Money in Different Languages
Discover 'Money' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Money makes the world go round, or so the saying goes. It's a concept that transcends borders and cultures, and is essential to the functioning of modern society. But have you ever wondered how different cultures and languages refer to this all-important concept?
The word 'money' has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire where it originated from the Latin word 'moneta', meaning 'mint' or ' money coiner'. Today, it is an integral part of our daily lives, used as a medium of exchange, a unit of account, and a store of value.
Understanding the translation of money in different languages can provide insight into a culture's history, economy, and societal norms. For instance, in German, money is referred to as 'Geld', which comes from the Old English word 'gyldan' meaning 'to pay'. Meanwhile, in Mandarin, the word for money is 'qian', which is derived from the ancient Chinese currency made of cowry shells.
Join us as we explore the fascinating world of money through the lens of different languages and cultures. From 'dinero' in Spanish to 'pieni' in Finnish, discover how this essential concept is translated and understood around the world.
Money
Money in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | geld | ||
| In Afrikaans, "geld" ultimately derives from the Germanic word for "gold" and also has the alternate meaning of "castration". | |||
| Amharic | ገንዘብ | ||
| The Amharic word "ገንዘብ" derives from the Ge'ez word "ግንዛብ", meaning "treasure" or "wealth". | |||
| Hausa | kudi | ||
| Hausa word "kudi" can also mean "wealth", "property", or "treasure". | |||
| Igbo | ego | ||
| In the Igbo language, "ego" also refers to wealth, prosperity, or abundance. | |||
| Malagasy | money | ||
| In Malagasy, the word "vola" can also refer to coins, currency, or wealth. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | ndalama | ||
| The word 'ndalama' is cognate with 'Ndalama', the goddess of wealth in Yao religion. | |||
| Shona | mari | ||
| The word "mari" also refers to the black market in Shona. | |||
| Somali | lacag | ||
| The Somali term "lacag" was originally derived from the Arabic "laqaqa," meaning "to clap," as cowrie shells, an early form of currency in the region, were often clapped together to count them. | |||
| Sesotho | chelete | ||
| The word 'chelete' can also refer to livestock in Sesotho, as in the traditional practice of 'lobola' where cattle are used as a form of bride wealth. | |||
| Swahili | pesa | ||
| Pesa also means "measure" due to the use of beans as a unit of currency in the past. | |||
| Xhosa | imali | ||
| In Xhosa, "imali" literally means "the thing that makes the world go round." | |||
| Yoruba | owo | ||
| In Yoruba, the word 'owo' not only means 'money' but also 'wealth' and 'property'. | |||
| Zulu | imali | ||
| The Zulu word 'imali' is derived from the Nguni word 'mali', which referred to cattle ownership as a measure of wealth. | |||
| Bambara | wari | ||
| Ewe | ga | ||
| Kinyarwanda | amafaranga | ||
| Lingala | mbongo | ||
| Luganda | ensimbi | ||
| Sepedi | tšhelete | ||
| Twi (Akan) | sika | ||
Money in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مال | ||
| In addition to "money," "مال" (māl) can mean "property" or "wealth" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | כֶּסֶף | ||
| "כֶּסֶף" can also mean "silver" or "hope" in Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | پیسې | ||
| The word "پیسې" in Pashto may derive from the Sanskrit word "piśāca," meaning "demon" or "evil spirit," suggesting its association with the concept of exchange and the potential for wealth to be used for both good and evil purposes. | |||
| Arabic | مال | ||
| In addition to "money," "مال" (māl) can mean "property" or "wealth" in Arabic. | |||
Money in Western European Languages
| Albanian | para | ||
| In Albanian, "para" derives from the Latin "pecunia" (money), and also refers to "change" (small coins). | |||
| Basque | dirua | ||
| The word "dirua" derives from the Basque word "diru," which means "worth" or "value," and the suffix "-a," which denotes a concrete noun or thing. | |||
| Catalan | diners | ||
| The word "diners" in Catalan can also refer to a type of small restaurant. | |||
| Croatian | novac | ||
| Possibly derived from Proto-Slavic *navьka, meaning "habit" or "custom." | |||
| Danish | penge | ||
| The word "penge" is derived from the Old Norse word "peningr", which also meant "money". | |||
| Dutch | geld | ||
| The word "geld" has been used in Dutch since at least the 15th century, and is derived from the Old Saxon word "gield", meaning "payment" or "tribute". | |||
| English | money | ||
| The word 'money' derives from the Latin word 'moneta' meaning 'temple of Juno,' where coins were minted in ancient Rome. | |||
| French | argent | ||
| In French, the word "argent" is derived from the Latin word "argentum," which means "silver". Over time, it came to be used figuratively to refer to money in general. | |||
| Frisian | jild | ||
| The word "jild" is also used colloquially to refer to a person's wealth or financial resources. | |||
| Galician | cartos | ||
| In Galician, 'cartos' not only means 'money' but also refers to 'letters' or 'documents'. | |||
| German | geld | ||
| The word Geld also signifies a castrated animal due to its former use as a medium of exchange for buying neutered livestock to use as labor. | |||
| Icelandic | peninga | ||
| Icelandic word "peninga" was also a term meaning "coins or small change." Originally, the meaning of it meant "small silver coins." | |||
| Irish | airgead | ||
| The word 'airgead' ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂erǵ- ('silver'), cognate with Latin 'argentum' and English 'argent'. | |||
| Italian | i soldi | ||
| The Italian word 'i soldi' (money) can also be used figuratively, meaning 'the military' or 'a group of people with a specific role' | |||
| Luxembourgish | suen | ||
| Suen is derived from the Latin word "solidus" meaning a gold coin. | |||
| Maltese | flus | ||
| The word "flus" is ultimately derived from Latin "fluxus", meaning "to flow", as it originally referred to running water or streams. | |||
| Norwegian | penger | ||
| "Penger" is derived from the Old Norse word "peningr," which meant "coin" and was also used to refer to silver or other precious metals. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | dinheiro | ||
| The word "dinheiro" derives from the Latin word "denarius", which referred to a Roman coin. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | airgead | ||
| "Airgead" also means "silver" in Scots Gaelic, coming from the Old Irish word "airget". | |||
| Spanish | dinero | ||
| In Spanish, 'dinero' derives from the Latin 'denarius,' which originally referred to a Roman silver coin. | |||
| Swedish | pengar | ||
| Pengar is a derivative of the Old Norse word 'penningr', which means 'coin'. | |||
| Welsh | arian | ||
| The word "arian" can also refer to a silver coin or a unit of currency. | |||
Money in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | грошы | ||
| "Грошы" is derived from the Lithuanian "grašis", which in turn stems from the German "Groschen", referring to a silver coin introduced in the Middle Ages. | |||
| Bosnian | novac | ||
| The word "novac" comes from the Proto-Slavic "novьць", meaning "new" - as new coins were often minted to replace older, worn coins. | |||
| Bulgarian | пари | ||
| In Bulgarian, пари (pari) originally meant "cattle" and is related to the word "pair." | |||
| Czech | peníze | ||
| The word "peníze" originates from the Latin term "pecunia", meaning "property, wealth". | |||
| Estonian | raha | ||
| Estonian word "raha" likely originates from Old Norse "rað" meaning "arrangement, order" or "worth, value." | |||
| Finnish | raha | ||
| Its etymology may be from Old Norse 'reyðr' ('red, reddish-brown, copper-colored'), denoting the color of the early coins or copper itself, from Proto-Germanic *rauthaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *rewdʰ- ('red'). | |||
| Hungarian | pénz | ||
| Pénz is derived from the Latin word "pecunia," meaning "money," "property," or "wealth." | |||
| Latvian | naudu | ||
| Latvian word "naudu" originated from "nauja", meaning "cattle" and refers to the old tradition of using cattle as means of payment. | |||
| Lithuanian | pinigų | ||
| The word "pinigų" is likely derived from the Slavic word "peniazh", meaning "money" or "coin". | |||
| Macedonian | пари | ||
| In Macedonian slang, ''пари'' is occasionally used to mean ''cigarette'' | |||
| Polish | pieniądze | ||
| The word "pieniądze" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*pěnęzь", which comes from the Germanic word "pfennig" (penny). | |||
| Romanian | bani | ||
| The Romanian word "bani" has Slavic roots and may be related to the Proto-Slavic word "bolny" meaning "wealth" or "property". | |||
| Russian | деньги | ||
| Derived from the Turkic word "tenge" meaning "coin" or "stamped metal," the Russian word "Деньги" initially referred to silver coins. | |||
| Serbian | новац | ||
| The etymology of "новац" may come from Latin "nummus", but is more likely from Proto-Slavic "novъ" (new). | |||
| Slovak | peniaze | ||
| In Slovak, the word "peniaze" shares a common etymology with the Polish word "pieniądz" and the Czech word "peníze", all of which originated from the Old High German word "pfennig". | |||
| Slovenian | denarja | ||
| Denar is the Slovene word for money, derived from the Latin word denarius, which originally referred to a Roman silver coin. | |||
| Ukrainian | гроші | ||
| "Гроші" is thought to derive from the Polish word "grosz," which in turn comes from the Latin word "grossus," meaning "large, heavy coin". | |||
Money in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | টাকা | ||
| The word "টাকা" (taka) is derived from the Sanskrit word "タンカ" (tanka), which means "seal". This is because in ancient times, coins were often stamped with a seal to indicate their value. | |||
| Gujarati | પૈસા | ||
| From Proto-Indo-Iranian, a compound word *pati-aesa- (“lord, master of cattle”) | |||
| Hindi | पैसे | ||
| Hindi "पैसे" ultimately derives from Sanskrit "पण्य" (paṇya) meaning "goods, wares, commodities". | |||
| Kannada | ಹಣ | ||
| "ಹಣ" means 'price' in Kannada and can also refer to 'coins,' 'cash,' or 'wealth'" | |||
| Malayalam | പണം | ||
| The Malayalam word "പണം" (money) is derived from the Sanskrit word "पण" (pana), meaning "fine" or "good". | |||
| Marathi | पैसे | ||
| 'पैसे' originates from the Sanskrit verb 'पेशूः' (peshuh), meaning to sprinkle, and initially referred to the sprinkling of gold dust for religious purposes. | |||
| Nepali | पैसा | ||
| The word "पैसा" is derived from the word "पद" (foot), indicating its use as a unit of measurement for the width of a cowrie shell, which was used as currency in ancient India. | |||
| Punjabi | ਪੈਸਾ | ||
| The Punjabi word 'paisa' derives from the Sanskrit word 'paisa' meaning 'cowry shell', which was historically a form of currency in India. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මුදල | ||
| The Sinhala word "මුදල" originates from the Pali word "mudda" which can also mean "seal" or "stamp." | |||
| Tamil | பணம் | ||
| The Tamil word "பணம்" originally referred to a coin minted during the Vijayanagara Empire, but has since come to mean "money" in general. | |||
| Telugu | డబ్బు | ||
| The word "డబ్బు" is derived from the Sanskrit word "dam" meaning "cowrie shell", which was used as currency in ancient India. | |||
| Urdu | پیسہ | ||
| The Urdu word "پیسہ" originally meant "ground rice," and was used as a form of currency in medieval India. | |||
Money in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 钱 | ||
| The word '钱' in Chinese can also refer to a type of ancient Chinese coin. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 錢 | ||
| The Chinese character 錢 (money) originated as a cowrie shell, which was used as currency in ancient China. | |||
| Japanese | お金 | ||
| The word "お金" (okane) is thought to have originated from the Late Middle Ages word "おかね" (okane), which referred to a gold-plated silver coin. | |||
| Korean | 돈 | ||
| The word "돈" (money) in Korean may have originated from the Japanese word "돈" (coin), which in turn is thought to derive from the Chinese word "錢" (copper coin). | |||
| Mongolian | мөнгө | ||
| "Мөнгө" comes from the Chinese "silver", and can also refer to "wealth" or "abundance" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပိုက်ဆံ | ||
Money in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | uang | ||
| The word "uang" in Indonesian is derived from the Sanskrit word "upa" meaning "payment" or "wages". | |||
| Javanese | dhuwit | ||
| The word | |||
| Khmer | លុយ | ||
| The word លុយ can also refer to a unit of measurement for silver in ancient Cambodia. | |||
| Lao | ເງິນ | ||
| The Lao word ເງິນ, meaning "money," is derived from the Sanskrit word "hiranya," signifying "gold" or "treasure." | |||
| Malay | wang | ||
| In archaic Malay, 'wang' also referred to a type of gong or bell. | |||
| Thai | เงิน | ||
| The word "เงิน" also means "silver" in Thai, reflecting its historical use as a medium of exchange. | |||
| Vietnamese | tiền bạc | ||
| "Tiền" is an archaic word for iron and was used as a name for coins made of iron or iron alloys. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pera | ||
Money in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | pul | ||
| "Pul" also means "steel" and "bridge" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | ақша | ||
| The word "ақша" also means "white" and is related to the concept of purity and value in Kazakh culture. | |||
| Kyrgyz | акча | ||
| The word "акча" ("money") in Kyrgyz is derived from the Persian word "askh" ("cash"). | |||
| Tajik | пул | ||
| The word "пул" is derived from the Persian word "پول" (pool), with the same meaning. | |||
| Turkmen | pul | ||
| Uzbek | pul | ||
| The Uzbek word "pul" may derive from the Persian "pul" or the Chinese "puli". | |||
| Uyghur | پۇل | ||
Money in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kālā | ||
| The word 'kālā' comes from the Polynesian root word for 'exchange', indicating the valuable role it plays in societal interactions. | |||
| Maori | moni | ||
| In Maori, 'moni' was originally a term for a necklace or other valuable possession before evolving to mean currency. | |||
| Samoan | tupe | ||
| Tupe can also mean 'to pay', 'to be paid', or 'wages'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pera | ||
| "Pera" may also refer to an orchard or a small farm | |||
Money in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | qulli | ||
| Guarani | viru | ||
Money in International Languages
| Esperanto | mono | ||
| In Esperanto, "mono" is derived from Greek "monas" (unit) and is also used as an abbreviation for "monero" (international currency unit). | |||
| Latin | pecunia | ||
| "Pecunia" originates from "pecus," meaning "cattle," as cattle was once used as currency in ancient Rome. | |||
Money in Others Languages
| Greek | χρήματα | ||
| The word "χρήματα" in Greek originally meant "things, possessions" and is derived from the verb "χράομαι" (to use). | |||
| Hmong | nyiaj | ||
| The word 'nyiaj' can also refer to 'silver' or 'currency' in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | dirav | ||
| The word "dirav" is derived from the Persian word "dirham", which means "coin" or "money". | |||
| Turkish | para | ||
| In Turkish, “para” originally referred to coins and was derived from the Persian word "pāre”, meaning "piece". | |||
| Xhosa | imali | ||
| In Xhosa, "imali" literally means "the thing that makes the world go round." | |||
| Yiddish | געלט | ||
| The Yiddish word 'gelt' is not etymologically related to the German word 'Geld', but may be related to the Middle High German word 'gelt' or 'gulte', meaning payment, debt, or income. | |||
| Zulu | imali | ||
| The Zulu word 'imali' is derived from the Nguni word 'mali', which referred to cattle ownership as a measure of wealth. | |||
| Assamese | ধন | ||
| Aymara | qulli | ||
| Bhojpuri | रुपिया | ||
| Dhivehi | ފައިސާ | ||
| Dogri | पैहा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pera | ||
| Guarani | viru | ||
| Ilocano | kuarta | ||
| Krio | mɔni | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پارە | ||
| Maithili | रुपैया | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯦꯜ | ||
| Mizo | sum | ||
| Oromo | maallaqa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଟଙ୍କା | ||
| Quechua | qullqi | ||
| Sanskrit | मुद्रा | ||
| Tatar | акча | ||
| Tigrinya | ገንዘብ | ||
| Tsonga | mali | ||