kucharka

Kucharka is a feminine noun in several Slavic languages that denotes a woman who prepares food or works as a cook. In Czech the form is kuchařka; in Slovak, kuchárka; in Polish, kucharka. The masculine equivalents are kuchař (Czech), kuchár (Slovak), and kucharz (Polish). The root is linked to kitchen and cooking, and cognates appear across related languages.

Usage and nuance: The term is gendered, reflecting the gender of the cook. In many contexts, professional cooks are referred to with gender-neutral titles (for example, kuchař or kuchár in Czech and Slovak; kucharz in Polish). Kucharka tends to emphasize female gender and is commonly used in domestic or informal contexts to describe a woman who cooks. In Ukrainian, the feminine form is kucharka (кухарка) and the masculine is kuchar (кухар).

Regional variations: Similar forms exist in other East Central European languages, with spelling and pronunciation adapted to each language’s system: Polish kucharka, Czech kuchařka, Slovak kuchárka, Ukrainian kucharka. While the exact usage can vary by country and register, all share the same basic meaning of a woman who cooks.

See also: kuchař, kuchár, kucharz, kuhar.