Updated on March 6, 2024
Investing is an essential concept in personal finance and economics, but have you ever wondered how to say 'invest' in different languages? The word 'invest' comes from the Latin 'investire', meaning 'to clothe in' or 'to cover'. Today, it refers to the act of committing money or resources to a business, property, or venture with the expectation of receiving future profits or benefits. Investing is a crucial aspect of financial growth and stability, and its significance extends beyond money management.
In many cultures, investing is not only a financial practice but also a mindset that embodies foresight, patience, and strategic thinking. For instance, in Chinese, 'to invest' is '投资' (tóuzī), which also means 'to devote' or 'to give in' - reflecting the dedication and commitment required in successful investing.
Understanding the translation of 'invest' in different languages can provide valuable insights into cultural attitudes towards financial management and personal growth. Here are some translations of 'invest' in various languages:
Afrikaans | belê | ||
Belê comes from the Dutch “beleggen” (“to occupy”), also meaning “to invest” in money. | |||
Amharic | ኢንቬስት ያድርጉ | ||
ኢንቬስት ያድርጉ can also mean to provide capital to a commercial or industrial undertaking with a view to obtaining a profit. | |||
Hausa | saka hannun jari | ||
The word "saka hannun jari" can also refer to the act of putting something away for future use. | |||
Igbo | tinye ego | ||
The Igbo word 'tinye ego' can also mean 'to save money'. | |||
Malagasy | vola | ||
The word "vola" in Malagasy is sometimes used to refer to the process of planting rice. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | sungani ndalama | ||
The Chichewa word "sungani ndalama" derives from the word "sunga", which means "to tie" or "to hold together". | |||
Shona | invest | ||
The verb 'invest' in Shona can mean both 'to put money into' and 'to investigate'. | |||
Somali | maal gasho | ||
Maal gasho translates to "put money down" in Somali and holds alternate meanings like "sow" or "plant" indicating a financial investment with anticipation of yield. | |||
Sesotho | tsetela | ||
The word "tsetela" in Sesotho can also mean "to be careful" or "to be cautious". | |||
Swahili | wekeza | ||
The word "wekeza" in Swahili also means "to put something in a safe place". | |||
Xhosa | tyala imali | ||
The Xhosa word 'tyala imali' literally means 'to plant money' in English. | |||
Yoruba | nawo | ||
In Edo (also known as Bini), the word "nawo" means "to farm" or "to work a farm". | |||
Zulu | tshala imali | ||
This Zulu term literally means 'plant money', which accurately represents the concept of investing as a form of nurturing wealth. | |||
Bambara | ka wari bɔ | ||
Ewe | de ga dɔwɔna me | ||
Kinyarwanda | gushora | ||
Lingala | kotya mosolo | ||
Luganda | okusiga | ||
Sepedi | beeletša | ||
Twi (Akan) | fa sika hyɛ mu | ||
Arabic | استثمار | ||
In Arabic, “استثمار” also refers to “making the most of something.” | |||
Hebrew | להשקיע | ||
The Hebrew word "להשקיע" also carries the meaning "to sink" or "to immerse". | |||
Pashto | پانګه اچونه | ||
In Pashto, 'پانګه اچونه' ('invest') refers to a specific type of financial transaction involving a partnership or cooperative investment. | |||
Arabic | استثمار | ||
In Arabic, “استثمار” also refers to “making the most of something.” |
Albanian | investoj | ||
The Albanian word "investoj" ultimately derives from the Latin "investire", meaning "to clothe" or "to cover". | |||
Basque | inbertitu | ||
"Inbertitu" comes from the Latin "invertere" (to turn inward), and also means "to invest" in the sense of spending money in order to make a profit | |||
Catalan | invertir | ||
The Catalan word "invertir" comes from the Latin "invertere" meaning "to turn around" or "to reverse" and can also mean "to overturn" or "to overthrow" in Catalan. | |||
Croatian | investirati | ||
The word "Investirati" in Croatian does not have an alternate meaning and is only used to mean "invest". | |||
Danish | investere | ||
The Danish word "investere" originates from Latin, meaning to "cloth" or "garment." | |||
Dutch | investeren | ||
In Dutch, the term "investeren" originated from the Latin "invertere", meaning "to turn in", and can also refer to "turning over" soil in agriculture or making financial investments. | |||
English | invest | ||
The word "invest" originally meant "to clothe" or "to cover". | |||
French | investir | ||
"Investir" in French also means "to clothe", "to endow", "to surround", and "to initiate". | |||
Frisian | ynvestearje | ||
Ynvestearje is related to the word 'investiture', which refers to the official conferring of a title or office. | |||
Galician | investir | ||
German | investieren | ||
"In-vestieren" (to invest) goes back to the Latin word "vestire" (to clothe) and originally meant "to equip (someone) with clothing or weapons" | |||
Icelandic | fjárfesta | ||
The word "fjárfesta" is derived from the Old Norse word "fjárfesta", meaning "to secure money or property." | |||
Irish | infheistiú | ||
The Irish word for 'invest', 'infheistiú', originates from the Latin 'investire', meaning 'to clothe' or 'to cover' | |||
Italian | investire | ||
The Italian word "investire" can also mean "to wear" or "to put on" in the sense of clothing or equipment. | |||
Luxembourgish | investéieren | ||
Maltese | tinvesti | ||
Tinvesti is also used in the sense of "to clothe with" in Maltese. | |||
Norwegian | investere | ||
The Norwegian word "investere" is derived from the Latin word "investire," meaning "to clothe" or "to cover." | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | investir | ||
"Investir" comes from "verter," "to put." Its original meaning is pouring out (a liquid) and it also meant investing, since money would be sent overseas and "poured" into new lands and business endeavors, like the East India Company or ventures to the New World. | |||
Scots Gaelic | tasgadh | ||
The word "tasgadh" in Scots Gaelic has its roots in the Old Irish word "taisce," meaning "treasure" or "deposit." | |||
Spanish | invertir | ||
The Spanish verb "invertir" comes from the Latin "vertere" meaning "to turn," and can also mean "to overturn" or "to transform." | |||
Swedish | investera | ||
The Swedish word "investera" derives from the German "investieren" and French "investir", both ultimately from Latin "investire" meaning "to clothe". | |||
Welsh | buddsoddi | ||
Although the verb normally means 'invest', it has a more specific alternative meaning of 'to put the money up for a horse or horses' |
Belarusian | інвеставаць | ||
In the early days of capitalism, "інвеставаць" also meant "lend money." | |||
Bosnian | investirati | ||
The term “investirati” is a loanword from the French language and is used mostly in formal and business settings, while the native term “ulagati” is used colloquially. | |||
Bulgarian | инвестирам | ||
The word "инвестирам" can also mean "to put in", "to place", or "to establish" in Bulgarian. | |||
Czech | investovat | ||
"Investovat" can also mean "inaugurate" in Czech. | |||
Estonian | investeerima | ||
The word "investeerima" is derived from the Latin word "investire," meaning "to clothe" or "to cover." | |||
Finnish | sijoittaa | ||
As a noun, sijoittaa can mean “baby sock” | |||
Hungarian | befektetni | ||
The word "befektetni" in Hungarian is derived from the Latin "investire", meaning "to put on clothes" or "to cover". | |||
Latvian | ieguldīt | ||
"Ieguldīt" also means "to inlay" in Latvian | |||
Lithuanian | investuok | ||
Investuok is derived from the Latin word "vestire", meaning "to clothe." | |||
Macedonian | инвестира | ||
The word "инвестира" is derived from the Italian word "investire", meaning "to dress oneself", and is also used to mean "to put on" clothes. | |||
Polish | inwestować | ||
"Inwestować" also has a historical meaning related to animal breeding. | |||
Romanian | investi | ||
The Romanian verb "investi" comes from the Latin "investire," meaning "to clothe" or "to put on clothing." | |||
Russian | инвестировать | ||
The Russian verb "инвестировать" can also mean "to dress someone" or "to put something on someone". | |||
Serbian | инвестирати | ||
The verb "инвестирати" can also mean "to dress up" or "to put on" in Serbian. | |||
Slovak | investovať | ||
The verb "investovať" comes from the Latin word "investire" meaning "to clothe"} | |||
Slovenian | vlagati | ||
The word "vlagati" also means "to put something into something else" | |||
Ukrainian | інвестувати | ||
"Інвестувати" has an alternate meaning in Ukrainian, which is "to get acquainted or familiar with someone". |
Bengali | বিনিয়োগ | ||
"বিনিয়োগ" comes from "বিনা" (without) and "নিয়োগ" (employment). It also means "outlay" or "expenditure". | |||
Gujarati | રોકાણ | ||
The Gujarati word "રોકાણ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "रोपण" which means "to plant". This suggests that the original concept of investment in Gujarati was tied to agriculture, with the connotation of planting seeds to reap a future harvest. | |||
Hindi | निवेश | ||
The word "निवेश" in Hindi can also mean "investment" when it is used in a financial context, or "planting" when it is used in an agricultural context. | |||
Kannada | ಹೂಡಿಕೆ ಮಾಡಿ | ||
'ಹೂಡಿಕೆ ಮಾಡಿ' means 'invest' in Kannada, but it also means 'to lay out (money) with a view to profit' or 'to put money into a business, property, or other venture with the expectation of obtaining a profit'. | |||
Malayalam | നിക്ഷേപിക്കുക | ||
Marathi | गुंतवणूक | ||
The word "गुंतवणूक" (invest) is derived from the Sanskrit word "गुंतः" (to cover) and means "to put something in a place where it will be protected and grow." | |||
Nepali | लगानी | ||
The Nepali word लगानी (laganī) derives from the Sanskrit word लग्न (lagna), meaning 'attached', 'joined', or 'connected'. | |||
Punjabi | ਨਿਵੇਸ਼ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ආයෝජනය කරන්න | ||
The Sinhala word for “invest” is derived from the Sanskrit word “yaj” meaning to offer a sacrifice to a god. | |||
Tamil | முதலீடு | ||
Telugu | పెట్టుబడి | ||
Urdu | سرمایہ کاری | ||
Chinese (Simplified) | 投资 | ||
"投资"一词最早出现在《管子·轻重戊》中,本指轻重之利,即利用轻重之利进行交易获利。 | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 投資 | ||
In Chinese, the word "投資" can also refer to "investing in oneself or one's own knowledge or skills". | |||
Japanese | 投資する | ||
投資 is a shortened form of its more formal name 融資, which literally translates to 'melting money'. | |||
Korean | 사다 | ||
The verb | |||
Mongolian | хөрөнгө оруулах | ||
No data available | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ရင်းနှီးမြှုပ်နှံရန် | ||
Indonesian | menginvestasikan | ||
The word "menginvestasikan" comes from the Dutch word "investeren", which means "to invest". | |||
Javanese | nandur modal | ||
The term "nandur modal" literally translates to "planting capital", where "nandur" means "to plant" and "modal" means "capital." | |||
Khmer | វិនិយោគ | ||
The word "វិនិយោគ" ("invest") in Khmer is derived from the Sanskrit word "vinivēśa," meaning "to put down" or "to sow." | |||
Lao | ລົງທຶນ | ||
The word "ລົງທຶນ" in Lao comes from the Sanskrit word "अधःक्षिप्" (adhah-kṣip), which means "to throw down" and is used in the context of investing money in this language. | |||
Malay | melabur | ||
The word "melabur" is derived from the Arabic word "mal", meaning "wealth" or "property". | |||
Thai | ลงทุน | ||
The term "ลงทุน" can also mean "to bet" or "to wager". | |||
Vietnamese | đầu tư | ||
The word "đầu tư" could also mean "speculate" or "gamble." | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | mamuhunan | ||
Azerbaijani | investisiya qoyun | ||
The Azerbaijani word "investisiya qoy" (invest) is derived from the Russian word "инвестиция" (invest) and shares the same meaning in both languages. | |||
Kazakh | инвестициялау | ||
The word "инвестициялау" can also refer to a type of financial instrument, such as a bond or stock. | |||
Kyrgyz | инвестициялоо | ||
In the past, "инвестициялоо" ("invest") could also mean "take by force" or "impose on". | |||
Tajik | сармоягузорӣ кардан | ||
According to the Farhang moʻin Persian dictionary, the noun "сармоя" comes from the Pahlavi "sar mayag" meaning "principal (of capital invested)", and the verb phrase "сармоягузорӣ кардан" therefore takes on the meaning of "invest". | |||
Turkmen | maýa goýuň | ||
Uzbek | sarmoya kiritish | ||
The word "sarmoya kiritish" can also mean "to contribute" or "to donate". | |||
Uyghur | مەبلەغ سېلىش | ||
Hawaiian | hoʻopukapuka | ||
The Hawaiian word "hoʻopukapuka" can also mean "to bud" or "to sprout". | |||
Maori | whakangao | ||
The word "whakangao" is related to the concept of "guarding" or "protecting", emphasising the importance of securing investments. | |||
Samoan | inivesi | ||
The word "inivesi" can also mean "to sow" or "to plant" in Samoan. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | mamuhunan | ||
The word "mamuhunan" in Tagalog can also refer to a "stake" or "wager" in a game. |
Aymara | irtaña | ||
Guarani | moambue | ||
Esperanto | investi | ||
The Esperanto word | |||
Latin | obsido | ||
In Latin, Obsido can also mean 'to besiege' or 'to occupy'. |
Greek | επενδύω | ||
The Greek word "επενδύω" has several meanings, including "to put on", "to cover", or "to provide with a covering or garment." | |||
Hmong | nqis peev pab | ||
In the Hmong language, the term "nqis peev pab" is also used in the context of allocating resources, with "nqis" meaning "to place," "peev" referring to resources, and "pab" denoting "a purpose or destination." | |||
Kurdish | sermîyandan | ||
The word "sermîyandan" in Kurdish also refers to the act of funding or supporting a cause or project. | |||
Turkish | yatırım | ||
The word yatırım, meaning "invest" in Turkish, has an interesting history. It comes from the Arabic word yatara, which means "to settle down or to be at ease." | |||
Xhosa | tyala imali | ||
The Xhosa word 'tyala imali' literally means 'to plant money' in English. | |||
Yiddish | ינוועסטירן | ||
The Yiddish word "ינוועסטירן" ("invest") also means "make an effort" or "exert oneself." | |||
Zulu | tshala imali | ||
This Zulu term literally means 'plant money', which accurately represents the concept of investing as a form of nurturing wealth. | |||
Assamese | বিনিয়োগ কৰা | ||
Aymara | irtaña | ||
Bhojpuri | निवेश करीं | ||
Dhivehi | އިންވެސްޓު | ||
Dogri | रास | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | mamuhunan | ||
Guarani | moambue | ||
Ilocano | pagpuonan | ||
Krio | du biznɛs | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | وەبەرهێنان | ||
Maithili | निबेस | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯦꯜ ꯊꯥꯗꯕ | ||
Mizo | peipung | ||
Oromo | maallaqa itti baasanii hojjechuu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ବିନିଯୋଗ କରନ୍ତୁ | | ||
Quechua | churay | ||
Sanskrit | निवेश | ||
Tatar | инвестиция | ||
Tigrinya | ወፍሪ | ||
Tsonga | vekisa | ||