This list includes 57 Italian words that start with Z, from “zaffata” to “zuppa”. They are mostly everyday nouns and verbs, useful for vocabulary building, teaching, and quick reference.
Italian words that start with Z are a small but vivid group, often nouns and expressive verbs. A notable example is “zampogna”, the traditional Italian bagpipe often linked to Christmas folk music.
Below you’ll find the table with Word, English translation, and Example usage.
Word: The Italian word listed as the lemma, so you see the standard form you will learn or lookup.
English translation: A concise, one-phrase meaning that helps you accurately understand and translate the Italian entry quickly.
Example usage: One clear Italian sentence with an immediate English gloss so you see context and register.
Italian words that start with Z
| Word | Part of speech | English translation | Example usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| zio | noun | uncle | Mio zio vive a Roma. — My uncle lives in Rome. |
| zia | noun | aunt | La mia zia cucina bene. — My aunt cooks well. |
| zero | noun/adjective | zero | Siamo partiti da zero. — We started from zero. |
| zona | noun | area, zone | Questa zona è tranquilla. — This area is quiet. |
| zaino | noun | backpack | Ho preso lo zaino e sono uscito. — I grabbed the backpack and left. |
| zucchero | noun | sugar | Metti un po’ di zucchero nel caffè. — Put some sugar in the coffee. |
| zucchina | noun | zucchini | Le zucchine sono in offerta. — Zucchinis are on sale. |
| zucca | noun | pumpkin | Prepariamo una zucca ripiena. — Let’s make a stuffed pumpkin. |
| zuppa | noun | soup | Ho mangiato una buona zuppa calda. — I ate a good hot soup. |
| zampa | noun | paw, hoof | Il cane si è rotto una zampa. — The dog broke a paw. |
| zanzara | noun | mosquito | La zanzara mi ha punto. — The mosquito bit me. |
| zanzariera | noun | mosquito net | Ho messo la zanzariera alla finestra. — I put the mosquito net on the window. |
| zeta | noun | letter z | La parola inizia con la zeta. — The word begins with the letter z. |
| zitto | interjection/adjective | quiet; shut up | Stai zitto per favore. — Be quiet please. |
| zittire | verb | to silence | Il giudice ha zittito l’avvocato. — The judge silenced the lawyer. |
| zitella | noun | spinster | Un tempo chiamavano “zitella” una donna non sposata. — They once called an unmarried woman “spinster”. |
| zerbino | noun | doormat | Pulisciti i piedi sul zerbino. — Wipe your feet on the doormat. |
| zecca | noun | tick; mint (coin) | Ho tolto una zecca dal cane. — I removed a tick from the dog. |
| zefiro | noun | zephyr, light breeze | Un leggero zefiro rinfresca il pomeriggio. — A light breeze cools the afternoon. |
| zelo | noun | zeal | Lavora con zelo e attenzione. — He works with zeal and care. |
| zelante | adjective | zealous, diligent | È un impiegato zelante. — He is a zealous employee. |
| zeppo | adjective | packed, full | Il teatro era zeppo di gente. — The theater was packed with people. |
| zafferano | noun | saffron | Il risotto allo zafferano è saporito. — Saffron risotto is tasty. |
| zampogna | noun | Italian bagpipe | A Natale suonano la zampogna. — At Christmas they play the bagpipe. |
| zampone | noun | stuffed pig trotter | A Modena si mangia il zampone. — In Modena they eat zampone. |
| zampillo | noun | small jet, spout | Il giardino ha un zampillo decorativo. — The garden has a decorative fountain jet. |
| zavorra | noun | ballast | La barca aveva troppa zavorra. — The boat had too much ballast. |
| zinco | noun | zinc (element) | Il tetto è ricoperto di zinco. — The roof is covered with zinc. |
| zoppicare | verb | to limp | Dopo la caduta ha iniziato a zoppicare. — After the fall he began to limp. |
| zoppo | adjective | lame | Il cavallo è zoppo a una zampa. — The horse is lame in one leg. |
| zuffa | noun | brawl, scuffle | Dopo la partita è scoppiata una zuffa. — A brawl broke out after the match. |
| zingaro | noun | gypsy (pejorative) | Zingaro è oggi spesso considerato offensivo. — “Gypsy” is often considered offensive today. |
| zingaresco | adjective | gypsy-like, bohemian | Un motivo zingaresco accompagna la danza. — A gypsy-like tune accompanies the dance. |
| zizzania | noun | discord, strife | La zizzania ha diviso il gruppo. — Strife divided the group. |
| zolla | noun | clod of earth | Il contadino ha rotto una zolla. — The farmer broke a clod of earth. |
| zoologia | noun | zoology | Studia zoologia all’università. — She studies zoology at university. |
| zoologo | noun | zoologist | Il zoologo ha osservato gli uccelli. — The zoologist observed the birds. |
| zoonosi | noun | zoonosis | La zoonosi si può trasmettere dagli animali. — Zoonosis can be transmitted by animals. |
| zootecnia | noun | animal husbandry | Si è laureato in zootecnia. — He graduated in animal husbandry. |
| zeolite | noun | zeolite (mineral) | Le zeoliti filtrano l’acqua. — Zeolites filter the water. |
| zuccone | noun | blockhead, stubborn person | Non fare lo zuccone, ascolta i consigli. — Don’t be stubborn, listen to advice. |
| zotico | adjective | uncouth, boorish | Si è comportato in modo zotico. — He behaved boorishly. |
| zanna | noun | fang, tusk | Il predatore ha mostrato le zanne. — The predator showed its fangs. |
| zattera | noun | raft | Hanno attraversato il fiume su una zattera. — They crossed the river on a raft. |
| zeppola | noun | fried pastry, cream puff | A Carnevale mangiamo le zeppole. — At Carnival we eat zeppole. |
| zecchino | noun | historic gold coin | Il zecchino è una vecchia moneta veneziana. — The zecchino is an old Venetian coin. |
| zuccotto | noun | dessert (iced dome) | Il zuccotto è un dolce toscano. — Zuccotto is a Tuscan dessert. |
| zaffata | noun | gust, whiff | È arrivata una zaffata di odore di fumo. — A whiff of smoke arrived. |
| zaffiro | noun | sapphire | L’anello ha un grande zaffiro blu. — The ring has a large blue sapphire. |
| zampettare | verb | to trot, to scurry | Il cucciolo ha iniziato a zampettare. — The puppy began to scurry. |
| zampognaro | noun | bagpipe player | Il zampognaro suonava per le strade. — The bagpipe player played in the streets. |
| zonale | adjective | zonal, relating to zones | Il clima è di tipo zonale. — The climate is zonal type. |
| zonizzazione | noun | zoning | La zonizzazione del territorio è complessa. — The zoning of the territory is complex. |
| zigzagare | verb | to zigzag | Il ciclista ha dovuto zigzagare tra buche. — The cyclist had to zigzag between potholes. |
| zigzag | noun | zigzag | Il sentiero fa uno zigzag ripido. — The path makes a steep zigzag. |
| zigomatico | adjective | zygomatic (cheek) | Il muscolo zigomatico innerva il sorriso. — The zygomatic muscle powers the smile. |
| zolfo | noun | sulfur | L’odore di zolfo indica un vulcano attivo. — The smell of sulfur indicates an active volcano. |
Descriptions
zio
common, family term, informal, used nationwide.
zia
common, family term, informal, used nationwide.
zero
very common, numeral and adjective, used in many expressions.
zona
common, geographic or administrative area; collocations: zona industriale, zona pedonale.
zaino
common, everyday, used by students and travelers.
zucchero
very common, culinary term; collocations: zucchero a velo, zucchero di canna.
zucchina
common, culinary, informal; plural often used in conversation.
zucca
common, culinary and garden term.
zuppa
common, everyday food, many regional varieties.
zampa
common, animal anatomy; collocations: zampa anteriore, zampa posteriore.
zanzara
common, summer nuisance, frequent in spoken Italian.
zanzariera
common in warm regions, household item.
zeta
common, name of the letter used in spelling.
zitto
common, informal; “stare zitto” imperative can be rude.
zittire
transitive verb, formal to informal, less frequent than “far tacere”.
zitella
uncommon, dated and often pejorative.
zerbino
common household item; also used figuratively.
zecca
common for parasite; also means mint for coins depending on context.
zefiro
literary, poetic, uncommon in casual speech.
zelo
formal, common in written contexts.
zelante
fairly common, neutral to positive, from “zelo”.
zeppo
informal, common in speech.
zafferano
common culinary ingredient, expensive spice, from Persian/Arabic.
zampogna
regional, central-southern Italy, traditional instrument.
zampone
regional (Emilia-Romagna), traditional dish, winter specialty.
zampillo
used in descriptions of fountains and water features.
zavorra
nautical and figurative use, uncommon in everyday speech.
zinco
scientific/industrial, common in technical contexts.
zoppicare
common verb describing gait.
zoppo
common, for animals and metaphorically.
zuffa
informal, common in news and conversation.
zingaro
common historically, now sensitive and often pejorative; use with caution.
zingaresco
descriptive, stylistic, term can be sensitive.
zizzania
literary, common in formal registers.
zolla
agricultural term, common in rural contexts.
zoologia
academic, used in scientific contexts.
zoologo
professional, academic title.
zoonosi
medical term, technical but important in public health.
zootecnia
agricultural/academic, technical.
zeolite
technical, geology and chemistry term, uncommon in everyday speech.
zuccone
informal, colloquial, mildly pejorative.
zotico
somewhat literary or ironic, not common in everyday speech.
zanna
common in animal descriptions.
zattera
common in nautical or survival contexts.
zeppola
regional (southern Italy), culinary, tied to festivities.
zecchino
historical term, now mostly cultural or literary.
zuccotto
regional culinary specialty, moderately known.
zaffata
informal, descriptive, common in speech.
zaffiro
gemstone term, common in jewelry contexts.
zampettare
informal, vivid verb for small animal steps.
zampognaro
regional, traditional musician in central-southern Italy.
zonale
technical, used in meteorology and agriculture.
zonizzazione
urban planning term, formal and technical.
zigzagare
common verb, well established in Italian usage.
zigzag
loanword but widely used, common in speech.
zigomatico
anatomical, technical, rare in daily use.
zolfo
common in geology and chemistry, also used in everyday descriptions of smell.