Loan in Different Languages
Discover 'Loan' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'loan' holds great significance in our daily lives, particularly in the realm of finance and economics. A loan is a sum of money that is borrowed from a lender, to be repaid, usually with interest, over a specified period. This concept is universal, with variations of the practice existing in every culture and society throughout history.
Loans have played a crucial role in shaping civilizations, enabling individuals and businesses to make purchases, invest in opportunities, and weather financial storms. From ancient Mesopotamia, where early forms of lending were documented on clay tablets, to the modern-day global economy, the concept of a loan has remained a constant, albeit evolving, feature of human society.
Given the cultural importance and historical context of loans, understanding the translation of this term in different languages can be both fascinating and practical. Here are a few examples:
- Spanish: 'préstamo'
- French: 'emprunt'
- German: 'Darlehen'
- Mandarin: '贷款 (dài kuǎn)'
- Japanese: '貸し出し (kashidashi)'
Stay tuned for more translations of the word 'loan' in various languages, providing insights into the linguistic and cultural nuances of this fundamental concept.
Loan
Loan in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | lening | ||
| The Afrikaans word "lening" derives from the Old Dutch "leen", meaning both "loan" and "feudal fiefdom" and is cognate to English "lend" and German "Lehen". | |||
| Amharic | ብድር | ||
| The word "ብድር" also means "betrayal", which is the act of helping someone only to benefit oneself while causing them harm, and it can also mean a "burden" or "obstacle". | |||
| Hausa | lamuni | ||
| The Hausa word "lamuni" can also refer to a "debtor" or "borrower". | |||
| Igbo | mgbazinye ego | ||
| The Igbo phrase 'mgbazinye ego', often translated as simply 'loan', also carries the connotation of 'trust', emphasising the significance of trust and goodwill in lending practices. | |||
| Malagasy | findramam-bola | ||
| "Findramam-bola" comes from the Malagasy words "findramam" which means "to seek" and "bola" which means "money" or "goods." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ngongole | ||
| "Ngongole" is derived from the verb "kugononga", meaning "to tie", reflecting the sense of an obligation that binds the borrower to the lender. | |||
| Shona | chikwereti | ||
| The Shona word "chikwereti" shares a root with the word "kukweretesa," which means "to carry something on the back." | |||
| Somali | amaah | ||
| The word 'amaah' can also mean 'debt' in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | kalimo | ||
| In Sesotho, 'kalimo' can also refer to the traditional bride price paid by the groom to the bride's family. | |||
| Swahili | mkopo | ||
| Mkopo is a Swahili loanword from the Arabic word 'qard' (credit) via Persian 'qarz'. | |||
| Xhosa | mboleko | ||
| "Mboleko" is also a term used to describe a traditional Xhosa courtship dance performed by young men and women, often during wedding celebrations. | |||
| Yoruba | awin | ||
| 'Awin' in Yoruba can also mean 'credit' or 'debt'. | |||
| Zulu | ukubolekwa | ||
| Ukubolekwa literally means "to be taken from," but also has a figurative meaning of "to receive a loan." | |||
| Bambara | juru | ||
| Ewe | gadodo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | inguzanyo | ||
| Lingala | kodefa | ||
| Luganda | ebbanja | ||
| Sepedi | kadimo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | besea | ||
Loan in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | قرض | ||
| "قرض" also means "to cut" indicating that the "loaner" cuts some of his wealth and gives it to the "borrower" | |||
| Hebrew | לְהַלווֹת | ||
| The Hebrew word for "loan," "לְהַלווֹת," also means "to lend" and is related to the word "לווה," meaning "borrower." | |||
| Pashto | پور | ||
| The Pashto word "پور" can also refer to a daughter's son, or to the young of certain animals, such as a calf. | |||
| Arabic | قرض | ||
| "قرض" also means "to cut" indicating that the "loaner" cuts some of his wealth and gives it to the "borrower" | |||
Loan in Western European Languages
| Albanian | hua | ||
| The word 'hua' in Albanian also means 'money', 'treasure', or 'fortune' | |||
| Basque | mailegu | ||
| The word 'mailegu' also has the alternate meaning of 'debt' or 'obligation'. | |||
| Catalan | préstec | ||
| The Catalan word 'préstec' can also refer to a 'borrowing' of an object or idea. | |||
| Croatian | zajam | ||
| The word "zajam" in Croatian comes from the Proto-Slavic term *za-jemъ, meaning "to seize" or "to grab". | |||
| Danish | lån | ||
| Lån derives from the Old Norse word "lân", meaning "something given or transferred". | |||
| Dutch | lening | ||
| In Dutch, "lening" can also refer to a piece of land given for temporary use, a loanword from the Frisian "leen" | |||
| English | loan | ||
| "Loan" derives from Middle English "lonen" (to lend), from Old English "lænan" | |||
| French | prêt | ||
| "Prêt" also means "ready" because in the 12th century, a lender was "ready" to give his money, which had to be repaid later." | |||
| Frisian | liening | ||
| The word "liening" in Frisian is derived from the Old Frisian word "lien", meaning "to borrow" or "to give on loan". | |||
| Galician | préstamo | ||
| "Préstamo" can also mean "interest" in Galician, and derives from the Latin "praestare" (to advance or to grant). | |||
| German | darlehen | ||
| "Darlehen" (loan) derives from the Middle High German term "darlîhen" and originally referred to a "giving" or "granting". | |||
| Icelandic | lán | ||
| Icelandic 'lán' shares its etymology with the English word 'lent', meaning the act of temporarily giving something to someone. | |||
| Irish | iasacht | ||
| Iasacht may also mean "service" or "help" in contexts outside of economics. | |||
| Italian | prestito | ||
| The word "prestito" in Italian can also mean "advance" or "accommodation" in the sense of a temporary loan of money. | |||
| Luxembourgish | prêt | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Prêt" is closely related to the French loan and the English "pray". | |||
| Maltese | self | ||
| The Maltese word "self" is also used to indicate the return of an object that has been lent or something that is given in return for a favour. | |||
| Norwegian | låne | ||
| The word "låne" is etymologically related to the English word "loan", and also has the alternate meaning of "to borrow" in Norwegian. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | empréstimo | ||
| The Portuguese word "empréstimo" also refers to loans in a more figurative sense, such as borrowing from other cultures or languages. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | iasad | ||
| The Gaelic word 'iasad' not only means 'loan' but also has an archaic meaning of 'beseech', which is evident in the surname MacIasgaidh ('son of the beseecher') | |||
| Spanish | préstamo | ||
| The word "préstamo" in Spanish can also mean "borrowing" or "advance payment". | |||
| Swedish | lån | ||
| The word låna is an archaic word used for borrowing in general and was in the past mainly used by the nobility. | |||
| Welsh | benthyciad | ||
| The Welsh word 'benthyciad' is derived from the Latin word 'beneficium', which means 'a kindness' or 'a favor'. | |||
Loan in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | крэдыт | ||
| "Крэдыт" in Belarusian originates from the Polish "kredyt", which in turn comes from the German "Kredit" and the Italian "credito", both meaning "trust" or "belief." | |||
| Bosnian | zajam | ||
| The word "zajam" is derived from the Persian word "qarz". | |||
| Bulgarian | заем | ||
| The word "заем" comes from the Old Church Slavonic word "заимовати" meaning "to borrow". | |||
| Czech | půjčka | ||
| The word "půjčka" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *pojik-, meaning "to borrow". | |||
| Estonian | laen | ||
| Laen is also used to refer to a loan of money or other items. | |||
| Finnish | lainata | ||
| The word 'lainata' is derived from the Proto-Finno-Ugric root *laina- ('to lend, to borrow'). | |||
| Hungarian | hitel | ||
| The word 'hitel' is derived from the Hungarian word 'hit', which means 'faith' or 'belief', and the suffix '-el', which indicates a state or condition. | |||
| Latvian | aizdevums | ||
| The word "aizdevums" also means "credit" or "borrowing". | |||
| Lithuanian | paskola | ||
| In Lithuanian, "paskola" can also refer to a sum of money borrowed from a financial institution. | |||
| Macedonian | заем | ||
| Македонската дума „заем” има икономическо и лингвистичко значение. | |||
| Polish | pożyczka | ||
| The word "pożyczka" also means "borrowing" or "lending". | |||
| Romanian | împrumut | ||
| The Romanian word "împrumut" derives from the Latin "emprunutare" meaning "to borrow" and is related to "emprestare" meaning "to lend". | |||
| Russian | ссуда | ||
| "Ссуда" is a financial term used in Russian, that derives from the Old Church Slavonic word "съсоудити" (to lend). | |||
| Serbian | зајам | ||
| The Serbian word "зајам" can also mean "borrowed" or "debt". | |||
| Slovak | pôžička | ||
| The Slovak word “pôžička” derives from the Slavic verb “požiti”, which means “to use”. | |||
| Slovenian | posojilo | ||
| The word "posojilo" in Slovenian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "posъditi", meaning "to lend". | |||
| Ukrainian | позику | ||
| The word “позику” in Ukrainian can also refer to “lending” and is derived from the Proto-Slavic term *posǫka, meaning “aid”, “assistance”. | |||
Loan in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | loanণ | ||
| The word "loan" in Bengali (pronounced "lon") ultimately derives from the Sanskrit word "luṇa" meaning "debt" or "obligation." | |||
| Gujarati | લોન | ||
| In English, 'loan' means not only money but also an informal agreement to use something belonging to another person, such as a car. | |||
| Hindi | ऋण | ||
| The word "ऋण" also means "debt" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಸಾಲ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಸಾಲ" (loan), also refers to a queue, line, or range. | |||
| Malayalam | വായ്പ | ||
| "വായ്പ" derives from the Sanskrit "vāypa" which means "commerce" or "trade." | |||
| Marathi | कर्ज | ||
| In Marathi, "कर्ज" (loan) originates from the Sanskrit word "क्रुश" (to buy, to acquire), signifying a financial obligation. | |||
| Nepali | .ण | ||
| In ancient times, .ण referred to a type of interest-free loan known as "dharma ऋण". | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਰਜ਼ਾ | ||
| The Punjabi word 'ਕਰਜ਼ਾ' (karza) originates from the Sanskrit word 'kṛṣṇa' meaning 'black', possibly referring to the dark mark placed on a person who owes a debt. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ණය | ||
| The word "ණය" also means "debt" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | கடன் | ||
| The Tamil word "கடன்" (kaḍan) also refers to "bondage" and "obligation". | |||
| Telugu | ఋణం | ||
| The word "ఋణం" also means "debt" or "obligation" in Telugu. | |||
| Urdu | قرض | ||
| قرض originated from the Arabic word "qarḍ" which means a "cut", this is because in the past a piece of wood or a stick would be split into two and each party would keep one half, and when they needed to repay the amount they would match the sticks to ensure that they were the same. | |||
Loan in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 贷款 | ||
| "贷款" (loan) in Chinese is a loanword from the English "loan". It can also refer to "invest". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 貸款 | ||
| The character "貸" can also mean "to let out" or "to rent out." | |||
| Japanese | ローン | ||
| The word ローン (loan) derives from the English word “loan” and was likely introduced to Japanese in the late 19th or early 20th century. | |||
| Korean | 차관 | ||
| "차관" originally meant "additional installment" or "additional payment". | |||
| Mongolian | зээл | ||
| The word "зээл" (loan) can also mean "to owe" or "to be indebted to someone" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ချေးငွေ | ||
Loan in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | pinjaman | ||
| "Pinjaman" can also refer to an act of borrowing something, not just money. | |||
| Javanese | utangan | ||
| The word "utangan" in Javanese can refer to a debt owed to an individual or a deity, which highlights the significance of social and religious obligations in Javanese culture. | |||
| Khmer | កំចី | ||
| "កំចី" can also mean interest on a loan or rent. | |||
| Lao | ເງິນກູ້ | ||
| Malay | pinjaman | ||
| The word "pinjaman" in Malay is derived from the Sanskrit word "prāyama" meaning "to extend". | |||
| Thai | เงินกู้ | ||
| The term "เงินกู้" is derived from the Sanskrit word "kṛta", meaning "done" or "owed." | |||
| Vietnamese | tiền vay | ||
| In Vietnamese, the word "tiền vay" can also refer to the "principal" or "interest" of a loan. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pautang | ||
Loan in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | kredit | ||
| "Kredit" in Azerbaijani derives from the Persian "qarz" and means a sum of money lent at interest. | |||
| Kazakh | қарыз | ||
| "Қарыз" means "debt" in Kazakh. It is cognate with the Arabic word "qardh" with the same meaning | |||
| Kyrgyz | насыя | ||
| The word "насыя" in Kyrgyz is derived from the verb "насуу", meaning "to borrow". | |||
| Tajik | қарз | ||
| The word "қарз" also means "debt" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | karz | ||
| Uzbek | kredit | ||
| The word 'kredit' also refers to a letter of credit or a credit card in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | قەرز | ||
Loan in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hōʻaiʻē | ||
| The word "hōʻaiʻē" can also mean "to borrow" or "to lend". | |||
| Maori | taurewa | ||
| Derived from the Māori words "tau" (to exchange, trade) and "rewa" (to return), a "taurewa" originally referred to a type of reciprocal agreement or contract. | |||
| Samoan | nonogatupe | ||
| The meaning of the Samoan word “nonogatupe” can also refer to the process of a person taking something that they own and giving it to someone else without the expectation of being paid back. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pautang | ||
| The Tagalog word "pautang" traces its roots to the Hokkien Chinese word "poatang," which refers to a "debt" or a "loan." | |||
Loan in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | mayt'awi | ||
| Guarani | jeporupy | ||
Loan in International Languages
| Esperanto | prunto | ||
| The word "prunto" comes from the Latin word "prōmptō", meaning "ready" or "prepared". | |||
| Latin | loan | ||
| "Locan" in Latin refers to "granting" and the Roman goddess Locana was believed to protect the poor with monetary favours. | |||
Loan in Others Languages
| Greek | δάνειο | ||
| In Greek, "δάνειο" can also refer to "money lent at interest" or "debt". | |||
| Hmong | qiv | ||
| Qiv literally means 'to borrow,' but is usually used just for loans of money or large amounts of food. | |||
| Kurdish | sened | ||
| The word "sened" in Kurdish has additional meanings such as "a promise" or "to lend something". | |||
| Turkish | kredi | ||
| "Kredi" may also mean trust, reliance, or belief in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | mboleko | ||
| "Mboleko" is also a term used to describe a traditional Xhosa courtship dance performed by young men and women, often during wedding celebrations. | |||
| Yiddish | אַנטלייַען | ||
| The Yiddish word "אַנטלייַען" comes from the German word "entlehnen," but it also carries the meaning of giving something to someone with the expectation that it will be returned. | |||
| Zulu | ukubolekwa | ||
| Ukubolekwa literally means "to be taken from," but also has a figurative meaning of "to receive a loan." | |||
| Assamese | ঋণ | ||
| Aymara | mayt'awi | ||
| Bhojpuri | उधार | ||
| Dhivehi | ލޯން | ||
| Dogri | लोन | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pautang | ||
| Guarani | jeporupy | ||
| Ilocano | pautang | ||
| Krio | lon | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | قەرز | ||
| Maithili | कर्जा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯨꯍꯟꯕ | ||
| Mizo | leiba | ||
| Oromo | liqaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଋଣ | ||
| Quechua | manu | ||
| Sanskrit | ऋणं | ||
| Tatar | кредит | ||
| Tigrinya | ልቃሕ | ||
| Tsonga | loni | ||