Chicken in different languages

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

Afrikaanshoender
The word "hoender" is derived from the Old Dutch word "hoenre," meaning "domestic fowl".
Amharicዶሮ
The word "ዶሮ" also means "bird" in Amharic.
Hausakaza
The Hausa word 'kaza' can also refer to a type of traditional Hausa fabric or a small basket used for storing personal items.
Igboọkụkọ
Ọkụkọ also means "a male chicken" in addition to its primary meaning of "chicken".
Malagasyakoho
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".
Shonahuku
The word "huku" in Shona is a diminutive form of "hukurawa," and is often used to refer to a young chicken.
Somalidigaag
The Somali word "digaag" is also used to refer to the meat of a chicken.
Sesothokhoho
Swahilikuku
The Swahili word "kuku" also refers to the sound a chicken makes.
Xhosainkukhu
The Xhosa word for 'chicken', 'inkukhu', is an onomatopoeia derived from the sound chickens make.
Yorubaadiẹ
"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.
Zuluinyama yenkukhu
In Zulu, 'inyama yenkukhu' also means 'meat of the forest fowl' or 'bird meat'.
Bambarasisɛ
Ewekoklo
Kinyarwandainkoko
Lingalasoso
Lugandaenkoko
Sepedinama ya kgogo
Twi (Akan)akokɔ

Chicken in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicدجاج
The Arabic word "دجاج" can also refer to a type of small fish or a particular breed of pigeon.
Hebrewעוף
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.
Pashtoچرګه
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').
Arabicدجاج
The Arabic word "دجاج" can also refer to a type of small fish or a particular breed of pigeon.

Chicken in Western European Languages

Albanianpule
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.
Basqueoilaskoa
The Basque "oilaskoa" derives from "oila", meaning "fowl", and "asko", meaning "plenty" or "multitude".
Catalanpollastre
The Catalan word 'pollastre' also refers to a young, inexperienced person.
Croatianpiletina
In Dalmatia, the word 'piletina' can also refer to poultry in general, not just chickens specifically.
Danishkylling
The Danish word "kylling" is derived from the Old Norse word "kylna", meaning "young bird".
Dutchkip
The Dutch word "kip" can also refer to a nap or a young male animal, both derived from historical slang.
Englishchicken
The word 'chicken' derives from the Old English term 'cicen', which also meant 'young bird' or 'nestling'.
Frenchpoulet
The word "poulet" in French, meaning "chicken," is derived from the Latin "pullus" and also refers to a young man of effeminate character.
Frisianhin
Frisian "hin" is cognate with English "hen" and derives from Proto-West-Germanic "*huni" (which also gave rise to Modern German "Henne").
Galicianpolo
In Galician, "polo" can also refer to an animal's foot, hoof, or claw.
Germanhähnchen
The word "Hähnchen" derives from Middle High German "Han", meaning "rooster", and diminutive suffix "-chen".
Icelandickjúklingur
The Icelandic word "kjúklingur" can also refer to a young person, particularly one who is inexperienced or naive.
Irishsicín
In Irish folklore, the word 'sicín' can also refer to a mischievous fairy or ghost that takes the form of a chicken.
Italianpollo
The Italian word "pollo" can also mean "colt" or "male animal".
Luxembourgishpoulet
The Luxembourgish word 'poulet' derives from the Old French 'pol' and is cognate with the English 'poultry'.
Maltesetiġieġ
The word "tiġieġ" is derived from the Arabic word "دجاج" (dajāj), which means "poultry".
Norwegiankylling
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 Gaeliccearc
The Scots Gaelic word 'cearc' is cognate with the Irish 'cearc', Welsh 'iâr' and Breton 'yar', and derives from the Proto-Celtic *iarkā
Spanishpollo
"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.
Swedishkyckling
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.
Welshcyw iâr
Welsh "cyw iâr" translates to "chicken" or "chick" but originally meant "the brood of the hen".

Chicken in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianкурыца
"Курыца" in Belarusian comes from the Proto-Slavic word *kura*, which originally meant "bird."
Bosnianpiletina
The origin of the Bosnian word "piletina" is not fully understood, but some scholars believe it may derive from the Latin word "pulletina".
Bulgarianпиле
The Bulgarian word "пиле" can also refer to the young or offspring of other animals or even humans.
Czechkuře
The word "kuře" in Czech also refers to a young female of some other birds, such as a quail or a partridge.
Estoniankana
In addition to "chicken," "kana" can refer to a "hen," "fowl," or a "domestic bird."
Finnishkana
The verb form of "kana" is "kania", used in expressions like "kanianlihaa" ("chicken meat").
Hungariancsirke
Csirke, the Hungarian word for "chicken," also refers to small and young children as a term of endearment.
Latviancālis
The word cālis is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kekwl-, which also gave rise to the words ‘cockerel’ and ‘cockroach’.
Lithuanianvištiena
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."
Macedonianпилешко
The Macedonian word for "chicken" comes from Ottoman Turkish "piliç", which itself comes from Persian "pīlak".
Polishkurczak
"Kurczak" derives from Proto-Slavic "*kurъ", meaning "rooster". Kurczak can also be used colloquially to refer to a police informant.
Romanianpui
"Pui" in Romanian also refers to a young male or unmarried man.
Russianкурица
"Курица" can also refer to "an empty egg shell"
Serbianпилетина
The word "пилетина" can also refer to other poultry, such as turkey or duck.
Slovakkura
The word 'kura' is also used in Slovak to refer to a 'hen' or 'female chicken'.
Slovenianpiščanec
Slovene "piščanec" also means "rooster" and may be related to "to squeal, cry out".
Ukrainianкурка
The Ukrainian word "курка" also means "a trigger".

Chicken in South Asian Languages

Bengaliমুরগি
The word "মুরগি" is derived from the Sanskrit word "मुरग" (murag), which means "fowl" or "bird".
Gujaratiચિકન
The Gujarati word ''ચિકન'' also refers to an embroidery style popular in Lucknow, India.
Hindiमुर्गी
The Hindi word "मुर्गी" (chicken) is derived from the Sanskrit word "मुकुरिका" (hen).
Kannadaಕೋಳಿ
The word "ಕೋಳಿ" in Kannada can also refer to a "young girl" or a "female chicken".
Malayalamകോഴി
The Malayalam word 'കോഴി' ('kōzhi') derives from the Sanskrit term 'kukkuta', meaning 'cock' or 'rooster'.
Marathiकोंबडी
The word "कोंबडी" in Marathi originates from the Sanskrit word "kukkuṭa" which means "domestic fowl"
Nepaliकुखुरा
The word 'कुखुरा' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'kukkuṭa', which means 'cock' or 'rooster'.
Punjabiਮੁਰਗੇ 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
Tamilகோழி
The word "கோழி" in Tamil, meaning "chicken", is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word "*kōli".
Teluguచికెన్
The Telugu word 'చికెన్' (chicken) is derived from the Austronesian word 'manuk' which means 'bird'.
Urduچکن
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).
Korean치킨
The Korean word 치킨 (chicken) can also refer to fried chicken dishes, similar to its Japanese and English cognates.
Mongolianтахиа
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

Indonesianayam
The word "ayam" in Indonesian also refers to a type of fabric worn by women
Javanesepitik
In Javanese, 'pitik' can also refer to a small bird or a young chicken.
Khmerសាច់​មាន់
The term "សាច់​មាន់" not only means "chicken" but also has the alternate meaning of "flesh" or "meat" in general.
Laoໄກ່
The word ໄກ່ can also mean "rooster" or "cock" in Lao.
Malayayam
"Ayam" also means "I" or "we" depending on the context of the sentence in Malay.
Thaiไก่
The Thai word "ไก่" shares an etymological root with the Sanskrit word "kukkuṭa" and the Proto-Austronesian word "ayam".
Vietnamesethịt gà
"Thịt gà" (chicken) is a homophone with the word "thích gà" (to like women).
Filipino (Tagalog)manok

Chicken in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanitoyuq
The word "toyuq" can also refer to young chicks or baby birds in Azerbaijani.
Kazakhтауық
The word "тауық" is cognate with the Turkish word "tavuk", both ultimately derived from the Proto-Turkic word *taγuq.
Kyrgyzтоок
The word "тоок" can also mean "offspring" or "brood" in Kyrgyz, indicating its broader significance beyond referring solely to poultry.
Tajikчӯҷа
The word "чӯҷа" also means "chick" or "bird" in Tajik.
Turkmentowuk
Uzbektovuq
The word "tovuq" is also used to refer to a "ball" or a "small bird" in Uzbek.
Uyghurتوخۇ

Chicken in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianmoa
In Hawaiian, "moa" also refers to a long spear or dart used for hunting or warfare.
Maoriheihei
The Maori word "heihei" means "chicken" and also refers to something of no value.
Samoanmoa
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

Aymarawallpa
Guaraniryguasu

Chicken in International Languages

Esperantokokido
The Esperanto word "kokido" may also derive from a PIE root shared with "guglielmo" and "cuckoo".
Latinpullum
Pullus also means 'boy' in Latin.

Chicken in Others Languages

Greekκοτόπουλο
Etymology of ' κοτόπουλο' (Greek for chicken) is unclear but could be related to words for 'cut' or 'wing' or from 'κότας' (male chicken).
Hmongqaib
The word "qaib" is also used to refer to a "hen"
Kurdishmirîşk
The word "mirîşk" is derived from the Persian word "murgh" meaning "bird".
Turkishtavuk
"Tavuk", "rooster" or "broiler" in Turkish, is derived from the onomatopoeia "tav" which represents the sound of a chicken pecking at the ground.
Xhosainkukhu
The Xhosa word for 'chicken', 'inkukhu', is an onomatopoeia derived from the sound chickens make.
Yiddishהינדל
The Yiddish word "הינדל" can also refer to a young woman or a pet name for a female.
Zuluinyama yenkukhu
In Zulu, 'inyama yenkukhu' also means 'meat of the forest fowl' or 'bird meat'.
Assameseকুকুৰা
Aymarawallpa
Bhojpuriचूजा
Dhivehiކުކުޅު
Dogriकुक्कड़ू
Filipino (Tagalog)manok
Guaraniryguasu
Ilocanomanok
Kriofɔl
Kurdish (Sorani)مریشک
Maithiliमुर्गी
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯌꯦꯟꯅꯥꯎ ꯃꯆꯥ
Mizoar
Oromolukkuu
Odia (Oriya)ଚିକେନ୍
Quechuachiwchi
Sanskritकुक्कुट
Tatarтавык
Tigrinyaደርሆ
Tsongahuku

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