Cheese in Different Languages
Discover 'Cheese' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Cheese
Afrikaans kaas | ||
Albanian djathë | ||
Amharic አይብ | ||
Arabic جبنه | ||
Armenian պանիր | ||
Assamese চীজ | ||
Aymara kisu | ||
Azerbaijani pendir | ||
Bambara foromazi | ||
Basque gazta | ||
Belarusian сыр | ||
Bengali পনির | ||
Bhojpuri पनीर | ||
Bosnian sir | ||
Bulgarian сирене | ||
Catalan formatge | ||
Cebuano keso | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 起司 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 起司 | ||
Corsican casgiu | ||
Croatian sir | ||
Czech sýr | ||
Danish ost | ||
Dhivehi ޗީޒް | ||
Dogri पनीर | ||
Dutch kaas | ||
English cheese | ||
Esperanto fromaĝo | ||
Estonian juust | ||
Ewe notsibabla | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) keso | ||
Finnish juusto | ||
French fromage | ||
Frisian tsiis | ||
Galician queixo | ||
Georgian ყველი | ||
German käse | ||
Greek τυρί | ||
Guarani kesu | ||
Gujarati ચીઝ | ||
Haitian Creole fwomaj | ||
Hausa cuku | ||
Hawaiian tī | ||
Hebrew גבינה | ||
Hindi पनीर | ||
Hmong cheese | ||
Hungarian sajt | ||
Icelandic ostur | ||
Igbo chiiz | ||
Ilocano keso | ||
Indonesian keju | ||
Irish cáis | ||
Italian formaggio | ||
Japanese チーズ | ||
Javanese keju | ||
Kannada ಗಿಣ್ಣು | ||
Kazakh ірімшік | ||
Khmer ឈីស | ||
Kinyarwanda foromaje | ||
Konkani चिज | ||
Korean 치즈 | ||
Krio chiz | ||
Kurdish penêr | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) پەنیر | ||
Kyrgyz сыр | ||
Lao ເນີຍແຂງ | ||
Latin caseus | ||
Latvian siers | ||
Lingala fromage | ||
Lithuanian sūris | ||
Luganda cheese | ||
Luxembourgish kéis | ||
Macedonian сирење | ||
Maithili पनीर | ||
Malagasy fromazy | ||
Malay keju | ||
Malayalam ചീസ് | ||
Maltese ġobon | ||
Maori tīhi | ||
Marathi चीज | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯁꯪꯒꯣꯝ ꯃꯄꯥꯟ | ||
Mizo cheese | ||
Mongolian бяслаг | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ဒိန်ခဲ | ||
Nepali चीज | ||
Norwegian ost | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) tchizi | ||
Odia (Oriya) ପନିର | ||
Oromo baaduu gogaa | ||
Pashto پنیر | ||
Persian پنیر | ||
Polish ser | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) queijo | ||
Punjabi ਪਨੀਰ | ||
Quechua queso | ||
Romanian brânză | ||
Russian сыр | ||
Samoan sisi | ||
Sanskrit दधिक | ||
Scots Gaelic càise | ||
Sepedi tšhese | ||
Serbian сир | ||
Sesotho chisi | ||
Shona chizi | ||
Sindhi چنيسر | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) චීස් | ||
Slovak syr | ||
Slovenian sir | ||
Somali farmaajo | ||
Spanish queso | ||
Sundanese kéju | ||
Swahili jibini | ||
Swedish ost | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) keso | ||
Tajik панир | ||
Tamil சீஸ் | ||
Tatar сыр | ||
Telugu జున్ను | ||
Thai ชีส | ||
Tigrinya መጨባ | ||
Tsonga chizi | ||
Turkish peynir | ||
Turkmen peýnir | ||
Twi (Akan) kyiisi | ||
Ukrainian сир | ||
Urdu پنیر | ||
Uyghur پىشلاق | ||
Uzbek pishloq | ||
Vietnamese phô mai | ||
Welsh caws | ||
Xhosa itshizi | ||
Yiddish קעז | ||
Yoruba warankasi | ||
Zulu ushizi |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word 'kaas' originates from the Dutch 'kaas' and is also related to the German 'käse' and English 'cheese'. |
| Albanian | In Albanian, "djathë" (cheese) also derives from Illyrian "daddhi", and Greek "dados" (resinous pine wood, but likely a cheese name, too). |
| Amharic | The Amharic word አይብ "cheese" may derive from the Ge'ez word አይበ "milk". The word is also used figuratively as a term of endearment for a beautiful woman. |
| Arabic | "جبنه" is also the Arabic word for cheese, the word originated from the Aramaic "gabnā" which means to curdle. |
| Armenian | The word "պանիր" (cheese) derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *paǵ- (to fix, to fasten), which is also the origin of Latin "pango" (to fix, to fasten) and Greek "πήγνυμι" (to curdle). |
| Azerbaijani | Pendir also means 'bread' in the old Azerbaijani language. The word Pendir is rooted in the words for bread in Old Turkic dialects. |
| Basque | Basque “gazta” (cheese) is derived from “gazi” (salty), hence gazta in the 1258 Fuero General de Navarra (Charter of the Navarre Region) meant the salt cheese that was taxed, as opposed to curdled cheeses. |
| Belarusian | "сыр" also refers to other types of dairy products such as cottage cheese (тварог) and cream (сметана). |
| Bengali | The word "পনির" is borrowed from Sanskrit "पनीर" (panīra) meaning "fermented milk curd" and is cognate with "paneer" in Hindi and Urdu. |
| Bosnian | The word 'sir' in Bosnian, meaning 'cheese', likely derives from the Proto-Indo-European root '*seyr-' meaning 'to flow', which also gave rise to the English word 'serum'. |
| Bulgarian | The word "сирене" can also refer to rennet, a substance used in cheesemaking. |
| Catalan | "Formatge" comes from the Latin "forma," which means "shape," referring to the molds used to press the curd into its final shape. |
| Cebuano | In Cebuano, "keso" can also refer to a type of fish paste made from fermented small fish and salt. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 起司一名源自閩南語，又稱乳酪、乾酪或乳酪乾酪。 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 起司一詞來自葡萄牙語 queijo，原意為凝乳或奶酪，後來專指以牛奶為原料製成的乳製品。 |
| Corsican | The word "casgiu" is also used in Corsican to refer to a type of cheese made from sheep's milk. |
| Croatian | The Croatian word "sir" also means "vinegar" and is derived from the Latin word "acetum". |
| Czech | The word "sýr" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*syrъ", which originally meant "fermented milk". |
| Danish | The word "ost" in Danish shares a common root with the Latin word "caseus", the precursor to English "cheese". |
| Dutch | The word 'kaas' is derived from Latin 'caseus', meaning 'cheese made from curds'. |
| Esperanto | The word "fromaĝo" is derived from the Latin word "formaticus", meaning "made of cheese". |
| Estonian | Estonian word “juust” refers to cheese, but is also the name for a kind of fermented milk. |
| Finnish | The word "juusto" is thought to be derived from the Proto-Finnic word "justo", meaning "hard" or "firm". |
| French | Fromage, meaning 'cheese' in French, originates from the Latin word 'forma,' meaning 'mold,' referring to the process of forming cheese in molds. |
| Frisian | In North Frisian, 'tsiis' is the term for 'cottage cheese', while 'kees' is the term for 'hard cheese'. |
| Galician | Galician "queixo" derives from the Latin "caseus", meaning "cheese", and also refers to a traditional Galician cheese made from cow's milk. |
| Georgian | In 17th-century Georgian texts, "ყველი" (cheese) also means "cream" or "sour cream". |
| German | Besides its primary meaning as 'cheese', 'Käse' can also refer to a wooden box used for aging cheese. |
| Greek | The Greek word |
| Gujarati | The Gujarati word 'ચીઝ' ('cheese') ultimately derives from the Latin word 'caseus', which also gave rise to the English word 'cheese'. |
| Haitian Creole | The Haitian Creole word "fwomaj" is derived from the French word "fromage" and can also refer to other dairy products like yogurt. |
| Hausa | The word 'cuku' can also refer to the white sap of the baobab tree, which is used as an adhesive or sealant. |
| Hawaiian | Tī means 'cheese' in Hawaiian and refers specifically to curdled coconut milk used as a cooking ingredient in a variety of sweet and savory dishes. |
| Hebrew | The word "גבינה" is a generic Hebrew term derived from the Aramaic "gabna," which could refer to a wide variety of fermented or curdled milk products. |
| Hindi | "पनीर" (cheese) derives from the Persian word "panir" and can also refer to the pupil of the eye. |
| Hmong | Although "cheese" in Hmong (tsaj tsiaj) literally translates to "sour liquid," that word's actual usage encompasses dairy products like cheese and yogurt as well as any other sour liquid, like orange juice or vinegar. |
| Hungarian | In addition, the word 'sajt' also means 'curd' in Hungarian. |
| Icelandic | Ostur's alternate meaning is an old Norse word describing a Scandinavian type of boat. |
| Igbo | Igbo word ''chiiz'' (cheese) derives from Spanish ``queso'' through an English intermediary. |
| Indonesian | The word 'keju' is derived from the Portuguese word 'queijo' and is cognate with the English word 'cheese' |
| Irish | The Irish word "cáis" is derived from the Proto-Celtic word "kasyos," meaning "curdled milk." |
| Italian | "Formaggio" originates from the Latin word "formāceus" - "formed" due to the traditional round mold used to age it. |
| Japanese | チーズ (chīzu) is derived from the Portuguese word Queijo, which means "cheese." |
| Javanese | In addition to "cheese," keju also means "mold" in some Javanese dialects |
| Kannada | In rural areas of Karnataka, it can also mean 'a wooden pillar' or 'a log of wood'. |
| Kazakh | The Kazakh word "ірімшік" (cheese) may be derived from the Turkic word "irim," meaning "sour"} |
| Khmer | The word "ឈីស" is derived from the French word "fromage" and is also used to refer to dairy products such as butter and yogurt. |
| Korean | 치즈(cheese) is a loanword, not native to the Korean language. |
| Kurdish | The word 'penêr' is used in the context of the Kurdish saying 'penêr xware, dil xweş bide' which means 'eat cheese and make your tongue happy'. |
| Kyrgyz | The Kyrgyz word "сыр" (cheese) also means "gorge" or "canyon". |
| Lao | The word "ເນີຍແຂງ" is a direct loanword from French, where it originally referred to the hard, unripened cheese known as "fromage sec". |
| Latin | "Caseus" comes from the Proto-Indo-European word "*kwat-", meaning "to ferment" |
| Latvian | The word "siers" also means "curd" in Latvian. |
| Lithuanian | The word "sūris" in Lithuanian, meaning "cheese," originates from the Proto-Indo-European root "*kʷer-," meaning "to ferment" or "to sour," and is related to the Sanskrit word "kṣiras," meaning "milk." |
| Luxembourgish | The word “Kéis” derives from the Old High German “chesi,” related to Old English “cyse,” German “Käse,” and Dutch “kaas.” |
| Macedonian | The word “сирење” (cheese) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word “*syrъ”, which also means “rennet” or “curd”. |
| Malagasy | The word "fromazy" is derived from the French word "fromage", meaning "cheese", and is also used to refer to a type of fermented milk product in Madagascar. |
| Malay | Keju can also refer to other fermented soy or meat based food in Malaysia. |
| Malayalam | The word "ചീസ്" ("cheese") in Malayalam also refers to a kind of fish called "black pomfret". |
| Maltese | The word "ġobon" is derived from the Arabic word "jubn", which also means "cheese". It is cognate with the Spanish word "jabón", which means "soap". |
| Maori | The word "tīhi" in Māori also refers to a type of fermented fish paste or relish. |
| Marathi | The Marathi word "चीज" (chīj) is also used to refer to a "thing" or an "object." |
| Mongolian | The word "бяслаг" in Mongolian can also mean "milk product" or "food made from milk". |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | The Burmese word for "cheese" (ဒိန်ခဲ) is thought to be derived from the Proto-Sino-Tibetan word *d-jins, which also meant "cheese". |
| Nepali | The Nepali word "चीज" derives from the Sanskrit word "क्षीर," which refers to fermented milk products akin to cheese or curd. |
| Norwegian | The word "ost" can also refer to "east" or "a place where the sun rises" in Norwegian. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | In Nyanja, "tchizi" can also mean "sour milk" or "yogurt". |
| Pashto | The Pashto word "پنیر" is a derivative of the Sanskrit word "पनीर" (panīra), which in turn originates from the ancient Iranian root *pan̄- meaning "to protect" or "to keep safe". |
| Persian | In Persian, "پنیر" can also mean "cottage cheese" or "curd". |
| Polish | The Polish word "ser" derives from the Proto-Slavic *syrъ and shares its origin with the words for cheese in many other Indo-European languages, including the English "cheese". |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | "Queijo" is derived from the Latin word "caseus", which also means "cheese". |
| Punjabi | The word "paneer" is derived from the Sanskrit word "panira" meaning "to set" or "to coagulate" and is related to the word "pani" meaning "water". |
| Romanian | The word "brânză" is also used in Romanian to refer to a type of cream cheese called "caș". |
| Russian | The Russian word "сыр" (cheese) likely derives from the Indo-European root *twer- or *ters-, meaning "to rub" or "to roll", hinting at the ancient technique of making cheese by rubbing or rolling curds. |
| Samoan | Sisi can also mean 'to squeeze' or 'to milk' in Samoan. |
| Scots Gaelic | In Scots Gaelic, the word "càise" can also refer to a small wooden tub or box, or to the curds that are used in the making of cheese. |
| Serbian | The Serbian word for "cheese", "сир", is likely derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*ḱer-s", meaning "to cut" or "to carve". |
| Sesotho | Despite 'chisi' meaning 'cheese', it often refers to the fermented milk product known as mafi. |
| Shona | While chizi means 'cheese' in Shona, it's also used figuratively to refer to something that is fake or of low quality. |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word for "cheese", "چنيسر", is derived from the Persian word "پنیر" (panīr), meaning "fresh cheese". |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The Sinhala word 'චීස්' is often used to express surprise and can be compared to the English interjection 'whoa'. |
| Slovak | The word "syr" in Slovak also means "the smell of a female goat" and "a dirty stain on a garment." |
| Slovenian | The word "sir" in Slovenian can also refer to a type of curd cheese, similar to cottage cheese. |
| Somali | The Somali word "farmaajo" derives from the Arabic word "furmā'" meaning "choice" or "best". |
| Spanish | The word "queso" can also refer to a type of cheese sauce or melted cheese used in Mexican cuisine. |
| Sundanese | The Sundanese word "kéju" is ultimately derived from the Portuguese word "queijo" (itself from Latin "caseus"), likely introduced during Portuguese trade with Indonesia in the 16th century. |
| Swahili | The word 'jibini' in Swahili can also refer to a traditional fermented milk product similar to yogurt. |
| Swedish | The word "ost" in Swedish is derived from the Old Norse word "ostr", which means "cream". It is cognate with the German word "Käse" and the English word "cheese". The word "ost" can also refer to a type of cheese mold or a cheese factory. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The Tagalog word 'keso' can also refer to any type of dairy product, not just cheese, and is derived from the Spanish word 'queso'. |
| Tajik | The word "панир" in Tajik can also refer to a type of cottage cheese or curd. |
| Tamil | The Tamil word 'சீஸ்' (cheese) is derived from the Portuguese word 'queijo', which in turn comes from the Latin word 'caseus'. |
| Telugu | The word "జున్ను" is derived from the Sanskrit word "क्षीर" (kshira), meaning "milk". |
| Thai | The word "ชีส" can also refer to a type of mold or fungus in Thai. |
| Turkish | "Peynir" originates from the Persian word "panir", which refers to a type of soft, fresh cheese. |
| Ukrainian | The word "сир" in Ukrainian is derived from an ancient Indo-European root meaning "to cut" or "to divide". |
| Urdu | The word 'پنیر' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'piniram', meaning 'pressed together'. |
| Uzbek | "Pishloq" has the same origin as the Persian word "pishlak," both derived from the Old Iranian word "pishtaka" meaning "milk fat or cream." |
| Vietnamese | The word "phô mai" is derived from the French word "fromage" and was introduced to Vietnam during the French colonial period. |
| Welsh | The Welsh word 'caws' is also used to describe a cough or a hoarse voice. |
| Xhosa | The word "itshizi" is derived from the Xhosa word "itshiza" which means "sour milk". |
| Yiddish | In Yiddish, "קעז" can also refer to a type of cottage cheese known as "тварог" in Russian. |
| Yoruba | In some Yoruba dialects, "warankasi" refers specifically to soft, unripened white cheese, while in others it can also mean cheese in general. |
| Zulu | The Zulu word "ushizi" is derived from the Proto-Bantu word "*cisi", which also means "milk". |
| English | The word "cheese" traces its roots to the Latin word "caseus," denoting both fermented and unfermented milk products like curd. |