tempura

See also: tempurá, and tempurą

English

Alternative forms

• tenpura

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 天(てん)麩(ぷ)羅(ら) (tenpura), from Portuguese, ultimately from Latin. Different dictionaries link two different original terms:

• Portuguese tempero (“seasoning”) or tempera (“he/she/it seasons; season!”), third-person present singular or imperative tense of temperar (“to season, to temper”), from Latin temperare (“to mix, to temper”).
• Portuguese têmpora (“Ember days”), from Latin tempora, plural of tempus (“time; period”). When Portuguese explorers (mostly Jesuit missionaries) arrived in Japan, they abstained from eating beef, pork, and poultry during the Ember days, a Catholic series of holidays. Instead, they ate fried vegetables and fish. This was the first contact of the Japanese with fried food, and since then they began associating the Portuguese word têmpora (which they pronounced tenpura) with such food.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈtɛmpʊɹə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /tɛmˈpu.ɹə/, /tɛmˈpɚ.ə/
• Rhymes: -ʊəɹə

Noun

tempura (countable and uncountable, plural tempuras)

2. A Japanese dish made by deep-frying vegetables, seafood, or other foods in a light batter.

   Hypernym: fritter

Translations

dish made by deep-frying food in a light batter

• Arabic: تِيمْبُورَا f (tīmbūrā)
• Belarusian: тэ́мпура f (témpura)
• Bulgarian: те́мпура f (témpura)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 天婦羅／天妇罗 (tin¹ fu⁵ lo⁴), 天麩羅／天麸罗 (tin¹ fu¹ lo⁴)

  Hakka: ^{(please verify)} 天婦羅／天妇罗 (thên-pu-lá)

  Hokkien: ^{(please verify)} 天麩羅／天麸罗 (thia̋n-pú-lah)

  Mandarin: 天婦羅／天妇罗 (zh) (tiānfùluó), 天麩羅／天麸罗 (zh) (tiānfūluó), 甜不辣 (zh) (tiánbúlà), 天富羅／天富罗 (zh) (tiānfùluó)

• Esperanto: tempuro
• Finnish: tempura
• French: tempura (fr) f
• German: Tempura n
• Greek: τεμπούρα f (tempoúra)
• Hebrew: טַמְפּוּרָה (he) f (tampurá)
• Italian: tempura m or f
• Japanese: 天ぷら (ja) (てんぷら, tenpura), 天麩羅 (ja) (てんぷら, tenpura), テンプラ (ja) (tenpura)
• Korean: 덴뿌라 (ko) (denppura), 덴푸라 (ko) (denpura)
• Malay: tempura
• Marathi: तेम्पुरा f (tempurā)
• Nepali: तरुवा (taruwā)
• Persian: تمپورا (tempurâ)
• Polish: tempura (pl) f
• Portuguese: tempurá m (Brazil), tempura f (Portugal)
• Russian: тэ́мпура (ru) f (tɛ́mpura), те́мпура (ru) f (tɛ́mpura)
• Spanish: tempura (es)
• Thai: เท็มปุระ (tem-bpù-rá)
• Ukrainian: те́мпура f (témpura)
• Vietnamese: tempura (vi), (phonetic respellings) thiên phu la, thiên phụ la

Cebuano

Tempura Streetfood

Etymology

Possibly from Spanish tempura (“breaded or battered like (Japanese) tempura”), from Japanese 天麩羅(てんぷら) (tenpura), from Portuguese, from Latin.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: tem‧pu‧ra
• IPA^(key): /temˈpuɾa/ [t̪emˈpu.ɾ̪ɐ]

Noun

tempura

1. (colloquial) kikiam (deep fried elongated beancurd roll over meat (usually ground pork) and vegetables, served as a streetfood snack)

Finnish

Etymology

From Japanese 天麩羅 (てんぷら, tenpura).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtempurɑ/, [ˈt̪e̞mpurɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -empurɑ
• Syllabification^(key): tem‧pu‧ra

Noun

tempura

1. tempura

Declension

Inflection of tempura (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)
nominative		tempura	tempurat
genitive		tempuran	tempuroiden tempuroitten
partitive		tempuraa	tempuroita
illative		tempuraan	tempuroihin
		singular	plural
nominative		tempura	tempurat
accusative	nom.	tempura	tempurat
	gen.	tempuran
genitive		tempuran	tempuroiden tempuroitten tempurain rare
partitive		tempuraa	tempuroita
inessive		tempurassa	tempuroissa
elative		tempurasta	tempuroista
illative		tempuraan	tempuroihin
adessive		tempuralla	tempuroilla
ablative		tempuralta	tempuroilta
allative		tempuralle	tempuroille
essive		tempurana	tempuroina
translative		tempuraksi	tempuroiksi
abessive		tempuratta	tempuroitta
instructive		—	tempuroin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of tempura (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative tempurani tempurani accusative nom. tempurani tempurani gen. tempurani genitive tempurani tempuroideni tempuroitteni tempuraini rare partitive tempuraani tempuroitani inessive tempurassani tempuroissani elative tempurastani tempuroistani illative tempuraani tempuroihini adessive tempurallani tempuroillani ablative tempuraltani tempuroiltani allative tempuralleni tempuroilleni essive tempuranani tempuroinani translative tempurakseni tempuroikseni abessive tempurattani tempuroittani instructive — — comitative — tempuroineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative tempurasi tempurasi accusative nom. tempurasi tempurasi gen. tempurasi genitive tempurasi tempuroidesi tempuroittesi tempuraisi rare partitive tempuraasi tempuroitasi inessive tempurassasi tempuroissasi elative tempurastasi tempuroistasi illative tempuraasi tempuroihisi adessive tempurallasi tempuroillasi ablative tempuraltasi tempuroiltasi allative tempurallesi tempuroillesi essive tempuranasi tempuroinasi translative tempuraksesi tempuroiksesi abessive tempurattasi tempuroittasi instructive — — comitative — tempuroinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative tempuramme tempuramme accusative nom. tempuramme tempuramme gen. tempuramme genitive tempuramme tempuroidemme tempuroittemme tempuraimme rare partitive tempuraamme tempuroitamme inessive tempurassamme tempuroissamme elative tempurastamme tempuroistamme illative tempuraamme tempuroihimme adessive tempurallamme tempuroillamme ablative tempuraltamme tempuroiltamme allative tempurallemme tempuroillemme essive tempuranamme tempuroinamme translative tempuraksemme tempuroiksemme abessive tempurattamme tempuroittamme instructive — — comitative — tempuroinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative tempuranne tempuranne accusative nom. tempuranne tempuranne gen. tempuranne genitive tempuranne tempuroidenne tempuroittenne tempurainne rare partitive tempuraanne tempuroitanne inessive tempurassanne tempuroissanne elative tempurastanne tempuroistanne illative tempuraanne tempuroihinne adessive tempurallanne tempuroillanne ablative tempuraltanne tempuroiltanne allative tempurallenne tempuroillenne essive tempurananne tempuroinanne translative tempuraksenne tempuroiksenne abessive tempurattanne tempuroittanne instructive — — comitative — tempuroinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative tempuransa tempuransa accusative nom. tempuransa tempuransa gen. tempuransa genitive tempuransa tempuroidensa tempuroittensa tempurainsa rare partitive tempuraansa tempuroitaan tempuroitansa inessive tempurassaan tempurassansa tempuroissaan tempuroissansa elative tempurastaan tempurastansa tempuroistaan tempuroistansa illative tempuraansa tempuroihinsa adessive tempurallaan tempurallansa tempuroillaan tempuroillansa ablative tempuraltaan tempuraltansa tempuroiltaan tempuroiltansa allative tempuralleen tempurallensa tempuroilleen tempuroillensa essive tempuranaan tempuranansa tempuroinaan tempuroinansa translative tempurakseen tempuraksensa tempuroikseen tempuroiksensa abessive tempurattaan tempurattansa tempuroittaan tempuroittansa instructive — — comitative — tempuroineen tempuroinensa

Further reading

• “tempura”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-03

Indonesian

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 天麩羅 (てんぷら, tenpura), from Portuguese, ultimately from Latin. Different dictionaries link two different original terms:

• Portuguese tempero (“seasoning”) or tempera (“he/she/it seasons; season!”), third-person present singular or imperative tense of temperar (“to season, to temper”), from Latin temperare (“to mix, to temper”).
• Portuguese têmpora (“Ember days”), from Latin tempora, plural of tempus (“time; period”). When Portuguese explorers (mostly Jesuit missionaries) arrived in Japan, they abstained from eating beef, pork, and poultry during the Ember days, a Catholic series of holidays. Instead, they ate fried vegetables and fish. This was the first contact of the Japanese with fried food, and since then they began associating the Portuguese word têmpora (which they pronounced tenpura) with such food.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /təm.pu.ra/
• Hyphenation: têm‧pu‧ra

Noun

tempura

1. (cooking) A Japanese dish made by deep-frying vegetables, seafood, or other foods in a light batter.

Further reading

• “tempura” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 天麩羅 (てんぷら, tenpura), from Portuguese, ultimately from Latin, cognate with either temperare or tempo, tempora. See above for more.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /temˈpu.ra/
• Rhymes: -ura
• Hyphenation: tem‧pù‧ra

Noun

tempura m or f (invariable)

1. tempura

   Hypernym: frittura

Anagrams

• permuta, premuta

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 天麩羅 (てんぷら, tenpura), from Portuguese, from Latin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɛmˈpu.ra/
• Rhymes: -ura
• Syllabification: tem‧pu‧ra

Noun

tempura f

1. tempura

Declension

Declension of tempura

	singular
nominative	tempura
genitive	tempury
dative	tempurze
accusative	tempurę
instrumental	tempurą
locative	tempurze
vocative	tempuro

Further reading

• tempura in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• tempurá (Brazil)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tẽˈpu.ɾɐ/

• Rhymes: -uɾɐ
• Hyphenation: tem‧pu‧ra

Noun

tempura f (plural tempuras)

1. European Portuguese standard form of tempurá.

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 天麩羅 (てんぷら, tenpura), from Portuguese, ultimately from Latin. See above for more.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /temˈpuɾa/ [t̪ẽmˈpu.ɾa]
• Rhymes: -uɾa
• Syllabification: tem‧pu‧ra

Noun

tempura f (plural tempuras)

1. tempura

Adjective

tempura m or f (masculine and feminine plural tempuras)

1. (said of food) breaded or battered like tempura

Further reading

• “tempura”, in Diccionario de la lengua española (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy, 2023 November 28

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from traditional Hepburn romaji of Japanese 天麩羅(てんぷら) (tenpura), from Portuguese, from Latin.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /temˈpuɾa/ [t̪ɛmˈpuː.ɾɐ]
• Rhymes: -uɾa
• Syllabification: tem‧pu‧ra

Noun

tempura (Baybayin spelling ᜆᜒᜋ᜔ᜉᜓᜇ)

1. tempura (Japanese dish)

Further reading

• “tempura”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018