля" is related to the Greek word "φασόλι" (bean), as well as the Belarusian word "боб" (pod).
Bosniangrah
The word "grah" in Bosnian can also mean "hail" or "a sudden attack".
Bulgarianбоб
The word "боб" also refers to a Bulgarian folk dance.
Czechfazole
Slovo "fazole" pochází z latinského "phaseolus" a původně znamenalo jen zahradní fazol obecný, teprve později získalo význam pro různé druhy bobů.
Estonianuba
'Uba' also refers to the seeds of some plants other than beans (e.g. peas).
Finnishpapu
The word "papu" also refers to the fruit of the bean plant and the seed coat of the bean, and it is related to the word "papu" in Estonian and the word "bób" in Polish, all of which mean "bean."
Hungarianbab
The Hungarian word "bab" also refers to a kind of flatbread, which is similar to the pita bread.
Latvianpupa
Latvian “pupa” (bean) refers to the shape of a particular bean species – kidney beans.
Lithuanianpupelė
The word "pupelė" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*peu-", meaning "to swell".
Macedonianграв
'Грав' (bean) is also used as a slang term for 'money' or 'cash'.
Polishfasola
The word "fasola" is derived from the Greek "phaseolos", meaning "bean", and also refers to a type of bean commonly used in Polish cuisine.
Romanianfasole
The word "fasole" is probably of Slavic origin and is related to the word "faze" which means "kidney bean".
Russianфасоль
The word "фасоль" comes from the Greek word "φασίολος" (phasíolos), which means "kidney bean".
Serbianпасуљ
The word "пасуљ" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *pasuljь, which is cognate with the Albanian word fasule and the Greek word φασόλι.
Slovakfazuľa
The word “fazuľa” in Slovak is also used to refer to “beans” and “pulses”. Therefore, it can be used to refer to all types of beans, including kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils, and soybeans.
Slovenianfižol
The name "fižol" is originally Germanic in origin, likely from an ancient form "*pisa" "pea" in Proto-Germanic, akin to the English name "pea".
Ukrainianквасоля
The word "квасоля" originates from the Proto-Slavic word "*kvassol'a", which means "sour cabbage juice" or "pickled cabbage".

Bean in South Asian Languages

Bengaliশিম
The word 'শিম' may also refer to the string of a musical instrument or the edge of a piece of cloth.
Gujaratiબીન
The Gujarati word "બીન" (bean) derives from the Sanskrit word "वीन" (vina), referring to a stringed instrument, and also has alternate meanings including "without" and "other".
Hindiसेम
The Hindi word "सेम" can also refer to a type of long pod containing multiple seeds, or to the seeds themselves.
Kannadaಹುರುಳಿ
ಹುರುಳಿ can also refer to a type of pulse or lentil, specifically to black gram or urad dal.
Malayalamകാപ്പിക്കുരു
The word "കാപ്പിക്കുരു" in Malayalam also refers to the person who delivers messages or does errands for a king or a wealthy person.
Marathiबीन
The Marathi word "बीन" (bean) may also refer to a musical instrument, or to a person who plays a musical instrument.
Nepaliसिमी
The word "सिमी" in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit word "सिम्ब" meaning "pod". It also refers to a specific type of bean known as the "cowpea".
Punjabiਬੀਨ
The word "ਬੀਨ" (bean) is likely derived from the Sanskrit word "bîna" meaning "lute" or "musical instrument", possibly referring to the bean's shape resembling a musical instrument.
Sinhala (Sinhalese)බෝංචි
The word "බෝංචි" (bean) is derived from the Sanskrit word "वंक" (curved), referring to the curved shape of beans.
Tamilபீன்
In Tamil, the word "பீன்" is derived from the Portuguese word "feijão", which itself originated from the Latin word "phaseolus" meaning "bean". Interestingly, the term "பீன்" can also refer to a "wart" or "mole" in the colloquial Tamil lexicon.
Teluguబీన్
The word "బీన్" (bean) in Telugu also refers to a kind of musical instrument, similar to the sitar.
Urduبین
The word 'bean' is also used figuratively in Urdu to refer to something small and insignificant, or to something that is unimportant or worthless.

Bean in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)
"豆" (bean) is also used as a classifier for things like peas, lentils, and soybeans.
Chinese (Traditional)
The character for 'bean' (豆) can also refer to small objects like peas or millet and was a measure of weight for one grain in ancient China.
Japanese
"豆" can also mean "small" or "young" in Japanese.
Korean
The word "콩" can also refer to a type of traditional Korean soy sauce called "chungjang" or "doenjang".
Mongolianбуурцаг
The word "буурцаг" is also used to refer to the shape of a crescent moon or the curve of a river.
Myanmar (Burmese)ပဲမျိုးစုံ
"ပဲ" is also the name of a small bird that looks similar to a pigeon.

Bean in South East Asian Languages

Indonesiankacang
The Indonesian word "kacang" can refer to a wide variety of leguminous seeds, including peanuts, soybeans, and mung beans.
Javanesekacang buncis
The word "kacang buncis" in Javanese is also used to refer to peanuts, but is distinguished by the additional word "bunder" when referring to green beans.
Khmerសណ្តែក
សណ្តែក also refers to a kind of sweet treat that is made with sticky rice.
Laoຖົ່ວ
The word ຖົ່ວ can also refer to the plant of the bean or the seeds of the bean
Malaykacang
The Malay word "kacang" can also refer to groundnuts, peas or other legumes.
Thaiถั่ว
"ถั่ว" may also refer to the peanut (ถั่วลิสง).
Vietnamesehạt đậu
"Hạt đậu" also means a unit of area in rural Vietnam
Filipino (Tagalog)bean

Bean in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanilobya
The word "lobya" shares its root with the word "lobio", meaning "green bean" in Georgian.
Kazakhбұршақ
In Kazakh, 'бұршақ' also refers to the plant pea, which is considered a type of bean.
Kyrgyzбуурчак
The Kyrgyz word "буурчак" also refers to a type of bread made from bean flour.
Tajikлӯбиё
In Tajik, "лӯбиё" (bean) has the alternate meaning of "unfertile" or "barren" when used to describe women.
Turkmennoýba
Uzbekloviya
The Uzbek word "loviya" is thought to be derived from the Persian word "lubia" via Arabic, and is cognate with the Spanish word "alubia" and the Portuguese word "feijão".
Uyghurپۇرچاق

Bean in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianpīni
In Hawaiian, "pīni" can refer to the seed of a plant, a pearl, or a small bead.
Maoripīni
Pīni can also mean 'kidney' or the 'kidney/loin' of a person or animal.
Samoanpi
"Pi" can also mean "to make a mistake" in Samoan, and is often used as an exclamation of surprise or disbelief.
Tagalog (Filipino)bean
The word "bean" in Tagalog (Filipino) may also refer to the seeds of other plants, such as peas or peanuts, or to the fruit of the tamarind tree.

Bean in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarajawasa
Guaranihabas rehegua

Bean in International Languages

Esperantofabo
The Esperanto word "fabo" can also mean "fable" or "myth".
Latinfaba
It is suggested that faba was also a term for voting beans, with the etymology related to the action of speaking.

Bean in Others Languages

Greekφασόλι
Φασόλι derives from the Medieval Latin word "faseolus", which is the origin of the English word "bean". In Medieval Greek it also meant "kidney" and was later applied to the bean due to its shape.
Hmongtaum
Hmong “taum” (bean) is a borrowing from the Chinese “dòu” (bean), both words ultimately stemming from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *“br-ti.”
Kurdishfasûlî
In Kurdish, “fasûlî” has also been used to refer to a type of lentil, specifically the brown variety known as “mercâ.”
Turkishfasulye
"Fasulye" can also refer to the stringed instrument known as a "beanstalk".
Xhosaimbotyi
I'mboti can also refer to the round and hard seed of the umhlaba (Voacanga africana).
Yiddishבעבל
In Yiddish slang, 'בעבל' can also mean a young and inexperienced person.
Zuluubhontshisi
The word "ubhontshisi" can also refer to a type of game played with beans.
Assameseবীন
Aymarajawasa
Bhojpuriबीन के बा
Dhivehiބިސް
Dogriबीन
Filipino (Tagalog)bean
Guaranihabas rehegua
Ilocanobean
Kriobin
Kurdish (Sorani)فاسۆلیا
Maithiliबीन
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯕꯤꯟ꯫
Mizobean a ni
Oromobaaqelaa
Odia (Oriya)ବିନ୍
Quechuahabas
Sanskritताम्बूलम्
Tatarфасоль
Tigrinyaፋጁል
Tsongabean

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