łyżka
/ˈwɘʂ.ka/feminine
The Polish word for spoon is łyżka.
A łyżka refers to a scooped utensil used for eating or serving. You can specify the type of spoon by adding its purpose: łyżka stołowa is a tablespoon, łyżka do zupy is a soup spoon and łyżka do lodów is an ice cream spoon. Relatedly, the verb łyżeczkować means to lie together.
Meaning: scooped utensil for eating (or serving) (noun)
Which one should you use?
While łyżka is the standard word for a spoon, the diminutive form łyżeczka is the standard term used for a teaspoon. For even more specific tea-related needs, you may see łyżeczka do herbaty (teaspoon) or łyżeczka do kawy (coffee spoon).
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun łyżka is feminine. Its plural form is łyżki. If you want to express eating with the utensil, use the instrumental case form łyżką.
How do you pronounce it?
{'ipa': '/ˈwɘʂ.ka/', 'syllables': 2, 'stressed_syllable': '1 of 2'}
Did you know?
- In Polish, the concept of cuddling or lying together in bed is expressed by the verb łyżeczkować, which literally means 'to teaspoon'.
- When cooking with a spoon as a measurement, a łyżka is a standardized 15 milliliters, whereas a łyżeczka is exactly 5 milliliters.
- The term łyżeczka is so common for small sizes that it is often used metaphorically to describe a tiny amount of something, even if no actual spoon is present.
Examples in context
- Moja łyżka jest za duża!My spoon is too big!This example shows the use of łyżka to describe size.Tatoeba #6477371 by mojeanin, translation #471426 by krisher
- Tutaj jest łyżka.There is a spoon here.This example shows the use of łyżka to indicate location.Tatoeba #3603025 by Baakamono, translation #3603009 by Jesse
- Łyżka jest brudna.The spoon is dirty.This example shows the use of łyżka to describe cleanliness.Tatoeba #11581728 by polski_ren, translation #2730948 by Hybrid
- Kupiłem nowe łyżki do kuchni.I bought new spoons for the kitchen.
- Na stole leżą cztery łyżeczki.There are four teaspoons on the table.
Example conversation
Małgorzata and Piotr are setting the table for dinner.
- MałgorzataCzy potrzebna jest jeszcze jedna łyżka?Is one more spoon needed?
- PiotrNie, wystarczy już jedna łyżka na osobę.No, one spoon per person is enough.
- MałgorzataDobrze, to kładę tylko widelce.Good, then I will only lay out the forks.
- PiotrDziękuję, Małgorzato.Thank you, Małgorzata.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “spoon” translations and entries łyżka, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
