Ways to say it
| Bulgarian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| пиле | píle | [ˈpilɛ] (narrow) | neuter |
| кокошка | kokoška | [koˈkɔʃkɐ] (narrow) | feminine |
| петел | petel | [pɛˈtɛɫ] (narrow) | masculine |
| ярка | jarka | dialectal, feminine |
In Bulgarian, the word you choose for chicken depends on whether you are talking about the gender of the bird, its age or whether you are referring to meat. The neuter form пиле refers to a young chicken (a chick) or is used when referring to chicken as food/meat. To describe chicken as a type of meat or food, you should use the adjective form пилешко.
Which one should you use?
Bulgarian uses different forms to specify the gender and role of the bird. Use кокошка specifically for a female chicken (a hen) and петел specifically for a male chicken (a rooster).
Is it said differently in some regions?
The term ярка is a dialectal word for chicken used in certain regions of Bulgaria.
How does it change in a sentence?
The words vary by grammatical gender: кокошка is feminine, петел is masculine and пиле is neuter.
How do you pronounce it?
píle
What mistakes should you avoid?
When you are describing food or meat, do not use the noun пиле. Instead, use the adjective пилешко.
Did you know?
- In Bulgarian, the word for chicken пиле can be used as a term of endearment for a child or a loved one, similar to 'sweetie'.
- The word петел shares an ancient Proto-Slavic root with words meaning 'loop' or 'knot'.
Examples in context
- Кое е първо – яйцето или кокошката?Which came first – the egg or the chicken?This sentence is useful for discussing the classic riddle involving кокошка.Tatoeba #3471656 by GeorgiO, translation #8864358 by moxy
- Тази кокошка напоследък не е снесла нито едно яйце.That chicken hasn't laid any eggs recently.This sentence is useful for describing the egg-laying habits of a кокошка.Tatoeba #2374577 by korobo4ka, translation #1409518 by CK
- Това месо е пилешко.That meat is chicken.This sentence is useful for identifying the type of meat using пиле.Tatoeba #765514 by ednorog, translation #418859 by CK
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ivan and Viktoria are looking at animals in a backyard.
- Иван IvanВиж това малко пиле!Vizh tova malko pile!Look at this little chicken!
- Виктория ViktoriyaОно е много сладко.Ono e mnogo sladko.It is very cute.
- Иван IvanМожем ли да го нахраним?Mozhem li da go nahranim?Can we feed it?
- Виктория ViktoriyaДа, пилето сигурно е гладно.Da, piletto sigurno e gladno.Yes, the chicken is probably hungry.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chicken” translations and entries пиле, кокошка, петел, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries кокошка, петел, пиле, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
