Cook in Different Languages
Discover 'Cook' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Cooking is a fundamental aspect of human culture, an essential life skill, and a source of endless creativity and enjoyment. The word 'cook' holds great significance as it represents the act of transforming raw ingredients into delicious and nourishing dishes. From ancient civilizations to the modern world, the culinary arts have brought people together, facilitated cultural exchange, and provided a window into the traditions and values of different societies.
Given the global importance of cooking, it's no surprise that the word 'cook' has been translated into various languages, each with its unique cultural nuances and connotations. For instance, in Spanish, 'cook' is 'cocinar,' while in French, it's 'cuisiner.' In Mandarin Chinese, the word for 'cook' is '烹饪' (píng rèn), and in Japanese, it's '厨房' (chūbō).
Understanding the translation of 'cook' in different languages can enrich your cultural knowledge and broaden your perspective on the world's diverse culinary traditions. So, whether you're a food enthusiast, a language learner, or a cultural explorer, join us as we embark on a delicious journey to discover the many faces of 'cook' around the globe.
Cook
Cook in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | kok | ||
| In Afrikaans, "kok" can also refer to a type of plant found in the Karoo region of South Africa. | |||
| Amharic | ምግብ ማብሰል | ||
| Hausa | dafa | ||
| The Hausa word "dafa" also has the alternate meaning of "to prepare food for someone". | |||
| Igbo | esi nri | ||
| While the word "esi nri" literally means "cook", it also signifies the person who serves food. | |||
| Malagasy | mahandro | ||
| The Malagasy word 'mahandro' derives from the Proto-Western Malayo-Polynesian root *paŋað 'eat'. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuphika | ||
| The word "kuphika" in Nyanja (Chichewa) is derived from the Proto-Bantu word "-pʰika" and also means "to bake". | |||
| Shona | kubika | ||
| "Kubika" is derived from the Proto-Bantu verb "-pika" meaning "to roast" or "to cook over an open fire". | |||
| Somali | kariyo | ||
| The verb "kariyo" in Somali is derived from the Proto-Somali root "*kar-", meaning "to burn" or "to roast". | |||
| Sesotho | pheha | ||
| The word 'pheha' also means 'to heat up' or 'to roast' in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | kupika | ||
| The word "kupika" can also be used to mean "to ripen", "to be cooked", or "to be ripe". | |||
| Xhosa | umpheki | ||
| The Xhosa word 'umpheki' also refers to a person who gathers and prepares medicinal herbs. | |||
| Yoruba | sise | ||
| In the Ijebu dialect of Yoruba, "sise" also means "to farm." | |||
| Zulu | pheka | ||
| The Zulu word "pheka" also means "to cause to happen" or "to make something come into existence." | |||
| Bambara | ka tobili kɛ | ||
| Ewe | ɖa ŋu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | guteka | ||
| Lingala | kolamba | ||
| Luganda | okufumba | ||
| Sepedi | apea | ||
| Twi (Akan) | noa | ||
Cook in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | يطبخ | ||
| "يطبخ" is thought to be related to the word "طبخ " but it can also mean to do or perform something, such as an experiment. | |||
| Hebrew | לְבַשֵׁל | ||
| לבשל derives from the Aramaic verb ܒܸܫܹܠ (besel) denoting a process rather than cooking in particular like בישול | |||
| Pashto | پخلی | ||
| The word "پخلی" in Pashto, meaning "cook," is derived from the verb "پخلول," which means "to cook" or "to make mature". | |||
| Arabic | يطبخ | ||
| "يطبخ" is thought to be related to the word "طبخ " but it can also mean to do or perform something, such as an experiment. | |||
Cook in Western European Languages
| Albanian | gatuaj | ||
| "Gatuaj" can also mean "cooking pan" or "stove" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | sukaldari | ||
| The Basque word "sukaldari" is derived from the verb "sukaldu" ("to cook"), adding the suffix "-ari" (meaning "the one who") to indicate the performer of the action. | |||
| Catalan | cuinar | ||
| "Cuinar" is derived from the Latin word "coquere," which also means "to cook" or "to burn." | |||
| Croatian | kuhati | ||
| The word "kuhati" also means "to brew" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | laver mad | ||
| Laver mad literally translates to "make worms" because before the 19th century, worms were added to most dishes to enhance the taste. | |||
| Dutch | koken | ||
| The Dutch word for "cook" (koken) is related to the English word "kitchen". | |||
| English | cook | ||
| The word 'cook' can also mean a person who prepares food or a dish prepared by a cook. | |||
| French | cuisinier | ||
| The term 'cuisinier' in French also refers to a specialized cook who prepares fine dishes, akin to a 'chef de cuisine' or 'master chef'. | |||
| Frisian | kok | ||
| The Frisian word "kok" not only means "cook" but also "male duck". | |||
| Galician | cociñar | ||
| The word "cociñar" in Galician also means "to prepare food". | |||
| German | koch | ||
| The word "Koch" in German can also refer to a male cook or a species of cabbage. | |||
| Icelandic | elda | ||
| The word "elda" can also refer to "hearth" in Old Norse. | |||
| Irish | cócaráil | ||
| The word "cócaráil" can also refer to the act of preparing food or to a person who cooks. | |||
| Italian | cucinare | ||
| In Venetian, "cucinare" also means "to prepare food with water" | |||
| Luxembourgish | kachen | ||
| The verb "kachen" is derived from the Middle High German word "kochen", meaning "to cook", and is related to the Old English word "cocian", meaning "to cook". | |||
| Maltese | kok | ||
| The word "kok" also has the alternate meaning of "fool" in Maltese. | |||
| Norwegian | kokk | ||
| The word "kokk" in Norwegian can also refer to a male chef, while a female chef is typically referred to as a "kokkinne". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | cozinhar | ||
| The verb "cozinhar" comes from the Latin word "coquere" and also means "to ripen" or "to digest" in Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | bruich | ||
| The word 'bruich' shares its origin with the Old Irish word 'bruig', meaning 'a dwelling place or house' | |||
| Spanish | cocinar | ||
| "Cocinar" in Spanish derives from the Latin "coquinare", meaning "to cook" or "to do things in the kitchen". | |||
| Swedish | kock | ||
| The word "kock" originally referred to a kitchen assistant or errand boy, and has been used in the sense of "cook" since the 18th century. | |||
| Welsh | coginio | ||
| The word "coginio" has been used to refer to a "male cook" as opposed to the more common "cogydd" which is gender-neutral. | |||
Cook in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | варыць | ||
| "Варыць" has alternate meanings in Belarusian, such as "to brew". | |||
| Bosnian | kuhati | ||
| The word "kuhati" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*kuchati", meaning "to blow" or "to puff up". | |||
| Bulgarian | готвач | ||
| The word "готвач" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*goťva" meaning "food preparation". | |||
| Czech | kuchař | ||
| The word "kuchař" is derived from the Old Czech word "kuchati," which means "to prepare food." | |||
| Estonian | kokk | ||
| The word "kokk" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "kokaz", meaning "a cauldron". | |||
| Finnish | kokki | ||
| The word 'kokki' likely comes from Swedish 'kock' or Estonian 'kokk', or from Proto-Germanic word '*kokaz' meaning 'cook' or 'oven'. | |||
| Hungarian | szakács | ||
| The word "szakács" originates from the Turkish word "aşçı" and also means "chef". | |||
| Latvian | pavārs | ||
| The word "pavārs" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*peḱ-," meaning "to cook" or "to ripen". | |||
| Lithuanian | virėjas | ||
| "Virėjas" is derived from the Lithuanian word "virti", meaning "to boil". | |||
| Macedonian | готви | ||
| The word "готви" can also mean "to prepare" or "to make ready" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | gotować | ||
| The Polish word for "to boil" is "gotować", and this same word may also refer to cooking in general | |||
| Romanian | bucătar | ||
| The Romanian word "bucătar" is derived from the Slavic word "bukatari", which means "to bake". | |||
| Russian | готовить | ||
| "Готовить" in Russian also means "to prepare" and "to make ready". | |||
| Serbian | куварица | ||
| The word 'куварица' is derived from the Old Serbian word 'кувор', meaning 'to boil' | |||
| Slovak | uvariť | ||
| The word "uvariť" also means "to brew" or "to boil". | |||
| Slovenian | kuhati | ||
| The word "kuhati" in Slovenian also means "to forge" or "to weld" | |||
| Ukrainian | кухар | ||
| The word "кухар" in Ukrainian also means "chef" and originates from the ancient root "kukh", meaning "to cook". | |||
Cook in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | রান্না করুন | ||
| The word "রান্না করুন" is derived from the Sanskrit root "pāk," which means "to heat" or "to ripen." | |||
| Gujarati | રસોઇ | ||
| The word "રસોઇ" in Gujarati also means "cooking", "cuisine", "culinary art", and "kitchen". | |||
| Hindi | रसोइया | ||
| 'रसोइया' derives from 'रस' meaning 'juice', implying a culinary expert in extracting flavors. | |||
| Kannada | ಅಡುಗೆ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಅಡುಗೆ" (cook) is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root *aṭu-, meaning "to grind" or "to pound". | |||
| Malayalam | വേവിക്കുക | ||
| The word 'വേവിക്കുക' in Malayalam is also used to refer to the act of softening or mellowing something, such as feelings or attitudes. | |||
| Marathi | कूक | ||
| The Marathi word 'कूक' ('cook') shares the same Indo-Aryan root as 'कुक्कुट' ('rooster') and 'कुक्कुटाव' ('crow'), suggesting an etymological connection to the sounds made by birds. | |||
| Nepali | पकाउनु | ||
| In Nepali, the word "पकाउनु" also means "to digest" or "to ripen". | |||
| Punjabi | ਪਕਾਉ | ||
| It derives from the Sanskrit word पक्व (pakva) meaning "to ripen" and shares a root with "pucca", meaning "mature" or "ready." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | උයන්න | ||
| "උයන්න" (cook) is derived from the Proto-Indo-Iranian root *pāk- "to cook, bake, roast". | |||
| Tamil | சமைக்கவும் | ||
| The word "சமைக்கவும்" can also mean to prepare or make something, such as a plan or a speech. | |||
| Telugu | ఉడికించాలి | ||
| Urdu | کھانا پکانا | ||
| کھانا پکانا is derived from the Sanskrit word 'pak(v)', which means 'to prepare food'. It can also mean 'to mature or ripen'. | |||
Cook in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 厨师 | ||
| "厨师 is also called 大厨 (dàchú)." | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 廚師 | ||
| 廚師 originates from the Chu state during the Spring and Autumn period of China, and now refers to a person who cooks for a living. | |||
| Japanese | クック | ||
| The word "クック" can also be used to describe the process of cooking or preparing food. | |||
| Korean | 쿡 | ||
| Originally meant "to boil," the word "쿡" also refers to the act of steaming or stewing on top of a pot. | |||
| Mongolian | хоол хийх | ||
| "Хоол хийх" also means "to manage", and this sense is derived from the fact that those who cook tend to be the ones who manage the household in Mongolian culture. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ချက်ပြုတ် | ||
Cook in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | memasak | ||
| The Indonesian word "memasak" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "*maSaq", which means "to roast". | |||
| Javanese | masak | ||
| "Masak" in Javanese shares cognates with "mash" in English, likely due to the Proto-Austronesian word "*ma-saq" which means "to rub" or "to mix." | |||
| Khmer | ចំអិន | ||
| "ចំអិន" (cook) is derived from the Sanskrit word "cam" (to eat), which is also the origin of the English word "consume" | |||
| Lao | ແຕ່ງກິນ | ||
| Malay | tukang masak | ||
| "Tukang masak" also means "masseur" in Indonesian due to the shared word root "urut" meaning "to massage or rub". | |||
| Thai | ปรุงอาหาร | ||
| In some contexts, `ปรุงอาหาร` can also carry the meaning of `season` or `make more palatable, savory, sweet, etc.` | |||
| Vietnamese | nấu ăn | ||
| "Nấu ăn" comes from the Vietnamese words "nấu" (to boil) and "ăn" (to eat). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | magluto | ||
Cook in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | aşpaz | ||
| The word “aşpaz” may also refer to "chef", "cook-room" or "kitchen assistant". | |||
| Kazakh | аспаз | ||
| The Kazakh word "аспаз" is derived from the Persian word "āshpaz" and can also mean "chef" or "kitchen employee". | |||
| Kyrgyz | ашпозчу | ||
| The word "ашпозчу" in Kyrgyz is borrowed from the Persian word "آشپز" (āšpaz), which itself is derived from the Proto-Indo-Iranian word *h₂eḱs-potis (**h₂eḱs** - "to cook" + **-potis** - "lord, master"), meaning "lord of cooking." | |||
| Tajik | пухтан | ||
| The word "пухтан" can also refer to a cooking pot or a kitchen in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | bişiriň | ||
| Uzbek | pishirish | ||
| The word "pishirish" in Uzbek is derived from the Persian word "pazīdan" meaning "to keep", "to care for", and "to cook". | |||
| Uyghur | پىشۇر | ||
Cook in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kuke | ||
| In Hawaiian, the word "kuke" can also refer to medicine or to an oven, as the preparation and application of medicine and the process of cooking shared many similarities. | |||
| Maori | tunu | ||
| The word "tunu" in Maori can also mean "to burn" or "to light". | |||
| Samoan | kuka | ||
| In Samoan, “kuka” also refers to a traditional style of cooking in an earth oven. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | magluto | ||
| The Tagalog word 'magluto' can also refer to the act of preparing food, as well as the process of cooking food. | |||
Cook in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | phayaña | ||
| Guarani | tembi'u'apo | ||
Cook in International Languages
| Esperanto | kuiri | ||
| Kŭiri (to cook) comes from the French word "cuire". | |||
| Latin | coquus | ||
| In Roman culture, "coquus" referred to a lower-class slave responsible for kitchen duties, distinct from the higher-status "cisiarius" who served prepared dishes. | |||
Cook in Others Languages
| Greek | μάγειρας | ||
| "Μάγειρας", ultimately meaning "cook", also meant "magician" in ancient Greek, owing to the complex and mysterious process of early Greek cuisine | |||
| Hmong | ua noj | ||
| The Hmong word "ua noj" is related to the word for "smoke" and originally meant to "smoke meat over a fire" | |||
| Kurdish | aşbaz | ||
| The word "aşbaz" in Kurdish may also refer to a "chief cook" or a "physician". | |||
| Turkish | pişirmek | ||
| The word 'pişirmek' in Turkish, meaning 'to cook', can also refer to the process of 'baking', 'frying', or 'grilling'. | |||
| Xhosa | umpheki | ||
| The Xhosa word 'umpheki' also refers to a person who gathers and prepares medicinal herbs. | |||
| Yiddish | קאָכן | ||
| The Yiddish word "קאָכן" also means "to boil" or "to simmer" and originates from the German word "kochen." | |||
| Zulu | pheka | ||
| The Zulu word "pheka" also means "to cause to happen" or "to make something come into existence." | |||
| Assamese | ৰন্ধা | ||
| Aymara | phayaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | खाना बनावल | ||
| Dhivehi | ކެއްކުން | ||
| Dogri | रसोइया | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | magluto | ||
| Guarani | tembi'u'apo | ||
| Ilocano | agluto | ||
| Krio | kuk | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | چێشت لێنان | ||
| Maithili | खाना बनाउ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯊꯣꯡꯕ | ||
| Mizo | chhum | ||
| Oromo | bilcheessuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ରାନ୍ଧ | | ||
| Quechua | yanuy | ||
| Sanskrit | पचति | ||
| Tatar | пешерегез | ||
| Tigrinya | ሰራሒ ፀብሒ | ||
| Tsonga | sweka | ||