Food and drink in Georgian
191 words Georgian words on the topic “food and drink”: ყავა — coffee, ჩაი — tea, წყალი — water, პური — bread. 191 words can be played from recordings.
191 words on the topic
- ყავაqavacoffeeThe opening q is a deep guttural sound from the very bottom of the throat — nothing in English stands this far back
- ჩაიchaiteaThe word traveled half the world almost unchanged. Tea is poured into a chika (glass), coffee into a pinjani (cup)
- წყალიtsqaliwaterTwo hard sounds in a row: the sharp ejective ts and the deep throaty q. A real tongue workout
- პურიpuribreadGeorgian bread bakes in a round clay oven, a tone — hence shotis puri, the boat-shaped loaf
- ყველიqvelicheeseThat deep throaty q again at the start. Sulguni and the Imeretian kind are the two cheeses to know
- ხორციkhortsimeatMenus usually list its kinds: beef, pork, chicken — each named as 'of the animal'
- თევზიtevzifishHence metevzi, fisherman: the me- prefix turns a thing into a trade, as in mebaghe, gardener
- სალათიsalatisaladA borrowing with the obligatory -i. On menus it is most often kartuli salati — tomatoes with walnuts
- სუპიsupisoupA borrowing. The native neighbor is tsvniani, from tsveni — juice, broth
- მარილიmarilisaltHence mariliani, salty — the -iani tail means 'with something'
- ხილიkhilifruitA collective word: 'fruit' and 'fruits' in one. Vegetables are a separate word, bostneuli
- ვაშლიvashliappleThe tree has no word of its own: vashlis khe, literally 'apple wood'
- ფორთოხალიportokhaliorangeAlso gives the color: portokhlisperi, orange, literally 'orange-colored'
- პომიდორიpomidoritomatoThe opening p is ejective, with no puff of air. In Georgia tomato goes into salad more often than into soup
- ღვინოghvinowineThe Georgian word from which both 'wine' and 'vin' took their sound
- ხაჭაპურიkhachapurikhachapuriKhacho is curd cheese, puri is bread: the word is built from two you already know
- გემრიელიgemrielideliciousFrom gemo, taste. One word praises the whole meal: gemrielia!
- ვჭამvchamto eatA personal form: vcham, I eat. The v- at the very start is 'I', then the root cham. He eats is chams
- ვსვამvsvamto drinkA personal form: vsvam, I drink. He drinks is svams, we drink is vsvamt
- მწიფეmtsiperipethe ts is a short sharp ts, with no puff and no stretching
- საუზმეsauzmebreakfastAlready met whole in sauzme passhi shedis, breakfast is included. To have breakfast is the single word sauzmoba
- სადილიsadililunchThe Georgian sadili is shifted toward the evening by three or four hours; what this course calls lunch at noon is closer to lanchi
- ვახშამიvakhshamidinnerKnown from vakhshmis momzadeba: when it declines, the middle -a- drops out and vakhshami becomes vakhshmis
- ღეჭვაghechvato chewthe gh is a rolling throaty rasp, the ch a sharp click of a ch: ghe-ch-va
- ყლაპვაqlapvato swallowthe q is a catch in the very depth of the throat, neither k nor kh; the p after it is a sharp p with no puff
- მადაmadaappetiteAt the table they wish mada sheni — bon appetit, literally 'your appetite'. Do not confuse with madloba, thank you
- ნაჭერიnacheripiecethe ch is the same sharp clicking ch as in chabuki: na-che-ri
- სუნიsunismellOn its own the word is neutral, but without an adjective it is often taken as a bad smell. A pleasant scent is surneli
- კარაქიkarakibutterk at the start is sharp with no puff of air, k at the end is aspirated; both are written k, but the ear hears two sounds: ka-ra-ki
- კარტოფილიkartopilipotatoboth the k and the t are ejective, with no puff of air: kar-to-pi-li
- ფქვილიpkviliflourthe opening pkhv is three consonants in a row — aspirated p, aspirated k, then v — read in one motion: pkvi-li
- თაფლიtaplihoneyHere p again sounds as p, not f: the word is tapli. From it comes tapliani, honeyed
- კაკალიkakaliwalnutsboth k sounds are sharp ejectives, no puff of air: ka-ka-li
- ხახვიkhakhvioniontwo kh sounds separated by a vowel: kha-khvi — a deep, throaty h, further back than English h
- სტაფილოstapilocarrotthe t after s is a sharp ejective t, no puff of air: sta-pi-lo
- წიწაკაtsitsakapeppertwo sharp ts in a row plus an ejective k: tsi-tsa-ka. A gym of a word
- ლობიოlobiobeansThe same word names the signature dish made of it. On a menu lobio is the dish, not the shelf product
- სანელებლებიsaneleblebispicesThe singular is sanelebeli, a seasoning. The sa-…-ebeli frame is the same as in satskhovrebeli, 'a dwelling': 'that which seasons'
- მომზადებაmomzadebato prepareThe verbal noun is 'preparation' — of food or for an exam. Inside is the same root as in mzareuli, cook
- დაბანაdabanato washWashing with water — hands, face, vegetables. Dishes and laundry get a different verb, retskhva, from the household unit
- დანაdanaknifeDiffers from dabana, to wash, by one letter in the middle — and they are easy to confuse by ear
- ხარშვაkharshvato boilthe rshv cluster in the middle reads without a vowel: khar-shva
- შეწვაshetsvato fryts is a sharp ts with no aspiration, then straight into v: she-tsva
- ცხობაtskhobato bakethe opening tskh is ts and kh in a row with no vowel: tskho-ba
- ჭრაchrato cuta sharp ch cut off short, with r right behind it: chra — one syllable
- ქვაბიkvabipotDon't confuse with kva, stone — though the root looks shared: a pot as something hollowed out. The clay pot is kotani
- ტაფაtapafrying panthe t is ejective — sharp, no puff of air: ta-pa
- გაზქურაgazkurastovegazi plus kura, hearth: a gas stove. The oven is a separate thing, ghumeli
- თეფშიtepshiplateA Persian-Turkish word. The p once more reads as p: tep-shi
- ფინჯანიpinjanicupA cup with a handle — for coffee and tea. The handleless glass is chika, and the two are different things
- ჭიქაchikawater glassa sharp ch with no puff of air, then an aspirated k: chi-ka. Don't confuse it with chika spelled with the soft ch — that would be another word
- კოვზიkovzispoonthe k is a sharp ejective k, no puff of air: kov-zi
- ჩანგალიchangaliforkThe same word means 'pitchfork': the farm tool and the table utensil share a name
- ბოთლიbotlibottleEnglish bottle with a Georgian -i. Wine is counted the same way: erti botli ghvino — one bottle of wine
- ხელსახოციkhelsakhotsinapkinBuilt like pirsakhotsi, towel, from the household unit: there piri was 'face', here kheli is 'hand'
- ჩაიდანიchaidaniteapotInside lives chai, the tea from unit one; -dani is a Persian suffix for containers
- ლანგარიlangaritrayA word heard in cafes and at feasts: food and dishes alike arrive on it
- ცხელიtskhelihotthe opening tskh is ts and kh in a row, no vowel between: tskhe-li
- ცივიtsivicoldThe partner of tskheli. About the weather — tsiva, it is cold — and inside matsivari, the refrigerator, sits the same root
- მშიერიmshierihungryThe counterpart of madzghari, full. A speaker more often reaches for the phrase mshia — literally 'it hungers to me'
- გემოgemotasteFrom it comes gemrieli, tasty, from the cafe unit: literally 'having taste'
- მარილიანიmarilianisaltymarili, salt, plus -iani, 'with something': salty is 'with salt'. Built the same way as khmauriani, noisy, and mziani, sunny
- მჟავეmzhavesourthe opening mzh is m and zh in a row, no vowel between them: mzha-ve
- მწარეmtsarebitterthe opening mts is m and a sharp ts in a row: mtsa-re
- ცხარეtskharespicybegins the same way as tskheli: tskha-re
- მაძღარიmadzgharifullthe core dzgh is a fused dz then a rolled gh in a row: ma-dzgha-ri
- გასინჯვაgasinjvato tryThe verbal noun is 'a trial'. In speech: gasinje — try it. A second meaning is an examination at the doctor's
- მენიუmeniumenuNo -i at the end: the word stayed a French guest, like palto, coat
- ოფიციანტიopitsiantiwaiterthe t at the end is ejective — sharp, no puff of air: o-pi-tsi-an-ti
- შეკვეთაshekvetaorderthe k is ejective — sharp, no puff of air: she-kve-ta
- დაკვეთაdakvetato orderSame -kvet- root, different preverb: she- makes the noun of the order, da- the action. In speech: shevkvetav — I'll order
- კერძიkerdzidishthe k is ejective — sharp, no puff of air; dz is one fused sound: kerd-zi
- პორციაportsiaportionthe p is ejective — no puff of air: por-tsi-a
- მაგიდა ორისთვისmagida oristvistable for twoori, two, plus -stvis, for: a table for two. The same pattern gives otxistvis — for four
- დესერტიdesertidessertthe t at the end is ejective — sharp, no puff of air: de-ser-ti
- ხორცის გარეშეkhortsis gareshewithout meatgareshe, without, already appeared in recebtis gareshe. The word every vegetarian here lives by
- ტორტიtorticakeboth t sounds are sharp, no puff of air: tor-ti
- მაკარონიmakaronipastathe k is sharp, no puff of air: ma-ka-ro-ni
- იოგურტიiogurtiyogurtthe t at the end is ejective — sharp: i-o-gur-ti
- ნაღებიnaghebicreamthe gh is voiced and throaty: na-ghe-bi
- ნაყინიnaqiniice creamthe q is a throaty k from deep in the throat: na-qi-ni
- შოკოლადიshokoladichocolateA bar of it is sokoladis fila. Hot chocolate as a drink is cxeli sokoladi, and in a cafe that is exactly how it is ordered
- ორცხობილაortskhobilacookiethe rcx is r, ts and kh in a row: or-tsxho-bi-la
- საქონლის ხორციsakonlis khortsibeefsaqoneli is cattle — hence saqonlis xorc, literally 'the meat of cattle'. The same word saqoneli also means 'goods' in a store — the second sense you will meet in the shopping unit
- ცხვრის ხორციtskhvris khortsilambfour consonants in a row: tsxv-ris
- კრევეტებიkrevetebishrimp (as food)the k sharp, the t sharp: kre-ve-te-bi
- ყურძენიqurdzenigrapesthe q throaty, the dz one fused sound: qur-dze-ni
- კიტრიkitricucumberthe k and the t are both sharp, no puff of air: kit-ri
- კომბოსტოkombostocabbagethe k sharp, the t sharp: kom-bos-to
- ნიორიniorigarlicA clove of it is nioris kbili, literally 'a tooth of garlic'. Georgian cooking puts garlic in almost everything, and niorcqali — garlic water — is served with meat
- გოგრაgograpumpkinThe pumpkin as a vegetable and as a vessel made of a dried one. The zucchini is a different word, qabaqi, and the two should not be confused
- ბადრიჯანიbadrijanieggplantIts most famous dish is badrijani nigvzit, eggplant with walnut paste. In old texts the tomato was called citeli badrijani — the red eggplant
- ლიმონიlimonilemonA wedge of it is limonis naceri. Lemonade in Georgia is its own drink, limonati, and most often it has nothing to do with the lemon at all
- საზამთროsazamtrowatermelonLiterally 'of winter' — from zamtari, winter: watermelons were stored until winter. The melon is nesvi, and at the market the two are named as a pair: sazamtro da nesvi
- მარწყვიmartsqvistrawberrythe rcq is r, a sharp ts and the throaty q in a row: mar-tsqvi
- მსხალიmskhalipearthree consonants in a row — m, s and kh — without a vowel: mskha-li
- ატამიatamipeachthe t is ejective — sharp, no puff of air: a-ta-mi
- კერძის რეცეპტიkerdzis retseptirecipethe k sharp, the dz fused, the t sharp: ker-dzis re-tsep-ti
- ბოსტნეულის გაფცქვნაbostneulis gaptskvnato peel vegetablesthe middle cluster ptsqvn is one breath: ga-ptcxvna
- ადუღებაadughebato bring to a boilthe gh is voiced and throaty: a-du-ghe-ba
- არევაarevato stirTo stir with a spoon. The same word means 'to mix up': saxelebi ameria — I mixed up the names. In the kitchen almost always with a preverb: movurie, avurie
- დამარილებაdamarilebato saltFrom marili, salt, which you know from wave one. damarilebuli is salted. To oversalt: gadamarileba, with the preverb gada-
- გაცხელებაgatskhelebato reheatthe cx is ts and kh in a row: ga-tsxhe-le-ba
- გაცივებაgatsivebato coolFrom civi, cold. One letter decides: gaciveba is to cool food, while gacieba, without the v, is a cold and catching one — and that word is yours from wave one
- კვერცხების ათქვეფაkvertskhebis atkvepato whisk the eggsthe rcx is r, ts and kh in a row: kver-tsxhe-bis
- წყლის დამატებაtsqlis damatebato add waterthe cql is a sharp ts, the throaty q and l: cq-lis
- გრილზე შეწვაgrilze shetsvato grillthe cv is a sharp ts and v: she-tsva
- ვარგისიანობის ვადაvargisianobis vadaexpiration datevargisi is fit for use, vada is a term — the same vada as in the due date from the bank unit. On the packaging it is written shorter: vargisia …-mde
- გაფუჭდაgapuchdait went offthe ch is sharp: ga-puch-da
- ქილაkilajarthe q is aspirated — the air escapes right after the closure: qi-la. Through the sharp ejective k it would be another word
- დამატებითი პორციაdamatebiti portsiasecond helpingthe p is sharp: por-tsi-a
- თან წასაღებიtan tsasaghebifor takeawaythe ts is sharp: tsa-sa-ghe-bi
- შაქრის გარეშეshakris gareshewithout sugargareshe is 'without', and it follows the word: shakris gareshe; xorcis gareshe — without meat, from wave two. shakari itself loses a vowel in the genitive: shakris
- ვეგეტარიანელი ვარvegetarianeli varI'm a vegetarianNo gender: a woman will say exactly the same. A vegan is vegani. On Georgian menus the word samarxvo, Lenten, saves you: Lenten dishes are many here, without meat or milk
- გემრიელად მიირთვითgemrielad miirtvitenjoy your mealLiterally 'eat tasty': miirtvit is the polite 'eat'. To one person: gemrielad miirtvi. The reply is madloba, or an invitation to the table: modi, ertad vcamot
- ცხიმიანი საჭმელიtskhimiani sachmelifatty foodthe opening tskh has no vowel, and the ch is a sharp clipped ch: tskhi-mia-ni sach-me-li
- კანფეტიkanpeticandythe k is ejective and the p aspirated: kan-pe-ti
- ეროვნული კერძიerovnuli kerdzinational dishthe k is ejective and dz is one fused dz sound: ker-dzi
- ქუჩის საჭმელიkuchis sachmelistreet foodthe k with a puff of air, and the ch a sharp clipped ch: ku-chis sach-me-li
- ღორის ხორციghoris khortsiporkNo dedicated word: 'pig's meat'. Ghori is the pig, and the genitive -is sets it to the left of khortsi
- ქათმის ხორციkatmis khortsichickenThe live bird is katami; on the table it becomes katmis khortsi — the genitive eats a vowel
- იხვის ხორციikhvis khortsiduck (meat)The bird itself, ikhvi, the course has already covered; it becomes food through the same genitive -is
- ფარშიparshiground meatA borrowing with the obligatory tail -i. The native description is dakepili khortsi, minced meat
- ლორიlorihamA native word, not a borrowing: it names both boiled ham and the cured ham leg
- სოსისიsosisisausageA borrowing with the tail -i. In the plural it becomes sosisebi
- თინუსიtinusitunaThe opening t is aspirated, not the ejective t — the difference is audible and it changes meaning
- ორაგულიoragulisalmonA native word: it covers both the trout of mountain rivers and the salmon on the counter — this fish is local, not imported
- კრევეტიkrevetia shrimp (one)A borrowing where both the k and the t are ejectives — a sharp click, no puff
- ზღვის პროდუქტებიzghvis produktebiseafoodLiterally 'products of the sea': no single word exists, and the genitive zghvis does the work a prefix would
- ქლიავიkliaviplumA native word. The kh is aspirated, and kl at the start really do run together with no vowel between them
- ჟოლოzholoraspberryzh is its own letter, the sound in 'measure'. A native word; its jam is zholos muraba
- ნესვიnesvimelonMelon is nesvi, watermelon is sazamtro: two different roots, and mixing them up strikes a Georgian as odd
- ბროწეულიbrotseulipomegranateThe opening ts is ejective — a sharp ts with the throat closed off. A native word, and the pomegranate is also a sign of abundance in Georgia
- ანანასიananasipineappleA borrowing with the tail -i, like almost every imported fruit
- მანდარინიmandarinitangerineTangerines grow in Georgia, in Adjara, but the word is still a borrowing — with the obligatory -i
- კივიkivikiwiThe opening k is ejective. The word did take the tail -i, though it arrived only recently
- ავოკადოavokadoavocadoOne of the few words with no -i tail: borrowings ending in -o never take it
- ქიშმიშიkishmishiraisinsIt came from the east along with the raisins themselves. In the villages the native chamichi lives on beside it
- ლეღვიleghvifigAn ancient native word. The gh is throaty, a voiced rasp deeper than English g
- ბულგარული წიწაკაbulgaruli tsitsakabell pepperTsitsaka already meant the hot kind; the sweet vegetable one Georgians call 'Bulgarian'
- ყაბაყიqabaqizucchiniTwo of that deep throaty q in one word — it sits deeper than any English k
- ჭარხალიcharkhalibeetThe ch here is ejective, sharper than the plain ch. From it comes charkhlis pkhali, a beet pate
- ბოლოკიbolokiradishA native word; the final k is ejective, and the first two syllables sound level and plain
- მწვანილიmtsvanilifresh herbsFrom mtsvane, green, with the tail -ili. In Georgia this is not a garnish but a whole plate on the table
- კამაkamadillA short native word with an ejective k. Do not confuse with kamathi, an argument
- ოხრახუშიokhrakhushiparsleyA long native word with two of those throaty kh sounds, like in 'aha'
- ჯანჯაფილიjanjapiligingerIt arrived through Persian together with the root itself. j is one letter, the fused sound in 'judge'
- სიმინდიsimindicornA native word, and in western Georgia it matters more than wheat: the corn bread mchadi bakes from its flour
- ისპანახიispanakhispinachThe opening p is ejective, the final kh throaty. It traveled from the east by the same road the spinach did
- ფუნთუშაpuntushabunA native word; the p and the th are both aspirated. It covers both a rich sweet bun and a plain round roll
- ღვეზელიghvezelipieA native word for a closed pie with a filling. The opening ghv is the throaty gh straight into a v
- ნამცხვარიnamtskhvaripastryFrom tskhoba, to bake, with the na- prefix: 'that which was baked'. It names both a pastry and a slice of cake
- პონჩიკიponchikidonutA borrowing with the tail -i; the p is ejective. In Batumi it is street food filled with condensed milk
- ნაცხობიnatskhobibaked goodsThe same root tskhoba, to bake, but the na- prefix without a tail names the whole class: everything baked at once
- ჯემიjemijamA borrowing; the native muraba is preserves with whole berries, while jemi on the jar means smooth
- სიროფიsiropisyrupA borrowing with the tail -i; the final p is aspirated, not the ejective p
- პოპკორნიpopkornipopcornIt came by way of English; both the p and the k are ejectives, and the tail -i is obligatory
- ჩიფსიchipsipotato chipsA borrowing, and in Georgian it is singular: chipsi is the whole bag at once
- საღეჭი რეზინიsaghechi rezinichewing gumLiterally 'chewing rubber': the sa-...-i ring wraps ghechva, to chew. In speech plain rezini works too
- ლიმონათიlimonatilemonadeNot 'limonadi': Georgian took the word with its own -ti tail. It names any sweet fizzy drink
- მინერალური წყალიmineraluri tsqalimineral waterThe -uri adjective marks the borrowed part. The opening tsq of tsqali is the ejective ts and the throaty q in a row
- გაზიანი წყალიgaziani tsqalisparkling waterThe -iani tail means 'with something': gaziani is 'with gas'. Without gas they say ugazo
- კოქტეილიkokteilicocktailA borrowing with both pairs in one word: the ejective k and t, and the aspirated kh
- კაკაოkakaococoaNo -i tail, like all borrowings in -o. Both k's are ejectives
- ხსნადი ყავაkhsnadi qavainstant coffeeKhsnadi comes from khzna, to dissolve. The opening khs has no vowel, and the q in qava is that deep throaty one
- ჩაის პაკეტიchais paketitea bagEnglish builds an adjective; Georgian reaches for the genitive: chais, of tea. The p and the t are ejectives
- მდუღარეmdughareboiling waterFrom dughili, to boil: 'boiling'. Tskhel tsqali is just hot water — this one is at the bubble
- ალკოჰოლიalkoholialcoholA borrowing; the opening h is its own letter, a light exhale. The tail -i is obligatory
- სასმელიsasmelibeverageThe sa-...-eli ring around sma, to drink: 'the thing drunk'. The same device builds satchmeli, food
- წვენიtsvenijuiceThe same word for the juice of a fruit and the gravy of meat. Which juice says the genitive on the left: vashlis tsveni
- ხინკალიkhinkalikhinkaliA good khinkali has no fewer than nineteen pleats; people count them in earnest
- ქვევრიkvevriqvevriHence amber wine: white grapes fermented on the skins give the orange color
- ჩურჩხელაchurchkhelachurchkhelaThe thickened juice is called tatara; without it you get not a churchkhela but a string of nuts
- ტყემალიtkemalitkemaliThe tree itself bears the same name: the sauce is named after its raw material
- მწვადიmtsvadimtsvadiTo marinate mtsvadi is considered an admission that the meat is not fresh
- მჭადიmchadimchadiPut cheese inside and you get chvishtari — a different dish and a different name
- საცივიsatsivisatsiviThe sauce thickens as it cools — which is why the dish is never reheated
- საფერავიsaperaviSaperaviIt makes both the dry and the semisweet; Georgians count the semisweet as wine for guests
- ჭაჭაchachachachaDrunk from a small glass and always under a toast, never just so
- სულგუნიsulgunisulguniA Mingrelian name: suli is soul, guli is heart — though that is folk etymology
- ნადუღიnaduhinadughiFrom dughili, boiling: nadughi is what floated up during the boiling
- შოთიshotishotiThe hole is there so the bread does not fall off the oven wall while it bakes
- თონეtonetone ovenA cousin of the Central Asian tandoor, in both name and design
- აჯიკაajikaajikaAn Abkhaz word that simply means 'salt': the pepper was added by shepherds
- ფხალიpkhalipkhaliThe different-colored balls on one plate are one dish of different vegetables, not three
- ბადრიჯანი ნიგვზითbadrijani nigvzitbadrijaniNigvzit means 'with walnut': walnut paste stands in for both sauce and gravy in Georgian cooking
- ხარჩოkharchokharchoThe full name is 'beef kharcho'; the sour note comes from plum, not tomato
- ღომიghomighomiBefore corn, ghomi was cooked from millet — the word and the dish are older than America
- მაწონიmatsonimatsoniThe Armenian matsun is the same word and the same product: the kinship is plain to see
- ნიგვზის საწებელიnigvzis satsebeliwalnut sauceUtkho-suneli is blue fenugreek, and nothing can replace it: without it the taste is another
- ალუბალიalubalisour cherryThe prefix alu- points to sourness, as in alucha, the cherry plum
How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
- ყავა შაქრით მინდაqava shakrit mindaI want coffee with sugar
- ჩაი უფრო მიყვარს, ვიდრე ყავაchai upro miqvars, vidre qavaI like tea more than coffee
- ცივი წყალი მინდაtsivi tsqali mindaI want some cold water
- თბილი პური ვიყიდეtbili puri viqideI bought warm bread
- საუზმეზე ყველი და პური მიყვარსsauzmeze qveli da puri miqvarsFor breakfast I like cheese with bread
- ხორცს არ ვჭამkhortss ar vchamI do not eat meat
What is worth knowing about these words
ყავა (qava) — coffee. The opening q is a deep guttural sound from the very bottom of the throat — nothing in English stands this far back
ჩაი (chai) — tea. The word traveled half the world almost unchanged. Tea is poured into a chika (glass), coffee into a pinjani (cup)
წყალი (tsqali) — water. Two hard sounds in a row: the sharp ejective ts and the deep throaty q. A real tongue workout
პური (puri) — bread. Georgian bread bakes in a round clay oven, a tone — hence shotis puri, the boat-shaped loaf
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is ყავა (qava) — coffee.
- What is this word?
It is სალათი (salati) — salad.
- What is this word?
It is ღვინო (ghvino) — wine.
- What is this word?
It is სადილი (sadili) — lunch.
- What is this word?
It is კარაქი (karaki) — butter.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “coffee” in Georgian?
The opening q is a deep guttural sound from the very bottom of the throat — nothing in English stands this far back
- How do you say “salad” in Georgian?
A borrowing with the obligatory -i. On menus it is most often kartuli salati — tomatoes with walnuts
- How do you say “wine” in Georgian?
The Georgian word from which both 'wine' and 'vin' took their sound
- How do you say “lunch” in Georgian?
The Georgian sadili is shifted toward the evening by three or four hours; what this course calls lunch at noon is closer to lanchi
- How do you say “butter” in Georgian?
Butter the dairy kind. The oil you fry in is a different word, zeti — mixing them up in the kitchen is a real offense
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
A menu, a market, a shop sign, the question “what is this?”. Food is the most frequent subject of the first weeks and the safest excuse to start talking.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- This holds not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “coffee” in Georgian?
«ყავა», read “qava”. The opening q is a deep guttural sound from the very bottom of the throat — nothing in English stands this far back. It is one of 191 words in the set “food and drink” — the rest are in the table above.
How many food words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 191 words on this page covers nearly every everyday case on the topic — but it is best taken a few at a time, not all at once.
Is there audio?
Yes, 191 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.