How to Say Coffee in 50+ Languages Around the World

Ever found yourself ordering coffee abroad and not knowing how to say it in the local language? Or wondered how people from different countries actually pronounce the word 'coffee'? Whether you're a frequent traveler, a language lover, or just curious about global coffee culture, this guide gives you the exact pronunciations used for 'coffee' in more than 50 languages — no translations, just the facts.

Quick answer: The word 'coffee' is pronounced differently across the globe. In Arabic it's 'qahwa' (with a deep 'q' sound), in Japan it's 'koohii', in France 'café', and in Ethiopia it's often 'bunna'. Every language has its own phonetic twist — some use hard consonants, others soft vowels, and a few even call it something completely different like 'black medicine' in Ojibwe.

Global Coffee Pronunciations by Language

Here’s how 'coffee' is spoken in various parts of the world, listed alphabetically by language:

• Afrikaans (South Africa): koffie
• Albanian: kafe (pronounced KA-fey)
• Amharic (Ethiopia): bunna (pronounced BOO-na)
• Arabic: qahwa, qahua, or qahwe (the 'q' is a guttural sound from the throat, not like an English 'k'; in Egypt and some regions, coffee is usually served sweet — ask for it without sugar by saying 'qahua sa’ada')
• Armenian: surch or sourdj (pronounced with emphasis on the 'sur')
• Basque: kafea or akeuta
• Belarusian: kava
• Bengali: café (pronounced ka-FEY)
• Bulgarian: kafe
• Catalan: cafè
• Chinese (Cantonese): ga feh
• Chinese (Mandarin): kāfēi (all consonants are pronounced in a high, first-tone pitch)
• Chinese (Taiwan): same as Mandarin
• Croatian: kava
• Czech: káva (emphasized as kaava) or kafe
• Danish: kaffe (pronounced kah-FEY)
• Dutch: koffie
• English: coffee
• Esperanto: kafo
• Estonian: kohv
• Ethiopian Semitic Languages (Amharic & Tigrinya): bunna, buni, or bread (the coffee bean shares its name with 'kaffa', the Ethiopian coffee region, and 'bread')
• Filipino/Tagalog: kape
• Finnish: kahvi
• French: café
• Galician: café
• Georgian: qava or cha
• German: der Kaffee (pronounced kah-FEE; note: German nouns are capitalized)
• Greek: kafes (pronounced ka-FACE)
• Haitian Creole: kafe (pronounced kah-FEY)
• Hawaiian: kope
• Hebrew: ka-feh
• Hindi: kofi (pronounced KOH-fee)
• Hungarian: kávé (pronounced KAH-vey)
• Irish: caife
• Italian: caffè (pronounced KA-fee)
• Icelandic: kaffi
• Japanese: koohii
• Korean: keopi or ko-pyi
• Latvian: kafija (pronounced ka-fee-ya)
• Lithuanian: kava
• Luxembourgish: Kaffi (like German, all nouns are capitalized)
• Macedonian: kafe
• Malay: kawah or koppi
• Maltese: kafe
• Norwegian: kaffe
• Ojibwe (Anishinaabe language): muckadaymashkikiwabu (literally means 'black medicine')
• Persian: qehve
• Polish: kawa (pronounced kava)
• Portuguese: café
• Romanian: cafea (pronounced cafe-ah)
• Russian: kofe (pronounced koe-fee)
• Serbian: kafa
• Slovak: káva (pronounced kah-va)
• Slovenian: kava
• Spanish: café (masculine noun)
• Swahili: kahawa
• Swedish: kaffe
• Tamil (Sri Lanka): kapi-kottai or kaapi
• Thai: kafea or ca-fea
• Turkish: kahve (pronounced kah-VEY)
• Ukrainian: kavy or kava
• Urdu: kāfī
• Vietnamese: cà phê (pronounced ka FEY) or café
• Wolof: kafe
• Welsh: coffi (pronounced ko-FEE)
• Yiddish: kave
• Zulu: ihofi

Why Do These Pronunciations Vary So Much?

The word 'coffee' originated from the Arabic 'qahwa', which referred to a type of wine — and later, the drink made from the coffee bean. As coffee spread from the Arabian Peninsula through the Ottoman Empire to Europe and beyond, the word evolved phonetically in each language. Some languages preserved the guttural 'q', others softened it to 'k' or 'ca'. Local linguistic patterns, colonial history, and trade routes all played a role in shaping how we say 'coffee' today.

Fun Facts About Coffee in Other Languages

In many places, the way coffee is ordered or prepared is as unique as its name. For instance, in Egypt, it’s typical to have your coffee sweetened — but you can request it unsweetened by asking for 'qahua sa’ada'. The Ethiopian word 'bunna' not only refers to the coffee drink but is also tied to the region of Kaffa, considered the birthplace of coffee cultivation. Meanwhile, some indigenous languages like Ojibwe refer to coffee as 'black medicine', reflecting its stimulating effects.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common way to say coffee internationally?

The most widely recognized international word for coffee is 'café' (French), which is used or easily understood in many countries, especially in Europe and former French colonies. However, 'coffee' (English) and 'kaffe' (Scandinavian/Danish/Norwegian) are also commonly understood globally.

How do you pronounce coffee in Arabic?

In Arabic, coffee is pronounced 'qahwa', 'qahua', or 'qahwe'. The 'q' is a deep, guttural sound from the back of the throat, unlike the English 'k'. In Egypt and other regions, coffee is typically served sweet, but you can ask for it without sugar by saying 'qahua sa’ada'.

What is the Japanese word for coffee?

In Japanese, coffee is called 'koohii', pronounced with a long 'oo' sound. It reflects the phonetic adaptation of the Dutch 'koffie' during the Edo period when Japan had limited foreign contact, mainly with the Dutch.

How do you say coffee in Ethiopian languages?

In Amharic, one of Ethiopia’s main languages, coffee is called 'bunna'. This term is also associated with the region of Kaffa, which is believed to be the origin of coffee cultivation. The word sometimes gets loosely translated as 'bread' due to linguistic blending in local contexts.

What language says coffee is 'black medicine'?

In the Ojibwe language (Anishinaabe), coffee is referred to as 'muckadaymashkikiwabu', which literally translates to 'black medicine'. This reflects the early perception of coffee as a stimulating, medicinal drink.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Global Coffee Explorers

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