Grocery in Different Languages
Discover 'Grocery' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Grocery: it's a word we use daily, yet how much do we really know about its significance and cultural importance? More than just a place to buy food, a grocery store is a microcosm of a community's culture and traditions. From fresh produce to packaged goods, the items we find in grocery stores reflect our society's values and preferences.
But did you know that the word 'grocery' has roots in the Old French term 'grossierie', which referred to large purchases of goods? Or that in many languages, the word for 'grocery' is a combination of 'store' and 'food'?
Understanding the translation of 'grocery' in different languages can offer fascinating insights into the cultural nuances of various countries. For example, in Spanish, 'grocery' is 'supermercado', while in German, it's 'Lebensmittelgeschäft'. In French, it's 'épicerie', and in Japanese, it's 'スーパー' (sūpā).
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a world traveler, or simply curious about the world around you, exploring the translations of 'grocery' in different languages is a fun and enlightening journey. Keep reading to discover more!
Grocery
Grocery in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | kruideniersware | ||
| The word "kruideniersware" is derived from the Dutch word "kruidenier", meaning "grocer" or "spicer", and the Afrikaans word "ware", meaning "goods". | |||
| Amharic | የምግብ ሸቀጣሸቀጥ | ||
| የምግብ ሸቀጣሸቀጥ is a compound noun in Amharic consisting of የምግብ (ye-megib; "of food") and ሸቀጣሸቀጥ (she-ke-ta-she-kit; "retail trade; sale and purchase; trading in small quantity or quantity"), so it literally means "of trading food" or "the sale of food."} | |||
| Hausa | kayan masarufi | ||
| Kayan masarufi could also mean 'essential goods' in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | nri | ||
| In Igbo, "nri" (meaning "grocery" in English) is derived from the word "nri-nri", which refers to the rustling sound made by a basket of groceries. | |||
| Malagasy | fivarotana hanina | ||
| "FIVAROTANA HANINA" is a compound word in Malagasy, with "FIVAROTANA" meaning "trade" and "HANINA" referring to "daily living" or "foodstuffs". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zogulitsa | ||
| The word "Zogulitsa" is derived from "Kugula" which means "to buy" and is also used for "wholesale" in the Nyanja (Chichewa) language of Malawi | |||
| Shona | grocery | ||
| In Shona, 'grocery' can also mean a 'general store' or a 'place where food is sold'. | |||
| Somali | raashinka | ||
| The word "raashinka" in Somali is derived from the Arabic word "ruzq" or "rizq," and it does not only refer to store-bought food items, but also to the sustenance or support one receives in life. | |||
| Sesotho | korosari | ||
| In Lesotho, 'korosari' also refers to petty traders, specifically women, who sell food items in the streets. | |||
| Swahili | mboga | ||
| In some Bantu languages, the root "mboga" refers to vegetables or unripe fruits. | |||
| Xhosa | ukutya | ||
| Ukutya is also used to refer to food that is bought from a store or market, rather than being grown or produced at home. | |||
| Yoruba | ounjẹ | ||
| The Yoruba word "ounjẹ" can also mean "food," suggesting the close association between groceries and sustenance. | |||
| Zulu | ukudla | ||
| 'Ukudla' is also used to refer to food specifically, with a focus on sustenance rather than taste or enjoyment. | |||
| Bambara | dumunifɛn feereyɔrɔ | ||
| Ewe | nuzazãwo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ibiribwa | ||
| Lingala | esika batekaka biloko ya nsolo kitoko | ||
| Luganda | eby'amaguzi | ||
| Sepedi | krosari | ||
| Twi (Akan) | atonnuane | ||
Grocery in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | بقالة | ||
| The word "بقالة" (grocery) originates from the verb "بَقَلَ" (to sell or trade), so "بقالة" originally referred to a place where various items are bought and sold. | |||
| Hebrew | מַכּוֹלֶת | ||
| The word "מַכּוֹלֶת" ("grocery") is derived from the root "כ-ו-ל" ("to contain"), reflecting its function as a storage and distribution center for a variety of goods. | |||
| Pashto | گروسري | ||
| The word "گروسري" can also mean "provision" or "supply" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | بقالة | ||
| The word "بقالة" (grocery) originates from the verb "بَقَلَ" (to sell or trade), so "بقالة" originally referred to a place where various items are bought and sold. | |||
Grocery in Western European Languages
| Albanian | ushqimore | ||
| The word 'ushqimore' comes from the Albanian word 'ushqim' ('food'). | |||
| Basque | janaria | ||
| In Bilbao, janaria is a term commonly used in bars and pintxos to refer to a portion of potato omelette. | |||
| Catalan | botiga de queviures | ||
| In Catalan, the word "botiga de queviures" originated from the Arabic word "qibbah," meaning "warehouse" or "storehouse." | |||
| Croatian | namirnica | ||
| "Namirnica" is also a common word for "food" in the context of cooking and preparing meals. | |||
| Danish | købmand | ||
| The Danish word "købmand" originally meant "merchant" or "trader" and is related to the English word "chapman." | |||
| Dutch | kruidenier | ||
| "Kruidenier" also means "spice merchant" in Dutch, which is the original meaning of the word, as early grocers often specialized in spices. | |||
| English | grocery | ||
| The term 'grocery' originated as a term for dry foods such as grains and pulses and now also includes fresh produce and packaged goods. | |||
| French | épicerie | ||
| The word "épicerie" comes from the Greek "epikêros" meaning "necessary to life". | |||
| Frisian | boadskippen | ||
| The West Frisian word "boadskippen" is derived from the Middle Dutch word "bootschappen," meaning "errands" or "messages". | |||
| Galician | ultramarinos | ||
| "Ultramarinos" originally referred to products that came from across the sea, particularly those from Spain's former colonies. | |||
| German | lebensmittelgeschäft | ||
| The word "Lebensmittelgeschäft" is a compound of the words "Lebensmittel" (food) and "Geschäft" (store). | |||
| Icelandic | matvöruverslun | ||
| In Old Norse, "matvöruverslun" originally referred only to meat, and the term for a general grocery store was "föðubúrg." | |||
| Irish | grósaera | ||
| "Grósaera" originally meant "wholesale trade" and entered Irish via Anglo-Norman French in the 1400s. | |||
| Italian | drogheria | ||
| The term "drogheria" in Italian was historically used for shops selling spices, herbs, and medicinal potions. | |||
| Luxembourgish | epicerie | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Epicerie" is also used to refer to a "delicatessen". | |||
| Maltese | merċa | ||
| The Maltese word 'merċa', meaning 'grocery,' derives from the Arabic plural of 'merq,' indicating the act of storing provisions. | |||
| Norwegian | dagligvare | ||
| Dagligvare is often used as a short form for "dagligvarer", meaning everyday goods or sundries. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | mercearia | ||
| The word 'mercearia' comes from the Latin 'merx', meaning 'goods' or 'merchandise'. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | grosair | ||
| "Grosair" is a Gaelic word meaning store, shop, or warehouse; it is cognate with the Irish "grósaire" and the French "grossier" (both wholesale grocer, wholesale merchant). | |||
| Spanish | tienda de comestibles | ||
| The Spanish word “tienda de comestibles” translates to | |||
| Swedish | livsmedelsbutik | ||
| The word "livsmedelsbutik" literally means "life means shop". | |||
| Welsh | groser | ||
| The Welsh word "groser" is of French origin, with the original meaning of "great" or "wholesale" | |||
Grocery in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | прадуктовы | ||
| The word "прадуктовы" derives from the Russian "продукт" meaning "product" or "foodstuff". | |||
| Bosnian | namirnica | ||
| "Namirnica" originates from the Turkish word "nâmır" meaning "food" and refers not only to groceries but also to food products in general, including meat and vegetables. | |||
| Bulgarian | хранителни стоки | ||
| The Bulgarian word for "grocery" ("хранителни стоки") also refers to foodstuffs consumed between meals. | |||
| Czech | potraviny | ||
| Potraviny, derived from the Czech verb "potravit" (to nourish), originally meant "sustenance" or "foodstuffs." | |||
| Estonian | toidupoed | ||
| The Estonian word toidupoed, meaning "grocery store," comes from the word toit, meaning "food," and poed, meaning "shop." | |||
| Finnish | päivittäistavarakauppa | ||
| The word "päivittäistavarakauppa" literally translates to "daily merchandise store". | |||
| Hungarian | élelmiszerbolt | ||
| "Élelmiszer" means "food" and "bolt" means "shop" in Hungarian, thus "élelmiszerbolt" directly translates to "food shop". | |||
| Latvian | pārtikas preces | ||
| The word "pārtikas preces" is derived from the Proto-Baltic or Proto-Indo-European language and refers to "items necessary for life". | |||
| Lithuanian | bakalėja | ||
| The term "bakalėja" originally referred to a store specializing in dried goods and spices. | |||
| Macedonian | намирници | ||
| The Macedonian word "Намирници" also refers to a person who procures provisions, especially for an army or other large group. | |||
| Polish | sklep spożywczy | ||
| "Sklep" comes from "sklepić" meaning "to vault" and "spożywczy" from "spożyć" meaning "to consume," hence its literal meaning is "vaulted place of consumption." | |||
| Romanian | băcănie | ||
| "Băcănie" is derived from the Turkish word "bakkal" and also refers to a spice shop or a small tavern where alcoholic beverages are sold. | |||
| Russian | бакалея | ||
| Бакáлея ultimately derives from the Turkic word bahhal "retail merchant, grocer", which is itself traced back to Arabic baqqāl "retail merchant, grocer". | |||
| Serbian | намирнице | ||
| The Serbian word "намирнице" derives from the verb "намирити" (to satisfy) and can also refer to food supplies for a specific purpose, such as "војне намирнице" (army rations). | |||
| Slovak | potraviny | ||
| The word "potraviny" in Slovak derives from the verb "potrabovať", meaning "to need". | |||
| Slovenian | trgovina z živili | ||
| "Trgovina" and "živili" mean "trade" and "foods" respectively, thus "trgovina z živili" directly translates to "trade of foods". | |||
| Ukrainian | бакалія | ||
| 'бакалія' (grocery) comes from the Greek 'bakaleia', meaning 'shop where legumes are sold', and is related to the word 'бакалар' (bachelor), who was responsible for procuring food for the household. | |||
Grocery in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | মুদিখানা | ||
| The word "মুদিখানা" in Bengali is derived from the Persian word "mudukh" (meaning "food basket") and "khaneh" (meaning "house"). | |||
| Gujarati | કરિયાણા | ||
| The word 'કરિયાણા' may also refer to the store or establishment where groceries are sold. | |||
| Hindi | किराना | ||
| The word 'किराना' is derived from the Persian word 'qirani', which means 'various', due to the variety of goods traditionally sold in a grocery store. | |||
| Kannada | ದಿನಸಿ | ||
| ದಿನಸಿ (grocery) is derived from the Tamil word 'dhinam' meaning 'daily' and 'asu' meaning 'food'. | |||
| Malayalam | പലചരക്ക് | ||
| പലചരക്ക് (palacharakku) comes from the combination of Sanskrit words "pala" (measure) and "charaka" (movable), likely referring to the varying quantities of goods sold in such stores. | |||
| Marathi | किराणा | ||
| The word 'किराणा' in Marathi derives from the Persian word 'kirana,' meaning 'dry fruits or spices'. | |||
| Nepali | किराना | ||
| The word "किराना" has alternate meanings such as "provisions" or "wares" and is cognate with the Hindi word "किरान" meaning "a storehouse". | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਰਿਆਨੇ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਕਰਿਆਨੇ" derives from the Persian word "karvān" (caravan), suggesting the historical association between groceries and trade routes. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සිල්ලර බඩු | ||
| Tamil | மளிகை | ||
| 'மளிகை' means 'provisions', but it can also refer to 'the world of the senses' or 'the realm of Maya'. | |||
| Telugu | కిరాణా | ||
| The word "కిరాణా" in Telugu originates from the Persian word "qirana", which means "miscellaneous articles". | |||
| Urdu | گروسری | ||
| The word "گروسری" likely derives from the Old French word "grossier" meaning "wholesale merchant" or "retailer of bulk goods". | |||
Grocery in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 杂货店 | ||
| The phrase 杂货 was previously used as a collective name for various types of merchandise or supplies, and the phrase 杂货店 (grocery) was derived from it. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 雜貨店 | ||
| 雜貨店 was originally a term for a general store in Taiwan. It is the origin of the English word "grocery". | |||
| Japanese | 食料品 | ||
| 食料品 (shokuryōhin) derives from the Chinese word 食糧 (shíliàng), meaning "food supplies". In modern usage, it is specifically used to refer to food and other household goods that are typically sold in grocery stores. | |||
| Korean | 잡화 | ||
| "잡화" can also mean "sundries" or "miscellaneous goods". | |||
| Mongolian | хүнсний бүтээгдэхүүн | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကုန်စုံ | ||
Grocery in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | toko grosir | ||
| Toko grosir is a combination of the words "toko" (shop) and "grosir" (wholesale), denoting a type of business that sells goods in bulk quantities. | |||
| Javanese | grosir | ||
| The Javanese word "grosir" is derived from the Dutch word "groceries", meaning "wholesale". | |||
| Khmer | គ្រឿងទេស | ||
| គ្រឿងទេស is often used to refer to items imported from foreign countries, due to its original meaning of "foreign item" | |||
| Lao | ຂາຍເຄື່ອງແຫ້ງ | ||
| No information available. | |||
| Malay | barang runcit | ||
| 'Barang runcit' is literally 'small things'. Hence it also means 'sundries' or 'trifles' and in Indonesian also 'tools'. | |||
| Thai | ร้านขายของชำ | ||
| The word "ร้านขายของชำ" can also mean a "convenience store" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | cửa hàng tạp hóa | ||
| "Cửa hàng tạp hóa" in Vietnamese literally means "door shop assorted". It can refer to a general store selling a variety of household goods, or specifically to a grocery store selling food and household items. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | grocery | ||
Grocery in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | baqqal | ||
| The word "baqqal" originally meant "seller of dried fruits" in Arabic, and later came to mean "store that sells dried fruits and other food items" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | азық-түлік | ||
| The word "азық-түлік" is derived from the words "азық" (food) and "түлік" (supply), and originally meant "provisions for a journey or expedition." | |||
| Kyrgyz | азык-түлүк | ||
| The word "азык-түлүк" can also mean "food" or "supplies" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | хӯрокворӣ | ||
| The word "хӯрокворӣ" is derived from the Persian word "خوروکخوری" meaning "eating". In some contexts, it can also refer to a "place where food is served" or a "catering service". | |||
| Turkmen | azyk önümleri | ||
| Uzbek | oziq-ovqat | ||
| The Uzbek word "oziq-ovqat" derives from the Persian "ghazagh", meaning "food". | |||
| Uyghur | مىلىچمال | ||
Grocery in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hale kūʻai | ||
| "Hale kūʻai" literally means "house for buying" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | wharekai | ||
| It is not a shortened form of 'wharekai', meaning 'food warehouse', as many people think; rather, it is a shortened form of 'wharekaiako', meaning 'teaching house' or 'schoolhouse'. | |||
| Samoan | faleoloa | ||
| The Samoan word "faleoloa" has the literal meaning of "long house" and could refer to various types of large buildings in the past. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | grocery | ||
| "Grocery" is a word borrowed from Spanish "grocería", which means "delicacies", and from Old French "grocier", which means "wholesaler". | |||
Grocery in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | kumistiwl aljañ uta | ||
| Guarani | ñemuha | ||
Grocery in International Languages
| Esperanto | nutraĵvendejo | ||
| The word "nutraĵvendejo" is derived from the root "nutraĵ" (food) and the suffix "-ejo" (place), and can also refer to a delicatessen or a food store. | |||
| Latin | grocery | ||
| The Latin word "grossus" referred to a coin used to make purchases of larger quantities of goods. | |||
Grocery in Others Languages
| Greek | παντοπωλείο | ||
| The word 'παντοπωλείο' derives from the Ancient Greek words 'πᾶς' (all) and 'πωλέω' (sell), reflecting its function as a shop that sells a wide variety of goods. | |||
| Hmong | taj laj | ||
| The word "taj laj" is cognate with "tag" and "lai" in Chinese, meaning "rice" and "vegetable" respectively. | |||
| Kurdish | firoşgeh | ||
| "Firoşgeh" means both "grocery" and "shop" in Kurdish, possibly derived from the Farsi word "firushgah" (shop, market). | |||
| Turkish | bakkal | ||
| The word 'Bakkal' comes from the Arabic word 'baqqāl', which originally meant 'dry fruit seller', and in some countries still refers to a specialty shop selling such items. | |||
| Xhosa | ukutya | ||
| Ukutya is also used to refer to food that is bought from a store or market, rather than being grown or produced at home. | |||
| Yiddish | גראסערי | ||
| The Yiddish term "גראַסערי" derives from the Russian "кpошеpи" and ultimately the French word "grocier". | |||
| Zulu | ukudla | ||
| 'Ukudla' is also used to refer to food specifically, with a focus on sustenance rather than taste or enjoyment. | |||
| Assamese | গেলামালৰ দোকান | ||
| Aymara | kumistiwl aljañ uta | ||
| Bhojpuri | किराना | ||
| Dhivehi | ގްރޯޝެރީ | ||
| Dogri | करेआना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | grocery | ||
| Guarani | ñemuha | ||
| Ilocano | sakada | ||
| Krio | makit | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سەوزەفرۆش | ||
| Maithili | गोलदारी दोकान | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯦꯡ ꯍꯋꯥꯏ | ||
| Mizo | inchhung mamawh | ||
| Oromo | dukkaana nyaataa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସଉଦା | ||
| Quechua | mikuy qatu | ||
| Sanskrit | भक्ष्यापणः | ||
| Tatar | азык-төлек | ||
| Tigrinya | ግሮሰሪ | ||
| Tsonga | girozara | ||