Pay in Different Languages
Discover 'Pay' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'pay' holds a significant place in our daily lives, as it represents the exchange of goods, services, or energies. It's a concept deeply rooted in human culture, symbolizing reciprocity, gratitude, and value. Understanding its translation in different languages can open doors to new cultural experiences and foster global connections.
Did you know that 'pay' derives from the Latin 'pacare,' which means 'to pacify or appease'? This historical context highlights the importance of payment in resolving debts and maintaining social harmony. Moreover, the English word 'wage' shares the same origin, emphasizing the connection between payment and work.
As you explore the world of languages, you'll find that translations of 'pay' vary, reflecting unique cultural nuances. For instance, in Spanish, it's 'pagar,' while in French, it's 'payer.' In Mandarin Chinese, it's '支付 (zhī fù),' and in Japanese, it's '支払い (shiharai).'
Pay
Pay in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | betaal | ||
| The word 'betaal' is derived from the Dutch word 'betalen', which also means 'to pay'. | |||
| Amharic | ይክፈሉ | ||
| The word ይክፈሉ (pay) is derived from the root verb ክፈል, which means 'to divide' or 'to separate.' | |||
| Hausa | biya | ||
| The word biya is cognate with the word biya (to sell) in Songhai languages, suggesting a common root in a West African trading language | |||
| Igbo | kwuo ugwo | ||
| "Kwuo ugwo" is the Igbo word for "to pay back" or "to revenge". | |||
| Malagasy | vola | ||
| The word "vola" can also mean "to return" or "to bring back" in Malagasy. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | perekani | ||
| The word "perekani" in Nyanja (Chichewa) also means "to give" or "to donate". | |||
| Shona | kubhadhara | ||
| The word 'kubhadhara' ('pay') is also homophonously used for 'to receive payment'. | |||
| Somali | bixin | ||
| The Somali word "bixin" also means "payment" in the sense of "recompense" or "satisfaction". | |||
| Sesotho | patala | ||
| Sesotho patala means both "pay" and "to beat" and originates from the root -bata "to crush". | |||
| Swahili | lipa | ||
| The Swahili term 'lipa' also connotes 'atonement', suggesting a connection between financial reparations and spiritual reconciliation. | |||
| Xhosa | hlawula | ||
| The Xhosa word 'hlawula' also means 'to pierce', likely due to the ancient practice of cattle raiding, where a raid was considered successful if a homestead was pierced. | |||
| Yoruba | sanwo | ||
| Sanwo can mean a "small amount of money" or an "advance payment used for small purchases of goods." | |||
| Zulu | khokha | ||
| The word 'khokha' in Zulu also means 'to finish', 'to complete', or 'to end'. | |||
| Bambara | sara | ||
| Ewe | xe fe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kwishyura | ||
| Lingala | kofuta | ||
| Luganda | -sasula | ||
| Sepedi | lefa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | tua | ||
Pay in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | دفع | ||
| "دفع" is an Arabic word with a rich semantic field, referring not only to financial transactions but also to a wide range of other actions, such as repelling, preventing, and opposing. | |||
| Hebrew | לְשַׁלֵם | ||
| The word "לְשַׁלֵם" can also mean "to complete" in Hebrew, reflecting the idea of finishing a transaction or obligation. | |||
| Pashto | ورکړه | ||
| "ورکړه" originates from the Pashto word "رخه" meaning "face" or "honor" and suggests that payment is a way to restore or maintain one's honor or reputation. | |||
| Arabic | دفع | ||
| "دفع" is an Arabic word with a rich semantic field, referring not only to financial transactions but also to a wide range of other actions, such as repelling, preventing, and opposing. | |||
Pay in Western European Languages
| Albanian | paguaj | ||
| Paguaj originates from the Latin word "pacare" meaning "to pay off a debt" and "to satisfy". | |||
| Basque | ordaindu | ||
| The Basque word "ordaindu" not only means "pay," but also "order" or "command." | |||
| Catalan | pagar | ||
| The Catalan word "pagar" is derived from the Latin word "pacare", which means "to make peace" or "to appease". | |||
| Croatian | platiti | ||
| The word 'platiti' comes from the Proto-Slavic root *platъ- meaning 'to spread, flatten', referring to the practice of flattening coins before accepting them as payment | |||
| Danish | betale | ||
| In Norwegian, 'betale' is also a slang term meaning 'to understand' | |||
| Dutch | betalen | ||
| In Dutch, the word "betalen" has two possible etymologies, one from Old French "betaler" and another from Middle Dutch "betalen". | |||
| English | pay | ||
| The word 'pay' comes from the Old French word 'payer', which means 'to satisfy'. It can also mean 'to punish' or 'to suffer'. | |||
| French | payer | ||
| In French, «payer» also means «to appease», from the Latin «pacare». | |||
| Frisian | betelje | ||
| Besides the common meaning of 'pay', the word 'betelje' in Frisian can also refer to 'bet' or 'wage'. | |||
| Galician | pagar | ||
| The Galician word "pagar" can also mean "to stop" or "to prohibit". | |||
| German | zahlen | ||
| Despite its spelling, "Zahlen" originates from "zehlen", an Old High German word meaning "to divide" or "to count". | |||
| Icelandic | borga | ||
| The term 'borga' also translates to mean 'fortress', as in 'a safe place'. | |||
| Irish | pá | ||
| The Irish word "pá" can also mean "provision" or "satisfaction" | |||
| Italian | pagare | ||
| The Italian verb "pagare" derives from the Latin "pacare" meaning "to make peace, to appease". | |||
| Luxembourgish | bezuelen | ||
| The term bezuelen is a French loanword which was borrowed around the 12th century. | |||
| Maltese | tħallas | ||
| "Tħallas" comes from "t-ħallas," which derives from the Arabic word "hallasa," meaning "to untie" or "to free." | |||
| Norwegian | betale | ||
| The word "betale" in Norwegian is derived from the Old Norse word "bauta," meaning "to carry a burden. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | pagamento | ||
| In Brazil, "pagamento" can also refer to a land area or a type of dance. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | pàigheadh | ||
| The word "pàigheadh" derives from the verb "pàigh", meaning "to pay," and can refer to payment, wages, a penalty, or even a curse. | |||
| Spanish | pagar | ||
| "Pagar" in Spanish, when referring to a sailboat, means to turn to the wind | |||
| Swedish | betala | ||
| The word "betala" is derived from the Old Norse word "bauta," which means "to offer" or "to sacrifice." | |||
| Welsh | talu | ||
| The word "talu" means "payment" and is derived from the Latin word "talis", meaning "such" or "of the kind". Historically, it was used to refer to a pledge of goods or services given in lieu of payment, and still retains this meaning in Welsh law. | |||
Pay in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | плаціць | ||
| The verb "плаціць" also means "to weep" and "to cry" in Belarusian. | |||
| Bosnian | platiti | ||
| The word 'platiti' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'platiti' ('to pay') and also has the meaning 'to reward' in some contexts. | |||
| Bulgarian | плати | ||
| In Bulgarian, "плати" can also mean "to pay for" or "to cover the costs of" something. | |||
| Czech | platit | ||
| The Czech word "platit" is derived from the Latin word "placere," meaning "to please," and is also related to the German word "zahlen," meaning "to count or pay." | |||
| Estonian | maksma | ||
| The word "maksma" derives from the Finno-Ugric root "makh-", meaning "to give, to pay". | |||
| Finnish | maksaa | ||
| The Finnish word "maksaa" also means "to cost" or "to be worth". | |||
| Hungarian | fizetés | ||
| The word "fizetés" likely derives from the Slavic "plat" | |||
| Latvian | samaksāt | ||
| "Samaksāt" originates from the Latin word "saccus," meaning "bag" or "purse," due to the historical use of bags to hold money. | |||
| Lithuanian | mokėti | ||
| The word 'mokėti' also means 'be able to' or 'know how to' in Lithuanian. | |||
| Macedonian | плати | ||
| The word "плати" can also refer to a type of fish, specifically the flatfish species known as flounder or plaice. | |||
| Polish | zapłacić | ||
| The verb 'zapłacić' is derived from the proto-Slavic word 'platiti' which originally meant 'to cry' or 'to speak' | |||
| Romanian | a plati | ||
| The Romanian word "a plăti" derives from Latin "placitare", which meant "to please", and later evolved to signify "to pay" in Romanian. | |||
| Russian | платить | ||
| The word "платить" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *platiti, meaning "to give back" or "to settle a debt." | |||
| Serbian | платити | ||
| In some contexts, платити can also mean 'to suffer' or 'to endure'. | |||
| Slovak | zaplatiť | ||
| 'Zaplatiť' also means to 'fasten' something with nails, screws or a hammer | |||
| Slovenian | plačati | ||
| The word "plačati" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *platiti, meaning "to pay" or "to weep". | |||
| Ukrainian | платити | ||
| The word | |||
Pay in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | প্রদান | ||
| In ancient Bengali, "প্রদান" also meant "to present" or "to offer", similar to the Sanskrit root "da" meaning "to give". | |||
| Gujarati | ચૂકવણી | ||
| The word "ચૂકવણી" in Gujarati is derived from the Sanskrit word "चुक" (chuk), which means "to settle a debt". It also has the alternate meaning of "recompense" or "compensation". | |||
| Hindi | वेतन | ||
| "वेतन" in Hindi, also meaning "salary", is derived from the Sanskrit word "वेतन" meaning "price of a commodity". | |||
| Kannada | ಪಾವತಿ | ||
| The word "ಪಾವತಿ" in Kannada can also refer to a settlement or an accommodation. | |||
| Malayalam | അടയ്ക്കുക | ||
| The word "അടയ്ക്കുക" comes from the Sanskrit root "ad" (to put), and also means "to cover" or "to shut in". | |||
| Marathi | पैसे द्या | ||
| The Marathi word "पैसे द्या" is derived from "पाश्चिमात्य" - denoting 'to give to Westerners', referring to the British Raj's practice of demanding taxation. | |||
| Nepali | तिर्नु | ||
| "तिर्नु" also means "to satisfy". The word originates from the Sanskrit word "tṝ" meaning "to satisfy" or "to fulfill". | |||
| Punjabi | ਭੁਗਤਾਨ ਕਰੋ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ගෙවන්න | ||
| The Sinhala word "ගෙවන්න" (pay) is originally derived from Sanskrit word 'gachati' and also referred to the activity of "moving" in the past | |||
| Tamil | செலுத்த | ||
| In Old Tamil, "செலுத்த" meant "to convey, to move, to cause to go." | |||
| Telugu | చెల్లించండి | ||
| Urdu | ادا کرنا | ||
Pay in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 工资 | ||
| 工资's etymology is from "功", "merit", and "资", "resources". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 工資 | ||
| The word "工資" (pay) can also mean "pay for work done" or "wages". | |||
| Japanese | 支払う | ||
| The word "支払う" has a similar sound to the word "支払い" which means "payment", so it is used to refer to the act of paying money. | |||
| Korean | 지불 | ||
| 지불(支拂)의 한자어 원래 뜻은 '지지하며 돕는 것'입니다. | |||
| Mongolian | төлөх | ||
| "Төлөх" also means "to give birth" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ပေးဆောင် | ||
Pay in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | membayar | ||
| As a noun, "membayar" also means "the act of paying or a payment made." | |||
| Javanese | mbayar | ||
| "Mbayar" also means "exchange" in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | បង់ | ||
| "Bang" may also be used to denote the concept of "giving or offering" in the context of non-monetary items. | |||
| Lao | ຈ່າຍ | ||
| The word "ຈ່າຍ" (pay) is derived from the Sanskrit word "jaati" meaning "birth", and also has the alternate meaning of "to give birth" in Lao. | |||
| Malay | bayar | ||
| "Bayar" can also mean "to spend wealth" or "to sacrifice someone for a cause". | |||
| Thai | จ่าย | ||
| In Thai, "จ่าย" can also refer to "dispensing" medication or distributing items. | |||
| Vietnamese | trả | ||
| The word "trả" in Vietnamese can also mean "to give back", "to return", or "to answer". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | magbayad | ||
Pay in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ödəmək | ||
| 'Ödəmək' in Azerbaijani is related to the verb 'ödənc', meaning 'contribution' or 'compensation', and the noun 'ödəniş', meaning 'payment' or 'salary'. | |||
| Kazakh | төлеу | ||
| In Kazakh, "төлеу" can also mean compensation or remuneration. | |||
| Kyrgyz | төлөө | ||
| The word "төлөө" can also mean "repayment" or "refund" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | пардохт | ||
| The word "пардохт" also refers to a form of tax levied on the population, especially during wartime. | |||
| Turkmen | tölemek | ||
| Uzbek | to'lash | ||
| To'lash derives from the Middle Persian word tāxtan meaning "to collect a debt". It is also used in Kazakh and Turkmen. | |||
| Uyghur | مائاش | ||
Pay in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | uku | ||
| In Hawaiian, 'uku' is also a term referring to the act of presenting gifts to others. | |||
| Maori | utu | ||
| The Maori word "utu" means "repayment" and can include meanings of "revenge" or "reciprocity" instead of always referring to monetary payment. | |||
| Samoan | totogi | ||
| The word 'totogi' is cognate with the Tongan word 'togi'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | magbayad | ||
| Magbayad" also means "to redeem," "to repay" or "to compensate." | |||
Pay in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | payllaña | ||
| Guarani | hepyme'ẽ | ||
Pay in International Languages
| Esperanto | pagi | ||
| The Esperanto word "pagi" is derived from the Latin word "pacare", meaning "to pacify" or "to appease". It also has the alternate meaning of "to discharge a debt". | |||
| Latin | stipendium | ||
| "Stipendium" in Latin can refer to pay, allowance, scholarship, or even a period of time in which a new soldier was trained and paid before becoming a legionary. | |||
Pay in Others Languages
| Greek | πληρωμή | ||
| Πληρωμή derives from the verb "πληρόω," meaning "to fulfill" or "to fill". It is also cognate with the English word "plenitude." | |||
| Hmong | them | ||
| The word "them" in Hmong can also mean "to give" or "to share". | |||
| Kurdish | diravdanî | ||
| The word "diravdanî" is also used in the sense of "salary" or "wage". | |||
| Turkish | ödemek | ||
| "Ödemek" can also mean "to cover" or "to fulfill an obligation." | |||
| Xhosa | hlawula | ||
| The Xhosa word 'hlawula' also means 'to pierce', likely due to the ancient practice of cattle raiding, where a raid was considered successful if a homestead was pierced. | |||
| Yiddish | צאָלן | ||
| In Yiddish, "צאָלן" also means "to count" or "to charge." | |||
| Zulu | khokha | ||
| The word 'khokha' in Zulu also means 'to finish', 'to complete', or 'to end'. | |||
| Assamese | পৰিশোধ কৰা | ||
| Aymara | payllaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | भुगतान | ||
| Dhivehi | ފައިސާ ދެއްކުން | ||
| Dogri | तनखाह् | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | magbayad | ||
| Guarani | hepyme'ẽ | ||
| Ilocano | agbayad | ||
| Krio | pe | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پارەدان | ||
| Maithili | वेतन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯦ ꯄꯤꯕ | ||
| Mizo | pe | ||
| Oromo | kaffaluu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଦେୟ | ||
| Quechua | payllay | ||
| Sanskrit | वेतनं | ||
| Tatar | түләү | ||
| Tigrinya | ክፈል | ||
| Tsonga | hakela | ||