Bengali vocabulary
is one of the Eastern Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from Magadhi Prakrit and Pali languages native to the Indian subcontinent. The core of Bengali vocabulary is thus etymologically of Magadhi Prakrit and Pali languages. However, centuries of major borrowing and reborrowing from Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Sanskrit, Austroasiatic languages and other languages has led to the adoption of a wide range of words with foreign origins. Thus making the origins of borrowed and re-borrowed words in the Bengali vocabulary numerous and diverse, due to centuries of contact with various languages.
Classifications of origin types
The typical Bengali dictionary lists 75,000 separate words, of which 50,000 are considered তদ্ভব tôdbhôbô, 21,100 are তৎসম tôtsômô , and the rest being borrowings from দেশী deshi "indigenous " and বিদেশী bideshi "foreign" sources. There are more than five lac Bengali vocabulary in this language overall including other languages which is used as Bengali.However, these figures do not take into account the fact that a huge chunk of these words are archaic or highly technical, minimising their actual usage. The productive vocabulary used in modern literary works, in fact, is made up mostly 67% of native tôdbhôbô words, while tôtsômô re-borrowings only make up 25% of the total. Deshi and bideshi borrowings together make up the remaining 8% of the vocabulary used in modern Bengali literature.
Differences in vocabulary
This table below compares the differences of spoken and used vocabularies in Bangladesh and West Bengal.| word | Bangladesh | West Bengal |
| water | পানি pāni | জল jôl |
| salt | লবণ lôbôn | নুন nun |
| invitation | দাওয়াত daoat | নিমন্ত্রণ nimôntrôn |
| chili | মরিচ môric | লঙ্কা lôngka |
| Maternal Aunt | খালা khālā | মাসি māshi |
| Paternal Aunt | ফুপি fupi | পিসি pishi |
| Bath | গোসল gosôl | স্নান snān |
Examples of borrowed words
Due to centuries of contact with Europeans, Mughals, Arabs, Persians, and East Asians, the Bengali language has absorbed countless words from foreign languages, often totally integrating these borrowings into the core vocabulary. The most common borrowings from foreign languages come from three different kinds of contact. After centuries of contact from Persia and the Middle East, followed by the invasions of the Mughal Empire, numerous Turkish, Arabic, and Persian words were absorbed and fully integrated into the lexicon. Later, East Asian travellers and European colonialism brought words from Portuguese, French, Dutch, and most significantly English. Some very common borrowings are shown below.Arabic (আরবি ''Aarbi'')
Persian (ফার্সি ''Farsi'')
Turkish (তুর্কি ''Turki'')
Austroasiatic (Munda) languages (দেশী ''Deshi'')
Sanskrit (সংস্কৃত ''Sôngskritô'')
| Word | Meaning | Original form |
| চাহিদা chahida | demand | चाहिदा chāhidā |
| স্বাগতম্ shagôtôm | welcome | स्वागतम् Svāgatam |
| নির্বাণ nirban | Nirvana | निर्वाण Nirvāṇa |
| যোগ jog | Yoga | योग yóg |
| যোগী jogi | practicer of Yoga | योगिन् yogi |
| যৌন jouno | sex, sexual act | यौन Yauna |
| আর্য arjô | Aryan | आर्य ārya |
| আসন ashôn | seat | आसन āsana |
| আশ্রম ashrôm | hermitage or monastery | आश्रम āśrama |
| অবতার ôbôtar | Avatar | अवतार avatāra |
| আয়ুর্বেদ ayurbed | Ayurveda | आयुर्वेद āyurveda |
| বন্ধন bôndhôn | bondage | बन्धन bandhana |
| বাসমতী bashmôti | Basmati rice | वास vāsa |
| ভাং bhang | Bhang | भङ्ग bhangga |
| খাট khat | cot | खट्वा khatvā |
| ধুতি dhuti | Dhoti | धुनोति dhunoti |
| লুঠ luth | Looting | लुण्टा luṇtā |
| মায়া maya | Maya | माया māyā |
| স্বামী shami | master | स्वामी svāmī |
| লাখ lakh | Lakh | लाक्षम् lākṣam |
| লক্ষ্মী lôkkhi | Lakshmi | लक्ष्मी lakṣmī |
| লক্ষ্মণ lôkkhôṇ | Lakshmana | लक्ष्मण lakṣmaṇa'' |
Japanese (জাপানি / নিহোঙ্গো ''Japani'' / ''Nihonggo'' )
Dutch (ওলন্দাজ ''Olôndaj'')
| Word | Meaning | Original form |
| ইস্কাবন iskabôn ইশকাপন ishkapôn | spades | schoppen |
| রুইতন ruitôn | diamonds | ruiten |
| হরতন hôrotôn | hearts | harten |
| চিড়িতন "chireton" | clubs | klaveren |
| তুরুপ turup | trump | troef |
| ইস্ক্রুপ iskrup | screw | schroef |
Portuguese (পর্তুগিজ ''Pôrtugij'')
| Word | Meaning | Original form |
| আলমারি almari | closet, cupboard | armário |
| ইস্ত্রি istri ইস্তিরি istiri | to iron | estirar |
| ইস্পাত ispat | steel | espada "sword" |
| কামিজ kamij | shirt | camisa |
| গামলা gamla | basket | gamela "wooden trough" |
| চাবি chabi | key | chave |
| জানালা janala | window | janela |
| তামাক tamak | tobacco | tobacco |
| পেরেক perek | nail | prego |
| ফিতা fita | lace, ribbon | fita |
| বারান্দা baranda | verandah | varanda |
| বালতি balti | Bucket | balde |
| বেহালা behala | viola | viola |
| বোতাম botam | button | botão |
| মেজ mej | table | mesa |
| সাবান saban | soap | sabão |
| কেদারা kedara | chair | cadeira |
| আতা ata | custard apple | ata |
| আনারস anarôs | pineapple | ananás |
| কাজু kaju | cashew | caju |
| কপি kôpi | cabbage, cauliflower | couve |
| পাউ pau | sliced bread | pão "bread" |
| পেঁপে pẽpe | papaya | papaia |
| পেয়ারা peyara | guava | pera "pear" |
| সালাদ salad | salad | salada |
| ক্রুশ krush | cross | cruz |
| গির্জা girja | church | igreja |
| যিশু Jishu | Jesus | Jesu |
| পাদ্রি padri | Catholic priest | padre |
| ইংরেজ ingrej | English | inglês |
French (ফরাসি ''Fôrasi'')
| Word | Meaning | Original form |
| আঁশ ãsh | plant fiber | asch |
| ওলন্দাজ olôndaj | Dutch | hollandaise |
| কার্তুজ kartuj | cartridge | cartouche |
| রেস্তোরাঁ restorã | restaurant | restaurant |
| শেমিজ shemij | chemise | chemise "shirt" |
| পাতি pati | small | petit |
English (ইংরেজি ''Ingreji'')
| Word | Original form |
| অফিস ofish | office |
| জেল jel | jail |
| ডাক্তার ḍaktar | doctor |
| পুলিশ pulish | police |
| ব্যাংক bank | bank |
| ভোট bhoṭ | vote |
| ইস্কুল iskul স্কুল skul | school |
| হাস্পাতাল haspatal | hospital |
| কাপ kap | cup |
| গ্লাস glas | glass |
| চেয়ার cheyar | chair |
| টেবিল ṭebil | table |
| বাক্স baksô | box |
| লণ্ঠন lônṭhôn | lantern |
| প্লাস্টিক plāsṭik | plastic |
| কলেজ Kolēj | college |
| আস্তাবল astabol | stable |
| সাইকেল caikel | bicycle |