Cost in Different Languages
Discover 'Cost' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'cost' carries great significance in our daily lives, representing the time, effort, and resources expended in acquiring something we value. Its cultural importance is evident in various aspects of society, from business transactions to personal sacrifices. Understanding the translation of 'cost' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultural nuances and economic systems of various countries.
For instance, the German word for cost, 'Kosten,' is a plural noun, reflecting the language's emphasis on precision and detail. Meanwhile, the French translation, 'coût,' is derived from the Latin 'costus,' which means 'value' or 'esteem.' This historical context highlights the value-driven nature of the French language and culture.
As you explore the world of language and culture, discovering the translation of 'cost' can be a fascinating journey. Here are some translations to get you started:
Cost
Cost in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | koste | ||
| The Afrikaans word "koste" is related to the English verb "cast" and the Middle Dutch word "costen" that meant "to sample" (in a business or professional context). | |||
| Amharic | ዋጋ | ||
| Hausa | kudin | ||
| Kudin is derived from the root kud which means measure, size or weight. | |||
| Igbo | ego | ||
| The Igbo word "ego" also means "a desire for material possessions or money". | |||
| Malagasy | vidin'ny | ||
| "Vidin'ny" is also used to describe the price of something or the value of an object. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mtengo | ||
| "Mtengo" is derived from the Bantu root "-tenga" meaning "to buy, sell, or exchange." | |||
| Shona | mutengo | ||
| Shona 'mutengo' also means 'value' or 'worth' reflecting the importance of trade and exchange in Shona culture. | |||
| Somali | kharashka | ||
| The word "kharashka" can also refer to "expenses" or "damages" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | theko | ||
| Sesotho 'theko' also means 'to become heavy' or 'to be burdensome'. | |||
| Swahili | gharama | ||
| The Swahili word "gharama" also has the alternate meaning of "expense". | |||
| Xhosa | iindleko | ||
| The word "iindleko" literally means "payment for the cost of something" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | iye owo | ||
| In Nigeria, 'iye owo' can also mean 'principal' (of a loan). | |||
| Zulu | izindleko | ||
| Izindleko is used in Zulu to refer to the total cost of lobola (bride price). | |||
| Bambara | sɔngɔ | ||
| Ewe | asixᴐxᴐ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | igiciro | ||
| Lingala | ntalo | ||
| Luganda | omuwendo | ||
| Sepedi | tshenyegelo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɛka | ||
Cost in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | كلفة | ||
| "كلفة" means "cost" in Arabic and has the same root as "كلف" which means "burden" or "hardship" in the same language and "كلفة" meaning "burden" in Persian. | |||
| Hebrew | עֲלוּת | ||
| עֲלוּת is a homograph, meaning it can refer to either "cost" or "elevation". | |||
| Pashto | لګښت | ||
| In Pashto, "لګښت" may also refer to "expense" or "expenditure". | |||
| Arabic | كلفة | ||
| "كلفة" means "cost" in Arabic and has the same root as "كلف" which means "burden" or "hardship" in the same language and "كلفة" meaning "burden" in Persian. | |||
Cost in Western European Languages
| Albanian | kosto | ||
| Kosto is derived from the Latin word "constare", meaning "to stand firm or be established." | |||
| Basque | kostua | ||
| In Basque, "kostua" also refers to the expense incurred to cover basic living costs, such as food, housing, and clothing. | |||
| Catalan | cost | ||
| In Catalan, the word "cost" can also refer to a person's side or rib. | |||
| Croatian | trošak | ||
| The word "trošak" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*strugъ", meaning "loss" or "damage". | |||
| Danish | koste | ||
| In older Danish, "koste" also meant "to pay for something with food or goods, rather than money; to feed someone as a service". | |||
| Dutch | kosten | ||
| The Dutch word "kosten" can also mean "to taste" or "to try". | |||
| English | cost | ||
| The word 'cost' derives from the Old French 'coster', meaning 'to reckon'. | |||
| French | coût | ||
| In economics, 'coût' can also refer to the 'opportunity cost', i.e. the benefit that must be given up when choosing one option over another. | |||
| Frisian | kosten | ||
| The word "kosten" in Frisian can also mean "to try", in a tasting sense. | |||
| Galician | custo | ||
| The Galician word 'custo' also means 'protection' or 'custody'. | |||
| German | kosten | ||
| In Middle High German, "kosten" initially meant "to taste" or "to try", a meaning still retained in the idioms "etwas kosten" (to taste something) and "jemanden etwas kosten lassen" (to let someone try something). | |||
| Icelandic | kostnaður | ||
| 'Kostnaður' is the Icelandic word not only for 'cost' but also for 'expense'. | |||
| Irish | costas | ||
| The word "costas" can also refer to an Irish surname of Gaelic origin, meaning "son of Constantine." | |||
| Italian | costo | ||
| "Costo" derives from the Latin "constare", meaning "to stand" or "to be fixed", referring to the idea that the price of something is established or fixed. | |||
| Luxembourgish | kascht | ||
| "Kascht" is derived from Old French "coste" meaning "expenditure, expense" but can also mean "price, side, direction, border, coast". | |||
| Maltese | l-ispiża | ||
| The word "l-ispiża" comes from the Italian word "spesa", which also means "cost" or "expense". | |||
| Norwegian | koste | ||
| The word 'koste' in Norwegian is derived from the Old Norse word 'kostr', which means 'means of livelihood' or 'food'. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | custo | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "custo" comes from the Latin "constare" meaning "to stand" or "to be fixed". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | cosgais | ||
| The word 'cosgais' literally means 'carrying off', and is related to the Irish word 'cosc', meaning 'foot'. | |||
| Spanish | costo | ||
| The word "costo" derives from the Latin word "constare", which means "to stand" or "to be worth" | |||
| Swedish | kosta | ||
| The word "kosta" can also refer to a Swedish coin worth 1/24 of a Riksdaler. | |||
| Welsh | cost | ||
| The word 'cost' in Welsh can also mean 'price', 'charge', or 'expense'. | |||
Cost in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | кошт | ||
| "Кошт" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "kosti" meaning "bone", and originally meant a living creature, a valuable object, or "meat on one's bones". | |||
| Bosnian | trošak | ||
| In Bosnian, "trošak" can also mean "expense" or "expenditure". | |||
| Bulgarian | цена | ||
| The word "цена" is cognate with the Proto-Slavic word *kaina, which meant "penalty" or "vengeance". | |||
| Czech | náklady | ||
| "Náklady" is derived from the word "nakládati", meaning "to lay upon" or "to charge". | |||
| Estonian | maksumus | ||
| The word "maksumus" derives from the verb "maksma" ("to pay") and the suffix "-mus" ("result of an action"). It can also refer to the amount of money or resources required to acquire something. | |||
| Finnish | kustannus | ||
| The word "kustannus" is derived from the Middle Low German word "kosten", meaning "to cost" or "to spend". | |||
| Hungarian | költség | ||
| "Költség" word derives from the Old High German "kost", meaning "sustenance" or "living expenses". | |||
| Latvian | izmaksas | ||
| The word "izmaksas" can also refer to the cost of something, such as the cost of a product or service. | |||
| Lithuanian | išlaidos | ||
| Išlaidos also means "expenditure" in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | цена | ||
| In Slavic languages, the word "цена" originates from the Proto-Slavic word "cěna", meaning "value" or "worth". | |||
| Polish | koszt | ||
| The word "koszt" in Polish can also refer to food or nourishment, particularly in a household or institutional setting. | |||
| Romanian | cost | ||
| In Romanian, "cost" can also refer to a side or flank of an animal, or to a part of a fruit or vegetable that is removed before consumption. | |||
| Russian | стоимость | ||
| The word "Стоимость" derives from the Old Slavonic word "стоимость", meaning "worth" or "value". | |||
| Serbian | трошак | ||
| The word "трошак" (cost) derives from the verb "трашити" (to waste), thus implying a sense of expenditure that depletes resources or wealth. | |||
| Slovak | náklady | ||
| "Náklady" also refers to the amount of work or resources required. | |||
| Slovenian | stroškov | ||
| In colloquial speech, strošek can also refer to expenses associated with travel. | |||
| Ukrainian | вартість | ||
| The Ukrainian word "вартість" (cost) is derived from the Proto-Slavic root "*vart-", meaning "to turn, to twist", and is related to words like "вертеть" (to turn) and "воротить" (to return). | |||
Cost in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | খরচ | ||
| The word "খরচ" can also mean "expenditure" or "expense" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | કિંમત | ||
| The word 'કિંમત' ('cost') in Gujarati is derived from the Sanskrit word 'किंमथ' ('price'), which itself comes from the root 'किम्' ('what') and the suffix '-थ' ('that which is'). | |||
| Hindi | लागत | ||
| The word 'लागत' (cost) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'लग्न', meaning 'to attach' or 'to join'. | |||
| Kannada | ವೆಚ್ಚ | ||
| The word 'ವೆಚ್ಚ' (vechcha) in Kannada is derived from the Sanskrit word 'व्यय' (vyaya), which means 'expenditure' or 'disbursement'. | |||
| Malayalam | ചെലവ് | ||
| Marathi | किंमत | ||
| "किंमत" also means "value". Similarly, "मूल्य" means both "cost" and "value". | |||
| Nepali | लागत | ||
| The word "लागत" originates from Sanskrit, where it meant a deduction or expenditure. | |||
| Punjabi | ਲਾਗਤ | ||
| "ਲਾਗਤ" also means 'the amount or degree to which the price of a product has increased due to taxation or some other reason' in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පිරිවැය | ||
| The Sinhalese term "පිරිවැය" (cost) originates from the prefix "පිරි" (around) and the root "වැය" (spending), connoting the expenditure incurred in all aspects of a project or activity. | |||
| Tamil | செலவு | ||
| "செலவு" can also refer to "expenditure" or "amount spent". | |||
| Telugu | ధర | ||
| "ధర" can also mean 'price, rate, value, rent, wage, salary' | |||
| Urdu | لاگت | ||
| The word "لاگت" is derived from the Sanskrit word "lagati", meaning "attachment" or "expense". | |||
Cost in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 成本 | ||
| The Chinese character '本' means 'original' or 'substance' and the character '成' means 'success' or 'accomplishment'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 成本 | ||
| In business management, it is short for 成本核算, meaning 'cost accounting'. It can also refer to the cost of an object, material, or idea, but is more often used in the business sense. | |||
| Japanese | 費用 | ||
| "費用" is also a term used in accounting to refer to expenses. | |||
| Korean | 비용 | ||
| "비용" in Korean also refers to the | |||
| Mongolian | зардал | ||
| The Mongolian word for "cost," "зардал," also refers to "expenses". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကုန်ကျစရိတ် | ||
| It is derived from Pali and Sanskrit 'koti', which means 'corner, edge' or 'end'. In Myanmar, the term commonly denotes expenditure on something essential. | |||
Cost in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | biaya | ||
| "Biaya" comes from Sanskrit word "vyaya" which means "expense". "Vyaya" also has a second meaning, which is "expenditure or payment", that has been borrowed into Indonesian as "bayar" | |||
| Javanese | biaya | ||
| In Javanese, "biaya" also refers to a type of traditional Javanese dance accompanied by gamelan music. | |||
| Khmer | ថ្លៃដើម | ||
| The word "ថ្លៃដើម" (thley derm) in Khmer can also mean "principal", "capital", "basic", or "main". | |||
| Lao | ຄ່າໃຊ້ຈ່າຍ | ||
| Malay | kos | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "cost", "kos" can also mean "expense" or "expenditure" in Malay. | |||
| Thai | ค่าใช้จ่าย | ||
| The Thai word "ค่าใช้จ่าย" can also refer to "expenses" or "charges." | |||
| Vietnamese | giá cả | ||
| The word "Giá cả" in Vietnamese also means "value", "worth", or "price". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | gastos | ||
Cost in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | dəyəri | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "dəyəri" can also be used to refer to the value or worth of something. | |||
| Kazakh | құны | ||
| The word "құны" can also refer to the "value or worth" of something. | |||
| Kyrgyz | наркы | ||
| It derives from the Mongolian word | |||
| Tajik | арзиш | ||
| "Арзиш" additionally means "value" or "importance" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | bahasy | ||
| Uzbek | xarajat | ||
| The word "xarajat" is derived from the Arabic word "kharch", meaning "expenditure" or "money spent". | |||
| Uyghur | تەننەرخ | ||
Cost in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kumu kūʻai | ||
| The word kumu kūʻai is derived from kumu ('source') and kūʻai ('to buy'), indicating the root of expenditure as the source of something purchased. | |||
| Maori | utu | ||
| The Maori word "utu" also holds meanings related to vengeance and retaliation. | |||
| Samoan | tau | ||
| Tau is also the name of a Samoan food and the Samoan word for the English word "town" | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | gastos | ||
| The Tagalog word "gastos" derives from the Spanish word "gastos", meaning "expenses" or "costs". | |||
Cost in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | chani | ||
| Guarani | repykue | ||
Cost in International Languages
| Esperanto | kosto | ||
| Latin | pretium | ||
| "Pretium" can also refer to value or worth, not just the price. | |||
Cost in Others Languages
| Greek | κόστος | ||
| The ancient Greek word 'κόστος' also referred to a type of aromatic plant and the fragrant oil obtained from it. | |||
| Hmong | nqi | ||
| The word 'nqi' can also mean 'price' or 'worth' in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | nirx | ||
| The word "nirx" also means "rate" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | maliyet | ||
| In Turkish, maliyet shares its root with mal, which means wealth or property. | |||
| Xhosa | iindleko | ||
| The word "iindleko" literally means "payment for the cost of something" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | פּרייַז | ||
| In Yiddish, "פּרייַז" (cost) comes from the Old High German "pris," meaning "value" or "worth," and is related to the English word "price." | |||
| Zulu | izindleko | ||
| Izindleko is used in Zulu to refer to the total cost of lobola (bride price). | |||
| Assamese | খৰচ | ||
| Aymara | chani | ||
| Bhojpuri | दाम | ||
| Dhivehi | ހަރަދު | ||
| Dogri | कीमत | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | gastos | ||
| Guarani | repykue | ||
| Ilocano | gatad | ||
| Krio | pe | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | تێچوو | ||
| Maithili | लागत | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯄꯤꯕꯥ ꯃꯃꯜ | ||
| Mizo | man | ||
| Oromo | baasii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ମୂଲ୍ୟ | ||
| Quechua | chanin | ||
| Sanskrit | मूल्यम् | ||
| Tatar | бәясе | ||
| Tigrinya | ዋጋ | ||
| Tsonga | hakelo | ||