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How to Say Water in 100 Different Languages + Pronunciations
Craving to learn how to say water in different languages? I’ll show you how!
Before traveling to a new country, it’s a good idea to learn how to say basic words like water. As someone who has visited over 29 countries, I’ve mastered saying water in various languages so I can make sure to stay hydrated wherever I go.
Even if you believe you’re not that good at learning languages (like myself!), grasping a few words is quite manageable. Water, food, thank you, and where is the bathroom are brilliant phrases to know so you can interact with anyone around the world and secure your basic needs without difficulty.
This guide will equip you to survive in foreign lands by teaching you how to say water in a myriad of languages. I can’t cover every language — particularly as some can be difficult to translate phonetically.
However, I have managed to gather water in 100 languages so you’ll be prepared in nearly every corner of the globe.
Use this guide to learn water in many languages, understand where these languages are spoken, and how to pronounce the word correctly. You’ll be capable of asking for a drink on every continent!
Ready to dive right into your language lesson? Let’s begin!
Need help learning a new language? I recommend iTalki! I’ve tried ALL the apps, but iTalki is the only way I’ve managed to learn as much as living in the local country.
100 Ways to Say Water in Different Languages
| # | Language | Word | Pronunciation | Spoken in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | water | [wɔːtər] | United States, Canada, Australia, UK, New Zealand |
| 2 | Spanish | agua | [aɣwa] | Spain, Mexico, Central and South America |
| 3 | French | eau | [o] | France, Canada, Belgium, many African countries |
| 4 | German | Wasser | [ˈvasɐ] | Germany, Austria, parts of Switzerland |
| 5 | Italian | acqua | [ˈakkwa] | Italy, San Marino, Vatican City |
| 6 | Dutch | water | [ˈʋaːtər] | Netherlands, Belgium |
| 7 | Portuguese | água | [ˈaɡwɐ] | Portugal, Brazil, several African countries |
| 8 | Russian | вода | [vɐˈda] | Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, former Soviet Union |
| 9 | Polish | woda | [ˈvɔ.da] | Poland |
| 10 | Swedish | vatten | [²vatːɛn] | Sweden |
| 11 | Finnish | vesi | [ˈʋe̞si] | Finland |
| 12 | Danish | vand | [vɑnˀ] | Denmark |
| 13 | Czech | voda | [ˈvoda] | Czech Republic |
| 14 | Greek | νερό | [neˈro] | Greece, Cyprus |
| 15 | Turkish | su | [su] | Turkey, Northern Cyprus |
| 16 | Hungarian | víz | [viːz] | Hungary |
| 17 | Romanian | apă | [ˈapə] | Romania, Moldova |
| 18 | Indonesian | air | [aˈir] | Indonesia |
| 19 | Malay | air | [aˈir] | Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore |
| 20 | Filipino | tubig | [tubig] | Philippines |
| 21 | Vietnamese | nước | [ɲɨək˧˩˧] | Vietnam |
| 22 | Thai | น้ำ | [náːm] | Thailand |
| 23 | Arabic | ماء | [maːʔ] | Middle Eastern and North African countries |
| 24 | Hebrew | מים | [maˈjim] | Israel |
| 25 | Persian | آب | [ɒːb] | Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan |
| 26 | Hindi | पानी | [paːniː] | India |
| 27 | Bengali | জল | [d͡ʒɔl] | Bangladesh, India |
| 28 | Punjabi | ਪਾਣੀ | [pɑːniː] | India, Pakistan |
| 29 | Urdu | پانی | [pɑːniː] | Pakistan, India |
| 30 | Gujarati | પાણી | [pɑːɳiː] | India |
| 31 | Marathi | पाणी | [pɑːɳiː] | India |
| 32 | Tamil | நீர் | [niːr] | India, Sri Lanka, Singapore |
| 33 | Telugu | నీటి | [niːʈi] | India |
| 34 | Kannada | ನೀರು | [niːru] | India |
| 35 | Malayalam | വെള്ളം | [ʋelːəm] | India |
| 36 | Sinhala | ජලය | [jalaja] | Sri Lanka |
| 37 | Nepali | पानी | [paːni] | Nepal |
| 38 | Chinese (Mandarin) | 水 | [ʂweɪ̯˧˥] | China, Taiwan, Singapore |
| 39 | Chinese (Cantonese) | 水 | [sɵy˨˧˥] | Hong Kong, Macau |
| 40 | Japanese | 水 | [mizɯ] | Japan |
| 41 | Korean | 물 | [mul] | South Korea, North Korea |
| 42 | Mongolian | ус | [ʊs] | Mongolia, parts of China |
| 43 | Lao | ນ້ໍາ | [naːm] | Laos |
| 44 | Burmese | ရေ | [jè] | Myanmar |
| 45 | Khmer | ទឹក | [tɨk] | Cambodia |
| 46 | Hmong | dej | [dɛ̌ʝ] | China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand |
| 47 | Tibetan | ཆུ | [tɕʰu˥˥] | Tibet, parts of China, India, Nepal |
| 48 | Kazakh | су | [su] | Kazakhstan |
| 49 | Kyrgyz | суу | [suː] | Kyrgyzstan |
| 50 | Georgian | წყალი | [t͡s’q’ali] | Georgia |
| 51 | Armenian | ջուր | [d͡ʒur] | Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh |
| 52 | Azerbaijani | su | [su] | Azerbaijan |
| 53 | Turkmen | suw | [suw] | Turkmenistan |
| 54 | Uzbek | suv | [suv] | Uzbekistan |
| 55 | Tajik | об | [ob] | Tajikistan |
| 56 | Afrikaans | water | [ˈvatər] | South Africa, Namibia |
| 57 | Zulu | amanzi | [aˈmanzi] | South Africa |
| 58 | Somali | biyo | [biːjo] | Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya |
| 59 | Amharic | ውሃ | [wəha] | Ethiopia |
| 60 | Tigrinya | ውሃ | [wəha] | Eritrea, Ethiopia |
| 61 | Oromo | bishaan | [biːʃaːn] | Ethiopia, Kenya |
| 62 | Swahili | maji | [ˈmadʒi] | Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, other parts of East Africa |
| 63 | Yoruba | omi | [oːmi] | Nigeria, Benin, Togo |
| 64 | Igbo | mmiri | [mmiri] | Nigeria |
| 65 | Hausa | ruwa | [ruwa] | Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Ghana |
| 66 | Fulani | ndiig | [ndiːg] | Many countries in West Africa |
| 67 | Twi | nsuo | [nsuo] | Ghana |
| 68 | Shona | mvura | [mʋuɾa] | Zimbabwe |
| 69 | Ndebele | amanzi | [aˈmanzi] | Zimbabwe, South Africa |
| 70 | Malagasy | rano | [ˈrano] | Madagascar |
| 71 | Maori | wai | [waɪ] | New Zealand |
| 72 | Samoan | vai | [vaɪ] | Samoa, American Samoa |
| 73 | Tongan | vai | [vaɪ] | Tonga |
| 74 | Fijian | wai | [waɪ] | Fiji |
| 75 | Hawaiian | wai | [vaɪ] | Hawaii, USA |
| 76 | Chamorro | tubig | [ˈtubiɡ] | Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, USA |
| 77 | Greenlandic | imik | [imik] | Greenland |
| 78 | Inuktitut | ᐃᒥᖅ | [imiʁ] | Canada (Nunavut and Nunavik) |
| 79 | Navajo | tó | [tʰóː] | USA (Southwest) |
| 80 | Quechua | yaku | [ˈʝaku] | Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina |
| 81 | Guarani | yvoty | [ɨʋotɨ] | Paraguay, parts of Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia |
| 82 | Aymara | uma | [ˈuma] | Bolivia, Peru, Chile |
| 83 | Haitian Creole | dlo | [dlo] | Haiti |
| 84 | Jamaican Patois | wata | [ˈwata] | Jamaica |
| 85 | Basque | ur | [ur] | Spain (Basque Country), France (Basque region) |
| 86 | Catalan | aigua | [ˈajɣwə] | Spain (Catalonia, Balearic Islands, Valencia), France (Roussillon), Italy (Alghero) |
| 87 | Galician | auga | [ˈawɣa] | Spain (Galicia) |
| 88 | Breton | dour | [duːr] | France (Brittany) |
| 89 | Welsh | dwr | [dʊr] | Wales, UK |
| 90 | Irish | uisce | [ˈɪʃkə] | Ireland |
| 91 | Scottish Gaelic | uisge | [ˈɪʃkʲə] | Scotland, UK |
| 92 | Maltese | ilma | [ˈɪlmɐ] | Malta |
| 93 | Albanian | ujë | [ujə] | Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia |
| 94 | Macedonian | вода | [vɔda] | North Macedonia |
| 95 | Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian/Montenegrin | voda | [vɔ̌ːda] | Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro |
| 96 | Slovene | voda | [ˈʋóːda] | Slovenia |
| 97 | Slovak | voda | [ˈvɔda] | Slovakia |
| 98 | Bulgarian | вода | [vɔda] | Bulgaria |
| 99 | Icelandic | vatn | [vatn̥] | Iceland |
| 100 | Norwegian | vann | [vanː] | Norway |
Here are some examples of the pronunciations:
Drinking Water in Foreign Countries
If you’re traveling to a foreign country, it’s important to know how to stay safe when drinking water.
As someone with a sensitive stomach, I learned the hard way during my trip to Barcelona that tap water can be dangerous.
After drinking the tap water there, I ended up in the hospital feeling very ill.
I got a shot in the butt from a nurse who only spoke Spanish, so to this day I still don’t know what they gave me. But I slept for 20 hours after and was good as new when I woke!
To avoid getting sick like I did, here are some tips for safely drinking water while abroad:
First, always buy bottled or filtered water and never drink from the tap. I try to avoid too much extra plastic, so I travel with a filtered water bottle.
I’ve tried a few: Brita, Life Straw sans bottle(better for hiking), and finally landed on my favourite: Lifestraw Water Bottle.
Second, avoid ice cubes unless you know they’re made with clean water. I will ask for water without ice anywhere I go.
Many restaurants make ice with tap water rather than filtered, so when it melts it can pass on the bacteria that will get you sick.
And third, if you have any doubts about the safety of the local cuisine or drinks, stick with trusted beverages like coffee and tea instead.
Also be careful about unclean water being used to wash food.
In Casablanca, I got a parasite from having a salad at a Best Western hotel. I thought it was ok even though everyone told me not to eat raw produce in Morocco for this reason. I mean, it’s an American company, so they’d do it right, right?
Nope!
Thank god for travel insurance and a good hospital in Turkey – where I went the next day.
👉 Find out how much it costs to protect your trip today with Safety Wing travel insurance.
How to Tell the Difference Between Sparkling and Still Water Abroad
It’s never fun to water still water and end up with bubbles.
I used to HATE sparkling water, but now I’m obsessed with it. So I’d actually be mad about the opposite happening.
And while you can shake the bottle in a store looking for fizz, you can’t do that while ordering at a restaurant.
So here is how to ask for still and sparkling water in these 100 languages:
| Language | Still Water | Sparkling Water |
|---|---|---|
| English | Still Water | Sparkling Water |
| Spanish | Agua sin gas | Agua con gas |
| French | Eau plate | Eau gazeuse |
| German | Stilles Wasser | Sprudelwasser |
| Italian | Acqua naturale | Acqua frizzante |
| Dutch | Stil water | Bruisend water |
| Portuguese | Água sem gás | Água com gás |
| Russian | Негазированная вода (Negazirovannaya voda) | Газированная вода (Gazirovannaya voda) |
| Polish | Woda niegazowana | Woda gazowana |
| Swedish | Kranvatten | Kolsyrat vatten |
| Finnish | Kivennäisvesi | Hiilihapotettu vesi |
| Danish | Vand uden kulsyre | Vand med kulsyre |
| Czech | Neperlivá voda | Perlivá voda |
| Greek | Νερό χωρίς αέριο (Nero choris aerio) | Ανθρακούχο νερό (Anthrakoucho nero) |
| Turkish | Gazsız su | Gazlı su |
| Hungarian | Szénsavmentes víz | Szénsavas víz |
| Romanian | Apă plată | Apă minerală carbogazoasă |
| Indonesian | Air putih | Air berkarbonasi |
| Malay | Air kosong | Air berkarbonat |
| Filipino | Tubig na walang gas | Tubig na may gas |
| Vietnamese | Nước không ga | Nước có ga |
| Thai | น้ำเปล่า (nam plao) | น้ำอัดลม (nam at lom) |
| Arabic | ماء غير غازي (maa’ ghayr ghaazi) | ماء غازي (maa’ ghaazi) |
| Hebrew | מים ללא גזים (mayim lelo gazim) | מים מוגזים (mayim mugazim) |
| Persian (Farsi) | آب بدون گاز (ab bedoone gaz) | آب با گاز (ab ba gaz) |
| Hindi | गैर-कार्बनिक जल (gair-karbanik jal) | कार्बनिक जल (karbanik jal) |
| Bengali | অবগাসিত জল (Obogashito jol) | গ্যাসযুক্ত জল (gyaasyukta jol) |
| Punjabi | ਗੈਰ-ਕਾਰਬੋਨਿਕ ਪਾਣੀ (gair-karbonik pani) | ਕਾਰਬੋਨਿਕ ਪਾਣੀ (karbonik pani) |
| Urdu | غیر کاربنیک پانی (ghair karbanik pani) | کاربنیک پانی (karbanik pani) |
| Gujarati | અગેર કાર્બોનિક પાણી (ager karbonik pani) | કાર્બોનિક પાણી (karbonik pani) |
| Marathi | निर्गास पाणी (nirgas pani) | गॅस सह पाणी (gas sah pani) |
| Tamil | கார்பனிக் குளிர்நீர் (kaarpanik kulirneer) | கார்பனிக் நீர் (kaarpanik neer) |
| Telugu | కార్బనేట్డ్ లేని నీరు (karboneted leni neeru) | కార్బనేట్డ్ నీరు (karboneted neeru) |
| Kannada | ಗ್ಯಾಸ್ ಇಲ್ಲದ ನೀರು (gyas illada neeru) | ಗ್ಯಾಸಿಯ ನೀರು (gyasiya neeru) |
| Japanese | 無炭酸水 (mudansansui) | 炭酸水 (tansansui) |
| Korean | 무탄산수 (mutansansu) | 탄산수 (tansansu) |
| Mandarin | 无气水 (wú qì shuǐ) | 气泡水 (qì pào shuǐ) |
| Cantonese | 無汽水 (mou4 hei3 seoi2) | 汽水 (hei3 seoi2) |
| Nepali | गैर-कार्बनिक पानी (gair-karbanik pani) | कार्बनिक पानी (karbanik pani) |
| Sinhala | ගෑස් නැති ජලය (gaes nomathi jalaya) | ගෑස් සහිත ජලය (gaes sahitha jalaya) |
| Thai | น้ำไม่มีแก๊ส (Nam mai mee kaes) | น้ำมีแก๊ส (Nam mee kaes) |
| Burmese | လောင်းမဲ့ရေ (laung-me-ye) | လောင်းရေ (laung-ye) |
| Khmer | ទឹកគ្មានកាបូប (tuk kmien kabob) | ទឹកកាបូប (tuk kabob) |
| Lao | ນ້ຳບໍ່ມີກັດ (nam bor mi kat) | ນ້ຳມີກັດ (nam mi kat) |
| Georgian | წყალი გარეშე აერი (ts’q’ali garesh’e aeri) | აერიანი წყალი (aeriani ts’q’ali) |
| Armenian | Առանց այրողության ջուր (Arrants’ ayroghut’yan jowr) | Այրողության ջուր (Ayroghut’yan jowr) |
| Azerbaijani | Qazsız su | Qazlı su |
| Turkmen | Gazsyz suw | Gazly suw |
| Uzbek | Gazsiz suv | Gazli suv |
| Kyrgyz | Газдык эмес суу (Gazdyk emes suu) | Газдык суу (Gazdyk suu) |
| Mongolian | Газгүй ус (Gazgui us) | Газтай ус (Gaztai us) |
| Tibetan | ཆུ་མེད་རླུང་། (Chu med rlung) | ཆུ་ཡོད་རླུང་། (Chu yod rlung) |
| Pashto | غیر کربنیک اوبه (ghair karbanik oba) | کربنیک اوبه (karbanik oba) |
| Kurdish (Kurmanji) | Avê bê gaz | Avê gazî |
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئاوی بە بۆنە گاز (awi be bone gaz) | ئاوی گازدار (awi gazdar) |
| Hebrew | מים לא מוגזים (Mayim lo mugezim) | מים מוגזים (Mayim mugezim) |
| Arabic (Standard) | ماء غير فوار (ma’ gheir fawar) | ماء فوار (ma’ fawar) |
| Farsi | آب بیگاز (Ab bi-gaz) | آب گازدار (Ab gazdar) |
| Dhivehi | ގެސެއްނުވެވެ މީނާ (Gesehnuveve meena) | ގެސުވެވެ މީނާ (Gesuveve meena) |
| Sinhala | ගෑස් නොමැති ජලය (gaes nomathi jalaya) | ගෑස් සහිත ජලය (gaes sahitha jalaya) |
| Tamil | கார்பனிகமற்ற நீர் (Kaarpanikamatta neer) | கார்பனிக நீர் (Kaarpanik neer) |
| Maori | Wai kore whakapuare | Wai whakapuare |
| Samoan | Vai leai se vasā | Vai vasā |
| Tongan | ‘Ua ‘ikai kei ha kakano | ‘Ua ‘i he kakano |
| Fijian | Wai sega ni kabaoniketed | Wai kabaoniketed |
| Hawaiian | Wai ‘ole ‘ia ka hao | Wai i hao ‘ia |
| Inuktitut | ᓂᕿᔪᖅ ᑐᔭᒃᑯᖅ (Nikiyuq tujakkuq) | ᓂᕿᔪᖅ ᑭᒍᐊᖅ (Nikiyuq kiguaq) |
| Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) | Nibi ezhiwebak | Nibi webak |
| Quechua | Yaku mana gaswan | Yaku gaswan |
| Guarani | Y agua oguapy | Y agua yvoty |
| Aymara | Uma mana hawaña | Uma hawaña |
| Zulu | Amanzi angaphandle kwegesi | Amanzi egazini |
| Xhosa | Amanzi angaphantsi kwegesi | Amanzi egazini |
| Afrikaans | Stilstaande water | Sprankelwater |
| Latvian | Negāzēts ūdens | Gāzēts ūdens |
| Belarusian | Негазаваная вада (Niegazavana vada) | Газаваная вада (Gazavana vada) |
Here’s an example:
Wrap Up: Water in Different Languages
And there you have it, a grand tour of the world through a single word: ‘Water’. As simple as it may seem, this one word can help you feel more connected to different cultures and make your journey smoother, whether you’re ordering at a restaurant, shopping at a local market, or just seeking a sip to quench your thirst in a foreign land.
While this guide covers 100 languages, it’s important to remember there are over 7,000 languages spoken worldwide. Each one holds its unique charm, its own rhythm, and phonetics.
Don’t shy away from exploring more words and phrases in various languages. It’s not just about communication but also about broadening your horizons and understanding the beautiful diversity that our world embraces.
Lastly, always remember, language learning isn’t a race or a competition. It’s a process that takes time, practice, and yes, even a little bit of stumbling and fumbling. But, as the saying goes, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” – or in our case, a single word!
So, why not give it a try? Practice these words, correct your pronunciation, and don’t worry about making mistakes. After all, the attempt to speak another’s language is often met with appreciation and is a surefire way to bring a smile to a local’s face.
Need help learning a new language? I recommend iTalki! I’ve tried ALL the apps, but iTalki is the only way I’ve managed to learn as much as living in the local country.
Read More About Languages Abroad
- How to Say Hello in 100 Different Languages
- How to Say Yes and No in 100 Different Languages
- How to Say How Are You in 100 Different Languages
- How to Say Goodbye in 100 Different Languages
- How to Say Thank You in 100 Different Languages
- How to Say Cheers in 100 Different Languages + Pronunciation
- How to Say I Love You in 100 Different Languages
- New Zealand Slang: From Sweet As to Swear Words
- Guide to 100+ Canadian Slang: Unique Canadian Sayings and Phrases You Need to Know
- How to Say Water in 100 Different Languages + Pronunciations
- How to Say Please in 100 Different Languages
Living Abroad Travel Planning Guide
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I actually use it as my primary bank now worldwide due to the multi-currency debit card. (Read more)
👯♀️ How do you make friends abroad?
Meetup.com – Meet likeminded people who share a similar hobby with Meetup! It’s free to join, but some activities may cost money, like if you go to a cafe and get a coffee.
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To find cheap flights, I recommend Skyscanner. (Read more)
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To find cheap hotels, I recommend Booking.com. (Read more)
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🚗 What’s the best site to rent cars abroad?
To find cheap rental cars, I recommend Discover Cars.
🚗 What’s the best site to find tours?
To find epic tours, I recommend Viator.
