The water pipe – one product with many names

There are many myths surrounding the origins of the shisha . This is not least because the popular water pipe is known under a variety of names that have their origins in different language areas. To shed some light on the matter, we'll show you what the naming of the shisha is all about and that behind all the names there is ultimately the same product.

Nargile – The water pipe or the coconut?

The word nargile comes from Turkish, but is also widespread in Persian and Arabic. There are numerous other spellings of the word, which can be attributed to regional variations. Nargile is the most accurate name for a shisha because it actually means hookah. The word is derived from Persian nargil and Indian nārikela. This stands for the word “coconut”, which indicates the origin of the hookah. The shisha originally comes from India, where the bowl was made from coconuts and a bamboo stick was used as a smoke column. The variations nardzhila and nargila have also developed from Turkish, as well as the terms ardzhila and argila in the Arabic dialects of the eastern Mediterranean, Syria and in Hebrew. In Greek we speak of nargilés to describe a water pipe.

Shisha – From the glass bottle to the water pipe

The term that is most widespread and that we use most often in Europe is that of shisha . It comes from the Persian-speaking area and is common in all oriental languages. Shisha is derived from the Persian word shische, which means glass. Later, shische was adopted into Turkish, where sise translated into German means bottle. The term sisa or schischa became established in Arabic, which stands for the glass bowl or the shisha as a whole. In Germany, the term “shisha” gained a foothold in the 90s and can now be seen on numerous street corners, where shisha bars invite you to relax and socialize.

Hookah – It doesn’t just appear in American films

Over time, the term huka for the water pipe became established in India, which can be derived from the Arabic and Indian term huqqa, the vessel. The term hookah is now used primarily in English-speaking countries.

Ghalyun – A specialty from Iran

In Iranian, the shisha is also often referred to as ghalyun, which is because Iranian shishas are a little different from the conventional models. They are characterized by a much larger tobacco head and a narrower tube . Other spellings that vary slightly depending on the region are ghalyan, ghalyaan or ghelyoon.

Even if it's not that easy to navigate through this terminological chaos, it is still interesting to see how the naming of the shisha has developed and how our favorite pipe is still referred to in other language areas today. With this overview you are definitely prepared for the next discussion about the origin of shisha and its various names.