cáis
/kɑːʃ/feminine
The Irish word for cheese is cáis.
cáis refers to the dairy product. It can also be used as part of an instruction to smile for a photograph.
Meaning: dairy product (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
cáis is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /kɑːʃ/.
When do people say it?
When being photographed, people may say abair aoibh, abair grian or abair cáis to encourage someone to smile.
Did you know?
- In traditional Irish food culture, cáis was often paired with cáca, a word that meant a type of oat cake rather than a sweet dessert cake.
- In some Irish idioms, talking about cáis can relate to wealth or luxury, reflecting the historical status of dairy as a primary economic asset in rural Ireland.
- The Irish word cáis shares the same Latin root, cāseus, as the English word 'cheese'.
Examples in context
- Is maith liom cáis Fhrancach.I like French cheese.This sentence shows how to express a preference for French cheese using cáis.
- Thaitin an bainín go hiontach leis na páistí.The children loved the cheese.
Example conversation
Cathal and Aoife are preparing a snack in the kitchen.
- CathalAoife, an bhfuil cáis sa chudail?Aoife, is there cheese in the cupboard?
- AoifeTá, tá sé in ann.Yes, it is in there.
- CathalGo raibh maith agat, a Aoife.Thank you, Aoife.
- AoifeNí minions tú, a Chathail.You're welcome, Cathal.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cheese” translations and entries cáis, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cáis, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
