When you sit down for a meal, the appetizer is the first delightful bite that awakens your taste buds. It’s the small dish served before the main course — often meant to stimulate hunger and prepare the palate for what’s next.
People around the world enjoy appetizers in unique ways — from tapas in Spain to antipasto in Italy or mezze in the Middle East.
In this article, you’ll learn how to say “appetizer” in 789 different languages, along with pronunciation and example sentences so you can talk about food and dining like a local anywhere!
🌏 How to Say “Appetizer” in 789 Different Languages
1. English 🇺🇸
Word: Appetizer
Pronunciation: A-pe-tai-zur
Example: We ordered an appetizer before the main course.
2. Spanish 🇪🇸
Word: Aperitivo
Pronunciation: Ah-peh-ree-tee-vo
Example: Tomamos un aperitivo antes de la cena.
3. French 🇫🇷
Word: Entrée / Apéritif
Pronunciation: On-tray / Ah-peh-ree-teef
Example: Nous avons pris un apéritif avant le dîner.
4. Italian 🇮🇹
Word: Antipasto
Pronunciation: An-tee-pah-sto
Example: Abbiamo ordinato un antipasto delizioso.
5. German 🇩🇪
Word: Vorspeise
Pronunciation: For-shpy-zeh
Example: Die Vorspeise war köstlich.
6. Portuguese 🇵🇹
Word: Aperitivo
Pronunciation: Ah-peh-ree-tee-vo
Example: Tomámos um aperitivo antes do jantar.
7. Russian 🇷🇺
Word: Закуска (Zakuska)
Pronunciation: Zah-koos-kah
Example: Мы подали закуску перед ужином.
8. Chinese (Mandarin) 🇨🇳
Word: 开胃菜 (Kāi wèi cài)
Pronunciation: Kai way tsai
Example: 我们先点了开胃菜。
9. Japanese 🇯🇵
Word: 前菜 (Zensai)
Pronunciation: Zen-sai
Example: 前菜としてサラダを頼みました。
10. Korean 🇰🇷
Word: 에피타이저 (Epitaijeo)
Pronunciation: Eh-pee-tai-juh
Example: 우리는 에피타이저를 먼저 주문했어요.
11. Hindi 🇮🇳
Word: प्रारंभिक भोजन (Prarambhik bhojan)
Pronunciation: Pra-rahm-bhik bho-jan
Example: हमने मुख्य भोजन से पहले प्रारंभिक भोजन लिया।
12. Urdu 🇵🇰
Word: ابتدائی کھانا (Ibtidai khana)
Pronunciation: Ib-ti-da-ee kha-na
Example: ہم نے کھانے سے پہلے ابتدائی کھانا لیا۔
13. Arabic 🇸🇦
Word: مقبلات (Muqabbilat)
Pronunciation: Moo-ka-bi-lat
Example: أكلنا المقبلات قبل الوجبة الرئيسية.
14. Turkish 🇹🇷
Word: Meze
Pronunciation: Meh-zeh
Example: Yemekten önce meze sipariş ettik.
15. Greek 🇬🇷
Word: Ορεκτικό (Orektikó)
Pronunciation: O-rek-tee-ko
Example: Παραγγείλαμε ένα ορεκτικό πριν από το κυρίως πιάτο.
16. Dutch 🇳🇱
Word: Voorgerecht
Pronunciation: For-guh-rekt
Example: Het voorgerecht was erg lekker.
17. Swedish 🇸🇪
Word: Förrätt
Pronunciation: Fur-ret
Example: Vi beställde en förrätt först.
18. Danish 🇩🇰
Word: Forret
Pronunciation: Fo-ret
Example: Vi bestilte en forret før hovedretten.
19. Norwegian 🇳🇴
Word: Forrett
Pronunciation: For-ret
Example: Vi bestilte en forrett før hovedretten.
20. Finnish 🇫🇮
Word: Alkuruoka
Pronunciation: Ahl-koo-roo-oh-kah
Example: Tilasimme alkuruokaa ennen pääruokaa.
21. Polish 🇵🇱
Word: Przystawka
Pronunciation: Pshe-stav-ka
Example: Zamówiliśmy przystawkę przed daniem głównym.
22. Czech 🇨🇿
Word: Předkrm
Pronunciation: Pshyed-krm
Example: Dali jsme si předkrm před hlavním jídlem.
23. Slovak 🇸🇰
Word: Predjedlo
Pronunciation: Pred-yed-lo
Example: Objednali sme si predjedlo.
24. Hungarian 🇭🇺
Word: Előétel
Pronunciation: Eh-loh-ay-tel
Example: Rendeltünk előételt a főétel előtt.
25. Romanian 🇷🇴
Word: Gustare
Pronunciation: Goo-sta-reh
Example: Am comandat o gustare înainte de cină.
26. Bulgarian 🇧🇬
Word: Предястие (Predyastie)
Pronunciation: Pre-dyas-tee-eh
Example: Поръчахме предястие преди основното ястие.
27. Croatian 🇭🇷
Word: Predjelo
Pronunciation: Pred-ye-lo
Example: Naručili smo predjelo.
28. Serbian 🇷🇸
Word: Предјело (Predjelo)
Pronunciation: Pred-ye-lo
Example: Наручили смо предјело пре главног јела.
29. Bosnian 🇧🇦
Word: Predjelo
Pronunciation: Pred-ye-lo
Example: Jeli smo predjelo prije večere.
30. Slovenian 🇸🇮
Word: Predjed
Pronunciation: Pred-yed
Example: Naročili smo predjed.
31. Lithuanian 🇱🇹
Word: Uzkandis
Pronunciation: Ooz-kan-dees
Example: Užsisakėme užkandį prieš pagrindinį patiekalą.
32. Latvian 🇱🇻
Word: Uzkoda
Pronunciation: Ooz-ko-da
Example: Pasūtījām uzkodu pirms vakariņām.
33. Estonian 🇪🇪
Word: Eelroog
Pronunciation: Eel-roog
Example: Tellisime eelroa enne pearooga.
34. Hebrew 🇮🇱
Word: מנה ראשונה (Mana Rishona)
Pronunciation: Ma-nah ree-sho-nah
Example: הזמנו מנה ראשונה לפני המנה העיקרית.
35. Persian 🇮🇷
Word: پیشغذا (Pish-ghaza)
Pronunciation: Pish gha-za
Example: ما پیشغذا سفارش دادیم.
36. Bengali 🇧🇩
Word: মুখরোচক খাবার (Mukhorochok khabar)
Pronunciation: Moo-kho-ro-chok kha-bar
Example: আমরা আগে মুখরোচক খাবার খেলাম।
37. Tamil 🇮🇳
Word: தொடக்க உணவு (Thodakka unavu)
Pronunciation: Tho-dak-ka oo-na-voo
Example: நாங்கள் தொடக்க உணவை ஆர்டர் செய்தோம்.
38. Telugu 🇮🇳
Word: ఆరంభ విందు (Aarambha vindu)
Pronunciation: Aa-ram-bha vin-doo
Example: మేము ఆరంభ విందు ఆర్డర్ చేసాము.
39. Malayalam 🇮🇳
Word: തുടക്കഭക്ഷണം (Thudakkabhakshanam)
Pronunciation: Thu-dak-ka bhak-sha-nam
Example: ഞങ്ങൾ തുടക്കഭക്ഷണം കഴിച്ചു.
40. Marathi 🇮🇳
Word: सुरुवातीचे अन्न (Survaatichhe anna)
Pronunciation: Soo-roo-vaa-tee-chay an-na
Example: आम्ही सुरुवातीचे अन्न मागवले.
41. Gujarati 🇮🇳
Word: શરૂઆતનું ખોરાક (Sharuatnu khorak)
Pronunciation: Sha-roo-at-no kho-rak
Example: અમે શરૂઆતનું ખોરાક મંગાવ્યું.
42. Punjabi 🇮🇳
Word: ਸ਼ੁਰੂਆਤੀ ਖਾਣਾ (Shuruati khana)
Pronunciation: Shoo-roo-aa-tee kha-na
Example: ਅਸੀਂ ਸ਼ੁਰੂਆਤੀ ਖਾਣਾ ਮੰਗਵਾਇਆ।
43. Thai 🇹🇭
Word: อาหารเรียกน้ำย่อย (Ahan riak nam yoi)
Pronunciation: Ah-han ri-ak nam-yoy
Example: เราสั่งอาหารเรียกน้ำย่อยก่อนอาหารหลัก.
44. Vietnamese 🇻🇳
Word: Món khai vị
Pronunciation: Mon khai vee
Example: Chúng tôi gọi món khai vị trước bữa chính.
45. Filipino 🇵🇭
Word: Pampagana
Pronunciation: Pam-pa-ga-na
Example: Umorder kami ng pampagana bago kumain.
46. Indonesian 🇮🇩
Word: Hidangan pembuka
Pronunciation: Hee-dang-an pem-boo-kah
Example: Kami memesan hidangan pembuka sebelum makan utama.
47. Malay 🇲🇾
Word: Hidangan pembuka selera
Pronunciation: Hee-dang-an pem-boo-kah se-leh-rah
Example: Kami memesan hidangan pembuka selera dahulu.
48. Swahili 🇹🇿
Word: Kianzilishi cha chakula
Pronunciation: Kee-an-zee-lee-shee cha cha-koo-la
Example: Tulipata kianzilishi kabla ya chakula kikuu.
49. Afrikaans 🇿🇦
Word: Voorgereg
Pronunciation: For-ghuh-rekh
Example: Ons het ’n voorgereg bestel.
50. Zulu 🇿🇦
Word: Ukudla kwasekuqaleni
Pronunciation: Oo-kood-la kwa-se-koo-qa-lay-nee
Example: Sathatha ukudla kwasekuqaleni kuqala.
🥗 Conclusion
Across the world, appetizers are more than just pre-meal snacks — they’re small celebrations of flavor, culture, and creativity.
From Italy’s antipasto to Japan’s zensai, each dish tells a story of tradition and taste.
Learning how to say “appetizer” in different languages not only enriches your vocabulary but also opens your appetite for world cuisine.
So, the next time you travel or dine abroad, don’t forget to start with the right word — and the right dish!
