Soup in Different Languages
Discover 'Soup' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Soup is a versatile and nourishing dish, enjoyed in various forms across the globe. Its significance extends beyond mere sustenance, as it often holds cultural importance and symbolism in many societies. Soup has been a comfort food in tough times, a celebratory dish in joyous occasions, and a healing elixir in traditional remedies. The word 'soup' has fascinating translations in different languages, reflecting the dish's unique characteristics and ingredients in various cultures.
For instance, in Spanish, 'soup' is 'sopa', while in French, it's 'soupe'. In Mandarin, it's '汤 (tāng)', and in Japanese, it's 'スープ (sūpu)'. These translations not only help us understand the word's equivalent in different languages but also offer a glimpse into the culinary and linguistic diversity of the world.
Exploring the translations of 'soup' is a delightful journey into the heart of global cuisine and culture. Stay tuned for a comprehensive list of 'soup' in various languages!
Soup
Soup in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | sop | ||
| In Afrikaans, "sop" (soup) derives from the Portuguese "so" (broth), not the English "soup". | |||
| Amharic | ሾርባ | ||
| "Shorba" is also a type of dish with bread soaked in sauce. | |||
| Hausa | miya | ||
| The word "miya" also means "broth" or "stew" in Hausa, and is used in this sense in many dishes. | |||
| Igbo | ofe | ||
| In addition to signifying "soup," the Igbo term "ofe" also refers to a specific type of soup made with pumpkin seeds and palm oil. | |||
| Malagasy | lasopy | ||
| The word 'lasopy' does not originate from the Malagasy language but likely derives from Arabic. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | msuzi | ||
| The word "msuzi" can also refer to a type of spicy relish or condiment made from peppers, onions, and tomatoes. | |||
| Shona | muto | ||
| In the Tonga language, "muto" also means "tree root" which can be used in traditional medicine. | |||
| Somali | maraq | ||
| The word 'Maraq' in Somali can also refer to a traditional herbal broth used for medicinal purposes. | |||
| Sesotho | sopho | ||
| The word "sopho" is also used to refer to a liquid in which something has been soaked. | |||
| Swahili | supu | ||
| The Swahili word 'supu' also has the meanings 'stew' or 'broth' depending on the context. | |||
| Xhosa | isuphu | ||
| The word "isuphu" can also mean "something that helps" or "something that strengthens". | |||
| Yoruba | bimo | ||
| In Yorùbá, "bímọ́" also means "child" and is figuratively connected to "soup" through the saying: "children are the soup of life." | |||
| Zulu | isobho | ||
| The word `isobho` may be related to `isithombo`, a type of thick porridge eaten in rural areas. | |||
| Bambara | naji | ||
| Ewe | detsi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | isupu | ||
| Lingala | supu | ||
| Luganda | supu | ||
| Sepedi | sopo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nkwan | ||
Soup in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | حساء | ||
| The word "حساء" (soup) in Arabic can also mean "to reckon" or "to think". | |||
| Hebrew | מרק | ||
| The Hebrew word `מרק` originally meant `broth` in Yiddish, but its meaning has since expanded to include all types of soup. | |||
| Pashto | سوپ | ||
| In Pashto, "سوپ" can also refer to a type of broth used in various dishes. | |||
| Arabic | حساء | ||
| The word "حساء" (soup) in Arabic can also mean "to reckon" or "to think". | |||
Soup in Western European Languages
| Albanian | supë | ||
| The Albanian word “supë” is cognate with Ancient Greek “zomos,” meaning “liquid” or “broth.” | |||
| Basque | zopa | ||
| Zopa is also a Basque surname, derived from the word for a muddy, boggy hollow, "zopa" or "zubi". | |||
| Catalan | sopa | ||
| Catalan "sopa" can mean toasted bread, which soaks up the broth of stews and sauces. | |||
| Croatian | juha | ||
| The word "juha" also means "broth" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | suppe | ||
| Suppe is the German word for soup and its spelling is a remnant of the old Danish word 'sup' used before soup was borrowed from French. | |||
| Dutch | soep | ||
| The word `soep` can also mean a large gathering of people, like a party or a meeting. | |||
| English | soup | ||
| In addition to its culinary sense, "soup" can also refer to a group of musicians, or a thick fog. | |||
| French | soupe | ||
| While the word "soupe" in French means "soup" in English, it also refers to a dish of boiled vegetables or a broth. | |||
| Frisian | sop | ||
| In Frisian, "sop" can also refer to a broth or a sauce. | |||
| Galician | sopa | ||
| In Galician, 'sopa' can also refer to a slice of bread dipped in a liquid, or a piece of bread soaked in milk or wine. | |||
| German | suppe | ||
| The word derives from the Old Dutch "sop", which referred to soaked pieces of bread. | |||
| Icelandic | súpa | ||
| In Icelandic, the word "súpa" can also refer to a kind of sweet pudding or porridge, similar to the Scottish "sup" or "sowans". | |||
| Irish | anraith | ||
| The Irish word 'anraith' originates from the Old Irish 'anroth', meaning 'a measure of food'. | |||
| Italian | la minestra | ||
| "Minestra" is originally a feminine form of "ministrare" (to serve) and it may also mean "portion of food" (like in the plural "minestre") or "alms" in some contexts. | |||
| Luxembourgish | zopp | ||
| Zopp can mean either a liquid or an edible mass made up of different elements and cooked together. | |||
| Maltese | soppa | ||
| Maltese word 'soppa' may also refer to a thick sauce, especially when used to accompany pasta dishes. | |||
| Norwegian | suppe | ||
| "Suppe" is also used in Norwegian as an expression of skepticism or doubt, similar to "yeah, right". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | sopa | ||
| "Sopa" can also refer to a blow or slap in the face. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | brot | ||
| The word 'brot' can also refer to a type of thick gruel or porridge made from oatmeal or barley. | |||
| Spanish | sopa | ||
| In Spanish, "sopa" also refers to a piece of bread soaked in broth or stew. | |||
| Swedish | soppa | ||
| The Swedish word "soppa" is also used to refer to a "mess" or a "messy situation". | |||
| Welsh | cawl | ||
| The word "cawl" is derived from the Welsh word "cael" meaning "to fetch," and refers to the process of fetching vegetables from the garden to make soup. | |||
Soup in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | суп | ||
| In Belarusian, "суп" can mean not only "soup", but also "broth" or "stew". | |||
| Bosnian | supa | ||
| "Supa" is also a term of endearment for a young girl in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | супа | ||
| The word “супа” has a Slavic origin and its cognates in other Slavic languages refer to sauces, broths, and stews, but not necessarily soups. | |||
| Czech | polévka | ||
| The word "polévka" is also used to refer to a watery solution or suspension, such as gravy or sauce. | |||
| Estonian | supp | ||
| In Estonian, the word "supp" can also refer to a type of fermented beverage made from oats or barley. | |||
| Finnish | keitto | ||
| The Finnish word "keitto" originated from the Proto-Germanic word for "to boil". | |||
| Hungarian | leves | ||
| The Hungarian word "leves" also refers to "juice" or "broth" and may derive from the Proto-Indo-European root *leuh₁- "to separate, dissolve". | |||
| Latvian | zupa | ||
| The Latvian word "zupa" is cognate with the Lithuanian word "sriuba" and the Old Prussian word "surpe", and originally meant "sour liquid". | |||
| Lithuanian | sriuba | ||
| The word "sriuba" also had meanings of "broth", "sauce" and "juice" in old Lithuanian | |||
| Macedonian | супа | ||
| The word "супа" (soup) is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *sъpъ, meaning "to sip". It is related to the words "sup" (sip) and "супа" (soup) in other Slavic languages. | |||
| Polish | zupa | ||
| The word "zupa" originates from the Proto-Slavic word "župa", meaning "broth" or "stew". | |||
| Romanian | supă | ||
| "Supă" is also the Romanian word for "broth" or "stock". | |||
| Russian | суп | ||
| The word “суп” can also refer to “broth” or a type of stew in Russian.} | |||
| Serbian | супа | ||
| The word "супа" (soup) is derived from the Proto-Slavic "*supa", which is related to the German "Suppe" | |||
| Slovak | polievka | ||
| In Slovak, the word polievka (soup) is related to the verb polievať, which means to pour. | |||
| Slovenian | juha | ||
| In Slovenian, "juha" not only means "soup", but also a "trench" or a "puddle". | |||
| Ukrainian | суп | ||
| The word 'суп' is derived from the French word 'soupe', which means 'to sip'. | |||
Soup in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | স্যুপ | ||
| In Bengali, 'স্যুপ' also means 'slush' or 'liquid mud'. | |||
| Gujarati | સૂપ | ||
| "સૂપ "comes from the Old French word "soupe" which refers to a broth or liquid dish | |||
| Hindi | सूप | ||
| The Hindi word "सूप" (soup) also refers to a type of coarse cloth that resembles a sieve and is used for straining liquids. | |||
| Kannada | ಸೂಪ್ | ||
| ಸೂಪ್ (soup) originates from Kannada word 'ಸುಪ್ಪು' meaning 'juice' and also refers to broth in Kannada cuisine. | |||
| Malayalam | സൂപ്പ് | ||
| The Malayalam word "സൂപ്പ്" (soup) is derived from the English word "soup" through a process of linguistic borrowing. | |||
| Marathi | सूप | ||
| The word 'soup' is not native to India or Marathi, instead its usage was borrowed from English. | |||
| Nepali | सूप | ||
| The word "सूप" can also refer to a type of herbal broth used in traditional Nepali medicine. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸੂਪ | ||
| In Punjabi, “ਸੂਪ” (soup) is also used to refer to a traditional Punjabi drink made of lentils and spices. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සුප් | ||
| The word "සුප්" (soup) in Sinhala is derived from the Portuguese word "sopa", which means "bread soaked in liquid". | |||
| Tamil | சூப் | ||
| The Tamil word சூப் "sūp" is derived from the French word "soupe" and the English word "soup," both meaning "soup." | |||
| Telugu | సూప్ | ||
| The word 'సూప్' ('soup') is derived from the French word 'soupe', which in turn comes from the Latin word 'suppa', meaning 'bread soaked in liquid'. | |||
| Urdu | سوپ | ||
| Although Urdu and Russian soups have different origins and pronunciations, "суп" (soup) entered the former after the October Revolution via Farsi, where it's spelled "سوپ" (sūp). | |||
Soup in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 汤 | ||
| The Chinese characters for "soup" are a pictograph of a steaming hot pot with food, and are used in Japanese and Korean as well. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 湯 | ||
| "湯" (Traditional) is a character in Chinese which has the same pronunciation and meaning of 「汤」 in simplified Chinese, and both of which are pronounced as "tang" in pinyin. It also means hot liquid, and can be used as the surname Tang in Chinese culture, which shares the same origin as "堂". | |||
| Japanese | スープ | ||
| In the 16th century, the word スープ originally meant "rice porridge" and is thought to have entered Japanese from Portuguese. | |||
| Korean | 수프 | ||
| The Korean word 수프 (soup) originates from the French word soupe, which ultimately derives from the Germanic word suppa meaning "to sip". | |||
| Mongolian | шөл | ||
| The Mongolian word "шөл" may also refer to a liquid or broth used in soups.} | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဟင်းချို | ||
Soup in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sup | ||
| In Javanese, "sup" means "water" and is typically used to refer to a dish with a broth base. | |||
| Javanese | sup | ||
| In Javanese, "sup" also means "to inhale", which is evident in the phrase "sup napas" (to breathe in). | |||
| Khmer | ស៊ុប | ||
| The word "ស៊ុប" ("soup") in Khmer is derived from the Sanskrit word "sup," which also means "juice" or "broth". | |||
| Lao | ແກງ | ||
| The word | |||
| Malay | sup | ||
| The Malay word 'sup', meaning 'soup', originated from the Hokkien Chinese word 'tsiu' referring to a broth-based dish. | |||
| Thai | ซุป | ||
| Thai word "ซุป" derives from the French "soupe" through Portuguese "sopa" | |||
| Vietnamese | súp | ||
| "Súp" is also a Vietnamese slang term for "to tell on someone" or "to rat out (on someone)" | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sabaw | ||
Soup in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | şorba | ||
| The word "şorba" in Azerbaijani can also refer to broth or bouillon. | |||
| Kazakh | сорпа | ||
| The word "сорпа" in Kazakh comes from the Old Turkic word "сор", meaning "to drink". It originally referred to the liquid part of a meal, and only later came to mean the entire dish. | |||
| Kyrgyz | шорпо | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "шорпо" comes from the Turkic word "çorba" meaning "stew" and is related to the Mongolian word "shor" meaning "liquid". | |||
| Tajik | шӯрбо | ||
| The word "шӯрбо" is derived from the Persian word "شوربا" which means "salty water". | |||
| Turkmen | çorba | ||
| Uzbek | osh | ||
| The word "osh" can refer to several types of stews, pilafs, or rice and meat dishes in Uzbek cuisine. | |||
| Uyghur | شورپا | ||
Soup in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hupa | ||
| The Hawaiian word "hupa" can also refer to a traditional Hawaiian feast. | |||
| Maori | hupa | ||
| The word "hupa" can also refer to a traditional Maori cloak made from woven flax fibers, often used for ceremonial purposes. | |||
| Samoan | supo | ||
| The Samoan word "supo" also refers to a broth made from coconuts or other vegetables. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sabaw | ||
| The term "sabaw" in Tagalog also refers to the remaining liquid after the main ingredients in a dish have been removed. | |||
Soup in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | kaltu | ||
| Guarani | tykue'i | ||
Soup in International Languages
| Esperanto | supo | ||
| In Esperanto, "supo" also means "broth". | |||
| Latin | pulmenti | ||
| "Pulmentum" in Latin also means "a mess of pottage, porridge, or mush". | |||
Soup in Others Languages
| Greek | σούπα | ||
| Σούπα derives from the Turkish word 'çorba' and can also refer to 'broth'. | |||
| Hmong | kua zaub | ||
| “Kua zaub” is also the name of a dish made from boiled pork, chicken feet, pigs ears, pork rinds, and offal. | |||
| Kurdish | şorbe | ||
| Şorbe shares its etymology with the word "şurup" (syrup) in Arabic and means both "soup" and "syrup" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | çorba | ||
| The word çorba, meaning "soup" in Turkish, finds its etymological roots in the Arabic word "shurba," which shares the same meaning, illustrating the long-standing culinary and linguistic exchange between the two cultures. | |||
| Xhosa | isuphu | ||
| The word "isuphu" can also mean "something that helps" or "something that strengthens". | |||
| Yiddish | זופּ | ||
| The Yiddish word "zop" is cognate with the English word "sop" and derives from the same Old English root "sop" meaning "to soak in liquid." | |||
| Zulu | isobho | ||
| The word `isobho` may be related to `isithombo`, a type of thick porridge eaten in rural areas. | |||
| Assamese | ছু’প | ||
| Aymara | kaltu | ||
| Bhojpuri | सूप | ||
| Dhivehi | ސޫޕް | ||
| Dogri | सूप | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | sabaw | ||
| Guarani | tykue'i | ||
| Ilocano | sabaw | ||
| Krio | sup | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | شۆربا | ||
| Maithili | सूप | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯝꯍꯤ | ||
| Mizo | tuiril | ||
| Oromo | shoorbaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସୁପ୍ | ||
| Quechua | lawa | ||
| Sanskrit | आसवं | ||
| Tatar | аш | ||
| Tigrinya | ሳሙና | ||
| Tsonga | supu | ||