Expense in Different Languages
Discover 'Expense' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'expense' is a common term in our daily lives, referring to the cost or amount of money spent on something. Its significance goes beyond mere financial transactions, as it can also signify a personal sacrifice or investment in experiences and relationships. Understanding the concept of expense is crucial to managing personal finances, making informed purchasing decisions, and living within our means.
The cultural importance of expense is evident in various proverbs and idioms across languages. For instance, in English, we say 'you have to spend money to make money,' emphasizing the potential returns on investment. Meanwhile, in French, 'l'argent ne fait pas le bonheur' (money doesn’t bring happiness) reminds us of the limits of material wealth.
As global citizens, knowing the translation of 'expense' in different languages can enhance our cross-cultural communication and deepen our appreciation for the diverse ways people around the world view and manage their finances.
Here are some translations of the word 'expense' to get you started:
Expense
Expense in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | uitgawe | ||
| As a financial term, "uitgawe" can refer either to a payment or a type of document. | |||
| Amharic | ወጪ | ||
| The Amharic term "ወጪ" can also be used to describe a "deduction" or "discount". | |||
| Hausa | kudi | ||
| The word 'kudi' is derived from the Arabic word 'qurd', meaning 'loan' or 'debt'. | |||
| Igbo | mmefu | ||
| In Old Igbo, "mmefu" also meant "a heavy burden". | |||
| Malagasy | niantohan'ny | ||
| The term 'NIANTOHAN'NY' also refers to a type of traditional Malagasy dance performed at ceremonies. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ndalama | ||
| Ndalama likely comes from -ndalama- 'to put out money'. | |||
| Shona | mari | ||
| The word 'mari' in Shona, which has its origins in Bantu languages, can also refer to 'labor,' 'work,' or 'service' in certain contexts. | |||
| Somali | kharash | ||
| The word 'kharash' in Somali is derived from the Arabic word 'kharj', which means 'expenditure' or 'cost'. | |||
| Sesotho | litsenyehelo | ||
| The word "litsenyehelo" in Sesotho also means "the act of showing oneself off". | |||
| Swahili | gharama | ||
| The word 'gharama' in Swahili also means 'trouble' or 'burden'. | |||
| Xhosa | inkcitho | ||
| In Xhosa, inkcitho can also mean waste or loss. | |||
| Yoruba | inawo | ||
| The word 'inawo' also means 'expenditure' or 'cost' in Yoruba. | |||
| Zulu | izindleko | ||
| "Izindleko" is a Zulu word that historically implied 'the cost of a gift given to a chief' before it came to mean 'expense' in more modern times. | |||
| Bambara | musakaw | ||
| Ewe | gazazã | ||
| Kinyarwanda | amafaranga | ||
| Lingala | dépense | ||
| Luganda | ensaasaanya | ||
| Sepedi | ditshenyagalelo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɛka a wɔbɔ | ||
Expense in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مصروف | ||
| Originally, "مصروف" in Arabic did not refer to "expense", but rather "consumption" (صرف), as spending was viewed as one of many ways in which you use things up. | |||
| Hebrew | הוֹצָאָה | ||
| The Hebrew word הוצאה also means "extraction" and "publication" | |||
| Pashto | لګښت | ||
| The word "لګښت" also means "investment" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | مصروف | ||
| Originally, "مصروف" in Arabic did not refer to "expense", but rather "consumption" (صرف), as spending was viewed as one of many ways in which you use things up. | |||
Expense in Western European Languages
| Albanian | shpenzim | ||
| The word "shpenzim" has roots in Proto-Albanian, and can also refer to waste, or unnecessary usage. | |||
| Basque | gastua | ||
| The Basque word 'gastua' comes from the Latin word 'gastus', meaning 'expenditure' or 'expense'. The Basque word 'gastu' has evolved to include the additional meaning of 'waste' or 'useless expenditure'. | |||
| Catalan | despesa | ||
| The Catalan word "despesa" comes from vulgar Latin *despendĕre*, "to expend", and is cognate to French "dépenser" and Italian "dispendere ." | |||
| Croatian | trošak | ||
| The word "trošak" in Croatian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*trošьka", which also means "rubbish" or "waste". | |||
| Danish | bekostning | ||
| Bekostning is derived from the Old Norse word "bekosta", meaning "to bear the cost". | |||
| Dutch | kosten | ||
| The word "kosten" is derived from the Old Dutch word "cost", meaning "food, sustenance". | |||
| English | expense | ||
| The word expense shares its etymology with the word expend, both being derived from Latin expendere, meaning to weigh out or pay out. | |||
| French | frais | ||
| In Old French, "frais" referred to "breaking" or "fracturing," particularly the breaking apart of a spear during a duel. | |||
| Frisian | ûnkosten | ||
| The word "ûnkosten" in Frisian is derived from the Old Frisian word "ônekost" and the Middle Dutch word "oncost". | |||
| Galician | gasto | ||
| Galician word "gasto" comes from Latin "vastare", meaning "to empty" or "to spread". | |||
| German | aufwand | ||
| The term 'Aufwand' is derived from the Middle High German word 'ūfwant' meaning 'effort or exertion'. | |||
| Icelandic | kostnaður | ||
| "Kostnaður" can also refer to a cost estimate. | |||
| Irish | costas | ||
| Although it is now used in the context of financial expenses, "costas" originally also referred to the amount paid to a person for physical or mental exertion. | |||
| Italian | spese | ||
| Spese also refers to an archaic measure used in northern Italy equal to 425.3 metres. | |||
| Luxembourgish | ausgab | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "expense," "Ausgab" can also refer to an issue, edition, or publication in Luxembourgish. | |||
| Maltese | spiża | ||
| The Maltese word "spiża" originates from the Italian word "spesa", meaning "expense" or "cost". | |||
| Norwegian | kostnader | ||
| Norwegian "kostnader" derives from Old Norse "kostnaðr" which means "provisions, sustenance". Thus "living expenses" are literally "sustenance-expenses". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | despesa | ||
| The word "despesa" comes from the Late Latin "dispensare" (to weigh out, distribute) | |||
| Scots Gaelic | cosgais | ||
| The word 'cosgais' also means 'price' or 'cost' in Scots Gaelic | |||
| Spanish | gastos | ||
| The word "gastos" in Spanish derives from the Latin word "expenso" meaning "to weigh out". | |||
| Swedish | bekostnad | ||
| Bekostnad is derived from the Old Norse word "kostnaðr", meaning "expense, cost; sustenance". The word "bekosta" meaning "to defray" is derived from the same root. | |||
| Welsh | traul | ||
| The word 'traul' in Welsh can also refer to 'anxiety' or 'trouble', possibly due to the financial stress often associated with expenses. | |||
Expense in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | расход | ||
| Беларуское слово "расход" происходит от старорусского "расхожд" (расхождение), которое в свою очередь возникло из глагола "расходитися" (уходить, разъезжаться). | |||
| Bosnian | trošak | ||
| The word "trošak" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*trъgъ", meaning "load, burden". | |||
| Bulgarian | разход | ||
| "Разход" is also a Bulgarian word for "gap" or "clearance". | |||
| Czech | výdaje | ||
| The word "výdaje" comes from the verb "vy-dati", meaning "to give out" or "to spend". | |||
| Estonian | kulud | ||
| "Kulud" in Estonian comes from the German "Kosten" meaning the same thing, but also refers to the "costs of living". | |||
| Finnish | kustannuksella | ||
| The word "kustannuksella" is derived from the verb "kustantaa" (to pay for) and the suffix "-uksella" (at the expense of). | |||
| Hungarian | költség | ||
| The word 'költség' is possibly related to the Turkish word 'köşt' meaning 'maintenance, livelihood'. | |||
| Latvian | izdevumi | ||
| The word "izdevumi" comes from the verb "izdot" which means "to spend". | |||
| Lithuanian | išlaidos | ||
| The Lithuanian word "išlaidos" is etymologically related to the Latvian word "izdevumi", both derived from the Indo-European root *h₁eyd- meaning 'to go, to walk'. | |||
| Macedonian | трошок | ||
| The word "трошок" in Macedonian comes from the verb "трошити" meaning "to spend", ultimately deriving from the Proto-Slavic verb "*trъšiti" meaning "to shake" or "to scatter". | |||
| Polish | koszt | ||
| The word "koszt" also means "food" or "meal" in Polish, derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*kostь" with the same meaning. | |||
| Romanian | cheltuială | ||
| "Cheltuială" is also used in Romanian to refer to the act of spending money. | |||
| Russian | расход | ||
| "Расход" also means "consumption" or, in medicine, "dispensing" of medication. | |||
| Serbian | трошак | ||
| The word "трошак" in Serbian can also refer to a "burden" or "trouble". | |||
| Slovak | výdavok | ||
| The word "výdavok" is derived from the Slavic word "vydati", meaning "to spend" or "to issue". | |||
| Slovenian | stroškov | ||
| The word "stroškov" in Slovenian is derived from the German word "Streichholz" meaning "match". | |||
| Ukrainian | витрат | ||
| The word "витрат" comes from the Proto-Slavic root *vitъ, meaning "to live" or "to spend." | |||
Expense in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ব্যয় | ||
| ব্যয় (byôy) is related to the word 'ব্যাস' (byas) meaning 'to spread' or 'to extend' in Sanskrit. | |||
| Gujarati | ખર્ચ | ||
| The word "ખર્ચ" comes from Sanskrit "karch" meaning either "to go" or "to pay". | |||
| Hindi | व्यय | ||
| व्यय is a Sanskrit word derived from the root 'vi' (to separate, disperse), implying a 'disbursement' of resources. | |||
| Kannada | ವೆಚ್ಚ | ||
| The word "ವೆಚ್ಚ" also refers to the ritual of offering food to ancestors on a specific day. | |||
| Malayalam | ചെലവ് | ||
| "ചെലവ്" is derived from the Sanskrit word "chalati" meaning "to go" or "to move" and it also means "effort" or "hard work." | |||
| Marathi | खर्च | ||
| In Marathi, the word "खर्च" is also used colloquially to mean "trouble" or "bother." | |||
| Nepali | खर्च | ||
| The term 'खर्च' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'kṣipa', meaning 'to throw' or 'to spend'. It can also denote 'sacrifice' or 'donation' in a religious context. | |||
| Punjabi | ਖਰਚਾ | ||
| The word 'ਖਰਚਾ' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'kṣapaṇa', which literally means 'throwing out' or 'spending'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වියදම් | ||
| The word "වියදම්" (expense) in Sinhala originally meant "dispersion" or "distribution". | |||
| Tamil | செலவு | ||
| செலவு, also means "expenditure of resources or energy." | |||
| Telugu | ఖర్చు | ||
| ఖర్చు derives from Sanskrit 'kṣaṇa' (moment) and 'cu' (to move), meaning 'that which is spent or used up over time'. | |||
| Urdu | خرچہ | ||
| خرچہ is derived from the Persian word خرچ (kharach) which means "expenditure, disbursement, cost"} | |||
Expense in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 费用 | ||
| 费用(fèiyòng) comes from the word 费(fèi), which means 'to spend' or 'cost'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 費用 | ||
| In ancient Japanese, 費用 (hiyou) also meant | |||
| Japanese | 費用 | ||
| 費用 is also a Sino-Japanese word derived from Traditional Chinese "費用", meaning "to expend energy" or "to incur charges." | |||
| Korean | 비용 | ||
| The Sino-Korean word "비용" can also refer to the cost of something, such as the price of a good or service. | |||
| Mongolian | зардал | ||
| "Зардал" (expense) in Mongolian is related to the verb "зарх" (to spend). | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကုန်ကျစရိတ် | ||
Expense in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | biaya | ||
| The word "biaya" (expense) in Indonesian comes from the Proto-Austronesian word *biah, meaning "wealth" or "property". This Proto-Austronesian word is also the origin of loanwords into several Papuan and Timor-Alor-Pantar languages of Eastern Indonesia. | |||
| Javanese | beya | ||
| In Javanese, 'beya' refers to monetary costs, but can also mean 'effort', 'energy' or 'investment'. | |||
| Khmer | ការចំណាយ | ||
| Lao | ຄ່າໃຊ້ຈ່າຍ | ||
| Malay | perbelanjaan | ||
| "Belanja" can also refer to shopping, expenditure, or outlay, and "per" is a prefix meaning "for" or "around." | |||
| Thai | ค่าใช้จ่าย | ||
| ค่าใช้จ่าย, originally "ค่าที่ต้องใช้จ่าย", is semantically similar to "ค่าลงแรง" "ค่าขนส่ง" "ค่ารักษาพยาบาล" "ค่าปรับ" "ค่าเสียหาย" (expense, originally "value that must be spent", is semantically similar to "labor cost" "transportation cost" "medical cost" "fine" "damages") | |||
| Vietnamese | chi phí | ||
| "Chi phí" is Sino-Vietnamese and derived from the Classical Chinese term "支費". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | gastos | ||
Expense in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | xərc | ||
| The word "xərc" (expense) comes from the Persian word "kharj" (expenditure), which itself derives from the Arabic word "khurūj" (departure). | |||
| Kazakh | шығын | ||
| "Шығын" word derives from the verb "шығу" (to go out, to leave) and denotes something that "goes out" of possession or something that is "left out". | |||
| Kyrgyz | чыгым | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "чыгым" can also refer to the process of spending or the cost of something. | |||
| Tajik | хароҷот | ||
| The term "хароҷот" in Tajik originates from the Persian word "kharāj", meaning "land tax" or "tribute". | |||
| Turkmen | çykdajylary | ||
| Uzbek | xarajatlar | ||
| The word "xarajatlar" is derived from the Persian word "kharj" which means "expenditure". It can also refer to "costs", "outlays", "disbursements", or "charges". | |||
| Uyghur | چىقىم | ||
Expense in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻolilo kālā | ||
| The Hawaiian word "hoʻolilo kālā" can also refer to the spending of money, or the distribution of wealth. | |||
| Maori | utu | ||
| "Utu" is a Maori term that not only means "expense" but also refers to the concept of reciprocity, obligation, and compensation for wrongdoing. | |||
| Samoan | tupe alu | ||
| The word "tupe alu" in Samoan literally means "money that goes away". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | gastos | ||
| The word "gastos" is derived from the Spanish word "gastar", which means "to spend" or "to use up". | |||
Expense in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | gasto luraña | ||
| Guarani | gasto rehegua | ||
Expense in International Languages
| Esperanto | elspezo | ||
| The word "elspezo" is derived from the Latin word "expensum", which means "outlay" or "payment." | |||
| Latin | inpensa | ||
| The word "inpensa" also means "effort" or "industry" in Latin. | |||
Expense in Others Languages
| Greek | δαπάνη | ||
| The word "δαπάνη" (dapánē) derives from the verb "δαπάω" (dapáo), meaning "to spend, to consume, to waste, to pay" and shares a root with the verb "δάπτω" (dáptō), meaning "to bite, to tear, to seize with the teeth." | |||
| Hmong | siv nyiaj | ||
| 'Siv nyiaj' can also mean 'to spend money' or 'to waste money' in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | xercî | ||
| The word "xercî" is derived from the word "xerc" which means "to spend". | |||
| Turkish | masraf | ||
| The word "masraf" is derived from the Arabic word "masraf" meaning "destination, place of expenditure". | |||
| Xhosa | inkcitho | ||
| In Xhosa, inkcitho can also mean waste or loss. | |||
| Yiddish | קאָסט | ||
| The word "קאָסט" in Yiddish derives from Middle High German and can also refer to diet or consumption. | |||
| Zulu | izindleko | ||
| "Izindleko" is a Zulu word that historically implied 'the cost of a gift given to a chief' before it came to mean 'expense' in more modern times. | |||
| Assamese | খৰচ | ||
| Aymara | gasto luraña | ||
| Bhojpuri | खरचा के खरचा कइल जाला | ||
| Dhivehi | ހަރަދު | ||
| Dogri | खर्चा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | gastos | ||
| Guarani | gasto rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | gastos | ||
| Krio | ɛkspɛns | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | خەرجی | ||
| Maithili | खर्चा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯥꯗꯤꯡ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | senso senso a ni | ||
| Oromo | baasii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଖର୍ଚ୍ଚ | ||
| Quechua | gasto | ||
| Sanskrit | व्ययम् | ||
| Tatar | чыгымнары | ||
| Tigrinya | ወጻኢታት | ||
| Tsonga | ku tirhisiwa ka mali | ||