Coffee in Different Languages: How to Say Coffee

Coffee is one of the world’s most recognizable words and one of the most widely enjoyed drinks. While the pronunciation changes from country to country, many languages use words that are historically connected to the same coffee-trading roots.

If you are learning languages, traveling, communicating with international friends, or simply curious about world languages, knowing how to say coffee in different languages is a useful place to start. Below, you will find 70 coffee translations with simple English pronunciations and practical example sentences.

Coffee in 70 Different Languages

The table below shows coffee in all languages covered in this guide. Pronunciations are simplified for English speakers, so they are intended as practical learning aids rather than exact phonetic transcriptions.

#	Language	Native phrase	Easy English pronunciation	Example sentence	English meaning
1	English	coffee	KAW-fee	I drink coffee every morning.	I drink coffee every morning.
2	Spanish	café	kah-FEH	Quiero un café, por favor.	I want a coffee, please.
3	French	café	kah-FAY	Je prends un café.	I am having a coffee.
4	German	Kaffee	KAH-fay	Ich trinke Kaffee.	I drink coffee.
5	Italian	caffè	kahf-FEH	Vorrei un caffè.	I would like a coffee.
6	Portuguese	café	kah-FEH	Eu quero café.	I want coffee.
7	Dutch	koffie	KAW-fee	Ik drink koffie.	I drink coffee.
8	Afrikaans	koffie	KAW-fee	Ek drink koffie.	I drink coffee.
9	Swedish	kaffe	KAH-feh	Jag dricker kaffe.	I drink coffee.
10	Norwegian	kaffe	KAH-feh	Jeg drikker kaffe.	I drink coffee.
11	Danish	kaffe	KAH-feh	Jeg drikker kaffe.	I drink coffee.
12	Finnish	kahvi	KAH-vee	Juon kahvia.	I drink coffee.
13	Estonian	kohv	KOHV	Ma joon kohvi.	I drink coffee.
14	Latvian	kafija	kah-FEE-yah	Es dzeru kafiju.	I drink coffee.
15	Lithuanian	kava	KAH-vah	Aš geriu kavą.	I drink coffee.
16	Polish	kawa	KAH-vah	Piję kawę.	I drink coffee.
17	Czech	káva	KAH-vah	Piju kávu.	I drink coffee.
18	Slovak	káva	KAH-vah	Pijem kávu.	I drink coffee.
19	Slovenian	kava	KAH-vah	Pijem kavo.	I drink coffee.
20	Croatian	kava	KAH-vah	Pijem kavu.	I drink coffee.
21	Serbian	кафа	KAH-fah	Пијем кафу.	I drink coffee.
22	Bosnian	kafa	KAH-fah	Pijem kafu.	I drink coffee.
23	Macedonian	кафе	kah-FEH	Пијам кафе.	I drink coffee.
24	Bulgarian	кафе	kah-FEH	Пия кафе.	I drink coffee.
25	Romanian	cafea	kah-FEH-ah	Beau cafea.	I drink coffee.
26	Hungarian	kávé	KAH-vay	Kávét iszom.	I drink coffee.
27	Albanian	kafe	kah-FEH	Pi kafe.	I drink coffee.
28	Greek	καφές	kah-FES	Πίνω καφέ.	I drink coffee.
29	Turkish	kahve	kah-VEH	Kahve içiyorum.	I am drinking coffee.
30	Azerbaijani	qəhvə	kuhv-VEH	Mən qəhvə içirəm.	I drink coffee.
31	Georgian	ყავა	KAH-vah	მე ყავას ვსვამ.	I drink coffee.
32	Armenian	սուրճ	SOORCH	Ես սուրճ եմ խմում։	I drink coffee.
33	Russian	кофе	KOH-feh	Я пью кофе.	I drink coffee.
34	Ukrainian	кава	KAH-vah	Я п’ю каву.	I drink coffee.
35	Belarusian	кава	KAH-vah	Я п’ю каву.	I drink coffee.
36	Kazakh	кофе	KOH-feh	Мен кофе ішемін.	I drink coffee.
37	Kyrgyz	кофе	KOH-feh	Мен кофе ичем.	I drink coffee.
38	Uzbek	qahva	kah-VAH	Men qahva ichaman.	I drink coffee.
39	Tajik	қаҳва	kah-VAH	Ман қаҳва менӯшам.	I drink coffee.
40	Persian	قهوه	ghah-veh	من قهوه می‌نوشم.	I drink coffee.
41	Arabic	قهوة	QAH-wah	أنا أشرب القهوة.	I drink coffee.
42	Hebrew	קפה	kah-FEH	אני שותה קפה.	I drink coffee.
43	Hindi	कॉफ़ी	KAW-fee	मैं कॉफ़ी पीता हूँ।	I drink coffee.
44	Urdu	کافی	KAA-fee	میں کافی پیتا ہوں۔	I drink coffee.
45	Bengali	কফি	KAW-fee	আমি কফি খাই।	I drink coffee.
46	Punjabi	ਕੌਫੀ	KAW-fee	ਮੈਂ ਕੌਫੀ ਪੀਂਦਾ ਹਾਂ।	I drink coffee.
47	Gujarati	કૉફી	KAW-fee	હું કૉફી પીઉં છું.	I drink coffee.
48	Marathi	कॉफी	KAW-fee	मी कॉफी पितो.	I drink coffee.
49	Nepali	कफी	KAW-fee	म कफी पिउँछु।	I drink coffee.
50	Sinhala	කෝපි	KOH-pee	මම කෝපි බොනවා.	I drink coffee.
51	Tamil	காபி	KAA-bee	நான் காபி குடிக்கிறேன்.	I drink coffee.
52	Telugu	కాఫీ	KAA-fee	నేను కాఫీ తాగుతాను.	I drink coffee.
53	Kannada	ಕಾಫಿ	KAA-fee	ನಾನು ಕಾಫಿ ಕುಡಿಯುತ್ತೇನೆ.	I drink coffee.
54	Malayalam	കാപ്പി	KAA-pee	ഞാൻ കാപ്പി കുടിക്കുന്നു.	I drink coffee.
55	Thai	กาแฟ	gaa-FEH	ฉันดื่มกาแฟ	I drink coffee.
56	Vietnamese	cà phê	kah FEH	Tôi uống cà phê.	I drink coffee.
57	Indonesian	kopi	KOH-pee	Saya minum kopi.	I drink coffee.
58	Malay	kopi	KOH-pee	Saya minum kopi.	I drink coffee.
59	Filipino	kape	kah-PEH	Umiinom ako ng kape.	I drink coffee.
60	Chinese (Mandarin)	咖啡	KAH-fay	我喝咖啡。	I drink coffee.
61	Cantonese	咖啡	gaa-feh	我飲咖啡。	I drink coffee.
62	Japanese	コーヒー	kōhī	私はコーヒーを飲みます。	I drink coffee.
63	Korean	커피	keopi	저는 커피를 마셔요.	I drink coffee.
64	Mongolian	кофе	KOH-feh	Би кофе уудаг.	I drink coffee.
65	Swahili	kahawa	kah-HAH-wah	Ninakunywa kahawa.	I drink coffee.
66	Amharic	ቡና	BOO-nah	ቡና እጠጣለሁ።	I drink coffee.
67	Somali	qaxwo	QAH-hwoh	Waxaan cabaa qaxwo.	I drink coffee.
68	Malagasy	kafe	kah-FEH	Misotro kafe aho.	I drink coffee.
69	Haitian Creole	kafe	kah-FEH	Mwen bwè kafe.	I drink coffee.
70	Esperanto	kafo	KAH-foh	Mi trinkas kafon.	I drink coffee.

How to Say Coffee in Different Languages

If you are searching for how to say coffee in different languages, you will notice a fascinating pattern: many of the words look or sound similar.

Words such as café, caffè, kaffe, koffie, kawa, kava, kahve, kopi, kape, and coffee are historically related through the international spread of coffee and its name.

However, not every language follows exactly the same pattern. For example, Arabic uses قهوة, while Amharic uses ቡና, reflecting a different linguistic tradition for the word.

Coffee Translations Around the World

The word for coffee has traveled across continents along with the drink itself. European languages often have forms related to café, caffè, or kaffe, while languages in other regions have developed their own pronunciations and forms.

In East and Southeast Asia, familiar international forms are also common. Japanese uses コーヒー, Korean uses 커피, Mandarin uses 咖啡, and Indonesian and Malay use kopi.

These similarities make coffee translations especially interesting for language learners. Once you recognize a few patterns, you may be able to guess or remember the word for coffee in another language more easily.

Coffee in All Languages: Useful Patterns to Notice

One of the easiest ways to remember vocabulary is to group similar words together.

Café and Caffè Family

Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Italian use forms that are closely recognizable:

• Spanish: café
• French: café
• Portuguese: café
• Italian: caffè
• Greek: καφές
• Romanian: cafea

Kaffe and Kava Family

Several Northern and Central European languages use forms resembling kaffe or kava:

• Swedish: kaffe
• Norwegian: kaffe
• Danish: kaffe
• Polish: kawa
• Czech: káva
• Slovak: káva
• Croatian: kava
• Slovenian: kava
• Ukrainian: кава

Coffee, Kopi, and Kape

Other widely recognizable forms include:

• English: coffee
• Dutch: koffie
• Indonesian: kopi
• Malay: kopi
• Filipino: kape
• Malagasy: kafe
• Haitian Creole: kafe
• Esperanto: kafo

These patterns are helpful when learning vocabulary across related languages.

Why Does “Coffee” Sound Similar in So Many Languages?

The international history of coffee helps explain many of these similarities. The name traveled through languages and trade networks as coffee became a globally traded product.

The exact history of the word is complex, and different languages adapted it according to their own sounds and writing systems. That is why some words remain strongly recognizable while others look quite different.

Learning these connections can make vocabulary study more memorable. Instead of memorizing 70 completely unrelated words, you can identify groups with similar spelling, pronunciation, or historical roots.

Common Coffee Phrases for Travelers

Knowing the word coffee is useful, but travelers may also want a few practical expressions. Depending on the country, ordering customs and levels of formality vary.

Useful English phrases to learn alongside the local word include:

• “I would like a coffee.”
• “One coffee, please.”
• “Can I have a coffee?”
• “Do you have coffee?”
• “Coffee with milk, please.”
• “Black coffee, please.”

Learning the local word first gives you a simple way to begin an order politely.

Tips for Learning Coffee in Different Languages

If you want to remember these translations, avoid trying to memorize all 70 at once.

Start with five or ten languages you are most likely to use. Read the native spelling aloud, then connect it with the example sentence. After that, group similar words together.

For languages using non-Latin scripts, such as Arabic, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Greek, and Chinese, learn the written form alongside the pronunciation. This helps you recognize the word on menus, signs, packaging, and restaurant boards.

Most importantly, remember that the pronunciation guides in this table are simplified English-friendly approximations. Native pronunciation can vary by region and accent.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is coffee in different languages?

Coffee has many similar forms around the world, including coffee in English, café in Spanish and French, caffè in Italian, Kaffee in German, kahve in Turkish, kopi in Indonesian and Malay, and コーヒー in Japanese.

2. How do you say coffee in Spanish?

In Spanish, coffee is café, pronounced approximately “kah-FEH.” For example, Quiero un café, por favor means “I want a coffee, please.”

3. What is coffee called in French and Italian?

French uses café, while Italian uses caffè. Both words are closely recognizable to English speakers, although their pronunciation differs.

4. What is coffee in Japanese and Chinese?

Japanese uses コーヒー (kōhī), while Mandarin Chinese uses 咖啡. Both are commonly used words for coffee in their respective languages.

5. Why is the word for coffee similar in so many languages?

Many coffee-related words share historical connections because the name traveled between languages as coffee spread through trade and international commerce. Individual languages then adapted the word to their own spelling and sound systems.

Conclusion

Learning how to say coffee in different languages is a simple and enjoyable way to explore global vocabulary. From café and caffè to kaffe, kawa, kopi, kape, and コーヒー, many languages reveal fascinating connections through this everyday word.

Whether you are preparing for international travel, studying languages, or simply exploring coffee around the world, these 70 translations provide a practical starting point for discovering how people refer to one of the world’s most familiar drinks.