Cookie in Different Languages
Discover 'Cookie' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Have you ever wondered about the many names and faces of the humble cookie, a beloved treat enjoyed in various forms across cultures? The word cookie itself is a fascinating journey through language and history. Derived from the Dutch word 'koekje' meaning 'little cake', the cookie has evolved into a versatile symbol of sweetness and comfort worldwide.
Beyond its significance as a tasty snack, the cookie holds cultural importance in many countries. In Sweden, for example, cookies called 'pepparkakor' are a traditional holiday favorite, often enjoyed with glögg, their version of mulled wine. In China, 'gao tang' or mooncakes are a staple during the Mid-Autumn Festival, symbolizing unity and prosperity.
Understanding the translation of 'cookie' in different languages can open up a world of cultural discovery and appreciation. Here are some fun translations to get you started:
- Spanish: galleta
- French: biscuit
- Italian: biscotto
- German: Keks
- Japanese: クッキー (kukkī)
- Chinese: 饼干 (bǐnggān)
Cookie
Cookie in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | koekie | ||
| The word "koekie" in Afrikaans is derived from the Dutch word "koekje", meaning "little cake". It can also refer to a small, sweet biscuit-like treat. | |||
| Amharic | ኩኪ | ||
| The term ኩኪ comes from the French word "galette", meaning "small flat cake". | |||
| Hausa | kuki | ||
| Hausa's "kuki" derives from the English "cookie" but also means "pigeon egg". | |||
| Igbo | kuki | ||
| The Igbo word 'kuki' may also refer to a small piece of palm kernel pulp. | |||
| Malagasy | mofomamy | ||
| The word "mofomamy" is derived from the French word "mofomamy", meaning "biscuit". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | keke | ||
| In Nyanja, 'keke' can also refer to a small stone or something insignificant. | |||
| Shona | cookie | ||
| In Shona, "cookie" can also mean "biscuit", "a small flat cake baked until hard and crisp" according to the Oxford English Dictionary. | |||
| Somali | buskud | ||
| The etymology of buskud is unknown, but it may be derived from the Arabic word buskuwit, which means 'biscuit'. | |||
| Sesotho | kuku | ||
| The word "kuku" in Sesotho is probably derived from the Afrikaans word "koek", which means "cake". | |||
| Swahili | kuki | ||
| The Swahili word 'kuki' originally meant 'biscuit' but now also refers to any type of cookie or sweet baked good | |||
| Xhosa | ikuki | ||
| Originally brought to South Africa by European settlers, 'ikuki' is derived from the Middle Dutch word 'koekje', meaning 'small cake'. | |||
| Yoruba | kukisi | ||
| Yoruba 'kùkùsì' is related to the Yoruba word for 'cocoa,' as 'kùkù' also means 'cocoa' or 'cola' in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | ikhukhi | ||
| The word "ikhukhi" also means "little cake" in Zulu due to the diminutive suffix "-ana".} | |||
| Bambara | kukisɛ | ||
| Ewe | cookie | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kuki | ||
| Lingala | cookie | ||
| Luganda | kuki | ||
| Sepedi | kuku | ||
| Twi (Akan) | cookie | ||
Cookie in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | بسكويت | ||
| "بسكويت" (biskuwit) in Arabic comes from the Latin word "bis coctus," meaning "twice baked," and refers to a hardtack-like biscuit that was used as ship's provisions. | |||
| Hebrew | עוגייה | ||
| The Hebrew word "עוגייה" (cookie) originates from the Arabic word "عافية" (well-being, health), as cookies were once considered a health food. | |||
| Pashto | کوکی | ||
| The Pashto word "کوکی" (cookie), originally meant a small amount given to a child or beggar. | |||
| Arabic | بسكويت | ||
| "بسكويت" (biskuwit) in Arabic comes from the Latin word "bis coctus," meaning "twice baked," and refers to a hardtack-like biscuit that was used as ship's provisions. | |||
Cookie in Western European Languages
| Albanian | biskotë | ||
| The word "biskotë" in Albanian ultimately derives from the Latin word "bis coctus," meaning "twice-baked." | |||
| Basque | gaileta | ||
| "gaileta" is derived from the French word "galette" (flat, round cake), influenced by Spanish "galleta" (cookie). | |||
| Catalan | galeta | ||
| In Old Catalan, 'galeta' meant 'pebble' as well as 'cookie', reflecting the cookies' round, pebble-shaped form. | |||
| Croatian | kolačić | ||
| The word "kolačić" is thought to be derived from the Proto-Slavic word *kolo, meaning "wheel" or "circle", reflecting its round shape. | |||
| Danish | cookie | ||
| The Danish word "kiks" is derived from the Dutch word "koekje", meaning "small cake". | |||
| Dutch | koekje | ||
| "Koekje" is the diminutive of "koek" (cake), indicating a small cake. | |||
| English | cookie | ||
| The word 'cookie' originates from the Dutch word 'koekje', meaning 'small cake'. | |||
| French | biscuit | ||
| The French word "biscuit" can refer to a type of bread or a specific type of cookie called a "Sablé". | |||
| Frisian | koekje | ||
| In some dialects, the word 'koekje' also means 'pie'. | |||
| Galician | biscoito | ||
| The word "biscoito" originally referred to a type of flat bread in Galicia and then to a dry bread used as communion wafers. | |||
| German | plätzchen | ||
| The word 'Plätzchen' is a diminutive form of 'Platz', meaning 'place' or 'small space', and originally referred to the small shapes cut out of the dough. | |||
| Icelandic | kex | ||
| In Icelandic the word "kex" refers specifically to a small sweet cookie, in contrast to the more general term "smákaka". | |||
| Irish | fianán | ||
| The term 'fianán' also refers to a type of small pancake made with oatmeal and buttermilk. | |||
| Italian | biscotto | ||
| The word "biscotto" derives from the Latin "bis coctus," meaning "twice cooked", a reference to the method of preparing a biscotto, which involves baking the dough twice. | |||
| Luxembourgish | cookie | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Cookie" is also used to refer to a small, flat cake or biscuit. | |||
| Maltese | cookie | ||
| The Maltese word 'cookie' is derived from the English word 'cookie', and is used to refer to a small, sweet biscuit. | |||
| Norwegian | kjeks | ||
| "Kjeks" comes from the Dutch word "koekjes" meaning "little cakes". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | bolacha | ||
| In Brazil, "bolacha" can also refer to a specific type of sweet biscuit shaped like an | |||
| Scots Gaelic | briosgaid | ||
| The word 'briosgaid' derives from the Gaelic words 'bris' (to break) and 'gaid' (a piece), suggesting its crumbly nature. | |||
| Spanish | galleta | ||
| The Spanish 'galleta' ultimately derives from the Arabic "khallita," meaning "biscuit." | |||
| Swedish | kaka | ||
| The word 'kaka' in Swedish can also refer to a 'bun' or a 'cake'. | |||
| Welsh | cwci | ||
| The word "cwci" in Welsh comes from the word "cwch" meaning "cake", and is also used to refer to a small sweet bread roll. | |||
Cookie in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | печыва | ||
| "Печыва" is derived from the Old Russian word "печь" (stove) and originally referred to any baked goods made in a stove, later becoming associated specifically with cookies. | |||
| Bosnian | kolačić | ||
| The word "kolačić" originates from the Slavic word "kolo", meaning "wheel", referring to its round shape. | |||
| Bulgarian | бисквитка | ||
| The word "бисквитка" originally meant "twice-baked bread" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | cookie | ||
| In Czech, "sušenka" is both the word for "cookie" and a diminutive form of the word "sušení", meaning "drying out". | |||
| Estonian | küpsis | ||
| "Küpsis" is derived from the German word "Kuchen" (cake) and originally referred to a flat, round cake made from rye flour and honey. | |||
| Finnish | eväste | ||
| In Finnish, ‘eväste’ also refers to an electronic file containing small amounts of information, similar to an 'HTTP cookie' in English. | |||
| Hungarian | aprósütemény | ||
| The word "aprósütemény" is derived from "aprósütni" which means "to cut into tiny pieces and fry", and used to denote small fried pastries made with dough, sugar and fat. | |||
| Latvian | cepums | ||
| Latvian word “cepums” derives from the word “cept” meaning “to bake”. | |||
| Lithuanian | slapukas | ||
| The word "slapukas" is derived from the Lithuanian word "saldiks", meaning "sweetness". | |||
| Macedonian | колаче | ||
| The Slavic word "колаче" for "cookie" is related to the word "коло/kolo" ("wheel") and refers to the round shape of these treats. | |||
| Polish | cookie | ||
| In Polish, "ciasteczko" also means "little cake" and "small piece of something." | |||
| Romanian | fursec | ||
| The etymology of the Romanian word "fursec" is uncertain, but it may be derived from the German "Furtsech" or the Turkish "fursek". | |||
| Russian | печенье | ||
| 'Печенье' is derived from 'печь' (to bake), and can also refer to the liver or kidney (especially of livestock). | |||
| Serbian | колачић | ||
| The word "колачић" can also refer to a small, round bread roll in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | cookie | ||
| V slovenčine sa slovo "cookie" používa aj na označenie malého koláčika alebo sušienky. | |||
| Slovenian | piškotek | ||
| 'Piškotek' is a Slovenian word that literally translates to 'whistle' and is thought to derive from the shape of the traditional Slovenian whistle-shaped cookies. | |||
| Ukrainian | печиво | ||
| Derived from the verb “пекти”, meaning “to bake”, “печиво” also refers to baked bread and baked goods in general. | |||
Cookie in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কুকি | ||
| The Bengali word "কুকি" is derived from English, but in some areas of Bengal it can also refer to small fish or prawns. | |||
| Gujarati | કૂકી | ||
| The word "કૂકી" can also refer to a kind of sweet potato in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | कुकी | ||
| The word 'कुकी' ('cookie') originates from the Dutch word 'koekje' meaning 'little cake'. | |||
| Kannada | ಕುಕೀ | ||
| "ಕುಕೀ" is borrowed from English and means "small sweet biscuit". | |||
| Malayalam | കുക്കി | ||
| The word “kukki” in Malayalam has been borrowed from English via Portuguese, where it originally meant “a small flat cake, or biscuit”. | |||
| Marathi | कुकी | ||
| In Marathi, "कुकी" can also refer to a small, round, flatbread made from chickpea flour. | |||
| Nepali | कुकी | ||
| The word "कुकी" can also mean "puppy" or "small child" in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਕੂਕੀ | ||
| The word 'ਕੂਕੀ' (cookie) in Punjabi is a loanword from English, and can also refer to a small piece of bread or pastry. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කුකී | ||
| The word "කුකී" (cookie) in Sinhala is derived from the Dutch word "koekje", meaning "small cake". | |||
| Tamil | குக்கீ | ||
| The term "குக்கீ" (cookie) was borrowed from English but is also used to refer to small, bite-sized pieces of food in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | కుకీ | ||
| The word "కుకీ" (cookie) is derived from the Dutch word "koekje" meaning "small cake". | |||
| Urdu | کوکی | ||
| The word کوکی ('cookie') derives from Dutch koekje ('little cake'), and also means a doll or toy. | |||
Cookie in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 曲奇饼 | ||
| 曲奇饼源自英文单词“Cookie”，意为“小蛋糕”，又被称为酥性饼干或脆性饼干。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 曲奇餅 | ||
| 「曲奇餅」源自英文「Cookie」，在香港粵語中，因其形狀彎曲而稱之為「曲奇」。 | |||
| Japanese | クッキー | ||
| 'クッキー' is derived from Dutch and is also used for 'biscuit'. | |||
| Korean | 쿠키 | ||
| The Korean word '쿠키' originates from the Japanese word 'クッキー', which is derived from the English "cookie". In some contexts, it may also refer to biscuits. | |||
| Mongolian | жигнэмэг | ||
| The Mongolian word "жигнэмэг" is borrowed from the Russian word "пирожок" (small pie). | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကွတ်ကီး | ||
| The word also means "small" in English and is sometimes used to describe small, crunchy objects like potato chips or peanuts. | |||
Cookie in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kue kering | ||
| 'Kue kering' is derived from 'kering' meaning 'dry', describing these pastries' crisp texture. | |||
| Javanese | cookie | ||
| In Javanese, "cookie" can also refer to a small snack made of cassava or sweet potato. | |||
| Khmer | ខូឃី | ||
| "ខូឃី" is derived from the French word "cookie" and has alternate meanings such as "biscuit" and "small cake". | |||
| Lao | ຄຸກກີ | ||
| Malay | kuki | ||
| In Malay, "kuki" can also refer to a small piece of something, such as a piece of bread or meat. | |||
| Thai | คุกกี้ | ||
| The word "คุกกี้" comes from the Portuguese word "caco", which means "biscuit". | |||
| Vietnamese | bánh quy | ||
| The word "bánh quy" derives from the Chinese "bàng guī," meaning "wheat cracker." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | cookie | ||
Cookie in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | peçenye | ||
| "Peçenye" is a Turkish loanword meaning "biscuit" or "cracker" but is used in Azerbaijan to refer specifically to sweet cookies. | |||
| Kazakh | печенье | ||
| Печенье (pechen'e) is the Kazakh word for “cookies,” and is derived from the Russian печь (pech) meaning “stove.” | |||
| Kyrgyz | куки | ||
| In Kyrgyz, the word "куки" can also refer to a type of traditional bread made from wheat or barley flour. | |||
| Tajik | куки | ||
| "Куки" также означает "кукол" в таджикском языке. | |||
| Turkmen | gutapjyk | ||
| Uzbek | pechene | ||
| "Печенье" — это слово, заимствованное из русского языка, обозначающее «печеное изделие». | |||
| Uyghur | cookie | ||
Cookie in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kuki | ||
| "Kuki" also means "to steal" in the Hawaiian language. | |||
| Maori | pihikete | ||
| The word "pihikete" in Maori originates from the English word "biscuit", but is now commonly used to refer to cookies. | |||
| Samoan | kuki | ||
| A "kuki" in Samoan can also refer to a small wrapped ball of rice or other grains | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | cookie | ||
| In Tagalog, "cookie" can also refer to a small amount of food, especially rice. | |||
Cookie in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | galleta | ||
| Guarani | galleta | ||
Cookie in International Languages
| Esperanto | kuketo | ||
| The word | |||
| Latin | crustulum | ||
| "Crustulum" originally meant "small crust" and was also used to refer to small pieces of meat. | |||
Cookie in Others Languages
| Greek | κουλουράκι | ||
| "Κουλουράκι" is likely derived from the Italian word "colurone," meaning "large snake," as the cookies resemble the shape of a snake. | |||
| Hmong | khaub noom | ||
| This word is likely derived from the Thai word "khao neow" (ข้าวเหนียว), which means "sticky rice". | |||
| Kurdish | cookie | ||
| The word "cookie" is derived from the Dutch word "koekje", which means "small cake". | |||
| Turkish | kurabiye | ||
| The word "kurabiye" is derived from the Arabic word "khurabiyya" which means "small cake". | |||
| Xhosa | ikuki | ||
| Originally brought to South Africa by European settlers, 'ikuki' is derived from the Middle Dutch word 'koekje', meaning 'small cake'. | |||
| Yiddish | קיכל | ||
| In Yiddish, "קיכל" also means "cake" or "pastry", and is related to the German word "Kuchen". | |||
| Zulu | ikhukhi | ||
| The word "ikhukhi" also means "little cake" in Zulu due to the diminutive suffix "-ana".} | |||
| Assamese | কুকিজ | ||
| Aymara | galleta | ||
| Bhojpuri | कुकीज़ के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ކުކީ އެވެ | ||
| Dogri | कुकीज़ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | cookie | ||
| Guarani | galleta | ||
| Ilocano | cookie | ||
| Krio | kuki | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کوکی | ||
| Maithili | कुकीज़ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯀꯨꯀꯤ ꯑꯁꯤꯅꯤ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | cookie tih a ni | ||
| Oromo | kukii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କୁକି | ||
| Quechua | galleta | ||
| Sanskrit | कुकी | ||
| Tatar | cookie | ||
| Tigrinya | ኩኪስ እዩ። | ||
| Tsonga | xikhukhi | ||