Beer in Different Languages

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

Updated on March 6, 2024

Beer is more than just a refreshing beverage - it's a cultural phenomenon with a rich history that spans thousands of years. From ancient Sumerian texts to modern-day microbreweries, beer has played a significant role in human celebrations, social interactions, and even religious ceremonies. In fact, beer was so important in ancient Egypt that workers were paid in it!

Understanding the translation of beer in different languages can open up a world of cultural experiences. For example, the German word for beer is 'Bier,' while in Spanish, it's 'cerveza.' In Russia, beer is 'pivo,' and in Japan, it's 'biiru.' Each language's translation offers a unique perspective on the role of beer in that culture.

Whether you're a beer enthusiast, a language learner, or a cultural explorer, discovering the translations of beer in different languages can be a fun and fascinating journey. So why not raise a glass and cheers to cultural exploration? Prost, salud, na zdorovie, and kanpai to beer in all its delicious and culturally significant forms!

Beer in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Beer in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Beer in Western European Languages

Beer in Eastern European Languages

Beer in South Asian Languages

Beer in East Asian Languages

Beer in South East Asian Languages

Beer in Central Asian Languages

Beer in Pacific Languages

Beer in American Indigenous Languages

Beer in International Languages

Beer in Others Languages

Beer

Beer in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaans	bier
	In Afrikaans, "bier" is also used to refer to a stretcher or coffin, reflecting an archaic meaning of the word in English.
Amharic	ቢራ
	The etymology of the word "ቢራ" can be traced back to the Cushitic root "byr", which means "to ferment".
Hausa	giya
	The word "giya" is also used to refer to any alcoholic beverage.
Igbo	biya
	In the Igbo dialect of southeastern Nigeria, "biya" also refers to a type of traditional fermented corn drink.
Malagasy	labiera
	The word "labiera" in Malagasy is derived from the French word "bière" and also refers to a type of alcoholic beverage made from honey.
Nyanja (Chichewa)	mowa
	The Nyanja/Chichewa word 'mowa' also refers to the thick foam on liquids.
Shona	doro
	The root word <i lang='sn'>doro</i> means 'to drink', 'to quench thirst'; and is cognate with the word <i lang='sn'>mvura</i> meaning 'water'.
Somali	biir
	The word "biir" in Somali shares its root with the Arabic word "birrah" and the Coptic word "biōr", indicating a linguistic connection between the three languages.
Sesotho	biri
	The word "biri" in Sesotho also means "sweet sorghum".
Swahili	bia
	The word "bia" in Swahili can also refer to any alcoholic beverage, not just beer.
Xhosa	ibhiya
	The word "ibhiya" is also a euphemism used to refer to alcohol in general, or specifically to sorghum beer, a popular alcoholic beverage traditionally brewed in South Africa.
Yoruba	oti sekengberi
	"Oti sekengberi" also refers to local herbal concoctions and palm wine.
Zulu	ubhiya
	In some Nguni dialects, the word "ubhiya" can also refer to other alcoholic beverages and traditional honey beer.
Bambara	biyɛri

Ewe	biya

Kinyarwanda	byeri

Lingala	masanga

Luganda	omwenge

Sepedi	piri

Twi (Akan)	biɛ

Beer in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabic	بيرة
	The word "بيرة" ("beer") is derived from the word "بر" ("barley"), as it was originally made from fermented barley.
Hebrew	בירה
	The word "בירה" in Modern Hebrew means "beer," but in Biblical Hebrew, it refers to a fortified city or fortress.
Pashto	بير
	The word "بير" ("beer") in Pashto also means "spring" or "well".
Arabic	بيرة
	The word "بيرة" ("beer") is derived from the word "بر" ("barley"), as it was originally made from fermented barley.

Beer in Western European Languages

Albanian	birrë
	The word "birrë" also means "money" in Albanian and comes from the Italian word "lira"
Basque	garagardoa
	In Basque, "garagardoa" can also mean "thunder" or "heavy rain".
Catalan	cervesa
	"Cervesa" is a loanword from Latin "cervisia," which originally meant any fermented alcoholic beverage.
Croatian	pivo
	The word 'pivo' entered Croatian via the Czech 'pivo', which ultimately descends from Proto-Germanic *bewa-, 'to tremble', referring to the effervescence of fermenting beer.
Danish	øl
	In Old Norse, "öl" originally referred to any alcoholic beverage, but its meaning narrowed to "beer" in the 17th century.
Dutch	bier
	In Dutch, "bier" also refers to a stretcher or a coffin, both due to its resemblance to the shape of a coffin and the custom of serving beer at funerals.
English	beer
	"Beer" comes from an old Germanic root meaning "to brew" and is related to the words "barley" and "berry."
French	bière
	The word "Bière" derives from the Latin word "bibere", meaning "to drink".
Frisian	bier
	In East Frisian, bier also means "stretcher" and "coffin", while in Saterland Frisian, it means "straw".
Galician	cervexa
	The Galician word "cervexa" shares its root with the Latin "*cerevisia," indicating its ancient origins.
German	bier
	The German word "Bier" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *bher-, meaning "to bubble" or "to foam". Its cognates include the English word "beer" and the French word "bière". In some regions of Germany, "Bier" can also refer to other fermented beverages, such as apple cider or mead.
Icelandic	bjór
	Bjór is also an Icelandic word for "beverage" or "liquid".
Irish	beoir
	The Irish word 'beoir' is derived from the Proto-Celtic root *be¯ros, meaning 'fermented drink', and is related to the Welsh 'byr' and Breton 'bir', also meaning 'beer'.
Italian	birra
	"Birra" derives from Latin, meaning "barley", but in modern Italian refers to any alcoholic beverage produced from fermented malt or other cereals.
Luxembourgish	béier
	The word "Béier" in Luxembourgish also refers to a small, light-coloured, and slightly sparkling table beer.
Maltese	birra
	The word "birra" may also refer to a type of wine made from grapes that were dried or slightly cooked before being pressed.
Norwegian	øl
	The Norwegian word "øl" originally meant "drink" and was only in the Late Middle Ages restricted to alcoholic beverages.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)	cerveja
	The word "cerveja" comes from the Latin word "cervisia", which refers to a type of fermented beverage made from barley.
Scots Gaelic	lionn
	The Scots Gaelic word "lionn", meaning "beer", may be rooted in the medieval English word "lyn", meaning "a drink made from honey.
Spanish	cerveza
	The word "cerveza" derives from the Latin "cervisia" and shares a root with "cereal", reflecting the historical use of grains in beer production.
Swedish	öl
	The Swedish word "öl" and the Middle Low German "ol" are thought to have derived from the Proto-Indo-European word "*h₂el-".
Welsh	cwrw
	The word "cwrw" in Welsh originates from the same Indo-European root as the English word "cervese" and the Irish word "cuirm".

Beer in Eastern European Languages

Belarusian	піва
	The word "піва" was once used in Belarusian to refer to any alcoholic beverage, including hard liquor, and not just beer.
Bosnian	pivo
	The word 'pivo' has Slavic roots and is related to the words for 'drink', 'beverage', and 'water' in several other Slavic languages.
Bulgarian	бира
	The Bulgarian word "Бира" (beer) derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*bher-", meaning to bubble or ferment.
Czech	pivo
	The word "pivo" originally referred to any beverage, not necessarily beer.
Estonian	õlu
	"Õlu" in Estonian can also mean "straw".
Finnish	olut
	The word "olut" may share an origin with Indo-European "*heleh₃", meaning "alcohol, beer," and the Estonian "õlu" and Hungarian "sör".
Hungarian	sör
	The word "sör" can also refer to a celebration or event associated with beer drinking.
Latvian	alus
	The word "alus" in Latvian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂el-, meaning "intoxicating liquid".
Lithuanian	alaus
	The Lithuanian word "alaus" is thought to be derived from the Old Prussian word "alus" (meaning "beer") or the Old German word "alo" (meaning "liquid").
Macedonian	пиво
	The word "пиво" (pronounced "peevo") has Slavic roots and is related to the word "пить" (pronounced "peet"), which means "to drink".
Polish	piwo
	In the Silesian dialect, 'piwo' can also refer to a large mug used for drinking beer.
Romanian	bere
	In Romanian, "bere" derives from the Slavic word "bir", meaning "fermentation" or "frothing". It also refers to birch sap in Romanian folklore and customs.
Russian	пиво
	The origin of the word "пиво" is not certain, but it's thought to be related to the Proto-Germanic word "*beuuoz". The word "пиво" can also refer to a type of drink made from fermented fruit, honey, or berries.
Serbian	пиво
	The word "пиво" (beer) in Serbian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "pivo", which also means "drink" or "liquid".
Slovak	pivo
	Pivo is a loanword from German 'bier,' and originally also meant 'pepper' in Slovak.
Slovenian	pivo
	The Slovenian word 'pivo' for beer originates from the Proto-Slavic word 'piti', meaning 'to drink'.
Ukrainian	пиво
	The word "пиво" (beer) can also mean "brew" or "beverage" in Ukrainian.

Beer in South Asian Languages

Bengali	বিয়ার
	The word 'বিয়ার' in Bengali likely derives from the word 'biyar', which means 'strong liquor.'
Gujarati	બીયર
	The word "બીયર" (beer) likely derives from the Latin "bibere" (to drink), which also gave rise to the English word "beverage."
Hindi	बीयर
	The word 'बीयर' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'bhara', meaning 'to bear or carry', and the ancient Greeks used the term 'birra' for any fermented beverage.
Kannada	ಬಿಯರ್
	The Kannada word "ಬಿಯರ್" derives from the Sanskrit word "भिरा" (bhira), meaning "a fermented liquor", and can also refer to alcoholic beverages in general.
Malayalam	ബിയർ
	The word "ബിയർ" comes from the English word "beer". It has the same meaning in Malayalam.
Marathi	बिअर
	In Marathi, "बिअर" is the word for "beer," but it also means "forest" or "wild land."
Nepali	बियर
	The Nepali word 'बियर' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'भिक्षा', meaning 'alms'.
Punjabi	oti sekengberi
	The word "Oti sekengberi" likely derives from "Oti sekengbe," a type of beer made from guinea corn.
Sinhala (Sinhalese)	බියර්
	The Sinhala word "බියර්" (beer) is derived from the English word "beer".
Tamil	பீர்
	The Tamil word 'பீர்' (beer) can also refer to 'a small hole or cavity'.
Telugu	బీర్
	Telugu's "బీర్" originates from English's "beer", but also means "a small, narrow hole".
Urdu	بیئر
	The word "بیئر" (beer) may derive from the Old German word "bier" or the Latin word "bibere" (to drink).

Beer in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)	啤酒
	啤酒 (pì jiǔ) may also refer to a specific type of Chinese rice beer
Chinese (Traditional)	啤酒
	啤酒 means "cold brewed" and refers to both ale and lager, depending on the context.
Japanese	ビール
	The word ビール (biiru) is a loanword from the English word "beer".
Korean	맥주
	Though the word "맥주" means "beer" in Korean, it is derived from "makju," the name for a traditional Korean rice wine.
Mongolian	шар айраг
	Шар айраг is a type of Mongolian beer made from fermented mare's milk.
Myanmar (Burmese)	ဘီယာ
	The word "ဘီယာ" in Myanmar is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "bīra" which means "intoxicating drink."

Beer in South East Asian Languages

Indonesian	bir
	In Indonesian, the word "bir" also refers to a type of wild boar.
Javanese	bir
	"Bir" also means "male" or "man" in Javanese.
Khmer	ស្រាបៀរ
	The word “ស្រាបៀរ” in Khmer is derived from the French word “bière” and the Proto-Austronesian word *biraʔ, meaning “fermented alcoholic beverage.”
Lao	ເບຍ
	The word "ເບຍ" in Lao is derived from the Sanskrit word "bhēru", which originally meant "drum". This is likely due to the fact that beer was often served in drums in ancient times.
Malay	bir
	The word "bir" in Malay also refers to fermented fruit drinks, such as "bir tapai" (fermented tapioca) and "bir kedondong" (fermented star fruit).
Thai	เบียร์
	เบียร์ is the loanword form of English "beer", and can also mean "water". The water meaning can still be found in its compound form "น้ำเบียร์" (nam-bia, "beer-water").
Vietnamese	bia
	The Vietnamese word "bia" may derive from the Chinese character 啤酒 or the French beverage biere.
Filipino (Tagalog)	beer

Beer in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijani	pivə
	"Pivə" is also the Azerbaijani word for "medicine".
Kazakh	сыра
	The word "сыра" in Kazakh can also mean "beverage" or "drink" in general.
Kyrgyz	сыра
	The Kyrgyz word "сыра" can also refer to fermented beverages made from grains other than barley, such as oats or millet.
Tajik	оби ҷав
	The Tajik word "оби ҷав" also refers to beer produced from barley.
Turkmen	piwo

Uzbek	pivo
	The word "pivo" in Uzbek is derived from the Turkic word "pyve" meaning "fermented drink".
Uyghur	پىۋا

Beer in Pacific Languages

Hawaiian	pia
	In Hawaiian, "pia" can also refer to a type of wild sugarcane or a fermented beverage made from it.
Maori	pia
	The word "pia" can also refer to food or drink.}
Samoan	pia
	PIA (Samoa): also refers to the fermented sap of a coconut
Tagalog (Filipino)	serbesa
	The Tagalog word "serbesa" likely comes from the Spanish "cerveza", meaning "beer", as the Philippines was a Spanish colony for over 300 years.

Beer in American Indigenous Languages

Aymara	sirvisa

Guarani	guariryju

Beer in International Languages

Esperanto	biero
	Biero (beer) is etymologically related to the word “bier” used in several Germanic languages, and also to the Hungarian “sör”
Latin	cervisiam
	The Latin word "cervisiam" ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *ḱerh₂- meaning "to ferment" or "to grow".

Beer in Others Languages

Greek	μπύρα
	The word 'μπύρα' derives from the Proto-Germanic 'biuraz' which also gave rise to English 'beer', Russian 'пиво' and Sanskrit 'पिवः'.
Hmong	npias
	The word "npias" can also refer to "rice wine" in the Hmong language.
Kurdish	bîra
	The word "bîra" is also used to refer to a type of fermented dairy drink similar to yogurt.
Turkish	bira
	'Bira' can also refer to the 'act of giving' in Turkish, similar to its meaning in Sanskrit and Prakrit
Xhosa	ibhiya
	The word "ibhiya" is also a euphemism used to refer to alcohol in general, or specifically to sorghum beer, a popular alcoholic beverage traditionally brewed in South Africa.
Yiddish	ביר
	The Yiddish word "ביר" ("beer") comes from Middle High German "bier" and is related to Latin "bibere" (to drink) and Greek "piō" (I drink).
Zulu	ubhiya
	In some Nguni dialects, the word "ubhiya" can also refer to other alcoholic beverages and traditional honey beer.
Assamese	বীয়েৰ

Aymara	sirvisa

Bhojpuri	बियर

Dhivehi	ބިއަރު

Dogri	बीयर

Filipino (Tagalog)	beer

Guarani	guariryju

Ilocano	serbesa

Krio	bia

Kurdish (Sorani)	بیرە

Maithili	बियर

Meiteilon (Manipuri)	ꯅꯤꯁꯥ ꯄꯥꯟꯕ ꯊꯛꯅꯕ ꯃꯍꯤ

Mizo	zu chi khat

Oromo	biiraa

Odia (Oriya)	ବିୟର

Quechua	cerveza

Sanskrit	भीर

Tatar	пиво

Tigrinya	ቢራ

Tsonga	byalwa

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Beer in Different Languages

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

Beer

Beer in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Beer in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Beer in Western European Languages

Beer in Eastern European Languages

Beer in South Asian Languages

Beer in East Asian Languages

Beer in South East Asian Languages

Beer in Central Asian Languages

Beer in Pacific Languages

Beer in American Indigenous Languages

Beer in International Languages

Beer in Others Languages

Popular searches

Click on a letter to browse words starting with that letter

Weekly Tip

Immerse Yourself in the World of Languages

How to use our multi-language translation tool

Start with a word

Auto-complete to the rescue

See and hear translations

Grab the translations

Explore More Apps You'll Love

Features overview

Instant translations with audio where available

Quick find with auto-complete

Translations in 104 Languages, no selection needed

Downloadable translations in JSON

All free, All for you

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you provide translations and audio?

Can I download these translations?

What if I can't find my word?

Is there a fee to use your site?