Finance in Different Languages
Discover 'Finance' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Finance, a term of French origin, has become a cornerstone of modern society. It refers to the management, creation, and study of money, banking, credit, investments, assets, and liabilities. In essence, finance is the lifeblood of economies, enabling individuals, businesses, and governments to plan for the future, invest in growth, and navigate the complexities of a globalized world.
The significance of finance extends beyond economic terms. It holds cultural importance, influencing societal norms, values, and behaviors. The way a society approaches finance can reveal much about its history, traditions, and aspirations. For instance, the German term Finanzen reflects a society that values prudence and long-term planning, while the Arabic word مالية (
Finance
Finance in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | finansies | ||
| The word "finansies" is derived from the French word "finances" and originally referred to public funds or revenue. | |||
| Amharic | ፋይናንስ | ||
| The word “ፋይናንስ” likely derives from the French word “finance” or an Italian cognate, and shares a common root with “finesse.” | |||
| Hausa | kudi | ||
| In Hausa, "kudi" also refers to money or currency. | |||
| Igbo | ego | ||
| In Igbo language, the term 'ego' also means the sum of money owed to someone or something | |||
| Malagasy | bola | ||
| The Malagasy word "bola" also means "debt", "money owed", or "obligation". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zachuma | ||
| The word "zachuma" can also mean "economics" or "financial matters". | |||
| Shona | mari | ||
| Mari also means 'money' and is also the root for the term 'mariage' or 'marriage'. | |||
| Somali | maaliyadeed | ||
| The word "maaliyadeed" is also used in Somali to refer to accounting and money management, but not to investment or capital. | |||
| Sesotho | lichelete | ||
| The word "lichelete" in Sesotho can also refer to "wealth" or "money". | |||
| Swahili | fedha | ||
| Fedha's cognate 'fedhera' is used in KiMvita to mean 'to give a gift'. In KiNgwana, it means 'to make a payment'. | |||
| Xhosa | ezemali | ||
| The word "ezemali" can also refer to a loan or credit. | |||
| Yoruba | inawo | ||
| The word "inawo" in Yoruba originally meant "wealth" or "property". | |||
| Zulu | ezezimali | ||
| The word "ezezimali" is an Nguni word, likely borrowed from the English language, meaning "finance." | |||
| Bambara | finansi | ||
| Ewe | ga zazã | ||
| Kinyarwanda | imari | ||
| Lingala | mbongo | ||
| Luganda | ensimbi | ||
| Sepedi | matlotlo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | sikasɛm | ||
Finance in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | المالية | ||
| "المالية" is also the term for "financial auditing" in Arabic and comes from the root word "م-ل-ي" meaning "to own". | |||
| Hebrew | לְמַמֵן | ||
| Although the word "לְמַמֵן" ("finance") in Hebrew is commonly associated with financial operations, it originally comes from the root "מן" ("manna"), referring to the divine food that was provided to the Israelites during their journey in the wilderness. | |||
| Pashto | مالیه | ||
| مالیه can also mean "property" or "capital" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | المالية | ||
| "المالية" is also the term for "financial auditing" in Arabic and comes from the root word "م-ل-ي" meaning "to own". | |||
Finance in Western European Languages
| Albanian | financave | ||
| The term "financave" in Albanian derives from the Italian "finanza," denoting monetary transactions or public revenue. | |||
| Basque | finantzak | ||
| The Basque word "finantzak" has no other meanings and comes from the Spanish word "finanzas". | |||
| Catalan | finances | ||
| "Finances" is also the plural of the word "fina" which means "thin" or "fine". | |||
| Croatian | financije | ||
| "Financije" is derived from the Latin word "finis," meaning "end" or "purpose." | |||
| Danish | finansiere | ||
| The Danish word "finansiere" is derived from the French word "financer", which originally meant "to pay a fine". | |||
| Dutch | financiën | ||
| The Dutch word for "finance" may also refer to the financial situation of a company or individual. | |||
| English | finance | ||
| The word 'finance' shares its origins with 'finis', the Latin word for 'end' or 'goal'. | |||
| French | la finance | ||
| In French, "la finance" can also refer to the world of high finance and financial institutions. | |||
| Frisian | finânsjes | ||
| The Frisian word "finânsjes" can also refer to personal finances or money management. | |||
| Galician | finanzas | ||
| In Galician, "finanzas" can also mean "means" or "resources."} | |||
| German | finanzen | ||
| The word "Finanzen" is derived from the Latin word "finis", meaning "end" or "limit", and refers to the management of resources and expenditures, as a finite amount of resources is available. | |||
| Icelandic | fjármál | ||
| The word "fjármál" in Icelandic is derived from the Proto-Germanic *fehu-malą, meaning "wealth-speech" or "chattel-speech". | |||
| Irish | airgeadas | ||
| The Irish word "airgeadas" literally means "silver money" and is derived from the Gaelic words "airgead" (silver) and "deasa" (much). | |||
| Italian | finanza | ||
| The word "finanza" in Italian derives from the Latin word "finis", meaning "end", and originally referred to the payment of a debt or the settlement of a financial transaction. | |||
| Luxembourgish | finanzéieren | ||
| The word "finanzéieren" is derived from the French word "financer," which means "to provide funds for." | |||
| Maltese | finanzi | ||
| The word 'finanzi' in Maltese is derived from the Italian word 'finanza' and originally referred to royal or government treasury. | |||
| Norwegian | finansiere | ||
| The Norwegian word "finansiere" derives from the French word "financier", meaning "person who manages money", and can also refer to a type of pastry. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | finança | ||
| The Portuguese word "finança" originates from the Latin "finis", meaning "end" or "purpose", and is cognate with the English "funds" and "finish". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ionmhas | ||
| "Ionmhas" derives from the Old Irish "ionmhus" meaning "profit". In modern Irish, it means "wealth". | |||
| Spanish | finanzas | ||
| The Spanish word "finanzas" derives from the Latin word "financia," meaning "payment" or "money." | |||
| Swedish | finansiera | ||
| The word "finansiera" derives from the Latin word "financia", meaning "payment" or "revenue". | |||
| Welsh | cyllid | ||
| The Welsh word "cyllid" can also refer to a "budget" or "allowance". | |||
Finance in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | фінансы | ||
| The word “фінансы” derives from the Latin “finis”, which means “end,” and refers to the final goal or purpose of an economic activity. | |||
| Bosnian | finansije | ||
| "Finansije" originates from the French term "financer" meaning "to pay out" and from the Old French word "fin" meaning "end" or "purpose". | |||
| Bulgarian | финанси | ||
| The word "финанси" (finance) in Bulgarian derives from the Greek word "φίνος" (finos), meaning "fine" or "subtle." | |||
| Czech | finance | ||
| The word "finance" in Czech can also mean "money", "funding", or "financial aid". | |||
| Estonian | rahandus | ||
| Rahandus comes from the Swedish word "ränta", meaning "interest". | |||
| Finnish | rahoittaa | ||
| The word "rahoittaa" derives from the noun "raha" ('money'), which ultimately comes from an Old Norse word referring to value, cattle, or sheep. | |||
| Hungarian | pénzügy | ||
| Pénzügy derives from the Ancient Greek word "pentagon", which means five, and is referred to the fact that in Ancient Greece, financial transactions were recorded on pentagons. | |||
| Latvian | finanses | ||
| In Latvian, “finanses” is also used to refer to money used in accounting. | |||
| Lithuanian | finansai | ||
| "Finansai" is also a term of endearment for a loved one. | |||
| Macedonian | финансии | ||
| The word "финансии" comes from Medieval Greek φινάνι ("fine, money to pay"), which is in turn thought to come from the Greek φοίνιξ ("Phoenician"). | |||
| Polish | finanse | ||
| The Polish word "finanse" derives from the Old French word "finance", meaning payment of money. | |||
| Romanian | finanţa | ||
| The word "finanţa" comes from the French word "finance", meaning "the management of money, especially by governments or large organizations" | |||
| Russian | финансы | ||
| The Russian word "финансы" is derived from the Latin word "financia", meaning "a fine". This may reflect the historical use of financial instruments as a way to pay fines and other fees. | |||
| Serbian | финансије | ||
| The word "финансије" comes from the Latin word "financie" which in turn comes from the Old French word "financer" which means "to pay". | |||
| Slovak | financie | ||
| The word financie may also refer to financial institutions or the financial system. | |||
| Slovenian | financ | ||
| The word financ can also mean 'financier' in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | фінанси | ||
| The word "фінанси" comes from the Latin "finis", meaning "end" or "purpose", and refers to the financial means to achieve a desired outcome. | |||
Finance in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অর্থায়ন | ||
| অর্থায়ন refers to providing financial resources to an organization or individual, and literally means "means of obtaining money" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | ફાઇનાન્સ | ||
| The word Gujarati word "ફાઇનાન્સ" ("finance") comes from the French word "finance", which in turn comes from the Latin word "finis", meaning "end" or "purpose". | |||
| Hindi | वित्त | ||
| The word "वित्त" in Hindi originates from the Sanskrit word "vitta", meaning "wealth" or "property." | |||
| Kannada | ಹಣಕಾಸು | ||
| The Kannada word | |||
| Malayalam | ധനകാര്യം | ||
| The term "ധനകാര്യം" is also used to refer to economic matters and financial management | |||
| Marathi | वित्त | ||
| The word "वित्त" in Marathi can also mean "treasure" or "wealth". | |||
| Nepali | वित्त | ||
| In Sanskrit, the word "वित्त" also means "knowledge" or "understanding." | |||
| Punjabi | ਵਿੱਤ | ||
| The word ਵਿੱਤ (finance) is derived from the Latin word 'finis', meaning 'end' or 'boundary', referring to the final settlement of accounts. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මූල්ය | ||
| The word "මූල්ය" (finance) in Sinhala originates from the Sanskrit word "मूल्य" (value) and refers to the management of monetary resources and financial assets. | |||
| Tamil | நிதி | ||
| நிதி (niṉi) is also used to refer to water, a treasure, or a deposit. | |||
| Telugu | ఫైనాన్స్ | ||
| The word "ఫైనాన్స్" is derived from the Latin word "finis," meaning "end" or "purpose." | |||
| Urdu | مالیات | ||
| The word مالیات derives from the Arabic word مال meaning property or wealth. | |||
Finance in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 金融 | ||
| 金融 in Chinese is a combination of the words 'gold' (金) and 'funds' (融), and can also refer to 'money management'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 金融 | ||
| The Chinese characters that make up "finance" have alternate meanings referring to "money" and "gold". | |||
| Japanese | ファイナンス | ||
| ファイナンスはもともと「罰金」を意味し、18世紀には「資金調達」という意味で用いられるようになった。 | |||
| Korean | 재원 | ||
| The word "재원" means "finance" or "resources" in Korean, and is often used in the context of managing money or assets. | |||
| Mongolian | санхүү | ||
| The Mongolian word "санхүү" ultimately derives from the Sanskrit word "saṃkhya" meaning "number". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဘဏ္ာရေး | ||
Finance in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | keuangan | ||
| The word "keuangan" comes from the Dutch word "finantie" which is derived from the Latin word "finis", meaning "end, purpose, or result." | |||
| Javanese | keuangan | ||
| In Old Javanese the word "keuangan" originally meant "treasure". | |||
| Khmer | ហិរញ្ញវត្ថុ | ||
| Lao | ການເງິນ | ||
| Finance translates to "ການເງິນ" in Laotian, and refers to the allocation of available resources, usually financial. | |||
| Malay | kewangan | ||
| The word "kewangan" in Malay is derived from the Sanskrit word "kosa" meaning "treasure" or "wealth". | |||
| Thai | การเงิน | ||
| The word "การเงิน" (finance) in Thai derives from the Sanskrit word "karmanya" meaning "to do" or "action". | |||
| Vietnamese | tài chính | ||
| The Vietnamese word "tài chính" originates from the Chinese "財政", which literally means "wealth management". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pananalapi | ||
Finance in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | maliyyə | ||
| The word "maliyyə" is derived from the Arabic word "māl", meaning "wealth" or "property". | |||
| Kazakh | қаржы | ||
| The word "қаржы" may also mean "wealth" or "assets" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | каржы | ||
| The word "каржы" (finance) in Kyrgyz comes from the Mongolian word "харж" (expenditure). | |||
| Tajik | молия | ||
| The Tajik word 'молия' is derived from the Greek word 'οικονομία', which means 'household management' or 'economics'. In some contexts, it can also refer to a specific area of financial management or a financial institution. | |||
| Turkmen | maliýeleşdirmek | ||
| Uzbek | moliya | ||
| The Uzbek word "Moliya" is derived from the Persian word "Mo'in", meaning "aid" or "support". | |||
| Uyghur | مالىيە | ||
Finance in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kālā | ||
| The Hawaiian word "kālā" also relates to time elapsed (e.g., seasons or hours). | |||
| Maori | pūtea | ||
| In Maori, pūtea can also mean a source of revenue, a wellspring, or an economic resource. | |||
| Samoan | tupe | ||
| The word "tupe" in Samoan is derived from the English word "tuppence", which was a coin worth two pence. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pananalapi | ||
| "Pananalapi" in Tagalog means "financial management" or "financial transactions". | |||
Finance in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | finansa | ||
| Guarani | viruporukuaa | ||
Finance in International Languages
| Esperanto | financo | ||
| Financo is also a word that means "to fix" or "to repair" in Esperanto. | |||
| Latin | rebus oeconomicis | ||
| In Latin, "res" means "thing" whereas "oeconomicus" means "of the household," so "rebus oeconomicis" literally translates as "things of the household" | |||
Finance in Others Languages
| Greek | χρηματοδότηση | ||
| The term 'χρηματοδότηση' originates from the Greek words “chrema,” which translates as “money” and “dote,” meaning “to give”. | |||
| Hmong | kev muaj nyiaj txiag | ||
| Kurdish | malî | ||
| The Kurdish word "malî" comes from the Persian word "mâl" meaning "wealth". | |||
| Turkish | finans | ||
| The word "finans" in Turkish does not come from the French or English word "finance". Instead, it is derived from the Medieval Greek word "finanza", meaning "payment". This in turn became the medieval Italian "finanza", meaning "tax, payment", and from there entered into English and French. | |||
| Xhosa | ezemali | ||
| The word "ezemali" can also refer to a loan or credit. | |||
| Yiddish | פינאַנצן | ||
| The Yiddish word פינאַנצן "finantsn" comes from German "finanzen" which is derived from Latin "finis" meaning "end" or "boundary". In Yiddish, the term "finantsn" can also refer to "funds" or "money matters". | |||
| Zulu | ezezimali | ||
| The word "ezezimali" is an Nguni word, likely borrowed from the English language, meaning "finance." | |||
| Assamese | বিত্ত | ||
| Aymara | finansa | ||
| Bhojpuri | आमदनी | ||
| Dhivehi | ފައިނޭންސް | ||
| Dogri | पैहा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pananalapi | ||
| Guarani | viruporukuaa | ||
| Ilocano | pirakan | ||
| Krio | mɔni biznɛs | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دارایی | ||
| Maithili | वित्त | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯦꯜ ꯊꯨꯝꯒꯤ ꯍꯤꯔꯝ | ||
| Mizo | sum lam | ||
| Oromo | maallaqa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅର୍ଥ | ||
| Quechua | wakiy | ||
| Sanskrit | वित्त | ||
| Tatar | финанс | ||
| Tigrinya | ምምሕዳር ገንዘብ | ||
| Tsonga | timali | ||