Honey in Different Languages
Discover 'Honey' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Honey
Afrikaans skat | ||
Albanian zemer | ||
Amharic ማር | ||
Arabic عسل | ||
Armenian մեղր | ||
Assamese মৌ | ||
Aymara misk'i | ||
Azerbaijani bal | ||
Bambara di | ||
Basque eztia | ||
Belarusian мёд | ||
Bengali মধু | ||
Bhojpuri मध | ||
Bosnian dušo | ||
Bulgarian пчелен мед | ||
Catalan amor | ||
Cebuano dugos | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 蜜糖 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 蜜糖 | ||
Corsican caru | ||
Croatian med | ||
Czech miláček | ||
Danish honning | ||
Dhivehi މާމުއި | ||
Dogri शैहद | ||
Dutch honing | ||
English honey | ||
Esperanto karulo | ||
Estonian kallis | ||
Ewe anyitsi | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) honey | ||
Finnish hunaja | ||
French mon chéri | ||
Frisian huning | ||
Galician cariño | ||
Georgian ძვირფასო | ||
German honig | ||
Greek μέλι | ||
Guarani kunu'ũ | ||
Gujarati મધ | ||
Haitian Creole cheri | ||
Hausa zuma | ||
Hawaiian meli | ||
Hebrew דבש | ||
Hindi शहद | ||
Hmong zib ntab | ||
Hungarian édesem | ||
Icelandic hunang | ||
Igbo mmanụ a honeyụ | ||
Ilocano dungngo | ||
Indonesian madu | ||
Irish mil | ||
Italian miele | ||
Japanese はちみつ | ||
Javanese mas | ||
Kannada ಜೇನು | ||
Kazakh бал | ||
Khmer ទឹកឃ្មុំ | ||
Kinyarwanda ubuki | ||
Konkani म्होंव | ||
Korean 꿀 | ||
Krio ɔni | ||
Kurdish hûngiv | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) گیانە | ||
Kyrgyz бал | ||
Lao ນໍ້າເຜິ້ງ | ||
Latin mel | ||
Latvian mīļā | ||
Lingala sheri | ||
Lithuanian medus | ||
Luganda omubisi | ||
Luxembourgish hunneg | ||
Macedonian душо | ||
Maithili मौध | ||
Malagasy honey | ||
Malay sayang | ||
Malayalam തേന് | ||
Maltese għasel | ||
Maori honi | ||
Marathi मध | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯈꯣꯏꯍꯤ | ||
Mizo khawizu | ||
Mongolian зөгийн бал | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ပျားရည် | ||
Nepali मह | ||
Norwegian honning | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) wokondedwa | ||
Odia (Oriya) ମହୁ | ||
Oromo damma | ||
Pashto شات | ||
Persian عسل | ||
Polish kochanie | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) querida | ||
Punjabi ਪਿਆਰਾ | ||
Quechua lachiwa | ||
Romanian miere | ||
Russian мед | ||
Samoan meli | ||
Sanskrit मधु | ||
Scots Gaelic mil | ||
Sepedi rato | ||
Serbian мед | ||
Sesotho mahe a linotsi | ||
Shona uchi | ||
Sindhi ماکي | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) මී පැණි | ||
Slovak med | ||
Slovenian draga | ||
Somali malab | ||
Spanish miel | ||
Sundanese madu | ||
Swahili asali | ||
Swedish honung | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) honey | ||
Tajik асал | ||
Tamil தேன் | ||
Tatar бал | ||
Telugu తేనె | ||
Thai น้ำผึ้ง | ||
Tigrinya መዓር | ||
Tsonga murhandziwa | ||
Turkish bal | ||
Turkmen bal | ||
Twi (Akan) ɛwoɔ | ||
Ukrainian меду | ||
Urdu شہد | ||
Uyghur ھەسەل | ||
Uzbek asal | ||
Vietnamese mật ong | ||
Welsh mêl | ||
Xhosa busi | ||
Yiddish האָניק | ||
Yoruba oyin | ||
Zulu uju |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | "Skat" can also refer to "honey bun" or "sweetie" in a romantic or endearing context. |
| Albanian | The Albanian word "zemer" is thought to derive either from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰérmos (meaning "warm") or from the Slavic word "zemlja" (meaning "earth"). |
| Amharic | The word "ማር" (lit. "honey") in Amharic is etymologically related to the Hebrew word "דבש" (lit. "honey"). |
| Arabic | The Arabic word “عسل” (honey) also means “sweetness” and can be used to describe something that is pleasurable or desirable. |
| Armenian | The Armenian word “մեղր” derives from the Indo-European root *médʰu, “sweet drink”, which is also the origin of the English “mead”. |
| Azerbaijani | The word "bal" in Azerbaijani also refers to a traditional Azerbaijani dish made from honey and flour. |
| Basque | The word "eztia" in Basque is cognate with the Latin word "mel," both of which come from the Proto-Indo-European root *medhu-. |
| Belarusian | The word “мёд” originates from the Proto-Slavic word *medъ or *medvъ meaning “mead”, but it now primarily refers to honey and preserves mead’s meaning only dialectally. |
| Bengali | The Bengali word "মধু" (honey) originally referred to the honey of the forest, and later came to mean any sweet liquid. |
| Bosnian | "Dušo" can be used as a term of endearment like "love," "darling," "sweetheart," or "my dear" and it is not gender specific, as it can be used for either a male or female recipient. |
| Bulgarian | The word "пчелен мед" (honey) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *medъ, which is cognate with the English word "mead". |
| Catalan | The word "amor" in Catalan has the same Latin etymology as "love" and can also refer to affection or a romantic relationship. |
| Cebuano | Dugós also refers to a type of sugar candy produced from sugarcane extracts that is popular on the Visayan islands. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The character "蜜" in "蜜糖" also means "sweet" or "pleasant", which extends the meaning of "honey" to other sweet or pleasant things. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 蜜糖 can also be used figuratively to describe something sweet, pleasant, or desirable. |
| Corsican | The Corsican word for honey, "caru," is derived from Proto-Romance "*caru" and can also mean "sweet" or "delicious". |
| Croatian | The word "med" in Croatian also means "medicine" or "cure", reflecting its historical use as a healing substance. |
| Czech | In Czech, the word "Miláček" can also be used as a term of endearment, similar to the English word "darling". |
| Danish | Honning, like its English cognate, originally referred to bees but now exclusively denotes the product of their labour and no longer the insects themselves. |
| Dutch | In Dutch, "honing" also refers to sharpening on a whetstone, deriving from the Old Dutch word "hona," meaning "to whet". |
| Esperanto | The word "karulo" is possibly derived from the Arabic word "karūj"} |
| Estonian | The word "kallis" has other meanings such as "dear, precious, expensive." |
| Finnish | The word "hunaja" is also used in Finnish to refer to a person who is sweet or pleasant. |
| French | Mon chéri |
| Frisian | Frisian "huning" is cognate with German "Honig" and English "honey", but is also used to refer to mead. |
| Galician | In the Galician language, "cariño" can also be used to refer to a loved one, similarly to the English term "darling". |
| Georgian | The word "ძვირფასო" can also be used figuratively to refer to something that is greatly loved or cherished. |
| German | "Honig" is also an archaic term for "young bear" in German. |
| Greek | The word "μέλι" shares its root with "μέλλω", to intend, and is linked to the Latin "mel" and the Sanskrit "madhu". |
| Gujarati | The Gujarati word "મધ" (madh) is cognate with Sanskrit "madhu" and has alternate meanings of "sweetness" or "intoxicating drink". |
| Haitian Creole | In Haitian Creole, 'cheri' also means 'darling' or 'sweetheart' and comes from the French word 'chéri,' meaning 'dear'. |
| Hausa | 'Zuma' derives from the Proto-Afro-Asiatic word for "sweet", indicating that sweetness played a fundamental role in the concept of honey. |
| Hawaiian | "Meli" is also a short form of "melemele," or "yellow," and the name of a small yellow-flowered plant used in making lei |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word "דבש" (honey) also means "speech" or "doctrine". |
| Hindi | The word "शहद" is derived from the Sanskrit word "क्षौद्र," meaning "bee's food" or "food of the sky." |
| Hungarian | "Édesem" is a Hungarian word for "honey", but it can also be used as a term of endearment in the sense of "my love". |
| Icelandic | In Icelandic, 'hunang' may refer to honey, or honey bees, as both are referred to with the same word. |
| Igbo | The word "mmanụ a honeyụ" in Igbo can also be used to refer to sweetness or pleasantness in a figurative sense. |
| Indonesian | "Madu" is said to come from the Proto-Austronesian root "*maḍu" which also means "intoxicating drink". In some Austronesian languages, "madu" refers to alcoholic drinks, such as the Javanese "tuak madu" which is a palm wine. |
| Irish | The Irish word "mil" is cognate with the Latin "mel" and the Greek "meli," all meaning "honey."} |
| Italian | The alternate meaning of "miele" in Italian is the "spleen." |
| Japanese | The word "はちみつ" originally referred to wild honey, while cultivated honey was called "みつ". |
| Javanese | "Mas" in Javanese can also mean "older brother" or "mister." |
| Kannada | The word 'ಜೇನು' ('honey') in Kannada is also used to refer to 'beehives' or the 'honeycomb' inside them. |
| Kazakh | The word "бал" can also mean "ball" or "point" in Kazakh. |
| Khmer | ទឹកឃ្មុំ (honey) shares etymological roots with its Indonesian cognate madu (honey), suggesting a common origin that may have spread via ancient maritime trade routes. |
| Korean | "꿀" (honey) also means "something very good" or "very well-liked." |
| Kurdish | Kurdish “hûngiv” is of Indo-European root, cf. Armenian “hngem” and Persian “angabîn”; it also means “fruit” in other dialects |
| Kyrgyz | In Kyrgyz, "бал" (honey) is cognate with "бал" (honey) in several other Turkic languages, originating from Proto-Turkic *bal. |
| Latin | Mel also means "song" and derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*mel-," meaning "to sing, to make a sound." |
| Latvian | The word "mīļā" can also be used as a term of endearment for a loved one. |
| Lithuanian | In Lithuanian, the word "medus" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*medhu" and is cognate with the English words "mead" and "metheglin", which both refer to alcoholic beverages made with honey. |
| Luxembourgish | The etymology of the Luxembourgish word "Hunneg" is related to its Germanic origins, sharing a common root with the Old High German "honag". |
| Macedonian | The word "душо" can also mean "soul" or "dear" in Macedonian. |
| Malagasy | In Malagasy, the word "tantely" is the word for "honey", but it is also the name given to a small, stinging bee. |
| Malay | The Malay word "sayang" can also mean "love", "affection", or "pity". |
| Malayalam | The word "തേന്" in Malayalam can also mean a kind of sweet liquid secreted by certain plants. |
| Maltese | The word "għasel" is of Arabic origin and can also mean "sugar" or "sweetness" in Maltese. |
| Maori | The word 'honi' has alternate meanings of 'to kiss' and 'dear one'. |
| Marathi | The word "मध" can also refer to sweetness or nectar. |
| Mongolian | The Mongolian word "зөгийн бал" translates literally to "insect honey" and can also mean "pollen" or "bee spit". |
| Nepali | "मह" also refers to the sweet drink toddy brewed from the sap of certain palm trees. |
| Norwegian | The Norwegian word "honning" likely derives from the Proto-Germanic word "hunang" and is cognate with the English "honey" and German "Honig". |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | In the 1601 dictionary 'A Vocabulary of the Language of Mozambique' 'vocondedva' was recorded with the meaning of 'the juice or sweetness of plants'. |
| Pashto | "Chat" also refers to a type of berry that is the fruit of the Ziziphus jujuba tree. |
| Persian | The word 'عسل' or 'asal' in Persian also means 'essence' or 'core', suggesting the honey's vital essence. |
| Polish | "Kochanie" is also a term of endearment in Polish, meaning "my love" or "darling." |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | "Querida" is a term of endearment in Portuguese, but its use differs between Portugal and Brazil. |
| Punjabi | The Punjabi word 'ਪਿਆਰਾ' is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit word 'प्रिय' ('priya'), meaning 'dear', 'beloved', or 'precious' |
| Romanian | In Romanian, the word "miere" also refers to the sticky substance that is secreted by certain plants. |
| Russian | Derived from the same source as English 'mead', 'мед' also refers to alcoholic drinks fermented from honey. |
| Samoan | In ancient Samoa, "meli" also referred to the concept of "sweetness" or "pleasantness" beyond just the taste of honey. |
| Scots Gaelic | The Scots Gaelic word "mil" can also refer to "sweetness", "tenderness", or "a gentle thing". |
| Serbian | In Serbian, "мед" (honey) can also refer to something sweet or pleasant, such as a person or experience. |
| Sesotho | The word 'mahe a linotsi' can also refer to sweet things, both literally and figuratively. |
| Shona | The word "uchi" in Shona also means "sweetness" or "delight." |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "ماکي" (honey) is cognate with the Sanskrit word "मधु" (madhu), meaning "sweetness" or "honey". |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The Sinhalese word for honey, “මී පැණි,” originates from the Proto-Austronesian word “madu,” which also means honey. |
| Slovak | The Slovak word "med" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "medъ", which originally meant "mead" or "honey wine." |
| Slovenian | The Slovenian word 'draga' ('honey') is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'dorgъ', meaning 'dear'. |
| Somali | The word 'malab' is also used to refer to the Milky Way galaxy in Somali. |
| Spanish | In Spanish, "miel" also refers to a sweet, viscous substance produced by certain insects, such as aphids, called honeydew. |
| Sundanese | The word "madu" in Sundanese also refers to syrup made from coconuts or palm fruits. |
| Swahili | The Swahili word "asali" is derived from the Arabic word "asal," which also means "honey." |
| Swedish | Honung, the Swedish word for honey, comes from the Old Norse word "hunang," meaning "a sweet food made from flowers by bees." |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | In Tagalog, "honey" can also refer to "sweetheart" or "darling" |
| Tajik | The Tajik word "асал" not only refers to honey but also to "love" or "sweetness". |
| Tamil | "தேன்" refers to a specific type of honey collected from wild bees and has the additional meaning of "a sweet voice" in Tamil. |
| Telugu | The word "తేనె" has Proto-Dravidian roots and is cognate with the Tamil word "தே" (pronounced as "then". |
| Thai | The word "น้ำผึ้ง" (honey) in Thai shares the same root word with "น้ำ" (water) and "ผึ้ง" (bee). |
| Turkish | In Turkish, "bal" also refers to an adhesive, resinous fluid secreted by some plants, similar to the English "sap". |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word for "honey" comes from Proto-Slavic "medъ", sharing a common origin with Latin "mel" and Old English "medu". |
| Urdu | Cognate of Sanskrit **madhu**, Avestan **maδu**, Persian **مه** and Armenian **մեղր**, from Proto-Indo-European **médʰu** or **médʰwi** |
| Uzbek | The word "asal" in Uzbek may also refer to a beehive, a bee colony, or a sweet substance produced by insects other than honeybees. |
| Vietnamese | Mật ong derives from the Sino-Vietnamese 蜜 (mật) "honey" and 蜂 (ong) "bee". The word is shared with many other Tai-Kadai languages, such as the Lao word ນໍ້າເຜິ້ງ (nâm phêng). |
| Welsh | The word 'mêl' is cognate with the Irish 'mil' and Latin 'mel', and is related to the Sanskrit 'madhu' and Greek 'meli' meaning 'sweet'. |
| Xhosa | In Xhosa, the word "busi" originally referred to wild honey found in honeycombs and can also mean "sweetness" in a metaphorical sense. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "האָניק" is derived from the Old High German "honag" and is related to the English word "honey". |
| Yoruba | The word "oyin" also refers to a type of sweet drink made from fermented cornmeal. |
| Zulu | In the Zulu language, "uju" also refers to a person who is sweet-natured. |
| English | The word 'honey' is derived from the Middle English word 'honi' and the Old English word 'hunig,' both of which refer to the sweet, viscous substance produced by bees. |