ołówek
/ɔˈwu.vɛk/inanimate, masculine
The English word "pencil" is ołówek in Polish.
ołówek refers to a graphite writing instrument.
Meaning: graphite writing-instrument (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of ołówek is ołówki.
How do you pronounce it?
ołówek is pronounced /ɔˈwu.vɛk/. It has three syllables, and the stress is on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- The term ołówek highlights a historical period when people believed graphite was actually a form of lead.
- The suffix -ek in ołówek is a diminutive, which originally made the word a 'little lead'.
- The word ołówek follows a Polish phonetic pattern where the 'ó' is pronounced exactly like 'u', making it sound like ułówek to some beginners.
Examples in context
- Tom zgubił swój ołówek.Tom lost his pencil.This sentence is useful for showing how to express that someone lost their ołówek.Tatoeba #4837749 by gin, translation #2548093 by CK
- Podnieś ołówek z podłogi.Pick up the pencil from the floor.This sentence is useful for practicing the command to pick up an ołówek from the floor.Tatoeba #3039557 by jeedrek, translation #49467 by CK
- Czy ten ołówek jest twój?Is this pencil yours?This sentence is useful for asking if an ołówek belongs to someone.Tatoeba #9006785 by digitcrusher, translation #60226 by CK
- 35 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Agnieszka is looking for a writing tool in the office.
- PiotrAgnieszko, czy widziałaś mój ołówek?Agnieszka, have you seen my pencil?
- AgnieszkaNie, Piotr, nie widziałam go.No, Piotr, I haven't seen it.
- PiotrMuszę coś zapisać.I need to write something down.
- AgnieszkaMożesz użyć mojego długopisu.You can use my pen.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pencil” translations and entries ołówek, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
