Palabra Lexi · common words in Greek

How to say "fish" in Greek

"Fish" in Greek is ψάρι (psári), pronounced PSA-ri (stress on the syllable in capitals). It is a neuter noun (το ψάρι, plural τα ψάρια).

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 ψάρι

Ψάρι is pronounced PSA-ri, in IPA /ˈpsa.ɾi/. The stress falls on PSA, the syllable in capitals. Greek shows this in writing: the accent mark sits on the stressed vowel.

• Ψ is ps, with both sounds pronounced.

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

Is ψάρι masculine, feminine or neuter?

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

Example sentences

Το ψάρι κολυμπάει.
The fish swims

Το ψάρι είναι φρέσκο
The fish is fresh

Φρέσκο ψάρι
fresh fish

"Fish" in Greek: everyday use and word roots

Ψάρι comes from ὀψάριον, a side dish. The ancient ἰχθύς survives in science and in the Christian fish symbol.

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 ψάρι

ψάρι [PSA-ri] sounds like the English “sorry”. Picture this:

The fish jumps out of the pan, slaps its tail and gurgles «sorry!» before diving back into the sea.

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

Practice ψάρι

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Word web: ψάρι

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