The Word for Mango in 66+ Languages
From Sanskrit āmra (आम्र) to Tamil maanga to Portuguese manga — how the word for mango travelled across continents and centuries.
Pakistani mango cultivation + global mango trade
Quick reference
The English word mango was borrowed from Portuguese manga in 1582. The Portuguese borrowed it from Tamil/Malayalam maanga (மாங்கா) during their 16th-century Indian Ocean trade.
The original Sanskrit word āmra (आम्र) — first written in the 6th century CE — is the root of every South Asian language's word for mango: Urdu aam (آم), Hindi aam (आम), Bengali aam (আম), Persian anbeh (انبه), Marathi amba (आंबा), Sinhala amba (අඹ).
Top 12 most-asked translations
| Language | Word | Native script | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urdu | Aam | آم | aam |
| Hindi | Aam | आम | aam |
| Arabic | Manga / Manjo | مانجو / مانغو | man-ga / man-go |
| Spanish | Mango | — | MAN-go |
| French | Mangue | — | mahng |
| Mandarin Chinese | Mángguǒ | 芒果 | mahng-gwoh |
| Japanese | Mangō | マンゴー | man-goh |
| Tamil | Maampazham | மாம்பழம் | maam-puzh-am |
| Bengali | Aam | আম | aam |
| Persian (Farsi) | Anbeh / Anbe | انبه | an-beh |
| Portuguese | Manga | — | MAN-ga |
| Russian | Mango | Манго | MAN-go |
All 66 translations, grouped by language family
Grouping reveals two surprising patterns: South Asian languages all share the Sanskrit root, and most European languages share the Portuguese-via-Tamil borrowing path. Independent native words survived in regions where mango is native and pre-dates European contact.
Indo-Aryan
/ahm-ra/
Root word that became 'aam' in Hindi/Urdu and 'amba' in Bengali. Earliest written reference in the Brihatsamhita (6th century CE).
/aam/
Same root as Hindi. The 'King of Fruits' (Phalon ka Raja, پھلوں کا راجا).
/aam/
From Sanskrit āmra. Also means 'common' in adjective form — a play on the fruit being universally loved.
/aam/
/amb (Gurmukhi) / aam (Shahmukhi)/
/ahm-ba/
Preserves the older Sanskrit form 'amra' more closely than Hindi/Urdu.
/ke-ree/
Unique among Indian languages — uses a different root (kairi = unripe mango). 'Aam' also used regionally.
/ahm-ba/
/aam/
/ahm-ba/
/aap/
/amb/
Dravidian
/maam-puzh-am/
Source of the English word 'mango' (via Portuguese 'manga'). 'Maam-kaai' = unripe mango; 'Maam-pazham' = ripe mango.
/maan-ga/
Closest to the Portuguese-borrowed 'manga' that became English 'mango'.
/maa-vu/
/maa-mi-di/
Iranian
/an-beh/
Borrowed from Sanskrit 'amra'. Also occasionally 'manjo' in modern Persian.
/aam / an-ba/
/anb/
Semitic
/man-ga / man-go/
Borrowed from Portuguese 'manga' via Indian Ocean trade. Older Classical Arabic used 'al-anbaj' (from Persian).
/man-go/
Modern Hebrew borrowing from English.
Romance
/MAN-ga/
Portuguese sailors borrowed 'manga' from Tamil/Malayalam 'maanga' during 16th-century Indian Ocean trade. From Portuguese, it spread to every European language.
/MAN-go/
/mahng/
/MAN-go/
/MAN-go/
/MAN-go/
Germanic
/MANG-go/
Borrowed from Portuguese 'manga' (1582). First English use: Thomas Hickock, 1582 traveller's account.
/MAN-go/
/MAN-go/
/MAN-go/
/MAN-go/
/MAN-go/
/man-go/
Slavic
/MAN-go/
/MAN-go/
/MAN-go/
/MAN-go/
/MAN-go/
/MAN-go/
Sino-Tibetan
/mahng-gwoh/
Phonetic loan from English/Portuguese. The character 芒 (máng) means 'awn/beard' and 果 (guǒ) means 'fruit'.
/mong-gwo/
/thuh-yet/
Japonic
/man-goh/
Written in katakana — marks it as a foreign loan word. Borrowed via English.
Koreanic
/mang-go/
Austroasiatic
/swai/
Not borrowed from Portuguese — Vietnamese has its own native word from local mango cultivation history.
/svay/
Tai-Kadai
/ma-MOO-ang/
Native Thai word, not a European loan. Pre-dates Portuguese trade contact.
/mak-MOO-ang/
Austronesian
/mang-GAH/
Borrowed from Spanish 'mango' during 333 years of Spanish colonization.
/MAHNG-gah/
Borrowed via Portuguese. Indonesia is one of the world's largest mango producers.
/MAHNG-gah/
/ma-na-KOH/
/MAH-ngo/
Note: 'Mango' in Maori also means 'shark'. The fruit is a recent introduction.
Turkic
/MAN-go/
/MAN-go/
/MAN-go/
Bantu
/EM-bay/
Possibly from Sanskrit 'amba' via ancient Indian Ocean trade — predates Portuguese contact.
/oo-MAN-go/
Niger-Congo
/man-go-ro/
Afro-Asiatic
/mang-WA-ro/
/MAN-go/
Hellenic
/MAN-go/
Uralic
/MAN-go/
/MAN-go/
/MAN-go/
How the word 'mango' travelled the world
- ~1500 BCE — Sanskrit origin. Mango cultivation in the Indus Valley dates back at least 4,000 years. The Sanskrit word āmra (आम्र) becomes the root word.
- ~6th century CE — written record. First written Sanskrit reference appears in the Brihatsamhita, an ancient Indian astronomy / general knowledge encyclopedia.
- ~500-1500 CE — spread across South Asia. Sanskrit āmra becomes Urdu/Hindi/Bengali aam, Marathi amba, Persian anbeh, Sinhala amba.
- ~1498 — Portuguese arrive in Kerala. Vasco da Gama lands at Kozhikode in 1498. Portuguese traders encounter the fruit, locals call it maanga in Tamil and Malayalam.
- 1582 — English borrowing. First English use of "mango" appears in Thomas Hickock's translation of an Italian traveller's account. Spelled manga, then mango.
- 1565-1898 — Spanish colonization spreads the word to the Philippines. Spanish mango becomes Tagalog mangga. From the Philippines, the word reaches across the Pacific.
- 17th-19th century — European languages adopt. French, German, Dutch, Italian, Russian, etc. all adopt 'mango' / 'mangue' from Portuguese as European mango imports grow.
- 20th century — phonetic loans into East Asian languages. Japanese マンゴー, Korean 망고, Chinese 芒果 all phonetically adopt the English/Portuguese form.
Independent native words survived in regions where mango was already cultivated long before European contact: Thai mamuang, Vietnamese xoài, Khmer svaay, Burmese thayet, Swahili embe.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say mango in Urdu?+
In Urdu, mango is 'aam' (آم), pronounced 'aam'. It is called the King of Fruits — 'phalon ka raja' (پھلوں کا راجا). Pakistani Urdu uses the same word as Hindi, both derived from the Sanskrit 'āmra' (आम्र).
How do you say mango in Hindi?+
In Hindi, mango is 'aam' (आम). The word comes from the Sanskrit 'āmra' (आम्र). Interestingly, 'aam' as an adjective also means 'common' — a play on the fruit being universally loved across the subcontinent.
How do you say mango in Arabic?+
In modern Arabic, mango is 'manga' or 'manjo' (مانجو / مانغو), borrowed from Portuguese 'manga' via Indian Ocean trade. Classical Arabic used 'al-anbaj' (الانبج), borrowed from the older Persian word 'anbeh'.
Where does the English word 'mango' come from?+
The English word 'mango' was borrowed from Portuguese 'manga' in 1582 (first recorded use by traveller Thomas Hickock). The Portuguese borrowed it from the Tamil/Malayalam 'maanga' (மாங்கா / മാങ്ങ) during their 16th-century Indian Ocean trade. So the word travelled: Tamil → Portuguese → English → most European languages.
How do you say mango in Chinese?+
In Mandarin Chinese, mango is 'mángguǒ' (芒果). It's a phonetic borrowing from English/Portuguese 'mango'. The character 芒 (máng) literally means 'awn' or 'beard' and 果 (guǒ) means 'fruit'.
Which language has the oldest word for mango?+
Sanskrit 'āmra' (आम्र) is the oldest documented word for mango, with written references in the Brihatsamhita (a 6th-century CE Indian text). Cultivation evidence in the Indus Valley pushes mango usage back at least 4,000 years. Most modern South Asian and Middle Eastern words for mango (Urdu 'aam', Hindi 'aam', Bengali 'aam', Persian 'anbeh') derive from this Sanskrit root.
Why do some languages use unique words for mango that aren't borrowed from English or Portuguese?+
Languages spoken in regions where mango is native (South Asia, Southeast Asia, parts of Africa) developed their own words long before European trade contact. Examples: Thai 'mamuang', Vietnamese 'xoài', Khmer 'svaay', Burmese 'thayet', Swahili 'embe'. These predate the Portuguese-driven spread of 'manga'/'mango' to languages where the fruit was newly introduced.
How do you say mango in Filipino (Tagalog)?+
In Tagalog (Filipino), mango is 'mangga'. It was borrowed from Spanish 'mango' during the 333 years of Spanish colonization (1565-1898). The Philippines' national mango variety is the Carabao, and Filipino mangoes hold the Guinness World Record for the largest mango ever recorded (3.435 kg, Sergio variety, 2009).
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