huba
/ɦuba/feminine
The English word mushroom is translated into Slovak as either huba or hríb.
Meaning: fruiting body of a fungus (noun)
Ways to say it
| Slovak | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| huba | /ɦuba/ | feminine |
| hríb | /ɦriːp/ | masculine |
In Slovak, the word for mushroom depends on the type of fungus you are describing. Use huba when referring to bracket fungi or wood-decaying fungi, and use hríb when referring to edible, fleshy mushrooms.
Which one should you use?
The feminine form huba is typically used for bracket fungi or wood-decaying fungi that grow on trees.
How does it change in a sentence?
huba is a feminine noun and hríb is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɦuba/
Did you know?
- In Slovak, calling someone a huba can be a slang way of referring to their mouth or face, often used in expressions about talking too much.
- The masculine form hríb has a much older Proto-Indo-European root related to the act of 'scratching' or 'digging', which may refer to how one harvests them.
- While hríb refers to fleshy mushrooms, the word is also used in the phrase zbierať hríby, which is a deeply ingrained national pastime in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
Examples in context
- Keď prší, tak huby vyrastú ako huby po daždi.When it rains, mushrooms grow like mushrooms after rain.
- Táto huba je veľmi veľká.This mushroom is very large.
Example conversation
Zuzana and Marek are walking through the forest.
- ZuzanaPozri, tam je veľká huba!Look, there is a large mushroom!
- MarekMáš pravdu, ale nie je to hríb.You are right, but it is not a porcini.
- ZuzanaJe to len obyčajná huba?Is it just an ordinary mushroom?
- MarekÁno, nebudeme ju zbierať.Yes, we will not pick it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mushroom” translations and entries huba, hríb, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hríb, huba, CC BY-SA 4.0.
