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
| Afrikaans | middagete | ||
| In Afrikaans, "middagete" has an additional meaning of "afternoon meal", especially when referring to the main meal of the day. | |||
| Amharic | ምሳ | ||
| The word "ምሳ" can also mean "a little" in Amharic, possibly due to the small lunch portion sizes common in some Amharic-speaking communities. | |||
| Hausa | abincin rana | ||
| The Hausa word "abincin rana" literally means "food of the day". | |||
| Igbo | nri 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. | |||
| Malagasy | sakafo 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. | |||
| Shona | masikati | ||
| "Masikati" can also refer to the afternoon or midday. | |||
| Somali | qado | ||
| 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. | |||
| Sesotho | lijo 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. | |||
| Swahili | chakula cha mchana | ||
| The Swahili word for 'lunch', 'chakula cha mchana', literally translates as 'afternoon food'. | |||
| Xhosa | isidlo sasemini | ||
| The Xhosa word "isidlo sasemini" literally translates to "a meal in the middle." | |||
| Yoruba | ọsan | ||
| "Ọsan" can also mean "afternoon" or "midday" in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | isidlo sasemini | ||
| The word 'isidlo sasemini' is cognate to the Swati 'sidlo sasemini', which translates to 'lunch' or 'afternoon meal'. | |||
| Bambara | tilelafana | ||
| Ewe | ŋdᴐ nuɖuɖu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | sasita | ||
| Lingala | bilei ya midi | ||
| Luganda | eky'emisana | ||
| Sepedi | matena | ||
| Twi (Akan) | awia aduane | ||
Lunch in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | غداء | ||
| The word 'غداء' (lunch) in Arabic is derived from the verb 'غذا' (to nourish), highlighting its role in providing sustenance during the day. | |||
| Hebrew | ארוחת צהריים | ||
| The word ארוחת צהריים literally means "midday meal". | |||
| Pashto | غرمه | ||
| The word "غرمه" in Pashto has roots in the Persian language and originally meant "what is eaten at the time of sunset". | |||
| Arabic | غداء | ||
| 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
| Albanian | dreka | ||
| "Dreka" comes from the Proto-Albanian word "drege", meaning "to eat". | |||
| Basque | bazkaria | ||
| 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 | |||
| Catalan | dinar | ||
| The word "dinar" in Catalan derives from the Latin "diurnus", meaning "daily". | |||
| Croatian | ručak | ||
| 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. | |||
| Danish | frokost | ||
| Frokost, meaning 'lunch' in Danish, originates from the Old Norse word 'frokos' denoting the morning meal, with the second part 'kost' meaning 'food'. | |||
| Dutch | lunch | ||
| The word "lunch" in Dutch also refers to a box or bag containing food, typically taken to work or school. | |||
| English | lunch | ||
| The word "lunch" originally referred to a "hunk" of bread eaten between meals. | |||
| French | le déjeuner | ||
| "Le déjeuner" is a French word that was initially used to refer to breakfast and later to refer to lunch. | |||
| Frisian | lunch | ||
| In Frisian, the word for "lunch" can also refer to a light meal eaten in the evening. | |||
| Galician | xantar | ||
| In Galician, the word "xantar" originates from the Latin "jantare" and in Portuguese "jantar", both meaning "to eat dinner". | |||
| German | mittagessen | ||
| 'Mittagessen' derives from 'Mittag' (midday) and 'essen' (to eat), and can also informally refer to dinner ('Abendessen'). | |||
| Icelandic | hádegismatur | ||
| Hádegismatur is also a term for 'the noon', which corresponds to the time when lunch is usually eaten in Iceland. | |||
| Irish | lón | ||
| The Irish word "lón" comes from two possible Proto-Indo-European roots: "*h₁ed" (to eat) or "*h₁leh₂" (food). | |||
| Italian | pranzo | ||
| 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”. | |||
| Luxembourgish | mëttegiessen | ||
| 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. | |||
| Maltese | ikla ta 'nofsinhar | ||
| "Ikla ta 'nofsinhar" is a compound of the word "ikla" (food) and a phrase that means "of midday." | |||
| Norwegian | lunsj | ||
| 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 Gaelic | lòn | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "lòn" is derived from the Old Irish word "lún", which means "meal" or "portion of food". | |||
| Spanish | almuerzo | ||
| The word "almuerzo" derives from the Arabic word "al-ghuda", meaning "the midday meal" | |||
| Swedish | lunch | ||
| Lunch (lunch) in Swedish can also refer to food eaten for a midday meal. | |||
| Welsh | cinio | ||
| 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
| Belarusian | абед | ||
| The word "абед" in Belarusian comes from the Russian word "обед" (lunch), which in turn comes from the Old Slavic word "обѣдъ" (meal). | |||
| Bosnian | ručak | ||
| The word "ručak" can also refer to a small snack or a formal dinner. | |||
| Bulgarian | обяд | ||
| The word "обяд" originally referred to the afternoon meal, but over time its meaning has shifted to refer to the midday meal. | |||
| Czech | oběd | ||
| The word 'oběd' comes from the Slavic word 'obědovať', which literally means 'to offer food to the gods'. | |||
| Estonian | lõunasöök | ||
| The word "lõunasöök" is also used in Estonian to refer to a light afternoon snack in addition to the main midday meal. | |||
| Finnish | lounas | ||
| The word "lounas" derives from the Swedish "lunch", which in turn comes from the Latin "prandium", meaning "midday meal". | |||
| Hungarian | ebéd | ||
| The word "ebéd" might be influenced by Medieval Latin "oppidium", meaning "town". | |||
| Latvian | pusdienas | ||
| The word "pusdienas" is derived from the word "pusdienēt", which means "to eat a meal at midday". | |||
| Lithuanian | pietus | ||
| The word "pietus" is also used to refer to a snack or a light meal. | |||
| Macedonian | ручек | ||
| The word "ручек" in Macedonian can also refer to a type of bread, a kind of pastry, or a snack. | |||
| Polish | obiad | ||
| Obiad (lunch) comes from the Polish word | |||
| Romanian | masa 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. | |||
| Russian | обед | ||
| The word обед in Russian comes from the Proto-Slavic word | |||
| Serbian | ручак | ||
| The word "ручак" comes from the Old Slavic word "рькати", meaning "to grunt". In many Slavic languages, this word refers to the morning meal. | |||
| Slovak | obed | ||
| 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. | |||
| Slovenian | kosilo | ||
| The word “kosilo” likely derives from a Slavic root meaning “piece” or “share”. | |||
| Ukrainian | обід | ||
| "Обід" also means "dinner" in Ukrainian, while "вечеря" means "supper". | |||
Lunch in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | মধ্যাহ্নভোজ | ||
| The word "madhyahnabhoj" literally means "mid-day meal" in Sanskrit, as it is a compound word composed of "madhya" (middle) and "ahna" (day). | |||
| Gujarati | લંચ | ||
| 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". | |||
| Hindi | दोपहर का भोजन | ||
| "दोपहर का भोजन" is a compound word in Hindi that literally translates to "midday meal". | |||
| Kannada | ಊಟ | ||
| The word ಊಟ can also refer to all food eaten during the day. | |||
| Malayalam | ഉച്ചഭക്ഷണം | ||
| The Malayalam word ഉച്ചഭക്ഷണം ('lunch') literally means 'midday meal', reflecting the typical time when lunch is eaten in Kerala, India. | |||
| Marathi | दुपारचे जेवण | ||
| दुपारचे जेवण is a compound word meaning 'afternoon's meal' in Marathi. It can also refer to the meal itself. | |||
| Nepali | भोजन | ||
| The word "भोजन" in Nepali has additional meanings such as food, meal or diet. | |||
| Punjabi | ਦੁਪਹਿਰ ਦਾ ਖਾਣਾ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දිවා ආහාරය | ||
| Tamil | மதிய உணவு | ||
| Telugu | భోజనం | ||
| The word 'భోజనం' also means 'nourishment' or 'food' in general, and is derived from the Sanskrit word 'bhojana'. | |||
| Urdu | دوپہر 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. | |||
| Korean | 점심 | ||
| 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. | |||
| Mongolian | үдийн 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
| Indonesian | makan siang | ||
| The Indonesian word "makan siang" literally translates to "eat noon", showcasing the cultural significance of communal midday meals. | |||
| Javanese | nedha awan | ||
| In Javanese, 'nedha awan' refers to the afternoon meal, specifically the one eaten between noon and early afternoon. | |||
| Khmer | អាហារថ្ងៃត្រង់ | ||
| The word "អាហារថ្ងៃត្រង់" is a compound of two words, meaning "food" and "middle of the day", referring to the main meal of the day. | |||
| Lao | ອາຫານທ່ຽງ | ||
| Malay | makan tengah hari | ||
| The Malay word "makan tengah hari" literally means "eat in the middle of the day". | |||
| Thai | อาหารกลางวัน | ||
| "อาหารกลางวัน" derives from "อาการ", "กลาง", and "วัน", and originally referred to a snack eaten during the middle of the day. | |||
| Vietnamese | bữa 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
| Azerbaijani | nahar | ||
| 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). | |||
| Kazakh | түскі 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. | |||
| Kyrgyz | түшкү тамак | ||
| Түшкү тамак is also used figuratively to mean a person's or animal's share of food. | |||
| Tajik | хӯроки 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. | |||
| Turkmen | günortanlyk | ||
| Uzbek | tushlik | ||
| The word "tushlik" comes from the Persian word "toshlik", meaning "afternoon". | |||
| Uyghur | چۈشلۈك تاماق | ||
Lunch in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻaina awakea | ||
| 'Āina awakea' (literally 'clear food'), which refers to the meal served in the early afternoon. | |||
| Maori | tina | ||
| In Rarotongan, “tina” means “food” as well as “lunch”. | |||
| Samoan | aiga 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
| Aymara | chika uru manq'a | ||
| Guarani | karu | ||
Lunch in International Languages
| Esperanto | tagmanĝo | ||
| "tagmanĝo" literally translates to "day meal" | |||
| Latin | prandium | ||
| 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
| Greek | μεσημεριανό | ||
| μεσημεριανό is often shortened to μεσημέρι ( | |||
| Hmong | noj su | ||
| The word "noj su" can also mean "the food you eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner". | |||
| Kurdish | firavîn | ||
| The word "firavîn" is also used to refer to the period of time between noon and sunset. | |||
| Turkish | öğle yemeği | ||
| 'Öğle yemeği' literally means 'noon meal' in Turkish, where 'öğle' means 'noon' and 'yemek' means 'meal'. | |||
| Xhosa | isidlo sasemini | ||
| The Xhosa word "isidlo sasemini" literally translates to "a meal in the middle." | |||
| Yiddish | לאָנטש | ||
| 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. | |||
| Zulu | isidlo sasemini | ||
| The word 'isidlo sasemini' is cognate to the Swati 'sidlo sasemini', which translates to 'lunch' or 'afternoon meal'. | |||
| Assamese | দুপৰীয়াৰ আহাৰ | ||
| Aymara | chika uru manq'a | ||
| Bhojpuri | दुपहरिया के खाना | ||
| Dhivehi | މެންދުރު ކެއުން | ||
| Dogri | सब्हैरी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | tanghalian | ||
| Guarani | karu | ||
| Ilocano | pangngaldaw | ||
| Krio | lɔnch | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نانی نیوەڕۆ | ||
| Maithili | दुपहरक भोजन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯥꯛꯂꯦꯟ | ||
| Mizo | chawchhun | ||
| Oromo | laaqana | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ମଧ୍ୟାହ୍ନ ଭୋଜନ | ||
| Quechua | punchaw mikuna | ||
| Sanskrit | मध्याह्नभोजनम् | ||
| Tatar | төшке аш | ||
| Tigrinya | ምሳሕ | ||
| Tsonga | swakudya swa nhlikanhi | ||