# Which languages have an unabiguous word for "hot because of chile" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 5, 2004, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-languages-have-an-unabiguous-word-for-hot-because-of-chile/273252 "2004-11-05T20:28:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2004, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-languages-have-an-unabiguous-word-for-hot-because-of-chile/273252/41 "2004-11-06T18:05:00Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > After receiving an email about this topic (!) I looked ‘chile’ up in my dictionary (Collins English). According to Collins, ‘chile’ is listed as an alternate in English for what is usually spelt ‘chilli’, alsthough the Spanich _chile con carne_ is also mentioned. I was surprised to see the double-L spelling; I don’t remember seeing this in use in Toronto. It seems to me that we always spell the food ‘chili’. > > I am now confused. Perhaps I should go to more Mexican restaurants. 🙂 I believe Collins is UK-based. As I mentioned, _chilli_ is the preferred British spelling. The word is derived from the Nahuatl _chilli_, spelled in Spanish as _chile_. The most common form in American English is probably _chili_, though _chile_ is also used. As **asterion** mentions, in some places there is a distinction made between _chili_ for the food and _chile_ for the plant, but this is not universal. In the case of _chile/chili con carne_ it is debatable which form should be used. In Spanish _chile con carne_ would be correct. (Neither of my Spanish-English dictionaries, Collins or American Heritage, offers _chili_ as a possibility in Spanish.) However, given that the dish is not Mexican in origin but rather Tex-Mex, the use of the American English spelling in the Spanish phrase may not be inappropriate in view of its hybrid origin. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2004, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-languages-have-an-unabiguous-word-for-hot-because-of-chile/273252/42 "2004-11-06T18:21:18Z")
In Cantonese there is differentiation too, but I’m damned if I can remember it. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2004, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-languages-have-an-unabiguous-word-for-hot-because-of-chile/273252/43 "2004-11-06T18:29:13Z")
Vietnamese: cay: spicy hot nóng: temperature hot ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-languages-have-an-unabiguous-word-for-hot-because-of-chile/273252/44 "2004-11-06T21:29:07Z")
\ “Ow, give me some water.” \ “Was it too hot or too chili?” “Too chilly? Are you high? Why would I want water if it were too chilly?” “Because if it’s too chili, it’s too spicey.” “But I love spicey food.” “Not if the food is too chili.” “I said ‘spicey,’ not ‘icey.’” “I heard you. But if the food is too spicey hot, then it’s too chili.” “No, the food was too hot, that’s why I wanted a chilled drink.” “Oh, so it was too hot and not chili at all.” “Exactly, not chilly at all.” ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2004, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-languages-have-an-unabiguous-word-for-hot-because-of-chile/273252/45 "2004-11-06T22:04:57Z")
Hebrew: _Kharif_ - spicy hot. _Kham_ - temperature hot. I suspect (although I don’t know for sure) that Arabic makes a similar distinction. Is there **any** language (other than English) that fails to have separate, simple, everyday words for these two concepts? Dani ---
**Author:** ![Anni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a87d85/32.png) [@Anni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anni)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2004, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-languages-have-an-unabiguous-word-for-hot-because-of-chile/273252/46 "2004-11-06T22:23:12Z")
Finnish: Spicy hot - _tulinen_ Temperature hot - _kuuma_ ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2004, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-languages-have-an-unabiguous-word-for-hot-because-of-chile/273252/47 "2004-11-06T22:31:36Z")
Japanese : spicy hot - _karai_ temperature hot - _atsui_ ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-languages-have-an-unabiguous-word-for-hot-because-of-chile/273252/48 "2004-11-07T01:23:31Z")
**Noone Special** , you’re right about Arabic. Its cognates with the corresponding Hebrew words are really close. Arabic for temperature-hot is _hârr_, but another word that means temperature-hot is _hâmm_, related to Hebrew _ham_ which you cited. In Hebrew, the latter word could mean ‘warm’ as well as hot. In Arabic, the same root gives words like _humá_ ‘fever’, _hammah_ ‘hot spring’, and _hammâm_ ‘bath’. The Arabic word for temperature itself is _harârah_, literally ‘hotness’, from the same h-r-r triliteral root as _hârr_. Whereas the word for pungent taste in Arabic is _hirrîf_, cognate of the Hebrew word _harif_ you cited, which literally means ‘sharp’. It’s from the same root as _harf_, which means ‘cutting edge’. Another Arabic word with similar meaning is _hâdd_, which also refers to the sharpness of a cutting edge, related to _hadîd_ ‘sharp edged’, also ‘iron’. (Because iron takes a sharper edge than bronze; from this is derived the Arabic name _Haddâd_, ‘Smith’.) Sound Symbolism Dept.: Can’t help noticing that all these words for hotness start with the same letter, _H_, the 6th letter in the Arabic alphabet. It’s a pharyngeal sound that doesn’t exist in English. It’s made by forcing air out through the narrowed pharynx, making a sharply hissing sound in the middle of the throat. The sound you might make if you had suddenly eaten a too-hot chili pepper. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-languages-have-an-unabiguous-word-for-hot-because-of-chile/273252/49 "2004-11-07T06:42:19Z")
> [@Jomo Mojo](#): > > **Noone Special** , you’re right about Arabic. Its cognates with the corresponding Hebrew words are really close. Well, it **is** fair to say, that, much like the Americans and the Brits, we really are (or should have been, anyway :() two nations separated by a (almost) common language 🙂 Dani ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-languages-have-an-unabiguous-word-for-hot-because-of-chile/273252/50 "2004-11-07T20:40:53Z")
> [@](#): > > Is there any language (other than English) that fails to have separate, simple, everyday words for these two concepts? The problem here, if anything, is not that English lacks the words, but that they’re not “everyday”. But that’s an entirely subjective matter. We do have words “piquant”, “spicy”, “zesty”, and “peppery”, and on the other end, you could use “caloric”, “thermal”, “heated”, “piping”, or “steaming”. If you’re saying we don’t use those words enough, well, the solution is simple: Let’s all start using them more! ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-languages-have-an-unabiguous-word-for-hot-because-of-chile/273252/51 "2004-11-07T20:54:34Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The problem here, if anything, is not that English lacks the words, but that they’re not “everyday”. That’s exactly what I was trying to say there… > [@](#): > > We do have words “piquant”, “spicy”, “zesty”, and “peppery” But none of these words really conveys the idea of “hot enough to blow the roof of your mouth off” (which is how _ **I** _ like my food :)) All these words signify - at least to me - a more “genteel” form of spiciness. Real Men[sup]TM[/sup] don’t eat their food _piquant_ - we want it to clear our nasal passages out **completely** , and we don’t want to have to repeat the procedure this winter! 😃 Dani ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-languages-have-an-unabiguous-word-for-hot-because-of-chile/273252/52 "2004-11-07T21:53:23Z")
> [@cckerberos](#): > > Japanese : > > spicy hot - _karai_ > temperature hot - _atsui_ Yep. But not completely ambiguous because “karai” can also mean so salty it stings or just too salty. But when “kara” is used in such formes as “gekikara” (extremely spicy) it’s unambiguous. ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-languages-have-an-unabiguous-word-for-hot-because-of-chile/273252/53 "2004-11-08T05:04:31Z")
In Mexico there are words to describe “spicey hot” derived directly from the word _chile_. _Enchiloso(a)_ is a synonym for picante. _Esta salsa está muy enchilosa_. If someone is seen sucking air while eating hot (picante) food they may be asked "_te enchilaste?"._ From the verb _enchilarse_. A word sometimes used for foods that contain a lot of spices but not necessarily picante is _condimentado_. And around these parts you never hear of “_chili con carne_” but rather _carne con chile_. A much different dish BTW. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-languages-have-an-unabiguous-word-for-hot-because-of-chile/273252/54 "2004-11-08T15:06:59Z")
Does any language besides Bengali differentiate between the heat of chili peppers and the heat of mustard/horseradish/wasabi? ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-languages-have-an-unabiguous-word-for-hot-because-of-chile/273252/55 "2004-11-09T18:50:57Z")
Singlish: Spicy hot - “the chilli very hot!” Temperature hot - “the food very hot!” ---
**Author:** ![noname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@noname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/noname)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-languages-have-an-unabiguous-word-for-hot-because-of-chile/273252/56 "2004-11-09T19:55:55Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > chile heat in Hindi is “mirch” chile heat in Hindi is _teekha_ or _teekhi_ > [@Kimstu](#): > > “Spicy” in the sense of “flavored with spices” is “masala”, but it doesn’t necessarily refer to hot spices. Not “masala”, but “masaledar” (muh-saa-le-daar). And yes, it does not refer to hot spices, but spices in general. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-languages-have-an-unabiguous-word-for-hot-because-of-chile/273252/57 "2004-11-11T04:10:57Z")
The Hindi word comes from the Arabic _masâlih_ (there’s that H again), literally meaning ‘ingredients’. It’s the plural of _maslah_, which means whatever is needed to make something good. I looked up _tîkha_ in the Hindi dictionary and it says this word means ‘sharp’ in various senses, cf. _tez_. It comes from Sanskrit _tîkshna_, which is derived from the same Sanskrit root as _tejas_, meaning ‘sharp’. From this root comes words for the various strong tastes: _tikta_ ‘bitter’, _tîkshna_ ‘sharp, hot, pungent, fiery, acid’. The Proto-Indo-European source of Sanskrit _tejas_ etc. and Persian _tez_ is the root [\*steig-](http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/IE498.html) ‘to stick; pointed’. It gave us the words _stick, stake, steak, stigma, thistle,_ and _tiger_, to take a few examples. Ironically, this same root gave us the word _raita_, which in Indian cuisine today usually means a dish of yogurt with cucumbers, just the antidote to cool a fiery chili attack. Originally, though, raita must have been very spicy; it comes from Sanskrit _rajikatiktaka_, meaning ‘mustard pickle’. _Rajika_ is Sanskrit for mustard, and _tiktaka_ refers to one of those strongly-flavored Indian pickles with the intensely sour, salt, and spicy flavors all at once. Another word derived from the same Indo-European root is _distinguish_, from the Latin ‘to separate’ (the idea of a “sharp” blade dividing one thing from another). So lovers of hot chili pepper can take pride in their literally distinguished tastes. The sharpness of the pungent chili “distinguishes” the bland eaters from the truly hot ‘n’ spicy people. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-languages-have-an-unabiguous-word-for-hot-because-of-chile/273252/58 "2004-11-11T06:34:44Z")
> [@Jomo Mojo](#): > > The Hindi word comes from the Arabic _masâlih_ (there’s that H again), literally meaning ‘ingredients’. It’s the plural of _maslah_, which means whatever is needed to make something good. [hijack]It may be worth noting that the root of the word maslah is S.L.H (or {TS}.L.H, in Hebrew) - literally meaning “success, successful”. The “m” at the beginning is a prefix, not part of the root. In Hebrew The **related** root S.L.H (“S” instead of “TS” as the first letter) means “pardon” or “forgiveness” - relating the terms success and forgiveness. To forgive is to succeed - perhaps words for life. One of these roots figures (I’m not sure which) in the name of the medieval Arab leader Saladin (more properly known as _Salah-a-din_) - so he was “Successful”, or “Forgiving” (or both). [/hijack] Dani ---
**Author:** ![WonJonSoup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@WonJonSoup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WonJonSoup)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-languages-have-an-unabiguous-word-for-hot-because-of-chile/273252/59 "2004-11-11T09:11:40Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > In Cantonese there is differentiation too, but I’m damned if I can remember it. It’s, “Lat.” Lat with a higher tone is temperature hot, and with a quick falling tone (I’m playing this by ear) is spicy food hot. And since Chinese is a tonal language, they’re two totally different words, not one word with different meanings because of the tone stress. I always thought the Mandarin pronunciation was more or less the same? “La.” Never heard this tang thing, but I’m not a native Mandarin speaker. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-languages-have-an-unabiguous-word-for-hot-because-of-chile/273252/60 "2004-11-11T09:28:02Z")
can you elaborate? i can’t place the temperature hot for ‘lat’. i use ‘yid’ for temperature hot. the character for spicy hot 辣 is the same for mandarin or cantonese, though the pronounciation is different. 烫 translates to ‘scald’, the word itself is ‘soup’ over ‘fire’. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-languages-have-an-unabiguous-word-for-hot-because-of-chile/273252.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-languages-have-an-unabiguous-word-for-hot-because-of-chile/273252.md?page=4)