کدو تنبل
kadu tanbal/ka.ˈduː tan.ˈbal/word by word
The Persian word for pumpkin is کدو تنبل (kadu tanbal).
کدو تنبل is the specific term used to refer to the fruit of the pumpkin plant.
Meaning: fruit of this plant (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of کدو meaning squash or gourd and tanbal meaning lazy or idle.
Which one should you use?
While کدو تنبل specifically refers to pumpkin, the word کدو is the general term used for any squash, gourd or pumpkin.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is kadu tanbal. The IPA is /ka.ˈduː tan.ˈbal/. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 2nd syllable.
Did you know?
- In Persian, the word تنبل meaning 'lazy' is thought to be a sound-symbolic imitation of roundness, similar to the Armenian word թմբլիկ which means 'plump'.
- The term کدو might be related to the word for 'beehive' or 'grain bin', likely because of their similar large and rounded shapes.
Examples in context
- لطفاً یک کدو بدهیدPlease give me one pumpkin.
- من کدو تنبل دوست دارم.man kadoo tanbal doost daram.I like pumpkin.
- آیا کدو تنبل شیرین است؟aya kadoo tanbal shirin ast?Is the pumpkin sweet?
Example conversation
Amir and Zahra are shopping for vegetables at a market.
- امیر Amirزهرا، کدو تنبل میخواهی؟Zahra, kadu tanbal mikhahi?Zahra, do you want pumpkin?
- زهرا Zahraبله، برای کیک میخواهم.Bale, baraye keyk mikhaham.Yes, I want it for a cake.
- امیر Amirکدام کدو تنبل بهتر است؟Kodam kadu tanbal behtar ast?Which pumpkin is better?
- زهرا Zahraآن یکی کوچکتر و بهتر است.An yeki koochaktar va behtar ast.That smaller one is better.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pumpkin” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (کدو, تنبل) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries تنبل, کدو, CC BY-SA 4.0.
