Kichererbse
/ˈkɪçɐˌɛrpsə/feminine
The German word for chickpea is Kichererbse.
Kichererbse is the standard translation for the English word chickpea.
Meaning: seed (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of kichern, which means to giggle and Erbse, which means pea.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of Kichererbse is Kichererbsen.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkɪçɐˌɛrpsə/
Did you know?
- While the word Kichererbse translates literally to 'giggle pea', there is no linguistic connection between the legume and the act of laughing. The two parts of the word are completely unrelated in meaning.
- Despite the whimsical name, Kichererbse is a formal, botanical term used in culinary and scientific contexts.
- The word Erbse is derived from the Latin pisum, showing how early botanical terms for legumes were standardized across Europe.
Examples in context
- Das Gericht enthält viele Kichererbsen.The dish contains many chickpeas.
- Ich liebe Kichererbsen in meinem Salat.I love chickpeas in my salad.
- Gestern habe ich köstliche Kicherbsen gegessen.Yesterday, I ate delicious chickpeas.
- Die Kichererbse ist sehr gesund.The chickpea is very healthy.
Example conversation
Sarah and Lukas are cooking dinner together.
- SarahHast du die Kichererbse schon gewaschen?Have you washed the chickpea already?
- LukasJa, sie sind jetzt bereit.Yes, they are ready now.
- SarahSuper, dann kommen sie in den Topf.Great, then they go in the pot.
- LukasDas wird ein leckeres Essen, Sarah.That will be a delicious meal, Sarah.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chickpea” translations and entries Kichererbse, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
