Bowl in Different Languages
Discover 'Bowl' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
A bowl is a simple, yet essential piece of tableware, used in various cultures and cuisines around the world. Its significance extends beyond its primary function of holding food, as it often plays a crucial role in ceremonial and traditional settings. For instance, in Asian cultures, bowls are not only used for eating but also for offering food to ancestors as a sign of respect and gratitude.
Moreover, the material, shape, and color of bowls can convey different meanings and emotions. For example, in Japan, the choice of bowl can enhance the aesthetic experience of a meal, as it is believed that the bowl's design can influence the perception of taste and flavor.
Understanding the translation of the word 'bowl' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultural significance of this object. Here are some examples:
- Chinese: 碗 (wǎn)
- Japanese: ボウル (bōru)
- Korean: � cupping (bowl)
- Spanish: bol
- French: bol
- German: Schüssel
Bowl
Bowl in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | bakkie | ||
| In its original Khoisan form, bakkie would have referred to "a small, round place". | |||
| Amharic | ጎድጓዳ ሳህን | ||
| The word "ጎድጓዳ ሳህን" (bowl) can also refer to a hole in the ground.} | |||
| Hausa | kwano | ||
| The word 'kwano' can also mean 'calabash' or 'gourd' in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | nnukwu efere | ||
| The term "nnukwu efere" literally means "big calabash" in Igbo, reflecting the traditional use of dried calabashes as bowls. | |||
| Malagasy | vilia baolina | ||
| In Madagascar, 'vilia baolina' also refers to a traditional Malagasy dish of rice and vegetables. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mbale | ||
| The Chewa word 'mbale' for 'bowl' is related to the word 'kujambula' meaning 'to dig', with the 'mba-' prefix indicating the tool used. | |||
| Shona | mbiya | ||
| "Mbiya" can also mean "brain" or a "calabash" | |||
| Somali | baaquli | ||
| The word "baaquli" is also used to refer to a type of large, flat basket used for winnowing grain. | |||
| Sesotho | sekotlolo | ||
| In Sesotho, the word "sekotlolo" can also refer to a hollowed-out calabash or a deep valley. | |||
| Swahili | bakuli | ||
| In some contexts, bakuli refers to a type of traditional African head covering. | |||
| Xhosa | isitya | ||
| The word "isitya" can also refer to a specific type of traditional Xhosa hat. | |||
| Yoruba | abọ | ||
| The word `abọ` in Yoruba also refers to the round shape of the bowl and can be used to describe other round objects. | |||
| Zulu | isitsha | ||
| "Isitsha" is also used in Zulu to refer to a woman of status or to an important position or situation. | |||
| Bambara | tasa | ||
| Ewe | agba | ||
| Kinyarwanda | igikombe | ||
| Lingala | sani | ||
| Luganda | bakuli | ||
| Sepedi | sekotlelo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | kyɛnsee | ||
Bowl in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | عاء | ||
| The word "عاء" can also refer to a container, a vessel, or a place where something is kept. | |||
| Hebrew | קְעָרָה | ||
| קְעָרָה can also refer to the area in a body of water where it curves inward toward land or where two opposing shorelines meet | |||
| Pashto | کاسه | ||
| In Pashto, "کاسه" can also refer to a beggar's bowl or a bowl-shaped depression in the ground. | |||
| Arabic | عاء | ||
| The word "عاء" can also refer to a container, a vessel, or a place where something is kept. | |||
Bowl in Western European Languages
| Albanian | tas | ||
| "Tas" means "stone" in Proto-Albanian and might be cognate to "tasse" (cup) in many Romance languages. | |||
| Basque | katilu | ||
| "Katilu" is also the traditional Basque name for a type of dish or stew, usually made with beans or potatoes. | |||
| Catalan | bol | ||
| Catalan "bol" is derived from Latin "ballus" or "bulla" and can also refer to a potbellied person or a bubble. | |||
| Croatian | zdjela | ||
| The word "zdjela" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *židlьa, meaning "hollow vessel". | |||
| Danish | skål | ||
| The Danish word "skål" comes from the Proto-Norse word "skāl" which meant "cup" and also "skull". | |||
| Dutch | kom | ||
| The word "kom" can also refer to "the round part of the cheek" (from Latin "coma" (hair)) and "the part of the foot between the heel and toes" (from Latin "coma" (hair, mane)) in Dutch. | |||
| English | bowl | ||
| A 'bowl' can also refer to a large wooden or earthenware vessel used for carrying liquids or dry goods, or the hollowed-out portion of a spoon. | |||
| French | bol | ||
| The French word "bol" can also mean "pill" or "small ball". | |||
| Frisian | kom | ||
| The Frisian word "kom" is related to the Old English "cume" (bowl) and the German "Kumme" (basin). | |||
| Galician | cunca | ||
| The Galician word "cunca" derives from the Latin word "concha", which means "shell" or "vessel". | |||
| German | schüssel | ||
| The word 'Schüssel' also means 'key' or 'lock' in German, derived from the Old High German word 'sluz' meaning 'keyhole'. | |||
| Icelandic | skál | ||
| The Icelandic word 'skál' also means 'a cheer' or 'a toast'. | |||
| Irish | babhla | ||
| babhla likely derives from the word bab, meaning "to scoop out". | |||
| Italian | ciotola | ||
| The word "ciotola" originally referred to a small drinking vessel, akin to a cup, only later extending to any bowl-shaped container. | |||
| Luxembourgish | schossel | ||
| Maltese | skutella | ||
| From the Italian "scutella," which can also mean a small plate made of clay, metal, or ceramic | |||
| Norwegian | bolle | ||
| The word "bolle" can also refer to a type of bun, with various sweet or savory fillings | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | tigela | ||
| "Tigela" is derived from the Latin word "tegula", meaning "tile" or "dish", and can also refer to a specific type of Portuguese bread soup. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | bobhla | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, "bobhla" can also refer to a hollow or depression on a surface. | |||
| Spanish | cuenco | ||
| The word "cuenco" also refers to a musical instrument made from a hollowed gourd, used to accompany traditional dances. | |||
| Swedish | skål | ||
| Skål in Swedish can also refer to a cheer or toast, as in the phrase "skål och välkommen" (literally, "toast and welcome"). | |||
| Welsh | bowlen | ||
| The verb 'bowlen' (in Welsh, 'bwlio') also means 'to cast a stone', 'to play marbles', and 'to play a game of bowls'. | |||
Bowl in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | міска | ||
| "Міска" is a type of Ukrainian pottery, and might have originated from the Turkic word "miska", meaning "cup" or "bowl". | |||
| Bosnian | zdjelu | ||
| "Zdjelu" comes from Old Slavic word "*žьdola" which also meant "pit". | |||
| Bulgarian | купа | ||
| The word "купа" also means "a heap" or "a pile" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | miska | ||
| "Miska" also means "bear" in archaic Czech. | |||
| Estonian | kauss | ||
| The word "kauss" may also refer to a type of vessel used for drinking or a round depression in the ground. | |||
| Finnish | kulho | ||
| The word 'kulho' may also refer to a cup, a chalice, or a goblet | |||
| Hungarian | tál | ||
| The Hungarian word "tál" originally referred to a flat dish, but over time its meaning shifted to include deeper bowls and other similar containers. | |||
| Latvian | bļoda | ||
| In Latvian, "bļoda" can also refer to a type of soup or stew served in a bowl. | |||
| Lithuanian | dubuo | ||
| In Latvian, "dubb" means "swamp". | |||
| Macedonian | чинија | ||
| The word "чинија" can also refer to a type of decorative plate or dish. | |||
| Polish | miska | ||
| The word "miska" in Polish can be traced back to the Proto-Slavic word *miska, which also meant "bowl". | |||
| Romanian | castron | ||
| "Castronul" in Romanian comes from the Latin word for „pot" "castronus", and also has alternate meanings of "pot" or even "vessel for milk" | |||
| Russian | миска | ||
| 'Миска' also means 'dish', 'plate', 'saucer', or 'basin' in Russian, cognate with 'miska' ('bowl') in Polish, 'miska' ('plate') in Croatian, and 'miska' ('bowl', 'pot') in Old Church Slavonic. | |||
| Serbian | здела | ||
| In Serbo-Croatian the primary meaning is a deep dish or a large shallow dish, while in Russian it is used to specifically describe bowls carved from wood. | |||
| Slovak | misa | ||
| The word misa also means 'mass' in Slovak and is derived from the Latin word 'missa', which originally meant 'dismissal'. | |||
| Slovenian | skledo | ||
| In the Prekmurje dialect of Slovenian, | |||
| Ukrainian | чаша | ||
| The word "чаша" ("bowl") in Ukrainian can also refer to the Holy Grail or the Cup of Christ in Christian traditions. | |||
Bowl in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বাটি | ||
| The word "বাটি" also means "a small earthenware or metal vessel used for cooking or serving food" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | બાઉલ | ||
| In Bengali, the word "বাউল" also refers to a class of mystic minstrels. | |||
| Hindi | कटोरा | ||
| The word 'कटोरा' derives from the Sanskrit word 'कटु' meaning 'sharp' or 'pointed', referring to the sharp edges of traditional bowls made from wood or clay. | |||
| Kannada | ಬೌಲ್ | ||
| The word "ಬೌಲ್" ("bowl") in Kannada can also mean a "cup" or a "vessel" used for drinking or serving liquids. | |||
| Malayalam | പാത്രം | ||
| In ancient Malayalam literature, 'പാത്രം' also refers to a measuring unit equivalent to a specific amount of rice or gold. | |||
| Marathi | वाडगा | ||
| The Marathi word 'वाडगा' (bowl) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'पात्र' (container) and also refers to a small earthenware vessel used for storing grains. | |||
| Nepali | कचौरा | ||
| The word "kachaura" is derived from the Sanskrit word "kaca" meaning "glass" or "crystal". | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਟੋਰਾ | ||
| The word "katōrā" comes from Sanskrit "kaṭa" meaning "cup," and is a cognate of "casserole". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පාත්රය | ||
| The word "පාත්රය" in Sinhala can also refer to a vessel, utensil, or a sacred vessel used in religious rituals. | |||
| Tamil | கிண்ணம் | ||
| The word ''கிண்ணம்'' not only refers to a bowl, but also appears in several old Tamil texts as a unit of liquid measurement, equivalent to 240 ml, and is cognate with the word ''kinnara''. | |||
| Telugu | గిన్నె | ||
| The word "గిన్నె" (ginne) is derived from the Sanskrit word "घट" (ghaṭa), meaning "jar" or "pot" | |||
| Urdu | پیالہ | ||
| پیالہ (bowl), from Sanskrit 'pāl' (a cup), is derived from Proto-Indo-European 'peh₂u-' indicating 'to drink, nourish'. It is a cognate to 'pial' (to drink) | |||
Bowl in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 碗 | ||
| Bowl can also be used in Chinese slang as a measure word for a portion of a dish, or to describe something as round. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 碗 | ||
| 碗, originally meant a round container for drinking, later it specifically refers to a container for holding food | |||
| Japanese | 丼鉢 | ||
| "丼鉢" (bowl) originally referred to a round earthenware pot used for serving rice. | |||
| Korean | 사발 | ||
| 사발 (sabal): also refers to a wooden bowl or dish used by Buddhist monks for alms in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | аяга | ||
| In Turkic languages "ayag" means "leg" and this meaning is also preserved in Mongolian language, but "аяга" bowl is probably borrowed from Tibetan "skya" meaning "skull"} | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပန်းကန်လုံး | ||
Bowl in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mangkuk | ||
| "Mangkuk" can also refer to a concave area for holding liquids, such as a pond or a valley. | |||
| Javanese | bokor | ||
| Bokor is derived from the Sanskrit word | |||
| Khmer | ចាន | ||
| The Khmer word "ចាន" not only denotes a physical bowl used for serving or eating food, but it also refers to a specific portion or serving of various dishes in traditional Khmer cuisine, particularly soups or rice-based meals. | |||
| Lao | ຊາມ | ||
| The word ຊາມ (sām) for "bowl" comes from the Pali word "samaya" which means "time" or "season". | |||
| Malay | mangkuk | ||
| In Javanese, “mangkuk” means a small bowl, and in Balinese it means a large bowl used for ceremonial purposes. | |||
| Thai | ชาม | ||
| The word "ชาม" (cham) can also mean "a small bowl for condiments" or "a small shallow basin for water used in ceremonies" | |||
| Vietnamese | bát | ||
| "Bát" literally means "eight," as Vietnamese bowls typically have eight sides. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mangkok | ||
Bowl in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qab | ||
| The word "qab" can also mean "a small, flat, round piece of bread" or "a kind of earthenware pot" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | тостаған | ||
| "Тостаған" means "a drinking vessel" and in ancient times it was made of wood or horn. | |||
| Kyrgyz | табак | ||
| The word "табак" can also refer to a flat wooden tray used for serving food in Kyrgyzstan. | |||
| Tajik | коса | ||
| The word "коса" in Tajik also means "braid" in Russian. | |||
| Turkmen | jam | ||
| Uzbek | kosa | ||
| The word "kosa" in Uzbek can also refer to a "mortar" or a "pestle". | |||
| Uyghur | قاچا | ||
Bowl in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pola | ||
| 'Pola' in Hawaiian can also refer to a type of volcanic rock. | |||
| Maori | peihana | ||
| The word 'peihana' also refers to a type of food container shaped like a bowl. | |||
| Samoan | pesini | ||
| The word "pesini" can also refer to a large wooden dish used to serve food, or a small wooden dish used to hold water. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mangkok | ||
| The word "mangkok" can also refer to a type of hat worn by women in the Philippines. | |||
Bowl in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | lamana | ||
| Guarani | harroguasu | ||
Bowl in International Languages
| Esperanto | bovlo | ||
| The Esperanto word "bovlo" also means "ball" or "sphere" in some contexts. | |||
| Latin | patera | ||
| The word "patera" derives from the Greek "πατήρ" (father), as libations were offered to the gods using such dishes. | |||
Bowl in Others Languages
| Greek | γαβάθα | ||
| In ancient Greek, "γαβάθα" could also refer to a type of shoe or sandal with a hollowed-out sole. | |||
| Hmong | lub tais | ||
| In some dialects of Hmong, "lub tais" can also refer to a "plate" or "tray". | |||
| Kurdish | tas | ||
| While "tas" primarily means "bowl" in Kurdish, it can also refer to a flat woven circular cloth or a flat wooden tray used for serving food. | |||
| Turkish | çanak | ||
| The word "çanak" is also used metaphorically to refer to a situation or event that is difficult to handle or resolve. | |||
| Xhosa | isitya | ||
| The word "isitya" can also refer to a specific type of traditional Xhosa hat. | |||
| Yiddish | שיסל | ||
| The word "שיסל" also serves as a euphemism for a toilet or a head. | |||
| Zulu | isitsha | ||
| "Isitsha" is also used in Zulu to refer to a woman of status or to an important position or situation. | |||
| Assamese | বাতি | ||
| Aymara | lamana | ||
| Bhojpuri | कचोरी | ||
| Dhivehi | ބޯތަށި | ||
| Dogri | कौली | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mangkok | ||
| Guarani | harroguasu | ||
| Ilocano | malukong | ||
| Krio | bol | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | مەنجەڵ | ||
| Maithili | कटोरी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯦꯡꯀꯣꯠ | ||
| Mizo | thleng | ||
| Oromo | mar'ummaan | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପାତ୍ର | ||
| Quechua | pukullu | ||
| Sanskrit | पाल | ||
| Tatar | касә | ||
| Tigrinya | ኣጋር | ||
| Tsonga | xibye | ||