Rice in Different Languages
Discover 'Rice' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Rice, a staple food for over half of the world's population, is more than just a grain. It's a symbol of sustenance, cultural significance, and a common thread that weaves through the rich tapestry of global cuisines. From the terraced paddies of Asia to the southern swamps of Louisiana, rice has played a vital role in shaping societies and palates alike.
Did you know that rice is believed to have been domesticated over 9,000 years ago in the Yangtze River valley of China? Or that there are more than 40,000 varieties of rice worldwide? These fascinating facts underscore the importance of understanding rice in different languages.
Whether you're a food enthusiast, a world traveler, or a language learner, knowing the translation of rice in various languages can enrich your understanding of different cultures and broaden your culinary horizons.
Here are a few sample translations to pique your interest:
- Rice in Spanish: arroz
- Rice in French: riz
- Rice in German: Reis
- Rice in Italian: riso
- Rice in Russian: рис (ris)
Rice
Rice in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | rys | ||
| The Afrikaans word for "rice" ("rys") is likely a corruption of the Indonesian word "nasi", which can refer to cooked rice, a meal or even a ceremony. | |||
| Amharic | ሩዝ | ||
| ሩዝ ('ruz') comes from the Arabic "ruzz" which also has the meanings "provisions of sustenance" | |||
| Hausa | shinkafa | ||
| Shinkafa, meaning rice in Hausa, may have originated from the word 'shin' which means to plant, or from the Berber word 'shnf' referring to wheat or barley. | |||
| Igbo | osikapa | ||
| While osikapa is the common word for rice, it also means "food" or "sustenance" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | -bary | ||
| -BARY also means "paddy fields" or "rice fields" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mpunga | ||
| In the Nyanja dialect of the Bantu language, mpunga is referred to as 'Mphopi' and comes from the root word 'fupha' which means 'to dream'. | |||
| Shona | mupunga | ||
| The word 'mupunga' in Shona is derived from the Proto-Bantu word '*punga', meaning 'dry' or 'withered'. | |||
| Somali | bariis | ||
| The word bariis comes from the Arabic word barīz, meaning | |||
| Sesotho | raese | ||
| The word "raese" also means "a grain or food made from rice" | |||
| Swahili | mchele | ||
| The word "Mchele" can also refer to small stones or gravel in Swahili, due to their resemblance to rice grains. | |||
| Xhosa | irayisi | ||
| In isiZulu, irayisi also refers to a rice-like maize porridge made using a stamping block and mortar. | |||
| Yoruba | iresi | ||
| The Yoruba word "ìrẹsì" can also refer to the husked grain of any type of cereal or legume. | |||
| Zulu | irayisi | ||
| The Zulu word "irayisi" may have derived from the Portuguese "arroz" meaning "rice". | |||
| Bambara | malo | ||
| Ewe | mᴐli | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umuceri | ||
| Lingala | loso | ||
| Luganda | omuceere | ||
| Sepedi | raese | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɛmo | ||
Rice in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أرز | ||
| 'أرز' in Arabic is of Persian origin, and its original meaning is 'food', 'provisions', 'nourishment', or 'sustenance'. | |||
| Hebrew | אורז | ||
| The Hebrew word "אורז" (orez) comes from the Arabic word "أرز" (ʾruzz), which in turn derives from the ancient Greek word "ὄρυζα" (óryza). | |||
| Pashto | وريجي | ||
| Derived from Persian "beryānj" and Sanskrit "vrīhi". | |||
| Arabic | أرز | ||
| 'أرز' in Arabic is of Persian origin, and its original meaning is 'food', 'provisions', 'nourishment', or 'sustenance'. | |||
Rice in Western European Languages
| Albanian | oriz | ||
| The word "oriz" in Albanian, meaning "rice," is derived from the Medieval Latin word "oryza," which in turn originated from the Greek word "oryza." | |||
| Basque | arroza | ||
| The word "arroza" in Basque may derive from Arabic and originally meant "food". | |||
| Catalan | arròs | ||
| The Catalan word "arròs" comes from the Arabic word "al-ruzz", meaning "cooked grain" or "cooked barley". | |||
| Croatian | riža | ||
| The word "riža" is derived from Proto-Slavic "ryža" and can also refer to a type of porridge made from rice. | |||
| Danish | ris | ||
| The word "ris" in Danish can also refer to twigs or branches used in traditional Danish building techniques. | |||
| Dutch | rijst | ||
| In Dutch the word "rijst" not only means rice, but also refers to a popular Dutch dish consisting of rice boiled in milk or water and often served with cinnamon and sugar | |||
| English | rice | ||
| In Middle English, 'rice' also referred to any rich or powerful person, likely from Old French 'riche,' meaning 'wealthy'. | |||
| French | riz | ||
| In Old French, "riz" also referred to a type of grain used to make flour. | |||
| Frisian | rys | ||
| In Frisian the word "rys" has the same Germanic origin as the words "rye" and "rushes" in English. | |||
| Galician | arroz | ||
| The name “arroz” is of Arabic origin and has the same root as “ruzz” in Persian, “ruaj” in Hebrew, and “oryza” in Greek | |||
| German | reis | ||
| The German word "Reis" originally meant "journey", but later took on the meaning of "rice" due to its importance as a trade good. | |||
| Icelandic | hrísgrjón | ||
| "Hrísgrjón" can also be used to refer to any small, round grain, such as barley, oats or rye. | |||
| Irish | rís | ||
| rís (rice) stems from an Old Irish word for "provision" and is cognate with "wheat" in other Celtic languages. | |||
| Italian | riso | ||
| In some parts of Italy, “riso | |||
| Luxembourgish | reis | ||
| Luxembourgish "Reis" comes from Late Latin "risum" (to laugh) | |||
| Maltese | ross | ||
| The word "ross" is derived from the Arabic word "ar-ruzz", which refers to uncooked rice. | |||
| Norwegian | ris | ||
| The word "ris" can also mean "brush" or "twig" in Norwegian. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | arroz | ||
| In Brazil, the word “arroz” can also refer to the rice and beans dish, a staple of Brazilian cuisine. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | rus | ||
| The Gaelic word "rus" also means "bark" in relation to a tree. | |||
| Spanish | arroz | ||
| In some countries, | |||
| Swedish | ris | ||
| The word "ris" in Swedish can also mean "scratch" or "incision", likely derived from the Old Norse word "risa". | |||
| Welsh | reis | ||
| The word 'reis' in Welsh is also used as a synonym for 'king' or 'chief'. | |||
Rice in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | рыс | ||
| The word "рыс" (rice) in Belarusian is cognate with the Russian word "рис" (rice) and the English word "rice". It is also related to the Latin word "oryza", which is the source of the English word "oryza". | |||
| Bosnian | pirinač | ||
| The word 'pirinač' is a loanword from Turkish that originally meant 'boiled wheat'. | |||
| Bulgarian | ориз | ||
| "Ориз" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *oryzъ, which is derived from the Greek word ὄρυζα (óryza). | |||
| Czech | rýže | ||
| The Czech word "rýže" is thought to derive from an old German term for rice that is related to the word "Roggen," which means rye. | |||
| Estonian | riis | ||
| Riis is etymologically related to the English word "rice" but also refers to "rag". | |||
| Finnish | riisi | ||
| In Finnish, the word "riisi" is also used to refer to any type of grain. | |||
| Hungarian | rizs | ||
| In Hungarian, the word "rizs" also figuratively means "a lot". | |||
| Latvian | rīsi | ||
| The word "rīsi" can also refer to "cereals" or "grains" in Latvian, not just "rice". | |||
| Lithuanian | ryžiai | ||
| The word "ryžiai" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₃reyh₃-, meaning "to rub". This reflects the traditional method of preparing rice, where the husks are removed by rubbing the grains together. | |||
| Macedonian | ориз | ||
| The word "ориз" ultimately comes from Greek "ὄρυζα" | |||
| Polish | ryż | ||
| Etymology of Ryż: from the Proto-Slavic word *ryžь, most likely of Iranian origin. | |||
| Romanian | orez | ||
| The word "orez" (rice) in Romanian is derived from the Latin word "oryza" through the Old Church Slavonic "orĭz". | |||
| Russian | рис | ||
| "Рис" comes from the Sanskrit word "vrihi" or "vrizi" that means "best grain." | |||
| Serbian | пиринач | ||
| The word "пиринач" can also refer to a type of bird known as a rice bird, or oryzornis. | |||
| Slovak | ryža | ||
| The Slovak word "ryža" originates from the Persian word "brinj" meaning "rice plant". | |||
| Slovenian | riž | ||
| The word 'riž' also refers to the plant species 'Oryza sativa' and the grain produced by it. | |||
| Ukrainian | рис | ||
| The word "рис" comes from German "reis", which in turn comes from the Greek "oryza". | |||
Rice in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ভাত | ||
| The Bengali equivalent of 'rice,' ভাত ('bhat'), originally signified cooked food in general. | |||
| Gujarati | ચોખા | ||
| The Gujarati word "ચોખા" is derived from Sanskrit "चरु" meaning cooked rice, boiled cereals, or food in general. | |||
| Hindi | चावल | ||
| - "चावल" can also refer to "paddy". | |||
| Kannada | ಅಕ್ಕಿ | ||
| The word "ಅಕ್ಕಿ" (rice) is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word "*akki" meaning "grain" or "food." | |||
| Malayalam | അരി | ||
| "അരി" (ari) also means "grains" or "particles", and is used as a suffix or prefix for words relating to such meanings, such as "മണലരി" (manalari, "grains of sand"). | |||
| Marathi | तांदूळ | ||
| "तांदूळ" has multiple meanings including the plant itself as well as the grain that is a staple food for much of the world. | |||
| Nepali | चामल | ||
| The word चामल derives from the Sanskrit word शालि (śāli), meaning 'rice plant or paddy'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਚੌਲ | ||
| The word "ਚੌਲ" (rice) in Punjabi is derived from the Sanskrit word "चावल" (cāvala), which itself is derived from the Dravidian word "சோறு" (cōṟu). | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සහල් | ||
| The word සහල් (rice) in Sinhala originated from the Sanskrit word "sali". | |||
| Tamil | அரிசி | ||
| The word 'அரிசி' ('rice') is derived from the proto-Dravidian word 'அறு' ('to cut') and refers to the process of removing the husk from the rice grains. | |||
| Telugu | బియ్యం | ||
| The word "బియ్యం" can also mean "grain" or "seed" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | چاول | ||
| The word "चावल" or "چاول" is derived from Sanskrit and originally meant "moving" or "shaking". | |||
Rice in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 白饭 | ||
| "白饭" in Chinese also refers to a plain meal without any dishes. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 白飯 | ||
| 白飯 is also used informally to refer to plain, boring, or uninspired writing or speech. | |||
| Japanese | ご飯 | ||
| The word “ご飯” (pronounced “gohan”) means “cooked rice” in Japanese, but it can also be used figuratively to refer to a meal in general. | |||
| Korean | 쌀 | ||
| The word "쌀" can also refer to the husk of rice, or to the process of threshing rice. | |||
| Mongolian | будаа | ||
| The Mongolian word "будаа" also refers to the "meal" consumed at noon. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဆန် | ||
| The word "ဆန်" also has the alternate meaning of "raw rice". | |||
Rice in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | nasi | ||
| "Nasi" derives from Sanskrit "Shali," meaning "husked rice," also yielding "nasi" in Malay. | |||
| Javanese | sega | ||
| The word "sega" in Javanese is an Old Javanese word for "boiled rice", and the root word likely relates to the act of steaming or boiling rice. | |||
| Khmer | អង្ករ | ||
| "អង្ករ" can be translated into "rice" but also designates the ancient city of Angkor or Angkor Wat | |||
| Lao | ເຂົ້າ | ||
| The Lao word 'ເຂົ້າ' shares an etymology with the Thai word 'ข้าว' ('rice'), both of which derive from the Proto-Tai word 'khaw' meaning 'to eat'. | |||
| Malay | nasi | ||
| The word 'nasi' can also refer to cooked rice with various seasonings or dishes, such as 'nasi goreng' (fried rice) or 'nasi lemak' (coconut rice). | |||
| Thai | ข้าว | ||
| ข้าว is also a unit of measurement in Thailand, equivalent to 15 kilograms. | |||
| Vietnamese | cơm | ||
| "Cơm" also means "meal" or "food" in Vietnamese, highlighting the central role of rice in Vietnamese cuisine. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kanin | ||
Rice in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | düyü | ||
| "Düyü," meaning "rice" in Azerbaijani, derives from the Proto-Turkic word "tü" meaning "grain". | |||
| Kazakh | күріш | ||
| The Kazakh word "күріш" also refers to a type of wrestling known as "kazaksha kures" or "Kazakh wrestling". | |||
| Kyrgyz | күрүч | ||
| It is a loanword from the Persian word | |||
| Tajik | биринҷ | ||
| The Tajik word "биринҷ" is borrowed from Persian and is ultimately derived from Sanskrit "vrihi-." Sanskrit cognate "vrihi-" is also at the root of the English words "bread" and "brew." | |||
| Turkmen | tüwi | ||
| Uzbek | guruch | ||
| The word | |||
| Uyghur | گۈرۈچ | ||
Rice in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | laiki | ||
| Laiki is also the Hawaiian word for "to live". | |||
| Maori | raihi | ||
| The Maori word "raihi" is derived from the Proto-Polynesian word "*lahi", meaning "cooked food". | |||
| Samoan | araisa | ||
| In Samoan, 'araisa' is a shortened form of the word 'la'au 'araisa' meaning 'rice plant'. As a noun it means 'rice grains'. Its verb form also means 'to cultivate rice' or 'to plant rice'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | bigas | ||
| "Bigas" is an Old Javanese word that originally means "cooked food" but now specifically means "cooked rice". Thus the related word "bahao," now meaning rice pudding in Tagalog, comes from another Old Javanese word, "bhawa," that meant "wet cooked food". | |||
Rice in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | arusa | ||
| Guarani | arro | ||
Rice in International Languages
| Esperanto | rizo | ||
| The word "rizo" is a borrowing from Italian, and ultimately comes from Arabic "ruzz". | |||
| Latin | rice | ||
| In Latin, “rice” is also known as “oriza”, which derives from the Greek word “ὄρυζα” (orýza). | |||
Rice in Others Languages
| Greek | ρύζι | ||
| The word "ρύζι" is ultimately derived from Sanskrit "vrīhí", which refers to a specific type of rice known as wild rice. | |||
| Hmong | txhuv | ||
| The term "txhuv" is derived from proto-Hmong-Mien word "tsʰu", meaning "rice" or "edible grain". | |||
| Kurdish | birinc | ||
| The word "birinc" in Kurdish also refers to a type of pilaf dish made with rice. | |||
| Turkish | pirinç | ||
| The word "pirinç" is derived from the Persian word "bīrj" and is related to the Greek word "πυρός" (puros), meaning "wheat" or "grain". | |||
| Xhosa | irayisi | ||
| In isiZulu, irayisi also refers to a rice-like maize porridge made using a stamping block and mortar. | |||
| Yiddish | רייַז | ||
| In Yiddish, "רייַז" also refers to the grains of barley and oats. | |||
| Zulu | irayisi | ||
| The Zulu word "irayisi" may have derived from the Portuguese "arroz" meaning "rice". | |||
| Assamese | ভাত | ||
| Aymara | arusa | ||
| Bhojpuri | चाऊर | ||
| Dhivehi | ބަތް | ||
| Dogri | चौल | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kanin | ||
| Guarani | arro | ||
| Ilocano | innapoy | ||
| Krio | res | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | برنج | ||
| Maithili | भात | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯦꯡ | ||
| Mizo | buhfai | ||
| Oromo | ruuzii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଚାଉଳ | | ||
| Quechua | arroz | ||
| Sanskrit | तांडुलः | ||
| Tatar | дөге | ||
| Tigrinya | ሩዝ | ||
| Tsonga | rhayisi | ||