Portuguese has had a huge influence on global languages, with words spreading into English, Spanish, French, Japanese, and even Swahili. This is largely due to Portugal’s Age of Exploration (15th–16th century), trade routes, and cultural exchanges across Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
Here are our Top 10 Portuguese words that are commonly used in other languages around the world!
1. Banana 🍌
🌍 Languages That Use It: English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Swahili, and many others.
📜 Origin: The word banana comes from West Africa but was introduced to Europe and the rest of the world through Portuguese explorers who brought bananas from their colonies.
2. Marmelada 🍊
🌍 Languages That Use It: English (Marmalade), Spanish (Mermelada), French (Marmelade).
📜 Origin: The Portuguese word “marmelada” refers to a sweet preserve made from quince (marmelo). The English adopted it, and over time, it became associated with orange jam instead of quince paste.
3. Mosquito 🦟
🌍 Languages That Use It: English, Spanish, French, Italian, German.
📜 Origin: “Mosquito” comes from Portuguese and Spanish, meaning “little fly” (from “mosca” = fly + diminutive “-ito”). The word was introduced to English by early explorers in tropical regions.
4. Cobra 🐍
🌍 Languages That Use It: English, Spanish, French, Italian.
📜 Origin: The full Portuguese term is “cobra-de-capelo” (hooded snake), used for hooded serpents like the cobra. The English language adopted “cobra” directly from Portuguese explorers who encountered them in India and Africa.
5. Piranha 🐟
🌍 Languages That Use It: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian.
📜 Origin: Piranha comes from Tupi-Guarani, an indigenous Brazilian language, but entered global vocabulary through Portuguese explorers. It means “tooth fish” (pirá = fish, anha = tooth).
6. Fetiche (Fetish) 🔮
🌍 Languages That Use It: English (Fetish), French (Fétiche), Spanish (Fetiche), German (Fetisch).
📜 Origin: “Fetiche” comes from the Portuguese word feitiço, meaning charm, spell, or magical object. European traders used the term to describe African religious artifacts, and the word evolved into its modern meaning.
7. Carioca ☀️
🌍 Languages That Use It: English, Spanish, French, Italian.
📜 Origin: Carioca originally comes from Tupi-Guarani, meaning “house of white people”, but became the Portuguese term for someone from Rio de Janeiro. Today, it’s commonly used in sports and music worldwide.
8. Cashew (Caju) 🌰
🌍 Languages That Use It: English (Cashew), French (Cajou), Spanish (Anacardo).
📜 Origin: The word “caju” comes from the Tupi-Guarani language and was introduced to the world by Portuguese traders, who spread the cashew nut from Brazil to Africa and India.
9. Zebra 🦓
🌍 Languages That Use It: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Dutch.
📜 Origin: Portuguese explorers in Africa gave the name “zebra” to the striped wild horses they encountered. The name comes from zebro, an extinct Iberian wild horse.
10. Bossa Nova 🎶
🌍 Languages That Use It: English, Spanish, French, Italian, German.
📜 Origin: The phrase “Bossa Nova” means “new trend” or “new wave” in Portuguese and became a worldwide music genre in the 1950s–60s, thanks to artists like João Gilberto and Antônio Carlos Jobim.
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