Lemon in Different Languages
Discover 'Lemon' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Lemons, with their bright yellow skin and tangy juice, are a beloved citrus fruit around the world. Signifying rejuvenation and purity, lemons have cultural significance in various societies, including appearing in art, literature, and cuisine. You might be interested in knowing the translation of 'lemon' in different languages for various reasons - perhaps you're a traveler wanting to order a refreshing lemon drink, a language learner expanding your vocabulary, or a culinary enthusiast exploring global recipes.
Did you know that lemons were first cultivated in Asia, specifically in northeastern India? Or that the word 'lemon' comes from the Old French 'limon,' which may have originated from the Arabic 'laimun' or Persian 'limun?' This fascinating etymology showcases the fruit's historical journey across continents.
Below, you'll find a list of translations for 'lemon' in various languages, from Spanish and Mandarin to Swahili and Hawaiian. Expand your linguistic and cultural horizons with this zesty citrus fruit!
Lemon
Lemon in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | suurlemoen | ||
| Derived from Dutch "suur" (sour) and "citroen" or "limoen" (lemon), via Middle Dutch "sûrlemūn". | |||
| Amharic | ሎሚ | ||
| The Amharic word "ሎሚ" has been suggested to be borrowed from Arabic and Turkish words for "citron" or "lime". | |||
| Hausa | lemun tsami | ||
| The word "lemun tsami" is a compound word in Hausa, derived from the words "lemun" (a type of grapefruit) and "tsami" (sour). | |||
| Igbo | oroma nkịrịsị | ||
| The Igbo word 'oroma nkịrịsị' also means 'a person who is very beautiful and attractive'. | |||
| Malagasy | voasary makirana | ||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mandimu | ||
| The Nyanja word “mandimu” has other meanings including “a fruit tree” and “the fruit of the mandimu tree.” | |||
| Shona | ndimu | ||
| The Shona word 'ndimu' is thought to be derived from Portuguese 'limão', which in turn comes from Persian 'līmūn' and ultimately from Sanskrit 'nimbū'. | |||
| Somali | liin dhanaan | ||
| The word “liin dhanaan” is most likely derived from the Arabic word “laymūn,” which ultimately derives from the Persian word “līmu”. | |||
| Sesotho | sirilamunu | ||
| "Sirilamunu" is derived from the Proto-Bantu word "*ciləmɔŋu" meaning "sour fruit". | |||
| Swahili | limau | ||
| In Swahili, "limau" can also refer to a type of sour fruit similar to a lime. | |||
| Xhosa | ilamuni | ||
| While "ilamuni" means "lemon" in Xhosa, it also refers to a sour expression on a person's face. | |||
| Yoruba | lẹmọnu | ||
| The word "lẹmọnu" is a combination of the Yoruba words "lẹ" (to taste) and "ọmọnu" (child), and can also refer to other sour things like lime or tamarind. | |||
| Zulu | ilamuna | ||
| The word "ilamuna" likely originates from the Arabic word "laymūn", meaning "lemon". | |||
| Bambara | limoni | ||
| Ewe | lime | ||
| Kinyarwanda | indimu | ||
| Lingala | citron | ||
| Luganda | enniimu | ||
| Sepedi | lemone | ||
| Twi (Akan) | lemon | ||
Lemon in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ليمون | ||
| The word "ليمون" (lemon) in Arabic also refers to a yellow or light green citrus fruit with a sour taste. | |||
| Hebrew | לימון | ||
| The word "לימון" is derived from the Persian word "limu", which also means "lime". | |||
| Pashto | ليمو | ||
| In Pashto, "ليمو" can also refer to a citrus fruit similar to but distinct from a lemon, known as a "lime". | |||
| Arabic | ليمون | ||
| The word "ليمون" (lemon) in Arabic also refers to a yellow or light green citrus fruit with a sour taste. | |||
Lemon in Western European Languages
| Albanian | limon | ||
| In Albanian, "limon" can also refer to a type of citrus fruit similar to a grapefruit. | |||
| Basque | limoia | ||
| "Limoia" is derived from Persian "limu" and Arabic "laymun", both meaning "lemon". | |||
| Catalan | llimona | ||
| The word “llimona” is a cognate of the Spanish “limón” and comes from the Arabic “lima”, which is also the root of the word “lime” | |||
| Croatian | limun | ||
| The word "limun" in Croatian is of Arabic origin, meaning "citron" or "sweet lemon". | |||
| Danish | citron | ||
| In Danish, "citron" originally meant "citrus fruit" and later specifically "lemon". | |||
| Dutch | citroen | ||
| In Dutch, "citroen" also means "citric acid" and "citrus fruit". | |||
| English | lemon | ||
| The word "lemon" can also refer to a person or thing that is worthless or undesirable. | |||
| French | citron | ||
| In Old French, the word "citron" originally meant a green-fleshed pumpkin or melon. | |||
| Frisian | sitroen | ||
| "Sietroen", meaning "lemon" in West Frisian, shares its root "citr-" with "citrus" in English, reflecting its shared origin in the Greek "kedros" (citrus plant). | |||
| Galician | limón | ||
| In Galician, the word 'limón' can also refer to the citrus fruit known as 'lime' in English. | |||
| German | zitrone | ||
| The word 'Zitrone' is derived from the Arabic word 'zaytūn', which originally referred to olives, but was later extended to lemons. | |||
| Icelandic | sítrónu | ||
| The word "sítrónu" in Icelandic means "lemon," but is also related to the words for "citron" and "citrus," and is ultimately derived from the Persian word "limun." | |||
| Irish | líomóid | ||
| Italian | limone | ||
| The Italian word for "lemon" originally referred to "citrus fruit" in general but gradually shifted to mean specifically the yellow fruit known as a lemon in English. | |||
| Luxembourgish | zitroun | ||
| Zitroun is derived from the French word "citron" and is also used to refer to oranges in Luxembourgish. | |||
| Maltese | lumi | ||
| The word "lumi" may have originated from the word "lum" meaning "sour" or "bitterness". | |||
| Norwegian | sitron | ||
| "Sitron" is also the Norwegian word for "citron," a type of citrus fruit similar to the lemon, but larger and less sour. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | limão | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "limão" can also refer to a large, sour lime, known as a Key lime in English. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | lemon | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, the word "lemon" also means "sweetheart" or "darling." | |||
| Spanish | limón | ||
| Spanish "limón" originates from Persian "lîmûn", meaning "citrus fruits" in general and not solely lemons. | |||
| Swedish | citron- | ||
| In Swedish, "citron" can also refer to a "zest," the outermost part of a citrus peel. | |||
| Welsh | lemwn | ||
| In Welsh, the word "lemwn" not only means "lemon," but also can refer to "lime" or "citron." | |||
Lemon in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | цытрына | ||
| "Цытрына" is derived from the Greek word "kitron", which referred to a citron, a type of citrus fruit. | |||
| Bosnian | limun | ||
| The Bosnian word "limun" comes from the Arabic word "laymūn", which in turn comes from the Persian word "līmū". | |||
| Bulgarian | лимон | ||
| "Лимоните" в българска народна песен са не цитрусите, а момиче със жълта рокля, откъдето и поговорката, че "мома си е мома и пременена в лимон". | |||
| Czech | citrón | ||
| "Citrón" is also the name for the citron, a citrus fruit similar to a lemon but larger and without any juice. | |||
| Estonian | sidrun | ||
| The word "sidrun" is derived from the Arabic "zaytūn" through the French "cedre" and the German "Zitrone". The Estonian word "sidrun" can also refer to the citron, a similar citrus fruit with a thick, bumpy rind. | |||
| Finnish | sitruuna | ||
| The Finnish word "sitruuna" comes from the German "Zitrone", which in turn derives from the Arabic "al-utrunj". The word "utrunj" originally referred to the citron, a large, citrus fruit similar to a lemon. | |||
| Hungarian | citrom | ||
| In Hungarian, "citrom" derives from the Latin word "citrus" meaning "citron tree". It also means "sour". | |||
| Latvian | citrona | ||
| The word "citrona" likely originates from the Old Prussian word "*citra" meaning "sour," but could also derive from the Greek word "kitrion" meaning "tree with sour fruit." | |||
| Lithuanian | citrina | ||
| The word "citrina" for "lemon" in Lithuanian is derived from the name of the city of Citrum in Italy, where lemons were once cultivated. | |||
| Macedonian | лимон | ||
| In Macedonian, "лимон" not only means "lemon", but also "a million". | |||
| Polish | cytrynowy | ||
| "Cytrynowy" in Polish also means "citric". | |||
| Romanian | lămâie | ||
| The word 'lămâie' comes from the Persian word 'lîmûn', which also means 'lime' | |||
| Russian | лимон | ||
| "Лимонада" по-испански - это "лимонный напиток". В русском языке "лимонадом" стали называть газированную воду со вкусом лимона. | |||
| Serbian | лимун | ||
| The Serbian word "лимун" (lemon) is derived from the Persian word "limun", which is in turn derived from the Arabic word "laymūn". | |||
| Slovak | citrón | ||
| In Slovak, "citrón" also denotes the color yellow as well as "citrus" in general, not just the lemon fruit. | |||
| Slovenian | limona | ||
| The Slovenian word "limona" also refers to the fruit of the lime tree (Citrus × aurantiifolia). | |||
| Ukrainian | лимон | ||
| The word "лимон" (lemon) in Ukrainian also refers to a million hryvnias, the currency of Ukraine. | |||
Lemon in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | লেবু | ||
| In Sanskrit, the word "Nimbu" derives from the Dravidian word "Nin-bu" meaning "king of lemons". | |||
| Gujarati | લીંબુ | ||
| The Gujarati word "લીંબુ" not only refers to the lemon fruit, but also to the color yellow and to a sour or acidic taste. | |||
| Hindi | नींबू | ||
| The word 'नींबू' is also used to refer to a person with a sour disposition. | |||
| Kannada | ನಿಂಬೆ | ||
| The term "ನಿಂಬೆ" comes from the Persian word "limbu", meaning "citrus fruit". | |||
| Malayalam | ചെറുനാരങ്ങ | ||
| Marathi | लिंबू | ||
| The word "लिंबू" is a Marathi equivalent of "lemon". In Sanskrit, it also means "a kind of sour fruit". | |||
| Nepali | कागती | ||
| The Nepali word "कागती" (lemon) derives from the Sanskrit word "कार्कटी" (karkoṭī), also meaning lemon. | |||
| Punjabi | ਨਿੰਬੂ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දෙහි | ||
| The word "දෙහි" can also refer to the citrus fruit called "lime". | |||
| Tamil | எலுமிச்சை | ||
| Telugu | నిమ్మకాయ | ||
| The word "నిమ్మకాయ" originally meant "what is like lime" and was used to refer to both lemons and limes. | |||
| Urdu | لیموں | ||
| "ليموں" also means "an unpleasant or disappointing thing" in Urdu. | |||
Lemon in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 柠檬 | ||
| "柠檬"在古代中医被称为“益母草”，又名“酸石脂”，是一种酸性水果，富含维生素C。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 檸檬 | ||
| The Chinese word for "lemon," 檸檬, is derived from the Sanskrit word "nimbu," meaning "lime". | |||
| Japanese | レモン | ||
| 雷門 (らいもん) refers to the famous gate of Senso-ji in Asakusa, Tokyo. | |||
| Korean | 레몬 | ||
| 레몬 (Lemon) is a word borrowed from English that refers to a citrus fruit, as well as to a pale yellow color. | |||
| Mongolian | лимон | ||
| The word | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သံပယိုသီး | ||
Lemon in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | lemon | ||
| In Indonesian, "lemon" also refers to a type of traditional cake or pastry. | |||
| Javanese | jeruk nipis | ||
| In Javanese, "jeruk nipis" can also refer to the bergamot lime or the kaffir lime. | |||
| Khmer | ក្រូចឆ្មា | ||
| "ក្រូចឆ្មា" is the Khmer term for "lemon". It is also used to refer to a type of Cambodian soup made with tamarind and lemongrass. | |||
| Lao | ໝາກ ນາວ | ||
| "ໝາກ ນາວ" is a Lao word that does not literally mean "lemon", but rather is a type of tropical fruit related to the grapefruit. | |||
| Malay | limau | ||
| The word "limau" in Malay is derived from the Tamil word "elimi", which also means "lemon". | |||
| Thai | มะนาว | ||
| "มะนาว" (lemon) derives from the Mon language, where it means "sour-tasting fruit". | |||
| Vietnamese | chanh | ||
| Chanh is also a Vietnamese word for | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | limon | ||
Lemon in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | limon | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "limon" is also a slang term for "beautiful woman" related to the phrase "limon kimi sarı" (yellow like a lemon). | |||
| Kazakh | лимон | ||
| In Kazakh, "лимон" can also refer to "billion" (10^9), derived from the Russian "миллиард". | |||
| Kyrgyz | лимон | ||
| In Kyrgyz, “лимон” can also refer to a type of citrus fruit similar to the lemon, known as a limequat. | |||
| Tajik | лимӯ | ||
| In Tajik, "лимӯ" (limon) can also refer to citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruits, not just specifically lemons. | |||
| Turkmen | limon | ||
| Uzbek | limon | ||
| The word «limon» in Uzbek can occasionally also mean «lime». | |||
| Uyghur | لىمون | ||
Lemon in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lemona | ||
| In Hawaiian, "lemona" is also the name of a fruit similar to the guava. | |||
| Maori | rēmana | ||
| In Maori mythology, the rēmana or lemon is said to have been brought to New Zealand by the ancestor Māui | |||
| Samoan | tipolo | ||
| In Samoan, "tipolo" has roots in the Proto-Polynesian word "tipolo" and can also refer to other citrus fruits like "lime" or "grapefruit" | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | limon | ||
| In Tagalog, the word "limon" specifically refers to the 'sweet lime', a small citrus fruit distinct from the sour 'lemon' found in English. | |||
Lemon in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | limón satawa | ||
| Guarani | limón rehegua | ||
Lemon in International Languages
| Esperanto | citrono | ||
| Citrono is derived from the Latin word "citrus", meaning "a kind of tree" or "a citrus fruit". | |||
| Latin | citrea | ||
| "Citrea" (lemon) comes from the Latin word "citrus," which also means "tree of the gods." | |||
Lemon in Others Languages
| Greek | λεμόνι | ||
| The word "λεμόνι" is derived from the Persian word "limu", meaning "citrus fruit". | |||
| Hmong | txiv qaub | ||
| This word could also mean lime. | |||
| Kurdish | leymûn | ||
| The word "leymûn" in Kurdish, like its English counterpart "lemon," has an alternate meaning of "worthless" or "useless." | |||
| Turkish | limon | ||
| In Turkish, “limon” means “lemon,” but it also means “lime" and can be used to refer to both fruits. | |||
| Xhosa | ilamuni | ||
| While "ilamuni" means "lemon" in Xhosa, it also refers to a sour expression on a person's face. | |||
| Yiddish | לימענע | ||
| The Yiddish word לייםען may derive from Middle High German līmōne and refer to the fruit, but is more often used for its fruit beverage meaning. | |||
| Zulu | ilamuna | ||
| The word "ilamuna" likely originates from the Arabic word "laymūn", meaning "lemon". | |||
| Assamese | নেমু | ||
| Aymara | limón satawa | ||
| Bhojpuri | नींबू के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ލުނބޯ އެވެ | ||
| Dogri | नींबू दा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | limon | ||
| Guarani | limón rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | lemon | ||
| Krio | lɛmon | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | لیمۆ | ||
| Maithili | नींबू | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯦꯃꯟ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | lemon a ni | ||
| Oromo | loomii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଲେମ୍ବୁ | | ||
| Quechua | limón | ||
| Sanskrit | निम्बूकः | ||
| Tatar | лимон | ||
| Tigrinya | ለሚን ምዃኑ’ዩ። | ||
| Tsonga | lamula | ||