Updated on March 6, 2024
At its core, a 'fund' refers to a sum of money set aside for a specific purpose. This concept is universal and plays a critical role in various aspects of our lives, from personal savings to large-scale investment initiatives. The significance of funds extends beyond finance, as the word is often used metaphorically to represent support or resources required to achieve a goal.
The cultural importance of funds is evident in the various phrases and idioms that have emerged across languages. For instance, in English, we say 'to be in funds' to describe having enough money, while in French, 'avoir du fonds de roulement' means having working capital. These linguistic nuances reflect the global impact of funds and the diverse ways in which different cultures approach and value them.
Understanding the translation of 'fund' in various languages can be beneficial for international communication, business, and travel. Here are a few examples to pique your curiosity:
Afrikaans | fonds | ||
The word "fonds" comes from the Dutch/German word for "fund" and can also mean "grounds" or "foundation" in the sense of a building's foundation in Afrikaans. | |||
Amharic | ገንዘብ | ||
The word "ገንዘብ" also means "money" and derives from the Ge'ez word "ግንዝ" which means "treasure". | |||
Hausa | asusu | ||
"Asusu" is believed to be a Yoruba word meaning "savings" or "contribution". | |||
Igbo | ego | ||
Igbo word "ego" refers to a bundle of twenty manillas, a form of traditional currency. | |||
Malagasy | petra-bola | ||
"Petra-bola" may be derived from the Indonesian phrase "batu bola" (meaning "stone coin"), likely introduced in the 17th century. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | thumba | ||
The Nyanja word 'thumba' also refers to a 'heap' of something. | |||
Shona | fund | ||
The word "fund" also means "to find" in Shona. | |||
Somali | sanduuqa | ||
The term also derives from the Arabic for "box" and in this context originally described payments collected to buy grain to distribute to the hungry or to buy clothes for the unclothed. | |||
Sesotho | letlole | ||
The Sesotho word "letlole" is a homophone, also referring to a type of traditional porridge. | |||
Swahili | mfuko | ||
The word 'mfuko' can also refer to a 'bag' or 'sack' in Swahili. | |||
Xhosa | ingxowa-mali | ||
The word "ingxowa-mali" can also refer to a communal fund or a kitty. | |||
Yoruba | inawo | ||
In the Yoruba language, the word "inawo" is also used to describe a donation or contribution towards a common goal. | |||
Zulu | isikhwama | ||
The Zulu word isikhwama, meaning "fund," is derived from the verb "sikhwama," meaning "to collect" or "to put together." | |||
Bambara | nafolosɔrɔsiraw | ||
Ewe | gaxɔgbalẽvi | ||
Kinyarwanda | ikigega | ||
Lingala | fonds | ||
Luganda | ensawo | ||
Sepedi | letlole | ||
Twi (Akan) | sikakorabea | ||
Arabic | الأموال | ||
The Arabic word 'الأموال' also refers to 'assets' and 'wealth'. | |||
Hebrew | קֶרֶן | ||
"קֶרֶן" also means "horn" in Hebrew. | |||
Pashto | بسپنه | ||
The Pashto word "بسپنه" also refers to a small amount of money saved for a specific purpose. | |||
Arabic | الأموال | ||
The Arabic word 'الأموال' also refers to 'assets' and 'wealth'. |
Albanian | fondi | ||
In Italian, "fondi" can refer to the dregs or grounds of coffee or tea. | |||
Basque | fondoa | ||
The Basque word "fondoa" also means "bottom" or "depth". | |||
Catalan | fons | ||
The word "fons" in Catalan has Latin origins and means "source" or "origin", and it is also used to refer to "foundation" or "endowment". | |||
Croatian | fond | ||
The Croatian word "fond" also means "foundation" or "association". | |||
Danish | fond | ||
In Danish, "fond" can also mean "a basin or dish" or "a pool of money for investment purposes." | |||
Dutch | fonds | ||
While "fonds" in English means "fund", in Dutch, "fonds" can also mean "foundation", or "stock". | |||
English | fund | ||
"Fund" (from Middle English "fond," meaning "a supply or store," from Old English "fundian," meaning "to set up") | |||
French | fonds | ||
In French, 'fonds' also means 'land' or 'ground', reflecting its Latin origin 'fundus', meaning 'land', 'bottom' or 'property'. | |||
Frisian | fûns | ||
The Frisian word "fûns" can also mean "foundation" or "basis" | |||
Galician | fondo | ||
The word “fondo” derives from the Latin “fundus” which had originally meant, among other things, the bottom of a container. | |||
German | fonds | ||
"Fonds" has a double meaning in German: it can mean both "fund" and "background". | |||
Icelandic | sjóður | ||
The Icelandic word "sjóður" can also refer to a sea or lake, or to a collection of water. | |||
Irish | ciste | ||
The Irish word "ciste" can also refer to a "box or chest" or a "treasure". | |||
Italian | fondo | ||
Italian word **fondo** comes from *fundus* in Latin, meaning "the bottom". | |||
Luxembourgish | fong | ||
The Luxembourgish word "Fong" is derived from the German word "Fund" meaning "foundation". | |||
Maltese | fond | ||
"Fond" derives from the Arabic "fanduq", meaning warehouse, and also refers to the inn or shop attached to it. | |||
Norwegian | fond | ||
In Norwegian, "fond" can also refer to a foundation or organization, or a collection of items such as a library or archive. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | fundo | ||
The Portuguese word "fundo" can also mean "depth" or "end". | |||
Scots Gaelic | mhaoin | ||
The word 'mhaoin' is also used to refer to a dowry, an endowment, or a scholarship. | |||
Spanish | fondo | ||
The noun "fondo" can also mean "stage" (as in "fondo del escenario"), "backdrop" (as in "fondo de una pintura"), or "background" (as in "fondo de una fotografía") in Spanish. | |||
Swedish | fond | ||
The Swedish adjective fond also means 'affectionate'. | |||
Welsh | gronfa | ||
In addition to its primary meaning ("fund"), "gronfa" can also refer to a "pool" or a "reservoir" in Welsh. |
Belarusian | фонд | ||
"Фонд" is a false borrowing from Russian, as the Belarusian cognate is "фонд". | |||
Bosnian | fond | ||
The word "fond" in Bosnian can also mean "liking" or "affection". | |||
Bulgarian | фонд | ||
The word "фонд" in Bulgarian can also mean a "foundation" or a "stock". | |||
Czech | fond | ||
Slovo "fond" se kromě významu "fond" používá i ve významu "zásoba, zdroj". | |||
Estonian | fond | ||
Estonian word "fond" also means "basis" and comes from German "Fond" (fund). | |||
Finnish | rahoittaa | ||
Rahoittaa derives from the word raha, meaning "money". In the context of law, it means "to finance". | |||
Hungarian | alap | ||
The word "alap" also means "basis" or "foundation" in Hungarian. | |||
Latvian | fonds | ||
The Latvian word "fonds" comes from the French word "fonds", which means "fund" or "stock". | |||
Lithuanian | fondas | ||
The word "fondas" can also mean "capital" or "stock" in Lithuanian. | |||
Macedonian | фонд | ||
Фонд is also a synonym for „fundus“ which means „farm“ in Latin. | |||
Polish | fundusz | ||
Fundusz in Polish can refer to a financial fund, a foundation, or a reserve fund. | |||
Romanian | fond | ||
In Romanian, "fond" also means "basis", having its origin in the Latin word "fundus" (bottom, field, property). | |||
Russian | фонд | ||
In Russian, the word "фонд" is also used to refer to the foundation of a building or other structure. | |||
Serbian | фонд | ||
The word "фонд" can also mean "foundation" or "stock" in Serbian. | |||
Slovak | fond | ||
The word "fond" can also mean "pool" or "fundraising activity" in Slovak. | |||
Slovenian | sklad | ||
Slovenian "sklad" comes from Old High German "scatz," meaning "treasure". Another meaning is "a group of people joined in a common purpose." | |||
Ukrainian | фонд | ||
The Ukrainian word "фонд" can also mean a foundation, an endowment, or a stock. |
Bengali | তহবিল | ||
The word "fund" is also used metaphorically to refer to something that provides a source of strength or support. | |||
Gujarati | ભંડોળ | ||
The Gujarati word "ભંડોળ" (bhandol) is derived from "भंडार" (Bhandaar) in Sanskrit, which means "treasury". It is the same root as "fund" in English and "fondo" in Spanish, meaning "pool of money". | |||
Hindi | निधि | ||
As well as 'fund', `निधि` (`nidhi`) also means 'treasure' or 'pool' in Hindi, and derives from Sanksrit 'nidhi', meaning 'treasure hoard'. | |||
Kannada | ನಿಧಿ | ||
"ನಿಧಿ" (nidhi) is derived from the Sanskrit word "nidhana" and originally meant a treasure, hoard, or deposit, but later came to refer to a fund. | |||
Malayalam | ഫണ്ട് | ||
In Malayalam, ഫണ്ട് can also refer to a pond or a pool of water. | |||
Marathi | निधी | ||
The term 'निधी' (nidhi) in Marathi also holds alternate meanings such as 'treasure', 'deposit' and 'capital'. | |||
Nepali | कोष | ||
The word "कोष" in Nepali can also refer to a dictionary or a treasure. | |||
Punjabi | ਫੰਡ | ||
The term “ਫੰਡ” has also come to carry other meanings in Punjabi including "support” or "backing," especially in the context of political movements, rallies, or other collective activities. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අරමුදල | ||
Tamil | நிதி | ||
The Tamil word "நிதி" can also mean "deposit", "treasure" or "wealth". | |||
Telugu | ఫండ్ | ||
The term "फंड" (fund) also refers to a reservoir or a large body of water. | |||
Urdu | فنڈ | ||
"فنڈ" is an Urdu word meaning fund, a sum of money set aside for a specific purpose, but it can also be used to mean resources, materials, finances, capital, or wealth. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 基金 | ||
"基金" derives from the Chinese phrase "基石之金", meaning money invested as an endowment or capital. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 基金 | ||
基金 can also mean "foundation" (of a building), "base," or "root" | |||
Japanese | 基金 | ||
"基金" can also mean "foundation" or "base" in Japanese. | |||
Korean | 축적 | ||
The Sino-Korean word "축적" can also mean "a stockpile," "an accumulation," or "ammunition." | |||
Mongolian | сан | ||
In Mongolian, there's a word `сан` that, apart from `fund`, means `cause`, `motive` or `intention` | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ရန်ပုံငွေ | ||
The word "ရန်ပုံငွေ" in the Myanmar language is also used to refer to an endowment, or a sum of money set aside to provide income for a specific purpose. |
Indonesian | dana | ||
The word "dana" is derived from the Sanskrit word "dhana," meaning "wealth" or "money. | |||
Javanese | dana | ||
"Dana" in Javanese can also refer to a gathering or meeting. | |||
Khmer | មូលនិធិ | ||
The Khmer word "មូលនិធិ" is derived from the Pali word "mūla-nidhi", meaning "root store" or "capital". | |||
Lao | ກອງທຶນ | ||
Malay | dana | ||
In Malay, "dana" can also mean "gift" or "contribution". | |||
Thai | กองทุน | ||
กองทุน can also indicate a group of people or organizations working together. | |||
Vietnamese | quỹ | ||
The word "quỹ" also means "turtle", "tortoise", "shell", "box", "case", "casket", "coffer", "safe", "container", "tank", "reservoir", "silo", "bin", "bunker", "depository", "magazine", "repository", "cache", "hoard", "stash", "store", "stock", "accumulation", "collection", "assembly", "gathering", "conglomeration", "agglomeration", "amalgamation", "aggregate", "cluster", "heap", "pile", "stack", "mass", "bulk", "quantity", "amount", "sum", "total", "whole", "entirety", "aggregate", "conglomerate", "collection", "accumulation", "assemblage", "gathering", "cluster", "heap", "pile", "stack", "mass", "bulk", "quantity", "amount", "sum", "total", "whole", "entirety", and "universality". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | pondo | ||
Azerbaijani | fond | ||
In Azerbaijani, "fond" can also mean "foundation" or "organization". | |||
Kazakh | қор | ||
The Kazakh word "қор" can mean both "fund" and "reserve" and is rooted in the Turkic word for "to gather". | |||
Kyrgyz | фонд | ||
"Фонд" (fund) is also a synonym for "stock" in Kyrgyz. | |||
Tajik | фонд | ||
The word "фонд" also means "foundation" in Russian. | |||
Turkmen | gaznasy | ||
Uzbek | fond | ||
"Fond" derives from the Latin "fundus", meaning "bottom" or "foundation", also used financially in English as "fund". | |||
Uyghur | فوندى | ||
Hawaiian | waihona kālā | ||
The Hawaiian term "waihona kālā" literally translates to "water of black" and refers to the use of black pearls as currency in pre-contact Hawaii. | |||
Maori | tahua | ||
In Māori, “tahua” also refers to a person of high rank or a foundation stone. | |||
Samoan | faʻaputugatupe | ||
The term 'faʻaputugatupe' derives from the combination of 'faʻa' (process), 'putu' (group), and 'tupe' (money), thus denoting the pooling of funds. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | pondo | ||
The word "pondo" in Tagalog also means "swamp" or "marsh". |
Aymara | qullqichasiwi | ||
Guarani | fondo rehegua | ||
Esperanto | fundo | ||
"Fundo" also means "bottom, ground, or foundation" in Esperanto. | |||
Latin | fiscus | ||
The Latin word "fiscus" also referred to a wicker basket used for storing money or a private treasury. |
Greek | κεφάλαιο | ||
The Greek word for 'fund' (κεφάλαιο) originally meant 'head'. This is also reflected in its use to denote the 'main point' of an argument or the 'first letter' of a word. | |||
Hmong | nyiaj | ||
"Nyiaj" is derived from the Proto-Hmong-Mien word *ʔnaŋ², meaning "money" or "property." | |||
Kurdish | weqf | ||
In Kurdish the term “waqf”, referring originally to the endowment of land, also designates the person who receives it. | |||
Turkish | fon, sermaye | ||
The word "fon" in Turkish means "fund", but it also has the alternate meaning of "capital". | |||
Xhosa | ingxowa-mali | ||
The word "ingxowa-mali" can also refer to a communal fund or a kitty. | |||
Yiddish | פאָנד | ||
In Yiddish, פאָנד ("fund") also means "foundation" or "basis". | |||
Zulu | isikhwama | ||
The Zulu word isikhwama, meaning "fund," is derived from the verb "sikhwama," meaning "to collect" or "to put together." | |||
Assamese | ফাণ্ড | ||
Aymara | qullqichasiwi | ||
Bhojpuri | फंड के ह | ||
Dhivehi | ފަންޑުންނެވެ | ||
Dogri | फंड | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | pondo | ||
Guarani | fondo rehegua | ||
Ilocano | pondo | ||
Krio | fund | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | سندوق | ||
Maithili | निधि | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯐꯟꯗ ꯄꯤꯈꯤ꯫ | ||
Mizo | fund a ni | ||
Oromo | fandii | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ପାଣ୍ଠି | ||
Quechua | qullqi | ||
Sanskrit | निधि | ||
Tatar | фонд | ||
Tigrinya | ፈንድ | ||
Tsonga | nkwama wa mali | ||