Lunch in different languages

Lunch in Different Languages

Discover 'Lunch' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

Lunch: it's a word that brings to mind images of delicious food, good company, and a well-deserved break in the middle of the day. But did you know that the word 'lunch' has roots in Middle English, and was used to describe a quick bite to eat in the afternoon? Or that in some cultures, lunch is the biggest meal of the day?

Understanding the translation of 'lunch' in different languages can give you a window into the food and cultural traditions of other countries. For example, in Spain, lunch is known as 'la comida,' while in Japan, it's 'hiru-gohan.' In Germany, lunch is 'Mittagessen,' and in Italy, it's 'pranzo.'

Whether you're a foodie, a language enthusiast, or just someone who loves to learn about other cultures, exploring the translations of 'lunch' can be a fun and fascinating journey. Keep reading to discover more about this universal concept, and to learn how to say 'lunch' in a variety of different languages!

Lunch


Lunch in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansmiddagete
In Afrikaans, "middagete" has an additional meaning of "afternoon meal", especially when referring to the main meal of the day.
Amharicምሳ
The word "ምሳ" can also mean "a little" in Amharic, possibly due to the small lunch portion sizes common in some Amharic-speaking communities.
Hausaabincin rana
The Hausa word "abincin rana" literally means "food of the day".
Igbonri ehihie
The Igbo word "nri ehihie" also means "the gathering of elders" as it was traditionally the time of day when the respected elders of the village would meet to discuss and make decisions.
Malagasysakafo atoandro
'Sakafo atoandro' directly translates to 'noon food', which is also a possible alternate meaning.
Nyanja (Chichewa)nkhomaliro
The word "nkhomaliro" in Nyanja originates from the verb "kudya" (to eat) and means the midday meal.
Shonamasikati
"Masikati" can also refer to the afternoon or midday.
Somaliqado
Somali has different words for lunch depending on the time of the day, like "qado" which is a term used to refer to lunch before midday.
Sesotholijo tsa mots'eare
The word "lijo tsa mots'eare" likely derives from the verb "ho lila" (to sleep) and "mots'eare" (noon), indicating a meal eaten at the time of the midday rest.
Swahilichakula cha mchana
The Swahili word for 'lunch', 'chakula cha mchana', literally translates as 'afternoon food'.
Xhosaisidlo sasemini
The Xhosa word "isidlo sasemini" literally translates to "a meal in the middle."
Yorubaọsan
"Ọsan" can also mean "afternoon" or "midday" in Yoruba.
Zuluisidlo sasemini
The word 'isidlo sasemini' is cognate to the Swati 'sidlo sasemini', which translates to 'lunch' or 'afternoon meal'.
Bambaratilelafana
Eweŋdᴐ nuɖuɖu
Kinyarwandasasita
Lingalabilei ya midi
Lugandaeky'emisana
Sepedimatena
Twi (Akan)awia aduane

Lunch in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicغداء
The word 'غداء' (lunch) in Arabic is derived from the verb 'غذا' (to nourish), highlighting its role in providing sustenance during the day.
Hebrewארוחת צהריים
The word ארוחת צהריים literally means "midday meal".
Pashtoغرمه
The word "غرمه" in Pashto has roots in the Persian language and originally meant "what is eaten at the time of sunset".
Arabicغداء
The word 'غداء' (lunch) in Arabic is derived from the verb 'غذا' (to nourish), highlighting its role in providing sustenance during the day.

Lunch in Western European Languages

Albaniandreka
"Dreka" comes from the Proto-Albanian word "drege", meaning "to eat".
Basquebazkaria
The word "bazkaria" is not unique to Basque but is also found in the closely related Romance languages of Gascon and Catalan, with the same meaning
Catalandinar
The word "dinar" in Catalan derives from the Latin "diurnus", meaning "daily".
Croatianručak
Ručak is thought to derive from the Proto-Slavic word *rǫka, meaning 'hand', as it was typically the time of day when farmers would take a break from work and eat with their hands.
Danishfrokost
Frokost, meaning 'lunch' in Danish, originates from the Old Norse word 'frokos' denoting the morning meal, with the second part 'kost' meaning 'food'.
Dutchlunch
The word "lunch" in Dutch also refers to a box or bag containing food, typically taken to work or school.
Englishlunch
The word "lunch" originally referred to a "hunk" of bread eaten between meals.
Frenchle déjeuner
"Le déjeuner" is a French word that was initially used to refer to breakfast and later to refer to lunch.
Frisianlunch
In Frisian, the word for "lunch" can also refer to a light meal eaten in the evening.
Galicianxantar
In Galician, the word "xantar" originates from the Latin "jantare" and in Portuguese "jantar", both meaning "to eat dinner".
Germanmittagessen
'Mittagessen' derives from 'Mittag' (midday) and 'essen' (to eat), and can also informally refer to dinner ('Abendessen').
Icelandichádegismatur
Hádegismatur is also a term for 'the noon', which corresponds to the time when lunch is usually eaten in Iceland.
Irishlón
The Irish word "lón" comes from two possible Proto-Indo-European roots: "*h₁ed" (to eat) or "*h₁leh₂" (food).
Italianpranzo
The Italian word “pranzo” can also refer to any main midday meal, regardless of the time it is eaten, and can thus also mean “dinner”.
Luxembourgishmëttegiessen
The Luxembourgish word "Mëttegiessen" is derived from the French word "mettre" (to put or set) and the German word "giessen" (to pour). It originally referred to the pouring of melted pork fat over bread.
Malteseikla ta 'nofsinhar
"Ikla ta 'nofsinhar" is a compound of the word "ikla" (food) and a phrase that means "of midday."
Norwegianlunsj
The Norwegian word "lunsj" originally meant "brunch" and was borrowed from the English word "lunch" in the 19th century.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)almoço
The word "almoço" is derived from the Arabic word "al-ghudā'" which means "morning meal".
Scots Gaeliclòn
The Scots Gaelic word "lòn" is derived from the Old Irish word "lún", which means "meal" or "portion of food".
Spanishalmuerzo
The word "almuerzo" derives from the Arabic word "al-ghuda", meaning "the midday meal"
Swedishlunch
Lunch (lunch) in Swedish can also refer to food eaten for a midday meal.
Welshcinio
The word "cinio" in Welsh is a loanword from the Latin "prandium" meaning "midday meal". It also used to mean "dinner" in Welsh, but this usage has since become obsolete.

Lunch in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianабед
The word "абед" in Belarusian comes from the Russian word "обед" (lunch), which in turn comes from the Old Slavic word "обѣдъ" (meal).
Bosnianručak
The word "ručak" can also refer to a small snack or a formal dinner.
Bulgarianобяд
The word "обяд" originally referred to the afternoon meal, but over time its meaning has shifted to refer to the midday meal.
Czechoběd
The word 'oběd' comes from the Slavic word 'obědovať', which literally means 'to offer food to the gods'.
Estonianlõunasöök
The word "lõunasöök" is also used in Estonian to refer to a light afternoon snack in addition to the main midday meal.
Finnishlounas
The word "lounas" derives from the Swedish "lunch", which in turn comes from the Latin "prandium", meaning "midday meal".
Hungarianebéd
The word "ebéd" might be influenced by Medieval Latin "oppidium", meaning "town".
Latvianpusdienas
The word "pusdienas" is derived from the word "pusdienēt", which means "to eat a meal at midday".
Lithuanianpietus
The word "pietus" is also used to refer to a snack or a light meal.
Macedonianручек
The word "ручек" in Macedonian can also refer to a type of bread, a kind of pastry, or a snack.
Polishobiad
Obiad (lunch) comes from the Polish word
Romanianmasa de pranz
"Masa de pranz" literally translates as "table for lunch," implying a gathering and highlighting the social aspect of the meal in Romanian culture.
Russianобед
The word обед in Russian comes from the Proto-Slavic word
Serbianручак
The word "ручак" comes from the Old Slavic word "рькати", meaning "to grunt". In many Slavic languages, this word refers to the morning meal.
Slovakobed
The word "obed" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*obědъ" meaning "meal" or "daily food", with the root "*ob" indicating "round" or "all around", implying a meal that is eaten at a particular time of day.
Sloveniankosilo
The word “kosilo” likely derives from a Slavic root meaning “piece” or “share”.
Ukrainianобід
"Обід" also means "dinner" in Ukrainian, while "вечеря" means "supper".

Lunch in South Asian Languages

Bengaliমধ্যাহ্নভোজ
The word "madhyahnabhoj" literally means "mid-day meal" in Sanskrit, as it is a compound word composed of "madhya" (middle) and "ahna" (day).
Gujaratiલંચ
The Gujarati word "લંચ" ("lunch") is derived from the Hindi word "lunch", which in turn comes from the Portuguese word "lanche", meaning "a light meal".
Hindiदोपहर का भोजन
"दोपहर का भोजन" is a compound word in Hindi that literally translates to "midday meal".
Kannadaಊಟ
The word ಊಟ can also refer to all food eaten during the day.
Malayalamഉച്ചഭക്ഷണം
The Malayalam word ഉച്ചഭക്ഷണം ('lunch') literally means 'midday meal', reflecting the typical time when lunch is eaten in Kerala, India.
Marathiदुपारचे जेवण
दुपारचे जेवण is a compound word meaning 'afternoon's meal' in Marathi. It can also refer to the meal itself.
Nepaliभोजन
The word "भोजन" in Nepali has additional meanings such as food, meal or diet.
Punjabiਦੁਪਹਿਰ ਦਾ ਖਾਣਾ
Sinhala (Sinhalese)දිවා ආහාරය
Tamilமதிய உணவு
Teluguభోజనం
The word 'భోజనం' also means 'nourishment' or 'food' in general, and is derived from the Sanskrit word 'bhojana'.
Urduدوپہر کا کھانا

Lunch in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)午餐
"午餐" originally referred to the noon meal of Buddhist monks and nuns, and later came to refer to the midday meal in general.
Chinese (Traditional)午餐
午餐 (午飯) 字面解釋為中午的飯,即 Midday meal,源自於拉丁語 Prandium,意指主餐、午餐。
Japaneseランチ
The word 「ランチ」 can also mean a snack or a light meal, especially when eaten between lunch and dinner.
Korean점심
The word 점심 (lunch) literally means "cut the heart" in Korean, referring to the idea of breaking up the long stretch between breakfast and dinner with a midday meal.
Mongolianүдийн хоол
The word "үдийн хоол" directly translates to "midday meal", which is a more accurate description of the Mongolian lunch hour, which typically takes place between 1 and 2 pm.
Myanmar (Burmese)နေ့လည်စာ

Lunch in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianmakan siang
The Indonesian word "makan siang" literally translates to "eat noon", showcasing the cultural significance of communal midday meals.
Javanesenedha awan
In Javanese, 'nedha awan' refers to the afternoon meal, specifically the one eaten between noon and early afternoon.
Khmerអាហារថ្ងៃត្រង់
The word "អាហារថ្ងៃត្រង់" is a compound of two words, meaning "food" and "middle of the day", referring to the main meal of the day.
Laoອາຫານທ່ຽງ
Malaymakan tengah hari
The Malay word "makan tengah hari" literally means "eat in the middle of the day".
Thaiอาหารกลางวัน
"อาหารกลางวัน" derives from "อาการ", "กลาง", and "วัน", and originally referred to a snack eaten during the middle of the day.
Vietnamesebữa trưa
The Vietnamese word "Bữa trưa" literally means "morning meal" despite being used to refer to the midday meal.
Filipino (Tagalog)tanghalian

Lunch in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaninahar
The Azerbaijani word "nahar" (lunch) stems from the Persian "nahare" and the Arabic "nahar". It can also refer to "dinner". Its origins can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European "nek-aro" (night).
Kazakhтүскі ас
"Түскі ас" (lunch) derives from "түс" (noon) and "ас" (food), also meaning the midday meal in Kazakh tradition, in contrast to lighter morning and evening meals.
Kyrgyzтүшкү тамак
Түшкү тамак is also used figuratively to mean a person's or animal's share of food.
Tajikхӯроки нисфирӯзӣ
The phrase, literally meaning “the noontime food,” comes from the combination of the Persian words “khoro-k” (خورک) – “food, meal” and “nissefi rūz” (نصف روز) – a noon or midday of the day.
Turkmengünortanlyk
Uzbektushlik
The word "tushlik" comes from the Persian word "toshlik", meaning "afternoon".
Uyghurچۈشلۈك تاماق

Lunch in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianʻaina awakea
'Āina awakea' (literally 'clear food'), which refers to the meal served in the early afternoon.
Maoritina
In Rarotongan, “tina” means “food” as well as “lunch”.
Samoanaiga i le aoauli
The word "aiga i le aoauli" comes from the words "aiga" (family) and "aoauli" (afternoon), and historically referred to family meals at midday
Tagalog (Filipino)tanghalian
The word "tanghalian" comes from the root word "tanghali," which means "noontime."

Lunch in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarachika uru manq'a
Guaranikaru

Lunch in International Languages

Esperantotagmanĝo
"tagmanĝo" literally translates to "day meal"
Latinprandium
In Latin, “prandium” (lunch) originally meant “morsel, piece” and referred to soldiers’ midday rations which were often dry and could not be taken in one bite.

Lunch in Others Languages

Greekμεσημεριανό
μεσημεριανό is often shortened to μεσημέρι (
Hmongnoj su
The word "noj su" can also mean "the food you eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner".
Kurdishfiravîn
The word "firavîn" is also used to refer to the period of time between noon and sunset.
Turkishöğle yemeği
'Öğle yemeği' literally means 'noon meal' in Turkish, where 'öğle' means 'noon' and 'yemek' means 'meal'.
Xhosaisidlo sasemini
The Xhosa word "isidlo sasemini" literally translates to "a meal in the middle."
Yiddishלאָנטש
The Yiddish word לאָנטש is derived from the German word 'Lunchen', and originally referred to a light meal eaten mid-afternoon rather than at midday.
Zuluisidlo sasemini
The word 'isidlo sasemini' is cognate to the Swati 'sidlo sasemini', which translates to 'lunch' or 'afternoon meal'.
Assameseদুপৰীয়াৰ আহাৰ
Aymarachika uru manq'a
Bhojpuriदुपहरिया के खाना
Dhivehiމެންދުރު ކެއުން
Dogriसब्हैरी
Filipino (Tagalog)tanghalian
Guaranikaru
Ilocanopangngaldaw
Kriolɔnch
Kurdish (Sorani)نانی نیوەڕۆ
Maithiliदुपहरक भोजन
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯆꯥꯛꯂꯦꯟ
Mizochawchhun
Oromolaaqana
Odia (Oriya)ମଧ୍ୟାହ୍ନ ଭୋଜନ
Quechuapunchaw mikuna
Sanskritमध्याह्नभोजनम्‌
Tatarтөшке аш
Tigrinyaምሳሕ
Tsongaswakudya swa nhlikanhi

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