Onion in Different Languages
Discover 'Onion' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Ah, the humble onion! A staple ingredient in kitchens around the world, this vegetable packs a punch in both flavor and significance. Onions have been cultivated for thousands of years, with evidence suggesting they were grown as far back as 5000 BC in ancient Egypt. They were so revered in Egyptian culture that they were often used in burial rituals, symbolizing eternal life.
But onions are not just a culinary powerhouse; they also hold great cultural importance. In India, for example, onions are considered sacred and are offered to deities during religious ceremonies. And in France, the famous onion soup is a national treasure.
Given their global impact, it's no surprise that the word 'onion' has made its way into many languages. Here are just a few translations:
- Spanish: cebolla
- French: oignon
- German: Zwiebel
- Italian: cipolla
- Japanese: 玉ねぎ (tamanegi)
- Chinese: 洋葱 (yángcōng)
Stay tuned for a more comprehensive list of onion translations, showcasing the vegetable's global reach and cultural significance.
Onion
Onion in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | ui | ||
| The Afrikaans word "ui" comes from the Proto-Bantu word "-i(y)a" which also means "onion". The "i" prefix is a classifier for vegetables. | |||
| Amharic | ሽንኩርት | ||
| The word "ሽንኩርት" is thought to derive from the Ge'ez word "ሽን", meaning "bad" or "evil" and possibly "ክርት", meaning "head" or "brain." | |||
| Hausa | albasa | ||
| The word "albasa" can also refer to a type of vegetable soup made with onions and other ingredients. | |||
| Igbo | yabasị | ||
| "Yabasị" is derived from Proto-Igbo "*yàbasị́", meaning "a bulbous plant". | |||
| Malagasy | tongolo | ||
| Malagasy “tongolo” may be derived from the Malay word “bawang” (also meaning “onion”) but could also originate from the French “oignon”. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | anyezi | ||
| The word 'anyezi' is also used to refer to a type of bird that is known for its beautiful singing voice. | |||
| Shona | hanyanisi | ||
| The word 'hanyanisi' has an alternative meaning that refers to the round shape of an onion, such as 'a hanyanisi of a head'. | |||
| Somali | basal | ||
| The word "basal" in Somali also means "the base of a tree". | |||
| Sesotho | anyanese | ||
| The word "Anyanese" also means "anything" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | kitunguu | ||
| Xhosa | itswele | ||
| The Xhosa word "itswele" also refers to a gathering of people or animals, as well as a group of huts or kraals. | |||
| Yoruba | alubosa | ||
| The Yoruba word "Alubosa" also refers to a type of musical instrument. | |||
| Zulu | u-anyanini | ||
| The word "u-anyanini" is derived from the verb "anya" which means "to cry", referring to the onion's ability to evoke tears. | |||
| Bambara | jaba | ||
| Ewe | sabala | ||
| Kinyarwanda | igitunguru | ||
| Lingala | litungulu | ||
| Luganda | akatungulu | ||
| Sepedi | eiye | ||
| Twi (Akan) | gyeene | ||
Onion in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | بصلة | ||
| The Arabic word "بصلة" (onion) also refers to the dome shape of an onion or a similar shape, like the domes of mosques and churches. | |||
| Hebrew | בצל | ||
| בצל comes from the Akkadian word "bassilu" meaning "large bulb" and in the Bible is also used in the sense of "garlic". | |||
| Pashto | پیاز | ||
| The word "پیاز" in Pashto is derived from the Persian word "پیاز" and is also used to refer to the "bulbous root" of a plant. | |||
| Arabic | بصلة | ||
| The Arabic word "بصلة" (onion) also refers to the dome shape of an onion or a similar shape, like the domes of mosques and churches. | |||
Onion in Western European Languages
| Albanian | qepë | ||
| The Albanian word 'qepë' is related to the Proto-Indo-European root '*kewp-' meaning 'head'. | |||
| Basque | tipula | ||
| In Basque, "tipula" also refers to a type of reed or stalk used for making baskets and other crafts. | |||
| Catalan | ceba | ||
| The Catalan word "ceba" is derived from the Latin "cepa", meaning "head" or "root", and is also used to refer to the "head" of a cabbage or lettuce. | |||
| Croatian | luk | ||
| Though the word “luk” means “onion” in Croatian, in Serbian it also means a harbour, while in Polish it denotes an archery bow | |||
| Danish | løg | ||
| In Danish, "løg" not only means "onion" but also "lie". This is because in the past, people would often hide items in onion jars to protect them from theft. | |||
| Dutch | ui | ||
| The Dutch word "ui" is derived from the Old French "oignon" and is related to the Latin "unio", meaning "pearl". | |||
| English | onion | ||
| The word "onion" comes from the Greek word "unio," which means "pearl" or "precious stone." | |||
| French | oignon | ||
| The French word "oignon" derives from the Latin "unio", meaning "pearl", due to the onion's round shape and layered structure. | |||
| Frisian | sipel | ||
| The word "sipel" in Frisian derives from the Proto-Germanic term for "onion," which is related to the Latin word "cepa." | |||
| Galician | cebola | ||
| The Galician word "cebola" is derived from the Latin "cepa", meaning "head" or "bulb", and is related to the Spanish "cebolla" and Portuguese "cebola". | |||
| German | zwiebel | ||
| The word "Zwiebel" is derived from the Middle High German "zwibel", meaning "double", and is related to the English word "twin". Onions often grow in pairs, hence the name. | |||
| Icelandic | laukur | ||
| The Icelandic word "laukur" is derived from the Old Norse word " laukr," which is cognate with the Old English word "leac" (leek). | |||
| Irish | oinniún | ||
| The word "oinniún" in Irish is also used to refer to "a group of young women". | |||
| Italian | cipolla | ||
| In Renaissance Italy, | |||
| Luxembourgish | zwiebel | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Zwiebel" comes from the Old High German word "zwibela," which in turn comes from the Latin word "cepa," meaning "onion." | |||
| Maltese | basla | ||
| The word "basla" in Maltese comes from the Arabic word "bạṣal", meaning "onion." | |||
| Norwegian | løk | ||
| "Løk" in Norwegian can also refer to a lock of hair or a loop in a rope. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | cebola | ||
| "Cebola" comes from the Latin word "caepa", which also gave rise to the Spanish "cebolla" and the Italian "cipolla" | |||
| Scots Gaelic | uinnean | ||
| The word "uinnean" in Scots Gaelic can also refer to a circle or ring. | |||
| Spanish | cebolla | ||
| The word "cebolla" comes from the Latin word "cepulla", which is derived from the Greek word "κρόμμυον" (krommyon) meaning "onion". | |||
| Swedish | lök | ||
| The Swedish word "lök" is cognate with the English "leek" and the German "lauch". | |||
| Welsh | nionyn | ||
| The word 'nionyn' is related to the Latin 'unio', meaning 'pearl', referring to the onion's shape. | |||
Onion in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | цыбуля | ||
| The root of "цыбуля" can be traced back to the Proto-Slavic word "sębolja", meaning "bulbous plant". | |||
| Bosnian | luk | ||
| The word "luk" can also refer to a bend or curve, likely deriving from the Slavic root *lǫkъ, meaning "bend" or "bow". | |||
| Bulgarian | лук | ||
| The word "лук" also means "bow" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | cibule | ||
| The word "cibule" (onion) has been used in Czech since the 11th century, derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*čьbula". | |||
| Estonian | sibul | ||
| The word "sibul" comes from the Proto-Finnic word *sipula, meaning "head" or "bulb". | |||
| Finnish | sipuli | ||
| The Finnish word for onion, 'sipuli,' derives from Latin 'cepa,' and cognates with the English 'chive,' which derives from an Indo-European root meaning 'hollow'. | |||
| Hungarian | hagyma | ||
| "Hagyma" is also a surname that derives from a Hungarian verb which means "to leave", "to let". The word can also be a part of other Hungarian surnames and geographical names. | |||
| Latvian | sīpols | ||
| "Sīpols" also means the first layer of bricks in a kiln. | |||
| Lithuanian | svogūnas | ||
| The word "svogūnas" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *sweḱ- ( | |||
| Macedonian | кромид | ||
| Although the word "кромид" is now commonly used to refer to yellow onions, its broader meaning also includes all other species in genus Allium, such as garlic, leeks, and chives. | |||
| Polish | cebula | ||
| The Polish word "cebula" is derived from Proto-Slavic *kebula, which also meant "head of an onion" and possibly "garlic". | |||
| Romanian | ceapă | ||
| The Romanian word "ceapă" (onion) is derived from the Slavic word "cibula" (onion). | |||
| Russian | лук | ||
| The word "лук" (onion) has cognates in other Slavic languages, such as Ukrainian цибуля (tsybulya) and Polish cebula, all of which are derived from a Proto-Slavic form *kebula. | |||
| Serbian | лук | ||
| The root of the Serbian word for "onion" is related to Latin and Greek words with the meanings "to bend" and "bow". | |||
| Slovak | cibuľa | ||
| In Slovak, "Cibuľa" originally meant "bulb" and could refer to any bulbous plant, including garlic, not just onions. | |||
| Slovenian | čebula | ||
| The word "čebula" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*čьbolja", which is related to the Latin word "cepa" and the Greek word "κρόμμυον" (krómmyon), all meaning "onion". | |||
| Ukrainian | цибуля | ||
| The Ukrainian word "цибуля" (onion) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*čьbŭl'a", meaning "bulb", and is related to the Latin word "cepa" (onion). | |||
Onion in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পেঁয়াজ | ||
| The word 'পেঁয়াজ' comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *peyo-, meaning 'to swell' or 'to grow fat'. | |||
| Gujarati | ડુંગળી | ||
| The word "ડુંગળી" can also refer to a type of cylindrical earthenware pot. | |||
| Hindi | प्याज | ||
| The word "प्याज" is derived from the Sanskrit word "प्यास" (pyāsa), meaning "thirst"} | |||
| Kannada | ಈರುಳ್ಳಿ | ||
| The word ಈರುಳ್ಳಿ "iruḷḷi" possibly derives from the Kannada word ಈರ್ (ir), meaning "two", and ಉಳ್ಳು (uḷļu), meaning "skin", referring to the two layers of skin on an onion. | |||
| Malayalam | ഉള്ളി | ||
| In Malayalam, "ഉള്ളി" ("ulli") also refers to the bulbous root of the garlic plant. | |||
| Marathi | कांदा | ||
| The word "कांदा" (kandā) in Marathi comes from the Sanskrit word "कन्द" (kanda), meaning "bulb" or "tuber". | |||
| Nepali | प्याज | ||
| The word "प्याज" comes from the Sanskrit word "प्योजक" meaning "thing that smells". | |||
| Punjabi | ਪਿਆਜ | ||
| The word 'ਪਿਆਜ' may have originated from the Sanskrit word 'प्याज़' (pyaaza), which itself is derived from the proto-Indo-European word 'peya' meaning 'fat' or 'swollen.' | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ලූනු | ||
| The word "ලූනු" also means "salty" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | வெங்காயம் | ||
| The Tamil word வெங்காயம் ('veṅkāyam') likely derives from the Proto-Dravidian root *veṅku, meaning 'hot'. It also means 'redness of sunrise, sunset'. | |||
| Telugu | ఉల్లిపాయ | ||
| "ఉల్లిపాయ" also refers to a type of hair bun worn by females in some parts of Andhra Pradesh, India. | |||
| Urdu | پیاز | ||
| پیاز can also mean the first portion (16 of the Quran's 30 parts) and (in music) an interval of 2 tones. | |||
Onion in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 洋葱 | ||
| 洋葱一词源自西域语言，原指洋姜，后引申为‘圆形且有皮的植物’的总称，后专指圆葱。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 洋蔥 | ||
| "洋" can also mean 'foreign' or Western in Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | 玉ねぎ | ||
| The word "たまねぎ" (onion) in Japanese refers to a specific variety of onion called Allium cepa var. cepa commonly found in the country and does not encompass other variations or species within the Allium genus, such as garlic, leeks, or chives. | |||
| Korean | 양파 | ||
| The word '양파' can also mean the iris (of the eye) in Korean, sharing the same etymology in both meanings. | |||
| Mongolian | сонгино | ||
| In some Mongolian dialects, the word "сонгино" can also refer to garlic. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကြက်သွန်နီ | ||
Onion in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | bawang | ||
| Bawang was adopted from Sanskrit | |||
| Javanese | bawang bombay | ||
| The Javanese word for "onion", "bawang bombay", literally translates to "Bombay Onion" in Indonesian, reflecting the introduction of onions to Java through trade with India. | |||
| Khmer | ខ្ទឹមបារាំង | ||
| Lao | ຜັກບົ່ວ | ||
| Malay | bawang besar | ||
| The word "bawang besar" is thought to derive from the Tamil word "vadagam". | |||
| Thai | หัวหอม | ||
| หัวหอม, lit. "head flower", has been a traditional name for onions since at least the 15th century, likely because the onion plant grows as a clump or flower head. | |||
| Vietnamese | củ hành | ||
| "Củ hành" also means "bulb", as in "củ hành hoa" (bulb of a flower). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sibuyas | ||
Onion in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | soğan | ||
| The word 'soğan' also refers to the bulbous root of a plant, such as garlic or shallot. | |||
| Kazakh | пияз | ||
| "Пияз" с персидского переводится как "лук, репчатый" | |||
| Kyrgyz | пияз | ||
| The word "пияз" in Kyrgyz originally meant "onion" but now also refers to "garlic". | |||
| Tajik | пиёз | ||
| The word "пиёз" is also used in Tajik to refer to "leeks". | |||
| Turkmen | sogan | ||
| Uzbek | piyoz | ||
| The Uzbek word "piyoz" is cognate with Persian پیـاز ("piyâz"), which in turn comes from Latin "cepa". | |||
| Uyghur | پىياز | ||
Onion in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻakaʻakai | ||
| ʻAkaʻakai derives from the word ʻaka, meaning "pungent" or "sharp", and refers to the pungent smell of freshly cut onions. | |||
| Maori | riki | ||
| The word "riki" can also refer to a type of knot or a small, round object. | |||
| Samoan | aniani | ||
| Aniani, also called aniano, is the word for 'onion' in the Samoan language. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sibuyas | ||
| The Filipino word "sibuyas" (onion) is derived from the Spanish word "cebolla", which in turn comes from the Latin "caepa". | |||
Onion in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | siwulla | ||
| Guarani | sevói | ||
Onion in International Languages
| Esperanto | cepo | ||
| "cepo" has other meanings like "fetter", "trap", and "stock" in Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian. | |||
| Latin | cepa | ||
| The word "cepa" in Latin also refers to a "vine" or "stock". | |||
Onion in Others Languages
| Greek | κρεμμύδι | ||
| The word "κρεμμύδι" in Greek is derived from the Latin "caepa", and in ancient times was referred to as "κηπάριον", meaning "garden vegetable". | |||
| Hmong | dos | ||
| In Hmong, the word "dos" can also be pronounced "doux", which refers to an edible bulb with several layers of thin fleshy leaves growing on the ground. | |||
| Kurdish | pîvaz | ||
| "Pîvaz" is also used to refer to the round domes on top of mosques, churches, and other religious buildings in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | soğan | ||
| The word 'soğan' is also used to refer to a small, round, shiny object, or to a person with a round face. | |||
| Xhosa | itswele | ||
| The Xhosa word "itswele" also refers to a gathering of people or animals, as well as a group of huts or kraals. | |||
| Yiddish | ציבעלע | ||
| The Yiddish word "ציבעלע" (tsibele) is derived from the Middle High German word "zwiebele" and is related to the English word "scallion". | |||
| Zulu | u-anyanini | ||
| The word "u-anyanini" is derived from the verb "anya" which means "to cry", referring to the onion's ability to evoke tears. | |||
| Assamese | পিঁয়াজ | ||
| Aymara | siwulla | ||
| Bhojpuri | पियाज | ||
| Dhivehi | ފިޔާ | ||
| Dogri | गंढा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sibuyas | ||
| Guarani | sevói | ||
| Ilocano | sibulyas | ||
| Krio | yabas | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پیاز | ||
| Maithili | प्याज | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯤꯜꯍꯧ | ||
| Mizo | purunsen | ||
| Oromo | qullubbii diimaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପିଆଜ | | ||
| Quechua | cebolla | ||
| Sanskrit | पलाण्डु | ||
| Tatar | суган | ||
| Tigrinya | ቐይሕ ሽጉርቲ | ||
| Tsonga | nyala | ||