śledź
/ˈɕlɛt͡ɕ/masculine
Herring in Polish is śledź, a masculine noun.
śledź is the most common word for herring across Poland. Śledź bałtycki refers specifically to Baltic Sea herring.
Meaning: fish in Clupea (noun)
Which one should you use?
Śledzik is an informal, affectionate form of the word.
How does it change in a sentence?
śledź is masculine. When the herring is the direct object, as in I eat herring, it becomes śledzia. The genitive śledzi is used to say there is no herring or to show quantity. The plural is śledzie.
How do you pronounce it?
śledź is pronounced /ˈɕlɛtɕ/, one syllable.
Did you know?
- The Polish word śledź is borrowed from the Old Norse word síld, showing the historical influence of Scandinavian sailors and traders on the Polish coast.
- While śledź is a common food, it holds a special place in the traditional Polish Christmas Eve dinner, where it is served as a fasting dish to adhere to the custom of eating no meat.
- The diminutive form śledzik is often used in a culinary sense to describe a small, appetizing portion of herring served as an appetizer.
Examples in context
- W Zatoce Alaska znajdują się łowiska łososi, dorszy i śledzi.The Gulf of Alaska contains fishing grounds for salmon, cod, and herring.Here śledzi is the genitive plural, used after a list of fish in the fishing grounds.
- Cześć, idziemy na plażę, zjemy śledzika?Hey, let's go to the beach, shall we have some herring?
- Ostatnio kupiłem super śledzik na targu.I recently bought amazing herring at the market.
- Moja babcia robi najlepszy śledzik w całym mieście!My grandma makes the best herring in the whole town!
- Świeży śledź jest bardzo smaczny.Fresh herring is very tasty.
Example conversation
Katarzyna and Piotr are at a traditional dinner.
- KatarzynaCzy chcesz spróbować tego dania?Do you want to try this dish?
- PiotrTak, co to jest?Yes, what is it?
- KatarzynaTo jest wędzony śledź.It is smoked herring.
- PiotrWygląda bardzo smacznie.It looks very tasty.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “herring” translations and entries śledź, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries śledź, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
