Bread in Different Languages
Discover 'Bread' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Bread
Afrikaans brood | ||
Albanian bukë | ||
Amharic ዳቦ | ||
Arabic خبز | ||
Armenian հաց | ||
Assamese লোফ | ||
Aymara t'ant'a | ||
Azerbaijani çörək | ||
Bambara buuru | ||
Basque ogia | ||
Belarusian хлеб | ||
Bengali রুটি | ||
Bhojpuri रोटी | ||
Bosnian hleb | ||
Bulgarian хляб | ||
Catalan pa | ||
Cebuano tinapay | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 面包 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 麵包 | ||
Corsican pane | ||
Croatian kruh | ||
Czech chléb | ||
Danish brød | ||
Dhivehi ޕާން | ||
Dogri ब्रैड | ||
Dutch brood | ||
English bread | ||
Esperanto pano | ||
Estonian leib | ||
Ewe abolo | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) tinapay | ||
Finnish leipää | ||
French pain | ||
Frisian bôle | ||
Galician pan | ||
Georgian პური | ||
German brot | ||
Greek ψωμί | ||
Guarani mbujape | ||
Gujarati બ્રેડ | ||
Haitian Creole pen | ||
Hausa burodi | ||
Hawaiian berena | ||
Hebrew לחם | ||
Hindi रोटी | ||
Hmong mov ci | ||
Hungarian kenyér | ||
Icelandic brauð | ||
Igbo achịcha | ||
Ilocano tinapay | ||
Indonesian roti | ||
Irish arán | ||
Italian pane | ||
Japanese パン | ||
Javanese roti | ||
Kannada ಬ್ರೆಡ್ | ||
Kazakh нан | ||
Khmer នំបុ័ង | ||
Kinyarwanda umutsima | ||
Konkani पाव | ||
Korean 빵 | ||
Krio bred | ||
Kurdish nan | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) نان | ||
Kyrgyz нан | ||
Lao ເຂົ້າຈີ່ | ||
Latin panem | ||
Latvian maize | ||
Lingala limpa | ||
Lithuanian duona | ||
Luganda omugaati | ||
Luxembourgish brout | ||
Macedonian леб | ||
Maithili रोटी | ||
Malagasy -kanina | ||
Malay roti | ||
Malayalam റൊട്ടി | ||
Maltese ħobż | ||
Maori taro | ||
Marathi ब्रेड | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯇꯜ | ||
Mizo chhangthawp | ||
Mongolian талх | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ပေါင်မုန့် | ||
Nepali रोटी | ||
Norwegian brød | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) mkate | ||
Odia (Oriya) ରୁଟି | | ||
Oromo daabboo | ||
Pashto ډوډۍ | ||
Persian نان | ||
Polish chleb | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) pão | ||
Punjabi ਰੋਟੀ | ||
Quechua tanta | ||
Romanian pâine | ||
Russian хлеб | ||
Samoan areto | ||
Sanskrit रोटिका | ||
Scots Gaelic aran | ||
Sepedi borotho | ||
Serbian хлеб | ||
Sesotho bohobe | ||
Shona chingwa | ||
Sindhi ماني | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) පාන් | ||
Slovak chlieb | ||
Slovenian kruh | ||
Somali rooti | ||
Spanish pan de molde | ||
Sundanese roti | ||
Swahili mkate | ||
Swedish bröd | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) tinapay | ||
Tajik нон | ||
Tamil ரொட்டி | ||
Tatar икмәк | ||
Telugu రొట్టె | ||
Thai ขนมปัง | ||
Tigrinya ሕምባሻ | ||
Tsonga xinkwa | ||
Turkish ekmek | ||
Turkmen çörek | ||
Twi (Akan) paanoo | ||
Ukrainian хліб | ||
Urdu روٹی | ||
Uyghur بولكا | ||
Uzbek non | ||
Vietnamese bánh mỳ | ||
Welsh bara | ||
Xhosa isonka | ||
Yiddish ברויט | ||
Yoruba akara | ||
Zulu isinkwa |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word "brood" can also refer to a type of mushroom. |
| Albanian | The word "bukë" in Albanian is cognate with the Latin word "panis" and the Proto-Indo-European root *peh₂-, both meaning "bread". |
| Amharic | "ዳቦ" may also refer to a piece of bread or a small loaf of bread. |
| Arabic | The Arabic word "خبز" can also mean "livelihood" or "sustenance." |
| Armenian | The Armenian term “հաց” (haーツ) derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₃eḱ-, implying both 'grind' and 'stone. |
| Azerbaijani | The word "çörək" derives from the Proto-Turkic word "çörek" or "sörek" meaning "unleavened bread" or "flatbread". |
| Basque | "Ogia'' can also be used to refer to "a living", or even to someone who's lazy and won't do any work. |
| Belarusian | "Хлеб" (bread) is believed to derive from the Proto-Slavic word *xlebos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *klebʰ- (to cleave, break). |
| Bengali | The Sanskrit equivalent of "রুটি" is "अरुटी" (aruTi), which is cognate to the Persian "آرد" (aarda), meaning flour; and it might be the Indo-Aryan cognates of the Proto-Indo-European "*h₃er-ti-" (to plough/cut), suggesting an old agricultural connection, like with other flour products (like "রুটা" (ruTha), "পুরি" (puri), etc.). |
| Bosnian | "Hleb" can mean either "bread" or "gift" in Bosnian, stemming from the Proto-Slavic words "*xlěbъ" for "bread" and "*glěbъ" for "lump of earth, clay". |
| Bulgarian | The word "хляб" is also a Bulgarian word for "earth", possibly related to the Albanian word "bukë" meaning "mold, cast" |
| Catalan | In ancient Greek, the word "pa" meant "meal" or "food". |
| Cebuano | The word "tinapay" in Cebuano is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word for "to cook". It can also refer to other foods made from flour, such as rice cakes and noodles. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 面包 is derived from the French word "pain", meaning "bread". |
| Chinese (Traditional) | The character '麵' in '麵包' also means 'noodles', and it originally referred to a flatbread made from wheat flour. |
| Corsican | In Corsican, "pane" can also refer to a part of a building, such as a wall or a door. |
| Croatian | In Croatian, the word "kruh" can also refer to a loaf of bread, a piece of bread, or the bread used in the Eucharist. |
| Czech | The words chleb and chléb both mean 'bread' in Czech. |
| Danish | The Danish word "brød" can also refer to a wedding or a celebration. |
| Dutch | In Dutch, the word "brood" can also refer to a group of young animals that have recently hatched or been born. |
| Esperanto | "Pano" also serves as the root for "papanino" ("sandwich") and "panjo" ("bakery"). |
| Estonian | The Estonian word "leib" is thought to derive from an ancient Indo-European root word that also gave rise to the words "loaf" and "bread" in English. |
| Finnish | The Finnish word for “bread”, “leipä”, comes from the reconstructed Proto-Germanic word “hlaibaz”, originating from a Proto-Indo-European noun |
| French | Pain also means "suffering" in French, similar to its etymology from the Latin word "panem," which means "punishment." |
| Frisian | "Bôle" is cognate with the Dutch and German word for butter, "boter" and "butter", which probably reflects the butter-like consistency and fat content of bread made from freshly ground flour. |
| Galician | Galician "pan" derives from Proto-Indo-European "peh₂-n-," meaning "cattle, livestock," also related to Latin "pecus" (cattle). |
| Georgian | "პური" (bread) derives from the Proto-Kartvelian root *pʷəri, meaning "grain" or "flour." |
| German | The word "Brot" can also refer to a loaf or a roll of bread. |
| Greek | The word 'ψωμί' may derive from the ancient Greek verb 'ψάω', meaning 'to rub, crush' or 'to knead'. |
| Gujarati | The word "ब्रેड" is derived from the Old English word "bread", which is thought to have come from the Proto-Germanic word "braudan", meaning "to break off". It can also refer to a flat, round cake made from flour (typically wheat) or a substance used as food for animals. |
| Haitian Creole | The Haitian Creole "pen" shares etymological roots with the Latin "panis" and the Greek "ἄρτος" (artos), indicating bread.} |
| Hausa | The Hausa word 'burodi' also means 'food' or 'meal'. |
| Hawaiian | "Berena" means "bread" in Hawaiian, but its literal meaning is "fern shoots". |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word "לחם" comes from the root "לחם" which in Arabic means "to be hungry". |
| Hindi | रोटी (roti) has no direct etymology in English, but it shares a common root with the word "roti" in several other Indo-European languages, including Persian, Pashto, and Nepali. |
| Hmong | The term also refers to any food, especially one that is consumed as a staple. |
| Hungarian | 'Kenyér' originated from the Proto-Indo-European term 'gʰer-', implying 'to grind' and referring to any meal made from ground grains. |
| Icelandic | The word "brauð" can also refer to a type of flatbread made from barley or rye flour. |
| Igbo | The Igbo word “achịcha” also means “cake” or “sweet potato pudding”. |
| Indonesian | Roti is derived from Sanskrit word "rotika" which also means bread in English and "rot " which means to pound. |
| Irish | There are some words that sound similar to "arán" in Irish because of a process called apophony, such as "oire" (edge) and "oile" (oil). |
| Italian | The Italian word 'pane' also refers to a window, as in a 'window pane', and is related to the Latin word 'pannus' meaning 'cloth'. |
| Japanese | The word "パン" (bread) in Japanese originated from the Portuguese word "pão" during the 16th century. |
| Javanese | "Roti" (bread) in Javanese is cognate with "ruoti" (bread) in Finnish and "rot" (bread) in German and many other Germanic languages. |
| Kannada | The word "bread" in Kannada, "ಬ್ರೆಡ್," is derived from the Portuguese word "broa," meaning "loaf of bread." |
| Kazakh | The word "нан" can also refer to a type of traditional flatbread in Kazakhstan, similar to a tortilla. |
| Khmer | The word “នំបុ័ង” (num bong; bread) comes from the Sanskrit word “पुप्फ’ (puphpa; cake or pastry). |
| Korean | "빵" is also a Korean slang term for a good-looking person, especially a woman. |
| Kurdish | In the Kurdish language, "nan" can also refer to a type of flatbread commonly eaten in the region. |
| Kyrgyz | The word "нан" in Kyrgyz is derived from the Persian word "نـان" (nān), which has the same meaning. |
| Lao | "ເຂົ້າຈີ່" is an adaptation of the Thai word "ข้าวเหนียว" (sticky rice). |
| Latin | Though "panem" usually refers to bread, its original meaning was more akin to bread dough or leavened dough in general. |
| Latvian | The Latvian term "maize" also refers to wheat, while "corn" refers specifically to barley. |
| Lithuanian | "The Lithuanian word "duona" is a cognate of Greek "δοῦνα" (doùna), meaning "dough," Latin "farina" (flour), and Sanskrit "dhu" (to grind)." |
| Luxembourgish | The word "Brout" is derived from the Old High German word "brod" and is related to the English word "bread" and the German word "Brot." |
| Macedonian | The word "леб" in Macedonian is derived from an old Slavic word that originally meant "round" or "flattened". |
| Malagasy | The Malagasy word "-kanina" originates from the Proto-Austronesian word "*kaniŋ", which means "eat" and the suffix "-na", which indicates a noun. |
| Malay | Roti, the Malay word for bread, is derived from the Sanskrit word 'rotika' and has alternate meanings in other languages, such as 'money' in Hindi and 'daily meal' in Indonesian. |
| Malayalam | The word "റൊട്ടി" ("bread") is derived from the Sanskrit word "रोटि" ("bread"), which is ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*h₁rewdʰ-" ("to tear"), which also gives rise to the English word "rut". The word "റൊട്ടി" can also mean "money" or "wealth" in Malayalam slang. |
| Maltese | "Ħobż" originally meant "dough" in the Phoenician language |
| Maori | Maori 'taro' can also refer to taro root, a type of vegetable |
| Marathi | The Marathi word 'ब्रेड' (bread) is derived from the Portuguese word 'broa' meaning 'coarse bread'. |
| Mongolian | The word "талх" comes from the Mongolian word for "life-force" or "vitality". |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | Also refers to a sweet glutinous rice cake, made with sticky rice, coconut milk, and sugar |
| Nepali | The word "रोटी" (roti) in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit word "रोटिका" (rotika), meaning "a round flat cake of bread." |
| Norwegian | In Sweden, 'bröd' can also refer to the act of baking or a group of bakers. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | Nyanja "mkate" likely originates from Portuguese "pão de trigo" via Swahili "mkate wa ngano" |
| Pashto | The Pashto word "ډوډۍ" can also refer to a thin, flatbread called Chapati. |
| Persian | The word "نان" (bread) in Persian is derived from the Proto-Iranian word *nāna-, meaning "food". |
| Polish | The Polish word "chleb" also refers to a loaf of bread or a piece of bread. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | "Pão" can also mean "blockhead" in Portuguese slang. |
| Punjabi | As a loanword from Sanskrit, 'ਰੋਟੀ' (bread) is also used in Punjabi as a metaphor for 'food' or 'sustenance'. |
| Romanian | The Romanian word "pâine" is derived from the Latin word "panis" and can also refer to the biblical manna in some contexts. |
| Russian | "хлеб" (bread) in Russian can also mean "grain," "harvest," or "the bread on the holy table in Orthodox churches." |
| Samoan | The word 'areto' may have originated from 'afete,' the name for the Samoan fire god who is said to have cooked bread for the first time. |
| Scots Gaelic | 'Aran' in Scots Gaelic can also refer to a piece or a portion of bread, or an amount sufficient for a meal. |
| Serbian | The word 'хлеб' also refers to the Eucharist or any holy bread in Serbian. |
| Sesotho | In Sesotho, "bohobe" is also used to describe something that provides comfort or nourishment, akin to the feeling of satisfying hunger with bread. |
| Shona | The word 'chingwa' ultimately originates from the Proto-Bantu root '-kwá', which means 'to eat' or 'to consume'. |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "ماني" (bread) originates from the Sanskrit word "माष" (māṣa), meaning "bean" or "pulse". |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | Sinhala "පාන්" is etymologically derived from Sanskrit "पाण्" (paṇ), meaning nourishment or food |
| Slovak | The Slovak word "chlieb" is cognate with the German "Laib" and the Old English "hláf," and originally meant "loaf". |
| Slovenian | "Kruh" means "bread" in Slovenian, but it also has a double meaning related to the word "kruh", which means "circle" or "wheel". |
| Somali | The Somali word 'rooti' is derived from the Arabic word 'ruṭb', meaning 'moist' or 'soft'. |
| Spanish | The Spanish "pan de molde" is called so because it's shaped like a mold and baked in a square or rectangular tin, a practice that goes back to the Romans and Greeks. |
| Sundanese | In Sundanese, "roti" also refers to a type of traditional cake made from rice flour. |
| Swahili | "Mkate" is also a term used in Tanzania for a person born during the bread shortage in 1945. |
| Swedish | The word "bröd" in Swedish is closely related to the word "brygga," which means "to brew" or "to make" in Old Norse. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The word "tinapay" in Tagalog is derived from the root word "tina" (to cook) and the suffix "-pay" (a noun suffix), and originally referred to cooked rice rather than bread. |
| Tajik | "Нон" derives from Middle Iranian "n"ān, which referred to "food" or "provisions". |
| Tamil | The Tamil word ரொட்டி can also refer to a type of flatbread, a small loaf, or a sweet bun. |
| Telugu | The word "రొట్టె" (bread) in Telugu is derived from the Sanskrit word "रोट्टिका" (roṭṭikā), which means "a round, flat cake". |
| Thai | In the Thai language, "ขนมปัง" (khanom phang) literally translates to "sweet pastry" but is commonly used to refer to bread. |
| Turkish | The word |
| Ukrainian | The word "хліб" (bread) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*xlěbъ," which also means "grain" and "food." |
| Urdu | The Urdu word "روٹی" originates from Persian and ultimately Sanskrit, where it also referred to a type of sweet or seasoned cake or biscuit, not just baked dough. |
| Uzbek | The word 'non' is also used to describe any food used as a bread substitute, such as flatbreads or tortillas. |
| Vietnamese | Bánh mì was originally called bánh tây, meaning "Western bread", and is now used to refer specifically to the Vietnamese sandwich of the same name. |
| Welsh | In Welsh, "bara" denotes bread as a loaf, and historically also signifies "summit" or "topmost point of a mountain". |
| Xhosa | Isonka is derived from the word 'isonka', meaning 'to crush' or 'to grind' in Xhosa |
| Yiddish | The word "ברויט" (bread) in Yiddish also means "livelihood" or "sustenance." |
| Yoruba | "Akara" has other meanings such as "skillfully". It derives from the verb "ka", meaning "to do; make". |
| Zulu | "Isinkwa" is a form of the more general word for "food" ("insuluko") and "corn" ("impofu"). |
| English | The word 'bread' derives from the Old English word 'breod', meaning 'food' or 'nourishment'. |