Meanings
nounbitter melon (plural bitter melons)
plural bitter melons · alternative bittermelon
- A vine, Momordica charantia, which produces a bitter yet edible fruit.
Bees often convey the pollen from the blossoms of a bitter melon vine to those of a sweet variety and completely change the character and flavor of its fruit.
1896, The World and Its People, Book 7, Silver, Burdett, page 430 - The fruit of the bitter melon vine.
Synonyms: balsam pear, bitter gourd, karela, cerasee, ampalaya
- AustraliaA similar fruit-bearing vine, Citrullus lanatus (Citroides Group).
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe fruit of the bitter melon vine.
Also see
Origin
Calque from Chinese 苦瓜 (kǔguā).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic قَاوُون, قَاوُون
- قَاوُون (qāwūn)plant Momordica charantia
- قَاوُون (qāwūn)fruit of Momordica charantia
Basque meloi mikatz
- meloi mikatzplant Momordica charantia
Bengali করলা, উচ্ছা
- করলা (korla)fruit of Momordica charantia
- উচ্ছা (uccha)fruit of Momordica charantia
- উচ্ছে (ucche)fruit of Momordica charantia
Catalan cogombre tropical
- cogombre tropicalplant Momordica charantia
Chinese Cantonese 涼瓜 /凉瓜, 苦瓜
- 涼瓜 /凉瓜 (loeng⁴ gwaa¹)fruit of Momordica charantia
- 苦瓜 (fu² gwaa¹)fruit of Momordica charantia
Chinese Mandarin 苦瓜, 苦瓜
- 苦瓜 (kǔguā)plant Momordica charantia
- 苦瓜 (kǔguā)fruit of Momordica charantia
Dutch sopropo, sopropo
- sopropoplant Momordica charantia
- sopropofruit of Momordica charantia
Estonian karella-kibekurk, karella-kibekurk
- karella-kibekurkplant Momordica charantia
- karella-kibekurkfruit of Momordica charantia
Finnish karvaskurkku, karvaskurkku
- karvaskurkkuplant Momordica charantia
- karvaskurkkufruit of Momordica charantia
French margose, momordique
- margosefruit of Momordica charantia
- momordiquefruit of Momordica charantia
- pomme de merveillefruit of Momordica charantia
- melon amerfruit of Momordica charantia
- poire balsamiquefruit of Momordica charantia
German Bittermelone, Bittergurke
- Bittermeloneplant Momordica charantia
- Bittergurkeplant Momordica charantia
- Balsambirneplant Momordica charantia
- Karelaplant Momordica charantia
- Bittermelonefruit of Momordica charantia
- Bittergurkefruit of Momordica charantia
- Balsambirnefruit of Momordica charantia
- Karelafruit of Momordica charantia
Greek πικρό πεπόνι, πικρό πεπόνι
- πικρό πεπόνι (pikró pepóni)plant Momordica charantia
- πικρό πεπόνι (pikró pepóni)fruit of Momordica charantia
Hindi करेला, करेला
- करेला (karelā)plant Momordica charantia
- करेला (karelā)fruit of Momordica charantia
Indonesian pare, paria
- pareplant Momordica charantia
- pariaplant Momordica charantia
- parefruit of Momordica charantia
- pariafruit of Momordica charantia
Japanese 蔓茘枝, 苦瓜
- 蔓茘枝 (tsuru reishi)plant Momordica charantia
- 苦瓜 (nigauri)plant Momordica charantia
- 蔓茘枝fruit of Momordica charantia
- ツルレイシ (tsurureishi)fruit of Momordica charantia
- 苦瓜fruit of Momordica charantia
- ニガウリ (nigauri)fruit of Momordica charantia
Korean 여주
- 여주 (yeoju)fruit of Momordica charantia
Malay tembikai pahit, peria
- tembikai pahitfruit of Momordica charantia
- periafruit of Momordica charantia
Polish przepękla ogórkowata, balsamka ogórkowata
- przepękla ogórkowataplant Momordica charantia
- balsamka ogórkowataplant Momordica charantia
- przepękla ogórkowatafruit of Momordica charantia
- balsamka ogórkowatafruit of Momordica charantia
Portuguese melão-de-são-caetano, melão-de-são-caetano
- melão-de-são-caetanoplant Momordica charantia
- melão-de-são-caetanofruit of Momordica charantia
Punjabi ਕਰੇਲਾ
- ਕਰੇਲਾ (karelā)fruit of Momordica charantia
Russian кита́йская го́рькая ты́ква, момо́рдика
- кита́йская го́рькая ты́ква (kitájskaja górʹkaja týkva)fruit of Momordica charantia
- момо́рдика (momórdika)fruit of Momordica charantia
- каре́ла (karéla)fruit of Momordica charantia
Spanish melón amargo, melón amargo
- melón amargoplant Momordica charantia
- melón amargofruit of Momordica charantia
Swedish bittergurka, bittergurka
- bittergurkaplant Momordica charantia
- bittergurkafruit of Momordica charantia
Tagalog ampalaya, ampalaya
- ampalayaplant Momordica charantia
- ampalayafruit of Momordica charantia
Tamil பாகற்காய், பாகற்காய்
- பாகற்காய் (pākaṟkāy)plant Momordica charantia
- பாகற்காய் (pākaṟkāy)fruit of Momordica charantia
Thai มะระ
- มะระ (má-rá)fruit of Momordica charantia
Turkish kudret narı, kudret narı
- kudret narıplant Momordica charantia
- kudret narıfruit of Momordica charantia
Urdu کریلا
- کریلا (karelā)fruit of Momordica charantia
Vietnamese khổ qua, mướp đắng
- khổ quafruit of Momordica charantia
- mướp đắngfruit of Momordica charantia
Cite this entry
APA
bitter melon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bitter%20melon
MLA
“bitter melon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bitter%20melon. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bitter melon,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bitter%20melon.
Source: bitter melon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.