Expensive in Different Languages
Discover 'Expensive' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'expensive' is a common term that carries significant meaning in our daily lives. It refers to something that costs a lot of money or resources, often associated with high quality, luxury, or rarity. But did you know that the concept of 'expensive' varies greatly across different cultures and languages?
For instance, in Mandarin Chinese, the word for 'expensive' is 'guì' (贵), which also means 'noble' or 'honorable'. This linguistic connection highlights the cultural importance placed on expensive items as symbols of prestige and status. Meanwhile, in Japanese, the word for 'expensive' is 'takai' (高い), which is also used to describe 'tall' or 'lofty' objects, reflecting the country's appreciation for aesthetics and elegance.
Understanding the translations of 'expensive' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultural nuances and societal values of various countries. It can also help travelers and businesspeople navigate foreign markets and communicate more effectively with local communities.
In this article, we will explore the fascinating translations of 'expensive' in 10 different languages, shedding light on the diverse ways that people around the world perceive and value costly items. Stay tuned!
Expensive
Expensive in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | duur | ||
| "Duur" is derived from Old Dutch "dure" and German "teuer" and has the alternate meaning of "difficult". | |||
| Amharic | ውድ | ||
| The word "ውድ" also means "beloved" or "dear" and is often used to describe a treasured possession. | |||
| Hausa | tsada | ||
| The word "tsada" also means "difficult" or "hard" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | dị oke ọnụ | ||
| The Igbo word "dị oke ọnụ" literally translates to "being very expensive," capturing the extent of the expense. | |||
| Malagasy | lafo | ||
| The word "lafo" means 'expensive' in Malagasy and is also used to describe something that is valuable or precious. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | okwera mtengo | ||
| The word "okwera mtengo" can also mean "to be of high value" or "to be prestigious" in Nyanja (Chichewa). | |||
| Shona | zvinodhura | ||
| The word "zvinodhura" is derived from the word "zvino" which means "now" and "dhura" which means "difficult". | |||
| Somali | qaali ah | ||
| The word "qaali ah" in Somali also means "precious" or "valuable." | |||
| Sesotho | theko e phahameng | ||
| "Theko" could also refer to a traditional Sesotho house that is round and has a thatched roof. | |||
| Swahili | ghali | ||
| The word "ghali" in Swahili is derived from the Arabic word "ghālī", which also means "expensive". | |||
| Xhosa | kubiza | ||
| The word "Kubiza” can also be used to describe something that has a high value or is precious. | |||
| Yoruba | gbowolori | ||
| "Gbowolori" is believed to have originated from "gb'owo l'ori" meaning "carry money on the head" signifying great wealth. | |||
| Zulu | kuyabiza | ||
| The word 'kuyabiza' comes from the verb 'ukubiza', which means 'to make noise', 'to shout'. | |||
| Bambara | gɛlɛn | ||
| Ewe | xᴐ asi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bihenze | ||
| Lingala | ntalo mingi | ||
| Luganda | omuwendo gwa waggulu | ||
| Sepedi | tura | ||
| Twi (Akan) | aboɔden | ||
Expensive in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مكلفة | ||
| مكلفة is derived from the Arabic verb كلف which means 'to burden (someone) with'. | |||
| Hebrew | יָקָר | ||
| The word "יָקָר" (yakar) not only means "expensive" but also "precious," "valuable," or "highly esteemed." | |||
| Pashto | ګران | ||
| The word "ګران" in Pashto derived from the Persian word "گران" (expensive), which is also related to the Sanskrit word "गुरु" (heavy). | |||
| Arabic | مكلفة | ||
| مكلفة is derived from the Arabic verb كلف which means 'to burden (someone) with'. | |||
Expensive in Western European Languages
| Albanian | e shtrenjtë | ||
| The Albanian word "e shtrenjtë" is derived from the Latin word strēnuus. In Latin, strēnuus means strong, active or energetic. | |||
| Basque | garestia | ||
| In Basque, the word “garestia” can also mean “expensive” or “difficult to do”. | |||
| Catalan | car | ||
| Catalan "car" can also mean a "face" or "countenance". | |||
| Croatian | skup | ||
| The word 'skup' in Croatian is derived from 'skopiti', which means 'to collect', suggesting the concept of 'gathering' something valuable. | |||
| Danish | dyrt | ||
| The Danish word "dyrt" is cognate with the English word "dear," which originally meant "precious" or "beloved." | |||
| Dutch | duur | ||
| The Dutch word "duur" is thought to come from an Old English word meaning "heavy" or "difficult". | |||
| English | expensive | ||
| The word "expensive" comes from the Latin word "expensus," which means "to weigh out" or "to spend." | |||
| French | coûteux | ||
| The word “coûteux” comes from the Latin “constare”, meaning to stand firm. | |||
| Frisian | djoer | ||
| The word "djoer" in Frisian is thought to be derived from the Middle Dutch word "diere", which also means "expensive". | |||
| Galician | caro | ||
| The word "caro" in Galician can also refer to meat, probably due to its high price in the past. | |||
| German | teuer | ||
| The word "teuer" is derived from the Old High German word "tiuri", which means "precious" or "valuable". | |||
| Icelandic | dýrt | ||
| The Icelandic word "dýrt" ("expensive") originates from the Old Norse word "dýrr," meaning "precious" or "valuable," which likely derived from the Proto-Germanic word ‘‘*deuraz,** meaning "deer." This connection hints at the perceived value and importance of deer as a resource in ancient Germanic societies. | |||
| Irish | daor | ||
| The word 'daor' can also mean 'difficult' or 'hard to do'. | |||
| Italian | costoso | ||
| "Costoso" derives from the Latin "constare," meaning "to stand firm" or "to have a fixed price," hence its sense of "expensive." | |||
| Luxembourgish | deier | ||
| The word "deier" in Luxembourgish ultimately derives from the Old High German word "tiuri", meaning "precious" or "valuable". | |||
| Maltese | għali | ||
| The word 'għali' is also used to refer to something of high value, such as a precious object or a person's good qualities. | |||
| Norwegian | dyrt | ||
| The word «dyrt» most likely has an origin in «dyre», meaning «animal», possibly because of using animal skins as a currency in early Norway. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | caro | ||
| In Latin, "caro" means "flesh" or "meat", and in Portuguese, it has the extended meaning of "something that is highly valued or desired, and therefore expensive." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | daor | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "daor" also means "difficult" and is used as an intensive in some parts of Scotland. | |||
| Spanish | costoso | ||
| "Costoso" comes from the Latin word "constosus" and can also mean abundant, profuse, or plentiful. | |||
| Swedish | dyr | ||
| The Swedish word "dyr" originally meant "animal", and is related to the English word "deer" and the Latin word "fera". | |||
| Welsh | drud | ||
| Drud in Welsh also refers to a 'turn' in a sequence, or to 'going around' or 'circling'. | |||
Expensive in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | дорага | ||
| The word "дорага" in Belarusian also means "road". | |||
| Bosnian | skupo | ||
| The word "skupo" can also mean "stingy" or "miserly" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | скъпо | ||
| The word "скъпо" also has the archaic meaning of "valuable" in Bulgarian, which is reflected in its related forms such as "скъп" (dear) and "ценен" (valuable). | |||
| Czech | drahý | ||
| The term “drahý” initially signified “dear” (as in “beloved”) but came to mean “expensive” when precious and expensive commodities came to central Europe from Western markets during the Middle Ages. | |||
| Estonian | kallis | ||
| The word «kallis» can also mean «precious», «valuable» or even «priceless». | |||
| Finnish | kallis | ||
| Despite its origin in the Swedish word 'kallis', it has a distinct meaning in Finnish as it refers to something costly or valuable rather than endearing. | |||
| Hungarian | drága | ||
| The etymology of "drága" can be traced back to the Proto-Slavic word "dragъ" meaning "precious, dear, expensive" or "beloved, dear". | |||
| Latvian | dārga | ||
| "Dārga" originates from the Slavic word "drogъ", meaning "costly" or "valuable." | |||
| Lithuanian | brangu | ||
| The word "brangu" in Lithuanian has several related meanings, including "valuable" and "precious". | |||
| Macedonian | скапи | ||
| The word 'скапи' derives from the Proto-Slavic root *skop-, meaning 'to save' or 'to hoard', suggesting its original meaning was 'valuable' or 'prized'. | |||
| Polish | kosztowny | ||
| The word "kosztowny" can also mean "valuable" or "precious". | |||
| Romanian | scump | ||
| The word 'scump' is derived from the Slavic word 'skup', meaning 'stingy' or 'miserly'. | |||
| Russian | дорого | ||
| The Russian word “дорого” (expensive) can also mean “dear,” as in a person who is close to one’s heart. | |||
| Serbian | скупо | ||
| "Скупо" can also mean "stingy" in Serbian, hinting at the negative connotation associated with high prices. | |||
| Slovak | drahý | ||
| The Slovak word "drahý" also means "dear" or "precious" and is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*dorgъ" meaning "valuable". | |||
| Slovenian | drago | ||
| The word 'drago' also refers to a precious stone or gem. | |||
| Ukrainian | дорого | ||
| The word "дорого" also means "dear" in Ukrainian, referring to a person or thing that is loved or valued. | |||
Expensive in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ব্যয়বহুল | ||
| "ব্যয়বহুল" comes from the word "ব্যয়" (cost), and literally means "bearing cost". | |||
| Gujarati | ખર્ચાળ | ||
| The word "ખર્ચાળ" is derived from the verb "ખરચવું" (to spend), and it literally means "that which is spent". | |||
| Hindi | महंगा | ||
| The word "महंगा" originated from the Sanskrit word "महत", meaning "great" or "important". | |||
| Kannada | ದುಬಾರಿ | ||
| It is used as a euphemism to refer to something that is not physically expensive (for example, the bride in a marriage is commonly referred to as "ದುಬಾರಿ" by her in-laws) | |||
| Malayalam | ചെലവേറിയത് | ||
| The word "ചെലവേറിയത്" in Malayalam comes from the Sanskrit word "chal" meaning "to move", and it can also refer to something that is extravagant or costly. | |||
| Marathi | महाग | ||
| The word "महाग" is derived from the Sanskrit words "मह" meaning "great" and "ग" meaning "to go". | |||
| Nepali | महँगो | ||
| The word "महँगो" comes from the Sanskrit word "महर्ग" meaning "costly" or "dear". | |||
| Punjabi | ਮਹਿੰਗਾ | ||
| The Punjabi word ਮਹਿੰਗਾ, meaning "expensive," is derived from the Persian word "mahang," which also means "expensive," suggesting a historical trading and linguistic exchange between the two languages. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මිල අධිකයි | ||
| Tamil | விலை உயர்ந்தது | ||
| The term is derived from the word "nilai", meaning"value" or "worth" in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | ఖరీదైనది | ||
| The word "ఖరీదైనది" in Telugu originates from the Sanskrit word "kṛta", meaning "bought or acquired". | |||
| Urdu | مہنگا | ||
| The word 'مہنگا' is derived from the Persian word 'مه,' meaning 'moon' and 'گانا,' meaning 'to sing,' alluding to the belief that the moon influences prices. | |||
Expensive in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 昂贵 | ||
| 昂贵 in Simplified Chinese literally means "head up". The "head" refers to the cost, and "up" means high. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 昂貴 | ||
| 昂貴 is also an abbreviation of "昂首向天，窮途而歸" (with head up to the sky, returning home in desperation) | |||
| Japanese | 高価な | ||
| The word 高価な "koukana" is derived from the Chinese vocabulary 貴い "toi" (precious, valuable) and 高い "takai" (high), which were later combined and converted to kun'yomi. | |||
| Korean | 비싼 | ||
| 비싼 in Korean is related to the word 비치다, which means to shine or glitter. | |||
| Mongolian | үнэтэй | ||
| "Үнэтэй" can also mean "valuable" or "precious" | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | စျေးကြီး | ||
Expensive in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mahal | ||
| The word "mahal" in Indonesian is thought to have originated from the Arabic word "ghali", meaning "precious" or "valuable". | |||
| Javanese | larang | ||
| The Javanese word 'larang' has an alternative meaning, 'forbidden', reflecting the taboo surrounding the mention of specific words or acts in certain contexts, such as funeral rites or royal court matters. | |||
| Khmer | ថ្លៃណាស់ | ||
| The word can also be used to describe non-material things | |||
| Lao | ລາຄາແພງ | ||
| Malay | mahal | ||
| The Malay word "mahal" can also refer to a palace, suggesting its grandeur and value. | |||
| Thai | เเพง | ||
| The word "เเพง" can also mean "difficult" or "rare". | |||
| Vietnamese | đắt | ||
| The word "đắt" can also mean "rare" or "valuable" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mahal | ||
Expensive in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | bahalı | ||
| The word "bahalı" also means "esteemed" or "valuable" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | қымбат | ||
| The Kazakh word "қымбат" can also mean "valuable" or "precious." | |||
| Kyrgyz | кымбат | ||
| The word "кымбат" (expensive) in Kyrgyz is derived from the Persian word "ghīmat" (value, worth). It also means "valuable" or "precious" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | гарон | ||
| The Tajik word "гарон" may also be a variation of the word "гаразон", which is a type of large tent. | |||
| Turkmen | gymmat | ||
| Uzbek | qimmat | ||
| Uzbek "qimmat" is a loanword from Persian "qīmat" meaning "worth" or "price". | |||
| Uyghur | قىممەت | ||
Expensive in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pipiʻi | ||
| The word "pipiʻi" may also mean "difficult" or "troublesome" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | utu nui | ||
| The Maori word utu nui means 'expensive', and is sometimes extended as a way of describing something that is overly expensive as utu nui rawa, which literally means 'very expensive'. | |||
| Samoan | taugata | ||
| The word "taugata" in Samoan can also mean "valuable" or "precious". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mahal | ||
| In addition to 'expensive,' the Tagalog word 'mahal' can also mean 'beloved' or 'treasured'. | |||
Expensive in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jila | ||
| Guarani | hepy | ||
Expensive in International Languages
| Esperanto | multekosta | ||
| "Multekosta" is a compound of "multe" (much) and "kosti" (cost), so it literally means "much cost." | |||
| Latin | pretiosa | ||
| The term 'pretiosa' is derived from the Latin verb 'pretiari', meaning 'to set a price', and also denoted something 'of great value'. | |||
Expensive in Others Languages
| Greek | ακριβός | ||
| The word ακριβός, in addition to meaning "expensive," is also used in Ancient Greek to refer to something "precise" or "exact." | |||
| Hmong | kim | ||
| The Hmong word "kim" can also refer to a precious object or something of high value. | |||
| Kurdish | biha | ||
| The word "biha" can also refer to a specific type of valuable fabric or a large amount of money. | |||
| Turkish | pahalı | ||
| The etymology of 'pahalı' in Turkish traces back to Persian "baha(y)li", which also bears meanings of 'price', 'wealth' and 'valuable'. | |||
| Xhosa | kubiza | ||
| The word "Kubiza” can also be used to describe something that has a high value or is precious. | |||
| Yiddish | טײַער | ||
| The Yiddish word "טײַער" also means "dear" in the sense of beloved or precious. | |||
| Zulu | kuyabiza | ||
| The word 'kuyabiza' comes from the verb 'ukubiza', which means 'to make noise', 'to shout'. | |||
| Assamese | দামী | ||
| Aymara | jila | ||
| Bhojpuri | महँग | ||
| Dhivehi | އަގުބޮޑު | ||
| Dogri | मैंहगा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mahal | ||
| Guarani | hepy | ||
| Ilocano | nangina | ||
| Krio | dia | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | گران بەها | ||
| Maithili | महग | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯥꯡꯕ | ||
| Mizo | manto | ||
| Oromo | qaalii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ମହଙ୍ଗା | ||
| Quechua | llunpay | ||
| Sanskrit | बहुमूल्यम् | ||
| Tatar | кыйммәт | ||
| Tigrinya | ክባር | ||
| Tsonga | durha | ||