Have you ever encountered an English word that doesn’t look or sound English at all? Perhaps you’ve even come across one that’s the same or similar to a word in your first language?
You’re probably looking at a loanword, a word that English has adopted from another language.
Why has the English language borrowed words from so many other cultures?
Here are a few factors that have played a part in English word origins:
Historical events
When William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066, many French words entered the English language.
Global trade
The expansion of the British Empire brought English speakers into contact with Indian languages, Arabic and Chinese.
Colonisation and immigration
English has absorbed words from indigenous people and immigrants across the globe, including influences from Africa, Australasia and North and South America.
Globalisation
The internet and modern travel have brought English into contact with more languages than ever before, leading to loanwords related to food, technology and entertainment. Examples include ‘emoji’ (Japanese) and paparazzi (Italian).
Foreign language words in English
Many academic words in English have Latin origins. Greek, too, has contributed words, prefixes and suffixes, especially in science, philosophy and medicine.
In the list below you’ll find words that the English language has borrowed from around the world. Many of these are common English words now. Some have kept the same form as their original language while others have changed over the centuries.
Food and cooking
Word | Language(s) | Definition | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
1. hummus | Arabic | A spread/dip made from crushed chickpeas, lemon and oil. | I like carrot sticks dipped in hummus as an afternoon snack. |
2. curry | Tamil/Kannada/ Malayalam | A dish consisting of meat and/or vegetables cooked in a spicy sauce. | We ordered vegetarian curry with basmati rice and naan bread. |
3. yoghurt | Turkish | A creamy, slightly sour food made by fermenting milk with specific bacteria. | I usually have a bowl of muesli with fruit and yoghurt for breakfast. |
4. pizza | Italian | A circle of flatbread baked with cheese, tomato and various toppings. | We were too tired to cook, so we ordered a pizza and ate it in front of the TV. |
5. cinnamon | Hebrew | A brown spice made from the bark of a tropical tree. | The dessert was baked apples sprinkled with cinnamon. |
6. marmalade | Portuguese | A spread made from cooked citrus fruit. | Would you like marmalade on your toast? |
7. wok | Cantonese | A large, bowl-shaped Chinese cooking pan for frying food quickly at a high temperature. | Evie stir-fried vegetables in the wok with garlic and soy sauce. |
8. bagel | Yiddish | A round bread roll with a hole in the middle. | Matt had a toasted bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon. |
9. paprika | Hungarian | A ground spice made from dried red peppers. | I added paprika to the stew to give it a rich, smoky flavour. |
10. pho | Vietnamese | A Vietnamese noodle soup consisting of clear broth, rice noodles, herbs and beef or chicken. | We stopped at the food court for a bowl of pho. |
11. chocolate | Nahuatl | A sweet, brown food made from cacao seeds. | I gave her a box of chocolates for her birthday. |
12. whiskey | Gaelic | A strong, pale brown alcoholic drink from Scotland and Ireland. | We drank whiskey to celebrate the new year. |
Animals
Word | Language | Definition | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
13. panda | Nepalese | A large black and white bear that is found in China. | We watched a documentary about why pandas are endangered. |
14. chimpanzee | Bantu | A small African ape with brown or black fur. | Chimpanzees are highly intelligent. |
15. kiwi | Māori | A New Zealand bird with a long beak that cannot fly. | In New Zealand the kiwi bird is a national symbol. |
16. dingo | Dharuk | A wild dog found in Australia. | We spotted a dingo while we were driving through the national park. |
17. mammoth | Russian | A large, hairy type of elephant that is now extinct. | Scientists have discovered a mammoth fossil in a lake. |
Sports and exercise
Word | Language | Definition | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
18. tai chi | Mandarin | A form of exercise from China that involves slow body movements. | I often see people doing tai chi in my local park. |
19. taekwondo | Korean | A martial art from Korea, in which people fight with arms, legs and feet. | Megan started learning taekwondo to improve her self-confidence and physical fitness. |
20. karate | Japanese | A martial art from Japan, in which people fight with arms, hands, legs and feet. | After years of training, Tom achieved his black belt in karate. |
21. ski | Norwegian | A long, flat, narrow piece of wood or plastic that people attach to their boots to slide over snow. | Max hired a pair of skis for his trip to the mountains. |
22. tennis | French | A game that involves two or four people hitting a small ball across a net with a racket. | Serena Williams is one of the world’s best tennis players. |
Dance and music
Word | Language | Definition | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
23. ballet | French | A technical form of dance with graceful movements that are used to express an idea or tell a story. | Anna’s dream is to perform in a ballet like ‘Swan Lake.’ |
24. karaoke | Japanese | A form of entertainment from Japan where the music of popular songs is played without words so people can sing the words themselves. | We celebrated David’s birthday in a karaoke bar. |
25. salsa | Spanish | A type of South American music or a dance which involves this kind of music. | We’ve been going to salsa classes every Wednesday. |
26. ukelele | Hawaiian | A small guitar with four strings. | My grandfather taught me how to play the ukelele. |
27. capoeira | Brazilian Portuguese | An activity from Brazil that combines dance, music and martial arts. | The rhythmic beat of the capoeira drums filled the air. |
Weather and natural disasters
Word | Language | Definition | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
28. typhoon | Greek | A violent tropical storm that occurs in the western Pacific Ocean. | The island was hit by a powerful typhoon. |
29. tornado | Spanish | A strong, dangerous wind that forms itself into a spinning column of air that causes significant damage as it moves across the ground. | The weather service issued a tornado warning, urging residents to take shelter immediately. |
30. tsunami | Japanese | An extremely large wave, caused by an earthquake under the sea. | The tsunami's waves reached up to 30 feet high, causing significant damage to homes along the coastline. |
31. Celsius | Swedish | A measurement of temperature. Used in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. | It was minus two degrees Celsius when I woke up. |
32. Fahrenheit | German | A measurement of temperature. Commonly used in the United States. | The temperature had reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit by midday. |
Clothing
Word | Language | Definition | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
33. pyjamas (UK) or pajamas (US) | Hindi | Loose trousers and a shirt that people wear for sleeping. | Put your pyjamas on, kids. |
34. sarong | Malay | A long piece of cloth that is worn wrapped around the waist like a skirt. | She wore a sarong to the beach. |
35. khaki | Urdu | Military-style clothes that are made from yellowish or greenish-brown cloth. | The soldiers were dressed in khaki uniforms. |
36. anorak | Inuit | A short coat with a hood to protect people against wind, rain and snow. | Greg zipped up his anorak to protect himself from the icy wind. |
37. blouse | French | A shirt for a girl or a woman. | Sarah’s school uniform consisted of a blue skirt and a white blouse. |
Places
Word | Language | Definition | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
38. kindergarten | German | School or preschool for children aged between 3 and 5, depending on the country. | Roy and Marcus have been best friends since kindergarten. |
39. jungle | Sanskrit | A tropical forest. | We saw monkeys swinging through the jungle. |
40. patio | Spanish | An outdoor space attached to a house or building that has a solid floor but no roof. It is used for relaxing, dining or entertaining. | In summer, we like to have barbecues on the patio. |
41. bungalow | Hindi | A house that usually has only one level. | Julie grew up in a small, brick bungalow. |
42. cafe | French | A small restaurant or coffeehouse that serves light meals, snacks and drinks. | They met for coffee at their favourite cafe. |
Miscellaneous
Word | Language | Definition | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
43. safari | Swahili | An organised trip to look at wild animals, especially in Africa. | The safari car had an open roof, allowing us to take photos of the animals from a safe distance. |
44. azure | Persian/Farsi | A bright, blue colour. | She wore a beautiful azure scarf that matched the clear blue of the summer sky. |
45. boss | Dutch | The person who oversees an organisation. | He’s a great boss, always supportive and open to new ideas from the team. |
46. sofa | Arabic | A long soft seat with a back and arms, on which two or more people can sit. | Grandma often falls asleep on the sofa while she’s reading. |
47. graffiti | Italian | Writing or drawing on public buildings with spray paint or markers, usually without permission. | The city council decided to clean up the walls covered in graffiti after complaints from residents. |
48. entrepreneur | French | Someone who starts their own business. | After working in corporate jobs for years, she decided to become an entrepreneur and opened a coffee shop. |
49. shampoo | Hindi | A liquid soap used for washing hair or other materials like carpets. | I ran out of shampoo this morning, so I had to borrow some of yours. |
50. physics | Greek | An area of science that focuses on the study of matter and energy. | In physics class, we learnt about Newton’s laws of motion. |
Can I use foreign words in the IELTS test?
IELTS assesses your English language skills, so only use foreign words if they are commonly used in English.
Take care with spelling and pronunciation.
Some English words may look like words in your first language but are not exactly same. One example of this is ‘marmalade’ (English) and ‘marmelada’ (Portuguese).
Other English borrowed words might be spelt the same but may be pronounced differently in English compared to their language of origin, for instance, ‘blouse.’
Having a wide vocabulary not only helps you score better in the IELTS test but also prepares you for success in the next phase of your life.
For more vocabulary resources, visit our IELTS Prepare Hub.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sources:
Algeo, J. (2014). The Origins and Development of the English Language (6th ed.). Wadsworth.
Etymonline.com (n.d.). Etymonline - Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved December 11, 2024,
from https://www.etymonline.com/
Xiao, X. (2020). The Study of Loanwords in English. Journal of Contemporary Educational
Research, 4 (12), 36–43.
Ready to book your IELTS test?
Achieve your visa, work, and study goals with IELTS. Find your closest test centre and book your test now.
FAQs
Read answers to frequently asked questions about vocabulary and the IELTS test.