Cheap in Different Languages
Discover 'Cheap' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'cheap' is a common term in everyday language, often used to describe something that is reasonably priced or of great value. But did you know that the concept of 'cheap' has different connotations in various cultures? In some societies, 'cheap' can imply a negative quality, suggesting something is of poor standard or not durable. Yet, in other contexts, 'cheap' can be a positive attribute, denoting affordability and practicality.
Understanding the translation of 'cheap' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultural nuances of a given society. For instance, in Spanish, 'cheap' translates to 'barato,' which is often used to describe a good deal or bargain. Meanwhile, in French, 'cheap' becomes 'bon marché,' which can also mean 'fashionable' or 'trendy.'
Exploring the various translations of 'cheap' can be a fascinating journey into the world of language and culture. Keep reading to discover how 'cheap' is translated in different languages, from German to Chinese and beyond!
Cheap
Cheap in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | goedkoop | ||
| The Afrikaans word "goedkoop" (cheap) is derived from the Dutch word "goedkoop" (good buy) and has the alternate meaning of "bargain". | |||
| Amharic | ርካሽ | ||
| ርካሽ is also used in the sense of "easy", which is also the core meaning in Arabic. | |||
| Hausa | mai rahusa | ||
| Mai rahusa is a term in Hausa that can also refer to something that is common, affordable, or of low quality. | |||
| Igbo | ọnụ ala | ||
| The Igbo word "ọnụ ala" directly translates to "mouth of the ground" which may have a connotation of being found easily or in abundance. | |||
| Malagasy | mora vidy | ||
| The Malagasy word "mora vidy" can also refer to something of little importance or significance. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wotchipa | ||
| Wotchipa is also used to refer to something that is not durable. | |||
| Shona | zvakachipa | ||
| The word "zvakachipa" is also used to mean "of low quality". | |||
| Somali | jaban | ||
| In Somali, "jaban" can also refer to something that is weak or inferior in quality. | |||
| Sesotho | theko e tlaase | ||
| The word "theko e tlaase" literally means "a small coin" in Sesotho, and it is this meaning that has given rise to its use to describe something that is affordable or cheap. | |||
| Swahili | nafuu | ||
| The word "nafuu" can also mean "useless" or "worthless" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | ngexabiso eliphantsi | ||
| The word "ngexabiso eliphantsi" also has the metaphorical meaning of "of low quality" or "worthless". | |||
| Yoruba | olowo poku | ||
| The word "olowo poku" in Yoruba is derived from the phrase "olowo ti o poku owo", meaning "a person who has little money". | |||
| Zulu | eshibhile | ||
| The Zulu word "eshibhile" originally meant "something thrown away" or "rubbish". | |||
| Bambara | sɔngɔ duman | ||
| Ewe | mexᴐ asi o | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bihendutse | ||
| Lingala | ntalo malamu | ||
| Luganda | omuwendo ogwa wansi | ||
| Sepedi | rekega | ||
| Twi (Akan) | fo | ||
Cheap in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | رخيص | ||
| The word "رخيص" in Arabic derives from the root "رخس" meaning "to be low, humble or easy," and thus also conveys the connotation of "easily acquired or available." | |||
| Hebrew | זוֹל | ||
| The Hebrew word "זוֹל" (zol), meaning "cheap," is likely related to the Arabic "ذلّ" (dhull), which means "to be low or humble." | |||
| Pashto | ارزان | ||
| The word "ارزان" in Pashto is derived from the Persian word "ارزانی" which means to give cheaply, or to grant a favor. | |||
| Arabic | رخيص | ||
| The word "رخيص" in Arabic derives from the root "رخس" meaning "to be low, humble or easy," and thus also conveys the connotation of "easily acquired or available." | |||
Cheap in Western European Languages
| Albanian | lirë | ||
| The word 'lirë' has another archaic meaning 'free'. | |||
| Basque | merkea | ||
| The word "merkea" is derived from the Proto-Basque word "*merke" meaning "small" or "tiny". | |||
| Catalan | barat | ||
| The word "barat" in Catalan comes from the Latin "barattus" meaning "exchange" or "trade". | |||
| Croatian | jeftino | ||
| The word "jeftino" is derived from the Latin word "jacēre" meaning "to lie down", and is related to the English word "jacket". | |||
| Danish | billig | ||
| "Billig" comes from the Danish word "billig", meaning "fair" or "reasonable", and the German word "billig", meaning "cheap". | |||
| Dutch | goedkoop | ||
| The Dutch term "goedkoop" combines "goed" (good) and "koop" (buy), meaning "worth the price paid". | |||
| English | cheap | ||
| The word 'cheap' derives from Middle English 'chepe,' meaning 'market,' and shares a common root with 'chipper,' 'chapman,' and 'shopping'. | |||
| French | pas cher | ||
| The word "pas cher" in French also means "inexpensive" or "affordable". | |||
| Frisian | goedkeap | ||
| The Frisian word 'goedkeap' originally meant 'suitable', but its meaning shifted to 'cheap' over time. | |||
| Galician | barato | ||
| In Galician, "barato" also means "obstacle" or "hindrance". | |||
| German | billig | ||
| "Billig" comes from Middle High German "billich" and originally meant "right, fair". | |||
| Icelandic | ódýrt | ||
| "Óðýrt" is derived from the word "óð", meaning "anger" or "madness", and "yrðr", meaning "word" or "speech". | |||
| Irish | saor | ||
| The Irish word "saor" can also mean "noble" or "free", reflecting its historical association with the concept of freedom from obligation or debt. | |||
| Italian | a buon mercato | ||
| The Italian phrase "a buon mercato" literally means "at a good market" and has connotations of being a good value for your money. | |||
| Luxembourgish | bëlleg | ||
| "Bëlleg", meaning "cheap", is also used to describe something "bad" or "of poor quality". | |||
| Maltese | irħis | ||
| The word "irħis" is derived from the Arabic word "arhas", which also means cheap. | |||
| Norwegian | billig | ||
| The Norwegian word ‘billig’ also means ‘fair’ and ‘reasonable’ in the sense of ‘appropriate to the circumstances’. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | barato | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "barato" can also mean "easy" or "simple", as in "uma tarefa barata" (an easy task). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | saor | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "saor" can also mean "free" or "noble," reflecting its historical association with the concept of personal freedom among the Gaelic-speaking peoples. | |||
| Spanish | barato | ||
| "Barato" also has a less common archaic meaning in Spanish, that of "tricky" or "deceitful". | |||
| Swedish | billig | ||
| The word 'billig' traces its origins to the Old Swedish word 'bilig', which referred to justice and fairness. | |||
| Welsh | rhad | ||
| The r in 'rhad' is cognate with the l in 'llai' and it derives from the same ultimate Indo-European root as 'low' in English. | |||
Cheap in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | танна | ||
| "Танна" также означает "сено", а сено в свою очередь имеет второстепенное значение - "плохой". | |||
| Bosnian | jeftino | ||
| The word "jeftino" can also mean "easy" or "unimportant" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | евтини | ||
| The Bulgarian word "евтини" (cheap) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*ětinъ", meaning "worthless". | |||
| Czech | levný | ||
| The word "levný" in Czech is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "levъ", meaning "lion", and originally referred to something that was as cheap as a lion's tooth. | |||
| Estonian | odav | ||
| "Odav" can also mean "young or immature" or "not very expensive" | |||
| Finnish | halpa | ||
| The word 'halpa' in Finnish may be derived from the word 'halpa-aine,' meaning 'cheap material,' or from the Old Norse word 'halfr,' meaning 'half.' | |||
| Hungarian | olcsó | ||
| "Olcsó" likely comes from the Proto-Slavic "*jьlьsъ" meaning "bad, poor" and is cognate with the Czech word "laciný" and the Old Church Slavonic word "lьstь". | |||
| Latvian | lēts | ||
| In Latvian, “lēts” also has a colloquial meaning of “easy” in the sense of “not requiring much effort”. | |||
| Lithuanian | pigu | ||
| "Pigu" is also used as a noun meaning "small change" or "pocket money". | |||
| Macedonian | ефтин | ||
| The word "ефтин" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *jьptъ, meaning "thin", "fine", or "poor". | |||
| Polish | tani | ||
| The word "tani" in Polish can also mean "thin" or "lean" when describing a person. | |||
| Romanian | ieftin | ||
| The word "ieftin" also means "left-hand" in Romanian. | |||
| Russian | дешево | ||
| The word "дешево" in Russian originally referred to something that was abundant or available in large quantities rather than something that was inexpensive. | |||
| Serbian | јефтино | ||
| This word is also used as an exclamation in the sentence "Jеftino mi je!", meaning someone got a bargain. | |||
| Slovak | lacno | ||
| In addition to the common meaning 'cheap; inexpensive', the word "lacno" can also mean 'hungry' in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | poceni | ||
| The word "poceni" in Slovenian comes from the Proto-Slavic word "pocinъ", which means "rest" or "pause". | |||
| Ukrainian | дешево | ||
| The Ukrainian word "дешево" derives from Old Church Slavonic "дѣшьно", meaning "abundance", which in turn reflects the Proto-Slavic root *dъхъ, meaning "good" or "suitable". | |||
Cheap in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সস্তা | ||
| Sasta can also mean 'light', 'easy', 'inexpensive', or 'simple'. | |||
| Gujarati | સસ્તુ | ||
| "સસ્તુ" has an interesting etymology. It comes from the Sanskrit word "shastha," meaning "six," and was originally used to refer to something that was worth only six annas (sixteenth of a rupee)." | |||
| Hindi | सस्ता | ||
| The word 'सस्ता' also means 'easy' in Hindi, which reflects the idea that something affordable is often easier to acquire or obtain. | |||
| Kannada | ಅಗ್ಗ | ||
| In Kannada, the word "ಅಗ್ಗ" is also used to refer to the "tip" or "peak" of something. | |||
| Malayalam | വിലകുറഞ്ഞ | ||
| The word "വിലകുറഞ്ഞ" (cheap) in Malayalam is derived from the word "വില" (price), which means that something is low in price or value. | |||
| Marathi | स्वस्त | ||
| The word "स्वस्त" in Marathi can also mean "easy" or "convenient." | |||
| Nepali | सस्तो | ||
| "सस्तो" is derived from the Sanskrit word "शस्त" meaning "good" or "worthy" and has come to mean "cheap" over time. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਸਤਾ | ||
| The word 'ਸਸਤਾ' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'शास्त' meaning 'to punish'; hence, 'ਸਸਤਾ' originally meant 'affordable', and now means 'cheap'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ලාභයි | ||
| Sinhala ලාභයි meaning 'cheap' is cognate to Sanskrit लाभ meaning 'profit, gain, advantage', and also means 'cheap' in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | மலிவானது | ||
| Telugu | చౌక | ||
| The word "చౌక" can also mean "wide" or "spacious" in Telugu, derived from the Sanskrit word "chau" meaning "open space". | |||
| Urdu | سستا | ||
| The word "سستا" is derived from the Sanskrit word "sasta," which means "easy" or "cheap." | |||
Cheap in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 便宜的 | ||
| 便宜的 originally meant "convenient" and only later came to mean "cheap". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 便宜的 | ||
| 便宜的 (pián yì de) also means 'convenient'. | |||
| Japanese | 安いです | ||
| 安いです can also mean "safe" or "reassuring" in some contexts. | |||
| Korean | 싼 | ||
| '싼' is also used to refer to low-quality or defective goods. The character '산' in '싼' originally meant 'to be flawed or damaged'. | |||
| Mongolian | хямд | ||
| Historically, the word "хямд" was used in the meaning of "simple, humble, or easy to do" and had a positive connotation. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စျေးပေါ | ||
| The word "စျေးပေါ" is derived from the Pali word "sīna" meaning "easy". It can also mean "light" or "easily broken". | |||
Cheap in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | murah | ||
| "Murah" is a cognate with the Malay word "murah" and the Old Javanese word "murwah" which originally meant "costly" or "expensive". | |||
| Javanese | murah | ||
| In Javanese, "murah" can also mean "easy" or "not difficult". | |||
| Khmer | ថោក | ||
| In Khmer, "ថោក" also refers to a type of traditional woven fabric often used in clothing and household items. | |||
| Lao | ລາຄາຖືກ | ||
| Malay | murah | ||
| "Murah" also means "easy" or "inexpensive" in Malay. | |||
| Thai | ถูก | ||
| The word "ถูก" (tuk) in Thai also means "correct" or "appropriate," and is derived from the Proto-Tai word *tuk, meaning "to fit, to be suitable." | |||
| Vietnamese | rẻ | ||
| "Rẻ" is a Vietnamese word meaning "cheap," but it can also refer to the sound of a bell. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mura | ||
Cheap in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ucuz | ||
| "Ucuz" shares its root with "uçuq" which means "sore" in Azerbaijani, and thus also refers to the concept of "damaged" and "of low quality." | |||
| Kazakh | арзан | ||
| Kazakh "арзан" means "cheap", but it originally meant "barley" | |||
| Kyrgyz | арзан | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "арзан" can also mean "inexpensive" or "low-priced". | |||
| Tajik | арзон | ||
| The word 'арзон' can also mean 'inexpensive', 'low-priced', or 'reasonable'. | |||
| Turkmen | arzan | ||
| Uzbek | arzon | ||
| The word "arzon" in Uzbek language has multiple meanings besides "cheapness", including "poverty", "want", and "need". | |||
| Uyghur | ئەرزان | ||
Cheap in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kumu kūʻai | ||
| The word "kumu kūʻai" in Hawaiian can also refer to a "seller" or "trader". | |||
| Maori | iti | ||
| In Maori, | |||
| Samoan | taugofie | ||
| The Samoan word 'taugofie' comes from the root word 'taugofi', meaning 'to be insufficient' or 'to be lacking'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mura naman | ||
| The Tagalog word "mura" can also mean "easy" or "simple," depending on the context. | |||
Cheap in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | juk'a chanini | ||
| Guarani | hepy'ỹ | ||
Cheap in International Languages
| Esperanto | malmultekosta | ||
| "Malmultekosta" is a compound word in Esperanto that literally means "of small value" or "low in price" | |||
| Latin | cheap | ||
| The Latin word 'cheap' originally meant 'market' or 'bargain' rather than 'inexpensive'. | |||
Cheap in Others Languages
| Greek | φτηνός | ||
| φτηνός (cheap) comes from ancient Greek φθίω (I destroy, I ruin), referring to its negative impact on the economy. | |||
| Hmong | pheej yig | ||
| The Hmong word 'pheej yig' is also used to describe things that are abundant, plentiful, or overstocked. | |||
| Kurdish | erzan | ||
| Erzan is used as a synonym for the word 'cheap', but it also has the meaning of 'fast' or 'quick' in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | ucuz | ||
| The word 'ucuz' is derived from the Persian word 'arzan', meaning 'inexpensive'. | |||
| Xhosa | ngexabiso eliphantsi | ||
| The word "ngexabiso eliphantsi" also has the metaphorical meaning of "of low quality" or "worthless". | |||
| Yiddish | ביליק | ||
| The Yiddish word "ביליק" (billig) comes from the German word "billig", meaning "fair" or "reasonable". | |||
| Zulu | eshibhile | ||
| The Zulu word "eshibhile" originally meant "something thrown away" or "rubbish". | |||
| Assamese | সস্তীয়া | ||
| Aymara | juk'a chanini | ||
| Bhojpuri | सस्ता | ||
| Dhivehi | އަގު ހެޔޮ | ||
| Dogri | सस्ता | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mura | ||
| Guarani | hepy'ỹ | ||
| Ilocano | nalaka | ||
| Krio | nɔ dia | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هەرزان | ||
| Maithili | सस्ता | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯍꯣꯡꯕ | ||
| Mizo | tlawm | ||
| Oromo | rakasa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଶସ୍ତା | ||
| Quechua | pisilla | ||
| Sanskrit | अल्पमूल्यम् | ||
| Tatar | арзан | ||
| Tigrinya | ሕሳር | ||
| Tsonga | xaveka | ||