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A world-renowned dance style developed in France where the dancer’s costume is known as tutu.

A French word, “ballet” is pronounced without the “t” at the end.
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Another word for celebration.

A German word, "fest" can be used as a suffix both in English and German. One example is Oktoberfest that happens every year in Munich.
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A popular martial art that originated in Japan.

Karate in Japanese means "empty hand" since no weapon is required to do it.
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A gigantic sea wave generally caused due to an earthquake.

A Japanese word that literally means "harbor wave." The phenomenon is common in Japan, and the 2011 Tohoku Tsunami is considered to be one of the most devastating calamities.
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A style food of southern China that originally meant “touch your heart.”

The word originally comes from the Cantonese dialect of Chinese.
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A traditional component of Southeast Asian and East Asian cuisines and is being consumed in China since the past 2,000 years.

Originally a Chinese word “dou fu,” tofu was adopted into English before passing though Japanese to become “tofu.”
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A Chinese word that means “big wind.”

Reinforced by the Chinese word “taifeng,” typhoon is a synonym for cyclone or hurricane.
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A word meaning “have a nice trip.”

A French word used while seeing off a friend or family.
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An appetizer served before a meal.

Hors d'oeuvres are savory foods served as starters or appetizers before a meal in European cuisine. Some popular hors d'oeuvres are smoked shrimp, chicken wings, stuffed mushrooms, smoked salmon crisps, and garlic bread.
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A method of operating.

A Latin word that is a common term used in judicial proceedings.
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A popular word meaning existing state of affairs

Used in our daily English vocabulary, status quo is a Latin word that is used particularly in relation to political and social issues.
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A French word meaning social blunder.

The “x” and “s” are silent here. Faux pas doesn’t necessarily mean physical harm, but it can make people uncomfortable.
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A popular word meaning “genuine.”

Originating from Latin, the word also means “with good faith.”
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A king or ruler in Arabic cultures.

An Arabic word, Sheikh is used in English as a title while referring to rulers in some of the countries.
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A popular part of mathematics that includes the study of symbols.

The word comes from Arabic word “al-jabr” referring to assembling broken pieces.
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You cannot imagine your French fries without it.

Ketchup may seem like an American word, but interestingly it originated from the Cantonese word "kē-chap" meaning tomato sauce.
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A well-known comfort food usually containing a ground meat patty inside a bread roll.

The name of this traditional American food is originally derived from German city Hamburg.
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This Spanish word is the synonym for prosperity.

The word gets its origin from Spain where bonanza is referred to as fair weather or prosperity.
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A commonly used term for a single photographer or a group of photographers taking pictures of celebs.

The word originated from the Italian word “paparazzo.”
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Originally a word that means to “work together,” but refers to express enthusiasm in English.

Although a Chinese phrase, "gung-ho" is used in English as an adjective.
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Considered a healthy part of your daily diet, this word is adopted from an Old French word “fruges.”

Before getting adopted in the English language, the word "fruges" traveled from Latin to Old French. Quite a journey!
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The word used for stolen valuables.

Originally a Hindi word, when used as a verb, “loot” acts as a substitute for “to rob.”
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A word referring to an icon or incarnation. This word was also the tile of James Cameron’s 2009 fantasy/science fiction film.

The Hindi word Avatar owes its roots to Sanskrit word avatara.
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Originating from India, fresh and pickled preparations enjoyed with a number of rolled breads and forms a complimentary ingredient in many recipes.

A delicious preparation, chutney can be made in numerous forms such as spicy coconut dip, tamarind relish, mint dip, to name a few.
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Highly popular Japanese comics that have become an indispensable part of restaurants, cafes, and libraries.

Originating from Japanese words “man” meaning rambling and “ga” meaning pictures, Manga has become very popular in recent times.
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A common French word used to describe culinary arts of fine food.

Originally meaning “wine taster,” gourmet is characterized by elaborate preparations and rich courses.
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A restaurant that is often characterized with an outdoor section.

The French word originated in the early 19th century and is also a synonym for bistro, tearoom, or coffeehouse.
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Drivers for the rich and famous.

The word finds its origin in 19th century France and means "driver" in French.
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Another word for forest.

The word is derived from Sanskrit wherein the word "Jangla" means dry ground or desert.
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A synonym for businessman. The word refers to a person who launches a new business and takes full responsibility of profits and losses.

The word finds its origin in the early 19th century France wherein the word was used for referring to the director of a musical school or institution.
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Spanish word to describe a muscular man

Originating from Mexican Spanish, the word "macho" has been used to describe men who are strong and masculine. Over the years the meaning has also taken a toxic understanding where a man's masculinity can only be described through this word, which is not true. It has become a word of conflict in gender studies.
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A Japanese word for spy

The word originates from the country of Japan. Ninjas were known to be professional spies who were valued for their skills of stealth. The concept of Ninjas became very popular in Western culture thanks to cartoons and TV shows that picked up this theme. One of the popular ones was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series.
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This word can be translated to “First Woman” in Italian

Prima Donna was used in Italy to refer to the main singer in the opera. Over the years though this term got popular for other reasons. It acquired a more derogatory connotation as it was being used for anyone who behaved in a demanding and arrogant way, expecting attention from those around them.
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Chinese philosophy that is used to describe opposites

Holding its roots in Chinese religion and philosophy, the yin (the dark swirl) represents the shadow of the wave. Yang (the white swirl) represents brightness and growth. This has often been used in English language to represent opposite nature and balance. It is a fascinating theory that captures the interest of many.
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When three people have romantic relations with one another

A French expression that literally translates to "household of three," menage a trois is used to describe a living arrangement with three people in a romantic and/or sexual relationship. Since this is a domestic arrangement and not a one-off sexual liasion, it is different than what is popularly known as a "threesome."
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A French word that means “style” or “kind”

"Genre" as a concept was first introduced by Plato in Ancient Greece. He divided literature into three classical genres that are known as poetry, drama, and prose. Over the years the term is used to describe any "kind" of art, literature, or music. Some popular genres one may be aware of in music are pop, rock, metal, and so on.
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This French origin word means a woman’s sleepwear

The word "lingerie" is derived from the French word "linge" (linen), which is what underwears were traditionally made of. Around the end of the 19th century, the term took on a more erotic connotation. It usually was described as a garment that was used during sexual play.
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German word that means “poor taste” or “trashy”

The literal meaning of the word "kitsch" indicates art or any type of design that is in poor taste. Often because of excessive gaudiness to it, but also sometimes appreciated in an ironic way. This is often used as an opposite of aesthetic art and describes cheap, marketable pictures and sketches.
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Originating from Greek, it’s a derogatory term for “common people”

The literal translation for this Greek word is "the many." However, in the English language, this word has a negative connotation as it is used to signify the deprecation of the working class or commoners. Another popular term to explain this would be "plebians," which was used to describe middle-class individuals.
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Spanish word of Latin origin meaning “a connoisseur” or “an expert”

In the early 1800s, the English language borrowed this past participle of the Spanish verb aficionar. The verb means "to inspire affection," and it was inspired from the Spanish noun aficion, which means affection. We can trace these Spanish words back to Latin, which has also inspired many English words today.
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A Swedish word that basically means a cycle with a motor

Originating from Sweden, the word "moped" is inspired by two Sweden words that mean motor and pedaler. Moped then became a combination of both these words. It is essentially a bicycle with a motor, and while many people call scooters or small motorcycles by this name, it is technically incorrect.
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French word that indicates revival or renewal

The period between 1300 and 1600 is usually referred to as the Renaissance period where art and history flourished. There were many painters and writers whose work became extremely popular during this time. The word is also used to describe a situation that is now thriving after a time of difficulty.
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A type of entertainment involving singing and music that has a Japanese origin

Borrowed from Japan, the word "karaoke" is now popular around the world. The world's first karaoke machine was built in 1971 by a Japanese inventor and musician Daisuke Inoue. However, a Filipino inventor Roberto del Rosario holds the patent for the machine.
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A Spanish word used to describe an area outside a house

The word "patio" is borrowed from the Spanish language. In Spanish and Latin American architecture, a patio is a courtyard within an open building. This structure was especially evident in medieval Spanish architecture. Many of the famous buildings from that era will have this structure incorporated in the architecture.
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A word meaning “afternoon nap” that has its origin in Spanish

Siesta generally refers to a nap taken during the day, after lunch, or while taking a short break from work. People often take siestas in hot countries because it gets extremely hot during the day, which is why people prefer to stay indoors. You would probably notice this if you travel to any of the tropical countries.
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Which of these loanwords can you guess?

11th April, 2019

About 50 countries in the world have English as their native language. But did you know that some of the commonly-used English words or phrases are from a foreign language? Well, you can take this test and find out how well you know your daily-used English words' origin.

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