Cheek in Different Languages
Discover 'Cheek' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'cheek' is a small but significant part of our daily vocabulary, referring to the fleshy area on either side of the face, often associated with expressions of emotion. But did you know that the word 'cheek' has cultural importance beyond its anatomical definition? In many languages and cultures, 'cheek' is used metaphorically to describe boldness, audacity, or even roguish behavior. For example, in Spanish, a 'cheeky' person might be described as 'un descarado', while in French, they might be called 'un effronté'.
Understanding the translation of 'cheek' in different languages can open up a world of cultural nuance and expression. Imagine being able to navigate the vibrant markets of Marrakech, where bartering is a dance of words and gestures, and a polite refusal might involve touching your hand to your cheek. Or consider the significance of the 'cheek kiss', a common greeting in many European cultures, but one that can vary greatly in execution from country to country.
Below, you'll find a list of translations of 'cheek' in a variety of languages, from the familiar to the exotic. Whether you're a language learner, a cultural enthusiast, or simply curious, this list is sure to expand your horizons and deepen your appreciation for the richness and diversity of human language and expression.
Cheek
Cheek in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | wang | ||
| The word 'wang' is also used in Afrikaans as a term of endearment for a child, similar to 'cheek' in English. | |||
| Amharic | ጉንጭ | ||
| The word 'ጉንጭ' can also mean 'a small piece' or 'a bit' in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | kunci | ||
| The word "kunci" also means "cheekbone" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | agba | ||
| Agba also means 'side' or 'direction' in Igbo, and is cognate with the Yoruba word 'egbe' with the same meaning. | |||
| Malagasy | takolany | ||
| From the Proto-Austronesian *taqalun, which also means 'ear' in some other Austronesian languages. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | tsaya | ||
| “Tsaya” can also mean an individual that doesn't pay attention while working as in “Ndi tsaya,” which translates to “He has become careless.” | |||
| Shona | dama | ||
| "Dama" also means "cheek" in the Ndau dialect, while in Zezuru, it means "a slap on the cheek". | |||
| Somali | dhabanka | ||
| Dhabanka is also colloquially used to refer to a child's "cute baby fat" as it forms over their cheeks or upper thigh area. | |||
| Sesotho | lerama | ||
| The word "lerama" in Sesotho can also refer to the side of a hill. | |||
| Swahili | shavu | ||
| "Shavu" also means "a part or side of anything dividing it into halves" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | isidlele | ||
| The word "isidlele" in Xhosa also refers to a particular hairstyle worn by married women, in which the hair is parted in the middle and gathered into two buns on either side of the head. | |||
| Yoruba | ẹrẹkẹ | ||
| The word "erẹkẹ" can also refer to the sides of a fruit or vegetable. | |||
| Zulu | isihlathi | ||
| The word 'isihlathi' also means 'a bush' or 'a thicket' in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | dafuruku | ||
| Ewe | alɔgo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umusaya | ||
| Lingala | litama | ||
| Luganda | ettama | ||
| Sepedi | lerama | ||
| Twi (Akan) | afono | ||
Cheek in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الخد | ||
| The cheek is also called الخدين and is the part of the face between the nose and the ear. | |||
| Hebrew | לֶחִי | ||
| The Hebrew word "לֶחִי" (cheek) can also refer to the jaw, chin, or side of the face | |||
| Pashto | ګال | ||
| The Pashto word "ګال" also has the alternate meaning of "cheek of a firearm." | |||
| Arabic | الخد | ||
| The cheek is also called الخدين and is the part of the face between the nose and the ear. | |||
Cheek in Western European Languages
| Albanian | faqe | ||
| The Albanian word "faqe" can also refer to a "page" or a "side". | |||
| Basque | masailean | ||
| The word "masailean" can also refer to the masseter muscle, which is located on the side of the face. | |||
| Catalan | galta | ||
| The Catalan word "galta" (cheek) is a derivative of the Arabic word "halta" (cheekbone) | |||
| Croatian | obraz | ||
| The word "obraz" also means "face", "honor", "appearance", and "image" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | kind | ||
| The Danish word "kind" not only means "cheek" but also refers to the fleshy part of the face below the cheekbones. | |||
| Dutch | wang | ||
| In Dutch, "wang" not only means "cheek" but also "face." | |||
| English | cheek | ||
| "Cheek" can also refer to audacity, impudence, or insolence. | |||
| French | joue | ||
| The French word 'joue' originally meant the 'lower cheek or chin' and is related to Italian 'gota' ('drop') | |||
| Frisian | wang | ||
| Frisian has a word 'wang' which is cognate to 'cheek' and also means 'side' | |||
| Galician | meixela | ||
| The term "meixela" comes from the Latin word "maxilla" and also refers to the jaw. | |||
| German | wange | ||
| The word "Wange" can also refer to the inside of the mouth or the jawbone, in addition to its primary meaning of "cheek." | |||
| Icelandic | kinn | ||
| The Old Norse word "kinn" could also refer to the jawbone or the side of the face. | |||
| Irish | leiceann | ||
| "Leiceann" may refer to a cheek, hillside, or a stone with a flat surface for grinding. | |||
| Italian | guancia | ||
| "Guancia", the Italian word for "cheek," derives from the medieval Latin word *bucca*, itself borrowed from Proto-Germanic *buk- "cheek." | |||
| Luxembourgish | wang | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Wang" can also mean "corner" or "direction". | |||
| Maltese | ħaddejn | ||
| The Maltese word "ħaddejn" comes from the Arabic word "khadd" and also means "side" or "face" in Maltese. | |||
| Norwegian | kinn | ||
| The word "kinn" can also refer to the "side of a mountain" or the "shore of a fjord". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | bochecha | ||
| In Brazil, "bochecha" can also refer to a specific cut of beef steak. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ceò | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, "ceò" can also refer to a type of mist or fog found in mountainous areas, particularly in the Scottish Highlands. | |||
| Spanish | mejilla | ||
| The word "mejilla" also refers to the side or surface of a solid, such as a rock formation. | |||
| Swedish | kind | ||
| In Swedish, "kind" can also mean "cheek" or a type of bone fragment. | |||
| Welsh | boch | ||
| The word "boch" is derived from the Proto-Celtic word "*bokko-s" meaning "side" or "cheek" and is also related to the words "bochog" (armhole) and "bocs" (box). | |||
Cheek in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | шчака | ||
| "Шчака" also means "jaw". | |||
| Bosnian | obraz | ||
| In some Slavic languages, obraz also means "face" or "image". | |||
| Bulgarian | буза | ||
| In Old Bulgarian, 'буза' meant 'lips', as it still does in Serbo-Croatian and Russian. | |||
| Czech | tvář | ||
| The word "tvář" in Czech can also mean "face" or "surface". | |||
| Estonian | põske | ||
| In Estonian, the word "põske" can also refer to the sides of a container or the cheeks of an animal. | |||
| Finnish | poski | ||
| The word "poski" also means "a piece of bread crust" in eastern Finnish dialects. | |||
| Hungarian | arcát | ||
| In old Hungarian 'arcát' also meant 'face'. | |||
| Latvian | vaigs | ||
| The word "vaigs" in Latvian can also refer to the side of the mouth or the act of chewing. | |||
| Lithuanian | skruostas | ||
| The word "skruostas" (cheek in Lithuanian) is cognate with the Latin word "scrobs" (ditch, trench), suggesting a possible connection to the facial depressions around the cheekbones. | |||
| Macedonian | образ | ||
| "Образ" also denotes "image", "icon" and figuratively "face (human)". | |||
| Polish | policzek | ||
| In Polish, the word "policzek" can also mean a slap in the face (in this scenario, it's pronounced 'po-li-czek'), or a stroke in artistic brushwork (where it's pronounced 'po-li-tchek'). | |||
| Romanian | obraz | ||
| The Romanian word "obraz" derives etymologically from the Slavic word "obrazъ", meaning "image, icon" (as the face was perceived as an image or a reflection of the soul). | |||
| Russian | щека | ||
| The word "щека" also means "check" in chess and "side" of the face; the word is a cognate of Ukrainian "щока" and Polish "szczęka" "jaw, cheek"]} | |||
| Serbian | образ | ||
| Besides meaning "cheek", "образ" can also refer to "face" or "image" in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | líca | ||
| The word "líca" in Slovak is related to the Proto-Slavic word "lice" meaning "face" and is also used to refer to the "cover" or "surface" of something. | |||
| Slovenian | lička | ||
| Lička in Slovenian has alternate meanings of "face" and, when used with the term "po lički", "to slap someone in the face". | |||
| Ukrainian | щока | ||
| The word "щока" in Ukrainian can also refer to the "side" of something, such as a building or a road. | |||
Cheek in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | গাল | ||
| The word "গাল" (pronounced "Gaal") also has an alternate meaning in Bengali as "insult" or "disgrace" | |||
| Gujarati | ગાલ | ||
| The Gujarati word "ગાલ" (gaal) can also refer to a "lump" or a "growth" on the body. | |||
| Hindi | गाल | ||
| The word "गाल" (cheek) shares the same root as the word "गर्ल" (throat), both derived from the Proto-Indo-European word "*ǵʰel-/*ǵʰol-**, meaning "to swallow". | |||
| Kannada | ಕೆನ್ನೆ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಕೆನ್ನೆ" is also used to refer to the "side" or "edge" of something, or to the "bank" of a river. | |||
| Malayalam | കവിൾ | ||
| The Malayalam word "കവിൾ" (kaviḷ) is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root "kav", meaning "to hold" or "to protect". | |||
| Marathi | गाल | ||
| The word "गाल" (cheek) in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word "गल" meaning "to swallow". | |||
| Nepali | गाला | ||
| `गाला` (cheek) also means a village in the Himalayan region or a large space in a cave. | |||
| Punjabi | ਚੀਕ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਚੀਕ" (cheek) is also used to refer to the cheekiness or impudence of a person. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කම්මුල | ||
| The Sinhala word "කම්මුල" comes from the Dravidian word "kammal" meaning "beauty". | |||
| Tamil | கன்னம் | ||
| In Tamil, the word "கன்னம்" not only refers to the cheek but also colloquially means "talk" or "conversation". This usage originated in the practice of resting one's cheek on the hand while engaging in a conversation. | |||
| Telugu | చెంప | ||
| Telugu "చెంప" may also refer to a "lapel" or "a piece of cloth sewn to the front of a garment from the shoulder to the waist." | |||
| Urdu | گال | ||
| The Urdu word "گال" has alternate meanings including "side" or "direction", | |||
Cheek in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 脸颊 | ||
| 脸颊 derives from the word 面颊, which means "face side" and refers to the sides of the face. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 臉頰 | ||
| "臉頰" is a homonym, with one meaning being "face" and the other "to be cheeky". | |||
| Japanese | 頬 | ||
| The Japanese word "頬" (cheek) can also refer to the sides of the face and the back of the throat. | |||
| Korean | 뺨 | ||
| Mongolian | хацар | ||
| Хацар (cheek) is also used in Mongolian to mean "face" or "honor." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပါး | ||
| In informal speech, "ပါး" may also refer to a person's face, especially the area between the eyes and the lower lip. | |||
Cheek in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | pipi | ||
| The Indonesian word 'pipi' can also refer to the sides of a boat. | |||
| Javanese | pipine | ||
| Pipine, derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "p pipi", also denotes the lateral surface of an object or an area on the side of something. | |||
| Khmer | ថ្ពាល់ | ||
| The word "ថ្ពាល់" can also refer to the "side" of something, such as a building or a mountain. | |||
| Lao | ແກ້ມ | ||
| Malay | pipi | ||
| Malay "pipi" also means "flattened" and is cognate with Javanese "pipih" | |||
| Thai | แก้ม | ||
| Vietnamese | má | ||
| The word "má" can also refer to "mother" or "grandmother" in the northern dialects of Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pisngi | ||
Cheek in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | yanaq | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "Yanaq" ("cheek") comes from the Turkic word "yan". "Yan" also means "beside" or "next to" in Azerbaijani language. | |||
| Kazakh | щек | ||
| The Kazakh word "щек" has similar connotations of "cheekiness"} | |||
| Kyrgyz | жаак | ||
| In Kyrgyz, the word "жаак" can also refer to a person's personality or character. | |||
| Tajik | рухсора | ||
| The word рухсора is a compound of "ру" (face) and "хсора" (beauty), thus, 'the beauty of the face', which specifically signifies cheeks | |||
| Turkmen | ýaňak | ||
| Uzbek | yonoq | ||
| The word "yonoq" can also refer to "a place where the jaw meets the cheek" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | مەڭزى | ||
Cheek in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | papalina | ||
| The Hawaiian word "papalina" can also refer to a variety of other anatomical features, such as the dimples on the face or the hollow of the cheek. | |||
| Maori | paparinga | ||
| The word 'paparinga' is a Maori term for 'cheek', and also refers to the cheek of a fruit or plant tuber. | |||
| Samoan | alafau | ||
| The word "alafau" can also be used to refer to the jaw, mouth, or chin in Samoan, reflecting the close anatomical relationship between these facial features. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pisngi | ||
| The word "pisngi" in Tagalog also means "face" or "countenance". | |||
Cheek in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ajanu | ||
| Guarani | tovayke | ||
Cheek in International Languages
| Esperanto | vango | ||
| The word "vango" is borrowed from Serbian, where it means "cheek" and "face; visage." | |||
| Latin | sine causa | ||
| "Sine causa" literally means "without reason" in Latin and is used to describe something that is done without any apparent motive. | |||
Cheek in Others Languages
| Greek | μάγουλο | ||
| The word "μάγουλο" can also refer to the round shape of a fruit, such as an apple. | |||
| Hmong | sab plhu | ||
| The Hmong word "sab plhu" can also mean "face" or "visage". | |||
| Kurdish | rû | ||
| The word "rû" also means "face" or "beauty" in Kurdish, and is related to the Persian word "rôi" with the same meanings. | |||
| Turkish | yanak | ||
| Despite the word "yanak" primarily denoting "cheek" in Turkish, it also has secondary meanings of "face" and "honour". | |||
| Xhosa | isidlele | ||
| The word "isidlele" in Xhosa also refers to a particular hairstyle worn by married women, in which the hair is parted in the middle and gathered into two buns on either side of the head. | |||
| Yiddish | באַק | ||
| The word "bak" can also refer to a "side" in the context of food, like the side of a fish. | |||
| Zulu | isihlathi | ||
| The word 'isihlathi' also means 'a bush' or 'a thicket' in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | গাল | ||
| Aymara | ajanu | ||
| Bhojpuri | गाल | ||
| Dhivehi | ކޯ | ||
| Dogri | खाख | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pisngi | ||
| Guarani | tovayke | ||
| Ilocano | pingping | ||
| Krio | jɔ | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕوومەت | ||
| Maithili | गाल | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯖꯥꯏ | ||
| Mizo | biang | ||
| Oromo | maddii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଗାଲ | ||
| Quechua | uya | ||
| Sanskrit | गल्ल | ||
| Tatar | яңак | ||
| Tigrinya | ምዕጉርቲ | ||
| Tsonga | rihlaya | ||