Bengali vocabulary
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Bengali (বাংলা Bangla) is one of the Magadhan languages, evolved from Magadhi Prakrit and Pali languages. The core of Bengali vocabulary is thus etymologically of Magadhi Prakrit and Pali languages. However, centuries of major borrowing and reborrowing from Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Sanskrit, Austroasiatic languagess and other languages has led to the adoption of a wide range of words with foreign origins. Thus making the origins of borrowed and reborrowed words in the Bengali vocabulary numerous and diverse, due to centuries of contact with various languages.
Classifications of origin types

The typical Bengali dictionary lists 75,000 separate words, of which 50,000 (67%) are considered তৎসম tôtsômô (words directly reborrowed from Sanskrit), 21,100 (28%) are তদà§à¦à¦¬ tôdbhôbô (native Bengali vocabulary with Sanskrit cognates), and the rest being borrowings from দেশী deshi "indigenous (Austroasiatic)" and বিদেশী bideshi "foreign" sources.
However, these figures do not take into account the fact that a huge chunk of these words are archaic or highly technical, minimizing their actual usage. The productive vocabulary used in modern literary works, in fact, is made up mostly 67% of native tôdbhôbô words, while tôtsômô reborrowings only make up 25% of the total. Deshi and bideshi borrowings together make up the remaining 8% of the vocabulary used in modern Bengali literature.
Differences in Vocabulary
This table below compares the differences of spoken and used vocabularies in Bangladesh and West Bengal.
word | Bangladesh | West Bengal |
---|---|---|
water | পানি pani | জল jôl |
salt | লবণ lôbôn | নà§à¦¨ nun |
invitation | দাওয়াত daoat | নিমনà§à¦¤à§à¦°à¦£ nimôntrôn |
chili | মরিচ môric | লঙà§à¦•া lôngka |
home | বাসা basha | বাড়ি bari |
Examples of borrowed words
Due to centuries of contact with Europeans, Mughals, Arabs, Persians, and East Asians, The Bengali language has absorbed countless words from foreign languages, often totally integrating these borrowings into the core vocabulary. The most common borrowings from foreign languages come from three different kinds of contact. After centuries of contact from Persia and the Middle East, followed by the invasions of the Mughal Empire, numerous Turkish, Arabic, and Persian words were absorbed and fully integrated into the lexicon. Later, East Asian travelers and European colonialism brought words from Portuguese, French, Dutch, and most significantly English. Some very common borrowings are shown below.
Arabic (আরবি Arôbi)
Word | Meaning | Original form |
---|---|---|
আকà§à¦•েল akkel | wisdom | عقل ‘aql |
আসল ashôl | real | أصل ’aṣl "root" |
à¦à¦²à¦¾à¦•া elaka' | area | أﻻﻛﺔ ilÄkah |
ওজন ojôn | weight | وزن wazn "scale" |
কবর kôbôr | grave | قبر qabr |
খবর khôbôr | news | خبر khabar |
খালি khali | empty | خالي khÄlÄ« |
খেয়াল kheyal' | consideration | خيال khyal |
গরিব gôrib | poor | غريب gharīb "strange" |
জবাব jôbab | answer | جواب jawÄb |
জমা jôma | collect | جمع jam‘ |
জিনিস jinish | thing | جنس jins "thing |
তারিখ tarikh | date | تاريخ tÄrÄ«kh "history, date" |
দà§à¦¨à¦¿à¦¯à¦¼à¦¾ duniya | world | دﻧﯿـا dunya |
নকল nôkôl | fake | نقل naql |
ফকির fôkir | poor person | Ùقير faqÄ«r |
বদল bôdôl | exchange | بدل badl |
বাকী baki | remaining | بقي baqīy |
সাহেব saheb | sir | ØµØ§ØØ¨ á¹£Äḥib "friend" |
হিসাব hishab | calculation | ØØ³Ø§Ø¨ ḥisÄb |
Persian (ফারà§à¦¸à¦¿ Farsi)
Word | Meaning | Original form |
---|---|---|
আয়না ayna | mirror | آینه Äynah |
আরাম aram | comfort | آرام ÄrÄm |
আসà§à¦¤à§‡ aste | slowly, softly | آهسته Ähistah "slowly" |
কাগজ kagôj | paper | كاغذ kÄghaz |
খারাপ kharap | bad | خراب xarÄb |
খোদা khoda | god | خدا xoda |
খà§à¦¬ khub | very | خوب xÅ«b "good" |
গরম gôrôm | hot | گرم garm |
চশমা chôshma | glasses | چشم chashm "eye" |
চাকà§à¦°à¦¿ chakuri | job | چاکر chÄkar |
চাদর chadôr | blanket | چادر chÄdur |
জান jan | dear | جان jÄn |
জায়গা jayga | place | جايگاه jÄegÄh |
ডেগচি á¸egchi | pot | ديگچه dÄ“gchah |
দম dôm | breath | دم dam |
দেরি deri | late | دير dēr |
দোকান dokan | store | دكان dukÄn |
পরà§à¦¦à¦¾ pôrda | curtain | پرده pardah |
বদ bôd | bad | بد bad |
বাগান bagan | garden | باغان bÄghÄn |
রাসà§à¦¤à¦¾ rasta | road | راسته rÄstah |
রোজ roj | everyday | روز rÅz "day" |
হিনà§à¦¦à§ hindu | Hindu | هندو hindÅ« |
পছনà§à¦¦ pôchhôndô | like, appreciate | پسند pasand |
টেকà§à¦•া á¹Ãªkka | ace | تيكه tika "contract" |
আলৠalu | potato | آلو âlu "plum" |
Turkish (তà§à¦°à§à¦•ি Turki)
Word | Meaning | Original form |
---|---|---|
কোরমা korma | korma | korma |
চকমক chôkmôk | sparkle | çakmak "flash" |
দাদা dada | elder brother | dede |
নানী nani | maternal grandmother | nine |
বাবা baba | father | baba |
বাবà§à¦°à§à¦šà¦¿ baburchi | cook, chef | baburchi |
বেগম begôm | lady | begüm |
Austroasiatic languages (দেশী Deshi)
কালা kala | black |
কà§à¦¡à¦¼à¦¿ kuÅ—i | twenty |
খà§à¦•ি khuki | girl |
খোকা khoka | boy |
খোà¦à¦šà¦¾ khõcha | poke |
খোà¦à¦œ khõj | notice |
চাল chal চাউল chaul | rice grains, |
চিংড়ি chingṛi | shrimp |
চà§à¦²à¦¾ chula | oven, stove |
à¦à¦¿à¦¨à§à¦• jhinuk | shell |
à¦à§‹à¦² jhol | gravy |
ঠà§à¦¯à¦¾à¦‚ á¹hæng | leg |
ঢোল á¸hol | dhol |
পেট peṠ| belly |
বোবা boba | muteness |
মাঠmaá¹h | field, open land |
মà§à¦¡à¦¼à¦¿ muá¹›i | puffed rice |
Sanskrit (সংসà§à¦•ৃত Sôngskritô)
Word | Meaning | Original form |
---|---|---|
চাহিদা chahida | demand | चाहिदा chÄhidÄ |
সà§à¦¬à¦¾à¦—তমৠshagôtôm | welcome | सà¥à¤µà¤¾à¤—तमॠSvÄgatam |
নিরà§à¦¬à¦¾à¦£ nirbanô | Nirvana | निरà¥à¤µà¤¾à¤£ NirvÄṇa |
যোগ jogô | Yoga | योग yóg |
যোগী jogi | practicer of Yoga | योगिनॠyogi |
যৌন joun | sex, sexual act | यौन Yauna |
আরà§à¦¯à§à¦¯ arjyô | Aryan | आरà¥à¤¯ Ärya |
আসন ashôn | seat | आसन Äsana |
আশà§à¦°à¦® ashrôm | hermitage or monastery | आशà¥à¤°à¤® ÄÅ›rama |
অবতার ôbôtar | Avatar | अवतार avatÄra |
আয়à§à¦°à§à¦¬à§‡à¦¦ ayurbedô | Ayurveda | आयà¥à¤°à¥à¤µà¥‡à¤¦ Äyurveda |
বনà§à¦§à¦¨ bôndhôn | bondage | बनà¥à¤§à¤¨ bandhana |
বাসমতী bashmôti | Basmati rice | वास vÄsa |
à¦à¦¾à¦‚ bhang | Bhang | à¤à¤™à¥à¤— bhangga |
খাট khat | cot | खटà¥à¤µà¤¾ khatvÄ |
ধà§à¦¤à¦¿ dhuti | Dhoti | धà¥à¤¨à¥‹à¤¤à¤¿ dhunoti |
লà§à¦ luth | Looting | लà¥à¤£à¥à¤Ÿà¤¾ luṇtÄ |
মায়া maya | Maya | माया mÄyÄ |
সà§à¦¬à¦¾à¦®à§€ shami | master | सà¥à¤µà¤¾à¤®à¥€ svÄmÄ« |
লাখ lakh | Lakh | लाकà¥à¤·à¤®à¥ lÄká¹£am |
লকà§à¦·à§à¦®à§€ lôkkhi | Lakshmi | लकà¥à¤·à¥à¤®à¥€ laká¹£mÄ« |
লকà§à¦·à§à¦®à¦£ lôkkhôṇ | Lakshmana | लकà¥à¤·à¥à¤®à¤£ laká¹£maṇa |
Japanese (জাপানি / নিহোঙà§à¦—à§‹ Japani / Nihonggo )
Word | Meaning | Original form |
---|---|---|
চা cha | tea | 茶 cha |
আনিমে anime | Anime | アニメ anime |
মাঙà§à¦—া mangga | Manga | マンガ manga |
বোকা boka | Fool | ã°ã‹ "baka" |
হাশি hashi | Chopsticks | 箸 hashi |
ৎসà§à¦¨à¦¾à¦®à¦¿ tsunami | Tsunami | ã¤ãªã¿ tsunami |
রিকà§à¦¸à¦¾ riksha | Rickshaw | 力車 (jin) rikisha |
Dutch (ওলনà§à¦¦à¦¾à¦œ Olôndaj)
Word | Meaning | Original form |
---|---|---|
ইসà§à¦•াবন iskabôn ইশকাপন ishkapôn | spades | schoppen |
রà§à¦‡à¦¤à¦¨ ruitôn | diamonds | ruiten (lit. "rhombi") |
হরতন hôrtôn | hearts | harten |
কà§à¦²à¦¾à¦¬ "klâba" | clubs | klaveren (lit. "clovers") |
তà§à¦°à§à¦ª turup | trump | troef |
ইসà§à¦•à§à¦°à§à¦ª iskrup | screw | schroef |
Portuguese (পরà§à¦¤à§à¦—িজ Pôrtugij)
Word | Meaning | Original form |
---|---|---|
আলমারি almari | closet, cupboard | armário |
ইসà§à¦¤à§à¦°à¦¿ istri ইসà§à¦¤à¦¿à¦°à¦¿ istiri | to iron | estirar |
ইসà§à¦ªà¦¾à¦¤ ispat | steel | espada "sword" |
কামিজ kamij | shirt | camisa |
গামলা gamla | basket | gamela "wooden trough" |
চাবি chabi | key | chave |
জানালা janala | window | janela |
তাবাক tabak | tobacco | tobacco |
পেরেক perek | nail | prego |
ফিতা fita | lace, ribbon | fita |
বারানà§à¦¦à¦¾ baranda | verandah | varanda |
বালতি balti | Bucket | balde |
বেহালা behala | viola | viola |
বোতাম botam | button | botão |
মেজ mej | table | mesa |
সাবান saban | soap | sabão |
কেদারা kedara | chair | cadeira |
আতা ata | custard apple | ata |
আনারস anarôs | pineapple | ananás |
কাজৠkaju | cashew | caju |
কপি kôpi | cabbage, cauliflower | couve |
পাউ pau | sliced bread | pão "bread" |
পেà¦à¦ªà§‡ pẽpe | papaya | papaia |
পেয়ারা peyara | guava | pera "pear" |
সাগৠsagu | sago | sagu |
সালাদ salad | salad | salada |
কà§à¦°à§à¦¶ krush | cross | cruz |
গিরà§à¦œà¦¾ girja | church | igreja |
যিশৠJishu | Jesus | Jesu |
পাদà§à¦°à¦¿ padri | Catholic priest | padre |
ইংরেজ ingrej | English | inglês |
French (ফরাসি Fôrasi)
Word | Meaning | Original form |
---|---|---|
আà¦à¦¶ ãsh | plant fiber | asch |
ওলনà§à¦¦à¦¾à¦œ olôndaj | Dutch | hollandaise |
কারà§à¦¤à§à¦œ kartuj | cartridge | cartouche |
রেসà§à¦¤à§‹à¦°à¦¾à¦ restorã | restaurant | restaurant |
শেমিজ shemij | chemise | chemise "shirt" |
পাতি pati | small | petit |
English (ইংরেজি Ingreji)
Word | Original form |
---|---|
অফিস aapish | office |
জেল jel | jail |
ডাকà§à¦¤à¦¾à¦° á¸aktar | doctor |
পà§à¦²à¦¿à¦¶ pulish | police |
বà§à¦¯à¦¾à¦‚ক bêngk | bank |
à¦à§‹à¦Ÿ bhoá¹ | vote |
ইসà§à¦•à§à¦² iskul সà§à¦•à§à¦² skul | school |
হাসà§à¦ªà¦¾à¦¤à¦¾à¦² haspatal | hospital |
কাপ kap | cup |
গà§à¦²à¦¾à¦¸ glas | glass |
চেয়ার cheyar | chair |
টেবিল á¹ebil | table |
বাকà§à¦¸ baksô | box |
লণà§à¦ ন lôná¹hôn | lantern |
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