তরকারী
torkari/t̪ɔɾkaɾi/
To say curry in Bengali, use তরকারী (torkari), the everyday word for a curry or cooked vegetable dish. If unsure, use তরকারী. Wiktionary also lists সালন (śalon).
Meaning: dish (noun)
Ways to say it
| Bengali | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| তরকারী | torkari | /t̪ɔɾkaɾi/ /t̪ɔɹkaɹi/ |
| সালন | śalon |
In daily conversation torkari is the most natural way to refer to a side dish of vegetables or meat cooked in a sauce.
Which one should you use?
তরকারী can refer to a wide variety of cooked vegetable dishes. সালন (śalon) is a more formal or literary term and emphasizes the liquid, gravy-like consistency of a dish.
How do you pronounce it?
It is pronounced /t̪ɔɾkaɾi/, with a soft t made with the tongue against the teeth.
Did you know?
- The word তরকারী is a linguistic hybrid, blending a word from Persian with a word from Tamil.
- In a traditional Bengali meal, তরকারী is rarely eaten alone and is almost always paired with ভাত ('rice'), which serves as the essential base for the dish.
- A Bengali person might describe a dish as ভুনা ('bhuna'), meaning it is a 'dry' curry where the সালন ('gravy') has been cooked down until it coats the ingredients.
Examples in context
- সালুনও কিছু আছেThere is also some curry.সালুনও adds a suffix meaning also to the word for a gravy curry.
- মাছের কারিFish curry
- মুরগির কারিChicken curry
- এই তরকারীটি খুব সুস্বাদু।ei torokariṭi khub suswadu.This curry is very delicious.
Example conversation
Moumita and Akash are discussing what to eat for lunch.
- মৌমিতা Moumitaআকাশ, তুমি কি তরকারী খাবে?Akash, tumi ki torkari khabe?Akash, will you eat curry?
- আকাশ Akashহ্যাঁ, আমি আলু তরকারী পছন্দ করি।He, ami alu torkari pochondo kori.Yes, I like potato curry.
- মৌমিতা Moumitaআমি তবে একটু বেশি করে বানাব।Ami tobe ektu beshi kore banabo.Then I will make a bit more.
- আকাশ Akashঠিক আছে, ধন্যবাদ মৌমিতা।Thik ache, dhonnobad Moumita.Alright, thank you Moumita.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “curry” translations and entries তরকারী, সালন, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries তরকারী, সালন, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
