Cheese in Different Languages: Delicious It Around the World

if you are traveling, learning a new language, exploring international food culture, or simply curious about vocabulary, knowing how to say cheese in different languages is a useful and fun place to start.

The word for cheese changes significantly across languages. Some languages use a native word, while others use a loanword that sounds surprisingly to English speakers.

Below, you will find 70 cheese translations, with the native phrase, an easy English pronunciation, a practical example, and the English meaning.

This guide makes it easy to learn how to say cheese in different languages, compare cheese in all languages, and discover how this everyday food is named around the world.

Cheese in All Languages: 70 Translations

The translations below use commonly recognized words for cheese. Pronunciations are simplified for English speakers, so they are intended as learning aids rather than precise phonetic transcriptions.

#	Language	Native phrase	Easy English pronunciation	Example sentence	English meaning
1	English	Cheese	cheez	I like cheese.	I like cheese.
2	Spanish	Queso	KEH-soh	Me gusta el queso.	I like cheese.
3	French	Fromage	froh-MAHZH	J’aime le fromage.	I like cheese.
4	German	Käse	KAY-zuh	Ich mag Käse.	I like cheese.
5	Italian	Formaggio	for-MAHJ-joh	Mi piace il formaggio.	I like cheese.
6	Portuguese	Queijo	KAY-zhoo	Eu gosto de queijo.	I like cheese.
7	Dutch	Kaas	kahs	Ik hou van kaas.	I love cheese.
8	Russian	Сыр	seer	Я люблю сыр.	I love cheese.
9	Chinese (Mandarin)	奶酪	nigh-LAOW	我喜欢奶酪。	I like cheese.
10	Japanese	チーズ	CHEEZ-oo	チーズが好きです。	I like cheese.
11	Korean	치즈	CHEE-jeu	저는 치즈를 좋아해요.	I like cheese.
12	Arabic	جبن	jubn	أنا أحب الجبن.	I love cheese.
13	Hindi	पनीर	puh-NEER	मुझे पनीर पसंद है।	I like cheese.
14	Urdu	پنیر	puh-NEER	مجھے پنیر پسند ہے۔	I like cheese.
15	Bengali	পনির	poh-NEER	আমি পনির পছন্দ করি।	I like cheese.
16	Turkish	Peynir	pay-NEER	Peyniri seviyorum.	I love cheese.
17	Greek	Τυρί	tee-REE	Μου αρέσει το τυρί.	I like cheese.
18	Polish	Ser	sehr	Lubię ser.	I like cheese.
19	Swedish	Ost	oost	Jag gillar ost.	I like cheese.
20	Norwegian	Ost	oost	Jeg liker ost.	I like cheese.
21	Danish	Ost	ohst	Jeg kan lide ost.	I like cheese.
22	Finnish	Juusto	YOO-stoh	Pidän juustosta.	I like cheese.
23	Czech	Sýr	seer	Mám rád sýr.	I like cheese.
24	Slovak	Syr	seer	Mám rád syr.	I like cheese.
25	Hungarian	Sajt	shoyt	Szeretem a sajtot.	I love cheese.
26	Romanian	Brânză	BRUHN-zuh	Îmi place brânza.	I like cheese.
27	Bulgarian	Сирене	see-REH-neh	Обичам сирене.	I love cheese.
28	Croatian	Sir	seer	Volim sir.	I love cheese.
29	Serbian	Сир	seer	Волим сир.	I love cheese.
30	Slovenian	Sir	seer	Rad imam sir.	I like cheese.
31	Ukrainian	Сир	seer	Я люблю сир.	I love cheese.
32	Hebrew	גבינה	gvee-NAH	אני אוהב גבינה.	I love cheese.
33	Thai	ชีส	cheez	ฉันชอบชีส	I like cheese.
34	Vietnamese	Phô mai	foh-MY	Tôi thích phô mai.	I like cheese.
35	Indonesian	Keju	keh-JOO	Saya suka keju.	I like cheese.
36	Malay	Keju	keh-JOO	Saya suka keju.	I like cheese.
37	Filipino	Keso	keh-SOH	Gusto ko ang keso.	I like cheese.
38	Swahili	Jibini	jee-BEE-nee	Ninapenda jibini.	I love cheese.
39	Afrikaans	Kaas	kahs	Ek hou van kaas.	I love cheese.
40	Zulu	Ushizi	oo-SHEE-zee	Ngiyathanda ushizi.	I love cheese.
41	Amharic	አይብ	eye-b	አይብ እወዳለሁ።	I like cheese.
42	Persian	پنیر	pah-NEER	من پنیر دوست دارم.	I like cheese.
43	Pashto	پنیر	pah-NEER	زه پنیر خوښوم.	I like cheese.
44	Nepali	चीज	cheez	मलाई चीज मन पर्छ।	I like cheese.
45	Sinhala	චීස්	cheez	මම චීස් වලට කැමතියි.	I like cheese.
46	Tamil	சீஸ்	sees	எனக்கு சீஸ் பிடிக்கும்.	I like cheese.
47	Telugu	చీజ్	cheez	నాకు చీజ్ ఇష్టం.	I like cheese.
48	Kannada	ಚೀಸ್	cheez	ನನಗೆ ಚೀಸ್ ಇಷ್ಟ.	I like cheese.
49	Marathi	चीज	cheez	मला चीज आवडते.	I like cheese.
50	Gujarati	ચીઝ	cheez	મને ચીઝ ગમે છે.	I like cheese.
51	Punjabi	ਪਨੀਰ	puh-NEER	ਮੈਨੂੰ ਪਨੀਰ ਪਸੰਦ ਹੈ।	I like cheese.
52	Icelandic	Ostur	OS-tur	Mér líkar ostur.	I like cheese.
53	Estonian	Juust	YOOST	Mulle meeldib juust.	I like cheese.
54	Latvian	Siers	see-ers	Man patīk siers.	I like cheese.
55	Lithuanian	Sūris	SOO-ris	Man patinka sūris.	I like cheese.
56	Albanian	Djathë	JATH-uh	Më pëlqen djathi.	I like cheese.
57	Macedonian	Сирење	see-REH-nyeh	Сакам сирење.	I like cheese.
58	Armenian	Պանիր	pah-NEER	Ես սիրում եմ պանիր։	I love cheese.
59	Georgian	ყველი	KVEH-lee	მე მიყვარს ყველი.	I love cheese.
60	Mongolian	Бяслаг	BYAS-lag	Би бяслагт дуртай.	I like cheese.
61	Khmer	ឈីស	cheess	ខ្ញុំចូលចិត្តឈីស។	I like cheese.
62	Lao	ຊີສ	cheez	ຂ້ອຍມັກຊີສ.	I like cheese.
63	Burmese	ချိစ်	cheets	ကျွန်တော် ချိစ် ကြိုက်တယ်။	I like cheese.
64	Haitian Creole	Fwomaj	fwoh-MAHZH	Mwen renmen fwomaj.	I love cheese.
65	Catalan	Formatge	for-MAHT-jeh	M’agrada el formatge.	I like cheese.
66	Basque	Gazta	GAH-stah	Gazta gustatzen zait.	I like cheese.
67	Irish	Cáis	kawsh	Is maith liom cáis.	I like cheese.
68	Welsh	Caws	kows	Rwy’n hoffi caws.	I like cheese.
69	Maltese	Ġobon	JOH-bon	Inħobb il-ġobon.	I love cheese.
70	Persian	پنیر	pah-NEER	من پنیر را دوست دارم.	I like cheese.

How to Say Cheese in Different Languages

The easiest way to remember these translations is to group languages by familiar patterns.

In several European languages, the word looks completely different from English. Spanish uses queso, French uses fromage, Italian uses formaggio, German uses Käse, and Portuguese uses queijo.

South Asian languages also show interesting differences. Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Persian, Pashto, and Armenian commonly use forms built around paneer/panir, while several Indian languages also use loanwords based on “cheese.”

Cheese Around the World

In Europe, cheese appears in sandwiches, pastries, pasta, salads, sauces, and traditional cheese boards.

In South Asia, paneer is widely used in dishes where a firm fresh cheese is needed. In East and Southeast Asia, words for cheese may be native terms, adapted loanwords, or both depending on the language and culinary context.

This means that cheese translations do not always describe exactly the same type of product. A word may refer broadly to cheese, while a related local term can identify a particular fresh, soft, aged, or processed variety.

Common Cheese Words to Remember

If you only want to learn a small selection first, start with these widely useful terms:

• Spanish: queso
• French: fromage
• German: Käse
• Italian: formaggio
• Portuguese: queijo
• Dutch: kaas
• Russian: сыр
• Turkish: peynir
• Greek: τυρί
• Japanese: チーズ
• Korean: 치즈
• Arabic: جبن
• Hindi: पनीर
• Urdu: پنیر
• Chinese: 奶酪

Learning even five or ten of these can make international food vocabulary easier to recognize.

Why Learn Cheese Translations?

When traveling, the local word can help you understand menus, grocery labels, restaurant conversations, and food markets.

Language learners can also use familiar food words to build vocabulary because they are easy to connect with real-life experiences.

For food lovers, comparing cheese names around the world is another simple way to discover how languages and culinary traditions influence one another.

Tips for Using Cheese in Another Language

When ordering food, remember that the general word for cheese may not identify the exact variety you want. If you need cheddar, mozzarella, feta, paneer, or another specific type, use the variety’s local or internationally recognized name.

Pronunciation also varies by region. The English-friendly pronunciations in the table are deliberately simple, so they should be treated as approximate guides rather than exact native pronunciation.

For best results, listen to native speakers when learning a language and pay attention to vowel length, stress, tones, and sounds that do not exist in English.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do you say cheese in different languages?

The word varies by language. For example, Spanish is queso, French is fromage, German is Käse, Italian is formaggio, Turkish is peynir, Japanese is チーズ, and Arabic is جبن.

2. What is cheese called in Hindi and Urdu?

In Hindi, cheese can be called पनीर (paneer), while Urdu commonly uses پنیر (paneer). Depending on context, speakers may also use other terms for specific cheese products.

3. What is the most common cheese word around the world?

There is no single universal word for cheese. Different languages have their own terms, although some languages have adopted words resembling the English word “cheese,” particularly for modern processed cheese products.

4. How can I pronounce cheese translations correctly?

The pronunciations in this guide are simplified English-friendly guides. For accurate pronunciation, learn the sounds, stress, and tones used by native speakers of the particular language.

5. Why are some cheese translations similar across languages?

Languages often borrow food vocabulary through trade, migration, cultural exchange, and modern globalization. This is why some languages use native words while others use adapted forms of internationally familiar terms.

Conclusion

Learning cheese in different languages is a simple way to explore vocabulary, food, and culture at the same time.

From queso and fromage to paneer, peynir, チーズ, and 치즈, these 70 translations show how one everyday food can have many linguistic identities.

Whether you are preparing for international travel, studying languages, or simply curious about how to say cheese around the world, this list gives you a practical starting point.

---