Updated on March 6, 2024
Investment: a simple word with a profound impact. It signifies a commitment of resources, time, or money, with the expectation of receiving future benefits. This concept is culturally important, as it drives economies and shapes societies worldwide.
Throughout history, investment has played a crucial role in human progress. From the ancient Silk Road to the modern-day stock market, people have always sought ways to grow their wealth and improve their lives. Interestingly, the word 'investment' has fascinating translations in various languages, reflecting the cultural nuances and historical contexts of different societies.
For instance, in Spanish, 'investment' is 'inversión,' while in German, it's 'Investition.' In Mandarin Chinese, it's '投资' (tóuzī), and in Japanese, it's '投資' (tōshi). These translations not only help us understand the word's significance in different cultures but also provide insights into how people perceive and approach the concept of investment in various parts of the world.
So, whether you're a global investor, a language enthusiast, or simply curious about the world around you, exploring the translations of 'investment' in different languages is a rewarding journey. Keep reading to discover more fascinating translations and learn about the cultural significance of investment in various societies.
Afrikaans | belegging | ||
"Belegging" is derived from the Dutch word "beleggen" meaning "to cover" or "to put a layer on". This suggests that the original meaning of "belegging" was something that was put on top of something else, such as a covering or a layer of paint. | |||
Amharic | ኢንቬስትሜንት | ||
The Amharic word "ኢንቬስትሜንት" can also refer to a donation or a charitable gift. | |||
Hausa | saka jari | ||
The word "saka jari" in Hausa also means "to sow seeds" or "to plant". | |||
Igbo | ntinye ego | ||
In Igbo, ntinye ego literally means | |||
Malagasy | fampiasam-bola | ||
The term "FAMPIASAM-BOLA" has a literal meaning that translates to "increasing a round object". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | ndalama | ||
The Nyanja word 'ndalama' also refers to a 'money-earning scheme'. | |||
Shona | mari | ||
The word "mari" in Shona also means "seed" and "fruit." | |||
Somali | maalgashi | ||
The word "maalgashi" in Somali is derived from the Arabic word "ma'āl" meaning "sum of money". | |||
Sesotho | tsetelo | ||
Derived from the word "tsa" (to sow), "tsetelo" metaphorically suggests the planting of capital for future returns. | |||
Swahili | uwekezaji | ||
The term uwekezaji (investment) comes from the Swahili word wekeza, which means to plant or put into the ground, referring to the act of putting money into a financial scheme. | |||
Xhosa | utyalo-mali | ||
The word "utyalo-mali" derives from the verb "tyala" meaning "to plant" and suggests the idea of "sowing money" and reaping rewards later on. | |||
Yoruba | idoko-owo | ||
"Idoko-owo" means "investment" but can also mean "depositing money in the bank or other financial institution for safekeeping and interest."} | |||
Zulu | utshalomali | ||
The term 'utshalomali' is also used to denote 'risk capital'. | |||
Bambara | wari bilali | ||
Ewe | gadede asi me | ||
Kinyarwanda | ishoramari | ||
Lingala | botiami mosolo | ||
Luganda | okuteeka ssente mu bizinensi | ||
Sepedi | dipeeletšo | ||
Twi (Akan) | sika a wɔde bɛto mu | ||
Arabic | الاستثمار | ||
The word "الاستثمار" can also refer to "cultivation" or "husbandry" in Arabic. | |||
Hebrew | הַשׁקָעָה | ||
The Hebrew word הַשׁקָעָה (hashka'ah) not only means "investment" in the financial sense, but also "watering" or "irrigation" in an agricultural context. | |||
Pashto | پانګه اچونه | ||
While "پانګه اچونه" primarily translates to "investment" in English, it can also encompass the ideas of "expenditure." "capital outlay" and "financing." | |||
Arabic | الاستثمار | ||
The word "الاستثمار" can also refer to "cultivation" or "husbandry" in Arabic. |
Albanian | investime | ||
"Investime" is Albanian for "investment" but also means "investigation" or "research" in its original Italian. | |||
Basque | inbertsioa | ||
The term is a loan from Spanish, but in Basque is often used specifically for investments in stock or cryptocurrencies, while | |||
Catalan | inversió | ||
The Catalan word "inversió" also means "inversion" in mathematics or physics, denoting the reversal of an order or a process. | |||
Croatian | ulaganje | ||
The word "ulaganje" in Croatian comes from the verb "u-ložiti", meaning "to put in" or "to place inside", and is related to the word "ležište", meaning "bed" or "place of rest". | |||
Danish | investering | ||
The Danish word "investering" derives from the Dutch word "investering", which in turn comes from the French word "investissement" meaning "blocking up", "enclosing", or "laying siege to". | |||
Dutch | investering | ||
The Dutch word "investering" can also refer to the act of clothing someone, derived from the French "investir" meaning "to put on." | |||
English | investment | ||
Investment originally meant "clothing" or "garment" in addition to its modern financial meaning. | |||
French | investissement | ||
"Investir" comes from Latin "investire" meaning "to clothe" and "to surround". | |||
Frisian | ynvestearring | ||
The Frisian word ynvestearring, like the English “vest,” originates from the Latin verb vestire, meaning “to clothe, cover, or dress.” | |||
Galician | investimento | ||
In Galician, "investimento" also refers to a garment or clothing worn by someone | |||
German | investition | ||
In German, "Investition" can also refer to a coat of paint applied to a wall. | |||
Icelandic | fjárfesting | ||
Fjárfesting is rooted in the Icelandic word 'fjár' (livestock), denoting the original form of wealth preservation. | |||
Irish | infheistíocht | ||
The Irish word 'infheistíocht' is derived from the Latin 'investio', meaning 'to clothe or cover' | |||
Italian | investimento | ||
"Investire" (to invest) comes from the Latin "investire" (to cover, to dress), but it also means "to research" in the sense of spending time in a certain place or activity. | |||
Luxembourgish | investitioun | ||
The Luxembourgish word "Investitioun" is derived from the Latin word "investitura", meaning "clothing" or "covering", and originally referred to the act of giving someone a fief or other property right. | |||
Maltese | investiment | ||
The Maltese word "investiment" can also refer to a surgical dressing. | |||
Norwegian | investering | ||
'Inverstering (investment), originally meant as to invest in stocks, is the term often used to describe putting the savings in an interest saving account.' | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | investimento | ||
In Portuguese, "investimento" also refers to the action of clothing a person (e.g. in clothing, in honors). | |||
Scots Gaelic | tasgadh | ||
The word "tasgadh" has alternate meanings of "laying aside" and "retaining" in Scots Gaelic. | |||
Spanish | inversión | ||
In Spanish, "inversión" means not only "investment" but also "inversion" (turning upside down). | |||
Swedish | investering | ||
Swedish "investering" can also mean "objection" in legal jargon. | |||
Welsh | buddsoddiad | ||
The word 'buddsoddiad' can also mean 'establishment' or 'foundation'. |
Belarusian | інвестыцыі | ||
The word "інвестыцыі" (investment) in Belarusian originates from the Latin word "investire", meaning "to clothe" or "to dress". | |||
Bosnian | investicija | ||
"Investicija" derives from the Latin "investire," meaning "to dress," "to cover," or "to clothe." | |||
Bulgarian | инвестиция | ||
The word "инвестиция" can also mean "assets" or "capital" in Bulgarian. | |||
Czech | investice | ||
The Czech word "investice" is derived from the Latin word "investio," meaning "to clothe" or "to cover." | |||
Estonian | investeering | ||
Investeering derives from the German "anvestieren" and the Dutch "investeren" which mean "to clothe". The term later shifted to mean "to spend money" and eventually to "investment". | |||
Finnish | sijoitus | ||
The word "sijoitus" is derived from the verb "sijoittaa" meaning "to place" or "to locate", and can also refer to a "placement" or "location" in addition to its financial meaning. | |||
Hungarian | beruházás | ||
In Hungarian, "beruházás" primarily means "investment", but can also refer to an "establishment" or "settlement". | |||
Latvian | investīcijas | ||
Investīcijas also refers to the act of clothing or dressing someone, from the Latin word "investire, | |||
Lithuanian | investicijos | ||
The word 'investicijos' is derived from the Latin word 'investire', meaning 'to cover' or 'to clothe'. | |||
Macedonian | инвестиции | ||
The Russian word "инвестиции" (transliterated as "investicii" in Macedonian) comes from the Latin word "vestire" (to clothe) and initially meant "putting on clothes" or "dressing." | |||
Polish | inwestycja | ||
The word `inwestycja` is derived from the Latin word `investire`, meaning `to clothe` or `to cover`. | |||
Romanian | investiție | ||
The word "investiție" originally meant both "expense" and "income" in Romanian. | |||
Russian | вложение | ||
Вложение also means an appendix that goes along with another document. | |||
Serbian | инвестиција | ||
The term 'инвестиција' in Serbian is derived from Latin 'investio' meaning 'to dress' and 'clothe'. Over time, it acquired its economic connotation, referring to the allocation of resources to generate future returns. | |||
Slovak | investícia | ||
The word investícia in Slovak comes from the Latin word investire, which means "to clothe" or "to cover". | |||
Slovenian | naložbe | ||
In Slovenian, the word "naložbe" can also refer to a person's luggage or personal belongings during a trip. | |||
Ukrainian | інвестиції | ||
The word "інвестиції" is derived from the Latin word "investire" which means "to clothe" or "to put on". |
Bengali | বিনিয়োগ | ||
বিনিয়োগ (binniog) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'viniyoga' (विनीयोग), meaning 'rightful application'. | |||
Gujarati | રોકાણ | ||
The Gujarati word "રોકાણ" also means "to stop or stay" and "to deposit or place something somewhere".} | |||
Hindi | निवेश | ||
The word 'निवेश' (nivesh) in Hindi originates from Sanskrit, where it meant 'to dress' or 'to adorn', and has evolved over time to encompass the concept of financial investment | |||
Kannada | ಬಂಡವಾಳ | ||
"ಬಂಡವಾಳ" is also historically used to refer to the dowry that a bride receives from her father's family to support her own family | |||
Malayalam | നിക്ഷേപം | ||
The Malayalam word "നിക്ഷേപം" shares the same origin as the English word "deposit", referring to the act of placing something of value into the custody of another. | |||
Marathi | गुंतवणूक | ||
The word "गुंतवणूक" in Marathi can also mean "entanglement" or "complication". | |||
Nepali | लगानी | ||
{"text": "The word "लगानी" has its etymological roots in the Sanskrit word "लग्न," which means "attachment" or "connection," indicating its association with commitment, devotion, and the act of putting something at stake in anticipation of a future return."} | |||
Punjabi | ਨਿਵੇਸ਼ | ||
ਨਿਵੇਸ਼' (nivesh) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'nivesha', meaning 'to put in', 'to deposit', or 'to invest'. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ආයෝජනය | ||
The word "ආයෝජනය" in Sinhala also means "pledging" or "swearing an oath or vow". | |||
Tamil | முதலீடு | ||
முதலீடு also means 'first use' or 'first attempt' in Tamil. | |||
Telugu | పెట్టుబడి | ||
Urdu | سرمایہ کاری | ||
Chinese (Simplified) | 投资 | ||
The character “资” in “投资” originally meant “to help; to supply”, while “投” meant “to throw; to spend.” | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 投資 | ||
In Chinese '投資' ('investment') can also mean to 'to invest (time, effort)' | |||
Japanese | 投資 | ||
The kanji characters of "投資" originally meant "to wear" (衣 = clothing, and 服 = clothing). | |||
Korean | 투자 | ||
"투자" can also be used to refer to the act of injecting capital into a project or venture, typically with the expectation of future returns. | |||
Mongolian | хөрөнгө оруулалт | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ရင်းနှီးမြှုပ်နှံမှု | ||
Indonesian | investasi | ||
"Investasi" is a loanword from Dutch that originally referred to a military siege. | |||
Javanese | investasi | ||
In Javanese, the word "investasi" stems from a Sanskrit root meaning "to reside" or "to stay", implying the lasting quality of its financial returns. | |||
Khmer | ការវិនិយោគ | ||
In Khmer, the word | |||
Lao | ການລົງທືນ | ||
Malay | pelaburan | ||
The word 'pelaburan' in Malay, derived from Sanskrit, also means 'to surround', 'to besiege', or 'to blockade' in a military context. | |||
Thai | การลงทุน | ||
In Thai, "การลงทุน" literally translates to "dropping down" (ลงทุน), a metaphor referring to the act of putting money into something. | |||
Vietnamese | đầu tư | ||
Derived from the Chinese characters 頭 (“head”) and 資 (“funds”), the Vietnamese word “đầu tư” can also mean “speculation” or “gambling”. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | pamumuhunan | ||
Azerbaijani | investisiya | ||
The word investisiya is derived from the French word investissement, which in turn comes from the Latin word investire, meaning "to clothe" or "to cover." | |||
Kazakh | инвестиция | ||
The word "инвестиция" is derived from the Latin word "investis," meaning "to clothe" or "to cover." | |||
Kyrgyz | инвестиция | ||
Слово "инвестиция" в кыргызском языке пришло из русского языка и имеет аналогичное значение, однако используется реже, уступая по частоте употребления словам "салым" или "катышуу". | |||
Tajik | сармоягузорӣ | ||
The word "сармоягузорӣ" in Tajik can also refer to "capitalization" or "investment in fixed assets". | |||
Turkmen | maýa goýumlary | ||
Uzbek | sarmoya | ||
In Uzbek, the word "sarmoya" can refer to both a personal loan and an investment fund. | |||
Uyghur | مەبلەغ سېلىش | ||
Hawaiian | hoʻopukapuka | ||
The Hawaiian word "hoʻopukapuka" also means "to cause to blossom" or "to develop". | |||
Maori | whakangao | ||
The word "whakangao" also means "to make a profit" or "to increase" in Maori. | |||
Samoan | inivesi | ||
"Inivesi" can also mean "research" or "study" in Samoan. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | pamumuhunan | ||
The word "pamumuhunan" comes from the root word "puhunan" which means "capital" or "money used in business." |
Aymara | qullqichasiwi | ||
Guarani | inversión rehegua | ||
Esperanto | investo | ||
"Investado" comes from "vesti" (“to clothe“) and means not only an “investment“ but all types of clothing (“vestaĵo") and especially a vest (“veŝto"). | |||
Latin | investment | ||
The Latin root 'invest' also means to dress, cover, or surround. |
Greek | επένδυση | ||
The word "επένδυση" in Greek can also mean "covering", "overlay", or "lining", indicating its broader sense of putting something on top of or over another. | |||
Hmong | kev nqis peev | ||
The Hmong word "kev nqis peev" (investment) derives from the verb "nqis" (to borrow) and the noun "peev" (money), signifying the act of borrowing money for investment purposes. | |||
Kurdish | dorber | ||
The word "dorber" is derived from the Kurdish word for "to gain" or "to profit". | |||
Turkish | yatırım | ||
The word "yatırım" in Turkish comes from the Arabic word "atırım" meaning "to throw down", and refers to the act of committing money or capital to a venture with the expectation of financial gain. | |||
Xhosa | utyalo-mali | ||
The word "utyalo-mali" derives from the verb "tyala" meaning "to plant" and suggests the idea of "sowing money" and reaping rewards later on. | |||
Yiddish | ינוועסמאַנט | ||
The Yiddish word ינוועסמאַנט (investment) is ultimately derived from the French word investir, meaning to invest or clothe. | |||
Zulu | utshalomali | ||
The term 'utshalomali' is also used to denote 'risk capital'. | |||
Assamese | বিনিয়োগ | ||
Aymara | qullqichasiwi | ||
Bhojpuri | निवेश के बा | ||
Dhivehi | އިންވެސްޓްމަންޓެވެ | ||
Dogri | निवेश करना | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | pamumuhunan | ||
Guarani | inversión rehegua | ||
Ilocano | panagpuonan | ||
Krio | invɛstmɛnt | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | وەبەرهێنان | ||
Maithili | निवेश | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯏꯅꯚꯦꯁ꯭ꯇꯃꯦꯟꯇ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo | investment tih a ni | ||
Oromo | invastimantii | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ନିବେଶ | ||
Quechua | qullqi churay | ||
Sanskrit | निवेशः | ||
Tatar | инвестицияләр | ||
Tigrinya | ወፍሪ ምግባር | ||
Tsonga | vuvekisi | ||