Saunf in English: What It Is Called, and Why Saunf and Aniseed Are Not the Same

By Vinay Arora, Wellubia Editorial Team · Last updated 17 September 2026

Short answer: saunf is fennel seed in English, from the plant Foeniculum vulgare. It is often called sweet fennel or, incorrectly, aniseed. Aniseed is a different plant entirely, Pimpinella anisum, and although the two taste similar they are not interchangeable.

What is saunf?

Saunf is the dried seed of the fennel plant, a member of the carrot and parsley family. The seeds are small, ridged and pale green, with a sweet, liquorice-like aroma. In India saunf is used in three ways: as a spice in cooking, whole or roasted after a meal, and as the base of most mukhwas blends.

Why the aniseed confusion exists

Both fennel and anise contain anethole, the compound responsible for that sweet liquorice note. Your palate picks up the same signal from both, which is why English recipes, spice labels and even some dictionaries treat them as the same thing.

They are not. Fennel seed is larger, greener, milder and grows on a plant you can also eat as a vegetable. Anise seed is smaller, greyer-brown and considerably more intense. If a recipe calls for aniseed and you use fennel, you will need more of it. If it calls for fennel and you use aniseed, you will overshoot.

The muddle is worse in India because saunf is used loosely for several things at once.

The three things called saunf in India

Plain saunf

Whole green fennel seed, sold as a spice and eaten plain after meals. This is fennel seed proper.

What is Lucknowi saunf?

Lucknowi saunf, also sold as Kashmiri saunf, is a smaller, thinner, darker green fennel prized for a more delicate aroma and a softer bite. It is the same species as ordinary saunf, Foeniculum vulgare, grown as a different cultivar and in different conditions. It costs more, it is usually eaten plain rather than coated, and it is the grade you will find in a good paan shop rather than a supermarket packet.

Mishri saunf or coloured saunf

The pink, green and yellow sugar-coated mix in the bowl by the door at Indian restaurants. This is fennel seed with a sugar coating and food colour, often with other seeds mixed in. It is a confectionery built on fennel, not plain saunf, and the distinction matters if you are watching sugar.

What saunf is called in every Indian language

All of these mean fennel seed. If a recipe or a packet uses one of these words, it is the same spice.

Fennel is also sold as sweet cumin in some places, which is another naming accident since it is unrelated to cumin.

Saunf vs jeera

Jeera is cumin, Cuminum cyminum. The seeds look alike, long and ridged, but cumin is darker and browner, and it tastes warm and earthy with no sweetness. Saunf is paler and green, and tastes sweet. If a seed tastes sweet, it is saunf.

How saunf is used

• In cooking: in tempering, in pickles, ground into Kashmiri and Awadhi gravies, and as one of the five seeds in Bengali panch phoron.
• After a meal: plain, lightly roasted, sugar-coated, or blended into mukhwas.
• In drinks: steeped in water, or made into a chilled saunf sherbet in summer.

How to store saunf

Keep saunf in an airtight jar, away from heat, light and moisture. Whole seeds hold their aroma far longer than powder, so grind only what you need. If the seeds smell faint when crushed between your fingers, they are past their best.

Is saunf good for you?

Fennel seed is a source of dietary fibre and of minerals including calcium, magnesium and iron, and it contains anethole, the aromatic compound that gives it its sweet note. In Indian tradition it is taken after a meal, and Ayurveda describes it as cooling and carminative.

That is the honest position. Saunf is a food, not a medicine, and nothing here is a treatment for a medical condition. If you have a persistent digestive problem, see a doctor rather than a spice jar.

One practical note worth more than any nutrition claim: plain saunf has no added sugar, while coloured mishri saunf is sugar-coated confectionery. If you are eating it every day, the difference between the two matters far more than the micronutrients.

Why it ends up at the end of a meal

Fennel has been eaten after food in India for centuries. It also tastes sweet without any sugar, which makes it a clean way to finish a meal. Both reasons hold up. Neither makes it a medicine.

Fennel Minitz is the fennel-led blend in the Wellubia range. Cardamom Fennel pairs it with elaichi in the classic combination. Both print the full ingredient declaration so you can see exactly how much is fennel and how much is coating. The rest of the range is in premium mukhwas, and every blend is in Indian mouth fresheners.

More on saunf

• Fennel and saunf: the ingredient guide
• Why saunf is eaten after meals
• Fennel vs cardamom: which one, and when
• Fennel and cardamom water: how to make it
• सौंफ और इलायची खाने के फायदे
• Buying saunf mouth freshener online

Frequently asked questions

What is saunf?

Saunf is the dried seed of the fennel plant, Foeniculum vulgare. The seeds are small, ridged and pale green, with a sweet, liquorice-like aroma, and are used in Indian cooking and eaten after meals.

What is saunf called in English?

Fennel seed. It is sometimes labelled sweet fennel.

Is saunf and aniseed the same?

No. Both contain anethole and taste similar, but fennel is Foeniculum vulgare and anise is Pimpinella anisum. Anise is much stronger.

Is saunf the same as fennel seeds?

Yes, saunf is the Hindi word for fennel seed.

What is the difference between sonf and saunf?

None. They are spelling variants of the same Hindi word for fennel seed, along with soof and sauf.

What is badishep, mouri or variyali in English?

All three mean fennel seed. Badishep is Marathi, mouri is Bengali and variyali is Gujarati.

Is saunf good for you?

Fennel is a source of fibre and minerals and is traditionally taken after meals in India. It is a food, not a medicine.

What is the coloured saunf at restaurants?

Sugar-coated fennel seed with food colour, usually mixed with other seeds. It is a confectionery, not plain saunf.

What is saunf called in Tamil and Malayalam?

Sombu in Tamil, perumjeerakam in Malayalam.