Fruit in Different Languages
Discover 'Fruit' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Fruit is not just a tasty and nutritious snack, but also a word with deep cultural significance and fascinating historical contexts. The word 'fruit' has traveled across languages, taking on new meanings and associations along the way. From the luscious mangoes of India, known as 'aam' in Hindi, to the juicy peaches of China, called 'tao' in Mandarin, the word 'fruit' is a window into the culinary and cultural diversity of the world.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'fruit' in different languages can enrich your travel experiences, enable you to order food with confidence, and help you connect with people from different backgrounds. For instance, in Spanish, 'fruta' is a common term for fruit, while in Japanese, 'fruit' is translated as 'kudamono'. In French, 'fruit' is 'fruit', and in German, it's 'obst'.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a foodie, or a traveler, exploring the translations of 'fruit' in different languages can be a fun and rewarding journey. Keep reading to discover more about this delicious and culturally significant word!
Fruit
Fruit in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | vrugte | ||
| The word "vrugte" is derived from the Dutch word "vrucht", which means "fruit", and is also related to the German word "Frucht" and the English word "fruit". In addition to its primary meaning of "fruit", "vrugte" can also refer to "the fruit of a person's labor" or "the result of an action". | |||
| Amharic | ፍራፍሬ | ||
| The word "ፍራፍሬ" can also mean "results" or "consequences". | |||
| Hausa | 'ya'yan itace | ||
| The word 'ya'yan itace' in Hausa is also used to refer to the seeds of a fruit, and is cognate with the word 'ya'ya' in other Chadic languages, which means 'child'. | |||
| Igbo | mkpụrụ osisi | ||
| The Igbo word "mkpụrụ osisi" can also refer to the source of a plant, such as a seed or bulb. | |||
| Malagasy | voankazo | ||
| The word "voankazo" also means "child" in Malagasy, reflecting the importance of children in Malagasy culture. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zipatso | ||
| "Zipatso" can also mean "children", as a fruit is the result of birth, just like a child. | |||
| Shona | michero | ||
| The Shona word "michero" also refers to the edible part of any plant, including grains, seeds, and tubers. | |||
| Somali | miro | ||
| Besides 'fruit', 'miro' can also mean 'crop'. | |||
| Sesotho | litholoana | ||
| The word "litholoana" can also refer to the seed of a fruit or the stone of a fruit. | |||
| Swahili | matunda | ||
| In Swahili, "matunda" also refers to nuts, fruits, and anything produced by a plant that contains seeds. | |||
| Xhosa | isiqhamo | ||
| The Xhosa word "isiqhamo" is derived from the Zulu word "isigamu", meaning "half", and refers to the often halved shape of fruits. | |||
| Yoruba | eso | ||
| The Yoruba word "eso" can also refer to an organ or a part of something. | |||
| Zulu | izithelo | ||
| The Zulu word "izithelo" can also refer to a "result" or "benefit" of an action. | |||
| Bambara | yiriden | ||
| Ewe | atikutsetse | ||
| Kinyarwanda | imbuto | ||
| Lingala | mbuma | ||
| Luganda | ekibala | ||
| Sepedi | seenywa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | aduaba | ||
Fruit in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | فاكهة | ||
| The word "فاكهة" (fruit) shares its root with "فك" (to open), suggesting its connection to the process of revealing the fruit from its outer covering. | |||
| Hebrew | פרי | ||
| The word "פרי" also refers to offspring or produce in the context of plants or animals. | |||
| Pashto | میوه | ||
| The Pashto word "میوه" also has the alternate meaning of "harvest". | |||
| Arabic | فاكهة | ||
| The word "فاكهة" (fruit) shares its root with "فك" (to open), suggesting its connection to the process of revealing the fruit from its outer covering. | |||
Fruit in Western European Languages
| Albanian | fruta | ||
| The Albanian word "fruta" is derived from the Latin "fructus" and also refers to produce, vegetables, and crops. | |||
| Basque | fruta | ||
| Fruta shares an etymology with the Latin word "fructus," meaning "that which is enjoyed," highlighting the Basque language's rich connection to its Indo-European roots. | |||
| Catalan | fruita | ||
| In Catalan, "fruita" also refers to a type of dessert similar to a fruit salad. | |||
| Croatian | voće | ||
| The Croatian word "voće" can also refer to various plants in agriculture, especially trees used for fruit production. | |||
| Danish | frugt | ||
| The Danish word "frugt" also refers to the sweet part of a nut. | |||
| Dutch | fruit | ||
| In Dutch, "fruit" can refer to fruits, vegetables, or nuts. | |||
| English | fruit | ||
| The word "fruit" derives from the Latin word "fructus," which means "enjoyment" or "use." | |||
| French | fruit | ||
| En ancien français, le terme "fruit" pouvait également désigner le résultat d'une action ou l'effet produit par une cause. | |||
| Frisian | fruit | ||
| The Frisian word | |||
| Galician | froita | ||
| "Froita" shares its origin with the Latin word "fructus", meaning "enjoyment" or "income", hence the alternate meaning of "profit" or "fruit of labor" in Galician. | |||
| German | obst | ||
| Obst derives from Old High German "obaz," meaning "what grows," and can refer to fruit in general as well as specific edible produce, including fruits and vegetables. | |||
| Icelandic | ávexti | ||
| Cognate with other Germanic cognates such as Gothic akran, Old English æcer, and German Acker, all derived from Proto-Germanic *akraz, meaning "field, arable land" | |||
| Irish | torthaí | ||
| "Torthaí" is also the Irish word for "cake" or "tart" and is related to the English word "tart". | |||
| Italian | frutta | ||
| In Italian, the word 'frutta' originally referred to all kinds of produce, including vegetables and nuts. | |||
| Luxembourgish | uebst | ||
| "Uebst" is probably derived from the Old High German word "obiz" for "fruit", "harvest" or "produce". | |||
| Maltese | frott | ||
| The word "frott" comes from the Sicilian word "fruttu" meaning "fruit" and is also used to refer to the edible part of a plant or the result of a plant's growth. | |||
| Norwegian | frukt | ||
| The Norwegian word "frukt" is cognate with the German "Frucht," which can also refer to the result or offspring of an action. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | fruta | ||
| "Fruta" derives from the Latin "fructus," meaning "enjoyment," which also gave us "frustration" and "fruition." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | measan | ||
| The word "measan" is also used to refer to berries or nuts, and is derived from the Old Irish word "mes" meaning "fruit". | |||
| Spanish | fruta | ||
| "Fruta" in Spanish is derived from Latin "fructus", referring to the edible part of plants, and can also colloquially denote a "snack" or "refreshment". | |||
| Swedish | frukt | ||
| In Swedish, 'frukt' originally only referred to 'seeds,' but over the centuries it also came to mean both 'fruit' in the botanical sense and 'vegetable'. | |||
| Welsh | ffrwyth | ||
| The word "ffrwyth" also means "product" or "result" in Welsh, highlighting its broader sense of yield or outcome. | |||
Fruit in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | садавіна | ||
| "Садавіна" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *sadъ, meaning "garden," and is also related to the English word "salad." | |||
| Bosnian | voće | ||
| "Voće" is a word for "fruit" in Bosnian that comes from the Proto-Slavic word "ovocie" meaning "produce" | |||
| Bulgarian | плодове | ||
| Bulgarian "плодове" also means "products" or "results". | |||
| Czech | ovoce | ||
| "Ovoce" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "ovocь", which also means "testicle", reflecting the fact that many fruit have a similar shape. | |||
| Estonian | puu | ||
| In Estonian, "puu" (fruit) also denotes "tree" and "wood". | |||
| Finnish | hedelmiä | ||
| The Finnish word "hedelmät" derives from the Proto-Finnic root "*hedelm" and relates to the word "helmet" (skirt). | |||
| Hungarian | gyümölcs | ||
| "Gyümölcs" is a Hungarian word derived from the Turkic word "meyve," but it can also refer to vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers. | |||
| Latvian | augļi | ||
| The word "augļi" in Latvian is derived from the Indo-European root "*weg-", meaning "to grow". It is related to the Latin word "veho", meaning "to carry", and the English word "waggon". In addition to its primary meaning of "fruit", "augļi" can also refer to the "yield" of a crop or to the "offspring" of an animal. | |||
| Lithuanian | vaisius | ||
| The word "vaisius" in Lithuanian also refers to a child's inheritance or legacy. | |||
| Macedonian | овошје | ||
| The word "овошје" in Macedonian can also refer to certain vegetables, such as tomatoes and cucumbers. | |||
| Polish | owoc | ||
| In Polish, "owoc" can also mean "result" or "consequence". | |||
| Romanian | fructe | ||
| The Romanian word "fructe" is derived from a Slavic root meaning "gathered" and originally referred to tree nuts and grains. | |||
| Russian | фрукты | ||
| The Russian word "фрукты" (fruit) derives from the Proto-Slavic word "pl̥dъ," also meaning "child" or "offspring". | |||
| Serbian | воће | ||
| The word 'воће' in Serbian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'olьšьe' meaning 'forest' or 'wild fruit'. It has alternate meanings 'apples' or 'pears'. | |||
| Slovak | ovocie | ||
| In Slovak, 'ovocie' also refers to the fruit of a plant in the sense of the botanical fruit rather than the edible fruit. | |||
| Slovenian | sadje | ||
| In Slovenian, "sadje" also refers to the fruit used in making jams or preserves. | |||
| Ukrainian | фрукти | ||
| "Фрукти" (fruit) is cognate to English "fruity" and French "fruité" and ultimately comes from Latin "fructus" meaning "fruit" and "enjoyment". | |||
Fruit in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ফল | ||
| The Bengali word "ফল" (fruit) can also refer to the result of an action or the outcome of a situation. | |||
| Gujarati | ફળ | ||
| ફળ is derived from the Sanskrit word "phala", which also means "result" or "reward". | |||
| Hindi | फल | ||
| The word "फल" can also refer to the result or outcome of an action or situation. | |||
| Kannada | ಹಣ್ಣು | ||
| The word "ಹಣ್ಣು" (fruit) in Kannada is also used to refer to the "result" or "outcome" of an action or event. | |||
| Malayalam | ഫലം | ||
| "ഫലം" also means "result" or "reward" in Malayalam, just like the English word "fruit" can refer to the result of someone's efforts. | |||
| Marathi | फळ | ||
| फळ means "fruit" in Marathi and is also used to refer to the results or outcomes of one's actions. | |||
| Nepali | फल | ||
| The word “फल” in Sanskrit primarily meant the result or the consequence of some action, which became 'reward' or 'fruit' over time. | |||
| Punjabi | ਫਲ | ||
| "ਫਲ" also refers to the outcome or consequence of an action in the broader sense in some contexts of the Punjabi language | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පලතුරු | ||
| The word "පලතුරු" is also used in some contexts to refer to nuts and seeds. | |||
| Tamil | பழம் | ||
| The word 'பழம்' can also mean 'old' or 'ancient', reflecting the connection between age and wisdom in Tamil culture. | |||
| Telugu | పండు | ||
| "పండు" is also used to denote a young or small person. | |||
| Urdu | پھل | ||
| The Urdu word "پھل" (fruit) originates from the Sanskrit word "फल" (fruit), which also denotes 'result', 'product', or 'gain'. | |||
Fruit in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 水果 | ||
| 水果, an umbrella term for fruit, derives from the Chinese term “果实,” which was later shortened to “果” and then to the modern term “水果”. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 水果 | ||
| The term "水果" can also refer to flowers or seeds in some contexts. | |||
| Japanese | フルーツ | ||
| "フルーツ" is an adopted loanword from English that specifically refers to fresh and edible fruits. | |||
| Korean | 과일 | ||
| "과일" is a compound word that literally translates to "sweet object". | |||
| Mongolian | жимс | ||
| The word "жимс" in Mongolian is cognate with the word "жэм" in Kyrgyz and means "berry" in both languages. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သစ်သီး | ||
Fruit in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | buah | ||
| The word "buah" in Indonesian also refers to the non-sweet results of plants such as cucumbers, beans, and nuts. | |||
| Javanese | buah | ||
| In Javanese, | |||
| Khmer | ផ្លែឈើ | ||
| The Khmer word "ផ្លែឈើ" (fruit) also means "fruit of the tree" or "fruit of the vine". | |||
| Lao | ຫມາກໄມ້ | ||
| The Lao word "ຫມາກໄມ້" can also refer to medicinal plants and spices, as well as to fruits eaten with sticky rice. | |||
| Malay | buah | ||
| The word "buah" is derived from Proto-Austronesian "buaq", which means "tree" or "fruit". | |||
| Thai | ผลไม้ | ||
| "ผลไม้" can also mean "consequence" or "result" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | trái cây | ||
| "Trái cây" literally means "hanging things" and refers to fruits that grow on trees or vines. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | prutas | ||
Fruit in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | meyvə | ||
| "Meyvə" can also mean "benefit" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | жеміс | ||
| The word | |||
| Kyrgyz | жемиш | ||
| The word "жемиш" also means "year". This could be a reference to the annual cycle of fruit production. | |||
| Tajik | мева | ||
| The word «мева» has Turkic origin and its initial meaning is nuts. | |||
| Turkmen | miwesi | ||
| Uzbek | meva | ||
| The word "meva" in Uzbek also refers to nuts, seeds, and some vegetables. | |||
| Uyghur | مېۋە | ||
Fruit in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | huaʻai | ||
| The term "huaʻai" was formerly applied to all cultivated plants, including both food and non-food products. | |||
| Maori | hua | ||
| "'Hua' can also refer to people as descendants or offspring, as well as to the result of an action. | |||
| Samoan | fualaʻau | ||
| The word "fualaʻau" is also used to refer to vegetables or edible shoots in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | prutas | ||
| The word "prutas" in Tagalog comes from the Malay-Indonesian word "buah", meaning "fruit" or "seed." | |||
Fruit in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | muxsa achu | ||
| Guarani | yva'a | ||
Fruit in International Languages
| Esperanto | frukto | ||
| In Esperanto it can be used in compounds, such as "fruktosuko" (fruit juice) or "fruktoplano" (fruit growing). | |||
| Latin | fructus | ||
| Fructus can also refer to the income or produce of land, as well as the result of one's labor or efforts | |||
Fruit in Others Languages
| Greek | καρπός | ||
| The Greek word "καρπός" can also mean "profit" or "income", and it is related to the Latin word "corpus", meaning "body". | |||
| Hmong | txiv ntoo | ||
| The Hmong word for fruit, "txiv ntoo," literally means "tree seed." | |||
| Kurdish | mêwe | ||
| The word "mêwe" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *meh₂-, which also gave rise to the English word "meat". | |||
| Turkish | meyve | ||
| The Turkish word "meyve" may also refer to a tree's nut-bearing fruit like pistachios and walnuts. | |||
| Xhosa | isiqhamo | ||
| The Xhosa word "isiqhamo" is derived from the Zulu word "isigamu", meaning "half", and refers to the often halved shape of fruits. | |||
| Yiddish | פרוכט | ||
| The Yiddish word פרוכט can also refer to the produce of the womb, or a child. | |||
| Zulu | izithelo | ||
| The Zulu word "izithelo" can also refer to a "result" or "benefit" of an action. | |||
| Assamese | ফল | ||
| Aymara | muxsa achu | ||
| Bhojpuri | फल | ||
| Dhivehi | މޭވާ | ||
| Dogri | फल | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | prutas | ||
| Guarani | yva'a | ||
| Ilocano | prutas | ||
| Krio | frut | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | میوە | ||
| Maithili | फल | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯎꯍꯩ | ||
| Mizo | thei | ||
| Oromo | muduraa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଫଳ | ||
| Quechua | miski ruru | ||
| Sanskrit | फलं | ||
| Tatar | җимеш | ||
| Tigrinya | ፍረ | ||
| Tsonga | mihandzu | ||