Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'charge' holds a multitude of meanings and significance across different cultures and languages. Derived from the Old French 'charge' meaning 'that which is laid upon a person,' it has evolved to encompass a variety of concepts, from a physical force to a financial debt. Its cultural importance is evident in its use in phrases such as 'taking charge,' which signifies leadership and responsibility.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'charge' in different languages can provide unique insights into foreign cultures. For instance, in Spanish, 'charge' translates to 'cargo,' which not only means 'charge' but also 'cargo or load.' In German, 'charge' becomes 'Ladung,' which signifies both 'charge' and 'charge (of an electric battery).' In Japanese, 'charge' is 'チャージ' (chāji), reflecting the influence of Western culture and language.
With this in mind, let's explore the various translations of 'charge' in different languages, shedding light on the rich cultural and linguistic diversity of our world.
Afrikaans | hef | ||
The word “hef” also means “leverage” and “fulcrum” in Afrikaans. | |||
Amharic | ክፍያ | ||
"ክፍያ" can also mean "payment" or "debt" in Amharic. | |||
Hausa | caji | ||
The word "caji" can also mean "cost" or "price." | |||
Igbo | ụgwọ | ||
The Igbo word "ụgwọ" is also used to describe a type of traditional Igbo musical percussion instrument. | |||
Malagasy | anjara-raharaha | ||
The word 'anjara-raharaha' is derived from the root words 'anjara' (spend) and 'raharaha' (money), indicating the act of spending money on a charge. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kulipiritsa | ||
Shona | kuchaja | ||
The word 'kuchaja' can also mean 'to accuse' or 'to blame'. | |||
Somali | lacag | ||
"Lacag" is also used to refer to the amount of money paid for something, equivalent to "payment". | |||
Sesotho | qoso | ||
'Qoso' is likely derived from an older verb meaning 'to hunt' and retains this meaning in modern use. | |||
Swahili | malipo | ||
"Malipo" not only means "charge" in Swahili but also refers to the act of compensating for a loss or wrongdoing. | |||
Xhosa | ityala | ||
It can also mean "responsibility" or "duty". | |||
Yoruba | idiyele | ||
The term "idiyele" can have connotations of "responsibility" or "responsibility." | |||
Zulu | ukukhokhisa | ||
Ukukhokhisa can also mean to pay, settle a debt, defray. | |||
Bambara | jalakilen | ||
Ewe | febubu | ||
Kinyarwanda | kwishyuza | ||
Lingala | kofunda | ||
Luganda | okulamula | ||
Sepedi | lefiša | ||
Twi (Akan) | kwaadu | ||
Arabic | الشحنة | ||
The Arabic word "الشحنة" can also mean "electric charge" or "load" depending on context. | |||
Hebrew | לחייב | ||
The Hebrew word "לחייב" evolved from a Biblical sense of obligation to its current meaning as a legal or financial duty. | |||
Pashto | چارج | ||
In Pashto, the word "چارج" (charge) can also refer to an accusation, a burden, or a duty. | |||
Arabic | الشحنة | ||
The Arabic word "الشحنة" can also mean "electric charge" or "load" depending on context. |
Albanian | ngarkuar | ||
'Ngarkuar' means a 'load, weight, charge'; 'a price or fee; a duty or obligation' or 'guilt or blame, accusation'. | |||
Basque | kargatu | ||
The Basque word "kargatu" derives from the Latin "carricare," meaning "to load" or "to burden." | |||
Catalan | càrrec | ||
In Catalan, "càrrec" can also refer to a position or office held within an organization or institution. | |||
Croatian | naplatiti | ||
The word "naplatiti" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *na-platiti, meaning "to pay". It can also mean "to collect a debt" or "to take revenge". | |||
Danish | oplade | ||
The word "oplade" is cognate with the German word "Laden", which means "to load", and can also refer to the process of loading a firearm. | |||
Dutch | in rekening brengen | ||
The verb "in rekening brengen" in Dutch is cognate to the English verb "to bring into account". | |||
English | charge | ||
The word "charge" in English can also refer to a financial obligation or duty that is imposed on someone. | |||
French | charge | ||
The word "charge" entered the French language at the end of the 15th century as a military term and gradually took on new meanings. | |||
Frisian | kosten | ||
The word "kosten" in Frisian means "charge" in English, but it can also mean "cost" or "expense". | |||
Galician | cargar | ||
In Galician, "cargar" can also mean to sow, to cultivate, or to plant | |||
German | aufladen | ||
The word "aufladen" in German comes from the Middle High German word "laden," which means "to put a load on." | |||
Icelandic | ákæra | ||
The word "ákæra" can also refer to a accusation, a complaint, or a claim. | |||
Irish | muirear | ||
The word muirear can also mean 'a burden' or 'an obligation.' | |||
Italian | caricare | ||
"Caricare" can also mean "to load" as on a ship, or "to weigh down" as a burden. | |||
Luxembourgish | charge | ||
In Luxembourgish, "charge" also means a load or a burden | |||
Maltese | ħlas | ||
"Ħlas" (charge) in Maltese also means "payment" or "debt". Its root is the Arabic word "ḥall" (to loose, to untie). | |||
Norwegian | lade | ||
The Norwegian "lade" has the same root as the English "load" and the German "laden", meaning "to carry". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | carregar | ||
"Carregar" in Portuguese can mean "to load", "to carry" and "to charge", depending on the context. | |||
Scots Gaelic | cosgais | ||
In Scots Gaelic, cosgais can also mean "expense" or "cost". | |||
Spanish | cargar | ||
The Spanish word "cargar" can also mean "to load" or "to burden". | |||
Swedish | avgift | ||
The word "avgift" derives from the Old Swedish "åfgift", meaning "payment or tax", and is cognate with the Norwegian and Danish "afgift" and the German "Abgabe". | |||
Welsh | arwystl | ||
The word "arwystl" in Welsh also means "order" or "command". |
Belarusian | зарада | ||
"Зарада" (charge) is a false friend in Belarusian: it also means "infection". | |||
Bosnian | naboj | ||
The Bosnian word "naboj" has Slavic roots and is related to the word "naditi", meaning "to fill". | |||
Bulgarian | зареждане | ||
The Bulgarian word "зареждане" (charge) is also used in the context of "loading" or "refilling" (e.g., "зареждане на телефон" (charging a phone), "зареждане на кола" (refueling a car)). | |||
Czech | nabít | ||
Nabít in Czech can also mean to refill something, or to load something like a gun or a crossbow. | |||
Estonian | tasuta | ||
The word “tasu” has a more specific meaning in Estonian compared to its general meaning of “charge” in English. | |||
Finnish | veloittaa | ||
The word "veloittaa" comes from the German word "wohlfeil", which means "cheap" or "inexpensive". | |||
Hungarian | díj | ||
The verb "díj" in Hungarian also means "to praise" or "to reward". | |||
Latvian | maksas | ||
The word 'maksas' is derived from the Middle Low German 'make' ('payment'). | |||
Lithuanian | mokestis | ||
"Mokestis" derives from the word "moka", which means "payment" in Proto-Indo-European. | |||
Macedonian | полнење | ||
The word "полнење" can also refer to the "act of loading" or the "amount of something that can be loaded". | |||
Polish | opłata | ||
The Polish term "opłata" can also refer to a type of tax or fee paid for a specific purpose. | |||
Romanian | încărca | ||
The Romanian word "încărca" derives from the Latin "carricare," meaning "to load" or "to carry." | |||
Russian | плата | ||
The word "плата" is also used to refer to money paid to an employee for their work or to denote the cost of something. | |||
Serbian | напунити | ||
The word "напунити" can also mean "to fill up" or "to load" in Serbian. | |||
Slovak | poplatok | ||
"Poplatok" is also a term for bribes or corruption in Slovak slang. | |||
Slovenian | napolniti | ||
The verb 'napolniti' can also mean 'to charge' in the sense of 'adding electricity' to a battery. | |||
Ukrainian | заряду | ||
The word "заряду" in Ukrainian came from the German "ladung" |
Bengali | চার্জ | ||
চার্জের বিকল্প অর্থগুলো হল অভিযোগ, আবেশ, প্রতিবেশ, প্রতিরোপ, দায়িত্ব | |||
Gujarati | ચાર્જ | ||
The Gujarati word 'ચાર્જ' ('charge') derives from the French word 'charge' and the Arabic word 'شرح' ('sharh'), which means 'explanation'. | |||
Hindi | चार्ज | ||
The word "चार्ज" can also mean "attack" or "responsibility" in Hindi, depending on the context. | |||
Kannada | ಶುಲ್ಕ | ||
ಶುಲ್ಕ also refers to a payment made for services rendered, such as a consulting or medical fee. | |||
Malayalam | ചാർജ് | ||
In Malayalam, "ചാർജ്" can also refer to a tax, fee, or levy. | |||
Marathi | शुल्क | ||
"शुल्क" derives from Sanskrit "Shulk" meaning "tax, customs duty", while also referring to "fee, commission" in some contexts. | |||
Nepali | चार्ज | ||
Charge means both to accuse someone of a crime and to take care of someone or something. | |||
Punjabi | ਚਾਰਜ | ||
In Punjabi, "ਚਾਰਜ" can mean a legal accusation or a duty, in addition to its primary meaning of "electric charge." | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ගාස්තු | ||
ගාස්තු is also a Sinhalese word meaning 'expense' derived from the Dutch word 'kosten' | |||
Tamil | கட்டணம் | ||
The word "கட்டணம்" ("charge") in Tamil can also mean "a binding" or "a bond". | |||
Telugu | ఆరోపణ | ||
In the context of accounting, "ఆరోపణ" also means "debit". | |||
Urdu | چارج | ||
The Urdu word "چارج" (charge) originates from the French word "charge" and the Persian word "بار" (load). |
Chinese (Simplified) | 收费 | ||
收费 (shōu fèi) may mean "toll" or "fare" when used as a noun, or "to charge" when used as a verb. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 收費 | ||
收費源自於「收」與「費」,分別指「拿取」和「用度」或「花費」的含義。 | |||
Japanese | 充電 | ||
"充電" is composed of "充", which means "to fill", and "電", which means "electricity", so it literally means "to fill electricity". | |||
Korean | 요금 | ||
"요금" is also used to refer to the frequency of payment, such as "한달 요금" (monthly payment). | |||
Mongolian | төлбөр | ||
The word "төлбөр" can also refer to a "fee" or "rent". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | တာဝန်ခံ | ||
"တာဝန်ခံ" is a Burmese word that can also mean "to be responsible" or "to take responsibility for something." |
Indonesian | biaya | ||
"Biaya" also means "cost, expense, or price" in Indonesian | |||
Javanese | pangisian daya | ||
The term "pangisian daya" in Javanese can also refer to "filling up" (e.g. filling up gas) and "providing power" (e.g. providing electricity). | |||
Khmer | សាក | ||
The Khmer word "សាក" (charge) is also used in Thai, where it means "order" or "command." | |||
Lao | ຮັບຜິດຊອບ | ||
Malay | menagih | ||
The word "menagih" in Malay also means "to demand" or "to collect (a debt)". | |||
Thai | ค่าใช้จ่าย | ||
The word “ค่าใช้จ่าย” originally referred only to costs associated with a temple. | |||
Vietnamese | sạc điện | ||
The Vietnamese word "sạc điện" (charge) comes from the French "charger" (to load or charge), which is derived from the Latin "carricare" (to load). | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | singilin | ||
Azerbaijani | doldurun | ||
Doldurun, a verb meaning "charge" in Azerbaijani, comes from the old Turkic word "tol-dur-ı", meaning both "to fill" and "to charge" in the military context. | |||
Kazakh | зарядтау | ||
Etymology: Kazakh за́ряд ('charge') from Russian заряд ('charge', 'loading'); from Polish ćiążą ('weight'); ultimately from Proto-Slavic *tįgъ ('burden'). | |||
Kyrgyz | заряд | ||
The word "заряд" is also used to refer to a load or burden, or to the process of loading or burdening something. | |||
Tajik | пардохт | ||
The word "пардохт" in Tajik may have originated from the Persian word "پرداخت", which means "payment" or "disbursement". | |||
Turkmen | zarýad | ||
Uzbek | zaryadlash | ||
The word "zaryadlash" also means "to load" or "to fill" in Uzbek. | |||
Uyghur | charge | ||
Hawaiian | hoʻouku | ||
In 1915, hoʻouku was also used to mean "electrify," in the context of electrifying a house or car. | |||
Maori | utu | ||
"Utu" can also refer to revenge or retribution. | |||
Samoan | totogi | ||
The etymology of "totogi" is unclear, but it may be related to the verb "togi" (to sharpen), or the noun "togi" (a grindstone). | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | singil | ||
The word "singil" in Tagalog can also mean "demand" or "pressing request". |
Aymara | apxaruña | ||
Guarani | oĩha | ||
Esperanto | ŝarĝo | ||
The word "ŝarĝo" can also mean "burden" or "duty". | |||
Latin | causam | ||
The word "causam" can also refer to a "lawsuit" or "accusation" in Latin. |
Greek | χρέωση | ||
The word "χρέωση" in Greek can also mean "debit" or "expense." | |||
Hmong | muaj nqi | ||
The term "muaj nqi" can also refer to a person who is in charge or has the authority to make decisions. | |||
Kurdish | biha | ||
The word "biha" originated from the Old Persian word "biya" which means "taking, seizing, taking over, collecting of goods etc." | |||
Turkish | şarj etmek | ||
The Turkish word "şarj etmek" can also mean "to load" or "to fill up". | |||
Xhosa | ityala | ||
It can also mean "responsibility" or "duty". | |||
Yiddish | באַשולדיקונג | ||
The word "באַשולדיקונג" has been used in Yiddish in the context of accusations, charges, and liabilities, and its root is likely the Middle High German verb "beschelden". | |||
Zulu | ukukhokhisa | ||
Ukukhokhisa can also mean to pay, settle a debt, defray. | |||
Assamese | চাৰ্জ | ||
Aymara | apxaruña | ||
Bhojpuri | चार्ज | ||
Dhivehi | ޗާޖް | ||
Dogri | चार्ज | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | singilin | ||
Guarani | oĩha | ||
Ilocano | singiren | ||
Krio | chaj | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | بارگاوی | ||
Maithili | प्रभार | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯥꯟꯗꯥꯕ | ||
Mizo | puh | ||
Oromo | kaffalchiisuu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଚାର୍ଜ | ||
Quechua | huntachiy | ||
Sanskrit | दायित्वम् | ||
Tatar | заряд | ||
Tigrinya | ኣኽፍል | ||
Tsonga | hlongorisa | ||