Chicken in Different Languages
Discover 'Chicken' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The humble chicken, a bird of many talents, has been a staple in diets and cultures around the world for millennia. From its early domestication in Southeast Asia around 7,000 BC to its starring role in modern-day fast food, the chicken has proven itself to be a truly global citizen. But did you know that the word 'chicken' itself has a fascinating history, and that its translation varies greatly from one language to another?
In Latin, for instance, 'chicken' is 'pullus gallinaceus,' while in Russian, it's 'курица' (kuritsa). In Mandarin Chinese, the word is '鸡' (jī), and in Japanese, it's 'ニワトリ' (niwatori). Each of these translations offers a unique glimpse into the cultural significance of the chicken in different parts of the world.
So why should you care about the translation of 'chicken' in different languages? For one, it's a fun and fascinating way to explore the diversity of human language and culture. And who knows - it might even come in handy the next time you're traveling and want to order a delicious chicken dish!
Chicken
Chicken in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | hoender | ||
| The word "hoender" is derived from the Old Dutch word "hoenre," meaning "domestic fowl". | |||
| Amharic | ዶሮ | ||
| The word "ዶሮ" also means "bird" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | kaza | ||
| The Hausa word 'kaza' can also refer to a type of traditional Hausa fabric or a small basket used for storing personal items. | |||
| Igbo | ọkụkọ | ||
| Ọkụkọ also means "a male chicken" in addition to its primary meaning of "chicken". | |||
| Malagasy | akoho | ||
| The word "akoho" in Malagasy comes from the Malay word "ayam" and also means "egg". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | nkhuku | ||
| The Nyanja word "nkhuku" is originally a derivative of the Proto-Bantu word "kuku", also used for "fowl" or "bird". | |||
| Shona | huku | ||
| The word "huku" in Shona is a diminutive form of "hukurawa," and is often used to refer to a young chicken. | |||
| Somali | digaag | ||
| The Somali word "digaag" is also used to refer to the meat of a chicken. | |||
| Sesotho | khoho | ||
| Swahili | kuku | ||
| The Swahili word "kuku" also refers to the sound a chicken makes. | |||
| Xhosa | inkukhu | ||
| The Xhosa word for 'chicken', 'inkukhu', is an onomatopoeia derived from the sound chickens make. | |||
| Yoruba | adiẹ | ||
| "Adiẹ", the Yoruba word for "chicken", also means "a thing from the bush or farm" because chickens are primarily raised in those areas in Yoruba culture. | |||
| Zulu | inyama yenkukhu | ||
| In Zulu, 'inyama yenkukhu' also means 'meat of the forest fowl' or 'bird meat'. | |||
| Bambara | sisɛ | ||
| Ewe | koklo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | inkoko | ||
| Lingala | soso | ||
| Luganda | enkoko | ||
| Sepedi | nama ya kgogo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | akokɔ | ||
Chicken in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | دجاج | ||
| The Arabic word "دجاج" can also refer to a type of small fish or a particular breed of pigeon. | |||
| Hebrew | עוף | ||
| The Hebrew word עוף (of) originally meant "bird" and can still be used in that sense, but in modern Hebrew it usually refers specifically to chickens. | |||
| Pashto | چرګه | ||
| The word چرګه ('charga') may originally derive from a verb meaning 'to fly' (پرګیدل). There are similar words with similar meanings in the Iranian languages, such as Persian مرغ ('morgh'). | |||
| Arabic | دجاج | ||
| The Arabic word "دجاج" can also refer to a type of small fish or a particular breed of pigeon. | |||
Chicken in Western European Languages
| Albanian | pule | ||
| The Albanian word "pule" is derived from the Proto-Albanian form "*pulja" and is related to the Greek word "pouli" and the Slavic word "ptica". It can also refer to a young bird or a timid person. | |||
| Basque | oilaskoa | ||
| The Basque "oilaskoa" derives from "oila", meaning "fowl", and "asko", meaning "plenty" or "multitude". | |||
| Catalan | pollastre | ||
| The Catalan word 'pollastre' also refers to a young, inexperienced person. | |||
| Croatian | piletina | ||
| In Dalmatia, the word 'piletina' can also refer to poultry in general, not just chickens specifically. | |||
| Danish | kylling | ||
| The Danish word "kylling" is derived from the Old Norse word "kylna", meaning "young bird". | |||
| Dutch | kip | ||
| The Dutch word "kip" can also refer to a nap or a young male animal, both derived from historical slang. | |||
| English | chicken | ||
| The word 'chicken' derives from the Old English term 'cicen', which also meant 'young bird' or 'nestling'. | |||
| French | poulet | ||
| The word "poulet" in French, meaning "chicken," is derived from the Latin "pullus" and also refers to a young man of effeminate character. | |||
| Frisian | hin | ||
| Frisian "hin" is cognate with English "hen" and derives from Proto-West-Germanic "*huni" (which also gave rise to Modern German "Henne"). | |||
| Galician | polo | ||
| In Galician, "polo" can also refer to an animal's foot, hoof, or claw. | |||
| German | hähnchen | ||
| The word "Hähnchen" derives from Middle High German "Han", meaning "rooster", and diminutive suffix "-chen". | |||
| Icelandic | kjúklingur | ||
| The Icelandic word "kjúklingur" can also refer to a young person, particularly one who is inexperienced or naive. | |||
| Irish | sicín | ||
| In Irish folklore, the word 'sicín' can also refer to a mischievous fairy or ghost that takes the form of a chicken. | |||
| Italian | pollo | ||
| The Italian word "pollo" can also mean "colt" or "male animal". | |||
| Luxembourgish | poulet | ||
| The Luxembourgish word 'poulet' derives from the Old French 'pol' and is cognate with the English 'poultry'. | |||
| Maltese | tiġieġ | ||
| The word "tiġieġ" is derived from the Arabic word "دجاج" (dajāj), which means "poultry". | |||
| Norwegian | kylling | ||
| The Norwegian word "kylling" can also refer to a young grouse or a baby penguin. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | frango | ||
| The word "frango" in Portuguese can also refer to a type of dance or a type of musical instrument. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | cearc | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word 'cearc' is cognate with the Irish 'cearc', Welsh 'iâr' and Breton 'yar', and derives from the Proto-Celtic *iarkā | |||
| Spanish | pollo | ||
| "Pollo", 'chicken' in Spanish, originally referred to a young animal of any species, and only began to mean 'chicken' specifically after contact with the Americas. | |||
| Swedish | kyckling | ||
| The word "kyckling" in Swedish is derived from the Old Norse word "kycklingr" and is also used to refer to a young bird or a small child. | |||
| Welsh | cyw iâr | ||
| Welsh "cyw iâr" translates to "chicken" or "chick" but originally meant "the brood of the hen". | |||
Chicken in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | курыца | ||
| "Курыца" in Belarusian comes from the Proto-Slavic word *kura*, which originally meant "bird." | |||
| Bosnian | piletina | ||
| The origin of the Bosnian word "piletina" is not fully understood, but some scholars believe it may derive from the Latin word "pulletina". | |||
| Bulgarian | пиле | ||
| The Bulgarian word "пиле" can also refer to the young or offspring of other animals or even humans. | |||
| Czech | kuře | ||
| The word "kuře" in Czech also refers to a young female of some other birds, such as a quail or a partridge. | |||
| Estonian | kana | ||
| In addition to "chicken," "kana" can refer to a "hen," "fowl," or a "domestic bird." | |||
| Finnish | kana | ||
| The verb form of "kana" is "kania", used in expressions like "kanianlihaa" ("chicken meat"). | |||
| Hungarian | csirke | ||
| Csirke, the Hungarian word for "chicken," also refers to small and young children as a term of endearment. | |||
| Latvian | cālis | ||
| The word cālis is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kekwl-, which also gave rise to the words ‘cockerel’ and ‘cockroach’. | |||
| Lithuanian | vištiena | ||
| The word "vištiena" is derived from the Proto-Baltic word "*vis-ti̯ā" and is related to the Old Prussian word "wistian" and the Latvian word "vista." | |||
| Macedonian | пилешко | ||
| The Macedonian word for "chicken" comes from Ottoman Turkish "piliç", which itself comes from Persian "pīlak". | |||
| Polish | kurczak | ||
| "Kurczak" derives from Proto-Slavic "*kurъ", meaning "rooster". Kurczak can also be used colloquially to refer to a police informant. | |||
| Romanian | pui | ||
| "Pui" in Romanian also refers to a young male or unmarried man. | |||
| Russian | курица | ||
| "Курица" can also refer to "an empty egg shell" | |||
| Serbian | пилетина | ||
| The word "пилетина" can also refer to other poultry, such as turkey or duck. | |||
| Slovak | kura | ||
| The word 'kura' is also used in Slovak to refer to a 'hen' or 'female chicken'. | |||
| Slovenian | piščanec | ||
| Slovene "piščanec" also means "rooster" and may be related to "to squeal, cry out". | |||
| Ukrainian | курка | ||
| The Ukrainian word "курка" also means "a trigger". | |||
Chicken in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | মুরগি | ||
| The word "মুরগি" is derived from the Sanskrit word "मुरग" (murag), which means "fowl" or "bird". | |||
| Gujarati | ચિકન | ||
| The Gujarati word ''ચિકન'' also refers to an embroidery style popular in Lucknow, India. | |||
| Hindi | मुर्गी | ||
| The Hindi word "मुर्गी" (chicken) is derived from the Sanskrit word "मुकुरिका" (hen). | |||
| Kannada | ಕೋಳಿ | ||
| The word "ಕೋಳಿ" in Kannada can also refer to a "young girl" or a "female chicken". | |||
| Malayalam | കോഴി | ||
| The Malayalam word 'കോഴി' ('kōzhi') derives from the Sanskrit term 'kukkuta', meaning 'cock' or 'rooster'. | |||
| Marathi | कोंबडी | ||
| The word "कोंबडी" in Marathi originates from the Sanskrit word "kukkuṭa" which means "domestic fowl" | |||
| Nepali | कुखुरा | ||
| The word 'कुखुरा' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'kukkuṭa', which means 'cock' or 'rooster'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਮੁਰਗੇ ਦਾ ਮੀਟ | ||
| In Sanskrit, the word 'murga' refers to a rooster, but in Punjabi, it is used to refer to chicken regardless of gender. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කුකුල් මස් | ||
| Tamil | கோழி | ||
| The word "கோழி" in Tamil, meaning "chicken", is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word "*kōli". | |||
| Telugu | చికెన్ | ||
| The Telugu word 'చికెన్' (chicken) is derived from the Austronesian word 'manuk' which means 'bird'. | |||
| Urdu | چکن | ||
| The Urdu word "چکن" can also refer to a style of embroidery that uses small pieces of fabric to create patterns. | |||
Chicken in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 鸡 | ||
| 鸡 may also refer to the astrological sign of the Rooster in the Chinese zodiac. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 雞 | ||
| In Chinese, the character "雞" can also refer to a unit of time, approximately two hours. | |||
| Japanese | チキン | ||
| The word 「チキン」 can refer to both chicken and cowardice in Japanese, due to the homophony of 「腰が引ける」 (to be cowardly), which sounds like 「鶏が引ける」 (for a chicken to lay an egg). | |||
| Korean | 치킨 | ||
| The Korean word 치킨 (chicken) can also refer to fried chicken dishes, similar to its Japanese and English cognates. | |||
| Mongolian | тахиа | ||
| The word 'тахиа' can also refer to an unhatched egg, a chicken coop, or the meat of a chicken. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကြက်သား | ||
| In Myanmar, the word "ကြက်သား" ("chicken") can also refer to other types of poultry, such as duck or quail. | |||
Chicken in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | ayam | ||
| The word "ayam" in Indonesian also refers to a type of fabric worn by women | |||
| Javanese | pitik | ||
| In Javanese, 'pitik' can also refer to a small bird or a young chicken. | |||
| Khmer | សាច់មាន់ | ||
| The term "សាច់មាន់" not only means "chicken" but also has the alternate meaning of "flesh" or "meat" in general. | |||
| Lao | ໄກ່ | ||
| The word ໄກ່ can also mean "rooster" or "cock" in Lao. | |||
| Malay | ayam | ||
| "Ayam" also means "I" or "we" depending on the context of the sentence in Malay. | |||
| Thai | ไก่ | ||
| The Thai word "ไก่" shares an etymological root with the Sanskrit word "kukkuṭa" and the Proto-Austronesian word "ayam". | |||
| Vietnamese | thịt gà | ||
| "Thịt gà" (chicken) is a homophone with the word "thích gà" (to like women). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | manok | ||
Chicken in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | toyuq | ||
| The word "toyuq" can also refer to young chicks or baby birds in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | тауық | ||
| The word "тауық" is cognate with the Turkish word "tavuk", both ultimately derived from the Proto-Turkic word *taγuq. | |||
| Kyrgyz | тоок | ||
| The word "тоок" can also mean "offspring" or "brood" in Kyrgyz, indicating its broader significance beyond referring solely to poultry. | |||
| Tajik | чӯҷа | ||
| The word "чӯҷа" also means "chick" or "bird" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | towuk | ||
| Uzbek | tovuq | ||
| The word "tovuq" is also used to refer to a "ball" or a "small bird" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | توخۇ | ||
Chicken in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | moa | ||
| In Hawaiian, "moa" also refers to a long spear or dart used for hunting or warfare. | |||
| Maori | heihei | ||
| The Maori word "heihei" means "chicken" and also refers to something of no value. | |||
| Samoan | moa | ||
| The word “moa” can also refer to a type of banana in Samoa, called a “moa fala”. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | manok | ||
| The word "manok" is also used to refer to a rooster or a cockerel, especially in the context of cockfighting. | |||
Chicken in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | wallpa | ||
| Guarani | ryguasu | ||
Chicken in International Languages
| Esperanto | kokido | ||
| The Esperanto word "kokido" may also derive from a PIE root shared with "guglielmo" and "cuckoo". | |||
| Latin | pullum | ||
| Pullus also means 'boy' in Latin. | |||
Chicken in Others Languages
| Greek | κοτόπουλο | ||
| Etymology of ' κοτόπουλο' (Greek for chicken) is unclear but could be related to words for 'cut' or 'wing' or from 'κότας' (male chicken). | |||
| Hmong | qaib | ||
| The word "qaib" is also used to refer to a "hen" | |||
| Kurdish | mirîşk | ||
| The word "mirîşk" is derived from the Persian word "murgh" meaning "bird". | |||
| Turkish | tavuk | ||
| "Tavuk", "rooster" or "broiler" in Turkish, is derived from the onomatopoeia "tav" which represents the sound of a chicken pecking at the ground. | |||
| Xhosa | inkukhu | ||
| The Xhosa word for 'chicken', 'inkukhu', is an onomatopoeia derived from the sound chickens make. | |||
| Yiddish | הינדל | ||
| The Yiddish word "הינדל" can also refer to a young woman or a pet name for a female. | |||
| Zulu | inyama yenkukhu | ||
| In Zulu, 'inyama yenkukhu' also means 'meat of the forest fowl' or 'bird meat'. | |||
| Assamese | কুকুৰা | ||
| Aymara | wallpa | ||
| Bhojpuri | चूजा | ||
| Dhivehi | ކުކުޅު | ||
| Dogri | कुक्कड़ू | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | manok | ||
| Guarani | ryguasu | ||
| Ilocano | manok | ||
| Krio | fɔl | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | مریشک | ||
| Maithili | मुर्गी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯌꯦꯟꯅꯥꯎ ꯃꯆꯥ | ||
| Mizo | ar | ||
| Oromo | lukkuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଚିକେନ୍ | ||
| Quechua | chiwchi | ||
| Sanskrit | कुक्कुट | ||
| Tatar | тавык | ||
| Tigrinya | ደርሆ | ||
| Tsonga | huku | ||