How To Say “Watermelon” In Different Languages

I don’t know about you but I think that hot summer days are kind of incomplete without some watermelon slices. Maybe that’s because, and to quote Mark Twain whose actual name is Samuel Langhorne Clemens, watermelon is “what angels eat.”

But to be specific the angels and Mark Twain are probably talking about the watermelon we know and love now. Not the earlier versions of watermelon that were not red and not sweet and not easy to open. In other words, those early watermelons were bitter and not as good as the watermelons we adore and devour today.

There’s more to the history of watermelon but you can read about that later. Right now, go ahead and scroll down to learn what watermelon is called around the world.

• English: watermelon (wah-ter-me-lon)
• Filipino: pakwan (pak-wan)
• French: pastèque (pas-tek)
• Dutch: watermeloen (vah-ter-meh-lon)
• German: Wassermelone (vah-ser-meh-loh-neh)
• Spanish: sandía (san-dee-ah)
• Italian: anguria (an-goo-ree-ah)
• Korean: 수박 (soo-bahk)
• Indonesian: semangka (seh-mahn-kah)
• Russian: арбуз (ar-booz)
• Japanese: すいか (soo-ee-kah)
• Swedish: vattenmelon (vaht-ten-meh-lohn)
• Mandarin Chinese: 西瓜, xīguā (shee gwa)
• Ukrainian: кавун (kah-voon)
• Norwegian: vannmelon (vahn-meh-lohn)
• Finnish: vesimeloni (veh-see-meh-loh-nee)
• Vietnamese: dưa hấu (zuh how)
• Polish: arbuz (ar-booz)
• Greek: καρπούζι (kar-poo-zee)
• Esperanto: akvomelono (ak-vo-meh-loh-no)
• Arabic: بطيخ (bat-teekh)
• Turkish: karpuz (kar-pooz)
• Brazilian Portuguese: melancia (meh-lan-see-ah)
• European Portuguese: melancia (meh-lan-see-ah)
• Hindi: तरबूज (tar-booj)