Meal in Different Languages
Discover 'Meal' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
A 'meal' is a significant and culturally important concept, representing not just the act of eating, but also social gatherings, traditions, and lifestyle choices. Ranging from quick snacks to elaborate feasts, meals hold immense cultural significance across the globe. Understanding the translation of 'meal' in different languages can open up a world of cultural exploration and appreciation.
For instance, in Spanish, 'meal' is 'comida', while in French, it's 'repas'. In German, 'meal' translates to 'Mahlzeit', and in Japanese, 'meal' is 'tabemono'. These translations not only help us understand the word but also offer a glimpse into the unique culinary traditions and dining etiquettes of different cultures.
Expand your linguistic and cultural horizons by exploring the translations of 'meal' in various languages. Discover the rich tapestry of culinary traditions and customs that make up our global table fellowship.
Meal
Meal in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | ete | ||
| The word "ete" in Afrikaans is derived from the Dutch word "eten", which also means "meal". In Afrikaans, "ete" can also be used to refer to a specific meal (e.g., "ontbyt" (breakfast), "middagete" (lunch) or "aandete" (dinner)) rather than a meal in general. | |||
| Amharic | ምግብ | ||
| "ምግብ" is also used to describe an allowance given to a person for sustenance or as a contribution towards general sustenance | |||
| Hausa | abinci | ||
| The word "abinci" can also mean "food" or "sustenance" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | nri | ||
| The term "nri" is often used in the Igbo language as a term of endearment for a child. | |||
| Malagasy | sakafo | ||
| "SAKAFO" has no alternate meanings but may share its word root with the verb "SAKAFA" (to feed) | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chakudya | ||
| Chakudya is also a term for 'money', particularly coins that are used in smaller transactions. | |||
| Shona | kudya | ||
| Shona word for "meal" (kudya) also means "to grow" and "to be fat". | |||
| Somali | cuntada | ||
| The Somali word | |||
| Sesotho | lijo | ||
| The word "lijo" comes from the Proto-Bantu verb "-dyu-," meaning "to eat." | |||
| Swahili | chakula | ||
| In Swahili, chakula (meal) is related to kula (to eat), and comes from the verb chakula (to nourish). | |||
| Xhosa | isidlo | ||
| 'Isidlo' literally translates to 'that which is eaten' | |||
| Yoruba | ounjẹ | ||
| "Ounjẹ" also means "to eat" in Yoruba, derived from the verb "jẹ" meaning "to chew". | |||
| Zulu | isidlo | ||
| In addition to "meal," "isidlo" also means "dish" in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | dumuni | ||
| Ewe | nuɖuɖu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ifunguro | ||
| Lingala | bilei | ||
| Luganda | ekijjulo | ||
| Sepedi | dijo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | aduane | ||
Meal in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | وجبة | ||
| In the Quran, وجبة means "reward", while in the dialect of Yemen, it refers to a "night snack". | |||
| Hebrew | ארוחה | ||
| The Hebrew word "ארוחה" can also mean "event" or "experience," emphasizing the social and cultural aspects of eating. | |||
| Pashto | خواړه | ||
| The word "خواړه" (meal) is derived from the Persian word "خوردن" (to eat) and is related to the English word "chore" (a task). | |||
| Arabic | وجبة | ||
| In the Quran, وجبة means "reward", while in the dialect of Yemen, it refers to a "night snack". | |||
Meal in Western European Languages
| Albanian | vakt | ||
| In Albanian, the word "vakt" not only means "meal" but also "time" and "opportunity". | |||
| Basque | bazkari | ||
| The word "bazkari" may also refer to the act of eating or a snack between meals. | |||
| Catalan | menjar | ||
| Catalan "menjar" is derived from Late Latin "manducare," meaning "chew" and cognate with English "mandible". | |||
| Croatian | obrok | ||
| The word "obrok" in Croatian also refers to a feudal obligation to provide food and other goods to a lord. | |||
| Danish | måltid | ||
| The Danish word 'måltid' originally meant 'something to eat' and comes from the Old Norse words 'mál' ('speech') and 'tid' ('time'), referring to the time when food was served or eaten. | |||
| Dutch | maaltijd | ||
| The word maaltijd derives from the Old Dutch word "mal," meaning "gathering," and "tijd," meaning "time." | |||
| English | meal | ||
| The word "meal" originally meant "a portion of food" and is related to the word "mill". | |||
| French | repas | ||
| The word "repas" in French derives from the Latin "repastus," meaning "food taken after fasting". | |||
| Frisian | miel | ||
| In the Frisian language, "miel" can refer to the English words "meal" as well as "mile," but the latter definition mainly applies to the Frisian language itself. | |||
| Galician | comida | ||
| "Comida" in Galician derives from the Latin "comedia", meaning "performance" or "play". In some areas of Galicia, "comida" still refers to a shared meal with entertainment. | |||
| German | mahlzeit | ||
| The German word "Mahlzeit" has the same root as the words "meal" and "malt". | |||
| Icelandic | máltíð | ||
| The word "máltíð" comes from the Old Norse word "máltíð", which means "time of speaking" or "mealtime". | |||
| Irish | béile | ||
| In Irish, the word "béile" can also refer to a place of sacrifice or assembly. | |||
| Italian | pasto | ||
| The word "pasto" in Italian can also refer to a type of pasture or grazing land. | |||
| Luxembourgish | iessen | ||
| In Luxembourgish, the word "Iessen" can also refer to a particular dish or a serving of food. | |||
| Maltese | ikla | ||
| "Ikla" is also a noun plural referring to a set of tools used for spinning, sewing, or weaving. | |||
| Norwegian | måltid | ||
| The word "måltid" is derived from the Old Norse word "mál", meaning "time" or "turn", and "tid", meaning "hour". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | refeição | ||
| "Refeição" comes from the Latin "reficere", meaning "to restore". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | biadh | ||
| "Biadh" (pronounced bee-ah) comes from the Old Norse word "bīða," and is cognate with English "bide." | |||
| Spanish | comida | ||
| The word "comida" is derived from the Latin word "comedere", which means "to eat". | |||
| Swedish | måltid | ||
| The word “måltid” originates from the Old Norse word “mál” meaning “speech” or “conversation”, as meals were often a time for gathering and talking. | |||
| Welsh | pryd bwyd | ||
| The Welsh word "pryd bwyd" comes from the words "pryd" (time) and "bwyd" (food), indicating the specific time of day for eating. | |||
Meal in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | ежа | ||
| In Polish, the word "ежа" has an alternate meaning of "hedgehog". | |||
| Bosnian | obrok | ||
| The word "obrok" is also used in Bosnian to refer to the amount of food that is given to an animal at one time. | |||
| Bulgarian | хранене | ||
| The word "хранене" derives from the Proto-Slavic "*kormъ", and also means "feeding" or "nourishment" in other Slavic languages. | |||
| Czech | jídlo | ||
| "Jídlo" has a colloquial use in Czech, referring to a drug dose, in the context of drug addiction. | |||
| Estonian | sööki | ||
| Sööki, derived from the Proto-Finnic word *söki "eating, consumption of food, food,", is also found in Karelian, Finnish, and Võro." | |||
| Finnish | ateria | ||
| The word 'ateria' in Finnish is derived from the Latin word 'ater', meaning 'black', and could also be a reference to the dark color of medieval rye bread. | |||
| Hungarian | étkezés | ||
| "Étkezés" is a homonym in Hungarian, it can also mean "diet" or "catering". | |||
| Latvian | maltīti | ||
| Latvian "maltīte" derives from the Proto-Baltic term "maltis" and its cognate Latin "mola" also meaning "meal". | |||
| Lithuanian | patiekalas | ||
| The term "patiekalas" may possibly be related to the Old Prussian word "patykan" with the same meaning, and perhaps also related to the Slavic *potьčь "treat or repast". | |||
| Macedonian | оброк | ||
| The word "оброк" comes from the Old Slavonic word "obrokъ", which had the meaning of "food" or "nourishment". | |||
| Polish | posiłek | ||
| The word "posiłek" derives from the Old Polish verb "posiłować" meaning "to strengthen" or "to nourish". | |||
| Romanian | masă | ||
| The Romanian word "masă" is etymologically related to the Latin word "mensa," which also means "table" or "meal." | |||
| Russian | еда | ||
| The Russian word for 'meal' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'ěsti', which means 'to eat'. | |||
| Serbian | оброк | ||
| The word "оброк" can also refer to a feudal tax paid in kind, usually in the form of agricultural produce. | |||
| Slovak | jedlo | ||
| The word "jedlo" is derived from Proto-Slavic *ědlo that gave *jadlo in Slovak, and means "that which is edible". The word also means "poison" in certain idiomatic expressions. | |||
| Slovenian | obrok | ||
| "Obrok" in Slovenian can also mean "duty" or "fee", and it comes from the Slavic word "ob-rek", meaning "to speak around" or "to discuss". | |||
| Ukrainian | їжі | ||
| The word “їжі” is a cognate of the Russian word “еда” (“food”), both stemming from the Proto-Slavic word *ěs-ti (“to eat”). | |||
Meal in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | খাবার | ||
| The Bengali word "খাবার" is also used to refer to the dishes served during a meal or a snack. | |||
| Gujarati | ભોજન | ||
| The term 'ભોજન' is often used in Gujarati to refer to the concept of 'food or nourishment' in a broader sense, transcending its simple denotation of 'meal'. | |||
| Hindi | भोजन | ||
| The word "भोजन" originates from the Sanskrit root "bhuj," meaning "to eat or enjoy." | |||
| Kannada | .ಟ | ||
| The word "ಟ" can mean "meal" in Kannada, but can also refer to a specific type of meal taken between 12 pm and 4 pm. | |||
| Malayalam | ഭക്ഷണം | ||
| The word "ഭക്ഷണം" is derived from the Sanskrit word "भक्ष" meaning "to eat" and "अण" meaning "particle". It can also refer to food in general or to a specific dish or meal. | |||
| Marathi | जेवण | ||
| The term "जेवण" derives from the Sanskrit word "यवन" meaning "barley," indicating its original association with barley-based dishes. | |||
| Nepali | खाना | ||
| "खाना" also means "to eat" in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਭੋਜਨ | ||
| "ਭੋਜਨ" also means enjoyment and pleasure, derived from Sanskrit "bhoj" meaning to eat or enjoy. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කෑම | ||
| The word "කෑම" (meal) in Sinhala can also refer to a single dish or a snack. | |||
| Tamil | உணவு | ||
| "உணவு" is also the Tamil word for "nourishment" and "food" | |||
| Telugu | భోజనం | ||
| The Telugu word "భోజనం" is derived from the Sanskrit word "bhojana" and also refers to the offering made to a god. | |||
| Urdu | کھانا | ||
| Derived from the Sanskrit “Khadana,” meaning “to eat or chew,” “Khana” in Urdu means a prepared meal, but can also refer to a single dish, snacks, or food preparations for an event. | |||
Meal in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 膳食 | ||
| 膳食's '膳' is cognate with '饌' and '饌' can be used as a verb meaning 'to cook', 'to prepare good food' or 'to offer food'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 膳食 | ||
| The term "膳食" can also refer to a specific type of hospital food. | |||
| Japanese | お食事 | ||
| The word 「お食事」 originates from the honorific verb 「お召し上がる」 (to eat), meaning a meal eaten by someone of higher status. | |||
| Korean | 식사 | ||
| "식사" means either a meal with rice ("밥"/"쌀") or just rice itself. | |||
| Mongolian | хоол | ||
| "Хоол" means both "food" and "meal" in Mongolian, due to the Mongolian custom of eating all of one's daily food at a single sitting | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အစာ | ||
| The word "အစာ" also means "nourishment" or "sustenance" in Myanmar (Burmese). | |||
Meal in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | makan | ||
| "Makan" in Indonesian can also refer to a type of dance, specifically a traditional Javanese ceremonial dance. | |||
| Javanese | dhahar | ||
| Despite spelling and pronunciation similarities, dhahar in Javanese (meal) is not related to the word dhar in Arabic (loss, damage). | |||
| Khmer | អាហារ | ||
| "អាហារ" can also mean food, nourishment, or sustenance in general, as well as provisions or supplies. | |||
| Lao | ຄາບອາຫານ | ||
| Malay | makan | ||
| The Malay word "makan" can also refer to the process of eating, a gathering of people for a meal, or the food itself. | |||
| Thai | มื้ออาหาร | ||
| The word "มื้ออาหาร" (meal) in Thai can also refer to a specific time of day when a meal is typically eaten. | |||
| Vietnamese | bữa ăn | ||
| The word "bữa ăn" also means a "dish", especially a main course. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagkain | ||
Meal in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | yemək | ||
| The word “yemək” also means “to eat” in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | тамақ | ||
| The word "тамақ" can also mean "food" or "cooking" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | тамак | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "тамак" originally meant "food" or "dish" and later acquired the meaning of "meal". | |||
| Tajik | хӯрок | ||
| The word “хӯрок” in Tajik also means “provisions” or “rations”. | |||
| Turkmen | nahar | ||
| Uzbek | ovqat | ||
| In Uzbek folklore, „ovqat” could also mean „poison" or the „evil eye" | |||
| Uyghur | تاماق | ||
Meal in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pāʻina ʻai | ||
| In Hawaiian culture, the word "pāʻina ʻai" can also refer to a ceremonial feast or special gathering specifically focused on food and dining. | |||
| Maori | kai | ||
| Maori word "kai" also means "food" or "eating," and derives from the Proto-Polynesian word "kai." | |||
| Samoan | taumafataga | ||
| While taumafa refers to lunch and a'afo refers to dinner, "taumafataga" can refer to any meal of the day | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pagkain | ||
| In Philippine dialects, the word 'pagkain' also means 'food'. | |||
Meal in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | manq'a | ||
| Guarani | tembi'u | ||
Meal in International Languages
| Esperanto | manĝo | ||
| Despite its similarity to the English word "meal," "manĝo" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂ed- meaning "to eat." | |||
| Latin | prandium | ||
| "Prandium" also refers to a "sum of money for expenses" in Latin. | |||
Meal in Others Languages
| Greek | γεύμα | ||
| "Γεύμα" is derived from the ancient Greek word "γεύω", meaning "to taste". It also means "a lunch". | |||
| Hmong | pluas noj | ||
| The Hmong word "pluas noj" can also refer to a specific meal that is eaten in the afternoon. | |||
| Kurdish | xwarin | ||
| The word "xwarin" in Kurdish also means "to eat" or "to consume". | |||
| Turkish | yemek | ||
| In addition to "meal," "yemek" can also refer to "food" or "dish" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | isidlo | ||
| 'Isidlo' literally translates to 'that which is eaten' | |||
| Yiddish | מאָלצייַט | ||
| "מאָלצייַט" (mahlzeit) means "meal" in Yiddish, and is also used as a greeting or farewell, similar to the German "Mahlzeit." | |||
| Zulu | isidlo | ||
| In addition to "meal," "isidlo" also means "dish" in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | আহাৰ | ||
| Aymara | manq'a | ||
| Bhojpuri | खाना | ||
| Dhivehi | ކެއުން | ||
| Dogri | रुट्टी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagkain | ||
| Guarani | tembi'u | ||
| Ilocano | makan | ||
| Krio | it | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ژەمە خواردن | ||
| Maithili | भोजन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯥꯛ | ||
| Mizo | chaw | ||
| Oromo | nyaata | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଭୋଜନ | ||
| Quechua | mikuna | ||
| Sanskrit | भोजन | ||
| Tatar | ашау | ||
| Tigrinya | ምግቢ | ||
| Tsonga | swakudya | ||