How to say “rice” around the world
207 languages · 207 in their own spelling
Dots of one colour begin with a similar sound. Colours group words by the class of their first consonant (a sound-class method used in linguistics): words that begin alike share a colour. This shows resemblance, not common origin — proving relationship needs case-by-case comparison. Readable forms come from Wiktionary translation tables; many smaller languages come from the ASJP word lists, in ASJP’s simplified transcription.
| Language | Word | Romanization | Family |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 米 | mǐ | Sino-Tibetan |
| English | rice | Indo-European | |
| Spanish | arroz | Indo-European | |
| Hindi | चावल | cāval | Indo-European |
| Arabic | أَرُزّ | ʔaruzz | Afro-Asiatic |
| Bengali | ভাত | bhat | Indo-European |
| Indonesian | beras | Austronesian | |
| Portuguese | arroz | Indo-European | |
| French | riz | Indo-European | |
| Russian | рис | ris | Indo-European |
| Japanese | 米 | kome | Japonic |
| Marathi | तांदुळ | tānduḷ | Indo-European |
| Swahili | mchele | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Turkish | pirinç | Turkic | |
| Telugu | వడ్లు | vaḍlu | Dravidian |
| Wu Chinese | 米 | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Korean | 쌀 | ssal | Koreanic |
| German | Reis | Indo-European | |
| Vietnamese | gạo | Austroasiatic | |
| Tamil | அரிசி | arici | Dravidian |
| Cantonese | 米 | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Urdu | چاوَل | cāval | Indo-European |
| Italian | riso | Indo-European | |
| Egyptian Arabic | رزة | ruza | Afro-Asiatic |
| Western Farsi | بِرِنْج | birinj | Indo-European |
| Hakka Chinese | 禾仔 | vò-é | Sino-Tibetan |
| Kannada | ಅಕ್ಕಿ | akki | Dravidian |
| Polish | ryż | Indo-European | |
| Yoruba | ìrẹsì | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Malayalam | അരി | ari | Dravidian |
| Odia | ଚାଉଳ | cāuḷa | Indo-European |
| Burmese | ဆန် | hcan | Sino-Tibetan |
| Moroccan Arabic | روز | rūz | Afro-Asiatic |
| Ukrainian | рис | rys | Indo-European |
| Uzbek | guruch | Turkic | |
| Sindhi | چانور | cānor | Indo-European |
| Romanian | orez | Indo-European | |
| Dutch | rijst | Indo-European | |
| Thai | ข้าว | kâao | Tai-Kadai |
| Lingala | loso | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Serbian-Croatian-Bosnian | ри́жа | Indo-European | |
| Khmer | ស្រូវ | srəw | Austroasiatic |
| Somali | bariis | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Turkmen | bürünç | Turkic | |
| Cebuano | bugas kan-on | Austronesian | |
| Assamese | ধান | dhan | Indo-European |
| Sinhala | බත් | Indo-European | |
| Greek | ρύζι | rýzi | Indo-European |
| Kurdish | birinc | Indo-European | |
| Tajik | биринҷ | birinj | Indo-European |
| Sylheti | ꠗꠣꠘ | dáno | Indo-European |
| Kazakh | күріш | küriš | Turkic |
| Hungarian | rizs | Uralic | |
| Southern Pashto | وريژې | wríže | Indo-European |
| Czech | rýže | Indo-European | |
| Uighur | گۈرۈچ | gürüch | Turkic |
| Afrikaans | rys | Indo-European | |
| Min Dong Chinese | 米 | mi | Sino-Tibetan |
| Swedish | ris | Indo-European | |
| Azerbaijani | düyü | Turkic | |
| Iloko | innapúy | Austronesian | |
| Bulgarian | ори́з | oríz | Indo-European |
| Hiligaynon | bugas | Austronesian | |
| Xhosa | irayisi | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Belarusian | рыс | rys | Indo-European |
| Central Kurdish | برنج | brinc | Indo-European |
| Santali | ᱫᱟᱠᱟ | daka | Austroasiatic |
| Kashmiri | تۆمُل | tomul | Indo-European |
| Kikuyu | mũceere | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Danish | ris | Indo-European | |
| Slovak | ryža | Indo-European | |
| Southern Sotho | raese | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Minangkabau | bareh | Austronesian | |
| Finnish | riisi | Uralic | |
| Lao | ເຂົ້າ | khao | Tai-Kadai |
| Norwegian | ris | Indo-European | |
| Tatar | дөге | döge | Turkic |
| Catalan | arròs | Indo-European | |
| Kirghiz | күрүч | kürüc | Turkic |
| Riffian | aṛṛuẓ | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Armenian | բրինձ | brinj | Indo-European |
| Lithuanian | rỹžis | Indo-European | |
| Georgian | ბრინჯი | brinǯi | Kartvelian |
| Goan Konkani | तांदुळ | tānduḷ | Indo-European |
| Acehnese | breuëh | Austronesian | |
| Waray | lu-to | Austronesian | |
| Albanian | oriz | Indo-European | |
| Shan | ၶဝ်ႈ | khāo | Tai-Kadai |
| Mongolian | тутарга | tutarga | Mongolic-Khitan |
| Bikol | bagas | Austronesian | |
| Galician | arrós | Indo-European | |
| Pampanga | abias | Austronesian | |
| Slovenian | riž | Indo-European | |
| Iban | asi | Austronesian | |
| Esperanto | rizo | Artificial Language | |
| Macedonian | ориз | oriz | Indo-European |
| Sichuan Yi | ꍯ | che | Sino-Tibetan |
| Venetian | rixo | Indo-European | |
| Zhuang | haeux | Tai-Kadai | |
| Rohingya | dán | Indo-European | |
| Kabardian | прунж | prunž | Abkhaz-Adyge |
| Latvian | rīsi | Indo-European | |
| Quechua | arus | Quechuan | |
| Chechen | дуга | duga | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Estonian | riis | Uralic | |
| Tibetan | འབྲས | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Maguindanao | begas | Austronesian | |
| Pangasinan | bëlas niluto | Austronesian | |
| Tausug | humay | Austronesian | |
| Bakhtiari | برنج | berenj | Indo-European |
| Mon | ပုၚ် | peng | Austroasiatic |
| Western Frisian | rys | Indo-European | |
| Maranao | begas | Austronesian | |
| Avar | пиринчӏ | pirinčʼ | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Talysh | bırz | Indo-European | |
| Basque | arroz | Isolates | |
| Welsh | reis | Indo-European | |
| Lü | ᦃᧁᧉ | ẋaw² | Tai-Kadai |
| Lezghian | дуьгуь | dügü | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Morisyen | diri | Indo-European | |
| Réunion Creole French | ri | Indo-European | |
| Adyghe | пындж | pəndž | Abkhaz-Adyge |
| Classical Syriac | ܐܘܪܘܙܐ | ʾōrūzā | Afro-Asiatic |
| Maltese | ross | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Occitan | ris | Indo-European | |
| Tetum | foos | Austronesian | |
| Silesian | ryż | Indo-European | |
| Asturian | arroz | Indo-European | |
| Samoan | alaisa | Austronesian | |
| Mingrelian | ბრინჯი | brinǯi | Kartvelian |
| Fijian | kakana | Austronesian | |
| Dhivehi | ހަނޑޫ | haⁿḍū | Indo-European |
| Icelandic | hrísgrjón | Indo-European | |
| Karachay-Balkar | cez | Turkic | |
| Plautdietsch | Riess | Indo-European | |
| Kambera | uhu | Austronesian | |
| Māori | raihi | Austronesian | |
| West Coast Bajau | buas | Austronesian | |
| Abkhaz | абрынџь | abrəndž | Abkhaz-Adyge |
| Tonga (Tonga Islands) | laise | Austronesian | |
| Navajo | alóós | Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit | |
| Irish | rís | Indo-European | |
| Ladino | arroz | Indo-European | |
| Cuyonon | begas kanen | Austronesian | |
| Breton | riz | Indo-European | |
| Faroese | rís | Indo-European | |
| Scottish Gaelic | rus | Indo-European | |
| Mansaka | bugas | Austronesian | |
| Chuukese | rais | Austronesian | |
| Sanskrit | व्रीहि | vrīhi | Indo-European |
| Abaza | прунджь | prundź | Abkhaz-Adyge |
| Ternate | bira | North Halmahera | |
| Dungan | быйми | bɨymi | Sino-Tibetan |
| Higaonon | bugas | Austronesian | |
| Hawaiian | laiki | Austronesian | |
| Kajtak | бири́мж | birímž | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Lamboya | kadodo | Austronesian | |
| Western Bukidnon Manobo | beɣas | Austronesian | |
| Northern Frisian | ris | Indo-European | |
| Udi | бириндз | birinʒ | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Lower Sorbian | rajs | Indo-European | |
| Jejueo | ᄊᆞᆯ | ssawl | Koreanic |
| Interlingua | ris | Artificial Language | |
| Khinalug | ппарынцӏ | pːarɨnc̣ | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Ingrian | riissu | Uralic | |
| Wymysorys | ryź | Indo-European | |
| Manchu | ᠪᡠᡩ᠋ᠠ | buda | Tungusic |
| Pawnee | rikiispiiruus | Caddoan | |
| Jicarilla Apache | alalóos | Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit | |
| Gulf Arabic | عيش | ʕēš | Afro-Asiatic |
| Gilit Mesopotamian Arabic | تمن | temman | Afro-Asiatic |
| Bobangi | loso | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Central-Southern Timbira | arỳjhy | Nuclear-Macro-Je | |
| Dalmatian | rize | Indo-European | |
| Pular | maaro | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Ancient Greek | ὄρυζα | óruza | Indo-European |
| Hebrew | אורז \ אֹרֶז | órez | Afro-Asiatic |
| Hmong Daw | mov | Hmong-Mien | |
| Ibatan | yata | Austronesian | |
| Javanese | beras | Austronesian | |
| Kaingang | aronh | Nuclear-Macro-Je | |
| South-Central Koongo | lôso | Atlantic-Congo | |
| San Blas Kuna | oros | Chibchan | |
| Latin | oryza | Indo-European | |
| Low German | Ries | Indo-European | |
| Moselle Franconian | Räis | Indo-European | |
| Malagasy | vary | Austronesian | |
| Malay | beras | Austronesian | |
| Brunei | nasi | Austronesian | |
| Central Melanau | nasek | Austronesian | |
| Ojibwa | waabanoomin | Algic | |
| Oromo | ruuzii | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Iron Ossetian | пырындз | pyrynʒ | Indo-European |
| Pali | odano | Indo-European | |
| Eastern Panjabi | ਚਾਵਲ | cāval | Indo-European |
| Western Panjabi | چول | Indo-European | |
| Sango | loso | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Sundanese | béas | Austronesian | |
| Tagalog | bigas | Austronesian | |
| Old Tamil | 𑀅𑀭𑀺𑀘𑀺 | arici | Dravidian |
| Muslim Tat | bürünc | Indo-European | |
| Tokharian B | klu | Indo-European | |
| Uab Meto | ane | Austronesian | |
| Ubykh | p̒irinǰ | Abkhaz-Adyge | |
| Woiwurrung-Thagungwurrung | garn | Pama-Nyungan | |
| Wolof | tiep | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Yiddish | רײַז | rayz | Indo-European |