Bengali vocabulary

The origins of words in the Bengali vocabulary are numerous and diverse, due to centuries of contact with various languages.

Linguistic classification

Bengali (বাংলা Bangla) is one of the Magadhan languages, which form the eastern group of the Indic branch of the Indo-European language family. The core of Bengali vocabulary is thus etymologically Indo-European. However, centuries of borrowing has led to the adoption of a wide range of words with foreign origins.

Classifications of origin types

Sources of modern literary Bengali words

  Tôdbhôbo (native)

  Tôtshômo (Sanskrit reborrowings)

  Deshi (indigenous loans) and Bideshi (foreign loans)

The typical Bengali dictionary lists 75,000 separate words, of which 50,000 (67%) are considered তৎসম tôtshômo (words directly reborrowed from Sanskrit), 21,100 (28%) are তদ্ভব tôdbhôbo (native Bengali vocabulary with Sanskrit cognates), and the rest being borrowings from দেশী deshi "indigenous" (i.e. Austroasiatic) or 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 tôdbhôbo words, while tôtshômo 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.

Examples of borrowed words

Due to centuries of contact with Europeans, Mughals, Arabs, Persians, and East Asians, Bengali 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. Close contact with neighboring peoples facilitated the borrowing of words from Hindi, Assamese, Chinese, Burmese, and several indigenous Austroasiatic languages of Bengal. After centuries of invasions from Persia and the Middle East, particularly under the Mughal Empire, numerous Turkish, Arabic, and Persian words were absorbed and fully integrated into the lexicon. Later, European colonialism brought words from Portuguese, French, Dutch, and most significantly English. Some very common borrowings are shown below.

Borrowings from neighboring languages

Austroasiatic languages (দেশী Deshi)

আলু alu	potato
কালা kala	deaf
কুড়ি kuŗi	twenty
খুকি khuki	girl
খোকা khoka	boy
খোঁচা khõcha	poke
খোঁজ khõj	notice
চাল chal / চাউল chaul	rice grains
চিংড়ি chingŗi	shrimp
চুলা chula	oven, stove
ঝিনুক jhinuk	shell
ঝোল jhol	gravy
ঠ্যাং ţhêng	leg
ঢোল đhol	dhol
পেট peţ	belly
বোবা boba	mute
মাঠ maţh	field, open land
মুড়ি muri	puffed rice
chairman Hindi (হিন্দি) Word Meaning Original form আচ্ছা achchha okay अच्छा achchhā চাচা chacha father's brother चाचा chāchā চাহিদা chahida demand चाहिदा chāhidā কাহিনী kahini story कहानी kahānī পছন্দ pôchhondo / pôsondo like, appreciate पसंद pasand ফালতু faltu useless Chinese (চীনা China) Word Meaning Original form চা cha tea 茶 chá চিনি chini sugar লিচু lichu lychee 茘枝 lìzhī এলাচি elachi cardamom Burmese (বর্মী Bormi) লুঙ্গি lunggi "lungi" Borrowings from the Mughal era Arabic (আরবি Arbi) Word Meaning Original form আক্কেল akkel wisdom عقل ‘aql আলাদা alada separate আসল ashol real أصل ’aṣl "root" এলাকা elaka area أﻻﻛﺔ ilākah ওজন ojon weight وزن wazn "scale" কবর kôbor grave قبر‎ qubr খবর khôbor news خبر khabar খালি khali empty خالي khālī খেয়াল khêal consideration গরিব gorib poor غريب gharīb "strange" জবাব jôbab / জওয়াব jôoab answer جواب jawāb জমা jôma collect جمع jam‘ জিনিস jinish thing جنس jins "type, sex" তারিখ tarikh date تاريخ tārīkh "history, date" দুনিয়া dunia world دﻧﯿـا dunya নকল nôkol fake نقل naql ফকির fokir poor person فقير faqīr বই boi book বদল bôdol exchange بدل badl বাকী baki remaining بقي baqīy মশলা môshla spice সাহেব shaheb sir صاحب ṣāḥib "friend" হিসাব hishab / হিসেব hisheb calculation حساب ḥisāb Persian (ফার্সি Farsi) Word Meaning Original form আওয়াজ aoaz / aoaj sound âvâz আন্দাজ andaj guess আয়না aena mirror ايينه âyneh আরাম aram comfort আস্তে aste slowly, softly اهسته ahisteh "slowly" কাগজ kagoj paper كاغذ kâghaz খারাপ kharap bad xarâb খুব khub very خوب xub "good" গরম gôrom hot گرم garm চশমা chôshma glasses چشم chashm "eye" চাকরি chakri job চাদর chador blanket چادر châdor জান jan dear جان jân জায়গা jaega place جايگاه jâegâh ডেগচি đegchi pot ديگچه degcheh দম dôm breath دم dam দেরি deri late دير der দোকান dokan store دكان dokân পর্দা pôrda curtain پرده pardeh বদ bôd bad بد bad বাগান bagan garden باغان bâghân বাচ্চা bachchha child بچه bachcheh মজা môja fun রাস্তা rasta road রোজ roj everyday روز ruz "day" শস্তা shôsta inexpensive হিন্দু hindu Hindu هند hind "Sindh", "India" Turkish (তুর্কি Turki) Word Meaning Original form উর্দু urdu Urdu ordu "army" কাঁচি kãchi scissors কোরমা korma korma চকমক chôkmôk sparkle çakmak "flash" দাদা dada elder brother dede নানী nani maternal grandmother nine বাবা baba father baba বাবুর্চি baburchi cook, chef বেগম begom lady begüm লাশ lash corpse Borrowings from the Colonial Era Dutch (ওলন্দাজ Olondaj) The few borrowings from Dutch remaining in Bengali mostly involve card games. Word Meaning Original form ইস্কাবন ishkabôn / ইশকাপন ishkapôn spades schoppen ইস্ক্রুপ ishkrup screw schroef টেক্কা ţêkka ace তুরুপ turup trump troef রুইতন ruitôn diamonds ruiten (lit. "windows") হরতন hôrtôn hearts harten Portuguese (পর্তুগিজ Portugij) Portuguese borrowings mostly describe household items, fruits, and religious concepts dealing with Catholicism: Household Word Meaning Original form আলমারি almari closet, cupboard armário ইস্ত্রি istri / ইস্তিরি istiri to iron estirar ইস্পাত ishpat steel espada "sword" কামিজ kamiz / kamij shirt camisa গামলা gamla basket gamela "wooden trough" চাবি chabi key chave জানালা janala / জানলা janla window janela তাবাক tamak tobacco tobacco তোয়ালিয়া toalia / তোয়ালে toale towel toalha পেরেক perek nail prego ফিতা fita / ফিতে phite lace, ribbon fita বারান্দা baranda verandah varanda বালতি balti pail balde বেহালা behala viola viola বোতাম botam button botão মেজ mez / mej table mesa সাবান shaban soap sabão Food Word Meaning Original form আতা ata custard apple ata আনারস anarôsh pineapple ananás কাজু kaju cashew caju কপি kopi cabbage, cauliflower couve পাউ pau sliced bread pão "bread" পেঁপে pẽpe papaya papaia পেয়ারা peara guava pera "pear" সাগু shagu sago sagu সালাদ salad salad salada Religion Word Meaning Original form ক্রুশ krush cross cruz গির্জা girja church igreja যিশু Jishu Jesus Jesu পাদ্রি padri Catholic priest padre Other Word Meaning Original form ইংরেজ ingrej English inglês French (ফরাসি Fôrashi) Only a handful of French borrowings are still used in Bengali today. Word Meaning Original form আঁশ ãsh plant fiber ওলন্দাজ olondaj Dutch hollandaise কার্তুজ kartuj cartridge cartouche রেস্তোরাঁ restorã restaurant restaurant শেমিজ shemiz chemise chemise "shirt" পাতি pati small petit English (ইংরেজি Ingreji/Ingrishi) Most borrowed words of European origin in Bengali were imported through English and involve civic and household concepts: Civic Life Word Original form আপিস apish / অফিস ôfish office জেল jel jail ডাক্তার đaktar doctor পুলিশ pulish police ব্যাংক bêngk bank ভোট bhoţ vote ইস্কুল iskul / স্কুল skul school হাস্পাতাল hashpatal hospital Household Word Original form কাপ kap cup গ্লাস glash glass চেয়ার chear chair টেবিল ţebil table বাক্স baksho box লণ্ঠন lônţhôn lantern গাড়ি gaŗi car