Tuna in Italian

Whether you are ordering seafood, reading a menu, or checking ingredients, knowing the Italian word for “tuna” is useful. Italian uses one everyday noun for the fish and several common phrases for prepared dishes and products such as canned tuna.

How to Say Tuna in Italian

The Italian word for tuna is tonno. It is masculine: il tonno means “the tuna.” You will see it on restaurant menus, in recipes, and on supermarket labels. For more language for buying food, see shopping in Italian. For example, insalata di tonno is tuna salad, and tonno in scatola is canned tuna.

When referring to the fish, tonno is usually enough; adding pesce (“fish”) is generally unnecessary in everyday conversation. In dish names, Italian often uses al or di: pasta al tonno is pasta with tuna, while insalata di tonno is tuna salad.

Useful Tuna Phrases

• il tonno — the tuna
• tonno fresco — fresh tuna
• tonno in scatola — canned tuna
• insalata di tonno — tuna salad
• pasta al tonno — pasta with tuna
• un tramezzino al tonno — a tuna sandwich
• tonno crudo — raw tuna
• tonno alla griglia — grilled tuna

On a menu, tuna may appear in pasta, a salad, a sandwich, or as a grilled fish course. If you need to check whether a dish contains tuna, ask Questo piatto contiene tonno? (“Does this dish contain tuna?”).

Ordering Tuna at a Restaurant

The guide to per favore explains how to make a polite request. To order a tuna dish, say Vorrei la pasta al tonno, per favore (“I’d like the pasta with tuna, please”). For a sandwich, Vorrei un tramezzino al tonno means “I’d like a tuna sandwich.” To ask how the fish is prepared, say Come viene preparato il tonno? (“How is the tuna prepared?”).

If you have a dietary restriction or preference, ask Il tonno è fresco? (“Is the tuna fresh?”) or Questo piatto contiene tonno crudo? (“Does this dish contain raw tuna?”). If you do not eat fish, say Non mangio pesce (“I don’t eat fish”).

Example Sentences

• Il tonno è molto fresco. — The tuna is very fresh.
• Per pranzo preparo un’insalata di tonno. — I’m making tuna salad for lunch.
• Hai comprato il tonno in scatola? — Did you buy the canned tuna?
• Questo ristorante serve il tonno alla griglia. — This restaurant serves grilled tuna.
• Vorrei un panino al tonno. — I’d like a tuna sandwich.
• La pasta al tonno è il piatto del giorno. — Tuna pasta is the dish of the day.

Italian often uses al, a contraction of a + il, in food names such as pasta al tonno or panino al tonno. In descriptive phrases, di tonno is also common, as in insalata di tonno.

Pronunciation of Tonno

Tonno is pronounced TOHN-noh, with the stress on the first syllable. The double nn is held slightly longer than a single consonant. Keep the two syllables smooth and give the consonant a little extra length in the middle.

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Summary

The Italian word for tuna is tonno. Use tonno in scatola for canned tuna, insalata di tonno for tuna salad, and pasta al tonno for pasta with tuna. In a restaurant, Questo piatto contiene tonno? helps you check a dish’s ingredients.