Cheese in Different Languages: How to Say Cheese

Cheese is one of the world’s most familiar foods, but its name changes from language to language. Learning how to say cheese in different languages is a simple way to explore vocabulary, food culture, and everyday communication around the world.

Whether you are traveling, learning a new language, creating multilingual content, or simply curious about global food words, this guide gives you 70 useful cheese translations in one easy-to-read table.

How to Say Cheese in Different Languages

The word for cheese can vary significantly across languages. Some languages use forms that are historically related to words found in neighboring languages, while others have completely different-looking terms.

The table below shows cheese in all languages with the native expression, an easy English pronunciation, and a short example you can use in everyday conversation.

Cheese in 70 Different Languages

#	Language	Native phrase	Easy English pronunciation	Example sentence	English meaning
1	English	cheese	cheez	I love cheese on my sandwich.	I love cheese on my sandwich.
2	Spanish	queso	KAY-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	Swedish	ost	oost	Jag gillar ost.	I like cheese.
9	Norwegian	ost	oost	Jeg liker ost.	I like cheese.
10	Danish	ost	ohst	Jeg kan lide ost.	I like cheese.
11	Finnish	juusto	YOO-stoh	Pidän juustosta.	I like cheese.
12	Icelandic	ostur	OH-stur	Ég borða ost.	I eat cheese.
13	Irish	cáis	kaysh	Is maith liom cáis.	I like cheese.
14	Scottish Gaelic	càise	KAH-shuh	Is toil leam càise.	I like cheese.
15	Welsh	caws	cows	Rwy’n hoffi caws.	I like cheese.
16	Polish	ser	sair	Lubię ser.	I like cheese.
17	Czech	sýr	seer	Mám rád sýr.	I like cheese.
18	Slovak	syr	seer	Mám rád syr.	I like cheese.
19	Slovenian	sir	seer	Rad imam sir.	I like cheese.
20	Croatian	sir	seer	Volim sir.	I love cheese.
21	Serbian	сир	seer	Волим сир.	I love cheese.
22	Bosnian	sir	seer	Volim sir.	I love cheese.
23	Macedonian	сирење	SEE-rehn-yeh	Сакам сирење.	I like cheese.
24	Bulgarian	сирене	SEE-reh-neh	Обичам сирене.	I love cheese.
25	Russian	сыр	seer	Я люблю сыр.	I love cheese.
26	Ukrainian	сир	seer	Я люблю сир.	I love cheese.
27	Belarusian	сыр	seer	Я люблю сыр.	I love cheese.
28	Lithuanian	sūris	SOO-ris	Aš mėgstu sūrį.	I like cheese.
29	Latvian	siers	SEE-ers	Man garšo siers.	I like cheese.
30	Estonian	juust	YOOST	Mulle meeldib juust.	I like cheese.
31	Romanian	brânză	BRUN-zuh	Îmi place brânza.	I like cheese.
32	Hungarian	sajt	shahyt	Szeretem a sajtot.	I like cheese.
33	Greek	τυρί	tee-REE	Μου αρέσει το τυρί.	I like cheese.
34	Albanian	djathë	JAH-thuh	Më pëlqen djathi.	I like cheese.
35	Armenian	պանիր	pah-NEER	Ես սիրում եմ պանիր։	I love cheese.
36	Georgian	ყველი	KVEL-ee	მე მიყვარს ყველი.	I love cheese.
37	Turkish	peynir	PAY-neer	Peyniri seviyorum.	I like cheese.
38	Azerbaijani	pendir	pen-DEER	Mən pendiri sevirəm.	I like cheese.
39	Persian	پنیر	pa-NEER	من پنیر دوست دارم.	I like cheese.
40	Arabic	جبن	JUBN	أنا أحب الجبن.	I love cheese.
41	Hebrew	גבינה	gvee-NAH	אני אוהב גבינה.	I love cheese.
42	Hindi	पनीर	puh-NEER	मुझे पनीर पसंद है।	I like paneer/cheese.
43	Urdu	پنیر	puh-NEER	مجھے پنیر پسند ہے۔	I like cheese.
44	Bengali	পনির	poh-NEER	আমি পনির পছন্দ করি।	I like cheese.
45	Punjabi	ਪਨੀਰ	puh-NEER	ਮੈਨੂੰ ਪਨੀਰ ਪਸੰਦ ਹੈ।	I like cheese.
46	Gujarati	પનીર	puh-NEER	મને પનીર ગમે છે.	I like cheese.
47	Marathi	चीज	cheez	मला चीज आवडते.	I like cheese.
48	Nepali	पनिर	puh-NEER	मलाई पनिर मन पर्छ।	I like cheese.
49	Tamil	பாலாடைக்கட்டி	paa-laa-dai-KAT-tee	எனக்கு பாலாடைக்கட்டி பிடிக்கும்.	I like cheese.
50	Telugu	చీజ్	cheez	నాకు చీజ్ ఇష్టం.	I like cheese.
51	Kannada	ಚೀಸ್	cheez	ನನಗೆ ಚೀಸ್ ಇಷ್ಟ.	I like cheese.
52	Malayalam	ചീസ്	cheez	എനിക്ക് ചീസ് ഇഷ്ടമാണ്.	I like cheese.
53	Sinhala	චීස්	cheez	මම චීස් වලට කැමතියි.	I like cheese.
54	Chinese (Mandarin)	奶酪	nǎi lào	我喜欢奶酪。	I like cheese.
55	Japanese	チーズ	chīzu	私はチーズが好きです。	I like cheese.
56	Korean	치즈	chee-jeu	저는 치즈를 좋아해요.	I like cheese.
57	Vietnamese	phô mai	foh-my	Tôi thích phô mai.	I like cheese.
58	Thai	ชีส	cheet	ฉันชอบชีส	I like cheese.
59	Indonesian	keju	KAY-joo	Saya suka keju.	I like cheese.
60	Malay	keju	KAY-joo	Saya suka keju.	I like cheese.
61	Filipino	keso	KEH-soh	Gusto ko ang keso.	I like cheese.
62	Javanese	keju	KAY-joo	Aku seneng keju.	I like cheese.
63	Swahili	jibini	jee-BEE-nee	Ninapenda jibini.	I like cheese.
64	Zulu	ushizi	oo-SHEE-zee	Ngiyawuthanda ushizi.	I like cheese.
65	Afrikaans	kaas	kahs	Ek hou van kaas.	I love cheese.
66	Amharic	አይብ	ayb	አይብ እወዳለሁ።	I like cheese.
67	Somali	farmaajo	far-MAA-joh	Waxaan jeclahay farmaajo.	I like cheese.
68	Malagasy	fromazy	froh-MAH-zee	Tiako ny fromazy.	I like cheese.
69	Haitian Creole	fwomaj	fwoh-MAHZH	Mwen renmen fwomaj.	I love cheese.
70	Esperanto	fromaĝo	froh-MAH-joh	Mi ŝatas fromaĝon.	I like cheese.

Cheese Translations Around the World

The word for cheese reflects the history and language family of each region. For example, several European languages have related forms, while languages in Asia and Africa often use entirely different vocabulary or borrowed terms.

Some languages also distinguish between different kinds of cheese more specifically. In South Asian languages, for example, words such as paneer commonly refer to a fresh cheese used in cooking.

In everyday conversation, however, the basic word is usually enough to communicate what you mean.

Cheese in European Languages

European languages offer many interesting variations.

French uses fromage, Italian uses formaggio, Spanish uses queso, Portuguese uses queijo, and German uses Käse. Scandinavian languages such as Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish use closely related forms based on ost.

Eastern European languages also have several related forms. Polish uses ser, while Czech and Slovak use sýr/syr. Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian use forms based on сыр.

These differences make European cheese vocabulary particularly interesting for language learners.

Cheese in Asian Languages

Asian languages use a wide range of words for cheese.

In Mandarin Chinese, cheese can be called 奶酪, while Japanese uses the borrowed word チーズ and Korean uses 치즈. Vietnamese commonly uses phô mai, while Thai uses ชีส.

South Asian languages have their own vocabulary as well. Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati, and Nepali commonly use forms connected with paneer, while other Indian languages may use borrowed forms such as “cheese” depending on context.

How to Use Cheese in Everyday Sentences

Knowing the translation is useful, but learning a short sentence can make the vocabulary easier to remember.

Useful sentence patterns include:

• I like cheese.
• I love cheese.
• Do you have cheese?
• This cheese is delicious.
• I would like some cheese.
• Where can I buy cheese?

Learning the word together with a practical sentence helps you understand how it functions naturally in conversation.

Common Cheese Vocabulary

When learning cheese translations, it can also help to know related food vocabulary. Words such as milk, bread, butter, pizza, sandwich, dairy, and restaurant frequently appear alongside cheese.

For travelers, food-related vocabulary can be especially useful when ordering meals or asking about ingredients.

Why Learn Cheese in Different Languages?

Learning how to say cheese in different languages can be useful for several reasons:

1. Travel: It can make ordering food easier.
2. Language learning: Food words are practical everyday vocabulary.
3. Cultural learning: Cheese plays different roles in cuisines around the world.
4. Communication: A familiar food word can be an easy conversation starter.
5. Vocabulary building: Related food terms can be learned together.

The word may look or sound different, but its everyday purpose is easy to understand across cultures.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do you say cheese in different languages?

“Cheese” has different names around the world. Examples include queso in Spanish, fromage in French, formaggio in Italian, Käse in German, queijo in Portuguese, keju in Indonesian and Malay, and jibini in Swahili.

2. What is cheese called in Spanish?

Cheese is called queso in Spanish. A simple example is “Me gusta el queso,” meaning “I like cheese.”

3. What is cheese called in French?

Cheese is called fromage in French. For example, “J’aime le fromage” means “I like cheese.”

4. What is cheese called in Hindi and Urdu?

In Hindi, cheese is commonly referred to as पनीर (paneer) when talking about the South Asian fresh cheese, while चीज़ (cheez) is also used for cheese more generally. Urdu commonly uses پنیر (paneer), especially for paneer.

5. What is cheese called in Japanese?

Cheese is チーズ (chīzu) in Japanese. It is a loanword written in katakana and is commonly used for cheese.

Conclusion

Learning cheese in different languages is a simple and enjoyable way to expand your vocabulary while discovering how languages describe familiar foods. From queso and fromage to keju, jibini, チーズ, and 奶酪, the word takes many forms around the world.

Whether you are studying languages, preparing for travel, or simply interested in cheese around the world, these 70 translations provide a useful starting point for everyday communication.