Grain in Different Languages
Discover 'Grain' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'grain' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, representing the small, hard seed of a cereal plant, but also symbolizing texture and structure in other contexts. Throughout history, grains such as wheat, rice, and corn have been staple foods, providing sustenance for civilizations and shaping cultural identities around the world.
Grains have played a critical role in the development of societies, enabling the growth of cities, the expansion of trade, and the refinement of culinary arts. From ancient Egyptian bread to Japanese sushi rice, grain-based dishes remain at the heart of global cuisines, connecting us to our past and enriching our present-day dining experiences.
Understanding the translation of 'grain' in different languages not only broadens our linguistic abilities but also deepens our appreciation for the cultural significance of this humble yet powerful ingredient. Here are a few sample translations to pique your curiosity:
- French: grain
- Spanish: grano
- German: Korn
- Mandarin: 粮食 (liángshí)
- Japanese: 穀物 (kokubutsu)
Discover more fascinating translations of 'grain' and delve into the rich tapestry of linguistic and cultural diversity.
Grain
Grain in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | graan | ||
| The word 'graan' is derived from the Old Dutch word 'gren', which also means 'grain', and is related to the English word 'corn'. | |||
| Amharic | እህል | ||
| Amharic እህል ('grain') comes from Proto-Semitic *ḥnṭ, also the origin of 'wheat' in many other languages, including English. | |||
| Hausa | hatsi | ||
| Hausa "hatsi" is related to the word "hatsike" in Kanuri, "sata" in Mandinka, and "shado" in Songhai, all meaning "grain". | |||
| Igbo | ọka | ||
| The word "ọka" in Igbo can also refer to a type of bird known as the guinea fowl. | |||
| Malagasy | voa | ||
| The Malagasy word "voa" can also refer to the plant's seed or the meal made from the ground seed. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | tirigu | ||
| The Nyanja word “tirigu” also has roots in the Shona language, where it means “maize”. | |||
| Shona | zviyo | ||
| The word "zviyo" can also refer to a group of people, especially in the context of a dance or other performance. | |||
| Somali | hadhuudh | ||
| The Somali word 'hadhuudh' also refers to a specific type of small black seed used in traditional medicine and as a spice. | |||
| Sesotho | lijo-thollo | ||
| "Lijo-thollo" is also used figuratively to mean "a great deal," "a lot," or "a large quantity." | |||
| Swahili | nafaka | ||
| The word "nafaka" in Swahili can also refer to food, provisions, or sustenance. | |||
| Xhosa | iinkozo | ||
| In a figurative sense, iinkozo also refers to the 'staple' of the family or the lineage, or the 'foundation' or 'basis' of something. | |||
| Yoruba | ọkà | ||
| "Ọ̀kà" in Yoruba also means "corn" or "maize," deriving from the Proto-Benue-Congo term "*kà." | |||
| Zulu | okusanhlamvu | ||
| The word "okusanhlamvu" can also refer to the act of reaping grain. | |||
| Bambara | kisɛ | ||
| Ewe | nukui | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ingano | ||
| Lingala | mbuma | ||
| Luganda | empeke | ||
| Sepedi | lebele | ||
| Twi (Akan) | aburo | ||
Grain in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الحبوب | ||
| The word "الحبوب" can also refer to coffee beans or the birth control pill in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | תְבוּאָה | ||
| "תבואה" is also a feminine singular form of the biblical Hebrew noun "תבואה" meaning "yielding, income, crop, grain, food" which derives from the verb "בא" (Bo) meaning "to come". | |||
| Pashto | غله | ||
| The word "غله" in Pashto can also mean 'the portion of the produce given to the owner of land for allowing someone to cultivate it', 'rent', 'revenue', 'profit', or 'income'. | |||
| Arabic | الحبوب | ||
| The word "الحبوب" can also refer to coffee beans or the birth control pill in Arabic. | |||
Grain in Western European Languages
| Albanian | kokërr | ||
| "Kokërr" derives from Proto-Indo-European "*korgos". In some dialects of southern Albanian, the term refers to a cluster of grapes or figs. | |||
| Basque | alea | ||
| "Alea" (grain) is also synonymous with "random" or "chance" in Basque, as the outcome of a throw of dice is as uncertain as the harvest. | |||
| Catalan | gra | ||
| The word "gra" also refers to a unit of weight equal to a grain of barley. | |||
| Croatian | žitarica | ||
| In Croatian, "žitarica" is a type of bread made from a mixture of different grains, such as wheat, rye, and oats. | |||
| Danish | korn | ||
| In Danish, "korn" can also refer to an unmarried or single person, which may derive from the old agricultural tradition of unmarried young men being responsible for the harvest. | |||
| Dutch | graan | ||
| In Dutch, "graan" can also refer to a specific type of coin, particularly a quarter guilder. | |||
| English | grain | ||
| The word grain derives from the Latin granum, meaning seed or kernel and from the French word grain, meaning fruit or kernel. | |||
| French | grain | ||
| The French word "grain" derives from the Latin word "granum", meaning "seed" or "small particle". | |||
| Frisian | nôt | ||
| The Frisian word "nôt" also has a meaning of "a bundle of flax" from an older meaning "rope, string." | |||
| Galician | gran | ||
| In Galician, "gran" can also refer to the unit of measurement for weight equivalent to 50 kilograms. | |||
| German | korn | ||
| "Korn" also refers to a distilled beverage made from various grains, particularly rye. | |||
| Icelandic | korn | ||
| Körn, the Icelandic word for 'grain', comes from the Old Norse word 'korn', which also meant 'small bird' or 'small horse'. | |||
| Irish | gráin | ||
| "Gráin" also means "sun" in Irish, cognate with the Latin word "granum" meaning "seed." | |||
| Italian | grano | ||
| While "grano" in Italian refers to "cereal grain" (e.g. wheat), the plural form "grani" can also mean "specks" or "dots". | |||
| Luxembourgish | kären | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Kä'ren" can also be used to refer to "chaff", or the dry stems of plants that are separated from the rest of the plant. | |||
| Maltese | qamħ | ||
| The Maltese word "qamħ" likely originates from the Arabic "qamh" (wheat) and also refers to a type of large wooden barrel. | |||
| Norwegian | korn | ||
| In Norwegian, the word "korn" can also refer to the seed of a cereal or to a small, hard bead. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | grão | ||
| "Grão" (grain in Portuguese) has multiple meanings that relate to its original sense of "something grown," or that derives from the ground, such as a small seed (grain), a kidney stone, a freckle, a pimple, a blemish, or gravel. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | gràn | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "gràn" has alternate meanings of "wrinkle" or "groan". | |||
| Spanish | grano | ||
| "Grano" also means pimple or skin blemish in Spanish. | |||
| Swedish | spannmål | ||
| "Spannmål" is derived from the Old Norse verb "spana", meaning "to measure, to stretch" and is a cognate the English "span". It refers to the measuring of grain, in Swedish "spanns" which were a unit of volume, before modern metrics and standardized weights. | |||
| Welsh | grawn | ||
| The Welsh word 'grawn' also means 'sorrow' or 'grief', highlighting the close connection between food and sustenance with emotional well-being in Welsh culture. | |||
Grain in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | збожжа | ||
| In Old Belarusian, "збожжа" could also refer to a "crop" or a "year's supply of grain" | |||
| Bosnian | zrno | ||
| In Bosnian, "zrno" can also refer to a grape seed or a very small piece of something. | |||
| Bulgarian | зърно | ||
| The word “зърно” (grain) also means “pupil of the eye” and derives from Proto-Slavic *zьrnъ, from *zir-, meaning “to see.” | |||
| Czech | obilí | ||
| The word "obilí" is cognate with the Old Slavic "obilu" which means "good" or "abundant" and refers to the importance of grains as a food source. | |||
| Estonian | teravili | ||
| 'Teravili' is also used in Estonian to refer to 'cereal' as a foodstuff. | |||
| Finnish | viljaa | ||
| Viljaa can also refer to a person who is simple, naive, or gullible. | |||
| Hungarian | gabona | ||
| The word "gabona" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*ghabh-nó- " meaning "to give birth, to produce". The word is also used to refer to a type of cereal grain, or to the act of planting or harvesting grain. | |||
| Latvian | grauds | ||
| In the 13th century, a "grauds" was also a unit of currency | |||
| Lithuanian | grūdai | ||
| "Grūdai" (grain) is also used to refer to "beans" or a "small spherical object". | |||
| Macedonian | жито | ||
| The word "жито" in Macedonian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*žito", which originally meant "life" or "sustenance". | |||
| Polish | ziarno | ||
| The Polish word "ziarno" has Slavic roots and is cognate with the Russian "зерно" and the Serbian "зрно", all meaning "seed" or "kernel". In botany, it can refer to the reproductive unit of seed-bearing plants, while in cooking, it is used to describe various types of edible seeds, such as wheat, rye, barley, and oats. | |||
| Romanian | cereale | ||
| In Romanian, "cereale" is derived from Latin "cerealis", meaning "grain"; it can also refer to "cereal", a breakfast food. | |||
| Russian | зерно | ||
| In Old Russian, "зерно" also meant "pupil of the eye" | |||
| Serbian | жито | ||
| The word 'жито' ('grain') is cognate to the Russian 'жито', and both derive from the Proto-Slavic word 'žitъ' | |||
| Slovak | obilie | ||
| The word "obilie" also means "abundance" in Slovak, which is related to its meaning as "grain", as grain was a symbol of wealth and prosperity in the past. | |||
| Slovenian | žita | ||
| The Slovenian word "žita" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*žitъ", which originally meant "food". | |||
| Ukrainian | зерна | ||
| "Зерна" (grain) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *zerno*, which also means "kernel" or "seed". | |||
Grain in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | শস্য | ||
| শস্য also refers to a type of grass or plant that is used for food or other purposes. | |||
| Gujarati | અનાજ | ||
| The Gujarati word "अनाज" (grain) derives from the Proto-Indo-European word *ǵréh₁nom, meaning to grow, and is related to the English word "grain". | |||
| Hindi | अनाज | ||
| The word "अनाज" (grain) in Hindi also refers to the first food given to a baby after breast milk. | |||
| Kannada | ಧಾನ್ಯ | ||
| "Dhaanya" literally means "the wealth". As per its etymological root "dh" means wealth hence wealth that sustains is rice, so "Dhaanya" stands for rice or grains in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | ധാന്യം | ||
| In Old Malayalam, "ധാന്യം" referred to any type of food and not exclusively to grains as it does today. | |||
| Marathi | धान्य | ||
| The word 'धान्य' also means wealth or prosperity in Marathi, derived from the Sanskrit root 'dhanya' meaning 'rich' or 'fortunate'. | |||
| Nepali | अन्न | ||
| The Sanskrit word "anna" also refers to "food". | |||
| Punjabi | ਅਨਾਜ | ||
| In Punjabi, "ਅਨਾਜ" (grain) also refers to the concept of sustenance or livelihood. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ධාන්ය | ||
| The word "ධාන්ය" is often referred to the five main grains that are grown in Sri Lanka, such as rice, millet, green gram, black gram, and sesame. | |||
| Tamil | தானிய | ||
| The Tamil word 'தானிய' ('thaniya') is an umbrella term that covers both seeds and grains, in contrast to its English equivalent 'grain' that usually refers only to cereals. | |||
| Telugu | ధాన్యం | ||
| The word 'ధాన్యం' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'धानी' ('dhāni'), meaning 'that which nourishes'. | |||
| Urdu | اناج | ||
| The word "اناج" also refers to a type of precious stone or bead found in jewelry in Urdu. | |||
Grain in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 粮食 | ||
| 粮食 (simplified Chinese) is a loanword from Japanese, and is also used in Korean, where it means "food" or "rice". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 糧食 | ||
| 糧 is literally translated as 'a type of basket', originally referred to containers for rice. | |||
| Japanese | 粒 | ||
| The Japanese word 粒 (つぶ) also means 'dot', 'small granule', or 'small amount'. | |||
| Korean | 곡물 | ||
| The word "곡물" is derived from the Old Korean word "곡", meaning "fruit or seed," and the suffix "-물", meaning "thing or matter." | |||
| Mongolian | үр тариа | ||
| In Mongolian, "үр тариа" can also refer to the "yield of crops" or a "large quantity of grain." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဘောဇဉ် | ||
Grain in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | gandum | ||
| The word "gandum" is an Austronesian loanword originating from the Proto-Austronesian word "*dagem", meaning "ripe". It is cognate with the Tagalog word "dagami", meaning "cut rice straw", and the Malay word "padi", meaning "rice plant". | |||
| Javanese | gandum | ||
| The Javanese word "gandum" is also used to refer to wheat specifically, as opposed to rice or other grains. | |||
| Khmer | គ្រាប់ធញ្ញជាតិ | ||
| 'គ្រាប់ធញ្ញជាតិ' is cognate to the Thai word 'กระบี่' which means 'spear' and to the Sanskrit word 'शस्त्र' which means 'weapon' or 'sharp'. This is because in older times the seeds of certain grains were used as sharp objects or weapons. | |||
| Lao | ເມັດພືດ | ||
| Malay | bijirin | ||
| The word "bijirin" is derived from the Arabic word "bajara", which means "millet" or "small grain". | |||
| Thai | เมล็ดข้าว | ||
| "เมล็ดข้าว" (grain) comes from the Sanskrit word "milam", meaning "to be small or fine." | |||
| Vietnamese | ngũ cốc | ||
| "Ngũ cốc" literally means "five cereals" in Chinese, referring to rice, wheat, millet, barley, and soybeans. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | butil | ||
Grain in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | taxıl | ||
| The word "taxıl" can also refer to a field where grain or wheat is grown or a barn or granary where grain is stored. | |||
| Kazakh | астық | ||
| The Kazakh word "астық" (grain) is thought to derive from the Proto-Turkic word "at-sïγ" (horse meat) | |||
| Kyrgyz | дан | ||
| In Kyrgyz, 'дан' can also refer to a type of cereal crop or the unit of measurement for grain. | |||
| Tajik | ғалла | ||
| In Tajik, the word ғалла (“grain”) also means “the price of grain. | |||
| Turkmen | däne | ||
| Uzbek | don | ||
| Don is also a term of respect and affection for a male elder. | |||
| Uyghur | ئاشلىق | ||
Grain in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | palaoa | ||
| The Hawaiian word "palaoa" can refer to any type of grain, including taro, breadfruit, and rice, which are all important staples in the Hawaiian diet. | |||
| Maori | witi | ||
| Besides the edible seed of certain grasses, "witi" refers to a class of New Zealand ferns whose spores were dried, made into cakes and eaten. | |||
| Samoan | saito | ||
| The word saito is also used to refer to fine sand and is related to the word sai, meaning "to rub" | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | butil | ||
| The word “butil” can also be used to refer to the seeds of plants or the kernels of corn. | |||
Grain in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | qulu | ||
| Guarani | ra'ỹi | ||
Grain in International Languages
| Esperanto | greno | ||
| Esperanto's "greno" derives from "granum", the Latin word for a grain of cereal or fruit, as well as "granum tinctorium", or "scarlet grain," from which a scarlet dye was produced. | |||
| Latin | grano | ||
| The Latin word "grano" can also mean "wrath" or "anger"} | |||
Grain in Others Languages
| Greek | σιτηρά | ||
| Σιτηρά comes from the Greek word σῖτος, which means "wheat," and originally referred specifically to this type of grain. | |||
| Hmong | nplej | ||
| The word "nplej" can also refer to a single grain or seed, or to the process of threshing or harvesting grain. | |||
| Kurdish | zad | ||
| The Kurdish word "zad" can also refer to wheat or barley. | |||
| Turkish | tane | ||
| The word "tane" in Turkish originally meant "seed" or "kernel" and is still used in this sense in some dialects. | |||
| Xhosa | iinkozo | ||
| In a figurative sense, iinkozo also refers to the 'staple' of the family or the lineage, or the 'foundation' or 'basis' of something. | |||
| Yiddish | קערל | ||
| The Yiddish word 'קערל' ('kern') also means 'seed' in Russian, and it is cognate with the English word 'corn' and the German word 'Korn'. | |||
| Zulu | okusanhlamvu | ||
| The word "okusanhlamvu" can also refer to the act of reaping grain. | |||
| Assamese | দানা | ||
| Aymara | qulu | ||
| Bhojpuri | अनाज | ||
| Dhivehi | އޮށް | ||
| Dogri | दाना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | butil | ||
| Guarani | ra'ỹi | ||
| Ilocano | bukel | ||
| Krio | sid | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | گەنم | ||
| Maithili | अनाज | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯋꯥꯏ ꯆꯦꯡꯋꯥꯏ | ||
| Mizo | buhfang | ||
| Oromo | ija midhaanii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଶସ୍ୟ | ||
| Quechua | muru | ||
| Sanskrit | अन्न | ||
| Tatar | ашлык | ||
| Tigrinya | እኽሊ | ||
| Tsonga | ndzoho | ||