Palabra Lexi · common words in Greek

How to say "cheese" in Greek

"Cheese" in Greek is τυρί (tyrí), pronounced ti-RI (stress on the syllable in capitals). It is a neuter noun (το τυρί, plural τα τυριά).

Pronunciation is spelled out in English, one syllable at a time, with the stressed syllable in capitals; Greek marks that syllable with an accent in writing too. The speaker button uses your browser's built-in Greek voice. Gender and plural: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

How to pronounce τυρί

Τυρί is pronounced ti-RI, in IPA /tiˈɾi/. The stress falls on RI, the syllable in capitals. Greek shows this in writing: the accent mark sits on the stressed vowel.

Listen: normal and slow speed, in your browser's Greek voice. IPA: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Is τυρί masculine, feminine or neuter?

Τυρί is neuter, so it takes the article το: το τυρί. The plural is τα τυριά. That fits the pattern: nouns ending in -ο and -ι are neuter.

Example sentences

Ψωμί και τυρί
bread and cheese

Το τυρί είναι πολύ νόστιμο.
The cheese is very tasty.

"Cheese" in Greek: everyday use and word roots

Feta means "slice" (φέτα). Tyrosine, an amino acid, was named after the Greek for cheese, where it was first found.

Regional words and roots: Wiktionary and the Liddell–Scott Greek lexicon. Greek varies by region, so treat these as the most common patterns, not strict rules.

How to remember τυρί

τυρί [ti-RI] sounds like the English “tearing”. Picture this:

You keep tearing the cheese into strings; it stretches across the kitchen like ropes.

A sound-alike plus a vivid scene is the keyword method, a well-studied way to learn vocabulary. How it works.

Practice τυρί

Two quick games, right here: no sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere.

Word web: τυρί

Words that live next to τυρί in the Palabra word web, each with its own English sound-alike and scene. Learning them together makes each one easier to recall.