Eat in Different Languages
Discover 'Eat' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The act of eating is a fundamental aspect of human life, bringing people together and providing the nourishment we need to thrive. From family dinners to business meetings, food is often at the center of our social experiences. But did you know that the word 'eat' can be translated into countless languages, each with its own unique cultural context?
For instance, in Spanish, 'comer' is the verb used to describe eating, while in French, 'manger' is the term of choice. In Mandarin Chinese, the word for eat is 'chi', and in Japanese, it's 'taberu'. These translations not only reflect linguistic differences but also offer a glimpse into the diverse culinary traditions and customs that exist around the world.
Understanding the translation of 'eat' in different languages can be a fun and enriching way to explore new cultures and broaden your horizons. So, whether you're a foodie, a language enthusiast, or simply curious, read on to discover how this simple word is expressed in a variety of beautiful and fascinating languages.
Eat
Eat in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | eet | ||
| In Afrikaans, 'eet' can also mean 'meal', 'food' or 'feed'. | |||
| Amharic | ብላ | ||
| "ብላ" also means a piece of food that is taken all at once, a mouthful. | |||
| Hausa | ci | ||
| The word "ci" can also mean "to be eaten," "to be consumed," or "to be destroyed." | |||
| Igbo | rie | ||
| The Igbo word 'rie' also carries the alternate meaning of 'consume,' as in the consumption of goods and services. | |||
| Malagasy | mihinana | ||
| The Malagasy word "mihinana" also means "to feed" or "to nourish". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | idya | ||
| "Idya" can also refer to a meal or food. | |||
| Shona | idya | ||
| "Idya", meaning "eat", also has the alternate meanings of "chew", "consume", "gulp", and "swallow" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | cun | ||
| The Somali word "cun" also means "to consume" or "to use up". | |||
| Sesotho | ja | ||
| In certain contexts, "ja" can also mean "to live" or "to exist." | |||
| Swahili | kula | ||
| The Swahili word "kula" also means "to consume" or "to use up". | |||
| Xhosa | yitya | ||
| The word "yitya" in Xhosa is also used to describe the process of consumption, such as drinking or smoking. | |||
| Yoruba | jẹ | ||
| Jẹ means "eat," but it can also refer to "taste" and "experience." | |||
| Zulu | udle | ||
| Though its root form means 'eat', 'udle' can be used to describe many kinds of consumption, such as smoking or drinking. | |||
| Bambara | ka dun | ||
| Ewe | ɖu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kurya | ||
| Lingala | kolya | ||
| Luganda | okulya | ||
| Sepedi | ja | ||
| Twi (Akan) | di | ||
Eat in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تأكل | ||
| The word تأكل in Arabic is derived from the Proto-Semitic root WKL, which also means "to consume" or "to devour". | |||
| Hebrew | לאכול | ||
| The Hebrew word "לאכול" ("eat") is derived from the root "כל" ("whole"), which signifies the act of consuming something entirely. | |||
| Pashto | وخورئ | ||
| The word "وخورئ" also means "eat" in Pashto and is related to the Persian word "خوردن" meaning the same. | |||
| Arabic | تأكل | ||
| The word تأكل in Arabic is derived from the Proto-Semitic root WKL, which also means "to consume" or "to devour". | |||
Eat in Western European Languages
| Albanian | ha | ||
| Albanian 'ha' and English 'eat' are unrelated but possibly share an Indo-European root word. | |||
| Basque | jan | ||
| The word 'jan' is derived from Proto-Basque *jan, also meaning 'food', which may be related to the Indo-European root *ed-} | |||
| Catalan | menjar | ||
| In medieval Catalan, "menjar" additionally meant either "food" or "a meal". | |||
| Croatian | jesti | ||
| The Croatian word "jesti" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *jĕsti, which means "to eat" and is related to the English word "eat". It also has the alternate meaning of "to have a meal". | |||
| Danish | spise | ||
| The word "spise" in Danish is derived from the Old Norse word "spísa", meaning "to consume". It can also refer to the act of feeding or nourishing someone or something. | |||
| Dutch | eten | ||
| The Dutch word "eten" can also mean "bait" or "food", and is related to the English word "eat". | |||
| English | eat | ||
| The word 'eat' comes from the Old English word 'etan,' which means 'to consume food.' | |||
| French | manger | ||
| "Manger" also means a feeding trough, a horse crib or a dining room for farm workers, and comes from the Latin word "mangeo" meaning "I eat". | |||
| Frisian | ite | ||
| Some dialects of Frisian also use "ite" to describe an unpleasant smell that permeates clothing. | |||
| Galician | comer | ||
| "Comer" means to consume in Galician but is cognate with the Spanish verb for to buy "comprar" | |||
| German | essen | ||
| The Old High German word “*etan” is also found in modern English in “edible”. | |||
| Icelandic | borða | ||
| "Borða" literally means "at the table board" or "to take to the board," referring to food being placed on the lap of someone sitting on the floor or someone's bed before eating. | |||
| Irish | ithe | ||
| The root word of 'ithe' is cognate with the Latin 'edere' (to eat), from the Proto Indo-European root 'ed' meaning 'consume'. | |||
| Italian | mangiare | ||
| The Italian word "mangiare" (to eat) derives from the Latin word "manducare," which encompasses a broader range of meanings, including "to chew," "to devour," and "to swallow whole." | |||
| Luxembourgish | iessen | ||
| The Luxembourgish word 'iessen' is derived from a Proto-Germanic root, likely similar to the English word 'eat'. | |||
| Maltese | tiekol | ||
| Tiekols' origin remains ambiguous, but it possibly came from an original Arabic term that meant 'to eat' or 'to swallow' | |||
| Norwegian | spise | ||
| The word 'spise' is derived from the Old Norse word 'spíkr', which means 'spear', as food was traditionally speared or skewered for cooking. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | comer | ||
| Scots Gaelic | ithe | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "ithe" is also used in the Scottish Borders language to mean "meal". | |||
| Spanish | comer | ||
| "Comer" in Spanish also means "do business" because in the past, merchants used to eat together to seal deals. | |||
| Swedish | äta | ||
| "Äta" also means "to corrode" or "to wear away". | |||
| Welsh | bwyta | ||
| The word "bwyta" also means "to chew" or "to bite" in Welsh. | |||
Eat in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | ёсць | ||
| The Belarusian word “ёсць” originally also meant “there is/are”. | |||
| Bosnian | jesti | ||
| Bosnian 'jesti' derives from Proto-Slavic 'jьsti', which means 'to eat' and is cognate with 'essen' in German and 'есть' in Russian. | |||
| Bulgarian | яжте | ||
| The Bulgarian word "яжте" (eat) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *jesti, which also meant "to exist" and "to live." | |||
| Czech | jíst | ||
| The word "jíst" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *jěsti, which also means "to feed" or "to nourish". | |||
| Estonian | sööma | ||
| In Southern Estonian dialects, “sööma” also refers to feeding of animals. | |||
| Finnish | syödä | ||
| The word "syödä" is thought to be derived from the Proto-Uralic word *söde-, meaning "to eat, to consume". It is also related to the Estonian word "sööma" and the Hungarian word "enni". | |||
| Hungarian | eszik | ||
| The word "eszik" originates from the Proto-Uralic *eź-, meaning "to eat, devour". | |||
| Latvian | ēst | ||
| The word "ēst" also means "to be" in Latvian, similar to the English word "is". | |||
| Lithuanian | valgyti | ||
| The word "valgyti" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*gʷel-," meaning "to swallow" or "to eat". | |||
| Macedonian | јаде | ||
| The word "јаде" also means "anger" or "sorrow" in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | jeść | ||
| The word "jeść" in Polish also means "to gnaw" or "to nibble". | |||
| Romanian | mânca | ||
| The Romanian word "mânca" is derived from the Latin "manducare", meaning "to chew". | |||
| Russian | есть | ||
| "Есть" is also an existential verb in Russian, equivalent to "to be" in English. | |||
| Serbian | јести | ||
| The verb "јести" also shares its root with the nouns "јело" (meal), "јестиво" (edible) and "јестивица" (restaurant). | |||
| Slovak | jesť | ||
| The Slovak word "jesť" also means "to be" and is related to the Czech word "jsem" meaning "I am". | |||
| Slovenian | jejte | ||
| The word "jejte" can also mean "to devour" or "to consume" in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | їсти | ||
| "Їсти" is cognate with the English word "eat" and also connotes the sense of "to partake" or "to consume". | |||
Eat in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | খাওয়া | ||
| "খাওয়া" can also mean "to enjoy", "to suffer", or "to experience something negative", depending on the context. | |||
| Gujarati | ખાવું | ||
| In Gujarati, the word "ખાવું" (khaavu) can also refer to consuming or using up something, such as time, energy, or resources. | |||
| Hindi | खा | ||
| Hindi 'खा' ('eat') derives from Sanskrit 'खाद्' (devour) and has cognates in other Indo-European languages like Greek 'κείω' (split, rend) and Latin 'edere' (eat). | |||
| Kannada | ತಿನ್ನಿರಿ | ||
| The word “ತಿನ್ನಿರಿ” (eat) is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word *tin-, meaning 'to consume' | |||
| Malayalam | കഴിക്കുക | ||
| The Malayalam word 'കഴിക്കുക' can also mean 'to spend' or 'to perform'. | |||
| Marathi | खा | ||
| The Marathi word खा (kha) comes from the Sanskrit word खाद (khaad), which means to 'chew' or 'devour'. | |||
| Nepali | खानु | ||
| In Nepali, the word 'खानु' not only means 'eat', but also refers to the act of consuming anything, including non-food items like knowledge or experiences. | |||
| Punjabi | ਖਾਣਾ | ||
| "ਖਾਣਾ" also means 'to eat food' in Hindi and 'food' in Marathi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කන්න | ||
| The word 'කන්න' (kanna) in Sinhala is derived from the Proto-Dravidian root *kaN-, meaning 'to eat' or 'to swallow'. It shares cognates with other Dravidian languages, such as Tamil 'kaṉ' and Kannada 'tinnu' (to eat). Additionally, 'කන්න' (kanna) can also mean 'to consume' or 'to devour' in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | சாப்பிடுங்கள் | ||
| The word 'சாப்பிடுங்கள்' can also mean 'take care of' or 'look after' in Tamil, as it is derived from the Sanskrit word 'क्षप' (kṣáp) meaning 'to diminish, consume'. | |||
| Telugu | తినండి | ||
| The word "తినండి" can also be used to refer to the act of consuming food or drink, or to the process of digesting food. | |||
| Urdu | کھاؤ | ||
| The Urdu word "کھاؤ" (khaao), which means "eat," also has the connotation of consuming, devouring, or annihilating something. | |||
Eat in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 吃 | ||
| The Chinese character 吃 can also mean "to endure" or "to suffer." | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 吃 | ||
| The simplified Chinese character for "eat" (吃) is a combination of the characters for "mouth" (口) and "knife" (刀), suggesting that eating involves putting food into the mouth using a knife. | |||
| Japanese | 食べる | ||
| The word "食べる" can also mean "to consume" or "to devour" in a metaphorical sense, as in "to eat up one's words" or "to eat away at one's conscience." | |||
| Korean | 먹다 | ||
| While 먹다 primarily translates to "eat," it also refers to taking medication, drinking alcohol, or using tobacco. | |||
| Mongolian | идэх | ||
| "Идэх" is also used to refer to the act of taking in food or drink, even if it is not consumed orally. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စားသည် | ||
| "စားသည်" in Burmese can also mean "to enjoy oneself", "to experience something" or "to do an activity." | |||
Eat in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | makan | ||
| Makan can also refer to food or a place to eat. | |||
| Javanese | mangan | ||
| Mangan, meaning "to eat" in Javanese, also refers to a ritual where spirits are fed to prevent misfortune or bring protection. | |||
| Khmer | បរិភោគ | ||
| Lao | ກິນ | ||
| The Lao word "ກິນ" (eat) also has the meaning of "to use up" or "to consume". | |||
| Malay | makan | ||
| In Malay, 'makan' also refers to income or sustenance. | |||
| Thai | กิน | ||
| The verb 'กิน' can also be used to describe the process of taking in food through any opening of the body | |||
| Vietnamese | ăn | ||
| While ăn means 'to eat' in Vietnamese, Chinese characters reveal its alternate meanings like 'to enjoy' or 'banquet'. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kumain | ||
Eat in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | yemək | ||
| Yemək can also mean "feed" or "food" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | жеу | ||
| The verb "жеу" in Kazakh also means "to devour" and "to swallow whole". | |||
| Kyrgyz | жегиле | ||
| The word 'жегиле' in Kyrgyz has an alternate meaning of 'to live'. | |||
| Tajik | хӯрдан | ||
| In Tajik, the verb "хӯрдан" can also mean "to spend" or "to consume". | |||
| Turkmen | iýiň | ||
| Uzbek | yemoq | ||
| The word "yemoq" can also refer to the process of consuming food or drink. | |||
| Uyghur | يېيىش | ||
Eat in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻai | ||
| ʻAi, a Hawaiian word meaning to eat, is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word ʔakan and is cognate with the Filipino words akin and kain, the Malay word makan, and the Samoan word ʻai | |||
| Maori | kai | ||
| The word "kai" can also mean "food" or a "feast" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | 'ai | ||
| 'Ai' can also mean 'to consume' or 'to spend'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kumain ka na | ||
| The Tagalog (Filipino) word for "eat," kumain ka na, translates literally as "have you already eaten?" | |||
Eat in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | manq'aña | ||
| Guarani | karu | ||
Eat in International Languages
| Esperanto | manĝi | ||
| The word "manĝi" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ed- "to eat" and is related to the English word "meat". | |||
| Latin | manducare | ||
| The Latin word "manducare" also means "to chew" and "to gnaw". | |||
Eat in Others Languages
| Greek | τρώω | ||
| "Τρώω" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *ed-, meaning “to eat” or “to swallow". | |||
| Hmong | noj | ||
| In Hmong Daw language, noj can also mean 'to take a sip of' | |||
| Kurdish | xwarin | ||
| Xwarin shares a root with the English word consume and the French word charbon, meaning coal. | |||
| Turkish | yemek | ||
| The word "yemek" also means "meal" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | yitya | ||
| The word "yitya" in Xhosa is also used to describe the process of consumption, such as drinking or smoking. | |||
| Yiddish | עסן | ||
| The Yiddish word "עסן" ("esn") shares a common Proto-Germanic root with the English "eat"} | |||
| Zulu | udle | ||
| Though its root form means 'eat', 'udle' can be used to describe many kinds of consumption, such as smoking or drinking. | |||
| Assamese | খোৱা | ||
| Aymara | manq'aña | ||
| Bhojpuri | खाईं | ||
| Dhivehi | ކެއުން | ||
| Dogri | खाओ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kumain | ||
| Guarani | karu | ||
| Ilocano | mangan | ||
| Krio | it | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | خواردن | ||
| Maithili | खाउ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯥꯕ | ||
| Mizo | ei | ||
| Oromo | nyaachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଖାଅ | ||
| Quechua | mikuy | ||
| Sanskrit | खादतु | ||
| Tatar | ашау | ||
| Tigrinya | ብላዕ | ||
| Tsonga | dyana | ||