Potato in Different Languages
Discover 'Potato' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Ah, the humble potato. A staple food for many, and a versatile ingredient in countless dishes around the world. But did you know that the word 'potato' itself has a fascinating history and cultural significance? Originating in South America, the potato was first domesticated by the peoples of modern-day Peru around 8000-5000 BC. It quickly spread throughout the Americas, and eventually made its way to Europe in the 16th century, where it became a crucial crop for many nations.
Today, the potato is grown and consumed in virtually every corner of the globe, and has taken on a wide range of cultural meanings and associations. From the Irish potato famine to the classic American french fry, the potato has played a starring role in many historical events and cultural traditions.
Given its global significance, it's no wonder that people might be interested in learning the word for 'potato' in different languages. Whether you're a foodie, a language lover, or a history buff, understanding this simple word can open up a whole world of cultural knowledge and appreciation.
So without further ado, here are some translations of the word 'potato' in a variety of languages:
Potato
Potato in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | aartappel | ||
| The word "aartappel" can also refer to a sweet potato in South Africa, while in the Netherlands it typically refers to a Jerusalem artichoke. | |||
| Amharic | ድንች | ||
| "ድንች" can also refer to a type of traditional bread made from barley flour. | |||
| Hausa | dankalin turawa | ||
| The Hausa word "dankalin turawa" literally means "white man's groundnut". | |||
| Igbo | nduku | ||
| In Igbo, the word 'nduku' can also be an adjective that means 'hard or unyielding', which reflects the texture of potatoes. | |||
| Malagasy | ovy | ||
| In Malagasy, the word "ovy" also refers to a type of tropical tree. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mbatata | ||
| The word "mbatata" is also used in Nyanja to refer to a type of sweet potato known as an orange potato. | |||
| Shona | mbatata | ||
| The word "mbatata" also means "tuber" in Shona and can refer to other root vegetables besides potatoes. | |||
| Somali | baradho | ||
| The Somali word 'baradho' is thought to derive from the Sanskrit word 'bhata,' meaning 'rice.' | |||
| Sesotho | tapole | ||
| The word 'tapole' is derived from the Proto-Bantu language and is cognate with the word 'ipatata' meaning 'sweet potato'. | |||
| Swahili | viazi | ||
| The word "viazi" in Swahili is derived from the Portuguese word "batata", which means "sweet potato". | |||
| Xhosa | amazambane | ||
| The word "amazambane" is originally from Zulu and was adopted into Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | ọdunkun | ||
| Historically, ọ̀dùn (year) and ọ̀kùn (hoe) were both called ọ̀dúnkùn as they were harvested at the same time in the year | |||
| Zulu | izambane | ||
| Izambane derives from "umbane", a tuber that has been eaten since the earliest times by the Nguni people. | |||
| Bambara | kɔmitɛrɛ | ||
| Ewe | nagoti | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ibirayi | ||
| Lingala | mbala | ||
| Luganda | lumonde | ||
| Sepedi | letsapane | ||
| Twi (Akan) | akiten | ||
Potato in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | البطاطس | ||
| Known in Arabic as "البطاطس" (al-batatis), the word originated from the Haitian Creole word "batata" for sweet potatoes, which were introduced to Europe by Spanish explorers who mistakenly called them "potatoes". | |||
| Hebrew | תפוח אדמה | ||
| The Hebrew word "תפוח אדמה" (potato) literally translates to "apple of the ground". | |||
| Pashto | کچالو | ||
| "کچالو" can also refer to a small round stone or ball commonly used in games or as a toy. | |||
| Arabic | البطاطس | ||
| Known in Arabic as "البطاطس" (al-batatis), the word originated from the Haitian Creole word "batata" for sweet potatoes, which were introduced to Europe by Spanish explorers who mistakenly called them "potatoes". | |||
Potato in Western European Languages
| Albanian | patate | ||
| In Albanian, "patate" can refer to both sweet potatoes and regular potatoes, with no distinction between the two. | |||
| Basque | patata | ||
| The word "patata" in Basque is a loanword from Spanish and also means "puddle". | |||
| Catalan | patata | ||
| In the Catalan dialect of the Occitano-Romance language, patates means 'potatoes' and not 'sweet potatoes' as in Spanish. | |||
| Croatian | krumpir | ||
| The alternate form is 'krumpjer', a loanword from Hungarian (krumpli), which is itself a corruption of the German 'Grundbirne', meaning 'ground pear'. | |||
| Danish | kartoffel | ||
| "Kartoffel", the Danish word for "potato", is derived from the Italian "tartufolo", meaning "truffle". | |||
| Dutch | aardappel | ||
| The word aardappel refers to a "potato" in Dutch and may also be used to describe a "ground apple". | |||
| English | potato | ||
| "Potato" derives from the Taíno word "batata", meaning "sweet potato". | |||
| French | patate | ||
| Frisian | ierappel | ||
| The word 'ierappel' is a diminutive of 'ierd', meaning 'earth', and thus literally means 'little earth'. | |||
| Galician | pataca | ||
| In Galician, pataca also refers to currency, specifically the former Portuguese pataca in use until the 20th century. | |||
| German | kartoffel | ||
| The word "Kartoffel" is thought to have originated from the Italian "tartufolo" (truffle), due to their similar appearance. | |||
| Icelandic | kartöflu | ||
| {"text": "Kartöflu stems from the Middle Low German word “kartüffel,” which originally meant "small fruit" or "little pear."} | |||
| Irish | prátaí | ||
| 'Prátaí' is the Irish word for potato, but it also refers to other root vegetables like turnips and beetroot. | |||
| Italian | patata | ||
| Patata derives from the Taino word "batata", meaning "sweet potato". | |||
| Luxembourgish | gromper | ||
| The word 'Gromper' in Luxembourgish comes from the old French word 'crompir,' meaning 'wrinkled apple,' referring to the gnarled appearance of the vegetable. | |||
| Maltese | patata | ||
| The Maltese word 'patata' is derived from the Italian word 'patata' which in turn comes from the Spanish word 'patata', meaning 'potato'. | |||
| Norwegian | potet | ||
| In Norwegian, “potet” originates from the Spanish word “patata”, meaning “spud” or “tuber”. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | batata | ||
| "Batata" is a false friend in Portuguese and Spanish. Instead of "bat" (as in the animal), it actually means potato. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | buntàta | ||
| The etymology of the Scots Gaelic word "buntàta" is uncertain, but it may derive from the Spanish word "patata" or the Irish word "buntáiste." | |||
| Spanish | patata | ||
| "Patata" comes from Taino (an extinct family of Arawakan languages), and meant "sweet potato". | |||
| Swedish | potatis | ||
| The word 'potatis' originates from the Low German word 'potades', which means 'potatoes' or 'pot herbs'. | |||
| Welsh | tatws | ||
| The word "tatws" may be derived from the Old English word "taw" meaning "taro" or "edible root." | |||
Potato in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | бульба | ||
| A term of endearment for a child | |||
| Bosnian | krompir | ||
| The word "krompir" is derived from the German word "Grundbirne," meaning "ground pear." | |||
| Bulgarian | картофи | ||
| The word "картофи" (potato) in Bulgarian comes from the German word "Kartoffel", which is ultimately derived from the Italian "tartufolo" (truffle). | |||
| Czech | brambor | ||
| "Brambor" comes from the German word "Grundbirne" which means "ground pear". | |||
| Estonian | kartul | ||
| The word "kartul" is derived from the Low German "kartoffel" or "kartoffel" and the Russian "картофель" or "kartofel'", all of which ultimately originate from the Italian "tartufo" or "tartufolo". | |||
| Finnish | peruna | ||
| The word "peruna" possibly comes from the Estonian word "pirn", meaning "apple". | |||
| Hungarian | burgonya | ||
| The Hungarian word "burgonya" can also refer to a type of dumpling made with mashed potatoes and flour. | |||
| Latvian | kartupeļi | ||
| The word "kartupeļi" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*kartōn", meaning "small cart" or "wheelbarrow". | |||
| Lithuanian | bulvė | ||
| The word "bulvė" in Lithuanian comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "bhel-", meaning "to swell". This root is also found in other Baltic languages, such as Latvian "bulba" and Prussian "bulve". | |||
| Macedonian | компир | ||
| The word "компир" in Macedonian is closely related to the word "кромпир" in Serbian, both derived from the Bulgarian word "компир" which ultimately comes from the Turkish word "kumpir". | |||
| Polish | ziemniak | ||
| Ziemniak, in Polish, is a potato-like root vegetable, but its etymology and meanings are different from the English word "potato." | |||
| Romanian | cartof | ||
| The Romanian word 'cartof', meaning 'potato', is derived from French 'carotte', which originally meant 'carrot'. | |||
| Russian | картошка | ||
| The word "картошка" is derived from German "Kartoffel", which itself comes from Italian "tartufolo" meaning "truffle". | |||
| Serbian | кромпир | ||
| The word "кромпир" in Serbian is derived from the German word "Grundbirne", meaning "ground pear". | |||
| Slovak | zemiak | ||
| The word "zemiak" in Slovak originates from the German word "Erdapfel" meaning "earth apple." | |||
| Slovenian | krompir | ||
| "Krompir" is a loanword from German "Grundbirne," which literally means "ground pear." | |||
| Ukrainian | картопля | ||
| The word картопля, meaning "potato", originated from the Proto-Slavic *kъrtъplь, which also meant "potato", but is ultimately derived from the German word Kartoffel. | |||
Potato in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | আলু | ||
| The word "আলু" (alu) is derived from the Dravidian word "al" meaning "yam". | |||
| Gujarati | બટાકાની | ||
| The Gujarati word "બટાકાની" can also refer to a variety of potato-shaped objects, such as balls or toys. | |||
| Hindi | आलू | ||
| The term "आलू" is derived from the Portuguese word "batata" or the Spanish word "patata", denoting "sweet potato". | |||
| Kannada | ಆಲೂಗಡ್ಡೆ | ||
| In Kannada, 'ಆಲೂಗಡ್ಡೆ' ('potato') is a compound word that translates to 'underground stem'. | |||
| Malayalam | ഉരുളക്കിഴങ്ങ് | ||
| The word 'ഉരുളക്കിഴങ്ങ്' originally referred to the sweet potato, the potato we know today was later named on the basis of resemblance. | |||
| Marathi | बटाटा | ||
| In Marathi, "बटाटा" can also refer to a type of sweet potato. | |||
| Nepali | आलु | ||
| The Nepali word "आलु" (potato) is also used in some parts of India to refer to "yam". | |||
| Punjabi | ਆਲੂ | ||
| The word 'ਆਲੂ' can also refer to the shape of something resembling a potato. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අල | ||
| "අල" (potato) is also a term for a kind of ginger found in Sri Lanka. | |||
| Tamil | உருளைக்கிழங்கு | ||
| Telugu | బంగాళాదుంప | ||
| The word “బంగాళాదుంప” literally means “Bengali tuber” and is derived from the fact that potatoes were first introduced to India by traders from Bengal. | |||
| Urdu | آلو | ||
| In Sanskrit, the word 'आलु' meant 'yam', which was later borrowed into Persian as 'آلو' and then into Urdu as 'آلو'. | |||
Potato in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 土豆 | ||
| 土豆在英语中还有“小脚趾”的意思。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 土豆 | ||
| "土豆"在中文中既可以指马铃薯，又可以指一种原产于中国南方、形状类似马铃薯的块茎食物。 | |||
| Japanese | じゃがいも | ||
| The word "じゃがいも" is thought to be derived from the Spanish word "papa", meaning "potato", or the Portuguese word "batata", meaning "sweet potato". | |||
| Korean | 감자 | ||
| The word '감자' in Korean was derived from the Nahuatl word 'camotli' through Japanese. | |||
| Mongolian | төмс | ||
| The Mongolian word "төмс" originally meant "a tuber". The meaning was later narrowed and now it exclusively refers to potatoes. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အာလူး | ||
| "အာလူး" is the Burmese word for "potato". It is derived from the Hindi word "आलू" (aaloo), which in turn is derived from the Spanish word "papa". | |||
Potato in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kentang | ||
| The word 'kentang' is borrowed from Portuguese 'batata' and ultimately from Taino 'batata', originally referring to sweet potato. | |||
| Javanese | kentang | ||
| The word "kentang" in Javanese also means "the root of a plant or tree" or "tuber" in general. | |||
| Khmer | ដំឡូង | ||
| The word ដំឡូង is also used in Khmer to refer to a tuber used in traditional Chinese medicine. | |||
| Lao | ມັນຕົ້ນ | ||
| The Lao word "ມັນຕົ້ນ" (potato) is derived from the Khmer word "ម្នាស់" (sweet potato), which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word "मधुर" (sweet). | |||
| Malay | kentang | ||
| "Kentang" is the Malay word for "potato," derived from the Spanish word "patata" or the Portuguese word "batata." | |||
| Thai | มันฝรั่ง | ||
| The word "มันฝรั่ง" is derived from the Spanish word "patata", which originated from the Quechua word "papa". | |||
| Vietnamese | khoai tây | ||
| In Vietnamese, "khoai tây" also refers to sweet potatoes and other root vegetables. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | patatas | ||
Potato in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | kartof | ||
| In Turkish, the word "kartof" also refers to the sweet potato, while in Azerbaijani it refers to the potato. | |||
| Kazakh | картоп | ||
| The Kazakh word "картоп" (potato) shares the same etymology with an ancient Turkic word for a type of tuber or bulbous plant. | |||
| Kyrgyz | картошка | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "картошка" also means "potato" in Russian and "Solanum tuberosum" in Latin. | |||
| Tajik | картошка | ||
| Картошка (potato) entered Tajik from Russian and ultimately came from German "kartoffel" — "earth apple." | |||
| Turkmen | kartoşka | ||
| Uzbek | kartoshka | ||
| The word "kartoshka" comes from the Turkic root "kartoq," meaning "to dig or excavate," likely referring to the process of extracting the potato from the ground. | |||
| Uyghur | بەرەڭگە | ||
Potato in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻuala | ||
| 'Uala' originally meant 'yam' in Hawaiian, but it was later also used to refer to the sweet potato introduced by Europeans. | |||
| Maori | kūmara | ||
| In Maori mythology, the kūmara was said to have been created by Rongo, the god of cultivated plants. | |||
| Samoan | pateta | ||
| The English word "potato" comes from the Spanish word "patata", which entered English about 1625 while the Samoan "pateta" is likely a late 20th century derivation. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | patatas | ||
| "Patatas" is a loanword from the Spanish language and is unrelated to the native Tagalog word for potato. | |||
Potato in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ch'uqi | ||
| Guarani | makychĩ | ||
Potato in International Languages
| Esperanto | terpomo | ||
| The word "terpomo" can also refer to the constellation Orion's Belt. | |||
| Latin | capsicum annuum | ||
| The Latin name 'Capsicum annuum' refers to the annual pepper plant, not the potato. | |||
Potato in Others Languages
| Greek | πατάτα | ||
| Πατάτα (potato): The origin of the Greek word πατάτα is traced to the Nahuatl word | |||
| Hmong | qos yaj ywm | ||
| The Hmong word for potato ('qos yaj ywm') means 'the big round thing' in Hmong, derived from its size and shape. | |||
| Kurdish | kartol | ||
| In some parts of Kurdistan, "kartol" can also refer to a round-shaped type of Kurdish bread. | |||
| Turkish | patates | ||
| The word "Patates" has also been used as a slang word meaning "money", derived from the potato-shaped Ottoman coin.} | |||
| Xhosa | amazambane | ||
| The word "amazambane" is originally from Zulu and was adopted into Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | קאַרטאָפל | ||
| The Yiddish word קאַרטאָפל also means "pot". | |||
| Zulu | izambane | ||
| Izambane derives from "umbane", a tuber that has been eaten since the earliest times by the Nguni people. | |||
| Assamese | আলু | ||
| Aymara | ch'uqi | ||
| Bhojpuri | आलू | ||
| Dhivehi | އަލުވި | ||
| Dogri | आलू | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | patatas | ||
| Guarani | makychĩ | ||
| Ilocano | patatas | ||
| Krio | pɛtetɛ | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پەتاتە | ||
| Maithili | आलू | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯂꯨ | ||
| Mizo | alu | ||
| Oromo | dinnicha | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଆଳୁ | ||
| Quechua | papa | ||
| Sanskrit | आलूः | ||
| Tatar | бәрәңге | ||
| Tigrinya | ድንሽ | ||
| Tsonga | zambala | ||