fakanál
[ˈfɒkɒnaːl]
The English phrase 'wooden spoon' is translated into Hungarian as fakanál.
The term refers to a spoon made from wood.
Meaning: spoon made from wood (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
To express using a wooden spoon as a tool, you apply the instrumental case suffix to create fakanállal (with a wooden spoon). The plural form of the word is fakanálak.
Did you know?
- In Hungarian, the concept of a 'wooden spoon' is never used as an idiom for coming in last place in a competition, unlike the sporting tradition found in some English-speaking countries.
- While fakanál describes the object, Hungarian has a specific cultural association with stirring 'pörkölt' or 'gulyás' using wooden tools to avoid scratching the bottom of traditional heavy pots.
- The word kanál is a loanword from Slavic origins, making its connection to the purely Hungarian root fa a hybrid of two different linguistic families.
Examples in context
- Anya egy fakanállal kevergeti a levest.Mum is stirring the soup with a wooden spoon.This sentence demonstrates the use of fakanál in the instrumental case to show a tool being used for stirring.Tatoeba #13939230 by kiseva33, translation #8808817 by sundown
- Van egy fa kanálom az új konyhámban.I have a wooden spoon in my new kitchen.
- Szükségem van egy fakanálra.I need a wooden spoon.
Example conversation
Zsófia and Zoltán are cooking dinner together.
- ZsófiaZoltán, adj át egy fakanált!Zoltán, pass me a wooden spoon!
- ZoltánItt van a fakanál.Here is the wooden spoon.
- ZsófiaKöszönöm szépen.Thank you very much.
- ZoltánSzívesen, Zsófi.You're welcome, Zsófi.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wooden spoon” translations and entries fakanál, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
