ketchup

See also: Ketchup and kétchup

English

A bottle of tomato ketchup.

A bottle of mushroom ketchup.

Alternative forms

• catchup, catsup, katsup
• katjap, kechap, ketsup (all obsolete)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Hokkien 膎汁 (kê-chiap)bor.

Malay kecapbor.?

English ketchup

Uncertain, but probably ultimately from Hokkien 膎汁 (kê-chiap, “fish sauce”, literally “pickled fish juice”), via Malay kecap / kicap (“any dark clear sauce from soybeans, fish, etc.”), though the precise path is unclear – there are related words in various Chinese languages. Various other theories exist – see Ketchup: Etymology for extended discussion.

First appeared in English in the late 17th century in reference to a Southeast Asian sauce encountered by British traders and sailors. The Oxford English Dictionary notes that it was commonly used in the 18th century to refer to a variety of similar sauces with varying ingredients—"anchovies, mushrooms, walnuts, and oysters being particularly popular"—but by the late 19th century the current tomato ketchup became the most popular form.

Catsup (earlier catchup) is an alternative Anglicization, still in use in the U.S., though it is now somewhat rare.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɛt͡ʃ.əp/, /-ʌp/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

  • Audio (Canada):

    (file)

• (Northern England) IPA^(key): /ˈkɛt͡ʃ.ʊp/
• Homophone: catch-up (one pronunciation)

Noun

ketchup (countable and uncountable, plural ketchups)

1. (uncountable, chiefly US, Canada, UK) Ellipsis of tomato ketchup (“a tomato-vinegar-based sauce, sometimes containing spices, onion or garlic, and (especially in the US) sweeteners”).

   Synonym: tomato catsup

   Hypernyms: tomato sauce, red ketchup, red catsup

   tomato ketchup

   This diner serves ketchup in red bottles, and mustard in yellow ones.

2. (countable, now rare) Such a sauce more generally (not necessarily based on tomatoes, but with mushrooms, fish, etc.). This is the older meaning.

   Hyponyms: tomato ketchup, tomato catsup, fruit ketchup, fruit catsup, corn ketchup, corn catsup, green ketchup, green catsup, yellow ketchup, yellow catsup

   • 1883, Cassell's Dictionary of Cookery, page lxxxiii:

     The bottles, however, were port bottles, but contained mushroom ketchup; […]

   • 2003, Inns and Bed and Breakfasts in Quebec 2003, Ulysses Travel Guides, page 46:

     To accompany meat, we prepare fruit ketchups and rhubarb chutney.

Usage notes

• The spelling ketchup became significantly preferred in the United States due to the popularity of the Heinz brand, which shortly after its introduction in 1876 switched from catsup to this spelling to distinguish itself from competitors. Other major brands, such as Hunt, subsequently followed, with Del Monte only switching to ketchup in 1988.

• This condiment is more commonly and somewhat ambiguously called tomato sauce outside of North America and the United Kingdom. In South Africa, the word ketchup is not generally understood.

Hypernyms

• condiment
• sauce
• table condiment
• table sauce

Coordinate terms

common Chinese condiment sauces

• cherry sauce
• chili sauce
• fish sauce
• hoisin sauce
• oyster flavor sauce
• plum sauce
• soy sauce
• sweet and sour sauce
• sweet chili sauce
• tree sauce

condiments commonly paired with tomato ketchup

• black pepper
• chili sauce
• chowchow
• cucumber relish
• green relish
• ground black pepper
• ground pepper
• malt vinegar
• mayonnaise
• mustard
• mustard sauce
• pepper
• prepared mustard
• prepared mustard sauce
• prepared yellow mustard
• prepared yellow mustard sauce
• relish
• salt
• siracha
• sweet green relish
• sweet relish
• table salt
• vinegar
• white vinegar
• yellow mustard
• yellow mustard sauce

Derived terms

• banana ketchup
• curry ketchup
• ketchupless
• ketchuplike
• ketchuppy
• marry the ketchup
• marry the ketchups

Descendants

Descendants

• → Albanian: keçap
• → Arabic: كَتْشَب (katšab)
• → Belarusian: кетчуп (kjetčup)
• → Bulgarian: кетчуп (ketčup)
• → Cantonese: 茄汁 (ke^4-2 zap¹)
• → Catalan: quètxup
• → Czech: kečup
• → Danish: ketchup
• → Dutch: ketchup
• → Finnish: ketsuppi
• → French: ketchup
• → German: Ketchup, Catchup (obsolete), Ketschup (superseded)
  • → Lower Sorbian: ketšup
• → Greek: κέτσαπ (kétsap)
• → Hebrew: קֶטְשׁוֹפּ (ketshop)
• → Hokkien: 茄汁 (kiô-chap) (Singapore)
• → Hungarian: ketchup
• → Irish: citseap
• → Japanese: ケチャップ (kechappu)
• → Korean: 케첩 (kecheop)
• → Marshallese: kōjjeb
• → Norwegian Bokmål: ketchup
• → Persian: کچاپ (kečâp)
• → Polish: keczup, ketchup
• → Portuguese: ketchup
• → Romanian: ketchup
• → Russian: кетчуп (ketčup)
  • → Armenian: կետչուպ (ketčʻup)
• → Serbo-Croatian:
  • Cyrillic script: кечап
  • Latin script: kečap
• → Spanish: ketchup, kétchup
• → Swedish: ketchup
• → Tagalog: ketsap
• → Thai: เค็ตชัป (két-chàp)
• → Turkish: ketçap
• → Ukrainian: кетчуп (ketčup)
• → Unami: kèchëp
• → Uzbek: ketchup
• → Welsh: cetsyp
• → Yiddish: קעטשאָפּ (ketshop)

Translations

tomato-vinegar based sauce

• Albanian: keçap m
• Arabic: عَصِير الْبَنْدُورَة m (ʕaṣīr al-bandūra), كَتْشَب (ar) m (katšab)

  Egyptian Arabic: كاتشب m (katšab)

  Hijazi Arabic: كتشب m (katšab, katšap)

• Armenian: կետչուպ (hy) (ketčʻup)
• Azerbaijani: ketçup, ketçap
• Belarusian: ке́тчуп m (kjétčup)
• Bengali: কেচাপ (kecap)
• Bulgarian: ке́тчуп (bg) m (kétčup)
• Catalan: quètxup m, quetxup m
• Chickasaw: akankishniha' okchi'
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 茄汁 (ke^4-2 zap¹)

  Mandarin: 番茄醬 / 番茄酱 (zh) (fānqiéjiàng), 茄汁 (zh) (qiézhī) (regional)

• Czech: kečup (cs) m
• Danish: ketchup (da) c
• Dutch: ketchup (nl) m, tomatenketchup (nl) m
• Esperanto: keĉupo (eo)
• Estonian: ketšup (et)
• Finnish: ketsuppi (fi)
• French: ketchup (fr) m
• Galician: catchup m, ketchup (gl) m
• Georgian: კეჩუპი (ḳečuṗi), კეტჩუპი (ḳeṭčuṗi)
• German: Ketchup (de) m or n
• Greek: κέτσαπ (el) n (kétsap)
• Hebrew: מִתְבָּל (he) m (mitbal), קֶטְשׁוֹפּ (he) m (ketshop)
• Hindi: केचप m (kecap)
• Hungarian: ketchup (hu)
• Icelandic: tómatsósa (is)
• Ido: kechupo (io)
• Indonesian: saus tomat
• Irish: citseap m
• Italian: ketchup (it) m, salsa rubra (it) f, tomato (it) m (informal)
• Japanese: ケチャップ (ja) (kechappu)
• Kazakh: кетчуп (kk) (ketčüwp)
• Khmer: ទឹកប៉េងប៉ោះ (tɨk peeng pɑh)
• Korean: 케첩 (ko) (kecheop)
• Kyrgyz: кетчуп (ky) (ketcup)
• Latvian: kečups m
• Lithuanian: kečupas m
• Macedonian: ке́чап m (kéčap), до́матен сос m (dómaten sos)
• Malay: sos tomato (ms) (Malay Peninsula, Singapore), saus tomat (Sumatra, Riau)
• Maltese: sos aħmar, ketċap
• Marathi: केचप n (kecap)
• Marshallese: kōjjeb
• Navajo: chʼil łichxíʼí akʼédzidí, chʼil łichxíʼí bitooʼ akʼédzidígíí, achʼííʼ yázhí bikʼétłohí łichxíʼígíí
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ketchup (no) m, ketsjup (no) m

  Nynorsk: ketchup m, ketsjup m

• Persian: کچاپ (kečâp)
• Polish: keczup (pl) m, ketchup (pl) m
• Portuguese: ketchup (pt) m
• Russian: ке́тчуп (ru) m (kétčup), тома́тный со́ус m (tomátnyj sóus)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: кѐчап m

  Latin: kèčap (sh) m

• Slovak: kečup m
• Slovene: kečap m
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: ketšup m

• Spanish: kétchup (es) m, ketchup m, cátsup m, képchup m, salsa de tomate (es)
• Swedish: ketchup (sv) c
• Tagalog: ketsap
• Tajik: кетчуп (tg) (ketčup)
• Thai: เค็ตชัป (két-chàp)
• Tok Pisin: retsos
• Turkish: ketçap (tr)
• Ukrainian: ке́тчуп (uk) m (kétčup)
• Unami: kèchëp
• Urdu: کیچپ m (kecap)
• Uyghur: شوخلا قىيامى (shoxla qiyami)
• Uzbek: ketchup (uz)
• Vietnamese: nước xốt cà chua, tương cà
• Welsh: sos coch m, cetsyp m
• Yiddish: קעטשאָפּ (ketshop)

Verb

ketchup (third-person singular simple present ketchups, present participle ketchupping, simple past and past participle ketchupped)

1. (transitive) To cover with ketchup.
   • 1867, John Maddison Morton, Aunt Charlotte's maid: a farce in one act:

     It strikes me she's "ketchupped" the lot! I won't touch a morsel!

   • 1973, Horizon, page 15:

     "Well," said Chuck, ketchupping his hamburger, "I'd rather do without King Lear than put up with the human agony it sprang out of. I'd rather not have the Eroica than have the big bloody conqueror it tries to immortalize."

   • 2009, David Silverman, Twinkle, page 4:

     Their fellow diners, like their ketchupped grub, were appropriately dashed and splattered with paint and plaster, reading their Suns and Daily Mirror.

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “ketchup”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Danish

Etymology

Via English ketchup, from Malay kicap, from Hokkien 膎汁 (kê-chiap).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈkʰɛd̥ɕub̥]

Noun

ketchup c (singular definite ketchuppen, plural indefinite ketchupper)

1. (uncountable) ketchup (a tomate sauce with vinegar)
2. (countable) ketchup (a particular brand or type of ketchup)

Declension

Declension of ketchup

common gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	ketchup	ketchuppen	ketchupper	ketchupperne
genitive	ketchups	ketchuppens	ketchuppers	ketchuppernes

See also

• sennep

References

• “ketchup” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English ketchup, from Malay kicap, from Hokkien 膎汁 (kê-chiap). Doublet of ketjap.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

ketchup m (plural ketchups, diminutive ketchupje n)

1. ketchup

   Synonym: tomatenketchup

Derived terms

• curryketchup
• tomatenketchup

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English ketchup, from Malay kicap, from Hokkien 膎汁 (kê-chiap).

Pronunciation

• (France) IPA^(key): /kɛt.ʃœp/

• Audio (France):

  (file)

• (France, Quebec) IPA^(key): /kɛt.ʃɔp/

• Audio (Quebec):

  (file)

• Audio (France):

  (file)

Noun

ketchup m (plural ketchups)

1. ketchup

Further reading

• “ketchup”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Hungarian

Alternative forms

• kecsöp
• kecsap, kecsup (informal)

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English ketchup.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈkɛt͡ʃøp], [ˈkɛt͡ʃɒp]
• Hyphenation: ke‧tchup
• Rhymes: -øp, -ɒp

Noun

ketchup (plural ketchupök or ketchupok)

1. ketchup (tomato-vinegar-based sauce)

Declension

Inflection (stem in -ö-, front rounded harmony)

	singular	plural
nominative	ketchup	ketchupök
accusative	ketchupöt	ketchupöket
dative	ketchupnek	ketchupöknek
instrumental	ketchuppel	ketchupökkel
causal-final	ketchupért	ketchupökért
translative	ketchuppé	ketchupökké
terminative	ketchupig	ketchupökig
essive-formal	ketchupként	ketchupökként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	ketchupben	ketchupökben
superessive	ketchupön	ketchupökön
adessive	ketchupnél	ketchupöknél
illative	ketchupbe	ketchupökbe
sublative	ketchupre	ketchupökre
allative	ketchuphöz	ketchupökhöz
elative	ketchupből	ketchupökből
delative	ketchupről	ketchupökről
ablative	ketchuptől	ketchupöktől
non-attributive possessive – singular	ketchupé	ketchupöké
non-attributive possessive – plural	ketchupéi	ketchupökéi

Possessive forms of ketchup

possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	ketchupöm	ketchupjeim
2nd person sing.	ketchupöd	ketchupjeid
3rd person sing.	ketchupje	ketchupjei
1st person plural	ketchupünk	ketchupjeink
2nd person plural	ketchupötök	ketchupjeitek
3rd person plural	ketchupjük	ketchupjeik

or

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)

	singular	plural
nominative	ketchup	ketchupok
accusative	ketchupot	ketchupokat
dative	ketchupnak	ketchupoknak
instrumental	ketchuppal	ketchupokkal
causal-final	ketchupért	ketchupokért
translative	ketchuppá	ketchupokká
terminative	ketchupig	ketchupokig
essive-formal	ketchupként	ketchupokként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	ketchupban	ketchupokban
superessive	ketchupon	ketchupokon
adessive	ketchupnál	ketchupoknál
illative	ketchupba	ketchupokba
sublative	ketchupra	ketchupokra
allative	ketchuphoz	ketchupokhoz
elative	ketchupból	ketchupokból
delative	ketchupról	ketchupokról
ablative	ketchuptól	ketchupoktól
non-attributive possessive – singular	ketchupé	ketchupoké
non-attributive possessive – plural	ketchupéi	ketchupokéi

Possessive forms of ketchup

possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	ketchupom	ketchupjaim
2nd person sing.	ketchupod	ketchupjaid
3rd person sing.	ketchupja	ketchupjai
1st person plural	ketchupunk	ketchupjaink
2nd person plural	ketchupotok	ketchupjaitok
3rd person plural	ketchupjuk	ketchupjaik

Further reading

• ketchup and (with subscription) ketchup  in Ferenc Pusztai, editor, Magyar értelmező kéziszótár [A Concise Explanatory Dictionary of Hungarian] (ÉKsz.²), 2nd, expanded and revised edition, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2003 (online searchable version under development).

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English ketchup.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɛ.t͡ʃap/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

ketchup m (invariable)

1. ketchup

Norwegian Bokmål

A spoonful of ketchup.

Alternative forms

• ketsjup

Etymology

Borrowed from English ketchup. The English word is of uncertain further origin, probably ultimately from Chinese 膎汁 (kê-chiap, “fish sauce”), possibly through Malay kecap (“soy sauce”); the precise route is disputed.

Compare the parallel borrowings Norwegian Nynorsk ketchup, Danish ketchup, Swedish ketchup, German Ketchup, Dutch ketchup and French ketchup (“ketchup”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /¹kɛt.ʃʉp/, [ˈkʰɛ̀t.ʃʉ̌p]
• Rhymes: -ɛtʃʉp
• Homophone: ketsjup
• Hyphenation: ket‧chup

Noun

ketchup m (definite singular ketchupen, indefinite plural ketchuper, definite plural ketchupene)

1. ketchup; a thick, seasoned tomato sauce served as a condiment

   Vil du ha ketchup på pommes fritesen? ― Would you like ketchup on your chips?

   Synonym: tomatketchup

   • 1975, Ebba Haslund, Bare et lite sammenbrudd [Just a Small Breakdown], page 144:

     forsyne seg med makaronipudding, ketchup, rivost

     help oneself to macaroni pudding, ketchup, grated cheese

   • 1976, Mette Hansen, Kasino [Casino], page 46:

     [hun var ikke] noen storforbruker av verken ketchup eller majones

     [she was not] a heavy consumer of either ketchup or mayonnaise

   • 2010, Oslo byleksikon [Oslo City Encyclopedia], page 35:

     Mills var fra 1950-årene varemerke for majones, kaviar, sennep, ketchup, potetmos, kaffe m.m.

     From the 1950s, Mills was a brand name for mayonnaise, caviar, mustard, ketchup, mashed potatoes, coffee, etc.

Usage notes

Usually used as a mass noun. The plural can refer to different varieties or products.

Derived terms

• ketchupeffekt (“a sudden flurry of activity after a period of inactivity”)
• ketchupflaske (“ketchup bottle”)
• tomatketchup (“tomato ketchup”)

References

• “ketchup” in Norwegian Academy Dictionary (NAOB).
• “ketchup” in Store norske leksikon

Polish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English ketchup, from Malay kicap, from Hokkien 膎汁 (kê-chiap, “fish sauce”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɛ.t͡ʂup/, (rare) /ˈkɛ.t͡ʂap/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛt͡ʂup, -ɛt͡ʂap
• Syllabification: ke‧tchup

Noun

ketchup m inan

1. alternative spelling of keczup

Declension

Declension of ketchup

	singular	plural
nominative	ketchup	ketchupy
genitive	ketchupu	ketchupów
dative	ketchupowi	ketchupom
accusative	ketchup	ketchupy
instrumental	ketchupem	ketchupami
locative	ketchupie	ketchupach
vocative	ketchupie	ketchupy

Further reading

• “ketchup”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[1] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “ketchup”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[2] (in Polish)

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• catchup

Etymology

Etymology tree

Hokkien 膎汁 (kê-chiap)bor.

Malay kecapbor.?

English ketchupubor.

Portuguese ketchup

Unadapted borrowing from English ketchup.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˌkɛt͡ʃˈʃu.pi/, /ˌkɛ.t͡ʃiˈʃu.pi/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɛtˈʃɐ.pɨ/

Noun

ketchup m (plural ketchups)

1. (uncountable) ketchup (tomato-vinegar based sauce)
   • 2012, Daniel Galera, Barba ensopada de sangue, Editora Companhia das Letras, →ISBN, page 205:

     Ela passava as tardes livres da infância vendo a Sessão da Tarde na televisão e comendo nuggets com ketchup.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Further reading

• “ketchup”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Etymology tree

Hokkien 膎汁 (kê-chiap)bor.

Malay kecapbor.?

English ketchupubor.

Romanian ketchup

Unadapted borrowing from English ketchup.

Noun

ketchup n (uncountable)

1. ketchup

Declension

singular only	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	ketchup	ketchupul
genitive-dative	ketchup	ketchupului
vocative	ketchupule

Serbo-Croatian

Noun

ketchup m inan (Cyrillic spelling кетцхуп)

1. alternative spelling of kečap

Spanish

Alternative forms

• cátsup, cátchup, kétchup, kéchup, képchup, kéchap, kéchop, catchup
• cachú (Dominican Republic)
• quéchap (obsolete, Philippines)

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English ketchup, from Malay kicap, from Hokkien 膎汁 (kê-chiap).

Pronunciation

See also the alternative forms.

• IPA^(key): (most common in at least Spain) /ˈkedt͡ʃup/ [ˈkeð̞.t͡ʃup]
  • Rhymes: -edtʃup
• IPA^(key): /ˈket͡ʃup/ [ˈke.t͡ʃup]
  • Rhymes: -etʃup
• IPA^(key): /ˈket͡ʃap/ [ˈke.t͡ʃap]
  • Rhymes: -etʃap
• IPA^(key): /ˈket͡ʃop/ [ˈke.t͡ʃop]
  • Rhymes: -etʃop
• Syllabification: ket‧chup

Noun

ketchup m (plural ketchups)

1. ketchup

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Further reading

• Seco, Manuel; Andrés, Olimpia; Ramos, Gabino (2023), “ketchup”, in Diccionario del español actual [Dictionary of Current Spanish] (in Spanish), third digital edition, Fundación BBVA

Swedish

ketchup på köttbullar (“meatballs”) och makaroner (“(elbow) macaroni”)

ketchup på pyttipanna

Etymology

From English ketchup.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɛtːɕɵp/

Noun

ketchup c

1. ketchup

   senap och ketchup

   ketchup and mustard ["senap och ketchup" feels more idiomatic than "mustard and ketchup" does in English, for some reason]

Usage notes

Popular and uncontroversial pasta condiment in Sweden.

Declension

Declension of ketchup

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	ketchup	ketchups
	definite	ketchupen	ketchupens
plural	indefinite	—	—
	definite	—	—

Derived terms

• ketchupflaska (“bottle of ketchup”)
• tomatketchup (“tomato ketchup”)

See also

• makaroner
• makaronilåda
• köttfärssås
• senap (“mustard”)
• spaghetti
• tomat

References

• “ketchup”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “ketchup”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)

West Frisian

Etymology

From English ketchup.

Noun

ketchup c (no plural)

1. ketchup