Cheap in different languages

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

Afrikaansgoedkoop
The Afrikaans word "goedkoop" (cheap) is derived from the Dutch word "goedkoop" (good buy) and has the alternate meaning of "bargain".
Amharicርካሽ
ርካሽ is also used in the sense of "easy", which is also the core meaning in Arabic.
Hausamai rahusa
Mai rahusa is a term in Hausa that can also refer to something that is common, affordable, or of low quality.
Igboọnụ 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.
Malagasymora 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.
Shonazvakachipa
The word "zvakachipa" is also used to mean "of low quality".
Somalijaban
In Somali, "jaban" can also refer to something that is weak or inferior in quality.
Sesothotheko 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.
Swahilinafuu
The word "nafuu" can also mean "useless" or "worthless" in Swahili.
Xhosangexabiso eliphantsi
The word "ngexabiso eliphantsi" also has the metaphorical meaning of "of low quality" or "worthless".
Yorubaolowo poku
The word "olowo poku" in Yoruba is derived from the phrase "olowo ti o poku owo", meaning "a person who has little money".
Zulueshibhile
The Zulu word "eshibhile" originally meant "something thrown away" or "rubbish".
Bambarasɔngɔ duman
Ewemexᴐ asi o
Kinyarwandabihendutse
Lingalantalo malamu
Lugandaomuwendo ogwa wansi
Sepedirekega
Twi (Akan)fo

Cheap in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicرخيص
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."
Hebrewזוֹל
The Hebrew word "זוֹל" (zol), meaning "cheap," is likely related to the Arabic "ذلّ" (dhull), which means "to be low or humble."
Pashtoارزان
The word "ارزان" in Pashto is derived from the Persian word "ارزانی" which means to give cheaply, or to grant a favor.
Arabicرخيص
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

Albanianlirë
The word 'lirë' has another archaic meaning 'free'.
Basquemerkea
The word "merkea" is derived from the Proto-Basque word "*merke" meaning "small" or "tiny".
Catalanbarat
The word "barat" in Catalan comes from the Latin "barattus" meaning "exchange" or "trade".
Croatianjeftino
The word "jeftino" is derived from the Latin word "jacēre" meaning "to lie down", and is related to the English word "jacket".
Danishbillig
"Billig" comes from the Danish word "billig", meaning "fair" or "reasonable", and the German word "billig", meaning "cheap".
Dutchgoedkoop
The Dutch term "goedkoop" combines "goed" (good) and "koop" (buy), meaning "worth the price paid".
Englishcheap
The word 'cheap' derives from Middle English 'chepe,' meaning 'market,' and shares a common root with 'chipper,' 'chapman,' and 'shopping'.
Frenchpas cher
The word "pas cher" in French also means "inexpensive" or "affordable".
Frisiangoedkeap
The Frisian word 'goedkeap' originally meant 'suitable', but its meaning shifted to 'cheap' over time.
Galicianbarato
In Galician, "barato" also means "obstacle" or "hindrance".
Germanbillig
"Billig" comes from Middle High German "billich" and originally meant "right, fair".
Icelandicódýrt
"Óðýrt" is derived from the word "óð", meaning "anger" or "madness", and "yrðr", meaning "word" or "speech".
Irishsaor
The Irish word "saor" can also mean "noble" or "free", reflecting its historical association with the concept of freedom from obligation or debt.
Italiana 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.
Luxembourgishbëlleg
"Bëlleg", meaning "cheap", is also used to describe something "bad" or "of poor quality".
Malteseirħis
The word "irħis" is derived from the Arabic word "arhas", which also means cheap.
Norwegianbillig
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 Gaelicsaor
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.
Spanishbarato
"Barato" also has a less common archaic meaning in Spanish, that of "tricky" or "deceitful".
Swedishbillig
The word 'billig' traces its origins to the Old Swedish word 'bilig', which referred to justice and fairness.
Welshrhad
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

Belarusianтанна
"Танна" также означает "сено", а сено в свою очередь имеет второстепенное значение - "плохой".
Bosnianjeftino
The word "jeftino" can also mean "easy" or "unimportant" in Bosnian.
Bulgarianевтини
The Bulgarian word "евтини" (cheap) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*ětinъ", meaning "worthless".
Czechlevný
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.
Estonianodav
"Odav" can also mean "young or immature" or "not very expensive"
Finnishhalpa
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.'
Hungarianolcsó
"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".
Latvianlēts
In Latvian, “lēts” also has a colloquial meaning of “easy” in the sense of “not requiring much effort”.
Lithuanianpigu
"Pigu" is also used as a noun meaning "small change" or "pocket money".
Macedonianефтин
The word "ефтин" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *jьptъ, meaning "thin", "fine", or "poor".
Polishtani
The word "tani" in Polish can also mean "thin" or "lean" when describing a person.
Romanianieftin
The word "ieftin" also means "left-hand" in Romanian.
Russianдешево
The word "дешево" in Russian originally referred to something that was abundant or available in large quantities rather than something that was inexpensive.
Serbianјефтино
This word is also used as an exclamation in the sentence "Jеftino mi je!", meaning someone got a bargain.
Slovaklacno
In addition to the common meaning 'cheap; inexpensive', the word "lacno" can also mean 'hungry' in Slovak.
Slovenianpoceni
The word "poceni" in Slovenian comes from the Proto-Slavic word "pocinъ", which means "rest" or "pause".
Ukrainianдешево
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

Bengaliসস্তা
Sasta can also mean 'light', 'easy', 'inexpensive', or 'simple'.
Gujaratiસસ્તુ
"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)."
Hindiसस्ता
The word 'सस्ता' also means 'easy' in Hindi, which reflects the idea that something affordable is often easier to acquire or obtain.
Kannadaಅಗ್ಗ
In Kannada, the word "ಅಗ್ಗ" is also used to refer to the "tip" or "peak" of something.
Malayalamവിലകുറഞ്ഞ
The word "വിലകുറഞ്ഞ" (cheap) in Malayalam is derived from the word "വില" (price), which means that something is low in price or value.
Marathiस्वस्त
The word "स्वस्त" in Marathi can also mean "easy" or "convenient."
Nepaliसस्तो
"सस्तो" is derived from the Sanskrit word "शस्त" meaning "good" or "worthy" and has come to mean "cheap" over time.
Punjabiਸਸਤਾ
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.
Tamilமலிவானது
Teluguచౌక
The word "చౌక" can also mean "wide" or "spacious" in Telugu, derived from the Sanskrit word "chau" meaning "open space".
Urduسستا
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' is also used to refer to low-quality or defective goods. The character '산' in '싼' originally meant 'to be flawed or damaged'.
Mongolianхямд
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

Indonesianmurah
"Murah" is a cognate with the Malay word "murah" and the Old Javanese word "murwah" which originally meant "costly" or "expensive".
Javanesemurah
In Javanese, "murah" can also mean "easy" or "not difficult".
Khmerថោក
In Khmer, "ថោក" also refers to a type of traditional woven fabric often used in clothing and household items.
Laoລາຄາຖືກ
Malaymurah
"Murah" also means "easy" or "inexpensive" in Malay.
Thaiถูก
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."
Vietnameserẻ
"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

Azerbaijaniucuz
"Ucuz" shares its root with "uçuq" which means "sore" in Azerbaijani, and thus also refers to the concept of "damaged" and "of low quality."
Kazakhарзан
Kazakh "арзан" means "cheap", but it originally meant "barley"
Kyrgyzарзан
The Kyrgyz word "арзан" can also mean "inexpensive" or "low-priced".
Tajikарзон
The word 'арзон' can also mean 'inexpensive', 'low-priced', or 'reasonable'.
Turkmenarzan
Uzbekarzon
The word "arzon" in Uzbek language has multiple meanings besides "cheapness", including "poverty", "want", and "need".
Uyghurئەرزان

Cheap in Pacific Languages

Hawaiiankumu kūʻai
The word "kumu kūʻai" in Hawaiian can also refer to a "seller" or "trader".
Maoriiti
In Maori,
Samoantaugofie
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

Aymarajuk'a chanini
Guaranihepy'ỹ

Cheap in International Languages

Esperantomalmultekosta
"Malmultekosta" is a compound word in Esperanto that literally means "of small value" or "low in price"
Latincheap
The Latin word 'cheap' originally meant 'market' or 'bargain' rather than 'inexpensive'.

Cheap in Others Languages

Greekφτηνός
φτηνός (cheap) comes from ancient Greek φθίω (I destroy, I ruin), referring to its negative impact on the economy.
Hmongpheej yig
The Hmong word 'pheej yig' is also used to describe things that are abundant, plentiful, or overstocked.
Kurdisherzan
Erzan is used as a synonym for the word 'cheap', but it also has the meaning of 'fast' or 'quick' in Kurdish.
Turkishucuz
The word 'ucuz' is derived from the Persian word 'arzan', meaning 'inexpensive'.
Xhosangexabiso eliphantsi
The word "ngexabiso eliphantsi" also has the metaphorical meaning of "of low quality" or "worthless".
Yiddishביליק
The Yiddish word "ביליק" (billig) comes from the German word "billig", meaning "fair" or "reasonable".
Zulueshibhile
The Zulu word "eshibhile" originally meant "something thrown away" or "rubbish".
Assameseসস্তীয়া
Aymarajuk'a chanini
Bhojpuriसस्ता
Dhivehiއަގު ހެޔޮ
Dogriसस्ता
Filipino (Tagalog)mura
Guaranihepy'ỹ
Ilocanonalaka
Krionɔ dia
Kurdish (Sorani)هەرزان
Maithiliसस्ता
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯑꯍꯣꯡꯕ
Mizotlawm
Oromorakasa
Odia (Oriya)ଶସ୍ତା
Quechuapisilla
Sanskritअल्पमूल्यम्‌
Tatarарзан
Tigrinyaሕሳር
Tsongaxaveka

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