काकडी
kākḍī/kak.ɖi/feminine
The English word cucumber is काकडी (kākḍī) in Marathi.
काकडी refers to the edible fruit known as a cucumber.
Meaning: edible fruit (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced kākḍī. It has two syllables. The /k/ sound is like the s[c]an in English, the /ɖ/ sound is like the bir[d] in American English and the /i/ sound is like the happ[y] in English.
Did you know?
- The word काकडी is derived from the Sanskrit word karkaṭa, which refers to a crab. This is because the bumpy, ridged skin of certain cucumber varieties resembles the shell of a crab.
- In Maharashtra, cucumbers are often sliced and served with a pinch of salt and red chili powder as a refreshing street snack during the hot summer months.
- The pronunciation of काकडी involves a retroflex 'd' sound, created by curling the tongue back to touch the roof of the mouth, a feature common in Indo-Aryan languages but rare in English.
Examples in context
- किती लांब काकडी आहे!What a long cucumber!Tatoeba #4820011 by sabretou, translation #489020 by Ooneykcall
- काकडी कडू आहे? मग फेक ती!The cucumber is bitter? Then throw it away!Tatoeba #9096579 by sabretou, translation #5216102 by Adelpa
- मी काकडी खातो.I eat cucumber.Tatoeba #3937193 by sabretou, translation #2863789 by gordafarin
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Rahul and Aditi are in the kitchen preparing a salad.
- राहुल Rahulकाकडी तयार आहे का?kākaḍī tayār āhe kā?Is the cucumber ready?
- अदिति Aditiहो, मी काकडी चिरली आहे.ho, mī kākaḍī chiralī āhe.Yes, I have sliced the cucumber.
- राहुल Rahulअदिती, ही काकडी खूप ताजी आहे.aditi, hī kākaḍī khūp tājī āhe.Aditi, this cucumber is very fresh.
- अदिति Aditiधन्यवाद, राहुल.dhanyavād, rāhul.Thank you, Rahul.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cucumber” translations and entries काकडी, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries काकडी, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
